Ed He starts to use the cancas and shape out some cover for the three of them that will have to face the elements tonight. Also scanning around for dried wood so near to the river, he checks with the group, "I would like to gather some suitable fuel and have a fire ready should there be need of it. Light I can conjure, fire though still scares some beasts away and the warmth may be welcome. I do not know whether the risk of being more visible is a boon or a bane though."
"I assume most undead care little for the level of light. I too would prefer we have access to fire. We two can gather some wood. I can start some. I'll be able to make a breakfast in the morrow as well. Rations seased with ....I think I'll try steaming this bug."
Once preperations are set and all are ready. Zied finds a safe spot for his ring, and departs for his workshop. To examine himself, and institute some minor repairs, and potential refueling using his workshop resources. Letting the others know to talk to his Ring if he is needed.
"Thank you!"They probably needed every last ounce of magic but she did feel terrible and for the worst case, Ed still had something left. "If we are not concerned with the letter, Grano will keep you company, Ed." The little owl, taking command, perched on the top of the wagon, looking through the darkness. "If we stay in the dark, but keep the wood (maybe on both sides of the bridge?) just wake me up when you need the flame, I'll ignite it."
With that final arrangement, Alessa dived inside and fall asleep.
The gloomy light of dusk retreats as night advances. The world seems to take a deep breath in, inviting the darkness to flow in and saturate the air. The clouds obscure any moonlight, rendering the wilderness in a state of near-pitch blackness. The air grows cool, and the cold waters of the Ivlis River do not help. The soothing sound of the flowing water is punctuated by the occasional call of night creatures--the caw of a bird, the chittering of bats, and even the distant, lonely howl of a wolf. Grano hoots in mild irritation, but finds a comfortable perch on the edge of the wagon and nestles into their feathers, eyes wide and watchful.
Zied enters his atelier, while Ed remains outside and awake. The minutes tick by, ten, thirty, and then the first hour has passed. The physical exertion of the day begins to wear on Ed. Kolyan Indirovich's funeral, the figure in the mist, Bildrath's shop, the assault on Ismark's home, the Blood on the Vine tavern, and, of course, the ankhegs. Ed begins to feel incredibly tired, his body begging for a minute, even just a moment of rest. He leans against the wagon, sliding down to sit with his back against the wheel, his longsword in his lap.
His eyes begin to close. He shakes his head, trying to fight off sleep, but he is simply too tired, too weary.
The rushing river, the swishing of the trees.
A twig snaps in the woods not far off.
Ed's head tips down onto his chest as he nods off, fast asleep.
Day 3 - Midnight
Zied emerges from his atelier after four hours for his scheduled watch. To his dismay, he finds Ed fast asleep by the wheel of the wagon. Alessa and Sezsu are still sleeping inside. Grano is still perched on the wagon, staring intensely at Zied.
Zied finds that, no matter what he tries, he cannot wake the others.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Exiting laden with his tools, and renewed supplies. Noticing the sleeping one "Ed! Dammit" attempting to shake him. To find just like previous nights sleep refuses to abide and recede. Attempting the next two as well they will not awaken. Uttering a single word into the night "shit" looking at Grano, "Wish you could tell me how long its been like this.Keep an eye out. Wonder why you aren't effected."
Zied attempts to drag Ed, and the others into one area. Given how difficult it might be to watch over multiple. Settling them into the wagon, Zied wraps his Rope of Climbing, as well as other wraps creating an impromptue barrier of rope and canvas. Which hopefully will at least keep bugs off them, if not dissuade anything coming in.
Given the darkness, and the issues. Zied lights torches, placing them 20 feet away from the Bridge-Bed, creating a zone of light. Then tosses two down the length of the bridge. Creating an area of light-to make up for his inability to see anything. Zied hops up to the carriage's driver's seat, removing his blade and shield, and stands watch over his friends. "We need to figure this out. This. Is a true issue."
"You and I Grano, we protect them. Keep steady for your master." Zied simply watches over his friends for now.
16Perc+2 Guidance. 7 Perc if Grano the familar gives me guidance. Not sure it can of its own free will.
About two hours later, Zied notices a pair of eyes staring at him from the woods. Reflecting the torchlight, they're two small beads that scurry near the ground.
