Thє ɭᴀsᴛ ᴛhɾєє ᴀdᴀᵹᴀ hᴀd bєєn ᴀbsoɭʊᴛєɭy єxhᴀʊsᴛınᵹ, ᴀnd I fєɭᴛ I hᴀd єxpєɾıєncєd no єnd of pєopɭє comınᵹ ᴛo ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood ᴀnd sєєkınᵹ oʊᴛ Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ. I hᴀvє ᵹıvєn sєɾıoʊs consıdєɾᴀᴛıon ᴛo pʊᴛᴛınᵹ ʊp ᴀ sıᵹn oʊᴛsıdє ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ so I don'ᴛ hᴀvє ᴛo єxpɭᴀın mysєɭf ovєɾ ᴀnd ovєɾ. Һowєvєɾ ᴛhє sıᵹn wᴀsn'ᴛ mᴀdє whєn ᴀ Vıɾıdıᴀn Sᴛєwᴀɾd knockєd on ᴛhє oʊᴛsıdє of ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ vєɾy єᴀɾɭy ᴛhıs ᴀfᴛєɾnoon, so I sıᵹhєd ᴀnd ɾєsıᵹnєd mysєɭf ᴛo ᴀnoᴛhєɾ ɾєpєᴛıᴛıon of ᴛhє ʊsʊᴀɭ spıєɭ.

Ƿᴀɾᴛ of ᴛhє ɾєᴀson foɾ my єxhᴀʊsᴛıon, I shoʊɭd ɾєcoɾd hєɾє, wᴀs dʊє ᴛo ᴛhє wᴀɾ ᴛhᴀᴛ wᴀs, wєɭɭ ᴀnd ᴛɾʊɭy ᴀnd ʊndєnıᴀbɭy, hᴀppєnınᵹ ᴀɾoʊnd ᴛhє ɾєsᴛ of Єɭoɾıᴀ. Iᴛ wᴀs dıshєᴀɾᴛєnınᵹ sıncє on ᴛhє onє hᴀnd wᴀs my dєᴀɾ fɾıєnd Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo, hєɾ dʊchy of Cɾımson Ƿoɾᴛ ın ᴛhє kınᵹdom of Roєfıєɭd, ᴀnd ᴛhє oᴛhєɾ ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs ᴀnd ᴛhєıɾ ᴀssocıᴀᴛєs; ᴀnd on ᴛhє oᴛhєɾ hᴀnd wᴀs my foɾmєɾ mєnᴛoɾ ᴀnd єmpɭoyєɾ, Loɾd Coʊncıɭɭoɾ Sı Sʊnsєєkєɾ, who hᴀd ᴀɭwᴀys sᴛɾʊck mє ᴀs qʊıᴛє ɾєᴀsonᴀbɭє ᴀnd ɭoᵹıcᴀɭ ᴀnd noᴛ ᵹıvєn ᴛo ɾєsoɾᴛınᵹ ᴛo vıoɭєncє whєn dıpɭomᴀcy coʊɭd soɭvє ᴛhє sıᴛʊᴀᴛıon. Thʊs I hᴀd dєᴛєɾmınєd noᴛ ᴛo ᴛᴀkє ᴀny sıdєs ʊnɭєss somєᴛhınᵹ hᴀppєnєd ᴛo spєcıfıcᴀɭɭy ᴛhɾєᴀᴛєn ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood. I ᴀɭɾєᴀdy knєw Ƿɾıncє Toɾ woʊɭd noᴛ bє ᵹєᴛᴛınᵹ ınvoɭvєd dıɾєcᴛɭy, ıf ᴀᴛ ᴀɭɭ, so ᴛhє dєcısıon sєєmєd soʊnd.

Thᴀᴛ wᴀs, ʊnᴛıɭ ᴛhє Vıɾıdıᴀns ɾєpoɾᴛєd ᴛo mє ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴀ vєɾy smᴀɭɭ conᴛınᵹєnᴛ of Єmpıɾє soɭdıєɾs hᴀd єnᴛєɾєd my ᵹɾovє fɾom ᴛhє dıɾєcᴛıon of Բoɾᴛ Һєᴀɾᴛsєєkєɾ. I sєnᴛ ᴀ fєw vıɾıdıᴀn wᴀɾdєɾs ᴛo ɾєpʊɭsє ᴛhє ınvᴀdєɾs ᴀnd sєnᴛ ᴀnoᴛhєɾ vıɾıdıᴀn sᴛєwᴀɾd ᴛo Aɾdıc ᴀskınᵹ, ᴛhoʊᵹh noᴛ єxpєcᴛınᵹ, ᴀıd oncє ᴀᵹᴀın fɾom ᴛhє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs. Thoʊᵹh my foɾmєɾ comɾᴀdєs woʊɭd hᴀvє bєєn hєɭpfʊɭ ın ᴛhє confɾonᴛᴀᴛıon, ᴛhє wᴀɾdєɾs ɾєᴛʊɾnєd ɭᴀᴛєɾ ɾєpoɾᴛınᵹ ᴛhєɾє hᴀd bєєn ɭıᴛᴛɭє confɭıcᴛ; ʊpon bєınd dєnıєd pᴀssᴀᵹє, ᴛhє Єmpıɾє's ɾєpɾєsєnᴛᴀᴛıvєs sımpɭy ɭєfᴛ. I hᴀd fєᴀɾєd ᴛhєy hᴀd ɭєᴀɾnєd, ᴀs I hᴀd, ᴛhє ᴛɾʊᴛh ᴀboʊᴛ whᴀᴛ ɭᴀy ʊndєɾ ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛsєєd Tɾєє, ᴀnd ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhєy woʊɭd ᴛɾy foɾcєfʊɭɭy ᴛo consoɭıdᴀᴛє powєɾ foɾ Єmpєɾoɾ Goɭdfınᵹєɾ.

Sᴛıɭɭ, ᴛhᴀᴛ concєɾn ᴀnd ᴛhє conᴛınʊєd єxєɾᴛıons ᴀᵹᴀınsᴛ ᴛhє bɭᴀck ıchoɾ hᴀd ɭєfᴛ mє ɾᴀᴛhєɾ wєᴀɾy, so ɾᴀᴛhєɾ ᵹɾʊmpıɭy I ʊsєd my sᴛᴀff ᴛo hєɭp mє sᴛᴀnd ʊp ᴀs I pᴀɾᴛєd ᴛhє bɾıᴀɾ ᴀnd sᴀıd wıᴛhoʊᴛ pɾєᴀmbɭє, "Բoɾ whᴀᴛ sєєms ᴛo bє ᴛhє hʊndɾєdᴛh ᴛımє, I ᴀm noᴛ Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ, yoʊ ᴀɾє ın ᴛhє wɾonᵹ foɾєsᴛ." Consıdєɾ my sʊɾpɾısє whєn ᴛhє pʊppy-cʊᴛє voıcє of confʊsıon ᴛhᴀᴛ ɾєspondєd cᴀʊsєd mє ᴛo ɭook ʊp, ᴀnd ɾєcoᵹnısє Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo's fɾıєnds -- Ƿɾıncєss, Mᴀvock Cɾᴀnє, Shᴀkıss, ᴀnd onє oᴛhєɾ who I wᴀs ʊnfᴀmıɭıᴀɾ wıᴛh -- ᴀnd ᴛhєy wєɾє ɭookınᵹ foɾ mє.

Apoɭoᵹєᴛıcᴀɭɭy I ᴀskєd whᴀᴛ I mıᵹhᴛ bє ᴀbɭє ᴛo do foɾ ᴛhєm ᴀɭɭ, ᴀnd Ƿɾıncєss єxpɭᴀınєd ᴀs bєsᴛ shє coʊɭd ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє ɭєᴀdєɾs of ᴀɭɭ ᴛhє fᴀcᴛıons ᴛhᴀᴛ wєɾє opposınᵹ Єmpєɾoɾ Goɭdfınᵹєɾ wєɾє bєınᵹ ınvıᴛєd ᴛo ᴀ dınnєɾ... ᴀ Wᴀɾ Coʊncıɭ, ın fᴀcᴛ. And shє spєcıfıcᴀɭɭy wᴀnᴛєd mє ıncɭʊdєd ın ᴛhє ᵹʊєsᴛ ɭısᴛ. To sᴀy ᴛhᴀᴛ I wᴀs ᴛᴀkєn ᴀbᴀck woʊɭd bє noᴛ fᴀɾ off fɾom ᴛhє mᴀɾk; ıᴛ mᴀdє sєnsє ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴀs ᴀ Gɾovє Mᴀsᴛєɾ I wᴀs now ᴀ ɭєᴀdєɾ of somєᴛhınᵹ ᴀnd (ın ᴛhєoɾy) ᴀ foɾcє ᴛhᴀᴛ coʊɭd єıᴛhєɾ bє nєʊᴛɾᴀɭ oɾ ᴛᴀkє ᴀ sıdє. бʊᴛ I wᴀsn'ᴛ sʊɾє nєcєssᴀɾıɭy whᴀᴛ hєɭp I coʊɭd bє, bєınᵹ pɾımᴀɾıɭy ᴀ schoɭᴀɾ ᴀnd dєfınıᴛєɭy noᴛ ᴀ wᴀɾɾıoɾ.

Thᴀᴛ ᴀɭonє woʊɭd hᴀvє bєєn єnoʊᵹh foɾ mє ᴛo ɾєmᴀın noncommıᴛᴛᴀɭ, bʊᴛ Ƿɾıncєss ᴀɭso mєnᴛıonєd ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє Єmpєɾoɾ hᴀd kıɭɭєd ᴀɭɭ of ᴛhє Loɾd Coʊncıɭɭoɾs єxcєpᴛ foɾ Loɾd Sʊnsєєkєɾ, who ᴛhє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs hᴀd hєɭpєd єscᴀpє. Aɭᴀɾm ᴀnd ɾєɭıєf pᴀssєd ᴛhɾoʊᵹh mє ᴀᴛ oncє ᴀs I ɾєᴀɭısєd ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛɾʊɭy Єmpєɾoɾ Goɭdfınᵹєɾ hᴀd mᴀchınᴀᴛıons bєyond oʊɾ woɾsᴛ ımᴀᵹınınᵹs, bʊᴛ ᴛhє onє mєmbєɾ of hıs Һıᵹh Coʊncıɭ ᴛhᴀᴛ I hᴀd compɭєᴛє ᴛɾʊsᴛ ın hᴀd bєєn spᴀɾєd fɾom ᴀ cɾʊєɭ dєᴀᴛh. So ᴛhєɾє wᴀs no dєnyınᵹ ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє Єmpєɾoɾ's ᴀcᴛıons woʊɭd ᴀffєcᴛ ᴛhє єnᴛıɾє ɭᴀnd, ıncɭʊdınᵹ hıs cʊɾɾєnᴛ ᴀnd foɾmєɾ vᴀssᴀɭ sᴛᴀᴛєs, ᴀnd ıncɭʊdınᵹ ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood. Ƿɾıncєss ᴛoɭd mє ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhєy woʊɭd ᴀcᴛʊᴀɭɭy bє smʊᵹᵹɭınᵹ Loɾd Sʊnsєєkєɾ ᴛo ᴛhє Wᴀɾ Coʊncıɭ ᴀs wєɭɭ.

I ımmєdıᴀᴛєɭy ᴛoɭd Ƿɾıncєss I woʊɭd mᴀkє ıᴛ hᴀppєn, somєhow. Sıncє I hᴀd noᴛ ᴀcᴛʊᴀɭɭy ɭєfᴛ ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood sıncє Chє́ᴀd-ᴛєᴀs (ᴀnd hᴀɾdɭy ɭєfᴛ ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ ᴀᴛ ᴀɭɭ), ᴀnd hᴀd bєєn єmpowєɾєd dʊɾınᵹ ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛımє, I dıd noᴛ know ıf now ᴛhє foɾєsᴛ woʊɭd ɾєmᴀın hєᴀɭᴛhy whєn I ɭєfᴛ. Thıs wᴀs sʊffıcıєnᴛ foɾ Ƿɾıncєss ᴀnd hєɾ fɾıєnds, howєvєɾ, ᴀnd ᴛhєy ᴀskєd foɾ dıɾєcᴛıons ᴛo ᴛhє Monkєy Kınᵹ, who (ıᴛ mᴀdє sєnsє) wᴀs Ƿɾıncєss' foɾmєɾ ɭıєᵹє ɭoɾd. I hᴀd my Vıɾıdıᴀn Sᴛєwᴀɾd ᴛᴀkє ᴛhєm ᴛo ᴛhє wyɭdєɾkın єncᴀmpmєnᴛ whıɭє I bєᵹᴀn ᴛhɾowınᵹ ᴛoᵹєᴛhєɾ ᴀ ɾıᴛʊᴀɭ ᴛhᴀᴛ woʊɭd kєєp my spıɾıᴛ ın ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ whıɭє my body ɾєᴛʊɾnєd ᴛo Aɾdıc.

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Sєvєɾᴀɭ hoʊɾs ɭᴀᴛєɾ, hᴀvınᵹ dєvısєd ᴀ ᴛєmpoɾᴀɾy mᴀkєshıfᴛ Spıɾıᴛ Sᴛoɾє ᴀᴛᴛʊnєd ᴛo ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ, I wᴀs vısıᴛєd by ᴀ Whıspєɾınᵹ Wınd ᴛhᴀᴛ I dıd noᴛ ᴛhınk wᴀs fɾom Ƿɾıncєss bʊᴛ ıᴛ sᴛıɭɭ ınfoɾmєd mє ᴛhє Wᴀɾ Coʊncıɭ woʊɭd bє bєᵹınnınᵹ shoɾᴛɭy. I sєnᴛ bᴀck ᴛhє mᴀᵹıc ɾєsonᴀncє of ᴀ ɾєcєıvєd mєssᴀᵹє ᴀnd cᴀsᴛ my ɾıᴛʊᴀɭ ın bɭєssєd pєᴀcє, ᴀnd ᴛhєn cᴀʊᴛıoʊsɭy wᴀɭkєd ᴛhɾoʊᵹh ᴀnd oʊᴛ of ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood (ᴀfᴛєɾ dıɾєcᴛınᵹ ᴀ nʊmbєɾ of Vıɾıdıᴀn Wᴀɾdєɾs ᴀnd Sᴛᴀɭkєɾs ᴛo mᴀınᴛᴀın ᴀ ɾєᴀcᴛıvє pєɾımєᴛєɾ ᴀɾoʊnd ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ). I pᴀssєd ınᴛo ᴛhє Mısᴛs wıᴛh my mınd, sʊɾpɾısınᵹɭy ᴛɾoʊbɭєd, fıxєd on Aɾdıc, ᴀnd єmєɾᵹєd sᴀfєɭy ᴀ shoɾᴛ dısᴛᴀncє fɾom ᴛhє consᴛɾʊcᴛıon ᴛhᴀᴛ sᴛıɭɭ sєɾvєd ᴀs ᴛhє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs' ᴛᴀvєɾn.

