Luca took a few steps backward as Brienne appeared, then scooted to the side so she could mostly hide behind Tyrus and avoid attracting the attention of the obviously-important woman. She could handle commoners just fine, but anybody important (which, in general, included those wearing gold and gems) made her... nervous.
Tyrus introduces the group and hands over Naswel's letter, also explaining that you had first sought out Oznat only to discover he was likely dead.
Brienne bows. "Naswel is known to me, and associates of his are welcome in Keldradt. Are you artifact prospectors, then? He'll be dismayed to hear of Oznat's fate, I'm sure. I understand the two of them did a brisk business."
"is that fate fixed, then? There is no hope?" Tyrus asks plaintively as he bows politely. "We'll send him a letter as soon as we can, if so."
Back on the original topic he explains, at length, their group "Adventurers, I suppose is the pejorative. I prefer your term 'prospector'. My friends and I are talented - surprisingly so - at surviving dangerous situations. We're all talented in the arcane, though in different areas, so our capacities are non-obvious. It was our thought to turn our talents to Keldradt. Obviously we realise this is a level of danger that exceeds what we've seen so far, and Naswel suggested we talk to Oznat about it. While he also gave us your name, I understand it was Oznat he thought might be able to help us to acclimatise. I'm afraid we've had little time to learn about your fair city - our thought was to purchase maps and so forth once here. I'm also unsure as to whether there is a permit system or such - I would hate to excavate some ruin only to discover we had been poaching or stealing." He bows again "Any assistance you can offer would be most appreciated."
"In short, we haven't decided what to do yet beyond arriving. If there is not a rescue attempt underway we could be the first. Perhaps prove our abilities."
"There are no permits or permissions necessary," Brienne says. "The ruins belong to the dead, or to nobody. Yes, prospectors do occasionally clash over this or that find or perceived advantage, but that is no concern of the Order. We are here only to provide a safe haven and to keep watch for... stirrings of greater danger. It has been many years since we had the resources to do any more."
"As for Oznat - he was a good captain, a valued soldier. But anyone who ventures beyond the walls knows that we cannot afford to send rescue attempts after all who go missing. Most of the time they'd only bring back a corpse, or go missing themselves. Oznat was in the business of recovering relics from the ruins, and he took on certain risks to do it. You'll be taking the same risks if you wish to enter. As for assistance... I do not know that we can provide much. Oznat would have had advice for you, I'm sure. Perhaps you could seek out his fellows amongst the captains for that. Most of them have similar business in the ruins, and know it's dangers better than the Order, these days. Is there something more specific you need?"
Apparently not - and Luca wasted no time excusing herself. All right... if you were going into some dangerous ruins, then the obvious thing was to ensure you always had an escape route, right? A lot would depend on the actual layout of the place.
(Truth be told, she was actually a little interested in why so many undead remained, and why nobody had been able to stamp them out for good. Even if a lot of explorers only killed three or four every time they entered, you'd expect that to eventually wear their numbers down, right? If there was something that could call them, maybe it could be reversed to stop them... and then applied to other things.)
Thanking the lady profusely, all while bowing copiously and deeply, Tyrus excused himself.
"An excellent idea. We shall do so immediately. Thank you for your help. We will leave you to your work. Thank you again. Captain's quarters this way? Never mind, someone will know. Thank you again..."
"Thank you ma'am. Sorry to bother you." He wasn't sure why but he felt an apology was in order. She seemed important. He moves after Tyrus towards...wherever he was going was good enough at this point. "Well that's unfortunate. And unhelpful."
Thou shouldst rescue this Oznat. Or at thine very least avenge his honor as a soldier. If undead are rampant in the depths of this ruin, he may hath joined the legion. His soul should be put to rest.
After so long it is unlikely he is alive. And he took soldiers with him. How could we possibly handle whatever was strong enough to take on him and his men.
Didst thou not set out on this adventure to make a name for thine self? To prove thine strength? I have deemed thou worthy of wielding me thus I believe thou hath the strength to take up the challenge.
Dante felt that was a little low for an immortal sentient sword but it had a point. Now he just had to convince the others. "You guys want to see if we can reach Oznat? I don't think we have any hope of finding him alive but we don't know the ruins so the path he took is likely just as good as any to test our abilities and see what we are up against down there."
Brienne looks to the desk clerk. "Please direct them to where they can find the other captains. It was a pleasure to meet you all," she says, and returns back the way she arrived.
