"I knew you had it in you, friend. The spirits that live here are proud of you," says Ngozi, touching the man . 'You should have let me out, I'd have a life lesson or two for these man,' Fumnanya whispers inside Ngozi's head. The spiritualist grins and snickers a bit before sitting down.
"Now, what about that lovely pie? We are starving! And then we'll query you about the young ones, Ma Alcie."
"So, I-" Taking a seat next to the Dwarf, Eisith is about to speak up when the accusations of cheating crop up. Biting his lip and looking around, Eisith watches as the rest of the party deals with the interruption. Ngozi with his magic, the dwarf and his warhammer, and Ibuki with his Watakashi.
"I... Have knifes as... huh. Well! Good work everyone." In his usual state of befuddlement, Eisith nods to himself as the situation is resolved. Pulling out his handout from the mayor, Eisith reads Morvinarrs name a few times, committing it to his inebriated memory.
At the mention of his drinks being free, Brumdell smiles and puts his weapon to away. Looking towards the gambler; "Drink up and have fun. Your worries worries still lay outside those doors." Turning to Alcie he gestures to have his drinks moved to the table with these new 'heroes.'
Sitting next to Eisith; "Alcie mentioned that you are heroes, the name is Brumdell Ironcrack. Cleric of the Father of Creation." He takes a drink of his stout waiting to meet these heroes.
Ibuki nods at the man as he returns to his seat wordlessly, walking back to the table with the others. Upon hearing that his drink and meal would be free, he breaks into a warm smile.
"My thanks. We understand that you are busy and will try not to take up too much of your time with questions." He notes the dwarf with some amusement.
"Well, I know little of your 'Father' beyond having seen a few blades with his emblem carved into their flats, but well met regardless. I am Ibuki Minamoto, honored sword of the Minamoto clan. I am... not sure that the word 'hero' applies to me. 'Warrior' would be a closer word, I think."
"Ah, well met Cleric of Torag- You may call me Eisith Berrik, wandering Songer... Er, Singer in service of Cayden Cailean! Truly a Pleasure, I'm sure my best nights spent drinking where with your clergy, probably." Eisith turns in his seat to show Brumdell the birthmark on his bared shoulder: A Frothy Tankard, the Holy symbol of the Lucky Drunk.
"As mentionned by my aquaintonces... Aquainterc- Allies, we are on business for the Mayor. A bunch of kids are out camping,we think, and we're trying to wrestle them back to work."
'Best not mention the other half of our work... No need to let weird rumors on bugs fly in the tavern.' Having pulled out his handout, he shows it to Brumdell. It's a simple list of kids, save that several clean cuts pierce the paper through, making the last name on the list illegible. "Seen any of these kids by any chance?"
Little time passes before a young man steps out of the kitchen with four, wide-bottomed bowls balanced. He carries one in his left hand, one in the right, and the last two balance along hsi forearm and upper arm. Alcie’s face turns red and points back to the kitchen.
”Just because you want to show off doesn’t mean you get to break the rules!” she shouts as she ushers the youth back into the kitchen. ”How many times do I have to tell you to use a large tray? Nobody wants your armpit sweat in their food!”
A minute or two later, Alcie returns carrying a large tray overhead. She holds the tray out to the side and places a meal in front of the “heroes”.
It is the best meal any of you have had in a very, very long time. Maybe ever.
After only the first bite it is easy to see why people put up with her bad attitude.
----------------------------
After food has been devoured, Alcie shoves a guest out of his chair and joins the group at the table.
”I’m not usually in such a foul mood,” she says while giving the side-eye to someone who dared snicker. ”It’s just that, Morvinarr is my best cook-in-training and he helps bounce low-lifes as well. The boy’s built like a minotaur, ya see? Wherever he is, I suspect that Nolaria is behind it. She’s always leading those kids on some crazy adventure and then back here to boast of their ‘exploits’.” Alcie stares off for a moment, a smile threatening to form on her lips. ”I’m willing to bet my left breast that she’s got them off doing something I wouldn’t approve of. Probably with magic.” Alcie stands and starts to collect the used dishes.
”When you find those kids, give’em a good wallop for me, eh? Oh,” she stops and reaches into the front of her shirt, producing a, somewhat, moist note. ”After Morvinarr stopped showin’ up, I searched his room and found this.”
Ngozi, who was having a long internal discussion with Fumnanya on whether life was worth living after reaching a likely culinary climax of their lives, suddenly springs to life, finishing the discussion. "Well, that's your decision, but you won't be vexxing my hope of eating something this good ever again." And then, to Alcie: "Ma Alcie, I can see why all these spirits are hanging around here. Even after death they can't get enough of your cooking!"
