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Gorax's eyes flicker open, in a state of semi-awakeness he takes the fresh morning air into his lungs, hears some arguing and turns over for a little more shut eye. As he does this he thinks, "That's more like it, its been too quiet." Somehow it is rather comforting to hear a small argument, its just like home.
Estruven listens to the argument, thinking it nothing more than a flirty misunderstanding at first, but then she gets a look at Yossian's bowstrings. "How in the world could this have happened?!"
"Hmph!" Sia snorts, getting back to her spell preparations. "I'm really not sure. But this doesn't change anything. Start getting those untied. I'll help out once I'm done here"
Yossian pauses. "If Her Imperial Highness keeps up that attitude, then I will be chuckin' stones at her head."
He sits down and quietly unpicks a spare bowstring.
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Gorax wakes to hear Yossain say "If Her Imperial Highness keeps up that attitude, then I will be chuckin' stones at her head." He rubs his eyes and stares at the argument going on. Sticking his fingers in his ears, he rummages around pulling out some ear wax, stuck to the tip of his finger, which he flicks on the floor. He turns his head sideways towards the protagonists, hoping to clearly hear what is being said. On his face is a puzzled look, not really believing what he is hearing.
Last night we were all friends, now this morning cracks are appearing in the friendships.
If the argument continues, Gorax will stand up and ask "What's been going on? and" pointedly to Yossain "stop threatening Sia, we have more pressing things like getting to the bandits camp. We are all together on this aren't we?"
Calath frowns and peers around at the forest canopy overhead as if he heard something and were looking for the source.
Sia makes sure to finish with her spell preparations, not wanting to risk another interruption and more wasted time. When she finishes up, she looks to see just how much work there is to do in packing up the camp when she notices Cal looking for something. She starts deliberately placing her books in her pack, saying as quietly as possible "Is there someone out there?
Yossian stands quietly, and moves to the center of the group.
"Right, I suggestin' we move, and we does it quickly. Just sling everythin' on the horses and lead them on until we reaches that downed tree we passed last night - remeber it? Don't be takin' time ter pack up neatly, and don't be lookin' back once we go. I'll be leavin' a piece o' bread an' honey by the campfire - that should be distractin' them long enough for us ter get away. Don't argue, Miss, please, just do it."
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Gorax grumbles, "But I ain't got me armor on yet, I gotta get me armor on first!!! What's going on anyway, why all this secret stuff. One minute your fightin', next minute we're all skulkin' away. And I ain't 'ad me breakfast yet neither. Where'd you say we are going?" Gorax looks a mixture of perplexed and extreme annoyance that his morning has been abruptly interrupted by somethiing that he has no idea about.
Yossian lays a hand on Gorax's shoulder. "Steady, Pops, I'll tell yer all once we're safely away from here. Just sling yer armour on yer horse, and be careful to leave nothin' metal behind. That'll just annoy 'em more."
He takes a slice of bread from his pack and smears it liberally with honey from the pot before laying it carefully on a stone near the center of the clearing.
"Is there someone out there?
"I think we're bein' watched by th' fey folk o' these woods. Would figure wit' th' weird stuff been happenin', an' I heard laughin' from up above. I don' think they truly mean t' hurt us, they jus' don' know th' diff'rence b'tween a fun joke an' a cruel one. Maybe if we kin appease 'em they'll find sommat else t' play wit'." He explains quietly to the group and nods in approval as Yossian leaves a sweet for the fey.
Estruven was about to lecturing her group about the wrong and right time to horse around, when she notices Cal's and Yossian's worried look. Cal's explanation makes perfect sense to her and she does as he says, roughly throwing her items on her mount and leading him away.
Sia doesn't exactly hurry in any way that would be obvious. She doesn't take the time to pack everything in an orderly fashion she normally would either, she just gives off her best impression of being in no rush. As she continues she asks Cal "Is there anything else we can do aside from leaving a bit of bread? That seems awfully simple, like the bare least they might like."
