Vandall spends most of the next few days out at the edge of town awaiting the party's actions....not taking any of the treasure to himself....he sits as if meditating out in a close field...everyone knowing if he is needed to just come get him.....

    Thellona sighs heavily as she watches the cat bound off into the forest. She asks of her companions, "Does anyone here have a potion of healing? I would gladly give my share of the gold for it." She then plops down heavily on her butt, legs crosses she sits like a child, seemingly lost in contemplation.

    Kharac meets the eyes of the cat, seeing the pain and sadness in its eyes it bounds off into the forest. He watches the cat go off, not moving, then slowly lowers his axe, letting the axe-head rest on the ground. He shakes his head slowly, staring after the cat, then slowly turns around to face Thellona as she slumps to the ground. He walks over and picks up Straxos' shortsword
from the grass, then turns back to Thellona.

    Kharac's eyes are furrowed, seemingly troubled as he moves slowly toward Thellona. He kneels close by the ranger, letting his axe fall to the ground, but within easy reach. "How is your wound?" he asks Thellona, as he looks her over. At her remark he gives her a weak grin, saying "Aye, I know how you feel. But I have naught for you. The wound doesn't look to bad, but it's probably best to bind it. Here let me help."

    Thellona blinks, surprized by the dwarf's voice...and a bit surprized that she drifted so far off into thought. She smiles softly to Kharac. "No, friend dwarf. I was thinking that if a healing potion was poured over that boar carcass...", she says as she points up towards the tree, "...then if the cat returned for his earlier meal, then some of his wounds would be mended."

    Kharac patiently binds Thellona's wound as the rest of the party inspects the cave. When he finishes, he looks Thellona in the eyes, a trouble look on his face. Thellona pauses a moment, aware of her own wounds. She removes a silver pendant from under her tunic, and softly sings a prayer (cure light wounds). Kharac speaks, "Did you notice the sadness in the cat's eyes? Taran was right, that beast was more intelligent than it should have been. I thought to try to scare it off by wounding it, without having to kill it. Gods above, I didn't want to kill it. It didn't seem right. But there is something strange about that cat. It looked like it was sad about the way we reacted to it. Most animals would have fought harder, knowing it's home was threatened, but this one didn't. It just....left. Almost as if it was didn't really care about it's den. I have a feeling that maybe I was wrong to try to wound it, to scare it off. I think now, it probably wouldn't have attacked us if we had left."

    Thellona nods, "I don't know. I have been thinking about that myself, but I am afraid it is impossible to tell, at this point, without 'asking' the cat."

    As the rest of the party comes back after searching the cave and heads back to the village, Kharac continues to brood, seemingly lost in thought. Kharac tosses Straxos his short sword back.

    Straxos: "Obviously the first and most important task is to divide up the booty. I feel that I played a small but vital role in the rescue of Arton. In return I want the Dagger and my share of the gold." He pasuses to look around at his companions before continuing, "Also, who carries the journel? It may tell us more about the cat."

    Thellona shrugs and asks rhetoricly, "Were any of us NOT in danger??"

    When Jocko is reunited with Arton, Kharac grins slightly to see the joy on both their faces, and then settles himself off to one side, listening to the party as they talk about what they've found in the cave. He grimaces as Straxos proclaims himself party treasurer, and asks the other dwarf to give his warhammer back with a harsh glare.

    Rhiannon smiles at the barkeep, and then to the rest of the group. "Ifn no one would mind, could I see 'at journal?" She smiles again, and looks to whomever happens to have the journal at the moment. Once she has it, she is very careful with it, noting it's age, and proceeds to inspect it with the utmost care, being sure not to damage it. She appears to be looking for any signs of magic, or to see if she can read the thing.

    The journal tells the tale of an adventuring ranger named Gristy. It gives detailed descriptions of events taking place up to about twenty years ago. Toward the end of the journal is a passage about how his comrade (named Endril) was turned into a snake and held prisoner by the evil mage Krazen. After months of searching, Gristy located the hidden temple of the goddess Oshalla, Bane of Magic. The priests agreed to reverse his friend's enchantment using the healing waters of the shrine. The final entry states that Gristy was preparing to make the journey to Krazen's lair to rescue his friend and bring him back to the shrine. The book itself is well made, but half used. The journal bears a seal on the cover. Rhiannon looks through the book. When she finds the last entry, she gets the groups attention and reads it to them.

