Henry takes the purse, absently tucking it into a pocket for the moment. They can divide it up once they're done with their meeting. Counting it now would just be rude. "There were some non-humanoids involved, including at least one shapeshifter, a faceless stalker to be precise, and an aranea. The mayor was also hosting a parasitic insect creature that is usually a servitor of his god. I would warn whoever you send to be cautious."
Ila bobs her head in thanks, before heading for the suggested stairwell. She mutters a cantrip, granting the necklace on her neck a soft silver glow granting her footfalls some much needed certainty. Several quick steps down, in no rush to reach the bottom, and hoping to make her presence known through footfalls alone, takes her to the bottom, when she nears the bottom, she calls out, "...Father? Do you have a moment?"
She looks around for a moment, looking over the new environs, absently fiddling with one of her sleeves. She looks down over her clothing, before removing the garment and putting it back on - little changes aside from her clothing becoming instantly cleaned of the road's dirt and mud. She tugs absently at her scarf, which hadn't changed at all, before moving out to explore the basement in search of the Father.
"With any luck, whatever remains of the cult will collapse now that Kriegler is dead," Urick adds, rubbing his shoulder with a grimace. 'Khar knew that he hated it when he did that - he didn't shoot at things from afar for no reason. "If Shel Lupesco is to be believed, it was his ancestor that first formed the compact with Ghlaunder. Still, it is best to be cautious."
The Judge nods. "Thank you for the warning. I will make sure and tell them everything you have told me." She looks towards the door, and says, "Now, if you will excuse me, I have some Council business to attend to. Thank you for your hard work. Please, have someone let one of my assistants know where you might be staying in town."
With that, she walks out of the cathedral, her footsteps clicking on the immaculate stone floor.
What will you do now?
- - -
There is a soft sandpapery response from further in the dungeon - "I am, but come in please." Ila enters one of the rooms. It's very cool down here, and filled with mahogany cupboards for bodies. The father is in the center of the room, cleaning a body upon a stone plinth with a wet cloth. Around him are the tools for embalming a body, as well as a variety of lotions, paints, makeups and other ceremonial preparations.
The body on the plinth is a large, stocky human man. He appears to have had his chest cut open and his heart removed. The father takes off a pair of gloves when Ila enters, dunks his hands into a nearby bucket of water, and turns to face her. "Can I help you, young woman?"
Heart of a Werewolf King. Ila immediately recalls, subconsciously, as she looks to the body on the plinth.
Ila inclines her head to the priest in another partial bow, "Hello, Father... Cidaimoikis. Did I pronounce that correctly? My name is Ila Indigo, a traveler from Korvosa and a pilgrim of our Lady Pharasma. I've come to Lepidstadt on a quest to reclaim something dear that was stolen: The soul of my dead mother. Her eyes take in his form and his garments, before trailing across the tools, and finally to the mahogany storage space. She takes a few steps forward to absently feel the grain of the wood with the fingertips exposed on one of her gloved hands. "I've managed to trace the Whispering Way - the Cultist-thieves who managed to abscond with the impossible - to your doorstep, and I was hoping that you might know more. Or perhaps know of someone who could help me in my search for them. In particular, I'm looking for one Auren Vrood, who was the leader of the sect that fled Korvosa, but in addition, I've several other leads to follow up on."
The old man gives Ila a small, gentle smile as she introduces herself, and moves to shake her hand. "Hello, Ms. Indigo. You are on quest worthy of our Lady, if you tell the truth."
When she mentions the Whispering Way, the priest's eyes grow dark. "The Whispering Way has plagued our country for a long, long time. Nearly since the time of the Tyrant himself. You may be stepping into a nest of giant demonic hornets." He thinks for a moment. "The Way don't typically operate in this area. Usually, I hear of Whispering Way incidents in southern Ustalav, and I haven't heard anything lately near Lepidstadt."
He steps forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "If you need any support while you are in the area, please, visit me and I see if I can do anything. In the meantime, you might want to speak to Judge Embreth Daramid. Hers is the purple-walled townhouse on Ember Street. She's a very knowledgeable woman, and many in the community respect her. If anyone knows anything about Way activity in Lepidstadt, it's her."
"You can also go by the University. While it may not have direct clues to your chase, their history department is very robust. You can learn a lot about the Whispering Way while you visit, if you have time to spend in a library."
Ila nods slowly in time with his words, grateful for the approval of her quest; certainly a single person chasing the Way had lead to much less approval from other local priests in less stable locations.
"I thank you for any assistance you can provide. The history department may do well for trying to find bits and pieces, or finding someone else who had a similar interest." she says, tapping her chin. "I will definitely follow up on that. Thank you, Father. Is there anything that I can do for the church while I'm here?"
As they walk back into Lepidstadt, Tassa muses darkly, It's fortunate that none of us died out there. Several of us came close enough! I should feel grateful to be back in this city and yet...something about being here just makes me more uneasy.
She stands quietly during the mission report, paying attention, but also clearly awed by the cathedral.
When they're dismissed, Tassa tarries. She walks slowly through the grand cathedral, trailing her fingers along lead solder between the panes.
