"A good thing too, we encountered wights and worse." remarked a tired sounding von Urslinghen, "They seem to be building up in two places, Kuto's well and the graveyard. We've had problems with the graveyard before but never undead from Kuto's well so something must have changed. We lead expeditions into both and slaughtered scores of lesser undead along with a handful of more powerful ones. Unfortunately we didn't uncover the cause, I fear we have just bought time although how much I couldn't say."
He smiled as he looked at you, "Still that's enough prattling from us old men, what of your endeavors? Did you find what we hoped was there?"
Azarra smiles and brings out the law books. Yes, but we must get them copied, magically or by hand if necessary, so that we can avoid the risk of having the last copies destroyed.
Also, we found some interesting references in these other books, bringing those out too and showing them the "hint" passages they went over earlier.
She outlines Delenn's situation, and what was happening with the missing book and the guy who somehow got through all the wards and was staying down there in the disgusto-room.
She tells how he was killed, and about the angel they found and released, and explains that they have to go back.
She'll also tell them about the strange picture and the demon that they have to kill, in case either of them have pertinent tips.
The Paladin bows to both good men. He stays silent, only nodding when Azarra begins their report. He seems to straighten a bit taller at the mention of the Undead uprising.
Zane listened to the pair on councilmen's report with concern. The undead at the Keep had been troubling enough, but here in the city proper? That was unsettling. When asked to make their own report, the cleric let Azarra take the lead, the half-elf seeming to hit all the high points. The priest let the councilmen process the information for a moment, then asked, "I know you said you weren't able to find the cause, but are the undead in Kuto's Well just overflow from the Graveyard? Is this something you'll bring before the council to call for volunteers?"
The eagerness in Zane's voice is pretty clear. While he had joined the services of the Morninglord for multiple reasons, Lathander's disdain for the undead was extreme. They distorted the natural order of things and prevented the rebirth of the soul.
"It saddens me deeply, but I have to say time is not on our side" Ishta speaks, vaguely to no one in particular. "The demon was reading books - books from a magic library, no less - and it may eventually find the exit. The angel could be friend or foe, and in both cases the situation needs a quick solution. And meanwhile" she adds, "undead are spawning elsewhere at the same time the Council is undermined from the inside. So Sirs... where do we go first?"
"Oh this is good news!" enthused von Urslinghen when the law scrolls where handed over. He read through the first scroll, turned to Braccio and asked, "Do you think it's too late to rouse Tully? Look at this clause here we have an open shut case for dismissing the suit of Attinder, there's no reason to let those poor women fret overnight."
Braccio examined the scroll for a moment, "Tully's not going to be best pleased if we drag him to the law court at this hour but I think perhaps it's worth it. In any event he detested the way the law had been abused in this case."
He then clapped once and an acolyte you hadn't noticed suddenly appeared, Braccio whispered something in the man's ear and then the acolyte ran off.
Turning back to you, Braccio said "Lets give Tully half an hour, that's enough time to finish our conversation and wander over to the court."
When Zarine revealed the other findings both councilor's faces turned grim. Von Urslingen remarked, "I don't like the sound of this pro-machos legislation. Too much power in one person's hands is never a good idea. It's a relic of the past that frankly ought to stay there. Still the bar to invoking it is quite high and I can't imagine Eberhard would ever do it even if he could."
Looking a little worried Braccio murmured, "Eberhard will be eighty five next month, he's still in reasonable health but he won't be with us forever..."
When Zarine shoes the other books they found and describes the murdered lawyer, Braccio seems even more worried, "I don't like the sound of any of that. Delenn was introduced to the council by Cardona, I wonder what his game is? In any event it seems she's been poorly treated. Despite what she was told I doubt the Zhents will kill her brother, they'll keep him for ransom."
Von Urslinghen nodded, "Indeed they will. They're as bad as Waukeen's lot when it comes to the love of money. I'll call in a few favors, see if we can find out where exactly he's been held. Unfortunately that will take time."
When Zarine describes the angel, the councillor replies, "That must be the guardian Friar Jenkins told us about. I wonder about the invasion, was it all a pretext to get at that vault? Or was this done more recently? Or maybe it's the culmination of a long campaign to wear down the defenses. In it's day Mantor's Library had the reputation of being nigh impregnable. In any event I regard releasing the angel as a good thing. We must send word to the clergy of Oghma in Suzail, they will wish to resanctify once you've made it safe."
