Perception: 8

Perception Check: 21

Perception: 10

"So, I understand that Frank is rather one of the shady type, but do you know anything about how Thallan first made contact with those two? And what happened to you in Five Town?"

Nean follows the others with a both amused but also confused look on his face, not quite sure what to make of these strange surroundings.

Franz sends back to Nean,

"I'm not sure how Thallan and Frank came to know each other. I believe Bram just walked into Solacus a few months before I did, and Thallan took a liking to him. Maybe he saw one of Brams performances, I'm not sure. Thallan was a good fellow, looking out for others."

"As for what happened in Five Town, well, my whole family was murdered."

At this, Franz looks downcast and almost overwhelmed with emotion. He quickly recovers himself, trying not to show any weakness.

"My home was five small villages located north-east from New Primetra, along the southern edge of the Darim Peaks mountain range. We joked that as the villages grew, they would merge and form a large town. People started calling it Five Town and the name stuck."

"My farther was one of the pre-eminent leaders of Five Town. Being the most wealthy family and my farther being a benevolent man, he paid to have a militia created to protect Five Town from raids and the like."

"It was the leader of this militia that betrayed my father and had my family murdered. The Bannaford's, one of the rival families, paid this betrayer to kill my family so they could take over our vineyard and claim our fortune for themselves. I was the only one away at the time of the murders. I was with my wizard tutor when I got the word about what had happened. I took all I had with me and fled."

"Of course my father got the last laugh on those treacherous Bannaford's. Our family fortune is secured in a magical vault that only a family member ,with a family signet ring, can open."

There is a bitterness to the last part of the communication.

Continuing to get closer to the settlement, you can start to make out figures, frolicking through the paths, and sitting in branches while playing music. It's hard to make out many details, but Nodrus and Liafial, you both realize that they seem to have animal like legs despite their humanoid form. Ospos, you attention shifts closer to you, as you notice a small, hunched form shift in the gloom beneath a large tree, about 50 feet ahead of the group. Focusing your eyes, you can see claws, and gleaming insect-like eyes.

Ospos begins to play along on his drum to the music that can be heard, to drown out his own words to the party, "Everyone alert now.  There's a clawed creature hiding in the shadows of that tree 50 feet ahead of us."

Taking a stance ready for ambush, Nodrus stays close to the front of the party, looking around the area for any further disturbances, "This place gets weirder by the second, stay alert.." 

"As long as it isn't a worm!" Dril whispers, rubbing a lump on his head.

Franz snaps out of his internal dialogue with Nean, at Opsus' warning.

"What?!"

Franz looks back and forth, before moving towards the back of the group.

"Why couldn't they have been normal people?"

Franz lets out a sigh.

In agreement with Franz, Nean interrupts the conversation, on the cusp of answering, and turns back to the group. He loweres his voice to a whisper. "While we should definitely be carefull, let us try not to immediatly fight. We're in unknown territory and it would be best for us to gather some information." He withstands the impulse to summon his blades.

The creature notices you all as you approach, and it jumps up, charging towards you. As it comes into the soft orange light, you can see it is a small insect-like creature, about the size of Ospos or Dril. It screeches and its claws snap towards you as it strains against... chain. Your eyes trace back to the tree and see that the creature is affixed to the tree it was sitting under.

Everyone give me a DC 11 Wis save. If you fail, you are frightened and immediately run away from the creature.

Wis save: 1

(Doesn't quite cut it, haha)

Clermar crashes through the brush in the direction they came from, running like his life depends on it.

Wisdom save: 9

Franz lets out a yelp and joins Clermar running back they way the group has travelled.

"eehhhaahh! Don't let that thing get we!"

Ospos has advantage on saves vs. being frightened.

WIS save: 13

WIS save: 3

(oh wow. please dont be too cruel haha)

Wisdom Save: 14

Half the party goes running, fleeing helter-skelter back in the direction of the clearing. The remaining members are confused, as the creature seems mostly harmless as it strains against its bindings. Behind the creature, they see one of the figures from the town approaching. He appears to be mostly hunan looking, about the size of a dwarf. His legs are goat-like, and he sports a pair of small horns from his head. He’s also mostly naked, wearing only a colorful blue vest which hangs open reveaing a hairy chest and several gold chain necklaces. “Oi! ‘Ello there, what’s your business?”

Ospos attempts to look nonchalant while speaking to a creature with goat legs, "Hail!  We are travelers, and very lost."

"What this one said". Nodrus shouts over whilst gesturing in Ospos' direction, lowering his Greataxe to the side.

"Clearly! Welcome ta Amaranth. Sorry bout tha meenlock 'ere. Just a security measure, dangerous these woods are!" About this time, the magically induced fear fades from those of you who had been sent fleeing. You come to your senses and turn to see the others talking to someone. "I'm Finch by tha way. Come, come now, you're just in time for happy hour!" Without waiting for you, Finch runs off back towards the village.