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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(contact)" data-source="post: 480462" data-attributes="member: 41">Coldeven 22, CY 59332:  Back to the MinesThe next morning, the Liberators gather in the temple’s palatial meditation room, to scry the Provost Marshall Reine.They discover that he is alive, and apparently kept drugged in what looks to be a common root cellar.  Heydricus, Prisantha and Dabus ready themselves for a fight, then teleport to the scene.But there is no fight to be had, and Dabus heals Reine, clearing his system of the sopoforic.  Reine stirs and regards the party with a frightened expression.“Relax, Provost Marshall,” Heydricus says.  You are safe now.  We need you to remain quiet, and stay here.”  The group cautiously searches the farmhouse above the cellar, only to find it empty.  After a brief journey outside, they discover that they are in the South of Furyondy, within walking distance of Willip, and the estate of Baron Butrain.“Let’s pay a visit to the Baron, shall we?” Heydricus says.When they arrive at Butrain’s keep, they are informed by the seneschal that Butrain is meeting with emissaries from Chendl’s Great School of Magic, and after a short wait, the Baron arrives, with none other than Gwendolyn herself in tow.The unpleasant wizardess looks shocked to see the group, and regards Prisantha with a poisonous gaze.The party tells the Baron of their recent battles with Iuzian undead, and warns him that a dangerous cell might be operating out of Willip.  They are underwhelmed by the Baron’s seeming lack of interest in this news, and another argument begins about his lack of support for Furyondy’s war with the Old One.Before direct accusations can be leveled, Heydricus diplomatically ends the meeting, and the Liberators teleport back to Chendl, with the Provost Marshall in tow.Dabus and C’min are dispatched to search Reine’s home, and return with dark news.“There’s no sign of his wife or daughter, Heydricus,” Dabus says, keeping his voice low so that Reine cannot overhear him, as the Provost Marshall’s soft sobbing can be heard from the next room.  Dabus pauses, and says, “there was a lot of blood, Heydricus.”“We’ll need to scry them, Dabus,” Heydricus replies.  “Get Prisantha, and . . .”“No, Heydricus, I don’t think you understand.  There was a lot of blood.”-----Reine is left to whatever consolation the priests of Tritherion can give him, and that afternoon, Heydricus, Prisantha and Dabus pay a visit to King Belvor to update him on the situation.Heydricus assures the King that the Iuzian undead have been dealt with, or as he gleefully puts it, “we killed them all, sir.  We killed the s--t out of them.”Belvor congratulates the heroes, and points out that while he is truly sorry for Reine’s loss, the Provost Marshall simply cannot go missing for any amount of time, and while he was gone, his office was filled.  Permanently. Reine is now the ex-Provost Marshall Commerce for Chendl.“Well, Heydricus,” Prisantha says, “we do have an opening for an accountant.”Arrangements are made to ferry the newly resurrected Prince Thrommel to the Temple of Tritherion, and from there, the Prince is to be taken to Tenh, far from the eyes of his enemies, and placed under the protection of the Liberators.  Hopefully, while there, he can sow his adventuring oats and not be killed.  The King repeats that phrase:  Not.  Be.  Killed.Prisantha gifts her grandparents with 500 gp, enough for them to buy out the Paddyfoot halflings and further expand the family farm.  Halrond assigns several junior clerics to guard the farm, to ensure that no further Iuzian deprivations take place.------And so it is that C’min, Jespo Crim, Prince Thrommel and the former Provost Marshall Reine join the ranks of the Liberators of Tenh.When he is informed of the new additions to the roster, Jespo is less than pleased.“Reine?” He sputters.  “That backstabbing, unprincipled rapscallion!  Absolutely not!  Have you forgotten so soon who had me imprisoned?”Jespo is eventually calmed, and assured that Reine was merely a puppet, played for a fool by the conspirators against Thrommel, and has suffered greatly.  Fräs and Jespo argue vehemently, and in the end, Jespo looses the point.  Reine is to be given quarters in the mines at Cur’ruth, and set to oversee the mine’s finances.  Jespo pouts, but acquiesces.When they return to the mines, the group lays out a basic strategy:  Prisantha wishes to take several months off to research new spells and create her dream item:  a crystal ball of true seeing.  Heydricus will take the time to organize his troops, bring in new recruits, and assess the military situation in Tenh.  In the meantime, Jespo Crim and Dabus will undertake the task of adding enchantments to Heydricus’ spear—his symbol of investiture from Tritherion.C’min and Elijah will take the time to thoroughly scout the area surrounding the mines of Cur’ruth.But upon their arrival, they are greeted with yet another mystery.  A note from Tau has been left for Heydricus.  In his note, Tau discusses his recent investigations around the mines of Tenh.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">From chapter 23:  “Tau shifts the group into the border etheric in order to search for hidden chambers.  They find a recessed shrine to the Flan pantheon that somehow escaped the notice of the occupying Iuzian priests.  In the shrine, Tau is overjoyed to discover a fully-intact book on Flan folk worship, dating back hundreds of years!”</li> </ul>Tau has been thoroughly reading the book, and is troubled to discover that there is mention of a God he has never heard of—a minor Flan deity devoted to Knowledge, Order and Law.  The fact that Tau, as a specialist in Comparative Sacrilegious Faiths for the Libraries of Wintershiven has never before encountered this deity is troubling.  As part of his investigation, Tau searched the mines from top to bottom, and found an unusual depression on the cliff directly above the mines.  He grew convinced that the depression once contained a third statue—similar to the pair of massive sculptures that flank the opening to the mines of Cur’ruth.  What happened to it is unknown.  There is no sign of either an excavation or collapse.To add fuel to the mystery, the Tenha at Cur’ruth claim no knowledge of the statues’ origin, purpose or symbolism.  The Aital, spiritual leader of the Tenha, has been no help.  She was unaware of the existence of the hidden worship chambers in the mines, indicating that they must be older than even the mining operations in this place.Tau had since determined that more research was the key, and returned to the only place he knew to undertake the project, the Libraries of Wintershiven.As she ponders these events, Prisantha is struck with a sobering thought:  why would a powerful cleric like Tau need to research in a library when he could use divinations to gain answers?  Her conclusion is that Tau must not have access to his higher-level spells, a sure sign of Pholtus’ displeasure with His cleric.-----Next: The Liberators begin projects, and get a little Spring Cleaning done . . . bloodily!</blockquote>

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