Will the help of the group, three guards take hold on Ironbriar, despite his constant protestations to this process. The captain of their group orders him restrained for questioning. Just before they depart, another group of four guards comes running in from the west and are quickly brought up to speed on what's happening. The captain turns to you and says "Alright, he's in custody. Your turn. Put your weapons down, lay down on the ground and surrender as agreed."
"I do not recall that part of any arrangement. However, I will sheath my sword as a sign of trust."
Nadesico does as she indicates and sheaths her sword while approaching the men in a friendly manner.
"Are any of you hurt. As another sign of faith, I can tend to your wounds"
Trenna tries to stay inconspicuous, working to fade into the crowd, sure that nobody can see the dire ape.
Nope. The guards do not see the giant hair ape hiding in the crowds....
"She's a caster, watch out for her magic!" Ironbriar shouts. "She can f!*% with your mind! Don't trust her!"
The guards hear Ironbriar's warning and they point to the ground. "Look cat, lay down now before we make you. Last warning. No, don't touch me!"
"She is obviously a paladin of Torag. Can you not see his sigil on her armor there? Or on the medallion she wears?"
Dorian's frustration with the situation is coming clear in the abruptness of his normally smooth words.
"I can only tell you so many times that we are not your enemy. It is up to you to finally decide whether to accept that or not. I have already sheathed my weapon. I will not, 'lay down'. I'm a cat, not a dog. Ok? OK! Now, let us help you bring this villain to justice once and for all!"
Nadesico, following in Dorian's words, points to her holy symbol on her armor.
"Torag smiles upon all of us today."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hedge, not knowing the best thing to say, attempts to blend in with his surroundings. Immediately stepping on a twig, he adopts a nonchalant air.
Akivar stands still and quiet with his hands up and staff on the ground. His self-awareness reinforces his desire to keep his mouth shut instead of worsening the situation.
The guards eventually capture High Justice Ironbriar and enough reinforcements from the city watch arrive that it becomes impossible for your to escape as well. The lot of your are taken to Arvensoar tower where this mess is to be sorted out.
All of you are separated and questioned individually throughout the day as they try to get to the bottom of the massacre at the mill, the corruption claims you lay at Ironbriar's feet couple with the fact that he is leading a cult of Skinsaw men.
One day leads into the next which is follows with more questions and yet another day passing. On the third day something different happens however, you are all brought back together for the first time since being incarcerated and are escorted several floors up in the tower to a large hall. Your manacles are removed and you are served your first proper meal in days.
Halfway through your meal, a dozen heavily armed guards march into the room and establish themselves around the room, mostly behind, in front of and generally all around you. A few moments later one of them declares loudly "Rise!" After you have all done so, being helped by the guards if you dally too long, he announces loudly "Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras seeks your story of the fall of High Justice Ironbriar!".
An severely overweight, balding man dressed in flamboyant colors and clearing showing signs of extreme wealth waddles into the room and looks around, frowning. "Where is my chair? Do you expect me to sit on that?" he says, pointing to the dirty bench on the other side of the table from you.
"Uhh. Of course not, Lord-Mayor." a guard apologies before shouting loudly . The Lord-Mayor walks out of the room until the chair arrives, which takes fifteen minutes, at which point the man announces loudly again "Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras seeks your story of the fall of High Justice Ironbriar!".
Once more the fat man walks in, this time satisfied and takes his seat in his chair across from you. He looks over at you curiously and asks "I'm quite intrigued of this story I've been told. I'd like to hear from you directly. Tell me of this cult that has been murdering my loyal subjects from Magnimar."
Dorian looked at his scruffy companions, then moved to take the lead slightly. He cleared his throat, then took a drink of water before speaking. He told the Lord Mayor some of their story, how they had followed the trail of some gruesome murders from a small town outside of Magnimar to a noble's country home, where they learned of some gruesome practices in necromancy and alchemy. He told of how they found evidence at the Foxglove Manor that the murderous cult was entrenched in Magnimar, and related in part to the Foxgloves in town. How Aldern and Iesha Foxglove were replaced by faceless stalkers, and the note that led them to the mill. Finally, how they approached the mill with the best of intentions, just to do a little snooping, and were attacked by masked workmen wielding war-razors. How they came upon the cultist leader and were attacked, trying their best to disable him. When the cultist leader's mask fell off, how they were all shocked to find High Justice Ironbriar wearing it, and how the High Justice managed to take advantage of their shock and a bit of bad luck to fight them to a standstill and escape the mill.
