A New Beginning For Dobroushka

After the fate of Baltzarek and his henchmen has been sealed (literally), the majority of the townspeople leave the temple where they start milling around outside in anguish as the sun slowly sets in the sky.

Seeing their inner pain, Winnacer starts to speak to them:

"People of Dobrouskha...I find it hard to find the right words...I am truly sorry. As strangers we have come to your village and uncovered a truth whose pain is difficult to comprehend. Today may be the day of your emancipation, but it certainly is a day devoid of joy. My heart fills with sorrow, as I have realized that there is little I can do to dull the emotional agony that our delving has caused. Justice has been served, but even that cannot balance out the generations of pain and loss suffered at the hands of Smurt. I wish that there could be some way that we can help Dobroushka overcome this, but I'm not quite sure that I know how that could be done."

"Today's events shall radically alter the dynamics of your village, another thing that our coming has forced upon you. Your way of life for seventeen generations came to a sudden halt today, and there is no new plan for tomorrow. Again, here our help can be only limited. Some of us may choose to remain behind for a short while, but the truth is that our calling must take us away to free the rest of Bohavia from the evils that bind it. If there are any services we can provide in helping to establish a new order, we will be glad to help."

"Also, your years of isolation have come crashing to a halt. As a village, you will have to enter back into the continuum of Bohavian life and play your role in the larger picture of the country, whether you wish to or not. We can ease this for you by introducing you to some of the other nearby villages, perhaps giving you the opportunity to repair your village with the gold that belongs to your ancestors. But this too is a choice you must make."

"Also, I would hope that your village's patron deity has fallen heavily from favor. A new patron deity may be desired to look over your village and provide for you. While we cannot make the decision for you, we can help introduce those who feel the need to fill the religious vacuum to the appropriate clergies to receive adequate training. We can also request that some missionaries spend some time with you, helping you ease the transition into your new way of life. I myself am quite partial to Spravedelna, the Mistress of Justice, my colleagues can expound on the virtues of the other deities with fervor."

"Finally, you must also decide whether to remain here or not. With the generations of stolen wealth to be returned to all of you, you can afford to leave this place and start new lives. If this is so, we will be able to escort you part of the way, for Bohavia is not the safest of places. But we will need to know this soon, for the cries of the oppressed keep us from lingering any one place too long."

"Please let us know how we can help you all get through this difficult time. For Justice punishes the guilty and does its best to restore the wronged."

The villagers stand and listen patiently to Winnacer's speech. After the young lord has finished, Karel begins to speak. Having handed his son to his sister in order to sing him to sleep, it is obvious that Karel is now highly bitter about the whole experience.

"Speak not to us of gods, stranger" he says, bitterly. "While I have nothing but respect and gratitude for you and your comrades for exposing the sins of Baltzarek and his forefathers, I have not the same regard for any of your gods. I am sure that you will tell us that your gods are all-seeing, all-powerful. If this is the case, then why did they simply sit back and watch from above while the people of Dobroushka suffered in misery for half a millennium? We were taught that Smurt was watching over us and protecting us from the evils of the Tower when the true evil was amongst us. Is it really too much for us to ask for that one of the almighty gods could not have alerted us to this?"

"I have never had any love of Smurt and only obeyed the commands of Baltzarek as I thought that they would save me and my neighbors from the horrors of undeath. To the end of my days I will blame myself for not having the courage of my convictions to question the wisdom of slavishly following tradition. Why would I now wish to put my faith behind a god that has done nothing for me in the past? Why would I leave myself open for others to manipulate me in the same way as Baltzarek did?"

The other villagers all begin to nod in agreement at Karel's words. Lukash takes off his black velvet robes of Smurt and tosses them to the ground:

"I agree with Karel. I have been duped into following a god that served only as a screen for the evil intentions of these men. I will never let myself be influenced by holy men again."

Bennettis the first to reply to this:

"The right to choose is yours, good people. Indeed the very existence of this village and the atrocities of this Baltzarek are proof that these gods care little or nothing for men unless paid tribute or served by them. To them we must be little more than slaves or domestic animals, just as the goblinoid races are to us. Strive to find your own existence without leash or tether to any "superior being" and you will be better off for it."

