It was day 14 of Ready’reat. Contristo was hanging out in the inn, where he had been for the past couple of weeks.
A strange, large, and incredibly tall figure with platinum blonde hair came into the inn and sat at a table, staring at Contristo, who eyed him sideways as he ate. The tall man then stood and approached Contristo, grinning, just as a group of elves came in.
The elves included two grey elves, a half-elf, and a wood elf. They appeared to know each other and sat together.
The tall, blonde character introduced himself as Grug Coldsnap and asked if Contristo was an adventurer. He talked a lot. Contristo found him mildly entertaining.
Just then, a man calling himself Ben Oldham—and saying he was the father of Elmo—also approached Contristo, looking for information about where his son had vanished to and offering a reward for information or for his safe return.
Contristo shared that he was also anxious to find out what had happened to the entire party and readily agreed to Ben's request.
As Ben left, Grug enthusiastically invited Contristo to create another adventuring party with him. Contristo emphasized that his last party had gone missing and there was quite a commotion about it. It seems he had been interrogated extensively but found innocent of wrongdoing.
Grug seemed unconcerned and clapped Contristo on the back, nearly knocking him over.
As they talked, another strange figure entered the inn. She was taller than most human women and of an unusual complexion, with odd ears more like an elf, though much too tall to be a half-elf. She carried herself with the self-awareness of a fighter and sat alone at a table, ordering a simple meal.
Grug immediately turned his attention to the stranger and approached her boisterously, asking if she were a fighter and brandishing his broadsword in an oddly friendly manner, asking to see her broadsword as well.
She looked cornered but hesitantly shared that she was indeed a fighter, though she did not use a broadsword. Her name was Zorla. Grug enthusiastically invited her to join him and Contristo, who shrugged as she peered over at him. She said she would think about it.
Grug grinned and turned his attention to the elves, approaching their table and inviting them into his new adventuring party as well. They eyed him strangely and introduced themselves as: Azra, a cleric/magic user, not-Zofia (her name was unintelligible), Farro Eagerstar (who appeared to be a wood elf fighter of some kind), and Opelle Elenaril (the half elf).
Azra talked a lot and seemed very excited about joining the group. Really she just seemed excited in general about becoming an adventurer. Opelle went along quietly with the idea and the other elves nodded their agreement. Farro didn't say a word but ordered his food and ate while listening to Grug and Azra's conversation. Zorla seemed to be listening from the next table as well.
The innkeeper approached and asked if any of them would be needing rooms for the night. Opelle, Grug, Ferro, and Zorla engaged beds in the common room and the others took private rooms. Before they all retired for the night, Zorla begrudgingly agreed to join the group.
The next morning the group gathered at breakfast and decided to visit the trader before leaving town together to seek the other adventurers at the moathouse that Contristo had told them about.
Gremag, a tall, thin, sharp-featured trader with oddly-protruding eyes, greeted them with an oily manner, drywashing his hands and otherwise appearing too-friendly-to-be-trusted. He told the group about a man named Charles who was willing to hire out as a hireling for 1gold piece per day, provided they also give him armor and a weapon.
Contristo shrugged again when the others looked to him for advice on Charles, so they told Gremag they might consider it another day.
Grug was browsing and eating a sandwich. He told Gremag that he was very interested in rugs, but Gremag explained that they don’t stock rugs and the townsfolk usually buy such things from traveling traders who come through town. Grug nodded enthusiastically though no one could quite understand what he he was so excited about.
Azra bought a notebook, quill, and ink, then went out back and skipped around picking wildflowers.
Leaving the traders, the group decided to pay a visit to the village elder. Contristo led them to a manor house surrounded by an 8-foot-tall stone wall and Zorla approached and knocked on the heavy gate.
A young girl came out and Azra approached the gate to talk with her. The girl asked if the group had an appointment, which of course they did not. She explained that the village meeting was once a month on day 18 of Ready’reat, but the elder did not usually take walk-ins.
The group then returned to the inn, where Azra sat at a table and took out a deck of tarot cards. She turned over four cards: a Euryale, key, skull, and a fool. Grug watched each card with growing excitement and looked up at Azra for an explanation, seeming to think it was a gambling game. She smiled and told Grug that he won, making him even more excited.
Farro quietly stepped up next to Grug and nodded to Azra, who then put down a star, a jester, a fool, and an idiot. He, too, seemed to think that it was a gambling game and that he had won.
As Grug and Farro congratulated each other, Burne and Rufus entered the inn. Azra invited them to sit, asking in an overly-friendly way for information about the town and if there were any bandits in the area.
Burne said that bandits didn't come to town as such, then told her about the other adventurers and the moathouse. He explained that the moathouse had been ruled by the demoness of spiders, and how a force of people went to lay siege to it and destroyed the demoness. He said there was now a rumor that some unknown being or creatures—something—was in the moathouse.
He also suggested there could be a reward for more information about what newly-possessed the moathouse, and told Azra that he could teach her about spells and lore. He then proceeded to sell her a treatise on the fall of the temple of elemental evil, for the price of 10 gold, to be written and completed in two days.
The group's attention turned to Furnock, who had appeared at another table, playing poker, and seemed to be winning more often than not. Two traveling merchants were playing and drinking with him, generally enjoying themselves even when they lost.
Contristo pointed out someone else playing with them—Charles. Farro approached the group and asked to join a game. Charles stepped out of the next game and watched instead as Farro won the hand.
Grug also joined and continued playing after all the others pulled out, ultimately gambling away all of his gold and his handaxe. Grug claimed the handaxe wasn’t that special, but he seemed oddly shaken up about it anyway.
Furnock bowed deeply to Grug and the others, then closed the game for the night.
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