Ushari catches the rapier in mid-air and hefts the blade experimentally. This blade is indeed a fine blade! Plus it fairly drips with magic...I wonder what abilities it has... She buckles the belt to her hip, admiring how it looks on her body.
After looking over the notes, she shakes her head. "Well, I do not see anything here indicating he had any accomplices. I suspect when he needed one, he would either create or summon them as needed. I imagine, being a necromancer, he had little desire to have any living companions."
Straehan withholds a smile and coughs on some microscopic speck of necromantic dust.
*cough*Ursuul*cough* "Excuse me. Got a little something in my throat."
Ushari glances over to where Straehan is coughing, "Are you OK there, Strae? Did you say something?" She unbuckles the magical rapier and hands it to him. "We should try to see what powers this blade holds."
Strae gives the cleric his best who me? wide-eyed, innocent look. "Why, no. I must have choked on a bit of fuzz or something. This room is so dusty."
He pops on his glasses and clucks over the rapier, examining it closely. "This is a rather elegant piece of work. Woven into the 'vines' are holy symbols from at least 8 deities that I can see - some good and others less so. That's unusual." He examines the blade itself, "Ah, and here we have the explanation..."
"So, a sword, some poison, and a clean-freak complex." He shrugs as if to say 'well, I guess that's that.'
Then he turns back to the hetmon, "You know, you really might be doing everyone a favor if you burned this place down and had a priest pray over the ashes. Could even make a community event if it. It'd be cathartic."
"Maybe. Would have been best if I'd done that when Dinwat was sleeping in here."
Jofram nods somberly, thinking of the atrocities committed by the room's former tenant. "No argument here. Are we done...? I'd just as soon be gone from the place that housed such a black heart for so long."
Aidep walks you out and across the dirty track to the Bargeman's Rest. The news (both good and bad) of your return is traveling through the village. Aidep sighs and bids you a good night before heading off into the darkness to console the grieving with Hallis.
And so, some time around midnight, you find yourself in your rooms after what has amounted to a very long couple of days.
Rain wakes you the next morning as it rattles against the windows of your rooms. You get up sore from yesterday's serious thrashing, death, and/or near-death experiences. Peeking out the window, the sky has fallen. Slate grey clouds seem to hover over the village roofs, hurling down sheets of unrelenting rain. The dirt track is a mud-colored river and the few locals about dodge from eave to awning trying to stay dry as they go on with their business.
You all stumble downstairs looking for breakfast, except Jayse who continues to eat minimally. In another generation, on another glimmering star in the night sky, his eating habits would mark him as a super-model.
The few townsfolk in the dining room give you nods and smiles of thanks but don't disturb you. The barman puts down a platter of food and drinks on your table, "Compliments of the folks, here-round." As you eat, you notice a change in the air of the place. There is grief and some excitement, but the sense of pervading fear is all but gone. Even the weather doesn't seem to dampen the spirits of the townsfolk too much.
Rolling his eggs up into the still-warm flatbread, Jayse nods a thanks to the barman before taking a bite. He'd found himself getting more experimental with food since his discovery that he didn't need it. It had become kind of a hobby. And this time it was delicious. How come the best foods are found in the most out-of-the-way places? He thinks for a second while he chews, Though I guess when you're willing to make the most from the most meager, you can be surprised easily.
He looks around the table at his friends, enjoying yet another of their post-adventure slow tavern mornings. It seemed like this was something of a routine for them. Nearly die in some terrifyingly horrific way, come back as local heroes, and regroup and debrief the morning after in some cozy local joint. Aside from the nearly dying thing, it was a pretty enjoyable routine.
"So," he finally says around a mouthful of eggs-and-flatbread wrap, "anybody find anything worth looking into in Dinwat's papers? Or do we head back to Orfallen to find Bitiborium?"
Ushari munches on the flatbread provided by the barman, and takes a piece of it dipping it into the honey jar next to her. While she did not usually like sweet foods, this was a special occasion.
"Did anyone even bother looking at those papers yet? I know I was too tired to even keep my eyes open." She responds to Jayse with a smile on her face. "I think returning to Orfallen is a good plan, though we should check with Aidep and Hallis to see if they want us to convey any messages for them."
