Yttermayn's "Saga of the Dragon Cult" (IC)

The hamlet of Hadler's Gap is a small frontier hamlet in the northern latitudes of the world. The only things that really set it apart from other hamlets dotting the region is the "tame" troll that lives in the community, and the fact that the tanner's son was recruited as an apprentice to the royal court magician some years ago.
Grok and Roderic's superior in thier particular church of Pelor had received a missive from the temple in Hadler's Gap, explaining that some of the normally peacefull creatures in the nearby hills (including an ogre and a cave with some kobolds) were suddenly getting extremely aggressive. Local wildlife was even being affected. A hunter brought down a deer with his bow, but when he approaced the creature, he saw that instead of antlers, it had tentacles which also were coming out of it's eyes. The creature was presumably dead when it suddenly lunged up and bit the hunter on the leg, leaving a pus oozing wound. The hunter beat the thing back down with a club until it stopped moving and tried to drag the corpse back to town to show to the constable, but it rapidly rotted away and left a black slimey trail until it had totally necrotized. The head preist sent Grok and Roderic on thier way to the village to investigate. A week later, they arrived.
John Tannerson heard the news through the grapevine that the normally peacefull ogre Logbrag killed Parkad the Furrier, a longtime family friend and buisness associate of the the Tannerson family. When John went to his master, the old wizard said "Though I still have some more I can teach you, much of your further developement as a wizard can only be realized though personal experience. I hearby end your apprenticeship and give you leave. My last order to you is to return home and... take care of your family. I will send word if I have further need of you. Understand though, that should that happen it will be as comrads and not as a master to an apprentice." The old mage smiled, barely able to suppress a twitching of the eye that betrayed heightened emotion. "Now go, fly you fool!" he said with a wave of his hand. A week later, he found himself in Hadler's Gap.
Thrindar and Tuk individually caught wind of rumors of strange happenings, murders, and roberies in the area around Hadler's Gap. Both realized that such events often lead to demand for certain sets of skills which they happened to possess, as well as potentialy lucrative rewards. It didn't take them long to find themselves in Hadler's Gap.
OOC: waiting on replies from Voadam and Scott concerning special roles before going much further with them. Amaury is on vacation and I have PM'd him. Hopefully I will be integrating Rosalia at that time.
All of you have heard several bits of information on the lips of the locals. It seems there indeed are many things going on in this hamlet lately. For years there was an ogre and some kobolds living in a cave in the surrounding hills. All this time they had been peacfull, not really bothering anyone. The local lumberjacks, furriers, hunters, mushroom pickers, and other outdoor tradesmen had all seen Logbrag the ogre and small groups of kobolds. Most of the time the humans and the monsters would notice each other and give each other a wide bearth. Lately, however, Logbrag attacked and killed a furrier, witnesses says he seemed insane and ran off after the attack gibbering nonsense all the way. Bodies of merchants and other travelers have been found near the roads, some badly beaten like the furrier, others poked full of holes and robbed. The locals are now very afraid and only the bravest still go out into the wilderness. Even then they don't go far and the hamlet is starting to suffer.
Roderic and Grok both felt more and more uneasy as they got closer to Hadler's Gap on the last two days of thier journey. Now that they are here, looking up into the surrounding hills gives them both feelings of unease.
Scrag has heard of and noticed several new arrivals to town, all of them very different from the local people he has become familiar with.

Thrindar : Male Dwarf Wizard (Evoker) 1

At last he was in the hamlet of Hadler's Gap. Having caught wind of rumors of strange happenings, murders, and roberies in the area around the hamlet, he realized that such events often lead to demand for a certain sets of skills. Skills that he happened to possess and with this demand the potential for lucrative rewards. As he meandered through the hamlet he tried to catch one of the local's eye. "Where would I find someone in charge? A mayor or some such?" Toby sat next to his companion and punctuated his question with a "Meow!" Thrindar continued. "I am Thrindar the Great. No doubt you have heard of me? I am here to rid this place of its troubles!" Toby began cleaning his left paw.

Thrindar the wizard has no trouble catching eyes, as an adventuring dwarf wearing anything other than an inch thick layer of metal over his body is a rare sight. A nearby man shoeing a horse halts his work for a moment to appraise the the stranger. "We have no need of mayors here, all of us work for a living. If you really want to 'Rid us of our troubles', you'll kill that blasted ogre and his pet kobolds living in the mountains herebouts." The man glances doubtfully at Toby before staring openly back at Thrindar.

Thrindar : Male Dwarf Wizard (Evoker) 1

Thrindar smirks. "Ah! Good then. Where might I find this ogre? How long has it been causing troubles? Any other details would be helpful." Toby continues to take his bath not interested in the conversation.

Scrag goes about his daily chores until break time, at which point he stands outside the temple of Pelor and stares at anyone new in town, watching them closely. Strangers meant trouble and Scrag felt it was duty to defend the people he knew from those he didn't.

Tuk wandered through the town when he arrived, watching the people's work. His knee eyes caught a dwarf, speaking with a man shooing a horse, a troll siting over a church ... Wait, a troll on a church? This was getting real strange, first a dwarf that wears no axe, and then a religious troll... The wanderer gave a few more walks around the town, and finally, searched a tavern, there is always a tavern or a decent bar, to drink some beer and meet people and possible employers. Tuk will go inside such building, order a beer, sit alone a study the people before interacting with anyone.

The man wrinkles his nose as though a bit annoyed at the arrogant manner of the dwarf, but his answer is courteous and to the point. "Things started happening about two months ago. There is a cave up in the hills that he and the kobolds are known to lair in. The man points up into the hills. "Do you see that outcrop of rock there, just a quarter of the way down from the draw? It is near that rock. Once you get in the area, you should start to see signs of foot traffic to the cave." He looks the dwarf over critically "Are you really going to go it alone? Or do you have companions coming? Ahhh... You do have companions then." He nods in the direction of a heavily built man carrying a spiked chain walking through the hamlet nearby.
Scrag catches the jist of the conversation between the strange dwarf and the farrier. His inhuman eyes also take note of a burly human in scale armor and bearing a spiked chain wandering about town until he enters the inn.
The beer is delivered to Tuk's table almost immediately, the proprieter offering a simple meat and potatoes lunch for the paltry sum of 3 silver, plus 4 copper for the beer. Tuk finds it difficult to do much people watching because the few people that are here are watching him back.

Roderic Asturien

The tall young man clad in worn scale hauberk and greaves turns to his half-orc companion. "By the Light, but there actually IS a troll here... and standing by the temple!" He leads the way towards the temple, his demeanr curious but not hostile.

Scrag eyes the strangers, his inhuman face making it difficult to determine if he is eyeing them warily, curiously, hungrily or some combination there of.

Grok looked at the temple and nodded. "Yes. He not even green like real troll. He almost blue. Wonder what wrong with him." He knew Roderic was much smater than him and could more easily form words into coherent sentences, but his curiosity was piqued.

As they approached the temple, Grok called out. "Troll, we come here to see preist. We serve Pelor. Help save town. You know what Grok say?" He knew that trolls were typically dumb and he might have to repeat himself, but he took the chance anyway.

He turned to Roderic and half smiled and spoke in a hushed voice. "Hope he know what Grok say. He not look too smart. He ugly too, not like Grok." He then smiled as best he could trying to look charming.