Alisanne will report on the single word that Bimz is able to glean from the rat.
"That is... strange. There must be more to it than that."
Caelius is in shock about Captain Fireborn's murder. He stares off as a cold swet takes over. "I...I'm not sure who is in charge next." He stammers but doesn't move as he is frozen in place. His mind is spinning in fifty different directions. "We need to find out who did this and organize the guards." Caelius tries to find some of the city guard to find out more what is hapening. Who has taken charge and if not gathering the city guard himself to better organize them. "We also should search the scene for clues."
Venn crouches down to the rat, looking it over, and worrying that such a creature could only come through fell means. He casts a simple spell, "Well my little rat friend. Be you friend or foe? You are clearly not a simple creature."
Venn casts his spell. This creature clearly doesn't understand your words, and it's twitches, musk, and movements do not form into words you can understand. It twitches its head and nose, regarding you.
Your thoughts are penetrated by Surprise, and then... a very very slight Fear. The strange rat looks at you.
"Interesting. I'm not sure if the .... whatever happened to this rat has changed its nature, but it should be able to communicate clearly if it's still a natural thing."
He looks back at the rat, "What brought you here today little one?"
Belwick considers taking the time to work magic that'll allow him to understand different languages. But given that Bimz got a word out of the creature, he's not sure it'll help. "There's something strange to this rat. I suggest we keep it fed, keep it close, and keep asking questions of it. For example: is it part of the other group of rats within Keledek's hideout?"
Baghotir feeds the little rat more cheese, or whatever else it seems to have a taste for. "So how are we to know what he is? I am at a loss here."
Caelius is in shock about Captain Fireborn's murder. He stares off as a cold swet takes over. "I...I'm not sure who is in charge next." He stammers but doesn't move as he is frozen in place. His mind is spinning in fifty different directions. "We need to find out who did this and organize the guards." Caelius tries to find some of the city guard to find out more what is hapening. Who has taken charge and if not gathering the city guard himself to better organize them. "We also should search the scene for clues."
"Agreed. The rat mystery can wait I suppose. Tomorrow we shall speak with the dead. Will we get access to the scene to search it ourselves? Captain Fireborn was my main link to the council, but I could request an audience of Manistrad Copperlocks. I'm not sure how 'in the know' she is, but she does have a seat on the council at least." Baghotir offers.
"Interesting. I'm not sure if the .... whatever happened to this rat has changed its nature, but it should be able to communicate clearly if it's still a natural thing."
He looks back at the rat, "What brought you here today little one?"
This rat is... Isn't thinking or moving or even smelling like a rat. You cannot communicate.
Baghotir will allow the rat to ride on his shoulder, in his pack, whatever. He will watch over the little fellow for now, until the smart folk can figure out what or who he is and how to communicate with him. He’s not even sure where to begin such a task. He'll pray on it and see what his god has to say on it.
But for now, he worries about it not.
He’ll head to the prison, with the party, to see about getting in to question Gellan.
The rat accompanies you, and you head to the Saltmarsh jail. The jail is located beneath the guard barracks, in a squat stone building on a low hill.
Caelius gets you inside without issue, and you move downstairs to the prison level.
Kraddock Stonehorn is the jailer here. He's an enormous and brawny man with a huge beard twisted into a single braid. You know him to be taciturn, but with a beautiful whistle. He strolls by the enormous holding pen, filled tonight with drunk brawlers and fishermen. They start to shout and make a ruckus as Kraddock strolls by, but he all but silences them with a few strikes of a club on the bars. Once they quiet back down, he whistles as he strolls to you, but the tune is off and meandering.
He nods to Caelius.
He nods, and brings you back to a side passage with smaller holding cells, reserved for mages and/or true criminals. Kraddock walks you back to the only occupied cell and raps on the door. He looks to you.
"I'll be just over there."
He leaves you to Gellan.
Gellan has shaved his head. He's kneeling next to the bunk and trying to pray, though he's unpracticed at it.
