Following the river was a slow, mindless task for most involved. Kaileer did not pick up the trail again as they followed the Churnett. There was no place to easily ford the river as they traveled along, moving east back toward Milborne. After walking for about an hour, a streak of yellow dismal looking grass could be seen on the north side of the river. It stood out boldly in the healthy summer green growth around it. Other than the small area of dead grass, there was little that could even begin to be thought of as out of the ordinary. There were no gnolls, no goblins, no orcs, no bandits. Only the occasional passage of a boat or barge on the Churnett broke up the monotony of a lazy late summer day, hot and humid from the morning rain. The group made it back to Milborne just as the sun set.
"That patch of dead grass could possibly be the spot where the boat is moored." Blacky said pointing. "Of course we'd have to find a way across."
"Kuiper's is about a day from here. We should stay the night and set off again in the morning. I'm not sure us continuing on during the night is practical, though if you all are willing, I will go with you. And, maybe, see if Arachne succeeded on her quest so that she may rejoin us once more. What say you?" Gala asked.
Kaileer shrugged. "I can go but rest be good. Rest better here than Kuiper's farm... not time rest if meet more gnoll in middle of night. Arachne give you money," he asked Gala.
Kaileer nods his agreement. "I be at inn later, I need find Garyld," the ranger said, then headed to the old ranger's usual haunts.
"Arachne gave me nothing." replied Gala. "I guess she just forgot. I have a little money of my own. Maybe that will be enough."
"I agree that we should stay the night. We had a long, and tiring, day, and only a good night's rest will relieve me of the cramps and exhaustion that has been bothering me all day. Since Kuiper's a day away, it would be reasonable to assume that Arachne & Pug, if she succeeded in her quest, would wait til morning to begin their journey back here. So, I say we take a night off, and head to Kuiper in the morning, and mayhap, meet Arachne midway, or at Kuiper's, if she failed to revive Pug. Besides, it would be too dangerous to march off to Kuiper in the night while some, if not all of us, appears too tired to even stand straight."
Lasiar breathed deeply, and rubbed his left calf to loosen the sore, tight muscles. "If you are worried about the costs of the rooms, I do have some gold crowns that I can loan to you, which you can pay back when we see Arachne."
Aloysius listened as the others discussed a plan. "Care not do I if we go ahead now or on the 'morrow. Perhaps it would be wise if we all sat down over a meal and discussed these latest events. Mayhap we can reach a concensus on what we sek to accomplsih."
"Good idea, Aloysius." Gala replied.
Aloysius seemed startled for a moment, and then turned towards Gala. "Really?!?" he asked.
Gala grinned. "Yes. I think we will all think better with a good meal." She laughed out loud at the startled expression on his face.
"So, what's your take on these strange occurences around here?" Blacky asks the group "I heard about several kidnappings as well as people losing there farms due to some mire, but not much useful information."
"Sounds like a plan to me" Blacky heartily agrees. "Although why anyone would be tired after that short walk I'll never know. Tell you what, I'll stand anyone whose up to it to a round of ale. If I remember right, it's passable at the Baron. There's a saying where I come from, 'Wine is but a single broth, ale is meat, drink and cloth'."
Aloysius watched as Kaileer sat and talked with Garyld. "Well," he said, addressing his other companions, "while we are here, mayhap we should take leave and enjoy a bite to eat? I still possess a few coins I took from my slain foes in the Mire, so allow Stargazer to pay for the meal." The mage looked down in his pouch and seemed to be counting his money. "Er," he began, a blush rising on his cheeks, "within reason, of course."
With that, Aloysius sat down at a table and tried to get the attention of the nearest bar wench.
After tracking down a barmaid, Aloysius ordered some food and a glass of ale. He sat back in his chair, and appeared to be lost in thought as he savored his drink. Finally, he spoke up. "Goblins in the Mire, orcs in the Mire and the woods, bandits all about, and now gnolls." He shook his head slowly. "Then, rumors abound of a ghost, a nixie and a water elemental. By the silver crown, this area be beset with troubles."
"Suppose Kuiper knows naught else of these missing priests. What shall we do then? Already hath we ventured down the River of Swine and found naught but . . . .well, swine. If Kuiper knows naught else, these priests could be anywhere. Mayhap in that case, proceed should we back to the goblin cave. Methinks still that those darklings hold answers to some of the knots we seek to untie. If not the goblins, then perhaps we need to arrange an ambush of our own, and capture those who might be able to inform us further of these foul goings on." He sat back again, took a deep pull on his ale, and looked at the others at the table. "Stargazer is at a loss for a better plan. What do the rest of thee think?"