Jihan, however, begs to differ:

"The gods are not all-powerful," he begins, "they each vie for space among those available willing to put faith in them, and each handle only the calling of their domains. Smurt is not a god of protecting, nor are his ways, but for within the realm of death. Even then, more often than not, evil men seek to hide themselves behind the mask of such a religion, to give them the upper hand on those around them."

"I will not ask you to fall to your knees and begin worship of any god, not now, nor ever. All I will tell you is this: a god is more than just some supernatural being, a god is a way of thinking and doing. In this way, all brothers and sisters are godlike, because we can make the choice to follow any path before us. When Winn here speaks of Spravedelna, much of what he is talking about is in following the path of law and justice, for what is a god without ways? My brother Will was raised in a temple of Kitry, and was taught the value of knowledge in all its forms. He was not told that Kitry could solve all of his problems, nor protect him from darkness with a hand from the heavens. He was taught to use his head... to think and choose to live a life that was pure and good. Yaz here, and I, both were raised under the ways of the Lady Prirodna, that of life and all its cycles. We were never told that she would step down off the clouds and right all the wrongs of the world. No, we were taught the values that were the ways of her domain, and have followed them to the best of our abilities. In these past few weeks, I have seen that there is more to living that there is in the simple, yet massive in scope cycles that Prirodna maintains. We are thinking beings, and as such must know how to organize our thoughts and learn from our mistakes. We live in a society and so must know what to do to keep it running smoothly, with all the rights and privileges of the individual being a part of the whole. In this do I find a triumvirate in the gods: Prirodna, for life and living, Kitry, for thinking and remembering, and Spravedelna, for doing what is just and true. These things, I believe, are the most important for us to live by today. But call it as you will, for these gods and goddesses are as dependent on us as we are on them. They are merely the framework for our thoughts, and yet the culmination of all such thoughts by all beings everywhere. They are uniquely immense in their own respect, yet deceptively simple and elegant in the truths they embody. When Yaz calls out to Prirodna to grant him Her blessings, he is really calling out to all of nature... To all living things and the power that drives them... When Konan of Kitry in Hradetz Kralovye calls out for the blessings of his god, he calls out to all the past thoughts and future ones of generations to guide him. Just because Yaz calls these things Prirodna and Konan calls them Kitry does not make them any less powerful, or true. So think hard, people of Dobroushka, before you say that you are abandoning gods here this day, because they are a part of you that is not so easily refused. They are the archetypes that are living, growing, decaying, dying and all the thoughts in between. Your experience with Baltzarek and Smurt no doubt throws you into denial and twists your thoughts on such things to confusion and hatred, but you will continue to live your lives and make your decisions as you will, and some of these may just be called Prirodna-like, or Spravedelna-like."

"The true power of a god or goddess comes from his or her followers. If more people lived by the ways of Spravedelna, the world would know more justice. If more people respected the ways of Prirodna, we would not have to worry so much about animals disappearing and Her resources being butchered and drained. If more people followed Kitry's ways, and thought more about things, and knew more, we would not face so many dilemmas and enigmas. When you say you worship either, you are not saying that any of them personally follows you around because you wear their symbol. You are putting faith in the fact that the way of thinking and doing of this god or goddess is RIGHT and TRUE. You have not followed Smurt. You have never thought that his ways could help your or enrich your lives beyond the immediacy of the dangers surrounding you. Yours was a torturous necessity of survival. Do not believe that the ways of all other gods are so shallow because of this. You think, you act, you live. These are the three things that make up existence for us these days, and so do I follow three ways to better accomplish each."

Karel nods as he listens to Jihan's long speech, and then replies to him:

"Your words are not without merit, yet I, nor I would imagine, the rest of the villagers, can decide here and now which god provides the solution to our problems. We have all learned the mistake of slavishly following one god in the hope that he or she will answer all of our prayers immediately. I cannot say here and now that I wish to follow the rules of any god. Yet perhaps my mind will change over time. Only when I hear the teachings of a god that speaks to my heart and makes me WANT to believe shall I take that god and call him mine."

