Following our encounter with the giant spider, we found tracks of horses, which appeared to the hoofprints of wild horses as they were not shod. We had thought to seek out the location indicated on the note found in the slain bandit's boot, but without any sense of where that hillock lay, we had no way to find it. Instead we decided to follow the herd.
I am not a hunter, but the Erastil must have smiled on me for I was able to find the horses' tracks easily amid the grasses and low brush that cover that rolling terrain. It was the horses that led us to the hillock from the scribbled drawing. An old oak tree, lightning blasted and nearly dead, grew from the peak of the hill, its silhouette evoking an image of a clawed hand reaching toward the sky. As we had reason to believe this tree might hold the lair of the mites that had stolen Svetlana's ring from the bandits, we left Zander's wagon a little distance away under Reislin's care while the rest of us approached the tree.
At the base of the hill we discovered a spot where others had evidently set up camp, making a circle of stones to contain their fire. There was no one camped there when we arrived and no sign of recent occupation. When we climbed up toward the tree, I noticed a spot amongst its roots where the soil had been disturbed as if by digging. It did not seem to be the lair of a beast. Chahana took out her spade and set to digging to see what the earth contained.
Someone had buried a parcel beneath the tree, wrapped in a leather cloak. When the cloak was unrolled it proved to hold a burnt stick, a dagger that appeared to be of fine craftsmanship, a silver ring that did not fit the description of Svetlana's lost ring, and an old leather-bound book that had been damaged by water. I have little knowledge of the arcane arts, but my friends assured me that the burnt stick held some enchantment and the book was a book of spells.
While we were nearer to the tree, we observed some crude sigils had been carved into its bark, though we could not recognize them. We decided to make camp at the base of the hill that night. Reislin was given charge of the burnt stick and the mildewed book, which she confirmed were indeed both magical. After a meal that included some of the squash Bokken had given us, we settled down to while away the hours of darkness, taking watches in pairs.
Maria and I took the first watch. Our concern had been to have at least one person with the ability to see in darkness on each watch, though that is not entirely possible as only Zander and I seem to have that blessing. On reflection we may reconsider our choice of watch partners, though we must always ensure that Reislin has sufficient rest to allow her to prepare her spells each morning.
While Maria and I patrolled the hill, we heard a noise near the tree. A voice called out, saying, "I mean no harm. I'm coming down." We were approached by a human man, dressed roughly in clothing that looked like he might have crafted it himself from hides he prepared. He introduced himself as Keelo, a hunter who had also been following the horses in the hope of catching some and selling them. Keelo had visited Oleg's trading post and had heard of us. He did not seem pleased when Maria stated that we had come to civilize this territory, but he was not hostile toward us. He also told us that he had been attacked by wolves and injured by them, though he was confident that the pack hadn't followed him. Maria then offered him healing, and we agreed that he could spend the night in our camp. By that point it was time for the second watch to begin. We introduced Keelo to Simon and Chahana just before he lay down and went immediately to sleep. Then we took to our own tents.
Nothing else disturbed us during the night, and Keelo departed shortly after sharing two rabbits with us for breakfast. Before he left we asked him to leave a message for us at the trading post should he find any bandits or encounter any dangerous monsters. I think he was surprised that we would seek out such creatures. Keelo helpfully told us where we would find the kobolds, as well as a damaged bridge across the river. After he went his way, we packed up our camp and set off toward the river.
By midday the land had begun to slope downhill toward the water. Though we couldn't see the river except as an occasional glint of sunlight on the waves, we could see where it lay by the trees and thicker brush that grew alongside it. Chahana caught a glimpse of something that didn't appear natural standing out among the trees. It was a stone chimney, apparently standing alone.
When we reached where the chimney stood we found that it had once been part of a house, but the house had been burned and only the chimney remained whole. On the nearby riverbank stood a thick wooden post with a heavy length of rope attached to it that stretched out into the water all the way to a second post visible on the opposite bank. The shoreline near the post had been trampled down by horses and feet. It seems that someone once operated a ferry there to ford the river.
Maria and Zander found a signpost on the bank still holding a battered sign that read 'Nettle's Crossing. 5 copper.' There was also a small copper bell on the post, presumably to ring if one desired to take the ferry. While they looked at this, Chahana called out toward the remains of the house, "Is anyone there? We mean no harm," in the event that anyone was living there. No one answered.
Maria and Zander noticed that there was some wreckage against the shore a little distance away from the sign and approached to see if it was the remains of the ferry barge. Then Maria called out that she thought she saw a corpse amongst the splintered wood. That seemed peculiar, as the small house had apparently been burned some time ago. How could a corpse still be recognizable after that amount of time?