She glances outside where the rain continues to pour down. "I hope you all don't mind getting wet. It looks like rain all the way to Orfallen."
Jayse shakes his head. He'd been far too busy sleeping to read anything.
Straehan casts an unfriendly eye on the rain from beneath his head of tousled blue-black hair. He huddles close around his mug of steaming coffee like it holds the secret of eternal life.
"We've only skimmed the journal we found in his temple lair and haven't even glanced at the books stored in the altar. It'll probably take the better part of a day or two to go through all that." He sips at his coffee and makes a satisfied sound like it is saving his wretched soul.
"Ahhhhh.... Most of the documents in his trunk here were torn from the old town surveys and reports - trying to hide the location of the tower, no doubt."
"Hmmm... that sounds like a job for an academic." He continues as he jams more food into his mouth, "Ebbwy wod nose im'da pweddy wod."
"Sorry? Did you say 'put my wood nose in pretty sod'? That's a strange request even for you, Jayse."
Jayse gives an emphatic thumbs up at Straehan's translation as he chews the huge mouthful. "Exaggwy"
Ushari grins at Straehan's translation of Jayse's words. "Sounds like what he is looking for to me Strae! However, I would probably wait until we reach Orfallen to look at them. That rain looks like it will last for a while and we don't have any covered decks on the Mako."
Jayse finally swallows the bite, "Yah, cause it'd be impossible to … I don't know… use a tarp or something." He shrugs, "It was just a suggestion."
Two familiar figures, wearing stiff waxed cloaks, stomp into the Bargeman's Rest. Aidep and Hallis shake the water from their cloaks and drop them on pegs by the door. The barman holds out two cups for them as they approach you... in what is clearly a long-standing tradition. The Hetmon and Cleric pull chairs up to your table.
Aidep says, "Mornin', folks. All of Master Bitiborium's wood, with a bit extra, is wrapped up dry and sitting in your boat - about 150 pounds of it. We set up your rain tarp as well, just in case. No sense testing how well we wrapped the wood, though a little rain shouldn't hurt it any. Are you planning on leaving today or you gonna wait out the weather?"
Jayse smiles and nods at the two B.C. leaders, standing briefly when they arrive out of politeness. When asked about waiting out the weather, he raises his eyebrows and looks over at Ushari.
Hallis chimes in, "Whenever you do leave, since I imagine you are headed to Orfallen, could you deliver this letter to the Diocese of Erastil? They'll need to know what's happened here." He pushes a sealed waxen envelope to Ushari with a hopeful look.
Usahri looks outside at the rain clouds and turns back to Jayse, "I don't see any reason to wait for the rain to stop, it won't be dangerous, just going to be a wet trip."
She walks over to the halfling cleric and takes the letter with a smile. "Yes, that is our next destination Hallis. I will personally hand this letter to him." Her face grows serious and she lowers her voice. "Hallis...be careful. While we think the Dweller has fled, we don't know for SURE. Keep your prayers ready, and make sure you and the townsfolk stay in the sunlight."
The small cleric bobs his head. "We'll be careful. You do the same."
Another hour sees you on your way under leaden skies. Thanks to its magic sail, the Mako jigs adroitly down-river despite the fitful, contrary winds and near constant downpour. You huddle under the tenting tarp that channels the copious rain over the gunn'ls. It is tight and cold but not the hardest trial you've ever faced.
When the wind isn't driving rain sideways beneath the tarp, you pore through the necromancer's journals, notes, and research. The reading wavers from boring to disturbing. Jofram finds it too much of the former and decides to fish for your meals instead. The pounding rain scares the fish away from his hooks on the first day, but after that the rangers reels in a constant supply of tasty alternatives to rations.
Danger Level:
Jo Fishing
Danger Level:
Jo Fishing
Danger Level:
Jo Fishing
Three days... three long, cold, wet days later... the Mako emerges from the rain and fog in sight of Orfallen's docks. The magic sail guides the craft straight towards the secured private boat dock that it departed from a little over a week before.
