After a long evening of will-battling a spirit Grusk takes a nap and rests up for the journey ahead...
Ever the workaholic, by the time the others get back, Doc is almost finished mounting the various weapon systems.
The finished product is both ridiculous and terrifying.
Grusk is awakened by Doc groaning and grunting as he mounts the assorted orifices of the contraption.....
"Docs ramroding an loadin tha weapons."
Dark just stops, looks at the contraption, blinks a few times, and finally shakes his head as he mutters under his breath, "And people think I'm strange."
Clapping a friendly hand on Dark, Blaze says "You are strange my friend. Doc, however, is otherworldly and quite possibly out of his mind."
"No one 'preciates mah genius." Doc says around his cigar as he opens the hatch.
"Take a tour. Get acquainted. Pull levers an' push buttons."
The young half elf looked at Doc's contraption with wide eyed wonder and hesitated to take the dwarf up on his offer of 'Pull levers an' push buttons'.
"Tally Ho to Holmburg!"
One evening after a few days of R&R Blaze receives a message from Holmburg to come and see him in the morning. An uneventful night passes and the squad heads out towards the inn which he rents a room above. Kalabuto is quiet and clear this time of the morning and you make good time and are soon drawing up to the inn.
When you step within the tap room the barkeep greets you tiredly. With a smile he bids you "Morning mates, the scholar was right excited yesterday... even bought some hard liquor for the first time since he's been here. You to see him?"
Perception
"I smell trouble! Upper window smashed in."
Dark frowns as Grusk points out the window and hard liquor is mentioned. "Perhaps we should make haste and make sure our good friend is still present and intact."
Worry creased the half elf's face at Grusk's observation.
Good idea. I'll stay here in case something is still in there and tries to flee.
All bar Sentis move within and any talk of broken glass offered to the barkeep is met with a puzzled expression "You sure - we haven't heard nothing" and when you ascend to Holmburg's room it certainly appears normal from the outside. The door shows no sign of being forced, and you cannot hear anything within the room.
Grusk and dark head for the door.
Trying the knob and finding it locked Grusk pulls forth lock-picks and attempts to unlock the door.....
Grusk makes swift work of the simple lock and renders the door open-able.
Blaze draws forth Sunstrike and motions for Dark to lead the way into the room.
As the door is drawn open, you find the room's interior is similarly cluttered with papers and books and artefacts and leftover food - much the same as it normally is... but there is a distinct lack of Holmburg. The broken window has spread cheap glass over the room's floor that crunches beneath your feet as you walk.
A clear space has been made in the room's center and a solitary chair placed within it.
Apart from the entry chamber there is a bedroom to the back. The bed covers are drawn back and mussed indicating that someone had slept there last night. Checking the sidetable by the bed you find Holmburg's eye-glasses and purse.
The magus looks around the room but sees nothing out of the ordinary.
"I don't like this. Its obvious something happened here, something unpleasant it would seem"
Doc raises an eyebrow at the scene. Once it becomes clear the Holmburg isn't in the room, he raises a stubby hand. "Hold up, Wolves. Don't mess nothin' up. Let's jus' look around a sec, see what the room tells us."
"Dark, if ye still got that Keen Sense potion ah made fer ye, drink it. Ah need ye t' look fer footprints an' anythin' else that's outta place. Ah wanna know how many folks were here, an' 'bout how big they were."
"Grusk, Kaavel, go back outside an' scurry up onta th' roof. Look fer anything that don't look right, shingles knocked loose, gutters pulled down, that sort o' thing, an' look fer the route they might have taken t' get up an' down. Ye might find rope marks on the ledges. They had t' git him down somehow. n' see if there's any roofs close enough t' move across."
"Sentis, c'n you an' Baran see if ye c'n git a scent offa anythin'?"
As Doc takes over, Blaze opens his senses to the mystical and looks around the room again
"You need me to do anything Doc?"
Blaze does not detect any active or passive magic auras within Holmburg's room.
"Still have it here somewhere, suppose now is as good a time as any." Dark will quickly drink the potion as he starts to examine the room not only with his eyes, but all of his senses.
Coming in last from kneeling in front of the door Grusk takes a look around....
Perception
Being a rogue Grusk spots the tell-tale signs of dried blood near the chair.
"Blood."
Looks at Doc, as he speaks before going up on the roof.
