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Ptolus: Midwood - "The Dark Waters of Moss Pond"
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<blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 3324396" data-attributes="member: 11760"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Chapter 2</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>A Meeting in the Woods</strong></p><p></p><p>Morning breaks on Birth 15. The spring thaw is not here yet, and the wind still blows icy and hard, but it's been snowing less and less. Dark patches of earth show through where there had only been snow two weeks before, although the ground is still frozen hard.</p><p></p><p>The gnomes' trading post on the slopes of Green Mountain has seen no customers recently, as the Wizard of Green Mountain has been away, presumably off in Kem. The kobolds have been little-seen, as the cold weather has kept them in their lairs except during the warmest days, when the little creatures wear broad-brimmed hats and scurry about their business quickly, the bright sunlight bouncing off patches of snow and ice dazzling their eyes.</p><p></p><p>In Wit's End, preparations have begun in earnest for this year's Tootenfest, and they have ordered a number of machine parts from Grail Keep, which now sit in Kramer's General Store, waiting for the gnomes to arrive and pick them up.</p><p></p><p>The Moss River is still frozen over, but the ice in the middle has gotten thin, and the water can be seen and heard rushing by beneath it. The residents of the Barony of Midwood have begun taking their tools out of winter's storage and oiling them for the new year and spring clothes have begun to have their moth holes darned in the hopes that soon, the heavy clothes of winter can be shed for another year.</p><p></p><p>The worshippers of Valarian, including Ella at the Cat & the Fiddle, have been leaving out small wooden cups full of milk or small sweet foods for the faeries, whom Ella says have been starving all winter. Certainly some residents of the Tulgey Wood have been enjoying the gifts: Sparrows and other birds have been seen picking the cups empty.</p><p></p><p>This morning, though, a cold wind blows from the southeast, and for the adventurers who entered Fibber's Cairn two weeks before, the wind brings a faint whiff of those ruins to mind.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Hazel Sawyer slips out of her house before her family wakes, snatching a cold breakfast from the remains of last night's supper and munches as she walks. Maidensbridge is still quiet as she passes through; she nods to a few early risers, but doesn't slow to chat. She enters the woods where the party began its journey to the barrow, and slows her steps to find the deer trail she followed then. She double-times it down the trail, delighted by the smell of the wet greenery and the fresh, cool air against her face. Eventually her enthusiasm settles into a more sedate contentment, and her pace follows suit. Once she reaches the hill leading up to the cairn, she begins to scout around for a concealed spot overlooking the entrance.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Katadid Leach didn't want to touch the moss on the tree, but he had to, no choice in the matter. But when he turned around he found himself lost. The fevered focus that had gripped him as he marched through the melting snow and frozen ground has dissolved and fragmented into spurts of coughing as he tries to orient himself. He is certain that the cairn must be close by, as well as those he was supposed to meet, but he now realizes he never asked if they should meet in town or at the cairn's entrance.</p><p></p><p>Renraw Kem approaches Katadid from behind, hoping not to startle him but unable to think of a way to prevent it.</p><p></p><p>"Er, hello!" he says, bracing for the other wizard's jump. "Did you know you're facing the wrong direction? And you're, well, about 300 yards away?"</p><p></p><p>Katadid's jump is a coughing fit by the time he returns to earth once more.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, thank you." Katadid seems unsurprised at Renraw's appearance, despite his leap a moment ago. "So, this way? Meetings ... dates. Yes, well, I am perhaps interested."</p><p></p><p>He begins walking in the opposite direction.</p><p></p><p>"As am I, Leach," Renraw replies, smiling to himself, "As am I."</p><p></p><p>He follows Katadid deeper into the Tulgey Wood toward the barrow.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Emmerson Grant has been thoughtful since the Tulgey Barrow affair. He has had regular conversations with Constable Ward Bridger, regarding moral and upright behavior, and bringing the light of Lothian to those still lost in the dark.</p><p></p><p>Stepping outside in the morning air, he spots Deputy Tucker Gallaway bustling around Maidensbridge and hustles after him.</p><p></p><p>"Sorry, Grant, I'm not going," Tucker says as the paladin approaches. "Too much to be done here in town right now, and a vague note on a liar's body isn't enough to get Ward's dander up: With the weather turning warm, he's been up in his tower more frequently, keeping an eye on the slopes of Green Mountain. That leaves me down here on the ground to keep the peace.</p><p></p><p>"Right now I'm off to find Ella at the tavern; apparently she's got a complaint to swear out against someone. But best of luck. Shine in Lothian's light."</p><p></p><p>"I shall. I'll keep an eye on them and report my findings," Emmerson says. He turns and jingles off at a brisk pace toward Fibber's Cairn.