4 Gozran 4708
Gavriil listens to Vosil's counter-point to the end and harrumphs. He thinks for a short while before following up with, "Then, maybe, we as new rulers should all read those plays, Vosil. Maybe we can succeed where other tyrants went wrong."
With a smirk, though, he hops on the tail end of his suggestion, "But if you try to convince me the one about the man who has an affair with a goat is anything other than some pervert asking for attention I'll throw that epiphany out the window."
He winks at Talia and says, "That sounds like a deal. Who else are you going to get that's handsome enough to play me?"
With Talia's prompting, he pulls out his lute and begins to play, "There's a hole in my bucket, Dear, Liza! Dear Liza!"
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5 Gozran 4708
"We stopped the Scythe Tree," he says, picking up where Talia leaves off. "It will trouble you nor any other Fey no longer!"
The dryad rushes out from the safety of her tree as soon as you arrive by the pool. "Oh my goodness! You're back! And alive! There were whispers that the trees sent me, but I dared not believe!" She listens intently as you tell your tale of the scythe trees defeat. She throws her arms around Gavriil in a teary hug.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The scent of fresh green leaves and a spring forest is nearly overpowering. Then she hugs Edric. "Yes, Falchos is recovering nicely," she says to Talia, "he is sleeping in the tree." She looks back over her shoulder toward the great oak, perhaps a bit nervously. Satyrs are notoriously jealous and hot-headed creatures after all...
"Now. What can I do to repay for your kindness? Did you say there was something you needed? But but but!! Before you say anything...before you say anything..." She runs back to the oak and emerges a moment later, carrying a small bundle. "Here, take these. A small gesture of my gratitude."
Wrapped up in a blanket made from leaves are the following: 5 Goodberries; 2 potions of Cure Moderate; a scroll of Summon Nature's Ally II; a wand of Cure Light (26); 6 feather tokens (tree).
"Know that you have made a friend for as long as the forests will last here. I will be your eyes and ears here in the Narlmarches. Nothing will happen here without me - and now you - knowing it."
Vosil confers briefly with the others while the dryad is distracted with Gavriil and Edric. "One useful service would be knowing what we can do with these woods - are we to claim them, or leave them be for our fey allies? And if we claim them, what lumber can we harvest without angering the fey?"
He pauses briefly. "Such information would be useful to would-be kingdom builders."
He won't approach the dryad directly. Delicate negotiation is not really his thing.
Gavriil smiles as Tiressia is overly grateful and gives them gifts. It felt good to help, even if they weren't traditional subjects of their fledgling kingdom. In fact, having a dryad as a friend could be a great boon to them, especially if there are even more fey in the area besides the few they had encountered. Having fey vouch for them could be useful. He nods to Edric and says, in Sylvan,
He nods to Tiressia and says, "Thank you for your gifts and your kind words. I'm glad we could help. And it's not so much what we need, but Melainse. She had some problems with some lumberjacks in her grove and a few of her trees were lost. She asked if we could see if you could give her replacements or mend the five trees that were lost."
Before:
While the others debate the merits of playwrights hear had never heard of he smiles to himself thinking that most people just watched whatever the travelling troop was performing.
Now:
Dregan pulls out a sheet of paper and writes a short message before taking it to the dryad along with the charcoal pencil.
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Tiressia hugs Edric for a second time, all the while gushing her thanks. She looks at Gavriil. "Why I know Melianse! Wonderful and beautiful! You've met her? She's a good friend, and she loves her water glades! It's simple silly, the answer is in your hands! Those tree tokens will replace all of her lost tress!" She laughs, a wispy sound like silver chimes in the breeze. "Give them to her, she'll know what to do!"
She smiles at the woodsman as Dregan hands her a note, smiles that turn to fear. She hands back the paper to him shaking her head violently. Tears form on her face as she retreats backwards, whispering only this:
"...she cannot love..."
Gavriil nods to Tiressia as she explains about the trees. "Thank you. And please pass our thanks on to Falchos as well. And you yourself have made a friend for as long as I draw breath today, fair Tiressia."
