#earthrunes

"Plague Blossom? Is that not the name of a sluagh I once knew?" He says, but nods in agreement.

"If it wasn't, it might be soon" Hume observes, and they keep going

There are other parcels of land, and they find themselves leaving forest and finding a neighbor, a DISTANT neighbor to be sure. This is a dairy farm...

and as they close, they can see the damage already done. There aren't a lot of cows, but nearly all of them are sick, and quareinteened in their own corral.

There's a sense of gloom here... the owners are probably looking at the loss of their livliehood, cows maybe ordered put down.

(Perception plus Kenning)

/roll 7

A soft hiss.

Zara's kenning is strong, and she feels, rather than sees, the core of all this. There, near the grass, writhing about, is not just a sickly crow, but THE sickly crow. It molts into the feed, it has scabs burst. It...is coated in this horrid plauge infused with nightmare.

"It's here. It's close. It is very sick. Hume, the net?"

He gathers it up, "Say when and I'll throw it"

"You mustn't touch it. No need to tempt fate. She is far too easy to seduce."

He looks "I COULD use some dross and try to dictum it to hold still. NOt good with animals but that would help. Want me to try that first?"

Alan finds himself drawing back in horror.

"No dictum. A net, and a cage - until we can fix it, aye? I am not one to imprison wild things. But we must needs contain and quarantine." Dark eyes flick to the pooka.

He wrings his hands, clearly taken aback by the hideous sight. Perhaps sluagh are made of sterner stuff.

A soft touch on his arm - her hands are clammy, cold even in the summer. "I shall fix this."

Gently. "Can you burn mortal things? The feed will need to be destroyed. Hume and I, we will net the plague-crow. I promise, I will do all I can to protect your avian cousin from further harm."

He straightens up. "Well, yes, prometheus saw to that." He nods.

Grey lips quirk in what is meant to be a reassuring smile.

The crow is worse than cancerous... at least in appearance. And perhaps in magic.

"Okay I'll just try a throw as you say while our friend gets the feed."

A nod of agreement.

The crow gathers for renewed flight.... even as Alan sets fire to more feed!

And as the crow readies to launch, Hume says "Now, Zara?"

"Now!"

And he hurls the net!

Coradel would be proud of how her wimpy dougal ward's training has paid off, Hume would be stunned if he thought about it too hard. Oh it's close, the crow almost breaks free. Then suddenly... the net snaps closed, and weighs the crow down! It caws miserably

"Yes, yes. Hard to be you." She tsks.

As pathetic as it looks, one might say Zara is right. It flutters with pustuled wings

but cannot get loose

"So ...I'll grab it. And... then..what?" He reaches for the netted downed crow.

"We're taking it home."

He nods and snags the cord of the net, and it thrashes as he does so, coughing miserably

"We'll keep it in quarantine, while I work."

"Right. Library or some other less known place?"

"Too much traffic in the library. My tower, I think."

"Oh right. I forget you have that" He confesses

"I do not mind it being forgotten."

Hume nods "Right. After this ,I never saw it, never heard of it." he says "But I think you SHOULD have someone nearby while you work in case something goes wrong. Alan or I"

"...or my Trueheart?"

"We can get a cage from the mews. Set warding circles, too."

"Oh, Sir Earl ... of course" And he admits "Probably a better fighter than I am to be sure"

"You have improved."

"And you are certainly better at fighting than I am."

"Given your other talents, I think it's good your not great at SOMETHING, otherwise you might grow as proud as...well, a sidhe" A smile slips

A soft chuff

Alan keeps up with them (I presume) the feed bags now cleansed