"I'll show you my sheep some other time!" Emma called back to the man as Naia led her away by the elbow, which...made her content enough to pur, but she kept the purring on the inside. She doesn't squeal, either...or ask Naia to squeeze harder, as hard as it is to resist.

She listened to the others as they spoke, contemplating a bit before adding her thoughts: "I don't think they're dead...physically. They might be close developmentally, though...the lights are on, but no one's home...sort of, I mean. They remind me of sedate livestock...it's possible their master could give them a...cattle prod of sorts in our direction, to start a...thrall-y stampede?"

"I couldn't really pick up anything, other than that clearly, something is fucky with these people. Rowan has felt it too." He looks towards the manor thoughtfully, and then rubs his chin. "...I should be able to sneak up there. Maybe get a view of what's inside, what the guy is doing. I don't get the impression that they're dead, myself...But they definitely seem as though they're under some kind of thrall. Awfully shrewd move, taking in shipwrecked people." He taps his chin again. "You have to work in order to stay, and I'm sure there isn't much food in these parts that's freely available. So it might be something that was slipped into the food, or just good old fashioned mind control."

Seti's face quickly took on a dark cast as he looked towards the manor, though. "...all I need is to get a look at this Overseer. If I do, I'll be able to tell if he has the taint of an Opressor about him. It'll be obvious. If he does, then we handle him, and hope the house has some kind of way to free them from whatever...catatonia they're in. At least, that's what I think."

"You lot want to put in, there's lots to be done. There's a small patch of juniper trees up and around on the north of the island. Could use kindling or berries. Shovel peat for the fires. Haul rocks from the crags. Doesn't matter, long as you're doing something." The man pointed in directions, at least, so they had a vague idea of where one might be able to go do any of the mentioned tasks, which were all in entirely different directions.

"Far as where to set up, that way, near the outside of the village. If you do stay, you can just prop up some houses there."

As soon as the group pulled back to speak among themselves in private, the Northlander... sort of just wandered off. If anyone cared to follow where he went, they would see him disappearing into a tiny hut, small enough that it didn't seem meant to live in.

Once away from the village speaker and with the others he nodded to the others. "It's as Shamus says. That name is no Northlander one and its stranger for it to be up here." A nod given as he listed to the others speak. "Though some might look like Northlander, they do not behave as such. I'm sure the same could be said of the others here. That could be apart of their solitude, or could be apart of some type of control. I think Emma may have the right of it. The question is, do we rest and heal like I suggested or do we go pay their overseer a visit." He placed fist into palm and started cracking his knuckles. "Though I would suggest maybe waiting for now, heal a little. We did just arrive here and tax ourselves getting here." voice lowered a little. "It could give those that are more prone to sneak around a chance to glean more information." he glanced back pointedly at the shack the speaker had walked into.

Probably to Emma's woe, Naia let she and Rei go as soon as they were far enough away, standing and rocking her ankle without shooting backward glances. Relying on her companions to keep their eyes on her back and warn her if there was danger. It was a moment of horror when the man had said if they intended to stay they could just prop up some houses. An instant of thought that if their boat had crashed into the island that perhaps they would as well be putting down roots there. Preparing to succumb to the force which was keeping these people downtrodden. Shuddering and listening to Woten as he spoke, to the others. Turning her attention to Shamus as he spoke about the name of the Menzies and frowning. Nodding at his comment about the fraud "I'm afraid so." Though his words made her frown deepen "Kept placid and wasting away without seeming to realise it. There might be a couple of things that do that, but whatever it is.. it is not something we can stand by and watch. I agree, however. I do not by any means want to become them."

Eyes slewed toward the small building and the woman rubbed her lips together thoughtfully, feeling the dry crack of salt water's effect on them. Impetuous perhaps, but grounded in concern that if they sat around long they might become like their blank eyed hosts

"I don't wish to wait, as much as our friend here states that the master of the village doesn't like to be disturbed at this hour, it may be better if we catch him off guard." Expressing distaste "If he is the one who has these people in thrall, we should address that. It also seems like a good possibility.. he's the one we're here for." Looking toward the small building and the woman jerked her head up slightly "Seti.. Rei, if you wouldn't mind scouting out the building without disturbing our hosts, I think if it yields us nothing we will make to the main house directly." Tipping her head at Woten as she took a seat on a largeish rock "It is good that you set the expectation we would be taking time to rest, but I think we can ill afford to do so." She didn't want to end up one of those people.

