Working quickly, Undari makes the berries into poultices and even sweetens them a bit with herbs he found while waiting for Gaius to do his magic. Seeming energized by healing so many, he shepherds the ill through the worst of the early morning nausea side effects.
Lily yawns deeply. "I think I'm getting a bit sleepy. This took longer than I thought it would. "
Gaius shuffles around sleepily, his eyes carrying some additional baggage. "Ditto, Lily," he says. "Are we doing things today?" People won't die because of us, but boy do I wish I was.
________
Seeing his friends’ distress, Undari quickly wraps up a couple of Leaser Restoration tinctures into a Yaupon leaf each, handing the combo to Lily and Gaius, saying, ”Drink the tonic and chew the leaf, and you’ll be right as rain in a few minutes.”
"They did say it would take a while," Esperanza says, leaning against a nearby tree. "Besides, Undari is with them, I'm sure he can get them out of any trouble they get themselves into."
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Not needing to be asked twice, especially by a healer as vetted as Undari, Gaius gulps down the tonic and chews the leaf for as long as he can. Within minutes, the fog from his mind begins to clear, his mood brightens, and the bags under his eyes recede at almost a visible rate. "THANK YOU SO. MUCH!"
He skips around camp a bit, a well of energy surging through him. Well, until he almost rolls an ankle and sheepishly shuffles back to his little corner of camp and starts breaking it down.
Lily just gnaws at the leaf watching Gaius and says to Flopsy," So how are humans in your opinion? I can't deny it we're pretty odd even for humans."
Flopsy rests her little chin on her hand and scratches her side with a hind leg. "I'm not really sure how you don't get bored! Sooooo many rules and you only have one shape!" she begins, turning into a calico cat, and then a goat to prove her point. "And you can't even fly! Thumbs are good though," she concedes, now back in her Pooka form and flexing her tiny opposable digits for Lily to admire.
"Don't you Humans have to make babies to learn magic too? That just seems silly, why aren't you born with magic already," she wonders out loud before hovering onto Lily's shoulder and putting a hand on her head. "I'd owe you like six favors if you tell me who made babies with Gaius to get his magic!" she telepathically messages.
Lily just stares at Flopsy and says," That's not how magic works. It's kind of complicated so I'd ask Gaius for more information. I think he just learned reading from a book. "
" Though I do have to say your right about having one shape. It is kind of boring when you think about it," she says a bit wide eyes at the possibilities.
Flopsy pulls her head back and gives Lily a suspicious stare from the side of her eyes. "Aren't there those ensorcelled-ers with their baby blood magic? Everyone knows you can't learn magic from a dusty book, but fine I'll ask Gaius about it myself."
With a smaller *humph!* she hops off of Lily's shoulder and starts circling the Arcanist. I bet he'll be eager to talk once we find another Fey for him to gush over... Yeeeeah that's when I'll get him!
'No Gaius learned magic the boring way. I'm the one who had the magic come kind of innately. And I think that's a bit more complicated than just my parents deciding to make a baby. "
Once the medicine is administered, thus begins a very harrowing time for the refugees.
Being saved from the infection is a comfort that is oft forgot as they endur the experience of having said infection purged from their bodies. Naspen's company of ill-fated followers are in no shape to move as they violently expel the dead eggs and larvae. The refugee camp in the forest soon becomes a foul place, filled with the disconcerting sound of retching - to say nothing of the smell.
It will take a day or two for them to recover enough to be shepherded to safety.
Undari shepherds the recovering patients through their sickness, supplementing with magic, herbs, and plenty of nutritious goodberries.
Esperanza sets aside her glaive for the day in favor of fetching clean water and offering what comfort she can to the refugees.
Wiping the brow of a sweating, heaving refugee as gently as he can, Thorek surveys the clearing with obvious concern. "If anything gets the drop on us these folk are doomed," he mention to the others. "Gaius, can your irritating sidekick keep an eye out so we don't get caught by surprise?"
Undari and the rest of the party's aid provides much comfort to the refugees as they convalesce.
= Leshy Patch!
You remain vigilant through the day, and fate rewards you. No dangers or horrors are drawn by the sounds and smells of the campsite. Even benign forest creatures keep their distance.
Towards the evening, however, something finds you.
