-----As the riders leave, Jeilin nods to Lovan's observation, joining him in gazing at the sky. "But the constellations never wait."
-----Lovan slightly snarls under his breath. "Aye," he says with an impatient tone, "they may move at night, but what good do they do us?"
-----Jeilin then hears the old man at the table conversing with another older man at the head of the line.
-----"Name?" the man at the table asks in a steady voice.
-----"Abner Tillman," replies the man in line proudly.
-----"Where do ye hail?" asks the old man at the table.
-----"Here," comes the reply, "from Kulendra."
-----"Does all of your family live here with you?" comes the next question.
-----"Nay," says the man in line, "I have a brother who lives in Kitle in Roseway with his family."
-----"How many dwell with you here in Kulendra?"
-----The man in line steadies himself and pauses before he answers, "Six. There is my wife Abigail, my son Peter, his wife Namara, my grandsons Tom and David and my other son Norman."
-----The old man at the table pauses in his writing and looks up at Abner. "Do ye know where your immediate family is now?" he asks clearing his throat.
-----"No, I do not," Abner replies staring straight ahead and straightening his stance, "but I will find them."
-----The old man nods and writes down some information before calling for the next person in line. Abner Tillman walks off toward one of the barn structures. His eyes are glazed and he wipes quietly at his face.
-----"The cosmos does not exist to serve us," Jeilin smiles at Lovan's remark. "But it does tell us many things."
-----She notes the departure of Abner, but decides to stay and observe the lineup as the people introduce themselves.
-----"Anna Berelman", says the next person in line. Jeilin sees a woman wearing a peasant dress standing with her hands cupped in front of her. There really appears to be nothing remarkable about this woman who must be in her thirties. Jeilin hears her say that she is from a village called something like 'Britoe' and that she is not married. After the old man is finished with her, she softly walks off.
-----Lovan grunts and wanders off toward the other side of the village square.
-----Another man, probably just a few years younger than Anna steps up to the old man's table with a distraught expression. He looks lean and shows just a few signs of abuse; just enough to reveal that he worked the slave mining operation at the river.
-----"Camoran Lot," the man says with a hollow tone while oddly gripping his elbows. Camoran reveals that he is a citizen of Kulendra. He lived with his wife and his parents also lived here. Now he has not been able to find his wife or his parents and the last time he saw them was the night that Kulendra was overrun by the humanoids. As he finished, he walked away, still holding his elbows, murmuring, "The orcs told me my family was still here. . . "
-----As Jeilin listens, she records down all the locations of villages and towns mentioned onto her maps. She waits to approach the old man when he is finished.
-----Jeilin finds she waits quite a while as some of the warriors that have kept watch at one of the four posts get into the line once their patrol ends.
-----After about an hour, Jeilin approaches and asks the old man as he drinks from a cup of water, "How many have said they should have family here, but could not find them?”
-----He frowns although it is unclear whether it is because of the question he is asked from the star priestess or a sour taste to the water. Still he replies after looking over his writing, “So far one hundred and seventy-two of one hundred and ninety questioned are from here in Kulendra. Only twenty-six have claimed that they have found their family.”
-----“Are there other possible places around here that can hold captives, besides the gold mine?" Jeilin asks.
-----“Not that I know of,” the old man says, “other than other villages, towns and thorps in the countryside.” His brow furrows as a thought seems to take hold of him. “Unless some of the swine had taken some of the people into the swamps.” He almost seems to shutter at the idea. He then seems ready to question more of the people in the line.
-----"Thank you," the priestess nods to the old man, and walks away quietly in thought.
-----As a stargazer, Jeilin does not feel particularly driven to partake in the present conflict. She did however suffer at the hands of Sintor's forces, and is eager for the land to settle back into peace so she can resume her original quest.
-----With both Whisper and Sol off to their own devices, and Howrun's army still making their way, she decides to first begin a quick search for spell components inside the village, especially if there is anything left behind by the departed enemy. After that, she goes off to find Rinda and asks if the huntress will accompany her to scout to the forests and swamps to the east, both for spell components and possible clues of where the other missing villagers may be. And, of course, to survey more of the geography as always.