Having remained silent and to the rear of the pack as they travel to teh market, the magus speaks to the other human and cups his hand over his mouth and whispers into his ear.
Looking closely, Drazhan can see that these chicks have grey‐black feathers instead of dark blue feathers. They could pass as Ojofiri chicks to the uneducated eye, but the magus sees through the deception.
You’ll have to look around the market more to find a reputable vendor!
Unya doesn't even spare a word for the deceptive merchant once the difference is pointed out. She's off through the rain questioning others as to whom might have the sought-after chicks.
Deciding to divide and conquer, Anabel heads in the opposite direction as Unya to make some inquiries.
Though Unya has no luck, Anabel manages to find the proper vendor after an hour of asking around! The elf calls the others over to speak to the merchant, Makena. Makena is a stern‐faced woman with her head shaved bald and huge hoop earrings through her ears. She currently has six of the chicks left in stock! She’s willing to sell the chicks you, but she’s a hard bargainer. Her current asking price is 4 gp per chick.
Unya is bouncing on her feet when they arrive at the stall that Anabel indicates.
"Yesyesyes! Wewishto ... purchase the chicks," she declares as she makes an effort to curb her enthusiasm. "We would be very grateful, but four gold is a lot, perhaps something slightly less?"
Makena and Unya bargain and haggle for several minutes. Another customer buys one of the Ojofiri chicks during this time, leaving five. Eventually, though, the merchant relents and lowers her asking price to 3 gp per chick. ”But not a silver less!” she insists.
The ranger hands over the fifteen gold for five chicks gratefully. "Now what is the safest way for us to carry them back to the dorm while keeping them warm and safe?" she asks the others.
Unya knows exactly what to do to keep the chicks warm and dry for the journey back to the Magaambya. It is just after noon when you return to the campus and hand the five healthy chicks to Esi and Haibram. ”Excellent work, o!” Esi says. ”The farmer will be very pleased. You’ve completed your task for today. Meet me back here tomorrow morning after breakfast for your next assignment.”
Bahili stops breathing for a moment, eyes wide, heart thumping near out of his chest, but then the two catfolk were tussling, and he takes the opening as he can. Standing quickly, he babbles "I... I think I should settle into my room, now, I think, yes. Thank you for the refreshment and... um... yes. Good night." the young flustered man hurries out.
He opened his mouth to point out that was in no way the correct kind of chick, then he opens his mouth again to agree that these were. But both times it proves to be unneeded. Lastly, Unya has already figured out how to keep something warm and dry, nestling it close in their clothes, proving the body heat it needs. All in all he proved wholly unneeded, but a success is a success.
Firinn enjoys the trip to market, riding on Okapi since taking Helena along on this particular task seemed most unwise. He doesn't have anything like the knowledge required to keep the chicks safe, but is small enough to keep an eye on them and be reasonably entertaining, which keeps the little birds from causing too much trouble.
"That went well." He comments with the task done. "Shall we eat now?" For a very small being he certainly eats a lot!
Drazhan protects their rear on their return trip with the chicks. He thanks Esi for their praise and turns to Firinn when he suggests that they eat now.
He asks the smaller man, "Is this a regular meal or another getting-to-know-you-better session?"
He asks the smaller man, "Is this a regular meal or another getting-to-know-you-better session?"
"I'm hungry." Firinn replies with a grin. "If you want to get-to-know me we can duel afterwards! You will not enjoy the experience!" He speaks with a wide grin but seems very confident in his victory over the large man.
The magus grins as well, "Challenge accepted. Let us feast before your defeat, mmm?"
"Yes, we shall feast. Yes, Bahili?" Unya questions. She turns to the man near her and her ears swivel towards him. "Our hunt was a success and we should celebrate it!" She rubs her shoulder up against his and then turns to follow after the fey and Drazhan.
You pass the rest of the day sharing time together and strengthening your camaraderie. Eventually, you turn in for the night.
***
The next morning, you find Esi Djana waiting for you after breakfast. ”Morning, o!” Esi bobs her umbrella in greeting. “It’s only me today. As I told you before, I’m the only one of us who plans to join the Tempest-Sun Mages. That’s the branch that defends Nantambu and the people around the city from outside threats, big and small. Today, you’re going to help us with a very small threat. Some gremlins have gotten into one of the school’s storage rooms. I want you to get them out without harming them.
