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"Whoa, wait a moment," The woman laughs softly. "I'm not here to accuse you of anything. Not at all. I'm Noala, and I've been serving the nearby woods for many years after fighting in the Goblinblood wars. Sheriff Rolth didn't send me, but I did ask any recent visitors, and he told me about you," the ranger speaks quietly, her hood still pulled in close.
"As for the wolves, I'm certain you had no choice but to put them down. You see, they aren't.. normal." Noala hesitates. "But I'd really rather not talk about it here."
Delma peeks out and sees Noala, her face shifting in such a way that it's clear she recognizes her.
Scratch sizes up the elf's words and appearance, while Celvi puts on a performance that's met with an impressed look. "Might you accompany me in the woods nearby where we can talk more privately? We also need to... do something about these bodies," Noala looks over at the wolf corpses. "We need to burn them." She whispers.
It's clear to Scratch that she's implying the wolves ferocity was unusual, and not necessarily that she's being dishonest.
"A chance to get out of this- er, a chance for fresh air?" Celvi takes another scoop of her turnip porridge and hops off the longshank chair. "Yeah, sure."
"Normal?" Ed responds with a touch of curiosity in his voice,"I always believed wolves hunted together in packs. Ohhh you mean...yes perhaps a pleasant walk would do us some good," Ed nods quickly as he rises to his feet, ready to depart.
I wonder how Delma knows her...
Gillian's expression flickers; first it's a worried frown and then a look of understanding.
"Okay, gotcha. Yeah, a walk sounds good this morning. We're gonna be here for a while yet so may as well learn a little more about the lay of the land, right?"
She hurriedly wolfs down the last piece of toast on her plate and chases it with a large gulp of milk before standing and hoisting her usual gear.
"Ready to go when the rest of you are."
Not surprising something was wrong with those wolves. The whole damn pack attacked us all; don't they usually pick off stragglers or something instead?
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She hurriedly wolfs down the last piece of toast on her plate and chases it with a large gulp of milk before standing and hoisting her usual gear.
Scratch nearly loses his breakfast as he watches Gillian drink that foul swill "How can ye stomach that turnip milk? GAH!" VURP!
"Those frickin' wolves were covering in damned fleas. Bit us up and the horses. More fleas than Hallod's mutt's fer sure."
Gillian shrugs.
"I've had worse. When you're out on assignment you gotta take what you can get, you know? Give it enough time and you'll develop an iron stomach."
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Noala smiles grimly, and starts pulling the sledge back towards the road leading out of town. "Not many great fishing spots in the woods, but there could be opportunities to trap smaller animals," she replies to Scratch. "... And hope that they are not diseased in some way," she quietly adds.
The mysterious woman leads you to a clearing in the woods, not far from the town itself, where a small fire is already burning in a carefully kept fire pit. She tosses back her hood to reveal long, elven ears and deep, emerald eyes. With one hand, she begins to drag the wolf corpses to the flame. She avoids the use of her right hand, which is entirely covered in an oddly shaped leather gauntlet.
"These wolves aren’t the first, and I am afraid they won’t be the last. Worse still,” she grunts, as she begins to drag the body of the caustic wolf to the fire, "the forest itself is turning sour. Plants and trees are withering, bearing bitter fruit that sickens and kills those who eat it. If you’ve been out to the old orchard, you’ve seen it. The blight is growing."
Thinking back to the encounter with the bees, it did seem like the trees were rotten and twisted, yet no one in town mentioned anything about such a blight to you.
As the last wolf is piled onto the fire, Noala turns to you. "The blight is growing, and... I need your help to stop it."
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"Uh.." Celvi removes her hat just enough to scratch it. "What in the hells am I gonna do? I can give a performance to fight it or somethin'."
This blight, it's everywhere. Beautiful. Kill the elf, let the curse spread.
Celvi shakes an unpleasant thought from her head. Gonna spite you, ya... hag. "Sign me up."
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Torag why do you torture me so? I thought I was gonna get outta here.
Scratch stays silent for longer than usual as the Elf gives them the low down. Finally he speaks up "I know what I'm gonna say is gonna float about as good as steel in water, but why don't everyone just up n leave this place? Head south, like I keep tryin' ta do. Start over away from all this death n disease?"
He looks to the north and closes his eyes as he says a small Dwarven prayer. "Sometimes the place ye call home just ain't ta be saved, as hard as it is ta say. Best off startin' fresh before there ain't no one left to keep on." He takes a seat on a rock and wipes his eyes as he takes a sip of water.
