AOP:Wake Turbulence

## Team Three's Handiwork...

After **a day's journey**, Team Four will arrive in **Thunn's Garden** to see the *Bills of Reward* posted by Team Three. Plenty of traffic through there – and plenty of people looking at the Stonehearth bill. The PCs might even consider that there's just a slightly lower chance they have of earning a 10 gp finder's facilitation bonus. Sure, it's not a huge reward, but that's five days pay at skilled labor rates...

### Arrival Time...

If the party left Westgate after the 7-Bells meeting, they traveled through the night and they'll likely arrive before Team Three departs (between 4-5am). If they're looking to make contact, the party will need to identify them and either ask around to find them, or if they're late enough in the morning (sunrise or so), see if they can identify them as they prepare to hit the **Grand Ride** for their last short stretch before heading south.

If the party departed Westgate in the morning of Day 02 (the likely course given the meeting at the "new" Stonehearth embassy), then Team Three will be gone for half a day before Team Four arrives.

### Things to do:

* Rent stable space for the mounts. (2 cp)
* Get a room or rooms. (listings under Thunn's notable places, 3-5 sp/night)
* Check precedent: if the the party is checking for them, or otherwise goes to the following locations, they'll find where Team Three put their reward posters:
	+ **Thunn's Keep**
	+ **Stokovec's Tavern**
	+ **Thunn's Garden Lodge**
* Dinner/rumors/sleep

### Dinner and a Show

The party needs to grab grub and get rest, but they've got time. There are three inns/diners and three dedicated restaurants in town, and all of them are packed.

If the party visits one of the locations where Team Three placed posters, they'll overhear local buzz on Stonehearth, be it the House (their barony on Tethyr, south; barony in Cormyr, north; or the mercantile company's Trade House in Sembia). The *Bill of Reward* is big news and there are related theories flying, especially there in the shadow of Westgate. the names of Cormyr and Sembia drop liked bombs. F-bombs, mostly.

Most of the rumors are subsets or developments of what was (potentially) heard in Westgate. In some cases, if the party missed certain rumors in the big city, they might hear them now – or hear them again, to reinforce the point. 1d20 for random rumors, or select based on the type of the character the PC is – and what words would catch their attention.

Exactly what kind of rumors PCs hear really depends on where they go (what kind of crowd the characters are working), and how they're going about it. Some rumors may be picked up just having a drink and quietly eavesdropping, while others may require engaging people.

* Quietly Listening: passively active rumor collection falls under a Perception (WIS) check.
	+ Do they believe the rumor is true? An Insight (WIS) check will tell a PC if they think the person telling the [rumor/story/legend] believes it to be true.
	+ Similarly, a skill/knowledge check is an excellent screen to put a "confidence level" to the rumor. Regarding rumors, Arcana, History, Nature and Religion are the Big Four in terms of the average types of rumors that PCs would listening for. Other details that either lend credence or doubt may slip out as well and the PC can use those to better determine their confidence that the person is telling the truth
* Actually engaging people engages a different skill set. A little like a verbal chess match, the Investigationskill (INT) can maneuver them into divulging details about particular subjects.
* Engaging people from a different angle, something more like drawing information out of them, especially if they're reticent or nervous to talk, falls to a Persuasion check (CHA).
* Buying a person a drink can help, both in the gesture – and in the alcohol itself.
* ~~Bribery~~ Fiduciary Incentive can help too.
	+ A low-level rumor could be had for a couple coppers.
	+ Something more significant, but with no bearing or risk to the NPC: a couple of silver.
	+ Sensitive, potentially damaging information starts at a gp and goes up, with the price directly related to the possible consequences to the person spilling the beans.

It's possible to use multiple skills and checks in a single conversation, and players should be encouraged to work to their strengths (and potentially, the target's weaknesses).

#### The Thunn's Garden Rumor List

1. The arcane markets in Baldur's Gate… a merchant can get rich on one trip if they can get their cargo back to the east in one piece.
2. A few days ago, there was a bloody battle between Cormyr and Sembia just south of Giant's Run.
3. There seems to be some sudden surge in the fighting and nobody knows why.
4. A lost Stonehearth crate? A thousand-gp reward? One can only imagine how much it's really worth... or what's inside it.
5. The Proskur Free Trade Association just burned to the ground three days ago. Rumor has it that was a front for a thieves' guild... and Cormyr probably burned it down.
6. Cormyr classed the PFTA as a thieves' guild. My [cousin/brother/uncle/ex] says they're more like an anti-Cormyr guild.
7. Civil war is brewing to the west...
8. Giving a tip to Stonehearth in Westgate seems pretty far away, but all the traffic ends up there sooner or later.
9. Sea of Stars pirates regularly drop anchor by the north two derelict towns (Ilipur and Pros). They sometimes recruit in town as "armed merchantmen."
10. The only thing keeping either Cormyr or Sembia from invading Westgate is... each other.
11. Never thought we'd say this, but the Zhentarim are the most trustworthy of the consistent pipelines to the west coast.
12. Markets want a Stonehearth portal, but local import/export companies don't like the idea.
13. The Cormyr/Sembia checkpoints down the Grand Ride are strangling traffic.
14. Sembia recently held Reddansyr for two weeks before Cormyr took it back.
15. Cormyr and Sembia are still fighting over the bridge at Redsbridge.
16. The Giant's Run fighting is killing trade with the south.
17. The market for arms through the region has climbing. It's only a matter of time before Westgate gets sucked into it.
18. Stonehearth has an office in Westgate now...? That's... interesting.
19. Cormyr's War Wizards have been seen in the fighting. Every now and then, they're seen using a Stonehearth scroll – usually fireball. Could that be a crate filled with fireball scrolls?
20. If those are scrolls, what would Sembia do to get their hands on them first...? Especially knowing those scrolls are probably going to be used against them?

### Possible Events

* The party can come in contact with any of the other NPC co-traveling groups, starting/refreshing an encounter or foreshadowing later contact.
* The rumors are similar to Westgate, and naturally, everybody is trying to get intel on the state of skirmishing down the road.