Chapter 1 - Trouble In Red Larch

You all walk, more or less straight, out of the inn in good spirits. The weather seems to match it as the rain has finally stopped and the clouds have parted to let the sunshine in to dry the sodden roads. You don’t have to go very far, just a couple of houses further south before you reach the butcher. It’s comprised of four identical single story buildings all in one line. Outside of the front building is a wooden sign with a painting of a ham being carved with a cleaver.

As you enter you see a range of smoked and fresh meats hanging from hooks on the other side of the window and along the back wall. You can see a small table with a coin chest and a bigger table at which a woman is carving half a pig. She’s fair skinned, around 30 and with brown hair to her shoulders. She’s got a look of deep concentration as she carefully separates meat from the bone. "I’ll be with you in just a second, hang on". She looks up with a smile but her eyes widen in shock when she sees the group of assorted creatures that have entered her store. "Err, so, err, how can I help you?". Her hand doesn’t leave the knife.

The woman eases up as you mentions the constable. "Yeah, that’s my husband. Hold on.". She moves over to a trapdoor in the floor and opens it, "Harburk, darling! Some people here to see you". You hear footsteps from the cellar and a man emerges through the trapdoor. He’s also around 30 with short dark hair and a full beard, he’s also wearing a butcher’s apron. He looks at you with the same look of amazement that you’re starting to get used to. Goliaths, genasi and particularly satyrs are obviously not a common sight in these parts. "Yes? What can I help you with?"

Harburk’s eyes light up and he smiles widely, "Really? Well that is fortunate. Yeah, we’ve been having some issues east of here on the Cairn Road. Some people have been robbed not far from Red Larch. Me and my trusties have been trying to find them, but no luck, and to be honest I’m kinda swamped with my constable duties and the butchering. I don’t have much time to scour through the wilderness. All I know is that it can’t be that far from here, all the attacks seem to be targeted around the same stretch of road about 6 miles out from the village.".

Harburk seems a little unnerved by Aukan’s mention of his father’s pastime...what kind of pastime could that possibly be? And does he even want to know? "I...thank you...". He jots down the rough location of the attacks on your map.

Harburk chuckles, "I assumed you guys were adventurers? At least half of an adventurer’s life is spent walking. Lance Rock is maybe 10-12 miles away."

'I mean we could go and celebrate the formatin of the group of heroes first?' Any execuse to avoid rushing into danger straight away