Vandeyr will try to make nice with his new acquaintances - largely at the behest of his brother who thinks a bit of socializing will be good for him. 

But besides that, he'll spend his mornings working out his hands, practicing with his tools. Afternoons are for socializing. Evenings are for trying to drag every drop of useful information from his notebook. 

Brother Siegfried takes the scroll as offered.  He is uneasy about any magic used by these cultists, but will make a note of examining once things have settled down.  He them moves among the survivors, checking for any more serious wounds, making sure all of the children are accounted for, and offering simple prayers for the people.

"I need to update the Council on what happened here," says Tor. He starts to move away immediately, but stops, and turns back around.

"Look," he says. "I've been fighting my whole life. I know my way around a battle, and I've seen some weird stuff. But I've never seen this type of blood magic before, so I doubt any of you have either. So, you all did well. This was a tough fight, and we all survived, sometimes that's all you can ask for. Leading the new Swords here, this is my first real command. The good Brother here signed on back in Neverwinter, but you two," he looks at Rawlings and Vandeyr, "I could do with you on the team. Take a couple of days to think it over, then come find me at... wherever I'm given." He nods, unsure how to end, then leaves, heading towards the outskirts of town to find the Council. (We don't have to RP that if you want to move ahead, he'll just tell them what happened, and find out where he's supposed to be staying.)

Over the next few days, Tor will acquaint himself with the town, its locations and people as well as possible, making himself known as the Captain of the new Swords, who should be turned to for any relevant problems. He will walk the perimeter and the immediate local area checking the town's defences, and sends notes to Sgt Yorrum and Grizzelda with his suggestions.

The next few days pass with little fanfare. The villagers are a generally stoic lot, they'd have to be to choose to rebuild here. But they are vocal in their praise of the Swords of Leilon. Despite the rage of the storm and the attack of the cultists, none of the villagers died or even took serious wounds. And what wounds were had were easily healed by Brother Siegfried and Merrygold Brightshine (the halfing priest of Lathander who sits on the council).  In particular, the parents of the two children who you saved--Smithwell and Burnice--were effusive in their thanks. Though they do not have much, they invited you to what little they had. Smithwell's parents are a pair of copper- and tinsmiths, who build and repair everything from plumbing to pots and pans. Burnice's father is a carpenter and her mother works in the fishery, preparing fish that the sailors bring in for curing, consumption, and/or sale. The two kids have taken a shining to the Swords. In particular, Burnice comes to "help" Brother Siegfried (however much a 10 year old can help a master brewsmith), and Smithwell follows Tor around, mimicking his walk and stance. He even made his own sword out of some scrap copper his parents had lying around, hammering it into rough shape himself--after the third time he cut his belt with it, Burnice's father rolled his eyes and fashioned a simple wooden scabbard for it. 

As the days pass, the party gets a feel for the politics of the town. The official council consists of Grizzelda Copperwraught, Merrygold Brightshine, and Valdi Estapaar.

Grizzelda Copperwraught was tasked by Lord Neverember with overseeing Leilon's construction work. She is the head of the council and, while she still only has one vote, she often "bullies" her way forward to get what she wants. Behind her back, the townsfolk call her "The Growler." Most respect her for being fair, but most also fear being on the wrong side of her.

Merrygold Brightshine appears to be the most straightforward of the council. An amiable halfling, beloved by the people of Leilon, he is always helpful and cheerful, and his votes on the council are always in favor of what he thinks is best for the people above all else. He offers healing to all, though the people do their best to leave a donation when they can afford it, to support the continued rebuilding of the town.

Valdi Estapaar was given the job of overseeing the town's fishing industry by Lord Neverember. She is a half-elf with an irreverent sense of humor and a strong personality. The fish she and her subordinates catch feed the town, and the excess fish are cured and transported to the nearby cities for sale. She seems to treat the fishers and sailors almost as her children or younger siblings; and was particularly grateful that the Swords managed to save them all.

