the Jester
Legend
The Crossroads
8/23/368 O.L.G., the road west of Wheat Creek
Our heroes are following the winding path west, towards- hopefully- the Sheriff. Why they are pursuing him, I’m not entirely certain, nor (I think) were they. But Lita, hoping to improve her burgeoning relationship with him, had already ridden her dog to death, and she was mule-set on following him. So that’s what our heroes were doing.
But now a crimp has settled in their plans, for they have happened upon a crossroads.
West is the direction they’ve been headed, and west they can continue; but another track leads away to the south. “The Asylum is more west,” Sandy says doubtfully. “I don’t know... which path would they have taken?” Jawbreaker looks for signs of passage, but his lore is in other areas, and he shrugs.
“Maybe we should scout it out,” suggests Federico, and Sandy and Jawbreaker head to the west while the others wait. They return about an hour later, and inform the rest of the group that the road to the west seems to drop into the Buzzing Fens. Why would a road go in there? And is that where Sheriff Barleybrew would have taken Manson?
“Summary justice,” moans Federico. “Or a secret prison.” His tail is tucked firmly between his legs.
The party gazes down the south path. It heads into the hills. “Oh, hills are dangerous,” the dog whines. “We’ve fought all kinds of nasty hill and mountain monsters- there are those bird-garen things that want to eat us, and the big spiders...” Federico shudders.
A most confusing discussion ensues, with some party members adamant about heading one way or the other, some suggesting they just return to Wheat Creek to wait for the Sheriff to return (with their reward for capturing Manson, no less!), and some suggesting they just wait at the crossroads. The only decision they can make is elevensies, provoked by Sandy (who got bored and went wandering), who cries out, “Hey you guys- I found something good over here!”
Three eggs, almost the size of a halfling each, in a large bird’s nest. Two of them are secreted away and the other is tapped, then cooked up. Soon the giant eagle egg omelet is served. As they munch on it, Federico sighs happily, “We should just camp here!”
“No, I want to find the Sheriff,” Lita insists.
“We don’t even know where he is,” Boddynock reminds her. “He could have gone done either path.” And the debate begins again. The group argues all day, and finally, about a half hour before dark, they agree to at least go check out the south path. They move down it briefly, but the sun sets and they are forced to make camp almost immediately.
While they’re setting up camp, Lita hears a great bird crying out in the distance: Scree!... scree! She points it out to the group. Unsettled, Naomi says, “We should flee!”
“No way,” argues Boddynock. “How would the bird know we took its eggs? It could be anything! There are orcs and goblins and stuff in these hills, right? It could have been them!”
“As long as we keep the other eggs under cover I think we’re cool,” Naomi says. Grinning, she adds, “And the evidence will be gone tomorrow.”
“Shh!” urges Sandy. “We don’t know how well it can hear!”
“Wait, why should the bird be mad at us?” Timothy asks ponderously.
“It shouldn’t be,” Sandy answers.
“Oh,” Timothy says.
***
8/24/368, 9 a.m., just south of the Crossroads
Our heroes have breakfast and get moving. They are mindful of the great raptor they heard last night, and especially with Naomi’s near-panicked goading (“We should flee before the bird eats us! Scree!! Scree!!”), the party gets moving south, away from the crossroads. The path is visible, but fairly overgrown. It is clear that whatever traffic flows up and down it is not too regular, but neither is it so rare that the path is lost to nature.
Suddenly Lita catches sight of something in the foliage. She cries a warning, but too late for her friends to react; suddenly a pair of javelins flies from the shrubbery, hitting Naomi in the arm and leg! She cries out in pain and starts to stagger back as two yellow-skinned orcs stagger forth, clutching axes.
The party moves into action as Boddynock leaps behind Timothy. The autistic kid cries out, “I’ll protect you, Boddynock!” He drops his torch and dagger and casts shield. Then he picks up his dagger and torch from the ground.
Meanwhile a rain of missile fire has ensued from the halflings, pelting the orcs and dropping both of them. There is a moment more of tension before the group ascertains that they are both dead.
Then they realize that something very weird is going on with the orcs. For one thing, they’re yellow- the yellow of a lemon. Very strange coloration for orcs. For another thing, there seem to be plants growing on them.
From them.
“These,” grunts Jawbreaker, “are yellow musk zombies.”
“What’s a yellow musk zombie?” asks Lita.