A dark-coated fox emerges and scurries across the road, taking a wide birth around the torches.
Day 3 - 5:00 a.m.
After what feels like days, Ed, Alessa, and Sezsu stir, awakening to find themselves piled together inside the wagon. They immediately notice that the wagon is fortified in a rather unusual way.
After the first few hours the fox visitor let Zied relax slightly as if the local fauna is here chances of undead or bugs.
He spends a moment to set a fire. Hoping the others will awaken soon. But taking a moment to center himself plotting a breakfast they can eat but also discuss the issues at hand.
Alessandra woke up feeling so refreshed as she had not felt for a long time (for all the time here, to be precise). Dreams were good too. She smiled at the fading memory. And it seemed others just let her sleep through the night taking shifts themselves. The best friends one could wish for! Though... What's with the walls? It was night and she was tired, but she remembered the wall to be one loose lair of the canvas. That... was thicker.
She put her ear to the "wall" listening. Then closed her eyes, searching for Grano. The little owl was still here, on his perch, looking over Zied starting a campfire and nothing particularly dangerous in close proximity. Alessa left the mind of her little familiar and scratch a nail against the canvas from Zied side. "Good morning? Zied... Um... How can one come out of here now?"
Dropping the scrap wood. Startled from the sullen lonely quiet to the sound of an energetic well rested Alessandra.
Zied grasps the thickest rope commanding it to unbind. As it unwinds the taut barrier of mundane rope loosens and falls away. Almost as if a zipper holding the barrier together. His rope sliding and coiling across his chest as he lifts the canvas to look.
" Fantastic! You awoke. I was nervous. The three of you fell to whatever happened last time. Can you awaken Seszu or Ed?"
"Oh..." Alessa blinked a few times getting used to the (relatively) brighter light and turned to others, already wakening up. "I think we are fine now,"unsurely said she. "Ed, Sezsu, how do you feel? Zied says we all got that strange... sleeping affliction? He could not wake either of us up to take the watch." "It was not bad, though,"she turned back to Zied. "Such a beautiful dream. But it is certainly inconvenient to sleep like this. Thank goodness you are unaffected. Though... why?" She got out of the tent, called Grano - the little spirit did not need to eat or sleep but she liked to feel him nearby and joined the "breakfast table".
Ed stirs as the canvas fencing is removed, and the rope holding them in place allows him to roll awkwardly over. "Ah, is it morning already? Hard to tell with the sun in this place, or the lack of it more like. It saddens me that the glory of dawn is stymied in this foul place." Ed grumbles a lityle as he starts to get himself righted, then pauses a moment as he realises that he didn't go yo dleep in thd wagon, and his memory of finushing his watch is foggy and dream-like in his inabilith to recall it.
In his moment of perplexion, Alessa explaining that they had again been unwakable was a cause for concern. "Why indeed, a nightly watch is little use if we cannot rely on being able to wake each other if the need arises. Perhaps Zied's ring has something to do with it? I think we had best make sure we only take our rests in secure surroundings unless we are able to fix it. Ah, is that breakfast started already? Good man. I might take a moment to wash in the stream."
so saying, Ed heads past the burntout torches and round the bridge to bathe himself as best he is able in the cold water.
"Why is a fantastic question, and I'm working on that myself. Nothing but a fox visitor-or at least I assume a fox- came tonight. But if there were more, this would have been....difficult." Zied continues, as he serves up his cohorts. The meal, while not delicious as his previous use in the kitchen is palatable. Using water from the nearby flowing river he boiled the insect flesh with heavily salted water. the water into the lake, then added new water seasoned with some fish sauce and simmered shredded bug meat. Chopping up the startches from a few packs of ration using them to thicken the soup. Lastly he dropped a single egg and stirred to create a savory easy on the stomach porriage for them. While he did not need to eat, Zied did taste along the way. "It'll do... but this creature certainly is not one I've cooked before. It is safe however. I've taken care to thoroughly clean every aspect, water, meat, rations."
