Margret, Garaele replies to you: “No, there is no trouble... Biggz really came with recommendations from Neverwinter, we are just sitting together to avoid misunderstandings or accidents between him and everyone else, who doesn’t know him.”

She replies with a nod and says aloud "Understandable" 

Nobody replies via the lingering magic, "Wha-Wha..? I mean, I thought I saw it, but.. was that the reason why... uh.... nevermind. Uhm.. will do, I guess." The tiefling then reenters the building, still appearing a little bit confused and flustered, but at least aware of his mission. Be that all as it may, Nobody grabs both a drink and a seat a ways from the bugbear's table, fully intending to keep an eye on him from afar.

Sildar leads you to his room and waits for everyone (except Otrov and Zurg who are still outside?) to come in. He gestures to you to close the door: “Tell me, how did it go.?“ and with a look at Gundren: “What went wrong?”

"Well to sum it up, and since I'm no bard, we cleared out allot of undead then ended up in a battle with a Drow called the Spyder and his spiders, doppelgangers and Bugbears lackeys'. One of us got captured we had to retreat and recuperate. We came back at full strength and kicked rear, killing all of the bugbears doppelgangers, spiders and bugbears, and rescued our team-member .

Sadly, The Rockseeker Brothers were murdered by Nesmnar the Spyder and he got away, Dain's familiar saw him climbing a mountain in fear. and the tree figurine is missing"

She takes a breath 

"So basically it was a success but with heavy tolls, but the hesitation here was the bugbear at your table and the recent events in town I just,.... I'm the overcautious type I guess"

“We only had two days to have Sister Garaele divine the truth, but she can question a group of people each time so we were able to check every one in the village itself. There are people who left before we could check them, people from further away and newcomers, so we will need to keep it up for now. So far we didn’t come across any spies or imposters... So you failed to catch the mind behind this, but you managed to take out most of his forces? What is the situation in the mine?” Sildar replies.

"Other than a bad clump of deadly plants, fungus to be exact, quite poisonous stuff, and a large goo-creature, the place is pretty well cleared out." Dain says with a shrug. "There is an old ghost in the main work area, who is willing to trade for knowledge of how to run the place." he glances to the door. "I think that summs it up... I was hoping to get me a drink..."

"That's pretty much it, course I want to go back cause we left two rooms unexplored. But my familiar didn't see anything in them. They were pretty much store rooms. The Gelatinous cube Dain mentioned is easy to circumvent and makes a good guardian as well as our new spirit friend."

her stomach growls she places her hand on it lady like, embarrassed 

"We've been living on rations for awhile." 

Sildar nods in agreement and following Dains and Margrets suggestion, he orders food and drink  for the whole group. After collecting all the members of your little group, he introduces you to Mr. Biggz, the bugbear that is sitting with him and Sister Garaele. When the drinks arrive, he sets two glases of the best brandy aside in honour of Tharden and Nundro.

(Mehmen is starting a new alt, Mr Biggz. He can introduce himself... again... and explain what is going on with Nobody if he wants to.)

Kai spends quite some time with Gundren, listening to stories about his brothers.

Margret sends a message to Otrov "You two, come inside and get some food and drink. You'll get to listen to some bugbear stories"

She orders bread ale cheese and beef if they have it and she swirls the brandy that was given to her in its glass and smells its bouquet 

saddened by the empty spaces where the two containers of brandy set "To Tharden and Nundro, may their stories be forever told." she raises her glass in a toast 

then turns her eye's towards Biggz  

From the onset Mr. Biggz raised a mug in greeting to the party. "Howdy, and uh... pleasure to make ya'llz acquaintance." The sleepy-eyed bugbear said nonchalantly and a little slowly. "Names Mr. Biggz, as Mr. Sildar over there just mentioned. Just arrived from Neverwinter with the most recent caravan, and uh... s'pose a loose associate of Mr. Sildar, if only due to a, uh... request from a Lord in Neverwinter... or was he Lord Neverwinter?" He scratches at chin fur for a bit before shrugging. "Eh, we can get to that latter though." He said, gesturing languidly over to the first batch to arrive. 

A bit later, Biggz appears confused by the drinks set aside until Margaret's little speech. After that Biggz appears to sober up some, but kept quiet, if only maybe not to interrupt anyone intending to say a few words.

 Zurzg appears not to pay much attention to the goings on at the table after rejoining the table. So long as there was food and drink to be had, it is all that appears to matter to the little guy. Because he would more than happily spend the majority of the evening stuffing his gullet until left a bloated mass in his seat covered in the aftermath. As for Nobody, following his awkward joining of the table, he raised a mug as well in respect. Yet it is hard not to see looks of guilt and discomfort whenever the tiefling happens to look Gundren's way both before and after it. For now, or at least without some direct confrontation, Nobody is content to wait until after the meal to address the table...

-----

As Margaret and anyone else look to the bugbear more closely, there are a few things to note. He lived up to his name or title, as he was big by even most bugbear standards. Big enough that, unless the establishment had chairs on deck fit for a goliath or firbolg clientele, then it took two chairs just to hold him up. Even then, it bordered on the comical as he haunched over the table, eating, drinking, and savoring every morsel with an unheard delicacy for the race. A few lower fangs stuck out more like tusk from his mouth, and a number of various scars covered his body, showing through even the thick, dark brown hairs covering it. 

His clothing, a simple set of traveler's garb from boots on up, was roughspun and patched together in places. Yet the scale mail armor and accompanying bracers and greaves looked well tended to. A peace bonded longsword laid leaning against the table at his side beside a heavy backpack filled to the brim and... a big old lute made of redwood.

".... Everything alright, miss?" Mr. Biggz asked, noticing Storm looking at him after a while.

