Separate Ways

As it coincided with the finding of the secret rooms, the return of Bennett and Xavier went almost unheeded by the others. As they settle down to dinner, Bennett motions toward the deep wound in his side, which is half-assedly bandaged at best.

"Hey, Yaz, when you get a chance?"

Yaz looks at the bad wound and shakes his head with mock annoyance:

"What did I tell you about trying to stay away from sharp implements?" the druid asks. "I might just have well saved my breath. I'm afraid that both myself and the big, hairy guy are out of our healing juices for today, and so it will have to wait for tomorrow until I patch you up, AGAIN. In the meantime, let me fix that bandage."

While Yaz is laying herbs upon Bennett's wound, Winnacer speaks to him and Xavier:

"I haven't had a chance to speak to you since you returned. So what happened with Robert? Did you find him, or just decide that it wasn't worth it after all?"

Bennett seems to be a little evasive as he gives his reply:

"We recovered the loot, though we had to fight our way through a goblin patrol to do it."

Obviously, there is more to the story, but that's about all Bennett has to say about the matter.

Xavier, however, is a little more forthcoming. The Saxon bows his head respectfully to Winnacer:

"Fear not, that problem is no more. That scoundrel has paid for his betrayal. Your honor has been avenged!"

As the discussions continue, Bennett helps himself liberally to the vast array of delicacies brought from Baltzarek's chambers and laid before him. After drinking a couple of bottles of the wine, he then goes back down to the chambers and returns with a large grin on his face and another bottle of the brandy in his hand. He then returns to the exercise of drinking himself under the table.

While you are talking and dining, the villagers have been bringing up the goods contained in the chambers into the Temple so that they may be able to seal up the basement level totally. Bennett's eyes start to bulge as he sees the vast array of goods being laid out on the pews of the Temple:

"Seems like too much money for the small amount of grain produced in the village."

Will glances up from where he has been reading through the ledgers at Bennett's words:

"Not just grain, Bennett, slaves," he replies. "By waiting until they were 18, Baltzarek was able to get the maximum amount from the Silesians for the slaves. Also, as this ledger shows, Baltzarek was just the latest in a long line of High Priests that has been indulging in this secret trade, which goes back over many centuries. The books show that they had been averaging 1000 pieces of gold in revenue for the past 250 years. Even though it would appear that a big proportion of that disappeared inside their bellies, it easily explains how they were able to amass such a treasure trove."

"It is time that we had a final discussion about how we are to proceed from here" announces Winnacer at this point. "We have released the village from Baltzarek's evil and there is little else that we can do for them now as we have many more tasks to complete."

"Well I'm prepped up to head out with Yaz and Jihan for Hradetz, which it would seem has been delayed long enough" announces Bennett.

Bennett is particularly sad to leave Xavier, whom he has grown closest to among the group, but will assure them they will be gone only a short time and that they should be able to meet the other group in Holitze in two weeks. Bennett also wishes Xavier good luck with Sorrow and hopes it serves him well.

Winnacer restates his intention:

"I must journey to Holitze to return the body of Kesryk to the villagers there. If the villagers tell me that the body is to remain there, I will pay my respects and head for the fur farm, to return afterwards to bring the gnomes to Parbubitze."

"If Kesryk's body needs to be brought to Parbubitze, I will journey there, perhaps escorting Will most of the way to Hradetz. From there I will make my way back to Hradetz and then the fur farm, although I have a bit to do in Parbubitze."

Faewen'il then surprises the rest of them by adding her input into the debate. Her voice is somewhat edgy as she speaks; though it has been the most she has said to anyone since going into the tower.

"Thar be thins that we needs be doin a'fore winter's grip grabs us. We needs ta be returnin to Konan and we also needs be rescuin some gnomes in case ye forgot our word ta Heimlin. We also needs return Kesryk's body ta Holitze and be seein about puttin down tha fur farm's less than savory side o business. An ye also have added other trips in as well ta speak with priests an tha like."

"We canna be continuin ta add thins ta tha list we have."

"I have begun me study o tha spellbooks that I got from tha tower... they be thins in there that will aide in what we do far sure; but it will take me some time ta be learnin ta read all his script... until we be ready at our fullest, we needs ta take thins slower than we have been doin."

