Gofran returns to the others with the information that they have, at least, three enemies. "I believe therre is at least anotherr one on the norrtherrn outpost, otherrvise therre vould be no sense to have two in the middle one."
He then starts to think on a plan. "I believe these people arre up to no good, but I don't think ve can assume that and shot 'em down. They could be innocent people." He points out. "On the otherr hand, I'd rratherr not give up ourr advantage o' hittin' 'em vhen they arre unavarre."
As he thinks, his eyes rest on Bea. "Bea, vith no offense, ye arre adorrable and look prretty innocent... do ye believe ye could enterr the clearrin' to the norrthvest, lookin' lost, and ask forr dirrections? Just so ve can gauge theirr rreaction and decide if they arre bandits orr rrangerrs. Do not put yerrself in dangerr, howeverr!"
Bea perks up at being called adorable since she is rarely ever called so. Her sisters attract much more attention. "I... yes, I think I can do so. Wandering about lost and feigning total ignorance are special talents of mine." she gives the dwarf a slightly nervous smile. "One thing..." she pulls off her satchel and holds it up to Kyrie "Can you watch Matilda for me, brave knight. I don't want to put her in undue danger." a tentacle slips out from under the flap to wrap around Bea's wrist as if asking her not to go. The gnome pats it with a fond smile on her lips "Shh... it will be fine. Be a good octopus for them, please."
To Gofran "Should I head..." she talks through the pathway he is suggesting and then heads out all innocently as can be. Once she is getting close she'll even start a low whistling of a bawdy tavern song that Peppercorn loves.
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The sentries in the central outpost, now debating which regional version of barbecued meat is the best, halt their discussion as they first hear, then spot Bea wandering into the clearing. The vaguely familiar head of a male half-orc pokes through the leaves and branches, its owner pitching his already strong voice to carry easily to where the gnome is.
"Halt there, missy! What business do you have here?"
A second head, this one belonging to a human woman (and similarly tugging at Bea's memory) appears next to the half-orc, just as a large raven swoops down from above them to fly lazy circles around Bea.
A third sentry steps into view on the top platform, waving at her - a tall, lanky man with dark hair twisted in locs, wearing a layered robe cinched with a wide belt from which a multitude of pouches, fetishes and trinkets hang.
"Peace, Grosk. Don't you recognize our waitress? Although it is a little strange to see you all by yourself in the middle of the forest..."
And now Beatrix finally recognizes them as part of the group of adventurers calling themselves the Bloody Blades, whom she had served at the Pickled Ear only a few days ago. The tall Kellid with the raven had tipped her a bunch of feathers.
Bea sighs in a bit of relief as she recognizes the group. While she still doesn't know completely that they are not going to stab her repeatedly, it is now at least a little more unlikely. "The Bloody Blades!" she smiles, hopefully in a friendly manner. "You were all such well mannered and vastly interesting customers that I decided to try adventuring myself! Only partially true, sorry, I was nursing the desire to do so for some time. You were nice and interesting though." the little gnome woman rambles a little. At his unasked question of ..., she rambles some more "The middle of a forest is a lovely place to find all sorts of interesting things. Multicolored mosses, dark dank caves filled with bats, maybe an eldritch horror under a rock?" she smiles again "And you?"
The Kellid snorts. "If you thought we were well-mannered, I don't want to know what kind of people your regulars are. And I wouldn't necessarily recommend a life of adventuring, but you seem to have made it so far in one piece."
The half-orc adds, grinning widely and jerking his head in an approximate direction behind the tree outpost. "If you're looking for dank caves, you've come to the right place, heh!" At that, the other man interjects with a quelling look to his comrade. "Ah, ah. We'd have to talk to the boss first, since we're not supposed to let anyone pass, eh?" There's the slightest emphasis on the last few words.
Karana smiles pleasantly at the reasoning for choosing Bea for the infiltration.
But after she leaves, Karana says to Gofran, “I did not wish to opine, and I think Bea is a fine choice, but Beau is adorable too, and he was already there.
“This is simply an observation.”
Bea smiles at the snort "You didn't attempt to get overly friendly, which is my standards for well mannered at the Ear. Thank you." at the mention of the dank cave "Are there bats?!?" she asks with some interest.
