Pepper tries her best to soothe the horses. Her gentle touch brings them relief, and she works with Edra diligently, squishing the fleas to be rid of them. Unfortunately, this is a very short-term solution as the horses are flea-infested and will need the rosemary ointment to ease the pain and repel the vermin.
As the work, with the aid of Deerslicer, I imagine, Edra speaks. "The patch is about an hour and a half from here in the northern forest. Not too deep in there, thankfully. Once you cross the river you turn east for about 50 feet. You can't miss the clearing." Deerslicer would probably nod, pretty sure he could find the rosemary in a pinch.
Later on in the afternoon, Gamble returns from his tour around town. "I found a few leads on jobs, if anyone needs an income while we wait around," he informs anyone present at the inn when he returns .
He then pays Delma three copper for floor space and a meal. "Nobody's tried to kill me, so this ought to do," he says with a wry chuckle.
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Deerslicer looks at the map and, despite being unable to read, actually seems able to make sense of it. "I think orchard and rosemary are both over river, so we go check on Amora, then go to get rosemary for horses? Maybe find some apples in orchard, too? Horses like those. And so does me." He grins.
Pepper is fine to go with Deerslicer, visit the lady and pick apples and such.
"Will Gracie come too?"
But she is fine waiting.
Even till five...
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Deerslicer seems confused by the question. "'course Gracie come. Gracie always come. Let's see if big people want come too." He goes around looking for Kunsheng first, since he knows he's looking at the poison, then begins looking around for the others, saving those looking at the ledger for last, since he knows reading words takes a long time.
"We could leave at five, and get back before dusk even, nightfall for sure.
Don't want to meet more wolves..."
"Sure," Gamble answers the goblin when approached. "I don't mind coming along."
Sinan will reach out to Valor and Kunsheng, with the other three heading out into the woods. "Want to join me in talking to Trin? Or perhaps the cook? I'd also like to check out that old church you had mentioned, Valor. Gamble had said pretty much the same. I can also help look over those ledgers. I did all the scribe work for our temple in Katheer."
He turns to thank Delma. "I will absolutely take you up on your offer to help your father, my friend. You said morning? It shall be a coupling." He seems a bit confused, then his face lights up. "Ah. A Date. I apologize. Not everything in taldane makes as much sense as kelish."
Once everyone is ready, you all make your way north towards the Old Orchard and Amora Kasillan. Gracie appears to be happy to be out and about. Upon reaching the river bank, you take a quick break and Deerslicer, Gracie and Pepper break off from the group; Deerslicer mentioning something along the lines of "finding food" and "not eating food where people are poisoned".
The three of them go ranging along the edge of the northern forest while the others take a quick break and perhaps rest their weary feet in the river. There's not a strong current, and the river while wide is shallow enough to attempt a crossing where you are right now if you wish. Across the bank, you can easily make out some of the abandoned houses of Plaguestone, the Dead Homes, as Ulf or Olf put it. While the summer heat is giving way to the chill of autumn, the sun is punishing all the same.
Pepper finds useful berries on the way.
Both of you notice that even though this forest is lush, something is wrong. The trees don't appear to be in the best health, and the game you hunted is stunted. Given the forest's bounty, the animals should be better fed.
Thankfully, the three return after about 30 minutes, carrying with them the forest's bounty. It's not much, just two rabbits and a quail. Still, it looks like it might be a delicious meal all the same, even if it won't be enough sustenance for all of you.
"You sure you need to cook them now?" Gamble asks.
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Delma is surprised by your request. "We usually use the refuse as compost, but for such a hideous thing", she says pointing an accusingly finger tat the bowl, "I'd like it to be burnt and gone."
It doesn't take long to identify the powder that Pepper found in the wagon. It's one of several alchemical reagents that could be used to create temporarily an enhancement to one's body, similar to the cheetah's elixir, without more regents, it's difficult to say what the end result would be.
Pepper is as happy as Gracie... returning with a smile and a handful of berries, that she tucks away, wrapping them up in some leaves.
While Deerslicer cooks his meat, Pepper goes off to the side, and mumbles some words, casting a spell on one of the berries, that she then crushes around her roots to ingest it--
Then Pepper remains there, communing with the plants around, trying to feel their pain and make them calmer.
Once back with the others, she too talks of the fact that "something is off here, the land is rich and the flora plenty, but the fauna does not get good nourishment.
Something is afoot on a large scale here..."
"Well, off to see Amora?"
