“We might want to look into a latch or someway to prop the door open, if the house is settling this violently.” Mana tries to spin it jokingly. He’s more nervous than he’s letting on.

Toser you saw nothing. In fact, other than the trapdoor opening and closing, there is nothing out of the ordinary at all (however long you spend looking, and however you roll).

As you are getting to the end of your investigations, there is a knock on the door.

((  Do we also see nothing downstairs? ))

Toser looked around as best as he could but there was nothing to be seen. He was a bit frustrated. He waited for the others to climb back up before explaining further.

"You all went down and I was watching from above.  I turned my back for just a moment to look around the rest of the room to see if anything was moving  and wham the trap door closed on its own.   There was no one here,  I didn't touch it or trip over it or nothing."

Toser glanced around worriedly 

"I think this place is haunted.  How did you get this place anyways?   Maybe that's why it's empty? Because it's haunted? That's really too bad.  This place is so cool and has so much potential."

Wagner goes over to the door and answers it.

Oriace's mind races as he descends into the basement with his companions, the unsettling events making him question the nature of their new home. He listens carefully to the sounds around him, each creak and groan of the old building amplifying his unease. When Toser calls down about the trapdoor slamming shut, Oriace can't shake the feeling that they are dealing with something beyond a mere draft. As they search the basement and find nothing out of the ordinary, Oriace feels a mixture of relief and frustration. The sudden knock on the door upstairs jolts him back to the present. He nods to Wagner, who moves to answer it, and turns to address the group. "This place is certainly full of surprises," he says, attempting to keep his voice light-hearted. "But let's not jump to conclusions just yet. It might be an old building with a few quirks, or it could be something more. Either way, we'll figure it out."

He turns to Mana, noting his nervousness. "Mana's right, we should look into securing that trapdoor. We don't want any more surprises like that." He then faces Toser, trying to reassure him. "Haunted or not, we've taken on this place, and we're going to make it our own. Whatever's causing these disturbances, we'll handle it together." Seeing Wagner going to greet their visitor at the door, Oriace takes a deep breath. "Let's see who’s come to visit. Maybe they have some answers about this place's history." He moves to join Wagner, curious about who might be calling on them.

As he reaches the door, he glances back at the group with a determined smile. "One step at a time, we'll turn this place into something great. Now, let's see what our visitor has to say."

Quote from RodTheBard >>

((  Do we also see nothing downstairs? ))

 Correct.

Wagner opens the door to see a halfling with mutton chops and bushy eyebrows. "Greetings. I am Broxley Fairkettle, here on behalf of the Fellowship of Innkeepers. I hear you are looking to eventually reopen this place? I do highly recommend you become members of the guild yourselves to avoid any further.... harassment I suppose you could call it. If not now, then at least before you open your doors to customers. What do you say?"

Oriace steps forward, signaling to Wagner that he'll handle the introduction with this fellow halfling. He gives his distant cousin a warm smile and a respectful nod. "Greetings, Mr. Fairkettle," Oriace begins in his deep rumbling voice that belies his stature. "Thank you for stopping by. We are indeed planning to reopen this place and we would love to hear more about the Fellowship of Innkeepers. It's crucial for us to integrate well into the community, and your advice is much appreciated."

As Broxley steps inside, Oriace’s expression shifts slightly, a thoughtful crease forming on his brow. "You mentioned something about avoiding 'harassment.' We've experienced some rather... unusual disturbances since we moved in. Could these issues be related to not being members of the guild yet?" He gestures for Broxley to make himself comfortable, casting a quick glance at his companions to signal his confidence and inviting them to join the conversation. "We want to ensure we start off on the right foot and avoid any potential issues. Your guidance would be invaluable to us, especially if it can help explain the strange happenings we've encountered." Oriace listens intently, ready to discuss the benefits and requirements of joining the guild.

Great questions. Mana appreciates Oriace’s inquiries.

Mana is interested in the history of the old building and will wait for an appropriate time to interject.

”Does the Fellowship of Innkeepers keep records, or do you know offhand how long this establishment has been in operation, how many owners, how long it’s been closed, and why it shut down?”

Other things percolating in his mind are:

If we plan on only opening the Taproom and don’t plan on providing rooms overnight, do we need a different guild than the Innkeepers? Which guilds?

Can Broxley recommend which guilds we would need to contact to repair/restore this edifice to code?

