The party woke on the morning of Day 5 of Reaping in the Swift Coin Inn of Hochoch. They ate a hearty breakfast that, although good, was noticeably lower quality that what is served in Orlane. Kyro was interested in trying to converse with other patrons of the inn, but everyone seemed to have a nervous and uneasy air. To a man, they all sat with their heads down, occasionally glancing around shiftily, but overall giving off the vibe that they were unwilling to talk. The innkeeper was a little less busy than the frantic pace of the night before and Lhoss took a moment to ask for directions to the temple of St. Cuthbert and the sage Daana. The innkeeper was professional without being welcoming and oriented the party. Lhoss also asked if there were any areas to avoid. The innkeeper indicated that Hochoch is a well-regulated city and is mostly safe, although the refugee camp and Shingles neighborhood should both be avoided if possible as they posed potential dangers. Being singularly focused on their exploration of the barrow maze, the group was ignorant of goings-on and had to be informed that the refugees came from the hills and mountains in Jeff that had seen incursions of giants. With a thank-you and a tip for the good information, the party headed out.
There was a little discussion about whether to head northeast and see the sage first or go southwest to the temple, but the sage won out as the initial destination. As the team somewhat uncertainly began to navigate the city, Kyro made out to ask a group of city guards for information about buying a map. He nodded at a couple and they reacted with such hostility, the plan was abandoned immediately. The level of paranoia in the city is palpable and disconcerting. It had been a while since any from the group had been in Hohoch, true, but the hospitality seemed so changed from what everyone had remembered that it was jarring. There were some people out and about in the streets, but each one seemed to be on task and unwilling to engage with anything outside of their focus.
After a bit, a sign reading Crunge's Clock Tower was observed. At just that moment, a loud gong rung out with nine clangs. Atop the 100-foot high tower was a 40-foot flagpole. The sharp-eyed elves were the first to discern nine green streamers flying from atop the pole. Still on the lookout for a map, Kyro thought that there might be some sort of shop inside the tower, but the doors were boarded over and nailed shut. There was some sign of life atop the tower; a single figure who caused a flock of birds to scatter as they went about their work. An attentive adventurer could always be aware of the time of day in the city of Hochoch.
Continuing on (ever vigilant for a map shop) the group noticed fields of fruit trees and field hands. Niki, Feno, and Lhoss noticed a large tower in the distance that they believed to be the tower of the sage. The party passed a graveyard that had several new graves (did it seem like an unusually large number of new graves?) and a quiet neighborhood of well-kept houses. As they approached the tower, they observed a large brass gate surrounding a large estate and a bored-looking person on a chair.
Lhoss was the first to approach and asked the bored guard if they could see the sage. The guard was minimally responsive to a series of questions until Lhoss flipped him a silver coin, to which he responded "come back in two weeks." Gnorcia upped the bribe to a gold and the guard shortened the wait to "one week". Seeing a pattern, Feno forked over a platinum piece and the guard informed us it would cost us 200 gold pieces to see Daana. Clearly only serious customers need apply. Kyro handed over 40 platinum and explained the nature of the group's business. The guard took the coins and disappeared into the tower through what was clearly a magical entrance. After 20 minutes in the baking sun, the guard reappeared and relayed that the case has some interest to the sage. At 4:30, three of the band should return to meet with Daana. He also warned the group not to be late.
Setting the next task to find the temple of St. Cuthbert, the group turned and heard the gong ring out 10 times and saw that there were 10 green streamers from atop the clock tower. Lhoss was the first to notice a soldier staring the team down from the far end of the road they were traveling on. Feeling threatened, the party altered their course, while still traveling in the direction they believed they should go. Then, in the distance, two different soldiers stood at the end of the road eyeing the adventurers suspiciously. There was some contemplation about whether to change course again, but it was decided that nobody had done anything wrong and to flee the soldiers would only make the party look suspicious. They all marched purposefully toward the soldiers with Gnorcia and Lhoss engaging in small talk about the temple of St. Cuthbert and other wholesome topics. The guards cast a suspicious eye, but did not engage. A single high pitched chime from the clock tower rang out which seemed to mark the half-hour.
