The Destroyer

[Paragon Badger]

It was a cool and foggy winter morning in Wenholme. The gentle snow that started falling a day before seemed to flutter about, never really falling, and sometimes appearing to propel upwards.

All was silent save for the quiet hum of the industrial quarter, a place which never sleeped. The fire that burned unhindered there for a week was dying out, and work continued, as it always had.

Morning had came, made evident to all by the loud, rubust whistles of the trains coming in to transport the night-shift workers to their homes- and bring the day-shift workers away from them.

Dancing snowflakes dissapeared into the thick black smoke spouting out from the metal beasts' furnaces, as people below them shuffled into the cramped compartments.

All as was it normally was in this corroded wasteland, save for one restless night for a man named Leonardo Abel. Horrifying dreams. The man knew it was not of his own mind; for no mortal could ever imagine such a scene. Incomprehensible shapes and fluctuating figures engaged in a chaotic and violent dance. It was of not of his dimension, he knew, for the beings he imagined adhered to no scholar's laws of physics or reality.

A great exodus, he witnessed, one of the combatants had been direly wounded, and nearly destroyed itself in an effort to veil its presence from those that would finish it off. The dream ended there, and Leonardo was awakened with a terrible headache.

Elsewhere, it was a usual morning for a Trevor Brock. Awakened by the loud trains carrying out their morning runs, he began his daily ritual to prepare his mind and body for the events of the day.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

Writhing in his bed, Leonardo noticed that he was again awake. The borderline between nightmare and reality had faded, for now, he knew, that he was in reality. The nightmares had stopped and left a terrible head ache in it's wake. Leonardo sighed as he still lay in bed, comforted by the sound of his own sigh. He writhed more in his bed, this time turning about and around, not because of the nightmares, but rather because he was still tired, had a headache which did not make him feel good and because his eyes were still heavy. He turned a while around, not gaining any further comfort in his bed and eventually forced his eyes open. Slowly, he got out of bed, in a foul morning mood. He grumbled somewhat and was about to grab his morning coat, but instead, sat down on the chair near his bed. He closed his eyes once more, but this time, not to sleep or rest, but to concentrate.

Slowly, his hands weaved in the air as the same air endured arcane syllables that came from Leonardo's mouth. Leonardo was not afraid to cast magic in his bed room, for there was no way anybody could look inside with the dark and long curtains closed. It was still dark in his room as the morning light had trouble piercing through the dark curtains. It was the way Leonardo liked it, because it made him sleep more sound. Soon, the spell was woven and Leonardo smirked as he had called into this world an event that most did not even realise existed and neither did they believe it.

His spell had woven (2d6+5)[11] invisible servants before him and Leonardo felt a was of happiness. This would aid him incredibly, considering the mood he was in. The invisible servants already moved at his beck and call, and with some aid of an invisible servant he was standing again. Feeling groggy, Leonardo stretched and yawned a bit, realising that the day had started. Yet, his terrible headache was disrupting him from his usual ritual. He did not even recall the day for the moment. It was as if he did not want to, anyway. Instead, he moved forward and the door swing open before him, without Leonardo needing to move a muscle.

Leonardo moved gently through the house, realising that his body was still hot and somewhat sweaty from the nightmare he had before. Grumbling, because he would have to wash himself, Leonardo recalled the nightmare as he moved off the stairs. Strange figures and sensations ran through his mind. Things not of this world came to his memory and horror ran through his body. He tripped.

One of the invisible servants caught him. Leonardo sighed as he regained his composure. It was a wise thing to have summoned the invisible servants already. However, he was baffled. Never before had he tripped like this. This was a bad sign, he knew it. There was more to it Leonardo knew. He recalled the nightmarish visions further and tried to observe them rationally. However, with a nasty headache, his thoughts turned away and instead focused on breakfast. This was soon served by his servants, obeying his every whim. The curtains opened, only to reveal other curtains that blocked sight inside the house, but at least let through enough light. It was the usual for Leonardo as he ate his breakfast.

Yet, his thoughts clinged to the nightmares of before. How could that be, he wondered. Usually his dreams had faded by now or at least, he was not paying this much attention to it. This continued as he got back to wash and get dressed with the aid of his servants and even when Leonardo opened a curtain to look at the snow falling, his thoughts were with the nightmare. He closed the curtains again and sat on the table he had ate his breakfast on earlier. Some of his servants fetched his latest research and Leonardo wondered. Was this what caused it?

