Myre stops his shallow breathing as the inquisitor's blade punctures his heart.
A few seconds after, you all feel a low rumbling, like the foundations of the building shuddering, then complete, disquieting, silence.
Seeing Windle finish off Myre, Iozef stands and brushes himself off. Pausing a moment, waiting to see if the rumble turns into something more drastic, Iozef returns to straightening himself up as soon as it stops. "Well, now that that has been taken care of, I suggest we take our leave and report what we've accomplished." Iozef makes his way to the others, one step at a time.
Mireza peers around the corner of the shattered doorway and, seeing that the battle appears to be over, walks over and picks up the bolt that she dropped out of her crossbow when she ran back to the front door. I lost two bolts in there, she whispers to the others, one past the middenstone maker and one down the eastern wall. Could one of you already in there with the smell go look for them for me?
She looks at the lone zombie standing and awaiting orders. I know you priests like dead things lying down in the ground instead of up walking around, but oughtn't we to leave this one as evidence of what the Mayor's friend was up to? If we destroy it, there's nothing to say all these corpses weren't fine upstanding employees that we killed.
Grigor muttering and waving his hands appears to cast a spell...
She looks at the lone zombie standing and awaiting orders. I know you priests like dead things lying down in the ground instead of up walking around, but oughtn't we to leave this one as evidence of what the Mayor's friend was up to? If we destroy it, there's nothing to say all these corpses weren't fine upstanding employees that we killed.
Iozef ponders the strange woman's request for a moment. "It is very possible you may have a point, Madam Mireza. Very well, we will allow this one to exist only to prove our point about Mr. Myre. Once that is done, it returns to the grave from whence it came."
Seeing no one else make an attempt for her bolts, Iozef rolls his eyes. "Oh bother. Very well." He then goes to see if he's able to locate either of the bolts.
Hearing nothing happening, Valiard stands up from his hiding spot. He quickly retrieves the daggers from Myre's corpse, then gives a jaunty salute to Mireza.
"Glad you survived unharmed. Thank you for watching over me.", he whispers.
Locked room, or office? Ah, why do I even ask myself these questions?
Valiard moves back over to the lock he had been working on, gives it a loving caress, takes out his picks, and goes to work.
You attune your senses to subtle shifts in the nature of the real world, as it intersects with the spirit one. All seems normal, and the fabric doesn't seem torn or twisted in any way.
Iozef finds the broken bolts. Mireza doesn't look too pleased.
On Myre, you find his bonded ring, another magical ring, three scrolls, a set of keys and a purse with 100 gold pieces.
Valiard opens the door, though the lock gives him a hard time. A small cot lies in one corner of this room, opposite a desk and rickety wooden chair. A door to the north hangs ajar, revealing a small water closet in the alcove beyond.
The room served Myre as both a bedroom and a study.
The desk contains what looks like Myre’s journal.
It describes his experiences exploring the catacombs under Carrion Hill, and has some pretty wild observations about just how much is left to be uncovered.
A sample excerpt reads: “The Numerians were keen to be away after ransacking the Hill, as the scale of the tunnels below daunted them. They kept finding more and more parts of the old libraries behind false doors and secret rooms. Eventually they decided simply to flood the tunnels, but this failed them too, for the ancients were keen intellects, and their tunnels do not flood easily. It is possible that whole series of chambers such as the Sunless Grove lie waiting to be uncovered.”
The journal goes on to detail the discovery of the incantation in the Pnakotic Manuscripts to open the portal at the Sunless Grove, as well as Myre’s obvious excitement at the prospect of using the portal to contact “keen intellects beyond the human shell.”
Another recent entry: "Keeper Hyve has asked several time to study the manuscript, and Keeper Crove has kept refusing. I've asked him about this. All he said was that he felt Keeper Hyve might be serving another master as well, and he fears he might steal the manuscript. I doubt that he would though, for he seems genuinely keen on opening the portal and has been a great help in securing some of the materials and get rid of certain problems."
The last entry is from a few days ago, and simply says: [i]“Tomorrow the Old Gods shall speak once more, and we Keepers shall be in attendance to learn from them.”
The desk also contains some ledgers of customers, a bag of 100 gp, and some fine writing implements worth 100 gp.
Valiard pokes around, not believing that the man only had this little wealth.
"I find it difficult to believe that this was his only home; most likely the bulk of his wealth is at his official residence."
Valiard pokes around, taking his time.
Iozef finds the broken bolts. Mireza doesn't look too pleased.
Hearing nothing happening, Valiard stands up from his hiding spot. He quickly retrieves the daggers from Myre's corpse, then gives a jaunty salute to Mireza.
"Glad you survived unharmed. Thank you for watching over me.", he whispers.
"Not entirely," she murmurs, her left hand crawling up to her acid-burned shoulder. "Bring out his possessions, and let me see what treasures he had."
You remember that his home had actually been destroyed by the "thing" earlier.
As Valiard plays with different parts of the room, knocking and sliding, in the hope to find something, he finally hears a satisfying "click" and a panel on the side of the desk slides open, revealing a few spellbooks, as well as a few precious stones of different sizes and colors.
