Farid shrugs, "Perhaps we live as Orcs but I know no Orcs to safely compare. The tribe is as strong as its weakest links, the desert is a harsh place and breeds harsh men. To carry the sick from place to place endangers all. I speak the truth of my ways and mean no insult to you or your kin. I only seek to understand why you would put yourselves in harm's way".
Bhoors smiles hope to keep the peace, "This is the Vale friend you brave the hazard leaving your pillow. We'll risk a cough to see others breathe free."
Camlo smiles and nods to Bhoors words, while putting his hand in his shoulder.
"Plus living in a stationary community the dangers that come can not be outrun or faced with naked blades...."
"It will take us all time to learn from one another."
Farid nods in half understanding, "I see. Well I wish you all the best of luck then. My business may be concluded once we enter this business. If I am still here in town and any of you happen to spot my friend please let me know. If I happen upon someone discussing cures or herbs I shall be sure to point them towards your group".
With that Farid stares at the door clearly impatient for the line to move forward and to conclude his business at this place. He does not cut the line though seeing the commotion that caused earlier.
Ruthviren, after a wary, dark look at Farid, Ruthviren is obviously only barely listening to the conversation. He stares at the front of the line, trying to get a feel for the people coming out of the shop - their mood, their level of hope...
It takes an hour for the group to make it into the shop.
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The smell of burnt earth and spicy incense chokes the air of the cramped, mud-tracked shop. Bunches of dried herbs hang from the
ceiling, along with dangling pots, presses, alchemical apparatuses, and glassware of more arcane purposes. Pouches of rare plants, jars of colored glass, and all manner of dried, preserved, and jellied animal parts fill high shelves and tables doing double duty as displays and workspaces. Near the door a young women is helping the last customer with their medicines and guiding them out. In the shop’s rear, a rail-thin woman with severe-looking spectacles and hair pulled back tightly busies herself between an overpacked rack of herbs, a table covered in stray powders and measuring equipment, and a pot loudly bubbling over with thick gray froth. Over the din of her work and without looking up, the woman impatiently shouts, “And what’s your problem?”
Camlo tries to make his best impression.
"Cirthana told us about the problems you face, and we came to help! You are doing so much, and we want you to know you are not alone. What can we do to help?"
Bhoors coughs at the heavy smell, he looks nervously at his friends trying to reassure them, "Its the smoke . . . I hope."
Bhoors pleasantly shouts back over the din, "We all got problems. There's a plague . . . hadn't you heard." He ads the last bit of dark humor and winces at its callous nature. "Cirthana from the temple sent us. She hopes you might have news of a cure. This sickness is out pacing healing magics." When Bhoors realizes part of the noise he is competing with is Camlo he sheepishly looks to him and nods indicating that he is backing off to give Camlo room to negotiate.
Farid holds back from his questions as h knows its importance is much less than what these locals are seeking to do.
For now he bides his time and looks around the shop.
Perception
Auxavier adds a slight bow.....
"If you need us to fetch water or boil it or to tear strips of cloth, or anything else for that matter, we are at your service."
At Camlo's and Bhoors's commetns about the temple, Ruthviren raises an eyebrow curiously. Then his face falls.
I was going to try the temple next, if I really had to. Looks like they'll be no help, then. Ah, well, at least I don't have to deal with those frothing god-botherers...
Out loud, Ruthviren just gives a grunt of assent and nods agreements with his new colleagues.
Laurel looks up from her work with a look of surprise and weariness. " Thank you sir. I believe you are the first person to come in that was not asking for help." Staring at Camlo.
Her shoulders and head sag with defeat turning to Bhoors. “No cure sir at least not around here. I’ll get these folks what I can and we’ll see what good it does.”
Shaking her head at Auxavier. "The water is the problem. The sheriff has tracked the taint to the water supply from Brookman's Well just north of town. He has closed it down and set guards on it until we can inspect it further."
"Is there anything at all we can do to aid you?"
"Any idea what happened to the well?"
As Farid completes his circuit around the store he heads towards the woman minding the shop and listens to the conversation, still not speaking a word.
Laurel shrugs her shoulders at Camlo. "I have no idea I have not had time to look over the water samples or weird flower that the sheriff gave me. I am to busy trying to fight the blackscour taint."
Bhoors looks up absently noting the assistant helping Farid. Thinking little of it he listens to the others.
He returns his attention to Laurel, "My guess is the Sheriff is short handed with things so tense around here."
Laurel looks at Auxavier. "Well it may be a wild goose chase! But if you really want to help you help me find this ancient medicine that my grandmother’s old book has in it that says it's good for this kind of thing. A weird concoction that sounds more like hoojoo than real medicine.” Showing the book to the group.
“Here is the recipe. Most of the rare roots and concentrations, but there’s three I don’t. Elderwood moss, which I’ve never heard of, but granny says the stuff only grows on the oldest tree in a forest. A specially pickled root called rat’s tail, again, sounds like hoojoo to me. And seven ironbloom mushrooms, stunty little things that only grow in dark places thick with metal, a favorite among dwarves, or so I hear.”
