The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

>Burnside: You manage to wiggle your arms and feet free, but your legs and torso are still tangled. You're reduced to waddling around like a penguin.
> Thomson: Attempt to get back into Adler's good graces
> Adler: Be apprehensive at first

"Sorry about my actions earlier, Your Highness," Ms. Thomson said as she sidled up to the stew cauldron. "I was under orders from the Sisterhood to gain definite control over you, but personally I trust you and I know you'll do the right thing. Let me help you with this stew you're making."

"Don't trust that durn Floozy," Burnside snarled as she hobbled over. "She's a-tryin ta use Wiles on ya even now! Somebody get me outta these dang ropes, and I'll help fix the vittles. I reckon them soldiers'll bring back some game that needs butcherin."

"Careful with that knife, dearie," Thomson sneered. "Hopping around like that, you're liable to hurt someone."

"Anyone helping with this stew will have to obey my orders to the letter," I insisted. "A proper stew is a work of art. Its flavor can motivate an army, or perhaps even inspire a city to peacefully surrender. Hmmm.."

One soldier, bring back a mysterious pretty girl in a ground length skirt back with you.

My musings on the possibility of using the Language of Flavors to bring about a peaceful resolution to conflict was interrupted by my soldiers returning.

"Look what I found in the woods, sir!" one recruit yelled enthusiastically as he tugged the lowfolk bunny maiden along by her arm.

"NO," I declared sternly. "We are not making ham out of her or putting her into the stew, or eating lowfolk flesh in any way whatsoever."

"Don't be so hasty to restrict yer menu," Burnside advised.

"No lowfolk," I repeated.

"Does that mean I can keep her then?" the soldier asked hopefully.

"I won't have my troops eating lowfolk, and we haven't got the time or resources to keep pets," I decided. "Take her back into the woods and turn her loose."

One of the soldiers, be shouted at for not bringing back anything. Then, aster a closer inspection, turn out to be carrying an armful of assorted mushrooms.

As the dog soldier trudged forlornly away with the bunny maiden in tow, another recruit approached, making a hopeless gesture with his arms.

"How dare you come up here empty-handed!" I yelled irritably. "Get away from the cauldron if you have nothing to contribute!"

"I, uh, have a load of mushrooms, sir," the porcine soldier explained uncertainly. "Nobody mentioned you not liking them."

"Oh," I exclaimed. "Yes, mushrooms. I see them now. Usually they are beneath my notice, but those actually might be useful."

>Army: Return with supplies of mismatched foodstuffs with flavors that do not go well together. Dump it all in the stew before Adler can object.
"what did they put in there?"

Before I could examine the mushrooms, my attention was diverted by a loud, plopping splash from the cauldron. I turned just in time to see MacBrock dropping an armload of something into the stew.

"THA SHOULD SPICE IT OOP REET BONNY," the badger chuckled merrily.

"What did you do??" I shrieked. "What did you just dump into my stew???"

(Stew Ingredients) Be somewhat odd.
(Soldier) Admit that you raided the potions chest at the Chapel.
that most feared of creatures...a Stew Golem.

"NOWT BUT SOME TASTY VITTLES," MacBrock insisted. "A GEET LOAD O' PEACHES, BOYSENBERRIES, CUMQUATS, PINE NUTS, AN BONNY RED BLUE AN YELLOW POWDERS FRAE THE CHAPEL HERBARIUM."



"Cushlomachree!" Estvan exclaimed. "Sure an' if I'm not far mistaken, tis the recipe for a dread Stew Golem!"