(Zied used ritual casting of Purify Food and Drink, and used Prestidigitation to spice and flavor the individual pieces to create the porriage stew )
"I've had a few hours of tense worry to think on this. I'll need your thoughts as well. Both times we've had sleep issues I was at distance from it. In Ismark's home, I was downstairs. Remind me, Were the rest of you in close proximety when you t hree went to bed? Was Ismark?" Nothing this time the area they were sleeping prior to his shifting everyone to defensible spots. "This time the three of you were sleeping closer to each other, while I was very much away. I wish we knew when the sleep took Ed, or when it happened in Ismark's. It may happen every night at the same time."
"So, that leaves a few options. 1) Its focused on one of us, but catches anyone else with it. 2) Something is targeting all of us at, but I am difficult to put to rest. 3) Its targeting living and does not think I live. 4) It occurs to all visitors whisked away to here, and it just hasn't hit me-or at least not that we've noticed." Zied shrugs, while keeeping an eye on Ed over the side.
Once Ed returns Zied starts to clean up their encampment as the others awaken and feed. "That's all that I've thought of in the last few hours. We'd have to test it to really figure it out."
"The first time it happened, I was not affected."Alessa was tasting the new dish very carefully and somewhat skeptically, doing her best not to think about the monster the meat came from. "And Sezsu slept in a different room from Ed. As well as Ismark. So, it can not be the place." She took another spoon of porridge and looked thoughtfully at it. "You do not eat, Zied. But we do. Could it be something in the food?" She thought back - what did they all try and Zied did not? "The wine?"No, she tried it too... The soup from three sisters? "Did you eat the soup in the tavern?"
Smacking an open palm with his fist, "Ah. I hadn't even thought of it. No, I've skipped the pies, the wines, the soup. I taste tested the breakfast at Ismarks. I've given Seszu most of the food we've been given."
"We didn't eat the soup two days ago," Sezsu says as he releases his knees that have been clutched in front of him and lets them swing from the side of the cart.
He jumps down and arches his back an a stretch.
"But that first night I remember Alessa being especially dainty in picking at the tiny piece of pie on her plate while we were all gorging ourselves like animals. Certain individuals clearly excluded," he adds, inclining his head toward Zied. "Is it possible that sweet Granny had anything to do with it? I suppose there's no way to be sure until tomorrow morning."
He sighs and shoulders his pack. "Onward to the camp?"
"Granny? That would be... a pity."The idea was sad, truly and sounded too logical to dismiss. But on the other hand - nothing bad happened or was supposed to happen. "Charmed pies that give good dreams." It was imaginable and could explain the price. "But why would not she say something?" Or maybe she did? Was there something in the sale pitch, hinting at the magic? "Let's wait until next morning and see." Before doing anything it was better to have all the facts.
"So, do we want to send a message to Bildrath? Or maybe Ismark and let him handle the wagon problem. Might help him with his reputation among the villagers."
Noding his head with the supposition."Wait. Good Dreams? Did you all have good dreams today? and yesterday?"
----
"I think sending it to Ismark isn't a terrible idea. If we want to leave this here. Although without replacemetn wheels and a horse...retrieving all of this seems difficult at best."
Ed returns from the stream, still dripping. "I could just about make out the conversation down there, the water is cold and refreshing, I'd suggest making the most of it whilst we can. It would be most disappointing if this deep slumber were tied to Granny's pies, though perhaps they are a blessing to those that fear the screams in the night." The paladin's face goes a little distant, as though remembering something long forgotten, a different time, a different life maybe, before he snaps back to the present.
"Anyway, the dreams, yes they were odd for me. Firstly, I very rarely remember my dreams, yet the last two nights lingered in my head easier to recall details from. Second, and in answer to your question Zied, they were both dreams of glory and well, the stuff dreams are made of!"He chuckles at his unintended pun before continuing, "I'd not really given any thought to it, but most morning I wake up high spirited and happy to greet the dawn - I've been doing it for so long that the new day just feels good. The last couple of mornings though, after the dreams, I've felt less than my usual pleasure at teh dawn. I'd just written the feeling off as the miasma of this place... You don't think it could be related?"
