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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 1779378" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p>The group separated and went about their business in the town. Autumn and Kyle walked toward the schoolhouse, where several children could be seen playing.</p><p></p><p> “What exactly are we doing here?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “We see if any of the kids have seen or heard anything unusual,” explained Kyle. “Sometimes kids’ll tell you things that adults want to hush up.”</p><p></p><p> They approached a group of four young girls, no more than ten years old. “Hi there,” Kyle said, kneeling down so he was closer to their height.</p><p></p><p> “Hi,” said one of the girls, looking at the two strangers. “Who are you?”</p><p></p><p> “My name is Autumn,” said the holy warrior, also kneeling, “and this is Kyle. Do you mind if we ask you some questions about the town?”</p><p></p><p> “What kind of questions?”</p><p></p><p> “Just about stuff going on around here,” Kyle said. “You see, we’re adventurers, and we like to help fix problems. We’ve heard there’s been problems here in Dagger Rock.”</p><p></p><p> The little girl glanced at her friends uncertainly. “Then why don’t you talk to the grownups?”</p><p></p><p> Kyle smiled. “Because we know who really knows what’s going on in any town.”</p><p></p><p> The girls nodded to each other confidently. Unfortunately, their attempts to glean any news from the children proved less satisfying than expected. One girl talked about seeing ghosts in the graveyard. Another talked about how the orcs staying at Grog’s tavern were here to buy horses, although they hadn’t bought many. Several of the kids described Grog as a “monster who eats children”, obviously influenced by their parent’s warning about the fire-touched man. After speaking with several of the children, Kyle and Autumn took their leave of the school. They decided to take a walk around town, strolling past the cobbler’s field on their way so they could tell Osborn of any unusual features they saw.</p><p></p><p> “Kyle,” Autumn said suddenly as they walked, “may I ask you a question?”</p><p></p><p> “Sure.”</p><p></p><p> “Yesterday, at the inn, when you were asking all those questions – are you always so direct and inquisitive?”</p><p></p><p> Kyle thought for a moment. “Well, I suppose part of it comes from my Pa. He always taught me that the best way to start a conversation is to ask someone about themselves. See, most people don’t have a problem talking about themselves – not that they’re conceited, or anything, just that it’s the subject they’re most familiar with. I hope I didn’t offend you.”</p><p></p><p> “Not at all,” Autumn replied, “it was just… abrupt, that’s all.”</p><p></p><p> “Well, I never was very good at social graces,” he grinned. “Probably comes from my upbringing. I worked on the family farm mostly growing up, and then was a carpenter’s apprentice. Neither profession allows for much socializing. Once I was hired on by the Tower as a handyman, I mostly kept to myself, since the students didn’t talk to me and the staff only would when they needed something. Once I became a student, it didn’t help matters – most wizards are good folks, but pretty intent on what they’re doing. At least, that’s how I see it. I had the hardest time striking up conversations unless I was pretty blunt about it.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn looked at the broad-shouldered wizard. “How did you come to be a student?” she asked.</p><p></p><p> “Well,” he replied, “like I said, I was hired on by the school for general maintenance – mostly carpentry, of course, but I also picked up a bit of blacksmithing, stonework, whatever was needed. So one day one of the professors in the wizardry school needs a new set of bookshelves. Well, she lets me borrow a few of her introductory magical theory tomes, so I can get the size right. One night I just picked one up out of curiosity. Though some of it didn’t make sense, I found a lot of it did, and I could follow what they were talking about. I read some of the other books, but didn’t think much about it until the professor asked me why they hadn’t been returned. Well, I fessed up to reading them, but instead of getting mad she was intrigued. She gave me a couple more books, and did a couple of tests. After a while she was giving me private lessons at night – said I was a regular prodigy. She taught me enough wizardry to get by, then encouraged me to apply to the school. Well, several thousand gold worth of debt later, here I am.”</p><p></p><p> “An interesting story, Kyle,” said Autumn. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”</p><p></p><p> “You’re welcome,” said Kyle, blushing slightly. “Though I’d appreciate a little discretion. See, the instructors in the wizardry school aren’t supposed to take on apprentices or private students. I’d hate to get Professor Vorsha in trouble.”