Zal considers the various pieces of information, Let's make sure the family is on its way and safe and then proceed from there?
At noticing that Hilde might go to swim, You might wait Hilde. Water can sometimes be a source of contagion. If we aren't sure its clean... The elf ends his comments with a mild shrug at the barbarian.
Hilde looks at the water, takes a little in her hand, and smells it. If she smell nothing, she will taste it.
Kit will not want to volunteer to bring the farmer and his family over. He wouldn't know what to say when they find the mad farmer's bodies. Kit shakes his head. Me speechless? Never! His feelings of regret quickly pass as he sees Hilde preparing for a swim. A wise man once told me, Why walk when you can ride? Why swim when you can float? he shouts to the barbarian. I think it was a wise man Kit mutters to himself or did I read it on the wall at a tavern in Westcrown?
"Well, get the farmer's family across, and let's get going. We'll never see the world end if we just stand around here chatting about it."
Dilwyn clambers into the skiff, ready to get moving to the other side so they can come back and, hopefully, find some more satisfying answers upon their return to the village side of the river.
Zal moves to aide in getting the family out of harm's way so the group can continue it s investigation with what denizen's might remain...
Hilde tastes the water from the small river, but there seems to be nothing wrong.
After getting to the other side Ambrin gets his wagon off the skiff. "Stay in my house if you need a place to sleep while here. I am off to relatives" and he starts the cart up the path that you came from.
Coming back across the river, you beach the skiff so it will not float away and start to explore the town.
Hilde, still wet from swimming, moves quietly towards Redthistle Farm, motioning the others to follow her.
Kit sees Hilde head to the direction of the Redthistle Farm and motion for them to follow. Her attempts at being stealthy not working out too well. Kit whispers to the others, Seems like a good enough place to start. He also attempts to move stealthily.
His attempt being a little more successful.
He will also keep his eye open for any trouble.
Iskender shrugs and follows.
Dilwyn, pleased with the precautions made for a hasty exit, follows along, doing his best to be stealthy like the others. It's not his forte, and the armor isn't helping anything either.
"I thought the plan was to make for one of the temples next," he whispers as they go while also trying to keep his eyes alert for danger, or whatever set the silent woman in this direction.
"I thought the plan was to make for one of the temples next,"
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
Kit whispers to Dilwyn, You going to tell her different knowing where she likes to kick? He then nods his head in Hilde's direction.
Leaving the beached skiff, so you have a way back across the river without swimming, you begin to explore the town of Holver's Ferry. Carefully approaching the Redthistle Farm, you search through the house and barn, and discover that Ambrin and his family took only clothes and keepsakes from their home, and left if furnished. There is room for everyone to cook, rest and stand guard while staying in the farmers home.
Hilde looks around the house, with bored look.
She also checks the fields south of it, trying to see if there is more people there.
After the others are settled, she eyes the rest of the town.
"We charge up the center of the town, and draw all the madmen there, to cut them down."
You think you have never heard her talk so much in the few days you have known her.
Kit is startled when Hilde speaks. The lass does have a voice! He looks at her and says, While that is one way to do it, what if there are a lot more crazies than there is of us? Maybe we should expand our beach head by checking out the granary or the Beldrak Farm.
Hilde seems to think what Kit says, and after a few seconds she nods.
She stands next to the door, looking at the granary, and starts going for it.
"I thought you all had come to forestall, or at least witness, the end of the world? When did your focus turn to plans of destroying whole farming villages?"
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As Hilde noisily makes her way to the granary, Kit chuckles. Is it even worth trying to be sneaky? he thinks to himself.
In response to Iskender he says, We don't know what form the end of days is taking. For all we know it could be hungry and has a hankering for grain!
Rendered speechless for a few moments by the silent woman talking, Dilwyn does his best to keep up. Expanding their safe zone is not a bad idea, unlike storming the center of town and calling all the crazies down on them.
"I came to try stopping it," he replies to Iskender indignantly, not quite realizing how loud he's being in his annoyance. Then, realizing that he's allowed his metaphorical goat to be gotten, he takes a loud, calming deep breath. "I imagine if we'd gone straight for information, as I suggested, you would complain that we'd thought nothing for how to retreat should we get in over our heads. We're getting in the way of your narritive, eh?"
"I became a part of the narrative, and not just the narrator, the moment that Kit clapped me on the back and infected me with his fate."
Dilwyn gives Iskender a smile, resolving not to let his goat be gotten twice.
"It's a fragile thing, your narrative. Should you ever get a chance to tell this story, you should call it 'Manos: The Hands of Fate.'"
