Scupper listens intently to Laurel, but the mention of the old hag causes his youthful heart to lurch in his chest. Going into the forest there was always the chance of becoming something's next meal. It was a fate every goblin knew and had adapted to over the years. But places like Hag-Haunted Hollow, to venture there, well, one might as well run up and give Death a swift kick in the backside. For there'd be no better way to draw the old goat's attention.
Still, other things Laurel described stirred a curiosity within the goblin's alchemical mind. Curiosity, ever the bane of goblin kind. Few can resist its never-quit pull and promises of finding the-next-big-thing. And so rather than prudently, turning around and letting the tall folk deal with the nasty blackgoo, Scupper instead nods and looks up at Laurel.
"Miss Laurel, might I have a look at those journals? Are there descriptions of what these mysterious mushrooms and herbs look like? Drawings perhaps?" He pulls a stick of charcoal from somewhere behind his ear and under his hat and grabs a tattered notebook tucked in his belt. "I will copy so we know what to seek."
More important, Rat's Tail, Ironbloom Mushrooms, Elderwood Moss. To Scupper all were welcome additions to his list of potential ingredients for Nana's chili. He couldn't wait to peruse the journals for other hidden herbs or fancy fungi that might have been part of Nana's potent chili.
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"She sorry." Siobhan says, knowing that what she is saying is true - regardless. "There's nothing she can do to make up for what happened but she would if she could. I know that. We'll get all the things you need and then you can make this blackscour purge or whatever it is."
She nods firmly and turns to the rest of her group. "Vy? Do you know where to find these things? I could get to the hollow I think, but I don't know the other places."
The half-elf looks uncomfortable. "I know where the hollow is. And I've been to where ... I've seen Elderwood Moss," she says. "But I'm not sure if I could find the spot again. It was a couple of years ago and I was ... I was thinking of other things at the time."
She frowns.
"Let me ask a couple of people first, okay?"
Lucia rolls her eyes at Laurel's insularity and aparent inability to share vital life-saving information until they showed up to ask for it. She's about to give the herbalist the same verbals she gae to Cirthana, when she's distracted by something else - probably to the reliev of the others.
"Wait, you're saying this is all due to necromatic energy? Where's it coming from? Also, why is Savram so ill? Shouldn't she be - you know?" She trails off.
"...shouldn't she be frolicking like a bee in clover?" Laurel finishes Lucia's thought for her, while giving her a 'little knowledge is a dangerous thing' look. "If it was purely negative energy, then sure, but it's not. It's... complicated. Best I can tell you in a way you'll understand is to think of it as a curse. You can magic it away all you like, but as long as it's still inside you it'll just reassert itself. As for where it came from? Your guess is as good as mine!"
"Miss Laurel, might I have a look at those journals? Are there descriptions of what these mysterious mushrooms and herbs look like? Drawings perhaps?" He pulls a stick of charcoal from somewhere behind his ear and under his hat and grabs a tattered notebook tucked in his belt. "I will copy so we know what to seek."
Laurel sighs. "I've been trying to teach you alchemy, proper science, not mumbo-jumbo and hoojoo. But sure, knock yourself out."
She looks alarmed as Siobhan and Vyana start seriously discussing how to find the ingredients. "Hey! I didn't tell you this so you could go running into the forest. That's for Barlus, or the sheriff, or someone who knows what they're doing."
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She looks alarmed as Siobhan and Vyana start seriously discussing how to find the ingredients. "Hey! I didn't tell you this so you could go running into the forest. That's for Barlus, or the sheriff, or someone who knows what they're doing."
"And when they're better they can scold us all they want!" Von replies, some of her old fire reappearing. "But they aren't going to get better unless we do this." She turns to confront the alchemist, clearly not planning to back down. "Are you going to try to stop us Laurel?"
Alorea stays quiet. She's sure there's a lot of history here that's leading to the hostility on both sides. She's just here to help, and hopefully, once tempers have cooled, they can get to the business of doing just that.
Vyana opens her mouth to protest, but Siobhan beats her to it.
"And when's the last time you even heard from Barlus?" she adds. "Someone needs to take action and we're the only ones stepping up to the mark. We may be young, but we're not children. We have the right, just as anyone else here has, to take a risk to help others. The least you could do would be to support us."
Lucia nods her reulctant agreement. "I'm not thrilled about the idea of gonig into the forest. But if we don't do it I don't see anyone else voluntering." And at the back of her mind is teh thought that if they do it and succeed and sruvive then people will see what can be done - and maybe think about listening to her when she tries to rally them against the Kreedds.
