Maelakin reclaims the seat he was occupying after the sailor had taken his leave.

"I wonder when the captain will be back...I really don't feel like wasting all day in this inn."

@ Ransel: "All done" says the old woman, as she hands your damp but clean clothes back to you.

@ Aldyne: You are back to full strength.

@ Maelakin: After a few minutes, you notice your coin purse has been cut open, your money is gone.


Captain Merlo walks back in, and speaks to the crowd. "The murders have confessed, and will be executed on the morrow. You are all free to go." The crowd noises increase dramatically as people comment to each other.


He looks around, motions to Maelakin to follow him as he walks over to Aldyne. He looks around and lowers his voice. "Has anyone seen a mud covered man? I must find him, until then friends, I have a proposition, I need some men to take up where the dead mage left off, you are an obvious choice since your interferance has marked you for death with the assassin cult anyway, and I am afraid I can do nothing to protect you."

Ransel thanks the woman and starts putting on his clothes and equipment on. He waits untill the woman is not looking to make a quick check to see if anything is missing.

Ikaruga, noticing Melakin had been robbed, checks herself for any possible intrusions...

Slightly dizzy from the ale, Merago moves over to where Merlo is, to maybe figure out what's been going on and such.

(OOC: I'll be gone for a week, after today... feel free to control my char, Moldy (don't wanna be left in the inn if the rest of the players leave [img]tongue.gif[/img] ))

Aldyne

"I might be interested in your proposal," Aldyne says after a few moments, "if you fill me in on exactly what the mage uncovered about the cult. Everything you know will probably turn out useful.
Why do they exist in the first place?," he adds. "Some obscure false religion? If it is so, I will be honored to wipe their filthy beliefs off this world." A fire had lighted in his eyes, and he eagerly awaited the captain's reply.

Maelakin moves over to where the Captain motioned him to and says in a hushed voice, "Seeing as how some drunken sailor just helped himself to the money I had, I could use a way to add coin to my purse."

[ 12-22-2003, 04:32 PM: Message edited by: Maelakin ]

"Well, I will be glad to fill you in on what I know, but it isn't much and unfortunately the man who knew the most is dead, perhaps you can find some further clues in his hotel room or his possessions." The Captian waves down the barmaid, who aknowledges the wave "As soon as I get some more people involved, we will have a briefing." The Captian looks around the room. "This isn't a job for a single individual."

Nothing is missing from either of you save a large amount of mud from Ransel.

Aldyne

"I agree," Aldyne says, "no one man can destroy a cult by himself. When do you reckon this briefing will be? I could go up to the mage's room first if you want, and see what I find. It would be more of a briefing if you know a bit more about the situation."

Ransel enters the room and notices a few poeple he's seen earlier gather around the captain. He approaches them, just to see wahat's this about.
I bet this has something to do with the cult. he thought.

OOC: Sorry for the slow posting, the holidays have killed me time wise.

Captain Merlo looks up and sees Ransel. "There you are, cleaner I see. Lets get a table and sit down and discuss the current situation. I am afraid that by helping capture the assassin you are likely a target." He turns to Aldyne. "Yes, we will search the mages room as soon as we have a chance, I had the inkeeper lock it until I am ready."

"Why not go search it now? It's better than standing here, waiting for a dagger." Ransel asks the captain. "Now that we're all targets, I think it's in our best interests to find out as much about the cult as possible, right?"

Aldyne

"And as I said," Aldyne supplies, "it will be much easier to brief the other travellers here if we know as much as possible about the situation."

"Well, anyone in direct danger should be warned, of course, but no need for the public in general to know of any cults." Says the Captain, "It would only alarm them, all we need to do is get enough information to determine our next move, if the cult is weak enough, that information in the right hand will result in the cults demise."

The captian looks over at Maelakin, "Are you in as well? We should go up to the mages room and have a look."

Maelakin nods towards Captain Merlo, "Count me in; I would not look forward to another attempt to put a dagger in my back."

Ikaruga raised her hand slightly and spoke softly "If you need me I'll go with you as well"

Captain Merlo looks at Ikaruga closely for a moment. "Fine by me, lets go."

The Captain stops by the front desk and retrieves a key from the innkeeper, and walks up the stairs to a room at the end of the hall, he inserts the key and turns it, and opens the door.

