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Baradim goes silent as Drake speaks, though his brows furrow downwards slowly as he grows more and more angry. When he finishes, the sarcasm tinging his word, the orc's fist cracks down on the table. His lips pull back in a snarl as he leans in, his voice a low growl as he speaks.
"Drake McClain, watch your tongue. Just because your stomach is weak doesn't mean mine is. The man is a killer and a killer will be dealt with. His head is taken because it is easier than carrying a body to be identified...or do you just assume that I am a ?" His voice raises for a moment and he can feel that the eyes in the tavern are watching him. "Your life sounds sweet and gentle. Your life has not been my life nor the way of the world." Baradim raises from the table as disgust builds in him, the guttural snarl of his kind lilting every word. "You rather let a danger have a second chance at taking a life. I do not. If he comes for us, I will cut him down. Without hesitation. Hate me or be disgusted by me if you will, I will not let a foe have another chance at harming you."
Baradim pushes away from the table in anger, grabbing his shield and moving over to the bar. Ordering a tall drink, he makes his way to a darkened corner where Ser Lawren was hiding. It was only when Baradim had cooled down a moment that he noticed the man sitting beside him. His eyes looked over the man for a moment before he lifts a mug. "To Lastwall. Where were you stationed?" The orc did not care if he did not want to talk with him. He needed a distraction before his anger got the best of him, something to distract from the conversation he just had.
Looking incredulously at the half-orc, and quite pissed, Drake rises. "What the hell is your problem, Baradim?! Did you not hear a word I just said? Or do you spend too much time living in that angry mind of yours and only hear what you want? And my stomach is weak, why? Because I don't want to take a man's head? Seriously?! Do you not hear how twisted that sounds?! Yes, the killer will be dealt with, I won't argue that. But we're NOT bringing back his head only. It'll be ALL of him. And what's this 'BEAST' crap your throwing at me? Sensitive about something, Baradim? Want to talk about it? Of course you don't, YOU NEVER TALK ABOUT ANYTHING!"
"And I don't care if it was Delma's idea," he looks over at Delma, "It's nothing, Delma, just using you as an example," before looking back to Baradim, "I'd think it would be equally as insane. It's got nothing to do with you in any specific manner so I don't really know why you even went there."
"Your life sounds sweet and gentle. Your life has not been my life nor the way of the world."
"And what the HELL do you know about my life, Baradim?! Have I told you about my life? Has anybody else told you about my life? Have you even asked? You know nothing about my life, Baradim, so don't talk to me as if you do. And as far as my life not being 'your life or the way of the world'," he mocks, huffing, "let me be the first to say, WHEW! While I know pretty much nothing about you because you never talk to anyone about yourself - as far as I'm aware anyway - I'm gonna take your word for it and just believe you. Plus, I don't stand around pissed off at the world and want to take people's heads off simply because I hate them. So there's at least something that we don't have in common thank the gods!"
"You rather let a danger have a second chance at taking a life. I do not. If he comes for us, I will cut him down. Without hesitation. Hate me or be disgusted by me if you will, I will not let a foe have another chance at harming you."
"And there again, did I say that? Did I specifically say, 'Let's just let him walk free?' Is that what I said? And anybody can answer that. Please, feel free." He crosses his arms and waits a moment before, "And the correct answer is: NO I DIDN'T. Again, I ask you, Baradim who is "Of the Way of the World"," his tone clearly mocking with him being so pissed, "did you even hear a word I said? I believe what I said was, and I quote, 'If we have to take him down by force, then so be it.' And then after that I said: 'But we're not taking his head.'
"So if you would just take a moment to dissect that statement, Baradim, just one little moment is all I ask! you'll see that in NO PLACE does it sound like I want to give him a second chance to kill. If this guy comes after us, then he's going down fighting. He will only surrender when he's dead. Which is fine by me! But it seems like you are so dead set on taking his head, that when I mentioned we won't be doing that, you decide to fly off the handle and go a~@+%!%! What is so damn important about taking this guy's head?!"
