In spite of the tragedies with Garth and Gristledown, it's clear the refugees are all becoming more comfortable working together and surviving in the wilds outside Phaendar.
They're still struggling to find shelter, but are getting better at it, with only two people having to sleep outside unprotected. Meanwhile, their flock of sheep has gotten bigger, and their foraging and hunting -- boosted by magic -- went well, with Ionela taking down a big buck that was enough to feed nearly a quarter of their group.
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Caspan nods at Jillian's comments.
"Yeah, make sure they're not just maligning. People do that, you know," Caspan says. "I knew a guy once, second someone needed something done, he was suddenly sick. Claimed he was a continent, and you know ain't no one gonna check his underwear to check that!"
For those checking on the sick ones:
Filth fever is usually passed on via the bite of infected animals, however there it can be obtained from tainted sources of food or water as well. Symptoms appear within 1–3 days and include fever, general fatigue and muscle and joint aches. If left untreated it can kill the average human in under a week."
Rhyna agrees to keep an eye on the sick ones today and help them the best she can.
Aubrin agrees with Jillian that heading to the farm that Hunter spotted to the southeast is a good plan as it moves them further from the edge of the wood and deeper into the forest (and further from Gristledown). The survivors pack up camp and begin to depart for the day.
Ever the conversationalist, along the way Edran sparks up more conversations with the group asking what their intentions are as far as the hobgoblins that took Phaendar are? "When do you think the Nirmathi army is expected to arrive?"
As you make your way towards the farm the vegetation is thick and the path greatly overhung by leafy branches. Trees and shrubs have grown down making it difficult to travel even when you think you have founder an easier path. You duck under branches, or weave to avoid them. Despite your best efforts, you are stung by spiny leaves and your clothes scraped and ripped by branches with long thorns. Hacking at them with blades makes passage easier but slows you down.
After a few hours of difficult travel, the way eases as you approach a ring of red and while toadstools ahead of you. Thinking about it, you almost believe you can smell freshly brewed ale as you get closer – or is that the scent of roasting meat? And is that just a trick of the light, or is there a shimmering form in the toadstool ring?
Everyone but Caspan recalls that such a thing is often referred to as a “faerie ring” and people claim that the mushrooms have been placed here under the influence of the fey.
Perception:
Caspan shrugs at Edran's question, not quite sure what to tell them man. He's wondering the same thing, to be honest.
Later, he breaks into a grin.
"Huh, smells good," Caspan says as they get near the mushrooms. "Someone cooking?"
”Looks like a faerie ring. If these mushrooms are here, that means that fey are nearby. And honestly, that could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what type they are,” Wren whispers, not approaching any closer to the ring than necessary.
Earlier, she had ignored Edran’s question as quite frankly she had no idea. With two villages destroyed by the hobgoblins, she couldn’t help but wonder if there were more towns suffering the same fate. If the resources were stretched too thin, there might not be reinforcements any time soon.
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Thael had continued sleeping poorly in the make-shift shelters. He didn't particularly care for the outdoors, and as they made their way each day, he struggled to keep up with the seasoned outdoorsmen.
He spoke to Edran in response to the man's questions. "Our intentions?" he asks. "I think our intention is to find a way to survive. As we can see from the logging camp, that is not guaranteed at this point. As for me, I think we need to find help as soon as we can, but that is not in the form of an army. At least, that I'm aware of. This place is as backwoods as you can find. I think 'citizen militia' is the kind of army this country can muster. In other words, you're looking at it," he says, gesturing toward the rag-tag group.
He holds up at the clearing and the strange smells. The thought of fey seems...intriguing.
Father Emil is glad he was delayed in preparing his divine spells for the day, so before checking on the three, he prays and meditates for wisdom on how to deal with disease.
Emil examines each person, checking for fever, rashes, locating places that hurt, checking for wounds, asking about what each ate. He reports back to the others. "They have each come down with somethin' akin ta filth fever, prolly from some tainted food. This is serious. If'n they don't recover they could be dead in a week. I don't think it's contagious, however. I think they can travel okay. When we stop fer the day, I'll prepare some medicines ta help them fight it off. It's about all I can do."
""When do you think the Nirmathi army is expected to arrive?""
Emil snorts at this. "I wouldn't expect help ta come ridin' in on a cavalry charge! They long ago learned the best defense o' our area is just ta melt inta the forest an' wear the enemy down. But that only works when they don't have fortifications ta protect 'em. Not sure what that tower is but it don't look like they will be easy ta uproot. We need more information, that as certain as an otter loves a waterfall."
