Helena quickly smothers a smile at her friend's distress, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know. And I suspect his mind was a bit addled - who knows what kind of fumes those experiments give off? He probably just forgot about you."
Helena isn't used to being noticed in such a way; she tries unsuccessfully to hide herself behind the others as the cheers go up. Unfortunately, Cerin is too short, and Gwyn and Kyrian do little to hide her curvier frame.
Over the meal, she surreptitiously feeds Fluff morsels from her plate, reasoning that the little bird has been doing an awful lot of flapping lately, and surely can't get any rounder than she already is. "Perhaps we should ask the Guard, see if anyone would be willing to accompany us?" she ventures.
She's quiet through most of the rest of the meal, glancing up from her eating (and feeding Fluff) when Zandu approaches. "I wish we had more to tell," she mumbles ashamedly.
"You... don't need any more help here, do you? Because I could probably be of assistance..." Helena begins, but trails off quickly. "As long as he's on the mend; that's what matters."
When the group bumps into the Sheriff, she admits, "We didn't actually reach the fortress proper. We fought a group of goblins, one of whom could walk through the bramble-maze as easily as Cerin could, and their pets. We had to come back after running low on resources."
"I could do with a bath," Helena concedes, after a cursory sniff at her many layers of clothing. "I'm certainly not used to this much action. The life of a herbalist was rather more... sedentary."
She begins removing the outermost robes, glancing across at Gwyn when the elf sits next to her. After a moment or two, she returns the hug, resting her head on her friend's shoulder.
"Of course not," she says finally. "It's been terrifying, yes, but someone has to keep you out of trouble. It may as well be someone who cares deeply about you." After a moment, she asks, "Do you regret bringing me? I know sometimes I can be a hindrance, not being able to see much."
When Helena tries to feed Fluff some crumbs, the bird tells her in a low, dark voice, "don't bother, Miss Pyromaniac here won't let me have any."
"She managed to worm a small pastry from the innkeeper before we all got back here and after finishing it she tried to fly. She nosedived into the floor a foot from the bar. She doesn't get any more sweets or treats until she'd lost some weight," Gwyn says matter-of-factly.
"And what about you! You're soft and squishy, and you weigh a lot more than I do," the thrush says indignantly.
"I'm also a lot bigger than you are, and I'm not as strong as others, so that makes me soft, which makes me easier to hold on those long cold nights," the elf replies with a grin.
"Don't you mean when you're hugging yourself as you fantasize about being ravished by some dashing swordsman," the thrush shoots back with a self-satisfied smirk.
Gwyn's cheeks actually color at that, she finishes her drink quietly before quickly turning the mug over and trapping Fluff under it.
"Anyway, It can't hurt to try and find someone," she says, changing the subject.
"C'mon Gwyn! Lemme out of here! I'm gonna suffocate if you don't," Fluff's muffled voice says from under the wooden mug.
"We are planning on going back and finishing the job, but we would like to find someone, well, someone a little tougher than we seem to be," she says, motioning to herself and the others.
"Helena, don't ever think I regretted having you along," Gwyn says quietly, "how can I regret having my best friend along, especially when she saved my life. The only thing I do regret is you getting hurt. You're like a sister to me, and humans, well, humans already live atrociously short lives. I don't want to see my best friend die before her time, so promise me that you won't. Please, Helena, promise me you won't leave me alone for a long time," Gwyn says as she wraps the young woman in both her arms, tears rolling down her face. She's afraid. She's afraid of being alone again.
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Cerin chuckles and shakes his head at the banter of the two new members of their group. "You certainly do seem to get into your share of scrapes, Young Lady!" he says with a teasing smile.
Waving and smiling at their adoring fans, Cerin offers a nod to a few regulars he knows. He returns Krissina's hug and replies "Well, mostly. Halvor had a bit of an accident..." At her worried look, he holds up his hand to calm her. "He's fine, just going to be laid up for a while to let his leg heal. You might want to go visit him at the Cathedral."
After Zandu gives his message, he mumbles around a mouthful of biscuit, "Yeah, we'll be over to report after we finish here!"
