Kadan whispers to the others:
"My friends, someone or something has emptied those houses. We must be wary! But the prospect of food and a bed is enticing, and I am sure that our coin would be most welcome."
"However they might acquire it..." Kuhl adds, eyeing the villagers in much the same way they are eying him.
Seeing the villagers, Kendram will ignore their wary gazes and approach them directly, saying "Greetings friends. My companions and I are looking for a place to get something to eat and rent a room for the evening. Is there someplace that you can recommend?"
Kadan adds cheerily:
"What he said!"
The man looks startled when he is addressed directly. He is dressed in rough attire and wears his hair long, but piled atop his head and held together by bone combs. He looks around in panic, hoping you are speaking to someone else, but when he doesn't see anyone, swallows deeply and responds.
"Er, yes, masters. There is an inn and an ale-house in Kristatanti. The inn has food and lodging, and the ale-house has ... ale."
He then gives you directions to both (which are quite simple as it is a very small village), and quickly makes himself scarce.
"My friends, we should fill our bellies and find a place to rest for the night. The ale-house might be good afterwards for seeing what nuggets fall from loosened tongues."
"Aye, we should secure lodgings so we have a place to stumble back to, if nothing else."
Kuhl rubs his jaw with a laconic smile, then squints and chuckles.
"Right you are Meisters Sense and Sensibility. An empty belly and foreign grog lead to a sore head, or worse. Lead on good sirs..."
You head in the direction the man gave you for the inn, which you find with little trouble. A woman who runs the place stands before the door, barring your way with arms crossed.
"Are you from the King?" she demands.
"We are just travelers seeking a place of respite. We mean you and yours no harm, and would like to pay you for your services."
Kuhl frowns, and is unable to stop himself from interjecting.
"Which "King""? I thought the Baklands were free from such petty and feudal notions. Here you can rob, ambush and pillage with impunity."
"Though no pillaging here, which is good my friends!", Kadan pipes in.
"Oh, not by us, I was just giving milady a run down of what seem to have happened to us."
The woman's eyes narrow at your answers. "This is a guest house, the best in Kristatanti. Only guests stay. And any guest of mine knows it costs me three gold pieces to host a traveler overnight, and two to feed them. But it's all between friends"
"That sounds fair to me, good lady!"
Kendram will pay the woman 5 gold out of his rather dwindling supply.
The woman takes your money, pocketing it quickly in a fold in her threadbare dress.
"Food is just being served."
She then steps aside and gestures for you all to enter her establishment. A few minutes later a man appears who introduces himself as the lady's husband and brings in a steaming pot of skunkbear stew. It is thick as mud, and has a rich, disgusting flavor.
As you are eating, you see the light fading in the sky outside, and the man brings in an oil lamp that burns a foul-smelling liquid to provide illumination. Once you have finished, the woman reappears.
"Will you be wanting the beds now as well?"
"Probably for the best, but before we do, do you have any provisions for sale?"
The woman seems a bit confused by your question, but when you explain what you mean, she shakes her head.
"No, nothing that you could take with you. We cook for the day and have few stores."
Kadan pipes up.
"Any ale for tonight then?"