Crash & Burn IC

[3SecondCultist]

Meera nods at Ignatius, patting at her belt. "I'm fine, a bit of healing patched me up nicely. That's not to say your shifter friend didn't leave an... impression on my men." She turns to her squadron, with a sharp look that tells them to cease immediately. Some of them continue to stare at Autumns even so, waiting for her to come out of the remnants of her catatonic rage.

"I will do as you ask, and send for some more priests to try and perform an exorcism. In the meantime, I believe you were looking for accommodations, and reports about the museum? The former, I can arrange for you now, and the latter is forthcoming. I should be able to deliver it to whatever address you choose within Wroat before tomorrow." She leans in closely towards the gnome, likely to stop her guards from hearing. Her voice is barely above a whisper. "Thank you again. Your train will be departing tomorrow morning, at the eighth bell. I will be waiting for you at the lightning rail station, to get you to your private car. Kor has arranged everything." She smiles, and hands him a plain envelope, with a weight and shape inside that could only be a key. "The Bronze Aegis, on the south shore near the bridge to the Citadel. Show them this and ask for the executive suite, and all seven of you will be well taken care of. It's discreet and warded against intrusions."

[CandyLaser]

"Before we leave, I'd like to do a more thorough search myself. We found the shard, and the vest - who knows what other evidence we might uncover, if we are not interrupted again by more vengeful spirits?" said Orlov. "If any such spirits happen to be listening, I'd appreciate it if you came out now," he called to the empty air, wryly.

Spoiler: Actions

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Unless someone objects, I'm going to cast another skill enhancement infusion for a +6 to search. I believe the inquisitive's kit adds another +4. Then I'd like to take 20 on a search, to really give the place a good going-over. If all of this is allowed I'd end up with a 40 on my search check.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"And thank you, lieutenant," Ignatius whispers back as he accepts the proffered envelope and tucks it into a pocket inside his vest. More loudly, he says, "You and your squad have been most helpful. The Host watch over you all," before walking over to Autumn.

"I don't believe there should be any lingering effects from your...recent experience," he tells the shifter softly, "but if there is anything at all I can do for you to help, do not hesitate to ask."

[Mechanix]

The great beast-woman topples over as the ghost leaves her body, falling to her knees in shock and surprise. Her eyes shift back to amber, rage distorts her features again - and then fades, as she shudders and lets the wrath flow out of her. She has done too much harm today already. Her claws grasp at the cracks in the ground, and she sighs heavily, finding her core of peace and self-discipline. The wings open wide, flap once, and fold back unto themselves and into her back; the tail is swallowed by her body; claws and fangs retract, and she becomes small again. Weak.

And then she just stands there, head hanging low, hair covering her face, breathing slowly - almost catatonic. The cries of the guards, the sounds talking and rushing around, the explaination pass all around her in a blur. She does not listen. She is reviving someone else's death a hundred times over. She grits her teeth. Do not cry.

Then the gnome - the gnome she remembers tearing into so savagely - comes up to her, and asks, and she peeks at him from a curtain of auburn locks. Tears are rushing down her face. Or maybe it's just the rain.

"She was in... such pain... She saw her son die, and she had to lie there, trapped, bleeding out... I can... I can still feel it as if it had happened to me..."

She gulps, shakes her head, pulls her hair back behind her shoulder. Shivers again. Forces her voice to steady.

"She felt betrayed. The man who killed her - he was military too. Maybe Brelandish or just working for them once, but she remembered him. He had a ring... And that sad smile... He knew he was going to die when he came in, but he didn't realize how. He turned the ring, whispered something to it - before anyone could realize what was happening, the shards just... lit up... and he panicked. Not what he expected. And then..." she cringes again, wiping the droplets off her face. "Fire. Her son dying in front of her eyes. Nothing much useful afterwards."

She stands up on shaky legs, still trembling by moment, and looks out - to the guards, to Lieutenant Meera. "I am so, so sorry... I should have been stronger."

[3SecondCultist]

The lieutenant, after talking to Ignatius, moves back towards Autumn. She is wearing her heart on her sleeve, and the look she gives you isn't angry, or hurt, or betrayed. It's sympathy, sharing the same sorrow. She listens to the shifter's words, bowing her head slowly. "We un-uncovered the bodies of several children in the blast. I am so sorry." She takes a step towards Autumn. And then another. And before anybody knows it, the woman's got the shifter in a big embrace. The clink of her metal is the only sound you hear, matching her breathing pattern.

"Tell me, what was her name? I want to find a way to honor her memory, who she was and not what she became."

[Mechanix]

There's a moment of surprise - of fear, even - as the other closes in with unknown intent... Then the arms close around her, and Autumn's eyes widen in surprise. And she... relaxes. Returns the embrace, still-trembling hands closing around the armor, and she closes her eyes and swallows her last sob. All the pain and sorrow transmitted to her feel as if washing out, into the rain, into the Lieutenant's warmth. Autumn smiles sadly.