Margret shrugs "First time not seeing a bugbear raged or dead." She says flatly "But I'm sure to trust Lord Neverember's judgement though, I don't think he would show up where I hail from soon. Embezzlement and all But most think he was railroaded. Including me."

Noting the lute she gestures to it

"My name is Margret Thatchold, Can you play Biggz?"   

Otrov

Happily mingling and keeping an ear out for interesting tidbits of info (but not hearing much of interest, apparently) the halfling freezes when she hears Margret's voice in her head.  Oooooh, she thinks.  Bugbear!  Maybe I can ask it about the name?  

She weaves through the crowd to the table and plops herself down.  She orders some wine and bacon, some stew if possible, and stares at the bugbear.  "Mr. Biggz, huh? Well, I'm Otrov.  Nice to meet you.  Hey!  Why do they call you bugbears?  Is there a part of you that is part bug?  We saw some zombie bugbears in the mine, hope they weren't related to you."  She nods at the group.  "Hey! Did they tell you about Mormmy?  That's Mormesk - heard of him?  Anyways, he's a lonely magical type who lives there - pretty nice too, I mean, for a dead ghost wizard who lives in a box.  Haha, he sure loves that box, huh guys?  Ahem, well, he seems super powerful but likes to live there so I think we'll talk to him again some time.  I think he's going to make my eyes see in the dark," Otrov makes goggles with her hands and puts them over her eyes, "So I can be even more sneaky and cool than I already am, which is a lot already...just ask Nobody.  He made a statue of me - it was pre-tty, pre-tty, pre-tty, pretty good!  Anyways, phew, do you have any information for us?  Why did you come here anyways - is that rude to ask?  I mean, sorry if it is."  Otrov snaps her mouth shut, remembering the wise words of...well, nearly everyone she's talked to about...well, talking less....

Wisdom save 18

Dain settles in, lifting his own cup to the empty seats, but staying quiet as the introductions were made to Mr. Bigs. When it was his turn to introduce himself he would glance to the bugbear. "I'm Dain, wizard and artificer." He would leave it at that, sipping his brandy as he listens to the conversation around him. Once the brandy was gone he would order that ale he was after to start with.

Mr. Biggs nodded to Margret, appearing unperturbed by her past experiences with other bugbears. The question about the lute however is answered not just in grin, but with him reach down to snatch up the near halfling size if not large instrument. While making sure to adjust his seating and tune it up, he listens to the others, but only faintly nodded now and then until satisfied all was ready. "Now that that's all fixed, uhm..." He looks between Dain and Otrov for a second before settling on Dain in the end.

"Think I heard the name articifer once back in Neverwinter. Dockworkers said it was Lantanese thing mostly... Waterdeep and, uh.. Ne-tha-reesie thing too. Also think there was this sniferbottom gnome in Gauntlgrym who used to talk 'bout coming one. Tho', don't know much 'bout that. Sounds.... uh... interesting." He said, giving a crooked smile before turning on Otrov with furrowed brows. "As fer, uh... I'm sorry. I don't think I caught all that jibber jabber a second ago, but for what I did catch, uhm...." He pauses idle playing of a few notes to scratch at his chin. "My particularly unfortunate underbite aside, they call us Bugbears because we're like bears in appearance, only smarter and with longer arms... a spot meaner usually, too. The bug part tho' is something our god called us 'cause we ain't quite as big as them brothers... I think." Mr. Biggs said, holding up a finger, and adding more as he went along as if to keep track.

"Only wizard fellas I know -- apart from this other gnome and dwarf couple, as well as your friend here -- is uh... not dead, so... can't say know'im off the top of my head. And, uh... hm...  Oh! That last one's pretty easy. Being a guard was becoming less my cup of tea as time went. But, I still owed ol' Tuffnut one, so... paying that back by helping the Lord one, and by extension, Mr. Sildar here with the trouble out this way. Didn't quite get to the part of what it was though for you lot showed up." He explained as best he could before taking a moment recenter himself. "Now for this song picked up from a halfling on my way here. So, it's gonna be rough..."

Lute Playing: 18.
(Forgot about the magic of Eagle's Splendor, which he totally casted as part of the opening to get advantage! So here goes: 12.)

Just as he said, while the technique is there, his attempt to add any beats with his mouth and foot stomps and even a little subtle magic just... it just didn't mess together well.

(Not proficient in performance, but he is with Lutes! So, using that plus charisma for this hot beat)

Otrov

The halfling scrunches up her face a bit as she listens. When Biggz finishes, she giggles and says, “Well, I’d say it’s only marginally better than Relgalyn!  Let’s hope your bite is better than your beat!”  Not wishing to push her luck, she grabs her bacon and wine and scotches away from Mr. Biggz, in case he doesn’t like jokes!

(Nice intro 🤣)

Margret watches the halfling haul but and can't help but giggle "I think you need some rest Sir Biggz. Maybe you'll do better tomorrow. If I can get my hands on a flute I might try and accompany you." she says with a smile and wonders if her flute is still in its case at home. 

The performance isn’t horrible, but that is as good a compliment as you can get.

Sildar expresses his condolences to Gundren once more before he excuses himself for the night. He reminds Mr. Biggz to meet him and Sister Garaele here in the inn, one hour after sunrise in the morning. He then walks over to the bar counter to talk with Toblen and settle his bill before retiring for the night.

Dain finishes his ale and then nods to the others. "I am fer settling fer the night. Meet ye back here in the morning." He then heads off to his room to study his spellbook a bit before sleep. Remembering the last time they were here though, he sets alarm wards on his door and window, and asks Sabastian to keep watch while he sleeps.