Chapter 4 - The High and the low

[Jessi+]

Amaranth laughs, "Getting lost leads to so many new experiences! Yet, I think, this time we should not take the time to meander around the city. There's danger afoot!"

[Chris1234]

The duo weave their way south along the main street that marks the boundary between Sea Ward and North Ward, the traffic being a fairly even mix of noble's vehicles, upmarket delivery vehicles and multifarious pass-through traffic.

Turning east along the main street that separates North Ward and Trades Ward, the traffic mix changes to less noble's vehicles and upmarket traders to more commonplace traders' vehicles and hopeful hawkers and stree urchins.

Upon reaching East Gate, there's relatively little traffic actually entering or leaving the city. A pair of City Guards sporting short halbards spring to attention upon seeing Lena.

What next?

[Jessi+]

Amaranth skips toward the guards, stopping an appropriate distance away with a big smile on her face. She waves, "Greetings! Can you tell us where the Stoutfellow farm is? We have business there."

[Chris1234]

Seeing no objection from Lena the skinny guard, "Well, child, your can tell you mother that you need to follow the road a ways." He points along the road as if talking to someone that's hard of understanding. The other gard chimes in, "She's young, not stupid like you." He looks directly at Amaranth , "Littlemiss, go left at the next crossroads."

After less than a bell* the brave adventurers, surrounded by verdant fields of grass, reach a crossroads with a simpe wooden signpost. It points down the road just travelled saying 'Waterdeep', with a path to the left saying 'Stoutfellow Farm' and a path to the right saying 'Snobeedle Orchard & Meadery'. In the distance behind the sign is another farm
being worked on, with thick stone walls surrounding it. There's no mention of the walled farm on the signpost.

What next?

======
*an hour

[Jessi+]

As Amaranth can't see over the wall, she looks at the sign and nods, "Left we go!"

She then starts rambling about the differences between farming and horse ranching and will continue until they reach the farm or when someone tells her to stop.

[Chris1234]

The road stretches out as does the characteristically cheerful prattling from Amaranth with only non-committal nods and smiles from Lena. To the west Waterdeep's crenelated wall looms over the farming landscape. Only looking up does it become obvious how far down the trail has descended: from here it would be a vertical climb up the cliff of at least sixty foot to reach the base of the city wall!

It's been maybe two bells since the two females left the protection of the city.* The fields have changed from crops and grasses to row upon row of vines, some mature some just starting out. Many cheerful halflings move back and forth, all busy, sparing time for a smile and wave but little more as they do the things that farm workers do.

Amaranth eventually gets one of the well-fed halflings to stand still for some moments. The red cheeked fellow points towards a middle aged halfling lady wearing a leather apron, shorts and a clipboard. She moves around busily around large wooden vats where half a dozen halflings appear to be paddling. Red-cheeks nods and moves off along a row of vines, checking soming as he goes.

Getting closer it becomes apparent that the 'paddlers' are treading grapes. The aproned lady is in charge here. She smiles at you as you approach.

What next?

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*Please roll an unmodified 1d12 for me.

[Jessi+]

"Hi there! It's so good to see a friendly face at eye level!" Amaranth beams at the woman. "I'm wondering if you could help me. I've been asked to look into the scarecrow bothering the area, and I hoped you might be able to point out where I should look for it?" She gestures back at Lena. "My friend and I here are going to do our best to make the thing stop causing problems!"

*****

[1d12]=7

[Chris1234]

"Hello! Thought you were here for the picking. Was wondering how to tell your friend we only take Stouts," answers the apron-wearer. "Rght, you'll be wanting the the owners then, Mr and Mrs Stoutfellow. They're around and about there." She points to a cluster of buildings a few hundred yards to the north.

Amaranth and Lena walk across to the farm buildings to be met by a not-quite-elderly halfling who sports a weary grin. The man says "Yes? I'm Jack Stoutfellow. What can I do for you? Come for the picking?" The fellow looks thin and wiry and has an air of always being in motion: the perpetual worker.

