Paloma gratefully takes Tuuli's seat. Her hands tremble and her gait is unsteady.

Paloma agrees to a quick arcane exam. Walt detects no poisons, poisonous creatures, nor diseases within 30 feet of him. "Don't touch her," instructs one of the dwarves, cooly. (Walt: Make a Medicine check as well.) 

"I was falsely accused of rustling, years ago. Then they charged me with attempted murder. I fled. Found my people. Saw many injustices across the region. They consider me a revolutionary leader now, and I suppose I am." She pauses to cough.

"Now the Sereno has killed so many. Two nights ago, while three allies and I were traveling, trying to determine the source of the outbreak, a strange owl revealed itself to be a terrible fiend. We wounded the fiend, but it escaped. Two of my companions died in the battle. The third—a druid named Lope—died of Sereno soon after. Lope had been researching the curse and believed the fiend we saw was behind its spread. His research suggested killing the fiend will end the curse for all those suffering from Sereno."

Medicine check 23(nat 20 + 3)

Walt completes the ritual and fails to detect any sort of poison or disease. “Just as I expected, no sign of disease. This does in fact appear to be some sort of curse. Several of us have dealt with something like this before. And defeating the source of the curse proved to be the only remedy. What else can you tell us of this owl fiend? You say it originally presented itself as a strange owl—what was so strange about it? Are there any legends of such a creature or any records of similar curses plaguing the region?”

Bendrak nods his head at Paloma's description. "I once hunted a werewolf which sounds similar in spreading a curse, though they didn't say anything about ending the curse for anyone but the poor man himself." He takes another sip of his drink.

"...In all honesty, the thing was hunting me and would have had me if I hadn't the fortune to pass out in the doorway of a silversmith's"

"Does this fiend have a name? Do you have a description or what type?"

Walt indeed concludes that Sereno is not a disease but an arcane curse of some sort.

"The nameless fiend transformed from an ordinary-looking owl into something like a plague-stricken, bipedal owl, the size of one of you folks, with long owl legs and a dark, mangy feathers. It has wicked talons and seems to be accompanied by that bitter-cold wind. Owls are omens of death here. The owl means darkness, magic, night, and death. But this is something new; we have no legends quite like this."

"Yesterday we learned from our scouts that owls and strange figures have been seen going in and out of a mine near the supposedly-abandoned mining town of Hollow," Paloma adds. "You folks seem capable, from what I've heard. I'll give each of you 100 gold to investigate that mine and slay the fiend if you find it." She goes on to give directions to Hollow, an abandoned settlement about 14 miles away and 4 miles north of San Citlán. She warns against going at night, lest you suffer her fate.

Zartan says "Thank you for sharing your story and your pain. I for one am willing to take up the cause."

Zartan thinks hard about the description of the fiend to see what he can remember.

"As am I," the moon elf reassures Paloma. "We will investigate this mining town and slay this fiend. I only hope we won't be too late." Aranor regards the gnome with some concern; it is clear she is suffering, and there is no telling when she will succumb to this curse. 

Realizing he is speaking for the others, whom he has only known for such a brief time, he says to Walt and the others gathered around Paloma. "That is I will accompany this party of adventurers and help in any way I can if they will have me." 

Walt looks at Tuuli and Bendrak and shrugs his shoulders. “Aranor, as far as I’m concerned, you’re welcome to join us on this adventure. You too Pax! You both look up to the task. Much more so than this old man!” Walt taps himself on the chest and chuckles at his own joke. It’s a tough crowd in here and Walt stands there awkwardly before moving on. “So…anyway. Aranor and Pax, I know we just met, but I was wondering—what are your particular skill sets. Just curious before we embark on this adventure together.”

“Looks like we should settle in for the night (presuming it’s getting late). Can we get rooms and maybe some dinner?”

"Of course. I have three rooms upstairs you may share tonight. No charge."

Unless you have further business, the party spends the night above Rufina's tavern. Once night falls, there are no customers other than Paloma and her two Dwarven revolutionary bodyguards, who all seem to keep quarters in Rufina's cellar somewhere. Rufina only seems to know how to make one drink: pulque – fine with dinner, but problematic with breakfast. The front wall of Rufina’s tavern, you failed to notice last night, is plastered with portraits of missing persons and requests for help. Paloma is no better in the morning; indeed, she seems even more chilled and exhausted. 

The journey from Milpazul to Hollow will probably take just over half a day at a normal pace. Are there any preparations you want to make before leaving Milpazul? The journey ahead is mostly through the open, sandy-and-grassy Maguey Valley, with little in the way of food, water, or civilization. Indeed, there is no road between Milpazul and Hollow – you will mostly be trekking through wild, open land.

Walt had a light dinner, a little too much pulque and went to bed earlier than most of the party. He hasn’t been sleeping well since the party’s last adventure. He’s still haunted by nightmares of having his vitality drained and evil whispers in his mind . 

