Argan realizes that the woman might actually serve some purpose, after all. "Indeed that could be useful, although I don't think they will be able to help in our cause. Could be worth a try, tough. How far from here is it, Elise?"
At Argan question, she open her travelling bag and pick up a map.
”Here” she says indicating the spot between Auld’Irey, Estell, Newchurch and Jasperhill.
"It could be of some use, yes. We shall see." she says smiling.
"Ooh, thanks!"
Elise tilts her head in Seth direction considering his words ”For now, I’ll stay here. It does not pay to stay long in only one place however. Once we finish cataloguing this place, I’ll choose a drop point.”
"Sounds good.. I suppose we'll check out this black market and see if's there any pertinent info for our mission. Thanks for the tip."
The following day Vlad will disguise himself as a traveling student of faith, nothing to hardcore just a man interested in histories of religious orders etc, not an actual priest. He'll then visit the local church and ask around about local religious stuffs, local hero's, and eventually drop a question about the fabled Horn. He's looking for any tibits about its location or the story itself..
"It's worth knowing. So, we will meet again. Take care."
"Im game for checking it out."
You spend some more time talking with Elise about nothing of consequence. She strikes you as someone arrogant and proud.
After leaving the place, you stop to decide what to do now.
Argan suggested checking the marked for supplies, while Vlad want to check the local church for any information. There is still the lead on Kael last stay, The Wandering Friar, in Newchurch.
"Why don't we each check some of those clues, guys? Imma go to the Wandering Friar, Vlad can check out the details he want at the church you magic folks - and Kharn - take a look at the Market. Deal?"
"You forgot about our other two. I'll take them with me."
Argan shakes his head disapproving the barbarian's comment. He had overestimated the man's intelligence, of course. "They are the magic folks I mentioned, Kharn. And yes, you're going with them. We will meet again at the mansion, then."
Seth smiled wryly and shook his head, "I will be joining Vlad at the church, though I imagine we'll be speaking to different sorts. Lil is far more skilled when it comes to handling magical wears."
The tiefling grinned a little and then turned to the small woman disguised as a halfling. "Don't forget your list. This city is large, but if you see anyone in particular that you must have we can always ask the Baron to track them down. And have fun. I imagine this market will be quite interesting."
Seth turns to Vlad, his aged voice speaking more formally to the one he had less interaction with. "I won't literally be joining you, so as to avoid stepping on your toes. I'm not sure what you're capable of in this regard but I'll likely be able to earn a less... formal discussion with the clerics there. You will likely not see me, so I would suggest not looking."
With that, Seth would wander away from the group and find a place where he could change in private, moving his hands into the clothes within his bags. The robes he found there were exactly what he needed and in a matter of ten minutes, he would be ready. On the off chance that he was being followed though, Seth would cast two spells. The first would protect him from prying magics. The second was a spell to make himself invisible, and then leave his chosen alley way as stealthily as possible and find another with equal privacy to reappear visibly in.
When he did finally become visible again, he was now in his new guise. It was an old favorite in truth, one he had worn for years. That of a Mitran priest. Rather then try and hide his tiefling nature he let it be obvious. Just as obvious was the holy symbol around his neck. The symbol of the god this silly country worshiped. His clothes were other wise simple, yet also clearly Mitran in design, allowing him to look like a humble traveling priest. He still looked older then his real age, as age was a sign of wisdom to some and age often earned respect where power meant less.
Ready and smiling, the priest moved out of the alley way to greet the day. He seemed far more cheerful then the old man he had been earlier, greeting others with a grin, a wave and sometimes even a prayer. His destination was the church of Mitra, and his hopes were that he might find some knowledgeable and friendly priests there to help him on his journey. The best lies, after all, had kernels of truth in them.
@Vlad
Newchurch is the name of the neighborhood, the hill it sits on and the common title given to the Mitran church at its center. The church was commissioned by the Victor during his visit to Farholde.
The church itself, formally known as the Hall of the Sun Victorious, is perhaps the most majestic building in all of Farholde. It rises in baroque splendor to dominate its hill. Its great central spire, crowned with a Mitran sunburst, can be seen from almost any point in town.
The church once had a large staff of clergy. Most of them are gone. They went with Lord Argus to war, serving as healers and spiritual support for the troops. What remains are just a few junior laymen who conduct services and keep the place in order.
