Continuing our investigations into the buildings and residents of Orlane on a sunny early-summer day in Flocktime, we headed next to the mill on the edge of the lake behind the Slumbering Serpent Inn. It was a large mill and the areas outside were scattered with children’s toys and farm implements. A couple of children playing in the yard looked up at us, stared a moment, then gave a friendly wave. Lhoss waved back and asked if their parents were there, and we then found Kenton, the miller, making some adjustments to the wheel. He grunted and inquired with a friendly, “Yes?” Lhoss told him we were checking in on the residents of Orlane and thanked him for the wonderful flour to make the bread we have been enjoying in the town. She asked if he has any interaction with visitors and he said that he only works with residents, farmers, and businesses, and doesn't have the capacity to serve anyone outside the town. We wished him well and next decided to stop by Ramne’s house, but found it closed up and silent, with no sign of Whiskers. Concerned, Lhoss peeked in the window and was comforted that everything looked tidy and cleaned up, and there was still a faint glow of coals in the hearth.
Stopping by the Slumbering Serpent, we spoke with Owen, who apologized yet again for not having any rooms. We asked about the swarthy group of adventurers dressed in grey who had apparently stayed in Orlane and seem to be adventuring in the Barrowmaze, but the busy tavern owner was distracted and simply said he would keep an eye out for them, then hurried off. The barmaids all also appeared too busy to chat so we headed out and went across to greet Alan Clayborn and his wife, who were headed out to lunch. From their farm we could hear work being done on a building to the northwest so we headed over there. We found a group of men taking out two walls of that farmhouse, as if preparing to expand the building. When we approached they looked at us suspiciously and as we greeted them they said, “Who are you?” and rudely stated that their master would not want anything to do with adventurers, and would only greet us at a time of his choosing. We left, determined to find out who they were working for. We also noted some land staked out farther north, as if additional farm buildings were being planned.
Heading east of the Clayborns, just north of the lake, we found more staked-out land, where it appears there will be some building in the near future. East of there we visited another little farmhouse, which has a large barn full of grains and produce. We could see a wisp of smoke from the chimney and knocked on the door. A man named Brutus answered and said they were preparing for lunch. We could see his wife and children inside and quickly asked if he had any troubles with frogmen. He said they had not, and that he said he would let us know if he met any. We left there and headed southeast down the road past Vilma’s house. At the next farmhouse we found a young boy out amongst the hogs, along with some hens and a rooster. He hailed us and said his parents were preparing lunch. Determined not to bother anyone else at their lunch, we decided to move on and visit the Foaming Mug for our own meal.
At the inn we ordered stew and sandwiches and noted a few of the townsfolk we had met previously were also there: the smith glowering over a bowl of stew, and the carpenter and his family eating a meal. Lhoss and Tatania seemed to quickly forget their vow not to bother people during lunch and decided to strike up a conversation with some others there that we didn't know. Tatania took me with her to sit near a man and woman we didn’t recognize, and she asked if they were from Orlane or if they were travelers. They said they were Marco & Nyla Dixon from Hookhill and were looking at building a farm in Orlane. We ate together without a lot of chit-chat but had a pleasant goodbye and said we hoped to meet again. In the meantime, Lhoss took Armaziti along with her and greeted a group of three men and a woman dressed in workers clothing. She introduced herself pleasantly, but they only gave sideways glances and proceeded to ignore them. Rebuffed, she sat Armaziti down at the next table and they noted that the group quickly and quietly finished eating and left.
On our way out we asked the barmaid Jillian about the group that had ignored Lhoss and Armaziti. She said they were workers renovating a building to the southeast, but that they had not been unfriendly to her. We asked about the people who were working on the building northwest of the Clayborns but she didn’t know anything specifically about them, and said that most workers are not local and are likely from Hochoch. She also made an observation that caught our attention, saying that the growth in the town seemed to be happening surprisingly fast.
We left the inn and walked east across the street where we found a prosperous-looking farm with weed-choked gardens. Some young men were working outside and looked up as we approached. They asked gruffly if they could help us and seemed a little unfriendly in their responses. They said they were the sons of the woman who owns the home and sure enough just then a stout woman appeared from the house. She wasn’t the friendliest with us either, but shared that her name was Mandy, her husband had passed away, her sons were working on the farm, and that they probably didn’t need any help from adventurers. We wished them well and headed south, noting lots of work being done on the farmhouse east of the carpenter’s shop where the silent group from the inn were indeed working away. The next building south also appeared to have some unfinished work being done on it.
We headed over to the carpenter’s shop. He appeared busy with much work, but was friendly enough to answer our questions when we asked about the farm northwest of the Clayborns. He said the master is a rich merchant but the man pays his taxes and the group just seems a bit aloof. Wishing him well also, we decided to head west again and check in on the mayor, Zacharius. He greeted us warmly and commented on the rapid growth in the area. He corroborated the carpenter's story that the rich merchant renovating the buildings near the Clayborns is a man named Marley, from Hochoch, who is looking to start a grain shipping business from Orlane. Overall the mayor seemed pleased with the recent growth of the area and impressed by the fact that Marley was willing to pay his taxes up front.
Zacharius couldn’t remember exactly who is renovating the other buildings near the carpenter, but said that workers like that are usually hired by wealthy people from out of town. He also commented that he hoped the town could attract a bower and a baker, and said that since the land is prime for farming most of the growth has been farmers coming to the area, and most of the new immigrants appear to have come from Hochoch. He noted that the growth has meant the constable could hire a few hands, and mentioned that we should talk to him about the bounty on froglings to the north. He also mentioned in passing that the growth overall seems a little unnatural and wondered aloud how the news of Orlane has spread so quickly and how so many people have arrived so speedily after the town was saved from the cult. He suggested we keep an eye out for any information about how that might be happening, and commented that another priest was also arriving at the temple within the week, and they will be building a shrine to St. Cuthbert—apparently with Chalkboi's support.
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