The corpse was explained a moment later by a figure who rose up from the wrecked ferry and stook on the surface of the water, unaffected by the current. This figure resembled a man wielding a long-hafted weapon, but was clearly not a living man. It moved toward Maria and seemed to be speaking. Simon moved closer to the river and fired an arrow at the creature but his arrow went wide of the mark. Maria then drew her sword and slashed at it, and Chahana also fired her bow with more success than Simon. I saw three tiny motes fly from Reislin to strike at the undead thing. It responded by swinging its weapon at Maria and she shouted out that the cut she had inflicted on it had already closed.
Later Maria recounted that the creature said to her, "You are not my tormentors. Throw the head of the Stag Lord into the river, or join me in death!" I turned the Dawnflower's blessing against the creature and sensed that its aura was one of an evil nature. Then I drew my blade and hurried toward it, ready to smite it with the Dawnflower's righteous anger. Zander waded out into the water to get behind the frightful horror and Chahana peppered it with more arrows. Reislin called out, "Can you be reasoned with? We do not like the Stag Lord either." To this the creature responded, "If you can't give me the Stag Lord, you are my enemies!" and then moved back slightly, putting him out of my range if I meant to stay out of the water. I waded in after him but my blade slipped past his rotting flesh without touching it.
Then Zander had the wit to touch him with healing magic. Its flesh seemed to melt, and it flowed into the river like melting snow. I searched the waves for a moment but could see no sign of it.
I helped Zander climb out of the water, and Reislin used her magic to dry our wet clothes. Chahana went to check the wreckage of the barge. There was no sign of a corpse there. The ruins of the hose also held nothing of interest. We considered using the rope to get across the river and Maria fetched a ring that would have helped to draw the barge across, but in the end we decided we would not try to ford the river. We took a chance on our safety to camp there by the remnants of Nettle's Crossing.
16 Gozran
The next day we set off to the west. Keelo had told us that the mite tree we sought was not the lightning-blasted oak we had found, but a huge sycamore that was known as a local landmark. As we made our way toward the mighty tree, I recalled that mites are known to be malicious creatures and warned my companions to take care. Then Chahana and Reislin spied something blue ahead of us. Reislin cast a spell to also us to communicate in whispers and Chahana and Simon went forward to investigate the source of the blue glint. They found the remains of several dead mites and kobolds. There had clearly been a skirmish. Simon estimated a dozen ore more combatants had fought there, after which the kobolds fled to the east and the mites retreated to the tree.
We spent a little while there discussing whether we ought to attempt to contact the mites or go in search of the kobolds. In the end we felt the mites were not trustworthy and made our way toward the kobold territory.
We came to a cavern entrance near dusk, where we found a placard that had fallen to the ground. We realized that the kobolds were nocturnal creatures despite our having previously encountered some in daylight, and we didn't wish to face them at night so we withdrew and covered our tracks before setting up a campsite. As we sat around our campfire, Reislin told us what she knew about kobolds. Though they are small creatures of low strength by comparison to one of us, they are crafty, fond of making traps and snares, and use their greater numbers to their advantage.
17 Gozran
Though nothing troubled our camp during the night, that did not mean we went untroubled. In the morning Chahana told us she had suffered a very unpleasant dream in which the undead thing from Nettle's Crossing had pushed her under the water and held her there. In the dream she was drowning yet could not die. After she woke she felt very weak, and had a deep bruise on her breastbone where the creature had used his pole to hold her beneath the water. Reislin examined her and detected a faint trace of illusion magic like that which my father excels at.
Though Chahana felt somewhat unwell, we proceeded with our plan to approach the kobolds. We began by carefully exploring the area surrounding the cave entrance to assure ourselves that the kobolds would not be able to emerge from another exit and outflank us. Chahana desired that we try to negotiate with them rather than attack them, which we did not object to. While surveying the area we found evidence of another skirmish with the mites, though we discovered the body of only one slain mite.
Next to the cave entrance we discovered a mite imprisoned in a simple cage of twigs tied together with sinews or twine. The creature cowered from the light of the sun and whimpered. We also found that the fallen placard we had observed on the previous day had the name 'Oak Top Silver Mine' inscribed upon it.
As we were looking at these things Chahana realized that a kobold had appeared, wielding a spear. Reislin spoke to it in the kobold tongue, which is also the language of dragons, and asked it to fetch its leader. The kobold disappeared back inside the cave. Zander then went to the cage, and Reislin followed him. She made an attempt to speak to the mite within, but it did not respond. Maria took pity on the creature and put a cloth over the cage to block out the sunlight. Zander attempted to speak with it in the common tongue, but it did not react to that any more than it had to Reislin's words. Reislin then recalled that mites spoke the tongue of the Darklands, and she used her magic to allow her to communicate mind-to-mind with it without the use of words. This resulted in the mite scrambling to its feet and hissing at us in a most unfriendly fashion.
