Teleri listens to stories about Lavender's childhood and shares some of her own; but before long, Teleri's eyes droop, and Molly hustles her off to bed. Teleri gratefully falls into bed after two long days of walking and sleeps the sleep of the just.
In the morning, Molly seems a little more cheerful. After a quick breakfast, Teleri thanks Molly, pays her for the evening's lodging, and tells her she should be back soon -- possibly by the end of the day, definitely by tomorrow.
Before leaving town, Teleri makes a quick stop at the general store, where she purchases a small tin mess kit and a flint and steel set from the surprised shopkeep, who wonders why she's back so soon. Teleri simply tells him she had some unfinished business, and declines to explain any further.
There is no road to her next destination; if she had never been there before, she might easily have gotten lost. But thanks to some landmarks she remembers from her previous trip, she manages to find her way without going too far astray. Her path takes her out of town, across the river, through some great open fields bursting with spring flowers and alert, eager bees; then up the slopes of the surrounding hills and into the great forests that shroud their rocky shoulders.
The trees -- primarily towering pines of several varieties Teleri cannot identify -- grow older, but not more densely packed. Indeed, there are frequently wide, open spaces between them. A rider on horseback could have made pretty fair time without any serious risk of running into them. Shafts of bright spring sunlight spear down between the tall pines, illuminating a forest floor covered in a layer of dried pine needles and pine cones. The trunks of the trees are perfectly straight, almost like columns, with rough dark brown bark almost like scales. In the cracks between scales, bits of pale yellow wood sometimes peek out. The scent of pine is strong in the air despite the light breeze. On a whim, Teleri walks up to a larger pine, presses her face up against its rough bark and inhales deeply. Her brow furrows, and she smells again. "Smells like ... butterscotch?" she says. "Maybe candy really does grow on trees out here!" She pats the tree and spends the next twenty minutes of her trip failing to get rid of the sticky sap she managed smear on her palm.
It's too dry for ferns away from springs or streams, but frequent patches of some low-lying plant with glossy leaves hug the ground. Bundles of tiny flowers cluster at the tips of these plants, never more than an inch or two off the ground. Their petals are closed and tight. "Looks like a vase -- narrow at the tip, and belling out below," Teleri says, examining them. "How lovely. And tiny!" In a few places Teleri notes dried red berries from the previous year still clinging to these low plants -- presumably the future of the flowers. She picks a single leaf, no more than a quarter inch from stem to tip, and tastes it. After a moment she spits it out. "Bitter," she comments. "But only a bit."
When she stops for a breather under one majestic pine, she finds a strange plant growing beneath it in small clumps about 8 inches tall. They bear flowers reminiscent of a long, narrow pine cone, except that the entire plant -- even its stems and leaves -- are a pale russet brown instead of green. "How odd," Teleri says. "I wonder what it is. Hm."
An hour later she stumbles across a small open glen full of delicate, nodding flowers, each with five white rounded petals in a star shape, ringed in five narrow, pointed sepals of pale blue or violet. The sepals radiate outwards from between the petals, forming their own star, but inverted with respect to the inner one. On a whim, Teleri picks a half dozen and makes a wreath of them for herself. "I wish I had a mirror," she says, admiring her handiwork before she sets it on her head.
The sun is high, just past noon, when Teleri finally reaches the grove of the Mother Tree. It seems deserted at the moment -- no sign of human habitation. "Well, hello again," Teleri says to the Mother Tree. "I've come to talk with Ives. He must be out and about. If you don't mind, I'll just go wait over by the fire pit and have some lunch. I'm sure he'll turn up soon enough." She curtsies to the Mother Tree and then sits down on a rock by the firepit, pulling a wrapped sandwich from her bag.
"Hello, Ives," Teleri says, setting aside the last little bit of her sandwich. "It's good to see you too."
"Thanks, but I'm just about done eating lunch," Teleri says, indicating the last couple of bites of sandwich.
"As for why I'm here -- I wanted to talk to you about what the naiad elder said to us. Both the bits when she spoke as herself, and the bits when she spoke for Gozreh. I think there's something that needs doing -- something that involves helping this mysterious person in the City."
She looks at him steadily. "And I think doing it -- whatever it is -- needs both of us. So, Ives Tunn, I've come to ask you to leave the forest. For a while, at least. You are needed elsewhere right now."
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"Leave the forest? Miss Teleri... didn't we talk about this? That naiad didn't even know what he was saying. And I look so strange to the eyes of those town people. And city people! I will look even stranger to them! And this is my home. The Mother Tree and the plants need me..."
As Ives presents excuse after excuse, it feels empty to his ears and gets even emptier as he goes on.
