The man seemed a bit of a loony...but the fun kind at least. But one look through the door of his hut revealed that he wasn't as loony as he seemed. Sort of. "If we get anything," she says quietly to Valeska, "make sure it does what he says it does."
Valeska starts looking through all the potions with a keen eye and a discerning nose. "This is an impressive collection. You've been very busy!"
Tzerny stares at the various vials intently while Valeska keeps talking. "You mentioned that bandits have been giving you trouble? What are they after?"
"Oh, well, you know, they come by and shoot arrows at my door, then I throw alchemical fire at them, then they laugh and shoot arrows at my feet. The usual," says the old alchemist. "Erh, if you're going to be out and about, could you keep your eyes open for some fangberries? I need them for some concoctions that I want to make. There's usually a nasty thicket about two days southwest of Oleg's."
Cassandra stays near the door as their new acquaintance describes his issues. The cottage had such a strong odor that she couldn't go any further with out her eyes watering. "Well, they shouldn't be a problem any more. If they are, send word to Oleg's. There are guards there now and they can get word to us if they can't handle it." If he describes the fangberries she writes down the description in her journal.
The mad alchemist -- who never stated his name -- describes fangberries somewhat whimsically. From the description they sound a bit like raspberries or blackberries that have meaner thorns.
You note as well that despite the ramshackle condition of the hut, the man seems to have everything he needs to survive. It's all disorganized, but there's a bag of flour... a couple barrels of rainwater... a sickle and a set of rusty shears... obviously he's been doing reasonable business in selling his concoctions and seems able to keep himself kept up here.
"Good luck to you ladies!" he says cheerfully as he finishes describing the fangberries. "Say hello to Oleg for me."
When they are about to leave, Telmarni looks back and feels like she is forgetting something. Realizing what it might be when she first arrived at the little hut. She heads over to the Alchemist and bows her head slightly. "I apologize about frightening you like that. My name is Telmarni..." She looks towards Carinna then back to the alchemist. "It is Telmarni Del'annerie, and it is nice to make your acquaintance. May I ask for your name?" Telmarni tries to be as polite as she can be.
"Eh? My name? My name..." he says. The old alchemist pauses to think deeply for several moments.
"Bokken! That's it! My name is Bokken. Pleased to meet you miss Telmarine del Angel!" He beams happily.
"Cassandra," she says with a small bow. "We still have a lot ground to cover today guys."
You say your good-byes and set out to finish your long circuit around Oleg's.
Fortunately, the land north and east of the road is reasonably well-known. Oleg's represents the last bastion of Brevic civilization in the south, so you are not troubled by any monsters as you map the otherwise boring expanse of grassy plains. You make a complete circuit in four days and arrive back at Oleg's gate having circumnavigated the area.
(This also uses 28 person-days of provisions.)
When you return, Kesten Garess's men are up on the palisade wall, watching carefully. Jhod, the erstwhile scruffy priest of Erastil, is nowhere to be seen, but Oleg tells you that he sometimes goes on short jaunts to explore the trees and countryside nearby - not too surprising for a priest of rural areas. Oleg and Svetlana are both delighted at your safe return, and Oleg excitedly explains that Tamric came by while you were exploring and he delivered a parcel for you!
The parcel is a leather satchel. It is tied shut with an elaborate knot - once the knot is undone or cut, it would be very difficult to re-tie in the same fashion, making it fairly obvious evidence of tampering. Inside is a padded case that contains stacks of gold coins! There is also a brief letter on a simple piece of parchment:
"The swordlords of Restov have received word of the recent successes in ousting bandits in the Stolen Lands. The enclosed funds, in the sum of 500 gold pieces, represent the continued investment of Restov in the pacification and exploration of the Narlmarches and the Greenbelt."
"The completion of mapping and the ouster of the self-proclaimed 'Stag Lord' are considered matters of priority for the continued security of Restov."
Finally, two additional wanted posters have been nailed to the inside wall of the palisade.
WANTED: TATZLWYRM HEAD
Oleg Leveton will pay the exorbitant sum of 600 gold pieces for an intact tatzlwyrm head.
WANTED: TUSKGUTTER
Vekkel Benzen promises a reward to the slayer of this huge, old-tempered boar, in the form of a masterfully constructed longbow with a long history, six enchanted hunting arrows, and a slab of excellent head cheese.
Cassandra is happy that no other obstacles impeded them as they finished one circuit but if she was honest, she was a little disappointed too. And though she enjoyed the outdoors, Oleg's was a welcome sight. The horses were not and she once again avoided them as best as possible. She let the others update Oleg and Kesten on their progress as she re-sorted her gear and planned for the next trek. As she lay in bed she goes over the many things they needed to accomplish in the area. The main goal was to scout the area and remove any threats. How, was thankfully up to them. She hoped They might be able to settle things peacefully, but as she had seen, that wasn't always possible. Things were a lot harder than she imagined. Life always was.
