"I do recall the sound of an explosion of sorts," Irenaeus offers. "Generally speaking, corridors do not burst into flame by themselves. If I had to guess, I would say that someone started it on purpose."
The mage then shrugs. "Whether they intended it to claim victims or it was merely a diversion though... That I cannot say."
"I heard an explosion too," concurs Shaserai "I don't think the fire burned long enough for it to be really dangerous to enter, but it may have still compromised parts of the building, so we should be careful."
He looks through the door and then gestures to the rest of the group "Shall we?"
"Whether they intended it to claim victims or it was merely a diversion though... That I cannot say."
Greta frowns. "A diversion. Like, to get everyone focused on the town hall and away from somewhere else?" She looks around at the assembled citizenry, gathered to see and discuss the fire. "Excuse me. I need to speak to Captain Lavendil. If you discover anything inside and can't find me, you can tell one of the other councilors." She heads off with purpose to find the head of the Breachill town guard.
Jonagher lingers by the entrance to the rotunda, half-watching the smoke still drifting on the wind and half-listening to the others chat with Greta. Truthfully, he feels sick to his stomach. Not just from the smoke inhalation, but from the damage done to such an important building in Breachill. He still had fond memories of performing the same play as part of earlier ceremonies. He hated to see such a catastrophe befall his hometown.
Seeing the rest of the team approaching again, he clears his throat with a short cough and nods. "We made quick work of that fire...but maybe not quick enough, I guess. At least we got everyone out. I hope." He sets the two buckets of unused water down by the doorstep. "So, what's the call then? Greta's gonna let us investigate? I can't imagine how such an inferno got started. Seems like magic or alchemy must've been involved...assuming it was intentionally done, of course. And if it was, I've got a sharp knife for whoever did it."
”We aren’t gonna find out standin’ out here.” Ragna says, standing and taking one of Jonagher’s discarded bucket. Bringing the rim of the bucket to her lips she swallows some of the cool, refreshing well water, then discards the bucket before reentering the hall.
Ragna leads the way into the still-smoky but no-longer-lung-burning rotunda. Making her way to the corridor northwest of the stage, where the fire seemed to have started, she sees ... burned wood.
Once everyone heads into the rotunda again, Jonagher follows along, letting Ragna lead the way. Upon reaching the corridor behind the stage, he squats down and traces a finger across the soot-marred wood, examining the residue left behind by the fire.
"There's lots of scorched floors and walls here," he remarks as he looks around, "But I don't see any actual fuel used to start the blaze. I mean, it's not like someone could just walk in the backdoor with a torch and spark something that fast. And I think we'd have smelled smoke long before the fire spread as far as it did."
He regains his feet and and removes the rag he'd used to cover his face, wiping his his hand clean again. "Bottom line, something doesn't add up here," Jonagher states, "This wasn't a natural blaze...either in creation, or how it moved. Someone must have intentionally started it, and then controlled it so it would do maximum damage...but why? Who would stand to gain by this? Who would want to interrupt the Call for Heroes?"
Following Ragna, Shaserai steps into the smoky edifice. He looks around for clues into the origin of the fire, and is surprised by the lack of evidence. Jonagher seems to have come to the same conclusions as he.
"I agree, there's nothing here to point at what started the fire." the priest states. "There should be the remains of whatever material would have been used to create such violent conflagration. Magic must have been involved, something like this" he pauses a moment, calling the ever present fire from his mind to his hand for a brief moment. "but more powerful."
"Maybe someone doesn't want this Call's missions to be successful, either our's, Deckard's group or both." Muses Shaserai at the half-elf's questions "But it might have been an attack on the Councilors, or any other reason we can't fathom. I think the perpetrator might be among Breachill's mages not in attendance at the Call for Heroes... Ragna, Joagher, this might be a long shot, but both of you are locals; do you recall if some local magician was not among the public? Someone with a penchant for fire, to make things easy?"
"Maybe someone doesn't want this Call's missions to be successful, either our's, Deckard's group or both."
"I can't imagine why anyone would be so worked up over whether I find my family's ring," Alak puts in. "Perhaps we should warn the other group heading to deal with the bandits. It's possible they're more organized than the town suspects -- or that someone in town is on their payroll."
"I don't recall any local magicians from my youth who'd be inclined to commit arson. I've been away for a few years, however. I suppose things could change. I mean, people change, of course...but newcomers could have arrived in Breachill, as well."
Jonagher looks pensive for moment, as if hesitating to speak further, but then decides to share more fully what's on his mind.
