As you leave the chapel and head next door to the next building.
This long, rectangular building appears to be a home, though larger than many beyond the palisade to the south. It has three windows, all covered with wooden shutters, and a single door facing northwest, which is unbarred and slightly ajar.
"Big home, somebody important."
Rhys looks for tracks before studying the outside of the house.
Just outside the building you notice a set of odd tracks that is about 3 1/2 feet wide heavy and flat, that you can't connect to any creature, that lead away from the building. Another set of odd, starfish-shaped footprints running down the center of the flattened trail. You can tell that something large and heavy was rolled away from the house and the footprints belong to whatever was pushing it.
"Hey, look."
You can follow the path, it goes out the gate which is open and then it keeps going.
we following the mystery path or are we searching the camp still. I suggest sweeping this camp so we got somewhere to sleep tonight
"Hmm what? I'll defer to you all in where to go or what to do next." Eustice says, pulling his gaze from the book momentarily.
"Agreed."
Blade at the ready, and with Esgi at his heels, Rhys moves to the partially open door and peers inside.
Fang stretches and hopefully limbers up a bit.
"Ready to go."
As far as you can tell it looks like it will not rain soon.
The text is a copy of On Government, a political treatise written in a poetic style. It played a part in Andoran’s People’s Revolt and sparked the Red Revolution in Galt, allegedly inspired by conversations with Talmandor himself.
As you crack open the door you see.
Simple wooden furniture is in disarray throughout this residence. Tables and chairs are knocked over and pushed aside, though none appear willfully broken. Articles of clothing and household items are scattered across the floor as if they were examined briefly and discarded. A large pallet bed is visible in a separate room through an open interior door. A third room with no windows is next to the bedroom but is completely empty.
Eustice searches the area and casts detect magic.
"someone...comes here with a cart? Takes it from somewhere else in the village? Then looks around here for...something. Finds it, maybe, then leaves...that way. Out of town, maybe to those homes. No one stopped them, place must have been empty. So after whatever else happened here, maybe. So what did they take?"
Rhys is looking specifically for tools, food, cooking equipment, survival gear, or valuables.
Which means there is some other intelligent creatures here other then those villagers. maslow will let out a big yawn man i hate mysteries. Its like work. Just give me the answers already
Nothing pings for Eustice in the room with Detect Magic but as you are looking around you notice that regular mundane domestic items of cookware, plates, cups, etc. You notice a gold wedding band sitting on the windowsill with the engraving of "My dearest Livy" on it. In a room off of the main room you notice a few large circles where no dust has accumulated. Then in a small bedroom you notice a small metal chest shoved under the bed.
oh a chest! Now things finally are getting good! maslow will pull out the chest and see if its locked
"Hmm these large circles... barrels maybe. Removed by the cart driver?"
The chest is locked and when Maslow starts to unlock it he gets a bit too eager to open the locks and one of his tools breaks in the lock.
Maslow will kick the chest! great the only positive thing we have had this whole trip!
"So they came for that, whatever it was." gesturing to the circles. "Food, maybe."
"Here, let me try." He draws out his crowbar and slips it between the lid and the body.
The small chest contains five bags, each of which holds 5 pounds of powdered silver (worth 25 gp each), four blocks of incense (worth 25 gp each), and a pouch with 100 gp worth of diamond dust.
nice! Look at all these goodies! Rhysfar! Nice work!
"Thanks for the assist, Maz."
when it comes to gold, silver, jewels, and gems ill always be there to help. Now lets see what else we can find!
As you move into A9.
The name “Arkley” is carved into a wooden sign nailed next to the doorframe of this log cabin. A single, closed door faces northwest, and the structure has two wooden-shuttered windows. The architecture is otherwise the same as many of the other buildings.
hey look its the guy the ghost was talking about. What could possibly go wrong with this
"Shall we? Eustice asks, and cautiously enters the home.
If nothing jumps out and tries to eat him, he will cast detect magic.
The inside of the house is very different compared to the rest of the buildings that you saw because it is relatively organized and tidy. You see wooden furniture, dining table, wall racks for weapons and armor, a sitting chair with a footstool. A separate bedroom features a wooden bed frame and pallet mattress, a boot rack, and a large unlocked chest of folded clothes and other personal items. You are able to determine that the house has not been entered in for 3-4 weeks. Your detect magic does not ping anything.
As you are looking around the house you glance upward and spot a folded piece of parchment on a crossbeam about 9 foot above the floor.
You also find a silver pocketwatch, you know that its rare to find timepieces since they are rare in the inner sea region, this also functions as a compass. You also notice that it is of a design you haven't seen before that you might have to look at a bit further.
Under the matress in the bedroom you find a traveling spellbook, 29 pages have been used with 21 pages left and attached to the spine of the book is a spell component pouch. Inside the front cover you will see that it reads "Hendrake."
man this guy was living good! I call dibs on this as my new place! maslow will run and jump into the bed and lay down giving it a test
"Well, that's a pretty thing." Rhys says admiringly at the pocketwatch.