He examines the paper for a second, nods, and looks at the inkeeper. "What about the other boy that led them around? Gellion? Was he close to your apprentice?"
With such a Culinary treat before him, Alcie had achieved the near-impossible task of convincing the Halfling that alcohol could wait: It's only after his bowl of soup is drained that the Skald moves on to work on the... "spirits" he had been searching for, happily filling the emptiness that soberness was accompanied by.
"I have to agree with Nn'gozi- Truly, the bards of Kitharodian... *hic* would sing their praises over this delectable sop... Soup."
After Ngozi examines the note, Berrik takes his turn reading it, before passing it to the next companion. 'Hmm... Perhaps these kids where not on a camping trip... Truly troublesome...` and yet, the spirits overflowing within the halfling urge him on. Perhaps this note held more than the eyes revealed.
"Erm, apoligi... Apolo... Ahg, let me see that paper again." Changing his mind, Eisith quickly nabs the note back. Resting the note before him, he pulls out a dagger and gently places the sharp tip upon the unknown handwriting, closing his eyes for a minute of concentration.
Alcie holds the sets the stack of dirty dishes on a neighboring table and one of the apprentices snatches them up. She nods, “What can I say? The gods gave me a gift. As for Morvinarr and Gellion. Was Morvinarr close with Gellion? I suppose so. I mean, Gellion is such a charmer, it’s hard to not feel like you’re good friends with him.”
The woman places a finger on her chin, “You don’t think Pricknettle’s apprentice is behind their disappearances, do you?”
Hearing the inebriated halfling mention the missing people, Brumdell leans in and listens intently. "Missing lads and lassies? I have not seen anything out of place.” looks around “well, missing people out of place. But I will aid you in your search.”
When the food arrives; “The stew is great! More bread lad.” taking a mouthful of the food he turns his attention to the paper; “the usual place… now where might this be? Did he ever talk about where he would go and hang out with his friends? Is there anything that might in his room that doesn’t fit? Out of place?”
Ibuki savors the food as he eats it, taking refined sips of his drink as he does.
"The food is well paired with the brew. Thank you, again, for both."
He thinks a moment before answering the question posed by the woman.
"You would not be the only one to think so, but we have not yet found any evidence to support the thought. This note you provided is the first evidence of anything premeditated at all behind their unexcused absences." He takes the note from the drunken halfling and rereads it. "Do you know what this 'usual place' the author references was? Perhaps we can search there for more clues."
The large woman heads back behind the bar and fills a flagon with the cider. She inspects the drink then downs half of the container. Alcie wipes her mouth on the back of her arm and looks back to the group, “Yeah, I have an idea. Those kids aren’t nearly as clever as they think they are. They always came in here whispering about meeting in the graveyard. If you plan on checking the place out, you may want to let Ol’ Ildris know at the temple. Him and his clergy get out there periodically to bless everything. Or don’t. I don’t care. I’m not your mother.” Alcie takes another gulp of her cider. ”Bunch of superstitious nonsense. But, hey, no undead, so I guess it works,” She mutters
Ibuki nods thoughtfully as he finally finishes his meal. With a look of satisfaction he claps his hands together.
"Thank you for the meal!"
Seeing the look of confusion, he smiles. "Sorry, old habits from my homeland. When finishing a meal as good as this it is a customary courtesy to say thanks to the gods and the cook." He rises from the table and gives her a polite bow.
"Well, it sounds like this graveyard might be a good place to search. Probably best to talk to the clergyman first, to avoid him thinking we are there to disturb the dead."
"Say one more thing, Ma Alcie. Is the graveyard anywhere close to the orchard? Baba Gunty thinks the young ones meet there." Ngozi says whilst Fumnanya whistles a funereal march inside his head. 'They're all deaaaaaad…'
"Hm?" Alcie looks up from filling a few tankards for a group of men at the bar, "Near the orchard? No, well, about as close as everything else in this town. Orachrd's in the middle. The graveyard is in northwest end of town. I've heard 'em mention the orchard before but I didn't think the hung out there." She passes the drinks to the thirsty patrons and starts wiping at the bar top. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check there too."
Taking a last bite of his stew and downing the remaining ale, Brumdell claps his hands together and pushes back from the table; "If the lady says that they hung out at the graveyard then the graveyard it is! Do you know if there is a chapel that oversees the grounds or if there is a caretaker that lives there? It might be good to find out if they have seen or heard anything since the lads have gone missing." He looks around the table waiting for others to respond.
