Cath stands up and pats the dirt off from his roll on the ground. When the catatonic lad won't respond, he walks over to the kid and kneels so that he's at eye-level. "Hey, kid. Can you tell me about this Shining Lady? We're going to go save James, but we need to know more before we can start."
He angles his head with curiosity at the girl named Tommy when she mentions the Shining Lady. I wonder...
“So he went into the forest…” he thinks aloud, “does the Shining Lady have anything to do with the clearing James played in? Do you know when he'll be back?”
Umros absently twists one end of his moustache and he takes on a faraway look.
"Polite and honest?" Sparks asks as she opens the letter in her hand and reads it aloud.
"Dear Ms. Clearpath,
It is with regret that I must inform you that I am no longer able to purchase bows from you and must also withdrawal my current order of five bows. I realize this puts you under great hardship and for that I am truly sorry. Know that it was not the quality of your bows at issue, each was excellent, but rather the potential loss of the 458th's orders for my own goods.
There is more to read, but Sparks ends there and looks back at the three men.
"I do not know every detail of the 458th's end of this, but I... I have known Travis Cunningham all his life and know he would not lie to me." She fumbles with the letter putting it away then says, "Be that as it may, it is getting to the point that I might need to reconsider. But not here, today, in the middle of the street. If you will please excuse me."
Sparks moves to walk politely past the men.
Dagger-man throws his hands up in exasperation but moves out of the archers way, shaking his head as he does so. The helpful bow-toter waves and smiles enthusiastically as Sparks makes her way down the street.
_________________________________________________________________________
The little boy squeaks at Caths words and hurries to hide behind one of the larger children.
Tommy's face takes on a contemplative aspect as she considers the gnomes questions. Shaking her head she says "No, I don't think she has anything to do with the clearing. Me and James played there all the time. I don't know when James will come back." She looks at the dirt. "If he even comes back at all."
Likewise there are many spells that can compel people to act in certain ways. Without knowing more about the situation, however, Umros doesn't feel confident ruling out any potential cause. Up to and including simple persuasiveness.
Umros wags his head in disagreement. “I think he’ll come back,” he replies assuringly. “I’ve gone missing a few times, but I’ve always found my way. And I have a feeling my path will cross James’. No need to worry, just be patient.”
With one hand holding onto his hat, he stoops and picks up a pine cone. After testing it with his teeth, too dry, ah well, he smiles excitedly at the children. “Now, while you sorcerers and warriors weren’t looking, I hid the Pebble of Power somewhere nearby. It has many brothers and sisters, but only the true Pebble of Power knows the answer to the Riddle, if you listen to it closely. The Riddle goes: If you say my name, I die. What am I?”
“The first of you to find the Pebble and answer me the riddle will get the lucky copper that I won when I first found the magic rock. Good luck!”
Regardless if the playing children pay his challenge any heed, the snickering gnome spins, his patchwork cloak twirling behind him, and crams the dry pine cone into his pocket. Bounding up to his backpack, he looks up and nods a bow to Langblade. “Thanks for watching this. When no one watches, it grows legs.” He labors it onto his back and once again takes a stooped posture.
He smiles up the tall folk. “Now, shall we to the red door?”
Sometimes being naturally intimidating has its advantages, but every now and then—usually in polite company—it's a hindrance. Cath starts after the frightened kid, but gives up after a step or two when he realizes the futility of the chase.
The fighter considers Umros' riddle as he stands up and heads back toward Langblade. Silence, perhaps?
“Yeah, let's head over there,” and then he adds quietly, “and I don't like the sound of this Shining Lady, either.”
"Sorry for that," Sparks apologizes to Tainesh as the two begin walking again. "I think they often do try to be helpful but... I am not in need, at least... not in the sense they are used to, except when their rules and restrictions force me there."
