Gaius tries his best to pretend to be asleep. His hands are ready to form arcane gestures as soon as things get hairy though...
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From his vantage point, Undari spots a lone human man clumsily picking his way through the dark forest.
He lights his way with a single candle wedged in a dented copper holder. He wears only the clothes of a commoner, his shoes looking almost worn through by travel. A dagger hangs at his hip in a poorly affixed belt, and he holds a spear in his main hand - using it more to sound out his path like a walking stick rather than a true weapon.
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Undari (owl) circles up higher so he can cast a spell (Beast Speech) in private and then comes back down and lands on a branch in front of the man.
”Whoooooo...Whoooooo...Whooooooo are you, wandering soul?” he asks the interloper.
While waiting for Undari to return, Esperanza crouches in the undergrowth and waits for the interloper to show itself.
The call of an owl spooks the interloper. He stumbles back a few steps visible shudders. However, when the bird's call transforms into coherent words in Common, a frightened squeal escapes his lips. He turns to flee but doesn't even make it three steps before a tree root catches his foot and sends him toppling to the ground. The candle holder flies from his hand and skitters to the ground, dousing the flame and plunging the forest back into darkness.
"Please don't hurt me!" the man pleads, clutching his ankle whilst rolling on the ground. "I'm just looking for medicine for my followers!"
Speaking gently to the frightened man, Undari (owl) says, "Be at peace, petitioner. I do not seek to hurt you, and I may even be able to help you and your followers. Would you happen to be refugees displaced from the Ironfang invasion?"
Undari (owl) casts a spell and alights on the man's shoulder, healing his wounds ( ), then continues, "Come, rise to your feet and I will guide you into our camp." The unusual owl (clad in tiny green dragonscale breastplate and with a pouch resting on his chest) sends the all-clear message to his companions and tries to reassure the man, pointing out the way to their camp.
Lily quietly hides in the bushes hoping that the person is being honest and not trap to lure them in.
"Yes. Yes!" he stammers when Undari asks about the refugees. He struggles to his feet in the dark and attempts to brush the dirt from his clothes.
"My...my name is Naspen Jarth. We number two dozen in all. We were once part of a larger group, but the old leader was incompetent and kept us wandering through the wilds, so I persuaded some of my former neighbors to follow me and seek shelter at one of the ranger forts. In the past few days, though, almost everyone has fallen ill with some kind of fever."
Undari calls, "All clear," to the camp, then he murmurs a quick spell and a flame lights on the tip of his wing (Produce Flame). Pointing the now lit wing in the direction of the camp, he says, "This way, Naspen. Come meet my companions and we will see what we can do for you and your neighbors. On the way, you can tell me of the symptoms they have been showing in their fever."
Gaius exhales deeply, allowing the redish-purple hues of his face to dissipate. Sitting up, he looks to the others. "We're going to keep them some distance away right? If they've the blight, I'm not risking it again! One scar and proximity pain his bad enough! I do want to help them, just, you know, while their over there," he concludes, gesturing at the edge of the light.
"Don't light your hair just yet, Gaius. An' don't do it for him either, Flopsy," Thorek growls. "We don't know what's ailing them yet, and we won't make any decisions without more information."
Stepping forward to get a better look at Naspen. "You lot are lucky we found you before the Ironfangs did. I'm Thorek Ironspark, of Kraggodan. We'll get your people sorted as best we can, Naspen. Where are you all from?"
Esperanza stands back behind Thorek, glaive held off to the side. "And I am Esperanza. You are safe," she says, with a smile and a soft tone.
"I suspect it is some manner of food poisoning," Naspen states as he leads the party towards his own group. He attempts to reassert a modicum of confidence and demonstrate his woodcraft skills. "Shortly before the sickness came upon us, we caught a weak deer. We thought it was merely malnourished, but once everyone who ate some of the roasted meat started to fall ill, we quickly figured out the source."
