Rhianni gives a hand, as they methodically go through the downstairs rooms first, before venturing upstairs. "you know if there were a secret society behind this, wouldn't surprise me if there were secret doors." she pipes up hoping to aid the search of the house.
"A mile below..." Lym muses while the group searches. "More Thassilonian ruins, perhaps, buried under the earth?"
There's a library, with hundreds of mundane books littering the floor. None of them seem particularly relevant.
You don't find anything else in the house.
"But it had to be here!" Lym bursts out as she casts aside another book. "Curses! The ritual was supposed to be here! It must be in a hidden compartment or a secret room or something!"
"Come. It is time to leave this house. We must retire and consider our next move." Tomaru takes what was found, including the money for his 'trouble and expenses'.
Feeling somewhat despondent, Rhianni's shoulders slouch and she walks dragging her feet towards the front door of the house. "Lym, you know the arcane ways better than I, after all you are trained in its ways. Is there anything you could do to let us spy on this house from afar, or to set alarms or something, such we can keep tabs on any comings and goings? Perhaps some of the 'Brothers' may return to take what is theirs. Like you, there is something missing in all we have done so far, there are mysteries to be explored, clues to be brought to light.".
"It seems to me that we need to know about this Seven's Sawmill," Praxim says.
"The only thing I have that comes close is to leave my familiar here as a guard," Lym grumbles in reply to Rhianni's question.
"It was just a thought, merely a hope more than expectation." says Rhianni, "I wouldn't want you to leave your pet, it seems to mean so much to you." she smiles weakly, but still the cloud of unresolved questions hangs over her head.
She turns to Praxim, "Perhaps you are right, we need to find out more about that and the 'Brothers'. But where do we start, is there a house of books where we can learn such things?"
"Limerick is my Familiar, not a 'pet'," Lym says. "As I grow in power, so does he grow in intelligence - and power. Soon, he will be able to do things that may astound you."
Isn't it still morning?
You return to the inn.
We might as well begin asking around for the Brothers of the Seven and the Seven's Sawmill at the inn. We can expand our search from there.
Diplomacy brothers
Diplomacy sawmill
The Brothers of the Seven are a group of wealthy Magnimarians that collectively own the Seven's Sawmill. Reactions to your inquiries range from conspiracy theories of the organization having secret control the Magnimar government, and possibly much of Varisia, to dismissive hand-waving of the organizing as nothing more than exclusive social group. No one seems to be able to tell you anything more detailed than that.
The sawmill is one of several located on Kyver's Islet in the southern part of the city, at the mouth of the Yondabakari River. The island is given over almost completely to lumbermills, shipwrights, and noisy workshops best situated away from homes and quieter areas.
Why not take a look at the place tomorrow morning and go visit tomorrow night?
Rhianni sets herself up on the street, offering to tell fortunes, using her harrow cards.As part of everyone's reading she will ask subtle question's about the 'brothers' and after the reading openly ask about the sawmill.
You learn that there's sometimes activity at the Seven's Sawmill late at night, when every other business in the area is dark and silent.
Rhianni returns to the others and tells them what her 'readings' had given her. "We should go and watch the place after dark, see if we can see any comings and goings that might help us."
[b]"I'd like to have a look at the place in the daylight first, but I think its a fine idea."[b]
The mill is built over Yondabakari River, sitting on top of massive wooden pilings driven into the riverbed below. A wooden boardwalk wraps around the northern rim of the building, and a flight of stairs leads down to a door on the east side just above water level. The churning of four large water wheels under the mill fills the air with sound and mist. There are no visible windows.
Praxim reaches out with his senses to scan inside for evil auras.
"Hold position," Lym whispers to the others.
Once again, she shakes her sleeve, and sends her bat flying outward.
The bat, augmented by a cantrip from Lym, flies a quick, wide circuit around the mill. Provided he encounters no hostility, he closes the circuit in closer and closer, until he makes one last, close circuit around the place and flies back to his mistress.
As Limmerick returns and crawls into Lym's sleeve, the Wizard reports:
"There are about eighteen magical auras around this place, most of them necromantic in origin. I imagine that at least some of them would be traps."
"Do you know if they're moving or stationary?"
"Clever little pet ... um I mean familiar." says Rhianni as Lym talks of the bats return. "If we aren't in any great hurry, perhaps we could spend a couple of days watching the place. You know there might be something close by we could rent or something?" asks Rhianni. "Or are you intending to get on with it sooner than that?"
Lym communes with her familiar, and tries to find out whether the auras are, indeed, stationary or mobile.
Praxim focuses on the strong one, ascertaining its strength and exact position.
"Sooner would be my preference. I suspect that encounter at the townhouse was a set up. They now know we're here. Our only real advantage, surprise, is fast slipping through our fingers. If we wait, it only allows them to be more ready for whatever us."
Sometimes the auras move, sometimes they don't.
The strong one is 'strong' and in the upper southeast corner of the building.
"Getting in there with there being only one means of entrance is troublesome. Even if they aren't ready for us, they're ready for something. If we could be certain there were no innocents inside, prisoners or sacrifices, I'd say torch the place from the outside."
"Mobile necromantic auras means either people carrying items imbued with dark magic," Lym says, "or some extremely foul undead. While I am inclined to agree with the notion of a long-range attack, we should be prepared for a counterstrike -- and there is also the issue that we still do not know what this Brotherhood of Seven is about. We risk destroying valuable information."
"We can't be sure that there aren't innocents inside. We'll have to go in. Besides, it would not be right to start a fire that we could not be sure that we could control. Besides they could be friendly necromancers with a haunted house and have dealings with undead and shape changing killers."
I vote yes.
"Wait Tomaru, your haste will bring your death more quickly, for whatever lurks within is surely foul and evil as Praxim and Lym say. Let us at least be at our strongest when we enter. A rest and watching overnight, might mean we can make an early start and catch them unawares early on the morn, before the sleep is cast from their eyes." Rhianni offers up. "Let us find a safe place to watch the building for the night, we may get a clue as to what goes on, those who need rest can take the time to revive their strengths."
There are other mills and warehouses around. Other than the occasional guard passing by, there doesn't seem to be anyone around. During the day, it would be hard to avoid standing out, but at night, you could probably stay undetected leering from behind one of the other building.
"Rhianni's right, but we need to stay here and keep a watch on the building, in case they attempt to leave."
Early in your stakeout, an elf emerges from a mill. He wears expensive clothing with flashy colors.
Lym mutters the same cantrip again, subjecting the Elf to a stern look as if she wants to burn his features into her memory.
Praxim checks him for evil auras.