It is time for me to go back to the world of men. I made a promise. I don't know what I am supposed to do, but I made a promise.
"You're right. The Mother Tree and the plants do need you," Teleri says. "They need you to go where they cannot. To do what they cannot. They need you to walk in the world of men and women and speak for them -- because they have no legs, and voices that few can hear."
"It is time to leave the forest, Child of Iron. For now, at least."
The mother tree whispers to Ives "She's right... From what you've said... Things are changing. Change can be very good or very bad, Ives..."
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"I'm a little scared. Actually more scared then when I went into the town for the first time. If we go far away to this city, then I will be very far away from the Mother Tree, and all the other things that I know."
Ives looks sad.
"But...But, I'll come, Miss Teleri! I will come. I made a promise! And if somehow I can stop future danger from affecting this place, or the forest, then I will!"
Ives spreads his consciousness outwards, reaching all of the plants that he can near the grove. I am a human, not a plant. I think I need to see the world of humans again. But I will never forget any of you! Ever! And I promise to come back. As soon as I can.
Ives goes over to the Mother Tree and puts his head against her, trying to hold back his tears.
But he looks over at Teleri and says, "Let's go. Right away. I've said my goodbyes."
Teleri makes a curtsy to the Mother Tree. "I'll try to take good care of him," she says. "And send him back to you in good health."
But as they turn to go, she hesitates a moment. "I have an idea," Teleri says. She picks up one of the pine cones that has fallen from the Mother Tree. "Here. Take this with you. You'll always have part of her near; and perhaps, some day, you will find a good place to plant it. Someplace that needs a tree like the Mother Tree."
She folds his hand closed over the pine cone, and offers an encouraging smile; and then the two of them turn their faces towards Pentrefan and begin the long walk into an uncertain future.
Ives and Teleri soon make their way to Pentrefan, where they wait for the return of the wagoner. Three days later, they begin their journey to Dinas Diwydiant. At first, Mr. Gillie is slow to talk much around Ives but soon begins chatting as usual. As the wagon rounds a corner of the mountain road, you see the road descend down onto a plain covered in farms. Far away on the plain, you see the towering buildings of Dina's Diwydiant.
Teleri's heart leaps at the sight. "There it is!" she exclaims happily. "Dinas Diwydiant. My home."
"Well, I'll admit the description was a tad vague," Teleri says. "A young man from the city who works 'under and over turning metal all day' and 'understands the turning metal better than any other'. Sounds like a mechanic perhaps? But don't worry. We'll consult the city directory. It may not give us exactly the right person immediately, but it should give us some places to look."
As the wagon draws nearer, the city becomes clearer. Large brick factories multiple stories tall belch forth smoke. Towering metal and stone buildings hold decks for airships to dock. Shaky-looking wood and brick tenements rise higher and higher, as if the upper stories were hastily added as an afterthought. Grand stone temples and other public buildings dominate the city center.
"It could be one of the airship docks, I suppose," Teleri says. "I gather some of them have retractable gantries. Those would have large gears to run them."
She sighs. "Well, I don't suppose there's much we can do until we're in the city proper."
The wagon bumps along the road into Dinas Diwydiant, passing the outlying farms and into the orderly buildings of the new city through a district dominated by large stores, warehouses, and other places of business (such as lawyers). The cobblestone streets resound with a constant drumming of horse hooves and carriage and cart wheels while the murmur of the busy populace hums incessantly. The buildings get taller and taller as the wagon pulls farther into the new city, dominating the buzzing streets from both sides. Many curious glances and some frowns are thrown toward Ives. Mr. Gillie pulls into a loading dock at a warehouse. "Whoa... whoa..." He turns to you. "Well here we are! Glad to see you here safe, Miss Teleri. Now I'd better unload and get new stock."
"First things first," Teleri says. She turns to her traveling companion. "Ives? You need a hat. And some new clothes. Let's go shopping!"
Teleri is aware of plenty of appropriate establishments nearby in the new city. Hatters, taylors, general stores, etc.
Soon, Teleri brings Ives to a nearby store that sells hats, clothes, and other articles. The Silver Needle is a fine establishment tucked into the corner of a busy block of buildings. A small bell rings when the door is opened and a middle-aged man behind the counter beams and says "Welcome to the Silver Needle. How may I h" then he stops when he sees Ives. He forces himself to continue despite the obvious stumble "elp you?"
"Yes, please," Teleri says. "My friend here is in need of a new wardrobe. He has recently come into some money; but, I fear, prior to that happy event he has been living rough for some time out of necessity, and will need basically everything: shoes, smallclothes, stockings, breeches, shirts, vest and neckcloths. A dressing gown and nightcap as well. And a hat, of course. Or possibly two hats. I would be much obliged if you could assist him with this." She gestures subtly towards Ives' belt pouch full of coin, and smiles winningly.