"Most of us hail from Radya's Hollow, but we recently joined a group from Redburrow. They were led by some arrogant knight of Shelyn," he scoffs. "A Shelynite? Bah! An Erastilian or Gorumite would be better suited to navigating these wilds in a time of war, aye? I'm just glad I could convince at least a few folk to abandon her poor, aimless leadership so I could lead them to safety."
Undari (owl) says, "From your description, I suspect a parasite, Naspen. How far away is the rest of your group? We should get there as soon as possible before your companions get too weak to survive." Hooting a bit, he adds, "But we would also be glad of finding the rest of the refugees and helping them as well, knight of Shelyn or not."
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"What was this knight's name, Naspen?" Esperanza's smile doesn't falter, but her voice gains an edge.
"I mean by your criteria half of us don't qualify either. Desnsa, Shelyn, and.... Nerd???," she says pointing at herself, Esperanza, and Gaius in that order.
"I'm more of a geek, really, and specifically a geek for the Fey, at that," Gaius corrects proudly.
He can't help but to look at Esperanza's glaive when the man starts ridiculing a Shelynite Knight for leading followers into the woods. Especially when he isn't doing so hot himself.
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"Waaaaaait a minute! Esperanza, aren't YOU one of those rainbow-bird people? I don't know that I'd call you a knight though..." Flopsy says from a tree nearby. "Hey city-boy, which are you? An Elky person or a Big-Swordy person? Either way, you're probably not very good at it if all those people are sick because of you!" she mocks. Not sure this sap is going to make it out of the woods tonight... Devils about and what not... Haha!
A few tree branches stir as she falls onto her back giggling to herself.
"[b] Point is that we're not exactly the ideal team to fight the legion ourselves. You probably were better off not splitting up./b]"
"A Shelynite? Bah! An Erastilian or Gorumite would be better suited to navigating these wilds in a time of war, aye?"
"Angradd is war god enough for us, but you'd be a fool to discount Shelyn or her followers, Naspen." Thorek warns, crossing his arms and staring hard at the newcomer. "Undari will examine your people, and if he thinks they are healthy we can bring them to stay with our people. Not a moment before, understood?"
"Yes, Flopsy, I am a rainbow-bird person," Esperanza says, her tone completely serious. The haft of her glaive thumps on the dirt as they walk.
"They are not far. This stretch of the forest is so dense and tangled that even I, with my skills as a woodsman, could not make it very far in this darkness," Naspen replies. Considering the lack of challenge you've found in your travels in this area, you further suspect that Naspen is overestimating his abilities.
"The knight? Oh, what does it matter? But, um, I think her name was Yuri Dice or Eurydica or something like that. I'm just glad I no longer have to listen to such a harpy barking orders at me."
A small, flickering light appears ahead, signalling the refugee camp is near. When you arrive, entering a wide clearing, you find two dozen people huddled around a far too small, sputtering campfire. Many are sprawled upon the ground, reclining to ease their weakened muscles. They shield themselves with tattered cloaks and shawls, or even heaps of leaves to keep warm.
Seeing the sickened refugees, Undari is convinced of Naspen’s story and transforms back into his human form, urging him, ”Introduce us, and I will tend to your companions.”
Once that is done, Undari will diagnose the parasitic disease these people are suffering from, examining the sickest ones first and taking precautions to avoid direct skin contact with any potentially-diseased bodily fluids.
Gaius stays well away from the refugees, just on the edge of the light. Parasites, disease, the source doesn't matter to me! I'll bother once they're healed!
The refugees offer no resistance as Undari begins his examination, although rather than trusting the new arrivals, they may simply be too weak and afraid to offer much protest. However, a few of them stare at Esperanza curiously, or at least her glaive and Shelynite talismans.
These forest-dwelling aberrations are just as liable to inject prey with their eggs as they are to simply devour them. You are certain that the deer they slew a few days ago likely survived an encounter with a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing but came away infested with eggs. The refugees than contracted the infection upon eating the tainted venison.