Alessa shook her head. "Can not tell. My dream was indeed very pleasant, magical even. But very obviously unreal too. Not sure if I am explaining well. I am trying to say that it was clearly not my reality and awakening was not that painful. Maybe for you, it is just the absence of the sun. Hard to enjoy gloomy mornings."When done with breakfast she returned to the idea of a letter to Ismark. Just a few words: "Bildrath's goods are on the bridge. Wagon is damaged, horses killed by ankhegs. Nests are past the bridge." She signed it as "Alessa", folded the note and gave it to Grano to keep in his beak. The little spirit got his telepathic order and flew back to the village. Alessa watched the bird as long as she could then summoned the servant (stepping aside, just in case of side effects). "If we are returning the goods we might as well fold them back as they were." Another spell took care of the dirt and Alessandra was ready to move. "Hopefully, this evening we can find some answers in Vistani camp."
Daylight comes hesitantly, just peeking over the horizon before offering a half-hearted morning.
You wake yourselves up and gather around Zied's meal which, all things considering, is at least edible. Some of the ligaments remain in the meat, and occasionally you have to spit out a piece of rock-hard exoskeleton, but the flavor is... well... is that tarragon?
You ponder your unusual sleeping patterns. Alessa sends Grano off with the message, and the little owl dutifully flits off eastward. With luck, he will return in due course. She summons an unsettling presence to serve her whims. The presence seems restrained, as though if it weren’t under her direct control it would do something…malevolent.
At length, you arrange the campsite, gather your things, and kick off west toward the deeper woods. Here the path narrows, and the natural landscape intrudes closer. Gone are the open vistas of the basin surrounding the village, and now the dark, twisted trees seem to reach for the road. Their dark branches at times seem as gnarled, crooked fingers and claws that clutch the roadway and its fragile travelers. The mist is ever-present, crawling over the ground and obscuring the recesses of the woods. The road ahead is swallowed by the forest as it twists away, out of sight.
Day 3 - 9:00 a.m.
A deep voice calls out, “Who goes there?” Through the chill mist you see a large man in drab clothing wearing a tattered gray cloak. He has shaggy, black hair and thick muttonchops. He leans heavily on a spear and has a small bundle of animal pelts slung over his shoulder.
"I assume most undead care little for the level of light. I too would prefer we have access to fire. We two can gather some wood. I can start some. I'll be able to make a breakfast in the morrow as well. Rations seased with ....I think I'll try steaming this bug."
Once preperations are set and all are ready. Zied finds a safe spot for his ring, and departs for his workshop. To examine himself, and institute some minor repairs, and potential refueling using his workshop resources. Letting the others know to talk to his Ring if he is needed.
"Thank you!" They probably needed every last ounce of magic but she did feel terrible and for the worst case, Ed still had something left. "If we are not concerned with the letter, Grano will keep you company, Ed." The little owl, taking command, perched on the top of the wagon, looking through the darkness. "If we stay in the dark, but keep the wood (maybe on both sides of the bridge?) just wake me up when you need the flame, I'll ignite it."
With that final arrangement, Alessa dived inside and fall asleep.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Day 2 - 8:00 p.m.
The gloomy light of dusk retreats as night advances. The world seems to take a deep breath in, inviting the darkness to flow in and saturate the air. The clouds obscure any moonlight, rendering the wilderness in a state of near-pitch blackness. The air grows cool, and the cold waters of the Ivlis River do not help. The soothing sound of the flowing water is punctuated by the occasional call of night creatures--the caw of a bird, the chittering of bats, and even the distant, lonely howl of a wolf. Grano hoots in mild irritation, but finds a comfortable perch on the edge of the wagon and nestles into their feathers, eyes wide and watchful.
Zied enters his atelier, while Ed remains outside and awake. The minutes tick by, ten, thirty, and then the first hour has passed. The physical exertion of the day begins to wear on Ed. Kolyan Indirovich's funeral, the figure in the mist, Bildrath's shop, the assault on Ismark's home, the Blood on the Vine tavern, and, of course, the ankhegs. Ed begins to feel incredibly tired, his body begging for a minute, even just a moment of rest. He leans against the wagon, sliding down to sit with his back against the wheel, his longsword in his lap.
His eyes begin to close. He shakes his head, trying to fight off sleep, but he is simply too tired, too weary.
