The governor listens very carefully to your words keeping eye contact as if studying the person talking to him. When Swan shows him the signet he looks at it with surprise but then again smiles bitterly. "Let's hope that this time the mighty lords will have a common goal..." When Swan looks at him he just shakes his head "No, please excuse my words, miss Alexander. It looks like you know much more then I do this time, and I am grateful to have The Lord's emissary on our side, but that doesn't help us in the tiniest way... Not YET at least."

He takes a look at blue haired and blue skinned Cerau and white-haired Sabynn, who remain silent but then turns his eyes to Tyto, who from ordinary looking commoner turns to his true form.

"My gods..." he gasps and looks slightly scarred to his guard who just stands with his mouth open wide. The guard looks at the governor. "Well... " he begins slowly "...what do you know, the old MacGuffin was in did telling the truth..." he speaks quietly.

"What do you mean?" Asks the governor.

"Well, do you remember the old hunter who lived in the shack by the stream?" The governor simply nods keeping his eyes on Tyto and the guard continues. "Every time he got drunk he told one of his stories nobody believed in... One was about a giant who talked with animals and trees, and they listened to him." He takes a deep breath and points with a finger to Tyto giving the governor impression he thinks it's about him. "Nobody took him serious... but if this is the truth, then believe me, the rest may be true too..."

The governor got together much quicker and took a step towards Tyto. "Well, whichever gods are looking on us now, I owe them my thanks for bringing you here..." he pauses for a moment looking down on his injured hand. "I would love to shake yours, but..." he smiles sadly and puts his left on Tyto's arm.

For a moment he stays silent, but moments later he speaks. "For us it has started a few days ago. We had few newcomers to the city who stayed in the inn - Nothing out of the ordinary, as we are on the trail of most caravans and that brings us pretty coin every year. It's not uncommon for the travelers to rest for couple of days before they move on, but this afternoon, one of them - a half elf named Leosin I think, came to me and told me to prepare for an attack." he looks at you carefully as if judging your reaction "He hasn't told me anything else, but promised his words are true and Greenest is next - whatever that meant. I didn't give his words much credit but with time I got anxious and I have ordered to notify everyone and order them back to the keep - this half-elf too, but he was nowhere to be found. Apparently he had more information he was willing to share or he come to some conclusions... I don't know. But this is the moment you may help. Would you like to take a walk through Greenest and get me some information?" he looks at you with a mischievous grin.

Sabyn:

You notice the people backing of from the dragon. A moment later there is a figure coming closer to the beast and for the duration of the governor's speech, they are talking too but then the dragon spreads his wings to the side and slowly goes in the air...

Sabynn is relieved the firbolg is not treated as a hostile eventhough entering the keep in disguise, and she is glad to have the gentle giant with them. She listens to the governors recount and request, glancing briefly at Swan before speaking. "I can go out and look for this Leosin if you could tell me what he looks like. I could also try to bring back a prisoner for you to interrogate about the plans of this dragon and it's cult, provided of course that you have a way to let me out without endangering the people inside the keep." She says, then looking around at the others, then looking back to where the dragon is at, still ready to warn the others if it comes this way.

“I understand.” Swan says. She replaces the signet ring back in her pocket inside the armor, and agrees with Swan on her course of action. "If there is a way to help, we should take it. Sabynn, I think your plan is a good one. We need to gather as much information as we can about this cult and their plans."

She turns her attention back to the governor, her eyes meeting his. "Do you have any suggestions for how we might leave the keep without drawing too much attention to ourselves? We don't want to put anyone in danger." Swan pauses, considering their options. "Perhaps there is a secret passage or some other way out that we could use?"

"Well... this is almost what I had intended to ask you for..." The governor looks at Sabynn "...and yes, there IS a way out of the Keep other than the gate itself, unless you'd like to get some ropes and go down the walls?"

"And pray to your god they don't have good archers..." says the guard in the back. 

