“A monster showed up at our village, with big teeth, and everyone had to go behind the palisade! The best hunters drove it off with bows, but my father went to petition the baron to take care of the monster so it wouldn’t come back. Except, the baron wouldn’t even give him an audience! He just told him to come back on Sunday!”
The kid crosses his arms. “It’s not fair.”
I awkwardly crouch down to try and reach somewhere close to the child’s level- an act I hope he doesn’t perceive as patronising. “Uhm- do you know the name of your village, and- why are you here alone?”
“As soon as the traders bring them. To be honest, it really depends, but we’ll probably get more within the next couple days. But they’ll be a bit delayed by the trip up river, so…” She shrugs.
You can’t think of anything in the broadsheets that would obviously have unexpected relevance. It is a bit surprising that the broadsheets are willing to openly accuse the Mendevian noblewoman of being a demoniac, but not of adultery; plausibly she was able to convincingly deny the adultery under a truthspell (though there’s no mention of it in the broadsheets, if so), but surely her husband would also have asked her to confirm that she wasn’t engaging in unrelated demon-related activities?
“Weren’t there supposed to be symbols here?” Arius asks, as he casts Detect Magic.
“Someone must have broken in,” says the older watchman. “Probably the cultists, trying to clean up evidence of their crimes.”
“The lock was still there,” says the younger watchman doubtfully.
“That just means that the cultists know how to pick locks,” says the older watchman.
There’s a magic aura on the two watchmen (you may make a K(arcana) check to identify the school), and of course there are the expected magic auras associated with your party’s consumables. You don’t see any signs of magical auras associated with the basement itself.
The older watchman squints at you. “What’s that spell, young man? You’re not trying to pull any funny business, are you?”
“I’m from Murkbrook!” says the kid cheerfully. “Dad had to catch up with the planting, ‘cause he missed some of it trying to talk to the stupid baron, and Mom is having a baby soon, so she couldn’t come either. She’s gotta stay close by so the Sower’s right there to heal her after.”
He looks down at the ground, his face darkening. “ Last year Dad said that this year I could help with the planting too. Except this year he said I still wasn’t good enough! It’s not fair.”
“Do you… know how to get back?” I start to get a little more concerned.
(1-10 how dead are this kids parents rn)
“Duh. I’m not a baby.”
10
You’re not sure! You could ask?
“How… far away is Murkbrook from here?”
Drakor knelt near the ground, looking for any tracks or disturbances.
(Can I make a survival check?)
(you can)
“Just a couple hours! I’ll be back before supper even if the shopping takes forever.”