<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> </span>
ok here is the answer for your first question.
Hugh will tell you that some sort of green blight has been ruining his harvest, and he'll ask you to look into it. You'll find the cause of the problem in a cave in the southern half of the dukedom. The cave is filled with poison barrels, and it's the poison that is infecting Hugh's crops. Once you've killed the orc named Tipsix guarding the poison barrels, pick up the golden key he drops and then talk to Hugh again. This will net you 9000 experience and a reputation point, and Hugh will ask you to keep investigating and try to figure out what the key unlocks. "I've got the feeling that a black conspiracy is behind all this."
Elli will tell you a little more about Hugh's background as a "tailor" in Verdistis. "A real woman needs no assassins to hold onto a good man."
In the basement of the Blue Boar Inn you'll find a locked door. If you killed Tipsix the orc in the nearby cave (#1), then you should have found the golden key that unlocks the door. Beyond it you'll discover more of the poison that you found in the cave. When you ask Splinter the bartender about the room with the poison, you'll earn 15,000 experience, and he'll let you know that Dr. Elrath was the one renting it.
<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> </span>
ok and for your 2nd question
In the room north of Wouton you might find a dwarf named Krasnegar. If you tell him you've been having a "hard time" lately, he'll offer you a gem. If you accept this generosity, you'll receive a random gem. If you decline, you'll receive 3 reputation points. If you rob Krasnegar, you'll receive half a dozen gems but you'll lose 3 reputation points. For the latter two choices, Krasnegar will then leave the room, allowing you to take the dwarven activation scroll on the table. For all of the choices, you'll also receive 6000 experience.
Eventually, however, Krasnegar will leave his room, and you'll find a dog named Lar there instead. So if you don't get to Krasnegar before he leaves, you'll have to pick up the dwarven activation scroll from the mayor's house in the dwarven village (or eventually get it from the dwarven king). When Krasnegar leaves the inn, he'll leave behind a magical crossbow.
Hope this helps you out.
Good Luck and Fun gamin.
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J.W.