She turns to Sioban and Vyana. "If you're going to do this, you have my lute." She also has a sword, a bow and some armour - somewhere - but she'll ned some time to find those.
"Yes and yes." Scupper says smiling at Laurel and ignoring whatever other under currents and arguments were rippling through the tall folk. "Proper science. But even you say hoojoo might be the town's only hope." He starts looking for the journals among the numerous books stacked up in various corners and shelves within the shop. "Besides maybe a lot of hoojoo is just science we don't understand yet. Only way to find out is to try. Open our minds to possibilities. Yes and yes." He taps a pointed finger against his head, echoing back words that Laurel had shared with him more than once or twice when he first started visiting.
As for the forest, well, there'd be no keeping him out of it now. Not with the possibility of finding new potential chili ingredients. His last attempt at discovering Nana's recipe was an utter disaster that had kept him close to the privy and seeing pink pixies dancing in his vision for nearly a week.
Laurel gives an exasperated shake of her head, an effect which is exaggerated by her dreadlocks, and gives you a baleful look. "I don't want your deaths on my conscience, you hear me? And Siobhan, at least tell your mother where you're going. If she can't talk you out of it, then..." she trails off, with another sigh and a shake of her head. "Now go, scram. I'm busy in here."
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"I will." Siobhan says, before leading the group out of the shop, although she has the good sense to use Laurel's back door and the alchemist doesn't object.
"So, Vy needs to ask around and I must talk to my mother. Let's meet outside the sawmill at midday?" She proposes, looking from one member of her little group to another to check that that works. "Make sure you bring food and a blanket. We might in the woods for a couple of days. Lucy, why don't you come with me?"
Because it would be just their luck that Jalene was a. fine and b. out to beat Lucy up again.
Lucia nods agrement. "I need to dig out a few things, but I think we should tell Crithana what we're doing."
Vyana nods in agreement and then takes her leave to seek out those that remember the trip better than she does.
Having already been prepared for a potential night or two in the woods hunting the wolf, Scupper spends his time reading Laurel's old journals and taking down as many notes and drawings as he can before scurrying off to the mill to meet the others at the appointed time. By the time the familiar sound of the big saws turning ancient trees into two by fours echoes in his ears, he has at least some idea of what they'll be looking for.
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Siobhan
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Cirthana (like many clerics of Lawful gods) likes to think ahead and plan things out before she says anything. When you tell her about Laurel's information and your plan to go into the deep woods in search of things that may or may not exist, and which may or may not be helpful, you can almost see the wheels spinning behind her eyes as she plays out her objections and your counter-arguments; seeing clearly that you will do this regardless of what she says, as well as the ultimate trump card (all the more potent for being true) which is that if you don't do this, who will?
She sighs, and concedes the argument in advance as a waste of effort. "Very well, dear. Come with me for a minute, will you?" Leading the way into her study, she unlocks a large wooden chest and kneels over, rummaging in it until she pulls out several large items wrapped in cloth. Carefully unwinding the strips of cloth, she reveals a steel suit of armour and a shield. The breastplate was once emblazoned with the sword of Iomedae, but it has been scrubbed away, although traces of the commemorative signifiers and medals still remain: the Mendevian star, the crusader sunburst, the black pennant, the Grievous Crown of Martyred Greatness. "These were mine once upon a time; I probably wasn't much older than you when I first drew my sword and charged headlong at a demon." She shakes her head. "Really, it's a wonder any of us survive into adulthood. I took the breastplate to an armourer about 18 months ago and had it re-sized for you once it became clear you weren't going to grow any taller. I was planning to give it to you for your 21st birthday but I think you're going to need these rather sooner than that."
She gives you a fierce hug, the sort only someone who picked up a sword at 16 and didn't put it down for another ten years can give you. "You come back to me, alright? Whatever happens, you come back. Now go, make your mother proud. Both of us."
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Siobhan actually has to fight back tears at Cirthana's declaration and she returns the hug her adoptive mother gives her with equal fierceness before giving up and crying into her mother's shoulder.
"I will." She promises. "I will make you proud! I swear!" She squeezes Cirthana tightly and then steps back. "You know that you're the best mother I could have asked for, right?" She asks. "I don't tell you often enough but you are. I love you mum."
And then there are more hugs, because at that moment they are absolutely required.
