"I hope so. I'll lead the way." Gann turns and walks back to the village proper though his gait is slower than normal as he almost stares at the ground. He looks up briefly and points to a home. "That would be hers. If you'll excuse me, I'll be deep in my cups." He says before heading home. Once you open the door, you find a rather well taken care of home though it is small. The walls are painted to look like wheat fields and the home is very clean.
Cyrene holds up a hand to stop everyone else entering and conducts a methodical sweep of the house, focusing mostly on the floor, before she allows the rest of the group to enter.
Aika will hover a hand over Gann's shoulder as if she were going to console him but she knows little of the man, and so before he notices, she returns the hand to her side.
"If you need a drinking partner, I'd be willing to help. Here, take this. It's a nice quality wine."
If he accepts, she will pull out her wine bottle from her pack, unwrap it, and hand it to him.
"We'll let you know if we can find anything of note."
She then focuses on the acts of Cyrene in the room and will check it for traps or anything of note from the doorway.
Gann accepts the wine with a nod. "I would like that. We can share a drink called loneliness which is better than drinking alone. You know where I'll be."
========================
Cyrene only finds a single set of tracks in and around the home which is consistent with a single occupant. Aika finds no traps but she notices something on top of the door itself. It seems to be a folded up note. There seems to be no other items of note in this building.
"If you find this note, then I am in Tartarus now. I fought for you and and everyone else in this village. The only real freedom is death but that will change soon. We will all be free and equal from their tyranny and slavery. My only regret is not having another drink with you. You owe me another story.
Your friend,
Hermione"
She doesn't have to even enter the building to find the note. Her elven eyes see clear as day, and having hidden things above her own doors in the past, she does actually look there. She unfurls the note in front of the men and like a scholar reciting a reading, she voices aloud what it says (in respect to no locals being around lingering).
"What do you think she meant?" "Could everyone in this village be under an alchemical effect like those in the keep probably once were? Maybe I shouldn't drink with Gann..."
"I think." Amphitryon said, with some hesitation. "That Olympus wouldn't send us to just kill a half-orc. Someone is experimenting on things best left to the Gods. And I'd bet that there is evidence yet in this village." He just wished that he knew what that evidence was.
"This note is an excellent find," Kyronai enthuses to Aikaterine. "When you have that drink with the sheriff later, perhaps you can find out more information about the town that might be relevant.
"Is there any value to continuing with our holy persons charade?" he asks the others.
Gann accepts the wine with a nod. "I would like that. We can share a drink called loneliness which is better than drinking alone. You know where I'll be."
"What? Is it around nine o'clock on a Saturday?"
Answering Varocles, "I'm pretty sure he's just continuing from the previous night..."
When the half-elf witch offers his input, she shrugs. "I'm not sure. Maybe. If you think they'd take offense, sure. But in regards to the sheriff, I think there won't be any brainpower left in him later," she answers Kyronai. "We better go bother him now." "I believe in what Zeno teaches, that, 'the gods give the sign for an individual’s departure' in regards to suicide, and only then is it acceptable, but I still hope he doesn't kill himself. It seems the two of them were truly close...What have I done?" She still seems very preoccupied in her thoughts on the matter and clings to the note desperately.
The party makes their way back to Gann's home and you can hear a very bawdy drunken song that slips in and out of Greek and some other tongue none of you recognize coming from inside.
Varocles hears the song, and joins in... "A bottle of white, a bottle of red; Perhaps a bottle of rose instead"
Cyrene shakes her head and slips away. The followers of Bacchus have never got on well with the Hunt and she doesnt want to waste any more time listening to drunks. Artemis will send guidance when required.
A slight smile spreads over Aika's lips at the voice of Varocles.
"There's the sailor..."
She also chuckles a little at Cyrene's behavior before singing in alignment with Varocles, "perhaps a bottle of rose instead?"
The sultry voice of the elf is nice. It is clear she has been a singer on the waves too.
She then moves to enter the room, not wasting time. Since she was invited, she just walks in and shows she's singing with Gann in mostly Greek. The elf will take up a chair and will sit backward on it with her forearms resting on the back of the chair. When the song ends, she clears her throat and decides to start prodding the man for information.
"We found this..." she holds up the note. If his eyes are watery, she will read it for him. She waits a bit, hoping he will open up about what it means.
Though you don't know the language very well, you recognize it as Celtic and judging by how familiar Gann seems with using it, is likely his native language.
Aika walks into Gann's home and finds him sitting on the floor with a jug in his hand. He nods to whoever joins in and raises his drink. His expression turns dour and he looks down as Aika reads the note to him however. "I hoped she was doing this for a good reason. I still wish she talked to me about this." He sighs and nods for someone to close the door. "Before either of us found this village, both of us were slaves. I was the champion of the house of Batiatus. She was a house-slave for the house of Solonius. I won my freedom in the arena while she took hers by force years ago. We did not meet until I came to this village where she had taken refuge. We became fast friends like I had spoken earlier. But it took years before either of us told the other of our pasts. Being a slave, even a well treated one takes a toll on you. The only time I was free was when I was fighting or when I was loving. But for many the only freedom is death. Maybe she sought to change that." He replies as he takes another glug of his drink.
