Moon is practically thrumming with tension, waiting for Roldare to choose his fate. She can't imagine the repercussions for her if she is forced to wound or kill him. Even drawing a blade on him is likely to cause her a world of troubles in Kassen.
What Avistani have never fully appreciated is the importance of honor to the Tian. She gave her word to protect Meep and she must do exactly that, regardless of the consequences. If Roldare moves to harm Meep, Moon will be honor-bound to stop him.
And then what will his allies do? And what will mine?
“Keep your eyes and ears open. Know when someone is smarter than you,” the voice of Casina’s father echoed in her mind.
“Just pause and listen,” she told herself. “Listen to what Gerol and the others have to say before-”
Roldare snatched Meep up by her collar and everything devolved to shouting and…did Maidie just cast a spell?
“Could everyone just calm down for one minute?” Casina asked. “Grob has the right of it and as much as I find it hard to believe, Meep helped us. So, please…just calm down.” Casina’s eyes flickered to Betz, “Everyone.”
The axe across her shoulders suddenly weighed more than it had before. Would she fight to protect a goblin from her neighbors? Could she? No, it simply could not come to that.
"Grob is right about the goblin warpath too. We managed to avoid them but it's only a matter of time before they come this way. Time spent arguing over Meep is time you all could be using to get back to town to warn everyone. And it's time we could be using to start our trial."
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Some of the party start to explain what is going on just before things spiral rapidly out of control. Roldare's actions are met with harsh words and a spell that makes the hilt of his dagger as slippery as smooth ice. It clatters to the stones of the river bank after slipping from his hand. Anger rises on both sides before a bellowing voice cuts through the growing tumult.
Gerol glares at everyone as silence replaces the fading echoes of his shout. His basilisk gaze falls on Roldare as he speaks slowly and with hard-won calm.
"Put the goblin down, Roldare," the old man tells the cobbler. Roldare sneers at Gerol for a moment before the old man barks, "NOW!"
The iron in Gerol's voice steals some of Roldare's nerve, but not all of it. He turns his sneer on Meep before heaving her into the water. Thankfully, the river is shallow and Meep sits up, spluttering and coughing, after splashing into the water. Gerol's thunderous scowl follows Roldare as he pushes past Betzolte and Maidie and up the steps leading to the Crypt entrance. It's clear that there will be words to be had later.
"Help get their-- friend out of the water and dried off," he says as he turns to Anislee and Dimira. "She'll have to wrap up in a blanket for a bit, but better that than freezing to death."
Turning to the party, he motions towards what appears to be a stable carved into the rock to the right of the entrance.
"It seems like there's a lot we need to talk about, and, Meep, was it? She will need to warm up. I'm assuming that y'all know how to start a fire? Get one going in there and we'll get this straightened out after we make sure she's getting warm. Roldare will keep an eye out for any trouble," he says, turning to glare pointedly at the cobbler with his last sentence.
Anislee and Dimira move to help a sodden Meep out of the river. The little goblin shivers as the wet steals the warmth from her body. Tears well up in Meep's eyes, and she keeps her head down, only looking at the ground.
"M-m-m-m-m-meep s-s-s-sorry. M-m-m-meep t-t-t-try b-b-b-be g-g-g-good," she says through chattering teeth.
"Shh, it's alright," Dimira says as she takes Meep's hand. "You didn't do anything. My brother's a jerk sometimes."
After a few minutes, a fire is going in the central area of the stable where there's a chimney carved into the ceiling. Meep is wrapped up in a blanket while her clothes and gear are laid out to dry. The poor goblin is still shivering when Gerol and Vark usher everyone, save Roldare, into the place.
"Now, what's this about goblins and dangers in the crypt," Gerol asks.
"And what's the wee one's story," Vark adds, not hiding his curiosity nor his disbelief at Meep's behavior. "Never known goblins to be timid like that one."
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Once they're assembled, Betzolte takes the floor.
"Okay, I'm no storyteller like Culver, but I'll do my best in his absence. Meep's former tribe, the Bugwump tribe, is local to the area but Chief Hosskill is apparently smart enough not to think Kassen is a tempting target. Meep, and I don't say this to hurt you Meep..." she says, offering a reassuring gesture. ...is kinda the runt of the tribe, the others pick on her, Chief Hosskill worst of all. So Meep here tries to help out the tribe as best she can, and about three moons ago she was out alone and spotted some strangers led by a guy in a mask."