Azarra describes the picture and Braccio seems intrigued, "I wonder whose's in there? I can pray for guidance if you'd like..."
When Azarra describes the demon, Braccio's eyebrows go up, "A Suspiridaemon! By the lady that's a nasty foe, you'll need silver or blessed weapons and something to blow away the foul vapors they can summon. You might want to consider some blessed arrows so you can engage it from range as they can fly."
"Are the undead in Kuto's Well just overflow from the Graveyard?"
Braccio seems surprised by this idea, and replies uncertainly, "Well as you know there are extensive sewer tunnels and supposedly older deeper delvings beneath Phlan. Still, it's a reasonable step from Kuto's Well to the Graveyard which is outside the town perimeter, so that would be quite some tunnel. Mind you if such a tunnel exists it would explain a few things!"
"Certainly would." agreed von Urslingen, "One of the mysteries of the war is why so much of the town fell so quickly. We know nobody opened the gates to the horde, but they found a way in anyway."
"Is this something you'll bring before the council to call for volunteers?"
"Absolutely, although have no fear Ishta so far we've been able to keep a lid on it."
Azarra likes Braccio's suggestion about blessed arrows, and asks him if he can get someone to bless some of her arrows before they return.
Ishta, you can blow away foul vapors, right?
Zane listened to the two councilmen as they spoke about items of concern, glad to hear that they would attempt to secure the release of the prisoners from the Thieves' Guild very soon. He had been very concerned that their opportunity to turn their lives around and do some good might be cut short by the headsman's ax, but the councilmen seemed determined to use the law books to give them a second chance.
The priest's brow furrowed as Braccio suggested a possible sewer entrance into Phlan from outside the city, his thoughts moving forward to the fact that any undead utilizing this secret entrance were likely being directed by an intelligent source. What a mess. It would have to wait, for now, as the first concern was to use the stale laws of the land to secure the prisoners' release.
"I can do that, yes" Ishta answers to Azarra's inquiry. She's used the Gust of Wind spell before, so of course Azarra knows. It was just those confirmations that help settle things down.
"Also" she adds, "if you say the guardian angel is a potential ally, we might want to join forces with it in defeating the demon. And the angel might want to join forces with us, if the demon is half as nasty as you depict it and my memory recalls."
After some other subjects are treated, Ishta tries to build a mental time line for the 'things-to-do'.
"So, we should attend the court session, then rest and get ready for tomorrow. Completely cleaning the library and finding out about the potential tunnel full of undead seems the most urgent - we don't want the bad guys inside. Finding out how to help Delenn's brother should come next, so she'll be free to act as needed without fear of reprisals. Then we will be able to care about keeping the city expansion, always with Cadorna's plans on our minds." As she's speaking, Ishta feels her initial idea of finding out about her origin walks away further everyday, vanishing and mixing with the wind amidst all the chaos Phlan is going through. It might happen that one day she'll unearth some clues, but it doesn't look like it will be any time soon.
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Braccio listened to Ishta's suggestion before warning, "Guardian creatures are usually bound to a specific area. You would have to lure this demon down to where the angel is, assuming it would follow... But anyway yes, lets head over to the court room."
The short trip to the municipal buildings is quiet with the streets almost deserted. The council building is dark and only a few lanterns are on in the adjoining courthouse. The main entrance to the court is shut but the Councillors let you in via a side entrance to the council building that leads by a windy corridor to one of the court rooms. Inside the room is brightly lit apparently by magical means unlike the rest of the building where oil lamps are used. Looking around you find a rather surly looking Judge Tully, an equally tired looking court clerk, Barccio's acolyte and the Archivist Friar Jenkins.
Tully's eyes bore into Braccio and sounding tired he asks, "Braccio what's this in aid of? It better be something important..."
Uncowed by the judge's tone, Braccio replied mildly, "It is, you'll want to see this."
Von Urslingen handed him a scroll case which Braccio passed to the clerk who took it to the bench where Tully was sitting.
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Tully gingerly removed the two scrolls from the case and his eyes grew wide with surprise. He unfurled the first scroll which he examined closely before saying loudly "From Tir's grace come the laws of Phlan."
