Reece looks a little surprised by the message that Erbert sends him. He nods. "We have someone already checked out, sir. You can take their room. 8 silver, it is, for the day." He lowers his voice. "I'll keep it quiet, sir, but I'd ask the same from you. The gentleman who travels with you, he's very particular about you folks and I don't think he'd like it much if'n one of you switched rooms." As he clears away your dishes, he places a small brass room key on the bar.
Erbert only
After you get settled down, you spent two hours working in your new room, and you fully decode the message. It reads:
4 Cuersar 835
My dearest Selencha--
My heart goes out to you and Deke! How much tragedy your family has suffered! To rebuild your life anew, just to have it burnt away again is unthinkable. In answer to your query, we have no other agents in the Tillage at present, nor are we considering sending any following news of the fires. I can assure you that we had nothing to do with it. Not our style.
The Assembly is very concerned about events in Felderwin. Jenna Irensor in particular is horrified by the fires -- not by the human cost or even the starving soldiers it will create, but rather, how badly it makes her management of the Tillage look. She will be on the lookout for any scapegoats, so please try and keep Deke under control for the next few weeks. I know, it is a tall order, but with agents of the Assembly on their way, it will threaten all of you should Deke continue to be so vocal.
Your news about Starosta Whisperthin is troubling indeed. If he is going into hiding, he knows or has heard something -- probably through his connections with the Righteous Brand. Give me a few days to poke around among my circles here and I will see if I can obtain any further intelligence.
In the meantime, please be patient. Our work continues, and our dreams of a less brutal, more open Empire are increasingly seen by a receptive populace as inspirational. It seems likely that you and Deke will be interviewed by the Assembly agents. Should this be so, be helpful, answer their questions, and let Deke and the boys you're sheltering there do as little talking as possible. Once they find some poor soul to pin these crimes on, they will move on.
You are in my thoughts, and I look forward to all of us coming together once more.
Q
As Hurmfar slaps Henk on the back, the half-orc makes a little sound that is somewhere between a groan and a whimper. "Of course, sir. I'll go get the wagon." He stands up and grips the bar to steady himself. "oh Gods," he whispers, before walking very carefully and slowly outside towards the stables attached to the tavern.
As you make your way outside a few minutes later, you see Henk desperately trying to shield his eyes from the low autumn suns atop the wagon. The journey to the Stump's Ranch, which took so long on foot last night is instead a short ten minute ride from town to the gates of the spread right off the main trail from the Jaltrim homestead. The journey and fresh air seems to revitalize Henk a bit, and by the time you disembark, the half-orc doesn't seem so pale, and at the very least, he is no longer swaying in the driver's seat.
The leader of the mercenaries you spoke to, the large dark-skinned man with the braid is still there, atop a magnificent white horse. He smiles when he sees you approach. "Ah, you waste no time, eh? You know, other than telling my guys you're looking into these fires, you didn't share much about who exactly you are, no? Samuel needs to know he should ask these sorts of questions before he speaks, it seems." He makes no threatening moves towards you, but also makes no moves to unlock the gate.
"Aye we did not," Hurmfar answers. "Now, was their a question in there, or are you just admiring our bonny faces?"
Hurmfar hops off the wagon and walks up to the gate.
"What's the daft buggers name?" he asks over his shoulder to the others. "Renthwaite? Cathton? No. Cathwaite. That's it. Calls himself a Senior Agronomist for the Assembly. He's hired us to look into the fires and he wants an answer right quick like. If we can have a wee blether with this Quentin lad, we can cross him off the list and move on to find someone else to turn over to Cathwaite."
Erbert commits the document to memory as much as he can. He rolls up the parchment and hides it in the room. He gathers his essential items, puts on his cloak and sneaks down the stairs, observing who is in the Hearth and Plough, looking for anyone notable. He tries his best to avoid any unwanted attention. He will try to head outside and look for Henk's return with the wagon. He says to himself " We have far to go before this day is done. One down, many more to go."
Owin, nothing seems out of the ordinary to you. Farmhands are busy doing the typical farm chores, while you count about four of the mercenaries that you met yesterday. Samuel, the gunslinger from last night, seems notably absent.
