Greystone Tavern

A certain ocelot seems to have vanished, ever since leaving the tavern on a mission Wednesday night. Perhaps the snow ate her!

The merchant Tarandelith was seen late in the afternoon with the young man who runs the stables, engaged in deep conversation that involved a great deal of pointing and waving of arms. Whatever the subject, it doesn't actually appear to have really involved the scarhawk she has been keeping stabled on the premises, though the creature did get a visit and a treat while she was there.

In the last week or two, the desert trader Agarias has seemingly been everywhere. He's become a common sight around Greystone, moving about on this or that business. For a foreigner, one so new to the area no less, he seems to have gotten involved in a lot of things very quickly.

The guards watching the shrine have been reporting for days that a sudden increase in the care and maitenance of the Prime statues up at the shrine is his doing. Until the snow hit, he was regularly trekking up to the shrine with a pail and brush. Now that the snows are here, he is taking just the brush.

He has managed to remain not only neutral as the civil war erupts between Rexington and Leander, but on good terms with both. He was there to aid in the rescue of Rexington's mate and has been a guest at the Ser's home, even trusted once to walk the genet Jeannette home. On the other side, he was right beside Leander shovelling dung the night the new Captain took it upon himself to clean the herbivore buildings, taking on the physical labor with good humor and a will to work. Which side he might favor, no one can guess, though given his close association with Tarendelith D'Antarae some locals are guessing anyway. Perhaps he intends to act like a good merchant and sell to all?

Speaking of selling, the horrific winter conditions have done nothing to deter him from dealmaking. He is still taking orders for luxury goods, with promise to arrange delivery the very moment the roads become passable. In a gesture of goodwill, he is accepting no down payments. No coin need change hands until he say with certainty when the goods will arrive. But still, the snows and ice have not stopped the business of commerce for him. Just postponed it temporarily.

A wagon and a coach arrived at the blockade carrying wine and food. They were stopped, some of their cargo unloaded, and continued on toward Greystone carrying only wine.

A notice was posted soon after;

"For furres in need, food has arrived at the blockade, thanks to the generosity of Countess Narcissa from the Imbroglio family. An escourt will be provided at sunup, and sundown every day for furres who need it.

Knight-Commander Leander Myrronin."

Sure enough, at sunup two soldiers waited at the edge of town. One of them had a wheel barrow. They stayed away from Ser Rexington's soldiers as they patrolled, their orders not to initiate violence, go anywhere near the stables or the gaol, and to retreat if accosted. They were there to carry food and nothing else.

Anyone attempting to collect food who was known to be a soldier loyal to Ser Rexington would be turned away, but not attacked.

Quite how the countess made it to Greystone so quickly through the weather was difficult to say. The only explanation was that she must have had a mage with her to clear a path through the snow.

Almost every day, two horned individuals are seen going into the surrounding forest, taking a few small barrels and cloth sacks with them. What transpires within is unknown, but both of them exit at different times, often bloodied.

Results would begin coming in this evening. Bud would find the horned brothers offering most of what they'd managed to hunt (or found caught unawares by the sudden cold): Most was meat already prepared, whilst some were small birds that would do well as a Confit. The barrels had been for salting, to preserve the meat, and washing it down would have it prepared for cooking. Their price was simple: That the meats they bring be given out to those who need it no matter the allegiance, and for some of the emptied casks of wine and ale to be at their disposal.

The plan? Brining whatever vegetables and fruits they still had in their stores.

After a few conversations where one of the Clan members lashed out verbally at the woman was rumored to have been seen without her Clan Clasp. Word around town was that she was seen near the barricade after the snow storm and seen coming and going through the woods frequently.

Along the southern road, near a frozen creek crossing, massive paw prints were seen by some straggling travelers on their way into Greystone. Concerned that there may be wolven about, they leave word with Bud at the tavern after arriving. The prints were much larger than a typical wolf's, though, and strangely spaced as though the creature were injured. No other tracks were visible beyond typical foot or cart travel, though.

Meanwhile, another generous donator had begun delivering meat to the Inn. It was nothing so large as what the two horned ones were bringing, but the scar-faced wolfess with a limp was certainly memorable considering a number had witnessed her angry outburst at a young bard in the tavern the previous night, and how she gave his whiskers a toasting in the fire. Most of what she brings in is small game: pheasant, rabbit, dove, maybe some squirrel, all with broken necks and teeth marks behind the skull. Her only request is she gets choice servings when she and her family eats each day, the rest may be divyed to combat the famine and compliment the supplies provided by Ser Leander at the barricade.

Continuation of the poor and dangerous wintery weather has halted construction work on the buildings near to the town houses, causing them to remain little more than simple frame work for whatever their future purpose might be. With paths very difficult to travel on foot and more difficult for carts and carriages to get through with timber and stone supplies means it will be some time before work can continue. The local forest has already been considered in replacement but has been deemed unusuable due to the continious wet weather, especially as there are few places suitable and dry enough to cut, treat and keep the wood itself dry before it can be used.

