Tests and Trials

[Dlover]

"Who is this husband you keep mentioning? First the hag has a house, now a husband? Are you sure this is actually a monster and not some unfortunate woman you're mistakenly harassing?"

[Rodgeir]

((So what is everyone doing this morning?))

[Dlover]

((First thing would be going back to meet with the others. Someone mentioned spotting the guy after Lurn left, I think?))

[The Lost]

"Tha hag was marr'd ta someun. She disguis'd 'erself as a wom'n. N Ah know she be tha hag.
She transf'm'd right in front o meh eyes. She ran inta tha woods with 'er ...n Ah presum tha 'usband's babe."
(Yep meet back with the others)

[spiderwrangler]

Kroshav is heading out to brush the horses, they could probably use some exercise too. He looks up at the sky to judge the weather.

((The dreary day yesterday and the failed attempt to find the hag have Kroshav in less than his usual exuberant spirits. The thrill of battle, being (provisionally) accepted as a Paladin in his Order, the fight to get Jaq's arm back, then to get Lurn back... has all been tempered with a bit of sobriety in light of the travel, having to tell Tom and Cassie that they have no news, and then, despite the joy of being reunited with Joe, the worrying absence of Ves and the failure to catch up to the hag... he's taking a bit of a mental health morning. So tending to the horses, then he's doing calisthenics and strength exercises to center himself, a bit of hammer work later to get used to its feel. Closer to using his old warpick than the sword, but significantly different from swinging a forging hammer.))

[Quarg]

(Cary will rise in her private room and go see to her mount before grabbing anything for herself...She was tired from a long ride the day before)

Edit: Cary will rise late having slept extra to rid herself of lingering effect of yesterday’s cold wet ride. Grabbing some carrots from the kitchen before heading to the stable. If she sees anyone exercising or doing combat training, who isn’t in uniform, she will note them but regard them as mercenaries and continue on.

In stable she will give her mount a check over to see if she missed any mud yesterday. She will hold out a carrot and say “So we are agreed, no more bolting when you see a horse eating deer?” Then give the mare her carrot.

And then go over and ponder out loud “What is a first quality War Horse doing here?...Yesterday, I thought I was just so tired I mistook and you must be a heavy draft horse but nope...And I don’t recognize your breed...Tell me where did you come from...I will give you a carrot”

[Rodgeir]

Lurn and Joe make their way to the boarding house where they find everyone up and enjoying a thick porridge along with what are probably locals. Celus waves them over to have a seat and between bites Dama says,

"Hey, found that guy you were looking for in what passes for this places jail. Guess they grabbed him after he started asking some folks coming along the road if they'd see his wife and kid. Scared them. Gotta say Joe, he looked pretty shit."

In the stalls a horse near the horse Cary is talking to, not all that impressive, snorts and tries to get the carrot. Outside Kroshav gets,

<A woman is trying to get me to talk. Do some horses talk? I can't talk except to you. She is offering a carrot, Charlie says he will take it.>

((Cary would definitely recognize the Order of the Five on Kroshav's shield if he had it, knowing there are only paladins in that order.

@Burns, Joe saw another, completely unfamiliar woman turn into the hag, not the daughter. Joe at no point saw the 'daughter' change shape.))

[spiderwrangler]

<I talk to Charlie, but I don't know how much he understands. He's never talked to me, but I suppose there might be other horses that can talk. I saw a carnival act once where a horse could hoof the ground to count, but I don't know if it was a magic horse or what. You or Charlie can have a carrot if you'd like.>

[Rodgeir]

<I can count, I think? Okay!>

Inside the stables both horses tries to get the carrot from Cary.

[Quarg]

(Oww...that conversation hurt my eyes...)

Charlie learns the woman has some dexterity as the carrot moves out of reach. “Well then we have a equine pirate in our midst...Definitely not a gentleman are we?....So not talking eh beautiful...Well do you want the carrot or do I give it to greedy guts here?” She of course is exprrcting the war horse to sniff at the carrot if she wants it or just not show interest

[Rodgeir]

She is for a long moment not interested and then very, very interested. She then, surprisingly, only eats half and gives the other half to the pirate horse.

