"Yet we're the ones accused of being suspicious ..." Redfang sighs, moving forward with you all to inspect the blood stains.
In addition to the blood, deep furrows and clawed tracks the size of a large shield mar the ground.
Redfang grunts, "Tracks lead that way ..." he indicates the northeast toward the orchard, "Three days ago, thing is huge, whatever it is. Not looking good for Jevik."
Survival
"Yeah those are pretty big....Well we know which way to go"
Is there blood in the trail, or only at the house?
Razorend scouts the perimeter from the cover of the bushes before rejoining the group on the trail.
Redfang tells you there are slight specks of blood along the trail.
Razorend scouts ahead and spies a disturbing sight beyond the first line of bushes. The trees ahead have been smashed flat and arranged in a sort of nest. In the middle of the nest is a massive, slumbering bear-headed creature with tentacles for arms and clawed ape legs.
The creature is a yaoguai, an arcane magical mistake resulting from overzealous, yet inexperienced casters trying to short circuit creation or summoning magic beyond their means. Seeing one in the wild means it has slain its creator and will continue wanton destruction itself until it is put down.
Razorend will quietly wave the others to stop then backtrack and whisper to them what he saw.
Whispering - "That's the ugliest bear I have ever seen, Urgeon, you still got that enlarge spell memorized?"
"Does it look like that bear is what attacked? Is it covered in blood or anything?"
Urgeon will cast enlarge person on Kovax. "Destroy this abomination."
Razorend nods and moves quietly back towards the beast. Before the others waken it with noise, he will make a coup de gras.
plus
Razorend sneaks up and slashes the beast in the neck. He is surprised to find a massive bone plate in the way, but his icy blade freezes and cracks through it and the android severs the major blood vessels, awaking the creature long enough for it to roar, thrash and spray blood everywhere. It collapses after a couple seconds, twitching.
Razorend nods grimly then cleans his blade on the beast's hide. "Probably more mercy than this thing gave Jevik."
Redfang lowers his bow slowly, "Glad you happened along. That was ... efficient."
"I hold out no hope for Jevik, but lets try and verify his fate."
Urgeon searches the creature and the area around the creature for anything of value and then follows Redfang.
Ridic will also search the surrounding area
Perception
Oskar tries to help the searchers...
Razorend aids in the search.
The party scours the orchard and the farmhouse finding no more danger. You do find remnants of pieces of hogs that the farmer apparently raised and you find enough human remains to determine that Jevik's fate was a bloody, violent, and hopefully quick evisceration and death.
His head hanging with guilt and grief, Redfang quietly leads you back to High Home.
Upon your arrival at the home, Redfang bids you rest and fixes up a quick meal and several mugs of local brew. He pauses a moment and says, "There's something I'd like to give you before we retire for the evening."
He departs to his room and returns a few moments later with a bundle of cloth. He unwraps it to show a long, thick shawl coated on the inside with a cool muslin, while the outside is decorated with a flame-like rune. He offers it to Razorend.
"I'm honored that you accompanied me on a personally difficult journey and am amazed at your ability. Please take this as a token of my gratitude and as a symbol to the town that you are welcome as a friend. I'm assuming the rest of your group is equally talented and I'm certain I can convince the Ealderman to see you in the morning."
Hearth mantles are favored by the faithful of Erastil, particularly those among his worshipers who rely upon the hunt for their livelihood. With a hearth mantle, one never has to worry about building a campfire in the wild.
A hearth mantle’s wearer gains a +2 competence bonus on saving throws against fire-based effects; the mantle itself is immune to fire damage. Once per day, the wearer can cause the leather exterior of the mantle to smolder for 1 minute. While smoldering, the hearth mantle sheds light as a torch. If the user takes a full-round action to carefully spread a hearth mantle on the ground with its exterior facing up, a campfire ignites on the mantle’s fire rune. This campfire burns for 8 hours and requires no fuel. Any creature that sleeps within 20 feet of the mantle for the full duration of the campfire recovers a number of hit points equal to twice its character level, as if it had undergone complete bed rest for a full 24 hours. The campfire is automatically extinguished if the hearth mantle is picked up, but can also be extinguished through normal means.
Ridic has something to eat and heads to bed for the night.