She murmurs softly to herself, unaware of who might be around, "What is this god who inspires the creation of such beauty? And whose walls are a glass tapestry of death and birth?"
Henry stops near the door as he overhears Tassa's quiet musings. "I'm surprised someone who lives in Ustalav has never heard of Pharasma. Though I suppose growing up... where you did might have left out a few gaps in your knowledge." He clears his throat, shifting into his lecturer's mode from his classes. "Pharasma is the Lady of Graves and the tender of souls. She watches over the River of Souls in the great beyond and guides them to their destination in her palace. Then she judges them and sends them on to their next destination. But she is also the one who oversees the birth of new souls into the world, and patrons midwives just as she patrons morticians."
Once Henry sees the samples delivered to the university's biology department and the reward for their mission is split between the members of the group, he retires to his office at the school to transcribe a number of new formulae into his personal notes. Given how their last adventure went and the judge's suggestion to remain nearby, he has a feeling that he's going to need as many of them as he can get.
Cidaimoikis shakes his head. "I'll let you know if anything comes to mind," he says. "And now, with all due respect, I have a job to finish." He smiles at her, and makes no moves to push her out, but it's clear he's ready for her to go.
Ila nods her thanks to the Father, but doesn't tarry. She heads back the way she came, allowing her necklace to ensure the path is clear. On the way up the stairs, she plans her next steps. The first thing to do would be to get word out, or find out how to get word out, to the Judge that she sought an audience. She knew little of the woman, so... she went with the simplest option. She returned to the same acolyte who had helped her before, drawing her attention once more with a small smile.
"I'm sorry to bother you, again, but do you happen to know how I would make an appointment with the Judge, Embreth Daramid? Or perhaps someone who would?"
From there, she follows the steps, from person to person until she's able to put clear word out that she was looking to meet with her, before moving on to her next order of business.
She heads for the local college, eyeing the various architectural pieces, and foliage about it, with curiosity that drew her away from her immediate surroundings. With a few quick questions from those passers-by that she saw - being careful to pick the least-busy appearing students, she finds the library that she's looking for.
Once inside, she looks about for a librarian or an aide to help guide her to the proper sections - and hopefully, glean a little bit of aid in even fully understanding just what the things are that she's looking for. She does so, mostly, by appearing helplessly lost, through no particular intent. Thousands upon thousands of dead trees with centuries of words filled this place, and the inherent use of it was far beyond her kin.
"Well, it seems that rather unfortunate piece of business is settled," Urick remarks to 'Khar once the judge has excused herself. All things considered, their trek to Ravenmoor had been one of his strangest missions, if not the most dangerous. Considering that they were in Ustalav, that was saying a lot. "As much as I would like to get back onto the road, we had best stay in the city for the time being. We can afford to wait a few more days. In the meantime, best we reequip ourselves."
Reminding himself that Henry, Tassa, and Perdita were still present, the inquisitor approaches them. "Krishakhar is right - you are certainly a capable lot. Should the judge find more work for us, I would be happy to work alongside you all again, gods willing."
Tassa looks a bit surprised when she realizes the doctor had heard her. "Oh!
"Thanks. Mother, umm, didn't care for the new gods being discussed in Rasnov. This is...this is really my first time seeing how big a deal some of them seem to be.
"Are there temples like this around to any of the Old Ones, too?"
As Urick joins the conversation, Tassa nods at his suggestion. "What we did there gave us a chance to destroy some of the purveyors of destruction. If...as long as I have this thing inside me, I need to have things to smash, to consume."
With a smile and a nod to Khar, she continues, "I have a feeling that if I stick with you I'll have some more opportunities to rain destruction upon on those who truly deserve it. Not that there's a short supply of those in this world.
"In the meantime...I'm going to see about finding some space in a forge or armorsmith's workshop where I can pound something."
Ila spends the better part of the day at the University library, researching the topics that have driven her to Ustalav. Even with the help of the librarians, what she finds is disappointingly limited on some topics, and surprisingly present on others.
Little direct information survives about the werewolves of the Shudderwood, because few human explorers have dared to enter the dreaded forest and research the particulars of the various tribes. However, what is known is that five tribes of werewolves inhabit the Shudderwood. The Silverhides are the largest group. They dwell in large villages on the inside of the Wood and are known for their distinctive silvery hide. The Primals are known for being especially large and powerful, but are the smallest tribe. The Prince's Wolves are the most civilized group of werewolves, and are known to be of Varisian descent. They are also known to trade with non-lycanthropes on the border of the woods at times. The Broken Ones are the most peaceful group, who typically settle in small farming villages on the edge of the wood. They are known for their red fur. Finally the Demon Wolves are the most aggressive group, normally living in the northern part of the Shudderwood. They are known to exhibit fiendish traits from their proximity to the Worldwound, and to revere the demon lord Jezelda.
Ila is able to find frightfully little on vampires. All she can find are mere mentions that vampires participated in the Shining Crusade, but it's almost as if information regarding them has been removed. In more than one case, pages have been ripped out of books that she consults about this subject.