"They's said t' like sweets. Tha's what Yossian's doin', I reckon. If ye've got some candy layin' around, it wouldn' hurt t' leave some behind. Just leave nothin' iron; it hurts th' fey folk to even touch iron, they say." Calath keeps his voice quiet as he explains, hoping not to offend their watchers. "Said t' be fond o' shiny things, too. Jewelry an' such. Anythin' that glitters in th' sun an' looks pretty."
By the time Calath is done informing her, Sia's pretty much done with packing. Thinking for a few moments, she pulls out two of the polished platinum coins she brought from Absalom. With a wave of her hands, somewhat crude shadowing has been added to the lion faces of the coins, giving making them look like the two drama masks, one brightly smiling and the other sad. Then, just to seal the deal, she also defaces the Stag Medallion she picked up earlier, giving it huge, twirly muoustache like a comedic villain from the Chelish opera, or more precisely the parodies of it favored outside Cheliax. Having done so, she leaves them in the spot where the tent was before heading to her horse to leave.
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Gorax, is a grumbling mass of anger, thinking "If I get me hands on one of them fey things, it'll do 'im no good, ruinin' me breakfast. Not even had time to pray, blah this just ain't fun." He listens to the conversations around him, but keeps his own council. He slings on his old trusty chainmail, against Yossain's wishes, but well, it just ain't right no wearing it on his travels. However, with less to pack, he is still ready to leave, but waits for Sia to finish her stuff before following her, as she leads her horse away.
Not a good start to the day, it had just better get better. thinks Gorax as they leave.
The entire party heads out, their gifts left behind in hopes that they will be accepted and further pranks avoided. The fallen tree that Yossian had mentioned is reached with little trouble, and it is here that everyone starts to take the time to get their things in order. Watching and listening to the trail left behind reveals no sign or sound of the fey that were heard previously.
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Gorax, his anger mainly dissipated, continues to grumble to himself but amonst the sound comes, "OK then, so what was so scary we had to run away from it?" Even as the answer is forthcoming, Gorax is muttering to himself. The breakfast isn't quite the right breakfast, the chainmail is uncomfortable, even after spending 10 minutes putting it on properly. His sword isn't sharp enough, Iomadae isn't listening to his supplications, anyone listening and watching can see Gorax's brow furrowed and eyes glaring, daring someone to interrupt his thoughts and pay the price.
If Gorax was three years old, he would have been given a spank by his long suffering parents and told to behave, but then Gorax is a nbit big for that now....
After the break and everyone is done and ready by the fallen tree, he will sullenly mount his horse and take his position in the party. But still the thunder clouds cross his furrowed brow..
Estruven takes the items thrown onto her horse off and onto the ground so that she may begin the process of loading up her mount correctly.
Afterward, she asks Yossian how long it will take to re-string his bow.
Sia just sighs at Gorax's complaint. "That's honestly what I want to know. Although I'm pretty sure we haven't gotten away from them yet." She shrugs. "It's their forest, after all, so we're going to run into them again. Running isn't going to solve the problem, just put it off for a bit."
Yossian pulls his main bowstring from his pocket. "Luckily, Miss, it was only the spares they tangled - long as I got this one I can still shoot."
He listens to Gorax grumble. "Steady on, Pops. Remember that this is their woods, and we is the ones blunderin' in. Mama said..."
He pauses briefly, then resumes.
"My Mama, who was a soldier in this parts, long ago, afore she bore me, said that they used ter leave dried fruit and sweet nuts at various places on their patrols, so's the fey-folk would leave 'em be. Most of 'em aren't evil, but they can be cruel, or cause harm without realizin', like a babe playin' with a kitten. Yer can't always tell when yer in their territory - yer just has to know which places ter avoid. Maybe it would be worth talkin' ter that old hermit after all - if he's lived in the woods fer long, he'll know the places where the fey-folk dwell."
It takes a bit of time for everyone to get all of their things settled right on their horses. Tensions are still a little high from the argument and the sudden retreat, but at least it's starting to look like everyone can get moving again. It's just as people are starting to mount up that a high pitched voice can be heard from above.
"Are you leaving?"
"Why?" Another voice asks from down in the underbrush.
