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The
Swamp
Avon waits until the body is out of the way, and then can contain
himself no longer. He approaches Jessamyn, "You say you
saw prints leading from camp? Which way did they go.
We fiddled around her long enough that she's got a good lead on
us by now. And if she is working for the Mark's Arm
-- or for the Duke for that matter -- as Tav suggests, then
she's had plenty of time to get to Riverside, which is pretty close.
That means we better get OUT OF HERE. NOW."
"I don't recall which way they went, but I agree that we should
get moving.. what ever her motives are."
Avon is getting very nervous. It disturbs him that for the first
time he has been with the group a member has died. True, not one
of his favorite members, as far as there were any, but still the
confrontation with reality was disturbing at least. Looking at the
humble grave he shrugs, no reason to ask why.
It's a cloudy day, and there's the smell of rain in the air.
"ahhh.." jessa says as she breathes in the scent of rain.
" that smells so good.." she trails off as her mind starts
to wander to the times when her and her father would play in the
rain while he was teaching her how to identify plants in the wilderness
for healing.
That
sounds surprisingly sensible to the others, considering it's coming
from Avon... but then he's always been pretty sensible about avoiding
a fight, when he thought there might be one. Quickly the party
saddles up and goes to the rise nearby to see if it is safe to cross
the road.
It is mid morning -- about 10am. No travellers can be seen
on the High Road. On the other side of the road, the ground
slopes away quickly and there are no trees for cover for a good
distance. Andrew explains: "The swamp is formed in a
hugh bowl with higher land all around it. Water flows in from
all directions, and it the only river that flows out of the swamp
leads to Barran's Falls which empty off a cliff into the sea."
The group crosses the road quickly and heads down the continuation
of the slope. It's a cloudy day, and there's the smell of
rain in the air. While most are not eager to head into the
swamp in the midst of a rainstorm, Sandros, at least, is glad that
the sun won't be beating down on him, making his blood seem to boil.
They head west for a while, to try and put some distance between
themselves and Riverside, a stronghold of the "Benignity of
Athring's" army and Velluth, it's "Supreme Serenity."
The ground starts getting softer and softer, the High Road is a
long way behind them, and Andrew turns the group south.
The druid says, "We need to find the continuation of Shelby's
Creek, right? Well.. it's somewhere south of us, I know that
much. But I have not been in the swamp before, so I'm as lost
as the rest of you."
The party splashes through water that sometimes comes up to the
horses’ bellies. The ground beneath sucks at the animals’
feet, making them continually uneasy. Several times, the group
reaches a point where it seems unsafe to continue, and they turn
back to safer, drier ground on the small hillocks. Progress
is slow. In the late afternoon, they find what looks like
a stream. At least the water is deeper, and seems to be flowing
in a particular direction. They follow it "downstream"
for several more hours, although all the water they've been walking
thru is also moving --- slowly.
Everyone is exhausted, and Jessamyn the ranger manages to find a
small "hill" to rest on. At least, it might be a
hill. The ground is solid, and there are swamp oaks standing
tall. The group dismounts, and Jessamyn gets into a series
of equine conversations with Gala, her Rojax. "Oh my
god, I'm so sorry," she blurts in common. She turns to
the others, saying a bit loudly, "LEECHES! Most of the
horse have leeches on their legs. We can probably just use
Moongloom's Fingertip of Fire to make 'em let go."
That process takes quite a while, and both Jessamyn and Andrew spend
quite a bit of time talking to the horses afterward.
As twilight settles over the swamp the insects start buzzing around.
"This makes me uneasy," says the druid. "There
should be more wildlife. I haven't seen enough frogs or lizards
or snakes." He squints up at the sky. "And
not enough birds around either."
As they make camp and talk about watches during the dark hours,
each of them looks around at the others, remembering what happened
*last* night. Daggda makes a point of telling Sandros that
she's going to sit up with him during his watch ... in case he wants
to talk.
They head west for a while, to try and put some distance between
themselves and Riverside, a stronghold of the "Benignity of
Athring's" army and Velluth, it's "Supreme Serenity."
The ground starts getting softer and softer, the High Road
is a long way behind them, and Andrew turns the group south.
Jessa starts to worry about Rei.. he might not make it through the
swamp in the deep parts.. so she sends him off to walk along the
small hillocks all the way around. keeping Jessa's scent so he can
track and follow them (if/when he can't see them). She is
also wondering, and asks, if any one has ever been here before..
and if they know if there is quicksand.
Looking at the woman the Bard shakes his head, "Nay I've never
travelled into these parts before, and as for quicksand I wouldn't
know it from a bowl of porridge." As the party makes camp Tavarak
goes about his normal routine of making sure the horses are cared
for then tending to his gear. After pulling out his journal and
jotting down some quick notes on the events that have taken place
he suggests that it would be wise to have another set of eyes on
watch for each shift. "What I'm thinking is having our two
four legged companions stand watch with us. I think they would be
better at detecting intruders then we would."
[Avon] As they move along he scans the surrounding forest on the
lookout for anything unusual and someone devious in particular.
This was not a good development. Well, at least his harp was safe.
What ever it was that made him so attached to this item it was getting
stronger.
With an envious look at the little flying dragon (or what ever it
was) he envisions the possibilities of such a beast. But even these
daydreams can't make him forget the uneasy situation he is in. He
could only hope that his friends knew what they were doing. Realizing
he had, for the first time, referred to his companions as friends,
he shakes his head in an attempt to clear his mind from all these
dreadful emotions he was experiencing.
Noticing he was slowly falling behind he quickly catches up with
the group and stays in the middle of the group. At least no one
would surprise him from the rear.
As twilight settles over the swamp the insects start buzzing around.
"This makes me uneasy," says the druid. "There
should be more wildlife. I haven't seen enough frogs or lizards
or snakes." He squints up at the sky. "And
not enough birds around either."
"I agree!" Jessa pipes up. "I haven't seen
any frogs her lizards or snakes.. but then again I wasn't really
paying attention." She recalls the warm thoughts she had for
her father.. and the watching of Ven..wondering what was going through
his mind right now.. wondering if he knew she was a bounty hunter
in Tirion.. and she was looking for HIM. but most of all,
she was wondering if he really was guilty. He didn't seem
the murdering type...maybe horse theif, but not a murderer..her
thoughts just trail off from there..
As they make camp and talk about watches during the dark hours,
each of them looks around at the others, remembering what happened
*last* night. Daggda makes a point of telling Sandros that
she's going to sit up with him during his watch ... in case he wants
to talk.
[Jessa] Well, I guess I'll be on watch with you again Andrew.. IF
you don't mind.. I'll understand if you don't trust me after the
events of last night.. But you never told me how you know my uncle
Kalban and where did you say they were going?? I wonder why my father
sent me there if they were going to be away..
[TAV]After
pulling out his journal and jotting down some quick notes on the
events that have taken place he suggests that it would be wise to
have another set of eyes on watch for each shift. "What I'm thinking
is having our two four legged companions stand watch with us. I
think they would be better at detecting intruders then we would."
[Jessa]
"Yes, I agree, i'll talk to Gala and Rei about it." Tav nods, "OK
and if they are willing perhaps we should make that our standard
watch procedure."
[Andrew] Speaking to Jessa, "Ah wouldn't the world be a scary
place if we all based our judgement's of others on the worst we
met. No one would ever trust another living soul. You've my trust
until you prove tome that you don't deserve it. As for Kalban, it
was more or less an unplanned absence. Your uncle probably just
assumed he'd be home."
