Provided you are away, you will notice that the town quiets significantly a couple hours after sunset and remains that way until an hour or so before sunset when it becomes lively again.
You arise and find breakfast waiting for you, this time there is some oatmeal with sugar and cashew milk.
Potential areas of investigation in town:
The villagers headed out into the fields wear wooden armor, full helmets, and thick leather greaves and gloves as they head out to work. The townsfolk all wear matching orange tunics and slacks with yellowish-orange scarves and belts. All the curtains, including the ones in your building are orange. You also notice that ALL the homes have curtains and the curtains are drawn. They take their privacy VERY seriously.
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The alchemist mixes and drinks an extract of Endure Elements before retiring for the night.
In the morning Grilgoth shares her knowledge with the party.
"You might be asking yourself why they are dressed as they do. They do so to protect themselves against the juice of the cashew fruit. Also the plants here are acting strangely. They should not be able to thrive in this climate and without proper pollination as well."
"Perhaps we should go to the temple first?"
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Patchouli agrees that Amenira is the first lead we should follow.
She whispers to her allies, "There's something abnormal about all the plants and vegetation around here...their crops are out of season...cashew fruit juice is supposed to be acidic...but everyone and everything still look very healthy"
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"Well, I think their apparel is perfectly sensible." says Nistivo, his elbow-length white gloves bolstering his statement. "Just imagine how much dirt and insects and other revolting filth like sticky juice would be touching their skin otherwise! But yes, I agree on visiting the temple. Priests tend to be mediocre businessmen, but they can sometimes open doors . . ."
You all head to the temple, carrying on a conversation about cashews, sticky juices, and unusually healthy plans, trying to take in as much as you can as you move about.
The temple is the largest building in Mercy (only the front of the building is shown on the west side of the map, which is at the top of the map). 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. The scent of the strange oil, similar to that of dried hay, seems to linger in the air.
If you made a DC 18:
Do you spend time with the tree, or start talking to folks at the temple?
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Ezekial looks at the tree and Grilgoth, nodding, Right then, but it looks healthy? I don't know much about trees. he heads into the door of the temple, looking about, much like a tourist. Seeing someone he holds up his hand, and quietly introduces himself. Greetings, I am Ezekial, called the Sun-blessed, this is a lovely temple here, may I ask to whom is it dedicated? We're looking for a friend of ours, and perhaps you know her or have seen her? Her name is Ameniera.
A priest is ready and willing to answer Ezekial's questions.
"This tree is Robori and our savior. We worship Robori and Robori blesses our town and protects us. Are you here to receive a blessing?"
"Indeed. It is he who we worship, for it is he that saved us and makes us prosper."
Grilgoth has nothing. She has never heard of nor read about any such deity. she has heard of other tree gods, and gods that assume the forms of trees, but none that are an actual tree content to just sit in a Podunk town.
Though the dwarf is gruff the priest responds with move of the same. It's like a broken turntable.
"Robori saved us from the wastes. We live and prosper because of this very tree. Naturally, our blessing are just Robori's gracious boons and we, his priests, dispense them."
A woman in officious looking robes joins you and the priest bows to her as he backs off and introduces her.
"This is Zuri, our high priestess."
Zuri makes a stately entrance and dismisses the other priest, "You may go and attend to your duties now, Zach."
Zach makes his way over to the garden and starts weeding. Seems like a common duty as there are a couple others there already attending to the garden.
"Good morning, travelers, what brings you to our town?"
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Nistivo bows low to Zuri, as "officious" is just his type in a lady. He gives a charming smile. "Many and varied things bring us here, High Priestess! I am Master Nistivo Cirek of Kalistrade. I will let my . . . associates . . . explain themselves, but I am here in pursuit of interesting business opportunities. The mutual communings of trade can benefit both parties to the transaction."
Zuri interrupts Nistivo in mid pitch, quickly setting the record straight.
"I'm sorry, but the temple does not conduct trade. Our needs are small and are easily supplied by the villagers."
He is a bit more informative when it comes to answering Grilgoth's question.
