As the evening approached, our party decided to head back to Orlane. Along the path, we encountered a haughty cavalier by the name Zein. He was a bit put off by our haggard appearances (everyone looks a little bit rough after doing battle in the barrowmaze), but seemed intrigued by our adventuring. Zein mentioned that he had been looking for a group to join up with, so we offered to let him join us (as much as his busy schedule would permit).
At our usual resting place (the Slumbering Serpent), we were met by the proprietor Olwin. He was sorry to relay that there was no room at all. We decided to try the Golden Grain Inn, but it likewise was fully booked for the night. Feeling pangs of trepidation, we headed over to the Foaming Mug which had been renovated and opened for business. For many of us, this was the first time we had set foot in the place since we had discovered and slaughtered a den of troglodytes in the basement store rooms. But the inn had been transformed into a cozy respite where we all felt comfortable staying for the night, especially when we were served a delicious meal of chicken and bacon pasties with a side of braised greens.
During the dinner, Lhoss overheard a pair of farmers bemoaning the scourge of frogmen encroaching onto their lands. Lhoss and Tatania approached and attempted to get more information from them, but the two men seemed affronted by the incursion into their conversation. Lhoss attempted to smooth things over by mentioning that our group of adventurers (she may have invoked her favorite calling card "The Saviors of Orlean") had done battle with these same vile creatures in our attempts to cleanse the barrowmaze of the evils that possess it. That actually did put the men at ease and they relayed that these frogmen tended to hibernate (or brumate) in the muck and mire and then emerge in the warmer months to harass farmers in the outskirts. As a gesture of appreciation, the farmers bought a pint of ale for both Tatania and Lhoss. While the rest of the party retired for the evening, Ronan attempted to gather some additional information, but came up empty handed and eventually went to bed too.
A delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, fresh bread, milk, and blackberry juice was served to all guests and our cadre wolfed down a hearty helping. There is always business to do in town, and today was no exception. We headed over to the jeweler, Tandid Schulp, to hock our wares for a hefty sum. Lhoss decided to head over to see Merit Lage at the village store to stock up on oil. Zein scoffed at her for using such a lowly weapon. Lhoss, in an attempt to get his goat, replied "wait'll you see what this stuff does to zombies!", but the man is positively unflappable. Others in the group stocked up on supplies. Gnorcia decided to buy some chickens from Hewitt Twain and as payment for their care, he receives half of their eggs. A tidy little transaction.
Lhoss, ever seeking the company (or even just the sight of) fellow elves, popped over to check if Dorian and Llewelyn were in town. Alas, they were not. But she did have a cheerful chat with the mayor who invited our troupe to dine with him when next we are in town. With business done, we headed out toward the barrowmaze.
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