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"Hi! My name is Corba, Corba Nana. What'syour name? Say, you wouldn't have any clothes for sale for a halfling like me? This one..." She points at the child-sized robes "...is very nice. And would you be as kind as to answer a few questions about the village while we talk business? I have a very curious nature - must be from my mother's side..."
While one would think the weaver is annoyed at most of the group bugging him, he turns his frown upside down when Corba gives a really nice curtsy and begins asking him intelligent questions about his craft.
"Absolutely I'd love to sell you some clothes. Such a nice young lady. Come inside for a cup of tea after I get my mail."
He steps out the door, opens the box and collects a jar and a letter. He leaves the door open behind him and gives a wave to come inside. A small child is hiding up in the loft, peeking down. Any normally visible skin is covered in what appear to be bandages.
"Don't mind Roboria, she won't bother you. She's playing with her pet bat. You mentioned clothes? Let me get my measuring rod. Were there other questions too? Your companions are chatty, though I definitely am not a grandfather. My daughter is only six."
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"A cup of tea, that would be lovely!"
The bard smiles at the girl while following the Weaver inside.
"Your daughter has a pet bat? How interesting! Does it scratch her a lot? Is that the reason for the bandages she is wearing? And her name, Roboria... was she named after your god Robori, the God of Trees? I would love to learn more about him..."
"Oh yes, of course she is named after Robori. Robori is the God of Trees. He lives in the tree at the center of town, and protects us all from harm, and makes the plants grow. Talk to High Priestess Zuri at the temple if you want to learn more."
He smiles and looks up at the loft, "The bats have always been part of life in Mercy. Some of them feed on the cashew fruits, and others on the insects that our crops draw. They can be real pests sometimes, but some people like them, even enough to keep them as pets. My daughter is obviously one of those."
He begins to boil water for the tea, "Have a seat. Tell me about what kind of clothes you would like."
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Barcher takes a cup of tea once offered,"I wouldn't mind a nice scarf or ascot in this vibrant orange myself, if you are selling of course."
he takes a look around the house,
looking for anything that is out of the ordinary or perhaps hastily covered up.
"so these bats, been here before the town I imagine?"
"I can use a vest.." Dwalin looks around. "It will be good to have some tea!"
"A vest? Excellent. I have a few actually here that I could tailor quickly. Tea will be up momentarily. Do you take milk in it?"
"Perhaps just a yard of your orange cloth. I could make some handkerchiefs. You never know what a useful piece of cloth they are until you don't have one."
"Oh absolutely. You all are such nice folks. I'll even cut it into squares for you."
"I've always wanted a whole Entertainer's outfit in a bright color. So if you have time on your hands..."
"I think I can whip something up in a few days. As long as you don't want any parts blue*. That is a really disgusting color, I can't even stomach looking at it anymore. It should be done in two days. Such a complicated outfit to sew, all the streamers, you know."
*You think back now and realize none of the townfolk are wearing this color. Perhaps a superstition? Perhaps an odd collective dislike?
"I wouldn't mind a nice scarf or ascot in this vibrant orange myself, if you are selling of course.""Of course, that is an easy craft. For everything but the outfit, come back two hours before sunset. And yes, I presume the bats were here before Mercy and will be here after."
Barcher manages to get a good look at the jar of stuff. It is a salve that reads, Apply liberally to the effected body part, rub in deep to reduce itching.
"Do you know what is affecting your daughter, so she is all bandaged up? We have some people with medical knowledge, if you would like us to take a look at her."
His friendliness flashes annoyance at Kuikka's straightforward question, "Frankly ma'am, it isn't any of your business. Strangers you being, here asking about our children."
"But... you are nice friendly folk. Coming here, having a nice conversation over tea. And seem to be following the rules without issue. Alright, I'll share our little secret. All of us go through this phase growing up. It's uncomfortable, for sure. The growths. But in the end every last one of us heals up stronger than before. Really well suited to live out here. I doubt a lot of people on the outside would understand, probably think we were all mutants now. So I gotta ask, keep this to yourselves. We don't want anybody poking around our business, you know? Even for good, it just isn't something we want public."
