They arrive in Veritas the afternoon on the second day of travel.

Fidelis is a city.  Veritas is a town.

It’s not walled, but there is a large citadel that could easily house the town’s population in an emergency.  You pass it as you enter the main town.  It doubles as the town’s well known prison.  It’s known as a place that has a good track record for reforming those sent here, rather than just holding them.  At least, Mae and Thaller say this is so.  Not that they’ve known anyone with more direct experience.  Given the nature of Fidelis, as you might expect, it doesn’t have many inmates.  A lot of them have to be imported- the Paladins and sometimes those of other orders will make a point of bringing captured foes here if they think there is any hope of redemption.

It’s got a lot less of everything than Fidelis does, and only four main streets:  Saint Kyrta Road, which you have been traveling, passes through the main gate and becomes the central avenue of the town.  Lake Road runs along the shore and features the Lakeside Lodge, where Thaller is looking forward to staying.  These two are parallel, and two large cross streets link them:  Reformation Street and Perseverance Street.

It might have about a thousand people, all told.  That means the specialty shops and services that exist in Fidelis aren’t here.  Pretty much just the basics, what people need for living, farming, ranching, etc, that they can’t wait for a trip to Fidelis to buy.

It has a “fur market”- a number of trappers are based here, and they set out traps in the forest outside the town, and sell the furs to buyers.  It’s an open hall where the trappers set their furs out on display.

Nothing that looks noisy or rowdy in any way- you pass an inn that looks like it could be selling tea and crumpets instead of ale.

Lakeside Lodge is, of course, on the lake, and is a large, cheery looking place made of white painted wood, with a large wrap around veranda.

There seem to be a large number of elderly people.  Most of them are relaxing on chairs looking out over the lake.  Thaller’s coach gets some attention as you arrive- the people of Veritas don’t often see great wealth.

Alison took it all in and asked the question obvious to her, "Is this a retirement community?"

"It's an inn, but a very nice one," Thaller says.  "And reasonably priced for what it is.  Something about Lake Veritas appeals to people looking for calm, and so people who are wealthy enough and not tied down with working spend a lot of time here.  But it's really an inn for everyone!"

Thaller pays for rooms, and for food- the party has nothing to worry about expense-wise today.

The common room room is large, airy, simple, and quiet.  It looks like if anyone chose "sit and listen in for good rumors" as a strategy here, they'd be very bored.

On the other hand, it's a small town, and that means more than likely any given person here knows all the other people of interest.  Or at least knows of them.

"Your assistance is most helpful, Thaller, thank you," Abadon offered appreciatively as the soaked in the room.  "The land here was incredibly... well, perfect for settling and farming.  This community - what a simply marvelous place for study.

"The serenity - so different from what I would expect outside our home complex."  The wizard-in-training happily opined as he looked about the area.

"The fur traders - if they are receiving furs from a multitude of trappers, then it would seem they are in significant position to discuss oddities observed out in the hills or around the lake, whether magical and mysterious, or related to strange travellers, healing properties, or goblin interests, do you not think?"

Alison put on her best smile and Went about questioning the people in the room.

09:54, Today: Alison rolled 22 using 1d20+5.  Persuasion.

Any suggestions on questions to ask?

Alison asks questions of the people hanging around the Lodge common room.  Successfully, but without a clear intent.

When there are senior citizens around, this can be a very dangerous thing to do.

Alison starts hearing stories, mostly about people she does not know, and what they were doing a long time ago.  Stories lead off on tangents, tangents lead off on further tangents.  Some of the old folks here are locals.  Others are from a range of places, a few being from Fidelis.  It's general custom that families look after elders, so there really isn't need for an old folks home.  They just come here because its comfortable and relaxing and there are people of their generation they can relate to.

Alison does pick up some general things, even without leading with any questions of her own.

Veritas is strongly "Good aligned".  People just don't seem to have the desire to be "bad" here.  They are less selfish, more willing to help.

Being a merchant here isn't very profitable!  There are some, but they don't get rich.  They seem okay with that.

One might think that with a pervasive sense of "good" this would be a great place to be a beggar and live off the generosity of others.  But when people take and do not reciprocate, feelings of guilt rise and grow until they can't stand it.

Despite the idyllic life here, Veritas does not seem to attract many people.  It has a boring reputation.  It also has a low birth rate, so Veritas has managed to stay a frontier despite being such a nice place to live.

Because of the "natural alignment" the town is popular with members of the Society of the Reformed.  This as an Order composed of people who have embraced the cause of Good while previously being far from it.  Here, the definition of "people" goes a little further- there are a few residents in town- not here at the moment- who were "monsters".  Calphi is a Lamia!  Now she has a perfectly "legitimate" life with a nearby house on the lake.  She fishes, collects reeds, and makes things out of reeds- brooms, for example.  Sometimes she will tell stories and entertain by making illusions of creatures she knows about.  She comes from a great distance, and it seems that being a Lamia means you get to learn a lot about strange monsters of the wild lands.  No one here knows the extent of her powers, but they all think she is reluctant to use anything more significant because that would tempt her back into evil ways.