"This, as ever, is all I ever ask: think on my words," replies Jihan. "The solutions you find to the problems you have may lie on the path of some god or goddess, or no one at all. Following the way that I speak is not a thing to happen overnight, and it may be that it will go on over generations. You will LIVE your god or goddess, and perhaps he or she will not have a name. Perhaps it will. Mine has three. You are a good man, Karel, and your people are good. You will find your path, some day. Just remember that there ARE paths... that the world is not just a trackless wilderness out there to do away with you. Some lead to darkness and despair... some towards happiness and joy. Your path is your own, and your life is your path."

With a clap on the man's shoulder, the elf looks him in the eye, and whispers:

"You will find it..."

Yaz is surprised by Jihan's first words, then impatiently waits for Jihan to finish, while fidgeting and starting to speak several times then cutting himself off as he realizes the elf's not done. In the interest of truth, he eventually pipes up:

"Um, although Jihan and I both claim to worship a god, the same god, Prirodna... it seems we are actually followers of two very different, if not opposite... what did you call them?... 'religions'..."

"The first thing is, gods like Smurt and Blesk are but minor deities, lesser powers in Prirodna's realm. Prirodna is goddess of nature and of trees and of Life... Smurt, death... part of the natural order set in place by my Lady... Blesk, storms... natural events that happen as part of the weather, also governed by Her."

"Smurt probably has his reasons for giving powers to rapers of innocents like Baltzarek... but you can't say his faith was only a mask... His powers are real, given him by a real god. That 'religion' of his, now maybe that's a mask... since it was created by him and so doesn't have any power. But Smurt's real, and Baltzarek is a channeler of his power."

"I am a vessel of Prirodna's gifts... I protect the forests and all things natural. Or try to. But despite what Jihan says, the gods are out there, they are part of reality, and they remain part of reality whether anyone believes in them or not. They don't have anything to do with ways of thinking and doing... they exist, and it's as simple as that."

"You can choose to accept them or reject them, but if you think you can create one just for you, that will conform to your own ideas of what a god should be like, you're kidding yourself. There's no power in just raw belief. Supernatural power comes from supernatural beings, not from ways of thinking and doing."

Listening to the druid's words, the elf's features do not waver, as he is still feeling a little bit miffed from the outbursts before. And yet he maintains his silence for the moment.

"It's true that gods have ways," continues Yaz, "suggestions, precepts that dictate how their followers should behave... but no god depends on these ways for his existence. A god without ways is still a god. The ways of the followers do not define the deity... they're only characteristics, or reflections of the character of the god."

"And as for being taught... I was never taught the ways of Prirodna, except by Prirodna Herself. Jihan, he had specific training in what he calls the 'religion' of Prirodna... but all I know is Her reality, her character, and Her power. He confuses me sometimes..."

Yaz looks toward Jihan and shakes his head:

"No, Jihan... we are quite different. I am no lunatic. I call out to Prirodna, a god and a person, not to all of nature. If I'm kidding myself, maybe someone can let me know... but it seems like the powers She grants me are real, which to me is proof in itself."

"Believe what you want, Dobroushka... but hardcore god-reality and stupid religion are two very different things. Get 'em straight before you choose."

After Yaz has said his piece, Jihan finally uncrosses his arm and stops tapping his foot. Then he inhales deeply and begins speaking:

"Let's get this straight, who cares about supernatural powers here? I'm not debating their reality, as I've seen them applied amply in my time. They certainly had something to do with what happened here, but it was the beliefs, the values and the resulting actions thereof that determined how things turned out for these people. They are not seeking powers, they are seeking a new way of life so that they can get on with living."

