Gareth looks over the palisade, sees you standing there in front of the gate and responds with a friendly nod of recognition.
“Well, hello! Back so soon? Seems like only yesterday when you left. Of course, with all that’s happened lately, it could easily a’ been an entire moon cycle. What brings ya back to Melton? Couldn’t get enough o’ our exciting little outpost? Or may you’re already missin’ the mediocre ale at The Knight?”
He laughs as he opens the gate and lets you inside.
Upon arriving in Melton, you learn that Harriet is indeed still in town, and living with Ellywick over at the butcher's house. Instead of making her way to Silverymoon, she has decided to stay in Melton for the time being, especially right now, while she's still recovering from her traumatic ordeal with the goblins.
"Then maybe we should jus' stop by, an' leave her to her newfound peace if she wants ta stay here, rather than pushin' her to move on wit' the rest o' us," Chrys says. "Ah, but talkin' to her ourselves first is our best bet,"she adds, shouldering her pack and looking around for Flint with a grin on her face.
As you walk into town and make your way down the single dirt way, which was thick, gloppy mud last time you were here, you pass the blacksmith and see the dwarf Flint outside banging on a pice of metal by his forge. His back is turned towards you, though, so he doesn't see you walk by.
When you reach the butcher's house, you knock on the door, and after a brief pause, Ellywick answers and greets you with a wide eyed friendly simile. "Well hello friends!! What a pleasant surprise, warm greetings indeed!! Back so soon, though.. you've barely been gone! What brings this way again, my dears?"
"Damsels in possible distress,"Chrys says, giving Ellywick a warm greeting. "No rest for the weary an' all that. We were jus' on our way through, and thought we'd stop by an' check on you all an' Harriet though. How's she doin', by the way?"
"Well, it's fine o' you folks to stop by and pay us a visit, even if it was only a few days since ya left us."
"Harriet is doing better. Still tired at times... she's actually resting right now. As you know, it was quite an ordeal that she went though, but we're gettin' along ok, and she's comin' right along. We been takin' walks every day, short ones, mind you, but she enjoys gettin' out in the fresh air and listening to the birds."
"And fortunately, there been no goblin attacks since you left. I keep me fingers crossed that we won't see no more. I think I mighta seen that one goblin girl you let go. I took a long walk by myself two days ago, and I seen one frittering around down by the creek a few miles from here. Pretty sure it was her, but she didn't seem to pose no threat, so I left her alone. I don't think she seen me."
"So, off to save more ladies, are ya? What kind o' daring deeds will ya be putting on this time?"
“Headed past Calling Horns, downriver, to check on a dryad friend of a friend, make sure she’s okay. Seems straightforward, but at least in the stories, it doesn’t always end up straightforward. How far is it to Calling Horns from here, actually? Great to see you, Ellywick! Now, Pie Pals, shall we keep moving or rest here?“
“Oh... so it’s not just any damsel, it’s a damsel of the trees... one o’ those elusive sylvan beings. You Pie Pals are the saviors of ladies everywhere!”
”Calling Horns is about three hours up the road. You’ll easily make it there ‘fore dinner time. That is, unless you’d like to join us for food and drink this evening.”
"I'm thinkin' speed should be o' the essence,"Chrys says. "We already delayed our trip to Callin' Horns by some days, an' I'd feel bad if something were to happen to this lady 'cause of our delay. If everythin's good here, I'd say we press on. Though... if ya got some hardtack or jerky for the road, we'd be most appreciative." She winks as she rubs her stomach.
"Why of course!" Ellywick responds with a wide grin. "It's the least I can do for you fine folks, and I understand. If a lady needs rescuin', then it's best not to delay. Wait here a minute, and I'll fetch you some o' Master Fenwick's finest!"
The gnome disappears back into the cottage for a few minutes and returns with a small cloth bag. Inside is a hearty selection of jerky and dried fruit that amounts to a day's rations for each of you.
"I hope these snacks will do you fine on the trail. The meat's deer jerky. Caught it meself. Right tasty, it is! Although took awhile for me to lug it all back to the village. Deers are heavier than gnomes, ya know!"
Kess politely tries to stifle a laugh at the mental image of a stocky little gnome trying to drag a stag nearly twice to three times their own weight behind them.
"And I'm sure it will be every bit a welcome treat on our way there, Ellywick." Kess said with a smile. "Hm... speaking of the woods, if I recall there was that bugbear fellow we encountered that lives in these parts. Wuzig, if I recall his name correctly. Has he kept his word and not caused trouble in these parts since we last left here?"
Kess takes a moment to survey the sky and perhaps ascertain the weather conditions that are coming for the next few hours; if they were going to rally to Calling Horns, there was no sense going in blind.
