He takes some more money for himself and tells "I have to hire some workers to do repairs and buy some stuff to replace what was destroyed.
I hope to be done before nightfall. If you're here then, I'll take you back with me in a coach. I won't stay in Lepidstadt. But if you decide to stay longer, we can meet at the Schloss again, for me to show you the way to the Shudderwood and Ascanor Lodge."
"I have a few things I would like looked at and I am not sure how long the Craftsmen will be on it. I can always get a horse and ride back if I am not done before everyone else." Herm says
"I'll be here. I'm not sure if I get everything done in time, but I'll let you know then if I come along." Jominda tells.
Once the Count is gone to do his business she asks "Shall we visit Judge Daramid for a tea? She might be interested in hearing about Thomas and the Count."
"A very good idea." Harrold comments.
All manner of beasts and monsters lurk beneath the eaves of the Shudderwood, but none so numerous or feared as the forest’s werewolves. Although the wood contains packs of these feral killers beyond counting, they can be loosely grouped into five distinct tribes: the provincial Broken Ones; the Kellid-descended Primals; the Prince’s Wolves, with their ties to Sczarni; the mighty Silverhides; and the fiend-worshiping Demon Wolves. Of course, the greatest threat these werewolves pose is that they can be anyone—the rough woodcutter, the itinerant peddler, the riverboat captain—any of them might be a wolf in human skin, and travelers through the Shudderwood are well advised to keep moving, keep to themselves, and leave the dark shadows of the forest behind them as soon as they can. For when the moon is full, the true masters of the Shudderwood fill the night with their howls, and woe be to any man or woman who becomes their prey.
— Oleandra Amandine, Shadows of the Shudderwood
"This is a lot of money..." Kendra says. "I agree thought, let's visit judge Daramid. I'll see how my house is doing after that."
Kendra smiles warmly, being amongst friends here and in a safe spot.
"I've never been that rich." Jominda agrees. "But shopping has to wait. First to the judge."
As there is no hiding necessary anymore you get a warm welcome at Judge Daramid's house. The maid lets you in and leads you to the usual room, offering you seats.
A minute later the Judge comes to greet you herself. "Good evening. It's a pleasure to see you again. What do I owe the honor to?" she asks.
"We have helped the count clear his home and found a place for Thomas. Now we are here to regear and are going to some hunting lodge the count is having us follow up on something." Herm says
"Yes, we found out that the count is the father of Thomas, can you imagine? Well, not that way, he created him." Jominda tells the exciting news they found out. "And we are going into the Shudderwood." She shudders at the thought, but that doesn't lessen her Excitement.
Tea and pie is brought by the maid, who lays the table and pours a cup of tea for everyone who wants some.
"That is interesting news indeed." Daramid replies. "What did you clear out at Schloss Caromarc? I don't suppose he is leaving, is he?"
"Indeed he is not," Kendra chimes in. "We cleared alL manner of creatures, from invading trolls to mimics and nightmarish mummies. The count and Thomas should have little trouble clearing the few remaining threats and rebuilding it, though."
She purses her lips before asking "Would you rather have the count leave?"
"He is of little consequence for Lepidstadt. I just wondered." Daramid answers. "And now you're going to Ascanor Lodge? Leaving civilisation?"
"We are yes, is there much you can tell us about this lodge?" Herm asks
"It is far away from everything. It's a playground for nobles. And a hideout for people who don't want to be seen for a while. Or that others don't want to see for a while." The judge hints.
"I remember a something I once read on the shudderwood..."Harrold says before pausing to think ahead slightly, "All manner of beasts and monsters lurk beneath the eaves of the Shudderwood, but none so numerous or feared as the forest’s werewolves. Although the wood contains packs of these feral killers beyond counting, they can be loosely grouped into five distinct tribes: the provincial Broken Ones; the Kellid-descended Primals; the Prince’s Wolves, with their ties to Sczarni; the mighty Silverhides; and the fiend-worshiping Demon Wolves. Of course, the greatest threat these werewolves pose is that they can be anyone—the rough woodcutter, the itinerant peddler, the riverboat captain—any of them might be a wolf in human skin, and travelers through the Shudderwood are well advised to keep moving, keep to themselves, and leave the dark shadows of the forest behind them as soon as they can. For when the moon is full, the true masters of the Shudderwood fill the night with their howls, and woe be to any man or woman who becomes their prey.
