Chapter 1: A Peaceable Kingdom

[Joe]

Streko can see that the room appears empty. He steps in and casts a Detect Magic spell.

______________________________

If free of danger, he will search the room as carefully as possible, looking for anything that might help him discover what happened mere moments earlier. Otherwise, he will alert his friends to whatever danger presents itself.

[Jeremy]

For a moment, Goran stands by the door to his and Cutter's room, examining the strange blade in his hands, and considering what the Lady's motive was for giving this dagger, in particular, to him. He makes a note to discuss it with Kal later. He feels the Lady knows something they do not. For now, he sheathes his sword and draws the blade, stashing the scabbard in his cloak.

After a cursory glance in the other two rooms, Goran pushes through into his room, first checking to see if his gear has been molested or damaged in any way. Then he will do a room search of his own.

---

Search check.

[Jeff]

Streko speaks the words of his spell, directing divine scrutiny in an arc across the trashed room. The first few moments tell him only that there is magic within. The next few reveal the presence of a single magic aura—the cold fire lantern—and a waning residue of something...fading...though he cannot determine what school of magic the residue hails from.

Goran's cursory look at the other two rooms yields nothing unusual. When he takes a sweep of the room of interest, he discovers only one thing Oss had not: tiny droplets of dark liquid—ink-like in color—dot the floor. There is a strange smell to them. But even as Goran kneels to examine them, he can see the droplets evaporating quickly. They leave behind an unpleasant stain in the wood of the floor.

__________________________

Streko's Spellcraft checks = 3, 13
Goran's Search check (not Gather Information) = 22

[Josh]

"I wonder if this has anything to do with the feeling of intrusion I had this afternoon," says Grafth, to no one in particular.

He moves into the room that he and Oss share, checking to see if anything is missing (or amiss). He places Kalarian's sarash in the corner for the moment and moves back to the threshold between the two rooms.

"Well, we certainly have our pick of what to do next. It's almost eighth bell- should we head to the gnome's residence? If Pellorien is to be believed, it's likely been picked over by House Orien, and is piled high with dead bodies. Will we find more there?

"And of course there is the fire that broke out to the south of us. Then there's our friend- 'Cutter' is his name?- who has disappeared, possibly in a less than healthy manner.

"Are these things all connected?"

[Lara]

Pellorien sighs.

"This is too much... Well, here's how I see it. The fire and the wreck are events that are bigger than we are and, aptly, are being handled by others with more resources than we have. Fenwolt's situation is more personal, but it's now started to involve more, um, bodies. There may be little we can do to affect the situation. Our fellow traveler's disappearance, however, is something we may be able to handle. And we kind of owe it to him to find out what's happened. I mean, he fought on the road for us, after all..."

Realizing she has spoken far longer than she'd intended to, Pellorien stops speaking abruptly and steps back from the others.

"That's just how I see it, if it matters," she mutters.

[Jeremy]

Goran steps back out by Grafth, and mentions the stains he saw and every detail he noticed about them.

"I do believe Pellorien, though-" and he turns to her "I don't think anything would have been accomplished by any of us arriving at Fenwolt's earlier except perhaps to have been added to the body count. There's nothing you could have done...try not to feel responsible, it wasn't anyone's fault except the murderers who slayed all those victims" he gives Pel a compassionate glance.

"I can't see any connection between these happenings, but I doubt very much that Cutter's disappearance is random, it must be whoever hunts us...and I begin to think there is more than one agency in the hunt now. Cutter had a strong desire to be outside the room today, during the meeting. Learn what you will from that, but the more things that pile up the less I understand what is going on, except that we are all in mortal danger."

He holds out the dagger the Lady gave to him.

"The Lady gave me this weapon just as we were all rushing up here to investigate. Seeing that I was already heavily armed, she must have given it to me for a specific reason. This weapon, I think she believes, will be of great use against our enemy."

He jams the dagger back into his belt.

"I am for action as soon as can be managed. I suggest we head head down towards Fenwolt's. Grafth and I, and perhaps Streko, can keep to the shadows, staying twenty yards or so ahead of the party, to watch out for ambushes and the like. But we must all stay together now, if we separate we will be picked off one by one. We need to find out why the slaughter there took place, in my mind it's the crucial next step. As for Cutter, I am at a loss how we can help him now, though I should like to.

"What say the rest of you?"

