"Heh. I say we take the job, and counter ambush the men Kreed sends after us. He obviously wants to knock us off after we are injured fighting the wyrm thingy---if there is such a beast."
"Its early . . . we should go help this Ben guy. First off because he's hurt and might die or get offed by kreed before morning. Second because I want to see for myself if the wyrm thing is the real deal."
"Wulf, I understand you need to get home, but will you be back in town anytime soon?"
After settling the bill - the coins that Helgrim and Wulf laid down easily cover all the drinks, and the pancakes amount to two silver per person - the party steps out of the inn and into the Low Market.
While discussing who will come along to the cutyard on the forest's edge, making the most of the remaining daylight, you espy Mr. Lawrence entering the Goose and Gander.
" I'll be back in the morning, I will talk to a neighbor about helping me do some chores. He owes me for getting him for covering the cost of his feed last month. I got to check in with my sister and the kids. Gotta make sure they are alright and to know whats going on. Have a plan laid out just encase Payday and Kreeds goons come in while I am out. My sister is a mean shot with a Bow. Missed her calling could of been a decent furrier if it weren't for the allure of money. Still, you all talk to Ben, see what you can find out."
Wulf gets up and then stops."If you still need a place to stay Helgrim you can come to my place. JUst head west out of town along the river. I'll leave my Gate light burning." He tosses the dwarf a key."Don't loose that okay"
The dwarf catches it with surprising dexterity.
"Thanks friend! Giving a key takes trust. I give my word I won't dishonor that trust."
"I'll see what I can find out in town. I will probably wait until tomorrow night to come over. I don't need any new body piercings from your sister tryin to come in after everyone went to bed."
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Helgrim elbows Boggel.
"Human mating rituals. heh heh heh."
Brickasnurd's expression brightens at Timothy's requests, and he sets down the empty pack he'd only just shouldered.
"Well of course we have paper, lad! One of those mills down by the river - the one that's as smelly as it is loud - produces the stuff. And of course we have ink because what's paper without ink? And pens, too."
When Naomi enters the shop and announces her plans, the owner practically tumbles under the counter to meet her.
"A dragon, you say?" he booms in a voice that seems too big for such a small man. "By thunder, please bring the carcass back! If I get it stuffed and stitched, it would make a wonderful piece! I could turn it into a lamp, or blunt its spines to serve as coat hooks. Oh, so many possibilities!"
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Timothy's pretty excited about getting more paper- at least, until Naomi walks in, speaking about dragons and such. He immediately drops all pretenses of speaking to Brickersnaud and ambles towards Naomi, and as her voice drops to a whisper, he whispers back:
"You're not exactly good company to be around right now. I'll find out what I can about the dragon, and meet you back tonight. I can't get directly involved; and honestly, girl, you shouldn't either; but we'll discuss that later. For now, thank you, and good luck."
He smiles, and turns back to Brickersnaud. "How much for 50 sheets, and a new splotch of ink? My clients love to rush through the paper." He says this amicably, smiling, as if this is an everyday occurrence.
"Oh my," the gnome breathes in surprise. "50 sheets? I don't believe I have nearly that many on hand. I suppose I could talk to the foreman at the paper mill or, heavens forbid, talk to Miss Salk at the High Market."
Brickasnurd begins wiggling his fingers while performing mental math, almost as though he were conjuring a spell.
"Assuming I can secure the supply at a fair market price, I believe I can let you have the paper - and the ink, too - for.....yes, for 26 gold sails."
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Timothy stares at Brickersnaud. "That can't be right- the paper can't be worth much more, than, say, 3 silver sails a sheet? And the ink can't raise it much more than that. I'll tell you what, I'll give you 15 gold sails for the paper, and the ink- does that sound reasonable?"
Once he's finished haggling for the paper, he'll head down to the lumber yard, figuring there's always a few people willing to talk about the shift and various news. He'll poke around, ask about the dragon that savaged Ben, see what the local gossip is around there.
