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[LordBucket]

If I knew where he was I might be able to get him away from the block long enough to figure out what's going on.

*Waits for the bartender to not be paying close attention*

Aduial
: That sounds suspiciously like a jailbreak you're talking about there. You wouldn't happen to know anyone with experience in that sort of work, would you?

[The Fool]

Aldun rolled his eyes at the question. His reputation was clearly slipping. He looked both ways to be sure no one was looking before pointing to himself. "What did you have in mind?"

[LordBucket]

"What did you have in mind?"

Aduial
: It just so happens that I also have an acquaintance I'd like sprung out of jail. I was thinking it might be easier for the two of us to work together to spring two people rather than for each of us individually to spring one. Plus, I'm the new girl in town. Once we get them out we'll need to find a place for them to lay low for a while. They can't just go home. The Marshal will be looking for them. And in the case of your halfling friend, since he obviously won't have the money he owes you on him we might need to keep him under lock and key for a few days while you convince him to pay. Since you're a local, I thought you might know a good place.

[The Fool]

"The jail I can handle, but I doubt I'd find Orsi there. Attacking halflings on sight isn't exactly normal around here, and private executions without trial even less normal. They're probably holding him somewhere in the city. If you got 5 shields I'd be happy to help." Jailbreak wouldn't be easy. He almost bit his tongue as he said the number. That was far too low for such a risky job, but he could hardly take it back now, not without hurting his reputation. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

[LordBucket]

Aduial raises one eyebrow, amused.

: I'm sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else. Someone who was screaming in the streets a few hours ago about how a certain halfling owed him money. Someone who not 60 seconds worth of conversation ago was proposing a jailbreak of that very same halfling in order to collect on that debt. Someone who might happen to share mutually compatible interests with myself. But if that's not you, then I guess we can't help each other.

*gets up to leave*

[The Fool]

This newcomer had no respect bringing up something like that. Not being able to collect a debt as a mercenary was an embarrassment. "Geeze, don't go dragging in personal stuff like that." Aldun cringed at the thought of such a job opportunity slipping away. Who knows, maybe a guard in the jail would know where Orsi is. "Wait... Don't misunderstand me. If you got the shields I'll take the job. I'm sure I can find out what I need to know on the job. All I was trying to say was that he probably isn't in that jail. He's probably somewhere separate, but hey if you got the coin your friend's as good as free."

[mainiac]

((Might not be the most productive of conversations but it has me amused.  ))

[LordBucket]

Aduial

 * Leave for the Radhan estate. Make a few unnecessary turns and check to confirm that I'm not being followed as I do. If I am, stop to confront the pursuer. If not, simply return to the estate.
 * Receive and read the Guild Magistrates letter mentioned here.
 * If Erwin is still up, mention to him that my evening out had been less than successful, but that I have an appointment to speak with Marshal Lorsen tomorrow. If not, don't wake him.
 * Confirm that all my belongings are still in my room, and return them to my person. Read for a few hours. Cast prestidigitation on my clothes to clean them. Trance for four hours, then memorize spells.

Changes to spell list:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mage Hand
Detect Magic
Prestidigitation

Charm Person x2

Come morning:

 * Bathe, preen, re-weave my hair, etc. Be beautiful.
 * Take a brief 20 minutes to explore the mansion, say hello to the horses, etc. Make a point to be seen by the staff so they become comfortable with and assured by my presence. If Erwin and the bondsman's son are genuinely the only people in the house besides myself, that's fine...say hello to the bondsman's son, get his name, etc. Identify whether "the bondsman" is Erwin, or somebody else I haven't met yet. If there are others in the house, maids, etc. I want to know about them, and be sure that they see me as the current, benevolent authority in the household. I don't necessarily need to know their names, but Aduial does.
 * Be sociable with Erwin. Invite him to join me for breakfast. Listen to his concerns, and attempt to leave him feeling like the situation is in good hands with me. Try to assure him, but acknowledge the possibility that Marshal Lorsen might not even allow me to speak with the Baron at our first meeting today. Explain that these things take time. Standard practice will be that he'll expect me to do a favor for him before he does a favor for me.
 * Inquire as to where Lady Radhan has been hidden away. Previously it was said "out of town." Where out of town? With relatives in a neighboring town? How far away? Make polite inquiries about her family and whether she and the Baron have a born son somewhere in addition to their unborn one.
 * Inquire as to whether there is other household or administrative business that needs attending. "It would not do to have the good Baron to return to find his house in disarray."

