Travigan's face darkens with a deep, empathetic frown as the guardsman mentions his neice. "This lot here helped save me own neice from that filth Gaedren Lamm. If'n there's a way I can help 'em help your neice too, then I certainly mean ta try."
I am more than willing to take a look at your niece. We should go right away.
Grau Soldado smiles, relieved that you will take him up on his offer. He will gladly accompany you to Trail's End, where hopefully, you can put an end to his sister-in-laws worry about little Brienne.
The ride across the bridge and the turn to follow the Jeggare back towards the city is mostly uneventful. Grau, you notice, turns off the main road as quickly as he can, forging ahead on the maze of cross streets. Soon, you come to a squat, two-story building just a crooked block away from the teeming River itself. The outer parts of the home appear in desperate need of repair and gardening.
Just as Grau is about to knock on the door, the sound of hissing voice rings out from behind you. "Who could it be, love, paying a visit to sweet little Tayce Soldado? Is it the law? Is it the Queen's men? Looks like trouble to me."
Turning you see a small group of Varisian hoods and thugs, with staves in hand, looking to waylay strangers in the village.
Healer from the Sarenrae temple here to help Brienne at the request of Grau.
Travigan's step falters at the hissed words and he tries to let cooler heads handle the thugs, he really tries, but something in the tone stirs him up. Spinning around with his face flushed and his eyes bulging in growing ire, he adds to Tina's explanation with a growl, "An' if you lot try an bother us it'll be the Pharasmins here next ta usher yer miserable souls to the Boneyard!" His hammer thumps down into one meaty hand as he takes a heavy step toward the hoodlums.
These thugs brings back memories of his time as a Lamb. Crux falls back into his voluminous robes as he mentally prepares himself to control his magicks.
As Crux shrinks away and Marnos reaches for his trusty bow to settle things, Tina tries the direct honest approach. The thugs smile at the little alchemist, the leader opening his mouth for some smart comment, when the voice of an angry Travigan booms across the village.
Cowed by the large man, his hammer, and show of anger, the thugs back away the leader now holding his hands out in a warding motion. "It's all good. All good. We just keep watch for our own, and when we saw city folk approaching sweet Tayce's home, well, it wouldn't have been neighborly to let some thing untoward happen to the that girl or her little family. Go right ahead, be our guest. We'll see you on the road home then." he winks in a way that lets you know it's not at all friendly or neighborly, but he snaps his fingers and the others turn and head back to the crossroads to accost unwary travelers.
Left to your devices, you turn back to the ill-maintained cottage and knock on the door. After a few moments, a boy of about 10 opens the door.
"Well met, sirs and lady," he says in with his best manners. "How can I be of service to you?"
From behind him, you can hear the wracking cough of someone who sounds quite sick.
Hello, I am Tina. Grau came to the temple of Sarenae to request help for Brienne. I am a healer and hopefully I will be able to help her get better.
Travigan nods at the retreating thugs as they pass from view, "Tha's right." The blacksmith is still grumbling to himself when the door opens. The appearance of the boy breaks his muttered tirade though and Travigan kneels to be down at the child's level. "Aye, it's as the lass here says. Is Brielle your sister then? Might we come in?"
The boy has distinctly Varisian features: unruly black hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. Another boy, a little younger than the other, stands slightly behind. He has the same features and stands with wider eyes looking at the strangers.
"Momma is upstairs with Brienne. She's sick. I'll get her." says the lad who disappears without opening the door.
A few moments later, a 40ish year old woman who's disheveled appearance can't hide her simple beauty. Her features are lined and wan from sleeplessness. She smiles, "You are hear to help my daughter, yes?". She opens the door and welcomes you inside. "Grau said he had friends who might be able to help my little Brienne. Please come in."
The interior of the home is immaculately clean and well-kept in contrast with the messy exterior. The smell of anise and cinnamon comes from the kitchen where a man in the immaculate white robes with gold trim of an acolyte of Abadar stands, stirring a pot. The man is Vudran in descent, and some of you may have met him earlier during the riots. He bows low and greets you. "Ishani Dhatri at your service. I am an acolyte of Abadar, and it my pleasure to meet you again, or for the first time." His manners, like his dress, are immaculate, but he looks troubled.
A spasm of coughing from upstairs interrupts conversation as all eyes look upwards for a moment. "The patient, she is not well. The combination of her symptoms is unknown to me. The rash, the coughing it is unusual, and as such, treating her is challenging."
The mother, Tayce Soldado, sighs and with a tear brimming in her eye, walks up the stairs to sit with the sick girl. The boys return to playing with blocks on the floor of the home.
Travigan gives Tina an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he nods at the stairs and Tayce. "See what ye can do, lass." His tone is soft and somber as his eyes trace the path upstairs. "Let us know if we can help."
