Chilling Adventures in the North

Qinfaren quickly sizes up the situation. Villagers forced to the floor by armed men doesn't strike him as a likely friendly conversation. He counts up the men and notes where they stand.

(How many thugs are there, and how close to each other and the villagers are they? ie if a spider was to become a druid again and cast Thuderwave, could they catch several of the armed men in a 15' cube angled above the bodies of the prone villagers?)

A loud boom of thunder from inside might be the right signal to the group outside that it's time to come in.

Qinfaren counts the number of men in the room. A total of eight men in the room. The men have arranged themselves into four groups of two, pairing off which each other. One of the men is an older looking man with grey hair and a beard. He rests his mace on his shoulder and keeps the thumb of his other hand tucked into the leather belt around his waist.

The men are too far spread apart for a casting of Thunderwave to strike them all. And revealing himself would probably startle the men and it is difficult to determine how they would then react.

Outside the mead hall, a group of men push past Ricky, Bjorn and Ban. Ricky recognises the leader as Shandar Froth. They quickly enter the hall without giving the situation much thought.

Instead the mead hall, as Qinfaren is considering his options, the door opens once more and in walk 1five men. Qinfaren watches as four of the men move tie the arms of the eight hostage takers. However, the men offer very little to no resistance, and before long the eight men are captured. They are then escorted out of the mead hall.

The door opens up again, and thirteen men come back out of the mead hall. Eight men have their arms tied behind their backs. Four men then march the captives out of town.

All but Shandar remains behind and loudly announces, "Don't worry folks. The situation has been sorted. These thugs haven arrested and will be dealt with swiftly."

Villagers begin surrounding Shandar clapping their hands and cheering Shandar.

Ricky sees what's happening and gives a most unimpressed look to Shandar. "That conniving little shit..." 

Qinfaren slips back outside and reverts to his shaggy Firbolg Druid form.

He stands next to Ricky and watches the parade of prisoners.

”They put up no fight. I think this was all staged.”

Ricky nods. "This no good snake is trying to upstage my success." 

Bjorn nods as he watches the charade, "So, what you are saying is that these is attempt to get more popularity for the leadership vote?"

Ricky nods.

     Bàn lingers a bit away from the crowd but close enough to use thaumaturgy to insert voices amongst the others in the crowd.  Voices saying things such as “It was staged for publicity,” , “Four arresting eight without so much as a scream or clash of swords? What a put on!” and “Anyone can arrest their friends.  Ricky faced a real threat!”  Besides sowing seeds of doubt and mistrust amongst the crowd against Shandar, Bàn also strays close enough to the faux leader to use prestidigitation to create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect to linger about Shandar - namely the smell of one who has shat their own pants.

(ban just became the best friend a Ricky could ever ask for)

Qinfaren looks back in the hall, trying to hide the smile that rose on his face when he heard the voices created in the crowd.

"Well, unless this calls for more on our part, I'd like to get some food and get heading south," Qinfaren says. He then looks over at Ricky. "Do you need to stay to deal with this? Or are you still coming? Stopping Xardorok and his duergar kin from whatever this dragon business is might go a long way to making you a true folk hero."

He nods at the retreating backs of smelly Shandar and his followers. "They could pull all the stunts they want like this and it would be nothing compared to someone who actually saved Ten Towns."

     "Or...  Even assuming we are successful, Shandar may have firmly entrenched himself in power by the time we are able to return," Bàn points out.  "I do not mean to dissuade you, we need all the help we can get, but folk hero or no, he could be the duly elected leader here by then."

Ricky stares daggers at Shandar but starts towards his house to get these folks fed before leaving

The smell spreads throughout the crowd, which quickly causes them to disperse. This leaves Shandar standing by the mead hall for a brief moment before he leaves as well.

Ricky then leads the group across town to his own place.

Ricky proceeds to cook up a meal and pack some road provisions for everyone as much as he's able, but he keeps doing so with a little more force than necessary, and muttering angrily to himself. 

     "People like that are surely insufferable," Bàn says in sympathy with Ricky, "but suffer them we often must.  I think the important questions to ask yourself is do you want to help the people of this town, or do you want to appear like you are helping the people of this town?  Do you want to be a politician who uses words and tricks to gain power or do you want to gain power through actual deeds and successes?"

     "If it is fame and adoration you want, stay here and compete with that fool.  People most appreciate what they see themselves.  But if you want to really help them, to really make them safer and improve their lives, then know that work will often be done out of sight and go unacknowledged..."

     Bàn otherwise much appreciates the food and rest but is eager to get underway once more...

Qinfaren thanks Ricky for the food but tries to stay out of the way of the angry halfling.

"I think word of defeating the verbeeg and finding the magic healing spring will spread," Qinfaren says. "People will know what you did."

He then sorts out his pack, brushes out his winter clothes, still happy with the autumn colours they contain.

Then he looks over at Bjorn. "Luskan seems a very long time ago."

It doesn't take Qinfaren long to get sorted and get ready to head to Dougan's Hole.

If nothing else comes up in town, he will happily keep watch to the sides of the road as they get going.

Perception: 21  

"I think people are fickle and I often don't care much for them...most of them. But I do what needs doing. Let's just get on our way. The next town has needs, too, and I ain't a fairweather friend." 

 Bjorn nods his head to Qinfaren, "I agree. Word will spread about your deeds. The news will probably spread throughout the rest of Ten Towns as well. A healing fountain will be a benefit to everyone here. That fountain and the cauldron we found previously will help Ten Towns to continue to thrive in this eternal winter. But let's be on our way."

Soon the group is standing on the road out of Good Mead. Qinfaren searches the landscape, but he sees nothing of particular interest from here.

However, a sound of a now familiar voice is heard from behind the group.

"I'm glad I caught up with you before you left town. I don't care what that scoundrel thinks; he is not the Speaker yet. However, I went to recover something from Kendrick's possessions. I think you should have it, Ricky; I don't want it to fall into his hands."

Standing behind the group is Olivessa, and in her hands is a longsword dyed a bright crimson.

(Everyone can go up to level 4.)

((I don't think we got a long rest here but at least a short rest?))

     Bàn is ready to leave when a thought occurs to him (After the level up but before we leave...) "If we know where Shandar would be, and if it is not out of our way, I could always give him a suggestion he go around town telling everyone the truth..."

     When Olivessa comes up behind us with the sword, Bàn finds himself curious and casually casts Detect Magic out of curiosity...

(is this longsword like a badge of office or something?)