Instead, the foursome uncovered secrets never fully understood, involving blackmail, guilt, and women who were more than they seemed. By the end of the day, the community's miller was found dead, apparently having taken his own life to avoid facing his failure. More puzzling than this, however, was the disappearance of his wife -- and the revelation that she was a secret servant of Kakodemmion.
The citizens of Clerihew mobilized to find this dangerous individual and our heroes readily agreed to assist them, only to find themselves the targets of a far more deadly plot to eliminate the outsiders and bury certain secrets with them. Ivan and Gamis each survived ambushes in the swamps, the latter even finding himself pitted against the local constable in a duel that was nearly too much for him. In the end, they struggled back to the village with prisoners in tow, hoping to at last find answers.
But Faith, the constable, seemed to have some some advantage over the council; answers were not to be forthcoming. Kai had vanished, pursuing the widowed miler's wife (to his eventual regret). The other three left together, but not before Natala promised to return at each harvest, to ensure that Clerihew's grain remained free of the taint that brought her here the first time.
Now it is two years later. Gamis Pfaebinn has since risen to prominence within the city, surrounded by other pressing duties and obligations. Ivan Granitehammer fell in battle with a dragon, but later rose again as Thosar Luque, an elf now trying to fathom the whims of the goddess who allowed him to return to the world thus changed. Seeking guidance -- and perhaps something more -- he has turned to Natala (herself now far too experienced in the trials of a second life), pledging to defend her as she returns once more to her appointment in Clerihew.
Fresh from rescuing Hermy Woodhome from three young giants, the pair reach their destination by roads seldom seen by mortals in their living years.
It is here we resume our tale.
****
Your Heroes
- Natala
HP: 34/34 (Con modifier not included)
Initiative: +0 (Dex modifier not included)
AC: 17 (+2 armor, +1 proficiency, +1 deflection, +3 defense), -3 touch/-3 flat-footed (Dex mod to AC/flat-footed AC not included)
Damage Conversion: 2 (chain shirt)
BAB: +4 (Str/Dex modifiers or those for feats not included)
Atk:
¤ scythe +4 melee (2d4, x4 crit) (Str modifier to attack and damage not included)
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +6 (or +8 vs. enchantment effects) (ability score bonuses not included)
Abilities, Skills, Feats, Languages: A woman has to keep some secrets.
Special: immunity to sleep spells/effects, low-light vision, turn undead 3 + Cha modifier per day, spontaneous casting of domain and cure spells, spell domain benefits
¨ - Thosar Lueque
HP: 49/49 (56/56 with amulet of health)
Initiative: +6
AC: 19 (+2 Dex, +2 armor, +1 proficiency, +2 heavy shield, +2 defense), -5 touch/-4 flat-footed
Damage Conversion: +1 (studded leather armor)
BAB: +6/+1 (add +3 to melee attacks and +2 to ranged attacks)
Atk:
¤ +1 warhammer +11 melee (1d8+6, x3 crit)
¤ light hammer +9 melee or +8 ranged (1d4+3, x2 crit, 20' range increment)
¤ light crossbow +8 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2 crit, 80' range increment), add +1 to attack/damage rolls within 30'
Saves: Fort +8 (+9 with amulet), Ref +4, Will +6 (+8 vs. enchantment effects)
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 13 (15 with amulet), Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +5 (or +3 with shield), Concentration +1 (or +2 with amulet), Diplomacy +1, Craft (stonemason) +8 (or +10 with MW tools), Gather Information +1, Heal +1, Intimidate +4, Jump +7 (or +5 with shield), Knowledge (religion) +6, Listen +3, Profession (mason) +2, Search +3, Spot +2, Swim +4 (or +2 with shield)
Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Knowledge [religion]), Weapon Focus (warhammer), Weapon Specialization (warhammer)
Languages: Common, Dwarf, Goblin
Special: immunity to sleep spells/effects, low-light vision, +1 attack bonus vs. goblins/orcs, +4 dodge bonus to AC vs. giants, must rest for 8 hours a night (unlike most elves), faint aura of chaos, may not cast lawful spells, Earth domain (rebuke earth and turn air creatures 3/day), Healing domain (2nd level caster, increase cure spell variable effect from d8 to d12), turn undead 3/day
