The Wildemount Irregulars (2020)

Once or twice. You? Look like you've seen some action in your day. He'll offer to buy them a mug of ale and sit down with them. 

Balassar just nods during the conversation and finally speaks up “You know a Moss and where I could find her.”

Yeah.  Not at Ashguard, mind.  Just some patrols in the last couple of weeks.  They're holding, and prodding, so we prod back.  But man, they've got some weird magic.  I heard stories you know.  People getting sucked into the air, crushed.  Some of their warriors can make copies of themselves, and the copy will hit you just as hard as the right one.  Weird.   

Balassar, he shakes his head.  I never heard of a Moss, sorry.

Seeing Silent and Balassar go off and chat, he walks over to the barkeep and gets himself a drink too. "Quite the nice place you've got here. I've heard that Ashguard has been taken over and was curious on how the moral of the soldiers has been?"

Alton, the bartender hands you your ale.  Everyone was a bit shaken at the start.  But spirits are getting better; the Righteous Brand has started to arrive in numbers.  I don't know what they've got planned though, and I wouldn't be gossiping about it if I did.  Careless talk costs lives.  He says this in a light and friendly tone.

The morale of the townsfolk worries me more.  All those stories of kids going missing.  Then the war, and the loss of the Ashguard, and the refugees.  I mean, folks round here are tough, and they've prepared for hard times, but still.  It's a hell of a time we're living through, eh?

So what's your story?  Here to join up?  Serve the Empire?

Balassar just looks around as he tries to find a half-elf that seems familiar and appears to be staying away from the crowds.

Balassar, you don't see Moss or anyone who looks particularly like her.  You suppose she's not around tonight, for whatever reason.

Balassar just sighs walking to the bar and sitting down defeated. He just holds his hand up to get a drink.

Bazavur, you get served a tankard of ale.  It tastes fine, nothing special.

Balassar just takes a deep sigh looking at the server in defeat "You wouldn't happen to know a half-elf  from the Righteous Brand named Moss would you?"

Sure, I know her, he replies.  Not well, but she drinks here more nights than not.  You looking for her?  I think she's out on patrol at the moment.  Probably back in a few days.

Alton pays for his drink, "It sure sounds like it. I guess my friends and I are considered mercenaries. We were hired to help with guarding the caravan of supplies that just arrived from Felderwin, and a good thing too. It felt like every day we were attacked by something." He starts to count on his fingers, "Lets see there were those flying horse birds on two of the days, a few giants, also two of the days I think, and some gnolls one day." He takes a drink of the ale, "You said kids have gone missing, or at least stories of them going missing. Oh, and has a halfling by the name of Nara been here?"

No, never served a Nara, as far as I know.  But lots of folks come in here and I don't get to meet them personally.  

Giants and flying birds?  Sounds... well, sounds a bit unbelievable, if we weren't living in these times.  But yeah, I've heard stories from patrols.  Lots of things getting stirred up by the war.  Gnolls for sure - heard that a few times.

Kids have been going missing.  Teens, for the most part.  No-one knows why.  They just... go.  Like they up and leave in the middle of the night.  I guess it's the Cricks, but no one has a clue how they're doing it.  Like... if they can just sneak into the city in the middle of the night, why not just assassinate the leadership and be done with it.  Who kidnaps a random bunch of teenagers?

Alton, you spend a few hours chatting and drinking with various patrons of the bar, but then eventually you all find your separate ways to bed and sleep. 

You all wake in the morning having completed a long rest.  You have the day to spend before you have agreed to meet Fray at sunset in the Burnt Scabbard.  What would you like to do?

Balassar just nods in thanks for the information as he takes another drink.

Silent would probably be waking up a little hungover (I'll be deducting more money for drinks he would have bought late into the night), and would ask the other two, Either of you hear anything interesting last night? And what's the plan for today? We got some time before Fray shows up, maybe we do some snooping around. 

At some point, while chatting with the bartender, Alton would slip him a gold piece to pay for a round of drinks for Balassar, Silent, and himself; a meal for each of them, the room(s) for the night, and to give him a tip.

Alton rubs his eyes and yawns as they meet up the next morning saying, "I think Balassar wanted to go visit that other blacksmith. The barkeep mentioned that kids and teenagers have gone missing; we could ask around about that. Did either of you come across any interesting information?"

Nothing much - some tales about Dynasty soldiers. This thing about missing kids sounds interesting though... any ideas of where we might be able to find some more information? 

As Alton mentions Balassar, the dragonborn appears and just looks at them "Found out Moss was on patrol so going to need to wait to talk to her. What is the plan for today? Mind if we check out Roska's?"

Sure, maybe Roska has heard something about these kids. Who's Moss, anyway? 

Hagrie's Smithy, operated by Roska Hagrie, is about half way between your inn and Gwen's establishment.  It's definitely an older and larger operation; all of the staff appear to be dwarves, and there are decorations with images and tributes to the Allhammer covering much of the walls.

As you arrive you see a conversation in progress between an official of the Righteous Brand in uniform and a young female dwarf who is not Roska, but clearly a family member.  You wait off to one side, and it's clear that a delivery of swords is being picked up; the officer is checking their quality, and seems satisfied.  After a few minutes, the shipment is taken away and the dwarf turns to you.  Hello there.  Anything you need today?  We're a bit busy with government orders, mind you.