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The arrow sinks deep into the snake's neck but it does not kill it.
It hisses and launches at Eddie, the source of its pain.
Hit: 5
Damage, if hits: 6

 It misses Eddie.
Kae and Zal may act.

Mo: Re-position so that he's on the right-side of the snake.
Ac: Zalosultuvan Yklwa vs Giant Snake - Attack: 19 Damage: 4 piercing.
On a successful hit, Zal burns a use of Favored Foe to deal an additional 2 Piercing damage.

Unable to find the words for an incantation in time, Zalos grits his teeth, and begun circling around the snake to keep its attention divided between himself and others. "Sorry limbless king." He whispered to himself, tightened his grip, then in the exact moment he sensed the beast's attention turn to others, the ranger lunged for the neck with the weapon. A precision strike, or so he measured, that might take it out the fight.

Kae follows Zalos's lead, sprinting to the other side of the snake to split its attention. "Wait, which part of the snake you do have to cut off again? Eh, whatever." She pulls her pocket knives off of her belt and swings them both at the snake, one after the other. She doesn't aim for any part of the snake in particular.

MOVEMENT: To the left side of the snake, flanking with Zalos
ACTION: Attack the snake with a pocket knife (dagger): 18 (14 + 4) to hit, 3 (1 + 2) piercing damage
BONUS ACTION: Bonus attack the snake with another pocket knife: 23 (19 + 4) to hit, 3 piercing damage

Zal then Kae both strike the snake. The large body withers and wiggles for a couple of seconds then stops moving altogether.
As fast as it has started, combat is over.

A voice yells out from behind you:
"WHAT HAVE YOU PEOPLE DONE?!"
You turn to see Earl standing on the edge of the hole. His face shows shock and horror as he looks at you.
He drops a bucket and a large glob of liquid is jarred out onto the ground.

"We've defended ourselves from this creature which attacked us. CC was drawn to this cave and upon our arrival this giant serpent burst forth from the ground and attacked me. Fortunately I was able to dodge out of the way so I was not harmed and I reflexively fired my bow at the threat which seemed to enrage the beast further. We had no choice but to remove the threat to our safety"

(If you need rolls Eddie's Deception is a:22 and his Persuasion is a:10)

Kae seems somewhat paralyzed by the confrontation. She's not really moving or saying much, but she is nodding her head along vigorously to everything that Eddie's saying.

Help, to give Eddie advantage on Deception or Persuasion.

Tears stream down Earl's face for a few moments but abruptly that face of grief turns to rage.
"Get off my property!" he says angrily. "Do not return, your services are not needed. I will be calling the sheriff in this matter. LEAVE!"

Although shocked initially at the shouting, Zal soon narrowed his eyes at the gnome. But in spite looking ready to explode himself, he took a breath, nodded once, and then after letting out a sharp whistle to recall CC back to his side, he picked her up and made for the rope. "C'mon. Best to scram for now. We got enough crap on our plate than to get tangled up with a Sheriff probably on the take." He says bitterly as he made his ascent, and without looking back, carried on his way.

Eddie follows Zal out of the cave and back towards the car.

Without being able to look at Earl, Kae squeaks out a tiny "sorry," then barely manages to regain control of her limbs to follow the boys. She laboriously takes the rope back up the cliff, detaching it and putting it in her pack once she finishes. Each step she takes on the trail back to the car is weighted down by both heavy armor and guilt.

If his last bit of commentary hadn't resulted in the gnome revealing something he perhaps shouldn't or wouldn't under normal circumstances, then Zal doesn't let much distract himon the trip back to the car. In fact, some of the vitriol that found its way into his system quickly evaporated as he took on a more ponderous veneer along the way. Even as unfocused as he was, sensing if not having saw the state of his fellows on the way back, Zal waits until the group is back at the car, before holding out a hand to Kae, offering in the gesture to drive the rest of the way to the Orchard. But if she insists, or if Eddie snatches up the opportunity for himself for whatever reason, the Park Ranger shrugged it off before slipping into the vehicle one way or another.

"Kae, I... This probably isn't the best time-" Zal starts to say only a few minutes into the drive. "But the thing you took that changed you... it was one of the concoctions you handed off to the gnomes, yea?" He asks, and upon receiving an answer(or lack thereof), he frowned and tapped his chin a couple of times. "Well, don't let yourselves get down too much. Fond as he might've look, the stuff in that bucket he had with him didn't look like no medicine, let alone feed for a pet of that kind. Tack on the lack of warning signs in the area, and the way that enclosure was built -- MmMn! Something warped was going on there. Can feel it in my jellies -- But! ... But, we got a bit more pressing concerns to follow up. Ya dig?" He asks the pair. 

Kae absolutely does not give the car keys to Zalos. "I kinda need to drive a bit right now, Zal." Once they're on the road, though, and she starts to feel more comfortable, she listens to Zal's theorizing. "The potion I chugged that made me all elf-y wasn't one of the three I gave to them. Might have been the same kind, though, I dunno. And I guess the whole serpent hole thing was slightly strange. The brothers seemed to have good intentions, but who am I to argue with your jellies? If you think there's something there, I guess we could go poke around. After we finish with the Redbrands."

Eddie takes a look around to make sure the gnomes aren't following his friends and that no one else is in earshot before saying, "I'm happy to go back for a poke around. I probably shouldn't have taken that shot but the thing popped out of the ground like he was bouncing on a space hopper.  Sorry guys, that one's on me."