Andrew smiles as his thoughts drift back to the days when he'd just
met Kalban and Aami. "Their home just happens to be in one
of the areas where I look after things and being the kind folks
that they are they invited me in one night for a meal and the rest
as they say is
history. We've known each other for quite some time now by human
standards but really we're just getting to know one another."
As Andrew jostles her awake, Daggda gives a rather unflattering
snort and scratches her beard sleepily. Only a couple of hours,
but she had already been sleeping like the dead… All this travel
under the open sky was getting to her, she thought, especially this
Forger- forgotten mix of water and sludge they were heading into.
And this was only the beginning of the swamp…
The acolyte of Moradin tries to remember why she is in this unprotected
place, quite possibly while being hunted by both the treacherous
forces of Velluth and the Mark. Why Prince Geodon did not recognize
the danger the Duke posed to Dwarvenhome, if not to his own safety,
was a mystery…but now is not the time for politics, Daggda thinks,
but for life-pledges.
In the past two months, Daggda had made three such pledges, which
was rather a lot for any dwarf. With the Prince rescued and her
obligation to King Basalt IV complete for now, she had fulfilled
one pledge. With that pledge she had received the promised access
to the King's library, which had given her some incredibly valuable
information about Moradin's metal, the hizagkuur. She silently reprimanded
herself for forgetting to discuss what she learned with her bard
friend, hoping he could help her interpret some of the strange verse
she had discovered… But her last life-pledge, to her shield-brother
Sandros Bloodworth, was the most pressing. She looked at him as
he woke up to a half-waking state, or so it seemed to her.
Her coal-black eyes glittered with some unreadable dwarven emotion.As
Andrew and Jessamyn turn in and Veneron and Sandros settle into
the watch, Daggda remarks matter-of-factly, "You know, the
place where the priest of Illuvitar was killed was not far from
where you were attacked, Sandros… Now that we've entered the swamp,
we are a good ways past that point. We should find Ssssathius soon,
perhaps in a couple of days. That will be nearly a fortnight before
your moon's worth of time is up." Her flat factual statements
do not seem very cheerful to the other two, but are probably what
passes for a pep talk amongst practical (or grim, as some elves
would say,) dwarves.
June 21
The night passes uneventfully. During the morning "getting
ready" time, Esmee flies overhead as she always does.
Suddenly she dives back and perches on Ven's shoulder. "There's
another group, following where we've been. They are back at
the edge of the swamp, following the river. I can just barely
make them out. About 8 of them." Some quick estimating
suggests that, if they're following the river, they are at least
a day or day-and-a-half behind. That's *if* they are
following, and not on some other business. And *if* they stop
for the night. And *if* they're not aided by magic.
And... And...
More than once over the past few days, Sandros scratched at his
crotch where the raven suit he wears beneath his clothes bunches
up. He took himself behind a clump of trees to relieve himself
and cursed softly at the undressing and re-dressing he had to go
thru to relieve himself thru the tiny opening in the suit intended
for such purpose. Why didn't Myridian have this problem?
he wondered. Female plumbing wasn't THAT different.
He wished he'd taken the time to learn how to fly in the darn thing.
Esmee was useful, but he can't help but think that it would be more
useful to have genuine human eyes evaluate that other group.
The group plods on into the swamp, eager to find the witch, eager
to put additional distance between themselves and the other group.
Deeper into the swamp they go, following the seemingly endless twistings
and turnings of the path they are on… if one can call it a path.
Minutes turn into hours. Esmee takes flight now and then and
reports back that the other group is still following the river.
Just as the party is following the river.
The going is slow, and it seems an endless trudge thru sticky mud,
sucking at the horses' feet. Stopping often to check the horses
for leeches slows the group even further, but the alternative --
letting them get weakened or sickened -- is unacceptable.
Marching thru trackless muck and mire, weeds and water coming to
the bellies of the horses, everyone is a bit startled when Andrew
calls a halt for the night. It's nearly too dark to see the
next party member in front.
A quick setup for the camp... drying out what has inevitably gotten
wet... there's no chance to make a fire lest it be magical, and
no one is particularly eager to advertise their exact location to
whoever is following. No fresh food means cold trail rations
again.
Night follows day. At least the other group has stopped for the
night, or so says Esmee. It seems they're not lighting a fire
either.
June 22
Day follows night. Snakes and lizards and frogs are their
main companions … those and the leeches that plague the horses’
legs. There is no chance of finding any sort of tracks of
whatever other animals might be nearby. The nights spent in
relative dryness on the hummocks provide a small opportunity for
the adventurers to wring the damp out of their clothes.
Each morn they set out again.
With each day that passes, Sandros becomes more and more uneasy.
He's counting the days. He was bitten on June 3. He
was told he has "one moon" ... that's about 4 weeks.
And 3 of those 4 are gone, now. At first he does not feel
any different, but as the time goes by, he feels more and more “unnatural.”
Maybe he’s imagining it, but he thinks more and more about becoming
a vampire. He keeps checking the appearance of his teeth,
looking in a small mirror from his pack. At least he can still
see himself in the mirror! That would be strange, he muses,
I wonder how vampires are supposed to stay clean shaven if they
can't see themselves in a mirror? The idea of garlic makes
his head swim. Increasingly he was getting the feeling that
sunlight was eating at his skin, and he travels on his horse shrouded
in his cloak and hood, even in the steamy heat of the summer day.
He feels invigorated at night. He is finding that the idea
of cooked meat makes his stomach turn... At least the hard iron
rations don't taste good. Awake most of the night, traveling
by day, Sandros’ feels that he is losing his mind.
Witch's
Hut
[June
23,24]
After 2 more days of travel in the swamp, the party plods on.
The only good news they can find is that the group behind doesn't
seem to make any better speed thru the dismal swamp of Baran's Despair
then they party does.
Coming around another in a seemingly endless succession of hummocks
covered with trees the party finds a small stone hut with a thatched
roof standing in a small, dry clearing. There are goats and
ducks and chickens all around the low building. It is just
after noon and the sun is bright and strong overhead. The
group exchanges glances and dismounts on the solid ground.
Moongloom steps off of his mount and stretches peering vainly behind
them for signs of the party following ...something. "Well,
if I were a lizard witch-woman, I would live there, for sure!"
he grins.
Tavarak chuckles at Moonglooms comment, "And if I were a hut
this is the last place I'd want to be. Well if this isn't the witches
hut I'm sure the owner will at least know where to find her. Nothing
left to do but find out for ourselves." With that, and if there
are no objections from the party, the Bard approaches the building
and taps on the door. "Hello, is there anyone home? We seek
the witch of the swamp."
[Jessa] Is this the place? She sits mounted and stays on guard with
her darts and her mace easily accessible in case of danger.
[Ven] Esmee, would you mind doing a quick fly-by and around this
place to make sure that nothing unusual is lurking about or waiting
to ambush us. Hey, and don't eat a goat--it might offend whoever
lives here into not helping Sandros.
"Sure, fine," replies the pseudodragon. "I'll
stay away from the goats. One of those chickens would be just
perfect. Thanks!" She swoops up off Veneron's
shoulder and circles the island -- for that is what it is: one of
the larger of the dry hummocks of solid ground surrounded by a sea
of mud and semi-moving water. Suddenly she darts off to the
south east -- that is NOT the direction where the followers were,
they were off to the west.
