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Amperex suddenly pointed his index finger skyward in a eureka moment, "Actually, Macondi, that brings up a good point." He turns to Galia, "Miss Farrsmith, aside from the standard antidotes, are there any local methods people have been taking to protect themselves, at least to some extent, from the mosquitos and the like? At least, ones you would recommend."
“M-maybe he did have some allies! We didn’t find any others, though, or evidence he'd used any magic like that."
Galia shakes her head. "Most of the villagers dealt with it by leaving. There aren't a lot of us left, and a lot of the buildings are abandoned. I've dealt with it by staying inside so.. you'd have to ask them, really. I can point you to the places that are still occupied.
“You’re not the only people that have come here looking for the witch. Most of the monster hunters gave up after the first couple adventurers were found w-without any blood, but there’s been a whole bunch of new people lately! Two of them showed up some weeks ago, a brown-haired human dressed all in white, and this half elf woman with beautiful silky black hair and gold armor over this amazing red dress! Neither of them talked to me, though—they just went into the woods and never came back. I think they spoke to some of the other townsfolk, though! And this week, another two visitors showed up! There’s this really professional looking human woman with a white dog, and this nervous human man staying at the inn who really needs a shave and a trim. M-maybe you can find them if you look around.
"I'll do whatever I can to help you!"
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Macondi listens to Galia tell about the adventurers that have arrived. "Maybe we should add the human with the dog and the bearded man to the list of people to meet in town before going to the burned house."
He shrugs and drinks his potion. Then walks out the door almost singing to himself,
"Strangers come here in white hoods
and none of them buy any goods
but to keep their blood in
inside of their skin
they shouldn't go into the woods."
"You'll have near free run of the town, as almost everyone who had the means to flee has done so and the town watch has become nigh nonexistent. The inhabitants barely dare to speak of the Mosquito Witch,
spend as much time as possible indoors, live in fear of the next attack, and have been spending their time developing more myths and stories about the witch...
"I can point out some of the places that aren't abandoned, though."
Shimmerford mainly consists of a small walled village, surrounded by outlying farms and shops.
As the party starts towards the Lyons house, a shaggy dog with cream-white fur bolts down the town streets, scattering the clouds of mosquitoes hovering above the ground. A woman’s voice follows after the dog: “Peaches! Peachy! Get back here!” A Tian woman in simple traveling clothes sprints into view a few moments later, stopping to stand by the dog. “Sorry about that,” the woman says, as the dog whines for attention. “I didn’t think there was anything out here but insects, or I would have kept a closer eye on him. My name’s Haru Kwon. What brings you to Shimmerford? It’s not exactly a popular destination right now.”
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Aztryx wears a handkerchief as an impromptu mask.
He greets the Tian woman "Well-met Haru Kwon! We'd like to see what we can do to help around here. Hopefully we can find whatever causes the mosquito plague. Can you share anything you know which you think may help us?"
Mental note: thick fur makes the shaggy dog survive the mosquito plague.
“Just what I’ve heard from the townsfolk," Haru answers, "It’s a little contradictory, isn’t it? Some people seem to think the Mosquito Witch is a hag, others a demon, others a priest of Ghlaunder, and others a ghost. If you’re planning to go looking for it, I’d bring cold iron along—that would help you against demons and hags—and fire to help burn away swarms of insects. And if it turns out the witch is a ghost, run and hide! Your weapons won’t do a thing against spirits, and I doubt you’ll have enough holy water to chase it away.”
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"Oh what a pretty dog," Macondi says - once the initial instinctive fear of being attacked subsides.
To Aztryx he mentions, "If there was, there likely isn't any more. Pretty sure I couldn't afford cold iron anyway. And I don't really use weapons."
Macondi asks Haru, "Do you know where most of the sightings of the mosquito witch have been? Or just somewhere in the forest? The forest is a big place to just go wandering around in hoping that something finds us."
"Oh what a pretty dog," Macondi says - once the initial instinctive fear of being attacked subsides.