— Oleandra Amandine, Shadows of the Shudderwood"
"Now if that isn't a perfect setup for a witch hunt. Or a nice story to scare children and keep the gullible out of the woods. Because you can't prove anything once your werewolf is dead, or so the tales tell." Daramid replies. "But it is a bit too detailed to be completely made up. If you find out what's behind that, I'd like to know. You got me curious."
"Do we really want to go to that woods?" Jominda asks. Obviously you can not only scare little children with that stories.
Kendra is worried as well, but tries to hide it as best she can.
"Come on, Jominda. We've faced trolls, ghosts, flying bat-things that suck your blood, and even gigantic creations by courtesy of Count Caromac. You're not afraid of a few dogs, are you?"
she smiles, and adds "Even if the dogs might have.... grown a bit large."
"If they already tell such horrible creatures about the wood, what will we find there? If harmless places like the Schloss of a Count holds such horrors."
"What is if I find some handsome man, go for a walk with him in my fancy red hood and once we're out of sight, he turns into a wolf and swallows me whole?"
"Wíth Caromarc's monsters you'd at least know from the start they are monsters." Jominda defends herself.
"So we will need silvered weapons is what you are saying Harrold? Can that be done for my hammer I wonder or something else in the meantime?" Herm looks around town with the local smiths to find out about how to silver his hammer or something to make it so it looks like it is slivered.
Kendra keeps joking with Jominda to hide her own trepidation.
"I'm sure that they tell scary stories about the woods to keep people out, because there's not any actual danger to keep people out."
She turns to Judge Daramid.
"What do you think?"
"The Shudderwood is full of dangerous creatures. Though I haven't seen one or even heard a first hand account of werewolves. It is always someone who heard something." Daramid replies.
"Someone who knows someone who says someone said they saw some werewolves, eh?" Kendra says. "Nothing to worry about, Jominda."
"Wonderful. Then I'd follow your lead into the Shudderwood." Jominda replies. Once all others look at Kendra again, or elsewhere, Jominda sticks her tongue out at Kendra.
Herm goes about town looking for someone to enchant his armor and get the required items that he needs to push on to the Lodge. After a day, Herm buys a horse and rides back to Schloss Caromarc, approaching the gate Herm stops and Hails.
"Good day, Herm Dunlaven friend of the counts, I have returned to seek my companions and be off again in service of the Count."
Once no pie is left Jominda suggests "We have to run some errands, before we leave for the Shudderwood. I'm afraid we have to leave now."
Thinking about it for a moment she adds "What would we need for that journey?"
Before the pie is out, Kendra asks the Judge "Is there anything going on in Lepidtstad we should be aware of? New unrest of any kind?"
To answer Jominda's question,
"Some rations at least." Kendra suggest. "Something to deal with werewolves. I think I have some alchemical silver yet..."
"I think it might be advisable to start looking into our own mounts as well."
"Own mounts would only be helpful if they were slower than we are. So the werewolves eat the mounts and not us. But how about getting a carriage? That seems to be an appropriate way of transportation."
"If it's a closed one we could even sleep inside." Jominda suggests.
"No. Lepidstadt is again calm now." Daramid answers.
Kendra's face lights up. "I like the way you're thinking!"
"Thank you for your Hospitality." Harrold says, "Now I have to make sure this lot don't get lost shopping."
"Goodbye and thanks for all the cake." Jominda expresses her thanks to Judge Daramid.
Under the watch of the worried Harrold she starts to scour about town, to find a horse and carriage to buy. Soon she finds that a horse is no problem to come by, but a carriage that isn't just some farmer's cart is hard to come by. The few that are around are in use.
The only thing she finds after two hours of searching and asking around is a one horse carriage with four wheels that seats two people. It has a folding top, but is without a coach box, as it is driven from one of the two seats. Hidden under white sheets and thick layers of dust it stands in a farmer's barn. Unused for years, but still in an okay condition.
It is the property of a once ambitious but not very talented scholar, who lived on his inheritage. He managed to marry a farmer's daughter before his money ran out, and live off their wealth. But once his wife's parents died he had to take over responsibility and the hard work. With no clue about farming he found himself degraded to farmhand soon and his wife in charge and leading everything. The carriage is the last thing, besides some books, that is left of his former life, but the disenchanted wife is more than willing to part with this old relict of better times for a bag of coins. "Because I can't feed the kids a useless carriage in the next winter." as she puts it.
