Amandine doesn't like her chances if her chat with the woman goes badly. Both Olivia and Dro'gan are far more likely to come out the other side of a fight than she is, and they're already down.
Amandine keeps her voice calm and even, hoping it will help to cool off the woman some so she'll really listen.
"I'm no friend of Count Lotheed's. I visited him today because we are in the midst of a tax dispute. I was asking for relief for my village, less ruinous taxation. I doubt I will get any consideration from him."
"I'm so tired," she says, lowering her bow. Her arms and posture droop, attesting to her exhaustion. "I don't even care anymore if this is a ruse and you do plan to kill me like the other hunters sent by the count. I simply lack the vitality to fight any longer."
She sits down upon a mossy stone, propping herself upon her bow.
"I've not slept in days. The lake's northern hook is conquered by the Count's sludge. It gorges itself upon all the birds and fish. I cannot slay it, and if I try to rest, it slithers about to hunt me down. Meanwhile, if I seek refuge in the southern basin of the lake, the Count's hired killers hunt me instead."
Although Amandine is not greatly experienced in the outdoors, she comes to be certain the woman who ambushed them is fey rather than human or one of the other mundane to the world races. She has read considerably on the subject, mostly when she was several years younger, and the woman may be a kind of fey that had particularly caught her imagination as a younger girl.
She unbuckles the belt holding her rapier and lets it fall to the ground. Taking one step forward and away from her weapon, Amandine makes a request.
"I am unarmed. We were merely passing through on the road. May I sit with you? I know from one of my favorite books when I was a child that you must be a Swan Maiden. I am delighted to meet you. A younger me would have squealed with delight, but I will instead ask to keep your company for a moment or two."
Several feet away from the two women with Dro'gan face is planted in the dirt, where he happily snores away, he dreams the dreams spies dream it seems...
"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...chilled wine...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm zzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...cool veranda...hot sheets... zzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZ...yes, I'm game madame...zzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZ...oh...but not THAT game sir...zzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZ...do you talk to your mother like that?...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...always with the husbands...ZZZZZZZzzzzzz"
The swan maiden allows Amandine to sit with her. Indeed, she even seems relieved to finally have someone to talk to, introducing herself as Atratus.
"I'm a remnant of a bygone time," she sighs. "The great forest once covered this entire region, swaddling the lake in its embrace."
Amandine quickly realizes that she's referring to the Verduran Forest, whose present day borders lay one hundred miles to the north.
"I was a knight in the fey court that once held sway here. I still remember the final solstice festival, honoring the Many, held at the circle on the dawnward edge of the lake," Atratus says, pointing towards a distant stone circle along the shore.
She laments how the fey court retreated north as the Taldans encroached further and further, cutting down the forest as they went. Whilst her peers and lords fled, Atratus stayed behind to protect the lake.
"I've lost count of how many of your lifetimes I have spent driving off any who would alter or defile the lake, even if I can do nothing about the way the rest of the land around me is perverted. That road is a particular blight, like a dagger aimed right for my heart but never moving closer or further."
Despite her clear disdain for how the Taldans have cleared and tamed the land once covered by the Verduran, Atratus admits that for many years she was appeased by the yearly gifts offered by the stewards of the county.
"Your present ruler, Count Lotheed I believe he is called, found these gifts 'wasteful,' so instead he dumped some foul monster of his own creation into the lake, hoping it would devour me."
Atratus' description of the creature leads Amandine to conclude that it is some manner of slime or ooze, enhanced by magic, that the count has unleashed upon the swan maiden and her lake.
"My name is Amandine Betony. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance Atratus."
Amandine isn't sure how fey etiquette works, so she sits quite still with her hands folded in her lap. Unless she senses Atratus is looking directly at her, Amandine looks forward as she speaks rather than forcing eye contact.
"So you are alone. From what I read, that is not normal for swan maidens. I am sorry."
"Could you describe this monster? Am I right to assume it is the source of the sludge you spoke of? If I know what it is, I may be able to find out how best to kill it."
"I am afraid I cannot sway the Count regarding the gifts you used to receive from the stewards. My meeting this morning made it clear I have not influence with him. But, as I told you, this is a special moment for me. One I never imagined would happen."
"There is something I would like you to have. It is only a trifle, but please accept it as a token of my regard."
Amandine takes a vial from her pouch and hands it to Atratus.
"It may be useful if the Count's mercenaries close in on you and escape is cut off. If you drink it, you and your possessions will transform temporarily into a cloud of gas. You would be able to float away, untouchable."