"You just take care of yourself, big guy, we'll be fine. Don't push yourself, I've seen people cripple themselves trying to do too much too soon after being injured." He tells Halvor as they leave.
"Ah, Sheriff, we were just coming to see you!" he greets Hemlock pleasantly. "The goblins had magical aid, and a cougar, if you can believe that! We are heading out to continue our assault, we just need to find some more muscle as Halvor was badly injured and will be recovering for at least a week." he adds to the others reports.
Sheriff Hemlock nods as you fill him in about what you'd encountered.
"Well, I can probably spare one town guard if you need another hand, but I'm leery about sending more than that with you. The goblins are riled up, and I'm getting reports of increased goblin activity in the farmlands south and east of town. I know that Shalelu went into the Brinestump Marsh to spy on the Licktoad goblins, and she hasn't come back, as far as I know."
Just as the sheriff says those words, a familiar green-cloaked figure with wild straw-colored hair turns the corner onto Church Street. Her cloak and boots are muddy, and what appears to be blood is splattered on her greaves.
"Any reports of my demise are somewhat exaggerated, Belor! Ameiko said that I could probably find you here-- how is Halvor?"
You walk back to the Rusty Dragon as you tell Shalelu the same tale you'd told Hemlock. She nods as she takes in the story. When you return to the Rusty Dragon, the ranger orders a round of ale for you all, plus the Sheriff.
"I ran across a Licktoad welcoming party, and they managed to spot me. They normally run away when they see me, but something has emboldened them, and they attacked. I killed four of them, but three ran off and one one of them threw a thunderstone as a warning. I decided to press my luck and get closer to their village. The Licktoads were in the midst of some kind of celebration. They built some small effigies of humans, dogs, and horses our of reeds and a little town out of bark. One goblin was wearing a wig painted silver and was seemingly leading a bunch of other goblins toward the village. They then lit the model village and effigies on fire as they chanted... then three goblins in a demon suit made out of red-dyed horsehide jumped out and danced over the ashes... until they started fighting with each other and tore open the suit. That caused chaos to break out among the other players and spectators, and I decided to leave during the melee."
She pauses, and adds, "The leadership from Thistletop really seems to be stirring them up and getting them ready to attack Sandpoint. I think we need to put an end to this sooner rather than later. If you don't mind the company, I'd like to join you on your next foray to Thistletop. Are you planning to head back there tomorrow?"
Gwyn takes the ale with a thank you and offers a toast before the exchange of reports.
"Yes, we were. Helena and I have had a long day and both of us were almost drained of our magic. Helena I think actually has exhausted what she can do and I only have a few tricks up my sleeve before I have have to switch ot trying to flank them, which I don't think would have turned out well when I'm not even wearing any armor. As it was, we felt it better to come back when we'd be at full strength and health instead of trying to push our luck," Gwyn tells the other elf before taking a sip of the ale. It wasn't bad, far from it, but she didn't want to risk Cayden's Revenge and make the whole party late.
"I hope this doesn't sound rude, but what are your skills, Shalelu? I know that Helena has been both blessed and cursed. She's been given divine power, much like a priestess, but in return her eyesight is limited. I am a wizard, specializing in spells of flame. I'd like to think I'm a fair one, but I have some skills which could allow me to be a burglar, and I grew up on the streets of Korvosa, so I can handle some weapons. Cerinnibert is a priest of nature, as far as I can tell, and Kyrian, well. I believe his strengths lie in skirmishing and sneaking. I'm afraid this is the first time we've meet, and I haven't seen you in a fight, so I don't have a clue what you're capable of, and I'm curious," she says over her mug, being rather open and honest.
"Among other things," mutters a still fuming Fluff.
The ranger nods at Gwyn's questions. "Fair enough to ask. I've been living around Sandpoint for many years now. I'm most at home in the forests, and know the local woods very well. I've taken on the responsibility to keep an eye on dangers that may be lurking in the forest, and letting Belor here know about them. Especially what the local goblin tribes are up to. As far as fighting, I'm a halfway decent archer."
"I'm glad to hear that you think it's fair. I met some elves that tried to fry me when I asked that question at the Acadamae," Gwyn says with a smile, "I'm happy to have you along, and if you don't mind me asking, do you offer lessons? My skill with a bow is abysmal."
