Fallon let out a bit of a huff, though the corner of their mouth quirked into a smile "Great. Our first mission and we're going to die of food poisoning before it even begins."

A clamor of pans and dishes rings out from the kitchen.  A loud yelp cry comes from Mentor, followed by the familiar incantations for the spell Mage Hand; a common ritual involving Mentor's cooking, as he likely just burned his hands again trying to grab something hot.  "It'll be just a moment more!" He calls out amidst the noise.

Julian, at this point you feel confident that Mentor has caused more fires in the kitchen than you have; and you sometimes wonder if the fire was actually your fault.

Julian elbows Branra right back, with sly mirth in his voice. "Those were your crêpes that I was making when the kitchen caught flame. I'm sure if you want more hangover food, Mentor can cook you something up."

Addi sits on a bench and pulls out a book that she is reading. She continues to read as the Mentor seems to be completely occupied and there’s not much she can do right now.

A cool wind blows through the courtyard and into the open dinning area.  The branches of the ancient courtyard tree sways, casting shadows across the tables and benches.  A moment later the kitchen door opens once more, as trays of food float over.  Mentor follows, his hand in his mouth, trying to ease his burn.  He mumbles something and then pulls his hand out, repeating himself.  "Okay, so the potatoes are burnt; but the boiled pies should be fine.  The dough is tough, so they aren't undercooked; and the innards have only leaked out a little bit."

As the food hits the table, one of the pies pops, throwing bits of meat and veggies across Addi's face; in a hot splatter.  Mentor waves his hand towards the kitchen once more, and a tray of drinks and a pitcher drift over as well.

Fallon chuckled and took a seat next to Addi, producing a handkerchief from their pocket and setting it down next to the sorceress' hand "It's supposed to go in your mouth, Addi, not on your face." The shifter gave a sly smile and picked up a boiled pie gingerly, inspecting it before taking a bite.

Addi gives Fallon a shy smile as she says, “Thanks” and cleans her mouth. She then grabs a boiled pie and begins to dig in.

Grabbing the pie, it squeezes slightly; bits of brown juice leaking out; but otherwise feels solid.  Biting into it, the grease of the venison can be tasted throughout the dough; as well as the flavors of onions, carrots, and peas.  As Addi pull the pie away from her face, a greasy hot mess of juice and food bits drips down her chin.  The taste is a bit plain, but otherwise pleasant.  Moments later, a glass of ale lands next to her plate.

Luna sits and takes a boiled pie, biting it. After she swallows, she says; "Not bad, keep training in your cooking Mentor." Luna smiles then takes a burnt  potato, trying it; "This could still use some work."

Branra laughs at the pie on Addi's face as he grabs a pie of his own to eat. His face lights up in a smile as he sees the pitcher of ale floating out of the kitchen. Although the pie is blander than he would prefer, the young barbarian still eats it with gusto, pausing every now and then to take a drink of the ale. Picking up one of the burnt potatoes, he quips "Maybe we should save these to use as weapons against that golem. I'm sure getting hit with several of these would kill it."

Mentor picks up one of the blackened potato wedges, looking down at it.  "Yes...you may actually be right about that Branra."  He ponders for a second more and then adds; "If anything, they may double as tent stakes."  The serious look on his face slowly breaks, turning into a smile, before he eventually bursts out into deep laughter.

While continuing to laugh, he reaches out and grabs one of the ales, his other hand waving over it.  As he does so, the mug becomes covered with frost.  As he raises the mug to his lips, his laughter is replaced by a shiver that runs along his body.  "Ooh, too cold."  He then sets the mug down.  "I'll let that warm a bit in the sun."

Turning towards the group.  "So, this is going to be a long journey before you all; but I don't want you to go unprepared.  Inside the carriage you'll find supplies; but I also provided you with a chest of 100 gold pieces.  Use it wisely."

"Is there anything else I can assist you with before you leave?"  Mentor asks, finishing his pie; only choking a bit, before he washes it down with his chilled ale.  "Any further advice or information that you seek?"

"What are the gargoyle's weaknesses? Anything strategy or item we could use against him to gain an advantage."

Fallon finishes their pie and washes the taste, if it could be called that, with ale "If the thing has weaknesses, they won't escape my eye." Fallon added absently, before they even realized they were speaking "But it would help to know what information you have on their kind, if any."

Mentor nods in response to the question.  "Good inquiry.  The gargoyle, like all gargoyles under control of the Forces of Chaos, is merely a stone statue that becomes animated by Chaos Magic; granting it flesh and blood.  When it is in it's stone form, it is inert; but when animated it is aware of its surroundings; but can also be harmed like any other mortal creature."

After a pause he continues.  "Verag is unique in that he has remained animated for some time; likely because of the nature of his task.  Gargoyles only animate when a task is given to them and while attempting that task.  For some reason, whatever his task is, it has kept him active for long enough to acquire troops under his command."  A look of concern can be seen on Mentor's face.

“It’ll be fine,” Addi says to the Mentor as she finishes up with her pie. “Even though he’s been animated for a long time, we can still take him down.” She attempts a trick Fallon showed her: twirling a knife on her finger. Performance: 15

A fond smile crept slowly onto Fallon's face as they watched Addi, but it vanished when they realized it was there "You're getting better, Adds but it's more like..." They pulled out two wicked daggers from their sides, preparing themselves to twirl them elegantly. And as they twirled the first knife, their finger slipped and it arced high into the air, spinning end over end, then came down with a thud into one of the pies. Fallon gave a sheepish grin "At least we all know no one was gonna eat it."

Sleight of Hand: 16

 ((Just my luck I get roll a 2 with one of my Expertise skills T~T))

Mentor wipes the freshly spattered pie juice off of his face; bits of it scattered throughout his long beard.  "Hmm, yes.  That was much better than Addi's.  Especially at pranking me... again."  A stern look covers Mentor's face; but the edges of his eyes and mouth show the signs of him trying not to smile.

Addi lets out a little laugh. “Nice one, Fal. And how many times have I told you to not call me Adds? You know I don’t like it,” she says as she’s smiling.

Mentor pulls off his spectacles, attempting to wipe them clean; but mostly just smearing the pie grease even more across them.  "As for the remaining creatures in the tomb..." He says, returning to the topic of the quest."...I can sense undead, likely the mummy guardian, but I can not penetrate that part of the tomb with my powers.  It has been warded against scrying, so I can not tell you what other threats reside within that area."

Giving up on wiping off his glasses, he simply lays them upon the wooden table.  "As for the remainder of the tomb; beyond the gargoyle Verag I can sense chaos magic within multiple Chaos Warriors, and even within some of the Goblins present.  Additionally, there are Orcs and Fimir in the area; some of which are inside the tomb; while others lay in the encampment above."

After a pause he continues.  "Those are the dangers that you should face upon your arrival, though know that the roads towards the outer territories of the Empire may hold dangers of their own."