Let's head inside then.
Following the servants, you're led to the front door and through a short front hallway. Adjoining on the right is a sitting room, looking clean and undisturbed, while straight ahead is a dining area.
The dining table is crooked, looking as though it was shoved out of the way; this notion is supported by the positions of the chairs (two of which are overturned) and corroborated by the servants, who explain that they were chased through this area.
Pointing to the east of the dining room, the halfling woman explains, "That's the door to the master's study. He was in there—wearing that lounge robe that's on the monster now—when we heard a crash and a grunt-like cry." The door to the study stands open and is spattered with blood.
Pointing to the west, she continues, "And beyond that door is the kitchen, which also adjoins to the servants' quarters and back door. We ran out through there and then into the cellar."
In there yeah? Ok then. Garnult says indicating the blood spattered door. He then raises his shield and hammer and moves into the room.
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Cassidy follows behind, holding her katana ready, and takes a look around the room.
Warren walks in sword at the ready and looks around.
The servants linger nervously in the dining room as you step into the study and survey the scene. The walls are lined with bookshelves, desks, decorative vases and plants, and so forth. There are a couple of chairs, a table with flowers and an ashtray and pipe, and an elegant sofa.
Near one end of the sofa, the upholstery and the floor are both stained with a large blood splatter. A patch of blood-stained fabric matching the color and pattern of the robe worn by the ghoul is stuck to the side of the sofa, and the area of the floorboards stained with blood is broken.
One, that there is a dark-colored object the size of your fist resting under the broken floorboards.
Two, that there is a hole in the ceiling of this room, almost directly above the sofa.
"Wait guys, there's something under the floor boards over there. It looks like it crashed through the ceiling." Cassidy points at the object and then casts Detect Magic on it.
"What? Where? Let me see!"
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Warren moves the floorboards with his sword to revel the item and looks up through the hole to see if it was a straight shot.
While Cassidy scans the object, Warren gets a clearer view and examines the scene. The object among the broken floorboards is a jagged chunk of jet-black material, looking somewhat like a dark metallic rock. It looks like it crashed through the roof and into this room, past the sofa and into the floor.
The aura emanating from the object is very strong; so strong it gives you a headache to focus on and you're unable to determine what school of magic it is.
Pinches the bridge of her nose, Cassidy mumbles, "Ow, my head. Whatever it is, it's casting a very strong aura. I don't know what school of magic it's from, but I don't think we should touch it directly."
Warren looks around for a bag or maybe a rug to use as a bag and maybe some fireplace tools to lift the rock into the bag.
Let's bag it up and bring it to town for someone with more knowledge to look at it.
"That sounds like a good idea." Cassidy turns to the servants, standing outside the door, and ask them for a bag or something to put the object into.
"Would it fit in one of my scroll tubes?"
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Though it's too large to fit through the mouth of a scroll tube, the object is easily transferred into an empty potato sack via some fireplace tongs.
Let's check the rest of the house quickly and then get back to town to let the Captain know what happened. If what happened here happened in town they may need our help there as well.
"Agreed"
Garnult nods in agreement
Several minutes of touring the mayor's house turn up nothing of interest beyond what you've already encountered.
Warren ties the sack closed and ties it to a branch about quarterstaff sized and put's the staff over his shoulder like an old hobo.
The party begins the walk back to town, bringing the surviving servants with you. After a couple of minutes, just past the hill behind which sits the mayor's house...
Garnult
Leader
Tolbert
Cassidy/Warren
Minions
It's an ambush! Get the servants under cover!
What sort of distance are we talking about?
A halfling that no one but Warren saw leans out from behind a tree and fires an arrow at Cassidy!
,
,
An arrow grazes Cassidy's shoulder as she unexpectedly leans out of the way despite having not seen the shooter.
Warren drops the bundle and charges the nearest creature with his two bladed sword.
Cassidy lets out a sigh before following Warren in a charge.
Warren goes left and stops on the other side of the tree.
Warren goes left and stops on the other side of the tree.
Halfling as it's closest.