"Soon winter will be on us; an we will needs ta have a place ta bed down in. Even the Nyemetz slow thar activities in the cold months. We are nowhere's near being ready ta take tha fight to them in winter. Iffin ye think we look suspicious now when we be travellin about fully armed, thin of how we will look with a foot o snow on tha ground."

"Let us make our solid plans now and be stickin to them. Tha way I see it, we have ta return tha body far burial and then get to Konan with tha evil tome and our part o tha bargain about information on Boscobelous. Konan would then be able ta send priests ta get tha rest o tha books from tha tower. Noone will be going to such a place an we can tell Karel that tha books will be picked up by Kitrans."

"Tha gnomes should be our next priority after that iffin tha farm be taken care of."

Faewen'il adds with a sour expression on her face to show how she felt about the party splitting up; even though it got Bennett out of her face.

Faewen'il words trigger some thoughts in Winnacer's head:

"You make a really good point, Faewen'il. The Nyemetz are going to have a hard time of it come winter in pursuing us. The low hills out here are quite out of the way of Nyemetz influence, and we have a Tower at our disposal to rally a defensive force at. If we could convince the Dobrushkans to aid us financially, through purchase of foodstuffs and important sundries, perhaps we could pull off a very risky venture. A winter assault on the slave camps of Kutna Hora could really succeed, provided we have the massive supplies needed to relocate all of the gnomes to these hills. With the decrease in Nyemetz activity, it is possible it may go unnoticed for weeks and the harsh weather, with any luck, may cover our tracks for us. Something to think about anyway..."

"If we are to leave, then we should leave right away" adds Jihan. "Those of us going to the fur farm have already spent the limit of days we can attending to these other matters. I am ready to leave in the morning, or even now, if Bennett and Yaz are, though riding in the dark may be a bit much to handle. We will go through Hradetz, though we could perhaps save a couple of hours if we decided to go through Dvur, though this may be a little more difficult unless Viktor has men out that may recognize and aid us, and the guards at the gate there are a little more lax. I agree with Fae in that we must cement our plans soon, as things will get a lot more complicated once the first snows begin to fall. We will need a base of operations from which to strike out and defend ourselves, and we will need supplies to last us through it as well. We should have some time to think on these things as we travel, and when we rendezvous again. What say the rest of you on this?"

As the conversation concerning the plans for splitting the party in two continues, Bennett approaches Yaz by himself:

"Hey, man, I guess it's a good idea we're headed out on our own, huh? Personally, I need a break from all this Lord Winnacer and his travelling circus thing. For an old guy like Xav, serving someone else is all right, and all the rest of you have your magic or god or something, but I'm too young to write my ticket behind somebody else's. I need a change. Sounds like you do too."

It starts to get late, and Bennett and Xavier can hardly keep their eyes open any longer. The rest of them are tired as well. Outside of the Temple, it is getting pretty cold again outside.

"Rain tomorrow, by the look of it," says Yaz as he looks to the evening skies. "Just what we don't need if we're going to be traveling all day."

"Let us spend the night here with these people in the warmth and dry," says Winnacer. "Hopefully no one will stumble upon our camp during the night."

Jihan and Yaz leave the Temple in order to bring the horses inside the village so that they may be stabled for the night and then the party beds down for the night in the Temple.

 

27 OKTOBER 3460

The night goes without incident and they wake just after dawn so as to get as far as possible on their journeys during the day. Yaz's prediction about the weather is unfortunately true, as it starts to rain at almost exactly the same time that they wake. Both Hrust and Yaz depart from the Temple to walk outside the village in order to make their devotions.

Upon their return, they all sit down to a hearty breakfast provided by the grateful villagers and then Hrust casts a total of five healing spells upon the badly injured Bennett in order to bring him back up to full health. Yaz casts three upon Xavier bringing the Saxon up to full health as well.

While the healing rites are being performed, Jihan and Will mount their horses and return to camp, finding it as they left it the previous day. The two of them strike camp and then stow the tents onto the mules before bringing them, plus the horses and Min back to Dobroushka.

Upon arrival back to Dobroushka, they realize that they have more horses and mules than they need as they have an extra two mules and Kesryk's medium warhorse that were brought back by Winnacer on his last journey back to Holitze, plus there is the extra horse that was ridden in by Zsolt. The only loss in terms of horses, is Faewen'il's riding horse that was taken by Robert after making his escape, which was not returned.

