Knowledge (arcana):
Knowledge (religion):
Aleksandr looks at the casewith uncertainty. He appears to be deciding internally, before he moves forward and opens it.
"Let's see what is in here," he says.
"Your room has been prepared for the night, Taanyth, feel free to retire if you wish." Kendra says.
You previously identified the symbol as that of the order of Palatine Eye, a secret society in Ustalav with arcance and political interests.
Inside the case, you find a folded wooden board, decorated with letters and numbers, and a small brass triangle with a hole in the center, together they are what is called a spirit planchette, though this one is a good deal more elaborate and finely-made than the ones frequently used by children in attempts to scare each other.
Inside the case as well, you find four glass vials, with stylized iron casings covered in necromantic runes. Inside the vial itself, a small black dot is suspended. It appears to suck at the light, lending the entire vial a dark and shadowy content. There are six slots for them, but only four remain.
Taanyth is about to go up to retire, when he notices the necromantic runes which catch his attention. He casts Read Magic in hopes that he may decipher them and Detect Magic to see if he can identify any of the items before him.
From the decorated board, you read no magic. the brass planchette itself, emenates a moderately-strong aura of divination.
The four vials give of a weak necromantic aura, and you recognize them as a rare and highly specialized set of Haunt Siphons. When the vials are unstopped, they draw in the energy of a nearby undead spirit (causing 3d6 damage). They are only useable once, but when filled they can be thrown and burst with explosive necromantic energy (1d6 pts of negative energy damage)
Taanyth is about to retort, however he feels too tired and decides to retire.
Kendra blinks.
"Well, does anyone else have an idea what they are?"
"Well the scarab is the symbol of the Order of the Palantine Eye. The board is a spirit planchette, but I'm unsure as to what the vials are for," Aleksandr answers.
"Is this a watch-over-you-kindly eye or a kill-you-with-a-glance eye?"
Kendra observes:
"It looks more like the 'all-seeing' variety."
Alzano shifts nervously. "Ah... the judge-your-every-action-with-impartiality type. The worst kind, I think. At least with the other two you know where they stand."
Order of the Palantine Eye
items in box
"I don't recall anything more about the Order. I also recognize the planchette, but not the vials. Maybe Profesor Lorrimor left some notes as to what this stuff is for."
"We can beat ourselves about the head and shoulders all night over these items. I think a night's rest will open our eyes to their true nature more than anything." With that, Kendra retires.
Peredur will take some time to clean his sword and check it for any nicks from killing the centipede, then turn in for the night.
Day 3
A new day dawns, cold and grey. Breakfast is made, and the house smells of the promise of a good meal before you reach the dining room. Kendra greets you, switching between reading a book and picking at her breakfast.
The darkwood case with the four mysterious vials and the spirit planchette sit untouched on the table.
Aleksandr stretches, then joins Kendra for breakfast.
"Good morning, Kendra. I hope today's activities are far less eventful than those of yesterday," he says, tearing at a piece of bread. Aleksandr's gaze wanders to the planchette and vials.
"Perhaps we should find out what those do first," he says, almost to himself.
Taanyth, already well-dressed, joins the rest for the morning meal. He seems more lively and active than the past two days. As he is about to sit down, he spots the darkwood case and scuttles up to it.
"Good morning you two. How were your evenings? Ah! The case! There were a few things that caught my mind, but I needed rest."
He opens it and takes a look at the items within. He takes three vials with one hand, placing them between fingers, and the planchette in another hand. He looks at them carefully, then faces the rest at the table.
"Yes. Definitely." says the elf as he raises the planchette, "So this triangular specimen is not quite just a piece of wood and glass. I sensed an aura on it yesterday as I still do now. Divination. Quite strong actually."
He then displays the vials.
"Now these things are quite exciting and rare. They are what you call 'Haunt Siphons'. Necromantic little things that vacuum energy of nearby undead spirits. Quite painful as I've heard. It seems to me that our friend, your father, Kendra, was preparing somewhat of a Pharasmic assault. Intense."
