~The Dark Tapestry IC ~

[RolandDeschain]

Talia starts to gather up the dishes from the table, "The old quarry is near completely flooded. Nobody lives very close to it, but it's just outside of town on the other side of Rogue's Creek."

[razorback]

Cal looks at the others and says "Well, we are all just sittin' around eating. Anyone want to check it out with me? If nothing else, it'll give a chance to stretch our legs and get the blood flowing after the meal we just had." as he begins to stand.

[CWater]

"Was just about to suggest the same myself, so yeah, I'll come." Jheren stands up.

[RolandDeschain]

A boy, no more than twelve, with a shock of blond hair and wild eyes burst into the Wise Piper's common room, "The Witch Tower has fallen!"

Barnibus downs his glass with one long gulp, "Let's see what the fuss is all about."

He nods to Aerlya, and follows everyone out of the inn. Outside, the party notes a small cluster of villagers staring to the northeast. Once clear of the front of the building, you see a huge plume of smoke rising lazily into the air above the hill overlooking the town just beyond Rogue Creek.

[Kish]

"What's the Witch Tower?" Aerlya asks the boy, if he's outside with the others.

[RolandDeschain]

The boy looks at Aerlya in puzzlement for a moment, "You must be new around here. Witch's Tower is old....probably as old as Pelhaime itself. Up there on the hill next to Hunclay's....wonder if he finally got his way? Anyway, Witch's Tower has been abandoned since....well, since forever it seems. Don't know why folks call it the Witch's Tower though."

[Kish]

"Yes, I'm new around here. Who's Hunclay?" Aerlya asks.

[RolandDeschain]

The boy keeps turning back to the plume of smoke rising above the fallen tower, "Hunclay? Some folks say he's a wizard other say he's just a crazy old man....built him a fancy house up by the old Witch's Tower and cut down all the trees."

[CWater]

The boy keeps turning back to the plume of smoke rising above the fallen tower, "Hunclay? Some folks say he's a wizard other say he's just a crazy old man....built him a fancy house up by the old Witch's Tower and cut down all the trees."

"Ok, well even if it's just him in the area, we should go check if he's ok. That's the decent thing to do, right?"

[razorback]

Taking it all in, Cal looks at the rising dust as the others speak. Turning, he looks at Jheren. "I would say yes. Even if he is some old crackpot, no one deserves to die alone like that, if that is what happened. Alright, hold your horses" he says as he looks at Barnibus then back at the rest of the group "Anyone else who ares to join us is welcome." With that he slaps the old man on his back, walks inside to pick up his pack, and heads out the door and tow this 'witch tower'.

[RolandDeschain]

Barnibus nods and collects his pack before joining the group.

The party and a handful of villagers, including the little blonde-haired boy walk the length of Canteclure Road - past a large livery stable, a barber, the house that Aerlya visited earlier, and Deblin's Devices. A number of people are standing on their porches or in the street looking up at the dust cloud as it slowly drifts away and dissipates. Aerlya does note the gnomish woman standing on the stoop of Bassy's house and concludes that it must, indeed, be Bassy. Crossing the bridge over Rogue Creek, the small gathering passes a furrier's shop as well as the town's undertaker and cemetery. In the distance, beyond the undertakers, you can make out the top of Bevy Manor and a small retinue of people joins your group.

The Old Quarry road runs along the base of an somewhat imposing hill that's been completely denuded of trees and shrubs. A very, large and impressive manor house stands at the summit of the hill, but the group continues down the road a bit before coming to a path that leads up toward the collapsed tower and the nearby manor.

An enormous heap of cracked stone and splintered wood from the tower lies in a low mound near the path, tumbled partially down the hill to the southeast. At the site of the collapsed tower, two locals putter about aimlessly. One wanders about scratching his head, and the other stands with hands on his hips, chewing on a stalk of grass.

Spoiler: OC

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You are welcome to play out any interactions or questions that may have played out along the way. CHEERS!

[razorback]

Cal walks and, seeing the boy alternate towards the front of the gathering crowd, says "What's your name, boy? Best keep towards the back, in case the falling tower has scared any of the wildlife."

As they make their way to the scene of the collapsed tower, he whistles out loud through his teeth. "Well, that's a bill I don't envy having to pay." seeing the two men gathered near, he runs ahead of the crowd. "Hey! Everyone ok here? Heard the ruckus down in town and a bunch of us came up to help... well, some probably came to see... and I suspect at least one to find anything shaken loose that may be of value, if I know people." as he surveys the damage.

[RolandDeschain]

Cal walks and, seeing the boy alternate towards the front of the gathering crowd, says "What's your name, boy? Best keep towards the back, in case the falling tower has scared any of the wildlife."

"Allen." He scrunches up his nose at the suggestion he should stay toward the back then runs ahead of the group, giggling and occasionally looking back over his shoulder.

[RolandDeschain]

As Cal rushes forward, one of the men motions the other one over, they bend and drag a scaly corpse from the black stone rubble of the collapsed building. Depositing the body on the grassy hillside the two return to the pile of debris and pull another body free, dragging it over near the first.

Looking up at the small assemblage of people, one of them says, "Kobolds. Quite dead, the both of 'em."

[CWater]

"Hey, what's the situation here?", Jheren asks when they arrive at the scene. "Everyone ok? Save for the kobolds, obviously. Where did they come from? I assume they didn't live here, did they? Did they cause the collapse?" He blurts out a number of questions, hoping absent-mindedly that at least some have answers to be found.

