Daseem nodded at Scrabbler's words, the little goblin had the right idea. Surely somebody will have seen the wagon and it's master. Daseem wasn't a local but Trunau wasn't big and he'd been there a few months, he thought he knew where all the stables where.
The group set out to check for the mules coming up with little at the Ramblehous stables where the stable boy is positively surly, and paces round Ivan,
"Wouldn't want to stable it you should just tie it up outside."
The Longhouse stables do contain a half dozen mules, but none are in the poor condition described by Gilly. The stable hand on duty, a young boy strapped with no less than four wooden swords, several of which appear to have been whittled to have sharp edges suggests,
"Might have sold them to the knackers if they were in a bad way, could be sausage by now."
A trip to Trunau's other butcher, Hayden Broop, a man famous for his low prices, discount mystery meats, and slapdash approach to butchery confirms that he purchased two mules a couple of days back and offers,
"Got mule jerky, mule sausage, even curried mule bombs!" As he mentions the later he gestures to a pile of white round bun like objects sitting under a see through lid that appears to be made from stretched dried intestine.
After this and dinner, if they could see the sky the sun would be beginning to set.
"well it seems all but one of our clues has run dry, should we head back for dinner before we make our way to the Plague house?" Edgar asks.
Bupkis agreed with Edgar, "Yes, important have good meal before Plague House!" Like most goblins, Bupkis was always ready for a meal.
ivan gets two of the sausages before turning back to the group.
Oh, I don't know, they seem fairly juicy ta' me. He lets out a half-hearted chuckle.
at the others suggestions he looks down two his sausages, shrugs, and follows as he takes a large tearing bite out of one.
Bupkis said to Scrabbler, "You clown before Plaguehouse? Bupkis like to see!"
Well, what say we meet up at the gate tonight at sundown eh? Since it seems our trail leads there anyway.
If the others agree, Ivan saunters off to his room to gather up the shattered remains of the plate armor before taking it to the clamor. Once there, he starts the process of salvaging what he hadn't already and Starting on the process of reforging.
Just you wait... I'll fix ye up yet. Then, I'll find the bastard what broke ye, an' break them worse still. Just ye wait.. Ye won't go unavenged Pa, ye won't. Just wish I had the forges of home to work with, in order to re-imbue the magic that was lost... That can come later though.
”I’ll be at the Longhouse, I think I play a few songs and see if I can make some coin.” Edgar says as him and Edwin make fore the longhouse.
Scrabbler nodded enthusiastically to Bupkis and went back to the Ramblehouse to earn his daily coinage while they waited for nightfall.
The little goblin's routine consisted of juggling, comically screwing up his juggling and recovering in interesting ways, telling ribald jokes in broken common, a few basic slight of hand illusions where he made people's shoes and hats disappear while they weren't paying attention and then added them to the juggling routine, and other slapstick pratfalls.
His ratty jester's hat sat on the floor and collected money.
Bupkis went along with Scrabbler. It was still a novelty to go into buildings, rather than skulk around outside them. He laughed at the other goblins antics, and amused himself by floating small morsels of food through the air to tempt him.
He looked around at the other patrons, and watched their reactions. What did they think of goblins in here? He soon lost interest, and turned his attention to the snacks.
The Ramblehouse probably isn't the best place to attract a big crowd, most of its rooms be relatively small in the warren like structure; but a dozen or so young adult halflings watch the show while drinking and dicing, gradually warming to Scrabbler's antics, and by the end cheering and hollering with drunken enthusiasm. They fling fourteen pieces of silver at, or around, Scrabbler's jesters hat and offer both goblins an earthenware flask of powerful liqor.
"But hares in your chest, s'called Scumble, made from apples... Well mainly apples," the young halfling tells them taking a swig from his own flask before executing a long burp that makes the whole room smell of apples, and eyes water.
Scrabbler was very impressed at the halflongshanks burp so he took a drink of the apple juice? He coughed a bit and realized it was fermented. He wanted to drink more, but he was also hoping to stab average-man tonight, so he put the drink away. "Thankyous." he grinned. "Gotta be careful for circusing. Me's drink later."
He gave them a full show, collected his earnings, and then slipped out into the night.
Menrozzar sighed as they hit dead end after dead end. The average man had disappeared - no sign of him anywhere. He'd sold the mules to Broop - good a place as any to get rid of them, that way they couldn't be traced to him. He agreed with Ivan, "Let's meet at the gate after dark. We'll head to the Plague House then." He followed Edwin to the Longhouse. While Edwin played, Menrozzar sharpened his weapons and polished his armor, making sure everything was in good shape. He didn't know what they'd find in the Plague House, but whatever lay in wait there, he meant to deal with it.