"Aana... Aana Thorn. That was her name. She was in the military, but had left before the attack on Cyre, found a new life. Her son was called..." A rush of memory, which she lets pass through her quietly. "Jason. He wanted to see the Knights and Knaves gallery..." She shakes her head. "She was a good woman. Only a victim of her pain." Then she splits from the embrace, smiling still. "Thank you. For that. Me and my companions... We will make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. You have my word."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Joresh walked over as Autumn recovered. He grew visibly excited as he heard the Shifter describe the ghost's memories Wait, are you saying she was a witness? Go over the event again in your mind, can you recall any more details about the bomber? You said he was Brelish and he triggered the attack using a ring? What was his race? Age? Even minor details could turn out to be valuable information.

He knelt down beside her. In a more gentle tone, he said. If it's alright with you, I would like to access your surface thoughts while you are remembering the attack. Words and the spoken language are an imperfect medium for communicating information, and its possible that important details could be lost. The more people that know what happened during the attack, the better.

Spoiler: OOC:

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Manifesting Read Thoughts targeting Autumn.
Expanding Psionic Focus, so its a DC 19 Will check. Unless Autumn chooses to fail the will save.

and I believe Orlov moved away to check out the ruins so the circle is probably gone. (GM's call). If the circle is still obviously nearby, then Joresh will not use the power.

spending 3 power points.

[Mechanix]

Autumn shakes her head, the sudden onslaught of questions forcing her out of her moment of quiet. She frowns, muttering, "What? I..." Then she waves her hand, as if swatting away some invisible bug. "No! Man, I literally just escaped possession by a ghost, and now you want to peer into my mind? THere's a time and place for things, and that's not it. Get back."

She stands up, brushing off her coat, teeths gritted slightly, blinking as she'd just come under the effect of a harsh light. "The bomber was just... normal. Average looking, probably human. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes, pretty unremarkable all told. Only the smile was weird, and the ring, but Aana didn't get a close look at it. He turned it twice and whispered something to it, and then the... vest thing appeared on him and the dragonshards were lighting up. Then he panicked, the first to scream. Then... kaboom. And the rest is several hours of bleeding to death under a pile of rubble, maybe you want to experience it firsthand too? Don't go looking into things you don't want to learn."

Spoiler

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A will save: (1d20+7)[9]
On a failed roll, you learn exactly what Autumn just told you, broken up by static of random painful images and traumatic bursts of pain/anger/sadness.

[n0ble]

Calandras' ears perk up at the mention of what is clearly a safe house.

Calandras takes in the exchange between the lieutenant, the Kalashtar and Shifter with a blank gaze. One might almost think his passive face resembles boredom. At Autumn's exclamation, Calandras smiles, "Good to see you haven't lost your fighting spirit Autumn" Raising himself up, he looks over at Ignatius, while thinking absently at Joresh, <There are much more simple ways to die than provoking a shifter, little Kalashtar. Tread lightly> Despite the monotone delivery of the message, one would almost get the sense that he is trying to warn the Psion. Then, to Ignatius in gnomish, "Shall we go to... the Bronze Aegis was it? I trust in you to lead the way, Speaker. My knowledge of this city is...lacking." he says with a hint of bitterness, as if his ignorance is an affront to the people around him.

Spoiler: OCC

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3Sec ruled that I could use my listen check that I made when scanning the rubble to eavesdrop on the conversation between Ignatius and the Lieutenant

[3SecondCultist]

Taking up Calandras' suggestion, Meera has her guards fan out: a few of them guard the entrances, and others split up, heading out into Wroat to get you what you need. She waits for you to finish the last round of investigations in and around the attack site, before accompanying all seven of you out of the museum. The lieutenant herself eventually heads off herself, towards the Citadel on the island that makes up the heart of the capital. "The museum staff should get an official report to you within a few hours - I'll tell them to look for at the Bronze Aegis. It's only a few blocks away, shouldn't be too taxing a journey, even for the wizened elders." She smirks for a moment, before realizing that it's probably not very appropriate. She nods awkwardly at Autumn, as though unsure how to say goodbye. And the woman waves at the rest of you, allowing herself to smile once more before she has disappeared into the grey throng.

All in all, the trip across the Howling River and through Wroat takes less than twenty minutes by foot. With Meera's directions, you are able to find the Aegis easily enough. A fairly squat building, it lies at the end of a side street, tucked away from the main thoroughfares and yet still close enough to the arteries of life that make up this city. A pair of worn looking oak doors and a swinging sign of a shield are all that mark out the inn from the surrounding residences. You can see that someone has just put on some wood varnish, but didn't wait long enough before trying to apply a new coat of paint to the door itself. As a result, a great deal of faded bronze flakes are still peeling from the surface, and you notice several around the stone at your feet. Two torches flank the entrance, although they are not lit. In this rain, there would be little point.

