@Chro2@The Large Dumbo@Alarielle

Imdra nods to the group, "That is correct. Good luck on finding the chwinga."

@HEAVY METAL

The innkeeper looks at Jitter.

"Depends on what you want to know. Food and drink will run you two silver. Fish or hare?

@Chro2@The Large Dumbo@Alarielle

Imdra nods to the group, "That is correct. Good luck on finding the chwinga."

@HEAVY METAL

The innkeeper looks at Jitter.

"Depends on what you want to know. Food and drink will run you two silver. Fish or hare?

" Ooh, rabbit stew please." said Jitter as he laid two silver coins on the counter.
He then dug out a shiny gold coin and laid it on the table as well, covering it with his small hand.
" Answer three questions, and the gold is yours, okay?"
"Question one, what crimes did that man do, to be burned alive?"
" Question two, what is the most recent rumor floating around?"
Jitter held up his other hand, indicating the third and final question.
" Heard a rumor of missing fishermen, do you suppose a giant could be at fault for their disappearance?"

"The man that was just executed? Well for one he murdered my nephew for having talked to a dwarf that has been on an expedition with the wizard. He also killed that dwarf and several others for some reason, no one really knows though. The innkeeper slides a trench of still warm bread filled with stew to Jitter.

"As for the missing fishermen, can't be sure if a giant was involved. I'm not real sure how well they can swim or lure people to shore to then kill. Don't know if the ice is thick enough yet to hold their weight either.

"Now recent rumors that there are plenty of. Biggest one is the ice knife murders. No one really knows who is doing it but there is an old bounty hunter that seems to have a hunch. Haven't seen her yet today but she might be in later."

@Lurking Krog
Jitter raised his hand from the table and the gold coin was gone momentarily, before falling from his palm.
"Sticky palm, sorry, as promised, the gold coin is yours."
"Ice knife murders, burning people in the town square, missing fishermen, what the hell kinda town is this?" Jitter mumbled to himself as he ate the food and sipped the cider.
He had to make a decision, either go with the group and look for Chwingas or investigate these murders.
He tapped his fingers along the counter, trying to make up his mind, but couldn't, at least not on a empty stomach.
Jitter decided to eat now, and then make a decision when he finds his companions again.
"My thanks to the cook, this is delicious."

Once Jitter was done with his meal, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
Rubbing his belly with both his hands, he let out a loud belch.
He finished off the lukewarm cider, before exiting the inn.
Jitter couldn't wait to find his companions and tell them about a killer running loose in town.
The very thought of it, gave him shivers up and down his spine.
Since they arrived to this town, they witnessed a man being burned alive.
Then, he found a book in the library with blood stains on it, and now people are being killed in the night.
The halfling wasn't sure where his companions were now, since he had seperated from them.
To get a better look, Jitter climbed up onto a wagon, but unfortunately he didn't see them anywhere.
So, he did what anyone would do in a situation like this, he began yelling their names...
" Kythor!....Kendra!....Theodorick!"

His current business concluded, Kythor stood up and nodded. "We can only hope," he said with a tired chuckle. The tiefling turned to leave. "Guess we'd better start off our hunt for a chwinga while we've still got sunlight going. Figure we oughta go and figure out where our forth went, too." Kythor sighed, but shook his head and looked to his two currently-present companion. "You two ready to go?" He took a step forward, but paused. Before they left, he had one little thing he wanted to check on before they left. "Actually, before we go..." Kythor paused for a moment, turning around and leaning against the doorframe. He crossed his arms and turned to look at Imdra. "Avarice - I don't suppose you'd know where she was headed after she left this town? I'm a bit curious about... I'm just a bit curious." Although he was currently standing in the doorway, Kythor would step aside to permit anybody who wished to leave or enter the office they were in.

@The Large Dumbo

"Caer-Dineval, not sure whatbshe is looking for there but that was where she said she was heading.

@HEAVY METAL
Last you remember they were at the town hall.

The party find themselves towards the edge of town where the Chwingas were supposedly spotted. The twilight is beginning to slowly fade from the sky as the day moves later into the afternoon. The winds are also slowly picking up, kicking up snow and dropping the apparent temperature as well.