"That's not the only thing that's abysmal," Fluff mutters again, glaring at Gwyn.
Gwyn for her part ignores the thrush.
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Cerin's eyes light up at Shalelu's offer to join the group. "Of course, you are more than welcome! Do not worry, Gwyn, she is more than decent. Her archery was quite excellent in the little skirmish where the goblins attacked the coach, and she has proved quite knowledgeable and helpful in determining what has been going on." he states exuberantly.
"... oh." Helena quickly pulls her crumbs away from Fluff, glancing sheepishly at Gwyn. The mental image, however, of Fluff taking a nosedive into the floor is amusing, and she quickly hides a smile behind her own mug. She raises an eyebrow at the thrush's comments, and her friend's reaction.
"Swordsman, mmm?" she teases, a faint spark of light in her cloudy eyes. "And here I thought you had a thing for archers!"
"I suppose having a renowned goblin-hunter on our side will be useful," Helena agrees, reaching out two white fingers and holding Fluff's beak shut, ignoring the indignant squeaks from the bird. "That sounds like they're planning to attack soon." She shivers, staring down at the table.
"Gwyn! I can't breathe when you do that!" Helena gasps. When the elf eventually relaxes her grip, she hugs her back firmly. "Gwyn, I'm a healer. Getting hurt is a minor inconvenience to me, nothing more. I can always fix myself up again!"
When she pulls back, her face is solemn, her eyes fixed on her own knees. "I know," she says finally, "And I'm trying. I have no intention of dying any time soon, and when I do, I hope you'll be able to go on without me. My life must seem so small to you, and I cant imagine what that must be like."
"It's okay, you didn't know," Gwyn says with a warm smile.
===
"Oh she does," Fluff's chimes from under the mug.
"Can we wait until after I can get a little drunk to have this conversation," Gwyn asks, "besides, don't you have a thing for bards," she asks Helena with a smirk right as her friend takes a sip of her drink.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she laughs after Helena's reaction.
"Suppose? It'd be great to have someone that hunts goblins and knows the area really well on our side," Gwyn says with a smile, and a wink to Helena to let her know she's just teasing her a little.
Fluff, meanwhile, continues to squeak indignantly as she tries to pull free from Helena's fingers. After struggling for a few moments, she manages to pop free and land on her back. The thrush twitters angrily and tries to fly off.
Tries.
Fluff flaps three times and manage to get a foot off the table before gravity takes over and for the second time that day, she nosedives. With a small thump, she hits the table, her wings spread wide, her feathers a mess. Despite the little bird's bluster, and obvious anger, it's rather comical. Gwyn, seeing all this can't help but chuckle a little.
"Well, Fluff? Now do you understand why I put you on a diet,"{/b] she says as she helps right her familiar.
[b]"Oh can it, you overgrown pixie," the thrush says before hopping off the table and hopping away.
Shaking her head as she turns to Shalelu, Gwyn says, "Well, that wasn't exactly the impression I was hoping to make. I hope you don't take what my familiar says too seriously. She's upset because I'm trying my best to care for her"
"Sorry," Gwyn mutters as she lets go and let's Helena breath again.
"I met a lot of people at the Acadamae, both teachers and students, that were jealous of my youth. I was already past a century and I still had the body of a young girl. All of them, especially the more vain ones, always said it must be so nice to live so long and to have as long as you wanted to pursue research and gain power. None of them seemed to care that before I had even made it halfway to adulthood, I'd already seen friends that I ran with on the streets grow old and die of disease and mishaps. I went through that four times before I was basically a slave for that old fart of a wizard."
Gwyn sniffles as she wipes away the tears with her sleeve. "It's hard, Helena. I could live another six hundred years, and I don't have any friends that could live that long, not without divine intervention or some sort of magic that makes you age like an elf." Gwyn sighs and curls up, bringing her knees to her chest.
"But i'd never force that on you, or anyone," she says, "As much as I'd want to, I couldn't bring this pain on anyone else."
For a while, Gwyn says nothing, until she gives a snort of bitter amusement.