You estimate that you have 2 days until refugees begin dying from this parasitic infection, unleashing immature specimens into the world. Certain spells can be used to purge the infection, but the number of patients may render such magical cures impractical. There is also a surgical option, but it is an extremely invasive and harrowing ordeal that the patients may not survive.
Undari harvests one of the egg sacs from a victim and shows it to Naspen and the others, saying, "You have all contracted a parasitic infection from an abberation known as a Wolf-In-Sheep's-Clothing. I have a stash of herbs I can use to aid in curing you, but we are in a race against time and I don't have enough to heal you all on my person."
His heart sinking, realizing he may not be able to save all these people, Undari thinks carefully about what resources may be around he can use to give these people every advantage against the parasites.
"That's so gross!" Gaius mumbles to himself. There has to be a way I can help though, think, think, think!
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Esperanza helps to examine the victims, and offer what limited insight she has on the parasite. She'll never match Undari's expertise, but perhaps a different perspective can be of use.
Later, when the opportunity presents itself, Esperanza gently pulls Naspen aside to speak quietly with him. She keeps her voice low and calm, but can't completely hide the intensity in her yellow, feline eyes.
"Her name matters, Naspen, because the woman you have spent so much breath insulting is someone who is very dear to me. She has saved my life, in more ways than you can understand, and many people just like you. I know she would lay down her life to save yours, even now. I know that, if you had trusted her, your people would be safe and healthy."
"I want you to understand that I miss her, very much. That I am denied the chance to see her again because you were blinded by your prejudices and led your people astray. That even so, I will protect you with everything I have, because that is what Eurydicia and Shelyn have taught me. You don't have to respect them or our beliefs, but please honor what they have done for you and do not insult them further."
Having said her piece, Esperanza squeezes the man's shoulder once, before turning and heading back to assist Undari with his patients.
"I've seen that woman shred a half-dozen Ironfang troopers by herself. I'd listen to what she has to say, were I you." Thorek gives Naspen a hard look and moves to assist with the treatment process.
Whilst attending to the stricken refugees, Esperanza recognizes 3 or 4 faces among them as former residents of Redburrow who were previously in the care of her mentor. However, the majority of the group are unfamiliar to her, suggesting they hail from Radya's Hollow. This is likely unsurprising to Esperanza, since the folk of Redburrow who spent time in Eurydicia's care would know to trust her, despite Naspen's self-important critiques.
Naspen flinches when he is taken aside by Esperanza. He clearly expects a physical rebuke, so her impassioned plea for understanding takes him by surprise. He nods mutely, swayed by her words.
Returning to the matter at hand, you recall an indigenous shrub called glossleaf that is highly toxic to wolves-in-sheep's-clothing, while being only mildy poisonous to humanoids. Undari could easily make a tincture from the plant's berries that would flush the eggs and larvae from the refugees' bodies at the mere cost of a bout of nausea.
Glossleaf grows in shady areas along shallow streams throughout the Fangwood. However, it will be much harder to locate the shrub by night because it is more easily identified by the rainbow sheen its leaves give off in daylight. Regarding a time frame, Thorek's examination confirms what Undari already suspects: you have perhaps 2 days before refugees begin dying from the infection.
Undari spends some time working with the herbs he has, concocting 5 cure disease poultices. Adding them to the 5 he already had made last week, he hands them to Thorek and says, "You seem to have a pretty good idea of their relative health. Feel free to use as many of these as you need to for the sicker among them."
Turning to Gaius, he adds, "I will pray and then search for the Glossleaf berries you mentioned. Would you care to help me?" he asks.
Spending 15 minutes to prepare and cast Deadeye's Lore on himself (move at full speed while tracking and +4 sacred bonus on Survival checks), then moving into the night to look for the berries.