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After a quick meal, you follow the trail on your way to the old orchard. It's not till you get there and it's a sorry sight as it can be. You come upon row upon row of sickly trees. While once it might have been a beautiful land of crispy apples, the trees are thin, twisted and most of the apples are foul and rotten on the branches. Even the ground looks too dry, not fertile.
As you walk along the dirt trail leading into the orchard, you spot a rather large beehive nestled in the gnarled branches. Even this beehive looks wrong. It's a pale dry yellow, almost as if no honey were stored in it. Bees buzz around it and the nearby apple trees aggressively. Up ahead further along the path you can see the small shack where Amora lives.
"Oh, look Beltza... oh, sorry, you are gone.
Look, a beehive! Gracie can eat the larva! And you people-folk can take the honey.
But... it does not look good either.
I don't know... maybe we leave it alone, the bees seem aggressive.
But we can also maybe learn about what is wrong in the forest by examining the hive?"
”We want to go around those bees?” Gamble asks the others.
"Poor bees, they will feel rejected... but, well, maybe they would sting?"
While the other three have made their way to Amora's, Sinan turns to Valor and Kunsheng. "We three could go talk to Trin and see what she knows since she never came back. We can go over the ledgers together when we're back at the inn. Agreed?"
With Deerslicer's guidance, you make your way through the orchard and manage to avoid the bee swarm, and as you give the tree a wide berth, Deerslicer manages to observe another tree with a swarm of bees! Thankfully, the goblin is a deft hand at avoiding hazards such as this and the three of you slink past them.
As you leave the bees behing, you see Amora coming in your direction in a head-to-toe suit of padded armor and armed with a smoke. "Well, I guess someone was coming eventually. But I certainly wasn't expecting you", she says, her voice muffled behind her mask. "I need to calm these bees down. They've gotten ornery as of late and will attack anything that gets close to the hive."
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The trip to Trin's home is uneventful. The summer heat subsiding as the sun makes its movement westwards. You're surprised by how quickly the town ends. As you've walked through the town, you've passed several packed homes, most of them in desperate need of repair, only to go past the last dilapidated home and find yourself staring at the vast horizon and open farmlands.
Thanks to Delma's directions, you come across a small turnip farm on the southwest side of town. You can make out Trin standing by the door as you approach. She isn't looking at you, her profile turned towards the south of the farmhouse and there's a certain tenseness of her body. Sinan would remember something Delma said before he left the Feedmill.
"The farm has been struggling this year, with the sickness of crops and the drought, but both she and her brother are getting by. Have to admire that stubbornness, don't you think?"
"And thank you for looking out for my father. I'm sure he'll enjoy finally having someone to talk to. He's usually up at sunrise, as old timers usually do. If you could walk him around town, that'd be appreciated."
As you approach Trin, perhaps seeking to greet her, you're startled to see a man rush past the corner of the farmhouse, screaming hoarsely as he is running for his dear life frantically around the farmhouse. Trin yells out, "MARNY!", as a moment later, a gigantic boar rounds the farmhouse, squealing and chasing the poor man!
Marny rushes past Trin as the boar gains on him, the huffing and puffing farmer just five feet away from the tusks.
"I do not like to burn wood, sir..."
But she does mumble some words of power, and, waving her branch-arm around, makes a small ball of flame appear in the palm of her bark-hand.
"Maybe burn some dried grass or such?"
"I think Amora's got it covered," Gamble answers Deerslicer, pointing to the woman and her smoke _____.
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As he readies himself, Kunsheng would recall several things from his natural philosophy teacher...
"They're very hardy animals that can charge and gore their victims. The tusks of a board can do really nasty damage up-close so use long range weapons such as spears when hunting them down."
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While Amora ambles her way towards the southern-most beehive, she strides forward unaware of the second beehive that was observed by Deerslicer earlier.
As you would let out a warning, Amora gives a muffled yelp as bees surge forward and attack her! Her smoke can keeps most of them at bay , but you can all clearly see it's not enough for it to deal with two angry swarms!
Sinan raises his holy symbol while yelling "Get out of there, Sirrah!" For a moment, his eyes fill with flame and he utters a phrase in kelish, "Easaa 'an tahtamak zahrat alfijr!" and draws his scimitar with his open hand as a shard of light emits from the symbol of Sarenrae towards the beast.
"LLLPPP!!!", screams a maddened Marny as he rushes past. The boar rushes by, grunting angrily at the farmer.