A few hours later and you are ready to head off. The trip between Falcon’s Hollow and the edge of the forest is a brisk walk along the marked dirt roads, before the trees rear up out of the ground and the lightless, trackless wilderness slows you down. The forest is alive with noise, although the sounds don't travel far and your footfalls are strangely muffled in the deep moss that spreads across the ground. It's spongy and makes walking strangely tiring. Your pace slows yet further, despite the urgency.
As the group reaches the edge of the forest, Alorea takes the lead. "I'm a wanderer by nature. I'm pretty good at finding my way through all sorts of terrain. Follow me. Step quickly but lightly. We don't want to draw undue attention toward ourselves."
Following Vyana's directions, the halfling leads the group towards the forest elder.
Vyana raises an eyebrow at the halfling's courage to lead the way into the woods that the half-elf has spent most of her young-adult life exploring, but gestures for the diminutive woman to move on ahead of her.
This is probly as far as Lucia has ever walked in one go, her feet ache alraedy and she's pretty sure there's a blister forming. But she does her best not to complain, and she even tries a song or two - although the lack of atmosphere and the silenceing effect means that she quickly falls quiet.
Scupper wanders along with the others. As always he is filled with wonder at the immense variety of...well everything...that lives, lurks, and grows beneath the forest canopy. Even with the cacophony of bird calls, mysterious snarls, and the ever present *creak*groan* of the trees rocking in the wind, to Scupper who is used to the constant grind and screech of the sawblades, it is amazingly quiet. Given the stories constantly told around the stew pots, Scupper is naturally a bit on edge. But after a while his natural curiosity overcomes most of the fear.
This results in him constantly stopping to examine a particularly brightly speckled fungus, stinky marsh grass, or unusual beetle, bug, or slug. Most end up as samples in the array of tins and jars draped about his tiny person. All in hopes that one or more might be the secret to Nana's chili or at the very least add a bit of spice to the evening supper.
Alorea may be intrepid but she is not used to the way of these woods, and the little trails that look like they might be leading somewhere until they don't; you lose several precious hours tracing and re-tracing your steps, as the light slowly fades and you get only slightly closer to your destination. Finally, as night falls you are forced to admit defeat and find somewhere to make camp for the night. Unfortunately, the spot you find that looks promising has already been claimed! There is a blurred beating of wings as several bird-like creatures (only they have bats' wings) fly at you!
The halfling is caught by surprise and one of the creatures fastens itself to her, its beak-like proboscis digging in and finding the blood that it craves. Siobhan is also caught by surprise, and suffers the same fate. Scupper and Lucia duck just in time to avoid the first attack, but the creatures are persistent and they are quick to fasten themselves to the pair.
Only Vyana escapes completely, her familiarity with these woods providing her with the reflexes she needs to jump aside...
Alorea shrieks in surprise and pain as the bloodseeker shoves its proboscis into her neck. She channels her shock into anger, colors and shapes swirling into the air around her before coalescing into a starknife that slices the creature apart! The colors then colaesce into a radiant shield of force to ward her against further attacks!
Current HP: 10*/17*
Current Focus: 2/2
Current Effects: Drained 1
Current Spell Slots: 1st-(1/1)
With a surprised squeak, Scupper draws his dagger and tries to stab the creature fluttering around his neck seeking to suck his precious life blood. Unfortunately, the goblin's own wild motions and stumbling about throw off his aim causing him to narrowly avoid poking himself in the side.
Vyana has an arrow in her hand in an instant, filling it with magic, she looses it at the stirge attacking Lucia.
A second shaft follows.
Unfortunately, her nerves have gotten the better of her and both shafts vanish into the underbrush.
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Siobhan has been taking second position in the group behind Alorea, clad in a shiny breastplate and carrying an old but still clearly functional shield. She is wearing them both with obvious pride but neither saves her when a tiny bird comes for her. She bats the creature from her neck and then crushes the tiny thing in her gauntleted fist.
Lucia flinches as the bat-like thing flies at her, and draws her swodrd on the second attempt before she tries to hit at the parasite before it can get into her. Seh hits, more by luck than skill, and gives a whoop of joy as the thing falls off her, dead. "Woohoo! Yes! Come on everyone, we can do this!
Current HP: 16/16
Current Focus: 1/2
Current Effects: Insire courage, +1 status to hit & damage
Focus Spells - Counter Performance, Lingering Composition, Hymn of Healing
Focus Cantrips - inspire courage
Bard Spells
Cantrips - Ghost sound, Lihgt, Mage Hand, Summon Instrument, Sheild
(2/2) 1st levl - Magic Weapon, Soothe, True Strike
Alorea, Lucia and Siobhan all manage to kill the bloodseekers that bound on to them, but unfortunately for Alorea and Siobhan blood continues to pour from the open wounds that the creatures inflicted prior to their demise.