He looks puzzled when Dregan steps forward to present her with a note and her reaction to the note. He assumes, based on the cryptic answer that it was about that mysterious she, that Tiressia had mentioned before. Seeing the distress that the note causes the dryad, Gavriil decides not to press the issue.
He saddles up with the others to ride off to help Melainse and says a farewell to Tiressia in sylvan,
"Thank you." he says sincerely to the dryad, however he fails to hide the disappointment in his voice.
Turning to his companions he hands over the note."Yes let's get these trees planted and back home."
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6 Gozran 4708
A light rain falls in the morning as you ride up to the pool where Melianse resides. The fallen trees still lay where Corax and his crew dropped them, their sad branches drooping into the waters. After a few moments, ripples appear in the center of the water, and the nixie emerges.
"Oh! It's you!" She exclaims, floating closer to shore. "Please tell me you have my trees! Did Tiressia help you?" She asks pleadingly.
Gavriil smiles as Melianse emerges from the water. He flicks his wrist and lets the tokens fall from his sleeve into the palm of his hand and says, "Tiressia says hi, darling, and sent these along for you. She said that you would know what to do with them."
Talia smiles. Despite his - ahem - unorthodox approach, the Scoundrel of the Greenbelt made a fine diplomat. Especially with tiresome fey ladies.
Melianse is overjoyed at Gav's gift.
"Oh indeed I know just what to with them my gallant friend! Thank you oh so very much!"
She glides over the water's surface to retrieve the tokens from Gav's hand. "I know it may not seem like much to give," she says with a hint of mischief, "but I will offer this: I will watch over the rivers and pools of the Greenbelt. Nothing will cross the water without me knowing it. And I will come and tell you...personally." She adds, smiling at Gavriil.
8 Gozran 4708
You return to Fairhaven late in the evening of the day after seeing Melianse. The spring rains have been constant; and you arrive tired, cold, and wet. Dragging yourselves into the Privy Chamber, you find your three Councillors waiting for you. The looks on their faces tell you that all is not well.
Talia smiles as the groomsman takes Apple and leads her steed to the royal stables. Stretching she nods to the others. Despite the long days, the discomfort, and her smell - yes, the Viscountess could smell herself, and no doubt so could the others - Talia was happy.
More of the Greenbelt had been explored, and with the help of the royal geographers, her notes and those of her companions would be transformed into at least a passable representation of the surrounding area. Which reminded Talia, she needed to send for the gnome explorer on the morrow. But for today, at least what remained of it, Talia Khavortorov would partake in something she sorely missed - a bath.
Instructing her Ladies to have some water set to warm, the Viscountess turned to see - with some annoyance - a guardsman coughing politely in her doorway. Sighing, Talia made her way to the Privy Chambers, to see what new crisis could not be put off for a bath.
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Edric has never been more relieved that Gav took over the role of Grand Diplomat - dealing with one grateful fey had been hard enough, let alone the water nymph as well. Thankfully Gavriil simply flashed the charm and no-one noticed how horribly awkward Edric was when Tiressia hugged him - repeatedly...
The return trip to Concord was delightfully uneventful and Edric spent much of it mentally reviewing the state of his small army and devising ever more devious training missions. Sadly his plans for a hot meal and a peaceful evening star-gazing were cut short when a message from Talia had him hurrying to the council chamber.
Vosil sighs inwardly as he surveys the glum expressions of the councillors who are waiting for them: clearly, his write-up and filing will have to wait for another time.
As will his plans for the town of Concord - he has spent a number of days in correspondence with the archives in Magnimar and Absalom, looking over civil engineering blueprints and mustering the arguments in favour of an expanded public works program.
He sighs again, outwardly this time.
Hanging his wet travel-cloak over the back of the nearest chair, he sits and looks at the three councillors, who all look disgustingly dry and un-rained upon. "Whatever news you have to share, it would be better received with a warm meal and a hot drink or two," he suggests. His expression is almost the textbook definition of 'meaningful.'