[mainiac]

Aduial is ready bright and early the following morning, feeling prepared for the day and having had her curiosity satisfied on a few matters.

* Her hair of course looks lovely as befits her practiced touch.
* Erwin and the bondsmans son Matthias are indeed the only other persons in the house.  It seems that the boy is a son of a deceased thane that the Baron knew during the war five years ago.  Though he hadn't employed the man, Radhan took his son on out of respect.
* Erwin is grateful for Aduials magnanimity and says he doesn't think much of her lack of success on the first day.  He has been trying for many days now and hasn't had the slightest hint of success himself.  He expresses his confidence that there is much the lady could do to prove herself to the marshal as he seems rather alone in all this.
* The lady Radhan has gone to stay with the Baron's sister in law and her children.  The baron is the younger son and his elder brother inherited the families principal holdings.  These are close the frontier half the kingdom away to the north.  The barony of Padros Radhan was inherited from his grandmothers side but the titles split again upon the death of Padros' father.  When Padros' brother died to northern holding passed to his nephew who is only 5 years old as of yet.  The expected child is to be the Radhan's first.
* There are no household tasks needed yet but if the Baron remains missing another week then Erwin will need to access his bank holdings in Narseus in order to pay for some items needed by the estate.

[LordBucket]

Excellent. The puzzle pieces are starting to come together. I'm curious to see whether what's going on is what I think is going on.

Incidentally, what is the political organization and status of Narseus? This is something I should already know. The town has a mayor, and it's not a vassal state, but is apparently home to a number of landed nobles. Who owns the land the town sits on?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The picture being painted so far seems to be that Narseus is a totally autonomous state owned by wealthy merchants. I'm guessing the nobility here simply lives here because they or their families personally own the individual mansions they live in within the city, while their feudal lands are not part of the city, but rather, the "fiefs to the south of the town."

It doesn't escape my notice that the Mayor is the former mason's guild master, and that both he and the guild magistrate had letters penned and sent to me within hours of my contact with Marshal Lorsen. The answer to the question in the original post: "why hasn't the town council removed the Mayor?" seems fairly obvious: The Mayor, all members of the town "council" and the Marshal all have very much buddy-buddy relationships with each other and have for a long time. The Mayor and all members of the council were probably chosen by the merchant powers, and any democratic election process that occurred, if there even was one, was simply to put on appearances. The council hasn't removed the mayor because they're generally in agreement with what's going on. It might even have been their idea.

There appears to be a fairly delicate balance of power here. Narseus is considered part of the Nosarri kingdom, but I would guess only because nobody cares enough to contest it. The nobility of the surrounding lands probably treat this place like walking on eggshells, because the power in Narseus is unbound by rules of nobility, and they're probably dependent on Narseus's trade because of its status as a port town. I'm guessing...the only major port within hundreds of miles. The nobles of the surrounding lands need Narseus and they know it. However, the merchants of Narseus are presumably an essentially non-military organization. Marshal Lorsen, whatever militia, and whatever private guards the merchants employ are probably the closest thing to a military this town has. Whereas the surrounding nobility probably field armies and have hundreds of years of family tradition of war. The merchants know the surrounding nobility depends on them for trade, but they also know that any of several even relatively minor nobles have the miltary strength to completely destroy the town at any time. So they too tend to walk on eggshells.

Erwin and the bondsmans son Matthias are indeed the only other persons in the house.  It seems that the boy is a son of a deceased thane that the Baron knew during the war five years ago.

Interesting. So the stableboy is of noble blood. What about Erwin? What's his background?

