Book Five, Chapter Six �Tashal lends a hand or two�

�� Book Five, Chapter Six �Tashal lends a hand or two�

�� 02/02/2002

We are in Coranan and the caravan to Tashal leaves on 15th Peonu 726. Sir Martyn�s hand and foot is going to need fully charged up again. So we need to go to Melderyn, via Trobridge, Tashal, Burzyn, Thay and finally Cherafir. We still are Markus Spencer the merchant, Will Smith, Don Quarry and Edward Silverhand, men-at-arms, and Harry Butt. But the disguises are wearing a bit thin, and the Khuzdul is a bit of a give-away really. OK so we really are Aruth, Daniel, Zytsi, Sir Martyn and Balatar the Fish.

It will take three weeks to get to Trobridge, and then another two weeks to get to Tashal. We pay to join the caravan and will spend a day in Trobridge. Then ten days from Tashal to Burzyn without the caravan. Followed by nine days to Thay and a six-day sea journey to Cherafir. Well that�s the planning side sorted out. Can you say cup and lip and slip?

Sir Martyn is bringing some homework with him. Dropping her off in the Temple of Halea in Tashal.

We get to Trobridge on the 6th Kelen without incident and the bridge has been built! Goodbye Party Fund C. The bridge will pay for its upkeep and the upkeep of the town, upkeep but not development costs. Plus 3,000d per year income.

Archibald Arsoland, a bit of peasant leader, greets Sir Martyn. It�s been a good year. A couple of Khuzdul masons turned up and helped recently. Three weddings are waiting Sir Martyn approval. Some racist bastards assaulted a Khuzdul mason. They broken one of the masons� arms, since they are personal friends of Zytsi they have been held awaiting Sir Martyn�s arrival. (They aren�t but they are Khuzdul.) Edgar is the ringleader, big battle-axe hole in arm, bit of a give away really. So they caught him but not his mates.

Sir Martyn questions him, aided by a Suggestion and some Lie Perception. Edgar dishes out anti-Khuzdul abuse and then gets on with the bar room brawl story where the Khuzdul insulted his wife (whore, cow, and slut) which ended up with them jumping the Khuzdul outside the inn. The Khuzdul drew a battle-axe and smacked him one. End combat, the extra lads run off.

Sir Martyn interviews the Khuzdul. He says that the woman came on to her, then became abusive when he turned her down. It�s all halting Harnic, so it�s hard to tell if he is telling the truth. Back to Edgar, was his intent robbery, no it wasn�t.

Throat Mangler Wardrobe and Mean Willie run the Inn. Throat says the Khuzdul was drunk and loaded, but he didn�t see what happened outside. This Khuzdul is a known drunk. Zytsi talks to the Khuzdul and gets the same story more or less. Bridge building being over drink and job hunting have begun.

Aruth tests the lazy whore theory and says she�s not lazy, and didn�t charge. Not a regular whore then.

Sir Martyn�s judgement. Both Edgar and the Khuzdul (Garan) are both fined 100d, but he offers them each a loan. Garan pays his fine out of his own money and grumbles and moans and says he will see the King of Tashal. The peasant says he can�t pay Sir Martyn back. So Sir Martyn will take it in service, which means he will take when he�s here to collect it. The locals are completely confused. Sir Martyn has found them both guilty and then let them off, or at least tried to. The peasant gets let off anyway and the Khuzdul is probably not a nice guy.

We have a good (200d) party and no fights break out. Ah, a captive audience says the Bard and promptly enjoys himself. The Khuzdul will come with us to Tashal, but only the two brothers will be getting the jobs. Well the other one can if he shapes up and stays off the drink while. More Khuzdul are coming out of Azadmere. So the Princess is having an influence say the party to themselves.

Caravan leaves the next day. Aruth gets given a handkerchief with bread and cheese in it. A new profession for Aruth has obviously been found. Can you say gigolo? There I knew you could.

We get to Tashal without incident on the 14th Kelen. Take to priestess to the Temple of Halea. They are very solicitous of Sir Martyn and give him a letter. The seal of Sula is unbroken, its a request to attend a meeting with Keldan at the Inn Bell Inn. They will wait there from 5 o�clock and will be there for another 10 days.

