Thalasou does get the impression the man is telling the truth.
Capricia finds a secret door as Bimble confirms there is magic behind it. He also finds some other goodies in the lab.
In addition, a few items in the closet radiate as well. A shabby belt and stylish red boots both radiate magical auras.
This hidden chamber is decorated with the holy symbols of two dozen religions, as well as strange herbs and dried animals. Jars of colored powders are organized neatly along the northern wall. A large circle, etched in silver and decorated with intricate loops and swirls, fills most of the floor.
"Pretty" Sara says looking at the circle "Is it what we are looking for?" she asks Bimble and Aerith
Bimble does a little looking around, and thinks he knows what is necessary.
Destroying the circle requires a successful DC 34 Disable Device or Spellcraft check, destroying the stone floor it physically rests upon, or frying the silver inscriptions with a lightning bolt or chain lightning spell.
The various bottles and jars here contain 1,500 gp worth of miscellaneous expensive spell components.
As Bimble explains what has to happen to the circle, Sara admits "I can fiddle with a lock, but what you are describing is well beyond my abilities."
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”Fascinating! It is just…oh! My aunt once made something like this. She was a strange one, you know? She was obsessed with vengeance, she was. Against a gnomish wizard, to be precise. She always said that the gnome was mad, for he was extremely powerful but would ramble on and on about turnips and other strange stories.” Smiling the elf went to work, going through the complex process of disabling the circle. ”My mother showed me how to disable these, saying that not only was it for my safety, but education as well. Master Bimble, if you would help over here…and Sara, some steady hands…here, yes here. Everyone else stand back, I will…hmm…I wonder if…” She continued to mutter, completely engrossed in her work.
Aerith directs as you all work to destroy the circle. Your mission is now complete, and the Palace of Birdsong is secure!
Prince Eutropia and Martella Lotheed begin their journey to the county of Meratt from Cassomir. Their arrival a week later gives you time to rest (or make special preparations, should they wish). The princess’s reception is a warm homecoming with a hope for positive change in the future.
Princess Eutropia thanks each of you personally for their bravery and resourcefulness. She offers payment of 1,000 gp apiece, in addition to letting you keep the Betony estate, if you like. Martella thanks you privately for your discretion in not looting the palace, and rewards you each with a cloak of protection +2.
For now, you have time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor—a tidy estate, a thriving village, and the comforts of a nearby palace—for at least a few weeks before they are called upon once again to serve the crown in “The Twilight Child.”
After some downtime and much needed rest, you again receive a summons to meet Martella Lotheed at the Palace.
The Palace of Birdsong is now bustling with activity as artisans work to restore its faded glory and visiting diplomats elbow one another in the halls. Martella Lotheed is waiting in her office, with a platter of honey cakes and a steaming teapot on her desk.
“Thank you all for arriving so quickly, and please help yourselves to refreshments. I hope you’ve all enjoyed a well-deserved rest. I’d offer more, but I’ve been giving the serving staff a lot of days off in light of recent... traumas, and we’ve been a bit short-handed.
“Let me ask: How much do you know about Yanmass? If it isn’t much, I have a few books you can read on your way, because that’s your next stop. The city has been neutral up until now but commands considerable wealth and access to exclusive trade goods; its support would be invaluable, and the princess and Pythareus have both sent delegations to win an alliance with the Mercantile Council that runs the city. But our agent, Sir Meir Dratavis, has gone missing. His last correspondence mentioned troubling recent events: bandit raids, cult activity, missing soldiers. He was working alongside Pythareus’s representative, an earl named Yander Merkondus, to resolve the problems, but I haven’t heard anything since, and I suspect foul play. Find Meir, or else continue his work of convincing Yanmass to formally back Eutropia.
“I have another reason to dispatch you quickly, though. This cult Meir mentioned, the Cult of the Twilight Child... they claim to worship a resurrected Prince Carrius, Eutropia’s younger brother who died 20 years ago. Attempts to resurrect him shortly after his death failed. While it’s possible for a powerful spellcaster to raise the dead after so long, it stills trikes me as suspicious that a potential claimant to the throne has just happened to appear. Eutropia hasn’t yet heard these rumors, and I’d like them investigated quickly and quietly.”
"Yanmass?" The elf said. "Isn't that the trade city which links the Empire of Kelesh to the world past the Casmaron? A great place for a cult, given that it's population is always in flux." The elf said.
"But this Prince Carrius, I admit that I've never heard the name before. How did he die, and was there anything special about him? Heirs die all the time, especially when the inheritance is substantial. It seems strange to have a cult spring up around such a person."
"That seems a bit desperate doesn't it? Bring an heir back from the dead to combat the Princess's popularity and rising power. If you put aside the sheer horror of the act, you could be flattered... in a way." Sara says as she shuffles around Martella's office, absently looking at this and that while nibbling on a tea cake.