When he saw Captain Kurst, he flagged him down and said, "Captain, we found Rodrik's journal. It looks like whatever he was investigating had something to do with the Plague House. I remember Ruby saying some of the boys went down there last night, and you went to deal with them. Do you remember seeing anything while you were there?"
Everyone had resolved to meet at the gate after dark so Daseem returned back home. 'No, it's not home. It's Mrs Crumkin's home and I'm just a lodger.' he reminded himself as he opened the door. No doubt the kitchen would be a mess, Tessa's aunt was a fair cook but she detested washing up. He made his way to the kitchen and sure enough there was a pile of dirty plates. With a deep sigh Daseem fetched the soap, kindled a fire for hot water and set about cleaning.
Daseem was startled when Tessa demanded, "So you're finally home, where exactly have you been?" She had a vicious gleam in her eye, this was going to end in an argument he could tell. 'I've been all over Trunau my lady, searching for clues to the terrible murder of the town's most famous son Rodrik Grach. My apologies for being away so long, somebody had to step up, it is important work for the benefit of the Town. You see what happened is an affront to justice, and quite possibly motivated by racial hate or some other equally base motive. This can not be allowed to stand.' It all sounded so eloquent in his mind, but what came out was closer to a sullen "Been investigating, what's it to you?" Her tone of voice annoyed him, and his inability to communicate was frustrating.
Tess walked closer and frowned, "You've been spending time with the Militia haven't you? Don't deny it Mrs Feynman say you enter the Longhouse." Crossing her arms she stated flatly, "You know how I feel about your involvement with them."
Feeling trapped and frustrated, Daseem carefully put down the soapy plate he had been cleaning. He knew what he wanted to say, [i]'But the Militia is important! They're the only reason we can sleep safely at night and now one of the captains has been murdered. Something big is happening, I can tell it. Now don't panic but I've got to go help the others check the Plague House. Despite out efforts the other clues to Rodrik's murder didn't pan out. The only one left is the Plague House, we know he went there a lot including last night. This is something I've got to do, not for me, but for everyone.'[i] Daseem's tongue was too twisted to say that, instead he muttered angrily, "G-gotta go. T-t-to the P-plague House."
Tessa's jaw dropped, and she stared at Daseem for a moment. Hands on her hips she cried, "You're going to do what?! Have you lost your mind Daseem? It's dark out there or hadn't you noticed?! Don't you want to spend any time together?" Hurt Daseem looker her in the eye but then broke off, her stare showed only uncomprehending hurt. How could he explain? He couldn't so he stammered, "S-s-sorry. Got to g-g-go, important." As he left he heard Tess call, "That's the kind of stupid thing kids do Daseem, not fully grown men."
Captain Kurst is drying himself near the fire pit and glances up at Menrozzar with tired eyes, "Nothing of note I think. A half dozen lads who didn't even dare get as close as usual with the first stirrings of fog making things spookier than usual. As for the journal, I would like to see it, perhaps give it to Brinya once you are done with it. But for now I am going to be doubling the patrols and increasing the guard, the scouts are almost useless in this fog. I leave Rodrik's solving Rodrik's murder in your hands."
Meeting up in the darkness your light sources reveal that the fog might be thinning slightly, though it is still raining and visibility remains poor. The guards agree to open the gate for you, though they only open it just wide enough to allow Ivan's bulk to squeeze through before swiftly drawing it closed.
The Plague House’s front doors sit three feet above the ground. Charred wooden beams and ash are all that remains of a small porch and stairs that once led to the entrance. The small windows flanking either side of the doorframe are broken, but a large stained glass window dominating the face of the building to the right remains in fine shape, and shows a varicolored image of Iomedae holding her sword aloft.
Menrozzar walks towards the Plague House, torch in hand. This approach was the same as when he'd been a child, but something about the Plague House was different. Maybe it was the dog, or his purpose in investigating Rodrik’s murder. Perhaps it was his general state of mind, and the feeling that something bad was coming. Whatever it was, it made the Plague House seem eerie, giving it a haunted feel to it.
Menrozzar approached the burned porch, then handed his torch to Edgar. ”I’ll climb up first. Once we’re up, we’ll go in carefully - Ivan and I in front.”
Menrozzar then climbed up onto the porch. He’d made it this far as a child - now he would enter the Plague House as an adult.
Scrabbler lived up to his name, hopping up the burned remained of the porch in an eyeblink. Once there he swept the door for hazards and checked the lock.