Rhys uses his falchion to push the scrap of parchment down.
You find that the parchment is actually 4 sheets that have been folded together and tightly creased and it is Talmandor's Bounty colony charter. This legal document declares the island and the colony to be under the protection of the nation of Andoran, outlines the colony’s relationship to the Bountiful Venture Company, and enumerates the rights and responsibilities of all colonists. It bears the sealed signature of three members of the People’s Council, representatives of the Bountiful Venture Company, and every colonist that came aboard the Liberty’s Herald.
The pages also consist of a passenger manifest for the Liberty's Herald. There are a few things you notice about the passenger manifest. The first thing is the name Silas Weatherbee which you can link with the name the poltergeist said, the name Una Hendrake matches the name on the spellbook, also there are small checkmarks next to all of the colonists but not the colony's officials.
Mary Kay erupts in exasperation. "We should put it back! Not everything, but the stuff we are not using. The bow. I am fairly certain that Father Caranth can put it to use."
She motions to the buckler she is carrying and the machetes in the group. "We are using these, in the defense of the community. They are unclaimed, and unknown who was the original owner." Pointing to the pouches of silver and diamond dust. "Those are ritual and spell components. Found in the building next to the chapel. If we look up 'Lily' on the charter, odds are she is the wife of the priest. That material was entrusted to him for use by the community.
These people felt safe! They stopped construction on the defensive walls, to complete furniture for the leaders while some are still in tents. And here we are treating our future home like a tomb to plunder!"
Slightly embarrassed at her outburst, Mary turns to the spellbook.
"Not at all. There's a mystery afoot, and we're actively investigating it."
He clears his throat before continuing. "Also, we should prepare ourselves for the fact that those that lived here likely came to...a bad end. The most parsimonious explanation here is that the colonists are dead" he says with a pained expression. "And I would very much like to be proven wrong on that notion. But if they are dead, then we are on our own, in hostile country, facing a danger we don't currently understand. And resources are resources."
Rhys will give the manifest a once over, mainly hoping to get an idea of how many colonists there were.
"If it makes you feel better, Mary, consider that we are not alone here. We've been set upon twice now. We could return these items to their resting places only to have them plundered whilst we are otherwise engaged. At least they are in our safekeeping, for the moment. What we do with them once we are finished here, can be decided later."
"Yes, for now they are most certainly safer with us. Those monkey things were using crude weapons. With the spirit gone, I feel the bow is exposed. And something took stuff from the parson's place. But afterward... is afterward."
As Mary Kay mentions Lily you do see a Lily Felton which is Father Felton's wife. As Rhysfar looks over the charter it looks like all of the names are on there.
Mary Kay flips through the spellbook and see the following spells.
0-level spells - Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Daze, Detect Magic, Light, Message, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Scrivener's Chant
1st-level spells - Alarm, Bungle, Cause Fear, Color Spray, Expeditious Retreat, Grease, Identify, Mage Armor
2nd-level spells - Bear's Endurance, Blindness/Deafness, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Gust of Wind, Knock, Make Whole, Shatter.
First off if they aren't dead ill be surprised and they can always have it back later if they are actually alive. Also if you could not refer to them as monkey things that would be greatly appreciated. Kinda take offense due to me actually being a form of primape
Maslow will sit at the table with his feet up. any who shall we search the rest?
As you leave Ackley's House and approach the next building.
This wooden-framed, mud brick structure is currently the colony’s only two-story building, as well as one of the largest structures. It has the appearance of a rural courthouse or city hall rather than that of a residence. The front features a small porch supported by rough log pillars, with double wooden doors facing west. Numerous window frames with shutters, some of them open, wrap around the building on both floors. The roof is not thatched, but has wooden shakes instead. The construction suggests this building was intended to be a source of community pride, but it still has a rough, unfinished appearance due to lack of paint and coarse materials. A few small shrubs have been planted around it.
As you enter the building.
Through the main doors is a foyer opening to a large chamber that occupies most of the main floor. This room is open to the second floor, and two flights of stairs lead to a gallery that overlooks this space, supported by columns on the main level. At the rear of the chamber against the east wall is a raised desk, like a podium. Tables and chairs are arrayed in front of it like a courtroom. The gallery above has simple wooden chairs so that citizens can observe whatever business is conducted here. Doors at the north and south ends of the main floor lead to what appears to be separate offices.
looks like a court house here. Maybe we can find some paperwork to see what exactly they were up to
The offices have simple wooden furniture and writing equipment. You find a wooden coffer and looks to be locked but you are unable to find the key.
Fang, Maslow and Esidiau notice a little robotic looking eye across the room moving slightly.
heads up everyone looks like we are being watched....by a robot?
"A what!?! What the duece?"
Some techno thingy. Look over there.
Maslow will point towards the eye
As soon as Maslow points to it, it will start to move towards the window, now everyone sees it.
S@+! I probably shouldn't have pointed
"Catch it!" Eustice says and dashes forward, trying to catch the thing.