#Lore24 – Entry #250 – Fantasy Month III #7– A Crossroads in Hearthlight

As Told by Teelsa “the Nimble” Dawndancer

“No, no, no, you’re mistaken my good man!  I’m Teelsa the Nimble, you see; this ‘Swift’ character, I don’t know her.  It’s a very particular thing, I just want you to be certain that your notes are correct, you understand.  In the interests of helping your operation maintain law and order and all of that.  Seems dreadfully dull if you ask me, though. 

Now, you asked about the details of our little impromptu smuggling operation?  Well, it’s honestly not that exciting.  Really, it was us stripping Eri and Hatae down to the basics, gagging them with some of Hatae’s gear that she had managed to slip away with, and then strapping them down with a dozen or so leather straps each.  That crate we’d wrangled was just long enough to fit them without causing too much trouble.  Hmm?  No, no, my good man, you’ve not been paying attention!  I write ballads, not tawdry stories!  A romance perhaps, but certainly not simple lewd recounting!  That’s something of the level I’d expect from that Siduri!  It was her idea, after all it was her idea.  I thought it a bit much, but we heard not a peep from our two charges during the trip!

Really, the story of our time in Hearthlight is rather dull.  I fear I’ve not been able to make much of it.  We left the Wayrest unmolested and with no sign of our pursuers and reached the quaint little town the next evening with little trouble.  I said my goodbyes to my companions, for they wished to spend a few days earning some spare coin, and had a discussion about our next steps, once our lovely elves were out of their box, mind you.  I do think Eri was getting a bit angry over the travel accommodations by this point; she’s a hot-blooded one, you know?  Would very much like to stick that rapier of hers into someone instead of hiding away, but it was what it was.

I’m getting there!  Good gods above, man, you’re an impatient one!  So, as I was going to say, we were in the middle of our discussions about how to proceed, enjoying some of the fine cooking at the Sweet Dessert Inn; I must return there one day to proper express my gratitude to the proprietor, for there is nothing quite like a proper halfling cooked meal after a long day’s travel, and its name was most apt!

Ahem…so, as I was saying, no need to get all worked up, we discussed our options.  Which were rather slim, admittedly.  It was only a matter of time before they figured out which direction we’d gone, and we were but four maidens fair on the road, minding our own business and not at all wanting to get involved with kidnap-happy cultists and dark elves with overblown senses of their own importance!  Fortunately, we were all rather well-traveled, so we knew the lay of the land well enough, and had a few connections here and there.  Ultimately, we decided upon Greenspire, figuring that some of the uh…more ah…shady types of entrepreneurs would know something of our plight, and may be willing to offer some aid, or perhaps sell us out and draw our enemies in for a proper fight.  Either way, the real takeaway here is that Eri and Hatae were not willing to go back into their box for another moment.  Much to Siduri’s displeasure, I might add.  It was ultimately Eri’s decision for us to take the route we did, for she’d taken the same course in a previous adventure and knew that, while challenging, would serve us best in evading our hunters.  The only problem with that course of action was that the forest had changed quite a bit in the decades since she’d been through there, so there was a spot of trouble we ran into. 

Oh, my good man, I’m simply parched!  I never did receive that house wine I’d asked for earlier, could you see to that for me?  I simply cannot go on without proper drink!  Why, it would ruin my voice were I to but try!”