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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Did you get the body?" Grimmgang asked once Daiya's wounds were taken care of. "Emerald Claw or not, killing in the middle of the streets won't make us friends here. I thought I had her, but when my second swing was about to hit her she was just... gone. Teleported away in the split second since my axe hit her."
As he began scouring the fallen soldiers and the room in general, he frowned in mild confusion. "That's strange... Way less blood loss than should be with a wound of that size. And that pale, hard flesh, looks like... Frost damage? Who of you did this?"
Spoiler
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search room. Check crate for biscuits :smalltongue:
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Indeed. The ruined form of our foe is waiting above. She was not the same who attacked us before. I believe it was the song of the Seren that gave bite to our blades," Shard added. "We must search this place, and decapitate the bodies, ere we end up fighting them twice..."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Xaxhan grins at Shard's description of his capabilities, "Aye, it's a talent of mine, a gift of my people and our draconic forebears. My songs can strengthen my allies, empower their blades, guide my sword arm, or power magic itself. I've found that versatility to be terribly helpful. Now what precisely is it that we're looking for? I'm curious to see why I had to spend so much energy chasing that fleeing cow of a mage. Speaking of which, who wants to help me drag her back down here?" With that, Xaxhan heads up and out to retrieve the corpse of the leader and hide it within the building.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Really", Grimmgang answered with cutting acerbity. "And it did not occur to you to tell us that little piece of information, I don't know, any time before we get into a fight? You're damn lucky we fought in magical darkness, otherwise I might bloody well have dropped my axe, mistaking your 'empowering song' for some kind of harmful enemy spell."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Xaxhan rolls his eyes before facing the dwarf, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Dreadfully sorry, my dwarven friend. How terribly impolite of me not to have disclosed every capability at my disposal before I eagerly assisted you in settling a private score with an order that has no quarrel with me! This was an especially unforgivable transgression, given how much you, your crystalline warforged friend, and the woman with the blindfold disclosed to me. Oh, how I beg your forgiveness!" Satisfied with his tirade, Xaxhan deposits the mangled body of the Emerald Claw in the basement before searching the area thoroughly.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
I am not warforged. Shard said with plain neutrality.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
The room turns out to contain little in the way of valuables, although a few coins are recovered from the bodies and from a purse tucked away in the writing desk. The magus seems to have had something of a sweet tooth; one of the crates does indeed appear to be almost half-filled with biscuits, although a few concessions to health are present in the form of dried meat and fresh bread. The other crate contains several sets of spare clothing in a variety of styles. The writing desk seems to have nothing but blank paper and a few vials of ink inside; a pile of ash in one corner suggests the usual fate of its productions.
Spoiler
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Aside from what's already been mentioned, 47g, 2s, 17c, 15 sheets of paper, 3 vials of ink, and a fair bit of food and clothing.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Grimmgang stared Xaxhan dead in the eyes for some intense seconds, though the effect was somewhat lessended because he had to look upwards the entire time. "Private spat? Don't be ridiculous. You may not have been on their hitlist before, but you very well know we need to find the grave of the Dragon's Eye former wielder to avoid being consumed by this", he raised his left hand, displaying the blue pattern of his Dragonmark and anyone wanting the Eye will be an enemy of the Claw. This fight likely made your future life way easier, don't pretend otherwise.
I will admit though that this ability of yours was most useful. Just warn me next time if you're about wreathe my body in flames that somehow don't burn my flesh but are harmful to people attacking me or something like that, alright?"
Taking the topmost piece of paper from the writing desk, Grimmgang rubbed over it with his fingers, checking for fine indentions left when writing on the now likely gone piece of paper above it. After that, removed the ink vials and smashed the desk with some quick blows to kindling; it was a crude method, but if there were any secret compartments that eluded his searching this should reveal them.
