Your party is now approaching the Village of Hommlet, having ridden up from lands of the Wild Coast. You are poorly mounted, badly equipped, and have no large sums of cash. In fact, all you have is what you wear and what you ride, plus the few coins that are hidden in purses and pockets. What you do possess in quantity, though, is daring and desire to become wealthy and famous. Thus your group comes to Hommlet to learn. Is this indeed a place for adventurers to seek their fortunes? You all hope, of course, to gain riches and make names for yourselves. The outcome of this is uncertain, but your skill and daring, along with a good measure of luck, will be the main ingredients of what follows, be it for weal or woe.

     The small community at the crossroads is a completely unknown quantity. What is there? Who will be encountered? Where should you go? These are your first explorations and encounters, so chance may dictate as much as intelligence. Will outsiders be shunned? Are the reports true — is the whole community engaged in evil practices? Are the folk here bumpkins, easily duped? Does a curse lay upon those who dare to venture into the lands which were once the Temple's? All of these questions will soon be answered.

     The dusty, rutted road is lined with closely-grown hedges of brambles and shrubs. Here and there it cuts through a copse or crosses a rivulet. To either hand, forest and meadow have given way to field and orchard. A small herd of kine graze nearby, and a distant hill is dotted with the wand stone chimneys with thin plumes of blue smoke rising from them. A road angles west into the hill country, and to either side of the road ahead are barns and buildings — Hommlet at last!

     The adventure begins...

(OOC: If you look at the main map you are in the upper left corner coming down the road towards the small hamlet)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:35, Sun 30 July 2017.

As you come down the road the first building on the left is a medium sized structure made of stone. The stone does not yet have sufficient weathering for it to have been here long, no more than two to three years.

As you round the corner and can see it's entrance it is apparent that this is a chapel dedicated to St. Cuthbert as his holy symbol is clearly above the entrance, engraved into the stone face of the building.

The door seems open to the temple. You do not see much activity though but as today is not Godsday that is not atypical for a chapel.

The date is 8th of Readying 579 CY. (The next Godsday is the 11th).

Albrecht was one of the first into the town, his hand sitting on the haft of his axe the whole time they had journeyed, now being no different. He looked to the others to see what they wanted to do. While Albrecht was a lawful man, he was not interested in temples, and could care less if they went in or not.

"He must be quite popular in these lands."

Himo notes the symbol of St. Cuthbert again.

"Lets find a stable or trouph for the horses, we didn't ride hard but they did cary us a ways."

"Really? With all those bandits around? Let's talk with whoever is here first."
Seralessa enters inside the chapel, interested in what she can find there.

The ride to Hommlet was pretty peaceful and it gave Faerrash plenty of time to sing of past times and ballads he had heard about traveling.  If anything his baritone voice brought a lighthearted melody to their ride.

Seeing the symbol to Cuthbert didn't mean much to him as he saw the different reactions to the building from the others he took note.  We should definitely find someone to speak with.

Upon Entering Seralessa, followed by the others, beholds the following:

This is where the faithful come to hear the sermon given on Godsday eve. The place is floored in well-polished wood, with wooden ceiling and pillars extending all the way to the roof high overhead. The walls are painted in pastoral scenes, and tinted glass mosaic windows of many shades of color allow light into the hall. There are no benches, pews or stools.

There are 12 pillars in all. The hall is 20' wide and 60' long. On the left side you can tell that it is open 20' from the entrance for 40' and then there is a wall. The Pillars have been carved to resemble angels each holding a cudgel. The pillars start at 10' from the door and are 5' from the right and left walls in pairs, and repeat every 10' down the hall. There is a balcony that hangs over the hall about fifteen feet above. It hangs just above the open area you noticed before just five feet over into this area. There is a railing around it and a podium in the center. It is most likely where the local priest deliver sermons.

Emerging from the hallway to the left is a human male dressed in brown robes. The cowl is down and he appears average looking. "Come in!, Come in!" he exclaims "It is always good to meet new people. I don't believe I've seen you here before. My name is Calmer, Priest of Hommlet. If you are interested in St. Cuthbert we have some literature available in the study where we also have a poor box for those wishing to donate to the poor." he says.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:49, Mon 31 July 2017.

"Good!" Ailishi moves to the poor box and checks if there is something inside of it. Money and how much. "So... they say that there are quite a few bandits around, Calmer, Priest of Hommlet. I am sure that a follower of St Cuthbert know a thing or two about those rumours?"

Ailishi moves over to the poor box and finds that it is padlocked. There is a slot on top to make donations. With the faint light coming through the windows it does not appear there is any money in the poor box at this time, though you can't be 100% sure since the slot is only about an inch by three inches and the box is eight inches by twelves inches.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:12, Mon 31 July 2017.

Calmer nods somewhat sadly.

"Yes most unfortunate." he says "I have heard tales of some victims at the Welcome Wench of banditry. Particularly to the north and east. I believe they've hit several caravans. Burne's Badgers keep town safe enough though, the bandits wouldn't dare strike here with them guarding town and the castle under construction."