Umros flits a sideways glance up at Cath, and shrugs, “I wonder if she is one of the fey. But it’s not much to go on to be certain, that much is certain.” He smirks to himself. “There’s a lot that could make a lady ‘shine like the sun’. Magic spells, baby-carrying, drinking Lunar ‘Lixir, silver weave, true love…”
The old gnome becomes keenly aware of the lock of hair on the low-hanging necklace, bouncing against his belt as he walks. He smiles wistfully. “...and being on fire. That would make anybody shine, methinks.”
Langblade grunts at Umros remark, but you can see a small grin play across her face. Now that the dealings with children appear to be complete she rests a hand on hilt of sword and starts purposefully striding towards the house with the red door.
The trio quickly make their way down the street and up to the house with a red door. It isn't a bright hue, rather one that's seen it's share of storms and cold weather. The paint is chipped and worn, as too is the door itself. Though not in disrepair, the home appears to have fallen on harder times these past few decades.
Regardless, as Cath procures the key and unlatches the door, it swings freely and quietly. Belying the solid craftsmanship and construction of the place. The three enter to find a simple two-room home, tastefully, if inexpensively, decorated with love and care. It's somewhat chilly inside, though that could be because the brazier is unlit and the windows shuttered.
_________________________________________________________________________
The two women make their way through the Sharstown streets at a decent pace. The sun is shinning and the grass, where visible, is green. Birds flying high, and you know what that means. They don't notice any more members of the Local 458th as they make their way back towards the bar.
"They were kinder than I first thought they would be," Tainesh says. "And there's a certain bit of irony to the fact that joining a group that promotes the financial welfare of its members would make you worse off. But you know what to do best."
"Except I didn't... or still don't," Sparks replies. "I thought I was doing the right thing, trying to simply sell my bows and services and stay out of things I did not fully understand, but I fear that I perhaps misjudged the situation and have put myself at a severe disadvantage... " She sighs and says, "In the long run it won't matter. I have the luxury of time... It's just... I would rather enjoy that luxury some place other than here and these people are making doing so unnecessarily difficult."
"I believe we're getting close," Sparks says after they pass another street.
Cath moves to the windows and throws open the shutters to lighten up the place. "Better..."
The half-elf looks around the house to see if there's anything seemingly out of place or of particular significance.
"Keep your eyes out for anything out of order, anything that might be of interest, perhaps."
Umros frowns when Cath unlocks the door and enters. Huh. Maybe I missed something when I stepped outside...
He trundles in after the fighter, his gnomish eyes taking in every piece of furniture and decoration. Umros never understood the desire of settling into one place, intending to spend years, and even a whole lifetime, under the same roof. The idea to the wanderer just seemed so ...boring. Maybe it was a visage of Lady Luck, who called James. I wouldn’t blame him for leaving -look at this place! He chuckles to himself. The chuckles grows into an earnest grin when Cath advises to look for anything of interest.
First, the traveler checks for any works of fiction on display, in case there is a folded page corner to a tale concerning a sparkling damsel. Next, he plops down with his chest to the floor and looks under the beds. Thirdly, almost as an afterthought, he checks the food stores, for any clue hinting at the recent removal of food often taken for a long journey. All the while humming an aimless tune.
“Well,” he looks to the other two with a straight face, “I’m pretty sure James isn’t here.”
The tiny abode quickly gives up it's secrets. There's little of interest in the home but what there is is easily found.
Langblade kicks around the room idly, but it's clear she hasn't noticed anything of note.
________________________________________________________________________
The pair continues apace down the street. The Hole is coming up ahead around the next corner. Presumably it won't be long before they find the red door house and the rest of the group.
Umros Whippoorwill smiles at the sight of the songbook. He peruses it quickly, wishing he had a book of lyrics in his pack to trade for it. He returns it to its place and takes the book of local history and leafs through it, browsing for words like “disappeared”, “kidnapping”, and “Shining Lady”. He momentarily raises an eyebrow up at Langblade, whose inaction looks like boredom to the gnome, but he keeps his attention on his search.