Zander attempted to sway the mite's attitude toward a friendlier one by using his healing hex upon it, while Reislin read a scroll that would allow her to speak with it. Just as she finished, two kobolds emerged from the cave. Her magic took effect and she heard the mite pleading to be set free. She spoke with the kobolds, and they explained that they had taken the mite captive and were at war with its kin because the mites had stolen from them. Reislin told them that we were awaiting their leader and asked one of them to fetch the leader to speak with us. It went back into the cave while the other remained.
A short while later two kobolds appeared, sayng that someone would see us soon, but it quickly became apparent that they spoke of two different leaders. Reislin questioned them, and learned that the leaders of their tribe were both their chief, called Sootscale, and a shaman named Tartuk. But both of these individuals refused to come out of the cave to meet with us.
Reislin became concerned when she learned about the shaman Tartuk. She suggested we meet with him first. As it seemed unlikely we would be able to speak with the leaders by having them come to us, we let the two kobolds lead us inside the cave.
Simon offered to remain with the wagon while the rest of us followed the kobolds guards into the cave. The passage forked left and right. To the right we saw a metal grating left by the miners, and three ropes dangling from the ceiling. The tunnels were cramped for us. Maria cast a spell to illuminate the area, though I had no need of it. I heard Reislin murmuring an incantation. Our guide introduced himself to us as Nakpik. As he led us to Tartuk he told us that Tartuk was very powerful, and also that the kobolds were at war with the mites because the mites had stolen a powerful statue. As we walked we were joined by another kobold who I thought was the one that had left earlier to get their leader, who is named Sootscale.
Nakpik led us into a large chamber with a rickety wooden framework at its center and crude banners painted with what seemed to be mystical symbols hanging from its walls. A kobold with purple scales stood over a bubbling cauldron full of some liquid. Up to this point all of the kobolds we had met had black scales. A raven perched upon the purple kobold's shoulder. This was Tartuk, who to our relief spoke the common tongue so that we could all understand him without Reislin having to interpret for us. Almost as soon as we arrived, Tartuk demanded that we retrieve the stolen statue of Sharptooth and bring it to him.
Reislin responded first, telling the shaman that we do not serve him. To this Tartuk proclaimed that we had been summoned by the spirits to complete this task. Reislin then explained to him that we had come to civilize this territory, and Maria added that we could be friendly with the kobold tribe. To this Chahana appended that we could also be their enemies. Tartuk began to boast that his tribe was powerful and that if we agreed to his demand the tribe would be friends with us.
Maria took this opportunity to explain why we had come to see Tartuk. The raven on Tartuk's shoulder appeared to be muttering in his ear while Maria spoke. Tartuk then stated that the kobolds and humans could live in peace if the mites were gone. Zander suddenly interjected to ask why this tribe had two leaders, to which Tartuk replied that Sootscale was the chief but that he himself was the leader. As he said this Reislin whispered to me, asking me if Tartuk was an evil creature. I opened my senses to him and let the Dawnflower's discernment examine him. He radiated an evil aura. I nodded to Reislin, then whispered this information to my other companions. Maria responded that her own ability to judge others told her that Tartuk was also a creature of chaos and disorder.
Tartuk then escorted us to meet the chief, Sootscale. We found him reclining on a cushion of furs, surrounded by remains of animals covered in ash. Tartuk announced to Sootscale that we would retrieve Sharptooth and slay the mites so that the tribe could claim their lair!
Reislin immediately objected, saying that we had agreed to no such arrangement. Chahana then spoke of our goals for the Greenway and stated that we also intended to speak with the mites in an effort to bring peace. Sootscale was not pleased by this and insisted that we should not make any effort to speak with the mites. He also told us that the kobolds had only been at war with the mites for the past ten days this time, after they stole Sharptooth. The theft had brought bad omens to the Sootscale tribe - the tribe is evidently named for its chieftain.
There were other kobolds present during this conversation, and both Maria and I felt that while they believed the story about the statue to be true, they were very fearful of Tartuk. Sootscale was more favorable toward a peaceful agreement than the shaman but he insisted that the mites must be slain. He also stated that other tribes had fought with the mites for four generations and that they were few, though I was uncertain whether he meant the mites were few or the kobolds.
Finally Chahana assured them that we would bring back Sharptooth and deal with the mites. This pleased Tartuk but Sootscale was not as satisfied. I had the impression that he would have been more pleased had Sharptooth remained in the possession of the mites.
