Sanctity 4 covers it's face as best as it could as they strode out into the new and unfamiliar town.  Knowing it is the best source this town has for any information about the surrounding area, Sanctity goes towards the tavern.  It sits down to try to overhear anything of note.  They take note of the goblinoids and the town's reaction to them.

Perception:  10

Grudnik looks around the tavern but doesn’t see any serving person flitting from table to table. He’d have to head to the bar if he wanted food and drink any time soon. He sees the Bugbear gather his gear, including a rather vicious looking hammer and head that way. Knowing that it would bring dishonour to him if he avoided the Bugbear, he walks to the bar and stands next to them.

“Greetings”, he says with cold hobgoblin politeness to those waiting at the bar for the barman.

It seems the warforged, Sanctity 4, could not really pick up on any conversation. What they could see is a petite elf, dressed in a stout, baby-blue tavern dress, swifting up to the bar.

"Ah, dearl' sorry-a to ya mates, I never seem to find anyone at this time of night! Well I'ma Nwern, ya barkeep, whatcha' y'all want to start off" Nwern announces to everyone sitting around the bar.

A small melody can be heard at the stage in the back of the tavern; there is a human on the creaking stage, taunting with a violin. 

Stann looks down at the finely dressed hobgoblin addressing him. Fancy clothes, none of hobgoblins usual arms an armour, an by 'imself?  Stann turned to face the lesser goblin- kin and spoke in a growling voice "U's lost? Cuz I ain't seen any yer clan round."  He hoped to intimidate the misfit, because any violence would end with him sleeping out in the cold yet again.

"Eh, a course! I have that right ou' for ya!" The elf hollers down the bar to Amihan as she runs backward and onto the kitchen, to avail more hollering and incoherent yelling.

(Elvish) "Ya gotta new order-a on ya hands, Quai! Get em' out!"

The elf lady comes back in to keep the bar and its inhabitants.

Sanctity innerly sighs at the conflict.  "If you are going to cause a ruckus, why don't you take it outside?"

  "A water is fine.  I'm more interested in information.  What can you tell me about this town and its people? Any interesting rumors or tales you know about?"  

A dark haired human enters the tavern wearing a dark blue cloak. Walking nimbly, the man ventures up to bar to await his time with the bartender.When he is able to order, he will request a glass of wine and a meal, something warm and meaty. After placing his order, the man will find a place in the corner where he can watch the room.

'Ah, peace is upon the land at last. This should make my life a little more interesting. I wonder what task Brother Thaddeus will have for me next.' The man muses to himself. 'What brings a bugbear and a hobgoblin together? That could be an interesting bit of information.' 

The barmaid approaches Sanctity.

"Stuff 'bout this town? Well, you shoulda gone to loca' library, but since ya a ... what'cha call 'em? Adventurer? Yeah, yeah, that's it; Since ya an adventurer, I'll give ya some advice fore ya leave here. Well them townsfolk say dat fountain in the middle of the tradin' square's cursed now; I dunno wanna believe, but they say that a little gnome girl drowned down there, and now she an 'angry spirit awaiting more victims to drown in that water work'. I told Bobby Boo down under dat street that the story is just a bunch of rich old humans looking for sometin to waste the poor folk's time on. Damned humans these days, raiding everytin every day and all that bunches of thieves. It be a dalmation of a shame they didn't get de memo to quit with that violence when the war ended! Oh dats my queue!"

The barmaid turns with a sly grace as a small bell can be heard from the kitchen window. A Vedelken cook places a small bowl of stew, a few glasses of water, and a few other things as the barmaid runs to get it. She rushes around the tavern, serving up drinks and food to Amihan, and ends up serving back to Sanctity.

"Dat's pretty much it. Nothing goes around in this town except sum old rumors and fairy folklore. Ya might actually wanna go to the library to do on some research if ya so interested, but I gotta get back to workin'; That bard up there always need another free ale after every song, damn thief..." The barmaid mutters as she goes back to the bar.

The human's violin song comes to an end; He resumes a more upbeat and positive war chants melody afterward.

"I'm not surprised that there are some fighting after the war.  

Thank you. I'll go see if it's true."  Sanctity leaves 3 silver for the barmaid as it pretends to sip the water, attempting to not draw attention to itself.

Sanctity turns to the goblinoids, watching them carefully and planning how to defeat a ghost.  At least it won't have to worry about drowning. Maybe intimidation would work.  Or perhaps it can make it curse something else.  It would be great to get the ghost to haunt it's old master, but that would mean confronting him, and Sanctity is not looking forward to that without more planning and experience.  Then again maybe the ghost would rather be free instead, like it had.

Grudnik’s ears flush a slightly deeper shade of red and he takes a deep breath and turns to the Genasi. “Your help is….appreciated….but I am well used to handling my….larger….kin”,  he says carefully and deliberately choosing his words. The situation was on a knife edge as if any insult were to be perceived, honour would dictate this would have to escalate to violence. Something that bugbears truly excelled at.

He turns to the bugbear, “A Hobgoblin travelling alone, without arms or armour. Engage your brain sir, you know what that means”. He walks a fine line not quite reaching an insult, and attempts to reverse the intimidation by intimating he is more than he seems. But how much did the bugbear truly know of hobgoblin society?

