Vysoke Myto To Trebova

3 DECEMBER 3460

After the late starts of the previous two days, it is quite an effort to wake up, get themselves dressed and washed and then make their morning devotions all before coming down to breakfast at 7.00a.m. sharp, yet everyone manages it and take advantage of the huge breakfast that Blanka has prepared in order to send them off with a full stomach.

Xavier is cheerful of mood and light of step as he joins them all at the table. He appears to have taken some care with his appearance, his beard neatly trimmed, his long locks of hair neatly tied in a warrior's knot at the back of his head. There is no sign of morning stubble on his face, his blue eyes are clear and his face radiant. Funnily enough, he has also come to the table without his sword on his hip, and his usual attire of a padded gambeson has been replaced by a clean shirt.

Will approaches Xavier:

"What of your helm my friend? Did you recover it?"

"Aye, Sir Xavier, tell us," the Padre pipes up. "An' tell us what state th'city after th' scene in the Great Square. An' did ye see Padre Lukas?"

"Ye seem a bit changed since we las' saw ye."

"Gutten tag, mein comrades, a fine morning it be," Xavier welcomes them all. "Good it is to have a good night's sleep under one's belt."

He opens a small sack and shows the others his helmet:

"Yah, mein freunds, Frau Faewen'il vas able to recover it for me from those whoresons vich took it from me."

"Mmmmmm, dat breakfast smells most fine," the Saxon continues. "Now vhat vas it you where saying about these priests of Disease? I must confess I vas too tired last night to pay dat much attention."

Winnacer proceeds to fill Xavier in on all that has transpired while they have been in the small town.

As they continue to eat their fill, Winnacer starts up the conversation regarding the day's itinerary:

"After yesterday's delay, we should waste no time in heading out to the Nemotz laboratory. The question is, which route shall we take to get there. Has anyone any suggestions regarding this matter?"

Will just sits back and waits for the decision to be made, absent mindedly rubbing Min's fur and humming a tune to himself.

Jihan is the first to reply:

"We can make our way down to Brunn either by circling Trebova and staying on or near the road, or by heading through the hills and bushwhacking it through the forest. Rough going that, especially at this time of year. It would probably be in our best interests to stick by the roads, now that winter has laid down her first layers on the land. Plenty of tracks to cover our own, as compared to leaving a virtual glowing arrow pointing out our path in heading through the forest, with a wagon and beasts in tow. Perhaps it would be a good idea to use the wagon to pose as merchants, bodyguards and all, and perhaps go straight through Trebova. I'm sure I could negotiate an actual cargo to bring down to Brunn, so we could use that as a cover for travelling the main thoroughfares. Plus we could make a little money on the side for the cause..."

The elf has again donned his ridiculous sack hat, with the drooping feather hanging well down his back.

"I thin' we're bound t'run inta trouble at some in' on the main road near Trebova, let alone IN th' blasted place," the Padre says. "We just killed tha' city's Lord Protektor, an' th' Nyemetz know us as 'avin' done it. Whate'er disguise we use, it t'will likely not keep wagons an' such fr' bein' searched by ev'ry scum Nyemetz we come to. An' even if they're fooled an'we on' 'ave t'fight 'em, it'll still slow us down in reachin' the Nemotz lab... an' tha' could be a disaster fer th' poor wretches 'o need savin', includin' ye friends Mirek an' th' girl."

"'Ard as a back-road trek might be this time a' year, it might be best?"

"Tell you what, road's faster, and we need to get there fast if we're gonna save those two," comments Yaz. "But I say we avoid the city at all costs -- circle around it to the south. I can get us off the road without leaving tracks, no problem. After that, we high-tail it on the road."

"Perhaps," Jihan replies, "but with the nights being as cold as they are and the slushy footing this melting and freezing snow is going to give on soft ground, any time we might save avoiding patrols would be lost to the struggling with the wagon and pack animals through the wilderness. And don't be forgetting that there are others who travel the road, people that might just nod at a passing merchant, but look askance at a large party crashing through the bushes."

"Fine," Kokal says. "If y'want t'take th' risk. Ev'ry Nyemetz I'VE e'er known 'ad a taste fer revenge. I jus' thought the back ROADS 'ight be better than straight through th'Trebova Square, but ..... Yaz' thinkin' t'keep t'th main road 'cept 'round Trebova works fer me."

"If Trebova is anything like Pardubitze," the elf continues, "there may be still be a power struggle going on just to claim positions in governing the city. They're most likely consolidating their own ends, brother, not worrying so much about extensive patrolling. Besides, if Gertrude would be so kind as to do a bit of peeking ahead, we can have plenty of time to get off the road and into the forest with the assistance of one of Yaz's track covering spells. Who will question a Witchfinder and her entourage, at least where the Nyemetz grip is tight, and especially a Witchfinder General? Irregardless, I can imagine that the Nyemetz brass will be less concerned with preventing an uprising in a smaller walled town like Trebova as compared to Pardubitze, so the higher ups therein will be free to plot and kill each other at their leisure."

"Mebbe, yer right," Kokal says. "Some pretty big 'sumptions though, I thin'. An' our task is not t'be delayed in reachin' the Nemotz temple, or yer captive friends're done. But if we 'void Trebova, I guess it'll be all right."

