"That would be fabulous, Dilemma.  Thank you," Malivoire replied to her offer with a smile.  He wondered what Charley thought of potential rivals, but imagined as a cat that Charley already knew he'd be superior.  That only widened the mage's smile.

Malivoire followed along with the group as they made their way to the shrine, and within to meet with Brother Othar.  Once the senior priest was able to speak with him, he added only one small offering on top of Barnabus' requests.

"Thank you for your efforts this morning, Brother Othar," he said respectfully, bowing his head.

”I am most appreciative of the offer,” Mazzahs replies, ”I do, in fact, have a familiar.” He points to a large iron cage that appears to be empty. ”but Kastrar tends to be rather protective and isn’t always welcoming to visitors. I have a ward in place that sends him to his cage when anyone enters the spire.” As if in acknowledgment, a brief growl arises from the seemingly vacant enclosure.

”If you wish to use the laboratory here to transcribe your spells, you are both welcome to do so. I possess all of the material components and inks that you might require. Late afternoon and evening would be best. I tend to perform my researches in the early hours of the day.”

Othar smiles in response to Malivoire. ”It is always our duty to protect the innocent. I am glad to serve.”

He raises an eyebrow at Barnabus’ first inquiry. ”I’m afraid the events of the morning have precluded the brewing of tea, though Cella may be making some now that her duties have been attended to.”

He accepts the staff from Barnabus, taking a long moment to study the inscriptions upon it. Finally, he shakes his head. ”This item was created through the power and blessing of the goblins’ chief deity, Maglubiyet. To try to alter it would simply result in its power dissipating. I fear that this was intended only for the use of Maglubiyet’s faithful.” Offering the piece back to Barnabus, he adds, ”It could be that one of the collectors in Ironguard Motte might have an interest in obtaining it. You might speak with Billworth Turgen about the possibility.”

“We are often up before the dawn to attend to prayer and other matters. Frequently, Billworth Turgen or one of the caravan drivers will ask for a blessing for their forthcoming journey. Besides those merchants who rise early, it was not unusual to see a few inebriated patrons from The Foul Pheasant wandering the streets. I’m certain that will become a common sight once more when it is rebuilt. Bollo of The Brazen Strumpet tends to send his customers home earlier, though some of his workers are often about in the early hours, as they tend to perform their cleaning and similar duties for the forthcoming day before departing.”

“I do not recall seeing anyone that was notably suspicious during that time.”

He pauses, considering the last of Barnabus’ words. ”I suppose that nothing is out of the realm of possibility, but I would be surprised if Harnold Huffnpuff had any involvement in such matters. Outside of making a profit by means of money lending and jewelry, his primary focus appears to be the procurement of fine food and drink. I have it on good authority from Billworth Turgen that he spends considerable sums on bringing in such items from the merchants at Ironguard Motte.”

"No tea," Barnabus exhales, even more lugubriously than when they had left the third urn behind in the treasury.

"But we do have two reasons to visit Billworth," he allows, allowing himself to be buoyed at the prospect of profit.

Almost as an afterthought, he asks Brother Othar if a "Protector of St. Ygg" might accompany them when they next visit the Barrowmaze. Without a paladin, he fears, they will be once again be "courting death."

Across the Village Square to Turgen's

Witness List
Brother Othar
Billworth Turgen
Brazen Strumpet staff

Suspect List
Harnold Huffnpuff
Brazen Strumpet staff
This message was last edited by the player at 19:32, Mon 16 Jan 2023.

OOC: Just checking before I shift the scene: Does anyone want to ask about Sir Guy de O’Veargne at this time? It’s not necessary to do so at this moment. The party can always return to the shrine at a later time to make the inquiry. But, if someone wants to ask after the knight now, they can. Otherwise, I’ll move things to Turgen’s Trade Goods.

Oh, right the orb. That was an oversight.

Digging his hands deep within his nest of hair, Barnabus has an epiphany. He would never again start another day without a cup of tea.

Then he remembers something he had just heard twenty minutes ago.

"Within a sealed tomb, we found four mummies within their boxes. Before we could look within, their shadowy selves assailed us. After we had destroyed three and driven off the fourth, we removed the mummies from the tomb. Mazzahs' discovered a message meant only for cultists etched in the bones of one."

"Sir Guy de O’Veargne brought an orb into the tombs. The cultists want it. We want it more."

"That last part wasn't part of the message," he says, helpfully.

"You should know," the curate brags, "they weren't just ordinary shadows."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:29, Mon 16 Jan 2023.

Othar raises his eyebrows in surprise when Barnabus mentions the knight. ”That’s quite an old story. One I haven’t encountered in some time.”

“There have been claims that before the Barrowmaze became a vast collection of tombs that it was a temple. One of the most ancient dedicated to the worship of Nergal. So great was the power concentrated there that it was said a place where the barriers between the planes were weakened, where it was easy for beings from another realm to step into our own.”