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Kimlo will pay whatever a yard of the cloth costs and will make ready to leave.
Once the group leaves the house, Kimlo leans over to Corba. "You might try asking him about our missing pathfinder friend when you pick up the suit later. He might be willing to tell you something useful."
"I think we should add looking at the town tree in the center of town to our list of things we need to investigate." "Where next?"
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That went very well Corba, we learned a few things. I'm curious why they hate the color blue, for example, but let's not make assumptions yet. We should ask about the missing agent when we go back, unless we find out more info today. he says, then agreeing with Kimlo, Yes, the tree in the center of town should be looked at, but I bet we should be careful about that, since they may get offended if we look too close. Town square was next on the original plan, so let's do that.
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"Milk, please... and if you had some sugar, too, that would be lovely, thank you."
"But... you are nice friendly folk. Coming here, having a nice conversation over tea. And seem to be following the rules without issue. Alright, I'll share our little secret. All of us go through this phase growing up. It's uncomfortable, for sure. The growths. But in the end every last one of us heals up stronger than before. Really well suited to live out here. I doubt a lot of people on the outside would understand, probably think we were all mutants now. So I gotta ask, keep this to yourselves. We don't want anybody poking around our business, you know? Even for good, it just isn't something we want public."
"Of course, of course. Our lips are sealed." Corba nods.
I did not say anything about written reports, did I? Hm... growths, he said? I hope not like the growths we saw on the vapire-thing... And why do they hate blue so much? That's odd...
"Well, thank you for your hospitality. Shall I drop by before curfew to have a look how it's going? I have to admit that I have no experience with your craft. I would love to see how cloth transforms into clothing!"
"Well, that was quite interesting and informative. Did anyone get a closer look at the jar of stuff? I was too deep in conversation..."
"Will do, Kimlo. And I agree, we should get a look at the tree, but town square is next on our list. However, talking to the priests is our third To-Do, so maybe we can combine it with the tree?"
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"Certainly an....odd interaction I would say, I looked around as best I could without being too suspcious but couldnt see anything that screamed "weird" to me; at least no weirder than the town average." Barcher says to Corba, Kuikka, and the dwarves,"Town square sounds like a good next stop, we should be able to get some info on the square and check out the tree at the same time right? Might even run into this priest there anyways."
The pathfinders thank their host and head out to the town square. As they get closer they hear raised voices. One says, "Dammit boy, can't you see? Obviously the carpenters guild is more important to the town. You wouldn't have a town if we didn't build it! And how hard is it to hammer some damn nails into shape, anyway?"
A brash younger voice replies, "IT'S DAMN HARD AND I'M TIRED OF YOUR ATTITUDE OLD MAN! IF YOU COULD DO IT, WHY DON'T YOU? CAUSE YOU CAN'T. AND WITHOUT US, YOU'D HAVE NONE OF THE SHIT TO BUILD ANYTHING!"
A chorus of yah's follows.
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Next up is the temple to speak with the priest! You have just enough time before lunch.
The temple is the largest building in Mercy. Wooden pews line the east and west side of the building, with a garden on the south. An enormous, twisted tree takes up the north side of the building. A pleasant walkway snakes around the tree up to the temple opening, which has no door. Animals made of twisted twigs adorn the branches, and vanilla orchids flourish in the shade.
A young lady (apx 20-40 aged human) greets you, "Good afternoon travelers! I heard we had some visitors in town. I am high priestess Zuri. Did you have any questions or just here to visit our beautiful blessed town?"
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"Howdy! From what I hear you are both equaly important to this town! Because without each of your skills, nothing could be built or repaired - and everyone would suffer..."
"She is right as you know, what good is a nail without a carpenter to hammer it into wood? and what good is the carpenters wood without a nail to hold it up?" he reasons,"Surely the good people of Mercy can see that and let whatever petty squabbles you have go?"
"More kids in bandages like Roboria... looks like the adults do not want us to see them..."