"I don' want t'play dress up like some Nyemetz lowlife, though," he adds, pointedly avoiding having to look at the Witchfinder in their midst. "Tha' ain't somethin' I want ANYONE e'er thinkin' o'me. So I'll need another part in th'play."

As Kokal is not looking at Fae, he is one of the few people who do not see annoyance glitter in her eyes at his words.

"How did that go by the way?" Jihan then asks, turning his gaze towards Xavier and Faewen'il. "The aftermath in Pardubitze, that is. We had made some promises to that... Pompous fellow," he says, with an unusual amount of distaste and venom. "Did it go like you thought it would? And the people? Were they beaten down and broken again or did they keep some of their spirit? We just left so quickly, and with no word of how things ended..."

"Tha power struggle was over before it began," Fae replies matter of factly.

"Baron Soused, tha previous head of tha Merchant Guild is tha new Lord Protektor. He be a kept man o tha Witchfinder General an will do what he be told ta do. Petr will be elected for tha new head o tha Merchant Guild... an an advisor to Soused, per my suggestion."

"All in all, Pardubitze will recover from.... rebel activity rather quickly."

Gronk nods his head as he hears the news:

"Looks like 'ings turned out OK, even when we be screwin' up all kinds o' stuff. 'ats off for ya little lady. It be lookin' like ya gots more balls 'an da lot of us 'ere."

Fae pauses a bit as Gronk speaks, but then continues on so as to not have to repeat herself later on:

"In agreement far Soused to relax his grip on tha people o Pardubitze, I agreed ta make sure tha tha rebel activity would seemingly disappear from tha city. He did na say I had ta make it stop; so I penned letters ta tha churches an warned them ta hide everythin they could... which is as it should ha been from tha start."

"Tha Witchfinder General be in a sweet position with tha controllin reins o tha city in his hands. He be wantin ta see tha it stay tha way, so he not be tellin his bosses wha all went on at tha execution. Iffen they got wind o what we did, they would be sendin troops ta deal with him an the folk o tha city; troops tha none o us could stop. So it be far tha safety o the people tha thins go back ta normal."

"Tha rebellion will still continue ta build, just hidden safely. Even iffen Rudolf donna keep his ward, we ha lost nothin 'cept tha hole in tha wall we used ta sneak into tha city with. An iffen he do be keepin his word, then tha people will see a better life an we will see Petr in a position ta keep tabs on tha Nyemetz far us. It be these deals which kept me longer in Pardubitze."

Jihan cannot conceal a look of appreciation and amazement from his eyes as the extent of the sorceresses actions becomes apparent:

"Amazing, Mistress Morwen," he says with an almost unbelieving shake of his head. "My hat goes off to you," the elf continues, sweeping off his sack hat and making a short bow.

Nodding his head, Jihan continues on with his talk of travel:

"I think it might well be worth our while to establish some sort of alias for travelling, at least between major cities and the like. I once knew an elf called Ambar du Mordion..." he says, giving his sack hat a bit of a spin, "who once did a bit of trading. I'd like to see just how many of Luuhan's old friends are still operating around here, and back south."

At breakfast, Yaz sits across from Fae. In between bites of bread and noisy gulps of carrot juice, he asks the girl:

"So you really a Witchfinder, Maire'? I figure you either killed one about your size or they fitted you out. Suits you nice, as long as you don't turn out a prick like the rest o' them bastards."

He half-grins and chews open-mouthed on another bite of bread.

Xavier looks up from his breakfast, his fork poised in front of his mouth:

"Nein, no chance of dat mein freund"

He then continues to eat.

Fae narrows her eyes a bit as she speaks after a brief pause:

"... as far as the Nyemetz are concerned... I am."

The decision regarding the route having been made, Xavier goes out to the stables in order to instruct the squires to get the horses ready for departure as well as transfer all of the heavy baggage, most of which belongs to Faewen'il, into the wagon, to which the horses are secured. They then all return to their rooms in order to retrieve their possessions.

Xavier oversees the saddling of the horses, while at the same time taking his own personal charge of the saddling of Faewen'ils horse:

"Leave dat Tadeus, see to Barbarrosa. I vill see to the fraulein's mount. Ve shall have to give you some hard work, boys, in the coming days. His lordship is too easy on ye. Ye needs work, to strengthen your arms for the path of Knighthood you have embarked on. Right you two, stow the last of the gear into the wagon. Ve shall all be ready to mount and be on our way within the next half hour."

Xavier then turns and goes back inside.

While the others are making their preparations for departure, Jihan seeks out Blanka in order to determine a little information:

"Tell me, sister, is there anyone in town looking to run anything down to Brunn? No large cargo, mind, with the weather and all... The ruts are bad enough as it is. I figure it could help having a reason to be on the roads if we want to catch up with those bastard brigands all the quicker. I've a wagon already, and a team, steady and sure. Plus it'll put a little more money in Myto's pockets for the coming winter, as she's looking to be a hard one. This might be the last chance to move anything delicate before the hardest snows start, which might be sooner than folks would like."

Blanka thinks for a moment and then nods her head at the request:

"Well Vysoke Myto is known throughout Bohavia for its skills in two things. The first is Karosa's wagon building empire, as he is the biggest wagon producer in the country and sells his wagons throughout the land. Obviously he doesn't need a wagon to move a wagon, but he might have need to move some parts such as wagon wheels and yokes to smaller wagon builders around the country."

