Day #2-36 (Airday, 16th Dewsnap, 4333 BCCC): Herschel Gobinmyer awoke before dawn and starting “brewing” the magical potion that it was hoped would cure the zombie curse that was afflicting villagers in Crystal Shores. He filled the golden chalice with pure water, then lit two beeswax candles in the two gold candlesticks, one on either side of the chalice. Then, just as the sun was rising, he placed the Pendant of Winstone into the chalice. It was then a matter of waiting until sundown to see what transpired.
After different folks had been fed in different ways, depending upon their lodgings, two villagers went door to door, performing a “head count” of how many non-zombie people there were in the village. They then reported that information to Herschel at his home. Herschel was happy to see that no more zombies had been generated during the night. When party members Douag, Falafela, and Vandin had arrived at Herschel’s, he sent for Flenda and Gwenette, and for their father Vilan Deathmar. When all had arrived at Herschel’s, he put the question to them. “As you all should know by now, the instructions for using the Pendant of Winstone to effect a cure has limited uses. We do not know how many it will cure before it exhausts its magical cures. Therefore, we must decide upon a priority as to who gets cured first, and create a list for who else gets cured, in what order. This is not the easiest task in the world, but it must be done.”
Naturally, Flenda and Gwenette both wanted their mother to be at the top of the list. And naturally, everyone concurred, seeing as how the sisters had both risked their lives in order to find the cure! However, after much discussion, it was decided that Vox should take the first drink of the potion, as if he was cured they could then use his muscle to help corral other zombies. Also, it was the fact that Vox had also risked his life, and indeed, been gravely wounded, that put him at the top of the list. Herschel wrote out the list: Vox the Just; Vilanious Deathmar (mother of Flenda and Gwenette); Wider Veldar (village cleric); Melchar, Vinar, and Loftus Furrowbrow (the village tinker and his wife and young son); Sathe, Beefa, and Lido Lidorn (proprietor of the Inn of the Blushing Trout and his wife and daughter); Simius Soderman (the wife of the carpenter); Moosecavalli Wirth (proprietor of the Tavern of the Cracked Mug); two fishermen in the Cracked Mug; Cardon Dragone (the boat master); and finally six other villagers who were local farmers.
Herschel said, “I hope we don’t run out of cures before we run out of people to cure.” Everyone present at the meeting added an “Amen!” to that simple but profound statement.
Finally, sunset came, and Herschel noticed that the water in the chalice had changed to a dark burgundy color, much like wine. The potion was poured off into the small bottles that had been assembled, and it was found there were exactly 10 doses of potion available. “OK,” said Herschel. “Let’s go and visit Vox and see how it goes!” Then Herschel, followed by Falafela, Douag, and Vandin, headed over to Mylene Ackmard’s barn, where Vox was staying. Vox looked a little apprehensive just before he drank, but he said, “I’ll probably never get better without this, so I guess I’ll drink it!” Then he took the small bottle of the burgundy potion and gulped it down. “That actually tasted pretty good! it was a lot like wine, except it was saltier with a little metallic aftertaste,” said Vox. The party watched Vox intently, but after about five minutes, Vox expressed the notion that he was suddenly very sleepy. Then he lay down and was promptly asleep. “OK,” said Mylene. Let’s arrange the boxes to keep him safe and secure for the night.” Herschel said, “The directions said imbibers should be cured within one hour. Maybe we should wait before we administer any more doses?” But Flenda and Gwenette weren’t having any of the waiting game. They both wanted to cure their mother, and cure her now!
So the party then proceeded down the hill towards the Deathmar residence, where Vilanious Deathmar had been confined after she became a zombie. The party also had three of the forked sticks with the rope loops on them. Flenda and Gwenette both argued over who would get the privilege of serving the potion to their mother. Finally, their father said, “Girls, please! I will make it a fair game of chance.” With that, he picked up a few pebbles from the ground. He turned his back to his daughters, and then when he turned back around to face them, his right hand was clenched into a fist. Whichever of you can guess if the number of pebbles in my hand is odd or even can have the honor of serving the potion to your mother. Gwenette, you are younger, so you guess.” Gwenette guessed even, then Vilan opened his hand to reveal he had two pebbles, so Gwenette won the honor to serve her mother the potion.
Although the door to her house had several boards nailed over the doorway, Gwenette and Flenda pried them off with some of their father’s pry-bar type tools that were in the front yard. Their zombie mother had been attracted to the noise at the door, so when the door was pushed open, their mother walked outside, only to be immediately snared by loops from her husband Vilan, her daughter Flenda, and also by Jorgio. Gwenette then grabbed her mother’s head by the hair, then pulled her mother’s head back which forced her mother’s mouth skyward. Gwenette whispered to her mother, “Sorry, mom, I don’t want to hurt you, but this must be done!” Then, by the light of the torches held by Douag, Vandin, and Falafela, Gwenette poured the already opened bottle of the potion down her mother’s throat.
Gwenette held her mother’s head in the same position until it was clear that her mother had swallowed the potion. The loops were kept on Vilanious, and then after five minutes Vilanious’ formerly scowling face looked to be at peace, and then she closed her eyes, and her head drooped as if she were alseep. Everyone waited a couple of more minutes, and then Gwenette said, “OK, dad, help me carry her inside.” So Gwenette and Vilan carried Vilanious inside and laid her gently on her bed. Flenda followed them inside. Vilan motioned for the girls to follow him out, but Flenda said, “Sorry, but we’re staying here all night if we have to, just to watch over mom!” Then Gwenette got up and lit a couple of candles, and the sisters began their vigil over their mother.
