The overseer hears Volneers words and gleans with excitement: "Oh goody! I do love an official recognition. Volneer is it? What say you then, the name of your company? What shall we call you, who hastily dives into underground danger and unabashedly throw caution to the wind?"

Larkas Gentry can be seen rolling his eyes before bowing his head and grasping at his face, seemingly wanting to claw his face off with one long and drawn drag of his hand.

Sabina looks over at Volneer. "I had no idea the group had a name!" she says, now watching with curiosity as to what it might be. 

Under his breath, Volneer mutters, "Neither did I." Out loud, he says, "The Instigators. We seek trouble so that it can't seek us."

"Ahahahaha!" A loud burst of laughter erupts from the Guildmaster, one that would rival Kneecap. "Very fitting. C'mere, let me mark your maps with each area of interest. all of these places have been scouted out by the guild some time or another, but have been more or less untouched. You may want to chat with the locals about any rumors or tips they may have regarding these locations." 

"Interesting," Sabina says as she glances at the places marked on the map. "And this doesn't include the place we investigated?  I wonder where we should start?  I guess we see if there are folks in Westhaven here that might have information about the areas?"  She steps back so others can look. "Maybe tonight we ask around the tavern?  Or is it too late for that?"

Dorn steps forward: "It seems  that the path through the south forest  shows the trail we took to the sunken temple. the south marker, in the forest-- I believe that's our temple." He glances over at The guild master, who gives him a stern nod, affirming the location.

"I always vote for the water! Sure its a river and not an Ocean, but that's my vote. If we be voting. If not, then anyone of them is fine" the dwarf adds.

"Oh, so it is," Sabina says with a nod as Dorn explains the spot that was already visited. "I am fine Kneecap with trying the spot by the river first. It would let us hit the two locations to the south of Westhavin before we explore the others more to the north. Though shouldn't we see if anyone in town has more information?"    She pauses a moment, "Although I guess only Guild members would have been outside of town.  Perhaps is there a way to find a few guild members to chat with. Anyone that might have been in these areas?"  She turns again to look at the guild master, to see what he might say.

Calim has been noticeably quiet, observing the exchange and finding a rhythm to his breath that projects calm.  As much as possible, he presents a flat affect with twinge of curiosity.  It is only nearing the end of the back and forth that he starts to make favorable nods.  In agreement to join the guild, a slight and favorable nod.  In agreement with Volneer being the de facto leader, an affable smile and small nod.  In agreement with the idea of choosing a new location to explore, a slow exhale and nod.  He tries to not reveal his frustration with the bureaucracy and posturing of all of this.  He barely remembers the days before his troupe had built a sturdy reputation.  This suspicion and equivocating is tiresome to him.

He imagines scurrying cultists being given an extra 24 hours to prepare.  He imagines the fortifications and traps they were able to fashion while they were posturing and bloviating.  He also is still suspicious of the political overtones purported by the guildmaster and overseers.  Something else is happening here.  He is sure of it.  A fleeting image of a messenger sent from this very chamber to alert a faceless threat sends a shiver down his spine.

Yet, he still smiles a tepid and droll smile.  When the guild credentials are passed his way, he pockets them.  When the team agrees to the tavern as a meeting place, he nods.  When the notion of the river first is proffered, he nods in agreement.  Quiet and contemplative, Calim embarks back to his quarters.

But first, a stop off to purchase a few supplies.

The moment Volneer leaves the room, the smile drops from his face like water off a ducks back. His fists are shaking, and his face is red. He takes a few deep breaths and calms down, before hissing through his teeth a few choice words. After a minute or two, he seems calm again. He begins to laugh, and laugh hard, as he thinks about what the guildmaster had said, "Only the guild roams the Norean wild." He thinks about how the overseer had turned out to be quite amiable, and how much worse the guidmaster was. As he thinks along these lines, his mood seems to grow lighter, and by the time they reach the Tavern/Smithy (I'm not sure which one we're heading to) He's in a good mood. 

