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Hanlin nods at the others that he sees as well. He calls out to the hawk on the roof with a shrill whistle but not likely the correct pitch.
Sunny raises an eyestalk at Hanlin with a look of jealousy in her eye.
"Hey now, don't give me the ole slime eye Lady! You're the only mollusk for me, you know that!"
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"Yeah...yeah, I see her," Palomia nods as she squints her eyes against the evening sun. "Pretty poor job of hiding, though I guess a horse would be pretty hard to hide out here. Might as well see if we can find out what she wants."
Then, in a louder voice, she calls out, "Um, you know we can see you back there, right? We're not from the town watch or anything like that , but do you think you could shed some light on what's going on here just the same?"
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The Foreigner adds his voice to the party's overture to the woman.
"Yes, my lady, step out of the shadows and tell us what happened here. We seek a colleague of ours. One of the leads brought us to this place of constant sorrow."
I expect this will not end peacefully. Miss Palomia's words were appropriate, but her delivery perhaps needs more training.
The woman mounts her horse and steps out "Who are you? I got in here to pay my respects to my family. A few minutes ago I heard a loud sound coming from the Tullivor tomb, so I tried to hide here."
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The Foreigner weighs the woman's words.
"I sense you have not been entirely truthful, my lady. Your deceit dishonors your house."
The Foreigner points his greatsword at the hawk perched among the alabaster raptors on the mausoleum's awnings.
"Call off your bird of prey and explain the real reason for your presence here. The dead man yonder bears the marks of its talons and a blade, mayhap your own."
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Hanlin spies the woman to see if he can see any blades strapped to her or your horse, ones that could fit the look of the wounds on the man. .
Hanlin indeeds spots a short sword on the belt of the young woman. She straightens "“Perhaps I saw Northis slaughtered by a pack of tomb raiders, dressed identically to yourselves. The testimony of a Sarvio would outrank your version of events."
The sun moves further across the sky, and seems to almost hit the tall spire atop the Sarvio tomb. It would likely hit the bust, if only that spire was not there.
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"Perhaps there is a way to lower the spire? Or knock it over?" Linria notes as she looks at the setting sun. "I suppose we may be defacing a tomb in doing so, but it seems the sun and the bust must come into contact. Maybe I can fire a few arrows at it from the Sting," she says as she pulls out her yellow and black striped light crossbow.
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The Foreigner whispers to Ash, Hanlin, Lin, and Palomia "The woman is mounted. Can one of you gain control of her horse?"
The Foreigner rolls his neck, positions himself between the woman and his friends, assumes a readied stance, and swings his greatsword up, resting the flat of his blade on one shoulder. If she charges, I'll bring her to ground.
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"I don't know but if he can then I'm going to offer you up as the next test subject if you keep asking ridiculous questions!" Palo hisses back to Relas even as negotiations begin to break down.
"And no, but I might be able to make her fall off of it," she adds to the Foreigner. Seeing both him and Lynn draw their weapons, she readies a bit of magic in her mind to try and unseat the young woman should she either charge of attempt to flee.
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"Whatever, I have done my praying, so I will leave now!" she says, although she seems not as haughty as she was a moment ago.
"Alright, I killed him, assuming that killing the last son and throwing him on the bust would open that tomb for me"
She smacks her forehead "How could I be that stupid!" then her eyes fall on the spire on the top of her ancestors' tomb and her smile fades away "But that spire is in the way, I won't desecrate the grave of my family for that chalice that the Tullivors stole"
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The Foreigner's dark eyes follow the woman's gaze to the spire atop the Sarvio mausoleum, analyzing its composition and shape.
"Is there some way to make it possible for the setting sun's rays to fall upon the pedestal without desecrating the Sarvio family's tomb? Mirrors or other reflective materials, maybe?"
The Foreigner shakes his head. This is a riddle we might not be able to answer.
He whispers to the team, "In her journal, Ulisha described both noble families as petty, grasping lordlings. She wished a pox on both their houses. Perhaps Ulisha had the right of it. We could detain this Sarvio woman and leave it up to the local authorities to judge. But I fear her influence might be used to place the blame on us for yon man's murder."
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"She could...but at the same time it sounds like this feud is a pretty big deal here in this town; everyone knows about it. Why would a bunch of strangers from who-knows-where just wander in here and murder someone?" Palomia whispers, frowning all the while. "But I'm starting to agree with Ulisha's take on it too. That mirror idea is a good one, let's try that and..."
Suddenly, she starts to laugh as something else clicks into place. "Oh that's rich! It's all a big middle finger to the Sarvios, from beyond the grave! He wanted someone to bust up the Sarvio mausoleum in order to get the chalice - it's like adding insult to injury!" After some more giggling, she wipes at her eyes. "Ohhh, proof that most nobles don't have anything better to do with their time."
Having had a good laugh, her expression grows serious once more. "I guess destroying private property probably isn't a good idea," she continues. "That mirror idea sounds like a good one - let's try it! Anyone got one handy?"