"Well, thank ye kindly," Chrys replies, delighted by the boon. She takes the bag and distributes the goods between the party equally, adding a little extra of her own dried fruit to Krackle's portion. "There may be many an opponent bigger than ya, but I like that ya don't let it stop ya either," Chrys says with a companionable wink. "We appreciate yer generosity!"
Krackle would excitedly take his share of the food and give Chrys a big grin when she slips him a bit of dried fruit. "Yeah! I hope the girl goblin and the bit tall furry goblin are ok. Maybe they are best friends now! farming and living together in the forest. That would be nice." The kobold would say with a smile as he slips one of the pieces of dried fruit into his mouth and chews it quickly between his small pointy teeth.
Lumen thanks Ellywick for the information and the food. He looks at Chrys and the others. "Do we want to get moving, to reach Calling Horns before nightfall?"
Ellywick informs you that she has not seen the bugbear Wuzig during any of her nature walks in the past few days. The only place she ever saw him was at the bridge, and she hasn't been out to the bridge since you all returned together after the temple.
As you get ready to leave, she bids you farewell again and says that she'll definitely give your regards to Harriet and let her know that you came by to check on her.
"Goodbye for the second time, dear friends. Please feel free to visit us again whenever you pass by Melton! Good luck and safe journeys on your adventure saving more ladies out there in the wilds!"
With that, you turn and retrace your steps back down Melton's dirt street, catching another sight of Flint hard at work in front of his forge, and make your way back to the gate. Gareth seems surprised that you are leaving so soon, having just arrived, but also confides in you that there are indeed more exciting places than Melton. As he opens the gate, you pass through just as another traveler is entering, almost bumping into each other as you cross through the narrow opening. The man seems a bit startled at first, and he give you an awkward stare, but then nods a surprised greeting and continues on.
A few minutes later, you find yourselves out on the open road once again, traipsing through the lightly forested grasslands that run alongside The Evermoor Way. From what you've heard, you figure it's just a few miles to Calling Horns, and you should make it there in two or three hours; just in time for dinner.
Gareth looks over the palisade, sees you standing there in front of the gate and responds with a friendly nod of recognition.
“Well, hello! Back so soon? Seems like only yesterday when you left. Of course, with all that’s happened lately, it could easily a’ been an entire moon cycle. What brings ya back to Melton? Couldn’t get enough o’ our exciting little outpost? Or may you’re already missin’ the mediocre ale at The Knight?”
He laughs as he opens the gate and lets you inside.
Lumen would have slept under the stars, happiest there. Upon arrival at Melton, he asks if Harriet is still in town.
Upon arriving in Melton, you learn that Harriet is indeed still in town, and living with Ellywick over at the butcher's house. Instead of making her way to Silverymoon, she has decided to stay in Melton for the time being, especially right now, while she's still recovering from her traumatic ordeal with the goblins.
Vesper will lead the team to the butcher's place and knock on the door.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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"Things don't seem too out of sorts yet, especially given what happened..." Kess noted. "Here's hoping."
"Then maybe we should jus' stop by, an' leave her to her newfound peace if she wants ta stay here, rather than pushin' her to move on wit' the rest o' us," Chrys says. "Ah, but talkin' to her ourselves first is our best bet," she adds, shouldering her pack and looking around for Flint with a grin on her face.
As you walk into town and make your way down the single dirt way, which was thick, gloppy mud last time you were here, you pass the blacksmith and see the dwarf Flint outside banging on a pice of metal by his forge. His back is turned towards you, though, so he doesn't see you walk by.
When you reach the butcher's house, you knock on the door, and after a brief pause, Ellywick answers and greets you with a wide eyed friendly simile. "Well hello friends!! What a pleasant surprise, warm greetings indeed!! Back so soon, though.. you've barely been gone! What brings this way again, my dears?"
"Damsels in possible distress," Chrys says, giving Ellywick a warm greeting. "No rest for the weary an' all that. We were jus' on our way through, and thought we'd stop by an' check on you all an' Harriet though. How's she doin', by the way?"
"Also, really hoping the woods have been back to normal? Any sign of goblin ambushes? It's only been a couple days, but I have to ask."
"Well, it's fine o' you folks to stop by and pay us a visit, even if it was only a few days since ya left us."
"Harriet is doing better. Still tired at times... she's actually resting right now. As you know, it was quite an ordeal that she went though, but we're gettin' along ok, and she's comin' right along. We been takin' walks every day, short ones, mind you, but she enjoys gettin' out in the fresh air and listening to the birds."