Farhold do not have any local hero, from time to time, some great thinker has the brilliant idea: Let’s explore the Briar! The result is always the same, they went in, and never come back.
Asking about the Horn makes the one of the layman look at you puzzled; they don’t seem to know of what you are talking about.
@Argan
The first rumor you heard, said about the elf staying at the Wandering Friar Inn that disappeared now three weeks back. Went into the Briar and were never seen again.
From there, the next logical step as to track down the said inn, and see what could be found there. It’s not hard to find the it in the Newchurch, the place seems good enough, not cheap and not expensive.
At mention of Kael, the innkeeper becomes livid! ”That dammed elf!” he curses ”Got himself missing in the Briar and now I have to cope with his debt!” says the fat man ”I’ll give it only more week, before turning his room open again.”
@Seth
The same majestic place greets you in the guise of the traveling priest. There is no ‘security’ other than some junior layman. The place is not crowded but it’s not empty either.
Entering the place, you notice Vlad talking with tome of the temple staff, and you are immediately disappointed by the lack of senior members.
It seems that the lord of town took almost everyone able to fight or give any sort of support to help the army against the terror unleashed by Sakkarot. Despite of that, your presence does not go unnoticed. Some look at you clearly disgusted, other only surprised.
One of the layman hurries to greet you, but it’s obvious he is feeling uncomfortable in doing so.
”Welcome brother.” he says in a loud voice.
@Kharn, Lil
Shopping, that is something even a sociopath murderer vampire gnome loves! With Kharn as babysitter, you go exploring what the city market has to offer.
Here are your findings:
Armour +2 scale mail (4,200 gp), breastplate of command (24,500 gp)
Potions & Oils bull’s strength (300 gp), protection from chaos (50 gp), remove paralysis (300 gp), shillelagh (50 gp)
Ring improved swimming (10,000 gp)
Rods flame extinguishing (15,000 gp),metamagic silent spell (11,000 gp), viper (19,000 gp)
Scrolls (Arcane) invisibility (150 gp), misdirection (150 gp), nondetection (425 gp), sending (1,125 gp)
Scroll (Divine) produce flame (25 gp)
Staff defence (62,000 gp)
Weapons +3 sickle (18,306 gp), +1 adamantine greatsword (5,050 gp)
Wondrous Items dusty rose prism ioun stone (5,000 gp), winged boots (16,000 gp)
Common items and MW quality are available as well.
"May the light of Mitra shine upon you." Seth says in a cheerful voice, completely ignoring the looks of disgust. He knew what he was getting into by coming as a tiefling and had chosen it anyway because it made his disguise far simpler. People would expect something would be wrong, but they wouldn't look deeper then skin deep because of what they saw.
The blessing he offered to the laymen was a classic one, and in fact an older one as well. There were newer blessings that came with the change in culture but Seth had chosen that one in particular because it fit the general age range of his guise.
"I can see my presence is already causing some trouble. Come, let us see if I can get what I need and be out of your fellows hair." Seth said, making others aware that he was aware of their looks. He said it in such a gentle tone though, no malice at all in his voice, and did so while leading the laymen away from Vlad. He didn't even so much as lay a hand on the man. He just started turning toward one of the hallways and continued to talk softly, making sure that the laymen had to follow to keep up. When they were out of the main hall, Seth would stop and turn to the fellow who greeted him. "I am Brother Anthony, traveling priest and scholar of Mitra."
Seth offered both his name and hand with a disarming smile and that same cheerful attitude he seemed to greet the world with. With no doubt the man would take it, Seth continued. "I come here in the hopes of learning more about your forest. I have heard some rumors on the road and I'm deciding whether or not to investigate and see if there is something of true danger within them that is in need of dealing with."
The man, clearly ashamed of his previous actions follows you as from the entrance towards one of the hallways. There you introduce yourself and offer your hand and a disarming smile and as he touches you…
his eyes widen as the man yells surprised ”How are you? Spawn of the devil! You are not welcome here! Brothers call the soldiers!”
@Vlad
You notice an aged tiefling priest entering the cathedral, drawing looks of disgust from everyone inside. With few words, he is able to make everyone feel guilty about their behavior, and then he indicates one of the staffs to follow him inside the temple. Seconds later, a surprised yell sounds in the temple ”How are you? Spawn of the devil! You are not welcome here! Brothers call the soldiers!”
To that, everyone looks startled, as the layman starts running with no organization at all.
