Thurodim slowly rises and takes a step closer to the niche in the wall, holding out his open hands to the squawking seagulls chatting along about life's most fundamental pleasures. "Sorry to interrupt, could you help me my feathered friends? I wonder who was here and put a wooden box at this place?" The half-orc growl-squawks back to the seagulls and points to the niche in the wall. "And do any of you know where those winged *****es came from?" He growl-squawks, offering some bread in his large green hand to the one who can help him out.

Animal Handling roll if needed in post #126 :-)

One seagull lands on the parapet and cocks its head to one side.

"Cor, you're a big bastard ain't ya! Aw yes, bread! Nice one big bastard." It hungrily eats as much bread out of your hand as you offer it.

"You talkin' about the Harpies? Ah they ain't so bad, couple of flocks of 'em along the cliffs. Got that stupid song of theirs, but after they gets done with whatever thick human they gets to take a long walk, there's always a bit leftover for us, know what I'm saying'?"

It wolfs down the rest of the bread, which is clearly going a long way in aiding the conversation.

"Anyway, what was the other question? Who put the box there? Dunno big bastard, some human. Looked a bit like them." It turns its slightly mad eyes towards Mala and Heran. "Only not sky-coloured, or grass-coloured. Like, an average human colour. And they had one of them shiny head things on, like all the others around here. Came up here, took a shiny thing out, said a word, and the shiny started singin' Harpy song. Then later two more of them came up like usual, and they got killed by Harpies, then two more, and they got killed, then you lot come up. And now we're here. Got any more bread?" 

"So what happened with the one that put the shiny singing thing here? Down the stairs again? Was it long before the others came up?" Thurodim continues his growl-squawking, taking his last bit of bread out of his pocket, likely looking mighty stupid as he stands there.

"Yeah, back down! Definitely didn't hang about. The others, I dunno, wasn't long, sun had hardly moved. They had a look for the singing but they didn't get long cos, y'know, they got killed."

The gull takes your last piece of bread and swallows it down. "Wouldn't happen to have an actual sandwich there would you?"

"No more food now little birdie, but thank you for your help." Thurodim growl-squawks with a nod to the seagull, then turning to Mala and Heran. "Someone...hrm" The half-orc growl-squawks before remembering to speak the common tongue again. "Someone, possibly an elf clad like a soldier, came here just now and put the singing brooch here. We should ask who have entered and left the tower recently." He says, and moves to descend the many stairs.

"Little birdie?! Piss off you massive bastard!" The gull flaps away, indignant at the patronising as well as the ceasing of the food supply.

"Talking to the birds while we wait. Kind of part of the joy of hanging out with Thurodim," Mala says to Heran with a grin. When the half-orc finishes squawking and comes over, she nods at his suggestion to ask about the person that placed the brooch. "Well, we can ask. Maybe the description will help," Mala says with a shrug. "Let's catch up with the others."  She too heads to go back down the stairs. 

As Thurodim, Mala and Heran begin making their way down the tower, Ghurr, Illithir and Faera have just reached the bottom. Commander Landgrave is there waiting, along with a few other guards who stand a little behind the Commander. At the sight of you emerging from the door he barks as you "Well? What was it?" before seeing the two bodies in Ghurr's arms. "Damn it," he whispers, then furious, "Damn it to the deepest level of Hell! What did this to my guards?"

He started descending the stairs as soon as Mala suggested they went to Landgrave. From the moment he thought about the possibility of a traitor amongst the guards, Ilithir became all bust focused on speaking with the man. Or, at the very least, that is what the elf wished to be. Anything to get away the vision and the memories it brought forth. Distant, old memories buried so deep within he always wanted to forget.

“No need to apologize.” He said to Faera on their way down. “I don’t know too. In fact, I don’t know even how to do to the magic hand thing.” Honest words. There was little on the magic he knew that could be used for anything other than battle.   “About your question… I don’t know for certain, but sabotage is a thing mostly done for vengeance or political intrigue. Maybe an enemy of Baron Housta, Landgrave or both decided to start acting to ruin their lives. Maybe someone wanting to gain power and seeing the watch or even the whole Fort Imma as an obstacle planned the whole thing. Less guards mean less order which means the eyes of authorities forced in one well known direction – something that could enable greater plots.”

Which greater plots, he had no idea. Maybe it was connected to their original mission. I just hope it’s nothing about demon lords, he contemplated remembering the rumors on the city about a house where sacrifices to such a creature were being made. Last thing anyone needed was another Year of Hellfire.