She gives a little shrug and shakes her head:

"I wouldn't really know for sure. 'Lord' Karosa does not see fit to speak to the likes of us himself, although his workers make up a sizeable part of our regulars," she adds with obvious distain at the mention of the man's name.

"Indeed", Jihan says with a nod. "Our friend Karosa did not sound like the most affable type, at least according to his son. And rich men tend to hoard their money rather than give much back to the community, despite employing a lot of them."

"You'd probably be better off going to see Pavla Matulova at the Apothecaries' Guild once again. As I'm sure you found out from your last meeting with her, she's an approachable lady. The Apothecaries' Guild in Vysoke Myto is one of the largest in the country and the Guild supplies herbal remedies and medicines to most of Central Bohavia. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she has some goods that would need transporting to Brunn."

"She's definitely your best bet for getting a cargo to travel with. Normally she uses Karosa's services, but I know that he has been continually badgering her for lower and lower prices."

As Jihan finishes speaking with Blanka, the others have retrieved their possessions and are now mounted and ready to leave.

Blanka watches them as they mount their steeds, looking slightly worried at their departure, but also hopeful that their efforts will result in the return of her husband and daughter.

Seeing her fear, Jihan takes Blanka's hand in his own and looks into her eyes earnestly:

"We'll find them, don't you worry, sister..." he utters, bending down to press his forehead against the back of her hand.

Jihan then blinks his eyes as if he has forgotten something, then goes to the wagon and retrieves a wrapped oblong bundle:

"I was able to rustle up the money to settle our debt with our 'Honest' horse dealer the other day, but almost forgot about these with all the excitement. Your things, Winn..." he says, carefully handing the bundle to the young LawBringer.

Unwrapping it Winnacer finds his silver longsword and potion of fire resistance that were left with Honza as security.

"You might want to give the potion a smell though. I wouldn't doubt that our 'friend' has done a little dilution, to say the least. I wouldn't be surprised if he filled it with lamp oil just for a joke..."

Shaking his head, the elf clambers up onto the wagon, placing Weitbeissen and a quiverful of arrows at his feet and then drawing a blanket up over his legs.

"H'yah, h'yah..." he intones, pulling up the reins. "There's some good fine ladies..."

Nainie roams around with the rest of the horses, unsaddled and unbridled:

"Figure she deserved a break from carrying these old bones..." Jihan says to those wondering about such a thing.

As they start to file out of the stables, Jihan says his final farewells to the woman:

"Thank you for all of your hospitality while we have been staying with you," the elf says.

Blanka cuts him off there, however:

"Please, don't mention it," she says. "You are the only chance that I have got to see Mirek and Zuzana again. I would have given my life to see them freed. A bit of food and accommodation is the least of what I can do for you."

"May Lechit watch over you on your journey," she says as a tear starts to roll down her white cheek.

The rest of them then add their farewells to those of Jihan and spur their horses on away from the inn. He drives the wagon through the cold empty streets heading back to the Apothecaries' Guild.

"I won't be but a few minutes," the elf says as he pulls the wagon up beside the Guild. With a knock on the door, he enters the Guild.

"Hello, anyone up and about?" Jihan starts as makes his way inside.

Upon entering, he sees an elderly woman sweeping the floor of the shop:

"Good day to you, madam," Jihan says by way of introduction. "I was looking for Guildmistress Matulova."

"I think she's just got up," the cleaning lady responds. "If it's important, then I'll go and see if she's ready to come down now."

Jihan nods his gratitude and watches as the elderly woman heads up the stairs. Around five minutes later, the Guildmistress descends the stairs. She is dressed simply and still looks to be half-asleep. She manages a smile, however, as she sees the elf waiting for her.

"Good day Mistress Matulova," he begins, an earnest smile on his face. "A pleasure to see you again, sister."

Taking her hand, he executes a bow from the waist, stepping back on one foot.

"And you too, Mr. Prirodnasson," she replies. "And such a surprise to see you here again at this early hour. Can I be of some further assistance to you?"

Peering about the store, Jihan inhales deeply the sickly sweet melange of smells only to be found in an apothecary, then exhales appreciatively:

"It seems as if I have come into possession of a wagon and a reason to head towards Brunn," he begins innocuously enough. "Being as the weather grows more and more difficult day by day, and the roads follow suit, I was wondering if you would be interested in making a late year delivery to any of your southern colleagues. We both know just how fast Zima's hand can descend up here. If you're interested, I will stake my reputation on the safe delivery of your goods. I can carry any word you are wishing to pass to them as well, or deliver any messages you are looking to send to Brunn. I have a feeling that, if we are successful in our mission against those foul beasts we discussed before, there may be people in immediate need of the expertise of your field."

Pavla sighs a little sadly:

"You're right about the difficulty of traveling at this time of year," she says. "And it is for this reason that I fulfilled most of my outstanding orders just a couple of weeks ago and Karosa took all of the stock and made the deliveries."

"Making a substantial profit in the process," she adds with obvious distaste.

