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Velen slides the map from Queck out of Jeffery's pocket as he walks by and deftly plucks the scrap out of Watkin's hand. Glancing back and forth for a minute, he states "It's a map fragment, and it refers to this section of the city" and he points on the map to the plaza in the northwest section.
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"Should we check that out, or head to the next location to see if we can find anything else of interest? I suggest we continue gathering information."
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Alrathien was in the middle of a discourse on the ancient Thassilonion art of symbol painting, where common runes were slightly modified to convey entirely new meanings, when Velen made his announcement. Looking over at the rogue, he peered at the map and the fragment.
"Oh, very well done friend Velen! You see, this is exactly how Alrathien envisioned such a thing. It is likely that at each of the painted locations, a similar map fragment shall be found. Was not Alrathien most perspicacious when he offered to buy the paintings?"
As they walked, he launched into a discussion of onionskin map overlays and the wonders of code breaking.
The party heads to the location Velen identifies. A tall structure located in the central square where these who were condemned to death for their crimes are executed. It is built from wood and mortar with a platform 30 feet above the ground. Presently the structure is empty, it appears no executions are scheduled for today. The party looks around but since this location isn't depicted in the other two paintings, no immediate course of action becomes apparent to them.
Jeffrey looks around once the party arrives at the Abbey. He connects the doorway in the painting to that of the location along the northeast wall. Looking closely he finds another letter "I" in the middle of the
uninterrupted smooth stone wall.
Watkins presses once on the wall and then again with more force but nothing happens.
Jeffrey firmly touches and presses on the 'I' spot multiple times in various locations, but nothing happens.
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Grethe stands up and walks closer to the wall, near where the "I" is.
"Guys. GUYS! You are supposed to be polite. If dat supposed to be a door, den you should knock first!"
Grethe knocks on the wall near the location of the "I" that is engraved in the wall, then takes a step back to see if anything happens.
The party continues to push, push, push and knock to no avail. They (slowly) get the idea that pushing on it isn't going to accomplish what they had in mind.
Jeffrey and Velen study the area in and around the 'I' and determine that while it appears to be made of the same material, it does not look as structurally solid. Perhaps it is hollow behind it and will require a bit of a stronger touch to open.
The 'I' cracks when Kimiya strikes it. It's not enough to get through, but enough to show that the area is weaker than the rest. A few more whacks and the stone breaks away revealing another parchment inside a hollow compartment.
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"Interesting. Perhaps this is a new rune? Or maybe an overlay on the map circling specific structures? This takes thought and intelligence, not just bashing around with a rock. Hmm...doesn't this look like the towers from our map?"
He motions for whoever has the map to bring it out, then points between the parchment and the area marked 10 on the map.
The party takes off and returns to the statue in front of the prison once more. Having caught on to the similarities between the previous two locations, they quickly search about for the 'I'. The symbol is found on the left foot of the statue.
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"Given that the other two images depicted Aroden's actions as those that were required to open the hidden compartments, Alrathien would lay good odds that magic - divine magic most likely - is the key to opening this one. Of course, arcane magic might work as well, but Alrathien sees little hope in that."
Just in case, the enchanter reaches a hand to touch the statue's foot and casts a light spell upon it.
Light shines from the foot of the statue after Alrathien casts his spell, but there is no secret compartment revealed.
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Watkins steps before the statue producing a small metal amulet depicting the sword and sun of Iomedae.
"I will learn the weight of my bow. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my bow, but in my heart. If I lose my bow, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died."
Waktins then casts detect evil.
Watkins casts detect evil. He does not detect any evil and nothing happens. Shrugging he turns back around to face the party to let them know his attempt failed when the amulet of Iomadae bumps the foot of the statue. While facing the party he tells them he detects no evil as the foot splits open behind him. Once more a compartment containing a parchment.
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"No, not that one, the new one. Yes, exactly. See here? This is obviously matching this area here, down at the harbor. Numbered 14 and 17 on this map. Now, if we assume that the object of our desire is at the center of these three locations, then that would be about...here." Alrathien reached out a long, thin finger and stabbed the map in the center of the triangle formed by the three parchment locations.
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With nothing better to do, Velen unfolds from where he was sitting, and walks along with his companions. Just for kicks, he takes the 3 pieces of parchment and holds them all together up to the sky so he can say them all superimposed on each other.
"What if this is the triangle we were looking for before? What's in the middle of these three places?"
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Alrathien picked a pen and a random bottle of ink from his pack and began drawing on the map, connecting the three locations with straight lines to make a triangle, then using the simplest of geometry to connect each vertex of the triangle to the midpoint of the opposite side. The three new lines intersected at a single point. Smiling, he pointed, putting the golden ink away once more and wiping the nib of his pen clean on a scrap of cloth.
"See? A straightforward application of Grodnur's theory of geometrycal computations and analysis. The centroid of any triangle can be found at the intersection of the three lines drawn from the triangle's points to the midpoint of the opposing leg. This, dear friends, should be the entrance to the Crypt of Fools...assuming we are correct in our suppositions."
The party heads to the location to find an opulent manor house.
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Velen walks confidently up to the manor house, having seen the I in the foundation as he approached. Getting even closer, he notices a loose brick, and after a moment's examination for traps, pushes it in, revealing the stone steps leading down. Backing away, he gestures to his companions.
"Gentlemen? Anyone care to take point?"
The group goes down the stairs led by Grethe. As you descend beneath the streets of Old Cassomir the temperature falls rapidly until it stabilizes at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The stairs are in complete darkness . After a number of quick turns and further descent, the party find themselves in a small chamber 200 feet beneath the city streets.
An ancient fountain decorates this open tunnel intersection. Many chipped sculptures provide spouts which drizzles water splash into the basin below. The fountain’s cold concrete edges have carved symbols that adorn its sides in three distinct bands. A set of stairs leading down from above empties into the room from the south, while two 5-foot-wide tunnels exit the room to the east and west.