There is trouble with the construction of the Temple that Zytsi is building, possibly sabotage. The best human mason has been injured, but they now have two Khuzdul masons. Also things breaking, stone not turning up, cut ropes, that sort of thing. The Khuzdul reckon its sabotage, the cut ropes being a bit of a give away. The human mason had his leg crushed by a falling pillar. The load of stone that Zytsi sent hasn�t arrived, other deliveries are either late or don�t turn up. There are even problems getting nails. Balatar is put onto the case.

Sir Martyn is asked to see the local Larani Priest, Quroga, at Sir Martyn�s convenience. Which he does and after the usual greetings says he has received a box for him. Its got the Seal of the Larani Primate. There appears to be more clashes between the different Larani Orders. This is Sir Martyn�s Chapter House, the Order of the Lady of the Paladins. Friction is growing between the Order of the Checker Shield and the Order of the Hyvrik, however the Order of the Lady of Paladins is being drawn into this on the side of the Checker Shield. Hyvrik is slightly heretical says Sir Martyn. But this is all rumours.

In the box is silver gantlet, a left-handed one. It fits on over the stump, doesn�t seem to do anything. Daniel has a look at and says its of some magical power but its latent until activated. Will require some ritual to be activated. He says he could work out what the ritual is, but it will take a while.

So we go to the meeting, us for the Inn and Sir Martyn to see the woman in the bar. She is deferential and we are shown into the room. There is a gentleman who is polite and offers drink and a meal. He is a minor acolyte of Larani and he gives him a box from the Primate, err that�s the Larani Primate and Sula has sent us here. Unbroken Larani Primate Seal. Note, �You will know what to do with it.� There is a bronze hand inside. Oh dear. This one comes from Thay and he was told to meet Sir Martyn here in this Inn, by the Primate.

Sir Martyn says this gives him a bit of a dilemma as he has just been given a similar box in the Temple. What�s he going to do with two left hands. The priest looks nervous, but who wouldn�t. He left the message at the Temple of Halea (and not to contact the Temple of Larani) yes the one with the Seal of Sula on. He doesn�t know the significance of the Seal and he was given it by the Primate. He is a Clerical Assistant to the Primate and his orders are to return immediately.

Zytsi and Sir Martyn discuss the hands and origins. And decide to go back and question the Acolyte again.

We leave and then Daniel looks at the new hand - slightly different. It has sockets for magical gems in it. Its finger and the thumb (5 charges) will store up power for activation. More investigations will reveal more.

We return to the Inn and he�s paid the bill and checked out. All legitimate. He left 20 minutes after we left. We have a look in the room (Aruth is still asleep). Zytsi finds a small broach, not expensive but not cheap by Harnic standards. Larani symbols says Sir Martyn, a winged lion depicted in red.

The two notes were not written by the same person, says Zytsi after some careful study, and not by Sula or the Primate either.

So we decide to track the missing man. Aruth (who has now woken up) casts around and has a Vision. A group of four men that doesn�t seem to include the man. Aruth has never seen him but Sir Martyn gave him a good description. (Martin dropped off for a while). That was the only people leaving in the possible window of opportunity.

We checked out the rest of the gates. The next one had quite a lot of Khuzdul traffic, but not our man. The West Gate lots coming in but nothing going out. The South Gate has huge numbers of people going in and out as the Theatre was open. Most of the traffic was coming in at the appropriate time, and little going out. We don�t think he went out, but Balatar was around here.

Back to the Temple of Larani, where we are staying. He hadn�t been seen here, we had to get the last shift guard back to find out. A few possible leads as local priests, turned out not to be him.

15th Kelen. The box was delivered by a legate of the Primate three days ago. We were expected on the caravan.

Daniel looks at the two notes and hands.

Bronze hand is one Khuzdul origin, Azadmere, is 1,000 years old give or take 50 years.

Silver hand is one Elvish origin, 3 or 4 years old, made in Shava Forest (Elf land). Well I think that was made for Sir Martyn.

�You know what to do with this� note was written locally. Someone transcribing a note from someone else about two weeks ago.

