Cooling my Heel

Morley arrived later looking dejected.  I never told him about my chance encounter with the real threat (look I never really get to put anything over Morley, so being able to hold something back was delicious), I had surmised when he came back all mopey that he hadn't been able to do as he wanted (so whatever evil plan he really had I had stopped almost entirely by accident).  I asked of the idol and he just handed it to, muttering something about how its useless now.  I almost felt sorry for him, almost.

I begged a ride off him to get to a town nearby. He actually was kind enough to oblige me, so off I went with my new paperweight (I still have that skull actually, I talk to it occaisionally, hasn't talked back yet, but one day I'm sure it will). He didn't stick around, said something about had business elsewhere and I didn't pry. He was nice enough to give me some coin so that I could get a room and recover (he laughed about that part since I told him I was content for a natural recovery).  Surpingly this nice gesture didn't get me killed as his normal ones do.

The town was one of those self contained farming communities, not a lot of direct outside influence, but occaisional specialities traders would show up for their local produce (they had a lovely apple for which they were very well known or so I was told REPEATEDLY!).  The town was named Duvein (prounounced Doo Vayne no I have no idea how a group of idiotic farm workers came up with such a complicated name), it had a small inn that included the towns tavern, a sheriff with a couple deputies, and even the required rich person who rules them all in his extravagant house so prevelent in small communities.

I didn't really explore much my first day, my ankle hurt, my ribs ached, and my stomach was growling.  I paid the clerk for a room, got some food, and shut myself in my room (it didn't help that I had a skull in my bag, people in small communities tend to not like skulls).  The lady at the front looked to be a really nice old motherly type, but I frankly didn't care, I made sure to tell her I wasn't to be disturbed. And for a few blissful days I was able to cool off, unfortunately as things tend to go with me, that didn't last!