Atratus confesses that she is, indeed, alone out here. There are no other fey near the lake, and it's even becoming harder to find animals for company as the slime unleashed by Count Lotheed gorges itself on birds, fish, and anything else it can catch.
She describes the slime creature as a yellow-orange blob that slithers along the lakeshore, also bobbing along on the water in a semi-buoyant manner. It catches prey by reaching out with psuedopods, and its touch is highly corrosive.
Atratus seems initially surprised by the proffered gift, but she quickly composes herself and graciously accepts it.
Amandine thinks on the description and concludes the thing is most likely and ochre jelly. She says so and explains it based on her only partial knowledge.
"The acid secreting pseudopods and color suggests this. It is a mindless eater with no constant form. This one sounds unusually large. They are not creature of nature, but magical experimentation. Perhaps the Count altered it further to make it more lethal."
"They are not easy to kill, most weapons will not harm it. I will need to research the thing and gather some people first."
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Dro'gan rolls over a little, interrupting his mild snoring for a moment. A few bits of what looks like mud and some crushed clover are sticking to his nose and cheek.
"ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...I am relaxingggg...zzzzzZZZZZZ...NO I don't have a thing for Oliva or Greenly...ZZzzzzzzzz...I'm NOT protesting too much...ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...I like purple skin...and tails...ZZZzzzzz..."
Atratus offers no apology for shooting Dro'gan and Olivia, likely owing to pride or the fey mindset. However, she does explain that she shot them with sleep arrows, so they will be fine once roused.
"Please follow me," the swan maiden requests once Amandine's two companions are awake again. "I wish to show you something that I seized from some poachers several years ago. I know not whether these will help you study or slay the creature, but they are of no use to me, so put them to use as you see fit."
She leads you to a cove, camouflaged by tall reeds, fallen logs, and the curtain-like boughs of a bowing willow tree. What she presents turns out to be a curious assortment of gears, mechanisms, oils, and tools.
"Yes, I assumed magic was the reason they were felled. If it had been simply violence they would not have succumbed so easily."
Amandine assures Atratus she will put the cache she's offering to good use.
Once awakened, Dro'gan stumbles around for a while...some mud still on his face.
"Wha...did I...SHEESH...that was some power nap! Mechanical...Loot? Where did this all come from? Let's wake Olivia and get this loaded I guess. What happened to the white-swan-lady?"
He will offer to drive the coach slowly back 'home.' He will claim He really doesn't need to nap again any time soon.
Amandine, Dro'gan, and Olivia arrive back at Stachys by evening. They discover many new faces finishing the work of loading up carts with supplies to be delivered to Jambis on the following day.
They also find Greenly...enjoying some Grit she bought off one of the Beggarwood workers.
The responsible members of the group return to find Greenly on the outskirts of town, drinking ale from a cask slung beneath her arm and screaming "Whoo!" over and over
The tall and gangly woman goes around aggressively shoving everyone, offering them beer or drugs, punching houses and dancing to imagined music, finishing her sequence with an acrobatic series of flips and spins, before leaping into the woods to "punch dance out my, like, feelings!"
Surprised and staring at the antics of the normally controlled Greenly, Dro'gan merely states the obvious without a filter as he slowly backs away.
"She must be tripping...Wow. I never...Wow. I'm NOT dancing with HER. It looks like she'd rip me in half...just to see what colors she can find inside my chest cavity!"
They also find a very exasperated Meraki accompanying Greenly, doing her very best to keep the woman from hurting herself or others, doling out warnings and apologies to passersby, and minimizing the property damage. As the knight runs off into the woods, Meraki remains behind, taking a long drink from her waterskin. She gives Dro'gan a tired wave of acknowledgment.
"How was your trip?"
Dro'gan looks at Meraki a bit askance and sighs, then shrugs.
"Got my ass kicked by a real honest-to-gods Swan Maiden...or so I'm told. I don't remember much really. How was YOUR stay? Seems lively to me..."
In answer, Meraki just shakes her head, smiles, and gestures vaguely in the direction of Sir Greenly.
Now that the party is reunited, Meraki learns about the encounter with Atratus and her losing struggle against the ochre jelly unleashed upon her and the lake by the Count. Likewise, Amandine and Dro'gan learn about the folk from the Beggarwood who arrived, unannounced, looking for work based on rumors that have spread out from Stachys.
When you return to the manor, Blunk the domovoi stops Amandine from approaching Calix's room.
"We finally got the lad to go to bed. Don't make me cross by going and waking him up," he says with crossed arms, a stern but avuncular expression upon his weathered face.
Dro'gan waves cheerily, but speaks quietly at the Fae while Oliva relaxes over his shoulder in a 'fireman's carry' position.