The lady Radhan has gone to stay with the Baron's sister in law and her children.  The baron is the younger son and his elder brother inherited the families principal holdings.  These are close the frontier half the kingdom away to the north.

That's curious. I'd hoped to keep her appraised of the situation, but that distance will make sending messages impractical. It's been at most four days since her departure. I wonder if she's even arrived yet. Her absence makes my life much easier, but the implication here is that she didn't expect her husband to be released. Possibly ever. She might not be planning on coming back.


Aduial:

Ok....today's morning tasks:

 * Pen letters to the Mayor and the Guild Magistrate.

To the Mayor:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Honorable Mayor,

Thank you for your welcome. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, but certain unfortunate events in the streets upon my arrival made such formalities impractical.

Marshal Lorsen and I have indeed exchanged correspondence. He is, as you say, somewhat firm, but he has nevertheless, so far, been a gentleman. He has requested my counsel in certain matters, and it is my intention to see him this morning.

I would be delighted to visit you in your office after my meeting with the Marshal, if that is convenient. Perhaps you can tell me a bit about this fine town of yours.

Coridially,
Lady Aduial

To the Guild Magistrate

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Guild Magistrate,

Thank you for your letter. I appreciate your desire for brevity and will speak with same. Protocol demands that I first speak with the Mayor and his Marshal, but if possible I would like to meet with you today during my visit to town. There is a small matter I would like to offer for your consideration.

Cordially,
Lady Aduial

Seal them, and have Mathias deliver them this morning.


 * Mention to Erwin that I might be in need of a page. Male, human, perhaps aged 10-12. He may be of noble birth, though a child from a merchant-class or household-servant family would be acceptable also. He absolutely must be able to read and write. If he serves me well I will make him my squire. This is, of course, both an honor and a significant opportunity for upward social mobility. Ask Erwin if he knows anyone with an appropriate boy for me to interview.

 * Head to town. Time to visit Marshal Lorsen.


Couple side questions:

 * What is your treament of the spell Charm Person? In particular, does a succesful save result in the target knowing that a spell attempt was made on them? And does the target know when the spell ends? For example, if I were to cast on an individual, and over the duration of the spell issue not a single direct command, speak cordially and generally not ask for anything they wouldn't have been willing to do anyway...after the spell ends do they instantly become hostile and know what happened, or do they simply come away with 10 minutes of memory of feeling like that Aduial girl is really pretty nice?

 * It was mentioned that the Radhan mansion is outside the town. How far away is it?

 * Appraise check [+5] on the value of the Radhan estate. How big is the manor house? What condition is it in? How many bedrooms? How many stalls in the stables? My assumption is that Erwin and Mathias or the only ones here because Lady Radhan either dismissed the other servants or took them with her. What's the capacity of the household were it to be at full operation?

 * Related, what can you tell me about the land? How many acres? You mentioned "no more than 15 peasants at a time" but is that because it's the capacity of the land, or simply because the Radhans aren't very ambitious? Is this a self-sustained system, with a variety of crops and if the town blew up life would go on? Or is the operation of the household dependant on trade or income from outside sources?

[mainiac]

So many questions. 

Spoiler: "Narseus political status" (click to show/hide)

The status of Narseus is somewhat akin to the imperial cities in the Holy Roman Empire of our world.  However the authority of Narseus stops very close to the town limits.  The Baron Radham is vassal to count Dmarra many miles away and not vassal to the town that is a short walk from his home.

There is no democracy in Narseus or anywhere near it but there is an oligopoly like you said.  Merchants play a role but the guilds also have a strong say.  The exact details of who controls what appointments are something you'd need to dig to uncover but suffice to say that the four council positions besides the mayor do represent the influences of the political players in town and are not appointments the mayor controls.  As for ownership of the land itself, nobody really owns the land.  Within the city limits people own individual buildings but no one owns the town itself.

