On the door of the inn...

[osxmallard]

*A scroll is tacked to the door of the Silver Buckle tavern with what appears to be a sterling silver brad *

[SIZE=18]All Patrons, employees, and riff raff passing through, residing inside, working for, or patronizing this establishment do so at their own risk.

If you so much as look at this tavern in passing with a mere glance, you forever shall be cursed like the halfling girl who slings drinks within.

The dead shall once again walk these lands and take all that they rightfully deserve.

You have been warned,
X.
[/SIZE]

[RollinsCat]

"I don't know, Andrew.  It was there on the door, affixed with this."  The sterling silver brad is handed over.  "Some customers pointed it out...right before they left, in a hurry."

"Marvelous, the rumor mill will make short work of our crowds soon enough.  And we don't HAVE a halfling slinging drinks in here."

"Could they mean Melody?"

A silver heart and clef necklace is across its chain.  "Mayhaps, and it seems I should speak to her."  A troubled snap of the paper.  " 'The dead shall once again walk these lands and take all that they rightfully deserve.'  Which isn't food, ale, entertainment, or rest - the main output of this inn.  I'll have Minu check the wards.  Please warn Charlie, Jetta and Paddy to be patrolling.  I'll let the residents know."

A nod from a blonde head.  "Trouble, then."  

"Of that you can be sure."

[Jilseponie Wyndon]

*Melody arrives back at the Buckle after a bit of travel in Center and stops to read the note.  She started out with a cheerful look, which turned to confusion, then fear ending with anger.*

And that Rofenite priest took good coin for a botched job!  He said it was gone!  *She ponders for a bit looking at the note.*

*Sighs* I need to find Sir Andrew and Ms Elly.  This isn't going to be good, no no no!  *She heads inside looking for the proprietors of the Inn.*

[Anamnesis]

Hearing from Andrew, Elly again feels out the wards on the Inn, making sure there is no tampering, and they are as strong as the day they were put there, establishing some new ones and fortifying others to protect the patrons. and praying to Aeridin to guide them and protect those of Mariner's Hold from harm.

[cbnicholson]

Charlie, sensing something amiss as he approached the Buckle by the absence of the usual custom coming and going, he slinks around to the back and makes his way into his room, pausing only to disarm, bypass, then rearm the nasty trap over his secret entrance.  Checking for any signs of tampering other than his own, he leaves his room and makes for the main taproom.  Once there, his suspicions are confirmed by Paddy, who tells him in no uncertain terms to begin patrolling the inn.  With a few choice curses, he takes the first watch, padding throughout the building, watchful for trouble.

[RollinsCat]

Melody sitting at the bar, the tavern nearly empty at peak hours.  Not good.

He slipped into his most comforting voice, his most persuasive mien, asked her to the fire - abandoned for the moment, burning low - and saw her settled on the burgundy settee.  Slowly, amid her tears, the story came out.  The lack of any pretext.  The digging in the ox bag in Fort Wayfare; the skeletal bats, the boy that died trying to protect her.  He kept his voice and face even.  Inside he felt sick.  He knew that pain, that guilt, knew it wasn't in any way her fault, and knew it would make no difference to her.  A child had died.  

At some point Minu arrived; he was on the floor in front of Melody and didn't notice until Melody turn a sniffling face toward his lady, asking about curse removal, she was cursed, she'd have to move out, she could not come sing for the wedding...Minu moved next to her, comforting her.  He added a tougher approach - we'll deal with it.  The Buckle is a family.  You're not alone, but get used to trouble.  And we still want you to sing for us.

The tears dried to a trickle, but still more.  The repeated attacks, without provocation.  Her cleansing by the Rofirinite priest.  He had to wonder, after the attacks in Port Hempstead, if overall undead activity was on the rise.  He knew an undead slayer he could ask.

Jetta arrived, bringing her mercenary vibe into the space, and added her two True to the conversation - well, more like demanded two True to join the conversation.  Have you disturbed any crypts lately?  Annoyed any necromancers?  Gotten someone in Wayfare mad at you?

No, no, no.

For her peace of mind, he gave Melody a scroll of raise dead.  The next innocent victim of her tormentor would not suffer the permanent fate of the child, at least.  Jetta seemed focused on Wayfare as the source and possibly scrying "X".  Minu was able to discern that Melody was not cursed - the inn was, which definitely lent the note credence.  After testing, a song or spell of remove curse was enough to lift it, and so the rest of the evening was spent cleansing the taint.  Jetta even contributed some of Deliar's star dusts to help.  Melody's mood eased as the black magic was sung and spelled away.  

