Ulf looks around the room, "This place is on edge. We know the cultists travel in numbers, and I doubt they use devils for infiltration. So...most likely? it was the shadow of a cat in flickering firelight. Or a drunken hallucination. Like you say, people 'get stupid' when scared."

Then he shrugs and drinks some more ale before continuing, "But if it was a devil, then it's probably a distraction for something else. I'd be keeping an eye out for anything odd that wasn't a devil..."

Nalaskur takes the five silver from Ulf (player handles own sheet unless otherwise specified) and hands him an average ale with no particular branding, meaning it was likely brewed within somewhere. It wasn't great but it was far from bad as well. Something you could take or leave as he finishes another swig, and Nalaskur goes to the backroom, leaving the two bar wenches to serve anyone who needed it since the place had suddenly become quite less busy, and the party themselves seemed to have lost interest in him. Though there may have been other reasons as well. 

Shautha and Yin both near the entrance to the still-cozy despite everything else Inn. There were a few other doors on ground floor that hadn't been visible earlier but they looked like doors to an office that were closed. 

One of the wenches stops in the middle of the room to ask to no one specific Anyone need anything? Anyone I missed? waiting for a response but getting none from the merchants who seemed caught up in their conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, outside, shouting could be heard, as well as the trampling of feet towards one side of the town near the northern paddocks.

Not much else I can do from the players perspective since no further actions have been taken. A lot is going on outside however.

Ylnira remains unconcerned through the entire ordeal, despite the voice's constant laughing within her mind. She was primarily concerned about the well-being for the innocent Tieflings that may be caught up within the impromptu witch-hunt she may have inadvertently created. "They seem to be collecting around a certain area of town," she observes. "Do you think it's worth a passing glance? While I enjoy the comfort provided by taverns, spending time in a town that is in the midst of a veritable witch hunt may not be the best idea. Perhaps the cultists may take the opportunity the chaos provides to do what they do. Do we have the information and supplies we need to proceed?" Ylnira glances through a window, attempting to obtain a general feel on the town's activities and what the horde of gold-seekers are up to. 

 Ulf looks up from his drink, "Shouldn't we wait for the Zhent to return?"

Outside the window, Yin see's that the majority of the townsfolk whether passersby or actual residents seem to be clustered towards the north (bridge side) of the settlement, with only a few shuffling in or out of the opposite side -likely hoping the others were on some goose chase and that they had somehow outsmarted the others by taking the road less traveled. There were probably, if taking a guess, some eighty people milling around between the entirety of the place though it could be more as the entire town wasn't visible from here, but it was a safe guess. There were maybe a dozen or so still inside the inn, as well as likely others who were in their homes or had already gone to sleep, as well as the staff of the inn itself.

Shautha grumbles, uneasy. "...Are you really sure he is still around here?" She asks Ulf. "Maybe he decided to ran away after his little secret was found out. Maybe his bosses had new orders for him..."

She sighs. "Maybe the cults got him. I have no clue where he went, and I don' know if I care or not. I... don' know what to think of all this."

As Ulf drains the last of his ale he looks around and shrugs again. Never liked towns. Especially paranoid overcrowded ones. "Well, we know where we are going -- that hasn't changed -- so unless one of you wants to ask more questions here, we can keep moving. The day is still young. early in the morning."

(amended based on time confusion)

Just making sure, but its actually past dark at this point~

Will proceed with 'time' in a few hours.

Ylnira shrugs, taking one last passing look at the town’s activity. She returns to the party and requests a simple glass of cold water. Ulric, to her, was already somewhat of a loose cannon. Guild affiliation wasn’t dissimilar to cults. Both were equally dangerous - perhaps he had run off somewhere by request of his ‘superiors’. “I don’t have anything else to ask. I am not one for traveling in the dark, so I suggest a night’s rest is welcome. Setting off in the early morning sounds ideal to me.” 

Ulf nods, "I have no need for sleep, just a place to quietly rest and collect my thoughts for a few hours, and I doubt the taproom will suffice. Shall we get a room or rooms here..." his expression is disdainful, "...or make camp outside?"

One of the wenches quickly retrieves a mug of water, informing Yin that the first glass was free, but the rest was two silver per mug.

Shautha is shoved from the door as several people push through forcefully, as they hadn't known she was there, and they were clearly very eager. Moments earlier shouts of victory and some of defeat could be heard as a group of three men who looked more rugged than most in the city walked through the door as well. One of them was dragging an unconscious teifling man by his horn through the door, his body battered, bruised, and very likely broken.

