It was only for a moment, but within it, Doozey's heart began to race, and his eyes went wide as as his mind was sent reeling back to the confrontation with the Hags in seeing so many eyes upon him. Thankfully, apart from nails beginning to subtly sharpening from the onset of a transformation, the tense moment is broken in just a few polite words. Even so, discomfort led to the ranger quietly nodding in answer, but in the end leaving the others to do the talking. For now. Biscuit, in sensing Doozey's state, immediately hopped down from his window seal and practically barreled his way inside to worry over the stoutling, much to the ranger's chagrin.
"I passed through on my way to Melvaunt. It seemed like a quiet enough place to spend a short night." Denae replies to Utar's question, clearly preferring to leave details out of the conversation. Utar would know by now that the Sisterhood of the Silent Wood values secrecy and, even though Denae has since joined the faction wanting to come out in the open, old habits die hard.
As Doozey finds himself unwilling to talk for a moment, Neya picks up where the conversation left off. Hupe responds shyly: "We're just having a bit of trouble; nothing to concern you fine folk about." It seems the halfling host may be too polite to burden visitors with the town's own issues. However, in the background, his wife continues to make their issues everyone's problem: "And who told you to send them out there, hmm? Now look what you have done!"
Any initial attempts to press Hupe are interrupted by Biscuit forcing his way into The Leaky Bucket. A few patrons scream, most move out of the way. Hupe's wife complains "What is this now? Who let the dogs out?!"
(OOC: If anyone wants to try to help Hupe move past his tongue-tying politeness, please roll a persuasion check.)
Neya speaks with Hupe, "Oh, it's no bother. Going out of our own way to help is one of the things we do. In fact, I don't think of this as that much of detour."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Doozey halfheartedly glares at Biscuit and the commotion he caused, only to be ignored and recieve some sloppy licks across the face. "Ugh! Alright, alright, For Big Mama Yondalla's sake! I'm fine, ya daft brother of mines." He groused, eventually managing to push the mastiff's maw away, before regarding Hupe & his wife. "Oye, oye... a thousand pardons, mam. The oversized aurox here isn't one of yours, but, uhm, me brutha just being a worry wort."He admits as well, before addressing the crowd while making placating gestures. "So everyone can take it easy. He's not gonna harm anyone. Hones--"
Doozey doesn't even get to finish the sentence before Biscuit chooses to make that the moment to shake himself free of rain water, scattering it all about everywhere nearby. "-stly.... *sigh*... Unless you can't getting a bit wet as harmful -- on my honor as a Redfoot, I'll clean up his mess, mam."He said after turning back to address Hupe's wife once more.
(OOC: Below spoiler check is moreso to calm the patrons/assure all Biscuit means no harm. But if unnecessary, feel free to ignore the spoiler)
"And what part of the last mission gave you the impression I was the friendly type?" Denae shrugs back at Utar and turns to face Biscuit and the aftermath of his arrival inside the tavern. The slobber-filled licks the mastiff is delivering to Doozey already go a long way in diffusing the situation. The beast master's words then confirm the concern regarding the beast is mostly unwarranted in this scenario. The subsequent scattering of water drops all over the nearby patrons even earns a couple of chuckles from the crowd.
Meanwhile, Neya is engaging in conversation with Hupe Brightbell. He still looks a bit unsure if he should bother the new arrivals with whatever is happening, his upbringing wouldn't allow it, it seems. Thankfully, his wife has no such reservations. She finally approaches CRAP, skillet still in hand, and speaks: "Don't be daft, Hupe, she just said they are here to help. I'm Grinna Brightbell and will gladly take you up on your offer. Hupe is not wrong though; hospitality is important. Find a spot on the benches and make yourselves comfortable. I'll bring you all some fare to help digesting the conversation we are about to have." She then glares at nearly every other patron in the establishment and yells: "Everyone should find their way back to their seats! You are in my house; you'll all behave!" And so they do.
Hupe gives an embarrassed smile and follows his wife to the kitchen. He turns to momentarily face you as he goes and says, apologetically: "Despite its backwater location, The Leaky Bucket has great fare. We'll be right back with some of it just for you."
While the Brightbells excuse themselves temporarily, CRAP has the eyes of nearly every other patron in the house.
(OOC: Would you like to do anything before the Brightbells return?)
