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Alethea draws her sword, unsure of what she can do with it amongst the chaos, but one thought does occur to her. Hekla is hurt. She reaches for her friend's hand and squeezes it, using herself as a conduit for Falayna's grace.
"Cut that out!" Frank demands, lashing out against the barmaid with magic.
Broulnindre growls as she swipes. "Hy cut!"
However, as soon the spell is cast, Broulnindre suddenly crouches down defensively with wide eyes.
Barnaby frowns as the vellum that the gnome was pain-takingly (not well) to copy has been snatched from his sight! The gnome grins when the woman takes out another (his pen ready!), but cries out in dismay as it crumbles to dust!
This is not at all an easy thing to do!
The gnome then takes out a beartrap, placing it behind the woman.
Feeling significantly refreshed, Hekla picks her chair up and chucks clear over the bar at the giant mirror.
Broulnindre slashes the woman across the face causing an alarming amount of blood to spill on the barroom floor.
Barnaby tries to prowl around behind the woman and if she sees him do so she doesn’t let on.
Dawrbrün easily wrests the crossbow from the man’s hands and now holds it in his own hands.
Hekla shatters the mirror preventing any possible prying eyes from continuing to do so, if it affects either of your opponents resolve to fight, you cannot tell.
The man continues to struggle against the spell but he cannot will himself out of it.
Broulnindre turns to go but disappears before she can leave. A pair of see through sleeves fall to the ground.
Frank, having just dismissed Broulnindre, no longer has a glowing rune on his forehead.
"Ready to surrender, yet?" he asks as he puts the snatched scroll away.
Not giving her a chance to answer, Hekla moves to the woman with an exasperated sigh and tries to restrain her.
Lyudmilla keeps her eyes on the bartender, waiting on the proprietor's answer. Her face contorts in concentrating on her casting, but can't hide the grin at the results. She shuffles around the table behind Hekla to get a better peripheral view of Barnaby.
The woman screams in skald, ”Get out! Get out! Get out! You mad foreigners. Never bother our village again.” With that proclamation banks of billowing fog fill the room from her mouth, nose, and ears. You can scarcely see anything in your immediate vicinity and cannot see anything beyond that.
The woman turns and moves past Barnaby,
Completely oblivious to the obscuring mist, Alethea stumbles through the tavern toward the door with a determined expression on her face.
The woman attempts to run past Barnaby. He can either let her through maintaining his stealthy position or block her and ruining it.
Barnaby holds up a sign that reads, Please step to the right.
The gnome smiles at the lady.
The sickening crunch of metal snapping to flesh and bone rings out in the foggy tavern. Barnaby's face is splattered with blood and he can see the woman topple to the ground twitching violently before becoming cold and still.
Barnaby yells,
The gnome shrugs.
Step.
Frank winces at the sound, though no one sees it through the mist.
"Why don't we get the hell out of here before someone else attacks us?" He suggests.
"It'd be a pity for more blood to be spilled needlessly." He explains.
Dawrbrün sets the crossbow down on the nearest table, and proceeds to bash it with the hammerhead of his maul-axe. He then fixes the barkeep with a stern eye. "Perhaps the loss of coin replacing this will be a reminder to not shoot at folks that aren't threatening ya. You might also notice I didn't use this to bash in your head, even though I had motive and opportunity to do so." Dawrbrün brandishes his maul-axe towards the man for emphasis.
"Let's go then," he says, sourly, "but at least render some aid to that lass. Mistrust of strangers shouldn't be a death sentence."
Dawbrün will walk over, check her pulse, and cast if she's still alive.
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Barnaby (unobtrusively) gathers the bloodied bear trap and walks out the door.
Best to keep this out of the wrong hands. Who just leaves an active bear trap on the floor of a busy tavern anyway?
The party leaves the tavern having killed one of the owners in a series of unfortunate escalations.
As you exit a small crowd has gathered staring at you, some blankly others with anger in their eyes. None stop you.
A small, surprised "Oh!" escapes Hekla's lips following the voscerally satisfying crunch. Frank's words spur her to action though. She can help! And...maybe see the results. Not that she wants to. But maybe she's a little curious.
She'll help lead Alethea through the fog to the lady, and she'll try to heal her.
"Come along, Princess, we can handle this."
Initially, Alethea refuses to be guided away as she fruitlessly tries to resuscitate the woman. "Why wouldn't you just talk to us?" she whispers in despair, feeling Falayna's healing blessing drain away to nothing. After some moments, she isn't sure exactly how long, she climbs back to her feet and reaches out in search of Hekla's hand again. This time, she allows herself to be led away.
"Well, I don't think we have time to hang around for her funeral..." Frank comments once they're farther away from onlookers.
"Let's at least take a look at this..." He says, pulling out the stolen scroll.
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The next day?
Alethea's vision is starting to clear she can see general shapes and color but not nearly as good as it was before.
Mjoli is staring at Hekla creepily, as only a child can do, as you rise from your slumber.