"We might as well, I suppose. Though I would not be surprised if the Overseer's place was just another trap designed to thwart intruders in the same manner of that house we encountered earlier. Then again, Menzies did say that all those who stay should see him, so perhaps there is more to be learned about this enchantment there even if we risk having it applied upon us"

"Of course, it'd be just more ideal if we could just find some way to zero in on the sword we seek and its bearer"

"Right, got it. I'll leave Rowan here with you guys. If you wind up getting into trouble, we'll head back to help you." Seti nodded once to Rei, and then Rowan took up his protective stance near Naia--dusting her off a few times with his wings. A proper lady shouldn't be dirty!

Seti then did what Rangers do--taking advantage of both his stealth as a ranger, and his natural sneakiness as a shei. he follows after their "host" as he moves back towards his house, creeping carefully so as not to cause the man caution. Upon arriving, he would attempt to scope the place out--why was it so small? Where did people sleep? Did they keep tentacle plants in their backyard?

Emma is too lovey-dovey to notice the lack of follow-up, in all honest. After ruminating for a while, she speaks up: "We have a few hours until sunset...I'm not a great fighter, but I could make a...distraction, maybe? Like...a stampede of Scape Goats? Or maybe something to interfere with...illusions? Let me know now, so I can grab Shamus and...get started."

"I might be able to summon...one of my Xj guardians, but I would rather not." Despite them being insectile aberrations from the Burning Lands, Emma is surprisingly protective of them. "I can summon an Owliger, if things turn...sideways, too."

While the rest of the discussed how to approach matters, Seti moved and dodged in the shadows of buildings. By the reactions of the townsfolk, he could only assume that he was successful in remaining unseen. Rowan and the rest, on the other hand, could quite plainly see the ranger, his garb standing out strongly against the pale stone of the buildings. It probably almost looked comical how poorly he was hiding. It was just fortunate for Seti that the folks of this settlement weren't particularly observant.

The more he moved through the village, the more oddities he noticed. There were children in the town, but most of them seemed like they entirely lacked joy in their lives. The most animate activity they were participating in that wasn't helping the laborers seemed to be some odd game where they threw sticks at a rock. The children seemed much healthier, at least, than the rest of the villagers. There were women, too, though .. there only seemed to be children, mothers approaching their middle age, and older women. Young women just... didn't seem to exist here. The last surprise for Seti was when he reached the small, odd structure. It smelled fetid, awful. Strictly speaking, it smelled purely of shit.

It.. didn't take long to discover why, however. The man they spoke to before, who certainly wasn't Menzies and certainly was a Northlander (as he was just naming one of the families in the village, and not himself), abruptly stepped out from behind the curtain that obscured the inside of the tiny structure, then turned around the side of the building and... bumped right into Seti. On the bright side, the man simply nodded his head to the side, towards the structure, and muttered, "In there."

The bad news was.. one of the buckets that the man was carrying spilled a little on Seti's leg. The reason he smelled shit was... because there WAS shit. The buckets seemed full of it.

Then it all made sense. The weird little structure was an outhouse.

The party was... greeted by the guy who cleans the outhouse upon arrival. Maybe they should be offended?

An outhouse. Well, now Seti felt a bit silly. Especially because of all the creeping around! However, he didn't react as strongly as one might expect to the shit slopping on him. He worked with homeless people regularly. He'd been puked on, pissed on, and the like--and smelt UNIMAGINABLE things. So, after gagging for a moment and hastily using a bit of ranger magic to blast his robes with water, he proceeds back towards Naia and the rest with a somewhat sheepish shuffle. "...so, uh. As it turns out, that's just the privy. Not where the guy lives."

Rowan seemed to be doing whatever the bird version of giggling was, and was rolling on the ground in laughter. His sympathy was truly overwhelming.

"...Ugh. Anyway, do we go to the big house now?"

"Of course." spoke the berserker in softer tones, being well aware of how his voice can carry. "Being placid and willing seemed to be the best option to give us time to regroup and plan while sending our greeter away at the same time. As much as I am to suggest using deception and trickery, they do have their place at times. If we're to go I suggest we not let the villagers see us do into the mansion Rei sees. I do insist we go in through the front doors though. It would be ill befitting guests to try to sneak into ones home from behind. Still I am a bit concerned to their reaction when we make their move." he pondered a bit awaiting Seti's return and chuckled abit. "Well its nice to know where the head is at."