"Strange? Ain't that strange enough for ye?" She tumps her brooom down on the snow piling up of each side of her porch, then shake it in your direction.
When Borealis comes back to the cart, Otto asks, "Where to now, boss?"
"Push on, Otto. We need to see if we can make town or if we will have to find shelter on the way. This mystery won't give up its secrets easily."
Borealis gets back to the road, and tries to look ahead. As he goes, he looks for possible places to shelter, and if they make it to town he will look to see where the dominion aura starts, just in case he needs to go and cast spells.
As you continue on your way up the river, houses begin appearing more frequently, all on the same side of the road. A denser cluster of half a dozen buildings soon appears, opposite a small dock where three boats are tied up, alongside a river barge. Looks like a place to cross the river.
"Otto, Karl, try and find the owner of one of those boats and see if they can row us across. If everyone is staying inside and refusing to come out, I can use....alternative means."
Borealis looks around to see if there is anybody watching.
Otto walks to the cosest building and bangs on the door until someone comes and answers. After a quick discussion, the grog comes back. "The bargeman will be along shortly, master."
And, wonders of wonders, the man does come out from the house, wearing a cloak and wide leather hat. He looks to be in his thirties, with a scrawny light brown beard and a scowl. He directs Karl to lead the cart and horse unto the barge, tying the horse's reins to a low rail on the side of the barge. Once everyone is on board, he picks up a long pole and pushes off the barge into the river's slow current.
The crossing is a bit eery, with snow falling all around you and muffling any sound but that of the water, as well as cutting the visibility to a handful of paces. The bargeman pushes his craft across the river, expertly counteracting the slow current. After a while, the far shore becomes visible and he adjust your trajectory so that the barge ends up butting up against another dock. Through the snow, you can see more buildings nearby. You get off while Karl unties the horse and Otto pays the bargeman.
The snow seems colder here, not as wet as on the other side of the river. The wind is also stronger, driving the snow into the side of any obstacle.
"Ah, if only one of my colleagues skilled in Ignem magic was here, they could tell us how much colder it is, and keep us warm! Still, onwards, men, we can make it to town!"
(Borealis casts "True Sight of the Air" so he can see through the blizzard and guide the grogs)
Though the snow is still far from a blizzard, his spell does allow him to see that they are already in the town. At least its riverside part. Houses and other buildings stretch on both sides along the river, as well as before them.
There are few people outside, but again his spell let him see much farther so he can spot several people. A woman carrying a large basket; a man urinating; a trio of boys chasing each other in play; another man pushing a hand cart loaded with pieces of wood. None can really see you because of the falling snow.
"Karl, Otto, I think we're entering the town. I can see someone with a cartful of firewood over that way" - Borealis points as his grogs probably can't see - "ask him where's a good place to shelter with a cart."
Borealis is looking forward to finding somewhere to talk to people, and he's sure the grogs are desperate to get inside.
"I'll hold the horse," says Otto to Karl, "you go ask him."
The cartman shrugs and goes in the direction you point him to, where the cart is passing behind a house.
After a few mminutes, Karl comes back. "The man says there's a family that offers room and board a couple of streets that way."
Taking control of the cart horse again, he leads the group further into town. Soon enough, you are standing in front of a somewhat larger house, with a stable in the back yard. While Karl leads the cart there, Otto koncks on the door, with Borealis standing a few paces behind. After a few words with the man who answers, Otto waves the magus to follow and he moves inside.
The main room of the boarding house is empty, with a small fire burning in the fireplace to your left and a single candle lighting up the room. A large table with long benches on each side are the room prominent features, with a set of stairs to your right leading up and an open door in front of you to what looks like a kitchen.
Otto is stamping his feet to get rid of the snow, having hung his cloak by the door near the fireplace.
"Well we've made it to town safely and can dry off. Now to ask about what's happening."
Borealis will see if anyone else is around to talk to. He will ask the grogs to check what food they have, and see if it looks like supplies in town are low. If he is allowed upstairs to anywhere near a window, he will look up and try and see if there is any change in the clouds.
