Drexon stands watching the others from a distance, his mind wandering trying to make sense of the visions once again. He makes a mental note to visit the annex library once again before they leave. If anywhere had the information he needed, it would be there.
As Cob rejoins Eremoz and Karm, he realises his mind must have wandered again. Refocussing, he looks around to see if there is anyone else interested in proceedings at the warehouse.
"We're not sure, actually," Cassel says. "Everything in our inventory list had been accounted for, but we received a couple of incoming crates before the attack that we have yet to note. Some of those crates were missing."
Drexon, as you look around, you don't see anything eye-catching. The area is crowded with city guards and rangers. You see a couple of workers from the neighboring warehouses doing their work, but nothing else of import.
“Only a bit. People in the attack wore red, one was a magic user, and nothing documented was taken. It was a couple crates that hadn’t been logged in to the books yet.” Eremoz looks to Cassel,“As I said, we are willing to help. What do you need of us?”
"We need the rest of these crates, barrels, and boxes moved to the carts," Cassel says. "If you want to join us in escorting the last carts to the Annex when everything is packed up, we have a lunch buffet prepared. We'll talk a matter of payment then."
He turns toward Cob and shakes his head. "Unfortunately, we're not sure where they came from. We hadn't gotten the time to inventory them before they were taken. What we know is that such crates had come before. It had a logo on them. Something resembling branches or roots. They usually came in a single crate or box and were almost always transported immediately to another city within the day. Whoever delivered the crate here and sent it to other cities also always differs -- random merchants with possible pseudonyms. These last ones came in a pair of threes or fives. The last deliverer also gave us a note that more would come in a couple of days before the raid happened. We've alerted the authorities when that delivery would be expected to arrive."
Seeing nothing of interest and expecting it would take some time to shift the crates, Drexon joins the others to help. He nods to Cassel as he does so.
"Thought I might lend a hand as well, nothing much else going on", he says to his companions.
Eremoz heads off and begins assisting with moving the inventory and loading it up. As he does, he takes the opportunity to look for any evidence left on the ground.
Cob finds he's more interested in what might be in the crates or who's after them that at best he manages to stay out of the others' way while the goods are transported.
"Is that new delivery going to a different warehouse then?" Cob asks as they walk along.
"The one that is coming in a few days?" Cassel says to Cob. "It's going to arrive here, but by that time the city guards will be waiting. We won't be there to accept the delivery. They will. We don't want to take another risk of all-out violence like yesterday. Whatever the city guards do with the shipment is anyone's guess. It's out of our hands now."
With Cassel's direction, you start loading crates, barrels, and boxes into the carts parked outside the warehouse. The ones with the strength are grouped with the larger crates, while the ones with the arcane capabilities are grouped with other arcane practitioners to move the goods through debris and cordons.
With your help, it takes about an hour before everything is loaded into the carts. Some of the carts have already gone ahead to their destination as more and more goods are piled on them. You notice that while most of the crates, boxes, and barrels are covered tight, there are some that are already open or have a weak enough lid that pops out during transport. In these containers, you can see books, tools, and even clothing that would be useful for procures or travelers. There are also one or two containers that seem to hum and have a lot of warning labels on them; there is a noticeably larger escort for those containers and carts.
Eremoz, you spend most of your time helping the workers move. Unfortunately, the hubbub seems to start early in the morning and you can find nothing on the ground apart from many, many footprints and dust.
"That's everything," Cassel announces when the last containers are on the carts. There are only three carts left in front of the warehouse. The number of city guards in the area is less than before, less than a dozen, as most of them already left with the other carts. "These last three will be going to the Hayknot Tower. We'll have our lunch buffet and your payment there."
"Well that was probably the first but of honest labour I have since...well I can remember", Drexon says discreetly to the others as they gather.
"Have we got enough information to act on anything though? I mean, how much longer do we have in the city before we have to leave? Assuming we don't find what we are looking for of course".
"Agreed. As interesting as it is to see what really happened here, we do not have time to give it our attention", Drexon replies to Cob, getting ready to accompany the last few wagons to Hayknot.
You follow the progress of the carts north toward the Hayknot Annex Tower. On the way, you glimpse a lone person or a group of three people wearing all red. The entire time, they seem to be following the carts, watching for a moment before disappearing into an alley. The city guards and rangers that are escorting the carts also notice but show no discomfort as if it is a normal occurrence in the area.
