Day 30: Side Questing

Chumsalt sets up shop as Chumsalt Wilderness Investigations in his office in the Inn of the Reclining Gynosphinx, and soon receives word that one of the patrons of the inn's other business has a problem with an owlbear eating the sheep from his parents' farm. He goes into the city to look for bulette urine (a known owlbear repellent) at various alchemical establishments, but finds none. He goes on ahead to the farm, with Hinonk accompanying him, talks to one of the farmers, and goes north to the owlbear's cave. They set up an ambush outside the cave mouth, and Hinonk hypnotizes the owlbear and tells it to leave. It obeys, but comes back, angry, when the spell wears off five minutes later.

Chumsalt and Hinonk attempt to subdue the owlbear with fist, staff, and lasso attacks, and Chumsalt succeeds in roping the owlbear and mounting its back. Hinonk, on Chumsalt's orders, runs away. He fails at convincing the owlbear to leave of its own volition, and realizes that this is a female owlbear, likely with eggs in its cave. Unable to bring himself to kill the creature, he dismounts, and they back away slowly from each other.

Back at the farm, Chumsalt tries to convince the farmers to grow vegetables instead of sheep and tries to buy the flock from them at double the price. They refuse, Chumsalt throws money on the ground in front of them, and the situation escalates to the point where one of the farmers starts taking shots at him with a crossbow. Chumsalt leaves, and in a state of considerable frustration with the difficulties of succeeding at a small business venture, opens up the sheep and chicken pens and knocks over scarecrows and wind chimes as he departs.

Meanwhile, Grabathor makes inquiries at the Guild House for an internal spy. He is put in contact with a halfling woman who calls herself Gloomwing, who meets him at the Tipsy Behir tavern in the demihuman quarter. She offers up some of the information Grabathor was looking for: the statue under the sheet in the initiation room is an old Mezian god known as "The Architect," and Lady Blyneth's second-in-command is not, in fact, Adrumel, but a mysterious individual who holds the rank of Cup and Mirror in the Guild. She also shares a bit of the Guild's history, explaining that the Guild was little more than a drinking club for old men until the Count of Guffin granted control of it to his daughter. Grabathor gives her an advance payment to find out more information about the Cup and Mirror.


Accounting:
Chumsalt gives away 301 GP in tips to Gunch and reparations to the sheep farmers.
Taniya buys a whistle for 5 SP
Grabathor pays Gloomwing 70 GP for her information and continued spying.
Hinonk pays 50 GP, 1 SP for studded leather armor, 12 arrows, a short sword and scabbard, 4 oil flasks, 1 small silver mirror, 1 tinderbox, 1 bag of caltrops, and 10 bandages.

Chumsalt and Hinonk each gain 100 XP for their owlbear experience.