She doesn't add to Aerith's discussion on Yanmass, though she is not surprised that the brilliant elf knows more about her homeland than she does. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop her from talking, very little ever could, so she adds something of little import instead. "I hear they have a pan-fried bread there, that is often drizzled in salt. Of all things." followed by another bite of her honey cake.
Though an outsider to Taldor, Capricia may have heard tragic tales about Prince Carrius from Martella or one of the agents the Lotheed scion assigned to tutor her on Taldan basics.
You recognize that Meir Dratavis was a Loyalist, and a friend of Eutropia.
In addition, Martella tells you "I offered to send a specialist to
protect him, but he insisted that Pythareus and the earl were honorable men who would let the strongest argument succeed.”
"Meir was a diplomat, not a soldier, and sent frustratingly few details on matters of these bandits. Yes, a regiment of the Taldan Horse has vanished—it normally works out of Yanmass to patrol the Whistling Plains and guard trade caravans. The Mercantile Council blames bandits, but it’s unusual for an entire military force of two dozen or so soldiers to vanish without a trace.”
Bimble's knowledge of Yanmass and of the cult are both sadly lacking. He knows where it lies, geographically, but that is about it. He does know that the trip to Yanmass takes 9 days by horseback or carriage, followed by 5 days via river and canal (or an additional 7 days by carriage or horseback).
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At first, the name Yanmass brings nothing to mind for Thalasou but when Aerith mentions it, he recalls hearing of the city, or is it a region. He only knows it's far away. Bimble confirms with a brief rundown of the travel route. Capricia seems to know a bit about Prince Carrius -- again, someone he's barely heard about.
The smell of the honeycakes on the small table at the side of the room makes Thalasou's stomach rumbles. He gets up as inconspicuously as possible and heads to the table. It looks very fancy. A white table cloth covers it while fine porcelain dishes and platters are placed neatly to present honeycakes and tea.
Thalasou reaches for a couple honeycakes from the platter. Normally honeycakes are a little dry but these ones, no doubt made by the finest bakers in the region, glisten with a sweet syrup saturating the light golden sponge. The cakes stick a little to the plate as he takes a couple and balances them on the fingertips of his left hand, avoiding touching them as much as possible. A couple sticky drops of syrup fall into his palm. He considers for a moment then grabs another of the small cakes and stacks it on top of the other two.
Then he notices the pot of tea. The tray holding the dainty tea cups is on the other side of the table, almost out of his reach. Thalasou stretches and leans over the table. He is barely able to reach a cup and the stack of cakes balanced in his hand wobbles precariously but he manages to grab a small cup and move it to the table in front of him. Taking the tea pot, he starts to pour and as the steaming black tea starts to flow out of the teapot, the lid of the teapot slides and starts to fall. Realizing too late that he also needs to hold the lid while pouring, Thalasou swings his left hand to hold the lid. The sudden action causes the balanced cakes to fall. The sticky cakes hit the edge of the half filled porcelain teacup before splatting on the table. The impact tips over the half-filled teacup, spilling brown liquid all over the white tablecloth.
Thalasou freezes for a second and his face flushes red immediately. He stares at the mess on the table and then glances side to side to see if anyone noticed what he did. He tries to cover it up as best as possible then retreats back to his seat without any cakes or tea. Maybe no one will notice.
Martella seems to have noticed, and shakes her head slightly with a smile. The Princess apparently is unaware, and the servants quickly rush in to clean up without a word or a fuss.
As the servants descend on the cleaning, Sara leans against Thalasou, shoulder to shoulder, waving her finger to magically remove the tea stain on his cuff and to offer the rest of her honeycake, only half eaten.
When Sara offers the honeycake, Thalasou's face grows more red but he takes it. "Thanks," he whispers. "I had a little trouble there at the table." He takes a couple bites and tries to act normal as Bimble asks more questions of Martella.
Once the cake is finished he whispers to Sara again. "When do you think we'll be leaving for this trip? It does all seem rather strange, those guys going missing and all. I bet there's something fishy going on."
"We can help you secure passage. We would like you to leave as soon as you can be ready."
Ready and happy to be so!
Yanmass is the largest and wealthiest city in the prefecture of Avin in northeastern Taldor, and is situated at the western edge of the Whistling Plains that adjoin the Padishah Empire of Kelesh. As Yanmass is the first stop in Taldor for Keleshite merchants bringing goods from the east and the last stop for Taldan merchant caravans taking their wares into Kelesh, the markets of Yanmass bring in substantial tax income for the prefecture. The city is protected by a city guard, with occasional assistance from the Taldan Horse cavalry regiment stationed in the city. The city’s ostensible ruler, the elderly Baron Mauston Kustios, normally defers much of the civil administration to the city’s Mercantile Council, a group of aristocratic traders whose specific numbers vary but currently consists of five principal council members and 14 associate council members.