That left one worried gnome lady, an inn with a few patrons needing de-cursing, probably a few weeks or more of slow nights provided "X" didn't keep posting notices, and "X" him or her self.  

Late, after the work was done and the ladies retired to their beds, he lit a cigar and sat in his chair.  One more thing to deal with.  But he'd meant what he said.  Melody was family.  The Buckle took care of family.  And whomever X was, they were in for a surprise.  The "halfling" had a lot of friends.

Angry friends.

[Nehetsrev]

*Jetta awoke after a brief slumber.  She set in her bed at the Silverbuckle and ate a quick meal of bread and dried fish.  After that, she padded out of her room like a panther on the prowl, heading to find Charlie wherever he was on his patrol around the inn to relieve him now that his shift was up.  She wasn't pleased at being tied to patrolling the inn herself, for how could she make any profits doing that?  Still, she'd made a deal, perhaps a poor one in hindsight, but a deal was a deal.  She would fulfill her obligation to provide security at the Silverbuckle in exchange for the room and board that was provided her.  Melody, the little Gnomish lass wasn't at all a bad sort, and Jetta almost pitied her for her current troubles.  Almost.  If only those troubles weren't so inconvenient to Jetta herself.*
 
 "Hey Charlie, spotted anyone suspicious yet?  Anything out of the ordinary?  Skelly bats?," she paused and started again without waiting for his answer, "Nevermind.  I'm sure you'd have sent up an alarm if you had.  Go on and get some rest, I've got this shift now."
 
 *Again, not waiting for an answer, Jetta padded off silently on her own patrol route around and throughout the Silverbuckle.  It was the middle of the night, perhaps an hour left before sunrise.  Everything was quiet, and she was feeling a bit bored, but no less alert for trouble.*

[Aphel]

As Aden was told, he was sitting on a small chair and took care of his travel-worn equipment. He listened quietly and with an impassive face, not stopping in what he was doing. Then he geared up and took his bow without saying a word, looked up, smiled slightly and just said quietly: "I need to talk with someone."

[jadewillow]

Tane makes one of his stops by the Buckle between his hunting in the woods. He sees few patrons and feels a strange fog hanging over the inn. He decides it best to return to the woods and come back later.

[Acacea]

[INDENT]Tori quietly observes the changes in the staff and patrons, having simply opened the door with the parchment on it without marking the words, herself. Here and there, she is seen lingering in the common room for a drink rather than retreating to her quarters as she might normally, and is no longer seen unarmored inside, or without her crossbow close at hand.

When, after an inquiry, someone explains the contents of the warning she ignored, she shrugs to explain why she hadn't noticed. "Eh. I ain't lettered. Some kinda joke? Some heavy threatenin' for writin's. Body oughta 'least know they's bein' cursed, but you go puttin' it in writin' on the bleedin' door'n folks go comin' closer an' inspectin' jus' to see they ain't s'posed to be glancin' inna beginnin'. Heh."

She shrugs and drains the bitter, then stands and retrieves her crossbow from where it rested beside a stool.

"Tell that Reid fella he needin' anymore folk checkin' on things, I'd put it to the room."[/INDENT]

[cbnicholson]

"Hey Charlie, spotted anyone suspicious yet? Anything out of the ordinary? Skelly bats?," she paused and started again without waiting for his answer, "Nevermind. I'm sure you'd have sent up an alarm if you had. Go on and get some rest, I've got this shift now."

 
 Charlie nodded to Jetta and continued on his way, he was too keyed up to rest, perhaps some more bladework on the dummy would help.  He stopped in the practice room and stripped down to just his breeches and boots and began the slow, deliberate routine his ma had taught him.  Once that was finished, he attacked the dummy viciously, channeling his anger and boredom at it, but also perfecting his technique.  At one point, he hit the dummy so hard the head fell off, but he simply kept going.

[Acacea]

[INDENT]In the strings of days at a time that Tori remains in the area between working elsewhere, she is more frequently seen around and in the Buckle, a quiet presence with a loud crossbow. She does not attempt to interfere with persons running security, only moves to cover patrol and door shifts when they do not overlap, and checks on other areas when they do, unless she is asked to do something in particular. At some point she is found in the cellar working on a window. If, after the time passing, any are still worried enough about rumors (exaggerated or no) to ask near her at the inn or in the city, she only shrugs and does not appear concerned. "They had 'em crates fulla treasures in 'at main room an' a crowd fulla folks. Couple troubles but any problems handlin' it's jus' outta bein' civil, not 'cause they ain't able. This jus' mean scribblin'. Pfft." [/INDENT]

[osxmallard]

As the weeks pass, patrons begin to return to the Silver Buckle in numbers seen before the notice went up on the front door...