"Meep, wanting to be a good goblin, tells this goblin Lugruk about the strangers, and Lugruk assembles some warriors to ambush them. It's a disaster, Lugruk survives but some of Hosskill's favorite warriors don't, and poor Meep gets the blame for it. Lugruk gets ordered to find their killers again and kill them to avenge the tribe. Lugruk gets the help of the tribe's priestess, Rooshi, who communes with Lamashtu for advice."
"Skip ahead to the other day, we're on our way to the Crypt, and we manage to find a shortcut that takes a day or so off the travel. While doing that, Lugruk's scouts spot us and tell him, and Lugruk decides to attack us while we're asleep in camp. Meep is forced to be part of his attacking warband, or Lugruk will have his warg Khalakakan eat her. Moon and me are on watch and Moon spots the ambush before they make their move and she goes in whacking the first few goblins all on her own, but she's wounded and goes down. I wake the others, Voronoy gets hit with an arrow and drops near immediately, but thank Torag she's still alive. Grobradon makes a valiant stand but gets overwhelmed too, Maidie goes to save them, and I cast an enlarging spell on Casina, Bimbur spits a few others with arrows. Meep drops her weapon and surrenders while the other survivors, including Lugruk, turn tail and run."
"Keth, who managed to catch up with us despite his recovering leg, does his best to stanch Voronoy's wound, but it's still pretty bad, so he offers to get her back to town before she bleeds out. Culver decides to go with to back him up, since Lugruk's still out there and probably reported back to Hosskill. We talk to Meep, get to know her and poor girl is scared out of her godsdamned mind. We learn about what's going on from her, hear her story and realize she's more scared of her own tribe than she is of some "longshanks" that just tore a few of that tribe apart right in front of her, so we decide to reward that courage by sparing her life. We take her with us, and she helps us get through the rest of the way to the Crypt while dodging her former tribe-mates, who are on the hunt for us like we expected. We even find time to help her learn to read a little, something goblins are normally scared of! We get close to the Crypt, see you lot making your way there, and Meep tells us that she's scared of what she saw in the Crypt after the masked guy led his posse in there: something started making really scary noises, and a few of the men ran out, but most of them were still in there, and when Meep took a peek in the door, she saw a pair of blue glowing eyes in the dark."
She turns to Gerol to conclude the tale:
"I don't know what brings you here, though I have some guesses, but you're lucky we had that shortcut take some time off the journey, AND that we met Meep and she told us about what seems to be going on: Some folk from outside the area came in and made for the Crypt of the Everflame...tomb robbers, most likely...and found more than what they bargained for. Either they got themselves killed by the Crypt's traps and were so scared or p!ssed when they died they got right back up and became monsters...or there was something already in there that they woke up and it killed them. No matter which it is, if we hadn't gotten here when we did, I suspect you'd have run into whatever evil's made the Crypt its home and you'd have been killed too."
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Moon appends a couple more details, "One of the tribe's dead was a spell-slinger, warchanter, or the like. She was to be Lugruk's mate. Meep feels he will be even more bloodthirsty after losing her. It might explain why they were trying to hunt us down this morning. We evaded them but their scouts could head this way."
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Roldare stops and turns to look at Betzolte.
"You've heard too many ghost stories, dwarf," he spits, but he doesn't go into the crypt.
Gerol and his party look at Betzolte with mouths agape as she finishes her recounting of events.
"Well. Shit," Vark says almost conversationally.
"You said that the gob-- I mean that Meep told you about the intruders," Gerol asks. "I know you said that she helped you out, but how much can we actually trust her?"
Dimira and Anislee, who'd started holding Meep after hearing how she had been treated look to the small, blanket-wrapped goblin.
"Meep-- Meep-- Meep no know words. Meep tell what Meep see. Tell what Meep hear. Meep want be good. New tribe nice to Meep. Meep no do bad thing to new tribe," she says quietly, looking up into Gerol's eyes as she tells him she isn't going to hurt anyone here.
"You said that they either died to the traps in the Crypt or they woke something that killed them," Anislee says to Betzolte. "After what happened to the group that Maidie's brother was a part of, the Mayor and a few of the elders decided that we should disable the traps. I'm no expert on magic, but from what we've been told there shouldn't be anything like what Meep says she saw in there. I mean, why aren't there more undead running around if all it takes is someone being terrified or angry enough when they die to become one?"