[Quarg]

Cary watches that and narrows her eyes...”Okay, that was...” ( Cary rolled a 6) “strange” she wanders back out of the stables...Eating the last carrot...

[spiderwrangler]

"Ealu and Charlie say thank you for the carrot!", Kroshav calls as Cary exits.

((Loud enough that Ealu can hear and know proper manners for next time if she didn't volunteer thanks on her own.))

[Rodgeir]

<I can't talk! Should I lick people? Is that how people do it. That one friend of yours licked that other friend.>

[spiderwrangler]

<Maybe just a friendly 'neigh'? Wait, who is licking who?>

[Rodgeir]

There is a loud neigh from the stables, it mostly just sounds like a neigh.

<Like that?

The one that fights with you and the one that has horns. The one that fights with you didn't seem like they liked it, so I wasn't sure if it was good. The horn-y one was happy and made the happy coughing noise. The fighty one wiped it's face.>

[spiderwrangler]

<Ah, yes the fighty one is Jolly, and the horny one is Dama. She likes him a lot, and he pretends he doesn't like her quite as much.>

"They're thankful. You'd think they never get treats.", Kroshav says with a grin at Cary.

[Quarg]

Cary is nonplussed for a moment and then chuckles slightly...”So perfect...too perfect...for a woman born on a horse farm I should have seen it sooner”

She switches to Draconic <They are welcome, especially for their service...I am Lt. Calder Wobegon sir, and Who do I have the honor of addressing?> Her draconic is oddly accented...and The physical portion of her traditional Dragonborn greeting (is only a fourteen) a bit rusty.

[spiderwrangler]

"Ah, pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant! I'm Kroshav Xjindraakvar, Paladin of the Fist of the Five. You know your horses then, one of those in there is yours?"

[Quarg]

Cary raises an eyebrow at the ‘Fist of Five’ “ I have the responsibility of one of her Grace’s mounts named Ursula. A very loyal steed unless facing her dread nemesis Mr deer.”

She pauses for a asks “might I enquirer to what brings you to this town; my superiors would like me to demand an answer, but I try to be bit more polite.”

[The Lost]

"'E shouldnae been in jail, but thank ye. Ah'll talk ta 'im." After eating, Joe will leave and go to the jail to look for the husband. If Joe sees Cary, she tries to stay away from her.


(Didn't it have the baby in her hand though? That is what I was basing it off of since the hag was able to change shape.)

[spiderwrangler]

"Ooo... Mysterdere, what's that? Sounds dangerous."

"Oh, sure. We were fighting the hobs back that way, got discharged this past week and traveled back this way, looking to meet up with some friends of ours from before Jaq got conscripted, but we didn't find Ves, only Joe."

[Rodgeir]

Joe eats and heads out, spots Kroshav and Cary talking, and avoids the pair.

She asks a few people and is directed to the jailhouse. A bored looking man sits at a small desk eating his breakfast. Behind him in one of two cells sits a dirty, thin shadow of the man Joe met. The man at the desk looks up but is busy chewing. The husband just stares at the wall, not even glancing over. His breakfast sits on the floor next him untouched.

((She did have a baby, but it wasn't the daughter. One could reasonably infer they were the same creature, just was making it clear!

Also a silver for breakfast!))

[Quarg]

"Ooo... Mysterdere, what's that? Sounds dangerous."

Cary blinks..."Er no...Just a deer...someone thought it was funny to give me a horse that gets spooked by deer to ride through forests with..."

"Ooo... Mysterdere, what's that? Sounds dangerous."[Oh, sure. We were fighting the hobs back that way, got discharged this past week and traveled back this way, looking to meet up with some friends of ours from before Jaq got conscripted, but we didn't find Ves, only Joe."

"Oh, I did not realize Fist Paladins would get so involved into the politics of the Duchy...At least the Chapter House in Waterford seemed to stay strictly neutral in such political matters...but if you don't mind, perhaps you can tell me more about what you observed of the Hobs?..say over breakfast...my treat?"

((a silver for porridge... ))

[The Lost]

“Ye poor man. Ah’m goin’ ta look fer yer wife n child. Ye be meh only lead, Ah think it maybeh possible she be in ye old house.”


(Well...both did have transmutation magic and the woman did say she killed her ‘mom’ and try to kill the midwife)