Mists Over the Musarde, Chapter Three

[ewancummins]

After the funeral, you all return to the cabin. Your host has been lucky in his day's huinting, and brought back a smallish deer, which he expertly dresses and cleans. That evening, Wat cooks big pot of venison stew. There is plenty of food for everyone gathered. Dorgio gets something special to eat: a pudding made from a mixture of the deer's bone marrow and blood. The dogs feast on scrap meat, and gnaw on bones.

After the meal, Wat bids you all a good night and then curls up to sleep beside his two big dogs, nestled beneath hs bearksin blanket.

The night passes without alarm. Next morning, after a simple breakfast of quail eggs and fried potatoes, Wat announces he's ready to travel to the Moot.

The trip to the Moot involves a long walk down the forest trails. Your party leaves Wat's cabin early in the morning and arrives at the Moot as the sun has dipped below the treeline and dusk has settled over the land.

The Moot- ground is a big broad meadow, bare of trees. It is carpeted in grass and wildflowers, but much of this has been trampled by human or animal feet. In the midst of the clearing stands a single large building, a longhouse built of logs and roofed with wooden shingles.

Several men stand on guard outside the longshouse, most of them near a big animal pen that sits hard by the larger structure. These men are armed with spears and hunting bows. A few people are working outside, tending to pigs, chopping wood, or carrying waterksins into the longhouse. From within the building, you can hear voices raised in argument or perhaps just a spirited conversation. The words are difficult to make out clearly.


Across the broad meadow, on the far side of the Moot-ground, there is a seperate, smaller encampment of people with horses, dogs, and house-style wagons. [These would be the first horses or wagons that any of you have seen since leaving Pont-a-Museau.] The ruddy glow of a campfire may been seen against the darkeneing line of the surrounding forest.


Wat motions towards the longhouse-

''The Moot-house stands there. We do well to hasten our steps, for after true night falls, the gaurds will admit no one.''

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio follows Wat and the rest towards the Moot house, grateful for the slightly more solid feeling in his guts.

He pauses when he sees the campfire, horses, and wagons. He stands for a moment, looking in its direction, trying to discern if there is anything unusual about these people aside from their equipment.

[steveflam]

Norzak whispers to the others "Why they don' let noone in after dark? We should fin' out here what peoples knows bout what killed Buckman. Mebbe we should sit fer a bit in a pub later 'n' duscuss what we kinna do against thet ghost lady. We muss' need special weapons or somethin'"

[Adam]

Bennedict's gaze is following Dorgio's, his thoughts traveling along a similar track. He catches the cleric's eye and arches an eyebrow, knowingly.

"Yes, Herr Norzak, though I doubt there will be much in the way of pubs here. Let us ask around in the moot house if anyone knows of strange creatures in the woods, but be careful. We don't know what these peoples' belief system may be, and we wouldn't want to do something that would cause an incident. Remember that in my research, Wolutha was ruler of this land at one point."

[ewancummins]

As you party approaches the Moot-house, you are able to get a somewhat better look at the encampment which stands on the far side of the clearing. A person- probably a woman or a girl- is dancing about the campfire. Music is coming from the camp, as well, the soft strain of a violin or fiddle. The wagons appear to be covered, in fact these wagons look a bit like houses on wheels.

Seeing that several party members have become distracted by the sight of the camp across the field, Wat helpfully explains-


''Those folk are tinkers, who are not of our kind. They bring goods from someplace beyond the Great Forest. It is hard to say how much of their stories a man should take for true-speech, for they are very great tale-spinners. ''

After a short walk, you all have reached the great wooden door of the Moot-house. The spearmen out front seem to recognize Wat, and readily admit your party. The sentries do give most of you curious, but not necessarily hostile, looks as you pass into the great hall.

Within, the longhouse is very capacious, like a great barn. The hall is about three quarters full of people, animals, and bales of goods and supplies. A loft runs all around the upper portion of the inner walls, and there are ladders connecting this space to the ground floor. There are people up in the loft as well as on the ground floor. The floor is hard packed dirt, so compacted that it feels almost like soft stone. A long rock-lined pit in the middle of the floor holds a big wood and charcoal fire. Numerous circular openings in the wooden ceiling serve as chimneys, drawing away enough of the smoke so that the air is breathable, if still a bit hazy. The central fire provides lighting as well as serving as a cooking fire [whole pigs are being roasted on long spits]. The air of the longhouse is laden with a variety of blended odors: woodsmoke, charcoal, human sweat, the stink of livestock, the sweet smell of mead, succulent scents of roasting pigs, etc.


Wat waves his hands about, a broad grin on his face-

''I warrant that ye have not seen its like! Grand is our Moot! Have ye ever seen so many folk in one place at the same time? Have ye ever seen a longhouse like unto ours?''