A small creature that would look like a dragon were it not for it's size and the pair of brightly colored butterfly wings that it flutters as it speaks, peers down from a branch overhead while an even more unusual creature peers up from the side of a tree. Like an enormous cricket with the torso of a tiny woman, this creature grips the side of the trunk with it's six legs and peers up at the party inquisitively.
"We liked you're presents,"
"You've been such fun so far."
"At first we thought you were one of the bad bigenses."
"We don't like them, they don't like the forest."
"But you aren't like them, right?"
"We heard you talk about them like you didn't like them either."
The two go back and forth with hardly a breath between sentences for anyone to get a word in edgewise. Interrupting seems to be your only hope.
Sia is startled by the sudden presence of the creatures that have been harassing them for the past day, but then she smiles. She dismounts and walks over to the little cricket-lady, standing just outside of range to actually reach out and touch it.
"Yes, we're here to try to force the bad bigenses out of the forest," she says in a friendly, slightly soft voice. She looks up to the dragon-like creature. "Oh, and my name is Sia. What are your names?"
Estruven hides her surprise and does her best to put on a nice face and non-threatening demeanor.
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Gorax, sits on his horse totally stunned by the appearance of these small inoffensive looking creatures, he is incredulous that the party just ran away from them. He's not sure whether he should hit Yossain for leading the running away, or these small creatures, that Sia is now making friends with...inside his head screams "What!!!!!!!"
Rapidly moving his head from one side to the other, he is dumbfounded.
He just sits on horse, open mouthed, trying to gather himself together.
After many seconds, but Gorax is sure to tell you is several minutes, he speaks, "We ran away from these!!! Yossy, you made me miss my breakfast for these, DEADLY KILLERS. Are you out of your tree."
Jumping down off his horse, Gorax moves with a determined step crossing to Yossain. His face reddening, nostrils flared, "AND DON'T CALL ME POPS, OR YOU'LL FIND ONE O' THESE COMING YOUR WAY!!", as Gorax shakes his right hand in a large tight clenched fist under Yossain's nose, and his left searching for Yossain's garments to pull his face closer, so that he can smell Gorax's angry hot breath.
"My name is Perlivash," the dragon creature says as it lifts off the branch, does a flip in the air and lands once again, this time on Estruven's head.
"My name is Tyg-Titter-Tut," the cricket girl chimes in, scurrying up a bit more to be at eye level. "We're glad that you're here to make the bad biginses go away, they aren't very nice and they aren't nearly as good sports as you all were, they usually try to hurt us not leave us nice presents."
At Gorax's outburst both of the little pranksters flinch back, Perlivash hiding on the other side of Estruven's head, and Tyg on the other side of the tree.
Sia also winces too, then she gives Gorax a look. "Gorax, we can discuss that later, all right." She looks back to the pair of fae. "I'm sorry about that. I suppose that, since we're stopped again and Gorax is hungry, we can have some breakfast after all. Would you care to join us for some more bread and honey? Maybe you could tell us more about the bad bigenses and where they're set up?"
Yossian is stunned by Gorax's outburst, standing mouth open as the big man lunges for him. He struggles briefly, not quite believing what is happening, before grappling with the man, trying to hug him close and prevent his outburst doing any more damage.
"By the gods calm down Po...er Gorax" he hisses into the man's ear. "Ye'll get yer breakfast. I'll prepare it fer yer meself if yer wants. Yer can even have me share."
Trying to pacify the man he continues. "Yer a big, strong, brave feller, an' yer the match o' any man, I dare say. But these aren't men - they're fey-folk. They may'n be tiny, but they've magic that I bet even Sia doesn't understand. They can confuse a man's mind, an' veil his eyes, so's it don't matter how strong he is, he's fightin' with shadows. An' we're in their territory, so's we should be careful, an' show some respect. C'mon, I knows yer a gentleman. Yer shouldn't be behavin' like this in front o' the lasses."
