Return from Olaj

The Village of Falu, your home, is fairly insignificant as villages go. Found in the open plains of the Kingdom of Kelet the isolated village is home to about thirty people who up until very recently survived via trade with some of the other nearby villages. Kelet’s war with the Nyugatran Kingdom, however, has changed all of that as most of the nearby villages have either been plundered or simply abandoned as troops from both sides engage in open hostilities.

Pap the Wise, the de facto leader of Falu, has held the village together through the recent hardships. His herbal concoctions have staved off malnutrition and kept the villagers in relatively good health while his connections throughout this region of the kingdom have kept some supplies coming in. Of course these supplies don’t come to Falu on their own; it’s up to some of the stronger and more adventurous villagers to travel and retrieve them.

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It's been a long trip. On the road for nearly two tendays your visit to the friendly people of Olaj was most productive. Having quickly procured the needed supplies for the upcoming winter you had all looked forward to a quick return to your home. But trips over uncivilized and war torn lands rarely go as plan and after a few encounters with some local soldiers, more than a couple drunken kobolds, and the loss of your cart mule you're just happy to be returning at all.

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A good seven days behind schedule you break camp for what should be the last time. Cart packed and with each of you in your assigned positions the four of you work together to push the cart on the final stretch home. It’s not easy work but with the loss of the mule four days past there hasn’t really any other option. Slow going and very tiring you’ve at least been blessed by the lack of any run ins with the local wildlife or roaming soldiers that had plagued you earlier on the return trip.

A rough couple of hours later your spirits start to lift as you can see the Csalad family farm in the distance. You’re long trip is just about at an end. It isn’t long before you reach the small farm and a familiar face rushes towards you. Evelin Csalad, the eldest daughter of the family runs out, waving her arms over her head. "STOP!!" she yells through what appears to be a piece of cloth wrapped around the lower part of her face. "I’LL COME TO YOU!"

She slowly approaches and when she’s about thirty feet away she tosses what appears to be clothing to the ground and slowly backs away. "PUT THOSE ON BEFORE COMING INTO TOWN!"

The one thing that you all immediately notice when you approach Evelin's offering is the strong flowery odor emanating from the cloth, almost as if it had been dipped in perfume. Evelin points to her wrap, "The only thing keeping the few of us that are well from getting sick. Pap made them up special and those of us wearing them are still standing."

She pauses and motions to her wrap one more time as a not so subtle suggestion to those who haven't grabbed theirs.

"Mother and father are bedridden" she says with a slight quiver in her voice. "Just as everyone but four of us. Whatever it is hit about six days ago and it hit quick, your lateness in returning probably saved you."

As far as any of you can tell it's the same old Evelin. A little rundown, for sure, but that's not to be unexpected. If she's one of only four people still well in the village you can be sure Pap has her running about helping where ever she can.

"Pap's gonna want to see you. It'll be nice to finally split up some of the chores.."

"Hot drink!!" Evelin retorts with a laugh. "Water from the well for those of us that are able bodied and some of Pap's remedies for those that ain't."

You follow the eldest Csalad child past the family farm as she continues to give you details about the past six days. "Sickness hit the Rolavs first, the whole family is down. Vargas packed up some gear and just left, not sure I can blame them after seeing their neighbors succumb to illness so quickly. Haven't heard a peep from any of 'em since"

Your trip to the center of Falu is a thankfully quick one and as you bring the cart alongside Pap's residence Evelin excuses herself. "I need to check on my family and then on the Rolavs. Weird this illness, no one seems to be getting any better, but no one's getting worse either..."

You can all hear Pap through the thin walls of his home busily working on something and occasionally stopping to curse frustratedly under his breath. The Csalad, Vargas, Rolav, and Mendel family residences are within view of this location as well but other than Evelin (and Pap's cursing) you haven't seen or heard any signs of life.

Morris:

Trying to keep up with your questions as you follow her back to her family's home, Evelin tells you everything that she can think of concerning the mysterious illness. "Rolav family was the first to get sick and from there it spread throughout the whole village within a day. Pap says he ain't never seen anything like it. No spots, no fever, no coughing, just folks too weak to move around." She stops for a slight instance as she tries to remember anything else that may be of use. "That's about it, nothing strange about the day at all... Other than the Vargases packing up and leaving."

Entering the family's small home you find the other three members of the Csalad family lying in their beds. The father, a slender man named Vilmos, sees you enter the home and a slight smile crosses his face. "Morris. We're glad you're back. Are the others here as well?" He struggles to lift his head to take a quick look for the others before giving up. "You need to rest, Father. Don't worry, the others are back as well" Evelin says as she moves besides her father's bed and gingerly helps him take some of Pap's herbal medicine.

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Tayleron, Martel, and Thuron:

The knock on Pap's door is answered with a weary, "Let yourself in, Girl, I'm almost ready with the Rolav's treatment." Entering the dwelling the three of you see a familiar sight. Pap working at his table, herbs of every type imaginable in little jars spread out in a seemingly random pattern, some sort of brew boiling over a small magical fire, and books cracked open to various pages thrown about the room.

Turning to greet the person he believes to be Evelin the old man lets out a startled gasp of surprise when he sees the three of you standing before him. His eyes dart as he looks over the party trying to spot which one of you the halfling might be hiding behind. "At least tell me you got something good in trade for him!" and after a slight pause to gauge your reaction he bursts out in laughter.

"I see you've got your wraps, good, good." he says, taking a seat, as he motions toward the cloth wrapped around his face. The three of you discuss what you've already learned from Evelin about the disease and he has very little to add. "I feel like a damned fool not being able to protect the village, but I think I've finally found something that might help." He slowly gets out of his chair and down onto all fours as he rummages through some of his books.

"Here! The Noveny weed!" he holds up one of his books and points to a picture much to small for any of you to see. "This weed may just be Falu's salvation!" Working himself back into his seat he explains the properties of the Noveny and why he thinks it will cure whatever it is that has befallen your village. "Unfortunately the only location anywhere close where this might be found is the Balrangs"

You've all heard of the Balrang Caves before. Roughly 10 miles due east through the Fak Woods, not a trip any ordinary villager would dare make.

Leaning back in his chair he sits silently for a moment before looking directly at the three of you in turn, "I know it's a lot to ask, but I fear that this weed is our village's only hope."

"No cause that I'm aware of, unfortunately." Pap says, slowly shaking his head. "Rolav's were the first and I've questioned them on their whereabouts, diet, and anything else I could think of at the time." He pauses for a moment and stares at the ceiling before adding "Before I knew it the whole village was sick, it wasn't as if it spread after the Rolav's became ill, it just sort of inflicted everyone else at the same time..."

You know that the Rolav's live on the far north of the village with the Vargas home located just a short distance from there.

The Noveny is unlike any weed that you've seen before but you're confident from the picture that you'd have no problem finding samples should you come across them. A hearty plant, a specimen stands roughly 8" tall, with thin needle like leaves running the entire length of the stem. Pap figures twenty or so of the plants will do the job.

You're all familiar with the Fak Woods as it is the primary source of wood for the the village and lies about a mile to the east. With the exception of Tayleron, none of you have ventured too deeply into them, preferring to stay on the outskirts where things are a bit safer. The ranger has done a bit of scouting in the past and knows of the Kobold tribes that call the woods their home and of some of the more powerful creatures within.

The Balrang Caves, from what you've all heard, is a cave complex on the opposite side of the woods. Stories told would have you believe of great treasures deep within the complex and mortal danger all around.