The interior of the inn itself is quite different from its appearance might have led you to assume. For starters, it's clean, well-lit, and quiet. No food is served, and no drink is drunk. The patrons of the bar are, almost without exception, warforged. They sit at tables, quietly murmuring to each other. As you step in, the bar quiets past where it was for a second, and then the low noise of conversation resumes. None of them seem to pay you any mind, or if they do none of them approach you. Behind the bar - or what passes for a bar in this place - another warforged stands politely waiting for you to approach. He has scarlet accents on his composite plating, and you notice a spear of some sort hanging on the wall behind him.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Once everyone is inside, Ignatius turns to everyone else and says "Allow me to make us a bit more presentable" in a soft enough voice to not carry over the conversation in the room. He concentrates for a moment, then makes a shooing gesture with one hand towards each of his companions in turn, and the rain, dust, blood, and any other signs of the brief battle and poor weather vanish from each one's clothes. "There, that should do for now."

Spoiler

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Ignatius uses his racial prestidigitation to clean everyone up.

That done, he walks over to the warforged behind the bar and stretches up on tiptoe to get a better view. "Good day," he says cheerfully as he discreetly withdraws the lieutenant's envelope from his vest pocket and slides it across the bar. "Seven for the executive suite, please."

[3SecondCultist]

The warforged nods, without ornament. He takes out the key, examining it for a moment. To your thinking, he seems to find it genuine, as he leaves the bar and heads towards the stairs in the back of the building, gesturing for all of you to follow.

Two flights of stairs and another nondescript door later, you find yourselves in an entrance hall, which one could only describe as lavish. A large walk-in closet for your wet clothes is to your left, with a polished iron shoe rack to your right. Down the hall, the suite opens up into an airy dining room, with a large circular table surrounded by nine high-backed chairs. Further on, you can see the makings of a very comprehensive kitchen and a fully stocked larder and bar, and several more hallways extend towards what you can only assume are bedrooms and washrooms. Judging by the floor-plan, this executive suite takes up the entirety of the third floor of this building, and several high-set windows offer a good view of the city rooftops, all the way to the great walls and beyond, into farmland. The windows all seem to be south-facing, though, so you don't see Brokenblade castle or any of the river.

Wordlessly, the warforged nods at all of you and closes the door. He doesn't seem all that willing to show you around, confident you'll be able to figure it out for yourselves.

[bcool999]

Ethan

The Karrnathi major is just a hair away from complaining to the 'bartender' about the observed lack of alcohol in his establishment, when the bar and larder come into view. Grinning, Ethan makes his way over and looks at what they have for food and drink in this place... after all, there wasn't much he could attribute to the investigation, but he could at least pour drinks and pass out rations.

[Rofltrollcopter]

When the Warforged leaves, Joresh comments We might want to go out for dinner. I'm not sure if I would trust a Warforged's sense of taste. Joresh immediately goes to claim one of the rooms, preferably the one that's furthest away from anyone else. He summons an Astral Construct to move all of the furniture out of the room. If anyone asks about this peculiar behavior, he says I prefer to supply my own things.

He messages the entire group: We should check to make sure this place is secure. If nothing else, its good practice for once we get to Thrane.

Spoiler: OOC:

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Take 20 on search, for 26 total. He asks Hero to look around using Mindsight.

At some point while the group gets settled in, he goes to talk with Autumn. He speaks with her using telepathy to ensure that he is not overheard. He speaks to her in a soft, quiet tone. <Hey, are you doing alright? I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier. You just went through a really traumatic experience, and I should have been more sensitive. I sincerely apologize for that. I won't belittle what happened by saying that 'I understand what you went through' or offering any other empty platitudes. You went through something really horrific, and it's not easy dealing with stuff like that. If you ever need someone to talk to, I am here for you.>

Joresh wasn't nearly as sincere as he sounded. His first priority was making sure that the team's fighter was in the right headspace. If she had a panic attack while in Thrane, it could spell disaster for the entire mission. That was not acceptable. Although... he couldn't help but feel some amount of sympathy for her. By invading her privacy, he had a chance to witness the trauma through her memories. He recalled the sensation of being trapped under rubble in great visceral detail. As ironic as it was, Joresh was perhaps the one member of the group who could come closest to understanding what she went through.

He added <I'm going to visit the Kalashtar in Wroat at some point this evening. Your welcome to come with me if you want. My people have healers that specialize in treating mental trauma caused by the intrusion of foreign memories. I'm sure we can find someone willing to help you> That part was true. Kalashtar were gestalt entities, composed of immortal dream spirits and mortal humanoids. The host sometimes received a memory from the spirit that they had a difficult time coming to terms with. It wasn't unheard of for Kalashtar to be driven insane by that experience.