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Gorax feeling Yossain's breath against the side of the ear, smells his sweat in his nostrils. Eye to eye, he hears Yossain's soothing words. His muscles tight and ready to fight, relax under Yossain's influence, his breathing slows, he pushes Yossain away from him as his mind begins to take control of his emotions. "Oh ummm, well ummm, ohh, breakfast would be good.". His head bows slightly as he moves away and looks with a little embarrassment at the girls, his face flushed a little. "Umm, yeah...alright?...yeah!" and continues to his horse, where he fidgets with his saddlebag and busies himself doing nothing.
The two peek out from their hiding places, looking at Gorax and Yossian, then back over to Sia.
"More bread?"
"More honey?"
Tyg scurries out again and along a low branch. "And maybe some music?" she asks excitedly.
"We know all about the bad biginses camp," Perlivash chimes in, peering over the top of Estruven's head to look into her eyes upside-down. "They aren't very bright.
Sia looks around to the others, then shrugs. "Sure, I can try to sing for you if you'd like. But first, let's eat." She starts pulling some rations out, first making sure that Tyg and Perlivash get some. "I'm afraid we don't have anything to drink aside from water," she appologizes to the pair as she sets down a blanket to sit on. Once everyone is settled, she clears her throat.
While the traditional sea chanty is nice, it sounds a little rough around the edges and maybe a bit awkward coming from the lips of a girl who's clearly more at home in a library than on a ship. When she's done she blushes just a bit and takes an even more awkward bow.
When the tiny creature jumps on top of her head, Estruven reaches up as a reflex to knock it off, but is able to stop her arms mid-flight. She stands there for a few seconds, arms still held up shoulder high, unsure of what to do.
After seeing their reaction to Gorax's gruff words and having the one atop her head look into her eyes upside down and calling the bandits unintelligent, she laughs a silly laugh, amused at these bewildering little things.
"You say these bandits...uhm, bigenses, aren't kind to the forest. Well, they ain't kind to our people either. So we don't like them either."
Still somewhat dazed from Gorax's assault, Yossian spreads a blanket on the ground and begins to prepare a breakfast. He cuts thick slices of bread and smears it liberally with the last of honey. He sets the biggest slice aside for Gorax, and then, taking a glance at the fey, cuts another into small pieces for their benefit.
"Why don't we all sits down an' eats?" he calls out. "Gorax gets powerful hungry if he don't have his breakfast. But don't mind him - he's a good feller. Yer just startled him."
He points to the breakfast. "It ain't much, but that's because of the, er..., bad bigenses. Bandits we calls 'em."
Settling himself cross-legged with a piece of bread, he continues.
"They threatens people, and hurts them, and steals from them. Not just pretty things neither. They takes the food and goods that people needs to live. That ain't right, is it? It's a shame. If it wurn't for them, more merchants would come ter the tradin' post out yonder. And they'd bring all sorts of nice things ter trade - honey, mead, candies..."
He raises an eyebrow at the fey, and offers another chunk of bread.
Calath sits down with Yossian and breaks his fast as well with trail rations -- hard bread and harder cheese with a stick of dried and salted meat. "I'd offer y' somma my food, but I'm afraid it's made more fer not goin' bad than it is fer tastin' good. I'm Calath, by the way. The excitable feller is Gorax, the talkative one is Yossian, the lady singin' is Sia, an' the lady yer perched on, friend Perlivash, is Estruven." He smiles at the diminutive creatures.
Tyg skitters around to grab a bit of bread and then listens intently to Sia singing.
Perlivash also grabs up a bit of bread then goes back to his perch on Estruven's head. "The bad biginses aren't nice to the forest either. We're glad that you're here to help make them go away. We can show you where they live and how to get there. We know all about the north part of the forest, all the way down past the river."
As Sia's singing ends, Tyg claps enthusiastically. "That was wonderful. She finishes off her bread and skitters over for more. "You should sing more. We didn't hear any of you singing before.
Sia smiles a bit and actually turns red at Tyg's compliment. "Well, we're trying to be a little quiet. The bad bigenses might hear us, and we don't want that. Let's let it be a surprise, hmm?" The enchantress smiles mischeviously to the two fae, putting her finger over her mouth.
