Talbard, Areal and Janiven whisper a few word together. It is noticeable to those paying attention in small shop. Finally Areal speaks, "Andrea, we believe scrying the whereabouts of Sascar Tilneros is an excellent idea. In fact, we beleive it should be done immediately...perhaps we can save her, at the least put to rest her whereabouts." His gaze moves to Daniel, "Your half-sister is of paramount concern."
In a deep reflective tone, "Devils honor their obligations to a letter, if Grimm is alive the devils will find him, and bring him out alive provided he does nothing to provoke an attack. They will use it as bargaining chit for future favor. If he is dead, they will honor their word and bring him out...a deal is a deal. Frankly, this is hard but those devils are probably the best way to locate Grimm."
"We understand that is not what you instinctively want to do for your companion but he is a well trained warrior, he knew the risks and he would probably direct you to find the Sascar Tilneros."
When there is break in the conversation Talbard cuts to the chase, "There are multiple layers of complexity happening in this city, mind you most are bad but there are few kernels of goodness, and it's all of our jobs to shelter that fruit."
"There are the terrifying shadowbeasts lead by Ilnerik Sivanshin but you have the morrowfell and means to fight him. There is a division within the Council of Thieves - siblings, Chammady and Ecarrdian, verus their grandfather, Vassindio Drovenge. This is for control of a vast criminal underworld and perhaps the Noble house itself." He makes eye contact with everyone before continuing, "Then there is the noble house conflict. Certainly House Drovenge has issues, but there is an effort for a mass power grab that has been brewing, House Grulios, House Missepe and yes, House Tilernos are in the middle defending themselves against known and unknown usurpers. Find the Sescar Tilernos foil whatever plot is brewing and House Tilernos should stand with House Grulios and Missepe."
Taking a deep breath, "the residents of this city stand to be in a much better place if those three houses and their beholden allies join and stick together."
Lucrezia nods at Talberd's words. "There does seem to be too much going on for us to handle all by ourselves. So helping allies to stick together and defend themselves does sound like a good idea. We need to make sure there are others able and willing to take over if we fall in battle."
Daniel looks at Areal, it was possible they had met, for elves were long lived, but not in Daniel's memory.
Care your words Sir, please. I am not officially of the house, though rumors abound, Tilneros and I do not share name or title and my relationship with her is.....strained. Though if you will help in this you have my gratitude.
"Frankly speaking getting Sescar Tilernos back is good business for all...Lord Tilernos would be a powerful ally" He looks at Daniel.
"My most humble apologies, no offense meant not would I want to spread rumor."
Very well, let us scry for Sascar right away. If she is alive, we can go retrive her, if she is dead then we can bring closure to her family.
Andrea brings out the scroll of Scrying and hands it to Faelyn.
Total = 2,675 gp
Andrea takes out two more scrolls.
Orsin, I have this scroll of Clairvoyance/Clairaudiance as well as a True seeing scroll as the last scrolls from the Wavedoor. If you want either of them, help yourself.
Something I should look into scribing are scrolls of Concencrate. Since we will be eventually be fighting Ilnerik, he no doubt has any number of undead at his side. Concencrating an area will weaken undead as well as preventing any undead from being created. So if one of us should fall prey to their touch, the blessed area would keep us from turning until we could be revived..or dealt with in such a manner that would keep us from becoming undead.
The bard thanks Andrea for the scrolls.
Do we have a personal item of focus for the srying?
Talbard nods that he has the following scrolls, "Gust of wind, Break enchantment, Locate object, Clairvoyance/clairaudience, Levitate" He frowns at the the infernal healing spell, "I wouldn't stain this shop with that cursed garbage. Devil's blood or unholy water boy..."he looks over at the paladin "be careful."
I am sure we can get one quickly by going to Lord Tilneros, he can take us to where Sascar stayed and we can get a piece of cloth or jewelry.
Edit: Whoops, little Pho Paus there Orsin. Andrea teases.
"Scratch the clairvoyance, let's try for a communal spider walk. Perhaps the infernal healing spell would be inappropriate. I'm just desperate for nothing bad to happen to us again. The means seem to matter less and less."