The rushing river, the swishing of the trees.
A twig snaps in the woods not far off.
Ed's head tips down onto his chest as he nods off, fast asleep.
Day 3 - Midnight
Zied emerges from his atelier after four hours for his scheduled watch. To his dismay, he finds Ed fast asleep by the wheel of the wagon. Alessa and Sezsu are still sleeping inside. Grano is still perched on the wagon, staring intensely at Zied.
Zied finds that, no matter what he tries, he cannot wake the others.
Exiting laden with his tools, and renewed supplies. Noticing the sleeping one "Ed! Dammit" attempting to shake him. To find just like previous nights sleep refuses to abide and recede. Attempting the next two as well they will not awaken. Uttering a single word into the night "shit" looking at Grano, "Wish you could tell me how long its been like this.Keep an eye out. Wonder why you aren't effected."
Zied attempts to drag Ed, and the others into one area. Given how difficult it might be to watch over multiple. Settling them into the wagon, Zied wraps his Rope of Climbing, as well as other wraps creating an impromptue barrier of rope and canvas. Which hopefully will at least keep bugs off them, if not dissuade anything coming in.
Given the darkness, and the issues. Zied lights torches, placing them 20 feet away from the Bridge-Bed, creating a zone of light. Then tosses two down the length of the bridge. Creating an area of light-to make up for his inability to see anything. Zied hops up to the carriage's driver's seat, removing his blade and shield, and stands watch over his friends. "We need to figure this out. This. Is a true issue."
"You and I Grano, we protect them. Keep steady for your master." Zied simply watches over his friends for now.
16Perc+2 Guidance.
7 Perc if Grano the familar gives me guidance. Not sure it can of its own free will.
About two hours later, Zied notices a pair of eyes staring at him from the woods. Reflecting the torchlight, they're two small beads that scurry near the ground.
A dark-coated fox emerges and scurries across the road, taking a wide birth around the torches.
Day 3 - 5:00 a.m.
After what feels like days, Ed, Alessa, and Sezsu stir, awakening to find themselves piled together inside the wagon. They immediately notice that the wagon is fortified in a rather unusual way.
(Quick work post)
After the first few hours the fox visitor let Zied relax slightly as if the local fauna is here chances of undead or bugs.
He spends a moment to set a fire. Hoping the others will awaken soon. But taking a moment to center himself plotting a breakfast they can eat but also discuss the issues at hand.
Alessandra woke up feeling so refreshed as she had not felt for a long time (for all the time here, to be precise). Dreams were good too. She smiled at the fading memory. And it seemed others just let her sleep through the night taking shifts themselves. The best friends one could wish for! Though... What's with the walls? It was night and she was tired, but she remembered the wall to be one loose lair of the canvas. That... was thicker.
She put her ear to the "wall" listening. Then closed her eyes, searching for Grano. The little owl was still here, on his perch, looking over Zied starting a campfire and nothing particularly dangerous in close proximity. Alessa left the mind of her little familiar and scratch a nail against the canvas from Zied side. "Good morning? Zied... Um... How can one come out of here now?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Dropping the scrap wood. Startled from the sullen lonely quiet to the sound of an energetic well rested Alessandra.
Zied grasps the thickest rope commanding it to unbind. As it unwinds the taut barrier of mundane rope loosens and falls away. Almost as if a zipper holding the barrier together. His rope sliding and coiling across his chest as he lifts the canvas to look.
" Fantastic! You awoke. I was nervous. The three of you fell to whatever happened last time. Can you awaken Seszu or Ed?"
"Oh..." Alessa blinked a few times getting used to the (relatively) brighter light and turned to others, already wakening up. "I think we are fine now," unsurely said she. "Ed, Sezsu, how do you feel? Zied says we all got that strange... sleeping affliction? He could not wake either of us up to take the watch." "It was not bad, though," she turned back to Zied. "Such a beautiful dream. But it is certainly inconvenient to sleep like this. Thank goodness you are unaffected. Though... why?" She got out of the tent, called Grano - the little spirit did not need to eat or sleep but she liked to feel him nearby and joined the "breakfast table".