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Lyn ponders on the idea of reflecting via use of a mirror, then speaks up. "I've seen some pretty remarkable stonework in my days, and this spire lacks charm anyway. Er, I mean that as delicately as possible. Is it really the worst thing in the world if we, you know, tear down the spire? We... Someone could always erect a more grand one, right?"
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The Foreigner looks around for anything that might make an improvised mirror capable of reflecting the setting sun's rays on the pedestal.
He eyes his greatsword, the largest piece of steel he possesses. The warrior's blade is honed to a razor's edge, polished and oiled. Might this work?
The Foreigner walks over to the Sarvio mausoleum scanning its exterior for hand- and footholds.
"My lady," he says to the Sarvio woman, "We are not here to desecrate your family's tomb. Go now and leave this place in peace. You would more likely find happiness among the living ere among the dead."
The Foreigner retrieves his climber's kit, silk rope and grappling hook from his rucksack. He keeps his blade at hand, in case the woman attacks.
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"Honestly, I don't really know...I mean, she admitted to killing someone so it doesn't really seem fair to just let her go. But at the same time it'd make it a lot easier for us if we did - not to mention if we try to force her to stay then she's like to do just what she said and pin this on us," Palomia responds with a heavy sigh. "It might not stick but we'd be stuck here in this town until everything can be sorted out."
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The noble hesitates, but then realizes that getting out alive is probably better than trying to stop you. The foreigner climbs up the tomb and after some tries manages to knock down the spire. The last rays of the sun now fall undisturbed on the bust...
You move back to the Tullivor mausoleum and try the door again, to find that it now easily opens! The mausoleum contains five sarcophagi bearing the names of the Tullivors interred within. Above Laban’s casket, a gleaming tapestry woven with gold and silver thread depicts a badger and the text “Never in Shadow.”
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Hanlin and Sunny keep a close eye on the woman and her horse as they leave Different laws in different places... she may not have made it out of the swamp alive!
Afterwards he heads inside once the doors are opened "Great work smashing that spire down. I've never been a big fan of heights myself."
"Riddles and phrases, everyone seems to need to sound 'cute' around here! Seems like he's in shadow lately though, its dark in here."
He then takes a look around for any magical auras, just in case Lyn or Ash forget.
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"I think it has to be," Palomia nods as they make their way inside the mausoleum. "And yeah, that was nice work - neither Relas or myself could've gotten up there, that's for sure."
As the Foreigner searches the mausoleum to make sure they don't overlook anything, Palo stands guard near the doorway, arms folded across her chest as she leans against the wall - just in case the noblewoman decided to come back with assistance or if anyone else happened to wander into the cemetery.
Besides some dried flowers you do not find anything in the mausoleum, the tapestry must be the treasure. You carefully remove it and quickly leave the graveyard. You make your way into the forest and rest for the night. The next morning you study what Ulisha wrote about the Rain of Stars.
Accompanying her notebook entry, Ulisha filled the next several pages with crude maps, complex equations, and further notes. She apparently returned to the Pathfinder’s cave mentioned in her previous entry. By observing the angle of the ridgeline and her current position, she was able to calculate the crash site’s probable location. The last page on the matter includes a detailed map into Numeria with various landmarks and a destination. An addendum written in recent ink warns, “Tread lightly. Numeria remains a mystery to the rest of the world. Those who stay too long draw unwanted attention.”
Your journey north is an easy one, especially for Hanlin who seems to have found the trick to convince Sunny to let him ride on her back. While traveling you share what you know about Numeria and also ask the local villagers what they can tell about the country to the north.
You get closer and closer to the site described by Ulisha. The trees become sparse as you climb into the Numerian foothills. A series of switchbacks rises to a low summit. The view is phenomenal at the crest of this hill, where Ulisha’s map indicates a crash site. Vast plains extend to the north, where clouds gather on the horizon. To the south, the Sellen River cuts a definitive border between the River Kingdoms and Numeria.
You notice that the soil along the slope of the hill here is looser than it should be, as if a recent rockslide had covered it. It only takes a few minutes of digging to uncover a solid metal surface buried below. The metal is strange and unfamiliar. You dig further and uncover an metallic ovoid object, just over 10 feet in length and 5 feet in diameter at its widest point. The metallic surface is scratched and dented but unbroken, and a 3-by-5-foot section of the side appears as though it could be opened on a hinge.
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"Oh, so it's okay for the Foreigner to deface the tomb, but as soon as I pull out my bow..." Lyn sighs. "Anyway, at least that solves that. On to Ulisha's next entry..."
Linria fails to collect any information about Numeria or the crash site at all. "Sayra, I guarantee your purpleness is having no positive effect on our efforts here," she taunts her pet. As the team begins to dig, she examines the metal curiously. "This.. is some sort of alloy made o' iron and adamantine! Aye, it may not be mithral, but I'll take it!" Her excitement is palpable, and her odd accent combined with sudden frantic digging makes Lyn seem more the type to have a rock collection than to attend fine banquets in the company of elven nobles. What a weirdo.
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Krieger finds Numeria as strange as its reputation. He welcomes the opportunity to speak with the local Kellids in his native Hallit. It's been a long time since he's spent time among his father's people.
