The bent and gray-bearded old hermit approaches the the group as they wander up the path towards his hut. A white weasel is perched upon his shoulder. His gnarled oaken staff serves to keep him upright.
"What brings ye to the grove?" he inquires of the band.
Cerilis looks at the weasel and then at the old man. Understanding beams in his eyes as he looks back at the weasel. He stands there with feet set apart and ready for a combat.
We are but humble travelers enjoying a walk around town. There seems to be a something amiss in these parts. We did not expect anyone to be here but since you are...Have things always been this bad around here?
"What do you mean by bad?" the hermit replies.
"Er... well... there have just been some odd changes recently," chimes in Ravenna, then subsides to let the team members more invested in the Green Faith do the talking.
Augier nudges their bear friend to start talking.
"Greetings! First let me say that I completely appreciate this place and what you seem to have done here. The natural beauty stands out, without the interference and all-too-ordered fashion of so many humans and dwarves."
Siondel bows gracefully, stowing his bow as he does.
"I am known as Siondel Greensinger, and we are investigating this town on behalf of another. Disappearances, walking crocodiles, lizard men and cultists seem to abound. Do you know any information about that, and will you aid us?"
Medved stays next to his master, curiously sniffing the air and eyeing up the weasel and old man.
The face of Cerilis is that of a neutral stance...no real emotion. When Siondel speaks up...his eyes get big for second.
&#%*, Well any chance of figuring out who this guys is with just went up in smoke. oh well, we will see how this plays out.
Sorry for the bluntness...We have been attacked three times before we even got breakfast, so we are little shy on time. Do you have any idea as to why your town is so antagonistic?
"I see," says the old man with a voice as shaky as his hand. " You're from out of town then? And where did you say that you spent your nights in town at?"
Pointing southward
The one just down the road....near the road to Hochhoch
The old man inquires," Did you happen to visit the Golden Grain Inn?"
"We did stay there, indeed. It was recommended by a villager as a place of rest and respite. I don't know if I would echo his sentiment."
"Why would you say that kind sir?" the man inquires.
"Our rest was interrupted, and the morning reception was much less than cordial. To boot, several of the rooms proved less secure and more stinky than I would expect from a good inn. But perhaps that is the way of human towns."
"To be more precise, would you please describe what exactly it is that you experienced there, in detail. " he insists staring carefully into the eyes of each party member.
sense motive
Sensing this old man and his weasel obviously mean them no harm at all, Siondel elaborates.
"We were attacked at night by very smelly lizard people with clubs and claws. Once we fought them.off, we encountered some false guardsmen. Perhaps they were real guardsmen, but they seemed very suspicious and we defeated them. Finally, we encountered some robed humans with clubs who tried to kill or capture us, but we slew them all instead. Then, no-one seems to believe us that some weird culto thing seems to be growing in this place. Was that specific enough? "
Augier whispers to SiondelShould we tell him what the old lady said?
"I see. Do you have any physical proof of any of this?"the wizard inquires.
You want proof. Take a look at these gashes in my armor, do you see the blood on me, take a look at us and tell me what you see. We are torn, beaten and battered. Healed yes but the effects of combat are there for anyone to see...but if you are looking for something a little more substantial...send your familiar to check out the inn. There you should find about a dozen bodies if they have not been cleaned up yet.
Cerilis calms down a bit
Sir, with all do respect, you have not answered our questions. You appear to be digging for information on us and what happened, which is understandable..but at the same time you have dodged our questions. If you have information on what is going on in your own town, please tell us so that we may do what we can to stop it. If you have no information , can you at least send us to someone who can and will help?
"Wait, am I supposed to be gathering evidence from the humans who try to kill me? I suppose I can begin skinning them if that's what is required."
Cerilis looks over at Siondel
That will not be necessary, I think our new friend here is just being cautious.
Cerilis turns back towards the old man
Right? You are being a cautious man, for someone who lives in a place like this has to be careful. I mean...either you are part of the problem or you are not. So which is it...are you looking to knock us out and sell us into slavery....or are you going to help us to remove this threat from your little town here.
