Batoh grabs Zolaire's shoulder hoping to catch him before Zolaire decided to take off to the sky. "Pardon my rudeness, Zolaire, but I think Lady Delmonte would prefer that we handled this with a bit more guile. As inconspicuous as we are with a winged fiery goddess as a companion, I'm not so sure how much attention those wings of pure fire would draw towards us. Besides, it's best we move together for now. For all we know we're already deep in the Whispering Way's territory."
He let go of Zolaire's shoulder and started walking ahead of the group towards the city of Caliphas. "We've just completed a 3 days walk to Caliphas in a matter of minutes. As any weary traveller, we should head to the busiest pub for pint and a meal; and while we're at it we might be able to find out if anyone has heard of the Steel Ravens coming to Caliphas."
Natalya nods in agreement. "That makes good sense. I will follow you Batoh - you understand these lands better than I do."
"A tavern is always the right answer. And I know a few where we can rent rooms as well."
"Asking for rumors about a spooky lone horseman is going to call up half a hundred ghost stories. I don't relish the idea of investigating them all, especially since some of them will lead to actual ghosts. Asking after the Steel Ravens should lead to less red herrings. We should also see if we can't find help from other members of Lady Delmont's secret society."
"I've heard tell of the Esoteric Order of the Palentine Eye before," the bard says, saying the name in grand, mocking tones. "It's a secret society with a lot of influence behind the scenes--its members are judges, deans, landlords, abbots, that sort of thing. All far too interested in things they'd be better off not knowing...I wouldn't be surprised if old Lorry had been a member. They talk a lot of strange nonsense, but they they do profess to want to preserve Ustalav from its enemies. I imagine they'd have resources that could help our search."
As the group walks, tendrils of Caliphas's ever-present fog seem to drift toward Sour Heck. He notices and sighs. "Very well, spirits, I accept your protection. But you're buying your own drinks." Misty shadows seem to rush eagerly towards him, vanishing as they wrap around his form.
"Be on your guard. Even if whoever sent that thing to attack us has lost our trail, Caliphas has its own perils. Though at least you lot don't have to look out for marriage proposals."