Telmarni looks towards Carinna and sighs. "Cari. Just because you loathe to be near any bugs, including spiders, you shouldn't condemn yourself to being babied by the mother of monsters." She turns her attention back to the hole as Korinne begins to climb down into its depths. "I'll keep watch, I can possibly, almost? See the bottom. But not with all the webbing."
Korinne slides down the narrow tunnel, holding on to the rope. As she clambers down, using her legs to rappel slowly, the light above is fitfully blotted out by the webs. Slightly sticky, thick webs cling to her as she goes, and small spiders clamber over her. One even becomes agitated and bites her on the back of her wrist.
"A body?" Telmarni replies. Listening, she looks around the opening, wondering how exactly the man could have been caught. Heh, must have gotten far too close. Just a man that deserves it. She returns her focus back down the hole. "Korinne, can you tie the rope to the corpse? Maybe to the armor or something? Hatch, Cassandra, and I should be able to easily pull you and the body up in one go." Telmarni asks to Korinne.
Though it takes some work, as the tunnel is too narrow for Korinne to really bend down, she is eventually able to slide down into close proximity with the drained, desiccated husk. When Korinne is finally pulled up, she is covered in webs and her boots are sticky with the gooey remnants of the bodies in which she was standing.
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Carinna sidesteps away from Korinne as she comes out of the hole and also keeps a safe distance from the corpse.
No no no no no... she brought the corpse up and now thousands of tiny spiders will burst out of its mouth and attack us...
Searching her belongings, Carinna draws a vial of alchemists' fire and readies herself to throw it.
Vance comes closer and kneels down to examine the corpse. Hatch raises one (large) hand uncertainly like he's about to do something, not sure if it's all right, then lowers his hand and shifts on his feet.
Vance says, "Prob'ly lack of a bow what did 'im in. Necklace looks like the one that Kressle had. Wond'r what this fellah was doin' all alone out here? If a member of a group -- like, with an amulet an' everythin' -- is by himself, it's 'cause he's doin' somethin' he doesn't wan' the other fellahs to know 'bout. Maybe a secret meetin', maybe treasure huntin', maybe some kinda deviant behavior."
Vance nudges the man's body with his bow and the man's belt pouch jingles. "If he was treasure huntin', he hadn't found it yet, 'cuz he's not carryin' more 'n' a handful o' coins."
"Seems unlikely," drawls Vance. "Hatch is the only one who memorizes maps." Hatch half-smiles, not sure if that is a compliment or not.
"Well, nuthin' but coin in his pouch. Not even carryin' any foodstuffs. Fellah was travelin' light. You want me to pack away his gear 'n' have Hatch dig 'im a grave?" finishes the old woodsman.
"Might as well. Though in my opinion, there's a perfectly good grave right there." Telmarni points to the spider's lair. "Anyway, lets get this sorted and finish exploring for the day. And maybe tomorrow, I'll memorize prestidigitation. It seems like we might need it."
Valeska shrugs. "I'll help with the digging. I know I'm not as big and strong as Hatch, but tell me what to do, and I'll do it."
Tzerny looks the corpse over. "Not much meat left on him. Oh, well."
Hatch and Valeska manage to dig a shallow grave. Vance strips off the man's armor, weapons, belt, pouch, and boots. The poor denuded fellow is then placed in the shallow hole and covered over with dirt, a final prayer said, and a few stones placed in a cairn over the top.
"Huh," says Vance as he takes the boots. "There's something here..." He pulls from the side of the boot a folded piece of paper that looks like it was put there for safe keeping.
"Heh. I guess he was treasure huntin'." The paper has a crude picture on it, which shows a large, twisted tree atop a low hill. The picture shows the roots of the tree extending into the ground, and a large red X under the roots.
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Carinna almost pounced in Vance's direction when he found the map... not that she loved maps, but treasure maps where another matter... She nodded to Korinne.
"You are right, but we are not as blind as it seems... if we assume that the man at least knew the general location or direction of the treasure map and also assume that, since he had a similar token as Kressle, he was with the bandits, we already know the direction he was heading to, right?" She was really enthusiastic.
"Vance, Hatch, have you seen any weird twisted tree nearby?"
Hatch shakes his head. "I haven't seen a lone tree. Just all the trees over in the forests."
