They slowly head to the graveyard, enjoying the sunshine and the lack of dread they have felt since arriving.  A crooked, wrought iron archway stands at the entrance to the graveyard, which is overgrown like the rest of the village. Headstones sit at odd angles, some toppled completely. Small cairns, rather than inscribed headstones, mark the graves toward the back.

As you all walk in, you take time to read the inscriptions and notice that the headstones near the cairns bear the same death date, which is also the date of the mine collapse. You can assume cairns were intended to be temporary, but with so many stones needing to be carved at the same time, the stonemason was unable to complete all the work before she was taken by the meenlocks.

You all take your time looking for Lorna Grosvenor’s grave, paying your respects to those that had fallen and you find it in the section at the back, a few headstones away from the cairns. Her stone stands a bit tilted but stable, and reads:

As Gabin places the flowers he has kept with him from the florist on the grave as requested by Lukas, they hear a soft, contented sigh on the wind.

Gabin kneels and says a silent prayer before standing and joining the rest of the group.

Tastie 

The tiefling shrugs and whispers something to the doll still fixed to a strap on her shoulder.  She could care less about the piety and superstition of humans but she does enjoy the lightness that has taken over the area. She looks at Landee, and in a very serious way says, “Sooooo, why a weasel?  Was there ever a weasel there to begin with?”

Elirion also hangs back when Gabin goes into the graveyard. She holds no particular reverence for the places in which the dead are buried: Other than the mechanical job they performed of reducing the prevalence of the undead, and even in that task they often failed.  They seemed like a waste of good land.

Despite feeling like the danger is passed, she and Arara keep a wary eye on the surrounds.

Landee, trying to feel a bit back to his old self, is startled out of his reverie by Tastie and welcomes the question.  "You're not going to believe it, but there actually was!  Scrawny little thing I have been told, was with him when he opened the place.  As for the bored part?  Not sure, that might refer to Lukas.  But man, when that weasel disappeared or died or whatever, people sure were happy that Lukas only served fish!"  Landee chuckles at the memory, bringing a real smile to his face.  "Lukas is a good man, been like a father to me.  I wouldn't have come up to help if he hadn't asked.  He's a hard one to say no to."

"Can you recall his exact words when he asked you to follow us?"

"His exact words?  Gee.. I don't know, after you guys left he got all agitated and I could tell something was bothering him.  So I straight up asked him and he said, I am worried about those kids headed up to Vermeillon.  I don't know exactly what's up there, but it ain't good, then he looked me square in the eye and said, how 'bout it Landee?  I can't leave as I have a business to run, but can you catch up to them and make sure theys alright?"  

Landee pauses for a minute, recalling, and shakes his head.  "Sorry, but if I had known what was up here, I straight up would have told him no!  But I didn't, so here I am."  Looks up to E'Lar, "thanks to you guys anyways."

E'lar's brow furrows. "Alright. Sit tight here, grown ups and Tastie are gonna have a chat."

He takes the others aside. "Am I the only one paranoid about Lukas? He'd have no reason to think that sending Landee after us would improve our odds... it's not like he can handle his own, what was he going to do, give us a vague warning about danger? We already knew that it was dangerous. I'm thinking if you've got a kid underfoot you're tired of, it'd be an easy way to have one less mouth to feed. Or Landee's been lying through his teeth the whole time, and he's in league with these creatures. What say when we return, we hold Landee back, and tell Lukas we never saw him and see how he reacts?", E'lar says, in perhaps more words than the rest have heard him utter in the span of a whole day.

Elirion nods, "That barkeep never made sense. But what kind of gullible fool -- who must have heard all of the tales -- agrees to warn a group of adventurers that -- surprise! -- it's dangerous?" She stares over at the lad then looks away, "He also seemed to appear out of nowhere in the fight, earlier."

She looks around at her companions, "Does anyone here have the ability to determine the true nature of creatures -- some way to see if he is who he says he is? In the mean time..."

