"Should we ride on to the Lumber Camp now?"
"We had agreed that the ingredients for the blackscour taint cure took priority over the missing children. The needs of the dozens of deathly ill people in town outweigh the fate of a half-dozen children, as hard as that is to say."
"Yes lets go to the lumber camp and start gathering the medicine, besides I don't think I can take even kobolds right know."
Louinor looks at the rest of the group, "I mean how hard can it be to find a couple of things in this forest, right?"
"Louinor looks at the rest of the group, "I mean how hard can it be to find a couple of things in this forest, right?"
Its gotta be easer than fighting spiderswarms and werewolves disguised as lost children.
"As much as I hate to abandon the children at this time, the greater need of the town definitely applies."
"I don't recall seeing many books about Kobolds. They eat gnomes, right, not children?"
Oso fetches food and water from his horse. He offers round goats cheese and trail bread.
The gasra jug he drinks then places in front of everyone else.
"I will go with you all into the woods," nods the barbarian.
The party, wounded, weary, and much more somber, leave the smoldering remains of the pyre behind them. The ride is smooth and skirts the southern edge of the forest, occassionally a noise or movement catches you and your mount's eyes, but fortunately nothing comes bundling out of the woods.
It is just a little past two when the party arrives at the lumber camp. The Lumber Consortium Camp cuts an ugly scar of stumps into the dense stand of proud darkwood trees. Five sturdy log buildings-- a bunkhouse, meal hall, office, barn, and a smithy-- stand with numerous wide carts and sleds amid the sawdust covered clearing; a few friendly 'jacks help you stable your horses and go to fetch Milon for you.
It is a few minutes wait, but it give you opportunity to enjoy the crisp Fall breeze as it carries spicy scents from the cooks of the camp. The woods here are much thinner, stumps outnumbering trees by plenty. A great number of logs lie bundled up in the spaces that have been clear cut, many of them rest on sleds to be pulled into town.
As you survey the camp, Oso rubs the horses down, and Louinor sits dizzly in the grass, Milon approaches. He looks like a man of the woods. His chest his thick and his beard long, bright brown eyes belie a keen intelligence. He speaks, his voice rich and smooth like the lumber he sees to. "You came for my help. What do you need?"
Bobek scowls at the lumber camp with barely suppressed disgust, his eyes keenly surveying the layout of the buildings as if drawing up a mental map. Then he pretends to wander carelessly, while tallying up the number of guards and lumber workers present in the camp.
Observing the rough laborers hacking apart majestic Darkwood trees, Bobek grits his teeth in anger. I can't believe we have to come crawling to these forest rapers to ask for help. Surely there's another way to find our path...
Oso heads for the spicy scents and the meal hall when he has finished with the horses.
Milon watches both Oso and Bobek wander off. His voice turns a bit harder, "Do you need my presence or not?"
Milon watches both Oso and Bobek wander off. His voice turns a bit harder, "Do you need my presence or not?"
Malleon speaks as he pulls out his notebook. "Master Milon, my name is Malleon, and this is Louinor and Chalen. Our somewhat abrupt companions are Bobek and Oso."
"We come at the behest of Laurel, the herbalist in Falcon's Hollow. She has found an recipe for a potential cure to the Blackscour Taint that has infected the town. But some of the ingredients are exotic, and not easily found."
"Laurel said that you were the best forester in Darkmoon Vale, and if anyone knew where to find these ingredients, it would be you. Please, will you help us by giving directions?"
"We seek a pickled Root called a Rat's Tail, which can be found at the witch Ulizmilla might have. We also need to seek out the oldest trees in the Vale to find elderwood mold. And lastly, we need to find Ironbloom Mushrooms."
"Can you aid us with directions?"
"Aye. I have a nephew down with the taint. Follow me."
The rugged man leads you through the camp to a small room in the office building. He pulls out a map and produces three markings on it. "You are closest to the Elderwood tree."
He offers a smile. "Good luck; the town is depending on you."
"Aye. I have a nephew down with the taint. Follow me."