</p><p></p><p> “I understand.” They walked for a little longer, past the cobbler’s fields. Seeing nothing that stood out as obviously unusual, they decided to go to the general store to talk to the owner, Barak Andovan, who was the fifth council member and the only one whose vote on the Grog issue was unknown.</p><p></p><p> “So, Kyle,” asked Autumn. “What do you think of our companions?”</p><p></p><p> “Oh, well, they seem a good bunch of folks to me,” he said. “Some of them have their quirks, but who doesn’t?”</p><p></p><p> “Like what?”</p><p></p><p> “Oh, well, nothing serious. I noticed that Kavan and Lanara seem real tight-lipped about their pasts – I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that, and they’ll probably talk when they’re ready. I guess I just figure that we’re supposed to be learning to work together as a group, and the best way to do that is to get to know each other.” He grinned again. “Maybe that’s another reason I’m so pushy with my questions.”</p><p></p><p> “Anyone else?” Autumn prompted.</p><p></p><p> “Nah, not really. Everyone else is pretty straightforward; your sister really seems to be the ‘what you see is what you get’ type.”</p><p></p><p> Autumn smiled slightly. “Ariadne is not really my sister,” she said.</p><p></p><p> “Well, I knew that,” said Kyle. “I mean, obviously you two don’t have the same parents. But Arrie calls you her sister, and I wasn’t going to say much about it because I didn’t know if there was some sort of family secret you two were hiding.”</p><p></p><p> “No, no secrets,” said Autumn. “We are related, but not true sisters. But Ariadne and I were raised together.”</p><p></p><p> “I see.” Kyle stopped for a moment to get his bearing before they proceeded to the general store. “So, how about you? What’s your opinion of our classmates?”</p><p></p><p> “I think I share the same general opinion as you,” she said. “They are a diverse group of people, but each has their own unique skills, all of which I believe will be useful in accomplishing our goals. On a more personal level… I suppose that I’m still trying to figure that out.”</p><p></p><p> “That’s because you don’t nag people with personal questions the way I do,” Kyle joked.</p><p></p><p> Autumn laughed, then was silent for a minute. “You know, I could teach you if you like,” she said.</p><p></p><p> “Teach me what?”</p><p></p><p> “Social graces, as you put it earlier. Perhaps help you not to come off quite so… abrupt.”</p><p></p><p> “Well, I’ve never turned down a chance for self-improvement,” said Kyle. “And I’ll be sure to return the favor, though I don’t suppose you’re much interested in the finer points of carpentry.”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p> Tolly and Arrie had spent the last two hours in the town’s records, deep inside Mayor Jacob’s home. Arrie had donned her family’s signet ring, and used the Verahannen name to convince the mayor that she was interested in acquiring land in town and wished to research available plots. While Tolly has stuck steadfastly to reading land ownership records, Arrie’s search was much broader in scope, thanks to several tomes that ‘accidentally’ fell open on the table.</p><p></p><p> They had discovered several interesting facts. It appeared that Yuri was the primary landowner in town, and leased to several townspeople. Grog’s inn was owned outright by the fire-touched; he had placed the highest bid on the land when it came up for auction. They also noted that the mayor and the other council members owned their own land. The financial records indicated that for the most part Yuri had recouped his costs for buying land within two years of leasing it out, which meant he was either buying it cheap or overcharging his tenants (or both). They noted that Yuri had first come to town about ten years ago. Interestingly, Arrie noted that two of the people named on the original town charter from seventy years ago were Yuri’s grandparents. There was no mention of Yuri’s parents in any town records.</p><p></p><p> They left the mayor’s house and began searching for Jim Aransee, the town drunk. They didn’t have to look far, as they spotted him stumbling out of the Green Grape Wine and Spirits shop, a jug in hand. Tolly looked ruefully at the jug he was carrying; they’d originally planned to lure him into conversation with the wine in that jug, assuming he didn’t have the resources to buy his own.</p><p></p><p> Arrie looked at Jim, then at Tolly. “Just follow me, and play along,” she said. As they got closer to Jim, Arrie clutched the priest’s arm, and began to shuffle and stumble a bit. When they neared the wine shop, she pulled up short.</p><p></p><p> “Come on, give me some money,” she called out loudly. Jim stopped his progress, and stood, wobbling, watching them.