Sasrya awoke and dressed quickly, rechecking the straps on her armour to make sure that it was fitted correctly. Her quiver of arrows hung at her hip, and her bow, though unstrung now, was held in her hand. Her dagger was ready for stabbing. When she noticed that Adeline stirred, she smiled (somewhat forced, it has to be said) and said, "I've a bad feeling about the mine. I think we should go armed." She shrugged. "Don't ask me why. It's just a feeling."

Heading downstairs, she ate a few mouthfuls of oatmeal but wasn't really interested in it. The fire, however, gave her a pause. She turned to the halfling barmaid and leaned closer.
"Hello, excuse me?  Do you have any lanterns or anything we could borrow? One of your community has gotten himself lost in a mine and we're going down to find him. I think having a light source might be really useful. Could we borrow one?" She smiled sweetly, using her maximum-level charm.

OOC:
22:54, Today: GM, on behalf of Sasyra, rolled 19 using 1d20+2.  Persuasion.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:55, Sun 22 Jan 2023.

The halfling girl looked up at Sasyra with surprise, “You gonna look for Halric?”. Putting down the glass, she glanced back at door to the kitchen for a second, before reaching down under the bar. Retrieving a slightly battered, yet still functional oil lamp, she slid it across to Sasyra, “I never gave this to you”.

Sasyra quickly slid the lantern into her backpack and nodded in appreciation to the girl. "The sun, sky and earth bless you," she said quietly, voice edged with seriousness. She picked up her bag and stepped outside onto the covered porch, watching the drizzle and waiting for her compatriots...

Tegan had purposefully gone to bed rather early, and had gone easy on the ale, as well. He knew that he needed to be up early this morning, so he saw no reason to make it difficult on himself.

He put on his armor, since he was unsure whether the group would want to get under way as soon as possible. As far as he was concerned, he could eat trail rations whilst on the march, but he suspected that some of the others would be inclined to have a sit-down breakfast at the inn before heading out into the rain.

Before heading downstairs he wakened Erdan by pulling at his toes. Every now and again he had seen men who had gone to bed dead-drunk come up swinging if they were awakened unexpectedly, so he did not want to be anywhere near the Elf's fists -- just in case.

"Sorry to disturb you, but it is morning already," he said.

"'Tis time to head downstairs. I daresay that some of the others are already down there. Oh -- and there is water in the wash-basin on this stand over here if you need to dunk your head."

Somewhere in the night, Erdan had made it under the blanket.  His dark ginger hair was mussed terribly and covered most of his face.  His feet dangled off the end of the bed.

When Tegan tugged at his toes, the elf jumped and looked at the corner of the room in his haze.  He groaned and turned his head toward Tegan, nodded and then flopped his head back down with a soft thump.  "I'll be down in a minute," he mumbled.

After Tegan left, he sat up and stretched.  A frown dropped from his lips as he noticed his clothes strewn around his bed.  Sighing, he snapped each article in the air causing clouds of dirt to flutter about.  He bathed thoroughly from the basin and did, in fact, dunk his head, then twisted the water back in from his hair.

He sat down on the bed and took a deep breath as he finally noticed the throbbing in his head.  For a moment, he just rested his face in his hands and took a moment to hate last night's Erdan.  But he couldn't afford to make people wait for his self-imposed misery to end.

The wood elf was likely the last to make it downstairs, and didn't speak to anyone, but he was presentable despite sporting damp hair.  His breakfast was more water than oatmeal and would likely be rations later.  Hard tack tends to settle the stomach better than gruel.

Eventually, he dropped his spoon into the half-full bowl and pushed it forward.  After gathering his gear and weapons, he swung his cloak around his shoulders and tied it in place.  Hood up and walking staff in hand, he signal he was ready to go.

Oakfield in the daylight is a might better looking town than it seemed in the relative darkness you arrived in. While it is evident by the slightly rundown air of the place that the town has seen better times, you still see signs, as the town begins to wake up, of a place that is still alive with people and activity. A bell starts ringing as you walk out onto the covered porch, mingling with the sounds of hammerblows on an anvil in the distance, and you begin to see a handful or more of children emerging from houses, some walking, but most sprinting through the rain towards what looks like the second biggest building in town. A large single story structure, with a small wooden steeple. A pair of double doors are open wide, as you watch a portly looking woman just inside pulling on a length of rope descending from the ceiling above her, in unison with the bell.
Across from the tavern you see a smaller stone and wood building, it stands out among those around it by having a tiled roof that slopes down towards the back of the building. Large panes of glass gives you a look into what looks like a general store. Across one of the panes you see 'Gilberts Goods' painted in tarnished white lettering.

