Gascon, who had begun searching through the remainder of the tavern for Gan when Daphne comes downstairs and asks her question peers at her for moment with a strange expression on his face. "As an artist, I am used to vivid dreams. As a soldier, those dreams are not always pleasant. I have long since developed the skill of sleeping soundly and not reflecting much on my dreams. So when I say that last night my dream dragged me into consciousness and kept me there for some time pondering it, I hope it conveys the degree to which they disturbed me."

He watches as Dargrimm goes to the door and looks to the south. He mutters to himself. "That isn't an especially auspicious omen." Then he calls out to the dwarf. "Dargrimm, I don't suppose you happen to see anything disturbing to the south do you?"

Turning back to Daphne he asks: "I don't suppose you've ever heard of mustard giving people prophetic powers have you?" Then he starts looking around for missing people again. "Qamar! Gerdeth! Wake up if you aren't already. It would seem that adventure has found us instead of waiting for us to take to the road."

Daphne raised a curious eyebrow.
"Oh?  What did you dream about?"
As the bard yelled to the dwarf, who had gone outside to look at the rain, apparently (and possibly to be sick, Daphne wasn't one to judge), the wizardess looked around the tap room again, starting to become concerned about the lack of other people present.  A small village tavern was supposed to be one of the centers of village life, where travelers met before heading out for their days, and other locals gathered to gossip and complain about life.
Curious, worried, but, to be honest, mostly hungry, Daphne went to the kitchen to see what was going on.

Dargrimm came back into the room, "I saw the south side of this inn in a dream last night.  It felt very real and now this."  He motions to the empty inn.

He starts back towards the steps, "I'm going to check on the others."

Qamar hurries out of her room when she hears Gascon call her name. "What's going on?" she asks, nearly running into Dargrimm on the stairs. She glances around at the empty tavern. "Wh-where is everyone?"

Looking up the stairs to confirm that Qamar is whole, Gascon answers her question. "All I can say with surety is: gone. Where? No idea, but judging by the state of the common room something strange has happened. Also, Dargrimm and I appear to have had the same dream." He calls into the kitchen after Daphne. "Did you have strange dreams Daphne? Mine involved a green skinned woman who gave me a parchment and a wild looking dwarf-like man who drove a wooden spear through my heart. Like Dargrimm my dream ended within eyesight of the south side of the tavern."

Daphne paused in the doorway of the kitchen and looked at Gascon in surprise
"I.... I'm not sure if I remember the inn specifically,  it there was definitely a building there.  The rest was....the same exactly..."
She looked worried
"Should we check on the area where,  um, 'we' died?"

She looked towards the exit

He nods at Daphne, "That was my thoughts, I'd have run straight out but didn't want to leave anyone behind.

Then turning his attention to Qamar he asked, "Did you have disturbring dreams as well?"

Since they were still waiting for someone else to join them, Daphne went into the kitchen to find sone for them to snack on.  If she found some bread, cheese, or some jerky, she'd grab some for everyone
This message was last edited by the player at 00:45, Thu 02 Mar 2023.

The inn's kitchen is located in the basement. When Daphne descends looking for food, she finds no food prepared, but spots a small wheel of cheese on a shelf. There is a fine yellow dust on the floor around an empty meat rack.

Before grabbing the cheese, she'll examine the dust, trying to draw some conclusions

OOC:
14:01, Today: Daphne Peatmonger rolled 16 using 1d20+5.  Investigation.

Qamar raises an eyebrow at Dargrimm's question. "Disturbing dreams? No... I don't recall what I dreamt about last night."

Gascon nods sagely at Dargrimm. "We had better collect ourselves before we investigate outside."

Gerdeth arrives from her room having slept like the dead. She moved in a slow shuffle as if still partially asleep (or at least sleepy).

"Mornin'" she manages as she looks about the inn suddenly struck by the quiet.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Thu 02 Mar 2023.

Daphne dusted off the cheese, in case anyone had allergies, and took it.  She returned to the others.

"There's a lot of pollen in the basement, and all the food was gone except for some cheese.   Does anyone know if tavern owners use pollen for anything?  Like flavoring or brewing or something?"

Gascon looks quizzically at Daphne. "There was... pollen? That's disturbingly thematic." He takes a look for himself and tastes some of the yellow dust. He is mostly curious if it is, perhaps, ground mustard seed.

He looks around at the others. "I think Dargrimm's instincts are right, we should investigate the locations from our dream first."

Daphne nodded and went to join the others outside, putting up a hood on her cloak against the rain

The heroes begin to hear a steady drumming through the rain. It is coming from the south and is getting louder.

When he returns to the strange drumming sound, Gascon moves to the door of the inn. "We should investigate that sound." Assuming the others join him, he'll march out into the rain.

"Agreed."  Dargrimm heads out to the rain with Gascon.  He readies his warharmmer and shield.

Daphne winced and tried to cover herself from the rain as she quickly walked with them.
"We should move fast, so we're not completely caught in the rain."

Gerdeth flicks up the collar of her cloak and heads out into the rain. "Excuse me little one." Gerdeth said as he took up the furthermost position, her battleaxe drawn.

The adventurers head out of the inn and into the rain. The palisade's heavy gate is open, and there is no one in sight. The sound of the drumming is accompanied by shrill chanting and continues to grow louder.

Daphne paused to listen, looking around curiously, and shook her head in frustration.
"I can't make out those words, but I'd swear that they sounded like....Draconic""

Gascon looks very much as though he would like to comment on Gerdeth's use of the term "little one", but decides that it can wait for a more appropriate time and place. Instead he takes up position behind her and to her left.

When Daphne mentions Draconic, Gascon also pauses briefly to listen. After a moment, he shrugs. "I can't say that I would recognize Draconic. I don't think there's anything to do but find the source."

Gerdeth nodded agreeing with Gascon as she continued to creep forward.