</p><p></p><p> “Money for what?” Tolly still wasn’t sure what Arrie had up her sleeve.</p><p></p><p> “You know what,” she said. “Come on, I need a drink.”</p><p></p><p> Tolly caught on. “Oh, no. Do you think I’m just going to hand over good coin for you to squander? I remember what happened last time.”</p><p></p><p> “I’ll be good this time, I promise,” Arrie said. “I just need a little.”</p><p></p><p> “I have my doubts,” said Tolly. Then he looked up at Jim. “Maybe you could convince this gentleman to share with you.”</p><p></p><p> Arrie looked up at Jim and grinned wildly. “How about it buddy? He won’t give me any money. You want to share your wine with me?”</p><p></p><p> “Nuh uh,” Jim replied, wobbling as he shook his head back and forth. He staggered off and leaned against the side of the blacksmith’s shop, seeking refuge from the afternoon sun.</p><p></p><p> “Look,” said Tolly, “why don’t you wait here, and I’ll go inside and get something for you.” He let Arrie’s arm go, and went inside the Green Grape. Arrie stumbled over and sat next to Jim, trying to pretend she didn’t notice the stench.</p><p></p><p> “I knew he’d see things my way,” she said. She tried to lead the conversation around to various subjects; Grog, the town, the recent muggings. Jim’s answers were mostly long, rambling tirades against Grog and other ‘impure’ races. He seemed to admire Yuri, mostly because Yuri never cut him off. But it seemed that despite their hopes, Jim hadn’t been witness to any unusual activity in the town.</p><p></p><p> Tolly returned after several minutes; he’d delayed by striking up conversation with the shop owner, Gretchen. She indicated she was fairly neutral toward the issue of Grog staying or leaving; she said that when Grog had arrived, Yuri’s orders from her shop had dropped, but Grog’s had replaced them. She assumed that if Grog left, Yuri’s orders would rise again. Gretchen was apparently happy with her lease from Yuri, and said she’d almost saved enough to buy the land from him outright. Tolly presented Arrie with the jug of wine he and Kyle had bought earlier; she took the jug and pulled the cork with her teeth, filling her mouth with as much as she could. She stood up, and began to stagger away; Jim called out loudly that she should come drink with him again, as soon as she “lost the a**hole”.</p><p></p><p> Once around the corner our of earshot, Arrie spit out the wine. “What is this stuff?” she asked, disgust on her face.</p><p></p><p> “What Kyle referred to as ‘the cheap stuff.’ He saw no reason to waste money on something that was being used as bait for a drunk.” Tolly took the bottle from Arrie and replaced the cork he’d picked up before they left. “Should I get rid of it?”</p><p></p><p> “No, keep it,” she said. “We may need to clean a wound or something one day.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 1779378, member: 5203"] The group separated and went about their business in the town. Autumn and Kyle walked toward the schoolhouse, where several children could be seen playing. “What exactly are we doing here?” Autumn asked. “We see if any of the kids have seen or heard anything unusual,” explained Kyle. “Sometimes kids’ll tell you things that adults want to hush up.” They approached a group of four young girls, no more than ten years old. “Hi there,” Kyle said, kneeling down so he was closer to their height. “Hi,” said one of the girls, looking at the two strangers. “Who are you?” “My name is Autumn,” said the holy warrior, also kneeling, “and this is Kyle. Do you mind if we ask you some questions about the town?” “What kind of questions?” “Just about stuff going on around here,” Kyle said. “You see, we’re adventurers, and we like to help fix problems. We’ve heard there’s been problems here in Dagger Rock.” The little girl glanced at her friends uncertainly. “Then why don’t you talk to the grownups?” Kyle smiled. “Because we know who really knows what’s going on in any town.” The girls nodded to each other confidently. Unfortunately, their attempts to glean any news from the children proved less satisfying than expected. One girl talked about seeing ghosts in the graveyard. Another talked about how the orcs staying at Grog’s tavern were here to buy horses, although they hadn’t bought many. Several of the kids described Grog as a “monster who eats children”, obviously influenced by their parent’s warning about the fire-touched man. After speaking with several of the children, Kyle and Autumn took their leave of the school. They decided to take a walk around town, strolling past the cobbler’s field on their way so they could tell Osborn of any unusual features they saw. “Kyle,” Autumn said suddenly as they walked, “may I ask you a question?” “Sure.” “Yesterday, at the inn, when you were asking all those questions – are you