"Hey Blunk! Just met a possible distant cousin of yours... A real Swan Maiden! I just wish I hadn't fallen asleep and had a real chance to meet her myself. By the way...could you help me carry Olivia? She's still sleeping off whatever it was she did to us...and weights a TON even without her armor! Do NOT tell her I said that of course."
Amandine has faith in Greenly's durability and she's learned to not be surprised by hardly anything the woman might do. Still there's some uncertainty mixed with the hope in her voice when she asks Meraki "Greenly will be alright riding that out without supervision right?"
As soon as she's told the new people around are from the Beggarwood, arrived looking for work, Amandine collars a small squad of them to get the carriage unloaded and the new supplies stored.
Leaving it, but taking a horse to carry Lidia to Betony Manor, Amandine ropes Meraki into coming and updates her as they walk.
"My audience with Count Lotheed went as we needed it to. He will not seriously consider any tax relief or reform, nor will he be assisting Jambis."
"A couple of new things arose as well. We need to research Baroness Voinum's line of succession to see who, if anyone will inherit her title. Count Lotheed dangled the Barony as a reward if I were to eliminate the Night Swan. I demurred, but the Baroness may be interested to learn the Count would think little of setting her heirs aside for his own benefit."
"We also must find out all we can about ochre jellies. We must destroy an unusually large one for a swan maiden at the lake."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Amandine is startled by Blunk's demand.
"Oh! Is Calix having trouble sleeping, or is he being stubborn?"
"I think so. I get the feeling she's done this before," Meraki says, before leaving Greenly to her own devices and following after Amandine.
"Stubborn," the domovoi states bluntly
"By day, he runs around the house and the grounds, exploring every nook and cranny. You'd think that'd exhaust him, but no. We had to practically drag him out of the library and pry the book out of his hands for bedtime."
The part that surprises Amandine is the book. Although they're siblings, she and Calix didn't seem to share many interests. She tilts her head, curious.
"What was the book?"
After a moments pause she adds "We've never had a chance to really talk. I always seem to be gone. Would you like a drink? I have brandy and wine, or if those don't suit you I could find some cream."
"It was a book on birds," Blunk says, his voice still in its default, cantankerous tone. He hoists himself upon a chair and requests some brandy.
"Yeah, birds. I figure he liked looking at all the colorful illustrations on them pages. Lady Allis was quite the...eh, I think she called herself an 'amateur naturalist,' whatever the deuce that means. She collected a lot of books on birds, beasts, fish, trees, and plants. She even corresponded with eggheads off in the city, sharing their thoughts with each other."
Once he has his first glass of brandy, the domovoi allows a wistful look to soften his creased face.
"You know, watching the boy with his nose stuck in a book...it reminded me very much of seeing Lady Allis, in the library or drawing room, so engrossed in her interests. Did a very, very old heart good."
Amandine slouches in the chair, glad for the time at rest. The sparse conversation is also welcome, no worries about always saying the right thing.
When Blunk tells her about the book, she repeats "Birds" and smiles.
A couple of glasses later Amandine tells Blunk "I'm so grateful Calix has the three of you here, and that he's found a place where he's happy. I owe all three of you a great deal, and if there's anything you need or want, just ask."
More displaced people arrive from the Beggarwood. This time, there are even people with children among them. Dirty, hungry, and tired, they represent the toll that Count Lotheed's negligent rulership has taken upon Meratt.
Nevertheless, this means there is no shortage of able hands looking for work as you next invest in a wave of civic improvements in Stachys. The curious tools gifted by Atratus prove to be useful for leveling streets and repairing parts of buildings that eluded the locals' skills. Shovels and brushes are also distributed to fill potholes and repaint buildings.
This has the tripartite effect of further earning the loyalty of the residents, coaxing the locals to be more accepting of the folk from the Beggarwood, and truly transforming Stachys from a dilapidated hamlet into a thriving village.
"How about building a public library instead?" asks Amandine.
"Awfully optimistic of you to assume that enough folks around here can read to justify such a thing," Onora says with a smirk. "Heck, even if you could round up enough books for a li-bary, the Count would probably just confiscate them for himself. That is, if they didn't just get stolen first by folks looking to pawn them up in Lotheedar."
The tribune, quite evidently, remains suspicious of the workers from the Beggarwood.
Meraki tilts her head quizzically at Onora, wondering if the pub owner's skepticism might be a projection of her own insecurities.
Amandine isn't up for a debate so she says "maybe something to think about in the future then" breezily and lets it drop.
"Well, it'd be a hard sell to get the families around here to send their young'uns to school rather than bringing them out to the fields with 'em," Onora says, though she sincerely considers the idea.
