Topias trusts his teammates as they look around the tavern. Gregor recognizes the Iomedaean influence and artifacts, as well as the fallen.
Naple keeps her eyes peeled for danger and luckily finds nothing.
Ranzak is certain the body of the Iomedae worshiper used to be a gnome or halfling, but isn't sure which one.
The party debates if they should spend more time searching the Broken Wheel, or if they should proceed to the next area of interest.
- Armory (broken cart needs to be repaired)
- Apothecary
- The Flaming Wheel (gnome or halfling body, worshipped Iomedae)
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"Hm. The gnome and the halfling on our list worship Shelyn and Abadar. That armor was worn by the Knights of Ozem. We know them as the Knights of Lastwall now."
Ardyl Loralin:
Bryrigar Hassen:
Clement Marten: His wayfinder was in a zombie horse's throat.
Dargim Margrenstrom:
Gibb Potsmasher:
Kailli Thimbleberry:
Larraz Virtanne: His living horse came to us without him.
Osprey Pierces the Tide:
Raelyn Mumblewort:
Zinno Dark Hook:
A gnome or halfling who worhips Iomedae
Finishing their investigation, the party heads towards the Apothecary. The horse happily trots alongside them.
Grime-caked and smashed glass cases occupy much of this apothecary, and dusty shelves line many of the walls. A door to the northwest leads to an emptied storage closet.
Gregor takes 10 minutes to inspect the apothecary. He finds a small gembox full valuable scented candles, oils, and dried herbs used for aromatic, medical, or therapeutic purposes. The undead must have ignored it since it wasn't alive and they aren't up to date on hygiene. It is worth some value. That seems to be everything here.
70 minutes have passed in total. The team debates if they should double back, or head to the college.
- Armory (broken cart needs to be repaired)
- The Flaming Wheel (What to do about the body? Anyone wants to search the establishment? Also, is anyone taking the wheel?)
Nal sees the undead horde on the horizon. She's not completely certain of how much time the horde will take, but she guesses they have perhaps 3 hours left at the most.
Nal estimates the college is about 10 minutes away from the edge of town.
You return to the mostly empty armory. The horse enters the armory and you notice the wagon is designed for a single horse of his size to carry it. If only the axle could be repaired...
With 10 minutes of hard work, Gregor is able to repair the axle with a combination of rope, gum and a paper clip. The cart is rickety and noisy, but it holds. He could spend another 10 minutes trying to perfect it, or use it as is.
You have been at this mission for 80 minutes.
The college lies 10 minutes from the edge of town. Students dedicated to good causes were allowed within the halls, and Iomedaean worship was the most prevalent.
Goldenflame College was an institution dedicated to the study of art, history, literature, philosophy, and religion, where students could pursue myriad interests. Tar-Baphon's army came here first to snuff out its flame, although they couldn't snuff out the continual flame that keeps the college well-lit. Beneath the flame you see more graffiti, Property of Rathliss!
Although run down, Goldenflame College still bears signs of its once-beautiful architecture: dirty and ivy-wrapped columns, majestic archways, and a partially intact stained-glass window portraying Iomedae herself. The ceilings are 10 feet high.
Two wide staircases lead into the college, and centered above them is the religious symbol of Iomedae. Engraved into the graying stone is “Goldenflame College, Est. 4083 ar.” A pair of sweeping staircases lead to a veranda across the entire front of the college, with entrances to a reception area and the main hall on either side.
It doesn't take Topias and Ranzak long to notice a small humanoid body lying face down on the porch of the entryway. This small corpse’s hand is outstretched to the door of Goldenflame College. The body is clad in dirtied white-and-red robes with gold trim, shredded from the back as though by cruel claws. A small notebook has fallen nearby, its pages stained with dried blood.
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Gregor not feeling like the Flaming Wheel was properly searched would retroactively search again and recover the remains of the small humanoid corpse since no one else stated they were recovering it. He carefully places it in the cart.
At the Goldenflame College, "Regardless of who they were, these remains still should be properly buried and not left to become undead." He gingerly picks up the small remains and takes it over to place in the cart with the other remains.