As you gather your gear in the morning you find that everything has been obsessively organized and cleaned. Frank concludes that his bribe of food has worked.
"Glad to see he likes trail rations." Frank comments, inspecting his crossbow.
"I... don't think it was this clean when I bought it..." he continues, trying to avoid the subject of yesterday's fight a little longer.
Barnaby and Anticipation rise at Dwan with not a smidgen of guilt between them.
These people are nuts. Where we going?
Hekla rises and catches the creepy kid scaring, and she gives him a goofy grin while she lets ger own, strangely mismatched eyes bug out and cross. For some inexplicable reason, and seemingly without her knowledge, they both turn completely black for a brief second.
She checks to make sure the other twin isn't staring creepily at her too. Creepy twins is a bad sign.
Regardless, they shouldn't dally too long in town, especially after that weirdness yesterday.
"Nadja, can you tell us any more about this tower? Is it far? Do you know if there are many guards, or many visitors?"
"They were obviously afraid of the witch that rules here," Dawrbrün remarks. "Too afraid to be reasoned with, unfortunately."
Nadya nods, "It's 6 miles from here, about 4 hours of travel on foot. But with my dogsleds we can make it half that time. It's constructed out of magically formed and strengthened ice and anyone within will be able to see you coming if the weather is clear. As for the interior I can't tell you much."
She looks around and says quietly almost a whisper, "Maybe Hatch could tell you more. But I'm not sure he trusts you yet. Maybe if you had some milk or honey."
Barnaby looks over at Anticipation, who shrugs.
I wanted a giant bee, but Ant said no.
Ant-icipation chitters excitedly.
We could right quick go out and rustle up sum cow and beehive!
"Hatch?" Frank asks, putting down his immaculately clean gear.
Milk or honey, huh? If only we hadn't upset the locals...
"Well perhaps we ought to approach during a storm then. Or at night." She smirks for a moment before her expression lightens toward their host. "Thank you. You continue to be so helpful and so hospitable. We won't forget this."
Then she considers Barnaby's suggestion seriously. "It can't be that difficult, can it? Milking a cow?"
Alethea looks at Barnaby through narrowed eyes, though the effect is undermined by her bleary, unfocused express. "We've caused enough trouble for these people without stealing their food, don't you think?"
"Oh it'll be fine, they won't miss a cuppa milk, especially to help throw off the yoke of oppression and fear. It's for their own good, really."
"Probably easier to have B snatch something and accidentally lose some coins in the same place."
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Barnaby and Anticipation both grin, wink and hurry out of the door before anyone can protest (further).
Once outside, the Hunter and companion hunt for a bee hive to snatch some honey and a cow to milk.
.
The Hunter and Ant take on a predatory face!
They both begin dodging and weaving between fences, foliage, homes and stables!
They both begin tracking and inspecting the cows and bee hives in the area for just the right set!
They both wonder if these are the bee hives and cows that they are looking for....
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Barnaby and Ant prowl around town until they find themselves between the White Weasel and Waldsby's cemetery. Ant has sniffed out a cow in the barn's walls.
With trepidation the pair part the barn doors and behold their prey. A single decrepit cow. Barnaby Tentatively pulls on the cow's teats and is able to coax a small cups worth of milk from it's udder.
The cow tips over in exhaustion from the exertion, barely breathing raggedly.
The pair has apparently got away with their loot without incident or complication.
Barnaby leaves a tip. Ant leaves a religious placard.
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Lyudmilla greets Barnaby upon his return, hair in disarray and a wild look in her eye. Uncharacteristically disheveled, she stumbles from her cabin clutching in her dirty fingers, an empty jar of avacado honey.
"TELL ME you've found some. After Nadja mentioned it I've been searching my stores." The frazzled kitchen witch begins pacing.
"Barnaby, do you know vhat I've found? Ve have traveled half a vorld away and I am OUT. Do any of you have any idea often I use HONEY?" she lets out manicly.
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"So we know we aren't in the land of Milk and Honey," Dawrbrün says drily. "More like the land of the ice and snow, from the Midnight Sun where the hot springs flow. Hmmm, that has a nice cadence to it...perhaps with some sort of battle cry..." he muses to himself.
Alethea favors Barnaby with a frown of concern as he returns, but she says nothing. "What next?"
"Next we go on a quest for honey." Frank says with a wink.
"Though now that you mention it, I'm not sure where Hatch is. Perhaps we just leave the milk out on the table and we can get help for our visit to the witch's tower. Perhaps we should try tomorrow?"
Barnaby smiles at Lyudmilla. The gnome winks at Dawrbrün, clapping and tapping his foot. Anticipation seems to agree with Alethea's assessment of the Hunter's antics.
Honey is next!
They both go back out in search of a bee hive....
Just as Barnaby is about to head out on a fools errand there is a loud knock at the door. And a man roughly says in skald, "Nadya Petska open the door, by order of Radosek Pavril you are wanted for questioning in relation to aiding and abetting known enemies of Irrisen."