There are a few folk out and about here in the edge of town. But with there being fewer buildings to block wind, few people stay in the fringes of town for now.

" So um, did y'all know that there is a killer loose in town, known as the ice knife murderer?" asked Jitter as he rummaged thru his backpack.
"Also, I found a book in the library with blood stains on it, could be important...here it is." Jitter said handing the book to Kendra.
"I think it's best that we don't ever split up, and definitely watch each others backs while out here, I dunno bout you, but I dont wanna be murdered."

Darkness approaching again. Kendra missed the parts of the world where the sun shined for at least eight hours. This was not one of those places. And gods, it was cold outside. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

Her eyes turned to their energetic halfling acquaintance. "A killer? As in, another one, besides the one that was just burned at the stake?" She shook her head. This town had issues. They'd only just arrived.

Jitter handed her a book, its cover stained with blood. Kendra's handed reached out of her cloak only long enough to take it, before darting back in with a shiver. She tried to find a spot a little more shielded from the wind, then took a better look. "This is... ominous. Did you ask anyone at the library about it?" She flipped it open, finding poetry inside. There wasn't anything urgent to do while waiting for a chwinga chance, so she started reading and studying the pages, hoping to find something interesting.

It really wasn't interesting. But in that way, it was. "This is awful poetry, you guys. Terrible. Basically gibberish." Really she wasn't the best judge, but there was definitely more to the book that the bland verses. "There's magic in this, concealing something. Wish I knew a spell to fix it." She glanced up at Jitter. "Nice find."

Caer-Dineval. Kythor committed that location to memory. He was certainly interested in tailing Avarice, but he was also well aware that his group had no real business traveling there on a whim anyways. Still, if they ever had nothing better to do, pitching the idea of traveling to Caer-Dineval to find Avarice might not be too bad of an idea.

The moment they stepped outside, Kythor immediately pulled his hood back up and wrapped his scarf around his face. Spitting a quiet curse in Infernal, he'd realized that what little daylight had been offered to them had been all but extinguished by this point. The darkness itself bothered him little - the fiendish blood running through his veins granted him several extraordinary effects, among them was the ability to see decently well in the darkness. The only issue there was that although he could see in the darkness, his vision was still significantly better in the light. That, and the fact that as the weather worsened and as darkness crept across the lands, most animals returned to their homes to rest, not only to avoid the harsh weather but to gather their strength for a hunt in the morning. People were much alike animals in this regard, and although Kythor wasn't exactly an expert in the field, he imagined that chwingas were hardly any different from either group.

His silent ruminations were put on hold as he listened to Jitter. He gave a quiet nod to Jitter, interested to note that the halfling hadn't, in fact, gotten himself tied to a burning pole. Although he was still dubious about the halfling's combat skills and capability to survive in the woods - a caution extended to all members of the group present - he couldn't deny that the information he gathered was of intrigue to them. All creatures had a natural habitat in which they thrived. It seemed that for Jitter, this habitat was none other than the world of villages and cities. It'd do him well to keep an eye on the halfling, should he need to stay in the cities for longer than he had anticipated.

"Another killer, hm?" The tiefling shook his head grimly. "And a blood stained book? In the town library? No animals are as dangerous as that of the civilized world, it seems. Unpredictable, undetectable, and an unseen threat until it is too late... At least out in the world beyond cities and towns, one's enemies are a lot easier to see and identify." The tiefling pulled his cloak shut. Perhaps the elders were right. The rules of how the city operated on a natural level were still an enigma to him. Totally indecipherable. "I agree that we should do our best to avoid splitting up, so we don't end up as fodder for the worms,"Kythor added. Another killer, and from the sounds of it one still active. Part of him wondered what to do with this new information. After some debating, he decided to turn this bad news into a good opportunity. Just as he'd finished that thought, Kendra had taken and finished analyzing the strange blood-stained book.