As both go by, Sinan's calls upon his goddesses might, but as the beam strikes the animal, it does no damage whatsoever, only bathing it in sunlight.
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"Bzzzzzz!Bzzzzz!"
The soft droning of the swarm can be heard as it flies slowly in dazzling patterns, leaving the smoke surrounding Amora and makes its way towards a crouched Deerslicer, who is striking his flint again and again to no avail. The buzzing increases as poor Deerslicer is surrounded and stung by angry bees!
Deerslicer, to his horror as he gets consumed by the swarm, gets a close up look at the bees. They're larger than any he has seen. Palish yellow almost white, they buzz around him furiously, his small goblin frame concealed in the cloud of insects.
"Stoppit!"
On hearing Deerslicer's disorted voice through the swarm, Gracie gives out a pained groan on seeing her friend in danger and takes a worried step forward.
It's hard to tell how Amora is doing, although most of the bees around her move around very erratically and at a slower pace compared to the one consuming Deerslicer.
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Meanwhile, back at the Sathern farmstead, Valor Holysword, Retributor of Iomedae stands ready. Simon Samarian, however; is another story, as sweaty palms grip his rapier.
Pepper moves towards the path, and, with her feet off the grass, she touches the holly leaves on her trunk, and then points at the two swarms, waving her hands--
"B̨ỳ ͝t̢̢͞h͘e͡ ̷p̷̵o̸͞w̷̨͝è̷͜r͏ ͜͜o҉f́ ̸̧the̛ ̶ş͘͡t͜͝or̨̨m I͏̴̴ Z̶͡A̸͏Ṕ̷ ̵̛͘y̵͠o͠u͟͏!͘"
--conjuring up a small storm bolt that forks between the two groups of bees!
We cut to the Salthern farm:
"Hiyah!"
Simon gives a well-timed lunge, but the boar nimbly dodges it as the blade's edge scratches its hide.
The boar slows down and turns around towards Simon. It eyes him dangerously, letting Marny get away further to safety, as it paws the ground, each hoof digging into the earth. The animal tenses, lowers its bulk and lets out a loud...
*snort* *snort* *snort* *snort*"
...before charging at Valor! The tusks strike him fully as the momentum projects the boar forward, cutting through Simon's armor and goring him in the leg!
Marny runs for his life, yelling "CLOSE THE DOOR, TRIN!", as he slides round the corner of his home.
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Earlier in the day, at the old orchard...
Lightning crackles and busts as both swarms are struck by Pepper's storm bolt. Tiny electric arcs flow from one bee to another as sick popping noises come from the swarms as some bees drop to the ground. Poor Deerslicer, even though unharmed, smells slightly singed!
Sinan looks at Valor's rapier and back at Valor and frowns as he approaches the boar. With a dark look and fire in his eyes, he utters a single word. In taldane this time. "Burn." and a beam of flame pours from his holy symbol to envelop the boar.
"What in the blazes!?" Gamble exclaims as the bees swarm out after them. He shoves his arm into his pack, feeling around for something and then pulls out a vial of oil. He hurriedly prepares it to ignite and then tosses it at the base of the swarm.
Several of the bees catch fire, but more importantly, the grass at the base of the swarm starts to smoke!
With a quick glance, you would see that Amora is holding her own. At least half the mass of her swarm has collapsed on the ground around her thanks to your actions. You can observe patches of clumsy and staggered bees struggling to move,to no effect, in the dry grass.
Deerslicer and Gracie safely get out of the way, as the swarm heads erratically north, and envelops Pepper, stinging them ravenously.
The bee stings are furious, although several of the stingers don't penetrate, striking tough bark and lodging themselves on Peppers body. The poor bees die and fall to the ground the three of you would know that when a bee uses its barbed stinger, it usually kills them as well as they can't pull their stinger out without rupturing their abdomen.
Meanwhile, the dazed swarm continues buzzing around Amora, although their activity is greatly slowed.
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Valor watches the Tian-shu's bullet whizz by as the boar prepares to lunge at him. The creature stops in its tracks as a burning ray of fire scorches its hide! It turns around rapidly in its place, kicking up a cloud of dust and pebbles around it. It lets out a loud before charging at Sinan!
The bestial impacts gores Sinan savagely! The beast then shakes its head, its eyes slightly dazed as it stamps the ground and gets its bearings.
Trin turns inside her home, throws a spear on the ground before slamming the door shut! "Please kill it!", her muffled voice comes from behind the door.