Adventure 2, Chapter 2: Stoat and the Pass

[KingOfCowards]

"It seems odd that they would need spears to visit the mayor."

Are there any windows on the ground floor of the mayor's house that we could peek through?

[DavetheLost]

Des sits by the fire in the Inn for a moment after Mournath steps out. Then becoming concerned that curiosity may be getting the young man in trouble with the strangers in fancy dress he steps out into the snow of the yard.

Eying the small crowd that has gathered outside he looks to see where either his friend or the strangers have gone.

[Pulpatoon]

Simon can see through a small, mullioned window into the foyer of the Mayor's house. There, indeed, are propped six fine spears.

Bürd and Den spend an absorbing half hour poking around Gizzy's chest. The clockwork boy's are surprisingly simple—downright straight-forward. Even to two people not specifically trained in clockwork engineering, the relationships between the pieces seems so clear, even inevitable that the hardest thing to believe is that such constructions aren't more common. "See, the bellows advance this cascade of rotary springs, here, which wind those tiny little counter-wheels. But how does the... of course! Those cylinders telescope when the ballast tips!" However, whenever either turns away from the works, the elegant simplicity suddenly seems slippery and obtuse. Sketches turn into incomprehensible hashes of scribbled nonsense. Memories of things just seen become jumbled and hard to recall.

In the end, there's not much to do but shrug and chalk it up to magic. However, while poking around, Den was able to give Gizzy's works a good cleaning and touch-up.

Den sees two young men, strangers in these parts, standing outside the Mayor's house, not far from where the small crowd is dispersing. One of them is peering surreptitiously through the Mayor's front window.

[PyroArrow]

Tonkioso 'Gizzy' Gizmoebius [Male Clockwork Child Warrior AC 12 : HP 5/ 5]:

Gizzy thanks Den for polishing & touching him up!

To Burd he says, "Where did the others go to find trouble now?"

[KingOfCowards]

Simon can see through a small, mullioned window into the foyer of the Mayor's house. There, indeed, are propped six fine spears.

Well, at least they're not stabbing the mayor with them. Simon shrugs to Marcus. "I suppose he's hired some fancy guards? As long as no one is getting hurt."

[MonkeyWrench]

Marcus simply shrugs, "I guess so, kind of weird though. this town doesn't look dangerous enough for the mayor to have some special guards. I had initially thought that they were hunters or soldiers brought in to kill something, might have been a lead on our own prey."

He starts walking back to the smith, "Come on, I told the others where we're going but I doubt they listened to me. We can fill them in on what we found, maybe get some answers from the smith there."

[DavetheLost]

Des is curious as to why the strangers would be peering in the mayor's window instead of knocking on the door as honest folk might be expected to do. Not seeing the finely dressed men-at-arms the Halfling decides to invent some errand to the smithy to see if he can find out who these other strangers in town are.

With no clearer plan than making it up as he goes along he walks to the smithy, short legs doubtless insuring that he arrives after the others.

[mb.]

Bürd claps Gizzy on the shoulder, "yer a wonder land, an' no mistake! Thank ye fer lettin' us 'ave a look see."

He hops down from the anvil and turns to Marcus and Simon as they enter the smithy, "well y'nosy lads, what're the Tallinmari up t' here in Stoat?" He nudges Den with his elbow, "y'could've as good asked ol' Den here. Y'kin be sure a man've 'is talents 'as 'ad an eye on their flashy metalwork since th'second they set foot in town."

[KingOfCowards]

Simon looks dumbfounded at Bürd, "Talin-who?"

[mb.]

Bürd jerks his thumb at the door, "Them fellers in th'fancy pants armour, them's Tallinmari. Tallinmar's a salt-stinkin' city down southways on th'coast. Them lads is royal guards or some such, seen 'em when I were down there. May the Heart o' th'Mountain grant that I never 'ave t'smell th'stinkin' sea agin." His thick fingers weave a warding sign in front of his chest.

[MonkeyWrench]

Marcus shares a glance at Simon, then shrugs his shoulders, "So they were royal soldiers, huh." he begins to idly scratch at Rugs fur, "So then, Den, Any idea why royal guards are visiting Stoat?"

[Pulpatoon]

Den: "Ironson Makelucky is more widely travelled than I, and I can't say as I'd recognize Tallinmar work. I've heard tell of the city, of course, but I've been in the smithy all day, and ain't seen the strangers you speak of."

Den looks to the short figure in the door: "Good day, Master Desmond. Can I be of service?"

[DavetheLost]

"Good morning Master Den. I had come to speak with you about a chest clasp, but it looks as though your are occupied with customers," he turns to the group and bows slightly. "Good morrow gentlemen, I am Desmond, from beyond the mountains. I do not believe I have seen you in the village before. If you will pardon my curiosity collecting stories and travelers' tales is a sort of hobby of mine."