Avon is amazed by the confidence the others display. They don't
seem to be bothered by the recent developments. And the fact that
they are being followed doesn't seem to be a reason for concern.
And then of course there was this blue newcomer that was riding
along as if nothing happened. If the other newcomers were not to
be trusted why would this one be different. And now they find a
hut in the middle of the swamp, which nobody finds strange and above
all they would knock on the door as if they were shopping for groceries.
As soon as the group discovers the hut Avon falls back to the end
of the group and leaves considerable space between himself and the
last person in the group. Nervously he scans the surroundings and
looks over his shoulder frequently as if the pursuing group is about
to come up to them. He decides not to dismount even though his horse
is pretty useless in a swamp.
"Be careful now", Avon says to Tavarak with an ironic
tone in his voice. "I don't think any one living in such a
place will be to friendly towards visitors." Avon has trouble
keeping his horse steady.
The dwarf notices Avon's reticence to approach the hut as he slides
yet again to the back of the group. A couple of weeks ago this behavior,
typical of the whiny elf-kin, would have induced her to silent prayers
for patience and forebearance. Instead, she feels slightly reassured
by his eternally suspicious nature- at least nobody would catch
them from behind unawares, and Avon would probably even warn the
others. As Avon makes his ironic remark to Tavarak, she gazes at
the hut sternly. "Easy, shield-brother," she says brusquely,
realizing it is the first time she has called Avon by the rightfully
earned title. "Danger could come from any quarter, but right
now we are being chased by both the enemy and the moon. I think
we've lost the luxury of caution." She falls silent, wondering
if it was easier to be brave with someone else to be nervous for
her. She shifts impatiently, waiting for a reponse to Tavarak's
call. After a lengthy pause (if no answer is heard), she stomps
torward towards the door of the hut, using her footman's pick as
a walking stick to get through the muck.
Hearing Avons warning the Bard smiles to himself. With a quick look
back at his companions he can't help but feel a sense of security.
Somehow knowing that they would come to his aid should the need
arise. As battle images from the past couple of weeks play thru
his head his comfort level increases. The party has broken bread
as well as shed blood together. "Yes" he mutters to himself
"Perhaps this is stuff that spawns epic tales of heroic adventures."
Tav shakes his head clearing those thoughts and concentrates on
the task at hand.
[Andrew] Although he keeps his thoughts closely guarded Avon's response
to the oddly located hut seems the more appropriate. And who in
the nine-hells could be following them? he silently wonders. Hoping
that they are in the right spot AND that the witch woman can help,
Andrew stays on his horse as well and awaits some sort of response.
Scanning the surrounding swamp with his strong eyes Andrew tries
to keep watch on all quarters at once, looking out for anything
that seems odd or out of place.
Sandros dismounts and walks toward the hut. He's bundled in
his cloak and hood, and always seems to turn so the sun does not
shine in his face.
The druid watches the pseudodragon zoom out of sight, and looks
at Ven for an explanation. The mage looks back with a shrug.
In about 10 minutes, she zooms back, landing on the mage's shoulder
once again. "Group of lizard soldiers off that way."
She paints a picture in Ven's mind: about 20 lizard-men, wearing
shields, armor and carrying spears. "They move much
faster than you do in the water."
"How close?" is Veneron's nervous reply.
"Hard to say... more than a day for you... half a day for
them, at the rate they travel? But who knows?"
replies Esmee.
Veneron tells the others quickly.
Meanwhile, there is no reply to Tavarak's knock on the door.
The door is made of hand hewn planks from the swamp oak trees that
they've seen all over the swamp. It looks semi-solid, and
does not swing open. There are several small openings set
high in the walls, and there is a trail of smoke coming from the
chimney.
Ssessassthissuss
"Let
me recapture the situation here", Avon says. "Behind us we
have group of adventurers who accidentally follow the same trail we
follow, straight into a swamp. In front of us there is a small army
of lizards, although I don't think they know we are here. And to top
it all off, here we have this nice little cottage, with nice little
fluffy animals, the only thing is that this nice little cottage is located
IN THE MIDDLE OF A SWAMP!". He shouts the last words regardless
of his efforts to be inconspicuous. Then realizing what he is doing
he lowers his voice again to a normal speaking level. "Am I the
only one that has the feeling some one is rolling the dice against us?"
"Who are these people behind us? Come to think of it, they are
probably working with Koprith, that bastard." Avon feels stupid
not thinking of the link between their pursuers and the killer. "Those
lizard men probably don't even know we are here, and maybe it's better
if they never find out." Avon nervously tries to calm down his
horse, that probably is nervous in the first place due to Avon's attempts
to calm it down. Then he looks at Tavarak, "Well, what's stopping
you? Open the door and have a look inside. Just be careful for traps
and evil witches", he smiles the last words to the Bard.
Daggda, who had already walked up with Sandros to the door where Tavarak
is standing, looks over her shoulder and glares at Avon. "Just
you be careful of the lizard men and assassins all around us,"
she grumbles, her scowl turning to a wink. It occurs to her that the
group following them probably isn't a friendly one. If they could just
get a better identification... If they are enemies, she thinks, it may
be necessary to ambush them before they reach the hut as well. Or perhaps
a detour from here, allowing them to find the hut, and possibly the
lizard men heading this way as well? She shakes her head, trying to
focus on the present task.
Sandros, who had been mostly staring blankly at the hut, manages a snicker
at Avon's words. He, too, wondered who might be following them, and
why. Since they had finished things with the Prince, they didn't really
have anything with them that was worth coming after. Unless...
The Mark? Were the assassins already after them for revenge?
Or perhaps the Duke had heard of them, and found out they were away
from the "safe" confines of Squarento, and wanted to remove
them from the picture. Either way, it didn't sound like a whole lot
of fun."We better hurry. If nothing else, we may have to use this
place to set up an ambush on whoever attacks us, whether lizard or human."
Sandros shrugs.
Heading for the door, he reaches to open it, figuring that they'd given
anyone within plenty of warning, what with all their knocking and yelling.
His patience was wearing thinner by the moment, and he didn't even want
to think about how he might act if he lost his temper now...
Sensing the strange mood of the former slave, Daggda puts a hand on
Sandros elbow. "Slowly, Sandros Bloodworth. Tavarak is already
stands at the door. Let him enter, then we will follow." She hefts
the pick in both hands, absentmindedly wiping chicken manure off its
butt end.
At the lack of response from within the hut, Ven says to nobody in particular:
"Doesn't that just figure. We tramp all the way here through this
wonderfully scenic swamp to visit this woman and she decides to take
this week of all weeks off for a vacation to the sunny beaches on the
Isle of View! I tell you, you just can't depend on people nowadays."
[AVON]
...looks at Tavarak, "Well, what's stopping you? Open the door
and have a look inside. Just be careful for traps and evil witches",
he smiles the last words to the Bard.
[TAVARAK] "Thanks, I'll take your warning under consideration and
shall act upon it accordingly."
[MOONGLOOM] rubs his blad head with a scowl. Then moves his hand to
his chin, scratching the thin line of scruff at the tip. Suddenly his
eyes light up and he points a finger straight up in the air. "AHA!
I think I can use a spell or two to fool those lizard men into heading
straight for our other...'friends.' Let them find each other, I say,
before they find us! Let's see, the lizard men were a half a day or
so away? How far away were the others?" he asks.