`nnh... Just one more stew...Stews... Ah wait- I had that kid running an errand for me, gotta go find him before I forget again.` "Well, if we head in a straight line, we can hit *hic* The Orchard, then the Graveyard! No need to wander around town like a bunch of lost Desninn... Desna's. *hic*"
With a few more "spiritual revelations", Berrik stands up. With his inebriation, the Halfling's sense of a "straight line" might be up for debate, but he displays he is, at the very least, sober enough to collect his belongings, sheathe the knife he had drawn, leave a tip of 2 silver pieces on the counter before walking to the doorway.
Ibuki shakes his head. "Cleric first, then graveyard, then orchard. Orchard is likely better inspected closer to dusk."
Giving the bartender a bow, he follows the drunken halfling out.
"Well, that sounds like a plan, Ibuki. Thanks for everything, Ma Alcie. We'll find your Morvinarr boy, don't worry." 'Yeah, we'll find him alright; find him deaaaaad…'
Ngozi gets up and leaves the inn gesturing in annoyance at his dead brother. "I'll tell you, Fumnanya's in a foul mood since the cat left. If he's right we won't be finding much of these boys and girls…but then again, he knows bugger all."
With their bellies full, the band of investigators ( now joined by the dwarf Brumdell) head northwest in town in search of the temple and the graveyard.
The group only makes it a short distance when a voice calls out from behind them. "Sir! Sir!" one of the baker's apprentices skids to a halt. Sweat pours off of the young man and he struggles to catch his breath. "I found - I found some b-berries!" He holds out a clenched fist and shoves a bundle of freshly picked, albeit moist, berries into Eisith's hand. "I have to get back to work! Good luck finding !" and with that, the boy takes off down the street.
Once again the group passes the orchard and the Temple of Erastil quickly comes into view. The temple is one of the oldest and largest structures in town, making it the easiest destination to locate so far.
Much of the stone structure has been covered in moss and vines. High, paneless windows on the east and west sides allow the sunlight into the building during the day. Townspeople wander in and out through the large, double doors and other than a polite smile or nod of the head, they pay little mind to the adventurers.
Inside, a few priests in practical robes of fur are offering prayers to the townspeople. One of the priests, a middle-aged man with the hint of gray at his temples, excuses himself from a conversation to meet the group.
The priest offers a warm smile and extends a hand in greeting, shaking the hand of any who returns the gesture, ”Good afternoon. I suppose you are the ones our good mayor has hired to locate the missing youths of our town? How can I be of service today?”
Ibuki bows to the priest but does not shake his hand. "Yes, we are indeed. In fact, that is why we are here. It seems that your missing young people would occasionally meet up at, what they thought, was a secret spot somewhere in the graveyard. We were about to investigate further but felt it... prudent... to advise you of this. No sense in you thinking we were nefarious people with ill intent toward the dead." Ibuki's face grows thoughtful as he speaks.
"Although, I suppose that it also would not hurt to ask you if you happen to know where they might think would be a hidden spot. These yards are in your care, after all... I cannot imagine that you would not have noticed if a section of them looked more lived in than it aught to."
Ngozi grabs the priest's hand and shakes it vigorously. "Pa Ildris, it's so good to meet you! Listen to my friend here: do you know if the young ones gathered around these parts?"
“tis such a shame to see a great stone structure be weakened by those vines and moss… In our…” looks around; “in my lifetime I could see this structure toppled due to the weakening.” He mumbles something under his breath.
Brumdell stands back taking in what is being said. Being the newcomer Brumdell is not sure what has already been spoken on and learned. He listens intently to the priest and his response.
Eisith is sure to thank the boy for his errand. Rolling his thumb across the berries, he is careful to put them into his lidded tankard to keep them from accidentally being squished... And to let leftover alcohol seep into the fruits.
Arriving at the Temple, Eisith quietly looks around- While Ibuki and Ngozi handle the diplomacy, the halfling takes in his surroundings- Perhaps he would spy something of interesting note among the congregation of priests.
Ruvarra places a hand to his forehead, ”Oh my goodness! How rude of me. I’m the head priest here in Erastil’s temple. Ildris Ruvarra but apparently you knew that already.”
The priest nods as Ibulki explains the situation. ”Ah, so Nolaria and her friends have been using the graveyard for their little schemes, eh?” He says. ”As much as I would love to say that myself or one of the other priests here have noticed anything amiss, I’m afraid that we only visit once a month with the local guard to check for any...visitors. Unless, of course, there is an unfortunate passing of one of the townspeople. And we've been fortunate enough not to lose anyone in, at least, 3 months or so. ”
Ruvarra gestures to Eisith, ”Perhaps we all can take a walk? I still have some rounds to make. Would you be interested in joining me? We can discuss Nolaria along the way?”