Darrick looks at Vosil with a purpose, then down at the drinks already laid on the Council table. "Agreed," he says solemnly, "you had better sit. Food is being prepared."
Once you are all comfortably seated, he begins. "There have been several attacks..."
"Murders..."
"A few days ago," Darrick continues without a skip, "some livestock were brutally slaughtered in their pens at an outlying farm; then two people were killed as well—a maid named Saki, who never made it home after her shift at an inn, and a shepherd boy named Beven, who (along with his flock) was attacked on his way back to town."
Dregan splits off the others to go to his farm which once was a short way out of town and now was on the outskirts. Only the arrive at the castle shortly after the others accompanied by a messenger boy.
He nods to Carrick "I met the boy a couple of times he was a good lad. This is my duty as warden, I shouldn't have left to explore." Dregan turns to Kesten "I assume given your nature you have started investigating. What have you found? Perhaps you can take me to where it happened while others worry about the public reactions."
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"Were they killed by weapons, or could this be the work of some beast?" Naralesh inquires. "We need to understand the nature of this threat, and put a stop to it."
Vosil is disheartened by this news. "If it was a few days ago, then whatever is there will most likely have been washed away by all this rain." He looks keenly at Kesten, Asha and Darrick. "I assume there were no witnesses? Or at least none that were likely to come forward to the authorities..."
Talia sits, stunned. Murder, in their small community? It just didn't seem right for such things to happen in Concord. The original sin was one for larger - and rougher - places. "We'll make a statement tomorrow that we're looking into the circumstances of these deaths, with Kesten's best men on the investigation. As to an investigation, it would be helpful to know what you've found so far, Kesten. Who has been talked to - survivors, family, friends, colleagues? Have the crime scenes been secured by your men?"
Turning to Vosil, the Viscountess cocks her head and stares at the spymaster, her expression dismayed. "Why wouldn't they come forward to the authorities? Our number one priority, as the government of Fairhaven, is to provide safety to our people, and we're not tyrants. Unless you know something I don't?"
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Running a forefinger and thumb across his moustache and beard, the spymaster stares back at the Viscountess, wondering how much reality the nobility can bear. He sighs, heavily. "The truth is, Lady, that if nobody has already come forward, that leaves only those who were out at that time of night - or morning, perhaps I should say - for their own reasons. For example, a streetworker on their way...somewhere; or an errant husband, on their way back from...somewhere."
He pauses, delicately. "You can well imagine that such a person might not want to admit to the authorities that they were perhaps where they ought not to have been."
Also, in case it had escaped your attention, we have achieved what many here could not: eradication of banditry, establishment of a settlement, a deal with the kobolds, a deal with the dwarves the kobolds, opened up two mines, and now we've made a deal with the fey for use of the woods. We gave up on 'normal' some time ago, Lady - and the people here know that. They might respect your achievements, but you are no longer one of them. We none of us are.
He doesn't say this out loud, of course. There's such a thing as too much reality all at once.
"The victims were killed on successive nights," Kesten tells Dregan, "the night before your return to Fairhaven and the night before that. Both were killed outside of the town, Saki two nights ago while she was apparently gathering berries for breakfast, and Beven the next night as he returned his sheep to town."
"A half dozen of his sheep were slain as well, with the rest scattered about the countryside."
"We've the bodies, Warden. We felt you would want to investigate the issue. They're in the dungeon under the keep."
They lead you down into the dungeons of the castle - although at this stage they are really no more than advanced cellars. On two stone-slab tables lie the remains of your subjects. Whatever did this was savage, and no matter how hardened you may be to violence and death, these were your people, and now they are dead.
He pauses, delicately. "You can well imagine that such a person might not want to admit to the authorities that they were perhaps where they ought not to have been."
Talia frowns. "I... see. Well then, we should offer a reward for any information that leads to the discover of this killer. Or killers. Offered with a promise of total discretion. What is a life-changing sum? 100 gold? I'll pay out of my personal funds. Kesten, please see that the word of the reward is spread."