"And I appreciate the sentiment, I do. But that goes two ways, pal. Maybe the way you protect people is from physical harm and that's all well and good. I applaud that. But maybe there are some of us here that try to protect others from themselves. Sometimes that's a far worse enemy."
Watching the half-orc walk away angrily, Drake sits down equally as angry, crosses his arms, and tries to collect himself. His leg bounces at a rapid pace as he just sits and stews over it for a moment.
Niss smiled at him. "Trust me, I am all in favor of not being a hostage. I would remind you I'm not entirely helpless." She smirked. "But still, it's a good idea, with one alteration -- instead of standing next to me and smiling, you could try approaching the building with stealth before I walk up to it, and you hide to the side of the door where he won't see you."
"It is a waste of our time to tell him to give himself up. The intensity of what I felt when I touched that vial..." she shivered momentarily at the memory. "He is not a reasonable man. He had some sort of deal set up with Bort, yes? My thinking was, maybe I could claim Tamli wants to arrange a deal, and asked me to let him know about a meeting nearby. If he believes me, Baradim and Fin are waiting to ambush him in a place of our choosing. If he doesn’t bite, Drake will still be with me and we can call you two in as backup. Thoughts?”
Thinking over it, Drake nods. "I like it. That's a better idea. Yeah, let's do that. I think it'll work. It's got good potential."
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Fin sits there quietly until Drake finishes. Once Drake sits down, he finally comments: "You have never been in a war. It shows. You haven't had to make a snap decision on whether someone lives or dies - where you have less than two seconds to decide if this new thing before you is a hostile, a friendly, or an innocent. Where you have to pick one and act on it and just hope that you guessed right."
"The safe choice is to see everything as hostile. The worst you will get from that is court martialed - if anyone finds out, and if anyone cares enough to go through the process. But it leaves a trail of innocent blood on your hands."
"But if you decide something isn't hostile and are wrong on that ... well, those who survive learn one lesson: It is your friends who pay the most for your mistakes."
"So let me ask it of you this way. Would you sacrifice her," he points to Inniska, "so that you could go to sleep for the rest of your long life knowing that your morality and sense of fairness remains untarnished?"
"No, we are not at war right now. My war ended a long time ago. But I still end up there sometimes. Baradim's ended, what, ten weeks ago?"
"This isn't war, Fin! You need to separate the fact between war and hunting down a criminal. Things would definitely be different if this was a war. But it's not. You cannot compare the two."
"The safe choice? Determined by who, Fin? You? Your choice is the right choice because you deem it so? What's taking a man's head have ANYTHING to do with making snap decisions? Are you going to stop what you're doing in the middle of a war and take a man's head off?" he asks, looking at him incredulously.
"Again, we know this guy is hostile. There's no doubt in my mind about that. So I ask: why you would even say such a thing? When did I declare this guy isn't hostile?"
"And what kind of question is that, Fin?! Would I sacrifice Niss. Of course I wouldn't! That doesn't even make sense as to why you would even ask that.
[b]"No, we are not at war right now. My war ended a long time ago. But I still end up there sometimes. Baradim's ended, what, ten weeks ago?"
"At least we agree on something, cat. You're obviously trying to be 'deep and philosophical', Fin, but all you're really doing is talking in circles and creating a mountain out of a molehill. I'm simply stating how ridiculous it is to remove a man's head. If we take him down, we take him down. I said nothing about putting a stop to him. Not exactly sure how 'war' got into all this."
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Fin starts laughing quietly. "Heh heh. Stop what I'm doing during the war in order to take a man's head off. Heh heh heh."
"I was an infiltration unit. Not one of the big guys with their integrated swords, eye beams, and plated armor. No, I was built for stealth. My shape is intended to look like a common plains cat to help avoid detection - which worked a lot better before that type of cat went extinct. But anyway, now I'm rambling because I'm tired. The point is that my job was to break in to a secure location, eliminate a target, and bring back proof of success - usually the guy's head. Because as Baradim said, it is easier to carry just the head than the entire body."
"And as far as Hallod being a hostile, I am not fully convinced of that. I assume that it is so because of the reputation that he has and because I trust Inniska's abilities. The word of the Goblin helps as well."
