The trapdoor opens easily with Constantin's flourish.
Strange art and artifacts from distant lands fill this tower room. Another ladder rises upward to a trapdoor in the ceiling, making this a short tower of sorts.
An ebony tribal mask from the Mwangi expanse (350gp)
A silver torc from the lands of the Linnorm Kings (600gp)
A mammoth tusk scrimshaw inscribed with spells (works as a single scroll containing the spells bulls strength, ice storm and phantom steed)
Slatted timber openings cover the windows of this towertop room, 60 feet above the ground.
The group turn their backs on the grisly discoveries upstairs make make their way down the ladders to see what other secrets this chymic factory has in store.
At the bottom of the ladder is the huge room containing the vats of chemicals with a set of double doors headed east. This underground room contains several dozen crates, a few coffins, lots of straw, and several huge bell jars.
7 pots of bladeguard
15 doses of blood block
5 applications of silver weapon blanche
5 applications of cold iron weapon blanche
1 application of adamantine weapon blanche
Beyond this a further set of rooms can be found with possibly the most horrific discovery yet.
The floor of this large chamber is hidden beneath the murky water filling the room to just below the bottom of the door. Dozens of pale cadavers silently float in the ice-cold waters, bumping into each other or against the damp walls. The air is still and quiet, broken only by the sound of water lapping against stone walls.
In all there are 36 cadavers in the pool, all under the effects of gentle repose.
A ledger beside the pool has lists of buyers objects in the room and buyers lined up for purchase. All are destined for scholars in Caliphas and command high prices.
A wand of gentle repose (32 charges)
Vala shakes her head ruefully at the sight of the bodies. "I don't know what I was expecting. What a wretched place this is."
Zed walks into the room and stops dead, brows slowly furrowing in anger at the cadavers. "This place will burn." He scowls and moves onto the list, burning the names into his memory. And they will pay.
He doesn't say it but Vermundr matches the stately woman's gaze with a glance that speaks his agreement.
"We should contact the watch and get word to the courthouse. Zed and I can stand watch in case scavengers come along with any bright ideas before the guard shows up."
Vala starts to nod in agreement, then turns quizzically back to the pool. "Wait... why aren't the waters still?" Wariness and worry creep into the tone of her voice as she asks the question.
"Either something else is in there, or there's a current," says Constantin. He flares with psychic energy and sends several motes of chained ectoplasm down into the dark, lapping water.
Despite their wariness, none of the cadavers animate at the intrusion of the light. They simply keep bobbing up and down on the gently lapping water - the source of which appears to be a pump, or some such mechanism, toward the rear of the pool.
It seems to keep the water cycling gently, though for what purpose you cannot say.
Whilst Vermundr and Zed stand resolutely at the gates, several of the group leave to alert the guard to the situation at the chymic factory.
Within about ten minutes they return with a scrawny-looking man who looks barely out of his teens. The watchman gawps at the scene inside the factory - bodies and scorch marks littering the area.
Fortunately for him, the guard captain and half a dozen officers arrive shortly after. With them is your friend and colleague, Gustav Kaple.
The guard-captain, more wily than the rest, eyes you all with plain contempt and you remember he was one of the guards who subdued the Beast at the university.
Care to explain this mess? he says.
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Zed looks silently for a moment, lost in how to approach this. Openly hostile but necessary to have on their side. But he knows a good start; the facts. "Perhaps we should show you the facility while we explain what happened."
Vala sighs in relief when the pump is pointed out to her, the foulness of the place and tension in air obviously wearing at her. By the time the guard arrive, she seems worn, tired, and terribly weighted down.
Lead on then. the Captain says, stepping over the mangled body of the golem hound in the courtyard.
You note he stays behind the group and his men keep their hands rested on the hilts of their weapons.
The body language is not lost on Zed. He takes a brief glance over the rest of the party and senses their weariness. He takes a short inhale then leads forward.