Setting out of Oakfield you head north, towards Shuster Mine. The roads leading up into the foothill are as muddy as ones you walked last night, but someone has thought to lay wooden planks, branches, small logs along the path, giving wagons something to drive on and prevent them from sinking in too far. It is not as cold as the day before, and after the revelries of last night, the brisk air feels bracing for those suffering under the effects of a hangover.
After about ten minutes walk up into the hills, you begin to hear voices, the neighing of horses and of men and women working, and turning a corner you come up to the covered entrance of the mine. In front you see a line of mining carts, some still full of dirt and detritus, and some empty waiting to be filled. The voices you heard prove to belong to a couple of men working a team of horses. A long thick chain trails behind the horses, back into the darkness of the mine. As the man whistle and tap the animals, coaxing them to pull,  another cart emerges from the mine entrance loaded with black coal. As you approach, one of the grime covered men looks up at you with a frown, "Sorry, can I help you?".

It seemed to Tegan that the rain was not coming down quite as hard as yesterday, and the sky seemed slightly brighter. He didn't consider it to be an omen -- he did not really believe in such things -- but it did brighten his mood somewhat. And the planks, logs and whatnot that had been laid in the path that led up to the mine were definitely an improvement over the seemingly bottomless mud that the caravan had struggled with whilst traveling some of the more rural tracks and roads.

As it turned out, the hike up to the mine was a relatively short one, and soon enough the companions were greeted by people whom Tegan assumed were miners.

"Good morning," the Half-Elf replied to the man who had spoken to him. "We are here on behalf of Gwen Klom. She mentioned that her husband, Halric, had not returned home from the mine for the last several days, and she asked if we would search for him."

"We are with the caravan that is quartered in town until the ford over the river becomes passable, so we are more or less at loose ends . . . and those of us who you see here have agreed to help."

"Is Master Korenth available to speak with us for few moments? I'd like to let him know what is going on, and ask him a few questions about where we should begin looking  for Halric."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:21, Mon 23 Jan 2023.

Erdan held his cloak closed around him, hunched over and shuffling behind the group.  The copious amount of water he drank helped alleviate the headache, but his stomach still wasn't especially happy.  He sighed as the rain began to soak through the hood, and he could feel his hair becoming damp again.

His mind wondered to the mention of the abandoned abbey and looked around for it as they approached the mines, allowing Tegan to take the lead with talking to the foreman.  When the half-kin stopped to talk to one of the miners, he sidled up beside Adeline and leaned close to talk to her over the cacophony of workers and rain.

"Am I the only one who thinks it's going to be a hassle to explore the mines while others are working it?  I'm thinking with the talk of curses, we should start with the nearby abbey.  There could be a cult or some devious creature laired up in there.  Or something else..."

The wood elf didn't want to be contrary to the whole group while everyone seemed gung-ho about diving into the mines.  He wanted to see if he had an ally with the idea and knew Adeline enough to guess she wouldn't be so single-minded.

The miner looked at you for a minute, "Yeah alright. I'll go get 'im". As he walked off you see him briefly whisper to the other one, before heading down into the mine. As you wait, the other miner keeps an wary eye on you, giving you a curt nod as a greeting.
It isn't long before two people emerge from the darkness, one familiar, the other not.
A tall, lanky looking, older human man leads the way out into the light. Dressed in rough looking work clothes and covered almost from head to toe in black dust and grime, his blue eyes stand out as he quickly gives all of you measured look. Making his way over to you, he wiped his hands on a piece of cloth he pulled from his back pocket and scratched his wiry beard, "I'm Korenth, the foreman. Mogn said Gwen sent ya?".

Despite the rain, Leon looked fresh, and eager. His surcoat had yet to be soaked all the way through, leaving him mostly dry at the moment, which might be part of the reason he was in a good mood at the moment.

When the miner walked off to find the foreman, the young knight turned his attention to his companion.

"Whatever inconvenience we, or the workers, suffer because of our investigations are worth it, is it not, Master Amakiir? A life may or may not be at risk. Priorities and civic duty my friend. Or is it perhaps last night's cups and a desire to go indoors and out of this weather that are moving your lips to the Abbey?" Leon said with a small, good natured smile at Erdan.