In addition to the council, there is Sergeant Hazz Yorrum, a slovenly male Damaran who, ostensibly, oversees Neverwinter’s soldiers but defers to the town wizard Gallio Elibro for most decisions. Sergeant Yorrum clearly views the post as a punishment and, while he will fight if he needs to, he defers to the laziest option. Gallio Elibro, for his part, is a short-tempered Rashemi wizard, who has little time for fools--which often seems to includes Sergeant Yorrum. As the Swords have proven themselves capable, he treats them, generally, as equals--at least Tor their leader--and will help them if they have any need of magical services (e.g., Legend Lore, Identify, etc). He has been tasked by Lord Neverember with rebuilding the Tower of Thalivar, which is given a high priority among the town, though there was no clear reason given to the Council as to why it is so important. Gallio often appears tired and irritable, with disheveled curly black hair and both his fingertips and his robes are stained with purple ink.

Finally, the townsfolk are unsure how to fit Tor into their conception. On paper, Tor is the town Reeve (some still call him "sheriff", even though they're a town and not a shire). They eventually settle on accepting him as a sort of "judge" and go to him with their many problems and disputes. This is partly because of his position as Reeve, and partly because their problems are large enough for the council to deal with, Sergeant Yorrum is too lazy to do anything, and Gallio too irritable to tolerate their "silly little problems." The vast majority of these problems are solved by Tor asking, "have you talked to the person you're upset with about it?" e.g., "Have you talked to your neighbor about the tree of his that keeps dropping broken limbs and rotten apples into your yard? Have you talked to so-and-so about the money he owes you? Why don't you just sell your extra apples that would go bad anyways to Brother Siegfried so he can make cider from them?" And so on and so forth.

As such, it is not long before Tor is welcomed to attend Council meetings and treated like a junior member of the Council, even though he does not get a vote.

The various other members of the Swords spend their time building their homes and workplaces.

Brother Siegfried is granted a dilapidated building in the northeastern part of town, chosen for having a small, overgrown garden in the back, large enough to grow hops, though he might need to source his barley or other plants elsewhere. A neighbor has several apple trees, though not quite an orchard and has offered to sell them for cheap to Brother Sigi, as long as he collects them himself, as the neighbor works in the fishery and doesn't have time to collect them before they fall in his neighbor's yard, causing frustration to the neighbor. It just so happens that the neighbor's yard is Burnice's parents' yard.

Tyrel is given one of two old blacksmith shops. The other shop has already been renovated and is owned by a half-orc smith by the name of Shrya Blackhammer. She has her hands full meeting the needs of the growing town of Leilon, and Tyrel will be of great demand, once he can get his shop set up.

Vandeyr works with his brother and his brother's family; but maintains an alchemical laboratory in a small shack of his own, on the same property as his brother's house. At one time, the shack was likely a small barn or a tool shed, but, after rethatching the roof, it's dry and secure.

Rawlings, as a traveling adventurer, at first, seems out of place without an adventure to continue, but there are plenty of options, and the council offered her a room in the town's makeshift inn, for as long as she wished to remain. 

If there's anything you'd like to establish over the few days before we move on, let me know. Any changes you'd like to make or things like that. I'll plan to post something tomorrow probably to move the adventure on.

Vandeyr is busy, making some things to turn this party of heavy hitters into something you could really shake a stick at. 

He's crafted a rod for Rawlings, a ring for Brother Siegfried, and a maul for Tor. 

His small shadow is a little flattering to Tor. No one has wanted to be like him before, sometimes even he had issues with it. But it also brings back memories of his own childhood - he was younger than Smithwell when his own training began, and he wouldn't wish anything that brutal on a child. No doubt it was still going on. The part of him that had encouraged him to take this post and not simply wallow in guilt also spoke of going back one day, and putting an end to it all, but his survival instinct was strong, and besides, he wasn't sure how he would even get back from this side.

Sitting in on Council meetings was tedious, but necessary. Even the petty problems of the townsfolk were preferable, at least with them he felt like he was helping, most being settled with a bit of common sense. But if he didn't attend the meetings he wouldn't have the authority to do b what needed doing, and here he had the ear of those who could make a difference. In temperament he is closest to Grizzelda, and the two happily keep their conversations personal. The cleric Brightshine is far too chatty, though his heart for the people of the town is obvious. Valdi reminds Tor of a few members of his old squad, her irreverent humour would have helped her fit right in some of the more crass mercenaries, and he smiles at her jokes, but having never had much of a sense of humour of his own he finds himself unable to join in. 

