After gathering together any additional supplies they want to bring the Pathfinders set out the next morning for Dawnton. The trip is uneventful, and takes the better part of three days.
Your group arrives in Dawnton on the evening of Day 3. As you approach the town, you see that it really is little more than some buildings gathered at a crossroads between the road and a river.
Despite how small the town looks, and how sleepy you suspect it usually is, there's a bit of a buzz about it now. You pass a couple of other groups of people heading into the town as you arrive, and idle conversation with them reveals that they're coming into town from the area to witness the executions. It's all very exciting!
* A: Looks to be a general store of some sort
* B: The town's Inn, "Heath and Harvest"
* C: Just some guy's house. Nothing different about it and anybody else's house. Nothing to see here. Not even sure why it has a letter on the map.
* D: Tent City. Temporary housing for lots of visitors, such as are streaming into town to watch the executions.
* E: Beer Garden. A daytime social gathering spot.
It is the evening of the first day. The way this will work is that you'll have to tell me where you go and how you approach what you do at the location. There will be three phases each day, morning, afternoon, and evening. It's currently Day 3, and only the evening phase is left for today. You can split the party, if you wish! You can spread out to different locations. The PbP format allows us to just roleplay all of them at once in parallel. We'll assume that after each phase, you gather back together to swap intel.
You could visit any of the interesting locations above. (I mean, what's the point of visiting some random guy's house, when you don't even know who he is?) You could also hit the streets and try to talk to either the natives wandering about, or the visitors coming into town. Doubtless there's been lots of gossip passed about by now.
What does each of you want to do? Let me know which places you go, and if a group of more than one goes to a place, make sure we're all in agreement that who is going together to where.
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After a few days on the road, Garif is ready to relax a bit, and figures he can mix business with a bit of pleasure by chatting up people at the beer garden. "Anyone want to stop by the beer garden with me, enjoy a pint or three and see if we hear anything interesting? Then maybe we ask after rooms at the inn for the night."
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"I'm with you," Shieara grins, clapping Garif on the shoulder. "'Course I'm sure that's not too surprisin', comin' from me," she adds, jerking her thumb towards the holy symbol hanging around her neck. "C'mon, let's go see what sorts of fine beverages they serve here in Dawnton!"
Once she and Garif and anyone else that opts to tag along reach the beer garden, Shieara manages to find a few empty seats and settles in. "Hey, ya folks got any applejack?" she calls out when one of the servers comes around to get orders. "Oh an' a good dose of the local scuttlebutt too, iffin' you have th' time?"
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Kleines checks his stock of bar napkins. "Hm, I'd better come too. I might need to take notes later."
At the bar, Kleines sits with his friends, though he declines to partake in the applejack, opting instead for tea. He talks amiably with the bartender, as well as the other patrons, politely listening to their stories and asking questions at the appropriate times to keep them chatting.
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It is the evening of the first day. The way this will work is that you'll have to tell me where you go and how you approach what you do at the location. There will be three phases each day, morning, afternoon, and evening. It's currently Day 3, and only the evening phase is left for today. You can split the party, if you wish! You can spread out to different locations. The PbP format allows us to just roleplay all of them at once in parallel. We'll assume that after each phase, you gather back together to swap intel.
Oops, sorry -- it's your first day in town. But, since there is a time scheduled for the execution (which you will learn pretty easily as you talk to people), we do want to keep track of time. So, the numbering will be Day 3 for the evening you arrive in Dawnton.
So far:
Garif, Shieara, Klienes: Beer Garden
Phinellippa: General Store
(I know a couple of folks (at least) weren't able to post until either tonight or tomorrow, so I'll wait to hear from them before advancing.)
Pick a place, go there, and we'll roleplay there a bit. There may then be some checks you want to make; they won't all just be Diplomacy, necessarily.
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On the trip to Dawnton, Iovo talked with Phinellippa about magic. She tells her that she has learned the basics of how to cast the simplest of spells, although she finds those involving divination the easiest. If Phinellippa is willing, Iovo would like to trade spells.
Once the group arrives in Dawnton, she hesitates as she tries to figure out whom to join. Finally she decides to follow Phinellippa to the general store. She knows it isn't going to have the selection of items she can get in Absalom, but it should be interesting seeing what they do carry.
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“I’m going to poke around the Tent City, see if they have any need for performers here.”