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Hidden from view in the forest, Hazel hears Bufer long before he comes into sight over the crest of the hill, his boots crunching through the snow as he approaches the barrow from the general vicinity of Wit's End. In one hand he carries a pack, slung over his shoulder. Clutched in the other is some gnomish breakfast delicacy, looking for all the world like a flapjack wrapped around a sausage and a stick of butter. Wrinkling her nose, and ignoring her stomach's lurching, Hazel prepares to stand up and wave him over, and then realizes with a start that he's walking right to her.</p><p></p><p>"Morning," he says, once he's within a few feet of her. He offers the end of his gnomish concoction. "Want a bite? It's not all that hot, anymore, but at least there's no apples in it."</p><p></p><p>"How did you?" Hazel asks, incredulously. "How could you?"</p><p></p><p>Munching on his breakfast, Bufer points to a rabbit hole not five feet from where they stand.</p><p></p><p>"Got word from the underground," Bufer explains as he sets down his pack. "You might be invisible to the naked eye, but not to their noses. Don't worry, we're well hidden, otherwise."</p><p></p><p>"Rabbits." Hazel squints at the burrow, imagining she can see twitching noses. "I'll be darned. Good to know."</p><p></p><p>Reaching into his pack, he pulls out a largish jar of muddy brown liquid and hands it to Hazel. She finds it surprisingly warm to the touch.</p><p></p><p>"Here, I brought us something to drink, brewed from some kinda beans my pa brought back from the other side of the Whitewind. He swears by the stuff, got barrels of it stashed away back home. It's a bit on the bitter side, but it'll keep us warm and alert."</p><p></p><p>Hazel eyes the jar dubiously and passes for now as Bufer rummages around in his pack with his free hand.</p><p></p><p>"I've also got a pair of dice in here, somewhere, in case we get bored. We're like to be waiting awhile, I figure, and it's pretty entertaining the way Katadid always manages to guess," he breaks off suddenly and looks up at Hazel in alarm. "Oh bugger, where's Kat?"</p><p></p><p>"Haven't seen him yet. Didn't run into him on my way through town," Hazel says, peering through the branches toward the partially concealed mouth of the cairn.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>The thorns rip into Katadid's clothing but he hardly seems to notice as the two wizards make their way to the side of the hill. He walks around a shrub twice and holds his chest while coughing. It's not until Renraw points toward some hastily piled brush across the opening that Katadid eyes lose their normal glaze.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, excellent," he says and begins walking toward the entrance.</p><p></p><p>Hazel bursts out of her hiding place, grabbing Katadid by his sleeve, checking his forward progress. She does a double-take at Renraw, surprised to see him here.</p><p></p><p>"You went to Middleborough?" she bursts out as she gently steers Katadid to the group's hiding place, carrying a fir bough to erase their tracks with afterwards. "What was it like?"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Whizbang Dustyboots, post: 3324396, member: 11760"] [CENTER][b]Chapter 2 A Meeting in the Woods[/b][/CENTER] Morning breaks on Birth 15. The spring thaw is not here yet, and the wind still blows icy and hard, but it's been snowing less and less. Dark patches of earth show through where there had only been snow two weeks before, although the ground is still frozen hard. The gnomes' trading post on the slopes of Green Mountain has seen no customers recently, as the Wizard of Green Mountain has been away, presumably off in Kem. The kobolds have been little-seen, as the cold weather has kept them in their lairs except during the warmest days, when the little creatures wear broad-brimmed hats and scurry about their business quickly, the bright sunlight bouncing off patches of snow and ice dazzling their eyes. In Wit's End, preparations have begun in earnest for this year's Tootenfest, and they have ordered a number of machine parts from Grail Keep, which now sit in Kramer's General Store, waiting for the gnomes to arrive and pick them up. The Moss River is still frozen over, but the ice in the middle has gotten thin, and the water can be seen and heard rushing by beneath it. The residents of the Barony of Midwood have begun taking their tools out of winter's storage and oiling them for the new year and spring clothes have begun to have their moth holes darned in the hopes that soon, the heavy clothes of winter can be shed for another year. The worshippers of Valarian, including Ella at the Cat & the Fiddle, have been leaving out small wooden cups full of milk or small sweet foods for the faeries, whom Ella says have been starving all winter. Certainly some residents of the Tulgey Wood have been enjoying the gifts: Sparrows and other birds have been seen picking the cups empty. This morning, though, a cold wind blows from the southeast, and for the adventurers who entered Fibber's Cairn two weeks before, the wind brings a faint whiff of those ruins to mind. * * * Hazel Sawyer slips out of her house before her family wakes, snatching a cold breakfast from the remains of last night's supper and munches as she walks. Maidensbridge is still quiet as she passes through; she nods to a few early risers, but doesn't slow to chat. She enters the woods where the party began its journey to the barrow, and slows her steps to find the deer trail she followed