"The captains don't stay here in the keep," the clerk begins to explain. He goes on to give a quick summary of how things in the city are arranged:
The Order of Illein is technically in charge of the city. They do maintain a small cadre of dedicated guards and commanders whom are sworn directly to the Order. Most of these guard the keeps, watchtowers, gates, and other "permanent" fixtures of the city defense. These people wear the sigil of the Order.
The rest of the city's militia (and the captains that lead them) are volunteers who are under the city's command if necessary, but whom in the rest of the time do as they please. Different groups tend towards different activities. They are usually thought of in three categories (though there is often overlap).
Looters: These groups like to enter the ruins and scour it for valuables.
Purgers: These groups try to keep the numbers of undead or other dangerous foes down. They concentrate their efforts on the old docks especially, to make sure nothing troubles the sea traffic coming to the city.
Police: These tend to stay inside the city and administer law and justice. They have the closest relationship to the Order of Illein, as it is the Order which actually makes most of the rules they must uphold.
Oznat and his group are/were looters. They tended to hang around at a certain tavern, The Torch. Any friends they had can likely be found there.
"If we're going to go in, we should probably hunt down some of the undead first." Luca suggested, looking up from where she'd scratched a few marks in the dirt. Her eyes were quite dilated at the moment, and she winced a bit as more light entered them.
Dante thanks the desk clerk and asks for directions to The Torch. He guessed that was an apt name for an inn the catered to dungeon delvers. Along they way makes not of any shops that might have useful items for future adventures as well as the prices of similar items. Always best to know the best deal in town. Once they reach the inn, he steps through the threshold and waits a moment for his eyes to adjust. When he can see where he is going he approaches the bar, one hand resting easily on his sword. He takes a seat with two nearby for his companions and orders some food and drink before getting into the information gathering. "I'll have whatever you have ready with water."
Tyrus nervously sidles into the seat Dante saved. "So" he whispered "Who should we talk to? Should we try to join a group, or hire a guide?"
The Torch is a well-maintained tavern. It is neither rowdy nor subdued. Two tables seem to be taken up by people gambling even at this early hour, and there are at least two dozen other men and women of varying species here. Several eyes track the newly entered group across the floor of The Torch for a moment before losing interest. As Dante and Tyrus sit, the bartender looks up without expression. He retrieves Dante's drink with similar disinterest, his only words to mention the cost.
Once the food arrives Dante asks the man "Excuse me, is there anyone here who would have known Oznat?" If the man tells him he finishes up the meal before heading to the indicated table for some reconnaissance.
"We were sorry to hear about what happened to him." Luca added in, trying to support Dante's efforts at talking to the bartender. She was still kind of nervous about talking to people, but... "If possible, we were hoping to at least do whatever could be done."
At Oznat's name, the barkeep looks at you blankly again. For a moment he just stares, but eventually he raises a meaty finger to point towards a table in the corner. "Them's with the red badge were his mates. Talk to them."
Tyrus, back at the table, fiddles nervously with his drink - a small brandy. Seeing the barman point someone out he edges himself out of the booth and looks towards Dante for some sign. Seeing nothing he sits back down and guards the food.
"Thank you," Dante says to the bartender. He gets up to head over to the table before turning back to the man. "Whatever they are having, can I get a round?" Dante waits for all the drinks before casting a minor spell over them to float nearby as he strolls over to the indicated table. "I hear you gentlemen are the ones to talk to about the depths of Keldradt. If you don't mind sharing I'll provide the drinks."
Luca stayed back - she wasn't old enough to drink, and didn't particularly want to have them laughing at her for "trying to be mature".
Tyrus gave Luca a helpless look. He's much better than me. So easy with new people.
Dante arrives at the indicated table with the drinks, and finds his audience quite receptive to his offer.
"Few better than us, aye!" says one of the group, a dwarf. Dante quickly brings up Oznat, and the faces of the group fall a bit. They explain that Oznat was one of the most experienced ruin-searchers amongst them, and that he had decided he wanted to make for a landmark that very few had ever reached before in the hopes that it would have more riches to loot.
"The nearest parts of the ruins have been worked over pretty well. But a little ways in it gets a lot more dangerous, and a lot more rewarding. Hard to search a place thoroughly with wraiths and zombies and whatnot trying to carve a piece off yer hindquarters," the dwarf says. "Anyways, ol' Oznat decided to head for the Tower of Tears."
