@rpgventurer - How about this?
Quote:
The traveling merchant Duric came through
Glaive's Point a week ago and reported that he had no word from Lindun to pass along. When Ferranzo pressed him on this, Duric admitted that no one seemed to be home when he visited Lindun's house in
Orlane, and that there was talk in that village of rogue adventurers kidnapping and killing people. Worried, Ferranzo settled his affairs in Glaive's Point and headed east toward the
Dim Forest and
Orlane. In the larger town of
Hochoch, he heard conflicting reports: many people said that the Heroes of Hochoch had been investigating why crop shipments from Orlane have stopped (lots of people were grumbling about the inferiority of the food now that Orlane's great produce wasn't being supplied). Asking around after Lindun, Ferranzo's hopes rose when people talked about the "bard from Orlane," but that was a false positive: apparently a different musician had come from Orlane, a persuasive monster of a man who had tried abducting a family in the woods (that the Heroes had stopped). Now even more worried about Lindun, Ferranzo hurried off down
Cecily's Road to Orlane right away.
Entering Orlane during
Day 27 of the adventure (passing south of the Dungeon Busters while they waited out the day in the forest), Ferranzo went straight to Lindun's house. On the way, he saw a bunch of unhappy, suspicious faces. An armed squad of thugs marched past, and Ferranzo hid without a second thought. On arriving at Lindun's house at the edge of the farms, he found that the house was abandoned. On inspecting the interior, it looked to Ferranzo as if there had been a fight in the house, and a bunch of Lindun's belongings were scattered about...including his mandolin. In among all of Lindun's other belongings was one strange item: a broken tree branch with a small carving of a spiral on one side (his new trinket), stained with blood as if it had been used as a club. What does it mean? Was Lindun actually kidnapped by the murdering adventurers? Was he killed? Or was something else going on?
After searching the house thoroughly, Ferranzo considered what to do as the day waned. The breakneck pace of the last several days caught up with him, and he was suddenly weary. With no better prospects, he tidied up the house and prepared to rest there for the night, vowing to explore. Setting aside the branch with the spiral mark, he collected some firewood from the pile outside and started a fire in the fireplace. Night had fallen. Ferranzo had a good stew bubbling in a pot and was playing a mournful tune on his flute when someone tried to slam the door open. Obviously, Ferranzo had barred the door, so that didn't work. Then whoever was outside began hammering on the door. "We know you're in there, stranger! The neighbors reported you! Open the door - we're going to visit the constable!"
Ferranzo slipped out the back door while they were still talking, and disappeared into the darkness. He's hid from search parties for a few hours, making his way gradually back into the main part of the village. His desire to get away is balanced by the rage he feels at the injust accusation and the sinister abduction of his friend and mentor. Now some distance away, he's able to navigate better since the moon rose. He's left with burning questions: where can he go that will be safer, where is Lindun now, and how can he exact his revenge?
Sorry that's so long; there's a lot of story that has already happened, so each insertion takes a little bit more explanation. If any of that works for you, take what you like, modify what you don't. I can have you meet either the group that is headed to the Temple of Merikka right now - probably a safe refuge - or observe the group attempting to rescue Ember (who is already gone into the Forest).