She pauses for a moment:

"However, I really would like to be of assistance to you, Mr. Prirodnasson, after your referral from Father Amil-Gandel. Here's what I can do for you;"

"I can sell you all of the stock that we have produced since we fulfilled all of the firm orders. There is not so much of it, I'm afraid, and you will have to take the risk as to whether or not you are able to find a buyer for it in Brunn or elsewhere, as their stocks will be fairly high at the moment. However, I'm prepared to sell it to you at just above cost price."

"And how much would that be?" Jihan asks.

She walks into a back room, indicating that Jihan should follow her. She takes him into a stock room, which is almost empty save for a couple of small wooden crates upon the floor:

"This is all that we have at the moment," she says indicating to the boxes. "I can sell each crate to you at 100 gold pieces each. If you are able to find a buyer, then you should be able to realize a lot more than that, if you are a good negotiator."

Jihan agrees to the purchase and takes 200 gold pieces from his pouch with which to pay the Guildmistress.

"Always a pleasure, sister," Jihan says as he leaves, a small sparkle of excitement in his eyes.

He takes the two crates and places them in the rear of the wagon along with the rest of the party's equipment. There is still plenty of spare space in the wagon as the two crates take up very little room indeed.

Gronk has opted to take co-responsibility for driving the wagon along with Jihan, not having any great love of riding. His long-suffering mount is tethered to the rear of the wagon, trotting along behind it.

"So 'ows we gonna get through the walls?" he asks Jihan who is sat next to him on the footplate. "Them gaps in the wall is too titchy for gettin' the wagon through."

"Good point," Jihan replies. "I hadn't really thought of that."

He thinks for a moment and then responds:

"Looks as if we shall have to go through the gate. I can't remember seeing any of the gaps wide enough to take the wagon."

He turns to them all:

"You all stay here. I'll take a look at the gate and see what the situation is."

Not waiting for a response, Jihan hands the reins to Gronk and then sets off on foot in the direction of the gate. Although the gate is less than five minutes' away, Jihan is gone more than 20 minutes. Just as you are starting to fear for his safety and are debating whether or not to go and check that he is in no danger, you see the elf trotting back to you. He isn't looking terribly amused:

"It seems as if the remaining troops are indulging in a little private enterprise. It cost me 20 gold pieces for them to allow us through without inspecting the cargo too closely."

He sighs to himself:

"Still, I suppose that it is a small price to pay in order to pass through without their checking our things too carefully. Follow me."

Jihan then climbs back onto the wagon and continues to lead them towards the gates. The platoon of goblins on gate guard along with their orcish sargeant snicker a little themselves as they see Jihan driving the wagon towards them, but dutifully clear a path through the gate in order to let them pass.

Jihan urges the horses on, and they soon leave Vysoke Myto behind them as they follow the road to the southeast.

Unsurprisingly, the weather is cold as they start on their journey, but as the sun fully rises, they see that it is going to be a clear day and the temperature gets up to hover around freezing point, meaning that the snow is not starting to melt at all. As Jihan drives the wagon down the road, he can tell from the few tracks that break the white blanket covering the terrain that the road has seen very little traffic over the past couple of days.

During the trip, Min rides in the wagon most of the time to avoid having to plow through the snow that is nearly as tall as he is.

Will continues his bardic learning from Oldrich on the journey, asking questions and receiving instruction, or just listening to tales and poems.

They continue on their journey throughout the morning, making good progress as they keep to the road. Just after noon, however, the flat plain starts to break up a little as they start to climb the low range of hills that separates Bohemia from Moravia.

Winnacer looks up at the hills, knowing that Trebova lies in the valley that passes through them. He reins in his mount and speaks to them all:

"I think that this would be a good place to stop for lunch. We can't risk staying on the road for much longer and it is going to be quite a job to get the wagon up the hills and down the other side."

As the majority of them are starting to get a little sore from riding, as well as hungry, they take advantage of the break by dismounting and leaving their horses to chew on the long grass at the side of the road that rises above the snow.

The squires build a small fire at the side of the road in order that everyone can warm themselves and then they start to warm up a large pan of stew that Blanka prepared for them all in the morning. Knowing that they still have a long way to go before the end of the day, they eat the meal quickly and are back in the saddle within less than an hour.

As Jihan is about to drive the wagon off the road, Yaz takes a sprig of pine and puts it into the fire in order to set it alight. He then starts to sprinkle the ashes before the wagon:

"This should hide the tracks of the wagons and the horses for the next hour or so," he says by way of explanation. "Unfortunately, I can't hide all of our tracks, because we have so many horses and mules with us. However, if someone is trying to track us, then it will be the wagon that they are following, so hopefully this should throw them off our scent a little."

Unfortunately, they don't stay in the saddle for too long as, almost immediately after Jihan has taken the wagon off the road, it gets stuck in a rut and the horses are unable to pull it free. The warriors all dismount and put their shoulders behind the wagon. After a few minutes of pushing and shoving, with the wheels sliding in the snow, they realize that they have a major task ahead of them in getting the wagon up to the crest of the hill.

They realize that the two horses, not in the best of health after the time that they spent with the priests of Nemotz, are not going to be sufficient to pull the wagon up the hill. Jihan takes some rope and manages to lash another two horses to the front of the cart ahead of the two draft horses, upgrading the cart to a four horsepower vehicle. This makes the job somewhat easier, but the wagon still keeps struggling to get up the gradient.

"Take it easy, girls," Jihan calls to the beasts. "Steady and sure, keep 'er steady..."

