Turn 97 After the fire
Keldar looks after Reggie/Duck. Gareth, Wulfgar, and Catherine
have a
spat and the rest of the party aid in putting out the fire.
Several
villagers make comments once the fire is out. "knight of Pikahl?"
"Hmph"
"He sure didn't help here" "afraid to get his hands dirty" "but he
got
his friends to help" and so on and so forth. Arilyn runs over and
throws
a pail of water onto Wulfgar and Catherine to calm them down.
Returning
to aid the fire fighters, she discovers the fire is quickly out.
Comments float about the purple duck being demon magic, about how
someone used magic to put the fire out, and about the knight who
didnt
help. Suddenly, Wulfgar begins to laugh heartily as Arilyn
realizes he
returned the favor and dumped a full pail of icy cold water over
her
head. So Wulfgar, Arilyn, and Catherine are all soaked. Lord
Reynold and
his sons are nowhere to be seen. People are returning to the
unaffected
parts of the keep presumedly to resume their lives, guards invite
you to
accompany them to retrieve any of your belongings that got left
behind
as they go to insure the fire is completely out. Vincas changes
his
shirt, feeling much better, as some of you decide whether to
return to
the tower. Barbaxle declines emphatically, and the rest of you
consider
it.
Caoimhin watches the smoldering remains of the fire for a while,
then
gets another pail and cups some water in his hands. He splashes
his
face, wiping off most of the soot and sweat, then turns to Jahl.
"I find it strange that neither Reynold nor his kin are here to
oversee
the operation; how incurious they must be." He looks over at the
freshly minted duck and smiles. "That's a less conspicuous bird
than
others I've seen."
He turns now toward the party. "Now what? It seems our quarters
are
no longer suitable. I say we leave this place as soon as
possible,
waiting only to have an audience with Reynold so that we won't be
accused of starting a fire and sneaking off in the night." He
looks
at the crowd of villagers. "The sooner we get the dust of this
place
off our feet, the happier I'll be."
Wulfgar smiles at Arilyn "okay I think a couple of us should go in
and see
if there is anything salvageable from this the rest should perhaps
go to the
kitchen and we can meet up there. Who will come with me?"
Catherine hooks her arms in those of Wulfgar and Arilyn.
"I agree with
both Caoimhin and Jahl, however I find it _very_ odd that the Lord
does not
even show his face once when his home is burning down around his
ears...unless of course he died in the fire and that would explain
much..."
sheepish smile. "I will go with you and I think _raiding_ the
kitchen is
order as well since I suspect we will be on the road for a some
time...er,
does anyone have an extra horse?"
"And someone explain the bloody duck."
As Gareth passes the group to speak with the guardsmen, he
responds,
"Several... within the stables, and sufficient in number to convey
us.
Keldar turns, looking Catherine straight in the eyes, then holds
the duck
up between them. Keldar then changes his voice and starts to wave
the
duck as he speaks. "I am the great mage Reggie. My magic had put
out the
fire, but now I am a duck for a while."
Keldar lowers the duck. "Can we go to the kitchen. Reggie needs
his reward
for saving everyone."
Keldar holds the duck/Reggie to his ear after Catherine's speech.
"Duck wants
ta go to the kitchen." The gnome then swings this cloak full of
food over
his shoulder, tucks the duck under his left are, then starts
singing a
child's nursery rhyme about farm animals.
Gareth ignores the slurs and questions and takes off his gloves,
securing them beneath his belt. Moving from person to person,
commmoner
to guardsman, the knight checks each person's health. The many
minor
injuries he bandages with pieces of cloth torn from his spare
tunics
within his pack, and suggests a combination of various herbs to
apply in
form of poultice that will speed healing. No attempts are made to
deny
or justify, as if responding would lend credence to such obviously
erroneous suggestions, so the knight shows not a sign of
acknoledgement
of the derogatives, bearing them stoically and accepting muted
thanks
with a simple politeness. Two clear saline bands from eye to
chin,
however, exaggerate the sootiness of his features from the smokey
escape.
After the people remaining in the square have been looked
after, the
knight straightens stiffly and paces measuredly towards a
relatively
unsullied water bucket, in which he plunges his head underwater
for
several heartbeats. Gareth removes his head, squeezes handfuls of
hair
to remove the water, and replaces the leather hairband that
normally
adorns his well-kept mane. Spying the guard that alerted the
party, the
paladin briskly crosses the intervening distance and addresses him
with
an arm-claspe. "My thanks guardsman...[waiting for name here :)].
