"Folks. I think I can trace where our assassin friend came from."
He shares the information about the censer with the others.
Thinking aloud he adds
"Anyone know anything about the sorcerer kings of Parhok? My knowledge is a bit scanty. Are these the charmers we were discussing earlier?"
History check :
Drivish has already told you the little he knows of the Sorcerer-Kings.
I don't know anything useful about these so-called sorcerer kings. If that's our only lead however, we should go and follow it, after we buy some supplies for at least a week.
Sorry, I don't know much either.
Qadim-sul takes a look at the censer as well, to see if he can add anything to Rin's speculations. "Sorcerer-kings of Parhok, eh? I think I remember studying them at the Academy..."
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Qadim-sul:
The seers and sages cannot agree on the events that led to the Parhok’s demise. Some claim that the wizards fell to warring amongst themselves. Others hypothesize that, intoxicated with their god-like power, the enchanters dared to reshape the world in their vision. Others point to ancient scrolls that hint that the enchanters, seeking to discover the source of magic, tapped into a fount beyond even their control.
Regardless of the reasons, the outcome is not in dispute: torrents of fire and brimstone rained destruction down upon the golden towers and shining spires, and in a fortnight, the mighty empire of Parhok was no more.
Nothing on ape-men, I'm afraid.
"Don't recall anything about ape-men," Qadim-sul says, "but I do remember a few tidbits about their magic. And their destruction." Qadim-sul tells the group what he remembers.
"Hmm, sounds serious. So, my question is, who'd be dumb enough to play around with that kind of magic then? When I find out who's behind this, you bet your arse I'm gonna cut them. I'm gonna cut them deep..." Raivek mumbles the last bit, and trails off with "..stupid monkey."
Rin listens thoughtfully to Quadim-Sul's explanation.
"Interesting. Worrying. They don't sound like people we want back any time soon."
He picks up the censer. "This is our best bet for finding out where the assassin came from. The Sergeant here thinks the kitchens, so let's go there first. In any case, if we're going to run into more magic, I should cook up some for us. And for that, I'm going to need a lot of saucepans, a bit of time and some assistants with nerves of steel."
"Can I be of any help, sir Elf? I know nothing of alchemy but I at least know which end on a vial is up. Also, the trail goes cold as we speak. Perhaps you and I should stay behind while the rest of us go investigate."
"Just Rin will do fine. My father was an elf to be sure, but my mother was as human as you are Father Barshevy. It's a good plan. Between us I'm sure we can cook up enough portable damage to help out."
"As fun and exciting as an ice bomb might be, I think we should get going immediately. Something may be waiting for the ape's return, and we have a chance to get there before anyone knows something awry."
"I agree with the dragonborn", Lafiel nods her head. "The sooner we leave the higher the chances are we can catch whoever sent that monkey off-guard. Mixing potions would take too long and we'd lose the element of surprise, which is crucial when facing such a formidable opponent."
"Onwards to the kitchen then." Holding the censer before him like a divining rod, Rin bounces away towards the ground floor.
"Let's go then. If we pick up the trail, we can decide what to do next. If not, perhaps Rin will have time to craft some alchemical concoctions for us." Qadim-sul follows right behind Rin, khopesh drawn and ready.
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Tarnstone sends two guards with you to clear any question of permissions, at least while you're in the keep.
Rin leads the troupe down the stairs and through the keep's halls. Apparently the creature carried the censer through all of the main corridors. As you go, people are awake and extremely distressed, trying to figure out what happened.
Backtracking the trail does indeed lead to the kitchens, where there are several injured being treated for burns and scalds.
There are two trackers outside, trying to tell by lanternlight whence the creature might have come.
"Good plan, I'm with ya." Raivek draws his weapons at the ready and follows beside Quadim.
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Arcana check: (1d20 8=21)
Rin:
"To the rubbish heap! ... and light a lamp someone."
Rin charges onwards, intent on following the trail. A thought strikes him.
"Don't worry about the lamp." With a deft wave of his hand, he illuminates the censer.
Lafiel follows the rest of the group during the backtracking of the ape's route. Sharing her thoughts with the rest of the group, she comments: "It seems like somehow this creature knew the keep well, moving through all of the main corridors in here and clearly targeting the Duke's chambers. That amount of knowledge of a place requires either an informant or magic. Rin, is such a thing possible using magic ?"
"It seems like somehow this creature knew the keep well, moving through all of the main corridors in here and clearly targeting the Duke's chambers. That amount of knowledge of a place requires either an informant or magic. Rin, is such a thing possible using magic ?"
"No idea. Mine only fries or freezes."
Rin starts rootling through the rubbish heap without any thought for his clothes. As he rummages, he give more consideration to Lafiel's question.
"My magic is concerned primarily with the elements. I don't know how the sorcerer king's magic works, but since we can trace it, the ultimate source of there arcane power must be the same as mine. There are seers and diviners who can see through time and brick walls. Interesting thought."
He pauses and looks up at Lafiel. "On the whole, I'd guess an insider would be cheaper than magic. It takes time and energy and ingredients to cast spells. Bribing someone would be easier."
Drivish remains quiet while they hunt, and releases a barely audible sigh whenever the others talk... Until Rin's last comment. Then he asks, "So how long have you been in the Duke employ, Qadim-sul?"
