A Hunka' Hunka' Burning Plague

[HughtheHand]

Well im thinking its time to get out of this place before some other plot twist happens.

Kegan's sentiments apparently being shared by the whole group, the priest coughs awkwardly and looks around at you all. "Sooo.... guess we better be hitting the old dusty trail."

As you leave the tor, looking back its seems hard to believe that just within that darkened entrance you faced horrific nightmarish creatures and witnessed the death of a recently befriended comrade. But that's all in the past now, as you turn your eyes towards the rolling hills in front of you, the sky alight with sunshine and the rich smell of wet earth filling your nostrils.

After about 3 hours of following a barely visible dirt road, the path forks. Turning to you, the simple, still unnamed priest bids you farewell. [B]"Well, Duvik's Pass is about a 6 hour walk that way, up into the mountains. With luck you should make it there by sundown. Sorry about your friend, hard to die so early, not enough diamond dust for everyone in this world. Well, that's all the well-wishing I have in me, time to go back to my hovel-like church and preach to preach to farmers who could really give a damn about a hereafter that is shrouded in no mystery what so ever. Good luck!"[B] With that he turns and walks off.

Continuing in the direction indicated, you notice the terrain becoming steeper and rockier as the sun crosses the sky above. As it begins its slow descent into the West, perhaps with an hourglass of daylight left, you crest a particularly large hill and there, looking down into a valley in the shadow of the mountain range, you spy the first signs of a settlement. It's a small town, probably inhabited by somewhere between 901 to 2000 people. Smoke billows out from some of the buildings, forges most likely, and one or two large buildings which could be inns or meeting halls.

As you head down the trail for the town, you notice a large sign standing by the side of the road.

A man is standing in front of the sign with his back to you, painting numbers on the bottom right of the sign. With his face turned to the sign you can't see how old he is, but you can see that he wears a wide straw hat, a plain brown tunic and brown pants held up by a cord of rope around his gaunt waste. Simple clothes, even for an npc.

[dragonfire]

Watching the man paint new numbers on the sign, Well isnt that just promising, if anyone cares to stick around abit it looks like they have some newly vacant houses.

[HenryLockwood]

"It'll be the squirrels."

Jort's pronouncement is simple, direct and dour: though somewhat mysterious, perhaps, as there's not enough trees around for more than about three of the rodents.

[HughtheHand]

Finished with his painting, the man wipes his brush off on some nearby grass then turns around. "Whadjja, whuh, hoo-- What do you think you're doing? Sneaking up on an old man like that!? With my heart the way it is, I coulda been deader than a canary in a cold iron mine." The man is indeed very old. His eyes are droopy and gray, the skin at his neck hangs down in a big wobbly fold, and short white whiskery hair peppers his unshaven face and neck. He adjusts the rope tied around his belt and gives you all a once over. "What do you want here?"

[HenryLockwood]

Jort replies succinctly: "Beer."

After a short pause, he continues: "And maybe food. Beer first."

[dragonfire]

Trying to keep from laughing to loud at Jort's suggestion, A cold beer does sound good or maybe even a good wine.

[Shen]

Looking around, Reginald laughs at the last remark. I doubt we'll fine any fine wine here. That's about as likely as stumbling a total stranger offering us a task out of the blue. On the off chance we can find good wine though, that would be fantastic.

[HughtheHand]

The man looks at you with a raised eyebrow. "Beer and wine is it? Well, I happen to live next to the only inn in town, so you lot might as well follow me up there." Giving you a big "c'mon" motion with his arm, the man turns and starts shuffling up the path at an extremely slow rate. "Though I don't know why you'd want to come here, this town's seen better days, yes indeed. Don't suppose you might be adventuring types? After all, you don't see too many groups come through here with an dwarf, an elf, a human, and someone that looks in-between the two."

As you walk on, you can hear a hand bell ringing, and a voice in the distance calling "Bring out your recently departed! Bring out your recently departed!"

[tylernull]

"Why, what a convenient, almost lazily-written coincidence! We are indeed adventuresome folk! My name is Stamos Flasid, and I am a cleric of Kurgess. In my humble opinion, your fellow villagers seem like they need more exercise. You know, a lack of a good cardiovascular workout is at fault for many an illness -. . ."
Stamos continues to describe his recipe for good health, and will continue to do so until someone cuts him off.

[HughtheHand]

"Well, I just thought that no normal person would be caught dead wearing a hat like that, unless it were something magical. Does it increase your stamina or something such as that? Or that mask your friend is wearing, does it allow him to see things invisible?" The man squints at you as he continues shuffling towards the town.

[tylernull]

Suddenly defensive, Stamos sputters:
"My stamina is EXCELLENT I will have you know! EXCELLENT! I doubt that anyone else can endure for as long as I!"
Stamos looks around at the entire group, as if sizing everyone up. Then suddenly drops and begins doing push-ups.

[HenryLockwood]

Jort stares at the skinny man. "You scared, so you try to prove things. You just smash instead. Much easier."

The dwarf pats the head of his axe, then turns to the guide.

"Where's beer? We go now."

[dragonfire]

Watching Stamos doing push ups, Well im worn out just watching this, now I can really use that ale.

[HughtheHand]

The old man stares at Stamos for a moment as he drops onto the dusty ground and begins doing push-ups. Shaking his head, he turns and continues walking, muttering under his breath. "Crazy adventuring types, takes all kinds I suppose, when I was a boy...." He continues muttering as you pass what look to be ranch houses, with fences for livestock, but for the odd cow or goat there seems to be almost no animals at all.

As you continue on you begin come into the town proper. It's a proper mining boomtown, with simple wooden one-room houses that look to have been slapped together as quickly as possible. Most seem to be still inhabited, but here and there a door hangs open showing giving you a peek at an empty home, its inhabitants either dead or gone. There are very, very few people on the main street, most of them hurrying about their business. Ahead you can see the man you heard earlier, ringing a large hand bell, continuing his morbid chant, "Bring out your recently departed!" Next to him there is a man pulling a cart, and from the flies and odd limbs sticking out from the back, you can guess what's inside.

[tylernull]

Realizing everyone has moved on, Stamos jumps up and runs after the group.
"See! I told you!"
As a rejoins the group, Stamos looks very proud.
"So . . . town's seen better days, I suppose . . .