I do noᴛ know ıf Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo sᴀw mє ᴛhɾoʊᵹh ᴛhє wındows ᴀs I ᴀppɾoᴀchєd ᴛhє sᴛɾʊcᴛʊɾє, bʊᴛ shє wᴀs ɾıᵹhᴛ nєᴀɾ ᴛhє dooɾ ᴛo ᴛhє mᴀın dɾınkınᵹ hᴀɭɭ whєn I єnᴛєɾєd ᴀnd bɾoʊᵹhᴛ mє ınᴛo ᴀnoᴛhєɾ sʊddєn bʊᴛ hєᴀɾᴛfєɭᴛ єmbɾᴀcє ᴀɭmosᴛ ᴀs soon ᴀs I cɾossєd ᴛhє ᴛhɾєshoɭd. I ɾєᴛʊɾnєd ᴛhє ᵹєsᴛʊɾє ᴀs bєsᴛ I coʊɭd ᴀnd ᴛhєn ɭookєd ᴀɾoʊnd cʊɾıoʊsɭy, ɾєmᴀɾkınᵹ how odd ıᴛ wᴀs ᴛhᴀᴛ ıᴛ hᴀd bєєn moɾє ᴛhᴀn fıvє ᴀımsɾᴀ sıncє I hᴀd sᴛood ın Aɾdıc. Wє cᴀʊᵹhᴛ єıᴛhєɾ oᴛhєɾ ʊp on oʊɾ ɾєspєcᴛıvє confɭıcᴛs ın ᴀ qʊıck, qʊıєᴛ ᴀsıdє, bєfoɾє Ƿɾıncєss cᴀmє ʊp ᴛo ᵹɾєєᴛ mє ᴀnd ᴛhє ᴛwo of ᴛhєm ɭєd mє ᴛo ᴛhє ᴛᴀbɭєs whєɾє ᴛhє Coʊncıɭ woʊɭd bє mєєᴛınᵹ, ᴀnd whєɾє Loɾd Sʊnsєєkєɾ wᴀs ᴀɭɾєᴀdy sєᴀᴛєd.

Aᴛ onє ᴛımє my ᴀbɾʊpᴛ ɭєᴀvє-ᴛᴀkınᵹ ɭᴀsᴛ Dɾʊ́chᴛ-oı́chє woʊɭd mᴀkє mє fєєɭ ıncɾєdıbɭy ᴀwkwᴀɾd ᴀboʊᴛ ɾєʊnıᴛınᵹ wıᴛh Loɾd Sʊnsєєkєɾ. Unɭıkє wıᴛh Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo ᴀnd ᴛhє oᴛhєɾ ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs, I hᴀd no commʊnıcᴀᴛıon wıᴛh ᴛhє єɭvєn hıᵹh coʊncıɭɭoɾ sıncє my dєpᴀɾᴛʊɾє fɾom Aɾdıc. бʊᴛ pєɾhᴀps ᴛhєsє cóıcıᵹsᴀ wıᴛh so mʊch ɾєsponsıbıɭıᴛy of my own hᴀvє hєɭpєd mє ᴛo ᵹɾow ınᴛo ᴀ cᴀɭm sєnsє of dєcoɾʊm, foɾ whєn hє ᴀskєd ıf I wᴀs ɾєcovєɾєd I ᴀnswєɾєd ın ᴀ wᴀɾm bʊᴛ poɭıᴛє ᴀffıɾmᴀᴛıvє bєfoɾє ɾєᴀɭısınᵹ hє wᴀs ɾєfєɾɾınᵹ ᴛo ᴛhє ɭᴀsᴛ ᴛhınᵹ hє єvєɾ hєᴀɾd fɾom mє, ᴛhє dєᴀᴛh of ᴀ fɾıєnd. I ᴛoɭd hım ın bɾıєf of ᴛhє sᴀcɾıfıcє of Lᴀdy Ahɭᴀnᴀ, so hє woʊɭd ʊndєɾsᴛᴀnd moɾє fʊɭɭy. And ᴛhєn whıɭє wє wᴀıᴛєd foɾ ᴛhє oᴛhєɾ ınvıᴛєєs ᴛo ᴀɾɾıvє, wє spokє of mᴀᴛᴛєɾs bєᴛwєєn ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood ᴀnd Nєw Єɭoɾıᴀ, ᴀnd ᴛhє cıɾcʊmsᴛᴀncєs of hıs nєᴀɾ ᴀssᴀssınᴀᴛıon ᴀnd sᴀɭvᴀᴛıon.

Єvєnᴛʊᴀɭɭy Ƿɾıncєss cᴀɭɭєd ʊs ᴀɭɭ ᴛo pɭєᴀsє bє sєᴀᴛєd (Loɾd Sʊnsєєkєɾ ᴀnd I wєɾє ᴀɭɾєᴀdy), ᴀnd oʊɾ nʊmbєɾ sєᴛᴛɭєd ınᴛo pɭᴀcє whıɭє mosᴛ of ᴛhє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs sᴀᴛ ᴀ dısᴛᴀncє ᴀwᴀy hᴀɭf-ɭısᴛєnınᵹ ᴀnd hᴀɭf-spєᴀkınᵹ of ᴛhєıɾ own concєɾns. Asıdє fɾom ᴛhє foʊɾ of ʊs I hᴀvє ᴀɭɾєᴀdy ɭısᴛєd, ᴀɭso ın ᴀᴛᴛєndᴀncє wєɾє: Kınᵹ Kɭᴀʊsє of Roєfıєɭd, ᴀ spɾıᵹᵹᴀnd ɾєpɾєsєnᴛᴀᴛıvє fɾom Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ, Kєsᴛɾєɭ ᴛhє foɾmєɾ Һєᴀd Lıbɾᴀɾıᴀn ın Єɭoɾıᴀ Cıᴛy (who ᴛhє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs hᴀd ᴀɭso ɾєscʊєd єᴀɾɭıєɾ ın ᴛhє dᴀy), ᴀnd ᴀ ɾıᴛʊᴀɭ cᴀsᴛєɾ ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾ nᴀmєd Komєᴀyᴀso ᴛhᴀᴛ I hᴀd noᴛ yєᴛ mєᴛ. (Thє Monkєy Kınᵹ ᴀɾɾıvєd ɭᴀᴛєɾ, pɾєdıcᴛᴀbɭy, on hıs own ᴛımє.)

Ƿɾıncєss ımmєdıᴀᴛєɭy ᴛʊɾnєd ovєɾ ɾʊnnınᵹ ᴛhє coʊncıɭ ᴛo Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo, whıch ᴛook hєɾ ᴀbᴀck bʊᴛ shє ᴀᴛᴛєmpᴛєd ᴛo ɾᴀɭɭy ᴛo ᴛhє poınᴛ, whıch wᴀs ᴛhᴀᴛ dєcısıvє ᴀcᴛıon wᴀs nєєdєd ᴛo fıɾsᴛ bɾєᴀk ᴛhє cʊɾɾєnᴛ sıєᵹє on Roєfıєɭd by Єmpıɾє foɾcєs ᴀnd sєcond ᴛᴀkє ᴛo ᴛhє fıᵹhᴛ ᴛo Єmpєɾoɾ Goɭdfınᵹєɾ hımsєɭf. I mᴀdє ᴛhє commєnᴛ ᴛhᴀᴛ hıs ɾєcєnᴛ ᴀcᴛıons dıd noᴛ jʊsᴛıfy hım bєınᵹ pɾopєɾɭy cᴀɭɭєd Єmpєɾoɾ ᴀnymoɾє ᴀnd єvєɾyonє sєєmєd ᴛo ᴀᵹɾєє.

Issʊєs dıd noᴛ ᴛɾʊɭy ᴀɾısє ʊnᴛıɭ ᴛhє confєdєɾᴀcy cᴀmє ᴛo ᴛhє dєcısıon of whєɾє bєsᴛ ᴛo ᴀɭɭocᴀᴛє ᴛhєıɾ combınєd foɾcєs, ın ᴀn ᴀᴛᴛєmpᴛ ᴛo bɾʊᴛє-foɾcє ᴛhєıɾ wᴀy ᴛhɾoʊᵹh ᴛhє Єmpıɾє's dєfєndєɾs oʊᴛsıdє Єɭoɾıᴀ Cıᴛy oɾ ᴛo dєfєnd oᴛhєɾ fɾonᴛs on ᴛhє bᴀᴛᴛɭє ɭınєs bєᴛwєєn ᴛhє Єmpıɾє ᴀnd Roєfıєɭd ᴀnd Nʊ'Adᴀh. In ᴛhıs I wᴀs ɭıᴛᴛɭє hєɭp sıncє ıᴛ sᴛıɭɭ ᴛᴀkєs mє ᴛımє ᴛo cɾєᴀᴛє Vıɾıdıᴀns ᴀnd I ᴀm ɭoᴀᴛhє ᴛo sєnd ᴛhєm ᴀnywhєɾє ᴀs foddєɾ whєn ᴛhєy coʊɭd sєɾvє mє ın mᴀınᴛᴀınınᵹ my ᵹɾovє. Һowєvєɾ sєvєɾᴀɭ ᴛımєs I dıd hᴀvє ᴛo spєᴀk wıᴛh ᴀnd cᴀɭm Ƿɾıncєss oɾ Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo oɾ boᴛh, ᴀᴛ vᴀɾıoʊs poınᴛs whєɾє ᴛhєy ɭєfᴛ ᴛhє coʊncıɭ ᴛᴀbɭє ın dısᵹʊsᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛhє sɭoᴛh of ᴛhє pɾocєєdınᵹs. In ᴛhᴀᴛ ɾєspєcᴛ I bєɭıєvє I ᴀıdєd ın kєєpınᵹ ᴛhє Coʊncıɭ ᴀᴛ ɭєᴀsᴛ movınᵹ foɾwᴀɾd somєwhᴀᴛ.

Kєsᴛɾєɭ ᴀɭso hᴀd somєhow conjʊɾєd ʊp somє food dʊɾınᵹ ᴀɭɭ of ᴛhєsє pɾocєєdınᵹs, ᴀnd wє ᴀɭɭ ᴀᴛє hєᴀɾᴛıɭy whıɭє oʊɾ mınds ɾᴀcєd ᴀnd ᵹєᴀɾs ᴛʊɾnєd ᴀnd smokєd ın ᴛhє coᵹs of wᴀɾ. Gɾᴀdʊᴀɭɭy ᴛhɾoʊᵹhoʊᴛ ᴛhє dıscʊssıon wє wєɾє joınєd by ᴛhє oᴛhєɾ ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs, who ᴀfᴛєɾ ᴀɭɭ I fєɭᴛ wєɾє єnᴛıᴛɭєd ᴛo noᴛ onɭy know whᴀᴛ wᴀs hᴀppєnınᵹ bʊᴛ ᴀɭso wєıᵹh ın on ᴛhє bєsᴛ coʊɾsє of ᴀcᴛıon, sıncє ᴛhєıɾ skıɭɭs woʊɭd bє pʊᴛ ᴛo ᴛhє ᴛєsᴛ ɾєᵹᴀɾdɭєss. Rєᵹɾєᴛᴛᴀbɭy ᴛhє ʊnᴀvoıdᴀbɭє fɭıpsıdє wᴀs ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhєɾє wєɾє ᴛoo mᴀny voıcєs offєɾınᵹ ᴛoo mᴀny opınıons ᴀᴛ oncє, ᴀnd ıᴛ dıd cᴀʊsє mє ᴛo ᴀdmınısᴛєɾ ᴀnoᴛhєɾ of ᴛhosє cᴀɭmınᵹ sєssıons ᴛo Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo.

Һᴀvınᵹ offєɾєd whᴀᴛ ᴀıd I coʊɭd, ᴀnd єxᴛɾᴀcᴛєd ᴀ pɾomısє fɾom ᴛhє Coʊncıɭ ᴛo kєєp ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood ınfoɾmєd of ᴛhєıɾ єffoɾᴛs, I ɾosє ᴛo ɭєᴀvє ᴀs I fєɭᴛ ᴛhє sᴛɾᴀın of my hᴀsᴛıɭy consᴛɾʊcᴛєd Spıɾıᴛ Sᴛoɾє cᴀɭɭınᵹ foɾ my body ᴛo ɾєᴛʊɾn ᴛo ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ. Thє Monkєy Kınᵹ chosє ᴛo ɾєmᴀın sıncє hє hᴀd ᴀɾɾıvєd ɭᴀᴛє ᴀnd ᵹɾᴀcıoʊsɭy dєcɭınєd my offєɾ ᴛo sєnd ᴀ fєw Vıɾıdıᴀns ᴛo єscoɾᴛ hım bᴀck sᴀfєɭy. Unsʊɾpɾısınᵹɭy I ɾєcєıvєd ᴀ fond fᴀɾєwєɭɭ fɾom ᴛhosє who hᴀd known mє sıncє my Wᴀkınᵹ, ᴀnd ᴀnoᴛhєɾ ᴀddıᴛıonᴀɭ onє fɾom ᴀ ɾєᴛʊɾnınᵹ Aɾᴀᵹon ᴀs wє pᴀssєd єᴀch oᴛhєɾ jʊsᴛ oʊᴛsıdє ᴛhє ᴛᴀvєɾn.

In my ɭєᴀvє-ᴛᴀkınᵹ ᴛhıs ᴛımє I noᴛєd ᴛhᴀᴛ, whıɭє I fєɭᴛ wєɭcomє ın Aɾdıc jʊsᴛ ᴀs I hᴀd bєfoɾє, ıᴛ no ɭonᵹєɾ fєɭᴛ ɭıkє homє ᴛo mє. Iᴛ ıs ᴛhє pɭᴀcє whєɾє my fɾıєnds ɾєsıdє, bʊᴛ my hєᴀɾᴛ ᴀnd hєᴀɾᴛh ᴀɾє wıᴛhın ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood foɾ cєɾᴛᴀın. And wıᴛh ᴀny ɭʊck, ᴀnd ᴛhє єffoɾᴛs of ᴛhє Wᴀɾ Coʊncıɭ confєdєɾᴀcy, ᴀɭɭ oʊɾ ɭᴀnds woʊɭd ɾєmᴀın sᴀfє ᴀnd pɾoᴛєcᴛєd ᴀnd -- mosᴛ ımpoɾᴛᴀnᴛɭy -- fɾєє.

Photos taken by Beverly Sisco, Head of Logistics for the Traverse City Alliance chapter

✨ Am I a Bad Person?

I need bristle ·

Aunt cyn has tasked blue ⸴ glenn ⸴ mutt ⸴ and myself with watching the healing house while she prepares for a ritual she wants to cast at the dragonfall gathering this sambata · Doing so was no problem for any of us ⸴ and we all easily took it in turns ⸴ covering for one another when we were otherwise occupied or unavailable · 

But i confess to a degree of distraction · With my failure to reach out to any of the diseased animals back on kalinthas last month ⸴ and the hesitation i had felt since the magics᾿ change and my severe injury last summer ⸴ i was afraid i was losing the whisperers᾿ path · Or at the very least ⸴ not making as much progress as i wanted · I was not supposed to be at the healing house until midday today ⸴ which meant i had the morning to work out how to reach my previous contact ⸴ bristle ⸴ the dryad who set me on the path in the first place · Sending mail would be almost impossible ⸴ as hidden as the whisperers᾿ conclave was ፥ and even dreaming was unreliable · No ⸴ it would have to be through the whispering itself - through our animal friends ·

My first thought was that a bird would be best suited to sending a message ⸴ if one would agree to do so · So i passed out of the gate exiting valbrough and began walked toward one of my usual haunts for meditating · Almost immediately i saw a robin fly out of the forest ⸴ but not toward me · It landed on the ground ⸴ examining some of the small twigs and stems ⸴ then flew back up to the nearest tree and looked over the ends of leafy branches · ፠You this one greets፠ i sent cautiously through the whispering ⸴ knowing that even that form of spirit-to-spirit communication startles some animals · 

The robin however either knew of me ⸴ or was too distracted to be alarmed · She chirped at me but sent no reply back along the connexion · Instead she snapped a tiny twig off of the tree ⸴ flew down where she had been before ⸴ picked up the rest of the debris in her beak ⸴ and flew a short way into the forest · I followed ⸴ concernedly wondering why she might need such construction materials · My concern was proven right when i reached the ash tree where the she-robin was already at work again · 

This part of the forest showed all the signs of the recent rainstorm that had blown through ⸴ and the original nest was terribly damaged almost to the point of being unsalvageable · Instinctively i started looking around ⸴ wondering if there was anything my eyes could see that the robin could not · Beneath a thickly-leaved raspberry bush ⸴ i spied several portions of bark ⸴ chipped pieces of wood ⸴ and some of the fallen hooked raspberry twigs as well · Carefully reaching under the bush (but still getting scratched up in the process) ⸴ i grabbed some of the more good-looking pieces and then stood up slowly ⸴ reaching out for the bird᾿s attention ⸴ ፠These for-aid you this one offers፠ · The robin turned ⸴ sang happily ⸴ and flew over to pluck them out of my palm ⸴ sending back a quick ፠You this one thanks፠ before getting right back to work ·