Sula�s note. Was written locally. Someone transcribing a note from someone else about two weeks ago. But not the same one as of the other note, a less literate hand.

Daniel goes to the library to sort out the rituals. A simplistic ritual that a Priest of Larani can do and requires joining spells to affix it. The other one screws on in normal fashion.

Sir Martyn decides to find out why they can�t get nails for the Temple. So go to the blacksmith. A body has been found at the Garb and Fail we hear on the way there. We go and have a quick look, seems like a good idea. City Guards questioning people. Man found dead in their room this morning.

Sir Martyn asks to see the body. This Inn is normally frequented by farmers, this guy has been here a week which is unusual. He paid in advance, no valuables left. Guardsman has been fairly efficient. Look at the body, not our man but he was not used to hard toil, not a scribes hands but there may be ink stains. He has quill paper and parchment. The short note was written on a part sheet of paper, and there are no part sheets here. Find sealing wax that has the same colour as the Sula�s seal note.

Death Tale - nearly banned - but he was bonking with the receptionist priestess of the Temple of Halea and it all went black. It was a dream says the Universe.

Famous hands of history says the bard: Claws of Agrik, Hand of Vecna (an ancient wizard), A. N. Other One that we can rule out as we can�t remember too much about it.

We go and see the receptionist priestess of Halea. So off to the Temple of Halea where we are welcomed and she is summoned to us. We have reason to believe that she can identify the body. She can�t identify him and hasn�t ever met him before professionally. Ah well he might have delivered a package to the Temple eight or nine days ago. I.E. the Sula note one. She didn�t notice an accent, which probably means he�s local.

So the guy who saw us and was concerned when we said there was two hands. So he left and killed this bloke. The dead man wrote the Sula note. The Primate seal is on the box that contains the locally written note in it.

People who might have sent it are:

The Larani Primate

Panaga

Naveh

Sula

Another Agrik Order has given us grief (The Order of the Octagonal Pit?)

Agrik Order from Shiran (The Order of the Eight Demons?)

Agrik in general

We are at the scene of the crime. The Captain of the Guard says this is the second such crime that�s happened recently. There was one in the Iron Bell two weeks ago. A wealthy traveller. Right so there was a switch set up.

The dead guy delivered note that was delivered before the missing guy arrived at the Inn. So he probably from Sula. But the box isn�t. But the man who died two weeks ago was probably Sula�s as well. The man is the Inn was surprised when we mentioned two hands and the mention of Sula.

Sir Martyn sends a note via pigeon post to Sula. Balatar the Fish says it not the local Thieves Guild sabotaging the Temple.

Daniel and Aruth decide that we should go on a pub-crawl. Zytsi says only Aruth should go as the guy has seen me, but Aruth hasn�t seen him. The Khuzdul have been drinking in the Tower.

Pubs�� Suspects

Red Fox, sounds good�� 2, one came in last night

The Tower, a traveller�s inn�� 1

Coin and Brew, �� 4, three staying there but none checked in last night

Iron Bell, dead body found here�� -

Grab and Fail, dead body found here�� -

Seven Stars, wont server Ivinians�� 3, one staying here

The Spurs, probably the Thieves Guild�� 1

Returning from the Spurs Aruth sees three people follow him out of the pub. He only needs to go about 50 feet and no dark alleyways to go down and then he�s back at the Temple of Larani. Sir Martyn is in the square outside the Red Fox. Aruth goes to the Red Fox and Zytsi and Daniel follows to see if he�s being followed. We don�t think he is being followed.

The two in the Red Fox aren�t our man. Seven Stars next. Sir Martyn can�t spot anyone following Aruth. The guy isn�t in fact in the Seven Stars, or the Tower or the Coin and Brew. We bring Balatar with us, correction we know he�s there as Aruth saw him but he didn�t acknowledge him. On the way we see a bloke in the shadows ahead of us in a small street, not an alleyway.

Detect Ambush - three directions and not the bloke in the shadows, who is Balatar in any case. One on the roof the pub, one behind us near the Temple of Larani, and the third is following us. Balatar says quick come with me you�re being followed. We say we know they are going to ambush us. He takes us into the Spurs. Aruth was clumsy when he was here. You are being followed, there are some people waiting to ask why we are asking questions. Oh, and the standing ambush on roof. He doesn�t know who are following us, and its not the same ones who followed Aruth out. Lots of thieves following us around.

