"Mmm-hmm... Gnolls, eh"? The man listens to you all and seems to weigh it over in his head. "Well listen, you don't live in our community so you can't be part of the village militia. If you're not part of the militia, I haven't got any authority over you, nor can I order you to look into this matter.
"That being said, my sergeant here has a keen eye, and I trust his judgement. If he has concerns about the men at his inn today, or reason to believe that they could be trouble, I'd certainly like to address it while the problem's small."
He turns to Ostler. "Sergeant, I haven't the authority to pay your new friends here, but if they're willing to do a bit of reconnaissance and find the whereabouts of the men who molested your server, we can take the information to the Village Elder and the at the next council meeting. If it's decided that they're to be run off from the village maybe we can arrange for payment of services, but until then, you would be collecting information on these men at your own exp--" Before he can finish his statement a man comes barging into the house, knocking over a couple of brooms kept by the front door to sweep out any dirt and debris that gets tracked inside the house.
He's of decent size, with strong-looking arms and a barrel chest, wearing plain clothes and carrying a dagger on his belt, the hilt of which looks very finely crafted. Alice is the only person who recognises him as one of the patrons of the tavern, recalling seeing him sitting at the end of the bar when you first arrived, chatting with one of the serving girls whenever she wasn't waiting on patrons. As he finishes standing the brooms up again he walks in and pauses a moment, looking at everyone in the room. His gaze seems glazed over by drink and he's a bit wobbly as he takes in the house's occupants before he says, "Father... Mother... Sergeant..." nodding to each in turn.
"Elmo," the captain replies cooly. "I see you've been keeping my sergeant's torches lit for him at the Tavern, as usual."
The man doesn't reply, but Ostler looks a bit sheepish as the captain resumes addressing your party. "As I was saying. I haven't the authority to give you orders or pay you for your services at the moment, because you're not part of our militia, but if you were to manage to provide us with some valuable information regarding these men: Where they're staying, how many there are, if they're well armed... that sort of thing, we may take it to the village council, and if it's decided that these men need to be run out of town you might then be paid for your services for any assistance you might be able to provide in doing so."
He then resumes attending to his plate of sausages as if the matter is closed.
The man, who the captain addressed as "Elmo", takes all this in and chimes in, his manner slow and halting. He seems a bit tipsy when he says, "You talking about the men who Sergeant Gundigroot run off?" He nods like he's thinking on something before continuing. "Hmm... Could be dangerous, just the four of you... Say, weren't you with a couple of elves when you came into the Wench earlier? Anyway, like I said, could be dangerous. Might be you could use some help, eh? I myself have been known to wield an axe with some skill, provided it's a big enough axe, and I can find myself in and out of a set if chainmail easily enough without getting lost. If you're willing to provide me a set of chain and a big enough axe I could see that you collect your information safely, what do you say?"
