Long Story Short Rest

## **Synopsis:**

In Chapter 15: Long Story Short Rest – Jillian breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing friendly faces for the first time in days.  She was eager to swap tales and learn what had transpired in her absence, but she worried that the crossing was a dangerous place to do so given her belief that some of the Black Lion barbarians had survived and might be gathering reinforcements.  With limited options and the road north inaccessible by vehicle or by horse, Jillian suggested that we backtrack to the home of an old acquaintance of hers – Blom Atula.  When we agreed and returned to the carriage Jillian insisted that our captive (now risen from his unconsciousness) be killed for fear that he would relay information of our whereabouts – and though the idea sat uneasy in our minds we acknowledged the risk and put the barbarian to rest.

As we rode along the Pucara River we were told the story of Jillian's capture – that after chasing the undead Gnoll for some time she was ambushed by a pack of Black Lions under a magical disguise and imprisoned in a cage on the back of a wagon with a cloth to deprive her of vision.  Along the way the only spoken words that meant anything to her were "havasa marat uyatar" – an old proverb from a dead language used only by some of the tribes and villages in the north.  We countered with the highlights of our own journey to get to this point: Robert's & Armand's assistance, Winston Muldoon's suspicious emergence and a number of other small threads that we did not know how they tied in.  Jillian had a considerable wealth of information but the biggest questions were still unanswered, and it only hardened her resolve to reach the Myconid Camp that was the focus of our original mission.

Traveling back through the area that contained the desecrated ground, the spirits appeared much improved from their previously disturbed state – they did not hinder our passage and seemed determined to clean up some of the gruesome remains, though one spectral young girl communicated a warning to Orba that someone could be returning to reclaim their haunted woods.  We took that to heart and picked up the pace – hastening to the point where a path broke off from the main road with a sign that designated Blom's property.

The ground began to soften beneath the hooves of our horses as we entered into a marsh-like area with pools of water and tall grasses that obstructed our vision until it opened up into a clearing where a home had been erected – and with a noisy announcement of our arrival the halfling Blom appeared on his balcony to greet us.  With a little bit of bribery, he agreed to house us for the evening provided that we left first thing in the morning.  Nearing the point of exhaustion from the travel and the stress – we made plans to retire for the evening, but not before a few of us took advantage of this rare opportunity to have a private moment.  Erland expressed his concerns about Safira to Jillian, Graven offered Orba a gentle word of caution given the dangers we were likely to face, and Beezaura tried to stealthily find out what kind of potion she had pilfered from the East Pucara Crossing's storage shed.

Finally, deep into the night, we lay down to rest.  But Erland's meditations were interrupted by a flowering plant that seemed compelled to advance upon him.  In an effort to avoid contact, he slipped into the hallway where Blom admitted that there was something he had sensed about Erland when he first entered the house.  And as a tense discussion unfolded between the two of them, Erland wondered what exactly Blom knew – and what he might be able to offer him.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: one natural one was rolled in this Chapter, by John.