Indeed? Well we'll have the real truth of it soon enough. Armiger Streth, put ser Caldir in irons and take him to the Chapter House and send a runner to bring Elketh or his surrogate to answer for him.
One of the armigers steps forward holding a pair of manacles and looks at you menacingly, OK pal. Let's do this the easy way, shall we? He puts forth the manacles for you to place your arms and hands in.
I place my arms out for the manacles.
The armiger claps irons on you and roughly halls you out to the street. Twisting and turning through the crowded byways you finally reach what you assume is the chapter house. Several more twists and turns finally land you in a cell block and into a cell. The doors clang shut with a dreary finality.
Did they leave the irons on me even in the cell? Guess I will wait and see what happens.
You sit patiently in your cell, manacled and weary from your long night's watch. After what seems like forever but is probably just a half hour a new Hell Knight, accompanied by a few armigers, opens your cell and brings you to a room that you realize must certainly be used for interrogations. It reeks of blood, sweat, and fear. Sickeningly you even see a few stray teeth on the floor mixed in with bile and caked blood. On the wall are murals of prisoners being tortured in various ways on one of the floors of hell. In the background of each is the ominous figure of Asmodeus.
The Hell Knight towers over you menacingly, So, you claim to be in the employ of Elketh from Vira Salisfer? How did you come by this contract? He flexes his fists which you see are gloved with metal beaded gloves that have seen heavy use.
I delivered documents to House Salisfer for a merchant named Topher in Westpool. Upon delivery to Elketh at house Salisfer, I asked if he needed me as courier for a reply or absent that if he had any other work I could perform. He asked me to stakeout the warehouse for several nights to see if I could learn anything about the disappearance of lamp oil.
As you speak your words the figures of Asmodeus glow an evil red hue. The Hell Knight looks at you a little disappointedly, It appears you speak true. Dang! I was so looking forward to doing some persuading today. Oh well, I guess we will wait a little while longer until Elketh arrives and then settle up.
While he waits, the Hell Knight looks over at you appraisingly, Are you sure there isn't anything else you would like to tell us?
"Sir, i must make my report of the last few days to my employer Elketh of house Salisfer first, the information belongs to him and is his to share not mine. How does one go about becoming a hell knight? I understand there are different orders, what are the differences?"
I guess I don't get to have any fun with you then, but you are right; if you have a contract with Elketh of Salisfer than the information you have for him, seeing you have apparently committed no crime, is for his ears alone. Good on you! Not many are so stalwart in my Lord's domain. As to Hell Knights, there are seven major orders of which The Rack is paramount. We are charged with destroying wasteful knowledge and indolent idealism before it can affect the simplicty of everyday life. We are also the authors and keepers of the official history of Cheliax. Our order chapter here is responsible for keeping the peace in the city of Westcrown and making sure there is no sniff of rebellion. As to becoming a member, one would apply and if accepted would start as an armiger to one of the senior knights; but you don't have that look about you to me. More like than not you will be the type of "free lance" sword that will end up on the wrong side of the Rack's pike at some point. Well all roads end in hell as they say.
With that he leaves the cell and you hear him give orders to an armiger for you to be fed. Shortly thereafter a young pair of armed men come in the cell, one carrying a plate of hot food. It doesn't look appealing but it's hot and fresh.
The man sets down the plate and warily unlocks your manacles taking them with him as both men leave the cell, locking it behind them.
I will pick at the food and hopefully Elketh will show up soon and I can get out of here.
You reluctantly eat your meal, thinking about what what happened the night before and what you saw. A little while after finishing your meal the armigers return and take you dish away. Some time after that the Hell Knight returns and escorts you to the front desk of the building where Elketh is pacing the floor anxiously. When he sees you his face lights up in relief. Ah, there you are! No worse for wear I hope? The Hell Knights are not known for their hospitality, but they are fair at least to those that have done no wrong. There is a wine tasting shop nearby where my coin is well respected. Can I treat you to a glass while you tell me what happened last night?
"Good to see you Elketh, the knights took me into custody but did me no harm. I would welcome a glass of wine, lead the way."
Elketh leads you past the watchfull eyes of armigers and a few Hell Knights and on to the street. After about a quarter mile you find yourself in front of a well appointed shop that has a large warehouse attached to the back of it.
Elketh leads you inside where a pair of beautiful young ladies warmly greets him and escort the two of you to a private table on the second floor mezzanine. Elketh quickly orders a red from the isle of Kortos and after inspecting the pour declares it fit for drinking. The two young ladies bring out some meat, cheese, and fruit to accompany your wine and leave you two in privacy.
Leaning forward intently, So my good man, what did the last few nights of surveillance get me? Spare no detail!