"And fortunately, there been no goblin attacks since you left. I keep me fingers crossed that we won't see no more. I think I mighta seen that one goblin girl you let go. I took a long walk by myself two days ago, and I seen one frittering around down by the creek a few miles from here. Pretty sure it was her, but she didn't seem to pose no threat, so I left her alone. I don't think she seen me."
"So, off to save more ladies, are ya? What kind o' daring deeds will ya be putting on this time?"
“Headed past Calling Horns, downriver, to check on a dryad friend of a friend, make sure she’s okay. Seems straightforward, but at least in the stories, it doesn’t always end up straightforward. How far is it to Calling Horns from here, actually? Great to see you, Ellywick! Now, Pie Pals, shall we keep moving or rest here?“
“Oh... so it’s not just any damsel, it’s a damsel of the trees... one o’ those elusive sylvan beings. You Pie Pals are the saviors of ladies everywhere!”
”Calling Horns is about three hours up the road. You’ll easily make it there ‘fore dinner time. That is, unless you’d like to join us for food and drink this evening.”
"I'm thinkin' speed should be o' the essence," Chrys says. "We already delayed our trip to Callin' Horns by some days, an' I'd feel bad if something were to happen to this lady 'cause of our delay. If everythin's good here, I'd say we press on. Though... if ya got some hardtack or jerky for the road, we'd be most appreciative." She winks as she rubs her stomach.
"Why of course!" Ellywick responds with a wide grin. "It's the least I can do for you fine folks, and I understand. If a lady needs rescuin', then it's best not to delay. Wait here a minute, and I'll fetch you some o' Master Fenwick's finest!"
The gnome disappears back into the cottage for a few minutes and returns with a small cloth bag. Inside is a hearty selection of jerky and dried fruit that amounts to a day's rations for each of you.
"I hope these snacks will do you fine on the trail. The meat's deer jerky. Caught it meself. Right tasty, it is! Although took awhile for me to lug it all back to the village. Deers are heavier than gnomes, ya know!"
Kess politely tries to stifle a laugh at the mental image of a stocky little gnome trying to drag a stag nearly twice to three times their own weight behind them.
"And I'm sure it will be every bit a welcome treat on our way there, Ellywick." Kess said with a smile. "Hm... speaking of the woods, if I recall there was that bugbear fellow we encountered that lives in these parts. Wuzig, if I recall his name correctly. Has he kept his word and not caused trouble in these parts since we last left here?"
Kess takes a moment to survey the sky and perhaps ascertain the weather conditions that are coming for the next few hours; if they were going to rally to Calling Horns, there was no sense going in blind.
"Well, thank ye kindly," Chrys replies, delighted by the boon. She takes the bag and distributes the goods between the party equally, adding a little extra of her own dried fruit to Krackle's portion. "There may be many an opponent bigger than ya, but I like that ya don't let it stop ya either," Chrys says with a companionable wink. "We appreciate yer generosity!"
Krackle would excitedly take his share of the food and give Chrys a big grin when she slips him a bit of dried fruit. "Yeah! I hope the girl goblin and the bit tall furry goblin are ok. Maybe they are best friends now! farming and living together in the forest. That would be nice." The kobold would say with a smile as he slips one of the pieces of dried fruit into his mouth and chews it quickly between his small pointy teeth.
Lumen thanks Ellywick for the information and the food. He looks at Chrys and the others. "Do we want to get moving, to reach Calling Horns before nightfall?"
So long as the others have concluded their business, Chrys makes a motion to lead the others out of the town to make for Calling Horns.
Ellywick informs you that she has not seen the bugbear Wuzig during any of her nature walks in the past few days. The only place she ever saw him was at the bridge, and she hasn't been out to the bridge since you all returned together after the temple.
As you get ready to leave, she bids you farewell again and says that she'll definitely give your regards to Harriet and let her know that you came by to check on her.
"Goodbye for the second time, dear friends. Please feel free to visit us again whenever you pass by Melton! Good luck and safe journeys on your adventure saving more ladies out there in the wilds!"
With that, you turn and retrace your steps back down Melton's dirt street, catching another sight of Flint hard at work in front of his forge, and make your way back to the gate. Gareth seems surprised that you are leaving so soon, having just arrived, but also confides in you that there are indeed more exciting places than Melton. As he opens the gate, you pass through just as another traveler is entering, almost bumping into each other as you cross through the narrow opening. The man seems a bit startled at first, and he give you an awkward stare, but then nods a surprised greeting and continues on.
A few minutes later, you find yourselves out on the open road once again, traipsing through the lightly forested grasslands that run alongside The Evermoor Way. From what you've heard, you figure it's just a few miles to Calling Horns, and you should make it there in two or three hours; just in time for dinner.