There must be a couple of hundred people present, but probably not much more than that.

[steveflam]

Norzak admires the gathering, but is more interested in the tinkerers. "If yer wanna join the party, go ahead. I be wantin' ta go see them others" he points his thumb over his shoulder towards the wagons and smaller crowd of people.

"Ye kinna come join me if yer like, but I be headin' there. I be more comfortable with less people than with all that hubbub." With that he turns and approaches the wagons, whether someone is following him or not.

[Lord Skybolt]

Alain goes through the crowd to see if he can understand anybody and see what he can find out about the local legends if he understands anybody in this group of people ."Well I'm off to see if I can dig up any information about the local legends . " With those words he goes to mingle with the crowd .

[Adam]

As you party approaches the Moot-house, you are able to get a somewhat better look at the encampment which stands on the far side of the clearing. A person- probably a woman or a girl- is dancing about the campfire. Music is coming from the camp, as well, the soft strain of a violin or fiddle. The wagons appear to be covered, in fact these wagons look a bit like houses on wheels.

Seeing that several party members have become distracted by the sight of the camp across the field, Wat helpfully explains-


''Those folk are tinkers, who are not of our kind. They bring goods from someplace beyond the Great Forest. It is hard to say how much of their stories a man should take for true-speech, for they are very great tale-spinners. ''

After a short walk, you all have reached the great wooden door of the Moot-house. The spearmen out front seem to recognize Wat, and readily admit your party. The sentries do give most of you curious, but not necessarily hostile, looks as you pass into the great hall.

Within, the longhouse is very capacious, like a great barn. The hall is about three quarters full of people, animals, and bales of goods and supplies. A loft runs all around the upper portion of the inner walls, and there are ladders connecting this space to the ground floor. There are people up in the loft as well as on the ground floor. The floor is hard packed dirt, so compacted that it feels almost like soft stone. A long rock-lined pit in the middle of the floor holds a big wood and charcoal fire. Numerous circular openings in the wooden ceiling serve as chimneys, drawing away enough of the smoke so that the air is breathable, if still a bit hazy. The central fire provides lighting as well as serving as a cooking fire [whole pigs are being roasted on long spits]. The air of the longhouse is laden with a variety of blended odors: woodsmoke, charcoal, human sweat, the stink of livestock, the sweet smell of mead, succulent scents of roasting pigs, etc.


Wat waves his hands about, a broad grin on his face-

''I warrant that ye have not seen its like! Grand is our Moot! Have ye ever seen so many folk in one place at the same time? Have ye ever seen a longhouse like unto ours?''



There must be a couple of hundred people present, but probably not much more than that.

"Indeed, a grand gathering," Bennedict says, a wry smile on his face. He watches Norzak go, considering following him. Ultimately, he decides it would be rude to his host not to at least investigate the Moot more closely. "Is there anyone here who knows of the creatures of the woods, Wat? We lost a man from our group, and we want to find the thing that did it."

[JMaytr]

Jonathan watches the campers with interest. The sound of the fiddle is enchanting to him.

"Norzak is right. We may need special weapons to deal with these night things."

Jonathan fishes the few coins out of his pocket that he has and hands them to Norzak.

"I am scared I might run off again if I see the ghost lady. Perhaps those coins will help get the weapons that can defeat her."

Jonathan continues to watch the "tinkers" and their dancing.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Cirdan will take off his helmet, and take a silk handkerchief to clean the sweat from his face.
He'll walk a few steps closer, next to Ben, but keep silent, as it seems to be his new usual mood.

[steveflam]

Norzak accepts the coins, putting them in one of the many compartments of his odd armor. "I'll use it if'n I 'ave to. Thanks, lad." He moves towards the tinkers and the music and once close enough, speaks out
"'Ello, might I join ye at yer camp? I be Norzak, Norzak Darkender 'o' Darkon."

[Le Noir Faineant]

"'Ello, might I join ye at yer camp? I be Norzak, Norzak Darkender 'o' Darkon."

Cirdan: Facepalm.

[JMaytr]

Jonathan keeps his distance from the "tinker" camp. Something about the music is both alluring and frightening to him. A memory perhaps, that he couldn't place.

"Norzak...be careful"

[steveflam]

Norzak has a hand discreetly behind his back, and wiggles it at Jon in acknowldgement of his concern.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

Dorgio says nothing, but he follows Norzak towards the tinker's camp. He watches the tinkers when Norzak asks his question, looking to see if their faces resemble those of the vagabonds who roam Barovia, the vagabonds whom he'd always imagined his mother must have looked like.

After Norzak's question, Dorgio waits for a reply, listening for any hint of a Balok or Luktar accent.