Village of Briarsgate
Late afternoon. Wednesday, October 19th, 576 CY
Chilly, misty, threatening rain
The expedition of adventurers, come from Hochoch to investigate the strange rumors of Briarsgate, separates upon reaching the village.
Long Bo the Druid meets the Magistrate and Constables at the Constable's Quarters (2).
Suddenly, you hear a man shouting outside, not in anger, but as if making an announcement. You can't make out what he's saying.
Constable Onfre calmly excuses himself to go out and have a look. As he exits, he closes the thick door behind him, and its latch clicks shut.
Magistrate Ruskadel politely asks that you be seated so that you may resume your conversation in comfort. Chief Constable Allard silently listens, watching Long Bo’s face.
The Druid continues, concluding with, “…The troupe I am currently traveling with, a rather motley bunch if I may say so, had plenty of troubles of our own in that woods. Orcs are running wild through there you know! Is that why you are all dressed for battle then?”
“Yes. Yes it is. Orcs. In the woods. Dreadful business. ...Well, I’m afraid I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of your Ichabod,” says the Magistrate ruefully, glancing at Donavan Allard for confirmation. The Chief Constable grunts in agreement.
The Magistrate continues, “What a shame. And after coming all this way. But, please. Tell me about this 'motley troupe.' Who are they and where are they now, rather than at your side? Why have they come to our humble little hamlet? And how long may we plan on the pleasure of your company?” he smiles pleasantly.
Telkis Brassfang converses with beast and man in a Sheep Pasture (west of 1).
“Can I help you, Mister?” calls out the old farmer from a distance of 30 feet.
Telkis replies, "Oh! I do apologize, sir. I was merely... that is, I believed I spied a peculiar rock poking up out of your pasture here, believing it might be the remains of an old Gnomish settlement. Yet I see now I was mistaken. I do hope I haven't disturbed your ... pack of sheep. My friends and I are passing through the area and intend to stay a few days.”
The farmer’s eyes narrow.
Telkis says, “We do make a habit of trying to help out where we can, to allay any discomfort our presences might inspire. Is there any way in which we may be of assistance to you, sir? Or to your village, general-wise?"
The farmer says, “Well, ye might start by not tromping through our fields as if ye owned the place, or soon intended to!”
Telkis smiles as warmly as he can manage. "Oh! Pardon! The name's Telkis. I'm a ... I'm a Gnome," he adds, lamely.
"Well. Ye are a Gnome. That much is certain. And I suppose there’s no harm. I’m Hewitt Twaine. These are my boys. This is Scout. And this is our spread ye’re standing in,” he says looking across their small patch on the edge of Briarsgate with a bittersweet mixture of pride and sorrow.
Then Twaine returns from his brief reverie. “Ye gave my grandgirl quite a scare,” he says, referring to the young butter churner. “Well… We’d best see to our work now, if’n ye’ll excuse us, please.”
The farmer stands there, between Telkis and his boys, waiting. He’s spoken politely, quietly and calmly. But Telkis can see his knuckles are bone white from the deathgrip on the pitchfork handle.
The Gnome warrior, a veteran of many battles, clearly recognizes what Thompkins couldn’t in the Farmer’s eye. Terror.
Hoom Feethos stands before the Moneychanger and Jeweler (7).
Not caring that the business appears to be closed, Hoom raps his fist upon the door. Waiting for a response he calls to a passer by. "Pardon me, madam. When does the moneychanger establishment open for business?"
A farmer's wife looks up from her basket of eggs and is surprised to find an Elf talking to her.
"?!.. Moneychanger?... Oh... Um... he's been closed up now for... I reckon a fortnight or more, sir."
"Beggin' my pardon for askin'" she says, gawking at you unabashedly. "... Are you with those other Elves?"
Grothnak and Pelias stand in a Crossroad (between 2 and 6). The Half-Orc garners a few suspicious looks. Pelias continues to speak publicly and directly to the villagers. "My eyes tell me some of you distrust me, or resent our presence here. May I entreat one of you skeptics to discuss matters with me privately? We may do so at this very spot, if you wish. I will do you no harm."
The townsfolk look at each other again. None of the skeptics will take up Pelias on his offer. They slowly begin to move on, continuing about their business, even as other villagers come to see what the commotion is - including a pale, blotchy, older constable in banded mail who seems content merely to observe, for now.
Only one of the townsfolk seems to want to speak to Pelias, but this desire is not borne from skepticism. It's a young mother who became somewhat distraught at Pelias’ speech; her face torn between hope and fear. Her wet eyes dart around at the locals, some of whom evenly meet her gaze. She says nothing, but looks at Pelias with pleading eyes.
Then she turns, gathers her two small children and hurries away eastward, down the main road. She looks back only once.
The Grey Mouser, Ingrid and Vodarte enter the Golden Grain Inn (6) and meet its refined innkeeper, Bertram Beswill. “What can I do for you, please?”
"An ale good sir," says Mouser. "I am Grey, here to investigate rumors of ill-fortune here in town. Can you help?" The rogue discretely opens his gold-filled hand to influence friendly tongue.
Bertram Beswill's eyes alight at Mouser's words. They cautiously meet Mouser's eyes as Bertram softly says, “I know I can help with the former. And I pray that I can help with the latter.”
Then his eyes glance at the Mouser’s gold, for only a moment. He gently murmurs, “…Thank you. How kind. There will be time enough for that later, I think.” He clasps Mouser’s hand with both of his, to give the appearance of shaking it, and closes it with the gold still inside.
Ingrid smiles, "My name is Ingrid Esthof. I'm on my way to Hookhill, and these gentlemen accompanied me through the Dim Forest. An ale is always good, but with the weather turning unusually cold, I'd rather inquire whether you hold any local herbal liqueurs?..."
“But of course. Please. Come in. Make yourselves at home,” Bertram says as he offers his arm to the lady and leads you three to a table in the far corner, away from prying eyes and ears.
Vodarte says, "My name is Vodarte--I am a forest guide. The woods can be quite inhospitable to travelers caught unawares. You have a nice, quiet little settlement here--I'm sure the local constabulary does their best to keep the dangers of the forest outside your town..."
Bertram replies, "Yes. While heavy handed, they've kept the Goblin Men at bay for many years now. Now please excuse me. I won't be but a moment.”
The barmaid brings your drinks, which are of unexceptional quality, and asks if you would care to order food.
Soon Bertram brings a complementary plate of hot hors d'œuvres and joins you at your table. He takes pains to appear that he is merely visiting as a good host, perhaps to avoid arousing the suspicion of his clientele? “I truly wish we had better offerings to share with you. Of late, the caravan traffic has all but stopped. I’m afraid our stores are quite low. …And winter is coming.”
Then his voice assumes the hushed tones of gentlemanly discretion, and he gazes at Mouser. “Forgive me… Now, wherever shall I begin?? How much do you already know? You said something about rumours?” From time to time, his careful eyes flicker warily toward his other customers.
Status:
Elden Vodarte, Human Ranger 2: AC 3, HP 20/20
The Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 4, HP 10/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 2: AC 4, HP 13/17
Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 3, HP 6/8, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 14/16, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
Long Bo, Human Druid 2: AC 6, HP 15/15, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl and 1/2 2nd lvl
Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2, HP 18/19
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 2: AC 0, HP 15/19
Magic:
Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.
Partial Map of Briarsgate
NPC List for Briarsgate
(edited for typos and image sizes)