Nodding at Bhoor's "Yes the sheriff is already too busy just keeping the town from a panic."
"Gathering? That I can do." he glances around at Auxavier, Bhoors, and the others. "WE can do that, right?"
"We sure can! And those grandma remedies many times turn out to be the best!"
“I heard of Elderwood moss, I am pretty sure my father showed me that along with the oldest tree in the forest. The pickled root called rat’s tail, I have no idea. Lots of mushrooms in the woods, these ironbloom sounds like cave ones, I know nothing of those.”
Farid turns to the woman, "I seek an old friend who I was told frequents here, Saru. Have you seen him lately by chance?"
Bhoors smiles a wicked grin. "Lots of local explorers and folk that travel the wilds are known to gather at the 'Sitting Duck' perhaps someone there knows. The owner is a dwarf . . . maybe she knows about these mushrooms the dwarves favor."
“Way north, toward the mountains, people say there used to live a bunch of dwarves. They’re not there anymore, but I’d bet their forges are. If you can find ironbloom anywhere around here, that’d be your best bet. As for the rat’s tail, who knows? Well. Actually, Ulizmila, the witch that lives deep in the woods might. She’s a crafty, mean thing that knows all sorts of strangeness. She might even have one. I don’t know what she might want for it, but I doubt it’d come cheap. My grandmother traded her sight to the old crone for a few pages of what she knew, and that was years and years back, and I don’t know a soul who got any nicer as they got older.”
“Way north, toward the mountains, people say there used to live a bunch of dwarves. They’re not there anymore, but I’d bet their forges are. If you can find ironbloom anywhere around here, that’d be your best bet. As for the rat’s tail, who knows? Well. Actually, Ulizmila, the witch that lives deep in the woods might. She’s a crafty, mean thing that knows all sorts of strangeness. She might even have one. I don’t know what she might want for it, but I doubt it’d come cheap. My grandmother traded her sight to the old crone for a few pages of what she knew, and that was years and years back, and I don’t know a soul who got any nicer as they got older.”
Bhoors nods having heard reports of the dwarven ruins before, "Do you know 'bouts were the old dwarf settlement might have been or who might? Or where this old witch lives." He shutters remembering tall tales of the forest.
Confused a moment overhearing what the assistant said to Farid he forgets its rude to ease drop and blurts out, "Huh ruins to the north I wonder if that is the dwarven settlement." He holds up both hands pointing back and forth between both conversations, "Sorry I did not mean to intrude I just think we might be talking about the same place."
"And we can go together..."
Aux focuses on the lady of the establishment, he is not even trying to hear any side conversation.
"It seems that we can get a bit more information and see if we can't go to these places in some semblance of order and distance so that we can hurry back with all the components needed for you to work your hoo-joo."
"So is anyone sure where all these places are or do we need to consult a guide, or map?"
Laurel shakes her head NO. "I have never been into Darkmoon Vale and honestly has no idea where the locations are. I suggests you head to the Consortium Lumber Camp to the east and look for Milon Rhoddam,the most experienced woodsman in the Lumber Consortium or find another guide if you do not know where these places maybe."
Bhoors nods "If Milon is there he would know. The guy is a legend." He looks at Auxavier amused. "You have braved the wild before and you have a cousin who has made a fair bit of scratch as a guide and hunts the vale for a living. I guess I have never ventured that far or not known to look for obscure plants on the way."
"Sounds good to me. The Lumber camp then!"
"I hope the road remains dry and passable, the mud that road makes is a horror to walk."
"Let's go!"
"Lead on!"
Ruthviren is visibly relived that a)there is a plan and b)the plan is not his...
"Thank you I will seek him there".
Turning to the others.
"It seems we go the same way. Perhaps together we can journey to this place?"
"Of course! The more the better!"
"Does anyone have a place we could stay? if not we can advance a little and camp outside."
Farid shrugs at Camlo's suggestion, "Fine by me, I've been staying outdoors the whole trip here. The little coin I have I keep to feed myself and purchase cheap ale wen I can get it.
Maybe before we leave we should know each other by name, in case we need a call out if something happens out there. I am Farid".
Bhoors lets out a sigh. "I'll not let you all run off into the wilderness without me but the sun has already set. Its an our and a half walk to the lumber camp unless you are runners. I say we get a hot meal and rest make sure we have fresh provisions and set out in the morning. There are plenty of those who may have information about the northern ruins at the 'Sitting Duck' the owner is a dwarf, she might know about the mushrooms. Though the 'Sitting Duck' is not a safe place to sleep." Bhoors smiles, "Besides my cousin has yet to visit this particular den of iniquity."
Bhoors adds, "I am Bhoors, Bhoors Thistledown."
"Sitting duck? Sounds nice, let's go!"
"Who knows maybe the dwarf will have iron bloom mushrooms or a picture of one."
"I have a place by the fire at this Sitting Duck if you all wish to share it with me".