OOC:
The amount of this information that each of your characters might learn heavily depends on how much time and effort they put into talking to people and investigating, and also on how long they spend in this valley (
Norbert might learn most of it, even after the others depart).
It is up to each of you what your characters find out. If there is anything omitted that you want to explore (or would have explored) further, we can talk about it.
The mayor looked mildly pleased to have his kids back, though more worried about his son's well-being then his daughter's after her traumatic ordeal —if anything he seems pleased that she was eligible. He is a lot less pleased to hear of Theo's plans to leave and further his studies, he definitely plans to derail that idea if he can.
This behaviour does not endear him to the general populace and his position is tenuous at best... someone just needs to work out how one goes about replacing a rural village mayor.
It turns out the women were tricked into joining a cult, and then into doing progressively more extreme things —in the classic (but inaccurate) scenario of 'boiling the frog'— culminating in the aborted sacrifice of the mayor's daughter. Everyone involved admits they were not happy about doing that part (though, obviously, who would claim otherwise?) but did not object due to 'peer pressure'.
The lure that got them involved was talk of how much the men of the valley were oppressing the women under misogynist authority. Few of the women say they felt this way before learning about this phenomenon. From what you have observed: things are bad for
everyone —due to mismanagement— and almost all the men (except for the mayor) were surprisingly subservient to their wives, including the scary Olaf —sneaking out to go see his friends and brother because Olga did not approve of them— and even the 'second' baron (whose name we forget) —who seemed very concerned when your questions suggested he would disobey his wife's orders and even think about going out on the night of the solstice.
Aside: Speaking of 'wives' Limpy declares that he is going to seek out Helena and finally ask her to marry him. "No." He says shyly, "After the ox sat on me, I could not face her, out of embarrassment." Depending on how that goes he may or may not be keen to adventure with the party when it leaves.
Back to the 'cult': None of the women really know who 'Aunty Nicki' was —and she has not been spotted since the night before you broke up the ritual— they all assumed she was related to someone else, usually the person who introduced her, though there is confusion over who introduced whom. The hazy consensus is that she has been around for 'a year or three', whispering in people's ears and sowing discord. Everyone seemed to not want to talk about her, as though she had cultivated a habit, in each of them, to treat their relationship as 'special' and 'secret'.
After a few drinks, Olaf boasts about his 'contact', about how he gathered information about the activities of the baron and was instrumental in setting things right. He thinks that Nixon worked for the baron, but is not sure now, and was convinced that Nixon was talking about the near baron and not the other baron, so he is confused about which one. He can not recall Nixon actually saying this outright, but that was the impression he got.
The mayor's expression hardens as he hears this story and he vanishes for a while shortly afterwards, returning looking angry. Possibly there is some connection there.
Someone claims that Olaf's baron also had a 'secret contact', though they don't know if it was a spy from the village or from the other baron.
The person the party saw the other baron sneaking off at night to meet 'in private' (in a public inn?) bears a striking resemblance to the little you saw and have now heard about Olaf's Nixon.
Everyone involved admits that their contact mostly shared information about the bad things being done by people they already disliked. More sowing of discord.
It takes a few days to organise, but Barky was true to his word and enlisted Olga to organise a feast. Depleted as it is, the valley needed to spend the money having food and entertainment shipped in.
A carnival sets up outside the village and people from all over come to participate. There are squabbles and fights as people from opposite sides meet for the first time. Ahsa spends a lot of time talking sternly to these people afterwards and they end those conversations looking contrite and embarrassed by their behaviour.
Ahsa is still being carried about on a palanquin —apparently she provided both the plans for its hasty construction, and the name, though where she would have learned about such things is a mystery— this makes her seem regal —as opposed to 'injured'— which might explain why people are listening to her? That and the fancy clothes the village has provided for her, for some reason?
The captain is worried about Ahsa.
"I know her parents, I knew her as a kid. She was always... I don't want to say 'a bit ...dull' but that is the truth." She tells you.
"They sent her off on an adventure to try to develop some sort of 'interesting personality to attract suitors'. I think they got more than they bargained for, on both counts." She seems worried.
There is little time to talk with the captain, but she does tell you that she needs to speak to you before you leave. She has possible information about the 'horned-wolf' symbol you found in the evil temple. When she is strong enough she needs to get back to her caravan and her real job,
"But," she says.
"If you are going to continue to deal with that temple, I may know where to start looking for more information."
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Describe what your character do during the carnival/feast/celebration.
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Describe anything that you want to have happen to your character in the future. If they are not adventuring further, feel free to go into far future details, as you like it.
