You spend the next two days preparing for your next assault upon the Temple: planning, gathering gear and equipment, and waiting. Lots of waiting. Still, the village of Hommlet is not a bad place to while away the pleasant autumn days, and the villagers are surely glad of your coin.
While the unfortunate Ragnok has spent the time locked in a cell, recovering his wits, the rest of you have had a chance to explore the town and get to know some of the locals.
The young Coraine has gotten on well with the jovial and tipsy Elmo, the son of a local farmer. While a bit slow in speech, he has been a fine drinking companion at night, and Coraine has found him to be a skilled warrior as well. The two have spent a few hours sparring down by the river, in the fields behind the Wench. While Coraine seems to win about 2 out of 3 bouts, the young Elmo has managed to beat the knight on a few occasions. And the young and handsome knight has received more than a few smiles and batted eyelashes from the local farmgirls, much to the chagrin of their fathers.
The friendly and talkative Trevor has managed to befriend many of the townsfolk, mostly farmers and other laborers. The dairy farmer near the mill, Ruftan, has had the young man over to sample his many cheeses over a bottle of pleasant local wine. And Trevor has taken to playing at cards and dice at night with the self-proclaimed "treasure hunter" Furnock of Ferd who is staying at the inn. There was some initial tension, when each of them got caught cheating by the other, but the two had a good laugh over it and continued to play...trying to see who could cheat better than the other.
Kurt has spent some time getting to know Canon Terjon and the underpriest Calmer at the Church of Saint Cuthbert. While his religion differs somewhat from their own, he has found them to be quite wise and insightful during their discussions. And some of their tenants he has found refreshingly similar to his own; such things as "evil which cannot be removed must be eliminated" and "enlightments can penetrate even a helm of iron." Other than this, Kurt has mostly spent his time in meditation, prayer and reflection, preparing himself for the coming trials. He had felt the overwhelming darkness when he had held the gemstone in his hand, and it was only his faith and devotion that had kept him from being overcome.
Dara too has spent some time getting to know some of the locals. She even managed to secure an audience with the reclusive Druid of the Grove, Jaroo Ashstaff. Of course, she had to befriend the hard-working and likable Brother Smythe, first, but seeing as how he runs the only blacksmith in town and Dara's knowledge of weaponry, this proved quite easy. From Jaroo Dara has learned that it is not only the forces of good that are concerned with the growing power of the Temple, but the forces of balance as well. The Druids of the Gnarley Forest have been most concerned about the rising evil in the area, and Jaroo is most relieved to find that the companion's foreys have been quite successful. He offers his aid, what little he can provide, should Dara deem it necessary.
And Verdis has found himself sharing serving drinks with the travelling wizard Spugnois, who is also staying at the inn. They have had many lively discussions on such topics as arcane magics and the planes of existence, and Verdis was quite shocked over the man's knowledge of the ancient Suloise. And the serving wench Alice...well, the tiny little blonde has taken quite a liking to Verdis, flirting with him shamelessly whenever he is about.
As the days pass, though, you can't help but feel like you are being watched from time to time. None of you ever actually see anyone paying anymore attention to you then they should, and no attacks materialize, but the feeling remains. For the most part, Hommlet is exactly what it appears: quaint and peaceful.