When the group locates what might be a faerie ring, Emil mutters, "So is this in Granma Fangwood's right hand or left?"
Father Emil studies the faerie ring and determines that these mushrooms are not naturally occurring. This typical formation is usually a place of meditation or rest for first world creatures.
While the group is studying the mushroom formation, the bushes nearby shift and stir drawing your attention. Quickly drawing arms and preparing for trouble, you are surprised when a small three-foot high half-mouse, half-lizard creature with large eyes standing on its hind legs, emerges from the bush.
She speaks in a language both foreign and yet understandable by all around. In her cutesy little voice she says "Welcome to our realm, gentle mortals! I am a representative of the Sourthern Fangwood Collective, and like most humans, we have thrown off the oppressive shackles of our overlords and now watch over this forest and its inhabitants. We work hard and have no need of kings or queens, for we govern ourselves through peace and harmony! Please be seated outside my circle and share a tale with me. Remember, smile, and the whole world smiles with you!"
As the creature comes closer to you, a feeling of happiness washes over all of you. All of these creatures that just appeared could not possibly be dangerous or harmful.
For Caspan, Father Emil and Wren, the feelings quickly pass and you can tell that these creatures are exuding emotional control over everything in this area and your natural defenses have protected you from it and you are not affected.
The cute creature proceeds to move to the outer ring of mushrooms and takes a seat, looking at each of you with a large smile and waiting for you to sit.
These creatures are gerbies. They are the fey of interspecies empathy and communication, devoted to fostering harmony and friendship. They abhor violence, and attempt to prevent it by granting adversaries the ability to talk to and understand each other. When that doesn’t work, gerbies see nothing wrong with direct magical intervention, either forcing the foes into friendship or causing creatures to forget whatever painful memories made them want to fight in the first place.
While the adorable gerbies can make excellent friends and companions— helping further diplomacy, translate documents, and throw parties—gerbies often see it as their duty to “protect and correct” soldiers, rampaging monsters, and others whose professions involve violence, which can lead to no end of hassle for adventurers looking to slay their way to glory. In such situations, the best answer is usually to humor the gerbie until it falls asleep or gets distracted, then slip out of its friendship aura and flee quickly.
While gerbie settlements tend to be idyllic places, full of laughter and huts built from hollowed-out mushrooms, many gerbies feel called to wander the world teaching other creatures the value of friendship. Though they understand that some creatures need to eat meat to live, gerbies themselves are zealous advocates of vegetarianism.
"Huh, I don't think so, you little rat," Caspan growls. "You're mucking around with my motives! Stop it!"
He looks around to see how many of them there are.
The small creature tilts her head at Caspan the way that an animal does sometimes when it hears a strange sound. "Why mortal, I am no rat. I don't think you have any reason to appear hostile. Please, be seated and share stories. You should try to smile more, it really will help improve your overall state of mind."
Caspan looks around but doesn't see anything else nearby, however Wren spots two more creatures hidden in nearby bushes.
Know. Nature
”Wh, I’ve never actually met a gerbie in person before! Hello there, I’m Wren and these are my friends. We are from Phaendar, a town located just outside of the forest here. Some nasty hobgoblins invaded our town and killed a bunch of our friends. Our group has just made it to the forest, hoping to hide from them. You’ve not seen any goblins in the forest recently have you? I know you don’t like violence....we don’t either. We are actually looking for some caves to make a camp for for the time being, until they leave our town and we can go home. Oh, and you can tell your two friends to come out and say hi. We don’t mean them any harm either,” Wren explains, hoping to make friends of these generally friendly fey.
Diplomacy
"You sure? You look a bit like a rat or maybe a chipmunk. Though most of them can't talk, I don't think," Caspan replies.
He looks around frantically, trying to find the two others that Wren just called out.
"Drop yer charmin' little magic forcing us ta be friends and I'll tell ya some stories, but not until."
Emil draws his scythe and stands, defiantly away from the circle.
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Thael crosses his arms as his companions treat the creature poorly. "Now hold on! This creature is kind and lovely. Let's sit down and tell it some stories. It just wants to be friendly. So far everyone has gone out of their way to be kind to animals and other creatures, and yet everyone is so cross with this one, and it's the most friendly thing we've met in three days!"
The wizard leans on his black staff and smiles at the creature.
"I have several stories I would be happy to share," he says as he moves toward the circle.
