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1:13 am, 24th Oct. 204 PR

Matthias sits at the desk in his second-story room in the new wing of The Brazen Strumpet. He is more than a bit intoxicated. And, as he's noticed numerous times in the past, under the influence of strong drink he finds himself wanting to write. Truth be told, what he really wants is to sing, but the other guests — most of them undoubtedly sleeping — would not appreciate that. He sighs. Writing it is, then.

He casually waves the fingers of his right hand over a blank page in his spellbook while subvocalizing a command word, enacting a cantrip that has taken him weeks to fine-tune. The page of paper blurs for a moment — or was that his alcohol-fueled, late-night (correction: early morning) vision? A faint wispy outline of a pen appears and the scholar-mage begins dictating.

"I've been training with Rengar the Bold d'Sizemordicus, and after our foray into the Barrowmoor I now possess more than enough to pay him for his services." The translucent, wispy pen dutifully transcribes the mage's words onto the page in a dark script, and he smiles at that.

A neat trick, that cantrip. It records his words in the interstitial spaces between the threads of magical energy that enchant his spellbook. So far, he's been recording several minutes of voice dictation daily and there's no sign of space running out. He moves his eyes further down the page an inch and the text above fades from view. Glances back at the top of the page, and the words reappear, clearly legible.

"Our little jaunt to the Barrowmoor on October twenty-third netted us enough cuprous to fuel our share of the Chapterhouse's machinery, experiments, and defenses for the remainder of the month. But supplies are still low. We'll tend to our respective duties today, and then I feel sure the Father Abbot will give permission for our absence for another day or two. In fact, he may bring it up before we do." The wispy pen faithfully transcribes.

Mattie yawns, stretches, then stands and doffs his magical cloak, hanging it on a peg on the wall. Returning to the desk, he sits again, admiring the mithril ring of interwoven vines that adorns his right index finger.

"The Chapterhouse quartermaster, Rafell, has been impressed with my torches. He's agreed to pay one copper apiece for them, up to fifty torches monthly. I think he thinks that I've got a pyramid scheme going, or that I'm thieving them from some nearby town. At any rate, the agreement is a win-win. I know he normally pays two shiny per faggot."

The mage glances into the corner, where six torches lean against the wall. Meanwhile, his magical pen transcribes his words.

Perhaps two or three hours later, Matthias jerks awake to the nerve-jangling alarm that blares throughout the chapterhouse. He leaps out of bed and into his trousers, then his boots. A quick check that his protective magical ring is on his right hand ring-finger, then it's shirt followed by protective cloak and he scoops up one of the torches from the corner of his room, lighting it with a cantrip as he exits into the hallway.

It's the Kobold Alarm, so probably not anything life threatening — athough, the little critters can easily be underestimated. It's better than the Breach From Topside alarm, and much better than the Red Alert Hazard Alarm.

The damned lowest level of the chapterhouse. Should've been taken care of years ago, but the fifth and lowest level is unfinished, serving primarily as an overly large, damp cellar-like storage space. Kobolds broke through years ago, and each time the holes were walled-over and sealed, it was only a matter of time before the nasty little pikers undid the Seekers' efforts once again.

A minute later, Mattie is rushing past Rafell. "Who's team am I on?" Mattie asks, slowing as he approaches the quartermaster.

"I don't know. Red team has the northeast, Blue has the west. You're Purple. Head to the southwest. I don't think anyone's there yet."

"Got it!" Mattie nods, picking up speed as he heads for the stairwell, takes the steps down two at a time, lit torch in his left hand, staff in his right. He deftly avoids tripping a pair of trips as he heads for the southwesternmost part of the bottom level of the chapterhouse. Contact! And shit, a fair number of the monstrous vermin!

It doesn't take Matthias long to mop up a handful of kobolds, and by then some other brothers have joined him in searching the areas where the chapterhouse sublevel deteriorates into Upperdark tunnels. Finally, after an exhaustive search, they retrace their steps to the stairwell. Having reset a variety of traps on this sublevel, they begin to climb the stairs...

A couple hours before dawn...

Matthias sits sipping coffee with Quartermaster Rafell, Thraxis Corvale, and Aury d'Rosenberg. They are soon joined by Karg Barrelgut and Brannock Tilden — the village's blacksmith and Oghman priest, respectively. The latter two apparently walked over to the chapterhouse together, as they continue a discussion and share a flask of hasiko back and forth.

Shortly, these six are joined by Billworth Turgen. He drags up a chair, declines an offer of hasiko, and accepts a mug of coffee from Aury. "I heard the alarm earlier and decided to just go ahead and get up. I've not been sleeping well anyway."

"Oh? And why not?" Matthias inquires.

Billworth sighs. "Silver Standard isn't happy right now. We're not getting our usual imports from Brookhollow in Caldamis. Something is making the villagers sick. Some have even died. I'm here to see if the Seekers can help. We need this investigated sooner rather than later."

