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The normally-quiet rural village of Linhaus has been full of excitement since sunrise. Today is the annual Gordon Lightfoot Celebration, a festival held to honor the town's local hero and commemorate the day, three years ago, that he tracked down the mayor's lost daughter in the forest and saved her from a whole pack of wolves that had been killing livestock and keeping people in their homes after dark for nearly a year.
After a morning of games and pie auctions, the townsfolk begin to gather in Town Square, where food tents have been set up for lunch and sweets. Having won a raffle, two elves and a tiefling share a table with the hero Gordon, and are just about to begin eating.
Then, a swift blur and a loud noise stun the group. As your brains catch up to your senses, you realize that a human man has fallen from above and landed in your midst, shattering the table around which you all sit. The man is obviously dead, though it's less obvious whether the cause of death was the fall or the large dagger lodged in his chest.
The excited chatter of the festival is quickly replaced by unsettled murmurs and nervous whispers.
The shock of the dead man's appearance provokes immediate action from Nathadriel. Leaping to his feet, he steps back from the table, scanning the rooftops for any sign of the dead man's attacker.
Layali looks at the dead man with curiosity then looks up taking in where he may have fallen from. Seeing Nathadriel leap into action, she casts thaumaturgy on herself .
"If you surrender yourself now, I am quite certain the Constable will go easier on you than if you run. If you run, you'll just start a new tradition for the Celebration." Layali shouts in a booming voice. She then scans the area for signs of a runner.
"That's, uh... what?"
Gordon scans the body to see if it's anyone he recognizes.
Leifa will check that the man really is dead and will say a prayer for him. Then she will look around to see if she can figure out where he fell from.
Surveying the scene, you're all left a bit puzzled. The festival food court is nothing but tables and tents (the small kind, whose tops could not support the weight of a person) set up in the wide-open Town Square. The nearest buildings are about 30 feet away. Looking up reveals nothing but the clear blue sky.
The crowd of townspeople flinches a bit at the booming voice of the tiefling, but seems as bewildered as the four of you. There seems to be no disturbance among them to indicate someone pushing their way to an escape or any such thing.
The dead man lying before you is unfamiliar. He wears common but sturdy clothes, such as an explorer or hiker might wear: sturdy pants and shirt, heavy boots, a cloak, a bandolier, and even a backpack. He is quite clearly dead, though it would require a proper autopsy to determine whether the fall finished him off or came after he died from the dagger.
After the first few moments have passed, you hear the voice of someone approaching. Emerging from the crowd is a man in chainmail and a clean, brightly-colored formal cloak that identifies him as the captain of the guard. He carries a spear in one hand, and is craning his neck behind him and shouting at someone you can't see.
"I want the mayor's family in their house, with three guards, now!"
Arriving at the scene and turning to face you all, he spends a moment observing the situation, then speaks.
"Cripes, what happened here? Was there an altercation?"
It's clear that he's mostly addressing Gordon, but his eyes flick briefly toward the tiefling as he speaks, showing the slightest bit of suspicion.
Struck by a sudden inspiration, Layali beings looking for signs of magical teleportation!
She also searches for his coin pouch, looking to see if the coins within give any clues to his origin.
"Oh Constable, I am so glad you are here to help sort this out. Can you imagine someone would want to ruin such a rustic little celebration for my close and personal friend, Gordon Lightfoot? How absolutely horrid."
Gordon grabs for the Tiefling's hand to stay it.
"Robbing the dead so soon, Ms... contest winner?"
Layali looks quite offended and shocked. "Ms Amani good sir. I will have you know that my family is certainly more than capable of supporting me without the need to resort to petty thievery! I merely wish to discern if the coins he carries are exotic or remarkable in some way. Perish the thought that I would need to steal."
She turns and smiles at the captain of the guard, "Constable, if you would please empty this poor, poor man's coin purse on the table for me to see? That way there can be no question to anyone's motives."
"I'm afraid we know not much more than you, Officer," Nathadriel replies. "We were celebrating here with everyone else when this poor soul landed in our midst."
Gesturing to the empty air above the destroyed table, he continues. "Clearly there's some magic afoot, If I might suggest a mystical investigation? With a little time, I may be able to glean some information about our unfortunate friend here. With your permission, of course."
"Are you all suggesting that this stranger just dropped out of the sky...?"
The guard stops, shakes his head, then pinches the bridge of his nose before continuing.
"Look," he says, "I'm glad you all want to help, but on top of a pile of broken wood in the middle of Town Square isn't the place for these investigations. Let's get this body into the jailhouse for searches and scans and such, and let the rest of these fine folks get this mess cleaned up so they can get back to the festivities."
He gives a little whistle, and a couple of guards step forward to carry the body.
"I'd like the four of you to come with me to answer questions. Shall we?"
The constable escorts you all to the jailhouse and lays out the body on a table. After getting all of your names, he introduces himself as Constable Johann Torrun, then gets to business.
"Okay, Nathadriel, feel free to begin your divinations if you like. Now, to his belongings..."
