The date is Ermlyth 56th in the year 693 PFW (Post First War). It is mid-autumn and you have all made your way to the town of Aoswell for your own reasons.

• Braci: On your way to Aoswell to buy some food you were attacked by cackling beasts (that you didn’t recognize, but that resembled hyenas). They acted chaotically and with no apparent goal other than to kill you but you eventually defeated them. When you reached Aoswell it was apparent that they were suffering, and it was made clear shortly that it was because of these beasts. You can easily recognize when people are in need, so you stayed over a few nights to see what was going on. You don’t see much other than the town’s suffering but you learned that soon Vara Lonsvell would be gathering mercenaries to help the town. You stayed there until when you could help the town with any other mercenaries that Vara could find.

• Kairynna and Nevaeh: While approaching Aoswell, you two saw miles of burned fields. You reached Aoswell and when inquiring about them were informed that in the night cackling preceded roaring flames across the fields and animals getting stolen from the area (with only blood trails left behind). The farmers said that their brave leader Vara Lonsvell was hiring mercenaries to find and stop the ones that burned the fields. Now, you are sitting at a table in the main room of the Busy Rabbit Inn (where you rested last night). You see 4 other figures at different tables.

• Morilius: As you travel into North Vexcall, you reach a poor city that has clearly been attacked recently. You see this as a possible opportunity to do some good (and possibly for some coin). You stayed over the night at the Busy Rabbit Inn and now sit at a table in the early morning and you see 5 other figures at different tables.

• Morkraw: You rested in the thieves’ hideout last night and now sit at the table in the dingy room, the hideout has some bland foods available or you could go elsewhere for a better selection. You heard that the guard was paying mercenaries to help with the recent attacks which could be a good opportunity to get some coin.

• Seigfried and Thoradin: You two have travelled for a while throughout North Vexcall, but now you’ve stopped to rest in the town of Aoswell. You know that last time Seigfried was here he found that the tailor was a very handy craftsman, but you have heard good things about the local brewer as well. At the moment you are at the Busy Rabbit Inn (having stayed there last night) and are in the main room with 4 other individuals at other tables.

• Tayvello: You just finished a job given to you by a contact in Stolstbridge. You ended up staying in Aoswell for the night (in the Busy Rabbit Inn) and you heard that Vara Lonsvell would be hiring mercenaries the following day (and that she would be paying well for it).

• Varis: You stayed in the Busy Rabbit Inn last night, and now you sit eating your breakfast and thinking of how and where you might learn from this town. You know that the town has been attacked multiple times recently by unidentified creatures, and that if you helped with that you might be allowed some information. You see 5 other figures at different tables.

Regardless of how you ended up in Aoswell, you are here in the early morning. You all know that to help the town with their recent attacks you need to be at the Hall of the Guard 3 hours before sundown today to speak with Vara Lonsvell (the local leader). In the meantime, you are free to roam and see what the town has to offer.

Morilius, a thin blue tiefling, is lightly playing his lute at his table while trying to read an outdated town map, trying to figure out where he should explore in the town, though concentrating on the map is messing up his playing. He'll stop looking at the map and then look out at the others at their tables, wondering if he should ask anyone for directions, but stays silent for now as he plays a few more notes on his lute. 

Morilius - make a Performance check

At this point, all of the tables in the Busy Rabbit Inn are taken as the owner of the in, a middle-aged halfling woman (that those of you who stayed here last night know to be named Stira Quickfoot) hurries between the tables to get everyone's breakfasts to them. You all get the sense that she rarely has this many people here in the morning.

Rocky - with your Perception check you notice Stira giving quizzical looks to pretty much everyone (that you have identified as mercenaries) as they are quite a strange assortment (and from what you've seen of this town it is mostly humans and halflings, of which there are none currently in the tavern).

At the moment the whole inn is very quiet, with only a little chatter at the two tables with multiple people and Morilius' lute. At the moment, Stira has a very limited supply of fresh foods (but has lots of stale bread and dried meats) because of the recent attacks which have made the harvest much less lucrative than usual. She does her best to accommodate all of your orders nonetheless.

Morilius performance check: 21

Morilius' performance is almost enthralling. Even though he was just plucking out some notes it starts to swell into a very (seemingly) well thought out melody. It lifts the general mood of the inn. Stira smiles, glad to have something jovial happening in her inn again.

As he typically does Braci rose with the sun that morning but that's about all that seemed typical today. Something was clearly wrong, those beasts, the people of Aoswell all seemed off. Whatever was going on Braci was determined to help but he needed more information. He was always amazed by what could be heard if you just listened to the whispers in the streets. After finishing his morning introspection, cleaning the dirt and blood off his formerly white robes, donning his deep blue cloak and quarterstaff he headed for the streets. 

Assuming the markets and merchant areas would be busy this time of day he headed there. As he sat on the street and pulled his hood over his head he opened his ears straining to hear whispers of other encounters or rumors of these strange beasts. No one thinks much of a dirty homeless man sitting on the street.

Braci smiled thinking. Here I am again sitting in a gutter, different city, different street. Most importantly though, I do it by choice this time.

