And yet, despite knowing that it is a forgery, it is still the best lead you have so far....
As you walk towards the dock, however, two doors of nearby buildings fly open to reveal a rough-looking militia soldier behind one and a man wearing a mask covering his features stepping out from the other.
Reis and Aramil both raise their crossbows in perfect coordination and plant two bolts into the shoulder of the masked man! He grunts in pain and grimaces at Zhaasharr's boast.
"You should not tempt the wrath of Razmir, scaled-one!" the masked man shouts back as he approaches Zhaasharr.
The warrior pulls out a handaxe and lets a curse fly as he closes in on Piety:
rp: 16 dmg
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"Hah, I knew it!", exclaims Quinn when he notices the forgery. "But, we don't have another choice, do we?", he smiles to his comrades.
-----Combat time-----
"Ow, why i'm not surprised?", was Quinn's reaction while Reis and Aramil shoots the 'man in the mask'.
Seeing that the Razmir follower was almost debilitated, the investigator turns around him in a safe distance, and then steps forward to stab him... Not exactly to kill him, for sure.
His blow passes too far from the target, indeed.
Quinn and Aramil try to attack the men but aren't able to find an opening. Piety brings ill fortune down on the mercenary. Reis tries to heal Zhaasshar's gaping wound while the nagaji shouts at the men, who freeze in place in fear!
rp: 16 dmg
Quinn and Aramil work together to beat up on the Razmiri preacher while Reis heals up the party!
rp: 26 dmg
Zhaasshar strikes the priest and sends the man collapsing to the ground. Piety's blow nearly knocks the mercenary off his feet as well but he retains just enough health to call out, "Yield! Yield!" He throws down his axe and looks at the unconscious priest in disgust. "Divine protection, he said! Pfuh!"
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Armail scowls at the priest.
"Yes! As my friend said "fake cleric" you'll give us some answers as to why you..." Aramil points a long finger down at the mercenary attacked us...And you sent you."
Armail then has a thoughtful look on his face.
What cause do the followers of Razmir have to attack us openly? There is something more to this...
The mercenary pulls out his copy of Behold the Living God!, a lengthy religious pamphlet extolling Razmir’s miracles and the rewards that await his loyal servants, and brandishes it before you. "Submission to the living god is the only way to end the war with Molthune and bring peace to Nirmathas! The Pathfinders are the last barrier to Razmir’s dominance of Tamran. He promised divine protection in this fight, for it was in service of the Living God."
The priest scowls and you can tell from his expression that he is trying hard not to roll his eyes at the militiaman. Clearly he does not buy the man's story but used the man's zealousness nonetheless. "My church superiors sent me to Tamran to serve a half-orc and a Varisian man working in this area. Or so it was supposed to be. They quickly relegated me to instead work for a rude woman who smells of dirt and does not show Razmir the proper deference. All of my meetings with her took place outside of Tamran."
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Zhaashar thinks a moment before saying.
Where outssside Tamran did you meet priest ?
Then turning to his comrades he adds
It seemsss that the Razmiran are also used by Guaril's ennemies. The woman he depictsss looksss like the one trying to frame us in the tavern.
We already know that a Varisian is involved in thisss. But the presence of an half-orc is new.
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"Submission to the living god is the only way to end the war with Molthune and bring peace to Nirmathas! The Pathfinders are the last barrier to Razmir’s dominance of Tamran. He promised divine protection in this fight, for it was in service of the Living God."
"Poor man, they made a brainwash on him."
Quinn gives a hand to the mercenary, "look, my friend, I don't know who told this to you, but the guy who did it was lying, we, the Pathfinders, are here to bring peace to this place. Think about your actions tonight, right?", the investigator brings the copy of 'Behold the Living God!' and continues, "do a good thing to yourself and burn this", he said with a seriously countenance.
"My church superiors sent me to Tamran to serve a half-orc and a Varisian man working in this area. Or so it was supposed to be. They quickly relegated me to instead work for a rude woman who smells of dirt and does not show Razmir the proper deference. All of my meetings with her took place outside of Tamran."
"And about you, follower of the 'living god', if your superiors sent you here to serve a half-orc and a Varisian man, they at least told you their names, huh? And this woman, she is big and has a black and white hair? Well, do you know her name? And where exactly do you meet them?"
Quinn was paying very attention into the cleric's words and if he shows any sign, that indicates he was lying in his answers.
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Armail turns to Zhaasshar.
