"All right, I'll go along with it, I'd hate to see you get too skinny, Bjornson" Kalt responds with a smile, though his hand drifts once again to his sword as they get closer, before he makes a conscious effort to pull it away.
The group approaches the gremlin chef’s, the smell of roasted pork reminding them just how long its been since they had their last sizable meal. When they come into view, the fey poke and prod each other so all can see the groups arrival. Many of them smile widely, though with their razor teeth, the effect is quite disturbing. One steps forward and in broken common, speaks in a squeaky voice, ”’Lo. What want?’” then as the rumbling in your stomachs grow louder, realization dawns on the little man, ”You need foods? What offer?” Behind him, many begin to jabber on in a strange guttural language, clearly excited about something.
The “leader” of the gremlins looks at his hands, then to his fellows, ”Meat! Good Meat! Only meat in many steps. Tasty meat! What you got!” he states rapidly, his eyes flitting over much of the party, pausing momentarily at the twirl of a particular cloak or the adjustment of a haversack.
”We have a few weapons of quality and some alchemical brews, and perhaps even a minor magic or two,” responds Kalt. ”It is true we are hungry and would trade with you, give us a moment to consider an offer.”
He takes his friends a few steps aside and opens the haversack that Ankih carries, pulling out a few items to show to the party as possible trades. He looks around at the group and raises an eyebrow as if to say, What do you think?
" Who are we trading with?" Asks Ankih as he squints around trying to see.
" If They need it, I can offer healing magics in trade..."
The gremlin takes the flask, shakes it a bit, tries to open the wax sealed stopper, grows frustrated and starts to gnaw on it a bit. Spluttering as it gets wax all over its mouth, it grumbles and tosses the flask behind him… right onto another gremlin… who bursts into flames. Shrieking in agony, the flaming one runs in circles before colliding with a nearby tree and collapsing. The others cackle with glee, laughing at the antics and misfortune of their companion.
Turning back to Sven, the “leader” squeaks out, ”You eat.” He then hops forward to the next closest person and hold out his hand for their offering.
The little fey puzzles over Sven’s comments before running off a string of undercommon that makes the others burst out in fits of laughter. ”No. You offer, you eat. They offer, they eat.” it states once it has calmed down a bit, still stifling an occasional chuckle.
Kalt proffers the beautifully crafted small axe that he had removed from the haversack, holding it up to glint in the daylight and flipping it in his hand to show its exquisite balance.
In an exaggeratedly simple tone, he says to the lead gremlin, "This is a very, very good weapon. We give you this, you give the rest of us food. Good?"
Sven’s words fall on deaf ears as Kalt displays the shiny axe. Eyes widen on all 7 remaining gremlins and follow every movement of the axe. The one who has been handling the negotiations hops forward, making grabby hands at the axe while the others begin stepping on each other to get closer, all thoughts of the food gone.
The Gremlin holds the gleaming blade aloft, wobbling slightly over the weight. His joy is short lived as a snakeball of the remaining gremlins slams into him. The axe falls to one side as all 7 gremlins resort to poking, biting, and generally beating each other senseless. One pulls himself out of the scrum, grabs hold of the axe and vanishes through a small ripple in the air. The others scream before vanishing through their own ripples, leaving the party alone with a roasted boar and burnt gremlin.
Avora takes the offered meat, biting into it with relish.
Stumbling blindly to the food, Ankih will eat his fill, quietly, contemplating what he has heard but not seen,
Blessed lady, let this not be gremlin meat I am eating...
The group devours the succulent boar, which is some of the best tasting wild boar they’ve ever had. As they continue to eat, they find their eyelids getting heavy, with Ankih, Bugsby, Lana, Nadya, and her two boys drifting off to a sleep they do not rouse from when jostled.
Finding Ankih lying on her, Avora nudges him. When he does not awake, her eyes grow wide with alarm. "Sven! He doesn't wake up!"
