Again, the man just repeats his story. You are beginning to think you aren't going to get anything more out of him.
Veryna sighs in exasperation and shakes her head at William.
Veryna is definitely on edge here, but not for the more obvious reason most people would be. The daemons and the creatures from her native shadow plane do not bother her, but all these people who have lost their own minds is making her fidgety and restless; she is terrified and wants to get away from here as soon as possible.
Zazu walks closer to the man and gently puts his arm around him and whispers him "My good sir, I have word from Bethany. She says that she has been thinking of you of late and ask that we come and bring you back so she can see you again. Please come with us and we will reunite you with your love."
After Zazu finishes speaking he tries to gently help the man up to his feet and assist him in walking out.
The man is not responding to any external stimuli, so your humble narrator is not sure what Zazu expected. He repeats his story again.
"Right you are, Veryna." Willam turns to the warpriest. "Zazu, she called you an idiot."
"Let's get going. We should alert the local authorities and then pick a direction. Far as I can tell, we should warn Branda and Verus that there's trouble and then head to Dern's place to salvage what we can there. Or the other way 'round. How many ayes for the old man's house?"
Willam is feeling a bit foolish for spending so much time with a demented geriatric and is anxious to get moving. His toe taps as he waits for his companions to decide.
Veryna rolls her eyes at William.
She pauses, and looks a little nonplussed by the thought.
Dern's safe house in Hope's Hollow is a simple affair, a modest shack intended to keep his equipment and wealth nearby if he needs it. You find a locked coffer under a small bed.
- A wand
- Two scrolls
- A scimitar
- A watch fragment
All of the items glow with a magical aura.
Veryna purses her lips and draws forth a series of finely crafted, slender instruments, then sets to work on the lock, absently chewing her lip as she goes.
With a pleased smile, the box pops open. After glancing over them with detect magic, she lays the items out on the bed and sets about looking them over to determine their properties.
Veryna relays what the items are through William, but grasps the scimitar's hilt gently. It tingles angrily against her skin, as if it senses who her patron is. She takes it over to Zazu and touches the Tengu gently on the shoulder, initiating psychic contact.
She looks over the piece of the watch and frowns. She addresses Zazu again but indicates for him to present the question for everyone.
Who wishes to carry the fragment of the Watch? Its power is quite beneficial, and while I feel no small amount of sentiment to it, I feel it would be more practical in the hands of Astrid or William.
"My my, I'm beginning to like this Dern fellow. Must've been formidable in his time. Mighty kind of him to share his treasures with us.
If I may, I daresay the watch would be particularly useful in my claws. A little extra speed would help any of us, but I'd be able to move through combat like a fiend with this trinket."
Zazu ruffles his feathers as Veryna touches him and sends her thoughts to his mind. "Thanks you Veryna, I will watch over this as if it were my own. And I agree William, that watch could be useful, but unfortunately Veryna said it is to precious a memento of a dear friend to let anyone else carry it." He then winks at William and tosses it to him anyways.
Zazu then grants himself Luck's Presence and casts detect magic and focuses on the sword to see if he can determine what other secrets it may be hiding.
Astrid digs into her back and pulls out a chalk board and some chalk and writes, in sloppy and probably larger than needed letters, "I CALL THE NEXT ONE", referring to the watch piece
She gives the group a quirky smile and silently chuckles as she finds herself to be incredibly humorous.
Veryna closes her eyes and counts to ten before looking at Zazu.
“If I recall correctly, the constabulary in Cassomir is responsible for this region. We can head back to warn our friends and alert the guard when we get there. Any objections to getting this show on the road?”
Veryna nods and motions toward the road where they had tied their horses.
You retrieve your horses at the edge of town and begin your short journey back to Cassomir. The ride passes uneventfully and quietly, each of you internally processing the horror you found at Mother's Care Home and the terrible things that Dern told you about Flinn. If Flinn put Dern in the home, is he also responsible for the creatures posing as staff and the unnerving (and surprisingly powerful) child-like daemons? What has he gotten himself into? And is he a voluntary participant or is he being compelled somehow? So far you have far more questions than answers.
You enter Cassomir from the east and cross the old stone walls that mark the border of Old Cassomir. Veryna knows the Constabulary is located not far inside the walls.
After you have walked a short block or two inside Old Cassomir, Veryna and Zazu notice something strange: a jangling of coins and footsteps approaching. There are various townsfolk milling about, going about their days, but none of them are moving in such a way that would cause the sounds you are hearing. Veryna and Zazu notice each other looking around quizzically and realize they hear the same thing. Just as they are about to ask William and Astrid whether they hear it, an apparition appears in the middle of the square.
An old man and a younger man, their edges shimmering and flickering, appear. The younger one snatches a bag of coins from his elder and turns his back. As he does so, the older man pursues him, shouting, "Son, if you hate me so much, why don't you just kill me already!" The image of the young man turns on his father, knife in hand, and stabs him. As the scene fades, the older man screams.
