"No sure that is answer. Odd." Imrijka studies the gravesites. "All be in coffins, but these..." she points to the sunken graves "were broken into by ghasts. These others..." she points to the ones that had appeared undisturbed "were empty to start. No bodies in ever. Where bodies? Headstones give different deathdates for those. Not from fire. Must report this. Must question Doctor and patients."
She looks at the strongbox. "Can anyone open? May have evidence."
The wizard shrugs, "Can't make out the words. Looks like we need to get the box open. I can provide some acid sprays if needed."
Wood prepares to douse the securing mechanism in acid if the beefy ones can't bust it open.
Gkirkhan takes the box, looks at it, and proceeds to yank the lid off of it.
"Don't know much aboot paper, bot dis don't look like et ken handle much."
As Imrijka explained about the empty graves, Zhiden felt a chill come over him, it had nothing to do with temperature, and everything to do with implications. "The names on the empty graves, are they the names of actual in- patients? If so, it doesn't take much of an imagination to come up with some pretty horrifying ideas about what that might entail."
He approached one of the empty graves, still careful to watch behind him as he did so. "Where I'm from, there's laws covering everything, except what you can and can't do to a dead man still breathing. It was all rumors of course, because that sort of thing would be a big black mark on the whole house, but then again, it was never about what was allowed so much as what you could get away with. Anyway, if any of the stories were true," Zhiden paused, and shook his head sadly, "It's the kind of thing that keeps you up at night."
"Gots plenty ov dose kinds ov tings already."
"Well those guys we visited had an automaton guardian. It appears they might want to use some natural materials to do necromatic magic. I think we owe them a visit later."
Wood looks to Zhiden and seems to be somewhat aghast as a thought comes to him: "Zhiden, I agree slavery is bad. It is even worse if your body is exhumed to walk the earth at another's bidding. We must stop this."
You all head back to Lepidstadt. Imrijka takes the heads and says "I take to church, question there. Best if not involved in assault on local merchants, unless really deserve. If confirmed, can join, officially."
When Imrijka left, Zhiden wondered aloud to whoever might answer, "Do you think that vial will be enough to cast doubt on the Beast? I'd much rather we had something more damning about Vorkstaag, did we ever find out what that note said?" He lowered his voice, and then added, "I'm tempted to pay another visit to the chymist's workshop, but I fear the risk is not worth it."
"Vell, ve heard that de peeple may be attackink de jail to kill de beast. Vill ve all need to be there?"
Imrijka looks thoughtful. "Up to you. Perhaps safer to wait til have answers from dead before move on merchants. You say they have golem? Perhaps...was Beast who burned place at their command. If controlled, would not remember. Could have been who sent to take statue. May have control device. If have flying familiar or pet, could have sent to take statue from Beast then release to cover own tracks. May even have own golem which did other crimes. I go now. Will tell you of results."
"I'm t'inkin' we need ta repair dem papers, an' give 'em a good once-over. Dey'll 'elp as much as a dead man's testimony. Any'un know an all-night spellcastery?"
Rova pulls off the helmet, and contemplates a bit.
"So, dis is da last day o' da trail, an' we got 'im cleared on all charges so fur. Dis Vorstag an' Grines, iff'n dey's behin' da grave robbin', den dey been at it fer over a year, based on wha' da swamp folk tol' us. 's really somethin' ta look inta."
"Mehbe Hy should go ask sum questions, Jah? Just in case tings go sour."
The toothy smile Gkirkhan is wearing says that things may get messy if things go sour, and that he dearly hopes they do.
No, Wood, you can't make out the letters, but if we treat the words as hieroglyphic syllabian constructs, and reverse-transcribe the penmanship based on the depth of stroke...
A blank page on her notebook quickly fills with nigh-unintelligible scrawlings before she at last makes a connection.
See these strokes here? They're made effortlessly and faster suggesting intimacy with a sequence. We see the same patterns here, and here, then again twice in this line. It references Vorkstag and Grine many times, and suggests a familiarity on behalf of the scribe... I can't justify a guess as to the context, I'm afraid.
"Anyone have magic to silence the construct watch dog? I would like to visit those suspicious traffickers in black magic again."
"Hy haff Bea. She should shot hem op."
And by the way, that annoying? Just how annoying has Zhiden been, exactly? Don't answer that Vertielle.
Wood tries to convince the inquisitor to go with them, it will make things so much more legitimate.
You approach the gate. There are no lights showing as dusk falls, but the chimneys are still smoking. How do you intend to enter?
@Wood: Diplomacy 15 to talk her into it.
