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Abigail breaks off from the others swiftly, charging away from the boy without a moment's care or consideration. As she reaches the center of the Tinker congregation, she nearly rips her holy symbol off of her neck-- and then does, the leather strap on the token breaking.
Holding it above her head, she commands it: it obeys.
Doc keeps running to the scene even after he sees the spider being turned into jelly. He reaches the guard a little winded but coherent enough to ask him to take a seat while he checks his wounds for poison and gravity.
Administering first aid, he then request the guard to be patient for a moment while he prepares something that will help him heal. He then prepares a cure light wounds extracts that he infuses with his aura and gives it to the guard
Seeing the extract at work, Doc is ecstasic, he is in a great mood for the rest of the day. His theory totally worked.
Standing well clear from the blast, Doc sees that while there may be a few burns to treat, nobody's life is in clear danger. He starts looking at the wagons, making sure none of the tarps (or anything else for that matter) catch on fire.
Zinny gets shakily to her feet when she can, staring at the sight of a Hugo ablaze runnin' off towards Silas.
She looks around, confused, wondering what on earth caused the fire to pop so.
The șef, calm as always, comes on the scene just as Abigail holds her holy symbol aloft and invokes the name of her god, sending warm, golden light all around her and healing those bathed in its brilliant radiance. And for once, the șef is speechless. All around Abigail the Tinkers stare in wonder and awe at such raw power displayed in their midst.
The șef soon regains her composure and begins to question all present about what they saw and heard immediately before the explosion.
Sitting where he ended his conflagration, Hugo was too busy picking large chucks of blackened flesh flakes from his back, revealing the bright pink skin of Abis healing magic underneath.
"Dat magic sure is sumting else Abi." he said, staring wide eyed at a particularly large chunk.
The youngsters stammer and glance everywhere but at the leader, sure giveaways they are hiding something. The șef grabs them by the ear and twists, evoking shrieks and their confessions. It seems the boys found some fresh bamboo pieces and threw them into the fire when no one was looking. They knew bamboo sections popped when you burn them, but they had no idea it would cause such a problem! They didn't mean to hurt anyone - they were just looking for some excitement. Their punishment is fair, but very firm, and involves digging latrine pits and cleaning chamber pots for the next month.
It is late and everyone is ready for a good night's sleep after the excitement of the day. The Tinkers thank you for your help today, saying how happy they are to have you with them.
Grizelda swoops down on the three young boys, every inch the stern Librarian of Daggermark as she narrows her wide grey eyes and peers at them through the square magnifying lenses of her reading glasses perching on the end of her nose.
"You three know more than you're saying. Come now, out with it. It will be worse if you keep dodging!"
Zinny goes to go check on Hugo. Abi's healing has, of course, cleared up his injuries. He still looks a little charred.
"You okay?"
Still fiddling with the flaky skin, Hugo shrugged, suddenly feeling embarrassed about his reaction to the flames. Screaming like a little girl wasnt exactly the most manly thing he had done lately, even if he had been on fire.
"Ya, is fine. Gonna be bald fer a bit dough." he rubbed at his head, charred hair raining from his scalp. "'Ows about you?" he looked her over, scanning for signs of any burns.
The șef smiled approvingly at Grizelda after they tag-teamed the young boys, eliciting confessions and relieving the rest of the group that no attack had happened. "We think alike, you and me. I can see the promise of a leader in you. Tomorrow you will ride with me and we will talk about these things."
The next day's travel passes without incident, much to everyone's relief. Grizelda and the șef spend the day in conversation, covering a wide range of topics, from leading a large group of loosely aligned people to history of the region to personal relationships. You are often in deep and serious conversations, but occassionally a cackle of laughter or loud exclamation can be heard from one or both of you.
Tomid spends the day either entertaining Jak or practicing with Alec and Elayna. In the afternoon, after leaving Jak with his mother for his afternoon nap, you find Elayna watching you. "I think it's sweet how you play with Jak-Jak like that." she says, looking into your eyes.
Silas is invited to go hunting again with Sten and Jakob - they ask if you can use any kind of ranged weapon, like a sling or a bow, to kill rabbit or deer from a distance.
Doc and Hoffie spend the day talking the finer points of brewing, and come up with an idea to add blueberries to the mix for a sweeter summer ale.