Gronk's reaction initially was to scream threats to the team of horses in both common and dwarven regarding their likelihood of ending up as dog food should they not try a bit harder, but a few glares and choice words from Yaz soon puts that to a stop.

Gronk mumbles under his breath after being chided by Yaz:

"Just when I 'ought 'ere might be 'ope for da nature-boy. Ain't never gonna understand what he be seeing in 'em animals."

Jihan is tempted to give the dwarf an elbow in the ribs from his position on the seat next to him, but settles on a chiding glare:

"You don't encourage your workers by making them feel worthless, brother," the elf says, "I've never met someone who wouldn't work better with the guarantee of kindness and understanding from their employer compared to threats of death..."

Realizing that he must sound like a man of cloth giving sermon, the elf stops himself and shakes his head.

"H'yah, girls! H'yah! That's the way!" he calls out, a look of worry in his eyes as the horses continue to flounder.

The only option is for almost everyone in the party to dismount and put their backs to the rear of the wagon in order to help the horses pull it up the hill. This manages to keep the wagon moving, but progress is painfully slow and it takes most of the afternoon to move the wagon up the two miles necessary to bring it to the top of the ridge.

At the top of the ridge, they take a moment to catch their breaths, as all but for Bennett are panting from the exertions. As they rest for a moment, they can see Trebova nestling in the valley some two miles away from where they are standing. Further in the distance, they can just make out the edge of the Shumavan forest some eight miles away.

Wanting to clear the ridge by the end of the day, they remount and the horses start to make off down the hills in order to head for the plain once more. After a few minutes, however, they realize that the descent of the hills is almost as problematic as the ascent, as Jihan starts to shout out and the horses start to whinny and panic as the wagon starts to slip out of control. One of the horses falls to the ground as the momentum of the wagon pulls it down and stops the wagon sliding any further down the hill.

Immediately that he sees the horse fall, Yaz dismounts and runs over to the fallen carthorse. He has a comforting chat with the horse, checking to see that the horse has not broken a leg.

"Is she all right brother?," Jihan calls out, standing up from his perch on the wagon to look at the horse worriedly. "By the Three we should've taken our chances on the road..." he mutters, gently attempting to keep the other horses under control.

Although shaken, the horse's four legs are all intact and it rises up in order to continue with the descent. Not wanting to risk another such fall, you are all forced to dismount once more and assist in helping Jihan and the horses negotiate the slippery journey. This time, they all stand at the front of the wagon, helping to slow it down whenever it starts to slide out of control.

By the time the sun has set to the west, they are still only halfway down the hill. It takes them another couple of hours to negotiate the last mile of the journey until they are, at last, back upon the level plains that stretch all the way to Olmutz and beyond.

It is now well after 8.00p.m. and they are totally exhausted from the exercise, as well as starting to get very cold due to the fact that the temperature has been tumbling ever since sundown.

"I think that's far enough for one day," pants Winnacer. "I know that we have only managed 10 miles today, but that's definitely the worst part of the journey behind us now. When we pick up the road again tomorrow, we should be able to make up the extra time that we lost today."

"Hell, we coulda crawled 'is far!" Gronk blurts out. "Well, 'em 'unks o' meat better not get actin' up when we be back on da road 'gain t'morra. An' 'is wagon ain't nothin' but shit, might as well be usin' it ta stoke da fire."

No one is in much of a state to argue with the young Lord and so they all tie up their horses and assist the squires in setting up the camp as quickly as possible. With an hour, all of the tents are set up and the squires are already starting to cook up a hot dinner for them.

As the tents are set up, Jihan spends a good deal of time tending to the cart horses with Yaz, whispering soothing words to them.

Although not up to Blanka's standards, the hot meal is more than welcome after the exertions of the day and the cold of the night and so everyone eats their fill. Not having had to camp out in temperatures below freezing for a while, even being sat next to the campfire is not terribly pleasant and so they soon all retire to their tents for the evening after setting up a watch rota.

After the luxury of having warm beds to sleep in and a real roof over their heads for the past week, going back to a tent takes a bit of getting used to again. Luckily, the tiredness that they are feeling from your exertions means that they are soon asleep.

Gronk emerges from his tent shortly after having entered it, his armor and Thunder left behind. He makes his way to the tent in which Fae is staying.

He clears his throat loudly then speaks:

"'cuse me lady, may I have a word with ya?"

There is some noise from within, but soon enough Fae's head pokes out from behind the honeyleather flap.

"What ye be wantin?" she says a bit tersely.

"I be sorry ta disturb ya, but 'ere be a matter I'd like ta discuss," Gronk replies.

Gronk raises his head to look Fae in the eye before continuing:

"Can I come in?"

"Hold on." she says in the same tone of voice.

There is some movement within and the sound of some piece of clothing being put on before the inner ties of the tent flap are released to allow him inside. Inside the tent, Gronk can see all manner of strange things laying about. Books, an inkpot & quill, clothing, jars and pouches of unknown contents, the staff he has seen her with, a coil of rope, the two chests that normally resided on her two mules, the saddlebags from her medium sized warhorse as well as odd items of jewelry and a pouch that looks to contain a decent amount of coins. She herself, is wrapped up in her cloak and a blanket, giving Gronk no idea as to what she was wearing beneath them both. The look on her face is one of irritation.