At the mention of the Assembly, the man's smile fades a bit. "Hmm. I thought you lot were pikers hired by the local guy, eh? Knowing the Assembly is involved changes things a wee bit."
"Brennon. I need ya, buddy." He says loudly, and a halfling, whose face is marked by a number of black-ink tattoos, hops off the fence about twenty feet away from you and comes over. "What's up, Darrow?"He looks at you all and gives you a quick nod before turning back to the man he addressed.
The big leader of the group looks at you thoughtfully, and seems to come to some sort of decision. "Send a message to Artur Stump. Tell him the Assembly people are here about the fires. And Quentin."
The halfling Brennon nods and pulls out a drumstick from his bag, twirls it around and murmurs a few words. There is a pause as he looks at you, then he whispers to Darrow.
Darrow nods to you. "Mister Stump will meet you. He's working on rebuilding a chicken coop behind the house. Brennon will take ya over there." He looks over at the halfling then back to you all. "It's bound to come out when you talk to the boss, but you should know. Quentin did not come home last night. Samuel and another of my team are out looking for him. It is fortunate there were no fires last night, eh."
Brennon gestures towards the house and leads you towards where Darrow said Stump would be. As you turn reach the corner of the house, you hear the tell-tale sounds of hammering. As you turn the corner, you see a man of about 60 years old. He very clearly looks like he's spent his life outdoors. His skin is leathery and even though he is dressed warmly, you can see the muscles ripping as he works. He is balding, with only a patch of silver hair on the back of his head. There is a woman with him, in her 20s, who is fussing over the chickens in the cages nearby.
As the man sees you, he puts down the heavy boards he was carrying, and comes over. "Y'all are the folks from the Capital? Good. Someone needs to do something about this godsforsaken town. Haven't seen anything like this ever in Felderwin. My name is Artur Stump." He looks you over and you see an intelligence behind his eyes. "What do you need to know?"
In Town
Erbert - you think you find a place that seems pretty inconspicuous, so you can observe the comings and goings of town.
"Hallo there Mister Stump," Hurmfar says. "Me name's Hurmfar Ironfoundersson. Can't help but admire your stead of land here. Me mum only has a wee plot for growing hops for her brewery but it was big enough for me to learn how much work a place like this would be. So, we'll be right quick and come to the point."
He pauses and looks around the farm a little then starts talking again.
"We've been tasked by the Assembly to find the weak seam that's going to bring this whole tunnel down. Appears that some daft dunderhead has been setting wee fires. We need to find out who. Your lad Quentin was mentioned as being seen running off after one fire. We'd like to have a nice chat with him about that. And if you've any information that could help, we'd be thankful for the help."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Artur Stump sighs as you mention his son, and suddenly, he looks quite a bit older. "Quentin." He turns to the young woman with him. "Agnieszka, go into the house and get my glasses, would ya? T'ain't polite for me to be squinting at these folks while we're conversatin'."
As soon as the woman walks away, Stump puts down the boards he was working with. "I ain't being a braggart when I tell you all, I am an extraordinary man. I came down here from the Bitin' North with nothin' but some warm clothing, a fat mule, and a good right hook. I built this entire spread. By hand. That fence you walked through. I built that nigh on fifty years ago. I built a legacy for my family. Had three kids. You met Agnieszka, my oldest. She's like her mother. Smart, graceful, kind. Her sister Ewa is tough, strong. Quentin....is none of those things. It is...difficult to be an ordinary person in a family of extraordinary ones. I ain't been as good to the boy as I shoulda been, neither. There been ups and downs, but, after Ewa joined up with the Imperial Army, well, its been more downs."
He swallows hard and looks at each of you. "You think Quentin was involved with this. Starting these conflagrations? Can't say I'm shocked, but unless you got something to back up them words, that's all they is to me, now. The boy's still my son. My only son."
InTown
Erbert, from your spot in the alley next to the Hearth and Plough, you see the comings and goings of town. Selencha and her daughter are walking through town square, in conversation with a short(shorter than average) halfling with bushy brown hair and big oval glasses. A wagon moves through the dirt streets towards the waterfront area, a few harried clerks walk towards town hall, deep in a conversation that is upsetting to them.
