Fellowship of the Dice

The barkeep comes out, standing at your table to see what all this fuss is about. He nods to Merisiel as she asks him about the bath house. "Well, it is considered to be the best place here... at least it is the most expensive. Bordo can be pretty arrogant towards other businessmen. But it is one of his ancestors who discovered the source of the water, the spring. They say it comes from deep under the Akrogal mountains." He watches calmly as some servants run out of the bathhouse screaming. "But nothing bad has ever happened here. I wonder what is happening."

Then a group of priests of Phyria, the water godess, march towards the bathhouse, praying loudly and scolding everyone for their heathen and detestable behavior. The group of priests enter the bathhouse.

"Hunh," says Merisiel to the barkeep. "Thanks." She turns and looks at Carver and Fumbus. "I wonder if the water's gone bad, but they don't want to admit it because it would kill their business?" She looks towards the door and the marching priests. "Or maybe the priests are on to something--though I don't see how lax morals can cause rashes. Other diseases, sure, but skin rashes?" She chuckles, then shakes her head. "I kinda get the feeling that if we don't do something to sort this out, no one will." And she looks at the rashes on her skin. "And we may need to find out what the source of these rashes are to have them properly treated."

Fumbus looks down at his itchy flesh, his face not looking happy at what he is seeing or feeling. "I don't relish the thought of trying to travel to the next town feeling like this. Would scratch off half my skin before we got there. Somebody needs to resolve this, by whatever means necessary." He looks outside, back at the bathhouse. "I'm starting to hate this place, but I think you're right. We need to head back and figure out what's going on."

The three companions head back to the bathhouse, where they see some of the guests lying around, being cared for by some servants. They are badly burnt and some parts of their bodies have strangely bloated. It seems you have chosen the right time to end your stay. The priests are holding some kind of sermon about how the vile practices here have angered Phyria and she has taken her protection from this place. Bordo ignores them, he looks worried and when he sees you, he hurries towards you. "Oh, it is so good to see you. I fear we need some help here. The waters are burning everyone, but I do not know why. I don't believe this claptrap about the godess, but the waters come from deep underneath the mountains. The healing magic must have run out or someone has actively been poisoning the water. There is a whole network of passages, caverns and caves beneath the mountains. Ican show you the entrance. I would ask you to go and find what happened and stop it. I would give you a three hundred gold coins if you are successful. Yes? Yes? Do you need any equipment I can provide?"

Merisiel gives Bordo a careful look and says, "Will you give my companions and me a chance to talk in private?"

Once out of earshot of the proprietor, she says to Carver and Fumbus, "I don't know that I believe or trust him, but I say we look into this, for our own hides' sake if nothing else."

"I never trusted priests, those three are likely just as much the cause of it as kobolds pissing in the well could be. If you ask me these Phyria folk aren't what they seem, but I don't know much about religion and spells and prayers and stuff." He looks at the other two to see if they do. "Either way, maybe we should go go down into the tunnels, get to the heart of this all, and maybe... *scratch scratch scratch* find a cure for this for ourselves. I say stay out of the water either way."

He turns back to the bartender, "One hundred now, three hundred when we get back, or we'll be sure to tell everyone we meet just what sort of waters you have here." That's Carver's keen business sense kicking in.

Merisiel smiles at Carver's bargaining and stands near him in a way that indicates her support.

Fumbus displays his sharp teeth, albeit in an eager rather than a carnivorous manner. "Yes, good bargain. Risking our hides to save this community. Need good compensation for the danger."

Bordo listens to Carver. "Ok, ok, ok, you got me by the tail. I will give you 350, but when you get back and the water is safe again. With this poisoned water I have no money to spare. But you can get all the basic equipment you need."
After equipping the companions, he shows them a trapdoor in his basement and beneath, there is a wooden ladder and a natural cavern which leads north towards the mountains. "Be careful. They say there is a great maze of caverns and corridors and who knows what lives down there. Good luck."

Merisiel asks Bordo, "Do you have something like chalk? And stuff we can use to map our way as we go? We won't be able to collect our reward if we got lost down there and starve to death."