Heinrich looks as though he will continue to be affronted at your antics, but seems to release some burden and relax. He definitely doesn’t smile or approach warmth in any way, but he does appear more cordial.
”Of course you did. It is appreciated. The thought, I mean. I will see you all first thing the day after tomorrow. Meet me here, since this farm is on your way to Erana’s Peace. If you will excuse me, I have to finish this trimming before I leave to escort Hilde home.”
"Yes, sir. Thank you again, sir. We should get going anyway. We have some preparations to see to. We'll be back first thing day after tomorrow."
As the group walks away from the farm, Everard asks: "What should we do to prepare?"
"A very good question." Felix considers for a moment. "I suppose it would be wise to replenish our supply of rations and water and get some more potions. I can't think of anything else right now."
You do have an entire day to kill, and you probably won’t want to go too far afield. Places you can go while remaining a half-day’s journey from Spielburg are:
Castle
Graveyard
The lake and waterfall
Abandoned farms and orchards
"We could take a look around some of the abandoned orchards. There's bound to be some fruit we could pick and take with us."
Zayla shrugs. "It won't be nearly enough, but I suppose anything is something. Maybe we'll find some helpful clues about our own crop issues."
"Alright, but we play this one smart. If we get in trouble, unless there are innocents in need of saving, we bail. No unnecessary injuries right before our big trip with Mr. Pferdefedern."
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
Bright and early the next morning, you make your way south into the abandoned orchards along the southern wall. It doesn’t take you long to realize that any fruit on the trees was thoroughly frozen by the winter cold, and has rotted on the branches to a brown, inedible mush.
It also doesn’t take you long to realize there should be a lot more of it, and the orchards show no sign of having been worked last fall (or many falls before that).
Continuing along the southern wall, amongst the apple orchards, you find an abandoned archery range. Overgrown thorn bushes line both sides of the strip of yellow, overgrown grass. A single, old barn door with the face of an imaginary (you hope) monster comically painted on it rests against the town wall itself, serving as a target. The wood shows many nicks and gouges, speaking to extensive use over the years, and the fading of the paint testifies to its age.
Perception
Looks like someone's been practicing in secret. They probably want to join the castle guard or something.
"If we had more time, I'd say we should keep watch on this place and see who comes to use it, but we can't really afford to waste the time. We should probably keep moving."
"Look. Someone's been flicking daggers at this target as well as shooting arrows. Odd..."
So where next? The waterfall and lake are within a half day’s journey, as is the graveyard.
"Don't feel like visiting a graveyard where some witch's raised up the dead," Everard says. "Who's up for a stroll to the waterfall? Could be fun to see."
Zayla shrugs. "Sure, why not."
"The waterfall sounds good."
You hear the falls long before you see them through the trees.
The Flying Falls, swollen with snowmelt, tumble from a high cliff, roaring as they crash down into Spieglesie Lake. The lake itself stretches into the west along the base of the mountains. It’s water looks COLD!!
Next to where the falls crash into the lake, a ledge has been cut into the rock of the cliff about fifteen feet up. A rough, though solid wooden door is set in the stone face above the ledge. There is no obvious means of gaining access to the ledge, and the rocks are slick with spray from the falls.
"Flying Falls," Everard muses. "Flying... Falls."
"Hm. Funny name. But it's pretty, isn't it? Looks like someone decided to come live here so they could enjoy the view the whole year long. You guys want to say hello?"
Felix looks at the door for a short time. "Challenge accepted." He starts climbing up to the door.
If at first you don't succeed.
Third time's the charm. Felix will use Mage Hand to try and attach his rope to a rock outcropping or the door handle or something.
If that doesn't do it, then "I didn't want to get up there anyway."
Felix tries and fails to find a place to climb the slippery rocks. However, now that he’s that close, he notices to his right that the spray from the waterfall behaves strangely. Instead of hitting the rockface and running off like everywhere else, there’s a section where the water appears to be absorbed. Reaching out to touch the area, his hand passes through the rock itself, though a few inches beyond the surface of the “rock”, he feels a rough wooden pole. A bit of further exploration reveals a wooden ladder leaning against the rockface, hidden by some sort of fake rock he can easily pass (and sort of see) through.
The rest of you can attempt DC 14 Will saves to see through the illusion, with +4 bonuses for knowing there’s something there.
"Say now, that's pretty nifty!" Everard says, smiling. Before climbing the ladder, he smiles at Zayla. "Let's find out if whoever lives there can teach you that trick! Imagine being able to turn stuff invisible on demand."
"I'd like to learn that trick myself." Is there enough room for all of us on the ledge? If so, Felix will wait for the others to get up there. Otherwise, he'll knock on the door while they're coming up the ladder.
There is room on the ledge for all of you, but now that he’s there, he realizes that the door will swing outwards and swing wide; therefore, he knocks while the others are climbing.
”Coming!” a cheerful man’s voice calls from within. ”Please stand back away from the door!”
The man gives you a moment to move aside before a great latch is lifted and the door swings wide open (nearly taking Everard’s head off as he’s about to pop out over the level of the ledge). Standing in the doorway is the shortest and hairiest man you’ve ever seen. His hair and beard seem all of a tangled mass that flows from his head to his toes like a disheveled robe (though you’re grateful to see actual clothing peeking through from time to time).