DM Screen
11
Finally, you notice a middle-aged female halfling standing, unobserved, near the town's signpost. She looks around carefully, then purposefully, bumps and very slowly rotates the sign post 90 degrees, totally throwing off the town's waypoint signs for the various other points of interest in the Empire. She looks at the sign for a long minute, chuckles in satisfaction, then picks up a small bindle from the ground and moves off towards the Tillage.
Stump sighs. "I haven't spoken to the boy since right after the fire at our place a week ago. He keeps his own hours. Comes in when I'm asleep, leaves while I'm out chorin'. I had the boys I hired keep tabs on him one night. He usually goes to some club in town, they said....the uh....."
"The Golden Lure," Brannon offers from his spot off to the side.
Stump nods. "That's it. He usually comes home, but he didn't last night. Darrow kindly offered some o' his people to go find him. I'm worried they'll find him dead in a ditch along the trail, but maybe..." He falls silent and looks uncomfortably at his daughter.
"I don't think I can hep you, folks. Either Quentin was involved, or he wasn't, but either way, he's my boy. I will tell you this, though. Summat strange is going on in this town. First Captain Vallante's sickness, then these fires, and now the Starosta seems to run off because of you folks. Folks are on edge even wit' each other. Animals are acting all sorts o' weird. Something big is on the way. An' I don't think it'll be any good for this town."
Hurmfar feels some compassion for Stump. He seems very tired, and if Quentin is mixed up in the fires, that might just be one pebble too many for him to carry.
"Quentin was spotted after the fire. Some are yakking he set it. Don't know if that's true or not. But he might have seen something," Hurmfar says then pauses. "Never easy being the wee one of a family."
He looks back the way they came.
"May just be holed up, rat-arsed somewhere," he says then turns back. "Golden Lure you say? Not the friendliest place. Any idea what goes on in there?"
Erbert gives it a moment, then starts to follow the middle aged female halfling, keeping his distance. He tries to keep his cloak pulled and stay as small as his little frame will allow, trying to stay unobserved. He will try to observe where she goes, what she is doing, where she is headed. He thinks about his companions and tries to remember how long they have been gone.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Stump shakes his head firmly. "No sir. I didn't even know t'were a place until Darrow told me about it. I imagine its probably drinking and things..." He looks significantly at Noachi, then his daughter. "Not fit for ladies ' ears."
Agneiszka chuckles, a little musical trill of a laugh. "Dad's only vice is adventure stories. Which one is this month? The Blonde, The Brave, and the Bold, right?"
Stump flushes a bit and murmurs something about harmless fun, then clears his throat and picks up the boards again. "I wish you folks, luck. I do. But I fear you're looking at but a symptom of the problems and not the cause. I hope I'm wrong. And if'n you do see Quentin. Tell him to come home."
"Thank you for the information, Mr. Stump. Sorry to interrupt your day, take care now. " Owin says as he turns to head back to the wagon...
When he's back with the others, he'll speak up and say "So, back into town, and we'll see how our friend Erbert fared. Then decide.. it seems like we are being drawn to the Golden Lure again. I'm not going to be able to pull the same trick again... possibly a stake out? But that might take more time than we have today. "
"Aye, but if his twally lordship is serious about the time crunch, we can't spend too much time just sitting on our dowps," Hurmfar says. "Maybe we take a wee peak around and find a back door and let ourselves in."
He looks along the trail back to town.
"Suppose we should look in the ditch along the way too. That Quentin lad might be snoring away in it."
“Och, is third breakfast an option?”
Hurmfar looks around the table hopefully. He sighs when he sees no more food. He drains his breakfast beer and rises.
”Let’s give the wee scholar time to do his scholaring and go find the Stump boy.”
He claps Henk on the back.
”Fresh air’s what you’re after mate. Let’s go for a ride.”