Edgar and Edwin left the Longhouse and made for the gate, Edwin leading as Edgar could not see in the dark. strange that all this is happening right as I get back to town. Seems Desna has a path set out for me here in my hometown. Edgar thinks to himself as he follows Edwin with a hand on his shoulder.
when the guards seem apprehensive about opening the gate Edgar will cheerfully say,"Not to worry boys, any grown man knows the plague house is just a burned out wreck. Do be kind enough to let us back in when we are done yes?" Edgar asks.
hopefully those men open the door for us... nights like tonight can scare even the most veteran wall guard. He thought as they headed around the town walls, south towards the Plague house.
there it is, he thinks as it enters his sight,looks the same as it did when we were boys.
Edgar accepted Menrozzar's torch and waited for Ivan and Daseem to climb up before having Edwin give him a boost, before climbing up himself. once up Edwin and Edgar will both draw their weapons,"Just in case gentlemen" he says with a wink.
Ivan didn't make quite the progress he had wanted on the armor, but sighs as duty called him away. Sara, its ok ifn' I leave this 'ere fer now right? Thank you again for lettin' me use the place. Its quite nice. If told that it is fine, he begins to make his way to the gate and the plague house.
Ivan tosses his tower shield up to the landing before, rather slowly, making his way up to the landing himself.
He looks around the place, grumbling under his breath.
hm. This place looks like its more bound ta' fall in on itself than house some plot. But, just in case, let's take it nice in slow. Ifn' anyone is good at searchin' for hazards, keep your eyes out alright?
Bupkis was becoming more comfortable being inside the town buildings. He had actually been inside watching Scrabbler perform, and no one had seemed to mind too much.
He walked with the other Goblin to the agreed meet-up point, and followed along as they made their way out of the town, and around to the Plague House.
The others were crowded around the front doors, so he said in a low voice, "No room for all at doors; Bupkis check around side!" He moved stealthily around the side of the building (and goblins can be very quiet when they want to).
With his darkvision Bupkis is able to see up to the second floor. It would perhaps be possible to enter the first floor through the debris, but it would likely be a dangerous and dirty process, and there seems to be nothing of note there, other than a damaged staircase. Most of the wooden loft he can see above is still standing completely exposed to the elements and filled with soot-covered debris, fire-damaged furnishings, and charred wooden beams. A large, soot-covered brass statue of a goddess with a longsword in one hand and a kite shield in the other stands precariously on the northern edge of the platform above a rickety flight of stairs.
It looks like the only way to access the loft is by entering the building though.
Daseem had been unusually subdued even for him when they met after dark. Tess's words where ringing in his ears, 'I'm loosing her, I can see it in her eyes and I don't know what to do about it.' Time and again he played their fractious conversation over in his wind, wondering if he'd ever be able to explain his feelings to her. Sit was when they got to the plague house he was glad of a distraction and waited patiently while the remarkably stealthy Bupkis ghosted round the building. It was clear Bupkis could see perfectly, while Daseem could barely see a thing. He remarked to the others softly, "G-gonna need light if I'm g-going up there."
Bupkis returned to others in front of the door. "Can get in from that way, but harder. Try doors first, Bupkis thinks!"
It seemed crowded by the door, so he waited for there to be more room on the landing. "Bupkis can open doors from here," he offered.
The corridor behind the entry way seems to be one of the better preserved areas of The Plague House, though it is still charred black and obviously heavily weathered.
Ahead those with darkvision can just make out a wll of natural stone that looks like a face of a great boulder. To the left is the rickety looking stairway that leads up to the loft. To the right is a closed door, which seems to have been charred primarily from the other side judging by the hints of black visible around its edges.
Bupkis clambered up onto the landing.
"Bupkis scout!", he said to the others, trying to keep his voice down. He advanced cautiously down the corridor. He was nervous, but a lot more adventurous than he had been when he'd entered the ruins by himself.
Moving forward Bupkis sees the support walls and pillars that once connected the Plague House to the huge boulder behind it have burnt and crumbled in this ruined chamber, revealing nearly the entire face of the monolithic stone as well as much of the sky above. Jagged red runes have been painted onto the rock in long, broad strokes that reach from top to bottom. A cabinet on the southeast wall and a tall bookcase against the northeastern wall are all that remain of the room’s furnishings. An abandoned hopeknife sits in plain sight on one of the shelves in the bookcase to the northeast.
To his left a wooden staircase here obviously once led to the upper story, but has all but crumbled to ashes. The northern wall has collapsed, and the floor underneath has sunk entirely, leaving a dark, gaping hole in the ground surrounded by rubble. A single door exits the room to the northeast.
Bupkis was tempted to float the Hopeknife back to him, but caution overtook him. He returned to his companions, and said excitedly, "Hopeknife on shelf up ahead! Come!"
Taking his torch back from Edgar, Menrozzar takes a deep breath as he enters the Plague House. Well, this is it. You've entered a place no one willingly enters. Let's hope the ghosts aren't real. He follows Bupkis down the hallway, looking about as he walks. He notes the two doors they hadn't checked, then, once they reach the end of the hallway, his attention is grabbed by the jagged red runes painted on the rock.