After a few more silent minutes Scratch speaks in barely more than a whisper "I'll help ya if I can, but only if ya promise ta leave this place if we can't save it. Head South, find my cousin Marcie Steeltoe. Bring 'er my dagger 'ere if I don't make it." He goes silent from there.
Ed nods in reply to Celvi then gives Scratch a somber look. "I may be a simple learned man, yet I do know that if one does not check the spread of something undesirable, it will not stop of its own accord...despite our hopes and wishes." He nods resolutely, "I shall do whatever it takes to arrest this...blight, lest it consume where ever we run to escape its clutches."
"Yeah, I mean...if it were as simple as just packing up and moving I bet a lot of folks would've done it already," Gillian remarks as she watches the fire burn. "But maybe some folks can't, for whatever reason. Or maybe they just won't. People love their homes and it's scary to leave even the devil they know for the one they don't."
She thinks back to her time working the medical tents just behind the front lines and the chapels and temples in Mendev. The Worldwound had been just as much of a blight on the land and people as any disease. And the only thing that had kept it from covering the world had been those willing to come and fight. To stand and fight.
"Ed's right. Maybe there'll be no fixing this even if we try...but there'll damn sure be no fixing it if we don't. I'm in."
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Noala listens to the party's reasoning, looking pleased at first, but especially concerned with Scratch's response. She walks over to him as he sits on the rock, the smell of cooked wolf flesh ripe in the air. "If we don't get to the bottom of this problem soon, it may soon spread to farms and fields, perhaps even spreading further than Etran's Folly. The villagers just aren't concerned. They think maybe it's just a bad summer, or maybe a pig died in the stream a few months back." She rolls her eyes. "Even Rolth says he has no time for tree problems, and says he won't help."
Noala takes a seat next to Scratch. "I think of myself as a steward of these lands. I prefer to work here in the wild, and preserve the delicate balance in the woodlands around the community." If he'll let her, Noala places a hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "That balance is under threat, and we must do what we can to stop it. I guess what I'm saying is... we need to do everything we can so that we don't fail."
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Noala stands. "Thank you for agreeing to help with this. Tomorrow morning, I would be glad to take you to a blight deeper in the forest. I recommend packing for a lengthy journey, as the largest blight is located deep in the woods, and is hard to reach on foot."
The ranger brings you back to Etran's Folly. "I will meet you at the site of the wolf ambush just outside town tomorrow morning. See you then."
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Now might be the best opportunity to make any preparations for the trip, but as you re-enter town, you find Tamli just outside a shop. "I... never properly thanked you," she says. "There's something I'd like to give you. Bort was fond of jewelry, particularly rings, and had a number of magical rings in his collection." She takes out a bag and lays the rings on a nearby barrel. "Each of you may have one."
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Noala listens to the party's reasoning, looking pleased at first, but especially concerned with Scratch's response. She walks over to him as he sits on the rock, the smell of cooked wolf flesh ripe in the air. "If we don't get to the bottom of this problem soon, it may soon spread to farms and fields, perhaps even spreading further than Etran's Folly. The villagers just aren't concerned. They think maybe it's just a bad summer, or maybe a pig died in the stream a few months back." She rolls her eyes. "Even Rolth says he has no time for tree problems, and says he won't help."
Noala takes a seat next to Scratch. "I think of myself as a steward of these lands. I prefer to work here in the wild, and preserve the delicate balance in the woodlands around the community." If he'll let her, Noala places a hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "That balance is under threat, and we must do what we can to stop it. I guess what I'm saying is... we need to do everything we can so that we don't fail."
"Yer right." Mutters Scratch as the Elf instills some hope and purpose into the Dwarf with their mission. He rises to his feet, his knees popping and cracking from sitting too long on the short rock. "Let's get away from that stench of burning dog fur, I don't wanna be smellin' it all damn week in my armor." He wipes his nose on a hanky and trudges back to town with the others.
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Scratch leans in as he looks over the rings on the barrel lid "So yer sayin' these be magic rings?" He pulls out his clan dagger and pokes the point through one and lifts it close to examine it. "Now what sorta 'magic' rings we talkin' here? I've heard magic rings only bring the wearer to their doom. Gettin' chased by ghostly riders, makin' all manner of dread beasts notice their passin', and some even say they curse yer manhood to never fight the good fight e'r agin!" He lets the ring slide back off his dagger with the others.
Magic trinkets ain't cheap, who parts with 'em as easy as this?
