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(1) She'll give you information consistent with the accounts the party discovered whilst gathering information:
- Victims sweat constantly, giving their skin a waxy appearance
- Their throats swell as though suffering from goiter
- They become increasingly irritable
(2) "I'm afraid that Stepan's mind is a mystery to me, right now."
(3) "Yes, but few are willing to spend time with them for fear of catching the disease."
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Selter seems to be muttering mostly to himself, Sss... Messengers. Yes. Not always reliable. Self should convey continued existence and seeming health so far to family personally.
Self am not afeared of mammal disease. Tania and self should probably check victims.
Should seek baron now while here or see victims first? Not sure.
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"Ah, Lady Baroness Boroi, forgive any slight you may feel from our direct questioning. We are but humble, simple investigators, used to direct action and words," says Mareq with a sweeping bow to the Baroness.
He turns to his fellows and sweeps his arm wide, encompassing them all in the gesture.
"We are nowhere near the tactful and mannered nobility, though we have met many and know of more who would be happy to see you and your township aided in this matter."
He puts on a strong "pondering" look onto his face. He scratches his chin and says, ""Hmmm."
"So, you mentioned leading citizens had begun disappearing just after the disease appeared. This is the likely first step in an investigation. Can you tell us about these citizens? Who were they? Where can find their families? Most importantly, did they have the disease before they disappeard?"
He looks about and considers again.
"Are the fetchlings also catching the disease?"
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"My Lady, forgive my intrusiveness by asking such a personal, or perhaps heretical question, but I do not know the most polite and appropriate way to ask such a thing, but..."
"In the past, I have met families that have some sort of agreement with the Penumbral Court on the Plane of Shadow. Given your husband's comments about the 'Shadow' I am reminded of these agreements."
Mareq fiddles gently with his fingers, conveying apologetic discomfort at being so terribly rude.
"Do you or your family, or perhaps the town of Karpad, have any contact with the Shadow Plane? Or, dare I ask, is there some ongoing compact with your country's lord, Zon-Kuthon, that fools such as we may not know of? Of course, or coooourse, we would never reveal, nor even ASK for such information, but... perhaps it would be relevant to our investigation on your behalf."
"Of course, servants such as we can be simply declined such information with a bat of an eye if you feel it not appropriate to share with us." Mareq catches her eyes as he says, "with a bat of an eye. He hopes she realizes that he is trying to convey a diplomatic way of saying "Yes, there is some secret Kuthite religious ritual relevant here, but I can't tell you."
He remains clearly on the lookout for her winking or batting an eye at him while she responds.
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Anya's concern for her husband and their child is far stronger than any minor social slight. However, she has no further information or helpful knowledge with regards to your investigation of the illness.
"Among the disappearances in town that I know about are Mr. Plothook, Ms. MacGuffin, and a child named Becausethestorysaidso. There may be others, however. Why don't you ask around town?"
"We are, all of us, devoted to the The Dark Prince. But, illnesses and missing persons aren't really his thing." She gestures at her scars--her outward signs of devotion.
"Since my family sent you all this way, why don't you stay as guests in the manor? I'll have a room prepared for you. In the meantime, however, you should present yourselves to the Baron. It is his home, after all; he has the right to know who is under his roof."
(2) Your mission briefing explicitly said that the Tiboros family does not want to involve the Nidalese authorities.
(3) The Society probably doesn't want to be at odds with the church of Zon Kuthon.
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Harrow nods. "Yes, we meet Baron now. If he in charge, we need to do what he say. Harrow not want to get kicked out of really nice house. If he say to check out disappearance, we can do that. Thank you for letting us stay here. Much better than bedroll outside."
Harrow turns soberly to Mareck and whispers "Harrow worried you already used up all the good words! Should have saved some for Baron!"
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The majordomo, Laurentiu, leads up up the stairs to a locked room, and knocks. "You pardon, Baron. Lady Anya has asked her guests to present themselves to you." There is no answer from behind the locked door. Laurentiu waits a moment. Then another. He knocks again. "Baron?"
Yet another moment passes; then there's an audible sigh. The sound of books closing and papers shuffling is obvious. "One moment, Laurentiu." The frustration in his voice is clear.
You hear the sound of his footsteps approach the door and unlock it. The door opens and you are see a man of average height and sturdy build. His face is clean-shaven, and his black hair is neatly cropped. He wears muted versions of his heraldic colors, red and black, setting off his clear blue eyes.
"These are Anya's guests?" Behind him, this room features a long desk and wooden cabinets full of ledgers and correspondence; it is a mess.
"Yes, Baron." The majordomo nods. "May I present Mr. Harrow of the Pathfinder Society and his retinue."
The Baron looks expectantly at Harrow.
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Harrow blinks a few times before responding.
Harrow not want to have retinue if expect Harrow to be talk-y.
Harrow bows to the Baron. "Thank you for seeing us. I Harrow Tatterhood, and we Pathfinders here to help. Pathfinders want to see if we can help with disease, or if we can help deliver message. Anything we can do to help? Oh, and maybe Harrow's friends have good words saved up still...maybe not use all of them.
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"Baron Boroi, on behalf of the Pathfinder Society and our own lowly selves, please accept greetings and felicitations. I know your time is short and you have much on your mind, so we shall be brief," says Mareq with a well-executed bow.
Mareq quickly introduces each of the pathfinders assembled, starting with Harrow, of course.
"We are but messengers at this time from Lady Anya's family, who prevailed upon us to offer greetings to her, whom they dearly love. While we await any word the Lady desires to send back, we are at your service, as well."
with his best, most diplomatic face on, he folds his hands and says, "We are advised that there is a plague in town. And some disappearances. Can we be of assistance. I assure you, we have some experience in mysteries and could offer you discreet, yet very effective investigative service, if you so desire."
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You hear the sound of his footsteps approach the door and unlock it. The door opens and you are see a man of average height and sturdy build. His face is clean-shaven, and his black hair is neatly cropped. He wears muted versions of his heraldic colors, red and black, setting off his clear blue eyes.
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The baron is listening. You've offered some services. You noticed that he's under a lot of stress and he casts no shadow. (Knowledge Arcana to know more about the shadow.)
Stepan is a haughty, short-tempered man. The party suspects that they have to ask him direct questions to get any information. (And probably not too many of those before he loses his patience.)
Otherwise, he merely rattles off paranoid-sounding theories about shadows coming to life, a fetchling uprising, and an intelligent disease meant to wipe out not only his subjects, but his family as well.
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"This is incredibly interesting, and concerning, Baron Boroi! You fear a fetchling uprising and so this is why you dismissed most of the fetchlings from service, I see."
Mareq's face animates with concern and interest. He has found a mystery and is completely in step with the Lord Baron.
"You call this an intelligent disease. How is it intelligent? And why is it meant to wipe out only your subjects?"
"Shadows have a life of their own, as I'm sure you know. The mysteries of shadowmancy are intricate and fearsome. How have the shadows come to life?"
"What specifically do you believe needs to be done to prevent the shadows from taking over and your family from being attacked?"
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Stepan's responses seem to direct the discussion toward the many dangers poised against him. He continues with his paranoid, conspiracy-theorist-sounding tirade. During his rant, you listen carefully. You are able to pick out / piece together three tidbits:
(1) Stepan is the third son in his noble family. According to the rules of succession, his two older brothers should have been Baron before him. About ten years ago, they mysteriously disappeared.
(2) The shadows of the night are treacherous. They're know for making "deals."
(3) The non-fetchling villagers blame the disappearances on "shadow monsters." They also blame the town's population of fetchlings.