So we are introduced to a man called Ardale, the brother of the pub owner. He runs the stables, he�ll come with us to introduce us and OK us. We go out to the stables and there he is. Looks at Balatar and he says we are OK within reason. We are looking for a man. Information for sale, describe the man. Never seen him, but he might be lying. The conversation is over and he turns away. Sir Martyn suggests he helps us out, but he says I am helping you out. We leave. Balatar says the description matches the guy whose putting the screws on the temple building. And Ardale knows more than he is saying. So who scares the Thieves Guild, that will be Agrik or Naveh. We seem to have lost the followers and the ambushes, except the one on the roof, which is a standard ambush.

We decide to all take up painting as we would probably be reasonable at it.

Sir Martyn goes to see Quroga. The Temple building is being sabotaged by someone who has the Thieves Guild scared. And arranged for him to give him this, the bronze hand. We think its probably the Temple of Naveh, some part of the Temple of Agrik, or Panaga. He puts his head in his hands and asks Sir Martyn never to come to his Temple again. He wants to send a message to the Primate, and Zytsi mouths off too much. Everyone is thrown out and Sir Martyn calms him down, diplomatically. Zytsi isn�t thrown off the building program but he never ever wants to see him in his office telling him how to run his temple.

Balatar appears to tell us that we are in trouble. Ardale has been found dead with his guards. The head of the Thieves Guild, his brother, is blaming us. Killed shortly after we left, but it was done quickly and quietly. (Oh come on, really. When did we ever kill anyone quickly and quietly?)

Balatar takes a message from Sir Martyn to the Head of the Thieves Guild, Heleme, saying it wasn�t us and he will find him and bring him to the Thieves Guild within a week.

Balatar comes back and says Heleme will meet us at Kessin�s house (13 on map) in 20 minutes. Along on big streets, except from the dead end at the end. We are being followed and the really good follower, which only Balatar spots, following us isn�t from the Thieves Guild. That�s probably the man we want to follow then.

We go to Kessin�s House, which is a brothel. We are shown into the basement where there are six men on guard and Heleme. I believe you have some information you wish to share with me, your lordship (sarcastically). Much apologies and the quick story of what happened and who we are after. The story of the murders and what we think is going on, including the extra follower outside. He seems to believe Sir Martyn, he produces a bag of 3000d and says we have 3 days. Sir Martyn asks if he will help us, he says the information will be given to us shortly. He tells Balatar to wait 15 minutes and show us out.

Balatar has recently discovered that there is a Temple of Naveh in town. The reason that only a few people turned up here is that every thing known by the Thieves Guild fairly quickly known by the Temple of Naveh. He thinks the Temple has access to the Thieves Guild tunnels. The previous Guild Master looked too hard and was arrested for skinning human bodies. Constables acted on information received, Heleme is rumoured to have planted the skins. Balatar says he doesn�t think it would be his style.

So we leave in the Thieves tunnel and start looking for the Naveh Temple. Well they have an entrance to the tunnels and we a top mason with us. After four hours we find a very well hidden secret door that Balatar doesn�t know about. Balatar seems to know these tunnels quite well. Oh gosh I wonder why.

We are going in and Sir Martyn�s hand doesn�t work. Zytsi points out that if we do it now then Sir Martyn will have taken a Temple of Naveh one handed. Balatar knows Naveh was following us, they know we went into Kessin�s and haven�t come out get so we must be in the tunnels. So the fact that Daniel is wearing Aruth�s any class times two multiplier is a bit of problem.

Quick re vamp of Bard spells losing clam and stun songs.

1) Inspirations + 5 to the party, including singer, while singing.

3) Inspirations + 10 to the party, including singer, while singing.

4) Fear Song re levelled

7) Inspirations +15 to the party, including singer, while singing.

8) Inspirations + 5 to other party members not me for 10 minutes a level, or -5 penalty to opposition but that is single target modifiable by the other list.

9) Inspirations + 10 to other party members not me for 10 minutes a level, or -10 penalty to opposition but that is single target modifiable by the other list.