Liam quietly follows the city dwellers, looking around for anything suspicious.
"Well...not much I can do about ink. I can't rightly find phials of it just growing on berry bushes. Resupplying usually means catching Miss Vorshin at the ferry dock before her caravan reaches the High Market, otherwise I'm at Miss Salk's decided lack of mercy."
Brickasnurd thoughtfully twists the short lengths of his scraggly goatee around his fingers. He looks between Naomi and Timothy.
"Howsabout this offer, lad? Be an upstanding citizen and help Miss Chadwick on her dragon slaying quest," he suggests grandiosely, "and I'll let you have the lot for 16."
.....
Much to your surprise, they look upon you more favorably. Rather than turning their heads or offering cockeyed glances at you as an outsider, they seem to offer softened expressions and even nods of approval.
It is easy to dismiss the locals' favor as being directed at your new companions, but it remains impossible to entirely shake the feeling that you've inadvertently endeared yourself to Falcon's Hollow.
”Damn, it feels like the shopkeeper has been thinking of the offer since last Thursday. We should get moving before Ben dies of old age.”
Brickasnurd eagerly accepts Timothy's counter offer, but he quickly ushers him out the door to follow Naomi. The gnome evidently interprets a promise to "think about it" as a tacit acceptance.
.....
The cutyard and main Consortium lumber camp sits about six miles outside of town. A well-rutted road stretches from the northern palisade gate, past the Sitting Duck, and rambles through shallow, scraggly hills dotted with innumerable tree stumps.
Large swathes of the clear-cut land has been given over to farms and pastures, but the fields are empty and the animals look scrawny. The start of the season does not hold much promise.
A wall of tall logs encircles the camp, appearing even sturdier than the one that cradles the town itself. Darkmoon Wood looms beyond the camp, like a dark and imposing curtain upon a stage. The sounds of hatchets and handsaws fill the air like metallic birdsongs.
A layer of sawdust perhaps three fingers thick lies like a carpet within and around the camp. A number of log buildings line the palisade - bunkhouses, an office, and a barn housing mules and carts. Many loggers stream through the camp, their arms thickly knotted with lean muscle and their eyes darkly weary. A halfling clad in a thick leather apron stirs a broad iron pot of thin stew in the shadow of a tottering bunkhouse, occasionally doling out meager servings to the men and women lined up.
...
Naomi approaches a hawkish woodsman in the middle of lining a hole in his boot with a scrap of leather. With more of a grunt than actual words, he jerks his head towards the bunkhouse behind the halfling cook.
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Timothy will follow Naomi only as far as Brickersnaud would be able to see from his window, then immediately split. He really, really doesn't want to be associated with these folk, after all.
Ironically, they're heading to the same place. Timothy will take a more circuitous route, as to avoid Naomi et al, but will arrive relatively shortly after they do.
Instead of heading towards Ben, however, Timothy will frequent his normal "friends," or all the town locals with gossip to spread. He's looking for two things; any and all news of this dragon that Naomi spoke of earlier, and to see how far the news of the stand at Laurel's has gone.
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As they pass the halfling cook, Boggel peers into his cooking and whispers to him, "You might try adding some syrup. It makes everything better."
As they approach the wounded Ben, Boggel tries to assess the man's condition.
But he just can't seem to focus. Apparently syrup does not make EVERYTHING better. I will have to rely on Ketephys' mercy.
The tatzlwyrm, on the other hand, is an eagerly discussed topic. Everyone has a story to tell about the beast. Some claim to have felt it stalk them as they returned to camp. Others speak of how they saw it and barely escaped, claiming the wyrm to be bigger than the bunkhouse itself. Many loggers boast about how their strong arms and axe would make short work of the beast if only they could find its lair.
.....
Finding Ben Fulgore is effortless, as the bunkhouse is empty save for a lone writhing, moaning man clutching at the thin cot.
