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It felt like it would be rude to refuse, so Galiena took one of the offered cranberry scones and nibbled on it while she listened to Lady Percival.

Some of what the Lady said, Galiena had already gleaned from the notice hanging in the Azure Lion and from tidbits of the dwarves' arguments. Though she hadn't realized the part about the diamonds.

She does like to hear herself talk, the cleric thought, rather uncharitably.

"What do the dwarves say happened to Fr Micheal?" she asked aloud. Surely, in two days, someone would have at least thought to inquire, right?

Refusing to fight Scott attempted to dodge the dwarfs second punch as he had done the first. "Coward? Of course, I'm a coward because I refuse to participate in this pathetic display of a fight." Scott said before glancing over to the off duty guards wondering if they were going to intervene.

The dwarf's second punch makes contact with Scott's chin [roll for non-lethal pummelling damage] and the dwarves cheer. Then one of the dwarves steps out of the semi-circle and pulls the belligerent dwarf off.
"It's the watch".
Two men in azure and yellow livery and carrying halberds enter the tavern.
"What ho?" they say, "can anyone explain what is going on here?"

Meanwhile Galiena is having scones and wine with Lady Percival. She nibbles the scone, and it tastes coarse and crumbly - made without butter. There's also a curious bitter taste. With her healing skills, Galiena recognises this as belladonna - a herb with legitimate healing uses, but not something it is advisable to take when there is nothing wrong with you. There wouldn't be enough in the scone to represent an actual threat of poisoning, but it's a strange choice of flavouring.

"The dwarves you met in the tavern are not our dwarves" lady Percival explains, "they were brought in by Lord Percival to take over the running of the mine, if he couldn't come to an agreement with Grimley. They are clan Dunstan from the mountains, whilst Grimley is chief of clan McCain. I don't know what the clan Dunstan dwarves think has happened to Fr Michael, but Lord Percival might. He speaks with them. Have you spoken to any dwarves yourself?"

Galiena took note of the odd flavor, eating a few more small bites before pinpointing which herb she was tasting, though made no mention of it. Sometimes ladies would use the belladonna to enlarge their pupils, thinking it made them more beautiful. Perhaps that was the case here. Either way, she slowed down on the scone, wanting to keep as clear a head as possible.

"Not yet," she shook her head. "I was more interested in what the McCains had to say, to be honest. It was them Fr Michael went to meet, no?" she asked Lady Percival, then glanced at the silent Malfey, gauging her interest in the conversation.

"No" says Lady Percival. "The McCains are our dwarves. They live in the mine, which is the problem - we've had no contact with them since they declared the strike. The Dunstan dwarves were brought in by Lord Percival to break the strike - just as a threat, you understand. But we've heard nothing from the McCain dwarves, so we sent Fr Michael and, as I told you, he has simply disappeared".

Malfey is listening to everything intently, you are sure, but pretending just to be nodding along.

Galiena frowned slightly as it seemed Lady Percival contradicted herself within seconds, first denying that it had been the McCains Fr Michael had gone to speak with, then seeming to suggest just that in the next breath. Or perhaps the mix of the honeybrew ale she'd had in the tavern combined with the belladonna was already muddling her brain a bit and she was simply misunderstanding one statement or the other.

"Have any steps been taken already to find out what happened?" she asked, trying a different angle. "I would like not to duplicate efforts needlessly."

"Initially we had contact with Grimley and Scarface" says Lady Percival. "They were negotiating every day. Remember it was Lord Percival who initiated the trouble, by breaking the previous agreement. But he had to, we couldn't sell the gemstones from the mine, you see. I wish that diamond pipe - that's what they call a seam of diamonds - had never been discovered. It's been nothing but trouble to us ever since. But then about two weeks ago, the dwarves suddenly stopped coming out to talk. Now Lord Percival had already threatened to get the Dunstan dwarves in to break the strike, but it took them until the day before yesterday to arrive. We then sent Fr Michael with a very good deal to try to break the deadlock, but telling them the Dunstan dwarves had arrived and were ready to take their jobs if they didn't stop the strike. But he didn't return to the surface".

"Now you're asking me if we took any other steps. Well of course I asked Malfey, who tried to contact Fr Michael in the dead. She failed to contact him, which probably means he is still alive, but could mean that his spirit isn't willing - that's right, isn't it, Malfey?"

Galiena was silent for a few moments as she processed what Lady Percival had just told her, new suspicions already forming in her mind that perhaps something bad had happened to not only Michael, but to the McCain dwarves as well.