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Naple has no such talent or skill in investigating things like that. She instead helps them by keeping watch of the surroundings as the others search the area. She even helps Gregor in transferring the charred remains into the body bags and to the cart. "That is true. It is better to be dead than undead."
Back at the Flaming Wheel, Gregor asks everyone to wait and search the tavern again for about 10 minutes. He discovers a purse with a jug pattern stitched onto it. Inside are 10 sp.
At the entrance to the college, the party spends about 10 minutes investigating the body. Harsk and Topias conclude the body was a Gnome or Halfling of some kind. Nal is certain the person worshiped Iomedae. The notebook has a lot of scribbles and some keywords inside but she's not sure of its significance.
With 110 minutes spent, Ranzak moves ahead into the reception, looking for a statue.
A dusty sofa and small chairs are the only furnishings that remain in this modest room. Two small windows to the east look out over the front lawn, and doors exit to the north, west, and south. Besides some old furniture, there is nothing of interest here. You decide to move on.
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Perhaps once majestic, this cavernous hall now truly resembles a cave: dark and dank. Dirt and standing water obscure the once-pristine white and gray tile, and stone colonnades stretching to the ceiling are covered in grime and mold. Sweeping staircases to the northwest and southwest lead upward, as does a spiral staircase. Smashed statues and torn paintings line the walls here: the signs of a struggle. Several doors exit to various rooms to the north, south, and east.
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Half expecting some random undead ambush, Nal stealthily slips through the hall, eyes piercing nooks, crannies, and shadows for anything noteworthy.
Spotting one intact painting, she murmurs: "Why'd they skip this one?"
Shrugging, she lifts it off its hook and stashes it near the door so they can grab it on the way out.
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"There is an intact painting of her." Naple says after a while when she joins Nal in searching the Main Hall. "The intact painting portrays a halfling woman who is a former dean of the Goldenflame Academy, depicted as distinguished and handsome, wearing pristine white finery." she shares with them. "There are other paintings but they are badly slashed, burnt, and covered in gore, making them unrecognizable."
120 minutes - two hours have passes since you left the relative safety of town. The painting is quite valuable, so you decide to move on.
- Offices
- Lounge
- Classroom
- Well
- Go Upstairs?
Harsk finds nothing else of interest in the main hall.
Ranzak and Nal find a well, still with water and a bucket. Nal spends 10 minutes inspecting the water and concludes it is fresh. The undead have ignored it. Ranzak takes a sip, decides it's good enough for her, and fills the bucket. The horse gladly sips as much water as he can while Ranzak refills her waterskin.
While that is happening, Topias goes upstairs. The stairs creak loudly.
This room is lined with bookshelves and sitting mats. Two smaller rooms branch from the main hallway, serving as private study nooks.
Gregor peers into the offices. The only noise is his own.
Dirty rugs, shattered desks, and smashed-in doors are what remains of these small offices. Papers and long-dried inkwells are scattered among the detritus, as well as a body surrounded by smashed zombies.
Heavy claw marks and deep rips mar this corpse, which lies sprawled and partially covered by the broken desk in the northwest corner. The desiccated flesh of zombies litters the floor around it. Scraps of cloth hang tattered around its mangled hands, which even now are locked into fists.
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Naple inspects the debirs behind the smashed doors.
She sees the glint of metal beneath a pile of rubble. She pulls out a Wayfinder. The inscription reads Bryrigar Hassen - fists of fury, heart of helper. "Do we have Bryrigar Hassen in our list? I found a wayfinder with an inscription on it." she tells them after she is done with the rubble.
Topias and Harsk discover a book named The Acts of Iomedae.
Meanwhile, Gregor and Naple notice a body, an amulet and a Wayfinder.
Nal and Ranzak have plenty of fresh water for the horse, but no real clues.
- Offices (A body, an amulet, a wayfinder) Gregor & Naple
- Lounge
- Classroom
- Well (all clear) Ranzak & Nal
- Study Area (A book named The Acts of Iomedae) Topias & Harsk
- Dean's Quarters
- Dormitories