Shall we do it. Yes. Ah ha, we know this style of Temple. Pay attention we had some �interesting times� in one not so long ago. There will be traps in the cellar training area and Balatar will get us across that bit and then wait for us. We can fetch him if we run across any traps.

The trap door is eight feet up in the ceiling. Balatar sits on Sir Martyn�s shoulders and he disarms the alarm and says there is no traps. Sir Martyn is lifted up by Aruth and Daniel. Into another tunnel, the rest of the party follow. The tunnel goes east and west. One way seems to go under the Temple of Larani. Most of the traffic comes here from the east and the newer part is the west. We go east, not under the Temple of Larani. Goes 75 feet and ends, Balatar disarms the trap and we enter the Temple of Naveh. Into the trapped training area, with Balatar disarming traps as we go.

Eventually we hear sounds of fighting. Daniel puts up a Silence 10�r. Balatar takes his clothes off, vanishes, and disarms a trap. There are four monk types practising. Sir Martyn and Zytsi front rank, Daniel as second rank for the Silence, with Aruth ready with a bow if one runs. Charge. Well we�re spotted. What a surprise.

Larani give me ears now does B criticals. Well one tries to hit Sir Martyn and misses but Sir Martyn takes him down. Zytsi hits one and takes him down. Then Sir Martyn hits his other one with his shield and then his sword again. That takes him out. One left. New round Larani give me ears. Which has more effect and then Aruth shoots him. He staggers off so Zytsi throws his hammer at him, which was terminal.

Balatar gets us across the rest of level. Upstairs to the kitchen where cooks are preparing dinner, we think. Mass drug taking as everyone takes the herb that gives +20 to RRs. Prepare and charge up the stairs. Sir Martyn falls over and uses his Adrenal Speed move to recover. It leaves Daniel on the stairs behind where Sir Martyn stopped in front of him. There is one acolyte dishing up and two delivering food. Only two have noticed us, the cook and one of the waiters. Aruth shoots the cook who doesn�t die and shouts out. Zytsi takes out the waiter who spotted us and Sir Martyn kills the other one. The party arrives at the dinning room in a shower of blood. Two tables with important people at the heads and about 20 monks. The severed heads of the two waiters land in the soup bowls of the important people.

Sound of chairs being pushed back and two swords being drawn. Larani gives me ears, which disembowels one monk, seriously upsets two more monks, and annoys three others. Then some more run into it, silly boys, which kills another and annoys some more. Daniel kills the cook. Aruth Woodwalls the far exit. Sir Martyn kills another two with his sword and Zytsi takes one out.

New round. Aruth Woodwalls the other exit. The two opposition Paladins continue their wind up. Daniel cancels the Silence spell. More Larani give me ears effects, but it doesn�t kill any. The battle continues and lasts. Our team kill two more monks.

Nine injured but alive monks, nine dead monks and six untouched monks, plus the two Paladins. Daniel Inspires +10 the party. There is a hail of shurikens, its pretty ineffective against Sir Martyn and not much better against Zytsi. One of the monks goes down.

Two fairly battered ones left. Another hail of missiles. Zytsi takes down his victim but Sir Martyn struggles and takes his eventually.

Twelve monks left, six damaged and six not.

Cheese. Sudden Light which stuns nine of the monks. Three missiles, two hit Zytsi. Sir Martyn and Zytsi charge and so do the opposition Paladins. (The opposition Paladins have -5 and -30 on RR versus their auras. Not that it matters for our front rank who reduce the criticals to nothing as they are only doing As.)

Sir Martyn swings a mighty blow, which lands nicely for some stun no parries. He misses Sir Martyn but Sir Martyn hits him again somewhat. Zytsi smacks his hard.

Four unstunned monks and eight stunned monks. Two currently stunned Paladins but properly not for long. Aruth is the target for the four missiles, which wasn�t pleasant. Neither was the three lightning bolts that hit Zytsi�s Paladin when he stood up. He was toast. Daniel starts feeding Aruth herbs. Sir Martyn and Zytsi kill the other Paladin. Then mop up the monks quickly as its three o�clock in the morning.

Party heals itself up.

Daniel has 7 power points left.