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Katia immediately sets to work tending to the sick. She gauges Mama Van's fever, frowning, then starts making a poultice for her. "Hey Van. How are you feeling? Any nausea or dizziness? You were hunting today and yesterday. Where did you hunt?"
She then moves to the adept and begins looking him over, checking his forehead and noting the progression of his welts into pustules. "Daveth, right? What were you doing today and yesterday, Daveth? And where were you doing it?"
She then moves to Corbin. "Hey Corbin. How are we feeling?" She takes his temperature and begins making another poultice, mixing a few simple herbs together into a salve. She uses a rag to gently apply the salve to the red welts on his skin where pustules will soon boil up and erupt. "You've been searching for herd animals with your fiancee, yes? Has she shown any symptoms yet? Where did the two of you look yesterday and today?"
Oona heads to their food supply and begins checking over the stores of meat and fruit to make sure there's nothing spoiled.
"Hey Van. How are you feeling? Any nausea or dizziness? You were hunting today and yesterday. Where did you hunt?"
Van smiles weakly at Katia. "Thank you, Kat. Quite a pickle I've found myself in, eh? I have some nausea but you know we go through worse every month. And yes, I was hunting. We didn't go far; the game in this area is plentiful."
Aubrin speaks up. "I had the same thought, but no one she went hunting with is sick. I think it's something else."
"Daveth, right? What were you doing today and yesterday, Daveth? And where were you doing it?"
Daveth nods. "I've been spending my days tending to people. Living in the woods is hard. People ..." -- he pauses for a coughing fit -- "people have scrapes and bruises and colds from sleeping outside. No one is seriously ill." He catches himself and chuckles weakly. "Well, now some are. But everyone is holding up surprisingly well otherwise."
"You've been searching for herd animals with your fiancee, yes? Has she shown any symptoms yet? Where did the two of you look yesterday and today?"
Corbin smiles wanly at Katia. "No, so far Leila is fine, thank the gods. We searched within a mile south and east of camp. I'm starting to think the hobs got all the other herd animals; we've been having no luck."
-----------
Oona inspects the food supplies thoroughly, and everything looks and smells just fine. Jet is good at what she does; you are 100% sure it is not the food.
Oona approaches Freyja and Katia. "I checked the food stores and they're not spoiled. But... I don't know. Something feels... off. I feel like it has to do with the food, but it's not?" She shakes her head in frustration.
Oona feels like she is right on the cusp of figuring out what's going on, but remains perplexed. Katia, however, lands on an inspired way to get to the bottom of the problem. As she completes the incantation and the words on the scroll burn away, she sees an ugly, black, writhing glow coming from one of the large communal waterskins. Upon examination, she notices that the leather has been poorly treated and has tainted the water within.
Jet and Aubrin assist the party in checking all of the waterskins for similar deterioration and find nothing. The culprit skin is destroyed, much to the relief of the camp. With treatment and a little bit of luck, the three afflicted people will make a full recovery in a couple of days.
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Having helped the three along in their treatment, Katia goes to her small tent and gathers Adelbert and Shiri to continue working on the antitoxin.
Disgusted with herself for the lack of progress even with help, Katia takes comfort in knowing she helped stop the spread of filth fever in the camp thanks to her magic. Maybe I'm not completely useless, she thinks with a smirk, as she drifts off to sleep.
Oona approaches Freyja during dinner. "Well done helping Katia with the healing. You have a light touch. I know she did not thank you with words--she's a proud girl, that one--but doubtless she appreciated the help." She tilts her head at the ranger. "I can't help but notice you've been going off by yourself at night. Are you alright? I don't mean to pry, it's just that the Fangwood isn't safe to traverse alone in the best of circumstances. I worry, is all."
Freyja smiles at Oona. "I am fi..." She stops and shakes her head. "No. I am not fine. I mean, I don't think any of us are. How could we be? But this is something else. I am worried about that lynx. I can't stop thinking about her. And I think she is thinking about me too. I'm pretty sure she left me a rabbit last night. I don't know who else would have killed a rabbit and quietly left it by my bedroll like an offering. Unless... is that something Mac would do?"
She stops and looks over at Katia. "Also. I am worried about her. She seems better today, but she hasn't been the same since Gilida."
Oona smiles at the question about the rabbit. "Believe me, Mac would not leave you enough to make a lucky foot out of, let alone a proper offering. I think perhaps you're right. I won't ask to join you, despite the danger. If you are correct about her, I don't think she would come if I were present. Just becareful out there."
