Pervince looks to Miikae briefly when she identifies our needs. "I understand that nearby gnolls have been harassing your interests. We might be an affordable solution, or otherwise make it worth your time to share what you know."
I was hoping for a little less hostility, but understandable. It must be difficult to live here, as it surely attracts a lot of unwelcome attention. With any luck, we will prove ourselves welcome guests...
Once the topic and attention shifts to the witch of the wastes herself, Karrick hangs back from the conversation, offering an askance look at Kera for a moment, before turning his attention to Muziel. "Sounds like we got ourselves some common enemies.," comes out as a whisper, motioning to the witch with a nod as he speaks to the alchemist. "Let's hope shorty doesn't get us killed before we can make the best'a that."
Kera had been about to speak when Ythl went on about the witch. Then the witch herself appeared. Kera’s mouth hung open a bit…a Drow…a real life in the flesh Drow. Not to mention a top side Drow. Wait…maybe she wasn’t a Drow. Looking down at her own shadow marked skin it made her wonder if this wasn’t an elf twisted by the waste. No matter they needed to save their skins right now.
The witch dismissed Ythl then let into the group. Kera couldn’t help but roll her eyes a bit as Pervince seemed to be digging them into a hole. At least Miikae was being respectful. When Karrick looked over at her Kera help out her hand and gave him a look that said “Cough up a gem if you want to get out of this alive.” They needed to give this witch a present and fast.
Grunting, Karrick shoots a look at kera, then palms a gem into her hand subtly. He doesn't discern exactly which one or even pay much attention to how valuable it might be. He just hopes it's enough.
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Gnolls? Gnolls are a lot more civil then most humans I have come across. I am aware you ran into a bit of a skirmish with the South Hills clan, and I am glad to be rid of them. They do try to steal my spider eggs. I am quite capable of handling Gnolls on my own though.
The feeling of being so close to an easy connection of magic here washes through Miikae like a hot bath after a long day of travel. She realizes the truth of Ythl's words once again.
She listens to the witch speak in her language and nods. Then after a moments thought replies.
"It seems your patron has indeed blessed you. I can feel the difference between this place and the wastes. It must have cost alot?"
"Grachius has... mistreated with us all as well. We would all want to speak with this man again, do you intend to let him leave here? The bald one will behave himself, or he is yours. Allow me to speak with them a moment."
She turns to the others and relays the message. "She will allow us in, but only one at a time. If you're hungry, food is offered inside and no violence will be permitted. Unless anyone wants to wait outside?"
Muziel hangs back with Kera and Karrick. His training in courtesy seemed poorly suited to this witch. Thankfully, Miikae takes charge of the situation. "Who knew Miikae speaks witch?" he whispers, watching their exchange.
"Well, it wouldn't do to reject the courtesy of an invitation," replies Muziel to Miikae's suggestion. Muziel lines up behind Miikae, ready to follow her in.
One brow raises at Muziel when he makes the comment about Miikae speaking witch. Though as the alchemist goes to head into the cabin, Karrick seems to have no intention of following. "I'll... keep an eye out here for trouble." Or for Ythl. Or for trouble from Ythl. Given that, Karrick nudges Kera towards the cabin.
"Go'n be my ambassador of good will or somethin'," he suggests with a smirk.
When Karricks shoots her a look Kera just smiles brightly at him. Gem in hand her smile turns smug. There was a certain pleasure in bossing Karrick around a bit.
She looked from the witch to Miikae then back again as they spoke some language that was way beyond common. Well it seemed Pervince’s Gnoll route was a dead end. At least she hadn’t killed them yet…that was something.
Whatever was said between the witch and Miikae in their strange shared language did the trick. They were invited in at least…she just hoped it wasn’t a trap. She nods when Muziel says Miikae is speaking witch then smiles at his very diplomatic response. As she is about to get in line with the others Kerrick’s words spot her. His nudge has her smirking again nodding to his suggestion. It would be good if one of them stayed outside…just in case.
Moving to the group Kera holds out her hand, with the gem, to the witch.
”A gift from Ythl and us.”
Even though Ythl already had his pie Kera felt they still needed to give the gift.