"But if he is known to be hostile, my first instinct, and my trained operating procedure would be to eliminate him before he even knew I was there. And then bring back his head. That is the only sane option." Fin sighs. "At least, the only sane option during open open hostilities."
"So saying that this line of thinking is horribly wrong is a direct insult to everything I dedicated my life to, all of the training and experience I have, and the very purpose for my existence. ... Not that you are wrong on any of those counts. But it still stings a bit."
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Niss winced as her suggestion to wait and let cooler heads prevail went unheeded. She suspected her anxiety from Baradim's shouting disrupted her focus, and Drake didn't get the mental message. Tempers were heating and she felt stuck in the middle as the men she cared about, her found family as she'd called them, began to argue. "Why don't we all take a deep breath, hmm?". She again focused her efforts on Drake, her hand on his, squeezing. "We're not cutting anyone's head off, but continuing this discussion right now doesn't seem like a great idea. Why don't we go to bed, you and I, and see how things look in the morning. We're all tired."
Drake simply stares at the cat, chewing on the inside of his lip. Just as he's about to respond, his attention cuts to Niss...
Niss winced as her suggestion to wait and let cooler heads prevail went unheeded. She suspected her anxiety from Baradim's shouting disrupted her focus, and Drake didn't get the mental message. Tempers were heating and she felt stuck in the middle as the men she cared about, her found family as she'd called them, began to argue. "Why don't we all take a deep breath, hmm?". She again focused her efforts on Drake, her hand on his, squeezing. "We're not cutting anyone's head off, but continuing this discussion right now doesn't seem like a great idea. Why don't we go to bed, you and I, and see how things look in the morning. We're all tired."
Sighing deeply before running a hand through his hair, "You're right. You're absolutely right. I think that's a good idea. It truly has been a long day." Drake finds himself glad there's at least one member of the team with a cool and calm demeanor. Rising, he holds out his hand for Niss to take to walk her up to their room. "'Night, Fin."
"Night, Drake." Fin replies while still curled up on the hearth.
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Baradim listens to Drake's words for a moment but once he realizes that the man has not actually listened, his eyes roll and he continues drinking his mug. Yet Sir Lawren, the poor man that Baradim had sat next to, can see the way that his his veins pop in his arms and how his jaw begins to grind his teeth slowly. Yet when Finoan speaks up, the orc settles down somewhat. The mocking and sarcasm continues and Baradim remains silent, waiting until the man starts going to bed.
"Be careful going upstairs. With the high ground you speak from, the air will be too thin." Baradim shouts after Drake as he walks away with Niss in arm. The orc gives the girl a nod of his head. When they were gone, he would turn his attention towards Finoan and raise his glass at his fellow soldier.
"What I'd give to have been born where he was." Baradim murmurs, chuckling mirthlessly before starting a conversation with the knight beside him.
"I...I fought with my friend. I thought about Vigil too long. He just...he wasn't there. I-I hid. I hid in blood, in bones, under my friends. They hid me from the dead and when they passed through and the dying city grew silent at last...I took their symbols and wore them. To remember them. To-to honor them. To make amends." Baradim's voice broke, nails scratching into her back. "I should be dead. I shouldn't be here. I-I could've saved others. I-I..." The words die on his tongue as a sob shudders through his whole frame. Baradim's tears are silenced in the woman's chest as he holds onto her like she was the only log in the dark, raging river of the night.
"You suffered too. I-I should be stronger. I shouldn't be here, making this worse." Baradim muttered. He should go, he knew he should. Yet her warmth was gentle despite her ferocity.
In the morning, Baradim would quietly be helping cinch up Tamli's armor before asking her to help him with his own. The heavy chainmail fell upon his being but did little to unsettle the muscular frame of the man as he readied himself for today. Taking a calm breath, he would give her a kiss on the temple before whispering in her ear.
"Tell no one but today, we bring Bort justice."
When they were gone, he would turn his attention towards Finoan and raise his glass at his fellow soldier.
"What I'd give to have been born where he was."