An old dark red tome, marked with an arcane glyph on the outside lay before Leonardo. It was thick and Leonardo had not seen most of the text before. There were things he did not understand, but he was determined to crack the cipher. Yet, now, he was not too sure. He opened the tome at a pre-designated tab Leonardo had placed there before, marking where he had been. Perhaps, perhaps.. this symbol did mean something sinister as devil or hell.. Leonardo grimaced. Was it that real? Deciding not to want to find out now, Leonardo wanted to lighten his mood. He grabbed his coat and went out for a morning walk.. yet as he did, his eyes were looking at the ground before him, still in thought about the nightmares that captivated him. What did they mean?

[chrono]

Those cursed trains...
Trev pushed his first waking thought away and pulled the blanket over his head. For a moment he thought about his youth - Wenholme seemed to grow ever louder and busier with each year.
Before you know it those trains will be making their rounds even at night... Progress is good, but the good people need their sleep.
Trev smiled at the thought. There didn't seem to be all that many good men around. As his toes began to freeze from the morning chill, Trev could no longer stay in bed. He jumped up and put his everyday clothes on, then looked around. The fire had died and there were only a few small logs next to the fireplace.

He put his jacket on and went outside to fetch some wood. Once outside, Trev whistled and looked around to see if Sparky was in his dog house. Sure enough, a large furry nose emerged from the hole and he was greeted with a bark for "good morning". Sparky was the perfect companion for Trev's adventures - he sniffed out criminals, his bar (and bite) left respect in many thugs and he even found his own food (the city was never short on vermin). Cold, too cold. Trev thought. He liked the warmth of the sun and it was a bit depressing to know he wasn't getting any of that for a few more months.

Once the fire was burning and the eggs were sizzling in the pan, Trev thought about his schedule. Hah, he was a free man, with no actual job to speak of. Still, the assignments from his friend the sergeant were a bit rare in the last few weeks and Trev had wrapped them all up in the last few days. In slow days like that, there's only one thing to do - go to the tavern, snoop around and have some fun.

Trev ate his breakfast and sat on his chair meditating on his actions for the day. He would listen. Very carefully. When he was well-prepared, Trev could overhear and understand even the most obscure speech, which helped him a lot when he had to uncover more secretive plots.
(OOC: preparing comprehend languages)

Once his bed was made and the pan was scrubbed clean, Trev was finally ready and set off for the tavern. He didn't take Sparky along, since he wasn't really looking for any action, which is why he only packed his two favorite daggers.

[Paragon Badger]

As Leo went about his walk, the dream became a bit more clear. Either he was remembering it better, or entirely new thoughts were coming into his mind.

It seemed that anything that Leo was curious about, was soon elaborated upon. Everything was still hazy, but it was becoming more evident as time passed. The beings morphed into old clichés that seemed to be straight from the ancient religious texts that the wizard had once read through. The victors in the battle slowly transformed into angelic, winged beings- while their wounded adversary had become bathed in fire, and bestial claws and horns sprouted from its imposing figure.

The frightning aspect of the dream seemed to be all but gone, as Leo was now fully conscious to grasp the events depicted. Rather than it being horrifying, it was now almost ...like a story being told. Still, there wasn't much to tell, all he could think of was that one scene.

As Trev left his house, the trains roared again and started off towards the industrial quarter. It was a bit of a long walk, winding through narrow streets and corridors in the residential quarter, the design of which seemed to have little planning put into it.

Life was as it always was in the city; clothes lines stretched across the streets like spiderwebs, young children playing or attempting to swindle passerbys, a shrill woman's voice in the distance calling "Look out below!" and a putrid splash following.

Trev soon found himself at the tavern, and when he entered, the aged and portly bartender greeted him with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Only a few diehard regulars were in the place so early in the morning. The large and brutish bouncer was napping in a small chair by the corner.

"Mornin' there, Tea-man." The barkeep said as he started preparing a drink, "Anythin' I can do fer yeh?"