So as to leave the villagers with some form of transport while the party takes one of the villagers' carts and Karel uses the other to take some of the luxury items to Hradetz, the party leaves them with the ox, tethering the two draft horses to the cart in its place. They also leave the two spare mules with the village as they are more of a hindrance to their progress than a help.

Throughout the morning, the villagers have been piling the other cart with as many of the items from Baltzarek's quarters as they can load upon the ox cart. Such is the amount of the goods hoarded by the Death Priest that only half of them can be fitted onto the cart, and so Karel takes all of the coinage and a cross-section of the other items, leaving the other items in storage until they may be needed at some time in the future.

Bennett looks at the huge amount of goods crammed onto the cart with alarm:

"We can't cart all this shit into Hradetz with us," he cries. "Hell, we're going to have enough trouble getting in there without a cartload of trade merchandise. That's why I suggested that the Holitzites might be better able to convert it, through trade network, into usable monies for Dobroushka. No rush in any case, as the Dobroushkites have plenty of liquid cash right now."

"It is true that we don't NEED to transfer these items into coinage now" replies Karel. "But sooner or later we will. I would rather perform the bulk of this work while I am in your company so that you can introduce me to your contacts in Hradetz Kralovye. As the elf said, there is little point in taking these goods to Holitze as they have no need for items such as these. I trust all of you, and so would ask for your protection in order to get these items to Hradetz as it will have to be done sooner or later and it makes an attractive target for brigands."

Along with Karel, Lukash the charmed acolyte is chosen to accompany him, as his mace and healing abilities could prove useful on the trip. Once everything has been made ready, all of the villagers crowd round the party members in the pouring rain in order to give them their final thanks and gratitude for all that the party has done for them and also to wish Karel and Lukash the best of luck on their journey and a swift return.

The party then says their final words to the villagers and heads off in the direction of their former camp, which is directly on the route to the ford. Winnacer is riding his heavy warhorse, which he has dubbed Nathan, the ancient High Bohavian word for 'gift', Xavier rides Barbarossa, while Bennett takes Kesryk's medium warhorse, as Maire' was left by Winnacer in Holitze when he picked up his new horse. Hrust rides on the wagon that is pulled by the two draft horses. The rest of them ride the riding horses. The two mules are to accompany the Holitze party and their saddlebags are loaded up with the tableware, unallocated magickal items and other heavy items that need to be turned into cash.

They make their way through the pouring rain until they reach the point where they made camp for the duration of the assault upon the Tower. Here they go to Kesryk's tomb and begin to pull away at the stones that covered the body of the deceased cleric. It doesn't take long before Kesryk's body is recovered. After a week in the cairn, it is not smelling too good, but they are able to mask the smell using some aromatic herbs that are donated by Karel from Baltzarek's horde. While they are here, Bennett spends quite a while kneeling before Zsolt's empty cairn, giving his last respects. Yaz performs the same actions before Viirin's cairn.

It is late morning by the time that they finally leave the campsite that was home for more than two weeks with its many memories, most of them sad ones, and they turn away heading for the ford.

As they journey southwards through the afternoon, progress is slow as they have to wait for the two slow carts to keep up with them. Because of the heavy rainfall during their journey, the laden carts constantly get stuck in the muddy ground and, on many occasions, they have to dismount and push the carts in order to get them unstuck. Luckily, the super-human strength that the 'Belt of Yaromir' gives to Winnacer means that it is not a difficult exercise to push the carts forwards, but the constant mounting and dismounting slows down the journey considerably.

As a result, it is getting dark by the time they finally reach the ford and by the time they have managed to push the carts through the ford, dusk has fallen. At around the same time, the rain mercifully stops falling.

"Although we are all anxious to carry on with our journeys" states Winnacer, "there seems little point in both parties carrying on for an hour and then making camp. We may as well all camp here together for the night and then set off again in our separate groups at dawn. In any case, you will be in Hradetz before nightfall tomorrow and so it makes little difference, although we will not be able to make Holitze in a day."

Winnacer's words make sense and so they set up camp together for one last time.

During the evening, they make their final arrangements for their temporary split. As regards the valuables, most of them will be taken by the Hradetz group so that they may be turned into something more transferable and portable than tableware and candleholders. The ready cash, however, consisting of 4900g.p. in gems and 980g.p. in coins (Robert having gone on a mad spending spree in the time that he was away) is split between the two groups in case the Hradetz group run into any major problems along the way and ends up losing everything.