Damiar waves to the rest of the group, and splits up to check out the Tent City. “Hello new friends! Can you tell me where a performer might set up shop? Also... What’s going on here? It looks like you’re setting up for a festival!”
ASIDE: From now on, don't give preemptive checks. As you get to a place, you'll get a feel for what sort of checks might be appropriate. It won't be all diplomacy, all the time....
At the General Store
Phinellippa, Iovo, Rees
Orug's General Store is a sprawling business that occupies three storefronts. It looks too large for a village the size that Dawnton usually is, but the number of people that have descended on the town helps explain the existence of a general store this large. And, after all, it is at a crossroads.
As you get there and look around, you see that the center room is the general store; if you want to do any shopping, this is the place to do it. The eastern room is storage, offices, and apartments for the owners. The west room is the barbershop and baths. There are two chairs where Orug Foram, a half-orc man who is one of the two proprietors of the place, gives haircuts. Farther back in this part of the complex are three rooms with tubs for hot baths. The barbershop and baths look like they might be one of the main hubs for gossip in town.
The two proprietors of the store are Orug Foram (the half-orc), and his wife, the half-elf named Tessa Greenagh. As you come in, you see Tessa behind the counter in the main store deep in quiet conversation with a pair of humans who are standing in front of the counter. Orag is over in the barber shop talking more loudly with a human whose hair he is cutting, saying "All the folk that come, they'll see themselves a good execution, yessir they will. And they'll of course be wantin' to hear from the people who have first-hand knowledge...."
You get the sense that both of the proprietors are inveterate gossips.
You will probably want to talk to one of the two proprietors. You can approach with a standard conversational approach (Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Bluff, based on how you want to do it), but you could also try to find some common ground with the two half-humans by leveraging your knowledge of a craft or a profession.
Phinnellippa, followed by Rees, goes to talk to the half-orc barber. The half-orc doesn't seem to notice that Rees is there; indeed, it feels a little bit crowded. [Note for everybody: you get the sense that while you might learn more if you go to a place in a group of two or three, you will also make yourselves more conspicuous as an investigating group, and it could cause folk to clam up a bit and potentially taint the information. Of course, the least conspicuous number of people to send to a place is one.]
Iovo: Do you want to approach Orug yourself when the opportunity presents itself, do you want to aid Phinnellippa, or do you want to approach Tessa? Let me know what you want to do, and how you approach it.
At the Beer Garden
Garif, Shieara, Klienes
At the center of the tent city’s open area stands a broad beer garden with walls constructed of beer barrels and crates. It's evening, but not yet night, and festivities are active. Indeed, you have to push a little bit to get inside. It seems a bit morbid that an impending execution is the gathering reason for such a festive air.
Garif is quickly in his cups and rather forgets that he's supposed to be conducting an investigation. Klienes and Shieara, however are able to work the crowd, and before long have made some friends who are willing to talk to them. They didn't even need to buy the house a round! (Aside: I'm going to treat your rolls as separate individual Diplomacy rolls, rather than aiding each other. This turns out to be a better strategy, as there are lots of people here. Spread around and making friends is going to work better than concentrating together on a few people.)
During the idle discussions, they hear a couple of potentially-juicy rumors.
Beer Garden Rumor #1: The town sheriff (and mayor), a halfling by the name of Tobias Luin, himself wants to hang the murderers. He has a written testimony from a witness that says they’re guilty.
Beer Garder Rumor #2: There is a nominal inquisitor of Iomedae in town. In fact, the rumor says, she is a demon posing as an inquisitor. She’s used this trick to murder ten heroes up and down the countryside, and nobody is brave enough to speak up.
At the Tent City
Damiar
Dozens of tents of sundry sizes ring an open area where the visitors gather for games and talk. In the evening light, the place feels like a county fair, complete with food stalls, music, jugglers, and sports. Damiar quickly sees that perhaps the best way to get folk talking would be to participate in the various contests, many of which are physical tasks. However, she has very little trouble finding some other folks who are of a musical bent, and the next thing she knows, she's jamming with a pickup country band, throwing her voice in alongside them.
Afterwards, chatting with some of the musicians, she hears some gossip.
Fairgrounds Rumor #1: This is an especially breathless rumor. There’s going to be a jailbreak tomorrow night. The Pathfinder Society sent another gang of their adventurers to bust the first bunch out! (Presumably Damiar has been circumspect about showing Wayfinders or admitting that she's associated with the group that the convicted prisoners came from....) Those thugs all have orders to kill the sheriff and anybody who gets in their way!
