Honestly Stone i think we should get the authorities now, we have the judge here. That's proof enough that something was going on, enough to get the city to act Flynn walks over to the doors opening them regardless
"We don't need them here before we search the rest of the place. If he starts to complain, we can just gut him like a fish and tell them he was another casualty of the fight."
Very well then Flynn says curtly walking over to investigate and open the doors
Taking a moment to check for magical auras Elektra will search the justice for a spell component pouch or any other indication for his magic.
On the log splitter floor you find a large storage facility with a dozen Cultist robes, crates and a barrel. The barrel currently contains three bags with 100 gp in each; three potions; a beautiful crystal decanter set with an obsidian stopper, worth 300 gp; and a tiny wooden box containing three poorly cut diamonds, worth 200 gp each.
As you search around the room, you will notice dried blood amongst the sawdust. Also, caught on some of the tools, bits of gristle. There were two mostly unused storerooms.
The double doors were locked with a sophisticated mechanism. Flynn will not find a trap. He will recall keys found on Ironbriar. They easily open the complicated lock. You see a gruesome sight as the walls of this room bear macabre decorations— human faces stretched flat over wooden frames by strips of leather or black twine. Each face grimaces in a slightly different expression of pain, looking down on a cramped room that contains a desk, a high-backed rocking chair, and a low-slung cot heaped with scratchy-looking blankets. A ladder in the southeast corner of the room leads up to a trap door in the ceiling.
In addition to spell components on the Judge, Elektra will discover that the potions from the barrel in the storeroom were three vials of barkskin +3. On Ironbriar was a +1 Buckler, a +1 Shortsword and a wand of Cure Moderate Wounds with 12 charges. The Judge's mask also radiated magic.
Brandark takes the time to pick up his shield, and then gather all the higher quality gear in a bag, before joining with the others.
Well, I doubt this guy is hiding much else. as he jerks his thumb over his shoulder towards the Judge standing there in his skivvies.
You guys might want to come take a look at this A look of clear disgust on his face as he calls back to his companions. Flynn ventures over through the gruesome site to search through the desk
In the desk and scattered in the room Flynn finds a number of oddments. A fair number are of a historical nature, including books, sea charts, an etchings of vast rock formations and dolmens accompanied by maps, and several pamphlets discussing a “forgotten” school of magic known as the Alchymyc.
You will find a fine painting depicting a city carved from a vast frozen waterfall with towering ice cathedrals and domes (this painting is worth 200 gp).
There are several other books too. The first of these is a wizard’s spellbook emblazoned with two entwined snakes (one red, one green) that contains the following spells: blink, cat’s grace, chill touch, enlarge person, fox’s cunning, grease, haste, lightning bolt, mage armor, magic missile, scorching ray, shocking grasp, shrink item, spider climb, and web.
Another book is an old and beautifully filigreed tome containing numerous hand-drawn illustrations and titled The Syrpents Tane: Fairy Tales of the Eldest.
This fine and rare tome is worth 500 gp.
Finally, you find a slim volume that is essentially an indecipherable ledger.
Well well, i guess i have some reading to do. He picks up the ledger .
There's some pretty valuable stuff over here. A spell book, for one thing. Whatever is in this ledger will take some studying time but i bet it has some interesting information in it. He says flashing the ledger.
Also there's a trap door over there. if we want to keep looking
"I do not know what made you do what you did. But I hope you will hang!"
Bound and gagged, Ironbriar does not respond to Elektra.
The mask that Judge Ironbriar was carrying but not wearing is a Reaper's Mask. It is like a Skinsaw Mask, except its is made of strips of stretched human skin. It provides a +1 profane bonus to damage with slashing weapons. It provides a +2 competence bonus on Perception checks. Wearing a skin mask leaves hideous mental scars; when the mask is donned, the wearer takes 1 point of Charisma damage as his thoughts become tangled with images of murder. Ironbriar's mask would have allowed him to cast Confusion twice per day.
Winking Flynn and Stone to her Elektra speaks to her.. more devot friends. "This is a Norboger cult. First Lamashtu, now Norboger... this really starts to worry me!"
Brandark looks a little worried.
Aye, I can be seeing that. Now how to deal with that.
Looking at Flynn with the ledger, "Elektra may have spells that will let her read it quicker. You might want to let her take a look."
He grins at Brandark "The same way we dealt with Lamashtu's cult. Beat it into submission."
Agreed, let us finish looking around.
He then grins back at Garrath, That seemed to work last time.
I can handle the ledger, i used to do it as part of the job He climbs up to the trapdoor slowly opening it.
Ironically, the trap door is not trapped or locked.
You climb up to a small room with open windows. A timber cabinet sits against the northern wall here, its doors made of iron mesh. Inside are perched three strangely silent ravens. A table nearby holds a tall narrow bucket of bird feed, a quill, and a vial of ink, as well as several thin parchments weighted down by a polished rock.
"Interesting... messenger ravens. I wonder where they fly to?
We have to find out!"
Flynn walks over to the desk and inspects the papers for messages or anything
The papers are blank. There were no indication of messages in Ironbriar's office. Apparently any messages were destroyed after being read.
These are just blank pages, although i agree it would be nice to see where these messenger ravens go
Garrath grins ruefully, "That's going to be tricky, unless we learn to fly.
That it would be unless i get time to interrogate the judge, i'm willing to bet he knows.
He's a judge i'm not sure we can trust the government with him, he probably has contacts who will get him out. Which means we need contacts of our own if we want justice. As for questioning him give me a room and some time i can get whatever information we might need
"If he doesn't answer, start breaking knuckles. He'll talk. Or he'll never be useful as a magic man again." Garrath shrugs and loosens ties on his hammer.
He'll talk yes, but torture is inconsistent. I will however need one of you to play "bad cop" stand in the room with me and be intimidating, maybe punch the bastard a couple times. Any volunteers?
Brandark grins.
I think both Garrath and I could hit him. do you want it with or without weapon ?
Looking at Flynn Elektra sadly shakes her head."Trust me, torture works. But that is the way of evil necromancers and priests of well... diffrent gods. Not our way. There are .. better options! But on the other hand.... what questions do we need answered. Tomorrow I can ... if you ask nicely get a few answers."
And with a non-chalante gesture she indicates Magic... provides.
Without weapons we need him frightened not dead, and if need be i have magics of my own. I am willing to bet the judge here can answer anything we need, where these ravens go, the murders, the cult's relation to Norgorber. but those are just examples. Of course we also need to get him out of here without drawing attention.Anyway that seems to be it, shall we go i believe our work is done here...
Agreed, although we should tell as few as possible keep this low key until everything is sorted
That's a difficult call but i'd say we go get her. i don't like the idea of leaving the crime scene for too long unattended.But then again i suppose it doesn't really matter at this point
Seventh Level