Reece looks a little surprised by the message that Erbert sends him. He nods. "We have someone already checked out, sir. You can take their room. 8 silver, it is, for the day." He lowers his voice. "I'll keep it quiet, sir, but I'd ask the same from you. The gentleman who travels with you, he's very particular about you folks and I don't think he'd like it much if'n one of you switched rooms." As he clears away your dishes, he places a small brass room key on the bar.
Erbert only
After you get settled down, you spent two hours working in your new room, and you fully decode the message. It reads:
4 Cuersar 835
My dearest Selencha--
My heart goes out to you and Deke! How much tragedy your family has suffered! To rebuild your life anew, just to have it burnt away again is unthinkable. In answer to your query, we have no other agents in the Tillage at present, nor are we considering sending any following news of the fires. I can assure you that we had nothing to do with it. Not our style.
The Assembly is very concerned about events in Felderwin. Jenna Irensor in particular is horrified by the fires -- not by the human cost or even the starving soldiers it will create, but rather, how badly it makes her management of the Tillage look. She will be on the lookout for any scapegoats, so please try and keep Deke under control for the next few weeks. I know, it is a tall order, but with agents of the Assembly on their way, it will threaten all of you should Deke continue to be so vocal.
Your news about Starosta Whisperthin is troubling indeed. If he is going into hiding, he knows or has heard something -- probably through his connections with the Righteous Brand. Give me a few days to poke around among my circles here and I will see if I can obtain any further intelligence.
In the meantime, please be patient. Our work continues, and our dreams of a less brutal, more open Empire are increasingly seen by a receptive populace as inspirational. It seems likely that you and Deke will be interviewed by the Assembly agents. Should this be so, be helpful, answer their questions, and let Deke and the boys you're sheltering there do as little talking as possible. Once they find some poor soul to pin these crimes on, they will move on.
You are in my thoughts, and I look forward to all of us coming together once more.
Q
As Hurmfar slaps Henk on the back, the half-orc makes a little sound that is somewhere between a groan and a whimper. "Of course, sir. I'll go get the wagon." He stands up and grips the bar to steady himself. "oh Gods," he whispers, before walking very carefully and slowly outside towards the stables attached to the tavern.
As you make your way outside a few minutes later, you see Henk desperately trying to shield his eyes from the low autumn suns atop the wagon. The journey to the Stump's Ranch, which took so long on foot last night is instead a short ten minute ride from town to the gates of the spread right off the main trail from the Jaltrim homestead. The journey and fresh air seems to revitalize Henk a bit, and by the time you disembark, the half-orc doesn't seem so pale, and at the very least, he is no longer swaying in the driver's seat.
The leader of the mercenaries you spoke to, the large dark-skinned man with the braid is still there, atop a magnificent white horse. He smiles when he sees you approach. "Ah, you waste no time, eh? You know, other than telling my guys you're looking into these fires, you didn't share much about who exactly you are, no? Samuel needs to know he should ask these sorts of questions before he speaks, it seems." He makes no threatening moves towards you, but also makes no moves to unlock the gate.
"Aye we did not," Hurmfar answers. "Now, was their a question in there, or are you just admiring our bonny faces?"
Hurmfar hops off the wagon and walks up to the gate.
"What's the daft buggers name?" he asks over his shoulder to the others. "Renthwaite? Cathton? No. Cathwaite. That's it. Calls himself a Senior Agronomist for the Assembly. He's hired us to look into the fires and he wants an answer right quick like. If we can have a wee blether with this Quentin lad, we can cross him off the list and move on to find someone else to turn over to Cathwaite."
Satisfied with the expediency of Henk, Owin enjoys the crisp morning air during the ride to the Stump farm.
He hops off the wagon with Hurmfar, standing next to him as he asks for Quentin's whereabouts.
(OOC: Does Owin notice anything or anyone that is of concern, particularly anyone running off or sneaking about? )
Perception: 18
Erbert commits the document to memory as much as he can. He rolls up the parchment and hides it in the room. He gathers his essential items, puts on his cloak and sneaks down the stairs, observing who is in the Hearth and Plough, looking for anyone notable. He tries his best to avoid any unwanted attention. He will try to head outside and look for Henk's return with the wagon. He says to himself " We have far to go before this day is done. One down, many more to go."
