Slime Salad

"I don't suppose you would let me leave the axe here?" he asks before departing for real. "I figure a clergy would be the most.. responsible with artifacts like this."

Persuasion: 1D20+1 => (17 + 1) = 18

"Oh, thank you for offering, young man, but no. I would have no use for this. Umbarlee doesn't allow blades for sacrificial purposes, and I can't very well butter my toast with it."

"Perhaps you will find someone else who wants it."

Hyne walks out of the chapel without taking the axe.

"Young man? You forgot... Oh... Well, buttered toast it is then" and Father Cygnus ambles towards his kitchen.

Outside the stars are clear. The activity in the dance hall seems to be winding down, and people are filtering out into the streets in small groups.

Hyne starts to consider rejoining the other travelers at the resting place, but a part of him can't bring himself to push himself through the festive crowds of drunkards at the tavern inn just yet. He looks for a place to sit.

He feels trapped.

The Duke is a supporter of the same pirates that ambushed his men and killed them just to loot them, and if Hyne decides to escape, they'll most certainly start a man hunt.

The clerics being Umbarlee means he can't rely on giving them sensitive information.. even if the Lockleans are technically their enemy, he also can't bring himself to support a pirate group.

He finds himself most sympathetic to the Jenns. From Hyne's point of view, they just took a weapon of mass power away from an evil clergy and a pirate horde and he would be lying if there wasn't a bit of vindication there. At the same time, he doesn't know much about the Jenna government, only a soldier that just lost his company just like he did; and a powerful magic item presents a threat to Liontribe and other provinces that lack a push back.

Hyne gazes about as he thinks to himself. It might be time to get inside.

Hyne can see Oxnar standing on the front steps of the dance hall, chatting with some women.

Down a dark side-street, Hyne can see the bright red wheels of Erato's wagon, parked among other wagons filling the empty street.

An odd-looking man in a traveler's cloak is standing in the street looking at the King's wagon-tent.

Hyne's sharp perception detects two things that make the man odd: One, the man's skin and hair make him look just a little bit like the Jenn that Hyne saw earlier... and second, his beard looks false.

Such a sight catches Hyne's interest. He decides to head out to speak with the Jenn soldier in disguise. Along the way, he takes a moment to speak a compliment to Oxnar to aid his charm, smiling, "Always a spring in your step, I see."

"Ah, Hyne!" Oxnar calls with a smile. "Happy to see that no mischief has befallen you". To the ladies, Oxnar says "Hyne is a good man for keeping his head on his shoulders"

The ladies titter at this as if he has made an innuendo, but they seem to be reacting to the tone of Oxnar's voice rather than the content of his words.

By the time Hyne draws close to the Tent-wagon, the Jenn man with the false beard is moving away down the dark side street where all the carriages are parked.

"I'll leave you to your company," He remarks in response, not quite picking up on the innuendo hidden in the cheer, "just wanted to drop a quick greeting as I passed by."

When he starts to go after the disguised man, he starts to realize that he himself may come off as suspicious strolling beside these empty wagons. He decides to try to remain inconspicuous as he moves, even if he is seen.

Stealth: 1D20+2+2 => (8 + 2 + 2) = 12

Rather than actively sneaking, the disguised man seems to be trying to be nonchalant. As Hyne starts to sneak closer, the man turns and climbs into a wagon, as if that was where he was going all along... the wagon he climbs into is the one with the red wheels.

Stealth: 1D20+2+2 => (14 + 2 + 2) = 18
Perception: 1D20+3+2 => (18 + 3 + 2) = 23

Hyne carefully listens to the activities of the man as he passes by, along looking to spot any other peculiarities.

The man inside the red-wheeled wagon isn't being overly quiet.

He seems to be casually rooting through a knapsack that was under one of the benches. He finally pulls out a jacket, folds it up, and lays down on the bench, making a pillow of the jacket.

There is a yawning noise, and the sound of relaxed breathing.

This almost seems convincing, as if this man is just a passenger who has decided to sleep in the wagon rather than spend money on a room at the inn...

But Hyne's sharp eyes perceived that the knapsack looks a lot like the one Oxnar had. And the jacket that he folded up looks too short for the man.

After Hyne passes the wagon, he mutters a curse under his breath, then decides to make it look like he is finding the wagon he is actually riding in to see if it is still present. Once that is done, he finally moves to return to the main street.

Further down the side street, Hyne does indeed find the carriage that he had been riding in. It is parked and empty, like almost all the other vehicles. The horses that had been pulling these wagons all seem to have been taken somewhere. Perhaps there are some large stables nearby.

Returning back to the main street, he hears snoring from the red-wheeled wagon. In light of his earlier observations, it sounds a little bit fake.

Is he waiting on someone? he wonders.. Regardless, he doesn't want to stick around, he will most likely find out soon enough who will be coming to see the wagon.