Illthir grunts once more in the general direction of Dool and his igorian companion. Well didn't really need to see them anytime soon luckily - the skald hoped at least. But maybe they did. With a small sigh she leaned in closer to Erevenywg to look at the lizard.
"Well he's cute ... Do you think he will turn back? Or maybe there's something in the backroom that'll get him back." Truth to be told she felt like he *almost* deserved this after probably causing all this commotion by bringing in that Ravid-thing. Almost. "Let's hope there's some friendlier wizards in town otherwise. Can you keep him safe in the meanwhile?"
So 4 jars of some sort of unidentifiable magical cream. Hopefully 1 of those is the Stone Salve!
Illthir's thinking we might want to just test it on something less important then an (ex?) living person but if it works maybe we can get the poor owner back in flesh :D
Illthir gathers a cobblestone or two and without remorse sneaks them into the shop so they could lightly slather some strange jelly on them. For science! "Anyone have a better idea? No? Aight then!"
Illthir slathers some of the goo on a smooth cobblestone. The stone takes on a slippery greasy texture while the flesh of Illthir's fingertips with which she applied the cream become as hard and smooth as marble, though somehow she can still move them like normal flesh and blood fingers!
Illthir winces a little when her fingers turn hard. "Eww. Should have used a brush or something. But ... It seems kinda right? Or does it - I'm stony! Should we try it on the statue? The stone turned *kinda* greasy... Maybe we should have asked that buffoon for help. Mm no. Try and pray?"
Alia takes note of the Newt, then looks after Dool:"I need to learn how to do that.", before her eyes flicker back at Erevenywg.
Before returning to her turn to keeping the Ravid slapped unconscious, she addresses Elgeen:"Now that the guy who made you...well, they guy you were afraid of, is gone, would you mind helping a bit. Do you recognize any of those salves?"
Alia takes note of the Newt, then looks after Dool:"I need to learn how to do that.", before her eyes flicker back at Erevenywg.
"Hmm. Well then. I invite you to visit me at my new home, once it is complete." says Dool drawing uncomfortably close.
Before returning to her turn to keeping the Ravid slapped unconscious, she addresses Elgeen:"Now that the guy who made you...well, they guy you were afraid of, is gone, would you mind helping a bit. Do you recognize any of those salves?"
"Oh! Yes, those four jars there." he says pointing to the jars that Illthir was testing out on herself. "Mistress made them in case of accidents with the cockatrices, but they can be used preemptively on ordinary flesh to render a person's skin as hard as stone for a couple of hours."
"Oh yeah, that sounds right..." Illthir pokes the spongy stone and then clacks her fingers together. Brr. It felt really odd - not quite unpleasant - but unnatural. And a bit funny.
"Let's get the mistress back then! Someone will have to clean up this mess ..." the skald took one of the jars to the statue. With a fistful of goop she bit her lip and inspected the statue. "Does it matter which end we start at? Might not be very fun if her head is fleshed but lungs are stone ..."
Hopefully though the magic of the jars would have been designed to deal with such issues. But she couldn't imagine that the first batch ever made worked perfectly! Oh well. She started rubbing the statue with the goop - as directed or not. "Here we go!"
Durgan stands quietly and offers a prayer to Abadar that this will work. He doesn't know much about magic - certainly not as much as his elven (or half-elven) comrades - so he trusts Illthir and Alia to figure this out.
"Oh yeah, that sounds right..." Illthir pokes the spongy stone and then clacks her fingers together. Brr. It felt really odd - not quite unpleasant - but unnatural. And a bit funny.
"Let's get the mistress back then! Someone will have to clean up this mess ..." the skald took one of the jars to the statue. With a fistful of goop she bit her lip and inspected the statue. "Does it matter which end we start at? Might not be very fun if her head is fleshed but lungs are stone ..."
Hopefully though the magic of the jars would have been designed to deal with such issues. But she couldn't imagine that the first batch ever made worked perfectly! Oh well. She started rubbing the statue with the goop - as directed or not. "Here we go!"
The moment that Illthir covers the last bit of the woman's robes the statue makes a makes a sharp noise. **SNAP!** and a long crack appears, running from the robe's hem straight up the statue's front to its crown. With another loud **CRACKLE!** the crack widens and branches in all directions over the surface of the statue. With one final **POP!** the entire facade shatters and falls away leaving the woman it had depicted unharmed beneath and struggling to maintain her grip upon 50 pounds of granite owl that the former statue had been wielding in her extended fist like a crude bludgeon.