Of course, maybe it was something like a cave-in that had trapped them down there, though that seemed unlikely. Surely that would have caused noticeable tremors in Colston, right? Ultimately, she knew very little about coal mines and did not really know what to think.

"Lady Percival, I see no way to get to the bottom of this puzzle other than to go down and have a look. I will volunteer to go, but after the mysterious circumstances surrounding Fr Michael's disappearance, I admit I am leery to go alone. Do you think one of the Dunstan's might be willing to accompany me?"

Lady Percival looks at Galiena curiously, a piece of scone on a little silver fork halfway between the plate and her mouth.

"You'd have to see Meldain (Dain for short) Dunstan. He's the chief of the Dunstan dwarves. Then Lord Percival would have to agree. I know he wanted a mixed party with no personal interest in the affair. It's awfully brave of you to volunteer to go down the mine yourself, my dear, but it's not expected."

You notice Malfey suddenly starts paying rapt attention.

"What time do you intend to start off, madam?" she asks you, "maybe I can get you an audience with Dain Dunstan".

"The sooner the better, really," Galiena replied immediately to Malfey, grateful that Lady Percival's advisor had at least some sense of urgency about the matter. "Tonight if at all possible, at least for an initial foray to see what it is we might be dealing with."

She gave the woman a worried smile. "If he ... or the dwarves...," she said, letting her suspicions slip, "...are hurt or in danger, the night could make all the difference to get aid to them."

Lady Percival calls in a servant and asks him to enquire about Lord Percival's movements. He comes back after a few minutes.
"Lord Percival is with the chief of the Dunstan clan" she says, "something to do with trouble at the Azure Lion. These dwarves can be so violent when they have nothing to do. They'll be about an hour, then they can see you. "

"I'll accompany them if your ladyship gives her leave", says Malfey, "maybe my skills will be of use to them".

You notice Lady Percival fingering her ring, which is set with three large diamonds.

"Yes, Malfey" she says, "of course you may help if you can". She turns to you. "My servant will show you to the door. Thank you so much for visiting me, sister, and your concern for Fr Michael is greatly appreciated.

"Thank you, Lady," Galiena stood and politely curtsied before following the servant back to the door. She wondered briefly if the diamonds on the Lady's ring were the ones considered to be unlucky, which would mean she did not actually believe they were unlucky. Perhaps she should have asked how the precious stones became known for their ill luck. Did someone have a reason to sow discontent amongst the dwarves?

She glanced around her as she departed, suddenly ill at ease as she considered the possibility she was inserting herself into politics that she probably did not fully understand.

The cleric headed back toward the Azure Lion to wait out the hour, assuming the commotion from earlier would be sorted out by now...

((Is it an inn as well as a tavern?))

For a moment it seemed that Scott would have no choice but to fight as the dwarf landed his punch. He got ready to cast a spell but thankfully two men in azure and yellow livery and carrying halberds enter the tavern and asked what was going on.

Scott decided it was in his best interest to be the one to explain the situation so before anyone else could jump in he started speaking. "Well you see this dwarf attacked me for no good reason. Although I may have instigated the fight it was by no means on purpose. You see overhearing these dwarves argue I decided I wanted to be part of the conversation and very polite asked if they wanted my opinion. They agreed to hear my opinion but apparently didn't like that and attacked me."

"They, or just one?" ask the men with halberds. There is a clamour from the villagers pointing to the belligerent dwarf, who is obviously drunk. The two halberdiers grab him and put his hands behind his back. He protests "he was insulting us dwarves". He goes on arguing for quite some time, with the halberdiers trying to calm him down. Meanwhile the other dwarves continue drinking, not wanting to be arrested themselves.

"Wait here", one of the halberdiers instructs you, "you'll have to see Lord Percival and the chief dwarf to explain your side of the situation. I wouldn't worry if I was you, they'll obviously let you go".

At this point, Galiena comes back in, as the belligerent dwarf is being led away.

She's just been there a few minutes when the halberdiers come for Scott. "Lord Percival and the chief dwarf would like to see you now" they say. "Please come with us, sir. Maybe you would like a friend or a witness to advocate for you?"

Galiena took note of the dwarves, guessing that Dain Dunstan was probably with Lord Percival. For a moment she considered going to speak with them, but thought better of it. They were mostly drunk and it seemed they'd already gotten into blows with that fellow over there. She glanced at Scott when the halberdiers came back in for him. She'd be of little help to Michael if she got herself mixed up with legal trouble right now.

So she returned to the bar and re-read the notice, seeing if there was anything she had missed earlier.