    His eyes light up as Rhiannon reads from the journal, revealing the story of Gristy and Endril, and he looks around at the party. "Yes, that's it. That's what I saw in the beast's eyes. It was sadness and grief. The cat must be Gristy, it was to intelligent to be a normal cat. It was protecting the remains of his friend, Endril. It was sad that we could not see it for what it was, but treated it like any wild animal. That's why it left so suddenly, because it didn't want to be around us. It's almost as if it was trying to communicate to us. That's why it only knocked Straxos around instead of actually attacking him. The cat was telling Straxos to stay away from the cave, away from the resting place of his friend. It only attacked Thellona AFTER she had attacked it. It was being defensive."

    He looks at Jocko and asks "What do you know about this Gristy, now that you've heard the story? And, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take you up on your offer to tell me about Erron when he was here in your village. Young Arton mistook Straxos for Erron, and I'd like to hear more when you both have the time."

    Jocko looks at Kharac as he asks his question about Gristy. He scratches his head for a few moments. "I do remember a man by the name of Gristy coming through here a long, long time ago. He was getting supplies and did not stay long. He was not the type of man you would forget. There was a great sense of peace in his eyes, but also anguish. I remember asking him what was troubling him, but all I got as an answer was that things would be right soon. I must help a friend return to his true form. That is all I remember. He did not stay the night and left as soon as his supplies were gathered by the clerk. I am sure Arton will answer your questions in the morning, but the lad needs to sleep." Jocko excuses himself, thanking each of you individually for returning his son and he takes Arton to a back door and quickly exists.

    "Thanks for you help, Jocko. Good night." Kharac looks at young Arton, meeting the boys tired glance with one of his own. "Safe dreams, Arton. We'll talk in the morning." He gives the boy a quick smile as his father leads him away.

    Vandall goes back to the scene of the encounter on his own during some of his time alone searching the lair and surrounding area, getting a slight feel for the place..inspecting tracks throughout the forrest and meeting only with the party on certain cases, taking only the mentioning of the ranger name " Gristy "

    Listening eagerly to Rhiannon's reading of the journal Taran places the bag with the gold pieces on the table along with everything else. "I would like to take a look at the seal if nobody minds. It's probably just a personal seal of Gristy's, but maybe it's more."

    The seal represents the symbol of a Cormyrian noble family: The Huntsilver. One of the three "old blood" regal families of Cormyr, the Huntsilvers have long been associated with managing the realm's forest resources. In ancient times, it was Huntsilvers who organized the systematic development of forests for farmland. The current head of the family, Maestoon Huntsilver, is game warden of King's Forest. Other family members assist him in this work, while still others have prominent roles in supervising the clearing of Hullack Forest. The Huntsilver appear rarely at Royal Court, only at major occasions or on matters relating to Cormyr's forests.

    Straxos contemplates the whole situation. "Obviously I am the only one who seems to care about the loot so perhaps I should be group banker, splitting the money equally among us...perhaps a little more for me because of the extra danger risk I was in. Concerning this diary, has anyone consisdered the possibility that the moster cat is actually Gristy polymorphed. I mean he did say his friend was polymorphed, it could also have later happened to him as well. Perhaps that is why he did not kill me. What say you lot?"

    "Oh yes! I do believe we were all in danger, especially after I tried using my meager magic on the cat.", Taran looks a little bemused. "I agree with Straxos that Gristy may have been polymorphed, that means a mage of considerable power was behind it." Taking a sip of ale Taran looks around the table sizing everyone up, "If Gristy was part of the Huntsilver family then maybe we should contact them and pass along our thoughts about his possible predicament."

    Kharac looks up at Taran. "A good idea, and a noble one. But how to contact them? Even better, what do we say about Gristy? He shakes his head ruefully. "I hate politics, and I have no desire to get mixed up in them, but I agree we should at least let the Huntsilver Family know we have found something about Gristy." He grimaces, then shakes his head again. "I hate mages even more than politics," he says as he looks up at Taran with a respectful nod to the mage, "present company excepted."