When Korenth returned, he let Tegan continue to be the voice of the group.

In reply to GM (msg # 57):

"Master Korenth," Tegan replied, nodding his head by way of a greeting. "I am Tegan Adalondor, out of Darkwall."

"And aye, Gwen requested that we come and search for her husband, Halric. It seems that Halric has not returned home for the last two -- or mayhap three now -- nights. We do not wish to get in the way of your people, who all have jobs to do. But we would like to provide some answers for Gwen, if we can."

"That said, can you tell us when and where you last saw Halric? For example, if he was last seen down in the mine, that would tell us one thing. But if he had finished his shift and was on the way home when he was last seen, that would be something else entirely."

"Also, have you or your people ever heard or seen anything out of the ordinary down in the mine?"

Tegan turned to his companions. "Does anyone else have any questions for Master Korenth? I am sure that he is a busy man, and 'tis better if we get all of our questions asked at once."

Erdan turned a not-so-good-natured glare at Leon after he called him out on his reckless consumption the prior night. "I'm well enough, Sir Renard.  Thank you for your concern..."  He forced his expression to soften, though not enough to feel warm.

Admittedly, reacting slighted was out of character for the elf, but he'd had a growing unease from the nostalgia and the drinking only served as a temporary distraction.  He hoped getting back on track with adventuring and gathering more resources for his quest would alleviate his doubts.

"It's my experience that myths and rumors about curses and superstitions have a root in the truth somewhere.  Certain places, like abbeys, can draw the attention of things that fuel those stories.  It's been pinned in my mind since the woman mentioned it in the same breath as the 'cursed mines'.  So, I assure you that my priorities belong to the task.  I'm just seeing the forest beyond the one tree in front of us.

"If you're keen on diving headlong into the abyss without trying to prepare, then please be the first in line.  I'll wait to see what happens to you before I follow."

It was then he heard Tegan offer the rest of the party an opportunity to ask a question and he decided that he'd follow up here with his suspicions. "What can you tell us about the supposed curse these mines have on them?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Wed 25 Jan 2023.

Sasyra was one of the Fleck - a culture where negotiations were conducted by men, and where the women sat beside, voicing their opinion with looks and glances, gestures and faked smiles. Mostly. Her grandmother had been so formidable that her grandfather had no other option but to negotiate with her voicing her opinion at every turn. SHe was an exception to the rule, however.

Korenth seemed fully engaged by the questions of Tegan and Erdan, so instead, Sasyra looked at the other miners, subtly examining them for any marks, lesions, deformities or religious symbolism. She half imagined that they'd have dribbles of blood over their heads after last night's dream, but that had been a dream. She was sure.

Mostly.

She shivered and smilked, turning abruptly to Koreth. "Excuse me, but... Did this mine be dug out entirely, or did you open up any new natural voids within the rock, caverns or the like?"

---

OOC:
I'd like to examine the miners for anything that marks them out of the ordinary
This message was last edited by the player at 07:32, Wed 25 Jan 2023.

Korenth continued to slowly wipe off his hands as you all spoke, "A lot of questions, but if they'll help Gwen then...", he nodded. "I told Gwen this, but the last time I saw Halric was two days ago, around when we knocked off". Korenth nodded to the man next to him, who then walked back to the horses, "He was a bit run down, but who isn't these days. We talked a bit and then I went home, never saw him since". At the mentions of the mine he looked back at the entrance, "No, we've not broken through to any underground caves or the like for a while. To be honest I think the old place is just about tapped out, but so long as there's still coal to follow, we keep digging. As for the supposed curse? Look, I've worked the pits around here for longer than I care to remember, and if it wasn't this mine that people told stories about, then it'd one of the others. There's nothing down there but dirt, rock and coal. That said...". He took a step closer to you and lowered his voice a bit, "The old abbey, that's a different story. Gives me the creeps. Something in the stone up there. Been off limits for as long as I can remember".
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:56, Wed 25 Jan 2023.

The wood elf gained a smug satisfied grin at the foreman's earnest whispers about the abbey.  He crossed his arms and raised his brows at Leon.

"I say we start with the abbey," he reiterated.  "We have no indication that he's down in those mines other than he worked down there.  If he was, you'd think the other workers would've seen him -or his body- by now.  Something could have easily happened to him on his way home."

