Strange Aeons 2: The Thrushmoor Terror [IC]

[Blackhawk101]

Brother Jaume yawns and stretches before searching about for somewhere to pray, exercise and then wash up before breakfast. A open area will suffice preferably close to nature or tilled earth.

[bcool999]

Jens

Once he is presentable, Jens will leave the room and invite Flair and Maeni to the collective when he sees them. Jens plans on eating first before meditation since it seems their proprietress is impatient to serve breakfast.

Spoiler: OOC

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When Jens gets a moment to meditate, he will swap Detect Compulsion for Collapse.

[digiman619]

Flair comes down to the bottom floor, ready to get the promised food. Turning to his host, he asks "This looks lovely. I have two questions though. First, would it be possible to get a bath up in my room? Hot if possible, but just getting clean would be amazing." He paused for a bit to eat some of his breakfast, savoring the taste. "Ah. And secondly, do you know where I could get my hands on a brazier?"

[lostsole31]

Brother Jaume, the stables are the best place, actually, and while a little "mungy," the barrel of water nearby is a great place to do a head-dunk kind of "bath." Your morning prayers, meditation, and kata will, as usual, take you two hours.

---

Dena looks to Flair (who is seated eating with the rest of the party, sans ^). "Yeah, honey, but it ain't gonna be hot, and it's not included on Ms. Wrentz' bill, neither." She scratches the faint wisp of micro-peachfuzz-beard she has. "Hmm, a brazier? That's like a fancing standing room torch or something, ain't it? I don't know if the town has anything like that, but you can probably check at Binter's Smithy. Far side of town."

She starts to walk away, but turns around. "Oh, and your hempen homespun homeboy with a sow's belly and a bald pate is in the stable. Breakfast has been served. It won't be served again. So, you might want to let him know."

[digiman619]

Flair nodded. "No problem. Yeah, I've got the coin for that, so set me up for one as soon as you can. I'll go wake our friend and let him get some food." And with that, Flair grabbed a chunk of bread and went out to the stables. "Jaume, you up? If you want breakfast, you'd best come now. With every one already digging in, there's no guarantee there'll be any left if you tally."

[silphael]

Once at the table, Maeni looses no time and happily starts eating, only stopping from time to time to turn a page of her spellbook.

"Have you all slept well ? Hasn't been the case since... well, as far as I can remember."

Spoiler: OOC

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Remember that Maeni eats a *lot* (basically, more or less 6 times as anyone else (she starts starving after 12 hours instead of 3 days) so after a night she's basically as the other would be after 2 days without eating)

[BuckGodot]

Dorn looks up from his meal and just shakes his head...

[Blackhawk101]

Bj stops his routine and speaks to Flair.
“Good Morn to you Flair. Thank you for the concern but I cannot break fast until my morning rituals are complete. If you can save me a hunk of bread, I would very much appreciate it!”
The large man has his hairy torso bare and is working up a good sweat going through an intricate martial art kata.

[digiman619]

"Figured that might be the case, so I saved you something" He gestures with the bit of bread he'd nabbed earlier. "I'll just leave this for you, then" he then turned back to the inn, checking to see if that bath was ready yet.

[lostsole31]

Flair comes back into the inn to find that his bath has not been set up yet. No doubt he seeks out the management.

"You're here on the good graces of Ms. Wentz, who is paying the coin," says Dena, "and we aren't having no fripperous baths until the lot of you see her first thing."

[digiman619]

Flair sighed. "Very well, Ms Gallegos. You run a tight ship and I'll have to follow your lead. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll head back to my room to do my best to get ready to see her." And with that, he went back to his room and began his binding rituals, the thin walls all the privacy he was likely to get.

[lostsole31]

Everyone completing their morning tasks and rituals, they head off to the Sleepless Building. Meg Thalen greets them warily and lets them in, and shows you to the parlor where Ms. Wrentz will greet you. (Normally, business is conducted in an office, but there are so many of you that the parlor is used.) Winter is not there.

Once Ms. Wrentz comes to greet you, you are served tea (if you take it) and she gets right to business.

"You failed," she says, letting each of you wrestle with what she means. "Early in the morning, Elgrior Nasmeth was back up to his own fear-sowing mischief at the farmer's market. I ask that you look back into that.

"But it isn't just the health of the town - disturbing the peace, as it were - as his ravings are really making everyone nervous now. There's a fisherman I want you to talk to. His name is Toli Remsatter. He claims to have seen a glowing light in a small cave along th shore a mile out of town. Now, I am guessing he is caught up in Elgrior's nonsense, because the angler began to suspect that the light he saw means the Briarstone Witch has returned to once again take everyone in Thrushmoor into the bay. We have this report, because later, Toli recounted his theory over drinks and cards at the Stain, spreading the fear to other patrons and thus throughout the town.

"Get Elgrior to stop raving, and then follow up on Toli's rumors. If you can do that, you've earned my trust."

[digiman619]

Flair sighed. Of course it couldn't be that easy. "Looks like our stern talking to wasn't enough to convince him. Since we are under your employ, I ask as to not sully your good name: What tools do we have at our disposal to deal with Mr. Nasmeth?" He would go on to ask for directions to the Mr Remsatter's house as to look him up, as well as asking if she had a brazier he could borrow.

[bcool999]

Jens

Jens belateddly realizes he forgot to invite Dorn to the Collective and does so.

