The odd wizard luxuriated in the hot water until his nearly translucent skin began to pucker and wrinkle. Eventually he motioned the man carrying bucket after bucket that he'd finally finished. He indicated that private dining would be appreciated at Lanliss's suggestion. Finally, with reluctance, he exited the bath and wrapped himself in a wonderfully soft robe. He felt the fabric as if he'd never seen anything like it. This was a city full of such experiences for Hamburg.

Propped on the bench, not far away, the stuffed raven awaited the wizard's return. Its ruby eyes glowed softly...

He went with the tailor then to a side room and began to describe what it was he would like made. The details were concise and intricate. He insisted on quality of materials and craftsmanship. He even went so far as to request a new mask be made in similar fashion to the one he was still wearing. When he protested at removing it, the tailor made the suggestion of using one of the linen shirts as a temporary mask. Hamburg relented and when the tailor had cleverly made the necessary adjustments to the shirt, Hamburg turned away and swapped masks. The narrow slits made for his eyes seemed to make it nearly impossible to see through, but even so, he held a hand up almost continually to shade his eyes.

The tailor was instructed to begin immediately. In the meantime, Hamburg dressed in the clothing that was brought for him. The raiment hung loosely from his nearly emaciated form, but felt comfortable. He joined the others for dinner, his appearance now looking more of a dark assassin than a terrible necromancer.

"Well friends," he said, tasting the word behind the cloth he wore over his face, "that was perhaps the highlight of luxury. There are hotsprings in Cynidecea of course, but they often smell of sulfur and are harmful to the skin. I can't imagine that we'll top that!"

Roak stays in the tub a long, long time, finally drying and dressing quickly. He then starts giving instructions about dinner, as, being a halfling, he has a number of notions about how that should be done properly.

Upon hearing of Roak's instructions regarding the upcoming meal, servants scramble to accommodate, altering both the composition and quantity of food, sending runners to inform the kitchen staff of the alterations.

The last of the servants is withdrawing from the private dining room just as the party enters.  It seems that there is more food on the table than four people could easily eat, and serving vessels filled with various drinks stand on sideboards, their sides glistening with condensation due to their chilled contents.

This is no light repast.  There are various fresh fruits and cheeses, to be sure, along with slivered meats, both freshly cooked, and otherwise dried or preserved.  In addition, there are at least two wholly different types of salads, three sorts of hot fresh bread, one cold flatbread, several whole roasted gamebirds, some sort of roasted red meat, steaming root vegetables and tubers, and three different desserts.

New servants in finer clothing usher the party into the room, hold chairs out for them, and work to see them seated at the table, then inquire regarding their preferences for beverages.

Roak orders ale and dives quickly into the food, eating his full, especially of the richer items like the meats.

Voran chooses the mead and eats less than Roak, but well.

He pulls a servant aside. "When we are done, I wish for you to distribute this to other guests who do not have as fine a repast, at no cost to them, please."

The servant nods in acknowledgement of Elder Voran's instructions, saying, "It shall be as you say, Your Grace."  It is unclear whether the man is attempting to flatter the cleric, or if he just isn't aware of the Church hierarchy, but he seems to be quite ready to follow the instructions given.

The remainder of the evening is quite pleasant, and the rooms are clean and tidy, with furnishings the like of which most of the group have not seen in some time, and which one of them might never have seen.

OOC:
How long do you guys see yourselves staying here?  I lay out a town adventure, you can go shopping, or I can drop some leads for nearby investigations.  Do you plan to make this city a base of operations, stay for a while before continuing your journey, or resupply and head out fairly soon?

Voran's recommendation is that the party use this town as a base of operations and that they look for dungeons to investigate in the environs.

Lanliss eats well although to a degree that some might consider light, though perhaps not for an elf. He is in full accord with Voran's thoughts on the excess food and on the town as a base for future operations.

"If we can eat this well and live in such fine style, I see no need to lower our expectations elsewhere."

Hamburg attacked the food provided them with a methodical and thorough vengeance. He especially seemed to relish the mushroom sauce on one of the meat platters. He deliberately picked the mushrooms out of the salads and filled his plate with them. It might have seemed strange to his companions that one so frail and slight could put away such an amount of food, but he kept pace and plate after plate was consumed.

"There seem to be plenty of opportunities in a place like this! I truly don't know where to start!"

He grew oddly quiet for a moment.

And then he began to laugh deeply, disturbingly, from beneath his mask.

"Such knowledge to be unearthed... wouldn't you agree Creeth?"

The stuffed raven said nothing, but its ruby eyes seemed to glow softly.

The remainder of the evening passes pleasantly enough, and the party rest easily in their beds, feeling the comfort of matress and blanket, uninterrupted by nighttime scavengers.

The following day yields news of several sites in the area which the locals avoid, either due to haunting or occupation by monsters and/or bandits.  There are also rumors of lost treasures in the area, but some seem more likely to be legend with no fact behind them.

Others, though...

