Quote from Rubikow >>

"As far as I know, Tulgi came to Palebank Village alone a few years ago. She asked me for permission to build a cabin in exchange for working as a trapper for the village and I accepted after I saw, that she is really talented with it. However, she never got really close to anyone and lives a rather isolated life here. But that is not unusual. You do not come to Palebank Village for entertainment or to socialize a lot."

 "Then why do you come to Palebank Vilage?  Perhaps to hide from someone, or something?" Ashton states.

Elro is about to answer the question of Ashton as suddenly there is some knocking at the door. Three times. Then the door opens, as it was not locked. 

Into the room, steps a gnome, completely clad in armor. She might be 3 feet tall and is wearing sword, shield and a somehow oddly looking metal rod.

"I am here and ready, Elro!" - Says the gnome in a slightly pitched voice.

Elro responds: "Cabbart! Good. Come in for a moment please.", while he leads the gnome into the room and closes the door behind him.

"Do you want something to strengthen you, before going out again?" - he asks Cabbart.

"Too kind of you Elro, but I have to say no!"

The gnome is suddenly looking at the floor, as if it is a very interesting thing to look at.

"I might have ... strengthened me already a bit in the Jolly Dwarf."

Elro squints at Cabbart and looks her up and down a bit closer and says: "I fear you should have saved that silver for after you shift."

With these words, Elro touches the hand of the gnome, closes his eyes and speaks some enchantment while Cabbart starts to shake her head multiple times as if shaking away a dream. As Elro is done, the gnome looks at Elro with a disappointed look on her face. But Elro simply walks back to the group and says:

"You must forgive my fresh and recently sober friend Cabbart here."

And with this, he looks one last time at the gnome with a stern expression. 

"She is one of our newest recruits for the Glassblades. I trust her with the task to guide you to Urgon's or Tulgi's hut, as you like. If you need to go elsewhere, she will be pleased to guide you there, too. Please finish your meal and feel free to take some provisions with you. Visit me here whenever you want. My door is always open if I am home."

With this he grabs another piece of bread, cheese and roasted meat and steps into the kitchen again. After a short moment he returns with the provisions packed in a piece of cloth, handing it to Cabbart.

"When your duty is done - and only after that ..." - Elro says, raising a finger in a lecturing pose - " ... make sure to come back here and I will have some silver for you, to strengthen you again. Understood?"

The gnome nods with a sudden smile that flashes across her face, which is mostly obscured by her helmet.

"Thank you, sir! I will! I surely will do that!"

"Good! And now be so good to guide these fine people to wherever they need to go inside the village."

Carina had just been getting comfortable by the fire with the wine... she stretches contentedly, but stands.  Her dark lips twitch in a smile.

"If our investigation takes us beyond Urgon and Tulgi's huts, might we benefit from snowshoes and crampons?  If so, may we buy or borrow some?"

Excellent question Carina? Says Ashton

Elro thinks for a moment before he opens the other door in the room and vanishes behind it for some minutes. You hear him rumbling around before he comes back with a thick furry coat, some equally warm boots, gloves, a hat and a scarf. He is placing everything on a free spot on the table and pulls a heavy backpack on top of it, on which a pair of snowshoes is fastened.

"I have this set of warm cloth for one person to spare at the moment. Also, you will find 50ft of rope, 10 Pitons, a hammer, 2 crampons, a grappling hook, and a small shovel in this backpack."

He reaches down the table and produces another heavy bag and says:

"And this is a climbers kit. It contains some special pitons, boot tips, gloves, and a harness. I do not need this at the moment, however, I am sure that I will have need for it in the future so I would ask you to bring it back to me, once you're done. For more supplies, you can visit Old Burrold's Supplies near the docks. It is the villages only shop that equips explorers and adventurers on their way to Eiselcross, and is usually well stocked. You will find everything you need there, I'm sure."

"Thank you for your great kindness, elder." Elmira bows her head in respect. Her mother instilled and drilled manners and reverence to elven elders into young Elmira's personality. "Well, it seems we have our leads. I think I could speak with the trapper -- without resorting to trickery. I hunt in the wilds myself, it wouldn't be hard to broach the subject of dangers to keep an eye out for, perhaps she will more freely give a direct warning to a fellow hunter. But! I leave it to the group to decide."

Ashton grabs one of the backpacks, figures how to shoulder it with his own backpack, Asks Elmira. "Could you help me get this situated to be able to carry comfortable?"  Once the backpack is on, he grabs the other, holds it out to the dragonborn.  "Are we ready to get outta here?"

At the thought of Ashton flirting with the dying Tulgi, Pandora has to chuckle and rolls her eyes. She takes another sip of the hot deliciousness and says, "I agree with the previous speakers. We should definitely be careful about Tulgi's cabin, though. A trapper who came here alone years ago and kept to herself until she got sick - suspicious."

She takes another sip of the wine, eyeing Cabbart with relish.

"I hope the pack isn't too heavy" she says with a wink to Ashton as he shoulders the pack.

"Elmira, would you like to talk to Tulgi alone or may I join you? I think some support wouldn't hurt."