He translates for the party. "Numeria was devastated during the Rain of Stars, when a large meteor exploded in the sky and rained down upon the land. Only the strongest survive here."
"The Kellids scavenge the fallout from the Rain of Stars for a rare metal known as Numerian Steel. Scholars call the substance adamantine, famed for its durability and ability to cut through the hardest materials as if they were cloth. When alloyed with iron, it is less durable and much less valuable."
"Is there anything you can add to our understanding of this strange country?" he asks the other members of the team.
Arriving at the crash site, Krieger examines the scene of the accident and the strange metallic object.
"You've a keen eye, Linria Korudorn, and a respectable knowledge of metallurgy."
He grasps the hatch and strains to pry it open.
"My hands are too large to get a good grasp on this thing. Could one or two of you help me open it?"
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"Yeah, some people say that the meteor that fell here was actually some sort of a star ship that came from the other side of the sky," Palomia adds as the group make their way over the hilly ground. "And that it was carrying creatures and tech from other worlds! But how the heck would anyone know for sure? Most of the locals are such a superstitious and ignorant lot that they'd be likely to destroy anything that they find from such a wreck."
Once the group reaches the wreck, Palo gives Lyn an appraising look. "Huh. No offense, but you're about the last one of us that I would've expected to know anything about metals - probably just right behind myself and Hanlin. That's good to know, though! Shame it's not the pure stuff though, then we could make a fortune selling it somewhere else."
When Krieger seems to have trouble lifting the section of metal that looks like it could act as a door, Palo frowns and then steps forward to try and help.
"Hrgnh! This is heavy! And I've got noodle arms; why am I trying to do this!?"
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Lyn can't help but giggle. "I.. am more experienced in metallurgy than I'd like to admit, Palomia. But we'll have to talk that over after we're through here," she says, dismissing the topic. "My arms are no bigger than yours, but I guess I can try?" She leans over and hooks her nails underneath the section.
.. But her attempts are in vain. "Guess I should stick to magic, eh?"
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Hanlin nods and waves at the curious locals , most of which are less curious and more nervous about Sunny and clam up or just plain run away when he tries to talk about the area. "She's nice! Yes she does like cabbage! Sorry!"
Once the metal's been discovered Hanlin looks it over with Lyn and nods in agreement. "Yes an alloy. It is too bad as the pure stuff is quite quite valuable!"
He steps back out of Krieger's and the other's way as they try to force open the hatch. "I'm no help here with these tiny hands and the arms of a baby!" He raises an eyebrow at the ever helpful and enthusiastic Ashwell. "Yes, let us with the bad backs and noodly arms look around for another way in shall we? While Krieger and Relas muscle up the door."
Hanlin hops off Sunny and starts kicking and digging around the dirt to look for something else helpful.
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Krieger offers encouragement to his companions. "Ashwell and Hanlin, there is no shame in making the attempt. You have already earned our respect for your many strengths. Even a little help might make the difference."
"If together we cannot force open the hatch, I will help look for some other way to access this alien ship."
With a combined effort you manage to open the hatch.
The inside of the wreck is cramped. A single chair made out of the same strange metal faces the hatch, dozens of straps hang inside the device, and an array of levers and buttons lines the interior on one side. Several dozen palm-sized metallic discs and an unadorned silvery bracer lie scattered across the interior.
The silver bracelet is a great prize, as it dampens the kinetic energy of any objects moving toward the wearer. Mechanically, this grants the wearer 15 temporary hit points, but due to damage the bracelet sustained, there is no way to recharge these temporary hit points. Further, after maintaining this field for 24 hours, the bracelet permanently runs out of energy.
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"Thank you for your aid. I would not have opened the hatch without it."
Krieger takes a look at the wreck's interior, and then he steps away to let the others get a closer look.
"I've never seen anything like this strange ship. Perhaps, one of you can make sense of it. Is it magical, do you think?"
"Whoever piloted the craft, he or she is no longer within." Krieger looks around the area scanning for danger or other clues. "The Society would welcome this device for further study and safekeeping, but we'll have to organize its retrieval with great discretion lest others discover it."
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"I haven't the foggiest," Palomia scowls as she peeks into the crashed ship. At Krieger's request she utters a small cantrip designed to reveal magical auras, shaking her head after a few moments.
"Nope, nothing magical here besides what little we've brought with us," she says, confirming Hanlin's analysis. "The bracer looks nice though; maybe it's worth something?"
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Krieger nods, "Agreed. The Society's experts will have to figure this out."
Krieger scoops up the dozens of metal discs and the bracer, stowing them in his pack. He reseals the hatch and attempts to camouflage the ship. Then, he marks its location on a map along with a basic sketch of the vehicle and the crash site.
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Hanlin will help Krieger as best he can, noting off distinguishing landmarks and natural formations to help pinpoint the site, as well as collecting a few of the disks to put in Sunny's packs. "NO YOU CAN'T EAT THESE GIRL!"
He says as he pulls them away from the ever rasping tongue. For something with the metabolism of a slug she sure doesn't seem to gain weight with the nonstop eating!