Clay sighs with exacerbation. "Dragon..."

Peri finds the tavern active with noisy patrons. Lankus is not here, but his teenaged assistant is, together with a new middle-aged female employee. Peri is able to retrieve his chest without much interest other than a distracted grunt from the teenaged boy.

Clay leads the party into the tower, guarded by a single elderly sentry. Farbern looks up from his candle-lit desk, a glint of a smile on his face. He looks very old. 

"You made it back safely," says Farbern. "Thank you for your efforts. What did you learn?"

Gerrard:

”There are three entrances to the Sahuagin fortress—one main entrance above water, one main entrance underwater, and a third hidden entrance underwater.  Their warriors are doughty fighters and they have armored shark allies.  They fight for sport among themselves and keep prisoners, two of whom we were able to free. There is a drop net guarding the main entrance below water which I think Masters Peri and Kei were able to disable.  Mistress Boko was able to scout in the lair above water as we searched for Tom; there is also the matter of a nearby black dragon who may now be taking an interest in the local goings on,” begins Gerrard.

Farbern listens intently, and gestures a young assistant over to take notes on a slate tablet.

"Give me details, as you remember them," adds Farbern, leaning forward. "Numbers, weapons, locations, size of the entrances, water levels, composition of th' doors and walls, behavior, guards, anything ye can think of. Draw me maps. We are days away from th' main assault. Every detail is important."

"Ye' should know also there's been a new problem in town. Four children went missing late yesterday. Aged nine to, I think, about thirteen. Last seen playing around yer cabins you've been working on. Th' nine-year-old's body was found outside one of them this morning, drained of nearly all her blood. The parents are beside themselves. Horrible. But we have an imminent war to prepare for, so our guards are stretched thin. You might think twice about sleeping there tonight. But I think some town folks feel you lot stirred somethin' up. So be careful."

Boko has already been searching for parchment to spill out her best attempt at a map of the place as she remembered it. Using several sheets together to draw it big, to be able to be detailed. Then she fills it out with estimates of numbers of who she saw and who she heard and any weapons she saw, wielded or cached. She verbally describes the guards and warriors’ habits and general affect, how alert they were and how several seemed to have magical capabilities. She answers anything else they ask, holding nothing back. 

She is a little less concerned about the dragon, as it was a decent distance away and likely not concerned with the fortress.

When she hears about the children being preyed upon, her face falls. She looks to the others, worry plain on her visage, scared to ask if this is her fault.

Gerrard:

After going through everything he can think of and encouraging the others to do the same, Gerrard says, “All we did was reclaim a house and keep the crabs out of it.  But if there is a creature sucking the blood out of children in that area, I would be happy to help bring it to justice.”

History check for tales about bloodsucking creatures:  13

”Would anyone like to join me in this investigation?  I am very tired, but these children’s lives are in danger and I won’t be able to rest until we at least try to rescue them,” he adds, stifling a yawn.

Peri:

He had already begun edging toward the door as their report wound down, anticipating a mug of Lankus's ale and a warm, dry bed. But then Farbern brought up the missing children.

”Would anyone like to join me in this investigation?  I am very tired, but these children’s lives are in danger and I won’t be able to rest until we at least try to rescue them,” he adds, stifling a yawn.

"If it ain't one accursed thing it's another! Aye, of course we'll go lookin' for the kids!"

Qivys listens to the report, adding anything he thinks is relevant to the map. He doesn't agree with the assessment of the dragon but will defer to the party's judgement.

When Gerrard proposes the search for a "blood sucker" Qivys speaks up.

"What's tha history of tha beach?" he asks. 

The mosquitos – or whatever those bloodsucking pests were that they recently encountered in the Hool Marshes – are the first things that come to Gerrard's mind, but he can't imagine they could actually drain an entire body like this.

"The beach? Well, Crabbers' Cover is an old part o' Saltmarsh. Used to be the fishers' area generations ago, I gather, before they built th' wharf. The Leap's right nearby. Traditionally, the people here leap from th' cliffs into the water below when a loved one drowns at sea. The jump is usually not fatal; th' water below the Leap is free of rocks, and it's a short swim back to dry land. But then there were a couple o' bad jumps. And then a few folks disappeared. And then th' crabs came. And, of course, there's been a lot of wrecks down that end. It's had a bad reputation ever since I've been in town. Every few years, it seems, there'd be an incident. So nobody's lived down that way as long as I've been here. Until you folks came along."