Windle, on seeing Mireza's shoulder, approaches the changeling. "I can cure that, if you would like."
Windle, on seeing Mireza's shoulder, approaches the changeling. "I can cure that, if you would like."
1d8 + 5
Mireza seems a little wary of his touch, but as healing flows from his hand, she pulls her blouse down over her shoulder to see that the angry burns in her flesh have faded to light, swirling scars. "Thank you, Old Priest," she smiles up at him happily and pops up on her toes to press an impulsive kiss on his cheek.
The inquisitor blushes slightly. "You're quite welcome." From that distance, incidentally, it's clear that his appearance of age is due to going prematurely gray; his skin is relatively unlined.
Valiard smiles, leaves the safe open and moves back to the main room.
"Myre seems to have been in a hurry. He left papers and things all over the place in here. I can't make heads or tails of them though, I think that you all should take a look."
"Here," Iozef touches the wand to what's left of her injury, "that should help clear it up," he says as if a doctor to a patient. Turning to the herbalist as he speaks, "Interesting. I shall take a look. Excuse me." He says as he walks past into the room.
Shaking his head in discouragement at how sloppy Myre was by leaving his safe open, Iozef moves to investigate. Noticing the man's journal, he picks it up and reads it. "Hm." Closing it, he puts it away and collects what's left of Myre's possessions.
Returning to the others, "I've managed to collect all I could find. As Mr. Tessar stated, there are several 'papers', or ledgers in this case, some gold, spellbooks, and several rather fine looking stones and quills, I might add. And also," he starts as he digs in his backpack, "Mr. Myre's journal." He sets it down with the rest of his stuff. "In case any of you are interested in reading it."
Iozef then takes a look at the ring and scrolls Mireza possesses.
"Do you think that there might be enough money to heal whatever Myre did to me? I don't feel like myself, I feel lethargic and off-balance, like some part of me was taken away. It also seems appropriate that Myre pay for what he did...literally speaking."
The three scrolls are of Gentle Repose.
The ring is a Ring of Counterspell. A spell of Magic Missile has already been cast inside.
Finally, the spellbooks contain the following:
4th—enervation, black tentacles, dimension door
3rd—hold person, ray of exhaustion, summon monster III, vampiric touch
2nd—acid arrow, darkvision, false life, ghoul touch, glitterdust, see invisibility, web
1st—burning hands, cause fear, charm person, detect secret doors, enlarge person, feather fall, mage armor, mount, ray of enfeeblement, unseen servant
You are all exhausted by the recent battle. Yet, you've struck a definite blow against the extraplanar entity that threatens your town.
Outside, it is raining, still...
"Do not worry, Mr. Tessar, your condition will be taken care of. Well, if we are done here, let us return to Mayor Heggry and inform him of what we have learned."
Mireza listens with interest as the magical writings are detailed. "More employment contracts," she observes of the scrolls of gentle repose. "He was hiring. Were you interested in a change of position, Crow? I think Mr. Myre was hoping you'd give up City work for middenstone manufacture."
As the spells from the book are read out, she tries to identify the ones that were used against them. When acid arrow is listed, she glowers and rubs her now-healed shoulder with her left hand. At vampiric touch, she nods meaningfully at Grigor, in case he is interested to know what he almost died of. "That's yours, Apothecary," she tells Valiard when enervation is reached. "There are many things that go bump in the night and want to consume your life, while leaving your body whole. This spell, though... it's a tease. It doesn't take your life, only numbs it for a while. You'll be yourself again later tonight."
"Thanks Mireza. If I will feel better later tonight, then I am all for resting a bit, but not forever."
"I know that we were forced into it, but do you think that killing Myre was the right thing to do? I don't know anything about this magic stuff, but it seems that we could be helping OR hurting the creature by killing Myre. Perhaps by killing him we made it easier for the creature to suck down his soul? I just don't like not knowing..."
For the first time since you've met him, Windle looks slightly abashed. "As to that, the Mayor's pet scholar, Iozef, and to a much lesser extent I researched the summoning and found indications that the creature is strengthened if it kills its summoners. Their souls are bound to it in the summoning, you see, and become more...how do I put it? Nourishing, yes. They become more nourishing to it. I couldn't take the chance that we were right; if the creature came upon us in our weakened state we couldn't defend Myre against it, and he was almost dead in any case."
Mireza turns her mismatched eyes toward the inquisitor. "Are you sure the monster must kill its summoners to strengthen and that their death by any other means does not empower it? Perhaps if we had kept him alive, we could have used him to draw the creature to a place of our own choosing. Regardless, there are two left, are there not? Hyve and Crove? If we know where they are, then we know where the monster will resurface."
Under a low grey sky and sparse rainfall, you make your way up the Hill. People trying to flee the city and Crows' patrols and checks make progress slow.
As you reach Rag Manor, you can tell that things have not been improving. There is still a lot of back and forth from messengers sending orders throughout the city.
Mireza turns her mismatched eyes toward the inquisitor. "Are you sure the monster must kill its summoners to strengthen and that their death by any other means does not empower it? Perhaps if we had kept him alive, we could have used him to draw the creature to a place of our own choosing. Regardless, there are two left, are there not? Hyve and Crove? If we know where they are, then we know where the monster will resurface."