Aury lifts an eyebrow at Matthias, then glances in acquiescence upon seeing the agreement in Quartermaster Rafell's eyes. "Of course we'll help, Bill."

"Meanwhile," says Rafell, "Thraxis, Karg, and I will put some additional defenses in place in the lowest level. We released a pigeon this morning to the duke in Threshold, to see if his Master of Kennels could spare some trained mastiffs. We'll definitely be starting intermittent patrols, and the addition of those beasts would beef up our defenses."

"No argument from me," Matthias says, then drains his mug of coffee.

"Good," the quartermaster says, slapping the table and standing. "You'll join a caravan heading out at first light for Smokeshadow. Then, tomorrow, you'll head south and board a barge on the Ash River. It'll carry you southeast and you should reach Caldamis by high sun on the third day. Saint Ygg's blessing!" And with that, the meeting breaks up.

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Matthias puts the three torches he found under his bed at The Brazen Strumpet next to his other three remaining torches in one corner of his room. This could get to be problematic. This recently discovered — and undoubtedly magically-fuelled — ability of his to find torches, seemingly no matter where he is located, has an enticing side effect: it sometimes also causes one or more royals to appear, along with the torches.

"Well, not this time," he concedes, lamenting the lack of any accompanying coins when these most recent torches were ... found. But the previous evening was financially advantageous. And so the scholar-mage anticipates many future occurences of happily exclaiming, aloud or not, 'Oh Look, More Torches!'

Preparing to go downstairs to join his friends for supper, he turns to the tub now full of cooling (and quite dirty) water. A servant will drain the tub while he's at dinner, then clean it. He dresses in fresh trousers and tunic, and then turns to his bed and bedside table. One of the benefits of membership in The Seekers is the sharply discounted — sometimes even pro bono — services from its skilled members.

He steps first to the bedside table and picks up an attractive mithril ring fashioned to look like a band formed from interwoven vines. He turns it over in his fingers. To him, it has value beyond even it's artistic beauty. It is a ring of protection +1 — not that Matthias things of it in those terms. He thinks of it as a talisman against harm. He slides it onto his left hand's ring finger. "Long may it protect me."

Turning to the bed, he takes up the beautiful midnight blue cloak found in the crypt earlier in the day. Magen Eisenthrast identified it as a cloak of protection +1.

Matthias had argued politely that Aury should take it, but the cleric and their guide, Brother Jasyn, had insisted Mattie be the one to wear it. He's always been smaller and not as good a fighter as Aury. He puts on the cloak, luxuriating in its supple strength and beautiful craftsmanship. Normally, he'd have donned his leather armor before the cloak, but it's being cleaned at the Chapterhouse by an initiate.

At the man-hole covered entrance to the Chapterhouse, Brother Jasyn had temporarily parted ways with the Seekers. "I'm sorry," Aury had said. "But the Father Abbot permits only Seekers within."

"No, I of course understand. I'm going to go on over to The Brazen Strumpet and get us each a room for the night. I'll pay for nice rooms, all the amenities. My treat. I've not stayed there since they added the new wing, but I understand it's very nice. I'll see you both shortly." And their guide had taken his leave of them.

Down on the third sublevel, Matthias hands over his filthy leather armor to Initiate Fenwick. "Sorry, Fen. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, Seeker." He turns to Aury. "If you'll permit me, I will also clean and oil your scalemail, Brother."

The pair of Seekers next visit Magen Eisenthrast, who is quickly able to catalog and identify their finds from the crypt in the marsh. After ascertaining the general value of most items, they jointly agree to donate the electrum scarab on a leather thong to the Chapterhouse, so that it may be sold to support all the Brothers.

They also jointly donate eighty shiny copper pieces to the brotherhood, which will go some goodly way in fueling the Visitor furnaces and other machines of the Chapterhouse.

"Very much appreciated," purrs Magen Eisenthrast. "That should cover our needs through the rest of October, and perhaps two or three days into November."

After the mage identifies the various magical items, Matthias transforms into the kid in a candy store, who hasn't had his ADHD medication. When Aury insists that his fellow Seeker take both the cloak of protection and the ring of protection, Matthias dashes off to the inn-tavern, practically skipping.

After a few seconds, Magen asks Aury, "Was there anything else, brother?" and then glances significantly at the rolled up and tied tapestry from the crypt.

"Yes, magister," Aury bobs his head. "If you could take a few moments and appraise this tapestry we recovered," he unrolls it, spreading it out onto a large table. "This was hanging in the entry chamber of the crypt we raided — er, robbed, rather. Matthias seemed uninterested."

"Oh, my," croons Magen, once he's angled several brilliant white-light lamps onto the object d'Art. "It's so well preserved," he breathes, reaching for a large magnifying glass.

"I know!" Aury agrees. "It doesn't make sense. The entire crypt was damp through and through, and flooded in foul-smelling water."