Kit looks down at his hand. It doesn't look to be infected with bad mojo! he guffaws.
Kit looks down at his hand. It doesn't looked to be infected with bad mojo! he guffaws.
"A man, a true optimist, once leapt to his death from the top of a tall tower. As he fell, he yelled as he passed the window of each of the different floors of the tower. At each of those windows sat a maiden. After the man was dead, the maidens were asked what it was that he had been yelling. The maidens all reported that as he passed them in succession he kept exclaiming 'so far, so good'," and with that Iskender chuckled.
Kit roars with laughter. That's a good one! I will have to remember that story especially when I am wooing maidens!
Zal stay quiet but smirks at the banter, content to let the humans ease the tensions of the moment with their humor. Still, the attack of the day before was unsettling and Zal suspected the grain was probably the safest thing in the town.
As the group walks towards the granary Zal scans the area with a hand over his eyes looking to see if anything is amiss...
Iskender looks askance at Kit, "you do realize that we are infiltrationing right? Hush!"
Kit nods in Hilde's direction again. Not the way she's plodding along. We might as well have a gaggle of bards with us! he says with a wide grin. Present company excluded of course!
"Psst, Kit, do you always run like that? You look like a camel with its hump on sideways."
Ohhh! Wouldn't want to be a camel, don't think I could take that long between drinks! Kit says as he continues along the way to the granary.
Following the not so silent Hilde towards the Granary you see a 30-foot silo that rises here, its ground-level door slightly ajar. The top of the tower also includes another door accessing a narrow, wooden walkway overlooking the town, river, and nearby lake.
As you approach the building you see a plump middle-aged woman dressed in a beautiful, but ill-fitting white lace wedding gown steps out from the door above and steps onto the granary’s catwalk. Once on the catwalk she starts singing a song, that Iskender recognizes as a song that is normally sang at weddings.
I don't think that one is right in the head Kit whispers as he carefully moves into position under the catwalk with his arms open wide in case the woman jumps.
Hilde looks at the woman for a second, a sad look on her face.
She shakes her head, and angry look on her eyes, and runs away into the granary, full speed.
"That's a wedding song that is!"
Who's she marrying? the crows? Kit says as he tries to judge the best spot to stand in to catch the woman if she jumps - or Hilde pushes her!
"A wedding song? That doesn't make much sense."
Seeing the others make haste toward the silo, he follows suit. He's a tad more cautious, though, and hangs back a bit farther in case things go sideways. He loads his sling to be ready for anything, and calls out to the singing woman.
"Hello, there! That's a lovely tune! Are you alright? Do you need help?"
"I don't know, but it looks to me as if she has been swimming in something."
"Ale, or water maybe? I can't be sure, but she definitely seems soaked."
I've swam in ale before. Best day of my life! Kit says as he moves forward slightly.
"Yes, well, you have probably missed that part of the festivities already."
"I just hope it isn't oil. I'm not sure, but Kit may be right about her not being in her right mind. If that's the case, anything is possible."
While still holding his sling ready, Dilwyn watches her behavior carefully, trying to get a sense of what she might be up to, or if she's even acting under some semblance of control.
Good idea, Iskender considers if he thinks she intends to jump or something?
Zaladrel, seemingly tied with Hilde for "quietest party member" follows the others with an eye on the woman, I hope she doesn't jump...
While the woman continues to sing her song, the boys on the ground continue to look up and ponder on why she is doing this. The ever eager Hilde takes off running, going thru the ground level door and disappearing from sight. The woman continues to sing and pulls something from a pocket in the dress. She sings for another round as Hilde bursts through the upper door and runs to the woman. Holding the item in her hand the song ends, she says loudly "Tabin, I am coming to you my dearest."
Hilde doesn't stop, she charges the woman and tries to hit her in the face with a closed fist, to knock her out.
Dilwyn, upon recognizing the item in the woman's hand as a tindertwig immediately drops his sling moves as close as he can, makes a few gestures with his hands and uses create water to dump two gallons of the stuff on the woman, even as Hilde rushes up to knock her out. Hopefully the water is enough to clear off any extra-flammable materials she might have been soaked with and ruin the tindertwig as well. Assuming it isn't, however, Dilwyn stands by with another casting of create water ready should she manage to set fire to herself.
Kit watches as the woman pulls out a tindertwig. Oh! She is going to make herself a candle, she is! Seeing water soak the woman and Hilde giving her a good punch in the face, he will continue to stand where he thinks the woman might land if she falls.
Zal puts a hand on his head and looks aghast at the scene sensing he has little to offer if the actions until this moment don't stop the woman.