After some parley'ing with the locals Alek manages to discover that Laurel can be found at the 'Roots and Remedies' store. You all walk towards it. Creeping ivy and full window boxes cover the facade of this rugged-looking, two-story shop, which bears the faded sign “Roots and Remedies.” The small, mud-tracked shop smells of burnt earth and spicy incense. Bunches of dried herbs, dangling pots, and drawstring pouches hang from the ceiling ,and a cauldron bubbles softly on a table next to strange presses and alchemical apparatuses. A man holding the side of his mouth walks out of the store and an older woman stands at the door telling him to put 2 doses of some extract on his tooth to numb the pain. She looks sternly at all of you, especially the ones with signs of infection.
"What do you all want?"
|
It seems all of these type of women are the same, best not to cross them...
"Good woman we are an adventuring party in search for a way to cure this plague, it appears you are the local apothecary, also a few of us have actually contracted the disease if you have something to slow or stop the disease it would be much appreciated and of course repaid."
The woman nods and gestures for you all to come inside. She takes Vanick by the hand and begins inspecting him. She mumurs every few seconds as she pokes and prods his skin. "Well this is new to me" she says scratching her head. She walks over to those newly infected and begins to prod them. "How did you all get this infection?" Vanick begins to answer and suddenly falls over passed out. You help her lay him down on a cot. "Tell me everything"
|
|
After helping get Vanik on the cot Orwynn describes the events Laurel involving the wolves stuffed with flowers, then the after events at the gardeners in case that has some bit of useful information also...
"...the Eidolon then gathered the flowers and burnt them for us as to prevent us from being poisoned, we waited a bit for something to appear from seeing the smoke, from there we walked to town straight away, asked around for you and now here we are."
"Is this infection different from the disease we heard about?"
"Hmmm... this is new to me. Are any you skilled in the healing arts? I could use some help to concoct a remedy. If you have no healing talents what can you do to help me out? I dont want you to stand there looking like a pretty statue that is useless."
|
Alek directs the group to Laurel's place, smiling to see the older woman again. He sits quietly while she listens to the story of their infection. He shakes his head at her inquiry at healing skills. "I am not, however, I am skilled at acquiring any herbs or roots you may need from The Woods, Laurel. I do not believe anyone in town has been infected and we should take care to avoid contact with folks. As much as I want to see my folks, this takes priority. But perhaps you could send word to them, Laurel?"
"Alek...Alek...is that you? My you have grown. I have not seen you in some time. Almost did not recognize you with that beard. I remember you wetting your bedding as a child, or was that your cousin? I forget..."
|
|
"I believe Sekhmet has had some training in healing arts, I have yet to study them. Do you know of anyone else who can be of help to you? I am skilled in negotiating or bartering, also we may be able to get the gardener here to describe what he was doing with the flowers, he seemed persuaded... easily to talk the last time we questioned him."
Looking around her store for supplies or what I would perceive to be helpful.
|
Sekhmet sets about to helping the witch concoct a treatment for the illness. "See, Wesley, old and cranky though this woman might be, she is more than capable of helping us." She turns to Laurel, then, and offers her aid. "As it happens, I have limited skill in the healing arts, but some skill at alchemy. I can certainly help. I also have a small supply of fresh poison; I know that sometimes a small amount of poison can help to treat a greater poison." With that, she reaches into her hair, and a long, green centipede crawls onto her hand.
"Emuishere, let's see if we can help this healer get these foolish, noble warriors back on their feet."
to assist Laurel
to see if Emuishere's natural poison (DC 10; daze for 2 rounds) can be used to help in providing a cure
|
Looking a bit out of place the half-elf says "Perhaps I can help you to look for some plants."
"I might as well try to assist with that poison affecting him." Vailis starts analysing the damages and taking different healing materials, but he is clearly out of business in this.
"Tell us Laurel, how the disease started?" says Vailis while taking bandages to the herbalist which are clearly unnecessary for this task.
|
|
When Billin talks about where the flowers were found and how exactly to better manipulate it, Vailis adds as well his part "The flowers they are using are cultivated, so that means they need a quite controlled place, rich in Sun, as they cut the trees surrounding the place. And the spore seems to propagate by just respiration. Hope the info will help you."
|
|
"Ah yes, you are right Orwynn, he is a great assistant. I would like to know Laurel is in need of more help, if so I am sure Eidi can provide extra help looking for herbs and checking the wounds. He is often my eyes and nose, and have treated my wounds in the past."
|
|
Alek smiles at Laurel's reminiscing and nods. "Yes, it's me, Laurel. Been a while since I've been back home." He strokes his facial hair. "I may have changed a bit, but I see Falcon's Hollow hasn't much. It is really good to see you. I'll go out and find some herbs to help out with this disease.... I know I could use a little healing myself."
