As the heat and humidity forced droplets of condensation upon his brow, Steward Gael Wordsworth took the steps of the Great Council tower two at a time. His body ached from the exertion of the day, and he knew that he should take his time with the stairs and that his knees and joints would complain later; but he did not care, for he had reason to have hope for finding a cure. Several evenings past a strange woman who introduced herself as Atropa joined Sir Edric's patrol to the Ratman valley. The next night Gael had the opportunity to meet her himself while writing beneath a tree outside the mage shop on Ocllo. Her appearance struck a strange discordant note with him; her skin had a sickly pallor, her body frail. She coughed and wheezed, and it appeared that movement caused her unease. Most striking, though, was her effect on other living creatures close to her. A dog that had come to sniff at her leg at once looked weak and afflicted with some unknown malady. The woman was sad, alone, and in pain. Atropa did not know what ailed her. No physician, healer, wizard, alchemist, or wise-man thus far been able to concoct a cure for this illness that apparently afflicted her since childhood. Although the pain and physical suffering of this poor woman touched him dearly, what intrigued Gael the most was the mystery - what could cause such symptoms yet be completely untreatable by those who dedicate their lives to treating such maladies? After meeting Atropa that night, Gael quickly went to work in the King's Library. He remembered somewhere deep in the recess of his mind that there was a tome detailing the possible beneficial effects of the feathers from a Phoenix - a random blip of information that somehow stuck with him while cataloguing hundreds of such tomes. Upon locating that tome, somewhat to his dismay, he discovered that there was sadly very little known about the potential medicinal effects of the Phoenix feather. Experimentation would have to be up to the Great Council. But now... Now he might have something that could help her. Gael unfurled a sheet of parchment and wet the tip of his quill in ink: "Dear Atropa, I hope this missive finds you well (or at least no worse)! Included with this message and carried by hand by my most trusted Courier you will find a poultice. This tonic began as nothing more than a note in an old, dusty tome and brought to reality by the dedicated members of the Great Council, the Village of Paws, and Project Sanctuary. This very night, I tasked Council Guardsman Vindis with retrieving the feathers from a Phoenix. He was accompanied by Stalwart of Project Sanctuary and later joined by Chance of The Great Council. As they made their way through the Delucia passage to seek out the elusive Phoenix, they encountered hardship and trial. But in the end, they ultimately overcame the horrors of those passages (including an ambush by a Dread Spider!) With the Phoenix feathers in hand, they returned to me. I must admit, obtaining the Phoenix feathers was really the only step of the plan I had worked out. I am no wise wizard of healer - there is little I could do with the feathers. Stalwart being more adept in the arcane arts would be able to discern something of the feathers more than I could, but we decided to seek the wise council of the Grey Wizard of Paws, Jupiter. With the feathers entrusted to the care of Stalwart, we at once rode for the village of Paws. En-route to Paws we were waylaid by a monstrous Ettin along the path! I suspect he could somehow sense the mystical nature of the feathers and was drawn to them... We would have faltered in our mission if it were not for Stalwart's quick thinking. He enticed a deer to distract the Ettin as we made our escape. I explained to the wise Wizard of your plight - of the unknown ailment that afflicts you so, and I told him of my findings regarding the potential use of Phoenix feathers... The Grey Wizard, far wiser and knowledgeable than I, had an inkling of an idea as to how to unlock the potential effects of the Phoenix feathers. The first step was to visit an old friend of his in the city of Moonglow. I at once understood why Jupiter would seek out this man. The ingredients found on the store shelves were some of the most rare in the land! Jupiter gathered the needed supplies and we were off towards the North-West side of the island. At once, we came upon a tower by the water. In front of it was an arena. Jupiter's notion was to use the roof-top alchemical affects in an effort to unlock the potential of the feathers. However, Stalwart's keen eye and mystical attunement detected something sinister about this tower... And then I saw it for myself - the sign to the tower clearly stated "Evil Mage Tower". Clearly this would not do. Jupiter's plan was shattered and ever the eccentric he passed the alchemical supplies to Stalwart and promptly began setting the tower ablaze. At this time we had to part ways with the Grey Wizard, for our paths were divergent and Stalwart and I wished to continue the work we had begun on the feathers. The next stop was the homeland of Project Sanctuary. After battles and travel, we needed a short rest before continuing... Once our affairs were in order, we sought out the use of the newly set-up alchemist lab of Project Sanctuary... Stalwart took charge here, being more knowledgeable of this realm than myself. I attempted to help, but I fear I only mixed up some of the vials and was chastised accordingly. A short time passed as Stalwart worked rigorously. With potions mixed and tonics bubbling, Stalwart was ready to test the first Phoenix feather concoction. It exploded and burned us both. The next batch, however, came out much better. Not only did it not explode, but it was fit to be tested on Stalwart's faithful "horse". Fantastic news! The horse did not die! It was still a very ugly horse after the test, but it was still alive! Since neither myself nor Stalwart (nor anyone I have met aside from you) suffer from your sickness, we have no further way of testing the effectiveness of the poultice. With the bottle in-hand, we searched Ocllo to see if we could deliver it in person to you... We obviously did not find you (for that would make writing this missive rather silly). We did encounter a fellow Great Council member, Tritium, spending quality time with sheep in the Ocllo pens. Upon completing the search of the town with no results, we retired for the evening and I found myself once more at the Great Council tower. And here I now sit writing this to you. The poultice that came with this message is the collective efforts of the Great Council, Paws, and Project Sanctuary. I can not guarantee that it will do anything to help you. All I can guarantee is that it will not kill a horse. I have retained a copy of the steps to create this concoction. I know you expressed your desire to read, and next we meet I shall endeavor to teach you how to read this book so that you can understand for yourself what went into this potion. Please, do give it a try and let me know if it helps at all! Thank you. Lord Gael Wordsworth The King's Steward and Curator of the King's Library" His hand was cramped and his knuckles felt tight. With an audible pop, his knuckles cracked against each other, relieving the pressure and tension that built up. He pursed his lips and blew softly across the drying ink to further it along before rolling the parchment and sealing it with purple wax and the sigil of the King's Steward. He handed the missive and the vial of tonic to his trusted Courier, Darrius Yron for prompt delivery.
"... lumpy muffin" I will need to memorize, master, and utilize this lyrical incantation. I believe it will be a powerful peacemaking tune.