When they say they know about the forest, she smiles even more. "Is there anything you can tell us about the forest that we should know? Anything special?"
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Gorax, rather sheepishly joins Yossain and sits down on the carpet of grass for breakfast, taking the plate offered him. He mumbles quietly under his breath "Thanks, sorry!" as he fills his mouth with the fine crusty bread, dripping with golden honey. He eats with relish, glad it is not just the standard rations. Those, he thinks, can wait til later. But there is no time like the present to fill oneself full, if that's whats on offer, you never know when the next meal will come.
Watching the 2 strange creatures, he smiles to himself, especially as the rest of the party appear to be talking 'strange baby talk', all this bigenses. Not wanting to bring any more attention to himself, Gorax remains silent throughout the meal, only mumbling answers if asked a direct question.
As the two fae flit about playfully, Gorax feels more drawn to them, to their vulnerability and lack of strength. He feels he should do something to look after them, but decides to keep silent about his thoughts. He listens to the conversations and relaxes once more, regaining much of his composure.
“Well…” they both echo at once as they think for a minute.
“There’s the nice warm hot springs over to the west,” Tyg chimes in.
“But you probably want to be careful about the frogs,” Perlivash inergects.
“And then there’s the big statue! That’s even closer in the same direction.”
“But the big bear might not like you poking around.”
“What about the tasty plants up north and east?”
“They are tasty. But a lot of others think so too. I think I saw some Kobolds there last week.”
“Oh right. And… Well I suppose you probably don’t want to go north.”
“Oh yes… The traps. Nice biginses might get stuck in them.”
The two go back and forth relating the wonders and the dangers of the northern Narlmarches.
Sia tries very, very hard to keep still and only show polite interest as the two fae keep going on about the dangers and wonders the forest holds.
She really does.
To her credit, she manages to make it as far as the mention of the statue before the act cracks and she's bouncing around like a schoolgirl at story time. Every new mention of even the most minor thing clearly sparks her imagination. She doesn't ask any more questions, perhaps surprisingly, but there's a certain glint in her eye that says she doesn't want to be told the answers.
She wants to discover the answers herself.
Once they're done, Sia's grin is huge. "Thank you so much. If you'd like, you're welcome to follow us through the forest now. I realize you probably don't want to step too much past it, but we'll have to leave sooner or later. But we'll be back this way too, I'm sure.
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Gorax watches as Sia gets excited, listening to the stories of the fae. He squirms around uncomfortably on the grass sitting cross-legged, eating breakfast a little slower than he would normally do, facinated by some of the stories. He finishes his meal, still the stories continue, Gorax intoxicated under the spell of these amazing stories.
He rises from the ground, puts his weight on his right foot and falls momentarily as is leg feels dead underneath him. With difficulty he stands on one leg as the blood rushes down and round his right leg, in a agony of pins and needles. He tries to walk again, limping across to his horse, where he shakes his leg vigorously. Life returns and he moves freely again.
As his brain takes in these stories, he can't help thinking that life was so much easier to comprehend in town, wondering why he's come on this trip. "nevermind, there's still those bandits to deal with, as for the rest, we'll see what the others do. Let's hope they have an idea of what w're doing, it's all new and confusing to me. Watch out for the frogs, and bear's and statues, whatever next."
His mind eventually wanders back to the present, and he starts preparing his horse, his weapons and himself. He quietly bows his head and ask Iomedae for more strength for the day ahead and to forgive his outburst earlier.
"Yes, thank you so much! You both have been so very helpful." Estruven says, genuinely thankful. "We're off to deal with the bandits this morning. You may come with us if you'd like."
"We like to help," Tyg answers as she finishes off the last of her bread.
"As long as it means less bad biginses," Perlivash qualifies. "But we don't want to be in any fights."
"Yes, we are small, and not used to fighting biginses. But we could go with you for a ways?"
"I think so. It is not far to the path that leads to their camp. We can take you to it. Tell you things about it if you like. They're not very smart." Perlivash dips his head down to look at Estruven upside down again. "Are you going to attack them today?"