"He's a straightforward sort of man," she continues, "So in terms of style, let's aim for something a respectable artisan or merchant might wear: of good quality, and not ostentatious. I believe he values being able to move freely --" she eyes Ives a moment, "-- and I suspect he may not have reached his full height yet, so leave a little room for growth."
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Ives leaves the shop dressed fashionably, though he looks bulkier than he should given that his hide armor is beneath the clothes. With hat suitably covering his head, the leaves and moss are mostly hidden.
"I could get used to city life, Miss Teleri. Maybe. C'mon now, what's next? We should try to find this person who need us! Though maybe he doesn't even know he needs us yet. It is tricky to navigate by prophecy, isn't it?"
Ives and Teleri wind their way through some narrow streets between buildings as Teleri leads them on a shortcut. Suddenly, both hear a rustling of some crates. They see three human men with hoods pulled low over their eyes and daggers drawn approaching them. Also, a half-orc carrying a sword with a smugly smiling woman approach from another angle. The heros of Pentrefan react quickly!
"Look out, Ives -- robbers!" she says, and immediately starts casting her sleep spell.
Ives moves forward and strikes the half-orc in the neck, just barely avoiding the jugular! Blood spouts from the half-orc who grunts and raises his sword to hit Ives but misses badly! One of the cutpurses, however, sneaks up behind Ives and stabs him in the back! (9 damage) The other two cutpurses converge on Teleri and stab at her while shouting "Get on the other side of her!" and responding "I can't quite! You get on the other side of her!" One of them manages a blow but the other misses poorly. (6 damage to Teleri). The woman conjures sticky glue all under Ives but he leaps up and braces against the wall to avoid getting entangled.
"Ahh!" Teleri hisses as the blade cuts into her. Seeing that these two are intent on stabbing her, she eases back away from them, pulling her light mace from where hung concealed in the folds of her skirt as she goes.
For a moment, she raises her light mace; and then an odd feeling comes over her: mirth. "You know," she says to the thug between her and Ives, "Your friends there wanted to get me in the same position you're in. Funny, isn't it?" She pats him on the shoulder.
Teleri finds it quite odd that they've been attached in this alley. There are many people nearby, it is still quite light outside, and the alley is visible from many locations. Indeed, onlookers can already be heard call the watch.
The half-orc strikes Ives a solid blow (10 damage) while the cutpurse laughs pointlessly. "HAHAHAHA BOSS I CAN'T STOP HEEEHEEHEEE!" But one of the other cutpurses moves up to Teleri and stabs her hard, dropping her to the ground! The spellcaster tries to glue Ives down but he's far too dodgy for that. His feet always manage to find a safe place to stand.
Now constables can be clearly seen running from the West.
The pain is too severe and sudden for drama; Teleri makes no sound beyond a surprised grunt as one of the thugs viciously stabs her between the ribs. She drops bonelessly to the ground at their feet, sliding off the dagger's edge. A pool of blood begins to form beneath her.
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Ives glances about and sees Teleri fall.... No! We should have stayed in the woods... Teleri. You and me. We were barely strong enough to survive the town, let alone...a CITY. I won't die without a fight, Teleri. Mother....
Ives takes an attack of opportunity on the caster.
Then he swings at the orc...
HP: 1/20
With two more solid blows from his claws, Ives brings down the half-orc. The spellcaster, face to face with the mad plant-boy who stepped up after defeating the half-orc and hearing the watchmen coming, curses and turns tail to run.
She cries in pain but keeps running. The cutpurses, seeing their desperate situation, split as well. The watchmen chase after them shouting but can't keep up with the fleet thugs.
Ives soon has Teleri on her feet, though she doesn't feel particularly well. Ives finds a longsword, studded leather armor, a light shield, and 20 gp on the half-orc. Within a few minutes, a constable returns to the scene. "Are you alright? What was that all about!?"
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"Bad guys. City folk ambushed us, maybe to get our money...Maybe our candy!"
Ives looks about, this way and that, hoping to pick up some tracks. A city can't be hard to track in than a forest, can it?
But after a short while he comes up with nothing.
"Miss Teleri, does any of this half-orcs stuff have any value? Oh! Gold! That's enough to buy a few more nice outfits..."
Teleri's face is grey despite the magical healing -- which, it must be said, tasted just as vile as the storekeep in Pentrefan had promised. Still, she feels a burst of gratitude to the little old lady who brewed the stuff. Awful though it might be, it's definitively better than dying.