[chrono]

How's the wife, old friend?, Trev inquired as he looked around the tavern.
Pity, he thought as the barman answered. Trev was half hoping to find somebody drowning his sorrows because of a "misplaced" heirloom or a disappeared family member that could use some investigating. Or perhaps even meet a group of travel-weary strangers that could pay well for his information or services.
It was all wishful thinking though, as things like that happened rarely, but Trev did have that strange feeling in the morning - as if he had to prepare for a meeting with an important stranger.
He ordered "the usual" with a wide grin. The bar keep laughed (some jokes never get old) - for most of the regulars "the usual" is one strong murky brew or another, usually strong enough to drop a horse on the second sip.
So, business is a bit slow, eh? What else is new?, Trev inquired. He talked with the bar keep for a while, sharing some gossip and learning new gossip in return.
(OOC: gather information check (1d20+12)[4](16))

[Paragon Badger]

After a bit of small talk, the barkeep relented, "Well.... Yeh probbly know this already, but I hear that those temple fellers' are ordaining a true believer- and what's more, he ain't human!"

"Name's Ivilae, -gray elf, I think." The bartender said, "Last of his kind, so I hear. Don't see many other elves, either. People say that he's becoming a bishop 'cause he converted all his people as a means of repentence. -Yeh know, once all they all stopped havin' children."

He shrugged, "Can't see why the temple would care about any elves, though."

A few more hours of chatting, and the tavern slowly accruing more and more customers, the barkeep idly said,

"It seems that those Wandunbury hoodlums were rooted out by police yesterday, so this neighborhood's fresh territory for some other guild to sweep into. Tha's why I hired Edgar o'er there." He said, nodding his head to the sleepy bouncer, who was gradually waking up from the increased volume in the tavern.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

"I have the weirdest dreams." Mumbles Leonardo Abel to himself as he passes through the streets. He could hardly believe his dream had become clearer. It was almost as if thinking of an animated painting. Still finding it weird that his mind had conjured up the scene, Leonardo Abel tried to figure out what connections this had with his most recent studies. This thought was, however, soon interrupted as Leonardo walked through the streets and reminded what he had to do. His usual schedule picked up as he made his way to the baker to get some bread and do some general groceries for the day. Before going there, Leonardo decided that he would need to let his mind get some rest.

He made his way over to a community temple not too far from his home. Leonardo was not a particularly religious man, but he did have faith that there was something grander behind existence. While there were things of religion and the church which he did not like, he did respect the effect it could have on people and he felt a certain affection towards religion. At least enough to once in a while come to the community temple and pay a visit. There, he would usually make a small chat with somebody and pray, after which he left a donation. Though the prayer was more to clear Leonardo's mind, and in this case, he felt he needed that. The atmosphere of the community temple lent itself a lot for it, and Leonardo thought it was a good idea as he was taking his walk. That, but mostly the thoughts involving angel- and demon-like creatures, drove him towards the temple. He walked in a relaxed pace towards it.

[chrono]

Trev takes the news about the gray elf with a few thoughtful "uh-hum" and "oh"s, and some "really" and "you don't say"s inbetween. He is being polite as much as he's being genuinely interested - it's not every day that you hear important news about strange creatures. He racks his brain to remember hearing something of the sort, as well as about any other non-humans recently in the public spotlight (especially if connected to the church).
(OOC: knowledge(local) (1d20+11)[15](26))
Gangs are somewhat closer to his expertise and he spends a few moments looking around, as if examining the people in the tavern.
You know that if anybody gives you trouble you can tell me and I'll try to do something about it. , Trev says with a smile and continues before the barman can say anything: After all, what use is it knowing people if you can't pull a few strings in time of need.
Trev sighs and looks around again. If he doesn't find anybody of interest and nobody comes in in the next fifteen minutes, Trev goes home to grab something to eat.
(OOC: wow, I wrote this 3 hours ago and didn't click "submit")

[Paragon Badger]

As Leonardo entered the temple, the priest was in the middle of saying, "-And let us pray for success of the newest bishop of the Temple, Ivilae Einstacia. He is among the true and faithful, and I am hopeful that he will continue the latent reforms within the Temple, so that we may reunite with our lost brethren- and the people can worship under one banner once again."

