The returning adventurers are the toast of the town before they are forgotten, except for the widow and child who grieve for the lost father, but are grateful for whatever the Urmdrak offers them as recompense.

Some of the survivors shrug, and go back to their dull lives with some extra coin.

The Priestess of the Fates wanders into the wilderness on a silent quest.

Pyke looks up from the book he still cannot decipher to here a consternation among the merchants below.

Word quickly spreads. Barrowtown to the north is the bread basket for Middling and the surrounding cities. The shipment of grain was two weeks late. A merchant who went up to investigate quickly turned tail. The town is overrun by zombies infested with huge worms with human faces!

Anyone who volunteers to end this threat and returns alive will receive 100 silver crowns from the Merchants Guild and free bread for a year from the Bakers Guild!

On hearing the news of Barrowtown, Jack's mood swings from unrelenting greed, to consternation, then back to greed. Knowing the value of 200sp, he lopes throughout town entreating each party member to join him on this oh-so-noble, not to mention lucrative quest to liberate Barrowtown.

His last stop is to find Pyke at the tavern, drinking to the memory of his pony.

After a torrent of cadjoling and pandering, he waits with pleading eyes for Pyke to respond.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 23:36, Thu 23 Feb 2023.

"Are you insane! You nearly got us killed last time! And more than once! Forget it."

"But this time will be different! You'll see. We're experienced adventurers now! Easy money, I tell you."

In reply to Jack Quick the Beggar (msg # 4):

Pyke looks at Jack the way a farmer looks at at 3-wheeled wagon but then he sighs wearily and says:
"I do need more experience or at least more money to decypher this book."

He nods, reluctantly.
"Fine, but I expect something close to professionalism from you. Not like that...that crap you pulled before."

Seeing Jack nodding furiously, he gets up and leaves the tavern with Jack to join the others.

Outside, Urmdrak was already waiting. When Jack found the dwarf, he was already running short with his coin, having spent half of his share of the reward on paying several private debts and the other half drinking the bad memories away. It didn't take much convincing, since Urmdrak didn't have many ties that held him to the town, and the general public didn't like him very much anyway. And, in his not so humble opinion, he had done a pretty good job back at the temple. He knew for a fact several of the survivors would be dead if Urmdrak didn't happen to tag along.

As Pyke and Jack came out, he lazily waved at the last addition to the traveling party.

"I'd be honest, I didn't think you would take the offer. Welcome back, I guess"



When Halton was approached, the halfling had politely declined Jack's invitation, wishing him the best. He explained that he wasn't made for the life of adventuring, and was instead going to join the local militiamen, in the hopes of protecting the town where his friend Rhod was buried, and earning enough wages to help the family he had left behind.

In reply to The Judge (msg # 1):

Roscheta the gambler has been down on her luck and owes the local loan shark 50 silver. Without any money to try to gamble her way back into the black, she jumps at the opportunity to earn some money.

Joshwei the local guild beggar has seen better days. People have been very stingy lately and not very giving. Being very hungry, he salivates at the idea of getting free bread for a year.

Brutus the butcher has always been very curious about the outside world and hearing of the survivors, he feels he can become an adventurer also. The prize money is a nice bonus but he wants to do this to prove he is worthy of being an adventurer.

Chandra the minstrel is tired of being in the entertainment business singing and dancing to the same songs. She feels can do more with her above average strength and stamina as an adventurer.

The four of them show up at the merchants guild ready to head to Barrowtown and take care of business.

There was good in everyone, to Aelisyr's eyes. Everyone that was, with the possible exceptions of Pyke, Jack and Urmdrak. Curse her luck that she had been stuck with this flotsam for companions, but beggars...actually, scratch that, Elves did not beg...those caught with a shortage of reliable acquaintances...could not be choosers. Plus, maintaining this fabulous equipment, beauty and (particularly) fabulous hair cost a lot of money, and already she was looking for more than two silvers to rub together.

And so she found herself back with the gang - well, the gang and a bunch of nobodies who made her previous companions look like veteran knights.

"What fresh hell is this? Well, one supposes the human-faced worms of Barrowtown will not go hungry any time soon.

Is this it? When I last saw Tzothagri she was heading out into the wilds on some spiritual retreat, or somesuch nonsense. In my opinion, clerics tend to retreat up their own backsides. But anyway, we move on."