The journey takes 9 days by horseback, followed by 5 days via river and canal. You discover that you are arriving on the same day as Baron Mauston Kustios’s monthly meeting with the city’s ruling Mercantile Council.
Since you have permission to attend, arranged by Lady Martella, you scarcely enough time to wash off the road dust and dress in their best clothing before reporting to Yanmass’s Commerce Hall.
The liveried soldiers at the entrance to the opulent Commerce Hall inform the you that the baron is too ill to attend today’s meeting and that the Mercantile Council is hosting another guest, Earl Yander Merkondus. The
guards introduce you to a liveried halfling official named Gregor Hamble to escort you into the audience chamber.
"Hello! Welcome and follow me," he says.
Hamble is a gregarious and helpful sort.
"There is a 19-member Mercantile Council consisting of five principals and 14 associates who represent the wealthy interests of Yanmass. It is interesting to note that one of the associate councilors—a banker named Rhundle Navin—is unexpectedly absent." He rattles off some names for the other 13 associates, but the details are not interesting.
"For the five principles, you have: Lord Rudif Autun, Yanmass’s largest spice importer and one of its wealthiest citizens. He tends to be adorned in abundant jewelry. A vain and foppish man who believes himself an authority on culture and fashion, Councilor Autun makes no secret of his support for the Imperialist faction."
"Then you have Lady Aumber Gewbell, a clothing importer and exporter. She has her finger on the pulse of the common people of Yanmass much more than the other councilors do."
"Lady Carmellio Rauls deals primarily in armor, weapons, and equestrian gear; she holds a lucrative contract to supply the Taldan Horse."
"Chief Enumerator Abrun Palliettor is the high priest of the church of
Abadar in Yanmass. He keeps his opinions to himself. Might be a tough nut to crack."
"Lady Hallianna Cobbin owns several large orchards and ranches in the outskirts of Yanmass. Her father was the chief manager for an heirless human aristocrat who bequeathed both her lands and her title to her favorite employee, making the Cobbins the only halfling family to ever sit on the Mercantile Council. Councilor Cobbin is not particularly political, but she
considers Earl Merkondus to be talented, urbane, and exceptionally handsome. You didn't hear it from me, but Councilor Cobbin is quite a gossiper."
"Now, Baron Kustios’s absence isn’t surprising, as the baron has been ill at home for many days, leaving the task of city governance entirely in the hands of the Mercantile Council."
"Earl Merkondus is a wealthy aristocrat from southwestern Taldor who has expressed strong Imperialist leanings... Politically, the Mercantile Council doesn’t lean particularly strongly either way—although certain members have
their own opinions."
Capricia's face sours at the name Pythareus. When there's a moment that no potentially unfriendly ears can overhear, the swordswoman whispers, "Seems a bit suspicious to me that the baron and a member of the council are both missing at such an important meeting. With the king using foreign assassins in the capital, is it a stretch to think that perhaps the baron might be being poisoned or that a councilor might be kidnapped or killed if he held the 'wrong' views?"
The pirate-turned-revolutionary keeps her eyes and ears open to get some sense of what might be going on in the shadows and who may or may not be trustworthy...but she's still too inexperienced in Taldan intrigue to get a decent read on the situation.
Sara is in her off the shoulder dove grey dress with layers and layers of skirts, which she wore to in the masquerade party, only leaving off her mouse mask. Swishing along the hallway with the others, not a weapon in sight on the bard's body, she notes the council member's most likely to be her targets.
"You are probably right" she agrees with Capricia "Maybe we can ask details of the 'illness' when we are wooing for the Princess"
Several chandeliers supplement the sunlight streaming in through high, stained glass windows to light the cavernous audience chamber of Yanmass’s opulent Commerce Hall. An immense oval table takes up much of the room’s space. A throne-like chair at the head of the table is vacant, but most of the other chairs are occupied. Seated in ornate, padded chairs are the five principals: a human man wearing ostentatious jewelry, a half-elven woman in well-tailored clothing, a handsome human man wearing the regalia of a high priest of Abadar, a proud halfling woman, and a narrow-faced, worried-looking human woman. Several other well-dressed people occupy less ostentatious chairs. At the foot of the table is a group of plain, sturdy wooden chairs, one of which is occupied by a fashionable, broadly smiling aristocrat.
Most of the people at the table nod politely, one motions for you to stand by or sit in the empty chairs.
