Chapter the Twelfth: A Lengthy Search

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Spoiler:

[dice]0[/dice][dice]1[/dice]

Ivan's watch is uneventful. During Doctor North's watch, the barking of dogs shatters the quiet of the night. The sound draws near, and it is evident that the curs are approaching.

Spoiler:

[dice]2[/dice]

As they reach the limits of the firelight it becomes evident that the party faces two wild canines, who live by whatever means they can, without the proverbial friendship Dog is supposed to have for Man.

[Mr. Handy]

"They must be hungry," says Henry. "We can try throwing them some food in the hopes that they'll want to eat that rather than us. Meat would be the most likely to divert them. If that doesn't work, I can try to frighten them off with the light from my Illuminator."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Spoiler:

INT = 4 [dice]0[/dice]

Both mongrels have been successfully diverted by the offer of meat, at least for the moment. The question remains as to whether the party should continue to wait the few hours until dawn, when the dew may be collected, and risk a change in the dogs' temperament, or abandon this attempt and risk not finding a suitable place to attempt it once again.

[SunlessNick]

Awakened by the commotion, Ines looks to Lucky, hoping that her Gypsy talent with animals and Miss Carrow's pure love for the vixen will be able to keep her calm in the presence of the dogs.

OOC:   Charisma 10, +1 Animal Husbandry, +1 True Innocent, -3 Fear of Dogs (which might communicate itself to Lucky) = 9 SunlessNick rolled 1D20: 6, success.

[Mr. Handy]

"Might they like music?" suggests Henry. "The right song might keep them calm and perhaps help them fall asleep."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Soothed by the dulcet tones of Miss Carrow's song, the curs soon retreat.

The journey continues without incident for some days. At a place where the coach is slowed somewhat by marshy ground, Tom becomes agitated as before.

"Third of four is the fire that burns not, a-hey. Let them as may gather so do."

[SunlessNick]

"Do you mean peat, Tom?" asks Ines.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The only reply is a sad shaking of the head to indicate that the suggested substance is not the correct one.

[Mr. Handy]

"Fireflies, perhaps?" suggests Henry, racking his brain.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

In response to this statement the bedeviled Tom once again temporarily regains his sense.

"Fill a flask with a sufficient number of these minuscule creatures to cast a fair light. Take care that they be provided with sufficient moisture and fresh air each day, without allowing them to escape, so that they may still provide the necessary glow when brought to the Cathedral."

He then relapses into his former state.

These insects being nocturnal and fond of damp places, it will be necessary to enter the marshland after sunset; an activity not entirely without hazard.

[Rooter]

"I am willing to go firefly-hunting," Lila volunteers. "Do we have anything resembling a net? Perhaps something can be fashioned using one of Miss Carrow's lacy kerchiefs."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

This cleverly devised item being assembled by agile fingers, Miss Davenport, heedless of the way in which the moist ground might soil her boots and gown, heads out in search of the tiny and elusive creatures. As dusk fills the marsh with an eerie half-light, the curious pale glow known to the common folk as a will-o'-the-wisp, and to the learned as ignis fatuus, appears at a moderate distance. The sight calls to mind the words of John Milton from his magnum opus.

. . . a flame,
Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends,
Hovering and blazing with delusive light,
Misleads the amazed night-wanderer from his way
To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool;
There swallowed up and lost, from succour far.

There is also a soft, slithering sound coming from somewhere not far away. Its source is not immediately evident.

What manner of investigation or precaution these phenomena require is a matter to be considered.

[Mr. Handy]

"I think trying to chase will-o'-the-wisps would be a bad idea," says Henry. "We'd only end up getting lost. I think we should concentrate on finding the fireflies, but that slithering could be a snake. We should shed some light on the area, either the lantern or my Illuminator. When we do catch the fireflies, we can trap them in a jar and poke holes in the lid to keep them alive, but too small for them to escape. We'll need to put some water in there for them too."

[Rooter]

"I have heard that fireflies are drawn to lights which mimic their own," Lila agrees. "Let us hold our position and try to bring the creatures to us rather than stumble around in the swamp." She takes out her small lantern and raises it aloft, moving the shutter back and forth in an attempt to imitate the fireflies' light.

[SunlessNick]

Meanwhile, Ines keeps her eyes to the ground, trying to discern whether a snake or any other dangerous animal might be approaching. She urges Ivan to do the same, as two pairs of eyes are better suited to the task than one.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

These wise precautions protect the party from venomous adders which inhabit the marshy ground.

The fireflies thus obtained and cared for, the party rests for the night, their dreams uninterrupted by any disturbance.

As the next few days go by, Tom seems to have grown silent and introspective. It is not until they have reached London, a welcome sight after so much time spent abroad, that he again speaks.

"Last of four is the air none not green may breathe, a-hey. Then done is done, and poor Tom's a-home."

The adventurers will, of course, take time to restore themselves in this greatest of all cities.

[Mr. Handy]

"Could that be the air that plants breathe?" wonders Henry. "You mean fixed air? It was Dr. Joseph Black who determined that it's what animals - and men - breathe out. All we need do is exhale to produce it, though if we need greater quantities, I could use Dr. Black's method of heating limestone or Joseph Priestley's method to drip oil of vitriol on chalk to produce it, and then dissolve it in water. I could then use a sealed container to hold it."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

It is no surprise that Doctor North's great familiarity with Natural Philosophy has yielded the correct answer. Once more sanity returns to the bedraggled old man.

"Assemble these four symbols of the Elements at the place where I slew the saint who bears my name. Then and only then will order be restored and I find eternal rest. But beware the jealous guardians!"

After this he lapses back into madness, and is unable to provide further information.

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, it's clear what we must do," says Henry. "Once we collect some fixed air, we'll have all four Elements. Then we must travel to Canterbury and go to the spot where Thomas a Becket was slain with them. We'll just have to watch out for these guardians."

[SunlessNick]

"I at least must return to Rochester when we travel," says Ines in a melancholy tone. "The young woman, the Chevalier's former love, I must tell her that I failed her."