He speaks up Does anyone know where the Kalashtar quarter is in Wroat? I need to get some supplies before tomorrow.

Spoiler: OOC

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If someone could make a knowledge: local check for Joresh, that would be appreciated.

On the off chance DC 10 is good enough.
(1d20+6)[11]

Assuming he finds nothing nefarious, he gets the dragonshard and vest and puts them down on the table in the common room. So what do you guys make of this? According to Autumn, a ring was twisted twice, which caused the vest to be teleported to the bomber. He addresses the whole group, but he singles out Esara and Beren. The two Dragonmarked heirs would be the most qualified members of their group to figure out this mystery. Based on its design, would it be possible to figure out who built this? Maybe we can track it down to some specific manufactory where it was constructed? He shrugged and talked to Esara I'll throw in my two coppers. I overheard you mention that you thought these Dragonshards were bound to Fire Elementals. Is it possible that they contained other entities instead? Like Demons of Shavarath or something of equally malevolent nature? Khyber Dragonshards are the only type that can be naturally found in Sarlona. My people have used them to bind spirits from the Plane of Dal Quor, so I know its possible for Khyber shards to bind other types of Outsiders.

Spoiler: OOC:

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On the vest and dragonshard:

Psi-craft:(1d20+19)[27]
Knowledge(Psionics): (1d20+14)[33]

[n0ble]

"Thank you, Ethan." Calandras says, accepting a small glass from the Major. He glances over at the chairs and table Nine chairs but only seven of us. Clearly a meeting place of some kind. Probably agents of the crown. Or the king and his brother.

In a calm, and measured voice that is at odds with his appearance, the rotund squire states: "There's something else, Joresh. Autumn mentioned that the man with the vest was military. Normally I would say it would just be a coincidence. Military men are good at following orders and are often detailed oriented. Helps them achieve their missions." he pauses, looking over at the major, then down at his own feet, "But this is, this is peacetime. And the one thing worse than a solider during war is a bunch of pissed off soldiers without a war to fight anymore. I guess what I'm trying to say is, wouldn't be too much of a leap to assume that whoever's doing this is recruiting from the disenfranchised military elements of Khorvaire."

He continues on, the meter and gait of his speech increasing slightly "This also poses another problem: the woman herself was military. If a nation can't protect the people who have fought in what was one of the bloodiest conflicts this world has ever seen, it's going to leave a lot of military personel very unhappy. You saw how angry the ghost was. What good is a nation's government if it can't protect it's people? Especially the ones that have fought so hard for their peace? If the information that military veterans across Khorvaire are being killed as part of a string of terrorist attacks, that would leave a lot of angry military personel who've already been chewed up and spit out by the system they served. It would be a simple matter of convincing said angry military to rise up and take over from a government that no longer protects them. he spits out the word government. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Whoever controls those militaries, well they would control the Five Nations wouldn't they?" he pauses, seemingly a little stunned at how much he's said "Ahem, I mean I could be all wrong. Who's to say?"

Calandras lets the question hang in the air before contacting Joresh telepathically, <We need to speak. Two people are going to be here very soon and they'll most likely ask us to hand over what we've found, in some form or another. Under no circumstances should we hand over the shard and vest to whoever is meeting us here. For all we know, we could simply be investigating the bombings to find evidence that will be turned over to the culprit. In a way, we'd be investigating him so that he could cover his tracks on the next attack. No telling if he's part of the Breland hierarchy or not. The evidence should stay with us. Inform the others. Lets hope they can lie well". Calandras glances over nervously at the Major as he transmits the thought to Joresh.

Spoiler: OCC

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Knowledge Local, using an inspiration point, for a total of +14 to see if theres any kalashtar around in the area: (1d20+14)[19]

I now have 11 Inspiration points left for today.

[CandyLaser]

After Joresh remarks that he'll be leaving, Orlov adds - "I'll need to go out myself. I need to pick up a few supplies before our trip to Flamekeep. Hopefully, the private car will be calm, and I'll have the chance to get some research done." In response to Calandras, he remarks, "Theories can be misleading. I prefer to work based on fact, not speculation. It's all well and good to posit some sort of conspiracy designed to rile up dissatisified servicemen - but all the evidence we have to go on is Autumn's report of what she saw while she was possessed by a crazed ghost. That's hardly compelling. Perhaps the man was a mercenary, or perhaps his parents simply demanded that he show good posture. No, I think we should wait to form theories until we know more. Perhaps we will glean some clues when I study the vest and the shard. And on that note... if no one objects, I would like to see both. I'll need a clean and quiet place to work."