Whilst foraging for medicinal herbs or hunting game, you are accosted by a small but snappy voice.
"Good evening, friends! What're you about?"
Turning towards the source, you find a curious visitor. At first you mistake them for a colorful flower, but you soon realize it is some manner of plant creature, a few feet tall. Verdant stalks entwine one another to create a humanoid shape with a giant snapdragon blossom for a head.
While most leshys are timid and reclusive, snapdragon leshys are quite extroverted. They are even known to find their way into settled areas to caper and gab at the big, strange folks they find.
"Greetings, friend of the forest, I am Undari. We are harvesting herbs to help some human refugees recover from a sickness they got fleeing from the invading Ironfang forces," replies Undari. "How are you doing, my leshy friend? Would you like to help?"
Lily eyes grow wide and she excitedly rushed up. Sitting down to be more in line with the creature she just looks happily at the creature. "So adorable. So cute. Just like Flopsy. This is a great pick me up ," she thinks to herself.
After staring for just a slightly awkward time she snaps out of her stupor and says,"Oooo hi. I'm sorry being awkward. But I don't know if you realize this but your adorable. And well I like adorable things. My name is Lily. Pleasure to meet you. Do you need help? Are you in danger? Because if you want I know of a tree that hates us but would gladly help protect you."
The leshy seems to ignore Undari entirely as it listens to Lily. Rather than any sort of vocal response, the petals of its flowery head raise up in an approximation of a smile. The leshy rushes over and hugs Lily's leg, wrapping its brightly colored stalks and limbs around her.
"Well aren't you just the sweetest thing," the leshy replies. "My name is Hessilda, and I'm not in any danger. I just wanted to prove to my friends that they had nothing to fear from you."
Hessilda gestures behind it, using the flowery equivalent of a pointed thumb.
Three more leshys nervously creep out from the underbrush. Unlike the slender and colorful Hessilda, these miniature plant people have hunched bodies made of lichens with rain capes woven from leafy growths draped over their backs.
"This is Billo, Rej, and Steff," Hessilda introduces her compatriots. "They're tough little sprouts and like to explore, but when they see new faces, they get a little tongue tied. I told them you seemed like good folks. I have an eye for character, you know?"
Lily just audibly squeals at the visitors. And hugs Hessilda back. Upon contemplating the situation she says," It's good to be cautious in this forest with everything going on. We're pretty friendly and helpful but not everyone may be as nice as us."
She adds," You have to meet my friend Gaius. He would enjoy talking to you. He's a bit awkward but I'm sure he would be as excited to talk to you as I am. "
"It's nice to meet all of you," Esperanza says, recovering from her initial surprise and trepidation. "I am Esperanza, and I'm glad to hear that we have 'friendly' faces, so to speak."
With a makeshift crutch, Gaius finally hobbles his way over, his bag dragging in the dirt. "Leshies! INCREDIBLE!" he announces. Once he's come close enough, he drops the crutch and takes a seat, pulling out all of his note-taking supplies. He quickly jots each of their names down and throws a quick sketch together of each of their visitors.
"An eye for character, you said? And tell me, flowery one, what is it you see? How is it you survive in these woods on your explorations? What is it you're searching for? Have you made any progress? Where have you explored already? And the Ironfang Hobgoblins! How have you managed to evade them? Please! Spare no detail!" he gushes, directing his stream of questions at each of the Leshies, rather than just the Snapdragon.
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Flopsy's leaning against a tree nearby with her arms crossed. She rolls her eyes. "Ugh, Gaius, so uncool..." Perfect timing, he'll be so happy that I can ask him where he got his baby magic afterwards!
Slowly swaggering over (or as much as one can when you're relegated to 'hopping'), she heads over to meet the visitors. "Hey," she says with a slight lift of her chin.
As people start showering them with attention, she leans in close to the Snapdragon Leshy. "Enjoy the attention while it lasts," she whispers to the Snapdragon. "Eventually, something cuter and cuddlier comes along to push you right into the sinkhole of abandonment. I'm Flopsy, by the way. The geek is Gaius. Don't ask him about his baby magic, that's my question."
A bit miffed that their guests completely ignored his welcome, Undari watches the situation unfold and wonders if these leshys have an ulterior motive here.