Night has fallen. Farbern is satisfied with your report and seems genuinely grateful for your efforts.

"We will need those extra potions back, though. Whatever ye' didn't use."

Gerrard:

Nodding at Boko, Gerrard says, “Let us return our unused potions and head to the Cove…Unless Constable Farbern here sees fit for us to keep one or two of them to aid in our investigation of the children’s kidnapping.”  

Persuasion:  18

He looks tired and worn, but somehow more noble than when he is at his primped and perfumed finest.  There is something different about him…a calmness of spirit and a clarity of purpose emanates from him.  Maybe he is wiser, or maybe his efforts have just paid off as he is better aware of his surroundings.

(Acquired some skills with the level up)

Peri:

"Y'know, for a place that hardly warrants bein' called a town, there's a lot of weird things happen around here," Peri tells Farbern. "What strikes me as queerest, though, is that the Carpenters' Guild is right next to a place everyone thinks is cursed. Those houses were crawlin' with crabs 'til we killed off the behemoth out in the bay, then they were plagued by rats, at least accordin' to our housekeeper before he was killed. And I heard about some kinda werewolf attack, a coupla days before I got here, in broad daylight, right in front of those houses. Now kids're snatched off the street. But still the carpenters go to work each day, not fifty paces away, and they have no trouble at all? I'm no expert on devils and spirits and such, but I don't reckon they pay much heed to property lines. Any idea how the carpenters are able to keep at that evil at bay?"

(Responding to Gerrard) "If ye' have a specific immediate need for one of th' potions, I'm sure I can provide it. Otherwise, I'd prefer keep 'em safe in the stockpile here. We're soon going to need everything we got to fight the sea devils."

(Responding to Peri) "Kanklesten? She's smart. She knows better than to mess around with dangerous stuff. She mostly interested in rare woods, I understand. But it was one of her carpenters who found the dead girl."

“It seems we may want to speak with this Kanklesten.” Boko says. What time of day is it? She would not say no to a long rest but can keep going. How are we doing in terms of exhaustion, how close are we?

Gerrard:

”That potion of Gaseous Form was very useful for scouting…perhaps if you left one of them with us it might help if the investigation ends up in otherwise inaccessible areas,” reasons Gerrard, not sure where this investigation will lead.

“In any case, we should move quickly…I am too tired to stay up all night again,” he adds.

(It's after dark - about dinnertime. Shops are closing up. A few flakes of snow are in the air. The party missed a night of sleep, but had a short rest while navigating back to Saltmarsh; some had a bit more than that. So exhaustion is staved off for now, but in a couple of hours it will be time to make a DC10 CON roll or take a level of exhaustion.)

Farbern nods. "If it might become absolutely necessary, go ahead and keep one potion overnight. Please return it tomorrow unless you are forced to use it."

Kei 

"More foolish traipsing around this place sorting out problems that aren't our responsibility,  great." Kei shows no compassion in his blunt statement. "Anyone would think we were employed as the town guard. Speaking of, why haven't they gotten to the bottom of this?" He stops off and stands several feet from the group in defiance. "If our wisest of wise leaders deems this necessary, then I, his humble subject will join" his words ripe with sarcasm.

Gerrard:

”I don’t know if our presence in the Cove made the situation better, worse, or left it unaffected, Master Kei, but it does sound like whatever has been preying on the locals there has gotten more active lately.  I would put and end to it, if I can, especially if in so doing we save the lives of some of the kidnapped children,” says the young noble.

”I have seen the guards of this town fight off a gnoll invasion and stand ready on many a cold night keeping watch in the darkness so I could rest in peace.  If the good Constable says they are too busy to attend to this matter tonight, then it is so.  But I have seen too many of the common folk be considered ‘expendable’ or ‘collateral damage’—when they are considered at all—to turn a blind eye and take my ease by the fireside when a mother’s child might be saved if I had only acted!” he adds with conviction.