"The boss? Oh, you are in the employee of another. As long as it isn't Ms. Lirayne, the book store owner. She did some very questionable things in town before she fled, and now the council wishes very eagerly to talk to her. Or so I heard." she smiles again, swishing her skirts a bit as she waits.
Beau instinctively reaches for his weapon when Bea puts things on edge by mentioning Lirayne and the matter of her being a wanted person. It's when his hand settles on the hilt of his rapier that he realizes the bastards are well out of stabbing range and so he opts for his bow.
The Kellid glances at the other two as Bea mentions Voz Lirayne. "I am sorry to hear that." He rolls his shoulders, cocking his head to one side. "Not because I particularly care about the council and its laws, but because this puts us in a bit of an impasse." He straightens his head and stretches, lacing his fingers overhead and cracking his knuckles. "You see, we are indeed in the employ of Ms. Lirayne, and she has instructed us to not let anyone disturb her in... whatever it is she's doing. I do like you, though, and I don't want to have to hurt you." He looks expectantly at Bea, dark eyes glittering.
Kyrie steps forward surprisingly quickly. ”I think you are right. I think you do not want to hurt her.” She hooks her hand in her belt by her sword. ”I would not let you.”
Karana rushes up to her.
“Wait… Miss Lyraine has always been good to me.” She turns to Kyrie and adds, “To us.” But her eyes fall back to the potential enemy. “She says that Breachill has been lied to. I read her journal. And I will admit I myself am employed but… can we not have a truce? Can we not speak to Miss Lyraine?
“No matter what I have learned, I still think of her as that wonderful woman from the bookstore. I want to hear her side of her story.”
"That vould not be advisable indeed." Gofran agrees as he also steps out from the treeline, drawing his greatsword.
Gofran turns to Karana. "Karrana, have ye everr hearrd o' anyone hirrin' muscle to 'keep people away', vhile doin' nothin' vrrong? I have not. I admirre yerr good hearrt and I'm sad that the vorrld is not as beautiful as ye think it is."
He then turns back to the mercenaries. "Miss Lyrraine is a vanted perrson in Brreachill and ve arre herre forr herr. If ye arre vith herr, this also puts ye on the otherr side o' the law, ye carrin' forr it orr not."
"Yerr grroup is in a tough spot. Do ye think ye can beat us?" He asks. "And if ye do, do ye also think ye can beat those that vill be sent herre afterr ve do not rreturrn?" He continues. "As farr as ve know, yerr patrron is lookin' forr a porrtal, so she might even leave ye behind to fight a fight that is not yerrs, not even payin' ye forr the trrouble..." He fishes, trying to discover if the adventurers have already being paid. If not, it could be easier to convince them to stand aside.
The threat of violence right after a declaration of Liking worries the little wizardess a bit. But suddenly the others are there, ready to save her from being beaten to a small gnomish lump.
"Um... could we buy your contract? Then you could let us in that nice dank cave full of bats and questionable employers?" Bea offers hopefully.
The heated exchange of words seems to be heading to a violent climax. One side can't back down and the other needs to get past the first. Beau knows this and with the others having already revealed themself, he gently and slowly reaches for an arrow and steels himself to fire the deadly projectile at another breathing human being. Why couldn't they be ugly evil demons or shambling undead? The Gods know there's more than enough misery in this world as is without us fighting each other!
Karana thinks on Gofran’s words.
“Yes, I have. We are hired muscle, hired to keep threats away from Breachill. Some of these threats are boggards and simians, so I think we fit the criteria of hired muscle to keep people away while doing nothing wrong.
“Maybe I am as naive as you think. Maybe Miss Lyraine is who she seems to be, and her kindness to Kyrie and I was an act.”
She turns to the mercenaries.
“And maybe you are cold-blooded killers, but you said you did not want to hurt Bea. So hear me very carefully. I do not wish to spill blood when there is another way.
“Can we agree on that much?”
Karana will not push for the conditions of a truce. De-escalation must come first.
Gofran mutters something. "...tis obviously not the same..." and awaits for the mercenaries to answer.