While Umros is crawling on the floor, Cath approaches the mantle and inspects the figures. His eyes pass over the man and the creature, but stick on the figure of the woman. "Hey, who's this lady? Some sort of goddess?" Cath asks to no one in particular, hoping that either of his present companions might know more about religion and such.
The old alchemist glances up at the figurine in question, and notices the other two nearby.
"Not sure, I think the man might be Cayden Cailean?" She scratches under her armor and kinda shrugs as if to say, beats me.
"Red door," Tainesh say, unnecessarily. All the houses on this street had doors painted gray, blue, or brown, leaving only the one with the door ajar. Still, coming close enough to see the red paint was a nice confirmation that she and Sparks weren't walking into a burglary.
Well, she didn't know Cath or Langblade. It was premature to rule out that possibility.
"It is likely getting crowded inside. I will take a look around out here," Sparks says, only taking the quickest peak through the open door. She breaks off and starts a thorough examination of the house and it's nearby surroundings. At some point, if anyone inside is paying attention, they might notice the now adventure ready elf pass by the windows whose blinds Cath previously opened.
“Well-spotted, Langblade,” the smiling traveler nods to the warrior woman, “the god of ale, wine, freedom, and bravery. That one next to him is of Lady Shelyn, the goddess of beauty, art, and love. And that tentacled-thing is… ah… well, I don’t know…” Leaving the book on the sheets, he slides off the bed and steps closer to the mantle for a better look. Taking hold of the octopus creature, he turns it over in his hands, raps it with his finger, and sniffs it. “Curious…”
Reunited at last the group takes a few minutes to thoroughly examine the small home before deciding what to do next...
"I did not see anything outside," Sparks reports. "Perhaps the child used his window to sneak out when his mother was not looking, my windowsill used to have similar scuff marks to this one... I hope the three of you learned something more from his friends?"
“Huh,” the gnome shrugs and stretches high, onto his tiptoes, to return the wooden idol back to its place on the cold hearth.
He feels the heavy pack begin to pull him backward, and he lurches his weight and regains his balance in time. He chuckles sheepishly as he readjusts his pack.
“Well, I think we’ve seen all there is to see here,” he says over his shoulder, walking toward the red door, “but we still need to wait for -oh, there you are,” Umros Whippoorwill smiles when he sees the women approach.
Listening intently, he nods happily at Sparks’ question. “Indeed we have! The children here are a well-spring of imagination! They are the true treasure of this town. No surprise that the Shining Lady would call such a gem for herself.”
As though his answer was common knowledge, he begins bobbing his head to a quiet, aimless hum. The gnome proceeds out of the house and onto the road without another word. His mind idly returns to the songbook inside the Elenath household. I should put to pen some of the songs I’ve learned, and trade for that one. Some of those song titles in that book were new to me…
"Who is The Shining Lady?" Sparks asks, but Umros is already walking past her before she can fully get her question out. "Please tell me one of you has some notion of what he was talking about," The elf very nearly pleads to Cath and Langblade.
With his mind already on music, and his feet already astride, the gnome feels a lively beat buzz through his veins. Rapping his fingers against the rim of his buckler, those nearby notice that the staccato rhythm grows in resonation. In moments, the small metal shield on the gnome’s arm sounds like a tight drumhead. Umros grins up at Sparks as his stamping foot jostles his oversize pack. After a few measures, his tenor voice spills out a musical account of their findings.
“Oh, come tell me, Tommy-tammie, where your best friend is to be?
‘Taken by the Shining Woman,’ answering the question she.
With the fear of unknown menace, did the children all fall mum
‘Beckons from the wooded forest, calls the lady bright as sun.’
Though we know not where James wandered, wagers bet beyond the trees.
Let us go to find the boy, and put his mother’s grief at ease!”
By the end of the short song, the gnome spins in place, and faces the tall folk with a goofy smile and wide silver eyes.