"So, I'll be plain with the rest of you. What exactly was all that fuss about earlier? 'cause it sounded as if someone wondered off into the woods, what, two... tendays ago? And that some folk were Phlan were excepted? At least according to your guard out by the gate." Doozey asked the nearest patron (and likely the same one he tried to get ahold first). "The name is Doozey, by the way. Doozey Redfoot."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"It wouldn't be the first time," the teen-aged girl talks softly in Doozey's direction. "Phlan seems to respond to one in every five or six messages we send them." She smiles and adds: "I'm Alma." Before she can address other parts of Doozey's question, Hupe comes back balancing five mugs of mead, blocking the eye contact between the teenager and the beast master.
"Our mead is amazingly fresh!" Hupe boasts. "The fifth mug is for the mastiff. I didn't want to assume it wouldn't like one, so I brought the extra serving." Showing some knowledge of the local competition and trying to connect with the visitors from Phlan, he then adds: "And the wife's food is so good that it gives even the Laughing Goblin's cabbage soup a run for its money."
Hupe continues to make small talk and encourages you to try his mead while you wait for the food. It doesn't take long for Grinna to return while performing her own balancing act. She brings two pots of vegetable stew, one with and one without onions, dried leeks, soft cheese, pickled sausages, boiled mutton, and plenty of bread. "It may not look like much, but I guarantee it will taste like home," Grinna grins proudly. "Go on now," she says as she places clean bowls around your section of the long tables. "Don't be shy."
Hupe also encourages you to partake, albeit non-verbally now. It is clear that he is bound by the rules of proper hospitality etiquette to let you serve yourselves first.
Glad of the chance to leave his non-conversation with Danae, Utar heads over to join the repast that Hupe and Grinna just set out. "If the food is any better than the fare that Mar is serving up, we won't tell him."
Doozey managed a small smile of his own, but could hardly think to interject in giving his name with Hupe's return. The stoutling's annoyed growl however is swiftly cut off by Biscuit barking once in agreement to Hupe, before sitting at attention with tail happily wagging and sweeping the floor. "Mn. No, we sure won't I s'pose."He adds following Utar's declaration and his own accepting of a mug. But while Biscuit eagerly laps up his mead, Doozey did little more than stir the contents in his mug after taking a wary sniff at it. A small precautionary attempt at trying to discern any traces of feywild influences mixed into the concotion.
Yet even his paranoia struggled to keep from staring hungrily at the spread and licking his chops. "This is... this is all very appreciated 'n all, but I can't say any of this will sit well in me stomach, mam. So at the risk of some, uhm... rudeness in the query, I'll be blunt in directing it to you now."He pointedly sets his gaze on the pair, and with a firmness to his voice asks, "What was really all the talk early about someone disappearing into the woods? Perhaps we can provide some measure of assistance in find'em."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Neya takes some in a bowl, mostly idly stirring while observing the activity. She listens for any attempt to obfuscate in any (if any) responses they may give.
Hupe smiles gracefully at Utar's comment, but Grinna shows some sass: "You should!"
After a quick giggle, Grinna responds to Doozey's answer. The ranger had just taken in the delicious smell of the mead; its scent is indeed as fresh as Hupe promised. But his attention was now fully turned on the halfing couple in front of him. Grinna begins: "It will only be taken as an affront if you continue to refuse to eat my fare after the conversation is done!"Doozey would understand that the laws of halfling hospitality are only broken in dire circumstances. "Hupe, keep up. If I forget anything, add in the details, but don't interrupt me!"
Hupe nods in agreement and lets her continued. "Six months or so ago, a stoutling named Halvin moved into an abandoned barn one hour or more away from Kabel's Hill, to the east. Halvin is largely considered to be an eccentric hermit who survives off of money earned from selling wood carvings. A strange profession if you ask me! Even stranger: a month ago, he suddenly stopped coming to town." Hupe notices a pause in her speech at this point and speaks up: "We were worried, you see. It took a bit of convincing but we put together a small group. A few of the villagers went to pay him a visit to see if he was ok, but he was nowhere to be found. His home still had his possessions inside. The visitors found... found..."Grinna frowns: "What's wrong, Hupe. Ahhg! They found a crude map of the area in his home. What my husband is afraid of saying is that the map had some vague notes in it..." Hupe interjects: "There were a few things that scared the villagers!" Grinna frowns even harder: "Hupe, I told you not to interrupt me!" She turns back to CRAP: "The map had a couple areas inside the forest labeled."
