Jediah had decided to silently follow the group for the time behind, being overwhelmed by what had been happening, but still keeping an eye out.
Dagmar dismounts her horse along with the others and then calls Alfdis down to her for instuctions. "Alfdis, fly over the village and see if anything moves within it."
Dagmar then follows the rest of the group in.
Cautiously moving inwards as a group, minus Julian, everyone makes their way towards the closest building. Peering inside you can see a bunk house in disarray with personal belongings scattered about an several red blotches mark the walls and floor suggesting that whoever was in here at the time tried to fight back. While Rutilux stands guard outside and Julian moves about on his own the rest carefully look through the items left behind.
Julian meanwhile moves farther into the camp ever alert for danger almost jumps when a pile of refuse moves near him and a large rat slinkers into the darkness under a nearby building.
There are still several buildings and the workshop to go through. Do you head for the other bunk houses, the warehouse, the workshop or the office?
"Your owl is a great boon since it can fly so silently. I find you intriguing Dagmar, you are a woman of many and varied talents."
Observing the clothing he says, "These clothes will help keep people warm, they may not look fancy to you, but finished goods like this are hard to come by, even the rags are useful. "
"Call me morbid, but I would like to see this Bertram's office. Perhaps Isham can read the signs left and tell what became of him."
The companions moved through the camp cautiously, taking in turn the office, the bunk rooms, the warehouse, and the office. Their work was very strained and subdued. If restless spirits were not immediately in evidence, neither were they far.
"Perhaps some of this clothing can be used by the villagers, or by Savol's followers."
Rutilux, while staying near his horse, stayed a close as he could while acting as eyes out. "Perhaps...anything we salvage from here should be blessed by a priest when we get back? To remove whatever ...feeling, surrounds this place."
Julian will approach the office first.
"I don't think it morbid Thorvald. I too would like to learn more about the man. I wonder if it was solely his idea to frame the town or if other were involved."
Carefully Julian moves towards the entrance to the office, the door is open so he moves in almost setting off a crude trap set into the door frame. Carefully stepping over the 'loose' board into the room. The office is a single room with two desks, one small with several shelves above it and one very large expensive desk dominating the room. Looking around Julian finds hidden under the large desk a small safe.
Zethyris follows Julian into the office, and takes a look around.
"Nice find, Julian! Now let's see if we can get it open..."
Zethyris tries the safe and, finding it locked, pulls out his tools from his pack and tries to crack the safe.
Dagmar will cautiously enter the office. Though she doesn't think there are any humans left in town to object to her presence here, she is a bit concerned about fae that may have lingered around. I wonder what the chances are of that Bertram fellow keeping any kind of personal journal about here?
"Did you find any papers or books laying about Julian?"
please make a reflex save Zethyris
The half-elf's fantastic reflexes save him as he leaps out of the way after triggering the door trap before Julian can warn him. Six wet darts lie embedded in the floor having shot out of secret holes in the door frame above. Wiping a little sweat off of his brow Zethyris moves towards Julian and starts working on the safe but cannot seem to get through the lock.
Meanwhile everyone else fills into the room and Dagmar begins going through the large desk finding some writing utensils and a pouch with thirty copper coins.
"Is everything okay?" Rutilux calls out as he hears a clatter.
"Yes, I'm fine. The door was trapped, though."
Zethyris works at the safe for a few minutes, then leans back and sighs. "I'm not getting anywhere with this. Can someone give me a hand?"
Thorvald offers what advice he can using his metal knowledge. If no one else can help in any other way he finds a pry bar and tries his considerable strength. +bonuses if any from the tool, and if it looks like he needs a little more umph he can rage to bump the str check +2 more points.
While the others were checking out the lumber camp, Anastasiya was staying behind. She was sitting on her horse, the new fur cloak wrapped around herself tightly, staring aimlessly, trying to comprehend what happened in the forest a few days before.
The night before that she was sitting by the fire chatting with Dagmar. That seemed unfathomably far away now.
Almost able to visualize the little black storm cloud forming over Ana's head, Dagmar attempts some conversation to lighten her mood.
"So, Ana, have any of our male compatriots managed to catch your eye? Some of them aren't too bad looking you know."
"Rutilux ... He needs to loosen up a bit. But in a way his do-good atitude is cute. And he certainly has strong hands..."
Thinking of the time when Rutilux saved her life when she fell off her horse helped Anastasiya to forget about Jediah for a while.
Now in a more cheerful mood, she asked Dagmar "How about you? Is there anyone you have cast an eye on?"
The Count leads you through the darkening forest, weaving left and right several times before exiting the forest into a rocky clearing with a cave and a low cook fire off to the side. As you both enter the clearing you can hear a woman singing inside the cave. The count leads you to the entrance and with a flourish bows to the entrance. "Great wise one, I have brought you the one I spoke of. The girl who would seek the crown."
The singing stops and a form begins to emerge from the cave. Stepping out of the cave is a LARGE Ulfen woman dressed like Ulfen nobility and on her belt in a sheath you can see a pair of gold scissors. "Greetings Anastasiya, my name is Freyn. Have you come to here to learn about The Crown of the Forgotten King?"
I will seek what crown? The crown of the witch queen? Or the crown of the linnorm king?
She looked at the Fae lord confusedly before turning to the woman."Greetings, Freyn. To be honest, I don't know what I came here for."
She did hesitate for a moment, before she continued
"But since you know my name already, maybe you know what I came here for as well. So please, tell me about the crown of the forgotten king."
"Well, first of all my mother would likely have a fit if I took up with anyone who wasn't of Ulfen blood. Now, having said that, most of them do seem to have their good points and honestly I can't make up my mind about who I find the most interesting. "
"Let me think...
