As the gnome begins to talk with Odo, the half-orc switches tactics and tries to move toward them. He makes no sign of giving up, even if he proves unable to traverse the slippery surface.
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"I gave you fair warning!" Tanselle shouts while loading another bullet into her pistol.
The gunslinger takes another shot at the crawling, sniveling half-orc before her.
Her work complete, Tanselle holsters her firearm and leans against the wall, rubbing the bruise left by the thrown club moments earlier.
"A little help, Tresca?" she says, extending her wand of cure light wounds toward her fellow half-elf sister.
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Tresca takes a hold of Tanselle's healing wand with a nod. "Of course." she says with a smile. To the others, she calls, "Somebody should make sure that the woman up above isn't bleeding out. She looked like she was in charge, and it would be wise to question her." With a wave of the wand, she brushes her fingers lightly against Tanselle's injury.
"What's wrong with this thing today?" Tresca mutters as the wand sparks weakly, doing a rather poor job of healing.
The wand suddenly glows brightly, and the last of Tanselle's bruises disappear. "There we go!" Tresca says happily. "Would you like me to hold on to this for now?" she offers, in case the wand is needed in the middle of battle.
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With Queck cut free, Odo uses the wand of cure light wounds to tend to her injuries.
It offers some weak healing but he will assess her injuries after that and see if she needs more immediate help.
"Ah, yes, come on in, Tanselle. This is Queck. I think we have much to discuss with her and whatever thugs survived in the main chamber." He directs his next question at the gnome, "Is there a comfortable and secure place we can talk here?"
Grimaldus finds little of interest on the Ismacco woman, but Ka stabilizes her easily enough.
"Thank you, Odo, but don't fuss on my account. Gnomes are tougher than we look." she says with a wink. "Yes, of course I'll tell you whatever I can, we should be safe enough to talk in here. They slipped in as we were all engrossed in work - we don't keep things locked during the workday... I don't think anyone realized what was happening until they jumped out of that infernal mist and grabbed us all up! They ransacked our guild and stole ancient city plans — not to mention kidnapping six of my best engineers! They demanded we hand over any blueprints that detailed the Crypt of Fools. They said something about keeping the location of hidden tunnels a secret. But they took more plans than just that. A group of them left with nearly every city map and the entire cache of ancient Ismacco plans. I overheard that woman telling the cultist who led the kidnapped engineers away that she was staying behind to find out if I knew anything else about the Crypt of Fools and the tunnels. She then said, ‘Tell Dalirio he can have these.’ What did she mean by that?” she asks the question with a worried expression, waiting for the answer before she goes on to ask,
"Now what else can I help you with? You wanted to show me something?”
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Tresca steps into the room with Queck and the others, offering the gnome a reassuring smile. She shakes her head in response to Queck's question. "I can't be entirely sure, but we've beaten Dalirio before. We'll do so again if needed."
Pulling out the two pieces of parchment the group had collected, Tresca shows them to Queck. "We've been sent by the Pathfinders Society to look into similar kidnapping incidents, and our investigations thus far have led us to these. We found them in a statue and a relief bearing the same insignia as the parchment. I don't suppose that the 'I' is related to these Ismacco plans?"
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"Dalirio Teppish is a madman. He is a cultist of Groetus so he is active working toward bringing about the "end times", whatever those may be. He was behind the kidnapping of some innocent people here in Cassomir, probably to sacrifice them, and that is how we crossed blades with him before. I could have sworn we left him for dead, though. I guess this time we will just have to make sure we finish the job. He's a dangerous and thoroughly evil man."
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While her companions engage in conversation with the gnome, Tanselle joins Ka on the upper floor, hoping to aid him in extracting information from the woman he just stabilized.
"She well enough to tell us why she's here?" she said. "She looks an awful lot like someone we've met ... urm ... fought before. I'm betting she's connected to all this trouble."
Tanselle keeps a hand on her pistol as she approaches in case the woman isn't quite as injured as she seems.
Grimaldus and Maedhros secure the woman's holy symbol and bind her hands and feet before bringing her down from the catwalk. She and the half-orcs carry only mundane gear with the exception of her masterwork heavy flail. Upon closer examination, Tanselle, Tresca and Odo are sure that she is not the same woman they have faced before, but appears to bear a strong familial resemblance to her, perhaps a sibling or a cousin.
