Aristocles will call out "Is anyone home?" If no one answers he will go through the curtain and see what lies beyond.
"Hello?" Raven calls out as well. Raven will also follow if no one responds.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Town Group 2
[tab][/tab] Despite the calls from both magi there is no response. And while your voices sound loud in the small room full of metal objects (setting some of them in resonance), beyond the door there is silence. Tentatively Aristocles reaches in and slowly pulls the door strings apart, setting a light, twinkling sound of glass beads clinking with each other, revealing the room beyond. Easily six times or more larger than the small antechamber, this has the look of a well kept indoors promenade. The angled ceiling is two people high at its lowest, three at its highest and it slants from right to left. Evenly spaced skylights let the evening light fall inside, making light-beams where lazy patterns are formed by scant incense smoke. While the ceiling is unadorned wood and plaster, the floor is tiled, in large grey squares. Several serpentine shapes are depicted in red and green, their coils obscured by the displays and large objects that rest upon them. The smell of jasmine is prevalent, scantly masking the odor of old items. Where the antechamber was clattered and jumbled with no sense of order, here each thing is placed meticulously in its place, with exhibit cases and counters, expensive velvet displays ( a little faded) and large fastings for the heavier objects.
[tab][/tab] It is indeed a place filled with ancient objects. Pieces of marble columns are set against the wooden support beams, Corinthian, Ionic and Doric, plus two more that look Persian in style., while other slabs of marble hint at plinths, votive altars or casket coverings, the dirty whiteness brilliant in the murky light. Implements of war (swords, spears, shields and parts of armors) are set high on the wall, secured by cloth fastenings and in rusted display. Ancient statues in bad condition, smashed or hacked or just in broken pieces litter the place, while two intact ones loom in the farthest end, a tall Κορή (Kore sculpture) on the left and an Assyrian lion on the right. Wooden chests and cabinets abound, with several deep shelved storing spaces set in the right wall, like tall china cabinets with perforated wooden closing-panels. The left, lower wall has a couple of boarded windows and set against it lots of amphorae, urns and vases with fade or no drawings on them. In the middle making aisles, the smaller display cases show tantalizing glimpses of their exhibits through closed screens: Prehistoric rock tools that look like flint daggers, rusted arrow heads and green copper knives with curved blades, iron decorative beads and broken seashells threaded through rotting leather or strings, tiny charms looking like heads, animals or gods made out of stone, marble, metal or fragile glass. There is even an exotic case, possibly Egyptian, showing small funerary urns with animal heads, scrolls of rolled papyrus and ornaments made of cracked lapis lazuli in the shape of birds and eyes. It is clear though that ancient as these items are there is little here that is precious or even semi-precious.
[tab][/tab] In the back between the two statues is a well oiled counter made of a dark, lovingly carved wood. A similar beaded door, this one depicting some kind of fruiting tree in a green background, connects this part of the shop with an dark area in the back. With a twinkling a man appears through, tallish, possibly of Greek descent. He has a pointed, trimmed and oiled beard with no mustache and brilliantly sky-blue eyes that are not at all typical to his dark looks. He takes a studying look at you, then smiles: '' Welcome to my humble shop strangers. I am Fivos the dealer in antiquities. You come for something specific or just to look? I can help either way'' he says in a gravely voice, as if his vocal cords were damaged.
[tab][/tab] You catch a small wave of his hand when he passes through the curtain fully to this side of the room, a signal to others in the back room. You can sense at least two other people moving back there, helpers or customers you cannot say....
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Tomb Group 3
[tab][/tab] The stooped elder is reluctant to allow you into the village but Pavo's bearing has a disarming effect and quickly makes clear that this is not a raiding party. Still the people are wary and the dogs (large molossus breed) keep barking. He takes you to him own home, a wooden structure slightly larger than the rest and with a small herb garden besides. It too is in disrepair like the rest of the buildings, but at least the window coverings aren't rotting leather and the smell inside is a little better, pine mixed with cheese and unwashed people. It is clear you cannot all stay inside this building, so you will have to split your people in two other buildings (the owners are alarmed, the elder persuades them one looks resigned, the other angry) for the night. Still you get a roof over your heads.