[TAV]"Great idea Moonie, the less of them we have to battle the
better odds we have."
Moongloom purses his lips and his eyebrows come together in a bunch,
"Moonie?" he raises one eyebrow, "umm...ok."
Tavarak
leans close and whispers in a conspirital tone, "Well it was either
that or Gloomie. Hmmm now had Avons name been Moongloom I think I would
have used the later."
Moongloom shrugs, "That's ok, I was just hoping for a better nickname,
something like Daggda, you know, Moongloom, slayer of rabbits, keeper
of the dragon talisman, charmer of ladies and pickler of eggs," his
voice gets higher and his hand gestures grander with each new title,
"weaver of the magick arts, and hider of people from guards." he looks
thoughtful, "I think I need to do more...things-- worthy things--before
I start climing my deeds."
[JESSA] ...says "I think it might be better if we stayed here.
It will give us sort of a "stronghold" to work with. She then
looks at Moongloom and says " Can you create a magical wall of
some kind? ...
[TAV]Tavarak nods in agreement, "I agree, the higher and in this
case the dry ground is the best place to be should it come to a battle."
Jessa dismounts and trys to help Avon, (and anyone else who is having
problems with thier horses), calm his horse (using her ranger empathy).
The speaks with Gala, her Rojax, and lets him know that she will be
back, but to keep on the lookout and to let her know if anyone..or anything
is comming thier way. She motions to Rei telling him to stay put
and guard outside also. She looks to Daggda (and to anyone else
who is listening) and says "I think it might be better if we stayed
here. It will give us sort of a "stronghold" to work
with. She then looks at Moongloom and says " Can you create
a magical wall of some kind? You know like a magical wall of trees
or soemthing, so we can hide the animals and gear behind it on the back
side of the hut, if we have to form an ambush here?"
Sandros
pushes the door open -- it was unlocked -- and steps in. Tav and
Daggda are immediately behind him, Jessa a step or so behind them.
Andrew, Avon, Moongloom, Veneron, Rei and Esmee are all outside with
the horses, looking around. Both Rei and Esmee are particularly
interested in the chickens who are scurrying out of the way, trying
to avoid eye contact with the wolf.
Daggda's
head whips around again with another mock scowl on her face, this time
at Veneron. Silently she turns around and enters the hut with Tavarak
and Sandros.
[Jessa] doesn't wait for an answer and immediately follows Tav, Sandy,
and Daggda into the hut. She thinks to herself 'if this IS the
witches hut, then she will most likely have some ointments i can buy
off of her. Mine are a little low.. maybe i can find some plants
outside that can give me what I need'. If there is no one inside,
she immediately looks around for anything she may find useful.
The adventurers pause in the entrance and look into the room, as sunlight
floods in. It is a single room, with a small hearth with a low
burning fire, even on this hot, steamy day. Hanging from several
of the hooks over the fire are small kettles. Pieces of cloth
cover the small open windows side, turning the bright sunlight into
diffuse illumination. The two walls that can be seen clearly from
the door are covered with shelves containing bottles, flasks, vials
and boxes of all sorts. Sandros pokes his head around the door
to see a raised bed, food preparation area and a desk near a work
table.
A lizard woman sits at the desk, hunched over a book. She wears
a shift made of stitched goat-skins. Ssessassthissuss is an “old”
lizard-woman, Andrew had told them over the last several days.
The normal life span of the lizard folk is 40-50 years.
Andrew had heard stories of this lizard-woman for perhaps twice that
long. Andrew and Sandros, each in their own past, have seen lizard-folk
young and old and they are unchanged, with no apparent difference between
old or young. THIS lizard woman looks ~old~. She
is wrinkled and bent. Her right hand trembles with palsy.
She sits at a desk in the corner, lit by candles, even with light shining
in the windows. She speaks without looking up. "Sshemmfulken
sssnick suhrnsen! Ssiglgthssen morssssei thssss." It
sounds like sometime in her past she had gargled with a sharp dagger
for a long time.
As neither Sandros, Daggda, Tavarak nor Jessamyn speak the Lizard-tongue,
they stand there doing nothing. Tav loosens his tongue first,
"Sorry... do you speak common?"
She replies --still without looking-- "SSSHUT ZHE DAMN DOOR...
ZHEE SSSUN WILL SSSSPOIL MY WORK."
Then she continues letting drops fall from a narrow glass tube into
a small cauldron in front of her. She counts to herself.
"three..four...third...one...two...three...four...fourth"
The adventurers step in and quickly shut the door, figuring that annoying
the witch will not make the coming negotiations any easier.
She pours the remainder of the contents of the glass tube into a small
bottle and pushes a cork into its opening. Finally she turns to
squint at the quartet standing near the door.
"By SSsindurssss tessssticlesss! Who are you? Do you
alwayssss go barging into peoplessss housssssesssss?" Her
common is heavily accented, but it is understandable. "Did
you come from Xathss with the present he promised old Sssess?"
The last question is said is a wheedling, whiney voice.
She squints at them again. "Mixhsssed blood folk and a dwarfss,
eh? Not from Hisssss Ssssherenity, then. Who sssshennt you
then, eh?"
"No matter," she continues. She looks up back at her
thick book, her place still marked with a long bony finger. “Take
a sshickenss or two if you musssht, before you go,” she says in
her hissing-accented common. She turns her head back to the book.
“And clossse the door, elssse the goatsssh come in.”
Those outside hear the "command" to shut the door, and see
their comrades comply. After that they hear nothing. It's
hard not to stare at the closed door.
As
the group enters the hut Tav can't help but look around the room in
amazement. "You are the witch Ssessassthissuss? No we weren't sent
by Xathss, we have come seeking your services." The Bard considers
warning her about the lizardmen but decides to keep that to himself
for the time being. "We are told that you are one of the few who
can cure the bite of a certain beast" Tav explains the situation
in greater detail while at the same time wondering if the lizardmen
are bringing this present from Xathss. If she is stubborn as was foretold
then perhaps if we could get this item or whatever from these lizardmen
then barter for a cure with the witch. That is if the lizardmen are
bringing it, and if they could manage to get it and if those who are
following don't arrive and if...
Daggda is wondering the same thing, namely what this 'present from Xathss'
could be that she would ask a dwarf and three elf-kin if they possessed
it. However, Tavarak is the one with the silver tongue, she thinks,
let us see what information or aid he can coax out of this reptilian
hag. She takes a protective step towards Sandros, looking in vain about
the hut for a jar labelled "Anti-Vampirism Poultice" or anything
of such a obvious nature. She slowly lowers her pick and leans on it
thoughtfully.
Sandros wasn't too terribly surprised by the appearance of the lizard-woman;
in fact, she was pretty much exactly what he had already imagined. But
as she spoke of gifts, and tried to shove them back out the door, he
grimaces. Not a good start.
Opening his mouth to speak, Sandros takes a look at the others, and
realizing it may not be in his best interest to just admit to his state,
he shuts up again. Tav can handle it. He thinks. And if not, THEN he'll
open his big mouth.
Giving the shaman a nervous smile, Sandros just waits to see how she'll
react to Tav's request for aid.
[ANDREW]In his mind he knows they haven't got too much to fear from
the witch woman. They came looking for help not trouble. All the stories
of people coming here out of last resort. Everyone had an opinion about
the old shaman woman, Andrew just hoped that she could and would help
Sandros in this case.