From Thael's shoulder, Thanatos watches the creature with googly eyes.
The gerbie eagerly listens to Wren speak and is sad when she stops so quickly. She then speaks in sylvan to the two other creatures and tells them to emerge from the woods. The creatures look like four foot tall, genderless, vaguely humanoid berry bushes. Its skin has a bark-like quality and patches of leaves, small blue flowers, and light blue berries cover its head and joints.
The berry bushes move behind the gerbie as she announces. "Welcome friend Wren! I am Fiffernitter and this is Forlon and Seevix." The two new berry bush creatures seem slightly intimidated by Father Emil's stance with his menacing scythe.
To Father Emil Fiffernitter frowns, "Put down your your blade, you are scaring the Collective! I'm afraid I can't stop being who I am mortal no more than you can stop being human!"
Fiffernitter beams a welcoming smile as Thael approaches and moves to the circle. When he offers stories she claps her hands quickly and emits and "Ooooooo! Please do! We first world creatures love to hear your stories!"
Feylings usually avoid settlements and humanoids in general, preferring the company of plants, animals, and other fey. If they must interact with a settlement, it’s usually farmsteads or small villages, especially those where a great number of berry bushes or fruit trees can be found. There, feylings usually secretly care for the gardens or orchard at night, insuring the yearly harvest will be bountiful. Wise villagers leave gifts of food, milk, or goods near their garden or orchard in thanks for their nightly benefactor.
Know. Nature
”Aren’t you the two cutest feylings ever! I’ve heard all about you. Today is just the best day ever to mee all of you. Don’t be scared by Father Emil. He’s tough, but he seems to be really a nice guy. I’ve heard feylings love to eat,” Wren tells theothers. ”You mind if I give them a few berries?”. If there are no objections, she gifts them some food.
”Don’t suppose you two can tell us where there are any good full orchards, could you! As you can see, we’ve got quite a crew and they eat a lot. A few meals from that orchard would do us good. And have you two seen any goblins running around the forest?”
"They are big, tall, green, and most importantly, mean. It would be nice of you to spread the word that the goblins aren't to be trusted." Selde says as she steps next to Wren.
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At the sight of this creature that Wren identifies Jillian is calmed by the feeling of happiness that washes over her. The last few days had been difficult and finally feeling happy was welcome.
Without hesitation she moves toward the circle and finds a place to sit. As the others express concern she looks to Fiffernitter and smiles "Please forgive my friends. As Wren said, we have had some difficult days. I for one am happy to be here and that we met. I have plenty of stories for you, but where should I begin?"
First Jillian starts by recounting the events of the last few days.
She pauses a moment and smiles as she thinks to herself "When I arrived, the town was so lively with the spring market festival. The streets were brimming with merchants, travelers, farmers, just all sorts of lovely people living their lives. In any case, even with the hustle bustle of the festival it brought back so many memories of my childhood, returning home. First thing I did was go to find Father Nolean and Rhyna, but I initially didn't have any luck. Instead I watched, with others, as Aubrin" she motions back toward the woman in the group "was demonstrating her archery skills. It was quite impressive and the time flew by. Before I knew it Aubrin, the crowd and myself were on our way to the Taproot Inn to listen in on her wonderful stories. In addition to being an impressive archer, she is a wonderful story teller."
A frown crosses her face for a moment and her eyes look to Fiffernitter with sadness "That is when everything went wrong...." Jillian pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing "Out of no where a ballista bolt shatters the door and flies right through Aubrin, then hobgoblins filter into the Inn and started to fight. Outside the town is in chaos. We do all we can to defend ourselves and the lives of our friends and manage to deal with the threat. However, it wasn't safe for us to leave through the front, so after gathering up what people and supplies we could we left in search of other survivors."
She looks back towards the ragtag group of survivors a moment before returning her attention to the story. "Making our way through town we collected anyone we came across while dealing with small contingents of hobgoblins, then decided we needed to get out of town as quickly as we could. As we left, we destroyed the bridge behind us to keep the army of hobgoblins from following and fled into the woods. I would say that night has been the worst so far, but it seems like such a distant worry now that I'm here with you."
She continues on for some time detailing the events of the past few days including having to figure out how to forage and build shelters, the worries of keeping all the survivors well and happy, while searching for a more safe and permanent place to hide out. Upon mentioning a safe and more permanent place to hide she asks "You don't know of any place like that do you? Somewhere we could find shelter that is pretty safe in the forest?"
