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The Second Golden Age of Oannon

Altair

First Post
There are several buildings of interest near the center of the town...

There's the town hall, a large white-painted wooden building with a clocktower at the northern end (the arms of the clock are rusted and don't appear to be moving). There is a small brick fort, which appears to double as both the guard armory and the stockades. The town bar, name unidentifiable, appears to be a poor little building without any windows. Slightly further down the street there is also what appears to be a a 2-story inn, complete with an empty 8-stall stable, the portrait of a snarling lion's head and the letters "INN" above its doorway. Slightly further away, on a mound near the broken bridge, there is a large cylindrical stone tower made of white brick with many narrow slits dotting its sides, the lord's keep standing dominating over the town and its adjacent riverway.

The houses in the town are mostly one-story, and presumably one room buildings. There is a small landing dock with a couple of rafts tied to it at the bank of the wide but slow-moving river. You see a few larger, multi-room buildings, which you assume are the houses of important government officials such as the seneschal and town marshal.

There is a gallows set up in the center of town with several bodies hanging from it. A couple of guards are taking down one of the bodies. A dozen other guards are standing watch (armed in chainmail coats, carrying longswords without shields). One man stands out, he is dressed in a shining breastplate sitting atop a red destrier. Some of the guards are eyeing you, "goddamn strangers," one of them says to another the other, pitched just loud enough so it reaches you "wanna bet that short one had something to do with all this?".

(Outside of the town central, there is nothing but peasant mud-huts and farmsteads. The only other structure of note you saw while riding in was the local temple of Pelor and its adjoining cemetary.)
 
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Arkhandus

First Post
"Excuse me, sir?" the gnome says as he trots the pony just a bit closer to the guards that spoke. "I was not aware many of my kin live in these parts. Is there any reason you distrust gnomes so much? We're harmless mummers and businessfolk, I assure you. Look," he says with a gesture towards his light crossbow, "does this look like the kind of gear any kind of serious warrior carries? I hardly know how to load this contraption properly, and it's barely enough to make the occasional highwayman think twice. I daresay I'd stand a better chance of scaring off brigands by talking their ears off!" Nezzern prattles on a bit jovially.

(Diplomacy check if needed: 15.)
 
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Altair

First Post
"Eh, I guess you're right. Forgive me if I'm a little wary of anyone carrying weapons." He shifts his weight from one foot to the other as he talks.

"If you were heading anywhere, you won't be able to cross the river until tomorrow. The local lord and his guards were robbed and killed, and we've sent everyone home, including the ferryman. I'd suggest you head indoors too. If you've got nowhere else to go for the rest of the evening, I suggest the Black Boar pub. The bartender's an old friend of mine, tell him Deston sent you." He smiles, "maybe after I get off my shift I'll buy you a lager. It's rare to see a friendly face these days."

[Diplomacy wasn't needed, but you now have a new best friend :p]
 

Arkhandus

First Post
"Ah, terrible news, Deston, right terrible news. And order is such an important thing for any community to work; losing a leader is quite troubling. You should find a nicer town to guard, my friend." Nezzern replies, shaking his head a bit as though disheartened at the news.

"But this bartender sounds like a decent fellow, so I'll take you up on that offer, and try to stay safe while I'm here. You do the same," he says with a nod, urging his pony towards the bar. Empty pleasantries but necessary to avoid problems with the local ruffians, lawmen, and ruffian lawmen.

Silently, he thinks 'Well that fellow wasn't so violent as I'd have expected. I wonder what's going on, though. Was the local lord a ratfink, or just not popular with the rabble?'
 
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Altair

First Post
[I assume you meant the bar, not the inn, as you said you'd take him up on his offer. Quickly rewriting my post upon rereading yours.]

You make your way down the street to the tavern and tie your pony up to the post there before you step in. It's a damp, dark building, with the odor of alcohol hanging in the air. In the back of the place, in a lightless corner are 4 individuals sitting at a table drinking mead and discussing something quietly among themselves.

The barkeep looks up at hearing someone else walking in the door and quickly nods you over. "Hey..." he mumbles. His glance shifting back to the four men in the corner. In a pannicked whisper he bursts out, "you've got the trappings of a mage... You've got to help me out somehow. See those four men in the corner? Those 2 are dangerous criminals, and that one over there, the young one armed to the teeth... He's the most dangerous one of all, he's the guy who killed our lord. I don't know who the little one is, but if armed the way he is, he's probably no good either. I think they want to kill me so I don't finger them out to the guards."
 
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Dekana

Explorer
Meanwhile, Daniel is still carrying on a polite conversation with Gar. "I can't say I've ever met Gilliam personally before, though I saw him around the town once in awhile when he was in uh, better standing with the king." The young man turns around to see another short fellow enter the bar. One of Jake's friends maybe? He smiles at the gnome and raises his glass if he looks in Daniel's direction, otherwise he continues his discussion.

"If you're going to pay a visit to Reeve tonight, let's stop by the inn first and see if Gilly's around. He might be able to scarce up a few men to help. After all, he is supposed to be a 'bandit captain'..."
 

Arkhandus

First Post
Nezzern looks towards the group at the table, gives a brief smile to the fellow that raises his glass, then looks back up to the bartender. "Well, that's an unexpected turn," he says quietly to the bartender, "I suppose I'll see what I can do. First, fetch me a mug of something that isn't watered down. Deston sent me."

After he's gotten his drink and put a few coins on the bar to pay for it, Nezzern walks over to the table where the ruffians are gathered, and says jovially "Hello gentlemen, any news to share with a traveling gnome? Everyone else seems so gloomy and it's bringing me down!"
 

Mellubb

First Post
Jake's mood quickly changes as the gnome approaches. "I suppose that depends on what you consider news friend traveler and how long you have been in town. BARKEEP I WILL BUY THIS GNOME'S DRINKS. Now let's say you and I talk over their for a while and let these gentlemen catch up." Jake winks at Daniel and says please let me know before you leave friend.
 

Arkhandus

First Post
Nezzern goes along with the halfling fellow to talk, a curious smile on his face. Though he'll keep a careful eye out for any shifty behavior. He's still not sure what to think of the town's situation yet.
 

Altair

First Post
Gar waves his hand in dismissal at Daniel, "Nah, you go without us. Me and Ron are going to stay behind for a little bit and enjoy our drinks. We'll be waiting by the old man's house the rest of the day. Meet us there any time before sundown if you want in on the fun."
 
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