It’s been about five years since Purot, Vall, Saaya, and Chip found one another, and have since become fast friends. They’ve traveled much, making coin where they can, and currently find themselves in Mooren Village, a small quaint little place by the Mooren River Run. Mooren is a small fishing village, but not as one would usually think. Most fishing villages have docks over the waterways or you can see fishermen on the banks or in boats, but not here in Mooren. In the center of town, right outside the inn is a large fountain that provides pure and fresh water to the town from the Mooren River, and fish live in water, so most fishermen just fish right out of the fountain!
It’s comfortable here, and Purot is always appreciative of anywhere that’s close to water. You’ve been staying at The Bull and the Bear Inn named probably due to the Minotaur innkeeper and the number of bears in the Parchwood Timberlands. It’s also the only inn in town. They sit at a window-side table with a view of the well-known fountain as the sun's morning rays promise a beautiful clear day as they wait for the innkeeper to take their breakfast order.
The inn isn't too busy this morning as they're approached by a brawny minotaur with a welcoming smile, "I hope you found your rooms comfortable and accommodating, what can I get ya’ this morning? We have eggs with smoked ham, some porridge, or some gruel. What'll it be?" He asks the group.
"What's gruel?" Asks Chip, a beautiful woman with long, dark, wavy hair.
"It's like oatmeal, but like a gravy all at the same time." The innkeeper responds.
"Well I don't want that, I'll have the porridge, and I'll wash it down with an ale." Chip responds smiling brightly.
"I'll have the same," Purot chimes in "and some water please." He sits back in his chair, his bluish purplish skin looking a tad dry.
An elf pipes up, "I'm going to go with the eggs and ham! With wine please, thank you."
"And for you ma'am?" The innkeeper addresses the black feline that's been real quiet.
"Water, just water. Thanks." She says as she pulls out a ration from her pack. "I was hoping they'd have some fish," she grumbles under her breath.
"All wonderful choices, sit tight and I'll be right back with your drinks. The name's Toro if you need anything." He grins as he turns and busies himself fulfilling the order.
The fountain must also be a very social and communal spot because not long after Toro walks away, they hear a group of women taking turns sharing gossip through the open windows. "I heard that after sunset last night, a miner of some sort was seen with Aldreth down near the bridge, and nearby there was a ghost! I heard it from Belona so it can’t be entirely false."
"Well I heard, a couple days ago, a dwarf was seen with the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords by this very fountain. I heard it from Toro so it must be true!"
"Were they all heading North by chance? Did you see? The day before yesterday, a knight passed through here on his way to Whitestone palace. He was quite a sight to see if you catch my drift. But really, a ghost and a miner, a dwarf of possible noble lineage and a knight … that’s quite a lot for this small town!"
"Yeah, heard that from Balona!" Another says.
Toro then returns with the food and sets it down in front of the party. They ask him about the fountain out the window and he tells them it's been here as long as the town has; built by the town's founder Mage Mooren. Toro heads back to the kitchen as they all dig into soggy bacon and cold porridge while Vall truly enjoys his eggs & ham. Afterward, Chip and Purot tip graciously with one gold each, to which Saaya questions whether the man deserved tipping at all let alone gold due to Purot and Chip's soggy bacon and cold porridge.
"He was polite," Chip said.
"Maybe he needs it more," Purot mumbles under his breath and shrugs a bit.
Once the meal is properly cleaned up, they ask Toro about the ghost. He seems to be aware of its existence and shares that the word about town is that she appears when secrets are told, but it could be just a tale to keep the little ones in bed safe at night. The party then sets out not too far across town to the Parchwood Bridge. It's a stone bridge that seems older than most of the town. After a brief deliberation, specifically with Saaya, the group decided not to share a secret and instead chose to talk to Belona, who lived right on the other side of the bridge.
They approach the quaint cottage and Purot promptly steps onto the porch and knocks on the door as the rest gather behind him. They are greeted by a human woman, strong in stature, with a quizzical look.
"Can I help you?" She asks as she puts down a washing bucket and an orange tabby-cat rubs against her leg.
"Uh, yes. We overheard you saw a ghost on the bridge the other day." Saaya offers.
"Oh, you mean old Aldreth over there she eyes the run down shack across the river. "He had to have told that miner he met some kind of secret because the ghost appeared to listen in. She never misses a secret. Anything else?" She asks.
"What was the secret?" Chip asks hopefully.
"That I don't know, you'd have to ask the ghost, all you need is a secret of course." Belona remarks.
"Well, the thing is ..." Purot starts and with some slight convincing they get Belona to agree to come with them to the bridge.
"Fine then, I'll come along," She sympathizes. "Hijinx, keep an eye on things here." She says addressing her cat and grabbing her broom on her way out the door.
They gather in the center and right as Sayaa was about to be vulnerable and share something, with a wave of her hand; Chip casts zone of truth. This offends Saaya, her tabaxi friend greatly! So much so that she indignantly refuses to tell her secret at all anymore.