"I do remember one fire in Breachill's history, though. A catastrophe of similar unexplained circumstance. No one knew what caused it. And, unlike today, no one was on hand to aggressively fight it. That blaze claimed my mother's life. And it's haunted me for a very long time."
Looking around the hall, the half-elf seems lost in memory for a moment...as if remembering the ashy remains of his former home rather the those of the rotunda.
"I doubt the two are connected. Sometimes the perpetrators of these things go unpunished...no matter how much I wish it wasn't so."
"I can't imagine why anyone would be so worked up over whether I find my family's ring," Alak puts in. "Perhaps we should warn the other group heading to deal with the bandits. It's possible they're more organized than the town suspects -- or that someone in town is on their payroll."
Jonagher nods as Alak and Shaserai's conversation breaks thru his thoughts. "That makes as much sense as anything else," he replies, "If someone attacked the Call of Heroes, it must be because they don't want the town's leaders sanctioning an investigation of the bandits or the castle."
"I can think of two mages -or at the very least magic users- in town," Irenaeus interjects after a moment's thought.
"There is the elven woman who owns the bookstore," he continues. "Voz Lirayne has been known to dabble in the arcane and we have talked on occasion about spells and magic in general, but..." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "Well, she is too... timid to be going about starting magical blazes. She certainly does not strike me as the pyromaniac type. She can barely look you in the eyes when talking to you."
"The other is Trinil Uskwold. She is knowledgeable enough in the ways of magic to be actually called a wizard. She is the proprietor of the Wizard's Grace tavern." The Chelish mage rubs his chin in thought. "She was in fact missing from the gathering. Now, presumably, she could very well be tidying up her establishment after the lunch crowd, but still..."
"There is the elven woman who owns the bookstore....Voz Lirayne has been known to dabble in the arcane and we have talked on occasion about spells and magic in general, but..." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "Well, she is too... timid to be going about starting magical blazes. She certainly does not strike me as the pyromaniac type. She can barely look you in the eyes when talking to you."
"Voz Lirayne? She's half-elven. I saw her at the gathering," Jonagher shares, "I didn't know her beforehand, but she was up in the balcony. And, since we share a common heritage, I thought I'd introduce myself. I wouldn't say she was the most approachable person, though. Kind of standoffish...or, maybe just shy and introverted, like you said."
"There were a couple of boys upstairs, too. I was worried they might not make it out, because Voz wasn't really looking after them, and I feared their parents might not know where they were. So, when the fire broke out, I ran up there to make sure they got out. I didn't see Voz again, though. She was already gone. I'm not sure that means anything. Lots of people were getting out of the rotunda as fast as they could. But, thinking back, I didn't even meet her on the stairs...so, maybe she left well beforehand?"
”Mister Rynearsohn at the carpentry shop is the only person I can think of that would directly benefit from this, what with all this wood that needs to be replaced.” Ragna says to Shaserai, giving him a playful wink to indicate the nonseriousness of the suggestion. The talk of magic was, frankly, beyond her. Her world was made of steel and wood. ”Whatever the arsonist wanted, they failed. The hall is repairable and the assignments for the Call had already been handed out. Maybe those boys saw something, Jonagher?”
"That's a good idea. I'll see if I can find them again. I told them to run get help to put out the fire. I think that's why the bucket brigade showed up as quickly as it did. Maybe they're still around?"
Jonagher takes another look at the flame-scarred hall and then makes his way back to the exit in hopes of finding the boys and asking a few questions.
It doesn't take a great deal of looking to locate the boys from the balcony. They are explaining in great detail exactly what happened and the important part they had in saving the day to jealous-looking friends who didn't attend the Call.
"Hi, fellas..." Jonagher interrupts their re-telling of what happened in order to get them to start again from the beginning, "You guys did a great job bringing help. I think it was just enough to save the rotunda and keep it from burning down entirely. Listen...ummm, I need your help one more time, okay? Since you were in the balcony, you probably had a better view of things than any of the rest of us. So, tell me, did you see anything unusual right before the fire? Could you see further back on the stage toward the back hallway? The fire seems to have started there, but we haven't found any reason as to why. If you can share anything you saw, it might help us determine what happened..."
"I don't think we'll get anywhere speculating about the motive of the arson." Answers the priest at Ragna's jest. "I think we should speak with both Mistress Uskwold and Mistress Lirayne, if it wasn't either of them, they might know who could have done it. But I agree, let's see what do the boys know."
Shaserai follows the half-elf and once the boys are located he listens to their explanations attentively, looking for inconsistencies beside the usual embellishments of their age.