Vance scratches his stubbly chin and says, "There's an old sycamore south-south-west of here, many miles -- maybe a couple, three days' walk. It's a good landmark since it's a hunnert feet high an' you can see it for miles around. On a hillside a bit north o' one of the rivers feeding the Tuskwater. West-west-south of it is the crossing over the intersection of the Shrike and the Thorn Rivers before they reach the Tuskwater. Older 'n me."
Cassandra picks up the amulet and spins ti around a few times in her hand. "I wonder what these mean? They kind of look like tokens to Erastil but not quite. And since this is the second we have found, I wonder if this man and Kressle were connected. Do you guys if know if Kressle was working alone?" she asks Hatch and Vance.
"There's other bandits in these parts," says Vance in his country accent. "Differnt groups what cover different areas. Rumor is that there's some kinda boogeyman calls hisself the 'Stag Lord,' might fit with that. I never seen nuthin' like that. Kressle mentioned the name once that I c'n recall but I thought it was just some talk."
Hatch speaks up, saying, "Since there are more than one of these... maybe Kressle got hers from someone. I heard her talk about the Stag Lord more than once. All that green booze we had, she said it was for him, which was why nobody better touch it. She said he was going to be the new lord of these lands and people better be ready for it."
Vance looks incredulously at Hatch and says, "How come you never mentioned this before?"
Hatch replies, "I didn't think it was important."
"Why'd I never hear 'bout this?" says Vanice.
"You were always out scouting and hunting. I spent a lot of time at the camp chopping firewood and cleaning dishes," says Hatch with a slight twinge. "But I didn't know it mattered. I mean, Kressle is dead, so I thought it doesn't really matter what she was saying."
Vance rolls his eyes. "Idjit," he mutters.
Hatch flinches and says, "Please don't hit me, Vance!"
Vance lets out an exasperated breath and says, "I'm not gonna hit yer. These ladies wouldn't stand fer it if'n I wanted to, anyhow."
"Damn right," Cassandra says to Vance but with little actual venom. "What else did they discuss at camp?" she asks Hatch. "Even if you don't think it was important. If Kressle had 12 people under her then this Stag Lord must have a lot more. Might have to put our scouting on hold to make sure this isn't another threat to Oleg."
Hatch thinks and then says, "Kressle said that the Stag Lord was going to be in charge. She said he was stronger than any of us. She said that he was going to be a king, and she would be rich, and the rest of us would be lucky to lick her boots."
"She made me do that once. Lick her boots, I mean," he says wistfully.
"Most of the other guys thought that Kressle was just pretty terrible, so they didn't really talk about it much. Sometimes Kressle would hit folks for fun. She said that if she kept the Stag Lord happy, he'd make her a noble ruler. She said that was why she made the guys not drink the liquor, and why she kept some of the best treasure."
"Scramsax used to say it was a bunch of b$%*!~++ that she made up just so she could keep the best stuff for herself."
"Please don't be mad at me Cassandra," he finishes, twisting a cloth between his hands.
"No. I have nothing to be made about. You did good," she says, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. It was odd to see him go from bug killing maniac to nervous puppy. Some real confidence issues. Something to work on. [b]"Late is better than never. And forewarned is forearmed.
Vance points out that, with the spider dead, the area reasonably close to its lair is actually the safest camping spot for miles around, as any hostile animals will have learned to avoid it. On Carinna's insistence, though, the group camps out of sight, on the other side of the hill, away from the webs and remains.
The next day you're up and about early. A slight drizzle comes down in the morning but it turns into just silvery clouds by noon as you scribble down maps and references of the landscape while heading in a generally easterly-and-somewhat-north direction.
Just after lunch, you come across what seems to be a ramshackle hut. It's still inhabited, you guess, due to the presence of various implements all about -- a sickle leaning against an outside wall, a table next to a tree outside with several empty burlaps sacks on it, a nearby midden and compost heap -- but the architecture gives the impression that at any moment it could come crashing about the inhabitant's ears.