[tab][/tab] The Dobrinovo elder lives with his daughter, a widow with three children. He does all the talking, the woman is silent and never looks at you directly when she serves a poor fare. The two youngest are huddled together, afraid and curious at the same time, while her oldest son, a youth near manhood, looks on with suspicion. After talk about compensation for the village the Elder thanks you for your generosity and haltingly shares what information he can....
Aristocles will leave any talking to Raven and his gentle gift staying well back and "browsing" the goods without engaging with the shop keeper if at all possible.
If they are left alone he will quietly and discreetly ask Raven to cast a "detect magic" spell if possible, explaining his inability to cast anything spontaneously and not having any appropriate formulaic spell available.
In Pavo's group:
Maia will be content to look at small details of village life, while Pavo uses his mighty Presence to overcome his Gift. Are these people just naturally suspicious or specially suspicious?
She is interested in the molossus dogs, and will speak with them with her Animal Ken when she may (without arising suspicion). "Good boy! Seen any wolf around? What hunts in the night nearby, how does it smell, how does it sound?"
She will also keep on carving her figurines, this might seem like a very normal thing, and might put the villagers at ease. As night falls, she will become more alert and less awkward, hopefully the villagers won't attempt to murder/rob them.
Pavo begins by being grateful for somewhere to stay, and offering to share some food that his companions have brought. He starts asking about how life is in the village, and to the health of their families. He gently asks if there have been many births or deaths recently, to allow the locals to talk about this if they feel comfortable. He will later turn conversation to the nearby castle and if they know anything about the occupants.
(OOC Roll time!
Town group: I'll need Aristocles to do a Per+Awareness diff 12 roll. IF Raven casts that spell (Dominion of 1 aura), I'll need the spellcasting roll, then a Per+Awareness of 6 roll
Tomb group: Please roll a Com+Animal Handling diff 12 for the dogs. Pavo, a Com+Charm diff 15)
(aagh, I forgot to cast Form of the Sanguine Heartbeast before we arrived! Then again, it would disappear as the sun went down so probably wouldn't help)
Com 0 + charm (first impressions) 3 -3 Gift penalty = 0 + _: 1D10 = [1] = 1
Oh, good start, next roll _: 1D10 = [10] = 10
OK, that roll was a 20 despite the Gift penalty? Pavo is on excellent form putting people at ease, despite the natural apprehension people feel about a Gifted stranger.
Aristocles roll Per 0 + Awareness 1 + roll D10 (5) = 6 vs target 12 - fail
Maia Com + Animal Handling = 1+1, low! _: 1D10 = [10] = 10, oops!!! 
How many botch dice and does WoM apply?
*edit botch dice, here we go!
_: 1D10 = [6] = 6
1D10 = [5] = 5 No botch, just ordinary failure.
Ha! Rolled 2 botch dice, instead of the 1 the SG mentioned, need to get some sleep!
( WoM does not apply, this is a village in a forest. 1 botch dice)
"We're just looking." Raven says "I hope we haven't intruded too badly."
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Town Group 3
[tab][/tab] ''As you wish, madame. This is a specialty shop, here for your convenience, no intrusion'' he says in a confident manner. The merchant, clearly a seasoned one despite his age, settles down behind the counter and busies himself with making tallies with a stylus on a plaque. He is never the less tracking all customers in his shop with sharp eyes, ready to assist or chat a potential client... or apprehend a potential thief. Faintly you can here someone moving heavy things in the room behind him, what sounds like the creak of wooden crates being pushed or pulled.
[tab][/tab] Meanwhile, Aristocles wanders around looking at the merchandise. All of them are definitely very old, but these curios are rarely intact or whole. Even the exhibits locked behind screened cabinets show their age, wear and tear. Aristocles finds more art stuff than useful items and there are too many to catalogue. No books or scrolls on arcane matters (except those rolled papyrus) and though these are antiquities, they are hardly what one could say a treasure trove. This is indeed a specialty shop, the magi wonder how can this type of merchandise turn a profit in such a provincial town and who the customers might be. Then again Miklos' information did note that the merchant probably deals in stolen goods and maybe contraband too....