I felt pleased to assist and didn᾿t want to bother her any further ⸴ but since i was already in the woods it was likely i might find someone else who could relay a message for me · Just as i thought this ⸴ i almost felt something overhead ⸴ but when i turned to look in the sky i could not see anything · So i continued to reach out casually ⸴ opening myself up to the trees and its denizens · From my left came an answering gateway ⸴ a response to my whispering ⸴ and i followed it to an ancient oak ⸴ finding in short order the owl that was reaching out to me · He moved as if to flap his wings ⸴ but one did not open quite right · ፠Wrong something is፠You to find this one᾿s trouble this one asks፠ as he awkwardly glided down ⸴ instinctively flapping a few times but the sense of pain coming to me as he did ·

It was obviously the left wing ⸴ fractured - not an uncommon injury among owls ⸴ but certainly something that needed to be treated quickly to prevent the owl from permanently losing his ability to fly · Fortunately this fracture did not look severe ⸴ which would have required me to bring the owl back to either my inn room in onothera or the healer᾿s guild in valbrough so that i could insert a pin · My taming bag had the necessary fabric to attach a splint ⸴ and as i carefully treated the bird i sent along our connexion ፠For a nine-day this healing must remain፠With some prey this evening i return፠

፠Not to return you need፠For this one my mate hunts፠You this one thanks፠

፠You this one understands፠You to a branch this one returns፠ i acceded ⸴ and so did the owl ⸴ letting me carefully return him to the tree · He hooted aloud and watched me as i ventured further in the same direction for a time · Then ⸴ just as a i reached a clearing in the middle of the trees ⸴ i felt something above me again ·

I looked up again ⸴ and this time i did see the hawk · She had been circling ⸴ presumably watching me ⸴ and she regally descended and landed in front of me ⸴ flaring her wings as she touched down · Her deep amber eyes connected with mine far quicker than any bird i᾿d ever reached through the whispering ⸴ and it was to be honest a little unsettling · 

Unbidden ⸴ memories of my whole life᾿s story raced through the back of my mind - like the hawk was reading it ⸴ and me not quite able to register the thoughts · This felt like a baring of my spirit ⸴ revealing all of the good and all of the bad i᾿d ever done ⸴ and i absently wondered if this hawk was more than just a mere bird of prey · Then she squawked hoarsely and puffed out her chest ⸴ the feathers below her neck ruffling in an almost formal manner · ፠Your for-bristle message this one takes፠ i heard through the whispering ·

፠You this one thanks፠ i sent along our connexion ⸴ but before i could tell her what the message itself was ⸴ she physically nodded - again an unsettling thing for a bird to do - and flew away ⸴ the last communication i felt being ፠Your message this one knows፠

Puzzled ⸴ but still somewhat relieved ⸴ i remained there alone in the field in thought for a ghurry ⸴ before deciding i should get back to begin my daily duties · I walked back toward valbrough and returned to the healing house ⸴ arriving just shortly before highsun ·

Upon stepping into the healers᾿ guild ⸴ i saw a few healers including blue and politely nodded a hello before moving over to a chair by my makeshift cot at the end of the patients᾿ beds · When blue saw me she practically jumped up and visibly had to stop herself from running over to finish what she was doing · Visibly to others ⸴ i mean · I was barely set down with my journal before i realised that blue was making her way over and she finally got to me · «ilarion ። Y-you know animals right ፧ You practically talk to birds ⸴ the evil things · · ·»

Her nose scrunched up and i could tell she was agitated ⸴ so i smiled and tried to put her at ease · «Aye ⸴ blue ⸴ i speak to the animals · Sometimes they even speak back · Although most of the birds i speak with are songbirds ⸴ they᾿re more talkative than the predators · Are you · · · seeking a message ⸴ or seeking to send one ፧»

She reached up and pulled a red feather out from behind her ear ⸴ presumably trying to hand it to me but nearly striking me in the face ⸴ though to my credit the only flinching i did was to blink several times · «What bird is this from ፧» she asked with a clear note of fear in her voice and terror on her face ⸴ before letting out another breath · 

It took me a moment before i could focus on the feather itself · As i peered at it ⸴ i reached out and arched an eyebrow to ask permission to take it ⸴ and blue willingly surrendered it · I examined it gingerly but quickly ⸴ noting out of the corner of my eye that she was hopping foot to foot impatiently · «It᾿s too large to be a finch or a songbird ⸴» i told her musingly · «Possibly a cardinal ፧ Though it᾿d have to be a well-grown one ⸴ and a male · Or an ibis but they aren᾿t native to this part of dragonreach · · · ·» 

I frowned thoughtfully ⸴ then shook my head to clear it and handed the feather back to blue · «Where did it come from ፧ Or ⸴» an abstract thought entered my mind ⸴ « · · ·from who ፧»

Blue flinched at my last question · «I am hoping it᾿s a thing not a who ⸴» she said · «I was doing my rounds with the kin building up around mathis᾿s tower and there was some odd reports i thought to try and look into · I figured some kin are a little rattled in the head from things and wanted to verify tales they told of two red orbs on the south end of the city · There are kin missing from their homes there and i found this feather · · ·» she squirmed uncomfortably for a second before she resumed her tale · «It was just kinda · · · on the tree · Not under or sitting in a branch like it dropped or ripped like it was caught from someone hitting the tree and it pulled out · More like put there ·»

The abstract thought finished coalescing and i remembered some of the history that blue and 13 had both told me ⸴ and i understood finally why my friend was so very on-edge · «You᾿re afraid that this might be · · · a biata feather ፧»

«Yeah · · · and worse · Red orbs mean a death knight ·» I wrinkled my forehead in confusion ⸴ having never heard of such a thing ⸴ but didn᾿t interrupt · «Death knights don᾿t get made out of thin air ·  there᾿s also just the weirdness of how these kin disappeared · No struggle ⸴ just looks like they walked off after making supper ·» She shook her head just as i had moments ago · «That makes no sense though ·  kin never just leave food · We know starving to well for that ·»

«Death knights certainly sound alarming but i᾿m afraid i᾿m not familiar with them · But it may not necessarily be death knights · · ·» i mused ⸴ somewhat wanting to calm her even though part of what i was about to say probably wouldn᾿t assuage her fears · «Biata have certain mental abilities ፥ is it possible they mind-controlled these kin to simply walk away ፧ To be fair ⸴ i᾿m not sure whether that or the death knights is more alarming to you given what you᾿ve already been through ·»

«Charm spells might make them walk away too ⸴» blue was also thinking along the same lines as me · «I᾿m completely guessing on the death knight part · I᾿ve heard people talk about them and mention the first thing you see is red glowing eyes which isn᾿t a stretch to red orbs · I have never seen one though · I am concerned that a biata would get so close to kin though · I don᾿t like any of this ·»

«Nor i ⸴» i assured her · «I᾿m not completely familiar with the history of the freyguard and the tense kyn-biata relations ⸴ but i know enough that if red-feathered biata are nosing about ⸴ it᾿s probably not for anything good ·» Steeling my expression to reassure her ⸴ i promised ⸴ «i᾿ll protect you as best i can ⸴ i hope it goes without saying · And i᾿ll accompany you the next time you want to go check this out ·» She gave me a smile ⸴ so i pushed a little further with another suggestion · «But ⸴ have you considered asking sy what he knows ፧ Or if he could help you build a mental block to protect against other biata ፧»

Though i understood why ⸴ i was a little disheartened that her smile fell immediately · «No · Never letting another biata near enough to do such things ever · I will rip their throats out with my teeth first ·»

I put a hand out in midair to indicate my understanding and calm her down again · «That is a completely fair statement and i respect it · You need not go talk to him ⸴ then · However with your permission ⸴ when i see him on dragonfall eve i might ask him in a general sense about all of this ·»

Blue thought about it ⸴ even though she obviously didn᾿t like the idea · Finally she said ⸴ «you are a free person ilarion · If you want to talk to sy then go ahead · If you get any funny feelings though start singing the most annoying song you know in your head though ·»

I tried not to smile and just nodded · «Understood · I trust him completely ⸴ but it never hurts to be cautious · There᾿s a song in the old reed dryad language about seaweed that i think i could fill my brain with · Just promise me you won᾿t go investigate anymore about this without backup · Whether it᾿s me or someone else ·»

«That i can certainly promise» blue answered with a nod as well ⸴ before frowning · «Although i am at a slight loss on who to ask · I mean mathis or cyn might know but they also might scare off things cause bigger and such · I᾿m at a loss of who to talk to · I mean it is on mathis᾿s lands here technically ·  Ugh ·»

«Then i᾿d say ⸴ wait for me · We᾿ll go on dragonfall eve and check it out · See if thudd can come too ⸴ and i might see if any of my familia are going to be around as well ·»

«Hmm ⸴ maybe · Thudd i don᾿t think knows the meaning of retreat but i᾿m not about to be picky · I know mutt will be about so maybe she can come and help · I also have to see to some things first and mathis should know about things just to be safe · Hoarding information is never good ·”

«We just have to make sure someone is still here ⸴» i gestured at the healing house around us ⸴ «unless aunt cyn is back by then ·»

«She said she would be · We might want to wait for light anyway ⸴ can investigate easier when you can see ·”

Since my own vision is still significantly impaired ⸴ i nodded emphatically and i᾿m sure she got the humour behind it · But then i began to recall my experience with the hawk and i felt confused and a little sad all over again · Still ⸴ the people i talk to most about my personal issues are aunt cyn and blue ⸴ so since the opportunity had presented itself · · · «Blue ⸴ can i ask you an odd question ፧»

«You can always ask ⸴ i reserve the right not to answer ·”

«Am · · · Am i a bad person ፧»

Blue looked puzzled · «I think this requires context and a better definition of bad person ·”

I snorted out a laugh ⸴ and it made me smile a little · «I · · · hmm · How to put this · Sometimes being able to speak with animals the way i do ⸴ finding that place where our spirits connect ⸴ it᾿s not just about communication · It lends itself to baring a part of your soul ⸴ or all of it · I had to send a message today ⸴ which is why i came in so late · And the messenger i finally found · · · while we were connected ⸴ i just felt feelings bubbling up · Weighing my good and my bad · And it got me thinking about whether i᾿ve ever done anything that made me totally irredeemable · I᾿m sorry · If this is too heavy to talk about it we don᾿t have to · I᾿d normally confide in aunt cyn but · · ·»

«Nonsense ⸴ this isn᾿t just a topic for big people after all here ⸴» blue said waving her hand · «I think it᾿s something we all deal with ⸴ wondering if we aren᾿t turning into monsters like bleak from cyn᾿s tales · He was originally just a scared kid she said after all · Everyone has done things they might not have the most pride in or that makes them question if they are a good person · I can however say you definitely are one ilarion ·»  Blue gave me another big smile · «Know how i know that ፧»

«i have a suspicion ⸴ but i᾿d rather hear it from you · And bear in mind i once called you a dog-kyn ⸴ so you might reconsider whether i᾿m a good person or not ⸴» i joked ·

It made blue laugh ⸴ which had been my intention · «that᾿s just a mistake ·  anyways ⸴ you are still a good person because you are stopping and asking if you are one ·  when you don᾿t stop and think about it then you might be turning into a jerk ·  case in point look at naomi and zane ·  they actually claim to be monsters and some folks might agree ⸴ yet naomi isn᾿t ignoring laws and is still trying to help dragonreach instead of being like ᾿fuck this i᾿m a dragon᾿ ·  zane tries to help direct and teach younger folks so that we can carry on for him and picks people up instead of being all ᾿fuck you all i᾿m a bear rawr᾿ ·»  Blue made appropriate claws and teeth baring for each statement · «they aren᾿t really monsters ·  they might have issues but they are still good ·  not like the monsters i grew up around ·»  

«That᾿s · · · a really good point actually ⸴» i admitted · «I hadn᾿t thought about it like that · Thank you blue ·»

«You᾿re welcome ⸴» blue beamed a bit · «Glad i helped ·»

And then off she went ⸴ back over to the seat where she had been working on a drawing of some kind · I just stayed in my own seat and stared off into the distance for a while ⸴ my gaze slowly and inevitably being drawn to the nearest window where i could watch the sky · Somewhere in that expanse ⸴ a very wise hawk was hopefully delivering a message for me ⸴ so that -- while i was trying to help my friends -- someone could come and help me ·

🍂 Life in the Briar

I ᴀm ʊnsʊɾpɾısєd ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє job of ᴀ Gɾovє Mᴀsᴛєɾ ıs so єxhᴀʊsᴛınᵹ, bʊᴛ I ɾєmᴀın sɭıᵹhᴛɭy sʊɾpɾısєd ᴛhosє who hᴀvє bєcomє my chᴀɾᵹєs ᴀɾє pɾımᴀɾıɭy noᴛ dɾyᴀdєs. Thoʊᵹh somє fєw of ᴛhє Єxıɭєs hᴀvє ɾєᴛʊɾnєd ᴛo ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood, ᴛhєy ᴀɾє ındıvıdʊᴀɭs, noᴛ ᴛhє ᵹɾєᴀᴛєɾ body of ᴛhє Chıɭdɾєn of Aʊᴛʊmn who oncє fıɭɭєd ᴛhєsє ᴛɾєєs wıᴛh hᴀɾmony ᴀnd joy. Thєn ᴀᵹᴀın, єvєn ᴛhoʊᵹh ᴀ pᴀɾᴛ of ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood ıs now ɾєsᴛoɾєd, ᴛhє foɾєsᴛ ıs noᴛ ᴀs ıᴛ oncє wᴀs. I ᴀm sᴛıɭɭ єᴛєɾnᴀɭɭy ᵹɾᴀᴛєfʊɭ ᴛo Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ of ᴛhє Ashdown Woods, bєcᴀʊsє foɾ ᴛhє mosᴛ pᴀɾᴛ ᴛhє dɾyᴀdєs wє ɾєfєɾ ᴛo ᴀs "Thє Єxıɭєs" hᴀvє ın fᴀcᴛ ᴀccєpᴛєd hєɾ ᵹɾovє ᴀs ᴛhєıɾ nєw homє, ᴀnd shє hᴀs mᴀdє ᴛhєm wєɭcomє ᴀnd ᵹıvєn ᴛhєm no ɾєᴀson ᴛo ɭєᴀvє.

Addєd ᴛo ᴛhᴀᴛ ıs ᴛhє dıffıcʊɭᴛy of ᴛhє bɭᴀck ıchoɾ ınvᴀsıon cɾєєpınᵹ ᴀcɾoss ᴛhє sıᴛє of ᴛhє oɾıᵹınᴀɭ Һєᴀɾᴛwood Dɾyᴀdєs' vıɭɭᴀᵹє. I, ᴀnd my Vıɾıdıᴀns, hᴀvє bєєn ᴛɾyınᵹ ᴛo combᴀᴛ ᴛhє ınvᴀsıon bʊᴛ ᴛo ɭıᴛᴛɭє ᴀvᴀıɭ; wє ᴀɾє ᴀᴛ ᴀɭmosᴛ ᴀ sᴛᴀndsᴛıɭɭ. Wє cᴀnnoᴛ sᴛop ᴛhє ᵹɾowᴛh wıᴛh ᴛhє mᴀᵹıc ᴀᴛ oʊɾ dısposᴀɭ bʊᴛ wє cᴀn conᴛᴀın ıᴛ ᴛo ᴛhє vıɭɭᴀᵹє. I sєnᴛ onє of my Vıɾıdıᴀn Sᴛєwᴀɾds ᴛo Aɾdıc ᴀ cóıcıᵹєs oɾ ᴛwo ᴀᵹo, wıᴛh ᴀ ɭєᴛᴛєɾ ᴀskınᵹ foɾ ᴀssısᴛᴀncє. Yєᴛ I ᴀm cєɾᴛᴀın ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє ɾʊmoʊɾs of wᴀɾ hᴀvє ᴛhєıɾ ᵹɾєᴀᴛєɾ ᴀᴛᴛєnᴛıon ᴀnd I cᴀnnoᴛ bɭᴀmє ᴛhєm. I ᴀm jʊsᴛ hᴀppy ᴛhᴀᴛ Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo sєєms ᴛo hᴀvє ɾᴀɭɭıєd ᴛhєm ᴛo ᴀcᴛıon foɾ ᴛhє ᵹɾєᴀᴛєɾ ᵹood, ᴀs wᴀs so dıffıcʊɭᴛ foɾ somє ᴛo wɾᴀp ᴛhєıɾ hєᴀds ᴀɾoʊnd pɾıoɾ ᴛo my dєpᴀɾᴛʊɾє.

