Celebnen follows the others after they arrive in town. Unfamiliar with this place he seems uneasy and keeps to himself.
Palvar is one of the founding members and his history goes way back. You find the Lady unfortunately without much time to spare but she promises to dig into his history. What she knows is that he was an arcane spellcaster and founded the Order alongside a few other knights. He supposedly died at Garagun's own hands.
===
In town, you easily find the Inn and are greeted by the innkeeper.
"Greetings Knights. I can't say that I'm unhappy to have fine folk such as yourself around. Are you in need of a room for the night, or refreshments?"
The other guests are happily chatting though a few seem weary or tired out. There's an air of worry despite the drinking, talking and games.
"Indeed good Innkeeper, I believe we will be in need of both. Of course we will pay fair value for both. We were also hoping to speak to Sir Richmond, do you know where we can find him?
Letting Telthes handle asking about sir Richmond, Rennec surveys the room and tries to think of what he knows of the area.
Re'Tulan remains quiet and lets the others speak. He keeps a watchful eye out for anyone that maybe too interested in their presence or overly curious.
"And wine! Let's not forget the wine! Good man, what is your name? I hope we become regulars of your fine establishment! But right now we are looking for one of our brothers in arms, and we are worried about him, and we have not heard from him in a while. So we would very much appreciate any help you can give us."
Celebnen looks at the innkeeper with a wary eye.
"Water will be fine for me."
Looking at Cydfrid he seems like he wants to say something but instead returns his gaze to the innkeeper.
After the call for wine comes from Cydfrid, Rennec feels he needs to make sure he gets a water with Clebnen.
Turning to the innkeeper "Water will be fine for me as well, I wish to have a clear head while at work"
Cydfrid looks at his companions aghast.
"How do you plan to have a clear mind while sober? I mean, not to fall out drunk, but to enjoy Caydean's blessings will not harm anybody, specially our innkeeper friend here! On me! Good man, serve my companions one wine glass each, so they remember you inn fondly!"
Cydfrid looks at his companions aghast.
"How do you plan to have a clear mind while sober? I mean, not to fall out drunk, but to enjoy Caydean's blessings will not harm anybody, specially our innkeeper friend here! On me! Good man, serve my companions one wine glass each, so they remember you inn fondly!"
"water is fine for me, like the wizard I believe we should be clear headed while investigating. Still I will not stop any who wish to partake. But some bread, cheese and meat would not be turned away."
"Sir Richmond? I believe he was staying over at the Church of course. We haven't heard from him in quite a while true but he frequently went out to the surrounding lakeside area. I hadn't heard that something had happened though..."
He sits himself down with you at the table and brings forth food, water and wine.
"To be truthful, we're grateful to see more Knights. There's been some rumors of beasts roaming the lake, strange mottled things emerging and descending from the lakeshore. Perhaps Sir Richmond went to investigate them and something happened?"
And indeed, a few of the guests seem curious and listen unabashedly to what you and the innkeeper are saying.
"After you investigate the town, as I imagine you will, could you look into the rumors about the lake as well? I can make it worth your wile, I have a few old trinkets from my adventuring days I could part with."
"Thank you for your willingness to aid us," Telthes says to the innkeeper.
"Should we check out Sir Richmond's room at the church after we finish our meal?"
"You're very welcome. You're welcome anytime at the Inn."
"We should look into the lake. Not to enrich ourselves, but to better the name of our order. " Re'Tulan mentions when he hears of the goings on at the lake. He looks at his companions."To the lake then?"
"Would it hurt to stop by Sir Richard's room first, it should only take a few minutes but might give us some idea what to expect. knowledge is power."
Our mission is more imperative than investigating these rumors, though the two may be linked
Rennec addresses his companions, over the fine food and water,
"I believe we should do as Telthes suggests and visit the church, they will be the most likely to know when Sir Richmond was last here and what his plans were. I fear that we will end up venturing to the lake after that though in search of Sir Richmond. Anything keeping him detained would be a worry to face"
Addressing the innkeep,
"Thank you for both the good food and drink, as well as the information"
He weighs Rennec's words. "Rennec's idea seems best given what little we understand of this situation. Although being sidetracked by whatever may or may not be happening at this lake does not sit well with me we still represent the Order and these people more than likely are under their protection."