Drivish remains quiet while they hunt, and releases a barely audible sigh whenever the others talk... Until Rin's last comment. Then he asks, "So how long have you been in the Duke employ, Qadim-sul?"
"Not long, Drivish," Qadim-sul replies easily. He thinks for a moment, then turns on the dragonborn, his eyes dark and threatening, like storm clouds on the horizon. "Why do you ask? Are you insinuating that I'm the informant?" Qadim-sul's hand moves towards the hilt of his khopesh, but he carefully and deliberately holds it back.
"Not long, Drivish," Qadim-sul replies easily. He thinks for a moment, then turns on the dragonborn, his eyes dark and threatening, like storm clouds on the horizon. "Why do you ask? Are you insinuating that I'm the informant?" Qadim-sul's hand moves towards the hilt of his khopesh, but he carefully and deliberately holds it back.
"No insult intended, just thought I'd eliminate the possibility." Drivish calmly answers. "If you were the betrayer I feel that things would have gone more to the assassin's advantage back there. Sadly though, your short employment limits the insight you would have on other members of the staff."
"Ever onwards, the trail goes further." Gesturing to his companions, Rin follows the trail like an eager truffle hound.
Lafiel watches the exchange between Drivish and Qadim-Sul, ready to act quickly if needed. When the two of them relax, she says : "In any case, I think the informant, if there was one, is indeed important, but our ability to deal with such a situation wouldn't be so good. I suggest we report this matter to that dwarf sergeant Turmstone or whatever his name was who gave us the job. He should know the guards and people of the keep better, and in any case, questioning all of these people would take us precious time. It seems like Rin here can track these magical signs quite easily so that should be our lead if we want the prize."
"I wouldn't waste my time worrying about an informant, especially with the kind of magic that someone or something is playing with. I'd just as soon assume that whoever or whatever is powerful and crazy enough to wield it, probably wouldn't have much of a hard time finding out information with that same magic. I say we find out who or what we're dealing with, and cut his tongue out so he can't harass these folk anymore."
As the party moves along, Barshevy keeps a physical distance from both the dragonborn and blue-skinned man. He didn't feel comfortable about the non-humans from the moment he saw them. Their confrontation made him distrust them even more.
"We must not risk losing this trail" Lafiel tells the group. "Waiting for the morning to buy general supplies may be too long for us. We should pass near a few villages on our way and we'd be able to get the supplies we need there."
"Any shops would be closed by now, anyways," Qadim-sul agrees. "But we all caught a little nap back there, so we should be rested enough to continue on, don't you think?" He smiles, white teeth flashing in the dark. "Let's follow the trail as far we can in the darkness. In the morning (if we make it that far), we can find a village to supply ourselves for the trials ahead."
"I think I want some decent rope, some food and change of clothes in an ideal world, but I'll settle for rope and food. Let's not be hasty here. Who knows where this trail leads? Arcane power like this is not to be tackled unwarily."
"Heh, you go ahead and tackle away. Meanwhile I'll be running it through it's bloody gullet and we can all collect our riches afterward." Raivek pats Rin on the back. "I'll trust you with the magics and whatnot. Barshevy, you seem to be an excellent healer. Lafiel, I think we can help each other out next time we run into something that wants us dead. Quadim and Drag.. Driv.. You.. there.. with the face.. Drivish, right. Quadim and Drivish, you can do.. whatever it is you do. Oh right, did I mention i was good with a bow too?" Raivek chuckles. "I don't know how long this trail that Rin seems to be on will last, I say we find out where it leads now before much more damage is done. For all we know there might be another attack like that soon. I'd like to prevent that if at all possible." Raivek, done with his speech, looks to the group.
"...Quadim and Drag.. Driv.. You.. there.. with the face.. Drivish, right. Quadim and Drivish, you can do.. whatever it is you do..."
"I don't mean to quibble, my good man," Qadim-sul tells Raivek, "but my name is Qadim-sul. It's part and parcel of my name, not an optional suffix. Calling me simply 'Qadim' is akin to me calling you 'Raive'. There's more to it than that, but I don't want to bore you."
Qadim-sul turns his attention to Rin. "If you think we can afford to pause in our hunt without risk of losing the trail, fine. But I'd hate to have to report back to Sgt. Tarnstone that we lost our quarry because you were hungry and wanted some rope."
"Oddly enough, I'd rather not disappoint Sergeant Tarnstone either, but I'm hardly proposing we pause for a major banquet. The kitchen is nearby, so, very likely are outhouses. A swift hunt for useful supplies now may save us more time in the long run."
Rin keeps his eyes firmly on whatever arcane signs he can see.
"I don't know how long the trail will last or even how long it is. I do know I don't want to end up falling down some hole in the ground and wasting a lot more time because we don't have any rope. Or sandwiches."
"As the journey would take at least a day - I don't recall seeing any giant apes in this area lately - we could get some supplies for the first few days and resupply while detouring to a village if needed later." Lafiel looks at Rin and adds : "O, and about the rope - we all have some in our Adventurer kits, along with 10 days of rations. I know they don't taste well, but they're still better than foraging for worms."
"In that case, what are we waiting for?" Without further thought, Rin continues along the trail.
Lafiel smiles to herself, then follows Rin along the trail.
"Hpfh," Raivek chuckles slightly. "And on!" Raivek motions for Rin to lead the way with a smirk on his face.