The boys exchange glances with one another. "Err... we didn't see anything ... but we weren't really watching. You see, Odith Sone, she was playing a townsfolk in the performance, and Damen here, he bet me I couldn't hit her with a peashooter from the balcony. Well, we couldn't do anything during the play because the bookstore lady, she was up there, but when she left, we weren't listening to the Call or looking behind the stage or anything; we were just looking at Odith to see if she'd jump to show I hit her, and I said I did, but Damen said she was just moving around while she was sitting so I was trying to hit her again to show that I did too hit her, and that's when people started shouting about the fire. We looked then."
"Great," Jonagher tries to cover his disappointment. "Well...the important thing is...you got out safely and you brought help."
He looks to Shaserai with a shrug. "Doesn't seem like we have all that many witnesses unless we can talk with Miss Lirayne. She was in the balcony, as well. So, maybe she saw something before she left. I hear she owns the local bookstore? Maybe we'll be able to find her there later."
"Or she left in order to start the fire," Irenaeus remarks with a shrug. "I know what I said earlier about her demeanor, but it does not hurt to keep the possibility in mind."
"One other thing to keep in mind, lest we forget in all this excitement, is that Lirayne's assistant, Calmont, seems to be looking for a ring under some building or other. Perhaps he is doing so at the behest of someone else?"
"Calmont?" Alak puts in sharply. "Halfling fellow, graying hair? He came to see me shortly after I arrived in town. I suppose he had heard what my business was, because he told me he knew where my ring was, if I offered a substantial enough reward. Something about him seemed untrustworthy, though -- for one thing, he kept getting my great-uncle's name wrong -- so I put him off until I could ask about him. The general opinion was that he was unreliable, not quite all there. Apparently he suffered in the Goblinblood Wars and never really got over it. Anyway, I told him that I would prefer to go through the proper channels. I was a little surprised he didn't make an application at the Call to Heroes, but I suppose he knew the town was unlikely to trust him with the responsibility. He didn't take my refusal well; told me I'd regret not accepting his first offer and the price would be higher next time."
"That's not suspicious at all..." remarks the elf in a joking manner, shaking his head. "We should see if we can find Calmont, as Lirayne's assistant he might have access to the magic to perpetrate the arson, be it via learning or some magical implement, and he has certainly not been a saint. Maybe after talking to Mistress Lirayne she can point us toward him?"
"Calmont Trenault," Jonagher rolls the name off his tongue with pronounced distaste, "He wasn't here when I lived in Breachill, but I heard a bit about him. A tramp, basically. According to everyone else, he's been testing the town's reputation for extending kindness to strangers for quite some time now. I haven't heard anyone say a kind word about him since I got here. I knew he was working at the Reliant Book Company, but I didn't realize it was run by Voz Lirayne until I met her upstairs. Did anyone see the scamp around during the Call? If the halfling had bad blood between him and Stagram here, maybe he was looking to cause trouble for those agreeing to look for the ring. Seems overly spiteful and outright demonic if he had a role in endangering so many lives..."
Before leaving, Ragna checks the backrooms of the hall for alternative exits. Did the arsonist have to pass by us to escape?
Ragna carefully navigates the scorched corridor. There appear to be two egresses apart from the rotunda: a staircase leading up and the door at the western end of the corridor that Alak led a third bucket brigade through. Peering through, Ragna sees that this door leads into the western wing of the town hall; a nearby door on the back wall still stands open, leading outside on the river side of the building, presumably the way the bucket brigade got in.
Quentino Posandi approaches the group. "Greta instructed me to bring you these," he says, handing over a small sack and four stoppered vials. "These two," he indicates two of the vials, "are curative in nature, while this one is proof against poison and the other against disease." He glances up through the dissipating smoke at the summer sky. "If you leave soon, you should have several hours of daylight left once you reach the citadel to search for the missing ring. Or do you intend to stay the night in town and get a full day of exploration in tomorrow?"
"Normally I would prefer to not spend the night in a ruined citadel or in the middle of nowhere," Irenaeus comments a little drily. "However, given the suspicious nature of the fire and the interest of at least one third party in the missing ring, perhaps we would be best served if we chose expediency instead of comfort?"
That was a waste of time. Ragna thinks, rejoining the others. With multiple ways out there wasn’t any way to pinpoint one suspicious person leaving in a hurry. Oh well.
”I agree with Irenaeus. I don’t have anything better to do tonight. And it’s not a ruined citadel. Goblins live there! They clean up, I’m sure.”
Shaserai takes the small sack and the vials and tucks them away in his satchel, to distribute later. "Thank you Councilor, while not expected, a reward is always appreciated."