Cydfrid drinks his fill of wine, after which agrees with his friends to go look at the lake.
"How much do we owe you, good sir?" - He asks the innkeeper, before leaving.
He will leave a 25% extra as a tip.
"Consider it on the house. If you bring these rumors to light I'll be more than happy to have you housed here whenever you wish."
You head out to the church and though the hour is getting late, the Cleric on nightly duties lets you in once he sees your badges.
He leads you up the stairs to the church dormitories, simple affairs with beds and tables but little else.
"Sir Richmond slept in the guest chamber reserved for him. He has not been here for a few days but his belongings remain as he left them. No one else should have come and gone here."
He unlocks the door and allows you to enter inside.
The room is kept neat and tidy. A small bed, bedside table, desk, chair and wardrobe are all the furnishings the room holds. The desk holds a few books and papers, the wardrobe holds changes of clothing, an extra pair of boots and a spare cloak by the look of it.
One of the books has a spare note tucked into the 78th page. It is a rough copy of the map found back in his other bedroom at Shatterkeep.
A small jar containing a collection of brown and black fur... or hair of some kind lies hidden beneath the bed, easily missed in the shadows.
There's a faint brackish smudge on the other side of the window, as if something was smeared accidentally.
Telthes looks around, particularly trying to see if there are any notes sitting on the table or desk that look recent.
edit: Telthes will pull out the jar and show it to everyone.
"anyone have any idea what this is and why it would be out of plain sight?"
Re'Tulan goes over everything. Touching and smelling his personal effects. "This map again. I wonder why it was on this page." Re'Tulan will read the page that the map was found in. Then he will look again at the two maps and compare them with his mapmaker's eye.
Cydfrid handles a gold piece to the innkeeper anyway.
"Keep a tab for me, will you?"
---
In the room he lets the others do the searching, while he looks out of the window.
"Maybe some hairs of the "beasts of the lake"?"
Re'Tulan will try to identify the hairs his companion has found.
As the others rifle through the room, Celebnen stays back and examines every inch of the room from doorway. He scans the room like this several times before entering and then begins looking in places that the others missed.
"It seems that there is nothing else to gather from this room." he returns back to the doorway while the Re'Tulan and Telthes discuss the hair that was found.
Watching the others search the room, Rennec does not believe he can contribute to the search, as the others are extraordinarily thorough in their sweep.
Addressing his companions, "Maybe he was looking for the grave or a location special to Palvar, do any of you know of a place like this in the area, or anything out of the ordinary marked or displayed on the map?"
The hair, or fur appears to be from a wolf, dog or even a bear. In fact, the hairs don't seem to match.
The priest accompanying you does not know much except that Sir Richmond regularly scouted the lake area and that he did indeed set out to see about the rumors of monsters.
Your mapmaking skills show that the two are nearly identical, except that the one you've just found has a trail marked on it leading to the specified site.
" First, these hairs do not match. One is a wolf or dog, the other a bear? It could be some kind of strange beast or perhaps he was collecting hairs for some reason. " Re'Tulan shows his companions the hairs.
Then he pulls out the maps. "These are nearly identical from what I can tell, though this new one has a trail on it. Stroll by the lake anyone?" Re'Tulan asks jokingly.
"Sounds like a plan."
""it seems weird that any of those creatures should be operating out of water. Still we should investigate."
"I agree we should follow the trail on the new map. Though we should probably wait until morning to head out"
Our heroes spend the night sleeping soundly and without worry.
On the morning after, map in hand they set out to follow the trail around the lake.
Without much trouble they come across a beaten hunter's trail.
In the distance, a small wisp of smoke breaks the clear blue sky, just above a small woodland grove.
The trail leads towards it and very soon you come across the remains of what must have been a temporary campsite. A rickety tent, remains of a campfire and a pair of boots are all that remains in plain sight.
Faint voices can be heard from within the tent.
Seeing the campsite laid out before him, and hearing the voices within the tent, Rennec believes it prudent to announce their arrival to the inhabitants, so that no mistaken assaults occur.