The room is about 10 foot square, with a bed on the right wall, a wooden chest on the left, and a pair of narrow windows, too narrow for even a gnome or halfling on the wall across from the door.

Ransel steps into the room and starts looking about, content to be the first one in, with a chance to get loot before anyone else.
"Hold. There may be traps here." he says to the rest, ensuring that he is the only one in the room. He looks for traps and goodies from where he stands.
OOC: a spot check please.

[ 12-30-2003, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: Bozos of Bones ]

@ Ransel: You notice the bed looks like someone has lifted the woven straw mattress, other than that the only thing of interest is the chest, which is closed, possibly locked.

Hmm... Could he have been hiding something under the mattress? It would be strange for a wizard to hold something hidden, rather than magically guarded, like in the chest.
"Stay away from the chest, it's probably trapped", Ransel steps toward the bed and says "Could someone help me to lift this mattress?"
OOC: While someone shuffels over to me, I'd like to check under the bed.

The matress is made of several woven straw mats over rope stretched over a wooden frame. Between the straw is a book, the cover is leather from the face of a human or humanoid stretched tight, lips sewn shut and with yellow quartz gems in the eyes. It is bound in silver and locked with a small intricate lock. It makes you uneasy to look at it.

Ransel kneels beside the bed and stares at the book for a long time. Hesitantly, he reaches for it, and finally touches it.
OOC: Unless the book has some effect on me touching it, I want to move it closer to me and study the lock.

Ikaruga took a step back, expecting just about anything to happen.

The book has no visible effect when touched, the lock, like most book locks is intricate but not overly strong or complex.

Ransel releases a breath and puts the book infront of him. He studies the lock for a moment, takes out his lock tools and starts clicking bolts into place in the lock.

You unlock the book

"There. My work with the book is done. If anyone wants to open it, be my guest." Ransel walks up to the chest and starts inspecting it for traps. "Don't come close to me, I think I see a splinter trap here!"
That'll keep them at bay he thinks.

The chest lock is pretty standard, it came with the room. You detect no traps.

Ransel starts his picking on the lock.

OOC: Aww, come on people! Where the heck is everybody!?

OOC: Still here, just don't feel the need to post that my char is only observing, as he doesn't know a shit about traps or locks. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

OOC: Do you know anything about Draconic, Celestial or Spellary language?

OOC: Nope. Why?

OOC: Figuring those to be the languages of the book.
COME ON PEOPLE!

OOC: Sorry guys, I have had trouble with my internet connection.

Captain Merlo walks over to the bed, clears his throat and tosses two keys on the sheet, on a fairly large iron key that looks to fit the chest padlock, the other a small, ornate silver key that probably fits the book.

He winks at Ransel, "It is always good to know who has certain skills, since I am supposed to guard the town."

The chest once opened reveals a grey woolen cloak, a backpack, a bedroll and a large flat leather pouch with what appears to be three fairly standard leather bound tomes common in one form or another to most travelling mages. The captain dumps the backpack on the bed, and rummages through the contents.

He was testing me. And I fell for it. Bad
Ransel took out the bedroll, pouch and cloak and took casual look at the chest to see if there was a second bottom. He looked at the cloak for a second or two and put it on, thinking he'd need one if he was going to the mountains.

Aldyne

Aldyne walks over to the bed and picks up the book. He very sceptically opens it, hoping it is written in a way he understands, as his knowledges doesn't stretch much further than fighting and some philosophy.

The cloak seems fairly ordinary wool, the are are a few small pockets inside it with some material components.

One of the books when opened is actually a pen and ink set in a book binding, containing several quills, a small knife for sharpening quills, and several ink bottles. The second is a spellbook, the third is a journal.

Aldyne

His curiousity aroused, Aldyne opens the diary, and searches for the last few written pages.

you pick up a couple interesting things in the journal.

Three pages from the last reads:

Nothing new found in Reddansyr, I will look further west, I know I am near.

The second to last page reads:

I think I am being watched, I will cut short my search and return to Teziir, to rest and examine the book.

The last page reads:

I have translated more of the book, although holding it and studying it is quite a strain. It is worse than I feared. I think I will go down to the tavern and relax a bit.