There is some debate between Bennett and Winnacer concerning the three remaining doses of Granny's magick powder, with Bennett arguing that the Holitze group has Faewen'il with them and so has sufficient magickal support. Conversely, Winnacer argues that the Holitze group has the very real problem of having to move Hrust and the gnomes around, while the Hradetz group should be able to move around without attracting too much attention. Eventually it is decided that the Holitze group takes two doses of the powder and the Hradetz group, one.

Winnacer pulls Will aside for a quick chat:

"Well, Will it seems we are soon to part ways. You have proven yourself an admirable companion and a real asset to our cause. For your courage and your loyalty, I shall present you with this."

Winnacer unbelts 'The Educator' from his hip.

"To fight the unholy, I felt that I had need for such a blade. But against the Nyemetz, 'Old Bohavia' should suit me fine. And while such a fine blade might bring be great honor, only your upbringing will truly bring honor to such a sword. May you use it well."

Winnacer hands Will the sword.

Will takes 'The Educator' from the young lord with obvious gratitude, putting it gently into his scabbard in place of his regular longsword:

"You do me honor Lord Winnacer. I shall deliver the blade to Konan for further disposition. If he deems it so, then I shall wield The Educator with pride."

"While I have you here," continues Winnacer, "I do have a couple of requests. First off, you have spoken to Konan intimately in the past. I wish for you to tell him of our plans are forming around the liberation of Kutna Hora and to see what aid he can offer us, either in the approach with maps and other knowledge or with supplies to help the gnomes survive the winter and resettle. See what he knows of the Nyemetz patterns during the winter months, for perhaps if we can stand the cold we can truly paralyze them until spring."

"I am sure that Konan has some knowledge of possible ways that we could ensure the freeing of the gnomes in Kutna Hora and any possible weaknesses that the Nyemetz may have in winter that he has kept for just such an occasion," replies Will.

"I would like to be involved in that discussion, if Konan is willing" interrupts Bennett. "I know Kutna Hora fairly well, though I admit that the garrison information and such I have no knowledge of. As to prominent areas, though, I can probably be of help."

"If we are to part ways, then you take this scroll," continues Will.

Will fishes the scroll from Konan out of his things.

"Konan gave it to me as proof to any temple of Kitry that we fight for the cause. They will grant any aid they can if you need it. I am going to Konan, so I will not need it. You however may find use for it before we join forces again. I will also see if Konan can identify any of the objects that we have found."

Winnacer takes the scroll and then continues.

"I must also ask you to contact Boris. I had asked for him to set up a meeting with the number one of the Blue Dragons and am curious if it is still possible. Also find out any news about Dvur you can from him, especially the fate of Malek. Dvur had been severely weakened by our actions there, perhaps soon it will be time to act there."

"Consider it done" Will replies.

"Lastly I am to ask you something I really wish not to know" the young lord adds. "Our battle against the Nyemetz is beginning to cover too much ground for one band to handle. Our commitments are beginning to become overwhelming, so my thoughts go to Yiri. Having Yiri work in concert with us, striking targets distant from us, will give our rebellion an aura of all-pervasiveness that will make our task more credible to the people of Bohavia. It will also keep the Nyemetz from being able to reinforce themselves. I still wish not to know his exact locale, but how far away is he? Is it even feasible to think about meeting with the man now?"

"Yiri 's current location is many days travel from here through perilous terrain, my lord" Will replies. "But if it pleases my lord, when we once again join forces, we will hopefully be able to lay plans to meet with him."

"I wish you luck Will in your endevours and hope you and the others will soon meet up with us again" Winnacer finishes.

"I too wish you the very best of luck upon your journey, my lord" the bard responds. "May the gods grant you speed and success in your tasks."

Will bows to his knee in a grand sweeping gesture, then rises and goes about his preparations for the journey.

Winnacer leaves Will's company and places his old longsword back into its sheath, moving 'Old Bohavia' back into it's position of prominence. He then ties a cord to his unnamed sword, then fumbles through the remains of the silver longsword, which he stuff within a saddlebag.

"Perhaps this can be repaired" he thinks to himself doubtfully....