Haldmeer Grobaras is as quick-witted as he is obese and cuts Dorian off several times to point out threads of the conspiracy before the archeologist can explain them in detail. When Dorian finishes, the Lord-Mayor says "Amazing story, Borian, tell me. What of this suspected leader of the Skinsaw Cult, this Xanesha?"
When he sees Dorian's eyes glaze over in confusion, the Lord-Mayor smirks and claps his lands twice, loudly. Two more guards enter, carrying a chest. They set it down beside the Lord-Mayor and open it up for him.
Grobaras reaches into the chest and pulls out a slim ledger and slides it across the table to you as he says "We found this in the mill, locked an office on the top floor."
"This is Ironbriar's journal. He's recorded everything in the journal in a cipher he painstakingly invented himself using a mix of Draconic, Elven, and Infernal characters. Took my codebreakers a little bit of time, but as you can see in the margins there they deciphered it."
"Turns out that there is enough information here to put Ironbriar in the gallows. This is the reason it took so long to confirm your story, we were waiting on these details. Anyhow, you can see clearly that he isn't mastermind behind the murders, his journal makes it clear enough. The journal goes on to reveal that someone Ironbriar refers to as "Lovely Xanesha" has stolen his heart and provided him with a new method of murder. There's not much information about Xanesha in the journal, but the book does reveal that he's visited her dozens of times at a site in northern Magnimar called the Shadow Clock. More on that in a bit."
"The ledger also indicates that Ironbriar has received payment from the Red Mantis for delivery of "Vorel's Legacy." This seems to refer to this fungus you found in the subterranean levels of Foxglove's estate. We're going to make sure that is all burned to the ground."
As Borian drones on, Syrenna starts nodding off. She awakens when her head tips forward and bonks into Nadesico. "Are we done yet?" she whispers to the cat. She glimpses at the ledger as it slides across the table towards Borian. Her eyes light up at the mention of fire and general arson. "Oh, can I help burn?" she asks, eyes alight.
The Lord-Mayor looks over at Syrenna as she speaks, "You were... No, don't tell me. Trenna Tittyfeathers? Yes? I thought so! Ha! So, no. I don't need your helping with that. But I do have a task for you..."
He adds a pause for dramatic effect and then continues "So. This "Xanesha". She's holed up in the Shadow Clock in Underbridge. I had asked that building be torn down a decade ago, what an eyesore! Anyway, sending a bunch of coordinated and well trained watch there is surely likely to spook her and let her get away. I figure your group like you is the perfect outfit to try and take her by surprise."
"Do this for me and I will let you take whatever treasures she's hoarded on this disgusting tower as well as pay you each the most hefty reward you've ever received in your lives. Oh. And declare you heroes of Magnimar too."
"Payment and vengeance too? Sounds like a plan we can get behind, eh folks?"
Not that we wouldn't have pursued this lead anyways. Our mission to protect Sandpoint and run down the cultists seems to be leading us further and further afield.
Trenna scoffs when the lord-mayor addresses Syrenna, leaning over to exclaim to Nadesico, "she does have nice Tittyfeathers, doesn't she Warri?"
"Anything, in particular, we need to know about this Shadow Clock?"
Akivar chews loudly, stopping only to grunt assent at the notion of money. "Hunt friends of Ironbriar? High paying job? Sounds good."
Nadesico jumps excitedly and starts purring her teams praises "We won't let you down! This team is purrific! We will get to the bottom of this. Yes we will! YES YES!" she exclaims excitedly.
"Please, tell us, any further details you have regarding Xanesha? Please? And what, exactly is to become of Lord Ironbriar?"
+4 to gather info.
"Underbridge is less than the shining of example of Magnimar and buildings like the shadow clock are far too common down there. The shadow clock is nearly as tall as the Irepsan itself. It is a wonder it hasn't fallen down its so old."
"I've told you all I know on Xanesha, that's everything we've discovered from Ironbriar's journal. We tried pressing him, but all he told us was that Xanesha had charmed him with some magic that made him do all of this, like I care about that. Pfft. He said she was responsible for all of the murders in Sandpoint and Magnimar and that she was using the Brothers of the Seven as patsies for own plans. I'm not sure if I buy all of that."