The door on the old vehicle makes a screeching sound as the party opens it and climbs in. 
With a couple of deft maneuvers, Kae is able to get the car turned around and back down the driveway. 
You pass an angry-looking Earl peeking over the fence as you drive past. 
He says nothing but if looks could kill....
You make it back to the main road and turn left.
Your trip lasts for about 17 minutes when you come upon a large sign Eldermath Orchard on the right side of the road.
To the right of the sign is another driveway. This one has two lanes and is paved. Though paved, this driveway has the same twists and turns you have come to expect on the back roads in these rolling hills. 
You crest a large hill to see a well-maintained valley with rows and rows of fruit trees. People running about in the orchard, climbing ladders, and a few tractors spot the paths between the trees. 
At the heart of this place is a large plantation-style house with a much larger building to the right of it. 
The road is smooth and easy to navigate but Kae still has to move over to the right to let a semi & trailer exiting the orchard pass.
You come to park in a small parking lot directly in front of the house and get out. 
A sidewalk leads to a set of steps, a porch, and the main door.
The "Eldermath Orchard" sign hangs overhead.
You spot an emblem in the lower left corner of the sign. Its a gauntlet making a fist with the tip of the fist pointing up. 
The door opens and out walks Pedro. He seems very excited to see you.
"My friends," he says to you. "I am so happy you came."
With that, he opens the door and motions you inside.
Inside you see another elaborate foyer with a spiral staircase to the right and a larger room beyond. 
From the other side of the staircase, an older man, with white hair, wearing a white shirt with a yellow vest over it, wheels himself in on an older model wheelchair. His legs and feet are covered in a thick black and brown striped blanket. 
The old man puts out a cigarette on the arm of the chair and wheels himself over to you.
"Daran Eldermath," he tells you as he reaches out to shake everyone's hand. "Pedro says he thinks you could help us with a little problem we seem to be having. Well come in and let's talk about it."
He spins his wheelchair around quickly and leads you into the parlor, a coffee table surrounded by a couple of sofas and 4 chairs.
"Pedro says you folks helped him out with the Redbrands last night?"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Edlermath. I'm Kaesira." Kae shakes Daran's hand for just a tiny bit too long. "Pedro's right, we kinda got a thing against the Redbrands. Fought a bunch of goblins that they were contracting or something, out in a hideout in the woods. I think Roy mentioned the name Cragmaw. If the little problem that you seem to be having is that they're pissing you off and whatnot, we're right there with you. So, what have they been doing? Stealing crop? Taking packages? Demanding tribute? General assholish actions? It doesn't seem like there's much they're above doing."

If Zal was a lesser man, he might've flipped Earl off for good measure. Because while Eddie's story had been fabricated, the fact that if it had been true, and CC's life had been endangered for the gnome's negligence and possible illegal activity...

Needless to say, he already had a list in mind of people to 'take care of', and the grieving gnome might've found his way there. Such ill feelings aside however, when it came to Eddie accepting fault for the incident, Zal reaches over and pats him on the shoulder, then says, "It's not your fault. While you might've riled it up, things could've gone far worse had you hesitated at all. Remember that." On that note, Zal leaned back in his seat and aimed to sit in relative silence for the remainder of the trip, wandering his mind palace with the goal of sorting out the now two cases of prominent concern.

Upon seeing Pedro after they arrive at the Orchard Zal's eyes actually go wide in surprise in seeing the older man. Immediately afterwards, he tries to give the man a quick once over, and in seeing no prominent injuries to speak of, silently resolved to grill the man later. For the time being, he let Kae and Eddie handle the talking after shaking Daran's hand, and invites himself to one of the seats, leaving CC to sit or roam about within eyeshot at the very least.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Kaesira." the older man as he gently takes your hand and shakes it lightly. "Please have a seat." and he motions to the sofa near him.
He looks to Eddie and Zal and furrows his brow slightly then turns his attention back to Kae.
"No Miss Kae," he tells her. "Though I'd love to see these Redbrands take a thumping or three, what we need help with is a place about 12 miles north of the orchard, in the old hill range. There's a place called the Old Owl Well.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see Pedro make the sign of the cross over his body when Daran mentions the Old Owl Well.
"It's a common well for a few prospectors and other folks and once was a small village but the folks either ran off or died off and a couple of my guys went up there and got spooked. Now I can't spare any folks here, we're all too busy, but I am curious about what's going on. I'll pay you for your time and any information you can bring back to me."

"Oh, right. Not the Redbrands. I gotta stop assuming how people answer questions. Well... heh, 'well,' I didn't even mean to do that. But uh, I think we'd be happy to check out the Old Owl Well if it's got you worried. I mean, it's basically this guy's job..." She points out Zal's shiny park ranger badge. "...and I think Eddie and I going wherever he and Corn Chip go for a bit." Upon reminding herself of CC, she feels obligated to give her a couple head pats. "And anyways we could totally use the money, especially in pursuit of the aforementioned Redbrands. So yeah, sounds good! Is there a road to the well that you could point us towards? Oh, also how much is the payment? You're supposed to ask that before you accept, huh."

Half-Surprised, Zal looks to his chest and grimaces just a little. 'Must've put it on by habit this morning' He thought, shook his head, and then looked up a tired smirk. "Technically the Old Owl Well might be a bit outside my jurisdiction, doll face. Nevermind me being technically off duty in any case. But that aside..." He looks over to Pedro and Daran. "Color me curious. The boys you sent up there, they uhh...  they ain't explain what spook'em so bad in the first place? Even if its something outlandish, I'd like to hear." The ranger request, leaning a bit more forward in his seat as he did. "Or barring that, might you and yours perhaps know someone in town with a history with the village that used to be about the well?" 

Eddie stays in the background listening to his friends discussing matters with Daran but not taking any steps to take the lead.