Waiting impatiently outside the druid dismounted and led his horse to
a good spot for a bit of grazing then he simply sits down to wait. By
all accounts the groups around them are at least a half day away. Waiting
seemed the only option for now.
[AVON]At least there are no shouts of pain or chanting of magical spells.
Nonetheless, Avon sure isn't comfortable with the situation. Following
Andrew's example he reluctantly dismounts. However, he stays alert and
start to scowl the area, keeping his mind busy until the others come
out again, meanwhile trying to figure out if he could trust Jessa and
"the blue guy".
Sess turns on her chair, putting a scrap of parchment in her book as
a place holder. "Oh I ssssee. You jusssst danssssesss
in here cute as a frog. And assssksssss for me sssservisssssessss.
HAH ! That's a good one." She begins to laugh -- or
at least that's what it might be. "And I ssssuposssse that
you're the one gonna be doing the sssservissssin', eh? We'll,
your man enuf fer it, I dare say." She thumps her fist on
the table, laughing at her own joke again. "Come back in
a month or ssso, and ye might even be interesssssted in the new look
ol' Ssess is gonna have. Then we can talk about ssome sssserious sssservissssin'."
At last she begins to calm down, and takes a sip of liquid from a wooden
flagon nearby. "Oh yes. Ssess can draw the poison out
of near-any animal bite. If ye can pay. Me knowledge took
yearss and yearsss and me time'sss mosssst valuable, ye sssee."
She squints at them again. "What was it that bit ye?
Giant poison toad? 'S plenty of 'em around. Nasty bite too!
'R one o' them ssswamp sssnakessss. But I'm a bit bussssy as ye
can sssssee. Hang around fer a day or two, and I'll be w' ye asss
ssssoon assss I'm done w' the fertility potion Xanthss sssayssss he
needssss. 'Coursse, it ain't gonna help if he keepssss whippin'
hissss femalessss." She shrugs.
A
Life for a Life
"Come
back in a month or so-" Daggda's face turns from earthen brown
to molten red in the space of two heartbeats. "Why you old-"
she takes a step forward, her wickedly sharp pick now in both hands.
"I ought to-" Daggda glances at Sandros, and stops.
Both her body and tongue seem to be held in check by some invisible
force, if not by her own willpower.
"Handbag!" she finally sputters, her face twisted with apoplectic
fury.
The old witch looks at the dwarf. "High and mighty attitude
from ssssomeone down there." She looks at Daggda closer.
"A woman dwarf, eh? Well... Sess'll pay a goodly sssum for
a vial of yer blood if yer ssstill a virgin.... Well... Are ye?
Gold'sss good too. Alwayssss of interessst to dwarvesss, eh?"
Jessa looks to Daggda and then back at the witch. Hoping that
her remark didn't cost them their trip... She steps forward and says,
"My name is Jessamyn. my father was a busy man too, but if someone
was in great need of help, he would help them. I'm sure a wise
woman such as yourself would do the same.. especially if we could pay
handsomely for it." Jessa hopes she is right, and they DO
have the money to pay her. "
A quick moment of panic runs thru Sandros' mind, as he realizes that
everybody left almost all their money back at the bank in town.....
"You see, my friend here", she motions to Sandros, is in great
need of your services. He has only a short time before the vampirism
disease overcomes him. We need your help urgently. IS there
something else that we can do for you, so that stopping your work to
help us is worth your while? You don't have what you need yet
to finish what you are working on, so please help us." She
hopes her words were not in vain and then looks around to see if she
has spoken out of turn.
Sess looks at the young ranger. "Ye've got a buttery tongue,
lassssss." She turns her attention to Sandros. "Vampire
diseassssse, eh? Well that's fatal.
"Yep nothing to be done 'bout it. He'sss asssss good asssss
dead."
She pauses in her version of a dramatic hesitation. " --
leassst waysss, without sssspecial help from ol'Ssess. Hope ye've
got at leasssst a week, boyo... It'll take just that long to make
the potion. 'S gotta cook nice and ssssssloooow, do'n'it.
Yesss it doesss. And we'll have to add jusssst the riiiiight amount
of yer blood each day, won't we?" She gets a sly look as
she walks around Sandros, appraisingly. "Isss it a third
and three -- or a fourth and three? Hard to recollect, inn'it?
hmmm."
"Now.. let'ssss talk about payment." She goes over to
the dwarf... "I reckon ye'd be the one in charge of payin' gold.
But Sess don't want gold. We're talkin' about somethin' fatal
here. Sssooooo..." she draws it out, running her hand over
her face as if in thought. "Yep.. a life hangsss in the balance.
That'sss true enough."
She turns quickly, poking Tavarak in the chest with her bony finger.
Up close, Tav notices that her breath has a distinctly ~strange~
smell. "Well.. here'sss me price. A life fer a
life. His fer mine. Ol'Sess needs a sssspecial item for
a potion sssshe'sss making. The heart of an elf."
She squints at Tav... her face close. "Assss I don't sssse
one of them here..." (she waves her arm to indicate the 4 in the
room) "... ye'll either have to go find one... Or take one that's
already been found. .. That'd be even better, yessss it would... Go
take it from Xanthss. He ssstole the one I had.. paid a good price
fer it too!"
"Yessss. Bring me the one Xanthss took. That'll do fer yer
cure." She turns and hobbles back to her table, her muttering
just audible. "And ol'Ssess can tell Xanthss to go pisss
in hisss ear when he bothersss me, can't I ?"
"Be back in 6 daysss... no lessssss!" It seems the matter
is settled, at least in her mind. She picks up a dagger with a
dangerously curved tip and advances on Sandros, in her other hand is
a bowl of green glass. "Now we'll jesssst collect that blood
we'll be needin' fer the potion."
Noticing that Sandros does not respond quickly, she stands up in front
of him. "Well... ssssstick our yer arm, boyo. Yer gonna'
be a vampire sssssoon enough wifout Ssess'ss potion ... better get ussssed
to the ssssight of a little blood."
Tavarak finds himself in a moral dilemma, to kill someone in cold blood
and steal their heart is something that is beyond him. Not to mention
that he is sure that Sandy would never agree to such a trade.
To return something that was stolen, even the heart of an elf is
something a bit more within the bounds of his moral conduct. Looking
at the witch the Bard nods, "OK we will attempt to return your
stolen property on a few conditions. How did you come by it in
the first place and what do you intend to do with it? Where do
we find it and what will we be up against? Beware your answers
for there are those with in this party, including me, that would
not even consider such a thing if your intentions are foul."
The old witch twists her head to the side as she regards Tavarak's conditions.
"Well... I sssee the dwarf girl isssn't the only one who'ss
high and mighty... " She points a bony finger at Tav.
"Makin' threatsss at ol' Sssess is not a thing mossst would want
to do, yer highnesss. ... But the anssswerss to your quesssstionsss
are ssssimple enough. I bought the heart and I will ussse it for
a ssspell to extend my own life. I said 'A life for a life.
His for mine.' asss you might remember. With this potion,
I will regain my youth...and then, my fine lad, you might not make such
a nassssty face when thinking about sssspecial ssservicesss
with Ssessassthisuss.
"As to where to find it... that'sss eassssy. Xanthss
hass it. He isss the head ssshithead of the lizard man city.