"No wonder elves who've grown up among other elves call us that grow up among humans the Forlorn! Just listen to me," she says, "I guess they can't handle the pain of seeing their friends die well before they even come close.to it themselves. That's why they always shut themselves off."
Gywn stops for a moment, then shakes her head.
"No, not always. Shalelu has taken up protecting Sandpoint and she can't be much older than I am. She has to know what it's going to be like when her friends begin to wither and die. Maybe that's How I could move on. If I'm friends with someone that knows what kind of pain you feel to witness that."
Gwyn settles down into the bed and pulls the covers up.
"I guess I had too much to drink after all," she murmurs, "I'm rambling."
Soon after, she falls asleep.
At Gwyn's retort, Helena's cheeks flush red, adding the faintest hint of colour to her pale skin. Nearly choking on her drink, she swallows heavily and tries to maintain her dignity. "Bards are interesting because they have stories to tell," she says primly. "The fact that many of them happen to be good-looking with nice hands is a mere bonus."
Helena quickly hides her grin behind her mug, trying not to laugh at Fluff's distress and indignation. "Are you alright?" she manages through her laughter, watching as the thrush hops away. When she looks back at Gwyn, her face is solemn. "Maybe we're being too hard on her," she says quietly.
Helena offers Gwyn a handkerchief pulled from the recesses of her robes, dabbing comfortingly at the wizard's tears. "You're overthinking this," she says quietly. "I'll be alive for another... forty, fifty years? I hope," she adds sheepishly. "Instead of thinking about what it'll be like after that, enjoy our friendship now, while I'm here."
When Gwyn climbs into bed, she pulls the covers up herself, tucking the elf in. "Now rest up. We've got a long day tomorrow," she teases.
Back at the Dragon, before people go off to bed...
Shalelu and Hemlock continue to converse with you about what you'd encountered at Thistletop and what Shalelu had seen at the Licktoad encampment. After an hour or so, you all decide to call it a night and that you'll meet here in the barroom at dawn.
The night is moonless and clear. The red star Akiton is bright and overhead in the constellation of The Lantern Bearer, and the green star Castrovel rises about an hour before the sun. As the sky brightens from black to deep blue to gold, its untwinkling light fades from view in the pre-dawn light.
Toilday, 11 Rova 4707, dawn
The sun rises in a cloudless sky and a warm southerly breeze heralds a brief return to summerlike weather. Cerin, Gwyn, Kyrian, Helena, and Shalelu gather in the Rusty Dragon barroom after a restful night. Krissina is also up, and she brings you bowls of porrige with sliced apples and honey, and mugs of small-beer for all.
Gwyn's face goes blank, then her cheeks begin to color, and then her eyes slowly widen in surprise.
"Uh, Helena, how would you know about how nice a bard's hands are," Gwyn asks in a worried voice.
I'm the party girl! She's supposed to be the sweet one. How is it that I haven't even been kissed and she apparently is getting to know how a guy's hands are.
Fluff only gives an indignant snort at Helena's question.
"She's fine," Gwyn reassures her friend, "She's made because I also told Ameiko to spread the word to not feed the talking thrush. Then she brought up a few incidents that happened out of spite and I decided she can go forage for food."
"You're right," Gwyn admits in a soft voice. "you're right, I am thinking about this too much."
She gently hugs her friend and slips under the covers after that. Only speaking again after Helena had also gone to bed.
"Helena," she says quietly, "thank you for being the best friend I've ever had."
And with that, she falls asleep.
"Thank you, " Gwyn says as Krissina brings breakfast. The elf isn't a morning person, usually, but it seems that the weather and the hot breakfast have made her one for today at least.
Fluff on the other hand, isn't so cheerful.
"Gwyn," she whines, "I'm gonna starve!"
Gwyn sighs, not feeling up to dealing with a whiney thrush this early in the day. She looks to Shalelu and asks, "You're pretty knowledgeable about animals, right? Do you know what to feed an overweight thrush on a diet?"
At this, Fluff lets out a shrill twitter, and seems disappointed that Gwyn isn't clutching at her ears.