After the the husband is done throwing an inconsequential fit and leaves, ownership of the carriage is changes to Jominda for a lump sum. One of the kids puts a horse in front of the carriage, delivering it to Judge Daramid's house, to have it out of sight of the husband, should he come back to protest some more. There it is parked until Jominda finds a horse.
This is rather easy and she buys a beautiful four year old black mare with a slender build with bright eyes and always alert, dancing around. If she knew something about horses she would have known better, but the horse is a real beauty. With the help of the stable lad, she finally has a horse and carriage, that are both imposive.
Herm watches from his mount as Jominda drives her new cart around, shaking his head.
"Have you ever driven a cart before? You have to watch out for those walking and allow them to pass not just bully them out of the way." Herm puts any thing he won't need in a fight on the cart.
"Hey, that is no cart for moving stuff. This is an elegant transportation for two ladies." Jominda protests.
After leaving Judge Daramid, Kendra looks into her housing situation, makes sure it goes well. Turns out most of her belongings are still underway to the new house, so there's not much to check up on.
She returns to find Jominda and Herm talking about the new cart that Jominda found and bought, and smiles widely.
"Transportation for two ladies? I am flattered, but to be honest I think Harrold might be better served with a spot next to you. His old bones might take offense to riding on horseback."
She looks around for a moment, before thinking to ask "Where did you two get your horses? I can get my own too, then."
"These old bones are still young enough to put rude children over my knee." Harrold says pretending to be serious before laughing, "But yes, a long ride by horse won't do me any good."
"Hrmpf. Fiiine." Jominda pouts and leaves to do the rest of her shopping.
She finds a nice boutique which offers magical fashion and buys a nice belt with a brass cat's head as a buckle and a nice necklace consisting of a fine golden chain and a turquoise/white/black gem.
Herm tells Kendra where he bought his horse and offers his own mount so she can ride it to get one of her own.
"I will protect Jominda in the mean time from the many pastries that in habit this town." Herm almost cracks a smile
"You're sure you don't mean it the other way around." Jominda laughs. "Protect those poor, innocent pastries from the evil devourer of baked goods! Nomnomnom!"
Kendra laughs heartily at Herms and Jominda's joking. "The two of you should write a show, I think it will net us even more money than this adventuring business."
She mounts Herm's horse gratefully, and thanks the gods that it's not used to having Herm as it's sole owner. Horses can get really fussy if ridden by someone who isn't their master, she knows.
She rides off to the stables where Herm got his mount and negotiates a price.
Switching horses she returns on her own, holding Herm's horse by the leash as she rides back to meet her friends.
"Thank you, I am going to see if I can purchase a silvered sword, I can trade mine towards it since it may be beneficial."
Herm goes off and buys a silver Long sword returning after this.
"I am ready to set out whenever everyone else is."
"I believe I am ready," Kendra says.
Once all preparations are made the group meets with Count Caromarc and then travels back to Schloss Caromarc to stay there for another night.
After dinner Caromarc writes the invitations for Ascanor Lodge and tells about the Silent Path, an ancient and rarely used hunting trail that is one of the most direct and covert routes through the Shudderwood. Marked in places with strange bone fetishes, the trail runs several hundred miles through the forest, crossing both the Beustral and the Calscroix rivers, passing by Ascanor Lodge, and finally ending at the town of Chastel on Lozeri’s southeastern border.
The next morning once everyone is ready for travel, he shows the group together with Thomas the way to this trail. Standing at the edge of the Shudderwood is almost like staring into another world. Ominous, towering pine trees blot out the sunlight, allowing only occasional splinters of light to pierce through. Within this dimness, broken branches and occasional shrubs growing up through fallen trees create shadowy illusions both wondrous and haunting. Apart from pallid lichens, colorful fungi, feathermoss, and wintergreen, little else grows in the forest. The Shudderwood possesses an eerie stillness only occasionally lifted by the sounds of passing birds and small animals scurrying across the dry pine needles littering the forest floor.
"Again, I like to thank you for saving my life. And that you take on the task to stop the Whispering Way from spreading their evil." Count Caraomarc tells.
Thomas is no man of great words but from his posture, you can tell, that he is sad. "Friends leave?"
Jominda gives Thomas a hug. "Yes, we leave. But I'll never forget you."
"And we can come back to visit!" Kendra adds. "I'm sure your father wouldn't mind."
She turns to Caromac. "The whispering way is something to fight, and we need no thanks for that. As for saving you and your castle - you can thank us by being a good father to Thomas. He's deserved as much."
Caromarc nods in agreement.