"What worries me is the possibility that those grave robbers woke something up," Timolt says, speaking for the first time since y'all have arrived. "I thought the town's records said that some dwarven priests hallowed the ground to keep the dead from getting restless, or something like that."
"Well, it seems that Meep is at least being honest about what she heard and saw. Either way, it really doesn't matter. We have something going on in the crypt and goblins going wild, both caused by some bastards deciding to take what's not theirs to claim. I'm of half a mind to just pack all of us up and head back to Kassen and put in a call for some rangers to come help us sort this mess out." Gerol sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose after he lays out his thoughts.
Silence hovers in the air for a moment before a small voice pipes.
"M-meep s-sorry. M-meep n-no want be tr-trouble," the tiny goblin mumbles, drawing all eyes to her.
Betzolte smirks a bit at Anislee's explanation of what she and the others were doing.
"So my guess was right! Can't blame you, though. Garth told us the story of what happened, so it does make a certain amount of sense. We'd probably have had difficulty with the traps ourselves, since Culver's back at town...hopefully."
Her smirk fades a bit at that last thought.
"We've definitely got a crisis on our hands, something Kassen's not seen since it was founded. But I think I can bet what the other half of your mind is of, Gerol: our two groups combining to one big group to head back to town is sure to draw the attention of the Bugwumps. We only just managed to fend one warband off, and now the whole tribe's out in these woods, and we barely managed to elude them to get here..."
She strokes her chin a bit.
"Meep, taħseb li l-bqija tat-tribù jkunu kawti daqsek biex jidħlu fil-gorge? Jafu dak li rajt hemmhekk?"
"If my hunch is correct, this might ironically be the safest place in the woods at the moment."
Meep blinks in surprise at Betzolte when she's asked about the other goblins being as cautious as she is about this place.
"Huma ħasbu li kont tal-ġenn għax kont ġej hawn mingħajr ma jkolli jiġi mkeċċi 'l isfel hawn f'post sikkina jew mitfugħ," she explains softly. "Madankollu, ma waqqafx lill-Kap Hosskill milli jibgħat kaċċaturi warajja meta ppruvajt naħrab."
"They thought I was insane because I would come here without having to be shoved down here at knife-point or thrown in."
"It didn't stop Chief Hosskill from sending hunters after me when I tried to run away, though."
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Grobradon mmmphs at the talk of him being 'overwhelmed', "My entangling did help turn the tide somewhat.. I''m not one for boasting, but it served well."
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Betzolte facepalms, her face turning crimson.
"Oh, right. Sorry, Grobradon! Please feel free to smack me upside the head for that omission."
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"I know you said that she helped you out, but how much can we actually trust her?"
Moon says levelly, ”With respect, I think the real question is ‘how much do you trust us?’ That’s what the Quest for the Everflame is about, yes? As for Meep… after the battle, we armed her with better gear than her old tribe provided. When we rested early this morning, she could have escaped. She didn’t. She could have tried to kill some of us. She didn’t. And when we were being pursued by her tribe just an hour ago, she could have given away our position. She didn’t… Meep is a good goblin, and all she wants to do is learn to cook.”
"I'm of half a mind to just pack all of us up and head back to Kassen and put in a call for some rangers to come help us sort this mess out." Gerol sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose after he lays out his thoughts.
"If Arnama were here, I think she'd say you already have a ranger. I may not be the ranger you'd like to have in this situation... but I'm the one you've got."
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"I have no doubts that the two of you are quiet capable, but you are only two, and there's no telling how many goblins, undead, and whatever else we're facing. As for Meep," Gerol says as he looks towards the still shivering goblin, "I believe you and trust you. It's just a lot to take in at once. Roldare isn't going to be the only one that will greet her with violence and anger. A lot of people in Kassen see goblins in the same light as orcs, if not worse."
"Gerol, if goblins are going on the warpath, we'll need to warn Kassen, and the young'ins have a point. This is supposed to be a rite of passage. I don't think we can just leave the crypt in whatever state it's in," Vark says. "Besides, it sounds like they've proven themselves already, fightin' off a bunch of raidin' goblins. Why don't they tell us what they'd like to do?"
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Casina breathed a sigh of relief as things settled down.
“I think it’s already been decided exactly what is going to happen,” Casina said. “You’re going to head back to town and make sure everyone is ready for whatever might come towards Kassen and we’re going to head into the Crypt.”
She pointed up at the entrance. “We were going in there before we knew something fishy might be happening. At least now we have some kind of forewarning.”