The Hayknot Annex Tower is a bit more north than you first expect. It lies nearly at the northern border of the town in quite an open field. Apart from several fenced-off farm fields and ranches, the dark tower stands quite imposingly in the middle of nowhere. Today, several carts are parked outside the tower. A large tent has been erected with people talking, eating, and mingling under it.
As the carts near the tower, you can hear a commotion. Two people can be seen arguing loudly in front of the tent. The more aggressive one is an elven male dressed in a tidy, well-trimmed cobalt suit. His hair is slicked back, dark with a streak of salt and pepper. Behind him stands two younger males that seem to be his apprentices. The more defensive one is a beastfolk with long rabbit-like ears and small stature -- a harengon. He is wearing a navy robe with a cyan accent that clashes starkly against his bright orangeish fur.
"I care not how you conduct your business, Toros," the elf says, "but I do not want any more mistakes. Biology, Medicine, and your other insipid sciences do not belong to the Ironside. Do you still dare forget the last time such a mistake happens? You dare forget the loss we've accrued because one of your fungus experiments went loose? This is your final warning before I reported it to the curator."
"I may not be much to look at, Kender," Toros says, "but do not presume to threaten me in my own home. Ironside is not the only place that was damaged by the fungus. Horace took the brunt of it more than you did and he was not here to protest and whine, was he? Now, begone from here. You've returned the cart here and I thank you for your service. Buh-bye!"
The elf, Kender, moves to shout again before stilling himself when Toros suddenly relaxes. It takes a moment before Kender realizes that everything around him has gone quiet. Kender grumbles and lets out a spark of lightning harmlessly to the sky before storming off. As he passes the carts that you are escorting, you can hear him mumble about retribution and reports. His apprentices stumble to follow his exit, bowing and nodding sheepishly to Toros and the other people present for the argument.
When Toros sees you and Cassel, he grins toothily and shouts. You cannot hear anything from where he is standing for a moment before he dismisses the magic surrounding him.
"Well, lookie here!" Toros greets cheerfully. "The man of the hour has come! Everything alright, Cassel? Nothing left behind? Who's your new friend?"
"Nice trick, with the silence", Drexon says to Toros.
"It sounded a bit tense until then", he adds looking back at the irate elf as he walks off, feeling the emotion exuding from him dissipate as he gets further away.
He looks at the imposing dark tower, "You run this place then?"
"It's a trick I picked up to shut up people like Kender," Toros says. "It's that High Elf mentality that he got going. Irks everyone around him. Me especially. Well, introduction! Librarian Toros. Welcome to the Hayknot Tower of the Mantagard Annex. Here we cater to everything concerning biology, medicine, and all that organic stuff. We also helped with the local farms and ranches if you're interested in that sort of thing."
“He seems like a piece of work, but I doubt all of his people are the same.” Eremoz glances over to Cob. “I am called Eremoz. My friends and I are travelers. We saw the aftermath of the attack and figured your people could use some help.”
"Indeed we are travellers", Drexon says in agreement with Eremoz.
"I can't say as though I have much interest in farming, but I am intrigued by whatever other knowledge might be contained within the annex", he adds, his gaze reaching passed Toros and still focussed on the tower.
"We have come across some strange things on our travels. If you are the resident expert it might be good to have a bit of a chat", he says finally looking Toros in the eyes.
"Elves?" Toros asks. "No, they're not that stingy. It's just him and his people. The entirety of the Ironside Tower of the Annex is almost like a fortress under his management. Can't take anything out without written permission in triplicate or some nonsense. He and his people are not as enjoyable to be around, but it's always fun to go there just for the sake of annoying them. They're also a secretive lot, more so than any of us, so it's always fun to spy on them if only to poke fun at them when whatever they're working at fails spectacularly. Lots of blackmail in case he and his people become too aggressive again."
Toros motions for Cassel and the cart drivers to park near the tent. He turns toward you and motions you toward the tent. "Well, come grab some lunch," he says. "I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. May have to consult with the materials inside if it's quite obscure, but I'm your guy if you want to know about plants, animals, or even diseases."
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Drexon stands watching the others from a distance, his mind wandering trying to make sense of the visions once again. He makes a mental note to visit the annex library once again before they leave. If anywhere had the information he needed, it would be there.
As Cob rejoins Eremoz and Karm, he realises his mind must have wandered again. Refocussing, he looks around to see if there is anyone else interested in proceedings at the warehouse.