Once he gets what he needs, Orlov goes quiet as he examines the devices. He peers at them through a monocle for some time, using it to examine the magical flows and auras surrounding the vest and the shard. He withdraws some reference books from his pack, his jaw set as he concentrates intently on the mystery before him. After mundane approaches are exhausted, he resorts to mystic methods - after a minute spent braiding a three-pronged oak twing into a charm, his investigations prove more fruitful. Finally, he pulls on a pair of white lace gloves with silvery threading throughout the palms and fingers, lays his gloved hands on the objects, and concentrates for minutes, letting visions of past owners flow into him through the gloves' magic.

[3SecondCultist]

Orlov's careful examination of the vest proves to be more than simply fruitful, and closer to illuminating. His artificer talent instinctively tells him of the vest's artificial quality, and his keen eye for spells tells him a good deal more than that. After repairing some of the damage, he is able to get a better picture of what the best itself looked like before the blast, although there are still many pieces missing. By the looks of it, the metal wiring around the vest was to keep the three dragonshards in place around the waist of whoever was wearing it: one over the stomach, and one on each side. With the aid of his monocle, the Cannith tinker is able to uncover some of the actual spells used in the creation of the vest. Just like Esara has uncovered, the magic is indeed conjuration-based.

The first spell is actually an enhancement normally placed on armor or shields, to call it to the wearer from anywhere on the same plane instantaneously. However, Orlov notices that the spell has been modified to effect an otherwise mundane piece of clothing, and the workings of the magic have been slightly altered, so that the vest can be called from a specific pocket dimension. Of the two spells, this is by far the weakest. Orlov looks at the three slots where the Khyber dragonshards were inserted, and sees an exceptionally powerful planar binding spell, one used to call and trap elementals much stronger than the average summoner. Whoever made this item has incredible skill, a lot of time, and likely a great deal of money. The dragonshard itself is broken, and while it previously held an incredibly destructive force, it has no magic remaining.

Finally, Orlov puts on the gloves and begins to examine both objects. That's when things really become interesting. Of the vest, he sees only two owners. The most recent owner is a male changeling, 26 years of age with a very strong tendency towards evil and chaos. He obtained the vest from the second owner, and he lost it to someone else, an unknown who does not qualify as an owner. The second most recent owner is a human woman, 32 years old with a similar lack of morals but none of the same chaotic fervor. She is also the first owner, having crafted the vest herself. The dragonshard reveals an even more detailed history of ownership. Besides the same two owners as the vest, its third most recent owner was a human male, 28 years old of the same outlook as the human woman. He bought the dragonshards from the fourth most recent owner and gave it to the second most recent one. The last of the dragonshard's owners is a half-orc, male and 23 years old. He is the only one among them to seem to be free of evil influences, although he shares the changeling's chaotic mindset and isn't exactly on the side of the angels either.

Spoiler

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In case you were wondering: from identify, you saw a customized called enhancement and three instances of greater planar binding built into the harness on the vest. And the alignments of the owners are CE for the changeling, NE for the human man and woman, and CN for the half-orc. Just so there isn't any confusion.

[rypt]

Esara

Picking out a seat at the table with a view of the skyline, Esara leans back in her chair, taking a moment to enjoy the comforts of a lifestyle she had left behind years ago. She watches amusedly as Joresh hurries to claim a room for himself, a behavior reminiscent of a child's claim to the shiniest toy or the largest piece of pie. When Ethan ventures to explore the bar, she calls after him. "How's it look over there? Any Orla-un or Windshire rainbow?" Esara had never cared much for Aundairian politics, but their wines, on the other hand...

With Fiowyn by her side, and hopefully a glass of wine in hand, Esara waits patiently for the others to join her at the table. When the broken shard and vest are at last made available for her examination, she seems to focus her attention primarily on the deep blue crystal. "Well, I'm sure Beren could tell you more of the vest's construction than I can," she replies to Joresh, "but of the dragonshards themselves, yes, it is possible that they contained creatures other than fire elementals. Certainly fire elementals would have been the simplest to control, but there are other far more sinister Fernian natives that could have been responsible for a blast of that magnitude. Whirlfire elementals are a purely malicious and destructive force, the living incarnations of wind, fire and demonic will. They are often referred to as living holocausts, a colorful nickname, certainly, but one not entirely undeserved. They sustain themselves in the most terrible fashion -- by burning other creatures alive -- and once loosed upon the Material Plane, they will subjugate others into bringing them the living offerings they need to sate their hunger. Merely calling one to this world is a profoundly dangerous undertaking and I know of no organization that has ever attempted, let alone succeeded, in binding a whirlfire elemental to a dragonshard."

[Rofltrollcopter]

Joresh listens while Calandra's explains his theory. At the end of the telepathic message, he looks startled. Wait, slow down a bit. I'm missing something. You think someone is coming here to steal the evidence? What makes you think that?