We stepped aside to discuss our plans quietly among ourselves and decided that we should try to meet with the mites and see what would happen. We could not guarantee they would even be willing to talk to us or that any of them spoke a language we could understand, but we wanted to give them the chance. Both Tartuk and Sootscale were displeased with this and the conversation with them grew heated when we turned back to them. In the end I lost my composure and threatened them. Sootscale had already indicated to us that his tribe was small and I warned them that if they attempted to slay us they would suffer for it. I was not the only member of our party to become frustrated when the kobolds refused to give at all on their insistence that we slay the mites outright. We were finally driven out of the cave at spearpoint by several guards, though we took care to observe how many members of the tribe there were and how many of those were warriors on our way out.
Once outside the cave, Chahana released the imprisoned mite. The guards did not accompany us outside and did not see this. The mite was glad enough to be free but did not show Chahana any gratitude for his freedom, instead hissing at her before running off toward the sycamore tree. Maria was concerned that the kobolds would blame us for his escape and wanted to make it look as though he had escaped on his own without our aid. Simon broke an arrow and left an arrowhead to make it appear that the mite had used that to cut the cords binding the cage together.
It would take us a full day to make our way back to the sycamore tree. We headed in that direction and camped as nightfall approached. Along the way we discovered fangberry bushes, but they had been picked clean of fruit. That night Reislin cast a spell upon Chahana and Simon so they could keep watch without becoming fatigued.
18 Gozran
The next morning Zander told us he had also dreamt of the undead creature in the river.
After we packed up our camp we explored the area around the tree as we had done the kobolds' cave, to determine if there was another exit. We found no sign of one. This close we could see that the tree was very old and Maria recognized that it was no longer healthy.
Then Maria glimpsed something unusual moving across the sky and directed our attention to it. I looked up to see a figure flying from the west, away from the forest. Two long red tendrils extended from this figure to the ground. The figure appeared to be a humanoid creature, and as I watched I realized these tendrils appeared to be ropes hanging from the being's waist.
As this strange person drew closer to where we stood we could see that it was a most strange person. It was pale and white-haired, nearly half the height of a person taller than any of us and with very long arms and fingers. The dangling ropes grew shorter as it began to descend, and this close they seemed more like fine plaited thread than rope. At its waist this being also wore a long blade, which I realized with startlement was actually a huge sewing needle!
The tall being descended to the ground, speaking in a language I do not know, but Zander understood him and after he heard Zander translating his words for us he used the common speech. He introduced himself as Alurei, Knight of the Winter Craft. Little motes of multicolored light floated around him. Despite his strange proportions there was something very charming about him. Maria was enchanted by him.
Alurei asked us if we had seen a place where shadows were stacked like mountains or light filled the deepest depths. None of us had any idea what sort of place he referred to, though we all searched our memories diligently. Alurei asked us for our names and titles and we all introduced ourselves to him, though only I gave any sort of epithet that could be considered a title, saying that I am a servant of the Dawnflower. He seemed to be aware of my lady.
It became apparent to us through our conversation that Alurei was a denizen of the Fey realm. Truly the fey can be strange creatures, though not all are evil. Then Alurei surprised us by asking if he could fix something. When he first spoke with us he made a comment to us about the land having been touched by beasts, focusing his gaze especially on Maria's rather mismatched armor and on Zander. This had insulted Zander and he walked away. But Maria was still charmed. Alurei seemed to be speaking of her armor now, which she crafted herself. He drew his needle-sword and the thick red thread attached to it became translucent. The needle seemed to push through Maria, who reacted as though it was strange but not painful. Back and forth Alurei pushed his needle, wrapping Maria in translucent thread as thick as rope. When Alurei finished, the armor had not changed dramatically in appearance but it seemed to fit her better.
With this strange experience finished, Alurei commented that he had only been in this realm for a few sunrises, then bid us farewell and went off to continue his quest. He seemed prepared to spend an eternity pursuing it. After he departed we realized that time does not pass in the same way in the Fey realm and perhaps he did not mean he had been in our realm only two days, but two sunrises by Fey reckoning. This also led us to wonder if perhaps the other peculiar things we had experienced, such as the floating fish and the glowing tree, had been manifestations of the fey realm in this world. Could the glow of the tree have been the light of the fey? One of Alurei's motes of light remained behind with us for a time hovering near Zander.
When at last we resumed what we had come to do, Reislin realized that what Alurei had done to Maria's armor had made it better quality, capable of being enchanted. I wonder what it was that made him do this for her. Was it some sense that her armor was imperfect by his standards? I wonder what the title Knight of the Winter Craft represents among his kindred.
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