For a moment the strange woman smiles. Ythl is such a good boy, he always remembers the gifts. She closes her eyes as her fingers touch Kera to grab the gem. I sense a change in you my dear. I can remove some of the unnatural anger you have been experiencing, but I am afraid the Storms are powerful and often cause permanent physical changes. There will be a fee for this service of course, but not because of greed. The spell takes some expensive ingredients
That's a good lad baldy, you stay out here and keep my Tsavaros company, but don't try anything funny. His eyes are my eyes, and his appetite is never sated. The witch says to Karrick as she points to her Raven "Tsavaros". The Raven's eyes do have more than an animal intelligence behind them.
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The party is invited in the Hut. Inside Ythl is laying on his back covered in maggots and honey with an empty pie pan on his now bloated stomach. The table is set with very good food.
Come with me Miikae. I will take you to see Grachius. You may allow sands to drink from my pond outside, but instruct him not to go in the water, nor venture too close to the trees. My spider pets do not always behave themselves when such a meal is present.
The Witch takes Miikae down to the basement where Grachius is kept.
A partially suppressed mumble of eagerness escapes Pervince upon seeing the food. The good food- cheese, meat, and fresh bread! Nectar too! He reached for some as soon as the drow turned away. Wait, is this a trap? Like all those stories!? He hesitated.
Then laying eyes on one particular meat, he grabbed it and began slicing open bread. "This will make such a sandwich! I can only imagine what it will taste..." He interrupts his self directed statement with a mouthful of the swiftly made food. For a moment, he seemed happy. Life is good.
Awkwardly, Karrick stands in the clearing outside of the cabin, arms crossed over his chest, staring wordlessly at the raven that the Witch had left behind. The wind blows across the land, kicking up a few eddies of dust that swirls about the scoundrel's ankles along with flakes of ash from the circle, that breeze whistling through the trees.
Karrick clears his throat quietly, shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Silence hangs thick in the air, and as the raven reflexively picks at its pinions with its beak, Karrick murmurs, "So... ahh..."
Awkward silence.
"...I'm talking to a bird."
Karrick covers his face with one hand.
"Grachius? He's here? So the witch really did summon him! This is indeed cause for celebration." Muziel is delighted by the turn of events, and suddenly has a higher opinion of this witch. He takes a morsel of food and sniffs at it, then takes a nibble. "Ooh, this is delicious!" Muziel begins to eat generously from the food, though he does so at a civilized pace. "Hey Karrick, you should get in here and try this food out. It's a meal fit for a king!"
She jumps a little when the witch touches her hand. Kera hadn’t excepted her to linger over her hand so.
”Yes he was distressed about not having a gift. I didn’t like seeing him like that.”
As the witch speaks of getting ride of her anger Kera’s eyes lit up. Of course she can’t fix her visage that is forever changed. As the true weight of what the witch was offering settled on Kera she glanced at Kerrick then smiled.
”Thanks you but someone told me I now look as tough as I am on the inside…I don’t wish to change any part of that.”
She knew getting ride of the anger, changing herself again, might be to much. Everything happened for a reason and she was now this way for a reason.
As they entered the hut she listened to the witches warning to Sands. Moving near a window, if one faces the pond, she would keep an eye on Sands to make sure he was safe. Kera had promised to watch Miikae’s back but she couldn’t go with her to the cellar. So watching Sands would have to do.
Will Save
As she watched Pervince and Muziel dig into the food Kera knew better then to just jump head first into such a meal. However it was just to enticing so she tucked in. When Muziel called to Karrick she thought to take him out something but didn’t because she wasn’t sure how the witch would react to that.
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Miikae tells Sands to 'stay' while she went inside, promising to return as quickly as possible. "We accept your terms, show me to Grachius. Sands will stay near the pond and hut."
Miikae walks inside following the witch. The feast does look quite good and the smell is amazing. "Save some for me now," she jokes.
