Upstairs, the Berekland's son serves as Randu's waiter.
"A couple seasons back, my pops' invested a small ranch across the way for sheep and goats," the teenage lad explains, gesturing vaguely towards the mountains. "We just brought one in this morning, so fresh mutton is on the menu. We also have some salted pork from the last merchant visit, and we bought some smoked venison from the local hunters."
Downstairs, Layla places her gloved hands upon the bricks, and a clear image coalesces in her mind.
Beyond is the upper landing of a stone stairwell, winding down into the cliffside. The architecture is the same as the rest of the basement, bespeaking of ancient dwarven masonry. The dust is inches thick, indicating that no one has passed through there in decades. However, Layla does see spiders weaving webs in the corners, and a brown mouse pokes its head up over the top stair. If such creatures can get inside, then it suggests that the area beyond is not entirely sealed off from the outside world.
"Hmm...okay, nothing major here. There';s a passageway, but no one has passed through here in...degades probably. Just spiders and dust, and a mouse...but it winds further down into the cliffside." Layla relates.
"Your father sounds like a shrewd business man" Randu nods "Got sounds good to me. Rrruh?" And he asks the young fellow further "This place gets a lot of travel then eh? No troublemakers I hope?"
"My pops are good at spotting troublemakers," the younger Berekland says proudly. "Sleeger and the rest of the house guards keep us safe from thieves and hoodlums.
"We have been seeing more lone travelers and small groups coming and going. Da says they're probably from the army, going undercover, and that's why we let them stay."
Moving away from the bricked over wall, Layla goes to the iron door. "Think you can do anything about the lock?" she asks Miya.
"The mutton yes yes..."
He ordered simply enough his tail slowly swaying...
"your pops thinks army folk are here did he say way? no wars up this way are there?
"I was wondering the same..." The halfling admits and nods to Rrruh
Downstairs, Miya recognizes that the lock, thankfully, does not share the masterful dwarven craftsmanship of the iron door upon which it is placed. It is of average quality, meant to serve as a decent if not imposing deterrent.
"Oh, no, sirs," the Berekland boy replies to Randu and Rrruh upstairs. "At least, I sure hope there's no wars going on. My pops say there's nothing at all to worry about. They..."
He is cut off as the front door of the inn quickly opens and slams shut, and one of the house guards hurries through to find the innkeeper.
"Oh, looks like more guests have come to call," the boy muses, his train of thought derailed by curiosity about the new customers.
The lock was rusty an old, she would need more time, if one of the others could lend a hand she know she could get past the lock.
"Unfortunately, that'sbnit a skil I managed to pick up." Layla says quietly as she watches Miya struggle with the lock .
Layla quickly scans the room and spots a few oddments - bits of wire, pliers, and other tools - that might be of use in overcoming the final hurdle on the lock.
Upstairs, meanwhile, Randu and Rrruh watch as one of the older Bereklands is fetched to meet with the new guests that have arrived at the inn's doorstep. Peering through the windows and the door when it opens, they see a fairly large group of travelers or pilgrims. An imposing contingent of well-equipped guards protect a half dozen human men and women in full-body robes of pure white with matching long gloves. Any austerity of their clothing is offset by the expensive, gaudy jewelry they have bedecked themselves with.
Randu hears the boy talk about more guests, "Oh tend to them , lad. We've got this here. Thank you."
He intends to follow the boy once he leaves and eavesdrop on the new guests if he can.
Seeing Randuh go to slip away her went into distraction mode... loudly talking about all the intersting things he has seen since he has traveled to these lands.......
With assistance from Layla coming at a critical moment, Miya manages to open the heavy padlock upon the iron door. It's a testament to dwarven engineering - alongside, perhaps, the care that the Bereklands put into its upkeep - that such a heavy door swings easily upon its hinges, offering only a muted sigh as it opens.
Quickly, you discover why this room is kept so secure. Inside, you find the storeroom where the Bereklands keep all the tools they use to operate the sluice where they pan for gold upon the falls. More importantly, they also keep bits of their latest gold harvest in here. Tiny flecks and pebbles of gold sit in pans and trays, while a few small ingots of gold sit stacked beside the smelter where the family combines the tiny bits of gold collected from the waters into larger trade bars.
A stone door, bearing similar dwarven carvings but not guarded by a padlock, sits in the far wall. Based upon the layout you observed of the inn and its cradling cliffside, this door probably leads out to the piers built atop the falls where the Berekland family operates its gold sluice.