The first couple nights were uneventful. The third night i moticed a worker that i had not seen before moving around the floor. He marked certain sections of the wall and some of the crates and barrels that were stores.
Later i noticed a weird glowing and shimmering where the man had made the marks.
The glowing shimmers grew in strength, and some of the third watch guards fell to the ground, while others stood in place, while still others continued their patrols acting like nothing had happened.
The glow flared to mid day brightness and then faded, the sections of the wall the man had marked became misty and insubstantial and a small crew of men rushed through and busily began pulling out crates and barrels, all the while unnoticed by those watchmen still conscious.
They were pros, in and out of the warehouse in about ten minutes.
The wall shimmered and returned to normal. No one on watch noticed anything out of the ordinary for almost another hour after that.
Asmodeus' flaming horns! No wonder we haven't been able to stop them. I never though common thieves would be able to get that type of magic power. I'll have to alert the authorities of course, but I'll keep the nature of my "source" quiet of course. I have just one more question for you, how were you not ensnared by this magic?
I can't explain it, perhaps it was luck or fate that allowed me to escape the enchantment.
Fascinating. You apparently are a very lucky man to have accomplished what so many others have failed at. My thanks. I believe we agreed on a sum of 200 crowns? I will get your fee for you when I settle up with the wine masters here and I'll waive the remaining two nights of your employe seeing that you have gotten me so much information already. I have no other work for you now, but come see me from time to time and I may have something for you to do. Better yet, where can I have someone call on you?
Yes, 200 crowns was the sum. I have been staying at the Traveler's Boot, you should be able to find me there, if I move elsewhere I will send word.
You and Elketh finish up a nice little lunch; the wine is exquisite. As he goes downstairs to the two comely lasses you notice he doesn't pay anything, rather he signs a journal and they give him a small bag with coin in it which he hands to you.
This should settle our account, ser Caldir. Appreciate your skills and discretion. Desna guide your steps and I hope to work with you again some day. He gives you a quick smile and exits to the street.
Welcome to level 2!
Level 2, nice! I should be virtually unstoppable now! Will fully level up when I get home from work tonight and send you updated character. Hit points below.
Level 2, nice! I should be virtually unstoppable now! Will fully level up when I get home from work tonight and send you updated character. Hit points below.
[dice=Hit points]1d8
As long as they are marching from very far away and I can reach 20th level by the time they arrive!
I head back to the Traveler's Boot and hang out in the common room, if no one minds maybe I will practice some simple tunes on my new mandolin while listening for any interesting gossip.
After performing for a bit, I will ask the inn keeper if he is interested in letting me play in exchange for room and board. Also ask him if he knows where I can find Janiven or Vizio's Tavern. (or maybe I know based on my new knowledge local skill!)
The innkeeper gives you a dubious look, You'll have to play better than that son. As to Janvien, she's been aksing around about you and I imagine she will back later this afternoon looking for you again. Vizio's is up in the Rego Scripa north of here. She's been trying to refurbish it and get it opened again.
"I am just learning the mandolin, I am sure I will improve. Thanks for the information."
I will head to Rego Scripa, looking for Vizio's.
You know from asking around that Vizio's is named for the family that once ran the establishment. It was a place where merchant guards went to relax, gripe about their employers, and look for more work. Several months agao however, the Vizio patriarch passed away, and the survigin family moved out of Westcrown to go live with kin in distant Corentyn.
After a brief journey you reach Vizio's, clearly identified by a well placed and painted sign. From the looks of it, it appears that the building is currently being renovated.
I will enter the building and ask the first person I see if Janvien is around.
You try the door, but it is locked. You hear no sound from within.
Circle around the structure looking for an open door/window and seeking any signs that someone is currently inside or was recently there.
You give a thorough examination of the building and its environs. Nothing easy or obvious would seem to grant you access and certainly not during the day in a busy street. Nosing around with the neighbors reveals that the place was recently purchased by a half-elf man and a rather attractive woman. They appear to have been doing a majority of the refurbishment themselves, only occasionaly bringing in contract labor. In my opinion, they seem to be taking their sweet time getting the place open! I could use a place to drink closer to home., sniffs what you assume is the neighborhood crumudgeon.
I will wait until it gets close to nightfall to see if someone shows up, if not back to the Boot for the night.
The tavern is quiet the entire day. Curious for a facility that is supposed to be under rennovation. You return to the boot, immediately spying out Janvien sitting at the bar speaking with the innkeep.
I walk up to the bar.
To Janvien: "I thought I would catch you at Vizio's but I guess here is just as good, I heard you were asking after me, what is it you wanted?"