[KingOfCowards]

"It's good to meet you, Desmond. We are travelers from Herebury, come to see our friend dwarf get some suitable armaments. My name is Simon, and this here is Marcus, Bürd, and Gizzy.", Simon states, pointing to his companions in turn.
Its fairly obvious they are a rare bunch, but Simon seems to ignore that fact. "If it's tales you're looking for, maybe we could help each other. Dwarf armor is not the only thing that brings us north. Is there somewhere, perchance, where we could talk?"

[mb.]

Bürd bows deeply, then stomps over to Des, gives him a squinty look up and down, and punches him in the shoulder with a wide grin, "I been thinkin' fer days that it's high time we 'ad summun around wi' shorter legs than even me own! Hah! Well met lad."

He nods sideways at Simon, "as friend Simon says, a smithy's fer workin' not jawin', an we're holdin' Master Den up from gettin' me shirt done. Direct us t'someplace with ale, an' if there's a Kegton tun in Stoat, direct us right quick, an' we can be tradin' stories til the morn, if y'kin hold yer drink that long an' all."

[MonkeyWrench]

Marcus speaks up, "Preferably a place that allows bears." he scratches at the bear cubs ears, letting the furred animal cling to him.

[PyroArrow]

Tonkioso 'Gizzy' Gizmoebius [Male Clockwork Child Warrior AC 12 : HP 5/ 5]:

Gizzy hops off the workbench, greets the new fellow Desmond, & heads with the group to find some liquid refreshment.

[DavetheLost]

"Come on over to the Inn, they have ale a plenty. I'm not sure that they would look with favour on bears, don't see too many of them as customers."
Desmond gives a cheery wave and leads the group over to the Inn.

[Pulpatoon]

Following the halfling, Des, the party moves to the Inn, where they find bowls of hearty stew, chewy loaves of millet-bread, and tankards of a spicy ale that does an excellent job of chasing the lingering early-Spring chill out of the bones.

The Inn is the social hub of the town, and Des is able to snag a number of locals to fill in gaps in his local knowledge while talking with the others. Some items you learn:

The Pass through the mountains should be open any day now. The mayor will soon be calling for non-risk-adverse folks to form a party to make the first exploratory trek through the Pass.

The town is at maximum capacity: the Inn is over-filled, and some of the wealthier traveling merchants have rented out some of the locals homes. Nobody has an immediate suggestion where the party can stay.

Everyone is curious about the armored strangers, who were first noticed in town not long before the party saw them in the street. No one other than Bürd has connected them to the far Southron city of Tallinmar, but a number of folks latch onto the idea as a likely explanation.

A friend of Des' named Mournath relates a story of considerable interest to the Herebury party:

This was just a few months ago, in the deeps of winter. Mournath and a friend were out, hunting winter hares, when they came across a gathering around a fire in an snow-filled copse. There were several people from Tamworth and Coldstone, and, alarmingly, even a couple of people from Stoat at the gathering. They had painted red marks on their bodies in elaborate patterns of parallel lines and concentric circles. They watched their rites for awhile, which were mostly chanting garbled things about a goat. Then they were surprised from behind. The cultist caught the one boy, but hadn't noticed Mournath, and so the two were able to overpower him. They ran back to the village. When they returned with greater numbers, the gathering had broken up and disappeared. Their tracks led to the mountain pass. This pass wass blocked up and extremely dangerous during the winter, and the people they'd seen were not prepared for travel (they were equipped with robes and knives and body paint). It is assumed that they are dead at the bottom of a snow drift, probably not more than a few hundred feet into the pass.

Mournath concludes his story with, "Not as peculiar as your adventure with the eagle, though, is it, Des?" before continuing on with errands elsewhere in the village.

The villagers have questions of the Herebury party as well:

Bürd: What is a dwarf doing with a bunch of long-legged, valley-dwelling boys?

Simon: What brings the party to Stoat? Are you headed through the pass? Do you have trade there?

Marcus: How did you come across such a well-trained bear? Does he do tricks? Will you preforming while in town? There'd be good money for a fresh entertainment. Everyone here has had as many puppet-shows as human endurance can possibly allow.

Gizzy: What news is there of the towns to the south? Is it true that Jack-in-Hassock rode into the middle of Kirkwald and robbed the money-houses in broad daylight?

Des: You're heading through the pass, of course, right? You know that Rullwood is giving a portion of gold and a parcel of land to every halfling who presents himself to the Prince, right?

[mb.]

Bürd waves his tankard, "if yer knowin' aught of our ways, y'heard a the tenyear, aye? Y'longlegsses is confused by th'beard, but I'm what y'd call a boy meself, were I one a you, an' I'm off on me tenyear." He takes a big swig and wipes the back of his hand across his beard, "I'm off seekin' me adventures, an' in Herebury is a right hero, friend a me pa since then Golbin Wars, an' where better t'start? An' these lads has been good fer adventures so far. I'm gettin' me scars," he waves a finger over the diagonal red line across his face, "an' stories t'take home. An' it's plen'y clear th'lads are needin' me help t'put a few things right."