always so direct and inquisitive?” Kyle thought for a moment. “Well, I suppose part of it comes from my Pa. He always taught me that the best way to start a conversation is to ask someone about themselves. See, most people don’t have a problem talking about themselves – not that they’re conceited, or anything, just that it’s the subject they’re most familiar with. I hope I didn’t offend you.” “Not at all,” Autumn replied, “it was just… abrupt, that’s all.” “Well, I never was very good at social graces,” he grinned. “Probably comes from my upbringing. I worked on the family farm mostly growing up, and then was a carpenter’s apprentice. Neither profession allows for much socializing. Once I was hired on by the Tower as a handyman, I mostly kept to myself, since the students didn’t talk to me and the staff only would when they needed something. Once I became a student, it didn’t help matters – most wizards are good folks, but pretty intent on what they’re doing. At least, that’s how I see it. I had the hardest time striking up conversations unless I was pretty blunt about it.” Autumn looked at the broad-shouldered wizard. “How did you come to be a student?” she asked. “Well,” he replied, “like I said, I was hired on by the school for general maintenance – mostly carpentry, of course, but I also picked up a bit of blacksmithing, stonework, whatever was needed. So one day one of the professors in the wizardry school needs a new set of bookshelves. Well, she lets me borrow a few of her introductory magical theory tomes, so I can get the size right. One night I just picked one up out of curiosity. Though some of it didn’t make sense, I found a lot of it did, and I could follow what they were talking about. I read some of the other books, but didn’t think much about it until the professor asked me why they hadn’t been returned. Well, I fessed up to reading them, but instead of getting mad she was intrigued. She gave me a couple more books, and did a couple of tests. After a while she was giving me private lessons at night – said I was a regular prodigy. She taught me enough wizardry to get by, then encouraged me to apply to the school. Well, several thousand gold worth of debt later, here I am.” “An interesting story, Kyle,” said Autumn. “Thank you for sharing it with me.” “You’re welcome,” said Kyle, blushing slightly. “Though I’d appreciate a little discretion. See, the instructors in the wizardry school aren’t supposed to take on apprentices or private students. I’d hate to get Professor Vorsha in trouble.” “I understand.” They walked for a little longer, past the cobbler’s fields. Seeing nothing that stood out as obviously unusual, they decided to go to the general store to talk to the owner, Barak Andovan, who was the fifth council member and the only one whose vote on the Grog issue was unknown. “So, Kyle,” asked Autumn. “What do you think of our companions?” “Oh, well, they seem a good bunch of folks to me,” he said. “Some of them have their quirks, but who doesn’t?” “Like what?” “Oh, well, nothing serious. I noticed that Kavan and Lanara seem real tight-lipped about their pasts – I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that, and they’ll probably talk when they’re ready. I guess I just figure that we’re supposed to be learning to work together as a group, and the best way to do that is to get to know each other.” He grinned again. “Maybe that’s another reason I’m so pushy with my questions.” “Anyone else?” Autumn prompted. “Nah, not really. Everyone else is pretty straightforward; your sister really seems to be the ‘what you see is what you get’ type.” Autumn smiled slightly. “Ariadne is not really my sister,” she said. “Well, I knew that,” said Kyle. “I mean, obviously you two don’t have the same parents. But Arrie calls you her sister, and I wasn’t going to say much about it because I didn’t know if there was some sort of family secret you two were hiding.” “No, no secrets,” said Autumn. “We are related, but not true sisters. But Ariadne and I were raised together.” “I see.” Kyle stopped for a moment to get his bearing before they proceeded to the general store. “So, how about you? What’s your opinion of our classmates?” “I think I share the same general opinion as you,” she said. “They are a diverse group of people, but each has their own unique skills, all of which I believe will be useful in accomplishing our goals. On a more personal level… I suppose that I’m still trying to figure that out.” “That’s because you don’t nag people with personal questions the way I do,” Kyle joked. Autumn laughed, then was silent for a minute. “You know, I could teach you if you like,” she said. “Teach me what?” “Social graces, as you put it earlier. Perhaps help you not to come off quite so… abrupt.” “Well, I’ve never turned down a chance for self-improvement,” said Kyle. “And I’ll be sure