Vendalfek runs in circles. "This can't be. A devil! We need to find that!" the tiny dragon fumes.
"Because it is assaulting your place of rest? O Mighty one?"
Fhingle mumbles a word and begins to look around the basement.
Fhingle thoroughly searches the basement, but there is no devil to see. He only flushes out some rat, behind some crates.
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Saul lies back in his office, staring at the ceiling, feel up on his desk. His hands hold up his leaning head.
How to catch an invisible foe? Number 1, look for his tracks. Yes, I am terrible at that... I'm no ranger. Okay, moving on... Number 2, cast a spell. Yeah... nevermind. Number 3, trap him. Yeah, that has better potential. I could rig up a claw of some type, but that assumes this thing is dumb and would fall for it... Hmmm. Number 4, make his tracks easier to follow. Right... Right! Combine that with a stakeout. I could probably find a nice place to sit down there where I wouldn't be seen...
Spurred into action by his contemplative thoughts, Saul pops up and goes toward the door. He pauses as he looks at his spear. Take it or no?
He grabs it and heads back to the coffeehouse, but stops by a shop and buys a bag of flour on the way.
"You don't look like a baker to mee? Do shopping for the wife?" the old shopkeep at the groceries store tries to make small talk. At the wall you see the portrait of Queen Abrogail Thrune II of the Thrice Damned House of Thrune that every shop must have now.
"Vendalfk the rat is fiendish, shall we kill it?" Fhingle offers up the first chance at carnage.
The shopkeep's smile vanishes and he simply counts out the change, not interested to delve deeper into that sensible topic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as Fhingle spoke his sentence, the rat vanished in front of his eyes.
"Where is it?" Vendalfek inquires, shooting down from his 'throne' to the crate Fhingle moved to the side, searching where Fhingle looks but seeing nothing.
"A fiendish rat, I can sense the presence but cannot see the creature. get some flour or dirt or something and we can lay it down. If it walks through that we can see the tracks. My old Master used to do that all the time when summoning creatures. Lay out flour and if something got out we could see where it went." Fhingle continues to concentrate.
"FOllow me." Fhingle gives chase, pulling out his small mace, Fhignle will try to lead it into a room so that the door can be closed behind them.
"Maggie I need you!"
Fhingle points wildly around the air running after the infernal presence. Saul follows and once he believes to be sure enough and tired of nothing happening he throws the flour roughly in that direction.
Shortly a tiny winged creature becomes outlined, before the powder falls off again.
Vendalfek uses his magic on the area.
You hear and see no drop to the floor.
"Listen, I represent a group of people very interested in helping the people this administration is screwing over. If you take me to your captain, I can start formulating a plan."
"Aye." the sailor replies and leads you to the ship, the Scourge of Belial. To your surprise this is no merchant ship from Varisia or Rahadoum, but a Chelish Warship, flying the flag of the Thrice Damned House of Thrune.
Shit. But maybe ... "Well now I'm even more intrigued, friend. Detaining merchants or pirates is one thing, but officials of the great Chelish Empire? Stinks of treason ..."
Fhingle stands still listening and trying to concentrate on where the creature is.
Fhingle moves towards the creature, Raising his Mace and bringing it down on the spot he detects.
Fhingle beats the air really hard, almost toppling himself over. Saul and Vendalfek see nothing anymore and even listening doesn't help as Vendalfek also makes noise with his wings and trying to fight is not exactly silent.
Vendalfek only needs to know where the intruder roughly is. And Fhingle is pointing that out. He casts another sleep spell. He'd do that all day if neccessary.
This time something falls down with a slight thud.
Fhingle motions for Saul to move forward, he demeanor has shifted to that of battle and his speech.
Saul has no idea what that is, but for sure it's no rat. With the flour on it, the creature sneezes, but doesn't wake yet.
As Fhingle doesn't make do something Saul stabs the creature and kills it. After a few minutes the body becomes visible. It's a slim clawy, leather winged devil with claws at hands and feet and a long tail with a stinger.
"A devil came down here, how did it follow us? We were so careful." Fhingle asks around.
"something my master summoned to follow me around before he died?"
Vendalfek looks snub at the corpse. "Me is the only one here!" he exclaims, turns away and flies back to his throne.
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Saul hands Vendalfek a gold piece as he flies away. "Another enemy vanquished by your hands, Mighty One. You presence here is much appreciated."
"We've been going in and out of the Longroads quite a bit. Too much, maybe. Perhaps we should cut our goings here in half, spend a little more time at Cassius' bar. Let's ask him about it next time he is in.""
Though hanging out at a bar is not the best idea for me... Ah, the smells, the feeling of a nice shot of whiskey. Makes my mouth water...
