The party reconvenes and exchanges notes. After determining that the ISC guard knows nothing of the mysterious falling man, you begin the trek back to town, prisoner and librarian in tow. However, you've been walking for barely half an hour when you see ahead of you, stepping forward from a patch of denser trees, three Iron Shield Company guards. With them are the four bandits you fought in the wilderness, each one still injured but armed with crossbows.
The ISC soldiers draw their swords as they see you.
The bandits loose their bolts!
,
,
,
,
Gordon and Layali are injured!
Layali takes cover and casts mage armor on herself!
Leifa will move forward and try to take out one of the ISC soldiers.
,
,
Leifa charges forward, missing with her staff but then nearly knocking a guard flat with a kick!
The injured guard retaliates!
,
He misses badly!
The other two split up, one trying to help against Leifa while the other rushes forward and tries to finish off Gordon!
,
,
They both miss!
Gordon then puts a bandit on the ground with an arrow, then he and Layali both dive for cover!
Nathadriel draws his sword, stepping between Gordon and the guard who attacked him..
,
Nathadriel swings hard, but misses!
Leifa will swing her staff at the new guard while aiming a swinging kick at the guard she previously hit.
,
,
Leifa wallops one of her foes, but the other raises his shield to block her kick!
The three remaining bandits fire their crossbows at Layali!
They all miss, though one strikes the tree Layali's hiding behind, only inches from her face!
The two injured ISC guards attack Leifa!
,
,
The first misses, but the second stabs her in the gut and she collapses!
Meanwhile, the third ISC guard tries to stab Nathadriel!
,
But he misses!
Gordon takes a shot at one of the injured ISC guards, since they seem more of a threat.
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Gordon's arrow goes whistling past his target!
Alarmed to see Leifa fall, Nathadriel reaches out one hand muttering a brief prayer.
He then returns his attention to the guard in front of him.
,
Layali hurls an acid splash at the two ISC guards that took down Leifa!
"Corrupt bastards!" Layali says without any hint of irony.
DC 13 Dex save or take acid damage.
Nathadriel continues to lock blades with his opponent, but is nevertheless able to revive Leifa!
The two ISC soldiers that were injured by Leifa are finished off by Layali's spell!
One of the bandits shouts, "Get that healer! Make 'em stay down, or we'll be in trouble!"
They all loose bolts against Nathadriel!
,
,
,
The first two sail past, but the third strikes Nathadriel in the chest, nearly dropping him!
Leifa heads towards the bandits ready to knock their heads together.
,
,
In a whirlwind of elven fury, Leifa sends two bandits sprawling across the dirt!
The ISC guard continues to engage Nathadriel!
,
He can't get in a hit to finish off the cleric!
Ignoring the wound and focussing his attention on his opponent, Nathadriel tries to fall back towards the cover of the trees as they duel.
,
Gordon injures the remaining ISC soldier, but he's still up!
Nathadriel misses!
"Enough of this nonsense! Layali yells from behind cover. She leans out and hurls a fire bolt at the ISC guard!
The last guard falls in a fiery explosion! The final bandit, clearly outmatched, drops to his knees in quiet resignation.
A bush rustles, and the librarian can be seen poking his head up from behind it, eyes wide and skin pale.
"Wow... You guys know what you're doing!"
"Nathadriel, stabilize these clowns. I think we've got too many here to march back ourselves; maybe the elves can take the librarian back to town and send the constabulary out to meet us."
To Gordon: "That sounds like a good plan."
Layali helps tie up the bandits and guards, and menances them with her acid, poison and fire.
You pause for a post-combat breather in the woods, breaking out some rations and discussing your next move. Nathadriel stabilizes the survivors (the last guard was killed instantly, and two of the bandits bled out before they were reached) and their hands and feet are bound. The librarian notes (loudly enough to make sure your prisoners hear him) that although they covered his ears, they did a poor job and he's fully aware of the partnership between the ISC and the bandits.
A couple of hours later, the elves reach the library at the edge of town, where Isabelle and two town guardsmen are waiting. Leifa and Nathadriel explain the situation, backed by the librarian's own account.
About an hour and a half after that, Leifa and Nathadriel return to the group (without the librarian, who is resting at home) escorted by a dozen heavily-armed town guards, half of whom then take charge of the prisoners, and the other half follow directions from Leifa back to the cave to retrieve the bandits' stash and put it through proper channels.
The afternoon is dragging on when the whole group of you finally reach the library again, this time unlocked and well-lit, and inhabited by a cozy-looking elf who seems to have already finished an entire pot of tea.
"Oh good, you're back!" he says as you enter the library. "Thanks again for everything. Isabelle and I would both like to thank you. Please accept this on behalf of both of us."
He hands you a coin purse, then continues speaking. "Now, I understand you lot had some urgent research that needed doing. How may I be of service?"
"First let me welcome you home. It was our honor to aid you in your time of need. Can you believe in all that I do no believe we have been properly introduced? I am Layali of House Amani." the tiefling curtsies, smiling at the librarian. "We do have some research to conduct, but I wonder if either you or Isabelle may have seen this man before?" Layali produces the drawing and shows it to them.
"Oh! Yes yes yes, where are my manners?" the librarian declares. Clearing his throat, he says, "I am Professor Eanderellius Faramilliendel, but most people just call me 'Professor'."
Looking at the sketch, the Professor thinks a bit, then says, "Well, he looks a little generic, but he reminds me a bit of a fellow who came through here a couple of weeks ago. I don't recall his name, but he was very much like yourselves: just a well-equipped traveler. Said he was roaming the countryside, looking for interesting sights to see. Why do you ask?"
"Well, odds are he managed to see at least one interesting thing... before he died." Gordon produces the oddly-shaped dagger. "Have you seen any weapons in this style lately?"
