OOC:
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This part was a bit boring and drawn out for both me and the group, so I am sort of summarizing it, rather than give a few pages of dialoge.
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The party walked across the square to the inn. The common room had a healthy load of merchants and townsfolk drinking, talking, and singing. Celia talked to the barkeep, a muscled, middleaged half elf nammed Tokket.
She asked if there is any place Cobble can stay, perhaps a night in the local jail, and Tokket offered to give him a room for the night, one without windows or sharp corners. They asked Cobble if this was good with him, and he mumbled something about "death to everyone." They put him in his room and locked the door.
Davin turned out to have a strong appetite for drink, and talked aimiably to Tokket for a long while, growing progressivly more drunk. Meanwhile, Inquisitor Hollun ordered a light dinner of mashed potatos and roast lamb, while Sel ordered two of the same. Celia sipped from a mug of apple cider quietly, watching the surrounding patrons. After a time, Davin wandered over, and explained what he had learned from Tokket during thier conversaton.
-The children who had gone missing were two boys and a girl.
-"The Heroes of the Bell" , the local adventuring group (he didnt ask thier names), has also gone missing. They had sworn to find the chilkdren, and left town while tracking down one of them, never to renturn.
-The water may be to blame for the headaches and dreams. Tokket recomends a fine Shelzarian wine that makes a suitible replacement. He also thinks that someone in the town may have offended Erias, the demigod of dreams.
-Most people in town work at "The New Mine", on the slopes of Steeple Moutain, which is owned by the brash Krekket, who also owns one or two of the founderies. He's always been a bully, but he has good buisness sense, and because of him the town has prospered well.
-Wyrmcall, the bell in the Belltower outside, is used to call town meetings and warn people of danger. It used to be sounded when Copperdeath was coming. It's so loud that it actually killed a drunk who passed out up there, and shattered his wine bottle.
-Utrish, the old wise woman, and a good friend of Tokket's, who lives on the mountain side of town, has prophesised that the headaches and dreams will end within the week, and people believe her, as she has been right before. She once told Farmer Othic that his milk cow would go to the "voice of metal", and sure enough, a few days later, Othic's cow was found on the platform next to Wyrmcall, scared to death and unable to get back down the stairs.
-Finally, Tokket's own mother was a bard who helped kill Copperdeath. Tokket never got along with her until just before her death, but he kept some of her momentos, including Copperdeath's two great horns, some of his teeth (still sharp), and his claws, in addition to a sundered greataxe and a diary belonging to one of her friends.
-Tokket gladly showed Davin the diary, and he recopied a piece of it here:
"I don't know what the date is, but it seems like late in the year. I've been working with bloody troglodytes- trogs! - to mine and forge copper and bronze for Goran knows how long. By his half beard! I'm going to try to find the others, maybe to snap them out of that damn beasts enchantment and stop it once and for all. It's got this whole town working as its slaves. We'll put a stop to that. I'm not sure if we'll come in up the mountainside or try to sneak throught the mine tunnels where we saw it before. The moutainside seems more dangerous and open. May Goran bless my endevor and deliver my soul if we don't succeed, as I'll not truckle to it once again."
-Finally, right as they had finished dinner, they heard a deep *BOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG. BOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG* that echoed in thier chests. Even inside, the bell seemed unnaturally loud. Messangers began calling out "Town meeting in the Plaza, town meeting in the Plaza!" Everyone in the Inn began moving towards the door. The party followed.
the mayor Hob Waterman, along with Lucius and his wife Phillippa Krekket, and someone who could only be the captain of the town guards, were standing on a platform at the base of Wyrmcall's tower. There was a gathering crowd, which the mayor was trying to quiet, with little success. Just as the party joined the crowd, the mayor began to speak.
Some were worried about the children missing, and he assured them that the Heroes of the Bell were quite busy looking for them. Some were worried about the Heroes themselves missing, and he assured them that they were investigating outside of town, and they would be back soon enough. It was about then that he noticed the unfamiar faces of the party, and asked thier buisness in town. Before Davin could get a hand over they small man's mouth, Sel told the mayor "We're here to find the children AND the heroes, AND fix the headaches and dreams!". The crowd murmered, and the mayor was skeptical, but told the party to talk to him after the meeting. The rest of the party said some harsh things to Sel once the crowds attention was off them. Some ask about the dangers of mining at such a time, and Krekket loudly insists that the copper must flow. Nightmares are no excuse to miss quota. Many talk of the headaches and dreams, and of amimals acting strangly. Hob points out that the animals are getting headaches to, but by now both the Inquisitor and his daughter are pretty sure the mayor is grasping at straws.
After the meeting, Hob told the party that any help would be appreciated, that if they want to know more about the headaches and nightmares, they should probably talk to the wise woman, who is knowledgable on the subject. Finally, he asked them to meet him in his office the following afternoon.
They agree, and upon returning to the inn, get a room and fall asleep for the night, thier minds troubled.
Each dreams a different dream, but they are all disturbing and dark.
The morning brings something far worse: death.