Kevin's Watch

Led stares at the corner of the pouch for a moment. "Is that one of the fungus pouches?"

He backs away, quickly.

"Burn the building."

Heren Taussig looks at Led as if he's completely taken leave of his senses. "Burn it down? Have you lost what apparently little Serloth gifted you?"

"I wasn't here myself, but I'm told that a man arrived at your city gates a few days ago, who fell over sick and died while you all watched. Some fungus was found growing from a wound on his back."

"That was from a single dagger dipped in some cursed spores. Now imagine a bakery full of those spores."

"Burning is the only way."

Laurel is slowly shaking her head, then looks towards Skyseeker. "Does heat and flame kill the spores? If not, surely they will spread across Waymeet as the fire's ash is borne aloft, possibly making things worse...

"You said something about holy water though, and there is a priest of the Lorekeeper visiting Sir Pval. Perhaps he has knowledge of what to do? Maybe washing the bakery with blessed water will purify the building?" she asks the elf.

Vynarkus glares at the pouch so strongly that, even with only the short period they've spent together, the rest of the party can tell he hates the idea of an enemy that he can do nothing against.

Then his eyes go slightly vague as he looks all around, pausing at the area of the silence spell...

...And possibly elsewhere?

[ooc]going to use Detect Magic, and Vynarkus will stop if he sees anything magical.[/ooc]

Heren shakes his head when asked about the cleric of Serloth..."He's deep in prayers this evening, seeking He Who Is Wisdom's guidance an enlightenment concerning what has transpired...as well as stated an intention to pray for the power to strip away any conjurations of Barxonas. I think he believes you" he gestures towards Marrik, "to be no true paladin."

The bard stiffened at Pval's man's words, then turned, her mouth dropping open. "Say what? The cleric believes Marrik is false? Or is he seeking guidance on such at Sir Pval's bequest?

"For what reason would he think so of Marrik? Was he not present when Marrik told Sir Pval about the attack at the ruins? Did he not see the truth and sincerity Marrik projects?

"How is there any possibility of doubt???"

Heren shrugs, "Lady, Barxonas' gifts can obfuscate and deceive, granting the semblance of a true paladin is something His agents have often done. I do not believe a false paladin of Missaryi could endure within Her temple's precincts for long, and your friend spent fully an hour there. His veracity I do not doubt...but is what he believes to be true ACTUALLY true? Paladins do not lie...but they can be deceived. I must insist on looking within before I can countenance burning it down."

Skyseeker looks up from desperately wracking her memory for the old boogey-man sort of stories told of this fungus...the stuff of nightmares which have hellishly translated into the waking world..."I don't know" she whispers

Laurel agitatedly paces, a scroll held in her hand that she occasionally stops and reads, then rolls up again while she paces. Finally she stops in front of Marrik, Skyseeker, and Jauron, and whispers...

"What is that scroll? Is that a fire spell? Holy fire, perhaps?"

Led's eyes are wide open and his skin a little pale, as if he's barely containing the terror. He clutches his skin of holy water tightly.

The bard's eyes widen slightly as she spies the skein of holy water which the scribe yet clutches. Perhaps we can at least test the effects of fire and consecrated water upon the spores, she thinks to herself.

Turning toward the scribe and seeing his fear, she gently replies, "Let us withdraw and allow Sir Heren and the guard to do their duty here. We can discuss what this scroll contains privately without distracting them. Will you join me?" she asks all those in her party.

Turning towards Sir Pval's man she continues, "Sir Heren, with your permission I think I shall leave you to your duty. May I ask you leave at least one of the guard outside, so we may follow up later should anything occur to us which may prove helpful?"

With a bow, she heads back to Garvin, takes her reins to lead her, and awaits to see what the rest of the party chooses to do.

Led backs away from the building, keeping his eyes on it and stumbling over unseen objects, as he heads for Laurel and Garvin. His grip on the waterskin never loosened.

The bard reaches out a steadying hand to Led, and gazes at the rest of the party, hoping they too will choose to leave the bakery and tunnel for now. She tossed her head towards the rest of the party, hoping to gain their attention, then said...

"Let us leave this investigation in the hands of the guards for now and return to The Winding Way," she jerks her head again in the direction of the inn. "They are aware of the attempts to poison the city, and can probably follow the trail of the perpetrators. We have yet to have dinner, and I think some more discussion on what course we should take is advisable."

Heren and two guards push the door open, and carefully step inside, trying to look in all directions at once. After several minutes, another guard goes in, lighting lamps within...all seems to be in order...The baker is brought in..trembling, he looks around.....He thinks some tubs have been moved, but he's not sure... A Guard brings them down.

Heren uses the blade of his sword..levers up the top of the first one...


.....waits......

then slowly leans closer, to see within...




and says, "I see little lumps...look to be wax...with purple in them..."

The baker loks indignant..

"Purple? ain't nothin purple in my shop. SOmeone has been in there. Try to poison folks, make it look like my fault. I keep my place clean enough for Missaryi's own self to eat in"

Heren commences to drag the tub in question out..and instructs his men to look for more purple-bearing things.

The bard throws down Garvin's reins in disgust. "By the Wild Bitch's smile! Can you odds-marking people do NOTHING?" Turning to Led, she tries to hide her own fear as she tells him, "I wish to look upon these purplish lumps, to see if they are a form of the fungus.

"Will you...
...will you share a small bit of your protection from the fungus/spores before I get closer?" with a nod towards the skein he clasps so tightly...

[depending on what Led chooses to do, once Laurel is close enough, appropriate skill checks please to see if the lumps mean anything at all to her]

As the tub was dragged outside (and closer to him) Led's eyes started to open wider, and his full attention was focused only on the contents of the tub, as if it might spring out and attack him.

At Laurel's words, his attention snaps over to her. He almost seems startled by her sudden appearance in front of him. He stares at her for a moment, while she holds out her hand in request. "What?"

"The water?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course." He removes the waterskin strap from his neck, then glances at the tub again. And pauses there with the skin still gripped tightly in his hands.

"Led?" Laurel prompts again.

He looks back to her, startled once more. Then holds the water out to her. She only needs to tug a couple of times to get him to let go. But then he backs further away from the building, just to be sure.

Carefully opening the water skein, the bard dabs a little of the water over herself, then slowly approaches the tub with the skein in hand...

Looking in to the tub, the bard at first sees finely milled flour, and then small peas sized lumps of wax with purple coloring in them. The purple did remind her of the purple of the active fungus, so...

Throwing a quick glance at Led, to insure he was far enough away to not stop her, Laurel quickly unstoppers the skein of holy water, and pours the tiniest drop into the tub, then leaps back in case of a more violent reaction than expected, if reaction there be at all.