"Yeah? Good friend, huh? Any other friends? How about you tell me your story, Dashki? Or will I have to carve it out of you?"
Azulth nods. "Yeah, well, hate to break it to you, but we've all had hard times in our lives... Yes, I have too, now shut up. Point is, I'll let you off for now, but make a wrong move and I'll slit you from one head..." He taps the top of Dashki's skull with the scimitar's flat. "...To the other." He then brings the scimitar, edge up, just under the man's crotch. "Got it?"
A hand settles upon your shoulder. "Enough" the normally musical voice of Antonius is harsh. "You heard him. And I believe him."
if you turn around: Antonius's face is gaunt and very creepy in the darkness of the shadows behind the tent.
if not: Antonius waits for you to sheathe your weapon before smiling at Dashki, and then heading back to the group. to investigate about who liked and disliked the murdered man
During his search, he notes Dashki and the others conversing, and strays close, paying special attention to what is being said and body language. Electing to let Dashki calm down afterwards while Arasmes continues the investigation.
Arasmes collects all the valuables and notables to include the following:
Harrow deck
Fine Bone Harrow Deck (+8 if religion, +12 if arcana, ask or check my profile for others) to see if i know any more about this item or it's purpose.
Ritual Obsidian Dagger (+8 if religion, +12 if arcana, ask or check my profile for others) to see if i know any more about this item or it's purpose.
Journal if a roll is necessary (by virtue of it being in code or a language he doesn't know)to learn all he can, including decoding any cyphers present.
Pen + Inkwell. Does their special design seem to indicate a purpose other than simple writing? For instance, scroll creation or spellbook-scribing, another ritual, etc?
The 55 charred gold pieces.
Arasmes will approach Dashki later, after he has some time to calm down. He approaches calmly, with a slightly friendly but not overbearingly friendly demeanor.
"Could I talk to you a moment? In private, if you prefer." He asks of Dashki in an even tone of voice, not wanting to give the appearance of undue secrecy nor one of accusation.
Assuming he complies, Arasmes walks with Dashki to wherever the man would prefer to talk.
"First things first. My name is Arasmes. As an outside and relatively uninterested party, I am investigating what happened just prior to our arrival. I would like you to note that I am not considering you a suspect at present, merely a possible witness. If you could please speak to the fullest and most correct of your ability on the topics of my inquiry, it would be most helpful to my investigation as well as to help alleviate the doubts my.... associates may have regarding you." Arasmes gives the nigh-feral man a moment to absorb what he has said. Pushing the conversation forward purposefully, Arasmes asks the following of the man:
1. "Please tell me of your history, how you came to be employed, what your duties consist of."
2. "How did you know the man who died in the fire? Do you know what he was doing in there?"
3. "Did you see the fire start? Where were you and what were you doing at that time? Can anyone else speak to your presence, so I can get my associates to be less... brusque with you?"
Dashki, nods his head in understanding, little else the man could do, Azulth practically took his breath away with the excessive show of force and intimidation.
Garaval is willing to go with you as a group to each different group, or you may talk to individuals by yourself.
Fine Bone Harrow Deck knowledge: 32 or 36 to see if i know any more about this item or it's purpose.
You know everything about these decks, do I need to elaborate?
Ritual Obsidian Dagger knowledge:
You know everything about this dagger, do I need to elaborate? Used in rituals, you are sure looking at the runes, the blade has not been used for dark magic.
Journal linguistics:
It seems like a good portion of the beginning is in cypher that you wont be able to break any time soon. At the end, his last passage: "It is time, my mistress I believe in both my mortal and divine mistresses. By my death shall they be put onto the right path, and that my mortal mistress might be saved. A good life to serve, even in death."
Pen + Inkwell. Does their special design seem to indicate a purpose other than simple writing? For instance, scroll creation or spellbook-scribing, another ritual, etc?
Could be, you are not for sure.
__________
ago to read his cards for her—she hasn’t visited the land
of her ancestors, but having a harrower at her side felt
“right.” She isn’t convinced the fire was arson, but if it was,
she hopes that you will find out who started the fire quickly.
She does seem somewhat distraught at Eloais’s death.
of how the fire started, but does not believe it would be
proper for him to voice them at this time. The Lady Almah
has asked for an unbiased investigation, after all.