Which is what she would otherwise have done, she feels sure. She starts to struggle to her feet, then gives up and just sits back against the nearest wall, crimson blood staining one whole side of her dress.
She looks up as the officer approaches. "I have no idea what that was about, officer," she tells him. "I thought they were robbers, but they never even tried to demand money. They just ... tried to k-kill us. Out of nowhere."
Badly shaken, she swallows, hard, and just sits there with one hand pressed against her side where blood is still oozing out, though slower now. She does not respond to Ives' question about the gold.
The officer shakes his head and shrugs. "Criminals are crazy. Let's help you back to the main road." He looks back at the open alley visible from many angles and shakes his head again. "Never seen a mugging in there..."
"More like an attempted murder," Teleri says, leaning heavily on the officer. "We're both in need of medical attention. Where's the closest healer, please?"
The watchman nods. "Certainly certainly." He leads the way around the corner to a small tenple to Abadar, of which you've seen many in the city. After dropping you off, the guards hurriedly nod "Good day cititzens" and resume their patrol. Apparently, they don't find a mugging gone wrong sufficiently unusual to warrant an investigation.
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Ives asks for two hit of a CLW, which puts him nearly back to full health.
The whole attack just seems...suspicious to him.
"That was more than a robbery, wasn't it Miss Teleri? Someone doesn't like that we are here. But who in the world would know us? I don't know anybody here except you. Maybe we should go back to the alley and look again."
The healer, a businesslike young woman with brown hair tied back in a bun, exclaims over their wounds, especially the vicious stab wound in Teleri's ribs. But thanks to Ives' quick application of healing magic in the alley, she assures Teleri that no long-term damage has been done, and heals the remainder of the wound.
Teleri breathes more easily as the healing warmth washes over the area and fades, leaving no sign that mere minutes before she had lain at death's door. Aside from the massive blood stain on her dress, of course.
She finds herself absurdly happy to hand over the gold for the healing. But her expression grows troubled at Ives' question.
"I think so too," she says. "But I have no idea who they could be, what they thought they were doing, or why they attacked us. It makes no sense. But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not go back to that alley ever again. I can't imagine what I was thinking taking us in there in the first place."
"Is there someplace we could freshen up for a moment before we go?" Teleri asks the acolyte.
"Yes, of course," the acolyte says. "There are a couple of empty examining rooms just down the hall on the right. Thank you for your business, and may Abadar shield you from needless harm in future."
Teleri thanks the girl, and they each spend a few minutes cleaning up. In the privacy of the examination room, Teleri disrobes and carefully cleans the blood from herself and her clothing using prestidigitation; but there is little she can do about the three-inch-wide rip on the left side of her blouse where the knife entered and then cut the fabric further as she slid off it. She sticks her fingers through the rip and blanches a bit before dressing again.
She exits again to find Ives ready to go. "Come on, it's getting late," she says. "Let's go. I want to get home. By the main streets this time."
Indeed, several examining rooms lie open and don't seem to see regular use.
[DC 12 Diplomacy gather information]
Many of the former healers at the temples of Abadar have moved to more lucrative industrial jobs.
[/Spoiler]
Teleri and Ives soon make their way to the Owen residence, a stately home in a well to-do neighborhood where they are greeted warmly. Mr. Owens promptly calls them into his office. "Teleri! I heard the Pentrefan problem was solved soon after your arrival. Did you have anything to do with that?"
Teleri nods to the acolyte as she learns this, unsurprised, and thanks her for remaining where she is.
---
"Good evening, Mr. Owens," Teleri says warmly. "Yes, it did. With the assistance of Mr. Tunn here, I was able to diagnose the problems -- for there were more than one, it seems -- and arrive at reasonable solutions, which Mr. Trenton seemed to be busy implementing as we left."
"Mr. Tunn, this is Mr. Wilfred Owens," she introduces him. "My mother's employer, and a member of the Board of the Sackbury Mining Corporation. I grew up here in his house, side-by-side with his son Prentice."
"And Mr. Owens, this is Mr. Tunn," she says. "A Pentrefan local who proved exceptionally helpful. I couldn't have done it without his assistance."
Mr. Owens nods amiably toward Ives then shakes his head with a wry smile toward Teleri. "I must say Teleri, it is quite irregular for a young lady to take off to solve a major problem on her own. But you achieved your ambitious goal, which is quite commendable. If you are looking for a position with SMC, I believe I could secure you an opening as junior manager on the strength of your accomplishments." He smiles again, less wryly and with more enthusiasm. "Now I must admit that I am intrigued as to why Mr. Tunn has decided to visit Dinas Diwydiant."