Chromir goes and gives the Baron a friendly clap on the back, the sort that would normally be given to a friend and not to nobility. And with his strength, would probably be a little more forceful than intended (but not enough to hurt). "Well that sounds wonderful Adri. And very appropriate because we are champions!" And he poses as he says this, showing off for the crowd, totally oblivious to all of his faux pas he was making.

Navrine, seeing the noble addressing the party, slips behind Cassian muscles tensing as she looks for a quick way out. She wonders to herself if this noble has come for her and if she needs to run to escape.

Seeing Chromir distracting the Baron, allows Navrine to pull her cloak up and try to be as small as she can be. Slipping into a seat next to Sarael, “Sarael, I am Navrine, nice meeting you.” she forces a smile trying to center herself “You speak of blood and fire testing its heart, and the shadows howling for their due?” She almost falters “Could you explain this further, is there any advice you could give?” She keeps one eye on the baron watching for any danger.

Cassian notices Navrine seems unnerved by the Noble's presence and tries to make himself seem bigger as he blocks her from view until she subtly takes a seat. He is more concerned with Sarael's cryptic warning than the Baron or his party. Blood, fire, shadows...the thought of what it could mean sends a shiver down his spine. "Y-yes, any advice would be appreciated."

He hopes that Cora's words are true and the premonition is simply exaggerated, but he has always been the paranoid type. As he tries to get his mind off the doom and gloom, he approaches Cora and Luna's table to look at the drawing curiously.

Doc will tell the others later what the potions are, and to divide them. As Chromir sits next to him he gladly oast with him on their adventure.

"Enjoyed the celebrations, did you now Chromir?" he says with a little wink. 

Navrine and Cassian continued their conversation with Sarael the fortune-teller.  

She gestured for them to sit, her fingers still wrapped around the steaming mug of tea. The faint scent of herbs—lavender, sage, and something more bitter—hung in the air as she leaned forward, her voice low and measured.

"Something stirs beneath the surface of this town. It’s drawn by fear and pain, feeding on betrayal like a fire feeds on air. If you are to survive what’s coming, you must look past what’s obvious."  She paused, and looked at each hero in turn.  "Your trust in one another will be tested.  Those who stand beside you do so with secrets of their own."

She traced the rim of her mug absentmindedly, as the pair pushed her for details.  "Premonitions are like threads in a tapestry,"  She continued, waving a hand dismissively. "Each one connected to countless others.  I can see but one thread, and a single strand rarely tells the full story."

"This much I can say,"  She paused, her gaze flickering between the paladin and the monk.  "Beware the bonds of the heart. Love and loyalty will blind as much as guide, and choices made in passion often cast the longest shadows."

Key Takeaways:
-Hope's End is cursed.
-There are some in the party that are keeping secrets.
-Whatever doom she saw will revolve around love and betrayal.

Meanwhile, Chromir and Doc conversed with the baron, who stiffened ever so slightly under the barbarian’s enthusiastic clap. The faintest twitch of an eyebrow betrayed his discomfort, but Baron Thorne quickly recovered, and inclined his head graciously.

"Ah, Chromir, is it?" He said smoothly, his tone warm but measured.  He adjusted his cloak as if to regain a sense of decorum. "It is not every day one encounters such ... unrestrained enthusiasm."

The baron gave a sidelong glance toward the proprietor of the Weeping Willow that hinted at his unease.  Nonetheless, he extended a hand toward Chromir, a gesture of goodwill.

"Perhaps you’ll regale us with the finer details during tonight’s celebration?"

@Chromir & Doc, please test Wisdom (insight) against DC15.

Doc Insight: 15

Chromir insight: 16

For the briefest of moments, the baron’s polished veneer cracked.  He may have been acting pleasant ... but he was definitely uneasy, bordering on angered, with the physical contact.

As quickly as the heroes noticed it, Adrian’s mask of composure quickly slid back into place, leaving only a faint shadow of tension in the set of his jaw.

Cassian's mismatched eyes widened at Sarael's words before he forced himself to regain his composure. Secrets, a town curse, betrayal...It all sounded too familiar. He simply nodded. "W-we'll be sure to s-stay on our guard. T-thank you for the warning."

“When a gift of prophecy is given one must balance the scales and gift the Seer.” Navrine slides a couple gold pieces discreetly toward Sarael. “Thank you for your insight, Seer.” Navrine turns to Cassian, “Should we have a conversation with the others in a more private environment?” turning her attention to the baron “There are many ears here that might not be trustworthy?” Some in the party are keeping secrets? What did she see? Navrine bows to Sarael, “May I cleanly bear the burden of others in his name, Blessings on you Seer.” She quietly retreats back to a darker corner of the tavern away from the noble commotion.

Cassian followed Navrine's lead, handing Sarael two gold pieces and leaving her table with a polite smile that didn't reach his eyes. "A-alright, I'll t-try to pull them away from the B-baron for a bit." Nobles didn't particularly frighten him, mostly because he'd never had any meaningful encounters with any, being a farm boy and all.

"Y-yes, I'm sure Chromir would be happy to t-tell you all about it," he states as he approaches the three, trying to contain his nervousness at having to interrupt, "I'm Cassian Ashward, a s-simple wandering paladin. Um...Chromir, Doc, would it be alright if we have a little g-group meeting before the celebration starts? W-we still need to...ah, divide up the potions we found." He gestures to where Navrine is waiting, keeping his eyes downcast.

