Chapter 4 -

Setting off early in the morning, my head was still a little foggy from the previous evening's revelries which I hoped a brisk walk would help clear. I already had a decent breakfast in me thanks to Seb's ever impressive kitchen skills and I had replenished my supplies ready for the short journey to Daggerhaven.

About halfway through the first day, as I tracked close to the river, the ground gradually became barn. It seemed odd to be bare right next to the river, which presumably fed the field just as well as the others I had passed through. Looking around for any source of contamination that might explain it's condition I saw something atop a Tor in the middle of the barren area. Once I got closer I saw it was a cairn. Judging from the design, I guessed it was firstborn.
I decided to check it out, thinking it would be a tranquil place to stop for lunch.
At the base of the small monument built to some long lost sole, there was a plaque with writing etched in to it

She sounds like a well respected leader of her community. I contemplated this lost sole for a good while before startling myself, realising that it was written in our tongue. Why would an Ironlander write an epitaph for a firstborn? The thought crossed my mind that it might be related to a cult. You do hear about these groups going a bit weird, worshiping all sorts of things. If it is, I guess as cults go, this would be quite a tame one. Even so, just in case, I decided to pack up and head on my way.

An hour or so later I came traipsed up a hill, lost in my own thoughts. I wasn't paying much attention, otherwise I might have noticed the standing stones from below. The hill was rather isolated, in the middle of a large open clearing a short walk from the river. Becoming tired of the wet sqelching of my sodden boots, I had decided to travel further away from the river, it was clear that it has recently overflowed and a lot of the path was more mud than solid walking surface.

The hill wasn't very severe, I was able to amble up it quite easily without paying much attention. It was only as I noticed that the ground was starting to flatten out to the top that I looked up from the ground to see a ring of standing stones placed atop the hill like a majestic crown on the local countryside. It was weird that I had been so oblivious to them, I had been humming a tune that seemed to stick in my head. Curious, I approached the stones. As I got closer I realised that it was not just me humming that tune, it also seemed to be emanating from the stones themselves, each one producing it's own distinct voice resulting in a beautiful harmony. It was almost mesmerising. In fact, that's exactly what it was. Panic quickly starting to set it, I berated myself loudly, trying to snap myself out of it, constantly feeling the pull of the stones in my mind lulling me in to a trance once more.

Whatever magic was at play here, it was clearly very powerful. I struggled against it's irresistible pull, exerting as much effort as I could while trying to distract myself with other thoughts.

I fought it for some time, repeatedly thinking I had managed to pull myself away, only to suddenly realise that I had moved back to the centre of the circle and was gently swaying along to the music. It was clear that this was going to take more drastic measures to overcome. With the panic building inside me, panicking about what could possibly have set this trap and for what purpose, I was getting desperate. I took out my dagger and stabbed myself in the palm of my off hand, the fiery pain flaring out up my entire arm. It was so painful, for a brief moment I wondered whether I had gone too far, then laughed joyously as I realised I was able to wonder about something else other than that damned music. Needing no extra encouragement to get the hell away from there, I grabbed my bag and hoofed it as fast as I could down the hill, almost going arse over tit as I ran as fast as I could listening to the wilting tones quieten as I got further away. I almost missed it, it had seemed so important up there on that hill. As I finally made it far enough away and in to the tree line, I looked back to the hill just in time to see a large wyvern flying over the top, screeching in what I took for disappointment. I wondered whether it had learned to head there to hunt when it hears the music. I'd have to research those singing stones, I assume they are from a long dead firstborn civilisation, thought I doubt they intended them to be used as a trap for a hungry wyvern. I was just glad I managed to get away in time, and decided to press on, bandaging my hand as I went.

As I pushed through a dense patch of forest, the trees proving a significant challenge to progression, I heard some one further ahead. My heart beat faster in my chest as I listened carefully, hearing what sounded like quite manic chattering.
"Got to find it, need the herbs, need 'em, need 'em!"
I put my hand on my dagger as I approached closer, pushing through a bush to see a bedraggled looking woman, her hair doing it's best impression of a birds nest all wild and unkempt. She didn't notice my approach as she was utterly engrossed with her wild frantic searching within the undergrowth. I didn't spot any weapons at first sight, allowing me to relax slightly.
"Good afternoon, traveller" I said, holding my hands open showing here that I was not wielding my weapons, hoping to demonstrate that I was not a threat.
"Have you seen them? I need the blue herbs, I know they are around here somewhere, I need them! Have you seen them?" asked, barely giving any time for me to respond before she turned back looking slightly annoyed with impatience. Clearly she was not in a good state to converse.
"Maybe I can help?" I offered. "What are you looking for?" I asked.
"Herbs, I told you already, weren't you listening. Blue herbs, need them, need them all. Grown near here".
"Okay, okay, I'll help you look for them" I said, starting to look around the area for anything that might be described a blue herbs.