    Taran, looking a little bit startled by Kharac's statement, "I don't actually have an explanation to give the Huntsilver's, but I feel they should know the situation Gristy may be in." Taran with a thoughtful look, "We could instead try to find out more about the cat's situation first. Maybe confirming it's identify before troubling the Huntsilvers' or entangling ourselves in their politics."

    "I agree, Taran. But the question is what do we do to find out Gristy's situation, and how are we going to confirm Gristy's identity? I don't know....maybe you can come up with something." Kharac turns, looking toward the door which young Arton and his father had left by, a strange expression on his face. "I wish I knew more about Erron....oh well, it'll have to wait until morning," he says in a soft tone, barely audible.

    Straxos stares at his companions, absorbing what they are saying before he begins. "Excuse me, but I feel that perhaps we should find the mighty cat and talk to or diasble it. I mean there is a wounded possible killer out there, how happy is it going to be. It could end up hurting people. But in answer to a previous question, no, I don't think we were in any serious danger. It didn't hurt me when it could, and it only really attack when we put up a fight. I mean, did it go for anyone before you people started messing with it? Perhaps it was merely warding us away. If it is Gristy, he may still have some rational intelligence left, I say we try and communicate with it. And perhaps this time people will actually listen when I tell them to think before hurting it, hmmm?"

    Kharac takes his gold, puts it under his cloak, then sits by himself, almost self-absorbed, not commenting on any of the general talking going on around him in the Inn. He seems to be deep in thought, so deep in fact, that his mug of ale goes almost untouched. After an hour or so, he gets up and head to his room to go to sleep, nodding goodnight to each of his companions as he leaves the table, his warhammer in hand and the axe back in its sheath under his pack.
 

After Breakfast:
    After a good night's sleep, Kharac wanders down into the common room of the Inn, pausing in the doorway as he looks around the room, taking in who is here and who is not. He nods a good morning to Jocko, saying, "After breakfast, if you have time, I would like to hear more about Erron when he was here. Just whenver you can find a few minutes to talk, I would welcome the opportunity to here more," then promptly orders breakfast and some hot cider to drink. He then wanders over to where the rest of the party is gathered, nodding a good morning to each of them.

    Jocko looks more relaxed this morning. "Arton is outside doing his chores. We would both love to sit down and talk to you about Erron. Arton loved him very much...like the big brother he never had." He walks away to wait on a couple of customers who just came in.

    "Vandall is still out in the woods, eh?" He grins at the antics of the reclusive ranger, but his words and eyes speak respect for the elf. "He's probably keeping an eye on Gristy for us."

    He sits down at the table, lowering his pack and warhammer behind his seat. He is quiet while he eats, his eyes roaming over the party members, taking in how they look and sound this morning. He looks around the room as well, getting a feel for the atmosphere of the place, a slight smile slowly growing on is
tanned face as he relaxes. As he finishes his breakfast, the mug of cider in his hands, he looks around at the party members. "You know, I've been thinking about what we should do about Gristy. I think we should try to help him somehow, whether it is by talking directly with him or by finding someone who can help us talk with him." He pauses and leans forward on the table, an
earnest expression on his face.

    "I mean, Gristy was going to confront an evil mage in order to get his friend, who had been turned into a snake, back so that he could take him to the hidden temple of Oshalla because the priests said they could reverse the enchantment. Couldn't we find Gristy, and then take him to the priests of Oshalla? They could reverse the enchantment for his friend, why not for him too? All we'd have to do is find the temple. Maybe we could get Gristy to lead us to it. After all, he knows where it is and we don't."

    He pauses as he looks around the table, gauging the party's reaction to his suggestions. "After all, the alternative is to go to the lair of the evil mage and make him reverse the spell." He grins humorlessly, as he knows this to not really be an alternative at all.

    Thellona softly plays her harp - her way of thanking the gods of the harvest - for her morning meal. She eats lightly, although enjoying her breakfast greatly. Seeing Kharac descend the stairs, she smiles and nods to him. "Good day to you, dwarf friend. I hope that you slept well. My night was...restless." She greets each of the other party members as they enter the common room. When Kharac address the party, Thellona listens intently. She says, "I agree with you. I have been giving much thought to a possible solution. Communicating with the cat should prove to be much easier than reversing the spell that transformed him. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we should determine if the cat is, in fact, Gristy. But, if that assumption is correct, where do we find somebody with the power to reverse the transformation? Does anybody here posses such ability??"