Alison loved stories...loved them with a passion normally reserved for another person. She was in absolute bliss and could spend the rest of her life right here, listening.

In the common room of the Lodge, they tell stories.  Tea and scones arrive, and the stories continue.

Merti Mindwell is an elderly gentleman from Fidelis, and a member (retired, emeritus status) of the Order of the Lamp.  This is one of the less well known Orders, though now Alison (and the others, as apparently they have not left yet) will know all about them.  The mission of the Order of the Lamp is to be the recruiters, guides, and mentors for the other Orders.  This saves many of them a fair amount of time.

"Paladins, for example, rely on people with a very specific calling.  In the whole of the Southlands they are probably no more than a few hundred, including some who aren't formally members of the Order.  Many of the young folk with the right calling to be a Paladin might never even know it, or know exactly what a Paladin is, and if it was up to the Paladins to go around and search for these future Paladins they would have time to do nothing else.  Besides, it's generally not heroic, nor does it directly do anything good for people, so it's one of the least interesting assignments from a Paladin's perspective.

"We have our own special skills.  Tools, tricks, a little magic to help us know when we've run across someone whose special destiny aligns with one of the Orders, and help us guide that person along."

"Of course some of the Orders don't really need our help and don't want it.  The Marshall's Legion, for example.  People know what a soldier is, and they know if they want to do that, and they have a sense of whether they are cut out for that life, and so the Marshalls don't need our help finding the next crop of soldiers.

"The funny thing always was, the hardest Order to recruit for was our own.  One of life's little ironies.  It's very hard finding people who want to devote their lives to finding people.  It's also hard getting funded for that, so we often have to take up what the Paladins call Side Quests.

"We have help, though.  Sometimes, powerful beings like the Gold Dragons... hang around here long enough and you might see one... they take a special interest in people.  And that can involve setting people on a certain path.  Sometimes, they steer them to us.  That's how I happened to come across this place, and I fell in love with it, and I've been spending more and more time year, though I still have my home in Fidelis."

Atraxus thanks Thaller for his contributions to the quest---indeed, it is the most luxurious journey than the Half-Orc has ever been on. He lets the more social members of the group take point in speaking with the others, and simply listens as others share their stories with Abadon and Alison.

A smile tugs at the Half-Orc's lips when he learns of the Society of the Reformed. He seems pleased that others who most might consider to be "monsters" can break the mold.

"Given the distinctive nature of the orders here," Atraxus says to Merti Mindwell, "perhaps you might have noticed someone bearing the emblem of a Winged Sword? We are hoping to find one Derne Goldfire. He is a novice of his Order, and we believe he passed through this way on a quest."

Alison nodded, "I can see why you would want to be here." Then Atraxus spoke and she nodded, "Yes, what do you know of Goldfire?"

Very fortunately, they are not searching for a "mysterious stranger" type who lurked in shadows and spoke to no one.  That's not the Paladin style.  Derne's approach was much more classic, outgoing, "Hello Good People Of Veritas!".

A few of the old folks here certainly remember him.

"Oh, a Paladin," one elderly woman says, seeing no reason to beat around the bush and talk about symbols of the order.  "That's what that insignia means, you know, a Paladin, like the young lady over there."

She points out Mae, who comes closer so that she too can hear who is talking about Paladins.

"You know we don't see them very often," the old woman says.

"I'm sorry," Mae says.  "There aren't many of us."

"Oh it's nothing like that," the old woman replies.  She's one of those small, lithe and bony old women who seem to have a lot of living left in her.  "I know about Paladins, and they don't come when they aren't needed or called, and we've had no real need."

"But there have been Goblins, and other foul creatures in the wild lands, we've heard," Mae says.

"Yes, this is true.  But nothing the people of Veritas haven't been able to deal with.  Having Gold Dragons patrol on occasion helps.  So does Calphi, she seems to know the ways of Goblins, and she can often predict what they'll do when they've been seen around.  Very smart.  So there are some dangers in the wilderness, but threats to Veritas itself... very rare.  But Derne came anyway.  He wasn't looking to defeat any foe in particular, he was very interested in our water.  You've heard, perhaps, that Veritas's lake has... properties?"

"It is like Holy Water." Mae says.

"So they say.  Derne wanted to find out why- what was the source of this power.  I think it led him to seek out the source, literally. The source of the water in the lake.  He talked to some of the trappers, and spent some time with Calphi, asking a lot of questions.  Then Calphi took him across the lake on her boat, and he hasn't been back."

"He could have run into trouble of any kind, out there," another of the old folks says.  "Sure, he's a Paladin, but he was young.  Easily could have bitten off more than he could chew.  Paladin or no, you don't explore out there alone, or unless you know exactly what you are doing."

Abaddon scribbled down the more recent information, and raised a gnomish brow. "So it still sounds wise to talk to the fur merchants, as it seems they have some information about the water - at least what Derne would have been exploring.

"However Calphi certainly seems a good one with whom to speak.  Knowledge and transportation in one.  Is there something specific that she appreciates in gift or transaction?"