Part 2: Welcome to Hommlet

Angel races on toward the burning Inn to see what he can do about the fire.

No stranger to attempting to give orders, Eltrezar calls out to the people in the stables, "People of Hommlet, orderly! Orderly! Make a line! You two, fill the buckets! The rest of you, put out this fire! 'Hrmph!'" He stands for a moment to try to control the situation, then moves into the stables to rescue his damsel in distress, the irritable Isolde.

Remembering suddenly that the stables are on fire, Alice snaps out of the extacy of battle and dashes toward the blaze. She rushes to the entrance of the stables and peers inside to check for animals that might be inside...

Thinking better than to intrude upon a panicked crowd, with her small stature, Gilly hangs back and lets folk go about their business. She wants to help but she’d only have people tripping over their heels in their furore to quench the blaze.

Instead, she circles around the area near where the two bodies are laying. Ready to arm herself with bow or short sword at a moments notice, should any more folk come causing trouble, she wanders closer to the bodies. Careful to avoid looking directly at the dead eyes, or the sickening black wound starting to fester where Alice struck her blow, Gilly begins to look the men over.

Who are they anyway?
Bandits, of course.
But are they a part of the rightful quest?
I hope so

Thinking that they might have some orders, maps or identification on them, Gilly begins to search through the bodies. Openly, and not trying to secret away anything she finds. She does so as an investigator might for clues and not how a thief might look for coin.

Coulson, thinking the strange mans shouted words do make some sense, starts trying to chivvy his way forward to get to the well, to help form a chain of people to pass the buckets along

Angel will get in line and grab a bucket as it's passed on. He calls out, "Keep 'em comin' people. This fire won't put itself out." He will also grab empties as they come back and pass them along the other direction with his other hand.

Kelric slings his bow over his shoulder and rushs into action passing buckets with the rest. He looks around to see if there is any other danger, people that are stuck inside.

Sister Alice, wiping sweat from her brow, approaches the man in the pointy hat with a furrowed brow and steely eyes. She knew the hat marked him as a learned man, the type the clergy was always quick to mistrust. Standing before him now Alice could sense the man's ambition and even more so his pride. True she had never appreciated the magi for all their cantankerous trouble making, but this man had done a great deed in saving the barn and moreover had risked his life in the process.

That was a fine thing you did. This village owes you a debt. I am Sister Alice of the Church of Saint Cuthbert and these are my companions Coulson, Angel, Kelric and Gilly. We had a run in with those men and several others earlier when they tried to molest the innkeeper's daughter. I am sure we will see more of them soon.

Gilly watches as Alice interacts with the man in the hat. She handles the coin purses, feeling their weight.

She keeps an eye out for the innkeeper-cum-sergeant. When she spots him, she wanders over to him.

As if reporting for duty:

"Scuse me, sir. I checked the bodies for clues.

Didn’t find nothing on them! But I did find this!"

She presents him with the coin purses.

"For the inn, sir!"

Stiffening, she nods, and marches away!

She approaches Alice and the newcomer. And sets about telling her the same.

No details. No leads. Gave the coin purse to the innkeeper.

"Isolde, a fire is no place for a mule! Please be more careful in the future. I don't know what I'd do if suddenly I had to carry my own belon..." A voice interrupts Eltrezar as he grumbles to his mule, and he turns partway before seeing the heavily-clad woman standing before him. He turns the rest of the way to face her and her companions, and tugs on his beard before saying, "Ah, you must be the adventurers I was told were in town. My name is Eltrezar the Medium, known amongst the elves as Tarathiel, and the dwarves have called me Dalomdûmir..." The wizard's eyes dart between Kelric and Coulson, "But I assume you two already know of me. A Druid Ashstaff told me of your investigation into these men, and asked that I assist you in this matter. If what you say is true, that these men used force on a poor lass, then I have no doubts that laying them in the streets was justified... but perhaps leaving one alive would have more prudent?" Hrmph!

Prudent indeed, replies Alice with pursed lips,

Truly I only meant to knock the man off his horse with that stone but I fear it was the fall that killed him.

Alice's attention is momentarily drawn as the halfling marches up to make her report. Alice smiles and salutes Gilly for her efforts.

Well done Gilly, the innkeep deserves that coin as reparations for the fire.

The cleric turns back to the man in the pointy hat and her expression falls to a much more serious mask once more

You are clearly a man of some power, and while I do not know this "druid" you speak of I will admit that we would be grateful to have one of your ability among us. We serve the greater good and watch each other's backs, do this and you will find us to be fast friends.

Is there anything you can tell us of the lead up to this attack? Did the brigands make themselves known before hand?

"Ah, and a Halfling! I must admit, I have had little dealings with your kind, though a dear friend of mine was quite partial. He managed to drag them out on quite the expedition once or twice... but it would seem you have no need of strong-arming."

Turning back to Alice, Eltrezar replies, "Alas, I have little more information about this event than you. I was only just beginning my task in the inn when the commotion caught my attention. I saw these two men fleeing the scene, but as you saw I was quite distracted with protecting the integrity of the stables and the safety of this town."

Coulson, inspecting the damage to the Inn, looks for any structural damage that he can point out to the innkeeper, aiming to pass on some of his clans natural construction skills and knowledge in order to make safe the building. His head bobs up as he hears the old man in the hat say something in dwarvish.....’By the gods that pronunciation is h’rrific. If’n any of the clan heard that...’ he thinks to himself as he hears the word be butchered (to his ear anyway). He can’t remember hearing of the medium before, but he deferred on the side of decency and politeness to not call him out on it, but still gives Kelric a knowing ’Get this guy’ look

We know the brigands' direction of travel, I'd wager my armor that we find them along the East road out of town.

Alice glances back toward the bodies of the two men that had lit the fire when a thought occurs to her. She asks Eltrezar to excuse her for a moment and runs back to the downed men. Seizing the reins of her horse that she had dismounted after the fight, Alice also gathers the reigns of the two bandits horses and leads the equine trio back to the inn.

The cleric holds out the reigns of one of the steeds to Eltrezar,

By right of combat this animal is yours to decide for sir.

Alice walks the other horse to the innkeeper and holds out the reigns for him to take.

Please accept this mount as reparation from the blagard that damaged your stables. Should fetch a fine price.

Gilly beams at the wizards recognition of her being outfitted for adventure.

"Yes, well... there’s a rightful quest that needed adventurers, so here I am!

Eh... if the elves call you Tur... eh... Turtle and the Dwarves call you Dombledurr, then what do the Halflings call you?"

Greeting Eltrezar, Kerlic has a confused look on his face, no...., um, I mean well of course I have heard of you giving Coulson a nod back.

Anyway, what caused the fire here. Kelric asks