Tower of the Heavens (Inactive)

Game Master bbangerter

Looking up at Markov with a face of misery and anguish, "Who... or what... would have done this to Damien?"

-----------------------------------

The captain resumes walking towards the inn.

The captain sprints the last 50' to where Markov is standing.

"Inside? Have you disturbed anything in there?"

"No, I only checked the wounds on the corpse, and Alma and I followed Warren as he tracked the beast to the street. I have good reason to believe this was done by a lycanthrope."

"I have heard of such creatures, but have never encountered one."

With compassion in her voice, "Can one of you please take this woman over to the inn and get her a room where she may rest. Let the innkeeper know I will cover the bill." Addressing the woman directly, "I will come talk to you in a bit. I am going to need your help to track this murderer down."

The captain moves inside and carefully moves about the room with the corpse in it, studying the corpse and also taking a moment to go through the few papers on the desk. "Financial records. Nothing stands out in them though." Gesturing to the short sword on the floor, "And not much of a fight it seems, the poor man looks like he got his blade out but never got to use it."

After several minutes she comes back out onto the porch. "This was a second murder that happened last night and both appear to have been by either the same or a similar creature. The first happened sometime just after midnight best we have been able to determine. A hafling in a back alley and just as messy as this one. You'd better tell me what you know of this creature, and how you know of it. Also, did you know this poor soul? Anything you can tell me about him may prove useful."

Hearing another has been murdered Markov gets a troubled look on his face.
"There's probably more than one, and they're hunting us. A man named Morag sent them after us. We first fought these beast at a church in Gumlat. We were able to take care of most of them but one got away. We know the leader of the pack is a farmer named Grays."

Following Markov's statements. "They are formidable beasts indeed. They heal quickly, though it seems that they are vulnerable to silver. We need to get silver imbued weapons to appropriately fight them, but they are expensive."

Pausing for a moment before continuing. "Captain, my companions are willing to help if you don't feel you have the required resources to resolve this problem. What would you like us to do?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Captain Halmes seems to bite her tongue at Alma's sincere offer to help. "I may take you up on that offer. Though if this creature is hunting you it may be more a case of keeping your eyes and ears open so as not to be taken unaware."

"Grays? Is there a first name to go with that? And who is Morag? What can you tell me about him?" The captain begins pacing, "So is the poor fellow in there someone who simply got in the way as Grays tried to scout you out? Or was he targeted specifically and your being nearby merely coincidence? Did you speak with or see Damien at all last night?"

" We will. We were fortunate he didn't get us last night, but that luck has costed others."
As he says the last part he gives a quick glance to the woman.
"I believe his name is William Grays. He was a farmer in Gumlat but after he disappeared everyone assumed he was killed by animals. As for Morag i didn't get a good look at him but i do remember he had yellow hair and wore a red with gold trimmed cape. He also had a bald wizard with him. As for Damien..."
Markov thinks back trying to remember if he seen Damien before.
Int:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

"We had never met Damien before, at least as far as I know"

"I believe The Morag fellow in in the employment of Duke Baelson, which means getting to him is not going to be easy."

The captain frowns at the mention of the duke, then moves back inside the residence and waves her hands for everyone else to do so also. She lowers her voice to speak, "Red and gold are Duke Baelson's colors. The duke is a very influential man, second only to the queen. Do not speak so openly or freely on a matter like this. I'm not sure he would be involved in blatant murder, but... he is a power hungry politician to the core."

She seats herself on the edge of the table, lips pursed. "Did you offend the duke in some manner while you were in Gumlat? Why would he, or Morag, send this lycanthrope after you?"

"It is difficult to offend someone who we have not met. We came across a gnome in Gumlat. He sold us on a wild story so we followed him. Unfortunatly, he led us into a trap, we found his brother who waiting for us, who caused the very undead to attack. Fortunatly, we were able to survive the attack, This is when Morag and the other man that Markov mentioned arrived. They used powerful magic to freeze us in our place. At which point, they decided they would have Gray attempt to hunt us down.

We staved off its first attack a few days ago. And we have tracked him to this city. I believe they are building an army of abominations against nature."