to return the favor, though I don’t suppose you’re much interested in the finer points of carpentry.” [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] Tolly and Arrie had spent the last two hours in the town’s records, deep inside Mayor Jacob’s home. Arrie had donned her family’s signet ring, and used the Verahannen name to convince the mayor that she was interested in acquiring land in town and wished to research available plots. While Tolly has stuck steadfastly to reading land ownership records, Arrie’s search was much broader in scope, thanks to several tomes that ‘accidentally’ fell open on the table. They had discovered several interesting facts. It appeared that Yuri was the primary landowner in town, and leased to several townspeople. Grog’s inn was owned outright by the fire-touched; he had placed the highest bid on the land when it came up for auction. They also noted that the mayor and the other council members owned their own land. The financial records indicated that for the most part Yuri had recouped his costs for buying land within two years of leasing it out, which meant he was either buying it cheap or overcharging his tenants (or both). They noted that Yuri had first come to town about ten years ago. Interestingly, Arrie noted that two of the people named on the original town charter from seventy years ago were Yuri’s grandparents. There was no mention of Yuri’s parents in any town records. They left the mayor’s house and began searching for Jim Aransee, the town drunk. They didn’t have to look far, as they spotted him stumbling out of the Green Grape Wine and Spirits shop, a jug in hand. Tolly looked ruefully at the jug he was carrying; they’d originally planned to lure him into conversation with the wine in that jug, assuming he didn’t have the resources to buy his own. Arrie looked at Jim, then at Tolly. “Just follow me, and play along,” she said. As they got closer to Jim, Arrie clutched the priest’s arm, and began to shuffle and stumble a bit. When they neared the wine shop, she pulled up short. “Come on, give me some money,” she called out loudly. Jim stopped his progress, and stood, wobbling, watching them. “Money for what?” Tolly still wasn’t sure what Arrie had up her sleeve. “You know what,” she said. “Come on, I need a drink.” Tolly caught on. “Oh, no. Do you think I’m just going to hand over good coin for you to squander? I remember what happened last time.” “I’ll be good this time, I promise,” Arrie said. “I just need a little.” “I have my doubts,” said Tolly. Then he looked up at Jim. “Maybe you could convince this gentleman to share with you.” Arrie looked up at Jim and grinned wildly. “How about it buddy? He won’t give me any money. You want to share your wine with me?” “Nuh uh,” Jim replied, wobbling as he shook his head back and forth. He staggered off and leaned against the side of the blacksmith’s shop, seeking refuge from the afternoon sun. “Look,” said Tolly, “why don’t you wait here, and I’ll go inside and get something for you.” He let Arrie’s arm go, and went inside the Green Grape. Arrie stumbled over and sat next to Jim, trying to pretend she didn’t notice the stench. “I knew he’d see things my way,” she said. She tried to lead the conversation around to various subjects; Grog, the town, the recent muggings. Jim’s answers were mostly long, rambling tirades against Grog and other ‘impure’ races. He seemed to admire Yuri, mostly because Yuri never cut him off. But it seemed that despite their hopes, Jim hadn’t been witness to any unusual activity in the town. Tolly returned after several minutes; he’d delayed by striking up conversation with the shop owner, Gretchen. She indicated she was fairly neutral toward the issue of Grog staying or leaving; she said that when Grog had arrived, Yuri’s orders from her shop had dropped, but Grog’s had replaced them. She assumed that if Grog left, Yuri’s orders would rise again. Gretchen was apparently happy with her lease from Yuri, and said she’d almost saved enough to buy the land from him outright. Tolly presented Arrie with the jug of wine he and Kyle had bought earlier; she took the jug and pulled the cork with her teeth, filling her mouth with as much as she could. She stood up, and began to stagger away; Jim called out loudly that she should come drink with him again, as soon as she “lost the a**hole”. Once around the corner our of earshot, Arrie spit out the wine. “What is this stuff?” she asked, disgust on her face. “What Kyle referred to as ‘the cheap stuff.’ He saw no reason to waste money on something that was being used as bait for a drunk.” Tolly took the bottle from Arrie and replaced the cork he’d picked up before they left. “Should I get rid of it?” “No, keep it,” she said. “We may need to clean a wound or something one day.” [/QUOTE]
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