“Harpies. Five of them. We killed three. One of the escapees was a matriarch.” He answered the Commander while turning towards the dead and put his hand over his chest. “May the gods guide their souls." Said the silver haired while casting Guidance upon himself. "We were too late to help the man when we arrived. You will need to make a head count to know the extent of the damage they caused. Call everyone on post today, maybe everyone who’s been to the tower.” A strange question that Ilithir hoped the Colonel would understand. Ghurr carried on his arms the result of a headcount, the guard had lost two men. Yet, the hired hand expressed necessity to know who was in the tower and indirectly. “Either way, we can finish the talk about the mission.” A talk that was already finished. “I know you are busy, but it will only take a moment of yours.”

As he spoke the elf tried to read the reaction of the men behind Landgrave. Any of them seemed to react to any of his words? Any of them seemed particularly nervous?

Notes: Ilithir casts Guidance upon himself and tries to read the expression of the guards. See anyone acts suspiciously, especially after he asks to speak with Landgrave.

Insight: 18
Guidance: 1

Ghurr lays the two dead guards down gently on the ground.

"Two here," Ghurr says nodding at the pair he brought down, "and two up top. All dead."

While he looks down at the dead, Ghurr absently touches a small leather pouch that hangs on a leather strap around his neck. He takes a deep breath and then lowers his hand, bumping a very small silver skull that also hangs around his neck.

He makes room for the others as they come out of the tower, only then noticing that Hoppy, Lord of the Night has reappeared, purring and brushing up against the bugbear's shins.

"Big bird ladies up there, Hoppy." Ghurr says, a smile coming back on to his face. "Too big for Hoppy to catch."

He watches the commander as Ilithir speaks. 

Faera gives Ilithir a smile as he reassures her on the way down the tower.  As they get to the commander and Ilithir and Ghurr let the man know the situation, she is very glad when Ilithir recommends speaking to Landgrave again in private.  She did not want to pull out this harpy caller in the midst of all the guards.  She waits to see what will happen.

Quote from Makkiu >>

Maybe an enemy of Baron of Leistmoor, Landgrave or both decided to start acting to ruin their lives. 

 Just a small geographic correction before we move forward, to avoid any confusion. Leistmoor is about 250 miles north up the River Scarl. The Baron of Imma is Idris Housta. Leistmoor has its own Baron.

"Harpies?" Landgrave asks incredulously. "They never come this close to town." But as Illithir continues making his suggestions - a headcount, speaking in private - his eyes grow cold and hard, and he replies in a monotone. "Yes. We'll 'finish' our talk. In private."

Illithir, there are five guards who have gathered close to the base of the tower, and they all look nervous and upset. None seem to be acting guiltily though. Chances are their nerves are due to the fact they're currently looking at the mutilated remains of two of their colleagues with the knowledge that there are two more to come.

The Commander walks over to the bodies Ghurr has laid on the ground, and kneels down next to them. "Leo and Riva. Damn." He stands, and looks to one of the guards behind him, saying sharply "Go get a cart. The rest of you up the Tower, bring Elani and Cornel back down here. Then take them to Valkur with Corporal Singer. They can rest there, and let's pray she won't be joining them." Knowing that Valkur is a god of the sea, you probably realise that the Commander is suggesting the bodies are taken to a temple dedicated to Valkur.

Thurodim, Heran and Mala, as you make your way down the tower stairs, four guards dash up and have to squeeze past you. When you reach the bottom, the others of the group are waiting with Commander Landgrave. He asks that you wait until the bodies have been brought down and taken away. Shortly the guard returns with a cart drawn by a single horse, and together you help load first the two dead guards already down onto it, then the other two when they are brought down by their friends. The cart is driven away to the north and west, following the cliff wall of the fort. You and the Commander follow it as far as the first turning from which you arrived a short time ago, where the cart continues onward through a gate to the Outer Fort, and you all turn right, past the training ground, now completely empty, until you return to the Commander's House once more where Captain Crystalson has been waiting anxiously. Back upstairs, back to the dusty conference room . Only at this point does Landgrave turn on his heels and stare daggers at you all, especially Illithir who had suggested this private talk. "Now. We're alone. So will someone tell me exactly what in the Nine Hells happened here?"

Please note that on the map of Fort Imma I am changing the Temple of Umberlee to the Temple of Valkur, I think it would be more appropriate.

 He was incredibly thankful to see that Landgrave understood the true meaning of his words and followed silent as the human guided the group to back to the conference room in silence. This one don’t live close to nobility for coincidence, Ilithir said to himself with the voice of his mind. He knows how to deal with what is between the lines. A skill most necessary to survive in any court.