At the other's suggestion to start the quest at that moment the elf agrees "I concur. We can at least ask the goblins if they know anything and get an idea of the layout of the citadel." He then addresses the Councilor. "Before we go, Councilor Posandi, from what we could determine the fire was started by magic and although that would seem to point to either Mistress Uskwold or Mistress Lirayne we find that Lirayne's assistant has behaved in a suspicious manner lately." He relates Alak's experiences with the halfling to Councilor Posandi. "If Calmont procured a magical implement of flames he could have started a fire with little effort."
The councilor frowns. "That halfling has always been unfriendly and unreliable. I'll let Greta know, and we'll be sure to question his employer about his whereabouts during the Call. Don't worry; if the fire was started by someone in town, the guard can handle it. Good luck with your task, and thank you again for your assistance."
The priest nods at Posandi's words "It's the least we could do Councilor." states Shaserai "It seems we'll proceed to Citadel Altaerein to undertake Master Stagram's quest. We look forward to completing it and informing the Councilors of our success."
After bidding farewell to the Councilor, Shaserai turns to the others "Do we intend to sleep at the Citadel or is it feasible to return to Breachill to spend the night? If it's the former I'll have to get some supplies, I hadn't anticipated joining an adventuring party, so I don't possess a bedroll or rations or things like that."
"Do we intend to sleep at the Citadel or is it feasible to return to Breachill to spend the night? If it's the former I'll have to get some supplies, I hadn't anticipated joining an adventuring party, so I don't possess a bedroll or rations or things like that."
You know that the citadel is less than an hour's walk from town, so spending the night in town is certainly the safer option, at the cost of spending more time walking back and forth to resume the search if the ring isn't quickly located.
”It’s not far, so we could come back tonight.” Ragna replies. ”We should prepare for both, I think. The goblins may let us in tonight but be reluctant to have us coming and going as we please, or they may let us in but not want us to stay.”
"Yeah, it's only about an hour that way..." Jonagher points in the direction he believes Citadel Altaerin lies. "So, there and back is around two hours. That should leave us plenty of time to check in with the goblins and look around. Hopefully, they don't impede our search. It'd be even better if they helped, of course, but that might pose a risk, too, if they find the ring before we do and then some enterprising goblin tries to keep it or sell it for profit."
Jonagher does a mental check on the readiness of his gear for an overnight stay, if necessary. "I think I've got everything for a longer trip already. I'd just need to pick up my pack from the room I'm using at the archives. My bow, as well, in case we run into bandits..."
"You know, with the Call for Heroes ceremony and the fire-fighting, I've lost all track of time," he says, "How much daylight do you figure we have left to get to the citadel and look around? I'm guessing it isn't quite mid-day yet? So, we get there before lunch, eat a little something before we go in and barter with the goblins for their aid, search for a bit, and then back by dinner time, you think?"
"I'll go get my stuff and then we can all meet at the gate. Sound okay to everyone?"
"The Call started at noon, so I think we still have quite a long while until nighttime." Says Sasherai, looking at the sun's position. "Nonetheless, I'll pass through Quarters and Bits and hopefully purchase one of those exploration and survival packs adventurers use, just in case."
The priest looks back to Jonagher "Fine by me. I don't think my purchases will take that long, so I'll see you all at the gate."
"Well, I do have my doubts where goblins' ideas of personal hygiene or "cleaning up" are concerned," Irenaeus retorts to Ragna with a thin smile one might even call friendly.
"I should have most if not all of the things needed for a... short excursion such as this," the mage adds. "All I need to do is go get them as well and I should be ready to go."
Having collected their gear and prepared themselves for the task, the party meets at the gate where the road leads northwestward out of town.
Ragna already has a bag with camping supplies that would serve as an overnight bag, so her preparations only require her to stop by her house and grab it. She meets the others at the gate, excited to be on their way. She had seen the citadel from a distance many times, either while working in the forest or traveling around near Breachill, but she had never been inside. ”I know the way, if you gents are ready to get to it. Not that it’s hard to find, big imposing castle on a hill.” She says, grinning.
The road to the citadel is generally considered safe, though the Goblinblood Wars are a recent enough memory that no Isgeri feels carefree taking even a short stroll through the countryside. The ground gradually rises away from the valley through which Breach Creek runs and grows more rugged as it climbs into the foothills.
"Admittedly it is quite hard to miss," Irenaeus quips as he directs his gaze towards where the castle is supposed to be. Checking his belongings one last time, especially his spellbook and pouch of spell components, he finds everything to be in order. Pleased with himself, he smiles briefly before finally taking the first step out of the gate.