After erecting the tents, they prepare a last dinner together from the delicacies taken from Baltzarek's stores, washed down with several bottles of his fine wine. Although it should be a happy time, there is still quite a lot of bad feelings between them all following the conversations of the previous day and so conversation is fairly minimal. The sodden condition of the ground around them and the fact that it is pretty cold also means that there is not a party atmosphere during the evening.

During the evening, Winnacer looks over at Lukash who seems to be getting on very well with Karel. He then remembers that the former acolyte is still under Yaz's charm and that Robert was similarly friendly and co-operative while under the spell. The young lord wanders over to Yaz, and speaks:

"Yaz, is there any way that you could remove that charm from Lukash? It would be a tragedy if he was to go the same way as Robert after the spell expires."

"No can do, maestro..." replies Yaz. "Once the spell is cast, it is cast, and I cannot simply will it to stop. The charming spell is a powerful one but needs to be used in moderation, as it can lead to problems when it expires, so it's not usually a good idea to go around charming everyone that we meet. I don't have too many worries about Lukash, however. He is just a naive and gullible kid, not calculating or evil. I don't think that Karel will have any problems with him when the spell expires, as long as he takes care to explain what has happened in the interim."

Once the meal is finished, they all decide to turn into their tents. They are all tired after the difficult journey from Dobroushka and know that they all have to travel many more miles the following day in order to reach their destinations. A watch is organized and they all fall asleep.

 

28 OKTOBER 3460

They awaken early, so as to get on the road as quickly as possible. The clerics go off to make their morning devotions while Faewen'il reads through her spellbooks. They then all assemble for a final breakfast before departing.

Bennett watches Lukash and Karel check over the contents of the cart still with some alarm:

"We had enough trouble getting in last time alone. What we need to do is get someone in and contact Boris' people and have them smuggle this stuff in. I really don't think we can get past the Nyemetz guards as a group. Also added to that, Xavier and I got into it with a goblin patrol that surely was based here or retreated here, so that my face might be one they are looking out for. This will not be an easy task, getting in."

Jihan begs to disagree:

"But Hradetz is a mercantile city which is used to seeing goods flow through the gates constantly. Although they may charge taxes in order to get into the city, it is in the interests of the Nyemetz not to discourage traders from coming through Bohavia. I think that, if Karel and Lukash act as if they are Silesian merchants bringing their wares to market in Hradetz, then they should have little problem in passing through the gates, as they have nothing to hide from the Nyemetz."

"As for you, I think that it might not be a bad idea if you were to pretend to be their bodyguard. This will arouse less suspicion for all of us. If you are wanted by the guards of Hradetz, then they will not be expecting to see you in this guise."

Bennett indicates towards Jihan and Yaz:

"Didn't you two have some trouble with the Diamonds before our disguised rampage? If they are on the lookout for you two as well, we have even more trouble on our hands."

"That was over a month ago now" replies Jihan. "Since then, the Diamonds have probably seen half of their enterprises fall into the hands of the Dragons. I think that they will have more pressing problems to deal with other than keeping a dusk till dawn watch on all gates for Yaz and I."

The round of final farewells begins. Jihan is the first:

"As a whole, we are a powerful force for the good of Bohavia," the elf says to no one in particular. "Apart, I can only hope that we have as much success. I knew that this day would come, and yet, we will be back in each other's company soon enough. I will not say good bye... I will say good journey. Luck to you on your tasks in Pardubitze and Holitze, my friends. The time apart can only but strengthen our resolve when again we rejoin. Good journey to you all..." he says, and walks to each, clasping forearms in the manner of the Warders of old.

"I hope you find your place here, Hrust my brother," he says when he approaches the shaman. "You are a good man, as worthy as any I have met, and an asset to your friends and our cause. I wish you all luck in finding your path, should I not see you again..."

"I'll miss you too, you big hairy bastard," adds Bennett.

He then remembers that Hurst has been learning Bohavian and quickly shuts up, hoping that Hurst doesn't slap him silly. Luckily, Hrust either doesn't understand or has come to understand Bennett's unique use of language.

"We will have plenty of time during the winter months to talk of faiths and homelands, my brothers," Jihan continues to Winn and Xavier with a small smile. "And perhaps we will not fall to each others throats as we have been wont to these days..."

Lastly turning to Fae, the elf looks deep into her eyes, searchingly, and is unsure of what he sees there.