"Thanks! Peaches is a sapsali. You don’t see them much outside of Hwanggot, but grandpa brought his dogs when he came over and wound up with puppies out his ears."
She points out a building . "The smithy is open, actually. Although I suppose I couldn't say if she has any cold iron available.
"I've picked up a bit about the Mosquito Witch from the villagers, but I've already told you what I know. Um, I don't live here. I’m a bit of a traveling scholar, though I have a lot of work to do to
make a name for myself in that field." She swats at a few mosquitos. "Clearly not a great time to visit."
“I’ve been traveling around the River Kingdoms, recording the local legends and customs. For obvious reasons, Shimmerford was high on my list to visit. I may have gotten more than I bargained for.”
There's a slight hesitation in Haru's voice as she answers that question, as though she's choosing not to share something. The Pathfinders recognize that Haru has a much more personal investment in current events than she is admitting to.
Well, most of them; Amperex didn't notice.
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hmm, seems normal, if a bit daft to be traveling to a place like this.
"Nice to meet you Haru. Galia", he motions to her hut back the way they came, "..gave us a few descriptions for people to talk to, she actually mentioned you specifically, though not by name." He swats at a mosquito near his face mid talk. "She said you got here this week; I'm curious if any of the townsfolk specifically mentioned any of the other recent visitors when you talked to them? Just thinking of any way we can maybe pick up the trail of the people that went into the forest and didn't come back out."
Haru blinks, as though caught off-guard by that question. She recovers quickly. "I've heard there were other adventurers, but they... weren't here any more by the time I arrived. Unless you count Quintus at the inn. He's... odd. A little off. But he says he knows things. I suppose it's possible he's some kind of psychic or oracle who just hasn't mastered his powers, but I dunno... As for the woods, I'm sure Galia pointed you towards Ms. Lyons? She's the last of the original witnesses still around. Er, around town that is. I don't think they're all dead or anything. That's what they told me, anyway."
"Depends," says Haru, pointing at her dog, "on whether Peaches counts as a 'companion.' I didn't come with other people, no.
"Well... I'll be around at least a little longer--though mostly inside the inn and away from these." She swats at another mosquito or three. "Good luck with Lyons! Come on Peachy."
Haru and Peaches make their way towards the treeline.
Mordha Lyons, now an old woman, resides in a small house in the west of town. The door to her home is opened by a young Tian man with dyed white hair. Upon seeing the Pathfinder party, he becomes vaguely annoyed. "This is the third day in a row you've come bothering Mordha!" he says with a scowl.
The man wears a holy symbol that some may recognize as that of Tsukiyo, the Tian god of jade, the moon, and spirits, as well as a protector of the psychologically distressed and misunderstood.
"I--wha--you're going to tell me I didn't see you when you came here yesterday and the day before? I'm Mordha's attendant, as I've told you, and I was here both other times you came by. What else do you even have to talk with her about?"
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Barak has spent most of his time watching Macondi talk, but then smiles at Mordha's assistant. "Sometimes I get confused about what day it is too. I am sorry if we were already here, but none of us remember it. Are you sure you remember a blue gnome who is part dragon visiting? I have a sort of distinctive look."
Barak waves his dragon tail and offers his sweetest smile. "We promise not to take up too much of her time if you let us visit with her."
"How would I know? I'm her caretaker, not her parent. I don't eavesdrop on her conversations."
Regis deflates a little at Barak's smile. "I yes.. yesterday, you were..." He shakes his head and sighs. "You're welcome to come in, but you should know Mordha doesn't always want to speak with visitors."
The Tsukiyan priest leads the way to a sitting room where Mordha sits, staring grumpily at a swarm of mosquitos outside of her window and eating a bowl of porridge.
Mordha Lyons is a frail old woman, wrapped in a blanket and sitting in a wooden rocking chair. Her hands shake so badly she can barely feed herself, and she doesn’t respond at all to new visitors entering her room.