****
Spell Use (spells in red have been cast)
Natala (save DC = ? + spell level)
Level 0 (6/6): detect magic, detect poison, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink
Level 1 (5/5): command, deathwatch, detect undead, obscuring mist, sanctuary
Level 2 (5/5): augury, enthrall, hold person, shield other, status
Level 3 (4/4): dispel magic, dispel magic, stone shape, prayer
Level 4 (3/3): air walk, discern lies, sending
Level 5 (0/1): --
Thosar (save DC = 10 + spell level)
Level 0 (3/3): detect magic, guidance, resistance
Level 1 (1/1): detect good
****
Special Items:
Natala:
¤ potions (bull's strength, eagle's splendor, nondetection)
¤ scroll (locate object)
¤ wand of calm emotions (43 charges)
Thosar:
¤ holy water (2 vials)
¤ sunrods (4)
¤ salve of slipperiness
It could be chalked up to coincidence that the results of success would also mean a sudden encounter with a familiar face. That the face belongs to a certain late miller's wife, however, might make one wonder if the Creator intended for the situation to be a jest of some sort on Her part.
Marina, standing maybe sixty feet from them, certainly does not look amused. Surprised, naturally, but not amused.
(She looks even more surprised than I feel.)Oo. Natala thinks with just a touch of amusement.
.oO(She'll not recognize Thosar, either, most likely.)
"Greetings, cousin," Natala says. "I had thought you had made good your escape. Those hunting you have had no sign, to my knowledge."
Thosar looks about after the instantaneous travel, still being unused to it. Upon seeing the woman his mind freeze-frames into a picture somewhere in his past and he knows he has seen her before. He then realizes that this woman just witnessed Natala and himself appear out of thin air. Keeping his arms at his sides, he makes no sudden movements, only glancing over at Natala, attempting to indicate that he waits on her lead.
"Sometimes running has a way of taking you in circles," the human replies sardonically. "Sometimes you run out of favours at the end of the road, and all you can do is retrace steps, hoping to find something you'd overlooked earlier."
Marina's movements betray nervousness, especially with repeated glances at Thosar, but she neither flees nor attacks. Instead, she attempts to put on a disarming smile.
"And what brings you here with another elf?" she asks. "He wouldn't be a relative of--"
She lets the sentence drift off with her smile, uncertainty evident in her face.
(Sometimes, yes, unless you start anew)Oo. Natala thinks as the woman talks of running in circles.
(Another elf?)Oo. Thosar wonders for a moment, before realization dawns. .oO(Wait... I feel as though I know what she speaks of. When I saw her before, there was another elf with us... though I can't remember who it was.)
He looks at Natala, then back to the woman, unsure whether to introduce himself or let the situation play out as it will.
.oO(Natala seems guarded, at the least, and this woman seems...tense. If I could remember more I would know whether to introduce myself. I'll just wait for now.)
Thosar maintains a neutral expression on his face, though he does manage a smile.
"A relative of whom?" Natala asks, trying not to make it obvious that she doesn't know. "It's hard for me to guess just who you mean, if you don't say.
"After all, aren't we all related -- children of the Mother and Her Sons?" she adds sweetly.
.oO(What is she hiding? I don't like this.)
"It's not important," the human answers. "Did you bring the rest from last time we met as well... cousin?"
The seer shrugs.
"I don't necessarily drag them with me everywhere I go," she observes. "There is at least one whose whereabouts you should know better than I."
.oO(Unless that really was Mr. Heishall, at my shop that day.)
Again, she shrugs before continuing.
"Unless you have something to say, Cousin Marina, I'm afraid my companion and I do not have time to banter the day away. If you wish to talk further, you're welcome to walk with us... though I doubt you'll find much welcome where we're going, unless things have changed in this last year."
Thosar looks from Natala back to Marina. Recognition dawns upon him.
.oO(Marina... yes, I know that name. There was something to do with a Demmionite cult, wasn't there?)
