Post by hubertbartels on Jun 11, 2018 13:44:13 GMT -5
Traveling from Trembly, it took a half-day's walking to get to Motte Severan. There, we talked to the two investigators working for Dame Bronywn. Between checking on what they had learned from the bandits and going down into the crypts to look for the two children of Lady Severan entombed there - it got late. Late enough that we decided to spend the rest of the day there. We would continue our trip to Willowstrand in the morning.
After breakfast, we set out. The landscape was rolling hills and open grasslands with occasional copses of trees. It was around noon when we spotted a group of horsemen following us. As they overtook us, they appeared to be a scholar and her lightly armored bodyguards. They waved greetings to us and rode on.
As we continued walking, Duncan mentioned that there was something about the scholar that didn't ring true. Aerwyn seemed to remember the scholar as a visitor to her great-uncle Kereslar. Looking at each other, we made up our minds to march quickly after them.
But there was no one on the road ahead of us that we could see. Their horses allowed them to move more rapidly. Gideon, struck by a thought, checked the edges of the road, looking where the scholar and her bodyguards might have set an ambush. He found they did leave the road at the next copse of trees. We pulled out weapons, spread out and entered the stand of trees.
A few moments later, we had knocked out the bodyguards and forced the scholar to turn invisible and flee. Among the bodyguards and her horses, we found her saddlebags. She had been given a piece of paper with our description. The piece of paper mentioned Blackbriar Cottage in Severan's Mill. Questioning one of the bodyguards added the information that the scholar's name was Moira and Old Man Eldon of Blackbriar Cottage hired her.
Now on horseback - we made good time into Willowstrand. Aerwyn and Wolfram shared one horse - everyone else got their own. Corvin had no need for a horse and Gideon preferred animal form to riding.
In Willowstrand, we arranged through Abbess Wilhelmina to meet the aged priest of Pholtus. He appeared after dinner. Thomas, son of William was still sharp-witted and remembered a lot. Bertold, the old Lord Severan, was a decent fellow but his son, Lord Gerhardt, was a terror. Thomas's aunt, Mina, was the housekeeper at the place until she suddenly took a large severance pay and moved to Midmeadow. Brother Thomas and his aunt never trusted Lady Severan - and noted that she was spending a lot of time with Melander. In his description of Melanthus, Brother Thomas describes a man identical to our Melanthus - even though that was a decade or more ago. Lord Gerhardt was married but Brother Thomas doesn't know what happened to the wife or the two children. They may have perished when the keep fell in the war. Lord Gerhardt was close friends with Sister Selma.
Although Brother Thomas has lost track of his aunt Mina, he does know that she is fond of Urnstian romance poetry and will sponsor or attend any readings. He would like us to give her a letter from him.
The next morning, we left for Midmeadow. Wolfram had acquired a sturdy pony so Aerwyn won't have to share her horse. It took several days of riding to bring us close to the city. Surrounded by large estates and farmsteads, Midmeadow is a stone-walled city of 12,000 people. We ride though the gates and get rooms at the Silver Bells Inn.
In making our inquiries, we learn about a poetry reading by Priscilla of Urnst, to be given at the one bookstore in Midmeadow. We made plans to attend. At the reading of Urnstian romance poetry, Duncan asked the store owner about Mina. The store owner pointed out an old woman with an attendant and a circle of poetry admirers. Saphie made contact and got an appointment to see her and deliver the letter from Thomas. The appointment was the next day at the Gilded Rose.
The Gilded Rose was a red brick structure, home to Mina and other elderly wealthy patrons. While Mina served tea and cookies, Duncan and Saphie tried to get Mina to tell us what she knew. Mina was cagey and explained that under her non-disclosure agreement, she was not at liberty to tell us. This was a non-disclosure agreement protected by paper and records that she had set aside in a secure location. But she did tell how Lord Severan was not the true master of the place - Sister Selma was. Melanthus was there twenty years ago and he hasn't aged at all. Mina added that both Sister Selma and Melander had been seen in Midmeadow. As for the children of Lady Severan - after Dominic, the three that died - died suddenly. Here today, gone the next day. She confirmed that Lord Gerhardt was often in the company of Melanthus - who may have influenced the young brute. The current Lord Severan was going down the same dark path as his older brother for a while. Then he married the Lady Severan, Dobella.
We thanked Mina for her help and left. That evening, while Wolfram was making contact with other halflings that he knew, he heard that someone broke into the Temple of Zilchus. Only a few things were taken. Not money and the halflings knew that the Temple was immensely rich. Wolfram returned to the Silver Bells Inn and told us.
We decided to return to the Gilded Rose, Gideon padding along in a dog form. At the house, the dog sensed that someone was breaking into the building from the roof. We decided to break in through the front door. There was nothing moving on the ground floor but when we quietly moved to the second floor - someone was trying to lockpick a door.
He was an assassin with poisoned blades. Although he hurt some of us, we dropped him. Knocking on the door, we told Mina that we had gotten the assassin and the Temple of Zilchus had been robbed. Mina said that they had violated the non-disclosure agreement and she was willing to write down everything she knows before priests of Zilchus.