The Raven's Head is a legendary weapon among the faithful of Pharasma. Created by a priest whose city was under siege by undead, it was wielded by one Pharasman champion after another for centuries until it went missing. It is said that it has the power to destroy undead with merely a single blow, and that it shines with the purifying power of Pharasma herself with every blow.
Ila discovers that the University's history department actually has an item that they refer to as a Seasage Effigy. It is enshrined within the university museum, and Ila can go and visit it. The item is difficult to describe. It is a dull green color, and it seems to absorb light. It looks something like a frog, but its shape seems twisted and warped in many places. It does not radiate magic, and the plinth below its place of display says that it was recovered from an ancient dungeon in an Ustalavic swamp just half a decade ago by a member of the faculty. Asking around about that faculty member reveals that they have since died in action.
Tassa is greeted at the door by a young, muscular man who turns out to be the head blacksmith's son. His name is Arren. "Can I help you?" he asks, eyeing Tassa's strange garb and hidden face.
"Temples to the Great Old Ones... I don't believe there are any locally." The professor absently strokes his beard and looks up at one of the stained glass windows. "If I remember correctly, many people find the faiths of the Old Ones unsettling or difficult to comprehend. Honestly, I don't know very many details about the specifics of their faiths. Only that they have a... reputation for driving their servants mad." He stops short and awkwardly clears his throat. "Not to cast any aspersions on you or your family of course. You seem quite reasonable."
Several opportunities jump through Ila's mind as she reads over the information she's able to find. As contraindicated as it likely was, informing the werewolves of the threat to them and their leaders was the first thought that came to Ila. It... likely would not spread throughout all of the tribes, and even if she could convince one werewolf to not try to kill her, that didn't necessarily mean that word would even spread through his own tribe. Which meant she would have to somehow gain access to their leadership to forewarn them... and that seemed nearly impossible.
Preventing them from getting their hands on the ashes of a vampire was still worse. This was Ustalav. While she couldn't find any information, she was almost certain that there would likely be dozens of vampires across the land. That meant that the only option she had for the prevention of the collection of that particular reagent was to destroy all the vampires herself... and with absolutely no threads to follow there, that avenue, likewise, seemed hopeless.
The fact that the Raven's Head had gone missing was not at all promising. Finding it would be a high priority, as it was a singular object, from the reading... though perhaps any tool of Pharasma's faithful would be explicitly possible to use. Even still, if it had to be that one thing, it was possible that they already had it.
So, she had three dead ends. Look for the Head, parley with a forest of men ruled by lunacy, hunt all the vampires in Ustalav... and hope that the Way had not already captured any or all of them. Her stomach was in knots, recognizing her own limitations in the moment. She almost didn't hear the response, but she stopped, startled.
"You said... you said that the Seasage Effigy is here? Right beneath these very roofs?" she quickly moves through the building to locate the object, unbidden. She stops at the display case, eyeing it from various angles, pausing, and preening over it. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. This was her chance to prevent great evil.
She exhales fully and opens her eyes, to keep her heart from racing too quickly. She looks around for anyone who looks official - a guard, a member of the staff, anyone at all... understanding fully that she would likely appear insane.
"I... need to speak with the man in charge. A curator? Anyone of import at all, really. It's a matter of potentially dire consequences. Could you help me with that?"
Ila is directed to the office of one Doctor Montagnie Crowl, the director of the Antiquities Department of the University. Crowl is a very animated man in his mid-thirties who wears round glasses of a very intense prescription that makes his eyes appear huge. He jumps up at Ila's entrance, walking quickly over to her to shake her hand. "Hello!" he shouts, "I don't believe I've met you! I'm Doctor Crowl! Can I help you with a history-related question?!?"
"Well, got nothin' better t'do for a couple days. Wonder if there's any sort of fightin' goin' down somewhere here," he says to Urick as they leave their meeting with the Judge. "Gonna be pretty borin' otherwise. Also gotta do somethin' with this money," he adds, looking the pouch of coins he'd received. Between that, what he already had, and the promised cut of the stuff they'd claimed from the town, he was amassing a small fortune. He didn't particularly value things however, and weapons and armor were not exactly useful to him. "First some drinkin' and some rest though," he says prodding his wound. He was still far from healed up, which would be a problem if they ended up getting another task from the Judge.
He spends the evening of the first night finding some dive to go get drunk in and spends his time challenging anyone who looks at least as strong as himself to armwrestling or other similar non-destructive feats of strength. He also asks around the dives as to whether there are any fighting rings within the city, looking for an opportunity to flex his muscles.
Later in the evening, walking down a dark back alley in search of something 'Khar freezes. The hair on the back of his neck stands on end, his keen senses telling him something was watching him. He turns around to find a pair of smoldering yellow eyes gazing at him from the darkness. Before he can react, a hulking figure leaps out at him from the darkness, grabbing him by his throat. Its claws sink into his skin and blood flows down his neck and chest as he grabs at its massive paws trying to free himself. "Struggle all you like, little one," it growls at him, "this pathetic form of yours is no match for her." It tosses him back violently and he smashes into the brick wall behind him, the impact cracking the mortar and leaving an indention and his blood all over the wall. He slumps down the wall, clutching his ribs in pain. Unable to focus, he tries to look up to identify his assailant but his body simply doesn't respond. Heavy footsteps sound off as the creature moves towards him, likely to finish the what it had started. He barely has time to scream as the creature's clawed hand pierces his ribs. He feels the creature's hot, heavy breath on the side of his face as it leans in. As his consciousness fades, the last thing he hears is "Learn to use her magic or die, little one."
