"Well forgive me. With your attitude I seem to forget that you are not simply one of the men." Malvech says with a smirk aimed at Oyre before he stretches his arms and moves towards Jasper, grabbing the reigns of the pony. "Climb aboard. Let them stable your mount so that we can move faster."

"Everyone stay alert, just in case." Kellen polishes off his meal, then ties his and Pyre's horses by Jasper's. "Let's find a temple priestess or acolyte first, Pyre. They should be able to point us to Gael if he's there, then assist you in thanking the Wildmother."

Jasper jumps onto Malvech's back as they head towards the forge.

There's is a tavern, Rummy's Rest, in town nearer to the road that led them to Blackthorn. The party is unsure if they have rooms to let but they could ask. The temple of Melora is on the outskirts of the village square passed where the farmers and tradespeople have set up their wares to sell. The temple itself is not far from Fireside Forge but at the top of a wide cul-de-sac with the new yet abandoned expansion of the town and seems to butt up against the encroaching forest with a semi-circle of standing stone stelae in front of it. The party will have to go passed Fireside Forge on their way to the temple of Melora or back to the beginning of town to Rummy's Rest where they might find lodging and stabling for their horses.

Kellen chuckles as he and Pyre start out. "I've gotten so used to bigger cities I've forgotten how close together everything is in a village. My brothers back at the monastery would be disappointed in me. Since we're going by the forge anyway, if you'd like, Pyre, we could stop in, hear from the mother, then go on to the temple afterwards."

Malvech makes his way to the forge once he is sure that Jasper is safely in the saddle. As he trots to the building he reaches into his bag of holding, pulling out how smithing tools incase he got the chance to have time at the forge later. "Tie these off to the saddle, I may use them if I can get time at the forge."

"No problem."  Jasper takes the smithy tools from Malvech and ties them to the side of his saddle. "I hope we're able to locate this girl. Just the thought of her being alone and afraid out in the wilderness scares the hell out of me."

Pyre nods in agreement with Kellen. As they approach the smithy she just looks at Jasper and Malvech and just shrugs smiling. 

By way of explanation, Kellen tells Malvech, "We didn't realize the smithy was on our way to the temple. We may as well all visit together, then split up when it makes sense."

He smiles at Jasper. "Shared knowledge is the path toward truth, after all."

"In retrospect, it's probably better if we stick together anyway. None of us are really familiar with this region." Jasper hops off Malvech and opens the door, holding it for the others.

The forge is open. There's stone arches that lead into the forge itself where a fire roars and a dwarven woman pounds a piece of steel that looks like a farming implement. She's deep in her work but as soon as the party enters she picks up her head. Nodding she whips her caramel colored skin above her brow with a stern face. She then quenches the steel in a vat of oil. Wynnora is dressed as plainly as the other villagers but wears a large leather apron over her green tunic.

"Yes," Wynnora Fireside asks, "how can I help," she adds putting her tools aside looking up with big brown eyes. "Oh....are you...the adventurers my brother sent," she then asks her expression becoming hopeful.

OOC: a dwarven man with the same dark skin as Wynnora at a tavern the Landlocked Lady hired you for the job.

Jasper steps to Wynnora with his hand extended. "Hello, I'm Jasper Nimblefingers. These are my companions Kellen, Mavlech, and Pyre."  He nods to each of them in turn. "If you're Wynn, then we were hired by your brother at the Amber Crossroads to help find your daughter. We were hoping to get any information we can about your daughter..... what she looks like....... when she was last seen..........where she was last seen..........what she was wearing........... Any information you can provide would be a help to us." Jasper looks at her with an expression of both sympathy and kindness. "I understand this must be a difficult time for your family, but I want you to know, we are going to do everything in our power to bring your daughter back."

Malvech shrugs as they all go to the forge together, his eyes scanning the forge long before they finally landed on the dwarven woman. He was careful to lower his head incase the ceiling sat to low for his frame. He let Jasper do the talking, making sure that he was ready to catch the halfling if he had any trouble climbing down.