Gossamer finally makes her presence known to all, the liveliness and colors of the Tinkers too much for her to stay away. She plays with the children, eliciting giggles and laughter as she causes brightly colored balls of light to dance around them, or makes them look like different animals - until she thinks it is funnier to not remove the illusion from one snotty little boy and he runs crying to his mother because he looks like a donkey-boy.
Tomid, a little tongue tied around Elanya, stammers something about the importance of male role models to young boys, remembering his youth. But then simply explains by saying I like kids.
"It has been a while, so I might be rusty, but I have handled a shortbow before." And that was something he didn't have to lie about. In order to fit in with the other boys growing up in the city, it was crucial to learn to shoot rabbits and squirrels and mewling cats on the fencepost. And to take weekend excursions into the foothills pretending to be the next Galameur Finn, a famous hunter from the River Kingdoms who had long since hung up his bow and become a shut-in. Some saying his brain addled by fairies.
Still on the hunt to reclaim some youthful vigor...and trying to avoid contemplation on the distressing question of whom he serves that a liquor dream had left him with...Silas accompanies the brothers yet again.
" 'm fine," Zinny says with a little sympathetic smile for Hugo's charred state. "Think maybe you oughta get some rest for th' road tomorrow." She gingerly pats a non-burnt section of his shoulder before turning in for the night.
When Gossamer shows up the next day, Zinny grins sheepishly at the others while the fairy dragon delights the Tinkers.
"He's followt me since th' little fairies at th' vineyard," she confesses. "I guess I shoulda tole you all. I... I dunno why I din't."
Well, she does, but she can't bring herself to admit it. "Ain't he shiny an' pretty? Just think, a real dragon!"
Okay he's not that either. A girl can dream...
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Abigail appreciates the awe, but swiftly recedes back into her shell. Wishing she hadn't ripped the necklace, she tries her best to mend it-- finally, in an act of piety, she prays to the Lord of Luck and the leather strap repairs itself.
Knowing it may be wise to not repeat it in the future, Abigail wraps it around her hand, the charm dangling just above her knuckles. There's a fine place for it.
Finding the courage the next day after another long encouraging session from J'Tann in the art of exhausting your upper arms, she tries to find Sten to apologize for her rudeness-- she wasn't sure if it took with the whole campfire explosion and all.
Silas returns with Sten and Jakob that afternoon, empty-handed despite his former skills hunting rabbits as a boy. Somehow he found most of the dry branches and vines during the day. On the plus side, he managed to scare enough game towards the brothers that they killed 2 deer and a brace of rabbits!
Abigail catches up with Sten on the evening of the 3rd day after they return from the hunt. "Well, you were a bit...abrupt...I have been grieviously offended and can only be consoled with a night of food and dancing with the most charming young woman in this caravan!" he says with a grin breaking across his face, despite an effort to appear serious and hurt.
Grizelda spent most of the day smiling her strange flat smile and talking and asking questions with the șef so that she found her cheeks were quite sore by the end of the day and she drew a few strange glances as she began to massage her jaw and the sides of her face.
"Whoever said it takes more muscles to smile than to frown apparently never met someone like me... Tell me, what did they call you before you became șef?”
Silas will take even the minor victories where he can get them. "Thank you again for the hunt, brothers. Erastil always provides - if not good fortune in hunting, then a healthy dose of humility."
The priest sighs, wishing he could attribute the same logic to Leah. Erastil had nothing to do with that. Silas just didn't have game. Was it just a matter of getting older? Less attractive? Or was he losing his edge?
Was being in the company of these younger adventurers making him look...and feel...old, by comparison?
The next few days pass uneventfully as you slowly approach Duvik's Pass.
Abigail: Your training with J'Taan makes you proficient with your rapier and more comfortable with your fighting ability.
Doc: Your discussions with Hoffie have led to greater alchemical insights and a new Discovery!
Grizelda: Your discussions with the șef over the last three days have been incredibly enlightening. You have learned more about leadership and people in this short time and from this remarkable woman than you can ever remember from earlier in your life. You part as new friends with the promise to keep in touch.
Hugo: Your natural tendency to walk rather than ride, and your unfortunate charring the other night, combine to toughen you up!
Silas: Your time hunting with Sten and Jakob bring back memories of your childhood - you put them to good use and learn from them. Your assistance in the aftermath of the bonfire also brings back memories of times spent on your own, fending for yourself.
Tomid: In addition to long evenings spent with the lovely Elayna, the martial dance practice has improved your abilities significantly.