'Khar awakes with a start, gasping for air slumped against the wall in some back alley, his chest burning. He holds up his hand, the fingertips wet with blood as his claws disappear. "Ugh... everything hurts... too much t'drink," he says, not caring if anyone hears him. Looking down at his chest he sees deep gashes left by his claws through the tears in his now blood-soaked shirt. Not the first time he'd injured himself thrashing about while unconscious, he thinks. "Didn't need more wounds," he says as he examines the wound he'd made. Much to his surprise, however, this time the wounds begin to close themselves before his very eyes, the pain fading along with them. "the hell..." he mutters as he shifts his weight and turns to stand up, bracing himself against the brick wall. Ripping off his shirt, he cleans up the remaining blood on his hands and chest and tosses the shirt in the gutter. "This's why I can't've nice things," he grumbles as he heads back towards the inn he'd been staying at. A new tunic would have to wait until the morning.
"I... Several actually." Ila responds, being caught completely off-guard by the exaggerated response. But she bows her head in response and shakes his hand firmly, but without squeezing tightly. She keeps his hand held gently in hers as she looks directly into his face. "But at the moment, I've come to warn you. I've been on a journey from Korvosa, tracking a cult whose goals I do not know, but the means of that goal are to utilize several objects in a ritual... one of which is the Seasage Effigy. I tracked them to this city, only to find that the Effigy is just sitting out for anyone to take. It is currently my only actionable lead, and I fear that a great evil may occur if we do not act to safeguard it from the Way."
Urick frowns when he overhears Henry and Tassa's conversation turn to the subject of the Great Old Ones. He knew little about them beyond what the professor related to Tassa, but he had listened to his fair share of unsettling stories. Having witnessed the woman's strange condition, and her strange relationship with it, he could only wonder what her exact connection to those deities might be. It occurs to him that just a few decades ago, he would likely have called for her to be burnt at the stake. With that unsettling thought, he politely excuses himself and makes his way out of the temple.
He inevitably loses track of 'Khar, which suited him just fine, for the most part. Though they worked well together while they were on the hunt, their idea of recreation just didn't mesh. Urick only rarely drank to excess, and he certainly did not enjoy fighting for the sake of fighting. The skinwalker would turn up again sooner or later, presumably when the Judge called for them.
With time to kill, Urick's first order of business is to resupply. Ravenmoor had not cost him more than a few crossbow bolts, so there was little that he had to replace, but considering his small windfall, there was no reason not to look for something to spend it on. He drops by a variety of stores, looking at some of the finest in monster-hunting tools and armaments. But ultimately, with the exception of those crossbow bolts, he walks out empty-handed. Perhaps he would take another look once he knew what they'd be hunting next.
After meandering the streets a while longer, Urick eventually finds his way back to his inn, a respectable hovel that did not overcharge for their rooms. He helps himself to a small meal and a single tankard of ale, before retiring to his room.
Completely alone for the first time in days, the inquisitor draws his sword and holds it out in front of himself. The weapon shines like a weapon of righteousness should, and would be considered an excellently crafted weapon, if not for the fact that three-fourths of its blade were missing. He gives it a long, sullen stare before reaching for his holy symbol and hanging it from the sword's hilt. He kneels beside the bed, points what is left of the blade down, and closes his eyes.
"Iomedae, though I am unworthy, I again pray for your guidance and your protection. Grant me the wisdom to be temperate in my actions, so that I may recognize those deserving of mercy..."
Dr. Crowl just blinks as Ila unloads on him. He stands there, stunned, for several moments. "I assure you, the items on display in the Antiquities Department are well-secured. Several members of the faculty were key in installing various countermeasures to prevent theft."
He strokes the sparse goatee he has. "Besides that... I don't know why anyone would want to steal the Seasage Effigy. We keep it on display because it's unique, but nobody's really sure what it is, and it certainly doesn't do anything. Are you sure that you're right?"
"I don't believe there's any such thing as certainty in this world. Even divinations prove false... but the information I have is all that I'm able to go on. The ritual requires the Seasage Effigy, the Raven's Head, the Ashes of a Vampire, the Heart of a Werewolf King, and the Soul of a Good Ghost... and as the Seasage Effigy is one of only two items that I am certain I know the location of... it's the only lead I have." the young woman shrugs rather helplessly. "I cannot guarantee you that it will be struck tonight, tomorrow, or even ever, but I would be foolish not to at least warn you of the probability."
The next morning 'Khar takes some time to visit the local temple of Abadar after determining they provided the banking services in Lepidstadt. Carrying around a large sum of money left him having to worry about thieves, which kept him from properly enjoying his free time.
Once he makes the deposit, he heads out to find a cheap tunic to replace his current one, and then to grab a bite to eat before drinking the rest of the afternoon away.