The window was definitely broken inwards, judging by the spread of glass. The key to the front door also remained within the lock on the door's interior.
Although Blaze doesn't detect any magic, the fact that the broken glass was not heard leads him to suspect the use of some kind of dampening spell to muffle sounds.
Dark's nose picks up a well ingrained scent of Holmburg, but also a couple of fleeting traces of other notes. A hint of flayleaf - an addictive drug - and also a delicate scent he finds difficult to place. It is wispy and enticing, perhaps a perfume of some kind? There are no overt tracks within the room apart from those that could be connected to Holmburg, but Dark does see some smudging that suggests cloth wrapped feet in a few points around the room.
Kaavel's inspection of the roof shows some dislodged shingles leading from the room to the far corner of the building... almost as though a body was being dragged. The building's corner drops into a cul-de-sac which is unable to be seen from the street, though Kaavel can't see any signs of wear on the gutters or points where grapples were set.
Lastly you scan over the books and papers and though you find most of them present... though the book from the place where Thronebound was interred is missing.
"A magic check, Boss. An' run interference for us if someone downstairs gets nosy." Doc says to Blaze just before he starts carefully moving around the room.
A bit later after getting reports from everyone, Doc nods. "Looks pretty straightforward t' me. They came in through th' window, tied 'im t' th' chair an' questioned him hard 'nough t' bleed 'im, an' dragged 'im out th' window t' that dead end Kaavel spotted."
"Ah bet a night wit' Grusk's mom tha' if we head down t' that dead end, Sentis 'll have a scent in less 'n two minutes."
Sentis knew their worries were correct when Kaavel came out onto the roof to investigate. He followed him from the ground around to the cul-de-sac and guessed theyd found the drop spot. He cautiously moved in to look for clues as to what happened. He adopted the senses of his wolfen brothers and used the inherant magic to alow him to speak with Baran. He yelled to the others before getting started.
Im guessing the old man is missing! Can you throw something down of his so we can compare the scents?
"Kidnappin fer sure, someone spent some money, spells aint cheap, an had they wanted him dead they could ave jus killed em. I bet a night wit Doc's dad tha people err wantin him as their own translator."
Appraise
Looks for interesting items and pockets any he finds.....
Sentis is able to find the same scents that Darkbiter did above. He is also able to note that the scent of the flayleaf intertwines with Holmburg's odour - while the perfume is distinct. The scent leads away and down a side alley further from the inn.
Grusk casts his eyes around the room and finds some old trinkets and coins that look like they might be worth something to a collector.
"We should follow before the scent grows cold and muddied with people moving about."
With the noticable scent of flayleaf prevalent in both the room and the cul-de-sac; the Wolves had found their trail. Sentis put Baran on the trail and used his heightened senses to follow it as well.
The young wolf barked several times with happiness that his friend Sentis was barking at him!
Sentis and Baran pursue the scent out and away from the inn...
Dark moves to aid Sentis as well.
"Looks like our more wolfy wolves have somethin' t' follow." Doc says to Blaze. "Let's go wander after 'em an' pretend t' be useful."
Blaze chuckles "They'll need us if things turn uglier than Grusk. Admittedly that is really difficult, but I suppose its possible."
Team Green sets to task following the minute traces of scent and drag signs as they follow a haphazard route through back alleys - keeping far from the main path where eyes could see. After ten minutes of tracking, the trail leads to the foot of a two story building, where the trace vanishes upwards.
Doc looks up the side of the building.
"THink we should find out who owns the place b'fore we start climbin' 'round on it?"
"Good idea. I'd rather not break into a place just yet." He pauses, thinking.
"However, we all don't need to go. Team Green, since you all led us here, you guys need to make sure nobody leaves. Cover the obvious exits, and move in some small patrols. Nothing too big, as we don't want our target slipping by ya. Doc and I will go try to find out who owns this place"
You got it Blaze. I just hope that Holmburg can afford us taking our time...
Sentis set about doing just as their captain asked and circled the building with Baran staying alert.
Baran whimpered when they didnt immediately follow the trail into the building but he was far from the alpha position. He kept his nose to the ground and his ears perked for danger.
Circling the building you find it to be a leatherworkers workshop, though closed for the day. There is only a single entrance which is locked with a cheap padlock. From what you can see externally, there does not appear to be anyone within... though Sentis' sharp eyes notice some damage to the roof immediately above where the scent was lost.