The man in ostentatious jewelry stands, gesturing to the empty seat at the head of the table. “Given Baron Kustios’s continued absence, I’d like to call this meeting to order in his stead. We know that much of Taldor is currently in political turmoil, but we have pressing problems close to home. Yanmass suffers under the grip of several troubles, and our discussion today must confront these. First, terrible, unsavory dreams haunt many of our citizens; some of us here have had them, I understand, and their cumulative effect is crippling to morale and our economy. Second, the Taldan Horse cavalry regiment that protected our city has, in large part, vanished. This leads to the third issue, which is the rise of banditry on the eastern plains: Qadiran bandits, specifically, preying upon good Taldan trade.”
“All trade, to be frank,” interjects the narrow-faced woman, “Keleshite and Taldan alike.”
The priest of Abadar speaks up, “There’s another thing, although it’s not a clear threat: the Cult of the Twilight Child in the Encircling Bower. Good citizens are joining this mystery cult. Perhaps it’s as benign as rumors say, but we can’t ignore a new philosophy that is ensnaring so many of our citizens.”
“Religion ever reigns in your mind, Enumerator,” says the half-elf woman, “but people aren’t suffering from the cult as they are the other troubles.”
The halfling woman sits up straighter and adds, “Our esteemed guest, Earl Yander Merkondus, assures us that he has a group of troubleshooters
already acting to alleviate all of these concerns. But so long as Yanmass suffers, so does trade—and therefore so do we.”
"What do our newcomers have to offer?"
It seems you have been invited to speak.
A few of the council reluctantly raise their hands, and tell a bit about what they have experienced. Although the dreamers don’t go into lurid detail, it’s clear that the dreams involve unbridled lust and cannibalism.
You notice that those expressing the content of their dreams all see to be Loyalists.
As is her custom, Capricia remains silent during the questioning. She's no Taldan politician, but Martella's training and hanging with the others and getting a firsthand experience of politics in action pays off, and she's aware that Loyalists seem to be targeted before Bimble makes the comment.
"This revelation makes me even more suspicious about the baron's health and the missing councilor," she whispers back to Bimble. "We might want to check up on him and make sure he's still alive...and that he stays that way!"
You don't sense anything suspicious among the group, but you might have more luck talking to many of them individually if you are trying to suss more information out of them.
Sara listens to Master Fickleblooper's questions respectfuly, then excuses herself to go talk to Lady Aumber Gewbell. "Good Evening, Lady Gewbell." Sara gives a curtsey "As Master Fickleblooper said, my humble beginnings is as a baker, working in my father's shop, before I decided to try and help. Messes such as these always bleed downward. Is there anything you can tell us to help with any of these issues?"
Lady Gewbell immediately seems to trust Sara, and does open up to her.
She appears to have her finger on the pulse of the common people of Yanmass. She worries most about the plague of disturbing dreams, aware that there have been several suicides and bands of haunted-eyed townspeople wandering the town in a stupor.
She also mentions rumors of a local conspiracy theorist, a woman named Caradinna Farkin, who has long been known to make erratic proclamations about the “secret masters” in town. Recently, Farkin had become increasingly strident and insistent, even accosting a few of the council members in the streets. However, Farkin hasn’t been seen in the last 2 days, and Councilor Gewbell wonders whether she didn’t stumble onto some genuine clues.
She passes along another rumor that someone is hiding out in Hedge Hill, and that anyone lurking there must be hiding from something important.
----------------
Bimble has more limited results, and feels there is more not being said.
He does discover that Lady Hallianna Cobbin owns several large orchards and ranches in the outskirts of Yanmass. Her father was the chief manager for an heirless human aristocrat who bequeathed both her lands and her title to her favorite employee, making the Cobbins the only halfling family to ever sit on the Mercantile Council. Councilor Cobbin is not particularly political, but she considers Earl Merkondus to be talented, urbane, and exceptionally handsome (she has a weakness for taller men).
“That Caradinna Farkin gets herself worked up, for sure. She’s always yammering about the ‘true powers in town’ and how sheets of lead protect you from mind-controlling magic. She’s locked herself in her house, I hear.”
Later, she says " “Have you seen the weirdo in the red bird mask? I have! Yesterday at sundown he was crouched at the top of a building over by that old theater, watching the street. Creepy fellow, but I guess if he was gonna do more that mope about, he’d have done it by now. I hope.”
Capricia decides to take the initiative for once, to test if some of the lessons that Martella (and her new comrades) have taught her have taken root. She approaches the narrow-faced woman and speaks.
"I've learned that it's best to garner as much information about potential foes before engaging them. What can you tell me of these bandits? I've never dealt directly with Qadirans before. Is there anything unusual about their attacks or tactics?"
Lady Carmellio Rauls deals primarily in armor, weapons, and equestrian gear; she holds a lucrative contract to supply the Taldan Horse.
Capricia doesn't feel like she's making a positive impression on Lady Rauls, but the conversation turns to one of the red-haired warrior woman's newer interests: horses and riding. She expresses an interest in proper equestrian gear (especially fashionable clothing and barding for her mount...should she ever get around to actually buying one!).