Meals and introductions finished, you adjourn to your waiting rooms, but rest proves not to be in the cards.
Shortly afterward you hear a man's voice from outside, his screams penetrating the stout structure of the inn.
"COME OUT HERE, YOU HALF-BREED MONSTROSITY!" the voice yells. "IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE OUR TOWN, YOU MONSTROSITY!"
Lyra sighs. She puts her bow by the window and opens the sash. "What new monstrosity bothers the town now?" she asks the cryer and tries to determine who it might be.
"This is bad." Lisbet mutters and begins donning her armor.
This kind of thing is exactly why Argus wanted to start being proactive. Argus groans as he's disturbed for the upteenth time by a commotion outside the Blissful Badger. "Only way forward is through," he muttters to himself as he peeks out the window and pulls on his bomb gear.
Philgor wakes up to the sound of the man screaming.
"Another good nights sleep disturbed."
He pulls on his pants, grabs his spear, and heads downstairs. He looks around the room and glares at anyone who makes eye contact.
If not challenged he heads for the front door of the inn.
Looking out, you see a large man in a black hood screaming at the inn, a young woman pulling at his arm.
"Please," she cries out as you look out. "Someone help. He’s never like this. I’ve never even seen him drink!”
Xorrin gets up and says to his wife, By the gods, can't people be stupid during the day? He puts a shirt on and heads downstairs seeing Philgor on the way. Seeing the spear he says He's likely drunk. Let's see if we can end this without someone getting poked full of holes shall we?
Xorrin steps outside saying to Philgor, Watch my back yeah?
Looking at the large man in the hood he says Evening friend. What seems to be the trouble? Seems you're being a bit loud right now and perhaps this'll be something better dealt with in the morning yeah?
While Philgor and Xorrin attempt to confront the crowd, Argus frantically pries open his crates, sifting through them for helpful materials. He pockets a supply of Flash Powder and a few grenades. Showy pyrotechnics that might help disperse the crowd.
The warcat was already prowling inside the bedchamber - having heard and smelt those below.
"I knew there'd be trouble if the Half-orc stayed in town", Qiola grumbled to herself as she too rose and pulled on her skirt, grabbing her sap and bow and arrows. She wore the ring but didn't have time to don the armour, so she begrudgingly left it in the room.
She could hear Xorrin speaking with the fighter on the stairs and with "Come, Rizu" they followed behind the men to investigate the commotion. Once outside, her eyes began to scan the area for further sign of threat or something of note, waiting to hear answer to Xorrin's question.
Rizu lifts his nose to the air and begins to sniff.
Seeing the others arrive, Lyra rushes from the window to check on Vegazi. "I think her room was right across from mine," she says trying to get her bearings. Then after knocking, "Vegazi? Vegazi, there is more trouble. Are you awake?"
Philgor looks at the Halfling and quietly says, "I don't plan on killing him. If you think you can reason with this drunk go ahead and try."
While Xorrin speaks to the man Philgor begins to circle around behind him.
As Xorrin and Philgor exit the inn, the man turns to them and yells, “Defenders of the hellspawn! You can get out, too!”
He hefts his cane and gets ready to swing it at the approaching soldier.
--
Upstairs, Vegazi comes to the room.
"Yes, I am awake. I thought I should stay here, so I didn't have to kill this one," she says.
She seems both sad and resigned to this situation, though also a little angry and frustrated.
Xorrin sighs before darting forward with blazing speed, leaping into the air fingers formed into a curved blade shape which he attempts to rap into the man's temple and knock him out.
Pulling tight the straps around the bottom of her breastplate, Lisbet hefts her shield and steps through the narrow door into the hallway. "I''l just keep my sword in my room, so there's no chance it gets into a villager..."
"that's a good plan. We need to keep you safe, but that is something you don'the need us for. Want to write a note saying you've gone, then hide? I'll tell the drunk you've left."
Argus meets Lyra and Vegazi in the hallway. "Nuts to hiding. People don't come screaming in the middle of the night to read notes. We need to take you out the back while his attention is on the front door, and before he attracts a crowd."
"The woman he was with said he's not usually like this. It'seems mostly the drink talking and if she is gone, we might be able to keep it that way."
I don't suppose you have a brew that will help him pass out?
Round 1
Xorrin surges forward and brings his sap down on the man's head, dropping him like a sack of potatoes as the woman lets out a shocked scream.
"Dad!" she cries. "What did you do?!"
She falls to her knees to begin checking on him.
"Where would we go?" Vegazi asks. "Should we try to use that key that Terrin left?"
Philgor kneels beside the man and checks his condition.
"He's fine but he will have a massive headache in the morning. I will carry him home for you. Just lead the way."
As Philgor leans down to check on the man, who will likely recover in time, though the effects of his concussion could linger, a human woman watching from nearby comes over.
"That was efficiently handled," she says, once she also sees the man is still alive.
She introduces herself as Deputy Naia Volsson, then shakes her head.
"Strange. Zeb's not usually the hot-headed type. There are some who wouldn't surprise me acting like this, but Zeb's not one of them..."
"With all that has been happening a lot of people must be on edge. Anything could set them off."
Philgor turns to the woman who was trying to stop the man and says, "What happened to start him down this path?"
While waiting for an answer he begins to pick the man up.
"I don't know," she protests. "He was fine, and then all of a sudden, he was drunk. But he didn't have anything to drink, I swear it!"
"We saw that with the animals too. Any ideas how that might work," Lyra says when the information is relayed to her.
Moving to her husband's side, Qiola laid a hand on Xorrin's shoulder for job well done in curtailing the impending trouble with no bloodshed.