Ila reaches a dead-end with Professor Crowl when he insists that the Seasage Effigy is as well-protected as it's going to be, and that anyone who wishes to steal it will have a rude awakening when the museum's traps get them.
At this point, a dozen guardsmen arrive behind you, and as a group, you forge into the Museum. Many of the exhibits have been wrecked, and standing in the center of the room is a local legend, the Beast of Lepidstadt. The Beast is on his knees, in front of the destroyed display of one of the exhibits, which is missing.
The current leader of the guards, a young man called Acting Sergeant Dun, cries, "Get 'em, boys!" and they rush forward, smashing into the Beast with clubs. After he gives no resistance, Dun gives the order to chain the Beast up. The Beast offers no resistance to this, and is swiftly dragged away to the town prison.
While this all happens quite suddenly, you are shortly summoned to the office of one of your co-workers, the head of the Antiquities Department. He tells you that the particular theft is strange. "A young woman came in yesterday!" he shouts, in his curious manner, "And told me that the Effigy might be stolen! And then it was!" After a bit of thinking, he says, "I think we should go to Judge Daramid! This is very strange, and she told me recently that she met some adventurers! Maybe they can help us!"
When none of the group has anything concrete to do during their time off, the time passes quickly. One day becomes two, and on the night of the second day, excitement returns to Lepidstadt. A courier runs to Tassa, Urick and 'Khar's inn-rooms. In each case, the innkeeper tiredly knocks, with the courier behind them, to awaken the adventurers. "Excuse me for the interruption," says the courier, a young boy with black hair and a button nose. "Judge Daramid asked me to come fetch you. Something has happened, and she needs your services as soon as possible. She said to tell you that there was money in it, if that gets you on your feet."
Ila is also awakened by a young intern from the university. "Excuse me," she says, "But Professor Crowl told me to come get you. The Seasage Effigy has been stolen. Come with me, when you're ready."
- - - - -
When the group converges on the home of Judge Daramid again, they find not only that Henry is already there, but also that he's accompanied by two people that they haven't met yet. One, a Varisian woman with a spiral tattoo on her face, and the other, a bespectacled young professor with large eyes. The man is still wearing his pajamas, which are white with blue stripes. Judge Daramid is with these three, and she motions for the group to sit. "Thank you for coming," she says. "I know that it's very late, but I need your help again."
The Beast itself appears to be quite a unique and powerful flesh golem. Certainly more than powerful enough to slay a few guards who tried to capture it.
The sight of the attacker on the other hand, gives him pause. "Grave Lady's heart, it's actually real." He stares at the creature with a mix of shock and a little awe as he recognizes just what kind of being the 'Beast' is. He's almost tempted to tell the guards to stop when they rush it, but the golem offers not resistance anyway and it's soon hauled away.
He cocks his head as Dr. Crowl emerges to see the destruction. "Someone actually predicted this madness," he repeats, at a slight loss for words. "Yes. Yes, I think that informing the judge and tracking down this young woman are just what needs doing." He elects not to mention that he's quite likely one of the adventurers the judge mentioned. Even if he wasn't, he would have insisted on going along. A flesh golem of such construction was definitely something that deserved further research.
Henry takes ten minutes before heading to the judge with his colleague to change into clothes actually appropriate for being out in public. Now that the emergency has passed for the moment, they're hardly going to lose anything by spending five minutes to calm themselves and think clearly. He nods politely as the rest of the group assembles in the judge's home. "I dare say that we do. It seems that an urban legend come to life has helped rob the University not an hour ago."
Ila had gone to the church the day prior to share her morning meal with the acolyte who had assisted her, before spending the following day in or around the grounds of the college. She didn't dare sit in the most obvious areas, instead sticking to other sections of the library - if the professor wasn't wrong, she'd quickly be alerted if anything happened - instead taking the time to read other books on local legends and dangers, primarily focusing on whatever information she could glean on the werewolf tribes, continuing her study. As dusk begins to fall, she ponders staying near - there wouldn't be much danger with watching... but she recognizes that she's probably going to cause herself more trouble if she does so... and that her mother would reprimand her for skipping sleep. She couldn't save the world if she exhausted herself. So she heads home, gets a good meal, and gets to bed early.
* * *
Ila opens the door, already dressed and ready for the day, though her coat is nowhere to be seen. Her necklace dangles, shining silver and gold in the morning sun and she appears to be holding an immaculately clean chicken bone in one hand and a small black scarf in the other. "Oh, One moment. I was cleaning up." she shares with the young woman, not tarrying she turns on her heel, before going to pick up a much larger assortment of bones off of her bed - most were clearly not chicken bones - and place them into a small kerchief that she quickly ties with the black scarf. She grabs her bag and slings it over the other shoulder, in a rush to get out the door. She opens her pack and drops the smaller bundle inside, where it vanishes without a sound, before locking the door behind her.
"I shouldn't have slept last night." she admonishes, as she rushes along with the intern, probably half-leading the woman towards the school. "I see that you like to read, what sort of books do you enjoy?" she asks, sharing the stains on her own fingers. "I've been studying werewolves."