Walking down her fingers trail the wall, coming away with the dirt of the wall which she brushes off as they reach the bottom of the basement. Grachius is a hideous sight to behold. Even more so than last time she saw him. A blight druid then, this makes sense. A witch also. And afflicted with lycanthropy? Perhaps she is merely a far more powerful druid than myself. She ponders the shapeshifting Ythl spoke of as a druid ability she had not yet reached. She felt she was closer every day to being able to change her shape as other druids could in the stories in the runes of the ruins she had become a druid in. Perhaps she could learn something here. She pulls out her cold iron scimitar and inspects the blade while she talks to him, curious if he will notice the make and metal. "I'm sorry to see your current pitiful state Grachius. You don't look nearly as powerful as you pretended to be before... this seems only natural. You tortured and hurt others, now you receive that which you gave so readily," she insults him, "Perhaps I should ask to have you sent to our good friend Samuel." Then her face changes and she almost does pity him. Did he have no one now? "When you abandoned your embassy I was worried about you. I have a few questions. Don't lie now. Hana is missing, or rather, we don't know where she is. Why did you use Slief and what did you want with the seal? Why did you leave your embassy?" She hopes the witch was truthful when she said she would make sure he was telling the truth and as/if he answers she looks to her to make sure he is truthful. When he stops speaking she says, "Is that all?" in case he tries to hide some information from her.
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Running one hand up over his shaved scalp, Karrick exhales a breathy sigh and looks back up at the raven. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Usually right before the screaming starts." Looking towards the hut, Karrick hears Muziel's voice, but only half pays attention. On returning his focus to the raven, Karrick reaches down to a pouch on his belt and pulls out a piece of tough, salted meat and tears a piece off of it with his teeth.
"Karrick," is finally answered, though with a mouthful of jerky as well. "I don't... talk t'animals much. You might get better conversation out've someone else." Shifting his posture, Karrick scuffs the heel of one boot in the dirt, then considers the raven again.
Behind his goggled lenses, Karrick looks down to the jerky in his hand, then up to the raven and back again. Finally, he offers out the remaining piece with a resigned shrug of his shoulders.
Birds like jerky, right?
After eating some of the meal Kera headed out with Sands. The witch had been dead on with her warning so Kera kept close to Sands as he drank. Seeing the familiar face in the tree then having it speak…*twitch*…Kera took Sands reins.
”Yeah…No…”
She said moving, with Sands, over to Karrick. Kera gave him a bit of a wide eyed look then pointed over to the tree and pound.
”I just…I think…I’m not really sure what I just saw. I mean it was a man dyeing but…yeah…”
She wasn’t shook up at all it seemed she was just trying to wrap her mind around spiders of unusual size living in trees eating people. It was then she saw that Karrick was offering the crow some dried meat.
”Making friends and influencing small animals? First Ythl and now Tsavaros. You going Druid on me?”
She said as she petted Sands a bit. The poor thing had seen what she had seen so he had to be a little shaken up. Not to mention Miikae was in the cellar with the witch. Kera just hoped nothing bad was happening…after what she had seen she wasn’t sure they could trust the witch.
The odd raven lifts his wings and Caws loudly. It disappears leaving only a small amount of smoke and a heavy stench of sulfur.
After a satisfying meal, Muziel paces about the room, looking for anything interesting - a magical knick-knack, a book, something to stimulate the intellect. This was a witch's home, after all.
What have you done Grachius...
"Sounds like something that needs to be destroyed. Not controlled by someone like you Grachius. What would you do once you controlled it?" She turns to the Witch and says, "I and those with me must find Hana." She speaks to Grachius again, "Where is this Rod of Midnight Grachius? Who holds it now?" She is worried about the safety of the Duchess, but the damage that the Shepard could do worries her more. Enough abominations roamed the world already it was more than one could do to right even the smallest things in this land.
Karrick watches the raven fly off, then looks down at the jerky in his hand. "Yeah, he's charming," is noted sarcastically, before Karrick tries his hand again at offering up the jerky to Kera.
"Never met a bird that didn't sh*t on me that I didn't like."
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After you satisfy your hunger, you all look around and notice that the hut is pretty cozy. There is a fire place, but it is not currently in use. The hut is cooler than you would expect in fact, and there is a nice set of comfortable furniture in the main room. There is a few books on a shelf over the fireplace. The titles are not in a language you readily recognize.
