With a surprisingly calm demeanor, Ashad steps up to the gnarled fellow. Nodding to him, "I am Ashad al'Ahir, my compatriots and I have been charged by the mistress of this camp with questioning anyone that could have had something to do with the fire. She has granted us permission to question anyone we wish. A quick recount of your presence and actions during the crisis should be a reasonable request, no?"
As Ashad speaks, he tries to take measure of the man, listening intently as he speaks. However, his words were not what Ashad was truly looking for. Focusing on the man, he attempted to use his divine gift to peer into his soul and see the taint they may exist therein.
Hurom eyes Garavel for a second, and then shrugs.
Turning to the burnt out wreck, he examines it closely, running a hand along the edges, eyes the cracked wheels, peering into its burnt innards, wondering what he could possibly divine from this mess. This isn't much like chasing a raiding party across the desert. Still, let me see what I can see...
Investigating the wagon's interior, such as their is left of it, you find a few broken glass and crystal vials, a fire cracked crystal ball, and several pools of molten wax, evidence of where candles must have once stood. Other than that you can find no evidence of a struggle or other signs of foul play. Nothing to indicate that this was anything but what it seems, a horrible, horrible accident.
You detect hostility, that much is evident, but no evil from this man
Seeing his new companions gathered at a tent, he heads in that direction.
The warrior, Ashad, is questioning a sour-looking man as he approaches. He lays a hand on the wizard, Alem, careful not to excite the monkey, and pulls him aside.
"Here, look. From the wagon." He shows Alem the bits of cracked vials, some of the wax, the cracked crystal ball. "Looks to me like a regular fortune-teller's get. Is there anything here suspicious?"
Kallit watches on as Ashad steps forward to interrogate the man in front of the tent, allowing him to draw the man's attention. A man like this keeps his true intentions close to his chest, he thinks to himself and attempts to non-chalantly move away from the others to see if he can get a look inside the man's tent, through perhaps an open flap. Failing that, he'll attempt to casually move away from the party and stealthily circle around the back to see if he can find an opening into the man's tent while the he's distracted with Ashad.
"Divination is a school of magic in which I find I have little ability, but these tools seem common enough." Alem takes the artifacts from the ranger, examining them carefully.
"Hmm..." is the only sound he makes as he turns the items around in his hands, one at a time, his brow furrowed.
Much of the equipment that Hurom shows you could be used by Diviners, as well as by charlatans pretending to be able to tell the future. Unfortunately due to it's broken condition you cannot tell if the crystal ball was magical or not.
The man looks up at you as you mention Almah's name, then quickly looks down at the ground before answering. "I was eating dinner by the campfire when the wagon just burst into flames. With everyone running around trying to put the fire out or keep it from spreading I figured, given my condition" he nods his head toward the crutch "That I would only be in the way, so I went to my tent to watch the fire fighting efforts."
The paladin stood silently, listening to the man's story. It seemed a weak excuse at best. So Ashad focused hard on his words, trying his best to sort out any deception in his voice.
Rashid studies the man's face as he explains his behavior.
Hurom overhears the man's explanations.
To Ashad, he suggests "Then he wouldn't mind showing us what's in the tent..."
Nodding in agreement with Hurom, "Indeed. Perhaps you can show us the insides of your tent, while you tell us everything you saw just before and during the fire." Ashad stood firm, allowing his facial features to display a clear unwillingness to take no for an answer.
the hostility is evident as the hunter shouts at Kallit as the rogue attempts to make his way behind the tent.
"Lady Almah may have given you permission to talk to anyone you want but she sure didn't give you permission to harass anyone you want, trying to sneak your way into his tent" He glare daggers at Kallit. "In fact I didn't see you talk to anyone else at all. You lot all made a beeline right for ol' Dashki. All because some fool got hisself all burnt up in his wagon. If'n you ask me it was just a matter of time. Danged fool was always burning candles and incense in there. Hell's bells we're way deep into Gnoll country here maybe it was a Pugwampi, damned things are cursed."
"Just because you are first does not mean you are only. We will speak to the others as well. Now do not interfere with him as he examines your tent or I will have Pateba sit on you."
Pateba steps closer, leans in his massive head and takes two deeps sniffs of the man.
Kallit stops short as the man shouts at him shrugs his shoulders ruefully. He half turns to the man, looking over his should back at him. "Suspicion is my nature, friend, but perhaps you are right. I think I'll go and have a chat with the good mistress myself. I'll leave you to let Chomper here do the searching.