'There's going to be a lot more soon," whispers Fumnanya.
The spiritualist chuckles when the priest says he did not know the apprentices used the cemetery. "Where I come from we call the young ones issues! What a headache they can be, no? But, tell us more. We heard Nolaria is their leader?"
After the reply and as they accompany the priest in his walk, Ngozi divides his attention between searching for signs of meeting in the graveyard and his interested in a potential distraught villager/customer who might have use of a medium. "You don't say, Pa Ildris. And who was this poor soul? I hope they did not leave too many relatives behind."
Ibuki nods. "Thank you, that would be appreciated. If nothing else you should be able to spot if something was out of place, given we are outsiders. You also might be better at recognizing something of theirs, should they have left anything behind. Not that we are asking to inconvenience your time, mind you... we mostly want you to know we will be respectful in the graveyard." The ifrit looks at Eisith and rolls his eyes. "Well, as respectful as possible."
Eisith nods at Ruvarra's invitation to walk the temple grounds. It would be a good way to get both info, and a better look at the local area. At Ibuki's comment, the Halfling chirps up. "Hey, I'll have you know I get along juuust fine with *hic* all sorts of spirits!"
Ruvarra leads the group through small gatherings of citizens and other members of the clergy. Ruvarra pauses to chat with an elderly couple, reassuring them that while the weevils have been particularly bad this season, they are not specifically targeting the couple's garden.
The priest rejoins the group, "I'm sorry where were we? Oh right. I've just been so busy as of late and haven't been able to spare any time looking for my daught- for Nolaria. Between the missing kids and the rumors about 'monstrous bugs', people have been coming for advice and prayers more than usual." Ruvarra tugs at his sleeves, takes a breath, and continues on through a nondescript door. "This way."
Down a somewhat narrow hall the group passes both an infirmary and room full of cots. The siblings from the bakery sit on side-by-side cots. Both covered in sweat and flour. The girl, Sasha looks up at the group and blushes, shame in her eyes. Ruvarra slips inside and the young man, Ernie, hands the priest a small package wrapped in a cloth. Ruvarra whispers a short prayer over the siblings before returning to the group in the hall.
Once out of earshot Ruvarra speaks over his shoulder, "We do our best to help those that cannot afford to house themselves and some prefer to keep this information to themselves. I would say that most of what the Temple brings in goes to that actually.”
At the end of the hall, Ruvarra opens another simple door. This one to a rather lackluster office. A plain chair and desk sit in front of a wooden bookshelf that displays more dust than books.
”I think we can afford a few minutes in my office. Please, would you care for something? Water? Bread? Despite what that grouch Gunty says, Ernie makes a really good loaf of sourdough.” The priest gestures to the chair, ”Please, one of you feel free. You were asking about Nolaria. She has never been one to follow others' lead. If that group has a leader, it is her."
Ngozi gently guides Eisith to the chair so the halfling is not swaying whilst standing still the whole time. "That true? We've also heard that their leader was that other boy, the alchemist."
"Thank you, thank you."
Not one to turn down an act of kindness, Eisith graciously takes the seat, his smaller halfling legs dangling off the edge of the human-sized chair.
"Nolaria's your daughter then, right? She's any...any... erm- Any good with magics? Like Father like..? Or, rather- Is she part of the flock? Erastil elect?" Sounding confused as he tries to put his sentance together, Eisith eventually manages to string his question together, drumming his fingers together in his best impression of an intelligent tactician. His drunkenness naturally means this is a poor display of dexterity.
Ibuki bows and takes a bit of bread and stores it within his sleeve to eat later.
"We just ate, but I will try some later tonight for dinner. Thank you."
He nods at Ngozi's statement. "Yes. All other... parental contacts... for this group thought that the alchemist's son was the leader. Do you think your daughter could be the brains behind whatever scheme they are seemingly trying to pull off while he the voice?"
As Ruvarra leads us through the temple, Brumdell takes a quick moment to see if he is able to see an altar to Torag, the Father of Creation. It has been a while since I visited a temple shrine... Brumdell thinks to himself.
As they make their way though the hall and sees the siblings he smiles at their flower covered status. It reminds him of growing up around the forges and him and his friends covering themselves in the soot that was left behind. Seeing shame in her eyes; gives her a respectful smile and nod when Ruvarra mentions their situation.
"Nolaria's your daughter... did she have a room here at the temple or did she live somewhere else, with her mother? I find myself writing down my thoughts when I have no one to talk to. Maybe she had a journal?"