"Did you expect to waltz in there with a seal not your own and be let in?" Miikae thinks for a moment and adds, "Or are the seals merely keys to get in?" Miikae looks to the Witch when he asks for water. She was not much concerned for his life or health, besides, she thinks it likely he could possibly be punished far worse for failing his master. This was a man she would not plead for. She speaks to the witch in druidic.
"Perhaps you would like me to relay a message to Muziel, Grachius?" she says after walking closer to him. "Hold still." She puts a hand above the wound in his abdomen and chants a druidic phrase.
"Remember this. Even you deserve mercy sometimes. But what will your master do to you?"
Having some familiarity with Undercommon, Muziel pulls out the History of the Mana Wastes. He is particularly interested in learning about Zon_Kuthon's connection to this region, and very very interested in learning about the Vault and/or the Binding, should that be possible.
Kera smiled when Karrick called the crow charming in a certain tone. It did seem like he was making all sorts of interesting friends in the desert.
”Thanks…”
She said taking the jerky from him. Kera laughed out loud at what Karrick said next. When the crow vanished like it did Kera’s laugh cut off. Taking a deep breath she looked over at Karrick again.
”You think she is a real and honest Drow? I have only ever hear whispers of them…I mean she could just be a normal elf twisted by a storm…like me.”
She chewed on some of the jerky trying not to let her mind fill with dark thoughts. It was no use though…going home would be tough for her. She would be branded a mutant and her life would never be the same.
”The witch…she offered to help with some of my change. None of the physical stuff…just the emotional stuff. Like how I an angry a lot…and seem not to care like I use to. I told her no though…not sure I could take another change.”
Spitting out something hard and inedible that managed to get molded into his cheap jerky, Karrick looks up to Kera and says nothing at first. He finishes eating, wipes off his hands on his pants, and then considers the young warrior again. "It don't matter what she is," Karrick opines plainly. "She's a witch. Don't matter what color she is or how many eyes she's got. You can't trust 'em."
Looking back to the hut, Karrick slowly shakes his head and motions to it with a jut of his chin. "They'll eat her food, take her advice, but there'll be a price on it." Offering a goggled stare back to Kera, Karrick lowers his head in a shallow nod.
"Y'did the right thing refusing her." It's a seemingly positive comment from Karrick, quite likely the first. "You wanna' change? Change yourself."
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Urrp.
Pervince looks embarrassed, but steps off his chair and moves toward Karrick outside. While the others sampled books and spoke with the witch, he sampled all parts of the feast, and listened. When he speaks to Karrick, his eyes are accusatory. "Aren't you glad everyone doesn't think that way? Hana took your help, and I trust you. This food is magical, but in a good way."
He looks to Kera, no anger apparent in him. "She's being as good host as she can afford to be. The raven said people were coming to see her, and we offered a gift. Between the feast and holding Gracius prisoner, are you really going to hold it against her for using magic and living alone? She works hard to live out here, you should respect that and be honored by her courtesy."
He nibbles at a small cut of cheese, and continues. "She said gnolls are more civil than humans. Let's not prove the sentiment, alright?"
"You probably shouldn't bring food outside," Karrick comments off-handedly to Pervince, crossing his arms over his chest and looking side-long at the treeline, then back to the halfling. "That's how you get ants."
The text Muziel reads looks familiar, as it is similar to the accounts of Zon_Kuthon's return from the Umbral Leaves, except with greater focus on the nations of Nex and Geb. Muziel will continue to read as much of the text as possible, though he keeps an ear open, ready to put the book away should he hear Miikae and the witch return upstairs. He didn't want to unduly offend his hostess.
Miikae takes out her water pouch and offers some to Grachius, "Don't drink so fast..." then takes both seals and puts them in her pack. "People aren't going to be too happy to see you. Be careful." She thanks the witch in druidic for allowing her in here and is quite satisfied with what has been achieved. When they get back to the others she walks with Grachius next to her, "Someone to see you Muziel. He is in our custosy now."
Appearing behind Pervince without any sound The Desert Witch says
Wrong Baldy, I bring the ants. Do you want to see them? The witch lifts her hands as insects ooze out of the ground ants, grubs, beetles, locusts swarm around her. She lowers her hands and the insect activity ceases. I've fed you and returned that sorry excuse for a life back to you. Now go.