"First off, I did not say that the god's did not exist physically and independently, only that they do not so often choose to personally intervene in matters as much as many people would like. The gods help those who help themselves... Ever hear that? A cry from the faithless, some might say, but true nonetheless. Just because Spravedelna exists and is the definition of justice and law doesn't mean that these things will be carried out. It is only if people follow Her ways that there will be results. What is more important to the average man?... a man who can't call upon the blessings that you seem to take for granted... That the god exists or the path he chooses to follow? Does it matter so much to someone out in the woods that there is a pathmaker when they find a trail to walk on? The god has no direct affect on his life, only HIS choice to act a certain way does. If the man holds it in his heart that his actions are right or necessary, then they are carried out. He may choose to follow the path of a certain god in them, he may not. The gods decided long ago not to personally interfere in the affairs of their followers, and I'm not just talking spells and blessings, but direct common man faith affirming cloud-walking, because of the utter chaos and turmoil that would follow. We are the instruments of their wills here on this worldsrealm, in our thoughts and actions. If there weren't people like you or I out there to defend the forests, do you think that Prirodna herself would stop them from being cut down? No. Why would there be the need to defend them? Not wanting something to happen doesn't make it so. They'd be lying there in piles, to be burned or processed however you please... You used to speak so much about Her 'helpless forests' and Her 'innocent children' that I figured you'd know that."

"You think I don't know what a god is? I know that they exist, and that denying that this is true does nothing to affect this, and yet memory is a fickle thing. There is a difference between denying and forgetting. Denial implies a refusal to accept, while forgetting is a loss of knowledge... the passage of it from beyond the mind and into the void. If their ways are forgotten, then what is a god? Just another supernatural power out there determining how a certain set of things turns out as they please. They can speak directly to a person, though this begins to violate their ancient vow, to reteach their faith, but it is up to the person to decide whether or not he or she follows the words. If the gods took away our free-will, then we'd be little more than puppets for their own maneuverings. No, my brother, there is more to a god than just accepting that they are there."

Pausing here to see if the man is still listening, the elf shakes his head, and continues regardless:

"Am I boring you again? If I can't say what needs to be said in one swear-filled grunting sentence, does it lose its value? Well, I don't really care. I'll talk to a rock if no one else gives a shit about what I say. A god is more than just some arbitrary being that exists off somewhere beyond the ken of mortals. They put us here and gave us the will to chose whatever path we so wish. We can choose to forget about them as much as we can choose to honor and worship them. You can prattle on all you want about how you found the Lady all by yourself out in the woods, and that doesn't mean a rat's ass to those listening unless they share in your belief. No matter where you say you get your abilities, She IS all of nature... I guess it really depends on perspective, but a god to me is not just some limitless source of power from which to draw out and solve my problems. That may be the reality of it, but in all the millenia of existence by thinking beings able to use such powers, there have arisen certain thoughts and values specifically from the usage... so much so that the use of power has been diminished in need because they are no longer necessary to provoke such thoughts. By saying that I choose to follow a god, I am saying that I choose to live a certain way. The last thing that these people need to hear about is that gods are fickle, uncaring and yet awesomely powerful beings who dole out powers to those that have the ability to us them at their own discretion. How's that going to help them get back to living normally and happily? It might make them fear and despise any other priests they come across, and make them more paranoid than they already need to be, but it's not going to get these hearts mended or these souls unblackened. Even the power of a god cannot change someone's mind when a choice has been made, as Konan amply demonstrated to us with Darius. It is up to the person to make the right choice. I believe that following a way of thinking and living, a religion if you want to call it that, is one of the better ways to make the right choices. Yes, I was 'trained' if you wish, or perhaps just brought up under Prirodna's ways, but it turns out that the way I have chosen to live happens to lie within the province of three gods. Prirodna was the initiator, from which all life arises. She is the All-Mother from which all things were born. She set in motion the cycles that are living and dying, as she did those of all natural things on this worldsrealm. But then she let them run and continue as they would. Other gods chose to take such as their own specific provinces... to dabble a finger in and push things here and there by granting powers and inspiring certain thoughts with them by rewarding ways of thinking with blessings and interventions. From this arose 'religion' as others sought to spread these words that so rewarded them, and just how and what arose depended on the philanthropic or personal desires of the individual. When you use Prirodna's blessings, you work to rebalance and readjust the cycles to normal, while the others push them in other directions. Spravedelna and Kitry came when they saw much more wild and chaotic cycles, those free of constraint, in the thoughts of thinking creatures. From them arose Knowledge and Justice, each depending in part on the other. You think, you act, you live. This is our way. Other creatures live and act. It is THOUGHT here that we are worried about, and the direction of it, not whether or not there are magical bogey men out there that can make your skin peel off with a wave of a finger. Religion... faith... action... thought... all tie together, in abundance or lack. Perhaps one will arise here who can employ the blessings of a certain god or goddess because of these beliefs, but that will come as it may, and is beyond our hands."