Perception: 2+5=7 (Passive: 15)
"We're not sure, actually," Cassel says. "Everything in our inventory list had been accounted for, but we received a couple of incoming crates before the attack that we have yet to note. Some of those crates were missing."
Drexon, as you look around, you don't see anything eye-catching. The area is crowded with city guards and rangers. You see a couple of workers from the neighboring warehouses doing their work, but nothing else of import.
Drexon reaches out with his mind and connects to Eremoz.
"How is it going, any useful information?", he enquires. "I see nothing of interest from here, no-one else taking an interest".
“Only a bit. People in the attack wore red, one was a magic user, and nothing documented was taken. It was a couple crates that hadn’t been logged in to the books yet.” Eremoz looks to Cassel,“As I said, we are willing to help. What do you need of us?”
Cob looks at Cassels, wondering about the crates.
"Do you know where those crates came from?" Cob asks. "That might tell us what was in them or at least who might have wanted them."
"We need the rest of these crates, barrels, and boxes moved to the carts," Cassel says. "If you want to join us in escorting the last carts to the Annex when everything is packed up, we have a lunch buffet prepared. We'll talk a matter of payment then."
He turns toward Cob and shakes his head. "Unfortunately, we're not sure where they came from. We hadn't gotten the time to inventory them before they were taken. What we know is that such crates had come before. It had a logo on them. Something resembling branches or roots. They usually came in a single crate or box and were almost always transported immediately to another city within the day. Whoever delivered the crate here and sent it to other cities also always differs -- random merchants with possible pseudonyms. These last ones came in a pair of threes or fives. The last deliverer also gave us a note that more would come in a couple of days before the raid happened. We've alerted the authorities when that delivery would be expected to arrive."
Seeing nothing of interest and expecting it would take some time to shift the crates, Drexon joins the others to help. He nods to Cassel as he does so.
"Thought I might lend a hand as well, nothing much else going on", he says to his companions.
Arcana: 16+2=18
Arcana for Karm: 11+6=17
Olloray Dim - Limbo's Pit
Gunther Korroden - Nightmares in the Mist
Eremoz heads off and begins assisting with moving the inventory and loading it up. As he does, he takes the opportunity to look for any evidence left on the ground.
Athletics: 23
Perception: 8
Cob finds he's more interested in what might be in the crates or who's after them that at best he manages to stay out of the others' way while the goods are transported.
"Is that new delivery going to a different warehouse then?" Cob asks as they walk along.
"The one that is coming in a few days?" Cassel says to Cob. "It's going to arrive here, but by that time the city guards will be waiting. We won't be there to accept the delivery. They will. We don't want to take another risk of all-out violence like yesterday. Whatever the city guards do with the shipment is anyone's guess. It's out of our hands now."
With Cassel's direction, you start loading crates, barrels, and boxes into the carts parked outside the warehouse. The ones with the strength are grouped with the larger crates, while the ones with the arcane capabilities are grouped with other arcane practitioners to move the goods through debris and cordons.
With your help, it takes about an hour before everything is loaded into the carts. Some of the carts have already gone ahead to their destination as more and more goods are piled on them. You notice that while most of the crates, boxes, and barrels are covered tight, there are some that are already open or have a weak enough lid that pops out during transport. In these containers, you can see books, tools, and even clothing that would be useful for procures or travelers. There are also one or two containers that seem to hum and have a lot of warning labels on them; there is a noticeably larger escort for those containers and carts.
Eremoz, you spend most of your time helping the workers move. Unfortunately, the hubbub seems to start early in the morning and you can find nothing on the ground apart from many, many footprints and dust.
"That's everything," Cassel announces when the last containers are on the carts. There are only three carts left in front of the warehouse. The number of city guards in the area is less than before, less than a dozen, as most of them already left with the other carts. "These last three will be going to the Hayknot Tower. We'll have our lunch buffet and your payment there."
"Well that was probably the first but of honest labour I have since...well I can remember", Drexon says discreetly to the others as they gather.
"Have we got enough information to act on anything though? I mean, how much longer do we have in the city before we have to leave? Assuming we don't find what we are looking for of course".
Cob leans in closer to Drexon.
”Unless we find those kids here tonight we need to head to that ship,” Cob says. “The Mason museum looks like our best bet at this point.”
"Agreed. As interesting as it is to see what really happened here, we do not have time to give it our attention", Drexon replies to Cob, getting ready to accompany the last few wagons to Hayknot.