Based upon both the pub owner's demeanor and prior observations, Meraki identifies that Onora is functionally illiterate. Her role as honorary tribune means she may have learned to sign her name and recognize a few words, but that is the limit of her education. This probably informs her skepticism of libraries or schools, especially since there are many other repairs and upgrades that she sees as more worthwhile.
Meraki drops out of the conversation, trying to remember how her parents taught her to read and write, and how to make an offer to teach Onora in such a way that wouldn't be gravely insulting or embarrassing to the woman.
Dro'gan shrugs and waves a hand vaguely.
"Locals would probably prefer Erastil. Politics would argue Abadar. I'm sure our esteemed 'Countess' would prefer a goddess like Shelyn as a patron of the arts, like myself. I could suggest Irori or Iomedae too if we could find enough paladins or monks to set up a monastery. I can see a need for a Pharasman temple, to help clean up that ghoul infested Graveyard. I don't see a need for Calistrian, Cayden Cailean, or Desnan clergy in these parts...nor Gozreh. Although the local Fae and the occasional wandering Druid could disagree with that one probably. The othe possibilities...are not even worth mentioning as far as I know."
He then yawns and glances at Meraki trying to look small in the conversation where she should be the loudest. Suspicious?
"What do you think Meraki? Don't you or your 'god or goddess' have a say in this? I just realized you have yet to reveal much about him or her...or it."
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"Although I understand the political implications, I really dislike the Abadarians. The only exception being the High Priestess in town. The last thing this village needs is more tax collectors and money grubbers. I'd rather the church go to my divine Iomedae, or to the Erastilians. We represent beacons of justice for the common folk, let the faith reflect that."
Dro'gan snorts.
"No offense Olivia: Call them what you want, but Abadarans are FAIR. My mom, whenever she got sick in the brothel...she knew if she couldn't get help from the Calistrians for whatever reason, the Abadarans always would help. As long as you could offer a tithe of some sort, they would do their best to try something to help. It was a business transaction to them, same as any other that honors their god: Human or non-human, saint or sinner. The other temples either couldn't care less about her because of her profession, or were 'too busy' trying to 'improve society' to see or help those truly in need at that moment."
He shrugs and waves off Olivia's impending anger.
"Any decent god or goddess will do: Choose one. Vote on it perhaps? Whatever. This town needs a decent church for various reasons. If nothing else, a decent church is usually a good fortification if things were to fall to that far around here. We have plenty of semi-skilled labor on hand for it too. Let's pull the cross-bow trigger on this and move on to something more fun...like making our enemies look like idiots!"
"My preference would be for a shrine to Milani. However I think that would be provocative, which is something we don't want."
"I really have other things that require my attention right now. I just ask that the final choice doesn't spit in anyone's eye and represents a faith that many or most in the community will welcome. If the place is going to be built here, it should be of use to the residents. Finally, don't violate any prior agreements we have with anyone on the subject. This really isn't the time to start alienating anyone. Recall that Festo has also proven himself as a valuable friend and ally. Remember all of this has alway been first about Princess Eutropia, then second about the people of Meratt. We are a distant third at best."
Amandine spends the next few hours checking on the supplies being readied for Jambis, making sure accurate records are kept showing what is being sent along with how much, as well as when it can be ready to go.
Afterward she checks the books in Betony Manor, including her own, for anything related to oozes. If she finds nothing useful there, Amandine will talk with Onora and Festo about the possibility of other libraries or collections in Meratt that might have what she's looking for.
Unsurprisingly, Festo eagerly butts in to support the construction of a temple dedicated to Abadar. The deadlock is not broken by Onora, either, who suggests a temple to Erastil.
Whilst investigating the books in the Betony Library, Amandine hears one of the domovoi offer a "harrumph" from behind her.
"Lady Allis was always more keen on natural animals than more bizarre creatures," Nodd says, stroking his wild beard. "Of course, I believe one of her egghead university correspondents sent her a signed copy of one of his books."
Nodd leads Amandine over to a secluded shelf in the library and directs her to a text authored by a professor whose name she recognizes from Malaprop's, being perhaps Taldor's preeminent expert on aberrations and oozes.
Inside, she finds a thorough description of ochre jellies. Of course, depending on how Count Lotheed has experimented on the creature, as mentioned by Atratus, it's unknown how the specimen preying upon Lauchlein Lake may differ from more "ordinary" examples.
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Meraki jumps slightly, startled out of her reverie by Dro'gan's pointed questions.
"Ah! Well, She has Her preferences, I'm sure, but I've never seen Her as being overly concerned with grand temples or ostentatious displays of piety. If Stachys is a place where a refugee might find shelter and compassion, then it is already just as holy as any shrine."