Garavel sighs, then indicates that he has never trusted
Dashki, and if anyone in the group were to be revealed
as an arsonist and murderer, Dashki would be the least
surprising to him.
standing guard at her tent when the fire started—none of
them saw anything suspicious at the astrologer’s wagon,
but one did catch a glimpse of Dashki trying to hide
behind a tree nearby; “It was clear that he was trying to get
a look into Almah’s tent. That boy is obsessed with her.”
the feast-fire, finishing off dinner with a sturdy drink.
They weren’t too fond of Eloais and thought of him as a
weakling. If they are asked about Dashki, the guards confirm that
he wasn’t at the feast-fire with them, and one muses that
he was probably spying on Almah—his obsession with the
merchant princess is something of an open secret, with
only Almah seemingly being oblivious to his attentions.
None of the mercenaries has a high opinion of Dashki.
comments about the relationship they suspect Eloais had
with Almah, and wonder if Dashki might have burned the
astrologer’s wagon to “get rid of the competition.”
but the mercenaries were being too loud for him and he’d
just stood up to return to his wagon when the fire started.
He can attest that all six of the mercenaries were at the
fire-pit and nowhere near the astrologer’s wagon when the
fire broke out, and that Dashki was not. He thought Eloais
was a charlatan and that Almah is better off now without
his attention, but admits she did seem quite fond of him.
He finds Dashki to be unsettling, and his obsession with
Almah somewhat disturbing; “No one with healthy desires
skulks around a pretty woman the way he does; who
knows what a scoundrel like him is capable of ?”
He admits that while he thought Eloais was a fake, he
did appreciate his conversation; “Not a one of these others
here can discuss the poetry of Bellianais or the music of
far-off Absalom. Eloais was well traveled and intelligent.
I will miss him.”
to finishing each other’s sentences. Hadrah was the first to
notice the fire, but she and her husband were distracted by
trying to get their animals under control soon thereafter.
Hadrod in particular seems on the verge of tears—his
favorite goat Rombard went missing during the chaos,
and he fears the worst. The two thought that Eloais was
“nice enough for a foreigner,” but didn’t really understand
his talk of “Cyclones and Fiends and Uprisings.” But Lady
Almah’s trust in the astrologer was good enough for them
to know he was a good man. Asked about Dashki, their
expressions darken but they refuse to say more.
In a conspiratational tone, Hadrah whispers, “We knew
Dashki a bit from back Solku-way. Used to take rich folk
into the scrublands to hunt up gnolls like trophies. Most
people here don’t trust him, especially the way he leers at
Lady Almah with his mouth all watering like at the smell
of a fresh steak. Maybe he done it to Eloais, to remove a
rival for Lady Almah’s attention?”
and murder, he loudly proclaims his innocence—perhaps
a bit too loudly. He claims to have been finishing up
dinner by the campfire when the wagon went up.
As the interview progresses, he grows more and more
frustrated, crying out, “No! I had nothing to do with
the fire! How do we even know the fire was set? That
idiot burned a hundred candles in his wagon.
Perhaps he just got unlucky. We’re in gnoll country. It was
probably pugwampis.”
the time—Dashki has become obsessed with the beautiful
woman, and it is this secret that makes him nervous
during the interview process.
(Friendly: Dashki breaks down and admits that he may
be “a bit too fond” of Almah, but continues to plead his
innocence regarding the fire.)
change of subject and says, “Terrible critters what crawled
up from the Darklands below the earth. ‘Jackal rats,’ some
folks call ’em, on account of their pointed little heads. They
worship gnolls as gods and infest their communities like
rats. Wherever pugwampis go, bad luck is sure to follow.
The gnolls hate pugwampis because of it, and try to kill
them all the time. But they always come back. Perhaps
their bad luck caused the fortune-man’s candles to start a
fire? Yes, pugwampis. I am certain it was pugwampis.”
No PC has ever heard of pugwampis, and nor has any
member of Almah’s party.
Arasmes will approach Almah, looking for a time she is separated from the pawns of the Pactmasters. Realizing this is not a common occurrence, he will approach her and ask to make a report to her in privacy regarding her departed friend. He will not push for privacy if she deems it unnecessary, merely offers to wait until she has cleared the tent of those she doesn't want to overhear the specifics.
"Good Evening, Almah. It is I, Arasmes. While I could potentially investigate for days, I would like to report the facts of what I found to you. In a way, to give a progress report as well as see if there is any light you can shed on the case."
"The facts I determined are as follows. The fire's cause appears to be natural, appearing to have come from a candle that the astrologer was using. It appears he was involved in a ritual of his own volition, likely involving a Harrow deck, although they may have been in place from a prior reading. The placement of cards suggests a reading in progress, and one filled with bad omens at that. Death, Devil, Tower, Cyclone. The man appeared to be doing a harrow reading or praying at the time of the fire. Barring being in an altered mental state, he had nothing preventing him from leaving the wagon. His bodily placement suggests having planned to die." Arasmes says softly.