@Seth "Alright well try to stay out of trouble. Im going to try and find out if any knowledge is know about the Horn.."
@the church.. Vlad has to look of someone most interested at the man tells him what he knows. In response "Yes indeed. The tale is an old one so I hadn't expected to find out anything other than I already knew. I thank you most kindly for the information. Does he church have a records department or library of such? Perhaps I might be permitted to look about? I would be happy to make a hefty donation to the Church if so."
Vlad makes sure not to touch the man, or be touched.
@the outburst. Vlad shakes his head at the Tiefling. But waits until a response is given before trying to help the situation.
Shopping, that is something even a sociopath murderer vampire gnome loves!
With Kharn as babysitter
Lil is lead like Kharn's daughter around the shops, but every time they go inside Lil takes charge and drags the uneducated slaver around, bubbling with excitement and explaining how things work. She makes notes of everything, but doesn't spend any money as of yet.
Kharn just looks over the magical items examining their quality. He also makes sure to keep an eye on the little kid to make sure she doesn't cause any trouble.
Argan wanted to know more, but only asking questions would lead to suspicion, what would basically ruin his first plan: making the man collaborate with him. If everything went wrong, then he would go to plan 2: sneaking. "Sir," - He looks at the man's eyes until he looks back at the rogue, from which point he tries to calm him down, pretending to be a friend both to Kael and to him, in the hopes of trying to discover what room was he in, or maybe even get the man to provide a key to it. [b]"calm down, Kael is a good person. I'm sure he's gonna show up, but if the worst happened I will pay up his debt, so you don't have to worry about that. He is my friend, and I'm worried about him. I came here cause someone told me he was staying here, but then I've heard he's gone. I was hoping he could have left a message for me with you, the name's Jack. Did he?"
Of course the elf did not leave any message, specially addressed to a fake name, but Argan wants to gain access to his room, and thus pretending to be a real friend of his would serve that purpose. The charlatan will then proceed based on the man's reaction. If he trusts Argan he will ask if would it be possible for him to take a look at his room, to see if he left any clue of where would he go in the Briar. Of course Kael would not leave any valuables inside his room, so he didn't need to worry about it. If otherwise the innkeeper seems suspicious, he will somehow try to at least find out which is the room the elf was staying in, so he could pick the lock later. Requesting a room beside his is a good strategy for this purpose.
@Argan
"I could care less." says the innkeeper lowering his voice ”Got no messages for no one.” but when you mention paying up Kael debt the fat man smiles ”It’s 45 gold pieces for the rent and another 8 pieces for safekeeping. Pay it up, and clean the room.” as he finishes, he moves to a large panel behind him and pick up a set keys, presumably the ones to Kael’s room.
@Vlad
The man you were talking seems to be thinking hard and finally says ”When the Victor visited Farhold, he started a small altar that today is the temple as we know it. There’s no information as why he came here, other than an incursion in the Briar, which he returned some weeks later. However, the Abbey of Saint Cynthia-Celeste is much older than this temple. Maybe they have there the knowledge you seek.”
The man seems to be about to say something else, and that’s when the ”How are you? Spawn of the devil! You are not welcome here! Brothers call the soldiers!” can be heard.
Vlad makes a 5gp donation and thanks the man for his time.. LEaving the building he heads off to the Abbey. Once outside and away from others he stops and talks to his imp.. "Snagger. Stay here and help Seth if you can. Afterwards stick around and do some looking. See if you can find any information about the Horn or the Briar. Report back to me at the Baron's Mansion this evening.."
@Vlad
Usually called simply the Abbey by locals, this large walled manor house is home to a devout order of Mitran nuns. The nuns are a common sight about town dressed in their dark blue and white habits.
Finding the place is not hard. Everyone knows the nuns and the Abbey.
Same as before.. He's a traveling enthusiast of old lore and is looking for any information on The Briar or The Horn. Again he will refrain from touching anything and will offer a donation if such things are taken here..
"Good Afernoon! My name is Peter.. A layman at the church directed me here. I am a traveler and searcher of lost lore. I was wondering if yall might have information on the Briar or perhaps an area of it called The Horn? I've only heard whispers of the place and was trying to do research for a book. He layman also suggested that the Victor might have been involved?"
Kharn looks down at Lilpenny.
"So you can make magical items? Could you make something to increase my strength and health?"