He needed to distract them now, “You are far from home also, I wouldn’t have thought anyone in such a small village would have need of your kind of….skills”, he says looking them up and down. His heart was racing now, goblinoids didn’t really get on at the best of times, and they both obviously had their reasons for being so far removed from goblinoid society.

Watching the hobgoblin and bugbear posturing, Brenward reached into the pouch at his belt and pulled out a small piece of fleece. Palming it, he prepared to try and distract the two individuals before a fight would break out. While he was curious what brought these two creatures into such a small village at the same time, the human was pretty sure that the last thing that was needed right now was bar brawl between these two individuals. That might precipitate another war, one that could be equally harmful in lives.

An outcast then, Stann realized. The thought should have calmed his nerves, he could easy handle a single hobgoblin and this one appeared to be a runt, but the fur along his spine still stood on end. Mistaking his goblin-kin's actions for respect, the now placated barbarian snorted dismissively from his wide nostrils. 

"Remains t' be seen if this town 'as any work worth my while" he growls, half responding to the hobgoblin, half thinking aloud. Purse is gettin' light, need to be findin' work soon. 

Turning to the the elven barmaid, "How much fer a room?"

Happy that the bugbear had lost interest, Grudnik turns his attention back to the barkeep and the other things going on around him. "Yes, hot stew and ale for me as well", he says, mirroring  Amihan's order.

He had half heard the barkeep tell the tale of the cursed fountain which he found interesting, and a good way to change the conversation. "Interested in curses and spirits are you?", he says to Sanctity, spotting him watching them. Looking around he spots a lot of folk watching them in fact. He gives a smile, "No need to worry, there will be no trouble", he adds loud enough for everyone to hear.

Tom lets out a quiet sigh of relief at the hobgoblins assurances. A quick glance about told Tom tensions were rising among some of the other patrons, and so he had taken a seat by the violinist, hoping to take solace in the company of another artist. The bard smells strongly of ale, and his war chants are seemingly endless. However, Tom knows that if there's any place to find a good story, it's in the mind of a bard. Tom orders a meal as he waits until the song has finished, then tips the musician a gold piece.

"Hello, friend!" He says. "Your music sounds magnificent tonight, a welcome respite from my journeys. If it's not too much of an imposition, do you think that you could tell me some more about this place?" 

Persuasion: 18

The barmaid, still taking orders, newly heard what Stann said to her. Some others around the bar chuckle a bit; She completely loses her composure, hysterical laughter fills the bar.

"You? A ROOM? I dunno if ya actual some stupid or serious but we dun't have no ROOMS here, haha!" She shakes her head slyly, "We do have a barracks' for both of ya! It's rightup down the street!" The barmaid glares at Stann and Grundnik, grinning. 

(Elvish) "Whatcha saying up there, Nwern?"

The barmaid turns to the Veldalken chef, that appeared at the kitchen window

(Elvish) "Ah, it's just these dumbuly goblins at the front, saying they want a room!"

The Veldalken chuckles to himself, more silently than his counterpart, but still audible, and returns to work.

She turns back to Grudnik, "I'll gettcha that in a few" She continues to her work.

...

The human man stops his music, failing against Tom's persuasion, "Well I humbly thank you! It's nice to see new people, no one can get as drunk as the people visiting here!" He stops to laugh a little, "Anyway, you wanted to know a little about this town? Well, it's quiet for sure, but the mayor is always rushing out everybody to do something; Work, be a missionary, so on and so forth. This is my work; Playing this lovely violin! You can perhaps go and find the mayor for more information, I only really know ballads and war songs since I fought in that war for a little." He brandishes his violin and returns to the song he was playing.

Tom thanks the musician and finishes his meal. Just then, there is a racket at the bar, and Tom overhears the barmaid shouting about a lack of rooms in the tavern. Tom grimaces. He had been looking forward to sleeping in a warm, soft bed tonight. Oh well. The musician resumes his playing, and Tom looks for someone else to talk to, perhaps someone who would know where he could get a good night's sleep tonight. After scanning the room he spots a man sitting alone in the corner (Brenward).

With a small wave to the bard, Tom stands and crosses the room. "Hello, sir," Tom says, smiling and subtly drawing his cloak about himself. "You look like the travelling type. My name is Tom Phoenix. Do you mind if I sit?"

Stann's lips curl into a snarl, he was used to the insults of the self important elves in the city, but the conceited tone of the barmaid set his blood to a boil. Visions of setting her head on a spike fill his head as the 7 and a half foot tall bugbear leaned down to meet Nwern's eyeline. "Hruggek's blessing to ye', Feykin" he spoke in common, whether or not the elf understood the meaning of his threat Stann turned to leave. 

Can't be leavin' no trail of bodies, and bugbear a murderin' townfolk will make it back to the Hand. Stann knew how the Crimson Hand dealt with deserters, and had no interest in becoming The Gnome's next example.

Sanctity tenses slightly, not sure if they can trust the goblinoid.  Beneath thier hood, one can see stiched scars and mismatching flesh, even with thier attempts of hiding it. ”Yes you could say that.” 

The barmaid scoffs at Stann, muttering Elvish underneath her breath. She turns back around and to the cook to continue lounging and talking to him in Elvish. It seems everyone at the bar is served for now.