Dran sighs as he heads back over to where his drink was and finds its contents spilled on the floor. What a waste of good ale the drow thinks to himself. Sheathing his blade, Dran checks his wounds over and just gives a shrug as he heads over to provide back up to Aglaeca.
Aglaeca watches with some amusement over his , miraculusly not spilled ale, as slowly various party members seemed to expect something of him. He looked puzzledly from the priest to the rest of the party and then back to the priest before with a small laugh telling chorro " I don't think me and the priest have anything to talk about before going back to his drink the tiefling grimaces and saunters over to the bar to get more ale. Aparently something had fell into his drink after all.
Thinking severly to himself, Aglaeca ignores the priest and the others "This is part of the reason you came here, no? To start again. So start again aglaeca, this is your opportunity."
Aglaeca remains at the bar, back to everyone.
Marcus looks over the group as they pick themselves up from the fight. He notices the exchange between the shifter and the tiefling with some small amusement as he checks over the drow. Seeing that he is recovered from his encounter, Marcus ignores his own small wounds and walks over to the priest of Chauntea.
"Be at ease, friend. You are safe now. Our group has shown these ruffians our mettle, and I pray that Tempus has taken notice. Now what business, may I ask, did this lot have with a follower of the Earthmother?"
"Sturdy" will approach the bartender and inquire as to the mysterious man in the corner's identity, "Do you know that man?"
Marcus looks over the group as they pick themselves up from the fight. He notices the exchange between the shifter and the tiefling with some small amusement as he checks over the drow. Seeing that he is recovered from his encounter, Marcus ignores his own small wounds and walks over to the priest of Chauntea.
"Be at ease, friend. You are safe now. Our group has shown these ruffians our mettle, and I pray that Tempus has taken notice. Now what business, may I ask, did this lot have with a follower of the Earthmother?"
The man huddled in the booth is dressed in plain clothes, indistinguishable from a craftsman or farmer were it not for the holy symbol that he now clutches in white-knuckled hands.
The man’s brown hair is in utter disarray, and even now, his thin, wiry frame quivers from the traumatic experience. He looks up at you with wide, blue eyes and says:
“Th-th-thank you so much for saving me. Chauntea bless you; bless all of you! I thought for sure I was d-d-dead. My name is Gevarn, and I’m an acolyte of Chauntea. Those men, they were hired street thugs—ruffians sent by the forces of evil to stop me on my mission.”
"Sturdy" will approach the bartender and inquire as to the mysterious man in the corner's identity, "Do you know that man?"
The bartender looking around his bar is shaking his head in disbelief and talking to himself as you approach "I hope the town guard get here soon, I need this mess cleaned up If I'm going to have my nightly rush." He hears sturdy speaking to him, "Huh? what? no I've no idea who he is. Not a regular, I think he's just passing through town or something. Why don't you go ask him yourself, Or help me get these bodies out of here." He points to the back door
Marcus smiles at the wiry old man and turns to his brethren. "A man on a mission," he repeats to his colleagues. "And the forces of evil attempted to oppose him, until we thwarted their efforts." He gives a knowing smile then turns back to old man. "Perhaps you can tell us about your mission and we can tell you if we can continue to thwart this evil for your cause." Marcus gestures for the man to return to his table with him as he looks to see if the others will oblige with their interest.
Marcus smiles at the wiry old man and turns to his brethren. "A man on a mission," he repeats to his colleagues. "And the forces of evil attempted to oppose him, until we thwarted their efforts." He gives a knowing smile then turns back to old man. "Perhaps you can tell us about your mission and we can tell you if we can continue to thwart this evil for your cause." Marcus gestures for the man to return to his table with him as he looks to see if the others will oblige with their interest.
"Oh yes thank you, I think I will join you all for a drink. I've traveled a long way for someone in my profession, I come from a town called Winterhaven up in the Thunder Peaks. The cleric I serve, Sister Linora, has learned that a cult of Shar has asserted itself in our town. She sent me to go find help, but I’m afraid I’m not well educated in the ways of the world, and those men must have tracked me down to stop me from finding aid."
As the man sits down and looks around the table at your group he smiles, looking as though he has just solved a puzzle.
“I cannot thank you all enough for how you have come to my assistance. Having seen how well you handled yourselves with those thugs, might I beseech you to come to the aid of our beleaguered town? The lord of the town would surely reward you if you manage to find this cult and eliminate it. You would also have the thanks of me, Sister Linora, and the Great Mother if you would lend us your aid."