“The harpy matriarch reacted to our response calling the whole situation a trap and commanding her daughters to flee. Only one managed to do so with her, but this is not the important part. The fact that a fight there was a trap for them means someone called them to take easy pray and as if to corroborate this theory we found a magic item hidden on the tower that emitted a song very similar to that of the harpies. A calling, I am guessing.” He then looks to the wizard as if seeking confirmation. As far as he was concerned she was the arcane specialist on the group. “Faera, if you would be so kind as to show the thing to the commander?” He asks politely before turning his eyes back to Landgrave. “Please, do not speak the word in the note, in Talithan or other language. It is what stopped the brooch’s song, meaning that it probably is the key word that starts it again.” The elf warned remembering the note on the box. “I am no strategist, but to me it looks like sabotage and the box would need the saboteur to act directly by saying the right thing around the it which in turn mean the responsible for the death of four of your men was in this keep recently so a headcount of who went to the tower or at least on the keep around the last twenty four hours should give us a list of suspects.”

Notes: Previous post edited to apply the geographical correction. Thanks for pointing it out, DM.

Thurodim listens and nods as the elf thoroughly explains what has happened. "The box was put there not long before the attack." He added simply, to narrow down their search. The whole idea to put a box in a tower just to kill four guards seemed a bit far fetched to him though. "Does the word on the note mean anything to you?" He asks the Commander.

Ghurr chooses to lean against a door frame rather than risk one of the chairs again. He's not sure they could take his weight twice.

Once he manages to stop fidgeting and find something akin to comfort against the wall he does his best to pay attention to what Ilithir is saying. 

Faera follows the rest back to the Commanders house and just when she thought they were going to bring him up to speed, he whirls on them in anger.  She understands being upset, but with them?  She takes a step back, a little nervous about the situation.

As Ilithir looks to her after explaining what they had found, she swallows and nods in affirmation.  She starts taking the box out of her bag before he asks and opens the box for the commander to see.  She pulls out the piece of paper and hands it to Landgrave.  "I'm sorry, but I do not know how to identify this item"

The Commander listens to your explanation patiently, then takes the paper offered to him.

"Ans..." he begins reading, then looks to Illithir remembering what you said, and stops. "It doesn't mean anything to me. Looks Talithan. I've got passable Dharbesh but I never learned the Elven language." To Faera he says "Don't worry about it. I know someone." He places the paper strip back in the box with the brooch, and hands it back to Faera. "If you have time before you leave for Soft's Rest, take this down to Longboot's Boutique, just off the Market Square. Laurenz will take a look at it. Tell him you came from me, and I'll get the usual payment sent to him."

He runs his hand down his face and sighs. "So, someone set Harpies on us. Lured them here. And you think it's one of my guards. Usually I'd turf you out of here for a suggestion like that, but... well, someone did it. And it's only the guards up here, really." He looks pained at the almost certain knowledge that one of his guards has done this. "But none of them could afford something as magical as this. It doesn't make sense...

And how would you know when the box was put there?" This question is directed at Thurodim, with a quizzically raised eyebrow?

“It is Talithan.” He reassured with the certainty that had the language as his mother tongue. “But it seems to activate even if we speak it in common. The meaning is synonymous with remembrance and the originating substantive of the verb to memorize.” Ilithir said clearly improvising a way to explain the word Memory without actually using it. “The responsible may not be so much of a traitor as someone compelled to act like that. The enchantment of school of magic has more than a few spells that can control someone to this point.” He once again looks to Faera in search of confirmation. His knowledge was practical and came from the charms he had learned through the years rather than the proper knowledge the woman demonstrated to have. “We cannot discard the possibility of threats against the family of the perpetrator. Maybe the mastermind has their child abducted. And, of course, we may be dealing with someone disguised as one of your men, so if you can think of someone you saw acting stranger lately… It’s a start, gods help us.”

With his last words the silver haired elf touched the palm of his hands and casted Guidance upon himself and tried studying the reaction of Cystalson to his words. Considering how close the dwarf was to the commander it was unlikely he was the traitor, but at that point in time no possibility could be simply discarded.

“Thurodim, did your ritual unveil who put the box up there? I mean, could you recognize the face of the perpetrator?”

Notes: Ilithir casts Guidance on himself and tries to see if Crystalson reacts suspiciously to his suppositions.

Insight Check: 18
Guidance: 3