If we headed to the tavern:

Volneer walks in and settles down, ordering a round for the company. As he has a drink, his eyes roam the tavern, looking for anyone who seems to be gossiping, telling stories, and if he finds them, he will head over to them and offer to buy them a drink. He will start to tell some stories that he's heard about the savages and what they did, and if that doesn't work he will switch tactics to stories about ghouls and cults. [I'm not sure what to roll for this.]

If we headed to the Smithy:

Volneer sits down with a smile and let's out a sigh. "Well, it turned out for the better, but I still wanted to burn them when they tried to arrest us. As for the guild being the only one to explore, well that's simply not true. But I won't say no to 5gp a day!" He pulls out a bit of hard tack and a glass of water, flavors them to taste like steak and fine wine, and begins to eat. 

"We'll I guess we are done here then?" he says standing and reaches out a hand to Dorn. "Good to see you again" and throws a large wink to Aria.

"I'm about ready for a drink if anyone is interested, that Noriberry was a bit tart."

With that he will nod at the guild people and begin to head out.

Outside the room, he sees Volneer start to shake, and then start to laugh. never hearing the elf laugh this much, it's hard not for Kneecap to join in, so not knowing why, he laughs along with the elf. "HAHAHAHA what a day!"

As everyone prepares to leave, the guild master offers his final note... "Only the guild adventures into the wilds... but it wasn't always that way. Many of the first tradesmen and women here in Westhaven had to gather their materials from the wilds themselves. In addition, most of the merchants, and even a fair of the citizens have worked for the guild, even if only for a few years before they settled into the lives they've made for themselves here. The guildhall, however, is open to you should you want to talk directly to your fellow guild members."

Feel free to chat in OOC about your next moves, if your intention is to leave the party for the evening and go rest at your individual homes or the inn, just let me know that in an OOC sentence below your post letting me know your intentions. I'll keep an eye on OOC to respond to what you all decide to do.

Kneecap looks at Sabina, "Not sure about you, but I've had enough of this guild business for now, thought I'd be cracking undead heads by now" this time, actually managing to keep his voice down. "I'm heading to the tavern, that's where this all started for me, figured, it's as good as a next step. Calim seems distracted, Volneer is either cracking up, or stepping up, either way, I need something stronger then a Noriberry!"

He winks and heads off, humming a tune.

"Stonger than Noriberries it is!" Sabina says. "I'll join you for a bit, though I'll want to get some rest for our journey in the morning."  She is ready to follow Kneecap to the tavern, leaving Calim and Volneer to whatever they wish to do. 

As Callim solemnly makes his exit, he leaves the overseers mansion and walks the 50-70 ft path that leads straight to the ledge of the cliff that overlooks the valley of Westhaven. he can take a moment to ponder, before he begins to head off to see to his intentions, just as the others leave the overseers mansion; they too, are met with the extravagant view of the valley and all of the homes and shops therein.

Making their way around, down the road back to the Mist and Flask, the night grows cold. Here in Westhaven, the days can be blistering hot, while the nights can chill deep into the bones. the warmth of the hearth of the tavern is nice and refreshing upon entering. Volneer promptly heads up to the bar to ask the barkeep for a round of drinks for him and his friends. Looking about the inn and tavern, a warm fire is set and blazing into the left wall, a bar divides the room into two, one side stocked with large barrels of mead and wine, with a service window into a kitchen beyond. On this side of the bar is a row of barstools, two long-tables, and 4-seater tables wrapping around the walls of the room.

The Mist & Flask is bustling at this time of evening, with all kinds of life. there is a packed long-table with a handful of villagers listening to a lively character telling a fantastic story as he waves his hands around in an eccentric fashion. A sweet looking halfling couple sit across from each other on the opposite long table, comically barely able to see over the table at each other as they laugh made make jokes and sip their drinks. A few of the 4-seater tables are occupied, but not all. One of which has a very old and stout dwarf perched up with impeccable posture, appearing to work on some sort of accounting documents. he frequently passing a monocle over one eye as he peers down his large nose toward the small writing in his stacks of papers. on the opposite side, a couple of men dressed in pelts and leathers occupy a 4 seater, their large stature makes the table look small enough to be intended for just them. the smaller of the two, tosses a dagger repeatedly into the air, as they both quietly just warm themselves by the nearby hearth. Across the bar, a fair barmaid rushes orders of food and drink out to the patrons of the Mist & Flask. She's working hard, but seems to be enjoying herself. 

