I was enjoying doing nothing for once, in relative peace as lord Veryacano was nowhere in sight and Parnard was well enough last time I checked on him, when I noticed lady Nirhen close by. I knew she wouldn't answer, and would probably see it as an annoyance, but I couldn't resist asking her if she was well, it was too tempting. She didn't answer, as was expected, though she didn't ignore me completely which, I'll admit, surprised me.
Lord Veryacano found us here. It is good, I guess, for it would have been more than a little delaying to have to send someone to find him. Though, when I saw him I had half the mind to force him to rest.
For one, he seemed weary, which is not good for his healing abilities, and second, he looked like he had a bath in mud. Did I need to remind him that it could do no good to his wound however healed by now, if an insect or a leech or anything leaving in these lands were to get stuck in it. Burns were the worst to have for a reason !
However it was not the time to worry about it, and it was too late to do so anyway. What's done is done. Besides I have the feeling that I would talk alone if I were to try and talk to him on the subject. His explanation was that he got 'a little lost in the western swamps'...
Also, we were joined today by one of our House. Makilinde. I did not know him, but we all welcomed him I think, except maybe for lady Nirhen. He had news from the valley. Lord Vorongwë has left Imladris to join the Havens to escort lady Anguirelm. There was a council of the House, and maybe we could hope for some help from them.
There was talks of approaching the horse-lords to warn them of the dunlending force coming... Personally, I think we should stay apart from them. We wanted to be discreet and not to let everyone know of our whereabouts. We don't need the humans' help right now, and it is bad enough that we stayed with the camp of horse-lords and rangers earlier. I think that the more people know where we are going, the more chance we have to be noticed by unfriendly eyes, and so close to Isengard, I would not take that risk.
However, it is true that the men helped us when we needed, so maybe talking to the horse-lords would not be too bad and besides, it is possible that we will need their help later on, and only regret it if we do nothing now to warn them.
We turned our attention back to more pressing concerns, such as the fact that we had found no trail of lord Anglachelm west of our actual position. We concluded that we should continue eastward... toward Isengard. I am somewhat worried that lord Veryacano plans to actually attack Isengard.
Naergon, Telpenaro and Nirhen were sent to scout the area nearby, and I still cannot believe the way lady Nirhen talked to lord Tindir. It's incredible. I don't recall her proposing to lead the way when we went... slightly out of the way to come here, so I don't think she really can afford to throw stones at anyone on the matter. However, as I quite like my head where it is, I don't plan to tell her that.
After the scouts went away, Makilinde came to talk to me, about collecting mushrooms and drying them. It is a good idea, however as I told him, I am more versed in healing herbs than in cooking, so if I am quite sure that I wouldn't poison us all by accident while collecting mushrooms, I cannot guarantee everyone would like the result of my collect. I'll try to, though. I am collecting herbs and roots on the way, so it would cost me nothing really to collect mushrooms too. Or berries. And I am out of provisions now, so I should probably think of it unless I desire to go without eating for the rest of the way, which is not on my list of things to do, or more accurately it is not on my list of things to not do.
Lord Tindir and lady Himwen went to replenish our water supply, which is good as I need it for making more healing balms, creams and potions as I told them, to which I got lord Veryacano's agreement.
Can I admit that now I am afraid ? Lord Veryacano and Parnard where both hurt while not actively looking for problems. Now we are planning to go closer to Isengard, so I'd say we are looking for problems, and if lord Veryacano can tell that we have not even began to fight... I'll end up regretting dearly not to have taken my whole healing supplies back when we left Imladris, I can feel it already.
Telpenaro, Naergon and Nirhen were back quite soon, and with dire news. Or just bad news but Makilinde's reaction to it is making me wonder if he was not the next one I will find in my care. All he saw when he learnt that there was many hostiles wildmen around was 'where to dump all the corpses'... I sincerely hope he has the skills and luck to back up his words or I will end up patching him up more often than not if he survives at all.
I left them to their conversation when lord Tindir and lady Nirhen came back with water skins. I took one and went to sit a little apart to work on making several antidote to the most common poisons, and one for a new poison said to be used by the orcs, and a few burn balms, some things to enhance natural healing, and some cleaning cream for open wound.
Some of my concoctions would need a few days to be usable, but I hope we can do without for that much longer. I talked a little with lady Himwen, but soon enough she did as the rest of the camp, she went to rest. And I was left to my work, which I can admit that much was rather convenient. It is harder to concentrate on dosage and recipes I was unfamiliar with when talking with another and trying to listen to another conversation at the same time.