He turns then to Ishani and extends a meaty hand, "'ello then, Ishani. I'm Travigan. Heard the lass is'na doin' all tha' well and we're hopin' to be a help."
With the introductions done, Travigan then moves over beside the two young boys, squatting down on the other side of the blocks. "Oh, an' what are you two fine lads buildin' here, hmmm?" The normally dour and foul-mouthed blacksmith seems to be an entirely different person as he sits with the boys, chuckling and smiling and balancing blocks on his head only to over react with surprised blubbering when they fall off and bounce off his nose. "Whatever these things are, they make for terrible hats, lads. Jus' terrible!"
Tina nods at the priest Helo, I am Tina of the Sarenae church, pleased to meet you. She looks to the mother. Best I see to the little lady right away. Tina heads upstairs with the mother to examine her child.
Travigan settles in to entertain the young boys and Marnos takes a watchful place in teh corner, keeping an eye on the doors and windows.
Tina takes a deep breath and proceeds upstairs to see the patient. The creaky steps open into a bedroom loft above the main room of the Soldado home. A young girl with auburn hair lies in one of the beds, her slight frame dwarfed by the bed's size and the pile of pillows, afghans, and quilts surrounding her. Splotches of angry red rash cover her face and arms, appearing in irregular shapes and sizes. Suddenly, her restlessness is interrupted by a violent fit of hacking coughs that jerk her entire frame, lifting her well off the pillows. The spasm passes after a moment, dropping her back to the bed, but seemingly having done little to ease her breathing.
Ishani follows Tina upstairs, but stands back and says little while he watches what the alchemist might do.
Tina quietly comes to the girl's bedside. Hello there, I am Tina. Your momma and Grau said you wern't feeling well so I hurried over to check on you.
Tina takes the child's pulse and checks her forhead, looking for symptoms of whatever might come to mind
Tina bites her lip as she takes in the conditions.Here, these are droplets that will ease your cough and fever. Tina mixes up a concoction of several formulas from her healing kit and drips them under the girl's tongue.
Crux nods greeting to Ishani.
He quietly follows Tina up the stairs. He does not know much about the healing arts, but is a capable alchemist and knowledgeable scholar. He hopes that his talents will prove useful in curing the child.
He casts Detect Magic in case her illness is of magical origin.
Nothing in the Soldado house (except items brought by the party) detects as magical.
Tina mixes a concotion , dipping into her healing kit, and trying desparately to think of what might aid little Brienne. The girl accepts the drops with a resigned expression and makes a face at the taste. Her comments are cut short by another burst of coughing. After a few moments, she falls asleep, aided by the elixir mixed by Tina.
Sitting with the girl for several hours, Tina is able to tell that her concotion had little effect on the girls condition. Her cough returns and her fever has not abated.
"As I feared," says Ishani. "Her condition may be out of the hands of normal herbal or chemical healing."
Tina sighs. We might need magical means to cure this. I could make an antiplague but that may very well take time we don't have so I will need to rush to the temple of Sarenae to purchase one or even a magical spell that purges the body of disease.I could also try to get a formula that would at leats temporarily restore her lost health,
Tina will head down and fill Marnos and Travigan in on the girl and the disease.
This is no simple sickness, We may need magical aid to cure it. I can try getting formulas from the temple and school to boost her health.
Tina will speak with the mother about her daughter's illness. She is very sick, I will be headign out to check for formulas to help her and will be back as soon as I can.
Tina will then see if the other members of the group have any input.
"What's she even sick with? Did you learn how she fell ill to begin with? Magic's fine an' all, but it'll do these folks little good if the illness just comes back again, lass."
Tina nods and turns to the mother. Where was Brienne before she became sick? Was she playing in any areas in particular? Tina tells Travigan the symptoms and tries to think of anything the disease resembles.
Sounds like goblin pox! Brienne must be part goblin!
"She doesn't have a rash, though. Don't you get a rash with goblin pox?"
"She doesn't have a rash, though. Don't you get a rash with goblin pox?"
Ishani hears Tina telling the others about getting the Sarenrites to aid her in healing the girl. "I am a priest of Abadar, and have some skill in healing. Unfortunately, I had to entreat the Golden One for similar miracles already today." He pauses, and continues wiht a deep sigh. "Even if I could, though, the tenets of my church force me to request...a donation...for Abadar's power -- one that I expect this family, quite simply, cannot afford." He looks quite abashed as you can imagine, and continues quickly, "That is why I have been trying herbal remedies and poultices. In the hopes that I might find a cure or stem the infection, but as your alchemist has seen, the disease is quite strong."
The mother of the sick girl, Tayce, descends the room for the news, stopping the Abadarian cleric's speech. "What is the decision? Will my Brienne get better? What is to be done next?" she seems near the edge of panic as she asks the question, her eyes pleading with you for a favorable answer.
