Givontair:
The mayor of Trelia all but chased us out of the town. If the people at the hospital didn't show any improvement, then he would have used guards. He did, however, accept payment for all the damages dealt during my duel with Ajax. He'll need it, seeing as half the town is in ruins.
We get an escort to the edge of the forest. The dwarves leave us, when the trees give way to the green pastures. It is strange, that these lands belong to the Dread. For, it is a deity of destruction, while the grasslands are full of life. Sorix seems to have a bounce to his step, the deeper in we go. Nathaniel even seems calmer.
Erik gives my hand a squeeze, and I turn to look at him.
"Giv, why don't you turn into a dragon, and fly us the rest of the way? Is your tail hurt again?" Erik looks up at me, as he says that. He really enjoyed the last time we flew together. Yet, I can't do something like that in here.
"This is Uruk territory. They don't like dragons in here," which could benefit us, seeing as they are going to fight Ajax, if he turns into a dragon.
"Uruk?" Has Erik never been to the grasslands?
"Have you never been around these parts?" I ask him. He shakes his head.
"Uruk is the old ones. The natives of the Dorumian Theocracy, before the Romain people came, and settled the forested regions, and made the country a theocracy. They don't like it, when dragons fly over their pastures," I tell him. He nods. Then, his eyes widen.
"Wait, are they going to deny you entry, just because you are a dragon?" Erik asks. I shake my head.
"We are not entering any towns, besides Khuzd. Not even if the natives invite us in. You must remember, that the Uruk people are necromancers, and magic practitioners, in general. They are more than likely to try and capture me for potions ingredients, than to give us safe passage," I know my words don't calm Erik. Yet, I don't want to lie to him. What we are going to face is quite the pushback. At least, we have enough food in our luggage, to last us to Khuzd.
What I worry about, is the water. The river might be as dirty in here, as in Trelia. There is no telling, where we will find clean water again.
I see a watch tower in the distance, and then pull my hood over my head. My features are telling. There aren't many albino healers in the world. Hopefully, my papers will be enough to convince the guards, that I mean them no harm. We walk in a leisurely pace. When we reach the outpost, a horn is blown.
Two guards exit the tower, with spears in hand. I smile, and take out my papers.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Here is my permit to travel," I hand over the papers, as Nate, Elias, and Sorix pull theirs.
"Wait, I know you!" One of the guards says. I curse in my mind. "You are that healer?"
I think that, if this is how they recognize me as, then maybe we won't have trouble.
"My name is Givontair, and yes, I am a healer," I say. The guard gives me a half-bow. I wonder just what is happening, for him to do so.
"Please, stop at Brolbukh. Our healers all got infected. There is no one to safe the sick," I wonder if he knows I am a dragon. Still, I really should get additional information.
"What are they sick of?" I ask the guard. He shakes his head.
"We don't know, but one day they are fine, and the next, they begin to cough, and die in a week," my first instinct is to think about the dirty water. I am certain that there are plenty of bacteria capable of damaging the lungs in the water. The elves really did a number to all the cities, through which the Caraurogon passes through.
"Do you have any runesmiths in Brolbukh?" I ask the guard. He nods.
"Yes, but the man is sick too," so, I have no time to waste. I need the runesmith, to place filtering runes in the river.
"Lead the way, then," I take back my papers, and follow one of the guards. The Uruk seems to be rushing us along. Does he have a family member, who is sick? I ask him that.
"The entire town is sick. There aren't many of us, but 300 people have already died. The Pope doesn't want to send healers this way. What with this being the territory of the Dread, and all," I can hear the indignation in his voice. I am confident that these people pay their taxes to the Pope. Yet, only for him to ignore their plight.
It takes us three hours, to see the settlement. The river is green, and I bite my lower lip. If this water is like this in Khuzd as well, then I will have to remain and heal people. Now though, I have to concentrate on the sick of Brolbukh.
The guard leads me to the local school. Apparently, it was repurposed as a clinic, since the small clinic that the people already had access to, is full to the brim.
"I have to return to my post. Please — help these people," the guard claps me on the shoulder.
"I will do my best," I tell him. Then, I turn towards my traveling companions. "Find the inn. Have Erik do his homework."
Erik groans at that. Technically, he is still a pupil of Amestavora Academy. The teachers were kind enough, to give him the entire year worth of tasks in advance. He is to finish them, and sit his exams come next summer.
"Can't I come with you?" Erik asks.
"If you get infected, then you wouldn't want to get out of bed. Remember..." before I finish my sentence, Erik does it for me.
"Boil the water, before I drink it. Keep warm, drink tea," huh, have I said that so often, that the boy thinks it is a mantra? I rest a hand on his head, and run it through his raven locks.
"Right. Well, you know the drill," with that, we go our separate ways.