[lostsole31]

"Don't assault him, if you can help it," she says, surprised. "Definitely don't kill him. You have your own tools. Check the wharf to find Toli, follow your nose if you have trouble finding the Danver."

No, she does not have a brazier. She finds it a strange request, as usually braziers are something more for castles and large, old rooms (at least, in her mind).

[bcool999]

Jens

Hearing that Elgrior was back to his old shtick, Jens sighs and is glad he got at least one night at the Inn. "If only there was a secure facility that treats mental health we could send the madman to. Unfortunately the last one in town seems to have closed recently." Jens says dryly, "Maybe we can convince him to be quiet if we agree to investigate about the witch. Of course, recent experience tells me that reasoning with madmen seldom works."

[silphael]

"Then I will convince him that we will inquiry there, and that any words he adds about it will risk endangering our inquiry. I hope he won't react to bad to my oddities, but he probably remembers me from earlier I suppose ?"

It seems to be more said as an evidence, who would forget having met her ?

[BuckGodot]

Dorn nods to Jens and acknowledges the invite. "We will do our utmost to resolve this in a peaceful manner. I know that may have not been our previous modus operandi but we will try our best."

[digiman619]

Flair nodded. "I expected as much, but I felt it was best to get that out in the open." He goes to stand "If there's nothing else, we'd best get started."

[Blackhawk101]

“I think a good pummeling would help his decision making process but it doesn’t hurt anyone to try a more diplomatic tact. I will glower and look menacing.”
BJ smiles and cracks his knuckles.

[lostsole31]

Okay. What now?

[digiman619]

Now that they have their objectives, Flair bids their host goodbye before heading out to find the Doomsayer once more. "Dorn, you've got a way with words; do you think you can try and talk some sense into this fool? I really don't want to have to inflict violence on this guy, as I get the feeling that Ms. Wrentz already doesn't really like me."

[BuckGodot]

Dorn nods to Flair, replying "I will give it my best attempt. I do not wish violence to become a standard answer for us. We've had far too much of it of late."

[lostsole31]

The party leaves the Sleepless Building, following Cesadia's directions. To the party's left (north), up the hill and behind the trees, the party will glimpse some type of plinth or obelisk, but they don't have time to investigate that now.

They soon pass Binter's Smithy, so Flair knows where to go on the way back. Finally, the group gets to the Farmer's Market. This series of buildings in eastern Thrushmoor houses a granary, a bakery, and an ox mill run by the community as a whole. The few halfling citizens of Thrushmoor reside here, as well as the town’s freeholders. Most of the residents of Farmer’s Square are rarely seen in town during the day, as their farmlands lie beyond the town’s edge, sometimes as far as an hour’s ride away.

And there is your quarry, terrorizing market patrons.

What do you do?

[digiman619]

Flair motions to the man "Dorn, if you would..." He then took up a position behind him, doing his best to offer support.

Spoiler: OOC

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I don't know if I can Aid Other Dorn here, but I am going to if I can. I'd also do the Moment of Greatness SLA from Gaston, but I don't think it'd affect anything, so I won't.

[BuckGodot]

Dorn nods and slowly approaches Elgrior... Pausing from a distance, he will speak a prayer and then concentrate on the man.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

He casts Detect Chaos focusing on the man.

[BuckGodot]

Reading nothing from the man, he slowly approaches him, smiling.

"Friend Elgrior, might I have a word?"

If the man is willing to step off to the side, Dorn converse with him there.

"It has been brought to our attention that our conversation of last night perhaps did not have the intended impact so I have been asked to speak with you again. We want to help you. The commotion and disruption you are causing is not having the effect that you want, is it? There once was a wise man in my homeland who said, 'The height of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result'. So, since your approach is having little to no effect, might I suggest that you try something different. Allow us to help. We want to investigate this creature that you're warning everyone about and try to protect people from it. We have the backing of several important figures here in town, whereas you're having to work alone. Let us take up the mantel on your behalf. Give us a chance to deal with this while you rest. You've been working so hard at this, you must be exhausted. Take a break and let someone with more official backing take care of this. What say you, Friend?"

[lostsole31]

[Note that I am dovetailing events, because he is not just standing waiting to be talked to.]

Reading nothing from the man, Dorn slowly approaches him, smiling, with Flair behind him. "Friend Elgrior, might I have a word?"

"There they are!" screams Elgrior with renewed vigor, pointing at the PCs. "They are agents of the witch, come to mark people for the second vanishing!"

Elgrior does not go to the side, continuing to rant. However, Dorn has the training of an emissary ... to go into the lion's den with words of peace (or threats), to brave down infidels and naysayers, and to get his message across.

Dorn gives a consistently interrupted version of the above, all while Elgrior screams at him.

Perhaps it would have worked, had Elgrior not been terrified last night, and so he continues to rant and rave.

[BuckGodot]

Dorn turns to look briefly at Flair and nods to indicate he should take up a sort of flanking position, then turns back to the man. Knowing that the best way to deal with someone being loud and out of control is to remain calm and speak quietly and firmly, he adopts a more stern demeanour and all the while slowly aproaching him attempting to back him into Flair, says, "Friend Elgrior, your vociferous protestations are causing quite a bit of stress and upset to the people here in the Market. I STRONGLY suggest that you calm down and come with us to a quiet place to sit and discuss the best way with which to deal with the witch. We are keen to know your insights so that we may employ the best tactics when we confront her. I simply must insist."

[lostsole31]

Elgrior only shouts louder, totally raving now.