Elmira grabs the pack from Ashton, and instead of helping him, just slings it over her own shoulder. "Don't worry, friend, I am happy to shoulder this burden for you." She turns to Pandora. "I think that would be helpful. While I have doubts someone sick could fight, you never know."

(Ashton, if you do wanna hold the pack for real, Elmira will concede. I just have the carrying capacity and think this is funny lol)

"Hmpf, Females." Ashton grunts as he throws the other one up his back. 'Hmmmm but maybe she likes me' he thinks and winks at Elmira.  "Sweet move taking the pack, kinda puts a bond between us huh?"

"Yes, of course, the call of adventure tends to forge deep bonds, at least it does according to the stories I was told," Elmira smirks and nods along, completely oblivious to any flirting.

(OOC: Are we all in agreement to head to Urgons house?)

Pandora is overcome by a slight sickness because of the sparks between Ashton and Elmira.

Wanting to escape the situation as quickly as possible, she turns her attention to Cabbart. "Can we go?"

Carina is secretly glad that others are shouldering the packs.  Carrying an extra load through the snow did not sound like her cup of tea.  Or glass of warm, spiced wine for that matter.  Briefly, she pushes away the urge to ask whether they can stay just a little longer next to the fire...

The snowshoes and crampons should prove useful, though.  The pitons and climbing gear too.  We'll have to stop by Old Burrold's Supplies later for more.

Noticing Ashton's flirting, Elimira's helpful unawareness, and Pandora's impatience and sense of... something deeper, Carina stands to go.

"Urgon's hut first, then?"  She looks at Cabbert, the gnome, absently touching the dull black harmonica that hangs at her throat.

"Yes, let us be off. Lead the way, my short but stout friend!"

And so the group departs from Elro. Speaking their thanks again and grabbing their gear and cloth, to step out into the upcoming blizzard in this icy evening. As you are all outside, Elro approaches you one last time, pulling his robes as tight as he can as the icy snow storm has gotten stronger. He looks at you all, while his hair is being blown in all directions and shouts a bit against the howling wind:

"Well then! Thank you again for your efforts. I truly have faith in you and I have the feeling, that you are the right ones for this matter. More so, as none of you has even so much as mentioned a reward for the task! So let me tell you this. If you can bring light into the matter and find the source of this illness, be sure that I will wait here to reward you! And now, be quick. The weather is getting really nasty. Good luck to all of you!"

And with this he waves you goodbye and turns back into his cabin. But before he closes the door, he remembers something and shouts into the wind again:

"Cabbart! Tell Mila Teno, the Glassblade that guards Urgon's hut, that she's allowed to go inside now! She doesn't have to face this weather anymore."

Cabbart nods and waves Elro goodbye before he closes the door and she takes the lead, to guide you all through the snow storm to Urgon's hut.

As Elro mentioned before, your march does not take longer than a couple of minutes, but as you need to walk uphill against the storm, the short hike is exhausting enough.

You find Urgons's one-story, one-room log cabin at the edge of the town. You would have missed it, if it wasn't for Cabbart, since the storm has almost buried the cabin in snow already. The front door is guarded by a female wood elf Glassblade, who seems like she wants to merge into the outer walls of the cabin because of the gruesome weather. As you all come closer, Cabby speaks up against the wind:

"Hey Mila! Elro sends us to inspect Urgon's cabin for this group here investigates the source of his death. Oh! And Elro says you can go inside with us and stay inside, because of the weather if you want!"

The wood elf nods and might be happy to hear that, but you wouldn't know it from her face, as she looks miserable, clinging to her spear and shivering in her armor.

"Th.. thank yy..ou Cabb..bart. Ccomeon innn then!"

And she turns around and unlocks the door.

As you all enter the cabin, you see that this cramped, dark cabin might have been a cozy place when its owner was alive. But now an unmade bed stands near a cold fireplace, its mantle hung with the head of some snarling white beast with gray horns. On the other side of the room, a small table strewn with dirty dishes and set with a dwarf-sized chair stands before two empty shelves whose contents are scattered across the floor: kitchen utensils, dried foodstuffs, adventuring gear, and a few books. Neither Cabby nor Mila seem to be aware of the chaos as they walk towards the fireplace immediately, trying to start a fire.

I enter the cabin and let the others in first. As Cabbart and Mila start the fire I say, "Thank you for guiding us here and allowing us in. Did you guys know Urgon well?" 

"I am a little surprised to see the mess in here.  Quite a contrast from Elro Aldataur's lovely home, other than the beast head on the wall and hopefully soon, a fire. From Elro's words, Urgon seemed a competent dwarf.  Not that competent people can't be messy.  But I was not expecting books, food, kitchen utensils and such all over the floor.  Is this mess the result of one of you, Cabbert or Mila, conducting a search?  Or other Glassblades perhaps?"

Carina starts poking around the mess.  As she hunches over, it becomes clear that her weapon of choice is a warhammer, heavy for her slight frame.

"Or maybe Urgon simply no longer cared for cleanliness once he knew he was dying?"

Fro also finds the mess discomforting.  It is not likely that a person into antiques, relics and lost lore would be disorganized.  She looks around the room, the trash on The floor, and at the belongings thrown everywhere.

Perception 11

Investigation 8

Carina's Perception, poking around the mess:  18