Vhillish returns the drow maiden's smile with his own;
"Touche Mistress Faen. Good to have faith in something... or someone..."
He too looks to Damien afore Jerrid's voice sharpen his focus;
"Aye indeed. Best we remain eagle-eyed for any sign of the wizard or his infernal raven eh chaps and chapesses?"
Damien sour mood melts before the reason of the paladin and former sergeant, "Aye, someone I know how to do...seems there are a few more candidates than I'd expected."
He looks down again, speaking softly, "Hopefully I can live up to that faith this time..."
Damien turns at Lauriel's words, "Weeks ago? Is there no idea what happened to the girl?"
Astor steers clear of the religion conversation. Freya's followers had kept him alive well enough, but he had never really gone head first into the whole thing. Though he had considered his affinity for the longsword a byproduct of his time spent at the temple. And he always did think that he owed this god, if she even existed a little more gratitude. Nonetheless, Astor wasn't there yet.
He was a little more apt to be concerned for the smithy's missing daughter. This is what adventurers did, right? He listened intently for the answer to Damien's question.
At the mention of the missing girl Janna ponders what to do.
We should eat first, find this Halfling fellow and find out what we can about our favorite wizard. I have a feeling that these things are connected.
don't see why Vortigern wouldn't add kidnapping to his list of things we loather about him
Damien puts the thought of the blacksmith's daughter out of his mind as Janna speaks. He grunts his approval, "Aye, first things first."
Ushering the others forward he nods to Lauriel and makes his way towards the Cockatrice.
Lauriel, be mindful of any other "occurences" that you may have noticed. As Janna says, this Vortigern is capable of great evil, the innocent and guileless the its greatest victims." Kevezyat says, pausing just outside the Cockatrice's door.
She then pushes the door open and enters.
At the moment Leoven can not imagine a relation between a missed girl and that wizard, but Kevezyat pointed out inooncents are the first victims.
Not exactly considering himself the leader of the group, Astor takes a back seat when it comes to approaching their newest contact. He, however, was not shy with the ale, making sure to order two right off the bat, slugging one down straight away and taking a good sized swig from the next. He watches the rest of his party to see who moves first to meet the halfling.
Damien offers the woman a wide smile, "Just a meal for the moment, my lady. I'll take a dark ale and a plate of whatever you recommend. It's said the Lady Glarian's cooking is the finest in all the Stoneheart Valley."
Sam smiles: "I will have whatever you recommend my lady. Freya's Blessing upon this place."
Sam moves over to sit by the Halfling a genuine smile on his face. "Sam, pleased to meet you. How are things in Bard's Gate?"
Janna scans the room. her loosing bout with Vortigern has her being extra cautious.
looking for prying ravens, or imps.
eventually she takes a seat next to Samduc.
Now Sam, stop pestering the man and let him eat.
Looking to the Lannet I am sorry for that. But we are looking for an old friend that I went to school, I was told he was in these parts.
Janna goes on to describe Vortigern.
Damien leans his hammer against the end of the table and takes a seat across the table from the other three. He nods to Lannet and stretches his back while waiting for Glarian to return.
After a minute the orange tabby walk under his chair and rubs against his boots, it seems the creature had snuck in behind the last of their party. He attempts to nudge the cat away with his boot but it seems largely undeterred by his efforts.
Astor keeps an eye on his group from the bar. He also occasionally scans the room, making sure there are no 'surprises' waiting/looking for them.
Kevezyat says goodbye to Lauriel, then smiles at Glarian's greeting, "Aa my friend said , your recommendation please." she then joins Damien in sitting across from Lannet, watching the halfing , her face impassive, allowing Janna to take the lead.
Jerrid asks for a room with a bowl of hot water. He spends a while getting his hands clean. Gradually the mud and sweat ends up on the cloth and forms a scum with the soap.
One by one the aches in his legs after all that walking makes him feel tired. The gnome had been hungry many times so food could wait, but not long. His mind turns to the possibility of great food, food like he had eaten at Old Miggins Pie Shop where the gravy spurts and rolls down a chin all steamy.
Jerrid looks at the magical sickle again and wishes for the tenth time that it was made for him and not Damien or Astor. The edge is sharp and clean showing all the faint lines of elvish or draconic runes. They didn't look dwarvish and no beardy would be a cropcutter. Testing the handle for a compartment, he finds it solid wood wrapped with some kind of ridged scaled skin, possibly serpent.
Eventually he goes downstairs to eat, either with Astor or at his own table to avoid chitchat.