Not having had much interest in the situation beyond his own health, Karn limps back to the table and eases himself back into his seat as he closes his eyes for a moment. Tapping into his own mental reserves, he feels his wounds ease a bit as he then searches around for a drink that hadn't been spilled or soiled during the scuffle.
Dran heads up to the bar and orders a fresh mug of ale and picks up a chair and checks to make sure its not broken and takes a seat next to the half elf and says "Heh, some party" and takes a swig of his drink
Gevarn looks around the table, picking up on what seems to be a lack of interest for his cause "I -I I assure you that there can be many other rewards aside from gold if it isn't riches you're interested in." he offers, "If I am mistaken I am quiet apologetic, I thought perhaps you would be the sort that seek these oppurtunities."
"What are these other rewards?" asks Sturdy
Chorro stands near the booth the churchman vacated, content to watch and listen, Snow resting languid at his feet.
As the man falters, dismayed in the face of apparent disinterest, the shifter speaks, his voice a soft rasp.
"Chorro has already killed for your sake, servant of the Great Mother. The spirits that whisper to him say that he will do so again."
He shrugs, even that small movement is efficient and eloquent as his words never seem to be.
"Who is Chorro to argue with the spirits he serves?"
A church's gratitude, while not ideal, is much better than nothing. especially if those who are looking for me do find me here.
As if suddenly understanding Gelvarn's words, Karn leans forward and says, "Rewards hmm, and monetary at that? You got yourself a deal my good man...That is, if my compatriots here agree as well, for no matter how good I may be, I am but only one man."
Marcus watches quietly for the reactions of the others. His face grows more content as each person slowly comes around and expresses their interest to aid in Gevarn's endeavors. He looks back with a nod as Chorro speaks, then smirks at Karn's words. Fingering the etched flames of his staff, the invoker merely nods his consent along with the others.
"We have scrolls that I'm sure Sister Linora would be happy parting with if you are able to help us, not to mention members of the town would likely reward you once they see what kind of danger will be thwarted." He looks at the group excitedly "So you'll do it? This is great news. It is a four day journey to Winterhaven, I shall accompany you there and help you get settled in."
"Hmm sounds intresting. Besides I could use a break from this festering city. Count me in" Dran responds as he continues to drink his ale
"We can leave in the morning then, I will pay for your stay here tonight." gevarn says to the group.
Marcus thanks him for his offer and takes his rest for the night.
"Well, if there is nothing else, then I bid ye all a good night." Karn says as he realizes that nothing much can be learned here for now. Wanting to get a good night's sleep in preparation for the morning, Karn will then go up to his room and prepare his pack for the trip before settling down for the night.
Well it appears we are all decided Aglaeca murmurs to himself. Nodding his ascent to the journey, the tiefling excuses himself from the bar with a hasty See you all in the morning and finds, with a little help from the barkeep, his room.
Once inside he barricades the door and any windows with whatever furniture, and precariously balanced breakables that are in the room. Once secure Aglaeca goes to sleep... under the bed.
When you all wake up Gevarn has already taken the liberty of having the inn-keeper prepare you breakfast as well as acquiring suitable horses for the journey. The breakfast is, mediocre inn food at best but it is enough to tide you over. He brings extra food to ration of the four days of travel you have to Winterhaven. One of the repeating themes you hear over the journey is: “Sister Linora has learned through her communions with
the Great Mother that Shar has turned her dark eyes upon our humble little town. Shar, the Mistress of Night, seeks ever to increase her inf luence over the world and bring us all to ruin. The Sister instructed me to go find help while she tries to uncover the cult and discover its dark purpose.”
The rutted East Way winds through the Thunder Peaks,
eventually coming upon the walled town of Winterhaven.
The town is nestled in a forested valley in the midst of the
Thunder Peaks. The stone walls appear weathered but still
manage to support the defensive palisades.
Small thatched homes stand around Winterhaven,
each fronting a small piece of farmland that’s been cleared
of trees. Beyond the farms, to the west and south, are dark
woods, and in all directions rise tall mountain peaks.
When you reach Winterhaven Gevarn informs you that he is going to the temple to speak with sister linora and that you should come speak with her once you are settled. He points you in the direction of Wrafton's Inn for room and board.
Once at the inn Dran immediately buys a couple nights at inn and heads to his room and removes his armor and weapons and takes a stretch and gives a yawn. Donning his traveling clothes, Dran sits on his bed and begins to polish his armor and his sword. That task complete Dran dons his armor and weapon and heads back out into the common room and grabs a table and waits for his companions to join him. Might as well grab a plate of food and a mug of ale before getting to work.
