Jerukh watches with interest as the snake slithers up Vigny.
"Maybe it is cold? Want's heat?"
The half orc rubs his aching neck, then looks toward the stairs;
"Perhaps Master Proudstump knows of it... Remember a mage from Magnimar who had one as a familiar..."
"Master Proudstump," Emi calls out, trying to at least sound calm and collected, "do you by any chance hafe a pet snake?"
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I am just a tree branch. I am just a tree branch
It takes a few minutes to calm Walthus down, though he does let Reiko go with little fuss after a moment, though he just winds up wrapping Soli in a hug instead.
"Snakes? Oh, I do have a few friends around. Why do you ask," Walthus asks after regaining his composure. He's pale, and there's an ugly bruise on his neck.
The green snake climbs up to Vigs's shoulder and looks at her for a moment before flicking its tongue again and pecking her on the cheek. After a moment, Vigs feels the snake slither across the nape of her neck and up to the top of her head where it curls up in her hair, the tip of its tail tickling the top of her right ear.
"Uhh... vell... von of them has climbed up our friend here..." Emi calls back up to the halfling, clearly still not happy about the situation, "is there a vay to get it off her, or do ve need to vait for it to slither off on it's own?"
oh, please be Walthus' snake and not some trespassing trouble maker...
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Vigny ignores her goosebumps.
I am just a tree branch. I am just a tree branch...
Jerukh continues to watch the snake climb further up Vigny. Noting her nervousness he attempts to take her mind of the predicament;
"Ahem. You know snake venom has medicinal qualities... so... its not ... all bad... If it... bites you..."
The big alchemists low voice trails off and he punctuates his words with another awkward smile.
Reiko gives Soli a look that is both a silent thank you! and a mischievous better you than me when she becomes ensnared by the clingy halfling.
"Both of those would probably be good, wouldn't they," Walthus says before heading downstairs. "I hope most of them survived. Volorog was slaughtering them mercilessly after Henri bit him. Poor, brave Henri."
Walthus's face lights up when he sees the green snake coiled up on Vigny's head.
"Ah Fredricka! It seems you've made a new friend," he says cheerfully before turning his attention to the tree branch impersonating Caydenite. "Don't worry, she's just a garden snake. She's harmless."
It's about then that Reiko feels something cold beginning to crawl up her leg. The culprit is a four-foot long viper making his way up like he was climbing a tree.
"That's Geoffery," Walthus says as he spots the second snake. "He's mostly harmless. Just no sudden moves. He startles easy."
my that's a lot of snakes... perhaps we'd be better off sleeping outside after all... though, I suppose a handful of snakes we know about is better than the swarms of the-gods-only-know what that are living out there... I hope our next adventure is on dry land, maybe somewhere warm...
Emi forces a grateful smile as Walthus informs them of the green snakes harmless nature.
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When Walthus mentions that the snake on her head is not poisonous, Vigny's eyes nearly cross with conflicting relief and annoyance.
"Oh, well then..." she reaches up and scoops the snake up from off her head.
"Nice to have to aboard uh, Fredricka, but it's time to go home now.
She hands the snake like a pile of noodles over to Walthus.
"I think I'll sit down for a few minutes." Vigny finds a chair to collapse into.
As Walthus appears to alleviate the serpentine tension, Jerukh approaches the snake-wrangler with his awkward grimace-smile;
"Master Proudstump. Good to see you. Can I attend to any wounds that aberration inflicted?"
"I'm not sure what he was, only that he wanted my home, packs a wallop, and has that long freaky tongue," Walthus says before taking a seat in a chair, "and there were more of my friends, but I know that little monster killed some of them."
Fredricka doesn't seem too upset about being handed over to Walthus, who smiles at Vigny as he takes the friendly snake with his right hand.
"Yes, please," the halfling says to Jerukh when asked about his wounds. He gives a brief whistle and taps his bare foot on the floor. Geoffery unwinds himself from Reiko legs and slithers over to climb up on the table.
