"HIS name is diamond," said the stablemaster. "Sorry boy, he didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
Good a ride, much better than walking I suppose
The elf maiden in the leathers began decided after a moment that perhaps it was too early for clandestine dealings.
Lia smooths some wrinkles out of her blouse. "So, how soon can we depart, folks?"
Baldwin smirks then says to Sinch in a low tone, "Being called a girl probably hurt less than being gelded."
The inquisitor secures his pack and shield in the carriage's cargo and climbs aboard, offering a hand in assistance to anyone coming after him.
Sinch looks down between the back legs. "Oh, right. Well...Diamond, as long as you mind me right, we will get along nicely, won't we boy?" Sinch says resuming strokes to the horse's mane and scratching between its eyes.
Diamond is called that because he has a white diamond on his head. He also happens to be in excellent condition. He's a Roan horse. He is athletic and dependable. He isn't high spirited and he can take a rider your size. He nips your ear in a friendly gesture and has brilliant brown eyes.
Sinch loads his backpack into the floorboard of the cart, and pulls his way up and sets down into position.
"Let me know when you all are ready."
Morley climbs nimbly up into the back of the cart and settles himself in comfortably. "Alright, now this is what I call travelin' in style! No more steppin' in horse crap fer ol' Morley." He reaches down, ready to lend a hand to the next person getting in.
Lia climbs into the cart with some effort. "Thank you."
Briena affixes Rishi's lead to the back of the cart and climbs in.
"Lia or Bitter, does the notice give an specifics regarding where we are to go, or if we're to see anyone first?"
Looking over toward to the two dragonborns, "Zahk, are you coming? And what about our fare you so easily volunteered us to take by the docks? A thousand pardons, but we're burning daylight."
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Zahk turns to Sinch before climbing to the cart, his weight making the wheels tremble. "Aye, aye, I was just thinking 'bout the last time I saw one of my kin. Fer me life, you are really eager to go find the cattle! Hahahahahah!"
Once he's comfy and cozy, the dragonborn continues "Ye wouldn't understand why I did it, dinnae? Hahahaha! Ye humans be everywhere! From the deserts to the seas, you kick a rock and three humans jump out!" he says as he takes one of his liquor bottles at random and takes a tiny sip "But fer me kin? No, we aren't that many and we mostly keep to ourselves. I been with ye longclothes and far from home for a darned long time... Plus the booty was great and I can spare a doubloon or ten if it is to help a brother! Hahahahaha!"
The Dragonborn Celestian worshipper thanks you kindly and gets into his own cart, heading for the docks and who knows where. Your cart is headed for the farms, past the druid circle.
Sinch begins the drive out of the city...
The drive takes you through the gates out of the Low Market and into the Near Domain of Greyhawk. The farms that support the city is outside of the city walls. The smell of growing wheat, barley, and rice fills the air. The staple crop is wheat, along with vegetables like beans and carrots. Also, the air is pungent with the wonderful smell of farming. It's any wonder that most of the society in Greyhawk live on bread, ale, and porridge. The farm you are headed to is three miles out of Greyhawk, a long distance to your characters.
The rice are planted in flooded fields, while the other two grains: wheat and barley; are planted in dry fields. It's still spring and as you pass the stone circle, you see the druids work on welcoming the spring sun.
You reach the farm in question, which is more of a grape farm. The elves here grow wine grapes to be processed into fine wine. The type of grape they grow is Cabernet Sauvignon, which produces a heavy, elvish sort of wine.
Morley's bored demeanor quickly disappears as they come up to the farm. He looks around at the rows and rows of wine on the vine and the corners of his mouth slowly begin to creep upwards. "Grapes! I was expectin' cows and pigs and chickens, but they're doin' the gods' work here!" His face drops as he remembers why he's here. Reaching across and grabbing Zahk by the shoulder, he practically yells in his face. "By the gods, we gotta help these people! They make booze! We can't let anythin' stop 'em from doin' such important work!"
"And, maybe, y'know, we can get in a little 'taste testin'' while we're here." He grins widely and hops down from the cart, rushing to find someone to talk to about the problem that needs solving.
She had been quiet during the ride, even going so far as to pull the hood on her cloak up over her features but she couldnt help but to place her delicate face into the the depth of her palm at Morley's outburst. She added a slight shake of her head to her facepalming but followed him down from the cart.
Briena makes a note to visit the druid circle later to learn more about what they do in a place like this. She's a bit lost in in a large city.
She shrugs as she climbs down from the cart and unties Rishi from the back.
"If we can solve their mystery, maybe they'll give you a sample if you ask."
Morley, you and your fellow adventurers nearly rumble into a stable boy elf who is wondering where his cow went. He's really unhappy at this point and says, "Have you seen my cow?"
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When Morley expresses his love of all things liquor, Zahk can't help but laugh and clap as the man's plain honesty got him "Now that's real thinking there fellas! Hahahaha!"
Once the party finds the troubled elf, Zahk'rii takes off his hat to salute him "Abast, ye boy. Me hearties and I will need more information than 'mai cau' to find it! Hahahaha!" says the dragonborn to the stable boy "Where did ye lost it?"
A larger elf approaches you. "We lost our cattle in our pasture," he says. "All we can find are tracks. Find our cattle, and we can think of a suitable reward."
He turns to Morley. "One that even you can appreciate."
Sinch looks at the two elves.
"Help me unhitch and stable our horse, Diamond here, and we will get to it without much further delay," he says swinging down from the driver's seat.
The stable boy, despite his unhappiness, unhitches your horse. He then takes him to the stable. "I miss my cow!" he bleats.