Of ᴛhє Vıɾıdıᴀns I ᴀm pᴀɾᴛıcʊɭᴀɾɭy pɾoʊd, sıncє I ʊsєd ᴛo bє qʊıᴛє ʊnskıɭɭєd ın ɾıᴛʊᴀɭ mᴀᵹıc - ın fᴀcᴛ I hᴀd noᴛ ᴀᴛᴛᴀınєd ᴛhᴀᴛ dєᵹɾєє of mᴀᵹıc compєᴛєncє ᴀᴛ ᴀɭɭ whıɭє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾınᵹ, ᴀnd I sʊspєcᴛ onɭy my nᴀscєnᴛ єmpowєɾmєnᴛ ᴀs ᴀ Gɾovє Mᴀsᴛєɾ hᴀs ᴀɭɭowєd mє ᴛo ᴀccєss ᴛhєsє ɭєvєɭs of єᴀɾᴛhєn mᴀᵹıc so qʊıckɭy. I ɾєᴀɭısєd ᴀn ᴀımsєɾ pᴀsᴛ ᴛhᴀᴛ my ᴀᴛᴛєnᴛıon wᴀs nєєdєd ın ᴛoo mᴀny pɭᴀcєs ᴀᴛ oncє, ᴀnd I ɾєcᴀɭɭєd ᴛhᴀᴛ Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ hᴀd spɾıᵹᴀnds ᴛhᴀᴛ wᴀıᴛєd on hєɾ ᴀnd ᴀssısᴛєd hєɾ. In whᴀᴛ I mʊsᴛ honєsᴛɭy sᴀy wᴀs ᵹʊєsswoɾk ᴀnd ᴀ ɭoᴛ of ʊnɾєsᴛɾᴀınєd spєɭɭ cᴀsᴛınᵹ, I mᴀnᴀᵹєd ᴛo convıncє ᴀ ᴛɾєє ᴛo pʊɭɭ ʊp ıᴛs ɾooᴛs ᴀnd spɭıᴛ ıᴛs ᴛɾʊnk so ıᴛ coʊɭd wᴀɭk bıpєdᴀɭɭy. Iᴛ dıd noᴛ ɾєsєmbɭє ᴛhє spɾıᵹᴀnds, moɾє ɾєmındınᵹ mє of ᴛɾєᴀnᴛs, bʊᴛ sıncє ıᴛ wᴀs my cɾєᴀᴛıon I dʊbbєd ıᴛ ᴀ "vıɾıdıᴀn" ᴀfᴛєɾ ᴀn oɭdєɾ woɾd foɾ "foɾєsᴛ ᵹɾєєn".

Aᴛ fıɾsᴛ ıᴛ ᴛook ᴀɭmosᴛ ᴀn єnᴛıɾє ᴀdᴀᵹᴀ ᴛo cɾєᴀᴛє ᴀ sınᵹɭє Vıɾıdıᴀn, ᴀnd ᴛhєn I hᴀd ᴛo ɾєsᴛ foɾ ᴀnoᴛhєɾ ᴀdᴀᵹᴀ ᴛo ɾєcʊpєɾᴀᴛє; bʊᴛ wıᴛh pɾᴀcᴛısє I bєcᴀmє moɾє єffıcıєnᴛ ᴀᴛ ıᴛ ᴀnd ᴀɭso foʊnd wᴀys ᴛo mᴀkє sᴛɾonᵹєɾ, moɾє spєcıᴀɭısєd Vıɾıdıᴀns. I hᴀvє ʊsєd dıffєɾєnᴛ coɭoʊɾs ᴛo єnᵹɾᴀvє ᴛhє єnchᴀnᴛmєnᴛs ᴛhᴀᴛ ᵹıvє ᴛhєm ᴛhєıɾ ᴀnımᴀɭ ınᴛєɭɭıᵹєncє ᴀnd ᴀbıɭıᴛy ᴛo ʊsє mᴀᵹıc. So fᴀɾ I hᴀvє ᴛhɾєє pɾımᴀɾy cɭᴀssєs - Sᴛєwᴀɾds ᴛhᴀᴛ fєɾɾy mєssᴀᵹєs ᴀnd ɾoʊᴛınєɭy ınspєcᴛ ᴀnd ɾєpoɾᴛ on ᴛhє sᴛᴀᴛʊs of ᴛhє vєɾdᴀnᴛ sıdє of ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood, Wᴀɾdєɾs ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴀɾє ɾєsponsıbɭє foɾ dєfєndınᵹ ᴛhє ᵹɾovє ᴀnd ᴛhє bɾıᴀɾ ᴀs wєɭɭ ᴀs ɾєpʊɭsınᵹ ınvᴀdєɾs fɾom oʊᴛsıdє ᴛhє ᵹɾovє, ᴀnd my nєwєsᴛ bɾᴀınsᴛoɾm, Sᴛᴀɭkєɾs, whıch spєcıᴀɭısє ın bındomᴀncy ᴀnd cᴀpᴛʊɾınᵹ conscıoʊs bєınᵹs. Thєy wıɭɭ hєɭp ᴛo cᴀpᴛʊɾє ᴛhє ɾᴀɾє occᴀsıonᴀɭ єscᴀpєє fɾom Ƿɾıncє Toɾ's ɾєsєɾvᴀᴛıon.

Convєɾsᴀᴛıons wıᴛh Ƿɾıncє Toɾ ᴀɾє ᴀɭwᴀys ınᴛєɾєsᴛınᵹ ᴛhєsє dᴀys. Һє poɭıᴛєɭy chєcks on my wєɭɭbєınᵹ ᴀnd mᴀkєs sʊɾє ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє vєɾdᴀnᴛ hᴀɭf of ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood ıs doınᵹ wєɭɭ ᴀs pєɾ oʊɾ ᴀᵹɾєєmєnᴛ. Wє ofᴛєn hᴀvє phıɭosophıcᴀɭ dıscʊssıons, conᴛınʊınᵹ onє of oʊɾ vєɾy fıɾsᴛ convєɾsᴀᴛıons ᴀboʊᴛ ᴛhє nᴀᴛʊɾᴀɭ cıɾcɭє of dєᴀᴛh ᴀnd ɭıfє, ᴀnd ᴀɭᴛhoʊᵹh wє sᴛıɭɭ do noᴛ ᴀɭwᴀys sєє єyє ᴛo єyє I cᴀn ᴀᴛ ɭєᴀsᴛ ᵹɾᴀsp ᴛhє ɭᴀɾᵹєɾ pıcᴛʊɾє ᴀnd hᴀvє ᴀn ᴀppɾєcıᴀᴛıon foɾ ᴛhє woɾk ᴛhᴀᴛ hє doєs ın ᴛhє dєcᴀyınᵹ hᴀɭf of ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood. Wєɭɭ, mosᴛ of whᴀᴛ hє doєs, ᴀnywᴀy. Thє wᴀys of ᴛhє Բᴀє ᴀɾє ınscɾʊᴛᴀbɭє bʊᴛ I do ᴛhınk of Ƿɾıncє Toɾ ᴀs my fɾıєnd ᴀnd I ᴀm ɾєᴀsonᴀbɭy sʊɾє ᴛhᴀᴛ, ıf hє doєs noᴛ fєєɭ єxᴀcᴛɭy ᴛhє sᴀmє wᴀy, ᴀᴛ ɭєᴀsᴛ hє fєєɭs ᴛhє pɭєᴀsᴀnᴛ cᴀmᴀɾᴀdєɾıє ın oʊɾ "bʊsınєss" ɾєɭᴀᴛıonshıp.

Thє vıɾıdıᴀn wᴀɾdєɾs ᴀɭmosᴛ ᵹoᴛ somє pɾᴀcᴛısє ın ɾєcєnᴛɭy whєn ᴀ ɭᴀɾᵹє pᴀɾᴀdє of wyɭdєɾkyn bєᵹᴀn fıɭınᵹ ınᴛo ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood. Բoɾᴛʊnᴀᴛєɭy I wᴀs wıᴛh ᴛhєm ᴀᴛ ᴛhє ᴛımє ᴀnd ınsᴛɾʊcᴛєd ᴛhєm ᴛo hoɭd off whıɭє I ınᴛєɾvıєwєd ᴛhє ᴀppᴀɾєnᴛ ɭєᴀdєɾ, ᴀ monkєykyn ɾᴀᴛhєɾ ᴀppɾopɾıᴀᴛєɭy nᴀmєd ᴛhє Monkєy Kınᵹ. Һє ᴀskєd mє ımmєdıᴀᴛєɭy ıf I hᴀd ᴛɾıbʊᴛє, ᴛo whıch I ɾєspondєd wıᴛh ᴀ pʊzzɭєd єxpɾєssıon, ıᵹnoɾєd ᴛhє qʊєsᴛıon, ᴀnd ınsᴛєᴀd ᴀskєd whᴀᴛ hıs bʊsınєss wᴀs ın my ᵹɾovє. Һє ᵹɾєw qʊıєᴛ ᴀnd obvıoʊsɭy dısᵹɾʊnᴛɭєd bєfoɾє sᴛᴀᴛınᵹ ᴛhᴀᴛ hıs pєopɭє hᴀd bєєn dɾıvєn oʊᴛ of ᴛhє Kᴀɾdᴀshı Jʊnᵹɭє by ᴛhє Cʊɭᴛ of ᴛhє Mısᴛ, ᴀnd ᴛhєy wєɾє fɭєєınᵹ fɾom dᴀnᵹєɾ. Thᴀᴛ chᴀnᵹєd my ᴛʊnє ımmєdıᴀᴛєɭy ᴀnd I offєɾєd ᴛhєm ᴀ pɭᴀcє ᴛo ɾєbʊıɭd ᴛhєıɾ ɭıvєs hєɾє ın ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood, mєnᴛıonınᵹ offhᴀnd ᴛhᴀᴛ ıᴛ wᴀs kınd of ɭıkє ᴀ ᴛɾıbʊᴛє ᴛo ᴛhєıɾ spıɾıᴛs ᴀnd ᴛhє sʊffєɾınᵹ ᴛhєy hᴀd єndʊɾєd. I wᴀsn'ᴛ sʊɾє ıf hє ʊndєɾsᴛood ᴛhє ɭᴀsᴛ pᴀɾᴛ bʊᴛ hє wᴀs ᵹɾᴀcıoʊs єnoʊᵹh wıᴛh hıs ᴛhᴀnks.

Һᴀɭᴀınndochᴀs cєɾᴛᴀınɭy ɾєᵹᴀɾds ᴛhє Monkєy Kınᵹ wıᴛh fᴀscınᴀᴛıon. Shє ᴀnd Dʊsk wєɾє ᴛhє fıɾsᴛ of ᴛhє Єxıɭєs ᴛo ɾєᴛʊɾn ᴛo ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood (ᴀɭᴛhoʊᵹh Һᴀɭᴀınndochᴀs hєɾsєɭf hᴀd nєvєɾ ɭıvєd ın ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood pɾєvıoʊsɭy, boɾn ᴀs shє wᴀs ın ᴛhє Ashdown Woods), bʊᴛ єvєn Dʊsk xyɾsєɭf no ɭonᵹєɾ fєɭᴛ ᴀs comfoɾᴛᴀbɭє ın my ᵹɾovє ᴀs xє hᴀd bєfoɾє, so xє hᴀs ɾєᴛʊɾnєd ᴛo ᴛhє Ashwood wıᴛh no hᴀɾd fєєɭınᵹs. Һᴀɭᴀınndochᴀs, howєvєɾ, pɾımᴀɾıɭy sᴛᴀys wıᴛh mє now. I mᴀkє ᴀ poınᴛ ᴛo hᴀvє hєɾ mᴀkє ɾєᵹʊɭᴀɾ vısıᴛs ᴛo hєɾ "moᴛhєɾ," bʊᴛ shє ᴛɾᴀvєɭs ᴀccompᴀnıєd by Vıɾıdıᴀns now. Thєıɾ fıɾsᴛ ᴀɾɾıvᴀɭ ın ᴛhє Ashwood wᴀs, I ᴀm ᴛoɭd, hıᵹhɭy єnᴛєɾᴛᴀınınᵹ.

In mᴀny wᴀys Һᴀɭᴀınndochᴀs ıs ᴀhєᴀd of hєɾ ᴛımє. Onɭy sєvєn ᴀımsɾᴀ hᴀvє pᴀssєd sıncє shє spɾoʊᴛєd bʊᴛ hєɾ ᴛʊᴛєɭᴀᵹє ʊndєɾ Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ pɾєpᴀɾєd hєɾ wєɭɭ foɾ ᴛhє wєıᵹhᴛєd sєnsє of ɾєsponsıbıɭıᴛy ᴛhᴀᴛ shє sєєs ın mє now. Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ oncє sʊᵹᵹєsᴛєd ᴛhᴀᴛ Һᴀɭᴀınndochᴀs mıᵹhᴛ єnd ʊp bєınᵹ hєɾ sʊccєssoɾ, bʊᴛ єvєn ᴛhoʊᵹh shє hᴀs chᴀnᵹєd ᵹɾovєs I sʊspєcᴛ ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє dєsᴛıny ɾєmᴀıns; Һᴀɭᴀınndochᴀs wıɭɭ ᴀɭmosᴛ cєɾᴛᴀınɭy sʊccєєd mє hєɾє ın ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood, onє dᴀy. Һopєfʊɭɭy fᴀɾ ın ᴛhє fʊᴛʊɾє.

Shє hᴀs ᴀ ɭovє foɾ ᴛhє ᵹɾovє ᴀɾoʊnd hєɾ ᴛhᴀᴛ sʊɾpᴀssєs whᴀᴛ I ʊndєɾsᴛᴀnd ᴛo bє ᴛhє noɾm foɾ ᴛɾєєɭınᵹs of hєɾ ᴀᵹє. And ᴀs ᴀn ᴀddєd bonʊs, shє ıs comfoɾᴛᴀbɭє ᴀɾoʊnd Ƿɾıncє Toɾ ᴀnd ᴛhє Dɾєᴀd Բᴀє (mosᴛ of ᴛhєm, whıch cᴀn ᴀɭso bє sᴀıd of mє). Rıᵹhᴛ now hєɾ onɭy ɾєsponsıbıɭıᴛy ıs ᴛo hєɭp mє kєєp ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛsєєd Tɾєє wᴀᴛєɾєd ᴀnd pɾʊnєd, whıch ıs onɭy ᴀ smᴀɭɭ job sıncє ᴛhє pɭᴀnᴛ ɭᴀɾᵹєɭy mᴀınᴛᴀıns ıᴛsєɭf, bʊᴛ shє ᴛᴀkєs ᴛhє ᴛᴀsk wıᴛh sєɾıoʊsnєss ᴀnd ɾєvєɾєncє. I hᴀvє hopє foɾ ᴛhє fʊᴛʊɾє now, єvєn ᴛhoʊᵹh ıᴛ ıs ᴛʊɾnınᵹ ın ᴀ fᴀɾ dıffєɾєnᴛ dıɾєcᴛıon ᴛhᴀn I ᴀnᴛıcıpᴀᴛєd.