"Ah... Ok... Norebo? No. Zilchus? No, that got me into this. Ah... Saint Cuthbert I guess. Dear Saint Cuthbert... I... Okay, I'm really new to this and not very good at it. But shepherd me, your weak servant into... Goodness? Light? Huh. Maybe... I am looking for truth and forgiveness, and maybe since I'm trying you can help me out here? Blessed are the dogs and the children and the goodies..."
There are also a few guards (4) here assisting Kraddock.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Before Kraddock leaves them, Belwick stops the man. "Thank you. Your duty at a time when Saltmarsh needs it most is testament your strength and devotion to its people. And please know that we will get justice for the Captain. This is an important step in doing that."
He then turns his attention to Gellan Primewater. "So. You are starting to see that you've made a mistake. Good. But you've got a lot more work to do if you ever mean to find redemption. Because Captain Fireborn is dead, and so is Ingo the Drover and Keledek the Unspoken. With the evidence we've seen, you are a traitor to the Crown. I am uniquely positioned as someone with the king's ear, and can help you. But so far all I have seen is self-interest. You know what we're after, and what we're up against. This may be your last chance. Tell us everything you know."
Gellan looks a little confused but shakes it off. Your arguments are sound and you succeed in persuading him.
On Captain Fireborn: "Elliander and I didn't get along but I never wanted him dead. It's awful, and that situation stinks. They got Ingo too, eh? Damn."
On Keledek: "Huh. Too much to hope for that you'd take him alive, I guess. I'm glad you got the girl out though."
On helping you and the rest: "Okay. I've confessed to everything I've done, and am being shipped off to Seaton for trial. I'm likely to be in prison for a long time. Traitor to The Crown is a bit melodramatic but... Wait, what evidence are you talking about???" He asks, his eyes wide and he's suddenly very alert.
Belwick retrieves the notes found in Keledek's hideout. He takes a second to read a short sample of the more incriminating bits to the man. "It's all very detailed. What do you have to say for yourself? Because knowingly working with foreign parties, especially if they are the Sea Princes or the Scarlet Brotherhood, sounds pretty traitorous to me."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"That's... "
He starts to laugh.
"Oh, that's it. I'm good as dead. Here I thought I might be safer in jail, and they're just gonna let the crown kill me for them. Listen... I'm a smuggler and a scumbag, sure. Do I facilitate importing and exporting and not ask questions about what's being transported? Absolutely--that's none of my business. Do I do occasional favors like pass on messages and blackmail threats? Oh yeah. And while I've long suspected that the occasional package may have been less than 100% willing? Yes, I confess. But I've certainly never written down a frelling receipt for slaves! It sounds like those papers are going to send me to the gallows, and really... I gotta hand it to them."
"Here's the skinny: My business partners are definitely pirates. I have long suspected that they were subjects of The Sea Princes, but like I said--They don't say and I don't ask. Some time ago, business started getting... Strange. This was right about the time that the Sea Princes were getting uppity and started targeting Keoland Navy and subjects directly. I passed some messages to and from a back channel I have. I have no proof of this, but the word from my contact was that The Sea Princes weren't doing any of that, and that they were at war with The Scarlet Order. So I figure, while we were dealing with the Fish Men, my business partners were dealing with a coup and invasion.
Then, my contacts go to ground, and suddenly I'm dealing with new bosses. Those bosses want me to rope in Keledek and Ingo, so I deliver some messages. Now I'm working with Keledek and Ingo. Now Keledek is dead. Ingo is dead. Fireborn is dead. And I'm being sent to Seaton and now all the blame is sitting on me, right after I'm nearly killed by an assassin in my home. Sounds like: The Scarlet Order has effectively taken over piracy in these waters, and they used the Sea Princes to do it. They want Keoland at war with The Sea Princes. And I'm screwed. I've been used and screwed good. I wonder what they're going to do next?"
