"If you vanted me naked on top of you, Soli, all you had to do vas ask..." Emi teases as Reiko helps the two giggling women to their feet.
Curious, Reiko smiles, "Who is your type?"
"I am eferybody's type..." Emi answers with a mischievous grin.
"Enough about types," Ameiko complains, "let me up so I can fix you three sillies your muffins and toast!"
===
Jerukh and Gkirkhan arrive back at the camp some time later, just as the sun was setting. They'd tried to sneak in, but unfortunately for them, Iona and Koya were waiting and both gave them an earful about picking fights and thinking with their nether bits rather than their heads as they tended to their wounds using the poultices that stung like mad.
The journey to Brinewall went smoothly after that, with stories and tales swapped over the fire at night and the the caravan getting to know each other while traveling during the day. A few goblins made an appearance once, but were quickly dispatched, and the most excitement to be found, other than that, was the occasional passing travellers.
A few days out from Brinewall, however, Ameiko begins to take ill. At first it just seems like something that will pass, just a headache. As the miles go by, though, Ameiko begins to look paler and paler. She puts on a brave face, but the way she stumbles, or feels dizzy, or seems to just stare off into the distance at random times is worrisome.
You find the overgrown trail to Brinewall easily enough, but the wagons cannot fit though. Camp is made and, with plenty of daylight left, the five of you, Sandru, Koya, Shalelu, and an increasingly sick, but stubborn as ever, Ameiko begin to push through the narrow trail.
The moment that Ameiko steps past the treeline, she collapses.
At Gkirkhan's understanding comments, Jerukh smiles awkwardly and nods.
"I know the Ulfen are not all bad. Vigny is anything but... She reminds me a little of my Mama... Ach. I have wronged that one... thou I doubt she will listen to me now."
As they ride gingerly back, the alchemist listens to Gkirkhan's account of his own childhood, before adding a little more of his own;
"My own father I do not know. Riddleport tales say he was a hush-man. An assassin. A murderer and a bogey-man. Before today I saw the orc in me as a killer, a breaker - like him. So I heal things. Make things better, so I am not like him..."
He too sighs;
"... but I am not. Nor are you Gkirkhan the Wise. We are not our fathers - we are our own men. Good men."
Back at camp Jerukh accepts the chastisement and healing with a stoic calm.
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She sits quietly for a moment before much more seriously adding, "Are you okay, cousin? Not the bruises; Koya vill fix those... you vere efen more vithdrawn then usual before I got sick... and sneaking off to brawl isn't like you at all... are you... is eferything alright?"
"Iko!!!" Emi cries out as she rushes to her collapsed friend's side.
Now wishing she hadn't said anything, Soli blushes. "Um...I...maybe we can talk about that later..." she continues to mumble, trying her hardest to not look at Shalelu as the elf follows Ameiko towards the cooking fires.
Reiko makes a mental note. Curiouser and curiouser.
When Jerukh and Gkirkhan return later, she gapes at the sight of the bruises and cuts that cover them both but it doesn't occur to her that they'd inflicted them on each other until she overhears Koya and Iona scolding them both. She shoots Reiko and Vigny a puzzled look. "Why would they go off and fight like that? Did I miss something?" she whispers.
At the sight of the bloodied men, Reiko is stoic. To the paladin, she replies, "You don't have brothers, do you? Some men are so hard-headed that lessons must be pounded into their skulls before they learn them."
While Tatiana performs her daily chores for Koya, Reiko finds a relatively flat, grassy area adjacent to the caravan. She sweeps it free of rocks and pebbles and then pins down a thick canvas tarp on top of it. Satisfied with the impromptu training mat, Reiko puts aside her sword, runs through a few of the more acrobatic katas to warm up and test the 'mat' and then takes a couple minutes to meditate in seiza, before the appearance of her new (and very first) student.
When Tatiana arrives, Reiko smiles and indicates she should remove her shoes and sit in the spot before her. She instructs the little girl on how to sit in seiza and gently corrects any errors in her posture explaining, "Everything we do is connected. If we don't sit right, we don't breathe right. If we don't breathe right, we don't move right. If we don't move right, we don't act right. If we don't act right, we don't live right. So, it may seem silly... but it is important."
