Nasir mumbles to himself in the drit.
"Hmmm... yes, yes, yes... here and..."
He points to a spot on the ground.
"Three men or large and scary women stood here. They knocked, waited and left."
He stands and walks next to the door.
"One man left a day before that, toward the town square."
Nasir looks at the locked doors and the windows, if the house has any.
"Maybe we should let ourselves in? Or speak to the quarry's neighbors and see who payed him a visit."
Amadeus nods. I'm partial to the neighbors, myself. They might have seen something the people of the house haven't.
"I'll defer to the superior experience of my comrades," Balon comments, smiling as he watches Nasir work. "There's no reason we can't do both. I can establish telepathic contact with Amadeus as he talks to the neighbors, and then go with Nasir as he checks this place. That way if either group discovers something, the other group will be aware of it instantly."
Amadeus nods. I'm partial to the neighbors, myself. They might have seen something the people of the house haven't.
You find one elderly neighbor lady at home. She nods as you ask her about about your neighbor. "That is odd about Mr. Yokam disappearing like that. He seemed like a nice man, quiet, kept to himself."
She invites you in for a cup of bramble berry cider and to continue the conversation. If you try the cider you are surprised to find out that it's almost pure alcohol.
"Lets see, Mr. Yokam...I guess it's been a few months now that he's been acting strange. Started going out first thing in the morning wearing a back pack. Did that a few times a week. When he started he would only be gone for an hour or two and come back all sweaty. As time went on though he started being gone for longer and longer. Finally, the last couple of weeks he would leave one morning and not come back until the next day. Always with that back pack on his shoulder." She stops to top off everyone's cup. "Asked him one day, what'cha doing Yokam? He gives me this odd sort of look and then says...'training.'" She looks at you all, "Isn't that odd? Training?"
"I'll defer to the superior experience of my comrades," Balon comments, smiling as he watches Nasir work. "There's no reason we can't do both. I can establish telepathic contact with Amadeus as he talks to the neighbors, and then go with Nasir as he checks this place. That way if either group discovers something, the other group will be aware of it instantly."
You find that the back door is unlocked. Stepping inside you get that strange feeling that you sometimes do when entering an abandoned dwelling. It appears that someone or someones have searched the house.
"Hmph. His visitors had the same idea."
Nasir starts combing over the house, looking for signs of the last people to search the joint- and anything they overlooked.
Perception, trained and with effort:
Balon searches too. No effort spent this time.
"Hmm, ma'am, did you notice if his backpack was full at some times and empty at others? Perhaps full in the morning and empty in the evening or vice-versa?"
Callidus will also search in the house.
Balon, Yokam's been "training" and it seems he's been building up to something. He came home sweaty and exhausted with a pack several times. I think he's been doing something with the heat. What'd you find over there?
Nasir's searching the place as we speak, Balon returns. Looks like someone beat us to the punch, though. Keep a sharp eye out - someone's on the same trail we are.
"Hmph. His visitors had the same idea."
Nasir starts combing over the house, looking for signs of the last people to search the joint- and anything they overlooked.Perception, trained and with effort: 1d20
Nasir the expert tracker notices the partial footprints found on the floor of the house appears to have been made by the same people who visited the front door of the house.
There is no sign of a struggle taking place within the house.
"Hmm, ma'am, did you notice if his backpack was full at some times and empty at others? Perhaps full in the morning and empty in the evening or vice-versa?"
Finishing off her second glass of 'cider' the elderly lady fuzzily peers at you. "When did your twin get here?"
She hiccups and then leans back in her chair,"I like you twins...what was the question? Oh yeah, how would I know if his pack was full or not??'
Callidus will also search in the house. [dice=search]1d20
You are not successful finding anything more than Nasir did.
Nasir's searching the place as we speak, Balon returns. Looks like someone beat us to the punch, though. Keep a sharp eye out - someone's on the same trail we are.
If Balon makes a special point to check, he is unable to find a back pack anywhere within the house.
"Oh, sometimes you can tell if it is full by looking at it. It'll sag when empty, or be taut when full."
Galahad, sensing that not much of use will come out of her today, prepares to leave.
You've all found out pretty much what there is to know at the Bielema address.
Balon communicates this feeling to Amadeus mentally, then says aloud to Nasir, "Well, no sense putting it off any longer...shall we investigate the pit?"