When he sees Gaius’ injury, he rushes over to help properly brace the ankle, saying, ”Why didn’t you tell me you were injured, Gaius? When did this happen?”
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Spotting the commotion, Thorek starts to wander over until he notices the gaggle of leshies. Stopping in his tracks, the dwarf stares at them for a moment before shaking his head and walking away, muttering in Dwarven.
Lily sees Flopsy approach the Leshys and says," Hey I haven't forgotten about you. Come here so I can bask in your cuteness too."
Flopsy's personality flips instantaneously. Taking Hessilda by the closest vine that approximates her hand, she pulls her over to Lily to be basked under.
She luxuriates under the attention.
"Oh, no, no, it's nothing," Gaius says trying to wave off Undari, likely to no avail. "Your mixture earlier made me feel so energized I was seized with a bout of skipping... I'm not very good at skipping," he admits.
Looking at his ankle, it is a touch swollen, but nothing the Herbalist can't handle. The crutch is likely the best thing Gaius could think of with his non-medical expertise.
Spotting the commotion, Thorek starts to wander over until he notices the gaggle of leshies. Stopping in his tracks, the dwarf stares at them for a moment before shaking his head and walking away, muttering in Dwarven.
"Thorek," Esperanza calls after him, her voice like that of a teacher speaking to a surly child. "Take some time to appreciate the natural beauty of the world around us. It's part of what we're fighting to protect from the Ironfang. Besides," she says, her tone becoming wry, "I promise not to tell the other dwarves you frolicked with the flower people."
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Hessilda is left confused by Flopsy's warning and follows the pooka with flowery arms open, angling for a hug that never happens. When Gaius poses his questions, the snapdragon leshy abandons its friendly overtures towards Flopsy for now to converse with the arcanist.
"I watched as you helped those big folk who were sick," Hessilda points towards the refugees' camp. "You didn't try to kill them or eat them or anything bad like that."
The leshys are familiar with much of the Chernasardo. They describe landmarks with a distorted sense of scale, but they sound similar to many of the locales you've already visited or traveled by.
"I loved chatting with those nice rangers. It was funny to watch them get frustrated after we found their hiding spots. I miss them, though. They haven't been around since the gray people started showing up," Hessilda laments, clearly referring to the Ironfangs. "Fortunately, they don't look too closely at flowers and plants. We can stand still, and they don't even notice us."
The three lichen leshys cautiously follow Thorek at a distance. They are curious about the man whose stocky, sturdy posture and gait so closely resemble their own. When he turns to look at them, they jump with a start and shuffle a few tiny paces back. When he resumes walking, though, so do they.
Approaching the snapdragon leshy, Undari asks, "Hessilda, have you seen any more refugees nearby? They may be led by a knight of Shelyn known as Eurydicia, if that helps."
Wrinkling his nose, he speaks of the hobgoblins, "The gray people are despoilers of the forest, those we call Hobgoblins, and they belong to a group known as the Ironfangs. They and their allies have attacked the rangers, their forts, and the nearby settlements. We are doing the best we can to both help the refugees and frustrate the plans of the invaders. Have you seen any of these Ironfangs around here recently?"
Undari's question catches Esperanza's ears, and she returns to his side, eager to hear news.
"We saw some of those Ironfang hobgoblins back over yonder," Hessilda says, pointing back in the direction of Blooder's Bend. "They were very loud and argued a lot. They couldn't even manage to be nice with one another, so we didn't even waste any time trying to prank them. We haven't seen or heard any others nearby in quite some time. I assumed they all finally decided to leave."
Based upon the snapdragon leshy's observations, it would seem that the Ironfangs have withdrawn from the Fangwood and abandoned their operations in the forest. Hessilda also indicates that the refugees you currently care for are the only group of non-hobgoblin humanoids they've seen in the forest for some time. This suggests that Eurydicia's group has not entered the Fangwood.
"I believe we may have already dealt with the Ironfang hobgoblins to which you refer, Hessilda. Our concern now is to get these refugees to safety once they are well enough to travel," explains Undari.
Looking to the lead refugee, Undari adds, "Naspen, where was Eurydicia and the other refugees when you last saw her? Perhaps we can find safety for you all."