"Oh yeah! Usually a belt is good for that, puts the magic right into your stomach!"
"How much would such an item cost for you to make?"
"4750gp."
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"I could get you that much money. In return I could help you get a 'pet' if you want."
@Vlad
Vladamir Orlovsky confidently strides up to the Abbey doors, knocking the huge doors of the walled manor.
The nuns guarding the door, Vlad is sure they have some military training. It’s written in the way they walk, and their posture. It does not strike him as suspicious, since they were set to guard the door.
”Welcome to the Abbey of Saint Cynthia-Celeste.” one of the nuns says as they open the door to let you in.
She leads you into the manor, and you begin to think that coming here maybe was not the best of the ideas, at least not for you. The nuns are an abundant sight in the place, dressed in their dark blue and white habits. What makes Vladamir concerned is the number of those trained in battle. Everyone seems to have some sort of martial training, ones more than others, but it seems it is something that is part of the place.
The nun leads you inside the manor, and into the Abbey’s shrine. There a large and wickedly ornate glaive, the blade covered in frost and wrapped in chains of silver.
The woman notices you looking at the weapon, she smiles and says ” Skathyl’s weapon. Saint Cynthia-Celeste was a powerful cleric of Mitra who frequently ventured into the north. Her greatest achievement was single-handedly defeating a powerful ice devil known only as Skathyl. Skathyl had manifested on this plane and threatened the peace by unifying an army of northern monsters. It was Saint Cynthia-Celeste who led a party far to the north and slew the beast.” she turns then towards the door and says ”If you please wait here, Abbess Temperance Avigail will come shortly.”the woman says before leaving alone in the shrine.
Vlad tries to take in the whole situation.. "I thought all the fighters had left this town.." After the lady leaves he quickly pulls a potion and downs it.. "I must be careful here.."
No matter what Vladamir was expecting from Abbess Temperance Avigail, the woman was something entirely apart from his expectations.
The woman that just walked in, had sure and firm steps, someone that did not backed off from decisions. She may have been pretty once, but now her scarred and burned face offered no sigh of anything that could be related to beautiful. Her auburn hair was not tied, but even then it was not enough to cover all the scars in her head, or the patch where the hair was missing.
None of the scars seemed new, she was a woman that had already lived a fair share of her life, and in her hard eyes, he could see the windows of experience and Vlad for a moment, was sure that nothing would surprise her.
After the initial surprise, other less visible facts struck him. She was not tall,her arms and legs, her entire body did not have any feminine charm. She was a warrior, the marks in her hands from holding weapons and shields, the rigid posture of someone used to full boded armor.
When she opened her mouth to speak, he half expected a battle cry, and once again was surprised of how normal or even feminine her voice sounded. ” Welcome to the Abbey of Saint Cynthia-Celeste. And may the Shinning Father light always illuminate your path.” she says cordially.
After offering you someplace to sit, and sitting near you she continues ”How may we help you Peter?”
Vlad sat there with his mouth slightly open for a second before shaking his head.. With a smile on his face.. "Such a pleasure for yall to have me and also very nice to meet you. I appologize if I seemed to stare. It was not my intention but I've never met a woman with such obvious battle scars. You must have a fascinating story to tell. Anyways as your lady probably has already told you I am here doing some research on the Briar and a long lost location called The Horn. Im an enthusiant of forgotten lore.. The layman of the local church said I might have more luck coming here and asking. I had no idea what this place was. Astounding." He pauses for a breath, showing obvious excitement, or nervousness, about the situation he's found himself in. "Anyways.. Sorry for being so straight to the point but do you happen to know anything about the locations?" He pulls a pen and paper out and take notes..
Abbess Temperance gives you what would be a pleasant smile, if her face didn’t deform anymore in result. ”Ah, yes, that place? The fabled Horn and its secret treasure. The cursed place that holds uncountable sum of wealth.”
After it, she turns towards the door and call out ”Sister Saree.”
Another nun, probably waiting outside enter the shrine, stopping at door while waiting for instructions.
”Would you be so kind to bring us something to drink and eat?”
”Yes ma’am.” Saree answer with a curtsy leaving the shrine once again.
After that, Avigail turns once more to you and continue. ”I do not believe such place exists. Well, not in the sense you are expecting, anyway. Such records as you seek exists, from the time when the Victor came to Farhold. However, it is closely guarded by the Church of Mitra and we were ordered to only allow those with Royal approval to consult it.” she says and her voice takes a kinder tone, such as an elderly mother caring for her long lost son.