Does he have any information on our neighbors and if any would object to us opening up for business?

Wagner gladly steps back.

Sterling crossed his arms at the visitor's insinuations, but tried his best to keep a blank face. Had they been responsible for these distracting occurrences? Such antics irritated him; but he also realized it was the way of business. He waited to hear the halfling's response.

Toser stayed back and eyed the newcomer warily.  He was certain he hadn't seen anything. He was also aware that there was enough magic in the world that things could be done that couldn't be seen.

He considered in his head the words of the halfling. He may need to go out and investigate these guilds to better understand where they stood and which ones they would need to pay attention to.

He paid attention to the answers given. He also studied the halfling to see how honest he might be or was this a shakedown.

Insight 10

You see him look a bit uneasy when you mention disturbances. "I assure you, we haven't done anything to you yet. And you would know if we had. It's hardly subtle when your wine supplier gives you almost vinegar and tells you the guild brought all the good stock, as an example from a recent persuasion. This establishment has been an inn before. I believe it possibly was also an orphanage before being turned back into a tavern. And only stopped when the previous owner died his family didn't care for it. Sat derelict for quite a few years before finally being bought."

He seems honest, despite his unease. You do see him looking around a bit as he's talking. 

"Is something amiss, Mr. Fairkettle?" Sterling feigned being genuinely concerned. "You seem a bit uneasy. We haven't convinced you the establishment is haunted, have we?"

(( Deception Check, if needed: 18 ))

"You haven't no. But I have had some suspicions on it for a while now. I was glad to see some living souls back here, I just hope that I only see living ones. Anyway, in other matters, before I have to rush back to my 9 children, membership will cost you 250 dragons to get all the contracts and membership in place, and then a further 10 dragons per tenday for other expenses. We will use that to directly use our contacts in other guilds to keep you stocked up with food and drink. We don't need to sort this all out today, but I will pop by whenever I am in the area. Even once you are members in case you need any assistance. Now I must be going, it is very hard with nine children, but once you become members of the guild, your compliance with guild rules will make my life just a bitty bit easier. I hope I can count on you for that."

Oriace listens carefully to Broxley’s proposal, nodding thoughtfully. As Broxley finishes, Oriace steps forward with a respectful yet determined look. "Mr. Fairkettle, thank you for taking the time to come by and for your valuable insights. We are committed to becoming respected members of the community and ensuring our establishment runs smoothly and in compliance with the guild's standards," Oriace says, his deep voice resonating with sincerity.

"Regarding the membership fees," he continues, "we are eager to join the Fellowship of Innkeepers, but the initial sum of 250 dragons is quite substantial for a new venture like ours. Would it be possible to propose a more manageable payment plan? Perhaps an initial payment of 50 dragons, followed by 30 dragons at each of the eight subsequent tenday settlements? This would make it easier for new members, like our group, to enter the guild and contribute effectively without the immediate financial strain. It also ensures a consistent revenue stream to the guild coffers. I want to point out and you may have noticed already that I propose to pay 5 dragons each tenday for the benefit that is bestowed on us for the duration of the plan and to compensate the guild's costs associated to this plan." 

He glances to his companions to see how they feel about this offer that he brought forward on his own initiative. Still, if they adamantly disagree, he would try to muscle the fee by himself. Oriace pauses to gauge Broxley's reaction, too, then adds, "We appreciate your efforts to bring this proposal to your guild and thank you for approaching us so promptly. We are dedicated to getting this inn up and running and fulfilling all the guild’s requirements." He turns to his companions, inviting their input. "Does anyone have anything to add?" he asks, his eyes sweeping over Mana, Sterling, Wagner, and Toser.

"Well, of course, should we manage to come up with the 250 sooner rather than later, and without straining our resources, I think it would make sense for us to simply pay it off straightway."

Sterling turned to the others and gave a sheepish, but knowing shrug. "Being in debt has its downsides; seems wise to avoid it if it becomes economically viable to do so."

Mana lets the business minded individuals talk shop, and just nods along feigning understanding of deferred payments and such.

He is more intrigued by the revelation that a previous owner died and that the house is possibly being subject to magical or supernatural disturbances.

”Before you leave, Broxley. What was the name of the previous owner and where and how did he die?”

Toser shrugs as Oriace looks his way and then gives him a solid nod.

"Works for me." He says

*Ping*