He says to everyone <Once Beren finishes his work I think we should call the King and report what we've found.>

[n0ble]

"No." the changeling replies to Joresh, "What I'm saying is don't turn the evidence over to anyone except the King. Anyone else could simply be in league with the persons behind the bombings, meaning we'd be giving our evidence away to the enemy." he pauses, glancing at the table and nine chairs. "There are nine chairs and seven of us, which indicates to me that two more people may arrive. Why set up a room for nine if you know only seven people are present? If these extra two do arrive, and if they ask for the vest and shard, we should not give either to them. We should make sure all physical evidence stays with us."

[bcool999]

Ethan

Finding the bar well stocked, Ethan pours himself and Cal a little something to remind them of home, Nightwood ale, a finer beverage had never been produced in Ethan's estimation. He makes a face at Esara's request and says, "What is so good about that Aundarian swill? I suppose I am just not one to enjoy the taste of grapes squashed by some aged monk's bare feet." Despite his criticisms, Ethan pulls out the bottle of Orla-un and pours a glass for Esara. He then looks to the others in the party who haven't stated a drink preference and says, "There is also water here if you are not one for drinking."

[CandyLaser]

Orlov shares what he saw using his gloves and his skills. "We may have more than one whirlfire elemental. I detected traces of three powerful conjuration and binding spells. The vest could also be summoned from a pocket dimension, which is quite clever. I must say, I respect the skill and attention that went into this."

"What's more, I can tell you about the last owners. The vest had two owners, a 26 year old changeling male and a 32 year old human woman. The woman is the one who made the vest, but it seems that the changeling was not the one who set off the blast. He lost the vest to someone else; if he lost the vest when it detonated, I would have seen it. This is interesting, because normally, using an item to do violence to others leaves significant psychic residue." Orlov gestures toward an empty chair, and continues. "I might sit in that chair, and it wouldn't leave a psychic trace. But if I picked it up and smashed it over your head, that act would leave behind evidence, evidence these gloves could discover. Even if I never touched the chair again, that evidence would be left behind. As for the dragonshard, it was owned by the same two people, but before the woman had it, a 28 year old human man owned it. He bought it from a half-orc, 23 years of age. I suspect the half-orc is a prospector, likely affiliated with House Tharashk, who found it. I also suspect that it was this human man who bound the elemental within."

[Rofltrollcopter]

I suppose it would sound snobby if I said that I only preferred my own stuff. He shrugged. Do they have any Valenar wine back there? To be honest, my race doesn't handle liquor well, so I'll only have a little bit of that. I'm going to have some unpleasant business to take care of tonight. I can't afford to impede my ability to control my emotions.

He looked quizzically at Calandras. Maybe the cleaners just forgot to take the chairs out? The King's office only had a few hours to arrange lodging for us. He gestured at the spacious accommodations. Finding a place like this on short notice? I wouldn't be surprised at all if a few details were out of place. If it makes you feel better, we haven't decided to hand the evidence over to anyone yet. He looked at Beren Is there a reason that we should hold onto it?

He listened intently to Beren offer his explanation and he lets out a low whistle once he is done. wow... a greater planar binding? That's a scary amount of power. I don't think any of us are in that kind of weight class. My second thought is that setup seems needlessly complicated. If you can teleport in the bomb, couldn't you use alchemical explosives? Or set a bunch of fireballs to go off? The person that put this together was smart, so its probably to safe to assume they had a good reason to use this setup. What advantage does this method offer over more conventional alternatives?

He listened to the explanation of the Object Reading. Yeah, that sounds right. I think your item replicates the effects of a psionic power used by Seers. Not my area of expertise, but its reliable.

This is all conjecture at this point, but wouldn't it make sense for the woman to have done the binding if she originally created the vest? Lets call her the Artificer. She's human, she is quite skilled, and apparently quite wealthy. Sounds like someone with ties to House Cannith to me. There's a potential motive in there too, Cannith made enough gold during the war to make a Dragon blush. War's over, there isn't as much demand for their services. Not to mention the Treaty of Thronehold forbade them from selling their most profitable product; the Warforged. They are the largest unified House out there, they would have the resources to pull this off.

Then her partner... let's call this one the Handler. He's a changeling. I have a massive grudge agianst those bastards. They're sneaky, manipulative, good at getting peoples' trust and then betraying them. It's his job to find some poor sods willing to kill themselves, and then set them up to deliver the bombs.

As for the human man who delivered the shards to the Artificer... We don't know enough about him, but he is associated with the Artificer. He gave it to her. It wasn't a business transaction. So he is involved with the Conspiracy somehow. Maybe he's just a middleman, someone who does the work that the Artificer and the Handler can't be bothered to do themselves. Or maybe he's more important, we don't know enough yet.

Regardless, we have more then information to justify contacting our sponsor.


Joresh closes his eyes and focuses. The sound in the room was slightly muffled, although it was still possible to hold a conversation. Anyone outside would have a hard time eavesdropping

OOC: manifest Control Sound to mute noise leaving the room.


