Horvan goes back up the tree, through the window, and into his room above the general store. Sneaking into his brother's room is easy as his folks are down stairs manning the shop. He gets much of the gear put away and is cleaning the sword one last time when it speaks to him. Not in a clear voice or even out loud. Its in his head but he is sure its coming from the sword. Keep me with you. is its message. Doing just the opposite of its instruction, Horvan drops the sword onto the cover of the well made bed like it was hot. To his horror the voice in his head continues. Your work is just beginning and you will have need of a blade. I can help you. I have fought the enemy before. I will guide you. Keep me with you. With an audible yelp Horvan runs from the room. My brother's sword is haunted. is his thought as he returns to his room and shuts the door. His dreams this night will not be pleasant.
Donovan goes back to his Pa's wagon and waits, trying to work the nick out with a whetstone.
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Raggnor returns to home to a large yurt at the edge of the village almost in the forest, outside his dad was cutting fire wood and mum was inside it was her turn to do the cooking. As Raggnor entered yurt
his mum noticed his cuts."Oh no honey grub your hurt was it that caln of badgers again? I told you they there a bad influence, now sit down and I'll make it better."she put her hands over the wounds she mutters some words and her hands start to glow a warm light, healing his wounds. "Now eat your stew a than go straight to bed"she says kissing him on the forehead."Thanks mum i will"Raggnor didn't tell his parents the truth about what happened thinking it would only upset and worry them.
Donovan needn't have worried about his pa, by the time his stumbles out of the veteran was only interested in getting some to bed. he thumped the side of the cart waking Donovan who quickly moved to the seat to head home. Donovan and the stable old cart horse had made this trip enough times they could both do it half asleep.
Donovan helped his pa in and to the bedroom where his mom was waiting, and he turned to climb into the loft. The blanket closes over the bedroom door cutting the young mans view before his mother leans over his father. "Sleep well my hero, I can offer only a little reprieve" her hands begin to glow softly as she touches his temple.
Later that night Donovan bolts upright and blurts "The bird! and smacks his head right into a roof beam.
Liam reaches out to catch the bag, but pulls it back down quickly in an awkward motion as it goes to the others. "Thanks Kale." He looks around, reluctant to go, but can't seem to find anything else to keep him. "I guess. I guess I'll head home for the night." Liam starts to head for the door, "See you tomorrow guys." He starts making his way home, slowly through the streets.
When he finally gets home, he brushes away Ivan's worry, "I heard about the goblins, are you okay?"
"Yeah. I can take care of myself," Liam says, then pushes to the table, "What do we got for dinner?" He looks down at the stale bread and sighs. It's been too long since we've heard from mom. Liam grabs himself a slice, stuffs it in his mouth and then heads to bed.
"Liam?" Ivan asks, but there's no response.
Inside the Temple
As Issi helps to clean the man's wounds and treat him, he awakens, but is too weak to speak. Even so, he clearly wants to tell her something...he is grateful, clearly, but there is also something else there. Perhaps in the morning he will be stronger.
Donovan's House
Donovan hear's a weary sigh after his head smacks the roof beam.
"Come on, kid. You gotta be more careful. There will be enough things trying to beat you senseless without you giving them a hand."
The small woman with insect wings appears from behind one of the roof beams, and touches Donovan's forehead. The pain subsides.
"I was going to wait until you'd had a proper rest before laying this on you, but you're awake anyway, so I'll give you the short version. You've got a little bit extra in you, kid. Something Celestial. A light. And you're going to need it, because you and your friends just stumbled across something pretty big. That man wasn't attacked by just goblins; there's a whole bunch of creatures that don't belong here, and they've made an alliance with some pretty bad humans. I don't know all the details, but I know that you and your friends are the best bet for fixing this mess. You gotta talk to that Ulfen guy in the morning. Now go back to bed, you're going to need all your strength tomorrow."
The Silver Stoat
Kryas easily catches the bag, which he later determines contains 200 coppers, and drops off the mushrooms in the kitchen. Menander is clearly still sulking from the argument with his wife, but remains polite to the children.
Everyone has a restful night of sleep, and when morning breaks, after breakfast with your families and seeing your parents off to their jobs, you are all back together in your usual meeting spot, a "clubhouse" made of old sheets stretched over sticks behind the Temple of Erastil.