Lia hops out of the cart and glances over at the druidess riding with her. "Do you think you can help him?"
"Have to see the tracks."
Sinch grabs his backpack from the cart.
Baldwin steps down from the cart, grabs up his pack and gear, and looks around. Theories run through his head based on old stories from the other farmers his family knew. Bandits... ankhegs... goblins... They'd have to go check out the pasture to really be sure.
"Pardon me," Baldwin asks the elf who seems to be in charge, "Have you had any trouble in this area in the past? Predators? Bandits? And how many cows are missing?"
She had been about to ask the very things the St.Cuthbertian had, but instead of crowding the elder elf she got closer to the stable boy and offered a slight smile.
Do not worry, my friends and I shall do all we are able to help find your cow. We are very good at it...well i am very good at finding things that are lost. Like this silver coin here behind your ear.
She dropped the shiny coin in the stable boys hand and gave him a nod.
Look after our horse there extra special please.
She said pointing to Sinch's Diamond...."What a silly name for a horse. She thought to herself even as she pointed. Like Sinch she moved to collect her small amount of things.
Morley straps on his backpack and licks his lips eagerly. "'Suitable reward' has a nice ring to it, don't ye think? Now, ye said that it disappeared from the pasture, right? I'll see which way it went while you answer some of their questions!" He marches confidently out to the grassy area where the cow was last seen, and looks around for tracks.
Morley paces around for a while, occasionally rubbing his chin thoughtfully and hmming to himself. He walks around the perimeter of the field, eyes trained on the ground.Once he gets down on his hands and knees to brush the grass aside for a closer look at something. Eventually he gets up, brushes the dirt off his knees, and turns to look at the others.
"So, uh, I got nothin'."
Baldwin steps down from the cart, grabs up his pack and gear, and looks around. Theories run through his head based on old stories from the other farmers his family knew. Bandits... ankhegs... goblins... They'd have to go check out the pasture to really be sure.
"Pardon me," Baldwin asks the elf who seems to be in charge, "Have you had any trouble in this area in the past? Predators? Bandits? And how many cows are missing?"
"Twenty of our herd are missing," said the elf in accented common (okay, I can't do a welsh accent because I haven't heard it.) "we have a large herd, but we are missing two fifths of it. We had wolves and such trying to predate on our cattle, but two fifths? We need the milk."
"You have my word, we will find the cow thieves and take something from them," Sinch says with a grim resolve to the elf, tightening his grip on the chain over his shoulder.
He turns to Briena. "Lady Warlen, lead the way and you and Rishi shall have the aid of my steel should something go amiss out in those woods." He walks softly over toward Rishi with one hand, back of it toward Rishi's nose. "Easy. Easy boy. That's a good doggie."
Lia watches Sinch try to pet the dog with some amusement.
"Yes--we'll make sure those cow thieves don't bother anyone else again."
"Has anyone else in the area been losing cattle?"
Rishi tolerates being pet for a few seconds but then backs away.
Again, the elder elf spoke in accented common. "My neighbors are all missing cows from their pastures as well. All together, fifty cows have been stolen."
"Have you all not kept a watch to see who or what is taking your cattle? Would you happen to know who might have left the note up on the bounty board?" Sinch asks the elder elf.
"We have, but no one remembers the taking of our cattle," he said.
"We have, but no one remembers the taking of our cattle," he said.
"No memory of the cattle disappearing? That suggests enchantment of some kind, perhaps masking the taking of the cattle or perhaps altering your views or memories of the matter. That would complicate this situation a great deal. Is there anything else we need to know before we start looking over your pasture? Are there natural hazards we need to be wary of?" Baldwin presses on with his questions.
"No natural hazards except a creek and two followers of Saint Cuthbert that could use your guidance."
The two he spoke of was two cattle ranchers who were human and were found at the winery. "Why are we standing here drinking?" one asked the other.
Baldwin sighs and shakes his head. "I shall root them out," he says as he steps toward the two cattlemen.
Overhearing the inane question posed by one to the other, Baldwin interjects his response, "That is a good question, brothers. One answer could be "shirking our jobs". Another could be "setting these wine cups down right now and hightailing it back to our duties". One of those answers is correct, the other is Right. Do you understand my meaning?"
to see if the lesson sinks in, if not, we go to correction.
"You're, maybe you're right," says one of them. The other disagrees.
"I'd rather drink then go back out there."
Baldwin leans in on the recalcitrant cowherd, "And I'd rather be doing something worthwhile like trying to track down the missing cattle than putting a boot up your sorry behind, but that's exactly what I'll do if you don't get up and go back to your duties. So I'll ask one last time if you understand my meaning?"
Lia clears her throat and steps up next to Baldwin. "Not to interrupt, but if you don't get back to work, that means the bandits have won. They're trying to send a message that they're untouchable, and if you don't stand up and keep going, they'll just keep on making everyone's day miserable."
"Okay, we'll get back to work," says the cowherd. He and his friend put down their drinks and returns to the pasture. Thanks mostly to Lia Nightbreeze.
She paused and frowned watching the interplay between their St. Cuthbertian and the two slacking ones. The unfortunate one words seemed to sway them though, which was good, but got them no closer to any sort of answers as to where the missing livestock went to. She watched to the two lope off and more importantly their purses lope off... they probably didnt have any sort of real wealth between them.
"When did they go missing? around the same times? different points of the day and night? has their been any simularities between them? Do you have...whats the word? Herders with them?"
She asked as well, better to be seen appearing concerned and doing something than standing watching marks.
"They started going missing last week," he says. "Please find them, you're our only hope."