Gellan giggles a little maniacally and goes to his bunk.
That dude is f&+&ed. Baghotir can't help but think this is what happens when you lie down with evil. Evil begets evil.
He keeps his mouth shut since the Baron is doing such a good job of getting Gellan to talk. That and he's not sure how much more use Gellan is. He's trying to save his soul, and Baghotir commends him for that. But he's not sure it's enough to save him from the gallows for bringing the Scarlet Order into town.
Belwick takes it all in, certain of its truth. "Do you have names for these bosses? Ways that you contact them? I will agree that you have lost, that you were used. But anything you can tell me that'll allow us to get back at them... it'll be the first bit of good you've done in a while. And it might help your prayers. Right, Master Nightthane?"
Gellan hmms and haws.
"My back-channel is kaput. We don't use real names in this line of work. All I can tell you is that I set this up years ago with a guild thief in Monmurg. I have my faults, but I'm no scab--Union labor all the way! I occasionally meet with him, but only for special runs, projects or problems--it's hard to sneak off to Monmurg, you know?
Painfully nice chap. Last I saw him, long stringy blonde hair, blue eyes. Not from Monmurg--definitely from Furyondy, probably by way of a pirate press gang. He was set up as a curiosities merchant named Reyns. Speaks more languages than I thought existed. Huh. I wonder what happened to him? I hope he's OK."
He sits up and looks at you through the bars.
"I don't know what else I can tell you."
The nobleman sighs, then looks to the others. He's out of his element when it comes to discussing criminal matters, but feels that he himself has learned all he can from Gellan.
”Son, your life is rather shortened by your actions. You should look to your future however. Where do you want to be after death? I can think of a few places I’d rather not be myself, and imagine you can too.”
”I cannot save your soul, only you can. Work with your jailers, the magistrates, the courts. Tell them everything as you’ve told us. Evil lies in darkness, good triumphs in the light. Bring a light to bear on this matter. I doubt it will save you from the gallows, as you surmise, but it might just save you from hell.”
Baghotir isn’t sure it will, he was playing hooky on that day in class. But it’s the only shot Gellan has.
He’ll leave the dank cell, and head back out into the evening. ”Tomorrow I’ll speak with the dead. Is there anything further we can reasonably do tonight?” he asks the group.
Caelius follows Baghotir and turns to stop him a moment. "What if we were to employ him?" He nods in Gellans direction. "Get him out and have him make contact with his 'friend'. Maybe he can get us in the Brotherhood so we can see its network better."
"Hrm..." Baghotir has a hard time wrapping his head around the idea. "Well, assuming we can even trust him, what's his excuse for getting out? I mean, the Brotherhood has him stitched up pretty tightly - and ready for the gallows. How does he go from there, to free."
He keeps thinking, but he doesn't like his only idea, "I suppose we could make it look like he broke out of his cell or something. Maybe in transit. Not sure we can get the guards to go along though - and I won't actually break him out."
I'm not sure I'm on board with this idea, either. Plus, who knows if he CAN make contact with this friend, this Reyns fellow. For all we know, he's become a demigod or something. He'd probably just bail on us anyways.
I'm not sure where this leaves us. We don't have any active leads, do we?
"Perhaps you speak truth." Caelius' brow furrows. "It just twists my guts to see someone who sees their ways broken and sees a new path before them codemned to the fate of death. Does he deserve death? Yes absolutely. Does he also not deserve a path of good if he sees one?" Caelius shakes his head unsure what to do. "We have no other leads other than to try an find this Reyns fellow."
Belwick joins the others and listens to their words. He looks pensive for some time, then says, "We have the site of Gellan's assassination attempt and the site of Captain Fireborn's murder to investigate for clues. And then we can see about tracking down Reyns. There are clues, I know it. We will get to the bottom of this."
"Also, I have questions for the dead in the morning. Likely won't reveal much, but perhaps a lead can be gleaned from their statements."
The party returns home and rests.