Cerilis lets his hands rest at his side, but his feet slide ever so slightly to a better balance.
if this is a wizard, I going to need to close the distance quickly. If he is a druid well...I am f*#$!d for I have no clue what he will do. That rodent could be a familiar or even an animal companion. This is a big gamble here...come old man let me see what you have going on in that head of yours...
The old man pauses for a long awkward silence after Cerilis's last question. Then he turns to address the group. "Most townsfolk don't know who I am and I have lived here for almost ten years. I must admit that I am curious as to why you have sought me out. At any rate, I suppose it can't hurt to invite you in for tea. That is, if we all can fit."
He addresses Siondel specifically. "Please ask the bear to stay outside the door. He will be safe."
The growth of shrubbery, vines and wild flora engulf the small cottage so that it is hard to discern that it is a structure until one is right up on it. Even the wooden door is disguised with overgrowth, but opens smoothly to a cluttered room about twenty by twenty feet. There are various unmatching pieces of furniture and wingback chairs on which the guests can rest.
The ceiling is low, being just over six feet in height. The wooden walls host green vines in every crack and crevice. Numerous tomes, some with rotting covers collect dust on a series of homemade shelves. There are also many odd gadgets laying around, old and possibly in disrepair. There is a small kitchen in the back.
Once they get settled, a tray with a tea service for the lot of them appears to be carried by an invisible being as it passes each one, stopping to offer it a beverage.
In hopes that you are here to aid the town of Orlane, I will tell you what I know so that your efforts stand a chance at success. I have quietly been been keeping surveillance on the town ever since things began to go haywire about a year ago. It seems that the most activity here is at night, when you think the farmers should be resting. I know that a fair number of travelers have stayed at the Golden Grain Inn and never heard from again, being offput by the name of the Slumbering Serpent Inn I guess. Shame too, the Serpent's proprietors are a kinder lot. Folks around here disappear for a week and return, different. I can't put my finger on it. Giant crocs have left the swamp. Whiskers himself has tracked a band or two of smelly troglodytes. The cleric at the temple does not see parishioners any more. I would like to find out more, but I am an old man and fairly useless against the numbers of involved persons into what I can only guess at this point is a grand conspiracy.
This does seem to confirm what we have found out. The temple seems to want people to leave by charging high prices and we have heard about the crocs wandering. The temple is no doubt the heart of the problem.
"And something with the swamp, too," says Ravenna. "But... what do we look into first?"
"When you were at the Golden Grain Inn, did you investigate the entire place?" the old man asks.
We got delayed by a conflict and didn't search the rest of the building. I believe that would be a good place to start.
After three conflicts in less than 10 minutes on the property of the Golden Grain Inn, we felt it would be wise to move along to another location.
Gesturing to Medved to stay by the door, Siondel hands him a bit of jerky and ruffles his ears.
"Good boy, we won't be long. Please don't eat all his flowers, buddy. "
Following the others inside, Sinodel looks over all the plants, materials, and everything inside with a mixture of curiosity and jealousy.
"I must admit, I would not expect a human spellcaster's lair to look in such a fashion. I'm impressed."
Zirul follows the old man into his "shack", ducking slightly for fear of hitting his head on the ceiling. He looks around at the utter disarray the surrounds him and thinks "I knew humans were messy and unrefined but this is ridiculous."
As the tea service stops in front of him he takes a cup and thanks the area where a server should have been, just incase this was some type of cloaking spell that he had previously been unaware of. Though before taking a drink he casts Detect Evil of both the man and the cup to try and avoid getting tricked by evil intentions.
As Zirul listens to the old man's description of the recent goings ons of the town he keep close eye out for any indication that he could be lying and trying to lead the us into a trap.
Augier shows the man the serpent drawing
Ravenna doffs her hat politely and grins as tea is invisibly served, obviously charmed by the use of this kind of entertaining magic.