At this point, they both pause and look at you, expecting some response. A number of townsfolk have gathered around CRAP; listening in on your conversation with the Brightbells. This includes the guard you met outside, who has now had enough of the rain and has moved inside the tavern in search of a hearth. Neya picks up on a few clues (spoiler below for @Drache):
Both Hupe or Grinna seem to care too much about the town to not want their problem solved. Your offer of help was Gond-sent (see what I did there?). If there was any hesitation from their part, it was likely due to their way of living. They clearly value hospitality above everything else. They wouldn't let anyone call them bad hosts.
Their pause can only mean that they expect you to know where this is going. You suspect that they believe you know the implications of the map's markings. Their assumption is likely linked with the little bit of information you shared with them: the fact that you came from Phlan.
Finally, you notice that the approaching villagers are quite diverse. This might be a bit surprising given the overall small number of people leaving in Kabel's Hill. There are humans, halflings, gnomes, half-orcs, and dwarves. You even spot a couple of tieflings, a dragonborn, and a firbolg. However, there is a noticeable absence of elves and half-elves in the tavern.
Utar makes sure to take a couple of spoonfuls of the onion stew and tucks in, maybe he won't tell Mar how good it is, but if there's time he might take a recipe back for Sagin. The pickled sauasges can stay at Kabel's Hill.
Wiping his mouth and takng a mouthful of mead, Utar looks to Hupe and Grinna, "So do you still have the map you found and what precisely was so scary about the things you found within this hermit's home?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Doozey grimaced, but gave a small yet affirmative nod. Yet even while going about fixing himself a portion of the spread, his movements are stiff and only the bare minimum is put together during the story. "If I had to guess, it probably has to do with suspected 'crossings' or sightings of certain things."He idly commented on in [Sylvan] just prior to taking a sip of his mead. Even then, his careful not to tip the mug too much so that his eyes remained glued on the pair, searching for any reaction.
Neya goes over to Denae and asks with some concern for her friend, "I might be wrong and the proximity of the forest might be a factor in my line of thought. But, do you find the demographics curious?"
Grinna nods happily at the sight of both Utar and Doozey enjoying her food, even if the latter is doing so more unwillingly. Denae has also started to partake at this point. She seems particularly fond of the dried leeks.
Utar's question is met with an air of guilt and an exchange of looks between husband and wife. "I'm afraid not," Hupe says regarding possession of the map. They seems a bit embarrassed and jump on the first opportunity to answer a fresh question, which Utar himself provides: "What was scary about the map was the markings leading deep into the forest!" Grinna says as if that was obvious. "The most concerning of which was Greenhall, the elven settlement. We are not supposed to go into the forest, let alone to Greenhall. What's worse, the map also detailed a course even deeper into the forest. Who knows where that might lead?!"
Doozey continues the conversation with his comment on crossings and sightings, though it is hard to tell if Hupe and Grinna understood any of it. Whether encouraged by Doozey's comment or not, it is Hupe's turn to further the explanations: "The villagers unanimously agree that Halvin had gone into the forest; something that is expressly forbidden." A nearby resident, one of the many who have moved closer to CRAP's section of the table over the last few minutes, emphasizes Hupe's point as if he had been part of the conversation the whole time: "We don't go into the Quivering Forest and the Quivering Forest doesn't come and steal our children in the night." Many villagers murmur in agreement to this point.
Neya takes advantage of the sudden shift in speaker to whisper a question to Denae, who by now has moved on to enjoy some soft cheese and warm bread. She looks around and whispers back: "Now that you mention it, I might be the only person with elven blood in this town." In fact, Neya now additionally notices that the villagers have approached CRAP's section of the table from every angle except that which is closest to Denae. They seem to be keeping some distance from her. (Doozey's and Utar's passive perception scores are also high enough to pick up on this detail.)
Doozey goes a step further and tries to silently read between the lines (spoiler below for @Ori):
You don't think Hupe and Grinna speak Sylvan, but there was a hint of recognition in their eyes. They might not understand the language, but they know what Sylvan sounds like.
Both Hupe or Grinna seem to care too much about the town to not want their problem solved. Your offer of help was Gond-sent (see what I did there?). If there was any hesitation from their part, it was likely due to their way of living. They clearly value hospitality above everything else. They wouldn't let anyone call them bad hosts.