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It takes Thorek a while to notice the lichen leshies tailing him. "Don't you lot have anything better to do?" he asks them before shaking his head and continuing to tend the refugees.
After a while the dwarf takes a break, finding a nearby rock to sit on and pulling out a few of the precious honey pastries he'd requested back at Hidden Hope. Noticing the gaggle of leshies watching him, Thorek sighs and reluctantly offers them on. "Any of you know any decent jokes? No? Alright I'll start..."
Esperanza feels a mix of disappointment and relief wash over her. Perhaps they made it all the way to Longshadow?
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"Eurydicia," Naspen begins, taking pains to ensure he pronounces her name correctly and respectfully, "was leading her group westward, towards Longshadow. As others flocked to her, they brought word that Redburrow had been razed and Radya's Hollow was occupied by the Legion. Longshadow seems to be the only sanctuary to be found, south of the Hollow Hills."
Nodding along, Undari says, "Thorek, it seems that all roads lead to Longshadow. I counsel we get moving as soon as the refugees can travel and make our way west by southwest, using cover of the forest and bypassing Redburrow on the way."
Noting Esperanza's concern, Undari adds, "With a holy warrior of your order leading them, Esperanza, I am hopeful that the refugees made it safely to Longshadow. I can prepare spells to speed our path along the way once we are ready to travel."
Thorek just nods knowingly at Undari's statement. "Why wouldn't they? Everything we've learned indicates that Longshadow is a strongpoint that hasn't fallen to the Ironfangs. We should make sure it stays that way, soon as these folk can move on their own again."
"I'd be grateful for that, Undari. I confess, I'm anxious to get moving. The Ironfang have been planning this for some time and eventually they'll get around to doing it."
"I agree with the proposed route, speed is paramount!" Gaius chimes in. "Even if we could liberate other areas, that's time the Ironfangs could use to start taking Longshadpw."
________
Despite assurances that Longshadow is a safe haven, though they are clearly on the mend, the refugees remain wary of returning westward - into territory that could generously be called "contested."
However, as your discussion carries into the night, Hessilda recognizes some of the places you mention. The colorful leshy offers to guide the other "big friends" eastward, towards Fort Trevalay. Even the shy lichen leshys seem curious about having such a large cadre of new friends to follow during such a trek.
After finishing his treatments for the evening, Undari says, ”You should all be ready to travel in the morning. I can cast a few spells to speed you along the way—to Fort Trevalay, it would seem.”
Yawning, Undari apologizes, ”However, right now I need some sleep. Last night’s harvesting is really catching up with me,” and goes to bed early, nestling into the nearby tree’s roots like an old friend’s arms.
Gaius follows Undari's cue and heads to bed as well. Flopsy eventually tires of her new acquaintances and Lily affections (for now, anyways) and heads off to sleep as well.
"[b]Well that was gladly needed. If you all want help out protection feel free to ask. Don't be shy you all[/b," Lily says while getting ready to sleep.
Come morning, the refugees have all recovered enough to travel. Some headaches and muscle pains remain, though these lingering symptoms are clearly waning. There is some unease about following the guidance of the leshys - especially from the self-important Naspen - but the majority of the refugees defer to your wisdom because you saved their lives.
They set out eastward, deeper into the forest, but your own path lies to the west. Will you travel to Redburrow, Radya's Hollow, or directly to Longshadow?
"It's certainly out of our way," Esperanza says, consulting their map of the area, "but if the Legion has occupied Radya's Hollow, it may be worth seeing what they're up to. I won't object if the rest of you think we should go straight to Longshadow, though."
"If the Ironfangs are holding those villages rather than just looting, razing, and moving on..." Thorek consults his mental map, gazing into the middle distance as he thinks. "Probably worth a look. If we take out the garrisons there and at Redburrow it might draw some attention--and manpower--away from the forces massing against Longshadow. I'm for it."
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Undari sends the Leshys and Refugees on their way with a few Nature's Path spells and some poultices for the road (5 doses of cure moderate wounds, given to the leshys in case people get wounded--uses up today's Herbalism).
Hearing Esperanza's thoughts, he offers, "I can offer some aerial reconnaissance in avian form, to help us understand what is going on. If the Legion is marching on Longshadow, there is a reasonable chance I will see that as well."