So this Stag Lord person seemed to be the main threat but their were a lot of others. There was some kobolds, mites, a nasty boar and soemthing called a tatzlwyrm. There was another bandit called Falgrim Sneed. There was a ring for Svetlana and berries for Bokken. Oh, and a tample to Erastil out there somewhere. That was a lot to take care of. Where do they even start?
The next morning, that is exactly what she asks. "Where should we even go now? Stag Lord, boar, flying snakes, kobolds, mites, those prankster fey. A lot to deal with."
While on the way back to the outpost, Telmarni can't help but to ask Valeska and Cassandra about the creatures they have encountered so far, and what they may will. She continues to ask Valeska and then Korinne about various magical theory and common activation words for various magical items they may have came across. One was a possible joke with a wand of cure light wounds wand, with it's activation required saying a childish little rhyme. Which brings in the question of Korinne asking to be taught Sylvan. Telmarni agrees and teaches her to the best of her abilities.
When they finally arrive back at Oleg's Trading Post, Telmarni helps appraise the items for sale to Oleg. She makes sure to ask many questions to learn about different values and the possibility of even telling whether or not a item is magical just by looking at it! And later that night, Telmarni tries to do a swinging form while using her scimitar. It almost looks like dancing, but she is still a ways off on doing anything that belongs in a court, but it should do fine for combat. With it getting late, Telmarni goes to bed, and doesn't bother with casting her spell. She feels that the guards wont do anything now, and happily falls asleep on an empty bed.
With a new day, Telmarni gets up early and stretches her body. It feels a bit sore from the sword practice the night before. But before heading out, she maintains her scimitar and studded leather armor before donning it and heading out to fly around a bit before breakfast. When the food is brought out, Telmarni greets everyone when they come to the table. "Good morning. I think I slept quite well, much better than just keeping watch through the whole night." As food is served, she enjoys the food with everyone and hears Cassandra and Korinne speak about possible locations to go. She swallows the food she has been chewing on and turns to them. "I agree about checking out the plains first. Quicker and easier, and much easier to see if anything is coming our way." She takes another bite and continues. "Though about the creatures... I wouldn't mind doing boar hunting. We can treat it like a... Um, one of those noble outings, right?" She looks towards Carinna with the question.
Cassandra swallows her mouthful of food, careful not to emulate Korinne. "It wouldn't be that much slower in the forests."
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With all the talk among her three other companions about arcane knowledge, and not able to contribute with anything in that matter, Carinna kept to herself most of the time, focusing on her sword.
I think I'm getting better with you but how will I be able to truly unlock your power? No one believes me but I'm sure at what I saw... perhaps I should train more first, so you know I'm worthy.
That night at Oleg's, Carinna once more executed her 'dance' moves, fighting against imaginary enemies. She now she was being watched and even if she would prefer a calmer place to fully concentrate, it was the better she could do right now.
In the following morning while discussing their new course of action, Carinna nodded at Korinne's idea.
"I also think it would be better to stick with the plains right now... also, there is no point, in my opinion, to chase something we have no idea where it is... when we face these threats, we'll deal with them, right?"
"Plains 'll be faster," says Vance. "Easier to see things comin', too, so less dangerous."
Hatch says, "Based on the description that Bokken gave, the fangberries are probably along the edge of the forest to the southwest."
"Well he isn't exactly our biggest concern," Cassandra says coming back from dumping her leftovers in the refuse pile at the back of the fort. Wasn't much left on her plate usually. "Kobold's can be a problem sometimes. Though after that run in in the forest, I'm not too concerned. And these pendants, and the one called Stag Lord. That is a threat. At least a dozen men answered to him or her. When they don't come back, they might come looking for us. I am fine with searching the plains but let's focus on moving south. Both are probably somewhere along the river."
"Let's stick to the plains for now," Valeska agrees. "We don't know what's southeast of the spider lair, and there might be some helpful game there."
Hatch suggests, "You need a complete map, right? So maybe we go past the old alchemist to the east, then we head southwest and explore the area south of his hut."
You head back out to the southeast to clear up some of the blank spots on your map.
Your first day out involves a lot of boring traipsing around the plains. Around 3 o'clock you run across a lone hunter -- a man with one wooden leg, whom Vance recognizes immediately. "'at's Vekkel Benzen," Vance tells you. "He's another grizzled old hand in 'ese parts, like me. Lost 'is leg to Tuskgutter, the ancient boar."
