As the group passes along the orchards and makes their way into the village proper, Saidou keeps a brisk pace to keep up with the others but not one that would be out of the ordinary to his traveling companions. His traveling cloak's hood keeps the light from his eyes, blocking the upper half of his face. This is not enough to hide his eager grin at their arrival however, nor does it diminish the whisper he utters with a warding gesture of his own - "Not this year, Grave Lady. Not yet." His fingers brush back the cloak from his hip, tracing around the lip of his tankard with his fingertip before tapping it upon the wooden vessel twice.



"Here, take a few coppers from me to share to the locals for some goodies and some rumors." he gestures with his head to one of the fields nearby as he moves to Vostiun's side, rummaging in a pouch of copper coins. "Can you see if you can find me something interesting? Pickled apples, candied peels, maybe some apple jam or spread. Something the locals would send you on a long, rumor-filled and productive walk for." The ashen-skinned fellow, having counted out 12c, holds it out to his human traveling companion. "Can't say I don't do my share of the rumor-work if I'm the one chipping in, right? Just ... Don't spend it all in one place." He then moves to follow Kon's leading pace instead of Vostiun's.

[No actual effect intended from the tankard thing- Just a reflexive gesture from a Caydenite as he offers a traditional aphorism to Pharasma. Can you deduct 12cp worth from Saidou to a "Party Rumor Fund" or to Vostiun?]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:51, Tue 01 Nov 2022.

"I'm still coming to the tavern, I was planning to get my cider on our way out of town," Vostiun says as he readjusts his pack and keeps walking.

Samara stays with the group, despite an evidence desire to investigate everything new thing.
She watches carefully, head tilted, as the coins are counted and transferred.

The small Apple Blossom Inn and Common House is one of the central buildings of the village. It’s a stout two-story building with a large apple tree growing next to it.

Sitting out front is a boy about eight years old or so, playing stones in the dirt. He notices your approach and smiles and begins to wave, when a woman steps out of the front door to the inn and scolds him before nervously calling him to her and they both disappear back into the inn.

You arrive at that same door a few moments later and head on inside. You're greeted the smell of home cooked food and the warmth of a well-maintained hearth. A few tables are scattered about in the main room, with only a couple of patrons occupying seats. A middle-aged man with an apron and an air of ownership is talking to one of them as you enter and they all stop what they are doing to look with heavy suspicion at the lot of you.

"Can I help you?" asks the apparent innkeep after a moment.

"I'm here to settle a bet. I hear you have the best cider in Ustalav. Now I said that Hans Brindle in Lepidstadht had the best but my friends called me a liar, so here I am," Vostiun says with a smile. He's clearly exaggerating but also trying to be friendly.

Vostiun takes off his pack and gently sits it down on the floor next to a table.

"Your friend has the right of it." he says, a wry smile momentarily breaking through the suspicion. He walks over to the table Vostiun is next to, looking the group up and down, "What can I get you cityfolk?"

In reply to Vostiun Hephaurio (msg # 8):

Saidou nudges his companion in the hip with an elbow and a wry grin.
"One of these days, your bets will get the best of you, my friend. Poor Uncle Hans'll end up with a head so inflated, you won't know if it was from the yeast or the hot air you keep pumping him full of." Saidou leans against Vostiun's pack, not taking a seat yet.

“You know Hans can’t compete with the real deal out here!” Haznut chimes in, grinning and eagerly going to take a seat. “They do things differently outside of the city, the good ‘ole fashioned way, makes everything taste better.”

The dwarf looks to his companions, motioning for them to sit at the table he’s seated himself at, setting his pack next to his chair.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:14, Tue 01 Nov 2022.

In reply to Hetrik Tellier (msg # 9):

Saidou pulls himself up onto the chair next to Haznut with as little awkwardness as possible, and addresses the innkeep with cheer.
"Do you have any crisp apple chips, maybe apple oat cookies? And how much do you charge for the local cider?"

"We have some boiled eggs and spelt bread from the breakfast meal. On the last few barrels of last harvests hard cider, if you don't mind the older stuff." he thinks for a bit, "Could make some mulled apple juice if you give Marnie a bit, she's working on the pottage for supper." Hetrik calls over his shoulder to the backroom kitchen, "Jenny! We have any of Elissa's mead left?"

The woman you saw rush the boy back into the inn sticks her head out from the kitchen and nervously eyes up the party before responding, "Ah...just a couple of bottles." before she ducks back into the kitchen.

He shrugs and looks back at the party, "Well, there you go."

Sa Saidou briefly leans on Vostiun's pack a soft "Mrrrw? issues out. In just a moment a large black cat pokes his head out and then oozes out onto the table with a long stretch.