”Welcome! Welcome! Saw through me ladder trick, did ya? Good on you! Go o in! Go on in!”
The hairy man motions you inside, where you find a strange, though oddly comfortable-looking residence. A large pot bubbles merrily in a fireplace carved from one wall (there must be some natural chimney crack in the cliff since you didn’t see or smell any smoke outside). On the wall adjacent to the waterfall, a mini aqueduct brings running water from outside, carrying it into a basin, which then drains somewhere deeper within the cliff side. A large mattress of moss makes up what appears to be the hermit’s bed. A low wooden table sits next to the bed, with several sawed-off pieces of stump available for guest seating. On the table sits a bird that repeatedly bends to drink from a dish only to quickly pop back up again. A second glance tells you that th bird is made of wood and just be some sort of clockwork contraption. A sort of loft area above the front door completes the humble dwelling.
Once you’re all inside, the hermit shuts the door and takes a seat on the bed, gesturing for you to each take a stump.
”You don’t look like any brigands me’d ever seen before, and you don’t look like no goblins neither, so pleased to meet ya. My name’s ‘enry. ‘enry the ‘ermit. Welcome to me ‘umble ‘ome. What can me do fer ya?”
"Hello. You have a very interesting place. I'm Felix. This is Zayla and Everard. We're adventurers. Can I ask you did you make the ladder invisible?"
Zayla stares dumbfounded at the rock, and doubly so as the others vanish into it and then emerge on the ledge.
She stretches her arms out and prods around until she's able to find the ladder and then tries to climb it blind.
If Zayla continues to have trouble, Everard will help guide her.
Inside, he openly admires 'Enry's dwelling.
"Really nice place you got here! Been living here long? You know a lot about the valley?"
With Everard’s help, Zayla is able to climb the narrow ladder and reach the top.
”Invisible? Na, it ain’t invisible, just ‘idden. Me don’ts Know much magic, but Erasmus taught me ‘ow to ‘ide me ladder from them brigands. Nasty bunch, thems, ‘cept for their warlock. Funny fellow, ‘e is.”
”Been livin’ ‘ere a long time, must be ten years now. Moved away from me ‘ome when me were just a wee lad. Me farther is an ‘ermit, me mudder is an ‘ermit, me brother is an ‘ermit and me sister is an ‘ermit, so me comes by it ‘onestly. Trouble with being from a ‘ole family of ‘ermits is none of us can live together! But sure, me knows plenty about this valley. What do ya want to know?”
"You... you know the Brigand Warlock? And Erasmus? Any other magic-users?"
”Well, me ‘ears there’s some sort of kobold living somewhere along the north of the valley, be me don’ts ‘ave much to do with ‘im. Nasty creatures kobolds. No sense o’ the importance of good conversation.”
"Sooo... the Brigand Warlock?"
”Oh, ‘e’s a funny one, ‘e is. Always with a good joke to tell, and always up for a few games o’ cribbage. ‘e borrowed that magic mirror what’s me borrowed from Erasmus, ‘e did.”
”Any o’ you three up for a game o’ cribbage?” he asks hopefully.
"We kind of need to be back in town before dark. Sorry. What's that about a magic mirror? And... do you know what the Warlock actually looks like?"
"Hold on. A game shouldn't take that long. One game should be ok. Besides, it will make the conversation go by faster."
”Short fellow,’e is. Always wears ‘is cloak and ‘ood up. Wears big thick spectacles on ‘is big thick nose, with a big thick moustache, too. Giggles all the time, ‘e does. ‘e borrowed that mirror what reflects spells me borrowed from Erasmus. To be ‘onest, me don’ts remember why me borrowed that mirror in the first place!”
"Do you know any other brigands? What's Erasmus like?"
”Other brigands? Nope, never met a one. No conversation.”
He starts taking out some cards and a handmade cribbage board from somewhere within his robe (or maybe just hidden in his beard) and shuffles.
”Now Erasmus, ‘e’s a bright one. Funny, and a good talker. ‘e taught me a few spells, like the little picture me used to cover me ladder. ‘e also gave me the dunkin’ duck, that warms me when me’s about to get some company so me can make me spell ‘appen. ‘e and Fenrus comes by every other month or so to chat and play cards. You sure the rest o’ you don’t want to play?”
"Can you teach us some spells?" Felix waves the others over to the table.
”Can’t really teach spells, you need a scroll. Say! Me does ‘ave an extra scroll sittin’ around someplace.”
He reaches into his robe (beard?) and pulls out a musky scroll. ”’ere ya go! Not sure why me ‘as an extra one!”
Henry hands you a scroll of silent image.
"Great! Thanks!" Felix tries to read it. When he can't he offers it over to Zayla. "Here! You try. I want to focus on the game."
Henry gleefully shuffles the cards and deals the first hand out. The commencement of the cribbage game seems to have bought you all some temporary silence, save for his excited glee at getting a good hand, and his just as excited glee when Felix does.
The game has just started when Felix asks. "So you and your family have lived in the valley a while then? What was it like before? I heard it wasn't always so dour. What happened?" He'd heard the story before, but Felix wanted to get 'enry talking.
Everard tries his hand at the game, but seems a bit dubious.
"So... who's Fenrus?"
”Why Fenrus is Erasmus’ familiar. Some might say ‘e’s ‘is overly-familiar. ‘e loves ‘is cheese, ‘e does.”