She utters a few phrases in an arcane language, moving her hands rhythmically and walks over to Landee. "Why don't you stay with us for now and tell the full story of what really happened, why you came, and what you know about what happened here? It's all over now, we are all friends, and there's no harm in being honest."

As E'Lar asks Landee to sit down, he looks over at Tastie with a raised eyebrow, isn't she an adult too?  (I thought that was great)

When Elirion approaches him, he shrinks back a bit.  It is obvious to anyone looking on that she scares him a bit.  WIS save 5

"Um, I'm hoping to stay with you guys as this place gives me the creeps.  Also, I was hoping we could start heading back?  I don't know why else you all want to hang around?  As for what happened here?  I don't really know - no one likes to talk about this place."  He looks at you confused, "I did tell you why I came, Lukas asked me to and I felt that I couldn't tell him no, so here I am."

(Also, feel free to level up now that the platinum cave is free of those meenlocks!)

Gabin watches what is unfolding before him with concern and confusion. He reaches out a hand for Elirion's shoulder, but remembering how Tastie responded, he holds back at the last moment. "Elirion, I believe what he says. And I have a hard time believing Lukas could have any ulterior motives. After all, he was only asking for us to bring flowers to his wife's grave, which seems pure enough to me. Oh, that and retrieving this pendant," Gabin says holding out the item he had retrieved from the tree in the center of town. "I don't think there's anything going on with..."

Gabin looks closer at the amulet to see if it might be magical in some way.

Arcana: 22 

Elirion grunts, and nods slowly, "Needed to be sure. There's still something strange going on."

She looks around at her companions, some wounded and all a little weary from their efforts.

"Should we rest the night in the Mayor's house, then move on in the morning?" She draws in a breath, and looks around what's left of the town. "We could explore a little more as well...make sure nothing else lurks in the shadows before the miners return."

Gabin checks out the necklace and it appears to be just a necklace.

Lanky thinks about what E'lar and the others have to say, carefully mulling over his words.  "Um it is a bit odd that the meenlocks and Landee can appear out of nowhere, but has he been here before? Maybe he was converted a bit if he was here earlier, but I don't think that is the case.  Um...perhaps he has innate magical abilities he isn't quite aware of yet. It's a bit suspicious, but is it suspicious enough?"

Lanky looks on as Elliron interrigates Landee and whispers "Um maybe ask him about how he can appear out of nowhere?  Maybe that can give us a clue?   Or um....use suggestion to make him answer all our questions honestly?"

"Hmm, strange in what way do you suppose Elliron?  It's not as dark and doesn't seem as dead.  But I agree we should look in the old town, who knows what we would find."

E'lar grumbles to himself.

Remi has been standing and watching all of this unfold, he watches at the grave site and then walks back to join the others and listens to the interrogation that occurs.  “I agree with you Elirion.  There is something more here and it is like an itch under my skin that I cannot scratch.  Why did these foul creatures form here?  What really happened here?  I have heard wild children's tales of such Fey like creatures, but mainly felt that these were tall tales to keep the behavior of children in line, I’ve never actually encountered any like this.  Is there a border or portal between here and the Fey land?   Did they mine and find something here that allowed these beasts into this world?  How did it start?  Let’s keep searching the town, perhaps our answer will become more clear.”

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

E'lar grumbles to himself.

A faint smile plays on Elirion's lips. "I always have difficulty telling their age, too." She shrugs, "As to the other matter: if not Landee, then we should question Lukas."

With Remi's support as well for a deeper investigation, she again pulls out her spell book, intending to cast Detect Magic and try to locate sources of magical influence in the town. When the spell is cast, however, she first examines Landee...

E'lar will find a quiet spot, near where some birds or squirrels or the like are about, and meditate while ritually casting speak with animals, asking his small friends how the forest is, and if there are any other areas nearby that are unpleasant and scary like the town was before.

Gabin stays near Landee. "You must be thirsty. Here" Gabin offers up his water skin

Elirion would like to 'check' Landee for magic, then walk around the villiage looking for any more signs, while people check the buildings, and if all is clear, I guess we head back the next day?