After telling his companions about the gear he strips from the corpse, Caerth collects whatever the others do not store away and puts it in his backpack to study later, or bring before his mentor.
When Aureus voices her concerns about poison, the half-orc nods in sudden realization. That’s what he was missing! The nagging gut feeling now clarified, Caerth is about to respond to the haakutan when suddenly Raius collapses.
The druid rushes to the man’s side, studying the venom’s symptoms in order to identify the particular poison and find the right antidote.
Caerth is stymied by the poison in the spear wound. Nothing about it seems familiar to him. Likely, it isn't the venom of an animal but a manufactured toxin that combines the worst elements of a poisonous plant with some sort of reagent. It seems fast acting.
OOC: Heal check > 1d20+3=5+3=8
Phar looks up from his wounded familiar reluctantly. "We believe that fallen Wererat," he points for emphasis, "was the killer of your father. Now we need someone versed in healing or he shall claim another victim with the poison he used."
Sir Ghal rushes down to your location to help with Raius. He is joined by four of the soldiers. "Damn! This is bad!" He waves up to the other soldiers at the top of the gulch. "Go tell Aeron we're going to need his help! And do it fast!"
"Sir, do you know what it is?" A guard asks.
"No, I've never seen anything liek this before. Such things are not my specialty." He looks at Phar. "How long has he been like this?"
Quinn collects his belongings and places it upon his person,"I believe I can carry him to the castle if that is where a specialist would be."
"Yes, take him up out of here, if he's safe to move?"
"Think... so," Aureus says in halted Common.
Sir Ghal looks at Quinn, "We'll have to risk it. My warhorse is tied up to the house's porch. The beast is of a strong breed and should be able to carry him back to Carnell." He motions to two of the guards. "Help Sir Quinn carry Raius to my horse then ride with him back to the village and take him straight to Aeron. The rest of us will stay here and deal with the dead wererat."
The guards move to obey the young knight. They help Quinn sling the man over the gladiator's shoulder while making sure his wound is staunched and his head is cradled. The way up feels a bit steeper than going down, but Quinn manages to make up to the farmstead without too much difficulty. The soldier's help Quinn up into the saddle with Raius slung in front of him. The guards mount and the three of them are soon riding back to Carnell.
"I hope he will be okay," Sir Ghal says. "Now, let's see this wererat." He studies the dead man's face. "I've never seen him before. He's not a local."
"I think I saw him on the Western Road." One of the guards kneels down next to the knight. "Yes, he arrived in Carnell late in the night, two nights ago, I think. He said he was looking for work as a mercenary. I told him we weren't hiring, and he seemed fine with it. He told me he'd ride on to the south towards Helt. I haven't seen him since then, until now."
"Did you get a name?" Sir Ghal asks.
"Otto, I think," the guard replies. "But if he came to Carnell to kill your father, I doubt that will be his real name."
"Wieland, was he traveling with anyone else? Did he say where he was coming from?"
"He was alone, sir. He said he was from the city of Huskk in Wolffire."
"I really hope that was a lie too," Sir Ghal says. "The last thing the Strandlands needs is conflict with Baron Recmair and his berserker army. But I seriously doubt Wolffire would hire a wererat. A werebear, maybe."
Sir Ghal turns to Phar. "Did he say anything to you before he died? Anything that would give us a clue to his origins?"