...
Upstairs, Rrruh provides a suitable diversion that helps Randu to eavesdrop upon the new visitors as they speak with one of the Berekland fathers.
These visitors hail from Druma, introducing themselves as representatives of merchant lords and the Kallistocracy. They are traveling to Falcon's Hollow to participate in the upcoming auction. If the jewelry they wear is any indication, these merchants and their masters wield more than enough gold to buy up the entire town like it was just bushels of grain.
Their spokesman proudly boasts of the merchant lords' plan to buy controlling stakes in the Andoren frontier's transitioning logging industry while also becoming the dominant landlords for the residents and workers.
This is the outcome that the Falcon's Hollow residents are most hoping to avoid: trading one financial overlord for another.
Randu eavesdrops and then... his blood grows cold. Dominance of the richest, and a foreign power on top of it. Oh I don't be grudge anyone some investing in moderation but how are poor Andorans supposed to make a living in the shadow of financial serfhood?
The worst thing is, he's not sure how to thwart this... legally. Oh Crows! If we can't find some law preventing them to purchase the bulk, we're going to have to rob the Drumans blind!
Seeing the gold and the contents of the room, and thinking that they'd pressed their luck as far as could be expected, Layly suggests that they head back up, locking the door behind them and return to their room to regroup.
Randu makes his way back to Rrruh. They have a problem!
Rrruh calmly sat at the table chatting away like he didnt have a care in the world... Randu could see however his tail was on a strict regimen of lashing back and forth. It was clear the catfolk too was stressed.... but doing his best to be the distraction he was meant to be.
Randu moves up "Oh now, Rrruh, you'll talk his ear off. You about done with the food?"
Seeing the gold and the contents of the room, and thinking that they'd pressed their luck as far as could be expected, Layly suggests that they head back up, locking the door behind them and return to their room to regroup.
"Yes lets"
The party reconvenes to speak in private while the inn staff attend to the newly arrived Druman merchant lords. Based upon the amount of wealth they flaunt, it seems like they will be a considerable economic threat to Falcon's Hollow as its citizens attempt to assert their independence from the Lumber Consortium.
The party has secretly gained access to the Berekland's gold sluice and gold smelter. You have also discovered a now-sealed entrance to tunnels that run deeper into the cliffs overlooking the falls. It seems quite likely that Bloodeye's treasure awaits somewhere down there. If you cannot find a way past the bricked-up door, you will have to find another entrance to the deeper tunnels, perhaps somewhere along the cliffs, falls, or river.
That night Miya takes fox form and goes looking around the cliffs for another entrance.
On her disguised scouting run, Miya spots a handful of points along the cliffs at different elevations that might conceal hidden cavern entrances. The mist rising from the falls and the obscuring angles of the rock make it impossible to tell from her vantage points.
She came back in the morning a told the otheres
When they all joined together to share news and scouting the feline monk paced back and forth. He was well aware that if there were prophets involved it could be ... hard to outbid them. He also didnt want to resort to evil or criminal actions to deter them. it would be easiest if the merchant lords representitives got lost or were late. but perhaps.... if there were a treasure it would be enough to out bid them at the moment.
"Ideas anyone? I dont think we could convice the drumites to not bid. Nor do i think we have the wealth to outbid them. Things in the hallow might improve under the tenets of their prophets, but they most likely would be changing from one bad overlord to another. Maybe if there is a treasure and we find it we could sway the bidding.. but thats a maybe. Thoughts ideas?
"I think the caves let us in the back way to the treasure. As for politics, I have no clue."
"The caves are definitely worth exploring. If nothing else, the treasure would allow a chance at matching the Druuman bid, possibly surpassing it if we find some other way to delay, or otherwise hinder them." Layla points out.
Randu shared what he knew, and says "Aye, the treasure seems the most legal way though... I'm not sure the law is always in our favor to do the right thing. Sure I maybe alone in that. Too bad they can't pass a law preventing foreign ownership of land. Well, maybe they could, but we don't have time"
"So...a night trek to the caves, in order to draw less attention?" Layla asks.
Right now, the Berekland family and their staff are quite busy tending to the large Druman party. This hub-bub may make for a good distraction from your attempts at investigation, but there are still many eyes to evade.
On the other hand, if you wait until nightfall, the darkness will cover your movements, but you will then have to evade the fortified inn's guards, who will be on the lookout for suspicious activity.