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Macondi comes over and stands by the window, clearly in Mordha's field of vision. "Hello. Sorry to bother you. Again, maybe. Do you also think that we were all here yesterday? Because that's ... well, anyway... Macondi shakes his head a bit flustered. "We are trying to do something about these," he points to the mosquitoes outside the window. "I have heard some rumor that it is the work of the Mosquito Witch. But I don't think I believe that. The changes are too recent. The Mosquito Witch has been in the area for years without causing this type of problem. But what do you think? You might know better than anyone."
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Mordha doesn't look up when the party enters the room.
She doesn't look up when Macondi starts talking.
She doesn't look up when he asks if she remembers them.
She doesn't look up when he talks about the mosquito.
She looks up when he mentions the Mosquito Witch, her head whipping around to face him. She glares at Macondi. "Strangers," she mutters, but her tone isn't hostile. More thoughtful? "Here about the mosquitos. Think I know best? Well, maybe you won't laugh at me then...
“It was all just a joke to them,” the old woman says, her voice pinched thin with bitterness. “They pretended to care, a little, when they were all scared that they would be next. Not much, even then.
“It was up on Witchtop Hill. Up to the north, a little left of the three boulders and past the bend in the stream. We thought it was a dead animal at first, lying on the ground. It was when we got close that it sprung up, tall as a full-grown man. Came after us on its thin little legs. Didn’t matter how fast we ran, it was right behind us. I thought my heart would burst with the running. It was only when we got to town that we dared to look back. But we didn’t find it. Just sharp footprints in the mud, and smears of sickly sweet blood.
“And them, with their masks and their dolls and their festivals. They didn’t know what it was like. To have it in their dreams at night, to wake up with its little paper dolls by the bed. If they’d seen it, they’d never have dared. They don’t know what it’s like to see its eyes in every filthy little bug, for the whining of those insects to be like screaming in my ears.”
Mordha clams her mouth shut, before speaking again, in a trembling tone. “It took something from me. And I don’t remember it. I don’t remember it. No one will ever remember it.”
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"Who's "we" ma'am?", Amperex pipes up from the back of the room. "Did it 'take' from them too? Does it take from everyone that encounters it?" The low angle and near motionless state of his tail gives away his concern.
Some sort of memory manipulation maybe? Or something worse..
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Macondi sighs. "I hate being on this side of this type of communication." He quickly points at Barak, "And no, its not all that much fun on the other side either."
He looks with sympathy at Mordha. "'We' is probably her friends she was with when they first met the Mosquito Witch all those years ago. 'Them with masks and dolls' would be the visitors to the town over the years turning that initial event into a tourist attraction. The rest, I can't make much sense of - but it will likely make more sense if we find the creature ourselves. And at least we have a location."
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Barak offers his hand to the little old lady, and lets her clasp it. "That must have been terrifying. Can you... tell us more about the creature you saw? Did it look like one of those dolls that everyone has?"
Barak thinks about the festivals near Skyreach, his home town in the Mwangi Expanse. People where masks at those festivals too, and a mosquito witch costume could be a great disguise for a miscreant who liked to scare people.
Then he pauses. "How long ago was this?"
Macondi sighs. "I hate being on this side of this type of communication." He quickly points at Barak, "And no, its not all that much fun on the other side either."
He looks with sympathy at Mordha. "'We' is probably her friends she was with when they first met the Mosquito Witch all those years ago. 'Them with masks and dolls' would be the visitors to the town over the years turning that initial event into a tourist attraction. The rest, I can't make much sense of - but it will likely make more sense if we find the creature ourselves. And at least we have a location."
"I can still hear you, you know!" Mordha says sharply, "But that's right. My friends are all gone now. But 'them' is... them!" She motions in all directions, "Not just the tourists, the villagers too. Most of them are gone now, too. And they didn't believe us, but now they're all running away.
"It has unpleasant, waxy skin. It always seems to have its head bowed and its shoulders hunched up, a mane of unkempt black hair hiding all of its face except for a pair of unblinking red eyes and a long sharp tongue that’s as stiff and pointed as a proboscis. But I don't know how much of that I really saw that night, and how much comes from my dreams filling in blanks.