The vellum flared with incandescent light and an ethereal voice started reading the law, droning on incessantly about acts that had been abolished. After several minutes of this Tully said, "Stop." and the ethereal voice fell silent.
Tully scratched his ear before remarking, "Well that's pretty cut and dried. The only instance in which a Bill of Attainder can still be applied is to a noble house who aided and abetted treason. Regarding the former acolytes of Mask they are clearly not from a noble house although I'm sure some bright spark would try to argue otherwise due to the cult's defacto wealth and influence. The legal definition of a noble house is precise, you're either on the list or you're not and they're not. With that in mind the case against them is dismissed and in absence of any other charges I hereby order their immediate release."
He scratched something on a parchment, used a candle to pour some wax on it and made an impression of the official seal which he and the clerk countersigned. The clerk then handed this to Braccio.
"Anything else? If not I'm going back to bed... Oh and Friar Jenkins you shall have custody of these law scrolls, see that some copies are made." asked Tully.
"Yes your Honor! I'll see to it right away." replied Jenkins brightly, clearly delighted to see the scrolls returned to where they belonged.
He gathers the scrolls and gets ready to leave but on the way out he passes Ishta a note.
3rd Ches, 1281 DR (Year of the Cold Soul). Durendal McGee formerly of Shadow Dale applied for citizenship . Petition Granted.
17th Uktar, 1283 DR (Year of the Crawling Clouds). Shania Gest formerly of Waterdeep applied for citizenship. Petition Granted.
1st Flamerule, 1285 DR (Year of the Blacksnake). A marriage licence was granted for Durendal McGee and Shania Gest.
17th Heptos, 1287 DR (Year of the Smoky Moon). An acre of wooded land overlooking the Stojanow river was purchased by Durendal McGee. Permission was granted for the construction of a wood or stone dwelling.
I looked into this purchase, it's not far from the stone pyramid north along the Stojanow. The trees in the area are mostly mapel, perhaps the McGee's wanted to try their hand at making syrup? The area used to be quite nice but these days it's reckoned to be dangerous with strange lights reported in the woods.
Zane gleamed brightly as the justice read the ancient laws and interpreted them as binding in this situation. The priest had no doubt that at least some of the women they had captured in the Mask stronghold were rotten and would continue a life of theft and debauchery until they were caught and forfeited their lives, but if even one of them was an innocent just caught up in a scheme more complicated than themselves, the price was worth it.
The young man sighed with relief, turning to the others, "We'll want to clear out that Library first thing, then, and then perhaps liquidate our loot before strategizing about the undead situation. Since Kuto's Well is adjacent to the 'civilized' area, we should probably focus on putting down the undead there while trying to find where they might be coming from. With hope, perhaps we'll find a link between the area and the Graveyard and be able to cleanse it."
The cleric perhaps wanted to say more, but he was tired. He realized he was jumping ahead, which might be dangerous considering they were about to face off with a dangerous foe tomorrow, but it was best to have a plan in place, especially if the Council was going to add it to the list of missions currently available.
Ishta takes the note from Friar Jenkins with curiosity, though she obviously figures what can it be about. A warm glance of gratitude sprouts from her eyes before the archivist leaves.
She reads the content quickly, and thanks him again mentally. The property should be searched for clues, as soon as she has some spare time.
"So, before we take some time to prepara and rest, does anyone know of a stone pyramid North from here, by the Stojanow?"
The gold elf Paladin stands ready for their next mission.
Zane's brow furrowed as he thought about it a moment, then he said, "The only thing I know about the Stojanow in general was the bit we learned when we all first got here about the river being polluted. I don't think I've heard of a pyramid, though..." Maybe it was related, maybe purely coincidence.
Oh, I think I remember my parents talking about a pyramid... it's on Sorcerer's Isle, in the middle of the Stojanow, which of course is now toxic but used to be a beautiful river. I don't really know anything about the pyramid other than it having an evil reputation though. Think we should clear it out, Ishta?
Von Urslignen nodded, "The Sorcerer's isle certainly does have an evil reputation. It seems to be the source of the taint that makes the Stonjanow so dangerous. Upstream the water is safe to drink and bathe in, downstream well... I once saw a cow fall in. The water seemed to bubble and it's flesh sloughed off leaving naught but gleaming bones. A most distressing death for the animal and everyone who witnessed it. At some point we're going to have to
deal with this but to be frank it seems just too dangerous. The last two companies we sent didn't make it."