He was up and about rather early in the morning. He gathered up his shield, spear, along with the rest of his gear and snuck out of his room without waking his friends. Walt sat outside on the soft sand amongst the sagebrush and ocotillo and let the sunrise warm his old bones. He warmed some water with magical fire and made an herbal tea from plants and flowers he foraged from the area. He sipped his tea and meditated in silence focusing his mind on the many teachings and spells he’s learned from his Druidic mentors. 

Eventually Walt goes back in side the pulqueria and takes note of the various missing person signs and requests for help along the way. If he encounters any of his friends he will tell them of the signs. If he sees Rufina, Paloma or either of the dwarven guards he will ask them about the signs. “I noticed the various signs on the wall outside. It looks like lot of people have gone missing out here. Any idea what’s going on? Might these missing people be linked to this owl fiend and curse? 

The moon elf chuckles politely at Walt's joke. "I am sure you do yourself a disservice by saying that," he reassures him.

Aranor taps the pommel of the longsword belted to his waist. "I am a warrior at heart, but I do know some small magic as well."

He turns to Rufina and thanks her for her hospitality. As he has no need for sleep as the humans do, Aranor spends half the night sharpening his blade and organizing his equipment.

The moon elf is up very early as well. He is descending the stairs when Walt asks about the missing persons posters so he joins the older human man, curious of the answer as well.

Tuuli minds her drink tonight, after all, this is (increasingly) work, and she is serious about work. When Paloma offers that they stay free, she objects, Paloma surely objects, they go back and forth and Tuuli finally agrees, gratefully. Then, when nobody is looking, she slips 5 gold into the till, or the tip jar, or whatever passes for a money collector.

Tuuli is *not* up early, in fact, Lucky has to sit on her face to get her up. She stumbles downstairs in a bit of disarray, but is presentable after a bit, and ready to go.

Zartan comes from outside. “Once it got light I thought I’d stretch my legs a bit before breakfast. What we got?”

Pax does not go to the bedrooms upstairs, but instead stays in the common room and sits motionless with his blue eyes dimmed for around 6 hours. When everyone appears ready to go, his eyes light up and he stands. "In the interest of peace for the civlisations of the Radiant Citadel, let us depart and discover what fiendish influence has taken hold."

“I noticed the various signs on the wall outside. It looks like lot of people have gone missing out here. Any idea what’s going on? Might these missing people be linked to this owl fiend and curse?"

"That is almost certainly the case," concludes Rufina. Paloma, bundled up, shivering and sweating, has been brought back to the cellar for safety as a few tavern patrons begin to enter the pulquería. The two dwarves keep careful tabs on everyone who enters the establishment.

One of the dwarves quietly approaches Tuuli to share what he knows. "I had an uncle who worked at Hollow. Used to be 'Pontezuela' then – a mining town. Thriving place. It's at the southern extent of the mountains known as the Silver Veins. That changed when the silver ore ran dry. Folks started referring to th' mine as 'hollow' – 'cause it ain't full no more. They also found monstrous bones in its depths that inspired talk of th' site being cursed. Nowadays, 'Hollow' is the only name most people call th' settlement and its mine. Both were abandoned years ago. Anyway, thought you should know that."

Tuuli listens carefully, and compassionately. She reaches out to squeeze his shoulder as he finishes. "Thank you, every bit will help. And thank you for trusting us." Then she flashes her smile, "If nothing else, I can scare whatever haunts the mines out with my pipes." She pats her bagpipes. Then her face sobers again, and she meets his eyes. "Just keep holding on."

Then, with a nod, she turns to join the others outside. She has loaded up two extra skins of water (if they have that at the inn), and Lucky is nowhere to be found. If quizzed, she just says with a smile, "It's too hot for me out here, why would I make him suffer it, too?"

Walt casts goodberry and conjures up a handful of magical berries. He strolls up to each member of the party and hands each one of them a single berry.

"That should keep you well fed for most of the day. In a pinch, they can help heal you a tad if you need a pick me up. I'll keep the other 5 with me, just in case." 

He turns and admires the landscape. "This place reminds me of home." He looks towards the suns positioning in the sky. "We should get moving. Are we all ready?"

Rufina gives Walt a lumpy envelope. "It's from Paloma," she explains. "She says it might be helpful."

The party sets out. It's a short walk out of the small town. Many locals are still huddling in corners, bundled up in thick sarapes, trembling with cold. Some look pale and still, like they may have already been taken by this cursed plague. They all pay you little heed as you pass back out of the village gates. The day is warm, dry, and hazy, with patchy cloud cover. 

You expect the hike to take most of the day, off the roads and through high desert wilderness, with only a crude map and directions to go by.

Somebody should make a survival check for the party, to keep to the directions, and to avoid hazards and problematic wildlife.