The inn is quiet, homey, and bustles with the activity of three old spinsters who seem to be in charge. One of them stops and looks out one of the small windows seeming to stare directly at Daedin before shaking her head, convinced it was "Just the wind", and returning to her work. He also spots from a decent vantage point a young, broad shouldered man who seems to be spending most of his time attending the stable. Other than that, there do not seem to be any visitors at the inn for the moment.
There are three entrances that Daedin can find. The welcoming gate to the south, the side door to the common house to the west, and a small back gate to the north. The back gate is barred from the inside as best Daedin can tell. All the windows are of the small kind to let light in, but not particularly good for entrance, and even then they are only on the walls to the common building where the westerly door is. The east wall is back by the stables and has no windows in, and the north and south do not contain them either. A couple of other windows suggest bedrooms along the westerly wall, but not much else, and certainly no captive dwarves piled up anywhere. The whole survey takes about half a hour for Daedin to safely circuit the inn while remaining hidden. He soon returns to his companions a little more grimy looking than when he left from his crawling and slinking.
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Daedîn goes back the way he came, climbing up to the deck and sitting with his back against the rail for a moment, catching his breath...
"Somebody got a towel?" He quickly cleans himself up and dries off, then puts his clothes/gear back on...
Eying Atronia, he says "It appears to be just an inn...three old ladies running it and a brawny young lad caring for the stables. No sign of any Razmiri enforcers nor any patrols...and no sign of the missing dwarves. Odd though, doesn't appear to have any visitors at all either..."
He relays the rest of the info as well (i.e., entrances, exits, etc).
Coetis speaks up after finishing listening to Daedîn.
"Still, we shouldn't let our guard down."
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This is good information, but intriguing. It's almost as if it spells trap, but maybe we're just being paranoid. - says the brawler, shaking his head - Anyway, I agree - we keep our wills and attention. Should we try to completely skip this place? I feel like we'd be leaving something behind if we did, so probably not a good idea.
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Atronia looks at Gyrand and nods. "Just because it looks inconspicuous doesn't mean it's to be ignored. They might be good at hiding things. Do you still want to go through with the plan?"
Atronia takes some rope out of her bag. She gives an uneasily look to Daedîn and Rilmor, then looks at the whole group.
"I'm still not sure that we should tie up Gwermet. We don't need to look like Razmiran worshippers. Greedy adventurers looking for a profit or bounty should suffice."
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"I don't think we should by-pass this place...my gut tells me the dwarves are there...that there are no visitors there tends to make me think this has got to be the place. Also, I have an eery feeling that one of the old ladies almost saw me...and I don't think her intent would've been for my benefit if she had...
As for the plan, whatever you decide is fine by me...I would suggest we 'tie up' Gwermett as well though. As neither I nor Rilmor can lie well, Gwermett might give us one who can aid in bluffing from the prisoner's side as well...but primarily, if the Razmiri trust at all, they'll believe humans before other kinds. And you don't have to say you're Razmiri worshippers, you could still pose as bounty hunters..."
Daedîn makes rope ties on himself, Rilmor, and, if the group decides, on Gwermett...he also slips a dagger in each of his boots, just in case things go south...
"These are slip-knots...to appearances it'll seem that our hands are well-bound...if you need to get out quickly, just pull on the small end of rope that you can conceal within your palm. I have two daggers concealed, one in each boot, just for your informarion...
If there are no Razmiri enforcers there when we arrive, and I saw none, they may just have you hold us somewhere while they alert the authorities...that might give us time to search for the dwarves..."
Nodding towards Atronia, Daedîn says "Have my bow/arrows close by...are we ready?"
The profusion of flowers planted around this lovely courtyard fills the air with an enchanting fragrance. An oaken door to the north is the obvious entrance to the inn, while south are the broad doors of a stable. Wooden gates allow egress to west and east, and a roofed well lies at the east end of the main court. As the team enters, the young man that Daedin saw earlier comes out. He looks at them all and gives them a huge smile, and waves them to follow him. He makes some odd noises and waves again, urging them to follow.
He guides the team through the door of the main building and into a common room. Dark oaken tables, chairs and benches fill this comfortable, L-shaped common room, and the faint odors of tobacco and
ale permeate the air. Narrow windows with panes of smoked glass along the north and south walls allow some light into this welcoming space. Inside, a old matronly woman clad in peasant clothing and an apron sits at the centermost table of this room. Her voluminous white hair is piled atop her head and secured in a conservative bun. She wears a red scarf about her neck and a wry smile on her face. The young man steps forward and makes some slight guttural sounds and waves towards the pathfinders.
The old matron turns to them and smiles.
Thank you Rosh, you get back to your chores now, I'll see to our guests. Welcome to the Gray Revelation Inn. My name is Addas Grymble. My sisters Eugine and Tarsi and I run this in for weary travelers like yourselves... or at least, I hope you are weary travelers, who might be willing to spend a small bit of coin for a comfortable bed and a fresh, home cooked meal?
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Atronia smiles to the boy, then bows her head at Addas and smiles again. "Of course, Mrs Grymble. We are indeed weary travellers and your hospitality is most welcome. Before that, though, we need to take care of a little problem. We caught these three causing trouble out in the city and we were hoping you could point us to the proper authorities or to someplace quiet where we could... question them."
Coetis walks in behind Atronia, then speaks up after her, to help support her claim.