Doc is fine with having a talk

"Did you want to speak to us about anything Baron? Or can we have a talk with our friends here?"

Three Days Later ...

That first night back in Hope’s End had been a whirlwind of celebration and revelry. The townsfolk of the Weeping Willow gathered in full force to honor the heroes, grateful for their bravery in clearing the dangerous cellar of Glowkindle’s brewery. Mira presided over the festivities, while Baron Adrian Thorne surprised the group by joining — and to the surprise of many, paying for — the merriment.

Klem, ever the opportunist, suggested a profitable venture during the evening of the party: selling the spellbook they had recovered.

"I know a fellow,"  He had said with a smirk. "Name’s Malrik. Odd sort, but fair, if you don’t mind his eccentricities."

The days that followed were a mix of idle recovery and honest work. Cassian and Navrine spent their time aiding Mira and her staff spruce up the Weeping Willow, repairing some worn spots on the roof, and helping prepare the drafty building for the coming winter. Doc busied himself tending to the needs of townsfolk who required a healer, earning quiet respect from those who benefited from his care. Chromir, however, followed a suggestion from the baron and visited the local sawmill that he owned.

There, he met Darin Blackwell, a promising young woodsman with an easy charm. Darin was a hard worker and soon revealed that he was recently engaged to Luna, the town’s artist who had sketched a picture of the heroes during the party (the picture now hung behind the bar). Chromir quickly struck up a camaraderie with this young woodsman, and spent long hours felling trees and hauling lumber alongside him.

...

Hope's End had settled into the crisp embrace of late autumn, the air filled with the scents of burning wood and the fading remnants of summer crops. It would not be long now before the first snows fell.

The heroes had decided it was time meet with Malrik to sell the mysterious spellbook. 

The heroes found themselves walking along a winding dirt path, hemmed in by dense clusters of bare trees. The pale light of an overcast afternoon filtered through skeletal branches. The sound of crunching leaves underfoot broke the eerie silence of the forest, the only company for miles. Malrik’s estate was perched on a rocky outcrop at the edges of the Great Moor, its looming silhouette just visible through the thinning trees ahead.

As they approached, the first signs of the eccentric occultist’s peculiar tastes became apparent. Mysterious symbols were carved into the trunks of nearby trees, while odd trinkets — bundles of dried herbs, fragments of bone, and small, hand-carved effigies — hung from the branches like ornaments. The estate itself came into view moments later: a crooked, two-story stone house with smoke that curled lazily from a crooked chimney that leaned at a precarious angle.

The group paused just before the iron gate, which creaked ominously in the chill breeze. A raven, its feathers glistening black as ink, cawed harshly from the top of the gatepost before taking flight. 

-An Intelligence (arcana) or Intelligence (religion) roll would be appropriate (varying difficulty, with new bits of info revealed at DC10, 15, and 20)
-Chromir earned 6gp for his three days as a laborer (already added to his sheet).
-All of you will begin this chapter with heroic inspiration marked.

Cassian stops just short of the gate, his eyes narrowing as he studies the symbols carved into the nearby trees warily. The markings seem deliberate, crafted with purpose. There’s a sense of unease in their patterns—familiar enough to suggest they’re arcane, but foreign enough to make him cautious. He tries to remember if he's seen them before.

Arcana: 5

“This p-place already feels…wrong,” he says softly, glancing at the others. His gaze lingers on the peculiar trinkets swaying gently in the breeze, their materials grim and unsettling. "I-I'm no expert though. There weren't any b-books on m-magic or religion back home."

(-1 modifier on both, but based on Chromir not caring for magic, I went for religion): religion: 18

"I agree. My immense strength can do a lot against physical threats. But if this is anything supernatural I will struggle. Hopefully he is just crazy...."

Doc's Religion: 18

Doc looks at all the various symbols and tries to think of his religious studies to see if he can make sense of them.

"Well this man has a certain taste to say the least."

(Navrine rolls religion as well: dirty 20)

Navrine looks at the mysterious symbols carved into the trunks of nearby trees, odd trinkets, bundles of dried herbs, fragments of bone, and small, hand-carved effigies. At least she is familiar with Herbs and some occult symbology from her time in the temple.

She sniffs the air and turns to Cassian “yeah I feel it too.” She added "Some folks have different tastes in decorating but this feels like wards or something?”

The heroes study the charms and talismans that surround the estate.  Mixed in and among the arcane runes and symbols, there were dozens of religious sigils as well.

The religious symbols were from a large number of different pantheons. Human, demihuman, even some monstrous gods were represented. The common theme was that the symbols represented gods of magic. [DC10]

Some of the symbols were incorrect or incomplete in some way, the sigil containing a slight error perhaps, or a missing accent mark. [DC15]

In addition the actual deities in this strange collection, the sigils of some powerful demon lords were represented as well.  Among the sigils found: Abraxas the Unfathomable (arcane secrets, talismans), Aseroth the Winter Warlock (prince of elemental evil, ice, corruption, magic), and Volisupula the Flensed Marquess (finery, ostentatious ceremony). [DC20]

Demons resided in the lower planes, and had no particular love for humanity ... this set them apart form the deities of the upper planes.  But they did have one thing in common ... they did love to be worshipped.

"I know I am not the smartest person here, but there are errors in some of these symbols. I am more familiar with nature gods than magic ones, but I am still sure that these are not perfect. I wonder if they are just to try and make them look like they have connection to magic, but they are also not familiar with them?"

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