(No more info from the missed awareness roll, sorry. I noticed that Raven did not cast the spell. Move along)
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Tomb Group 4
[tab][/tab] Maia's attempt to befriend the dogs was a shocking failure. The big dogs were quite unfriendly (to the point of nearly attacking, and having their owners holding them off, embarrassed). From what she could tell, they view your group as intruders, interlopers and enemies, they will protect their territory and their own. You smell bad... perhaps they sense the Gift in your companion or something else ticked them off. Maia definitely gets the sense that should something go wrong, those dogs will certainly attack to protect the village.
[tab][/tab] Avoiding the molossus, Maia strolls around the little village to get the general feel. This is not a prosperous village but people make do. Signs of Slavic superstitions are abundant, yet the presence of Christian faith is not. It might be that these people are secretly pagans. Their suspicious nature is probably due to the size of your party (and standing. Your average worker is better dressed and fed than these folk). Night improves things not at all, everyone starts locking themselves up after chores. Maia's attempts to 'blend in' have seemingly no effect, no approaches the woman.
[tab][/tab] Pavos is more successful. Not only has he managed to bedazzle the people, especially the children, with his dress and manners, the people have automatically started calling him 'lord' in deference and politeness. His offer to share food is much appreciated and soon has everyone in the small house charmed, even the youth relaxes a bit. The headman's family talk more freely, though only the children attempt to ask innocent questions (which their mother quickly admonishes, apologizing for their behavior). Pavo gleans that this is a Slavic village, built in the middle of the forest for protection, but mostly because this was the only available free land. These people are probably the descendants of raiders or stranglers from the north that came here to settle down. They chose this spot to be with their own people instead of inter-grating with the Byzantium society, following their own customs and traditions. Life is hard but fair. Working on the forest does not provide them luxuries, and their food supplies are padded up with foraging... there is little arable land here. There have seen famine years in the past, but thankfully the last score seasons were passable.
[tab][/tab]They had their deaths and their births, nothing out of the ordinary, until recently. Two children went missing, they found one dead in the forest to the north, with no apparent wounds. Even the scavengers did not touch the body, they had to burn it, avoid bad luck and such. The other child, a girl, was never found. When the Elder is asked if he thinks this has something to do with the Tomb to the north, he shakes his head. He personally thinks that the 'faeries' in the pond took the kids, making a sign against the evil eye. His daughter admonishes him for telling tales and frightening the children, looking worried. Later though he confides to Pavo that he has forbidden children going there, and adults avoid the place all-together. About forty minutes downhill of the village to the south, but still above the Rasenitis river gorge, there is a magnificent waterfalls and ponds complex, named Balta di Stringa. That is an enchanted place, with numerous tales of the fae-folk that live in the depths of the waters, luring people to their deaths. It is common knowledge in this parts, and prudent people avoid them. For some reason it seems they now go outside their turf, stealing children. Why even the other village to the north west, Liasinitsa, lost three children this year! That's the Elder's opinion.
[tab][/tab] Talks about the new Lord are less fruitful. Some kind of nobleman was appointed to this region some five or ten years ago, but the people have never seen him (or possibly her). In fact they were left pretty much alone, until this year when 'emissaries' of said noble made the rounds and advised people that this fall the taxes would be collected. Good thing that they assured people both that they would be low and that the Noble would not demand back taxes for precious years. Which is a good thing, the Elder confides, as they had no protection these past years. Perhaps now they will have someone to turn to in case of need, but he doubts that. This area is too poor and too mountainous for even nobles to make a profit, and this new one seems content to stay as far away as possible, never even showed his face. Still, it is true that early this year they had started repairing the old castle in Aoos gorge way off to the north west. Good thing he did not demand manual labor for it (even though the money might have helped) from the villages. People say he had a building crew of gypsies brought in, of all people! Further more he cannot say, just rumors....
If we are not casting spells Aristocles will suggest they return to the covenant as the shop seems to have nothing obviously interesting on offer.
"Thank you for confiding in me", Pavo reassures the elder. "I must make my way to the castle and check which lands this noble lays claim to, what taxation he demands and if he can offer any protection. These changes in leadership cause problems for us all. As for the other problems of your village - I pray your children remain safe. I thank you for your warning about the Balta di Stringa"
Later on, when the travelling party is gathered to sleep where they can, Pavo says "This new noble sounds mysterious. It might be perfectly legitimate, or it might be a magus or hedge wizard trying to take over a castle for themselves. We will need to speak politely to them and find out their intentions.