As the old man falls to the ground and the apparition fades, Zazu feels an odd compulsion come over him. His hand involuntarily creeps to his hip, where Dern's scimitar is sheathed. His head turns to Veryna, his eyes narrow, and his hand grips the hilt of the sword tightly. Just as he is about to draw and strike his friend down, he shakes his head and snaps out of his reverie. His hand flies off the hilt of the sword as if it was searing hot.
The apparition is gone.
Veryna makes a show of smoothing out the wrinkles in her unnaturally pristine dress.
Veryna is deeply disturbed by Zazu's actions, but is doing her level best to not appear so.
She levels a cocked eyebrow at the tengu.
She nods forward. If you quite have yourself under control, shall we continue to the constabulary? Whatever is going on in Hope's Hollow seems to be spreading.
"What the hell was that?" Willam turns to his friends with a look of concern. "I thought we left that kind of nonsense back in the hollow. Any ideas on what we just saw?"
Been around long enough to see some things, just never developed the magical knack, I suppose. Still, I don't like relying on the others to tell me what's happening.
"I reckon whatever it was, we may still want to head to the constabulary. Maybe they have some idea what's causing the ghostly apparitions?"
Willam casts a look around, trying to catch someone in the crowd in the act of spellcasting or to notice any unsurprised faces.
William sees a handful of passersby that seem to have also noticed the apparition. Most of them look as surprised as the party, but a few quickly walked away as soon as it started, as if this is something they've seen before.
Veryna taps her lips thoughtfully with her left hand, the silvery thimble on her finger stump gleaming in the evening sun.
Having made a mental note to deal with the haunt later, you proceed a few blocks northwest to the constabulary. It is a gray, weathered building that's among the oldest in the city. You enter the building and a uniformed officer leads you to the office of the Chief Constable, Roani Cheliff.
Cheliff is a tall, lean, muscled human with a seemingly permanently furrowed brow. Though she is huddled over a mountain of paperwork, she exudes an aura of strength and competence. She holds up a finger while she finishes putting a thought down, then looks up. Her eyebrows raise almost imperceptibly at seeing such a well-armed group, but she doesn't otherwise betray any reaction. Without bothering to introduce herself, she gets down to business. "Yes?"
Willam adopts his most deferential tone and tugs at his ear.
"Hello, Chief Constable. Unfortunately we come bearing some sad news that we wanted to inform you of and ask for your assistance with.
We've just been to Mother's Care Home in Hope's Hollow and found it to be overrun by some kind of fell influence. We were there checking in on an old friend when we discovered this. We managed to rid the home of the evil creatures occupying it, but the residents that remain will need help and caring for. Not only that, but it may be prudent to keep a watch and make sure these foul creatures don't return.
I seemed to recall that the hollow is within your jurisdiction, so we came here to alert you on behalf of the residents. Do you think you could spare a few men to investigate and guard the home, and possibly find the owner, or a new owner, to properly care for the inhabitants?"
Never liked being this close to the law. Make me nervous. Never done anything worth jailing over in my life and I still feel guilty. Still, those people need help and I'm the vocal one for now, I suppose.
"My vocal friend here," Zazu points to Veryna "Says that we can supply you with descriptions if you would like. We also came upon a haunt on our way here and you may want to keep people clear of it as it seems to have the power to encourage involuntary violence"
Zazu gives the constable details on where they encountered the haunt.
Astrid remains her stoic self throughout the encounter with the aberration. She had taken up a stance to fight if needed and looked almost disappointed when it disappeared nearly as quickly as it appeared.
She, obviously, remains silent while the Zazu and William speak with the constable. She does, however, pull out her chalkboard in case there is anything she thinks needs to be added to the conversation but, for now, she just nods along with what the others are saying.
"I seemed to recall that the hollow is within your jurisdiction, so we came here to alert you on behalf of the residents. Do you think you could spare a few men to investigate and guard the home, and possibly find the owner, or a new owner, to properly care for the inhabitants?"
Roani sighs heavily. She shakes her head and her shoulders slump wearily. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Hope's Hollow is indeed in Cassomir's jurisdiction, and, truth be told, it has been stretching us too thin lately. We'd usually get one or two complaints a week -- simple civil matters like some farmer upset with his neighbor's sheep grazing on his land. But the past few months have been increasingly frequent and violent. I don't know where I'll find the manpower, but this sounds serious so I'll make it happen. Please check back here soon; we may have questions for you."
"We also came upon a haunt on our way here and you may want to keep people clear of it as it seems to have the power to encourage involuntary violence."
Roani nods knowingly as Zazu describes the haunt. "The first assault occurred in that square nearly six months ago. Since then, it happens every few weeks. Someone claims they saw an argument that riled up bitter emotions. Then they attacked whoever they were with. Different folks, but always in that square. The murderer from the first crime -- the one depicted in the haunt -- is still sitting in Swift Prison until we can figure out what the hell is going on. We can't execute him because he may have information that will help stop it." She goes on to describe the crime; the man's name is Riger Mann and he killed his father because he would not give Riger his inheritance early.
