Killilli’s Dragon Heist

"We haven't seen the maze! I'm pretty good at finding, and even better at hiding! Where is that?"

"I know, right!"

She will try to make a crowns for everyone out of dandelions.

"When I was little I used to do this with my sister!"

She makes herself an illusory dandelion crown that looks just as well made as everyone elses, which is to say like a six year old did it.

“Just up in the north way out from farm, all the fun farms are there. The adults all like Snobeedles, but we have hot pepper eating contests and play in the maze while they have the cider, well at least we used to, they’ve all seemed a little stressed recently, chasing us off when we play there.” The elder child responds.

All the children seem very happy with their crowns, playing kings and queens and screaming “off with your head” at anyone they see. The young halfling asks, “Used to? How come you don’t play with her anymore?”

"Wagon rolled over on her and my dad! Me too, but not as much! Got a tree branch in here!"

She points to the large scar on her head.

"Anyhow, she died and since then I haven't gotten to do this kinda stuff!"

She shapeshifts her crown into an octopus with it's legs going the wrong way (flapping into the sky).

Kerri watches everyone, "Um... girls don't we have something we're supposed to be doing?"

"Lyss is working on it! Come and play Kerri, I'll make you a crown!"

"Thanks!", Lyss hands over some of the crumbled pastry remains to the other kid.

Rejoining the others, she fills them in, "The pepper man's farm is up north, near a orchard and a maze. The grown ups aren't letting the kids play in the maze anymore, I wonder if that's where the problem is coming from? Let's go find out!"

Aimee waves to the kids and uses the octopus legs to wave too before following Lyss.

"I want to do that maze!"

As the three of you leave the group of now horrified children, you make your way out of town and through a country road surrounded by farmland. The cliff of the Waterdeep plateau towers above you a few miles away, and you can see the City Watch training grounds at the base, with people marching and running drills like little matchstick men in the distance. At the Labour camp nearby you can see criminals hard at work in their bright orange overalls. 

Pyters Pepper farm is based around a small cottage, humble in comparison to the orchard’s grand entrance opposite. A frustrated halfling is pushing a half full wheelbarrow of peppers as he scowls.

Aimee says,

"Hi! Are you the pepper man? I'm Aimee and we're here to help you!"

She looks to Lyss for confirmation that is why they are here, she wasn't really listening when they explained why they were coming. Something to do with scarecrows? And maybe pastries?

The halfling cowers at Aimee’s voice, clutching his chest before relaxing. “Oh, you scared the life out of me!” He gasps, “Yes, I’m Pyter the pepper man, I’m sorry, we can’t have no kids around here no more, and those scarecrows aint the fun kind.”

"I'm not a kid! And Lyss is but really isn't! This is Lyss and that lady back there is Kerri! I'm good at burning things if you are scared of scarecrows!"

Aimee is helpful!

Lyss waves.

The farmer grumbles, "How am I supposed to tell with you tall folk." before sighing as he heads to the door of his cottage, opening it before turning back. "It'll be dark soon, you'd better come in before the scarecrows come out. These aren't just regular scarecrows, my wife was attacked while tending the field, we barely managed to fight it off long enough to escape. I don't fancy your chances with them but at least you've shown an interest. The watch won't even send a trainee group, no fatalities so it's not important enough for them, but poor Patty's been bedridden for a week now. That mixed with the destruction they've caused has left me fearing if we'll be able to pay our bills this month. I'll put on a pot of tea for you, and I've got some cider from over the road if you need the courage."

"I always like courage! And Tea!"

She will then loud whisper to Lyss and Kerri,

"Aren't scarecrows those stick guys with clothes that scare...crows? Has stuff changed out here since I was little?"

"How many of them are there?" Kerri asks, interest peaked.

(Yeah, the other two of you have the same view of scarecrows as Aimee.)

As Pyter puts the kettle on, you settle in around his wonky dining table, some sugared biscuits sitting in a bowl in the middle. “Who knows? There are plenty of scarecrows out on the fields, but some come to life and cause havoc. The only thing I could see different about them was their smell, like rotting meat. But I wouldn’t dare to get close enough to check them all.”

"Huh! When do the come to life? All the time? Or just at night? Did anything change before it started?"

Aimee goes into mystery solving mode, eating cookies three at time.

Petyr takes the kettle off the stove, pouring a drink for each of you. “I’ve never seen them in the day, and at night I’ve dared not go out to count, but the one that attacked us had a peculiar sign drawn on it, and an awful stench.”

"Can you draw the sign? And you said it smelled like bad meat?"