The elf's brow furrows in confusion for a moment, before he resigns himself to start walking with Natala toward their destination. Marina seems taken aback by their response, but she recovers quickly.
"They needn't know I'm here," the Demmionite says, and utters a few syllables of power, in which Natala recognizes patterns to render one invisible, confirmed as Marina vanishes. Bushes are quickly shoved aside to let her pass and the pair of travellers listen to the sound of her retreat fade into the distance.
"Good day to you strangers. May I ask what brings you to Clerihew?"
Natala raises a hand in response.
"I am called Natala, of Garic's City; and my companion is Thosar Lueque, a fellow child of Ordemetrex. We have come to fulfill an obligation I and another companion agreed to two years ago, namely to check over the harvest each year to ensure another incident like the mass poisoning on that occasion does not recur."
One would think that Natala had struck the man from the expression that passes across his face.
"I think you'll want to see the elders then," he says with a touch of hollowness.
"This way, please."
Thosar tries to keep alarm off his face at the man's response.
.oO(Could it be that the Dark Brother has infected this town again? Or perhaps the infection was never gone. Not a good sign in either case.)
The elf casts a sideways glance at Natala and then follows the man, staying next to her. As they reach the community hall, an elder man steps out, one that it takes a minute to recognize as one of the people in charge. He smiles cautiously and says:
"And who do we have here? It's been a few years since the fair folk have come to Clerihew."
"They say they're here about the harvest being poisoned, sir," the guard tells him.
The elder man nearly trips over his own feet as he takes a step back.
"You," he breathes, then raises a hand before reassuring the guard.
"No, it's all right. Mrs. Doyle said we should expect them. I'm sorry... Na-- Nanana, wasn't it? I'm sorry, I just didn't recognize you without the other two."
The fellow turns his attention to the elf, a confused expression suggesting that he isn't sure if he should remember this one or not.
"And you would be... Kai?" he finally asks.
"Natala, actually," the fortuneteller corrects him gently. "My companion on this journey is Thosar Lueque."
She pauses, a mental eyebrow raised at his reaction.
.oO(The events of two years ago notwithstanding, I was here a year ago with nothing of great import occurring... What's got him so rattled? Does this have anything to do with what Marina was hiding?)
"It's clear something out of the ordinary is happening here. Are you going to tell us what it is?"
"Please excuse me, both of you," the old man says. "I'll take you to Telyagar and she--."
"No need for that," comes the gnome's voice from inside, cracked but clear. "I'll be right out. It's a warm enough day, and I could use the walk."
Thosar and Natala hear her fussing about, occasionally shouting out questions or demands to an attendant, before Telyagar arrives, carefully making her way with the assistance of a staff.
"Telyagar, these--" the counsellor begins, but the gnome cuts him off.
"I know who they are, Eric. I could hear you well enough. Welcome back, Natala, and a welcome to your companion as well. Pleasantries aside, perhaps you can enlighten me to what you've seen here recently. I'd certainly be interesting in knowing what's made things 'so clear' to you."
Telyagar pauses to allow herself a short chuckle, then continues to amble forward.
.oO(Now there is a face I recognize. Perhaps we'll be able to figure out what is going on now.
The elf remains silent and follows near Natala, who in turn falls into step with Telyagar, matching her pace to the slower steps of the aged gnome even as she gives her reasons.
"The greeting we received. Your man checked his weapon before hailing us; and there seems to be some unease at our presence."
"Is that so, now?" Telyagar asks. "Well, if it was Poul, he's new to the duty, and still a bit self-conscious about things. To be expected, really."
"Ah, that might explain things."
"Indeed -- but you suggest that his reactions were just one example."
"He seemed upset also, as did Mr. Eric, when I mentioned that we had come per my agreement to check the harvest."
"Ah, that. Well, Eric is still... sensitive about what happened that year. It was a hard time for all of us, as you may recall."
Eric does indeed look distinctly uncomfortable about the subject.
"Although..." the gnome adds, turning her head from side to side "there have been rumours of others who decided it was time for a return visit..."
Thosar's face grows solemn.