The independence of Narseus is somewhat precarious because as you indicated they would be outnumbered by the larger militaries of the feudal system that surrounds them.  However they are not completely defenseless so while a fairly substantial noble like the Count Dmarra could squash them like a bug the smaller noble houses south of the city wouldn't have an easy time overrunning the towns defenses.  Even the cursory indications that Aduial has noticed seeing men-at-arms so far indicate that they are a well equipped fighting force, some on par with banner-knights.  Aduial's background doesn't indicate that she knows much about the military traditions of places like Narseus but if she wanted to ask around she could probably find out since the town recently had it's mettle shown in the war five years back.  Additionally there is the mercenary factor.  While someone like Count Dmarra might be able to muster many more men then a place like Narseus the town could afford to hire mercenaries if need by.  Depending on how many mercenaries the town could afford they might be very ferocious, or might have no bite to speak of.

This wealth also provides the other reasons for why a town like Narseus remains independent.  Including the capital, there are only five free towns in the whole kingdom of Nosarri (it is a fairly small kingdom) but between them they provide more funds for the crown then all of the nobles combined.  This isn't so much a matter of the towns being very rich as it is that nobles tend to pay very, very little in the way of taxes while the towns make regular tribute.  In exchange for the tribute the crown gives them deference (like in the current affair.)

The stableboy isn't of nobleblood.  He is the son of a thane.  A thane is a non-noble soldier in the service of a noble.  In this case the noble was a bondsman who knew the Baron Padros Radhan during the orcish invasion five years ago.

The lady Radhan would probably have arrived by now.  She can travel by ship most of the way which speeds up the journey immensely.  You are right that her flight doesn't instill confidence but on the other hand the woman is pregnant.

Charm person questions: In order for someone to notice this spell without a spellcraft check they will need to actual have it dictate their actions.  So if you cast it and then just talk about the weather they will never notice a thing.  What they will notice is when you tell them to do something and they decide "No" but hear their mouth say "Yes".  Their degree of anger afterwards will depend on how far you push them.  If the spell is only used to minor effect they might just be confused about what happened and not even figure it out.  A prank might be taken in good humor by the right person.  If you coerce your victim into something they were dead set against (like demanding the Marshal explain everything to you) they could try to get you labeled a deamon worshiper and burned at the stake.

The Radhan home is about five miles outside the town walls.  He is the closest noble to the town but is still vassal to the Count Dmarra not the town.  However when inside the town he has to obey city law.  He is still accorded certain rights as a noble, city law or not.

Based on your earlier perusal of the Radhan documents you'd estimate the Baron's income is about 9 banners a year.  The household looks to be worth quite a bit more then that but has a lot of empty space.  It seems the Lady Radhan took a maid with her when she left but besides that maid and Erwin the household has no other servants but could fit a full household staff and host a proper dinner engagement in the dinning room down to the roast boar.  While underused the place isn't run down.  The estate seems to be doing decently well with the small amount of farmland that the Radhan's own.  They aren't self-sufficient like most nobles in that they trade with the town a lot more then other nobles do.  The estate doesn't even have a carpenter, let alone a blacksmith and they buy several banners worth of goods a year.  They could probably manage without the town, they do grow their own food, but it would seriously disrupt their way of life.

-------------

Erwin says that he could ask around about a page for you but respectfully asks that you entertain the notion of selecting his own second son, aged 13.  The lad can write and is not afraid of a proper days work.  He is currently out goatherding but could be rapidly brought back if Aduial so desires.

With the morning tasks attended to, Aduial departs for the guardhouse where the Marshal requested her presence.  She is directed to the main plaza of town where she finds the guardhouse and the temple of Leneus siting on opposite sides of the plaza.  Aduial doesn't know much about architecture but the temple is a style she's never seen before in her limited experience, what look to be natural rock formations coming together to support a roof with a statue of the woodland spirit staring out from amidst the stonework.  The guardhouse on the other hand looks much more familiar.  It seems to be built by extending a stone wall around a large study stone tower that stands many stories high.  The tower doesn't look nearly as ancient as the temple it is near but has long since grown an impressive mossy coat while the courtyard wall extending from it is much less aged.  Aduial is shown to the main gate and is welcomed into the courtyard by a nearby sargeant of the guard who is drilling some men in the courtyard.  Aduial is thanked for coming so soon and told that the marshal is in the tower with the items he asked her to see.  The sargeant offers to lead the lady upstairs but as the two of them are crossing the courtyard the marshal emerges from the tower door.

