Rows of small cottages line the crossroads of two streets formed by months of regular foot traffic. The scene is silent and still. The houses are recently built, but there is no sign of life or activity. Many of these simple homes have no proper shutters, and in some cases even lack doors. Nearby, once-cut grass has begun to regrow undisturbed. Gardens and plots of farmland behind some houses have begun to grow wild as weeds threaten to choke out the vegetables and herbs.
The colonist’s houses all tell a similar story: the occupants are missing and show no sign that they packed their belongings. You discover a few useful mundane items such as a compass, a sewing kit, cookware and the like, but nothing of great value remains here.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Kaldan whistles innocently as he pockets the compass and sewing kit. "Nothing worse than a hole in your breeches when you're in the middle of nowhere." He casually remarks.
Trieste (and her pal) wander among the huts, searching for anything that might reveal clues as to what happens. "Hmm, it seems odd to me that someone would leave behind something valuable like a compass. Pots and pans may be too much to carry, but a compass?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Thame notices the state of the wild already attempting to reclaim the upstart village, scratching his head as he thinks. There did not appear to be signs of a struggle as of yet, just hurried abandonment. His thoughts stray back to the ominous note they found earlier, however, and he can't help but think that something terrible has happened in this place.
His reverie is interrupted by Kaldan's whistling, the wizard's eyes whipping around in a frenzy before he realized the sound had come from the ranger. He tries to cover it up by shading his eyes with a hand, making a show of looking about.
Thame nods at Trieste's words, "It definitely indicates that these people left in a great hurry. Let us continue forward..." Truth be told, the scene was rather eerie, and the scholar would rather get this exploration over with so they could rejoin the others.
Kragg watches it all unfold silently. The ghost town was just too eerie for him. All around were signs of a community that should be in full swing but there was nothing. Correction, there was everything here but the people. Finally he mutters to himself, I just don't understand it. Why leave with no signs of struggle and not take everything with you? It has to be magic or treachery. Perhaps the division in the group caused some to flee while others went after them. Only once people were gone then something happened.
Kragg could care less about taking any of the gear as he had everything he needed already.
"It does seem very strange. If it were treachery, I would expect more items to be missing--or for signs of a conflict somewhere. It's definitely foul play, but I think it's magic of some sort," Lara says as they walk.
Trieste reaches down and picks her friend up off the ground. "Stay close," she murmurs setting him on her shoulder. "If there were disease, we would expect signs of hospice care. Perhaps something scared them off? That would not necessarily require magic. Though some sort of magic could very well be at work. A mass hypnosis or something like that?"
She shivers a bit pondering possibilities.
You make your way passed another garden infested by more of the acid spitting vermin. Prepared for what they are capable of now you easily dispatch them and clear another plot of land.
You make your way north following the road further, noticing the same tracks from the choker that lead to the farm to the south.
The south side of the palisade fence is the only finished side. A large gate set in the fence can be barred from within. The gate is open, however, and the large wooden bar leans against the fence. Beyond the gate is an unpaved road where homes have been built or are in various stages of construction.
Magic or mass hypnosis being responsible for the abandonment of the settlement were both bad options, in Thame's opinion. He personally was hoping that they had found something better and decided to cut their losses and move. He wasn't hopeful, though...setting up this colony was hard work, but there was great pay and reward involved. He doubted that lazy thinking was responsible for all this...quietness.
As the group passes the open gate in the palisade the wizard offers, "Shall we just go right and make the circuit?"
Kaldan nods. "There may be more scavengers in the huts, so everyone be watchful." He starts to the right.
Lara nods her agreement. "Let's check the area around the well while we are at it."
Any plan is a good plan at this point. Lead on and I will follow. So far though all we have to show for our work is some local pests that arrived after the colony was deserted and a few notes about a rift in the group. Not much to go on so far.
Turning to regard the dwarf, the wizard's brow arches. "The blade alone is enough to ensure our successful return to the others. Still, this mystery is no closer to being solved. Much as I'd rather study the Azlanti artifact, we are duty-bound to finish our work here."
Not that the group seemed like it was in danger of giving up, of course. Thame's speech was more of a pep talk to himself. The wizard was on edge, having a horrible feeling that some ancient, pissed-off being was going to come visit upon them the foul fate likely suffered by the previous inhabitants.
Trieste walks quietly along with the others, eyes open, ears listening, scimitar gleaming. She wasn't sure what was going on here, but she does not want to be another casualty.
The name “Arkley” is carved into a wooden sign nailed next to the doorframe of this log cabin. A single, closed door faces northwest, and the structure has two wooden-shuttered windows. The architecture is otherwise the same as many of the other buildings
You all recognize the name Arkley, or specifically Rayland Arkley, as the leader of the first group of colonists who arrived on the Liberty’s Herald.
The only door is shut and latched, but not barred. The inside of the house stands in contrast to most of the other buildings in the settlement in that it is relatively organized and tidy. It contains plain wooden furniture, with simple amenities such as wall racks for weapons and armor, a modest dining table and chairs, and a sitting chair with a makeshift cushion and footstool. A separate bedroom features a wooden bed frame and pallet mattress, a boot rack, and a large unlocked chest of folded clothes and other personal items. The entire house is a study in normalcy.
