"I know it's not that late yet, but a night here might be a good idea. Gives Brask some time to have a proper wash, and we'll have a roof and a decent meal."
The inn is fairly slow this time of day, and the woman in the small front lobby greets you when you peek through the door. "Greetings, travelers. Come in, come in. We've rooms available."
She tells you that a room will cost 2 silver each, and that you're welcome to order supper up to your room or in the dining hall in the back of the inn. The smell of bread baking wafts into the lobby from the kitchen somewhere in the back.
You also have time to shop a bit if you'd like. A bit early for bed time.
You find a stand that sells fresh goat milk. Five gallons will cost you 10 silver (or 1 gold), and should be enough to fill up a tub high enough to wash your fur.
Give me five gallons of milk, Brask says to the seller. He flexes his fists in a not too subtle fashion, attempting to silence any local wit who might ask why a minotaur was buying so much goat's milk.
Burik just takes a wander around the outskirts of town, enjoying what will apparently be the last fresh air for a while. He'll then eat at the inn, drink with Brask a bit if he no longer smells (possibly more than he should).
Effort will keep Burik company, if just to get away from their fragrant companion for a bit. As they're eating together at the inn, she says to Burik: "I wonder if he'll remember to buy new pants, or if we're all going to be treated to a Minotaur Special during our next battle?"
You awake well rested and you find Brask's unpleasant aroma is gone. The town is stirring again, with the market and shops open if you'd like to explore or purchase anything else before you head out. It's a bit cloudy today, with a light breeze. It doesn't look like any rain is in store, though.
Beautiful day,says Brask, stretching and sniffing his fur from time to time. Bit milky, but that'll pass. So, what are we doing?
He will ask the innkeeper or other staff for a sense of the countryside around the town; are they near the sea? What towns are nearby? Lots of questions:
How far is it to... where are we going again? Oh, right, the Carrion Coast. Do people go there a lot?
To the others he'll say, Hey, thanks for sticking around. With the smell, y'know. Filthy bloody skunk. Wish I'd stomped it.
"The Carrion Coast?!" The innkeeper curls up his nose. "What do you want to go there for? Only been there once, and I don't have plans to ever go back. But aye, you aren't too far. 'Tis about a day's trek south to the coast, and then east as far as ye can go without spillin' yer breakfast. Not many towns between here and the sea, but once you get to the coastline there will be some villages. Fishing and trading outposts, mostly."
"Could save a few hours if you cut through the forest to get back on the mountain trail," one of the other employees adds.
"Pretty straightforward," he continues. "The road I'm guessin' you came in on is a straight shot to the east, toward the mountain road. If you cut a bit southeast through the forest, you'll end up on the same road...just a bit further south, toward the coast, where ya'll want to be. Though there's no real trail...you just kind of point in the direction you think you're supposed to be headed."
His ears perk up at the mention of dog-worshipping. It makes him noticeably nervous. He doesn't answer right away, but takes a deep breathe and puts his hands up on the bar.
"We've heard rumors. Just rumors," he starts. "Things seem to be getting worse on the other side of the White Winds. We used to get the occasional traveler coming up the mountain road to trade or just rest for the night. Recently, though, nobody has been coming. Last we heard the villages along the eastern coast were all being fenced off. Nobody allowed to leave. Left to deal with the dog monsters by themselves. The fancy folks that live further inland don't give two shits. As long as the monsters don't bother them."
The door to the inn opens, and the innkeeper quickly changes his demeanor. A younger couple walk in, and smiling, he sets them up with a room. He returns a minute later.
"If the rumors are true, though...ain't no way to stop those things. Oshait is too damn big. Too much forest for them to travel through. Too many mountain passes for them to climb over." He sighs. "One of our militia has said that he thinks they're already over the mountains. Been seeing signs of small camps set up. Ashes, bones, that kind of thing. I said it's probably just vagrants...but he's not as hopeful."
One of your militia, eh? says Brask. Well, maybe he'll have something useful to tell us, instead of whining about how dangerous and scary they are and not do a damned thing to stop them. What's his name and where do we find him?
"Name's Burdan...something. Can't recall his last name. He returned from ranging two nights ago, so he's probably still hanging around the village somewhere. Lives on the eastern edge, just south of the road. Has a little one-room brick home and a garden. Shouldn't be too tough to find, if he's there." The innkeeper smiles a reserved smile. "I hope you all stay safe on the road."
With that, he picks up a box of supplies from behind the bar and heads into a back room.
"Well... let's find this Burdan," Effort says, eyes narrowed. "If they're already over the mountains, we could be running into them at any time." She scowls. "What a headache," she complains to the others. "Two separate evils coming from under the mountain and one from above. No wonder that baby golden dragon was in a tizzy. Well, let's deal with one problem at a time. If we can find one of those small cultist camps in the woods, perhaps we can capture one of them and press them for information about a central base of operations."
You set off back toward the mountains the way you came into the town. Reaching the outskirts after a few minutes, you begin to search for this Burdan character.
Everyone, roll investigation or perception.
OOC: Just to be clear, when these townsfolk are saying the mountain road, they mean the road running north-south toward the coast. Not a road that goes over the mountains, which you all opted to avoid.
Effort sends Cadmael ahead to look for the ranger from above as they walk. She herself keeps a wary eye more towards the ground, looking for signs of his recent coming or going.
"I know it's not that late yet, but a night here might be a good idea. Gives Brask some time to have a proper wash, and we'll have a roof and a decent meal."
The inn is fairly slow this time of day, and the woman in the small front lobby greets you when you peek through the door. "Greetings, travelers. Come in, come in. We've rooms available."
She tells you that a room will cost 2 silver each, and that you're welcome to order supper up to your room or in the dining hall in the back of the inn. The smell of bread baking wafts into the lobby from the kitchen somewhere in the back.
