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"Now now good folk... you are both right... you need each other... your respective and valuable skills and crafts are intertwined in deep and powerful ways. Carpenters, you need the tools crafted by your skilled neighbors, and Smiths, you need the homes and furnishings made by these skilled carpenters... without each other, both your lives would be the poorer... Rather than decry each other, try to celebrate your intertwined skills and products."
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"Gentlemen, please!" Wyeth says, gesturing at Hakime. "The lady has the right of it! You with woodsmithing skills, yes, you could do without the metalworkers. You could assemble your furniture and your homes with pegs carved with sharpened stones and pounded in place with rocks or wooden mallets. And metalsmiths, surely you could build everything you need from iron and the like. And I've heard tell of people who do sleep on beds of nails!"
"But what's the benefit of pushing others away when your skills combined can bear greater fruits than either alone!" He jabs a finger at the metalsmiths. "No doubt your boat of metal can be made to float, but wouldn't a wooden one be both lighter and more nimble... and not a thing to rust away?" He then poked in the direction of the carpenters. "And wouldn't your time be better spent creating wonderful furniture and grand dwellings than trying to hack trees down and cut lumber with sharpened stones?"
"It would be foolish indeed to turn your backs on the many ways each of you can use the other's skills to improve your own craft!"
At Hakime's words, backed up by Wyeth's passion and Benson's logic, the men, at first wary of the strange eavesdroppers, can only stand dumbfounded.
"Huh, I guess them guests are right; our metal is useless without the purpose you give it.", one blacksmith admits.
"Yeah, and wooden pegs do not provide the craftsmanship we strive for .", a now humbled carpenter laments.
The strange sight of the brusque men now looking guilty at their short-temperdness allows the party's eyes to wander.
Wyeth, Marduk, and Benson spot a pair of small children wander out from one of the blacksmithing huts, curious as to the commotion going on. While garbed in orange like the adults, the children's arms, hands, and faces are covered in pale yellow wraps. "Papa?", one asks as the assembled crafters almost turn white in panic as they become aware of the children's presence. "Yes, sweetie, let's come inside now.", one of the blacksmith's picking up the two in his thick arms and carrying them back to the hut.
"They're in our care, we'll take care of them.", the blacksmith ignoring the assistance or the inquiries to the children's states. A carpenter chirps up. "Thank you for calming our nerves; we have bothered you enough already.", the group moving to quickly disperse back into their workspaces.
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Making sure no townspeople are close enough to eavesdrop, Benson says, "Come nightfall, I'll do a layman's scry, which is sneaking around and looking in windows, picking locks, what have you. Until then, let's continue gathering information. We don't need to solve this mystery immediately, so let's see if we can find out from other merchants what that fight was about."
Benson asks the next friendly merchant he encounters who was a witness to the argument, "Did you see that? I wonder why they were being so hostile to each other. It's not like they're competing for customers or anything." If the merchant is no help, he'll bring it up at other shops.
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"It really makes no sense for them to be at odds in such a manner... perhaps it some form of manufactured grievance to keep them from taking notice of other problems?"
While shopping at merchant stalls, Hakime will ask a bit about others in a friendly manner. "Did you notice that altercation earlier... What do you make of it all? Why do they find such fault with each other when 'tis truth they really need each other.?"
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Wyeth chuckles at Benson's comment. "'Layman's scry'; I like that. The term, not the idea. That would have you out and skulking about after curfew. Not even considering picking locks, that'll put you -- all of us, really -- in an indefensible position. The law here's already hostile enough; do we want to risk antagonizing them further?"
The party makes their way through town, trying to find places where gossip or loose lips may be found. Mercy doesn't have much for businesses really; the closest is a general store that seems some various items that are imported from Alkenstar. Mercy tries its best to be self-sufficient and the fact that the majority of the citizens do not dress fancily, do not eat meat, and grow their own food, it really is raw goods or the occasional complex manufactured item that is needed.
Wyeth, however, does garner some interest in his artificial leg, and a young, feminine passerby stays long enough to lend an ear. "Oh, the folks at the Artisan Square? Yeah, they've been like that for a long while now; Papa says they're just prideful and spend too much time in their craft than working the land with Robori. Although I think there's not much else to do around here other than work, so might as well try to be good at it."
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Once separate from the townsfolk again, Benson muses, "I wonder if the artisans are here somewhat against their will, forced to work to make things the town needs while the others do their tree worshiping and farming. Might be good to ask various people how long they've been in town to see if there is a pattern. Now let's see what that cleric has to say. Wyeth, be civil. I suspect before we're done, we're going to give up on being civil and start to force certain things to happen whether they like it or not, but for now, let's pretend that we're interested in their religion and customs."
The party returns back to the temple. The priestess is alone, although with an impatient look on her face. "Ah, I see you have returned.", although somewhat surprised with the entire party entering. "You said that the tree has been blighted? Can you say how or what can be done?"
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"I'm not sure I understand how woodworking or smithing are different from farming. It's all work that must be done, and to each his own skill. What are you getting at with them being forced, Benson?"
"To a normal town, no difference, really. But the artisans were faulted for spending too much time on their crafts instead of farming. That suggests to me that the devout are spending all their time farming and maybe coerced some craftsman and women into living in town and doing their necessary tool and furniture making. That might explain why they were so testy and ready to fight: cabin fever. Just a thought. Could be nonsense, but something's not right here."
At the temple, Benson defers to someone with more savvy diplomatic skills and watches for something he can do to improve their trust. He wasn't sure what Gob meant by the blight and did not want to jinx anything with a comment that was at cross purposes to what Gob was doing.
"And cut Robori? Are you serious?", Zuri shocked at Gob's blunt asking.
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"I understand your reticence at a cutting from the tree, as that might be considered sacrilege... so maybe we could just examine some of the earth around Robori's roots, without harming Robori. Would that be acceptable to you? IF there is a problem, wouldn't it be best to nip it in the bud before Robori begins to suffer from whatever it might be?"
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At first Zuri wavers, until Hakime's reverent words and Benson's aiding wisdom convince the priestess of the party's altruism. "Very well, at least let me be the one to dig the dirt to assuage any fears from a Roboran that may walk in."
With Gob guiding the high priestess, she eventually scoops up enough of the dirt that the party can use it for some rudimentary analysis and study. "If your words are true and you can find a remedy to save Robori, then you will do the village a great service."
Zuri calmly replies, "It is nothing to worry about; you may have a greater calling ahead.", the priestess bowing towards the party before leaving you be and tending to some jars near an alcove.
Despite her attempts to hide it, you catch that she almost took a step back at the question; she was unprepared for it indeed.
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Benson asked the priestess, "Since arriving here, we learned that an acquaintance of ours had visited the city and lived here a while, a woman named Amenira. She disappeared and has not been heard from since perhaps two months ago. Did you know her? If so, when is the last time you remember seeing her?"
This roll is for her response to his question.
The next roll is for the reply to Gob's question.
"I did not know her well. Amenira observed a few of our services initially during her stay, but did not participate. It seems she was not taken to our worship of Robori, but if she had any other reverence, she did not note it."
The party takes their sample of soil and returns to the guesthouse. Little Nira, who luckily hasn't attracted as much attention as the party itself, looks on with a bit of curiosity as Gob takes the soil into several separate piles for study.