In that order: see the monk (thank the Saints you did, he'd have kicked you out of the hospice otherwise!), see Notker, ask about the strange people. Consult the book for medicinal knowledge. Let's go.
2.3 In Motion
Early in the morning, after you had received your measure of bread and wine along with other pilgrims (as well as some honey; although the monks endeavoured to keep the food in the hospice plain not to distract the itinerants from the spiritual with too much of an earthly gluttony, it was the day of Saint Aelta, whose name did the prior of the abbey carry, and therefore in line of celebration, such foods were given own), as commanded on the night before, you sought the monk that demanded to see you and presented himself before him. He demanded that you surrender the book that you carry to him, for the fear of it leading you into the grasp of the Malefactors, as being a female, and therefore of meeker countenance of the spirit, you could mistake the lie exposed for the truth explained; but you refused and explained to him that it was a boon given to you to by your ailing father, who was deathly ill, or already at the Saint's side, and that you would not surrender it to anyone, but in the sacred city of Step, to which your road leads. Upon hearing that, the monk grew silent in considerations and remained so for some time. And it had to be noted that he was a very sagacious man, wise in years and unwavering in his piety, who had tended to the hospice for time so long that he could remember the bishop that was before the bishop who was before bishop Gresius, and had, therefore, in his life, seen many pilgrims, genuine and counterfeit alike. Finally, drawing on his wisdom, he told you thus:
"What the Saints had put in motion may by no mortal hand be stopped; I will pray that you will find the way that is unknown to us."
And then he urged you to not read from the book again in the common room of the hospice, and also cautioned that wisdom is saintly, but only when paired with faith, and that on its own it leads to great many sins that should not be spoken about. He also reminded you that chastity is beloved in the eyes of the saints and that the urges of the flesh should not be heeded, for they are the Malefactor's doing, and finally that a pilgrim has little, and cares about even less, and that an encumbered man will not cross the narrow bridge.
You thanked him for his advice, and went on your way, to find the king's man Notker. The task proved rather easy, for he was well known to reside by the river-side dock, which was outside the city's wall, along with his company of warriors, and so you reached him quickly. He was a great man; that is great of size, and had long hair (which were how they were carried some time ago; he had held on to the custom for the sake of own pride). He carried on himself great many jewels: golden was the clasp of his cloak and belt, golden were the medallions on his neck, rings on his fingers and ornamentation on the scabbard of his mighty sword, and in the pommel of the sword, there was also a large pearl, although its surface was cracked and blemished, as if some stain of rot had taken it from the inside. He was always surrounded by some of his men, whose number was eleven; they looked to you rather young, all of them, and not that dissimilar from your brothers, although some of the looks they gave you felt mean. Notker himself, at first, did not want to hear about taking you on. He said, in rough and unpleasant words that he was not at all keen on taking additional luggage such as you. To this, he had also added:
"And I would rather hire a whore or two to keep my men's mirth and company on the way, than take on a prattling zealot that will surely drown herself at first opportunity."
On your insistence, he declared the price of transit to be fifteen solidi, which seemed to you rather unfairly high, but he would not change his mind, and instead mocked you cruelly when you tried to argue with him.
You said to him…
[ ] …nonetheless tried to prove to him that taking on a pilgrim would surely be of benefit for his soul.
[ ] …that the way he treated you was unacceptable and that he should reconsider.
[ ] …that you could be on some use during the journey as well.
[ ] [specify how]
[ ] ...nothing. The man disgusted you and you left.
Later, you spent some time asking about for those People From Behind The Mountains, however you learned rather little about them; fellow pilgrims in the hospice had mostly warned you about them in the strongest of terms, claiming that they are godless people who pillage and destroy, and that nothing brings them more merriment than the cruel desolation they bring wherever their hosts go, and that they worship the Malefactors whom they mistake for the Saints, and that the king of Liefs had waged many wars against them, that were great victories, and yet they come from their hide-outs far beyond the mountains, but that also they sometimes send traders, who bring with themselves many wonderful and sorcerous items, and who have so much gold that it is worth no more to them than copper, and that silver is for them as valuable as hay, and that such traders can be sometimes seen in the city of Breakers or High Tower. One of the pilgrims in particular considered that they must come from the same womb as the Seafarers, because both are obviously scourges sent on the faithless by the Saints, or possibly the signs given by them that the world is about to end, as it had been told; and that all should make penance and seek absolution, for the time is nigh. He then went on to describe how in the northern land, three stars had appeared on the sky, two of them red, and one of them golden, and how it was a sign that two great wars will befall the good people before the Golden King comes to rule them in great prosperity for a millennium before the name of the God is revealed to all. Finally, he also blamed the bishops, who live like princes, on the fact that such promises are as of yet unfulfilled, and expressed concern that it might be a great plot by them (and that they are certainly in league with the Malefactors) to stop common sainthood, so that they can put on the yoke of their cruel rule on the lay people and detract them from sacredness.
You considered what he had said, but also noticed that he was drooling from the corner of the lip and one of his eyes was quite ravaged, so out of worry that he might be afflicted with something more than madness, you did not dispute his claims (although it bears note that you had later heard that the man was later healed from his stubborn insanity by the grace of Saint Clovis and on his death-bed, he atoned for all of his blasphemies).
Finally, towards the evening, you found a mostly lone place for yourself and attempted to consult the book on the nature of the bishop's ailment. After some searching, you had found a mention of a disease similar to his, called
sarcia, which was described thusly:
Sarcia is an excessive increase in flesh, by which a body grows fat beyond measure, for the Easterners call flesh sarcos. Alas, there was no mention of a cure to it, and you had conceded to yourself in spirit that what the Saints had put in motion may by no mortal hand be stopped. One thing, however, drew your attention, and that was a gloss filled on the margin in a similar hand than the one you had noticed some time ago by the description of law saintly and human. As you were not pressed for time, you read it, and it struck you as quite. It read as follows:
Nothing on the diseases of the deep.
***
You have found another mysterious gloss! It's been added to the character sheet. Or, as someone would say: "I have updated my journal".
***
Before you could investigate it more, the call to prayer was heard, and then to a meal, and the matter slipped of your mind for the night. Yet, when you laid to sleep, in a bed that was emptier than the night before (for some had left the city already, to return to their homes, wherever they might be), you found a strange sensation come over you, and remembered that the night before was not easy on you. As you closed your eyes to sleep, you thought that something similar may be coming over you.
You…
[ ] Prayed it away, and allowing no nightmare to touch you.
[ ] Allowed it to come, and tried to remember more of it come morning.