Horvan's dreams were not good, but at least they were not of the sword that spoke to him last night. He wakes on time and eats breakfast with his folks. The talk around the table is of a stranger bringing kids into the town last night and how he must be a priest because he is staying at the temple. Horvan said nothing. He ate quickly and doing his chores just as quickly explained how his friends were all waiting on him.
Going back up stairs Horvan went to face the black sword. It was quiet this morning though and planed to carry it again. But first he needed to put on the armor. Touching it brought its own surprise. As his hand came to rest on the harness of the armor his vision flashed to a far away and likely long ago scene. A swordsman battles through the snow almost too deep to push through. His sword is in one hand and a flaming torch in the other. He wears the leather armor that Horvan's hand rests on. Wolves howl in the background their fur is white and their eyes are an impossible icy blue. The snow blows and the torch threatens to go out. Someone he knows that he must keep the brand aflame.
An instant later he is back in his brother's room and his hand rests on nice but otherwise indistinct lamellar leather armor. Quickly donning the protective garment he gathers the rest of his rig, belts on his sword and exits the window to join his friends.
Yume was out of the house in a flash, turning back to her human guise as she bolted towards where they said they were going to meet up. Lots of stuff happened the last day, and they did not have time to talk to each other much since then. So she was eager to meet up with them
Yume didnt let him ask her twice as she holds out her hands with a huge grin on her face
Donovan woke up early, wondering if last night was a dream, something tells him it wasn't. He moves quietly downstairs, he opens his Pa's chest the one he opens only once a month to care for his old adventuring gear. He lifted the heavy bag and quietly headed out to meet with the others.
Donovan steps into the clearing and sets the heavy bag down with a clatter, "I would love some, I snuck out without breakfast this morning"
While he waits for the others he opens the bag and begins to don the armor inside.
"I had a dream, err, Not a dream, we need to talk to that man. I'll tell you more once the others arrive."
Henyan heads home, his parents come home a bit later and he tells them about the man, his riding that ram back to the town to find some help and Kale going to help. His Ma is a bit worried but his Pa knows that he did the right thing in defending the town.
The following day after helping with the chores, Henyan heads to the stables to get his Ram then heads out to find his friends.
"Do you think he still be blue? They said Frost bite but don't Frost Bite turn ye black?" Henyan asks fixing his own equipment then helping Don
Henyan's eyes go a bit wide at the thought of his own coin. "We be rich! How many sweet ye think we can get fer all that?" Henyan asks
Yume, also happy about the money, nods, but then quickly shakes her head "Let's go find out what this man has to say before we spend all our money on sweets"
Horvan, working at his folks store, knows more than most 12 year olds how much, or how little 200 cp are. He says nothing though, not wanting to spoil the mood.
The temple is, of course, open. You might normally have to ask permission to see an injured man being cared for there, but most of the older acolytes are quite busy with their chores at this time of day, and the Elder and his wife are not present within.
Within his room, you find the Ulfen man, awake but still looking quite bad. His nose and the tips of his fingers have, indeed, turned black. His skin is badly bruised elsewhere, and the bandages that Issi helped apply last night are beginning to soak through and will soon need changing. Even so, the man greets the group with a bloody grin of partially broken teeth.
"Children. So I wasn't dreaming. I really was rescued by children. I owe you my thanks. Is that why you've come?"
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"It's ok. We just wanted to help!" Issi adds. "My magic is why you haven't lost that finger yet!" She adds, pointing to his right index finger, which is currently unbitten. "You're welcome! What happened to you though? My ma says this is one of the warmest places in Taldor - how did you get frostbite here?"
"Neh, we come to check on ye, Make sure you will recover to what you can." Henyan's accent changes as he talks.
Liam stands in the back, a worried look on his face, but he stays silent, the other kids having voiced his own thoughts.
"The faerie bird lady told me we need to come see you today, that WE! at this he stands straight and indicates all his friends. "Are the best bet to stop some sort of alliance between bad men and monsters, do you know anything about that?"
Standing quietly in the back Horvan finally offers Maybe a white dragon breathed on him.