Stifling a yawn von Urslignen added, "Tully's right about one thing, it is getting late."
Azarra wants to go make sure the women get immediately released and have a place to stay for the night. After that is done, she'll crash until it is time to go back and finish the job.
After Von Urslingen takes his leave, Zane excused himself from the others and went to visit the humble shrine to the Morninglord. He bent his knee in supplication, asking for the might to defeat the demon on the morrow and bring Phlan one step closer to the glory of his grandfather's days before The Fall.
With the gold they would gain after clearing out the Library, Zane could commission a proper house of worship for Lathander and his devout, though he'd be only able to spend a sparse amount of time there while the footwork of reclaiming Phlan was still underway. The construction would likely take weeks, if not months, so worrying about that aspect of it seemed silly. The priest sighed tiredly and walked to the Inn and went to bed, offering any others who might be up a fond good night before retiring.
Ser Armithia spends the night at the Temple of Helm. The Paladin performs his rituals and prayers, before sleeping there.
He meets the others in the morning.
The night passes uneventfully.
Zane rose just before sunrise, as he had for several years now, feeling refreshed from the long yesterday. The priest offered his thanks to the Morninglord for another morning alive on Golarion, also asking for assistance with the remainder of the cleanup of Mantor's Library. He also offered a prayer for the women who they had liberated from the thieves' guild, hoping they would use their second chance at life and thrive with it.
Once he had finished his prayers and readied his equipment and himself for the venture, Zane went downstairs and met with the rest of his companions, cheerful and in good cheer. Besides for the strange goings-on in the Council, things in Phlan were coming along rather well. The trouble with the undead was a bump in the road, but the cleric was undeterred in thinking that things were improving.
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Not having time enough to study the strange spellbook, Ishta goes to bed worried that there might be something useful in it that they could use and they're skipping it. Since there's no other choice, for time is certainly not on their side, she tries to rest, though the night presents itself troublesome and full of strange nightmares.
In the morning, Ishta studies her spells with a bowl of oats nearby, gets herself ready and meets the others, cheerful as she can be, in an attempt to shoo away the bad thoughts and conjure some positiveness.
"Good Morning to all! I hope the Morning Lord and each and every Lord and Lady in the Heavens are today with us!"
Rising with the dawn, the Paladin offers his prayers to Helm. He studiously downs his golden armor, equips his heavy shield, and straps his magnificent bastard sword to his belt. The gold elf then retrieves the remaining equipment and joins his companions.
We may want to procure another Wand of Cure light wounds.
As you eat a light breakfast a runner appears. It's the same lad from yesterday. "Good morning." he said brightly, "Complements of the Bishop." He hands over a scroll case and waits smiling.
Azarra takes the scroll and looks at it. After a minute, she passes it to Zane.
Looks like a Cleric spell perhaps? Something about weapons?
She gives the urchin 2 silvers.
Zane accepted the scroll from Azarra and studied it for a moment before smiling. "Indeed it is. A very effective enchantment to use against the demon-thing in the Library. It can make any one of our weapons highly effective against the thing. Since Ser Armithia can likely already imbue his weapon with holy power, perhaps I should bestow this spell upon Kardas' blade before we engage?"
Agreed. We need a way to confound it's grapple.
The Watchers of Dawn accompanied once more by the Elven Mage Delenn make their way back to the library past the garden of petrified statues down through the first angelic gate to the level where you last saw the Suspiridaemon.
The gold elf Paladin leads on.
After procuring a silvered mace with which to do battle with the demon-thing, Zane was ready to descend into the Library once more and help to vanquish the evil creature from the Lower Planes. He wandered past the petrified things in the grounds, wondering if there was any way for magic to reclaim the people that had been unfortunate enough to be turned to statues by the basilisks.
As the group drew nearer, the priest signaled for a stop, whispering, "I hear the sounds of crying up ahead. Like that of a child... The tone in his voice was dubious, but he wasn't completely sure. Perhaps the thing had snatched a child in the night while they had regrouped?
I hear it too whispers Azarra.
I think though that since a Suspiridaemon is around, it must be a Lacridaemon; they are associated in the literature. They have torn flesh and sob uncontrollably, but their tears are noxious and are said to sizzle violently as they hit the ground.