Our adventurers find themselves safe from the hungry wolves, on the worn path. After some time, the torches that were carried had fizzled out, leaving them in the dark once again. Rishi has spotted the continuation of the worn path and insists that the rest follow. Jjaxx, still holding onto the chest he had found earlier, seems lost in the woods due to the sheer thickness of the brush. Salem offers to guide Jjaxx along with the rest of the party, knowing full well that humans are useless in the dark. Estraban, being the determined dwarf he is, eagerly tries his best at opening the second chest he had found. He locates a nearby rock and starts smashing the lock, only to no avail. During the chest beating, Mathayus asks the rest of the party if anyone recalls ANYTHING before waking up in the pit. The rest of the party don't recall what they were doing up til a few days before waking up amongst strangers in a pit. Mathayus stops the conversation when he notices movement in the nearby brush. He asks for Estraban to stop the incessant sounds, for they are not alone. Estraban stops the attempt at opening the chest and takes lead down the worn path, chest in hand.
During the quiet trek through the thicket, light conversation is kept going as to ensure no one gets left behind. Umbra, unlike Jjaxx, has to rely on hearing the voices of the party as to keep up with the group, seemingly lagging behind occasionally. Talila and Mathayus keep their eyes and ears open to any surprises that may arise, while Salem guides Jjaxx behind Estraban. Rishi suddenly becomes a little distraught in the whole situation and starts to become a bit accusational towards Jjaxx. Being of a rather cautious gnome, a conspiracy starts to form with Rishi accusing Jjaxx of being the mastermind behind the precarious situation. Jjaxx, having zero idea of what has flipped inside Rishi's mind, starts to defend himself. Amongst the various "points" that Rishi spouts, Jjaxx starts to get riled up when told that he enjoys watching others struggle. Estraban steps in and mentions to Rishi that Jjaxx is in the same exact situation as everyone else, that he could die just like everyone else. Rishi starts to sputter, looking for something to bring up when Jjaxx mentions that he was the one who climbed a tree and was throwing acorns at the wolves. Rishi starts to point out that who, in their right mind, would throw acorns at wolves? Only a crazy mastermind would do such heinous things. Jjaxx asks Rishi why he himself couldn't be the mastermind behind all of this, to which he responds with the fact everyone would be dead by now. The conversation had increased the volume, notifying wolves that there was a free meal nearby. Salem and Mathayus insist that the party continues to move forward due to the increased activity in the nearby brush. Before moving on, Talila just stands there thinking what is going on with these crazy people.
A bit further down the worn path, Umbra starts to complain about how far they are having to walk, how he wants to sleep in a nice bed, and to never see these people ever again. In turn, insomnia-stricken Mathayus starts to bicker about wanting to murder everyone because he misses his isolation. He could do without the company and the fact he cannot recall what he was doing days before has started to affect him mentally. As the party moves forward, wolves start to gather behind the party, stalking them. Talila spots a clearing ahead, noticing daylight. Upon hearing this great news, the party scurries forward, leaving the wolves behind.
Once the adventurers arrive on the outskirts of a rather large village, Mathayus inquires to the rest if anyone knows where they are. Salem suggests that perhaps a local would be helpful and tell them if they at least know anyone in the party. Upon asking a close local, Salem gets told in a very abrupt manner "no". Talila has the idea of finding an inn where they could rest and gather their thoughts as to what has happened and what they should do. Estraban, eager to see what is inside the semi-heavy chest, insists on visiting the local blacksmith to see if they can open the chest. Seeing as the party is wanting to split up at this moment, Talila, Umbra, and Jjaxx decide to head into the nearby inn, while Estraban, Rishi, and Mathayus visit the blacksmith. Salem decides to keep a lookout and to wander nearby, hoping to find some clues as to where they are. Before the party splits up, Jjaxx opens the chest he managed to access earlier, giving equal divide. What is passed out isn't much, but it'll have to suffice for now. During this time, Jjaxx mentions that he wishes he could have been better at accessing the "hopefully" secret compartment in the chest, but since his hands are shaky, it would have to wait.
Upon entering the inn, the small party takes in the overall atmosphere: dull and lifeless. Not much is going on here. Jjaxx approaches the nearby counter, looking for an attendant. Bob, a very boorish gnome, asks what the party wants, appearing perturbed about having people at the counter. Jjaxx, trying his hardest to gather up his best, bard-self, attempts to get a good deal on rooms. He inquires if there are any rooms available, in which Bob asks if the party wants a single room or separate ones, subtly hinting at possible lewd circumstances. Talila, upon hearing this, bristles at the sheer thought of such atrocities, but holds back. A bard can win over this rude gnome, right? Umbra, standing off to the side, starts to take in the scene and takes note of various things. Nothing of importance is noticed. Bob flips through a nearby ledger, finds four rooms available. Jjaxx, Umbra, and Talila each ask for a separate room. Bob asks for 10 gold pieces, which gets a room and a free meal. Jjaxx, hearing the price, is taken aback by the sheer amount. He offers to play music in exchange for a room, or at least a discount. Bob scoffs at the deal but takes it with one condition: the party must entertain their guests for the night, not just Jjaxx. Both Umbra and Talilia decline, paying the surly gnome his price. Umbra inquires to Bob on why the inn looks as bleak as it is, to which Bob explains that people don't stop by due to the woods. Strange sounds come from the woods at night, strange people seen around town (hinting at the party as to them being included). Talila asks about weapons and offers to help take care of the issues affecting the village, as long as they can be pointed towards a reputable blacksmith. Bob leans towards Talila and warns her of the only local blacksmith. That he might be an "issue".
Outside the blacksmith, the small party wait for the current customer to leave. Estraban, still with chest in tow, enters the building and approaches the counter. As Estraban places the chest down, Rishi approaches the attendant in hopes to get the chest opened. Sam, a half human, half dwarf, is awestruck by the new customers. In a very flamboyant delivery, Sam asks Rishi where his parents are, flirtatious as ever. He then asks where the chest was found and who it belonged to. Rishi tries to bullshit Sam about how the chest was tripped over, but Sam sees right through the scenario. Sam explains that he is hesitant at opening "unfamiliar, found" chests due to an incident recently. He then fondles the chest to get a better idea at what could be inside or at least where it came from, but Estraban decides to try his luck on wordplay with Sam. Sam spills a little more on what happened, but not much. All the party is told is that Sam had helped a stranger open a "found" chest and "bad shit happened". Nothing more. Rishi attempts to push further, but Sam cuts him off and starts to flirt with him again. At this point, Rishi is determined to get this chest of Estraban's open, so he purchases a mallet, chisel, short sword, and a dagger. Hopefully he will be prepared for whatever might happen. Sam knows exactly what Rishi is wanting to do and blatantly asks that Rishi does that outside of the village. Rishi obliges. Estraban decides to make a purchase on a dwarven waraxe, in which Sam tries to hit on him during the transaction. Estraban declines the advances, but Sam says he wouldn't mind if Estraban "tripped" over onto him at some point. Finally, Mathayus approaches the counter with a spiked chain, stone-faced and dark. Sam makes an attempt at flirting with Mathayus but Mathayus is having none of it. In fact, the insomnia has started taking a toll on him and he starts to get a bit irritated with Sam's advances. Sam sees this and slips a piece of paper to Mathayus, with a number and what seems to be an address on it. Before Mathayus can react, both Estraban and Rishi de-escalate the situation and finish up the transaction, escorting Mathayus out of the building. Estraban approaches Salem by a tree, asking if he had found anything out. Salem had noticed a few locations of interest that could help the party figure out where they are, but he keeps this to himself for now.
Where will our adventurers find out next?
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