Chilling Adventures in the North

Qinfaren almost gets distracted by the signs of a burial chamber, wondering if it's a sacred space for the Verbeeg or if he's just squatting. Before committing to acting, Qinfaren looks around for signs of anyone else here besides the Verbeeg.

Perception: 26  

Ricky ignores it all, eyes up for getting closer to the verbeeg, and cutting off its escape

Qinfaren fails to spot anyone else in the tunnel.

Qinfaren looks over at the others and raises an eyebrow. If they're doing this, they better do it now before anyone else shows up.

But he decides to try one more thing before attacking while they still have some semblance of surprise on their side.

Qinfaren clutches the staff tightly, the mistletoe gripped under his hand, and he whispers "leporem persona."

Casts: Charm Person  Wis Save DC 14 or will be friendly to the group.

(Verbeeg wis save: 10)

     Bàn holds still, ready but waiting for Ricky to kick tho ga off.  This does kind of seem to be his shindig…

Qinfaren looks over at Bàn and Ricky, and then points at the verbeeg.

"I'm going to have a chat with the verbeeg," Qinfaren says. "I think he'll be friendly for a little while. Maybe we can find out why he stole the mead and is harassing Good Mead. If he's just a dangerous thief, we can still do this the other way."

He then pats the dire wolf on the head and directs it to sit near one of the walls and wait.

Qinfaren holds up a hand in greeting and says "Hello over there. I'm Qinfaren. These are my friends. Do you have a moment to chat?"

The verbeeg stop carving the knife and turns to look down at Qinfaren. He looks surprised to see people in his cave but also looks happy.

"Hello there, I didn't hear you enter these caves. I am happy to chat."

Qinfaren looks back at the others and raises an eyebrow. 

"We can at least see what's going on first," he says.

He turns back to the verbeeg and takes a step closer.

"I'm Qinfaren and we've just come from Good Mead," Qinfaren says. "There seems to have been some trouble with some missing mead barrels.The rumors are that someone your size might have taken them. Now, you don't look the type to just steal so there must be some misunderstanding here. Do you know anything about the barrels or where they are now?"

Qinfaren looks around the cave for a moment then adds, "I like your cave. Do you live alone out here?"

The verbeeg listens to Qinfaren, "Oh, you mean the mead that I took and suspended from the ceiling? Yeah, I stole them. Then I was pursued by a man but I skewered him with that spear over there. I don't live along though."

Qinfaren does his best to keep a smile on his face despite the news of someone being skewered.

”Well that’s good to hear. it would be lonely out here. Who do you live with?”

     With the news that he doesn’t live alone, Bàn send Owl off and flying through the caverns to see if they can spot any more beings of any sort, larger than owl itself anyway…  And Bàn himself looks around  to ensure nobody is sneaking up behind them at the current time.

"Well," the verbeeg says, thinking for a moment. "There's my livestock; seven goats and six sheep."

Owl flies to the east end of the tunnel, and finds itself in a large cavern. A bonfire in the middle of this cave keeps it lit and relatively warm. The scent of roasting meat fills the air as a hunk of meat on a spit drips juices into the fire. Goats and sheep are held in a spacious animal pen enclosed by a crude wooden fence. Other features of the cave include a wooden cart with a broken wheel, two old crates, and two barrels.

"Then there's Friend and a bear."

“Oh, I like bears. Is Friend a bear too?” Qinfaren asks.

Then once the verbeeg answers, he’ll then ask “Do you think we could get the mead barrels returned and convince you not to bother Good Mead anymore?”

Qinfaren glances at his companions not liking the sound of Friend. He suspects they’re going to have to fight unless they find something the verbeeg really wants that they can give him that would keep him away from Good Mead.

The verbeeg shakes his head and frowns, "No, the mead has gone missing."

Bjorn whispers to Ricky, "Didn't you get the mead back?"

Ricky nods, a bit put out at the ambush turned parley

Qinfaren looks back at the others. And raises his eyebrows. He knows they meant to ambush the verbeeg, but Qinfaren wanted to make sure they weren't walking into a situation that was too much for them. The encounter with the witch, giant skeleton and the will-o-wisp is still fresh in his mind.

He then looks back at the verbeeg.

"Is Friend her now?" Qinfaren asks. "And Bear? Is Bear here too?"

     "Perhaps the person angling to be the next speaker should try to see if a peaceful negotiation could work here," Bàn says in a bit of a hushed voice to Ricky.  "Perhaps the town could supply a certain staple of mead each month in return for the verbeeg and his friends not bothering the residents?  Perhaps you could even negotiate a deal where you get them as protectors of the town?"  Bàn shrugs, unsure if it is really possible or not but if it is this seems like the likeliest time for it to happen.

@dm, I believe verbeeg are basically giant bandits, and best dealt with by pitchforks and torches, but could I get a check of some sort to determine if that's a good idea or bad idea?

(@nschrock, make a Intelligence(History) check.)

"Yes," the verbeeg replies. "Friend and Bear should be here somewhere. I can call them here if you would like to meet them."