"Let's have a closer look. This may be exactly the place we're looking for." Torod begins to clear some of the brambles.
Asta tugs on a string around her neck, and produces a circe of seven dull-coloured strips of cloth, tied together end-to-end. The Witch kisses the ring and starts muttering prayers under her breath, eyeing the suspected cairn with great suspicion.
"Well done," Asta says, her tone of voice caustic. "You've just desecrated someone's grave." Reflexively, she makes a gesture and speaks a Word of Power, but then she goes back to berating Torod. "Even if it's the grave of a warrior so ancient that no one can even remember his tribe's name, it is still someone's grave! Ugh! There's no helping it, we'll have to hold a proper re-burial ceremony..."
Torod prays to Pharasma for bothering the grave and reburies the body.
While Torod speaks the prayers to Pharasma, Asta starts chanting prayers of her own, punctuated with touches of her holy symbol. Besides asking for forgiveness for the disturbance, her prayers feature pleas to deceive the unquiet and wrathful dead so they will go astray, rather than find the object(s) of their anger...
"Please put that back," Asta says, eyes squeezed shut in an expression of distaste. "It's a ring of swimming. They're not that rare, and this one is this man's gröf herfang. Let him keep it."
"Tiger Lord?" Asta repeats, puzzled. She frowns in thought...
"No, I... I don't think that rings any bells. Who were they, then?"
"What was that about being so ancient that no one remembers the tribe's name?" Elaina asks with a smirk. The question was meant in good humor, but it was also meant to leave a point.
"That's hide, and I doubt it would have survived that long. More than likely, this fellow was killed a few years ago." Her brow knits as she thinks for a second.
"Mikmek, what do you know of the Tiger lord tribe?"
"Yes, yes," Asta says, smirking a bit in return. "I am not infallible, nor am I a master detective. Do tell us what you know, Mikmek."
"Good riddance, then," Asta says. Her eyes snap back to the cairn, and she adds, in a more decorous tone: "Um, with all due respect. We hardly need to be in the middle of another war so soon. Well, then. Shall we continue the search for the lost temple of Erastil? Croft...?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the raven croaks as he beats his wings and rises into the air to begin scouting anew. "I'm going already. No fair, everyone else gets to take their time digging up dead meat except me..."
Strawberry stands silent vigil, waiting for Croft to take his time in digging up dead meat...
The raven is flying off, scouting for the temple; Strawberry Deathstrike will have a long wait on her, er, paws if she intends to settle in for Croft to return and start looking for dead meat. ^^
Seraph picks up the ring and rolls it between her fingers for a moment. "I will need a sign on my tomb. 'Free stuff, leave the bones and go~' Not like you can take it with you." she chuckles at the morbid thought of her tomb being raided.
She ignores any pointed glares as she sets the ring back on the dead mans chest. She then starts burying him again.
As the group travels, Torod gains a great respect for Elaina's woodland abilities. The druid, who is normally quiet, becomes quite the chatterbox while they are away from the others breaking trail. At night, Strawberry Deathstrike begins to spend more time in her presence as well, even sleeping closer to her than in the tent with him.
Seraph spends the time close to their party leader when she is deep in her studies. Her usually warm nature is replaced by that of a very straightforward approach. Bodyguard-like even. She keeps her bow drawn, takes the late watch and ensures that Asta receives as much sleep as she needs as they continue their travel.
"Don't even say it," Croft scoffs after scarfing down his share of breakfast. The raven spreads his wings and flies up into the wide, blue sky, eyes open for danger and opportunities...
"Very good," Asta says as she mounts her horse, smiling subtly. "One day, I may not need to tell him to go outside to relieve himself." The Witch takes out her mapmaking kit and gets to work...
Marten was amused by the discussion about the tomb. I wonder if the vengeful walking dead are just a supersticious fear or are for real. No matter, good thing we have not met any.
Croft returns and reports on finding the headwater of the river and all the rest.
"Water looks hot," he remarks from Asta's shoulder, and he takes a speculative look at Strawberry Deathstrike. "If you guys are hungry, we could probably boil a cat in it. Or you guys could take a bath, I suppose. Some of you stink. Caw!"
That 'caw' is caused by Asta violently shrugging her shoulder; the raven sets off again, cursing out loud as he continues to scout...