The Tiefling sits on his saddle as if tied their by a rope. His Tail flops uselessly, alternatly on one side or the other, but never still. Riding horses is even more uncomfortable for a Tiefling than most humanoids.
Walking into town, stiffly besides his beast of burden, everyone can tell that Aglaeca is quite content to be off the animal. Flipping a silver to the stable boys to contend with the horse, Aglaeca goes and gets a room.
Inside the Inn, Aglaeca looks directly at Dran and says. I'm going to be off for a bit, about an hour, seen someone I think I know and I want to find them before the leave town. Do give the great mother or whatever she is my firm hello and best wishes, wont you.
going to leave but turning back at the last moment Aglaeca adds.
And if you need anything ... decoded. I'll be back here in about an hour.
The tiefling then walks out the door and is soon out of sight. As soon as he can track down someone to talk to, he begins inquiring about the town. He goes from person to person, dropping whatever names he can in this flyspeck town to get information out of people, and where appropriate offers services (translation) and silver to grease palms and part lips where appropriate
Streetwise Roll 18 looking for hidden or secret cults or groups
Perception Roll 14 looking arround town to find hidden passageways/oddities, passive perception 9
Bluff check to convince people that Aglaeca is a traveling linguist 13
Please ask for any other checks needed.
Karn hadn't paid much attention to what the cleric had to say, lost in his own thoughts and simply taking in the scenery. He had never thought much about what lies beyond city walls, but now that he had been forced to leave his home, he thought the uncivilized worls was pretty amazing.
As the group entered Winterhaven, he just nodded at Gelvarn's words before stabling his horse and entering the Inn. Going straight to his room, he does some quick acrobatic exercises before preparing a bath to get the dirt from their travels off his body. After beating the dirt out of his clothes, he bathes and relaxes for a bit before getting out of the tub and preparing to meet the others down in the common room.
Wrafton's Inn (Number 2 on the Map) is not the nicest of places you've ever stayed at but it seems comfortable enough. It's dark wooden walls are made remarkably brighter by the patrons inside who give the impression that it is likely the town gathering place each night. There is gossip to be had, songs to be sung, games to be played, drinks to be drunk and for that matter villagers quite drunk.
Salvana Wrafton greets you with a warm smile, she is the kind of person who can make you feel as though you've known her your whole life. "Welcome travelers! My name is Salvana Wrafton, I am the owner of Wrafton's Inn. Big surprise right?" She chuckles at her own joke "After you're all settled into your rooms, come downstairs and enjoy some food and drink."
Once you've all finished with getting settled in you come downstairs to find that a table is ready for you and a waitress has just set down bowls of soup for each of you and Salvana herself has just placed pints on the table as well. "Please, enjoy the company of the townsfolk and your meal. You won't be disappointed"
For Aglaeca:
The seemingly unanimous decision amongst the villagers that you come across is that there is no cult.
Most of the responses are something like: "We've got kobold problems, and the occasional fight between villagers but nothing like a cult. If it were to exist it would probably be outside of town. Heck, I hadn't even thought about it until you came by."
The reactions come across as completely genuine, If Gevarn and Sister Linora are afraid of a cult being in the area it's not something they've been advertising. And while you've been exploring the town you don't notice anything too suspicious. Because the town is not too big you have a pretty good idea as to the town's layout and where a few things are.
5. Smithy
6. Valthrun’s Tower
7. Bairwin’s Grand Shoppe
10. Temple
One bit of information that you can bring back to your friends is that the locals have had quite a bit of trouble with Kobold attacks on traveling merchants and Lord Padraig is trying to gather a force to get rid of their infestation in the area. You return to the Inn to find your friends gathered around a table, and a bowl of soup with your name on it. You are even greeted by some of the townsfolk that you had met earlier on your travels through town.
Marcus nods his thanks to Salvanna as he takes his seat. "Thank you, good woman," he says as he smooths his fine vestments. "Your hospitality gives as much comfort as my bath and my robes. My friends should arrive soon. They're a curious lot, each given to his own idiosyncrasies, but they are strong at heart and in battle. Tempus favors their strength, which will be a great blessing for your troubled village."
Marcus nods his thanks to Salvanna as he takes his seat. "Thank you, good woman," he says as he smooths his fine vestments. "Your hospitality gives as much comfort as my bath and my robes. My friends should arrive soon. They're a curious lot, each given to his own idiosyncrasies, but they are strong at heart and in battle. Tempus favors their strength, which will be a great blessing for your troubled village."
Salvana seems genuinely kind and doesn't shift her face in any disgust of the mention of Tempus. "Our troubled village? Ah yes, Tempus, it makes sense now. You must be a group of soldiers hired by Lord Padraig to weed out our kobold problem eh?"
