Gimble tugs on Trom's sleeve and nods towards the lawman.
"What do you say we mosey on, and not remain as suspicious folks in this general area? Doesnt pay to attract such attention. We can start with those following last night, maybe find some clues?"
Gimble looks around to spot any others of his particular profession, either serving as lookouts, pickpockets, or the like.
perception
Gimble doesn't see anyone actively 'in the game' at the moment, but he sees a number of people who he wouldn't put it past.
While he's checking out the crowd, an older halfling with a nice outfit approaches the lawman and starts haranguing him.
Gimble moves closer to the well dressed halfling and attempts to remain inconspicuous amongst the crowd. Once he gets close enough to listen in, he waits for some indications of distress from the halfling.
Scipio moves to the back of the crowd, keeping himself inconspicuous. He's keeping an eye out for any suspicious people armed, any blood stains, things of that nature to potentially track the murderer
"Um...you guys poke around in regards to that roadside business from yesterday," Livlena says softly to the others. "I'll help my sister look into the whole blackscour angle."
With that, she jogs off in pursuit of her twin.
Gimble gets close enough to hear the halfling saying, "... I expect you to do? Something! I expect you to do something, Sheriff Baleson."
"I could try to outlaw blackscour or put some sort of curfew on dying, your Honor, but I'm not sure the disease respects my authority all that much."
Scipio does not notice anyone suspicious in the crowd. He sees many he wouldn't trust, but none who look like they are currently up to mischief.
"Aye, trouble will be making itself known soon enough," Trom mutters to himself after waving goodbye to the sisters. A mischievous smile comes across his face. "Still, sometimes the best way to remain hidden is to make oneself more conspicuous than less." Trom heads out the door, saying a good morning to the lawman on his way out.
Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Trom decides to take a walk through town, looking around for a sign of either of the two men he saw at the tavern the evening previous before heading to Laurel's.
Leaning back from the table, his stomach full, Odd'n notices his new friends weaving amongst the crowd-- some stopping to presumably get a better look at things and others out the door and further into the town. Recognizing Gimble across the room, Odd'n shoves himself up and begins stomping on over. Not brilliant, but not a total idiot, Odd'n is at least aware that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line and so he makes no effort to remain inconspicuous, instead walking directly through the clearing around the body and up to Gimble with a confused smile.
"Heya.. think that one suffered a similar fate as the other?" Odd'n jabs a thumb back over his shoulder towards the covered corpse, clearly not perceptive enough to realize the lack of blood on the sheet and mutterings throughout the room are tell-tale enough of the cause.
"Aye, trouble will be making itself known soon enough," Trom mutters to himself after waving goodbye to the sisters. A mischievous smile comes across his face. "Still, sometimes the best way to remain hidden is to make oneself more conspicuous than less." Trom heads out the door, saying a good morning to the lawman on his way out.
Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Trom decides to take a walk through town, looking around for a sign of either of the two men he saw at the tavern the evening previous before heading to Laurel's.
Trom, walking through town, gets a bit more of a sense of Falcon's Hollow. The river runs along the south side of town, which has no protective wall. Here he sees workers pulling logs from the river, trimming the rare untrimmed branch and counting the marks of the cutyard that fell them before sending them on their way. An old man stands on a rock that protrudes out into the river and catches fish with a net and spear with surprising success. A large basket nearby suggests he expects to catch much more than he could eat.
On the other three sides, the town is surrounded by protective wall of logs spaced closely together, although small gaps of a couple inches allow you to peer out here or there into the shrubs around the town.
Trom sees a number of these houses are "for rent by ..." and the name of one or another Lumber Consortium boss. There are a number of odd-looking establishments no bigger than these houses, which appear to be used for gambling or prostitution.
Eventually, Trom sees the hairier of the two men heading towards the northwest gate of the town with a bow slung over his shoulder and a small pack on his belt.
Livlena soon catches up with her twin, who is speaking with Laurel in the street between Jak'a'napes and her shop Roots and Remedies.
Hennie sighs. "I have a couple of ideas, but they're not sure to work. I can go through those books again. Now that I've looked at them once, and have some idea what's there, I might see something I missed before."
When Livlena walks up Hennie takes her hand and holds it, automatically and without looking at her.
"Also, you said blackscour spreads through water? And you know the town pretty well? Where do people get their drinking water from? If we make a list of all the people you know for sure have it, maybe we can find a pattern. Like, if they live near each other, or in a certain part of town, they might all the using the same water source. If we find it, maybe we can stop people from using it."
Guy's i might have a plan idea for what to do, it's a tad... risky though Scipio says to other guys, after, motioning to a more private area to avoid being overheard. What if we went out tonight, watched for any incidents. If this is foul play, something might happen
Hennie sighs. "I have a couple of ideas, but they're not sure to work. I can go through those books again. Now that I've looked at them once, and have some idea what's there, I might see something I missed before."