The marshal wears clothing of fine fabrics and furs but beneath that clothing seems out of place in them.  His nose is lopsided from being broken in the past and his right cheek shows fine scars that have prevented a stubble from growing like that on his left.  His brown hair grows long, untamed and unkept behind him, marring any elegance of his appearance.  He looks like he could use a good nights sleep, a shave and a bath.  The scabbard that hangs at his side may be gilded but it holds a heft warsword, not a ceremonial piece.  He has a few years on him but isn't yet old, middle aged most likely in his 40s.  The blue eyes beneath his bushy eyebrows seem unfocused when Aduial first sees him but they snap to life when he catches sight of the noblewoman.  He doesn't hide the fact that he is appraising her, observing that she wears fine garments and jewels and carefully arranges her appearance.  He strides forward to meet Aduial and bows before her somewhat clumsily, right fist on his heart as is the proper style for a man of his rank greeting a noblewoman.

"Ah, I hadn't expected you here so soon." He abruptly opens the conversation in a pleased sounding tone.  "You must be the lady Aduial.  Please, come inside.  Someone like yourself is greatly welcome in times like these.  I would prefer to discuss certain items with you in a less public place."

Assuming the lady consents the marshal leads her into the guardtower.  She can see a stairway leading down, perhaps to dungeons, but he leads her upwards instead, up six flights of stairs to the top level.  From the windows of the seventh story one can look out over the rooftops of the entire town.  The level has a hallway running along the exterior and a pair of guards standing outside the room that the hallway encircles.  They are standing at attention by the time the marshal and lady arrive (having no doubt heard them climb the stairs) and the marshal stands them down.  He welcomes his guest into the room announcing that the items he wishes to share are within.  He says they are the items taken from the caravan of the daemon associated halfling arrested yesterday.  There is a clear note of pride in his voice.  He opens the door and allows the lady to enter and see the items arranged on the tables within, lit by lanterns around the room.

What lies inside the room is mismatched.  Some of the items do seem to be magical in nature but other items are definitely not so.  The piece given the central position in the room is a giant rams skull.  While a rams skull might seem arcane Aduial knows quite well (spellcraft check roll natural 20) that it is hardly a prize item.  Besides it's not like procuring an animal skull would be very difficult to do in the area of Narseus.  On the other hand some of the items do look to be useful.  The vial closest to Aduial looks to be like it's full of expertly preserved fly wings.  She wouldn't mind having such an item for herself as it's one of the many arcane reagents that a spellcaster must spend so long preparing in order to fuel their spells.  The other various items are mostly things that would seem at least tangentially related to the arcane, candles, various metal instruments, parchments, gaudy fabrics, various random materials and substances and other sundry.  One of the more interesting items is a red knife carved from a massive bone which has some sort of runes etched on it.

((Holy megapost Batman))

[LordBucket]

Erwin says that he could ask around about a page for you but respectfully asks that you entertain the notion of selecting his own second son, aged 13.  The lad can write and is not afraid of a proper days work.  He is currently out goatherding but could be rapidly brought back if Aduial so desires.

That is extremely acceptable. Express pleasure that Erwin himself should happen to have an appropriate son, and definite willingness to consider him. Ask for his name, but don't summon the boy immediately. Aduial expects to be unavailable most of today, and quite possibly tonight also.