"So these things are designed to trap incorporeal undead?"
"Good morning Iesha. Thank you once again for your healing yesterday. And no. I believe it is rather to channel undead spirits to damage something else, as if it were dominated but on a weaker scale."
The elf joins the rest fo the morning's meal and takes some food and drink. He also takes out his spellbook to complete today's meditations while eating.
"Oh," he exclaims while pulling out yesterday's scrolls from his bag, lays them on the table, and points to them one by one, "Protection from Evil, Hide from Undead, Detect Undead."
He then takes a spoon of his food and resumes reading.
Alzano listens to Taanyth with a confused look. "Channel undead spirits? Dominated? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought the types of people who want to control the undead were the bad ones. Isn't it better just to destroy them outright?"
Kendra listens intently, then interjects:
"As my father once told me, spirits and ghosts, haunts and the like are all supported by necromantic, or negative energy. Judging by Taanyth's information, these are not used to dominate or control undead, rather they are used to strip a spirit of the energy it uses to interact with our plane, and destroy them. I imagine that energy can be used again once it is captured. I suppose there is only one way to find out, but I pray you won't have to!"
"So they function somewhat like an alchemist's bombs, only using negative energy. I see there are a few missing. Didn't the Professor's notes say he was going to take some? I wonder what hapened to the ones he took. Kendra..." Iesha pauses, looking nervous "I know this may be rough to remember, but do you know if anything like this was found with your father's body?"
Kendra pauses for a second, her eyes seem to affix on something unseen. A pained look starts to manifest on her face, but quickly vanishes.
"No. Just his staff, his components, and a blank notebook."
"Petros were a clever man. Might we have a look at th' notebook you spoke of?"
"That's interesting. And disturbing. Did he use them? Or...did someone -or something- take them? The more we learn about this the odder it gets and the less we seem to know for sure."
Kendra nods her head at Peredur.
"My father has gone through many such notebooks in his investigations. I will fetch that one."
She retrieves it presently and places it in front of Peredur.
Opening the notebook, it is indeed blank.
Peredur looks at it to see if any pages are missing, and if there are any indentations on pages where something might have been written on a page resting on the page we can see.
The notebook is pristine, untouched, almost mockingly empty. If Lorrimor planned on using this to record something at Harrowstone, he must never have gotten the chance.
Alzano continues to eye the vials with unease despite Kendra's explanation. Trying to put aside thoughts of negative energy and undead, he considers the group's course of action for the day. "So... what's the plan today? At some point I'd like to check out the records in the town hall. Dig up some info on these prisoners we learned about yesterday. Names... why they were so dangerous... stuff like that. If not today then sometime soon."
Taanyth casts Detect Magic on the book.
"I think that would be an excellent idea. At the moment we have no idea of what we're up against. Professor Lorrimor seemed to think the Whispering Way was interested in someone who died at the prison. Given the incident at the memorial, perhaps we should pay particular attention to prisoners with names beginning with 'V'."
A humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate...
"I agree, let us find out more about the criminals who were imprisoned within Harrowstone's walls. It might lead us somewhere," Aleksandr nods in agreement with everyone's points.
"We've checked the records at the Temple, though since we're not sure what we need to know, there may still be information there for us. Kendra, I believe you said other information might be found in the Town Hall and in this Unfurling Scroll place. Those places are where we should check next. Who wants to go where?"
"I'll check the Unfurling Scroll. Does anyone want to come with me? And who wants to check out the Town Hall or return to the temple?"
"I shall go with Iesha."
"I'll come along too," Aleksandr says, "I'm usually quite accurate at determining if someone is speaking the truth or not, and I must admit that I feel the hand of someone who is adept with the arcane arts in these problems that seem to have beset this town."
Aleksandr quickly looks at Taanyth, "Not, of course, to infer that the arcane magical arts are evil, you understand."