When asked about where the girl was playing, Tayce shrugs. "The same places she has always played. Along the river bank or in the town park. Why, is that important?"
I have about 350 gold I can give for payment of any miracles. As for where she was playing, she might have come into contact with animals that carry disease. I should ask her when her cough allows her. Tina heads upstairs to ask the girl about what she has been up to before she got sick.
"Tina, wait! It might be best if we allow the child to conserve her strength. I'm sure her mother will be able to provide us with answers to any questions we have."
"Tayce, it is important because it could lead us to the origin of your daughter's condition which will be helpful in curing her."
Travigan looks up with an arched brow. "Near the river? It wasn't near Northbridge was it? Marnos, Crux, didn't the two of you mention something about pirates being shot down a little while ago?"
Ishani thinks back, his brow wrinkled. "Two of my brethren were ill this morning. Fever and cough, a bit similar, but no rash. At least none that I saw."
Tayce looks concerned. "Brienne and the boys often play by the riverside, swimming or fishing or the like, but they are always careful. The boys aren't ill, are they?"
Charlo and Rello the two boys, still playing with Travigan look at their mother. "We didn't go to the river with Brienne yesterday Mama, we went and played Blackjack and the evil Queen next door remember?" She smiles tiredly at the boys and shrugs at you. "Maybe its something in the water?"
Trail's End is not really near North Bridge but the river sweeps under the bridge before it pass the Varisian village.
It seems we have some things to follow. We need to find a way to help Brienne and investigate the river. I very muxh urge that we tend to Brienne by paying for the miracles needed.
Tina turns to Ishani. Did your fellow priests do anything in particular such as going down tot he riverfront.
Maybe this has something to do with the pirates? We should find out more about what happened that time.
"Well I don't rightly know either, Marnos, but if a ship's sunk in th' blasted water and within th' week wee girls playin' in that same water are fallen deathly ill, I'm certainly goin' ta wonder if there's some sort o' connection 'tween th' two. Does'ne also make you wonder?"
Ishani shakes his head. "I don't know for a fact if the brothers were at the riverside, but I highly doubt it. Both had counting duty in the vault that night and surely wouldn't have had time to go anywhere near the river before morning prayers. Highly unlikely they went near the water."
Tayce asks the boys and they confirm that Brienne was, as far as they know, playing alone.
Another bout of wracking coughs filter down from upstairs, underlining the seriousness of the problem. "What will it take to cure her? I can borrow the money from the Scarnzi if I have to. Will Abadar's church cure my girl?"
Travigan waves his hand dismissively at the mention of the Scarnzi, "Bah! Ye'll not be needin' ta talk ta those dogs, lass. If we're not able ta cast the magics yer daughter needs ourselves, then we'll make sure Ishani an' 'is church get their needed donation. Tina here's already got a mind ta do what she can fer yer girl, and there's no dissuadin' her when she sets her mind to it." He runs his calloused hand roughly through his beard for a moment before adding, "An' I'm wantin' ta get to th' bottom o' what got yer wee lass sick at the start. I'd like ta put tha' right too so you an' yer boys don't need ta worry 'bout catching this black sickness yerselves." As he talks, his eyes drift toward the direction of the river, though the walls of the home obviously block it from view.
I will get a formula that will allow her to regain her strength although it will not cure the sickness, it will help her fight it off.
Then I can give her antiplagues to give her a chance at fighting off the illness.
"Tayce, have your boys tell us precisely where she was playing. I believe it would be prudent for us to investigate that area closely."
The boys, Charlo and Rello, happily lead Travigan, Crux, and whoever else wants to see, out to the riverbank. You can see signs of playing children, but little else out of the ordinary is seen or noticed.
Ishani answers Marnos question with a shrug. "Don't know why you wouldn't be able to. Have to go to the Grand Vault first. Maybe ask permission of the Archbanker, but I don;t see why not, I'd vouch for you if that did any good."
"Thanks lads. This looks like a fun spot ta play. This is where yer wee sister was the other day then?" Travigan runs his hand through his beard again, idly scratching as he wonders at what could have caused the girl's illness and if he's looking at a host of other kids doomed to fall ill too.
Detect Magic
Crux will also ask the children about where Brienne was playing and what she was playing with.
Tina also looks around with the others to see if perhaps there are any dead animal with signs of the sickness.
Charlo and Rello tell you all they know about what Brienne was doing yesterday. They saw here, but did not watch every move they made. "It was my turn to be Blackjack," says little Rello proudly. "I gave all the Queen's men a real whippin' just like the real Blackjack!"
Try as you might, nothing at the water's edge grabs your attention. There is no sign of infection or floating debris. The shoreline is weed-choked and rugged, but nothing dangerous is readily apparent.
Tina sighs. It looks like this is a dead end. We best get to the temple so I can get the formula to help Brienne