"Yes... We have a way out that goes under the keep and the tunnel exit is by the stream, so you could use it to get in and out quietly, but it wasn't used for a very long time..." the governor puts his left hand to his chin. "This Leosin was about this tall.." he shows you a rough height with his hand "Dark brown hair, a goatee, pointy ears... A half elf as I have said before. Bring him in if you find him. I want to know what is going on in this town and what do they want from us!" He gets angry with every word but then he takes a deep breath. 

"If he is dead... then perhaps a commander? They need to have somebody who gives orders but use your judgement. There is no point in getting killed. A sergeant is likely to know as much as the captain but you can get one easier..." He turns his head towards the guard. "Take them down to Escobert and ask him to get them the key to the tunnel, unless you have any questions I could answer for you?" he turns to you.

As the governor looked down at his hand, Tyto followed his gaze. He could see that it was badly injured and would likely never fully recover. "Allow me to heal your injuries" Tyto said and took the injured hand into his own without waiting for permission.

Tyto casts Cure Wounds and heals 12 points of damage. He holds the governor's hand in between his own hands, while chanting foreign words (OOC: Druidic) in a low voice. You can see a faint green glow shine through his fingers.

When he was done, he stepped back, only to pause hesitantly for a second, and then add, addressed to the guard "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed. Your old MacGuffin knows that - perhaps he is wiser than you give him credit for"

Sabynn smiles shyly as Swan agrees to her plan. She hoped the others would come too of course but she didn't dare to speak for any of them, they all knew the dangers awaiting them outside the keep and she couldn't argue with those considering going out again to be madness. "Then show us this secret tunnel." The white-haired elven maiden says firmly, ready to once more head out into the fray.

Cerau tucks the necklace back into her drawstring pocket and looks to the guard, waiting for him to show the group the way. While she appears about to follow, anyone whose gaze lingered on her would notice an air of distraction.

Cerau had formerly been bright, friendly and willing to help and though she moves to follow the guard. She hasn’t spoken and her hands shake slightly. She smiles weakly at Tyto, grateful that though Narr had drifted from the group when they entered the keep, she was not the only healer.

Wiri, in her typically reserved fashion, listens to the discussion and planning to investigate the village. The feeling of "standing out" can be, at times, overwhelming to her, prompting the half-drow to keep to the back and let others do the talking. She summons her mage hand to put her hair back into a fairly complex knot, while she leans on her staff and focuses on the task at hand. 

As the governor details the job of brining back a prisoner, Wiri nods and shifts her weight. In spite of her lithe, dexterous build, she lacks the strength of some of her more muscle-y companions. 

Tyto:

When you take the governors hand you can feel the magic flowing through your feet, body and hands to the wounds closing them.

"T... thank you..." the governor speaks taking his bandages from his arm. You can see the wounds closed but a scar from burns remains. When he takes the bandages off his face, you can see a long scar on his cheek. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I wasn't in any danger..." he pauses for a moment "...but thank you." he says stretching his fingers.

The guard showed you a way down. When you have reached the courtyard, he asked you to wait a moment, looked around in search of his commander and went into one of the buildings besides the Keep's walls. 

A moment later you can see him walking with red haired dwarf. He is surprised to see a completely different character with you but the guard whispers something to his ear. "I was told you are to be our scouting party, aye?" he looks at you with a slight grin. "Well, you will stand out a bit... especially those white hair of yours..." he looks at Sabynn and Wiri. He thinks for a moment and turns to the guard. "Check if you can find a few storm cloaks somewhere."

"Aye, sir." the guard says and goes back into the barracks.

In the mean time, you can see some townsfolk are taking some barrels out of the cellars. "We are clearing the path for you" says Escobert. 

As you have a moment for yourself, to either drop some gear or to resupply something as for example arrows are available, the guard returns with some boy carrying a few sturdy looking hooded cloaks. All are very dark gray and quite stiff, but easily can cover a grown man in armor.