Janvien eyes you speculatively Word on the street is that you have done some good work for House Salisfer and may have answered many recent questions of the city's merchant class. You appear to be the exact type of person that I am looking for. If you will, I'd like to entertain you this afternoon at Vizio's. It's my tavern you know. It's still a little unfinished, but I'd like to discuss some important things with you in a securely private location. What do you say?
"I will meet you there this afternoon."
Perfect! I look forward to seeing you then.
I head over to Vizio's at the appointed time.
You arrive at the appointed time. Trying the door it opens easily and you enter the bar. You see Janvien behind the bar busily finishing what looks to be a nice meal.
Come in and have a seat. There is a cask of ale on the table, pour yourself a drink a relax.
"Hello Janvien", I grab a seat and pour some ale, take a sip, but I am watching what I drink, don't want to get drunk.
She finishes whatever she was preparing and starts bringing a few prepared dishes to the table making small talk as she does until the table is fully set. Well dig in, don't let it get cold. She begins to eat with gusto, pouring herself some ale as well.
I begin to eat, "Thanks for the food and drink, it has been a while since I had a real meal. So what was it that you wanted to discuss?"
You notice that before answering she nervously looks at the door. She appears otherwise calm, but you sense that she is waiting for someone else and there is way more food than would serve just two.
You know, let's discuss business after we finish our meal. I always feel a little more clear headed on a full stomach. Why don't you tell me about yourself? I know some of what has transpired since you have come to Westcrown, but nothing about you prior to the last weeek or so. She looks at you invitingly.
"Not much to tell, I grew up in a small village named Barrowwood with my Mom, never knew my Dad. Orcs recently raided the village and my Mom was slain. I went to Westpool looking for work and was able to get a contract to deliver papers to Westcrown. Once here I got an offer and did a little work for Salisfer. If there are more opportunities I will probably stick around for a while. How about you, how did you end up here with a tavern about to open, what's your background?"
Janvien smiles: Well I'm a native Westcari and grew up working in guilds and mercantile craft. Once I came of age I worked as a caravan guard, but more often a city guide and bodyguard for visiting merchants and business partners of the Salisferi. Thus I know from Elketh somewhat the nature of your "work" for him and it's why I invited you here tonight. The Salisferi are one of the most respected houses in the city and old blood ruling class dating back prior to the current infernal supported monarchs. As for Vizio's, it used to be a favorite drinking haunt of mine until the patriarch of the family passed away a few months ago and the surving family moved away. I was able to get a good price on it with my business partner, who I was expecting to join us by now for dinner.
She glances again at the door.
"Elketh seems like a decent fellow and a good person to know, I was glad that I was able to help him out. Who is your business partner, I hope its not one of the local hell knignts, I didn't enjoy my encounter with the order of the rack, they seemed disappointed that they didn't get to torture me. Though my encounter with the order of the scourge was much better, they pretty much saved my ass on the road to Westpool."
Ah, the Hell Knights. They are quite a mixed bunch, even within thier various orders. As for those of the Rack, I'm certain they attract the worst of the lot. I'm not surprised that they tried to intimidate you; if anything I'm surprised they didn't actually hands on you. Although, I suppose they are relatively law abiding. As to my business partner, he should have been here by now dammit! It's not like him to be late. His name is Arael, and he's a half-elf like yourself. He should be here by now and certainly before dark when the shadow beasts roam the streets.
"Should we go look for Arael? Are you two involved in something dangerous? Could something have happened to him? Maybe you should explain what you invited me here for."
She gets up from the table and locks the door and shutters the windows. Turning to you, You are right I should explain why I invited you. Something may have happened to Arael and this won't wait for us to find out what happened to him. In fact this may be the reason that he's not here now.
Drawing in a deep breath, I have lived in Westcrown my whole life, and although I love this city, I must admit, as you might suspect after your brief stay, that despite our peace and prosperity, we continue to suffer. Fear should not be an expected part of life, and yet each night brings fear to our doorsteps. Yes, Westcrown has been safe from war and famine for nearly seventy years, and yes, our business has prospered-but this safety and prosperity has been bought in the coinage of fear and prayers to Hell. Other lands live free from tyranny. Other cities do not fear the night. Other governments do not cede the streets to monsters of the infernal shadows. Westcrown was once such a place, and she wants to be such a place again. Westrcrown is not only her buildings and canals and docks and history-she is also her people. Westcrown is our friends and neighbors, our mothers and fathers, our siblings and cousins, our sons and daughters! With but a small group of supporters and dedicated brothers and sisters, we can earn the trust and admiration of those people. A Westcrown free of these shadowy beasts that stalk our streets is one step closer to a Westcrown free of the devil that is the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune!
She stops speaking, fire in her eyes, here body trembling.