Tor finds himself looking down on the Sergeant more and more. A man unwilling to take responsibility, lazy, yet also arrogant and prideful, Tor often has to bite his tongue around Yorrum as the man is, at least nominally, managing the martial presence in Leilon. Every day Tor is tempted to write to the Duke asking for a replacement Sergeant. He also has to hold his tongue around the mage, Elibro. Thankfully he seemed to view Tor as an equal, though that extended to very few others in the town, and the man's quick temper worried Tor. A wizard with a short fuse could do a lot of damage, and he mistrusted wizards to start with. 

Out of curiosity, what sort of dwelling is Tor given?

Brother Siegfried looks with wonder at the rundown building.  Though it may not look like much today, he knows this place with see much history.  It will be a temple to Chauntea; It will be a brewery destined to be known far and wide throughout the Realms; It will be his home.  Pride comes before the fall, but Sigi allows himself just a brief moment to bask in this moment... and then he gets to work.  

He parks his wagon alongside the building and unloads his mason's tools.  Starting with the foundations, he works his way through the premises, marking areas that will need to be shored up, repaired, or outright rebuilt.  Quick fixes, he takes care of on the spot, while more significant repairs he marks and makes note of for future work.

He is honored to have a 'master carpenter' such as Burnice assisting him with repairs.  He allows her to help him with simple repairs, but asks her to help with outside tasks, like clearing the gardens for planting, when he is working on anything that could get dangerous.  He passes the workdays sharing lessons of his faith with her, assuming she is willing to listen, and pays her with no less than a single gold piece each day (He makes a point of informing her parents about this, so the child isn't running about town with gold jingling in her pockets and getting into trouble.)

He continues to care for his hop plant in the Pot of Awakening, eagerly anticipating when his new gardening assistant will rise to assist him with growing their bounty.

Last, he makes sure to be seen about town, using his Cloak of Many Fashions to don the white and sun-colored robes of his goddess.  He makes himself available to any townfolk who seek him out and does his best to spread the word that the Clergy of Chauntea support these settlers and plan to invest deeply in their growing community.

Tor's dwelling appears to have been a butcher's at some point in its past, judging by the brown stains along the floors under mostly rusted away metal loops where the cuts of the day would have hung. Gallio Ellibro picked out the place for the Reeve, for a few reasons. It was centrally located, near the base of the House of Thalivar and just off from the Town Square; it had a solid, stone-lined cellar that could be locked from the outside (used to keep any animals or thieves from the meat) which could serve as a jail until a more proper one could be constructed; and most of it was still in good repair--two of the three rooms still had all their walls and required only superficial repairs, the third room had large windows (missing their glass) that opened onto the main thoroughfare. Additionally, it was one of the few buildings in the town with a copper roof--the largest holes of which had been repaired in preparation of Tor's arrival.

Through discussion with Gallio and the Council, Tor's come to find out that Gallio is a ranking member of Order of the Many-Starred Cloak, and holds a writ of authority from Lord Neverember, that allows him to requisition any supplies, resources, or manpower as he sees fit, though he's hardly ever done so as yet. Merrygold confides to Tor that he's seen Gallio entertaining the children with small spectacles of magic, but when he saw Merrigold watching, Gallio looked embarrassed and left off. Merrygold believes that, despite his exterior, he's a good sort underneath but seems to be stressed and overextended by whatever occupies him in the Tower.

Oloven joins Tor as needed or covers his duties when Tor needs to leave for some reason.

A large number of general laborers are excited by the expectations of Brother Siegfried's brew. He is approached by a few couples seeking Chauntea's blessing for children. And is approached from time to time simply for his wisdom or thoughts about certain endeavors or relationships.

It is in this vein that Brother Siegfried is approached by a half-orc stonemason, Breltora Red-Eye, with a worried expression on her face. "Brother Siegfried, may I talk to you? I am worried about Vester, he hasn't returned from patrol yet, but he should've been back two days ago."

While Breltora Red-Eye is approaching Brother Siegfried, a human soldier, dressed in mail with a Neverwinter surcoat over top approaches Tor. He appears a little nervous and almost sheepish.

"Uh, um, excuse me, m'lord Reeve, sir, I, umm... I wonder if I might, uh, ask you a question, sir? That is, um, if I might, talk to you, err... make a request, or, umm.. well, something."