The old woman smiles and nods.
Oh good! It's nice to know that there are still those who would protect and serve the populace, praise be to Razmir. We have a bedroom with a solid lock you can use to hold them overnight, and tomorrow we can send a runner for a priest of Razmir to question them.
She stands and calls out, her voice loud and shrill.
We have company!
Soon, two other nearly identical old ladies come out of the kitchen, the only difference being that one of them wears a yellow scarf instead of red. One sister carries a plate filled with sweets and pastries, the other a rather large pot of stew.
I'm Eugina...
Says the other one with the yellow scarf.
and I'm Tarsi. Says the one with a red scarf. We are always happy to have strapping adventurers here! Especially ones who are so honorable!
She walks up and pinches Atronia's cheek.
So thin though!
The other two nod in agreement.
You must simply have some stew...
Addas interrupts.
First of course, your coin for the night? 2 gold each for you fine adventurers, and since we'll put the ruffians in the same room, only 2 for the lot of them. Food included!
She holds out her hand, expectantly waiting for the payment as the other two sisters bustle about, setting out stew, water, and the pastries for the adventurers, though they serve notably less stew for the "Prisoners" and give them derisive sniffs and "Tuts" and a murmur of "Crime doesn't pay poor child, Razmir have mercy".
Coetis gives her two gold.
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Daedîn shakes his head no to the offer of food. "I'll have none of your stew...getting caught was punishment enough..."
He says this not only just to mimic what a prisoner might say...moreso, it's becasue he doesn't trust these people...and, more to the point, doesn't trust what might be in their food either...
Atronia flinched when the woman gripped her cheek. "I appreciate your hospitality, but please don't treat me like a child."
She hands Addas four gold. "This should suffice for the prisoners and I."
She sits down at the table and waits for stew.
Eugina, the yellow scarfed sister, leans over and pours Atronia and her comrades each a bowl of stew, and also provides pastries to the adventurers. No sweets for ruffians. She also provides cups of clean water for everyone to enjoy.
After everyone eats, or sullenly refuses to eat as a prisoner, Eugina leads the team to a back room. This cozy room is dominated by a large fireplace. A few tables and upholstered chairs provide repose for guests of the inn, and assorted rugs of Qadiran manufacture cover the floor. Eugina hands each "Adventurer" team member a key, and then Atronia a second one for the "Prisoners".
Alrighty dears, these will be your rooms for the night. If you need anything at all, feel free to give a call, but me and my sisters will be bedded down by sundown, so feel free to get your own water from the well if you need it... Tarsi gets grumpy if she is woken up. Is their any questions you have before you turn in for the night?
The old lady smiles sweetly and waits patiently for the team to let her know if they no longer need her.
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"Thank you, Mrs Grymble. I believe we have everything we need for tonight. We will see you at breakfast."
Once she has dismissed the old woman, Atronia makes a show of following the "prisoners" into their room to check that everything is secured.
If the woman does leave, she casts Message on Daedîn just before going into her own room and inviting in Gyrand and Coetis so they can have a private talk. She whispers so that all three of them can hear: "Daedîn, we can whisper things to each other from far away for a few minutes. We will have to relay anything the others tell us. I think we should wait a little while before we start searching this place, but where and how should we start? Does anyone have any idea where the prisoners might be?"
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Once in the room with the door locked, Daedîn pulls the slipknot on the rope and puts it away. Upon hearing Atronia, he whispers back...
"Agree...we should wait to search until the ladies have gone to bed. And my apologies, after a bit of a rocky start, your plan appears to have gone off better than I expected...
There's no second level to the inn...so I'm guessing we're looking for a basement...I don't think they'd put us in a room with a secret entrance, so I'd guess we need to search some of the common rooms...kitchen, bathroom, perhaps the stables...or worst case, in the old ladies' bedroom...
I'd say 'bout an hour or so after sundown start our search...make sure the coast is clear and come to our room...and don't forget my bow, I feel naked without it..."
In a few hours, night falls, and the sounds of movement in the kitchen quiet as the old women go to bed. The Inn is still... not a creature is stirring, except perhaps, some adventurers?
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Daedîn smiles in appreciation to Atronia for retrieving his bow and nods in agreement with Gwerrmet, whispering...
"I think you may be right 'bout the stables...and it may be the safest place to search with the ladies here in the Inn. But we'll have to keep an eye out for the stable boy...I know not where he sleeps...Atronia can you cast message again so we can quietly communicate?"
If the party agrees, Daedîn will quietly exit the Inn and will lead his companions to the stables...keeping an eye out for anything suspicious and stealthily moving across the grounds to begin searching the stables...
Coetis follows the party as well, looking around as he does.
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Once at the stables, Daedîn will keep an eye out for the stable boy. If he's not around, he'll start searching the stables, main area first and then the stalls one by one...while he's primarily searching for a secret/trap door, he'll first look for any obvious tracks that might lead him to it...he'll also keep his eyes open for anything suspicious, enemies, traps, and such...
An expansive smithy is set up in the west end of the stable, one corner of it occupied by a small cot and a neat pile of clothing. To the east stretch a number of stalls for horses and other animals. The youth from earlier is nowhere to be seen. Most of the horses are asleep but undisturbed by the stealthy sniper. However, one horse in the far back right stable is obviously awake and obviously irritated. It's an unbroken mare that snorts, whinnies, and stamps its hooves restlessly.