The rugged man leads you through the camp to a small room in the office building. He pulls out a map and produces three markings on it. "You are closest to the Elderwood tree."
He offers a smile. "Good luck; the town is depending on you."
"Thanks you Master Milon. We'll hurry as best we can. The sooner Laurel can make this medicine, the sooner we'll know if it can cure the Blackscour Taint."
"Oh, one other thing. Have you seen any marks of kobolds in the woods? There is a group of children that went missing after camping out at Elara's, and we found what appear to be kobold tracks at the ruins of Elara's. The Sherrif asked if we could look for the missing children, but the towns need for a cure to the blackscour taint outweighs searching for the children at this time, as distasteful as that choice was."
Louinor walk up to the logger and asks "Do you have any supplies we could buy, we had a run in with a bunch of spiders and the venom is really taking its toll."
Oso shouts out of the meal hall, with a steaming plate in hand.
"They have hot food here. I have paid for us all to eat. But no gasra Chalen, they have no goats! Ha Ha Ha."
Chalen, not having been privy to the details of the cure until now, thanks the logger for his assistance, then goes to join Oso in the mess.
“I’m hungry and saddle sore enough to eat a goat at this point, but I'm still not drinking anything that comes out of one.”
"My father had a cure for your sore saddle, but it does have something from a goat in it. Ha Ha Ha!"
Oso keeps busy tucking into the food.
"I think perhaps it would be wise to allow Louinor to regain some of her strength before setting out."
"Thanks you Master Milon. We'll hurry as best we can. The sooner Laurel can make this medicine, the sooner we'll know if it can cure the Blackscour Taint."
"Oh, one other thing. Have you seen any marks of kobolds in the woods? There is a group of children that went missing after camping out at Elara's, and we found what appear to be kobold tracks at the ruins of Elara's. The Sherrif asked if we could look for the missing children, but the towns need for a cure to the blackscour taint outweighs searching for the children at this time, as distasteful as that choice was."
"Kobolds, owlbears, hobgoblins. The woods hold many enemies. But in all honesty the most vicious scourge lately has been wolves. They have been numerous and aggressive."
Milon turns to Louinor. "Aye, we keep a small store of goods; but what few potions and cures we have are quite expensive. That being said, you are more than welcome to rest here for the day or so. Just set up at the far east end of camp. That way none of the ruffians will bother you."
-----
Oso has purchased hot meals for all, and invited you to the mess hall.
Bobek returns from his wandering and grins at Oso, "Well big fellow, you seem to lead with your stomach, which is a good thing. Thanks, I could use some hot tasty vittles." Bobek grins and heads to the mess hall to claim some grub.
Louinor wearily stands and follows everyone to the mess hall and starts eating hoping that the food will return some of her lost strength.
The group scarfs down the hot meals and cool drink that Oso generously paid for. Though the stomach is full and the muscles slighty relaxed, it does little to ease the scratches, bites and poison that the group has suffered.
Still, Milon proved to be a very resourceful contact, giving the party fairly decent directions to the Elderwood Tree (moss), Ulizmila's Hut (Rat tail), and a place he said was an old Dwarven hold, Droskar's Crucible (Ironbloom Mushroom). He knew the locations but very little detail on any place.
Louinor leans back in her chair and and sighs "Wells I do feel better after the meal thanks Oso. Shall we head out to the Elderwood Grove, how hard can it be to find some old moss."
Oso chats to the local foresters about the animals of the forest and its other dangers. He will save the last of the gasra in case he needs to revive someone with it - like a fallen mage.
Whatever their problem, Oso quietly trundles back outside and falls asleep near his horse.
40 winks may help, he is dog tired. Hopefully when the others have decided a course of action he will be fit again.
Malleon will have a meal and chat with the assembled loggers, attempting to gather information about the three locations, but specifically the dwarven ruins. And also checking if there are any bowyers at the camp, as he would like a Darkwood bow when he can afford it.
Chalen looks for someplace warm and dry to put down, and meditates a bit before drifting off.