[Darren]

Reaching the lobby, Kalarian looks around to find Lady Korvine and Thoreld.

_____________
It hasn't been that long. They should still be there, right?

[Jeff]

When Kal reaches the lobby, hefting the sizable Tangat still, Lady Korvine has just sent the Fairhaven watchmen away—apparently satisfied that things are under control. Even the clerk seems mullified right now, although he is clearly aware that something happened. The Lady lingers near the door, ready to depart.

When she sees Kal, she turns back with some concern. "Are your companions safe?" Her tone is somewhat stilted.

Thoreld immediately approaches Kal, frowning as he looks upon Tangat in his arms. "Dol Arrah," he begins, intoning a short prayer. He lays his hands on the wolfdog, hands glowing with holy light, and then moves away without comment.

Tangat wakes with a start and starts squirming in Kal's arms. He is in near perfect condition already—the ribs that were surely cracked apparently mended.

________________________________

Tangat is healed 12 points.

[Darren]

"Bless you, Lord Thoreld," Kalarian says, giving Tangat a hug before letting him down to the floor. Kal's relief and gratitude are evident.

"My lady," Kalarian says, trying to regain his composure, "I apologize for the interruption. It seems that Cutter has disappeared, and as you can see from Tangat, there was a violent struggle. I would guess all of these things are related."

Moving in closer to Lady Korvine, Kalarian continues, "It would seem my companions are intent on handling this situation themselves, so it seems pointless to try to stop them. I hope that House Deneith can assist us, and in return I will report any information that we gather. Does this arrangement seem satisfactory to you?"

[Jeff]

Tangat explodes into motion, wagging his tail and woofing at Kal constantly.

Lady Korvine nods. "That would be good, Kalarian. Deneith's investigation into this incident probably begins and ends with you, I fear. If you find anything helpful, please bring it to my attention. If you run into a wall or need help, call on me. I will not force my presence onto your companions. Remember, you came to me first. If there is any truth in this rumor of Malov, then you are most certainly in great danger. Be careful."

With that, she leaves. Thoreld nods a respectful fairwell to Kal and follows.

[Joe]

Streko moves over to the discarded lanters, shutters the open glass and slides it into his backback, followed by his sickle.

"I agree with Goran. All of us have obviously become targets of one or more vile organizations, plotting The-Host-only-knows-what. The sooner we take action, the sooner we will discover what is happening and, Olladra willing, the sooner our questions will be answered."

Streko joins Goran and Grafth.

[Darren]

Kalarian gives Lady Korvine a bow and then watches her leave. Without turning, he looks down at Tangat. "You and I need to have a little talk, young man. But first, can you track down who did this?" Saying this, Kalarian begins to head back upstairs to find the others and retrieve his sharash.

[Josh]

Grafth nods in agreement as Goran and Streko say their piece. He looks to Oss and Pellorien.

"I was surprised that neither of you disclosed this massacre you saw when you first mentioned House Orien at the gnome's residence. Oss, was this intentional? Is there something more that you've yet to divulge?"

[Jeff]

Cutter's everbright lantern disappears into Streko's pack but produces no noticeable bulk or shifting of weight.

Kal rejoins the group, followed by Tangat, whose fur merely looks a bit roughed up. All stand in or around their rooms. This floor of the inn seems remarkably empty and quiet.

Through the broken third floor window you can see the distant fires of one of the southside districts. It is clearly quite large.

[Darren]

Retrieving his weapon, Kalarian looks around grimly at his companions. "What is our next course of action?" Peering inside of one of the rooms, he continues, "I have a pledge of assistance from Lady Korvine, but also a guarantee not to interfere with whatever we decide to do. Tangat and Cutter were attacked by something not human, and I think we're unlikely to be able to track it. Since we don't know where to find Malov, yet, I say our best move is to see if we can pick up any clues at Fenwolt's house." Running his hand through Tangat's fur, Kalarian adds, "When I find the bastard responsible for hurting my friend, I will make him suffer before killing him."

[Ed]

Oss looks to Grafth and says, "I knew nothing of these gnomes of Pellorien's until you did. I never saw them myself. I saw only the Orien guards at Fenwolt's house. She saw the gnome's before that."

Oss scans around Cutter's room once again. "I don't understand...the glass flew outwards into the street but...no bodies came with it. What broke the glass?" he says, scratching his cheek.