"So, day or night? We should decide and get going. Only downside to night time would be that we'd probably have to wait until dayling to get back in, but we have a better chance of going unnoticed." Layla says to her companions.
"I think night is best, we can see anyone coming if they use light and once in a cave its dark anyone."
You step outside into the inn yard on the pretense of taking an evening stroll and slip out of sight of the night sentries. You double back towards the cliff's edge and find a narrow but smooth trail, cut into the rock by the ancient dwarves, leading down towards the river at the foot of the falls. The cloud of mist kicked up by the falls provides an extra layer of cover as you venture forth.
The trail ends abruptly just above the river's surface, a few dozen yards away from the base of the waterfall.
Randu seems thoughtful. Quieter than normal of late. Some of the ethical and moral choices ahead of them clearly troubling him
But then, his senses sharpen and with Sage's help he says "Look there's a natural cavern opening 20 feet up.. and there... a hidden door at the very end of the trail"
Miya did not see it, but when Randu pointed it out she could. Moving in this form was becoming a pain, and fox form would not do for climbing. She thought for a moment then said to the others.
"What I am about to show you must not leave your lips. Do I have your word."
Then she transforms.
"That's better"
And then she is up the cliff.
Once at the cave she lowered her silk rope to the others.
He watches the transformation with amazement, "Well, your secret's safe with me."
He queitly followed along keeping his view behind them to make sure they weerent seen.. He followed the shapechanger up silently frowning. She would have made an excellent charector in the play he was composing.. but alas it was her secret to keep.
Layla smiles as Miya reveals her true form to their other companions, a little swell of pride rising from having had the honor of knowing first.
"You already do." she says quietly.
Taking a hold of the rope as it is tossed down, the gunslinger sets herself and begins to climb.
Randu watches as the rest of his comrades ascend the cliff face to investigate the natural cavern above.
The air inside the cavern feels humid, much warmer than the night air outside. The ledge and ground at the mouth of the cavern shows signs of being disturbed recently. A wide range of small bones crunch underfoot.
Randu moves to climb after, ready to levitate if need be.
"Oh bother." He ties the rope about himself. "Pull me up?I can fly but I thought we might need that later"
Layla lets out a sigh as she feels the warm air of the cavern.
"Feel that? The air here is a lot warmer than outside. This cavern likely connects to the dwarven ruins within the cliffs, the ones situated beneath the inn's foundations that we found last night. Ancient construction like that often made use of natural heat from fissures, using ingenious techniques to distribute that warmth." she explains.
Looking over at where the cave bends, the gunslinger narrows her eyes, before dropping to a whisper. "Look over there! There's a pair of boots...the weird angle they're splayed at makes me thing the wearer is dead."
Miya pulls up Randu and then starts to pack her rope away,
"Layla, be careful of traps. Old trick leaving a bobby trapped body"
"Thanks, Miya." He says. Then at mention of the body..a muttered curse.
Nodding at Miya's advice, Layla whispers an arcane word, making a gesture as she sends a flicker of force forward to tug on one boot, her weapon drawn in an eyeblink and pointed at the "corpse".
Layla's mage hand tugs on the corpse's leg, eventually prying the boot off the rotting foot.
Although no trap is triggered, this disturbance does cause something unusual to happen. A strange, moving plant shambles from around the corner. Looking like a heap of fungus vaguely shaped like a fountain, it has no face or arms, but only some whip-like tendrils and four foot-like roots that move it about.
Even without much knowledge about such strange creatures, it seems rather evident that this plant monster is the source of all the animal bones - to say nothing of the humanoid corpse - in this cavern.
"What is that"
She says backing off and pulling off one of her silk sashes, the end of which was a wicked-looking dart, she started to spin this rope Dart.
it had a longer range than her other weapons, and could also block attacks. She went into full defense mode.
"Not sure, but I'm not waiting to find out!" Layla says, joining Miya in moving backward, as she draws a vial of greyish oil from her belt, popping the wax seal and pouring it down into the barrels of her gun.
He noticed his companions unease.
"Stay back a moment."
He crept forward ears twitching eyes gleaming in the low light looking for anything that could be a threat.... Another step forward... then another.
As Rrruh steps forward cautiously, the plant creature begins to shudder in a quite unnerving way. With one big convulsion, it belches forth a cloud of faintly greenish spores. A sickly sweet smell overwhelms the erudite catfolk monk, but apart from some mild dizziness, he is able to fight off the effects of the spores.