The next morning is cloudy and the winds are Very strong. Most of the boats are still docked, with only the crazy or desperate risking the waves and high winds.
You arrive at the house of Ingo The Drover. There are guards posted, and a rope line has sectioned off the entrance to his property. A simple sign reads No Trespassing by order of Saltmarsh Council. Caelius recognizes Alistair and Marc Shepherd, brothers, young but good men, posted outside.
Caelius' badge of rank gets you all through.
Inside, the house has been trashed. Furniture is smashed, doors ripped from hinges, and there are blood stains everywhere. Nearby, a tarpaulin has been draped over what looks to be a body. A guard stands here, Devon... Devon Ridder... Something.
In the next room, there's an enormous mechanical man who has taken a lot of damage--there is exposed wood and metal workings inside. It must be 8 Feet Tall.
There's a table with another tarpaulin over it, looks to be covering a body seated at the table.
A smashed amulet is on the floor nearby.
Back at his townhouse, Belwick paces. He is troubled by all that's gone on, but cannot help but feel he's missing something. "This is all too clean. Too tidy. Too convenient. But... how do I prove that? The papers?"
Inspired, Belwick retrieves the evidence they found with Keledek and takes a seat to review it for and anomalies. He's convinced that there must be something to find.
"Is that... A golem made of iron and wood? There is certainly more to see here. Look around, my friends. I will perform the necessary incantation to detect magic."
Belwick then begins the ritual spellcasting.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Belwick makes careful examination of the papers, and concludes that these are forged documents. They're really just TOO perfect--that's the clue. Right down to Gellan's personal signature and seal which are identical on each paper. IDENTICAL. Nobody signs a document with exactly the same strokes each time, and there are no variations in the wax or the seal. These would pass, easily, as legit almost every time. But Belwick is meticulous and careful.
Each adventurer earns 300 Experience points.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detect Magic reveals nothing enchanted except for the large mechanical man and the shards of the amulet. Both radiate magic, but no specific school.
Condition: None
- - -
Baghotir is respectful of the scene, and their limited authority. ”Devon is it? Sir, may I see Ingo the Drover, and speak with him? I know that sounds strange… and it is. But my intent will be clear in a moment - and I see no reason why you cannot observe. I will not harm or molest the body in any way.”
If granted permission, he casts Speak with dead on Ingo.
Devon cocks an eyebrow.
"Now... That's somethin' ya don't see everyday." and he nods towards the body.
-----------------------------------------------------
Did you assist in the slaying of Eliander Fireborn?
Answer: "No. I ordered the guardian to do it."
Was it your intent to kill Eliander Fireborn?
Answer: "I hoped he would live."
Who do you think poisoned you?
Answer: "The person blackmailing me."
Who do you think is your closest ally?
Answer: "Eliander Fireborn"
Who do you think is your biggest enemy?
Answer: The person blackmailing me."
"Kord's broken teeth," Belwick swears, low and quiet at the reality of what he's heard. "He felt he needed to attack his closest ally because he was blackmailed."
He collects himself, taking a deep breath. "We need to figure out who the blackmailer is. I expect they're also responsible for the forged documents we found in Keledek's abode. Because yes, my friends: I studied those documents last night and they are too perfect for a reason. They are forged."
Belwick will then take some time to study the amulet and the guardian. "I suspect this amulet was linked to the golem, allowing Ingo to control it. But give me a moment or two to confirm this."
You discover a broken Shield Guardian and Shield Guardian Amulet
Belwick nods to himself, satisfied that he has made the right conclusion based on prior assumptions. He decides to turn his attention to something else, realizing that the guardian is likely beyond repair. "We should see if Ingo has any documents, missives, or letters that might shed light on the blackmailing."
He begins to set about finding anything written down so that, like a good investigative wizard, he can read it.
”Well that was something.” Baghotir is impressed with the information they got from Ingo. It changes his questions for Eliander, his next step.
