The Diary of Skullweed Moonflower

Purple Elf and Selene Moonlord: part 11

The aftermath…

Freezeday, Stasisweek, Seaseason, 613 TA

We have searched and ‘looted’ the underground complex (there wasn’t much) and are preparing to leave when we hear someone shouting from the secret door in the cellar. He claims to be Cedric and is here with the village headman to find out what has been going on.

We exit the complex, each in turn using the hwait’s magic amulet to pass the glowing symbols in the corridor. In case this doesn’t work we nominate Mr Ube to go first as he is most likely to impress the earth worshipping peasants. As it happens, we all pass the magic symbols without ill effects, whether or not this is due to the amulet cannot be known for now.

We return upstairs into the undertaker’s house and join four peasants in the kitchen. Cedric is there along with another two hefty edain wearing leather and cuirboilli and armed with quarterstaffs, definitely bodyguards.

The fourth man claims to be the headman who takes an instant dislike to Tommy’s obviously chaotic nature and isn’t at all keen on talking to anyone but Mr Ube. But when Dan shows the man our letters of authority and explains that we have been destroying úcuinhoth, his attitude softens. The headman hasn’t actually introduced himself yet, so I politely ask his name: he is Robert Hutman. As the initially chilly atmosphere begins to warm, tea and biscuits are served and a conversation begins on the subject of Mr Mortimer and what was found underground.

We outline to Mr Hutman what we found underground and offer evidence of the resident úcuinhoth. We also tell him about the traps and mention an unspecified demonic threat. Basically we tell them to leave the place alone as going in is dangerous, but nothing more should come out.

We inform Mr Hutman that Mr Mortimer is an evil necromancer and possibly a demonist, which is why we are here. Mr Hutman is happy to tell us what he knows of Mortimer, which isn’t a great deal, but we learn that he believes he spends time in both Hilltown and Sartac and that he has another property in Sophia! This is useful new information. Apparently Mortimer only comes here once every couple of seasons. Mr Hutman says that he will send a rider to tell Sgt Fiskal in Freetown what has happened here and that he should be on the lookout for Mr Mortimer.

Noting the position of Mortimer’s house and the relative position of the underground complex we deduce that the hovel next door to Mortimer’s place is also above the complex. With the cooperation of Mr Hutman (who is very helpful now that he is reassured we are not bandits or other ne’er-do-wells) we get permission to search the neighbouring hovel to make sure there are no other entrances to the complex. The house is clear and there are no other buildings over the complex, though there may have been centuries ago – if so, nothing remains. Mr Hutman says he will arrange for the secret door in the basement to be mortared shut so that nobody can just wander in.

We stay overnight in the Browns inn and put on a bit of a show for the peasants. The locals don’t think much of the miming, but enjoy the rest of the show.

Waterday, Stasisweek, Seaseason, 613 TA

There is light drizzle falling this morning and there is no wind. We head back to Freetown to report in and get a translation of the letter we found.

Clayday, Stasisweek, Seaseason, 613 TA

After stopping overnight in a country inn on the edge of the Licky Hills, we arrive at the gates of Freetown about midday. We are stopped and questioned at the gates and must give our names and state our business in town. Harlequin takes the opportunity to ask the gate guard if Mr Mortimer has passed by this way, but he doesn’t offer the guard enough money so he won’t check the records. It’s highly unlikely Mortimer has been here recently anyway and Fiskal should have the guards watching for him now too.

We head straight for the library to find the people who hired us and Honourable Sivik Babic is presently in. In short order we are shown into a reading room where Sivik is working. We deliver our report of what was found in the underground complex, along with the drawing of the ‘summoning room’, and also the Sandscript letter which we found.

Sivik immediately takes the letter from us and begins to translate it. He is obviously proficient in the script and quickly provides us with a translation. It is a letter to Mortimer from two trolls! They may be merchants as the letter refers to a business transaction but the terminology seems to be coded as it refers to wagons, mules, wine and cotton – the last two certainly nothing of interest to Mortimer or any necromancer.

We have a brief discussion about how to proceed and note that finding out if Mortimer owns any property in either Hilltown or Sartac will be relatively easy given we have our letter of authority and that Mr Ube is on the Sartac town council. However, Sophia is a different matter and it is also noted that if Mortimer has been making contact with torogrim it is more likely that he has done so somewhere like Sophia rather than Sartac or Hilltown.

Sivik says he will discuss our report and the letter with the others in the Office and see if any more information can be found. He pays us our wages (50 shillings each) and we arrange to meet again in the Freetown library in one week’s time. So we are free to do our own thing until Clayday, Illusionweek, Seaseason.

We sell the small amount of loot but decide to keep the magic amulet just in case we ever need to return to the complex but we pay to get the amulet analysed – it is a non-attuned passive item which protects the wearer from a magical curse. It has no other powers, but it is not yet certain that the protection applies only to that specific curse. Maybe Mortimer has other complexes guarded by similar wards? Only time will tell.