Gronk shakes the snow off of himself and cleans his shoes off well before entering Fae's tent.

He then stammers a bit as he begins to speak:

"I..I..I be hearing ya 'ave used several names, an' with yer new duds an' all, I was wondering what I should be callin' ya."

"Tha all depends on what I be wearin," Faewen'il replies. "Iffen I be dressed as a Witchfinder, ye will refer ta me as Deputy General. Iffen I be in normal clothes, ye can call me whatever ye want," Fae answers, wondering why he had truly come to bother her, as it wasn't over something mundane as a name.

"Thank ye," Gronk continues. "Now, da matter I be wantin' ta talks 'bout."

Gronk looks around the room and over his shoulder as if trying to see if someone is spying on them.

"It be 'bout Thunder. Ya know he be a good axe, but he gots quite da temper he does. An' for another 'ing he only be talkin' ta me. He won't talks ta no one else. Since I gots 'im back from da greenskins, I been right miserable. All he does is be mean ta me. 'Why'd ya let 'em greenskins get me? Ya don't deserve an axe like me! Maybe next time ya be fightin' I ain't gonna 'elp ya.' 'ems da types o' 'ings he be sayin' ta me."

Gronk takes a deep breath and looks directly at Fae, a genuine look of regret and concern on his face:

"I knows ya still can't be forgivin' me an' 'at ya don't owe nothin' ta me, but I don't know who ta turn ta. I be 'inkin' 'at since ya be such a right powerful witch an' all 'at maybe ya could be talkin' ta Thunder 'bout what he's up ta. He sure ain't listenin' ta me an' I 'ought he might listen ta da likes o' ya."

Gronk's eyes drop to the ground as he finishes, obviously not expecting much after his past with Fae but not knowing where else to turn:

"Don't know how I could be repayin' ya. Iffin ya 'ave any ideas I'd be 'appy ta 'ear 'em. Iffin I gets rid o' Thunder I be 'fraid he be tryin' ta hunt me down, but I can'ts go on with 'im actin' like 'is much longer."

"Bring it here an I will see wha I can do," Fae says with some small amount of exasperation before shooing him out of her tent.

"Thank ya," Gronk says as he heads back to his tent to retrieve Thunder.

When he returns with the axe, she simply takes it in her hands, the weight of it causing her arms to drop a bit. Taking the axe, she then sits down on top of one of her chests and places her hand on the amulet around her neck.

As Fae takes Thunder from him a look of apprehension, and hope, can be seen in his face.

Fae's brows furrow a bit and she looks up at Gronk and speaks, the axe still in her grasp of her one hand as her other remains on the amulet.

"He be refusin ta speak ta me," she says.

Gronk's whole body slumps at Fae's words.

"Though since ye an he be in tha same room now," Faewen'il continues, "parhaps ye might want ta formally apologize ta him an tell him tha ye be doin all ye could in order ta get him back... how ye begged me ta magically aid ye in retrievin him an layin waste ta those tha would mean ta lay thar blasphemous hands on him. Ye should assure him tha thar only be place far him in yar heart.... unless I mistaken ye devotion ta him as somethin else."

Gronk raises his head and begins to nod as Fae continues.

"Now as far as intelligent weapons go... I know he be hearin me thoughts as he lay here in me hand, he simply be ta stubborn ta speak ta me... prolly on account I be human."

"As I am sure tha it not be on account he is NOT able... after all, one would thin tha nothin be beyond tha power o Thunder."

As Fae continues to speak, her one hand caresses the haft of the axe as if to add more proof to the words she spoke.

"I know it be a simple misunderstandin between ye an Thunder as ta what be happenin. After all, I know I would be a wee bit tiffed were I Thunder an found meself in tha hands o goblins."

Faewen'il then sighs for effect.

"I guess ye will have ta tell him o tha thins ye asked me ta get far him as a surprise ta show how much ye care far him an all... tha nice new belt with his name embossed on it far him ta hang from... tha special oil in order ta cleanse tha greenskin filth from his haft."

Gronk slowly approaches Fae, his eyes locked on Thunder. He reaches out to take back Thunder, acting as if he is not even aware of Fae's presence. He holds Thunder closely to his chest as he begins to speak:

"It be da truth. I be doin' alls I could ta get ya back. Da 'ought o' ya in da hands o' 'em greenskins were killin' me. I'm sorry it be takin' me so long ta gets ya back. I...I..."

At this point Gronk's body is racked with sobs. He sits down, still holding Thunder close to him, oblivious to his surroundings. After several minutes the sobbing slows and he begins to speak quietly and gently to Thunder in dwarven. Fae is able to pick up enough to know that he is again asking for forgiveness and pledging his loyalty to Thunder. He then begins to sing a dwarvish love song. Surprisingly the tune is sweet and there is no hint of the harshness normally heard in his voice. As he continues to sing, Gronk stands and leaves Fae's tent.

Fae watches the dwarf leave the tent, shaking her head as she does so. Had anyone been there to observe her, they would have noted a smirk that briefly crossed her face and just a glint of humor in her eyes.

She felt some small amount of pity for people whose ego's bent to the will of sentient weapons. Thunder seemed no better or no worse than Petr or Davros. She made a brief mental note to herself to remember to go with the dwarf to purchase Thunder's presents when next they went to town.