He’s impressed by the Baron’s knowledge of magics - and by the powerful items used here to kill Eliander.
He approaches the dead hero, rolls back the sheet carefully and with respect. And then casts another speak with dead.
Devon gets a little twitchy when you approach the Captain's body but says nothing. Captain Fireborn looks beaten nearly to a pulp.
Eliander Fireborn Questions...
Who blackmailed Ingo the Driver into attacking you?
Answer:"I do not know."
Who would you trust to run things in your absence?
Answer:"Solmor or Lemunda"
Who do you think is your biggest enemy?
Answer:"Who made Ingo kill me?"
Who, other than Ingo, is your greatest ally?
Answer:"Manistrad Copperlocks"
Who in town is powerful enough in town to get access to a Shield Guardian?
Answer:Keledek The Unspoken. Gellan Primewater. Captain Xendros."
The spell fades.
Anyone searching for anything should make Perception and Investigation checks, please.
Belwick does his best to be thorough in his searching...
Belwick makes two discoveries of possible import:
1) He discovers in what must be Ingo's desk, a small case. Inside are a badge of rank, and MANY campaign medals and honors.
2) The second is that someone tried to burn and dispose of a lot of papers in the fireplace.
"Fascinating. The medals of a general. The Army of the kingdom of Aerdy. If you don't know, it's far to the southeast. A lot of the standards we use today around language and coinage originate from there."
He laments all of the burnt papers. "Someone took great pains to hide evidence. Which at least tells us that there was evidence too hide. I wonder if we can somehow mend this or salvage it somehow. Can't think how, but here we are."
You want to reconstitute many sheets of paper from their ashes? You mean like mending a tear in a piece of paper? You're going to gather up all the ash and sort it like a giant puzzle, then magic it all back? Only a Wish can restore something Disintegrated, but you think a cantrip will do the job here?
Alisanne turns and starts looking around herself.
Baghotir isn't much good at investigation, but he has a good eye. So he pokes around as well.
However, he's too busy strutting around proud of his speak with dead answers to learn much more.
"No, Alisanne, I will not be gathering up ashes and trying to mend them together with a spell. Because I know it's fruitless, wishful thinking. I don't know that we can do anything with it, but it would be helpful to think about what we can do with it," Belwick says, slightly irked by Alisanne's tone. "Before I found these, we didn't even know that there was documents to find. If you can find more that we can work with, that would be heavenly music to my ears."
Caelius has a difficult time finding much as his vision still swirls in circles looking at the Captain's body. "They made his best friend do this to him..." He thinks for a moent. "He says Captain Xendros had access to such a golem, but how? Would he be involved?"
He helps gather what evidence Belwick points to and deems important.
The only piece of evidence left remaining, besides the bodies themselves, is Ingo's suicide note. It is very simple:
I cannot bear the weight on me any longer. I am a war criminal with too much blood on his hands, and tonight, to keep this secret, I killed the only friend I had in this world.
I am not worth the fuss of a trial and execution. I do not deserve to live. This poison will end me. It is more mercy than I deserve. There is no justice in this life.
Here's to justice in the next.
[dice=Perception]1d20+4
[dice=Investigation]1d20+0Caelius has a difficult time finding much as his vision still swirls in circles looking at the Captain's body. "They made his best friend do this to him..." He thinks for a moent. "He says Captain Xendros had access to such a golem, but how? Would he be involved?"
He helps gather what evidence Belwick points to and deems important.
Captain Xendros is a she--the proprietor of The Faithful Quartermasters of Iuz, the magic item shop in town.
Why kill himself after he murders Captain Fireborn? If he was that distraught at the thought, why not kill himself first and save his friend from violence?
"Good point Alisanne. I bet it's another forgery!"
He looks to the Baron to confirm, 'cause he has no skills with such things.
A Forgery Kit proficiency check or an Investigation check can be used to identify forged documents. If you can find something of Ingo's to compare it to, the check might be easier or at advantage.