Boona begins trundling off toward the orchard with Jurgen tucked absently under one arm......

Bryony's face pales when she sees Narth and his backwards legs. She watches him lead the now quiet Daisy away. 

"I don't think I have any new appendages or eyes or anything like that," Bryony reports, feeling extremely relieved that, for now at least, she seems to have been spared the town's strange curse. "We need to put a stop to this though. People are suffering. Poor Daisy is suffering."

Bryony jogs alongside Boona. "What do you mean you can't touch silver? Does it hurt you or something, Boona?"

Jurgen, after being swept up, finds the experience not terrible ;-)

Quinn will follow the crew. He'll take up the rear and keep an eye out for anything lurking about. Every so often he'll kneel down and investigate disturbances in the ground or any tracks in hopes of identifying anything that's out of the ordinary. Survival: 16 OR Perception: 13

If the terrain is mostly open with clear sight-lines, he'll arm his longbow otherwise he'll keep his shield and Lightbringer at the ready.

The party soon finds themselves approaching an apple orchard next to a tidy cottage. The orchard is clearly ancient; some of it has been abandoned and grows wild with vines, tall grass, and long-downed trees. Other parts of it have been cleared and are obviously tended. An old drow is fixing a tool in a clearing next to the cottage. Bryony knows him only by name and reputation – Daran Edermath, a retired and somewhat reclusive drow adventurer. He came to Phandalin just a few years ago, although Bryony recalls hearing that he may have originally been from the area. He looks at you with curiosity and suspicion. "Yes?" he calls, setting down his tools. Quinn sees that a cow evidently passed through here recently, although there is no livestock present at the moment.

Quote from owlbear89 >>

Bryony's face pales when she sees Narth and his backwards legs. She watches him lead the now quiet Daisy away. 

"I don't think I have any new appendages or eyes or anything like that," Bryony reports, feeling extremely relieved that, for now at least, she seems to have been spared the town's strange curse. "We need to put a stop to this though. People are suffering. Poor Daisy is suffering."

Bryony jogs alongside Boona. "What do you mean you can't touch silver? Does it hurt you or something, Boona?"

Boona frowned, " Don't know.....voice said is poison.....but I know voice lie before.....but maybe not lie this time?"

" Don't know where voice come from....not have before....", she said sadly.

Fergus:

”Greetings, are you the owner of this orchard?  We saw a green glow coming from it last night and think it might be connected to the bizarre effects being experienced by the townsfolk—we are hoping to help.  Have you seen or heard anything that might be relevant?” asks Fergus politely.

Persuasion if needed:  30

Quinn listens to Boona and he asks her a question. 

"Boona, did you first hear these voices at Zorzula's Rest? Or have they always been with you?"

Quinn fishes out a few silver pieces from his pouch.

"Boona, can we conduct a little experiment? Here, take these silver coins. Hold them and tell me if you feel any different. Don't worry, I can help heal you if anything goes wrong, but I have a hunch that you won't be needing my healing." 

Quote from richgonehiking >>

Quinn listens to Boona and he asks her a question. 

"Boona, did you first hear these voices at Zorzula's Rest? Or have they always been with you?"

Quinn fishes out a few silver pieces from his pouch.

"Boona, can we conduct a little experiment? Here, take these silver coins. Hold them and tell me if you feel any different. Don't worry, I can help heal you if anything goes wrong, but I have a hunch that you won't be needing my healing." 

Boona held out her hand obediently....Quinn was her friend, Quinn wouldn't hurt Boona.....

" Uh.......voice come when we have jar......near door.....not remember place name."

"Interesting. Have you heard the voice since we left?" 

Quinn drops a few silver pieces in Boona's hand to see if she's cursed in some way.

Quote from richgonehiking >>

"Interesting. Have you heard the voice since we left?" 

Quinn drops a few silver pieces in Boona's hand to see if she's cursed in some way.

" Yes, voice say boys are fish.....near hole.....that was second lie."

Boona finds she is able to gingerly hold Quinn's silver pieces in her hand without suffering any pain or evident harm.

The old drow sizes you up, and seems satisfied. He nods and smiles slightly. "Adventurers. I was an adventurer once."

Then he responds to Fergus' questions. "Yep, two nights ago those strange goblins camped in the fields north of here. I didn't realize at the time they were kidnappers as well as loafers. You probably heard there's a lot of folks missing now. But whatever they had with them besides our people, it must have mutated all the vegetation where they camped. I burned the area just a couple hours ago, at dawn – killed anything that didn't seem right, I turned to ashes. But Narth's damn cow – the one that he always seems to lose - she was evidently eating clover there last night. Clearly infected her with some disturbing malady."

"There's nothing left to see – I burned it all. You're welcome to look. But these maladies, they're infecting the whole region. People ain't right. The town ain't right."

"Personally, I think whatever it is came out of the mountains to the northeast. Prospectors been telling me that someone has been digging in the ruins at the Old Owl Well, up Triboar Trail, south of Conyberry. Couple of days’ march. Some told me they were chased out of the area by foul undead. The ruins are an old watchtower of an ancient magical empire known as Netheril. I wonder. I wonder what dangerous magic might've been dormant there. Just a hunch. Maybe these goblins came from elsewhere, but it's the only theory I got. If you're looking for adventure, maybe you oughta check it out."

Fergus:

“We have a map we found in the lair of some of the goblins,” Fergus replies (not sure who has it).  “Let us compare notes, but I think all our indications are pointing in the same direction,” he adds.

”Thank you for your actions in burning the corrupted flora,” adds Fergus to the farmer, “that will hopefully preclude any additional unfortunate incidents like the vomiting cow.”

”But how do we heal the damage already done to the town by this exposure?” he wonders aloud, “I suppose we can hope that tracking it down to its source and destroying it will help.”

Jorzu 

"Seems you're adventuring days serve you well. The map lists all three locations as being north-east of Phandalin" Jorzu pipes in as the map is brought forward. "Do you know of a river that starts somewhere up in that direction?"

"Ah, maps! I'm quite fond of cartography..."  

Combining your knowledge, Daran is able to identify a precise location for Talhundereth, and put the Old Owl Well on your growing map as well. He seems quite knowledgeable of the geography of the region.

Quinn smiles at Boona. 

“See. The silver didn’t hurt you. I wouldn’t pay no mind to the voice.” Quinn reaches up and pats her on the shoulder before heading off to check in with the drow.  

Quinn respectfully addresses the drow.

”Well met. My name is Quinn. Have we met? You look familiar. Perhaps we crossed paths on one of my layovers in Phandalin.

Nevertheless, you did well clearing out the orchard. You mentioned you used fire. Did the abominations seem particularly vulnerable to fire?”

”

Boona looked down at the silver, " Stupid voice. Lie three times. Boona never believe you."

" Triboar Trail? We go now?"