Karel continues speaking with Winnacer and the rest of the party:

"You are right in that we need to consider the future of this village now. When you spoke to us, you mentioned that there are more evils within Bohavia that need your attention and that the country is not safe. Of what evils and danger do you speak?"

Upon hearing Karel's words, Winnacer realizes that Dobroushka has been trapped in a time-warp, in that they know nothing of the events of the past 500 years, and definitely nothing about the Nyemetz invasion. He spends almost an hour giving them a history lesson and telling them all about the Nyemetz and how they hold the rest of the country in their iron grip. The villagers look aghast at the news and chat amongst themselves excitedly. After several minutes of debate, Karel speaks to you once more:

"It would seem as if Dobroushka's isolation has gone from being a curse to a blessing as a result of your actions, as it would appear that Dobroushka is the one village in Bohavia that is free from Nyemetz oppression. This news seals our decision regarding whether or not to abandon this village and all of its sad memories. After the events to which we have been subjected to, I would not wish to swap living under Baltzarek's evil rule to living under a different type of evil. We shall remain here and rebuild our village and hope that none shall discover our village that may lead the Nyemetz to find us here."

"However, we shall need to rebuild this village after the centuries of neglect. We owe all of you strangers a great debt and have nothing to pay you with save for that which Baltzarek has hoarded over the centuries. Please, take of it what you wish so that we may consider the debt to have been repaid."

Bennett is the first to speak:

"Karel, would you be adverse to giving up some of the fine bottles from the wine cellar? For the cause of Bohavian freedom, of course!"

"Please take whatever you'd like." Karel replies. "Fine wines are of little use to us, and I would imagine that they might be difficult to sell in any case."

"All I would ask from you is a cart," Winnacer says. "We have many items to carry and our saddlebags alone will not be sufficient to carry them. In addition, I was looking through the stuff to see if anything seemed like a nice souvenir to remind me of the work that we accomplished here in Spravedelna's name and found the top of Baltzarek's mace which takes the form of a miniature silver skull. I would like to ask if I could take that as well."

"Be my guest" replies Karel. "The village has two carts and so we shall surely be able to spare you one. We should purchase a new one after we cash in the valuables that we have recovered from Baltzarek's lair."

Faewen'il returned to Baltzarek's chambers to have a look at the items that it contained. Here, it did not take her long to find the blue died fur cloak and a small bolt of fine green silk. With these two things in hand, she approaches Karel and the others.

"I know I be soundin a bit selfish, but I would like these two thins. Tha cloak will be helpin ta keep me warm now that tha cold months be comin upon us... me own cloak bein a bit worn with all me travels. Tha bolt o cloth I be usin ta make smallclothes with."

Karel smiles at her weakly, clasping his hand around hers onto the furcloak:

"Please, take it. The color suits you well and it is the least that you deserve for your participation in returning the children to us."

"We elves have become well accustomed to extremes of heat and cold from millennia out of doors," Jihan says to Faewen'il, "but this winter may be harsher than most... I managed to find one that is black and will blend in fairly well in shadowy settings, though the skulls picked out in silver thread will need to be taken off it before I would consider wearing it."

After the minor requests have been dealt with, Bennett speaks for the whole group as to what should become of the rest of Baltzarek's' possessions:

"Unless an emergency arises, we will take nothing from you, apart from the few minor items that we have already discussed, as all this is rightfully yours. Besides, we took plenty of value from the Tower. Any debt you owe to us for your liberation will be more than repaid by the knowledge that you live free, from the priests and the Nyemetz. I only hope that it remains so."