"Speaking of bars, where is Logan? He's probably dead to the world in the Tooth and Nail. Little Mac, I'm headed over to make sure he is keeping his mouth shut. Wanna come, or would you rather keep things secure here?"
"I don't have a home other than here, I can go with you to find Logan, he was a friend and I think we should see if he is in trouble." Fhingle gets his pack and goes with Saul.
When going upstairs Fhingle stops to talk to Laria, "We are going out for a bit, do you need anything while we are out?"
"Thanks, but no thanks." you hear out of the kitchen.
S$$$. But maybe ... "Well now I'm even more intrigued, friend. Detaining merchants or pirates is one thing, but officials of the great Chelish Empire? Stinks of treason ..."
The sailor still tries to figure out who is the traitor in this scheme as the two reach the plank to enter the ship.
"I'm requesting allowance to bring a guest aboard." the sailor asks of the deck officer.
An elven woman wearing the insignia of Cheliax on her armor which by the looks of it is high ranking on this ship calls down. "What do you think we are? This is a Chelaxian Warship and no whore where everyone can get on. Are there no sailors with proper training anymore? I'll make you remember! Get aboard!"
"And you - get lost." she adds to Cassius, eyeing him as if taking a mental note.
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On the way over to the Tooth and Nail with Fhingle, Saul gives his recent opinion of Logan.
"He's a friend, good in a fight of course, but maybe he's not the right fit for our group. He drinks too much and talks too much, and is that ever a good combination? Even in the last battle, after being warned about ten times, he still dropped one of our real names."
Saul sighs and shakes his head.
"My master always said never tell anyone your whole real name, there is power in names he told me. That could just be for Devils but I don't really know." Fhingle offers Saul.
"Maybe we can bring him back and get him to stop drinking?"
"Wait!" Rexus calls after Saul and Fhingle.
Taking them aside he tells. "This translation is hard and reveals little so far. But there is a secret... you know, my parents,..." he looks nervously around to be sur eno one listens in "or to be precise, my mother Porcia Victocora, was a member of a secret group of historians called the Sacred Order of Archivists. It was for sure for this reason that she and her estate were targeted for destruction by Thrune. But the archivists used a building as their stronghold. I'm sure there is more about the Silver Ravens to know there."
"We must be careful to not blow the cover of them, when going there but we must try to contact them. Would you do this, if I tell you where to find them?"
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"You'll have to tell me more about your master sometime, Little Mac. Seems like a wise man. Definitely evil... but wise...."
As they get to the entrance of the bar, Saul can hear a loud voice shouting. Logan.
Oh great....
They walk in to see Logan standing on the bar. He is regaling the place with a story, holding a pint in his hand, while very very drunk.
"Sho I thold them Chelishhh Citizhen thugshh, I told them to BACK OFF! But they kept coming at me, shooo.... A one! A two! Punch kick punch! One fell down. Then I grabbed the other one and put 'em in a headlock and... kapow! Down he went. Now the other five of 'em were looking at me with a shhhcared glint their eyeshhh, and I just shaid to them, I shaid... I need one of your amuletshh for a shheecret project. And I put up my dukeshh and kapow bam! Two more fell over. The reshht ran away, with me laughing at them! Shhooo, I grabbed one thoshhe amuletsh from their neck and shtole it! You know, those gold oneshh they wear everywhere..."
At this point in his story, Logan slips on a puddle of ale and falls off his bar, hitting his head in the process. He collapses to the ground, unconscious. Most of the bar patrons laugh and go back to their drinks, but Saul notices one person quickly slip out a back door. A snitch, surely going to get a guard.
"Oh great. Logan, you did it to yourself... Again. I can't get you out of here fast enough."
Saul reaches down and quickly rummages through Logan's pockets. He pulls out the Silver Raven, the amulet of natural armor +1, a couple of potions, and his coin purse.
"I hope I see you again someday friend... after you are sober. Enjoy another stint in jail."
With a nod he directs Fhingle out of the bar before the Dottari arrive.
"It's at Hocum's Fantasmagorium." Rexus whispers.
The Fantasmagorium is an old building in the Red Roof district, that is no longer in use. An eyesore in the city.
"He was crazed and make to many deals and it got him killed." Fhingle replies.
Once entering the bar Fhingle sees that Logan is a lost cause, the man is drunk and retelling stories of what they did and were meant to keep secret. Fhingle tugs at the arm of Saul's coat.
"Lets just leave before he says something and brings to much attention to us Lets find Cassius and head out to get the items we were asked to collect."
"We can yes, what should we be looking for there?" Fhingle asks