The smell of sweet bread filled the nostrils of Lhoss and Gnorcia who did not need any other excuse to enter the bakery Hearts and Flowers, but they could ask about a map while they were inside, why not? Armatzi went inside too, because why not? Inside the delicious smells were even stronger with all sorts of mouth-watering baked goods on display. A large blonde woman came out to serve them and Lhoss asked if they made her favorite sweet treat: cinnamon rolls. She was assured that, indeed there were cinnamon rolls. Because she lacked any smaller coin, Lhoss paid in electrum, which the baker took as a large tip. It was a favorable error as this also made the baker, Emily, more amenable to a hospitable exchange of information. When asked why all of Hochoch is so on edge, Emily explained it was because there are spies in town who sell information to the giants, so strangers are viewed with suspicion. Also, a map would be hard to come by. She then informed a naïve Lhoss that giants eat humans. If Lhoss' horrified reaction wasn't enough to secure Emily's opinion, noticing Armatzi was an acolyte of St. Cuthbert (her own deity) put the three cleanly in the camp of "good folks". Also, name-dropping that they were the Saviors of Orlane put a bit of shine on their reputation as well. She graciously supplied the three with a basket of baked goods, directions to the temple, and instructions that the adventurers should register at the keep to dispel any further suspicion. With a heartfelt thank you, Gnorcia, Lhoss, and Armatzi exited and filled in the rest of the party.
Overhead, 12 gongs were heard, and the group found themselves in front of Captain Archibald Martel, the man who would determine if an adventurers charter would be awarded that could allow the group to move freely about the city without suspicion. The group was grilled on their purpose and intention. Fortunately, sufficient evidence was supplied and corroborated that proved the stated causes: investigating a way to bring Tatania back and the larger charge of finding and destroying Derrik and Nanor. He commended us on our prior successes and urged us to continue the important cause of tracking down Nanor. One caveat: Armatzi was chastised for not visiting the temple of St. Cuthbert first. As a fellow follower of that deity, Captain Martel had strong words for our cleric and also for the druid Niki who had likewise not yet checked in at her place of worship. Nonetheless, the charter was awarded and each member pinned a badge to their clothes. A quiet spot by the river under a willow tree was chosen for a reflective lunch of the delicious baked goods from Hearts and Flowers.
The clock tower chimed a single gong sound and a sole blue flag marked the change of morning to afternoon hours. The next stop was in a forest dedicated to Obad-Hai, the deity of Niki and Feno. Though it is not Zuoken, Lhoss feelt an affinity to the space. Armatzi and Kyro entered with a calmness in their hears, but Gnorcia looked around for a tree to climb. Niki encouraged Gnorcia to hug a tree instead. To her surprise, the tree hugged her back! A druid woman named Eiluned was performing a religious ceremony that involved cutting holly and bathing it in a font. As she turned, her stunning red hair and green eyes dazzled the group. She presented both Niki and Feno with a sprig of holly and encouraged Niki on the sacred quest to obtain the Lesser Ring of Jack, with directions to find it somewhere in the barrow maze. Jack was quite friendly with Eiluned and Kyro wondered aloud if Jack had picked his own name. It seemed curious that Jack should share his name with the very ring Niki sought after. Might Jack have lived lives before this one? Eiluned also commented on the affinity between Jack and Armatzi. Perhaps Jack could serve as a bridge between druids and clerics. Though followers of Obad-Hai and St. Cuthbert might sometimes be at odds about how things should be done, they had a similar purpose and should work together. Lastly, Eiluned invited Niki, Feno, and Lhoss to return at 11:00 that night to witness a sacred nighttime ceremony.
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