Muziel is completely startled by the sound of the Desert Witch's voice coming from outside. He quickly snaps the book shut and slides it back into the bookshelf, right before Miikae arrives with a man that's familiar, though far more haggard.
"Lord Grachius, it is an honor to be in your presence once again." The mockery in Muziel's voice is slight, but still completely evident given the context. "I daresay you've overstayed your welcome here, so perhaps we should be off?"
Muziel turns and makes his way out of the hut. At the entrance, he a bow to the witch. "Thank you for your hospitality. All of Nidal is in your debt for bringing this murderer to justice."
Miikae leads Grachius outside and over to Sands where the others are now with the witch. If course she doesn't need the seals. She could probably enter the vaults at will
That was something Miikae wouldn't ask her to do for them. No need to get in debt to a witch, druid or not.
As Muziel addresses the witch she thinks, All of Nidal? Walking up to Sands she whispers to him and scratches his ear then retrieves a length of rope and shows it to Grachius. "Hands please." She intends to tie his hands and attach the other end to Sands saddle.
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What do you intend to do with me? Muziel you must listen to me. The Shepherd is coming! With Lord Vyktor dead and me captured no one will have the Rod of Midnight in time! Ythl! Wake up! Go tell Arazni to bind the Shepherd until we can get there please. I am sorry I tried to capture you. LISTEN TO ME OR WE ARE ALL DEAD! Grachius seems on the verge of a complete breakdown as he pleads with you.
Ythl wakes from his maggot pie induced slumber and burps Wha, aaah I was dreaming of pulling wings off of humming birds. That is my favorite dream! What YOU! I am mad at you! Ythl says with his tongue sticking out of his face, then he pauses as he listens to Grachius, Oh, well ok. I will do it, but just this once! And when I come back you better have something nice for me! Ythl pops out of existence.
Tsavaros returns almost in sync with Ythl leaving. He caws at the Desert Witch. Good, we will leave them too it then. Come inside and rest for a bit, I think Ythl left some crumbs for you.
"And it seems our visit must now end. I do thank you for returning life to us. And for such excellent taste, and capturing Gra-ahh-AHH-chius. Ah. Grachius."
Now he looks like a bad guy. Pervince watches Miikae tie him to the horse. He didn't like the idea of everyone dying, but Gracius gave no reason to heed his words too seriously. Unless someone more reputable gave confidence... Oh, there goes Ythl. Well, dang. Once again, not really knowing what is going on.
"Mind filling me in on why Arazni needs to bind the Shepherd, and why we need to go there? What does this have to do with Hana or the Vault?"
Kera cringed a little when Karrick spit, however there was a smile on her face.
”Charming…”
She thought to herself but Karrick was Karrick and he wasn’t out to please anyone but himself. The silence was not uncomfortable or unexpected. He was a man of few words and when he did speak it was usually a acid tongued verbal barb. Feeling his eyes on her Kera shifts her weight slightly not sure if she is comfortable under Karricks gaze.
”Are you still on about that? You can’t always go by what you read in fairy stories.”
Kera wasn’t totally sure his mistrust wasn’t spot on. The witch seemed nice enough but then so had Lord Creeper. Karrick was on about a price and Kera just shook her head. If the witch wanted them dead then they would be dead…and what price? The witch seemed nice enough to Kera. She wasn’t going to argue with Kerrick…it seemed Pervince was going to do that for her.
As the little man went on about the meal and the witch Kera just pet Sands letting this be between the other two. When Karrick mentioned ants Kera just shook her head again but there was a smile on her face. With the sudden appearance of the witch and her display of powers Kera feels a little uneasy. When she tells them to go Kera nods but waits for the others. The wait is not long and Kera is surprised to see Grachius with Miikae. Once Sands was back in the Druid’s capable hands she looked at Grachius in his pitiful state.
Things happened fast then as there was talk of a moonrod and a shepherd…it all confused Kera but she was sure Muziel or Grachius would explain things.
For the first time in their company, Karrick actually seems afraid of something. When the insects come erupting out of the ground, the normally stoic man leaps backward and holds his hands out in front of himself, luminous green eyes wide behind the smoked lenses of his goggles. He looks panicked, even if briefly, until the witch sends the swarm back under the soil.
