Navigating the winding streets of the Ironlot, you find a wedge-shaped hutch of smoke-stained thatch and warped wood. A faded sign bearing the name “Lay of the Land” dangles above the door. Entering the shaded interior, you are greeted by all manner of smells, from pungent fungi, to dried weeds, to burning incense. A woman turns toward you where she eats at a corner table, her smiling mouth half-filled with food, her voluminous black hair framing her face.

"Oh!! Hello, dears!" the woman exclaims, all but spraying food everywhere. "One moment," she holds up a hand, swallowing her food and turns back to you all with a bright grin. "Now, don't you all look like enterprising customers," she coos. "What can 'ole Zendasa do for you, then?" 

"Hello there!  We were hoping you would be able to help us all out.  We found this interesting looking mud a little while ago and was interested in seeing if you could tell us where we could find more of it?  It doesn't seem to be natural to the city."  He'll then flash her a big friendly grin and hope that he doesn't fall as flat as he did with the kobolds earlier today. 

(Persuasion if necessary: 9)

"Hmm...," she ponders for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Well, what did it look like? What color was it? Consistency? Where did you find it?" She fires off the questions quickly, one after the other, ticking them off on her fingers. Then she wanders closer, leaning in to look at Aeros and, you think, possibly sniff you. "Curious," she muses, head tilting. "Do you bathe often? Do your scales itch? Do they require specific...Maintenance?" 

Menodora can't help but giggle just a little bit from her spot - covering her mouth to try and choke it away. In all honesty, though, she finds herself little fond and amused at the woman. 

"I believe the dirt was of a crimson color. I'm not sure I can speak to the consistency though," she offers, if only to perhaps draw the attention and pressing questions from Aeros, "It was left behind by some beings that tried to kill us. We'd hoped if we can identify where the mud came from, we might find where they were. Before they tried to kill us."  

Sila watches everything that's going on with confusion, "You're hoping to find where someone was with mud?"

Quote from inkedwolves >>

"Hmm...," she ponders for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Well, what did it look like? What color was it? Consistency? Where did you find it?" She fires off the questions quickly, one after the other, ticking them off on her fingers. Then she wanders closer, leaning in to look at Aeros and, you think, possibly sniff you. "Curious," she muses, head tilting. "Do you bathe often? Do your scales itch? Do they require specific...Maintenance?" 

 "Oh!  Well... I bathe as much as anyone else I suppose...and, uh... they don't itch per say but they can cause some irritation on the skin below isn't that right Kriv?  Wait?  Why do you need to know?  Does this relate to my question in anyway?"  Aeros replies back rather flustered.  When Menodora chimes in, he's relived that focus of conversation was off of him as the woman, though eccentric and friendly enough, looked at him in a way that made him more feel more like a lab experiment than person.

Quote from BaconExpert982 >>

Sila watches everything that's going on with confusion, "You're hoping to find where someone was with mud?"

 Then turning to Sila he adds quietly, "We think the mud and the waterfall are related.  Hopefully she has an idea where it might be." 

"Crimson dirt?" Zendasa muses, looking thoughtful for a moment -only a moment- before she whirls around, completely ignoring Aeros's questions, and shoves a bundle of plants and miscellany off of a nearby table. Reaching underneath, she pulls up a small pot and upends it onto the table. Spilling over the dark wood is clumps of crimson mud very much similar in appearance, if not the same, as that which stained the feet of your kobold friends. 

"This sort of crimson, would you say?" she asks, peering closely, much in an owlish manner, at the party. "This isn't found in Hupperdook at all! Or, rather, shouldn't be, though you've obviously done so," she pauses, here, eyeing Menodora. "A lute player," she hums, "do you get calluses on your fingers? I suppose you must; there's really quite a good cream for that--," she trails off, turning to root through another pile of things. "But! On to your mystery - crimson mud such as this could only be found up the mountain near - AHA," she stops, pulling out a vial full of some foul-smelling cream. "Make your callouses go away like that," she announces, snapping her fingers. 

