A few more customers file in to the tavern, including a pair of Denagothian lancers. The adventurers are gratified to note that they do not seem to attract much attention from the other patrons.

”We’ve a few cabins we rent to travelers, but they’re all occupied,” the barkeeper tells Jarder, ”We’ve a bunkhouse though. No one’s in it. Room enough for each of you. Has its own hearth. Plenty warm. Ten silvers a bunk.”

Neuken asks how much time with the bunk ten silvers would purchase.  A day?  A week?

”Three nights,” the barkeeper tells the wizard.

"We'll buy all the beds, we'd like to have the entire bunkhouse to ourselves... right boss?" Patch volunteered on behalf of the party.

"By the way," he asked the barkeep, "what's the surprise?"

"Sounds like a plan then.  Bunkhouse it is."  Leaning in to the others; "It looks like we have drawn the attention of a few thieves.  I'm going to go chat with them and see what the local guild has to offer.  Cheers my friends and i shall see you in the morning." he says finishing his drink.

Standing up stretching he orders another beer and disappears into the shadows of the inn.

Neuken almost answers when Patch says ‘boss,’ but catches himself.  Sometimes it’s hard to remember that the entire world hasn’t figured out yet he’s its master.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:30, Thu 23 Jan 2020.

"A good night's rest sounds like a plan to me," Orin said, pushing away the empty plate and draining the last of his ale.  No matter their cover story he was glad they hadn't needed to provoke a fight in the bar.  Seemed like a good way to get hurt without much assurance of benefit, at least to him.  He much preferred the plan to seek out their contact tomorrow and work up a strategy after that.

Greyband nods. "All right. I'll take middle watch with Orin. Who's got the other watches?"

"I'll take first, sitting by the hearth for a few hours might warm me up enough to be able to sleep thereafter. Why don't I let J.D. sleep on the doorstep? I'm sure that may make any eavesdroppers think twice if they suddenly have eight-hundred pounds of hungry boar sniffing them out!"

The bunkhouse is just as described: A sturdily built half timbered building with a slate roof. The interior is spacious, most of the floor taken up with a dozen hand crafted bunks, the upper beds of which are roughly ten feet from the house’s ceiling. A wide fireplace occupies the eastern wall, with fresh wood stacked neatly to one side of it. In front of the hearth sits a square table with several straight backed chairs and a pair of stools.

”Should you need anything,” the bartender says, ”just give a firm knock on the back door of the inn. My husband or I will see to you.”

With that, she leaves the adventurers to settle in.

Without asking, Neuken immediately lays claim to the top bunk which is farthest from the door.  He jumps on and tries to get comfortable.

"I'll take last watch. Not that my people sleep that much anyway."

Finally finding his way to the Bunkhouse, arriving later than most.  He finds one of the available bunks, quietly places his gear underneath the bed and closes his eyes.

In reply to Jayanti (msg # 34):

Killian volunteers for first watch.

Ooc: sorry phone post.

“Where I come from, anyone who falls asleep on watch has a poisonous black snake put inside him to help keep him awake.  So... don’t.”

"Inside him...?"

Neuken grins proudly as he folds his hands over his chest.  “That is correct.”

The night passes without incident. With the dawn, the village stirs slowly to life, most on the streets hurrying about their morning chores, the icy chill of the mountains having taken a firm grip on Geron.

The inn provides the adventurers with a hearty breakfast of oatmeal flavored with a variety of mountain berries. Emerging onto Geron’s main  street, the company makes itself  way north to the Sheriff’s Office. There, they spy a trio of Denagothian soldiers loitering near the entrance, along with a dark haired man, a sergeant apparently, who has removed his helmet as he speaks gruffly to a man dressed in the garb of a scout, a bow slung over one of his shoulders.

”...men need more furs, to keep them warm on long patrols,” the sergeant tells the trapper, ”There’s more need now than ever, especially for those moving down the passes to the south.”

The trapper smirks. ”If you’ve been in those passes, you know full well how hard they are to travel. How dangerous they can be. You’ll get more furs, but it’s going to take time. I can’t make the animals appear with a wave of the hand.”

The front door of the Sheriff’s Office swings open. A stout, bald human, wearing a blacksmith’s apron, exits the building muttering under his breath, a scowl on his face. He storms down the main road.

Killian eyed the scene unfolding and said in a low murmur "By the nature of our pass code I would suggest we speak to a tailor or perhaps that trapper.  Such a question would not be seen as out of place by someone in a trade like that." 


Edited for stupid spelling error
This message was last edited by the player at 03:47, Sat 01 Feb 2020.

OOC: Did I manage to make out any of what he was muttering?

Greyband nods in wordless assent to Killian's suggestion. "After we see the sheriff, right?"

DM, please see Neuken's question above.

Patch stood quietly, observing and taking note of who might be paying them any notice...

OOC: Neuken was only able to make out the word "unreasonable", coupled with an assortment of curses in Common and Dwarven.

Orin's gaze followed the angry human, listening to some Dwarven curses thrown into his private rant.  He was impressed, since some of those were not easy to pronounce for the human tongue, and weren't all that well known outside the halls of dwarven realms.  Perhaps the man had worked with dwarvenkind before.

Afterward he looked at the soldiers lounging about and their sergeant, trying to judge their disposition while he waited for their 'leader' to assert himself and request a chat with the captain.

“I suspect there is an employment opportunity to be had here, if we’re interested,” he says quietly.  “It might be off the beaten track, but it could also serve to normalize our presence here.  Besides, if we spend too much time loafing around, it may attract suspicion.  It’s hard to believe we chose this place for our group honeymoon.”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:42, Mon 03 Feb 2020.