Fin nods in return. "I can vaguely remember being that naive once. Looking starry-eyed at the soldiers marching down the main street of town. I don't think he actually intends any disrespect."
"Be careful going upstairs. With the high ground you speak from, the air will be too thin." Baradim shouts after Drake as he walks away with Niss in arm. The orc gives the girl a nod of his head. When they were gone, he would turn his attention towards Finoan and raise his glass at his fellow soldier.
Niss kept a firm grasp on Drake's arm and kept pulling him along, trying to head off a response. She gave Baradim a sad, almost apologetic smile. She had mentioned being able to speak into others' minds, but now she used the ability on Baradim for the first time, her thoughts coming gently so as not to startle him. "I will speak with him," her words formed in his mind. "And I'm so sorry. For what it must have been like." She left it at that, and the two disappeared up the steps.
In the morning when Baradim and Tamli leave the wagon, the find Fin sitting nearby. "I actually have something interesting to report this morning. Nothing concerning, but interesting."
"Before sunrise this morning an Elven woman named Noala came past dragging a sled to the Feedmill. A sled carrying the bodies of the wolves that we met on the way into town. I told her that I would meet her in the tavern this morning."
Cantrips
◆ Shield
◆◆ Spout
Tamli listened to Baradim, her arms tightening around him as he sobbed. ”You are alive, and you are here. You will come to terms with that.” Her voice was quiet and confident. As he sobbed, she took a deep, shaking breath and buried her face into his hair in a rare moment of vulnerability. She closed her eyes and squeezed him with the same strength, digging her fingernails into his flesh.
”I am strong because I let people help me carry my burden.” Her voice was slightly muffled by his hair. ”I am not where I am at because I tried to do it alone.” She lifted her face, her arms still wrapped around Baradim, and continued. ”I lost my son fleeing Belkzen several years ago.” Her breath hitches slightly, thinking of the lock of hair on her talisman, but she barrels through the sorrow and lays her pain at Baradim’s feet. ”I suffer daily. This ‘found family,’ as one of your friends put it. They keep things from being this bad.” She would push him away just slightly, looking down into his eyes meaningfully. ”Stop trying to carry this alone. There are several around you who will help.” She would then pull him back in, keeping her grip tight.
—-
In the morning, Tamli would smile just slightly at the kiss and his whispered words as she helped him with his armor. ”Good. Come back again. If you'd like, of course.” Her cheeks would flush and she would squeeze his arm tightly before releasing him to go on his way for the day.
Baradim's face lightened up a little bit as he made his way towards the strange cat-man-machine. Baradim still wasn't exactly sure what the hell he was. He was old though and he was a soldier. Last night had concreted a bit of trust in him.
"Oh?" Baradim asked, quirking a bushy eyebrow upwards. When she mentioned Noala, Baradim nodded for a moment. The name was familiar. The idea that she was dragging in bodies of wolves to the town, the same wolves that they had slain earlier. "We will speak with her. Perhaps she can help us bring down Hallod."
Niss kept a firm grasp on Drake's arm and kept pulling him along, trying to head off a response. She gave Baradim a sad, almost apologetic smile. She had mentioned being able to speak into others' minds, but now she used the ability on Baradim for the first time, her thoughts coming gently so as not to startle him. "I will speak with him," her words formed in his mind. "And I'm so sorry. For what it must have been like." She left it at that, and the two disappeared up the steps.
Nearly responding to the half-orc, Niss's grip calms him down significantly. He eventually comes to realize his words are no more effective than talking to a wall.
In the morning when Baradim and Tamli leave the wagon, the find Fin sitting nearby. "I actually have something interesting to report this morning. Nothing concerning, but interesting."
"Before sunrise this morning an Elven woman named Noala came past dragging a sled to the Feedmill. A sled carrying the bodies of the wolves that we met on the way into town. I told her that I would meet her in the tavern this morning."
"I know her. She knows these woods like they were part of her," Tamli says appreciatively. She looks over Baradim and Finoan for a moment, then offers a small smile to them both. "I need to take care of a few things this morning. Jó vadászatot," she says, heading off to go speak to Gregor and the twins near the wagons about their day's business.