He livesss in Baran'ss Keep... or the ruinsss of it. About two
dayss slog thru the ssswamp to the sssoutheassst. You can't missss
it. When you ssssee hundredsss of lizard men, that'sss where it
iss." She breaks into hideous laughter. "Yesss
indeed. Sssssteal it out from under hisss forked tongue, and I'll
make the potion for your boyo."
Sandros, who was still trying to recover from the heart-shattering disappointment
he had felt when the shaman pretended like his situation was hopeless,
mainly stands there with his mouth agape, staring at the lizard woman.
Finally, it sinks in that there *is* a chance, and that she's needing
his help to make it work. But then, he sees the dagger, and it
brings back memories of a worse time in his life...
He had never seen so much blood before. And it was
all his, too. The cuts they had made in his arms, punishing
him for trying to escape...those were the worst. And no matter
how much cloth he wrapped around them, the blood just kept coming.
He had nearly died that day, and when he had faded finally into darkness,
he welcomed it. At least the pain, the sorrow would end.
But then, the priest that traveled with the slavers for just this
sort of thing returned him to health. Just long enough for them
to punish him again and again...
Sandros flinches away from the blade, once, then again. But finally,
he grits his teeth, pushes away all memories and waits for her to make
the cut.
She has a strange little look on her face as Sandros rolls up the membrane-thin
sleeve of the Raven suit.
When the daggers slices into his skin, he grimaces, but says nothing,
breathing in deeply through his nose and closing his eyes. This
had to work, had to cure him...or he didn't know what he would do.
He didn't want to die, not now. He had too much to live for.
And not all of it was revenge, anymore...
Sandros is relieved to see that the blood flowing from the small cut
on his forearm is still normal red. She fills the bowl part way,
then applies a small poultice to staunch the flow. It stings,
but it does stop the bleeding.
"Now then.. unless Mr. High and Mighty hasss more conditionsss,
I better be startin' that potion. SSssssix days now!! Be
prompt, for once it'sss ready, it'sss to be ussssed right away.
O'course, it'd be jussst fine if the boyo wantsss to ssstay w'ol' Sssess
-- t'keep me company and sssuch." Her pale green tongue flickers
around the edges of her mouth, in a gesture that makes Sandros' blood
run cold... or at least what he has left of his blood.
"As
to where to find it... that'sss eassssy. Xanthss hass it. He isss the
head ssshithead of the lizard man city. He livesss in Baran'ss Keep...
or the ruinsss of it. About two dayss slog thru the ssswamp
to the sssoutheassst. You can't missss it. When you ssssee hundredsss
of lizard men, that'sss where it iss." She breaks into hideous
laughter. "Yesss indeed. Sssssteal it out from under hisss forked
tongue, and I'll make the potion for your boyo."
Tavarak blows off the first comment. "OK so if the odds are against
us then perhaps you would be willing to hedge our chances of success.
Do you have anything that will aid us or know of anyone who would be
willing to do the same?"
Jessa hopes Sess does.
Avon walks up to the little shack and listens at the door just in time
to hear the witch speak about stealing an elven hearth. He sighs, it
is clear that this is a job for him, probably a very dangerous job.
He wonders how the lizard men would react to humanoids, if they could
just walk into town it would make his life a lot easier.
Sandros shudders involuntarily, and shakes his head. "Err...uhh...nooo...I
think I better go along with the others, make sure they don't end up
wiping out the locals or something." He chuckles nervously, rolling
his sleeve back down. He was beginning to wonder if he didn't just make
a HUGE mistake, letting this "woman" take his blood. He'd
heard stories of people being able to use such things to control the
one it came from; gods knew he didn't need *that* going on. "Well,
six days then. Shall we get going?" He shot Tav a meaningful glance.
"We wouldn't want to be getting in the way of anyone waiting around
here, eh?"
Tav nods to Sandros "Yes you are right of course, lets make haste.
I think the time will fly by."
[Jessa] Yes, lets be off.. She quickly goes outside.
[Daggda] Reading the worried expression on Sandros' face as he looks
from the lizard witch to Tav, she nudges Sandros towards the door. "Six
days, then. Or sooner." As she stomps out of the hut with her head
down, Daggda can be heard muttering. "Virgin blood indeed! By my
beard..."
Once out of the hut, she speaks to Avon and the others anxiously waiting
outside. With typical dwarven brevity she explains Ssssathiusss, her
cure for Sandros, and her price for the cure. She then asks, "Could
not the group of lizardmen heading this way be the very party of this
elf-killer, bringing the heart? If so, we may want to intercept them
before the other group following us catches up to us." She pauses
to ensure the others have all left the hut. "The lizardmen
are closer than our pursuers. We should ambush them not far from the
witch's hut. I have no love for the elf-killers in these lands."
The memory of her incarceration only a month ago already seemed foggy
and distant, but the memory of tortured and dead elves came back vividly
to her. Regardless of whether these lizardmen were related to the vile
Duke or not, they were related in deed. "Then we may have time
to deal with our pursuers before they find the witch's hut." Daggda
falls silent, waiting to hear the thoughts of the others.
The Bard listens to Daggda's plan. "You could be right, but I'm
not so sure that they are the ones. Why would they be on the way here
and not away from here? I'm lothe to just ambush someone, or in this
case somethings, on a hunch." Tav pauses "now if they were
to provoke us that is an entirely different scenario." Tav grins
at the Dwarf "Wouldn't you argee your virginess? Either way I do
think its time we get to the heart of this matter."
Daggda scowls at Tavarak. "Aye, and call me that again and
I'll adjust your fine elven singing voice, minstrel." Tav is pretty
sure that Daggda's comment was a bit of dwarven humor.
Jessa stifles a laugh at daggda's joke.
Tavarak cringes at Daggda's comment. "Ouch now that would hurt.
OK so be it lets see hmm your ladyship." The bard bows to the dwarf
while winking at Jessa. As he stands he quickly backs a few steps away
from Daggda.
[Jessamyn] "Yes, I agree with Tav. I do not think they have
he heart. Didn't Sess say that she was working on a fertility potion
for what's-his- face and what she needed to finish it was being sent
to her? I think they have what she needs to finish that potion for lizard
breath." Jessa says, thinking. "I think we should just forget
them, unless of course they attack us, like Tav mentioned. I think we
need to keep
this trip to the reptile retreat short and sweet.. so I think we should
get moving before we have to fight both groups!"
She ruffles Rei's fur and gives him a great big kiss on the head and
then mounts Gala. She speaks equine with Gala, telling her that they
are in for another trek, and to watch out for lizard men.
[Daggda]"Good point, Jessamyn Nyt, but all the more reason for
us to stay nearby. If she's making another potion for Xanthsss, who
stole her elf heart, then that means the group of lizardmen heading
here could well be his group."
[Jessa] "Well i'm sure they are his group, but do you really think
that something that is this valuable to Sess will be left in the hans
of lackys? If Lizard-Breathe took the time to steal it? He is probably
keeping it so that he can control Sess. To MAKE her wisk up this firtility
potion for him. Xanths probably has it hidden in his throneroom...,
or what ever lizard kings use." She says using her hands in almost
every guesture,(think of an italian lol) while holding onto Gala's belly
with her legs so she isn't unbalanced. "He would NOT let it be
traipsed (sp?) around the swamp... at least, that's what *I* think.."