"Gnomes are... they see the world differently than we do," Tainesh says, feeling obligated to argue in defense of the cleric. "Umros looks around with the collected wisdom of an old man and the, er, perspective of a young child, and his Fey heritage doubtlessly colors his vision as well. That said... some context is more than welcome."
'Seen all there is to see? Perhaps. Perhaps not.' With an ear out for story of the Shining Lady, Tainesh casts Detect Magic and takes a quick look around the house.
Langblade looks from first Sparks then to Tainesh. Chuckling quietly at Umros' tune she shrugs and says. "Some of the children in the street mentioned her. Don't know who she is, or what she'd want with little boys."
Tainesh wracks her mind as she examines the strange little idol. Though she can't name it, the wizard knows that she's heard something about statues like these before. Maybe when doing some local region research she read something regarding minor religions and cults. If she's recalling correctly, there was something regarding the many arms of an octopus representing the myriad paths of chaos and uncertainty in the world. It wouldn't be outside the realm of reason to surmise that fatalistic individuals might pay homage to these long dead deitys.
As the Gnome leaves the small home the others in the group consider what they've learned.
Cath heads out the door with the others and listens to Umros' impromptu ditty. Clever one, he is, if a bit odd. Once the others are out, he locks the door and turns toward the forest.
"Cath... That is, Mr. Ringor, I could not help but notice your... heritage... and wondered KAMA WEWE KUZUNGUMZA YOYOTE ELVEN?" Sparks asks as she follows the half-elf outside. She speaks the latter part of her question slowly and clearly almost as if addressing a young child. "I know that a substantial number of your kind are not taught the language and it would displease me to unintentionally offend you by not asking first."
The fighter rolls his eyes when Sparks makes the comment about him being a half-elf. Not this again, why are elves so damn judgmental?
“SA, NAWEZA KUSEMA E ELVEN” Cath responds mockingly, emulating Sparks' over-enunciation. “Ingawa pengine si kama vizuri kama wewe aina safi-damu. Mimi kujifunza ni kupanda juu, lakini mama yangu hakujua mengi sana ya lugha na mimi ilichukua wengine zaidi ya miaka.”
Switching back to Common, he says tersely, “If my heritage is going to be a problem for you, best keep quiet about it.”
“YES, I CAN SPEAK THE ELVEN, Although probably not as smoothly as you pure-blood kind. I learned it growing up, but my mother did not know very much of the language and I picked up the rest over the years.”
"It wasn't. Isn't... and won't be," Sparks replies with a brief flash of indignation before breaking eye contact and moving to the front of the group so as to put some distance between herself and Cath.
'I probably could have handled that better... Perhaps an apology is in order?' she thinks as she releases the coiled, defensive tension from her chest.
The group of five make easy progress leaving Sharlstown behind and quickly approaches the forests edge. It's a short hike, and given the directions from those in town, an easy one to the forest clearing. The day has proven to be a pleasant and sunny one, and the sweet Autumn air fills the groups lungs as they walk.
The clearing is in a copse of trees, not far from the edge as promised. Upon entering it the group sees everything you'd expect, soft green grass, various trees and small shrubs, occasional uncovered stones dot the loamy field.
You're just about to begin searching the area when you here an odd snuffling sound from the Northeast...
Two black forms trundle out of the wood and spot the group, with a ferocious roar one rears back on it's hind legs and makes as if preparing to attack! It would seem you've stumbled upon a mother bear and it's near full-grown child!
The Mother bear charges towards the group full-on, pulling up just short to lash out vicious looking claws at the armored Half-Elf Cath!
But the heavy paws rake uselessly across the warriors armor. For the moment it seems the younger bear doesn't know what to do, it watches from across the glade.