Had
it not been for thy timely warning, quite likely the King's party
would
have been dangerously imperiled, if not killed. Pikahl was
watching
over us with thy aid. My thanks again. I would liketh to lend
mine aid
in ensuring the fire beith out whilst mine - pardon... I would
like to
help check the fire while my companions check on gear and tend our
"befowled" friend. Afterwards, we will seek an audience with lord
Reynold and and his son and inform them of thy-your bravery and
quick-thinking. Risking your life to save others' is something I
take
quite seriously. Let me extend the thanks from all of us to you.
Pikahl watch you and ward you."
Catherine, and anyone else who wishes to come, will head
for the kitchen.
She's pretty honked off at the people's treatment of Gareth, but
won't
display any hostility over it and I doubt she'd say anything to
Gareth
about it either. Once in the kitchen she will make sure to grab as
much
preserved foods as possible.
"I'm glad that was all that happened, it could have made the
fire even
worse. (As Barbaxle points to the duck) I think we need to have a
little
talk after you change back. You guys, go inside and check to see
if we left
anything. I don't want anything to do with that place anymore, I
just think
that we should get out of here. There are some people that want us
killed
and we don't even know who they are....I just n-need to see some
open forest
for a while. Everything is just to close together right now for
me. I think
that I will go check on my horse and everyone else's, does anyone
want to
join me??"
Vincas steps forward and says "Umm, Keldar...do you feel alright?
You
certainly are acting a bit strange."
To the group he says "I think that spell may have had an effect on
more than
just Reggie. Anyone else notice anything else suddenly different?
Keldar
seems unusually....well, unusual! Come on Keldar, I'll go with you
to the
kitchen."
With that Vincas steps over near the gnome, and puts a hand on his
shoulder.
"Let's get some food old friend." He looks back to the group with
a look of
befuddled concern, and shrugs his shoulders.
Wulfgar takes a step towards the burnt building, "Okay you lot go
to the
kitchen and see if you can stock up some food, Gareth, check the
horses and
make sure they are okay, Barbaxle stay here and guard the doors.
I'll go in
and see if we left any gear and if it is salvageable. Turning he
heads for
the doorway a steady stride covering the ground quickly.
As Keldar begins lowering Reggie, there is a flash of light and
the
duck turns
back into Reggie before your eyes.
Reggie looks around muttering "Fire, Smoke ....."
He then seems to snap back to his normal self.
"I'm hungry, is there any food around here?"
He then notices everyone looking at him.
"What? Have I grown a second head or something?? Or is there
something
behind me I don't want to know about" and with that he leaps
forwards,
screams and rolls on the floor so he is now facing in the opposite
direction.
"Phew, There's nothing there" he sighs. "Now, about that food..."
Keldar is thrown off balance by the sudden increase in weigh by
the duck,
and ends up face down on the ground.
"Everythings happy. Really happy. Nothings at all is wrong, right
Reggie.
Vincas, do you wanna go play at Nick and Miette's house. Back was
going
over there this morning".
Keldar looks up at you with the clear-eyed expression of a happy
child - a
very young, happy child.
Vincas addresses the group, with a half-smile "It seems our friend
Keldar
has been transported back to the time of our childhood. The people
he speaks
of are our childhood friends." He starts laughing and claps the
gnome on the
shoulder
Walking steadily towards the door to the wing where they just
escaped the
fire Wulfgar will pick up a full bucket of water and step inside.
(Just in
case he finds some non-extinguished fires) Then he will look
around to see
how much damage there has been to the structure of the building
before going
up to the level that the group was on.
Everyone goes about their business (see private emails for
confirmation
of your actions) and after gathering food, checking horses and
discovering no way to the third floor you meet back in the
courtyard.
Gareth motions to Reggie. "Glad to see the magical backlash has
worn
off. It does seem that the aberrations are relatively
short-lived...
when they are not immediately lethal. You did well, Reggie; your
risk
saved much of the keep - again, well done." Observing the bulk of
the
party fed and cleaned from the sooty ordeal, the knight crisply
snaps
his tabard down to remove an invasive crease. "Barbaxle, if you
would
not mind, please ready our mounts and find out how they are
feeling -
except Emperor, though; I will see to him when we return from our
discussion with Reynold."
Everyone splits up to go about their respective plans.
Turn 98