"I know not many people are fond of snakes, but Fredrika and Geoffery are the only two that stay inside. After saving my life, you're more than welcome to stay here and rest up for the night. I even have something to give you once I can get up and find it. I do find myself wondering why all of you came out this way, though."
The healer gently checks over the bruised halfling, attempting to discern if any of his wounds require urgent attention;
"Please tell me if it hurts Master Proudstump... Apologies if it does."
:
Reiko breathes a measured sigh of relief when Geoffery slithers on his way. She happily turns her mind in another direction. "Recently, goblins have begun to regularly attack Sandpoint. The village has asked us to look into the matter. We hope you might be able to help us."
"Yes, we're goblin hunting. But also, we saw something quite odd. Heard it too. A creature that roars loudly. It seems to have been tracking us on our way here, and was lying in wait for us at one of the bridges. It swam off when we saw it though. What is it?"
"Don't worry, I will," Walthus assures Jerukh, although, given his injuries, the chirurgeon has his work cut out for him as he patches the halfling warden up.
While Jerukh works, Walthus talks.
"Well, I might be able to help, though I think I'll need something to jog my memory," the halfling says slyly, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he looks at Reiko like a con-man sizing up a mark. Vigny's mention of the monster the group had run across caused him to sober up quite quickly.
"What you five had run across," he says seriously, "was the Soggy River Monster. You're lucky you spotted it before it could run off with one of you. As for that other group, no, they haven't. Besides that foul creature you saved me from, you five are the first visitors I've had since the fireworks started going off over Brinestump every few nights."
"Ve need to get out to Brinestump and see vhat is going on there," Emi says, clearly not happy about all that Walthus has shared, "is there a vay for us to get out there relatifely safely?"
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Walthus snorts at Emi's little outburst.
"Sure, just walk out the door," he answers cheerfully.
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"Ve vere just out there," Emi replies sadly, "it didn't seem fery safe..."
"That'd be because you're in Brinestump Marsh m'dear," he says in an affected Chelish accent.
Emi forces a sheepish smile and sits quietly back down on the setee.
"Come to think of it, I did bring a bottle as a gift for you Mr. Proudstump. I gave it to the wrong you though! It's mead, and it must be sitting around here somewhere..."
Vigny doesn't get up though.
Jerukh continues to patch up their host, while the others engage him in conversation.
He gently applies salves, bids the halfling down the odd herbal tincture and finally dresses any open wounds.
:
As he tends to Walthus the big alchemist seems genuinely at ease as he works away in complete silence... only speaking when his care seems complete;
"Done. The bruises will fade and the crack in your ribs shall heal. Rest. Drink my tea. Then rest some more... Mied can wait."
"Well, I might be able to help, though I think I'll need something to jog my memory," the halfling says slyly, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he looks at Reiko like a con-man sizing up a mark. Vigny's mention of the monster the group had run across caused him to sober up quite quickly.
Being dense wasn't a trait Reiko possessed in any great amount. The ronin smiled at the halfling even as she pulled a silk cloth from her pocket and wiped the long smear of Volorog blood and viscera from her blade, before resheathing the katana with a loud :SNIKT:
She says lightly, "Of course, Master Proudstump... nothing in this world is free."
"Excellent! Then please allow me to welcome you here for the night and open up my pantry so we can make dinner. You can ask me anything you want about this muddy swamp while we enjoy a good meal," the Halfling says gleefully as Jerukh finishes up.
"Don't worry, I'll save the mead for something special, a special gift from a special lady shouldn't be wasted and I doubt that Miss Vigny appreciate me using it to dull the pain," he promises Jerukh after his admonishment.
===
Supper is served as the sun sets on the Varisian Gulf, painting both sea and sky in rich, fiery colors. While Walthus's pantry is well stocked, it does lack some essentials when it comes to making a tasty meal. Prehaps a skilled cook could make the food less bland.
As the five goblin-hunters fix their plates and find places to eat at, Walthus settles into a chair and takes a deep whiff of the smell of the food and sighs contentedly.