Blood dripping from his mouth, indicating lacerations or other trauma from within who struck a minor resemblance to Yin's own 'male' half though with a few stark differences, such as the overall horn shape, and a slightly darker shade of sclera, but lighter shade of skin. However, more gruesomely in the hands of one of the three men was the severed head of a female teifling, and in the third mans hands was 'the rest of her. Blood still dripping from the appropriate places, though it was clear that most of the flow had ended a while ago.

A few others walked in with them, but outside the grumbles of those who had failed to claim the 'prize' was audible, but toned with the sound of 'reluctant acceptance' though why there wasn't a riot attempting to kill the 'victors' to 'claim the prize' was likely equally puzzling. Oi, Nalaskuh. I brought in the quarry. Wheres mah r'ward? none of them looked like the three men Yin had encountered earlier, these were entirely different people than any of the party had met. They spoke as they made their way to the bar with the corpse and the bloodied 'devil.' 

The wenches seem un-phased, at-least mostly. They clearly didn't like the sight, but it also wasn't something they seemed 'un'-used to. Pausing here to allow player responses.

Ulf stares for a moment then turns back to his companions shaking his head, and speaking quietly, "That's what a ridiculous amount of gold gets you I suppose. How does the barkeep afford it, I wonder...and will he pay up?" People ask why I don't like cities. Random and anonymous murder for gold is just the beginning. Civilization, hah!

He watches the drama play out, trying to commit the murderers faces and appearances to memory in case he should encounter them later in a darkened alleyway.

Shautha turns back to the other two as silently as she can, these psychos could very easily decide that an orc was also a "quarry" they could get paid for and that was not a fight she wanted or needed right now. She regards the situation with disgust: For one, she doubted these tieflings were involved on this whole "devil" business, and it was more likely that these people had targeted them purely for bigoted reasons. She was also disgusted for less than moral reasons as well, as she thought the messy way they had bought in the "quarry" in question was something she would had been able to do much better. "Had that been a dire wolf I've hired you to kill, I wouldn't pay you a single coin..." She thinks to herself, seeing the decapitated head. "Come back when you have the mere amount of respect for your prey."

"Just like I said, they get stupid" She whispers to Ulf and Ylnira. "...That person seems to be still alive, but barely. You think it was their intention, or have they just not noticed it yet?"

Will give a few more hours for Plum before proceeding

Ylnira watches as the gruesome display is dragged inside. Her face remains neutral, but her inward discussion is something else - Ylnira's actions had directly caused the death of someone. The thought of it hurt her mind. The grip on her mug tightens ever so slightly. She commits the murderer's features to memory. Those who were willing to kill for so little were never beneficial to have around. With neither of the three men around, how could Nalaskur accurately judge which 'devil' was responsible? These people were dangerous. Eliminating them would be the most humane choice - but, of course, she couldn't do anything at the current moment. "They have already killed one. I have no love for cultists, but I hope they end this witch hunt before any more are killed. What a shame - capturing people alive is generally better for interrogation purposes, especially if cults are involved. As a healer, I find it sick that random strangers have been killed for nothing but a rumor. Lending out a reward for the first Tiefling body brought is only a way to ensure the proper perpetrator escapes," she quietly adds. She would clearly need to be more careful in a town with a murderous mentality and a criminal guild likely running the scene. She had caused undue suffering - and to Ylnira, that was the greatest crime of them all. 

Masking some deep regret, Ylnira continues to watch the spectacle. Of course, she values her own life over others - but she would do what she could to remedy her mistake without blowing her cover. Two hundred and fifty gold was an exorbitant a price as any - Nalaskur paying the full price would be a sight to see. For now, she will hold her tongue, but if anything drastic changes - such as the Tiefling being ordered to be killed - Ylnira will approach. 

As Yin, Shautha, and Ulf all scan the gruesome scene, Yin and Ulf both notice the teiflings each possessed a ring on the finger closest to their pinky, though only of copper .. they were a matching set. Shautha was unfortunately not observant enough to notice. And though it took several moments, one of the wenches went to fetch a bucket of water and what equated a mop to clean the blood before it could set into the floorboards. And within another few moments, Nalaskur made his way out from the rear entrance, where he'd clearly been counting gold to be ready should someone succeed. 