 Meanwhile, as Rawlings was meandering aimlessly, in part of town that is still mostly abandoned, she comes across an intact shop. The face of the shop has "Aubrey's Peculiarities" proudly painted across the front, in a fanciful font with paint that has somewhat lost its brilliance with age. Through the large glass windows, though dusty, she can see that the shop is crammed with curiosities likely dredged from the ruins of Leilon: old fishing rods, swamp idols, mining helmets, and other oddities, including the odd weapon or piece of armor sticking out from the stacked, but poorly organized shelves.

Rawlings finds it difficult to try and settle in this town that she is unfamiliar with.  She doesn't exactly go out much to learn more about the town, but as the days wear on, she finds herself doing more of it than she is used to.  She does appreciate the council finding a place for her, she doesn't require much, and she likes to head out to the woods each day.

She does try and visit Tor, Brother Siegel and Vandeyr when she is itching for some socialness - though it isn't often.  She thanks Van for the gift of the rod, and is impressed by the work the other two are doing, especially when she looks back to the lack of on her part.  But, it just makes her shrug and continue on.  She tells herself she'll know when she'll be needed, adventurers always do.  She is intrigued by the brew Siegel is working on and is looking forward to trying that.

As she comes across a small shop in the abandoned section of town, how has she missed this before? she peers into the windows and her curiosity gets the better of her.  She tries the door, and if it is unlocked, heads in to look closer at the aforenoted Peculiarities on the shelves.

Quote from Wizardously >>

While Breltora Red-Eye is approaching Brother Siegfried, a human soldier, dressed in mail with a Neverwinter surcoat over top approaches Tor. He appears a little nervous and almost sheepish.

"Uh, um, excuse me, m'lord Reeve, sir, I, umm... I wonder if I might, uh, ask you a question, sir? That is, um, if I might, talk to you, err... make a request, or, umm.. well, something."

Tor places down the quill where he has been scratching out a message to Gallio requesting further resources for improving seaward defences. It was always possible that the recent attack by the cultists was a one-off, but if there were more waiting in the shadows - or the deeps, he thought to himself - he wanted the town to be ready.

Tor waits patiently while the soldier rambles on. He knew he could be an intimidating presence - his stature, his dark grey visage, the large maul he had been gifted by Vandeyr - and it was useful in getting people to follow his instructions, but sometimes it was wearing. He wished the man would get to the point, and eventually had to step in.

"Spit it out then, what's the matter?"

Quote from kqstark >>

Rawlings finds it difficult to try and settle in this town that she is unfamiliar with.  She doesn't exactly go out much to learn more about the town, but as the days wear on, she finds herself doing more of it than she is used to.  She does appreciate the council finding a place for her, she doesn't require much, and she likes to head out to the woods each day.

She does try and visit Tor, Brother Siegel and Vandeyr when she is itching for some socialness - though it isn't often.  She thanks Van for the gift of the rod, and is impressed by the work the other two are doing, especially when she looks back to the lack of on her part.  But, it just makes her shrug and continue on.  She tells herself she'll know when she'll be needed, adventurers always do.  She is intrigued by the brew Siegel is working on and is looking forward to trying that.

As she comes across a small shop in the abandoned section of town, how has she missed this before? she peers into the windows and her curiosity gets the better of her.  She tries the door, and if it is unlocked, heads in to look closer at the aforenoted Peculiarities on the shelves.

There is a faint tinkling bell that chimes as the door hits it upon opening. A voice calls from behind one of the many shelves of odds and ends, "Oh, a visitor? I haven't had a visitor in ages, I'll be right there!" There is the sound of shuffling and moving, and a few moments later, an Illuskan male pokes his head around the corner, "Oh hello! So nice to see you!" He is pale-skinned with twinkling blue-grey. His hair is mostly grey, though he looks to be still in his middle years. His beard is still mostly brown with streaks of grey and his brown mustache is oiled to hold a thick but whimsical handlebar. It does not hide his brilliant smile. As he walks out, you can see he is dressed in well cut robes of fine wool, though somewhat outdated or fanciful, more akin to what someone might wear to a noble's ball than would be expected in a peculiarities shop.