"It was decades ago, now. I don't want to talk about this any more. I don't know anything I haven't told you, anyway." She turns back towards her window.
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While listening, Aztryx takes a look at the environment in which Mordha is in. He checks to see what items are around her. What's on the shelves?
Does Mordha have bite marks? Does she look physically well (apart from shaking)? Extra appendages under the blanket?
He also studies Regis if he's within sight. Does he also have the same religious pendant as Haru?
"More likely, it took some of your blood" He says to Mordha.
"Yesterday? You mean outside? I haven't seen anyone in days. Well, except Mr. Toshida."
Aztryx doesn't notice anything unusual. Haru wasn't wearing a religious symbol, though Regis seems to be a priest of Tsukiyo.
While they are not yet familiar with the landmarks from Mordha's story, they're confident they could recognize them. It might be enough to find the location.
Mordha doesn't answer, but Regis does.
"Yes, I'm Regis Toshida." He enters the room with a tray with cups of water. "I'm afraid we don't have much to share here. And there's not much in town right now, although the inn is open."
"It's called The Whitefish and Stag. The innkeeper is Callum Shay. We've had enough monster hunters in town that he keeps his doors open, and anybody passing through these days certainly isn't going to camp outside. I can't say much more--I haven't eaten there much, and I've never stayed there."
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"I believe our next stop is at the inn," Amperex looks at Macondi, "aside from Quintus, the innkeeper may know more about the other visitors, they had to have stayed there after all."
He strokes the scales of his chin, "in fact.. if they disappeared into the forest while they were still staying at the inn, some of their things could have been left behind. If so, it could give us some valuable clues."
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"That's good insight Amperex about what things that the monster-hunters may have left behind at the Inn. But, it is a long way from here. There's two houses that are closer which we have not seen or know anything about" said Aztryx who seems to have spent far more time at the library than at the physical training areas.
"If the team doesn't mind, let's go to what's closere first. I think we should get as much information as we can before we head out into the forest. By then, it may be too late to return to the village."
The party can smell the tanner before they reach it. The sign says "The Tanner."
The smell might be repelling the mosquitos a little, though they still bother the Pathfinders as they approach. The tanner, a human of Taldan descent, is working outside and does not seem to mind the insects.
"Hello," they say, in a neutral, perhaps disinterested tone, "I am Tanner. I am the tanner. I have some leather gear for sale if you need it. There are not many people in town and I haven't been selling much."
Tanner looks slowly over the clouds of mosquitos. "They don't bother me." This seems to be true. The Pathfinders are still harassed by the occasional mosquito, but none seem to be landing on Tanner. "They don't seem to like my tanning chemicals too much, but I'm not intentionally doing anything to repel them.
"About the Mosquito Witch. I have never seen it, I can only tell you what I've gleaned from other villagers. I believe the witch is some kind of servant of Ghlaunder or maybe it was a hag that was somehow cursed by the verminous god.
"Oh. I thought of something." Tanner's expression remains entirely impassive. "Someone else asked me those questions. She was a half-elf. She said she was called Hunter. She wore gold armor. She was attempting to identify a peculiar shiny, crystalline rock. I was not able to help her, but she left me a piece of it. I can get it for you."
Tanner retrieves a black stone. "I do not know what it is. I do not know why Hunter thought a tanner would be knowledgeable about rocks, but perhaps she asked other people too."
Amperex recognizes it! It's magnetite, an iron ore that is heavily magnetic.
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"Marvelous!"Amperex pipes up when he sees the stone, "That's magnetite, very magnetic.. though I'm unsure how it relates to anything happening here.." his tone turns from excitement, to sudden confusion.
Amperex gestures to his compatriots while facing Tanner, "We've heard about this woman in the gold armor ourselves actually, but nothing more than that she came here and then vanished." He points at the magnetite, "When she asking about the stone, did she saying anything else, like where it came from? Why she was interested in it?"
"Sorry, I don't have much to share. Business has been slow, and so have deliveries."