Letting that sink in to the woman's mind, Arasmes continues as he lays the deceased's possessions out for Almah to view as he mentions each. "I found these items. A fine bone-crafted Harrow deck. An obsidian dagger, clearly for a ritual purpose. Charred gold pieces, likely insignificant, unless the man meant to offer them to a fiery entity. Although I would wager that most otherworldly entities prefer sums over fifty-five gold. Pen and inkwell, of particularly draconic design. I don't recognize their purpose for sure, but I suspect a possible ritual purpose beyond that of simple writing due to their elaborate design. And this," Arasmes pauses, opening the journal to the last passage, turning it for Almah to read, "A passage that, in addition to neatly tying most of the previous clues together, suggests that his death was a ritual suicide... a self-sacrifice, rather. I presume that you are his mortal mistress."
Allowing more time for that to sink in, Arasmes finally asks, "Have you any questions for me?"
The obsidian is just to show that the dagger really is just for a ritual, not really for combat or even cutting an unwilling participant.
She really doesn't want to talk about Kelmarane much more than she already has. You can push the subject, especially since she is friendly towards you, but that is your choice.
"Yes..." she responds to the mortal mistress part, quietly sobbing. She takes a minute, then composes herself. [b]"Since you are an investigator, I charge you to break the cypher on the journal, perhaps it will help us more in the future. I am sure these other items of his are magical, if you can use them, put them to good use, if not perhaps one of your companions will be able to. In memory of Eloais, may his tools continue to work for him, you and I."
She tells you of Eloais’s readings had grown increasingly grim, and that his last reading centered on an auspicious card, the Cyclone, portending death by fire and schemes by powerful evil. When Almah asked if that indicated something about Kelmarane, he said, “Yes, but the village is only a small part of something much larger, something he called the
Legacy of Fire.” Almah isn’t sure what he meant by “Legacy of Fire,” alas.
With as little information that you have at this point, no further Knowledge checks can reveal anything more, aside from the fact that no “Legacy of Fire” figures in prominent tales or legends.
Arasmes will leave Almah to collect her thoughts. Before dinner, he will scour the camp for books, searching the wagon of Eloais , inquiring about them among the bookish sorts as well as the quartermaster. In particular he is looking for books on harrow readings to brush up on what he already knows regarding them. He will also ask anyone who looks Varisian, if any folks fit that bill. During the evening meal he will play the social sort, making small talk with the other members of the caravan, trying to generally build good relationships with all present .
He will sleep in his tent after a long period of thinking on the various clues.
Alton mostly hangs out with the spell casters and Almah, picking up bits and pieces of information, figuring the others had the obvious suspects covered from how they interrogated people, perhapse it was best if we don't put them too much on their guard he figures
The only ones in the group that might be Varisian is in your group and Almah. Though it looks to be just Almah. Not many books in the caravan. All books were burnt in the astrologer's wagon. A diplomacy check to each group would be fine Arasmes.
Jelissa seems to be out of her comfort zone, and goes back to the horses and camels to make sure they are taken care of...
Jelissa seems to be out of her comfort zone, and goes back to the horses and camels to make sure they are taken care of...
Antonius wanders through the camp, listening in on others conversations, but trying to stay away from the spotlight himself...
Azulth speaks first with the mercenaries, falling in with them easily enough after having healed Kallien earlier, and being something of a mercenary himself. He also talks with Father Zastoran, recognizing the old man from earlier as well, and gets information from his friendship. Putting all this information together, he comes to the only logical conclusion--Dashki killed the old guy in the burnt wagon! Haha!
With that, Azulth pounces on him and spits in his face, "You did it! I know you did, you killed him and--" He's cut off by the man and his own doubts, but he follows up by drawing his scimitar. "Finishing dinner? Because I've got seven folks who say you weren't, you little piece of--" Again, though, he's interrupted by Dashki.
Azulth pauses, wondering if the little man is now telling the truth. Certainly matches up with everything you've heard about him... Azulth suddenly wishes he'd brought Arasmes along with him. "Okay. Well. What are pugwampis?"
He listens, and doesn't really believe the man, it sounds like he's making things up, but stranger things have happened. In the end, Azulth lets him go, then starts looking for Arasmes, knowing the Eye can help sort things out.