"I'll try some of last year's cider and I'll take a few of those eggs with a chunk of bread too," Vostiun says as if a cat issuing from his pack were a normal thing.

Kon waves with a genial smile to the shy woman when she pops her head out and turns to the innkeeper, "Actually I was wondering if you might have any spiderberry tea.  It has been quite some time since I've had a decent cup.  I hear it goes well with sliced apples, candied or otherwise."

He reaches up a hand to shake, "My name is Kon by the way."  Looking about the inn behind the innkeeper, Kon takes in the surroundings a little.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:19, Wed 02 Nov 2022.

At the sound of the "Mrrw?" issuing forth from Vostiun's pack, Saidou's shoulder jerked, his expression that of someone being tickled. A few abrupt movements inside of his hood later, Saidou clamps down on the back of his neck with an exasperated expression. He soothes something unseen. It looks like Saidou's pet has woken up, as well.

"Juice is fine for me, thanks- bit early in the day to start praising Cayden. I would ask for a bit of bread, and an apple please?"

Samara looks about, alert for danger, but also looking to see if these folks have any sort of entertainment - if not a performer, are there any games
Sliding into the chair next to Saidou with only two sniffs at the innkeeper, Samara blinks slowly, saying, "I would like to try them all."

"It's never too early to praise any of the gods, but I would say it's in bad taste to drink alone when surrounded by friends. I'll take a small order of anything you recommend, and a pour of any breakfast ale if you have any left over." Haznut says in agreement with Samara, after taking a quick look around the inn to determine if there's anything interesting on the walls or mounted anywhere.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:09, Tue 01 Nov 2022.

Hetrik nods with each order, "Hetrik. Hetrik Tellier." replies as he shakes Elde Kon's hand, "You folks getting rooms or moving on?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:00, Wed 02 Nov 2022.

"If there's room, good Hetrik; and if you'll put up with us, and the food's fair at least."  He leans his head slightly toward the nearby two at the other table, "Wouldn't want to impose if you're busy and all filled up."  With a small wave to the rest of the table he continues,  "My companions and I are in town to experience the local atmosphere, take in the scenery as it were, and of course confirm the cider story."  Looking back to the others,  "I expect we'll be out quite a bit during the days?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Wed 02 Nov 2022.

"Aye, if we were to be able to take up a room or two here, I imagine we would be out a fair bit taking in the scenery, I always enjoy getting to see new cultures." Haznut replies with a smile to his friends before taking a sideways glance at the other table, before looking up at Hetrik.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:40, Wed 02 Nov 2022.

"This time of year we don't get much in the way of visitors. Harvesting finishes up just before the snows come, so any merchants'll wait until we get something fermented through the winter." he shrugs, "If'n you're stayin' we got three rooms, each a silver per night, pay for your stay up front. Comes with evening meal, which is available after sunset. Kitchen's closed after the misses and I turn in, doors and shutters are barred at night as well. Get in before they are or yer stayin' outside til sunrise and don't be askin to get yer money back if that happens."

"What will you turn int-OH, you mean retire for the evening, right." Kon smiles again, "I can't say we will be that late in the evening some days, but when would that be if I might ask?  Certainly past midnight is unreasonable, but, well, we do tend to wander a bit, and it might take us a good while to return if we're caught returning later than we'd like."

Rubbing the back of his bare neck a bit, he looks slightly concerned for a moment, "Err, is there anything we might be looking to avoid out there, if we happen to stray out of town for long?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:01, Wed 02 Nov 2022.

"Nothing good comes from nightfall. If you're not back inside by sundown...well, there isn't any good reason to be out there beyond that anyways." he rubs the back of his neck, "I'll just assume you haven't been in Ustalav for more'n a day or two. This is not a safe place. Never has been and when the Whispering Tyrant ruled over it, it only got less so."

You can see that he's trying to figure out how to explain something as simple as the sky is blue to someone looking at the sky and not comprehending it's blue, "I mean, take yer pick, you got undead and werewolves. Vampires. Demons out of the Worldwound and even them nutters in Lepidstadt can't leave well-enough-alone and work at making even more monsters quick-as-you-please."

He sighs, "Makes you wish for the good times when all you had to worry about were goblins and orcs."

He shrugs, "Anyways, it's a long walk to tell ya, if you're out past sundown, you might have a couple hours while we serve supper and clean up before you might want to consider finding somewhere to hide."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:33, Wed 02 Nov 2022.

"Make it back inside before too late, try to be home by supper, that doesn't sound like too terrible of a rule. You've truly had people have issues with that? Haznut lets out a light-hearted chuckle. "Well anyways, how many beds do you have in a room?"

Vostiun nods at the warnings to be back by dark. "Of course. Besides the usual precautions are there any areas around the village we should avoid?"