Johann begins rifling through the man's pockets and pouches, pulling things out onto the table. He has several entirely ordinary coins, some entirely ordinary food, and various entirely ordinary traveling supplies.
Nathadriel sits cross legged near the table. Taking out a carved, wooden holy symbol and holding it with both hands, he begins murmuring quiet prayers as he meditates.
Layali watches Nathadriel and pouts a little when the coins turn out to be nothing special.
"So, Johann, do you recognize this guy? I can ask around and see if he was attending the festival."
"I can help ask around if anyone in the crowd remembers seeing him before he died. Or remembers seeing anything flying through the sky, over the crowd, before the man fell."
Johann shakes his head in answer to Gordon's question.
"Nope, never seen him before. Asking the other townsfolk is probably a good idea; let me know what you two find out."
Gordon and Leifa head out of the building and start looking for witnesses. After a few minutes, Nathadriel finishes his spell, confirming that there are no active magical effects on or around the body.
Meanwhile, Gordon and Leifa find a few villagers who were near the incident, but none of them recognized the man who fell. A few happened to notice him falling right before he hit, but saw only the momentary blur of his descent and couldn't tell you how high up he started. No one recalls seeing anything out of the ordinary in the sky, but nobody's attention was really directed upward prior to the dead man's landing.
As the group reunites and compares notes, Johann removes the dagger from the body, revealing something out of the ordinary. The blade is strangely rectangular, almost like a chisel except sharp on all edges. Certainly not the norm for daggers in this region. Additionally, the words "WARN YOU" are carved roughly into the blade.
Johann stares rather blankly at this newest development.
"Uh..."
"If that's a warning, I'd hate to be around when things really escalate!"
"A warning sort of implies a pending attack of some sort does it not? Constable, please do not take this the wrong way...but is there anything really worth attacking this town over?" Layali wonders.
She examines the strange dagger further, hoping for some clue as to where it is from.
Johann shakes his head.
"I can't imagine what someone would want with Linhaus. We're not rich, we're not strategically located; we're just prosperous enough to have a life, and that's about it. I can't think of any enemies we'd have made or anyone we've recently pissed off, either. Are we really being warned about something?"
Examining the dagger, you note that the squared-off style of blade is reminiscent of a long-dead culture you've read about in books, but don't remember much about. Additionally, upon closer inspection, you wonder if the person who engraved the words on the blade was rusty not only with the Common language, but even with the Common script.
Nathadriel nods in agreement with Layali, examining the dagger to see if he remembers any mention of this style of weapon.
"It does seem like a severe threat. Perhaps the warning was more personal?" he suggests with a skeptical look around the group. "It did land on our esteemed hero's table in the middle of a feast in his honor. Maybe that wasn't a coincidence. Have you made any enemies recently, Gordon?"
You know that, centuries ago, there was a civilization called the Hilva, whose territory included most of this kingdom. Some of their ruins can be found dotting the countryside, especially in the east. Additionally, the town of Korkas, to the west, is known in part for its records (both in a library and in the minds of scholars) of the Hilva people. And indeed, Hilvan weapon designs were often distinctively geometric.
"Could the town, or someone in it, done something unknowingly to the perpetrator? Or maybe it was more of a general warning to all people, don't do whatever this guy just did. Whatever it was."
"I... don't think I've made any enemies in town. Maybe a few people jealous, but nobody who could have done this has any reason to be jealous of me."
"Perhaps we could visit this Korkas and see if anyone knew this man? How far away is it?" Layali makes a show of checking her gear, "Constable could you fetch me parchment and charcoal? I can render a likeness of the man we can use to ask around Korkas."
Johann pulls a piece of paper out of a drawer, gestures to a pen and inkwell on the desk, then tilts his head upward in thought.
"Korkas? Let's see, it's kind of west-northwest from here... probably about 30 miles as the crow flies, but the road that dips under the southern edge of Stekwood Forest is about 50 miles from here to there."
Layali sets to work drawing the dead man's face...
"Nathadriel, we should bring that odd dagger with us as well but I think we should be discreet about flashing it around until we know what we are dealing with wouldn't you agree?"
"I think so too," he nods. "Today's events are going to be unsettling enough. People will already worry about dead strangers falling from the skies. The mystery assailants being armed with weapons from history just provides one more source of wild speculation and rumour."
"We should leave soon," he continues. "We may not yet know what we're being warned about. Or even who is being warned. But what we do know is that someone is willing to kill to send a message. We need to learn who murdered this poor man and why."
"And if we leave now, we should get to spend a night in Stekwood Forest," he says with a smile. "With all due respect to Linhaus, Captain Johann, nothing invigorates like a night spent under the stars."
"You elven types might find sleeping under the stars invigorating Nathadriel. I prefer a nice warm bed. And slik sheets. Though I doubt we are going to find those here anyway. Constable, perhaps there are horses we could...borrow? In any case, I believe we should take the most direct route there, and pray for comfortable conditions once we arrive in Korkas."