Vyana's luck runs out as the persistent dive-strikes of the stirge get past her defences and it latches on, drawing blood from the pulsing vein in her neck. Scupper feels himself weaken further as the creature that previously attached itself to him continues to feed.
With a snarl of frustration, Vyana lets slip the words to a different spell and grasps at the one clamped on her throat with a hand that sparks with energy.
Having killed the thing that was attacking her, Lucia moves to help Vyana. Her first atempt with the sword does nothing but give the half elf a bad haircut "Oops! Sorry." But her next attempt is a solid hit that rewards her with a second kill.
Siobhan and Lucia put a quick end to the stirge menace; after patching up your injuries you are able to find a sheltered spot to make camp. The warm glow of the firelight provides some comfort, although the flickering shadows it throws only serve to highlight the vast, deep darkness of the forest that now surrounds you.
26 ROVA (IX) 4707 AR
Tabrik: Sick 1, progressing
Savram: Sick 3, progressing
Jak: Sick 1, progressing
Deldrin: Sick 1, progressing
A slow persistent rain starts to fall shortly before dawn; the thick tree canopy overhead keeps most of it away from you, but the constant splashing as it drips down off the leaves and onto the forest floor forms an ongoing backdrop to your day. Hopefully, your travels today will have better luck. Hopefully...
Alorea breathes a sigh of relief once the stirges are dealt with. Luckily, her injuries aren't too bad, and after a good night's sleep, she is feeling better again.
The halfling tries her best to ignore the rain falling on her as she takes the lead once more. This time, she fares much better in navigating...
With the fight over, Lucia breathes a sigh of relief that everyone survived. She plucks a string on her lute - an impossible low sound that no instrument smaller than a cello should be able to make. The single note flows across the clearing, visibly slowing time - blood slows flowing from injury and flesh slowly starting to knit together. Between that and Siobhan using her prayers, the group settled down for the night in good health.
The next morning, she frowns at the rain and makes sure that her cloak is covering her lute, protection it from the wet. It means the hood of her cloak pulls sideways, allows the rain to get down the back of her neck. It doesn't improve her mood. Warned after last night, she now walks with her sword already drawn, red for trouble.
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With the battle over Scupper does his best to calm his racing heart. To help that along, he pours the contents of a trio of small containers together into a large flask and quickly stoppers it with an old bit of cork. Vigorously shaking the flask causes several small bits of something to click and clack on the sides of the container. Removing the cork unleashes a harsh smelling, slightly alcoholic purple gas which Scupper sucks up into his wide nose with a deep smiling breath. He then tips the flask to his lips and drinks down the entire contents in a series of quick gurgles.
His eyes momentarily dilate and the tips of his ears quiver like fluttering hummingbird wings. At the same time the bleeding wound from the stirge stops leaking and rapidly seals itself leaving little more than a puckered scab of dried blood.
"Ahhh...." The goblins sighs releasing a purplish cloud of breath into the chill autumn evening air. He offers to mix up a batch of the elixir to anyone else, but only to receives rather quick, polite refusals.
The following morning Scupper rises early and almost immediately sets to brewing a pot of goblin coffee. Which, as Scupper explains to wary companions, is really nothing more than regular coffee. But made nice and strong. In goblin terms strong means tamping down approximately six times the necessary grounds into the percolating filter of the metal pot. Eagerly awaiting the brew, he finally pouring the somewhat thick, dark brown liquid into his tin cup and adds a splash of harsh clear distilled alcohol (which can also double as lighter fluid for starting those pecky campfires). Sure all is perfect, the goblin barely waits for it to cool before drinking it with much enjoyed satisfaction. After which he is ready to start the day and follows the Alorea and the other deeper into the woods.
Lucia - out of curiousity but perhaps unwisely - acepts Scupper's offer of the goblin coffee. "WoW! tHaT sTuF iS sTrOnG! HoW dId YoU sAy yoU mAKe iT, aGaiN? MaYbE wE sHoULd sTaRt sErVinG iT aT Jak's TaVErn, sOrT oF a pIcK Me uP, You kNoW?" She fiarly seems to skips between the raindrops as the group makes their way through the forest, led by Aloria.
She's very impressed by teh halfling's wood skills. "YoU kNOw, fOR somEOne wHO DoeSn't LiVE hErE, yOU sEem To KnOw YouR wAy arOUnd! WhAT's yOUR sTorY, aNyWAy?"