Givontair:
The mayor of Trelia all but chased us out of the town. If the people at the hospital didn't show any improvement, then he would have used guards. He did, however, accept payment for all the damages dealt during my duel with Ajax. He'll need it, seeing as half the town is in ruins.
We get an escort to the edge of the forest. The dwarves leave us, when the trees give way to the green pastures. It is strange, that these lands belong to the Dread. For, it is a deity of destruction, while the grasslands are full of life. Sorix seems to have a bounce to his step, the deeper in we go. Nathaniel even seems calmer.
Erik gives my hand a squeeze, and I turn to look at him.
"Giv, why don't you turn into a dragon, and fly us the rest of the way? Is your tail hurt again?" Erik looks up at me, as he says that. He really enjoyed the last time we flew together. Yet, I can't do something like that in here.
"This is Uruk territory. They don't like dragons in here," which could benefit us, seeing as they are going to fight Ajax, if he turns into a dragon.
"Uruk?" Has Erik never been to the grasslands?
"Have you never been around these parts?" I ask him. He shakes his head.
"Uruk is the old ones. The natives of the Dorumian Theocracy, before the Romain people came, and settled the forested regions, and made the country a theocracy. They don't like it, when dragons fly over their pastures," I tell him. He nods. Then, his eyes widen.
"Wait, are they going to deny you entry, just because you are a dragon?" Erik asks. I shake my head.
"We are not entering any towns, besides Khuzd. Not even if the natives invite us in. You must remember, that the Uruk people are necromancers, and magic practitioners, in general. They are more than likely to try and capture me for potions ingredients, than to give us safe passage," I know my words don't calm Erik. Yet, I don't want to lie to him. What we are going to face is quite the pushback. At least, we have enough food in our luggage, to last us to Khuzd.
What I worry about, is the water. The river might be as dirty in here, as in Trelia. There is no telling, where we will find clean water again.
I see a watch tower in the distance, and then pull my hood over my head. My features are telling. There aren't many albino healers in the world. Hopefully, my papers will be enough to convince the guards, that I mean them no harm. We walk in a leisurely pace. When we reach the outpost, a horn is blown.
Two guards exit the tower, with spears in hand. I smile, and take out my papers.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Here is my permit to travel," I hand over the papers, as Nate, Elias, and Sorix pull theirs.
"Wait, I know you!" One of the guards says. I curse in my mind. "You are that healer?"
I think that, if this is how they recognize me as, then maybe we won't have trouble.
"My name is Givontair, and yes, I am a healer," I say. The guard gives me a half-bow. I wonder just what is happening, for him to do so.
"Please, stop at Brolbukh. Our healers all got infected. There is no one to safe the sick," I wonder if he knows I am a dragon. Still, I really should get additional information.
"What are they sick of?" I ask the guard. He shakes his head.
"We don't know, but one day they are fine, and the next, they begin to cough, and die in a week," my first instinct is to think about the dirty water. I am certain that there are plenty of bacteria capable of damaging the lungs in the water. The elves really did a number to all the cities, through which the Caraurogon passes through.
"Do you have any runesmiths in Brolbukh?" I ask the guard. He nods.
"Yes, but the man is sick too," so, I have no time to waste. I need the runesmith, to place filtering runes in the river.
"Lead the way, then," I take back my papers, and follow one of the guards. The Uruk seems to be rushing us along. Does he have a family member, who is sick? I ask him that.
"The entire town is sick. There aren't many of us, but 300 people have already died. The Pope doesn't want to send healers this way. What with this being the territory of the Dread, and all," I can hear the indignation in his voice. I am confident that these people pay their taxes to the Pope. Yet, only for him to ignore their plight.
It takes us three hours, to see the settlement. The river is green, and I bite my lower lip. If this water is like this in Khuzd as well, then I will have to remain and heal people. Now though, I have to concentrate on the sick of Brolbukh.
The guard leads me to the local school. Apparently, it was repurposed as a clinic, since the small clinic that the people already had access to, is full to the brim.
"I have to return to my post. Please — help these people," the guard claps me on the shoulder.
"I will do my best," I tell him. Then, I turn towards my traveling companions. "Find the inn. Have Erik do his homework."
Erik groans at that. Technically, he is still a pupil of Amestavora Academy. The teachers were kind enough, to give him the entire year worth of tasks in advance. He is to finish them, and sit his exams come next summer.
"Can't I come with you?" Erik asks.
"If you get infected, then you wouldn't want to get out of bed. Remember..." before I finish my sentence, Erik does it for me.
"Boil the water, before I drink it. Keep warm, drink tea," huh, have I said that so often, that the boy thinks it is a mantra? I rest a hand on his head, and run it through his raven locks.
"Right. Well, you know the drill," with that, we go our separate ways.