Summary
You got a couple of rumors at a couple of places. I still need to hear from Iovo to finalize the results of the evening investigation at Orug's General Store.
You've figured out that while it takes more than one PC present to wring more than one rumor out of the folk at a given location, you have diminishing returns if you send too many people to any given location. You're probably generally better off making multiple independent checks than you are aiding each other, although it's not a slam-dunk.
Of course, rumors being what they are, they're probably not all true. Indeed, I suspect you have some idea about the truth of one of the ones you've already heard....
There is tension in town. Some people seem to think there are demons everywhere, and of course everybody is suspicious of the sinister Pathfinder Society. You really want to keep a low profile. At the end of each phase, if you want to try to keep a low profile, you can each make one of a Stealth, Bluff, or Disguise check. If enough people make it, it'll help prolong the inevitable backlash of your investigation making waves. (Disguse and Bluff would be, in different ways, trying to fit in and not seem at all extraordinary. Stealth is just trying not to be noticed.)
Once I've heard from Iovo and we've resolved the end-of-phase checks, I'll give you an update on the various places you might check out, and we can move on to the next phase.
This was a long post.
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Overhearing a little of the conversation, Iovo decides there is nothing a gossip likes better than new information.
She wanders around the shop a little looking at their wares. She finds a small steel mirror and at what she judges is a good time, she brings it up.
“I would like this if you don’t mind. Just came from Nerosyan.”
She then gives an exceptionally juicy bit of gossip she picked up there.
After allowing Tessa to question her further on the indiscretion of a certain librarian in the Sancta Iomedaea over in Vigil and some other gossip, she then inquires about local news.
“So that is about all I’ve heard from there. Seems there is something going on around here. Anything you can share?”
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(Yes, feel free to post end-of-phase checks. The main reason to hold off on the other checks is that there might be specific things that I'll suggest, or that you'll think of as Iovo did, based on what's going on at various places.)
(You guys will also have a chance to regroup between phases to share what you've learned and plan your approach.)
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Garif grumbles about there being no information to learn in this beer garden, but cheers himself with the fact that he's learning no information in a beer garden. Getting up to leave, and with a beery, bleary grin on his face, he convinces himself he's moving away unnoticed by even the sharpest of eyes - while he steps on a variety of toes on his way out.
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“What? There’s a rumor that the Society’s out to kill the Sheriff in a jailbreak?” Damiar raises an eyebrow. “Do you know who’s been saying that? It seems sort of dubious to me... If someone were planning something so awful, why tell others? Has anyone warned the Sheriff?”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
If they can’t spot the rumor-mongerer, Damiar meets up with her group at the pre-selected midpoint and shares the story. “Someone knew we were coming and wanted to make it as difficult as possible. I’d like to go to the Sheriff’s office, and have a chat with the man. It’s time to do a bit of damage control.”
At the General Store
The half-elf Iovo as she comes closer.
"You said she what? Oh, that is too precious!"
She is quite taken with the bit of gossip Iovo said. (And, even if nobody other than Shevar Besnik talks about her, doubtless the adventures of Besnik and the Librarian have made their way around the Pathfinder Society.)
"Well, the news around here is the murders, of course! You must be in town with the others to witness the execution. I think the Sheriff has those Pathfinders dead to rights...."
General Store Rumor #1: When he arrived at the second murder site, Sheriff Tobias Luin found a dagger that fit a sheath belonging to one of the Pathfinders who was hiding nearby.
Tessa Greenagh begins musing about the Pathfinders who suposedly committed the murders, sharing a tidbit she'd heard from one of the other cities. "I haven't been to Neroysan, or any other city closer to the Worldwound myself, but what I did hear...."
General Store Rumor #2: When Kenabres fell, half the survivors got possessed by demons. Those poor Pathfinders most certainly killed those people, but it’s not really their fault.
You know something about the fall of Kenabres. It was a huge blow to Mendev, of course. With luck, there will be some heroes-- perhaps mythic ones, even-- that will arise and help the place out. There was some treachery there, as demonic agents were clearly inside the city. However, you haven't heard anything about this kind of mass possession, and you think it's implausible tat as many as half of the survivors were possessed.
Meanwhile, over near the barbershop, Orug can't help but regale Phinellippa with a bombastic tale of his own derring-do.