His Lordship requires a competent person or persons to investigate the disappearance of Fr Michael Akas, of the Percival household, who was last seen descending the shaft of Colston colliery in an attempt to negotiate a settlement to the recent trade dispute. Anyone with any information as to Fr Akas' whereabouts is urged to contact Lord Percival as soon as possible. Rewards possible. Lord Percival may be contacted at the presbytry of the Church of St Barbara.


"Miss," she asked when the barmaid came back around. "Is the colliery close by?"

Scott was rather pleased with how things turned out. Nobody had gotten hurt, well except me but I'll live, and he had gotten a chance to to meet Lord Percival and the chief of the dwarves. He awaited the halberdiers to come fetch him.

"Friend or witness to advocate for me? Alas I arrived alone to town and haven't had the chance to make any friends, I'd invite any one in the bar to act as a witness," Scott said addresses the bar, he then continued to speak without giving a chance for anyone to answer, "Looks like nobody is going to volunteer, let's go and see Lord Percival and the chief dwarf."

The halberdiers lead Scott out of the Azure Lion and into the nearby presbytery of St Barbara's. "Be really polite and you should be OK" one of them warns him. You wait for a few minutes, the another halberdier ushers you in. It's very informal, a man in ermine and a dwarf with a massive moustache are seated on ordinary dining chairs, a desk pulled up if front of them. The dwarf Scott recognises from the bar has his hands tied behind his back. There's another dwarf standing by him.

"This is an official sitting of the ducal court of the northlands" says the man in ermine. "Your name please? And can you give us an account of the events in the Azure Lion tavern this evening?"

Meanwhile Galiena is talking with the barmaid.

"The colliery isn't far" she says, "its's on the edge of town, maybe five minutes walk from here. You'll have to take a lantern because it's dark. I got these diamond earrings from it, look" and she shows you her earrings, studded with small gemstones. "Now people are saying that the stones are unlucky. But I got these from a suitor, they're too expensive to just throw away. I haven't had any good luck since I got them - the cat died, then I applied for a job as a maid at the presbytery and got rejected, then I lost my sewing thimble, so I tried to sew without it, and pricked myself. It must be true."

Scott was rather surprised upon hearing the that this was an official sitting of the ducal court. It seemed he was in more trouble than he had initially anticipated. Straightening himself out he began to explain what happened as asked, "My name is Scott Williams, a traveler from-- well that doesn't really matter. What occurred was as follows. I was sitting alone minding my own business when the a group of dwarves caught my attention. Seeing it as an amusing pass time I decided to walk up to then and lend my opinion. At first they wanted nothing to do with me but one if the group decided to humor my request. So they laid out the problem something about, something about McCains and Dunstans, and asked me if I thought dwarves where obliged to mine coal. I answered as follows word for word, more or less,"

Scott took a moment of pause before continuing, "Are dwarves obliged to mine coal? No. I don't believe anyone is obliged to do anything for anyone. Keep in mind I'm a traveler so I can have such a mentality as nobody is relying on me. Dwarves on the other hand have an entire duchy relying on them cause like you said, There's nothing more vital to this duchy than coal. So are dwarves obliged to mine coal? Yes. My answer didn't sit well with the dwarf as a fight broke out." Finishing his little speech Scott awaited a verdict.

The nobleman and the chief dwarf look at each other, and laugh.

"I've been trying to persuade my dwarves to feel good about mining coal for a long time" says the chief dwarf, "we must have you on our team. Of course as chief dwarf of the Dunstan clan, I cannot afford to remain indifferent to the needs of the duchy, which is why we are here."

"I'm afraid dwarves are rather unruly." says Lord Percival, "especially when they don't actually have any work to do, which is currently the case. I think the situation is obvious, do you have anything to add, Balin?" He gestures to the dwarf you don't recognise.

"It was clearly provocation" says the advocate dwarf, "he doesn't have to mine coal himself. To insist that dwarves are obliged to do it is to insult all dwarves."

"Oh come on, Balin", says Lord Percival, "Tokin can't be so easily provoked. It's his responsibility to conduct himself appropriately in a mixed tavern - if it was in a dwarven mess room I'd be more sympathetic to your argument, but the Azure Lion is predominantly a human tavern. With Meldain's consent I'm going to find for Scott." He turns to you. "We'll punish this dwarf for you, is a day in the stocks adequate or are you going to press for a heavier sentence?"

"They're lovely, though" Galiena commented to the bar maid, though she remained unconvinced about the unluckiness of the diamonds. Nevertheless, should the opportunity present itself, she resolved to not put any of the precious gems on her person.

Once the barmaid moved away again, the cleric closed her eyes for just a moment and sent up a prayer to her goddess.

((Detect magic spell. Do I roll for that?))