The Flayed Man part 10

"Might they have spoken falsely to one they consider an outsider?" Seldan's question is very quiet, and he lets the lilt of Bryn Myridorn color his words freely, as if to make a point. He is also Myrrish, and that is plainly obvious in his words. "Or turned against such a one?"

"Vocabulary isn't a measure of intellect," Malik adds. "You can track the seasons by the stars, on instinct. A discipline which takes astronomers years to master. You know how to raise plants properly, and tends animals best. Druids spend decades in study learning how to make such sense of the world." The wizard offers a shrug. "Flashy words are nice, sometimes. But not having them hardly equates to a lack of intellect. You kept a farm for years. Raised a family with it. That takes skill. Cunning. It may not be flashy. But when has flashy ever caused anything but trouble, for most?"

"You're the adventurers. You know all about flashy, don't you? People 'round here, they don't like flashy. Old village like this, they have their own way of doing things and have for decades." He smiles a tired smile at Malik, now, having eased a /little/ in your presence finally. The compliments go a long way, though his eyes are now going back to Seldan. "Wouldn't be the first time. It's not so much that they're 'bad', just that... they don't trust people without roots here easily. Thrity years ago, back during the Crown Wars, they say, an outsider made his home here. They accepted him to their lands, a refugee from Alexandria when it was ruled by the monsters and their queen. Most people don't talk about those days either -- but about that time, folks started going missing. Turned out he wasn't a refugee at all. He was one of Altima's -- selling people out who hadn't done nothing just to fill his coin purse with traitor's gold. When the townsfolk figured it out, well.... don't think I need to tell you that they have their own measure of justice in little places like this. So yeah, they don't trust people 'round here."

Seldan, the paladin in shining armor, turns to level a -look- at Malik, but it is followed by a warm smile. "I see. Perhaps it is then time that an outsider did some good." He looks up at the dilapidated house. "I would not leave you on your own. Would you permit us to see to a few repairs, perhaps? I would aid you, if you would have me. The winter is deep this year."

"Oh no, no. I couldn't... you shouldn't..." He shakes hjis head. He's getting a bit more emotional, now, his eyes starting to well up. There's a pride there as he looks away. Simple kindness can go a long way, can't it?

"They told me it was wolves," he finally utters. "Dire wolves o' some kind."

Seldan nods slowly, the wheels turning behind his icy blue eyes as he listens. "Of course, of course." He says nothing more of the offer, although the response is not lost on him, and he looks wordlessly at the others for a moment, then turns his attention back to Keneld. "Dire wolves would be a threat indeed," he says quietly. "Did any but you learn of their presence in the area?"

"...wouldn't know. WE didn't talk about it. I hired help from the Guild after a time. Traps didn't work. Bloody clever things," he says with a sigh. "NEver saw them, myself, but I saw the wreckage they'd leave behind for the carrion eaters." You know, what wolves do.

"I see." Seldan listens sympathetically, nodding slowly at the end. "You have been most helpful, and I for one am grateful for your help. May we return, if we find there is more to learn here? The ghost is proving quite troublesome, and the sooner we can send it to Her halls, the better we will all be."

Olek had mostly been scoping out the terrain and the lay of the land, because he's not a people person, but he hadn't drawn any useful conclusions, so he can only shrug to Seldan, grunt, and follow his lead.

Ezil had meandered to near the road, watching the dilapidated farm from a distance while the others of the group had asked their questions. He waits to see if anything is revealed, but whatever he overheard has caused a strange look to sit upon his face. He waits for Seldan, and Olek, but as they draw near he speaks quietly. "I am not the keenest mind, but I have don't really know if it's wolves. It's all a bit strange to me, and the mystery only seems to deepen."

"Wolves...?" Iskandar lifts the hem of his cloak and pokes his thumb through a hole in the worn fabric. "I could use a new cloak. Wolves' fur is thick and that of dire wolves is said to be especially durable."

Back to the village, then. It's not hard to gget back there despite the snow, but you can absolutely feel sets of eyes on you as you pass through once more.

It's as they said: outsiders are noted and not exactly trrusted, but then, you've already found this to be true.]

Olek is watching the goings on here warily, but he's taking cues from Seldan and the others. He knows he's not a people person, but he recalls that shrine, and he might, maybe, scowl at one or two of the townsfolk that are looking at him funny.

Apparently unbothered by cold and snow, Seldan walks openly and purposefully through the village's center, towards the shrine, wearing both armor and affiliation quite openly, almost glaringly so. He pretends to pay the eyes on him no mind, but in reality, he watches them, looking for a reaction of whatever sort he might get. Indeed, his openness is nearly a dare, so blatant is it.

GAME: Seldan rolls sense motive: (20)+13: 33

Iskandar assumes the villagers are watching the others, more than himself. He's certainly not an outsider. He's a famous hero! "Don't worry," he assures the others. "They'll come around eventually." He nods and flashes an occasional smile as they enter the village.

Ezil follows quietly, lagging slightly behind with his glance roaming here and there. It's eerie, but the tsuran does little to shield himself from those prying eyes. "Such a warm place. I like it a lot." the sarcasm seeping from him as he brings up the rear.

Honestly, it's daytime in the village. You can hear the sounds of village life as well as see them. You get the feeling, come dusk, people here are going to shut down fairly fast beyond the folks at the tavern enjoying their drinks.

The constable that Olek was speaking to earlier does wander by, giving a cheerful nod as he begins climbing a lone lamp post to light it, the old fashioned way, near the town center. The pub is starting to accumulate people.

Iskandar halts in the town center and then looks around, fists on his hips. "It's almost dark. Perhaps we should spend one more night here, see if anything of interest occurs during the night?" He squints at the pub. "Somewhere we can be at ease, and yet stay awake..."

Olek will give the constable a cheerful nod and he considers Iskandar's words. "It's as good as anything at this point?" he says with a shrug. "Maybe someone will jump us." Hope springs eternal.

"Well, that would be some excitement." Ezil notes to Olek and Iskandar, looking back to the pub, and then sparing a glance to Seldan. "What's your opinion?" he asks, having taken in the village, but suddenly giving it a second look.

"We are outsiders, not enemies," Seldan murmurs, lowering both head and voice both at the question. "Not trusted, but not truly hated. I mislike the description of dire wolves from Father Keneld," he adds quietly. "The Hound numbers shapeshifters among his faithful, at least some of them. I would seek rooms, if any are to be had here."

Iskandar is already a few steps towards the pub. "Then we are agreed!" He smiles broadly. "They may have rooms," he nods slowly and rubs his chin through his short beard. "If you retire for the night and then something...ah, exciting --" he nods towards Ezil, "-- does happen, will you be alert enough to join us in investigating? Or do we have to come rouse you?"

Finding rooms is actually not that hard.

You just have to walk over to the tavern's common room and ask for them. The tavern is, after all, also the town's miniscule inn. It's quite clear that they don't have too many visitors. No doubt the village's reception is enough to give most people pause about staying over night, but it isn't long before you're handed a set of keys, for however many rooms you want.

It isn't, as stated, that hard. Though you can /definitely/ feel the eyes on you as you do thuis, they aren't exactly /hostile/. Just... deeply wary, even if Seldan seems better received than most of you.