She sighs again and looks at the party carefully. "You seem a capable bunch. You handled whatever was in that home and you managed to experience the haunt without attacking each other. My staff is spread far beyond its capabilities. If you are willing to help figure some of these things out, Cassomir would be in your debt. This is highly unorthodox so unfortunately I cannot officially endorse your assistance, but you will be well paid for your trouble."
Veryna nods politely at Roani's offer.
She taps her lips thoughtfully, looking as if she wants to add something more, but finally shakes her head slightly and keeps her peace.
Astrid draws a thumbs up on the chalkboard and shows it to Veryna to say that she agrees with her plan to go see Branda and Verus.
She then chuckles as she finds herself to be very amusing.
You leave the constabulary and return to Sword Point. As you enter, the bartender notices you and waves you over. "Verus and Branda asked me to keep a look out for you to return. They had to leave town briefly to attend to some personal business, but they will be back tomorrow evening and look forward to hearing about what you found..." -- he trails off and looks at a note -- "in Hope's Hollow and at Flinn's house."
"They have also covered your room and board for tonight so you are welcome to eat and rest if you like."
Veryna rolls her eyes at Astrid's chalkboard and sighs.
***
Back at the inn, she frowns at the bartender's words, turning to the others.
"I agree this does not bode well at all. Should we try to see if we can't track them down, perhaps someone knows where they went and we can track them down before they get into any trouble."
Zazu then casts Guidance on himself and turns to the bartender and attempts to use diplomacy to see if he has any further info.
Zazu pushes a gold piece across the bar to the bartender and says:
"Good sir, did you perhaps overhear any details which would indicate where they were heading, or perhaps any mention of landmarks or anything that stood out or sounded odd to you. Any information you can provide would be very useful as we fear they could be in trouble. If you didn't overhear anything did you see them speaking with anyone else?"
As the bartender and Zazu speak, Astrid starts writing something on the chalkboard and then shows it William and Veryna.
It Reads: REST? IS TIME IMPORTNT NOW? I CLD USE SME MEDITATION She has to skip some letters here and there to make it all fit on the chalkboard. Even so, the letters at the end are almost on top of each other.
The bartender thinks for a moment and then slides the gold piece back to Zazu. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I don't know anything else. Branda and Verus are among my best customers and I respect their privacy. If they had wanted to share more, I expect they would have said so."
"Well that is a pity, just know that if any harm comes to them and you had information that would have ensured their safety it is on you."
Zazu then turns to the rest of the group and says: "Perhaps we should investigate Flinn's place. Astrid I know you need some rest, but I don't know if we have the time for that yet. If we come across any more danger i will provide you with Desna's blessing which should help in the battle."
Veryna shakes her head sternly at the tengu.
Veryna strides over to Astrid and makes an inquisitive gesture toward her chalkboard.
In a small, neat, flowing script, she writes, Willing to look at Flinn's first? Have spells left, and wand to heal. She hands the board back to the monk with an inquiring look.
Astrid reads Veryna's message and then nods. She writes in return Prepared enough she smiles and then puts the chalkboard back into her backpack after Veryna reads the message.
Located on the northeast side of Cassomir, Taergan Flinn's townhouse appears worthy of a lifelong adventurer. Large, clear windows overlook manicured bushes, presenting a posh face to the front drive. A small building holding servants' quarters sits on the north side of the property. The townhouse's second floor is constructed of wood, and has many windows. The building's southern wing appears to house a laboratory of some kind. The house is as quiet as the neighborhood surrounding it.
Veryna's eyebrows rise appreciatively at the sight of Flinn's house.
She pulls a few arcane strands from the aether, weaves them into a complex skein before her, and a rippling wave of force washes down her body before fading from sight.
She uncoils the shimmering length of faintly greenish spiked metal around her waist, shivering slightly as the barbs remove from her flesh, then touches William's shoulder gently.
Once the party moves forward, she assesses the house's exterior for threats.
As Zazu approaches the house, he scans the area looking for signs of anything of intrerest.
Astrid approaches the house and takes a look around for anything out of place.
Astrid looks through the front windows of the house and the foyer area seems empty and quiet. The expensive furniture and painted wooden doors are undisturbed. The door is unlocked and untrapped. Listening closely, she can hear a faint, rhythmic bumping sound coming from upstairs.
Veryna, chain and buckler at the ready, swings the door open and steps inside, alert for danger as she takes a good look around.
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"Well then, friends, do we knock? I'd hazard a guess that the master isn't home, but there may be servants about that can show us around. No need to barge in if we can opt for the white glove, right?"
Willam doesn't wait for a response before knocking on the front door. Not like we're being stealthy standing out here, anyway. Hope I'm right, though, this Flinn sounds like a challenge if we run into him.
Veryna and William open the front door to the townhouse. The thumping coming from upstairs is a little bit louder now, but the house is otherwise quiet and still.
Willam turns to look at Veryna. "I didn't expect the door to be unlocked. Think that's a good omen?"
He casts his eyes around the door frame and room that he can see, always wary of an unlocked door.
There is nothing in this room besides some nice furniture and three closed doors: one to the north, one to the east, and one to the south.