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"Mmm," Sezsu murmurs as he's roused, a scowl on his face. His eyes are a bit puffy and he wipes them with a sleeve as he sniffs quietly.
"I hate it here. I just want to go home."
He picks at any breakfast offered to him but notably doesn't have his usual apatite.
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Ed stirs as the canvas fencing is removed, and the rope holding them in place allows him to roll awkwardly over. "Ah, is it morning already? Hard to tell with the sun in this place, or the lack of it more like. It saddens me that the glory of dawn is stymied in this foul place." Ed grumbles a lityle as he starts to get himself righted, then pauses a moment as he realises that he didn't go yo dleep in thd wagon, and his memory of finushing his watch is foggy and dream-like in his inabilith to recall it.
In his moment of perplexion, Alessa explaining that they had again been unwakable was a cause for concern. "Why indeed, a nightly watch is little use if we cannot rely on being able to wake each other if the need arises. Perhaps Zied's ring has something to do with it? I think we had best make sure we only take our rests in secure surroundings unless we are able to fix it. Ah, is that breakfast started already? Good man. I might take a moment to wash in the stream."
so saying, Ed heads past the burntout torches and round the bridge to bathe himself as best he is able in the cold water.
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
"Why is a fantastic question, and I'm working on that myself. Nothing but a fox visitor-or at least I assume a fox- came tonight. But if there were more, this would have been....difficult." Zied continues, as he serves up his cohorts. The meal, while not delicious as his previous use in the kitchen is palatable. Using water from the nearby flowing river he boiled the insect flesh with heavily salted water. the water into the lake, then added new water seasoned with some fish sauce and simmered shredded bug meat. Chopping up the startches from a few packs of ration using them to thicken the soup. Lastly he dropped a single egg and stirred to create a savory easy on the stomach porriage for them. While he did not need to eat, Zied did taste along the way. "It'll do... but this creature certainly is not one I've cooked before. It is safe however. I've taken care to thoroughly clean every aspect, water, meat, rations."
(Zied used ritual casting of Purify Food and Drink, and used Prestidigitation to spice and flavor the individual pieces to create the porriage stew )
"I've had a few hours of tense worry to think on this. I'll need your thoughts as well. Both times we've had sleep issues I was at distance from it. In Ismark's home, I was downstairs. Remind me, Were the rest of you in close proximety when you t hree went to bed? Was Ismark?" Nothing this time the area they were sleeping prior to his shifting everyone to defensible spots. "This time the three of you were sleeping closer to each other, while I was very much away. I wish we knew when the sleep took Ed, or when it happened in Ismark's. It may happen every night at the same time."
"So, that leaves a few options. 1) Its focused on one of us, but catches anyone else with it. 2) Something is targeting all of us at, but I am difficult to put to rest. 3) Its targeting living and does not think I live. 4) It occurs to all visitors whisked away to here, and it just hasn't hit me-or at least not that we've noticed." Zied shrugs, while keeeping an eye on Ed over the side.
Once Ed returns Zied starts to clean up their encampment as the others awaken and feed. "That's all that I've thought of in the last few hours. We'd have to test it to really figure it out."
"The first time it happened, I was not affected." Alessa was tasting the new dish very carefully and somewhat skeptically, doing her best not to think about the monster the meat came from. "And Sezsu slept in a different room from Ed. As well as Ismark. So, it can not be the place." She took another spoon of porridge and looked thoughtfully at it. "You do not eat, Zied. But we do. Could it be something in the food?" She thought back - what did they all try and Zied did not? "The wine?" No, she tried it too... The soup from three sisters? "Did you eat the soup in the tavern?"
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Smacking an open palm with his fist, "Ah. I hadn't even thought of it. No, I've skipped the pies, the wines, the soup. I taste tested the breakfast at Ismarks. I've given Seszu most of the food we've been given."
"We didn't eat the soup two days ago," Sezsu says as he releases his knees that have been clutched in front of him and lets them swing from the side of the cart.
He jumps down and arches his back an a stretch.
"But that first night I remember Alessa being especially dainty in picking at the tiny piece of pie on her plate while we were all gorging ourselves like animals. Certain individuals clearly excluded," he adds, inclining his head toward Zied. "Is it possible that sweet Granny had anything to do with it? I suppose there's no way to be sure until tomorrow morning."