General Store Rumor #3: I witnessed the murder myself, I did! Happened right outside. When I heard the scream outside, I rushed outside there. Tried to help the poor fellow, but the murderer -- didn't rightly get a great look, he took a cowardly cheap shot that knocked me a bit askew, and the villain ran off into the dark before I could do anything more. Tall fellow.
At the Fairgrounds
"Where did I hear that?"
The human Damiar is talking to looks around. "You know, a few people are saying it. Somebody overheard them talking about their plans? But, you know, you can't trust those adventuring types anyway!"
At the Beer Garden
Garif is actually able to find some beer without any trouble. Kegs of it. It's not clear that it counts as beer to Garif's standards, but it's quite servicable.
As the evening ends....
Surprisingly, the Inn has two rooms open right now; somebody just left. So, if you want to share rooms, you can get a room there. Alternatively, you can just go and pitch a tent at the tent city and sleep there. It looks like the weather's going to hold out at least tonight, so you could do well even without a tent, as long as you've got a bedroll or something to sleep on.
You think you did a pretty good job being circumspect. That is, you don't believe any of you (except for Daimar) convinced anybody with your attempt at disguise or bluffing, nor did you stay sufficiently out of sight with stealth, for a few not to take note of what just might be one of those dubious adventuring parties forming in town. However, your approach during the day didn't raise any red flags with people, sometimes getting rumors by deflecting suspicion by dropping other rumors. Asking direct questions, and mentioning scary things, is good at getting information, of course, but it also can raise folks' suspicions.
Still, it's probably just a matter of time before your presence as a group is noticed.
Tomorrow will be a new day, and we'll start the morning phase. The places you can go are as before: the fairgrounds (tent city), the beer garden, Orug's General Store, or trying to get the general word on the street. Add to that the Sherrif, Tobias Luin, whose name came up a few times; you might want to try to get in his good graces, and she what light he can shed on the matter.
You guys can gather together and discuss with each other as much as you want, to share information, speculate wildly, and think about what you'll want to do next. When you're ready, tell me where you're going for the next phase. I'll set the scene. In a place you've already been, you do have some idea what's going on there, so you might have a good idea what approach you might take (and thus what check you might instead of a social skill check). If it's a new place, let me tell you about it before you throw in a check, as it might prompt you to come up with something creative.
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Iovo tells the others what the general store owner had to say, along with her own analysis of it.
“It seems clear to me at least a couple of us should go talk to the sherif. Meanwhile, it sounds like Damiar and I might have an advantage moving through the crowd in the tent city.”
“So, big question: shall we camp in the tent city or enjoy the comfort of the last two rooms at the Inn?” Given her expression, it is obvious she prefers the idea of the rooms at the Inn.
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"I'm fine with getting rooms here at the inn while we can," Garif repsonds to Iovo's question. "Place'll probably fill up, might as well grab 'em if we aim to stay a bit."
With a nod at the elf's first suggestion, he adds, "And I won't be much help moving through the crowd, so maybe I'll go along with anyone who wants to talk to the sheriff, see if I can be of some use there."
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"Yeah, I'd much prefer sleepin' in a proper bed when I can, y'know?" Shieara agrees when the group reconvenes later. "Anyway so all we heard pokin' around at th' beer garden was somethin' about how the Sheriff wanted t' hang the murderers himself and that he had some sorta written testimony from a witness."
Then she pauses and rolls her eyes. "An' supposedly there's a demon posin' as an inquisitor of Iomedae goin' 'round murderin' heroes," the priestess adds. "Think they said she's here in town somewheres. Sounds like a buncha baloney t' me but figured I'd mention it just t' be all thorough an' such."
"Sounds like whoever goes t' see th' sheriff should have a good way with words...not sure that's me but I'm happy t' give it a shot. Or I could go an' pay th' general store a visit - an' buy some supplies, if anyone needs anythin'. Two birds with one stone!"
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Pausing to think a bit, Iovo points out “Kleines generally has a way of impressing people with his earnestness and honesty. If we are to be direct with the Sherif, he is an excellent choice.”
“Collecting rumors is about more than just getting evidence of what happened. It let’s us know what people are talking about and maybe thinking. In the example of Kenabres, people are really spooked and looking for any explanation they can think of. Some would probably prefer mind control over betrayal.”
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Rees remains quiet through much of the discussion, but nods in agreement with Iovo's thoughts on the meaning of rumors. An Elder would likely walk among the townspeople to judge the truly loyal from the sick. If we're pretending to be Elders... "It may be wise to walk among the core community; I will do so."