Breathing heavily and frantically, Karrick struggles to compose himself. One of his hands twitches, as if to move for a knife, but he quickly thinks better of it and hesitates. The sudden eruption of conversation is lost on him, terms and names and unfamiliar everything so much buzzing noise in the wake of that panic attack. Finally, Karrick swallows down a lump in his throat and just backs away from the witch, from the hut, from everything.
A few paces away, he sweeps one hand over his shaved head and shudders, sending some relief through for tension that has built up in his neck and back. It's only then that he notices Grachius, hands bound, being led away like a prisoner by Miikae.
"What... the hell is going on?"
Miikae ties Grachius' wrists together with the silk rope while replying to his outburst. "Don't worry Grachius. You're coming with us for now. And the vault is our first priority," she pauses and smiles strangely at him, "and you're going to help us get in."
"I'll explain on the way back to Martel," she says to the others, eager to get moving.
Muziel remains silent as they leave the witch's hut. He had finally come to understand how things fit together. Most things, anyway. The Desert Witch probably knew it all already, but he still didn't feel comfortable sharing.
Once they're a comfortable distance, Muziel begins to explain. "In the Desert, after our battle with the Tremor Mutant, I had a vision, a gift from my lord, Zon_Kuthon. I saw Lord Vyktor in a cave performing a ceremony. It was the Binding, and he was calling on an Umbral Shepherd to bind with him. This ritual happens every year, as the Midnight Lord sends this Umbral Shepherd to Mechitar, and his worshippers bind to it using the Rod of Midnight, an artifact sealed within the Vault of Martel."
"Grachius here must have killed Lord Vyktor to perform that Binding himself, though I cannot say why, exactly. Perhaps Miikae understands that better. But nevertheless, with Lord Vyktor dead, we must ensure that someone takes his place at the binding. The Umbral Shepherd is an avatar of pure shadow with an appetite for pain. Allowed to roam free, he will cause untold destruction. None of us would be safe."
"So our task is clear. We must claim the Rod of Midnight from the Vault of Martel. Then, we must travel to Mechitar, and I must bind to it." Muziel hoped his companions would agree to the plan, and not think it was a mere fairy tale. There was both genuine danger, and - as Muziel saw it - a genuine opportunity.
"As for you, Grachius, it's time to confess your sins. How did you kill Lord Vyktor? Speak quickly, or I may give you the justice you so richly deserve."
Listening to the story as they walk, Karrick looks over his shoulder for Ythl but finds no sign of the mischievous fey. Taking that as a good sign, he instead turns his attention to Muziel with furrowed brows. Considering the story, the binding, and the whole of Grachius' situation there's only one real answer that Karrick can come to.
"So..." he looks down to the ground, then back up to Muziel. "Why don't we just kill it? Problem solved."
Karrick raises one faint brow, wondering why things just can't be simple in his life. But them, a more pressing matter comes to mind. "Better yet, who'se paying us t'give a damn about any of that? The Duchess? I don't care about some shadow thing, I care about getting my reward."
"Grachius here does the bidding of Asmodeus, everything else you said is correct. I have both seals with me." she says when Muziel supposes she knows more, "What does Asmodeus stand to gain from you being the binder, Grachius?" she asks. She takes the seals out to show them and inspect closer herself.
"Well Karrick you're in luck. First we must find Hana if she is inside the vault. Rewards may be had yet. Let's focus on finding Hana and getting the rod. And getting inside without trouble from Niven..."
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Its not what Asmodeus gains, its what Zon_Kuthon, and ultimately his followers, would lose. Without the Shepherd they would be weakened and easy pickings for the zealots of Nirmathas and Lastwall. They would have to come back into the Cheliaxian fold. Grachius' face does not match his words, he is obviously angry that the witch's compulsions are making him answer so truthfully.
The Seals are magic, and alignment matches their god, but they seem to be made by the same craftsmen.
You begin your travel back to Martel with full stomachs and a new sense of purpose. Those of you with magical ability are once again struck with the anti-magical weight of the wastes as you leave the witch's hut. Grachius only speaks when spoken too, Ythl has gone to the south, and the path ahead is just as treacherous as it was.