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

[Grits]

Abiene

Honditar led the way up the road at a pace that earned them warning looks from the Legion patrols. He must have taken her at her word that she could keep up. Abiene did not enjoy her home county’s traditional troll hunts, but social custom dictated that she participate. Though she could claim no kills of her own, her pride insisted that she excel in the chase.

They reined up at a crossroad. Honditar dismounted. Abiene did the same.

“Hold the horses and watch the road,” Honditar told her. He headed into the bushes.

“Which way do you suppose they went?” she asked before thinking. If he knew they would still be riding. Perhaps he needed a comfort break. Abiene decided that she didn’t need to go. In fact she was probably dehydrated.

Honditar’s reply was an irritated growl.

“I have a Scroll of Clairvoyance,” Abiene suggested.

That got the Altmer’s attention. “Why didn’t you use it to find Maxical?” His voice wasn’t quite a shout.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way.” Abiene tried not to snap back at him. “Maxical is too far away. There are surely creeks and impassable gullies between us. The scroll would show the most direct path, but it could easily send us off in the wrong direction to get us around an obstacle that we can’t yet see.”

“Then it’s useless.”

“We’re on the road. That’s a direct path.”

Honditar made a gesture. “Use it, then.”

Abiene bit the corner of her lip. “Well, it only works for something or someone with whom the user is very familiar. I could use it to find my house keys, for example, but you couldn’t use it to find my house keys. It’s left over from one of my papa’s experiments. It turns out there isn’t much of a market for them.”

“Get to the point.”

“Well, an old friend or a lover should be familiar. I think the scroll will work.”

A series of expressions crossed Honditar’s face. “But you just met— Oh, you don’t mean... You and Eyja?”

Abiene strained not to roll her eyes. “You and Eyja. Didn’t you tell me you’ve known her for decades? I thought you could use it to find her.” She turned to reach into a saddlebag for the scroll.

Two Imperials and a Nord walked out of the bushes. Now Abiene saw the faint trail they had been using. Not even a footpath.

“Look here,” said one of the Imperials. “I sure wish we had some horses.”

Honditar moved forward. “Get behind me,” he hissed at Abiene.

Too late for that, thought Abiene. The men seemed to move more slowly as she glanced over them. She didn’t need to know much about weapons to recognize clubs, and the Nord had an axe on his hip.

“Good day,” she said. Her tone said Move along with all of the authority she could muster. She sent a Fear spell at the Nord to shake his confidence, hoping that he would be the most susceptible. Intelligence was more a factor than bravery. Her spell glittered slightly in the bright sunshine.

The other Imperial spoke up. “Yeah, I’m tired of walking.”

“Forget about it, Aldo,” said the Nord. He sounded nervous. “Not worth it.”

Abiene considered drawing fire into her hand as a threat, but it might upset the horses. Also it might escalate the situation beyond her ability to control it. Her aim was poor with elemental spells.

“Aldo,” said Honditar. “That’s funny, we just passed a Legion rider named Aldo. Do you know him?” He jerked his head over his shoulder, indicating the way he and Abiene had come. “Should be here any minute.”

Abiene pretended exasperation. “No, his name was Ronaldo,” she told Honditar. “All of those Enemies Explode spells have damaged your hearing. You shouldn’t be so quick to cast them.”

The Nord headed up the road without another word. The two Imperials exchanged a glance. Then they broke into a trot to catch up with him.

Honditar turned to Abiene. “You were supposed to be watching.”

Abiene raised her eyebrows at him. “Do you want the scroll?”

“No.” Honditar took the reins. “I found Eyja’s sign. They went this way.”

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This post has been edited by Grits: Jul 29 2013, 03:21 PM