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At The Feedmill
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The morning at The Feedmill is busy–busier than you’ve seen it in any morning since you’ve arrived in this decaying town. Amora is in the kitchen cooking, the telltale sounds of clattering, sizzling, and bubbling filling the space. An odd mix of sweet and savory flavors wafts invitingly through the building, luring those who haven’t awakened down to the common area.
Noala, the elven woman Finoan met so early in the morning, is leaning on the bar and speaking to Delma quietly. It is easier to see her now, in the light: she is not a young elf, but her actual age is difficult to nail down. Her long, brown hair is bound up in a braided ponytail, long ears curving gently towards the back of her head, and she wears darker leathers and forest colors. She is glancing at the door here and there, keeping an eye out for Finoan.
Finoan walks beside Baradim mostly in silence. About half way there he asks quietly, "I trust you didn't sleep very well last night. How are you doing this morning?"
~~~~~
Fin walks into the Feedmill common area and looks around. "Apparently everyone is happy to have the food back."
He sees Noala over at the counter and heads that direction. "Morning Delma, Noala. I see that the kitchen is open again. How is everything else going on?"
Niss and Drake come downstairs around the time Fin and Baradim arrive, and she perks up when she hears Fin calling the lef woman by name. So, this was the ranger Erda spoke of. She makes her way to what had become their usual table and listens in, not wishing to intrude on Fin's conversation, and allowing Drake a chance to speak with Baradim alone, if he so desired.
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Baradim walked in step alongside the automaton, their silence comfortable as they made their way to the Feedmill. Finoan's voice broke the silence around them and at first, the only response was a soft grunt. He remained silent for a moment, eyes forward, but an answer came a moment later.
"Better. Tired but a drink may help. Still angry but it simmers rather than burns." Baradim explained as he shifted the steel shield on his back now. The weight was different than what he was used to; it would take some time to adjust to for certain. His eyes looked over towards Finoan before he continued speaking, watching the peculiar man.
"Last night, when you spoke up, I appreciated it. I was going to be very foolish but I was...not alone. It felt...nice." The orc had difficulty finding the right words, each one feeling inadequate. "I know we fought different wars but it helped. So...thank you, friend."
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"Last night, when you spoke up, I appreciated it. I was going to be very foolish but I was...not alone. It felt...nice. So...thank you, friend."
"Any time, my friend. Any time."
"We are quite different, but I can relate to both the war trauma and being seen as not human. Though both to a lesser degree than you deal with. After a few thousand years the pain fades a bit. And well, I'm small and somewhat cute - at least as long as I keep my mouth shut - and that usually gets interpreted as harmless." Fin laces his fingers under his chin and smiles a very fake smile up at Baradim while batting his eyes a bit.
He then lapses back into silence.
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Baradim looks down at the cat-like man and lets out a hoarse, quick chuckle before shaking his head.
"You punched a bear. You're a madman, Finoan." The silence took over once more but there was a comfortable ease in it. Neither needed to say much and despite the many, many years separating their time of creation, their similarities could not be disputed.
Baradim walks into the busier tavern now, frowning slightly. He had enjoyed the quiet from before. At least Delma and the other workers would be faring better now. Baradim joins his comrade down at the bar beside Noala, remaining quiet to hear what the elf had to say. Out the corner of his eye, he would catch Niss and Drake making their way downstairs. He coolly regarded them both, no anger on his face as he remained as impassive as he could be.
Fin walks into the Feedmill common area and looks around. "Apparently everyone is happy to have the food back."
He sees Noala over at the counter and heads that direction. "Morning Delma, Noala. I see that the kitchen is open again. How is everything else going on?"
Delma grins at Finoan, making a gesture of thanks at the automaton. "The kitchen can open back up now that the poison's been figured out. We had to close until someone investigated it or caught the poisoner, so...thank you, to you and your friends." She nods in the direction of the Princess Guard. "Amora is pleased, as well."
Noala shifts in her seat, piping up when your conversation with Delma is over. "Good to see you in the daytime. Are your friends up for talking now?"