Joresh pulls out the sending stone and puts it on the middle of the table. Attack carried out using rings to teleport dragonshards containing Hellstorm Elementals. Found proof Conspiracy is responsible. Three individuals involved. We are Proceeding to Thrane tomorrow.

[bcool999]

Ethan

Having taken a seat and tipping it back slightly as he enjoyed his drink, Ethan listens in on the conversation. After hearing about the previous owners and how the most recent one, the changeling, lost the item to the bomber he speaks up. "Something doesn't sit right with me about the last owner having 'lost' the bloody thing. How would you lose something like that? How would anyone know you had it if it was in some other dimension? Also, from what the spirit saw," he nods to Autumn at this point, "is sounds like he looked more surprised than anyone else that the thing appeared around him and killed him. So how do you know how to turn a magical gizmo on if you picked it up from someone who 'lost it'? I say that poor dumb sod who activated the thing won it gambling. Changeling might have told any old tale to make the ring seem like it would cover a bet, maybe he even pulled a bait and switch by showing him one effect but fooling him into activating the other. Then he just throws a game and 'lost it' to the poor sod who thought his ship had come in."

Ethan shakes his head sadly and returns his chair to all it's legs. "It's a interesting delivery system if you think about it. The bomber wouldn't even know what they were about to release. No mind magics would see them coming, detection spells would also be useless, and, assuming I am right, even if we catch the bomber before he activates the thing, he wouldn't know anything about who gave him the bomb and what it actually does." Ethan slams his glass down on the table angrily and says, "There are plenty of desperate fools in the slums and gambling dens of any city large enough to be a target that would throw out common sense if they thought a bit of magic would raise them out of the mud and disease of the back alleys."

Spoiler: Sense motive DC 8

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It's easy to tell that the Major speaks about the slums from a first hand experience. Which might explain his more unrefined qualities not found in an a normal military officer.

[3SecondCultist]

Although it takes a few moments, you do hear a reply from the king, as a natural extension of the sending spell embedded into the stone. Those of you with knowledge of the spell remember that this doesn't count as his use, and should he wish to contact you again before tomorrow, you will have ample opportunity to reply in kind.

"Understood. Will launch inquiry into use of living holocaust weapons. Lightning rail ready and departing for Flamekeep at eighth hour. Stop the attack. Be careful." After that, the stone goes dark as the magic is dormant, at least until the morning. You are left alone, to complete whatever business needs attending to before that time.

[Mechanix]

Autumn remained mostly silent on the way to the Bronze Aegis. Once inside, she let on a few smile, cracked a couple jokes, and enjoyed two pints of beer, sipped throughout the evening. Her heart was not in it, though - she remained quiet, a bit distant. When Joresh reached to her mind, she blinked in surprise, eyes widening slightly - but then she relaxed.

At some point while the group gets settled in, he goes to talk with Autumn. He speaks with her using telepathy to ensure that he is not overheard. He speaks to her in a soft, quiet tone. <Hey, are you doing alright? I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier. You just went through a really traumatic experience, and I should have been more sensitive. I sincerely apologize for that. I won't belittle what happened by saying that 'I understand what you went through' or offering any other empty platitudes. You went through something really horrific, and it's not easy dealing with stuff like that. If you ever need someone to talk to, I am here for you.>

<Don't worry about it. It's forgotten. The truth is, I have seen worse things in my day than what I saw today, I had just never experienced it so vividly, so personally. It will pass, in time, I just need to relax a bit, cool my head, think of different things. Thank you for your offer, but I'll be fine. I'll take you up on it if... it doesn't pass on its own. But for now I'll do what I always have, and roll with the punches.>

The rest of the evening was simple. She followed most of the conversation quietly - once the specific details only she had known had been conveyed to the other, her role fell to the sideline, as she was not as good a thinker and an interpreter of datas as some of them were; that suited her just fine, as she did not wish to dwell overmuch on the subject. She nodded when she agreed, frowned when someone said something that didn't seem right, and mostly kept sipping her pint.

"I think... I think we need to keep in mind that the bomber seemed like... he knew he was going to die. He had that sad smile on his face, that look of resignation. He just didn't know that this was how he was going to die, which is... strange. What did he think? Either he was lied to - he expected to die in some other way - or the vest... malfunctioned. But I don't like that last idea. Seems too pat."

She shrugs. "Not like we can figure it out tonight, anyway. We better get a good night's sleep and head to Thrane as soon as we can."

[PairO'Dice Lost]

After a quiet reminder to Autumn that he was there to talk whenever she needed him, Ignatius too mostly stays out of the conversation. Elemental binding has always been outside of his area of expertise, very deliberately so, and he feels that he'd best let the more technical minds tackle the problem for now.