The sermon was apparantly just starting, with local news being introduced, and then actual hymns and readings from scripture coming later. Leo didn't pay much attention to the other news, which was mostly along the lines of expectant births, new neighbors, and other mundane things.

The readings of the scripture began, and it was the usual. Goodwill, harmony, and faith in God was all the usual. "-Be wary to avoid the seven evils," The minister said, "-lest their caretakers consume your soul when you slip from the mortal coil, and keep it from returning to the world."

"Act with mercy, and do not take vengeance.
Act with humility, and do not boast.
Act with self-control, and do not overeat."

"Resist temptation, and do not give in to carnal pleasures.
Resist avarice, and do not hoarde material wealth.
Resist jealousy, and do not covet what is another's.
Resist indolence, and do not live idly."

...

Trev began to reach back into his memory and recall anything relevant... He knew that the industrial quarter of the city is half-underground or carved into the mountain side, since it was originally a dwarven hall- claimed by humans centuries ago in an war between the two races. The details of that war are more in the domain of history than local lore, though.

Occasionally, neighborhoods have the name of 'Elfentowne' or 'Halflingville'. The ranger hasn't seen many of their namesakes in these places, though. He guesses that they were originally part of subcommunities within Wenholme, but are gone now. Little remains of their distinct architecture, since few buildings last more than half a century anyways.

Most of the Temple leaders are human. Each 'Lord Cardinal' (The religious authority in a major city) of Wenholme has always been human and male, often a bit older than most. Wenholem has had only one Lord Cardinal in Trev's lifetime, 'Lord' Theomyre. He hasn't made many public appearances, but most people would recognize him from his... benevolent depictions in temple publications. Trev was too wise to believe his virtue was that great, though.

"Aaaahhh, yer' a good friend, Tea-man!" The middle-aged man said fondly. "Have a mug o' beer on ta' house."

Trev waited around for a bit, but no unusual faces or odd occurances popped up- so he started home.

(OOC- Oh man, did this take awhile.)

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

In thought, Leonardo repeated the sentences. Whatever people thought of religion, such guidelines for life should be held on to more, or so was Leonardo of opinion. But then, Leonardo instead turned to his peace, trying to get his mind at ease, banning thought of it and feeling the inner peace of the self. To concentrate better, he occasionally repeated the sentences in thought. For a while, he remained like that, party praying, partly meditating.

Time passed however and soon Leonardo found that it was time to move on. He had sat through the sermon, paid attention and had set his mind at ease. It had just been a dream. No need to make a fuss out of a dream. And so, Leonardo went to do his usual things. He went out to buy some groceries, to make sure he would be able to eat today. He made sure to take some bird feed today as well.

Walking through the streets, his mind started to focus on his research again. There were some principles about advanced magic that he wanted to understand and place in his current theories, but so far, he had not booked any success. The mysterious book he had acquired let out but few of it's secrets. It was written in some kind of code and Leonardo had not managed to crack it yet.

When Leonardo got home again he heard the chirping of birds. Grinning, he made his way in, placed the groceries at their correct spots and then went into the garden with some bird's food. A raven flew down and sat on his shoulder. As Leonardo spread out the bird's food for the sparrows and ravens of the neighbourhood, he fed the raven with food from his hand. Leonardo talked to the raven, who nodded a couple of times. After having seen to it that the sparrows and ravens of the neighbourhood had some food, Leonardo entered the house again. Exchanging some of his thoughts with the raven, who was now willing to respond and exchange a conversation in the local language, Leonardo talked about his research to him and especially the concerns.

Leonardo had just made some start with his research for the day as the raven was looking over his shoulder, when he realised that it was already time for lunch. Taking a small lunch, Leonardo then devoted himself to his studies again. Hours had ticked away when Leonardo stepped out of his house again. He still had no results. It was time to go to Trev and see if he could find some information.

