Korgoth busies himself collecting rope for the expedition
"Maybe old Movuum if you don't think she will try to stop us or tell."
Daetha thinks that the herbs would be best delivered to Palfourd, but he also thinks that Palfourd might try to stop them from going to the sink hole, or organise some adults to go along, so he keeps silent, except to say "We'll need some torches or a lantern if we're going underground."
"In the barn. For night foaling."
Now that they're going back to the sinkholes, Taya can't help her nightmares returning. I hope I don't look as scared as I feel.
There are two thirty foot lengths of rope hanging up inside the barn.
Various leather tack and saddles hang around one side.
There is an old hand sickle for cutting away at the paddock bushes. Two buckets of old horseshoes sit beside the racks of cloths, brushes and combs.
Three waterskins also are hung up, slack and empty (outside is a waterbutt).
The hay and straw above keeps the barn warm and musty. A cold store is dug into a mound behind the barn, inside are kept salted meats, and a small pantry of various goodies, chutneys, hard breads and dried pork bits.
*thud thud*
Palfourd is probably in town having a drink with Hortin, and he may be against everyone heading off into the woods. He may not.
Taya looks doubtfully at the food stores. "It seems like stealing to me, but we don't know how long this is going to take. The waterskins certainly, and maybe some of the bread ..."
"I don't think it's stealing if it's your house, Taya," Beth says. "We'll bring back what we don't use, just like with the ropes and stuff. And your mom would feed us if we were here anyways, right?." Beth smiles at her friend, but makes no move to take any food until Taya decides it's ok.
"You're right Beth. Mother would feed us all. And we can make more of anything we eat. I'm just worried about those sinkholes."
Taya starts collecting a rough picnic for all of them.
"Where did you say that lantern was Taya?" asks Daetha, looking around. "I can't see it."
"They should be hanging up by the door. That's where we always keep them."
"Well, they'd be feeding me as well, so I can't think that they'd object to us taking a little food. Especially because everyone seems so preoccupied with the problems in the village - no-one's paying any attention to us.
Is there anything else we can take that might be useful? How about a knife or two?"
Taya shudders slightly remembering Jerrid and his knife. "Not for me Stagyar. I wouldn't know how to use it if I had one, and I'd rather not cut myself by accident."
"Taya, I am sure that we are ment to take these provisions, if it means finding a cure then, everyone will be happy we did" Vlad smiles to Taya as to soothe her uncalm nervs. "I think Old Movommn needs to see this recipe, if it is a cure-all she will know what to do"
Korgoth grabs whatever Taya points out
"Don't worry Taya we will get the slugs and then come back quick as a wink."
"Thank Norebo we didn't run into the owlbear eh guys?" Orick says as he helps gather equipment, "that was lucky if I do say so myself. Make sure you got enough rope. Man can never have too much rope. At least that's what Hortin says."
Now that everyone has gathered what they can, some food for a day, a couple of knives (1d3 damage), a pair of lanterns filled with oil, three torches, two full waterskins enough for everyone for about two days and a couple of hemp ropes, it is time to move on.
thud thud
It is still mid-afternoon. The distant sound of several Risper horses playing to the paddock, racing around in a small herd. A cooling breeze blows through the barn.
"Do you guys hear a thuding noise?" Orick says looking around.
"Maybe, Orick. Where is it coming from?" Bethsemane tilts her head, listening intently.
Taya
The thudding seems to be coming from the front of the farmhouse, while the barn and party are some distance to the rear.
“It probably means there’s someone working here,” cautions Daetha, making sure that the lantern he eventually found has a reasonable reservoir of oil in it. “If we don’t want to explain ourselves, we should probably get going… So, we will take the herbs to the healer and then be on our way?”
"I know that noise. It's someone using the butter churn. Mother usually does that, but surely she wouldn't today, she'll have been too busy."
Korgoth tucks away the rope in his gear along with whatever items he's asked to carry
"I think we should get going before we get caught." He whispers
The thudding ends.
Moving on...
It takes ten minutes or less to reach the militia fort. The infirmary is inside along with the barracks, captain's quarters and training field.
The gate guards willingly let Vladimir and his friends come in with a nod and a wave.
Inside the infirmary, Old Movomm is lying on her bed with her eyes closed. There are at least ten people suffering in the ward. Most are young or old.
Vlad gently eakes old Movummn, "I think we have found something" He presents everything to movummn including the gold chain and mummified hand, if others have items Vlade urges them to show Movummn
The old nurse looks pale and drawn, her age shows as the eyes open. That fierce light is a little dimmed but she does sit up and take note of the hand.