"Yes, I recall it was a difficult time, and that you took events personally, Mr. Eric," Natala says, directing her words at the nervous man, "and I apologize for speaking less gently than I might."
She directs her next words to Telyagar.
"I'll be interested to hear more of these rumours -- ah, but first, where are my manners? My companion at this time is Thosar Lueque, a novice in the faith of Ordemetrex. Thosar, this is Telyagar, called 'Great-Grandmother' by many in Clerihew, which tells you something of her relationship to this community."
Thosar bows slightly before speaking.
"An honor to meet you Great-Grandmother"
"A pleasure to meet you in return," she says. "Have you know Natala long?"
The elf smiles.
"Not too long. Sometimes it seems longer then others.".
"That wouldn't surprise me, somehow," the old gnome says with a wry smile. "What do you know of her reasons for coming here each year?"
"She told me that the harvest needed to be checked for contamination. Of what sort she didn't say."
"I see. Quite so. Are the others still well, Natala?"
The half-elf carefully checks off a mental list of who was there two years earlier, and what she can say of each.
"Cousin Gamis is well, and living with his fiancee in Garic's City.
"Is he now? Well, congratulations to him."
"The others have not fared as well," Natala continues. "Mr. Heishall none have heard from since that time..."
.oO(True enough.)
"Oh, dear."
"...And Mr. Granitehammer met his end in a red dragon's flame."
Telyagar stops suddenly at this last bit of news, while Thosar flinches as Natala describes his fate.
"When was this, Natala?" the gnome asks carefully, "--about the dragon, I mean. It seems such a dwarven thing to do, really, to meet an end like that."
"Around the time that I last came here; it was young and stupid, apparently, and preying on cattle in a small area. It was slain, but it took several of those who went to battle it, with it.
"He was borne with honor back to his clan."
"Would that duty not have required so high a price," the gnome sighs.
The elf nods.
"You hear of dragons all your life," Telyagar muses, "but you never quite think of them as real, unless you're forced to. More legend than menace..."
"Would that they were only legend sometimes," Thosar responds.
Natala, too, nods, her face solemn with memories -- both of losing two people she had been growing close to in short order, and of her own experience standing face to face with a dragon.
"Indeed," Telyagar agrees. "Have you seen a dragon in your lifetime, Thosar?"
The elf shakes his head.
"I have not. I have heard tales of some that have been dealt with though, such as the one Natala is describing. The tales are enough."
The old woman makes an odd expression as Thosar speaks, as though considering a comment, but she lets it go.
"And what of you, Telyagar?" Natala asks. "Have you been forced to think of them as real, in your lifetime?"
A confused frown crosses the gnome's face.
"Never personally," she admits. "It's always been hearing from someone who knew someone who saw something, you understand."
Thosar nods.
"My apologies for changing the subject," Thosar says, furrowing his brow as he speaks, "but you mentioned some rumors?"
"Yes," she answers. "Natala, have you ever told Thosar anything about Marina?"
The elf directs a look of curiousity to the fortune-teller.
"I know I have mentioned to him that name," she admits, "but I'm not sure what specifics I've given him."
(Best play it safe since I don't know how well he rememb-- drat!)Oo. she thinks, seeing his expression.
"I see. Well, Thosar, what do you recall?"
Thosar appears to consider this for a moment.
(Better keep it simple and short. I never told Natala how much I remember.)Oo. he decides.
"Only that this Marina was connected to the previous contamination. Also, that her husband was involved.
"If I remember correctly?" he adds uncertainly, looking to Natala, who nods.
"That's correct."
"Well, I'm told people have seen her again lately," Telyagar tells them, "usually near the swamp. If it's her, she's been keeping her distance from people, but it is somewhat unsettling. There have been other sightings out there as well that make it doubly so. I wish I could say that they were the workings of overactive imaginations, but few people know anything about Marina's second life."
Natala's brow furrows.
"What sort of sightings have these others been, then," she asks, "that would take things from unsettling to disturbing?"
She shares a brief uneasy glance with Thosar, knowing how drastically his views differ from hers on the topic of Marina's "second life."