Daggda abruptly turns to Jessamyn, addressing her with an expressionless
face and a critical eye. We should get moving, but first we should lie
in wait for these lizardmen before they reach this hut. If we can spot
the leader amongst them, perhaps we can get the heart from him."
She suddenly looks at Tavarak, and corrects herself. "Not to jump
to conclusions about this group, but once we've sized them up, we can
decide what to do. I say confront them- if it's this local lizardman
bully, we demand the return of the stolen heart. But we can decide that
once we've gotten a look at this group for ourselves. Let us head towards
the lizard group a little bit, and then wait for them."
[Jessa] "BUT I suppose you are right, it's better safe then sorry,
like my father always used to say..." Her thoughts trail off as
she starts to think of her father.
As the Bard listens as the two talk over the situation. "Those
are good points, but what if Sess was making a potion for herself and
Lizard breath, as you so aptly refer to him, caught wind of it. Now
he either wants something from her or he wants the potion for himself.
To this end he steals a key component to use as a bargining chip. Thus
we arrive and Sess sends us off to steal it back." Tav
looks at Avon and grins, "Your department for sure. So then why
would these Lizardmen becoming back here? To force Sess to do something?
To Kill her perhaps or even to barter for the return of the heart. Now
what about the humans that are following us. If we aren't here and they
question Sess and perhaps even do her harm or kill her, where does that
leave us?" Tav sighs "The heart is only part of what we need.
The most important thing is Sess. We need to protect her at all costs.
I think we should rest here until each of the groups arrives and deal
with them as necessary, what say the rest of you?"
Avon isn't paying attention to the discussion among his companions.
But he manages to pick up some of what the bard is saying. He breaks
out in a high pitched laugh, "I have a feeling that this little
old
lady can take care of herself. And about this group heading our way,
it would be some coincidence if they would be carying what we are looking
for, don't you think?" Then he shrugs, "But decide as you
want, I don't know."
As the others come out the door Andrew is first confused by the conversation
but as he listens he guesses at the end result of the visit. Listening
to the group talk about options Andrew pipes up. "Why not ask Sess
if she is expecting company then we'll now if the lizardman are supposed
to be here. Otherwise your plan sounds good to me Tav. Take em out as
they get here in seperate groups. I think we can handle it."
"Good idea Andrew, so depending on her response we can make a plan
of action."
Veneron also follows the disjointed conversation of those emerging from
the hut with confusion. However, he too, soon catches up and gets the
general gist of things. He doesn't have any strategy to add, not being
very sure one way or the other about the approaching lizard men.
"I still don't think it is wise to spend time fighting when the
item we seek is in a 'city'", Avon says. "We have to find
out whether lizzardmen are a threat to us or not. If I can just walk
into this city without being killed I could do my work, if you know
what I mean. Somebody go ask the witch what their reaction would be."
Daggda turns back to the doorway of the hut. "Right. So we need
to ask what will the average lizardman reaction be to our band, curious
or hostile...and then ask if she is expecting company from Xanthss.
In the end, she's not making sense: How can Xanths be at this castle
with the stolen heart at the same time he's coming to collect this potion
she's working on? If we know someone's on the way, we should just tell
her, and find out if she is expecting someone."
She abruptly marches to the door, turns back again, and says, "On
second thought, someone who spoke to her before should do the asking.
Tavarak? Jessamyn? Sandros? Who's with me?"
Avon wonders if he missed some vital part of information. But realizes
that is not his 'style', so it must be because of his lack of outdoors
skills that he is puzzled by the lizard men."Say, little, uhm,
man. Maybe it's me, but I never heard of lizard men before. Who knows,
maybe they are a friendly bunch. Anyone here that wants to enlighten
me on the habits of these amphibians."
"I have only met one, other than Miss Sess over here..When I was
bounty hunting. He seemed very disorganized when he was fighting me
off..that's probably because he was far from home.. i don't know, but
from the "stories" my father used to tell me, They live in
swampy areas and when you come to their home, they are mean mofo's..
I've heard they also favor human flesh..Kind of like those nasty hags
that can reside in areas like these...." Jessa looks around her,
as if she is looking for a hag to pop out of nowhere.
Sandros
seems to still be in some sort of daze throughout the discussion, but
he nods his head when
Daggda asks for someone to come speak to the shaman with her. "I'll
go ask her. Can't much hurt at this point, I guess..." he shrugs.
Heading for the door, he knocks lightly, then opens it up a crack.
Jessa waits battle-ready on her horse incase of danger.
So, Sandros and Daggda head back into the hut of the swamp witch.
"Uh...Miss?," says Sandros, "We have some information
for you, and a question as well..."
"Oh yesss? What isss it that Missster Vampire knowsss that
ol' Sesss doesss not?"
"Well," says the former slave, "There's a group of lizardmen
coming this way. Are you expecting them? Are they a danger
to you? What will they think if they meet us?"
"HAAAAAAHH!" Ssess leans over and spits in the fire.
"OF COURSE they are coming here. Ssssupposssed to
be here late tonite. To pick up the potion I am making for Xanthsss.
... Danger? hahahahahaa." She spits into the fire again.
"No lizardfolk would try to hurt Ol' Ssess. Sshe tendsss
their problemssss doessssn't sssshe! Yessss sssshe doessss."
"What will they think of you?" She pauses to spit into
the fire again. Sandros notices the sharp crackle as the liquid
hits the flames. "They will probably sssskin you and eat
your liver." She gives the dwarf and her weapon a sharp glance.
"Or try to."
Sandros pauses, then continues with the questions that were discussed
outside the hut. "Errr... is this lizard king Xanthss coming
himself... is he likely to have the elf heart with him?"
"Oh dear, oh dear," says the lizard woman shaman. She
turns to address Daggda. "It isss much worssssse than you
sssssaid. He wasss hit in the head, wassssn't he!? Or perhapssss
the illnessss hasss taken hissss ssssenssssessss."
She goes to a shelf on the wall and brings a small bottle to Sandros.
She opens it, passing it near his face. The bitter fumes of ammonia
burn slightly and make his eyes water. His head snaps back.
"There, that will help clear your mind," says the swamp witch.
She talks to Sandros very slowly, making every effort to speak the strange
common-ish sounds as clearly as possible. She raises her voice
slightly, as one might do to a person who cannot hear well. "YOU
SSSEE, IF XANTHSS WASS BRINGING THE ELF HEART TO SESS, THEN SSHE WOULD
NOT NEED YOU TO GO AND GET IT." She pauses with a big smile,
waiting to see if he understands. "YOU MUSST GO TO HISS PLACSSE
TO GET IT -- THE RUINSSS OF BARAN'SS KEEP. HE WILL NOT BE COMING
HERE."
She turns to Daggda, "I know you understand. As long asss
Xanthss hasss it, I mussst do what he wantss, elsse I will not be able
to make the potion that will keep me alive. He will guard it carefully,
so you must be clever to get it. And be careful. You have
elf-kin in your group. If he can Xanthss will capture them and
ransssom them to Velluthsss torturersss." She shakes her
head slowly, muttering as she returns to her work table. "It
wasss much better before he killed my nephew to become Lizard King."
Daggda's
face does not move, but her eyes squint in amusement. Poor Sandros,
she thought, after all I drug him in here to ask this silly reptile
hag the questions...at least she was being kind to Sandros in her patronization.
Surprisingly, Sandros had seemed little bothered by the shaman's sarcastic
attitude, and had accepted her reply without comment. He follows Daggda
out to rejoin the others, and he listens as the dwarven priestess (or
virgeness, he snickers inwardly) tells what they had found out.