I don't know Thorvald well enough to make judgment yet.
I think Jediah is kinda scary, you know, being a half-orc and all...
Julian is still kinda annoying, though he has at least seemed a bit nicer lately.
Isham is really nice and seems to be a competent leader in battle.
Ruitlux is also nice and does look good without his shirt on...
Zethyris rushed to my rescue during our first battle and was friends with my brother.
"I wonder if any of them are planning to stay on here in the North after Soval has secured his throne and homeland.
"How's it going, still need help?"
Unable to offer much help in the way of picking the lock Thorvald resorts to blunt trauma to force the safe to give up its secrets. Wrenching the door open with his pry bar.
Everyone inside please make reflex saves DC 19
And i sent you the rest of the visit via PM Ana.
Jediah is out guarding the horses and gazing up into the sky.
You know, I think I really prefer the honeyed bread rather than the cinnamon chocolate.
although Thorvald is not nearly as nimble as some of the other men in the group he moves well for his size. "Well, guess I saw this one coming!"
Zethyris, keenly anticipating the opening of the chest, is caught off guard and fails to move as quickly as he usually does...
From immediately outside the office, Isham hears a disturbance, and rushes toward the office to render assistance.
As the door to the safe is forced open a thin cord is snapped and from the safe erupts a burst of flames that fills the entire office quickly reducing all papers and documents to ash and setting the walls, furniture and roof on fire. The fire hasn't fully engulfed the room yet giving Zethyris enough time to reach into the burning safe and grab a heavily singed leather pouch and a set of keys before every is forced to run out of the building. Mere moments later the roof collapses as the burning walls can no longer hold it up.
Coughing from the smoke and char all you can do is look at each other as one thought runs through many minds, What secrets were in that safe to require such a drastic trap
Zethryis passes around the pouch and keys after he takes a good look at them.
Rutilux calls out as he hears another boom, and to his relief the others get out, "What in all the hells happened in there? That was like an alchemist shop going up."
The pouch has 103 gold coins and there are seven keys on the ring, all simple iron keys that could be for any type of lock.
"Got the safe open! Cough! Cough! Got a little singed in the process however."
"Clearly," Rutlilux states.
Anastasiya, Jediah and Rutilux stayed out, everyone else took damage and Julian made the save for half.
Watching the office burn to the ground, "So it is clear more was at stake here than harvesting lumber. My village has done so for centuries and never needed traps such as these. Well shall we inspect the warehouse?"
"I feel more than just a little singed, but I'll be better in just a moment.
Dagmar uses her healing hex upon herself and then everyone else who was in the office with her.
At Thorvald's question she adds: "Perhaps we should see if we can locate Bertram's home? There might yet still be something of interest there. It shouldn't be too hard to find, it is most likely the largest one here."
Standing at the door and viewing the havoc within, Isham sighs regretfully.
'So much for discerning what was actually going on here. This Bertram was well prepared to keep his secrets'
"Is everyone well? The effort was well taken, but it appears Bertram was strongly inclined to take his secrets to the grave. I'm inclined to agree with Dagmar - let's see if he left anything in his chambers that might lead us to understand what he was doing."
"We'll know the exercise greater caution next time."
"What in all the hells happened in there? That was like an alchemist shop going up."
"It turns out Bertram was more paranoid than we thought - he trapped the safe, and when we pried it open it blew up. I managed to snatch these, though."
Zethyris pours the gold from the pouch into his hand, and gives the keys to anyone who wants to take a look at them. "They look like ordinary keys, not anything special."Dagmar uses her healing hex upon herself and then everyone else who was in the office with her.
"Thank you, Dagmar." Zethyris feels the pain of his burnt hands recede as the burns on his body are mended.
"Is everyone well? The effort was well taken, but it appears Bertram was strongly inclined to take his secrets to the grave. I'm inclined to agree with Dagmar - let's see if he left anything in his chambers that might lead us to understand what he was doing."
"That sounds like a fine proposal, though perhaps we should be more cautious this time. Bertram certainly had things to hide, and we know now how much he values those secrets."
'Indeed. I begin to wonder if more people have designs on these lands than we ever suspected. One could grow paranoid." Rutilux muses, "Maybe I should send Sunfire out of the grounds and walk beside the rest of you."
"Perhaps next time you wish to open an obviously-trapped safe, we don't just pry it open with brute force with others still in the room."
"I made mention that I would pry it as a last resort and no one else seemed able to do anything to open it. I guess I wrongly assumed that the man with the lock picks would check for traps first. Besides who would have thought he would have the thing rigged to destroy the whole building not just an unlucky cut purse trying to get a few coins. Perhaps there was more in that book than you thought. Perhaps that is why the Wyld Hunt was called. I won't cry for these people."
Deciding to be cautious from now onwards everyone makes their way towards the largest building still remaining aside from the warehouse.
Can I get perception and a disable device check to get in.
Zethyris is sure to examine everything closely, as the death-trap of a camp has him on edge. He checks the door carefully, then attempts to get the door open.
The explosion in the lumber camp wakes Anastasiya from her dreamlike state.
She dismounts her horse and runs into the camp, searching for the others.
She is happy to find everyone alive in front of the storehouse - but pretty confused about the explosion.
"What ... What happened here? Are you all right?"
"This place is rigged with magical traps and more mundane ones as well. Luckily Dagmar has healing powers to ease our hurts. Perhaps now that you are awake we could have you check items we would like to disturb before we try burning ourselves to a crisp. That would be grand. But, we have already gathered good winter clothing and a bag of coins for our efforts."
"Sure. Let me check that door."
She casts detect magic to check for magical auras near the building.
"Winter clothing? They put traps like that on winter clothing?"
Ana looks at Throvald skeptically.