The marshal

Interesting. Not expected. Ok, my treatment of Marshal Lorsen will be polite, but factual. Minimize flowery prose, don't stand on ceremony and make it clear I'm not here to waste his time. Do acknowledge and appreciate his polite gestures, after all...I am a lady. But express it by appreciating the gestures he does offer rather than putting him in the position of feeling like he'll be rude if he doesn't offer them. And if he commits any faux pas, don't acknowledge them. Yes, I'm feminine. Yes, I'm beautiful. But I'd like him to feel like if the orcs return tomorrow, he'd want me either on the field or in the war room, and not worried that I'd be writing angry letters demanding to know why the siege was interfering with the tea and perfume shipments.

"Ah, I hadn't expected you here so soon." He abruptly opens the conversation in a pleased sounding tone.  "You must be the lady Aduial.  Please, come inside.  Someone like yourself is greatly welcome in times like these.  I would prefer to discuss certain items with you in a less public place."

(Nodding politely)
: Certainly, Marshal.

What lies inside the room

Express obvious interest in the items. Allow my facial expression to convey slight concern. Not panicky or worried concern, but more like slight surprise that this might actually turn out to be something of importance after all. Explain to the Marshal that I will be examining the items using magic, and to please observe quietly. It might take a few minutes.

Cast detect magic. Which items are magic? If possible, identify relative strengths and spell schools. Do a quick sweep of Lorsen as well. If he has any magic items on him I'd like to know about it.

red knife carved from a massive bone which has some sort of runes etched on it.

Examine the runes. Aduial conveniently happens to be a linguist fluent not only in two elvish tongues and common, but both Trafnor and Casib as well. What do they say?

parchments

What's on them? Blank? Magical text? Non-magical text? Are these spellscrolls? Somebody's journal in a language the humans here happen to not speak? Raw shipment of blank paper?

expertly preserved fly wings

[Appraise + 5]

various metal instruments

Such as? Torture implements? Potion making gear? Decorative candle holders? Pentagram necklaces and friendship bracelets? Also, [Appraise] the pile.

caravan of the daemon associated halfling arrested yesterday

Pursue this. Ask him about the caravan, the halfling and what evidence he has to believe demons are involved.

[The Fool]

((o_o' Oh wow. I was abandoned at the bar without a response and now I don't even know where to begin. If you hire someone for a job, tell them details and where to meet.))

Aldun stretched, sliding out from his bed. Last night was disastrous, not being able to get information out of the bartender, and then that elf strung him along. She didn't even give him details of the job, just that they had someone in jail that needed out. He scratched his head before moving into the small kitchen just across the room. He grabbed the loaf of bread he bought two days ago and sliced off a couple thick slices with a bread knife. He was right last night, it was going to be a long day. Without that job he'd have to search the city for Orsi on foot without the slightest clue where to look. If he still had a hidden cache of goods then Aldun might just spring back with a bit of profit. Then again... He shuttered at the thought of losing his payment. If word spread about that he'd be shorted again within the next couple jobs.

After breakfast he got dressed, put on his jacket and blades, and headed out the door. He'd look for where guards are patrolling the most. It was the most likely place to hold someone for private execution assuming they didn't want most people to know about it. He had little to work with for information. He may not like it, but he might have to sneak into one of the buildings the guards are patrolling near. The whole thing smelled like bad business. Was Orsi cutting deals with guards, or was it something else?

+8 to spot the guards.

((This is not a very good plan. If I hit a dead end there I'll tail a guard into a blind spot and hold a blade to their throat.))

[mainiac]

((Not yet sure what to do with the Fools post.  Need to think through how something like that would play out.))

---------------------

((Apraise check of 18+5=23))
Aduial casts a familiar eye over the flies wings, a reagant she herself had prepared recently.  She is impressed by what she sees.  Whoever took these had a very fine touch and it must have taken many days of labor to get such exact specimins.  There is also a preservative technique that Aduial is unfamiliar with, the wings show signs of neither age nor the telltale curling of preservation.  Only the coloring on the sides of the vial show the preservatives.  Sadly only a quarter of the original sample is left (judging by where the coloration on the sides of the vial stop) or this item might be worth a banner.  As it is a wizard might be willing to pay 5 or 6 shields.  Aduial wouldn't mind having the item herself, such ingrediants would let her skip many hours of the tedious chores that her spellcasting requires and the fine ingrediants would improve her casting for a day or two.
The other spellcasting ingrediants aren't nearly as interesting.  Such items don't tend to travel very well and those that haven't gone bad are the sort that still need prep work.  She has all those items in her personal effects.  There is a little crushed amber that might fetch half a shield.  There aren't any spell components that she doesn't recognize or at least none that she identifies as spell components.