Their pause can only mean that they expect you to know where this is going. You suspect that they believe you know the implications of the map's markings. Their assumption is likely linked with the little bit of information you shared with them: the fact that you came from Phlan.
Finally, you notice that the villagers around the table are quite diverse. This might be a bit surprising given the overall small number of people leaving in Kabel's Hill. There are humans, halflings, gnomes, half-orcs, and dwarves. You even spot a couple of tieflings, a dragonborn, and a firbolg. However, there is a noticeable absence of elves and half-elves in the tavern, apart from Denae.
"So, Halvin; he's the hermit, right? He's gone into the Quivering Forest, which is something that you absolutely do not do."
Utar tries to have someone in the inn confirm his understanding while he describes the situation like he's a five year-old.
"So then presumably no-one is to venture into the forest to fetch Halvin home, given the agreement you have with whatever lives in the Quivering Forest and the not stealing of children."
Utar lets his last sentance hang in the air, before the realisation hits him, "Unless we were to agree to go into the Quivering Forest to fetch Halvin home because we are not of Kabel's Hill and presumably are not bound by your agreement with whatever it is that steals children and lives in the Quivering Forest."
"It also means we won't be under any of the protections that come with the agreement; but aye, you have the right of on that last point, Mr. Utar."Doozey confirms. "Though I think the bigger concern for the village at large is... well, whether or not the residents of the forest think the same of the Hermit, or treat his case as something isolated. Otherwise..."He leaves the rest hanging there for a moment, and cast his gaze over the villagers for a moment.
"Eh, regardless doesn't change much for us. Though, we might have play up being invited by you know who should we -- know, -when- we run into folk of the Greenhall. In fact, we might very well need their aid in finding what we need without stepping on too many toes." The stoutling said, then looked to Danea. "And by the looks of things, you might be playing a different role on this investigation of ours."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
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Neya responds to the question from Hupe, "Hello, we came to your town from Phlan and we heard you were have some problems?"
She leaves the order of events up to interpretation.
Extended Signature
It was only for a moment, but within it, Doozey's heart began to race, and his eyes went wide as as his mind was sent reeling back to the confrontation with the Hags in seeing so many eyes upon him. Thankfully, apart from nails beginning to subtly sharpening from the onset of a transformation, the tense moment is broken in just a few polite words. Even so, discomfort led to the ranger quietly nodding in answer, but in the end leaving the others to do the talking. For now. Biscuit, in sensing Doozey's state, immediately hopped down from his window seal and practically barreled his way inside to worry over the stoutling, much to the ranger's chagrin.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"I passed through on my way to Melvaunt. It seemed like a quiet enough place to spend a short night." Denae replies to Utar's question, clearly preferring to leave details out of the conversation. Utar would know by now that the Sisterhood of the Silent Wood values secrecy and, even though Denae has since joined the faction wanting to come out in the open, old habits die hard.
As Doozey finds himself unwilling to talk for a moment, Neya picks up where the conversation left off. Hupe responds shyly: "We're just having a bit of trouble; nothing to concern you fine folk about." It seems the halfling host may be too polite to burden visitors with the town's own issues. However, in the background, his wife continues to make their issues everyone's problem: "And who told you to send them out there, hmm? Now look what you have done!"
Any initial attempts to press Hupe are interrupted by Biscuit forcing his way into The Leaky Bucket. A few patrons scream, most move out of the way. Hupe's wife complains "What is this now? Who let the dogs out?!"
(OOC: If anyone wants to try to help Hupe move past his tongue-tying politeness, please roll a persuasion check.)
Utar shrugged, Danae could keep her secrets. "Just making conversation, lass. Last time out was all business."
Neya speaks with Hupe, "Oh, it's no bother. Going out of our own way to help is one of the things we do. In fact, I don't think of this as that much of detour."
Persuasion: 10
Extended Signature
Doozey halfheartedly glares at Biscuit and the commotion he caused, only to be ignored and recieve some sloppy licks across the face. "Ugh! Alright, alright, For Big Mama Yondalla's sake! I'm fine, ya daft brother of mines." He groused, eventually managing to push the mastiff's maw away, before regarding Hupe & his wife. "Oye, oye... a thousand pardons, mam. The oversized aurox here isn't one of yours, but, uhm, me brutha just being a worry wort." He admits as well, before addressing the crowd while making placating gestures. "So everyone can take it easy. He's not gonna harm anyone. Hones--"
Doozey doesn't even get to finish the sentence before Biscuit chooses to make that the moment to shake himself free of rain water, scattering it all about everywhere nearby. "-stly.... *sigh*... Unless you can't getting a bit wet as harmful -- on my honor as a Redfoot, I'll clean up his mess, mam." He said after turning back to address Hupe's wife once more.