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"I certainly am," Niss declared, moving over to join Fin and Noala. "Erda spoke very highly of you. We were looking forward to making your acquaintance."
Noala smiles at Niss. "Erda has a way with animals that I could only dream of," She says, turning in her seat to face Finoan and Niss. "Forest is blighted and the animals are only a symptom of the bigger problem. I need help with handling it," She holds up her bandaged hand by way of explanation (and Finoan notices that the bandage is fresh), "I can show you what I mean if you're willing to accompany me into the forest. I need to burn the bodies of these wolves, anyway."
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"Certainly, Noala. Hopefully the information will help us with some other things we have going on. With as much as is going on, I think it may be related."
"I'd say we are willing, so long as that doesn't count as breaking the rule we've been asked to abide by, which is to not leave town. How long will it take?" Niss asked Noala. She shifted her gaze to Fin. "Certain other matters require our timely attention as well."
"You won't be far enough out of town to upset Rolth, and I can take the heat for it if necessary," Noala replies, waving her good hand dismissively. "Not that Rolth would have the balls to stand up to me in such a way. I've been around much longer than him. As for time, well. If you have something time sensitive, we can speak later. I am willing to stay in town until then...as long as it doesn't take overly long. I'll find a way to occupy my time." She glances at Delma and smiles and the innkeeper grins back mischievously.
"I don't think Hallod is going anywhere any time soon either. How long will it take to cremate these wolves and explain what you want to tell us about the area?"
"No more than two hours, I would say. And that's probably more than we'll need." Noala raises an eyebrow at the mention of Hallod. "What does that disgusting filth have to do with all of this?"
"We aren't entirely sure yet, but we have a few ideas. We can explain more over the bonfire."
He turns to the others. "What do the rest of you think? I think we can spare a couple hours to get some more information."
Niss nods her agreement. "Fine by me."
"He threatened the goblin to deliver a poison that slayed Bort, the Caravan Master." Baradim adds from where he leans on the bar, watching the woman. "Us heading out may convince him that he has not been made. It could be good."
"We aren't entirely sure yet, but we have a few ideas. We can explain more over the bonfire."
He turns to the others. "What do the rest of you think? I think we can spare a couple of hours to get some more information."
Shrugging, "Fine with me as well."
Niss eyes Drake encouragingly. "Fin I'll walk up with you and Noala. I think Drake would like to talk to Baradim."
Noala takes the lead with Finoan and Niss, leaving Baradim and Drake to catch up. "Ugh, I've always known Hallod would stoop to something that awful, but he's not very smart. I doubt he's working alone." Noala frowns as she drags the sled behind her. "Why Bort?"
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"The story as told by Phinick is that Bort cheated him on the previous shipment of goods. Which is the biggest pile of horse manure I have ever encountered, even considering the one I ended up rolling in yesterday. In addition to knowing Bort and his business sense, I also looked through his personal ledger."
Noala raises an eyebrow at Finoan's comment about rolling around in a pile of horse manure but decides not to ask anything about it. She 'hmmms' for a moment, looking thoughtful, pausing to turn and tug the sled over a bump. "I didn't know Bort well, but I do know he made an impression on Delma...on the town, rather. Some folks are taking it hard." She grimaces, shaking her head, and turns back around to the front now that the sled is back on even ground. "I only really spoke to Tamli and Talair often, when we were all in town at the same time. Their caravan came here a lot."
Fin looks curiously at Noala. "Talair? I don't think I have heard that name. But I only joined the caravan for this trip - a few days before arriving here in town."
"Anyway, what we have experienced regarding the damage to nature here: The land seems poisoned in places, and something has been surgically altering wolves. There is also the bear that is grumpy and more active than expected. We have also heard rumors about Stirges taking up residence nearby, but haven't met them personally yet."
"So what do you know about what may be causing this?"
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Niss eyes Drake encouragingly. "Fin I'll walk up with you and Noala. I think Drake would like to talk to Baradim."
