Against the Cult: Disappearances (1.6)

As Aanbo, Joseph, Theran, and Xana began their training, one of the acolytes of Rao came to the Inn of Eternal Rest to congratulate the Heroes of Hochoch once again, and let them know that Diana had sent a runner to the Jarl farm to let them know that Devek was awake again and that he seemed to be recovering nicely. Albertus got into a bit of a disagreement with the acolyte at this, as he felt that they should have been the ones to deliver the good news! The acolyte was very apologetic, not wanting to upset the heroes. Despite Kragga's insistence that the man meant no offense - he was just reporting what Diana had ordered - Albertus would not calm down, instead insisting that it was only paladinic if he would go and confront the priestess herself. Olpert and Kragga tried to talk him out of this, but it was Ogbar's insistence that it could wait until morning, because this was his last night with the party, that changed Albertus' mind.

The party was stunned, but Ogbar assured everyone that his mind was made up. He thanked Olpert, and asked that his thanks be passed on to Cecily, but he would be taking his earnings and leaving for his homeland in the morning. The party celebrated mightily.

The next morning, Ogbar rose, apparently none the worse for wear, and headed out. As he was passing the last of the farmhouses, he saw two travelers he saw on the road approaching from the other direction (on their way into town): a muscular woman in heavy mail, shield strapped to her back, and, astonishingly, another clansman from the distant northlands! Ogbar greeted them warmly - these were his kind of people! - and introduced himself. The armored woman was Myrtha, the northman was Reptile. They had come by different paths and ended up hired by Cecily to bolster the numbers of Dungeon Busters in what was turning out to be a thriving franchise in Hochoch. Ogbar told them a little bit about what to expect, and presented himself as a prime example of a success story: he'd made his riches, become a hero, and was now headed home! Having described Olpert to them, Ogbar shook their hands, wished them all success, and then continued on his way.

Myrtha and Reptile arrived in town and asked after the location of the Inn of Eternal Rest. There, they found Olpert in the courtyard, noting records in his log books. "Ah!" he said, handing a sealed note to another runner. "You must be two of the new crew. Welcome, welcome! I think we'll have some work for you very soon!" Kragga the half-orc wizard approached and introduced himself. "I'm always pleased to meet others eager to plumb the mysteries of the past!" Very quickly, the wizard began talking about Boccob and the various writings of Pae that the Dungeon Busters had found in their last adventure into an ancient ruin. "Several of the others are around still: Albertus, Durren, Klak, Morgran, Sara, Thacogygax (he's a fun one)...you just missed Ogbar. Oh, you met him on the way into town? Marvelous! Oh, and I nearly forgot Quest." Kragga gets a puzzled look for a moment. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Quest in days. I wonder where he went? I should ask Olpert about it."

"You are fairy well-coom!" Devane Thornhill tells the two newest adventurers in his heavily-accented Imperial. "Police, heffa sit! Aye will brung you sum foot! Fairy gut!" His wife, Soraya, approaches with a smile, and introduces herself, clearly mentally noting your names. She speaks Imperial with a slight Northern accent. "We are delighted to have more Dungeon Busters heroes here. Your group has already done so much for our community!" She smiles. "If you need anything to help you get settled here in town, directions, referrals, introductions, please let us know."

There aren't a lot of people in the Inn in the early afternoon, aside from some employees and regulars. Kragga murmurs their names as Myrtha and Reptile look around the open seating. "That pretty blonde human - the one who is watching us and ignoring her suitors - is Lienne Vereel. The human in the corner, slowly getting drunk, is Rufus..." Kragga speaks out of the side of his mouth: "He loaned us the use of his wagon and we keep leaving it out by the Jarl farm...we should really get it back to him before someone steals it or breaks it down for firewood..." He points out an elf sitting by herself with her eyes closed, either meditating or deeply asleep. "That's Mironund; she came in with Quest. Have you met Quest yet?" When they shake their heads, Kragga says "I haven't met him yet, either, but everyone says he helped out a lot with that problem at the mill..." He points out a halfling who totters up to Lienne's table to deliver a tray full of drinks. "That's Tap - he works for Devane and Soraya. The brunette woman eating dinner with the kid there is Mathilda, and the kid is Durren Elderblade, another Dungeon Buster. They seem to be getting along pretty well since I was in town last. Olpert says that we can fraternize with the locals only so far as it doesn't interfere with our duties as heroes and representatives of the company. Lastly, there's Wellin over there - " The half-orc wizard points to a haggard-looking human man sitting in the corner, staring into the distance over his small bowl of stew and cup of cheap ale. "He was a trader, running goods between Hookhill, Orlane, and Hochoch, but he was robbed by Bandit Black and ever since he's been trying to scrape enough coin together to get out of town. Last couple of days he's been hiring himself out as a farmhand, from what I hear."

Soraya nods. "I can recommend the work of Pever; he's done some very solid fine metal tools for us."

After she leaves and Tap serves the food, Kragga chuckles at Myrtha's first question and Reptile's response. "Yes, Reptile has the right of it. Lienne...likes to find out things, and tell others about them. You could call her a gossip, or maybe an 'information broker.'" The half-orc frowns. "Master Olpert is also looking for Quest? Hmm. I suppose he could have left town without telling us...as for Bandit Black..." Kragga sighs and takes a drink. "Bandit Black is apparently a scourge in these parts. One of the first things our group did here in Hochoch was liberate a mill that had been captured by some of Black's bandits. They were holding the miller's family hostage and getting him to grind for them." He considers. "You know, it's still not clear what they wanted with the mill..."