"Well, I figure we need to find this Cutter fella for sure. If it's tied to the train or Fenwolt or whatever, then so be it. But my first priority is Cutter. You two," he motions to Grafth and Goran, "and the dog are the best shot of picking up any trail or sign of him, I figure. I'll follow you if you're looking for him."

__________________________________
Jeff, please perform the appropriate rolls for Oss for him to attempt to figure out the mystery of the glass.

[Josh]

Grafth listens to Oss's words with surprise. "Before you went to the compound? My apologies, then... I was under the impression that the two of you went to the site together. So when, Pellorien, did you see these bodies? Were these people slain by magic, or more mundane means?

"No matter, I suppose we'll see for ourselves in a moment. Shall we go take a closer look?"



_________________________________
Grafth is down with heading to the gnome compound.

[Joe]

Oss scans around Cutter's room once again. "I don't understand...the glass flew outwards into the street but...no bodies came with it. What broke the glass?" he says, scratching his cheek.

Streko steps over to the window. "As no one has stepped on an invisible form and we have not been attacked, I think it might be safe to assume that both your friend Cutter and his attacker are gone. It must have been a teleportation spell of some kind. I did sense magic in the room, briefly. It faded fast once it had done it's job. And, as it turns out, the gnome that you attempted to contact earlier might be our only lead forward at this point, unless you are all willing to go back to the crash site and attempt to see if anyone has seen a red headed human carrying an injured halfling. Regardless which direction you take, I shall accompany you and assist to the best of my meager abilities."

Streko is ready to follow his new friends.

[Darren]

"Tangat has no trace of them, unfortunately. Like I said, whatever attacked wasn't human. It may not have even had a physical form. Or at least, it wasn't at the time that Tangat saw it. As for bodies...well, Cutter's a big guy. I doubt a fall like this would kill him."

[Jeff]

Oss does a thorough search of the room and the window. Laying in the corner of the room, half hidden between one of the bed posts and the wall—as if errantly tossed to the floor and under the bed—is one of Cutter's strange curving knives: a kukri. Oss thinks it's the lesser of the two blades he carried.

The only other thing he can determine about the scene is that there doesn't seem to be any evidence of human hands, fingers, or bodies, on broken shutters and glass window. As if the force that drove out the window and damaged the frame did not involve any human body at all. As if Cutter left the room by some other means.

_____________________________

Oss takes 20 on Search = 24
Skill rolls might provide evidence, but not solve mysteries...

[Lara]

Pellorien says, "I can get back to Fenwolt's from here. And maybe there is another thing to add to the list of things to do."

She pulls Gurend's book from her bag as she speaks, opening the front cover so that everyone can see the name written there: Daen ir'Turian.

"Fenwolt and I didn't have a lot of time to puzzle out what this journal contains, but there's this name in it. If the journal is really Gurend's, then maybe this is his real name. If he took it from someone and it's not his, then maybe... well, maybe this name belongs to someone who was involved in the sabotage that nearly killed us."

[Jeremy]

Goran is ready to go to Fenwolt's. After packing up his gear, he hands the kukri to Oss.

"Maybe you could use this? Or keep it close, perhaps you can return it to Cutter should we find him alive. I think the fact that it's here means Cutter did not leave this room willingly, in case anyone was in any doubt."

He turns and walks out into the passage.

"I'll wait downstairs and see how Kal and Tangat are doing. I'll be ready to head out to Fenwolt's, unless the group decides otherwise."

He turns and goes down the steps to the common room, where he'll grab a table, and prepare himself materially for the night's festivities, which will probably involve combat. If there is time, he will give the dagger from the Lady a closer inspection.

---

Jeff, forgive my 3E inexperience, but is there anything in particular Goran can do to attempt to understand this dagger a little better?

[Jeff]

Goran examines the dagger. He's no arms dealer, but he suspects the weapon is quite valuable. Clearly a masterwork dagger, made of some sort of steel alloy, it would probably be worth a few hundred galifars. This suspicion is confirmed when he draws the dagger out of its sheathe to examine the blade—it glows with a pale white light as brightly as a candle flame. He cannot determine its magical properties, but when he holds it in his grasp, he feels sure it would be easier to wield in battle than his own dagger, and is very likely worth a lot more than his first guess. On the market, a weapon like this would fetch—at the very minimum—five hundred galifars, almost as much as Goran's own bow.