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did they leave enough of the corpse for a Speak With Dead? Sure would be useful.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
The paper appears pristine; it is likely that the sheets were used individually, rather than as a stack. Smashing the desk reveals only splinters; apparently, being buried two floors beneath the city under a hidden door was judged sufficient security for whatever operation was sheltered here. The corpse is severely damaged, but its head, at least, is more or less intact; it may be able to provide some information.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Fair enough," Xaxhan says, his sneer receding, "I'll try and keep you apprised of the useful things I can do. There are a great many, so it might be difficult. Shall we depart? I think we've found everything of value here, and it's starting to smell even worse than the rest of Adderport."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Unfortunately, the magus we slayed was not the same as the one who nearly shattered me. Though we have cleared out this base of operations, we will no doubt continue to be targeted...perhaps even moreso now."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Yes, let's scram, we got what we came for", the dwarf agreed after stashing all the valuables - which for now included the corpse of the magus, cleaned of her spilled blood and wrapped in some of the spare clothes she was considerate enough to keep here. As an afterthought, he took one of the biscuits and gave it an inquisitive bite. Satisfied with the result, he took a bagfull of them before moving to heave Drasil up the ladder.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
With your grisly cargo safely concealed, you make your way out of the safehouse, leaving the dull building looking little different from the outside, and through the silent streets back to the more populous areas of the city - unsuspected and unfollowed, as far as any of you can tell. The Claw's desire for secrecy may have deprived them of any chances of swift retribution.
The next day, safely ensconced in a room at the inn, you are able to spend some time examining your spoils. The dagger appears to heighten its wielder's level of passive readiness - a convenient tool for the paranoid - but Daiya's inspection of the scroll uncovers no magic properties. The aura remains intact, but whatever it is, it is not an innate property of the parchment.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"What then is our next move?" Shard asked. "If we are to seek out Jheamast's tomb, then Sarlona awaits. To the Swiftwind?"
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Well, I can't stand not knowing. Let's take a look at that scroll." He reached for it, ready to break the seal, but waited a moment for confirmation or objection from the others.
"We probably should sell that dagger while we're here, no telling when we're in a city again. Pity, the enchantment is nice, but none of us favors such a small weapon."
Spoiler
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even if we keep the second artifact I#ll only be a couple hundred GP away from affording a Ring of Diamond Mind. Can anyone give me a small loan? I'm so looking forward to make my attacks as touch :smallamused:
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Don't. If the scroll itself isn't magical, there's probably a spell cast on it. Which probably activates if we open it and aren't the intended recipient. We'll ask our friend when we talk to her, she might have some insight as to the enchantment."
Daiya woke up the next morning ready for interrogation, and once they can find a quiet location where speaking to a head isn't overly suspicious, she casts her spell.
Spoiler
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Asking the questions Fallen posited, plus "What is the nature of the enchantment on the scroll we recovered from the room we fought you in."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
The magus's corpse replies in a wet, stuttering voice, reminiscent of a victim of drowning.
"Two days."
"I do not know where the information came from."
"It is a snare for those who read it."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Xaxhan watches the grisly scene of Daiya chatting with the corpse- an unpleasant, but necessary measure. "Two days? That's all we bought? The sooner we get to Sarlona, the better, I suppose. At least the Claw won't know where we were headed without their spies to inform them." With that, Xaxhan takes pains to prepare himself and his gear for a swift departure to explore Jheamast's Tomb.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Two days is a lot when we're in what's basically a race to find Jheamast's tomb. We may find the Eye and make off with it before they catch up, or at the very least prevent them from putting stumbling stones into our path. Plus, that girl was nasty with her instant teleportation and ability to see when it's pitch black. Fighting her when she's better prepared with more minions would have been a nightmare.
Good call on the scroll, Daiya", Grimmgang conceded with a slight nod. "Any way to remove or circumvent the enchantment? Now I know they placed that thing to prevent others from reading it I'm all the more eager to do so."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Maybe there is..." Daiya remembered her time with the arcanists a few days ago, familiarizing herself with spells and their nature. "Xaxhan, is your order familiar with the spell 'Dispel Magic'? We could probably get a scroll for a reasonable price somewhere in town, and we'd be able to...hopefully...remove the enchantment on this scroll before we had to read it. I'm afraid my own gifts don't include this spell, but I understand most formal training in the magical arts allows its use."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Xaxhan turns an eyebrow upward toward Daiya. "My order? I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Do all of you mainlanders have orders you belong to? Emerald Claw, Cruciform Crystal, whatever. No, I'm not sure I can destroy the enchantment. My magical training s rather limited, and though I've seen such abjurations, I've never performed them myself. That said, I'd be more than happy to try."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Bypassing the problem of the concealed snare by not, technically, reading the sealed scroll at all, Xaxhan uses your newly acquired spell to acquire an understanding of its contents.