"Any other details you can remember?" asks the magister.

"Well ... when Matthias touched it, the sapphire skeleton rose from the water," he supplies.

"Interesting," Magen coos, not stopping his examination with the magnifying glass. "That fits," he says, moving around the table and leaning over to study another corner of the tapestry, "given that the subject matter hear appears to be generally necromantic. It's clearly enchanted." He grabs a wand and hovers it above the tapestry. "Ah, as I thought, yes."

"What? What do you see?" Aury finds himself caught up along with the magister.

"It's a necromantic focus. I actually suspected as much when you said you found it in the Barrowmoor. The Cumerians had an unhealthy fascination with both necromancy and summoning. This tapestry served to strengthen some necromancer's spells. It probably also enhanced the durability and overall numbers of undead he was able to create. But it's most important function would have been to expand the total number of undead that the necromancer could simultaneously control."

"Good to know," says Aury, nodding. "Well, I'm not interested in hanging onto it as memento of my first robbed tomb. I have other reminders," he says, glancing at the ring of fire resistance he now wears. "Hmm, well, do you know who might pay a decent price for it? Some historian or wizard?"

"Oh I wouldn't advise leaving it in circulation in that manner," says the magister. "The tapestry is evil!"

"Magister, things aren't evil. People can be, and they may use objects for evil purposes, but the things themselves aren't evil."

Magen smiles indulgently. "Aury, when you're the veteran of as many campaigns as I am, then we'll talk again. The Chapterhouse can offer you ... twenty-three hundred royals for it."

Aury stares at the magister in stunned silence for several seconds. Then: "Sold!"

When the two Seekers sit down to supper with their guide, it is two hours past sunset. The Brazen Strumpet is at about 50% capacity in the dining room. Several villagers are here eating, as are some local miners, and a farmer who is resigned to spend the night so that the local ostler can care for his mule team.

For three generations, it's just been 'The Brazen Strumpet tavern'. Now, it also boasts a wing of rooms for rent, and a nicer dining room away from the coarse and sometimes even lewd talk that takes place in the tavern.

"Well, it's about time," Brother Jasyn grouses good-naturedly as Matthias enters the dining room. As the scholar-mage seats himself across from the guide, Brother Jasyn slides an empty tankard and a pitcher full of Padoar Stout over to the younger man. "Nice cloak."

"Thanks. Any sign of Aury?" As if somehow summoned, the cleric appears in the dining hall door way, scans for a second to locate his companions, then grins and makes his way over, taking a third chair at the round table and pouring himself a tankard of ale. He glances at Mattie. "Our armor will be cleaned and ready by Evensong," he informs the mage.

"Ah, excellent," Mattie comments, smiling as a servant brings a basket of fresh-baked bread and a crock of butter, placing it on their table. "And the tapestry. Did we find a buyer?"

"Magen felt strongly that it was a dangerous item and should be removed from circulation. Suffice it to say, both your dues and mine for the coming several months are already paid in full. And, he was delighted to get the cuprous," Aury supplies.

"Hmm. Well, I suppose that's good. I think I'm going to keep the neshralk. It functions as an everburning candle. That has the potential to be quite useful. What does that leave us with in terms of loot?" the mage asks.

Brother Jasyn finishes buttering a bread roll. "The silver necklace with pearls, the platinum necklace, and the sapphire fragment from the first skeleton we encountered. We could probably get around eight hundred royals if we take them to the right folks in Rosen or Sizemordicus."

"I'd like to get back to the Barrowmoor as soon as possible," Mattie says. "Why don't we lock up our valuables at the Chapterhouse until such time that we're ready to make a trip worth our time — say, when we have several times that amount?"

"Brother Jasyn shrugs to signify it doesn't matter to him, and Aury adds, "Same. Though it's unpleasant tomb robbing in cold weather, we're less likely to have to contend with other explorers than if we postpone till the Spring."

Mattie nods. "We've both got responsibilities at the Chapterhouse tomorrow, but I'm thinking we could strike out for the marsh again on the following day..."

"Sounds good," says Brother Jasyn. The three enjoy a hearty repast and then move closer to a fireplace, enjoying its heat as they sip after-supper brandy and talk far into the night.

I'm going to do an experiment. I'm thinking two characters, each having access to a Fray die each and every round, may be imbalanced — i.e., overpowered. So, for the next little bit, I'm going to have Aury and Mattie alternate rounds for Fray die use — and Brother Jasyn won't get a Fray die at all when he accompanied the pair of Seekers.

Mattie, who has the higher Dexterity score, will get his Fray die use on odd numbered rounds (1st, 3rd, etc.) and Aury will get his Fray die use on even-numbered rounds (2nd, 4th, etc.) In the unlikely event that Brother Jasyn were to acompany only one of the two Seekers on a two-party member escapade, he will act on 2nd, 4th, etc., rounds and the accompanying PC will act on the 1st, 3rd, etc. rounds.

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