"The past is what led the Archclericy of Veluna to fund the construction of this Chapel. So that there was something here to show the townspeople they were not forgotten." he continues. "Donations allow us to help those affected by the banditry."

Velox had followed the others into the temple and hearing Calmer's words, spoke himself saying, "Indeed, it is our hope to bring these bandits to justice so that your collection box can be put to better use than restoring that which was stolen."

"You mentioned the Welcome Wench, that is a tavern, I presume? And Burne's Badgers would be a local militia of some sort?" He asks inquisitively.

Albrecht followed the others into the church, looking around as they spoke with the priest. "We cannot offer much in the way of monetary donations, but we come to help clear out the bandit menace, so that should help as much as any gold pieces we give," the young man informed Calmer.

"Priest of Hommlet..." Larmiun whispers, hearing the holy man. He takes the poor box and shakes it slightly to check how much is there.

Something doesn't feel right.

OOC:
14:53, Today: Larmiun Dol'Uten rolled 25 using 1d20+8.  Sense Motive.
 

In reply to Ailishi Urcmon (msg # 8):

"Excuse me, are you trying to count the money in the donation box? I don't even follow St. Cuthburt and that seems odd to me..."

"yes whatever you can tell us about the bandits would be of great use"

"It is strange... we have arrived here and we haven't seen any "Burne's Badger" to check if we are bandits or not." Seralessa looks around the temple, speaking to but hardly looking at the priest. "In fact, this temple is the first thing we see when we arrive to the town. Almost as if it is this temple's duty to serve as defense of the town."

While not sharing the same suspicions as his comrades, Albrecht watches with a curious eye to see what comes of these accusations, if anything. His hand hovering over his axe hilt, he waits for the priest's response.

Larmiun Dol'Uten shaking the poor box he determines that the poor box is surely empty at this time.

Calmer's eyes open at seeing the man shake the poor box. "Aren't thou mad to tempt the gods in their donations?!" he exclaims.

He seems to calm a bit at Himo's words. "Burne's Badgers are a defense force in the service of Burne, His Most Worshipful Mage of Hommlet. Burne is a faithful follower of St. Cuthbert and it is he that has commissioned the castle that is under construction in the southeastern portion of Hommlet. Burne's Badgers are his defense force, they patrol town and guard at the guard tower that's been completed of the castle." responding to Velox and Saralessa.

He pauses a moment "There is also a town militia. Though they aren't called up much these days. An elderly farmer heads them up, I hear his son Otis went off adventuring which has brought sadness to that family."

He pauses again and adds "The Welcome Wench is the local Inn and Tavern. If you keep going south along the road you'll cross a bridge. Then you'll see a Tailor's shop on the right, then the town hall and then the Welcome Wench. It's the largest structure in town you can't miss it."

"I might have some work available if you are looking to make a bit of coin." he adds.

[Private to Larmiun Dol'Uten: You sense that he does believe the donations will go to help against the bandits, though that might not necessarily be direct donations to the poor.]
This message was last edited by the player at 07:53, Tue 01 Aug 2017.

Ailishi laughs trying to defuse the situation. "Calm down, good Calmer. My friend here is Larmiun. I am sure he just wanted to know how much we have to tithe to the church if we are successful with our task. You see, we already have one. Perhaps you can help us with it.

What do you know about those bandits? My friend Seralessa has a point. Noone controlled us. And we are a large group, as you can see."

In reply to Ailishi Urcmon (msg # 19):

"I'm not sure where they might hide. I mostly stick to the town myself. You might ask the hunters and woodsmen in town. They might have an idea where the bandits are or might have seen something." Calmer responds "Some of the older townsfolks might know of forgotten ruins they might be at as well you might ask them."

Oren snorts in disgust at some of the others attempts in 'investigating' the priest known as Calmer.  "Lads, ye be forgetting manners, especially in a place of worship.  We be adventurer's, answering the call for help against the bandits.  The Lord Mayor Tymak suggested that perhaps the farmers and others who have suffered from these bandits might know something to aid us.  My apologies about the lads, I fear that their zeal for justice replaced their manners.  Ye mentioned something about earning some coin, I am sure we could hear ye out, if it don't interfere with our bandit hunt."  The dwarf spoke respectfully.

Velox smiled at Oren's words and he echoed the dwarf's words, "Indeed, how might we aid the parishoners of St. Cuthbert here in Hommlet."

In reply to Velox (msg # 22):

"Well it is the season of Anemone." Calmer responds to Oren and Velox seemingly put at ease by the two. "Also called windflower. It is used in making healing potions. They appear most often in the woodlands around here. I could offer five gold pieces per pound harvested and brought to me."

Velox smiled at the innocent request and said, "That seems like a fair offer indeed. You wouldn't happen to have any of this windflower that we could see so we know what it is when we see it next, would you? I'd be happy to keep an eye out for any of it while we are seeking out these bandits. Is there anything else I should know about it? Any special care needed in transporting it?"

In reply to Velox (msg # 24):

"Sadly I do not have any remaining in its natural state." Calmer says. "I do have a painting with it on in the study, just a moment and I'll retrieve it."

