"Whoever it is targets our organization, so they must be apprehended," Chimon says. "Given your expertise, have you any way to ward us against this kind of magic?"
"Well, the runes are all post-mortem. I'd say you're good as long as you don't let the guy kill you."
"I can give you something that might reduce the chance of you turning into an undead though. We can work out payment later...let's just say you owe me one." he smiles again, denoting he probably thinks he got the better of this deal.
He walks cross the room and pulls some bangles out of a box, each bearing a single black feather from a carrion bird.
"These should help. It's not 100%, but frankly even if I did have something like that on hand, you couldn't afford it."
"Apologies, but I cannot accept a trade with such ambiguous terms. My associates are free to choose for themselves, of course."
"I'm no big fan of the idea of owing someone some unspecified favor just for the chance of not becoming a zombie... If I die and rise, I'm sure the others will find a way to kill me again."
"Zombie is an option...or wraith, vampire, Wight, you name it. It'll help against all of it, some harder to re-kill than others."
"Plus, you're easier to bring back if you're not undead. You guys don't look like you could afford a Resurrection."
"Eh... Surviving is the duty of the living. And making blind bargains is a good way to find death."
He makes a moue of disappointment.
"Fine, get zombified, see if I care."
Come on people...we are at the start of what could be a very prosper collaboration. - She say to her companions - Mr Gavin, can't you just tell us what would be a fair price for the bangles? - she say with an innocent smile in her face and a generous view of her cleavage.
"All right, all right. It's not something I need right now, but a little while down the road. I need someone to smuggle in some...sensitive materials. Some ash from the Worldwound. Great as a spell component. Or at least I'm hoping."
"The guards are understandably nervous around it. It's a bit 'radioactive' in a sense. I got some people to contain it for me, but they're not willing to actually get it INTO the city for me. They're bringing it up now, should be here in a week or two. They'll be dropping it off a few miles out of town."
"You bring that in, I'll give you these. And a little something extra, if you have another trinket you need later."
That sounds like fun...what do ou say guys?
Chimon nods to Jo and takes one of the bangles. "That is an acceptable trade," he says to Gavin. "I agree to help you when the time comes."
Once they've made their decisions, he turns to his associates. "Now, should we return and report? I would appreciate a chance to wash my clothes and take a bath."
Talryn mumbles to himself as he listens.
"Ray-dee-oh-active...sounds dangerous. Why?" He sounds out the word as it is not one he had heard till now.
So, Gavin. How common is the knowledge of these runes?
"These runes in particular? Probably limited to whoever's seen these pictures. They're, as near as I can tell, a unique construction."
"Anyone with knowledge of runes would be able to puzzle it out though, they're actually not very difficult for people with the know-how, as rare as that may be. Even a dabbler could pick it up...eventually."
"How many people in Myrial have that knowledge, would you guess?"
"And more importantly... Who?"
"A Mage of some sort or a scholar would be my guess."
"In Myrial? Just me and a few others here in the tower that I know of. at least those of us that are proficient. Anyone with an Abjuration specialty would pick up at least the basics though, and there could be people I don't know who've refined that skill. This also doesn't cover people from out of town. It's not like you have to register yourself if you have runic knowledge or something."
"If you're asking me to profile this guy, all I can really tell you is he's definitely a spellcaster of some sort, and he's gt a hard-on for screwing with the Mandrigal. Our OG buddies have plenty of people that fit that bill, and some that might have the expertise. Plus, there's plenty of places on Golarion the Mandrigal has a hold in, many worse than here. I wouldn't be surprised if there was somebody out there with some sob story about dead parents or a sister he couldn't save because he got shaken down who wanted revenge."
"Are there any unique items used to make such a rune in dead flesh? If there's a rare reagent or arcane focus, I might be able to track them easier."
"Nothing more special than a sharp implement and a cast iron stomach."
Ok, Ok. THanks Gavin! - She say happily moments before returning to her normal indiferent attitude.
It takes Jo a few days of searching, contacting contacts, flirting with people who might know things before she finally learns something.
There are two who might be said to have that sort of expertise. One is a magical crafter, who creates many of the Guards' weapons, armor, an other equipment.
The other is more of a magical dabbler than anything, a contractor who does business with the Obsidians on a regular basis, performing wetwork for them when needed. He's essentially an assassin with some magical tricks to aid him. He's known for being able to disarm or bypass traps and locks of any sort, magical or mundane. Presumably, this is why he learned runes.
The armorer's name is Orgrim Dalshyn, a dwarven priest of Torag who holds the rank of Quartermaster. He has a house in the Clerical district, though most nights he spends the night in his forge at Obsidian HQ (the main one. You've never been there.). His family lives elsewhere. He's said to be a fairly strong fighter in his own right, and has powerfully enchanted weapons ad armor at his disposal, particularly his warhammer.
Very little is known about the assassin, codenamed Viper. He has no official rank within the OG, but when he's on a job his orders take precedence over many of the lower ranked guardsman. He could be said to have a provisional Lieutenant rank. He's a fast, dexterous fighter who favors the use of poisons and debilitating spell effects in combination with his swordplay.
Lets kidnap the pirest?
"Torag is one of the good guys, isn't he?" says Korak "I doubt he would look kindly at their priests creating undead... Besides, we're looking for someone guilty of murder, so the assassin seems more probable"
Chimon returns to the guild for a few days, catching up on his paperwork with typical rapidity.
"The assassin is the best bet; I agree with Kotak. Even if we are wrong the city will be benefited by removing such a person."
Even if we are wrong the city will be benefited by removing such a person."
Jo almost laughs when CHimon say this ...yeah...
Chimon doesn't know anything about Viper's status as nobility, but he does recall his first job for the Mandrigal came from Shadowmaster...the Mandrigal's assassination contract procurer, and also a nobleman.
"If we're wrong, we can hire him to kill the cleric."
"Agreed. Before we go visiting, I would like to contact the Shadowmaster again. I believe 'Viper' once took a job from him."
"It's a good start as any..."
Talryn is somewhat perplexed and speaks up.
"If the Obsidian Guard are an enemy of the Mandrigal, why don't we kill them both?"
"That'll probably be easier once we find them." says Korak "Besides, if either or both of them are not guilty... We can put them to better use, like obtaining valuable information about the OG... Although i don't mind killing them either."