Xaxhan:Spoiler
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The scroll is a letter addressed to one Ren Dallan, and reads as follows:
"Ren –
Assuming you took the proper precautions, this should have reached you safely. If not – well, we'll find you next time we're around. I need you to trace a few individuals for me; standard pay. Meet S and L in the cave near Area 1 tomorrow; they'll have further instructions.
- D"
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Xaxhan "reads" the scroll aloud to his comrades, his brow furrowed with confusion as he touches the scroll and the thin crystal focus for the spell. He clears his throat before stating,
"'Ren –
Assuming you took the proper precautions, this should have reached you safely. If not – well, we'll find you next time we're around. I need you to trace a few individuals for me; standard pay. Meet S and L in the cave near Area 1 tomorrow; they'll have further instructions.
- D,'" he looks up at the party and continues, "Any idea who these might be? Ren, S, or L? What about Area 1? Would Sur'kil know anything about this, and if so, should we contact him? He is an S. Why must these bloody jobs always be so damn complicated..." He scratches idly at the Dragonmark crawling up his collarbone toward his throat.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"It would seem our foe has taken adequate precaution to encode their message lest the current situation come to pass. I see little here that can be of help to us, without proper knowledge of the cipher."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"Those instructions are useless, we can't make any of it without the code", Grimmgang said, none too happy about it. "She called her minions by name - Dal and something with A, so likely these S and L are completely different people.
Now I'm wondering... Who's the intended recipient of that message? Those guys were tracking us, and the mage might have bypassed the seal just as we did, but she had no reason to not turn the scroll into ashes after receiving it. So there's a third party, independent of the Emerald Claw since payment was offered. And he was supposed to trace a group of people, which might be us, or not since they already kept tabs on us themselves..."
He leaned back, grumbling. "Seems we won't get much more out of this than idle speculation. Let's just hope the message never reached the intended target, which should in some way or another give the Claw a disadvantage."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"It was addressed to Ren Dallan. It's possible that 'Dal' was the nickname of one of the minions, but I think it's safe to assume that the letter was intended for the magus we slew. Who might the sender be, however? Dal might have been the 'D' in the message. It's all terribly confusing." The Seren bard pauses a moment, lost in thought. "If time permits, I suppose I could go out about town in disguise trying to find out about this Ren Dallan, assuming we didn't kill them. Or maybe try and uncover whatever 'Area 1' is. It'd take me a while, but I might be able to scrounge up some information from the townsfolk. Sur'kil might know something as well, though I'm not sure how much you want him to be made aware of this. Perhaps it's simply best if we head for Sarlona as quickly as we can, and keep our eyes peeled for anyone who might have something to do with this letter." Xaxhan looks at his companions, solicitous of their comments.
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Free for the moment of the Claw's watching eyes, at least as far as you can tell, you depart Adderport aboard the Swiftwind as evening begins to set in, the elemental galleon making good time south and east through Adder Bay. Captain Thaddeus, a well-dressed, olive-skinned man of middle age with nary a hair on his head, approaches you as the sun touches the horizon and the shallow waters of the bay begin to fall behind you.
"Well then, friends, where precisely are we bound? I was told you'd be heading to the Principalities, and quietly, but nothing more than that."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"The next big port city you can reach I guess", Grimmgang answered noncommittally.
"Well guys, I can scout places in the wilderness or shadow people, but I'm no expert at just asking the right questions to get a likely obscure piece of information. Reading dusty old tomes is not my specialty as well. This one's on you I fear. I can try my luck in the taverns, but don't expect too much from it."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
Xaxhan smiles at Grimmgang,"Don't worry about the discreet questioning, you just keep your eyes peeled for more of those troublemakers we ran into earlier." He turns to address the entire party and Captain Thaddeus, "I suggest we start in Regalport. It's the largest city in the Principalities, which will help us blend in and hopefully have the most information. Plus, the Pirate Exchange is the grandest market I've ever seen, we might find something useful there. Most importantly, I might be able to find some of my old contacts in the region, or at least a familiar face. I know the area pretty well, which can't hurt."
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Re: Eyes of the Lich Queen IC
"And I suppose I'll continue to attract attention wherever I go..." Shard said. "Perhaps there is a way we could use that to our advantage...perhaps those who put their attention on my-self, will fail to notice our dwarf..."