You follow the progress of the carts north toward the Hayknot Annex Tower. On the way, you glimpse a lone person or a group of three people wearing all red. The entire time, they seem to be following the carts, watching for a moment before disappearing into an alley. The city guards and rangers that are escorting the carts also notice but show no discomfort as if it is a normal occurrence in the area.
The Hayknot Annex Tower is a bit more north than you first expect. It lies nearly at the northern border of the town in quite an open field. Apart from several fenced-off farm fields and ranches, the dark tower stands quite imposingly in the middle of nowhere. Today, several carts are parked outside the tower. A large tent has been erected with people talking, eating, and mingling under it.
As the carts near the tower, you can hear a commotion. Two people can be seen arguing loudly in front of the tent. The more aggressive one is an elven male dressed in a tidy, well-trimmed cobalt suit. His hair is slicked back, dark with a streak of salt and pepper. Behind him stands two younger males that seem to be his apprentices. The more defensive one is a beastfolk with long rabbit-like ears and small stature -- a harengon. He is wearing a navy robe with a cyan accent that clashes starkly against his bright orangeish fur.
"I care not how you conduct your business, Toros," the elf says, "but I do not want any more mistakes. Biology, Medicine, and your other insipid sciences do not belong to the Ironside. Do you still dare forget the last time such a mistake happens? You dare forget the loss we've accrued because one of your fungus experiments went loose? This is your final warning before I reported it to the curator."
"I may not be much to look at, Kender," Toros says, "but do not presume to threaten me in my own home. Ironside is not the only place that was damaged by the fungus. Horace took the brunt of it more than you did and he was not here to protest and whine, was he? Now, begone from here. You've returned the cart here and I thank you for your service. Buh-bye!"
The elf, Kender, moves to shout again before stilling himself when Toros suddenly relaxes. It takes a moment before Kender realizes that everything around him has gone quiet. Kender grumbles and lets out a spark of lightning harmlessly to the sky before storming off. As he passes the carts that you are escorting, you can hear him mumble about retribution and reports. His apprentices stumble to follow his exit, bowing and nodding sheepishly to Toros and the other people present for the argument.
When Toros sees you and Cassel, he grins toothily and shouts. You cannot hear anything from where he is standing for a moment before he dismisses the magic surrounding him.
"Well, lookie here!" Toros greets cheerfully. "The man of the hour has come! Everything alright, Cassel? Nothing left behind? Who's your new friend?"
"Nice trick, with the silence", Drexon says to Toros.
"It sounded a bit tense until then", he adds looking back at the irate elf as he walks off, feeling the emotion exuding from him dissipate as he gets further away.
He looks at the imposing dark tower, "You run this place then?"
"It's a trick I picked up to shut up people like Kender," Toros says. "It's that High Elf mentality that he got going. Irks everyone around him. Me especially. Well, introduction! Librarian Toros. Welcome to the Hayknot Tower of the Mantagard Annex. Here we cater to everything concerning biology, medicine, and all that organic stuff. We also helped with the local farms and ranches if you're interested in that sort of thing."
“He seems like a piece of work, but I doubt all of his people are the same.” Eremoz glances over to Cob. “I am called Eremoz. My friends and I are travelers. We saw the aftermath of the attack and figured your people could use some help.”
"Indeed we are travellers", Drexon says in agreement with Eremoz.
"I can't say as though I have much interest in farming, but I am intrigued by whatever other knowledge might be contained within the annex", he adds, his gaze reaching passed Toros and still focussed on the tower.
"We have come across some strange things on our travels. If you are the resident expert it might be good to have a bit of a chat", he says finally looking Toros in the eyes.
"Elves?" Toros asks. "No, they're not that stingy. It's just him and his people. The entirety of the Ironside Tower of the Annex is almost like a fortress under his management. Can't take anything out without written permission in triplicate or some nonsense. He and his people are not as enjoyable to be around, but it's always fun to go there just for the sake of annoying them. They're also a secretive lot, more so than any of us, so it's always fun to spy on them if only to poke fun at them when whatever they're working at fails spectacularly. Lots of blackmail in case he and his people become too aggressive again."
Toros motions for Cassel and the cart drivers to park near the tent. He turns toward you and motions you toward the tent. "Well, come grab some lunch," he says. "I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. May have to consult with the materials inside if it's quite obscure, but I'm your guy if you want to know about plants, animals, or even diseases."