“Our records of that time are unfortunately fragmentary, but it occurred before Nergal was known to have been usurped by his terrible sons. Our order understandably viewed this temple as a great threat to all in the region, and Sir Guy, a champion of some renown was tasked with leading an expedition to destroy it.”

“He was given a tool to close the gate. Records refer to it as a font. This is the first I have heard it being spoken of as an orb. Regardless, Sir Guy and a group of knights ventured to the temple with it in their possession. But they never returned.


He shakes his head. ”War overtook these lands not long after. Once the fate of Nergal had been learned, the church believed the power of the temple had likely faded. It does not seem that these cultists you speak of agree with that view.”

“If the artifact given to Sir Guy exists, it is almost certainly a relic of great power. If the gate remains, it must be closed.”

It looks like Barnabus isn't the only one who would have benefited from a cup of tea this morning.

"If it were a font, something must have had to have been placed within it? An orb?" wonders the curate, giving his shock of gray hair a shake, so thick that it barely rustles.

Before he himself forgets his request, he voices it again, "A paladin of St. Ygg, Othar? You don't expect me to find one of Impurax in these parts, do you?" with that impertinence of his that occasionally slips into his speech.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:53, Wed 18 Jan 2023.

”Possibly so,” Othar says in response to Barnabus’ conjecture, ”Our histories only contain references to the font. They give no detail regarding its construction or its powers, beyond its ability to destroy the gate.”

The priest smiles patiently. ”This is a shrine. An outpost. It has taken considerable effort to see Cella and Gamdar assigned here. Nevertheless, I will send word to Ironguard Motte of your need. It may be that a warrior in service of St. Ygg may be able to join you, though most are committed to crusades in the north and south.”

Ok, I think we're ready for a shift to Turgen’s Trade Goods.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:45, Wed 18 Jan 2023.

 "Very well, then." Dilemma, at Malivoire's words, claps a hand on her spell book.  "I don't think Charley would mind..." An approving chirp is heard from the mage's bag.

---

At the mention of weakening barriers between realms Brother Othar in the temple, Dilemma frowns.  She'd heard of such things...

 However, at the possibility of an additional set of hands in the group, she feels a little more at ease.

A few villagers are surveying the items on hand at Turgen’s Trade Goods, though the atmosphere in the normally busy shop is understandably subdued. Billworth Turgen stands at the counter reviewing a ledger, a wooden pipe clamped between his teeth, a haze of smoke surrounding him.

He glances up as he sees the adventurers enter. ”Back again from the moors?” he asks, ”Hope you’ve had better luck out there than we have here. Don’t know if you heard, but the market had a spot of trouble this morning. Rampaging monster of some kind. Bad business. Elzeiros, the potion seller, got ripped clean in two. Poor bastard.”

Dax leans toward Malivoire and whispers, "I hope this is all making sense to you, because I am lost on what we are looking for!"

Dax gives a nod, "We did see the demon. Thank the gods Mazzahs and Brother Othar were able to deal with it."

Elzeiros? He'd had a name? Next they'd be takin' up a collection for his fatherless brood of brats!

Barnabus segues from the talk of one demon to the other: the agent of Orcus, one headquartered within Helix itself.

"We're not the only ones who've been going back and forth through the moors. A cultist has been luring debtors to the barrow where their heads are put on the block when they can't pay up."

"Have you seen anyone else making the trek, perhaps at odd hours?" the Inquisitor of Impuratas inquires. "Maybe a hired hand at the Strumpet?"

As he speaks, his hands fidget with a certain relic of Maglubiyet -- what a collector's item it would be.

Turgen nods in agreement with Dax. ”Aye. ‘Tis true. If it weren’t for the two of them protecting the rest of us, we’d have all been doomed for certain.”

He frowns at Barnabus’ question. ”Odd that you ask. Perhaps two weeks back I had to be up earlier than is my usual time. The garrison at the Motte had gotten low on their grain stores and needed some sent as soon as we could manage. It was still quite dark when I got to the trading company and I saw someone coming into town from the south, from the moors, on foot. Thought it might have been one of the ambitious sorts that think they can sneak in the barrows and make off with a pile of gold, but get a lot more than they bargained for. It occurred to me that they might be hurt, so I called out to the person, asking if they were in need of help, but as soon as they heard my voice they ran off to the west. Never caught sight of them again.”

He shrugs. ”It struck me strange. Best I could tell, it was a man. On the slender side, but it was too dark for me to make out his features.”

“I’d doubt that those at The Brazen Strumpet were up to anything nefarious. Bollo and his workers are all honest sorts. Two of his barmaids, Taycee and Urgritte, live on the southern side of Helix. They usually go home late. Either one could have seen something.”

While adding Turgen's testimony to his mental notebook, a follow-up question occurs to Barnabus: "What about the figure said 'man' to you since it was too dark to make out its features?"

After the merchant answers his question, the curate produces the Staff of Maglubiyet, as he now refers to it, and offers it for sale on the condition that he never attempt to use it unless he first transforms himself into a goblin -- lest the staff do it for him.