"We use those in case of heavy rains..." Escobert smiles "...these may be less noticeable than those dresses... So if you want, help yourself." 

The white-haired elven maiden says nothing but nods and helps herself to a fairly uncomfortable cloak and some human made arrows, then shyly looking around at the others, ready to move out.

Swan nods appreciatively at Escobert's suggestion and takes one of the dark gray cloaks, slipping it on over her armor. The sturdy material settling comfortably over her shoulders, and she finds it does indeed help to conceal her silhouette, making her less noticeable in the darkness. “Thank you Escobert,” She says to the dwarf, “We’ll make sure to return safely and complete the mission.”

She takes a moment to check her shield and spear, making a silent vow to defend the people of Greenest, and prepares to move out.

Cerau forces a smile as she follows Swan and Sabynn down the stairs again. Those two are strong of will - something we will need if we are to help these people. When all seems new uncertain, kindness and companionship will help us through. Acting on her own thoughts, she turns her head to Wiri as they descend the stairs, "You're hair looks very beautiful like that. I know we're heading out into danger and the compliment may seem trivial, but it does look beautiful."

As the others prepare themselves to leave, Cerau will pull her own midnight blue cloak up over her head. The thin material held surprisingly well against the wind; it wasn't as dark or as heavy as the ones offered by the dwarven leader but she didn't like to be weighed down. As she sets the cloak into place, she will transfer her Vigilant Blessing onto herself, giving herself a small edge in case they run into danger. She will also move her mace from her back to her belt, so that it is more accessible to her when they're out.

[OCC: spoiler with feature details]

Wiri accepts a cloak and pulls it over her head, thanking the dwarf providing it. It's much duller than her clothing, so she hopes it'll help her blend. The sounds, both inside and outside the keep, seem to be constantly on the back of her neck, and she visibly shakes or winces whenever there is a sudden, loud noise. Closing her eyes for a moment, she makes a gesture of prayer with her hand before turning to follow the others. She stops as Cerau compliments her hair. She smiles at the Genasi, a genuine smile that lights up her whole face.

"Thank you for your kindness, Cerau. I appreciate it and never take kind words as trivialities. It's what separates us from these forces of evil," she says, waving a hand in the general area of the village beyond the walls.

"Perhaps we should stick together, you and I?" she asks Cerau, a slight apprehension in her expression. She gestures to the Genasi's mace. "I'm dead useless with weapons like those, but I can watch your back with spellcraft?"

Tyto takes one of the cloaks into his large hands and musters it. He lifts the cloak up a bit towards his torso with a half-embarassed look on his face.

"I'm sorry to be a bother but do you think you have something that's more in my size? When I'm out in nature I can blend in, but here I might... stand out a bit."

Escobert looks way up at Tyto's face... "Well..." he scratches his red haired head for a moment "...we could give you a horse coat if you don't mind" he says finally. The guard went to the stables on the left side of the gate and after a moment he came back with a similar looking coat but way bigger - a regular sized person could use it as an improvised tent, but it covers your whole body and has a large hood to cover your head. It also has a strong smell of a horse.

While you were getting ready one of the workers who was taking out barrels and boxes from the cellar came to the dwarf. "We're done!"

"Good..." Said Escobert "...Follow me". he came to the cellar and with quite steep stairs he came down to a cool room, now filled with dome boxes and stuff next to the walls. Most likely it was used as a storage before. on one of the walls there are wooden door with thick strips of metal bars reinforcing them and a huge bar that binds them with the wall (currently taken off and put against the wall.

"We haven't used this since... well, never." He takes a huge key ring from his belt and takes off one, old looking key. "This one is for the gate at the end of the tunnel" he gives it to a willing person and he puts another key in the lock of the door and tries to turn it couple of times. Finally, you can hear a loud grind of the lock and the door can be opened with a ear hurting creak. "This needs oil" he mutters. Behind the door you can see a tunnel made with heavy stone. A lonely rat runs away on one of the banks. The tunnel is about 6 feet high but just by the door, it has small pool filled currently with semi dry mud that will let even Tyto to stand straight.