He exits back the way he came and returns with a painting which he shows you.



"This is what I'm looking to obtain for healing potions. I must receive them before they dry out in order to be able to use them and thus pay for them. Other than that they can be carried in a sack or pouch." Calmer explains.

"I think between our group and the Badgers if we can track the Bandits to wherever they hide, we should be able to crush them."

Himo scratches the back of his neck as he considers his options.

Larmiun bows his head. "I am really sorry to have offended you, Priest of Hommlet. Be sure that if we are successful in our mission I will put some coins here. You have gave us some clues where to start our investigation."

He goes to his friends. "I think that we should go to speak to the people of the town and the badgers."

Seralessa thinks for a moment about the options. "Why don't you go and try to find more information about the bandits? I think I will search some of these flowers for some quick coins till we kill those bandits."

Oren looks over the flower's depiction, nodding his head.  "If we see some, we shall try to bring them back as fresh as we can.  Perhaps one of the lads is good with maps, and as we search for bandits, we can mark the map and work our way back with the fresh flowers."  The dwarf spoke, looking for a compromise for the others.

Ailishi agrees with Seralessa. "Good thinking. All right then. We shall go to meet some of the townspeople." He puts his hand on Larmiun's shoulder, telling him to go with him. "Does anyone else want to join? Naturally we appreciate your advice, Calmer. We will show our appreciation a little more when we have gained some money."

The old man walked into the church with rest, a scowl on his hawkish face. He listened and watched, making note of the flowers but otherwise saying little, simply nodding in agreement at Alisha's question and moving to follow.

[Private to GM: I think you got my modifier wrong. Should be a 7 and yes, I would be curious about the flowers. At the moment I'm just gathering facts. He'll simply let everyone else ask questions and pay attention to the surroundings, listening and watching for anything contradictory or that simply doesn't fit.]

Velox feels torn, he too wouldn't mind some time looking for the flowers now, but he'd seen that more as a task to be done while they were hunting bandits as well. "I'll join you Aillshi, though a romp through the forest does sound like an interesting way to spend the afternoon, it's probably more important that we gather what information we are able to here before moving on."

Turning back to the priest, Velox speaks his farewell, "Calmer, it truly was a pleasure to meet you. I hope that my allies and I can return with loads of flowers and word that the bandits have been captured and reformed."

Albrecht listens to the others, making a mental note of the healing herbs that the priest requested. "I think the bandits should come first; if we deal with them, then the need for healing medicines will be lessened, and we can rid the townsfolk of a plague that has been long overdue for cleansing," he weighed in.

"Should we not stay together? We can't be sure how many badits there are in total."

Nodding in agreement with the axe-wielder
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Wed 02 Aug 2017.

Velox smiled and said, "I think the suggestion was to have some portion of us go see what we could learn from the Badgers, while a few others explored just outside of town for any of the flowers. I don't think it will take everyone to go speak with the Badgers, but we can all stick together if that will make everyone feel safer."

Larmiun nods towards Ailishi "I agree. Lead the way. Shall we speak first to the soldiers or to the town people?"

Seralessa prepares for the task. "So, at most a couple of hours before they become dry. Are there special spots where they grow? Clears? They seek the protection of a tree?"

In reply to Seralessa Vadmal (msg # 37):

Calmer addresses Larmiun "Thank you for your apology. I accept it."

He then hearing Seralessa's question responds "Deklo Grove is just north of town, a couple hours walk at most. The flowers grow there regularly. It may have once been part of the Gnarley Forest but is now separated from it. You can keep the flowers most by sprinkling a little water from your waterskin on them. You could that way probably keep them fresh enough so long as you deliver them on the day picked."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:47, Thu 03 Aug 2017.

Ailishi nods to Verlox. "That is right. So we can get divide the group. One group can meet with the local while other speaks to the Badgers. I will talk to the people of the town."

"Good. I will go with you then."

Larmiun follows Ailishi.

"So now we are going to split into 3 different groups?"

Himo sees the numbers dwindling.

"Better to cover all possibilities as soon as possible." Seralessa concludes. "You only need two or three people to talk with either the townfolks or the army. Those who are better at finding things can try find some flower with me."

"I will go with whatever group is most likely to be in danger, even if that means flower picking duty," Albrecht stated, looking around to see which people were going to which task.

In reply to Albrecht Delmorn (msg # 43):

Calmer overhearing the conversations adds "I've heard there are monstrous spiders in the Deklo Grove. So there might be some danger there, but not significant danger."

"Spiders? Hmph! Lolth's brood, I'll go just in case."

Seralessa nods to the two who are going with her and speaks to Ailishi and Larmiun. "I will go with the boys to pick up flowers, then. Wish me luck."

Shaking his head, the old man says, "Fine. I'll go to protect the flower pickers, but only because those giant spiders would have likely have some gold of their own."

Oren nods to the others, and follows the group to talk to the townspeople about the bandits.

In reply to Oren Stonebreaker (msg # 48):

Calmer waves as you depart the Chapel "Good Luck my friends, may St. Cuthbert be with you."