[OOC: Thanks for the translations, Tarlyn!
]
An instant's mental arithmetic, and the bard speaks up:
"Even excluding the more wood-craftsy among us, sir, your spell still won't suffice to obscure
all our trails. Considering the state of the terrain in these parts,
mundane means of veiling our passage -- crossing water and the like, if the tale of
Longears' River-Race is taken as a practical lesson, as well as metaphorical -- might prove useful in itself, and would serve us all equally.
"It may be prudent to hold such magics in reserve, until our need is more focused and definite: should one of us be seriously injured, for example, a spell of that kind could be useful for they and an escort to return to town in safety. But until such a mishap actually
occurs, we won't know
who it is, that might require such protection against pursuit."
He glances to Kingsley, a hint of inquiry in his eyes, and -- receiving a confirming nod in response -- sets the travel-worn satchel on the table in the center of the room.
"As long as we're offering our respective contributions to preparedness," he continues, "it so happens that a previous passing visitor's folly may be to our advantage. It seems a foreigner who recently kept quarters at the Two Hares Inn was less than prudent: he walked off one day for a short errand out of town, and then failed to return as expected, leaving this bag behind." Crow's gray eyes twinkle with mischief, and he smiles, clearly pleased with himself. "It
also seems that this forgetful chap hadn't paid up for a room: the innkeeper had no objection to my claiming the property of the party in question, for a modest fee."
He winks at Kingsley, then flips open the satchel to reveal the contents.
"Really, it's hard to ponder
why he'd be so careless as to leave all this behind, but one shouldn't complain of timely windfalls' provenance. Daft fellow must've been one of those self-proclaimed 'monster hunters', out to make a name for himself as the next
Van Richten! That, of course, presumes his leftover equipment is genuine -- the possibility he was a charlatan, out to bilk the locals' grateful funds, did cross my mind -- but the Professor assures me that the holy water is the genuine article, and no conman would go to such expense where well-water could serve.
"I've already pocketed
my selection of the contents; might I suggest you all divvy up the rest, fair and square? Just in case we should meet with any unpleasantness beyond the mosquitoes. Be careful with the
powders, by the by: not all the labels are in Mordentish, though I believe some of the chemical symbols are Lamordian in origin."
[OOC: Happy Birthday, gang! Presents for everyone! Well, actually it'll be
my birthday this Tuesday, but it's the thought that counts.
[As a VRS agent, Crow naturally carries a handy selection of holy water, chemical banes, and so forth with his equipment, just in case. However, he knows that FoS members generally
don't load up on such supplies, so needed a cover-story to account for why he'd have this stuff with him. Ergo, the "forgotten satchel" story. Having Kingsley confirm that the holy water vials' waxen seals of Ezra were genuine was his way of making it look like he really
did luck into finding the bag, here in Souragne ... that, and it lets the professor feel like she's contributing her valuable advice. Everybody wins!
[
Assuming Nathan doesn't object: There are two vials of holy water per party member (Rolande included), plus three doses of antitoxin in total (for snakebite), a bottle of smelling salts, and one additional mundane or alchemical item of your choice -- night drops, alchemist's fire, chemical were-banes, etc -- per PC. Crow carries all kinds of stuff, from the PHB and VRA; there may also be items from other sourcebooks, if you ask Nathan's permission first. Nothing over 50 gp, as the bard's not made of money, and nothing too evil (e.g. lethal poisons; sorry, alhoon!) either.
[Hey, there had to be
some payoff to traveling with an undercover VRS agent! Who knows: if this junk comes in handy, 'Brother Crow' may just start speculating aloud about carrying some for himself....
[Oh, and Crow's paying attention to how the others -- Kingsley especially -- react to his dropping of the name "Van Richten". He's honestly and understandably curious what each of them thinks of the old sage and his work.]