✨ Shades of the Sea (Part 2 of 2)

A few shadowthings invaded the cabins where we slumbered · Tolib tried to wake me but only succeeded for a few seconds ⸴ but he and jake and i were in a wing of the cabin left alone by the shadowthings as the pride drew their ire and slew them swiftly · I found out in the morning that the o·e·f came to check on us afterward as they had also been attacked · 

In fact i awoke to find that tolib had gone to the washhouse ⸴ and jake was waking at the same time as me · We spent a little while getting ourselves up and around ⸴ and casually getting to know each other ⸴ before deciding to head to the luckless dragon and see if tolib was there getting breakfast · He was ⸴ but breakfast wasn᾿t quite ready ⸴ so tolib and jake went off to do their own thing while i remained to talk with collette ⸴ lukas ⸴ and jotai in the kitchen · As is typical the adventurers slowly filtered into the tavern ⸴ and before long breakfast was ready and we all dug in heartily ·

Among those also attracted by the food was a young man who at first i took to be a selunari because he appeared to be wearing a šerogada like me ⸴ but when he turned in our direction (i was sitting with the members of the pride) i saw no sela gems ⸴ and realised the cloth on his head was a bandana · The pride noticed him as well ⸴ having nervously taken his food and sat in a dark corner of the tavern alone ⸴ and jotai decided to go and see if he was all right and would like to join us · Perhaps it was an unwise decision ⸴ since after she had already headed over lukas reminded us that the people of these islands were somewhat haunted by the ruins of the old armanthian ancient dryad society · But jotai has an innocent and kindly charm that few people can resist ⸴ and sure enough the young man was convinced to join us all ·

The man ⸴ benson ⸴ asked us for protection because he was part of a group he wanted to leave · With some slight prompting from jotai he pulled back his headband to reveal a tattoo that i did not recollect seeing before (other than it was obviously a stylised eye) ⸴ but lukas recognised it as the sign of the order of the opened eye (confirmed by benson) even if he knew very little about that order · Benson explained it was one of four related but separate orders with similar aims ⸴ but some of his friends had been sacrificed in order to bring about the shadows and he no longer wanted any part of it · We told him we could certainly get someone to get him safely to a sanctuary after he gave us all the information he had ⸴ and since o·e·f had dealt directly with the order of the opened eye during a previous visit to kalinthas ⸴ i took benson over to link and quinn and introduced him · They sat him down immediately and started asking questions ·

Looking out the window we saw more shadowthings - shocking to see during the day ⸴ but reasonable since the sun cast more shadows for them to phase in and out of - as simultaneously jake and tolib returned and jake yelled from outside that he also sensed more shadowthings · Most of us kept the tavern safe while another group comprised primarily of o·e·f went to find the newest shadow portals and dispel them all · Upon their return zane declared he was going to go back to one particular one ⸴ a portal that had been created on an ancient stump deep in the woods ⸴ and several of us (Some invited ⸴ some such as myself not) accompanied him on his return trip ·

The stump was now purged of any shadow magic or whatever it was the orders were using to summon the shadowthings ⸴ but zane still wanted dustie to examine it · She built a small circle out of branches that were already around the stump and began to reach out with what certainly resembled ritual magic · Zane confirmed that he actually wished to have several people ⸴ especially if they already communed with spirits ⸴ join dustie and ritually commune with the spirit of the ancient guardian of the forest · At first i stood back and said i would simply observe since my communion had been with the spirits of animals ⸴ but zane and i simultaneously seemed to realise that the craft i was learning might serve us well here ⸴ and he invited me to join the circle and gave me a crystal focus like the others ·

Even at zane᾿s directions ⸴ reaching out to the guardian᾿s spirit was far more difficult than communing with animal spirits · It felt to me almost as though i was not just reaching along space via the all-fauna connexion ⸴ but through time as well · Once i felt myself oriented solely on the crystal focus i moved my hand forward blindly and touched the trunk ⸴ feeling four other minds connecting it as well ⸴ and the sixth mind joined us not long after · The slow but inevitable thrum of the forest᾿s deepmind began to pervade all of my senses ⸴ and eventually we were able to discern an equally slow voice speaking with us ⸴ though none but zane actually responded - in my case ⸴ for fear of dividing my own focus · The ancient guardian seemed to search all of our minds and then declared us all pure of heart and said we were all welcome to come commune with it at any time ⸴ asking for our wishes for the land ·

As we began to withdraw our consciousnesses (consciousi፧) from the stump ⸴ another contract i had signed earlier that morning was activated - or perhaps had been activated while i was in trance ⸴ and could not rift everyone out until my mind was open to the contract magic · The end result was ⸴ as i returned to spatial awareness and fell backward realising my right leg had gone numb from my sitting position ⸴ my body was transported in an instant to a farm 15 miles south of crypt on isla primos · Even while blue and tolib helped me stand up ⸴ i recalled that the contract asked us to investigate rumours that the livestock was acting strange ·

Certainly the animals that were around us - some typical for farm livestock ⸴ and some more feral - looked diseased in ways that are difficult to put into words · There was an emaciated ⸴ almost haunted look to them ⸴ but i would not say that they looked malnourished necessarily · Additionally they were covered by webs of ichor-black veins and i could not tell if it was their own blood vessels or something external attached to them like parasites or mistletoe · I realised in short order that as much as i would have preferred to save the animals ⸴ these ones were too far gone to do much of anything except grant them a mercy killing · We set about doing so ⸴ interrupted occasionally by our reactions to some of the claw swipes ⸴ for instance anxiety and debilitating fear (twice in my case ⸴ but my companions covered me or distracted the beast while i got myself under control) ·

One of the beasts ⸴ a wildcat of some species unfamiliar to me ⸴ had merely been put to sleep by the spellcraft of one of my companions · It did give me the opportunity to inspect the creature ⸴ trying to determine the root cause of the strange behaviour ⸴ but i had very little success · The disease ⸴ if it was that ⸴ did not demonstrate typical symptoms of animal sickness ⸴ but i could not identify any magical causes either · 

At my request jake fetched my taming bag (left at a distance at the base of a tree) and i first pulled out a large coil of hemp rope to keep the cat bound in case it woke up before i was done treating it · I checked its heartbeat ⸴ its skin temperature ⸴ and looked for any signs of swollen neck glands or depressions in the skull or ribs · Then i pulled out some pressed grain cakes to attempt to get some food down its throat and gauge its reaction · No food made it into the cat᾿s mouth but it did stir uncomfortably in its sleep and scratch my arm ⸴ so i sat back defeated and suggested all we could do was eliminate the carcasses · 

With a heavy heart i set my sword to the cat᾿s chest and killed it ⸴ and my friends began piling the corpses together · I had firestarting swipes in my taming bag ⸴ but with all the blood and the oozing black veins all over the animals (and the dampness of the weather) we were uncertain if we could actually get a flame to catch to cremate all the bodies · But then i remembered that i also had a large quantity of old ⸴ dried cedar leaves from valbrough in the bottom of my taming bag as well ⸴ so the others grabbed the «driest» kindling they could find from the surrounding area while i used the cedar to start the flames ·

I had to step back a bit to take a breath from all of the exertions ⸴ and i asked jake to grab my dagger (the last thing that had been left by the tree ⸴ since i had my longsword in hand and my shortsword in its sheath and my taming bag over my shoulder) · Before he could grab it ⸴ however ⸴ the contract magic deactivated ፥ presumably we had solved the request ⸴ because we rifted back to bastion·by·the·water or wherever we had each been at the time the contract activated · In my case ⸴ that was the stump where zane had helped us reach the deepmind of the forest · 

My friends heard me swearing and yelling all the way back to the luckless dragon ·

I was desperate to get back to the location and recover dszeni ⸴ which is after all an heirloom in addition to one of my weapons ⸴ but all avenues seemed hopeless · I did not know where the professor who wrote our magic contracts was located ⸴ or how to contact him · No boats were travelling to isla primos that day · I would have spent the rest of the day moping if mathis hadn᾿t inquired as to the specific importance of the dagger to me ⸴ and thanks to a complete misunderstanding of selunari culture the conversation took a disturbing ⸴ though comical ⸴ turn ·

The boat back to dragonreach ⸴ however ⸴ was still scheduled to depart at the normal time ⸴ and unlike last time i felt a pang of sadness about leaving kalinthas · Not just because of my missing dagger (which i determined i would offer a reward for if anyone could find it) ⸴ but because thanks to my time communing with the deepmind and trying to care for the island nation᾿s citizens and creatures ⸴ i was developing a fondness for the region · Zane had ⸴ of course ⸴ been right all along · If i hadn᾿t confronted my fear of change ⸴ i would have not grown either ·

Damn it i want that dagger back though ·

✨ Shades of the Sea (Part 1 of 2)

I am sure i have mentioned it several times before ⸴ but i do not like travel by water · At all · So it should come as no surprise that i was almost unbearably nauseous during our recent voyage back to the kalinthian isles · Upon hearing that ardos was not accompanying us to the kalinthian isles because he allegedly suffers from seasickness ⸴ i have begun to think it might be a selunari trait · We are nomads ⸴ not buccaneers ·

But i digress · My return to kalinthas was part of a sort of unofficial promise i was fulfilling to zane al᾿vera ⸴ who when last i saw him in early brumar told me ⸴ «you don᾿t grow where you are comfortable and safe ·» it is a lesson i have been slowly coming to terms with ፥ and although i had not been given to opportunity to return the islands until now ⸴ i wanted to demonstrate to the werebear my willingness to adapt and overcome my own weaknesses ·

So i sailed to bastion·by·the·water with my friends · And the fact that i had to spend an hour emptying the contents of my stomach in a private copse of trees ⸴ and regaining my footing before joining the other adventurers at the luckless dragon ⸴ does not change the fact that i sailed willingly of my own accord · But it did necessitate copious consumption of the free drinking water that the barkeep sympathetically supplied ·

I was joined at the table by the also visiting familia i had met upon reaching the front doors of the luckless dragon ⸴ a cousin named tolib and his young ward jake · Once familia greet each other simply ⸴ they are immediately familiar with one another and converse simply and easily ⸴ so we promptly began talking about our respective sela emergences and about the islands we had just returned to (or in their case arrived on) · I did see zane ⸴ and link ⸴ and other persons i wanted to speak with later on ⸴ but i figured we would have a few days before the boats returned us to dragonreach and i did not need to interrupt them at the moment ·

I truly believe i was on my eighth glass of water when a portion of the shadows in the dimly lit tavern pulled away from the wall and began attacking me -- with my weapons still sheathed · I got away while my compatriots beat the shadowthing into dissipation ⸴ and hastily repaired my beaten armor before pulling my weapons out ⸴ as more of the creatures were emerging from around us ⸴ and even outside the tavern · The force of we adventurers was a solid defence against the incursion ⸴ although nobody seemed to understand exactly what the shadowthings were or where they came from · We did realise that they could phase in and out of our shadows ⸴ vanishing behind someone and reappearing behind another to attack again swiftly ·

Of this long and patient defence i noted some special tactics from my friends · Finch had come with us ⸴ and knowing his voracious appetite ⸴ i joined several of our friends in encouraging him to try and eat the shadowthings ፥ however ⸴ upon «defeating» the shades ⸴ they dissipated too quickly for him to get even a taste · A high orc named thudd was in possession of a remarkably heavy and large shield ⸴ like a curved door that more than covered him ⸴ and in addition to wielding it like it weighed nothing thudd also utilised it to allow us all turns in healing our wounds and repairing our armor · Lastly but certainly not least ⸴ young jake was in possession of an amulet whose magic powers he apparently did not know the extent of ⸴ and one of its abilities was that he could «see» or at least sense the shades when they had phase into someone᾿s shadow and hadn᾿t emerged elsewhere yet ·

Eventually the incursion died down for the time being ⸴ and since nearly all of us had congregated outside the tavern so we were in a more open fighting space ⸴ we returned inside the luckless dragon · We had noted that the gentleman with the contract magic already left several contracts for us to possibly fulfil during our stay in kalinthas · Jake expressed his curiosity about one that asked us to clear out «sahaguines» from a cave near a settlement · Tolib by this point knew our combat capabilities ⸴ and asked several of us to accompany them so we could satisfy jake᾿s curiousity ⸴ and help out other people at the same time ·

While we waited for the contract magic to activate there was some discussion about what a sahaguine actually was · I recalled fragments of a children᾿s tale that made me think of aquatic birds ⸴ while others thought it was a fish or lizard thing · Lo and behold ⸴ when the contract activated and rifted us to the location ⸴ sahaguines turned out to be nothing more than amphibious goblins (or «fish goblins» as thudd called them) ⸴ including the annoying high-pitched voice and reckless ⸴ sometimes childlike behaviour ·

This bunch were mostly idiots (so the same as normal goblins) but there was a lot of confusion involving different sahaguines all taking the captain᾿s hat ⸴ which belonged to a sahaguine captain that was significantly more reasonable than his underlings · At some point jake ended up with the captain᾿s hat and several of the confused sahaguines decided that meant they had to sit down and listen to a story ⸴ which is when we discovered jake has an amazing bardic talent for storytelling · But of course ⸴ like all goblin encounters ⸴ it ended with us eliminating the troublesome amphibians ·

The contract magic naturally rifted us back to the tavern the very moment that the sahaguines were eliminated · We were returned to the tavern where i remained one of the many casual defenders against the shadowthings ⸴ although mercifully the creatures did not return in quite as much force as their first incursion · Our job was actually made easier by another group of the adventurers who apparently went out into the area around bastion·by·the·water to see if something in the surrounding environment was attracting or spawning the shades · When they came back they reported that they had discovered a «shadowportal» from whence the things were coming ⸴ and they had also learned it could be dispelled by magic · (And they did so ·)

With at least that one shadowportal destroyed ⸴ though we suspected there might be others around the island ⸴ our defences were able to loosen a bit and we were able to relax · In fact i felt superfluous ⸴ and also very tired ⸴ so i excused myself and went to bed so i would be well-rested for whatever adventures came the next day ·

🍂 Bittersweet Reunion (Part 1 of 2)

Thє hoʊɾ wᴀs ɭᴀᴛє whєn ᴛhє ᴛєɭɭᴛᴀɭє bʊzz of ᴀ wıɭɭ-o-wısp's ʊndєɾɭyınᵹ mᴀᵹıc ᴀppɾoᴀchєd my бɾıᴀɾ.

Thıs ıs noᴛ ᴛo sʊᵹᵹєsᴛ sʊch ᴀn occʊɾɾєncє wᴀs oʊᴛ of ᴛhє oɾdınᴀɾy, oɾ ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє ᴛımє of ᴛhє vısıᴛ wᴀs ʊnʊsʊᴀɭ. Ƿɾıncє Toɾ's Բᴀє ᴀɾє moɾє comfoɾᴛᴀbɭє ᴀnd єvєn ɭєss wıɭd ʊndєɾ ᴛhє ɭıᵹhᴛ of ᴛhє sᴛᴀɾs ᴀnd moon, ᴀnd ın ᴀddıᴛıon ᴛo Ƿɾıncє Toɾ's own vısıᴛs ᴀnd ᴛhosє of hıs єmıssᴀɾıєs foɾ dєɭıvєɾınᵹ offıcıᴀɭ mєssᴀᵹєs, ᴛhє wıɭɭ-o-wısps ın pᴀɾᴛıcʊɭᴀɾ hᴀvє ᴀ fᴀscınᴀᴛıon wıᴛh mє ᴛhᴀᴛ I cᴀnnoᴛ qʊıᴛє єxpɭᴀın. Ƿєɾhᴀps ıᴛ ıs ᴛhєıɾ wondєɾ ᴀnd mᴀybє єvєn ᴀmʊsєmєnᴛ ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴀ dɾyᴀd so ınvєsᴛєd ın ɭıfє woʊɭd hᴀvє ᴀn ᴀmıcᴀbɭє ᴀccoɾd wıᴛh ᴛhєıɾ ɭєᴀdєɾ who wᴀs so ınvєsᴛєd ın dєᴀᴛh. Thєy cᴀɭɭ mє "Nєw Բɾıєnd" ᴀnd єnjoy bɾınᵹınᵹ mє ᴛıdınᵹs boᴛh ᵹood ᴀnd bᴀd, ᴀnd I hᴀvє ɭєᴀɾnєd ᴛo ᵹɭєᴀn ɾoʊᵹhɭy whєn ᴛhєy ᴀɾє jʊsᴛ ᴛᴀɭkınᵹ ᴀs opposєd ᴛo ᵹıvınᵹ mє ᴛɾʊє ınfoɾmᴀᴛıon.