"It is a item of minor magical power I have seen before. It gives the wearer the ability to cast a cantrip mage hand, I believe. The wearer can then lift and pull small items from a distance. It saves someone from being hurt by a chest trap or ..... or a one on a door."
She slumps back a bit into her pillow. "What are you all doing here? with that?"
Taya kneels beside the old woman's bed.
"My brother is ill - like so many others. There is a rhyme we heard. It sounds like a recipe or a spell to us. Do you know anything about?"
She recites the rhyme and sits back, desperately hoping Movuum can offer advice.
Old Movomm nods along with Taya's words.
"I am playing with the lives of people every day, choosing who lives and who dies. Today I had to decide whether to cure a blind young man or a once healthy older farmer. So why not?"
She grips the edge of bed as a tear trickles down her waxy cheek. The old lady pinched face almost smiles.
"Vlad must have heard me mumble it when I was working. I'll try anything, even witch's tea. Get it warm, don't boil it, drink only a little and get some fresh lucksy. The lucksy may be a herb. But the slug I never found out what that is."
"If it works then all well and good. No harm in trying. Is there?" Her eyes close again.
"No harm in trying at all. We will try Movuum. Daetha found some herbs at his old cottage. We brought them to you."
Taya feels tears welling up again and turns away. Crying will not help anyone. She wishes, desperately, there was something she could do to help the old woman.
EDIT: The Old Lady opens her eyes breifly and murmurs to Vlad and the others nearby, "take it from the top drawer. It's a healing potion."
Tired out, Old Movomm begins to snore quietly.
In the top drawer is indeed a small glass vial with a pinched end, inside a bright blue liquid with small flecks of gold. It lies on top of a couple of white robes.
Daetha’s eyes widen in surprise as Vlad shows the hand and chain to the old healer. He had thought they were just giving her the herbs and telling her where they were going, not disclosing what they had found under his old home. But he soon relaxes; Old Movomm passes on some useful information about the mummified hand, but does not seem overly curious about why they have it or where it came from.
As the old lady falls back into sleep, Daetha gestures everyone back outside, to a quiet corner between the fort wall and the barracks building. They had all been excited by the prospect of an adventure out in the forest. Now, after a trip to the Risper farm and now here back in the village, he wonders if everyone is still wanting to go. He decides to try to get them all excited again.
“Alright, well I don’t know anything much about magic, but that hand thing sounds sort of useful,” he says. “Vladimir, do you think you can use it? Or you Taya, or Beth? Now …” He takes out the cloak that he’s had folded under his arm, and unwraps it. “I don’t know if this is special too, but it sort of looks unusual … does anyone want to try it on? If not, I will. A cloak with a hole in it is better than none at all, which is what I have now. As for these coins … well, I don’t know what I would do with so much money! Why don’t we all share them out? I wouldn’t have found them if it wasn’t for all of you … and times are hard, we, or our families could use a little money.”
He carefully counts out the silver coins between the seven (? – that’s right, isn’t it?) of them. “Hmmm, seven silver coins each, for seven of us,” he muses. He tucks the pouches, along with the piece of vellum into an old sack that he took from the Risper barn, along with the bread and cheese and waterskin and lantern already within.
Daetha's words come at the right time for Taya. All along she's been fighting the knowledge that she's going to have to go back to the sinkholes and is terrified as much by that as by the thought that she'll let the others down.
"Let's do this shall we." she says, the words coming out more abruptly than she intends.
"Please, shall we just go? If we don't I'll lose all my courage again, and I don't have a lot to begin with. That place scares me."
She considers the mummified hand and the cloak for a moment.
"Why doesn't Beth take the hand? She can see in the dark and might be the only one of us able to use it if we have to. The cloak looks wonderful Daetha. It came from your home and you should wear it."
When Daetha offers the coins her hand goes out almost instinctively to her bitter shame. "That's so kind. And I can't say no. We need the money so badly. We all do." She hugs the boy briefly and stashes the money in her pocket, carefully knotting it shut and taking out her cherished rose petals at the same time. The faint scent is comforting.
“Now,” he says, when the distribution of equipment is done, “shall we get going? I need to pick up some things, but its on the way to the sinkholes.”
He begins to lead the way out, back into the forest, and to the shallow cave where he has hidden some weapons and armour.
Daetha or whoever tries on the damaged cloak
By the time that everyone heads out to the woods it is heading towards late mid-afternoon closing in on the evening meal. The midday meal and service may seem a long time ago to some stomaches.
Korgoth googles at Daetha's generosity
"I can't take your family's coins, you must keep them. If I need a loan I will come to you, promise."
Taya, or you Beth one of you should use this hand thing, I will take the healing potion to have on me.