Arasmes gets over to the scene with Dashki and Azulth as fast as he can, but too late to spare Dashki any grief. "Dashki didn't do it. I found more than enough evidence, the kind that I doubt most people here have the capacity to fake, to suggest the man intended to end his life in his ritual. All I have to do is decode the man's journal. For now it is best if we put that episode behind us. Look to the future, and beware the cyclone." he says, looking to see if anyone picked up on his harrow reference.
Azulth looks over to Arasmes. "You sure? Ah, never mind, I know you're sure, Razzy. You always are, ya big head full of... uh... brains." He turns back to Dashki and gives a small smile, holds out his hand. "Uh... No hard feelings, right?"
Dashki cringes as Azulth puts out his hand, Dashki just shakes his head and walks away. It looks like he is in shock from the swings of Azulth's mood.
Dashki will stay away, at least 20 feet from Azulth for at least several days.
____________________
Later when you are all summoned to Almah's tent. The four guards stand vigilant over her within and outside the tent. You can tell they don't trust anyone.
Almah greets each of you warmly enough, but gets to business quickly. "Thank you Arasmes of finding that the fire is most likely of no one's fault. I still want to see these pugwampis my expert says are out there. If what Dashki says is true, it should be easy for him to find one and bring it back to me. Go out into the desert with Dashki and find me one of these pugwampis."
"I'd like to know about their tactics and abilities, would we likely face spell casters, do they use poison, that kind of thing"
"I will find these Pugwampis, and bring one back for you. As well as keep Dashki alive." he says the second part pointedly, deliberately not looking at Azulth.
"Hmmm, interesting. Understood."
Azulth bows deeply, and has a fight with himself over whether or not to attempt kissing Almah's hand. In the end, he settles for kneeling. "My lady, we will seek out these creatures and return one to you, for you are our light and our mistress." He winks as he stands and exits the tent with the others.
Dashki would tell you they like to hide, snipe and craft traps.
Almah: already used diplomacy to influence attitude
Garavel:
Caravan Guards:
The mercenaries:
Zastoran:
Camel Drivers:
Dashki: already used diplomacy to influence attitude
"Thank you all, may you have safe travels and see yourself back here quickly." Almah says to you all, she nods and smiles nicely to Azulth once he kneels in front of her.
_________________
At least a few more hours of night is left...
Setting out into the scrubland hills north of the Sultan’s Claw, your group begins search about in darkness for signs of the pugwampis.
In order to negotiate the rocky terrain and its many painful cacti, your group must rely upon darkvision, luckily I believe you all have it, otherwise one must provide some sort of light to see. As the hunters proceed into the wilderness. Phantom creatures haunt the underbrush—or at least seem to until closer inspection reveals nocturnal birds or rodents.
Dashki tells the group in hushed tones, "We’re looking for a little humanoid creature that’s much smaller than a halfling, with light fur, dirty claws, and a tiny jackal head."
"Alright," Azulth whispers back, enjoying the way Dashki jumps and dislikes his presence. Hehehe. People are so amusing when they're frightened. That in mind, he begins looking around, his keen allowing him to see reasonably well despite the dim light of the moon and stars.
"Hey! Got something here... Haha, no, not that... Looks like a goat? Got dragged away. This way." He starts following the tracks, scimitar in hand.
"I see footprints, they are tiny they look to be going this way" he points in the direction the prints seem to indicate.
"Thank you all, may you have safe travels and see yourself back here quickly." Almah says to you all, she nods and smiles nicely to Azulth once he kneels in front of her.
_________________
At least a few more hours of night is left...
Setting out into the scrubland hills north of the Sultan’s Claw, your group begins search about in darkness for signs of the pugwampis.
In order to negotiate the rocky terrain and its many painful cacti, your group must rely upon darkvision, luckily I believe you all have it, otherwise one must provide some sort of light to see. As the hunters proceed into the wilderness. Phantom creatures haunt the underbrush—or at least seem to until closer inspection reveals nocturnal birds or rodents.
Dashki tells the group in hushed tones, "We’re looking for a little humanoid creature that’s much smaller than a halfling, with light fur, dirty claws, and a tiny jackal head."
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Antonius stays quiet, simply following the tracks, at full speed, striding quickly ahead of the others.
After following the trail for several hundred feet, each of you feel an inexplicable rise in the natural tension of the environment. Looking at each other, you can see it in them as well. Perhaps not Antonious. It is as if you expect something terrible to happen even though nothing
about the terrain has changed.