"However, I am sorry to say that we need some more assistance from you" continues Karel. "Fine art, furs, furniture, silver and gold might serve you well in your cities, but it serves us no good here. We need more practical goods such as horses, seeds, clothes, tools and building materials in order for us to rebuild our lives and I know not how to obtain them. I know not even where the nearest city is, nor do I know how much these items are worth. I would ask you to take me with you when you leave here so that I may take these trinkets and turn them into items which the village needs. Will you help me with this task?"

"Of course we will" replies Bennett. "Since some of us are heading to Holitze, you can be free to trade with them. They may be the only city in Bohavia that is free of Nyemetz influence right now, though hopefully more will follow."

Bennett then turns to Winnacer:

"Do the Holitzites have trade routes with any other town? I would imagine that the fine goods the priest had would fetch a nice price from the comfort seeking Nymetz. Thus we could use their own money against them. I don't know how practical that would be, but it's worth a try, huh?"

Winnacer agrees with Bennett (for once):

"Of course we shall. From here a number of us are to return to the town of Holitze, a small town recently liberated from the Nyemetz. Perhaps you can use their merchants as a middle man to get what you need. From Holitze we shall be also heading towards some of the larger cities, Hradetz and Parbubitze, if you wish to perhaps obtain some larger goods more directly. In this way we can help you, but you will need men at arms to make sure that your goods remain safe on the passage back, for we have many tasks left for us to tend to."

"I believe that Hradetz Kralovye would be a much better choice than Holitze" interrupts Jihan. "Holitze is a village only slightly larger than Dobroushka. I doubt whether there will be many there that either want or can afford goods as luxurious as those hoarded by Baltzarek. Perhaps we could put Karel in touch with Boris. I'm sure that Boris has a good network of fences that would easily be able to turn these items into useable cash to purchase Dobroushka's needs."

"That also reminds me of one last issue your village must address" adds Winnacer. "With your return to the time-line of Bohavia and the increased activity that your village shall have in its wake, your village will have to decide in what way you will defend itself. The purchase of weapons and training in those weapons should be high on your priority list, for many would take your freedom away if you are not willing to defend it. With the wealth you have recovered, you should be able to afford to obtain high quality weapons, horses, and perhaps even the necessary training."

"If you would not be opposed to having a few more fighters for Bohavia's freedom know where you exist" adds Jihan, "then yes, we can help you by giving you worthy contacts into this part of the country. There are good men and women within a short ride from this place that could help you immensely on all of the matters you have mentioned. And there are those who can help you learn to defend yourself now that the threat of the tower that kept you so isolated has fallen. It may take months for the news to spread, but for now, secrecy and time are on your side. I have inspected the items Baltzarek was keeping, and figure that you have enough wealth here to last you for many many months, once it has been converted into useful things for you. We have friends that are very good at such things though, so it should not be a problem. It all depends on whether or not you are willing to have your presence become known to a few others in this short time. I can personally assure you that there are others out there as trustworthy as us who can help you."

Karel's face is sad as he hears the words of Winnacer and Jihan:

"I was hoping that this village had seen enough of death and that we could live in peace from now on. What you said about the Nyemetz makes me realize that we can never relax and simply take our freedom for granted. I have no desire to fight, but I fear that we will have to in order to secure our village against potential invaders, although I hope that the fact that the village is still so unknown will provide us with a great deal of protection. None of us know anything about the ways of combat here. I fear that, even with the most powerful weapons that money can buy, it will still be a long time before we are able to protect ourselves properly."

It starts to get dark. The villagers have taken most of the foodstuffs from Baltzarek's larder and are starting to cook up a meal for their liberators. They offer the party the opportunity to stay either in the temple or in their own cottages should they not wish to stay inside the Death God's temple.

As all eat some of the food, a couple in their early forties nervously approaches the party. You see that there is still great sadness showing in their faces:

"Excuse me, good sirs" they stutter. "We are happy that the children have been recovered, but I wonder is you have any news about any of the others that were taken by the monsters? Our daughter, Marketa, would be 21 by now. She was not with those that were contained here."