Upon Freyja's words about Katia, she follows the ranger's gaze. "She is resilient, I think. Truth be told, I don't think you or I are the same, either. How could we be? We fought them in Phaendar, even found a few bodies, but battle corpses are one thing. What they did to Gilida..."
Oona suppresses a shudder and rubs her arms. It emits a soft scraping noise, like rock lightly brushed over rock. "What they did to her requires a level of petty brutality I have not come across in twenty years. The orcs that killed my circle were of a similar mindset. Yet, I think these hobgoblins may be worse. The orcs were wanton, chaotic. They poured over the circle in droves and raped, murdered, and desecrated whatever happened to be in front of them. These hobs are just as violent and sacrilegious, but they are far more organized. Where the orcs were like mindless locusts, these are army ants. One mind and one purpose. Frankly, it terrifies me."
She turns from Katia to Freyja. "That's what she saw. That's what was driven home to her that I think she was refusing to see before then. The Ironfang Legion isn't just a roving horde. They're a well-oiled machine, relentless and numberless."
She remains silent for a moment, considering. When she finally speaks again, she stands up straight and stretches first. "I am going to bed. We will keep an eye on Katia, and hopefully she has come to terms with the worst of it. If not..." The oread shrugs helplessly. "We'll just have to see, I guess."
I won't ask to join you, despite the danger.
"Thank you. I do feel like this is something I have to do on my own. But then when I think about it... I don't know. Why would Gozreh take the time? I feel like I am being a silly little girl that wants a kitten to play with. You said it: the world is coming down around us. I should be focused on that."
She sits in silence, staring off into the woods. "But that's my brain. This lynx is in my heart. I feel it." She stares off again for several seconds, then shakes her head and looks at Oona. "Never mind. I will be careful. Thank you for worrying."
-------------
Later, Freyja follows her nighttime activities that are beginning to become routine. She retires inside her shelter to work on her project for a few hours, then creeps out of camp once everyone else is sleeping. Thankfully, the clouds have cleared a bit and the light from the moon is sufficient to get around; she doesn't think that the lynx would approach her if she set her ioun torch spinning.
The lynx isn't going to approach you at all, fool girl. Stop wasting time you should be sleeping!
She shakes her head fiercely, as if to send the thought out of it with pure centrifugal force. She kneels down, studying the trees, the ground, the cover of leaves just beginning to fall from the trees.
She doesn't see anything at first -- at least not anything she is looking for. The people in camp aren't trained in passing without leaving a trail, so she finds plenty of bootprints, broken branches, and one unfortunate case of a person who didn't follow the rules about burying waste. Ugh. Going to need to work on this.
But then she sees it: the telltale vertical, parallel claw marks low on tree trunks of a small wild cat sharpening its nails.
She was here!
No. A cat was here. You don't know it was her.
It was her.
Suddenly yawning deeply, Freyja looks up at the moon. She is surprised to find she has been out here for over 2 hours. Tomorrow is going to suck. She shakes her head and heads back to camp.
You awaken to find Aubrin already tending to her patients. "Van and Corbin are doing much better. I think they'll be recovered by tomorrow with treatment and rest. They could possibly do some light work around camp, like standing watch perhaps." Her face turns grim. "The news is not as positive with Daveth. He has worsened, even with the same care the others received. I suspect he drank more of the water than the others. He is sleeping now; please do not ask him to do any work today." She returns to wiping his head with a cool cloth.
Freyja bolts awake. Damn! She had wanted to get up early and pretend to sleep, in hopes of catching Trejga entering the camp.
Huh. Apparently I have named her.
She crawls out of her shelter and finds today's gift: two sparrows. Freyja laughs. Maybe back to the rabbit tomorrow? She scans the edges of camp but of course she doesn't see anything.
She heads towards the makeshift triage area Aubrin has set up to check on the sick people. On the way, she stops by Oona's shelter and holds up the sparrows. "Think Mac would want these?" she asks with a laugh.
Seeing that the three people still need treatment, she kneels by each in turn.
Satisfied that she has done what she can to help Katia, she stands. Suddenly she realizes how utterly exhausted she is. She heads to the mess to get some coffee.
-----------
After coffee, she grabs her bow and some arrows and heads out to her makeshift range to practice. She goes through her usual preparation ritual: closing her eyes, controlling her breathing, slowing her heartbeat. Ordinarily she is able to stay still like that for a full five minutes; the longer she can go, the better she feels she shoots that day. Today, though... something is off. Within seconds after closing her eyes, she feels herself drifting off. She has to continually catch herself, which jolts her awake, which screws up her breathing and quickens her heart. Frustrated, she gets to her feet and grabs her bow. She nocks an arrow, looks down the target, and pulls. And pulls. An pu... S$&@! She realizes with horror that she doesn't have the strength to draw her bow in this state.