He explains that the Tower of Tears was a famous theatre, renowned for its heart-wrenching plays. For centuries it specialized in bringing the most poignant tragedies to life. It sat on a hill only a mile or so from the western wall, surrounded by manors and rich townhouses.
"You can see it clear enough during the day, when the mists part. But it's still far enough into the city to make it dangerous. And, well... well, there's the rumor that nobody has ever entered the theatre itself and come back out again. But nobodies tried in so long, Oznat started thinking maybe it was just a rumor."
"Thank you gentlemen. Hope you enjoy the drinks." Dante bids the men farewell and heads back to his companions. It was good to see that the buying drinks tactic he read about actually worked. "Seems Oznat went to challenge the Tower of Tears. It's a theater a mile in and sits on a hill in the rich section. They said things get very dangerous that far in and the theater specifically is rumored to be deadly to all who enter. I'd be willing to see if we can get there but I think we need a little more info before entering."
Luca raised a hand. "Um... I don't mind sending in scouts..." she said, not going to be heartbroken at all if some of the creatures she summoned got pummeled while they were inside. That was preferable, actually, as long as they could stay out of danger themselves.
"Well first we have to get there. So let's get some supplies and see what we are up against. We can go from there." After finishing up here, Dante wanders over to the vendors to look for things that might aid them against undead.
Dante wanders amongst the vendors. They seem to be doing a brisk trade amonsgst the throngs of heavily armed (and often armored) men and women who seem to make up so much of the population here. A couple of the vendors seem to be official arms of the Order of Illein, selling holy water and various other common items for use in the ruins. There are also a number of folk who are hawking their services as "guides".
Listening to others speak with the guides, it seems most of them only offer escort to and from Fort Mistguard, a semi-permanent base maintained by the largest purger and looter bands. It is maybe a half-mile beyond the city wall. It is abandoned seasonally, when the anniversary of Keldradt's destruction comes - the city becomes remarkably more dangerous during those days.
Holy Water (as standard): 1.5 sp.
Ghost-beaters: These weapons are clubs with ornately carved metal heads, inlaid with religious runes and blessed by the priest of the Order. Against most enemies they are treated as normal clubs, but against the undead they are treated as magical clubs. (base price, 75 sp). They are quite commonly worn by members of the militia bands who venture into the ruins.
Consecrated Brazier: These powerful items are used to create sanctuary within the ruins. Inside are chunks of dark coal laced with seams of incense and enchanted metals. When lit, the coal burns with a holy light that purges evil wherever it falls. Undead are harmed by it, and even living souls of ill intent feel uneasy being too close by. Once lit, it will burn for ten hours. (base price, 3 gold).
There are also any number of booths offering up tokens, trinkets, amulets, and potions meant for protection against the undead and various other dangers, but as Dante makes to take a closer look at them a man speaks up from his side. The man is armed and is wearing the colors of the Order.
"Wouldn't bother with them, friend," he says. "The Order won't refuse them the right to hawk their wares - that's Brigga's doing - but not a one of them have proven that what they're selling works as they say."
Tyrus looks nervously around "I'm not sure how good an idea this is." he warns. "If we are going to do it, I think we should get one of those consecrated braziers - if we have to make a run for it, that should give us some breathing room."
"Wouldn't bother with them, friend," he says. "The Order won't refuse them the right to hawk their wares - that's Brigga's doing - but not a one of them have proven that what they're selling works as they say."
"I figured. Might be a diamond in the rough somewhere in there but I am not intent on gambling my life to find out," Dante responds. "Who is Brigga? And is bringing undead back for study considered taboo? Might actually be able to prove some of this stuff works then if its tested in a safer environment then out there," he says pointing towards the wall.
"Who is Childa*?
"The revered Childa, Dwarven god of commerce and civilization. She's one half of our peculiar little Order here, with Felathren being the elven goddess who represents the other half," says the man, a human. "And aye, I'd imagine you'd get all sorts of grief for trying to bring any of those monsters into the city. Just about everything we do is focused on keeping them on the far side of the walls. Study is all well and good, sure, but it ain't worth that kind of risk. If you go out into the ruins, the Order will inspect anything you bring back. Anything deemed dangerous will be taken into their keeping - you'll be compensated, of course; Childa again."
"Childa again," Dante echoes. He couldn't tell if the man was using it as an excuse or truly thought that was explanation enough. "Know your enemy. Know your self. And through a hundred battles you need not fear defeat. I need to learn a lot about this new enemy in a short amount of time. Might as well see if any of them work."
