WG - The Mystery of the Poisoned Healer Options

[Grits]

(Continued from approximately here.)



Abiene in Chorrol

Eyja explained what would be needed for a complete recovery. “For the amount of metal you've been exposed to, you may need to keep taking it several times daily for at least a week, and do a restorative healing on yourself several times per day as well. The raw ingredients work better and quicker if you can stand the bitter taste. The potions are flavored, but are much weaker.”

Abiene started to reply. “I can stand the taste, but I’m sure an alchemist will be better able to…” Several times per day? She pressed her fingers against her face again, fighting down that frantic feeling. “I have patients to tend! I won’t be able to— I’m already taking far too many magicka potions just to keep up my workload. There’s nothing for it, I’ll have to ask for a leave of absence from the chapel.” She clenched her fists on her knees, anger creeping up through her fear. “Darn whoever did this!”

Eyja handed Abiene a list of ingredients. “Expect to be near an urn for a while,” she told Abiene. Then Eyja tucked her materials away.

Great, thought Abiene. I’m not going to go through a week of purging on the pot in my chapel quarters. She put that concern away for now and looked at the list.

Garlic
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Flax seed oil
Corkbulb root
Netch Leather
Scrib Jelly
Scamp skin
Kwama cuttle
Ash yam
The juice of a lemon
Dried seaweed
Charcoal

“Abiene, I need you to remember exactly how long you were at the inn, who you saw there, who brought you that tea, and if it was the same person you ordered it from,” said Eyja.

Abiene tried to clear her thoughts. “I reached the inn after dark and spent the night. There was a commotion when Irvana arrived with talk of vampires, and I ended up healing her in her chamber. I had a glass of Tamika’s last night with the stuffed mushrooms, plus a cheese plate with strawberries. This morning I ate a sweet roll and drank some kahve at the bar. A Dunmer woman was there, I didn’t catch her name. She was another guest. Lycus was sitting there, too. Yetta the cook and Lleris the hallboy were serving, but I got my breakfast from what was already set out on the bar. Bograk and Aravi were there, too. Oh, and I believe Kayla headed upstairs around the time I came down with Aravi. Honestly Eyja, I’m probably forgetting someone. I’ve been told to improve my situational awareness, but I’m not really sure what that even means.”

She hoped Eyja wasn’t too disgusted with her lack of information. She had not been paying attention at the inn because she had not been up to anything she felt she needed to hide. And Aravi’s troubles had been foremost in her mind.

“Then I got some tea from Yetta and went outside. I spoke with Dar’muktah and watched Lowren and the Argonian man cleaning up after the storm. Then I met Maxical. We sat on the bench chatting for a while. We have some mutual friends.” What happened next? “I must have been in a fog, because I can’t say how long we sat there or even what we talked about. I don’t really remember getting my things from the inn, but I must have.”

Abiene looked at the list again. “I can pick up a few of these things today at the chapel. Master Selvilo might have some of them, he’s a Dunmer. I can’t imagine why he would have netch leather, though. I’ll need to pick up my crystal ball so I can try to reach Darnand. He’ll know where Jerric is. That’s the alchemist.” She shook her head. “I hate to involve them in this.”

Abiene’s mouth went dry and her heart began to race. Perhaps that’s still the poison, she thought, gripping the bench’s edge.

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This post has been edited by Grits: Aug 24 2013, 04:01 PM

[mALX]

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Eyja:

The idea struck Eyja to mark the location of Cloud Top on Honditar's other maps so they could each carry a map with them in case they became separated. When she unrolled the other maps she was surprised to find Cloud Top marked in different spots on each map.

The one Honitar had originally looked at showed Cloud Top due North of Chorrol. Hers showed it North Northwest. The last map she unrolled had it West Northwest.

While Seth was greeting Abiene and talking to her about the potions, Eyja waved Honditar over and showed him the discrepancy in the maps. Honditar's brow furrowed over the maps, then cleared suddenly. He pointed to the map that showed it West Northwest.