You pause about a good hundred feet from the shack, just in case the inhabitants are hostile, or undead, or something awful. After about ten minutes you see a doddering old man exit the building -- he looks to be in late middle age, with thinning, wild hair, rumpled and stained clothes, and a gaunt countenance. He carries a chamberpot, which he takes over to the midden to dump. He empties it, apparently mumbling all the while, then as he turns to head back to the hut he spots your horses in the distance. He comically leaps into the air and drops the chamberpot, which falls into a weedy bush, and runs back into the hut. He slams the wooden door shut, and the entire hut shakes.
"You won't get me, you sorry lot of bandits! You've messed with the wrong man!" he shouts from the dubious safety of the inside of the hut.
"Okaaaaay."
Telmarni stares forward after watching the comical antics of the old man. What in the nine hells?... Humans are weird. She wonders about the old human. Sighing, she dismounts Zypher. "I'll head over there. I don't think he'll put up a fight. But I doubt he believes a winged girl will be part of the bandits." She launches herself into the air and gracefully lands next to the doorway of the hut. Looking about, she once again sighs as she knocks on the door. "Excuse me? My name is Telmarni, and I am with other explorers... Well, exploring these lands. Can we speak with you?"
Valeska bites her lip. "Um... Are you having bandit trouble, sir? We've been trying to get rid of the bandits in the area and if you're having any trouble, let us know and we'll help as we can."
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"Wait Tel..." Carinna tried to stop her, worried that the reactions towards a strix could not be the most hospitable. Unable to do so, she joined the others in the diplomatic approach.
"Indeed Mr.?... Hum, they are right we are hoping to make the life in this parts safer and we even defeated a couple bandits already..."
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As you cautiously move closer to the hut, the door opens slightly, then a spindly arm reaches out from behind the dubious safety of the door and lobs a small glass bottle. The bottle arcs up into the air and then crashes to the ground only about thirty feet from the door -- very much too far away to come close to you. It bursts in a sudden puff of flame and sparks, which vanishes almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving only a small smoldering patch on the ground.
"Get outta here you miscreants!" shouts a cranky voice at the same time.
(This all happens before Telmarni gets to the door and makes her speech, and before Valeska speaks up.)
Telmarni is aloft when this happens, and Valeska and Carinna shout out their own encouragement. The door creaks open slightly, to show the face of a disheveled old man with thin, wild hair and gaunt features. Telmarni slowly descends near the hut, which seems to trigger his fear response again; the old man shouts, "Ahh! Strix! I take it back, you're worse than bandits!" He slams the door shut and you hear clinking and clattering of glass and pottery on the other side, then suddenly a *tink* *CRASH* "DAMMIT!" *tink* "AHH! I'M ON FIRE!" The door shoots open again and the old man runs out with a small smoldering fire on his pants. He beats the fire with his hands, though as alchemical fire it really was never in any danger of catching in a serious way, and then looks up and sees Telmarni and shouts "AAAH!" again before falling over in a faint.
After a moment, Vance spits to one side and drawls, "Ah weren't expectin' a comedy show out in the boondocks."
"Pfff." Cassandra panicked momentarily at the violent outburst, the dangerous explosive, and the fire. But that just made the punchline at the end so much better. She couldn't hold it in. She laughed a nearly hysterical laugh as she bent over and grabbed her stomach. It was some time before she regained control. "Oh s!#@," she said breathless. "That was...something. Hope he's alright."
When Telmarni introduces herself, she can't contain her confusion of the events. Seeing him shut the door and causing who knows what within the hut, she can't utter anything than a; "Wait." And after he comes bursting back outside Telmarni just looks on in dumbfounded amazement at the situation. And when he finally turned his attention back to her, all she could get out was a; "Are you-" before he would scream and then faint in front of her.
Clearly flustered, she can't seem to help it, Telmarni covers her face with a hand and lets it slowly drop from her face. "I think I like that better than with swords, but it is not much better." Telmarni sighs as she waves back to everyone. As she shouts back to everyone.
Valeska runs up to the man, healer's kit in tow, and looks him over. "Hello, sir? Are you all right?" She examines him for burns and damage from fainting.
Apparently, he has fainted. It doesn't look like he hit anything vital when he fell.
After about thirty seconds his eyes flutter open, and he sees the group of ladies all standing over him, bending over and peering down, and he says, "That's it! I've finally died and gone to the Heavens and I'm surrounded by beautiful women!"
