Rihala nodded, leaning back in her chair.  "Of course.  I couldn't let you go alone."

"She has a sort of hut just north of Conyberry," Garaele replies. "That's an old abandoned village up the Triboar Trail. Barbarians sacked the village many years ago, and it's laid in ruins ever since."

"It's about 45 miles. It should take you a day and a half to get there, though you could make it in a day if you hustled. That's up to you, of course."

     Rihala nodded, making a mental note of the directions.  "Well, I don't mind a leisurely stroll through the forest, but I'll follow your lead, Lureene," she said.

     "Did Agatha live in Conyberry before it was sacked, or did she come there afterward?"

"We're in no hurry, and should be fresh to look for Agatha", says the priestess. "We'll want to pass by my house; I'm not leaving for that trip without my armor or my pack."

"I honestly don't know," Garaele replies to Rihala. "I'm not sure there's anyone that knows. Do you think that's important?"

"Of course, it would probably mean that Agatha was there when the village was raided, though she could have been passing through just as easily as having lived there. Living there would make more sense, though, wouldn't it?"

     "Can't say it's not important, but it might help.  What is her 'lair,' as you call it?  Is it a cave or a building?" she asked.

     Something about this whole thing was starting to bother her.  What would be the benefit of offering a comb to a spirit?  She supposed the theory was that she'd find it pretty and be willing to give some information.

     "Why do you think Agatha would have information about Bowgentle's spellbook?" she continued.

"Her lair is a kind of hut... not sure there's any other term for it," Garaele answers Rihala. "It's out in the woods, on a trail north of the ruins... a bunch of fronds and grass woven together to form a canopy over her little area."

"I'm not quite sure why the order thinks she would know, but I gather the order traced the book to her... when she was alive."

     "I see.  Intriguing," she said, glancing at Lureene.  She raised her eyebrows to indicate she was ready to go, and then finished her tea.

"A canopy of nature. Sounds like an elf, all right.", noted Lureene. She sipped the last of her tea. "Very well, we'll head there and see if she will speak with us. A troubled soul she is likely to be, at least, but perhaps she'll prove helpful." She folded the comb back in its protective covering and took it, slipping it in a pouch.

"I can provide you with any traveling gear, if you need it," Garaele offers, "including horses."

"Will you take the quick-paced journey or make it a more leisurely trip?"

"I see no reason to hurry, if you don't need the book right away", said Lureene. She smiled. "A ride through the forest might afford us a few beautiful sights, and it would be an awful shame to miss them in our haste. We'll likely need some food for the trip if nothing else."

She glanced at Rihala. "How do you feel about horses?"

     "They're damn tasty with a side salad," she quipped with a mischievous smile.

     "Just kidding.  I can hold my own.  A nice ride in the forest and a bit of adventure would do me well after three days in ... this nice town."  She hesitated to reveal just how stir-crazy being among so many buildings, roads and people made her.

Lureene's smile widened. "If only you'd actually talk to people you might find it much nicer. Very well. Sister, we'll take you up on your offer of horses... though that will mean we'll need feed and the like, as well." She paused, considered. "There is a path, aye? I would scarce like to take horses through a forest."

"Yes, I'll throw some feed in one of the saddle bags," Garaele replies. "For the most part, though, Rhapsody and Windswift will just graze along the trail. Just make sure there are some grassy areas whenever you stop. They aren't yearlings any more, but they are still steady. Windswift is fond of pears, though, so I'll toss in some of those. Cut them in quarters when you feed them and hold them in the palm of your hand."

"The Triboar Trail leads to Conyberry and continues on over the mountains to Yartar and beyond."

"Anything else you might need?"

     Rihala's eyes went up.  "Pears?  Oh, I love pears!" she said, barely hearing the fact that they were meant for the horse.  The teacup she'd been fiddling with slipped from her hands, but she caught it before it fell to the floor.  Deliberately, she placed it on the table and pushed it away.

     "I'll just need to make sure I'm full up on rations, but otherwise I'm good," she confirmed.

"Aye, we'll need rations for the trail as well." She chuckled. "Feed for the riders. I think that will be all we need." She drained her cup of now-lukewarm tea, and set it down beside Rihala's. "There's no reason to wait, so we'll leave as soon as the horses are ready. How long will that take you, Sister?"

"Rations and feed and horses... ready in ten minutes," Sister Garaele answers.

Her house has a separate room as the kitchen, so she leads Lureene and Rihala there while she puts together some trail rations in a satchel, and adds half a dozen pears.

"Over to the stables..."

She leads them out and over to the stables, which aren't part of her house.

"Good day, Darby," she calls out to the stabler. "Taking the horses out."

Darby helps Garaele saddle the horses, put a small grain sack into each saddle bag, and then lead them out.

"There you go. You're all set."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 17:06, Thu 18 Sept 2014.

     Rihala patted Windswift and introduced herself, letting it get her scent.  She then took one of the pears and sliced it up before offering a few slices.  She ate the fourth piece herself.

     "Thanks, Sister.  I hope we're able to help with this mystery."

Lureene chuckled. "You had this prepared, didn't you, Sister? Tell me, I've been assuming that time is not of the essence, but would you rather we hurried?"

She glanced at Rihala. "Let's make a stop at my house, then we shall go. I need to get my things."

"Yes, I have been planning it in my mind," Garaele replies. "It was just depending on finding the right person... or persons."

"No, I don't suppose there's any real hurry, but a delay isn't good either."


Heading out, you stop at Lureene's house, she gets her things, and you head out of town. There's only the one road out of town, which heads north for around 10 miles before it connects with the Triboar Trail that runs east and west.

West would take you out to the High Road that connects Waterdeep and Neverwinter. East heads over the mountains to Yartar, but the ruins of Conyberry are only about 25 miles away.

Lureene spent some time in her house, but came out wearing her deep red tabard and cloak over her gleaming chain mail. She'd kept her helmet off, but her red tressed were combed in a simple but elegant style that would allow her to put it on quickly. She climbed onto her horse and led the pair towards the East.

"I do hope the banshee will be willing to talk to us", she said once they crossed the borders of the town. "The undead are not usually friendly creatures."

     "They're not known for their hospitality, no," Rihala responded.  "This is quite the mystery, though.  Banshee's don't usually wander too far from where they died."

"Who is to say that she did not die there? She might have been there for quite some time. Perhaps they will know more in Conyberry."

She tilted her head, considered. Then she closed her eyes and clasped her hands around the holy symbol displayed at her breast. "Lady Firehair, guide my thoughts", she whispered.

OOC: Lureene is going to cast Guidance on herself then see if she can remember any mention of Agatha or Conyberry in her knowledge of history. Such as that episode with Drizzt and Wulfgar. :D But especially anything about her origin. It's pretty obscure but worth a try, I think.

     "She said Conyberry was a ruin, sacked by Barbarians.  But I have to wonder how long Agatha had been around before that happened?"

Lureene does recall a small tale about the sack of Conyberry. There were half a dozen similar villages that were overrun by the barbarians from the West; Conyberry was one of them, as was Phandalin. Whereas Phandalin has been re-settled, Conyberry hasn't yet, mostly because there is no protective force in the area. The barbarians have long ago been defeated and retreated back to whence they came.

Conyberry Brew was a popular ale in the area and they grew something called a squish.

Lureene further recalls that there was supposed to have been an Elvin paladin named Lady Telera that defended the village to the end. Her first name may have been Agatha.