"Ha, spell caster. That is a bit overstated. I peruse these tomes occasionally for some bits and pieces of dweomers. I'm more of an enthusiast really. Too weak and old to do most things." The tired old human settles down into an old tattered armchair as dust puffs off of it at the sitting. The weasel climbs off of his shoulder and rests along the top of the back of the chair. "Strength replaced with wisdom, dexterity with experience. You'll know someday... I'd be curious to see where the monsters originated from in the inn. I'd also be curious to find out what is going on in the temple. Alas, I am too old. Whiskers here is a mighty fine tracker. He could sniff out those smelly beasts quite easily. I would be greatly upset if something were to happen to him, however. He ain't much of a fighter. Anyway, with the exception of the swamp and the Dim Forest, the town seems to be pretty safe during the day. Then again, safe won't reveal any more information about the goings on here. Where are you thinking about investigating next?" the man inquiries directly.
The rest of the inn, and if Whiskers comes with us, we'll make sure to keep him safe.
"He will go with you , but he is also my eyes and ears around here as well. I'm going to be a bit anxious while he is gone. the man agrees nervously.
"Is Whiskers bound to you with magic? I can speak with him if he is a normal animal, but if your magic enhanced him it is beyond my abilities."
Cerilis eyes the old man for a bit longer than was wanted, but in the end he agreed.
Well then, I guess we are off to clear out the inn. When this is over, I am going to talk to the mayor about ownership on the Inn. For all this that we are doing for the town...I am calling dibs on it.
He chuckles as he leaves the shack.
Augier heads out with the others.
"Cerilis, do you really want to own and run such a place? If the temple really is inhabited by evil lizard people, you'd need constant vigilance. Or at least very dedicated cleaning staff."
Siondel signals to Medved as they leave the sorcerer's place, glad the bear decided to nap rather than eat the man's garden.
"Well presumably after we clean out the lizard infestation," says Ravenna.
Always knew it would be the lizard people. They can look like anyone!
Both the cup and the man don't appear to be of an evil nature. Zirul does not see anything alarming. Mostly just bits and pieces of junk and dusty books.
The group makes it back to the the inn in the late afternoon and finds the place unusually empty, with exception for one, dark-haired gentleman drinking alone at the bar. He looks somewhat distraught.
As they walk down the road Cerilis turns to Siondel. With a smile he keeps his eyes moving from place to place always looking for trouble.
The Inn will need to be cleared first of course and a new owner as well. The Inn will be an eyesore until it is clean up and made into a civilize establishment.....who better to do that than an elf?
As they walk in...
I guess that farmer forget to mention that the inn was...closed for business?
He motions for the rest of the group to be prepared and then looks at Zirul. Giving him a look that should indicate his desires to know this gentlemen's disposition.
Good Afternoon....Sir? Is the proprietor about?
Taking Cerilis's cue Zirul casts Detect Evilon the man at the bar, but he does have a predetermined idea that this will not end in their favor.
Zirul does detect the presence of evil.
"I was hoping that you had seen him," the man says.
As you are speaking, three men walk into the inn behind you.
Two of the men standing ten feet behind the man in the middle have crossbows drawn.
"I'm Grover Ruskdal, Constable of Orlane. I have been trying to track you down all day. You out-of-towners are hard to catch up with," the man replies.
Augier warily eyes the men.
Cerilis gives a look to Zirul to confirm his suspicions...
All four?
Why constable, your tracking abilities are as keen as your observation skills. I bet that very little happens in your town without you knowing about it. In one way or another....Well you have tracked us out-of-towners down so what may we do for you this fine day?
As Cerilis talks, he looks around to determine an exit strategy.
Sh*^, This is not good. Where to go if..no when this turns bad..
Siondel plasters a wide smile across his face, showing jovialiaty he does not feel. Through grinning teeth he speaks to Cerilis in Elven:
"Medved can buy us some time, needs be. And then we turn our heels and approach a different angle."