Telmarni looks over Valeska's shoulder as she looks over the old man. "So, he's the alchemist we were told about? Seems rather... Out there."
When he comes to, Telmarni can't help to be slightly amused by his reaction. "While that would make me an angel, you are still firmly on Golarion. Sorry." Telmarni states off-handedly.
Valeska blushes. "I'm afraid you haven't died yet, sir," she replies, "But you did pass out for a moment. You seem to be all right, thankfully. My name is Valeska. Let's get you back up and inside and we can make sure everything's good."
She looks over the old man's charred pant leg. "That was an impressive feat with the fire," Valeska adds. "What are you using for an accelerant? It burns cold enough for extensive shaping of the thermal reaction..."
The old man rolls his head to the side and sighs. "Well, drat. When will you take me, Pharasma? Do I have to wait until I'm just a weary old shell of a man?"
At the moment he seems like he is already a weary old shell of a man.
As Valeska brings up the topic of alchemy, he focuses in on her and says, "Ohoh, I don't give away my secrets that easily. Even to pretty ladies! Let's just say that I've had to make do with the paltry resources of this harsh landscape."
He pauses for a moment, then says, "The ground is very cold when it's not on fire and all you have is a thin cotton shift." He makes no effort to get up, though.
When Korinne makes her quip about age, he stares at her for a few seconds, then simply says, "Hmpf. I think I will just relax here and maybe look at the sky until the stars come out."
Cassandra cocks her head to the side as she looks down at the odd man. He had spent to far too much time alone. "You and I both know that's a terrible idea unless you want to see Pharasma tonight. The wild's are dangerous and this one seems to be more than most." She reaches out a hand to help pull him back to his feet. "If you want more than cotton I can find you a fur."
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With Cassandra hauling him to his feet, the old man has little choice but to stand up. He wobbles slightly, then wheezes and brushes his shabby clothing off. This actually manages to make things worse, as his hands are dirty from lying on the ground, and he simply succeeds in rubbing dirt all over his shift.
"Well I don't know about that; I'm not a university, after all. The best teacher is nature! Look how those flowers bloom! How that sun hangs in the sky! How that grass grows right back up even after the rabbits eat it up! How do they do that? What makes them turn and leap?" he says whimsically. He leans in close to Cassie and whispers, "Despite what the church of Abadar may tell you, it's not bunches of very tiny gears. I checked."
After another moment he squints and then says, "What are all of you doing out here anyway? Since I wasn't lucky enough for you to be taking me to the Promised Land, it must be something else. Not NEFARIOUS, I hope," he says with an exaggerated expression. "But we're close enough to Oleg's that if it were NEFARIOUS I would've heard about it."
Despite your urgings, he seems reluctant to go back into his small shack -- though you can't readily tell if it's because he is hiding something, or just more interested in his strange patter with you outside.
"And dangerous beasts." Telmarni quickly adds to the conversation. But looking around, she feels a bit embarrassed by her sudden quip. She moves over to the door way of the hut and peers inside. "So... What kind of alchemy do you practice?"
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"Ah! Don't go in there! That place looks like it's about to fall down!" shouts the old man as Telmarni peeks in the door. Then he sheepishly says, "Wait, that's my house." He bustles over to the doorway and peeks inside next to Temarni. "Wow. What a dump." He pulls back, pauses with his hand on the doorjamb, then says, "What have I been doing with my life?" He scratches his wispy hair and looks briefly confused.
"OH! Alchemy!" he suddenly shouts. "Hang on, you're in the way." He tries to push past Telmarni, but he is rather frail and not particularly strong, so this results in a comical moment as he bounces off the strix once before she gives him enough room to squeeze into the acrid room.
Unlike most rural cabins, this building has multiple rooms. The room just inside the front door is stuffed to the brim with various alchemical tools and bizarre ingredients, as well as a welter of disorganized clutter. The air smells slightly of vinegar and ash.
"I, uh, am happy to sell potions, if you need such things. I have some that might be useful for your work in fighting monsters! This..." he says as he picks up a small vial with a yellow liquid in it, "soothes wounds and heals hurts. This one," - blue with red spots - "lets you shrug off sunstroke and frostburn! And these," - an intense yellow-orange, almost gold - "heal injuries and soothe wounds, but better."