The guard's expression grew even more confused as he took in the new arrivals, but he seemed to relax a little at the sight of what appeared to be members of the Church. He touched his brow respectfully. "Welcome mother. His lordship assigned us to check into all strangers arriving to town. With most of the soldiery all sent west-" He was interrupted by his fellow guard nudging him in the side and whispering "You're not s'posed to tell 'em that!"

"Oh er, yes, that is, you can't be too careful, these days" he finished rather lamely. After a moment's pause, still clearly not sure how to proceed, he stepped to one side of the path. "Welcome to Oterhal?"

In reply to The Voice of Fate (msg # 1):

Harbek was not as convinced as Mistress Raven that Mari of the Taysley family meant to see her burn, but as Raven had previously observed, it was possible that this superior whom Mari was coming to Oterhal to speak with would stoke the fires of religious fanaticism.

And now, as luck would have it, being challenged at the city gate had slowed Harbek and Raven sufficiently for Karadin, Mari, and Daniel to have drawn near to the twosome, as evidenced by Mari's voice sounding close behind them. The Dwar imagined that he could feel his traveling companion tense up as she stood near to him as the guard greeted the priestess with respect, and even a touch of deference.

So it was that Harbek seized upon the talkative guard's speaking the word of welcome to mean that they were free to pass through the gate. "Thank you," he said with a nod to the two guardsmen, "we shall do our best not to cause you any trouble whilst visiting your town."

With that, the Dwar pushed past the guards, not caring to waste any more words and slow their progress even further, trusting to Mistress Raven to follow his lead.

Raven did indeed tense up at the sound of Mari's voice behind them. It took a supreme effort of the pale woman's will not to turn and confront the one she was convinced meant to see her dead, and would hound her until the deed was done. Guided by Harbek's lead though, she smiled sweetly at the guards, offered her own "Thank ye kindly" to them and followed the dwarf into the town...
This message was last edited by the player at 15:02, Mon 20 Jan 2020.

"You said that Lord Phelmus is present?" Mari directed her question to the guard that had pointed towards the manor. Mari didn't really need an answer to her question, visiting the manor would answer it well enough.

"Your diligence does you credit. Lady's light shine on you." She nodded to the guards and walked into Oterhal after Harbek and Raven, but making sure she was not too close.

When inside, she didn't hurry towards the church or manor, instead looking around and observing the others.

"Yes mother," he nodded. "Best as I know he'll be up at the manor still, planning for the festival with Master Emilon."

The group of new arrivals attracted quite a few wary eyes as they entered the town. The place was several times the size of Criplot, with dozens of buildings visible, most scattered along the side of the path the party were taking, and another adjacent to it. Farms were spread out around, but the half-finished defensive wall being built seemed to cut through the middle of these.

Two buildings stood out clear above the rest at the north end of the town. One had the fluted spires typically of an Ellanthan temple, the other a more blockish, functional construction, but still clearly well decorated.

In contrast to Criplot, there were quite a few people about in the day time, men and women, and several of the buildings at the roadside seemed to be places of business. The largest of which had a sign hanging out front depicting a crudely drawn image of a fox chasing a rather startled looking hen. It had the distinctive look of a tavern.

OOC: Let me know your plans now you're here, folks.

In reply to The Voice of Fate (msg # 5):

Harbek glanced behind him to confirm that he and Mistress Raven were out of earshot of both the guards posted at the town gate and the threesome that included Mari before replying to his traveling companion. "A map you say?" keeping his voice low out of caution.

"Actually, that is a good idea, since neither one of us knows anything about the area. I'm not certain how much of a market there is for such things, however. Accordingly, they may be hard to come by -- you know, supply and demand, and all that."

As they moved further away from the gate, the Dwar's eyes were drawn to the sign bearing the likeness of a fox chasing a chicken. "That is a tavern, I'll wager," he said, nodding at the building with his chin.

"But 'The Fox and Hen'? 'Tis an odd name, to be sure. Mayhap it refers to the husband and wife owners? I'd like to hear the tale behind the name, in any event."

"My guess is that if we go in there, we might get directions to the shop or stall of a merchant who might have a map, if indeed there are any to be had in this town. But the risk is that  Karadin will be drawn to their ale, and will pull Mari and Daniel in with him."

"Although I suppose," he added with a shrug of his shoulders, "that Mari of the Taysley family may feel duty-bound to seek out Lord Felmus or her superior at the temple -- 'Business before pleasure' is the saying, I believe."

"If I were placing a wager, I would say that 'tis even money whether Karadin hauls the other two into the tavern, or Mari requires that they go to the temple or to seek an audience with the noble first. Or, I suppose that they could split up, now that we are inside the town's walls."

Halting and turning to face Raven, Harbek said "What are your instincts telling you? Since you are the one who is most at risk, I think that this should be your decision."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:13, Tue 21 Jan 2020.

Pitching her voice low enough that only Harbek could readily hear her, Raven replied. "If 'tis even money, then might as well take a chance and roll the dice. The tavern would likely provide the best place to garner the information we seek, and local lips there might be loosened by some coin more easily than at some other place," she added, indicating that they should try the tavern. "Plus," she continued with a small smile. "It has the added benefit of being out of the sun."