Urick does not require much in the way of motivation to get out of bed. The Judge's premonition had called for more misfortune, but he had not expected it to come so soon. But that was not to say he was entirely unprepared, either. Even before the promise of a reward is mentioned, the inquisitor is already throwing on his cloak, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, and walking out the door.
- - - - -
Urick arrives promptly and finds himself in a rather familiar arrangement - seated before the Judge and some poor soul in dire need of assistance. It remained to be seen whether this job would be as strange as the last, but Henry's cryptic remark makes it sound like a very real possibility.
"An urban legend, you say," the fiery-haired half-elf replies, an eyebrow raised. He had no concrete numbers to go by, but Urick was certain that more than half of these so-called "legends" were real. They were in Ustalav, after all. "Which one?"
The splitting headache 'Khar had was enough without them getting dragged out in the middle of the night. He tosses on the shirt he'd bought before going out drinking again and stumbles out after the courier to where they were being led. "Can't legends wait 'til the morning?" he says, clearly not having expected to have to be conscious at this point.
"The Beast of Lepidstadt, appropriately enough. It seems to have been a golem that's been lurking around the city. Though who created it and who directed it to the university are the more interesting questions in my opinion. Especially since it didn't have the stolen item when the guards found it."
The scribe that leads Ila begins by redirecting her - "This way, ma'am," she says, and pulls Ila away from the university and towards a house near the Courthouse. At Ila's question, she laughs a bit. "Oh, this isn't from reading," she says, "I'm on an academic aid program. I help scribe for people who can't write."
- - - - -
The Judge motions to the Varisian woman with the facial tattoo as Henry speaks up. "Yes, and as our other professor friend says, this woman predicted the theft a few days prior. She apparently said that the Whispering Way is after the Effigy." She lapses into silence for a moment, deep in thought. "This is the most concerning part: The return of the Way. Unfortunately, I have been to the Jail since the Beast's capture, and it refuses to say why it stole a historical relic for an ancient cult."
She looks at the group. "I believe there is something that this Beast knows. Furthermore, I am hesitant to believe that such a creature is entirely personally guilty of what it's been accused of. However... I doubt that anyone in town will really spend the time to prove the Beast's innocence or guilt. There are many crimes that it has been accused of, and I fear that it may be executed before I can learn a lead with which to follow the Whispering Way."
The Beast hasn't been seen or heard from in five years, and most recently, some have begun to call it the Dipplemere Horror, for the Dipplemere Swamp in which it resides.
However, you also know that when provoked (such as one story you heard, where a farmer found the Beast in his barn, panicked and attacked him, and was crushed into jelly for his trouble) the Beast is capable of a fearsome, implacable rage.
The Whispering Way are very secretive, going so far as to prohibit speaking their order's rules aloud. They are commonly necromancers or undead, and the Way's goals include spreading undeath across the world. They believe that undeath is the truest form of all existence, and becoming one is the biggest ambition of every member.
The Whispering Way is responsible for the creation of several unique types of undead creatures.
The only place in the world where the members of the Whispering Way operate openly is the district of Ankar-Te in Kaer Maga. However, the Whispering Way operates in totally separate sects, so pursuing one group will not likely yield results about another.
"Oh, my mistake." Ila says, offering the young woman a smile, as she's lead in a different direction than she had expected, her gait easily accommodating the change of direction. "Then note taking? That sounds quite interesting. You must learn quite a few bits of strange information that way. Are the things you learn of a more personal nature, like letter writing, of a scholastic nature, like footnotes, or a mix of the two?"
* * *
The Varisian woman in the corner by herself is listening with rapt attention as the others go over what has happened, but as soon as the story is over, she idly begins to look closely at the various minutiae on the Judge's mantle.
"Please tell me that the Beast is neither a werewolf nor a vampire of some sort..?" she asks, quietly, looking to the man who'd spoken up on the nature of the Beast. She then turns her attention back to the Judge, "I don't suppose that you have access to this 'Beast', so that we may speak with it ourselves?"
"Ah, no. Despite it's age, the Beast's exact identity has always been a bit of a mystery. Now that I've seen it, I think I can put the pieces together." Henry pushes up his glasses and thinks for a few moments. "The Beast is a flesh golem, a construct created from binding together dead bodies with a mixture of surgery and magic. They can be extremely powerful, but they're also... unstable. The rumor going around was that Doctor Henri Moritz created the Beast, and based on what I saw last night, I believe it. A skilled doctor could combine the parts necessary to make such a powerful golem specimen."
He steeples his hands, tapping his fingertip together slowly. "But judging by your question, should I assume that the Way are interested in vampires and werewolves at the moment? Vampires I understand to a degree, but I don't recall them having much interest in lycanthropes. Not that many people understand what those madmen want."
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The bookish woman blushes at the attention paid to her, looking at the ground and smiling. "Mostly," she says, "I write peoples' papers for them, or take notes for them while we're in class. Right now, I assist a deaf woman for a law class."
- - - - -
The Judge nods at Ila's question. "Yes, the Beast is in custody."
The spectacled Professor Crowl speaks up as well. "Yes!" he shouts, "the guards dragged him in after the theft! He didn't even fight them!"
