-----Past this building are two more that seem to comprise one business; a medium-sized house used to feature gardens that stretched from one side of the house to around the back of it. Weeds have overgrown it somewhat although the air is somewhat fragrant here with the scent of various herbs and a few wild flowers. The small building next to this house has been broken into and various vials and bottles are seen smashed on its floor.
-----Next to the cottage that probably belonged to a candle maker is a nicely made stone house with a sturdy clay brick wall enclosing its front lawn. This stone house seems to be the only residence that shows no sign of forced entry.
-----As they stop on the village trail, Jeilin looks pensively at the abandoned fish stand, before turning her gaze to the government house with some interest. "I shall see if there are any records of note in there," she says as she moves to dismount.
-----The others move with her and they approach the building which has a stone foundation while the main upper part is made of wood. The side of the building they face stretches about fifty feet and it extends about that same length on each of its four sides. The roof is peaked although there appears to be a parapet that runs along the edge of the roof. Shutters over most of the four windows on this side are closed although one on the window opening just to the right of the entrance has been torn away. The other hangs loosely. From the entrance door that stands ajar and through the opening left by the torn shutters, little is revealed about the building’s interior.
-----Cautiously, they move up the wide wooden steps that lead up to a porch on the front of the building. With the door situated in the middle of this side, Raven takes a moment to scan the wooden flooring of the porch. Rising, he shakes his head and says, “It doesn’t look like anyone has visited here in a while.”
-----He then pushes the door open more and beyond they see a narrow entryway that leads forward to a larger room. As the adventurers enter behind him, they can see two open doors, one to each side that gives access to smaller offices featuring up turned furniture and scattered papers and documents.
-----Beyond, the large room seems to have been used for village assemblies. Here, large benches are seen though some are broken and up ended while at the far end, a raised platform may have been used for the village elders to sit on. Dull grayish light from outside illuminates this room from high windows on the side walls.
-----Not bothering to stay too long in the main hall, Jeilin makes her way quickly past the benches to the smaller offices. There, the priestess sifts through the scattered documents in hopes of finding something that pertains to recent events, or any other items of interest.
-----Sol clears his throat self-consciously, giving only a cursory glance around the interior of the building, before returning outside to walk the length of the porch as he waits for the others to finish their inspection. Idly he watches the surrounding buildings as he does so, unable to stop himself brooding at the loss of livelihood for so many people.
-----A familiar stamping suddenly interrupts his thoughts. Sol looks down to see Thunder and the other horses left where they were tied in front of the building. Impatiently, the warhorse shakes his head and snorts.
-----Off to the right, more seemingly vacant buildings silently await. The appearance of the buildings seems to mark this place to be, or once to have been, very well off indeed.
-----Suddenly, down the way, further into the village, Sol sees two animals running across the trail to vanish between two of the buildings. They looked like wild boars.
-----Over his shoulder, Sol says into the door, "Going t'check on something." Jumping down off the porch, Sol waves Thunder over and remounts. Cantering forward, the stallion sets off in the direction where the boars came from. Wild boars snuffling about for food wasn't unusual by any means, but something must have set them off at that pace and it seemed worth investigating.