(OOC: Below spoiler check is moreso to calm the patrons/assure all Biscuit means no harm. But if unnecessary, feel free to ignore the spoiler)
-Persuasion: 11. (if disadv is needed: 14)
.
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"And what part of the last mission gave you the impression I was the friendly type?" Denae shrugs back at Utar and turns to face Biscuit and the aftermath of his arrival inside the tavern. The slobber-filled licks the mastiff is delivering to Doozey already go a long way in diffusing the situation. The beast master's words then confirm the concern regarding the beast is mostly unwarranted in this scenario. The subsequent scattering of water drops all over the nearby patrons even earns a couple of chuckles from the crowd.
Meanwhile, Neya is engaging in conversation with Hupe Brightbell. He still looks a bit unsure if he should bother the new arrivals with whatever is happening, his upbringing wouldn't allow it, it seems. Thankfully, his wife has no such reservations. She finally approaches CRAP, skillet still in hand, and speaks: "Don't be daft, Hupe, she just said they are here to help. I'm Grinna Brightbell and will gladly take you up on your offer. Hupe is not wrong though; hospitality is important. Find a spot on the benches and make yourselves comfortable. I'll bring you all some fare to help digesting the conversation we are about to have." She then glares at nearly every other patron in the establishment and yells: "Everyone should find their way back to their seats! You are in my house; you'll all behave!" And so they do.
Hupe gives an embarrassed smile and follows his wife to the kitchen. He turns to momentarily face you as he goes and says, apologetically: "Despite its backwater location, The Leaky Bucket has great fare. We'll be right back with some of it just for you."
While the Brightbells excuse themselves temporarily, CRAP has the eyes of nearly every other patron in the house.
(OOC: Would you like to do anything before the Brightbells return?)
Utar mentally puts Danae lower on his mental list of 'folks who can heal themselves when the proverbial hits the fan'.
"So, I'll be plain with the rest of you. What exactly was all that fuss about earlier? 'cause it sounded as if someone wondered off into the woods, what, two... tendays ago? And that some folk were Phlan were excepted? At least according to your guard out by the gate." Doozey asked the nearest patron (and likely the same one he tried to get ahold first). "The name is Doozey, by the way. Doozey Redfoot."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
"It wouldn't be the first time," the teen-aged girl talks softly in Doozey's direction. "Phlan seems to respond to one in every five or six messages we send them." She smiles and adds: "I'm Alma." Before she can address other parts of Doozey's question, Hupe comes back balancing five mugs of mead, blocking the eye contact between the teenager and the beast master.
"Our mead is amazingly fresh!" Hupe boasts. "The fifth mug is for the mastiff. I didn't want to assume it wouldn't like one, so I brought the extra serving." Showing some knowledge of the local competition and trying to connect with the visitors from Phlan, he then adds: "And the wife's food is so good that it gives even the Laughing Goblin's cabbage soup a run for its money."
Hupe continues to make small talk and encourages you to try his mead while you wait for the food. It doesn't take long for Grinna to return while performing her own balancing act. She brings two pots of vegetable stew, one with and one without onions, dried leeks, soft cheese, pickled sausages, boiled mutton, and plenty of bread. "It may not look like much, but I guarantee it will taste like home," Grinna grins proudly. "Go on now," she says as she places clean bowls around your section of the long tables. "Don't be shy."
Hupe also encourages you to partake, albeit non-verbally now. It is clear that he is bound by the rules of proper hospitality etiquette to let you serve yourselves first.
Glad of the chance to leave his non-conversation with Danae, Utar heads over to join the repast that Hupe and Grinna just set out. "If the food is any better than the fare that Mar is serving up, we won't tell him."