The fifteen pieces of parchment seems to hold a mix of Braco and Trafnor writing.  The Braco bits are fairly uninteresting, some very repetative talk about how the appointed hour is coming and how the might of the deamonkind is invincible but no actual talk of the when or where or who.   Aduial calls back on her Trafnor vocabulary and tries to make sense of the deamonic tongue that is mixed among the common tongue writing.  It isn't an easy task and not just because of the tongue it's written in.  The writer of the Trafnor parts seemed eratic.  At times his writing was clean and orderly while othertimes it becomes crude and scrawling in mid-word.  At one point he started writing the sentence "And the hour shall bring death to all elves in this decadent land." but repeated the words "death to all elves" over and over again for the better part of a page.  That is the only page that is written primarily in Trafnor.  The most interesting tidbit is hidden away in the margin of a page of Braco writing.  "The tribute to Xancoulpar is found.  Opheon is a fitting name."  The name Xancoulpar appears a few other times in the Trafnor writing, described in praising tones.  Aduial suspects he is a deamon but doesn't recognize the name ((knowledge check of 10)).  The name Opheon does not appear in the text anywhere else but the name is derrived from the Salcap word for origins and commencement.  Aduial has a hunch that many pages are missing from these writing.

Aduial casts a spell of magic detection and looks at the items in the room with an arcane sight.  As she suspected much of them are insignificant.  The skulls and cloths and parchments are all worthless.  The tools that were used for magical reagant preparation are as mundane as such tools can be, fine tweazers and knives, vials and tubing.  The iron candlesticks with ugly decorations hold no power.  The wide collection of knives is as mundane as it is low quality.  It seems to be a jumble of junk.

The knife however seems to be infused with dark energies.  The entire thing glows with malign purpose and it is etched with runes that Aduial's magical senses detect a potent stregnth in.  She picks up the knife to examine the tiny script and the world seems to scream out in agony.  The world goes black.

Aduial comes to sitting in a chair with the marshal hovering above her looking concerned.  They are still in the room at the top of the tower.  Her hand is in a bucket of water.  When she pulls it out she sees that it is raw and sore and still feels hot from the burning.

Seeing her eyes open the marshal breathes a sigh of relief.  "A thousand appologies my lady!  Are you alright?  Please forgive me my foolishness, the knife had seemed safe to touch before."

[LordBucket]

"A thousand appologies my lady!  Are you alright?  Please forgive me my foolishness, the knife had seemed safe to touch before."

Aduial:

(Left hand cups my left breast, right hand touch my forehead)

"Yes, I seem to be ok. All of my important assets are in order, at least. We, however. might have a problem with a demon."

(Sit up, quick self inspection, stand up if it feels safe to do so.)

"I apologize, Marshal. I had assumed that the rumors were simply the paranoid superstitions of peasants. There are far more who are foolish enough to claim that anything they don't understand belongs to the demonic realms than there are those foolish enough to actually go charging into those realms to say hi. As for the knife, don't worry about that. My injury was not your fault. It is safe for you to touch. It's only dangerous to me. For now, anyway."

(Look him in the eyes)

"Marshal, I have no authority within the province to command you in this matter. Narseus is a free city, and my kingdom lies elsewhere. However, I strongly advise you to accept my help."

(If he appears willing to listen, then walk back over to the table.)