Vhillish follows suit with a polite introduction and request for food and a beverage;
"Serjeant Vhillish Ma'am. Formerly of the Grand Duchy's 33rd... Pleasure to be in your establishment. A light ale for myself and whatever the lieutenant is having is on my coin..."
The gnome pushes a couple of gold onto the counter to cover the veteran's meals and drinks.
"And... perhaps a stew bone, or meat scraps for our furry comrades as well Ma'am? They'll be no trouble I assure you"
Vhillish gestures toward the tabby grappling with Damien's boot and the hund "Topper" who has taken up position by the fire.
Sam speaks to the Halfling:
"We could use any help you can give. Beset by evil minions at every turn sure keeps things exciting but dangerous."
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Damien almost suppresses the wince at Vhillish's formal introduction, still he nods to the sergeant in thanks for the meal, a faint smile on his lips.
The smile quickly disappears though. The veteran snaps at Vhillish as Topper starts badgering the tabby, "Sergeant, muzzle that mutt!"
Pausing, the half-elf seems mildly surprised by his response, he frowns slightly and turn to Glarian, "We can stick 'em outside if it's a bother ma'am. Shouldn't be in here in the first place."
The cat has now interposed Damien's chair between itself and the dog, making a deliberate effort to look unconcerned.
He looks at Lannet, "Good advice. I've not decided on a room yet but the reputation of the Lady's cooking was too much to pass up."
Leoven just le the otehr speak, but he remains very attentive to the halfling words and how he act in order to detect any deception.
Continuing to watch from the bar Astor doesn't care for their new friends use of the term "exciting", but it was still not enough for him to engage. He waited patiently and kept watch, not wanting to be surprised.
Damien shrugs, "The lad's just being over-dramatic. We're actually looking for a certain Paladin of Dwerfater. Word around town is that you might well be the last person to have seen him and his traveling companions?"
Sparing a glance at the retreating animals, Damien turns back to Lannet, a slight smile playing across his lips, "Indeed, and just what would an entrepreneur such as yourself have had to interest such a disparate group?"
At this revelation, this halfling doing deals with their enemies, Astor decided to join the group. He eased himself from his seat and sauntered over, standing just behind some of the others who were sitting. He stood there silently, mug in hand, appearing to be very curious about the answer to Damien's recent question. He takes another quick scan around the room before focusing in on the halfling.
Janna listens to the Halfling's answers. looking for signs of hidden agendas or misguiding information.
The deep gnome eats slowly and drinks some fresh water.
Sam asks politely: "We can be discreet. It may really help us to know."
With her friends handling the interrogation quite well, Kevezyat merely leans back in her chair, quite happy to be off of her feet. She crosses her arms and continues to regard Lannet calmly.
Vhillish also sits watching the conversation and minding his "p's" and "q's".
He sips from a small ale and eats his fill using a set of field cutlery.
Damien nods thoughtfully, "What need would he have with a refractor in the spider infested woods?"
Jerrid mentally shrugs at the lack of definite information. "Where in the woods? You can take me or make a map. Yes?"
Janna listens as the group goes round and round with this Halfling, and getting nowhere.
Alright, I've heard enough. If he has sold something to them and they are tied to the slaughter of that farmer and his children, I am sure that the connection will be made and lead alot of angry townsfolk looking for anyone that had a connection with him.
Sam gets up with him. "That was not nice--he wasn't there."
Following Lannet, Sam grabs him, looks at him directly, and speaks with some conviction.
"Don't make it worse on you. I travel with some heavy religious heat. Help us out and you can get yourself out of the middle. I have been around the block a few times--I know when I see someone in over his head."
Sam opens his cloak so only Lannet can see inside.
Astor scans the room again once a bit of commotion happens, wanting to make sure no one is about to pounce. He then looks a little more closely at the halfling, thinking on his words...
Glaring at Jana for a second for dropping the ball, he follows behind Samduc and Lannet, seeing the realization in his companions eyes that he knew something just wasn't right.
Walking up a little closer, Astor leans in "Listen to him, Lannet." Then he stared at the halfling, straight faced, watching and waiting for a response.
Vhillish finishes cutting up some of the meat in his stew while the gunboat diplomacy is conducted;
Not a bad bit of bully beef that. Compliments to the chef should be given...
The veteran watches as things become more heated and his fingers slip to a gently tap the pommel of his rapier as he weighs the Lannet's reaction;
"Now now sir. Be a good gentleman, sit down and answer my associates questions... Seems to a few of us there's perhaps more of the story to tell from your vantage... Please unburden yourself in double time..."
Damien hisses under his breath as Janna accuses the halfling. Seeing the others jump in he merely furrows his brow and gives things a moment to shake out.