Birthmonth the 25th. We went over all we had learned while sharing a small plate of muffins and some milk, angling over the questions again and again. Gryg felt that someone was playing the two bakeries off against each other and have been doing so for the last 4 years. Seems to have started at the award ceremony. We figured to get some information from the town records for now, there were barely a dozen bakeries in town, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. One of them had a contract with the fire brigade, the other had one with the constabulary office. We needed to see who had those contracts at a period prior to 4 years ago.
The proprietor of the Breakfast Nook was looking to get paid and we forgot the gold standard here, grumbling to him about the cost of things and our own dwindling pouch of coins. Some terse words were exchanged but we did eventually move on and made our way to the hall of records.
Information was not so easily forthcoming, but it seems that a bakery, Look to the Yeast, had both of those contracts as some earlier date and the proprietor for the last 10 years has been Baker Mebian. Ok, we had a destination.
Back on Bakers Street we went to the end of the block where a large bakery was located. In the narrow alley to the east was a ramshackle temple and shrine to Odin, the All Father. There had been other shrines around Grymeria, it’s not shunned but it also isn’t promoted; to all sorts of gods and goddesses. But this one was poorly built even though it was lovingly maintained. The clergy in question was a large half-ogre ex-pat from west of Erylond named Gugg Darktooth. He had a clearer way of speaking, testament to a human-centric upbringing.
Gugg had been sent here at the behest of his order to run this shrine and cater to the flock here. However, most people around here seemed to associate Odin to more of a luck god that the all father. Gugg had been rethinking his purpose and felt that Odin was guiding him to a new path. We chatted with the Half-Ogre and learned that Mebian is generally disliked by most people. He has been on and off generous with Gugg over the years so the Odinian Priest occasionally takes care of Mebian and watches his back.
We went to talk with Mebian and Gugg smoothed the way. We identified ourselves as the Adventuring group and he thought we were here for a possible supply and trade agreement with the GRSAG. We didn’t dissuade him of that thought but did dance the conversation about for a while. An attempt to Mind Read the man was put into place (Dizzy) and we discovered that he had some nefarious thoughts about us. At the end of it he suggested we come back tonight, after 8, and we could put a contract together. We left, thanking Gugg and Mebian for their time.
The party headed back to the Heart of Vitalia by way of Adjunct Rawanis. Gugg was concerned about Mebian, the baker was anxious and barely contained in his rage. He too cast Mind Read, and discovered that the Baker was going to set a trap for the party tonight. He went off to the Heart of Vitalia where he found the group and let them know of Mebian’s assumed to be treachery. He offered his help in this matter and the party was happy to accept his offered help and aid.
We came up with some plan and one of them was that Gugg would be hit with an Invisibility spell as well as an Iron Silence spell, allowing the Odinian to sneak into the Bakery with us and not alert Mebian to his presence. He would be there as an observer and to help out should things go south real fast. We also had arranged with Adjunct Rawanis for the party to have access with a sending head, to record the conversation and have it be logged at the hall of records. The sending heads are as expected, severed undead heads that when squeezed, connect with a matching head and sends everything it hears to the partner one. Gryg took possession of it and promised to take care of it – they would transmit and last for a maximum of 6 hours.
Finally the night fell (literally!) and by 7:30, we left the Heart of Vitalia and headed off to the Odinian Shrine. We confirmed with Gugg his aid, hit with Iron Silence and then invisibility. We then went to the Look to the Yeast and Mebian let us in. The Bakery was dark and empty except for him. We went through the selling floor, to the Kitchen and ovens, and then to an alcove area where a meeting table was set up.
We talked for a bit, Gugg staying at the Selling floor for now and silent. He did not think we were here for a deal with GRSAG and called us out on it. We then presented him with some of our investigations about the Dough Will Rise and RaggaMuffins and he was getting a bit concerned. At that point he flat out asked us if we were going to let the matter go and we said no. Dizzy was on high alert and Gryg had gotten up with Hoggar (on a leash), activated the Sending Head already.
And then Mebian made a motion above and gave command word – and 40 11” tall gingerbread cookies came spilling down from the catwalk and hit the table, armed with knives, spoons, forks – anything – and then went to swarm the party. Meanwhile two other ovens opened up and another40 cookies spilled out to cut us off and attack – AND – a single 8’ tall gingerbread cookie man with a busted broom handle smiling and still warm, also charged the party while Mebian laughed and laughed and laughed.
81…to 8.
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