____________________________________

Appraise checks are made in secret by the DM, so you don't know how accurate your assessment truly is.

Also, Jeremy: Kal is already there. Everyone's together right now. See above.

[Darren]

"Agreed. Let's go to Fenwolt's. I'll be downstairs when the rest of you are ready. I need to find someone in the dining room."

When Kalarian reaches the dining room, he looks to see if Jara is still around.

[Jeff]

Kal finds the dining hall to be filling up with patrons now. Numerous waitresses and various staff flit about. A few people look toward Kal and his eye-catching sharash, and there is a murmur of conversation. Kal can tell that some of the discussions involve the recent presence of the watch and the rumor of some sort of break-in.

There is no sign of Jara.

________________________________

Heading to Fenwolt's residence next...

[Joe]

Streko follows the group down to the first floor and prepares for the journey.

____________________________

If there is an hour's worth of waiting and such....Streko will meditate and pray and attempt to restore his spells...in which case I will let you know, Jeff, which spells Streko will be praying for.

[Josh]

Grafth takes up his shortspear, stows his handaxe, does an overall straightening of his belongings and clothes, and follows downstairs, ready to set out.

Catching up with Kalarian, he says, "Your endeavor was unsuccessful, but appreciated nonetheless. By me, at any rate. I don't believe this group is ready to trust anyone just yet."

He hefts his bag onto his shoulder. "Regardless, let's make the most of this trip, and be on our guard."

[Jeremy]

Goran wishes to purchase a small jar of berries from the Innkeeper, if possible.

Once he gets that (if he can get it), he is ready to roll. His suggestion is that he, Kal and Grafth (including Kal for his knowledge of the city) scout just a little ahead of the party.

"...and Pellorien why don't you tell the rest of us, along the way, where Fenwolt's is, just in case we get separated?"

If anyone is still in need of some quick healing, Goran will spend two Heal slots.

[Jeff]

Goran is unable to procure any berries just now. The barkeep promises to request something of that sort from the kitchen staff, but at this busy dinner hour he cannot accomodate him. Come back later, he says.

Your party exits the Soldier's Rest Inn. The warforged is sitting on the stool once again. "It's been interesting," he says to them as they pass.

Pellorien leads the way toward the Sovereign Ward. The pale yellow of Nymm continues to dominate the night sky, an eerie match to some of the distant yellow flame. Grafth's senses are alert—there is still the faint smell of smoke in the air—as you move through the waning traffic. In the late summer evening, the breeze is slightly cool and the crowds are thinning only a little bit. There's a good deal of talk about the fires.

"Ten people burned to a crisp, at least," a man says to his wife as the pass.

The Fairhaven watch is out in greater numbers. From the sour faces on some of them, you're guessing they pulled some of them back on shift from their homes.

"I bet it's the damned warmages," you hear one of them grumble. "Can't let the war go. Gotta blast something."

"Ask me, I'd say it's the Thranes," his female partner returns. "It's the wizards saved our asses in the war."

Pellorien leads the party to the street where the gnomes' residence awaits, just south of some large temples. It's a sizeable townhouse, on the corner, among a row of others. A wooden size hanging near the door reads: Ferenthoron.

Pellorien and Oss find that there are far fewer people lingering on this street. Most keep moving. The only other stationary occupants of the street at the moment is the fruit vendor (the same one from earlier!) and a woman (homeless?) in rags loitering nearby.

The windows of the Ferenthoron residence are dark. When Pellorien leads you up to the door, some of the light from the nearby everbright street lanterns spill through the foremost window. You can see an empty hall and two doors within. Everything else is lost in darkness.

_____________________________________

Jeremy: I'm not sure what you mean by "Heal slots." The Heal skill can't give hit points back; it's mostly for stabilizing dying people or treating poison or disease. And if you mean spell slots, I need you to be specific on what spells to be cast on whom.

[Darren]

Whispering, Kalarian says, "Pellorien, where did you see the bodies? Was it inside?" Looking around, Kalarian seems somewhat uncomfortable. "If anyone is watching this place, and I'd bet they are, we look very suspicious standing as a group in front of this door at this hour. We can try knocking. Maybe someone is here? At the very least, we at least look like we're not just skulking about. Does anyone know how to pick a lock? Or maybe we can find a back door? Standing out here seems like a good way to paint targets on our chests." Kal rolls down the sleeve of his shirt, covering up his conspicuous dragonmark.