”I hold no authority here over you or anyone else, Master Kei, and what little privilege I enjoyed in Seaton has turned to ashes in my mouth, so I tell you this—you are no subject of mine.  Accompany me or not at your discretion, but I am going,” he finishes.

Taking the extra gaseous form potion and handing it to Boko, he says to Farbern, “We will bring this back if we don’t use it.  As to Master Kei’s concerns, I am sure the council will reward us fairly for all the work we are doing for the town once things have settled a bit, yes?”

To Peri, he says, “Yes, we should start with the carpenters, preferably the one who found the body so we may follow the trail from there.  Let us go before they close up shop for the night.”

"I'll go along and see what I can sense." Qivys says. "If'n there is somethin' dark lurkin' about I'll be able ta tell. If not, I'd suggest ta let folks get some sleep. We have put a good night's work in fer tha town, don't ya think?" he asks. 

Once the party moves along and gets out of ear shot of Farbern and his guard Qivys will say:

"Ain't it funny how there is somethin' goin' on around yer spot an' tha Constable tries ta lay blame at yer door ta get ya ta look inta it?" Qivys asks. "I hear tell there was some dark work happen down around there before we went on our little mission an' ta guard did little ta nothin' ta help. This being lap dogs fer tha Constable and his ilk, so they don't have ta get their hands dirty, ain't profitable nor can be good fer ones health."

Qivy pauses then looks to Gerrard.
"It seems ta me they are playing on yer desire ta make up fer some past guilt or tha desire ta save folks so they pull on yer heart strings ta get ya ta follow orders. Ta my mind they ain't givin' ya tha proper respect fer your station." he says. "Ash in yer mouth or no, yer still tha son of a local lord an' are due ta more than their givin' ya." Qivy says with a smile and a nod. 

Peri:

Peri watches Gerrard lay into Kei -- albeit in the politest possible way -- with a sense of amusement that is probably inappropriate given the circumstances. Still, he's pleased to see the change from the lovelorn, naive dandy they'd rescued from a hungry worg just a few weeks ago. Here was a man he respected, even if they occasionally disagreed on the finer points of "honor." And what of yourself, boyo? What remains of the starry-eyed swab, eager for a life of adventure? Aye, it's been an enlightenin' few weeks, he thinks as he exits with his group.

"Ain't it funny how there is somethin' goin' on around yer spot an' tha Constable tries ta lay blame at yer door ta get ya ta look inta it?" Qivys asks. "I hear tell there was some dark work happen down around there before we went on our little mission an' ta guard did little ta nothin' ta help. This being lap dogs fer tha Constable and his ilk, so they don't have ta get their hands dirty, ain't profitable nor can be good fer ones health."

"It's been profitable enough, at least compared to any work I'd done before joinin' up with you lot. But I agree I'm gettin' tired of doin' what should be the town guard's job. There's so many evils besettin' this town all they can do is hunker down and hold back the worst of it. Seems like, while they've got this army to hand, they oughtta do somethin' about rootin' out the sources of a few of those problems. But they won't, so they'll just go on hunkerin' down. But whether or not it's our responsibility, I can't go leavin' children to be fed upon by the gods only know what. Let's go rattle the carpenters' cage and see what we find."

"The town of Saltmarsh is deeply grateful for your efforts," intones Farbern. He stands and leads you to the exit.

You are feeling deeply fatigued as you make your way down the hill and over the bridge. Last night was a very long night.

A few flakes of snow are beginning to stick to the wet cobblestones in town. Shopkeepers are beginning to close up. The night is dark.

The Carpenters’ Guildhall: It is the well-kept shop on the shore where Dwal hired the carpenters who renovated your two nearby cottages. (And Qivys recalls Omen talking about visiting it when they first arrived in town, trying to get his shackles removed.) The wooden door has no window, just a peephole which is currently shut. The door - indeed the whole building - is a marvel of workmanship. A small sign reads, "Carpenters’ Guildhall".

Gerrard:

”There is truth in what you say, Master Qivys—and you as well Master Fenwader,” Gerrard replies as they approach the Carpenters’ Guildhall.  He walks up and knocks briskly on the closed door, hoping someone is around to answer them.