When Livlena walks up Hennie takes her hand and holds it, automatically and without looking at her.
"Also, you said blackscour spreads through water? And you know the town pretty well? Where do people get their drinking water from? If we make a list of all the people you know for sure have it, maybe we can find a pattern. Like, if they live near each other, or in a certain part of town, they might all the using the same water source. If we find it, maybe we can stop people from using it."
"Most of us draw our water from the Brookman's Well; it's on the edge of town," she gestures to the mountains. "The sheriff asked Karniss to look at it yesterday. It will be hellishly difficult to dig a new well, so I hope that isn't the problem. For now, we can just make sure everyone boils their water ..."
"As for by grandmother's notes ...," she holds up a box of papers, including the two journals she showed you the other day: 'Herbs of the Darkmoon Vale' and 'Gifts from the Fey.' "I was hoping you'd be back."
Guy's i might have a plan idea for what to do, it's a tad... risky though Scipio says to other guys, after, motioning to a more private area to avoid being overheard. What if we went out tonight, watched for any incidents. If this is foul play, something might happen
Gimble steps up with the lawman/sheriff and presumably judge.
"Good day, good day, gentlemen. I cant help but overhear that you are people of some import and influence about town, with some problems. It just so happens that I and my associates are professional problem solvers. Here, ready, and available to render aid. All we would need is your go ahead, the town's offer of recompense, and exactly which problem you'd like investigated and resolved first. So, gentlemen, how can we help one another today?"
Gimble steps up with the lawman/sheriff and presumably judge.
"Good day, good day, gentlemen. I cant help but overhear that you are people of some import and influence about town, with some problems. It just so happens that I and my associates are professional problem solvers. Here, ready, and available to render aid. All we would need is your go ahead, the town's offer of recompense, and exactly which problem you'd like investigated and resolved first. So, gentlemen, how can we help one another today?"
diplomacy
The halfling looks Gimble over suspiciously and snarls, "If you're able to raise the dead, he went that way."
The sheriff, a tough looking half-elf, however, is friendlier, "That depends on your particular set of skills. If you have anything to offer, we could use some help. Half the people in this town are sick, or think they are, and I've got to head out of town to bury a body someone found off to the side of the road."
"I've got Karniss searching the riverbanks for the source of this infection. Laurel is searching for a cure; Lady Cirthana is praying for divine intervention; and Magistrate Harg here has authorized me to arrest the disease should I be able to corner it. What can you do to help?"
The halfling magistrate huffs at the sheriff's sarcasm.
Livlena's eyes go wide and unfocused when Laurel suggests doing work that requires...well, any sort of brainwork.
"I'll keep watch...again!" she tells her twin and the herbalist while watching traffic on the street outside.
Seeing the hairier man heading towards the gate, Trom hurries after him. "Excuse me, hunter!" he calls after the man.
Smiling to Grimble as the little man remains focused on the sheriff and ignores the greeting, Odd'n continues on past and out into the street. His mind begins to wonder as freely as his feet and before he knows it he find himself outside Roots & Remedies. Remembering the mirror ladies went there to investigate the sickness, Odd'n 'politely' shoves his way past the sick and into the building.
Upon seeing the meatier side of the mirror excuse herself upon mention of books, Odd'n awkwardly approaches the withered side and offers what little knowledge of wilderness survival and herbal cures he picked up from his adoptive parents. It kept us alive all those years.. maybe it could help here with this black-shower... he mumbles aloud between tidbits of recalled misinformation.
Livlena's eyes go wide and unfocused when Laurel suggests doing work that requires...well, any sort of brainwork.
"I'll keep watch...again!" she tells her twin and the herbalist while watching traffic on the street outside.
[dice=Perception Check]1d20
Livlena sees Odd'n push his way past her into the shop where he promptly pricks himself on some crownthorn berries and accidentally tears some papers from the journal. She hears Laurel order him out.
There is a rather large gathering of people around Roots and Remedies waiting to talk to Laurel.
Seeing the hairier man heading towards the gate, Trom hurries after him. "Excuse me, hunter!" he calls after the man.
The man pauses, turns, and pauses. He recognizes Trom from the Sitting Duck and wonders if he is being followed; his hand moves closer to the dagger on his belt.
Trom slows his pace as he catches up to the man. Both hands in clear sight, he catches his breath for a moment before speaking. "Ye have no need to fear me, lad, though in wild country it's a wise person that keeps their weapons close at hand."
Running his hand through his beard, Trom asks the hairy man, "Be ye a hunter? Like of game and such?"