Sighing as he watches them leave, Drake drags a hand down his face before taking a deep breath. Cutting his attention to the half-orc for a moment, he notices a splinter protruding from the table and fiddles with it as he speaks. "Okay, Baradim, after thinking about it and talking with Niss, I overstepped my bounds." He turns his attention to Baradim now. "I apologize for the things I said and the way I said them. It was uncalled for and I should've just kept my big mouth shut. Now, I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and say this makes us friends. But I felt you deserved an apology for yesterday. I'm willing to work with you if you're willing to work with me to get this thing done, and then after that, we can go our separate ways and that will be that." He shrugs. "So if you're game then I'm game."
Fin looks curiously at Noala. "Talair? I don't think I have heard that name. But I only joined the caravan for this trip - a few days before arriving here in town."
"Anyway, what we have experienced regarding the damage to nature here: The land seems poisoned in places, and something has been surgically altering wolves. There is also the bear that is grumpy and more active than expected. We have also heard rumors about Stirges taking up residence nearby, but haven't met them personally yet."
"So what do you know about what may be causing this?"
Noala returns Finoan's curious gave with a quirked eyebrow. "Talair - the old elf at the caravan?" She looks pensive for a moment, then chuckles. "Cooky. The caravan tends to call him Cooky."
"Ah, the bear. She normally sticks to deeper in the forest, but...with the blight, she wandered close to town. She was pretty hurt. Nothing odd about her, though."
Noala frowns while pondering Finoan's question. "I have an idea. I was hoping to show you all after we burned these bodies. Just show you, though, if you're heading off to handle Hallod. I share your feeling that all of these things may be connected."
Niss listened to Noala and Fin speaking. She recalled Drake having tried to ask Cooky's real name, and the old man failing to answer, and she filed the name Talair away for later.
At the mention of the bear being hurt, she winced. "That was our fault, I'm afraid. She got very grumpy when we tried to gather some rosemary nearby for Erda, so I whacked her with a stick and Fin here punched her in the nose. We were careful not to kill her. She was only protecting her home, after all."
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Baradim hears the cue and respectfully stays behind at the bar, drinking a mug of mulled cider as Drake picks at the table slowly. He waited for the man to start and slowly, he did. There was no immediate response from the orc as he turned his attention to the man, finishing his cup and pushing it away with a bit of silver to pay for breakfast.
"You had mocked me. Insulted me. Belittled me even..." The gruff voice says as Baradim folds his arms, taking a deep breath that rumbled in his chest. "Yet I did the same to you. I forgive you, I hope you shall forgive me." The last words earned a curious glance from the man as he tilted his head, his tusks sticking up from his lips before he reached up and rubbed his chin. "Do friends not fight from time to time? You come from a different place than I do; someplace warmer and kinder it seems. I wish all places were like that." Pushing himself from the bar, he would reach over and pat the ranger delicately on the shoulder.
You are still my friend, Drake. You have fought with me and anyone who does will be my brother or sister. Perhaps...when things are calmer...we can drink and I will tell you of my harshness and I will bask in the nicer world you come from?" He lets the question hang there for a moment before looking to the door. "Come, let us rejoin them before they end up rolling around in more s!*$, eh?" Baradim would bring Drake along with him, catching up with the others. Niss would notice a nod of thanks from the orc as he settled in alongside the group, eyeing Noala for a moment before looking towards Finoan.
"So what is our plan? Where are we going?"
Unable to contain a smile at the thought of poor Niss and Fin covered in crap, the ranger gives Baradim a firm and accepting nod. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Niss had to pretty much trash that poor dress of hers. I think she got some new ones though. I haven't seen them yet but I bet they're nice," he mentions off-handedly, following after the big guy.
Once they catch up with the others, Drake throws a wink Niss's way and tries to impart his thoughts at her, "Thank you." but is unsure if it actually works like that. He makes a mental note to remind himself to thank her later.
Niss is wearing one of her new dresses this morning, in fact, and she smiles when the two of them rejoin the group. She doesn't hear Drake's words, but she doesn't need to. She'd discovered that she could sense his feelings faintly, in some ever present corner of her mind, and felt his gratitude plainly. She gave him a wide smile and he realized he could feel hers as well, distantly, more strongly if he focused on them. She was relieved and happy to see things had been patched up.