Then, visibly shaking herself back on track, she carefully scoops the mud back into the container and looks up again. "Up near the dormant volcanic caps of Silberquel Ridge, but," she shrugs, "no one goes up there, 'cept me, once, a while back. Heard strange noises, so I collected my mud and came back down right quick." 

As the question about his skin comes Kriv just shrugs "I've never been bothered by them." he says looking at the other dragonborn. He just goes back to being quite his eyes moving around the shop. He was a little curious to see how the dirt would help to find someone. As Aeros explain to Sila and just nods "Make sense maybe one of the locals knows better than us."

"Show her the map of the waterfall. Maybe she can tell us where to find that location.", Arthasis urged the others. He stood near the entrance of the shop looking at its inventory. It was nothing special and couldn't compare with the shops his family operated. "Is there a waterfall near this 'Silberquel Ridge'?", he asked the shopkeeper directly. 

"Oh, yes, of course," Zendasa answers, as if the answer is quite obvious. "The Silver Falls; quite beautiful, really," she notes, shrugging. "It feeds into the lake in the upper city; Silver Falls Grove they call it - residential center of the city!" It's quite obvious, from looking around, that Zendasa does not make use of that part of the city. She eyes them for a moment more before shifting closer again. 

"Do you make use of perfume?" She gestures towards a shelf stacked with bottles of all colors. "Do you think it would interfere with the heavy fur smell you have going on," she inquires further, the question directed at Menodora as Zendasa takes an obvious sniff, wrinkling her nose. 

(There are other useful items placed haphazardly around the shop - healing potions, herbalism kits, incense, healer's kits, etc., if anyone would like to stock up on anything~)

"Silver Falls Grove huh.  Guess we should start there." Aeros ponders out loud to himself as the old woman chatters on.  Turning back to Zendasa he asks, "Can you access the cavern from the Residential District?  Is that how you got there last time?" 

(OOC: Also how much are healing potions?)

(50 gp each, though you're welcome to haggle) 

"No, no, dear," Zendasa coos at Aeros, shaking her head. "You must go up the mountain for that; the Grove is just the district around Silver Falls Lake. It is not a journey for the faint of heart though," she adds, grinning. "Though, by the looks of you all, you're far from fainting." 

Menodora straightens her back immediately at the fur comment, and tries to casually shrug off the comment. 

"I'm...not sure perfume is really my thing," she admits, "But I'm sure I'll find something of use to purchase. Maybe something for healing. In case we y'know, get attacked again. The last sneak attack has left me feeling in need of a good rest, after all."  

Quote from inkedwolves >>

(50 gp each, though you're welcome to haggle) 

"No, no, dear," Zendasa coos at Aeros, shaking her head. "You must go up the mountain for that; the Grove is just the district around Silver Falls Lake. It is not a journey for the faint of heart though," she adds, grinning. "Though, by the looks of you all, you're far from fainting." 

 "Oh I see, I see.  Well then it seems like that where we're headed to next!" Aeros replies back to the woman. "Would you happen to know if there's a trail up the mountain or perhaps a map that could help us reach the cave?"  And pausing for a moment before thinking of a final question, "And what's up there that's not for the 'faint of heart'?"

"Only one trail, yes! You can't miss it if you climb up towards the ridge; just be sure to keep the waterfall in your sights!" she answers, picking through some plant matter delicately. "No maps, I'm afraid," she shrugs, seeming to find this idea absurd. Then she turns another grin on you all. "Oh many things I should think," she answers vaguely, chuckling. "Whatever has you all so curious, for one thing. But it's a mountain pass, and full of things you'd find on a mountain pass!" 

"Like mud?" Sila asks, still kind of confused.

"Yes! Very like mud," Zendasa confirms, peering closer at Sila. "Hmm, you are quite pale. Do you burn easily in the sun?" 

"Um..." Sila takes the moment to ensure her holy symbol is tucked into her shirt. "I don't spend much time out when the sun is up honestly..."

Kriv just watches the woman's reaction and questions. This was an interesting one to say the least, he just looked around at his companions as they got the information "Are we ready to go?"

"I believe so unless anyone else has something to add or buy?"  Aeros replies as he looks around the shop at all the random bottles.