"So how about I grant you some freedom and you go kill a cult leader for me?"
"Your honor, that sounds like a plan we can all get behind."
"Off you go then. Guards, release these men and get them their possession back." the Lord-Mayor orders. "Good luck to you all."
The Lord-Mayor leaves along with his guards and the chest. You are released to a lower floor where all of your gear is returned to you and you are given directions to the Shadow Clock in Underbridge.
Hidden beneath the grimy, blackened goliath that is the Irespan, the lesser works of men huddle like weeds at the foot of the great trees that are the ruined bridge’s stone supports. Near one of these supports leans a decrepit and sagging clock tower, a dying structure of weathered stone, wood, and rusted metal supports that teeters to an unlikely height of over 180 feet. High above, near the tower’s roof and barely 5 feet from the Irespan’s stony belly, a tangle of scaffolding sits near a section of the structure that has fallen away. The tower’s clock face is frozen in time, defiantly (and falsely) proclaiming it to be 3 o’clock, while above, a stone statue of an angel, her wings crumbling, leans precariously, almost as if she were preparing a final leap from her decaying perch.
The immediate area around the clocktower is empty, not even beggars crouch near it. The only sound to be heard is the bustle of nearby taverns.
Dorian eyed the shadow clock, then glanced at the sky. "Looks like we just missed it. The clock won't be right again for another 10 hours or so. Ah well. Let that be a lesson, Syrenna. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, but if you aren't there at the proper time it's useless. So, what's the plan? Knock on the front door shouting 'open up in the name of the Law'? Or something more subtle?"
"I mean, I prefer subtle, but knowing some of you the way I do..."
"Knock? Let's just help ourselves in. Whoever is in here exists on the wrong side of the law. We didn't exactly get a warrant for this either, so if asked we could play the law card but I'm thinking we need not attract any undue attention."
Syrenna caresses her swords "My preeeccioussss..." she mumbles while following Trenna out the door. "Hmm, can't we just burn the place down?" she asks Dorian. "Although.... we do get to keep what we find.... drat..."
Trenna eyes the tower, looking for any guards or obvious observers. She also tries to recall anything useful she may have heard around town.
Trenna scouts the area and finds that, despite the place's general appearance of ruin, a fair amount of foot traffic has been through the area recently.
Nadesico's ears perk up at HEdge's comment. "But how is daylight going to help us inside?!?!?! I don't understand! Wahhhh " she starts stomping around and flailing, generally confused by the statement.
"Wait. I have an idea! Who here looks the most like Ironbriar.... We could try to disguise our way in, then take them by surprise! Wham! Just like the heroes of sandpoint did! Yes!"
|
Hedge starts to head over to examine the footprints when the catfolk girl speaks up. "The holes, the cracks, and the parts of the tower that are just completely missing should let in a lot of light during the day. We can explore this tinderbox by torchlight if you wish, but I still vote for recognisance, rest, and daylight."
He grins at Nadesico and adds "Of course, the wisest course of action rarely makes for a good story." He then sets off to examine Trenna's find and scan as much of the tower's perimeter and surroundings as he can before the group decides on a direction.
"Anyone familiar with the local riffraff? We might be able to solicit useful information before we go in. Barring that I'm ready to get this done with."
Akivar pauses a moment, realizing he is not well established as part of this team. "Anyways, who uhh... is the leader of this club? Gang? Band of merry men?"
"Well, that's a hard one to put point to. Syrenna's the best at drinking and passing out. Nadesico can lose valuable equipment and murder innocents with the best of them. I'm the best at talking us out of the situations those two get us into. And Trenna...well, we just met her today. So I'd say none of us, really."
The area and buildings surrounding the area are decrepit and are in extremely poor condition. It would appear that this section of Magnimar that is hidden in the shadow of the Irepsan doesn't receive much of the attention and funds from the local government.
Several pairs of eyes and figures hidden around corners are watching you from their homes as you stand at the base of the tower. None seem especially dangerous and a look of morbid curiosity is all that they are wielding.
"Well I believe the saying is 'Nature abhors a vacuum'. So let's get inside and see who we can find. I'd rather not let Lord-Mayor Grobaras forget about this extravagant payoff before we finish the job."
