Jex frowns. 

"This is concerning, we must be extra vigilant tomorrow. Perhaps we should double the watch tonight. It could be that the settlement was there first and the basilisks were attracted by the people. Or, much more ominously, if you create a disease, you want a monopoly on the cure... "

He let's the suggestion sit there for a moment. 

" But this shall concern us tomorrow. For now we should consider our plan. I know nothing of basilisks, but I know much of snakes, and they will not go for dead prey so we may need the live bait."

He thinks for a moment, then slips into the wagon and returns holding a dead rat in one hand, a small cobra is draped around his shoulders. 

" See Dehore is not interested" He holds the snakes head around the rat. "But observe" He wriggles the rat by the tail. The cobra raises its head, following the motion, tongue flicking out, a little sluggish in the dusk air, but then out of nowhere it strikes, venemous fangs latching onto the prey. Jex returns into the wagon briefly before coming out unencumbered by serpent or rat. He locks the door firmly behind him. 

"Dehore will need to rest to digest. Something else we may take advantage of if these Basilisks are like my snakes." 

Dorno watches the display and shrugs, commenting "sneaky man is right."  "Beasts that hunt like food that is alive.  Dorno will pretend to be, mmmmm, elk?"

When Jex is done Dorno approaches the wagon and tries to peak inside.  "Do you have more animals in there?"  He seems excited.

Vark quite enjoys the cobra display and nods at Jex's suggestions. "That's smart Jex. Oh! Uhm a-also I can create cover if need be. A little cloud... we could hide in it, or if we find ourselves attacked by more than one basilisk, well I could cover the other one." 

The paladin seems worried about the house.

"Perhaps they are basiliks hunters and they already have the blood we need. But I doubt it" he remains silent and thougthful while Jex brings out his snake and barely gives attention to it or his smart words.

When he returns he suddenly smash his right fist into his left open palm

"Megren!! That's it! " he looks to his surprised friends " That's what the deaf lookout man said. "tell Megren I'll send love..." So they must be part of the same band. " he looks towards the direction of the tunnels and the tower. "I am afraid that Jex's words are more true that we could had thought. And that if we would had stormed that camp again this time we could had found the dragonborn with her new lackeys. Fortunately for us we know the back entrance for where she escaped now, and we do not need to suffer the walls again. But that's for the future. Tomorrow we should deal with this Megren... and it's possible that he, or she, already has, not only the cure for the disease, but the cure for the petrification powers of the basilisk. But they do not know us, right? If not, they would had attacked us back in the camp. We could, perhaps, learn from Thor's half brother here, the cunning Loki, and have a mischevious plan to approach the tower... " 

Jex grins at Dorno. 

"Perhaps. Why do you think I keep it locked? It would not be safe to let people wander in alone."

He nods at Thurston's words. "A plan is needed indeed my wise friend. Do not forget that Thor himself is a master of mischief though, we need not debase ourselves with the morals of Loki. Thor's trickery is just so intricate and subtle that people do not even know him for it. You remember how Asgard got its walls? When the giant came calling Thor was absent, you think it was by accident that he did not return until the last brick was to be layed? No, it was all by design! "

He looks back at Dorno who is still excitedly trying to peer in through cracks in the wagon. 

" OK, perhaps it is time for you to see inside. Wait here. " He heads back inside the wagon for a minute. Some light shuffling can be heard inside the wagon. A few minutes later the doors fly open to reveal a much narrower interior to the wagon than the outside would suggest. Sat at the back, cross legged on a cushion is Jex, now in full Saramaian performance gear, his ear pierced with a silver chain, a tall turban holding his hair up and his pipe in his hands. In front of him, a large basket surrounded by five smaller ones.

He begins to play a hypnotic tune, slowly, two of the smaller basket lids slip off, 2 cobras raise their heads, bobbing and weaving to the rhythm of the pipe. The tune changes and the cobras are joined by two more from 2 of the other small baskets. The tune changes a third time and the large basket begins to shake. Suddenly a giant cobra, at least the size of Jex himself launches up to a sudden change in tune. Its head rocks back and forth as its eyes search the audience. Jex weaves the tune for a few minutes longer, the snakes Bob up and down, in and out of the baskets in perfect time before the tune grow softer and they all return to their baskets with a light hiss. Jex stands, replaces the lids and gives a bow. 

Dorno grins during Jex's entire performance and claps excitedly when he is done.  "Ooh, you can talk to animal friends, too!  Do they know where bas-lisk is or what man lives in the house?"

Jex chuckles. 

"They only understand the music. Hshimi has lived in the wagon her whole life, I hatched her from an egg myself. She leaves sometimes to hunt if we stop somewhere a while, and we sometimes perform at fayers, but she will never have seen a Basilisk. Her mother may have been more useful, she was with me for many years before... " He indicates a huge empty basket behind where he was sitting.

" Just can't bring myself to throw it out. "

The joy goes out of him for a moment, then he snaps back together, his usual happy go lucky smile back in place. 

Vark cranes his neck and slowly moves over to watch the show as well, clearly enchanted by the performance. "W-wow! That's so cool... where did you learn how to do that?" he asks with innocent curiosity.

Jex smiles at Vark, clearly being the centre of attention suits him.

"I have been a lot of things to a lot of people. But for many years I travelled between towns with a performing group. This was one of my acts. I saw a lot of places and gained access to people and groups I had never even heard of before. It's how I fell into what I do now." Talking about his past exposes Jex's roots a little, his usually well spoken accent and carefully levelled tone replaced in some places with occasional colloquialisms and casual accental drifts common amongst the lower classes and street urchins. 

