As these things go, a moment of interest passes and is gone.  Tanyl buys a ticket but does not win, and Rando, for all his oddities, is careful and offers no chance to steal the amulet.

In the end, it doesn't really matter much.  As a week passes, and contacts are made, and research is done, it become clear, there is little easy information or at least useful information about these amulets. And certainly solving the mystery doesn't get you the huge reward offered for the return of it.

In an odd stroke of luck, the only bookshop in Stormhaven run by a dwarf, turns out to win the damn thing.  Turkren's Corner, it is called.

Things had passed quicker than expected, Delta had hoped to find a way to have Tanyl 'win' the raffle, but the opportunity was lost.

That a bookstore held the mystery seemed worth pursuing, she wondered what the old dwarf would have found worthwhile about the device.

Janek will relish talking books with an old dwarf.

Tanyl is interested to know who won the drawing.

Turkren's Corner is to found just beyond the edges of Eastgate into the Old Haven part of town.  The building, tucked into a row of stone shops, looks to be narrow and small, but is actually very deep and several stories high, some of the upper floors wider than lower floor.  It is full of shelves and books, and the old dwarf himself you find to be quite available and even friendly, if not a bit strange for a dwarf.


"How can I be 'ov service to you?". He asks as you enter the shop.

Well met, kind sir.  I am interested in the lore of our kind.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:29, Sun 13 Dec 2020.

Willing to leave the initial stage of the discourse to the two Dwarves, Delta probes through the book store, hoping to find any books that might aid her in her studies, or add to her storehouse of songs.

"Well met, call me Old Turk, as you see I've got books of all kinds, what are interested in learning today, I'll help you find what you are looking for."

Delta is amazed at how many interesting books she stumbles across, cook books, books on music and song theory, a whole section of fables and stories for children.

"Janek's the name.  I am really interested in information on amulets.  Possibly legendary ones?  Local lore, things like that?"

Old Turk looks around, as if to confirm they are alone, "You inquiring about any specific amulet lore, or in general?  I do have a few old books on lost treasures and the like...you don't strike me as a bookworm, forgivee me saying so

You are not wrong.  I am looking for information on an amulet that looks like a sewer cover.  Like a circle inside a circle.  The inner circle has a couple up and down lines, there are more than a few side-to-side lines, a couple little holes, or circles on the bottom and one at near the top.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:08, Mon 14 Dec 2020.

The older dwarf laughs and nods, "Ahh, thought as much.  Rando warned me, thought you folks were gonna slit his throat, ee's an idiot but has a good heart.  The story of the iron lids goes back a long ways...". 

Old Turk pulls out THE amulet in question and actually hands it over to Janek.

"Tis' a long story, but here is a short version.  Timiteus the First, an explorer and warrior, built Stormhaven out of the ruins of old cities.  During his time, he united the many peoples of this land, and with an adviser from a far land, turned what was a filthy sprawl of huts, into a vast and powerful city.  His advisor was a learned man, both magician, and architect, who helped design and build the great town we live in.  It is said, one of his vast projects, and first among them, was to create the sewers, carving them from the old ruins beneath the city,  taking the cities waste far out to sea.  It took decades and many a dwarf from the Iron Hills was called in to help this project.  The city was built, and time moved on, but it was said this advisor, who was both learned, magical, and wise, had his own home and library hidden deep within the sewers, hidden beneath a special sewer cap.  It was to be hidden until his demise, when, and only then, an amulet would reveal the number of this special sewer grate.  All the grates are numbered, and there are archives you can find that list where they are.   So many many fools have looked for this hidden archive of Timiteus' advisor, and much has been made of the amulets, the iron lids that show up from time to time.  I believe it all nonsense,  look at his one, ancient, but makes no sense at all.   But, it is still fun to collect them..."

So, are there more amulets, or just the one?  Do you feel the actual location can be determined with a bit of research and searching? We have found things in the sewers before, but weren't looking for a hidden dwelling.

Delta finds a few books she wants, and heads back up to the counter, where she listens in on the conversation.

During a pause, she chips in.

"So it is the number which is of interest to you? It has a different meaning to me, it was stolen from a family tomb, and they are looking to return it to their beloved deceased. When you are done with it, might we return it to them, and offer you a split of any reward they offer?"

She has a cook book, two song books and a very old book of children's tales in Gnomish she wants for her sisters young children, filled with delightful illustrations.

Old Turk just shrugs, "It should go back to its family, although the age of the thing seemed hopeful, and the draconic symbol on it also, as the advisor was rumored to have a small dragon familiar.  The number is too big to make sense of, afterall, there are only around a thousand sewer grates in all the city.    I'll throw it in with the cost of those books, 30 gold total."

Her eyes widen at the price, it seems a bit high. She looks to Janek to see if he thinks she should dicker, if he can read her panicked eyes.

Janek sees the panic and eases the tension.  "That, with the amulet, seems fair."  He will pull out 10 gold from his pocket to add to hers.

He will explain later to her that the amulet is more important than the books.

To the shopkeeper, he says, "Do you think the information about the location could he hidden in the design of the amulet?  Or maybe a record book from the time of construction?"

"Thank you very much.  Hmmmm.....if it's true, which I doubt, since he was the architect of the city, I'm guessing he hid the entrance, so even if you knew the number, it would be almost impossible to find".

Well, how about books he wrote?  It might be worth looking into them for clues.

"Perhaps a map of the city might help as well, one that shows all of the sewer gratings."

Delta had some ideas about these things, but wasn't comfortable discussing them in front the of the old book merchant. He seemed a decent fellow, but still.

Pulling out her twenty gold to go along with Janek's ten, (still a steep price, she felt certain, for a few books), she paid up.

Once away from the bookshop, Delta will sketch the item in to a notebook, then ask Tanyl to explain what he read on it, as she only understands a few of the languages.

If they pass a manhole cover, she will examine that as well, and sketch it.

"All that was written was a number sequence, and it was the same sequence in every language.
6 0 0 0 0 7 7"

Can I get some clarification please?

Is it the number 6 0 0 0 0 7 7 seven times, or is there one number of each language?

That is to say, "6" in Arcane, "0" in Common, Gnomish, Elvish and Dwarvish, the "7" in Draconian, and Halfling?

Does any one else want to pursue this riddle as much as I do, or should I drop it?

If so, I think I could transcribe to final symbol and see if the Mages Guild can tell me what language it is in, if any.

(OOC)
I love a good puzzle.  The question is, is this a good puzzle.

ooc:  good question, it is

one number of each language,   That is to say, "6" in Arcane, "0" in Common, Gnomish, Elvish and Dwarvish, the "7" in Draconian, and Halfling.   That is correct, with one unknown symbol at the bottom all by itself.