RR Follow-Up: Kerse Preparations Underway

I've spoken with Morwenna again. Whatever you've already stirred up by asking questions about the timber has apparently given her enough to start comparing notes with people who have better laboratories than we do.

She sent part of her work to Kerse, and the alchemists there have now examined a sample of the same corruption we've been seeing in Palakar timber. They haven't told me they've solved anything, and Morwenna was very particular that I not say otherwise. What they have done is isolate several useful reactions and begin preparing stabilized reagents, buffered solvents, binding agents, catalytic salts, indicator solutions, neutralizing bases, and assay compounds based on Morwenna's findings. Apparently that is encouraging. I will take their word for it.

Morwenna says she still wants whatever Reiver's Right can tell us. Bring back samples if you find anything worth taking, along with notes, records, observations, or anything else that might show where this corruption appeared and what it has done. Fresh material would be especially useful. Don't ruin good evidence trying to be helpful.

That said, we're not making the next step depend on you finding the perfect sample. Morwenna and the Kerse people already have enough to continue their work. If Reiver's Right gives you something new, they'll compare it against what they've prepared and adjust from there. If it doesn't, they'll proceed with what they have. Either way, we'll wait for you to get back before deciding exactly what comes next.

As for how long any of this will take once it reaches Kerse, nobody seems willing to give me a useful answer. The alchemists need to gather some less common supplies, prepare their stock, and decide what sort of laboratory work the material actually requires. Morwenna says some of that can be done quickly and some of it depends entirely on what they find. Between the two of them, they're assembling the components into what she's calling an Infernal Blight Reagent Bundle, but she has specifically told me not to promise when it will be ready.

Once you're back from Reiver's Right, I've arranged passage aboard a darkwood barge making the run to Kerse. Whatever you bring back can go straight into the hands of people equipped to examine it instead of sitting around my sawmill while everyone argues about what it might be. How long you'll need to remain in Kerse after that will depend on what the alchemists find and what they need from you.

So finish the job at Reiver's Right. Find my people if you can. Find out what happened there. Bring Morwenna whatever the place is willing to give up. If that's something important, good. If it isn't, we still move forward.

The barge contract is already paid.