Soon enough the rest of the party arrives from their training sessions, and as they sit at the table with the others, Olpert joins them. Knowing the drill by now, Tap arrives with drinks for each person.

"I was waiting for enough of you to be in one place that I could talk about your next assignments. First of all, though, I'd like to welcome our newest members, Myrtha...uh...and Reptile! You both come with very high recommendations from Cecily, and we're glad to have you on the team!" Olpert taps his mug on the table and then takes a drink: genteel applause for the new members of the organization, Myrtha the fighter and Reptile the barbarian.

"But now: Dungeon Busters business. You all" he gestures to include Aanbo, Joseph, Theran, and Xana "Did a great job with that Jarl boy (not to mention all the loot your brought back with you): the town can talk of little else. Which, as you know, is good news for Dungeon Busters." He taps his mug and takes another drink. Then he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "You know what isn't good news for Dungeon Busters? Borrowing things and not returning them. Like a WAGON." Olpert looks over at Rufus on the other side of the covered patio and raises his cup in salute. Rufus waves back, a little unsteadily. "I've had to buy that man drinks for days now, because he's out two oxen and a wagon. I understand that the oxen ran off - they've probably been eaten long since - but some of you should get a plowhorse or another ox to hitch up to the wagon and bring it back before the man loses his livelihood. Need I remind you that we're here to make people safer, by solving their difficult or dangerous problems, not by losing their assets?" Olpert does tend to talk like an accountant at times. But then again, he is the one handling all the books for this branch of the organization, so perhaps it's expected.

"That's just wrapping up the previous job. As for new jobs, well, there's not a lot happening here in Hochoch that I'm aware of, and I've been asking around and having the other Dungeon Busters spread the word. But there are two things of concern that I think could bear fruit:
First, we don't know if we've driven off Bandit Black, so there's the possibility that he's still in the area, biding his time to assault the next caravan or merchant. That ties in to the second thing: ever since I got here, I've been hearing rumors about weird stuff going on in Orlane. There's a lot of wild stories, but the fact is that trade from Orlane has practically ground to a halt, and nobody who has gone out east to Orlane or Hookhill beyond it have come back to tell us what's happening. Just about the only contact we've had with Orlane recently is that kidnapper you guys brought in..." He looks at a scrap of paper that he's filled with notes in tiny, crabbed handwriting, "...Jonbon, that's his name. Jonbon was from Orlane, right? We need to find out what's happening with Bandit Black - is he still a threat? - and what's happening with shipments from Orlane. People can't shut up about the great produce that Orlane produces, and they're pretty unhappy about only eating the stuff grown around here. Is that all clear? I hope so. If you have any questions for me, ask away. But I think you could start by talking to the bandits and Jonbon to see if you can find out anything more."

Kragga frowns and steps aside with Olpert to talk for a few minutes about Quest. Olpert seems to think he's just left, but what Kragga remembers doesn't seem in keeping with that version of events.

OK, so it sounds like some people want to get the wagon, and some want to talk to the bandits, some want to talk to Jonbon, and some want some combination of the three. Declare which thing your character is doing first.

Olpert and Kragga finish their conversation over by Olpert's makeshift "office" in the open-air area of the Inn of Eternal Rest's courtyard, but they're joined by a new arrival to the Inn: a tall, black-haired elf carrying a lute. The elf gives a deep, courtly bow, and Olpert begins looking through the papers he has on his makeshift desk. He finds what he's looking for and nods. Then he says a few words to Kragga, who leaves slowly, with many a backwards glance at the elf. No doubt he'll be back later to make good on his promise to show Myrtha and Reptile around town.

Olpert takes the elf companionably by the arm and leads him over to the table where the party is gathered. "I've sent Kragga off on an errand, but the rest of you should proceed with retrieving that ox and wagon. But first, may I introduce to you another new Dungeon Busters recruit: Karliel." The man with the lute smiles and you all see that he's not entirely an elf - he clearly has some human ancestry - but he seems to have been blessed with the best traits of both races. You each feel an aura around Karliel that makes you want to trust him and gain his approval. "Karliel tells me that he's interested in finding other musicians, so if any of you have any interest in music, that's something you can discuss on the way out of town."Having decided that it's better to stick together, Aanbo, Joseph, Karliel, Myrtha, Reptile, Theran, and Xana gather together and start to make introductions and get to know each other a bit better as they head through town. Various townsfolk smile and wave, recognizing the heroes of Hochoch that they've either met themselves or heard so much about in the past couple of weeks. They're also very curious about the charming musician in the group. The party also sees the dwarven cleric, Morgran, aim a blessing in their direction, swaying slightly on his feet (this early in the morning, he's only slightly in his cups).

The party proceeds south out of the East Gate. The continue through the outer town to the bridge crossing the Realstream River to get to Cecily's Road. Once on the Road, they set a brisk pace and within three hours they have passed through all the cultivated lands of Hochoch farms and entered the outskirts of the Dim Forest. The thick canopies of the trees overhead cast a dense shade, leaving only the center of the road illuminated by bright midday sun. It is a relief after the heat of the hasty march. If they can maintain a fast pace, shortly after nightfall they'll get to the place that Aanbo, Joseph, and Xana know: where a narrow path leads north off of the Road to the Jarl farm.