Dante will listen to some of the hawker's and ask pointed questions to test there theories. Those that sound confident and scientific, and reasonably priced, he'll purchase to see if they work.
Tyrus looks nervously around "I'm not sure how good an idea this is." he warns. "If we are going to do it, I think we should get one of those consecrated braziers - if we have to make a run for it, that should give us some breathing room."
"Well obviously. I don't think we'll ever be out there after dark but just in case. I also want to try a couple of these untested items. See if they are on to something, but only when we can try it safely."
Luca nodded slightly. She wasn't strong enough to haul heavy items around, but she was emphatically in favor of anything that would reduce the risk of exploring this area and help keep them alive. She didn't know what she'd do if the two of them died.
Dante asks around about a magical light source, but is disappoint. All he learns is that an old wizard was once selling "glowstones" but that they lost their power steadily, and never provided as much light as even an ordinary torch. Dim light sources apparently proved to be of limited use out in the ruins and she quickly lacked for business.
Dante wanders about in the less reputable vendor area, perusing their wares and waiting to see if anything struck him as more than a simple con. One man stood out. He is slumped against the walls, half-heartedly gesturing at passers-by. He has no booth, and only seems to be selling one item.
When Dante inquires, hope sparks in his eyes. "Stranger, I only have this to offer. This holy symbol, the mark of my god, Jiltrek. I am a priest, stranger, from a far-away land. I came here expecting to purge this entire city of evil. A fool, I was. A great fool, thinking I alone could overcome this mighty curse. But my god desires some mark of himself must stay - and I must have silver to buy passage on a ship away from here. Thirty silver, friend, and a promise that you will venture into the ruins to destroy evil, and some measure of my god's protection will pass to you."
The man holds out a copper torc, and Dante moves to touch it. Some spark of power arcs between him and the metal. He feels real strength within it.
"There is true power in this necklace," the blade says to Dante. "Wholesome power. I know not what it could offer us, but I would have its power on our side."
Dante unconsciously looks down at his blade and back at the item, a look of disbelief on his face. Diamond in the rough indeed. "Looks like you will be heading home my friend. And I promise it will see some use beyond the wall." He reaches into his belt pouch and retrieves the thirty silver. Once he has the item in hand he looks it over, seeing beyond to the magical energies around it.
"My thanks to you," he replies. "And a final thing - if you, too, should eventually leave this place before it is purged, bestow the amulet on another as I have passed it to you. May you be safe in your battles, my friend."
With that he bows, places the money in his purse, and leaves.
Dante studies the pendant. It is certainly magical, but godly power is less easy to ascertain than arcane magic. Even so, Dante believes the amulet is likely to have some manner of protective powers against maladies of the mind and body.
After an exhaustive scan Dante settles on the surety that this was a good purchase at the very least. Trial and error would prove its function. He gives it a toss and catches it before putting it away in a pouch and heads back to the inn the others are staying at.
"Well I had an interesting day," he says when they are back together. "Tyrus, think you get a better Spellcraft, I mean analyze this. Got it from a priest of Jiltrek," he says sliding the amulet over. "I have a spell of magic missile for incorporeal things, some holy water, one of those braziers. And I tried to find an ioun torch, you know, one of those lights that floats about your head, but found nothing. Guess Light spell will have to do. I think I should also get one of those clubs for skeletons. Really wish they had different weapons, like a longsword or something."
Luca looked at the amulet for a moment, her pupils dilating intensely as she looked over it and tried to divine its properties.
"Your sword isn't good enough?" she asked as Dante talked, sounding vaguely confused. She didn't actually know that much about weapons, and wasn't even familiar with the important differences between rapiers and longswords, other than one being much broader than the other. Presumably this was important to the people who used them, but...
Tyrus left the others long enough to check out the mirror makers further in the city.
"You are too kind."
Tyrus looked worriedly at their dwindling pouch "I think we will have to go tomorrow. We might have to hold off on any other purchases."
You are able to decipher the complex magical auras of the amulet's physical effects: it boosts a wearer's resistances to impurity, thereby protecting from poison and disease.
The mental effects are, however, rather more difficult. Like Dante you believe they'll have something to do with fear, but you cannot tell exactly what and to what extent.
