Two Bounties, One County

## **Synopsis**

In Chapter 49: Two Bounties, One County – Beezaura took a clandestine meeting with two of the conspirators from the Scalehouse.  Acting on behalf of Baron Thomas Pindle, this group had been tasked with getting a foot in the door for the Gentle Void in Mukmu – but their plans for kidnapping Marvyn Bishop had gone awry when he disappeared from the Natural Studies Institute.  In exchange for a leg up on her hunt for the Lightwhistle Estate Club chess pieces, Beezaura gave them a tip for tracking Marvyn down – and from there went to bed feeling a little more secure in her pursuits.

Realizing it would be difficult at this point to wake up early enough to beat the construction crew, Erland and Safira paired up to investigate Mica Denholm's house – and while Safira's clumsiness drew the attention of some guards on duty, it gave Erland an opportunity to poke about unhindered.  Through a hidden sliding door in the kitchen, a staircase led down to an unsettling artist's studio – where a dead body had been posed for a portrait.

The findings were disturbing but unfulfilling, and there was nothing to do but return to our respective rooms and rest in anticipation of our imminent departure from Mukmu.  The following morning, the entire party made for the northeastern gate save Safira – who was tracked down by a concerned Hazel, informing her that little Johnny had gotten stuck in one of the underground areas they'd been tasked with investigating.

Safira rushed to the spot in question expecting the worst, but found that the cellar had been converted into a sleeping quarters – dubbed "Fort Derek" by the orphans, and affordable thanks to Safira's generous payment for the map of Mukmu she'd commissioned.

Outside the city walls, we purchased horses and riding gear before Graven visited the community of the Langolieren – who we learned were in possession of a cursed ring that needed transport to Tuktu.  Carrying the ring would come with significant side effects, but it was a good bit of pay for less than a day's work – so Graven agreed to bear its burden and we saddled up with hopes of reaching the 4th precinct sometime past midnight barring any unforeseen delays.

The road to the east was unusually calm due to the lockdown diminishing trade along this route, and it was an uneventful ride up to the divide that gave us the option of whether to pass through the Ch'iqtay woods or not.  Remembering another active contract issued by the offices of the Broken Crown, we chose the forest road and kept our eyes out for any signs of a struggle or ambush.

Some tracks led us off the beaten path to a decrepit tree, where the caravan's missing chest was barely hidden out of plain sight – a sign that surely we would be picking a fight if we attempted to confiscate it.  Erland used a climbing kit to quickly snag the box and sprint back toward the horses, but his speed was matched by some dryads of the forest who displayed their own tree-striding capabilities and wrestled the chest back to its resting spot.

Deciding that we'd come too far to give up now, we dialed up the application of (non-lethal) force to disable the dryads – and narrowly avoided starting a fire when Orba incinerated a Woad who had emerged to back up the woodland creatures.  Shaking off the effects of entangling vines and fey charms, we got back to the road with the iron chest in hand – resolving to think over whether we wanted to return it, given that it might contain something of greater value than the promised monetary reward.

As the density of the forest lessened, we believed we'd soon be exiting the Ch'iqtay Woods.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: four natural ones were rolled in this Chapter. 2 each by Anthony and Riley.
* This is the first time Erland used Charcoal and Qhali Pellets to reduce Myconid Sepsis