[dice=Fame]1d20+11-2
"Scratch the clairvoyance, let's try for a communal spider walk. Perhaps the infernal healing spell would be inappropriate. I'm just desperate for nothing bad to happen to us again. The means seem to matter less and less."
Andrea lightly places her hand on Orsin's arm. The Drovanges decided that the means didn't mean a thing and now Westcrown has been plunged into chaos. Ilnerik decided that he wanted power rather his own soul and now the streets are unsafe at night. We are here to fix things up and show them that we won't stoop so such things, maybe get a little bent but never broken.
"The means should always matter, you don't want to become one of the them." He looks through some racks pulling the scrolls that you want, "Spider walk....spider walk..."going through his scrolls, "do you mean spiderclimb?"
"If Sascar is in the ruins, we can still go look for her without breaking our deal with the devils. Our deal was that we hand over the contract and they would let us go and bring the bodies to us. They would probably not even care if we go back as long as we don't interfer with them releasing their master."
Ware the easy temptations, Orsin. Make no mistake we should use every weapon we can, but certain means are not worth the ends. As for a focus, How connected must she be?
Daniel reverently draws his sword and presents it, hilt first to Una.
This is 'Heavens Razor', commissioned by Lord Tilneros and blessed by the First sword to be the Bane of evil Outsiders. This was presented to me by her at a private ceremony overseen by the Patriarch and a chosen few, Talbard among them. She kissed the kilt and handed me the Sword and Scabbard. Then we shared the only embrace we have ever had.
Daniel speaks quietly, as though the memory pained him.
I could go fetch something else if the spell would require a stronger connection. Would the sword survive the casting?
Yes it would, I have no recollection of ever hearing of a scrying focus being destroyed .
"Yes, I suppose you both are right... And yes, 'spider-climb'. You'll have to forgive me, I don't have the fancy wizard's education that you and Faelyn do."
"If the sword was the only item available to us, it would do but a better connection would be stronger. Since a better connection is available at the Lord's manor, we should use that."
In the hour before Daniel comes back, Andrea procures 3 flasks of holy water and gives one to Faelyn,Lucrezia and Daniel.
Just in case we need a little extra something for undead. I have three flasks of my own.
Thankyou.
Thank you Andrea!
Indeed. Andrea leans back and thinks.
When the time to go against Ilnerik comes, we need to stack as much in our favor as possible. Andrea looks to Daniel.From various sources and from the ghost of Pathfinder Bisby, we know that Ilnerik is a vampire who has the Totemrix, one-half of the artifact called The Aohl. We have The Morrowfall, the other half.
Inerik is no doubt surrounded by undead such as shadows, shadowbeasts and perhaps even other vampires. So weapons that are magic and silver would allow us to harm them to full effect. Silversheen, oils of enchantment and spells of enchantment should be part of our arsenal. I can pray for miracles that can attempt to make shadows vulnerable to our weapons
Detecting such creatures is also important. I can pray to Detect Undead but must concentrate, the Morrowfall can also allow us to detect them. Hmm...a scroll or two of Daylight can help deny them hiding places.
Excellent spell choice. It is one of the miracles allowed to me by Iomedae. It is not normally one I prepare but given our focus would be a good choice. I usually pray for spells to help me with difficult terrain or to take an attack for my allies. I admit to being somewhat ill prepared for fighting ghosts. My specialty is fighting the denizens of the lower plains. I am no novice however and will adapt.
Talbard leads everyone to a small room on the second floor, Lucrezia has been there once before, and there is a small basin there. He begins to recite the scrying spell using the scarf as his connective focus. An image begins to appear it's fuzzy at first showing an old knotty wooden floor, and Sascar laying bound on the floor, gagged and bruised.
The room appears to small and there are two other bound humans within 10 feet of Sascar in a similar state. Orsin recognizes one of the other captives as Harvey Penwick, the gem cutter he and Duncan rescued in an alley. From what you can determine right now it looks like either house or warehouse type facility.
Talbard maintains the scrying trying to pick up move information or get lucky with some sound.
While focusing on the image before him, Talbard states "I'm going to try to link message through the scry to find out more information."