Check 1:
Check 2:
Check 3:
Check 4:
By a few hours before sunrise, Undari has 13 or 14 tinctures ready to go (depends if Gaius aids him on check #4). With the 10 he gave to Thorek, that should be just barely enough to get everyone treated and let Undari get a bit of sleep.
Lily would join Udnari saying," Don't want you going out alone in case danger waits."
Thorek takes command of the refugees' treatment while Undari is away, sorting them into groups by severity of symptoms and posting a few of the healthier ones as lookouts and pickets. Others are set to boiling water or tallying the little group's provisions.
Esperanza stays with the refugees to guard against anything that might try to take advantage of their vulnerability, but her thoughts are focused on anything but the present.
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"Come on Flopsy, let's help Undari save these people!" Gaius says, directed at the sky.
After hours of searching, he offers his findings to Undari and then collapses to sleep.
Check 1:
Check 2:
Check 3:
Check 4:
= Cicada Swarm
The darkness proves to be scarcely an impediment for Undari, Lily, and Gaius. In the first four hours, they find a several thickets of glossleaf berries growing beneath willow trees that lean over narrow creeks. They harvest enough of the shiny red berries to cure the majority of the refugees by the time the night is only half over.
As they continue their search, however, they come upon something other than berries. At first, Gaius suspects it is merely leaves or pinecones crunching underfoot as he finds the next patch of glossleaf shrubs. However, Undari and Lily quickly point out what he's actually found.
The foraging party discovers that this hollow is absolutely carpeted with dormant cicadas. They cover every tree trunk, bush, branch, leaf, and inch of open ground to be seen - except for the glossleaf shrubs, which they distinctly avoid.
Harvesting this patch of glossleaf means potentially disturbing the cicadas and being swarmed by the insects, but moving on to find more berries means sacrificing precious time.
"I can prepare a spell that will keep the insects at bay, but unfortunately not until morning. I fear any animal or elemental shape I take may disturb them as well. Let me think on this--anyone else have an idea?" Undari asks quietly.
"BLAST 'EM!" Flopsy says, blinking into view, a wand sparking in her hand. Fortunately, the attempt fizzles. "Darn thing, they're all sorta busted!" she complains, smacking the stick against her hip. "A few whacks should get them working..."
"No Flopsy, no!" Gaius says, waving his hands around her face to dash any hops of concentrating on activating the wand any further. "We could blast them all, but I'm not certain we could do it without damaging the berries we actually need."
"Undari, if you've the magic to do this safely for all parties, I'm of a mind that we can wait. The refugees aren't in a good place, but we're fortunate in that we've the time to do this right."
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"I could get them myself. I'll probably be injured but I doubt a bunch of bugs are going to kill me out right. Then you could fireball them. "
"My spell for tomorrow is more brute force, as it will repel the insects with magic. Perhaps tonight someone with finesse and stealth could give it a try?" suggests Undari.
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Gaius begins the task of plucking the berries individually from a distance and taking care to avoid the slumbering swarm. After the fifth casting or so, it is obviously apparent that this little spell will be forever ruined for him. Not even the Academy was this boring...
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"They've been gone a long time, should we be worried?" Thorek says in an aside to Esperanza after several hours. "What if something got the drop on them?"
Lily just staring at Gaius yells out loud," Whoops.... I forgot I do that. "
Blushing profusely she proceeds to aid Gaius hoping to speed up the slow process.....
The foraging party passes a dull three hours as Gaius uses his magic to pluck berries from the shrubs - mostly one by one, but occasionally he manages to break off an entire sprig. The trio fights to stay awake, taking turns exchanging yawns, only to quickly cover their mouths lest they awaken the cicadas.
By the time the sky above the forest canopy morphs into the pale blue of predawn, the foraging party has collected several baskets' worth of glossleaf berries. Undari estimates he has enough to make more than two dozen tinctures. Coupled with his own magic, you have the supplies needed to cure the refugees who have followed Naspen.