Before waiting for a reply she continues and tells Fiffernitter about finding Gristledown and how it had been burnt to the ground, seemingly everyone murdered and horrible undead left in it's wake. She mentions the plant that killed one of their fellow survivors and how they had to put it down to prevent it from killing anyone else, and finishes off with "And that is how we came to find you here. We were on our way to a nearby farm to search for other survivors or supplies we could use."
She smiles as she finishes her tale, almost feeling like a weight was lifted in telling someone else the tragedies that had befallen them the last several days.
Emil prides himself on knowing a lot about nature, but these creatures are new to him, so he shifts his stance, keeping the scythe in hand but with the blade at the ground behind him to be less intimidating. He realizes these may be benign fey, but even fey who don't mean harm can sometimes cause harm without intending to.
He keeps his eye on the surrounding area, worried this might all be an illusion. He keeps up his skepticism but watches for what may be learned as well.
[dice=Know. Nature]1d20+5
"They are big, tall, green, and most importantly, mean. It would be nice of you to spread the word that the goblins aren't to be trusted." Selde says as she steps next to Wren.
"Hobgoblins," Emil corrects. "Much more dangerous than goblins."
While Jillian talks, Emil focuses on trying to read the motives of the strangers.
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”You mind if I give them a few berries?”. If there are no objections, she gifts them some food.
When Wren offers berries as a gift, both of the feyling bushes shutter briefly in what you can only open as delight. In response the feylings approach Wren, shimmering over to her slowly. Once they are in front of her they shake back and forth and drop dozens plump and ripe berries of their own all around her. Gerbie claps and adds"We accept your gift and offer these in return."
"Don’t suppose you two can tell us where there are any good full orchards, could you!"
The bushes shake silently for a few minutes before speaking a language that Jillian and Selde identify and understand to be Sylvan. They converse among themselves for a moment and then Fiffernitter translates for the group at large. "Forlon and Seevix say that there is an orchard and it's not too far from here." The gerbie points in a south easterly direction. "The only problem is that it has become infested with a colony of aggressive wasps which have been them away and unable to tend to it."
"And have you two seen any goblins running around the forest?”
The trio again converse among themselves and then the gerbie translates "There was a group of angry hobgoblins that moved through an area over there," she says pointing north, "but that was a few days ago and I haven't seen any since."
When Jillian tells her story, the gerbie is so enthralled by it that leans in closer and closer to Jillian as she tells it to the point where she almost falls forward on her face. When she speaks of the violence and trajedy that has befallen the group, her eyes well with tears as she begins to cry. When the aasimar finishes, gerbie claps quickly. "That was AMAZING! A mini cycle of life compressed in a short amount of time. Thank you for recounting your tale, friend. I hope your future travels help restore the natural balance and harmony of the order of things in the days ahead."
When someone asks them about shelter they once again converse in Sylvan, though this time it takes significantly longer. Fiffernitter eventually responds "Trying to understand the needs of mortals is different than that of the Collective and we are not certain of that what you seek." Explaining that a location that provides protection from the elements and other dangers is what you are seeking the gerbie nods. "The only naturally occurring location that matches that in the forest would likely be the smelly caves." She points in a southeasterly direction.
”Thank you for the berries. Our people really appreciate it. I’ll make it a point for us to find that orchard and clear those nasty bees away so you two can get back to doing what you love. It might be a couple days though, as we have a couple other places to investigate as well. If we find he caves, we will no doubt set up in there for a while. You three should come visit us when we are there. It’s be nice to trade stories with all of you again!”
Gerbie cautions and frowns "The smelly caves are overrun with gray scaly lizard people who are most certainly NOT in harmony. Take caution with you when approaching. If they scaly ones aren't there then we would LOVE to come visit."
”Thank you for the berries. Our people really appreciate it. I’ll make it a point for us to find that orchard and clear those nasty bees away so you two can get back to doing what you love. It might be a couple days though, as we have a couple other places to investigate as well. If we find he caves, we will no doubt set up in there for a while. You three should come visit us when we are there. It’s be nice to trade stories with all of you again!”
Selde smiled at her small friend. Though Wren yearned to have a greater connection with nature, in some ways the halfling had a stronger connection than Selde ever would. "That would be nice." She said quietly when the Gerbie mentions visiting.
"It's the most friendly thing we've met in three days!"
"Hey," Caspan interjects. "Edran's friendly. And so is Skyler sometimes. Or maybe it's Skylar. I get them confused."