You also have time to shop a bit if you'd like. A bit early for bed time.
DM - Above & Below
Sighing with resignation, Brask goes to the market and general store and attempts to locate some milk or vinegar for bathing purposes.
You find a stand that sells fresh goat milk. Five gallons will cost you 10 silver (or 1 gold), and should be enough to fill up a tub high enough to wash your fur.
DM - Above & Below
Give me five gallons of milk, Brask says to the seller. He flexes his fists in a not too subtle fashion, attempting to silence any local wit who might ask why a minotaur was buying so much goat's milk.
Burik just takes a wander around the outskirts of town, enjoying what will apparently be the last fresh air for a while. He'll then eat at the inn, drink with Brask a bit if he no longer smells (possibly more than he should).
Effort will keep Burik company, if just to get away from their fragrant companion for a bit. As they're eating together at the inn, she says to Burik: "I wonder if he'll remember to buy new pants, or if we're all going to be treated to a Minotaur Special during our next battle?"
You awake well rested and you find Brask's unpleasant aroma is gone. The town is stirring again, with the market and shops open if you'd like to explore or purchase anything else before you head out. It's a bit cloudy today, with a light breeze. It doesn't look like any rain is in store, though.
DM - Above & Below
Beautiful day, says Brask, stretching and sniffing his fur from time to time. Bit milky, but that'll pass. So, what are we doing?
He will ask the innkeeper or other staff for a sense of the countryside around the town; are they near the sea? What towns are nearby? Lots of questions:
How far is it to... where are we going again? Oh, right, the Carrion Coast. Do people go there a lot?
To the others he'll say, Hey, thanks for sticking around. With the smell, y'know. Filthy bloody skunk. Wish I'd stomped it.
"Much better Brask." After breakfast he'll get his things ready, "We should head out as soon as we can. After all it's better to be early than late."
"The Carrion Coast?!" The innkeeper curls up his nose. "What do you want to go there for? Only been there once, and I don't have plans to ever go back. But aye, you aren't too far. 'Tis about a day's trek south to the coast, and then east as far as ye can go without spillin' yer breakfast. Not many towns between here and the sea, but once you get to the coastline there will be some villages. Fishing and trading outposts, mostly."
"Could save a few hours if you cut through the forest to get back on the mountain trail," one of the other employees adds.
DM - Above & Below
"Tell us more about this shortcut," Effort says, interested in anything that will save her nostrils from another olfactory assault.
"Pretty straightforward," he continues. "The road I'm guessin' you came in on is a straight shot to the east, toward the mountain road. If you cut a bit southeast through the forest, you'll end up on the same road...just a bit further south, toward the coast, where ya'll want to be. Though there's no real trail...you just kind of point in the direction you think you're supposed to be headed."
DM - Above & Below
We in a hurry? Brask asks Effort. I fancy the coast route, but whatever.
He turns to the innkeeper. So, anything interesting happen here recently? Barns burn down? Dog worshipping freaks doing weird crap?
His ears perk up at the mention of dog-worshipping. It makes him noticeably nervous. He doesn't answer right away, but takes a deep breathe and puts his hands up on the bar.
"We've heard rumors. Just rumors," he starts. "Things seem to be getting worse on the other side of the White Winds. We used to get the occasional traveler coming up the mountain road to trade or just rest for the night. Recently, though, nobody has been coming. Last we heard the villages along the eastern coast were all being fenced off. Nobody allowed to leave. Left to deal with the dog monsters by themselves. The fancy folks that live further inland don't give two shits. As long as the monsters don't bother them."
The door to the inn opens, and the innkeeper quickly changes his demeanor. A younger couple walk in, and smiling, he sets them up with a room. He returns a minute later.
"If the rumors are true, though...ain't no way to stop those things. Oshait is too damn big. Too much forest for them to travel through. Too many mountain passes for them to climb over." He sighs. "One of our militia has said that he thinks they're already over the mountains. Been seeing signs of small camps set up. Ashes, bones, that kind of thing. I said it's probably just vagrants...but he's not as hopeful."
DM - Above & Below
One of your militia, eh? says Brask. Well, maybe he'll have something useful to tell us, instead of whining about how dangerous and scary they are and not do a damned thing to stop them. What's his name and where do we find him?
"Name's Burdan...something. Can't recall his last name. He returned from ranging two nights ago, so he's probably still hanging around the village somewhere. Lives on the eastern edge, just south of the road. Has a little one-room brick home and a garden. Shouldn't be too tough to find, if he's there." The innkeeper smiles a reserved smile. "I hope you all stay safe on the road."
With that, he picks up a box of supplies from behind the bar and heads into a back room.
DM - Above & Below
"Well... let's find this Burdan," Effort says, eyes narrowed. "If they're already over the mountains, we could be running into them at any time." She scowls. "What a headache," she complains to the others. "Two separate evils coming from under the mountain and one from above. No wonder that baby golden dragon was in a tizzy. Well, let's deal with one problem at a time. If we can find one of those small cultist camps in the woods, perhaps we can capture one of them and press them for information about a central base of operations."
You set off back toward the mountains the way you came into the town. Reaching the outskirts after a few minutes, you begin to search for this Burdan character.
Everyone, roll investigation or perception.
OOC: Just to be clear, when these townsfolk are saying the mountain road, they mean the road running north-south toward the coast. Not a road that goes over the mountains, which you all opted to avoid.
DM - Above & Below
Effort sends Cadmael ahead to look for the ranger from above as they walk. She herself keeps a wary eye more towards the ground, looking for signs of his recent coming or going.
Cadmael Perception: 22
Effort Investigation: 23 + Guidance 4
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