Over the next while we both looked around the area, finding a few patches of blue herbs, clearly what she was after. She was wildly ecstatic once we found them, giddy even. Clearly this was a good thing as far as she was concerned. Strangely, after a an hour or so of gathering, she rather suddenly seemed to calm down.
"Oh! oh! Thank you traveller. Thank you!" she seemed sincere. "I apologise for my rather ragged nature earlier. I have been partaking my own supply, tends to help pass the time out here alone foraging, and often leads to better success too!". She looked on sheepishly. "I'm Jihan, healer of sorts, I came out here looking for some specific herbs I need for my tinctures".
"Pleasure to meet you", I said, "I'm Imelda"
"Hi Imelda", she replied, "what brings you out in the middle of nowhere?"
"Im on my way to Daggerhaven, but I got a little bored of squelching along the river way, decided to come slightly further off track where it is drier"

I decided to stop for a while and share some rations with her, it felt good to engage in good conversation with a nice person out in the wilderness. All too often the wilderness leads to very different encounters. She told me that she is from a small village far to the north called Wayhill, but travels extensively throughout the region gathering supplies for her business making and selling potions. She used to have a business partner, Torin, who was a fellow healer specialising in more direct magical healing. He would provide emergency care where needed while she would provide longer term care and provisions for people who like to venture in to parts less civilised. Unfortunately Torin is no longer around, there is rumour that he got involved in less scrupulous pursuits while seeking to advance his magical capabilities, rumour had it he had even meddled in the dark arts, his hunger for power and expertise getting the better of his good nature. Though she is very sad to have lost him, she knows that he is too dangerous to be involved with now. While it was a sad tale of the downfall of a decent man, it sounded unfortunately familiar. Legends are full of tales of temptation for the week willed in these lands.

Unfortunately she had no supplies on her to aid me, apparently she had sold her last batch in Daggerhaven as she passed through on the way to here. I thanked her for her company, parting ways with a smile and promise to look her up if I ever get up to Wayhill. I travelled for another couple of hours before it was time to stop for the night. Before making camp, I took some time to try to forage for supplies, maybe even catch a rabbit if I was lucky.

I managed to snag some mushrooms and eventually bagged a rabbit. The little bugger gave me the runaround for a good hour though. Should taste that much better for the effort to catch it. At some point, I should get some hunting training from someone, if I'm going to be traipsing around the wilderness like this, I should probably get better at doing it.

I wasn't wrong. Damn that rabbit was good. I spit-roasted over the fire, had it with the mushrooms fried in a little garlic and butter.
It was all quiet for the rest of the night as I watched the wavy lights high above me, smearing the sky with greens and blue hues, like someone trying to paint over the stars.
Eventually I settled in under my blanket, the tent slightly rippling in the gentle breeze and fell quickly asleep.

I woke the next morning feeling well rested and in high spirits. The night out in the open had done me the world of good. A quick breakfast of the remaining rabbit and some trail rations and I was ready to head off. I broke down the camp quickly, deciding to leave the ring of rocks for the next weary adventurer to use for their fire, I wasn't in any danger and didn't need to cover my tracks. I headed off in high spirits, looking forward to reaching Daggerhaven by late afternoon if all went well.

I travelled most of the morning without incident. It was nice to just amble along, lost in thought. I had kept a bit away from the river as I had the previous day, enjoying the countryside scenery and keeping my feet dry. I guess I hadn't really noticed how far off the beaten track I had gone.
I had been walking for at least the last couple of hours along a thin track, overgrown from both sides with brambles seeming to reach towards the middle of the track as if to snatch away any unsuspecting traveller. As I rounded a corner, I stopped dead in my tracks, barely moving, barely breathing. How could I have been so stupid as to wonder this close without noticing? To be fair, the forest was pretty dense here, and the vision of it had been entirely obscured until I came around the final corner.
Like a startled rabbit, I stood there for what felt like an eternity, just blinking in surprise. Eventually I regained my composure and slipped in to the trees at the side of the track, hoping nothing in that cursed place saw me.

I had never before been to Grimwatch Keep, but I was pretty sure that I was standing in front of it. Like everyone else in these parts, I had heard rumours about the place. It was originally a fort, used to protect the trade routes and enforce the law in these parts, but it had seen much better days. It had initially fell in a battle between the Ironlanders and some firstborn, way back, when the firstborn weren't so secretive. Since then, it has been home to many denizens over the years, from the less reputable Ironlanders to all manner of beast both natural and otherwise. Looking at it from within the trees, it looked like nature had taken back much of the surface, the old walls covered with vines with sharp looking spikes. That however was the least disturbing part about the place. Even from this distance, I could hear the deeply unsettling symphony of chittering echoes bouncing off the stone walls that filled the air with an unsettling tension.

I really hoped I didn't have to go through there.