Razorend gives Redfang a confused, quizzical look, unsure how to react to the unexpected gift. "I... uh, well... thank you."
Oskar thanks Redfang for the food and drink and retires to bed as well.
The party sleeps enjoyably well, the High Home beds being surprisingly comfortable for what amounts to straw stuffed sacks elevated on some nailed-together slats.
In the morning, Redfang prepares eggs and a rasher of bacon, served with some sort of greenish pressed fruit juice. Wholesome and tasty without any bizarre spices, you feel refreshed and ready to head out when he comes to escort you.
Redfang leads you down from High Home and down the major thoroughfare through town. You pass a neat line of homes laid out in a near perfect similarity, with early gardeners up and moving and some men and women carrying baskets of fruits, breads and jugs of some liquid up and down the row, dropping them off at each of the homes. Everyone has an affable manner, but while they greet Redfang warmly, they avoid making eye contact with you and hurry their pace to pass you by.
Shortly, you approach a large home in what Redfang tells you is the Bell Quarter. There, relaxing on the porch of his house, you find the Ealderman, Ivik Gunnett.
Redfang takes care of introductions, and after some cursory small talk you find Gunnett to be open and friendly
"News of Torch’s troubles and the Technic League’s increased interest in that town as a result has been a concern for us," says Gunnett after a while.
"More Technic League agents in the Numerian Plains for any reason isn’t good news. Tell me, what did you find of their involvement in Torch?"
Razorend grits his teeth at the mention of the Technic League. "None. It was agents of a powerful machine buried in Scrapwall that were the cause of trouble."
Urgeon sighs, "My friend Razorend is correct, but I fear that the Technic League is still involved some how. I find it hard to believe that anything could happen in this land without their knowledge."
Urgeon turns to Ealderman Ivik Gunnett. "Sir, I understand that you have your own troubles in town. How may we assist you?"
Ridic looks at Gunnett a little puzzled "Why would this village be greatly concerned with the Technic league in Torch? This is the kind of place that I would think the Tecnic league would leave alone?"
Gunnett scrunches up his face in a moment of confusion, "Really? My information says you uncovered a Technic League informant. I'd be surprised if the information was wrong, it's a highly reliable source. Ah well, I’m glad you’ve come to Iadenveigh, regardless, as I find myself in need of your kind--problems solvers. Iadenveigh has had its confrontations with the League, but they’ve largely left us alone of late, since we don’t have anything of interest to them. Yet I have reason to believe a spy from the Technic League is somewhere in Iadenveigh—a fear that has only grown darker now that I’ve heard tales of similar problems in other towns throughout the Numerian Plains, not just my information on Torch. Alas, I can do little, for I have no proof. If the townspeople got wind of this, they’d point fingers every which way and might end up punishing the suspicious rather than the guilty. I need to know if my fears are based in fact, and if so, I want the spy identified before I take any formal action. Will you help?"
Urgeon nods. "Yes, we will help. Tell us what you can about about this spy so that we may root him out."
Ridic nods as well. "These guys are just bad news, let's see what we can find out for you"
Razorend is still and silent for a moment as he delves into his memories. He then nods, with a half-shrug. "My apologies... We rooted out a Technic League henchman named Sanvil Trett. He was a flunkie, little more than an informant. He was not involved in the plot threatening Torch, but we exposed and neutralized him anyway."
He grasps the handle of his kukri, adding, "And I will happily help find this spy for you."
Gunnett nodsand presents the few facts he knows.
"One of the town’s hunters killed a mechanical bird north of town the day before yesterday. The bird shattered from its fall, revealing a piece of paper stored within. The hunter, a decent man named Abret, brought the shattered bird and its missive to me."
He shows you the paper. It bears a sketchy map of Iadenveigh with the area of Badwater circled. A message in Androffan is written on the back.
"Pretty sure this language is the one used by the Technic League, but I can’t translate it."
Locals identified southern springs as the source of the area’s mutations and now avoid it. Afflictions consistent with mutagenic gas poisoning, as you posited from Silver Mount expeditions. I will explore with caution; locals avoid the area and my current cover would seem noticeably out of place were I discovered there.
After you've looked over the mesage, Gunnett continues. "I presume the sender directed the message north to Starfall. Your thoughts?"
