"Who would do such a cruel thing? I may have killed them but I take no joy from it."
"I'm too glad you came, and just in time." Yorikata says as she comes out behind the tree with Brinya.
"I guess introductions are called for." Yorikata suggests and starts "These are Gran't', Lanneth - Dain and Balder you probably know, as they are with the Patrol."
"We didn't introduce either, I'm Yorikata and you are?"
Greetings. I wonder whose dogs these were? We should check to see if there were any stolen dogs.
The wolf tracks lead into the park a bit more but after that you cannot find where they would have come from outside of the park.
"I am Brinya, nice to meet you all."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Brinya." Yorikata replies. "Brinya is... was a friend of Rodrik. Where did we stop before the wolves interrupted?"
"We talked about Katrezra, right. You got an idea where he might be? Or where Rodrik might have looked for that lost item?" Yorikata inquires, while trying to keep Brinya's secret relationship a secret.
"I don't know where he would be, maybe with someone he would feel safe with. Have you talked with Sara Morninghawk yet? She might know more about Katrezra and his location."
Lanneth comes back to the group looking irritated.
I can't follow the tracks on the hard packed streets beyond the park, but at least I didn't see any more wolves either.
Then she steps back and lets her companion talk to the woman.
"Yes we were there, but didn't ask about him I think." she looks at the others if someone objects. "This town isn't that big, or did he leave? We could ask that other guard captain, what was his name? Kurst, was it, right?"
"Please tell me we don't have to speak to Omast again." Balder says rolling his eyes.
"Brinya, where can I find you, if we find something out, so I can tell you?" Yorikata asks, as it seems they will move on with th investigation.
Once she got the answer, she says goodbye to Brinya and asks Lanneth to show her where she lost the tracks. "Wolves don't fall from the sky. And you can smell them from half a mile away against the wind." she muses. She looks around for any tracks of a cart or something or some deep footprints, or large feathers from a magical bird dropping them.
"I guess I have to come back later." she tells, beforeshe trns to leave with Lanneth to whomever she wants to speak next.
"Katrezra wouldn't leave town, he was a slave to the orc tribe one once belonged too and the High Priestess gave him sanctuary at the Sanctuary." Brinya smiles a bit at Balder's statements about Omast.
The group makes its way back to Clamor, Sara is working on what looks like a hopeknife.
"Hello, it's us again. We're searching for Katrezra and Brinya mentioned that you may know where he is. Do you?" Yorikata interrupts the half-orc smith.
Sara looks up from her work, staring hard at the group trying to figure out your angle.
"I may have seen him."
"Would you tell us please? He might know what happened to Rodrik and why." Yorikata begs for information.
Sara looks around your gathered group, her heavy blacksmiths hammer held in a light grip. From behind her you hear some shuffling, "It is ok Sara, I will talk to the children." a wizened voice says, the Half orc has some open weeping sores on his face and bare arms that you can see.
"Oh, what happened to your skin?" Yorikata asks skeered.
Lanneth tries to determine what is wrong with the Half-Orc.
Then if she succeeds she starts listing off the full Medical Name/symptoms not even waiting for Katrezra to answer.
Looks like the sores happen all the time by the healed skin you can see."
"This is from my time with the Empty Hand tribe, they thought the caustic fumes form Brimstone Haruspex,would give me visions, it did a bit." Katrezra wheezes.
This an Orc temple on the Kodar Moutains
Did the raging hoards try to make you an oracle?
"They did yes child, the caustic gases did offer some visions but it caused all sorts of other issues. I fled them years ago and have lived in Trunau for many years." Sara gets Katrezra a chair so he can rest. "You come with more questions about Rodrik?"
"Yes. We found out already that he was poisoned before he was killed with the hope-knife that was not his own. And he had no reason to kill himself. And he was after something important. It just doesn't form into a whole picture that points to the true culprit." Yorikata explains. "Do you know more?"
"He initially came to me for my advice on courting a Fellow orc even if she is of mix ancestry. I have vision of many things but I am not good at helping with Love." Katrezra smiles a bit "Do I appear the romantic type?" Katrezra continues "He then came to talk to me about his investigation, this was after I had vivid hallucinations of white swords or crosses."
"What were his investigation about?" Yorikata asks. "And what do those white crosses mean?" she adds open-mouthed.