She almost throws it down in frustration, but catches herself and throws the arrows instead. She stomps over to Oona again. "This is embarrassing. I am too tired to draw my bow today. Would you like to trade, just for today?"
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Katia nods, and prepares another salve for Daveth. "Agreed. This isn't good."
Her brow furrows for a moment, then she digs in her pack and pulls out a vial. "Give this to him. It will help for today. Tomorrow... we shall see."
She goes to her other two patients, chatting with them to keep them calm--not hard to do when they're looking significantly better than Daveth.
After finishing her morning ablutions, Oona and Mac make a quick sweep of the camp's perimeter and chat with the refugees to make sure the mood is positive (or at least, as positive as it can be).
She then gathers the siblings and waits for the others at the northeast edge of camp.
Freyja (42/42 hp)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp)
Recruit #1
Recruit #2
Recruit #3
Recruit #4
Oona (38/38 hp)
Mac (36/36 hp)
Bold may act!
Freyja sees them first. "Hobs!" She curses under her breath for being so out of shape today. She steps out from behind Mac and launches two arrows at the front hob.
Freyja hits #4 in the chest but her second arrow sails wide.
The two hobs in the back look a bit more experienced than the four in the front. They carry well-made composite longbows, which they raise and fire at Oona and Mac . Oona's arrow was meant to be a killshot; it was on a trajectory to pierce her throat. She twists out of the way at the last possible second and it enters her neck. Still a terrible wound, but not debilitating . Mac's arrow hits him in the chest and he howls in pain and anger .
Freyja (42/42 hp)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp)
Recruit #1 (0 damage)
Recruit #2 (0 damage)
Recruit #3 (0 damage)
Recruit #4 (8 damage)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (32/36 hp)
Bold may act!
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Hoping to take out a couple combatants quickly, Katia takes aim across the battlefield and begins casting a spell, weaving strands of magic pulled directly from the Aether, and targets a spot just behind the two archers.
A burst of soft, rippling magic radiates from the point she chooses, sending waves of drowsiness over the two scouts.
She then pulls a scroll out of her pack.
Katia's spell hits the four recruits in a wave of arcane energy. Each of them stumbles woozily, but only one falls.
The other three charge the party, swords raised. Mac dodges out of the way of #3's swing, but directly into #4's . Freyja sees (or imagines she sees) a flash of fur out in the woods to her right. She looks away at just the wrong moment, and #5's sword slices through her tunic, through her armor, and into her chest.
She lets out a "urp" and stumbles back, breath momentarily taken away.
Freyja (28/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp)
Recruit #3 (0 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round])
Recruit #4 (8 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round])
Recruit #5 (0 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round])
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (32/36 hp)
Bold may act!
Oona touches Mac's flank. "Good luck, fur-face. Kill him."
While Oona harries Recruit 4 with her scythe, distracting him, Mac goes for his legs.
Mac brings another hob to the ground. This particular one has Freyja's arrow sticking out of his chest and he looks really hurt.
Freyja (28/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp)
Recruit #3 (0 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round])
Recruit #4 (16 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round], prone)
Recruit #5 (0 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round])
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (32/36 hp)
Bold may act!
Freyja gasps at the sucking wound in her chest. She steps back to make some room to maneuver and fires two shots in retaliation.
Freyja struggles with this unfamiliar bow and her fatigued state. She hits with both arrows, but, where they would have certainly been lethal under normal circumstances, this time they hit the hob in its arm and its leg, doing minimal damage.
The two scouts try to move to minimize cover. They both fire and miss terribly, trying too hard to not hit their allies.
Freyja (28/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp)
Recruit #3 (0 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round])
Recruit #4 (16 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round], prone)
Recruit #5 (8 damage, -2 AC for charge [1 round])
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (32/36 hp)
Bold may act!
#4 tries to stand and Mac gives him the universal sign for 'stay down' in the form of a jaw around the throat. #3 takes advantage of Mac's momentary distraction and slices along the back of Mac's right hind leg, severing the tendon and severely hampering Mac's natural finesse.
#5 steps forward and hits Freyja, but this time she is ready for him, deflecting the blade with her bow and minimizing the damage .
Freyja (25/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp, +4 AC)
Recruit #3 (0 damage)
Recruit #4 (24 damage, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #5 (8 damage)
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (25/36 hp, 6 dex damage)
Taidel (0 damage)
Lirosa (0 damage)
Bold may act!