Cassidy goes to the right, pulling out her katana, and shouts, "Why are you shooting at us?"
Cursing that his shot didn't fell his target, the halfling shouts, "Get over here and help me with this one!"
A human male complies, dropping his bow and coming out from behind a tree, drawing a Longwood as he gets behind Warren.
On the other side of the party, another human male steps back from his hiding place, bow in hand, looking a little unnerved to have a target this close already.
,
He scowls in frustration as his clumsy shot skips across the side of Cassidy's armor.
Garnult
Halfling
Tolbert
Cassidy/Warren
Humans
By Torag's Beard! These must be the stupidest bandits I've ever met! Garnult says as he raises his hammer and shield and moves forward.
Taking advantage of his ally's positioning, the halfling shifts a bit, draws a sword, and takes a stab at Warren's gut.
,
,
Seeing Warren's eyes flick to the sword-wielding human, the halfling grins and plunges his sword up from under the edge of his armor.
Warren takes a step back, winces as the rapier digs in,and then smiles at the human. It wasn't smart to come to your little bosses aid.
Tolbert rushes forward and sprays the bandits with a blast of color.
Cassidy takes a swipe at the bowman.
I Tolbert drops one I attack the other, if both I move to assist Cassidy.
Cassidy retaliates against the man who tried to shoot her at point-blank range, but misses.
Beetle comes up next to Warren and sends a blast of colors across the two adversaries:
Both of them collapse twitching to the ground, their eyes flitting this way and that, their mouths hanging open dumbly.
Freed from melee, Warren leaves Tolbert, crosses the footpath, and joins Cassidy next to the last remaining assailant.
Looking desperate, the man makes a dash toward the footpath; looks like he's heading for where Warren dropped the branch and sack at the beginning of the fight.
,
,
Capitalizing on his recklessness, Cassidy and Warren each lay into him and he hits the ground with a thud.
4 rounds until conscious, other guy at -3 HP.
Like I said, stupid. Garnult huffs and puffs forward to the group. As he passes the wizard he grumbles Good job yeah.
He gets to the assailants and disarms them before saying Anybody got some rope? We can hang em here...or we can bring em to town and they can hang em there.
"Any idea what that was all about?"
I've got rope to tie them up and will take care of both of them. Cassidy can you see if the one we dropped is alive and search him. Tolbert nice job dropping them. Got any spells that would make them more likely to talk to us? That might be the best way to question him
Warren then proceeds to search these two before they wake up hopefully.
"I can search him."
Before searching him, Cassidy addresses the servants with, "Are you all okay?"
The servants, who had crouched together in a sort of terrified group hug when the fighting broke out, are now cautiously standing as they realize the threat has passed.
Turning to face Cassidy, the halfling woman says, "We're fine, thank you." She pauses, surveys the group of you pensively, then adds, "You guys are really strong..."
Cassidy sees that the swordsman is still alive and stable, then searches him. He's wearing leather armor, and possesses a longsword, longbow (with 20 arrows and 4 masterwork arrows), two thunderstones, and two tanglefoot bags; but nothing that identifies him.
Warren's search turns up the same results on the human (but with 5 masterwork arrows instead of 4), plus the following on the halfling: small masterwork studded leather armor, a small rapier, a small shortbow with 19 arrows, a potion of cure light wounds, a spyglass, and a tiny, rolled-up note that reads "Suspect a second meteor north of town; confirm and acquire."
"Buhhhhh..."
The bandits that were felled by Tolbert's spell begin to stir, but still look incredibly disoriented.
Warren kneels by the tied up human and whispers in his ear I've got meteor from them. Where were we supposed to take it?
His eyes dart around a bit before eventually landing on your face, but he says nothing, instead drooling a little while scrunching his brow.
"Alright fellows, the game is up, so I suggest you start talking. I've got you on assault, attempted murder and robbery, interfering with lawfully-appointed agents of the city, and walking on the grass. Tell us what you know about these meteors, and I'll go easy on you."
Garnult does his best to glower and look menacing.
I tell ya what we used to do with Bandits and Vagabonds in Dammerhall......and it aint pretty.