then. She double-times it down the trail, delighted by the smell of the wet greenery and the fresh, cool air against her face. Eventually her enthusiasm settles into a more sedate contentment, and her pace follows suit. Once she reaches the hill leading up to the cairn, she begins to scout around for a concealed spot overlooking the entrance. * * * Katadid Leach didn't want to touch the moss on the tree, but he had to, no choice in the matter. But when he turned around he found himself lost. The fevered focus that had gripped him as he marched through the melting snow and frozen ground has dissolved and fragmented into spurts of coughing as he tries to orient himself. He is certain that the cairn must be close by, as well as those he was supposed to meet, but he now realizes he never asked if they should meet in town or at the cairn's entrance. Renraw Kem approaches Katadid from behind, hoping not to startle him but unable to think of a way to prevent it. "Er, hello!" he says, bracing for the other wizard's jump. "Did you know you're facing the wrong direction? And you're, well, about 300 yards away?" Katadid's jump is a coughing fit by the time he returns to earth once more. "Ah, yes, thank you." Katadid seems unsurprised at Renraw's appearance, despite his leap a moment ago. "So, this way? Meetings ... dates. Yes, well, I am perhaps interested." He begins walking in the opposite direction. "As am I, Leach," Renraw replies, smiling to himself, "As am I." He follows Katadid deeper into the Tulgey Wood toward the barrow. * * * Emmerson Grant has been thoughtful since the Tulgey Barrow affair. He has had regular conversations with Constable Ward Bridger, regarding moral and upright behavior, and bringing the light of Lothian to those still lost in the dark. Stepping outside in the morning air, he spots Deputy Tucker Gallaway bustling around Maidensbridge and hustles after him. "Sorry, Grant, I'm not going," Tucker says as the paladin approaches. "Too much to be done here in town right now, and a vague note on a liar's body isn't enough to get Ward's dander up: With the weather turning warm, he's been up in his tower more frequently, keeping an eye on the slopes of Green Mountain. That leaves me down here on the ground to keep the peace. "Right now I'm off to find Ella at the tavern; apparently she's got a complaint to swear out against someone. But best of luck. Shine in Lothian's light." "I shall. I'll keep an eye on them and report my findings," Emmerson says. He turns and jingles off at a brisk pace toward Fibber's Cairn. * * * Hidden from view in the forest, Hazel hears Bufer long before he comes into sight over the crest of the hill, his boots crunching through the snow as he approaches the barrow from the general vicinity of Wit's End. In one hand he carries a pack, slung over his shoulder. Clutched in the other is some gnomish breakfast delicacy, looking for all the world like a flapjack wrapped around a sausage and a stick of butter. Wrinkling her nose, and ignoring her stomach's lurching, Hazel prepares to stand up and wave him over, and then realizes with a start that he's walking right to her. "Morning," he says, once he's within a few feet of her. He offers the end of his gnomish concoction. "Want a bite? It's not all that hot, anymore, but at least there's no apples in it." "How did you?" Hazel asks, incredulously. "How could you?" Munching on his breakfast, Bufer points to a rabbit hole not five feet from where they stand. "Got word from the underground," Bufer explains as he sets down his pack. "You might be invisible to the naked eye, but not to their noses. Don't worry, we're well hidden, otherwise." "Rabbits." Hazel squints at the burrow, imagining she can see twitching noses. "I'll be darned. Good to know." Reaching into his pack, he pulls out a largish jar of muddy brown liquid and hands it to Hazel. She finds it surprisingly warm to the touch. "Here, I brought us something to drink, brewed from some kinda beans my pa brought back from the other side of the Whitewind. He swears by the stuff, got barrels of it stashed away back home. It's a bit on the bitter side, but it'll keep us warm and alert." Hazel eyes the jar dubiously and passes for now as Bufer rummages around in his pack with his free hand. "I've also got a pair of dice in here, somewhere, in case we get bored. We're like to be waiting awhile, I figure, and it's pretty entertaining the way Katadid always manages to guess," he breaks off suddenly and looks up at Hazel in alarm. "Oh bugger, where's Kat?" "Haven't seen him yet. Didn't run into him on my way through town," Hazel says, peering through the branches toward the partially concealed mouth of the cairn. * * * The thorns rip into Katadid's clothing but he hardly seems to notice as the two wizards make their way to the side of the hill. He walks around a shrub twice and holds his chest while coughing. It's not until Renraw points toward some hastily piled brush across the opening that Katadid eyes lose their normal glaze. "Ah, excellent," he says and begins walking toward the entrance. Hazel bursts out of her hiding place, grabbing Katadid by his sleeve, checking his forward progress. She does a double-take at Renraw, surprised to see him here. "You went to Middleborough?" she bursts out as she gently steers Katadid to the group's hiding place, carrying a fir bough to erase their tracks with afterwards. "What was it like?" [/QUOTE]
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Ptolus: Midwood - "The Dark Waters of Moss Pond"
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