Once Tatiana's 'form' is acceptable, the ronin says, "Good. Now, to show respect for each other, we bow - back straight, from the waist," She demonstrates a proper bow and then watches the little girl mirror the honor. "Good." She settles a bit in her sitting position before speaking, "So, are you nervous?"
Reiko rushes to the downed woman, trying to assist the healers in the group without getting in the way. For no reason she can name, she asks, "Is it poison?"
Vigny is, as usual, a little slower to react than the others. She stands out of the way of the others and looks on as they try to figure out what has happened to Ameiko.
A cold wind blew in from the north. Winter would be here soon. How many had he seen since Brinewall's fall? Twenty? Fifty? A hundred?
It didn't matter, for even with the northern wind blowing, he and his subjects could smell something was different. Someone had come. Someone who did not smell of the stench of ogre or goblin. The smell was frustratingly familiar to all of them. What was it? It was no monster. He was certain.
Then, he remembered as the screams of terror and the crackle of flames played out in his fondest memories of the raid.
Men and elves. That was who had come to his domain. Oh what fun! It had been ages since he had guests to entertain, and the excitement was palpable in his movements as he danced down the ruined halls of his keep. He needed to get ready! He loved it when people came to visit. He loved the visitors even more.
He loved them to pieces.
===
The half-elf crawled on his belly to get to a better vantage point. Behind him was the elf he'd joined company with in Riddleport. The human, thankfully, had remained with the horses. His heavy armor and need to rush into things would have been a detriment to the scouting mission that his new partner had planned.
The elven mage, though, was silent as a ghost when he wanted to be.
"Should we attack them now? It seems some of them have split off," the elf whispered.
"Patience, my friend, patience. A good hunter does not spring his trap too early, or on the strongest member of the herd. We should watch and see what they do," the half-elf replied in a soothing tone.
They'd found the tracks several days ago, and now they had the caravan that they'd been following barely a hundred yards away. They knew it was the right one, after all, how many varisian caravans boasted two tall half-orcs?
Yes, they'd wait. They'd watch. When the time came, they'd strike.
Hungry smiles spread over their faces. Soon, not yet, but soon.
===
Ameiko is deathly cold to the touch, she shivers and her breath comes out in faint clouds of chilled steam. Everyone looks on, worried as those with the skill work to find the cause. The young tien tavernkeep, Sandpoint's most unlikely noble, is not responding to anything, nor is she injured. Other than the temperature of her skin and breath and her being unconscious, she's fine.
"We need to get her back to camp," Koya says sternly, "I don't know what, but something's wrong with her." The varisian wisewoman looks up and points to Shalelu and Jerukh. "You two carry her and be careful. She could have caught something and I just don't know what it is."
As soon as the group picks up Ameiko and tries to move her, however, she fights back with all of the strength she can muster, screaming in Minkaian about needing to be made whole.
"Jah, Hy figured dot out a long time ago," Gkirkhan says, "bot Hy vas also lucky enuff to haff my mudder dere to help me. From vhat Hy haff heard, hyu hardly had enyvun dot could help hyu. Ef Hy em vise, et iz because Hy haff been dem lucky to haff my mudder dere to help me learn."
As they ride, he gives you a smile.
"Und as for Vigny, vhy don't hyu try? De vurst dot vill happen is she seyz no," he tries to encourage you.
The rest of the trip Gkirkhan is jsut as happy to ride back in companionable silence.
Tatiana is a surprisingly good student. She wasn't the fastest learner, but she was observant and listened to instructions carefully. After returning your bow, she shakes her head.
"I get to learn something new! All Koya's taught me is about plants and herbs and how to make sick people better," she answers, then, realizing how that must sound, quickly adds, "not that that's bad! It's just a lot of it I have to sit still to do."
Reiko tries to pin the struggling woman even as she ponders her ramblings.
"I get to learn something new! All Koya's taught me is about plants and herbs and how to make sick people better," she answers, then, realizing how that must sound, quickly adds, "not that that's bad! It's just a lot of it I have to sit still to do."
Reiko laughs. "I was going to begin by teaching you how to breathe... but that is a lot of sitting still. So let's atart elsewhere." She gets to her feet. "When learning unarmed fighting, you will be falling down a LOT. So lesson one is 'how to fall so you don't get hurt'..." Reiko patiently leads the girl through falls and the most common techniques for reducing their impact.
