Alluriel brings the party around town to look for high vantage points and also the circles on Jurgan's map, checking each area to see if there's anything interesting there.
"Should we tell the townsfolk to hang garlic outside their houses or are we unduly making them panic?" Alluriel asks the party.
Vaunu shrugs at Alluriel's question, "I think that would be best answered by the town's priest. Shall we find the witch?"
Walking around town thoroughly for a few hours, you see the highest points are the watchtowers on the gates, respectively on the one to the south where you arrived from, and one leading to the farmsteads.
As well as the bell tower of the church.
One of the encircled areas turns out to be an old farmstead for pumpkins, run by an oldtimer. From the distance on the map, another lies in the woods to the west, and one in the woods to the east.
You notice someone has been following your movement during your touring the town, though they kept their distance, and fled as soon as you saw them.
"I don't think we have the time to check out the other areas.They'll lead to the woods, and we know how the last woods expedition went. Like how long it took to find our way back." Alluriel tells the party. "Oh someone was following me. Not sure who though."
"I suggest we just rest for now, and maybe we can take the watchtower from the farmstead tonight."
Alluriel purchases a tangle foot bag. Then passes it to Vaunu for his use.
Lillianne, she's that wanderer council member, wasn't she? I've overheard she took to the woods due east, 3 days ago.
VAunu looks around, "Isn't there someone we can hire to take us to the witch? It seems silly to lollygag here in town waiting for our vampire friends to attack."
A messenger comes running by, looking left and right.
He turns around when he sees you walking, and approaches.
"You are the newcomers. The watchcaptain sent me to deliver a message.
Lillianna has sent a carrier bird with the message that she is returning, and will be coming from the east, estimated around mid-day."
"Since Lillaine is returning around midday, we can wait for her, I suppose."Alluriel answers.
As it nears mid-day, you go out of the gate towards the farmsteads, taking a small walk to the eastern side of the wall.
A little waiting, and a trio emerges from the forest.
One a gnome lass in a hooded green mantle, another a woman with a bow trapped across her back, basic survival clothing and a pair of pheasants strapped together in one hand.
The last is a grey with black colored wolf.
"Hello, which of you is Lillaine? We'd like a word with you, privately. Your friend is free to join in the conversation as well, but we have matters we'd rather not speak off in public."Alluriel greets the trio.
Both look at you with a neutral yet observing look.
The wolf eyes the party too.
The woman, with warm toned hair is the 1st to speak.
"We prefer doing any talking within the town."
Gnome lass: "That's right, and who's asking?"
"My name is Alluriel. These are my colleagues, Vaunu,"She gestures at the wayang,"Belegar"she gestures at the half elf, "Jurgan" She gestures at the dwarf, "And Shadow" She beams at her panther.
"We're the adventurers that have been requested to be here by the town council, to deal with the mysterious disappearances of the townsfolk. Yet as we were going through our investigations, we were being watched. That is why I asked for privacy."
The two aren't too particularly talkative as you walk into town.
"So what is it, that you were so eager to speak about, that you four would be standing out there?"
"We think that the perpetrator is a vampire or at least something that can fly, and so far has struck at night,pulling its victims through the window. It may be possible that the pepetrator has an agent in town to tail us. Would you have any suggestions on how to deal with a vampire or wish to join us keeping watch tonight?" Alluriel asks them
Vaunu follows along letting the humans talk, keeping a keen eye out for anything unusual.
”Aye, it’s hard to pin down a foe when they’ve got the whole town to pick at. If we had an idea of their lair, that’s the kind of local insight we don’t have.”
The gnome's expression turns to a serious kind of disgusted surprise.
"Bloodsuckers? And i thought wild animals and a ghost were the worst things around.
Stake them, burn them, get them into sunlight, use positive energies. That's as much as i know that hurts them."
She pulls off the hood, revealing warm red colored hair.
"Okay. I am Lillianna, 'The Red', as some call me by extension. It's the most plausible thing i've heard for an explaination. So tell me why you'd wait for me specifically.
You think i can help you, where the others can not?"
"Do you know about the witch in the woods? Like where she stays." Alluriel asks.
"I do. You're looking to ask her for help?
If you are, be warned, any aid asked of her does not come easily."