"Some of these items are valuable. Some are worthless. The knife, obviously, is magic. Most of the rest is not. (Point to the ram skull.) I suggest you destroy that. Smash it to pieces and bury it outside of town. It is of little consequence on its own, but could possibly be used in some esoteric ritual and serves no particular other purpose. (Wave hands over the various metal instruments.) These are harmless. Sell them, throw them away, give them to your blacksmith to smelt into useful metal...they don't matter. This...vile thing that it is... (pick up the gaudy fabric with a look of horror and disgust on my face) ...is a hideous crime against fashion. Please burn it. (Say it with a straight face, but go ahead and smile if he does too.) This... (pick up the vial with insect wings, hold it up to my eye and shake it gently) ...is valuable. (Look at him.) But it is like an axe that can be used equally well to murder a man as to cut trees for firewood. It is neither good nor evil. Simply useful. I request that you relinquish it into my care. (Set it down.) These....(indicate the various parchments) appear to be the ramblings of a man who was either already possessed, or was soon to be. They are written in a variety of tongues, and appear to describe his efforts towards some sort of imminent event involving a demon whose name I will not speak aloud. Unfortunately the writings appear to be incomplete. Many pages are missing, and of the pages that are available, I have yet to decipher entirely. Given time I might learn more. I request that you entrust these into my care as well."

"Which brings us to Baron Radhan. I know you've expressed reluctance to let me speak with him, but I suspect his involvement with this affair might not be what you think. It's probably best for his safety that he remain in your custody. I recommend that he be kept under guard. Not so much to keep him from getting out, but to keep cultists from getting in."

"There are two ways he may be able to help us. First, if you will not let me see him, then I would ask that you see him yourself. You two fought in the war together, yes? He's likely to trust you. Ask him if he has a son his wife doesn't know about. I'm guessing that he does. Second, sit him down with a bucket of water ready...and ask him to touch the knife. If I'm right, he'll react almost as strongly to it as I did. About...half as strongly."

"With that test done...it really would be best that we destroy the knife. It was intended to be used to perform a sacrifice to a specific demon. The only uncertain thing is why the cultists would prefer to sacrifice the Baron's son rather than the Baron himself. It's possible they might need a virgin. Good to know that I'm safe."

"If possible, I suggest we do this the easy way. Have your men rest the blade against a rock, and smash it to splinters with a mace. It might be that simple. If it doesn't break, smash it a bunch more times. If Narseus has a crematorium, or a brick burning kiln, we can burn it to dust. If not, have a peasant grind it into powder with a millstone. Though if it comes that, I recommend the stone not be used for grinding grain afterwards. However we destroy it, take the shattered fragments and spread them at sea. Don't get me wrong. I'm a wizard. I'm all in favor of magical solutions. But you know from personal experience how effective a simple warhammer to the face can be when dealing with orcs, demons and their ilk. If we can do this the easy way, let's do it the easy way. If not, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"That does still leave the matter of the cultists. It takes a great deal of time and effort to create a magic item such as this. It will not be easily replaced. Destroying the knife should set them back tremendously, but it won't stop them forever. You said these items were recovered from a caravan, yes? If you have anyone from that caravan in custody, I would like to speak with them. Hopefully, it will turn out that the caravan acquired these items with purely innocent intent. One genuine artifact amidst so much trash...it's possible they were simply merchants collecting scary-looking items for resale, with no idea what they'd found. If so, then we may be looking at artifacts left over from a conspiracy that failed years ago rather than a conspiracy in the works today. I suggest we explore the possibilities."

"Finally there is the matter of the boy. The one with tattoos who spoke in tongues. Tell me, did his speech sound like this: [Speak in Trafnor: "Fluffy bunnies are cute and you probably think this sounds ominous and scary, but you can't understand a word I'm saying haha! Boo!"] I suspect he was the intended sacrifice. He may be the Baron's son. Or Sayud might be. Either way, what we need to know is whether it was his death that was required for a sacrifice that has yet to happen, or his living body that was required as a vessel as part of a sacrifice that has already occurred."

"So there it is. Would you have me wait while you speak to Baron Radhan privately, or shall I accompany you?"


Quick question: the room in this tower the items are kept in is lit by lanterns. Does it, or does it not have windows or other exterior access?