Sneaking and remaining unobserved : 17
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Owin, nothing seems out of the ordinary to you. Farmhands are busy doing the typical farm chores, while you count about four of the mercenaries that you met yesterday. Samuel, the gunslinger from last night, seems notably absent.
At the mention of the Assembly, the man's smile fades a bit. "Hmm. I thought you lot were pikers hired by the local guy, eh? Knowing the Assembly is involved changes things a wee bit."
"Brennon. I need ya, buddy." He says loudly, and a halfling, whose face is marked by a number of black-ink tattoos, hops off the fence about twenty feet away from you and comes over. "What's up, Darrow?" He looks at you all and gives you a quick nod before turning back to the man he addressed.
The big leader of the group looks at you thoughtfully, and seems to come to some sort of decision. "Send a message to Artur Stump. Tell him the Assembly people are here about the fires. And Quentin."
The halfling Brennon nods and pulls out a drumstick from his bag, twirls it around and murmurs a few words. There is a pause as he looks at you, then he whispers to Darrow.
Darrow nods to you. "Mister Stump will meet you. He's working on rebuilding a chicken coop behind the house. Brennon will take ya over there." He looks over at the halfling then back to you all. "It's bound to come out when you talk to the boss, but you should know. Quentin did not come home last night. Samuel and another of my team are out looking for him. It is fortunate there were no fires last night, eh."
Brennon gestures towards the house and leads you towards where Darrow said Stump would be. As you turn reach the corner of the house, you hear the tell-tale sounds of hammering. As you turn the corner, you see a man of about 60 years old. He very clearly looks like he's spent his life outdoors. His skin is leathery and even though he is dressed warmly, you can see the muscles ripping as he works. He is balding, with only a patch of silver hair on the back of his head. There is a woman with him, in her 20s, who is fussing over the chickens in the cages nearby.
As the man sees you, he puts down the heavy boards he was carrying, and comes over. "Y'all are the folks from the Capital? Good. Someone needs to do something about this godsforsaken town. Haven't seen anything like this ever in Felderwin. My name is Artur Stump." He looks you over and you see an intelligence behind his eyes. "What do you need to know?"
In Town
Erbert - you think you find a place that seems pretty inconspicuous, so you can observe the comings and goings of town.
(Roll a Perception check.)
Erbert Perception : 22
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
"Hallo there Mister Stump," Hurmfar says. "Me name's Hurmfar Ironfoundersson. Can't help but admire your stead of land here. Me mum only has a wee plot for growing hops for her brewery but it was big enough for me to learn how much work a place like this would be. So, we'll be right quick and come to the point."
He pauses and looks around the farm a little then starts talking again.
"We've been tasked by the Assembly to find the weak seam that's going to bring this whole tunnel down. Appears that some daft dunderhead has been setting wee fires. We need to find out who. Your lad Quentin was mentioned as being seen running off after one fire. We'd like to have a nice chat with him about that. And if you've any information that could help, we'd be thankful for the help."
"Specifically, sir, when the last time was you talked with the lad." Owin chimes in, arms crossed and a bit behind and to the left of Hurmfar.
Artur Stump sighs as you mention his son, and suddenly, he looks quite a bit older. "Quentin." He turns to the young woman with him. "Agnieszka, go into the house and get my glasses, would ya? T'ain't polite for me to be squinting at these folks while we're conversatin'."
As soon as the woman walks away, Stump puts down the boards he was working with. "I ain't being a braggart when I tell you all, I am an extraordinary man. I came down here from the Bitin' North with nothin' but some warm clothing, a fat mule, and a good right hook. I built this entire spread. By hand. That fence you walked through. I built that nigh on fifty years ago. I built a legacy for my family. Had three kids. You met Agnieszka, my oldest. She's like her mother. Smart, graceful, kind. Her sister Ewa is tough, strong. Quentin....is none of those things. It is...difficult to be an ordinary person in a family of extraordinary ones. I ain't been as good to the boy as I shoulda been, neither. There been ups and downs, but, after Ewa joined up with the Imperial Army, well, its been more downs."