“I mean it,” Esi adds with emphasis. “They’re sour little pests, but they haven’t done anything except throw some jars around and be obnoxious. The Magaambya doesn’t approve of killing anyone just because of who they are. A student was even expelled because of it, back before I came here.
“Between you and me, I don’t think anyone will mind much if you gave one or two a whack to the head, but get them out of the storage room and release them off the grounds—really, it’s probably best to release them outside of Nantambu entirely. And while I am not entirely clear on the distinction between gremlin types, I have been told that these gremlins are called pugwampis.”
"Pugwampis... I think..." Bahili thinks...
Bahili remembers that pugwampi gremlins are fey creatures that cause misfortune to nearby creatures. He also recalls that pugwampis have an obsessive love of gnolls.
"... fey creatures, causes misfortune to nearby creatures... and..." he looks up at Okapi "They are enamored by gnolls."
Firinn remains in a good mood after his sparing victory against Drazhan and accepts the pugwampi mission with good cheer.
"Okapi will ask them to leave and it will all go well!" He says cheerfully.
"You are very smart," Unya says with a slight purr, leaning in close to the druid and brushing her cheek against his. "That is an attractive quality."
The gremlin-infested storage room is one of six rooms in a large storage barn on campus. The main door to the barn is open, but a broom handle stuck sideways through infested storage room’s door keeps it jammed shut. From the outside, the you can easily open the door.
The storage room is semi-circular in shape with a 10-foot-high ceiling. The room has two sets of shelves, one 3 feet off the ground and one 7 feet off the ground. Though the room has no windows, a trio of sunrods have spilled out of a gnawed barrel, illuminating the chamber with bright light. Several broken jars litter the floor.
As you look around, you spot four tiny, dog-faced creatures hiding among the shelves. They growl and yip as they reach for jars to throw at you, but they suddenly stop when they see Okapi. They hop down from the shelves and cautiously approach, then they prostrate themselves at the gnoll's feet!
"Great goddess! What is your command?" one yips in Okapi's native tongue.
Drazhan had not actually thought these creature would go this far with their adoration. Turning to Okapi, he repeats "Oh yes, Great Goddess, what is your command?"
Bahili's heart races as he is pressed against, unable to keep the color from exploding in his cheeks. He does manage to keep his voice level "Thank you, Miss Unya." then he hurries on to the warehouse.
"fascinating" he says softly, watching back and forth between the gremlins and Okapi.
Okapi draws herself up to her full, not hugely impressive height, trying her best to look regal and generally important.
"Come with me. I have a new and better home for you!" She commands, waiting for their acknowledgement before turning. Assuming the gremlins are good she will lead them right out of the city before trying to find a pleasant spot for them to make their new home in.
The pugwampis obediently follow Okapi out of the city, fawning over her and patting at her legs in supplication. Once they reach the destination, they bow and immediately scatter into the jungle.
Esi is pleased when you report your success. ”Well done! The Tempest-Sun Mages would be happy to count any of you among their number! Your task for today is complete. Tomorrow, you’ll be helping out the Cascade Bearers!”
"That went well!" Firinn says, rather pleased with how simple the whole thing was. It ended up being an extended walk for Helena rather than a real test. "You will all do very well in the Magambaya. I am sure. I hope Titania is doing as well." He adds, sounding more pensive. "She is better with books than gremlins."
"'Okapi was amazing" Bahili agrees with Firinn.
That night, as you are relaxing in Spire Dorm's common area, a pair of large spiders the size of dogs suddenly emerge from one of the hallways! They jump about the room, chattering and laughing in strangely childlike voices. "Hey! New students!"
"Whatcha doing?"
"Whatcha reading?"
"Play with us! Play with us!"
After a few moments, a middle-aged woman with a long-suffering look on her face enters the room. "Zachva! Zandi! Stop pestering them!" She intones a spell, and ephemeral, telekinetic strands shoot forth from her hands, grabbing each of the spiders and dragging them back to her.
"Aw, mama!" the spiderlings complain.
The woman turns to you with a wan smile. "I apologize for my sons' precociousness. I am Strands-of-Glowing-Dawn Tzeniwe." She bows to you with steepled fingers, the spiders clinging to her back.
Talking spiders might be a new experience for Bahili, but he wracks his brain about the possibilies as he quickly tries to cover up his surprise with a deep bow of welcome "It is an honor Strands-of-Glowing-Dawn Tzeniwe. I am Bahili and this is..." he introduces each of the cohort.