He shakes his head in frustration, she's not receiving my message.
Lucrezia it looks like there's a desk pushed into the corner, on the periphery of Sascar's vision. The room itself is dark, then there is beam of light that suddenly shines over Sascar's body as door is opened. the sound of heavy boots on the creaking wood can be picked out.
"Well, we at least know that Sascar is still living. I wonder if they plan on holding her for ransom or to ensure cooperation of her house?"
There is pock-faced wiry man, with long greasy black hair that gets within the field of vision, he puts his his calloused hands on the noble and begins to touch her roughly, right before he grabs her by the hair lifting her to her feet. The sensor picks up a chart of a pig that is pinned to the wall. "I'm g'nna give ya t'mble down below, 'fore we sell ya back."
Lucrezia gives a gasp of indignation as she grasps the man's implication despite his horrible accent.
"Ok, we are going to go find her now and castrate him."
Lucrezia look about I did a small edit and spoiler to you.
Yes, you recognize this as a pig slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouses tend to be in the northern end of the city or in the ruined district. other than what i mentioned above you do not know this particular man or his companion.
The second man there has scar down his left cheek, he is big and burly, his brown hair is cropped short. For a ruffian he has some nice gear on including a heavy pick tied to his back, and light pick to his left side. His ornate cloak is blood red and covers his armor for what you can see. He spits through a his gappy front teeth and the stream of brownish liquid splatters the scared noble's face.
Distracted by the man's words, Lucrezia belatedly recognizes a tattoo on the man.
"Andrea, look at the side of that guy's neck. Isn't that tattoo the symbol for the Redknives?"
Andrea looks into the sensor and her eyes narrow. A jagged knife? We ran into a gang called the Redknives in the sewers. They are led by a man named Henk who I saw talk to one of the Drovanges at a tavern..oh almost a year ago. They are based in the sewers, or at least use it to travel through.
Andrea the second man, the one with the scar, is none other than Henk himself. You recognize him, although he looks stronger and much better equipped. The past year has obviously been good to him.
It is apparent that the pock-faced man is taking Sascar someplace else, the seem to be following Henk. What you can hear through the scrying is the sound of hacking and chopping, then there is the sight of blood on the floor in a much larger room. That blood is flowing into a waste drain. You can make out several pairs of boots moving, some workman like boots but most are high leather marching sturdy footwear for rugged terrain.
"Take 'er down, and no friggin' fun with 'er or you'll be tastin' my pick in yer skull"
"right boss."
There is a sewer drain in the slaughterhouse and the noble and poke faced man disappear. The man arrives at "T" intersection and turns right, "I'll 'ave fun wit or witout 'is say, besides ye are a corpse soon anyways, ye lush." Then the spell disappears.
We better get down there right now since he plans on raping and killing her. They might be at the location we saw them when we first ran into them after we fled from the Hellknights. Henk looks much better equipped, no doubt lots of money from the Drovanges.
Daniel pales only slightly at the image.
But his jaw is set and his throat muscles twitch, betraying his anger.
We must find her.
I have some Soothe Syrup, just four bottle though. The sewers made us vomit the last time we went in their so we should be prepared.
Talbard mentions, "The slaughterhouse area does encompass quite a few buildings and unfortunately, I did not recognize, or observe enough information to get an idea of which one she is located in." He casts a concerned look, "They have more than one hostage."
Andrea raps her fingers on a table. Unfortunately I do not have a prayer ready that could help locate her. it seems that this has to be settled within the day, if not hours.
We can rush over and try to gather information on which building the Red Knives have been seen around. Just kicking in door will waste time at best and most likely make them scatter.
I can relieve sickness by laying on hands. Mind you the syrup is a better option to start, for I can only do it a few times a day.
He becomes thoughtful, checking his emotions.
If you are ready, I would leave as soon as we are able.
Firstly though, what are you group's usual tactics, I will do my best to fit in. I am a trained soldier but a group doesn't get established without understanding each other, where should I stand in the line?
Iomedae's blessings make me immune to fear and those within 10feet are bolstered. I can magically accept a fatal hit for an ally and have some magic to compel foes to attack me.