His threadbare blanket has been thrown to the ground, revealing his right leg ends just below the knee, wrapped in layers of bandages soaked through with dried blood.
Thick beads of sweat cling to his forehead, and his eyes only dimly register Naomi and Boggel as they approach.
Boggel finds that his very limited knowledge of human anatomy fails him here.
However, his magic's efficacy is undeniable, as the many cuts across his limbs and face - crusted with blood and pus - begin to heal over at an accelerated pace, leaving only fresh, pink scar tissue as a memento.
The magic also seems to ease his suffering, as his breathing calms slightly and he appears better able to focus on his surroundings.
His hand shoots forth like a striking serpent and seizes Naomi's hand in an vice grip.
"Followed an old dwarf road," he babbles. "Thought I'd find some good timber. Found some darkwood...and that...that beast!"
His words devolve into a near-weeping cry of anguish, seemingly as much from remembered fear as from pain.
"Northwest...from the camp," he croaks, then weakly rubs his throat. "I'm so thirsty."
"Four miles up the road, I found an old trail that branched into the woods. A mile or two in, I found the darkwood. That's where the wyrm got me."
Boggel hands the man a cup of water. "Easy. Drink slowly." He looks over the man. "You will need to be assessed by Laurel, unless there is another physician in town. The spell will help with the pain, but I do not wish your wound to become infected." He takes the cup and refills it for Ben. "Your information will be put to good use."
Once out of range of Ben's hearing, Boggel says to his companions, "If there is darkwood there, I'm sure the loggers will be interested. I have no doubt this Kreed man would send many to their deaths to retrieve those trees."
With the aid of some additional healing magic and a second examination, Naomi is able to discern that Ben is suffering from a high fever brought on from his infected wounds.
.....
From her time in Falcon's Hollow, Naomi knows that the town's authority on law is Magistrate Vamros Harg, who oversees licensing and legal proceedings from the Hollow Tribunal building. However, it is also well known that the halfling barrister is deeply in Gavel Kreed's pocket.
These fortunes turned when the House of Thrune rose to power in Cheliax and sought to curtail the company's power, which had come to rival their own. This is why when Andoran sought independence, the Consortium donated heavily to the cause. As a result, in the nation's early years, representatives from the Consortium held great influence within the People's Council.
Nevertheless, the company's power has continued to wane as younger, more idealistic politicians are elected to council seats in Almas. All the same, the Consortium maintains a tight stranglehold in the frontier where the lumber is harvested.
"Just after sunrise sounds fine to me."
Boggel stares a moment at Naomi after her question about where he will stay. "The swamp," he replies matter-of-factly. "Though I will need to sleep closer to town than I usually do if we are to meet early in the morning."
Privately, he wonders what he's stepped into. This Kreed person seems to have much of the town in his pocket. It is worse than I suspected.
"Among my people, there is usually a celebration before a dangerous hunt such as this, for not all hunters may return. But I do not feel the circumstances are appropriate here."
"Both actually. Just different reasons for each."
Boggel nods. "I am happy to accompany you." He turns to Helgrim (he's here, right?) and asks, "Wait, that's not some sort of human mating thing, right?"
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Striking out at the lumberyard, Timothy completes his daily routine- he heads down to Ergin Tock's bar.
He quickly orders a drink and sits down, talking amiably with some of the men, taking careful sips from his drink. He mentions the taztlwyrm a couple of times, to see what people are willing to discuss, while keeping an ear out for any mention of the standoff at Laurel's.
Helgrim chuckles loudly before giving Boggel a hearty slap on the back.
”Ha! Ha! Ha! No, I think yer safe from this one at the moment, but human mating rituals are quite fluid and bizzare.”
”We need to take this man to Laurel. That infection will take him quicker than the wounds would if we left them untreated. Kreed was leaving him to die. It could be poisoned as well.”
