Back at Chiraque
Exhausted from the exhausting battle against a giant crocodile, which the four adventurers heroically defeated last time, they return to Feandal’s camp. During their absence, he has turned his camp upside down and, in addition to the month’s rations of dried fish promised in the last blog, he is able to offer a backpack, a book on nirnwort and a specimen of the extremely rare purple nirnwort. Before he has even finished saying the word " backpack", it is already sitting on Löwenzahn’s back, while Theo eagerly picks up the book. Feandal is more than grateful to the group and asks if they might have time for another assignment. Still pumped full of dopamine from the rewards they have just received, none of the group hesitate for a second to accept the next assignment. Feandal’s valuable pocket watch was stolen a few nights ago and he is desperate to get it back. As a reward, he offers two long coats, a cap and two pairs of cord pants, which he would like to pass on to the group. Aldric is not at all deterred and immediately starts searching for clues, which leads him to find potting soil at the edge of Feandal’s camp. The subsequent ’tracking’ roll is also successful, and Aldric notices faint footprints leading across the swamp towards the path that connects the Helenau trade route with the residence. They stalk cautiously along the road when a familiar face crosses their path. It is Wilhelm, who has obviously just picked up his wagon from the Residence’s fairground. Interested to see if they too can make a deal here, our four adventurers approach Wilhelm. However, he seems to be in a hurry and is clearly uncomfortable with his situation. Furthermore, the four of them are not really interested in the different types of cabbage they could trade with Wilhelm and return to reading tracks.
They finally reach an entrance to the gardens, which is right next to the orangery. As Feandal has told them that the gardeners and the slavers hardly know each other, if at all, Kel Tuh Las, Aldric, Theo and Löwenzahn march straight towards the first gardener, who is hanging upside down in a thicket of weeds and thorns, and leave the tracks they have been following for the time being. They ask if a clock has appeared in the gardens or if she has heard of anything similar. Somewhat taken by surprise by the very direct start to the conversation, the gardener first has to organize herself. She hadn’t found anything, but at the festival she had noticed a shopkeeper offering a watch everywhere, but apparently not being able to sell it. On closer inspection, they are given a very accurate description of Wilhelm. They say thank you, let the lady dive back into her pile of weeds and turn their attention back to the previously neglected tracks.
These lead our four heroes to a small shed opposite the orangery, which is full of wheelbarrows, buckets and other garden tools. A quick search behind a wheelbarrow reveals three flaps and a folded note pinned to the wall of the shed. There is obviously a memo for Emanuel on it. It reads as follows: “The left gate is guarded by an archer with a drawn bow. The middle gate is guarded by a lion that has been hungry for over three months. Finally, the right gate is guarded by a fearsome swordsman.” Surprised by the fact that Emanuel obviously can’t even remember whether he is hiding something in the left, middle or right door, they gratefully accept the clue. They quickly guess the solution: a lion that has been starving for three months is probably dead and therefore no longer a danger. Kel Tuh Las unerringly reaches into the middle door and immediately finds a pocket watch. Another note also falls into his hands. He quietly reads the following to the group: “Emanuel, keep an eye on Chiraque and don’t do anything stupid this time. Walk under the cover of the shadows.” Somewhat confused, Kel Tuh Las folds the note up again and pockets it. Not a second later, Theo can no longer hold back and finally looks at the mechanism in the shed wall with interest. He discovers that an arrow or dagger would pierce the hand of the unwanted visitor to the left and right flaps. Thrilled by this discovery and, above all, the loot that the device has in store for him, Theo immediately begins to take it apart and add the dagger to his inventory of weapons. Aldric’s glances at the bow also become longer and longer until the group finally allows him to annex it as well. But that is not his only desire, as he also leaves a massive pile as a greeting to the next finder. But now it’s high time to leave, as Aldric really hasn’t let himself get carried away here and the shed smells unbearable in no time at all.
Outside in the fresh air, Kel Tuh Las is also overcome by a desire. Dreaming, he looks through the windows of the orangery and enters without further ado. The remaining three slowly trot into the surprisingly warm orangery. But what awaits them here surprises them even more. They spot a Kel Tuh Las holding an uprooted orange tree in his hands and eating one of its fruits. In his search for free daily rations, it has simply overtaken him, and now they have a portable source of food. Suddenly Theo, Löwenzahn and Aldric are also in the mood for oranges, grab a handful and take a lunch break. The approaching dawn abruptly ends their break and our heroes groan as they rise to their feet again. This time, Löwenzahn leads the group and he hears a loud crash on his way out. After a startled glance over his shoulder, however, he is reassured to see that Kel has merely prepared a second orange tree for repotting and is holding it in his hand with a grin. As soon as he leaves the garden, Kel starts pumping bicep curls with a tree in each hand, but quickly stops when he realizes that this does not lead to a fitness buff.
The return to Feandal is successful despite the twilight, and Feandal can’t believe his luck that he can actually hold his pocket watch in his hands again. However, our four adventurers keep their suspicions that Wilhelm is behind the theft to themselves for the time being. Feandal ceremoniously hands them the promised clothes, and a few moments later, Löwenzahn with a mint-colored leather coat over his frog costume, Kel Tuh Las with a peaked cap, coat and corduroy trousers and Aldric with new trousers are standing in Feandal’s camp. Although Theo comes away empty-handed in this case, he is more than satisfied with the dagger he has found. So all four can bid a satisfied farewell to Feandal. Their next destination is Wilhelm’s farm and the next village, Fichtenstein. But this journey will have to wait until the next round of Arkanthia Pen and Paper.