Jerukh assists in pulling Ameiko to her feet, then grimaces as she struggles against their help and joining the others in restraining her:
:
With great concern, Emi looks imploringly to Koya... "Has somevun placed her under a curse?!?" she spits on the ground after uttering the word curse, as Varisians often do, "Look at the frost... this is not natural..."
Vigny helps to carry Ameiko if she's needed for that, but otherwise she takes the lead on the trip back to the caravan, watching for threats.
Still bruised and tired, Jerukh nods and smiles awkwardly at his friends words.
"I... was struggling with myself. Who I was. The man and the orc blood in me... I lashed out at those around me Emi... Vigny and some of Sandru's boys... Hard words and little thought."
He looks at his bruised knuckles and shakes his head;
"I have dedicated my life to healing... to fixing things.... Except myself. I was... am... still a little broken cousin. Kept a side of me shackled deep. Gkirkhan showed me that it is as much of who I am than the books, herbs and tinctures I still prize. It was a hard lesson taught well... and I have much still to learn... but I am better for it, if a little sore."
He chuckles softly, then grimaces in slight pain before gingerly taking Emi's hand in his;
"Emi please know that I wanted to tell you of my pain, but did not want to burden your happy soul with such melencholy troubles."
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She waits a moment for her words to sink in before smirking and adding, "besides, I hafe taught a hard lesson or two vhen needed," with a playful elbow to one of his bruised ribs.
"Next time do not vait so long, okay?"
Ameiko continues to struggle as she's carried back to the camp. It's only when she's laid down does she stop. Her skin is pale and cold to the touch and her breath comes out in puffs of mist. Thankfully, she is not getting any worse, but she doesn't look as if she'd be getting better anytime soon.
"I don't know of any curse that would do this," Koya says as she and Shalelu begin to remove her gear and make her comfortable, "I don't know of any illness either, but it seems that now that she isn't moving from Brinewall, she's not having a fit."
Koya scratches her head and looks to Sandru.
"What should we do," she asks, at a loss.
"I think that may be up to them," he answers, nodding to the five of you.
Tatiana eagerly dives into the lesson. She does ask if it's okay to do a little of both the tumbling and the breathing. She's not the fastest study, but she is a keen observer and surprisingly mature for a young girl not even ten years old.
Jerukh looks to Koya then their patient with a scowl;
"Mamă, if it is not a curse nor illness... then perhaps poison?"
As Soli suggests the Brinewall he nods and looks to the others;
"Wise words. The Brinewall is as good a place to start."
To Soli she replies, "She said she needs to be made whole. I don't understand this reference."
"Could it be a family curse? If her family is from here, and what's happening to her is linked to this place?"
In the back of your mind, you hear the voice of the Whispering Shrike.
Spirit, Protector
Kami of a great secret
Deep, deep in the vaults
"Her grandfather had some dealings with Brinewall before it fell to whatever happened, and I believe he was here for those events, but I do not know of anything. The only one who would have would be Lonjiku, and he's been dead some years, and I doubt he ever told Amieko anything," Koya answers Soli's and Vigny's questions about a curse. "As far as I can tell, it was not poison either. She isn't hurt, and any poison in the food or water would have done us harm as well."
Lonjiku Kaijitsu died shortly after the goblin raid during the Swallowtail Festival that was supposed to culminate in the consecration of the new cathedral. Tsuto, the bastard son of his wife and an elven lover, killed him by encasing him in molten glass.
Vigny fidgets some, obviously not entirely comfortable with the options they have.
"It doesn't seem fair to go to Brinewall without Ameiko." She looks at the tavern owner with distress.
"The whole point of this trip was it's supposed to be her adventure. But it's clear we can't take her like she is now. If this place has something to do with it, I don't see how we can't go try to find what it is."
Emi finally looks away from her childhood-friend to her new friends. "Figny is right," she says with obvious anxiety, "if there is efen a chance that vhatefer is causing this is in Brinevall then ve must go, and kvickly, to safe her..."