Vekkel has a travois with him, which he uses to drag a number of pelts -- rabbit and deer, mostly. He's wearing a backpack and has a pungent smell that brings tears to Cassandra's eyes.
Vekkel is friendly enough, though you have to stay upwind of him. He explains that he's hunting for pelts, which he cures and sells at Oleg's. These days he stays away from the forest, after his losing encounter with Tuskgutter, the huge boar. "You can tell that beast by its silver muzzle and huge size," he explains. "These days it's all I can do to hike across this flat ground. Bit of work dragging these furs along when you've got a peg like me."
Vekkel is the hunter who posted the bounty for Tuskgutter, and he explains that he has a small stash of magical arrows made for killing animals that he's willing to give in exchange. He also shows off his longbow, a masterfully made piece of work that he uses for hunting. "I'm getting on in years and won't be able to make these kinds of trips soon -- maybe just a year or two. Time for me to hang it up," he explains. "I've got a selection of choice pelts and Oleg will give me a special deal if he knows I'm finally putting my foot up to retire."
You trade information with Vekkel. He tells you that Tuskgutter usually lairs on the east side of the forest, foraging for roots and fallen fruit. He mentions that he has mostly run across small game on the plains here, and warns you that another hunter over on the west side of the plains (past the northern stretch of the forest) has been using bear traps and has been placing them rather haphazardly.
The next day you head southwest a bit and continue the boring job of mapping without any encounters.
You continue southwesterly and the land starts to become more hilly and rugged. Atop one of the low, rocky hills in the south, you spot a large, lonely tree, usable as a landmark for miles around. Hatch suddenly becomes excited. "The map!" he says. "It's the tree from the map! This is where the treasure is! Or whatever," he finishes sheepishly.
Hatch scratches his head. "I dunno," he finally says. "When I lived on the farm, sometimes my brother would dig up trees along the field. He said their roots were choking the other plants."
Vance spits once out of habit and says, "It's just an oddity. Good landmark, though. Now the question is, what did the map actually mean?"
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Carinna keeps her distance, enough to make the stink less pungent but close enough to talk without being rude.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Benzen, I'm Carinna Del'annerie and we are here to make this lands are safe. We already saw your bounty for the Tuskgutter and I'd like to let you know that we'll take care of it once we find it, hopefully before it is able to hurt anyone else... that being said and taking in account we are the best bet against this Tuskgutter, could you give us these animal killing arrows 'before' we are able to kill it? I'm saying this because we'll fight it no matter what, with or without a reward but with your arrows our changes are higher, right?"
"If you agree and we are able to kill it, and I think we are, in the end it will not change anything for you..." Carinna smiles, making sure to look as honest as she could.
_______________________________
At Korinne's question Carinna smiled for knowing a good answer for her friend's question, a fact quite rare since she was clearly the smartest of the two.
"Perhaps someone planted it here... a sole tree! Perhaps a father teaching something to a little daughter, now long gone... now, about the map, if I correctly remember, the map showed the roots from the tree and an X beneath it... I think whatever is this treasure it is buried under this tree..."
"Well I don't want to just waste these arrows -- I gotta make sure they go to someone who can shoot straight. If you can't kill Tuskgutter without 'em, I doubt that they'd make much difference."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Worth a look," says Vance. "Hatch?"
Hatch dutifully unlimbers a small spade from his pack. "They always made me dig the latrines," he explains as he starts checking around the roots of the tree for a place to dig.
After about half an hour -- twenty minutes to find the likely spot, ten minutes to dig -- Hatch comes up with something dug up from the mass of roots on the north side of the tree. It looks like an old leather cloak. He carefully pulls it out and unwraps it.
"Look!" he says. "An actual buried treasure!"
Wrapped in the cloak, and thus protected from the elements, are a fine dagger with a still-sharp blade and a rugged, slightly curved handle; a wand made of ash wood with three grooves in the handle and a slightly charred tip; a simple silver ring (not Svetlana's wedding ring); and a book that the magicians quickly recognize as a damaged spellbook.
Rainwater has seeped into the cache and pieces of the spellbook are clumped together and unreadable, but there are five spells still salvageable from it: identify, mage armor, reduce person, silent image, unseen servant.
Cassandra had good intentions when she approached Vekkel. She intended to shake his hand and maybe start up conversation about good game trails in the area. But she never got that far. In fact, she couldn't get close at all. More than any time in her life instinct, and his stink, told her to stay away. So she felt she came off rude by standing an uncomfortable distance away. It was like there was an aura about him that made her light-headed and nauseous. When he is gone she is finally able to breath through her nose. "I hope his...aroma doesn't stick with the bow. It was well crafted. If we handle the boar I could put it to good use."