**CRACK!**
After a while, during which Gwendolyn has her assistant apply another jar of the salve to the surprised statue of a man out in the showroom, and she herself slathers the last of Illthirs jar upon the owl ("Don't worry, It's just some chipped feathers, and she won't be able to see them up there.") Gwendolyn explains to the group what she surmises happened. That Javer's the local busybody brought the strange, senseless, one-legged, albino alligator/ravid (which she can verify is what it is called) to her shop knowing that she was knowledgeable about such things. By the time she got around to going back to see what it was that Javer's had brought the thing had recovered and its aura of lifegiving energy had opened most of her menagerie's cages, where upon she was surprised by the cockatrices.
"I wonder though... where did the invisible stalker get to?" says Gwendolyn (who when she introduced herself said you could call her "Gwen"). She looks around nervously.
"Kidding! Just kidding." Gwen says smiling.
Huh so it does work on a person by person basis! Illthir watches for a moment as the woman - but not the owl - returns to a fleshy form. Then she blinks again and processes the situation. The skald valiantly drops the jar and tries her best to hold up the rock owl with her numb fingers. "Uhum yeah sorry about that..."
But she *had* been wielding it like a club before? Or ... Did she use a live owl? The skald hopes she'll learn the truth of that mystery in just a bit. But first it would probably be courteous to introduce herself. "I'm Illthir by the way - wandering skald. A pleasure!"
"I'm Gwen, and this is Juno. And this place is a mess! Where's Javers?"
"Wah? Oh ..." A joke! Illthir liked this one already. She just hoped the good mood would stay once 'Gwen' saw the state of the rest of her shop. Hopefully she'd still be glad that she wasn't a rock!
"Hello Juno." Illthir smiled at the bird, glad that it wasn't in a (f)owl mood. That kinda works doesn't it?
"Oh, I suppose we should let you know that Javers may have been turned into a newt. Erevenywg! Would you come in and say hello to Gwen here and her owl Juno? Just *uh* keep the newt safe just in case ..." She ended by cautiously eyeing the predatory bird whom might feel that a newt was just the right sort of pick-me-up snack it needed right now.
Juno ignores Illthir's greeting and looks suspiciously at the two women. The owl flies over to a display with a mirror set on it, and looks herself over.
"Your friend can probably stop hitting the ravid." says Gwen looking dubiously at Alia as every few seconds she "applies the anesthetic." "We probably just need to move it outside. And maybe away from the glassblower's shop."
"Hello to Gwen here and her owl Juno" says the tall fey woman. "Oh it is terrible! That &^#$^@ &*%#@*! wizard, as Angus would say, turned Mr. Ibbelbbek into this amphibian! Look!"
....
"Are *uh* Ravids safe to release into the wild? Maybe if meddling people were all turned to newts? For uh both the wild and the Ravid I mean." Illthir glances at the smacked-around snake.
"Thank you Erevenywg. Yeah... Do you know any way to un-newt people?"
Gwen says a few words of magic and then her eyes glow the color of octarine.
She studies the newt for a moment before the glow in her eyes fade, and she says: "Um. Well, it seems to be a sort of baleful polymorph effect."
"Put him on the floor and I'll try."
**POOF!**
screams the newly humanized Javers. Spinning in circles, he shouts: "MY TAIL! MY TAIL! WHERE'S MY TAIL!"
Juno flies back to her mistress's shoulder looking cross.
"Oh that worked. And uh Javers I don't think you're supposed to have a tail anymore. Right..?" The skald took a careful step back from the spinning man.
"I am sorry for all the damage to your shop and home. The wardrobe, the bookcase, the sheets. A few Mending or Make Whole spells would set things right. I would offer, but I believe your magical prowess exceeds mine.
We did manage to keep all the specimens alive, I believe."
Serena, still sore despite her healed wounds, remains silent, scowling.
"Good to see that you are all no longer afflicted anymore." he says tot he cured and then he helps Alia move the Ravid outside the shop.
"Oh, and here take one of these for luck!" Gwen says grabbing a piece of stone statuary off a display full of them, and after already gifting the party an armful of potions and salves.
The statue looks horribly familiar to some in the group.
After settling their affairs in town the party turns their sights northward to Stoneclimb, with perhaps a stop off in Brunderton and/or Forest's Edge along the way.
"Gah.. Ol'Sharptooth, indeed.. that's where he got it, we should probably not show this to the Kobolds."
After thinking about the routes for a bit "I believe the Valley of fire is not safe at all, unless you are willing to face some potential supernatural horrors, like ghosts and such? The route via Forest's Edge is probably the best route, plus we can stop in and visit my mother Talasia, a fine lady who would love to meet you all and especially Alia."
"Brr. Don't remind me of those." Illthir shuddered and let someone else accept the stone. She didn't feel that it would bring her much luck - if the other statue was any indication!