I wonder if they know anything of what is happening at the lake?
"Hello the camp, we are a small band come down the trail and would like to ask you a few questions
Rennec makes sure that Telthes at least stands between him and the tent as he does this, as Telthes would be a much better front than he.
Telthes will lead the group, his shield strapped to his left arm and fully armoured but his sword and other weapons un-drawn. His holy symbol clearly hanging around his neck so that it is resting on top of his armour. His right hand held out, open and far from any of his weapons.
"We mean you no harm, we are simply looking for a colleague of ours and believe he is nearby. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated."
Cidfrid looks around, for anything near them.
As the others are making contact, Re'Tulan will ready his bow in an overwatch position and watches how the introductions play out.
Celebnen takes to the shadows of the surrounding trees and foliage carefully checking to see if there were others watching the group as they approached.
Two burly men come out of the tent, dressed in dark leathers and carrying a half filled burlap bag between them.
"Ain't seen no college of yours. We're simply collecting this junk here you see. Best be moving along."
You notice wicked looking daggers at their belts, and they hardly look friendly.
Eyeing the men, Rennec decides to press on with the questions,
"Okay, well have you encountered any odd creatures lately while you've been here? We have been asked to investigate them by the people in the village, as they are worried about them. If you have not seen any then we shall be on our way"
Best watch our backs as we leave too, maybe get Celebnen to come back and watch them when they think we're gone
"What junk are you collecting?" Re'Tulan asks plainly.
Cydfrid goes to them, getting a wine bottle from his backpack.
"Good to meet you, friends! Let's drink to this occasion, where this chance meeting can bring a new friendship."
Telthes will get close enough to detect evil and try to maneuver himself to see into the tent.
Telthes detects them as being evil, and the inside of the tent seems to have been thoroughly ransacked.
The men respond to Rennec. "We ain't seen nuthin'. We been busy. And the junk's none of your business."
Cydfrid approaches and the men respond by reaching for their daggers.
They are visibly unfriendly.
Sticking to the shadows he keeps on moving looking for a spot where he can flank the two ruffians. As he moves he draws a dagger preparing to throw it.
Cydfrid might be a little bit tipsy, but he knows a robber when he sees one.
"Hey guys, keep the weapons sheathed! It's me, Cydfrid! Don't you recognize me? This is my new gang! I promise we won't keep you from your score. And maybe you can help us find a good target."
He keeps advancing, with the bottle in front of him.
"I would think very carefully before drawing your daggers. But you might want to explain why your tent looks like it is in the process of being looted."
Telthes hand goes from being open and in front of him to a position to better draw his sword from.
Re'Tulan aims his bow at the individuals as they finish answering questions, ready to let fly at the first sign of aggression.
Eyeing the situation and Telthes' increased level of hostility towards the two men, Rennec readies to halt the fight before it begins. Hand in his spell component pouch he prepares to cast a spell at a moments notice.
Round 1
Actions
Before Round 1 Actions
Luckily, Celebnen snuck into the shadows around the underbrush and the two men have yet to see him. Choose whether you want to be in Slot 1, 2 or 3.
Cydfrid is in Slot 3, directly in front of the men, bottle in hand, bluff unfortunately not working out as planned.
Re'Tulan readies an action to fire an arrow as Rennec prepares to cast Grease.
As the men draw their daggers, both of them let fly their attacks.
Luckily for them, both men manage to stay on their feet.
Re'Tulan, you get a free shot in before your Round 1 Actions.
Telthes, you may choose to also be either in Slot 1 or 2. Rennec and Re'Tulan are in Slot 1.
Summary
Slot 1: Rennec, Re'Tulan (maybe Celebnen and Telthes)
Slot 2: (maybe Celebnen and Telthes)
Slot 3: Cydfrid (maybe Celebnen)
Slot 4: Burly Man (Tall), Burly Man (Fat)
END OF COMBAT ROUND 0
Telthes will start in slot 1. He will draw his longsword then wait for one of the thieves thieves reach him before striking.
"drop your weapons and surrender, so far your only crime is theft."