Oskar translates the note to Gunnett, and the others, if they need. He then asks Gunnett "Who else knows that you found this note, we might be able to watch this place and see who shows up?"
"Sounds like they may have a day or more of a head start on us, if we are to catch them, we should prepare to leave immediately. I can be ready in 30 minutes."
Urgeon scratches his head. "Where is this southern springs at Gunnet? What can you tell us of the area?"
"Badwater? A place where we don't get our drinking or cooking water from any more. Something in the ground leeching into the water, we think. Not sure what. Everyone in town knows that the swath of land known as Badwater is, well, “bad.” So far, nothing suspicious has been found there, but you might consider talking to the Bardleighs, a family of stonemasons that quarry rock from Badwater’s western edge as they might have seen something relevant since they're really the only ones work there any more."
Gunnett ponders a bit more, "If there’s a spy in town, chances are good that he or she is a recent arrival. Newcomers in town generally stay at the High Home or, if they are down on their luck, camp in Heddick Widefoot’s lumberyard."
"Remember, please keep things quiet for the moment, to prevent a mob from forming and damaging some innocent’s reputation or physical well-being. If you learn who the spy is, return with proof and then we'll take care of the bastard."
Urgeon nods at Guenntt. "We'll find the spy and do as you say."
He turns to the others. "Shall we go talk to the Bardleighs before we start looking for outsiders?"
"This doesn't seem like a large town. Are there any other newcombers that you know of? Not incriminating anyone, but it might give us aplace to start."
Razorend thinks for a moment, then adds, "And have you heard the name Cassandalee?"
Oskar nods at Urgeon, but listens to Gunnetts answer to Razorend
"I don't know of any specific newcomers at the moment, but we are a welcoming town, so there are possibly people here that I am unaware of."
He scrunches up his face as if searching his memory, "Cassandalee, Cassandalee ... can't say it sounds familiar. A friend of yours?"
"No, not a friend," Razorend replies. "But we share some history. We came across her name in Scrapwall, and indications were she was somewhere in southern Numeria."
He frowns, shaking his head. "There's a good chance she's hiding or going by another name. Assuming she's still alive."
"Perhaps you can ask around after her as part of your goal to find newcomers?"
Urgeon nods at Gunnet. "We certainly will. Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this."
Once the others are ready, he leads the way to the Bardleighs.
Ready, lead on
Ridic nods a farewell and takes after Urgeon.
Once out of hearing range, he will ask the rest of the party.
"What does everyone think? Seemed that some of you had ideas, but it was a little unclear what they are."
Razorend frowns in frustration. "Remember we came here on the trail of Cassandalee, but these people either know nothing of her, or are lying. Based on what we know, I think its likely she's hiding out or using a disguise."
"I don't think it hurts to help out the locals. Maybe we'll stumble upon some clue along the way."
Razorend frowns in frustration. "Remember we came here on the trail of Cassandalee, but these people either know nothing of her, or are lying.
Urgeon takes the lead and then promptly looks around for Redfang to give them directions. The hunter leads the party back down the road toward High Home, but passes the trail leading up the hill to the longhouse and continues east.
You pass more houses and people along the main road interspersed with shrubs and built up against small wooded areas. Of note is a large ampitheater that appears to be a play place for children who run about with sticks and hoops and are loosely watched by a gaggle of men and women who are engaged in lively conversation.
As you proceed east, the woods give way to a rocky, muddy wet area with a shimmering pond off to the east, hints of rainbow like colors pooling strangely on its surface. A stout ranch-style house sits at the edge of the woods and the mudflats and a well-worn cart path can be seen from its back yard to the rock quarry off to the west, just north of High Home, visible up on the top of its hill from where you stand.
A man and teenage boy are unloading a cart full of large chunks of stone. They are both large and well-muscled, soaked in sweat and breathing heavy with effort. The man spies you, wipes his brow and stalks forward removing his gloves as he does so. Brown spittle is dried in his long beard which is streaked with gray.
"Ya, Redfang. Whatcha want, and whoya bring?"
Redfang gives terse introductions and you find yourself talking with Erwyn Bardleigh.
Urgeon nods his greetings to the stone mason. "Sir, we're investigating rumors of strange mutations in the area. Have you by chance seen anything? If so, can you give us directions to where you saw the activity? Any assistance that you can provide will help us put an end to this menace."