Sweating a little, Helena buries her face in her mug, muttering, "They'renicetolookat," and avoiding eye contact with Gwyn. When the elf stares at her, she hurriedly adds, "And they look like they'd be nice to hold." She squirms under her friend's gaze.
Helena is quiet as she makes her way downstairs for breakfast, well-rested, but not as well as she'd like. She'd heard Gwyn sob once or twice during the night, a sound which had woken her despite its softness, and she' had to check that her friend was still asleep (and hadn't suffered the effects of too much drink). On top of that, the cut on her forehead was healing well, but leaving a nasty line of scab that her hair refused to cooperatively hide.
She stifles a yawn as she eats, feeling drained. She needs grounding, she decides, to head outside and simply be barefoot in the earth for awhile. Perhaps Cerin would understand - as one with control over the forces of nature, he might even need the same thing.
After a moment's hesitation, she adds extra honey to her porridge, trying to do it when Fluff isn't looking.
"Sleep well?" she asks of no-one in particular, stifling a smile when Gwyn asks Shalelu about diets.
Gwyn looks away, her face flushing crimson.
"Sorry. You're right," she mutters into her mug, "they do look like they'd be nice to hold."
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Striding towards the inn as the sun rises above the buildings, Cerin stops and nods at Helena. "Good Morn! Looks to be a beautiful day." he states with his usual good cheer. She notices that his hair is wet and his clothing is slightly damp, as if he has just finished swimming. "I am definitely ready for a hearty breakfast, how about you?"
Inside, after thanking Krissina, he inhales the smell of the porridge with anticipation and stirs in a liberal dose of honey. "Gwyn, I feel I must apologize. I might have contributed to Fluff's, er... problem. I snuck her a few treats that I probably shouldn't have. I didn't mean to cause any harm; most birds I have known don't have this kind of problem with self-control. No offense." He finishes with an aside to Fluff.
"Did you sleep well, Shalelu?" he asks pleasantly in between savoring bites of his meal. "We have a big day ahead of us! Does anyone have anything they need to pick up before we leave? I would like to get an early start!"
"It's not your fault, and to be honest, I'm used to everyone I know being wise to her tricks, but yeah, I guess familiars are like their masters. I'm not exactly the least impulsive person here, as Helena can tell you," Gwyn says with a chuckle.
Fluff grumbles under her breath.
"Still, she's a good friend and she's always been by my side. I may get frustrated with her, but she's still my familiar and my friend. I wouldn't want to be rid of her, despite my threats of making thrush soup."
Fluff seems to lighten up, a little, but she still looks dejected.
"Cheer up, fluff-ball. Believe it or not, I'm doing this to help you," Gwyn says as she tickles the rotund little bird, causing the thrush to twitter in laughter.
"Better?"
"Yeah, a little," Fluff answers.
After breakfast, Helena excuses herself from the table, needing fresh air and warm soil. She finds a shady tree outside and seats herself underneath it, leaning back against the old trunk and digging her bare toes into the dirt. A feeling of absolute peace washes over her, and for a few moments, she's able to forget about the fear of what lies ahead.
Stretching his arms out at the table behind his back, Kyrian lets out a yawn of morning exhaustion. "Yeeeaah, I'll be good. I really shouldn't need much on this, I've still got enough arrows to fill their stomachs full enough that they won't eat anymore." he says with a chuckle. Taking a few more bites, finishing off his plate and pushing it forward slightly. "Besides, if I did go anywhere to get something, I'd probably join forces with Cerin over here in feeding your little buddy. Can't let everyone go around sulking in sorrow around here. Speaking of which, that reminds me... There's someone I probably should see before we're off. I gotta make sure I can get some 'congratulations' once we get back..." he finishes off with a sly and coy smile.
At the talk of things to do in town before returning to Thistletop, a look of slight annoyance crosses Shalelu's face. "Well, I'd just as soon head out sooner rather than later, but if you need to gather more supplies for the raid, then go do it. Let's meet by the North Gate in an hour."
Shalelu stays in the barroom while the rest of the Sandpoint Heroes exit to take care of things before heading back to Thistletop to finish off the goblin threat.
"I'm good," Gwyn says as she sips at her drink.