Ed looks over the collection of magical baubles with the look of a kid let loose in a candy shoppe. After managing to contain his enthusiasm he reaches down plucking one of the rings from the pile . Sliding it onto his finger he smiles broadly, quite pleased with himself.
"I don't believe Tamli would mean us any ill will, Master Steeltoes. Can't you accept a gift given in good faith?"
"RIng of the Weary Traveler, eh?" Celvi investigates the trinket and then slips it on her finger. "This will help me out on the long march. I can't keep up with you longshanks."
She pauses, and then tries to genuinely smile. "Thanks Tamil. I don't get a lot of ...uh, appreciation. For what I do." She coughs nervously before slinking away from the center of attention.
Gillian's eye is immediately drawn to the copper ring with the ruby and she carefully picks it up, turning it in her hand and admiring the glint of the gemstone under the light.
"I have no idea what these runes mean - Scratch, would you have any idea? - but I've always fancied rubies and, well, you know..."
She almost looks embarrassed to admit it, but the words finally tumble out.
"It's pretty. And useful too, from what you've said," the medic nods at Tamil. "Thank you, very much. I promise I'll take good care of it."
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While Scratch is busy questioning Tamli about her generosity - and sizing her up - Celvi quickly grabs the Ring of the Weary Traveler and slips it on. Ed and Gillian follow soon after, putting on the Ring of Minor Arcana and Bort's Blessing.
Finally, after explaining the full magical effects of the rings, Tamli turns to Scratch looking a little sour. "I assure you that these are meant only to help you, and that even if Bort did carry cursed items, I would surely not offer them to you as gifts. You would do well to recognize appreciation the way your friends do," she coolly remarks. "The rings are meant to remember the kind dwarf. Three rings left. Would you like one?"
Scratch senses no ill will in Tamli's words or actions here.
Celvi mumbles at Scratch. "Just... take a ring. I ain't dead yet. Maybe it'll kill me tomorrow. But I gotta try." She looks up to the dwarf. "We gotta try. To live until tomorrow."
"Yeah, I wouldn't look a gift-horse in the mouth if I were you," Gillian agrees, offering a rather curious frown at Scratch's suspicious reaction. "Not sure if they have a similar saying in dwarf culture or not but I think the gist should still be pretty obvious."
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Scratch gives the women a dirty look for questioning his prudence. "Hey now, I ain't got that much time left and I just wanna be sure it ain't spent bein' cursed!" He looks over the left over rings and grabs up the Merchant's Guile "This one lets ya know if somethin's magic right? Well, maybe that'll put my mind at ease, fer down the line."
He takes a deep swallow and slips the ring on his left hand, thumb. "There. And thank you." He nods and turns away and shivers a bit, looking down at his thumb like its about to fall off. I don't think she's quite picking up that Bort brought most of this on hisself. Deal with crooks and ya get crooked.
The band of this ring is made from bluecolored iron and has two sharp, decorative protrusions on each side of the red-stone inlay. It feels quite heavy and reliable. Wearing this ring grants you a +2 item bonus to Deception and Diplomacy checks, but only if the associated checks involve
haggling or bargaining over a purchase or trade.
Activate [[three-actions] (envision, interact)\
Effect You can determine if an item is magical simply by handling it. You detect no other indication of its power, only whether or not it is magical, granting the effects of a 1st-level detect magic spell that affects only the object.
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Scratch gets a bit nervous and quickly waffles on his ring choice. He pulls the Merchant's Guile off his thumb and drops it back on the wooden barrel, scooping up the one with the fanged wolf's head. "Just didn't feel right. This one feels better." He heads off to the general store to do some shopping.
This fairly simple ring has no gemstone inlaid, but the band is cast to resembled a fanged wolf’s head. Once per day, during your daily preparations, you can meditate on this ring to grant yourself 5 temporary Hit Points. These last until your next daily preparation, as long as you are wearing the ring.
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Tamli rolls her eyes at the last minute ring swap, but is glad to have convinced Scratch either way. "Thank you again. I and most of the other caravan team don't plan on leaving town until we find more information about this 'V'. It isn't enough to me that Hallod was brought in, I want this mastermind brought to justice." She smacks a fist in her palm before walking off.
Afterwards, you enter the nearby shop and sell off some of the goods you had found while tracking down Hallod. The farmer looks slightly WTF'ed when you try to explain what a 'shadow rune' is, but you're able to convince him it'll be easy to resell to a traveling wizard.
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The next day, you meet Noala at first light just outside of town, at the site of the wolf ambush.