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Moon considers before speaking, generally agreeing with Casina. ”Warring goblins are one problem and whatever is happening here is another. Kassen needs to be warned and more rangers contacted… just in case. If the crypt has been de-consecrated and there are undead here now… we need to confirm that. That could be another serious threat.”
Chasing Gerol’s comment, she adds, ”For her safety, Meep should probably stay with us, away from Kassen. And for our safety… it might help if you told us about some of the traps in here.”
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Maidie's satisfaction with her succesful disarming of Roldare is shortlived. The relief she feels when Gerol puts an effective stop to the hostilities vanishes when Roldare hurls Meep into the water and she almost finds herself reaching for her spell component pouch again.
Instead, she helps Ainslee Dimira get the brave little goblin out of the water and dried off. She stays right by Meep, not quite trusting the other group to treat her right.
When Ainslee mentions her brother, Maidie recalls how her own brother was similarly rough with Casina's young cousins a few days ago.
“You did nothing wrong, Meep. He was just trying to make himself feel big and strong.” she says to Meep, echoing Casina's words, ”People do that when they’re secretly scaredy cats.”
With her attention focused on Meep, she almost misses the conversation about what is to be done. Gerol's last remarks and the replies from Moon and Casina cause her to take notice though.
"All six of us here are capable. Every one of us stood and fought when the goblin raiders attacked, noone falterd or ran. We can handle what is in the crypt and Meep stays with us. Tell everyone back at town to expect us soon, with a full report of what is in the crypt AND the Everflame." she says, as if daring anyone to oppose her.
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Betzolte listens to Meep's explanation, and nods.
"Allura jista 'jkun aktar sigur jekk ħadd minna ma jkun hawn fil-Gorge innifsu, iżda jew barra fil-boskijiet fuq kwalunkwe triq lura lejn Kassen ġabhom hawn, jew fil-Kripta nnifisha, fejn niddubita li ser ikunu kuraġġużi biżżejjed biex isegwu."
She puffs up her prodigious chest and smiles as each member of the group voices their desire to put down whatever that masked man and his goons called up.
"I knew none of you'd want to leave this task half-done. It's like Highfather Torag tells us: Aim High, Plan Well, and Strike while the Iron is Hot!"
She looks to Gerol.
"You sure you'll be able to make it back to Kassen safely? You have the advantage of being an unknown quantity in their calculus, but I doubt they'll much care about that distinction should they run into you, and I suspect the whole tribe's on the hunt by now. You'd just be some bonus longshanks to slay...We don't want to save you from one danger only to have you go towards another..."
As if to answer Betzolte's question, there's a whinny from the stall behind her and a horse comes to see what all of the strange two-legged people are doing. Meep jumps and clings to Maidie as she sees the equine beast.
"I think we'll do pretty well with the goblins. They tend to stay in deep woods, so the main path should be clear. We'll set out first thing in the morning, though. I don't fancy trying to ride in the dark," Gerol says. "In the meantime, why don't you youngsters get some supper going and bedding set up. It'll be cramped, but camping in here seems wiser than outdoors or in the Crypt."
As Meep clings to you, you can hear her muttering "No squash Meep," over and over again. It would seem that Meep is terrified of horses.
As the group begins assembling their camp, Betzolte goes over to Moon and ushers her towards Anislee and Timol with a wave.
"I take it you were invited along for your expertise at disassembling devices. Any idea what kinds of traps we can expect to find? We would have had Culver with us to handle them, but since he's...hopefully...back in Kassen, we're going to have to improvise.
"We can really only tell you what we found in the records. To be honest, Derick was the first one stumble into a trap," Timolt answers. "There's mechanical traps, obviously, but there were hints of something more than just simple traps and dwarven blessings."
"Sorry, Betz," Anislee apologizes. "A lot of the older records about the Crypt are more poetic than factual, I think. There was something about stone and iron in eternal vigil, but I don't remember anything that seemed to fit when I came through with Fror, Garth, Derick, Aaron, and Lizzie five years ago. Then again..." Her voice trails off as Garth's tale about how Derick almost lost his arm hangs between them. Anislee probably had more pressing things on her mind.
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Doing her best to calm the frightened goblin, Maidie gently strokes her back and says ”Don’t worry, Meep. It is locked in, it can’t squish you. You just stay right besides me and the others and we will keep you safe. What do you say we find a spot to sleep closest to the door, as far away from the horses as we can get?”