---
"Oh I've heard a lot of things about the 'Valley of Fire'. I'd want to see it one day - but I'm not sure if I want to experience it..." The skald pondered out loud. "I think I agree with you Zokon."
Alia is unsure wether releasing the Ravid - or Javier, for that matter - into the wild was a particulary smart idea. But alas, the suggestion seemed to increase in merit as her hand started to grow numb from applying sleep-slaps to the creature.
Eventually, Alia followed Gwens guidance on the manner, then helps make sure all specimen are indeed alive and secure:"Uh...yeah, the aforementioned newt-onian wizard also picked up a Rust Monster Elgeen assured me was already paid for. So that's why what one is missing.", she explains helpfully.
___________________
"Oh, 'Forests Edge' sounds significantly better for a travel route than 'Valley of Fire'. Not really a competition, there. Your mother living there only seals the deal.", Alia explains, then manages to blush slightly as she adds:"I am looking forward to meeting her."
Durgan says his farewells to the Archbanker.
"May your ventures prosper. I will do my best to ensure that my comrades' actions support a future of fairness and prosperity. I don't think any will worship Abadar but they may still embody at least some of His ideals and goals. In deeds if not in thought - and that is all I hope for in this chaotic land.
I will see you when our paths cross again."
----
"It would be an honor to meet your mother, Zokon. Let us take your route."
Zokon takes in his companions opinions "Tis a humble village, but a nobles son was stashed there and "appearances" had to be maintained, so the village prospered from this, the people are a fine bunch."
"I agree with Durgan. Let's be on our way to meet Zokon's mother."
Alia, and Zokon carry heavy snake outside to the neighborhood green, and step back. After a minute, the thing regains its senses and begins to swim through the air like an eel in a lake. A minute later it is gone flying up over nearby houses, and shops.
"Blast." mutters Mung as the Ravid flies off. Then he turns to Alia and Zokon, and offers them a couple of his famous meat pies (at retail cost of course--3 sp, or two for 7 sp).
"Seein' one 'o dah neighbors git turned into a lizard is enough to put most people offa eatin', so put 'em away while the gittin's good! Otherwise you'll be beatin' of a mob wit dat long, black, pig-poker o' yours." he says, and smiles horribly.
"Mr. Mung! Mr. Mung!" calls a woman's frantic voice from around the corner.
"Oh. It's you." says the familiar woman her face a mix of panic, dread and shame. Svetlana looks down at her hands which are wringing the front of her dirty dress. Even the flowers in her hair look wilted. "I-I didn't know you were in town."
"You know each other?" says Mung, who turns to the party. "Well, to mark your happy reunion I can extend to you Svetlana's employee discount!"
"But Mr. Mung." Svetlana attempts to interject.
"Don't worry Svetlana, I'll give yah back yer discount once you've worked off the debt." beams a magnanimous Mung.
"But Mr. Mung, the um-'livestock' has escaped!" Svetlana says.
"WHAT!?!" Mung nearly swallows his tongue in shock. "DON'T GIST STAND THERE WOMAN! WE'VE GOT TO CATCH 'EM AFORE THEY MAKE IT BACK TO DAH SEWERS!"
And with that he races off in the direction Svetlana came from, with Svetlana a step behind. "Sorry."
The following day the party sets out from Restov. They ride north into Rostland prairie and farmlands, it is not until nightfall that the group comes to the hills surrounding the southern tip of the Icerime Peaks.
The temperature drops a bit as the land around rises, and even though it is late spring, winter lies in the shadows of hills and trees. But when the party reaches a hilltop or comes through a stand of trees on a ledge, the views seem well-worth the cold.
As dusk settles the party arrives at the bustling majority-dwarf mining town of Brunderton. It is set like a fortress on the side of a rocky outcrop with a set of huge mine gates set near the center of a ring of clustered cottages for the common folk, followed by outbuildings an fortress walls and then mine operation and town proper. Most things here appear to be practical, well-built, and scaled to dwarf-size and needs. Even the tavern songs. From the spot where the gate sentries stop and question the party as to their names and business, it is possible to hear the deep, sonorous, and slightly tipsy voices of the miners singing "Gold, Gold, Gold".
It is in Dwarvish of course. Durgan can translate.
"So, er--um, you comin' in, or what?" says the gate guard looking a bit sheepish and confused.
The dwarf goatherd behind the party looks a bit put out by the wait. Even his goats look a bit antsy as dusk rolls over the mountains, bringing a light snow in it's wake.
Durgan looks at the town with some fondness. Although he has been among humans for most of his life, and appreciates their drive and ambition, there is something comforting about being among dwarves.