"You know," says Kalt darkly as he looks down on their sleeping companions, "the thought occurred to me when we began to bargain with the gremlins, that many tales warn of dealings with the fey, and particularly of eating the food of the fey. I dismissed them as the tales of frightened children - and once again, it seems, the children were right to be afraid."
He draws his blade and looks around carefully for the return of the gremlins or any other threat.
Kalt sees no sign of anyone lurking in the woods, waiting to ambush the group. Sven smells a variety of herbs and spices, but his lack of nature lore limits what he can discern.
Kalt looks at and sniffs the boar and says, "The way this damn curse has dulled my senses, this could have spoiled weeks ago and been poisoned with hemlock and striped toadstool and I'd hardly notice it." Turning his eyes to the beautiful but scarred druid, he says, "Avora, would you see what you can puzzle out here?"
Avora sniffs the meat and tastes it, more critically than before, when she had merely hungrily torn into it.
Avora can tell that amongst the many herbs generally used for cooking, there are a number of others that are commonly viewed as poisonous to people. Bits of taggit blossom and valerian are everywhere, and in small doses can aide sleep, but in larger doses can drive someone so deeply into unconsciousness they do not wake up.
Based on the amount eaten, Avora can estimate the adults should wake in a few hours, but Bugsby and the children may have further complications, based on their smaller size.
"I wonder," says Kalt when he hears Avora's description of what she's found, "if they meant to poison us, or if this is just how they like their food? Who knows what you have to give a gremlin to get them to sleep?"
He shrugs and says, "Looks like we're camping here a bit longer, eh? At least we're not hungry. And these lazy-bones" he says, poking Bugsby with a toe, "can take watch all night tonight, far as I'm concerned."
Avora immediately sets about gathering as much as she can find of a certain herb. "They should be alright, Sven, but I'm worried about Bugsby and the children. They got a dose that could be troublesome. Can you and Kalt help me collect as many of these plants as you can find? See, notice they have five leaves in a star pattern."
Under Avora and Sven’s care, Bugsby and the children suffer no ill effects from their “poisoning” and all awake feeling remarkably refreshed. Which is good as the storm that Kalt and Nadya predicted begins to blow in. Kalt, who had spent much of the time while the others were sleeping preparing camp for the weather, assists Nadya in the final set up while the boys, feeling extra bouncy after their nap, rush around collecting firewood.
As the snow picks up and the group gets settled down for the evening, Nadya, who had spent much of the last hour cleaning and redressing the boar for a stew, calls for the boys to finish their gathering and come back. A few minutes go by and the eldest returns, but the youngest, Orim, is nowhere to be seen. She calls again, and still no response. Now, beginning to get nervous, she calls again and again into the snowfall and is only greated with gusts of wind. Growing more panicky she looks to her repeat saviors for help.
"I'm reluctant to even say this, but I think Avora is best suited to track the boy. I'll lend what aid I can. Lead the way, Avora."
" Its a small help, but its all I can offer."
Ankih prays to his Lady for guidance for the searchers.
"Blessed be Milady, we beseech your help to find the boy."
After praying and casting on those who ask, Ankih sits quietly and closing his eyes focuses on his hearing, hoping to hear what he cannot see.
Avora thinks for a moment before studying the area, looking for any hint of tracks. Picking up the trail quickly, she heads off from the campfire.
Nadya thanks Sven for his kind words, "He'd probably seek a rise, so that he could see and be seen. Where he'd find one, I do not know."
Avora sets out and easily tracks the boy, feeling she is gaining ground quickly. In the distance, a howl is heard, not of a boy calling for help, but that of a pack of wolves on the hunt.
Following in Avora's steady footprints, Kalt hears the howl in the distance and says, "Why don't I take the lead for a while? Taking turns and resting the eyes is the surest way to make sure we both stay sharp for what lies ahead. You can help me if I miss anything."
He steps in front of her and focuses on the task at hand, intent on ensuring that Nadya loses no more children.