"Yes. We are absolutely sure. And using them to draw the creature out is a gamble I do not wish to take. Too many variables that may result in failure. That is unacceptable. Once we've reported to the Mayor, we will continue on to the next gentleman."
"Frater Kolnikov, I believe it would be best if we rested for a time after we report. After Myre's unexpected arcane potency, I anticipate that the asylum will be a tough nut for us to crack even when we're fully capable; in our present state it may well be beyond us."
Unable to disagree with the Inquisitor's words, "Very well."
You are brought with all haste to Mayor Heggry. A few bureaucrats seem to have been asked to leave in all haste, for a pack of them stare at you, some with jealous hatred, others with fake appreciation, for they all wonder why you get special treatment, instead of them...
The table is covered with half eaten plates and glasses, clearly working food. Mayor Heggry is pacing back and forth, a glass of spirit forever glued to his hand. In one corner, sitting straight, is Commander Feldk, while Councilwoman Dimyian is looking out the window. Baveksh enters the room a few moments after you do, nodding at the Pharasmins.
Heggry turns to you: "Well? Tell me something is going well in this city..."
"If Baveksh has told you of what we learned, it will make things easier to explain. We have, I believe, kept the creature from attaining its full capabilities. Unfortunately, our mutual friend Rupman Myre showed an unhealthy level of skill at necromancy. When we confronted him he attacked us with zombies and spells, and nearly killed most of us before I managed to finish him." For a moment, Windle's face is a mask of despair, before returning to his usual bland expression. "I'm sorry...it's only that I'm glad my parents died before they found out what sort of man their friend actually was."
Heggry turns to you: "Well? Tell me something is going well in this city..."
Mireza gives the request some thought before answering brightly, "This rain ought to be good for the crops, if the city's still here by harvest time."
As Windle begins his report, she slips behind the others for a bit of cover and pulls a well-worn copper coin out of a pocket of her scarf, giving it an odd flip with her fingers.
Valiard, still wan and ashen from the endeavors in the middenstone factory hangs back, quiet for the moment.
Heggry is taken aback by the revelation: "You've killed Rupman!? B- but he was my friend! Was there no other way?[b] He turns to Baveksh who nods, backing the words of the Pharasmin: [b]"The thing will get stronger with the consumption of the summoners. We should kill them."
Dimyian looks at you, deeply concerned: "A necromancer? Zombies? That hardly makes any sense! Do you have proof?"
Windle bows slightly in the Councilor's direction. "We have his spellbook, and we left one zombie in the middenstone factory, where it fell when he died. He had apparently been using zombies to work the vats; I do not know how long that had been going on."
Heggry cuts the conversation: "Ok, do we know more on what this thing that is rampaging our city is and how to stop it?!?"
"Not yet. I'm encouraged that Myre thought he could subdue the thing with the forces he had to hand; he also expected it to be coming for him. That suggests that we can set a trap for it, baited with the remaining summoners; it's interesting that the three apparently didn't choose to pool their resources to take it. Little of honor among the elect, I suppose."
Mireza remains behind the Windle and the Crow, humming a lilting tune, a slight smile on her face and her eyes focused on the mayor.
Grigor marches to the sideboard where the spirits are located and helps himself to the brandy... and downs it quickly as the others talk.
Mayor you need give us special authority here - a mandate to take all actions necessary, up to and including carrying out the sentence for "Treason" against the City of Carrion Hill... in writing.
He looks bitter.
I'm not planning to swing for this after we clean up this mess.
He refills his glass.
Master Thetra has the right of it... they aren't pooling their resources and Baveksh seems to have the solution, that killing the summoners will sever the link to the creatures... If they aren't working together then they are easy pickings for whatever demon they summoned up.
I'm no expert but I've seen this sort of thing before and the way it was fixed then was to burn out the cult - root and branch.
He walks to the mayor, takes the current glass from his hand and hands him the freshly filled one and looks into his eyes.
So Mayor Heggry - do you have a pen and your seal of office ready to write the orders? I'll also be needing increased rank and more men of the Crows to help here or Pharasma help us... we'll all be in the Boneyard soon
.
*Diplomacy*
Heggry turns towards Commander Feldk: "What your counsel, Commander?"
Feldk stiffens his posture: "Sir! The situation, on that front, is better than this morning. They've proved their worth. Allow me to draft the warrant to execute the members of the conspiracy, and anyone protecting them. As for more Crows, Vachkov is the one we could spare, and that will stay that way until the streets calm down! Finally, these men need rest. Look at them! They're visibly spread thin! I'll order for rooms to be made available for them in the manor."
Heggry and Dimyian nod to support Feldk.
Before leaving the room to give orders, he turns to you: "When can you head out again? I know priests, and know they need to rest and meditate. The beast has been laying low in the last hour, but I fear for the safety of the city!"
Then I'll take that warrant..., and he takes back the glass from the Mayors hand, and that drink.
Feldk takes Grigor apart as he gets him a drink: