The 27th day of the month os Sunsebb dawns cooler, gloomy and overcast. A light rain falls.
You awaken to the smell of bacon frying, and by the time you make it into the large kitchen, the mayor's wife, daughters and servants have a large spread set out for you. You see piles of bacon, ham and sausage, platters of eggs, stacks of pancakes and bowls of fried mushrooms. Loaves of fresh breads and rolls hot out of the oven are set out, too.
Bryana is feeling much better after a night of sleep, and feels functional again. Each of you who were wounded have gained a hit point.
The mayor joins you. He looks tired.
"It was quiet last night. We've checked the grounds. No one was around."
He takes a long sip of coffee.
"What are your plans, now? I would like to round up the cult members here in Orlane. Cirilli, can you tell me who they are?"
"I can do that," she replies quietly.
Ormond turns back to you.
"I would appreciate your help," he says.
"We can help with that, but most of us are still wounded. If Krista can spend the day healing us, we might be able to get a number of us healed enough to help. Can you delay the rounding up for a day?"
The mayor nods.
"After that, we are going to finish cleaning the temple. Whether we all go on to the stronghold will be a decision we all have to make. I will be going, even if I can't convince St. Cuthbert that I'm still worthy of his blessing."
"Sombody told me that yer don't trust the hermit," Krrl says to the mayor. "Why not? Is he one of them cult members? Cause it seem ter me that ifn' he don't mean us no harm, mebbe he's got some stuff that might help us on out travels. Or p'raps there's a shop in town where's we kin git some supplies. Yer know, healing potions and the like. Cause if'n were gonna head in ter no mans land, I wants to be fully stocked. And healed."
"We should hesitate speaking with the hermit again," Lornard says, but he throws a cautioning look at Krrl as he says this. "However, I would like to speak again with the widow Vilma."
"There was no taint of evil in the hermit when we first met him. He was a bit strange, but that was all."
The mayor says, "Well, it's always been just a gut feeling of mine. I've never had any proof, and of course I would never take any action against him without just cause. He's always been so...aloof...and eccentric...and antisocial. I think there's more to him than meets the eye. I see that pet weasel of his all over town. It's almost like the animal is spying things out, and then going back to Ramne and reporting to him."
His wife laughs.
"Don't be silly, Zakarias!" she exclaims. "It's just a dumb animal!"
"As for getting supplies," the mayor continues, "There are shops here, but the only place to get healing potions would have been the temple."
Turning to the mayor and his wife, Thrwyn says, "Thanks you so much for the breakfast. It was uncalled for especially after how we acted last night."
"We do need to get healed and I will also accompany you Tragon to the stronghold. But we need to get this place setteled at least as far as that goes. Now that the mayor knows what to look for he might be able to spot cult members sooner and help them or get them to leave town." states Thrwyn.
"Well, I've suspected for awhile that Cirilli's family, the smith and the carpenter are cult members. From what you've related to me, the people at the Golden Grain Inn are also cult members."
Cirilli speaks up.
"I can tell you who has been taken into the cult," she says, "The constable and those two newcomers who are with him; my family; the farmer down by the bridge; the carpenter; the blacksmith; the widow farmer down by the Foaming Mug; the farmer up on the north side of the millpond; and Bertam Beswill's people at the Golden Grain."
Ormond regards her in silence for a long moment.
"We have out work cut out for us," he says at last.
After breakfast, Krista goes to work at patching up the party. By the end of the day all of you are healed up to full, and the cleric is exhausted.