    Kharac: "I don't think any of us do, but that's why I think we should find that Temple, and see if they could help us, and Gristy."

    Thellona thinks to herself for a few moments, "Was Gristy human? From my experience, Human rangers tend to serve Mielikki or Silvanus. I doubt that here, in Cormyr, we will have much trouble finding a temple to either of those powers. However, services, even to the faithful, often come with cost."

    Straxos stares at Kharac, an frustrated expression crossing his face. "Of course we should try and help Gristy! What by Tempus did you think I was trying to say last night? Does anybody EVER listen to me? Besides what makes you think Gristy will want to talk to any of you. I mean you did attack him and he may be inclined to repay your greeting." He then gulps down the last of his ale before he gives a small sigh. "I'm going outside for a breath of fresh air". With this said, Straxos puts his large brimmed hat on and moves hastily outside.

    With a sigh as Straxos stands up to leave, Kharac looks up at the other dwarf and says "I know what you were saying, and we all agree with you, Straxos. The question is HOW do we help Gristy? It is not a question of whether we do or not We will help him, but we have to figure out HOW. Even though we wounded him, if we are careful, I think we could manage to talk with Gristy, if we can find him, that is." He just shakes his head in wonder at the back of Straxos as he leaves the Inn.

    Vandall meets you all bright and early in the dining room of the Inn, his eyes seem tired and weary as he removes his hood from his head and smiles slightly, his features and hair making him look slightly savage since he has not had a decent meal and sleep in a day or two.

    His deep elven accent slices his words with etiquette as he stands before you, "I went alone into the forrest and back to the site of the encounter, tracking the cat a few miles upstream of the river....it is indeed Gristy polymorphed or such and he requires our assistance...I have marked the trail well we will take and see to the temple at the end shall give us information on this adventure we are about to set into..."

    He pulls a dry ration from his pack and dips it into a bit of ale and eats it down quickly. "I hope I have finally proved myself useful in your eyes.....but that is another matter...we need to set out this day or tomarrow morn....."

    Vandall nods to each in order and makes his way out the door and towards the clearing he has frequented the past couple of days to meditate and rest a bit while the decide.

    "Could you let Staxos know what you found?" Kharac lets a slight smirk twist his mouth as he calls after the departing Vandall. To the rest of the party he says, "It might make Straxos happier to know that one of us can do something right,eh?" With a big grin on his face, he continues to eat.

    Thellona looks up from her breakfast, "I too am sure that the cat was Gristy. May I ask, though, how you came to your conclusion?" She finishes the last of her breakfast stout and then looks back up to Vandall, "Oh, I have no doubt your worth of ability. I hope that you will see the same for each of us."

    Once his breakfast is finished, Kharac waits as Vandall and Straxos rejoin the rest of the party.

    "Well, the next step in helping Gristy is upon us. I suggest we go to the hidden temple of Oshalla first, as Vandall has already done all the work needed to find it." He acknowledges Vandall's efforts with a good-natured smile and a nod at the ranger, standing beside Straxos. "If we are unable to find help there, seeking help from the temples of Silvanus or Meilikki, as Thellona suggests, sounds good to me." He nods in Thellona's direction, the smile still on his face. "But I agree with Vandall, we should start as soon as we can."

    Thellona nods, "I could use a few more arrows. And I need to refill my waterskins. But I doubt I will need more than a few minutes for each. And I agree; it would seem that time is not on our side. We should make haste...we should be careful, but not waistfully slow..."

    With a stifled yawn and a shake of his head, Taran looks at Thellona, "If Gristy did serve Mielikki or Silvanus then wouldn't they want our help in helping one of their own? I can't imagine them charging us hard coin to help a member of their church. This is just my thoughts." Taking a deep breath, "But if it does cost I will gladly contribute my small amount of coins to the cause."

    Thellona smiles, "Goodness, I didn't mean that they would charge us coin. There are other ways we might be asked to pay, however..."

    Kharac looks around at the rest of the party, meeting each person's eyes. "Are we all agreed, then? Does anyone need to purchase any equipment or anything before we leave? If not, I suggest we leave as soon as we can."

    "I'm in agreement." Taran say standing, "I just need to grab my pack and I'm ready to go." He moves off towards his room. Returning shortly with pack and staff. "Ready!?"