“Yellow musk plant is plant that will plant seed in your head. Eat your mind. When it sprout, you die, become zombie under its control.” The barbarian smiles.
“Let’s go back,” the kobold begs. “Back to the crossroads.”
“Yeah, let’s go get paid,” agrees Sandy. “What are we doing out here anyway?”
“Good point,” agrees Naomi.
“If we just wait at the crossroads, the Sheriff will come back eventually, right?” suggests Boddynock, not for the first time.
Arguing amongst themselves, our heroes return to the crossroads. Once there, they turn to the east and head back towards Wheat Creek to await the Sheriff. As night falls, they cook up the other two eggs under the best cover they can find. They’re more than a little nervous about the giant bird coming to try to eat them, but an egg that big won’t keep, as Mama used to say.
They rest well, full of giant eagle egg, and travel for another day and a half before they see the Sheriff coming up behind them. So they turn around and head west again until they meet up with him. Lita embraces him and he gives her a rough kiss.
“Thank you for your help,” he says without preamble. “I’ve got your rewards, here, beginning with the gratitude of myself and the authorities in this area. Your assistance is recognized and appreciated.” He hesitates a moment, then goes on, “I have for each of you a medal. I know, I was surprised too; but that’s the way of it. Also a letter of credit to the tune of 2500 gold pieces and a gem.” He starts distributing these things to our heroes. The gems are small black stones, cut into an emerald cut. “The gem can be turned in for a favor at the larger temples of Bleak.”
The party murmurs and oohs and ahs over their new acquisitions for a few minutes, and Sheriff Riley Barleybrew spends a few minutes talking to them, especially Lita. Then he mounts his shaggy riding dog and bids them farewell.
“But what about us?” implores Lita. It is plain that she does not mean the party.
“I’m sorry, baby,” the Sheriff says, and perhaps there’s the merest hint of the glimmer of a tear in the corner of his eye, “but I travel a hard road.”
“But-“
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry,” he repeats, “but my path leads me to places you cannot come, and duty must come first.” Regretfully, he tips his hat, and then he turns his dog away and urges it to a loping run. Lita watches the Sheriff recede down the path.
“Let’s go back to the crossroads,” suggests Boddynock.
Lita bursts into tears.
Next Time: Now what do our heroes do?
8/23/368 O.L.G., the road west of Wheat Creek
Our heroes are following the winding path west, towards- hopefully- the Sheriff. Why they are pursuing him, I’m not entirely certain, nor (I think) were they. But Lita, hoping to improve her burgeoning relationship with him, had already ridden her dog to death, and she was mule-set on following him. So that’s what our heroes were doing.
But now a crimp has settled in their plans, for they have happened upon a crossroads.
West is the direction they’ve been headed, and west they can continue; but another track leads away to the south. “The Asylum is more west,” Sandy says doubtfully. “I don’t know... which path would they have taken?” Jawbreaker looks for signs of passage, but his lore is in other areas, and he shrugs.
“Maybe we should scout it out,” suggests Federico, and Sandy and Jawbreaker head to the west while the others wait. They return about an hour later, and inform the rest of the group that the road to the west seems to drop into the Buzzing Fens. Why would a road go in there? And is that where Sheriff Barleybrew would have taken Manson?
“Summary justice,” moans Federico. “Or a secret prison.” His tail is tucked firmly between his legs.
The party gazes down the south path. It heads into the hills. “Oh, hills are dangerous,” the dog whines. “We’ve fought all kinds of nasty hill and mountain monsters- there are those bird-garen things that want to eat us, and the big spiders...” Federico shudders.
A most confusing discussion ensues, with some party members adamant about heading one way or the other, some suggesting they just return to Wheat Creek to wait for the Sheriff to return (with their reward for capturing Manson, no less!), and some suggesting they just wait at the crossroads. The only decision they can make is elevensies, provoked by Sandy (who got bored and went wandering), who cries out, “Hey you guys- I found something good over here!”
Three eggs, almost the size of a halfling each, in a large bird’s nest. Two of them are secreted away and the other is tapped, then cooked up. Soon the giant eagle egg omelet is served. As they munch on it, Federico sighs happily, “We should just camp here!”
“No, I want to find the Sheriff,” Lita insists.
“We don’t even know where he is,” Boddynock reminds her. “He could have gone done either path.” And the debate begins again. The group argues all day, and finally, about a half hour before dark, they agree to at least go check out the south path. They move down it briefly, but the sun sets and they are forced to make camp almost immediately.