Vyana is about to intervene in Lucia's foray into goblin beverages, but then changes her mind - the adage 'The burned hand teaches best' springs to mind.
However, as they resume their journey and the bard's boundless exuberance continues, she wonders if that was the best choice.
Alorea smiles at the overstimulated bard. "I have wandered far and wide across Avistan over the last several years. I may not know these particular woods, but I know forests in general, and all sorts of other terrain. Desna guides my steps." The halfling's hand goes to the butterfly-shaped pendant around her neck.
The half-elf shrugs and looks away. "My mother taught me," she says.
It's been two years, but she can still feel the same pain through her chest at coming home to find the woman slumped on the floor in the tiny kitchen.
"I don't know where she learned it, but it's handy to use when hunting. I've always been good at it, but that might be because ..." Her free hand moves up to trace the slight point on her ear and she looks back at her friend with a smirk.
"You know us knife ears have a way with magic."
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"I wish you wouldn't call yourself that." Siobhan says reprovingly. "You're far more than just your ears and you know that. Anyone who thinks otherwise is being lazy and foolish and you shouldn't encourage that kind of behaviour. Besides, what's so wrong with saying elf? Or even half-elf for that matter?"
Lucia blinks rapidly as she looks at the Desna symbol round Alorea's neck. "Oh, shiny! So you jsut go wherever you like then? I'm not sure I would have come here if I could go anywhere else though." She looks around quickly. "This isn't a nice place - and I'm not just talking about the forest!"
"Besides, what's so wrong with saying elf? Or even half-elf for that matter?"
"I actually hate the term 'half-elf'," Vyana replies, her smirk being replaced with a sneer of distaste. "It implies that I'm less than a whole person. As far as 'knife ear'? People have called me that ever since I was little. Maybe not to my face, but they say it. By claiming the term, I reduce its power to hurt me."
She gives her friend a shoulder shove.
"Besides ... there are only a couple of people that I care enough about that their words really mean anything to me, anyways." She gives Siobhan a sideways look before glancing away.
Lucia blinks rapidly as she looks at the Desna symbol round Alorea's neck. "Oh, shiny! So you jsut go wherever you like then? I'm not sure I would have come here if I could go anywhere else though." She looks around quickly. "This isn't a nice place - and I'm not just talking about the forest!"
Alorea's smile fades. "So I've learned. I came here searching for a friend who went missing long ago. I am hoping that in the course of helping the sick townsfolk, I may learn some clues as to his fate. Once that's done, I don't plan on sticking around much longer."
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"Awww." Von replies, slinging an arm over her friends shoulder. "Aren't you sweet? Still, no more of that. I spanked Billy Zander for calling you that and if I have to do it you too, I will!" She gri s, her good mood seemingly restored by her friends complement and then looks around.
"How much further do you think it is? We didn't get as far as I'd hoped yesterday..."
Lucia's eyes widen as Alorea talks of leaving. "No no no no, you must'n't go, you've got good intentions and you can cast spells! You're what I need, an ally who can actulay work with me!" She points at Siohbhan and Vyana who are behind them. "Now that the two kids have grown up, well OK sort of, there's enough of us to actulay make a difference, and it won't even matter if I can't get Cirthana and Laurl and the sheriff to talk to each other." she shakes her head. "So don't leave after this, please, I'm jsut getting started!"
Scupper grins a wide, toothy grin as he hands the cup to Lucia. Nodding as the thick, dark java does it's work, he thumps his chest and polishes off his second mug. With his ears vibrating like a bumblebee's, it's a wonder he doesn't actually achieve some sort of lift off, but the contented smile never leaves his face as he thumps his chest.
"Goblin Java is good and strong, yes and yes. Keep us alert in case more nasty batbirds what to suck our blood." He says rinsing out the pot with a sad shake of his head. "Even better if it cooks longer. Back home it could perk and simmer all day. Brew up all the essence of the beans."
As they hit the trail Scupper continues to grab this and that from the forest, ever searching and learning. Letting the tall folk talk. It isn't until Alorea mentions her missing friend that he gets drawn from his other studies.
"What was your friend's name?" Scupper asks the halfling. "Can ask around, yes and yes, to see if any of my kin know anything or saw anything. Maybe help you find him, since you're helping us?"
Alorea follows Lucia's pointing to the other two women in the group. She turns back to the bard. "Maybe. Let's see how this plays out first," she says caerfully.
When Scupper asks about her friend, the halfling tells him, "Druingar Glintaxe. He apparently went missing several years ago."