"Take good care of these brutes, my lady," he says quietly, "and don't take any lip from them. Perhaps the winter months can find us all some release from the darkness of this past month... Take care..."

Wanting to say more, but realizing that now is not the time or place to start agonizing over past awkwardnesses, he gracefully takes her hand and gently places his lips upon it.

Once all the other farewells have been said, he addresses the matter of a rendezvous point:

"If the Fur Farm falls to us within a few days, then we will return to rest a little in Hradetz. I want to talk with Boris and Konan about some things any way. I will see if he can get you a contact in the south to relay information back up to him on your progress down there, so that we may be informed when we return to the city on where you stand. We will remain there for no more than three days, and if we hear nothing from you, we will begin to make our way down to Holitze to meet there. If you are not in Holitze, we will go to Pardubitze to see what we can see. How long it will be for Karel to stay in the city with the goods being exchanged, I don't know, but we will find that out soon enough. From there we would have to decide on whether to wait until we all rejoin to escort him back to Dobroushka, send him with some of Boris' men, or go as only half a party. What say you on this?"

"I think that the best plan will be if we all arrange to meet after we have accomplished our tasks at Boris' in Hradetz Kralovye" answers Winnacer. "I think that we should aim to all be there in exactly a week's time, on Saturday 4 November. I understand that we may find many unexpected obstacles in our path and so it might not be possible to make this date, but we should have something to aim for."

"If we are not back by then, I think that you should come to the Temple of Spravedelna in Pardubitze as that should be our last stopping off place. If you are not back by then, then we shall go to Elthanor's hut and meet up with you there."

"As for what to do about escorting Karel and Lukash back to Dobroushka, I do not think that we will be able to assist them with this, as we have made a commitment to Heimlin to head for Kutna Hora in order to free his son from the mines. Were we to accompany Karel and Lukash back to the village, then this would take us in totally the wrong direction and give us more river crossings to worry about. Despite how it may appear, we are not the only trustworthy people in Bohavia capable of defending themselves. I would suggest that you speak to either Boris or Konan about the villagers' need for protection to see if they can be of assistance."

The rest of them add to Jihan's farewells as they strike camp, with each of the two groups taking two tents each.

Winnacer turns first to Bennett:

"Bennett, I wish you well on your adventures. Keep an eye out on the other two and keep them safe. And don't go getting yourself killed, despite what you may think - we have come to rely upon your skills. I'll see you in a week."

"Thank you for your good wishes" Bennett responds. "Regardless of our disagreement, you are the one who can keep this ragtag bunch together and I look forward to our being reunited. I don't plan on getting killed, at least until we get to Kutna Hora, as I have much that needs redressing there. Also, we should have the rat with us when we return, and then we'll need you for sure. Farewell, my friend"

The young lord then turns to Yaz:

"May Prirodna guide your arm in this venture. I am sorry that I cannot aid you in this enterprise - but I will make all due haste to join you in case things do not work out well the first time."

Winnacer pauses - a thought passing through his head.

"Keep cool kid."

Then finally he says his farewell to Jihan:

"I'll see you in a week, my brother. Keep them off each other's throats...."

With goodbyes already done to Xavier, Bennett leans toward Faewen'il:

"Parting is such sweet sorrow, my dear. Hopefully you won't miss me too much."

While he is smiling with the comment, the others can see a relief in his face that he won't have to be around the increasingly frightening wizardess.

After the farewells have been finished with, they then go for their horses.

"Hey, Winnacer," shouts Bennett as he unties his horse from a bush. "Next time you steal my horse without asking, it would be nice for you to at least bring it back, huh?"

Bennett mounts the unfamiliar steed and, with difficulty, gets it under control.

"Well, at least she didn't get eaten by wolves, right?"

Bennett is disturbed by that thought and looks with an earnest expression toward Winnacer.

"Well actually Maire did get slightly nibbled by a panther on my last journey to Holitze" Winnacer admits. "But she survived and is waiting for you in Holitze should you wish to swap Kesryk's mount for her."

With that, they each wave the other group goodbye as they head off in their different directions, with Jihan, Bennett, Yaz, Will and the Dobroushkans heading eastwards to Hradetz Kralovye, while Winnacer, Faewen'il, Xavier and Shaman Hrust head south for Holitze.