"I did discover a Bone Rod that contained some powerful necromancy magic in it. It was first used by the gnome's brother, and after he surrendered i took it. Thats around the time Morag and his friend came and took it while i was unconscious. I don't see how any of that could offend the duke. I think Morag simply wanted to get rid of us, but decided to send the beasts to do his dirty work."

"Your tale grows more incredulous with every word, though I detect no guile in you. Perhaps the dukes men are plotting something without him, or by his orders but he intends to keep his own hands well clear of being sullied. The question now is was Damien and the hafling indeed killed by Grays, and if so why? If a few of you wish to attend me as I speak with the poor girl who found Damien you may. But first I must go speak with one of the other guards, I will be back in a moment." Captain Halmes leaves the home and jogs back down the street she and Irina had come up.

Waiting for Captain Halmes to return. Alma feeds his horse some rations, and readies himself to accompany her.

Rations? or horse feed? :)

Captain Halmes returns in a couple of minutes and heads over to the inn.

Who is going with her if anyone?

Markov will follow her.

Irina, too. She finds herself liking this gruff captain of the guard.

All real horses eat actual rations :)

Alma follows the Captain despite her rough personality.

Warren tags along behind, although you get the feeling that he figures there are already enough people to help the woman.

The Captain gives a slight frown as most of the group follows her into the inn. "Well I suppose you are being hunted and have a right to learn what you, if you have questions of your own you'd like to ask feel free to ask them", she says in a quiet voice.

With directions from the innkeeper she heads upstairs and enters one of the side rooms. The woman is sitting in a chair, her face still pale, and her gaze crosses over each of you but it seems empty. The room is a little crowded as you move inside. A single bed sits against one wall, next to the chair the woman is sitting in. A second chair rests near a small window overlooking one of the side streets.

Sitting on a bed next to the chair the captain asks in a soft voice, "I'm captain Halmes. I'd like to ask you a few questions so I can find out what happened here."

The woman nods numbly.

"What is your name?"

"Ellen", her voice is cracked.

"And Damien was a friend of yours Ellen?"

"He is my uncle." New moisture appears at the corner of her eyes.

Showing empathy for her loss, "M'lady, what can you tell us about the attack? Is there enemies of your uncle that would want to hurt him?"

Diplomacy 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

"I don't know about any enemies he may have had. He often met with strangers at all hours of the day and night though."

"Any idea why he would meet with these people? Did you ever get a chance to see who they were? Or did you know of any arguments he may have had?"

"He talked to a lot of different people, knew a lot of people, and things about them. I... I met a few of them. But I didn't like being here when he had other visitors, some of them scared me. I don't know if he had any arguments with them or not."

"Do you remember if any of these men had yellow hair and wore a red and gold trimmed cape?"

She shakes her head, "No... no, not that I know of. Do you think you know who did this?"

Captain Halmes asks, "Ellen, what did your uncle do for a living?"

Ellen frowns for a moment, "I'm not sure. I know he frequently got money from some of the people that came to see him."

The captain asks, "Is there anything else any of you would like to ask Ellen about?"

"No, I don't think she knows anything more than she already told us."

After the group leaves the girl Warren speaks up, "I think it's fairly clear that her Damien was involved with the underground; the question is what he did and who decided that he didn't do it well enough." Or perhaps he did it too well...

As you get back outside to the street captain Halmes speaks softly and quickly, "Yes, I think you are probably correct. At the very least it sounds like he was an informant. I know a man who may be able to tell us for sure, Raut Sagel. I plan to go and speak with him later when I have the time, but that probably will not be until tomorrow. You can find him at The Aging Crow. It's a seedy tavern at the north end of the old road. Ask the barkeep if you wish to speak with him. It will probably cost you some coin if you do though."

"For now though I need to take care of another problem. If you haven't heard already there are reports of a goblin raid on a thorp two days travel out of the city. Fifteen dead and animals and food supplies taken. I've been tasked with hiring mercenaries to provide some added protection to the outlying areas. You can find me at the west gate if you need to get a message to me or if you uncover anything."