Kallit does his best to casually walk away from the encounter towards the Almah's pavilion.
Glaring at the cripple as he spoke, Ashad thought to fetch lady Almah and have her deal with this resistant lout. But once he mentioned a Pugwampi, the paladin's curiosity was peeked. "A pugwampi? Now what in the abyss would that be?"
After carefully examining the objects, Alem shrugs and shakes his head. "I cannot tell if any of these objects were truly magical, or if they were merely a charlatan's props. I had hoped the crystal ball would at least yield some clue, but the fire's destruction was rather comprehensive." He hands Kaspar a bit of the wax, and the monkey begins sculpting it into odd shapes. "Fear not my friend, we shall get to the bottom of this. Here comes Kallit now," he says, waving the rogue over as he leaves the tent.
Seeing Alem waving to him Kallit saunters over to join the mystic. "I think the Goddess and Jungleboy have things in hand over there with Hopalong Scowly. I was gonna go have a chat with this Almah lady and see if she can provide us with some background on this fellow that got himself all crisped up. You come up with anything rummaging around through his stuff?
Hurom nods at Kallit. "If you two will see to the Lady, and the others have this man in hand, I will talk to her soldiers, find out what they saw..."
Alem shakes his head slowly. "Examination of the soothsayer's affects have unfortunately revealed very little to me. Come, friend, I would join you to interrogate our hostess. I trust there was little to be found with our friend, Scowly as you've named him?"
"Well, lets just say he didn't take kindly to my particular manner of investigation...so I left the others to it. Let's head on over the talk to the fancy lady running this outfit." Kallit walks over to the pavilion.
When you ask the mercenaries about the fire they all proclaim "We didn't see nothing. We was all sitting around the fire having dinner, you know, laughing, joking, and drinking when the fire broke out."
As you approach Almah's tent one of the crimson clad guards notices you coming and knocks on the tent pole before entering. Before you can do the same the woman's voice calls from inside "Come in, come in." As you enter the pavilion you see Lady almah reclining on a pile of cushions with the guard from outside standing behind her. "Please have a seat." she indicates two other piles of cushions positioned across from her. As you sit you notice that although the cushions are made of silk that they are a little threadbare. In fact looking about the interior you notice that most of the furnishing, while still opulent, are dated and worn, with either nicks or flaking gilding evident on them as though this merchant princess has been down on her luck for some time. When you ask her about the fire she explains "I hired Eloais about a month ago or so. I can't explain it but something about having a Harrower from my homeland with me just seemed...right." as she mentions her "homeland" you seem to notice for the first time that although her skin is tanned it seems to lack the olive hue of a native Keleshite and that her facial features seem somehow foreign.Although recently his readings have been growing dark and grim. His last one centered around a foreboding card called the Cyclone. When I asked him if it had anything to do with our journey he said yes but that Kelmarane was but a small part of something larger, something he called the Legacy of Fire. Although he wasn't able to elaborate more on it than just the name." A tear wells up in the corner of her eye as she reminisces "You'll excuse me but I lost a dear friend today but I will mourn him properly when time permits it." clearing her throat she continues "I don't believe that the fire was deliberate, but if it was I want to know as soon as possible. That is why I asked you to investigate."
Rashid you get the sense that he is quite annoyed with you and is trying to hide something...embarassing. Although when you ask him about the fire he appears to be quite truthful.
"Pugwampis eh, you never heard of them? Vile little creatures from the Darklands themselves. When they first poked their heads up from down below they encountered a tribe of gnolls. They began to worship them as some sort of furry gods, although the gnolls can't stand 'em.
Cursed, they are. Wherever a Pugwampi goes bad luck is sure to follow. Jackal rats they calls them, on account of their pointy heads and ears, they infest gnoll villages although the gnolls do their best to eradicate them, they always come back.
Yes, now that I think about it it was probably a Pugampi's curse that caused the fortune teller's candles to burn down his wagon."
"Old man, you try my patience with these pugwampis. I believe you are keeping something from me. You can tell me now or you can tell Pateba, but I warn you he is not a good listener. He is also hungry."
The paladin rubs his chin thoughtfully, ignoring the threats leveled at the cripple by Rashid. After a moment of organizing his thoughts, "If what you say is true. Wouldn't there be tracks left behind by these little creatures?"
Kallit glanes over at Alem at the mention of the Cyclone. For the moment he sits in silence, as though pondering over Mistress Almah's words.