"It doesn't hurt at all. I can't feel anything there." the man says sadly. "I guess you've earned the right to hear my story. I come from a land far to the north, the land of the Linnorm Kings. Like many of my people I came south to seek work. I've been a freelance guard for years in Taldor. A few months ago I was hired as a bodyguard for Lady Argentea Malassene. Solid, stable work; I thought my luck was changing. But as we passed through the woods the weather grew oddly cold; it almost felt like my old homeland. Then we were attacked by bandits. I thought nothing of it; it's my job to kill such filth...but then the creatures of winter came. The Winter-touched fey, we call them in my land. They come from Irrisen, a kingdom in my homeland that fell to evil witches a thousand years ago. They killed the other guards, and would have killed me too; I escaped to find help, but instead I only endangered you children. My shame will never be washed away. Those creatures took Lady Argentea, and I can do nothing but lie in bed."
She looked at him, her head tilted to one side. She could never understand this of most grownups.
"But mister. You are alive. How is that shameful? Do you wish death? Mom always says you should laugh when you can. The world is full of sadness. Laughter is good like a medicine"
Maybe we could go look for this Lady Argentea. I would like to meet a real Lady. Those goblins were not so tough. Horvan states, already forgetting the bad parts of the fight.
Donovan turns bright red. he stammers, "Not really talking to them, they seem to be talking to me, first in the field, then last night again. Then say we need to talk to this guy, and I think Horvan is right we need to go find this Lady"** as he is talking his voice gets steady and he stands taller. But he finished looks around and the slouch he adopted since he became taller than his pa returns.
Liam at first is stunned, "Us?" Then he looks around at the others, "Of course us. It's got to be someone, why not us?" Though his face looks pale, Liam stands tall, grasping his bow. "Okay. I'm in. I'll follow Donovan and his bird-fairy."
"You are kind to say such things, girls. I owe you and your friends great thanks. But you must not think of going into those woods; the winter-touched fey are servants of the white witches, and they despise children more than anything. The fey are unnaturally strong, and fear only cold-iron and burning flame. I only hope that some heroes reside nearby to correct my failure..." he says, then sighs and settles back into his bed, the effort of speaking having drained him severely.
You can all hear footsteps coming from outside of the room; they are growing louder, indicating that someone is on their way here.
Donovan says "I am a hero, and I have cold iron" he pulls his pa's flail out but loses control of it for a moment.
Horvan says nothing but lays his hand onto his brother's cold iron blade that has begun to trouble both his waking and sleeping hours. I am not afraid to go. he finally manages.
"Me Ma and Pa mine that cold Iron stuff, send it to the crusaders fightin' in the world wound." Henyan says, he takes his leave with the rest of the group heading out with them back to their club house
"So we be goin' ta look fer this lady?"
Yume was about to shift into her fox form to quickly escape. But by her friends request she stays and gives her a nod a smile
"Sure thing Issi. As long as it doesnt cause you trouble?"
Horvan hangs around. After those who choose to leave are gone he approaches the man. Mister, I would like to know your name. And I am gonna ask you to tell me exactly what happened to you, and where it happened. We are going after the lady. If you don't help us all you can then if we fail its gonna be partly your fault. He swallows hard but looks the man in the eye.
Too weak to sit up again, the man's eyes roll over to Horvan, staring with an intensity that belies his helpless condition.
"I am Yuln Oerstag. If this is Heldren, then I'd say the attack was about six miles south of here. It was cold, unnaturally so. I can see that you're resolved to do something foolish, boy, and if I was your father I might even be proud. So bring warm clothes, and fire, and cold-iron. Don't let your companions out of sight, and don't trust any wise woman you meet out in those woods. The White Witches are as crafty as they are cruel."
It isn't difficult to make your escape from the Temple, as the acolytes know that your clubhouse is on the grounds and are accustomed to seeing you inside, often in search of Issi. You catch sight of the town's Council Leader, Mrs. Ionnia Teppen, being led to Yuln's room by Elder Safander and his Keleshite wife, Zaarida. You can catch small bits of their conversation:
"...send word to the local rangers, the woods aren't safe..."
"...growing colder, even within the town..."
"...adventurers?"
Back in Yuln's room, the door opens slowly and Council Leader Teppen, Elder Safander, and Zaarida enter, looking a bit surprised to see you all.
"Ah, checking in on our guest, Acolyte? I'm afraid he's too weak to take visitors, yet. Perhaps in a couple of days you can bring your friends back and he can thank you for your rescue properly." says Elder Safander.
Ionnia Teppen then steps forward and lays a hand on Issi's shoulder.
"That was a brave thing you and your friends did. But bravery and foolishness are perilously close; try to keep your games closer to the village for now, until we know the woods are safe again."