Similarly, because of the weather, those out hunting will find it increasingly difficult to find suitable game worth their while due to increasing numbers of others deciding to do so also - some might be supplying the tavern itself, but there are also plenty of locals that are seeking to fill their own personal stocks of food before they run out. Better hunting game may be found further out of the surrounding area but this also causes the issue of having less time during daylight hours to do so and a further distance to bring back any possible heavy loads in the poor travelling conditions.

Agarias has been sighted several times at various hours walking the southern road. He tells anyone who asks that he is on inspections as part of his ongoing plan to resume trade the instant the roads reopen. Word around town is that he declined military assistance from both factions and instead retains local sellswords when he feels the need for an escort.

Be that as it may, he has remarkably detailed charts of the layout of the road and seems less interested in checking the snow conditions than observing possible trouble spots. He's looking for something, to be sure. Given that a caravan made it through recently, perhaps he thinks resumption of his own business is nigh?

Or... maybe he played some role in that caravan getting through?

The rumors swirl...

Two nights ago, anyone in the tavern during the early hours might have heard madness from the upper floor. Glass shattering, screaming and shouting, and then maniacal laughter.

No bodies were dragged out, and the door was locked the next day.

Had the kidnapper killer claimed another victim?

As of late, a monolithic golden tigress has been spotted time and again lingering about the ruins of the temple. As the days progress, signs of reconstruction can clearly be seen. The foundation is taking proper form again, and a small shrine has been built for the pious to visit should they wish to pay their respects.

The amazonian lioness has joined the giant tigress in working on the temple when she isn't doing weapons practice near the jail. Apparently big girls like to hang out together.

Blood.

Blood in the snow from across the river to the gaol. Splashes of it by the campfire, that speak of something terrible. By now the blood looks to have been covered by soldiers so as to not raise alarm, yet still, the rumors fly.

There are whispers that the Spider in the woods had attacked a furre. Speculations further still that a male with a blade as big as himself attacked a guard. Female guard? Male guard? Well, the whispers are flying so quickly it's difficult to get facts straight.

What's true? What's not? That's the beauty of rumors you see. There's a teaspoon of truth in every gallon.

The day after the caravan arrived with its supplies, another boon was delivered to the inn to be dispersed among visitors and residents alike during this trying time. The one who simply called herself Wolf delivered about three hundred pounds of fresh wild ostrix to the tavern early that evening, taking only for herself half of one of the thighs, the heart, and the kidneys. All parts of the bird were cleaned and cut to portions with the assistance of two others, one Twila and Hunwald. If asked how and where, she just says it was found more than six miles from Greystone and caught by unknown "trade secret" means. A lucky boon, not likely to be repeated anytime soon.

Those walking in the early morning to the southeast of the tavern find a sadly mangled heap of wood where once a small tree stood, the snowy ground around it torn and shredded by giant claws. The stump itself looks like it'd been used a practice pell til the whole thing fell over, while the rest of the hapless bit of greenery fell prey to a combination of chopping and tearing. It has been rendered into usable chunks, they just happen to be irregularly sized. Happy firewood?

Shedra and Syrinna would be joined in their efforts at the temple by a scrawny cloaked canid figure with some experience in simple masonry. While slow, the progress would continue now with a bit more of a knowledgeable edge to the work.

While at the temple or playing her lute in front of the temple, everyone willing to listen would be asked where a blue hair'd Priestess could be found!

Early in the afternoon on the 11th furres may have seen the tiniest of scarhawks enter the stables, though details on who was with the scarhawk are hazy.

Gone.

The supply wagons and the caravan guards are gone.

With them, in the night, vanished any number of furres -no doubt mostly herbivores- wishing for a new start away from Greystone. It should not come as a surprise, since the offer had been made long since to take travelers back south to the port in the multi-ton covered wagons, but the timing is strange at best, disappearing into the storm in the dark. Gone, too, are some familiar faces from the town, including the merchant herself. Any investigation finds that her rented home has been cleared completely of anything she or the other residents owned, and cross-examining the stable hands will reveal that she took her scarhawk, Halcyon, out in the afternoon and never brought him back.

Those who manage, later, to dig up news of the notable blue and white femme might hear that the merchant has arrived elsewhere in Kasuria more than once only to vanish along with any number of other refugees, which begs the question of what else she might have been doing at the same time.

A minor event occurred during the evening. A single lone figure was seen walking away from town, before a large, winged creature could be spotted in the sky, heading northwest. Anyone in the near vicinity would have heard a howl prior to the sighting.

Just the other night, late into the even, a flourish of soldiers was seen. They hadn't been mobilized in such a way for some time but the officers were called to the Knight's home and then sent off to bark orders to the others. Most all of them, around fifteen, were seen marching for the forest.

Those within the Lorewood would have seen the men do a sweep of the trees. They appeared to listen carefully, and didn't linger long. After only an hour or two's search they returned to the settlement to start entering buildings. Rooms were searched, warnings given to watch out for the 'Organ Thief'. A description of a red haired snow leopardess was given, and that she had kidnapped yet another. As to who they did not say, but based on the manx's frenzied state it is rumored that it was one of the twins.