As Alem, Hurom, and Kallit meet back up to exchange information a frantic Hadrod, the male drover, approaches them in a state of near panic "Rhombard, have any of you seen Rhombard. He disappeared in the panic from the fire and I have to find him." A couple of the mercenaries over hear Hadrod's frantic plea and begin to chuckle "Dont worry, old man. I'm sure he'll turn up around breakfast time tomorrow." Hadrod shoots the ruffian and venomous glance before rushing off still calling Rhombard's name and making a weird clucking sound with his tongue.
Ignoring Rashid's bluster Dashki looks up at Ashad "Aye there should be but I haven't been given the chance to look over the area yet, now have I?" he says glaring daggers at Rashid.
"We are not done, old man, but I tire of your evasions. Ashad, would you like to speak with the alchemist with me? It seems that if someone were to set a fire, an alchemist might have all the tools to do it surreptitiously."
With a placid expression, Ashad simply shrugged at Dashki. "Very well then. Now is your chance. I'll be more than happy to help you around and assist you in your search."
Stepping outside the tent, Alem strokes his beard in thought. As he does so, he speaks aloud, but more to himself than his companion. "The Harrow deck is a Varisian tradition; the Harrower himself must also have been foreign to these lands. She says that they met only a month or so ago; there may be some under Almah's employ that took offense to a foreigner falling into our friend's good graces so quickly." Pulling the Cyclone card out of his turban, Alem studies it, meditating on its possible meaning and connection to the Legacy of Fire. As he does so, Kaspar perches atop his shoulder, sitting unusually still as his master reaches into the depths of his memory.
Rashid walks towards the alchemist, Pateba at his heels. Before crossing the last 15 feet or so to the man, he stops and studies him.
Dashki stands up and retrieves his crutch before leading Ashad over to the wagon in a half step/half drag gait. The area immediately around the wagon has been completely trampled during the fire fighting efforts, so the odd little man begins searching in an ever widening circle until he shouts "Aha, see I told you it must've been a pugwampi. There's it's tracks and it must've taken something with it as well." he points to an odd three toed track in the dirt and along side it a series of scuff marks as if something small had been dragged against it's will along with it.
Alem searches his memory, idly flipping the harrow card over and over in his fingers as he does so, but cannot seem to remember ever hearing of anything of any Legacy of Fire in any of the history books or legends that he can recall.
As Rashid pauses looking over at Zastoran, who is sitting in the shade of his, oddly enough, metal reinforced wagon. The old man, with long white hair and beard, looks up as is sensing his scrutiny and laying the book he was reading down smiles through crooked teeth and beckons the Cleric over. "I've been meaning to thank you for your assistance with the wounded earlier. Without your help I'm afraid Kallien would've perished."
Kallit follows Alem out of the tent, and studies the man as he ponders on Mistress Almah's words. He fidgets idly with a loose thread on his breeches as he does so and shifts his weight from one foot the next and back again in inpatience.
"Well? Any of that mean anything to you? A fire that springs to life on its own, a magic whirlwind that sends a card at your face, and some legacy of fire? Seems a bit hocus pocus to me. My money is still on a grudge."
"I was glad to be of service, Zastoran. I am no stranger to wounds and in the Mwangi Expanse, even a scratch can fester and kill in days. It is a blessing from Shimye-Magalla that I can can heal with relative ease.
My companions and I have been charged with discovering the cause of the fire and the death of the seer. The old cripple, Dashki only yammered some nonsense about pugywamps or some such. I make no accusations, but it seems a skilled alchemist could make fire with ease. Did you have any dealings with the seer? Do you have any reason to believe the source of the wagon fire was alchemical?"
Alem shakes his head, sighing. "I cannot recall any mention of a Legacy of Fire in my studies, but it cannot mean anything good. However, I cannot fathom what the connection between events may be." Replacing the card up his sleeve, Alem pulls out a small bit of dried fruit. Kaspar springs to life, greedily snatching the fruit and bounding away, climbing up the nearby tree to enjoy his treat. Turning back to Kallit, Alem nods. "With the information we have uncovered, my friend, it would be unwise of me to wager against you. Garavel seems to be familiar with Almah. Perhaps he may be able to illuminate the situation further? What say you?"
Nodding in gratitude to the crippled tracker, "Most appreaciated. I had suspected you to be a louse, but you've proven me wrong. I'll not ask you to go any further. Thank you for the assistance, Dashki." With that, Ashad makes his way back into the center of the camp, looking for Hurom.