OOC: Assuming Harbek agrees, Raven will accompany him into the tavern...

In reply to Raven (msg # 7):

"There is that," Harbek replied with a chuckle as Mistress Raven made her quip about getting out of the sun, lowering his voice to match hers.

"Plus, there is the added benefit of ale. And since that little wide spot in the road that is Criplot had some of my people's ale available, I have high hopes about being able to find it here in Oterhal."

"I have no doubt," he said with a straight face, "that you well remember how much you enjoyed your first taste of it last eve, and that today you shall wish to match me, mug for mug."


He hoped to put a smile on Mistress Raven's face with his little jest. To his way of thinking, it had been a trying day for her, full of worry and fretfulness, and he hoped to brighten her mood somewhat.

When Mari saw Harbek and Raven head towards the tavern, she relaxed somewhat and started closing in on the temple. She didn't hurry and gave anyone wanting to approach her plenty of time to do so if they wished. It also made sure that she could see Harbek and Raven enter the tavern, before she reached her destination. She glanced around to see if Karadin or Daniel were following her or if they had chosen some other path or plan.

It was difficult for Karadin to understand what would cause animosity between people that just yesterday banded together to fight a common enemy. Even the two he traveled with today didn't seem to share any sense of unity with one another. He remained quiet for the remainder of the trip contemplating the complexities of human behavior. In dwarven culture, they were all brothers and would put their lives on the line for one another without thought, even if they had never met before.

As the trio approached the city gates, the dwar once again was thankful and somewhat excited to see that they might yet reunite with Harbek. But the dwar and his mysterious travelling companion pointedly hurried forward not showing any signs of wanting the trio to catch up. Karadin grumbled behind his beard and followed Mother Mari through the gates. He watched Harbek and Raven enter the tavern, and noticed Mari was naturally heading toward the temple. He gently grasped Mari's wrist, so he could speak with her.

"The festival is a week out, are we planning on staying here until then? I see the wary looks from the guards and townsfolk, and am curious if your temple will provide shelter or if we should seek out a room for the week." The dwar glanced toward the tavern, "A meal and drink would be good soon too. But, as promised, I will follow your lead if you have more pressing business to attend to first."

In reply to Harbek Hardstone (msg # 8):

Raven laughed at her dwarf companion's words. It was a light and lovely sound that complimented her beautiful features quite well. "Were you human, I couldn't help but think you were a lush consumed by the thought of where to get his next drink," she said, returning Harbek's playful banter. "But somehow I think you Dwar drink ale and spirits like the rest of us drink water. No, my friend, I would be a fool if I thought I could match you cup for cup; but I'll agree to one and see where that takes me."

And with that said, she entered the tavern and paused briefly to look around...

OOC: Pause and wait for the DM to set the scene?

Daniel heads for the Inn/Tavern.

"I know you take your vow seriously, master Karadin, but I will be quite safe in the temple." Mari said with a smile, although she freed her wrist from his grasp with twist of her arm. "If you wish to go and have a drink or eat something, this would be good time to do it. I don't know how long my discussion with Mother Amelin will be and it might prove boring to you." Probably it was about the rising goblin threat, but maybe it was about delicate church business.

"I'm not sure where to spend the week, if possible I would like to go back to Criplot to spend time with my family, but duty might put me somewhere else. I'll be provided shelter at the temple if needed, but usually it is only reserved for clergy and members of the various holy orders and those of the people that are in dire need. I will ask."

Mari reached her hand in the pouch at her side, "It appears woodsman Daniel thinks that I have deprived you of a meal of fresh meat, so please take this and have a meal and drink, offer him some if you wish." Coin glinted gold on her open palm.

Karadin handed the coin back to Mari. "Keep your coin, child. Daniel just seems to be another human focused on all the bad. Seems to be the way of all mankind," the dwar muttered.

"Tend to your duties with your church. I am not sure how long your business will take, but it is nearly mid day. It would probably be wise to at least spend the night so you do not need to travel in the dark. I will go have a drink and see if I can find some lodging. If you are not back here by the time the sun starts to set, I will head to your temple to find you."

Karadin started toward the tavern, then turned back and called after the young priestess. "And stay out of trouble. If something happens to you while I ain't there..." he shook his head and turned away at a loss for words.

Mari took the coin back without protest. Newly ordained priests got a small one time allowance, but it would have to last until she got an official post somewhere. A whole gold coin was a significant portion of her stash.

"I doubt meeting Mother Amelin will take until evening, but I wish to speak to Lord Phelmus also." There was a slight reluctance, when she said, "I'll come to see you in the tavern when I leave the temple." With luck Raven would have moved on before that.

A surprised guffaw escaped Mari's lips when Karadin called out his warning, then shouted after him. "I promise you that if I find danger, I'll come seeking you immediately." With a smile on her lips, she walked towards the temple. The dwar were so different and yet so easy to like, shame that most other foreigners were arrogant. Well, not all... A blush rose to her cheeks when she thought about her favorite foreigner.