"She's my adopted daughter," Wynn begins, "she's human with blonde hair. She's twelve. We found her wandering in the forest near the old elven ruins where her people were found slain. My wife and I adopted her but she often disappears into the forest to play in the ruins with the other village children," she explains. "No one claimed to have seen her but the boy who works at Rummy's finally told our temple Herald that he saw her at the beginning of the week going into the forest," she adds with a frown. "We all searched the ruins and the forest but found nothing. Willa's name day is coming...," she pauses tears on her face mingling in the soot. "Gael, my wife, is at the temple. She has been at the temple since our girl disappeared," she finishes hanging her head. "Please....find her," she adds her tone and expression frantic.

Pyre looks around as Jasper speaks to Wynnora Fireside. She inhales deeply. It all reminds her of home. Though not as busy as Nicodranas. She understood the loss, the heartache. She had lost her parents and her adopted mother had lost her wife. Pyre never knew her. Pyre shakes off her revery as Wynn finishes speaking. She walks over to Wynn and puts her arm around her. "Fear no more. Jasper speaks true. We WILL find your daughter and bring her home to you. We will go and speak with your wife. To gather from her what she remembers. After that we track down Willa." She looks up at the others. "Let's go boys. We have a little girl to bring home to her mothers." As she heads for the door she turns back once more, "Keep the fire burning Miss Wynn."

Kellen looks a little uncomfortable at Pyre's words but stands to leave. "I am sorry if these questions have caused you pain, Wynnora, but if I could just ask one more? You mentioned finding Willa near the ruins with all her people killed. How long ago was that, and did you have any idea of how or why they had died?"

Malvech nods as he moves outside of the forge, crossing his arms in thought as they wait for Kellen to have his questions answered. "It is still strange to me at times that they are not all out hunting for the girl. Though it has been many years since I left my people to continue their wanderings I can find the differences among other people's quite strange. When a young among my tribe was lost even the eldest and the sickly would join in to find them or to exterminate what took them. Then I must remember not everyone is skilled in the arts of hunting and battle like my people who must fight and hunt everyday for what we need."

Jasper nods his head politely as he exits the forge. "Thank you for your time."  Once he gets outside, he looks to the others. "I think it would be a good idea to talk to the boy that works at Rummy's that she mentioned. I'm a little concerned how she said he finally mentioned seeing Willa....... almost as if he was hiding something. Could the kids have been doing something they shouldn't have and he was afraid? He may also be able to give us additional info that the moms aren't aware of." 

He looks to Malvech. "It could be they are scared to death of something, or more likely these are just simple folk. They scoured the land close to this town and feel they have exhausted their options."

Mavlech recalls the male dwarf at the tavern did mention that the forest was haunted. The party also heard tales on the road of witches, wild and unnatural beasts plague it too.

Thank you," Wynn replies to Pyre before briefly admiring her arm with a curious expression. The dwarven woman then looks to Kellen. "That was ten years ago. My wife and I had just settled here. The town was expanding then but people were trying to cut down the forests for cropland. Her people came to town and did as such. It was a terrible sight I do recall, a beast attacked them in the night. Their camp was torn apart! That's what makes searching for her so hard. Tbe towns people united with us and help us the with the coin to hire you but everyone fears the Wildwood. We were only out for less than an hour with one party of searchers was attacked! As for her people, Willa however was the only survivor as a babe," she adds looking frustrated now gripping her hammer again. "I would have gone again by myself but I.... I too am a coward. The forests and ruins are not safe," she adds hanging her head ashamed.

Kellen nods sympathetically. "Thank you for the information, Wynn. You and your wife did a good thing giving Willa a home and family." He turns at the doorway as he's leaving. "I don't think it is cowardly to fear danger you are not equipped to face. And finding others who can face them in your place? That is wisdom."

As he rejoins the others, Kellen says "So the girl grew up here, and the forest's dangers to the village are not new. I had wondered why the new expansions to the village up by the temple were not inhabited. Sounds like the expected residents left town, or maybe this plane, if they were unlucky."

"Should we all go to the temple then go secure lodgings at that tavern we passed as we entered the village?"