Qiola cast Detect Magic in the vicinity of the unconscious townsman, Zeb, wondering if it was spell which took the man and changed his general disposition.
"Instant durnk? That's a spell some of my cousins would like to know!" Lisbet makes a joke, and doesn't seem at all fazed at the lack of timing.
Argus finally comes downstairs to find the situation largely defused. He'll provide the daughter with a dose of Alchemist's Kindness, to ease the inevitable headache when her father wakes.
"Thank you," the daughter says as Qiola begins searching for arcane auras. She thinks she spots one from across the street, but as she tries to concentrate on it, it disappears.
"Thank you," the daughter say as Argus gives her the alchemical remdy. "I hope this helps."
The deputy, seeing the situation seems to be well in hand, reaches down to pick up the man.
"Let me help you get him home, Reya," she says. "He can recover in his own bed, not the dirty street."
Vegazi, having accompanied the half-elf downstairs, shrugs at Lyra's question.
"I don't think my sister could have done that, even if she were alive. Maybe something else, though?"
"Have we met all your sisters? Their seems to be a pattern here."
"No, there are more," Vegazi says. "Yvogga and Bax are still alive as far as I know."
"Do Yvogga or Bax have skills in enchantment?"
"They may have grown much since I last saw them, but I don't think so. Bax was good with knifes, but Yvogga was like you, with animals and whatnot. She was the least mean to me..." Vegazi replies.
"What else do you think it is?"
"Thank you," the daughter says as Qiola begins searching for arcane auras. She thinks she spots one from across the street, but as she tries to concentrate on it, it disappears.
Annoyed that she could not successfully pinpoint the magical aura, Qiola quietly calls to her warcat, "Come Rizu, let's check that side of the street", and the Halfling begins to move in the general direction of the trace ... but mindfully and cautiously, her bow still in hand.
Rizu heeds, eyes and ears attempting to pick up the presence of an enemy/threat and lifting his nose to sniff, attempting the catch a scent of any creature loitering in the shadows or in the vicinity of the area his mistress pointed out. He moves steadily and quietly forward, eyes gazing unto the night and dim lit (?) street.
As Philgor helps Deputy Volsson get the man home he asks, "Has anyone else in town been acting strange or is this the first that you have seen?"
Vegazi shrugs, unsure what it could be. "They consort with fiends, I think. Maybe that is it?"
Rizu definitely smells something foul across the street, but can't pick up its scent as whatever it is either is able to hide itself or -- more likely -- has left the area.
Volsson shakes her head no.
"Nothing like this, though the people are on edge. The scouts are missing, and they're part of our town and people are worried. Plus rumors of the threats spread quickly," she says.
Qiola's endeavour proved fruitless and she turned to Rizu, quietly asking, "You catch a whiff of that thing?" Rizu's posture told her he hadn't or didn't get far tracking it. "We tried. Let's get some more shut-eye," and Halfling and warcat crossed the street back to the others.
"I agree, I think we have done here what we can." She implores the other folks to remian calm, that the mayor is doing what he can to keep everyone safe. When they are alone again, Lyra tries to convince Vegazi to join them. "We promised the mayor to keep you safe, but that doesn't mean we have to stay here. We can alleviate a lot of worries by looking for these scouts. Scouts who can also aid in the town's defense."
"Aye sounds like a plan, get out of here and get those guys trapped outside the walls. On the good side, it'll give us more chance to scar up these bastiches killing innocents." Lisbet laughs a bit, "Now didn't that sound a bit high and knightly?"
Argus nods. "The longer we stay walled up, people are going to get restless - if they give up Vegazi they can get their normal lives back. They're gonna start gettin' cabin fever even without some enchantment givin'em a push."
"Xorrin settled this pretty soundly for tonight. Get some rest. Pack yer gear. We need to get out in the mornin'."
Listening to Argus, Qiola nodded. "Aye, we must sleep to be our best come mornin'."
To Xorrin and Rizu she added, "Come on, you two, to bed with us. We can sort out this mess tomorrow." The Halfling wife and husband bid the others good night and the three moved back inside the Blissful Badger and to their chamber to sleep.
The rest of the night passes uneventfully, and you wake up refreshed, despite the disturbance with Zeb.
Casually, Lyra moseys over to the potential exit under the mayor's place. She then sits quietly out of view while the others casually join her.
Lyra casually makes her way up a layer of red rock that rises above the rest of the town, a castlelike manor with pointed towers on its heights. Flags of russet and silver adorned with the image of a stubborn badger snap in the wind from the tops of its towers, though it appears to be empty now that the last remaining Arwyll has been slain.
Argus huffs and puffs his way up the hill, his pack swollen and carrying a wooden crate by rope handles.
Xorrin tilts his hat to the others and puts a hand around his wife's waist and accompanies her back to bed.
------------------------------------------------------
Xorrin wakes the next morning, refreshed despite the interruption to his sleep. He will wait for his wife and then head out with her and the others.
With packed gear, Qiola and Rizu move alongside Xorrin, following the others up the red rock with the fancy manor atop. When they stopped near Lyra, she asked in lowered voice, "Who's got the key to this secret tunnel, then?"
Qiola casts her eyes about the hill and manor, hoping to spy something of note. "Rizu, keep an eye out or use ya nose, love"
Lyra holds the key out for all those gathered to see. She is thankful that Vergazi has joined them. The half-elf greets the others as they arrive, especially Rizu. "Ready when you are."
Shirld strapped and demeanor determined Lisbet nods, "Let's go."