An agreement was reached, and the five companions set off to find what had caused Ameiko to so suddenly take ill, and in such a peculiar way. The path through the forest isn't long, and soon the five companions looked out over a ruined village, scarred by fire. The village looks long dead. There is, however, a curious sight. One of the piers has been splintered, and the remains of a single masted ship lie next to it. Surely the tides would have washed away the remains of any vessels that had been docked here when Brinewall fell.
Somewhere in the distance, comes a deep call of "Doom!"
There's a lot for Vigny to take in looking out over Brinewall. The thing that grabs her attention is the boat. Partially this is because it's apparent newness suggests recent occupation, but also because it seems to be an Ulfen design.
Her family was hardly a seafaring one, but she had heard descriptions. Longboats weren't strangers to Riddleport either, although she stayed clear of them there.
The deep call of "Doom!" takes precedence over the boat or any of the other stuff though. Somebody's here it seems. Not keen on visitors maybe..." she says, looking about trying to locate the direction the call came from.
You are pretty sure that the call came from the village somewhere.
The direction of the call works out well for Vigny, it's roughly the same direction as the boat.
Someone, or someone-ish, who was very dangerous wouldn't be yelling "Doom" at us. If they were particularly dangerous they would sneak up for surprise, or lurk waiting for their trap to spring. But they didn't, and now we know they're there, and they know we know.... It's almost like they're a friend, except not exactly.
"Fun! Shall we go see who's there?" she asks, gesturing toward the village.
Probably a shaman or druid or old witch who haunts this place and needs to impress everyone who stops by.
"Rydyn ni'n ffrindiau i'r tylwyth teg, a'r rhai sy'n byw yn y gwyllt!" Emi calls out watching for any reaction from the village.
Reiko considers the choices then offers, "The castle would be more likely to have an underground vault... more than a lighthouse, I think." Curious about the 'doom'-sayer, Reiko moves toward the village quietly.
Jerukh's brow furrows as he listens to the others notion of what they might face;
"Could be fey... Could be worse... A lost spirit perhaps?"
As the group creep forward, the alchemist does his best to follow suit;
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Soli trips over an exposed root and finds herself going for tumble down the side of the hill overlooking the village. She comes to a stop lying flat on her belly and looking at a very surprised, foot-tall woman with wild green hair, wings like a lunar moth's, and dressed into a colorful set of clothes and leather armor sized to her.
"Uh? Hi?"
The tiny woman takes a step back as she looks at Soli, looking unsure and if the situation is too weird for her.
"Greetings, little vun," Emi calls out as she heads down the hill more cautiously than her friend, "ve mean you no harm. Something has happened to our friend--she is fery cold and gripped by some small madness--and ve are trying to see if anything here in Brinevall might be the cause... Can you help us?"
Reiko moves quickly downhill in a series of small leaps. She adds her minimal diplomatic skills to Emi's efforts - which consists of a friendly smile, a polite bow, and an awkward addition. "Your wings are beautiful."
Vigny picks her way down the hill more slowly. It's no fun to take a tumble in armor. Inertia and and flailing are not the friends of a heavier, hard outer shell.
When she spies the diminutive woman she slows down even more. As her story to Sandru illustrated, and she largely believes, even "friendly" encounters with fey are fraught affairs.
She stays back, behind the others and says nothing. They can deal with this one.
Jerukh too takes it slowly down the hill, he's seen his share of too many sprained ankles and bloodied knees hasty decents not to.
He eyes Vigny as he passes her, a notion to offer a hand flashing into his mind for a second, then gone like a blown out candle - the fear of rejection or a hard word too strong...
The lanky alchemist takes a few more steps, then hears the words of Gkirkhan in his mind and nods to himself slowly.
He stops and turns, offering a remorseful face and outstretched hand to the proud shield maid;
"My hand... Lest you fall... and of way of an apology."
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Jerukh's words startle Vigny. They hadn't spoken directly to each other since their confrontation. She doesn't know what to make of his gesture, or whether she should take it quite at face value. Why a sudden change when his views seemed so set?
Vigny doesn't hate Jerukh by any means, although he very vexing. Rapprochement without commitment seems the best response to her. No vulnerable openings until she better knows what he's playing at.
She takes his hand with a nod, but keeps her expression neutral and says nothing.