He seems more to glide than walk, and his voice seems genuinely happy to see you. "Welcome! To Aubrey's Peculiarities, the best places to find knickknacks, baubles, bric-a-brack, and curios outside Waterdeep. We have trinkets, ornaments, gewgaws, and curiosities. We have novelties, charms, souvenirs, and doodads. We have apparatuses.. appartatusi? apparatupodes?"

He pauses, then shakes his head, "We have gauds, grimcracks, oddities, and marvels. I daresay, if there's something unusual that you're interested, we likely have it." He ends with a smile, and extends his hand, "And, I am, of course, Aubrey, Aubrey Silverspun, the proprietor."

Quote from EMIW >>

Quote from Wizardously >>

While Breltora Red-Eye is approaching Brother Siegfried, a human soldier, dressed in mail with a Neverwinter surcoat over top approaches Tor. He appears a little nervous and almost sheepish.

"Uh, um, excuse me, m'lord Reeve, sir, I, umm... I wonder if I might, uh, ask you a question, sir? That is, um, if I might, talk to you, err... make a request, or, umm.. well, something."

Tor places down the quill where he has been scratching out a message to Gallio requesting further resources for improving seaward defences. It was always possible that the recent attack by the cultists was a one-off, but if there were more waiting in the shadows - or the deeps, he thought to himself - he wanted the town to be ready.

Tor waits patiently while the soldier rambles on. He knew he could be an intimidating presence - his stature, his dark grey visage, the large maul he had been gifted by Vandeyr - and it was useful in getting people to follow his instructions, but sometimes it was wearing. He wished the man would get to the point, and eventually had to step in.

"Spit it out then, what's the matter?"

The soldier blanches, and then clears his throat. "Uh, yes sir. I'm, um, Private Danforth, sir. Umm... I wasn't sure who to go to, sir. But... well, sir, third squad hasn't turned up yet from their patrol, and, um, well, they're two days late, and um... well sir, Sergeant Yorrum, sir, he... well he says they're probably just lollygagging around, taking their time, but, well. They're led by me mate Corporal Rather, and well, sir, ain't no one more prompt than him. He wouldn't be wasting time away, like that sir."

Two days late from a patrol? That wasn't good. Assuming that the Private wasn't exaggerating his friend's timeliness in order to get him out of trouble, but then why would he bother trying it with me, Tor thinks. I'm not his boss. So, assuming all was as the Private says it is...

"I see. And where was Third Squad patrolling? Were they looking for anything in particular or just keeping an eye out?"

The private shrugs, "Sgt Yorrum, sir... Umm, well he has us take regular patrols along the High Road. It was third squad's time to patrol along the Mere of Dead Men, sir. Um... Not looking for anything special, sir, that I know of, just, you know... monsters? Make sure nothing's troublin the Road, that is, sir. Mostly, just the presence of a soldier keeps 'em away. Just make sure nothing's nesting, if you know what I mean sir. I've done that patrol at least a dozen times meself, sir, and we ain't seen nothing more dangerous than a nest of snakes or a big gator. And the bugs for sure."

Lost in his meanderings about the soon-to-be temple/brewery grounds, Brother Siegfried needs a moment to collect his thoughts when Breltora Red-Eye brings her concerns to him.  A lost patrol?  That... requires more than a prayer and a blessing.

"Pardon my absent mindedness, friend.  Now when did you say they were due back?  And has Sgt. Yorrum looked into the matter?"  Sigi starts to gather his things, thinking this may be something he needs to bring to Tor's attention.

Rawlings finds herself smiling in spite of herself as the proprietor goes into his spiel as a way of introduction.  As he reaches out his hand, she takes it and gives it a firm shake, "I am Rawlings.  Nice to meet you, Aubrey.  May I call you Aubrey?  Or would you prefer Mr. Silverspun?"  She finds herself a tad more chatty than normal with this man.  She is almost amused as she looks around in this intriguing little shop with this funny little man, dressed up for no one in particular.

"I guess I'm not really shopping for anything, I just stumbled upon your shop and was drawn in... a strange thing, that doesn't usually happen to me.  Does this usually happen to your customers?"  She looks around in her direct vicinity for something that might catch her eye.  This place puts her in the mood to fidget with something as she converses with the man.