”Peter, there are worthier goals in life than chasing long lost histories and treasures.”
Vlad scribes furiously, making notes about all that is said.. "To each his own Ma'am.. Wow, I've heard stories of the Victor.. I must be nice to be personally in charge of keeping such records. To bad common folk are not allowed to see them. I can understand why I suppose though. No need in having people running off after treasures and getting themselves killed. I've heard the Briar is known for that." He pauses and looks around the place, eyes going back to the Glaive.. "I was told this place is named after the woman who captured that weapon.. What can you tell me of that story? Is the weapon powerful?"
”The weapon is only as powerful as the hand that wield it.” says the Abbess
”This is a long and old history, but I can tell you all of it if that’s what you want.” she continues after looking at the weapon for some time.
She seems about to say something as she stats to chuckle ”For a moment, I was thinking in recount it as we do with our sisters, only it would take days. Let me offer you then a faster version of it.” she stands walking over to the shrine and scooping up the glaive ”Saint Cynthia had a very quiet life, and was not what one would consider a warrior. She was always more concerned in helping the wounded than blaming the one responsible for cause it. It came as a surprise when she rallied those around her to fight a threat in the north.”
”There’s several conjectures about this abrupt change, I personally believe that Mitra spoke to her, and guided her into this path.”
”While the force she gathered fought the horde gathered in the north, Cynthia fought the demon alone, and defeated it. She was however was dealt a mortal wound and passed away not so long after.”
”Her body lies here in this abbey, in a mausoleum built in her honor. Still looking as if she had died yesterday, not a hundred and fifty years ago.” finishes the Abbess putting down the glaive once more.
Argan pays in the outrageous ammount without complaint, knowing that it could led to no actual clue at all. Ka-el wouldn't leave anything behind, but maybe he should check it out. "Don't worry." So he took the keys and went into the room to take a look at it.
"I could get you that much money. In return I could help you get a 'pet' if you want."
Lil pauses in shock for a moment, then squeals and gives Kharn the mightiest hug that an unhealthy child could. "Yeeesss! Ohhhh thank you thank you thank you!"
@Argan
After paying and getting the keys, Argan walks to Kael room and opens it, the first thing he notices is a map laying out on a table weighed down by a common dagger. Reading the map, it contains instructions how to find the Horn.
Complete searches in the room reveals besides a few worthless personal effects, Kael’s emergency funds, hidden under the mattress in a sackcloth bag (containing 132 gp in mixed coinage).
Kharn pats Lilpenny's head. He actually feels fine about finding Lil's pet as it reminds him of his old slaver days.
"No problem Lil. Wanna go around and see if anyone catches your eye?"
Before leaving Kharn looks over the Adamatine greatsword, but decides against it.
"Yay! Shopping!" Lil bounds around and tries to find the biggest, strongest pet that she can.
Vlad nods.. "She sounds like a great woman. That story is deffinitely going into the story of this place. Speaking of which I had no idea this place existed before I came here.. Who would have thought there was an enclave of warrior priests in such a remote place. I've seen only women here, is this an all women place? What kinda of numbers are here if you don't mind me asking?"
Vlad is so focused on pretending he is a human that he forgets to actually worry about the drink and food he is having. He takes a large sip of the glass of water, and immediately begins to feel his throat burn with the positive energy. "Do you like our holy water?" says the woman in front of him, a sadistic smile on her face.
Argan takes everything that's in the room, being careful to roll the map so no one could see it. He takes a second look throughout the room, specially under and inside the mattress, then leaves, locking the room after it.
He comes back to the mansion, where they should gather back, and when everyone is back they take a closer look at the map, checking what information they can gather and trying to recount the steps.
@Vlad
”Yes, she was.” says the woman with a sad smile.
Meanwhile, the food and drinks is served, sister Saree leaves just after serving you, and Argan asks about the place.
"We are a cloistered order, Peter. And we would prefer to remain so." she says, her voice hardening for the first time in the whole conversation.
Something you said clearly set something off with the priestess, but you are unsure what it was.
After that, she raises and with a firm voice continues. "It was most pleasant your visit. Is there anything else you want from us?"
@Argan
After a complete search of the place, there's no more secrets to be found.
The map you found marks only the horn location and nothing more.