Seirye nods, having attempted, and failed, to adopt a disinterested attitude. She writes a little more in her book, a beautiful, fluid Elvish script.

"I might be interested," she tries to say nonchalantly, returning to speaking Common, "The ring does sound interesting... from a purely academic viewpoint of course... and if this Shaman has similar patterns on the skin I would need to document that as well, or if we could get the skin off him that would save on needless time adding in possibly inaccurate illustrations to my notes. Plus we might need to spend some time interviewing the locals on the impact of this ring, this 'New Mire' as you describe it but, yes, I think I could find the time to look into this matter. Your assistance in my researches would be gratefully accepted."

She thinks for a brief moment.

"Expenses?" she asks, looking up at Lathan and, finally, Antia.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:16, Tue 06 June 2017.

"You're not skinning the goblin shaman," Lathan says. "We gave our word that we wouldn't harm them.

"As for money, Darius Carman is offering a reward of 1,000 gold pieces for whoever can find a solution to the New Mire problem, and we would of course give you a share of that."

She snorted a little, the breath out only barely audible. More awkward but writing such a work as she was planning should not be so easy or everyone would have done it. Seirye nodded and after blowing a little on the ink to ensure it had dried properly she closed her book and carefully put that and her writing implements into her bag.

She looked back up at Lathan. "Very well, we shall go and have a look at this ring, understand it, understand where it might have come from and what it may... or may be responsible for. Understand who might have created such a thing and it may be that we can solve your problem as well, solve this 'New Mire'. I am Seirye... Seirye Lathilar and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. When do we leave?"

Lathan smiles and nods at Seirye. "A pleasure to meet you, too. Thank you for agreeing to help us," he says. He looks to Antia. "I'm ready to leave whenever. I'm hoping we can catch a barge down the river again, so our companions don't have to wait too long for us to return.

"Shall we?"

There is another barge leaving Thurmaster toward Milborne within the hour. The party can arrange for transport on the barge in exchange for guard duty.

Antia had allowed her companion to talk while she listened then with a flurry she let her hood fall down to show her racial features.

"I must warn you that the ring was a gift to the shaman from their God.  I have personally given my oath as a cleric of the light that the ring will not be taken by force. "it was spoken as a statement to underline the importance of the situation

" the goblin tribe are merely looking for a place to live and the caves they have found suits their needs.  The problem is the ring seems to be leaking magic into the surrounding ding area.  We need to find out if this can be resolved.  The goblins mean no harm and wish to resolve the problem peacefully"

Seirye nods while looking quite curiously at Antia's features.

"That is very, very, interesting," she adds slowly, talking more to herself than the others, "Typically the magic is bound tightly to the focus, at least by any competent crafter, otherwise they are largely wasting their time. I suppose there could be a leak in the component channel... maybe... faulty inscriptions or poor quality materials."

She focuses back on her new companions. "Look, I don't expect you to understand but you may as well try to build a bridge using lit candles as a foundation. It'll look good for a while, maybe it would even look pretty if you cared about such a thing, but eventually they candles will burn down, they'll be gone, and without your foundations you'll be left with a lot of timber sitting in the river. Assuming that the candles remain lit under water of course. You understand what I'm saying?"

She doesn't wait for an answer, shrugs and muses somewhat abstractedly. "Unless it was done deliberately that way of course."

Lathan listens to Seirye, nodding his head as she speaks. "Well, hopefully we'll have some answers soon," he says. "I hope Lucien and Albrecht are doing okay."

He reports to the barge shortly before it is set to leave and finds a spot out of the way of the crew where he can keep watch for any trouble as they travel down the river.

Seirye looked uncomfortable boarding the barge and hurridly moves to a spot near Lathan. Propping her bag up against a barrel she sat down next to it and began writing in her book, not wanting to miss anything that might be relevant as well as capturing her own thoughts.

From time to time she looks up to see where Lathan and Antia are.

The ride down the Churnett River is uneventful. The party arrives in Milborne around sunset.

"So, is this it?" asks Seirye, putting her bag over her shoulder.

She stands as close to the edge of the boat as she dares while a gangplank is put in place and looks at the other two for guidance, "Our last stop?"

"No," Lathan shakes his head. "We've still got a trek south through the New Mire to the Patchwork Hills. We should rest here in Milborne overnight and leave first thing in the morning tomorrow."