Let's take a detour to check out the Balta di Stringa, and check if the fae there are obviously to blame. On our way back from the castle, we may want to stop in Liasinitsa rather than come back here, just to compare their stories."
"We could always get some scrolls. Those always go well in a library. But let's return for now. Nothing looks so valuable as to require buying now. Once I get a lab I'll make an Intellego Vim spell and we can see if that hints to anything more valuable." Raven will begin to leave.
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Town Group
[tab][/tab] Raven and Aristocles complete their cursory investigation of the shop, finding lots of old but uninteresting things in their perusal. Making polite but short excuses to the merchant, who nods kindly and looks preoccupied with his stylus and pad like this happens all the time, the pair head for the entrance past the rows of exhibits determined to return some day in the future when they are more prepared. This seemed either a waste of time and effort or simply a missed opportunity due to lack of skills. Perhaps some non-Gifted covenant folk could approach the merchant first....
[tab][/tab] Just as the Bonisagus maga was following Aristocles, her familiar Digger pressed its ugly snout out of her clothes and gave two loud sniffs like a bloodhound, then a loud sneeze. Pausing to see what it wanted, Raven was surprised to see it jump off and onto a large wooden exhibit case, its sharp claws making nasty scratches on the wood. It sniffs closely to the wooden screen covering the exhibits then barks two croaks (an ugly sound between a seal and a toad), possibly in annoyance or excitement. It swishes its tail, rocking the heavy furniture a bit, clearly wanting its owners attention. Unfortunately it also makes a commotion that makes the merchant raise his head and frown looking at the pair exiting. Its possible he hasn't seen the creature yet, half hidden from the junk lying around in the aisle but Digger keeps barking on top of the large case, scoring the wood with each movement of its heavy body.
[tab][/tab] You can see through the wooden screen covering a large case with various small exhibits pressed on green and somewhat moth eaten felt. There is a collection of glass beads, small earrings of rusted metal, pitted wood and old fired clay, trinkets and amulets and ornaments that mostly women wore in the ancient times, all of them badly covered with the patina of old time and neglect. The familiar squats over a particular spot croaking, under it is a what looks like a small ivory and metal hair comb, black with soot or grease or rust. There is little else you can see of it, as it is covered by the screen and under the familiar...
[tab][/tab]-[tab][/tab] Tomb Group
[tab][/tab] Pavo recounts what he has learned from the Elder about the Noble and the disappearance of children. He (and Maia) will have to decide where to go in the morning: Balta di Stringa is a complex of waterfalls and a large pool to the south east, following a narrow, ill travelled path from the village itself... and out of your way. The Tomb it self is towards the north, in the small valley carved by the river below until it joins with Aoos river. The villagers say that no-one goes there, in fact that whole area is not settled. The tomb is on the western side just above the river, facing the sun and is easily spotted by the ring of apple trees around it. The Noble's castle on the other hand is in north west and quite a way. Your party will need to follow the forest path you came from, up and through Liasinitsa, all the way to the Aoos crossing, then turn west and follow the river until the gorge starts. The site is on the northern bank, but villagers say that the folk of the castle have made a wood crossing in that place so you can ford there.
"Maia, do you think we should go to the castle first? It's the furthest away, and we can look at the tomb and the waterfalls on our way back." asks Pavo.
Pavo, I still ain't too keen on visiting this noble. But you've made up your mind, sure, we'll go. I will do my best to keep my mouth shut and not make this go sideways, yea. Does the tymvos and the waterfall lie in his lands, do you think? These molossi, we should befriend some, hehe, nearly took me fingers off! And I was saying the sweetest things to them! But maybe it's my blood, that's something to think on... I think we should go to the falls and the tomb first, what if this mysterious lord forbids or interferes with our investigation?
"It may be easier to ask forgiveness than gain permission, I suppose. If we happen to walk past some waterfalls and interesting tombs on our way to visit them, how is a reasonable person supposed to know there's anything out of the ordinary? I suppose we should start with the waterfall, as it is closest."
Pavo asks the grogs to pack up and set out for the waterfalls, as we are currently near them. We will then head to the tomb if time allows. Pavo politely tells the villagers that he will be heading south east and that his friends will pass through again on the way back. He will thank them for their hospitality.