Chapter 25 - The Trials of Albenheim

General Summary

Negotiations with The Guy take their usual course - neither side indulges the other, accusations of cheating are exchanged, Klawuhn accuses the kobold of being a loser and a cheat, and the Guy returns the favor, saying that Franz didn't listen to the deal being offered closely enough, and so, was entitled to nothing. The travelers part company with him, and retire to a dry campground a ways away from the Pool of Insight, as it is distrusted by most of them. 
That night, after Klawuhn finishes his watch, and is replaced by Eddi, the fisher steals away from her companions. Without being seen, she returns to the shore, baits a hook, and casts a line from the fishing pole given to her by the Guy. She spent much of the previous evening convincing her companions that she does not intend to die despite her vision and her sense of the end of her marriage. Her actions suggest otherwise. Soon after casting her line, she feels pulled into the water. Resisting the call, she stands firm, but the water begins to rise. Seeing the outlines of Einsichtstör (the name the Guy used for the fish), she redoubles her efforts despite being swept from her feet and covered over. Finding her way back to shore, she marches back into the water. The fish takes the bait. It swims up and swallows her. Despite trying to blast her way out with Alfred's pearl, and to cut her way out with his dagger, she is eaten away by the digestive juices inside the fish's gut, and does not reemerge. 
The following morning, Dietmar awakes without having been woken by Eddi, who was on the previous watch. He finds Klawuhn still in his reverie. Eddi is nowhere around. The companions rouse up, and fearing the worst, go to the edge of the pond. There are no footprints, as it seems that the water rose during the night. The Guy, however, is around, offering to find out what happened, and if necessary, to fetch the body, in exchange for the helmet. Having no options, the companions agree. The Guy sends them away from the pond, and when they return in a few hours, he is there with the body, partly mangled, but still intact. Unsure about what to do, but not wanting to leave it unburied, Dietmar, Klawuhn and Nit use axes and other makeshift tools to inter their companion's body near the pool she dreamed of for many years, performing the necessary sacrifices to ensure that the land accepts it. Having done to dirty work, they make their return to the Temple of Teeth.   
There, Cilly is still hard at work on her elixir - she has decided to make five portions, two without the grains of the Sensenmann's hourglass, and three with. Reinhard is hard at work studying his transcription of the runes from the body from the Boar's Pit Keep. Upon hearing about Eddi's demise and burial, the doctor becomes upset, especially at Dietmar, for burying it in Albenheim, where the soil cannot be consecrated, making it impossible for the fisher to find salvation. He presses Dietmar into returning with Carrot the Donkey so as to bring the body back to Mittelheim for a proper burial. Klawuhn accompanies them. Upon finding the burial site, they see that the body has been enveloped by roots and vines - the land has claimed its own. Seeing that there is nothing to be done, they return to the Temple. Along the way, they run into a foul-tempered, bearded shrimp with a large sickle and heavy iron boots. The creature threatens to stomp them into the ground, but he is dealt with by Dietmar's chastisement and Klawuhn's silvered sword before he can do any serious harm to anyone. They collect the sickle and the boots (which prove to be magical), and make their way back. 
Two days later, Cilly's concoction is finished, and it seems to be a success.The elves stage a ceremony for her initiation as one of their own. Edelweiss is present at the initiation, and drapes a pure white cloak around Cilly, praising her as the one child who had the fortitude to complete the initiation. She insists that the elixir should stay with the elves, lest it fall into the wrong hands. When Cilly, still enamored of Albenheim, acquiesces, Edelweiss pulls her aside, and lays out her next task. Apparently, there is another sibling, who is ostensibly the son of the Margrave von Rabenwald. He must be placed on the throne as soon as possible. His mother is aware of his true nature, but will protect him at all costs, so she can be worked with.  
Cilly returns to her companions and explains her plans. Reinhard tells the rest that he thinks the elves are evil, and wish to wipe out humankind.

Rewards Granted

• Sickle, boots, two berry-shaped gems and a polished bone from violent shrimp
• White cloak for Cilly

Missions/Quests Completed

• Cilly completes her elixir
• Eddi meets her fate

Character(s) interacted with

Elves at the Temple of Teeth

The Guy

Edelweiss 

Report Date

05 Apr 2021

Secondary Location

Pool of Insight