"Well that just won't do," Belona interrupts their squabble. "You're not from around here right? do you plan on staying long? If so, I do believe I can help." She implores with a tone of intrigue.
"No, I don't think we'll be staying long here." Purot replies.
"Good then this won't get too far where it will actually matter then," Belona says before leaning in and whispering; "You know Toro from the Bull and Bear in? I quite fancy him."
With that, the ghost appears and introduces herself as Arabeth. They press her for the secret that the miner had shared with Aldreth.
"Are you offering a trade of secrets? I do like to collect them." Arabeth whispers eerily. Sayaa decides to comply, while Purot eavesdrops on the conversation so that a trade could be had with the entity.
"I fear the truth," Sayaa whispers, "... about Avi," she adds; the last bit practically inaudible. Purot however was able to overhear and begins to wonder what that could mean before getting back to the matter at hand.
Arabeth coyly smiles and whispers back to us all that the miner's name is Hermock Manni a dwarf that had been talking to Aldreth who told him about the secret entrance underneath Whitestone Castle in the caverns beneath the Alabaster Sierras.
"Looks like you'll need to have a chat with Aldreth," Belona points to the hovel on the other side of the bridge, then she takes her leave with the claim that she has much to do.
The rest of them do as she suggested and approach the shack and rapping on the door. After a brief while, they hear approaching footsteps before the door creaks open revealing a scrawny human man.
"What do you want?" He hesitantly questions looking at his visitors slightly confused.
"We're looking for information about Hermock," We say as we crowd around the door, "We heard you two were sharing secrets on the bridge over there."
Aldreth seems to clam up and takes a step back into his house, "How did you know that?"
"People talk," Purot mumbles.
"The ghost on the bridge," Sayaa shrugs.
"We want to know what you told him exactly," Chip chirps up.
Vall, while watching the fools in his party press the man on the situation, finally speaks up, "Let's give him some time to answer."
"I didn't know him that well," Aldreth admits and informs us that he was once part of a dangerous group called the Clasp. "I'm probably going to have to move again."
"Well why don't you tell us where the secret entrance is." Saaya tries to persuade.
"Are you gonna pay me same as he was?" Aldreth asks, "500 gold pieces he said. You've got that kind of coin?"
"What if we're looking to stop him," Purot admits
With a sigh, Aldreth decides to open up about the caves and how long ago the dwarf left. Once he was done, he closed the door and wished to be alone. "Lots to pack," they hear him say as they start to hear him rustle around inside.
With not much else to go on, Purot and Sayaa shrug, and decide to head back to the Inn and try to play matchmaker whilst looking for more information. Chip plays a merry tune as they march back to town through the Parchwood Timberlands to the Bulland Bear Inn. Toro greets the party with a huge grin despite his Inn being packed to the brim with the lunch crowd. It seems this town stops midday and gathers here! "Have a seat of course," he yells over the buzz. "I"ll be with you in a moment."
They find a table with enough available seats to squeeze into and talk among themselves for a bit. Finally, Toro finds a moment to approach, wiping his hands on a towel he asks what they've been up to and for their drink orders of course. Saaya and Purot choose water, Val goes with a nice red wine, and Chip is all in for some whiskey! "You sure are busy," Purot points out. Is it only you doing all of this?"
"Sure is," he says proudly. "Though it does get tough sometimes as you can see. Now if you don't mind, I've got to get back to it? Just the drinks then?"
They all nod and listen to the loud chatter throughout the room. "He sure does look like he needs some help," Saaya affirms watching Toro go here and there and everywhere. "I have an idea! What if Belona could come and help! Did you see, when she opened the door, I could see the dishes washing themselves! She's definitely a witch, I'm sure something like that would be helpful!"
"It will also give them reason to get to know one another in a closer environment as well," Purot adds.
"So true! Let's finish up here and go see if she would be interested in such an arrangement." Saaya says excitedly her eyes lighting up with the idea of love as Purot takes his water and splashes it over his head. When Toro returns to the table to check in, she asks, "Do you by chance have any secrets we can share to ask the ghost by the bridge some more questions?"
"Secrets? Me?" He asks with a grin. "Alright, as you notice, it does get busy around here and sometimes I have trouble keeping up. See what your ghost can do with that." he says as he turns to go back to work.
"What if we could find someone to help you?" Saaya asks after him.
"I wouldn't say no, I'll tell you that," he replies weaving between tables on his way back to the bar.
Purot and Vall reminisce about the smaller towns that they had grown up in and how they never got as busy as this little one did. "Sometimes silence is like the most beautiful music of all," Vall says poignantly, his eyes looking a little glassy. Purot assesses that both Vall and Chip don't seem to be tolerating their spirits well and are given glasses of water.
"Meet us outside when you're ready to go back and see Belona," he says as he and Saaya head out the door, perhaps they can check out that fountain while they wait, it is quite interesting and an attraction of sorts in this town.
