"I am not even sure that the regent himself can be trusted. Dark rumours abound on the streets. I feel it is my duty, as a messenger of the Gods, to speak with the prince Richard on this matter as soon as possible. I demand that you have your men escort me to his camp. I shall determine the truth, and end this unholy war. It must be done."
The Inquisitor taps his fingers on the desk for a moment.
[5+1] "You are right in this, whatever else you may say. But as you would think it, I have not been idle." The Inquisitor turns the scroll he is reading over to you to read. It contains three sets of dates and names. "Duc Burminac Rasgar, three days before the king. Grey Death. Marquis Henry Conricht, two days before the king. Grey Death. Duchesse Ursula Emanhilde, her fatal crusade reported a week before the king's sickness. Inquisitors were dispatched to Dechire, Spiritusaer and Oathbreaker; only the Spiritusaer agent returned, and she empty-handed. The timing cannot be ignored; sorcery alone must be the explanation.
"Who would stand to gain the most from Albert's death, from destabilising the North and eliminating another opponent to the Conricht line? Why has Richard not been hexed? I had hoped my agents would bring me news, but the sorcerer may well have reached them also. Thus, dire needs call for dire acts."
The High Inquisitor stands and opens a nearby cupboard. He withdraws a black stole bearing ten marks in gold thread, a small cone of incense on a plate and some herbs. With a simple pinch of his fingers and a word of magic the incense starts to smoke as if lit by tinder; you recall the Inquisitor having had Liodnyan training. He takes your hands and binds them with the stole, crushing the herbs against your skin until the oils make them sticky. He chants softly in Old Eldanic, then places both of his own hands on the stole.
"By the authority invested in me by the Adranic Council, I bind you in service to that same Council, in service to the Gods. Until this crisis has passed and I name its revocation, you are a part of the divine Inquisition. No door will be locked to you, no lip sealed. You speak with the authority of Bohromu, you listen with the clarity of Liodnya. Your mission is to locate the source of the sorcery that has bewitched this land, to find its backers and its practitioners, and to burn them from the face of history with Razumajstar's own fires."
Farrin Arondson unwraps the stole from your hands and places it around your neck.
"When this crisis is over, I will want that back and I will want you back in the city. Until then, you are free to leave. Head to Richard's camp and find out what you must. Do not rest until this her- until this sorcery is purged."
Ril pushes himself up with a few words murmured to the the Monk, "I'd like to meet with your librarian, if I can."
Try and find the answer for the letter by asking the successors.
[4+1] You are brought to the head of the monastery's library and given access to search for the book you require, provided you stay away from the Restricted section - the librarian mentions that the secrets within are magic too dangerous for anyone but an ordained Liodnyan priest or Grand Reader to read. [2]
Pozna Eldanic Hramatyka does not appear to be among the books therein, so you ask the librarian for some help. [2] The librarian mentions that the Great Fire of '26 burned several texts, most of which were preserved elsewhere and then rewritten. He believes that Varahan had been meaning to rewrite his work for decades but had been distracted by his newest project regarding a particular type of sword hilt that would place Duluk occupation of a specific city about a decade earlier, potentially invalidating certain texts.
It all sounds incredibly dry to you, but you get the feeling this sort of thing excites the librarian. [6] A copy of the text was made, the librarian recalls, for Charles IX's palace library - the court chaplain was a keen student of Varahan's work. Getting to the capital of Arendalis and getting a copy of the text might require a certain amount of smooth talking, though.
[5+1] The old sea dog laughs at your words. "I like the way you think, boy! Tell you what, why don't the pair of us haul sail right now and head on over to Arborvent? I hear the coast there's ripe for the picking, and I'll cut you in on half the loot. If that works out for us, maybe I'll ferry your Prince's troops after all!"
"Then let us go. However, I daresay we shouldn't cause to much harm to the peasants and other inhabitants. They aren't our enemies."
Raid with the Haegar captain, but try not to kill the inhabitants whenever possible. Split loot 1:1 with Jorik.
[2+2 vs 4, 1+2 vs 6] You both set sail, passing a blockade of small boats set on the mouth of the Arendal; they let you past after a cursory check of your holds, being more interesting in stopping ships getting in than preventing them getting out. The two ships both head south for Arborvent and immediately begin raiding the coast for as much as they can get. Unfortunately, as weak as the local garrison is they have the support of locals and mobilise repeated efforts to repel your raiders upon landing. Both you and Jorik are forced away on multiple locations and although a little loot is gained, you are somewhat dismayed when Jorik decides to just sail away with it himself. Barring any attempt to stop him, it would appear that your little sortie had almost no effect in the end.
It is unlikely that you will be able to freely return to Stormstead after this, but one can always dock at Altaregia...