"Yep. Let's go. Enough talk. I'm not getting any more human, ya
know." He smiles weakly.
The acolyte of Moradin nods. "I understand now that he is an elf-
killer and an agent of the Duke. That is all we need to know. Thank
you for assistance, Sssessathiusss." The dwarf's attempt to more
politely address the lizard witch by adopting a reptilian hiss is almost
comical. "We will return, six days hence," she says tersely.
Daggda turns and leaves the hut with Sandros. She quickly informs the
others of what Sssessathiusss has told her and adds, "So now we
know that we must not be spotted by anyone. Let us go to the ruin of
Baran's Keep, and hope our pursuers and the lizardmen do not meet, since
they are probably allies." Her tone is grim and her mood is darkened
at the thought of Xanthss the Elf-Killer. Daggda hefts her pick into
one hand like a walking stick, and starts south in the direction of
Baran's Keep. A hapless chicken struts in her path, and she gives it
a swift kick that releases a cloud of white and brown feathers.
Tavarak listens to Daggda and nods grimly, "Yes lets begone from
this place." The Bard moves towards Stalwart as the Dwarf kicks
the chicken. Tav wonders if the chicken had brown feathers before her
boot made contact.
Was there any reaction to Tav's request for aid. Names of people that
would assist them or items that would help along the way?
"Believe me," says Sandros in reply to Tav's query, "she
didn't offer any items that might aid us. And from the way she
described what lizard man soldiers might do with humans or elves...
I doubt there are are any people we're likely to encounter along the
way
Jessa listens to everyones thoughts and thinks to herself ' finally..
i can't wait to get out of here'. she follows the group as they leave.
Agreeing with the others but unclear as to how they are going to enter
the lizardmen's city un-noticed Andrew simply falls in line. Seems that
whatever the party has put their collective minds to lately has worked
out, he just hoped this turned out the same. Understanding Daggda's
frustration Andrew nonetheless frowns at the lashing out at the chicken.
Andrew has not been in the swamp before, but he goes on to explain what
little he knows of Baran's Keep. "It is the ruins of a stronghold.
Centuries ago, before I came to this land, this region was ruled from
that castle. The last of the rulers was named Baran. There
was an earthquake that caused this central area to sink -- it used to
be a highland, and the castle was on the highest point. From that
day, the rivers started running IN instead of OUT, and the place quickly
became a quagmire. Supposedly the walls of the castle are in ruins,
but it is a bit higher than the area around it, and it WAS built on
a hill of rock. It's not a city exactly, more likely a
castle in ruins now occupied by an army of lizard men and women.
What did the witch say? Something about a couple of hundred of
them?"
On that sobering thought the group squished out into the swamp once
more. There seemed to be no trail and the horizon offered no glimpses
to the south or east of high spots that supported trees. Using
frequent sightings of the lizard-man group -- provided by Esmee -- the
party gave them a wide berth and that dangerous group passed by near
sunset -- unseen.
A
Voice
They were ever on the lookout for a place to stop and camp, but even
with Esmee looking, there was nothing but water, topped by weeds and
rushes that reached half way up Tavarak's lance. There was nothing
to do but plod ahead, exhausted and hungry for endless hours.
Eventually even the wolf, Rei, agreed to ride on a canvas pad on the
rear quarters of the Rojax -- a situation not pleasant for either of
them.
The slight sliver of a new moon would not even be available to them
until after midnight, and the insects began to become significantly
more than annoying. Only Sandros was alert in the night, the others
drooping in their saddles as the horses plodded on.
**SPLASH**
Daggda was thrown from the mule as all the horses suddenly became
panicky and difficult to handle. She spluttered as she struggled
to get to the surface. The water's depth was just about equal
to her height, and of course, she was burdened with her weapon and armor.
The most experienced riders in the group -- Tavarak, Veneron, Andrew
and Sandros -- were able to get their mounts under control, but it was
Jessamyn riding the Rojax who dashed over to grab the back of Daggda's
collar and keep her above water. The Rojax had never lost control
or become panicked, and it was he who whinneyed loudly and calmed Moongloom's
and Avon's horses.
Sandros, riding next to the mule and Daggda, splashed over to help the
Ranger get the short but heavy dwarf back on the mule. She was
spluttering and leaking water from every possible place in her clothing
and armor. She could not see it in the darkness, but her beard
was now entangled with several slimy waterplants. Safely back
on the mule, the dwarf suddenly cursed and tore off her left boot.
Emptying it of water, she also watched a small snake splash into the
swamp.
"What the hell happened?" was the thought of every
one of them. Andrew and Jessamyn, both able to speak equine,
asked their mounts. All Andrew got from his horse was "Fear.
Predator. Smell." But the implacable Rojax gave Jessa
a more complete story, which she passed on to the others. "When
the wind changed, we could smell danger. There is a meateater
in front of us. Or more than one. A strong smell."
Those with night vision looked about, but nothing was to be seen beyond
the wall of weeds and rushes that formed a virtual wall around them.
Veneron immediately asks Esmee if she will take a look, and up she soars.
But there is scant light, and the pseudodragon does not have dark-vision.
She reports that she does not see anything, but that there is a glow
-- as if from may small campfires -- off in the distance to the east.
Looking up at the star-filled sky, the Ranger and Druid quickly confer
and form a joint estimate that they have been traveling roughly south-east.
As they are pondering what to do next, the adventurers one-by-one take
on an unusual expression: confused, turning about as if looking
for someone behind him/her, with a quizzical "listening" expression,
as if eavesdropping.
Each of them hears a soft, female voice, but each of them hears a different
thought ... not exactly speaking but communicating with images
and well-formed thoughts.
Tav hears: "Please! My children and I are in dire
need. I beg for your help. You must turn away and not risk
a needless fight."
Daggda hears: "If you proceed straight ahead, you
may not live to aid your comrade. Nor will you be able to aid
me. My cause is just also. Please turn aside."
Avon hears: "Turn aside while you still can.
If you fight now, you risk yourself where there is no need to.
If you help me, I will help you. I know where there is a great
jewel."
Andrew hears: "The beast before you is an unnatural
one. He hunts by night is less dangerous in the day. Help
me and I can show you his lair."
Moongloom hears: "You wear the talisman of someone
I know. By helping me, you would help her as well. Turn
aside from the beast before you."
Veneron hears: "You are brave to risk your life for
a friend, but you need not risk this fight. Help me now and I
will provide what help I can to him as well."
Jessamyn hears: "The beast ahead of you offers great
danger. Turn now, away from the direction where the sun rises.
I will show you a safe place until morning."
Sandros hears: "Your hope may not be lost, for the
one you seek also has something that I seek. I can show you an
entrance that is little guarded. Turn now, away from the place
of the sun's rise."
Only Veneron -- because of his experience with the pseudodragon
-- recognizes it as a telepathic communication. It is not loud,
and it is clear to Ven that "she" has experience in sending
thoughts that men (or dwarves or elves) can understand easily.
All this takes place in the space of just a few heartbeats, and then
the voice is gone. The only sound is the nervous splashing of
the horses in the swampy water. Then the adventurers all start
to speak at once..
"Did you hear..."
"It was a woman..."
"Where did it come from..."
etc.
Then each realizes that it happened to the others too. And there's
a heartbeat of silence.
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