Daramid calmly puts a hand on Crowl's back, and says, "Montagnie, your voice, please," to which he frowns with embarrassment and nods.
The Judge's home is full of various paraphernalia lying around, although it's quite well-kept. There's a portrait of her with a group of students, the clean skull of a fox, a ceremonial dagger, and several containers of incense, among other things.
Urick frowns. "The elusive Beast of Lepidstadt just allowed itself to be captured? Even if the Whispering Way already got what it wanted, it strikes me as odd that they'd leave an accomplice behind."
"What exactly is this Effigy that the Beast stole, and for that matter, how did you know that the Way was after it?" he asks, directing the latter question at Ila. His tone betrays his suspicion, but is not outright accusatory.
"That seems quite interesting. And rewarding, do you enjoy your work?" she asks, continuing to pay attention to the woman as they near the house.
* * *
"Yes... what I've gathered on the Way suggests that they're a cult that worships an old lich that once ruled over this area... one 'Tar-Baphon'. It's terribly difficult to gain much information on them, though they tend towards an unhealthy fascination with undeath. I believe their obsession with Necromancy predates his rise to power." Ila says, explaining what the Doctor already knows. "I apologize for not having met with you sooner, Judge Daramid." she says, bobbing her head in time with her words to acknowledge the woman.
"I do have an appointment soon... I suppose that we can cancel that. What I am happy to share in relation to this, is that my investigation has turned up information on one 'Auren Vrood' as the leader of the sect I followed into town. This man works for another whom I only know as 'A.A.'. As of now, they're seeking out several obscurities in the hopes of fueling some sort of ancient rite. As of now, I am certain that they have access to one piece of their puzzle..." she says, trailing off for a moment as she plays with the twin rings on her necklace, lost in thought, before shaking out of it.
"And I suspect that now they have access to a second." she continues, allowing the necklace and rings to drop back to her chest. "And the only remaining object that I believe is one-of-a-kind is the Raven's Head... which means that we are frightfully low on ways to get ahead of them."
"To my knowledge, the Effigy was an object of minimal importance to us. It was an object found roughly five years ago in an expedition into the Ustalavic swamplands. It appears to have no inherent magical properties, other than being made out of a stone that absorbs light. It appears to be some sort of tentacled-frog-creature... and it will play a role in whatever deed the way has determined is worth their time."
She then nods to Henry, "And as you surmised, they also seek the Heart of a Werewolf King, and the Ashes of a Vampire."
"Lemme get this straight... Th'Beast is supposed t've stole the effigy, but ya caught him, he didn't fight or run and he hasn't got it on'm. So he had friends--that no one saw--who left'm behind? Kinda odd, 'less he's just a dumb tool," 'Khar says. The whole thing just stank somehow. "And t'boot, th'effigy thing that's stolen doesn't even do anything? Lotta trouble for something useless. Also, if he's just a pile'o'parts, what's it matter? 's th'thing even intelligent? Y'wouldn't try t'prove a sword left at the scene innocent, no point in defendin' or convictin' a tool"
"Now the part 'bout Werewolf king hearts and Vampire ashes, that's more interestin'. Lets hunt somma those, maybe get some answers. Will be more fun anyway." After thinking for a few moments, he adds, "'less y'got trial by combat round here. Have heard some places have that. That'd make defendin' a construct way more interestin."
The Judge shrugs. "I myself am not sure on the technicalities of golem intelligence, although I could find out, given time. I know that it talks. Why don't you go talk to him and ask him some of these questions yourself?"
The professor nods along with her. "Yes, please, help us. I would very much like the Effigy returned, and I would really like to see whomever is responsible for the University break-in punished. I agree with the muscular one - he must have had accomplices. Who are they?"
The Judge adds: "So, will you help us? I am prepared to offer nine hundred platinum pieces this time, in exchange for your services. Specifically, I would like you to get the Beast to explain why it broke into the University's museum, and if possible discover what direction its accomplices may have gone in."
Henry strokes his beard with one hand. "That's actually not common for a flesh golem. If it's capable of speech, it might be smarter than it appears. Though I wouldn't doubt that he's being used as a tool. I would very much like to speak with him though. I'm curious what it knows about it's own creation. And why it's suddenly left the swamp outside of town and started causing trouble and helping cultists."
The professor nods eagerly. "I would be happy to help. Both to recover the University's property and to learn more about this fascinating creature."
"I'm afraid that that doesn't really become an option on it's own, Mister..?" Ila trails off, offering him an opportunity to share his name, but only waits a moment. "There could be any number of vampires in Ustalav, let alone the surrounding area. The Cultists were willing to travel all the way to Korvosa for one of their foci. So simply killing every vampire and werewolf we find, or forming a more solid alliance between their tribes so that they are less vulnerable to the Way's machinations are... less than viable. They're secondary solutions at best. Right now, we need real, concrete information if we're to act against this... and I'm afraid that without more information, there will be no way to get ahead of them."
"Did you say nine hundred?" Ila asks, stopping in the pace she'd begun in the corner, working herself towards excitement. "That could... certainly fuel my personal quest for some time. Certainly, I would be willing to help." Ila says, also nodding.
