"Yes, there must be proof that bad harvest isn't caused by mining. Maybe farmers will admit it's just bad luck"

Cramaris tries to help but maybe he should have kept silense (deception 3)

As they wait for Mutterall to step forward and respond, Ori steps up to Jadzia, the nervousness in the bard’s voice palpable.

”You want I should..? When Mutterall comes close?” She wiggles her fingers suggestively.

With a subtle sweep of her arm toward Ori, Jadzia wordlessly signals, "Be my guest."

(Ori waits for Mutterall to come). 

(So Ori actually casts Suggestion? If so, I will remind you it has a range of 30ft, well within the eyes and ears of not just Mutterall, but the foreman and some of the miners as well. And you are just waiting for him to come to you? I'm not sure what you're doing. Mutterall isn't just walking up to you as your group approaches.)

“43 guys is a lot of suggestions, and I feel I’ve only really got the one thing to suggest,” says Ori, looking at the distant miners. 

“If they’re just going to ignore us, maybe we go get some more corn husks. Stitch them into an effigy of Mutterall, take it to the town folk. Maybe start a tradition?”

Mutterall grunts as Jadzia sidles up to him, the miners beginning to bristle some, and the foreman curls a cruel looking whip in his hands as he eyes your group. "Of course this mine is what is propping up this town. I'm not even remotely worried about that crazy druid. Let her figure out how to make the crops better, we have a mine to run. And no, you're not getting inside."

“Why? We’re adventurers, you’ve got a monster problem. Let us in, let us take a percentage of any of the monster part sales of any of the more exciting beasties, and we’ll charge a minimal cover fee, extremely competitive, to sort out this fermenting internectarine townie-miner brew-ha-ha.”

Ori spits on her hand, and offers it in a handshake.

“What do you say pard’ner?”

"Why, Mutterall, it would appear you have something to hide! Gods forbid the townsfolk think that," Jadzia says, putting on a concerned expression. "Wouldn't you agree it's better if we convince them otherwise? As Ori said, we can help. Why won't you let us? If you give us a good reason—other than... well..." she glances at the whip, "that—we'll turn back and find another way to solve this."

She pauses, then adds, "But bear in mind, the townsfolk will want to know why monsters have been appearing since the mine reopened. Refusing further investigation won't work in your favor."

At this, the air genasi looks to the miners and says, "Nor in yours, my dear miners."

(Persuasion: 21)

Mutterall looks behind him for a second, gives a nod, and several miners go into the mine for a long minute before coming back out with a couple of ankheg corpses. "We deal with these nuisances just fine, just part of the job. It's a dangerous job, but that's part of why they are paid well and keep coming back." The miners look in Jazia's direction for a moment, but then back at the foreman and Mutterall and stay silent. "I suggest you look for other things in other places. For all I know the druid is poisoning the ground just to try and run us off."

Cramaris turns to his group

"We tried. Let's go, take a look at some crops ourselves"

Jadzia shrugs and gives Muterall and the miners an overly dramatic bow, then says to Cramaris, "Sure, let's go."

Frustrated by Mutterall's unwillingness to help it seems, you all head to the surrounding fields to check for clues there.

(Anyone can make an Investigation check, DC 14):

[dirty 1]. 

Ori skips through the corn fields, digging at the roots, rolling in the ashy, dry soil. She seems to have quite forgotten why they came. 

(ooc: Investigation nat20, total 21)

"Wait, Ori!" Jadzia exclaims, pointing to a particular spot in the cornfields that is literally black with rot. She glances around and quickly notices more spots like it scattered throughout the field. They hadn't stood out at first, but now that she's seen one, it's clear: nearly every area they've walked through has at least a few black, rotting corn plants, and some patches are completely dead. There isn't a single clean spot left untouched by whatever is corrupting the soil.

"How on earth have they not noticed this?" the bard mutters, beginning to grab ear after ear of ruined corn until her arms are full. "We need to take this to the village. Maybe we could start with the elders. Why don't we go find Tug and ask him to take us to them right away?"

Duncan digs down around the corn, trying to see if there is anything in the soil that could explain the dying corn.

After rooting around a little, there doesn't appear to be anything obviously wrong with the soil that would explain the bad crops. But -something- is definitely amiss.

(Do you all want to go ahead and talk to Tug to start the meeting or try to talk to some townsfolk first? Either way is fine, but we are near the end of the story! :) )

(We talk to Tug to conclude the story, do you mean?)

(It will put us in the closing section, you won't be able to go back to talk to the townspeople later)