Episode fifteen write up finished

Part two a Simple Eviction Job

Dramatis Personae

Leon – a Brandobian Human Fighter & self styled hero

Quirrel – a Halfling Thief

Nyadryn – a Brandobian Human, fighter

Esme– a Brandobian human, a loud over enthusiastic person, Nyadryn’s girl friend

Siskin – a Halfling Cleric of Chance Quirrel’s cousin

XXXX– a Gnome,

YYYY– a Gnome

Briana – a Half Elven fighter magic user 

Location
the Brandobian county town of Vayham in the North West corner of the region

Events

(These take place during episode XIV & XV of the main story)

With the amount of work the Market administration office is having to do greatly reduced owing to the virtual closure of the beast market following the raid and the loss of the lands beyond the M’Alvern stream to the goblins and the general reduction of trading in the great market Quirrel is he would be the first to admit making work for himself just to alleviate the boredom and more importantly make his supervisor a junior priest of the coin lord called Bevan think he is working hard. However this can only work for so long and it would appear that this is the morning the ploy breaks down

Bevan came over to Quirrel bouncing a small soft leather drawstring bag, a coin purse, Quirrel though hopefully, in his left hand and holding a small roll of parchment in the other he was smiling which was always a bad sign Quirrel thought, briefly the paralyzing fear that this might be his levy warrant crossed his mind but then Bevan spoke calling as he always did boy despite Quirrel being ten years his senior. Boy he began I have a job for you and he proceeded to lay out the task he had in mind. As he did a wave of relief flowed through poor Quirrel.

It would seem that in the past there had been a lot of smuggling into the town through tunnels which started in what later became the new town and passed under the wall into the district just inside the old wall line then the town slum area. These of course became useless when the Counts great grandfather built the new wall and no more where built as the economic environment changed to faviour legitimate trade. However one tunnel is known to have passed beyond the current wall, into the farmland beyond the then Foul Borough and now New Town.  Given the present trouble with goblins it would be good to know if this tunnel is still usable because it would be very unfortunate if situation deteriorated and town was besieged to have the Goblins have a way under the wall or more likely a way a band of raiders made it across the river and stumbled into the out wall entrance and got into the town. Given the present situation with the town already packed with people with not enough to do and more than a little jumpy as many of them had been forced to flee their homes by goblins the panic would be massive and the coin lord’s temple believes likely beyond the ability of the Count to control.

Therefore the temple has decided to give its trusted servant Quirrel a budget to deal with it, at which Bevan passes the roll of parchment and bag of coins to Quirrel here boy go and get some people together and investigate this your budget is fifty slivers try not to spend it all. With that Bevan strides off, Quirrel assumes to whatever he doing to make himself look busy, Quirrel puts the bag and parchment down on his desk looks at them both for a moment then unable to resist releases the cord on the purse, empties it onto the make work paper work and counts it, fifty silvers do indeed glitter back at him, which are all his if he plays it cleaver, the small roll is a warrant covered with official seals announcing the bearer to be an accredited agent of the Market authority and giving them the right to do what ever was required in support of their work. Quirrel smiled and when through a mental list in his head of people who would be inclined to come along for a few silvers which with a bit of after action creative accountancy could be expanded to use up all or most of the silver. The first name on the list was cousin Siskin, who was always up for any sort of adventure and Quirrel new exactly where to find him.

A sort time latter Quirrel approaches the Lucky Copper a garishly painted tavern in the north of the town which also happens to be the finest gambling establishment in town and a shrine to the god RISK. It stands out from the plain white washed buildings around it with their timber frames faded to dull silver, Its walls are washed with bright yellow ochre, its beams painted black and the wooden shingles which cover the roof a bright red, thought the sun and the rain has begun to fade this to deep terracotta. The masterfully painted sign outside the door shows a pair of fine ivory gaming dice showing a seven with a single copper coin with a cute smiley face upwards between them. For those patrons that can read under this is blazoned the words “Lucky Copper” the tavern is busy and the and more or less every table is packed with men and boys and the occasional woman engaged in popular games of luck and skill. Small coins lay in piles amongst the cards and dice and there is a buzz of exited activity all round. Siskin is easy to find despite his shortened stature as he is leaning on the wall by the door into the temple proper over seeing the shine of luck where patrons may sacrifice a trade coin by putting it through a slot in the shine and if truly lucky be favored by the return of the lucky copper the tavern is named for. Seeing cousin Quirrel approach Siskin opens the door to the chapel and signals him to come inside as Quirrel will almost certainly want to talk and the chapel is a quieter and more private place to do that than the gaming room.