You all get a good night's sleep, although it's a bit crowded in the two rooms. Also, when Garif snores, it sounds like rocks grinding. He wouldn't have it any other way.
DAY 4, MORNING
Word on the Street
Rees
More people are coming into town in hopes of seeing a juicy execution. The streets -- what few there are-- are fairly busy, and there's decent traffic back and forth to the tent city where most people are staying. You can see some locals out trying to hawk their garden products or other wares at tourist prices.
There is a buzz in the street. You pick up in passing some tut-tutting about Pathfinders and adventurers in general. "You know how they are..." You might even have heard the word "murderhobo" once or twice.
Conversation also quickly goes to hushed whispers with looks thrown over shoulders whenever topics like demons or dark magic are mentioned.
The Fairgrounds / Tent City
Phinellippa, Iovo?, Daimar?
There's a lot of detritus about from the last couple of days of festivities, and the grass is quite trampled. In the morning, the buzz is beginning, but it's not quite as busy about as it likely will be later in the day. There aren't even very many people who are drunk yet (although the story may be different in the beer garden). People are emerging from tents; you get the impression that they huddled in them overnight, probably jumping at the slightest creaking of a nearby tree in the wind and thinking about demons and cultists lurking in the shadows. But, it's day now, and it looks like it will be another nice one.
Some food stalls are setting up. There are performers about, but by and large they haven't really gotten going yet. People are setting up friendly athletic competitions and sporting matches; there's a fair bit of noise coming from a barrel and a couple of stools where people are arm wrestling. Over in another field, people seem to have invented some sort of team sport; they've wadded up a bunch of stockings into a ball that's about 7 or 8 inches across, and they're kicking it around, trying to kick the ball between a couple of makeshift posts on either side of the field they've set up. You hear somebody suggesting that they should name the game in honor of the ball they've created, and are considering calling it "sock-ur".
There are even a few people standing on the bank of the river in their skivvies, boasting to each other about how fast they can swim.
Sherrif Tobias Luin
Garrif, Klienes, Shieara
Tobias Luin's house is the one marked C on the map (linked under my name). () It's the largest residence in town, perhaps no surprise given that the sheriff is also the mayor. As you approach the house, you can see that there are three of the town guards on watch around the house; they give you a wary eye as you walk up, but as you show no outward hostility, they don't intercept you. You do think it's a bit odd that the sherrif's house -- if that's all that it is -- needs town guards outside.
You knock on the door. After a few moments, you hear a voice inside. "Yes, yes, I am coming."
The door opens, and the halfling who opened it looks surprised to see you, as if he had expected somebody else. "Oh, I'm sorry. What can I do for you?" The halfling speaks in a guarded tone.
The sheriff seems a little grouchy, but he's not specifically annoyed with you; you don't think he even knows who you are. He's probably stressed out from the vast quantity of people who've rapidly descended on his town. His attitude is unfriendly, but it's nothing personal....
Looking behind the halfling into the house, you see some neglected clutter. You get the sense that he lives here alone. You also see one hallway that leads to a closed door that has a very official looking air about it, and this hallway does not share the distended clutter of the main room of the house.
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"Um, hello..." Garif says uncertainly, studying the sheriff a moment while keeping Nico off to one side of the doorway. The sheriff seems a little grouchy - but not specifically annoyed with us. In fact, I'm not convinced he's got any idea who we are. Given all that's going on here, he's probably stressed out from the vast number of people who've descended on his little town. I'd guess I'd call his attitude unfriendly, but it doesn't seem to be personal...
Clearing his throat, he makes as if to speak again, then looks to Kleines, while doing his best to look agreeable.
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Not too happy to see us but I bet he's had all sorts of folks knocking on his door lately. Can't really blame him.
As Garif mumbles and Kleines begins making introductions, Shieara suddenly realizes that they never really decided on what they were going to say to the sheriff or how they'd play off their sudden interest in the ruckus happening in town.
Oh damn...um...
"Shieara Enric, disciple of th' Lucky Drunk," she smiles, showing her holy symbol. "Not that we're meaning t' pry or anythin' but ah...well, we'd heard about all th' nasty stuff happenin' here an' thought we'd stop in an' see if there might be somethin' we could do t' help out around here, kinda like Kleines here said."
Which was the truth, in a roundabout way.