While Volneer goes to fetch drinks, Sabina chooses one of the empty tables to sit down. She tries to catch the attention of the barmaid when she passes near to the table. "Excuse me, but could I interrupt you just a moment? You wouldn't happen to know if any of your patrons here that might know anything about the wilds outside of town? My companions were hoping to learn a bit about the area."  

The entire time Calim has his head down and barely nods a greeting to his neighbors.  Without the glint of his smile and his warm conversation, he distractedly pays 9GP (ROLL 9).  He gathers all his goods and heads back to his room to rebuild his pack, craft some cocktail explosives, incendiaries (carefully mixing the animal fats, mineral shavings and accelerants).  He sets aside a flask's worth of the stout grain too, in case things to really wrong.

Calim briefly entertains a magical alternative to the caustic brew in his pack.  Then, he thinks better of it.  Soren's magic was power....but power is trouble.  Calim prefers the power that he can quantify and measure, he prefers to know the limits of his body and the reach of his blade.  As he corks the final of his vials, he briefly says a prayer over them silently, the only word that he whispers aloud is "Mara."  His deceased wife's name calms him and serves now as a mantra to root him in the now.

Once all is sorted and put away, he feels suddenly lighter.  What is his fourth rule?  Yes, "honor the past, but do not let it rule your present."  With a deep exhale, he heads off to join his new party at the tavern...seeing if there is one last, late nightcap that might be still in them.  Camaraderie matters.  He has their back...he wants them to like him and have his too.

The same song from before drops right from his head to his whistling lips.  He even carefully decided to strut around in his new leathers.  Maybe they would think him whimsical and a dandy.  That made him chuckle.  Maybe he wouldn't mind if they thought of him that way.

As he pulls into the tavern, quite late, he surveys the room for any glimpse of his friends.

If you are in the tavern, you see Calim burst in with a wide grin on his face.  (Performance 20 (19+1))  He seems much lighter than earlier and bouyant in an infectious way.

Quote from Culuril >>

"Excuse me, but could I interrupt you just a moment? You wouldn't happen to know if any of your patrons here that might know anything about the wilds outside of town? My companions were hoping to learn a bit about the area."  

 

 "Uhm, no sorry. Actually I'm pretty new here too. I traveled from Tethyr to live here with my brother, the owner. To be honest, I'm still getting adjusted to this more... frontier-type lifestyle.  but, it's cozy. Aside from the main road from the port, I haven't seen much of Norea, although I would love to hear stories if you've got any. Sorry I can't be of more help..."

After some time in the Mist & Flask, Callim enters and sees his allies at a table just off to the side, sharing in a round of drinks. 

"Oh, well that's no problem," Sabina tells the waitress with an apologetic tone. "I can see you're busy, sorry to interrupt you. If we learn anything we'll be back to let you know!"  She then turns her attention to look about at the others in the room when Callim comes in.  Her gaze lingers on the two large men dressed in pelts. 'Those could be people who had traveled some,' she thinks. 

She decides however to wait until Callim comes over. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about those two, would you?" she asks, slightly tiling her head in the direction of the pair. "I was thinking perhaps we should ask them if they've done any traveling outside of town." 

Calim does a casual scan of the room, still buoyant and bright in affect.  He scans under the pretense of a wave to the waitress to bring him a flagon of his usual for the table.

His expert eye alights on each of the patrons briefly.  He clocks if he knows them or, if not, what he might be able to ascertain about their business from their attire and situation.  His mind is sharpest when dealing with his own neighbors.  History 23 (19+4 and 17+4 w/advantage)  His ability to assess the others is only slightly above average, as he is still a bit out of practice at being an employed operative.  Perception 14 (12+2)

((Let me know what I know about all of them.  Ideally, let me know if any are allies or might have familiarity with our next location to explore, down by the river.  Though I suppose any who might have passing information about any of the places of interest would be good))