The gnome considers what Grimaldus says, "The ruined district is Quickfall Abbey, it must refer to the northeastern retaining wall that shores up some of the ruined towers. We have to reinforce it every so often. What was the clue?" She looks quite interested and goes on to explain. "A legend among engineers tells of a series of hidden clues within three Cassomir monuments. These clues yield three locations which, when triangulated, give the location of the surface entrance to the Crypt of Fools; they also show the combination required to unlock the entrance. Look for old buildings built by the Ismacco family, whom we’ve long suspected used the Crypt of Fools as the base of their heinous operations after it fell from use. Can I see what you've found so far?”
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Grimaldus nods and shows the gnome the two sheets of parchment with the circles and lines on it. "We found two of the monuments and recovered these drawings. We thought perhaps the third location would yield a map that, when these circles are overlaid on it, would give us the location we seek." Looking at his group, he says, "Looks like it's off to the Quickfall Abbey district and this retaining wall next!"
Grimaldus will tuck the masterwork heavy flail into his belt - he had been looking for a bludgeoning weapon!
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"I agree, Grim. And if there are the lives of kidnapped engineers at stake, we should make some haste when we leave here," Odo says as he retrieves and resettles his wand and weapons.
"I do hope we are able to make more sense of the third painting when we arrive at Quickfall Abbey. The mark is probably in the area depicted on the canvas, but I am unsure of any method to be used to reveal the secret. I have not yet solved the answer to this riddle."
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"Perhaps she knows the answer," Tanselle says, lifting the unconscious woman's head by her hair. "She might not be forthcoming about it, though I'm sure we can work it out."
Not fully understanding what kind of answers they seek, the gunslinger leaves the interrogation of the bound woman to a more clever companion.
"Ah! My, my, aren't these interesting! When you have some time you must come back and tell me more about your findings." Queck bubbles excitedly over the clues.
"Yes, it seems you are well started down the right path and I have just the thing to help you along. Just a moment!"
The gnome ducks into one of the offices and returns lumbering under the weight of a heavy bag. She hands the load over to the pathfinders along with a map case containing a map of Cassomir.
"Here take this, and these. I always keep a map to work from and had this tucked away. Perhaps it will help you find them quickly!"
Inside the bag are 4 potions of cure light wounds and a wand of detect secret doors with 5 charges remaining.
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Keeping a wary eye on the bound woman, Tanselle takes a cursory look through the pile of plans strewn about the floor. She attempts to slip a similar piece of parchment among the files before replacing them on the floor.
Once her shady Qadiran business was conducted, Tanselle returns to the group, grimacing at their captive all the while.
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Maedhros takes the wand, saying, "I don't think anyone else has the arcane training to use this, do any of you?"
He looks at the map a moment, and then at the sheets they took from the hidden places. "Asmodeus's beard! I have it! These circles represent towers... here, at the Admiralty citadel, and here, at the Harbor watch."
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"Indeed they do. We just need to find the third and use the wand to find the secret entrance. I don't think the woman will be of use for us, since we already have a plan laid out, so we can just let her be, right?" He turns to the gnome. "Can you keep an eye on the woman and call the authorities while we go after the kidnappers? If she becomes a trouble, don't hesitate to kill her! There's too much at stake!"
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"I have some arcane training" Tresca mentions defensively, neglecting to mention that she had done so poorly at said training that she had dropped out of her studies to pursue instead. "I would appreciate you looking after it though. I've got three wands to look after at the moment, and it definitely wouldn't do to mix them up"
Tresca turns to the gnome and shakes her hand. "Thank you for your help Queck. Above all else, watch out for yourself. If anybody dangerous comes back, there's no shame in running and returning to fight another day."
The alchemist looks expectantly at her companions. "Shall we go look for that last clue?"
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Tanselle leaves the wand and talks of magically hidden doors to those with a taste for it. That said, she does take a potion for herself for when inevitably became rough again. She keeps her eyes and ears open as the party makes their way to the Abbey, her hand never far from the handle of her pistol.
"I've just about had my fill of these Groteus nut jobs," she grumbles, matching Tresca's gait as they travel.
"Triangulation is a simple matter and can be achieved with a simple straight-edged ruler. I can get you one of those." Queck fetches this last item along with a nearly transparent sheet of vellum and a piece of sharpened charcoal.