Zinny: Your time with the Tinkers has been, perhaps, the happiest and stress-free days of your short life. You are learning that you are a woman in your own right and can be proud of it.
The Tinkers stay well clear of Duvik’s Pass – the warning sign over the town entrance more than enough reason for them to move on quickly. Hoffie agrees to sell you both barrels of water he carries – easing the suffering of these people is more pressing than keeping his still running. The Tinkers wish you well, drop off the water as close as they dare come to the entrance, and then continue on down the road.
The town gates are shut – the plague warning enough to keep most folks away. There are a few townspeople who are still moving around – they talk to you from the wall but do not open the gate. They will thank you for the water, but will get it themselves. ”It’s fer yer own good. Stays clear! Ya wanna help? Go into the mine and find our lads. They were supposed to be back by now – they’re the last ones strong enough to mine the siver.”
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The mine entrance is not far from the town and easy to find. A cool breeze drifts down from the peaks of the mountains as you behold the entrance to the caverns. The rock-strewn ground is littered with tools, picks and shovels, some of which protrude from mounds of gravel. A single darkened shaft, 15 feet wide and 10 feet tall, leads into the depths of the mine ahead. The dirt path beneath its wooden support structure is covered with stone debris, a few pieces of which occasionally glint with the slightest hint of ore. No light issues forth from the tunnel. Burnt-out torches are strewn across the floor, their brackets torn from the shaft walls. Behind you, the worn road leads back to the valley below. Aside from the quiet whistling of the wind, complete silence fills the small clearing within the mountains.
As Tomid looks into the darkness of the mine he notes with a worried voice there has been a fight here. Look here, cuts to the supports and here, blood. He points out the signs.
He doesn't seem eager to approach the mouth of the mine shaft. He looks into it briefly, and then back behind them down the lonely road. He notes the distinct absence of Keep Out! or Warning! No Trespassing! signs he can point to and argue they shouldn't violate local law...
Tomid shakes him out of it. "A fight? A fight with what? Each other?"
Grizelda examines the area Tomid points out, "Oh my, Tomid is right! It was no plague that did this!" She strains in the gloom to find further clues and mumbles an incantation and casts Detect Magic and scans the area. Gregor fluffs his feathers in response to the sudden tension he feels from his mistress.
Peering into the darkness, Hugo realized he hadnt though of bringing a lantern or some torches of his own. Picking a burnt out torch off the ground he looked at it for a moment before realizing it wouldnt be much use. Looking around the place he wondered out loud "Wonder where dey keep da spare torches."
"Usually either in a storage shed outside the mine a short ways," he says, looking around, "or in a storage area just inside the mineshaft. Doc, am I right in my recollection that you said you believed the mine to be the origin point of the town's sickness?"
Zinny doesn't see much until the others point it out.
"...we goin' in there?" she says, a little nervously. It seems awful dark. She slings her pack off and starts rummaging through it... whiskey... dishcloths... now she needs a stick.
Preferably not her big stick.
Looking around does not reveal a storage shed outside nor any area you can see inside the shaft where extra gear is stored. Looks like the miners brought everything with them. Zinny realizes the burnt-out torches are ideal sticks for her MacGyver-like light source.
Once Zinny was done making the torch, Hugo shouldered his shield and held out a hand towards her "Ere, lemme take dat. I is gunna go first." As he waited for the requested torch, his brow furrowed as if his mind was under terrible strain "Ey Grizzy, I just gots an idea. Ya tink dat owl o' yers wanna sit on ma shoulder? 'is eyes is better dan mine rite?"
If you guys wants me ta, I can scout out a little up a'head. Course someone'll haf ta hold the torch.
Silas volunteers to hold it in Tomid's stead.
Grizelda lights her oil lamp and offers it to Silas. "Here Brother Silas, shed some light upon our journey." She pauses in thought, trying to guess at what they might be walking into.
Grizelda's face blanches at Hugo's suggestion. "But... but... if you go charging off to bludgeon something, he could be hurt! Um... Oh..."
Gregor nuzzles her neck and hoots softly, winking first one eye and then the other as he tended to when he wanted to be charming. "Oh very well, but he's not made of iron, Hugo. Be gentle with him."
She walks near Hugo and Gregor hops and flaps onto Hugo's forearm and climbs up to his shoulder, easily gripping the edges of his breastplate with his talons.