[chrono]

Trev smiled and waved his hand above his head, as if dismissing the thought.
That's alright, he said, maybe some other time. Right now I should get going - chores at home await.
It wasn't so much chores as simply fixing himself a lunch, really. Trev had some stew left over, which he warmed in a small pot over the fire and ate with the dry hard bread (probably a few days old by now) he found among his food supplies. Lunch didn't take long and Trev thought about what he wanted to do for the rest of the day - there was still the matter of that strange feeling he woke up with.
Trev's sixth sense wasn't always correct, but he did feel like he might be meeting an interesting stranger today, so there was no point staying home loitering. Sometimes adventure found you, Trev knew, but most of the time you had to go around poking your nose in other people's business until you found it for yourself.
Trev walked out of his house's door and took a deep breath. The air was still chilly, though not as bad as earlier this morning.
Come on, Sparky!, he shouted out cheerfully. We're going for a walk.
So off Trev went, the large dog walking by his side, heading for the marketplace. All sorts of things happened there, all sorts of people went around their business - there was hardly a more fitting place to meet strangers... of the really strange kind. Plus, his food storage could use some replenishing, so either way the trip should prove useful.
(OOC: so does Trev meet Leo on his way out?)

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

As a raven flew down on one of the branches on the nearest tree, Leonardo saw Trev passing by as Leonardo had made his way to the man's home. He raised his gloved hand and waved at Trev while raising the volume of his voice. "Hey there, Trev!" Beckoning to Trev as Leonardo got closer, he spoke up once within normal speaking range and made a motion that Trev should continue his walk to wherever he would go while they talked. "Good afternoon. How are you this day?"

[chrono]

Trev turns to Leo, momentarily confused as his train of thought was derailed.
Oh, hello!, Trev says with a smile. How goes the research? I didn't expect to see you today.
Trev remembers the strange premonitions he had this morning.
Or maybe I did, he adds with a smile. Who knows...
You know what, he continues, I was just heading to the market to grab a few supplies. Would you care to join me, or are you coming with more urgent matters?
Trev helf-turns toward Sparky and pats him on the head and back, while hearing out Leo's reply.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

"The research does not go too well, my friend. I am not coming with urgent matters however, so I will join you." And with that, Leonardo starts walking alongside Trev towards the market. As they go, he once more speaks up. "The translation is not going well at all. I managed to decipher some things, but it hardly seemed to make sense. I am missing the key to some of those words or else I can not even continue from where I started. I am having troubles with some basic semantics and syntax, which are contrary to what I have seen before. I have deduced several options, but none of them seem to hold on for more than a page." Then, Leonardo looks at Trev. Reminding himself that Trev most likely is not interested in the details, Leonardo continues in another fashion. "I need you to find some information on the way the makers of this book encrypt their documents. I will tell you more about it's origin as I managed to decipher and find lore about, but not on the street here."

[chrono]

So, Trev stared at the cobbles under his feet for a moment, old man Briggs' books can't help you anymore? Trev paused for a second. To be perfectly honest, for a while I was pretty sure he was just daft with his age and couldn't be much help to start with. But I guess by now you've read all of his crazy stuff, haven't you?
Trev smiled at Leo and then slowly his expression became serious and thoughtful.
You do realize that this city isn't full of secluded old men hoarding tomes of precious knowledge, right? If there are any that I don't know of, they're doing a good job hiding... And if there aren't... Then perhaps somebody at the church or someplace important MIGHT have a hidden library, but this is risky business. Perhaps we are better off trying some ancient monastery again.
Trev glances at Leo again. Don't worry, I'll still ask around, but... I wouldn't get my hopes too high, not without some sort of better lead or information I can start off with.
Trev walks around the market, purposefully visiting a larger portion of the area than he needs to (and not shying away from the more narrower streets). In the end all he buys is a few days' supplies of bread and dried meat and anything that remotely resembles fresh fruit or vegetables, as well as a small amount of some perfectly mundane supplies (lamp oil, etc).

Though Trev is paying attention to Leo, he is very alert and is still looking around for his mysterious foreign traveler (or whoever would fit the description "stranger" in this already strange place). Sparky is as always staying very close to his master - Trev had to train him to do that, because otherwise people tended to be scared and hostile if they saw the huge beast wandering around in a crowded street.

[Paragon Badger]

The market was expectedly mundane. Those who coulden't work were going about their business, buying food and supplies, while the little ones they took after went about playing.

Trev didn't notice much untill he spotted a shady looking man with a peculiar marking on his ne- Trev spun around, and caught a child gingerly holding a single gold piece from his pockets between his index finger and thumb.