"Strange, but not in of itself worrying, especially in such an isolated and insular town. There must be more to it than what we are seeing on the surface."
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Kuikka steps forward smiling. "Greetings, Priestess Zuri. We had heard of your miraculous survival from the Mana Storm and were most interested in what had occurred here. We do not have any particular familiarity with your god and I, for one, was interested in what you could share with someone who does not share your faith."
She narrows her eyes as she looks around, casting detect evil just in case.
You can very clearly tell that the roots of the tree are being aflicted by a blight, though the branches and trunk are not. You smell an oily odor, but can't determine what it might be. The tree won't die soon, but likely won't survive another ten years without intervention.
She high priestess scrunches her face up, but doesn't seem to know what Kuikka is casting. Since no fire erupts on the things the paladin is looking at, she doesn't seem to be offended.
She responds to the request, "Robori is the God of Trees. He lives in the tree here, and protects us all from harm, and makes the plants grow. When Robori saved us from the storm, big trees with white bark and yellow leaves appeared in the sky and formed a shield. I’ve never seen trees like that. The storm rolled right over them. It was truly a miracle."
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"No, no pipe, brother. My tobacco ran out two days out of the Five Kingdoms. Can't 'ford more, you know. Cost too darn much. Had to buy me new axe. Mmm...my axe." "Sad again."
Kimlo, overhearing the argument, softly grumbles to his fellow pathfinders, "What about the lymberjack who cut the wood, and the forester who grew the trees and the animals that died to nurish the soil?" "This argument is circular and pointless. Just two groups trying to control each other. Bah, silly."
At the temple, Kimlo hangs back and watches the people in the temple trying not to draw attention to himself.
She smiles, "Robori protects us in this town from harm and makes the plants grow. We have yet to be attacked by vermin or blights, so I assume he manages those issues too. You seem interested, are you planning to convert?"
She seems genuinely honest.
”Newcomers? Here? No, very rarely. We have a visitor who ended up staying. But she’s been here quite a while. Even built a house. Was a good doll maker.”
She shrugs, ”I haven’t seen her in a while. But she took regular trips back to Alkenstar.”
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Kimlo's eyebrows raze at this dollmaker news. He clears his throat and begins, "Begging your pardon, your holiness, but what was this persons name? Where might her home be so that we could visit her?"
Kimlo then waits patiently for help from others in getting these answers.
He must have spit on the priestess while talking. "Oops, forget I said anything..."
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Sensing that Kimlo is not the best person to butter up the clergy Barcher butts in,"I think what my bearded friend means is we would be very interested in meeting and hearing the good word of Robori from one of the freshest converts! If you don't mind sharing her address of course.... and I would be lying if I said a new doll woudldn't brighten my day of course." he says, trying to smile convincingly.
”Uh… she Uhm… never converted. Was always interested in us and Robori though. Her name is Amenira. She lives in the only orange house in town. I haven’t seen her in a while though, but you can go check if you want. You are all a bit weird, aren’t you? What did you say you were here for, again?”
Being a very small town of all brown wood houses, it is super easy to find the orange painted one.
This well-kept wooden building, painted in festive shades of orange, is the only painted structure in Mercy. A pair of cashew trees flanks its front entrance.
It looks to be relatively new construction, compared to the rest of town. Probably less than two years old.
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The house quivers in anticipation of its first meal in a long time. Or maybe that was just a trick of the light.
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"Comrades, the priestess doesn’t know yet - so it seems - but the roots of the tree are definitely affected by a blight. It won't kill it right away, but without intervention the tree will die in a few years. Unfortunately, I do not know what exact blight it is, but it smells oily."
What was that? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?
Corba stops and narrows her eyes. She scrutinizes the orange house for anything suspicious.
Must have been a trick of the light...
The halfling shrugs, walks up to the door and knocks.
Neither the house nor any occupants respond to the knock.
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Markus stays quiet for the moment, letting those with more facility with words lead the point, but he's there, observing and considering everything. When Corba relates about the blight, he asks - Do you think it could be what's also affecting the local populace? May make sense if something in their tree god is also in them?