With that Alek quickly departs with a description of some herbs and roots that Laurel suggests might assist with her aide of the disease...
Alek spends sometime in The Woods with Cinderpaw searching for the supplies Laurel mentioned and a few she did not, remembering some remedies he learned from the Greenfire Druids. He returns in short-order with a backpack full of items, a large grin on his face. "I hope this will help!"
"thankya, thankya, now git out o'the way so Is can start brewing. Alls your help was good, now give me an hour to make a batch up ta see if it'll work" she says to you all. It takes an hour before her first batch is complete. She takes some to Vanik and pours it down his throat...
and determines the batch has a positive effect on Vaniks condition.
Laurel declares success and makes a batch for those infected.
"here drink this"she says giving some of the party a cup of her brew.
|
|
After all the diseased are served, Vailis takes a sip, in case there is remaining for him.
"Well, that's better. Thanks a lot for your service Laurel. The town though will be at danger until we have finished the main source. Have you heard about Isandrea’s Basin?" he let's the man answer before posing an extra question "We are looking for a contact by the name of Syntira, do you know where can we find her?"
"Yes I know who Syntira is. She is the nymph queen and I occasionally trade baubles and such with her. I can draw a map to get to her. Much thanks for you help in getting a cure to this plague. If there is an outbreak here in town then I can have remedies for those afflicted. I heard of a basin but I cant be sure if it is Isandamasumthing's. Syntira may know more."
|
|
"I don't really need to rest, and I am concerned by those of us who are sick. That said I will go with the party. Perhaps I will go check information about Vondrela and Urgathoa at the street then." Vailis sits in a chair, checking a book that reads 'Fire plane allies', while waiting for the party to decide for now.
Laurel tells you Vondrela is a name of a girl that used to be a street orphan but that was many years ago. She also says Urgathoa is the goddess of physical excess, disease, and the undead. The party leaves her cottage. The streets of Falcon’s Hollow are fairly deserted. The few citizens out and about hurry quickly to their destinations. Beggars and urchins lean against walls and crouch next to shipping crates and tarred barrels. The clinking of a tin cup on the street’s cobblestones and the rustling of wind-blown notices affixed to a tavern wall rise above the silence that fills the nearly empty streets.
|
|
Vailis follows Orwynn observing everything as he talks. When he sees someone looking at them silently, the half-elf approaches and asks "We are looking for a woman called Vondrela. We think she might has some goods we are interested in and want to do business with her. Have you heard about such a woman?"
Before you left Laurel gave you a sack filled with potions of anti-plague to give to the fey.
As you exit the cottage intent on asking your questions around town, you notice two ragged looking beggars pushing a cart down the wagon rutted dirty street. You notice the cart has bright flowers in it. As you look around town you see some townsfolk carrying the same flamebloom flowers you encountered earlier and now in the cart, as if given to them from these beggars as a gift.
|
|
Gesturing to the cart "Some one faster then me chase down those beggars I will talk to the townsfolk about the blooms!"
Running over the townsfolk with the flowers "We need you to put those flowers down they are an infectious, poisonous bloom that we just recovered from in Laurel's shop. Did you buy these from those beggars?"
the first people Orwynn speaks to are an old couple who drop the flowers as soon as they are told. Then they run away.
|
|
Seeing the group spring into action, Sekhmet closes to within 30' of the 'beggars' and hits the closest one with a slumber hex. (DC 13 Will Save to negate, or be put to sleep for one round.) As she does so, she echoes Orwynn's warning, yelling, "Everybody place your flowers on the ground, and back away, or this whole town will be infected by morning!"
|
|
Vailis casts a daze spell on the other beggar and tries to sooth the villagers.
"You don't know us and we understand how much scared you can be of a group of adventurers like us, but we don't want other him than to help you. For that, we need you to depose your flowers as we have uncovered an organization is distributing a poison through flowers in the region. Be calm and you will be safe."
Sehkmet and Vailis target the beggars with mind affecting attacks and...
stop both beggars. One is asleep (red) and the other is dazed (blue).
|
|
"Whoa! Wesley lets take them alive so we can question them, they appear helpless and obviously no melee weapons. I do not think killing these unarmed and one helpless person is the way to go about doing this.
Moving towards the cart with hands raised pleading with him.
"Diseased flower peddler hands up, get down on your knees, surrender now and submit to questioning and nothing more will happen to you!"
the beggar not asleep begins to stutter..."Vondrella ordered us to bring this wagon full of flowers into town for tonight's ritual."