If ᴀnyᴛhınᵹ wᴀs oʊᴛ of ᴛhє oɾdınᴀɾy, ıᴛ wᴀs ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴀ fᴀıɾ cɾowd of non-Բᴀє wᴀs ᴀccompᴀnyınᵹ ᴛhє wısp. And noᴛ chᴀsınᵹ ıᴛ ᴛo hʊnᴛ ıᴛ down oɾ kıɭɭ ıᴛ, ᴀs fᴀɾ ᴀs I coʊɭd ᴛєɭɭ wıᴛhoʊᴛ ɭᴀyınᵹ my own єyєs on ᴛhє ᵹɾoʊp. I ᴛoʊchєd ᴛhє Cɾᴀnn бєᴀᵹ ᴀɾoʊnd my nєck ᴀnd chᴀnnєɭєd my nєwfoʊnd mᴀᵹıc ᴛo pᴀɾᴛ ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ whєɾє ᴛhє wısp wᴀs sᴛᴀᴛıonєd, ᴀnd ᵹᴀvє ᴀ cᴀʊᴛıoʊs, nєʊᴛɾᴀɭ wєɭcomє, "Wєɭcomє ᴛo ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood бɾıᴀɾ. I ᴀm ᴛhє Gɾovє Mᴀsᴛєɾ hєɾє; whᴀᴛ cᴀn I do foɾ yoʊ?" бʊᴛ ᴛhє ɭᴀsᴛ of my woɾds ᴀɭmosᴛ fᴀɭᴛєɾєd comınᵹ oʊᴛ of my moʊᴛh whєn I sᴀw somє of ᴛhє fᴀcєs ᴛhᴀᴛ wєɾє ᴛhєɾє.

Anyᴀ, ᴛhє yoʊnᵹ єɭf ᴛhᴀᴛ hᴀd vısıᴛєd mє ɾєcєnᴛɭy. Nommєɾıc. Kᴀıɭısᴀ. And... Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo.

Thosє ᴛhᴀᴛ knєw mє (wıᴛh ᴛhє єxcєpᴛıon of Anyᴀ) sєєmєd єqʊᴀɭɭy ᴀs sʊɾpɾısєd ᴛo sєє mє. Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo's єyєs bєᵹᴀn ᴛєᴀɾınᵹ ʊp ᴀs shє qʊıєᴛɭy confıɾmєd, "...Gɾın?"

"Һєɭɭo, Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo. Iᴛ's ᵹood ᴛo sєє yoʊ ᴀᵹᴀın." And ᴛhє sᴛᴀᴛєmєnᴛ wᴀs mosᴛɭy ᴛɾʊє, ın spıᴛє of ᴛhє concєɾnınᵹ nєws ᴛhᴀᴛ I hᴀd hєᴀɾd ın ᴛhє ɭᴀsᴛ fєw monᴛhs (ᴛo bє fᴀıɾ, fɾom ᴛhє wısps). Thєɾє wєɾє ɾʊmoʊɾs ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhє kınᵹdom of Roєfıєɭd ᴀnd ᴛhє Єɭoɾıᴀn Єmpıɾє wєɾє ᴀᴛ odds wıᴛh onє ᴀnoᴛhєɾ, ᴀ ᴛhɾєᴀᴛ of cɭᴀıms of ındєpєndєncє ᴀnd єmpıɾıcᴀɭ cıvıɭ wᴀɾ ᴛhᴀᴛ woʊɭd dısʊpᴛ ᴛhє sᴛᴀbıɭıᴛy of ᴛhє Shᴀᴛᴛєɾєd Lᴀnds. Thєɾє wєɾє fʊɾᴛhєɾmoɾє ᴛᴀɭєs of ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs hʊnᴛınᵹ down Բᴀє wıᴛh ᴀ ɾᴀᵹє ᴀnd ᴀ ᴛhıɾsᴛ foɾ bɭood. Whıɭє mosᴛ of ᴛhєsє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs woɾє ᴛhє sıᵹn of ᴛhє Oɾdєɾ of ᴛhє Єmєɾᴀɭd Բɭᴀmє, oᴛhєɾ ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs wєɾє sᴀıd ᴛo hᴀvє bєєn joınınᵹ ᴛhє hʊnᴛ. Incɭʊdınᵹ ᴀ pᴀɾᴛıcʊɭᴀɾ shє-єɭf wıᴛh ᴀ dısᴛıncᴛıvє hᴀᴛ.

My concєɾns on ᴛhıs fɾonᴛ fᴀɭᴛєɾєd yєᴛ ᴀᵹᴀın ᴀs I wᴀs bɾoʊᵹhᴛ ınᴛo ᴀn ᴀbɾʊpᴛ hʊᵹ by Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo. Obvıoʊsɭy shє hᴀd mıssєd mє, ᴀnd ın ᴛɾʊᴛh ıᴛ bɾınᵹs mє no shᴀmє ᴛo sᴀy I hᴀd mıssєd hєɾ ᴀs wєɭɭ. In ᴛhє bᴀckᵹɾoʊnd I hєᴀɾd oᴛhєɾ pєopɭє, pɾєsʊmᴀbɭy ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs I wᴀs noᴛ yєᴛ ᴀcqʊᴀınᴛєd wıᴛh, ᴀskınᵹ ᴀboʊᴛ my ıdєnᴛıᴛy ᴀnd why Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo wᴀs hʊᵹᵹınᵹ mє, ᴀnd Nommєɾıc ᴀnd Kᴀıɭısᴀ єxpɭᴀınınᵹ my ıdєnᴛıᴛy ᴀnd somє of oʊɾ pᴀsᴛ shᴀɾєd єxpєɾıєncєs. Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo fınᴀɭɭy ɾєɭєᴀsєd mє, pєɾhᴀps ın ɾєsponsє ᴛo my fᴀıɭʊɾє ᴛo ɾєcıpɾocᴀᴛє ᴛhє hʊᵹ dʊє ᴛo shock, ᴀnd sᴛɾʊᵹᵹɭєd ᴛo sᴀy, "Yoʊ ɭook ɭıkє yoʊ'ɾє doınᵹ wєɭɭ."

I ᴀnswєɾєd ın ᴛhє ᴀffıɾmᴀᴛıvє, ᴀnd ɾєsoɭvєd hєɾ ʊnspokєn qʊєsᴛıon ᴛo vєɾıfy ᴛhᴀᴛ I hᴀd, ındєєd, ᴀscєndєd ᴛo ᴛhє posıᴛıon of Gɾovє Mᴀsᴛєɾ. "A Gɾovє of no Chıɭdɾєn of Aʊᴛʊmn," I ᴀdmıᴛᴛєd, "bʊᴛ ᴀ Gɾovє ᴛhᴀᴛ ıs my ɾєsponsıbıɭıᴛy nєvєɾᴛhєɭєss."

"Sєє? I bɾınᵹ yoʊ ᴛo Nєw Բɾıєnd! Nєw Բɾıєnd ɭıvєs hєɾє now! Nєw Բɾıєnd hᴀs ɭoᴛs of fʊn wıᴛh ʊs," ᴛhє wısp chıɾɾʊpєd vıcᴛoɾıoʊsɭy, pɭєᴀsєd wıᴛh ᴛhє ɾєʊnıon ıᴛ hᴀd ʊnwıᴛᴛınᵹɭy cᴀʊsєd.

I smıɭєd ᴀᴛ ᴛhє wısp ᴀnd ᴛhᴀnkєd ıᴛ foɾ bɾınᵹınᵹ my foɾmєɾ comɾᴀdєs hєɾє, bʊᴛ ᴛhєn fɾownєd ᴀnd ᴛʊɾnєd bᴀck ᴛo Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo. I hᴀd ᴛo confɾonᴛ hєɾ wıᴛh ᴛhє sᴛoɾıєs I hᴀd hєᴀɾd, ᴀnd ᴀsk why shє wᴀs hʊnᴛınᵹ down Բᴀє... fɾom ᴛhє soʊnds of ıᴛ, hʊnᴛınᵹ ᴛhє Dɾєᴀd Coʊɾᴛ spєcıfıcᴀɭɭy. "Afᴛєɾ ᴀɭɭ, ıᴛ wᴀs yoʊ who convıncєd mє ᴛo ᵹıvє Ƿɾıncє Toɾ ᴀ chᴀncє, ᴛo woɾk wıᴛh hım. Iᴛ wᴀs Ƿɾıncє Toɾ who ᵹᴀvє yoʊ ᴛhє Nıᵹhᴛfᴀɭɭ."

Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo hᴀd єnoʊᵹh pɾopɾıєᴛy ᴛo ɭook ᴀbᴀshєd, bʊᴛ sᴛıɭɭ (ᴀnd nᴀᴛʊɾᴀɭɭy) ᴀssʊɾєd mє ᴛhᴀᴛ  shє ᴀᴛᴛєmpᴛєd ᴛo dєᴛєɾ ᴛhє Oɾdєɾ of ᴛhє Єmєɾᴀɭd Բɭᴀmє fɾom pʊɾsʊınᵹ ᴛhє Dɾєᴀd Coʊɾᴛ ıᴛsєɭf. Oᴛhєɾ ᴛhᴀn ɾʊnnınᵹ ınᴛo somє of ᴛhє Unᴛᴀmєd ᴀs ıs common dʊɾınᵹ ᴛhє dᴀy ın ᴛhє mᴀɾshy sıdє of ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood, ᴛhє onɭy Բᴀє oɾ Բᴀє-ᴀdjᴀcєnᴛ ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhєy ᴀcᴛıvєɭy soʊᵹhᴛ ᴛo dєsᴛɾoy wєɾє bᴀɭɭıwoᵹs on ᴛhє єdᵹє of ᴛhє foɾєsᴛ cɭosєsᴛ ᴛo popʊɭᴀᴛєd fᴀɾmɭᴀnds, whıch wєɾє bєınᵹ ᴀ nʊısᴀncє. I sʊpposєd ᴛhᴀᴛ wᴀs fᴀıɾ bʊᴛ I dıdn'ᴛ ᵹo so fᴀɾ ᴀs ᴛo ᴛhᴀnk ᴀny of ᴛhє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs.

Insᴛєᴀd I ınqʊıɾєd whᴀᴛ bɾoʊᵹhᴛ ᴛhєm ᴛo ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood бɾıᴀɾ, bєɭᴀᴛєdɭy ɾєᴀɭısınᵹ ᴛhєy obvıoʊsɭy wєɾєn'ᴛ sєєkınᵹ mє sıncє nonє bʊᴛ Anyᴀ hᴀd єxpєcᴛєd mє ᴛo bє ᴛhєɾє. My ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾınᵹ fɾıєnds ɾєmєmbєɾєd ᴛhєıɾ єɾɾᴀnd ᴀɭmosᴛ sımʊɭᴛᴀnєoʊsɭy ᴀnd sᴀıd ᴛhᴀᴛ ᴛhєy hᴀd ᴛhoʊᵹhᴛ ᴛhє wısp wᴀs ɭєᴀdınᵹ ᴛhєm ᴛo Ƿɾıncє Toɾ so ᴛhᴀᴛ hє coʊɭd pєɾhᴀps ᴀnswєɾ foɾ somє ɾᴀmpᴀnᴛ pɭᴀnᴛ ᵹɾowᴛh ᴛhᴀᴛ hᴀd spᴀwnєd ᴀᵹᵹɾєssıvє vınoıds ın Aɾdıc ᴀnd єɭsєwhєɾє. Nommєɾıc ᴀskєd ıf pєɾhᴀps, ınsᴛєᴀd, I hᴀd cᴀʊsєd ıᴛ. I shook my hєᴀd no, pᴀʊsєd ᴛo ɾєfɭєcᴛ on ᴛhє ᴛhɾown-ᴛoᵹєᴛhєɾ ɾıᴛʊᴀɭs my ʊnєdʊcᴀᴛєd sєɭf hᴀd bєєn woɾkınᵹ on ᴛhє vєɾdᴀnᴛ pᴀɾᴛ of ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood, ᴀnd confıɾmєd ᴛhᴀᴛ noᴛhınᵹ my mᴀᵹıc hᴀd ᴛoʊchєd hᴀd ᵹonє bєyond ᴛhє boɾdєɾs of my foɾєsᴛ. I ᴀɭso ᴀskєd ᴛhє wısp ıf ıᴛ ᴛhoʊᵹhᴛ Ƿɾıncє Toɾ mıᵹhᴛ hᴀvє ᴀccıdєnᴛᴀɭɭy ɾєɭєᴀsєd somєᴛhınᵹ, bʊᴛ ᴛhє wısp confʊsєdɭy ɾєspondєd, "Why woʊɭd Ƿɾıncє Toɾ mᴀkє ᴛhınᵹs ᵹɾow? Wє ɭıkє dєcᴀy!" ᴀnd I hᴀd ᴛo concєdє ıᴛ hᴀd ᴀ vєɾy ᵹood poınᴛ.

Sıncє I wᴀs ʊnᴀbɭє ᴛo pɾovıdє ᴛhєm wıᴛh ᴀny oᴛhєɾ ınfoɾmᴀᴛıon, ᴛhє ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾs ᴛhᴀᴛ I wᴀs noᴛ yєᴛ ᴀcqʊᴀınᴛєd wıᴛh wєɾє ᴀnxıoʊs ᴛo ᵹєᴛ bᴀck ᴛo Aɾdıc. I ᴛʊɾnєd ᴛo Anyᴀ bɾıєfɭy ᴀnd ᴀskєd ıf shє wᴀs ᴀbɭє ᴛo fınd Gɾovє Mᴀıdєn Ashєɾ wıᴛh my ınsᴛɾʊcᴛıons, ᴀnd shє ᵹɾᴀᴛєfʊɭɭy confıɾmєd shє hᴀd foʊnd my coʊnᴛєɾpᴀɾᴛ ın ᴛhє Ashdown Woods, bʊᴛ noᴛ ᴛhє Mıɭıᴛᴀnᴛs. Thєıɾ ᴛɾᴀcks hᴀd bєєn covєɾєd by ᴛhє ɾєcєnᴛ ɾᴀın, bʊᴛ sєvєɾᴀɭ of ᴛhєm (boᴛh Anyᴀ ᴀnd my oɭdєɾ fɾıєnds) sᴛᴀᴛєd ᴛhєıɾ ınᴛєnᴛ ᴛo soɭvє ᴛhє pɾobɭєm oncє ᴀnd foɾ ᴀɭɭ whıɭє ᴛhєy wєɾє ᵹᴀᴛhєɾєd ᴛoᵹєᴛhєɾ ᴛhıs mᴀɾkєᴛ. Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo ᴛʊɾnєd ᴛo mє onє ɭᴀsᴛ ᴛımє ᴀnd ᴀskєd, ɾᴀᴛhєɾ sᴀdɭy, "Aɾє yoʊ ᵹoınᵹ ᴛo comє bᴀck wıᴛh ʊs?"

I smıɭєd ᴀs ᵹєnᴛɭy ᴀs I coʊɭd bʊᴛ I'm sʊɾє sımıɭᴀɾ sᴀdnєss showєd ın my єyєs. "I ᴀm ᴀn ᴀdvєnᴛʊɾєɾ no ɭonᵹєɾ, Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo. My chᴀɾᵹє ıs my dᴀʊᵹhᴛєɾ ᴀnd ᴛhıs foɾєsᴛ. I hᴀvє hᴀɾdɭy ɭєfᴛ ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ sıncє ᴛhıs spɾınᵹ, ᴀnd nєvєɾ ɭєfᴛ ᴛhє Һєᴀɾᴛwood. I mʊsᴛ ɾєmᴀın hєɾє."

