Scene 2 - The Averndale Adventurers' Guild

Sadur can find the Foreman who looks pleased to see the Half-orc and his companions. "Thank you for rescuing Darol. We'll pull that damned thing down and try to figure out if this is something more to worry about. If you don't see any other sign of digging, there's nothing for it. We may have to hire more guards, and that's going to increase overhead." He seems to see this as just another hazard in a dangerous business. "You caught it before a clutch was hatched. That thing sounds pretty nasty though." The Foreman glances to the Watchman who was standing by idly, bored and waiting for the party to just tell him that they were done. The foreman pats Sadur on the shoulder. "... Tell you what. Come and have a drink with me after the Bells, I'll buy you a round." He excuses himself and gets back to work.

The Watchman waits impatiently and speaks up when the Foreman leaves. "So... are you done? You should return to the Mayor quickly, said the Captain."

----

The necessary medical supplies are brought as quickly as possible, but with a full kit your task is made harder, as it is usually the doctor with certain specific tools like forceps and a scalpel, but at this point it is too late to go back and clamps and a small sharp knife must do. With practiced hands, the Matron went about her side of the work, watching Leon carefully and responding accordingly. She was an herbalist and possessed some medical training, and was a large help, along with a small team of acolytes who were there just to pass off clean water and cloth, and fetch components. You located the larva in the intestines a few feet below the stomach. A putrid slime has backfilled into his stomach and is slowly rotting as the mass has stopped his digestive track and he was constipated as well as dehydrated. He will have a long road to recovery after this, but first thing first.

Your medical training was not as fraudulent as your accreditation, and you find the best method of removing the larva, which had grown too large to be ejected from his throat. Surgery was what was needed. Darol was sedated into unconsciousness with a strong alcohol tincture and ground herbs and held down by acolytes. The Matron Priestess is stoic in her tasks, only scrunching her nose at the size of the mass in his intestines is revealed. Leon is able to clamp off and cut the intestines in two places and between his expert stitching and several castings of Cure Wounds from the Matron, the portion is removed and the intestine reattached.

Keeping focused, the excised portion and the incased larva is dropped into a metal bucket and clamped shut with a lid. They would deal with that later, first the exit plan. While Leon stitches the layers of tissue closed, an acolyte begins to position the throat with a stomach pump. It is not a common device, but one that will make clearing his stomach possible without further trauma. Leon might have started to wonder where the device had come from when he would notice a gentleman in a brown cloak and hat, standing just inside the room, watching with interest.

The Matron Priestess, finishing her part and stepping out of the way, assist Leon by taking his gloves once he stepped away from the patient, speaking softly to relay some information. "That is Doctor Leam... I think you've impressed him. You have impressed me as well. Thank you Doctor." She nods and moves away to handle the post-surgery orders. The patient is stable but has a lot of healing to do. Your job here is done. It seems Doctor Leam is waiting to speak with you.

The fellow medical specialist offers his hand, smiling with small bright blue eyes. His voice is chipper, the accent of someone who grew up in the capital far away from this city. "Yes yes! Quite an awesomely gruesome creature it must have been. I hear you were also part of the band of mercenaries who downed the Beast's parent, as well? A dashing young man of many talents? Averndale should be on Its guard, I say." The Doctor laughs, seeking to jest with the Physicker. "Speaking of... would you mind? I am a bit of an entomologist. Perhaps I can better identify the species if you wouldn't mind me taking charge of the larvae. Perhaps I can come up with something more concrete about its genus or species and the possible dangers a sighting might imply."

----

Sadur, Jasper, and presumably Xarakas would be able to spot the Temple of the Divines once their eyes adjusted back to the daylight that greeted them upon exiting the mine. The stone edifices of the pathways and the internal artworks were in reverence to the gods, either with joyous devotion or fearful adherence. Outfront several neophytes worked to clean the pathways and trim the hedges, they will greet you, and if asked you will be directed to meet up with Leon.

hook line, sinker, the pole and jumped into the boat.

One of the neophytes of the temple bows and then leads the party to Leon. You find him speaking with another gentleman, in a long coat and a brimmed hat with a leather bag at his side. He tips his hat to Leon.

"Very kind, Sir. Very Kind. Yes of course you will get my report as soon as I come up with something solid to aid you… Oh me? No no, I am an old hat. I came to bring some much-needed science to the hillfolk in my youth but these days I work in the city."

Turning to see the Party of Adventurers and for a moment attempting to size them up and determine their manner, also noticing the bug’s fluids upon the half-orc. "Oh my! And this must be your fellows. Quite a sight! Welcome to Averndale. You’ll have plenty more critters to smash, I bet. The monstrous spiders in the forests, the giant rats in the sewers, and those bloody backwoods savages causing trouble in the hills."

The Doctor, feeling dwarfed by the collected warriors, moved towards the exit as he spoke with somewhat nervous pleasantness, gesturing his variety of excitements with the empty hand. "... if you come across any more bugs, I am a collector of curiosities. Come by my office sometime, yes? I’ll leave you now… much to do! So much to do!" He will hurry off to collect the sample, and of to do some science!

The party again moves through the city, passing through the fort to ascend the hillside and reach the Mayor's Manor. This time, however, the Mayor is outside with Marcus, the nighttime Watch-Captain, as the group approaches.

"You see there, Marcus? I told you they would not terry." The Mayor turns, motioning the Watch-Captain to be dismissed, which Marcus does with a bit of a perturbance in his expression as he walks around the party and leaves. The Mayor on the other hand smiles brightly, in a way you were likely unsure he could manage. "Heroes! You've managed to find the worker, an outcome that not many were confident in. This certainly will fix the situation to everyone's satisfaction... speaking of... ah! Commander Hanson.

A stern-faced soldier with the markings of rank walks passed the Adventurers and turns so that he might look between the Mayor and these newcomers. He nods to the Mayor and then to the Party. "Lord Mund... adventurers... I am told Darol is returned. Good. Is this a new problem in the valley?"

"The creature is dead and the mine is clear... we can reopen that shaft." The mayor answered, but the Commander was not looking at him, he was waiting for the adventurers to answer, something the Mayor seemed to recognize with muted anger. Commander Hanson looks between the party members sizing them up and seeing which one of them would answer.

Hanson has the power over this situation, for some reason or another, considering the politics of the Fortress and the Town being entwined. The Commander stares sternly, looking for signs of deception from the Adventurers, trying to smooth talk the situation. He considers but then nods towards the party. "I thank you." A moment of genuine emotion from the Fort Commander, before his face hardens back into the shrewd look of a military officer, turning that attention to the Mayor.

The Mayor however was first to speak again, his look easy-going in spite of his tense a moment before. "You see? A bug problem, nothing more. This horrid wilderness reminds us again. Nothing that the City cannot handle, and now we have some specialists. The Averndale Adventurers' Guild is just getting started, Commander. And then you will have more troops to place on the road."

The Commander for his part does not soften at the Mayor's speech, but finally relents and gives a simple nod, before turning on his heels and walking off. With nothing more to say. The Mayor beams that toothy smile again and claps his hands. "Welldone adventurers welldone. Since you are already filthy, let's get you on to that next task! I have another dirty job for you... Talk to the Works-Manager at the Guildhall. He will take you to your next job."