Layali looks at her travelling companions, hesitant for a moment and then back to the Professor. "This man...appeared...rather suddenly before us. Apparently murdered. The only real clue we have is the very odd shaped dagger that was found in his chest. It also had been crudely engraved with a warning message."
"We believed the dagger might be tied to an ancient culture? That's why we came here. To see if we can figure out who the man is and why he died."
"Oh dear," says the Professor. "The nice man died? That's too bad, though I suppose he did choose a dangerous lifestyle, much like all of you."
Examining the dagger, he says, "Yes, this resembles the style of weaponry used by the ancient Hilvans, thousands of years ago. This was in that man's chest?! Why would someone waste an historic relic like that? And to deface it! Such a shame that whoever had it didn't realize how precious of a find it is. Well, unless it's a fake..."
The elf continues examining it for a moment, then continues his stream-of-consciousness speaking: "Interesting, the blade looks entirely authentic, but the handle's leather is fairly new. It's as though the person who found it decided to restore it with a fresh wrapping. They must have found a blade without realizing its historical significance, had some spare leather, and thought, 'Hey, free dagger'. I wonder where the owner found it? Surely if he was near Hilvan ruins, even a common farmer could put two and two together. So—"
The Professor stops suddenly, with a look on his face like the four of you had just startled him awake from a nap.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I was rambling a bit there. I do get going, sometimes. So, um, was that helpful? Is there anything else you want to know?"
"Maybe we should check out these ruins, to see if we can find traces of whoever had this. But first perhaps show it to a blacksmith, and see if he can tell us whether it's new or old metal."
"Unless we have other business with the blacksmith, I suggest we go directly to these ruins. After we read up on them, of course." Layali smiles at the Professor.
"If you do decide to go ruin-delving yourself," says the Professor, "I recommend taking this book with you."
The old elf pulls a large, green-covered tome from a high shelf and hands it to you.
"This is a lexicon for the ancient Hilvan language. With it, you should be able to translate any old writing you might find in whatever ruins you visit."
He then goes on to explain that the best-known area of ruins is to the east, clear on the other side of the capitol city. It's a large expanse, probably the remains of an entire major city. Other, smaller sites also exist in various locations, in greater concentrations the further east you go. He's not sure of the locations of any of the smaller sites, though.
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"This is a fantastic tome Professor. Thank you, I am sure it will be very helpful!" Layali studies the book casually and then puts it away in her pack.
Layali will help Gordon do his research.
"Let's not forget about dinner at the Inn though!"
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Once our investigation is complete, Layali has a small, mundane shopping agenda to complete on the way back to the Inn.
I do like the idea of asking a blacksmith if the metal is new or old. While Layali and Gordon are researching, She'll take the dagger to a blacksmith.
The research:
Gordon and Layali learn that the Hilvan empire's exact timeline is unknown, but that it's speculated to have been extinct for at least a couple of thousand years. Its end seems to have been abrupt, resulting from some unknown catastrophe.
Its known territory is mostly to the east, with its largest known ruins being the site that the Professor mentioned, well over 120 miles due east from Korkas, on the other side of the capitol city. Other notable sites include an island in Lake Lial (south of the main ruins) and somewhere in the Morlus Mountains (almost due north from the capitol city).
Scholars are somewhat perplexed by Hilvan ruins, in that there don't seem to be enough of them to account for an entire civilization. It's speculated that perhaps many were lost to geological change (i.e., falling into a sinkhole that later become a pond or lake, etc) or to being demolished/repurposed for modern inhabitants. However, direct research of remaining sites has been limited due to (unsubstantiated) rumors of Hilvan ruins being cursed/haunted/etc.
The... metallurgical analysis?
Leifa takes the dagger to the blacksmith to ask about the metal. She's told that the metal seems reasonably new (as in, clearly not thousands of years old), but seems to have been made using primitive, unrefined methods (lots of impurities, etc). It is the smith's opinion that it was forged by a total amateur without access to proper equipment.
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Gordon wakes up refreshed. "Whoa... I know magic"
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"You've taken the first steps into a larger world." Layali says smiling. "Are we in agreement to head to the largest ruin that Professor Faramilliendel mentioned? Or are there other ideas worth discussing?"
Layali is mindful of ISC guards in the common room, expecting some kind of retaliation.
You actually notice a distinct lack of ISC personnel; the chatter you hear is that all ISC in town were arrested, and those who were out on a job are getting stopped on their way back into town and arrested as well.
"That seems the easiest to find, granted quite a journey. Do you think we should get word back to Captain Johann somehow? We might seem a little...guilty, or something if it looks like we've fled the area."
I think the largest ruins are the best place to start. We can cover more ground on our first stop, at the very least."
Discussing your plans with the Professor, he explains that there are basically two routes toward the eastern ruins.
The southern route involves going back toward Linhaus the way you came, then continuing east for a while before crossing northward over the Serpentstream River on the Great Bridge. A bit further to the east you'll find the entrance to the ruins.
The northern route involves leaving Korkas in a north-easterly direction along a path that goes between the northern edge of Stekwood and the southeastern edge of Losat Forest to join up with the King's Road. The King's Road travels straight east, past the capitol city, eventually terminating at the western shore of the northern part of Serpentstream River. From there you would head south a bit to the "northern bridge" and cross the river, then head further south to reach the entrance to the ruins.
The northern route is a little longer since you have to take a jog southward after crossing the river, but you'll spend a good deal of the trip on the King's Road, which is typically fast and safe compared to wilderness travel. The southern route is slightly shorter and would let you stop by Linhaus on the way, but involves a lot of potentially dangerous wilderness travel.
"I like the idea of taking the southern route" says the outlander woodelf.