.
Oso sleeps for a good hour or so and then wakes feeling a touch better.
Restless, he then offers to help the loggers at work. He is fit enough to help move a few logs and can swing an axe.
The party eats well and has decent conversation, though the topic seems to shy from what they actually plan to do.
Oso catches a few winks and excercises his muscles with the lumberjacks.
Malleon discovers that if he is looking for a decent bowyer he best check back in the Hollow; but also finds a couple informative employees in the Consortium's office that seem to know some of the local information. Apparantly Ulizmila is a wicked witch; a hermit who curses any who cross her land. She is however open to trades, though a deal with Ulizmila, is like a deal with Asmodeus himself. Droskar's Crucible is some sort of dwarf ruin. It is overrun with monsters and dwarven spirits.
Chalen and Louinor get some rest.
The party eats well and has decent conversation, though the topic seems to shy from what they actually plan to do.
Oso catches a few winks and excercises his muscles with the lumberjacks.
Malleon discovers that if he is looking for a decent bowyer he best check back in the Hollow; but also finds a couple informative employees in the Consortium's office that seem to know some of the local information. Apparantly Ulizmila is a wicked witch; a hermit who curses any who cross her land. She is however open to trades, though a deal with Ulizmila, is like a deal with Asmodeus himself. Droskar's Crucible is some sort of dwarf ruin. It is overrun with monsters and dwarven spirits.
Chalen and Louinor get some rest.
Oso comes back after a while checks the horses over once more.
"Did you find out where the roots and herbs are?"
"Malleon, do you want these saddled? It's just that the disease is spreading in the Hollow and people are relying on us."
"I can wake the others if you want."
Oso comes back after a while checks the horses over once more.
"Did you find out where the roots and herbs are?"
"Malleon, do you want these saddled? It's just that the disease is spreading in the Hollow and people are relying on us."
"I can wake the others if you want."
"Sounds good. We can camp out at the Eldest Wood later on today before heading out to get the other ingredients."
Leaving the Consortium Camp behind you, the group presses on into the woods proper. The tightness of the trees presses out much of the sunshine; it also slows the horses down a fair bit. The group does their best to stick to logging trails and the like to speed things up, but the woods are possessed of an almost palpable sense of encroachment. The birds are quiet and the crunching of earth and twig under the hooves of the horse are the only sounds that break the tense silence.
Chalen contemplates the future, not paying particular attention to his surroundings (Listen Check = 11).
Oso keeps a watchful eye on his surroundings, for about ten minutes then slowly he relaxes in the woods.
Elderwood Grove - 13 miles if you skirt the eastern edge of the Darkmoon Lake, 11 Miles if you try and cross the water (Time is roughly 3.25 hours the first way, and if successful in fording the water, 2.75 the other.
Malleon pulls out his notebook with the quickly drawn map and notes.
"Unless anyone feels strongly otherwise, I think we should skirt the eastern edge of Darkmoon Lake here" his finger tracing the path "It will take us an extra couple of miles, but fording the river might be more trouble than its worth"
Looking around at his companions and their bloody state, Malleon drops his horse back to speak quietly with Louinor. "Louinor, do you have any of Desna's blessings that might help to heal our wounds? My own wounds are fine and will heal in a day or two, but some of the others.... Oso in particular seems severely wounded, although he is trying not to show it."
Louinor hears a whimpering, animal sound coming from the woods not to far off to the west. It sounds a little like a dog.
"Quiet I think I here something over in those trees." Louinor points over at the tree to the west. "It sounds like a hurt animal or something."
"What? I don't see anything over there. Do you want to go investigate?
Bobek's scouting impulses kick in, as he motions for silence and creeps off through the trees in the direction Louinor pointed.
"With our luck it's probably another werewolf."
Chalen unstraps and loads his crossbow.
"With our luck it's probably another werewolf."
Chalen unstraps and loads his crossbow.
Good point.
Malleon dismounts from his horse and strings his longbow carefully and nocks an arrow.