"Thanks again for agreeing to aid the woods! I've come up with a general plan that might work best. I'm going to lead you to a blight site I've located nearby. I'll roam the perimeter and setup snares on common trails to ensure that any stray creatures flushed out are contained while you enter and check the site out," she says, adjusting the straps on her backpack. "It will take about three hours to get there, and it'll be along a winding path that mounts would not be well suited for."
She leads you through the trees to the start of the path. "And don't worry about getting lost, as long as you stay close. I know these woods better than Delma's father knows his town."
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Ed prepares for the trip by casting a protective spell on himself. Once underway he waits for their guide to move out of sight before asking in a low voice. "How do you think she knows Delma? Do you think they are friends? Or perhaps rivals in some way?"
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The night isn't so bad. No nightmares but no dreams either. Just a blank slate.
In the morning, Celvi looks at herself with a pocket mirror. The Bleaching hasn't spread further. She's gotta keep trying.
It's good to get out of town, anyway. People still stare at her. Bort's still dead. Hallold is cursing up a storm. If he breaks free she is on his revenge list, for sure.
Upon hearing Ed whisper, Celvi gets impatient. "Hey Noala. When did you meet Delma? Childhood friends? Saved her life once? Caught her stealing fruit from a tree? Some of us are dying to know." she laughs.
As they approach the site, Celvi casts Message and begins to Scout. "Can you hear me? Good. A little something I picked up. I whisper something? You can whisper a response and I'll hear it. Just make sure you can see me. It's kinda like a stage whisper. "
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Scratch listens on, dragging out his new compass regardless to get a bead on where they came from, as well as taking in any obvious landmarks "Just in case we get separated ya know. A Steeltoe doesn't go in unprepared."
He draws out his trusty clan dagger and starts to follow along, keeping his eyes peeled for danger. "So, we tryin' ta snuff out any tainted animals and the like? Is that kinda what this is?" He asks, curious to what she actually plans for them to accomplish.
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Noala takes you through a winding path, with Scratch taking notes on any larger trees or noticeable landmarks - just in case. "Not quite childhood friends, no. Delma sells me supplies from time to time. I came to Etran's Folly after the Goblinblood wars. I felt the people needed me," she hesitates. "No one in town has any particular reason to trust me, but I do not need their trust to keep the folk and the wilds from abusing one another."
"Delma hopes to make my role more officially supported by the town," she finishes.
Noala pauses at a junction in the path, looking in each direction, then looking in each direction again before turning west. "Here."
The presence of rot increases with every step you take, and Noala slows to a stop, turns to look at you, saying "This is where those wolves came from before they ambushed Bort's wagons, I am sure of it. Somewhere ahead is their den, but I will leave that for you to explore. If you need my help, you will find me out here. I am going to set up snares and make sure nothing gets out of this rotten copse."
"That's good of you to look out for the town, even if they may not really trust you or think they need the help," Gillian remarks, impressed by Noala's altruism. "Hopefully Delma can get you some help soon and maybe get the locals to warm up to you a bit more, too."
When they reach the rotten copse, Gillian's nose wrinkles with distaste as she looks around. "And they think this is normal? Maybe in an ongoing drought, but otherwise? Pretty sure there's nothing 'normal' about any of this."
"At any rate, guess we'd best get to it. Right, Scratch?"
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"Yes I think helping take care of this blight will go a long way towards earning the townsfolk's trust Noala." Ed replies as he keeps his eyes open here. Once they have arrived at the entrance to the den he grips his staff and prepares a defensive spell here.
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"If ya want I can put in a word with the old blind fella in the wheel chair. Me n him go way back..." Scratch chimes in, its pretty obvious he's got a way with people.
He takes out a fresh throwing hammer and starts to look around for fresh tracks, especially wolves.
"Nobody trusts ya, but you still help them?" Celvi is bewildered. "Hey, your nice routine got me out of the town. Although I might lose my lunch out here." She tries not to gag on the stench.
"Anyway, I'll keep scouting."
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Noala disappears back into the trees, though you can still hear her movement as she moves south along the perimeter of the area. The plants in the area are a sickly shade of green with spots of brown and the forest smells of sweet rot. The trees look entirely unhealthy, their bark peeling off in sticky black strips.
The ground is soft here, and squelches under your feet from some sort of runoff. The trail opens up to an area with a trio of small, sickly-looking thorn bushes grouped together.
Celvi takes the lead to scout ahead, with Scratch not far behind. The dwarf notices a wolf carcass on the ground between the bushes, and the plants have wrapped their tendrils around the corpse. Gillian tries to recall what manner of plants these are, but isn't quite sure.