Embarassed by his own idiocy and sucking a bloodied thumb pricked on the berries, Odd'n trudges out front and slumps down beside the meatier side of the mirror.
"..can't even handle berries without hurting myself, no wonder I was found in this condition.." the man mutters to the ground as he sits against the building. "Liv.. Liver-lana, any ideas of what to make of all this?"
Reaching into his meager coin purse, Odd'n pulls out some silver and copper coins and waves over a few of the parents with ill children, some elderly, and otherwise more unfortunate looking individuals, and hands the coins to them.
Trom slows his pace as he catches up to the man. Both hands in clear sight, he catches his breath for a moment before speaking. "Ye have no need to fear me, lad, though in wild country it's a wise person that keeps their weapons close at hand."
Running his hand through his beard, Trom asks the hairy man, "Be ye a hunter? Like of game and such?"
He looks Trom over and replies, "Of game? Usually."
Hennie leaves the customers/patients to Laurel and concentrates on the books. She makes some progress, only interrupted when the odd, simple man she'd met on the road comes in and shows a talent for inadvertently wrecking things around him.
She hastily gathers up the pages he has ripped from the book. While she sorts them and puts them back in place as best she can Hennie takes time to give him a baleful stare or two.
Hennie leaves the customers/patients to Laurel and concentrates on the books. She makes some progress, only interrupted when the odd, simple man she'd met on the road comes in and shows a talent for inadvertently wrecking things around him.
She hastily gathers up the pages he has ripped from the book. While she sorts them and puts them back in place as best she can Hennie takes time to give him a baleful stare or two.
As Hendrina handles the pages of the book Odd'n tore, she sees they refer to the 'Devil's Footprint. It takes her but a moment, but she recalls something the other day in Laurel's grandmother's notes about blackscour growing in the devil's footprints and she's off. Armed with this new name for the fungus, she soon has information about blackscour, that had been hiding in plain sight under a different name.
Blackscour sufferers can usually shake off the disease after drinking an infusion made of elderwood moss, pickled rat's tail (a root), and ironbloom mushrooms.
Her search of the nature texts show that elderwood moss only grows on trees that grew during the reign of the fey queen Topal, which would mean they'd have to be at least 400 years old. Ironbloom mushrooms are frequently grown by dwarves, particularly around places where metal is worked.
She is still puzzled by a note that reads devil's footprints in Darkmoon V. Tawateras 4644; Nasojerica 4655
"My good sir, I offer services which vary from place to place and time to time. Most recently, we have begun to research the root cause of the infection which beset this town, as well as some more 'conventional' causes of injury which seem to abound."
Gimble sketches a brief bow, focusing on the sheriff for now.
"I am Gimble, and my companions and I are most eager to help the town. We can and will go into dangerous locations, track down anyone who might be responsible for trouble around town, and assist in determining the cause and treatment of this Blackscour menace. I am certain you could find some use of our skills, my good Sheriff."
"My good sir, I offer services which vary from place to place and time to time. Most recently, we have begun to research the root cause of the infection which beset this town, as well as some more 'conventional' causes of injury which seem to abound."
Gimble sketches a brief bow, focusing on the sheriff for now.
"I am Gimble, and my companions and I are most eager to help the town. We can and will go into dangerous locations, track down anyone who might be responsible for trouble around town, and assist in determining the cause and treatment of this Blackscour menace. I am certain you could find some use of our skills, my good Sheriff."
The magistrate crosses his arms and gives Gimble a second lookover and says to Sheriff Baleson quietly, "Hmmm, Deldrin, ... enthusiastic, hardworking. Reminds me of a younger version of myself."
"I wouldn't say that," says the Sheriff with a slight smile, "he seems trustworthy."
"How are you around dead bodies, Gimble?" asks the sheriff.
"I dont mind the odd dead fella. Even seen one of them wasn't so dead as we thought, had to get put down all over again. I didnt care much for that one, I'll be happy to say. Of course, if its lifting and hauling you're looking for, I'd have to get some help. Not that I couldn't bring some stronger folks around, mind, but these hands and arms just cant carry as much as bigger folks."
"You can call me Liv if it's easier for you," Livlena tells Odd'n. Raising an eyebrow as she thinks, the twin finally offers, "I'd say that between the blackscour and the roadside murder, it's a dangerous time to be in this village. Maybe they're related, maybe not. I suppose it's possible that someone wicked introduced blackscour to the town, perhaps to kill his or her enemies, or perhaps to instill fear in people to keep them indoors and blind to what's happening elsewhere."