Perception: 19

Braci - make a Perception check

Braci - As you sit there in the street in the center of town, you first notice that this seems to be where most trade is done (and where the local artisans gather to sell their wares). You do notice that while many people are wandering the street there are very few transactions actually being done. You see that many of the merchants here seem to have very few wares as everyone here is struggling from the lack of food (normally, Aoswell's main exports are crops, but with those burned just before their harvest no one in the town seems to have much money). Most of the townspeople's conversations are boring, but you do catch a few bits of information when you overhear members of the guard speaking. You hear them say that the monsters attack from the East of Aoswell and that all that many people knew of the was that they cackled as they set the fields ablaze.

Something that catches your attention that requires no focus to perceive is that there is a tall figure (a male silver dragonborn) standing at the corner of the street giving a speech that no one seems to be listening to. Preaches how "Vara Lonsvell is unfit to lead Aoswell! She beckons the chaos that will be the death of us all! We must have order soon or starvation won't be the thing that kills us first!"

Siegfried relaxes for now, taking in the crowd and the impromptu musical performance.  He would look to order a small plate of food and a drink.

Sigi - Stira seems to have been not paying attention to exactly how much food she gave you because she was very focused on the music. Because of that you were given a fairly large amount of food and drink. The ale is pretty good, but the food is mostly just stale bread and some cheese.

The East... Not much to go on but more than I had before. Content with the information Braci stands to head out when the strange, loud dragonborn catches his eye.

He's going to get himself killed talking about the  leader of the guard like that... Braci mutters to himself as he slowly approaches the dragonborn.

"Hail, friend. Perhaps a quiet word, there are guards about don't think they'd take to kindly to your warnings. I heard Ms Lonsvell is organizing adventurers to help root out this evil. Seems you have heard differently? I'll help how I can but I need to know what what is going on."

The dragonborn, recognizing that you are paying the most attention to him, turns to you to speak (not preaching to the whole street anymore). "The guards have no standing to harm me for what I am saying. Lonsvell is no more a leader of this town than I am. Perhaps you are unfamiliar, but 4 years ago when at the end of the Vexcall Civil War when the Vexcalls split their governments needed to be restructured. Because of this, North Vexcall has yet to establish what role local leaders fill. So at the moment Lonsvell holds no legal position like she once did. She is doing nothing to establish real order here, so perhaps she isn't fit to lead. The people are blindly loyal to her and I just want them to see reason."

A pale blue-skinned woman in purple robes rocks back and forth in her chair, the legs clunking slightly as they bumped against the floor. Her eyes, orbs of incandescent blue-yellow lacking irises, glance around the interior of the Busy Rabbit as she brushes a strand of her colorful hair behind one of her ears. Her head turns from patron to patron, studying them with intense curiosity as her hands nurse a steaming mug from which she heartily sips every few moments. Her lips curl up in a smile as she looks over to her companion across the table. "This humble place, tho' surrounded by devastation, still hast some measure of charm to it, doth it not, Rynna? Tho' verily, I am disappointed by the apparent lack of rabbits. A misleading name this inn doth have," Nevaeh chuckles as she takes a bite of bread, unfazed by its staleness. Her eyes drift over to the tiefling playing music, and her smile widens. When he is finished, she claps her hands.

"Bravo, bravo! 'Twas a stirring tune, and 'tis evident it brought a smile to the hearts and faces of these fine folk. A good gift deserves like in turn, doth it not? Miss Stira, a drink for the good minstrel, here! He hast earned it, as far as I am concerned!"

((Hoping to have advantage on Performance 22 if Sieg Helps, plus guidance 2 ))

The performance caught Thoradin's attention and on a whim he decided to participate. He winked at his new friend Sieg to ask him to play along and join in, and mumbled a prayer under his breath while the tiefling played. As soon as he took a break, he grinned and broke into the traditional song of his people.

"Brothers of the mine rejoice!
Swing, swing, swing with me
Raise your pick and raise your voice!
Sing, sing, sing with me…"

He punctuated every other line by pounding his stein on the table top hard enough to cause the brew within to slosh out, but he didn't care. Fun will be had and that's what mattered. Besides, what dwarven party didnt involve some spilled brew?

Stira looks even more quizzically at you Nevaeh but she does get a drink for Morilius saying "Aye. 'Twas an excellent performance" (she is clearly confused by your speech and is trying to copy it to make it seem like she doesn't think it's weird).

As Thoradin started singing after that Stira looked even more confused, as at this point it is around 9 in the morning and her inn is filled with drinking and songs but she seems like she enjoys the music and the liveliness.

Morilius grins, loving to be complimented, and accepts the drink from Stira. "Well, thank you! I've been practicing for some time...I'm glad I finally have something to show for it."

Then Morilius turns to Thoradin. "That was nice at the end there as well, very spirited! I've never heard that song before, what was it?"

You call Stira over and because of the talk elsewhere it isn't hard to have a quiet conversation.

Make a Persuasion check. Then would you like me to write what she tells you here or PM you?