Those still outside see Gronk emerge from Fae's tent clinging to Thunder. He then proceeds to walk around the outskirts of the camp, continuing his singing. After about 30 minutes he makes his way back to his tent and shortly thereafter his singing is replaced with the sounds of his snoring.

As the others head off to sleep and first watch is set, Jihan and Bennett make their ways to the fire, cloaks pulled tightly about them. Hunkering down into a crouch, the elf prods the embers with a piece of tinder, adding another log and watching as the sparks fly up only to die in the cold night air.

As they sit down to watch, they notice Bennett with a faraway look in his eye. He does not acknowledge his comrade, and his silence through the last day or so is quite unusual. He seems lost in thought, but takes notice when Jihan addresses him directly.

"You were right about them, Bennett..." Jihan says rather abruptly. "The mages I mean. On the night before our spectacle in the Square in Pardubitze, I did a stupid thing. I went to speak with Petr alone, to see what I could learn about him, and ask for some thing..."

Bennett looks with interest at Jihan's revelation, perhaps the first thing he has taken an interest in since leaving Vysoke Myto.

Just what things are lost to his thoughts as the elf again prods the fire, craning his head to the passage of rising embers.

Bennett waits patiently for Jihan to continue.

"You would've been proud to see me there, brother. I.. I realized a thing that night. That I do not help the rebellion much by just following along and occasionally stapling one of my feet to the ground. Bohavia can only get what WE give it, the people can only benefit from EFFORTS, wasted or not. I said these things to Petr, perhaps a little rashly when I failed to convince him with sly words. Do you know what it is like to stare across a room at a man you know can evaporate you in an instant, and tell that man that he is nothing if he is not DOING something? HELPING people? To stare death in the face like that, a death you cannot fight against with blades nor protect yourself with armor... To stare at it and.. Disregard it, for mothers and children you have never met, but who suffer. For fathers and sons who toil only to have the joy stripped from their lives by fiends..."

Bennett nods, grimly smiling, but says nothing.

"What have I become..." he exhales to the stars, his head turned skyward. Sighing and poking at the fire again, Jihan stares into the flames as seeing far away.

"I made a decision that night.. to be more than just some bloody tool Bohavia uses blindly, but to bring sight back to Her eyes. Your parents were in trade were they not? How do you feel about establishing an empire?"

Bennett looks quizzically at Jihan:

"I am not sure what you're going for here, Jihan?

As Jihan is pulled from the discussion by something he spots, Bennett jumps up to warn the others, interjecting before he does:

"I am interested in what you have to say, Jihan. Perhaps when we have more time, we can discuss it further?"

As Bennett runs round to each tents in order to rouse everyone, Jihan throws snow onto the fire in order to extinguish its dying embers and then runs from the camp, throwing himself against the ground in amongst some bushes, scanning the horizon carefully.

"What's going on?" asks Winnacer, trying to wake up quickly after being aroused from his sleep.

"Jihan's spotted a company of worgriders heading in this direction," Bennett replies.

He then runs off towards where Jihan is lying watching the Nyemetz patrol. Winnacer and the Padre also quietly run up to see what is approaching.

They all watch the worgriders for several minutes. It takes a while for them to see the Nyemetz, as they are still over a mile away and it was only the elf's keen eyesight that enabled them to be seen at such a far distance. They continue to watch them for five minutes as the worgriders slowly get closer. They are not moving very fast and the goblins are chatting amongst themselves as they ride their lupine mounts through the snow.

After another couple of minutes, the group observes the orc sargeant, who is mounted on a dire wolf, start to wheel the company round and it becomes obvious to all that they have not spotted the party's camp, but are rather simply performing a regular patrol in the area surrounding Trebova.

Winnacer looks a little relieved as he sees that the patrol is not headed towards them. He looks at everyone:

"Well that's quite a relief. Shall we simply go back to our tents or does anyone have a particular desire to give the worgriders a seeing to?"

Winnacer looks out at the worg patrol in silence. With a quick look at Faewen'il and a thought about the problem the wagon has already given them, a thought enters his head:

"You know, maybe we should move closer to the worgriders. Trying an elaborate deception may be a difficult and costly way to go about this. Perhaps the path of least resistance would yield the best results?"

Winnacer looks at Faewen'il:

"Would it be possible to requisition the worg patrol as an escort for a Witchfinder? We certainly have the magical means to ensure that the leader will go along with it, but it would be interesting if we can get their help without resorting to magery."

"I was thinking if we can get a full escort, we could just march out to the Temple of Nemotz and demand to speak with the hierarchy, saying we have need for some scourge or so forth. With a full contingent of worgriders accompanying us, they would be hard pressed to imagine we were not what we seem. It would also give us quite a number of men and mounts to fight for us when it comes to that, troops whose fates will not besmirch our collective consciousnesses with their deaths."

"The details again need to be worked out. But with a stealthy interrogation of Nemotz guards before making our entrance, we could have the majority of the information needed to cobble together a decent story for being there, along with a perfect disguise and a unit of troops at our disposal."

Winnacer pauses.

"Although I will admit that it may be not be worth it, considering we would have to travel with the orcs for several days. And we'd have to keep our tempers in check the entire time. And we'd have to look like hired arms in service of Witchfinder Faewen'il. If our egos, and elven ears, could be hidden for several days, we may have found a key to enter the Laboratory."