Oona hisses as she sees the horrid wound on Mac's tendon. She touches his flank to send Magdh's blessing into him again. "Kill that son of a b!@*!," she snarls, then strides up to the hob to distract him with her scythe.
Mac tears at the hob who just gashed his leg, letting all his bestial rage pour into the attack.
Mac's oversized jaw clamps down over the hob's side, extending almost halfway across the width of its body. It screeches in pain and then in surprise as Mac pulls it to the ground.
Lirosa sees her teacher getting harried and calls to her brother, "We have to help her!" They rush forward out of the bushes. Each fires an arrow at the hob attacking Freyja, but they both overcompensate trying to miss Freyja and end up missing everything.
Freyja (25/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp, +4 AC)
Recruit #3 (10 damage, prone)
Recruit #4 (24 damage, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #5 (8 damage)
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (25/36 hp, 6 dex damage)
Taidel (0 damage)
Lirosa (0 damage)
Bold may act!
Freyja steps behind the copse of trees to help provide her some cover from the two scouts firing arrows and bares her teeth at #5. "DIE," she seethes through her clenched jaw.
Freyja's first arrow misses right over the hob's shoulder, but the second pierces its armor directly in the center of its chest. It reels, but stays up.
The hob scouts have seen Mac kill one hob and take another to the ground and both turn their bows on him. The arrows hit him nearly simultaneously, one in his right shoulder and the other on his left flank .
Freyja (25/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage)
Katia (30/30 hp, +3 AC)
Recruit #3 (10 damage, prone)
Recruit #4 (24 damage, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #5 (17 damage, staggered)
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (16/36 hp, 6 dex damage)
Taidel (0 damage)
Lirosa (0 damage)
Bold may act!
Katia's web explodes over the remaining hobs. #1 sees it coming and deftly avoids getting stuck, but the other three become caught up in the sticky webbing.
#3 is flat on the ground, covered in webbing. He doesn't even bother trying to get up; he just swings his sword awkwardly at Mac, predictably missing.
#5 knows he doesn't have long. He wanted to try to take Freyja with him but this web has put a stop to that. Instead, he turns and stabs down into Mac's back . He then falls to the ground unconscious.
Freyja (25/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage, grappled)
Katia (30/30 hp, +3 AC)
Recruit #3 (10 damage, prone, grappled)
Recruit #4 (25 damage, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #5 (18 damage, grappled, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (10/36 hp, 6 dex damage)
Taidel (0 damage)
Lirosa (0 damage)
Bold may act!
Oona and Mac gang up on the prone hob, hoping to end him.
Seeing she finished her opponent, she points at Katia. "Defend," she says, and starts moving around the webbing to reach Freyja and provide some much-needed healing.
Mac, bloody and limping, nevertheless puts his faith in his companion's tactical acumen and moves over to Katia, keeping his back right leg off the ground, prepared to lash out at anyone who gets into melee with the witch.
Oona finishes off #3 with a slash to the throat.
Lirosa and Taidel can't see the scouts through all the webbing and aren't quite sure what to do. They are reluctant to move closer to the fighting, so they both raise their bows and will fire if an enemy comes into view.
Freyja (25/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (0 damage, grappled)
Katia (30/30 hp, +3 AC)
Recruit #3 (20 damage, grappled, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #4 (25 damage, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #5 (18 damage, grappled, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (10/36 hp, 6 dex damage)
Taidel (0 damage)
Lirosa (0 damage)
Bold may act!
Freyja sees Oona coming and senses she means to help, but there are hobgoblins to kill. She takes a few steps to the east to where she can see the hob scout struggling with the webs. She sends an arrow his way.
Freyja's arrow lands true. The hob didn't even see it coming as it struggled.
Scout #1 steps out of the web and moves as far from Mac as it can get. It fires an arrow, which hits Mac in the flank and punctures his lung . Mac staggers on his feet.
Scout #2 shoots back at Freyja and it pierces her side, between two ribs .
Freyja (16/42 hp, 9 armor damage)
Scout #1 (0 damage)
Scout #2 (10 damage, grappled)
Katia (30/30 hp, +3 AC)
Recruit #3 (20 damage, grappled, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #4 (25 damage, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #5 (18 damage, grappled, unconscious and dying)
Recruit #6 (0 damage, asleep)
Oona (28/38 hp)
Mac (0/36 hp, 6 dex damage, disabled)
Taidel (0 damage)
Lirosa (0 damage)
Bold may act!
Mac whimpers and staggers on his three remaining legs, but holds fast.
Oona moves up and pours healing energy into Freyja's wounds.