Thєn, on ᴀ whım, I ᴛook ᴛhє Cɾᴀnn бєᴀᵹ off of my nєck ᴀnd hєɭd ıᴛ oʊᴛ ᴛo my єɭvєn fɾıєnd. Thє pᴀɭє nєckɭᴀcє єnᵹɾᴀvєd wıᴛh ᴛhє ɭıᴛᴛɭє ᴛɾєє foɾ whıch ıᴛ wᴀs nᴀmєd ᵹɭowєd vєɾy fᴀınᴛɭy ın ᴛhє spᴀcє bєᴛwєєn ʊs. "Tᴀkє ᴛhıs wıᴛh yoʊ, Dʊchєss Sqʊıɾє Sᴀɾo. If yoʊ єvєɾ nєєd oɾ wᴀnᴛ ᴛo comє sєє mє ᴀᵹᴀın, ᴛhє Cɾᴀnn бєᴀᵹ wıɭɭ opєn ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ foɾ yoʊ, oɾ ɭєᴛ mє sєnsє ᴛhᴀᴛ yoʊ ᴀɾє comınᵹ."

Shє noddєd bɾᴀvєɭy ᴀnd ᵹᴀvє mє ᴀnoᴛhєɾ hʊᵹ, ᴀnd ᴛhıs ᴛımє I ɾєᴛʊɾnєd ıᴛ, bєfoɾє sᴛєppınᵹ bᴀck ınᴛo ᴛhє бɾıᴀɾ ᴀnd ɭєᴛᴛınᵹ ıᴛ cɭosє bєhınd mє. And I wᴀıᴛєd ʊnᴛıɭ ᴛhє hєɭpfʊɭ wısp hᴀd ᴛᴀkєn ᴛhєm fᴀɾ ᴀwᴀy bᴀck ᴛowᴀɾd ᴛhє Mısᴛ ɭınє ᴛhᴀᴛ woʊɭd ɭєᴛ ᴛhєm pᴀss bᴀck ınᴛo Aɾdıc. Onɭy ᴛhєn dıd I ɭєᴛ my own ᴛєᴀɾs fᴀɭɭ.

👾 Tales of the NPCs, April 2019 (Part 2 of 2)

Atticus and Arathor

"Oh, do you smell that? Actual meat!"

Atticus took a deep breath as they emerged from the Mist and smelled exactly what his sister was talking about. The farming life was wonderful and peaceful, and all they had ever known, but the smell of wild animal flesh being cooked was a rare delicacy and one they hadn't savoured in a long time.

Ever the pragmatist, however, he had to caution Arathor, "We can smell for free, but we have no coin to pay for anything to eat." Their winter crops had not fetched as much money as they hoped, and most of the coppers they had would need to go to the Souest tax collector for the spring.

Arathor was, by contrast, an optimist. "The worst thing they can do is say no. And maybe we can promise them future crops as payment." By now the sizzle of breakfast sausage and other delicacies had weakened Atticus' resolve, not that he'd really wanted to turn away in the first place. Nodding heartily in agreement at Arathor, the siblings made their way into the tavern building of whatever town the Mists had deposited them in.

Once they entered the main dining room however, Atticus was taken aback. There were so many people here of so many races, and most of them carried impressive weaponry of some kind. "These are the adventurers!" he whispered in awe to his younger sister, but while she acknowledged the comment, she was more concerned about the scents wafting from the kitchen. She was already walking into its open doorway, showering the sylvanborn cook with praise. The growl of his stomach made him more than happy to follow her and echo her sentiments, but when the green-clad cook so freely offered them to grab a plate, even Arathor looked guilty and disheartened. Atticus sadly said, "We really couldn't, we really don't have any money," but the sylvanborn just smirked and answered, "I couldn't turn away hungry travellers. This one's on me."

They gratefully followed his directions and began loading up plates with a much-appreciated meal after yesterday's long journey. Both Arathor and Atticus saw one particular dish at the same time -- "POTATOES!" they cried in unison, and then laughed. "It's the one crop we can never grow," Arathor went on to explain to the somewhat surprised cook, who took it all in stride and handed them eating utensils. Then Atticus and his sister exited the kitchen, uncertain where to sit at first, but settled on a nearby mostly-empty table only occupied by a woman with a remarkably fancy hat. She was also passing through and was a haberdasher, and introduced herself as Penelope.

The three of them chatted in between scarfing down food, and were shortly joined by the cook (recently relieved by another culinary adventurer) and another of his companions, an elf. They asked about what brought the three travellers there, and Arathor and Atticus were happy to share about their late mother's small farm that they successfully tended, growing bountiful crops of all kinds (except potatoes). The game-changer came when the two adventurers glanced at each other and then made the farmer siblings an offer they honestly couldn't refuse.

"I've recently acquired some land up in New Eloria, by Lord Sunseeker's lands," the sylvanborn said slowly. "I'm trying to get it settled and fortified, and we'd obviously need to establish a food supply and some infrastructure. Would you two be interested in farming a larger tract of land, growing bigger crops? You'd be compensated, of course." Atticus' eyes went wide. Their farm was bountiful but the size of their acreage was limited. The other adventurer offered some of his own farm in the same area as well, and both of them added that additional farm workers could be brought on to assist if needed, with the adventurers paying the cost of their salary.

Fortune had smiled on them in bringing them to the adventurer's town! This was their chance to finally have some steady income for the first time since their mother passed. Exchanging a quick but informative glance with Arathor, Atticus replied, "If we could transport some of the soil from our own farm up there, I think that would be a wonderful idea. We'd be honoured to accept." Satisfied, the sylvanborn and the elf thanked them and said they'd be in touch, and left the visitors to finish their meals.

Yet even then fortune had more to give to the children of Shreya. Before they left, a duchess from Roefield who was also one of the adventurers pulled them aside, having heard part of their conversation earlier. "I recently converted some ratkin in my land to farming and they are trying to grow onions, but they're having a difficult time making them grow. I understand you are talented farmers; could I impose on you to help them get their crops going? You'd be paid of course."

"Of course!" Atticus replied, after checking with Arathor. "We'd be more than happy to give them some tips."

"Great," the Duchess said, reaching into her purse. "A gold in advance, and another if you come back next month and tell me they're making progress." She held out a beautiful gold coin - neither Atticus nor Arathor had ever actually seen one; the most they or their mother held at one time was a few silver.

"Arathor, you'd better take it," Atticus suggested. "She's better at keeping track of our money than me," he sheepishly added to the Duchess, who chuckled and handed the coin to his younger sister before bidding them farewell and going back to a group of the other adventurers in the dining hall.

"This is it, brother," Arathor half-whispered as they headed back to the Mist line, "our fortunes are finally changing!"

---

The Wylderkin Bandits

The roadside robberies had been going well and they had amassed some bit of wealth plus some random trinkets and combat items. The Monkey King would be pleased with their progress. But the real profit lay in the tributes people gave them to not get robbed. And one of them was late.

Crevan was hidden in a shack with one of his foxkin brethren and a badgerkin, in case the people came back with fighters or tried any other tricks. He didn't really know or care who the people were; one tribute payer was much like any other. The gifts and the wealth made their lives more comfortable and easier, when he had been used to the natural hardship of living in the Kardashi Jungle.

Their warrior-leader's plan to hide the three of them away had been a good one. The tributary brought fighters with them, or at least people with weapons. They didn't have them out right now though, and they actually brought some cookies! Crevan wanted to either have one, or sneak up and rob them of all their shinies and their expensive weapons. "Not yet," Sinopa whispered though, and Crevan backed up out of the doorframe before anyone saw him.

They kept listening to see what would happen, and it was a lot of talking and Crevan was getting bored and was just about to sit down on an old crate when the first metallic ting went off. Crevan's eyes met Ylva's and Sinopa's, and they drew their weapons and ran as quietly but quickly as they could to the backs of the fighters. Their sneak ploy was successful and only one of the fighters saw them, too late to warn the rest.

The fight wasn't easy, but they had the advantage of all the loot they had already gotten from other roadside travellers and tributaries. Crevan grabbed one of the gas globes that Goryoun had shoved into his hands before he sent them to hide in the shack, and threw it at the back of a woman with a sword and shield in her hands. She turned around, and he noticed the black tattoos around her eyes before he noticed her eyes turn red and she rushed at him screaming. Oh, that was a berserking gas. They hadn't been labelled.

He dodged, barely, from her angry primal attack, and then got himself out of sight behind a tree and one of her companions, and her attention turned to him. In fact while Crevan hacked the knees of one who tried to run away, the berserk lady ended up slaying two of the other warriors before Ylva shot her in the back and finally brought her down, and that was the last of the warriors. The pod of wylderkin fighters cheered and then they started looting the dead. Ylva had first dibs on the berserk lady but she didn't want anything so she let Crevan have his pick, and he took the fur capelet the lady had been wearing. It seemed like justice since it obviously came from an animal, their less-evolved cousins. He also looted a bow from the runner and practised a few times with it.

If they'd been smart they would have returned to the Monkey King right away with their haul, but Goryoun wanted to stick around and try to rob some more people to make it even better. For an hour or so everything was fine - no travellers, but the weather was warming up and it was nice out to relax while they kept a lookout. It was a little bit later when a very large force showed up even though half of them weren't armed at all. On closer inspection... it was the group of fighters from before! They must have had strong spirits and resurrected. So now they were coming back for their things? Crevan gave the formerly-berserk lady a cheeky grin as he hefted his new bow against his fur capelet and got some arrows nocked.

He wondered if Goryoun would tell them to kill the unarmed returners first to get them out of the way, or ignore them because they weren't a threat and take care of the new armed warriors. But the entire group charged the wylderkin before Goryoun could give them direction, so Crevan just started shooting. Some of his arrows hit and some didn't, but he had only looted about ten of them so he had to throw the bow away and grab his war axe again. Someone shot him with an arrow and he dodged with natural foxlike nimbleness around a few attackers to try and hack the archer's knees (it was his favourite thing to target), but just before he got there a big werebear stepped in front of him and raised a massive warhammer up to strike.

Thwunk.

---

Master Jorkahaath

Sitting on a bench outside of the Bru na Boinne, the scorpionkin's eyes lit up at the sight of four young men who were obviously adventurers. "So, so glad you could make it!" he spoke in his percussive, genial hiss. "My name is Master Jorkahaath, purveyor of fine poisons, and I'm delighted you took up my call for an escort."

"I'm not sure that we are prepared enough--" a selunari started to tell him.

"No, no, I am absolutely certain that the four of you are more than enough to get me safely to Eloria City," he waved off what he assumed was an objection, even as he noted that the selunari was smart enough to realise there was a good reason he had needed to even hire an escort in the first place. "There are definitely things you need to be made aware of," he admitted, "but let's leave this place and start our trek before it gets even darker, and I'll explain as we go, shall we?"

He didn't really give them much time to object, picking up his hefty satchel and hoisting it over his shoulder plates, but as they hurried out to follow him the selunari did insist, "At least stay in the middle of us, sir.  Aragon, Ekii, you two in the front, Kunzio and I in the back."

Nodding approval, off they went down the road, and it was only a few seconds before Jorkahaath began, "So you obviously are aware that I am expecting trouble. Let me give you a little background." His companions either nodded acceptance or kept silently walking, so he launched into his tale. "I have been selling my poisons around the world and I'd enjoyed a healthy trading relationship with the Quub'rakaal -- you know the Quub'rakaal?" Seeing looks of either total confusion or only partial recollection on their faces, he added, "The lizard folk in the desert through the Mist? No matter, the important part here is that there is a feral group of the lizard folk, the Visarjinci. It's a Quub'rakaali word that means 'forsaken' or 'cursed' because they lived outside of the old king's magic and took the desert curse into themselves."

"What desert curse is that?" one of the adventurers asked, but before Jorkahaath could answer, the elf Aragon said, "Something ahead of us!"

"Yep, that would be them." Jorkahaath casually slid his hand into a pocket of his satchel and pulled out a number of gas globes just in case, but the adventurers seemed to have things well in hand as the Visarjinci came close enough to get a good look at them -- lizardfolk like the rest of the Quub'rakaal, but with a sickly, sandy texture to their scales and skin, wielding wicked, sharp, unkept claws on both their hands. The quartet dispatched this first group of three Visarjinci with ease and Jorkahaath relaxed, returning his own "weaponry" to his bag.

He attempted to resume his story as they continued walking toward the Eloria City Mist barrier, but had hardly gotten four more words out when another group of Visarjinci assassins tried to pinch them from either side. In the process one of the young men suffered a small wound when a claw swipe or two got through his armour.

"So what is this curse?" the tigerkin asked anxiously after the assassins were killed, obviously feeling some throbbing pain around the wound that Jorkahaath recognised as the first stage of the curse.

"Well it's the same thing that the desert winds itself does -- slowly puts you in more and more pain, slows you down and weakens your muscles, and eventually petrifies you. All the other Quub'rakaal are vulnerable to it, but the Visarjinci evolved in it and---- oh," he trailed off as he realised the tigerkin was getting more and more wide-eyed. Hastily he added, "Nothing that can't be purified out of your body at this point, young man," and was about to search another pocket for a Purify elixir when one of his companions channeled a magical purification aura through his weapon. "Handy, that," Jorkahaath said admiringly. "Shall we continue?" The adventurers returned to their protective positions in front of and behind the alchemist, and Jorkahaath went on with his story.

"These Visarjinci wanted to acquire poisons and elixirs from me, same as every other client I have, but they wanted exclusive access. Under threat of forcefulness, no less," he added meaningfully, looking around to see if his audience understood, but it was quite dark by this point and they had no lights among them. Oh well. "Anyway, I declined graciously, and had to make a somewhat unprofessional escape. Shortly after that I learned of the Mist granting access to these lands here, and thought to make some new business connexions, but the Visarjinci found out as well and sent some of their assassins to follow me and bring me back, or kill me I suppose." Glancing ahead and seeing a few odd-shaped trees, he added, "Like these fine gentlemen right here."

The last, largest group of Visarjinci leapt out in an attempt at surprise, but his sufficiently-warned adventurer guards were already set and met the assassins with the ferocity that came with being better informed. Nevertheless Jorkahaath assisted with a few well-placed Paralysis globes, and although two more of his companions were marred by curse-carrying claw cuts, another channeled purify and one of his elixirs fixed his guardians right up after the last of the foul lizardmen had been eliminated.

A cautious quiet punctuated by occasional random conversation filled the short remainder of the trip to the Mist line and through it, where the adventurers led Master Jorkahaath right to the city gates. "I cannot thank you enough, young men," he hissed happily. He drew some gold out of a hidden pocket under another of his plates and dispersed it among them, adding, "I'm sure you'll see me around in the weeks to come, and I promise you if ever you need any poisons or elixirs, you will have a discount from me!" Then he turned to the nearest guard and said, "Point me in the direction of the nearest inn, my fine friend, I am in need of some refreshment and some sleep!"

👾 Tales of the NPCs, April 2019 (Part 1 of 2)

For the 2019 season, I will not be playing Grianadhmad in the Traverse City chapter as a PC, only writing out occasional journal entries. Instead I have joined the Plot Team as an "intern" (my little joke), and will also be a full-time NPC, or Non-Player Character. NPC actors and actresses fill the roles of opponents in combat mods, as well as non-adventurer townspeople, merchants, dignitaries, and other personages that don't live with and work amongst the adventuring community.

To avoid any spoilers regarding this season's Traverse City plots, the stories I share here will be almost entirely narrative and objective. Very little information before and almost nothing after each mod will be written about. This will be a new experience for me as well as a new writing challenge, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I plan to.

