OOC
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I was looking back over the posts and found something we forgot to deal with. The assassin had several items on his body that Whisper found in the alley. A magical knife, ring, and 5 scrolls. If you'd like to have them identified or sold, there was time enough left in the day to do so.
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The rest of the day passes with agonizing slowness as you await word from the street artist. The inn is busy throughout the day with patrons checking in or stopping by for a meal. A crew of men have begun work on repairing the damaged door frame from the attack last night and the inn is abuzz with gossip about what happened. As evening begins to close in and the patrons begin to clear out there is still no sign of your artist. It isn't until the streetlamps have been lit that someone finally arrives. A young man wearing the uniform of House Sivis arrives carrying a large frame wrapped in white cloth. He looks around for a brief moment before spotting your group and approaching you. "Greetings, I'm a courier for the House Sivis. I have a delivery for you here. Also a note to go with it." He hands over the frame and a sealed note then turns to leave.
The Painting
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Unwrapping the painting you see that the artist was not lying about his skill. The colors are vibrant and the lines are clean. It depicts two ships locked in battle. Sword and axemen exchange blows while archers fire into the fight. One of the ships waves the flag of House Tharask while the other flies a black flag with skull and crossed bones. The previously unfinished bottom section now shows an underwater scene with the Tharask ship lying on the bottom, its tattered flag still waving in the ocean currents.
Search DC15
[SBLOCK]
You notice something a bit off about the painting. It seems as if some of the lines on the water and the ships are purposefully drawn so they don't line up properly. Here, two long planks on the hull of the ship are bowed where they should be straight, and here a wave has a straight line where it should be splashing chaotically. Something else is going on in this picture that you are not seeing.
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The Note
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The note is written in flowing script in common.
Dear Young Miss, I deeply regret being unable to bring you your purchase in person. I would have dearly loved to see your eyes alight at the sight of its beauty. It tears my heart but I must attend to family matters elsewhere. I have named your painting "Stars over the Red Waters" and hope that you will appreciate it in the proper light.
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