Akivar steps towards the door before realizing his folly. With a nod towards the entrance he asks, "one thing first though, anyone particularly acute to finding traps in this group?"
"That would be me."
After checking to make sure everyone was ready to go in, Dorian moved to the door and gave it the once over.
Once he determined the door was safe, he stepped back and made an 'after you' motion.
"Perfect, thank. Syrenna, was it? You wouldn't mind leading the way would you? Let me just get some light on you in case we need it, as Hedge pointed out this may not be the most well-lit of places."
Akivar casts Light on Syrenna, ushering the group inside.
'Don't worry Syrenna. I am here too! Together we are better!"
Nadesico casts light on her own shield, and leads the way with Syrenna by her side, into the clock tower. As she enters she keeps her not so keen eyes open for anything blatantly obvious.
Trenna stays toward the middle of the pack, carrying her staff and looking around.
Finding no traps, Dorian allows Syrenna to open the doors which crreeeaaaaakkk loudly as they open, revealing a 75'x75' area within the base of the tower.
The air inside the clock tower is dusty and dry. Swaths of rubble and mounds of plaster lie in heaps on the stone floor, particularly in the southwest corner. A single wagon sits to the northeast, and six partially collapsed offices line the northern and eastern walls, their doors hanging askew and their ceilings caved in. A wooden staircase winds up into the cavernous space above. High overhead, four immense bronze bells hang from sturdy crossbeams.
Syrenna carefully opens the door "Jeez that door needs to be oiled...." she mutters. "Bloody inhabitants probably know here here now..."
She raises her hand in a motion to signal to stop, unfortunately no one really knew what that meant and Nadesico promptly ran into her backside. "Oof..." she glares at the cat "Didn't you see me tell you to stop?" she whispers, then turns and points to the floor. "There's footprints here, something human sized. But here..." she points to another set of prints, "No idea what that is... probably not good, they've moved through here alot. I bet four tanks of ale at Addled Scott's bar back in town that they sure as hell heard that door open." she slowly draws out one of her swords just in case.
"Careful Warri, don't run into her blade!" Trenna peers over Syrenna's shoulder and notices the footprints as well, "looks kind of like that ohmy we saw down South, remember that Warri? But these are massive compared to those."
Akivar looks at Trenna, "I'm uhh... not familiar with the 'ohmy'. I presume that is not a commonly accepted name?" Pausing, he draws out a wand and gives himself a tap. "Nonetheless, a little precaution never hurt."
"Oooof, Sorry Syrenna! Did not see you there. I was super distracted by the size of this place. Trenna, I am not sure what an OhMy is either, and again, I don't know who Warri is!" Nadesico gasps as she wanders the place aimlessly. She brings her attention to the wagon in the corner, and gives it a good inspection.
At Nadesico moves to the wagon, a misshapen monster like a thing from a child’s nightmares bursts from beneath the largest pile of hay. A jumbled mass of body parts incorporating as much cow and horse as man, the creature's considerable girth is topped by an idiot head that leers and drools like a grotesque baby. Its face is cruelly stitched, the lips sewn partially together. It is dressed in straw and dung-covered rags that give off the sickly sweet smell of decay. A trio of what appear to be carved pumpkins hang from cords on its belt, but a second glance reveals these to be horribly bloated human heads with a sick yellow tinge.
"Good lord that thing is huge! And ugly! And...well, I think just killing it is in order."
Dorian swung his whip overhead, then across at a raking angle, trying to bring down the monstrosity. His whip just bounced off the creature's leg.
"Umm, guys, I think we're gonna need some help in here!"
"Holy sweet kitty t$#%! That thing is UGLY...." Syrenna exclaims, moving up to it. "Gah, it smells as bad as my last customer..." she gags.
Akivar gapes a moment before hustling in behind some of the better equipped teammates. As he runs by Syrenna he taps her on the shoulder and shouts, "It's time to pump," CLAPS very loudly and continues, "YOU up!"
Akivar casts Enlarge Person on Syrenna.
Nadesico grips her sword and shield and holds her ground with Syrenna, taking a defensive position, to try to protect her allies.
"Oh Wow! You are big. What are you? Are you in need of assistance?"
Syrenna's longsword cuts through the resitant skin of the golem, which howls loudly in pain. Ignoring the useless cat hiding behind her shield, the creature instead swings its scythe at Syrenna, but misses both times.