"Wait...kobolds? No...we came in with one Galvarn who asked us to come with him to check out some activity going on around Winterhaven. He never mentioned anything about kobolds." It was obvious that Karn was slightly ruffled by this discovery.
"Kobolds heh" Dran responds into his drink. Taking a deep pull off the mug Dran adds flatly " we will do what we can but expect to be well rewarded for my efforts"
"Oh dear, my misunderstanding then. Lord Padraig has been looking to pull together a militia for some time to deal with our little problems. He comes in here every now and again, Might be in tonight. You say that's not why you're here? What are you looking into? Maybe I could be of some help. Oh look at me blathering about, I should just let you enjoy your meals in private."Salvana looks slightly embarrassed for having rambled on so much.
The shifter travels slightly apart from the group, armoring himself in a profound silence. He is sometimes accompanied by the silent frost tiger he calls Snow, and he seems ill at ease when the great cat is elsewhere.
His eyes look everywhere, and his nostrils flare with every breeze or odd sound. It seems, after some time, that his vigilance is more curiousity than paranoia - he proves a peaceable traveling companion, despite his reticence.
The quaint charm of Winterhaven seems lost on Chorro. His silence deepens and Snow stays close, padding silent and stoic on the shifter's heels.
Joining Marcus and the remaining companions at the table, Chorro sniffs the soup before partaking hungrily. Snow is nowhere to be seen, and the shifter seems eager to be out of the bustle of the common room.
His participation in the table conversation is limited to attentive listening, though his eyes fix on each speaker in turn. After Aglaeca arrives and speaks, the shifter breaks his silence, raising a tufted brow and spooning the last of his soup into a mouth that might almost be smiling.
"Kobolds, Aglaeca. Kobolds."
Marcus gives the woman a smile and a nod as she excuses herself from the group. He sits quietly as he takes his meal, listening to the comments of his companions. Each one displays a unique attribute in their personalities which he has observed over the last few days. He contemplates each of them as if trying to put together a puzzle where none of the pieces seem to fit.
He has been traveling with Dran and Karn longer than the others, but he still has not figured them out. The rogue is guarded, doing his best to hide his past and his elven lineage. The dark elf, on the other hand, is confident and embraces his identity and his profession. The shifter, Chorro, displays a noble quality that others might follow if he did not maintain a distance from all things civilized and human. That may explain his bond with the devil-born Aglaeca, who is ultimately not of this world and struggles with the differences that serve as a constant reminder that he, more than anyone else, is out of his element.
And then there is the enormous man who calls himself "Sturdy". For one of such size, he has a talent for being the one least noticed in a crowded room... at least until he decides to drop his powerful weapon and smashes everything in his way. Perhaps he has learned to avoid gaining attention to counter that which he already receives whenever he steps into a new place. Balance is what he craves, since he must know that his presence cannot be completely ignored. I wonder...
Marcus turns to the goliath as he wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Tell us, my friend. How do you feel that we may have been brought all this way to face some scaly little creatures? Were you surprised, as well?"
Keeping his voice low enough for only his companions, "Where I'm from, kobolds are hardly even considered a nuisance. I wonder who in this town is involved in this cult. I feel this kobold talk may merely be a distraction to put us off our course."
Aglaeca finishes his soup and looking at the rest he speaks up, " Don't all of you have to speak with the sister or the brother or the father or something now ? I think I'm going to stick arround here, you know in case the lord comes, but the rest of you should go see what idols need shining and if we're here to kill kobolds or not.
Aglaeca wanders off to the bar where after a little well played out curmudgeonly ire, he slowly attracts a crowd of people who are willing to listen to his perilous tales of bravery and heroism. The defeat of the scourge of Ableon, The Draw against the dragon are Erdu, the destruction of the demon spawn thereabouts, and hinting very much that he and his friends were able and willing to do that here, for a small price, a triffle really, looting rights, a free hand, you know the regular stuff.
"I going to head over to meet with Gevarn and Sister Linora, any takers?" Sturdy inquires before heading to the temple.
Chorro silently rises to his feet, nodding to the goliath.
"Chorro wishes to feel the stars and taste the breeze, while his friend Aglaeca lies to people he has not met."
Marcus pushes his plate away, wipes his mouth with a cloth in one hand, and rises to join the others. He gives a curious glance as the tiefling begins to weave his tales, then follows the others. "I suppose the rest of us will see to the 'idols and whatnot'," he chagrins faintly. "It is time we learn our destiny while others wait for it to fall into their lap."