The killings. The bodies. The cadavers used. The mutated slaves. The stiched creature. The mastermind. Zed spares no detail. He goes over what happened in a methodical play-by-play, like a machine reciting events. As they enter the cadaver room Zed's lip twitches slightly, but he moves on. "A nest of evil necromancy is what has been uncovered."
As the guards are led down into the cadaver room, one of them - the youngest - blanches badly and covers his mouth.
Ilya. the guard captain barks. If you're going to do that then do it outside!
The young man, stumbles back out of the room.
You can see some of the men relax a little and seem more willing to understand what's happened. They take their hands from the hilts of their weapons but the guard captain crosses his arms over his mailed chest, his lip curled in distaste.
Tell me all of it then. Mr Grine was always odd but I never suspected him of anything. And why would they want to kill you?
He struts toward the cadaver pool and peers in before turning on his heel.
And you just happened to come across this nest of necromancy in the course of your investigation? Pretty convenient that something as big as this is going to take some of the attention off that Beast, maybe even get the trial delayed, who knows?
It is difficult to tell if the guard captain is dim-witted or being deliberately obtuse.
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Constantin picks up one of the ledgers and seems to scrutinize it while Zed explains.
After a few moments Constantin speaks up. "This was a full business operation. And those corpses must have come from somewhere," says Constantin.
"In truth we didn't expect to find this. We simply came here to ask questions - but apparently Vorstag and Grine realized that we would uncover their operation if we pried, so they chose to fight."
"Whatever this says about the trial, one thing is clear: These two were using corpses to make monsters and conduct these horrid experiments. And I suspect these corpses are not just disinterred from local graveyards - examination of them may determine if they have defensive wounds, which would indicate that they were probably murdered."
"Let's put the trial aside and pretend that's not even happening. This is still a massive, horrible crime. All of these people need to be identified somehow, their families informed, this whole place secured and cleaned of all this awfulness - and probably without starting a panic among the populace."
He holds up one of the books. "There are ledgers - complete logs of the business transactions that these men made. They've been doing this for a while and they have been buying and selling with others in town - possibly people who knew about their operation. Those people will have to be questioned too, in case any of them were complicit."
"Captain, even disregarding the entire business of the trial, this is a monstrous, premeditated criminal operation."
(+5 from telempathic projection; no save when used to grant a bonus on this check)
The guard captain considers Constantin's words and nods toward the end.
Aye, alright then. Let's get this place secured and we can deal with the rest of it after. I would say not to leave town but I know you are due to appear at the final day of the trial tomorrow.
He takes the ledger and begins flipping through it as his men begin spreading out, taking notes and stacking the bodies.
W..w...w what exactly have you f f f f found? stutters Gustav.
Zed stares at the guard captain for a moment. Humans never amaze me in their capabilities of self-delusion. Luckily Constantine takes charge before Zed can say anything else.
"Kaz, could you sum up the evidence so far?" says Constantin.
"Brada himself told us that Vorkstag and Grine threatened him and there was a struggle that followed. The fire sparked then, but someone strung Brada's head up on that chain with the others after. And acolytes of Norgorber are just the sort to do it."
The guard captain seems satisfied with the explanation - at least for now. He begins to station his men all around the factory to secure the scene and invites you back to the courthouse to go through the night's events in detail.
So Brada wasn't the good egg that Karl made him out to be then? the captain asks. If he was so heavily involved in body snatching then who is this Auren Vrood, a business partner?
Gustav seems less interested in that and says;
This is a-a-all important inform-m-mation for the case tomorrow. We need to go through it all and stitch it all together. With this, we might actually win!
You notice that in his excitement his stutter is far less severe and his face, all too often furrowed in a worried brow, is beaming and makes him look a score younger if not more.
The group returns with Kaple and the guard captain to the courthouse. After relaying the story and going through it several more times (in typical beaurocratic fashion), the party feels prepared for the next day's trial.
