Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cypherblade" data-source="post: 9885207" data-attributes="member: 7048389">Trekhom, the inspectors finally start tailing some suspects.[spoiler]Report “Secret and Confidential Project Commissioned by the RHC”Reporter: Sub-Inspector Gustaaf OverflorijnBree approaches Staf and congratulates him on his impressive fighting skills, but Staf is not impressed. She says she would like to forget everything that happened during the war. Apparently she served on Axis Island. Barbara suggests settling things with an arm-wrestling contest, but neither of them accepts.Nick O’Tyne briefly returns to our compartment to properly dress Mr. Maple (alias Andrei Von Recklinghausen) and speak with him. When Nick talks a little too much about his father, Wolfgang Von Recklinghausen, the big man becomes uncomfortable. Apparently his contact with his “father” ended in a physical confrontation.Staf holds a discussion with the dwarf Versubak Tantalovich about the end of the different ages and the times one must prepare for. Cassius Goldfinger finds this somewhat dull and challenges the dwarf to a dice game in which Staf also participates. Staf wins, and in his excitement he accidentally calls Cassius Felix.Barbara learns from Cardiff Hengehill, the man with the briefcase, that he is apparently a courier transporting something important.Nick listens to Elanor’s room via clairaudience and discovers that her slave is kept submissive through specific pills she is forced to take.The remainder of the journey continues in snowfall, but once we cross an iron bridge we enter Drakr, where we notice the snow is gray due to air pollution. At the large station, which has no fewer than eight tracks, about twenty Drakran soldiers are waiting (a mix of dwarves and humans, the latter being mages). A tiefling officer announces that everyone must leave the train with all their luggage because the wagons are to be replaced. As compensation for the inconvenience and the danger along the route, our tickets will be refunded.While Staf tries to offer cigars to Octavia, Kane manages to cast Tongues. He can now “listen in” on the sign language between the two. Apparently they now know who the Risuri “spies” are. They likely learned this from their bodyguards. They say they will do the same thing as yesterday. Their bodyguards—Bree, Oliver Boone, and Versubak Tantalovich—always leave, presumably to go to a tavern. The dwarf invariably gets drunk, buys a round for everyone with his gambling winnings, and then rambles about various meaningless topics.We also notice that the orc couple are having a marital dispute, and we see posters everywhere of Vlendam Heid, the founder of the Heid Eschatol. The great philosopher himself will give a lecture this evening about the end of days.Kane asks Sarïa to shadow the Jierre pair. She jumps onto their carriage in cat form, and during the ride barrels are rolled behind the carriage to prevent possible pursuers. The carriage heads toward the harbor. This is a similar event to what happened in Orithea.Damata Griento has disappeared after the train had already stopped. No one knows where he has gone, but it is clear he had an argument with his wife.Staf wishes to broaden his knowledge by attending the lecture. The other investigators—Felix, Kane, and Ayleen—go to examine the rooms of the people who have left.<h3>First room: Luc Jierre and Octavia</h3>Among all their equipment, Ayleen finds a magical lantern and three jars of oil, each in a different color. The three jars contain planar energy. The blue one comes from Mavisha. There are also red and black versions, but we do not recognize those. One lantern is missing, as well as three bottles. Using a scroll of Identify, Ayleen determines that the lantern is used to disperse energy from other planes.<h3>The Lecture</h3>Heid speaks about life and the end of all things. At one point he asks who survived the attack on the train. Damata was present and stands up, because he has apparently brought dishonor upon his family. Staf initially listens very attentively, but he understands none of it, and his attention slowly fades… and fades… and fades…<h3>Second room: Boone</h3>Boone’s room contains many weapons. We also find women’s underwear with blood spatters that appear to have sprayed from above. Is Boone a psychopath who collects trophies? Or could he be a vampire? There is also a faint residue of planar energy present that Ayleen does not recognize.<h3>The carriage of Luc Jierre</h3>The carriage transporting Jierre stops near the lighthouse, and Sarïa hears voices. There are quite a lot of armed people present. Luc asks whether everything has been prepared, and together with his traveling companion he enters the lighthouse.<h3>Third room: Bree</h3>Nothing unusual is found in Bree’s room.<h3>Fourth room: The dwarf Tantalovich</h3>This room also contains magical residue on a small box that holds dice. There are also strange documents attempting to analyze the influence of planetary and lunar positions on games of chance.<h3>At the lighthouse</h3>Suddenly red light shines from the lighthouse. The heads of the guards heat up and they begin to fight. The same thing happens during the lecture, and in the hotel Ayleen suddenly starts angrily berating Felix. For about fifteen minutes everyone becomes unusually aggressive.A person with a Crisillyiri accent speaks with Jierre and says that “they will be able to expand it further.” The carriage then returns but first makes a stop at a workshop where trains are repaired or built. Jierre bribes one of the mechanics to mount the lantern he brought onto the locomotive.Everyone eventually returns to the hotel, and the five of us head down to The Sea King for a while. Boone is again there in the company of a young lady, and the drunken dwarf once more treats the entire tavern—but Kane notices that he is nowhere near as drunk as he pretends to be.When Boone leaves the tavern with his date, Kane, Ayleen, Sarïa, and Felix follow him, while Staf remains behind with the dwarf.Boone wanders around a bit, and with assistance from Pipistrella, tonight in owl form, we track him. In a quiet neighborhood he leads his companion of the evening into an alley. Suddenly we hear frightened screams and rush forward. Sarïa tries to trap the villain with entangling weeds, but he is too agile. In response he fires two bullets into our druid.Ayleen and Felix are, of course, experts at ranged attacks as well, and they take the creep down with two revolver shots and a volley of magical missiles.Boone carries a magical revolver that also radiates planar energy. Goats are engraved on the ivory holster. Kane prepares to speak with the dead man—both to see what else we can learn from him and to ensure that no one else will be able to question the body for a week.[/spoiler]</blockquote>

Verification