Kaldan glances upward and spots the corner of a sheet of folded parchment resting on top of a crossbeam, 9 feet above the floor.
Treasure:
Searching the house you find a silver pocket watch in the cushions of one of the chairs. Such timepieces are rare in the Inner Sea region, and this one also functions as a compass. Study of the symbols on the watch’s face indicates it is of original Azlanti design, and it is amazingly still in working order.
Additionally, tucked under the mattress in the bedroom is a traveling spellbook. Additionally, a spell component pouch is tied to a brass ring bound into the spine of the book. Twenty-nine pages have been used, with 21 blank pages remaining. The book contains 10 0-level spells, eight 1st-level spells, and eight 2nd-level spells.
10 0-lvl
Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Breeze , Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Read Magic
8 1st-lvl
Erase, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Reduce Person, Shield, Unseen Servant, Ventriloquism
8 2nd-lvl
Invisibility, Mirror Image, Hideous Laughter, Gust of Wind, Protection from Arrows, Glitterdust, Cat's Grace, Bull's Strength
Inside the front cover is an arcane mark that reads, “Hendrake.”
Lara's eyebrows furrow as they search the governor's house. "signs point to that same '3-4 weeks' time frame here, too. And more Azlanti-origin stuff. Where did they even find it? Are there ruins nearby? Did some native give it to them?" she ponders aloud. When they locate the spell book, she adds, "That spellbook definitely isn't the governor's. Was there another colonist who was a wizard? Or could this be a native's, too?"
Thame finds himself studying the Azlanti clock, fascinated by it's continued functionality. His reverie is disturbed by Lara bringing attention to the Spellbook. "This tome belonged to a magician of no small skill...I wonder who this Hendrake is?"
There was a small fortune that the group had already found...Thame still had that impending feeling of doom, but it was being supplanted by greed and curiosity. He looked over at Kaldan, "Does that paper shed any light on what is going on?"
"Does anyone recall any other arcane spell casters among the original group? Or the name Hendrake?"
Kragg shakes his head no. I am not certain of any of the skills of the first group. However it seems that Arkley was it the one to take matters of control lightly. I wonder if this Hendrake is Eliza Hendrake from the note we found earlier. It would make sense that Arkley would take her spell book and components to keep that person from using their skills against him. This is all conjecture though.
Using the spear Kragg flips it upside down to knock the paper off the crossbeam.
Kaldan shrugs "Conjecture is all we've got so far." he agrees with Kragg. "But taking someones spellbook? That's not a friendly act." . He reaches out and catches the falling paper, carefully scanning it.
The parchment is actually four sheets that have been folded together and tightly creased. When unfolded, it proves to be the Talmandor’s Bounty colony charter. This legal document declares the island and the colony to be under the protection of the nation of Andoran, outlines the colony’s relationship to the Bountiful Venture Company, and enumerates the rights and responsibilities of all colonists. It bears the sealed signature of three members of the People’s Council, representatives of the Bountiful Venture Company, and every colonist that came aboard the Liberty’s Herald.
You know these facts as part of the debriefing and disclosures given to all colonists, and in fact signed a similar document yourselves before joining the colony. The document is important for historical and legal reasons but is not intrinsically valuable in itself; a duplicate charter remains in Almas.
Suspiciously the document has small check marks listed alongside the names of the colonists, but not the colony’s officials. Scanning over the names on the charter, you find one of the colonists was named Una Hendrake.
Looking over Kaldan's shoulder, Lara remarks, "Wasn't that other scrap of parchment we found signed 'Una,' too?"
Looking over the list of names, she looks for anyone with the first name Eliza, Barnabus, or Dulin. Recalling other details from the parchment, Lara does not look up from the list of names as she asks, "Does anyone know when the next quarter-moon is?"
You locate the names Eliza Haniver, Barnabus Braeton, Dulin Whitside on the charter.
The wizard looks over the legal documents thoroughly. After all, this kind of mind-numbing paper shuffling was what he had made a short career of. His brow furrows as he notes the check marks by the names of the colonists, thinking that it wasn't for a prize drawing. "I can tell you this, as a fellow magician. This Una would not have willingly given up her spellbook."
Picking up what Lara was putting down, Thame nodded in agreement, following her logic to its conclusion. "So do we see if this Barnabus shows up tomorrow night?"
After the group has finished searching the home, Thame gets his crossbow in a relaxed, ready position, eager to move on to the next building and clear the immediate area so he could relax a bit.
"I think that sounds like a good next step," Lara says, nodding. "For now, let's finish searching the palisade."
"So do we see if this Barnabus shows up tomorrow night?"
"It seems like a long-shot, but I'm game to try. If we're staying, we should consider the best place to sleep. But first, let's continue the sweep."