When he'd initially heard that the book held little but terrible poetry, his interest had faded almost immediately, but as he heard there was some sort of magic affecting it, his attention was recaptured. "A spell cast on the book to hide something?" Kythor said, crossing his arms. "For what reason, I wonder. Well, at least we have it now. Not bad, Jitter." He chuckled briefly before continuing. "We ought to bring this up to Imdra, no? She may be interested in this. Besides, if you don't have a spell to fix it," Kythor said, nodding to Kendra, "we won't be able to see what it really says, right? Not much we can do with it as is... Or, perhaps we could try to track down that tiefling wizard, Avarice? She was an associate of Dzaan, and a member of the Arcane Brotherhood. Maybe she's got a spell to reveal the book's real text."

While they talked, Kythor quietly began to look around the local area, keeping his eyes peeled for chwingas in the nearby area. They had been spotted in this area allegedly, but there were be many reasons why they weren't immediately evident. He'd have to focus hard to try and find one...

"I'd reckon we talk with Imdra or someone around here with a knack for magical tomes" Theodorick adds after Kythor finished speaking. Even though the oncoming darkness would hide his expression Theodorick wore a perplexed look across his face as he spoke "If that leads falls flat we eventually head out for Avarice I suppose, not to keen on it if I'm gonna be honest but that's our next best choice". Theodorick did not have the time to go down the path of magic, he was either caring for his crop or preparing for harvest, but he understand how practical and useful it can be. He was interested in the book as well as the mysterious Arcane Brotherhood but wasn't looking forward to dealing with someone who might have been involved in the killings of the townsfolk, since it seemed a little too coincidental that everything played out the way it did.

As the party nears the edge of town a human stomps out of a cottage. She sees the party wandering nearby and starts to shout at the wind and warning Kythor of the curses that the wind brings.

Jitter looked towards the woman yelling, then back at Kythor "You know that woman?" he asked as he tugged on the tiefling's cloak.
"She seems a bit odd, if you ask me, wind curses?"
The halfling walked between his companions, staying in the middle.
One advantage of being small, bigger people become wind blockers, smiled Jitter.
"So I guess we are actually going to hunt down one of these innocent non evil creatures, capture it and exchange it for gold to be experimented on?"
Jitter looked up at them, "What? I was just asking."

"Maybe we can find a volunteer. If we can speak to one of these things. Trying to make the weather here a little less lethal isn't a bad goal, and we don't know what our employer's research involves. We can always try to confirm it won't be harmed by her studies before giving her the chwinga." Kendra's experience in magical study hadn't been extensive, but she knew there were both good and bad people involved in magic. She'd do her best to get a read on the woman before handing a live creature over to her, but she wanted to believe the best of a fellow mage rather than the worst.

One of the locals started shouting to Kythor, warnings of the wind. Kendra stepped up to the tiefling's side and waved at the human woman. "Yeah, we got intimately familiar with the wind on our way here. Trust me, we won't be out any longer than we have to be."

Just as they had snagged a lull in their conversation, and Kythor figured he would be able to most easily hunt for a chwinga... somebody had stepped out of their house to warm him of the curses the winds brought. And sure enough, Kythor found himself cursing up a storm in Infernal, in a barely-audible whisper beneath his breath. Loud enough for the others to barely hear, but not loud enough for the woman shouting to him to hear. He was a bit less than pleased that his attempts to scout for chwingas was interrupted by a city-dweller shouting superstition at him. The tiefling sharply inhaled. He bet he probably got to know these lands Better than she currently had, or ever would. How soft they were!

Kythor paused. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, quietly listening as Jitter expressed his concerns at their hunt. The tiefling's thoughts on the matter hadn't changed, and he was still somewhat aggravated about his attempt to spy a chwinga being squandered, so he decided to let Kendra handle the conversation. Admittedly, the idea of them finding a chwinga to volunteer themselves for experimentation wasn't a bad idea. Chwingas could offer boons to people, and he didn't imagine that asking one to accompany them to aid with Dannika's experiment would be too far out of the question. Especially if they framed it as helping people get a better understanding of the weather and how it can be manipulated by them. It'd save them the trouble of having to capture one and keep it under watch, for sure, but unless they happened to find a chwinga in trouble, he didn't imagine this was the quickest option.