"I've seen an Ayleid structure here, but it is in ruins and almost fully below the surface of a small pond." He shook his head. "In my memory and experience I'd have said it was one of their wayshrines or fountains of magicka. The area is good for deer and I've had a few wolf pelts down there at this time of year."

Eyja clouted him on the shoulder. "Don't regale me with hunting stories now, is it the right place or not? Maybe the water enhances the shock to the person."

"Or maybe it's not the right place. See this map here? If this one is right, North Northwest; this is unscalable mountains. To reach the ridge you have to travel south at least two miles from that underwater site to the foothills and start climbing there."

He pulled out the original map he had looked at when he hadn't found Cloud Top.

Eyja pointed to her lipstick mark. "It's due North of Chorrol. What is this snake like thing? Is that a road?"

"It can't be, it isn't marked." Honditar leaned over the map. "Hold up; it is an old mountain trail, a foot path! It must be little used if it isn't marked." He ran his finger from Chorrol following the trail and stopped suddenly.

"Look here, Eyja. There is an Ayleid ruin marked on the path due North of Chorrol, Hrotanda Vale. If she is needing Welkynd Stones, here is where she would go. That footpath will take her directly to the ridge by the quickest route; once on the ridge she can walk it to any one of these markings from there."

"But she was seen heading Northwest, surely we should go where we saw her heading. Maybe we'd better ask Seth what he thinks."

Honditar's eyes flickered a quickly doused flame of anger. "You want me to track them, it takes time when it is two light women. The Orc could be tracked as fast as he walks, but these two will barely leave a trail. We need to catch them, but sometimes heading them off if you know where they are headed is the better move."

"But we don't know where they are headed, two of these maps are wrong! And truthfully, we don't really know for a fact she is going to Cloud Top, that is conjecture. What if we are wrong, should we not follow them to be sure?"

The worry and exhaustion in Eyja's eyes softened Honditar's anger. He cupped her chin in his hand. "Aye, me darlin'. We'll do whatever it takes to get your friend back. Don't you panic, we'll get her."

Eyja nodded, and brushed his hand from her chin; but did take the bar of chocolate he offered readily. "I need this, I've not eaten."

Honditar sought Seth himself, and lowered his voice when he spoke; but Eyja heard him.

"Maybe you and I had better plan this out." He hitched his thumb in Eyja's direction. "Women don't plan as well when their emotions are stirred up."

"I heard that, Honditar."

Eyja rolled up the maps and jammed them into his pack. She was too emotional to think right now. Too hungry, too exhausted, too panicked. Maybe it would be best to stay out of the planning, but what if Honditar was wrong?

The worst part of it was, Honditar did know this stuff; he was a Master hunter. Seth could have said the same thing, and she would have trusted his judgment immediately. Why had she given Honditar a hard time? He'd even done his pirate imitation to ease her tension, and she'd all but slapped his hand from her face.

Eyja signaled Abiene to her while the men talked. "Abiene, do you have any potions for bitchiness? Not to give it to me, I already have it. I think my nerves are shot. I haven't eaten or slept in too long. I don't know if you know about Nords, but if we don't eat our personalities take a nosedive."


Lowren interrupted, signaling that he had all three horses saddled and the bedrolls tied behind the saddles. He pointed to the saddle bags.

"Miss Bograk packed you some special food for your trip, said her thoughts will be with you'ns till yer return."

Eyja's eyes caught Seth's, remembering their earlier conversation about not trusting the food here. Now it was being thrust on them. He seemed to get the same joke, his eyes gleamed with momentary amusement.

Lowren moved close to Eyja and cupped his hand under her knee to lift her into the saddle. He winked at Eyja and whispered quietly, "My thoughts will be with you too, remember we've a date; you and I."

Honditar's head had raised momentarily in the Bosmer's direction. Bosmer loved to flirt, but in this instance it was Eyja's fault; yesterday morning leaving the Inn she had flirted with him; promised a date with him when her weekend with Honditar ended.

That was before all this happened with Maxical, flirting with him now was the last thing on her mind. She shook her head no at him and eased the horse toward the gate, waiting for him to open it for her.




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This post has been edited by mALX: Jul 26 2013, 03:15 AM