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Now that decisions had been made and tempers calmed, Casina let out a grunt and brought the blade of her axe down on a fallen log. She started a bit at the sound it produced and cleared her throat.
“I, uh, wasn’t expecting it to be so loud. Sorry,” she mumbled. “My shoulder has been killing me for a while now and I just needed to move it. Plus,” she started to unlock the clasps that the gauntlet of her right hand locked around the handle, “it’s easier to undo this when it’s held in place.”
Once she had the gauntlet completely unlocked, Casina spent a few seconds flexing her fingers in order to readjust them to a life not curled in a loose fist.
He placed his fingers on the dining room table, leaned forward, and raised his elbow so that his palm came to an almost ninety degree angle with his fingers. Lionel held that position until the pain started to show on his face.
”Not to mention, when you have someone forcing you to soak it in a warm medicinal bath it reduces some of the inflammation,” Verania, Casina’s mother, said. She placed a kiss on the top of Lionel’s head and the big man relaxed. “Do me a favor and pass me the bowl before you spill it on my nice, new table? The salt will leave a stain.”
Lionel smiled and said, “Anything for my beautiful wife.”
“I’ll get it! Casina - only seven years old and eager to help - jumped up to collect the bowl. When she did, she jostled the table and the water sloshed across not only the table but her father’s leather gloves as well.
“Gods dammit, Cas! Lionel shot up and snatched the bowl away from his daughter, spilling more of the liquid across the gloves. “Gods f****ng dammit! One day! One day without someone f****ng up my s**t! That’s all I ask!”
“Lionel, calm down,” Verania said in a soothing tone.
Casina’s father turned his glare to his wife. “Don’t you dare tell me to calm down! I’m not the way f****ng everything up!” The back of his hand flew at Verania’s face.
Casina wrestled with the gauntlet and tossed it to the ground as if it had been a snake biting her. She took a deep breath and slowly bent down to pick up the thing. “I just…I just needed to get it off,” she said to no one. She set the gauntlet on the log by the axe and set about unloading her camping supplies.
“Without a proper cook, I think we’re down to eating our rations for the night. I hope everyone likes jerky and hardtack,” Casina said, her mood clearly having shifted. She shot a look to Roldare. “Unless you can contribute beyond being an asshat?”
Grobradon has let the others do the chatting mostly. They're better at it, or at least more inclined.
He makes a mental note he is allowed to slap Belzolte upside the head, and decides to bank that option for later. Never know when it might come in handy.
Then there is mention of food. Mmm
"Jerky sounds good enough to live on."
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Once she and Meep are settled, Maidie speaks up on the topic of a possible confrontation with the goblin tribe.
”Based on our encounter with the goblin raiders and what Meep has told us, I believe that most of the tribe are just like her, afraid and only fighting because they have been bullied into it. So if we get in another fight, target the wolf rider and the warchanters if at all possible. If we can take them out of the fight, the rest are very likely to break and flee. Right, Meep?”
Then the topic of goblin attacks stirs a memory about Dimira and Roldare and how they lost their parents. Maidie pales and looks at Dimara, sitting right besides her and Meep.
”Oh…I…I just remembered…I’m SO sorry. We should have known better than to bring Meep right up to you like that. We can hardly blame Roldare for acting like he did…” she says, biting her lip nervously.
She thinks a bit on Anislee's words.
"Poetic is the word. 'Stone and Iron in Eternal Vigil' is a very dwarfy thing to say...I'll admit sometimes I've felt a little like an outsider in Kassen, the Ironhames being the one of the few dwarven families there. But this makes me wonder...maybe my people were more deeply involved in Kassen's history than I thought..."
As the group reconvenes, she jumps a bit at Casina's sudden axe-thumping. She watches her remove the gauntlet with a raised eyebrow. But she doesn't say anything. Much as she worked to be Casina's friend after her father's passing, she knew better than to pry.
At the question of dinner, she gives a small "hmmm."
"I could give it a try, do something simple...Heck, maybe now'd be a good time to show Meep some cooking basics! Whadaya say, Meep? Wanna help make supper?"
Roldare sneers at Casina.
"Least I didn't kill my father," he grumbles just loud enough for her to hear as he goes to keep watch while supper is prepared.
"Maybe. I'd always thought that your mum and dad were always part of the town," Anislee says.
Dimira shakes her head at Maidie's apology.