Hugo looked at the owl on his shoulder with a bemused look on his face, imagining him to be a parrot and he himself a pirate. Taking the first few steps inside, torch in one hand, hammer in the other, he turned and smiled at Grizelda "Dun worry Grizzy, I bet ya 'es clever enouff ta get off if we gets inta trouble."
Looking at Tomid next, he answered the halflings question with a slight shrug "I guess ya can go scoutin', but we aint 'catly a sneaksy bunch. Dun ya tink dey will 'ear us comin' if deres anytin' down dere waitin'? I mean ya needs da light ta see dontcha?"
Updated Map Hugo with torch and Silas with lantern.
The mineshaft heads north into the mountain and slants at a gradual decline. It extends beyond the limits of your light into the darkness. Grizelda does not detect any magical auras here. You also determine there are too many variables and unknowns to draw any conclusions - you need more facts before you can determine any patterns from your extensive knowledge.
Gossamer clings tightly to Zinny's shoulder, digging her claws in your armor and panting. "We're going in the hole? Underground?!? It smells strange in there... Are you sure about this?"
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Abigail pales a bit, fretting. She draws her sword, ready for anything to leap out of the dark. "Oh, dear. It would be nice to have another torch right now."
As if on cue, her holy symbol hanging from her wrist begins to glow with Celestial light. She stares at it for a moment before smiling. "Thank you," she says, looking at it with a smile. "Now, anything you can do about the smell, or...?"
He takes the lantern from Grizelda, nodding. As they travel forward, Silas is constantly looking over his shoulder, quietly terrified at the darkness lingering just beyond the nimbus of light cast by the lantern. It's like there's something right there, just outside of sight, lurking...
"Lord Erastil, travel in stride with your faithful, ere we go to do thy work. As Nicthu descended into the earth to find its dying heart, we too recite his prayer. Travel in stride with your faithful, ere we go to do thy work..."
The uttered prayer is second nature. But Silas has a secret prayer he thinks all to himself.
Oh gods please don't let a troll or a lizardman or a monster or a crazed miner or a giant bug or some gibbering cthonic creature lunge out of the darkness and disembowel me or chew on my face or drag me away and kill me oh my dear gods I am older but still too young to die especially in a g~+!~#ned mine where no one will ever find my body OH MY GOD WHAT WAS THAT SOUND oh it was just Hugo scuffing his boot on the ground damn that lug for being so clumsy and scaring the crap right out of me please I will do anything not to die down here anything at all change my ways stop lying...I mean try to stop lying...try my best...
"...ere we go to do thy work..."
It was fine to talk about helping the people ofDuvik's pass but now that he was standing there, in front of the mine opening like the mouth of an ancient and overwhelmingly big monster, it was a different thing altogether. The darkness inside the tunnel seeming to pulsate and grow, as if it wanted to escape the tunnel and claim the outside world as well. Sweat starts to bead all over the apothecary's arm and neck.
Oh gods| he mumbles to himself a couple of times.
Okay, hum yes. Inside, i am sure that we can find a, erm, source to the disease. So if we go in there.... together. And we, uh, stay together.... we'll be fine?
Doc tries to take at least a little of bit of comfort in the ease the others are showing, he repeats Silas`s words as he recites the prayer, such a brave man Brother Silas, no hesitation in that voice, just clear minded calm and focused, like Doc would like to be.
Tomid drops into stealth mode, blending in with the shadows cast by the flickering torch and lantern just at the edge of where the light reaches him. He is happy that the group trusts him up front to scout and does his best to stay hidden.
As he moves he things. Oh man this is excitin. Wonder what we'll find. I figured I'd be up here bindin wounds an boilin water and scrubbin sick people.
After about 120 feet, the tunnel opens into a small, roughly rectangular chamber. Scattered chunks of silver ore surround an overturned pair of wooden carts. The lower half of what appears to be a human body juts out from beneath one of the cart’s edges. It shows no signs of movement. Dried blood is smeared across the northern wall in several places. Exits lead to the west and the east.
"Dear gods..."
The sight of the human body trapped under the cart illicits an urge that surprises Silas: the urge to rush forward and roll the cart off of the body. But he is very far in the back and someone else would have to do it.
That's when he catches sight of something that seems to glint in the lamplight.
"Don't touch the cart!" he exclaims under his breath from the rear of the party. "Tomid, do you see what I see..."
Silas works his way forward towards the front of the party so that he can point out the rigging he sees.