[Kish]

"Kobolds? That's unexpected. I don't generally associate kobolds with collapsing buildings," Aerlya comments.

[RolandDeschain]

The men both look up at Cal and Jheren, "It appears no one was hurt 'ceptin' these two," he motions to the two dead kobolds, "and, no they're not common 'round here."

A male voice cries out from behind the group, among the gathering town's folk, "Hodd, you should check with the wizard Hunclay to see what he knows about this!"

The two men look toward the large manor house further up the hill and immediately set to arguing.

[razorback]

"Don't tell me you two are afraid of some magic maker? Is he a true magician or a keep of parlor tricks and illusions?" Cal says a bit mockingly and with a touch of condescendance.

[RolandDeschain]

The two men look at Cal a bit abashed as they fall silent.

The little blonde haired boy tugs on Cal's shirt, nods at the two and whispers, "Hodd and Myrl, not the Sheriff's finest if you catch my meaning."

An older woman's voice chimes up from the gathering villagers, "Oh for heaven's sake. I'll check!" A glance up the hill reveals that she's already moved up toward the manor house, and few seconds later she stops and squeals loudly at the foot of the stairs leading to the manor house's grand door.

[Kish]

"What's going on?" Aerlya moves hastily toward the shrieking woman.

[CWater]

"Wait! Let me come with you!" Jheren hurries after the two. It didn't seem right to let an old woman go by herself, what if she took a tumble. And he didn't think Aerlya, as a halflings, could support her if needed.

[RolandDeschain]

Aerlya and Jheren rush up the hill to find the woman standing with her hand clamped over her mouth, staring at the ground.

There, at the base of the stairs leading to the wizard Hunclay's manor house door, lies a horribly burned and disfigured, small reptilian humanoid corpse.

Hodd and Myrl pause momentarily to look at the body as they push past you and up the short set of stairs toward the door.

[razorback]

Cal gives Allen a wink and a nod as the others walk off. "I got your meaning.
Figured as much. I'm not afraid of them and, besides, I don't let people bully me. Don't let anyone do such to you." as he follows the others.
As they find the body, Cal asks "Was this a sevant of the wizard? Or someone who attacked him?"

[CWater]

Jheren runs after Hodd and Myrl. "Wait! You shouldn't rush! The wizard might have been fighting the kobolds!"

[RolandDeschain]

Hodd raps loudly on the door, then turns at Jheren's shouted warning.

Spoiler: Perception 15

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There are burn marks on the stairs that seem to indicate a burst of flames and appear to have originated from the door to the wizard's manor house.

[razorback]

Cal walks up to the door, feeling the charred wood. "Well, the wizard may be slinging some magic fire or these kobolds might be using torches or such." he says a bit more grimly. Taking out his morning star, he nods to Hodd. "Yes, caution is good but he maybe dying in there. Ready?"

[RolandDeschain]

An authoritative female voice rings out from slightly lower down the hill, "Hold there Hodd!"

The deputy taps Cal lightly on the shoulder and points down the hill. The small gathering of villagers turn and look at the woman walking up the hill. She's dressed in a charcoal colored dress, with a purple wrap around her throat adorned with a large silver pendant. Her white hair is neatly bobbed and styled, pinned back in a rather severe manner with a number of long silver hair pins. She appears to be in her mid to late fifties, and carries herself like someone greatly confident in her position. A well dressed man that looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties follows directly behind her.

She comes to a halt at the base of the stairs as those gathered clear a path and fall silent, "What goes on here?" she asks.

[razorback]

Cal watches as the crowd parts, realizing that this woman is someone of importance.
"Well, it would seem as though everyone else here knows who you are but, being new , my friends and I haven't had a chance to meet you. I'm Cal..." he says as he lets the last bit hang out there.

[RolandDeschain]

Spoiler: OC

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I'm going to be a bit presumptuous here, and move forward as if Jheren and Aerlya move next to Cal and introduce themselves AND that at least one of the PC has mentioned coming to Pelhaime in search of employment. This may or may not be consistent with what your characters would do, but it will move us along so we don't get 'stuck'.

"I am Lady Origena Devy, Baroness of Pelhaime, and this is my son Arnholde." Motioning to the deputy, "Come down from there Hodd, and tell me what's going on."

The deputy moves down the stairs and speaks to the Baroness, filling her in on what little they've discovered so far. The small crowd murmurs about "kobolds in the Witch's Tower", and " where is the eccentric wizard".

After listening to reports from those gathered at the site, she looks briefly at the obviously overmatched deputies and then scans the crowd, desperate for someone with sense to assist her. With growing concern, her eyes come to rest on the three newcomers to Pelhaime, “Today’s your lucky day. Myrl and Hodd here can’t handle this without the Sheriff to hold their hands, and I want to know what happened here. You seem to be a capable bunch. If you go in there and look through the rubble—find out what happened and why there are kobolds in my town—I’ll pay the lot of you 500 gold pieces. While you’re looking around in the ruins, keep an eye out for any signs of our local eccentric, Hunclay. It seems somewhat suspicious to me that he’s not answering his door. Let me know what you find.”

Spoiler: Sense Motive DC 15

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A successful DC 15 Sense Motive check reveals a distinct strain in the baroness’s tone.

[CWater]

"Well that sounds...", Jheren is rendered speechless by the promise of such a generous payment, "I suppose... yes, that does sound... reasonable", he stammers and looks to Aerlya and Cal for confirmation.

A question coming to his min, he asks, "Where is the Sheriff then? Is he not coming here?"