Witness List
Brother Othar
Billworth Turgen saw a slender ?man? in the small hours approaching Helix from the south before running off to the west after Turgen hailed him. Did you get that, Dax?
Barmaid Taycee
Barmaid Urgritte

Suspect List
Harnold Huffnpuff
Brazen Strumpet staff
This message was last edited by the player at 03:20, Sat 21 Jan 2023.

Turgen considers for a moment. ”The way in which he walked. His gait seemed that of a man. And his shoulders. Too broad for a woman in my estimation.”

The merchant accepts the offered staff, looking it over carefully. ”Aye. There might be a few in the Motte who’d have an interest in something such as this. I can offer you seven hundred gold for it.”

"Like most ancient mysteries, the truth is probably something else altogether," Malivoire whispered back with a shrug.  "But to start we watch for a font, or an orb, or both."
~~~~~~~~

Malivoire listened carefully to Barnabus interrogate Turgen on anything he'd seen, and became especially attentive when it seemed there might be a lead discovered.  Alas it was so general as to be almost useless.  But at least it was something.  On top of that, Turgen offered up Taycee and Urgritte as other possible witnesses.  Those with a keen eye might have caught Malivoire blushing slightly when Taycee's name was mentioned.  He'd embarrassed himself when speaking with her the first time they'd visited the tavern.

The elven mage waited for Barnabus to concluded his haggling with the merchant before readying to move along.  "Time to see the barmaids?" he asked, a little timidly.

Without haggling, Barnabus unloads the cursed staff for the offered 700 pieces of gold. Turning to Malivoire, he saucily informs him that he might not like discovering who might be warming a barmaid's bed at this hour.

"And even if the strumpet sleeps alone, it wouldn't do to disturb her sleep," he finishes. No, he thinks they should tromp on over to the Ironguard Motte and see if any of the town watchmen have anything to report about missing persons or strangers in the night. After that, it might be time for Dax to see if he can sniff out any of those tracks that come from the south and then diverge to the west.

It certainly doesn't seem like there would be any time for tea on this day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Witness List
Brother Othar
Billworth Turgen saw a slender ?man? with broad shoulders and a manly gait in the small hours approaching Helix from the south before loping off to the west after Turgen hailed him.
Town Watch
Barmaid Taycee
Barmaid Urgritte

Suspect List
Harnold Huffnpuff
Brazen Strumpet staff
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Sat 21 Jan 2023.

Exiting Turgen’s Trade Goods, the adventurers are met at the shop’s entrance by Cella, her expression marked by wide eyed wonder. ”Your pardon,” the acolyte says by way of greeting to the company, ”Brother Othar said that I might find you here. He asked that you return to the shrine as soon as you are able.”

Dax is surprised to see the acolyte waiting for them.

"Of course, Cella. We will return immediately."

Oh, maybe, they had a prepared a tea for them after all! Barnabus hurries along side Dax back to the shrine.

Cella leads the adventurers back to the church. The acolyte does not run, but she walks at a brisk pace. Within the village square, the company members see that several townspeople are hard at work constructing new booths for the village market. The sounds of sawing and hammering fill the air.

Uncharacteristically, the door to the shrine’s sanctuary is open. Brother Othar stands on the steps outside, the ghost of a smile on his face. As the adventurers draw near, he says, ”There are times when prayer is answered quite quickly.” The priest motions for the group to enter.

Standing within the sunlit sanctuary are three familiar figures: the squire known to most as Ol’ Gib, the young man at arms, Andryr of Ironguard, and the company’s former compatriot, Sir Dryvyk of Drakeholme.

Sir Dryvyk smiled as his former companions entered the shrine. His face was haggard and the hem of his surcoat and boots were muddy. His squires looked much the same, as if they'd ridden hard on little rest. The young Knight's face wore an expression that was a mixture of awe and confusion.

"Well met friends! I would have assumed that you all would be out exploring the Barrows. A pleasant surprise indeed. Brother Othar has been chattering about a miracle, but wouldn't quite explain... something about our arrival having been Divinely guided. St. Ygg must have a great need or a dark sense of humor, but at any rate, we're here now. Perhaps you all could enlighten me?"

Sir Dryvyk glanced at the smug curate of the shrine.

"The Barrows sometimes have other plans for those who explore it," Barnabus reminds Sir Dryvyk after giving the paladin a rib-crunching hug of welcome.

"Now, if you and your entourage are going to sign up for another tour, I want your given name this time around. Or must I always call you, "Sir?"

When he gets around to the explanation, the cleric says, "It's like this, Sir. There never was any question of the evil within the tombs. But it is a most sneaky, furtive evil. It doesn't play fair. It hides as the pinpricks of shadows within walls. It plasters itself to the bottom of splendid statuary."

Barnabus beams, "That's where you come in, Sir. You can sniff out evil no matter how skunky it gets."

(OC)
And I won't have to prepare Detect Evil.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:16, Sun 22 Jan 2023.