Bahili recalls tales of the anadi people, reclusive, sapient spiders who hail from the jungles of southern Garund. Though they act in many ways like natural-born shapeshifters, their twin forms actually stem from carefully developed magic.
As a communal and peaceful people, anadi ancestors endeavored to establish trade with the neighbors of their homeland. However, these anadi soon learned that most others found their appearance to be extremely objectionable. Wishing to avoid conflict, ancient anadi retreated into isolation until they could find a solution. The answer came when their greatest scholars innovated a fusion of transmutation and illusion magic that allowed them to assume a humanoid form. The technique was developed, perfected, and eventually taught to the overwhelming majority of anadi.
Understanding finally dawns on the polite young lad "You're an Anadi!" he blurts out in shocked glee, before sense hits him with the knowledge of yelling one's race out in public is not good manners. He bows quickly "I deeply apologize. I have never met one of your wonderous people before..." Bahili's main fasination is with bees of course, but spiders are adjacent enough he had spent a lot of time studying them as well.
Firinn is a little more cautious than Bahili - his people have had issues with predators larger than they are, but these youngsters seem pleasant enough. Leaping onto Helena's back the sprite and his corgi shoot around Dawn and he taps one of the spiders on its nearest leg.
"Tag!"
"No apology is needed," Tzeniwe says with a smile. "Most people react to anadi with fear or revulsion. I expect that sort of reaction, so your awe is a welcome change of pace."
Meanwhile, the little spiderlings laugh and cheer as they chase Firinn and Helena around the room in a spirited game of tag!
Unya looks between Bahili and Tzeniwe with confusion. "Excuse our ignorance, but ... what is an Anadi?" she asks as she watches Firinn play tag with the young spiders.
"My people dwell deep in the jungle," Tzeniwe says to Unya. "We are arachnids in our natural form, but we can assume humanoid forms through magic. Advanced education is not common among my people, but I came to the Magaambya to pursue one in the hopes of passing that education down to my children. My rambunctious, misbehaving children.”
"Very interesting." Drazhan says, rubbing his chin as he listens to Tzeniwe explain their history. "I have never heard of the Anadi before."
Tell me, the magus starts, shifting his feet as he explores the topic further. He begins to rapid-fire rattle off questions in an attempt to satiate his curiosity, "is only humanoid forms that you can assume? Is it at will or only limited times and durations? Do all Anadi posses this ability? At what age is it taught?"
"Each anadi is taught how to use the magic at a young age," Tzeniwe says. Picking up on their mother's conversation, the two spiderlings shift and change as they transform into young boys, continuing their game of tag. "We each have one unique humanoid form that we can assume, but we can change back and forth as often as we wish. Certain advanced anadi are also able to adopt a hybrid form that combines aspects of both humanoid and spider."
Unya tips her head in curiosity and her ears swivel forward. "Are you capable of such a wonderous feat?" she asks. "We would be most intrigued to view your hybrid form if that is not a rude request."
"I have not yet mastered that magic. Perhaps one day soon," Tzeniwe says.
When the game of tag is done, Tzeniwe steps forward. ”Alright, that is enough for tonight. Time to go our room, little ones.” The spiderlings wave and scurry off. Their mother Firinn a warm smile. ”Thank you for indulging them. I’ll try to ensure they do not bother you too much during your studies.”
***
The next morning, three figures wait for you in front of the dorms, though one has curled up on a blanket in a miraculously dry spot and seems half asleep. Mariama observes the drowsing Chizire with detached interest before turning to raise a hand in greeting. “From an objective standpoint, it’s really impressive how she can sleep anywhere. Anyway, we’re Cascade Bearers. Or at least, I am, and Anchor Root is filling in because Chizire is... Chizire. Cascade Bearers advance magical theory. It’s also our job to make new magic safe for everyone to use.
“Since you’ve shown us there are gremlins around, we’re going to do some sparkly finger wiggles to help deal with that. We need some special oils to do the ritual, though. Anchor Root’s here to tell you what to get.”
The small gnoll squeaks and flinches as attention turns to her. “U-um... we need scarlet cap oil, bone oil, and...” Anchor Root whimpers and fidgets her paws together. “C-caterpillar oil. But they need to be the right... u-um, I’ll just show you.”
