The man walks over so that you all don't need to talk so loud. He addresses Oryxis first before talking to all of you. "Oh, I don't know the Count is involved in anything, I just find him a bit of a prick and wouldn't bat an eye if someone like yourselves were to mess with him. As for the attackers, they weren't on our radar. They didn't belong to any group or alliance. That's why we didn't keep tabs on them. With a festival as big as this we let other players come and do some work, for a price of course, but we can't stop those who didn't exist before they started. As for a name, you can call me the Broker. And of course, no point in hiding something you can just open once you're out of the city. I would like you to carry a spell scroll to a mage in Bost who occasionally asks us to find some things for him. It's quite powerful though, so you'll have to be careful not to lose it." 

"And in exchange for delivering this scroll to this mage, what do you offer?"

Aramae keeps his voice calm and with interest in the deal, no suspicion intended.

He looks at you quizzically. "Information on the Count, as previously discussed." 

"Throw in all information you have on this new 'One Above All' religion then I would agree. It is a lengthy and arduous journey, after all."

As if to hammer the point home, Oryxis silently crosses his arms behind Ara, flexing his muscles as he does so.

Fenro waits near the end of the bridge. As yet nothing had caught his attention or gave him cause for alarm. He hoped the meeting was going well. 

(OOC with the way the dwarves were described I figured they had easily snuck past Fenro or already been set up waiting)

(They snuck past you. Nat 20 stealth)

The dwarf nods. "We have ourselves a compact. When will you be leaving? I'll have someone deliver the package and the collected information of our group to you."

Aramae gives towards his friends.

"We hadn't discussed exactly when we would leave, but safe to assume sometime tomorrow. If you like you can have your associate meet us far enough down the road towards Bost."

The dwarf nods. "Very well. Cross this bridge tomorrow before you leave and the package and the scrolls will be in your possession."

"Will you let us talk in privet for a moment?" With that Edgar wave to his companions to huddle up. "What do you think? do we want to make this deal? " 

"I don't see why we shouldn't. We will gain their knowledge of the count, as well as their knowledge of this new religion. And gaining a new network of information is always valuable. Unless one of you can see something that I cannot, we have everything to gain with this deal. We are going to Bost regardless anyway."

"Let's do it. I just hope we learn something useful," Lyrika mutters. "I don't really care what the count eats for breakfast."

”Thel lets do it.” He turn to the broker “okey. You have a deal, tell us all you know about Jezac and we’ll take the scroll to your contact.” 

The Broker nods and repeats that everything, including all their notes on the Count and and Church, will be dropped off as you cross the bridge tomorrow. And with that he waves a hand and the dwarves around you disappear. He gives a nod before walking out of the alley himself.

With night having fallen you all make you way back to the Knights Rest and settle in for another comfortable evening. You drift off into dreamless sleeps, exhausted by the long day and the relentless activity, to awaken in the morning feeling refreshed and more powerful.

Congratulations on reaching Level 2

Fenro was glad to rest. The day had been long, and far more engaging than he had experienced in some time.  Sleep came quickly to him, though it was not the deep sleep he might have expected. Instead, images slithered through his mind. The elders back at home, the dying trees, his long walk in search of an answer, and behind it all the endless flame burned. He feared that if he could not control that flame that it would consume everything. 

Desperately he reached out, trying to grab the flame and protect his home. As he did so, the flame curled around his arms, taking shape as it writhed along and around his body. An anaconda, it muscle rippling beneath its scales as it moved. And every time it’s body flexed, heat emanated from between the scales. It seemed as if lava flowed within, seeking to escape at the first possible chance. 

The snake wound up and around one arm, across Fenro’s shoulders and Down the other side, it’s head coming to rest in his palm. With a flick of its tongue and a hiss, it looked Fenro directly in the eyes, searing his soul. “My power iss yoursss. Releasse me and let me burn.”

Drenched in sweat, Fenro woke with a start. Outside his window he could see the sun starting to rise. 

As Fenro awakens in a cold sweat, Aramae is also awakening. He doesn't see his comfortable room though, but rather the deck of a ship. A cold wind blows on his face as he looks out to the horizon. To his right he can see a shore full of crags and fjords, high mountains rising above the water. To his left there is a wide, open shoreline with a city nestled into it. As he looks a bolt of lightning cracks out of the sky, striking the high mountains of the right shore. Again and again the bolt flashes, until he has to close his eyes. When he opens them he is sitting up in his bed, comfortable in the Knights Rest.

Aramae immediately sits up, gasping for breath, he is both excited and curious.

"Ship.....fjords.....mountains.....he must be guiding me, but to where?! Must I obtain passage on a ship to get there? Bah! So many unknowns!"

If Fenro's room was next to his, Fenro would likely here Aramae's slightly elevated voice speaking his thoughts aloud.

What he would likely not here is Aramae softening his voice to speak directly to mighty Tisus.

"I may not arrive where you direct me any day soon, but I have made it my life's mission to get there. But first, I must deliver this letter. So that the rest of your faithful followers, and countless more, could potentially avoid becoming swept up in this continental conflict."

Once day breaks, Aramae exits his room, grabs himself a modest breakfast at the Knights Rest and waits for the others in a seating area.

Lyrika does the unusual act of going to bed before midnight in order to wake up unreasonably early. Before bed, though, she pops out to buy a couple of medical kits. There's no telling what kind of trouble they are going to be getting into....

Eventually, she gets up, eats as much breakfast as she can get for free, and joins Aramae. Yawning, she looks out at the rising sun and says, "I've gone to bed later than this some nights...most nights."

"Good morning, Lyrika. Yes, the previous day was exhausting in more ways than one. One cannot be blamed for choosing to get some sleep early."

Aramae gives Lyrika a friendly smile as she joins him, but there is no hiding that there is something else on his mind.

As this is a major city on a large trade route Lyrika is able to easily find a shop selling the supplies she needs at market (phb) prices.