"If they're to be believed, then poor Ivan could tell you better than I," the gnome says darkly. "I'd be a bit less skeptical if we'd had fires in the region."
She chuckles ruefully.
"I can live with a bit of skepticism, however."
"Ivan could tell us better?" Thosar asks. "Ivan Granitehammer? I'm sorry, I'm slightly confused."
"I believe she means there have been signs pointing to dragons in the area." Natala explains. "I know there are dragons in this general region, at least. I have faced one, myself, in the mountains, only months ago."
Telyagar nods almost imperceptably. Eric, beside her, suppresses a shudder. A look of acknowledgement comes over the elf's face, followed by a dark look to match the gnome's.
"You have?" says the old gnome, surprised, as though her ears had suddenly caught up to Natala's last statement. "I'm quite impressed, Natala."
(Signs of dragons? Perhaps that is only it and not any contamination from the Dark Brother. Not that it is better, by any means. Then again, if there are any signs they might be confused for one instead of the other.)Oo. he thinks to himself.
"Do you know what the signs have been, and where?"
"It was necessary. And I wasn't alone," she says briefly, then falls silent to let Thosar's question be answered.
"Some of the locals like to try their hand at fishing occasionally, just to add some variety to their diet. A few of them even set up camps and stay for a couple of days if they get a chance.
"One group came back to find its camp all but destroyed. Something had melted their shelter and half the supplies they brought with them."
"I saw a frying pan they brought back," Eric mentions. "Holes had been eaten right through the metal! It was a mess."
Telyagar nods.
"A few people also mention seeing some dark creature flying out that way, shaped all wrong to be a bird. They insist that the body was too long, especially the neck and tail.
"Now maybe that's not a dragon, but I wouldn't know what else it could be."
*He glances at Natala, then back to Great Grandmother.*
"And what were the most recent of these sightings?"
The gnome shakes her head.
"Keep in mind that people have overactive imaginations once something sets them off. For all I know, only one person has seen something like that and everyone since has just let the head embellish what the eyes would ordinarily see as everyday crows.
"But if gossip means anything to you, it comes up in conversation every so many days. It's not as if we mark the calendar by it or anything."
"Of course not."
(Every couple of days could mean other rumors and gossip get boring that often or it could mean a pattern. I've heard that younger dragons are not as intelligent as the older but they are certainly not stupid.)Oo. Thosar wonders as he looks at Natala.
"Do you think it is worth checking into before we see to the harvest?" He questions.
Over the course of the next few days, they visit a number of farms, allowing Natala time to check for signs of ergot taint as well as insure that those who work the fields are better prepared to identify it themselves. In this activity, she finds Eric surprisingly helpful, as though it was a blight with which he'd experienced many times in the past.
The first two evenings are spent with the new miller, who, despite his youth, appears to have been well informed on the matter of ergot. His initial reaction to the outsider who is so keen to discuss the subject and his methods displays confusion, as though he doesn't understand why it is necessary, but he offers neither complaint nor comment in that regard.
"You'll never guess what we caught today," he says, grinning with delight. "Please come take a look, great-grandmother..."
With a bit of fussing and muttering, Telyagar makes her way to the cart behind the eager young guard, the miller right beside her. When they get close, the crowd parts respectfully, letting the gnome and her escorts through.
What they see certainly resembles a dragon to both Natala and Thosar, but it doesn't match up to their own recollection of such creatures. The scales and wings are quite familiar, though darker than in the creature they both met, but it only has two legs, rather than four, and the body is even more serpentine than they'd have expected, practically all tail from the head on down.
Nevertheless, this prize is a great cause for celebration that night, with much congratulations to the hunting party that brought it in. It is obvious that many will pay for the carousing come the next morning, but that is a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, it is enough to know that the Clerihew Dragon has been put to rest.
Three days later, Natala completes her inspection to her satisfaction, finding no traces of ergot in the fields and hearing no more of dragons. She and Thosar pay their respects to the elders before departing, Natala sensing their relief has as much to do with her imminent departure as with her other news. With that done, she takes her companions hand and utters words to bring them home once more.