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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carlo-One" data-source="post: 8215298" data-attributes="member: 7015827">As the innkeeper Kablin was seeing to Dermot and Darrow’s breakfast, Shanni ran down the stairs breathlessly, having overslept as well. He mentioned that the mayor had said he would like to speak with them, when they were available. Dermot replied that they had been planning to head back to Glees, but after some meaningful glances with his companions, agreed to do so after breakfast. The ranger observed that maybe something had been keeping the mayor up, as Shanni had seen the night before.After Aerikoth joined them in breaking their fast on the simple village fare, Dermot asked Kablin how the mayor had looked to him. The innkeeper shared that he had seemed tired and preoccupied, but did not find this strange, considering the circumstances the village faced. Kablin then asked if the adventurers would be staying another night, showing some disappointment when Dermot replied they should depart that day and head west. A little nervously, the innkeeper asked for five coins a head – whenever they were ready, of course! – and bustled off to the kitchen as they finished their meal. Dermot searched his belt-pocket for the requested amount of coin and left it on the table, with a little more added for Kablin’s trouble.The four companions made their way through the rain and large puddles to the mayor’s house, seeing an occasional villager dashing for cover in the wet. Darrow knocked on the door and Haman Amraphel soon opened it and bid them to enter and dry off before his fire. The adventurers shook the rain from their outer clothing and moved to join the mayor, who pensively noted that he found himself spending much time in front of the fire, as of late.Haman mentioned he had heard from Kablin at the inn and Kente at the General Store how things had been going, then asked the adventurers to confirm that it was a human hand behind what had happened. Shanni immediately answered in the positive, as did Aerikoth, who noted that he had been certain it was not an actual undead spirit prior to going to the manor. (The wizard rarely misses a chance to point out to his companions when he has been proven correct about a certain matter. --R) The mayor sighed and said he still found the deaths of the two guardsmen tragic, as they had been sent to protect Tallwell and paid the ultimate price; there has been too much death and sadness in the village, he felt, which Dermot agreed with.Haman nonetheless expressed some optimism that once the rain ceased, the village could start down a more happy path. He said he understood that Darrow had offloaded his brewery supplies at the Winfall farm, which the dwarf acknowledged, saying that he hoped it would help start a new chapter. The mayor thought the extra industry would indeed be a boon for Tallwell.The adventurers turned to the business at hand, declaring that they still intended to try and find the murderer. In response to a question from Shanni, the mayor said he could not think of any abandoned places near the village where someone could hide, besides the manor. Aerikoth explained that the individual was very skilled in stealth, but would need to eventually find shelter. The wizard, with his usual lack of emotion, noted that some among their group felt that this person would return, specifically to the manor, but Aerikoth himself was unsure of such, given the lack of information.Haman then said he thought there were some strange things that had been left unexplained. Encouraged by Darrow to say more, the mayor raised the question of how this person had gone to the manor in the first place and where they had come from, remarking that certainly no one had passed through town. Shanni offered up the idea that they were good at hiding and didn't need to stop. Haman continued, stating that the incident had made him recall some instructions from Baron Hallton, when he was alive. He had insisted that if any travelers turned up unexpectedly - particularly noble ones - to treat them well and escort them to the manor. Specifically, if they did not arrive by the main road. The mayor had found this puzzling, given the lack of any other obvious means of entering the village, but stated that questioning the Baron's orders was not wise.Dermot’s face betrayed his own puzzlement as Shanni asked if anyone had in fact arrived, to which Haman replied no. The mayor said it had got him thinking, though, about how the “ghost” had arrived, since now obviously it was no such thing. He then shared that the only other “empty place”, as they had said, could be the old smuggler cave in the forest. According to him, it hadn't been used for years, because of the beasts that moved in. The village’s hunters and loggers were aware of it, but once the trail to Glees was cut and the beasts moved into the forest, no one would dare to go. Haman explained that under Baron Hallton, the cave was sometimes used to store goods to avoid taxes, to which the mayor turned a blind eye.Shanni asked if manticores had inhabited the cave and was told aye, along with other beasts. Dermot noted that it was on the way to Glees and they could look into it. Haman, suddenly becoming teary-eyed, declared that they had done so much for the village and that he could not thank them adequately. The awkward silence that followed was broken by Darrow, who joked that he shouldn’t be thanked until the mayor tried the beer, getting a chuckle from Dermot as well.Haman then turned towards Aerikoth and said that Kente the shopkeeper had mentioned something about his boy wishing to become a wizard. Kente was unsure about the idea, but Haman told him that he would support an apprenticeship, should Aerikoth wish it. The wizard stated that it might be possible if the child had the potential and the diligence to work hard. Aerikoth knew he had courage, but it needed to be tempered with intellect. If there was time, he would explore the boy's potential further. Haman replied that he was a smart lad, knowing his letters and figures from the work at the general store. As a last remark, the mayor noted that people were afraid of magic and unsure of wizards, but he believed Aerikoth taking a local apprentice would be welcomed.</blockquote>

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