For a second time in as many days Amandine thanks the domovoi profusely. A couple of hours later Amandine is better informed, but considerably more worried than she had been before.
It will be a very difficult thing to deal with. She can only hope that any changes or augmentations made to the thing didn't increases it's invulnerabilities. There are precious few ways of harming it already.
Amandine takes a break to spend a couple of hours at least with Calix, having snacks and asking him about the bird book, maybe fitting in a walk with him outside. He can choose the route.
Festo Mise is beyond excited to learn of your intent to erect a proper temple in Stachys. He would have darted away to request materials and funds from the Archbanker in Lotheedar, posthaste, if you had not stopped him to elaborate on your plans. He seems quite confused by your aim to create a multi-denominational temple, but once you explain your plans and reasoning, he readily accepts - you suspect he defers to your wishes not just because Amandine is the lady of Stachys but because he owes his life to her and the rest of the party.
Onora makes some quip about the planned temple being unnecessarily complicated, but you only half understand the homespun turn-of-phrase she uses to describe it. It means little, though, since she resolves to scout out good places to lay the foundations even without being directed to do so. Before leaving, though, she asks what her ladyship and company plan to do next.
"We will remain here in Stachys for a few days yet Madame Onora. But soon we will be going to Lauchlein Lake. Word has it an extremely large parasite is killing off all life in the lake. We will try to remove it."
Still high off her gourd, Greenly gives the meandering gossiping wisdom she's become accustomed to being lauded for to a rapt audience of chipmunks. She marches throughout the woods ranting all night, yelling embarrassing secrets to any curious woodland animal.
There is one weapon Amandine has been eager to use ever since she first discovered it. Lord Titus’s ill-advised declaration of Lotheed collusion with Pythareus. There are a couple of problems with its use though.
The first one is how to make it known. It would be risky to simply start a whisper campaign with herself as the whisperer. If Count Lotheed got wind of the tale, very likely, he would go to Lord Titus to ask whom he told about it. Lord Titus might even remember. It would make her Count Lotheed’s enemy before she is ready to be one. It could also be a problem if she were not believed, or the claim was not taken to be a serious one. That might undermine her credibility with Merrat’s nobility. Nobody likes a gossip.
The second problem is where the various local nobles stand, if anywhere in particular, regarding the question of whether Princess Eutropia or High Strategos Pythareus should inherit the throne. If Pythareus were popular enough, it could potentially help Count Lotheed rather than hurt him.
It takes Amandine a late night of thinking and a few glasses of brandy to come up with a solution she believes will work. She wants the rumor out there very soon, but she does not want it traceable to herself. The best way to ensure this is to have some of her people held in reserve start talking about what they heard among the lower echelons of society, at places like inns, tavern, marketplaces, and the like. There would probably be less skepticism, and multiple origins would make its source harder to trace. From there it can percolate upwards to the nobility through servants, or their own spies. It might have less impact given the source, but every small cut against Count Lotheed weakens him some, and increments can add up.
Amandine’s solution for the second issue is to take the crown out of the equation. The Lotheed betrayal is not about who should wear the crown some day. It is about a long trusted official serving the Stavian family betraying them after generations of well-rewarded service. Meratt isn’t a crown possession, it is a Stavian holding. Regardless of whether or not this or that noble favors Princess Eutropia or Pythareus on the throne, the sleaziness of trying to seize the property for his own should be revolting, and why else would Lotheed be sneaking about meeting with Pythareus’s people if he was not getting Meratt in return? It should strike a visceral chord with the local nobility.
Even if the rumor fails to gain legs and has no impact, indentifying Lord Titus as the source could drive a wedge between Count Lotheed and Lord Titus. Lotheed will probably hear about it, and he will surely know first hand that Lord Titus is a drunkard who says stupid things.
The next morning Amandine sends out 4 messages and on the evening of the next day she secretly meets with her old friend Gaspar and three other agents. Her instructions for them are simple, and leave room for them to improvise as they need to, depending on where and with whom they are speaking.
1. They should begin spreading the rumor that Count Lotheed is in secretly meeting with Pythareus to plan the seizure of Meratt for his own in return for supporting Pythareus. This came to light when a drunken Lord Titus was bragging about his family’s rising fortunes. The rumor spreaders can decide for themselves exactly where and when this happened, but they heard it themselves.
2. They should start in Lotheedar, and from there fan out across Meratt in all directions until they have spread it to every town and village. Afterward they should go to ground, probably outside Meratt, for some time to avoid being tracked down by anyone like Sir Guy Guisarne for example.