[dice=Diplomacy (Aid)]1d20 + 5
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Although Iovo joins Damiar in her songs, it is the acting out of some of the things from those songs that tends to draw the crowd’s attention. She walks along rails, jumps on an empty barrel and balances on it, then rolls it while staying on top. She even does a flip as she dismounts, landing perfectly.
She is just as quick to accept any coins tossed her way, glad-handing her way through the crowd.
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As he walks down the street, Rees frowns thoughtfully. Now, how do the elders do it? Leader forgive me, I mean no disrespect at all by this charade... it's like they just look at people and everyone confesses!
So saying, Rees turns a corner and walks down one street trying to look like he deserves a confession, and watching for people who look like they need to make one.
In no particular order:
Word on the Street
Rees watches several people moving around the streets, talking. One person catches his eye. It's a woman who's got a donkey leading a cart full of various fruits, which she is clearly intending eventually to get over to the fairgrounds to sell. However, she's not paying good attention to the donkey -- indeed, she's speaking conspiratorially with somebody else, evidently sharing a rumor of some sort (which you are not able to overhear).
The donkey starts to wander off, and when the woman notices, she starts shouting at it. "Oy! You! Come back here!"
The donkey seems stubborn, however, and picks up its pace....
At the Fairgrounds
Phinellippa tries to do some somersaults, but unfortunately ends up tripping over her feet, and nobody really seems to take much notice. In part, they are distracted by Iovo's impressive performance, as she tumbles and jumps and spins to perfection.
After her performance, a lot of people want to talk to her, and Damiar and Phinellippa join the frey, hoping to pick something up. A lot of the talk is not relevant to your investigation; indeed, a lot of it is praise and admiration of Iovo's acrobatic mastery. Others want to know where she learned how to do what she did, and want to share with her other performances they'd seen in the past. More than one invite her to come to the beer garden later in the day, where they will buy her a drink.
Another person recognizes Damiar as the one who had sung the previous night. "Are you two sisters?" he asks, looking back and forth between the two elves. Damiar is also assured that somebody will buy her a beer at the beer garden, if they are to go there later.
However, of course, the talk inevitably comes to the word of the day, and that, of course, is the pending executions of the horrendous Pathfinder murderers. And, as the talk turns, you pick up the following rumor, which may open up a new avenue for investigation:
Fairground Rumor #2: Otto, a farmer who lives just outside Dawnton, found the body of the first victim the morning the accused Pathfinders arrived. He’s still going about his business as though nothing had happened.
At the Sherriff's house
"Oh, I'm sorry, please pardon me," Tobias Luin says; you seem to have improved his attitude a decent amount. He still does look harried, but his demeanor towards yous oftens. "Rather a lot going on right now, I don't intend to be rude. Come in, come in."
He leads you back to his office, where there are only two chairs in addition to his. He perches his butt on his desk, but then realizes the chair behind the desk is too short for any of you, and awkwardly sits down in his chair before gesturing for the three of you to sit as you please.
"Most of the people who are coming here, there are coming here to gawk. The ones who think they are here to help, they come with stories of demons in the night and witchery and dark magics... all nonsense. I mean, I know that demons are real, and not far from here they're a constant threat, but everything I hear is just breathless speculation. I didn't expect folks who look like they might actually be competent give a genuine offer of help. So, tell me, what is it that you think you can do?"
One thing you have surmised is that with the guards around, somewhere in this building there's probably the town jail. It's likely that the Pathfinder prisoners awaiting execution are held somewhere on site.
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Kleines stands, leaving the seats for his compatriots. "Thank you for seeing us; I'm sure you are quite busy. We have come, as I said, in the interest of justice. As there seem to be many rumors flying around about the murders, the accused, and any number of things, we are hoping to investigate around town and to ensure that the guilty are held accountable." With a respectful nod to the sheriff he continues. "We do not mean this in any way to call into question your integrity or that of your investigation; rather, we simply wish to help you tie up any investigatory loose ends before such a drastic and final judgement is applied and ensure that true justice is being served. Sometimes, the perspective of an outsider can offer new insight into a situation."
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Shieara listens as Kleines lays out a rather well-spoken, if convoluted, explanation for the sheriff. Truth be told she had a little trouble following it herself, but maybe that was partly the point?
Don't think I've ever heard Kleines talk so...so...like a barrister?
"Ah...yeah, what he said," she manages to nod. "Like...iffin' you need anyone t' help tie up any loose ends or double-check anythin'. Or mebbe talk t' some more witnesses? Sometimes folks are more like t' talk t' someone they don't know, y' know."