Will the answers to my stupid questions be outside? In addition to the bartender, there were four occupants of the tavern: the barber, seated on a stool and nursing a pint of ale, the butcher and baker, playing cards (I could see no candlestick maker), and a goon named Crusher sitting on a chair, blocking a trap door. The floor was sticky with beer, and a pool of vomit covered one of the stools. That left the tavern next door.ĭon't mind if I do.oh, wait, you mean you.Ĭalling the tavern a 'dive' would be an insult to dives. A nearby dark alley held only a filthy beggar. The bakery and butcher's shop were closed, and some kind of barn at the end of the street was locked. The dry goods store, run by a confused old codger, had weapons, armor, daggers, rations, and ale flasks for sale for when I'm a bit richer. Zara, the proprietor, appeared behind the counter in a bolt of lightning as her familiar gamboled on the shelf nearby. As I approached, flames erupted from the sign, and the front door just dissolved. There was an eye above the door that followed me as I walked down the street. My first stop was the mage's shop, on the same street as the guild, and boy did they go in for the flashy presentation. It sounded like I needed to head to the castle to get some more information about the baron, his children, and this Baba Yaga, but I figured I'd explore the rest of the town first. Wolfgang thinks Andromeda is up north somewhere. The antwerp was one of many that infested the valley, and it would have been overrun if two 'tourists' from Andromeda had not shown up to drive them off. The baron killed it (this was pre-curse), but the other flew away and is sometimes still seen flying high overhead. The dragon, it turned out, was one of two that came to the valley some years prior. The Baron has become a shut-in and is in danger of losing his land.

Wolfgang attributes to the curse the loss of both Barnard and Elsa, as well as the late monster infestation. Baron von Spielburg used to be a 'brave protector' and kept the monsters and brigands at bay, but he angered a ogre sorceress named Baba Yaga and she placed a curse on him.

Wolfgang also shed some light on why the valley is so cursed with monsters.

Silverlock john myers myers etext