Any lingering apprehension Sparks feels about her flubbed encounter with Cath is instantly forgotten as she takes her first few steps into the forest. At first, she surges ahead of the others with her bow held comfortably in her hand, expertly moving among the trees and undergrowth with a large grin on her face. A quick look back, however, reminds her that some of the others aren't nearly so comfortable with the more difficult terrain so she takes an interest in a nearby tree for a few moments until the rest of the group catches up to her.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asks aloud to no one in particular as the adventurers emerge into the clearing. Her appreciative gaze is cut short when the two bears make themselves known. Acting quickly, Sparks lets her heavy pack drop to the ground. Then, with a smooth, well practiced motion, her right hand pulls an arrow from the quiver at her side, notches it onto the string of her longbow, and pulls it back as she takes aim and...
...mutters some sort of elvish curse.
She sees herself loose her arrow only to have it embed itself into Cath's back. To have him yell in pain as he falls to the ground in front of her. She blinks away the unsettling vision and tries to adjust her aim but no matter how she leans Cath's bulky, armored form is far too close to the bear for her comfort. Convinced that she has no other options, Sparks sprints west towards the nearby tree line and again takes aim. Though the angle is better, the close proximity of the fighter and the bear again causes her to hesitate.
"Move!" she calls out in frustration.
Cath stands his ground when the bear charges. No time for a shield – will probably get in the way, anyway. The fighter draws his sword in one smooth motion and with both hands behind the hilt, brings the blade down on the bear.
The wandering alchemist follows along, sniffing at the forest air, rubbing the texture of passing leaves in his tiny hand, and listening to bend of roots and sticks underfoot. He idly glances about for anything growing that he could put alchemical use.
At the clearing, he takes in the peaceful scene, nodding silently to the elven girl’s observation. But his small heart skips when he hears the trashing, for he only knew big, strong, hungry creatures in the forest cared to thrash. Usually he is able to spot the danger before it spots him, but this time Umros was too distracted. He grimaces when he sees the mother bear charge. I wish I had seen or heard her before we got too close. There’s no reasoning with mama now that her blood is up… The grimace twists into a cringe when Cath brings his sword to bear.
Still, the armored warrior seems better equipped than the old gnome to go toe-to-toe with such a fearsome beast. He decides to stay out of the way of Langblade, who seems headstrong enough to meet aggressive problems with the sword at her belt. Speaking of belts… Umros pulls a pinch of wool from a pouch at his own belt. Maybe I can stun her, and she might run away...
“Stupifacio!” he calls as he snaps the fingers pinching the wool, and then casts an outstretched hand toward mama bear.
The city girl is of the opinion that forests should be paved and graded until the steep hills were reduced to gentle slopes. Tainesh could have made the journey to the clearing without much fuss, but not in boots that weren't broken in yet, and not at the pace the Elven ranger sets for the rest of the group. Thankfully, she's managed to catch herself every time she tripped over an upraised root. And after the first time she'd slipped on carpets of pine needles, she'd resolved to watch how Sparks ascended the slopes and walk in the Elf's footprints. She quickly switched to following Cath; he was larger than her, and Sparks was so light on her feet she could probably walk on water.
She was catching her breath when she heard the bear's roar and looked up in time to see it charge.
Tainesh had never been in a fight, but she'd always imagined being in the middle of a fight, pictured herself coolly assessing her options and then taking decisive action. Intellectually, she'd known that she'd be struggling with panic. She'd known that she would be in the cold grip of terror as the world fell to chaos around her. She just couldn't imagine that from the safety of her writing desk.
To her credit, the wizard isn't locked up in mind-numbing panic. To say she was calmly assessing her options would be giving her too much credit.