The child merely smiled, and started to run off in mischevious confidence. The urban ranger turned hastily back to the shadowy figure, but he coulden't pinpoint him in the crowd.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

"No, no, I think you misunderstand. This is no longer generic knowledge I need. The knowledge I currently need would not aid me in my other research. I need some specific knowledge, but I would rather talk about it somewhere else than here, if you catch my drift." Gives Leonardo as response. "Though, I did read almost everything from mister Briggs already." Haven given his response, Leonardo walks with Trev, enjoying the walk for now. When the child appeared and Trav caught it, Leonardo sighs. "Kids of these days.."

[chrono]

Sounds serious, Trev nods, I guess we should head back already.
So the two make their way back, until Trev feels a not unknown sensation of somebody going through his pockets.
Hey!, he yells pointing at the kid, but then relaxes his and and shakes his head. Ah well, I guess it can't be helped...
Trev smiles at Leo's comment: Kids these days? No, I'm pretty sure it was like that in my day too. He lets out a slightly nervous laugh, then looks down at Sparky:
Some watchdog you are. You could have tried to help there, you know. Trev meets the shiny eyes of the rather large dog - it's very attentive and listening to his instructions as usual, through Trev realizes it probably doesn't understand much of what he says. Ah, well... I guess it can't be helped, Trev repeats as they head back to his cottage.

Once there, Trev rekindles the fire and offers Leo tea, as well as a bag of somewhat dry sweets.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

As Leonardo enters Trev's cottage, he takes off his coat and then, while holding it in his hand, extends it towards the empty air. However, the coat then seems to be taken by something invisible, after which it is carried and hung on the right place, along with the hat Leonardo offered to the air. The hat seems to follow the coat quickly. A bit later, Leonardo has taken a seat with Trev, and he has already accepted the offer for tea, though declined the sweets for now. Making himself comfortable, Leonardo then starts to speak about what he has discovered.

"The book I have found is not written in any ancient language I know off. Instead, I found several hints, symbols and certain pictures that I could cross-reference amongst the available sources. At first, I admittingly did not have much success. I was able to decipher a page or two which were notes that had been inside the book itself at one particular page. The instructions written there I was able to decipher. Using it, I could decipher some of the passages on the page it seemed to refer to. The passages contained magical words, but I could not find any significant effects of them in the text. I suspect that more information is concealed within the remainder of the book, which is most likely encrypted. I was not able to break it, but as I said, I was eventually able to find hints and found some sources. The sources were most often not too reliable, because they were old. But, making inferences from multiple of them and using comparisons, I think I may have a lead.

The cult of Utafex. They followed some kind of weird religion, based on the worship of one entity, Utafex. A powerful entity, yes, but not by far an all powerful entity or compared to a god, as seen in other religions. They fared about two-hundred years ago, in the region of Tinacki, which is currently the province Gehallen. It seems that some members of the cult originated from not just there, but also this province and the same province we had our adventure in, which incidentally is in the neighbouring country of where the province Gehallen is located. Sources suggest that the cult was more widespread than Tinacki, but that it was kept a secret. However, I found another source which spoke of Emiel Chrisander Schönenburg, which around that time seemed to have made quite a ruse. Apparently, they claimed he was guilty of all kind of bad luck in the region and he was eventually hung. Most likely superstition, but they did found things in his home that was their 'evidence'. Things that I could relate tot he cult of Utafex. Emiel Chrisander Schönenberg lived outside the city at that time, but since then, the city has grown and encompassed even the place where he lives now. I found that it was around Gustenplace. You know, where it is windy all the time and therefore unattractive except for the dirt poor?

Anyway, do you think you can use this to find out more or give me more things to look for in the literature?"

[chrono]

Wow, Trev smiles, That's actually a lot more information than I expected.
Trev taps his fingers, while deep in thought. I'll have to think long and hard about it - it might turn out that I already possess knowledge that's related to your problem, but I just can't connect the two for now. Still, this whole religious business worries me - there are changes in the church, you know... People may be a bit uneasy about it and asking about cults is always trouble. I'll have to be extra careful, but even just a question or two overheard by the wrong set of ears can bring us a ton of trouble.
Are you quite sure that what's inside that book is worth the trouble?