Helena returns to the tavern some time later, still barefoot, her white feet just visible beneath the hem of her colourful robes (which she reminds herself yet again to take up, if she's going to make a habit of trekking through woodlands and swamps). And just in time - Gwyn seems about to retell a most embarassing anecdote that involved a stuffy noble's daughter, a bad wig, and a good amount of alcohol.
" So nice of you to keep Shalelu company!" she says, a little higher and louder than is necessary. "If everybody is finished, I believe we should be off, mmm?" She sits just long enough to pull on her boots as she talks, not bothering to clean her toes first.
Before she puts her boots on, Gwyn quickly casts prestidigitation a couple of times to clean her feet.
"Ah good! I was hoping you could do the sound you made when Lady Arabella started to 'cool off,'" Gwyn says with a grin, "I never did get it right."
After breakfast, Kyrian and Helena leave the barroom to shop or run other errands.
...at Vindler's Store
Kyrian comes by the store, which appears to be open for business. However, nobody is on the front porch of the store. There is a lamp lit in one of the second-floor windows in the back of the building. Kyrian tosses a pebble at the window, and Shayliss opens it. She waves coyly, and then motions Kyrian to head over to the bulkhead door that leads to the store cellar. After a few minutes, that door opens, and Shayliss leads leads Kyrian to a familiar pallet behind a curtain in the basement...
...at Bottled Solutions
Helena walks into the alchemist's shop. The cluttered shop is filled with shelves upon shelves of bottles, bags, and other alchemical containers, some covered with dust and others so new that the pungent stink of their brewing still fills the air. A half-elven man in fine-looking clothes under a leather apron walks into the shop from a back room at the sound of the bell on the door. "Good morining, miss. Can I help you find something?" After trying to sell her a bunch of other alchemical items to go along with what she asks for ("...no adventurer should head into the unknown without at least five vials of antitoxin..."), he sells her two potions of cure light wounds.
...at the Rusty Dragon
Bethana comes over with refills of small beer for Cerin, Gwyn, and Shalelu. At Cerin's question, Shalelu shrugs. "Well, I've been keeping my eye on the goblins for a while. Like I told you the other day, they're a general nuisance. But until the raid on the town, they had mostly done things like raid farmers' orchards and small livestock, steal barrels of pickles, and occasionally harrass a weak-looking traveler on the Lost Coast Road. I'd probably say that my biggest foe around here would be the bugbear Bruthazmus. He particularly hates elves, and wears a gruesome necklace of preserved elf ears. We've tangled a few times over the years, but one of us runs off before the other can get the upper hand. I've sword that the next time we meet will be my last..." She goes on to describe a couple of their fights.
After an hour, the party regroups at the North Gate, and you head out northeast along the Lost Coast Road.
Helena has never been the strongest-willed person. Though she attempts to brush off the upselling, pointing out that she already has quite an extensive supply of curatives, thank you very much, she eventually caves and buys a small case of bandages and herbs with her potions. Better safe than sorry, right?
The Lost Coast Road is unsettling to Helena - it's too big and open, and her limited sight leaves her at a disadvantage. She swallows her apprehension, staying at the back of the group, where she's able to keep everyone within sight.
Gwyn follows alongside Helena, intending to help her keep her cool.
"Hey, it'll be okay. I'm here, and I'll make sure we get out of this together, okay?"
Fluff, meanwhile, sits sullenly on Gwyn's shoulder.
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Cerin sees Helena's apprehension and turns to give her a comforting grin. "Have I ever told you about the time I had to cross the entire Fierani forest in Kyonin? 100 miles of trackless wilderness with only an occasional elven city, which were camouflaged to look like the rest of the scenery! Well, I was trying to reach my second cousin Barungalom but I only knew that he was in a gnome city built in the trees above an old elven city and the elves were a bit standoffish and not much help (no offence!)..."
What follows is a long, rambling tale full of exotic wonders and harrowing escapes that hopefully makes the time pass swiftly and takes her mind off their travel back to the goblins' lair.
"None taken," Gwyn tells Cerin as he tells his tale. She rather enjoys it, even asking some questions about elven culture in Kyonin.