"Maybe we can't, but I don't think you have to apologize either. Besides," she blushes as she smiles down at Meep. "After everything I've heard, I don't think I can hold a grudge against Meep here."
Meep looks curiously from Dimira to Maidie before Betzolte finishes her conversation and asks if she'd like to help.
"Meep want t-to help. Meep help cook supper," she says as she stands up and slips out of the blanket. Goblins, it would appear, don't have much of a nudity taboo.
Betzolte grimaces a bit as Meep stands up without caring about being naked.
"Um...sorry, Meep! First we should see if your stuff's dry. Don't want you catching a cold!"
After this, Betzolte begins gathering materials to try and whip something up.
Betzolte takes up the clothes and snaps her fingers. There's a small, greenish spark that spreads into a shimmer, and it's instantly dry.
"Here you go, Meep!" Betzolte says, handing it over so the goblin can get dressed, before going back to try and come up with something at least edible.
Dimira is a bit less sanguine about Meep's undressed state than Betzolte is, trying to pull the blanket back up around the little goblin before anyone can notice.
"Meep! You shouldn't walk around without anything on! It's indecent."
Thankfully, Betzolte is quick to finish drying things off with her magic. It doesn't take long for Meep to be dressed again, even with her asking why public nudity is a problem.
"Clothes wet. Meep no like wet clothes. Meep no wear wet clothes. Blanket get too close to fire, Foom! Meep get too toasty," she explains after the shirt turned dress is pulled over her head. She pauses and smiles as she feels the warmth. She giggles a little before being reminded she's supposed to be getting dressed.
"Meep... happy! Meep happy to have nice clothes. B-betzolte make nice clothes warm and dry," she says as she finishes pulling on her pants. She looks herself over before asking, "Meep help cook?"
"I dunno," Dimira says before looking to Betzolte. "What do you think, Chef Ironhame? Is she ready to help?"
Despite the lack of experience either of the two cooks has, the meal turns out great.
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Betzolte is nowhere near as skilled as her mother in terms of cooking, but she's able to show Meep the basics of things like measuring ingredients, dicing them, boiling water, and seasoning with things like herbs and salt repurposed from her spell component pouch.
"Great job, Meep! Now that you know what to do, you can practice them and you'll steadily become a truly good cook!"
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"You are truly a kind and forgiving person, Dimira. But in some way, I understand what you mean. After all, Meep had just attacked and tried to kill us moments before we took her in. It is only when we forgive those who do us wrong that we can end the cycle of violence and pain." Maidie says quietly. She can't help glance at both Grobradon and Casina.
While Betz and Meep cook, Maidie lets Tanglefoot out of his cage and lets the hedgehog curl in her lap, feeding him bits of ration while she studies her spellbook.
Despite all the danger and fear of the last few days, she can't help enjoying herself, feeling warm and cozy by the fire.
Bimbur returned from scouting around the camp and entered as Meep was putting on her new clothes.
"It is unfair to judge Meep for her actions when with her former tribe. It is fair to judge her actions with her new 'tribe'."
Bimbur was above using air quotes as some of his monk instructors. It did not seem dwarvenly.
Grobradon had also given space so Meep could change. Leaving further when Gerol commented about Goblins being seen like orcs by people of Kassen. Grobradon was no orc, but he had orc blood, and the association some made with that , well, best not to scare folks. He'd gotten used to the strong fearless women of Kassen, some of which could shoot an arrow in his eye from a distance, set him on fire with magic, or just plain cut him in half. They didn't fear him, at least he didn't think so, but Meep had been a victim all her life. And you don't blame a victim for taking life's darker lessons to heart.
He rejoins them once Meep has changed. The half orc looks frustrated and tired, but is careful not to fuss or glare at anyone in particular.
"Grobradon, you okay?" Betzolte asks as she starts serving up the food.
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"Grobradon, you okay?" Betzolte asks as she starts serving up the food.
"I'll be fine." He grunts, but adds, "Never was one for so many people in one place... when I agreed to this task, I prepared for it. Large pack. Seemed sensible. We lost a few who had to return to town, and that's a shame... because Culver is a friend." Perhaps the halfling has been one of his best friends, "But the rest of you are proving to be all right." High praise really, "Then we get here...and I won't lie, my pride takes a hit that we need den mothers put here before us in the eyes of the town elders. I thought this was our chance ot honor Kassen, and impress others. Guess they don't think we're ready after all. It rankles."