He wasn't well-versed in various languages, and he knew nothing of the different types. He knew his grandfather reputedly sometimes spoke in a sibilant, commanding tongue, but Menrozzar himself knew nothing about such things. Quietly, he asks, "Does anyone recognize these runes?"
Though nobody can read the runes, there is a certain similarity between them and some of the graffiti in the orc's room at The Ramblehouse.
Ivan moves forward wearily, not quite sure how well a goblin could scout. But against his instincts trusts the little fellows. As he comes to the hopeknife, he picks it up and looks it over.
Hmm. Wonder if this is new or old.. anything inscribed on it? He is trying to see if the blade is still good, or if it is old and burnt.
At Menrozzar's question, Ivan saunters over to take a look.
Don't know, don't know a lot O' languages though, but I can ta' a look. If Ivan doesn't know the language, he will at least try to determine what language it is in.
Now that more people were moving up, Bukis went back down the corridor, and ventured into the chamber. He moved over beside Ivan and tried to get a look at the Hopeknife. "Any writings?", he asked the dwarf.
He let the others ponder the graffiti scrawled on the walls. Opening up things and looking inside seemed much more interesting; he concentrated on opening the cabinet doors with his telekinetic powers.
Scrabbler moved in with Bupkis letting the other goblin take the lead, keeping his eyes open and staying out of Daseem's light.
While the others discussed the knife, Scrabler went around to every other door he could find and checked it for dangers and locks.
As Ivan approaches from the dark cobweb encrusted ceiling two great gobbits of white shoot forth, one engulfs Ivan in a mass of sticky webbing, while the other splatters at the floor just shy on Menrozzar!
Two giants spiders are revealed hanging amidst the rafters some fifteen feet up. Careful inspection reveals the webs that surround them are scattered with hundreds of frail animal bones.
It was getting so dark Daseem was beginning to worry he'd trip over something and break his neck. Menrozzar's torch helped of course, but Daseem deiced more light wouldn't hurt, so he whispered a prayer to Gorum and his sword sheath started glowing softly.
Bupkis was just rounding the corner, when he saw Ivan get hit by a sticky mess of webs. Bupkis could have been caught, all alone! "Spiders!", he cried to the others. He took a sling bullet from his pocket and tossed it into the air; concentrating, he accelerated it towards the nearest spider with telekinetic force!
Scrabbler ran over behind Menrozzar and hurled a knife at one of the spiders.
The spiders leap down one scuttling across to hang on the bookcase and strike at the entangled Ivan, while the other injured by Bupkis's blast Chitters and bites at the goblin. Fortunetly both if the creatures are clumsy in their assaults, Bupkis easily avoids one, while the other clangs off Ivan's armor.
Battle came suddenly but Daseem felt oddly relaxed despite the initial surprise, this was what he lived and would die for. He carefully drew six feet of hardened steel from it's scabbard and calmly approached the fray, limbering up as he did so. Standing next to the ensnared Dwarf he remarked casually, "Damn that's u-ugly!"
Ivan lets out a rough Bahh! As he cuts through the webbing and placing himself infront of one of the spiders.
Alright ye bastard, come an' get sum! He shouts to both the spiders before readying his axe
I wonder if these things moved in that quickly... or ifn' they were placed here by someone...
Menrozzar cursed as the webbing stuck to the ground in front of him. As the spiders came scampering down, he thought, Were these beasts here when Rodrik came in, or are they new? If new, did they come on their own, or were they coaxed here? He dropped his torch on the ground and unlimbered the Lucerne hammer before stepping up and swinging at the vermin attacking Ivan.
Unfortunately, his hammer swung passed under the spider, and he said, ”We need to squash these quickly! They might be poisonous.”
Edgar and Edwin will let everyone else take the lead in exploring the house once they all get up the landing, neither of them were very good at attention to detail.
As they all creep in and are surprised by the spiders Edgar casts a shield spell on Edwin after Menrozzar swings at the spider, then draws an obsidian starknife and takes a step closer to the action as he looks at Edwin and says, “Get I’m in there and help big bro!”
Edwin nods and swiftly moves in between the two spiders in a double move, Winding back to swing his scythe to swing as he rounds the blue one and enters a flank.
Edgar winces as he sees his brother recklessly rushes past the spiders and thinks, Desna guide him!
Neither spider manages to touch Edwin despite the openings he leaves a she passes them, one simply misses and the other rebounds from his magical shield.
Bupkis wound up and tried to punch the spider in front of him, but missed. He stepped back and called out, "Goblins take turns stabbing!" (although he had just punched).
Scrabbler ran across the wall like a spider and jumped onto the thing's back.