This wooden-framed, mud brick structure is currently the colony’s only two-story building, as well as one of the largest structures. It has the appearance of a rural courthouse or city hall rather than that of a residence. The front features a small porch supported by rough log pillars, with double wooden doors facing west. Numerous window frames with shutters, some of them open, wrap around the building on both floors. The roof is not thatched, but has wooden shakes instead. The construction suggests this building was intended to be a source of community pride, but it still has a rough, unfinished appearance due to lack of paint and coarse materials. A few small shrubs have been planted around it.
The doors are unsecured, although they can be barred from within.
Through the main doors is a foyer opening to a large chamber that occupies most of the main floor. This room is open to the second floor, and two flights of stairs lead to a gallery that overlooks this space, supported by columns on the main level. At the rear of the chamber against the east wall is a raised desk, like a podium. Tables and chairs are arrayed in front of it like a courtroom. The gallery above has simple wooden chairs so that citizens can observe whatever business is conducted here. Doors at the north and south ends of the main floor lead to what appears to be separate offices.
This main chamber is intended for community meetings and future government and legal proceedings. The building has not been used recently, as evidenced by a light layer of dust throughout. This main chamber contains little of interest...
The makeshift offices have simple wooden tables, chairs, and writing equipment including stationery, ink, and quills. The northern office also has a locked wooden coffer.
"Hmm, this may make a defensible base. Although we may have to investigate THAT first," she says, pointing out the little clockwork critter. "It appears to be some sort of recording device. Perhaps it contains interesting records?"
"Hmmmm, if we can get it down I can possibly figure out its workings..." Thame looks up curiously at the clockwork device after Trieste points it out to the less observant, momentarily losing interest in the locked box.
Upon being discovered the small machine scuttles to the closest window, climbs partially up the wall, and opens the shutters with the intention of flying away.
Trieste did not expect it to try to flee, but she quickly runs after it.
"Don't let it get away!"
She also speaks to it, hoping it might understand. "Please understand, little friend. We mean you no harm. We're just trying to find out what happened to the colonists."
Lara wanders into the side office and notes the presence of a small coffer. Discovering that it is locked, she produces a set of lockpicks and goes to work. A few moments later, her efforts are rewarded with an open lock, and an open coffer. "Quite a few journals and logs in here," she mutters. Rifling through the coffer's contents, the Taldan pauses on the torn pages of one logbook in particular. "Strange. There's several missing pages."
Setting the logbook on a nearby table, she leans over it and studies its existing entries for any signs of what may have happened to the colony in the last month of its existence.
"Damn!" The wizard exclaimed as the thing took off. Being one of the less-encumbered members of the party, Thame makes the (in his estimation) brace decision to go try to block the automaton's point of exit. He is relieved to see that he is not alone as the druidess starts sprinting ahead of him. He makes no effort to pass her, content on allowing her to be the first line of defense.
"It's possible it's spying for somebody! We must stop it!" The wizard huffs out as he runs.
Kragg hurries to contain the spy as he thinks of ways of capturing it before it can get away.
As Kragg gets something out to hold the Clockwork device Kaldan will make a grab at it. Trusting in his gloves to protect his hands.
Kaldan lunges at the mechanical creature as it thrashes about ineffectually, practily trowing itself into your arms....
Nice job Kaldan. Now let's tie this thing up so we can see what it is. Kragg provides a net and rope.
Once it's wrapped up securely Kaldan will shake his stinging hand ruefully. "Fierce little devil." He grins.
Know arcane/engineering to identify?
Thame takes a look at the subdued clockwork machine, curious as to how it worked. He gingerly pushes and pried at different points as Kaldan holds it still, seeking to unlock its secrets.
You identify this as a clockwork spy. A construct designed to record and report information. You can spot a small key inside the intricate machinery in the back of it.
Much like golems and animated objects, clockwork creatures can be given any number of commands; a perpetually turning script in their core records those orders and programs the rest of the machine. Only one who possesses a key to the clockwork can program it, but any commands given to the construct last until the clockwork is reprogrammed or destroyed. An individual clockwork’s potential is only limited by its creator’s innovation and aptitude. Unlike many golems, which are trapped in bodies resembling lumbering and fallible cages, clockwork constructs can be repeatedly reworked and reengineered—gears can be oiled, springs can be replaced, and pistons can be fine-tuned. The ever-adjustable framework of these mechanical beasts allows for extreme variation from creation to creation.
Trieste can only guess at what animates or drives the clockwork creature. "Lara, perhaps you could have a look at this little fellow when you have a moment."
Thame brow furrows in consternation. While being well-practiced in the arts arcane, he is unsure of whether he has the dexterity necessary to unlike the clockwork spy. He follows Trieste's lead and looks to Lara to have a go at unlocking its secrets.
Hearing her name, the Taldan archaeologist emerges from the northern office. Spying the clockwork spy, she moves to have a closer look. "Let me see." With Kaldan holding the creature down, Lara begins tinkering with it. Brought up to speed on the clockwork spy's purpose and general workings by Thame, she glances at him as she works on removing the crystal. "If I get this recording crystal out, do we have some way of playing what's on it?"