While they’re setting up camp, Lita hears a great bird crying out in the distance: Scree!... scree! She points it out to the group. Unsettled, Naomi says, “We should flee!”
“No way,” argues Boddynock. “How would the bird know we took its eggs? It could be anything! There are orcs and goblins and stuff in these hills, right? It could have been them!”
“As long as we keep the other eggs under cover I think we’re cool,” Naomi says. Grinning, she adds, “And the evidence will be gone tomorrow.”
“Shh!” urges Sandy. “We don’t know how well it can hear!”
“Wait, why should the bird be mad at us?” Timothy asks ponderously.
“It shouldn’t be,” Sandy answers.
“Oh,” Timothy says.
***
8/24/368, 9 a.m., just south of the Crossroads
Our heroes have breakfast and get moving. They are mindful of the great raptor they heard last night, and especially with Naomi’s near-panicked goading (“We should flee before the bird eats us! Scree!! Scree!!”), the party gets moving south, away from the crossroads. The path is visible, but fairly overgrown. It is clear that whatever traffic flows up and down it is not too regular, but neither is it so rare that the path is lost to nature.
Suddenly Lita catches sight of something in the foliage. She cries a warning, but too late for her friends to react; suddenly a pair of javelins flies from the shrubbery, hitting Naomi in the arm and leg! She cries out in pain and starts to stagger back as two yellow-skinned orcs stagger forth, clutching axes.
The party moves into action as Boddynock leaps behind Timothy. The autistic kid cries out, “I’ll protect you, Boddynock!” He drops his torch and dagger and casts shield. Then he picks up his dagger and torch from the ground.
Meanwhile a rain of missile fire has ensued from the halflings, pelting the orcs and dropping both of them. There is a moment more of tension before the group ascertains that they are both dead.
Then they realize that something very weird is going on with the orcs. For one thing, they’re yellow- the yellow of a lemon. Very strange coloration for orcs. For another thing, there seem to be plants growing on them.
From them.
“These,” grunts Jawbreaker, “are yellow musk zombies.”
“What’s a yellow musk zombie?” asks Lita.
“Yellow musk plant is plant that will plant seed in your head. Eat your mind. When it sprout, you die, become zombie under its control.” The barbarian smiles.
“Let’s go back,” the kobold begs. “Back to the crossroads.”
“Yeah, let’s go get paid,” agrees Sandy. “What are we doing out here anyway?”
“Good point,” agrees Naomi.
“If we just wait at the crossroads, the Sheriff will come back eventually, right?” suggests Boddynock, not for the first time.
Arguing amongst themselves, our heroes return to the crossroads. Once there, they turn to the east and head back towards Wheat Creek to await the Sheriff. As night falls, they cook up the other two eggs under the best cover they can find. They’re more than a little nervous about the giant bird coming to try to eat them, but an egg that big won’t keep, as Mama used to say.
They rest well, full of giant eagle egg, and travel for another day and a half before they see the Sheriff coming up behind them. So they turn around and head west again until they meet up with him. Lita embraces him and he gives her a rough kiss.
“Thank you for your help,” he says without preamble. “I’ve got your rewards, here, beginning with the gratitude of myself and the authorities in this area. Your assistance is recognized and appreciated.” He hesitates a moment, then goes on, “I have for each of you a medal. I know, I was surprised too; but that’s the way of it. Also a letter of credit to the tune of 2500 gold pieces and a gem.” He starts distributing these things to our heroes. The gems are small black stones, cut into an emerald cut. “The gem can be turned in for a favor at the larger temples of Bleak.”
The party murmurs and oohs and ahs over their new acquisitions for a few minutes, and Sheriff Riley Barleybrew spends a few minutes talking to them, especially Lita. Then he mounts his shaggy riding dog and bids them farewell.
“But what about us?” implores Lita. It is plain that she does not mean the party.
“I’m sorry, baby,” the Sheriff says, and perhaps there’s the merest hint of the glimmer of a tear in the corner of his eye, “but I travel a hard road.”
“But-“
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry,” he repeats, “but my path leads me to places you cannot come, and duty must come first.” Regretfully, he tips his hat, and then he turns his dog away and urges it to a loping run. Lita watches the Sheriff recede down the path.
“Let’s go back to the crossroads,” suggests Boddynock.
Lita bursts into tears.
Next Time: Now what do our heroes do?