"I would like to dedicate a couple of hours to ascertaining the identity of this Aubren Vrood, if anyone would care to accompany me. I would suggest - well, ask, really - that those that don't please check on Miss Lorrimor. I am a little uneasy, too, knowing that this cult exists in the city."
Kazamir starts his search in the nearest coffee house, downing three cups of the thickest, blackest brew he can find in the course of his investigation...
Kazamir and Hazel spend the late evening in the bars and cafes of the city. They are thorough, guided by Kazamir's years of questioning witnesses and criminals alike.
But, almost inexplicably, Auren Vrood is not a name they have heard and after hours of searching, they are are no better off than when they began.
You knock on the door of the small townhouse that Professor Derlith arranged for Kendra. It is a set back from the cobbled streets and detached, with a small garden of manicured lawn and hedges that lead up to the door.
Kendra answers, a smile on her face as she realises it is you.
Though she is dressed in a gown and seemingly getting ready for bed, she invites you in to a small sitting room.
You notice two coffee cups on the table in the centre of the room. It seems Kendra has had company this evening.
Goodness, you look terrible. she says. I mean, you look like you could use a drink.
"A wise man never turns down a drink beautiful woman", Vermundr says after glancing at the half-finished cups of coffee. "But I think it might be best if I keep my wits about me tonight. Your friends and I encountered a cult of Norgerber earlier during our investigation - we believe they were the ones behind the crimes Bland's been accused of. I don't want to worry you but it's possible they might look your way for retribution."
To me, why? she gasps
"Vala knows more about this cult that I do - I'm more familiar with witches and trolls - but these kinds of killers are cowardly predators. They would never come after us in the open. They will seek out the weak or isolated of a pack for their revenge and with how public we've been during this trial it won't be hard for them to make your connection to us", Vermundr before he sniffs one of the unfinished cups of coffee.
Brow furrowed, but every bit as weary as Hazel, Kazamir nods.
"Yes, let's head back. This is disturbing - someone connected to something so sinister that covers themselves this well...I cannot help but think that this is not the last time that we have heard the name."
The investigator's usual courtesy is a little clipped throughout the remainder of the evening as a bit of his frustration shines through.
Vala nods at Vermundr's words and offers in a low, hushed tone, "I don't know much about how they operate, sweetheart, but if Vorkstag and Grine had others in their midst they may want revenge. Worshipers of Norgerber don't strike me as the most social of sorts, so it's probably nothing, but you should know all the same." She then sits down at the table in front of the second cup of coffee and coos, loudly enough for anyone in an adjoining room to hear, "Oh, dear, you were expecting me? How thoughtful!" She freshens the cup with a quick pour from a carafe in the center of the table and shoots Kendra a playful eyebrow bounce over the rim of the cup of coffee as she helps herself to a sip.
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She looks more than relieved when Vala reassures her that the risk from any cult of Norgorber is minimal.
Auntie Vala don't give me that look. You used to give me the same look when Alendru used to come calling.
I shared a coffee with Professor Derlith that's all. And in fact mostly we talked about you. All of you.
She starts about another carafe of coffee, her auburn hair tumbling over the pale skin of her neck and all of a sudden you can see very well why Professor Derlith, or any suitor for that matter, would have romantic intentions.
He's quite astonished by the progress you've made in just a couple of days. I told him he should have seen what you were able to do back in Ravengro. In fact, I think his exact words were; "what a remarkable group, to be brought together by tragedy but to have such potential for greatness together. Remarkable."
I had to force myself to remember you baking apple pie in my father's kitchen Auntie, just so you weren't on such a pedestal!
She sips at her freshly poured coffee.
How are you feeling about tomorrow? One way or another it's going to be all over.
"Are you suggesting my apple pies aren't worthy of a pedestal? You wound me, dear."
Kendra tuts in a way so like Petros it pains Vala a little.
As per typical fashion, Zed looms silently and only speaks to sour the mood. "We should set a watch tonight. My gut is telling me something is going to happen." Zed looks outside suspiciously, as if the town streets have the answers he seeks.