"So, do we expect the citadel's goblin residents to be civil about our searching through their home for some lost ring?"
Shaserai stops at the Wizard's Grace to wash up a bit, using his magic to freshen up his clothes. Then he heads to the general store.
He leaves Quarters and Bits with a lighter purse but better equipped for the journey ahead. He makes way to the gates feeling optimistic about the task ahead.
"Lead the way then, Ragna." The elf lets Ragna take lead and follows her. "It may be easy to find, but I'm still glad we have locals to guide us. By the way," he continues pointing at the sack tied to his belt "I have the rewards the Councilors gave us here. There are some healing potions and 200 silver pieces. We'll have to decide how we distribute it."
"It seems this goblin tribe is unusually civilized." responds Shaserai. "They live quite close to the town and I haven't heard anything about them causing trouble. I'm sure we can talk them into letting us investigate a bit."
"Well, you never really know with goblins," Jonagher adds, "The minute you think you've got them figured out and you're safe, another one can turn up behind you and change the whole thing around. So, better safe than sorry. I say we go in prepared to defend ourselves, if necessary...but not with an intent to provoke them, of course. Live and let live, but be wary in case some of them are less inclined to trust outsiders."
The half-elf picks up a small stick from the side of the road and starts to whittle at it with his knife as they walk. First, he peels away the bark, creating a rod about a foot or so in length. Then, he begins to notch and shape the surface of the wood, creating small goblin-like faces along the length, all stacked on top of one another like a miniature totem-pole. Not exactly the most artistic rendering, as he doesn't really have the time to do it justice in such a short span of time. But, when they reach their destination, he holds up his handiwork, pleased with the result.
"Hmmmm...not great, but not terrible either," he says, "Maybe it'll make a good impression on the goblins if we bear something to show we're friendly. Or, if they're antagonistic, maybe I can frighten them with it instead..."
After something a little less than an hour, the party can see a looming structure of crumbling stone and still-imposing battlements rising from a hilltop ahead. Nature seems to be slowly reclaiming the former home of the Order of the Nail Hellknights, but an incongruous flicker of fire can be seen on the roof of the keep's central tower.
The group also spies a Small figure on the road just ahead of them.
A small figure encumbered with a large backpack trudges up the gentle incline of the road toward the imposing edifice. The person turns briefly to look back at the group swiftly gaining ground on it, but its features remain obscured in the shadow cast by the hill the road winds past. A few moments later and the party has overtaken the figure, who turns and drops the backpack off onto the road. The backpack thumping to the ground raises a swirl of dust for a moment before it twirls away in the ever-present breeze off the mountains.
And for one second, as the breeze shakes out the persons cloak, it appears almost regal, dressed in purple, a crown on its head and a black cloak fluttering behind it.
”Well longshanks…are you going to present yourselves or just stand there?” it says in a guttural, high pitched voice, hands balled up at its sides, red eyes and snaggled teeth staring, and finally you realize what you are looking at.
The goblin, possibly a male, standing before you and attempting to be imposing is dressed in purple strips of cloth from head to toe that look to be stripped from draperies. The cloak looks to be taken from an especially large black furred animal. The crown on its head is bits of shiny metal that look to have been twisted and bent together (there is something that might be a fork twisted in the mess).
"Well...hello there..." Jonagher answers uncertainly as his eyes drift over the goblin's unusual attire. Rather comment on it...and potentially insult the would-be king...he focuses on answering the question put to them. "We're heroes of Breachill," he explains, "Sent to visit the citadel in search of something that was lost here long ago. I'm Jonagher Witt. This is Ragna, Shaserai, and Irenaeus. Are you part of the goblin tribe that lives here?"
Highness looked over the assembled heroes standing around him, thinking furiously, knowing that the group around him could make his destiny very hard, or perhaps aid him...
"I am Highness, Goblin King of Hellknight Hill." he said, unconsciously standing a little taller. "I am returning to claim my throne and to establish the heart of my future realm. Stonescar, my ancestor was chief here, and I intend to regain my place by story, wit or fist." he finished, raising a purple wrapped fist and shaking it before him.
"So here are my thoughts, longshanks...heroes...Jognager. I help you by translating, seeing safe passage if possible, keeping things from getting all pointy and stabby (if possible) and going where you cannot to get whatever it is that you are after. You look imposing when we deal with my future subjects and back my words when required." he finishes in his high gutteral voice.
Red eyes squint between the strips of fabric, looking up at Jonagher. "Do you think we can deal?"