Faewen'il, still looking tired from the night before thinks about Winnacer's words for only a second before speaking:

"No."

She takes a quick breath and then explains herself:

"Part o me agreement with tha Witchfinder General be tha I be aware o conflicts o interest. Iffen we war ta masquerade as ye suggest an then tha temple suddenly be ransacked, thar would be suspicions raised... an this disguise be ta fresh for such thins as that."

"However.... sar Xavier was seen ta be me escort, an it would na raise suspicions iffen I was ta approach them with just Xavier an ask far escort. Tha way, ye can travel without worryin about those worgs... .though thar is bound ta be another patrol soon enough."

"It'd probably be better just to let them go then, unless anybody wanted to see about anything in Trebova," Jihan pipes up.

"If they're heading back and we can't pull this off without compromising your new identity," he continues, nodding towards Fae, "then there's nothing really to gain by separating again. Best just let them be on their way."

"Your plans are getting wackier all the time," says Yaz, looking at Winnacer with a sly grin. "That's a good sign."

He continues:

"I agree with Maire' that I don't think we should rely on this Witchfinder thing too much. Without a bunch of really great disguises, the bunch of us stand out like a green leaf in winter... not by our faces, but by our races and number. Together, we'll be recognized instantly. Being seen with one Witchfinder -- and free, not all tied up -- will wreck Maire's disguise in a second."

"It's less risky to let them be. We'll find another way in to the Lab when we get there."

Winnacer smiles at Yaz, or perhaps it would be better called a smirk:

"Well, it wouldn't be so much of a problem if we were to do what Bennett suggested, which would be to put some of us in cages. Perhaps we could 'gift' the elven members of the party to the Nemotz. That would keep up with the story we were looking to portray."

Winnacer is absolutely grinning, in a way certainly unfamiliar to Yaz.

"Aye, let 'em be fer now," the Padre says. "But now tha' I'm up, when's m'watch?"

Turning to Winnacer, Kokal says:

"Mebbe we can take our turns together, milord?"

With the decision having been made not to tempt fate by contacting the worgriders, they all continue to watch them for twenty minutes until they are certain that the worgriders are simply on a regular nighttime patrol around the fortified town and are unlikely to be returning during the night.

"Mmm," Kokal grunts knowingly. "Nothin' unusual in that ... at not since ye all showed up in Pardubitze. They'll not likely come any farther out than that if we don' give 'em reason."

With Winnacer and the Padre now up and awake, they decide to take the next watch while Bennett takes to his tent, and Jihan spends a while in reverie.

After letting enough time pass that the Padre and Winnacer are the only ones around to possibly hear him, Kokal says quietly to the LawBringer:

"What kin ye tell me o'th' magess? Seein' tha' costume she's got now 'akes me see nothin' but evil if I look at 'er. An' with Xavier seemin' so close t'er now ... so close t' what?"

"I do not know what t'see."

Winnacer looks upon the hard features of the Padre as the fire flickers across his face and sucks a breath slowly through his teeth. Winnacer's face grows sad as he starts to respond in a low voice:

"There really is not much to tell that is not self evident or already been discussed. Unfortunately, none of that really helps any in understanding what's happening with her."

"She has always been strong of will and searing of tongue, even at the beginning when she was starry-eyed and naive. She scolded the Fellowship quite often, but generally tried to work with us. This was quite shortlived."

"Upon our exploration of Boscobelous' Tower, she became possessed by the spirit of Boscobelous. He now shares her mind, but I could not explain how exactly. I would imagine that he is using her as a vessel for travel and altering her subtly to keep up at arm's length so that he will remain safe aboard her. This behavior is strikingly similar to how she's been all along, but it is more prominent now."

"She is extremely stubborn on top of all that. Her stubbornness and general refusal to seek the aid of others, especially us, have caused her quite a bit of harm, with her rape being the highest example of this. She takes many chances when she employs her powers, and that was one of the first times she was caught."

"Mix into this her increasing powers and you get a better picture of how volatile Faewen'il truly is. In many ways, she has been a great asset to the group, bending the rules that nature applies on you and I to further the cause. But be sure that she has her own agenda, and that the motivations of the rebellion do not always run parallel to her desires. Thirty-seven of our men died because she refused to help us in the way most needed, getting them into position secretly. She certainly has the power to have done just that through illusion or invisibility, but she did not despite appeals to her. And now she is the Witchfinder Deputy of Pardubitze, without a tear shed for the lives lost. Makes me suspicious that we were set up a bit more than we would like to admit, whether it be through conscious intent or Boscobelous' influence."

"As for Xavier and the lass, I know not what to make of it. I'll be certain to ask him when our needs are not as pressing. But I would not be surprised if more than just words passed between the two while they were holed up in Parbuditze. Xavier is a knight to the core, and would not be the first to find himself entangled by the affections of a maiden, be it a sorcerous one or not."

"What there is to do about any of this is hard to decide. I think that sitting low and patiently trying to guide the rest of them in the right direction is the best I can do right now. Leading by example certainly will not work and it seems that faith and trust for many of our companions comes packaged in who can provide the greatest in the way of service. But you and I know of faith, and I have faith that this will find a resolution and that we will again find ourselves back on a righteous path."