The Kellid chuckles softly as the other two on the platform reach for their weapons in response to a whole party of adventurers emerging from the treeline. "Ah, so not quite all by yourself after all, Miss Bea." He glances at Kyrie, Gofran, Beau and Karana, then returns his attention to Bea.
"Alas, Miss Lirayne is currently unavailable, but I can fetch the leader of our little group. She calls the shots - if you manage to convince her that our current contract is unprofitable, I'll be happy to let you into the aforementioned dank cave. Although... that may not be doing you a kindness." He whistles sharply, two short notes and a long one, turning his head to direct the sound somewhere behind him.
After a few moments, another figure emerges from the hut, making its way through the trees until it stands underneath the outpost platform, facing Bea, just outside the reach of any close-range magic. In the shadow of the great trees, at first glance she seems of human ancestry, until she steps through a shaft of light that reveals her green-grey skin and her most definitely not-human features - the wide face, lumpy nose and long, pointed ears. A red, angry scar crosses her face where her left eye would be, the socket covered by a black patch, while her one remaining eye is set deep, a pale, glittering bead under her prominent brow. Her too-wide, almost lipless mouth sits like a slash on her face, adding to her air of menace.
She speaks in a guttural, raspy voice. "What is this now? You want the Bloody Blades to renege on our contract?" By her words, it seems like she has heard the entire conversation that took place moments before.
"Yes." Bea answers, thinking now is a good time to be blunt. "There is no getting around that, unfortunately. If it would help, the contract did not have all the details. The employer leaving out the details where she put the entire town in danger and still does. Just normal folk, families." she doesn't have any idea if that would sway any of them, not knowing them for more time than it took to nurse a few drinks.
Karana smiles at the gray woman. “I am not an expert on contracts, but I think we can find a solution that need not bloody any blades.” She truly finds the woman fascinating.
“Maybe if we could chat about why you were hired by Miss Lyraine, and compare that to why Bea’s boss was paid by Miss Lyraine, and then consider her cooperation with Greta and the council… I do not know what we will find. It is possible she is dishonest, and also possible she has a problem with Breachill.
“Her behaviors seem erratic, yet are evidently premeditated. I am uncertain whether it is right to apprehend her or hear her.” Karana has her shield in hand but not raised. Her right hand is empty (though she can always hurl Fire if need be). “Let me explain it this way… if she can be trusted, then I should see her because I will hear her. But if she cannot be trusted, then her friendship to me and contract to you are as likely to be falsehoods, in which case Bea is right. The contract is nothing.”
A girl who lived eighteen summers and winters with only one summer’s experience of friendship has not had a lot of practice getting others to follow her convoluted chain of logic. In her head, it is perfectly clear that “either way, we have no quarrel.”
Gofran grips his blade harder when the leader of the group reveals herself to be a goblinoid, his hopes of avoiding the confront diminishing. "This is forr ye to decide. Ve arre herre to do ourr job, and ye have yerrs. If ye agrreed to vorrk forr the elf knovin' ye vould have to fight against the Council and whomeverr they vould send, ve arre vastin' ourr time herre."
He finds Karana's reasoning too wild to be called logic.
The hobgoblin rolls her lone eye at the mention of the townfolk being endangered - clearly that is none of her concern. there is the slightest flicker of uncertainty when Karana brings into question her employer's trustworthiness, but then she shrugs.
"What's it to me if she jumps into a portal, or into the Abyss for all I care? We already got paid."
However, Gofran's line of reasoning seems to get through to her, and her forehead creases as she sweeps her gaze over the assembled Heroes of Breachill, particularly the more martial-looking of them. She chews on her lower lip with sharp-looking teeth as she considers the situation, then abruptly straightens up and gives a long, strangely modulated whistle.
She then turns on one heel and stalks back into the hut.
The Kellid raises one eyebrow as his pet corvid alights on his shoulder. "Well, colour me surprised. But, it's like Dmiri said - we already got paid, and whatever bonus we were promised is probably not worth going up against the Council for."
Bea sighs in relief, giving Gofran a thank you smile, before telling the blades "I'll treat you to round at the ear, as a bonus, next time I'm working."
Kyrie relaxes and nods. ”I am glad that we were able to resolve the situation without violence. I am ready to continue.”