Indeed. There doesn't seem to be any further reason to delay. To the pit!
"I'm plenty eager to see the pit... but don't you think it's worth seeing if we can find these three visitors? See if they're connected to this cult thing?"
"That depends on your confidence in your ability to track them. What I saw when I looked at those dirt footprints was barely readable to me," Balon confesses. "If you think you can find them based on that, I'll follow. Still, I think we're more likely to find fertile ground to answer our questions in this mysterious pit of theirs."
Nasir shrugs.
"Once they move to town square, no one can pick them up. Just think they're the most likely to have come calling."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I think that if we go to The Pit we'll definitely find answers, but if we chase down the cultists, we may waste a day not finding them or we may waste a day chasing down people who aren't doing anything. Even if it isn't a waste of time, I doubt we'll learn anything we couldn't learn in The Pit.
"They surprise us while we're down there, don't say I didn't warn you.", Nasir shrugs,"Let's get on with it, then."
As you approach the path leading down to The Pit you are suddenly approached by a tall thin bald man who cries out, "Wait, wait! Don't go down there before we talk."
"Hail, stranger? You know something of The Pit?"
Balon cocks an eyebrow, studying the man. Is he armed? to examine him for anything hidden on his person.
"Hail, stranger? You know something of The Pit?"
Nasir looks the man over.
"You the husband?"
Nasir looks the man over.
"You the husband?"
"What? What husband? The man is obviously confused by the question. Recovering his wits he continues...
"My name is Theybis. I belong to a small religious order called the Hozai. If you're going down there a have a proposal for you." He looks around quickly to make sure that nobody is watching your meeting. "I believe that there are interesting bit of Numenera in there and need some for my studies. If you bring me samples, I will make you an useful device out of some of the samples. Besides technology, biologic samples would be very useful." Theybis spits on the palm of his hand and holds it out to Galahad, "Do we have a deal?"
Balon cocks an eyebrow, studying the man. Is he armed? 1d20 to examine him for anything hidden on his person.
You're sure that he is not holding an obvious weapon in his hands, other than that you are clueless.
"Whoa, I'm not the leader of this group, so I can't be making deals."
"If you know there are Numenera down there .... what else do you know about what we can expect?"
Amadeus cocks his head to the side and walks forward.
What exactly are you hoping to get out of this? What numenera are you specifically hoping for?
"If you know there are Numenera down there .... what else do you know about what we can expect?"
"Nothing["
"Then how do you know about the Numenera?
Amadeus cocks his head to the side and walks forward.
What exactly are you hoping to get out of this? What numenera are you specifically hoping for?
"Anything out of the ordinary would be excellent. I love working with Numenera."
"Then how do you know about the Numenera?
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20
"Uh, I just assumed that there would be..."
You could tell he's lying.
And I'm a purple flutterby. Answer the question.
And I'm a purple flutterby. Answer the question.
"Alright, fine...Nerr told me about it. He's been inside"
Balon points an accusing finger at baldie. "What exactly are you playing at here? What's your angle?"
What exactly did he tell you? Who is Nerr and why did he go inside?
Balon points an accusing finger at baldie. "What exactly are you playing at here? What's your angle?"
"I'm not playing at anything. Nerr and some other members of the order have explored parts of the structure. They brought some samples that looked really interesting but they wouldn't give me any cause they think I'm a coward cause I want go into the pit with them."
What exactly did he tell you? Who is Nerr and why did he go inside?
"He didn't tell me anything, he just had some amazing samples. I can make the most wonderful things if I had samples like those."
"Do you have any examples of what you have made? Maybe some samples we can try ... encourage us to find new materials for you?"
"Do you have any examples of what you have made? Maybe some samples we can try ... encourage us to find new materials for you?"
"Nerr made me give him all my ciphers, he said that if I'm not going with them into the pit than I can't keep my ciphers."
Balon notes the rising hostility that Theybis is inadvertently causing, and decides to make an effort to defuse the situation. Striding forward, he adopts a conciliatory, friendly demeanor.
"Theybis, I understand your desire to expand your knowledge of the numenera. I feel the same academic urge. Our group is rightfully mistrustful of those who know more than they let on, but I'm willing to learn more. Tell us of this religious order, the Hozai - but the hasty version of their tenets and goals, please, we're on a schedule here. And...no more hiding the truth..." he smiles warmly, but with the hint of a threat in his tone. "we'll know."