At the store
"Well my my, it's been some time since I've seen you..." Kyrian jokes with Shayliss as she leads him back down into the basement. "Wonderful location to pull me back to, wonderful memories here." he chuckles lightly, remembering their first encounter.
On the road
"Yea, I can't say I've to Kyonin before. Haven't really had much interest in actually going there." he says after Cerin says his story.
Helena keeps a hand on Gwyn's arm for comfort as she walks, always uncomfortable in wide open spaces. The long, clear streets of Magnimar had been bad enough - being out in the wide world, the road stretching far beyond the limits of her sight, was sickening.
Cerin's story catches her off-guard, and after a while she's able to relax, not worrying about the open spaces around her or the peril the group was surely heading into. "It sounds beautiful," she says after a while. "I'd love to see it someday!"
The day proves to be sunny and warm. You head east along the Lost Coast Road, past the craggy hills of Ravenroost, past Tickwood and Shank's Woods, and through the sad and somber Paupers' Graves. The Three Tors rise to the south, but you pass them by. Srub gives way to thorns and nettles on the side of the road, and you find youselves in Nettlewood.
You leave the Lost Coast Road and head north into Nettlewood, following the same game trail you'd discovered on your earlier foray. Between your own previous exploration and Shalelu's guidance, you manage to find an even more direct path to Thistletop, and manage to avoid both the monsters that lurk in the woods and any goblin patrols. "Well, more like raiding parties. Goblins are too distractable to do anything like a regular patrol," adds Shalelu.
Your journey to Nettlewood takes about two hours, and picking your way through the woods takes another hour. You arrive before the hedge maze in front of Thistletop midmorning. As you approach, you find the weather to have shifted somewhat: a misty, thin fog covers the area, limiting visibility to about 150 feet. "That's typical for autumn around here," whispers Shalelu.
Gwyn looks for any new traps that may have been laid since their last visit while Cerin disappears into the maze. Once she's certian she's pound or disabled them, she slinks inside to make sure it's safe.
"Okay, Fluff, keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you spot something," Gwyn tells the little bird on her shoulder.
Fluff nods and looks about. This wasn't the time to be petty, she knew.
Taking an arrow and knocking it, Kyrain quietly speaks to Shalelu. "So what do you think the odds are that they put some more of those little pests on the look out after what we did yesterday?"
Helena stays put, clutching her spear tightly, trying to stay calm as Gwyn enters the maze.
You all easily spot the concealed pit trap you'd encountered on yesterday's incursion into Thistletop, and Shalelu nudges the briar screen with her foot to make it fall into the hole. "Now, we won't forget it's there if we have to make a run for it."
Listening, you mainly hear the sounds of surf below the cliffs, the calling of gulls, and the rustle of leaves in the sea-breeze. You don't see any signs of goblins at this time.
After checking that there are no traps, Gwyn turns to Kyrian.
"Can you stay with Helena? She's not helpless, but it helps if she has someone close by," she says.
With that, she's into the maze and looking to see if the goblins have set up any traps along the way to the bridge. Fluff rides on her shoulder, eyes darting about.
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Cerin glides through the briars paralleling the paths and peeks out periodically to check for any sign of goblins. A bit wary and puzzled, he wonders why they are nowhere to be found after the attack the previous day.
He pops his head out near Gwyn as she enters the maze. "Did you hear that? Some kind of croaking or groaning noise... Be on your guard!" he whispers before continuing on to try to locate the source of the sound.
Gwyn shakes her head at Cerin's question, pulling out the long knife and holding it at the ready.
Gwynn and Cerin enter the hedge maze. Everything seems more-or-less like it did yesterday... save that it seems eerily quiet. Or at least it was eerily quiet until both hear the sound of a high-pitched guttural moan. An unarmed goblin wanders down the path from the north. It sees you, and starts moving toward you.
"Uh G-g-g-gwyn," Fluff stammers softly from the elf's shoulder.
"I see it," Gwyn assures the frightened little thrush.
"Cerin, help me flank it," she says before moving with him to try getting opposite of the dead thing. As Cerin moves to attack, Gwyn does as well, trying her best to rip her blade through its vitals, or what she thinks is its vitals.