Beth takes her share of Daetha's coins with some confusion. She can't imagine just giving away your family's money like that, but she receives it gratefully. "Thank you, Daetha, I'll try to put it to good use."
She also takes the hand, and looks it over in great detail. It's certainly gruesome, but she imagines that she can feel its latent magical power, and places the chain around her neck in the hopes it might do something to help draw forth her own nascent abilities.
"Let's go then," she says. "At this rate, it will be dark before we even get down in the sinkhole!"
Korgoth googles at Daetha's generosity
"I can't take your family's coins, you must keep them. If I need a loan I will come to you, promise."
"Ya Daetha," Orick says holding up his hand as if to say stop, "I believe is sharing the wealth as much as anyone, but that's your birthright. Your mom and dad must have saved that for your family's future, you have to save that, and use it to do your parents proud."
"Thank you, Daetha, but I hardly know you, and it wouldn't be right for me to take money that your family worked hard for. But I won't forget the gesture, I promise you.
Now, where are these sinkholes? I suppose it won't make much difference if it's light or dark up here, if it's going to be very dark underground! And does anyone fancy getting something to eat before we go. I know we've got some food, but I think we ought to try and save that for underground, in case we need it."
Privately, Stagyar's not happy about the sinkhole expedition - he's never really been keen on dark, dank places - but there's no way that he's going to back out, especially as there are others who are clearly more nervous than he is. In any event, it's clear that Taya's going, and his job at the moment is to look after her.
Valdimir
Daetha
There is about 5 hours of daylight left since it is high summer, maybe a little more.
Daetha’s face reddens, and he returns the untaken coins to the pouch, seeming somehow upset – maybe angry, maybe embarrassed. But after a while his face grows thoughtful, and he looks up at the sky, then shakes his head and speaks.
“It’s probably about a three hour walk out to the sinkholes, along the northern road … If we leave now we won’t make it back to the village before dark. Now, there’s that waymeet I spoke about, not too far away, in the Jebbel wood … we could stay there, if we need to … Lucksy grows in the Jebbels too, so we might be able to get some fresh sprigs if we’re lucky.”
"Can you describe it Daetha? Raggedy isn't as good at herbs and plants as he might be, I'd have no idea what to look for."
Actually that's a pretty tactful description of Raggedy's abilities as a plant identifier, as she and Beth have been discovering in the past year.
Walking up to the familiar militia cooks, Vladimir smiles and greets them "Hello, I was wondering if I could get some food for some of the helpers in the infirmary, Old Movummn is sending us out to hunt for healing herbs and other ingrediants that are known for healing properties, it is of course very important that we do this. I would hope that with this meal we will be given the energy to find the ingrediants to make the healing salve, and then it would be you who provided us with the nurishment and energy we needed."
"Can you describe it Daetha? Raggedy isn't as good at herbs and plants as he might be, I'd have no idea what to look for."
"I've seen it before," the lad nods. "I think I'll know it when I see it. Alright, are we ready? Everyone want to do this?"
Alright, are we ready? Everyone want to do this?"
Taya looks at the ground and scuffs her feet. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She does not sound convincing even to herself and she looks up at her friends.
"Just so you know, I don't want to do this. I know how important it is and you know how much I love Nagy ... but I'm just scared."
She blushes bright red and marches briskly towards the dreaded sinkholes.
Beth tries to comfort her friend, but feels awkward. She's never been good at this sort of thing.
"Don't worry, Taya, everything will work out ok. I know they're scary, but they're just holes in the ground. And I can see in the dark, remember? Hopefully, you won't even have to go down there again. I can be in and out, quick as a flash!"
She gives Taya a quick smile that she hopes looks friendly and comforting.
Korgoth smiles at Taya
"This time you'll have your boon companions at your back, Taya, and we can all face the sinkholes together as a team."
The cooks readily fill several plates with food and hand over a basket of "dwarfbread". The hard little rolls are filled with nuts and the soldiers always come back to Tricaster complaining about them.
Finally one of the cooks produces a bag of dried meat, enough trail rations for a full day for everyone. "Look Vladimir you find those herbs, I'm counting on you."
-----
As the party head out of town nervous or not, the woods seem somehow different and less friendly. The trip into the forest is too important for some. Daetha heads north along the Belsander trail.
“It will be ok … we won’t do anything stupid,” says Daetha to Taya … famous last words?
He leads the group out of town and along the northern trail, after thanking Vlad for getting them some food. “Good thinking – it will save us time, not having to forage for stuff to eat.”
He’s intending to lead the group to near where his equipment is stashed, then from there on to the sinkholes.