The next day, we collected the affidavit. It would have been better if we had Mina's records and papers but it gave us something to work with. Then we rode back to Severan's Mill.
After breakfast, we set out. The landscape was rolling hills and open grasslands with occasional copses of trees. It was around noon when we spotted a group of horsemen following us. As they overtook us, they appeared to be a scholar and her lightly armored bodyguards. They waved greetings to us and rode on.
As we continued walking, Duncan mentioned that there was something about the scholar that didn't ring true. Aerwyn seemed to remember the scholar as a visitor to her great-uncle Kereslar. Looking at each other, we made up our minds to march quickly after them.
But there was no one on the road ahead of us that we could see. Their horses allowed them to move more rapidly. Gideon, struck by a thought, checked the edges of the road, looking where the scholar and her bodyguards might have set an ambush. He found they did leave the road at the next copse of trees. We pulled out weapons, spread out and entered the stand of trees.
A few moments later, we had knocked out the bodyguards and forced the scholar to turn invisible and flee. Among the bodyguards and her horses, we found her saddlebags. She had been given a piece of paper with our description. The piece of paper mentioned Blackbriar Cottage in Severan's Mill. Questioning one of the bodyguards added the information that the scholar's name was Moira and Old Man Eldon of Blackbriar Cottage hired her.
Now on horseback - we made good time into Willowstrand. Aerwyn and Wolfram shared one horse - everyone else got their own. Corvin had no need for a horse and Gideon preferred animal form to riding.
In Willowstrand, we arranged through Abbess Wilhelmina to meet the aged priest of Pholtus. He appeared after dinner. Thomas, son of William was still sharp-witted and remembered a lot. Bertold, the old Lord Severan, was a decent fellow but his son, Lord Gerhardt, was a terror. Thomas's aunt, Mina, was the housekeeper at the place until she suddenly took a large severance pay and moved to Midmeadow. Brother Thomas and his aunt never trusted Lady Severan - and noted that she was spending a lot of time with Melander. In his description of Melanthus, Brother Thomas describes a man identical to our Melanthus - even though that was a decade or more ago. Lord Gerhardt was married but Brother Thomas doesn't know what happened to the wife or the two children. They may have perished when the keep fell in the war. Lord Gerhardt was close friends with Sister Selma.
Although Brother Thomas has lost track of his aunt Mina, he does know that she is fond of Urnstian romance poetry and will sponsor or attend any readings. He would like us to give her a letter from him.
The next morning, we left for Midmeadow. Wolfram had acquired a sturdy pony so Aerwyn won't have to share her horse. It took several days of riding to bring us close to the city. Surrounded by large estates and farmsteads, Midmeadow is a stone-walled city of 12,000 people. We ride though the gates and get rooms at the Silver Bells Inn.
In making our inquiries, we learn about a poetry reading by Priscilla of Urnst, to be given at the one bookstore in Midmeadow. We made plans to attend. At the reading of Urnstian romance poetry, Duncan asked the store owner about Mina. The store owner pointed out an old woman with an attendant and a circle of poetry admirers. Saphie made contact and got an appointment to see her and deliver the letter from Thomas. The appointment was the next day at the Gilded Rose.
The Gilded Rose was a red brick structure, home to Mina and other elderly wealthy patrons. While Mina served tea and cookies, Duncan and Saphie tried to get Mina to tell us what she knew. Mina was cagey and explained that under her non-disclosure agreement, she was not at liberty to tell us. This was a non-disclosure agreement protected by paper and records that she had set aside in a secure location. But she did tell how Lord Severan was not the true master of the place - Sister Selma was. Melanthus was there twenty years ago and he hasn't aged at all. Mina added that both Sister Selma and Melander had been seen in Midmeadow. As for the children of Lady Severan - after Dominic, the three that died - died suddenly. Here today, gone the next day. She confirmed that Lord Gerhardt was often in the company of Melanthus - who may have influenced the young brute. The current Lord Severan was going down the same dark path as his older brother for a while. Then he married the Lady Severan, Dobella.
We thanked Mina for her help and left. That evening, while Wolfram was making contact with other halflings that he knew, he heard that someone broke into the Temple of Zilchus. Only a few things were taken. Not money and the halflings knew that the Temple was immensely rich. Wolfram returned to the Silver Bells Inn and told us.
We decided to return to the Gilded Rose, Gideon padding along in a dog form. At the house, the dog sensed that someone was breaking into the building from the roof. We decided to break in through the front door. There was nothing moving on the ground floor but when we quietly moved to the second floor - someone was trying to lockpick a door.
He was an assassin with poisoned blades. Although he hurt some of us, we dropped him. Knocking on the door, we told Mina that we had gotten the assassin and the Temple of Zilchus had been robbed. Mina said that they had violated the non-disclosure agreement and she was willing to write down everything she knows before priests of Zilchus.
The next day, we collected the affidavit. It would have been better if we had Mina's records and papers but it gave us something to work with. Then we rode back to Severan's Mill.