"I don't know about making the weather less lethal, per se," he warned. "We mess with the natural world, we mess with not only the way of life of the animals who have adapted to survive here. We weaken those who are forced to adapt to the environment. A child does not grow by being coddled all of his life." Although his demeanor had cooled from the mounting irritation he had built up when he was being shouted to, in truth, Kythor was actually concerned - almost terrified - at the thought of the world around him being changed in any dramatic fashion. Sure, it might make life better for the city folk, but Kythor was quite proud of his people's way of life and how they had forced themselves to learn how to survive. Would he be worthy if he suffered any less than they had? Why should he deny that opportunity to others? Where was it his place to make that call?

Taking his mind off of that for now, Kythor looked down at Jitter. "Jitter, you seem to be quite displeased with us tryin' to hunt down and capture a chwinga to be experimented on," he said, crossing his arms in thought. "I don't really see the problem with us hunting down a non-evil, 'innocent' creature for gold. It's no different from us hunting a rabbit to eat or a wolf to skin for its pelt, no? In either case, we'll have time to figure out this moral dilemma later. Think that woman back there spooked any chwingas we might've seen over here..." Kythor scoffed, rolling his eyes. He still couldn't believe that had happened. "Kendra, you said we might be able to find a volunteer if we could talk to one. Well, I figure none of us can really talk to any of 'em, but I do know that if they like you, they'll do little favors for you or give you gifts. Maybe if we could find a chwinga in trouble and help it, we might be able to try and negotiate with one to get it to come with Dannika without the need for force? And if that fails, I imagine they'd be in a much more vulnerable spot than they would otherwise be..."

"I'm just throwin' that out there, mind," he quickly added. "Talking a chwinga into coming with us, or just nabbing one up and putting it in a box - I don't care how we go about it, just as long as we get ourselves a chwinga by the end of it."

Jitter was taken back by that comment, comparing the life of a creature to be eaten to that of one being drained of it's powers to satisfy the needs of a human spell slinger.
The halfling slowly moved away from Kythor, fearing this half demon, and it's calm nature about selling lifeforce for gold.
Jitter stood on the other side of Kendra, walking beside her instead.
"What about read magic, do you think that would help in understanding the book?"
"Or maybe, Dispel Magic?" he asked, looking up at Kendra.
Jitter kept this last part to himself, I hope we don't come across any Chwinga.

"It's tricky spirts I tell you. They've been opening my window and letting cold air in. Knocking over my cups and bowels. And now some of my forks and knifes are gone! It's probably some cruel jape of theirs to make me think I'm losing my mind. Can any of you do anything about these spirts?" Her tone and expression is one of pleading for help. "Please I'll pay you, just please get rid of these spirts."

@Lurking Krog
I bet she is talking about a Chwinga should I tell the others? thought Jitter.
He tugged on Kendra's hand, "Hey, I Think that woman might be bothered by a Chwinga."
"It's worth checking out at least." Jitter said as he walked away from the group.
He waved his hand at the woman, "Did you say something about paying us to rid your place of unwanted spirits?"
"Have you seen these spirits? can you describe them?"

The tiefling quietly sighed, looking over to the woman who was shouting at them. It seemed she had an issue with some of her windows being opened and her cutlery being taken - spirits of some sort. Jitter seemed to think that a chwinga was involved in this mess, but Kythor himself didn't want to jump to that conclusion just yet. It could be possible that it was a chwinga, and that would be quite handy if they could encounter one here, but assuming such would be a quick way to ensure disappointment if that was not the case. In any case, the mention of payment piqued Kythor's interest. Besides, it wasn't like they had anything especially pressing to be doing at the moment. Who knows? Maybe this woman was being 'haunted' by a chwinga, whose boons were being misinterpreted. Perhaps the chwinga itself misinterpreted exactly what exactly counted as a boon.

Either way, sitting here thinking about it won't get them any closer to the truth.

"Anything you could tell us would greatly help us help you," he called back. "Are you the only one who's been getting haunted by these spirits 'a yours? Anything you might've done to anger any sorts of spirits? Forest spirits, for example?"