"Let's see if there is a symbol or something out of place near the roots. That's how I would mark a cash of goods." With that she approaches to do just that.
"Oh wow, real treasure." As Telmarni sees that Hatch did find the location on the map. Moving over next to Korinne, she looks over the items as well. "These are interesting. Hm, lets see what these are worth."
She firsts picks up the ring and rolls it in her hands, checking its appearance and material.
She places it back with the other items with a sigh.
She then picks up the dagger next, feeling its edge and looking down the blade.
With a nod, she returns the dagger where it was.
She looks towards the wand and the spellbook. Both looks like they have been of use, and definitely worn by time. She casts a spell to discern the properties of the wand by focusing on it.
"The man we got the map from didn't seem like a magician. And if he was, why would he bury his spellbook." Cassandra pauses a moment to follow that train of thought and sees its heading for a dark tunnel. "Oh. He was a bandit. This is probably stolen."
Vance nods in agreement to Cassandra. "Someone must've decided that magical implements were a valuable treasure, and that they were gonna hold out on th' rest o' th' gang."
Telmarni can determine that the dagger is a masterwork item; Korinne can tell that it's not magical. The wand is magical and still has some charge in it.
...but Korinne is not sure what kind of spell it holds.
The ring remains a (nonmagical) mystery. Possibly just an adornment? Or maybe once it was a focus item for a wizard now deceased?
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Re: Profession (Baker): Yes, you can use this to make provisions, but you need the appropriate materials. So it basically changes your food requirement from carrying around bunches of food, to carrying around bunches of flour. Will cut costs for provisions if you take time to make bread when you're camping and resupplying, though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Telmarni nods to Korinne and recasts her spell and focuses on the wand, after a few seconds she then begins to discern what exactly it is.
Telmarni nods to Korinne and recasts her spell and focuses on the wand, after a few seconds she then begins to discern what exactly it is.
[dice=Spellcraft]1d20+8
"It is a wand of Burning Hands." Telmarni looks over the wand carefully.
She looks over to Carinna after she mentions learning magic. "But you were not interested in books back at home when Daramir was teaching us. You were more interested in that sword." As Telmarni points out her sword. "I do hope it is as you said Cari. If nothing else, I will endeavor to figure out how to enhance it with a spell so it can improve." She gives her a gentle smile.
Valeska looks over the spellbook with Tzerny.
"The book's useless to you," Tzerny advises his owner. "It's not properly enchanted. I can't read that for you. Leave it for the bookish ones."
Tzerny flies over to Telmarni and looks the wand over. "Now this, this you can use." he says, an avaricious gleam in his eye. "Although you probably shouldn't. A spout of flames against those who would attack you is grand, but your foes really shouldn't be that close to you anyway. Soften them up with your curses, then let your friends destroy them."
"I usually don't talk this much so this is new to me," Cassadnra says. She too watches the magical ones poor over the new finds, though with curiosity rather than envy. "I know some rangers are so in tune with nature they can call on it to aid them but I haven't figured it out yet. All I can do is talk to animals a little...and some other things." She looks over are Valeska and wonders if the others would have a similar reaction as she did at the spider lair.
The next day you continue mapping the lands east of your location. In the late morning you come to realize that you've been shadowed off and on, and Cassandra catches a familiar scent on the wind.
While mapping some of the rocky outcroppings of the area the pursuers make themselves known; a small but hungry pack of wolves tries to use the rocks as cover to get close enough to your assemblage that they might make a grab for one of the horses.
The ground here is not ideal but not terrible for battle; large rocks dot the landscape and there's a fairly sharp vertical grade leading to the top of a low hill to the east .
The wolves appear strong and swift -- successful predators that have become accustomed to hunting game as they crisscross the plains here, only a few days away from the woods. Your best guess is that they happen to be hungry right now, and to them, horses look like big prey. There are no obvious indications that they are unnatural, intelligent, or diseased or starved.
Smart, Cassandra thinks when the wolves finally reveal themselves. Numbers and high ground. She had smelled them, only a bear whiff most of the time, throughout the day. They didn't seem to be starving which would make them even more dangerous. Hopefully they could be dissuaded. "Stay together. See if you can get a fire going and look intimidating," Cassandra says. If she weren't cursed herself, she'd move closer as well but that would spook the horses. If they bolted, they'd loose them.
She couldn't have that. So she moved as close as she dared but placed herself between the others and the wolves. As she moves, her form shifts to something more wolf-like. She draws her bow and notches an arrow, but leaves it pointed low. She stands tall, teeth bared and trying to look more intimidating. When she speaks again it is not common, but a low growl and bark.
In wolf:"Leave. Not food."