"I know the terrain of the forest, so I can lead us through it without getting lost. I also know where to forage for food. I guess I'm use to camping under the stars. It's my home territory."
"So, uh, I think the raffle thing is over, so you don't really have to follow me when I go investigate."
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"Actually, Gordon," Johann interjects, "I'd rather you take them with you. See, since we don't know the nature of this 'warning', I have to assume Linhaus might be in danger. That means I need all my guards at the ready. That means I can't spare the manpower to keep an eye on these three strangers. I mean, no offense to them or anything, but I don't know I can trust them unattended in town. So if you could take them with you so you can keep an eye on them, that would be immensely helpful."
As the town hears about the hero Gordon leading an expedition to solve the mystery of the fallen man, excitement sweeps through Linhaus. Everyone wants to be of assistance, and you end up being supplied with a pair of tents, a small supply of good paper and quills/ink, a compass (despite Leifa's assurances that they won't get lost), five days worth of food, and more carnival desserts than would be a good idea to eat all at once.
After a couple of hours on the road, you leave the path to cut through Stekwood Forest under Leifa's guidance. As the afternoon wears on, you make good progress through the woods. A few hours into your woodland trek, a sudden rustling ahead catches your attention.
Crawling out from under a fallen log are three insectoid creatures the size of large dogs. Each is the color of soil and has a flattened, multi-segmented body with ten spider-like legs, the front and back pairs of which are substantially longer and bigger than the rest.
The creatures attack!
The bugs advance, trying to impale the elves with their long forelegs!
,
,
,
Both elves duck and weave, avoiding harm!
Before:
"Besdies Gordon, I could very well be the one in danger here. How selfish of you to assume it's all about you!" Layali says, nodding her head at the Constable.
Now:
Layali begins chanting arcane words and extends her hand toward one of the strange creatures, a cloud of purple smoke flows from her hand over the creature.
"Ugh... dirtcrawlers."
Gordon steps forward, drawing his shortswords, and attacks the nearest creature.
Layali darts forward and back for a quick pot-shot of magical poison!
The creature retches and shrieks as the poison sets in!
Gordon moves forward and plunges one of his swords into the poisoned bug, finishing it off. He tries to take a quick swipe at another target, but falls short!
Nathadriel draws his longsword, gripping it in both hands as he grimly steps up to engage one of the insects, hoping to drive them off.
,
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Leifa will strike at the bugs with her staff then knee one of them.
,
,
Nathadriel swings for the fences, but doesn't have enough control over his blade. Leifa crushes one of the dirtcrawlers with her staff, but misses the other with her kick.
The remaining dirtcrawler lashes out at Leifa!
,
The bug plunges both its forelegs into Leifa's gut, wounding her badly!
Layali, staying back from the fray, holds out her hand again speaking words that sound a bit more infernal and a bolt of fire shoots out toward the bug!
or
Layali's spell strikes the dirtcrawler, killing it on the spot!
"Ooh, that wound doesn't look good. I think we need to take a break to patch it up."
"May I see, Leifa?"
Placing his hands lightly over Leifa's wounds, Nathadriel murmurs a quiet prayer.
"Thanks Nathadriel. That helped."
After your little skirmish, you squeeze in another couple of hours of travel before camping in the woods. The night passes uneventfully, and you resume your trek. The trees are thinning by mid-afternoon, and soon you can see Korkas ahead of you.
Somewhat reluctant to leave the forest, Nathadriel nonetheless suggests the group find an inn.
"Lets find a place to stay, hopefully a place you'll consider comfortable, Layali. I believe there's a library here in Korkas. That seems like the place to go next - either today or first thing tomorrow."
"Sounds good."
Heading into town, you note that the city layout is somewhat like a target: in the center is a bustling marketplace with stands, tents, and even just blankets with wares laid out across them to be sold. Surrounding that is a sort of commercial district with more permanent establishments, such as taverns, inns, smithies, and other artisans' shops. Outside that "ring" is a layer of residences, as well has a handful of public service buildings such as city hall, the library, and a couple of chapels and shrines.
As you reach the commercial ring, you find a decent-looking inn called the Quilted Dragon which overlooks the central marketplace and bears a sign advertising vacancy for room types of both 1 silver per night and 1 gold per night.
Entering the Quilted Dragon, you see a moderately-sized common room with a few tables and chairs, mostly empty. A few people are here, some enjoying a smoke by the hearth, and a couple more checking a bulletin board on the wall.
As you approach the front desk, the dwarven attendant looks up and smiles at you.
"Ho there! If you're looking for quality lodgings, you've come to the right place."
He briefly looks you over, seeming to notice the weapons and gear you're carrying.
"Ah, are you another bodyguard squad left to fend for yourselves until the return trip? Been getting a lot of those lately. Well, don't worry, you'll get good rest at a good price here! Both the silver and gold rooms can sleep two easily, and the gold includes in-house lunch tomorrow. What'll it be?"
"We're actually here for the library. I'll... actually get my own room for a silver. The others can share if they like."
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