The sunlight is directly over the plaza as they get a closer look at the famed fountain. Saaya looks in the water and is overcome by her feline instincts as she swipes with her claws at a fish within reach but it quickly evades her grasp. Purot jokingly gives it shot and fails just as well, hoping that will make her feel better. It must have boosted her confidence because with one more swipe and it's quite a catch! She digs in eagerly as passersby look on, some in disgust; some in awe of the catwoman among them. Getting down to business, Purot looks at the fountain trying to discern whether it's mechanical or magickal, while Saaya bends down to look at the carvings and symbols along the base. She informs Purot of her findings of the purity in infinity symbology. Investigating the symbols, Purot puts together this is a magickal fountain, pulling water endlessly from the ground and purifying it for the entire town.
The inn door opens and out stumble Vall and Chip, only slightly better than before, but they say they're ready to go, and they all head back to the bridge, a new secret to share.
Once back atop the stonework of the arching bridge, they tell Toro's secret and Arabeth appears before them. Purot confirms his suspicion that Hermock went north, just like the knight and the dwarf with the exalted axe of the dwarvenlords they had heard about. He then starts to prod regarding questions he himself is looking for. He asks how being dead and 'living as a ghost is. Arabeth admits she chose this fate and that it may not work the same with every other soul, and with no more secrets or information to be shared, Arabeth dissipates.
The group moves on to Balona's home, where they knock twice. Her cat, Hijinx, opens the door. Sayaa bends down and speaks in a feline tongue gaining the cat's trust. He seems to say, follow me and leads them over to an open linen closet. He closes the door then reaches up and opens it again; this time revealing a large greenhouse behind it. They see her working amongst her herbs and is surprised to look up and see them.
"Such a good security guard Hijinx," she says standing up and wiping her hands on her apron. "How can I help you now?"
"Well, it's not really if you can help us this time, it's more the fact that we just came from the Bull and Bear inn and it was so crowded and busy. Anyway, we needed to talk to the ghost again so he let us know that he needs help and can't keep up with the work sometimes during the tourist season. So ... would you be willing to help him out and go work for him?" Saaya and Chip explain.
"Oh really?" Belona thinks for a moment and grabs a basket. "Follow me," she says as she criss-crosses the greenhouse picking herbs along the way. "this will be very tasty indeed. This way to the front garden," she says moving towards the back of the greenhouse leaving the group discombobulated as she opens the door revealing now the front garden, and they can see the front porch again, Hijinx watching from the porch railing. Here she collects some potatoes, onions, and garlic, "Bring this to him and tell him I will be there in an hour," She instructs, handing Vall the basket in a firm yet friendly manner.
They turn to go through the front garden gate but she stops them telling them they can't go that way or they surely would die, and to go on back through the house. So they turn and wind their way back through Belona's magickal home lest they be torn apart from haphazard magic. From the brief tour they've had of her cottage, Purot concurs with Saaya, she must be one powerful hedge witch. Obviously not classically trained, but if she were ... powerful indeed. As they exit her abode, Purot takes it upon himself to leave her a note on the door that reads:
The power you hold is great but haphazard. I would recommend you go to a school of the arcane if at all possible in order to hone and refine your abilities. Best of luck, Purot.
They quickly make their way back to the inn and inform Toro of Balona's impending entrance and present him with the basket that was provided. "Would you be interested in Belona coming here to help you with the inn?" Saaya asks as Vall hands him the basket.
He smiles and blushes coyly, "How could anyone not be interested in a Mooren? Thank you so much!"
"She'll be here in an hour," Chip adds.
To show his gratitude instead of leading them to a table, he leads them to a private dining area for special occasions and visitors. They accept as their bellies start to growl, they are hungry! "Ok, I better prepare for her arrival and make my best impression!"
About 30 minutes and a breadbasket later, they hear Belona's voice, and she wastes no time whipping the inn into tip-top shape; including making the huge mound of lunch rushes dishes do themselves. The group peer out from their door 'scooby-doo' style to see if any sparks are flying. He gets sent away to go and sit with us and take a well-deserved break. "I'll make you all turkey sandwiches and put a stew on for the dinner crowd," she says as she taps him on the shoulder with an i-got-this-don't-worry-about-a-thing kind of nudge. They all pull their heads in quickly as he 'yes ma'ams' her and turns to make his way towards them with a sheepish grin.
He sits and talks with them a while listening as they plan their next steps informing him that they will most likely be leaving after this meal. Hijinx enters balancing a tray on his tail, "I'm not sure how hygienic this is," Purot says as he watches the cat jump onto the table.
"Oh stop Purot, cats are very clean," she reminds him by demonstrating how she cleans herself so meticulously. A plate is set in front of her, turkey with lettuce and tomato on rye. Saaya purrs when she sees it and digs in vigorously, enjoying every morsel; mmmm poultry. It's a good meal to end their adventure in this town for sure.
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