"The road's where we'll find our answers. " Genghis declares, brushing cheese crumbs from his wild black beard. "Talk'll only get you so far. " Hefting his axe and adjusting his ever ready pack, he nods to the innkeeper and stomps out of the inn, grabbing whatever edibles are within reach for a noontime snack. His voice, gravelly and entirely without musical talent, drifts back through the open door in a dwarven military anthem.

Genghis exits the tavern. Finishing breakfast, what do the rest of you choose to do?

Dajur walks over to the guards finishing their breakfast after the night shift.  Grrr, he snarls and slams himself down and immediately smiles. Morning lads. Rough night? Our caravan was attacked last night on the road in, any ideas where I can go looking for payback? My paladain friend is keen on restoring faith and cleansing undead.

Dajur looks intently from man to man hoping to get a lead.

Ghengis immediately heads for the stables to say good morning to Khan and prepare for a long road trip.

((OOC: checking with DM what Devon would know as a resident))

With a subtle clicking sound, Magnus' form stiffens and then straightens. He looks around at the floor of the Inn, before stepping out onto the porch, seemingly satisfied.

The guard responds to Dajur's question with blank look. "Payback? Don't see why you would be looking for a fight. I suppose if you're truly begging to have your guts spilled, you could try and approach the old temple. Infested with the dead, by what we've been able to tell. Haven't been in for quite a while myself - whole part of town is cordoned off, don't have enough men to patrol safely. By all means, though, take a swing at it. Just don't expect the guard to cover your retreat." He turns back to his meal.

Thanks for the tip. Dajur stands and leaves the table to go tell the others. No way a paladain is going to ignore an infested temple he thinks as he approaches his friends ready to share what he learned. 

"Pleasure to meet you too," Devon replies to Marion, "my name is Devon."

As Devon is about to respond to her second question Bristen turns around and finally responds. Devon furrows his brow but maintains a small smile. "You may not think of yourself the leader but you're the one who holds the contract and I doubt everyone's named on there so that means you get to decide who is and who is not in this group. Depends on how the contract's writ. But, thank you for accepting me."

Marion has asked Devon what he knows. As a resident of Dalben he knows a few things:

"Aye, I know local gossip and rumours," he begins to explain. "People say that the temple people were responsible for keeping undead out of our hair. When the King died the priest lost his mind, or so they say. He convinced a lot of people including a sizable chunk of the guard to head towards the capital. Not heard from any of them since then and nobody seems to know what happened. This was about a month ago. A week after they left the problems began. Undead appeared, now the temple is overrun, attacks by strange forces on the roads - less people coming in and out. Apparently there's skeletons by the temple wandering around at night. The woods have gotten more dangerous, nobody goes into them without backup. There's something about the well in town, too. Nobody's seen anything but we've felt it. I've experienced this myself - things get weird around it: shadows stretch more than they should, it's darker than normal, and your mind goes... I dunno... Slow? Like those shadows go into your mind and affect your thinking. I was on a job near it and kept making mistakes, nearly got- Anyway, the well is weird. There have been sightings of strange birds in the distance, always at distance and seeming disformed. There's a rumour some goblins have made the mountains their home. Most of this weirdness is to the North. The temple, mountains - all to the North side of town. The attacks and sightings are all frequently to the North. But there have apparently been some sights of things moving to the South.

"That's about the extent of it," he concludes, "it's becoming a real problem and the limited guard don't know what to do. I'm all for less guards but I prefer less undead, less people scared in their homes, and less attacks of travellers and merchants coming into our town. So, if you're all crazy enough to take on the undead and investigate, I'm all in." The free lodging and food plus gold doesn't hurt either, he adds mentally. A chance to loot the temple wouldn't be bad either. All the offerings and donations they get, the items they use for rituals and things... Bound to be something worth swiping.

((OOC: didn't colour the text as there's a lot of speech here and could make it harder to read.))

Marion

Listening intently to everything Devon knows about town Marion’s expression gradually changes from concerned to shocked as he lists all the strange occurrences and troubles thoughtout Dalben. By the time he’s finished and almost casually summed up the problems Marion is starting to realise that these troubles have become something that will take a good deal of time to resolve.

”Thank you Devon, it seems you know enough about most of these troubles to direct us well. From what you say the temple is where it seemed to begin and so it would make sense for us to start by looking there. Come, let us not dally. We should join the others for they seem as keen as I to get to the root of this.”

With that she gathers her things and sets off outside to join those who have gathered outside, after thanking the barkeep for the breakfast and the hospitality of course.

As she comes out Dajur informs Marion about what the guards said. 

if we're to train this thing the temple sounds like a starting point...

Bristen

"Agreed, the temple may hold what we need. Perhaps some kind of artifact that holds back the undead.  Either way I'm itching for a good night sleep and I think that won't happen until this little problem is taken care of."  He looks around to each member of the group in turns then nods, as if to himself.  "I've heard many stories that have similar beginnings.  Shall we be off?"

Marion

”I agree friend, I think you are right. From what our friend Devon here has also told me the temple seems to be our best bet.”

She then takes a moment, drawing her longsword and checking her shield to make sure they are okay and putting them away again, before looking up to the others with a look of determination clear upon her. “Mystra be with us this day friends. Are we ready to see what the temple holds for us?”

Don't have better plans for the day. Dajur gives a look that seems to cross a snarl and a smile as he speaks.  let's be off

Ghengis tosses the stableboy a few coppers after determining that Khan's care was satisfactory and leads the steppe pony back to the inn to rejoin the party.

As you leave the inn, the hulking warforged Magnus moves to follow you, hanging to the back and observing. Rejoining Ghengis outside, the party gets directions to the old temple from the same stablehand whom the dwarf tipped. As you head across town, you see two other groups of three guards, each of whom nod to you and move on, apparently having already heard the word from their comrades. After about five minutes of walking through town, and taking a wrong turn into a dead end alleyway, you at last reach the edge of the town, in a sense. The houses continue, but it is clear from the general state of decay that they have not been lived in for quite some time, aging much quicker than one would expect for a month of absence from the regular inhabitants. You can just make out a tall spire one block of houses ahead of you, the road splitting to either side around the houses. Essentially, you can take the left path, the right path, or try and move through the houses themselves (or turn around). Please decide on your marching order as well, and whoever is first, go ahead and make a perception check with advantage, being helped by the next person in line.

hmm, looks like we have options.  If the former residents here are now undead they may be in the houses.  I don't know if going around is any safer, what does the road look like.

(if we're more or less single file Dajur would be about 3rd back)

Marion

 Strapping her shield to her right arm Marion takes the lead and looks to see what she can from the routes ahead.

Perception:17

As Marion approaches, the roads seem safe, though both the right and left paths immediately take hard turns, so she cannot see beyond. The wind does shift, however, and she catches the faintest scent of rot in the air, coming from somewhere up ahead - quite possibly the buildings in the center between you all and the temple complex. 

How do you want to proceed?

Ghengis covers for the group from the rear. Perception: 21

"I say we take a look in one of these residencies. " He mutters.