Beau slips the arrow back into the quiver and continues to carefully observe the mercenaries. It's not that he doesn't trust them. It's that he can't trust them fully until they've actually gathered their stuff and left. Talk is cheap, after all.
Bea agrees with Kyrie with a smile and a nod, then eagerly looks for the cave. "Caves are well known to have thinner barriers between our world and others since they are 'cracks' in the most literal sense." she rambles a little in her enthusiasm.
Karana thinks on Bea’s words. “I wonder if the magic of caves and shifting planes is what caused the wild dogs to attack my brother. Their dwelling was a great cave at the peak of my island.”
"Maybe" Bea muses as she looks about "Whispers from dark corners have been known to turn any right mind into something wrong. But animals have not been my field of study. So... I don't know"
Most of the Bloody Blades busy themselves with gathering their things, seeming a little puzzled by their leader's decision and throwing curious looks at the Heroes of Breachill. Aside from the half-elf woman that Gofran had spotted on the southern platform, another mercenary emerges from the direction of the northern platform - a blond human man wrapped in a dark green cloak, his sharp features shadowed by the hood pulled up over his head.
The Kellid man, the friendliest of the lot so far, ambles over to Bea and Karana, nodding his chin westwardly towards the rock face. "I'd be careful in that particular cave, friends. We haven't gone very deep into them, that wasn't our job..." His corvid pet caws loudly and flaps its wings, sending the man's braids swinging. "I think there's a giant spider in there."
“Oh, why thank you,” Karana says sincerely.
She will take advantage of her darkvision and ability to catch the scent of a creature as she heads in.
But what does Karana know of Giant Spiders?
"A Spider!!" Bea's eyes shine wide and bright at the prospect. Spiders are even better than bats. A comforting hand tries to part her octopus to let her know (since they share a mental bond) that neither hold a candle to her of course, when she remembers. Quickly moving to Kyrie she asks "May I have Matilda back, please?"
Beau nearly jumps back when the corvid starts making a ruckus. Unlike Bea, he doesn't exactly cherish the opportunity of meeting a giant spider. Giant being the reason. "Big hairy legs, a gigantic appetite, and an inclination to leave a snack hanging around for a rainy day ... oh joy."
"Yes! and the WEBS! Imagine the iridescent filaments maybe even as thick as your finger!" Bea misses the sarcasm and gushes at another person sharing her delight.
Beau clenches his fist as he brings it to his face in a feeble attempt to hide his disgust. He slowly nods his chin up and down, but no matter the movements he makes, Bea's mental image can't be shaken out of his head.
These are the moments that make Beau wonder if becoming an adventurer was a good idea. "Oh, most definitely I am imagining just that, it's hard not to after your vivid description ... "
Gofran shakes his head at Bea's enthusiasm to find a certainly deadly creature. "Let's move then."
With Gofran prodding them onwards, the party moves through the trees, passing the shack where the hobgoblin has just finished packing her possessions and is shouldering a large pack with a coil of rope hanging from it. She gives them an inscrutable look with her one eye as she hurries in the opposite direction.
At the foot of the cliff, a thick tangle of mossy vines obscures most of the rock face, but this close the signs of the entrance are easily spotted - gaps in the vegetation that show darkness instead of the weathered grey of stone. Pushing past the hanging vines and letting their eyes adjust to the obscurity of the cavern, nothing jumps at them just yet. Two tunnels lead farther in - one to the north, and another to the south. The dirt floor has been soaked in places by moisture and churned by the passage of feet.
Karana warns the others of the danger and moves ever so quietly, using her darkvision and scent to lead the way. If Gofran prefers to take the lead, Karana does not object.
With a hushed voice and muted movements, Beau gets out a torch and starts going through the motions to light it up. "We'll need fire. Surely spiders hate fire, and even if they don't, their webs don't like it. Besides, I'd like to be able to see a darn thing."
Karana whispers, “Fire shall be my weapon of choice. As for light, I see no harm in casting it. Darkness mere postpones the inevitably of being discovered.”
Karana picks up a pebble. She will cast light upon it and hand it to Beau, or cast light on an article of his clothing. “The light source is your choice,” she says.
Bea also casts light since she is but a gnome and not one of those deep kinds. Hers she keeps for herself though.