"The crosses I am not sure. To be truthful, I don’t think even he knew exactly what he was looking for. Rodrik had run afoul of a flood troll in the Plague House not long ago, and the poor fellow was convinced it was not just an isolated incident. He came to me seeking guidance, and his curiosity was piqued by my visions. I told him that flood trolls are native to Belkzen, but they rarely roam this far south of the Flood Road. Since learning of his investigation, though, I have had nightmares unlike any before, and I fear that some greater evil may be at play within Trunau’s walls.” Katrezra is a bit winded after all this talking, Sara brings him some water and continues to stand near him in a protective manner
"Inside the walls? Oh, no!" Yorikata voices saucer-eyed. "But it makes sense. If someone is painting these white swords. And killing Rodrik in his room. And these wolves. If there is no hole in the wall then someone must have brought them in."
"Should we investigate this Plague House? What is that by the way, or where? I never heard of it."
The Plague House, also known as the Burned Church, was
Trunau’s original church of Iomedae. When orc raiders
burned the building down and killed the priests within, the
church of Iomedae decided to build a new chapel inside the
city walls. The ruined church became known as the Plague
House following a tragedy 50 years ago, when Trunau was
aff licted with a plague. The town’s authorities hastily
rebuilt the structure and used it to quarantine the plague
victims, but a mysterious fire consumed the building a few
days later, killing everyone inside—patients and healers—
and leaving the infamous site once again in ruins. None
have attempted to rebuild it since.
"It is just outside the town behind the Large Stone south of the town." Katrezra also fumbles around in his robes for something, eventually producing a note book. "This was Rodrik's Journal"
Yorikata reads the offered journal. "That's the more reason to check on this plaque house. What does ashes of the past mean?"
"The Plague house burnt down twice" Sara tells you
"What do you say? Shall we go and see this plague house now?" Yorikata asks the others, but mainly Lanneth.
Then she turns back to Katrezra as it hits her like lightning "Why are you hiding? Is someone after you?"
"Sounds like as good a place as any to look."
"Well if someone killed Rodrik then I could be next." Katrezra says.
"That is true. We won't tell anyone that you're here. And maybe tell Brinya not to tell anyone too."
"Lets hussle. Sunset will be upon us soon." Balder adds then hefts his oversized mace anxious to get moving.
If we wish to go, lets hurry, as we do not want to be outside the walls at night.
"Thank you very much for your help." Yorikata tells Katrezra and Sara. "I'll tell you tomorrow what we found. Stay safe."
As most agreed to make haste, Yorikata moves with a fast pace towards the main gate. She stops for a short talk with the guards on shift there. "Good evening. We are going for a short round-trip around town. I'm sure you have heard of the wolf attack in the middle of town this afternoon by now. We want to take a look at the wall from outside and check for holes."
"Have you seen anything outside today we should be aware of? Some orc activity or some wild animal?" Yorikata tries to get some info before they leave the safe haven inside this dangerous sea.
"Not that we have heard about but the Patrols are due back in about an hours time Ma'am." The guard tells Yorikata.
The group makes their way around the town towards the south, the town isn't overly large but having to leave the north main gate then head to the opposite end of the city is mildly time consuming. You arrive with about an hour and thirty minutes left of sun light. The group takes the western Path to the Plague house so you can approach from the front and see if there is something on instead of around the Monolithic stone that blocks view of the Plague house.
"That window looks pretty. And the doors are still in place. If that is burned down twice, then I don't understand the concept of burning down something." Yorikata comments. "Who wants to go in first?"
Dain grabs his axe and takes the lead.
Lanneth stays and tries to get not in the front or in the back.
When it's time to climb up, Lanneth tries to do so.
And scrambles up quiet easily after all her time in the woods.
Yorikata follows Lanneth.
As she stands before the door, Lanneth uses her keen elven eyes to looks for any clues to what might have interested Rodrik and triggered the note they found.
Balder heaves himself onto the porch with little effort then once in the doorway he hefts his large mace and leans it over his right shoulder and walks in alongside Dain.
"Pickin' up anything Bramage?" he says to Dain as Balder surveys the area.
Well one way to find out! Dain kicks down the first door of the game.
Dain enters first and sees a set of double doors to his right, stepping a bit further down the hall he can see a larger room at the end and another single door to his left. Everyone can notice at the end of the corridor that you are in that the Monolithic boulder has broken through the back wall.
Left!
Even Balder is taken aback at the size of the boulder. "That's massive!"
A narrow corridor goes down about 25' before making a left, there is a set of stairs up.
Looks like we go up
As they are moving around Lanneth keeps watch to see if she sees any signs of creatures moving around here, or hidden passages.