With wry amusement, Moon observes the averted eyes and vague discomfort around the fire at Meep's nudity. Personally, she has no issue with it. The Tian tradition of social bathing led to less body-consciousness.
It doesn't take long for Meep to be dressed again, even with her asking why public nudity is a problem.
"You can talk to me about that later, Meep."
"Grobradon, you okay?" Betzolte asks as she starts serving up the food."I'll be fine." He grunts, but adds, "Never was one for so many people in one place... when I agreed to this task, I prepared for it. Large pack. Seemed sensible. We lost a few who had to return to town, and that's a shame... because Culver is a friend." Perhaps the halfling has been one of his best friends, "But the rest of you are proving to be all right." High praise really, "Then we get here...and I won't lie, my pride takes a hit that we need den mothers put here before us in the eyes of the town elders. I thought this was our chance ot honor Kassen, and impress others. Guess they don't think we're ready after all. It rankles."
Betzolte nods.
"My thoughts exactly. Like, Garth warning us that this was going to be dangerous and we should take it seriously was one thing, but trying to remove those dangers instead of letting us solve them ourselves is quite another. I suppose I can understand WHY they thought it was necessary: people nearly died when Garth's group had their turn, and they were the last group to do it, so they wanted to make sure this challenged us without KILLING us, but still, we're plenty tough and smart. And in the end, it's a moot point, since these new unexpected circumstances ironically will make the Quest that much harder. Think we'll be able to do more than prove ourselves...if we survive, at least."
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Grobradon is glad he isn't the only one a wee bit offended by it, but as she goes on and says "..if we survive at least" he chuckles and gives a ragged smirk, "Yeah, you guys best not die on me and make me look bad." Then more seriously, "Thanks, Betzolte. You're right, of course. I get that. Things changed, situation hardly easy with what we've found out. I may still be a bit snarly about it, mind you. Knowing up here.." He taps his head, "And knowing in here" A light thump on his chest, "Two different things. Still, you're right." A glance over towards the now dressed Meep, "I'm torn on Meep. SHe's not family nor friend to me so I don't much care. On the other hand, I know what it's like to be distrusted for WHAT you are, and not just who you are. I'll leave the care and feeding of her to you. Speaking of which." he tries some of the food, "This isn't bad."
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Betzolte shrugs and gives a smirk.
"I mean, what kinda druid would you BE if you weren't snarly from time to time?"
She nods at his assessment of Meep.
"I mean, we've only known her for about a day and a half. Friendship usually takes at least a few more days than that. What'd it take with us, two or three years? Glad you like the food, though. I'll admit it was more to show Meep how to do basic cooking tasks and make something edible out of what we had. I'm nowhere near as good as my mother...I'm not even as good an alchemist as Maidie is. But I'm glad Meep and me were able to at least produce something competently."
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"Oh don't let my light praise go to your head. Compared to my mom's cooking, your stuff is @###!" He grins though
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Betzolte laughs and gives Grobradon a jocular punch on the arm.
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”Grobradon, perhaps you should try to teach Meep the finer points of druidcraft? After all, she seems to share Olimira’s attitude towards clothing as something purely optional. Who knows…perhaps you would be a better druid yourself if you were ‘skyclad’ more often…” Maidie says dryly, never taking her eyes off her books.
Her face is mask of stonelike concentration, but those closest to her can see the faintest twinkle of a mischievous smile around her eyes and the corner of her mouth.
A bit later, she says to Betzolte: ”I’m changing out color spray in favor of another spell. Perhaps you should too. It only affects sentient targets and if we come up against sentient undead inside the crypt, we should be running, not fighting.”
”Instead, I’m thinking of summoning an unseen servant to walk in front of us with a torch. That could potentially draw out any lurking enemies, giving us valuable time to react. It can also open doors and such, triggering hidden traps safely. I can maintain it for a full hour.”
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Grobradon takes the good natured whap with a chuckle.
”Grobradon, perhaps you should try to teach Meep the finer points of druidcraft? After all, she seems to share Olimira’s attitude towards clothing as something purely optional. Who knows…perhaps you would be a better druid yourself if you were ‘skyclad’ more often…” Maidie says dryly, never taking her eyes off her books.
Her face is mask of stonelike concentration, but those closest to her can see the faintest twinkle of a mischievous smile around her eyes and the corner of her mouth.