He sighs and shoulders his pack. "Onward to the camp?"
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
"Granny? That would be... a pity." The idea was sad, truly and sounded too logical to dismiss. But on the other hand - nothing bad happened or was supposed to happen. "Charmed pies that give good dreams." It was imaginable and could explain the price. "But why would not she say something?" Or maybe she did? Was there something in the sale pitch, hinting at the magic? "Let's wait until next morning and see." Before doing anything it was better to have all the facts.
"So, do we want to send a message to Bildrath? Or maybe Ismark and let him handle the wagon problem. Might help him with his reputation among the villagers."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Noding his head with the supposition."Wait. Good Dreams? Did you all have good dreams today? and yesterday?"
----
"I think sending it to Ismark isn't a terrible idea. If we want to leave this here. Although without replacemetn wheels and a horse...retrieving all of this seems difficult at best."
Ed returns from the stream, still dripping. "I could just about make out the conversation down there, the water is cold and refreshing, I'd suggest making the most of it whilst we can. It would be most disappointing if this deep slumber were tied to Granny's pies, though perhaps they are a blessing to those that fear the screams in the night." The paladin's face goes a little distant, as though remembering something long forgotten, a different time, a different life maybe, before he snaps back to the present.
"Anyway, the dreams, yes they were odd for me. Firstly, I very rarely remember my dreams, yet the last two nights lingered in my head easier to recall details from. Second, and in answer to your question Zied, they were both dreams of glory and well, the stuff dreams are made of!" He chuckles at his unintended pun before continuing, "I'd not really given any thought to it, but most morning I wake up high spirited and happy to greet the dawn - I've been doing it for so long that the new day just feels good. The last couple of mornings though, after the dreams, I've felt less than my usual pleasure at teh dawn. I'd just written the feeling off as the miasma of this place... You don't think it could be related?"
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
Alessa shook her head. "Can not tell. My dream was indeed very pleasant, magical even. But very obviously unreal too. Not sure if I am explaining well. I am trying to say that it was clearly not my reality and awakening was not that painful. Maybe for you, it is just the absence of the sun. Hard to enjoy gloomy mornings." When done with breakfast she returned to the idea of a letter to Ismark. Just a few words: "Bildrath's goods are on the bridge. Wagon is damaged, horses killed by ankhegs. Nests are past the bridge." She signed it as "Alessa", folded the note and gave it to Grano to keep in his beak. The little spirit got his telepathic order and flew back to the village. Alessa watched the bird as long as she could then summoned the servant (stepping aside, just in case of side effects). "If we are returning the goods we might as well fold them back as they were." Another spell took care of the dirt and Alessandra was ready to move. "Hopefully, this evening we can find some answers in Vistani camp."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Day 3 - 7:00 a.m.
Daylight comes hesitantly, just peeking over the horizon before offering a half-hearted morning.
You wake yourselves up and gather around Zied's meal which, all things considering, is at least edible. Some of the ligaments remain in the meat, and occasionally you have to spit out a piece of rock-hard exoskeleton, but the flavor is... well... is that tarragon?
You ponder your unusual sleeping patterns. Alessa sends Grano off with the message, and the little owl dutifully flits off eastward. With luck, he will return in due course. She summons an unsettling presence to serve her whims. The presence seems restrained, as though if it weren’t under her direct control it would do something…malevolent.
At length, you arrange the campsite, gather your things, and kick off west toward the deeper woods. Here the path narrows, and the natural landscape intrudes closer. Gone are the open vistas of the basin surrounding the village, and now the dark, twisted trees seem to reach for the road. Their dark branches at times seem as gnarled, crooked fingers and claws that clutch the roadway and its fragile travelers. The mist is ever-present, crawling over the ground and obscuring the recesses of the woods. The road ahead is swallowed by the forest as it twists away, out of sight.
Day 3 - 9:00 a.m.
A deep voice calls out, “Who goes there?” Through the chill mist you see a large man in drab clothing wearing a tattered gray cloak. He has shaggy, black hair and thick muttonchops. He leans heavily on a spear and has a small bundle of animal pelts slung over his shoulder.