He shakes his head at the mention of gray scaly lizard people, or perhaps as he realizes the berry creatures can't just be eaten entirely. Maybe they could convince them to come along, but it doesn't seem like it.
"Maybe we should go for that shack that the bird found," he says. "It probably doesn't really know the difference between a shack and a mansion, so maybe there's enough room there. I lived in some real hovels before in Canorate."
With the information (and berries) exchanged, the group bids the fey goodbye and continues on their way. Another two hours of rough going finally sees the trees begin to relent and become slightly easier to travel. Hunter, Selde and Jillian help guide the way by showing off their expert survival skills while Wren and Caspan aren't sure which way to go but are happy following along.
A break in the forest opens up to a clearing which evidently used to be a farm of some kind, but has long since been abandoned and all that remains is a tumbledown chimney. The stand of apple trees in the distance are overgrown and plentiful however, but you are cautious in your approach as you have been warned by the fey of wasps. You move forward looking for your prey, unable to find them in the overgreen trees.
Fathre Emil, Jillian and Thael spot the swarm just before it leaves its nest to come fend off its territory. A low, ominous buzz announces the arrival of a mass of many thousands of angry, stinging wasps heading your direction.
Once it becomes clear there is no threat from the strange fey trio, Emil relaxes and joins the circle, leaving his scythe on the ground behind him. "Forgive my mistrust, but as ya've heard, we've been vexed with situations that promised rewards but delivered pain an' sufferin'."
He takes a turn with the story telling, sharing one of the Parables of Erastil. He tells of the foolish city dweller who decided he would plant his yard with crops. When the plants began to sprout and show shoots and leaves above the ground, he checked on their growth every day. He grew frustrated at how long it was taking and decided he needed to help the plants grow. So he went out and tugged on each stem to stretch it out but only succeeded in uprooting his crop and was left with no harvest. The moral: trust nature to provide its bounty in its own time and don't try to help nature do what it already knows how to do.
As the group parts company, Emil says, "I have a farm o' my own. When all this trouble with the hobgoblins is over, I hope ta go back ta farmin'. I'll be happy ta entertain ya an' share more stories with ya when we have peace again. Blessed be an' fare well."
Edit
Before the group leaves, Emil calls everyone together for a prayer and then says, "Everyone be careful o' what ya eat. We've had some folk get sick and it might be somethin' in the food or water. Don't eat old food an' keep yer water containers clean. Let me know if'n ya need me to purify any food or water. An don't eat anything ya don't know fer sure is safe an' fresh. We've gathered a lot o' food an' are getting better at finding shelter, so good job everyone! Just keep yer eyes an' ears open and if'n ya see somethin' s'picious, say somethin'."
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The fey creatures help Thael feel happy for the first time in days. Though he is unable to tell as many stories as Jillian does, he does tell a story of his magical training with his grandfather in Kyonin. Though he had an elven mentor, many of the elves did not treat him well because he was only a quarter elf. Thael tells of how elegant the elven magic is...much more than that practiced by others. He tells a story of a duel he had with one of the elves that looked down on him the most, using prestidigitation and ghost sound for special effects. Unfortunately, the duel ends with Thael losing and on his back. He thanks the creatures for hosting them.
Thael hears the buzz of the swarms and holds up a hand.
"Stand clear and do not engage them in melee!" he says. "I have a pair of spells prepared that should easily disburse them...don't get in the way!"
Emil moves away from the group and puts his hand to his flask of alchemist's fire.
Jillian nods to Thael's words and moves back allowing him free reign to use his arcane talents against the swarm.
Fiffernitter seems to not hold a grudge against Father Emil, and willingly accepts his explanation and eagerly listens to his stories. They willingly accept the offer to visit Father Emil's farm someday in the future, excited at the prospect.
When Thael speaks she is no less enamored by his stories than the others and applauds loudly, thanking him.
Thael holds his spell ready until the wasps make their move. When they come forward he unleashes a torrent of fire directed at the flying creatures. The fire burns so effectively that it seemingly does more damage than it would against a single foe.
Unfortunately for Thael and Wren however, the thousands of wasps keep coming and coming. Though hundreds are dead and charred on the ground in the wake of Thael's spell, many hundreds more still buzz forward towards the intruders. The swarm of wasps fly around both Thael and Wren, repeatedly stinging them over and over again. .
Father Emil knows that these wasps swarms are immune to weapon damage and that their stingers will inflict damage to ones motor functions and abilities.