She turns her attention to Henry, bobbing her head with a small bow, "My name is Ila Indigo, it is a pleasure to meet you. Will we be working together... or against one another in this venture?"
"As dangerous as the Beast should have been, the ones who managed to subjugate it must be quite formidable," Urick reasons to 'Khar, eager to secure his cooperation. The promise of money alone just wouldn't do the trick, and from experience he knew that the fanglord did not have much in the way of a good nature to appeal to. The only way to make him think that this was worth his time was to pose it as a challenge. "The Whispering Way commands all manners of undead monstrosities. Should we attempt to hunt them down, we will inevitably face adversity."
He then turns back to the Varisian woman, Ila. Her explanation still struck him as suspicious, but accusing her of being a Whispering Way spy was something his old self would have done. His current self knew that it would make little sense for an accomplice of the Way to have attempted to warn them of the crime.
"I am Urick Tirrell. If this were but a simple monster hunt, I would not be entirely opposed to some healthy competition. But this is the Whispering Way we are talking about. It would behoove us to work as a team."
"I find myself agreeing with you," Henry says. "We gain nothing by trying to one up each other and everything by combining our talents to deal with this mess. The sooner we've figured out what's going on and dealt with whatever the Way have cooking in town, the better." He offers a hand to the Varisian woman. "Professor Henry Lainor, doctor of the department of alchemy and medicine. A pleasure to meet you."
"'Khar's my name. Nothin' better t'do, so lets go check out this beast. Least it'll be interestin', t'look at. An'Maybe somethin' better'll pop up on the way," 'Khar says. It was better than being bored for the next few days, that's for certain. This town was far too straight laced for his tastes. There was little in the way of fighting available, so he ended up just drinking each evening.
"A pleasure, Mister 'Khar." Ila says with her half-bow, half-curtsy. "If it were a simple monster hunt, I would personally be thankful for the company, Mister Tirrell. I've found myself to be capable of eliminating threats, but I'm uncertain of the safety of doing so. My skillset tends more towards interacting with the world than foes... though I've managed to fight my way out of a few scrapes." she adds, modestly, while meeting his eyes.
"I'm also capable of a few simple spells that are more effective in aiding a journey, though nothing particularly potent at eliminating a threat." she takes Professor Lainor's hands with both of hers and shakes it. The young woman was probably around the same age as the majority of his students, and appeared unarmed and unarmored.
Aside from Professor Lainor... is anyone here a local? Do any of you have any knowledge on where to start aside from with the interview with this 'Beast'? You've seen it, if I didn't misunderstand, correct, Professor?" she asks, letting go of his hand, "I feel exceedingly rude referring to it as 'Beast' or 'It.' Are they male or female? Do we know a name that it wishes to go by?"
She looks to the two women who were in the room but remaining silent with a cursory glance, and a curious canting of her head, offering a small smile if they caught her eye.
"Indeed. Myself and Doctor Crowl were the first on the scene from the university staff, just behind the guards who were following the rather loud trail of destruction the Beast was leaving behind him. But aside from identifying its true nature, there's not much I can say. It was utterly silent and immobile by the time I arrived and the effigy was gone, along with whoever pointed the Beast at the school. Perhaps the guard turned up something at the site that I missed, but I also wasn't looking that hard. Seeing a legend standing in front of me was rather distracting. We'll have to speak to it ourselves if we intend to find out if it has a name or a preferred gender."
The Judge says that she can't involve herself directly in an investigation, to prevent conflicts of interest, and Professor Crowl says that, frankly, he's a little bit too afraid of the Beast to face him directly. "Tell me what you find, though, Henry!" he adds.
The Beast is kept in the town's jail. Though it is late, the jail is active with a dozen guards on duty after the fiasco. The current watch captain is a man called Dun. He is only the acting Sergeant, as the previous Sergeant drank himself to death just last week and a permanent replacement hasn't yet been found.
'Khar walks in ahead of the others, half-curious at least to see what this 'beast' actually looked like. He had trouble imagining something made of flesh and bone that had somehow been 'created' by someone else. "Y'Dun?" he asks as they enter, looking the smaller man up and down. "We wanted t'see this beast y'have down here. Judge said t'come try and talk t'it." He yawns and scratches the back of his head as he waits for the man's reply, clearly only half-interested in this task they'd been assigned. Should'a gone back for the bunyip instead, he thinks, wondering if there'd be anything interesting to fight. Maybe still bump into a vampire or somethin' fun instead
"Thank you for allowing us the use of your home as a meeting place. Hopefully, the next time that we meet with you here will be under better circumstances. Have a good night, Judge Daramid. And I'm sorry that I could not do more to prevent the damage done to your Museum, Professor Crowl." She gives each another bob of her head, before heading out the way she'd come.
Ila follows 'Khar into the jail with an easy grace, crossing her wrists at her waist as she does her usual greeting - the small bow. "Hello, Sergeant Dun. I'm sure you don't get many visitors this late at night, but I've found in my investigation that leaving leads unfollowed can be quite detrimental to my understanding of events. We were told that this 'Beast' came peacefully? Surely that means that it is someone who could be visited with?"