Catching her smile, he smiles back before narrowing his eyes as if sensing... something from her. Whatever it was, it was a pleasant feeling.
He then leans to his left ever so slightly toward the half-orc, whispering out of the side of his mouth. "I think that's one of her new dresses because I don't recognize that one. It's nice," he comments, looking quite pleased with her choice.
Niss listened to Noala and Fin speaking. She recalled Drake having tried to ask Cooky's real name, and the old man failing to answer, and she filed the name Talair away for later.
At the mention of the bear being hurt, she winced. "That was our fault, I'm afraid. She got very grumpy when we tried to gather some rosemary nearby for Erda, so I whacked her with a stick and Fin here punched her in the nose. We were careful not to kill her. She was only protecting her home, after all."
Noala looks over at Finoan with surprise and some respect, then looks back at Niss. ”Did you say…punched her in the nose?” Noala snorts, shaking her head. ”Alright, then.”
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Noala leads you all to near where you all fought the wolves in the first place, then slightly off the beaten path into a clearing where there are the remnants of a camp (hers, presumably) and a small fire still burning in a carefully kept fire pit. Noala drops the sled behind her, taking a deep breath, and then shakes out her aching limbs. After a moment, she grabs the caustic wolf with her uninjured hand - the bandaged hand is now covered in an oddly-shaped gauntlet, speaking of another, older injury that might make such a thing necessary - and begins to drag it to the fire from the sled.
”Well, these wolves.” She says between drags one-handed yanks. ”They aren’t the first, and they won’t be the last. Worse still,” She grunts, ”The forest is going sour. Blighted. Plants and trees withering, bearing bitter fruit that sickens and kills those who eat it. If youv’e seen that old orchard, you know what I’m talking about. The blight is growing. Finoan mentioned a hunch that these things are related–your work for Bort and mine on behalf of the forest.” She shoves the body of the wolf into the fire with her foot, placing her hands on her hips and heaving a few deep breaths. She straightens out and flexes her hand, then heads back towards the pile to dispose of the rest. ”There are some dying parts of the woods. One is nearby. I’d like your help looking into this. I will show you what I mean, and then let you go on your way to deal with that disgusting ape of a man.” Noala spits the last words, her face twisting with hatred.
”Did you say…punched her in the nose?” Noala snorts, shaking her head. ”Alright, then.”
Fin shrugs. "I didn't really want to kill her. Or these, to be honest, though that acidic one was probably too dangerous to leave alive."
Finoan helps her to drag the wolves over to the fire pit.
"Yes, show us the dying parts of the woods."
"Thank you," Noala says to Finoan.
When all the wolves are burning in the pit, Noala adds a little bit more to get the fire going, and then stands and watches it for a few minutes. ”Alright, there’s blight nearby, actually. Follow me,” Noala says, making sure the fire will stay safely confined and then leading the way deeper into the forest.
After about 20 minutes of walking, you start to notice a few things. The plants are starting to take on a brown, sickly coloration and a sweet, rotting smell begins to permeate the air. Soon, the whole forest takes on the overpowering scent of rot and the trees look more unhealthy than the ones you saw in the Old Orchard. The bark on the trees is peeling off in sticky, black strips.
The presence of rot increases with every step you take, and as you approach a clearing, Noala slows to a stop, turns to The Princess Guard, and says, ”I’m pretty certain this is where the wolves came from. Somewhere ahead is their den, but…best to leave that for later, if you’re going for Hallod today. I can set up some snares at the perimeter to keep things from getting out of hand.”
Niss absently moved her hand to her arm where the wolf had sunk its teeth in. It no longer ached, but the memory was still quite fresh. "So, you think there are more like that one?" Her expression made it clear she was hoping the answer would be 'no,' but that she didn't expect to be that fortunate.
Noala nods to Niss, her face drawn with concern. "Yes. And worse. Perhaps whoever is the root of all of this...if there is a cause nearby."