Doozey managed a small smile of his own, but could hardly think to interject in giving his name with Hupe's return. The stoutling's annoyed growl however is swiftly cut off by Biscuit barking once in agreement to Hupe, before sitting at attention with tail happily wagging and sweeping the floor. "Mn. No, we sure won't I s'pose." He adds following Utar's declaration and his own accepting of a mug. But while Biscuit eagerly laps up his mead, Doozey did little more than stir the contents in his mug after taking a wary sniff at it. A small precautionary attempt at trying to discern any traces of feywild influences mixed into the concotion.
Yet even his paranoia struggled to keep from staring hungrily at the spread and licking his chops. "This is... this is all very appreciated 'n all, but I can't say any of this will sit well in me stomach, mam. So at the risk of some, uhm... rudeness in the query, I'll be blunt in directing it to you now." He pointedly sets his gaze on the pair, and with a firmness to his voice asks, "What was really all the talk early about someone disappearing into the woods? Perhaps we can provide some measure of assistance in find'em."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya takes some in a bowl, mostly idly stirring while observing the activity. She listens for any attempt to obfuscate in any (if any) responses they may give.
Insight: 15
Extended Signature
Hupe smiles gracefully at Utar's comment, but Grinna shows some sass: "You should!"
After a quick giggle, Grinna responds to Doozey's answer. The ranger had just taken in the delicious smell of the mead; its scent is indeed as fresh as Hupe promised. But his attention was now fully turned on the halfing couple in front of him. Grinna begins: "It will only be taken as an affront if you continue to refuse to eat my fare after the conversation is done!" Doozey would understand that the laws of halfling hospitality are only broken in dire circumstances. "Hupe, keep up. If I forget anything, add in the details, but don't interrupt me!"
Hupe nods in agreement and lets her continued. "Six months or so ago, a stoutling named Halvin moved into an abandoned barn one hour or more away from Kabel's Hill, to the east. Halvin is largely considered to be an eccentric hermit who survives off of money earned from selling wood carvings. A strange profession if you ask me! Even stranger: a month ago, he suddenly stopped coming to town." Hupe notices a pause in her speech at this point and speaks up: "We were worried, you see. It took a bit of convincing but we put together a small group. A few of the villagers went to pay him a visit to see if he was ok, but he was nowhere to be found. His home still had his possessions inside. The visitors found... found..." Grinna frowns: "What's wrong, Hupe. Ahhg! They found a crude map of the area in his home. What my husband is afraid of saying is that the map had some vague notes in it..." Hupe interjects: "There were a few things that scared the villagers!" Grinna frowns even harder: "Hupe, I told you not to interrupt me!" She turns back to CRAP: "The map had a couple areas inside the forest labeled."
At this point, they both pause and look at you, expecting some response. A number of townsfolk have gathered around CRAP; listening in on your conversation with the Brightbells. This includes the guard you met outside, who has now had enough of the rain and has moved inside the tavern in search of a hearth. Neya picks up on a few clues (spoiler below for @Drache):
Both Hupe or Grinna seem to care too much about the town to not want their problem solved. Your offer of help was Gond-sent (see what I did there?). If there was any hesitation from their part, it was likely due to their way of living. They clearly value hospitality above everything else. They wouldn't let anyone call them bad hosts.
Their pause can only mean that they expect you to know where this is going. You suspect that they believe you know the implications of the map's markings. Their assumption is likely linked with the little bit of information you shared with them: the fact that you came from Phlan.
Finally, you notice that the approaching villagers are quite diverse. This might be a bit surprising given the overall small number of people leaving in Kabel's Hill. There are humans, halflings, gnomes, half-orcs, and dwarves. You even spot a couple of tieflings, a dragonborn, and a firbolg. However, there is a noticeable absence of elves and half-elves in the tavern.
Utar makes sure to take a couple of spoonfuls of the onion stew and tucks in, maybe he won't tell Mar how good it is, but if there's time he might take a recipe back for Sagin. The pickled sauasges can stay at Kabel's Hill.
Wiping his mouth and takng a mouthful of mead, Utar looks to Hupe and Grinna, "So do you still have the map you found and what precisely was so scary about the things you found within this hermit's home?"
Doozey grimaced, but gave a small yet affirmative nod. Yet even while going about fixing himself a portion of the spread, his movements are stiff and only the bare minimum is put together during the story. "If I had to guess, it probably has to do with suspected 'crossings' or sightings of certain things." He idly commented on in [Sylvan] just prior to taking a sip of his mead. Even then, his careful not to tip the mug too much so that his eyes remained glued on the pair, searching for any reaction.