If the group has no questions or comments for the captain then you are free to plan out your day, purchase/sell equipment, etc.
Did anyone lay claim to the masterwork light crossbow Malaswyn picked up?

I'll take the crossbow. Markov will then go and sell the chalice, buy 2x Daggers and 20 Silver bolts for 46 gp if i did this right.

46 gp is correct.
With the one missing gem from the chalice you can get 500 for it. (or worth ~1000gp if you want to barter with it in some fashion)

In that case, me thinks he wants to bargain with it :) So does this mean I need to add 46GP to my cache.

No; he spent 46 on his stuff.

Probably sell the chalice unless anyone has other ideas.

Where does the group want to go? or do?

Is this the chalice that grants crazy plot-oriented visions of the future? Why are we selling such a thing?

After i used it the gem shattered and it lost its magic.

Ah, I missed the lost its magic part. I was thinking that it worked three times like a ring of three wishes, and still had two more uses. Any chance it just needs a new battery?

Yea, one of the gems was flawed. A current detect magic would still show residual traces of divination magic, but the source of the magic is gone.

As the Captain leaves, "It seems we best seek out Raut Sagel." shooting a quick glance at Cedric, "I am sure some of you will feel right at home.

I am also going to buy some equipment, I will note that in the Discussion forum

It is late afternoon when you reach The Aging Crow, having spent some time looking for weapons smiths, fletchers, and other skilled craftsmen. The building is weatherworn, an old sign hangs out front, whatever lettering or pictures it once had completely faded leaving it blank. The front doors are slightly open, warping in the wood preventing them from closing completely.

Inside a number of patrons sit around empty crates as makeshift tables, many with daggers or short swords strapped around their waists. Many are playing cards, all have a mug of something in front of them. A thin layer of smoke drifts in the air, coming from the pipes of several patrons. Three comely women serve the men, their blouses low cut.

The windows are dirty, and appear to have been spaced haphazardly in the walls.

Several gouges mar the floor and near the front of the building is a large raven carved into the floor boards. At the opposite end from the front doors are several small rooms with open doorways.

Upon the groups entrance a few patrons look up, but you don't hold their interest for more than a few seconds. The bartender calls out, "What can I get for ye?"

The Aging Crow

Walking over to the bartender, "We understand you can help us contact Raut Sagel."

Diplomacy 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

The barkeeps eyes glance towards the back rooms briefly, "He's busy at the moment, why don't you sit a moment and have a drink."

Alma nods in agreement. He orders a cold ale and sits at the nearest empty table.

As you sit at the bar with your drink in hand you eavesdrop on a couple of the patrons. They are not talking loudly, but are not making an effort to avoid being overheard either.

"...said he was torn limb from limb."

"Yea, that's what Ben was saying. Said he'd never seen so much blood in his life, it was everywhere."

"Bad way to go out of this world. That's why I say a man should mind his own business and not worry about what others are doing or saying."

Irina orders a mug of mead and seats herself a short distance from Alma, and avoids looking at him completely. She rolls her eyes at the temerity of the gossiping man to criticize somebody else for not minding his own business, and then, just because she can, begins humming softly to herself, hexing the gossip to fall asleep.

She otherwise continues to ignore the two, no matter what happens with the hex, sliding closer to Markov.

"Markov, would you be willing to talk about those explosive charges you create? The ones you threw at the skeletons earlier, and more recently at the thieves on the rooftops? As you know, I'm always tinkering with my herbs and more exotic natural extracts, trying new combinations of medicines, and I think I've accidentally stumbled upon a combination that does something very similar to your...what did you call them...bombs?"

Will Save: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

The man promptly falls asleep, slumping part way across the makeshift table he sitting at, his mug spilling onto the floor. His companion laughs, "Haha, it's not even dark yet Alan and already you've had more than 's good for ya."

Another patron comes out of the one of the back rooms.

Feeling the unfriendly gaze, Alma makes his way over to the blonde haired man. Seemingly oblivious to his unfriendly look. "Are you Raut? We would like to talk to you about Damien."

Diplomacy 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17