"We should mark this location well," Asta says, without looking up from her map more than necessary. "Hot springs make for popular resort areas. Also, controlling the source of the river could have considerable tactical advantages."
"These seem safe to bathe in," Asta says, raising one sleeve to cover her mouth and nose. "But I will not be partaking. I prefer my bath water a little cooler than this..."
Asta shudders, eyes closed in almost pious loathing.
"Red-skinned, you mean! Ice-bathing is better. A brief steaming, then a run through the snow, break the ice, and just soak. Of course you hae to take a friend so you can switch each other with branches if your blood starts running too slowly."
Seraph laughs at Mikmeks joke before smiling devilishly at Asta.
"I think ahe would look wonderful with red skin or hair. Besides sounds like Asta hasn't had the pleasure of a hot spring in summer! I bet she would change her mind if she just tried it~."
"I have tried them in winter," Asta says. "It wasn't a big success. Adding summer's heat to that would be... Ugh! Anyway, if you want to see me with red hair and/or skin, get me a scroll of Alter Self and I'll show it to you. Now: onward! Unless you all plan to bathe..."
"That would be cheating Asta~"
Seraph smirks as she chuckles lightly at Asta's reaction but doesn't comment further as not everyone is born hot blooded. Thankfully.
Seeing the hot spring, and bits frog defenders, left her a bit disappointed. However she refrained from angering the frog as she kept her bow down just in case. No need for needless fighting...
"Agreed Mikmek. Frog pond."
"I'm a Witch," Asta says, shrugging. She does not appear to be particularly disturbed. "Witches cheat. Everyone knows that, who knows anything about Witches."
Asta glances at the frogs and shrugs. "I'm fine with leaving these waters to the frogs," she says. "Let us continue on our way. Eventually, we'll need to put up some kind of marker to warn people away from here, though."
"You're no spring rose yourself." she mutters at Croft's comment.
Despite the temptation to bathe in the hot spring, she just shakes her head and continues to keep an eye out.
The frogs are a bit of a surprise.
"So, Asta. Do you want to try and negotiate with the frogs? They seem to have claimed this pond for themselves." she asks, her tone light, and a little flippant. She holds her bow with an arrow knocked, but not drawn, just in case.
"Alas, but I don't seem to have any giant flies with me," Asta says, as she theatrically pats her pockets. "I must have left them in my other robes. Although... you did just give me an idea..."
Asta clears her throat -- and then utters a bass croaking noise!
Seraph shrugs at Asta's comment. "I dont know anything about witches. In fact you are the first I have met in my long years. But I will remember your words for future wagers~" She remained smiling speaking a light friendly tone. She was enjoying this journey more then her previous quest...
Her eyebrows rise when Asta croaks. "Interesting..."
Torod stalks the perimeter of the ponds in one direction and Strawberry in the other. When they return to the group, Torod nods at Strawberry. "Of course we're going to come back. Those springs are going to feel so good. You should join us," he says to Elaina. Then rather quickly, Torod says to Asta and Seraph, "All of you should."
Asta croaks to the frogs, then translates to the others: "They're fine sharing the pool with us, so long as we stay away from their eggs. If we're going to tarry, we can do so in safety so long as we practice good manners."
She gives Torod a cool look. "A task trickier for some of us than it is for others..."
"Stay away from the muddy area, keep to the rocks," Asta translates. "Hmmm. This Hex is proving to be very useful already."
Asta's eyes widen. "Our amphibious friends inform me that a 'bog man' lives a considerable distance from here in a 'water town'. There is also a strange frog who 'croaks weirdly'. And further, where the river forks, there are apparently dragons..."
Seraph smirks at Torod's quick invitation. "Don't mind if I do. The more th..." She pauses mid sentence as Asta speaks. Her tail slowly starts wagging in excitement at the strange information Asta got from her frog friends.
"DrAgOnS?!" Her voice nearly cracks at this bit of news as her tail wagging became more furious, she nearly squealed with glee. "Oh, seeing a dragon would be beyond imagination. It almost rivals seeing a forgotten temple lost to time. I wonder if they breath fire?!" She looks at Asta her face a mask of Seriousness as she asked.
"Are they fire-breathing ?"
Asta asks the frogs if they know more about the dragons. (Or dragoons, as the case may be.) ^^