Grobradon gives Maidie a looong look but it is of little effect as the wizard uses her book as a shield from the gaze by looking at it instead, "Riiiigt. Look, if the man branch of joy gained in permanent size when exposed to open air and sunshine, wouldn't be a man in the village that wouldn't wander around with his berries bouncing. Natural philosophers have found it does not work that way. More seriously? I'm just now a proper druid myself. I've got no business teaching the path of druidism to another this soon."
Now dressed, Meep looks around at the conversation going on between Maidie, Betzolte, and Grobradon with more than a little confusion.
"Meep ask," she tells Moon. "Meep ask lotsa questions. Meep no know lotsa things."
Meep, seeing Betzolte handing out bowls to the others, does the same. Dimira helps get everyone served and hands Meep a bowl of her own when she comes back to the cook fire the last time.
"F-for Meep," she asks as she looks up at Dimira.
"You helped cook it, so it's only right that you get some, too," Dimira says with a smile.
Meep takes the bowl and the spoon, but doesn't eat it. Vark and Gerol raise their eyebrows at that, but don't make any comments. After some encouragement from Dimira and anyone else noticing Meep hesitating, the little goblin takes a small spoonful of the soup and eats it. Tears well up in her eyes as she chews.
"Meep," Dimira say, concern clear in her tone. "Meep are you alright? What's wrong?"
"Meep *hic* Meep help cook," Meep answers. "Meep help cook for first time. Meep help cook food. Meep help cook food that taste good. New tribe let M-meep eat. New tribe nice to Meep. M-meep happy. Meep no know why Meep cry. Why Meep cry?" She wipes at the tears rolling down her cheeks with the heel of her hand as she sniffles and tries to regain some composure. "Meep happy food g-- food is good," she says as she takes another bite.
"She ain't no normal goblin, that's for sure," Vark mutters to Gerol who nods before gesturing at Grobradon to come over.
"How did you lot meet this one, again," he asks the druid.
A little while later, after supper had been finished and the dishes were being washed in the river outside, Meep sits next to Maidie and watches Tanglefoot on the wizard's lap.
"What is that," she asks after working up the courage to do so over a few minutes. "Meep no see-- Meep not see critter like it."
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Betzolte smiles as Meep gets a chance to experience actual joy for once.
"Crying is something that can happen if you're really, really sad, or really, really happy. And given you've got a new tribe that actually likes and respects you and you helped cook a meal to be proud of, I'd say you've got a lot to be happy about."
She lets Grobradon answer Vark's question.
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"Meep ask," she tells Moon. "Meep ask lotsa questions. Meep no know lotsa things."
"That's good. Wise people have lots more questions than answers."
"Meep ask," she tells Moon. "Meep ask lotsa questions. Meep no know lotsa things.""That's good. Wise people have lots more questions than answers."
"M-Meep no su-- not sure that true with Meep," she says. Her ears droop until they are hanging like the ears of a hound. "Meep ask question. Get called dumb or stupid."
When Meep asks about Tanglefoot, Maidie motions for the goblin to come and sit beside her. She scoops up Tanglefoot and holds out the hedgehog for Meep to see.
”This is Tanglefoot. He is my friend and you are right. He is no ordinary hedgehog.”
Tanglefoot eyes the goblin for a few seconds, then grunts and snuggles up in Maidie’s cupped hand, clearly unfazed about being the center of attention.
”How do I best explain it? Betzolte, would you mind translating if Meep does not understand all I’m saying?” Maidie says, returning Tanglefoot to her lap.
”You know I like to read, right? When I was younger, one of my favorite places for reading was under the front porch of my childhood home. In the summer, the sunlight would filter down through the wooden planks, creating shade but still with plenty of light to see. It was a place for me to be alone, undisturbed…until one day, a few years ago, this little fellow decided to come out and keep me company. He was never afraid of me, just curious.
He kept coming out to see me all summer, and the next spring, there he was again. I began bringing him bits of food and set out a water bowl.
Then, when I began to study magic, I learned that some wizard can form bonds with animals, making them their familiar - a special companion. I knew at once that I wanted to do this with Tanglefoot.
The ritual changed him…changed us both. He’s smarter now and our souls are linked. We can sense each others emotions and one day we will be able to speak and share magic. Do you understand?”
"M-Meep no su-- not sure that true with Meep," she says. Her ears droop until they are hanging like the ears of a hound. "Meep ask question. Get called dumb or stupid."
"That was your old tribe. Nobody here called you dumb, right?"