"Greetings, vigilant sentries. May you serve Brunderton well as the Eyes and Ears of the City. I am Durgan Far-Walker, Priest of Abadar. May your ventures prosper. My father lives in Winterbreak on Acuben Isle, as did his father before him. And his father came to Brevoy from the Five Kings Mountains, where his forefathers trace their lineage back to Tar Taargadth. My mother's family is from Glimmerhold."
He throws in a few other genealogical details.
"May we speak the human tongue that my comrades may understand?"
After the initial pleasantries, Durgan switches to Common.
"My companions and I are traveling to Stoneclimb. We seek rooms for the night, and perhaps commerce in Brunderton in the morning. May we pass?"
"Durgan please guide us to not fall into any social pitfalls." all the while looking around at the fortress
"My companions and I are traveling to Stoneclimb. We seek rooms for the night, and perhaps commerce in Brunderton in the morning. May we pass?"
The guardsman takes a moment to consider (paying special attention to Erevenywg) but shrugs it off. No doubt he is an adherent of the old Dwarven adage that one should never mess with a dwarf mad enough to live on an island (even if it is an island you might be able to walk to in the dead of winter). "You might try the Mother Lode." the dwarf says pointing halfway up the hillside in the direction of the singing. "They have beds for travelers."
Durgan leads the party through the gates.
"Be polite, but honest. Be direct. Don't pry. If you want to buy something, haggling is common, debating the fair value of the good itself. However, the personal attacks you might find in a human shop would be unwelcome. You cannot say, even in jest, that the merchant is lying to you or trying to rob you."
He will offer other tips as appropriate.
"Let's find the Mother Lode."
He leads the way up the path, appreciating the proper proportions of Brunderton.
The sign of above the Mother Lode looks like a beefy, smiling, dwarf woman with luxurious sideburns holding an armful of foaming tankards. The place is a boisterous dwarf inn, and tavern with warm light shining from its sunken tap room which sits a bit below street-level and has it's own entrance down a short flight of stone steps. The entrance to the inn though is up a couple of steps inside a small, low-slung*, wood-paneled reception room where a dwarf with a face like melted butter sits behind a reception window cut in the wall at about stomach height for a human. You can hear the noise of the pub and feel the activity through your boots and the floorboards.
Stewed Pork and Bitter Cheese, Tankard of Cider (11 cp)
Roasted Mutton and Dried Lentils, Tankard of Beer (10 cp)
Boiled Eggs and Curd Cheese, Tankard of Bitter (7 cp)
Millet Biscuits and Soft Cheese, Mug of Beer (4 cp)
Small room for one (2 gp)
Small room for two (3 gp)
"Yes. I like everything about dwarven cities except the scale of their architecture. The could *snort* make some headway there!" The skald grins. Truth to be told - they *could* be a bit stuffy - but she didn't feel a terrible need to share that truth right now and here. Just avoid poking them too much and pick the right songs and everything should be just fine.
Illthir looks even happier when they enter inn. She carefully slinks under the door-frame and then takes a deep breath. "Yeah. These inns always seems to pack *more* inn in them somehow." she comments and looks down towards the tavern proper. Oh good food! Yess.
Durgan takes in the sounds and smells of the tavern. "Ah, it is good to be here."
He walks up to reception. "Greetings. I am Durgan Far-Walker. The blessings of Abadar upon you. My companions and I seek rooms for the night.
Do you happen to have any over-sized beds? As you can see, several of them are on the taller side. If not, they will manage. We would like two double rooms and one single room."
He counts out eight gold coins.
"And we will have our supper in the tavern."
Durgan isn't sure whether or not Zokon and Alia are sharing a room, but figures that can be determined later, after supper. Roast mutton and beer for him.
Serena enjoys the smells of the tavern, welcoming the change. She lets Durgan do the talking, but does order a strong ale and rare roasted beef for herself. She mused at the irony of a priestess of Serenrae preferring her meat to be on the bloody side. No doubt Illthir would find inspiration in that later.
Serena enjoys the smells of the tavern, welcoming the change. She lets Durgan do the talking, but does order a strong ale and rare roasted beef for herself. She mused at the irony of a priestess of Serenrae preferring her meat to be on the bloody side. No doubt Illthir would find inspiration in that later.
Durgan tries to subtly advise the half-elf.
"So the board there, that's what they've got. But look, you get four options, not just one chef's choice."He points.
Stewed Pork and Bitter Cheese, Tankard of Cider (11 cp)
Roasted Mutton and Dried Lentils, Tankard of Beer (10 cp)
Boiled Eggs and Curd Cheese, Tankard of Bitter (7 cp)
Millet Biscuits and Soft Cheese, Mug of Beer (4 cp)
"I don't see any beef, but the mutton and beer is probably closest to what you want. As to how it is cooked, well, the chef will do as they think best - this is their trade."