Standing with Alem and Kallit, Hurom nods at Alem's suggestion. "You would think Garavel would have told us anything of note...."
Seeing Ashad looking their way, Hurom joins the paladin at the center of the camp. "News?"
Kallit shrugs. "I suppose. Anything is better than wandeirng around out here in the sun." He holds his hand up to shadow his eyes and squints upwards towards the sun. "Perhaps the wagon just burst into flames from this heat."
He turns to Hurom as the man speaks, "Garavel hasn't said much of anything at all to me." He turns back to Alem, motioning forward as he speaks, "you lead the way, I'd like to get a little more info on this Almah lady if we can."
Acquiescing, Alem begins walking to Garavel. "A grudge certainly makes the most logical sense based on the evidence we have gathered thus far, however something about this mystery niggles at my brain. I sense that our culprit is not merely a vindictive arsonist..."
He nods in greeting to Hurom as he meets him. "Dashki has found some tracks made by small creatures he claims may have set the fire. They lead further out into the desert. Do you think you can follow them?"
He motions towards where he'd left Dashki.
"Tracks. eh? I saw nothing when I searched earlier, but let me lay eyes on the ground again."
Hurom walks over towards Dashki and examines the supposed tracks....
The old man looks at Rashid speculatively "I suppose it is possible but highly unlikely. While I do keep some Alchemist's fire on hand for emergencies my studies are more in keeping with healing and the curative arts. If you have some doubts about me, don't worry. I was at the dinner fire trying to read my book after supper but I'm afraid that the hired help that Almah employs were being too boisterous for me to concentrate and I was on my way to my wagon when the fire broke out" His voice takes on a twinge of genuine regret as he continues "Although I thought Eloais was a fraud I did appreciate our talks about poetry and philosophy together. None of these others can talk about the poetry of Bellianais or discuss the musical trends of Absalom, Eloais was a well traveled man and I will miss him."
A look of distaste crosses his face when you mention Dashki "Ah yes, Dashki. I don't know what Almah sees in him but he is one of the best gnoll trackers in Solku. He used to run hunting expeditions for wealthy clients our here. Although I find his...obsession? with her somewhat disturbing. Always lurking around her tent hoping to catch a glimpse of her. No one with healthy desires skulks around a pretty woman the way he does, who knows what a scoundrel like him is capable of?, and have you seen him . He scoops his food into his mouth with his fingers like he's half wild. It was almost too much for Eloias and I to stomach."
Hurom splits off from the group to go with Ashad to examine the tracks by the burnt out wagon. Once away from the disturbed ground around the wagon he spots the tracks leading away from the campsite into the gathering darkness. Kneeling down to get a closer look the Ranger is unable to identify the type of creature who made the tracks but is able to identify the reluctant companion's tracks as that of either a goat or a lamb.
As Kallit and Alem approach Garavel, the major-domo asks them "So what have you learned? When you are finished come to me and together we will inform Lady Almah of your findings." When you begin questioning him Garavel sighs "There is not much I can tell you about the fire for I arrived the same time as you. But, if you were to ask about my opinion of who might have done such a thing I can only speculate. It would not surprise me greatly to find out that our resident gnoll expert Dashki might have had a hand in our seer's demise. There is something not quite...right with the boy"
Kallit nods as Garavel speaks of Dashki, looking around the camp to spot the cripple. "He was my first hunch as well. I've spent some time around men that are, well, for lack of a better word, 'off.' You can never quite place what it is about them that troubles you until the whole thing turns sour. He consider's Garavel for a moment ebfore continuing, "You couldn't, say, provide an opportunity for us to take a quick peak in his tent could you? I smell secrets around this one. The kind of secrets that can get a man killed, and I'd rather avoid that if I could.
Kneeling before the unfamiliar tracks, Hurom shakes his head.
Standing up, he nods at Ashad. "Well, we've got a trail here for....something. Whatever it was, it appears to have led a lamb or goat away from the camp. I suggest we inform the others and pursue this track..."
The paladin grimaces, nodding in unison with Hurom. With a swift motion he moves his hand across the pommel of his sheath, untieing a small gold ribbon that had been fastened onto the crossguard. "Agreed. It seems this mystery may be solved out there, amongst the dunes. We will need the others if we are to venture far from camp." With that, he begins to head back towards the others, leading the way.