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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Plane Sailing" data-source="post: 98529" data-attributes="member: 114">Late afternoon, and only a few leagues to go, the frosty peak of Steeple Mountain already dominates the landscape, standing proud from the barrier range which spreads to the north and south of here. Nestled in the shadow of that mountain is Bellhold.As they ride closer, the company see an old man just beside the road. While they approach they see him attempt to creep up on two horses which are rooting around in the frosty ground for grass. They see him and move off a dozen yards. The old mans shoulders slump, and he turns and sees the party.“Ho there” he calls out “Can you help me? my horses escaped for the second time this week and I can’t catch them again”.Trajan dismounts, takes the halter and with his superb animal handling skills quickly reassures and recaptures the two heavy shire horses. As he brings them back to the old man he briefly checks them for signs of mistreatment, but doesn’t find any.“Oh thank you” wheezes the old man, who introduces himself as Othic. “I really appreciate you taking the time to help an old man. Would you care to join me for my lunch?”Although the afternoon is wearing on, the idea of a hot meal inside from the cold is attractive, so they visit Othic’s farm, placing the runaway horses, Blaze and Broadsword next to the other horses, settling their own comfortably and joining Othic in his kitchen for bowl of warming mutton stew.Othic is able to tell them a little more about Bellhold and its history. He is a widower, and his two sons work for Krekket – the mine and foundry owner known as “the new dragon”… but Othic can remember the days of working for Copperdeath when he was a young man. It was hard work in the mines but he still remembers the deep pleasure which he felt whenever Copperdeath made a personal appearance to his subjects. Still, all that was fifty years ago – and there is going to be a big celebration next summer to commemorate it.People are really ‘ornery in the town at the moment, and he knows that there is lots of aggro and worry amongst the mine and foundry workers. He hears that the missing children still haven’t been found, but the local adventurers, the “Heroes of the Bell” who have dealt with goblin bands and other problems are on the case, so it is sure to be OK.“The best inn in town is the ‘Bell and Clapper’”, Othic says as they prepare to leave. “If I were you, I’d go and stay there. Tokket the innkeeper is a son of one of the adventurers which slew Copperdeath. He’ll have some good stories to tell you”Othic calls after them “I’ve got some business in town tomorrow – what say I meet you for breakfast at the Bell?”“Sure!” replies Trajan, and as they ride down the road in the fading sunlight towards the town nestled under Steeple mountain he says to his friends “What a nice old man”.I thought I'd better get to an official part of the adventure quickly, having done all the set-up and introduced the two new characters. I'll continue with the write-up shortly. At first suspicious of the old man, or suspicious that he was ill-treating his horses, they came to appreciate and like him.What happens next?</blockquote>

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