As for Garan's investigation in the taverns, what he gathered was mostly related to mercenaries, hunts, and so on. This was not surprising, as the people who frequented the taverns were men.
The Taverns were mostly open-air here, since the interior of system taverns could get quite stuffy with the large average body mass of orcs and the heat emanated from their fur.
The open air format made it a bit more difficult to eavesdrop, but easier for Garan to stay close to his unwitting informants.
The most crucial piece of news he received was about the upcoming war. People had, understandably, been very nervous about the Lord's current state. The people underneath him did not hold back from spreading news about his 'dying' state.
