A Breton Amongst Dremora
They quickly discovered that it was safest and easiest to stay on the village's wooden walkways. The ground was wt and marshy in places, and Dianne only had to encounter it once for her to decide that shortcuts weren't worth losing another pair of boots. Dried mud coated the wooden planks. In some places, they showed early signs of decay, and moss grew between the cracks. A low fog coated the ground and swirled in their wake.The locals watched them, neither friendly nor hostile, as they made their way to the one and only tavern, the Grumpy Netch.
The tavern's sign amused Dianne. It had a cratoonish bull netch, tentacles cross as a humanoid might cross their arms, and a scowling face. It was really quite adroable. Ranyu opened the door and went inside ahead of her, and held the door open. Dianne followed him inside, The tavern stank of cheap tobacco and even cheaper ale, but it would have drinks and maybe, she hoped, some food.
"Go on, si at the bar," the barmaid ordered. "I'm too busy here." The Dunmer woman looked tired and overworked. Neither of them were inclined to argue with her, so they went to the bar and sat down. Dianne noted that there was a moth-eaten old alit head over the bar. The tavernkeep, a tall, sullen-looking Dunmer, slammed two mugs of ale down in front of them without being asked.
Ranyu raised a brow. "Aren't you going to ask us what we want?"
"Nope. You drink what you get, outlanders. And what we got is watered-down ale. Our Mazte and flin shipments are a fortnight overdue. All we got is what's in them mugs." He nodded towards them. "You want food?"
Dianne wasn't entirely sure that she did anymore, but Ranyu nodded. "Bring us what you got." The tavernkeep nodded. "Yeah, that would be kwama eggs and broiled rat today. You want greens, it's two septims extra."
"Yea, do that," Ranyu said. The tavernkeep grunted and wandered off to get their food.
Dianne looked into her mug. The ale, which would normally be a warm, rich amber, looked like distilled piss. Thankfully, it smelled like normal ale. She took a hesitant drink, and found it good. 'He said something about the shipments being late,' she told ranyu in a low voice. "Might be an opprtunity here."
Ranyu pretended to be involved in his ale. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Maybe it's smugglers?"
"I was thinking the same."
The tavernkeep returned with two steaming platters and a bowl of cooked local swamp greens for them both. The simple fare actually looked tasty. Dianne liked spinach, and the greens were really not much different. The tavernkeep plunked it all down. "Need anything else?"
"Yeah. What's your name?" Ranyu asked.
"Sorvil Meras. Why do you ask?" He narrowed his crimson eyes. ranyu smiled. In his Dremora form, that smile would have been terrifying to most people, but as a Dunmer, it was a polite and friendly gesture. A gesture of 'Relax, we're friends here.' He said, "Because, Sera Meras, we're going to solve the issue of your missing shipments for you."
Sorvil snorted, but a faint gleam of interest sparked his eyes. "Really? That's a bold claim. Last people who looked into it didn't coe back. I've been loath to hire anyone else. Don't want anymore deaths on my head. So I won't be hiring you. However, if you want to look into it, go ahead an keep anything you find. I just want my shipment back. If it hasn't all been drank or destroyed."
"Any thoughts on where we should start looking/" Dianne asked.
"Well, there's a cave not far off that has been lair to bandits on and off over the years, and when they aren't in it, there's various critters. Or it could be something else entirely. Let me give you the location." He found a piece of parchment and a piece of coal. Using the coal, he drew a rough map, showing the path out of town and local landmarks. "The cave is just off the road, near the two fallen trees. There's also a very big boulder, covered in moss. I've been past there a time or two. Used to go netch hunting when I was younger." He chuckled. "One chased me all the way back to town. Hence, the name of my tavern." He handed the map to Ranyu.
"Whatever you can do to help, I'd appreciate it."