Chapter 2c - The Bunker

[AleBelly]

See Arlandria's updated inventory in this post:

viewtopic.php?f=211&t=4019&start=160#p173203

Guffy gasps at the scalp in the small sack. "Get that lice-ridden thing out of my tavern!" he yells! This is a disappointing reaction to Hyde's offering, but it seems to have arisen from shock. Making his way through the masses, Guffy comes up to the half-orc several minutes later. He doesn't exactly seem friendly towards Hyde, but he asks "How many of 'em did ya kill?"

The others discuss taking some of Arlandria's possessions and splitting the proceeds. Ilfrien and Hyde claim a couple items.

Exhausted, the party takes up in the common room, which, despite the minor festival tomorrow, still has plenty of bunks. Yana departs for her temple outside the gates, tromping through the snow. She reappears the next morning, the party having sold the rest of Arlandria's belongings.

I'll send out the splits later today, and will move things forward.

[AleBelly]

Date: 21 Rituals, Year 41
Time: 10:30
Conditions: 26F, freezing fog (visibility 600 yards)
Known Spells in Effect: None
Light bearers: Sun
Intended Direction of Travel: Southwest to the Southwest Shires, 5ish miles traveled today

Yana rejoins the party, who assemble outside the tavern in the cold morning fog.

Please deduct 5 cp for common lodging, Yana, if you want to communicate with Mother Spana in non-mundane matters please do so in private forum.

Ilfrien gets Applehead from the stable while the group retrieves Adriana from the Temple of Veles and sets off for the southwest, the frozen fog penetrating every opening of clothing and attacking exposed skin to suck the warmth out of them. The weather seems suited to their sad task, as if they are escorting the dead hobbit through the gloomy underworld itself.

They make good time over the paths of the area, and after a couple hours encounter the bounders of the shire. Their usual apprehension to orc-like creatures is ameliorated by the presence of the elves and human. "You must be looking for the Frogmortons" they say, rather unapprovingly. "Go through town, and at the crossroads head south. Last burrow, just at the marshes." They say nothing of the dead hobbit on the horse.

The party quickly advances through town. They see few inhabitants. The ones they encounter stare at them, keeping their distance, or are ushering their children in the house. A couple offer glares, shaking their heads.

Finally, the urban land transitions to rural and finally swampy marshes. The road begins to deteriorate, and the party's just about to give up when they find an improbable settlement. Through the gloom, they see two figures - one appears to be a canine, the other a hobbit.

Ilfrien, please deduct 2 gp for stabling

[Zorroroaster]

Overcome with fresh grief, Eduard finds himself at a loss for how to handle the task at hand. As they step through the gloom towards the two figures a fragment of an old Elven melody comes to mind, likely a lullaby or something soothing sung to him by his mother.

He tentatively hums the song to himself as they walk along, the pace of their footsteps providing a slow supporting rhythm to the sound of his voice which gets stronger and more confident as they move along. He finds it helpful in bolstering his spirits somewhat, so he repeats the melodic phrase again, hoping others might join in as they walk towards Arlandria's home.

[Keehnelf]

Ilfrien just shakes her head at pretty much anything happening around her, and sighs frequently.

She seems almost a bit annoyed at the trip, and notes to the others as they approach the Frogmortons' home, "It's quite likely the reason she was an adventurer was that she was disreputable and unwelcome among her people. It's just how the world works. Chances are we'll be causing these people trouble by bringing back a stripped-bare corpse that died ingloriously doing things her people find objectionable by their very nature. Just a fair warning, before you get all teary-eyed and upset when they respond badly to us."

[Keehnelf]

Ilfrien calls out to the hobbit with the dog, "Hail, master halfling. We're looking for the kin of Arlandria Frogmorton. Do you know them?"

[AleBelly]

Ilfrien calls out to the hobbit with the dog, "Hail, master halfling. We're looking for the kin of Arlandria Frogmorton. Do you know them?"

The canine pads forward through the gloom, larger than expected as it comes into focus. A grey and tan wolf, panting as it regards the group, wagging its tail slightly and watching Applehead. Applehead whinnies nervously, none too pleased by the attention and very aware that its heavy payload decreases its chance of winning a footrace. The wolf looks familiar...

"You are expected, as my friend brings word of you. Cold news on a cold day, I am expecting. Tell me, what is it you bring to this house? What news of comfort to a grieving mother?" says a female voice from the gloom.

[tkrexx]

Backtracking:

Get that lice-ridden thing out of my tavern!" he yells!

Hyde jumps at the sharpness of Guffy's command, and quickly stuffs the scalp back into the pouch, his smile gone in an instant, his eyes wide, then looking back and forth quickly, as if expecting to be accosted.

"How many of 'em did ya kill?"