"Gnolls in day not right, many thing not right here. Many thing may be one thing," Kaileer started, "If gnolls try get past Kuiper, we know that way trouble... Thornwood be good place hide people, maybe we ask druid if she help us look? We need go get Arachne and Puddlejumper... and maybe Pug," the ranger looked saddened for a moment as he mentioned his lost friend. "I say we follow river, I maybe find trail," he said, apparently casting his vote.
Aloysius nodded his head in agreement. "The Thornwood doth seem a likely nest for creatures foul. Howe'er, Oleanne knows well that place." The mage looked at Garyld. "Garyld? Didst thou not say that Kuiper advised that Oleanne knew naught of any strange activity in the Thornwood save the orcs? Mayhap my recollection be wrong . . . ."
Garyld glanced over at Aloysius at the other table with a slightly disgruntled expression, "Kuiper hasn't told me anything about Oleanne other than her expedition with the orc was a failure."
"Whatever be in the cave with yon goblins doth affect a wide stretch of land. Mayhap whatever, or whoever, that be is also behind the gnolls, orcs and brigands? Why is it that evil doth spring forth in such rapid surges?" The mage shook his head wearily and took a sip of his ale. He then stared off at the wall, looking at nothing in particular.
"One of the regulars here told a tale the other night about a great evil waiting to be reborn in the forest. All tales have at least a grain of truth to them. Perhaps if we find nothing following the river, we could search the area where this supposed evil resides. Does anyone have a map? We might be able to persuade this fellow to point to the area whence comes his story." Blacky said taking a long pull from his mug.
Blacky's suggestion seemingly snapped Aloysius out of his focus on the wall. "Aye Blacky, recall do I something said such as that. Did not someone say that they saw an apparition of some sort near the church of Torm? Mayhap we should go an inspect the church and the courtyard while we are here."
The mage pulled his robe tightly around himself. "Apparitions!" he shuddered. "Moonspawn did tell many a dark tale of such things. 'Twould be best if we took great care in such matters." Aloysius thought for a moment. "Of course, we would have to wait for the coming darkness of night afore such a thing would appear, if e'er appear it did. Think do I that we should go to the church shortly after sundown. If there be naught to see, then we can simply retire and head for Kuiper's on the 'morrow. What say you all?"
Gala sipped doubtfully at the round Blacky had bought for them. She wrinkled her nose slightly at the taste of the ale, but continued to sip it as the other talked. At Aloysius's idea, she nodded, "yes, let's try that. What could it hurt?" She smiled at everyone at the table, seemingly in a much better mood.
"Perhaps we could do that, but if there were any apparitions there, the Tormite Priests would've taken care of them. Well,..." Lasiar paused as if he remembered something important. "I do recall that Arachne mentioned that she visited the Church the day we arrived in Milbourne. There was an elderly man recounting a tale that same evening so I didn't hear the rest of what she said. Torro, did Arachne speak of her visit to the Church?" Lasiar turned to face Torro.
"Damn," Aloysius muttered. "Would that Stargazer could recall where he heard that story." The mage looked at Lasiar. "Indeed, suppose do I that the Tormites would rid their church of such a plague. Howe'er, this apparition may be a new occupant of the church and they have not had the time. Still, we have nothing else to do with our time, so let us be joined in front of the church just after dark. Mayhap the rumors of this spirit be just that."
Aloysius threw back the remainder of his ale and looked at the bottom of the glass. Holding the glass right up to his face, he became rather animated as he stared inside. "By the starry crescent! What an extraordinary example of Evard's Principle of Aqueous Bi-Polar Inertiality!" Still holding the glass to his face, he waved wildly at the barmaid. "Madam! Madam! Doth this ale contain any iron pyrite or quasi-aqueous bitumen?"
Gala interrupted with a small giggle. "There is only one priest, Lasiar. And just because he is stationed here doesn't mean he has seen this apparition. What would it hurt us to see if we can catch this spirit? Semheis is gone this week. Maybe we can catch a ghost?" Her bright smile even brighter than usual, she beamed at the Selunite.
The young girl serving as bar maid blinked rapidly at Aloysius several times, "Pyrike? Quasi....uh, I'll ask Barthlew." She hurried away from the table.
"By Clangeddin's silverbeard," muttered the old dwarf at the corner table, "ale is ale. If there was ore in the ale, you can be certain that Darius Carman would be mining it," he laughed loudly and smacked his cane on the floor.
" There you go talking in code again, Aloysius. I can assure you that nothing of the sort is in the ale. Mainly 'cause I've never heard of it and I know my ale." Blacky tells the purple mage. "Excuse me miss, but my newly aquired companions seem to be dry, another round of your finest if you please." He said before she wandered too far. "We'll need something to keep us warm if we're to spend the night in a graveyard."
