Verdan nods towards the Kenku. "Yes, it's been quite a long day already. How is everyone else feeling? I could certainly use a breather at least...."

There's a single inn in Palebank Village, called the Jolly Dwarf; I imagine some of you have stayed there on previous nights.  The proprietor is Al Bortock, a mountain dwarf and retired adventurer.  That's one option if you want to take a long rest, though there are others, and a short rest can be done anywhere.

It's around the middle of the afternoon; you have time to make it to Croaker Cave today if you wish, or could head out tomorrow morning.

Telias cracks his old bones. "A rest would be nice."

(So I haven't been posting since there has been little for me to do since I was ritual casting the spell. Did Nalla get anything from her detect magic?)

Nalla shrugs as she had not been listening due to her focus being fully on trying to learn more about the strange statue.

Nalla, you get no sign of magic from anywhere inside the shop.  Even the ice statue that was the former owner is now devoid of whatever magic seems to have killed her.

Sunshine claps her hands together and beams at them all. "I've already been knocked unconscious once today, and I'm hurting once again. If we gotta deal with 'ice frogs' or whatever, I'd rather we get a head start in the mornin'." She shrugs. "Ain't like we're in a rush or anythin', right?"

"If the progression keeps up the way it has been going then the angry lady at the last house doesn't have long. But yes, our death's wouldn't help her find a cure any faster either."

Nalla frowns as her spell fails to find anything of magic. With little else to do she gets caught up on what they learned. "It seems it would be best to head to this Croaker Cave but as Sunshine said some of us are not at our best. Perhaps we should learn more before we go."

"Perfect!" With another quick grin, Sunshine wipes her daggers off on her pant legs before sticking them back up her sleeves. Then she tugs her scarf back up over her nose and fastens her coat back up. "I'm gonna go back to my room at the Jolly Dwarf and sleep, and I'll see y'all there tomorrow mornin' for breakfast. Y'all go lookin' for research if ya wanna - I'm cold and sore and done with today." She flashes a quick little salute and heads for the door.

The inn is pleasant, clean and well-maintained.  A room for the night costs 5 silver pieces, and a meal costs 3 silver.  If you have rations, you can consume those instead.  

You can talk to Bortock the innkeeper if you wish, or just head to your room to spend the night.  If you prefer to sleep elsewhere, let me know. 

Mr. Fists will pay for a room at the in and a meal. "I'll eat and sleep as well."

Once he's done he will go to his room to pray to Raei and fall asleep.

Verdan pays for a meal and a room. He finds a table in the corner, bringing out his lute and a scrap of parchment. As he eats he strums a few chords, occasionally scribbling something down on his parchment.

After finishing his meal, he lingers for a bit continuing his composition before retiring for the night.

Telias pays for a room and a meal and then retreats for the evening, spending it in quiet meditation to the Arch Heart, asking why he has been sent to take care of more unexplained death.

Mr. Fists, you feel that you sense the Everlight, as you always do, distant but watchful.

Telias, your meditation is calm and you take some heart from it, even though the Archeart remains silent, as is so often the case.

Verdan, a few of the villagers in the tavern look over as you strum, there being no other music or entertainment this night, but as it's clear you have no intention of giving a performance, they return to their conversation.

The night passes without incident, and you all awake in the morning having completed a long rest.

A light breakfast of dried meat and cheese is included in the price of the room, and you all meet in the common room as the sun is rising.

Mr. Fists will do a series of stretches to warm up his muscles. Once everyone is there, he'll turn to them and say "listening," as he stretches.

Nalla yawns as she wakes, moving to open her spell book, preparing them for the day before she makes her way down into the main room of the inn where they are staying. With little fanfare she takes a seat and nibbles at the meal.

Telias is already in the common room, having only rested his customary four hours and then just been waiting, still like a stone, in his chair.

Sunshine wakes with the sun, as per usual. It's a fairly regular thing for her, having to wake at dawn to get the day's work underway. She's enjoyed the sleeping in she's managed to wrangle during this adventure of hers, but now there's work to be done. So with a yawn, she bundles back up in her cold weather gear and heads down the stairs to the common room. She's never very talkative in the mornings, but her tail flicks back and forth, showcasing that, yes, she is at least aware of her surroundings. After eating a decent breakfast, she turns to the others. "Hope everyone slept well, 'cause I'm bettin' we got a day ahead of us." she says. "And we best get started, I think. The more daylight available to us, the better. Who knows what we're walkin' into?" 

"No clue, but will walk into it anyways," Mr. Fists says as he finishes stretching.

It does not take you long, or cause any problems, to reach Croaker Cave - the weather is cold of course, but the snow is light today and soon gives way to relatively clear skies.  You head north, and then a little east as the land meets the water of the Frigid Depths and you see the entrance.  There are clearly lots of tracks to and fro from the cave mouth, and from nearby you see a column of smoke rising from an unknown source beneath the ground and ice. 

You are standing now about twenty feet from the cave.