"Maybe she did seek to change that...but how? I just keep thinking of those spartans and that bone golem. What strange fate did they meet at the hands of such a sinister pair?"
"She's moved on. Her struggles are over." Aikaterine shifts on the chair so she is on one side. "We will need your eyes to make sure the people here are safe. I don't know what she was doing, but her and another were working on something with necromancy and alchemical goods. She distributed this wine to lots of people. Who knows who can be affected by whatever they were doing. We need you to be sober-minded, for your people."
Amphitryon took a seat, his face uncharacteristically somber. "And what will this wine do?" He asked, to nobody in particular. "I fear that we will find out, whether we want to or not."
Kyronai sits outside , keeping watch and deterring any citizens who come looking for Gann.
"As far as she had fallen, She would not have done anything to anyone here. We are a family and I don't think she would have crossed that line. But I will be vigilant anyway."
Aikaterine wants to say more, but she can't. Instead, she will pour a bit of the wine she gave to him as a gift from her own bottle and will drink some, regardless of the time of day. "I wonder if you gods could watch over her? Hermoine seems to have had conviction in what she was doing. I don't understand it but perhaps you do? If I did wrong, forgive me this failure. If she was worthy to be remembered, don't let her fade into nothingness and the void. Bring her to halls of remembrance. If indeed she was scum, seeking to turn the living to dead, I know you will not let this slight go unscathed."
"So what now? You go back and forget this little village as we mourn the loss of our own? I do not even know what to tell them."
Aikaterine looks down at Gann's musing. She doesn't answer but a moment later, she looks to Amphitryon or Varocles to respond...
"And how should I know?" Amphitryon said, his usually playful tone having fallen away. "I'm a mercenary, alright? I kill for coin. That's my job. Regardless of what little village it is in. We did our damned best to reason with her and she attacked us nonetheless. Death happens." With a sigh he massaged his temple with his fingers. "Ask a cleric for comfort. What worries me is that potentially tainted wine was distributed. That matters alot more than feelings. My plan, right now, is to sit tight and see if anything happens. Because I don't have the authority to start confiscating anyone's private property, and if I walk around trying that it would just start a panic. So my advice? Find a trusted alchemist to start checking the town's wine and water supply. Keep an open eye. And if you want to mourn, do so when the danger has passed."
"My hero..." she lights up as she looks to Amphitryon. "Is there a place we can find lodgings, Gann?" she asks before his emotions may get run away with what her ally said. "We may be sleeping in the barn..."
"What, may I ask, would you have us do, to get you the redress you so much seek?"
"You definitely remind me of an old friend. I think he'd like you. Or he'd gut you." Gann smirks before taking another drink. "Anyone here will gladly give you shelter and the clothes off their back if I am being honest. All you have to do is ask. If they do have a problem, tell them to come to me and I will vouch for you." He then turns to Varocles. "Like your friend said, it is not your job. I was only paid to fight in the arena, not to think about the people that I slew. You can stay as long as you need to. Our little village has more than enough."
"We don't want to be a burden. Who would have ample enough room?"
"There is the town elder Edra. She is like grandmother to us all so you may gain some girth while you are here. Bishop and Lydia do have a small son but their home still has some space and I'm sure they would not mind another adult to speak to. And of course a few of us like myself live alone so there is always room. So if your missing dark elven friend were interested.." He replies with a wink.
"Thank you for the information," she will answer him with a sly smile and intrigued eyes. Despite this, her mind is actually opposed. "Clearly a deflection from his hidden pain. If she bedded him, I bet he'd cry the whole time." "If nothing else, we know there was space in the barn...if you don't mind. Anyways, we will leave you be now." She looks to her companions facing away with wider eyes as if to communicate "let's go" and will shuffle out between the armor-wearing companions of her until outside. She will leave them to close the door behind them. Her eyes first go to the nearby Kyronai and distant Cyrene.
"I heard some of the conversation. How did it go?"
Cyrene, partially hidden in the shadows on the edge of the clearing, nods in acknowledgement of Aikaterine's glance and waits where she is - away from the people of the village.
She sighs and shakes her head in response to Kyronai. The elf will casually walk down the street a little ways so they are further from the earshot of the sheriff. "Well, that didn't bear much information. Should we return and see if there was anything else in that other room? Did it sound like there may be dogs? I wasn't too keen on opening that door. Who knows Hermoine was doing with them? There may be some clues though?"
"We need to finish exploring there." Cyrene agrees, since the men appear to be utterly clueless at this point.
”Lets do it then!” Amphitryon said. He felt clueless...so it was good to see the women being competent.
Aikaterine will follow along with the others while deep in thought.
"I've used up most of my strength today in that battle with H. I'll have to take a backseat role. If these are dogs, being invisible won't help much. They'll sniff me out easily."