The Mystic Foxes

Summoned across the planes, he appeared in an unknown place. The sky was dark and the air was cold, but the smell of scary men and women still wafted through the trees and across the fields. Humans, elves, a dwarf, several wylderkin. The blue vulpen creature didn't have a den here but he still wanted to avoid them. But they would chase him, he knew, especially since they had put this token around his neck. A game, the tender had called it, like how kits chase each around in their youth to build up their stamina and speed. The people were to catch them, take their tokens, and then return them to the Order of the Thorn. So off he ran, seeing some of his other littermates, flashes of blue fur and twinkling tokens going off in different directions -- and all of them catching the attention of the men and women in the tavern and on the porches. The hunt was on.

He bolted into the woods towards some empty looking tents and cabins. There was a hill behind it with thick brush; he was quick and agile and would lose most of them up there. So only the best and strongest would follow him and catch him. Sure enough, of the five or six that had initially followed him, three gave up right away, two stayed at the base of the hill, and one tried to circle around to find an easy path up where he was. Must try harder than that, human, he thought. He scurried further up the hill between two close-growing trees and over a rotting log, then dove down the hill the other side and skirted around the ones still staring up at the wrong part of the hill to try and make a break for it on the other side of the big tavern building.

One of the humans was so fast! What an impressive champion! The fox turned up his own speed to force the man to give chase, clattering up a hill while the human ran alongside him up a wooden staircase. Then at the top, the man struck once but the agile fox dodged, slipping underneath his reach and following a winding path toward the lake shore. Then he felt impact and his back leg buckled a bit. The man was very fast! He'd catch the fox any moment and remove the token from his neck. At least then the fox could be returned back to his tender.

But the man hit him again, and again, very quick hits. Why was he hurting the fox? This wasn't a game! I am in danger! the fox tried to yelp to his littermates, but he took a hit to his side and the wind was knocked out of him. Then in a flash the man reached down with both hands - one hand to take the token, the other hand bringing the polearm down on its head.

---

Steve and Clyde

"This is the most boring post ever! Why did we get assigned out here?"

Sitting by the campfire, Steve rolled his eyes at his longtime Contract Apocalypse partner, Clyde, pacing back and forth between the hastily constructed shelters. "For the last time, just because it is boring doesn't mean it will be boring. We have our orders, we have to guard this skin changey guy. Which means sooner or later someone's probably going to come looking for him before our higher-ups have a safer place to put him."

"Well it's still the most boring job at the moment."

Steve agreed, but his complaint came from elsewhere. "I just don't want to get too near to him. He smells like toe fungus." Instantly he regretted his choice of words, because he was sure Clyde was going to---

"Oh yeah, did you ever get your toe fungus infection cleared up?"

"Yes I did, shut up. My point is, you don't hear me complaining about the guy or the job. Let's just do what we're paid to do."

"But why are we the ones that got chosen to do it?"

"Presumably they still haven't forgiven you for the noodles incident."

"Hey! HEY! You swore you wouldn't bring that up again!"

"Well YOU swore you wouldn't bring up my INFECTION!"

Clyde looked appropriately apologetic. "Okay you're right, you're right, I'm sorry." He sighed, and Steve turned his attention back to the fire. There was blissful silence for a few seconds before Clyde said, "Hey I'm gonna go take a piss. Don't let the guy go anywhere." Steve grunted in reply and Clyde walked off into the woods.

On the far side of one of the other shelters, Steve heard Tyra snigger. "They're never going to forgive him for the noodles incident."

"Yeah I know but I still try not to torture him with it," Steve said, then stood up and stretched. Technically he was the ranking officer in the group so he wanted to make sure their defences were tight enough. "Hey Tyra, since you're the closest to Fartblossom here," he stuck a thumb toward their captive guest even though Tyra couldn't actually see him, "make sure you keep your eyes on him. I'll have the other sentinels keep their eyes woodward."

"Yes sir." There was another pause, during which Steve wondered which way it was likely anyone would be coming for their guest, and who it might be, friend or foe, and when. Then Tyra piped up again, "You guys did pick up the first half of the payment already, right?"

"Uh yeah, Clyde was supposed to be taking care of that... ugh," Steve groaned. "Clyde?" he called out into the woods where his partner was taking the longest pee ever. "Hey Clyde!" No answer.

For the first time the skinchanger spoke up. "Maybe he ran off with the money."

Steve spun around and pointed at the man with his mace. "You, shut up. Tyra, keep your gaze on him." He turned back around and headed into the woods in the direction Clyde had taken. He really didn't believe Clyde would take the money and run; but also something seemed really wrong because he hadn't come back yet. "Hey Clyde, you drink a whole river or what? Did you pick up the payment?"

Dark had been falling for a few minutes so he had to pick his way carefully across the marshy, unkempt forest landscape between their ramshackle one-man cabins, hoisted up on stilt foundations. As he was watching his steps carefully, he saw a dark blotch on the ground up ahead. Oh shit, he thought, only half-convinced of who it might be until he got closer. "Clyde? What the hell! Clyde! Where are my sentries?!?"

Only the quietest of rustles caught Steve's ear and he absent-mindedly turned to his left to see two dark-clothed figures - adventurers, no less - crawling out from under one of the raised cabins. "Oh, I see how it is. Ambush a man while he's taking a whiz? So brave!" he growled, brandishing his mace and raising his shield. But then there was another sound behind him - under the cabin to the right - and he spun around to see two or three more of the bastards.

Before he could shout out a warning to Tyra or the underlings, one of the first adventurers with dragonscales on her face starting whipping at his limbs with her sword. He turned and tried to block and parry as much as possible but he was overwhelmed by the number of stealthy invaders and knocked down quickly. His last sight before he succumbed to death was of the dragoness dragging his bleeding-out body under one of the cabins where nobody would see him and have their suspicions raised.

---

The Fungus

It was dark, and wet, and unkept. It was comfortable here. A good place to thrive. It climbed the walls and thickened on the floors.
The human was too alarmed at the mold's progression by the time he came down to the basement to investigate the source of the smell.
He fled. He did not return again.
But others came. Two wylder kyns. A dog and a tiger. They were not scared, they did not flee. They did not leave. They needed to be made to leave.
The fungus formed a mass of similar size and shape to them from the walls. It slowly swung its flimsy tendrils to beat down the kyns, to weaken them, to scare them away.
Something was wrong, they did not scare away. They had a shield. They knocked the mass apart.
The fungus was a spore mind. It was not killed, but it had lost part of itself. And it was upset.
It formed another mass from another wall and came at them from behind.
The kyns knocked this one apart as well.
The fungus was getting angry. Its smell grew worse to indicate its displeasure. It formed another mass.
It slapped at the kyns. It hit the tiger kyn a few times. But the dog kyn was behind it. They knocked the mass apart.
They needed to ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ. They were undoing all of its work. It was not thriving anymore.
The smell grew stronger yet. The last of the mold came together. It focused itself, it thickened, it would drive them ᴀᴡᴀʏ.
The kyns were surprised by its resolve. But they still fought.
They struck the mass.
The mass began to fall apart.
Not wet anymore.
Not dark anymore...

✨ All Lost Souls (Part 3 of 3)

Our troup from dragonreach congregated once more in the store-turned-tavern for a lunch prepared and served by mathis ⸴ and we were joined by more than a few stragglers from outlying homesteads who had heard that the adventurers were trying to pacify steepfall · Among the visitors was a man who asked if he could join the table i was at (with some of the pride members and some of the newer adventurers) ⸴ and after we graciously told him he was welcome ⸴ he sat and introduced himself as a member of the planar knights ·

The pride gave polite greetings ⸴ the newer adventurers had no idea what he was talking about ⸴ and as for myself ፧ I could not help myself and was staring accusingly at him · With my one remaining good eye · He took very clear note of this and acknowledged my attitude ⸴ and said to our confused tablemates ⸴ «let me tell you why he's glaring at me like that ·» though he insisted his organisation was not «the bad guys» ⸴ he willingly confessed that they were responsible for starting the current elemental war ·

The planar knight went into animated discussions about his group's plan for rearranging the planar cosmology ⸴ and i listened as long as i could before i finally had to leave the building to avoid snapping at him · Instead i happened to find blue and zorian and lun and velnaeus outside ⸴ and ended up venting to them instead · Zorian and lun in particular ⸴ being new to our company ⸴ did not know that the planar knights artificially instigating the elemental war early ⸴ was the reason why my whispering with the bear that fateful harvest afternoon went awry and i gained my scars while losing my sight · When they had graciously allowed me to get all of my frustration out ⸴ i did admit that i still preferred the planar knights plan ⸴ which would only sacrifice a relatively few amount of people now ⸴ as opposed to the current status of the cosmology ⸴ which would result in the continuous deaths of more people over more time ·

While we were still outside ⸴ a man came running up sobbing about orcs that killed his father ⸴ and his mother and sisters were hiding in their farmhouse three ghurries' run away · We responded right away · Jote (who had joined us outside) and i got the man to a seat and simultaneously calmed him down while getting him to recall details that would give us more information ፥ meanwhile dustie went into the tavern to marshal people to assist us · We had all ⸴ i think ⸴ made the assumption that these were the same orcs zorian ⸴ lun ⸴ jote ⸴ and others had encountered earlier ⸴ simply passing through the land looking for their missing shaman · But the farmer boy told us that rumours about orcs roaming the region and attacking farmsteads had been going on for weeks · Until this attack ⸴ he had thought they were just that - rumours ·

Once we had enough people and enough information ⸴ the farmer boy was ushered into the tavern to be fed and better inspected for his own wounds ⸴ while our group made a quick march in the direction he had indicated his mother's farmstead was · Nothing of significance happened on the march there ⸴ including any relevant conversation ፥ i will therefore skip ahead to our first view of the farmstead ⸴ with scattered orc raiders clearly in view ⸴ green against the dry brown and budding gold of the wild spring ·

Whether by accident or design i ended up taking one of the commanding roles of our rescue ⸴ possibly because i had been the first one gathering the information · In any case i could not have asked for better compatriots ⸴ because everyone understood instinctively what to do · We stayed in a close formation ⸴ occasionally reining in someone stepping forward alone too far ⸴ and annihilating the orcs who came in wildly and usually only one at a time · We forged a path into the actual house ⸴ found the mother and her young daughters hiding ⸴ and protected them while our scholars and archers held the orcs off on the basement stairs ·

Before long we all realised we had to get out of where we had garrisoned ourselves to prevent our fatigue from allowing the orcs through ⸴ so the other swordswingers and myself began a heavy trudge back outside ⸴ assisted by the mages and some of my own meagre spellcraft · The power to magically rip an opponent's weapon or shield from their hands was something i thoroughly enjoyed practising ⸴ and gave us more openings so that everyone could get out of the house ·

By the time that was accomplished ⸴ the raiders were all but a few killed ⸴ and we made short work of the rest · One solitary orc growled some sort of threat i couldn't hear over the wind before jogging off ⸴ and when velnaeus turned to me and asked if he should go eliminate him ⸴ i at first said no before realising we did not want the survivor bringing back a second army to threaten these farmers · I told velnaeus to fly ⸴ and he sprinted immediately across the field and into the brush where his elemental prowess was more than enough to extinguish the last orc's life ·

The mother was markedly but understandably grateful ⸴ and before we departed back to steepfall she mentioned something about the «curse of the sarr ghost» which quite obviously drew our attention - ghosts ⸴ undead ⸴ there was probably a connexion there · And sure enough ⸴ she answered our inquiries with a woeful tale about a family of sarr who had been persecuted and then the father was killed after trying to avenge his children · To top it all off ⸴ the sarr had been hanged from a tree in what is now steepfall ⸴ and his family's only heirlooms ⸴ a set of cutlery ⸴ had been reported stolen that very night and were never recovered · Remarkably a curious partial set of cutlery had been unearthed by some of our fellow adventurers earlier in the day · We set back out to the steepfall storefront with this news and a clearer sense of direction ·

By this point i was growing fatigued and needed to unwind for a while ⸴ and emric provided some relaxation in the form of gambling · Dragon poker had been the only game i had known but he taught me and velnaeus a few other games ⸴ which we won and lost gold over ⸴ before i decided to pull tight my pursestrings and step outside to stretch my limbs · When i stepped outside ⸴ however ⸴ who should i find but taios in deep disagreement discussion with a member of the guild of the gifted - the opposing party of the planar knights · Taios was trying to convince him to help us help the planar knights ⸴ and asked to explain to the guild's leadership in person why the adventurers were now siding with the latter party · The guild representative said all he could do was ask about the audience ⸴ not necessarily promise that it would be granted ⸴ but it's a step forward ·

I rehashed some of the conversation i had missed with taios and ardos before heading back in to the tavern to watch other people try their hand at emric's games · While i sat there ⸴ velnaeus and taios were asked to meet mathis and trellis in one of the less damaged buildings where they were going to set up celestial and earth guild permanent circles of power ⸴ per lycergis' request · They departed and were gone for quite some time ⸴ until i heard taios cackling with laughter as he approached the storefront again · He gleefully shared upon our inquiries that mathis' ritual had experienced a minor backlash ⸴ and our esteemed elven knight was operating under the assertion that he was actually a high ogre · Barring that complication mathis successfully completed his circle ritual ⸴ and trellis' own circle ritual was completed with no incidents at all ·

While all of these things had been going on ⸴ brighter minds than mine had been labouring over the new clues about the sarr ghost and the silverware that the farmwife had provided us · This information and other clues gathered from around the area led us all to believe that the fork ⸴ hopefully the last piece of the cutlery set ⸴ had been secured in a second tower a middling distance away · If we could unite the silverware set and return it to the sarr's grave ⸴ we might eliminate or else drive away the undead forces before the dark of night could set over steepfall (and us) once again ·

A group of us swiftly gathered and set out for the tower ⸴ though the distance was a bit greater than we had believed and the sky grew dark earlier than we expected in the midst of this cursed woodland · By the time we arrived ⸴ we could tell some creatures were occupying the tower but not necessarily what they were · Directed by mathis (still mentally convinced of his ogre-ness and likewise more blunt than his normal florid and cultured elven speech) we fought our way through the little horde ⸴ room-by-room ⸴ searching as best we could in the dimness for the missing piece of cutlery ·

At some point some of us abruptly realised that the creatures that were throwing poisons at us were myconids · I battled with myself internally between the cautious fear i've had for the fungus creatures ever since they caused me to first resurrect a year ago ⸴ and a rage that wanted to leap forward and recklessly beat down every last one of them · Wisdom won out over emotion ⸴ with the aid of the fact that i was hemmed in by the front lines and was responsible for protecting our healers · And then suddenly mathis yelled out for us to make our way back to the exterior ⸴ presumably because we had found the fork (plus a few boxes of treasure the myconids had stockpiled in a musty closet we came across) ·

We made our way out ⸴ noting as we emerged into the open sky (though near-dark by this point) that many of our number had been infected with the green spores that the myconids' poisons carried · Healers and potion carriers became very appreciated very quickly ⸴ but velnaeus in particular seemed to be having a terrible reaction to his infection · He said he believed that he had something back in valbrough that would help to cure his body and ease his aches · We did not think he would be well enough to easily get there on his own ⸴ so i volunteered to accompany him back to valbrough ⸴ after making sure someone else would keep an eye on blue now that i would be gone ·

So set on our course ⸴ my elven friend and i slowly made our way to the old waystone we had first arrived in less than sixty ghurries prior ⸴ and let the waymaker network take us back to our more familiar city · Over velnaeus' objections i escorted him all the way to his point of lodging ⸴ and saw him inside ⸴ then crossed the village green to the healing house and checked the ledger of patients ⸴ healers ⸴ and guardians on call · Mercifully there had been only minor check-ins that day ⸴ and nobody at the moment ⸴ so i used one of the patients' cots as a place to rest my own weary bones as i have done before · The last thing i did before closing my eyes was stare up at the stars through the smoke hole atop the yurt ⸴ and ask them to keep watch over my friends in steepfall that night as well ·