February 16th: Ritholme, Mining & Lumber

By morning's light no further incidents have occurred. The town is starting to calm down, somewhat, while Trenaran and her Free Trade League people still keep watchful eyes on the horizon. Your ship, which did not even have a vessel name scrawled upon it, has not moved or otherwise had anything happen to it.

When the party leaves, they take a somewhat longer route to avoid Irondell, seeking a minimum of contact on the road. It takes the group until about high noon before Ritholme creeps into view, nestled both in and on the edge of a decent sized forest which rolls over the neighboring hills. There are people out and about, talking and chatting and otherwise going about their business like nothing's wrong.

While approaching the town, and feeding Rainbow of some cranberries, Zeiss keeps a watchful eye for anything unusual.

"Maybe we should search for the office of the Mayor...

His Eevee almost bites his finger.

"Calm down Rainbow. There is enough left."

"Remind me why are we here again? I kinda meant to ask this, but I got... distracted somehow. Nothing to do with butterflies or the like. For sure.", said Javan while flexing his arms the best he can while wearing a half plate.

Looking over his shoulder to Javan, Zeiss smiles a little.

"We are trying to find out why no more caravans are coming from Ritholme. And resolve that problem. I just hope we won't have to fight an airship to achieve that..."

"Oh ok. Well, it's obvious people here doesn't seems to care much about whatever happened. Which means it's...", the fairy lets out a sigh and seemly losing his will to do anything, "Detective time, I guess... damn, now I remembered how bad I was at it in our very first job together!"

"Well, we got a lot better. I think. Maybe..."

Zeiss looks around.

"Why don't set this inn" he points at it "as our meeting point? I suggest we meet there in two hours. We should try to learn something before we talk to the Mayor."

He looks one last time at his companions before going on his own.

Spoiler:

"Fine, I get it. Ask around, right?", Javan slapped his cheeks hoping it might allow him to got through the whole ordeal yet again. It partially worked, and he tried to talk to the merchants of the region.

Spoiler:

Zeiss:
You find almost no information in specifics, but not for lack of trying. People are extremely unwilling to discuss the matter of exports, but you don't hear any rumors or otherwise regarding the mines or logging trade being shut down.

"well the place looks normal so maybe the caravans are been intercepted away from town? well time to mingle"

Spoiler:

Tabran:
No one's really talking about anything other then mundane normal things and refuses to discuss recent events, changing the subject if brought up. Most of the people seem fine, if a bit tense.

Zeiss returns to the inn to meet the others.

"So... I learned almost nothing. People don't want to talk about the exports, but the mines and the logging trade doesn't seem to have been shut down."

He thinks for a moment.

"i got the same result too there is something odd going on that's for sure thou im glad its not an out right attack."

"Did anyone notice if anyone had those rings or weird weapons on them?"

*Z heads off toward the logging fields having changed cloths and done her hair up, she is now back to looking like a young male elf. Upon arriving he asks around about a job.*

Spoiler:

Javan:
Unfortunately you don't find anything of particular note, though you do find that the merchants here hum a rather catchy tune while they dance about in their turbans.

Gwydo:
No one who has done checks thusfar has spotted any Rings (I was actually assuming people were checking for them, didn't mention it because it didn't occur to me to).

Z:
They are not hiring right now, as the foreman explains to you they've got a bit of a management issue right now, no budget left to hire more people for the moment, and if pressed they insist that they simply can't afford more workers and to get a job elsewhere.

"No, I didn't notice any rings..."

He looks around, uncertain.

"Maybe we should go see the mayor now. Unless one of you still has something to share?"

Spoiler:

"well going to see the mayor kind of tips our hand if he is in on something underhanded and if he is having his arm twisted it shows us to the bad guys but we are still in the dark, we could go to a shipping business a pretend to be from a Holtberg business that's has not received a shipment of wood we placed an order for? or we could wait the night and watch for anything odd?"

Ashakel wanders off to the lowliest, cheapest inn, where drunkards gather round. As he enters he orders a beer, and sits around hoping to see if any one of them look like they have lost a job recently, or speak anything about Holtburg, mayor, trade, mines and other things of interest.

Spoiler:

Ashakel:
For the most part you hear nothing of interest, and are on the verge of giving up when you overhear a single Dwarf, fairly drunk, mention how he 'prefers things this way anyways', and 'it's not like we were paid well before'.

Ashakel approaches the table the Dwarf is sitting at. "Care to share a drink? Not much better to do in these tough times, and I hate drinking alone."

The Dwarf, who is sitting with several other Dwarves and an Elf, all rough looking fellows, glare up at you for a second, suspicious. But the drunk Dwarf hiccups and says, "Anyone who's fit to share a drink's fit to share with me. Whatcher poison today?"

Ashakel sits down with the rest of the crew. "The stronger the better, but I'll take whatever you lot are drinking. It was a tough day yesterday. Are we drinking to something? Or just to staying alive in these times, eh?" Ashakel laughs a bit at the end of his sentence.

"Barshleybrew Thhick, but you gots ta pay fer yer own! NO free drinksh hur!" The Dwarf slams his mug on the table, prompting a round of laughter. "And we drinksh to merrah... merro... merrilimen...." he crosses his eyes up in concentration. "In SHELEBRATION of life and drinkingsh!"

Tabran Cole wrote:"well going to see the mayor kind of tips our hand if he is in on something underhanded and if he is having his arm twisted it shows us to the bad guys but we are still in the dark, we could go to a shipping business a pretend to be from a Holtberg business that's has not received a shipment of wood we placed an order for? or we could wait the night and watch for anything odd?"

"We can do all three. Some of us will visit the mayor, while you take Zeiss and Z to a few shipping businesses and pretend to be dissatisfied clients. We'll meet up later to figure out who and where we watch during the night."

"Let me tell ya... I'll pay for my drink.. AND.. pay another round for you guys! Ha! I drink to that! Things must have been going good for you in this city. I myself used to work for the Adventurer's guild, getting jobs here and there. But now the guild pretty much died out. You don't suppose I could find something here? I'm sick of wanderin' about and slaying bears and squirrels for petty money."