Just as Scratch notices the tendrils, what first appeared to be simple shrubs suddenly spring to life, lashing at the ground violently!
Scratch
Red & Green Bushes
Celvi
Ed (Shield)
Gillian
Yellow Bush
Party Buffs: None
Environmental Conditions: None
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"What in Torag's sludge field are those things!" Hollers Scratch as he tries to figure out, just what they are. He moves out of the wet area and onto the grass, and raising his clan dagger up defensively until they figure out a plan.
"Don't get too close, how far can they really reach with them vines?" Scratch says, dooming himself to the likely choked death of strangulation.
"Bushes, comin' to life." Celvi seems more curious than scared.
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Scratch has seen similar plants as these in his travels, and he knows that their vines can reach up to 10 feet, and in some cases, 20 feet!
In both an awkward and disturbing display, the plants appear to 'stand' and start waddling towards both Celvi and Scratch.
Celvi's skin is thoroughly lacerated and begins to bleed profusely.
The other bush attempts its Vine Whip attack on Scratch...
Scratch (-9, bleed 1 vs flat DC 15)
Red & Green Bushes
Celvi (-17, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian
Yellow Bush
Party Buffs: None
Environmental Conditions: None
"Uh, they're not supposed to stand like that. Ow. Ow." Celvi is lashed silly. She quickly retreats behind GIllian.
"Stay close to me and I'll Bless ya. Damn, I'm bleedin' everywhere."
"Let's see how these things like flame!"
Ed switches to an offensive spell here, sending a ball of flame at the closest vine!
;
This is going to hurt...
Gillian quickly steps in front of Celvi, hoping to shield her from the wrath of the strange, angry plants as she tries to help stop the gnome's bleeding...
...to no avail. So she then attempts to patch up the wounds that are already present...
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Celvi blesses those next to her, while Ed lobs a small ball of fire that surprisingly envelops the bush in flames. It doesn't take a genius to realize fire seems to work particularly well against these plants.
Gillian quickly patches up Celvi's wounds, though she can't quite stem the bleeding. If it's any consolation, at least the last bush stays put instead of moving towards anyone, its tendril still wrapped tightly around the wolf carcass in front of it.
Scratch (-9, bleed 1 vs flat DC 15)
Red & Green (-10) Bushes
Celvi (-8, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian
Yellow Bush
Party Buffs: Bless (if within 5ft. of Celvi)
Environmental Conditions: None
Celvi is too exhausted to protest as Gillian applies her various salves on her. It's nice for someone to care about her.
"Th...thanks." She focuses on her blessing aura.
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Scratch rushes away, tossing a hammer over his shoulder which falls just short of the bush.
The flaming bush waddles ahead, and whips a tendril out to grab Gillian's ankle!
Gillian starts to bleed profusely, and the other bush follows Scratch, trying to whack him again...
Scratch (-15, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Red & Green (-10) Bushes
Celvi (-8, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian (-13, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Yellow Bush
Party Buffs: Bless (if within 5ft. of Celvi)
Environmental Conditions: None
"Ow, dammit! They got blades on those things!?"
It doesn't take much for Gillian to realize that they need to hurry up and put these things down before they're all sliced to ribbons. She quickly produces two vials and mixes them together before chucking the result at the already-singed green...
...but of all the times for her aim to be off, it'd be now.
Oh this is bad, this very, very bad-!
She attempts to bandage some of her own wounds as a stop-gap measure, to buy time.
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"Fire coming right up!" Ed cries out as he continues his attack against the flaming bush. "If we can bottle them up at the entrance I can flame them from here!"
;
Celvi focuses and concentrates, expanding the range of her Bless.
Celvi continues to bleed. Undaunted, she picks up a branch and casts Telekinetic Projectile upon it. "Weed whackin' ain't my specialty, but I'll definitely try!" The branch flies at the extremely Green bush.
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Gillian digs deep to recall something heroic she's done, intensely focusing as she lobs the vial of alchemist's fire at the ashen bush. It explodes and spreads quickly across the mass of foliage, some of the flames stubbornly persisting.
Ed has a little less luck at hitting the bush this time, but Celvi picks up a stone telekinetically and lobs it at the creature's long tendril.
The one other bush continues to suck blood from the diseased wolf carcass, ignoring what might be going on around it.
Scratch (-15, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Red & Green (-30, 1 persistent fire) Bushes
Celvi (-10, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian (-2, bleed 2 vs flat DC 15)
Yellow Bush
Party Buffs: Bless (if within 10ft. of Celvi)
Environmental Conditions: None