Chapter 2: Mired Waters

"I have not heard of Jelenneth, but I did get word of the orcs in the Thornwood. Didn't expect them to pour out to this part of the land. They caught me by surprise, ironically while I was looking for my weapon stash. I suppose it was either this or noticing them earlier but being unarmed. Either way, I am in your debt" she says with a nod towards the gems, a sign that even if she were to have any claim on them, she'd hand them over to you in exchange for saving her life. "You did mention you're looking into the New Mire's expansion, then. Not sure if it's connected to the orcs, but I have reason to believe the answer you seek is up near the headwaters of Cutter Brook. Can you find your way there?"

"uh-huh" Constantine mutters "yes, yes, trade"
as he scoops up every single stone.

He is in some kind of trance, muttering the name of each one, from fist sized to pebble.

"topaz"

"bloodstone"

"topaz"

he keeps track of every one.

Except the pearls. He pushes those aside like they're worthless, and leaves them behind when he cinches up his sack and throws it over his shoulder. He toddles off looking drunk. You can't tell if it's the weight, or the delirium he seems to be in .

The warrior eyes the gnome questioningly for a second. At least they do not have to worry about losing the gems as Constantine was unlikely to let them leave his sight. Devon hoped they did not need to beat them from him later.

"I can get lost almost anywhere." he chuckled and glanced around the group, "Hanzel, you are from the nearby town, do you think you can find the place Shiraz speaks."

Hanzel nods. "I know the area well. Assuming the earth hasn't somehow changed shape since I was last here, I should be able to lead us in the right direction."

He stifles a chuckle at the sight of Constantine in the throes of a gem-induced trance. "I'll have to remember not to leave any valuables unguarded with him around."

Devon chuckles, "Unless they are pearls."

He nodded in agreement with Hanzel, "I'm glad you are familiar with the area. I guess one problem might be it is flooded. Hopefully the entire area has not changed."

"I overheard some farmhand the other day, saying he saw some massive blue-skinned creatures near that area. Big teeth, sharp claws, the whole lot, so I took that with a grain of salt. Still, you might want to be on the lookout, if not for them, maybe for tracks or traps. Been meaning to check things out myself, but I got a little caught up with the birdfolk here, the Eelhold and a few other loose ends. Either way, thank you for looking into this. It's probably worth investigating if those creatures have anything to do with the flooding of the New Mire."

"I've never seen or heard of any creatures like that around here. Maybe they're from elsewhere and were attracted by the flooding?"

Looks back and forth between the old ones, staying silent for now.

Devon listened to the description. Having lived on a farm and delt with farmers regularly. "Could be something that has moved in like the ors have. We will be careful, but I agree, details get muddled. Still, they saw something which we should definitely be on the look for."

He considered, "How far is this place from here? If we end up camping out here, do you have a recommended spot to consider or anywhere we should avoid?"

"Either the flooding attracted these creatures, or they moved in and caused the flooding. Either way, I'm guessing there's a connection. The description itself didn't ring any bells, but if they were really that massive, I doubt they would have gone unnoticed, by me or others around. Probably a farmer lad's tall tales, exaggerating the truth."

When Devon asks his question, Shiraz takes a moment to do some mental calculations before responding. "I'd say it's maybe some five-ish miles to the northwest of here? If you're close to a farm, the safest bet is to ask whoever lives there to put you up for the night. Might involve some extra walking, but the advantages are obvious. Alternatively, if you seek secrecy and can stomach the climb, you can seek shelter amongst the bird people. I can show you the way and it wouldn't hurt if you brought some trophies of these orcs with you as proof of your intentions. They've been harassing the birdfolk for a while, so they'll probably agree to provide shelter as thanks, or maybe for the added protection. But that's a whole other issue, I'm not sure if you'd want to get involved in that particular matter anyway."

"Five miles seems doable, although the mire can take longer to navigate. You've mentioned the bird people a few times. I know nothing of them. Are they a tribe of some sort or are they truly people who are birds with feathers?"

Constantine is listening as he rubs and caresses his stones,
"I've never seen a bird-person either. It sounds exciting! Just how high is this climb?"

"They call themselves 'the aaracokra' in their language, which I believe roughly translates to something like 'children of the wind'. They're humanoid in stature, with arms as well as bird wings, heads and legs. Quite secretive, which is why their lair is a ledge that plunges some three thousand feet below, so unless you can fly like they can, the climb down can be deadly. I believe they're some sort of splinter group from a larger tribe, but haven't been able to uncover much more. I'm quite fond of this area, to be honest, so their presence does make my life a little harder. I'm hoping they're only taking refuge before continuing somewhere else, but if they've nested for good, that complicates things. Still, I can't force them to leave and as a Ranger, I have to protect them. Especially from these orcs, who seem to have made a target out of them. Which in turn prolongs their stay and puts me between a rock and a hard place. I can't just stand by and watch them get slaughtered, but the more this impasse remains, the more stuck they are in this place, unless they decide to flee somewhere else for some reason."

Theobald’s eyes grew as wide as silver coins at the mention of the 'Children of the Wind.' He didn't seem frightened by the prospect of bird-folk living on a deadly precipice; instead, a look of pure, scholarly wonder washed over his face, as if he were visualizing a page from one of Jelenneth’s most prized bestiaries. However, the mood shifted quickly as Shiraz spoke of the orcs' cruelty. His youthful brow furrowed in a deep, serious frown, and he stopped cleaning his last throwing-dart to give the Ranger his full attention.

Stepping closer, he tilted his head back to look at Shiraz and spoke with a mixture of innocence and borrowed gravity:

"'Tis a most wondrous thing, to have wings and fly amidst the clouds! But these orcish brigands... have they plagued these lands for a great age, or be they newly come to bring such strife? Tell me, good Mistress, how might we lend thee aid? For it is not right that noble bird-folk be hunted so!"

He looked at his companions, his small chest puffing out slightly, waiting to see if they would back his offer of assistance. He clearly felt that a Ranger in such a predicament was exactly the kind of person true heroes should stand beside.

Devon was certain he would not be trying to navigate a thousand foot cliff. Orcs however was something that he understood and would be more than happy to continue to deal with.

Aldeera nods sagely. Rangers were devoted to protecting innocents, a lot like paladins. She was glad she wasn't a ranger.

Hanzel stands a bit straighter to suit the seriousness of the situation. As a druid, his duty is to protect the natural world and its children. "These orcs cannot be allowed to continue their efforts to kill the birdfolk. How can I help?"

"The most direct solution would be to slay whoever's leading those orcs, and hope no other leader rises up to fill up the void. As far as the bird folk are concerned, they could always move on to another place and avoid the harassment. But even so, the orcs will likely need to be dealt with at some point, lest the pour out their lair to attack the human settlements in Haranshire. Perhaps that's an undertaking for a later time. I understand me and my associates are on the lookout for these new orcs, more scouting is needed. You look into these creatures and the Mire's expansion, then we might reconvene at a later time. If you can't find me directly, you can always get to Garyld. His birds always get the messages through to me."