Garver arrives with a group of City Watchmen to take over the criminals you have seized. He guides the Pathfinders south through Old Cassomir and through the gates to the Abbey Green. The buildings here are some of the oldest in Cassomir, constructed of stone, brick, and mortar, and generally standing no taller than three stories. Many resident merchants live here in apartments above their stores, and Abbey Green is also occupied by some of Taldor’s finest tailors, leatherworkers, jewelcrafters, and fine metalworkers. It's a busy and cheery place, in stark contrast to the ruins of Quickfall Abbey.
Quickfall Abbey is a desolate and broken place, always chilly and damp somehow no matter the weather. Stories say that the broken towers and ruined walls still weep for Aroden and will forever more. It stands like a monument to the grief and emptiness left in the deceased gods wake. Queck's directions guide you to the wall in question and the painter's vision of this place is much easier to picture in truth. You find yourself searching the shadows for the figures in his paintings, but all appears quiet.
The third painting depicts a retaining wall that shores up parts of a ruined district. It shows dozens of the angry grey humanoids smashing brightly painted urns against the retaining wall, while the same lone figure from the other paintings frantically attempts to push down an obviously barred door in the middle of the wall, presumably to escape the rows of small menacing shadows that seems to pursue him.
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Tanselle, while possessing no great love of the deranged inmate's artwork, tries her best to remember his "vision" and find any possible connections within the ruins of the Abbey. Careful not to get too close to the retaining wall for fear of traps or alarms, the gunslinger trains her keen eye on it and its proximity for any clue of a door such as the one in the painting. Remembering the melee that was taking place in the painter's violent work, she keeps a hand rested safely on the handle of her pistol as she searches.
"Tresca," she says. "Help me look over here."
There is no barred door in the wall, but soon Tanselle's quick eyes seek out another another letter “I” symbol in the middle of uninterrupted smooth stone wall approximately where you'd estimate the door should be.
Detect magic reveals nothing.
Grimaldus presses against the "I" and notices that the smooth stone seems yield slightly to the pressure and dislodge some of the mortar and dust. Certain he's on the right track, he gives the spot a sharp rap and rain of dust falls down as the panel *clicks* and then falls open. Inside is another scroll case containing the third aged parchment with an odd design.
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Tanselle approaches Grimaldus and takes a close look at the parchment he found. She closes her eyes, thinking over the three documents she's seen thus far and suddenly the pieces fall into place.
"Can I see someone's map of Cassomir?" she says, reaching out for a map.
Laying the map out flat on the ground, she traces the outline of the symbol on the most recently found parchment on a similar shape found on the map of Cassomir.
"That shape - the rectangle with the lines shooting off of it - looks more or less like Pharasma's Pulpit," she says. "Perhaps that is where we will find the Crypt of Fools!"
Then the gunslinger realizes that Maedhros already put two and two together without requiring such thorough examination.
"Yeah, what he said - let's go!"
Interactive Map of Northern Cassomir
I used the Line: Polyline tool to make the triangle using the three revealed locations as your three points to connect, (have to select the transparent fill color) and then connected the midpoint of each edge to it's opposing vertex point with lines. Where they cross in the middle is your Triangulation Point aka, your destination. ^_^
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"Hold up, Tanselle" Tresca reminds the other half-elf, "Queck suggested we triangulate the three locations given in the parchments; the pulpit isn't likely our final destination."
Tresca leans over the map that Tanselle had spread out,and uses the provided vellum, charcoal and straight edge to start the triangulation process. After a few moments, she leans back, shows off her work and proudly pronounces "Viol-la! There's our Crypt of Fools!"
!
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Feeling somewhat embarrassed by her miscalculation (or rather lack of calculating at all), Tanselle gives her pistol one last check before setting off with the party to where they suspected they would find the Crypt of Fools.
"Good work, Tresca," she says, stepping in stride with the alchemist. "It's a good thing we have that big brain of yours around to unravel all these puzzles."
Garver looks over the triangulated location on the map and scratches his head. "Hmm, that's an old manor house, I think. Let's check it out."
He leads you back toward the prison again and soon you arrive at an opulent manor house surrounded by a high, thick wall of marble block. Tresca double checks her calculations and directs everyone to look over the wall itself as that seems to be where the triangulation indicates.
The sun has begun to set and the Pathfinders rush to look over the seemingly solid wall for a sign of something. Ka and Grim soon locate another "I" embossed in the white stone. Tanselle and Tresca further scrutinize the area and locate a marble panel that seems to give slightly with pressure. The half-elves press in and a mechanism responds within and opens a 2-foot-by-4-foot section of wall, revealing a set of stone stairs that descend beneath the streets of Old Cassomir.
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