"If we believe splitting up is safe, I'm thinking the town hall. Though might be tough for a Varisian looking like me to get to the records." Alzano scratches at his stubbly chin... he hasn't shaved at all but his face looks the same. "'Course I could always just come with you all. Might find something you miss."
"'Tis not sure I am that I'd have aught to bring to th' Unfurling Scroll, and 'tis unlikely I'd get a pleasant reception at th' Town Hall, either. I shall return to th' Temple to see if there's aught else to be found there as regards th' prisoners." He ponders a moment. "Alzano, I'd be glad of your help there, an' you'd care to join me; two sets of eyes are better than one."
Alzano looks at the half-elf for a few moments, his face expressionless except for a slight furrow in his brow, before responding. "Uh... sure? I mean... I guess there could be something I missed the first time. I suppose it helps they already know us there. Maybe we can all head to the town hall tomorrow or something."
"My thought as well, for of us Aleksandr and Iesha are th' best at speaking to strangers."
Alzano and Peredur make their way across the river to the Temple of Pharasma. Greeted by the same acolyte, they are lead to the basement to continue their research.
Iesha, Taanyth and Aleksandr make their way to the Unfurling Scroll. You pass field hands and farmers on their way to the morning work. The town smithy sings the song of hammer on steel. Sheriff Caeller leans against the doorframe of his office. A small group of children are singing a skipping song, watched over by a ragged old dog that sits on the gazebo in the town center. They are singing in Varisian, giggling and laughing as they do.
The lyrics are a dark contrast to the tone they are sung in.
"Put her body on the bed,
Take a knife and lop her head.
Watch the blood come out the pipe,
Feeds the stirge, so nice and ripe.
Drops of red so sparkly bright,
Splatters spell her name just right.
With a hammer killed his wife,
Now he wants to claim your life.
Tricksy father tells a lie,
Listen close or you will die."
When you reach the Unfurling Scroll, several older children are being ushered in by an aging man with a stiff countenance. The children filter into a back room and take seats at long tables. The store owner is aparently the town teacher as well.
He greets you with a raised eyebrow.
"Adventurers. Here for scrolls? I have a few wands as well. All I ask is you do not interrupt..." Here he barks at one of the children, "Yost, SIT DOWN!", his attention returns to you, "Please do not interrupt the studies of the children. How can I help you?"
"Sadly, th' arcanist who supplied us with light spells isn't with us today. If you would, please set us up so that we're not threatening th' archives with fire."
As they pass the children singing, Aleksandr stops. It's the mention of stirges that catches his ear.
"Where did you hear that song?" he asks the children.
Aleksandr: The children freeze, and look very intently at the ground: the clearly-guilty-but-not-quite-sure-of-what look is evident. They remain silent.
"Maybe we would buy scrolls another day. For now, my companions and I wish to peruse your archives for there are certain knowledges we seek."
"Naturally. I have the most noteworthy repository of knowledge, local, arcane and otherwise for miles around. If you wish access to my archives, it will be a small fee. Ten gold pieces for the day." He smiles, ever-so-slightly. In the other room, the children rustle impatiently.
Alzano wordlessly follows the acolyte to the archives and begins to research once more. He isn't able to focus as well as the day before, his mind preoccupied with his less-than-stellar performance of last night's combats.
Mulling over the records, you can see that after the prison was established, its successes lead to dangerous prisoners being transferred from locations all around Ustalav.
You also locate the transfer paperwork for five prisoners labelled as 'highl dangerous'
The names of the prisoners are: Father Charlatan, The Piper of Illmarsh, The Lopper, The Mosswater Marauder and the Splatter Man.
Alzano and Peredur are engaged in research until roughly 4 PM. Once the remainder of the group catches up, we will move on as a whole.
[b]"I hope we didn't disturb you, girls. It's just that we've. never heard that version before.Is it common here?"[/]