Gofran gestures for them to wait a bit as he knees and inspect the footprints, trying to discover the creatures that passed by and to which direction.
With a careful inspection, Gofran deciphers the tracks as belonging to a humanoid, about Karana's size, leading towards the southern tunnel. No tracks lead into the northern tunnel. The dwarf lucks upon a complete footprint clearly outlined in a patch of mud - the length of it is rather small, and the footwear seems less sturdy than what the mercenaries are wearing.
Gofran points to the footprint. "It appearrs ourr quarrry vent south." He points south and then looks to the north. "No footprrint goes norrth... perrhaps therre is nothin' o' interrest therre, orr perrhaps therre is somethin' therre, but people decided to avoid it."
He looks up, looking for webs. "Perrhaps the mentioned spiderr..."
Karana gets on her hands and knees, examining the footprint. Miss Lyraine had a particular scent. Karana thinks back on her many days in the bookstore. Is the print from Miss Lyraine’s shoe? Will her scent pick it up?
Karana has a funny feeling she should not tell the others what she is attempting. Other people do not sniff footprints. Ever. Why? Rontu and I hunted well using this simple tactic.
"Need me to shine a light on those tracks for you, Karana?" Beau's voice is one of uncertainty. Karana has shown time and time again that her talents, while unorthodox, are effective, but there are times where she overwhelms him with her methods.
Bea looks down the northern tunnel, straining to her tip toes to see if there is anything in the dim light she can see. A small sigh is all she gives, knowing that duty comes first in this regard. "So... south it is."
Sure enough, Karana's keen sense of smell picks up the faintest whiff of the perfume she remembers Voz Lirayne wearing - notes of violet, cedar and patchouli with a peppery undertone that makes the elf wrinkle her nose and sneeze. The perfume is mixed in with other smells, much less agreeable, and definitely accompanying the tracks leading to the southern tunnel.
The passage to the south narrows briefly before opening into a wider space. A bedroll, the remains of a fire, a stack of book and papers and a curious array of equipment covered by a tarp mark this as a spot where someone has been camping for several days.
Karana makes some space for Beau. “You may shine the light if you wish for a close look. Perhaps you can confirm Miss Lyraine’s shoe would make this shape.
“I believe so, but I have stronger evidence the tracks are hers. Now, there is the familiar foot odor and the strange reekings of dirt and assorted filth and decay that is expected of this environment. But… I do so enjoy Miss Lyraine’s perfume. Its pleasantness consists of violet, cedar, patchouli—*snrk* –CHYOO!—and a peppery undertone.” She sniffs, “Forgive me,” then rises, brushing dirt from her yucca fiber skirt and her knees.
“I know she looks like a villain, but we should talk to her about her notes. In any case, we will have that opportunity. This is her trail. Of this, I am certain.”
Bea goes immediately for the books, to search for clues and to smother the disappointment of not investigating the potential spider's den to the north.
Among the books are an almanac for the current year, a geographical compendium of Isger, several arcane treatises, a book titled "Land Of Conflict: A History Of The Goblinblood Wars", another titled "The Aiudara: Secrets of Elven Travel", "Histories of Isger" by Darvayne Gios Amprei, and a wilderness survival guide.
Among the books there are a couple of scattered pages with what seems like recent notes.
"... Laslunn and the Scarlet Triad will get what’s coming to them, I swear it. I've been spending days exploring these awful tunnels. They are infested with vermin of all sorts. They twist and turn and branch off at a moment's notice. I could spend weeks here in the best of circumstances and not find Alseta's Ring and to have not only find it but figure out how to make it work in six months, before I have to start killing whatever lackeys they send my way, blast it all. At least then I could get some fresh corpses, Bellin has about had it after the last couple of run-ins with cave vermin..."
(entry dated yesterday)"... A mile or so past the ledge, I came across a substantial nest of Giant Centipedes and their young. Gods know what they eat that far in there. I had to use the last of my Alchemist's Fire to finish them off. Swords don't do much to them and a large number of my spells don't affect mindless vermin very well. Now that Calmont caught me up in this mess, I also can't resupply from town until this month's heroes are dealt with. Hopefully the Bloody Blades will deal with them as well, while I scout the last stretch of cave. I am so close!"