Lazarus: (to the party) "Good job Elery, maybe you should do all the talking for the group."

"Well, thanks, but we don't need to take it that far... Tristan is an entertainer, you were a merchant, Thadrith has plenty of skills, I'm not the only one here who knows how to talk to people." Elery responds Lazarus and then walks up to the two guards once more, before they enter the city, to ask them a couple more questions. "Hey, it's easy to go in to the Old Hag and solve their problems there, but if we need to report back what we found, would it be to one of you? If that's the case, then what are your names, and how can we find you?"

The guards agree and open the gates. They call for a Page to accompany you to The Old Hag. A young boy, not more than 13 seasons, joins you. He wears oversized chainmail overtop of which is a tabard with Lord Blackwood’s standard: the Purple Griffon on a field of black.

Do you head straight for the The Old Hag tavern?

Sorry. Looks like we responded at almost the same time. Didn’t see your reply. Assume the Page is to report back for you.

Tristan

"I say we look at tavern, and see what's going on.  It might be an opportunity instead of a problem."

Elery

"Right. And the sooner we do it, the better... The page will be walking with us, so we don't want to be dragging the boy all around town for the things that we have to do." 

Lazarus: (to the party) "Sounds good to me."

You all head straight for the tavern with the Page in tow.

As you pass through town, give me perception (or straight Wis) check.

Perception: 19

Perception: 20

4

The Page leads you through town. The scene you all see is disturbing. What is left of the city is a wretched place. People in tatters shiver on the streets. You see whole families living in alleys. Abandoned buildings line the road. You hear the sounds of violence coming from inside some of them. Everything is falling apart. Even the street is in disrepair. It’s the middle of the day and there are shops that are closed or boarded up.

Lazarus and Tristan, either your senses are extra keen with everything going on or you’re just taking in as much as you can. One alley you pass, you can see Lord Blackwood’s militia shaking down a noble man. You only see for an instant, but they slam him against the wall and then kick him in the stomach when he slumps to the ground. You also notice that the people who aren’t living on the street or who look relatively fed are armed or dangerous looking. It’s as if the people who are living in this town aren’t the townsfolk. They’re thieves or mercenaries.

Soon, you arrive at The Old Hag. Sure enough, there’s a ruckus going on inside. There are cheers and uproarious laughter coming from within the old tavern.

What’s the plan? Do you head straight inside?

(Let me know if you wanted to do something before you got to the tavern.)

Lazarus: (to the party [in a whisper] {an attempt to talk to the party without the page hearing}) "I shouldn't have doubted seva, this place is in a horrible state. what are we going to do?"

Tristan

"This is disgusting, we need to figure out numbers and get this taken care of.  Lets see what's going on in here." He'll say as he enters the tavern.

After Tristan is already inside the tavern, Elery talks to the two that are outside.

To Lazarus: "You can go inside, I'll be just behind you, or I might stay here outside, just by the door. Oh, also, just a little help." Elery gives Guidance to Lazarus, to help him discern better what's going on, albeit he could use the guidance to whatever task he needs.

To the page: "Hey, you think you can take care of yourself here? I could always stay here and protect you, or I could take you inside and protect you there, I may not seem strong, but here..." She snaps her finger, and a bright shower of sparkles leaves her hand, with Prestidigitation. "I have magic, in case it's needed."

Lazarus: (to Elery) "Thank you."

Lazarus follows Tristan into the tavern

(I'm pretty sure you didn't mean to say Reverie...)

(I didn't, I must have been tired when I typed that message, i'll fix it.)

(Ok, so I'll ask the DM for the sake of doing it, and being sure they're notified of it. We're waiting for a continuation, we already got all the new characters just waiting to be introduced.)

Yes. Thank you for the notification. I’m working in the other thread to get an introduction point.

Stay tuned.