19
Thael blasts the swarm a second time and hundreds more drop, but hundreds more remain.
Emil draws a flask of alchemist's fire and advances closer, yelling, "If'n ya haven't got fire or the like, get away."
He waits until Wren and Caspan are out of splash range and throws the bottle hard at the ground in the midst of the swarm.
HP 21/21
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 16, CMD 20
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +0 (+2 resistance bonus to recover from a continuing effect)
Unbreakable Survivor 0/1
Martial Flexibility: 1/4
Effects: Throw Anything
Caspan steps back and concentrates on his throw, waiting until Wren removes herself from the wasps, then lets the bottle of liquid fire fly.
As the swarm of wasps continued forth past Thael's flames, Selde took a moment to judge the heft of her alchemists fire before throwing the vial at the mass of insects.
Fort
”Eek! Get them outta my hair! Outta my hair,” Wren shrieks as she runs out of the swarm, heading 40’ to the south. She was so shaken she didn’t even notice the alchemical fireworks that followed.
The wasp swarm continues to deplete as Father Emil and Selde explode alchemical concoctions on them. Though Caspan get's an A for effort, his aim is way to high and the alchemical explosion detonates beyond the swarm. By the end of the first round, the thousands of wasps are reduced to a mere hundred or so.
Having seen Thael first, the swarm surviors from Thael's magical burst have not forgotten about his deadly attack. They seem to follow him as he continues to back away. Surging forward on top of him, he is stung over and over again, dozens of times all over his body .
Father Emil and Selde's alchemist fire continues to burn on the swarm and slowly destroy the majority of the remaining pests.
With the pests taken care of, the group investigates the orchard and discovers they are overflowing with apples! The group harvests 6 PP worth of apples from the orchard.
When the group is finished harvesting apples, Father Emil comes across a loose stone near the chimney. Flipping it over he finds a long-dead settler’s wealth: 210 sp, 75 gp, a set of masterwork bolas, a masterwork javelin, and a large citrine gem (worth 50 gp).
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Thael gasps in pain for half a minute as the venom courses through his veins. His allergic reaction continues, his eyes swelling and his throat constricting.
He sits on the ground with the occasional insect still biting him or exiting the sleeve of his robe.
"I have had enough nature for a lifetime, thank you," he says, grim humor all that can save him from passing out. Still, he seems to have suffered the worst of the effects. For now, at least.
"Huh. Nice," Caspan says as he ignores poor Thael, far more curious about the apples and Father Emil's discovery.
"Nice rope-nuts you got there," he says.
Selde frets after her brother, doing what she can to assist with his injuries and pain. Chewing on some tobacco, she begins to rub the wet wad on Thael's stings.
Father Emil calls all who were wounded over for some healing energy to take care of the physical wounds of the wasps, although he cannot help with the effects of their poison.
When he finds the hidden stash, he says a prayer, hoping the settler is at peace. "These apples are worth more than this silver and gold, but we may be able to trade for goods if we can meet up with other survivors or find an intact settlement."
”Sorry for freaking out! When those wasps stung me, I just figured I’d never get free of them,” she said, still shaking her hair free of the tiny creepy crawlies.
She moved closer to the city dweller, making she she was close enough to enjoy the healing that Father Emil handed out. ”Those apples look beautiful,” she exclaimed.
”I hope those nice little fey can come back and tend to their orchard now.”
It's a little after midday when the orchard is picked clean, the treasure taken and Thael feels up to traveling again. The party regroups with the survivors on the perimeter and Wren shares the good news of their findings from the orchard which is met with great enthusiasm.
Father Emil goes to check on the three sick people while discovers the source of their sickness, a bad waterskin. It looks like that the leather is poorly treated and is tainting the water within.
Selde finds some plants farassis plants on the perimeter that she knows can be used as a local remedy on helping treat filth fever.
Caspan gathers the group and gets everyone ready to start moving again through the forest. The going is a little easier this afternoon, the makings of a trail exiting southeast from the orchard help keep the traveling without much difficulty. As the day goes a chill sets in as the wind picks up noticeably and the sun disappears into an overcast skies above the canopy of trees.
It's late afternoon when you spot the thinnest wisp of smoke from a tiny chimney in the distance. Moving closer you discern a small shack hidden in the thickets of brambles.
Casapan points out that there is an almost depleted pile of firewood next to the door to the shack.
Selde and Father Emil both note that they hear a faint, slightly off-key humming of a tune from inside the shack.