"Yeah, well, the owner should be back soon," says Otto, as he sits near the fire and warms his hands. "He went to check on Karl with the horse and cart in the stable."
There are no other customers visible at the moment, nor anyone else for that matter. And, while there isn't anybody to prevent Borealis from going upstairs in search of a window, it is usually considered polite to wait before you start wandering off from the common room in someone's home.*
*Just so you understand, this is not a professional inn or a building dedicated for customers. This is simply a house where the owner offers food and a place to sleep for a few travellers at a time, alongside his family. Except that no family is visible at the moment, which is unusual. The owner's wife should be there to settle you in.
Borealis will wait as there is no-one else around. He warms himself up a little, glad to be out of the snow.
A little while later, the door you entered from opens again and Karl walks in. At almost the same time, you can hear noise of someone talking in the kitchen, before the owner appears from that side.
He looks to be in his early thrities, slightly taller than average, with a lanky frame and light brown hair still damp from the snow. His looks tired, with slight dark circles under his eyes.
Gesturing you to follow, his moves to the stairs and climbs them wearily. Upstairs are four doors. The bedroom he shows you looks tidy, with a bed that look clean enough and a small closed window. Each also has a small table, a chest and a lidded chamber pot.
"Good day, are you well my gracious host? I am very glad to be in from the snow. How are you coping in this most unseasonal weather?"
Borealis is trying to be gracious to the owner.
The man looks at Borealias for a moment, his face showing a mix of feelings. "Bargemen and merchants are speeding through town without stopping, so I have no other customers. It's bad." Strangely, his voice is rather emotionless, as is he could not muster the energy to show anger at the strange situation.
"Unseasonable snows, well, that happens. But seven days in a row? No one's ever seen that so early. Summer's barely over. My daugther has been asking me if Christmas is coming soon."
He shrugs, "Nothing I can do about it. Nothing any of us can do about any of it." Again, despite his words being filled with despair, the tone of his voice is alsmost as if he didn't care. Could not muster the energy to care.
Borealis musters up all the warmth he can and says "How are the people of the town taking it? Are the shopkeepers still trading?"
"Shopkeepers? I suppose so. Some of them, at least. People still need to eat. Need firewood too. I don't know. Haven't been out much lately."
He turns away, moving towards the stairs. "Pick your room. Or rooms. Evening meal soon."
(OOC: Thoughts and impressions? Plans? Just trying to understand what his next steps are.)
Borealis wonders why the man is so despondent, and considers if this is widespread throughout the town. He politely asks the man about his circumstances, then will go upstairs to pick a room, and briefly look out of the window to see if the magic cloud above has changed at all.
(OOC: The plan is to find out if there have been any strange occurrences in the past few weeks, leading up to the current weather, and if there is widespread despair like the innkeeper has. Somebody must know something. He will also try visiting a church to see if the town seems unusually pious or full of apathy towards religion. Hopefully, this will give some idea as to whether this is magical or more like a divine or infernal curse.)
There must indeed be a reason for the owner's despondency, but whatever it is the man isn't in the mood to share it with you. He just shrugs off your question and goes back to the kitchen.
The look out of the window of your room reveals that the cloud is indeed still there, slowly circling around town. By some trick of perspective, it almost looks as if it the center point of its rotation is close to the house you are in. Probably anywhere within a hundred paces.
As you look out, you hear someone climbing the stairs. Absorbed as you are by the cloud, it takes you a moment to realize it can by neither your grogs nor the owner, as the footsteps are much too light. You turn around as a young girl enters the room, carrying a bucket of water with both hands.
She looks to be perhaps eight or nine years of age, with dark blond hair held in a pony tail by a ribbon. Her face is similar in structure to that of the owner, so she's probably his daughter. She smiles brightly when she sees Borealis, "Papa said we had guests, so I brought you some water to clean up before supper, if you want."
"Hello, I'm Borealis, what is your name? Thank you for the water."
Borealis tries to ask the girl about her family and how things have been recently.