Fowled Mill

Discovery, Exploration

Myska's Menagerie get their first traces of activity from the Scales of Justice.

The road stop was dominated by a handful of buildings: the mill itself, a large barn, a home. However, centered among them was a burnt heap of destruction. No smoke came from it nor cinders could be seen but the dryness of the structure and the faint smell in the air proved that this was not happened too long ago.
Setting the airship down in the cleared lands that showed the ruts of a history of circled wagons, the party was met by the dwarven owner Vorot Earthforge. The man had his workers begin unloading the cargo and taking it to the barn while he brought Astrid into the mill for payment. On the way around the burnt debris, Astrid noticed him stiffly not even acknowledging the debris. While the laborers unloaded, those on the ship also picked up some awkward conversation among the workers.
  Inside the Mill, Astrid made her gift offering of the purchased whiskey as she tried to bring up hopes for a greater relationship. To say that Vorot downplayed the potential was an understatement. With the state of things in the Heartsieve and the party's roving ways, the dwarf didn't suspect there would be much more between them. As Astrid confirmed her payment amount, her mentions of treasure hunting through the older ghost-towns of the waste brought scoffs from the man of incredulity. She was more than welcome to do as she wished but the course of action seemed like folly to him. While Vorot maintained a veneer of respect, he was doing absolutely nothing to form any actual connection with the woman.
  Outside on the airship, the other companions waited as the laborers worked. Remaining on guard, a glint of light was seen from a distant copse of trees to the south east. In interest, the spyglass was brought out. The companions spied what appeared to be a heavily armed pair of a gnoll and an orc at the edge of the treeline looking in their direction momentarily before retreating back into the copse. Millie would make his way to the mill to tip off Astrid on her way out.
  Astrid then pressed Vorot about “The Scales weighing rather heavily”. The dwarf curtly told her to drop it. They had made their point and had said they would not return if Fowler's Mill ceased to harbor travelers to the waste or providing supplies. The burnt building was the boarding house so none of what the homestead needed for sustenance was destroyed. With the supplies that were meant to go to Billowbluff not leaving, Fowler's Mill would be fine as long as the airship moved on tonight.
  In private, the companions discussed the situation. While they did not want more attacks on anyone, staying and picking that fight would probably just make life worse for these people. They would continue on their voyage noting what they saw here for the future. Before they left though, Millie would send an arcane eye snooping about.
  The diviner's sight saw the area the crates were being stored. It saw the inner machinations of the mill and the many interchangeable parts to convert the power source into different kinds of outputs from grinding to saws to hoists. Finally, the gnome witnessed Vorot in a back room finishing up the accounting of the delivery when a flash of light announced the teleportation of another individual in the room. The red-skinned woman wore the attire of a trained monk. A braided rope belt had on it a selection of baubles from spindles to rocks and carved wood. A tail and horns denoted tiefling ancestry though the face could not be seen. The horns breached through a magnificent metal helmet with a banded neck guard. Most notably was a pastel pink, crystalline face plate that served as a mask.
  As Millie attempted to take in her appearance, a quick interchange between the two brought the moment to an end. Vorot assured the woman that the airship would be moving on for their own purposes. The woman took that with a damning promise that if they weren't, he would have to choose a building to join the other destroyed one. With that simple volley back and forth, the woman was gone in another flash of light.
  More information. More reasons to stay. More reasons to go. It was coincidence but the party had learned even more of the goings on of the Heartsieve before even entering it. They did decide to continue on, traveling just another hour or two northeast into the desert to camp for the night.