It was a quiet trip, only disturbed by the landing, gutting, and cooking of fish in the persistent drizzle. So, our heroes have had three days to pore over all of the necromancer's journals. While Dinwat was a poor scholar - his notes indicate he was entirely wrong about what he was summoning - he was able to amass a sizable collection of hard information on Shaudran magic and language.
Straehan quickly abandons the search for mundane information and focuses instead on deciphering the Shaudran language and gaining an understanding of their magic. Jayse sifts through a stack of loose-leafed correspondence. Most of it is forgettable. However, he does find a set of letters between Dinwat and a woman who signs each one as L.C. Judging by her responses to his letters, they have a lively exchange of ideas on how best to use his supply of gnolls to create 'suitable servants'. In one letter, she agrees to visit the temple to:
- ...help fortify the defenses. As you know, I've an interest in lightning and would very much like to experiment with triggers that I might use myself someday. My Flyn project, of course, doesn't allow me the luxury of such amusements...
Our heroes step the sail, as the Mako glides into an empty berth, bumping gently against the dock. The custom official you met before approaches quickly. His pace slows as he recognizes you. "Ah, Masters Jofram, Jayse, and Straehan along with Mistress Ushari. Welcome. Would you care to berth here again. It's a single gold Sovereign for the week?"
You secure the boat and conceal Bitiborium's wood as best you can. Then, gear in hand, you find yourselves walking along the main road heading to the Fish.
Once the group all get settled in at the Fish, Ushari talks quietly to the others over a few drinks. "Well, first of all I need to deliver this letter to the Erastil Diocese. Then we should leave a message to Bititorium saying his profits should start to increase again. I think he will be happy about that! As for those letters we found..." Here her voice lowers, "I think we should try to track down this L.C. I don't think she was just his love interest."
Suddenly, Jofram's eyes go wide, and his mug thumps down on the table. "Wait just a mite - In his documents - those saw blade invoices... why lock those in the trunk? It seemed so innocuous at the time, but now it stands out as too much so. Why lock them away from prying eyes, if it is only a simple bill of lading?"
Ushari thinks for a moment. "Hmmm, it sounds like it might be a coded message. Let's have a look at the parchment...once we get upstairs. Maybe Strae can use some of his intellect on it."
Seeing no need to wait, Jofram digs into his eldritch bag. He pulls out and sorts through a sheaf of papers before finding the small and innocuous bill. The ranger drops it on the table and tosses the rest of the documents back in his bag.
The tan parchment reads:
Requested: March 1063
Fulfilled: May 1063
re: Bartleby's Cross - replace worn lumbering equipment
(6) Blades for 2-Man Saws
(3) Blades for Single Saws
(2) Splitting Wedges
Approved: B. Hallec
Orfallen Lumber Consortium
"Hmmm...I think maybe we should pay Mr. Hallec a visit?"
Ushari thinks for a moment. "Hmmm, it sounds like it might be a coded message... Maybe Strae can use some of his intellect on it."
The gnome looks at the parchment and notes the few lines of text in the expanse of white space. His glance shifts to the cleric. "The only way I could put my intellect to use on this would be to bang my head against it. There isn't enough writing here for me to ferret out a pattern. Worse, this could just as easily be an Idiot Code... a simple code agreed upon beforehand. The numbers 'six', 'three', and 'two' could each represent a word and the order of them could spell out the message. Unless you know what the numbers mean, the code is pretty much unbreakable."
"Of course, mages have better ways of hiding messages than simple codes." Straehan casts a quick spell and examines the bill front and back. His frown is answer enough. "... or not."
"Hmmm...I think maybe we should pay Mr. Hallec a visit?"
"What kind of 'visit' do you have in mind? A friendly chat about old lumber orders or a drag-him-over-the-desk-and-squeeze discussion?"
"What kind of 'visit' do you have in mind? A friendly chat about old lumber orders or a drag-him-over-the-desk-and-squeeze discussion?"
Ushari glances at the bill, her eyes like twin balls of ice. "That depends Strae, on how chatty he is."
"Admittedly, I'm tempted to lead with the latter approach, but perhaps we should see how cooperative he is, at first."