Seeing the two teiflings, Nalaskur grunts in approval, but snaps his fingers Irune, get out here and tell me if this is the *****, as one of the men that Yin had seen earlier comes out from the back. Apparently there were several entrances to this place. The merchants and other folk who had stayed behind, seem more happy than the party would expect, they don't seem to like the level of gore involved but they seem to be waiting with baited breath for the judgement.

The man moves forward to look at them both, long and hard, immediately dismissing the females head Nono, was a bloke what tried to **** my throat for 'Asmo's' sake. in the distance a peal of thunder can just barely be heard like  whisper in the back of your mind, but fades quickly and is soon forgotten. Let me see the man. he says to one of the 'hunters'  who held the male dropped him unceremoniously onto his back so his front would be visible. Crimson streaked his lips and cheeks, as he drew in ragged breaths on the floor like a chain smoker of sixty years.

Irune hmms and humms as he looks over the mans face. Though eventually he seems to come to a conclusion MMm, I'd say so. Was a bit dark when we saw him but the features are almost the same. Plus, these two are the only devils what came to the town a few days ago. Haven't seen any others come in and no one's reported any others. But the horns match as well as I can remember. I'd say they earned their keep. 

After a long pause, the Inn erupts in cheers, as Nalaskur pulls out the gold, but divvies it up between the three as much as was humanly possible. Walking around the bar, he raises the mens hands, and a cheer rises up from those behind the party and around. A few poking their head in from outside. These three men are heroes. Remember that. We'll always keep you merchants safe so long as it's within our ability to do so. These cults are a menace to us all, and now there's at-least one, if not two of them. You're always safe 'ere at the Bargewright inn! Another raucous cry goes up as everyone cheers. And as the immediate excitement dies down, you can all hear the nearest merchants speaking to each-other in excited tones.

I'm so glad we have Sir Nalaskur here to fight back. No one else has listened to our plight. It's us merchants that are always under threat from bandits, vagabonds, monsters, and apparently now cults too! I heard Nalaskur used to be a famous knight somewhere, and most of his staff used to be assassins for some crown or another! And he never asks for anything of us in return except hat we come by now and then. Such a generous man. Aye. Not fond of how gory it is, but that's what they get for being vagabonds. Dirty work, but someone has to do it.

This gives you all the impression that the townsfolk view Nalaskur and those he works with as though they used to be knights of some renown or perhaps some assassins-turned-good that keep the merchants safe when inside or at-least very near to the Inn itself, and that odds-are likely the merchants never feel the cold steel of Nalaskur or his fellows.

Since she doesn't notices the matching rings, Shautha's perception of the event doesn't change that much, except that she now thinks that the tiefling man might not have been so innocent if the woman is telling the truth, but with these kind of idiots you never know.

Hoping that the other two will back her up and acting on a hunch, she stands up and raises her voice, talking to the tavernkeeper and the woman. "Yo! If you are done with that devil, care to let us have a little fun now?" She says, pointing at the injured tiefling with her sickle, and then grins. "There's a few questions me an' my friends want to do to it. I might give you the horns later after we are done with it, if you want them. What do ya say?"

She takes a hand to her club, still grinning like she's a murderer out for blood herself.

She's not exactly lying with wanting to make question to the guy if he's not dead yet, but rolling deception anyway for that whole horns bluff. I would roll for Intimidation, but with my bad rolls lately I think I would just be shooting myself in the foot.

Ulf raises an eyebrow at Shautha's suggestion, then turns to wait for the response. He would have expected Ulric to make such a suggestion -- and to mean it -- but the Orc surprises him. There is no point in complaining now, it would just turn everyone in the room against him. Better to deal with such people in the dead of night. Besides, in the back of his mind he still harbours some doubt that Shautha means what she says -- it is not the way of the faction he they are both allied to.

He glances around the room, taking in the looks of the newcomer, the one who identified the male tiefling, adding them to his growing collection of dubious members of whatever faction it is that controls this town.

 Those gathered in the room nod along, each of them apparently agreeing with Shautha's 'intent' wanting to .. for lack of better phrasing help 'beat a dead horse' Yeah! I haven't been able to do any business since 'afore last month cause everyone who tries to go down the road gets mugged. I wanna kick his arse! and other similarly worded remarks could be heard by all. The teifling manages a painful groan as he's slowly but surely regaining consciousness, and along with it, experiencing the pain of his already acquired wounds.

Meanwhile Nalaskurs eyes haven't left Shautha's since she finished speaking. Somethin don't quite ring true about what you just said orc. I get the feeling you're only telling a half truth. What business do you have with our cultist friend here? he a friend of yours you're tryna save?