He swallows hard and looks at each of you. "You think Quentin was involved with this. Starting these conflagrations? Can't say I'm shocked, but unless you got something to back up them words, that's all they is to me, now. The boy's still my son. My only son."
In Town
Erbert, from your spot in the alley next to the Hearth and Plough, you see the comings and goings of town. Selencha and her daughter are walking through town square, in conversation with a short(shorter than average) halfling with bushy brown hair and big oval glasses. A wagon moves through the dirt streets towards the waterfront area, a few harried clerks walk towards town hall, deep in a conversation that is upsetting to them.
DM Screen
11
Finally, you notice a middle-aged female halfling standing, unobserved, near the town's signpost. She looks around carefully, then purposefully, bumps and very slowly rotates the sign post 90 degrees, totally throwing off the town's waypoint signs for the various other points of interest in the Empire. She looks at the sign for a long minute, chuckles in satisfaction, then picks up a small bindle from the ground and moves off towards the Tillage.
Stump sighs. "I haven't spoken to the boy since right after the fire at our place a week ago. He keeps his own hours. Comes in when I'm asleep, leaves while I'm out chorin'. I had the boys I hired keep tabs on him one night. He usually goes to some club in town, they said....the uh....."
"The Golden Lure," Brannon offers from his spot off to the side.
Stump nods. "That's it. He usually comes home, but he didn't last night. Darrow kindly offered some o' his people to go find him. I'm worried they'll find him dead in a ditch along the trail, but maybe..." He falls silent and looks uncomfortably at his daughter.
"I don't think I can hep you, folks. Either Quentin was involved, or he wasn't, but either way, he's my boy. I will tell you this, though. Summat strange is going on in this town. First Captain Vallante's sickness, then these fires, and now the Starosta seems to run off because of you folks. Folks are on edge even wit' each other. Animals are acting all sorts o' weird. Something big is on the way. An' I don't think it'll be any good for this town."
Hurmfar feels some compassion for Stump. He seems very tired, and if Quentin is mixed up in the fires, that might just be one pebble too many for him to carry.
"Quentin was spotted after the fire. Some are yakking he set it. Don't know if that's true or not. But he might have seen something," Hurmfar says then pauses. "Never easy being the wee one of a family."
He looks back the way they came.
"May just be holed up, rat-arsed somewhere," he says then turns back. "Golden Lure you say? Not the friendliest place. Any idea what goes on in there?"
Erbert gives it a moment, then starts to follow the middle aged female halfling, keeping his distance. He tries to keep his cloak pulled and stay as small as his little frame will allow, trying to stay unobserved. He will try to observe where she goes, what she is doing, where she is headed. He thinks about his companions and tries to remember how long they have been gone.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Stump shakes his head firmly. "No sir. I didn't even know t'were a place until Darrow told me about it. I imagine its probably drinking and things..." He looks significantly at Noachi, then his daughter. "Not fit for ladies ' ears."
Agneiszka chuckles, a little musical trill of a laugh. "Dad's only vice is adventure stories. Which one is this month? The Blonde, The Brave, and the Bold, right?"
Stump flushes a bit and murmurs something about harmless fun, then clears his throat and picks up the boards again. "I wish you folks, luck. I do. But I fear you're looking at but a symptom of the problems and not the cause. I hope I'm wrong. And if'n you do see Quentin. Tell him to come home."
"Thank you for the information, Mr. Stump. Sorry to interrupt your day, take care now. " Owin says as he turns to head back to the wagon...
When he's back with the others, he'll speak up and say "So, back into town, and we'll see how our friend Erbert fared. Then decide.. it seems like we are being drawn to the Golden Lure again. I'm not going to be able to pull the same trick again... possibly a stake out? But that might take more time than we have today. "
Hurmfar nods at Owin.
"Aye, but if his twally lordship is serious about the time crunch, we can't spend too much time just sitting on our dowps," Hurmfar says. "Maybe we take a wee peak around and find a back door and let ourselves in."
He looks along the trail back to town.
"Suppose we should look in the ditch along the way too. That Quentin lad might be snoring away in it."