Another couple, in their fifties probably, although they look a lot older, speak as well:

"And our son, Marek, he would be 25 now. Have you any ideas as to what his fate could be?"

Upon hearing the elderly couples speak, Will takes Winnacer to one side so that he can speak to him:

"Winnacer, I have been spending the last couple of hours looking through the ledgers that were on Baltzarek's writing table. He and his predecessors were conscientious in keeping records of all of their transactions."

He takes one of the large ledgers and flips through the pages, showing the pages of figures showing the income and expenditure recorded in great detail.

"It would appear that, for the past decade, Baltzarek has been dealing with a Silesian merchant from the city of Breslau by the name of Zbigniev Ceglarski. Every three months, it would appear that Ceglarski and his men have been crossing the mountains with a mule train and trading with Baltzarek. They meet at night a mile away from here and exchange goods. Baltzarek gives him all of the village's produce plus any of the children that have come of age, and in return he receives the luxury items that we saw were contained in Baltzarek's apartment. This explains why we only found children in the room. It is only once the children come of age that they are able to fetch their full value as slaves."

"Ceglarski's next rendezvous with Baltzarek is planned for 1 December. After that, there is a danger of the passes being closed through snow and so his visit after then will not be until March of next year."

"We need to know when those kids, and any others, got sold, and any hints there might be in the ledger to who bought them and where they were bound" replies Bennett. "Any hint would help us out. I seem to remember the group saying something about finding some other slavers right after I joined up, but I never did know what was going on and it seems to have been forgotten. Maybe these are the same guys?"

"Let me see if there is any information in the ledger that might help us" replies Will, looking through the brown pages of the thick book.

"Yes, there is a girl called Marketa that was sold to Ceglarski just over three years ago. And there is a mention of a guy called Marek some eight years ago."

He carries on looking through the book.

"It seems as if there were 12 villagers sold to Ceglarski over the past decade. It gives Ceglarski's address as being in Breslau."

"Well let's go and get them back then!" announces Bennett, rising to his feet and feeling for 'Retribution'.

"Not so fast, Bennett" says Winnacer. "Breslau is as far away from here as Mnyesto is, and there are the mountains to cross on the way. It would take us two weeks at least to get there and this is time that we haven't got right now. In addition, we don't know how good Ceglarski's records are. We could go all the way there without any guarantee of being able to find the missing villagers."

"Oh" replies Bennett, and promptly sits back down again.

Winnacer frowns as he turns to Karel:

"While I think that all of my companions here would like to take a part in bringing such scum to Justice and perhaps finding out how we could retrieve your lost loved ones, our ability to make promises like that is poor. Again, this is another reason to arm yourselves, perhaps posing as Baltzarak himself to draw Ceglarski close, and then ambushing him with weapons brandished. If we can, we will make an effort to await Ceglarski's return. But the onus of responsibility of dealing with Ceglarski lies upon your shoulders, and you have a couple of months to make your preparations."

Jihan sadly shakes his head at these revelations, but can offer no more reassurance than Winn can on the matter.

"Our hands are tied on this, at the very least until we can make contact with this Ceglarski whom Baltzarek was dealing with... I knew such treachery was within that dark man's intentions..." he says almost as an aside to himself.

"I cannot make any concrete promises, as winter is coming and we are needed in many places over the country at the moment. December is still a ways away yet, so perhaps we can give you more aid then, but for now, as much as I know it pains you, and me inside, there is little we can do for your lost loved ones but hope for their wellbeing."

Saddened by this, and his own words on the matter, the elf cannot help but have his eyes grow moist.

"I'm sorry..." he mutters before turning away for the warmth of a fire.

Karel shakes his head as he hears your words:

"I do not blame you for not being able to help us in being able to help find our remaining lost children. Our gratitude to you for what you have done is already total. However, for the sake of our neighbors, I cannot just sit back in the knowledge that their kin are sentenced to slavery in a foreign land. I believe that I shall have to use some of the money from the sale of Baltzarek's stolen goods in order to hire a number of men at arms in order to get the slaves back and also provide protection for the village in future, in case there may be reprisals."