At Autumn's mention of getting a good night's sleep, he rises and addresses the group: "Indeed, we must prepare for our trip to Thrane as best as we possibly can. I plan to head out this evening to purchase some healing items for the days ahead; the Host's power is limitless, but I am merely a fragile vessel for it, and after having seen what we face in person I worry that I might not be able to channel enough healing power to meet our needs. If anyone has other errands to run tonight, I would always welcome the company."

Spoiler

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Ignatius wants to pick up a wand of lesser vigor and a wand of faith healing. He's also going to want to work with Orlov to craft a wand of lesser restoration, but that can wait for the lightning rail trip.

[rypt]

Esara

Esara smiles wryly at Ethan's critique of her beverage of choice. "You should try letting them ferment it first."

When Joresh comments on the conceit of his own preference, Esara glances at the ridiculous pile of furniture gathered outside the door to his room. "Oh, I don't know about that," she says with a chuckle.

After Beren describes the dragonshard's previous owners, the half-elf listens to the others discuss the implications of the crystal's chain of custody. "I think we might be missing the forest for the trees on this one. Yes, it could have been the man who performed the binding, or it might have been the woman, but in either case we're talking about a human who has clearly mastered a process that was previously known only to the gnomes -- a process that is profitable enough to be the basis for an entire industry. If these attacks were in any way motivated by financial concerns, it would have been much easier for these people -- whoever they are -- to have simply announced their breakthrough publicly and then taken their process to market. It seems to me that there's a lot more than money at stake here, and based on what we've learned so far," she glances at Ignacious, "I think we should at least consider involving the Triumvirate. The Zil could have no clearer interest in discovering the identifies of these rogue elemental binders."

[CandyLaser]

"I have some errands to run myself. Ignatius, I hope you don't mind too much if I decline your company. I'm going to be at the local Cannith enclave, purchasing reagents and other supplies. You'd find it dreadfully boring."

Spoiler

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That's all true, but in addition I'm going to want to send back word of what's happening here to the Cannith leadership. Finally, I'm going to request that any information the House has on elemental binding be sent to the enclave in Flamekeep. In particular, names and descriptions of any elemental binders who are known to the House but aren't gnomes would be good to have.

As for the actual purchases, it's mainly be buying some expensive spell components/foci and turning the cash we've got into supplies for item crafting. Finally, before I go out I'll consume the essence of the cloak and the wand we got and set my quill of scribing toward crafting a scroll of magic circle against evil.

During the trip, I'll effectively have 2x the length of the trip to use for crafting. A wand of lesser restoration can be crafted in a single day. It'll cost Ignatius 750 gp, and it'll cost Orlov 60 xp out of his craft reserve. Currently the reserve is empty, but the wand of cat's grace and the cloak of charisma will put 340 xp in there for crafting purposes.

[3SecondCultist]

As the afternoon wears on into evening, the rain begins to let up slightly. The bar is slowly depleted as those of you so inclined drink your fill, although the food is slightly bland. But what else did you expect from a joint run by warforged? Several of the surviving curators arrive, delivering reports in person regarding what was damaged by the attack, and what survived. Given the general lack of iconoclastic motivation until now, it seems unlikely the museum itself was a target: it simply had low security and a high concentration of people, due to the new gallery opening. Eventually, Beren, Joresh, Ignatius, and Calandras leave the suite on various errands before your imminent journey. The latter is back the earliest, and the rest trickle in over the course of the next hour. Before too long, the sun has descended and you can see the twelve moons of Eberron over the city through the great windows. Even from this height, Wroat looks peaceful enough. But this attack was not the first to hit the five nations, and it might not be the last. With everything you've seen and heard today, this whole nation could go up in smoke.

You are greeted in the morning by clearer skies, although it's still slightly overcast. The sounds of a waking capital are laid out at your feet. Some of you might have slept poorly, others as fit as ever. No matter your status, the train is departing in less than an hour. Thankfully, the lightning rail station isn't all that far away from the Bronze Aegis, and your journey to the station is unhindered. Once you arrive, you are met with a low-ranking Orien operative who shows you to your platform.

There, the lightning rail sits in all of its glory. The first car looks like a great engine, and you can hear the various 'pop' and 'hiss' noises as the massive pistons powered by elemental forces prepare to depart. At the foot of the train, you can see the great lightning stones laid into the track, proceeding into the blue distance. Smooth interlocking iron plates make up the carapace of each other car, broken only by double doors and reinforced glass windows for passengers. Through the panes, you can see the sumptuous interiors, the customary wood panelled floors and red velvet one is accustomed to in first class. You come to realize that what you're looking at must be your car, as the Orien porter holds the door open for all of you. Despite being in service for so long, you can see why the rail remains one of the technological marvels of this age. None of you are asked for a ticket, and you are thanked for your patronage as you enter your private car. A comfortable home for the three-day journey to Flamekeep awaits you.