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Talia blanches at the sight of the bodies, her face flushing red with rage. Silent and simmering, she waits for those better at such things to do their work.
Dregan initially turns away from the bodies but forces himself to look. "Looks like a wild animal attack. My guess would a worg, maybe revenge. Edric I think it would wise to deploy the militia, spaced thinly to cover a lot of ground but close enough to come to each others aid if attacked. Tell them to hold it off until help arrived. No heroics. We can be on horse ready to ride to assist. Were the attacks close to each other?" Dregan asks turning back toWards.
"Worgs don't hunt alone. I'm no tracker, but I didn't see any signs of a pack. Maybe you could tell better than I could if you examined the scene?"
Talia grips her longsword, thinking back to the last fight they had with worgs. "That's true, Kesten. And if we go examine the scenes of the crimes, we'll be close enough to assist if anything gets caught in the militia's net."
Vosil nods. "Agreed. Let's see if anything survived this rain."
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There are worse things than worgs inside men - you know this. The voice hisses inside Edric's head and catches him off guard. Turning to leave with the rest of the group he raises the possibility. "Could it be something other than a worg? As Kesten says they are pack animals and I think a pack would be noticed, this close to Concord. Is it possible we have a were in our midst?"
Vosil blinks. "I did not even think of that - and having thought of it, I do not much like it."
A cold sweat starts to form, running down his spine. "When exactly was the full moon this month? Did it happen to start at the same time as the killings?"
"Well, let's see," the Viscountess says ticking off of her fingers as she goes. "I remember, it was the day before we arrive back at Melianse's. Which itself was... three days ago. So, four. Four days back the moon was full."
Looking around to the others, the hairs on the back of Talia's neck tingle. "A werebeast! It could be anyone. Except for those of us at Melianse's, everyone is a suspect."
"If We kill it it won't matter who or what it was. Edric get word to your men to be ready for tonight, anyone who cares to let's go look for muddy footprint of a man turning into a beast or whatever else we might find."
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"Possibly it could be anyone, but I think it less likely." Vosil frowns, deep in thought. "This is the first time attacks have happened - there was nothing last full moon, that we know of. So: either someone here has recently become a werebeast, or someone recently arrived who is a werebeast."
"If the latter, we simply have to make a tally of all those who have arrived since the last full moon. A considerably smaller number."
We've asked around and about Fairhaven, Master Comarenza," Kesten says, "neither person seems to have any enemies. Of course a few people swear that wolves have been howling about the borders. Some even whispered the word 'werewolf' under their breath...."
"Officially, we passed that talk off as nonsense..."
"...right. No sense in causing a panic."
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Vosil swears quietly in Varisian as he looks at what he has found: "See here - tracks of a large wolf. They head into a copse of trees from which they do not emerge. But... Here. A bare set of human footprints leads out of the copse back into Fairhaven. Unfortunately, the rain has done its work and I can trace them no further."
He looks distinctly disgruntled. "Conclusion: werewolf was here. Question: where wolf now?"
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Seemingly energised by the situation Edric has thrown off his fatigue. "This is going to be difficult. Asha - do you know of any spells which might reveal the beast within? I'm sure I've heard of certain herbs, to which weres react badly but unless we march around the streets waving herbs at everyone that information doesn't tell us much..."
He pauses, mentally thanking Vosil's much keener eyes for interpreting the jumbled mess of mud in front of him. "I think we will have to make a point of staking out that copse - for the next night or two at least and then perhaps wait until nearer the next moon and stake it out then, try to the beast before anyone else dies."
Cretan smiles in appreciation, Vosil had done well not only in guessing at a were creature but also in finding the tracks. Of course it was quite possible that the human foot print and the wolf's were frow seperate creatures but...
"Well done, let me see if I can find anything else that hasn't been washed away. Oh and if we are dealing with a werewolf, why didn't it do any thing for the first couple of nights of th fool moon? Maybe someone had a close scrape with a wolf maybe got bitten..."