"Eh, eh. As an ol' friend o' mine'd say, 'Front door is fer suckers an' official business, joint's gotta have a underway in.' Den she'd make me squeeze in tru a 3' hole. She's like dat. But we really should fin' a lil' less obvious ways in."
Gkirkhan looks at the walls of place.
"Hy bet Hy ken git us in no trouble et all."
Knowing Gkirkhan it probably involves demoing a wall.
Zhiden watched him incredulously, "By 'no trouble at all', are you referring to difficulty, or legality?" A look of horror crossed his face when he realized that he, the Halfling thief, was concerned about someone else getting him arrested.
He added, mostly to cover that his cheeks were turning red, "You know, if we are going to break into this place and rummage around inside, it might be a good idea to not stand in front of it for a while. As he spoke, Zhiden made an effort to lead the group away, to a side of the building that was not quite so visible.
"Et'z only illegal if hyu gitz caught."
He toothily grins at the rest of the group.
Zhiden couldn't help but laugh at that. He patted the back of Gkirkhan's arm, what would have been a pat on the back if not for height differences, and said, "Stick with me, friend, I think we'll go far together," A breath later, he added, "On the run."
Scouting around the place, you can find an entry to the town's sewer system, from which you can detect the same chemical scent coming from the smokestacks.
Wood seems excited about the idea of crawling around in the sewers. "Zhiden, this is exciting. Way better than studying boring texts on magic."
"Hyu really need to git out more."
"I'm starting to wonder, and worry, at what sort of impact meeting me has had on all of you. Probably the other way around too. After we wrap this up, shall we take to wandering Golarion, engaging in increasingly zany adventures, preferably leading up to unseating House Thrune?" From the tone, it is clear that Zhiden is joking, probably.
Upon finding the sewer entrance, he added, ""Anyone fancy a long, romantic walk through a sewer?
"Vell, ve have Eva und Vertielle, bot dot means ve's got to find dates for Vood und Rova."
Vertielle smirks as Gkirkhan takes her arm.
You take me the best places, darling, she quips as she disappears down the grate. A half moment later, an ominous splash echoes up.
As you all splash down into the sewer system you come across a locked grill, from which that chemical sent wafts.
DC 25 Disable Device
DC 25 Break; HP 60, hardness 10
Apparently unaware of the danger in the strange smelling trap, Zhiden approached and looked it over. He tinkered with it for a few moments, and then moved away, saying "Anyone else want to take a crack at it? I can probably disable it, given enough time, but I could also accidentally set it off."
"I can have a spell tomorrow to open this. How about we return tomorrow if our skillful and tough party members are stymied?"
Gkirkhan grins at Vertielle's comment.
"Next time Hy take hyu to a real nice plaze, jah?"
In the sewer, after Zhiden's comment
"Vell, Hy could smash et, bot it looks pretty toff."
"Eh, eh..o'serve da power of adamantine."
Rova draws his blade and begins to saw through the grate like butter.
Vertielle watches Zhiden closely, then steps up herself.
She works with an inspiration truly remarkable, and awe inspiring luck, to crack the lock deftly, and quickly.
She gingerly lifts the great sword from the notch it created in the grate, and smiles disarmingly at Rova.
The passage continues for about 40 yards before reaching a set of stairs. The stairs led up to a door to small (15x15) room with a passage directly off of it opposite you.
This room, no more than a wide point in the corridor, contains shelves with rather grizzly things in jars, two complete, and monstrous, skeletons, a coffin and a handcart.
Hmm, Vell dis iz interestink. Tink dey knowz sumvun iz hidink dis down here?"
Gkirkhan looks at the more interesting of the two skulls with a look of longing on his face, but manages to suppress the urge to use it as a hand puppet.
Throughout the walk to the room, Zhiden watched Vertielle balefully. He stayed in the back of the group, not wanting anyone else to see, but also not going to any great length to hide his disgust.
When they reached the room, he quickly set about looking for anything particularly damning. When Gkirkhan spoke, he replied, not looking up from his search, "What makes you think that it's not them? I think it was one of the owners that told off me and Wood, so they may not even have any employees."
There's a journal of some kind and a wand on the handcart.
The young wizard casts detect magic.
[
"Vell, Hy guess Hy know who to chop, now."
The grin on Gkirkhan's face could charitably be called creepy. A less charitable and more accurate description would be "spine chillingly evil."
Zhiden went for the book, trying to hide the fact that he was trying to grab it before Vertielle noticed it. With it in hand, he opened it and looked through the pages, hoping to find something of interest.