"The Gavel's taken an interest in that new group of troublemakers. Old Wulf seems to have taken up with that frogman, the woman the crazed gnome hired, and that dwarf who rolled into town. Oh, and that kook, Liam. I'm sure by now you heard about how they embarrassed Pay Day in front of Roots and Remedies, eh?"
Tock doesn't wait for confirmation before continuing.
"Kreed ain't taking no chances. He wants to see the lot of them gone. He asked me to send them out to kill that tatzlwyrm what's been gobbling up loggers. He also plans to send a pack of legbreakers to follow them and finish the job if the wyrm don't. One of his usual tricks, eh?
"Of course, you don't have to worry. He won't ask you to go along. You're not one of his clubs, you're his stiletto, eh?" he laughs nervously.
It is clear that something about this affair is bothering Tock more than usual. However, it would take either some very cunning or sympathetic words to pry the truth from him, since he knows (or at least believes) how quickly you could take word of disloyalty back to Kreed.
"Kimi came by today to get water for her and her mom," Sindi says excitedly. "She almost got into a fight with Kane. Too bad, she would have beat him good."
She sticks her tongue out at her brother. Kimi Eavewalker is a friend of the children's. A twelve-year-old tomboy, she's the daughter of a local seamstress and some elven ranger who's always out on some adventure or some such.
"Nuh uh," Kane protests. "She's just mad cause I know she ain't brave enough to really spend the night at Elara's, even if she gets anyone to go with her."
No sooner do the words come out of his mouth but Kane claps his hands over his mouth, and Sindi glares at him like he just spilled some terrible secret.
Of course, it's no secret to you that the burned out remains of Elara's Halfway House have become the popular source of spooky stories for local children. However, the prospect of any children actually picking through the ruins, so close to the forest's edge, especially at night, is a worrying prospect.
"I'm afraid, at my size, I would simply be dragging him. I don't think that will help."
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"Oh, Tock," he begins, "[b]Yes, I am the stiletto- I like that. Do you know why I am the stiletto?"
He peers at Tock for an instant before continuing.
"Because I always tell the truth," he says quietly, under his breath, so that Tock would strain to hear. He continues, louder "Because I am very, very good at my job," he says more slowly. "I've already ingrained myself with these people- but if Kreed thinks he can take them out on his own, fine. He doesn't need me."
He begins to talk, not bothering to see if Tock follows or not. "There's what you know... There's what you know you know....But don't know you know....When the things you don't know you know....." he looks up suddenly, and smiles "stay and talk for a while."
Liam raises a hand "Not sure I can manage him alone, but I can certainly help, if he does need to be moved."
"Besides you two aren't allowed to go out that way alone, you know Kreed and Paydays men know who you are. However, if you do go out remember to take your walking sticks and knives, if not protection from strangers but don't forget the wolves."He says walking to the door and taking off his hat and travel cloak.
"Also we will have a guest tonight. A dwarf named Helgrim. I bet if you are nice he'll tell you stories of his journey, he may even know some interesting dwarven tales we haven't heard before. WOn't that be fun! I know you love a good story just as I do!" He says looking about and wondering where his sister was.
Nareka soon returns inside, carrying an armful of firewood. When she first began living with you, she took up splitting firewood as a way to cope with all that she had been through. The physical exertion provided a much needed productive outlet for her.
"Welcome back," she says, laying the wood by the fireplace. A worried look crosses her face. "You were gone much longer than you said. Did...was there trouble in town?"
Working together, Liam, Helgrim, and Boggel find that they are able to lift Ben, albeit with much groaning on his part. However, carrying him across the miles back to town seems like a daunting prospect.
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He'll begin to walk to his house, and then, making certain no one is following/watching him, he'll change course towards Brickersnaud's, making certain to stay in the shadows.
He takes off his belt pouch and hands it to his sister."Take this and go visit Ma and Dad. I don't want you all getting hurt while I am doing the right thing. Okay
Boggel nods to Naomi. "Your suggestion has much wisdom. We may worsen his condition by moving him about so."