Orcpunx & Astarael42

As time passed, the more violent the river currents became, yet the river did still not flood its surroundings. Jaim knew the event was because of magic, but he didn't know if it would aid them or the enemy.  He did know the frog people were incapable of such grand spells.

As the sun rose at dawn the river settled down the sunshine broke the dark clouds that covered the sky minutes before. Jaim was sure it was an illusion spell. trying to break the illusion he looked closely at the surrounding area trying to find flaws. Because he found none he decided to risk and slightly cut his forearm. the skin bled but other than that everything stayed the same. Finally deciding that this is no illusion Jaim relaxed and told the kids to do the same, for the frog folk will not attack.

A few hours later, at about midday, a boat came down the river with numerous people.  On it was a mage who was responsible for the nights angry river and explained he used a spell to destroy any evil hiding beneath the surface of the water.  He also changed the weather because he disliked traveling in the rain.   Although the group welcomed his help in surviving the night and also helping Laodike to a degree they disliked the man because of his all knowing arrogant air he carried himself with.  
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The children traveled with the boat for a 10-day, a welcome respite from their own rather onerous travels.  After the first night, one Brisa had re-learned her spells for the day, she reversed her spells on Aiden and Argurios.  She was still quite hurt that her Argurios didn't even think she had the capability to undo her own damn spell but reversing it despite his disregard for her abilities didn't give her the feel of satisfaction she had hoped.  Instead it only made her sadder and she withdrew into herself, speaking to others only when spoken to and for the most part going about life on the boat as if she were no more than a quiet shadow.  

Even when they sat down with the mage to discuss his presence, and they learned that he had been investigating the disappearance of his mage friends up river, she remained silent.  She didn't voulnteer anything about Autry or what she knew of the places they had seen, leaving that to the boys to discuss and just keeping quiet herself.  They listened to the wizard as he explained that every town he had visited was empty and listened to him expound on what he was certain the cause was.  Brisa was just about to speak up, to tell the man that it wasn't any of the crazy things he had come up with, only because his certainty was starting to get on her nerves.  It apparently was bothering the two boys as well as they spoke up before she had to.  She pulled her cloak tighter about herself and continued to listen. 

The mage seemed to ignore them at first but as Argurios and Aiden added such specific detail about the town where the priests were and their fight with the priests as well as the destruction of their home town, he seemed to come to accept that the children might be a valuable source of information and he asked them many insightful questions.  Even Brisa started speaking up now, answering questions here and there as best she could.  Fortunately by some unspoken agreement the children didn't reveal anything about the clues and artifacts they had gathered.  Brisa did take a bit of the mage's charcoal and draw a rough sketch of the holy symbol however, telling the mage that all the priests were wearing said symbol.  They spent the better part of the day answering all the wizard's questions and by the end he was convinced to return to his search upriver in a few days; this time he claimed her would go by land so he could visit all the little towns on the way that weren't connected to the water way; from the pattern the children related to him he figured there would be clues in these little nothing villages that would help. 

On the boat there was also a healer, a shaman who was able to help Laodike and Argurios with a mixture of minor healing prayers and natural remedies.  Being a healer he recognized Brisa's training at once and while they were on the boat he helped continue her training, what little he could.  His “magic” came from the divine magic in nature while Brisa possessed arcane talents; but while he couldn't help her develop her magical abilities much the foundations of the magic and the healing were much the same and Brisa was still able to learn much from him.   

 Four days after they had boarded the boat Jaim and Laodike said their farewells, taking off on their own mission that had been delayed from all the trouble.  During the time Jaim continued his training with Aiden, teaching him more on how to use and maintain his spear.  He left his own personal spear with Aiden knowing the lad would be far less likely to come upon a quality weapon easily.  

The goodbye's seemed hardest for Laodike and Argurios, the two had been very much thrown together in the “sick bay” on the boat.  Argurios had also paid as much attention as he could to those tending him, trying to soak up as much first aid knowledge as he could.  The shaman caught on to this and often spent time explaining things to him that he might not have otherwise; in the end Argurios came away with a much better understanding of combat medicine and a small first aid kit, a gift from the shaman. 

The remaining six days without Jaim and Laodike seemed rather quiet, each of the children lost in practicing and studying their own skills.  Brisa remained withdrawn, often studying her books for hours at a time alone on the fordeck of the boat.  At night she practiced her magic for the mage, very little of it was active...mostly she recited information, learned uses of spells, uses of different spell components, and techniques for various magecraft, things like how to properly harvest moondust, that would become useful in the future.  The one thing that the wizard really helped her with was working on developing her very own new spell.  With the ash-ink she had created from the frogmen skin and the tutelage of the wizard she not only created her own new cantrip she was able to pen it into her spellbook for future usage.  

The wizard had kept his thoughts to himself, realizing that if he told her how impossible it was for a child of her age and training to create a new spell she would never try.  Thus when she succeeded he was shocked.  For all his arrogance and self assurance he wasn't a bad guy; he almost wished he could take on the girl as a student but he would be traveling back up the black road and he knew he couldn't ask the girl to return to so much danger.  Being alone on the road was bad enough.  Once they put the children ashore, however, he handed a little scroll to Brisa.  It was only a short note, penned in the wizard shorthand, but if presented to a colleague of his in Baulder's Gate Brisa would be able to find help if she should ever need it.   

When the children finally were put ashore they had traveled a great length via the river.  They were rested and fed and reasonably well supplied as well.  Their time on the boat had allowed Argurios to heal and while all three had less endurance after their relatively easy travel of late their skills and strength had definitely improved.  With boots on the ground they would quickly build their endurance back up again.