The guards wear chain mail and carry greataxes. One also has a key.
As they are bound, they start to wake up. They stare daggers at you.
The man starts laughing. "Do your worst, little man!"
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Meran smiles sweetly at the guards, Prop them up against the solid part of the wall away from the gate and gag them or knock them out whichever is quicker. We don't need them calling out for reinforcements. That would just slow things up. We should get into the house to make sure everything is alright." She starts to carve off pieces of their coats to make the gags.
You take care to make sure these louts don't cause you any more immediate trouble, and head inside. It is all quiet. You look around and eventually find yourself on the upper floor, where you find a grand door.
You open the door to the master bedroom and are greeted by a blast of heat. A roaring fire blazes in the fireplace even though the day is swelteringly hot. A huge bearded man shivers under his blankets, his bed pushed dangerously close to the fire. A thin servant sits in the far corner by a window, fanning himself with a handkerchief. The bearded man looks at you and blinks a few times, then speaks through chattering teeth. “Are y-you P-path-f-finders?”
Tyros, the man-servant, tries to answer your questions.
"My master is weak, and freezes no matter what we do. I fear he only has a matter of days before even he will succumb to it."
Skelg quakes and utters: “It is as if the frozen fingers of winter’s blackest midnight clutch at my heart. I’m freezing from the inside out.”
"We c-c-caught some thieves in out basement, and since that day I have been getting colder and c-c-colder."
Kildrek easily determines that there is nothing medically, or magically within your means, that can help stop whatever is happening to Skelg.
Skelg says, "I don't know what they wanted, but I saw they took a lantern and a beam of light shot from it to hit me in the chest. M-m-maybe that has something t-t-to d-d-o with this?"
Tyros says, "Please, let my master rest. I will show you the house and where the break-in occurred. I will also answer any other questions you may have."
He leads you from the room and shuts the door.
"Come with me, " Tyros says, as he leads you through a hall, by a tapestry. It depicts an Ulfen longship on a rolling sea, mostly encased in an iceberg.
"The robbery happened a week ago. What Skelg has not mentioned is that he has enemies. The thieves were Ulfen warriors. Skelg might have taken care of them, if not for that lantern. He immediately fell to the effect of the cold. In their haste to leave quickly, they also shone the light on this tapestry. As my master tells it, a shimmering doorway appeared, frightening the intruders enough to flee the manor. They took this lantern, and other valuables. Also, this tapestry used to show a meadow scene with shepherd and flock, before the lantern shown on it."
He continues, "After the raid, one of our men named Tirfyr walked into the portal on the tapestry to investigate. He returned a moment later saying that it led to a ship encased in ice. He went back to investigate further, but after half an hour, the portal disappeared. We haven't seen him since." Skelg recognized the ship in the tapestry as the funerary ship of his old enemy, Haldyr - a ship he recently raided.
"Two days ago, Bengeirr, son of Haldyr Bjornsson, mortal enemy of my master came and killed all of our men. I believe he was behind the theft. He brought warriors to Absalom to avenge the pillaging of his father’s ship and recover the stolen funeral items."
Tyros shows you the basement, but there really isn't much new to see there.
"He returned to kill Skelg, but upon seeing him suffer from this curse, Bengeirr only laughed. He denies him a warrior's death. He left us under watch of a few guards, to let Skelg waste away and die abed—the greatest shame an Ulfen warrior can fathom. He bade me to sneak out and deliver a message to Adril Hestram, who seems now to have sent you here."
"Unfortunately, I do not. There were some of his men hanging around here... maybe they could say? Otherwise, you might have to hit the streets and see what you can find out."
The men stay tight lipped.
Surprisingly, the combined efforts loosen a tongue. It appears that Bengeirr Haldyrsson has rented a warehouse here. That is all they tell you.
The warehouse is across from the The Rosy Fingers Tavern, a tavern on the west docks.
The warehouse across from The Rosy Fingers Tavern is built right on the docks, part of it extending over the water. The building is thirty feet tall with no visible windows. On the landward side is a pair of large cargo doors with a smaller door built into the right one. Piers run along either side of the building and on the seaward side is a massive set of doors able to accommodate a small ship.
The street is busy, with several taverns among the warehouses. Most of the warehouses have sentries in front of them, and the ships at the docks are similarly guarded. A northlander warrior with an axe resting in his lap sits on a small pile of crates across from the warehouse, obviously keeping watch on the main door.
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From far away and hidden from the watchman Narnel asks the group:
So how do you all want to play this?
We can kick in the front door, but that watchman will probably raise an alarm.We could probably try to swim in.
Demario and I could try to sneak up and gather more information.
Or
We can sit at the tavern and observe the warehouse to see if there is any other thing we see like the guard leaving for a while.
Any other suggestions?
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"Oh, I definitely say we barge right in and make ourselves at home. But, that's just my preference. I'm up for whatever the team decides."
He pulls out his wand of Mage Armor and asks for someone to administer a charge to him before they enter. "And if anyone else wants Mage Armor, feel free to use my wand."
Meran plays his tune...
And the guard is fascinated by the song.
Due to his focus on the music, his is not likely to see Narnel (who needs to roll a stealth check, and beat a 6).
The door is locked.