You all see what appears to be a typical small village, with scattered buildings for housing people or businesses. You hear the hammering of a smith in the distance. One dwarf in particular sees you approaching, waves his hand at you, and shouts a hearty "What ho!" at you.
So, what do you all do?
Zathra is going to wait to see how the Dwarves react to her companions first.
Well, one of them just waved and said "hello" - does anyone say anything back?
Teren returns the wave, but waits until they're a bit closer to reply. "Hello. Might there be a place here for some travelers to resupply? "
"Of course! There's an inn where you can get food and lodging, and a general supply store where you can get gear and foodstuffs. What brings you to our fair little town?" the Dwarf asks, looking you all over with curiosity, and showing no sign of hostility towards anyone.
Teren offers a carefully vague reply. " We're traveling north, to the mountains. Is there anyone here familiar with the lands that way? "
"Why, sure, there's old Nalak Ginmoor - he's an odd one, doesn't like spending most of his time under the mountain, and has explored most of this area in all directions. You'll probably find him at the Dragon's Head tavern - take the main street into town, it's on the left."
"Nalak Ginmoor. Thanks. " Teren nods at the dwarf as he leads the group past, into the town.
As they walk, he turns to Sarthel and asks, "So, are these dwarves kin of yours?"
"He seemed less greedy than other Dwarves I have met, although he sounded sober, so he might not be a Dwarf at all."
Sarthel answers Teren "No, my people are from the South, altho I might have some relatives who've moved up here. We Dwarves don't particularly care *which* mountain we live under, and some of us like to travel to new areas."
To Zathra, she says coldly "You are operating under the grossest of stereotypes - while we Dwarves enjoy having money, who doesn't? And usually only the King of each mountain has huge hoards of treasure. Finally, while we also enjoy our drink, again - who doesn't? But that doesn't mean we go around constantly drunk. I'd watch what you say in this village, and show at least some common decency, if not a little respect, when you talk to the other Dwarves, or you'll get in trouble *real* quick."
"I don't drink, nor do I care about material wealth."
"Well, you are the exception to the rule, then. Do you have such scorn for *everyone* who does, or is there a particular reason you hate Dwarves so?"
"I don't hate Dwarves. I just see them for what they are. You are one, so you can't help but be biased for them."
So, does the group go into town, and if so, where?
Teren heads for the mentioned tavern, and if no dwarf is obviously more surface-dirty than the rest, will ask around to find Nalak. Assuming he can be found without incident: "Well met. I'm told you know your way around the mountains to the north; got any stories to share about your travels up that way?"
You find Nalak, drinking a beer at a local tavern, and he says "Aye, I've done a fair amount of traveling around here, including to the north. Ain't nothing happening up there as far as I know, but it's been awhile since I've been up there. Why do you want to know?"
"We have to travel that way, obviously."
Sarthel leans over to Nalak and whispers (but in a voice loud enough to be heard by all) "Just ignore her, she hates all Dwarves."
Teren nods, gesturing at Zathra. "As she said, we're headed that way. "
"Aye, well...how much gold do you have? My services don't come cheap, you know..."
Zathra says nothing but gives Sarthel a knowing look.
"Wasn't necessarily looking for a guide, just hoping for some stories of what we might find."
"Well, them trails thru the mountains can get pretty tricky, it's mighty easy to get lost up there..."
Teren sighs, and leans close to the dwarf. "Look, we have it on good authority that there's a ruin in the mountains, an ancient vault. I don't want to say more with all these ears about. Get us there, bring us back, and a share of whatever we find is yours," he says, quietly.
"Nah, I'll take you there, but I don't want nothin' to do with whatever's inside. I want half payment to start with, and half when we get there. Deal?"
"I'd agree, but our purses are empty right now. Only thing I could offer up front is two sets of rhinon claws." Teren moves to stand.
Sarthel asks of the Dwarf "Do you know of anyone around town who needs something done, that would pay a significant amount of gold?"
The Dwarf thinks for a moment, and says "We've been havin' a problem with raiders stealing in during the night, and takin' our stuff - the town mayor'd be the one to talk to."
What do you do?
I hate to waste time on something like that... But it's already late, we'll need to spend the night here anyway. Teren nods at the dwarf. " Guess we'll go talk to her, then. Any idea where she'll be?" After waiting for a response, he sets out, looking for the mayor.
Zathra says nothing, but gives Sarthel a knowing look.
You find the mayor, a female Dwarf, in her home as Dursel (the scout Dwarf) directed you to.
After introductions are made, and you inquire about the raids, she says "Oh, yes, these raiders are quite a bother. They mostly steal food, but occasionally tools and other gear. We are not fighters, so we have not tried to catch them. Could you help? I'd be willing to pay you 10 GP each if you can drive them off."
What do you do?
"What can you tell us about the raiders?"
"We don't know much about them, they steal in in the dark of night, take what they want, and leave. Someone once thought they saw tracks from a robbed grocery store heading east, but others disagreed."
What do you do?
"They steal food in the night, and no one's seen them coming or going? Are you sure it's not just the local wildlife? " Teren shakes his head. " What part of town?"
"Good question."
"Not unless the wildlife can open doors, in which case we have a whole different problem..."
What do you do?
" Where have they robbed so far? Any part of town in particular?"
Once they have an answer, Teren will head out to that part of town and see if any of the town's domestic animals can tell him anything.
"How long ago did the attacks start?"
"They have hit a variety of businesses all over town, from groceries to tools to weapons and armor. The attacks started about a month ago."
Teren, you "talk" to some cats and dogs that roam the streets. What specific questions do you ask them? Remember, they only have animal intelligence...
I'm asking about any strange two-leggers they might have seen moving around at night - what they smell like (hopefully I could figure out species, or the kind of terrain they're hiding out in), where they were coming from, vague idea of numbers (one-two-many).
Teren, your animal friends do report seeing two-leggers that don't live in the town, and they smell like you do. They're usually in groups of more-than-two.
What do you do?