She will head down into the trap door of the dilapidated building and to the pathway that led to the door. There she will undo the traps they had seen earlier on it. She is certain that the dogs will know she is there even before opening the door, so she definitely won't be that person and will step back.
The party descends yet again and opens the door to find a trio of shadowy canines. Their coats seem to drink up the light drawing in nearby shadows. Even with their maws full of razor sharp teeth and long spiked tails, the party easily dispatches them. Aika also identifies them as Shadow Mastiffs, creatures hailing from the domain of Hades known as Tartarus. Their usual task is to hunt down wayward souls who manage to escape their eternal fate. What they are doing here is anyone's guess.
The party doesn't find anything else of interest here.
"I've suspected the work of Hades here before seeing these. Shadow Mastiffs from Tartarus. Hunting down souls. Necromancy. Alchemical nastiness. Putting the pieces together, I'd imagine these were used to bring souls into bondage."
With them dead, and a double search of the place, there are clearly no other clues, so Aikaterine decides perhaps it is best to head back and secure a place for the evening or longer if needed.
"Should we stay in the barn or do we feel comfortable taking up residence with the citizens here?"
"So far, the underworld does seem to be implied," Kyronai agrees. "If Hades or his agents aren't responsible, perhaps they can assist in finding the true culprit.
"Spreading out and staying with the people who live here would give us an excellent chance to question them about Hermione."
"I thought the dogs were a nice touch."
"I can stay here." Cyrene offers, not keen on the idea of having to make nice with a bunch of people she's never met. "If anyone else comes here it may be worth tracking them."
"Hide well," she voices in concern for Cyrene. "Come check-in in the early hours of the morning if you can. I'll be up and will meet you in the town center."
The huntress nods, and her teeth appears in her dark face, "I always hide well. No-one will see me if I don't want them to."
"Fortune be with you." Amphritryon said. "If you die, then you'll never hear the end of it."
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"We may well have to see what the ties are to Hades anyway, so we'll have a chance to rescue you if you do perish," she chuckles a little and then will head into the brush. While she was lost before, after a couple of trips to this place, now she seems to be on the right track back.
Aikaterine will return to the elder Edra and will try to see if she would be willing to find housing for them for the evening and perhaps longer. They would be able to pay those who take them in for boarding and food if she could connect interested parties with them.
"In my case, if there is a family you know who would benefit the most from the extra income, that would be preferred by me. A widow or someone struggling to get by." "I might as well help out the village while we are here. As being sent agents by the gods, perhaps this will give someone faith where they've lost it?"
Amphitryon frowned. Good deeds without pay? He didn't see the point. But if that was what they were doing, then he'd roll with it. "One might not expect it, but I'm something of a cook." He said. "I'm a mercenary by trade, but a chef by passion. If Aikaterine is going to be earning merit, then I'll go with her and earn my stay." He said, deciding that it had been far too long since he had the opportunity to use a real kitchen. If nothing else, it would be fun.
If Kyronai can spy a gaggle of children, he'll start to tell them stories based on plays he's read and plays he's thinking of writing. If the children remain enthralled, the witch will entreat any of the parents who come by for a roof to sleep under for the night. He fully intends to leave some coin out of sight but where a parent is likely to find it after he's gone.
In between stories, he'll beg off for a bit to take a break, but he'll ask anyone who was listening to his stories questions about Hermione, specifically, any contacts outside the town she may have had.
Cyrene rather enjoys the peace once everyone else has gone. She begins with a slow, methodical and thorough check of the complex before locking most of the doors, except for the ones leading to the make-shift kennels. Once the complex is secure she works her way around the nearby woods, looking for fall-back points and ambush points so that she will not be easily caught unawares.
"Well in our village, we all work together to make sure no one is wanting. But if you two dearies would like to help, poor Nico is still having a hard time. He has recently joined our little village but I think despite his claims, hasn't lived on his own before. Perhaps you could help him a little bit. The gods have truly blessed us this day." Edra says with a smile.
There are a few small children playing including the halfling boy that was in awe of Amphitryon's scary persona when the party first arrived. They actually stop and sit down when the offer of a story is presented. Their attention spans are taxed happily as they listen to you. A couple, both half-elves and parents of one of the other little boys will happily oblige. They introduce themselves as Bishop and Lydia while their son, no more than 5 years of age says his name is Xander. They are more than grateful to have someone around who can get the small boy to sit still.
In between the stories, you ask around about Hermione and find out a little bit. You confirm that the woman had been in the village for a number of years and though she did not admit it, it was obvious that her previous life was harsh and unforgiving but most were too polite to ask on it. Hermione was usually the one to go into the city to procure any supplies that the village couldn't produce while selling a few wares to pay for them. A few people suspect some closer relationship between Gann and herself but others dismiss it as just gossip. Some speak on her kindness and willingness to drop what she was doing and help with anything. A few others suggest that speaking with the woman herself would yield results.
You explore the complex thoroughly and find little else other than some amenities as it looked like Hermione stayed here on occasion. Though you stay up all day and night, nothing of note happens.