The next stop was across the road, at the Church of Koassek where the cleric Wider Veldar had been confined. In a similar manner to the scene that had just played out at the Deathmar’s, the nailed boards were pried off the front of the church, Wider was lassoed with the rope loops on the forked sticks, and then he was forced to drink. After he passed out, he was placed in his bed, and the party re-nailed the boards on his door, just in case he wasn’t cured.
Then the party walked over to the home of the Furrowbrows. This would be a bit trickier, since there were three zombies inside the home. All six of the forked sticks were put to use, as by now more healthy villagers had joined in the procession. Two rope loops were put on to each zombie, and then they were made to drink the liquid. Since Melchar and his family were all gnomes, it was not too much of a problem to make them drink the potion. Someone in the crowd mentioned, “What do we do if not all of them are cured? What if one of them remains a zombie and attacks the others?” “Herschel answered, “That is a good question. I believe we should tie them up individually. Restrain their hands and feet, and tie them to different pieces of furniture. That should keep them from being able to attack each other. After all, none of the zombies has shown themselves to be smart enough to defeat even simple restraints. If and when they awake, cured, I’m sure they will call out for assistance!” So then the other villagers tied up the Furrowbrows as Herschel had recommended. Before heading to the next destination, Herschel asked Rivatha Kafar, the goat shepherd who lived next door, to keep an eye on the Furrowbrows. “I’ll do it!” said Rivatha, “just as soon as I can go home and bring back a lantern.”
Next, the party proceeded to the east, to the Inn of the Blushing Trout. Once again, there were three zombies to deal with, although these three were humans. Seeing as it was an inn, it was easy to lock up the three family members in three separate rooms after the cure had been applied to each of them. Finally, with one dose remaining, the party and other villagers proceeded to the lakeside cottage of the carpenter, Baduk Soderman. The Sodermans lived just north of Herschel’s cottage. Simius Soderman’s husband, Baduk, was given the honor of getting his wife to drink the potion. Then, after she was asleep, Baduk said he would watch over her for the night. That was agreeable to others, so then everyone retired from the Soderman’s house.
When the remaining members of the group gathered in the road in front of Herschel’s place, Herschel charged two villagers, Aslan Valkyie and his eldest son, with organizing a patrol, and to make the rounds of the village, just to keep an eye on things during the balance of the night. Herschel then said, “Let’s hope this really works, and that everyone is OK in the morning! As for me, I must retire as I must awake before sunrise tomorrow morning that I may start another batch of the potion!” Everyone said their good-nights, then went their separate ways. Falafela, Douag, Vandin, and Jorgio went back to their sleeping quarters in Mylene’s barn, where they took turns watching Vox during the night.
Day #2-37 (Waterday, 17th Dewsnap, 4333 BCCC): Early in the morning of 17th Dewsnap, Hershel Gobinmyer awoke and made his preparations to produce another batch of potion using the Pendant of Winstone and the golden chalice that had been brought back from the Tomb of Koban Hairfoot. Just after he lit the two beeswax candles and placed the pendant into the chalice that was filled with pure water, one of Aslan Valkyie’s sons, Zoan, reported the good news that all of the zombies that had been treated the previous day had been cured! Herschel was ecstatic. “My! That is wonderful news!” he exclaimed.
Although the cure was supposed to take only one hour per person, it seemed to take longer than that. Or, perhaps it had cured each of them after only one hour, but everyone who drank the potion must have slept for at least eight or ten hours afterwards. In the morning, Vox woke up and found he could stand with no difficulty at all. He was even able to release himself from the boxed-in area of Mylene’s barn in which he had been placed for safe-keeping. And in a rarity for Vox, he even offered to help Mylene with making breakfast for the folks staying at her barn. Vox peeled and diced some potatoes and sliced some bacon. Douag was watching all of this and said “Don’t overdo it, now! We don’t want you to have a relapse.”
Flenda and Gwenette were also overwhelmed with joy when their mother finally opened her eyes and spoke to them! Vilanious’s first words were, “What happened? I feel like I’ve been in a bad dream. it was like I was wandering in a thick fog, and couldn’t find my way home.” Her daughters then related the fact that Vilanious had become a zombie, and had been in that state for the last nine days. The mother then thought for a couple of minutes, and then said, “Then I guess you did find a cure, after all!?” Vilanious especially emphasized the word “did” when she spoke. Then the daughters both hugged and kissed their mother profusely. Then Flenda stayed with her mother while Gwenette went out to spread the good news.
All around the village there were cries of joy, as families were cured and reunited. Herschel made the rounds, saying, “Don’t get your hopes up too much, we have more people yet to cure!” When Wider Veldar, the cleric, awoke and found himself confined inside his church, he shouted for passers-by to let him out! Then after being released, he ran over to Hershel’s place and thanked the druid profusely. Herschel said, “You’re welcome, but you should save your real thanks for the brave adventurers who ventured forth and retrieved the Pendant of Winstone which then brewed a curative potion.” Wider said, “I will thank them, just as soon as I see them!” Then Wider went off to look for the party so he could thank them.