“If you have trouble making the oil, come back here and I’ll wake Chizire up. She’s good at brewing,” Mariama adds. “Be done in eight hours, or you’ll miss dinner. And try to have fun!”
"Thank you, Anchor Root, for taking your time to show us." Bahili says to the nervous gnoll. He has never made oils before and isn't quite sure how to go about it.
Firinn sighs as yet another person assumes that he is here to be a wizard. Why would a handsome, athletic and superb-with-a-blade fellow like him want to waste his time on old books? Still, playing with the younglings was fun so he waves cheerfully and retires for the night.
The next day's task - involving oils and other smelly things, is another that he has little interest in. Thus the sprite spends most of his time trying to dodge the larger rain drops (read: all of them) rather than paying any real attention.
Okapi walks beside her soon-to-be-friend Anchor Root and tries to strike up a conversation.
"So, are you an alchemist then? Making oils must be very skillful! In my tribe they tried to make me a cook, but I burnt everything so they said I should do something else, and now I'm here at the Magambaaya!" She seems very cheerful about this.
"Also, do you know why gremlins like us so much?" She continues, dropping her voice to a whisper.
"Me? Oh, no, I'm n-no alchemist," Anchor Root whimpers. "The only thing I can craft is sand sculptures, and even then, I'm n-not very good at it. I know the theory behind making the oils, but Chizire was supposed to actually make them! But she's always sleeping! So, you're going to have to try, I guess. Sorry!"
The little gnoll begins to tremble a bit as Okapi asks about the gremlins. "Um, I don't know. I think the pugwampis, since they look like us, kind of, they want to be like us? But who would ever want to be like me? I'm nobody worth emulating..."
Anchor Root takes a few deep breaths before addressing the group at large. "So for the bone oil, I need to find some lucky bones. It's hard to describe which bones are lucky or not, so if you could bring me a large assortment of bones, I can look through them and find the lucky ones.
"Then, I'll need some mushrooms like this for the scarlet cap oil." She holds forth a cluster of dried, red, cup-shaped mushrooms. "I found these in the jungle about an hour away from the city. Maybe you can find some fresh mushrooms there. I need mushrooms that have received a lot of sunlight and moonlight, s-so you'll need to harvest the ones growing high on a jungle tree. Redridge mother calls them tree blood." The gnoll suddenly flinches. "Eep! S-sorry! You didn't need to know that part!
"Um, uh, anyway... The last ingredient are fuzzy caterpillars." Anchor Root leads you into her dorm room. Anchor Root’s room is mostly neat, save for the occasional dried chicken dropping from her familiar. Stacks of small, cleaned animal bones sit in the corners, and several large tubs serve as homes to her collection of pet fruit beetles, many of which are the size of a human fist. She shows off another insect, a pet caterpillar, a colorful larva with fuzzy tufts. Anchor Root’s caterpillar sits placidly on a branch in a tub in her room.
"These are the kind you need to find. They're cute, but they are extremely painful to touch, so you should be careful when collecting them. And when you bring them back, you'll have to... have to... k-kill them to make the oil." The little gnoll gulps. "I can't bear to watch that part! You'll have to do that without me! Sorry!"
"Oh, she is lovely." Bahili complements Anchor Root on the splendid fuzzy caterpillar and the beetles as well. He obviously want to chat about them but between gulps and flinches even he can sense conversing would be painful for the little gnoll.
Firinn however seems quite unmoved.
"Shall we split up?" He asks. "Many hands make light work. That's what you humans say right?"
"There should be plenty of time to get all three groups of ingredients before the day is done," Anabel says. "Though, of course, it would go faster if we split into smaller groups. I'm fine either way."
"Let us determine the degree of difficulty after accomplishing the first task. Should it be trivial and time is on our side, we continue as a group. If the degree of difficulty is higher than expected or if the length of time it takes to accomplish the task causes too much time to lapse and dusk approaches, then we can consider the possibility of dividing our resources to accomplish the task."
There are several avenues you might pursue to get a collection of bones. The most straightforward source of bones is a local butcher. Nantambu’s butchers normally save meat bones to make broth. Out of respect for the Magaambya, a butcher will give you the leftover bones for free, so long as you wait an hour for the butcher to get some free time to bag them up. Heroes willing to pay 1 gp for a butcher’s time can get the bones immediately.