"Yes this news of the half orc is disturbing"
He pauses for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face. He asks the priest ignoring the pamphlet in this hand.
"Yes as my friend said...we are not interested in the "Living God" and his supposed divine protection. When was the last time you saw the half orc?"
The priest is at least reasonable in understanding that you will not let him go painlessly without answering your questions. "The woman... she never gave a name. We met at these forts out in the wilderness, a different one each time but I couldn't retrace my steps if you asked me. Too many old abandoned forts out there. I don't know who the Varisian and half-orc were or if that was just a ploy to get me out here, don't suppose they're important any more. I certainly never met them. The big woman, the one with black and white hair, though, she's been giving the orders and she's the one I was supposed to report to."
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"It seems that nobody knows nothing in this city, huh?"
Quinn was tired about these men who never knows nothing, and for a while he thought that this woman maybe doesn't exist. Then he comes back to reality.
"Well, and how do you contact her? You send a crow to her?", his words was clearly ironic, denoting his impatience.
"Look, I'm a good man, and as a good man I'm cordially asking you answers to some questions. But if you tell me 'ow, she contacted me all the time, I never knew how to find her' or another b%#*%+!! like this, my friend there" - he points to Zhaasshar - "will put his sword to 'speak' with you. Right?"
The priest is starting to lose his temper at the nature of this interrogation, that despite his cooperation you are still treating him as hostile. "Why would I need to contact her? She contacts me! I haven't spoken to her in a few days, when she told me to lay this ambush. I could lie and make something up but you'd figure that out soon enough and then come back here and rough me up some more, right? I'm giving you all I know, more than I should! Do you know what happens when the ones in charge figure out that I've been talking? I'm a dead man! What more do you want from me?"
You recall that Guaril Karela should be returning to the Lodge tomorrow from his own investigations, if you wish to compare notes with him....
By the time you get back to Ashfall Lodge, Guaril Karela is there waiting for you, as promised. "I hope you uncovered some information, my friends," says Guaril as he applies a dab of wax to his moustache, "For my investigation was only partially successful. My sources tell me that the filthy weasels stealing my cargo are hiding in an abandoned fort. Which fort, they could not say. I would have learned more, but some men... they cannot tolerate pain, eh? Sadly for us, the Nirmathi abandoned many forts after the last Molthuni invasion. And your source mentioned abandoned forts as well, no?" He presents you with a map of Tamran and its surrounding territory. "These four are our best bets."
Guaril Karela nods at your plan and wishes you luck.
You spend most of the day roughing through the swampy backwoods to arrive at Fort Drejas only to find it abandoned and completely void of people. Certainly this is not the Aspis base you were hoping to find. Guaril shakes his head in disappointment. "We choose poorly. It was a good guess, but I fear the Aspis now have had time to prepare. Doubtless they had agents watching our exit from town. We should hurry to Fort Ursoss. However, many of these old forts had hidden escape routes. I suggest we scout the surrounding area."
Despite your best efforts, it takes you several hours to locate what you think is the escape entrance. It lies about 300 feet from the ruined entrance to the fort. "Perhaps I should guard this place, to ensure you a way out if things go poorly." The tunnel is covered by a grate that you can swing open. At the other end of the tunnel you come to a dead end where the tunnel stops at the back side to a secret door. You push it open.
Inside you arrive in a storage room filled with an assortment of crates, barrels, and boxes filled with a variety of mundane supplies. You can hear sounds coming from the hall to your right.
Quinn peeks around the corner and can see the hall down the room: Rolled up straw mats lie in a pile against the western wall of this room, leaving the damp earthen floor exposed. The walls appear freshly cleaned, though they are still speckled with stray flecks of moss and mold. Open cages line the southern wall of the room, and the air is rich with the smell of recently shifted earth. Archways lead to the north and to the east.
Unfortunately, there is also a large badger and two giant weasels in the room as well as. . . a large woman with black-and-white hair! The badger hisses at Quinn's entrance!
Unfortunately Bucky has better luck than Piety and it brushes off the curse! At a quick command from the woman it leaps at Quinn with froth flying from its mouth!
The weasels scurry forward and try their best to bite Quinn around the corner.
The woman steps away and growls, "Blasted Pathfinders! Always sticking your noses where they don't belong!" As she says this, she spits and cracks her knuckles while smiling confidently to reveal a row of canine teeth. "I take it you aren't interested in surrendering without a fight?" She laughs at this.