Hortiu Stoia
Hortiu Stoia is a plump, jolly, and welcoming halfling. He wears broad suspenders holding up a too big pair of pants, and wears brightly coloured, fur lined wooden shoes. He has a red hair, a ruddy complexion, and a big lumpy nose. He is extremely kind and gentle, and loves nothing more than to have visitors to his home.
Hortiu Stoia can normally be found at the Stoia Orchards.
TOPIC: the Radulesc family
If the party asks about the Radulesc family name as mentioned in records in the town archives, as inscribed on the standing stone on the road, or as on the label of a pomegranate wine the Stoias make.
HORTIU STOIA
Radulesc? Yes. It’s our understanding that these lands once belonged to a family by that name. The old standing stone on the road in front of our lands has their name on it - it's from the Imperial Era, I beleive. We named a wine after them... it brings a sense of, well, you know, history to the label. Anyway, it's not my land - I married into it. It was my wife Gordana's family who bought the land for cheap from the Bank of Bulostioi a hundred years ago or so.
TOPIC: a ghost in the orchards
if the party encoutnerd the ghost in the Stoia family orchards, they are liklely to ask the Stoias what they know about it.
HORTIU STOIA
My goodness, no! That’s terrible! I’ve heard there’s been a ghost about, but this is the first time anyone reported seeing it around here! I can’t imagine for the life of me why it would choose to haunt our orchards? What are we going to do?!
TOPIC: witness to death of Petroche Stoia on 24 Trowel
If the players do not visit the Stoia household after sunset on or before the 24 Trowel, Petroche Stoia will be killed by the ghost on 24 Trowel. If they come to investigate, Hortiu will tell them everything.
HORTIU STOIA
We were just finishing dinner. The kids were clearing the plates and cleaning. I’d spent a good part of the day splitting wood, but had not brought any into the house for the evening fire, so I asked my brother to go out and get some. A moment later we heard a terrible voice shriek ‘Intruder!’ and we heard Petroche cry for help. We ran to the door, and there he was, over by the wood pile, swinging my axe wildly at some kind of ghostly canis man. He was all gaunt and leathery, his hair all fallen out and his skin yellow… dressed in old nobleman’s clothes. I ran to help, but the ghost slashed at Petroche and he… he fell… then the ghost flew away into the orchards and disappeared…. It’s my fault. I should’ve brought enough wood when I came in for dinner….