A leisurely stroll, in clean and repaired (or entirely replaced) clothing, through the nicer parts of the city soon has the group looking at "WANTED" posters, listing no small number of local miscreants and low-lifes, plus at least three obviously notorious wild animals, with rewards running from a small number of silver pieces for sheep-nabbers, to hundreds of pieces of gold for a bugbear with a taste for humanoid flesh.

"Well, given the lifestyle we have recently become accustomed to, I'd say we're looking more for rewards for bugbears than sheep-nabbers. The local constabulary can handle the latter. What does everyone think?"

Voran nods. "Investigations of such would seem to be in line with our skills and desired rewards, yes."

Roak holds up his hand. "Hold on, hold on. Who among us thinks that we're a bunch of investigators? I mean, what do we know about tracking anyone down?

"I vote for investigating the sites. We're dungeon crawlers, we are."

After looking over the offerings again, our party of adventurers come up with several distinct possibilities:

• A small local farmcroft next to an abandoned mine.  The residents left it after "ghosts" started coming up from the mouth of the mine, several months ago.
• A ruined fortress, about a day-and-a-half away.  It's been seen at a distance, and investigated during daylight hours, but no one who has been inside of it after sunset has been heard from again, and no remains have been found.
• The bugbear has a reward of 800 pieces of gold on its head for proof of death.
• Travelers have been harried and robbed on the smaller of the two north roads, and the bandits have always disappeared into the hills before the local militia could get to them.  1200 pieces of gold are offered, including salvage rights, upon proof of death.  Salvage is available immediately, but the 1200 pieces of gold are to be paid in 200 gp monthly installments, which will only be payable if no further robberies occur before the payout is complete.
• A system of caves seems to be the source of monstrous attacks on some crofters in the west.  No reward is listed.

Roak squints at the options and says, "I say we go to the caves. What do you all think?"

Lanliss thinks carefully for a moment or two, but nods in agreement.

"The caves are as good an option as any."

Voran sighs. "Very well. Should we purchase some spelunking supplies before we head to caves, then?"

Hamburg had changed...

Not only his costume, for now he wore the fine black robes he'd commissioned tailored for him, as well as a new hat with a wide brim and a deep burgundy plume from an exotic bird, new thigh-high leather boots of soft and supple hide, even his lantern had been cleaned and polished to the point that its sickly greenish glow was slightly warmer and stronger for not having to shine through a layer of filth. Hamburg's odd mask had been duplicated by a master leatherworker and was even more sinister than the previous one which had been quite crude in comparison. Odd symbols and fetishes dangled here and there from the burgundy sash at Hamburg's waist. The only part of the odd wizard's trappings which had not been replaced or made over was the stuffed raven which had taken its customary place upon his shoulder.

It's ruby eyes seemed to glow stronger than they had since leaving the desert...

What had changed more than the outwardly visible, was the posture and poise of the strange arcanist. He appeared almost predatory, gone was the wonder at the big city, rather lost was the awe, present was a sense of expectation. He had calmed in some ways, though seemed acutely aware in others.

His pouches and pockets bulged with... something... he would fish out from time to time and pop into his mouth beneath his mask.

"I should consider discovery of lost lore and the reclamation of forgotten artifacts to be of highest import!" he said to his gathered companions. "If these caverns purport to harbor such, then I am certainly at home in such places. My instincts tell me that what we seek should most likely be found in the abandoned fortress! Needless to say, reports of ghosts do not cause me even the slightest concern... What have you to say Creeth?"

The stuffed raven said nothing, of course, but Hamburg nodded as if in response.

Beneath the pristine, midnight hem of Hamburg's robes, the disembodied skeletal hand skittered playfully, peeking a digit or two into the light like a macabre game of peek-a-boo.

Consultation with the locals produces names and locations of sellers of rope and other climbing gear.  The rope available is almost exclusively of the hempen variety, but one of the vendors does have a long coil of rope made of silk.  If questioned, he explains that it had been a special order from a minor noble some years ago, and that the man never came to pick it up.  He has 200 feet of it in a single length, and it weighs a mere two pounds.  He's willing to part with it for 50 pieces of gold.

Grapnels are available for 25 pieces of gold, hammers for two, and a dozen iron spikes for one.

Roak makes sure that each member of the party has rope and a grapnel. He takes ten iron spikes, being strong enough to carry them; he makes sure Hamburg gets the silk rope.

They also inquire about any kind of lighting besides torches.

Candles, open oil lamps, and no small number of enclosed lanterns are readily available, along with oil for those light sources which require it.  Torches are available in abundance.

Roak buys a covered lantern and about 10 vials of oil.

OOC:
Does anyone else want to buy any gear before you set out?

OOC: Lanliss already has rope and a grappling hook, so I'm good.

After spending some days in town assembling wagons, drivers, some guards, and a quartermaster/cook, the party meets in the square outside of the Peacock's Rest, having settled their bill there to the tune of an additional 50 pieces of gold.  The proprietress, Cybele, sees you all off, thanking you for your patronage, and giving well wishes for your safe journey and swift return.

Both well-laden wagons, both drivers, all three armed and armored guards, and the quartermaster Esmerelda are ready for the trip to the west, to inspect the caves near the site of the recent depredations on the holdings of the crofters there.