Not but two, he replies somewhat sheepishly, but my good pals got four more. He indicates his companions. Arlandria, the Hobbit, killed one at least, but she... Didn't make it back. Again he hangs his head in sadness.

Present:

As gently as he can, Hyde lifts Arlandria's tiny body from the pony's back, his head and eyes down, and carries her halfway to the speaking female Halfling. He recognizes the wolf, and for a moment he looks back and forth to his comrades, as if expecting directions. He finally lays the deceased down where he stands, and remains kneeling by her side. I'll dig her a grave, yeahh, if you tell me where.

[AleBelly]

Backtracking:

"How many of 'em did ya kill?"

Not but two, he replies somewhat sheepishly, but my good pals got four more. He indicates his companions. Arlandria, the Hobbit, killed one at least, but she... Didn't make it back. Again he hangs his head in sadness.

"Sorry to hear you lost the bounder" Guffy replies with sincerity. "But, you got more of them than they did of you. Keep it up. No such thing as too many dead orcs." Guffy disappears into the mass of revelries crowding his tavern.

[Enoch]

Yana lays a hand on Applehead's back. "We're so sorry for your loss. She was a good friend and companion. We will all miss her." She looks down curiously at the canine.

"Is this your wolf?"

[Marullus]

"Seven days ago, a mother sat with her daughter for breakfast. Her daughter went to help those who wished to venture beyond the Bounder's lines, to ensure good came of their venture into the swamps and forests of the orcs," the voice says from the gloom.

The diminutive woman approaches from the fog. What strikes you first about this hobbit is the grace of her movement, like ripples in water. She is fluid and precise in her action, standing three and a half feet and solidly-built with ample bosom and hips. Her shiny-black hair is pulled back and neatly plaited, vines and pale blue dried flowers woven within it. He face is round and freckled; a pert nose lies below eerie, intense cornflower-blue eyes. She is enfolded by charcoal-grey wolf-fur cloak and hood worn over her clothing - a fitted dress of supple black leather over wool shirt and leggings, panels of boiled hard-leather beneath. She holds a spear, its walnut-wood shaft polished to a sheen, and a large rawhide and wood shield painted with an intricate pattern of leaves.

"Seven days later, strangers return with a broken body. Tell me... how many in your party died? How many laid down their lives, or is she the only one?" She reaches up and pats the wolf, the wolf's shoulder standing higher than her own, digging her small fingers into the scruff of thick fur on its shoulders, her hard eyes looking at them each in turn.

She sighs, rubbing the wolf a moment, then looks between Hyde and Yana. "Is he mine? You speak of possessing another life. He is my companion, yes. He told me you were kind enough to feed him. You also came a long way to do a hard thing, and that is noticed, too." She looks at Hyde, a long awkward silence, curious and intense. Then her look softens. "You. You are kind. I like that you carry her."

She turns abruptly and begins leading them onward. "I wish you to convey your condolences to my mother. We will build her pyre tonight."

As the mists recede and you walk forward, the structure behind her looms into view. The improbable settlement is a haphazard collection of half-timber buildings built on stilts. The comfy, round doors and windows in the rounded hillsides of the town you just passed through are gone, the water-logged bog-grass and sphagnum moss squishing up against the large rocks that form the path to the main building.

[AleBelly]

Feel free to role play this out, folks!

[tkrexx]

OMG, How can I top this??? Well played, Marullus!!!

Trembling with both sadness and fear, Hyde looks up at the speaking Halfling. He is used to being called many things, but "kind" is not among them. His loyalty to Arlandria is suddenly doubled, and he again lifts her body and follows the speaker to wherever she takes him.

She be the one, he answers, She was the best and brightest of us all, she killed more enemies than any of us, and saved us from danger more than once. I will see her to the next world with what honor I have, yeahh, and be thankful to do so.

[Keehnelf]

Ilfrien just narrows her eyes somewhat suspiciously at the wolf, as if in reproach even, before falling in line with everyone else.

[AleBelly]

The party enters the structure. Perhaps it's the fatigue from the last few days, or the sun that never managed to break through the fog, but it feels later than lunchtime. The safety of the house looks questionable, but the party follows the mysterious hobbit up the stairs and into the structure.

The wood smells of rot, and moss peeks up from cracks pushing the planks apart. Fingers of ice are starting to form on the edge of the swamps, reaching ever inward to claim the whole lake.

As the group enters the island house, they must duck to stuff their oversized frames into the warm interior. A hunched figure, three feet tall and draped in shabby brown fur, warms itself by the fire. Upon hearing her new guests, the figure turns. Another set of piercing cornflower blue eyes meets them. They could have been plucked from either Arlandria or their new acquaintance…but they are surrounded by a series of deep, chaotic wrinkles that crease her face in an asymmetric fashion.

"Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me. I am no seer, but somehow I knew this is how she would make her return. Brave and bold, she was. And not just for a hobbit." She sighs. "The curse of the Frogmortons." As she speaks, the fire catches the glint of tears in her eyes, though her voice does not break.

"We do not bury our dead here. The swamp distorts, it discolors, and it disrespects. We will place her on a stack of pine. Her flesh will turn to smoke, and she will be scattered throughout the land, where she will watch over us."

[Zorroroaster]

Eduard bows his head slightly and clears his throat.

"If you would allow it, we would stand with you in her final moments. It would be an honour. One has few friends in life. I counted Arlandria one, though I knew her for a short time."

[AleBelly]

The old hobbit's small leathery hand disappears in Eduard's grasp. "Thank you. Your compassion is unusual for one of the Elder Race." She stares at him for a few seconds then turns to the assembled party.

"All of you can help construct the pyre. Of course, today is the day all of Alleborg celebrates with a bonfire to drive off the winter. Ours will be much more somber."

Throughout the early afternoon the group assembles a small stack of freshly cut pine. Arlandria's mother and the other halfling lay her lovingly on the pyre and ignite the wood. The sharp smell of burning flesh and hair is offset mildly by the fragrant pine. The crackling of the wood is the only sound interrupting the silent gloom. Surely none of the assembled has experienced a winter solstice bonfire quite like this.

After a couple of hours Arlandria's smoke has chased the fog away, and a dull gray monochrome sky begins to darken as the sun sets. Reassembling in the strange swamphouse, the old hobbit reflects.

"She came by her wanderlust naturally, I fear. I was the only female hobbit that fought in the War Against the Giants. Felled one too with that bow over there" she says as she points to an old bow hanging from a peeling wall, its string having rotted away long ago. Her smile distorts the deep wrinkles on her face, as if pulling a spider web to the limits of its strength. "Put two arrows in its chest and another through its eye."

After some more quiet, she dishes out a stew that had been simmering in an iron pot over the hearth. The warmth from the wooden bowls is welcoming, but the contents are not. Slimy kelp seems to form the base along with assorted parts of pale looking fish. As their nostrils drink in the smell, they realize the mossy wood was not the only source of the smell of decay. Some fresh bread is a welcome addition to the meal.

"I realize you brought my Arlandria here at personal risk, and I am forever grateful." She makes it a point to look everyone in the eye. "You are welcome to stay as long as you like - there is plenty of food."

Today is 21 Rituals. Yenny and Jaspar are expected back the night of 1 Glowinghearth (11 days from now). Chet is expected back on 30 Rituals. Sev has left no word. Those of you not training may stay here with the hobbits without paying for lodging or stabling, but the food is pretty gross . Your standard rations will spoil soon. Please let me know what each of your characters will do.

[Marullus]

She sighs. "The curse of the Frogmortons." As she speaks, the fire catches the glint of tears in her eyes, though her voice does not break.

The raven-haired sister places a hand upon her mother's shoulder, a small comforting squeeze. She does not muster a tear, though; only a look of vague discomfort, perhaps shame, as she looks at the floor. The wolf, large in the crowded home, pushes through the legs of the group abruptly, entering. He pads to the squat hewn-oak table which dominates the adjacent kitchen, its surface overflowing with pots, utensils, and foodstuffs. His large jaws snatch up a mostly-plucked gamebird from the tabletop and he lays down to crunch it noisily.

As they sit down to dinner, she nods respectfully to Eduard. "I am glad she came to know an elf... she always wished to be called a friend, though she did not know it." She looks at him appraisingly. "You do not smell of elf... you look of mortar, not forest and vine." Her tone is curious, and she turns away from him to the others as if she said nothing out of the ordinary. "Over dinner, I would hear of my sister's tale, including those responsible for her death."

[Enoch]

Yana clears her throat uncomfortably, looking around at her companions. I suppose...I suppose I am responsible for her death. As much as anyone, I mean."

Yana will stay as long as she can, assisting the homestead as possible (including laying the blessings of the Vorja on them), but she will leave in time to spend a week studying under Mother Spana (training for 2nd level) and be finished by the 11th.

[Zorroroaster]

Eduard smiles at the younger hobbit.

"You possess the same keen observation as your sibling. Indeed, I have spent many years being raised by humans and have not been...home in a very long time. May I ask your name, sister?"

He puts his hand on Yana's shoulder. "Do not be too hard on yourself."

Eduard will head back relatively soon as well, in order to get some training done.

[Keehnelf]

Ilfrien looks increasingly uncomfortable with all the conversation about elves and what they're like. She says nothing, but seems a bit agitated and soon excuses herself to go outside and enjoy the scenic night-life of the swamp.