OOC:
Knowledge (local): (1d20+11)[21] - trying to remember hearing of fanatic or religious (outside the main church) or cult activities in the city (if the roll is high enough maybe even concrete info about the cult of Utafex).
Knowledge (local): (1d20+11)[24] - trying to remember anything at all of interest connected to Gustenplace (where Emiel Chrisander Schönenburg lived, the area is now inside the city, perhaps connections with cult rumors or some legend about Emiel himself).

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

"Well, it is a cult from about two hundred years ago. It should be non-existent nowadays. I do not have information on when it should have died out, but I doubt it was passed on to a new generation since the generation of cultists two hundred years ago. Also, I do think this book is worth it. The notes speak of incredible power to be had and the magical words were the key to that power. I think, to continue in the line of metaphors, the 'lock' to open is inside the book. That is, when deciphered. I believe this was one of their more valuable books, if not most valuable."

[Paragon Badger]

Trev vaguely remembers hearing something about one of the local crime guilds being a cover to further some arcane research, but rumors about mob bosses with scary or unusual reputations wasn't rare. The guild's name started with a Dah sound...

Gustenplace serves as a bit of a plaza in that part of town, Trev recalls, with its streets being narrower than the newer districts. It's fairly distant from his neighborhood, though, so he doesn't know much about it.

[chrono]

Trev taps his fingers on the table for a few moments, then looks at Leo again.
It's extremely rare to be involved in or even hear of real arcane research without getting in trouble. You should know that I'm extremely uncomfortable doing what you ask me to - just looking around won't do us much good. I'll have to ask around, but the trouble is that if anybody knows about magic they're either from the church or from some cult - either way we're in trouble.
And we still have a few slim leads to go on - right now I can only remember one rumor about arcane research that I haven't told you about... Oh, what was it... An organization by the name of Dah-something. Whatever, you probably haven't heard about it anyway, and I'm not sure it's even close to what you're looking for. I guess tomorrow I'll go and look around Gustenplace. I guess I'll ask some questions and we'll see what happens.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

"Ah, but you need nay ask about anything magical. To unlock this mystery, it is not magical lore I require, but I need something to decipher the code in the book. And that is far less dangerous to seek out than magical information." Leonardo smiles towards Trev and gives a nod. "But I thank you for the effort you are willing to put into this. I probably could not find out anything myself, at least not further than I already have." Then, Leonardo nods again and leans over to pick up and finish the tea that was served earlier.

[chrono]

Trev nods. Tomorrow I'll see what I can do. I still fear that anybody who knows about the code will know about the contents too, which means I'll have to be extra cautious.
Trev walks to a small window and takes a look outside.
But I won't do it today - I prefer to have a bit of time to think it through. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

Looking up at Trev, Leonardo responds. "Not really. Well, besides asking for another cup of tea." Leonardo smirks a little before continuing. As he speaks up again, he shifts in the chair to face the direction of Trev better. "Is there something?"

[chrono]

I didn't really have plans for the night.
Trev is still looking outside the window, focusing on nothing in particular. Then he goes back to the fire and fetches some more tea for Leo.
Then again, I didn't really expect to see you either., he continues.
Unless you have any ideas I suppose I might go out for a walk and then end the night in the pub. I know you're not very fond of eating at places like that, but you can join me if you wish.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

Sipping on his new cup of tea for a while, Leonardo eventually nods momentarily. "While I usually do abhor the idea of going to such places alone, this is an occasion where I will neither be alone, nor have many alternatives. My research is taxing on it's own way and some diversity would do me good. Besides, you usually liven up such visits." Finishing his tea, Leonardo leans back in his seat before continuing. He lifts his hand to head and scratches an itch as he speaks up. "Just tell when you wish to leave. I do suggest that if we go for a walk that we walk through the Hintgarten. You know I like that place, even though it is a very small park."

[chrono]

Trev turns toward Leo and smiles: It's decided then. The park sounds good, Sparky will likely enjoy some more exercise.
Half an hour and a bit of small talk later, the two get ready to leave. Trev puts a warm cloak on and goes to get sparky.

[Zweanslord]

Leonardo Abel

Leonardo's cloak seems to float in mid-air towards him and he is aided in putting it on. Nodding to Trev, Leonardo follows him out of the house, after which they move together. Leonardo gives a smile towards Sparky as they move through the streets towards the Hintgarten.