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Jonathon Wilder through his courageous charm joins the Party.
Acting on the information given to you from the Tavern owner you make your way to Horde. The walk takes a little more than half an hour. You come to the location described and find a small hut in the middle of a clearing within the forest of the Village's South most borders.
You approach the door and before you can use your knuckles on the door it opens and a short red bearded man stands before you.
"Well, well, what a pleasant surprise! Visitors I see, and they be as me with fighting spirit. What brings you to Horde's castle?"
With his question he chuckles and takes a long sip of his mug. he then sighs probably from the enjoyment of his drink and looks at you with blood shot eyes.
GM: Say what you wish to do now. Please make sure everyone updates their inventory and subtracts / adds the gold / items given.
You introduce yourselves and immediately talk about your interest in finding the Dark Cleric and East City. By saying this Horde looks at you with a bit of suspicion and says,
"What be this Dark Cleric and that bastard of a place East City to the likes of thee?"
You can see his apprehension in answering and realize your demands for knowledge of these subjects came without your reasons for asking.
GM: You can only know if Horde is for hire if you ask him, do you? Say what you wish to do now.
You attempt to explain your purpose having been comissioned by the Elders.
Horde relaxes his face after hearing your words as he licks his rough red beard with what seems to be a longer than normal tongue for a man of his stature.
"Ah, the Elders... Why didn't ye say this in the first place. Those old buzzards don't know a thing about the affairs of this region."
He steps aside and motions you to come in. Without moving and looking in you can see what seems to be a fairly cozy but bare habitat. It is not very kept and you sniff a hint of strong ale in the air. The surroundings do not show anything significant, this is a place where a person who wishes to be a loner lives.
GM: Say if you will enter or not. Fell free to mulit-task by asking specific questions if you have any.
You enter the hut of Horde. He belches loudly and says,
"Ah, now that be yer offical welcome."
He laughs heartily, he then rubs his large gut and bids you to sit down. There aren't any special furnishings so the old wooden floor does nicely.
"So ye be wanting to know about East City and the Dark Cleric eh?"
At this point you ask your questions and Noah hands over some gold.
GM: What is 'some'? Please deduct it from your inventory.
Horde rubs his gut some more and proceeds to explain,
"Well first let me tell thee what is going on in these here parts... Its all a political gamble. Ye have a king struggling to hold his kingdom, a city to the East that is a den of thieves and then there is this Village right to the South facing Death's Mouth. The Village is run by a bunch of morons."
Horde then puts his eye in a funny position as though her were looking through a crystal ball,
"But I tell thee, it won't be long before the South becomes unbearable if something is not done to stop these darn bandits."
Horde shifts position and then speaks in whispering fashion as though someone outside of the hut were listening that he did not care to oblige,
"...And the Dark Cleric is a rumor... About his powers that is... No one knows who he is or what he can do but he controls that bandits and that is a power in itself eh?
Horde coughs in the most disgusting manner and wipes his beard with the droplets from his hack.
GM: Those of you with sou under 8 will feel the need to go outside for fresh air at this point.
Horde continues despite his lack of manners or care for his guests,
"East City is as bad as it gets. Do not trust anyone there, they are all thieves. Even the nicer ones will eventually take thee for all they gold. There are rumors that under the Inn in the heart of East City is a hideout for the bandits, ye might find thy Dark Cleric there."
He shrugs and then goes to get more ale.
GM: Say what you wish to do now.
Horde thinks a bit for an answer to Lady Godiva's question about entering the Dark Cleric's hideout. Horde then reveals more wisdom than his comeliness reveals,
"I do not know the answer lassie, but I know who will... The Bandits right? I think ye need to get a hold of one of them by the scruff of their blackened nack and make them tell thee the way. Bandits are all around these days, it shouldn't be difficult for thee to find one."
Horde then gulps some more ale.
GM: Say what ye wish to do now.
Lady Godiva challenges Horde's kidnapping suggestion and he merely looks at her in quaint fashion,
"Las, ye be a young one still, eh? I still see thy mother's breast milk flowing off thy cheeks. When ye meet these bandits ye will become unforgiving as they are..."
He then sips another of his ale as though there is not a bother in the world and then answers Lancelot's invitation to join the group,
"Ney lad, I be too old fer this sort of thing. This be better fer thy bones that are still as youthful as a calf's."
Horde then becomes a bit restless,
"Well lads it is going to be time fer meh supper soon. If there be nothing more in thy bosom I shall bid thee leave."
GM: Say what you wish to do now.
With the addition of a new member to your adventurous entourage known as, Hunda you find yourselves looking for the local prison back in the Village. You inquire into these matters by asking the Villagers and learn that there is no regular prison within the Village but such is left to the Kingdom (North West). Disorderly people may at times be kept on the compound where the Elders keep their council but it is a rare occasion as the Village is a quiet place full of mostly the retired and passers through.
GM: Say what you wish to do now.
You decided to return to East City and the neighboring forests to set up a decoy camp.
GM: I will assume you are using the forests based on your plan.
You hope to encourage Bandits that may see your fire to come to your set space, a trap as it were. During the night it becomes very dark, and if it were not for the light from the moons you would hardly be able to see more than a few feet in front of you.
The night passes quietly...
By morning break you are ready for a new day. A quick search reveals that there may have been people nearby but they did not approach your pseudo camp, perhaps they were not convinced but that you can never know.
GM: Say what you wish to do now.