At first he was ready to concede his suggestion, but now he was confident to double down.

Besides, he thought. There may be more interesting discoveries within.  It was a self-serving reason that he wouldn't vocalize, but justifying it otherwise was easy enough to avoid suspicion of intent.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:57, Wed 25 Jan 2023.

"Thank you, Master Korenth, Tegan replied with an amiable nod when the mine foreman had given his answers.

"You have been most helpful, and likely saved us a good bit of time respecting where we should begin our search. Hopefully that will allow us to find Halric all the sooner -- and may even save his life."

Turning to address his companions, the Half-Elf heard Erdan speaking his mind.  "Given what we have just heard, I agree, Erdan," he replied.

"My vote goes towards commencing our search at the abbey."

---

OOC: Erdan, it looked to me like your IC comments to Adeline (Msg. #56, above) were spoken in a low voice, and were likely intended for the Half-Orc's ears only. Accordingly, I have assumed that Tegan (IC) did not overhear them.

DM, I am forgetful -- is the abbey located along (or near to) the trail from Oakfield to the mine? Thanks.

Leon gave the miner a polite bow before turning to his companions.

"Well, I dare say I take back my earlier jest Master Amakiir. It seems we have need of investigating the place after all, aside from getting out of the weather," he said with a half-apologetic smile.

"Aye, I also say we head that way first. If we find nothing, then I say we roll up our sleeves and get to spelunking the crevices and caves that the miners haven't gone yet," the young nobleman said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

With a glance at her companions, Sasrya turned to face the miners. She smiled pleasantly. "I'm really pleased that you care so much for your friend, Halric. Clearly, you're a good set of friends. We promised we'd look for him, and we're willing to head into the Abbey - perhaps stupidly, it has to be said. But still, we're willing to look. Will one of you not lead us to the Abbey? For Halric? For Gwen? I know you want to do right by your friend."

She smiles, looking hopefully at Korenth and his companions.

OOC:
22:55, Today: Sasyra rolled 13 using 1d20+2.  Persuasion roll
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Wed 25 Jan 2023.

Korenth looked over at Sasyra with a pensive expression as he thought it over, before slowly shaking his head, "No. I like Gwen and I hope you find Halric, but it really was something up there that took him, then I'm not going up there. I have a family of my own".

"I do be understanding. Though I'd argue that Halric and Gwen were already part of your family. But I do be understanding. Point us in the direction of the Abbey and we'll be finding him, and perhaps exorcise any evil that does be there, to boot." The outward politeness remained, and the tone was the same as before, but there seemed steel in her voice too - Korenth had evidently disappointed her.

Korenth's face tightens as Sasyra speaks, "East", he points. As you look in the direction he gestured he looks over you all, "Follow the foothills for about a quarter mile, until you come to the forest. You'll find the ruins are in there". He looks around at you all, "Good luck", before walking back to the others, who steps up to him, and begin talking in low tones.

OOC:
When you're ready the one leading/guiding the group will need to make a Survival roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:08, Thu 26 Jan 2023.

"I'm sure I can get us there," Erdan assured his party.  "Be ready to get your boots muddy."

He nodded to the foremen and turned in the direction of the abbey, leading them off the path.  His gnarled walking staff moved about, picking away roots and vines.  He ducked under low branches and occasionally looked back to ensure everyone was keeping up.

17:25, Today: Erdan Amakiir rolled 19 using 1d20+3.  Survival Check. – 19
This message was last edited by the player at 22:30, Thu 26 Jan 2023.

"Excellent, Erdan," Tegan said, nodding to the Wood Elf when that worthy volunteered to lead them to the abbey.

Having just gotten directions from Korenth, Tegan found himself wondering how difficult it could be to find several buildings, even if they were in ruins.

But, just the same, he was pleased that someone with some woodscraft had stepped up to lead them to where they needed to be.

"I have a signal whistle, Erdan," he added. "Would you like to borrow it, or will you be close enough to the rest of us to stay within line-of-sight?"

Erdan did a slow 360 turn and shook his head as he continued along a deer path headed toward the abbey.  "I'll keep a pace to follow," he said before turning forward again and brushed leaves aside from his face.

"Just try not to trip or get yourself stuck."

Erdan's warning brought forth a chuckle from Tegan.

"Aye, if I fall into a bog and get mired, I'll be sure to give a shout."