-gods a bear it's charging straight for us it's big enough to knock Cath to the ground and I'm standing right behind him holding this quarterstaff that isn't big enough to fend off a full-grown bear not good and there's a giant charging for us too I can hear his footsteps have to fight but Cath is in the way and the spell will hit him too and that bear just swiped him I thought he was going to get tackled and mauled and have the flesh of his face torn off but I can't see how that didn't tear him in half that giant is getting closer but I think those footsteps might be my heartbeat why isn't Sparks shooting the critter is Cath in the way of her too but the bear is bigger than he is it's a giant bear with claws like swords and teeth like daggers and eyes... also like daggers how could she not hit it with her eyes closed now she's running and telling me to move which is a good idea but she might just be yelling for Cath to give her a clear shot which makes more sense but the first idea is still a good idea I should run somewhere and maybe the bear will be too busy eating Cath to chase me or maybe I won't be a threat to the child and it won't care anymore it's just protecting its baby in the most raven-
'It's attacking us because we might be a threat to its child.'
'So, it'll ignore us if something actually threatens the little one.'
Of the three spells she has remaining, she picks her least favorite. With a modicum of will, she breathes arcane power into it and unlocks it with the right components; a bit of fleece taken from her spell component pouch, the touching of her fingers and thumbs before her face with an empty spot between her palms, and the spoken word "L'eiffel."
She was jittery before, but a vocable calms her and a formless, colorless shape materializes in her mind. The spell fills in the small details as she molds and animates it, and another effort of will causes it to appear.
On the far side of the clearing, a panther creeps out of the trees and circles the cub.
Her surprise at the bears sudden appearance is quickly tamped down as Langblade draws her swords and rushes into the fray.
The Half-Elf warriors blade cuts deeply into the flank of the mother bear and she roars in anger as his sword comes away bloody. Soon after Langblades own follows, striking in the same spot. She further opens the wound and the blood flows freely from the ragged hole.
The young bear at the far end of the clearing roars as it sees it's mother fall under attack. It looks ready to charge when as if from no-where a strange scent-less cat appears before it. It growls and begins to circle opposite the jaguar, lashing out with it's claws it strikes at the image!
The mother bear looks to be about ready to strike again at Cath when she hears her offspring roaring. Turning to look she sees the big cat menacing her child. Growling the mama bear charges towards the threatening creature.
It takes a moment for Sparks to connect the panther to Tainesh's magical gestures but once she does she can't help but be impressed. It even fooled the bears! Sparks lines up her clear shot and fires at the wounded mother...
...but something is off. Maybe it's working with a new group. Maybe it's her long string of restless nights. But whatever the reason, Sparks' first arrow goes short and embeds itself in the ground. Determined to not look foolish, Sparks rapidly readies a second shot and fires again.
What the…? Cath sees the leopard appear as if from nowhere, wondering at the luck—or was it unluck?—of such timing. As the mother bear turns, the fighter takes a swipe while her attention is elsewhere.
Without losing a beat, Cath drops his longsword and draws his bow, firing a shot at the retreating bear…
…but he rushes the shot and the arrow sails completely wide.
Oh, that's embarrassing.
"I go to all this work..." Tainesh mutters darkly. "You guys will have to shoot better than that! I give it a few more seconds until the bear realizes that the panther's an illusion and comes back for us!"
The illusory panther needed to move away before the bear could attack, but do so in a catlike way that wouldn't arouse suspicion. At the same time, it had to remain close enough to threaten the cub.
She taps her fingers on the ball of fleece, and the panther simultaneously ducks and turns in place, like she'd seen alleycats do when surprised by dogs. A leap takes the illusion halfway up the trunk of a nearby tree, and it scampers out of reach.
The gnome frowns at his hands. Odd. That usually works. He shrugs.
His ears perk at the sound of magical words, and he looks up to find the caster. Umros’ attention goes from Tainesh’s incantation to search the clearing for its effect. He grins when he sees a panther stalk out of the forest, and threaten the cub. The mama bear turns to defend the near-adult offspring, and the gnome nods at the spell’s effect. Clever girl…
“If your big cat comes a bit closer, I could grant her a voice,” the little gnome says to Tainesh. He stretches a small arm over his pack, finding a tiny flask. This ought to frighten them off, if they get any closer… Leaning back, Umros holds the flask behind him, ready to hurl it forward if the bears advance.
“Wait? Illusion? What?!”
"Not important!"