-Doozey Insight: 28.(23)
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.
Neya goes over to Denae and asks with some concern for her friend, "I might be wrong and the proximity of the forest might be a factor in my line of thought. But, do you find the demographics curious?"
Extended Signature
Grinna nods happily at the sight of both Utar and Doozey enjoying her food, even if the latter is doing so more unwillingly. Denae has also started to partake at this point. She seems particularly fond of the dried leeks.
Utar's question is met with an air of guilt and an exchange of looks between husband and wife. "I'm afraid not," Hupe says regarding possession of the map. They seems a bit embarrassed and jump on the first opportunity to answer a fresh question, which Utar himself provides: "What was scary about the map was the markings leading deep into the forest!" Grinna says as if that was obvious. "The most concerning of which was Greenhall, the elven settlement. We are not supposed to go into the forest, let alone to Greenhall. What's worse, the map also detailed a course even deeper into the forest. Who knows where that might lead?!"
Doozey continues the conversation with his comment on crossings and sightings, though it is hard to tell if Hupe and Grinna understood any of it. Whether encouraged by Doozey's comment or not, it is Hupe's turn to further the explanations: "The villagers unanimously agree that Halvin had gone into the forest; something that is expressly forbidden." A nearby resident, one of the many who have moved closer to CRAP's section of the table over the last few minutes, emphasizes Hupe's point as if he had been part of the conversation the whole time: "We don't go into the Quivering Forest and the Quivering Forest doesn't come and steal our children in the night." Many villagers murmur in agreement to this point.
Neya takes advantage of the sudden shift in speaker to whisper a question to Denae, who by now has moved on to enjoy some soft cheese and warm bread. She looks around and whispers back: "Now that you mention it, I might be the only person with elven blood in this town." In fact, Neya now additionally notices that the villagers have approached CRAP's section of the table from every angle except that which is closest to Denae. They seem to be keeping some distance from her. (Doozey's and Utar's passive perception scores are also high enough to pick up on this detail.)
Doozey goes a step further and tries to silently read between the lines (spoiler below for @Ori):
You don't think Hupe and Grinna speak Sylvan, but there was a hint of recognition in their eyes. They might not understand the language, but they know what Sylvan sounds like.
Both Hupe or Grinna seem to care too much about the town to not want their problem solved. Your offer of help was Gond-sent (see what I did there?). If there was any hesitation from their part, it was likely due to their way of living. They clearly value hospitality above everything else. They wouldn't let anyone call them bad hosts.
Their pause can only mean that they expect you to know where this is going. You suspect that they believe you know the implications of the map's markings. Their assumption is likely linked with the little bit of information you shared with them: the fact that you came from Phlan.
Finally, you notice that the villagers around the table are quite diverse. This might be a bit surprising given the overall small number of people leaving in Kabel's Hill. There are humans, halflings, gnomes, half-orcs, and dwarves. You even spot a couple of tieflings, a dragonborn, and a firbolg. However, there is a noticeable absence of elves and half-elves in the tavern, apart from Denae.
"So, Halvin; he's the hermit, right? He's gone into the Quivering Forest, which is something that you absolutely do not do."
Utar tries to have someone in the inn confirm his understanding while he describes the situation like he's a five year-old.
"So then presumably no-one is to venture into the forest to fetch Halvin home, given the agreement you have with whatever lives in the Quivering Forest and the not stealing of children."
Utar lets his last sentance hang in the air, before the realisation hits him, "Unless we were to agree to go into the Quivering Forest to fetch Halvin home because we are not of Kabel's Hill and presumably are not bound by your agreement with whatever it is that steals children and lives in the Quivering Forest."
"It also means we won't be under any of the protections that come with the agreement; but aye, you have the right of on that last point, Mr. Utar." Doozey confirms. "Though I think the bigger concern for the village at large is... well, whether or not the residents of the forest think the same of the Hermit, or treat his case as something isolated. Otherwise..." He leaves the rest hanging there for a moment, and cast his gaze over the villagers for a moment.
"Eh, regardless doesn't change much for us. Though, we might have play up being invited by you know who should we -- know, -when- we run into folk of the Greenhall. In fact, we might very well need their aid in finding what we need without stepping on too many toes." The stoutling said, then looked to Danea. "And by the looks of things, you might be playing a different role on this investigation of ours."
When you realize you're doing too much: Signature.