"Amenira lives in the painted orange house on the west side of town but she went to Alkenstar a while ago and hasn't been back. Nobody knows why, but rumors abide. My guess is that the mana wastes got her. if only she would have converted to Robori, I'm sure she would have been safe. Robori is what protects this town, of course.”
Of course. We should have thought of that. I guess most, if not all, citizens of the town worship Robori?
With a bit of pride she responds affirmatively.
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Show appreciation for local gods and rulers, even if they are ridiculous or corrupt. For flattery may open doors to trade that even business considerations cannot unlock. Nistivo nods to himself, as if remembering something profound. "Ah, yes. Robori! Fascinating, I'm sure. Well, with your permission, we had best be off to see more of this town and its inhabitants."
Once away from the priestess, Nistivo rolls his eyes and sighs. "My interest in this mission dwindles as the opportunities for profit lessen. Perhaps we can look at this orange cottage or the what not to find a clue about Amenira's whereabouts."
Open if you made DC 20:
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Hm... it seems some people do not like us - especially us divine guys...
Once out of the temple Baldrum turns to the other pathfinders and lowers his voice: "There are some people who seem unhappy about us, especially me and Ezekiel. Shall we ask the Sheriff about it? Maybe there are a few more unspoken (or less important) rules he did not mention - and we are breaking one ore more of them unknowingly..."
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Maybe we should have been more discreet about our own faiths and religious paraphernalia. The damage is done.
I guess it would help if we don't talk too much in public about gods or use religious miracles and items. Showing decent respect about the local god can be helpful too. At least until we learn more about him.. or it, or her.
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Ezekiel departs with the group for the painted house, I apologize, it is hard for me not to be who I am, and my faith is my driving force. But I shall endeavor not to antigonize the locals further with it. You have my apologies comrades. the paladin seems more disappointed in how he was received than anything specific.
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. The door is unlocked and you open it to take a look inside. The interior is a mess of workbenches, tools, toys, and dolls in varying stages of completion, looking very much like the dolls yo saw in the cave, though the place is pretty dimly lit due to the ubiquitous curtains.
Anyone care to enter and explore, or do you all want to move on?
You find a pouch of coins, a tube with a scroll in it, a jar with some mystery sickly gray paste in in it, a large book, and a smaller book in the drawers of her desk, along with a bunch of tools used to craft dolls on top of it. The bed clear signs of a small child sleeping there and also contains small pieces of snapped twigs.
Baldrum gets an odd sensation like he is being watched.
The paste smells nasty. About the only thing Nistivo can determine is that it would probably be a bad idea to eat it.
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Grilgoth is able to decipher the smaller book before handing it over to another character to carry.
16 Perception on a take 10
"This book seems to have some strange rules about Mercy. For some silly reason they do not like it when people wear the color blue."
She then turns to examine the larger book to see if it is a wizard's spellbook or an alchemist's formulae book.
Grilgoth also examines the jar with the gray paste and holds it for a moment to determine its magical properties.
20 Craft-Alchemy (works as Detect Magic for potions as well).
Grilgoth examines the tools to see if they have any monetary value.
19 Appraise on a take 10.
"Erudur, take a peek at the scroll in the tube. Perhaps you can determine if it is magical or maybe it is a map?"
"Someone grab the pouch of coins as well. Waste not want not."
Grilgoth shows his worth as he finds the odd rules in the smaller book, which turns out to be Amenira's journal, deciphers the spells in the spellbook, and identifies the strange paste. Busy fellow.
Slide 8 shows the page with the notes about the odd rules of Mercy.
The spellbook contains the following spells: alarm, burning hands, comprehend languages, dispel magic, enter image, feather fall, flaming sphere, floating disk, glitterdust, hydraulic push, identify, locate object, mage armor, memory lapse, resist energy, and sleep.
The jar contains defoliant polish.
Pat gets to the scroll before Eredur and determines that the scroll contains the spell make whole.
Do you guys take the time to study the journal, or do you want to leave that for later when you are inside due to curfew? Basically, where do you head to now?