"I must thank you for saving my life," he says before digging in. "So," he adds between mouthfuls of food, "what would you like to know?"
No matter how hungry she is, Reiko minds her manners, eating slowly and thoughtfully. "Can you speak of Megus the Witch?"
"Also anything you could tell us about the Licktoad goblins, like where to find their village, would be great."
<Sigh> that mead would have been just the thing to cover the taste of the food...
Reiko tries to help in the kitchen as best she can...
Jerukh eyes the cooking pots with little inclination to what looks good or not.
:
"I do not know... Perhaps some healing herbs would be more practical than paprika or salt?"
The alchemist shrugs his shoulders in resigned defeat at a field outwith his ken. However he keeps a close and concerned eye on their host lest he do too much.
When they sit down he eats slowly and deliberately, once again allowing the others to carry the conversational heavy lifting.
Emi can't help but giggle at the sight of friends new and old fumbling around the kitchen, bumbling through making dinner. When they bring out the food and set the table for dinner the whole affair suddenly seems less funny.
"Thank you, I'm sure this vill be... fery... filling," she manages with a feeble smile.
As the goblin-hunters and Walthus eat the surprisingly tasty meal, questions are asked and answers are given.
"Well, the Licktoads are easy enough to find. Just head down the Old Fish Trail and you'll practically at their door step. The problem is making it that far, seeing as the snots like to 'patrol' or hunt down tasty critters. You could cut to the south from here, but that is more likely to wear all of you out. As for Megus, she'd be the best person to ask about how to navigate the swamp. She knows this marsh better than I do, and probably knows every single path through it. If you head back to the main road and go about a mile, you'll find the head of the trail that will take you right to her. It looked like it hadn't been used in a while the last I saw it. I'd be careful of any deals I made with her, though. You don't get her reputation without there being some truth to the rumors."
Megus? Who is this Megus, did I miss something? Maybe the sheriff told us and I wasn't paying attention... I could ask but then what if these people I'm adventuring with think I'm an idiot... I know Jerukh wouldn't... maybe I'll just ask him later...
Emi looks around for a moment then quietly returns to eating.
Between bites of food Vigny chimes in with "Who's Megus? What rumors? Is the trail that goes to Megus the same as the Old Fish Trail?"
Jerukh continues to delicately pick at his food, enjoying it but mindful of looking like a savage as a chews.
As the others question and query the alchemist listens intently.
Should we know of this Megus?
Sensing Emiliana's bemusement and shoots her a look and shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.
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"I don't know, maybe Megus was mentioned. I might have stopped paying attention by then."
Vigny takes on a conspiratorial tone. "Honestly, Sheriff Hemlock doesn't have a very interesting voice so I mostly tuned him out."
Reiko clarifies, "The Sheriff didn't mention her, at least not to me. I heard whispers of the marsh witch some time ago and Master Proudstump was the best person to confirm them. It's encouraging that we may be able to bargain with her. It suggests she's not irredeemably evil - which was a concern. It is said that she practices 'vile magics' and lives in the heart of the Brinestump."
Jerukh looks from one speaker, then to next as the thoughts and queries of his companions are aired.
The mutters his own viewpoint to all and none;
"Hoanghină? Most likely these vile majicks are just the tattle of those who lack the wit to understand such things..."
"Maybe, but there is something strange about that old woman. If you do seek her out, I'd take care. Goblins and the Soggy River monsters aren't the only evil things in this swamp," Walthus says in reply to Jerukh's thoughts, "and as I say, I'd be careful when making deals with her. I've known devils who were perfectly willing to bargain with you, and who were wholly evil."
The halfling puts on a sinister smile as he leans back with a contented sigh.
"Now, if you don't have any more questions, perhaps we could get some sleep, unless," he looks to either side as if checking to see if anyone was listening in, "unless you want to hear some spooky stories."
Emi smiles a little when Jerukh indicates that he has no idea what's going on either. She peeks up when stories are offered and answers, "oh, yes; please share your stories vith us."