Vark's wonder only increases with this information. "Wow! Where... w-well I'd love to hear more about where you've been. This is the farthest I've ever been from home, I... I can't imagine what that must be like. B-but maybe once we get on the road again, we should probably rest now for tomorrow."

As the night draws in, those taking their watches around the wagon find that each hour seems to drag on a little longer than normal as they scour the darkness for signs of giant carnivorous lizards. In the end though, no attack comes and as the moon sets the next morning everyone is still present and nobody has been eaten or turned to stone.

"Oi, Jex, I may 'ave to join ye. Me ma always said I had a knack fer stories an' she always taught me th' best ones from Sheercleft." Bründir muses for a moment on memories of a surly dwarf barmaid weaving tales while weaving between barroom tables.

Regarding the Hshimi's mother, Dorno says "snake man, don't be sad, if mama snake had good life."  "Death is part of Oak Father's big circle.  Mama snake is part of forest and big world now.  Her life is like water, still here, just in different places.  Dorno gets sad when friends have to go too, but first tries to help live good life and is sad for short time because then he sees them in Oak Father's beauty."

In the morning, Dorno is eating berries from his satchel and offers any help he can to the party.  "Friends, Dorno can pretend to be elk if you wish, or Dorno spoke to Oak Father and asked him to make friends like the wood at night before the birds wake and in the shadows of the moon so scary bas-lisk does not see."

After a few more bites the firbolg stands and says "Dorno will go talk to birds now."

OOC He's offering to cast Pass Without a Trace if the party needs to stealth at all today.  Might try asking the birds if they've seen who lives in the hut from their vantage point if the DM allows.  It seems the rabbits and other ground creatures don't fare so well here!

The next morning Valaith removes her mirror that Hurrig made for her and looks critically at herself, frowning slightly at the massive knot of wild hair on her head. She finds a nearby stump or bit of tree that she can attach the mirror and begins to put her long, thick hair into a tight braid. Once satisfied, she joins the others for breakfast. "This place is disturbing and I don't like how big this cult has gotten. We need to kill these dragonborn *****es and soon. I feel they likely have something to do with the goblins in Sheercleft. They are very cunning, like my brother. He was the smarter one... he would have made a great chief." She smiles sadly. "One time our tribe came across several different tribes of goblins. Alone the groups were no threat to our strength, but if they all came together then they could have been a major threat. My brother came up with the idea of creating... a what did he call it?" Val squints and screws up her face trying to recall the strange word her brother has used. "...a schism? I don't really know what it means, but his idea was to find ways to turn the goblins against each other. He said that it could do two things at once, maybe that's what I means; doing two things. Anyway, he said it would stop the goblins from making one big tribe and maybe even make them do some of the work for us by fighting. Maybe that's why there is all the sudden tension between the dwarves and the elves?"

"Hard t'say there. Dwarves an' elves in these parts 'ave ne'er been friends, but also ne'er been enemies either. Sure, we shipped ore to both, but th' dwarves always used more. So why put a squeeze on th' elves to make'em want more ore?" The pieces of the puzzle are hard to sort, and even harder for Bründir to lay out, "That camp couldn't work all th' ore they'd stolen, but they may have a hideout that can. What about th' dwarves then? Do ye think they wanna starve'em of ore? Seems havin' th' town killed by goblins would do it."

Thurston is ready soon in the morning, and practice a little bit with his hammer and his shield. A style that he hasn't used for months now.  

" First thing first " he says to the dwarf " Let see what Dorno's winged friends has to say and then let's attack that campment if there are anyone of the cult there. No mercy. Even if we got someone for interrogation then it's Hel for them. If they want to be surrounded by demons and undead let's grant them their wish! " he pats Jex on the shoulder "Then the basiliks and the blood for the elves. Then we make haste to the mines and smash goblins heads and make.. schims" he smiles to Val.

Jex beams at Thurston, riled up and ready to go. 

"One thing first." He heads into the wagon and emerges with a small vial of a pale yellow liquid.

"If we are fighting cultists, the snakes are good for more than just a show."

He stows the vial in a pouch at his belt. He he has dressed today in his black armour and hooded robes, knives line the belts across his chest, in his boots and at his back. The shortswords sit at his side, and a shortbow is slung across his back. He now places the cloak of elvenkind over the top of it all, the shapes already shimmering and making his movements difficult to track in the early dawn light.

"Let's make them bleed." He grins, and starts to head off towards the camp.

"I think... I think that's a good idea Val. Orcs are... much the same. A-as a boy I was told that our tribe was once much bigger and stronger, but a group betrayed the Galestone family and we left, then times were hard for both of the new smaller tribes." Vark says as he finished breakfast. "I have a feeling they'll be more... well they'll be easier to deal with than this demon cult."

Dorno returns to the others.  "Sparrow says dragon lady lives in hut with other mens who help.  I don't think she's very nice.  Don't know about bas-lisk sleep, they only seen when hungry."  He shrugs.

When the party is ready to set out and begin sneaking into enemy territory, Dorno casts Pass Without Trace on the party.  "Shhh, now we quiet like still forest at night, hidden in shadow even in the day!"

Bründir trudges off behind the others, "I wonder, is the wall fer th' lizards? I'd 'ope so, but what if they did Jex's snake trick, but with bigger snakes?"