"I will gather gear,  fresh water and food for the trip.  I would not trust the water in these parts even if the streams look fresh"  suggested the cleric

"I agree," Lathan says to Antia. "Let's gather supplies, rest in town tonight, then head out to meet our comrades in the morning."

Lathan, Antia, and Seirye gather supplies and rest in Milborne overnight.

As they head out of town first thing in the morning, they notice a tall, tanned woman approaching them. She smiles, waves, and moves to intercept them.

"Excuse me! Are you Antia and Lathan?" she calls out. "I'm Shiraz. Garyld told me you might be able to help me."

Lathan watches Shiraz suspiciously as she approaches. "Shiraz? ... Oh, yes, Garyld had mentioned you to us. We're currently in the middle of something important. If your issue can wait a few days, perhaps we'll be able to help you after we're finished."

Seirye walked up next to Lathan, standing a little behind and to the side of his right shoulder. The only thought going through her mind was that this interruption was delaying their journey to get to this ring. She frowned but decided to remain silent as Lathan's initial answer put her mind at ease.

Shiraz gives Lathan a friendly smile. "Garyld said you were close to finding some answers behind the cause of the New Mire," she says. "That is definitely important. If you don't mind me asking, what do you think is causing it?" She smiles again and motions for him to continue walking, coming up alongside him. "You can tell me as we walk. I don't want to hold you up."

Lathan nods and continues to walk. "A ring. The shaman of a goblin tribe holed up in the Patchwork Hills claims it was given to him by Maglubiyet. When we mentioned the New Mire, he admitted to us that he believes the ring is the source of the water. We couldn't verify that on our own, so we went searching for assistance. We found Seirye here, who thinks she can help us out. Our friends are waiting in the Patchwork Hills for us to return.

"What is the problem you need our help with?"

"Hmm... Interesting," Shiraz says as she walks alongside Lathan and the others. "Well, as for my problem, lately the waters of Eelhold have become turbulent and clouded, and there have even been waterspouts seen in the center of the lake. Shenjurath tells me that her control over the water elemental that lives in the lake is weakening. It's very troubling. If the elemental gets out of her control, the dam, and everything south of it, may be at risk. I'm hoping you might be able to help me figure out a solution.

"Do you mind if I accompany you to Patchwork Hills to see this ring?"

Seirye echoes Shiraz with her own musing. She poses a question, as much to herself as those around her. "This artefact... this ring, seems quite powerful it's reach is extending so far and with such obvious power. There are not many things crafted by a mortal being which could have such an impact. Without doubting the shaman it may indeed have been a holy gift. It raises a question about we could do about it if it is, indeed, a gift of the gods. I doubt very much that this god would want its gift destroyed or tampered with. What could have been its purpose... hmmm, interesting indeed Shiraz."

Antia returned with the supplies while the others talked.  Once stores in saddle bags "then time is of the essence. Let us ride without delay to meet our companions and solve this situation"  she said swinging into the saddle

Lathan looks to Antia to see if she objects to Shiraz accompanying them.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not particularly familiar with this region," he says to Shiraz. "You'll have to tell us a little more about this Eelhold."

As they travel, Shiraz explains to the party that the Eelhold is a small lake that was artificially created by a log dam across the south-flowing Oldscutt River nearly 50 years ago by the Carman family. The dam regulates river flow and prevents flooding further south, where the Oldscutt River meets the Churnett River. The waters of the Oldscutt can be rapid in the spring, and the dam broke on one occasion seventeen years ago.

Shiraz tells them that the Eelhold has two unusual inhabitants who have managed to prevent any recurrence of this disaster: a water elemental that is magically tied to the lake and a female nixie named Shenjurath who has some power of command over the elemental.

Locals benefit from this by more than just flood control. Once a year, the nixie allows them to come to the lake to harvest the great eels which grow fat in the placid lake waters; there are few predators to keep their numbers down, Shiraz explains. For a period of five days, locals set out with flat-bottomed boats and great nets to dredge the lake bed around the shoreline, and by night they use lanterns to attract the eels to the surface from the central depths of the lake. The haul of fat eels is enormous, and the surplus is usually cooked, cut into finger-length chunks, and pickled and bottled for the winter. Eels may also be wood-smoked or preserved in an herb jelly. In any form, Shiraz notes, eels are an acquired taste.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Thu 15 June 2017.

The journey to the Patchwork Hills is slow, due to the waterlogged ground of the New Mire, and uneventful. The party heads for the goblin cave, looking for Lucien and Albrecht.

Move to "The Evils of Haranshire" thread.