[Jessi+]

Amaranth is enjoying how much smiling she gets to do today. It's so nice to meet friendly people! "Hello! No, we're not here for the picking. That woman over there in the apron," she nods her head in that direction, "said you would be able to tell us where we can find that troublesome scarecrow. We've been asked to look into it, you see, and we're hoping to make it stop before something really bad happens."

[Chris1234]

"Oh, that's simply wonderful. Well, bad things have been happening. A screcrow, as you say, has been running around at night, destroying vines and smashing grapes in its horrible fake mouth." He wipes his brow with a handkerchief and sighs. "It's not one of our scarecrows, so it likely comes in from the hills." He gestures vaguely to the north. "If you can deal with the problem we'll happily presnt you with a barrel of Stoutfellow Reserve."

======
Lena's heard of Stoutfellow Reserve. It's a fine wine, currently all the rage. (A barrel of the wine is worth at least fifve suns and may fetch twice that.)

***
1 sun = 1pp=10gp

[Jessi+]

Amaranth beams, "That would be lovely! I remember this one party in Amphail, just after a horse auction, the woman providing the drinks had a small cask of Stoutfellow Reserve. There were a lot of us there so we only got a small measure, but it is still the best wine I've tasted!" Her smile fades a bit, and she lowers her voice to be more serious but also less loud. "Tell me though..." she takes a short pause for a deep breath, "has anyone been seriously hurt or killed by this thing yet?" She looks around at all the busy busy workers on the farm. "Is there anyone here who has seen the creature and can give a more specific description or a location?" She turns back and smiles at him, "I just ask because the person who asked me to look into this said "scarecrow" and nothing else so I need to put on my detective hat!"

[Chris1234]

Jack beams back at Amaranth, worry lines disappearing as he looks her evenly in the eyes, "Well, that's terribly kind of you to say so. We do work soo hard to make it the very best. We don't have the advantage of the fine sun that they do further south but.." He trails off, furrow lines reappearing. "Hurt? Yes. one of our many casual workers. Come for the season; paid cash in hand weekly. Rosewater, I think her name was. Said it has a pumpkin head with glowing, malevolent eyes. Gave her the one-two with sharp twiggy hands. She ducked the first then the second laid her out cold. She went back to the city after that.

"The scarecrow comes in from the hills some time after midnight, near as we can make out, up one row of vines, demolishing and wrecking as it goes then back down anoher and off back off to the hells. Can't tell you mcuh more. Nothing in fact.."

[Jessi+]

Amaranth nods, hands on her hips as she listens. "Yes, alright. I'd like to be present in your vineyard here at nights, until it shows up again. I'm thinking that we can follow it back to where it came from and stop whatever is causing this at the source." She looks back to her companion and then to Jack again, "That means you'll have one more attack on your vines, this is true, but we could spend days or even weeks trying to find its origin if we take it apart the first time we see it. The hills are a big place and if magic is at work here - which is the first thought, of course - then whoever has woken this thing up can do that again." She glances out over the hills, "I think following it is really the only way to ensure that it stops happening again."

[Chris1234]

Jack answers enthusiastically, "Well, that sounds fine. We will provide suppers and breakfasts and places in the bunkhouse during the day." He looks up at the sun quizzically. "It's never appeared before 12 bells (midnight) so it must be about eleven bells now. What's your plan for the next thirteen hours?"

[Jessi+]

Amaranth listens and nods, smiling when he is finished. "We have things to do in town, we wanted to come and check on this first, but we're expected elsewhere." She glances at the sky. "We'll be back this evening, will you be here or can you tell me what door to knock on?"

(After he responds to her she'll take her leave, but turn around before she walks and asks him, "Oh, and by the way... do you know anything about the Ordnung or 'tree-killers'? Her tone is nonchalant and light-hearted, she doesn't want to give him the idea that she is asking for a serious reason if he doesn't know what she's talking about.)