Listening as he hands out the coins, Odd'n nods to the unfortunate and stricken as they take his offerings. "Funny in a way.. my crew kept me from coming to enjoy this town but they may have saved me from succumbing to a similar fate." Thinking for a moment, Odd'n turns his face up to Liv and in a more hushed tone continues her last point. ".. happening elsewhere.. like where-ever it was that the poor soul we came across yesterday found himself on the end of someone's blade. Payden may not be the source of the black-scowl as he looked in good health, but maybe he is taking advantage of it instead of working to stop it?"
Odd'n lets the question hang in the air before quietly addressing the last few who come for his offered coppers, asking them if Payden or the consortium higher ups have been seen helping about the town or if a 'handsome better off individual' has been rumored to have gone missing.
Livlena nods at Odd'n's summary. "Payden certainly lied about the murdered fellow's cause of death."
Odd'n lets the question hang in the air before quietly addressing the last few who come for his offered coppers, asking them if Payden or the consortium higher ups have been seen helping about the town or if a 'handsome better off individual' has been rumored to have gone missing.
[Dice=Diplomacy & sense motive]1d20-1; 1d20+1
As Odd'n asks questions about Payden he senses people become uncomfortable and possibly afraid. They do not offer anything of use.
"Of course game, what else would there be to hunt?" Trom says. "But I was wondering if could assist me in a particular problem I was having. I was wondering if you had spoken to a man from Cheliax recently."
Livlena nods at Odd'n's summary. "Payden certainly lied about the murdered fellow's cause of death."
"Of course game, what else would there be to hunt?" Trom says. "But I was wondering if could assist me in a particular problem I was having. I was wondering if you had spoken to a man from Cheliax recently."
"Spoken to ... ? No. Why ...?" he begins, obviously a little surprised.
He composes himself a bit and then says, "You know, friend, sometimes in the Woods, you think you're the hunter but you're actually the game. Don't go making that mistake."
"Ah lad, I would never make a mistake like that. Sometimes being the game makes it easier to find what you're looking for anyways."
He comes in closer to Trom, not enough to be threatening, but certainly getting into Trom's space a little, "And, exactly, what are you looking for and why?"
Trom does his best to appear unperturbed by the man encroaching on his space. "Answers, mostly," he responds, glancing at his fingernails. "It's always interesting when blackscour starts leaving stab wounds in a body, and it would be even more interesting to know why that symptom only seems to be appearing a military man from Cheliax." Trom glances up at the man. "I suppose at the very least, I'd like a name. Yours, if you'll give it so I don't have to ask anyone else, and the one of the man you were seen speaking to."
I think Scipio is with Gimble talking to the Sheriff and the halfling Harg.
Trom does his best to appear unperturbed by the man encroaching on his space. "Answers, mostly," he responds, glancing at his fingernails. "It's always interesting when blackscour starts leaving stab wounds in a body, and it would be even more interesting to know why that symptom only seems to be appearing a military man from Cheliax." Trom glances up at the man. "I suppose at the very least, I'd like a name. Yours, if you'll give it so I don't have to ask anyone else, and the one of the man you were seen speaking to."
"From Cheliax? I'm not sure who you're speaking of, but if you know what happened to ..." he pauses and looks you over and then decides he hasn't much to lose by trusting you a little. "I was hired to do some tracking--I'd rather not say who--but when I came back to get the rest of my pay, my patron was gone. I was supposed to meet him in the Sitting Duck yesterday and he didn't show. I doubt he was from Cheliax, but I have reason to believe you're talking about the same man. What do you know about him and why would you say he is from Cheliax?"
"Found a man on the road the other day. Knife wound in him, nice sword and some gear on him. Boots seemed military, had a red falcon on them, sort of thing you'd see to identify a person as part of a military group." Trom waves a hand, gesturing as he talks. "Anyway, an associate chose to make some time to look around and found a flag that looked close to the one for Cheliax. Seemed to be a wee bit more of a match than a coincidence would do for, if you get my meaning."
Are we talking undead dead bodies or just normal dead? either way is fine but i'd rather be specific Scipio finally speaks up after quietly observing for a time
"Blond?" he asks, and when Trom nods, he nods, "that's him. So he's dead. That makes sense. I thought something might have happened when he didn't meet me yesterday."
"That flag though, I know the one you mean. I saw him showing it to Karniss, my friend. ... I don't know how much you want to get involved in this stuff, but, I got the impression that the flag was important ... that it was proof of something. I'd be careful who you show that to and be careful who you talk to about it."
Are we talking undead dead bodies or just normal dead? either way is fine but i'd rather be specific Scipio finally speaks up after quietly observing for a time
"I'm thinking the kind that stay dead," says the Sheriff, "but around these parts, that's a fair question. A traveller reported finding pieces of a body on the road this morning. I thought I'd see what it was all about."
dismemberment... odd, i'd like to see these body pieces. could give clues about this. typically you can tell the difference between animal attacks, murderers or other odd creatures by how the pieces look