Soon thereafter, a sound not unlike the brief cry of a human child comes out of the darkness ahead.
As the group progress toward the sound, the local cacti grow more and more intense, until the group find themselves at the edge of a dense thicket of the prickly plants. The sound of the bleating goat is now obvious to everyone—and it seems to be coming from somewhere deep within the cacti.
The cactus forest, though very wide, is not so terribly
deep.
The thickness of the growth of cacti is going to require at least 3 rounds of careful maneuvering before someone can make it to the other side.
Once on the other side of the cacti forest, you find yourself on a thin strip of open land at the edge of a 15-footwide ravine. A casual glance down the edge reveals a huge multi-armed, wickedly barbed cactus dominating the ground 30 feet below the ledge.
Alton takes out his katana and cuts through the cacti forest as he comes to it
to see if any good poultice can be derived from the cacti
"The goat is about 50 feet that way" Arasmes says, pointing.
"There he is. Something's tied him up. Maybe the 'pugwampis', be wary." The way he says "pugwampis" suggests that he doesn't believe in them.
take lowest to climb down:
"Good calls, Razzy," Azulth says as he picks his way through the cacti, also hacking at them with his scimitar.
Now that the cacti are chopped you don't need to do any acrobatics checks.
The goat is covered with cactus quills. Rombard doesn’t stay still, making it difficult to free the goat. Untying the squirming goat requires a DC 15 Use Rope check.
"Ugh, this damned goat won't stay still. Antonius, wanna calm this..."
Arasmes stops mid-sentence.
"Azulth." he says, nodding his head towards what he sees. His tone of voice suggests a problem. He slowly backs away from the goat in a low stance, his hands held in a strange position.
You are still in the horrible aura, which means any d20 roll you do, you must roll it twice and take the worst of the two.
As you try to free the goat it begins racing around Arasmes in circles, entangling him in the rope. Arasmes must make a DC 15 acrobatics check to avoid losing his balance and tumbling over into another gap below into the arms of the enormous cactus below, a fall that causes points of damage.
Azulth begins to move forward to help untie the goat, but he stops when Arasmes nods his head at a rock.
"Uh, Razzy? It's a rock." Azulth walks over to it, scimitar in hand. "There's rocks around. It's a thing."
Arasmes stumbles into the cactus, a few of its spines stabbing through his thick hemp cloak. "That's annoying." he says, grumbling.
In response to Azulth's quip, Arasmes looks at him and points to his own off-colored eye.
A little filthy dog like creature standing on his hind legs jumps out from the rock and goes after Azulth's weapon, a failed attempt on the creatures side as his own blade shatters.
The little guy pulls out a flimsy bow and moves away from Azulth.
Azulth starts as the creature comes out and tries to disarm him... and bursts out laughing as it misses and destroys its own weapon. "Oh my... oh, gods, that's... Are you guys seeing this?" he asks the rest of the party, pointing his off-hand thumb at the creature. "Please don't tell me this is our dangerous, mythic 'pugwampi.'"
Alton gathers the magical energy for a spell but does not release it, holding the energy in his free hand, the other one on his sword
"well it could still be the cause of this weord aura..."
Jelissa bursts out laughing at the antics of the little creature.
Dashki chuckles to himself with a snort, "Yes that would be one of the horrid unlucky pugwampi."
The little thing keeps shooting arrows.
bow attack, damage. On Azulth
bow attack, damage. On Dashki
bow attack, damage. On Jelissa
bow attack, damage. On Antonius
expending 1 inspiration to add to roll
Azulth continues to laugh as the pugwampi shoots arrows, missing him completely, walks up to it and swings the scimitar at its bow, striking with precision.
Arasmes had gotten tripped up by the goat just a few moments ago. But with losing his footing of the rope, he slipped into a small gap of about 10 foot drop into the cactus waiting below.
Azulth slices the bow neatly in half and it curses at you all angerly like. So much that it does not see where it is going and slams into a cactus killing itself. The edge of the aura starts to drop.
Antonius emerges from the shadows, ignoring the rope where it is tied to the goat, and slicing where it is anchored.
scooping up the terrified animal and rushing towards the edge of the cacti thicket
Alton goes over to see if it is alive, and casts stabilize on it either way, then chops at the cacti to remove the creature from it if it is not alive, if it is alive he will carefully (with his weapon still in the other hand) pull the creature off of the cacti.
Antonius, you would need to grapple the goat before it bolts. Touch attack and CMB check.
It looks pretty hurt, from all the cactus needles in its hide.