"This was intended as an emergency water supply to the Keep in case of a siege..." he frowns. "Looks like we forgot about it... Anyway, it will end by the stream and from that , you are on your own. I will leave one man here with the door locked, so once you are back knock like that..." he knocks three times, small pause, two times, pause again and one knock. "That way we will know it is you. Knock any other way, and we will know it's the enemies..."

 When you enter the tunnel, you can smell the moisture and rotting plants. The door are slowly closed behind you. "Come back safely" says Escobert just before the door are closed.

Cerau beams at Wiri, her eyes sparkling with flecks of starlight. "I would love that," she says as she takes the the half elf's hand for a moment. "It's good to have a friend and I'm here to help you too." She watches as Escobert offers Tyto the horses coat, I don't think I would enjoy wearing that but he doesn't strike me as the type of person to mind.

"Thank you for your help Escobert. We will do what we can." She says calmly as she takes the key from the dwarf, very aware that she was momentarily flustered when she was introduced. As the door closes behind them, she addresses the party. "It's dark down here, I can help with that." She raises her above her head and a darkness spreads from her fingertips - the opposite of a flash of light as in an instant, even the smallest traces of light are snuffed out. But as the darkness retreats back into the young air genasi woman, and everyone's vision readjusts they will be able to see much further in the darkness than before - even those who had previously been able to make out some details in the dark.

[OCC: Cerau has shared darkvision with the four other party members - any darkvision they previously had is extended to 300ft for an hour - if they're willing to accept it]

Swan takes a deep breath as she steps into the dark tunnel, the cool air sending shivers down her spine. She's grateful for Cerau's ability to share darkvision, as the darkness would have made it difficult for her to navigate otherwise. She looks around at the others, making sure everyone is okay before proceeding further into the tunnel. "Thank you, Cerau," Swan says softly. "That's going to be really helpful." She pauses for a moment, trying to get a sense of the tunnel's layout. 

As they walk, she keeps an eye out for any signs of danger - traps, hidden enemies, anything that might pose a threat. "Stay alert, everyone," she says, her voice still low. "We don't know what's ahead. Let's move quietly but quickly."

Perception: 23 

Noticing her ability to see in the dark drastically improving, the white-haired elven maiden smiles warmly and nods to Cerau, then quietly following the others through the tunnel, keeping an eye out for threats.

Stealth: 7
Perception: 17

Tyto takes the coat from the guard and inspects it. It does strongly smell like horse, just as Escobert had mentioned. Then again, Tyto himself had a rather strong, musty scent which was in no way better or worse than this smell. "This is... perfect! Thank you"

After Cerau cast her spell, Tyto turns around to her with a look of appreciation, before stepping into the tunnel. He tries to follow Swan without making too much noise in this artificial, echoing environment to which he is not accustomed.

The tunnel is fairly leveled, in a typical round shape. The bottom at the beginning is fairly clean and old stones are felt under your feet, however with every yard you pass, more and more leaves and debris is visible. After about 40 yards you can see a gate at the end of the tunnel. At this time, you cannot feel the stones but you walk on a solid surface of dead leaves, new grass and animal droppings as some of the critters run away from you. Thanks to darkvision, you manage to avoid most of the spiderwebs however those you missed, are taken off by Tyto trying to squeeze through the tunnel.

The gate is very sturdy. and covers the whole tunnel. The lock is in the middle of the door and behind the gate you can see the stream. Old plants and debris have created a natural dam  that blocks the water from entering the tunnel.

The door are locked and the bottom part of them is buried by the dead plants so some cleaning may also be needed.

OOC - sorry for the delay. Month end closing is over so I'm back on my schedule :)