"I don't think we have much choice - if the creature is flying and we don't have a way to get to it."Alluriel answers, while furrowing her eyebrows." What would you mean by asking aid of her does not come easily? What kind of prices does she...usually require?" Alluriel asks.
*Crosses arms*
"Varies. It could be fending off danger, hunting down something dangerous, obtain hard to get reagents for gods know what kind of brew she'd be working on.
It can be dangerous, it can be disgusting, or something simple. She's a witch, one can never know."
"But nothing that she has asked you to help her for has been...evil has it? Would you be willing to escort us there, and also bring us back? We tried looking for her in the woods before, but we we got lost instead." Alluriel blushes. "Sorry...haven't had much experience in pathfinding."
"Meet me at The Nightingale in two hours then. I've got some things to do first."
"That's reasonable. How long would the trip to the witch take?"Alluriel asks.
"We should go get supplies for the forest track too."Alluriel tells the party as she goes to find some twine.
"About 2 & 1/2 hours, if there are no delays."
"Would we be able to get there and back by nightfall? I fear that the kidnapper will strike again."Alluriel states worriedly.
"If the kidnapper strikes at night, then yes."
As they walk away Vaunu smirks at Alluriel, "I notice you didn't tell her about our friends in the woods. What supplies do we need?"
"A whole lot of twine to mark our way back. We do want to get back by nightfall afterall."
When the party meets with Lillaine later, as they go out to the woods, Alluriel recounts her encounter with Lady Gwendydd and Llamyrl. She also asks Lillaine if she knows anything about the headless horseman.
Lillianna's knowledge of the headless rider is pretty much the same as what priestess Eileen could tell you.
The duo raises some more concern on her face.
"Deathly pale, nipping the red and bearing fangs. Sounds like bloodsuckers to me. The woman had bat wings you said?
Maybe she's a stronger sort, showing off and all."
You come upon a small scene, at which a large tree stump stands.
Around it sit some animals, quite adorable ones at that.
They look up when the group arrives.
"I really hope it isn't them. They seem like nice people...but evidence seems to point in that direction..."Alluriel remarks sadly.
Alluriel moves slowly up to the animals, with some food in her hands, proffered to them,seeing if they will let her stroke them.
Vaunu looks from the ranger to the rest of the party then the animals, "Odd, we are seeing a witch not a druid right?"
The animals include:
A bunny, a skunk, a beaver, a bear cub, a raccoon, a mouse, a squirrel, a young deer, a woodpecker, a porcupine, and a fox, and a thrush.
"Lilliana, do you know this?"
The gnome shrugs.
"Nothing weird about the stump."
"The animals, beats me. Maybe there is a lure on it, with the bear cub not attacking deer. If so, it's pretty powerful to accomplish that."
Something big comes flying overhead, but the canopy obstructs the proper shape.
Lilliana: "I'm going to check that out. I'll be back in ten."
She hops onto the wolf, and rides off into the woods.
Jurgan thinks nothing of it.
One of the smaller bundles of fur approaches as Alluriel offers food.
"Are you here to assist in the calling of the savior?"
Alluriel strokes that bundle of fur, whatever it is and gives it its foodie treat.
The big shape was too sudden to see for identification, darn that canopy.
Vaunu looks from Alluriel to Belegar, then back to the bunny. He nods politely, "My apologies bunny, we were not anticipating the arrival of the Savior. We came here to speak with the witch in the woods. This is her house, yes?"
The little beaver sighs.
"I don't think they are, rabbity."
Alluriel’s mouth falls open in surprise ”Oh my god you can speak! I’ve never seen talking animals before – what do you like as animals? And how did you manage to learn how to speak? And who is this savior you’re talking about?”
Beaver: "The great one gifted us with speech and rational thought."
Deer: "We were waiting for an avatar of his to manifest, but it seems we were lacking something crucial."
Squirrel: "Say fellas, it just occurred to me, maybe these folks can help us with that."
"Who is the great one you're talking about?" Alluriel asks curiously while scratching the beaver behind the ears. "So what exactly is the problem you would like us to help with? I have a problem - some flying predator is catching many of our kind away from town and I was hoping the witch here knew how to combat him."