"My sword's best attack form is a straight thrust to a vital area," he says miming a thrust. "Skeletons have a lot of empty space and zombies don't have vitals. Best to swing rather than thrust. Plus I learned how to bind an element to the properties of a weapon in order to add more damage."
"Surely you'd be better off with magic in such a situation?" Tyrus asks, the question with the air of a man who has spent his whole life believing in the superiority of the magical over the martial.
"Now, this is what I suspect of your circlet. Would both of you like to read through my reasoning?"
Luca nodded slightly. The more information they had - and the more they understood each other's thoughts - the better off they'd be.
"Not really," Dante says distractedly as he looks at the amulet. He looks up at the silence, embarrassed, after his less than cordial denial. "I mean, no offense. We've just done a lot of talking over the last few weeks. The more we talk," and he holds a very small bag, "the smaller this gets. We have a really good opportunity here to change that but we can't exactly afford anymore preparation. We can take it slow and learn as we go. Empirical study is far more reliable than the vast majority of the looters here I suspect. I gathered that much from Oznat's friends. They know how to kill undead but that's about it. Which reminds me, you guys should have joined me. I had good time swapping stories. And drunk men make a great audience. They'll laugh at anything."
After a day spent speaking to people and gathering supplies, the group returns to their guesthouse for a long night's sleep in expectation of entering the ruins the next day. They have learned that the best time to enter is at the break of dawn, for as with much evil that which infests the ruins is strongest in the dark of night. Thus they want to maximize the daytime they have.
You rise an hour before dawn and gather your things, then go to the large and well-guarded eastern gate. Tyrus speaks briefly with the guard captain there, who then turns to address the entire group.
"I understand this is your first foray into Keldradt. If you're smart, you'll either be back here or at Mistguard by nightfall. Any items you bring back must be inspected before you can enter the city. The laws of the Order do not extend into the ruins, but we encourage you to be civil to the living, even out there. We also encourage you to be thoroughly uncivil to the dead. Destroy any that you encounter, for the love of the gods."
With that, he signals to the men and women operating the gateworks, and slowly the large, iron-shod expanse of wooden beams swings open. You step out beyond the walls just as the first rays of the sun peak over the mist-shrouded buildings of Keldradt.
"How about we go get familiar with Mistguard?" Dante suggests as the leave the safety of the city.
He seems far too excited to be properly paying attention but upon greater scrutiny, you can see he is on high alert. He is not just looking at the architecture of the elven city but also the shadows and doorways. He looks down each alley and in each window. His hand also always close, if not on, his blade.
Luca stayed a little ways behind Dante, her senses on high alert. She didn't have much of a choice in that regard - the Void had no intention of allowing her to come to harm, and she was ready to summon companions to fight on a moment's notice as the group carefully made its way forward.
The buildings on the outskirts of the city are more densely clustered than the norm for elven settlements - buildings having to be squeezed closely together in order to stay within the protective encirclement of the walls. Unlike the walls, though, nobody has been caring for these structures. They are decaying, though slowly - whether due to elven craftsmanship or some strange preservative effect of the curse that lies upon the city, who knows?
There are signs of battle in many places. Arrow shafts still stuck into high beams, gouges and pockmarks in the stone from weapons and spells. Here and there entire buildings have collapsed in burned rubble - here, destruction is much younger than decay.
The group walks along, Dante taking point. The young warrior's eyes roam here and there, vigilant for any danger.
At one point as your group rounds a bend in the street, the buildings conspire to block the rising light - leaving a large shadowed area. You could swear that you see a darker shadow, blacker than black, moving inside one of the buildings.
Dante halts and tenses, hand on his weapon. He waits a moment and watches, hoping to determine what he saw in the shadows of the forgotten building. Without turning he says to the others, "I think we might have met our first encounter." He slowly draws the black blade and it let's out barely a whisper as it is slide from the scabbard. While he holds it defensively in his right hand, his other makes a few arcane gestures. With a flick of his wrist four orbs of light appear in the building.
Tyrus moves carefully through the ruins. He expected to find it intimidating, but there was something familiar - even welcoming - about it. Perhaps decades of imagining walking through archeological ruins such as this have desensitised me? he wondered.
When Dante freezes, he finds himself standing between Luca and the building, and hurriedly sidesteps to give the young woman the ability to see.
"What did you see, Dante?"
"A darkness deeper than the shadows."
Luca's hand twitched slightly as they began pushing power into the conduit that connected to her. If the undead were here, they would soon find that the three explorers weren't alone...