However as they are in the temple of RISK a wager is required by way of sacrifice first. A pair of coppers are placed in the bowl on the chapels’ altar table and the dice are rolled with a prayer to the lord of all risks by Siskin, the temple wins and as normal Siskin returns his coin to his pocket and drops his cousins lost one in the offertory strong box. Well cousin to what do I owe the pleasure. To which Quirrel replied he had been given a job by his boss at the Market office and been told to get some people together to help and he was wondering if Siskin would help. The job was to investigate if an old smugglers tunnel which used at least to lead from the cellar of a house just inside the old wall to, possibly beyond the new wall line was still viable as a tunnel and if it was did it actually pass beyond the new wall line as if it is and does it would represent a threat to the security of the town under the current conditions. Siskin nodded he could imagine a considerable panic occurring if even a few goblins got into the town in secret and appeared unexpectedly. The town Siskin noted grimly would burn as readily as the east fore gate had. Quirrel added that there was money in it so they fell to haggling over a price and in the end settled on three silvers given it was it seemed a straight forward mission which would not take all that long.  Siskin having agreed went off to collect his gear and when he returned Quirrel added that he wondered if Siskin new any one else who might go along as well. Siskin said he would think about it but for now they would go back to Quirrels lodgings to recruit the two big people he shared it with as should muscle be needed big people where always good for that.

Returning to Quirrels lodging the two cousins discuss the mission and who else might be up for an unusual way of earning a few silvers.  Siskin mentions a young gnome one of the abattoir owner’s young nephews or great nephews he thinks who is obviously rather underemployed given the place got burned down by the goblins recently. So much so that the young fellow is spending rather a lot of time and coin in the lucky copper and other, Siskin shudders, dubious gaming houses where they fix the games against the player rather then letting RISK rule as IT should. So convincing is Siskin that Quirrel is persuaded to back track to the gnome’s house near the north gate where he is apparently out but a servant takes a message and assures Quirrel and Siskin that he will pass the message along and that the young master will be back shortly and will meet them outside the great hospital as asked.  With that the two companions resume their journey back to Quirrels lodgings to recruit the warriors Nyadryn, and Leon as a couple of big people with swords would reduce the chance of any rough stuff as Siskin put it to calm his rather jumpy cousins nerves.

XXXX was very bored, his father had sent him to work for his uncle and learn the business so that perhaps one day he could set up something similar in on of the towns of the north or even the great cities of Crandolen or Cosdolan. He had not particularly wanted to do this but his father had made it clear that there was not enough room for him in the family Gem cutting business in Neffaria, even if he had ever shown any interest in the business like his older sister or real skill at cutting Gem like his younger brother and in any event he had had XXXX educated at great expense in that school in Crandolen so was his farther felt destined for better things.  So He had gone along with it and what goes and happens barely a week after he arrived and before he had settled in at all some blasted goblins come over and burn the place down.  Leaving XXXX and every body else involved with the business for that matter at a lose end as the as with the goblin treat still there it would be stupid to try to rebuild and with the goblins occupying the majority of the live stock raising land beyond the river and having burned down or driven out all the occupants from those this side there would be no work for it either. His uncle had tried to get keep every one busy at first but now they had run out of even make work, and XXXX was bored very and rather wished he was still at the school in Crandolen or at least in a city where a young gnome about town could find proper amusement. So XXXX was to be honest relived when he arrived home form a walk around town to relive the boredom to find that a one of uncles aged retainers had a message from a pair of Halflings one of which he recognized by the retainers description as Siskin who he sort of knew that there was a job and possibly some excitement to be had and that if he was interested he was to meet them outside the great hospital. Pausing only to grab a snack and collect his gear XXXX was on his way, something exiting was going to happen at last.

Meanwhile Siskin and Quirrel had arrived at Quirrels lodging house. They ran into Lion first and after only an introduction and a short chat he proved more than up for the mission as Quirrel outlined it. Leon then mentioned that Nyadryn was in with his girlfriend he added with a chuckle. Despite this Siskin and Quirrel decided to call on him and when they did found Nyadryn in the company of an expensively and modestly dressed young woman with whom he was exchanging small talk. Nyadryn greeted every one warmly and introduced his young lady as Esme, at which she curtsied elegantly and giggled a bit rather spoiling the effect, pleased to meet you all she said with a smile. Nyadryn then took over the conversation and it turned to the job at hand with Esme listening intently. Nyadryn agreed quite quickly to go along and help for a sum of three silvers as he wanted to keep his hand in with the adventuring lark even if he was in to minds about it as an idea and besides one of the things Esme liked about him was that he was a gallant adventurer and she was as nice a lass as you could find so if it kept her happy he would keep his hand in. after this he chatted about this and that with his housemates for a bit and did not notice Esme slip out Quirrel and Siskin however did and kept him talking deliberately as they had both noticed that Esme’s body language suggested that she would like to come along as well and both guessed that Nyadryn would be put out by this and found the idea amusing. Once Nyadryn realized that Esme had gone he became more eager to get on with things rather than chat and quickly donned his armour gathered his gear. However he was too late because they ran into Esme in the street outside all kited out to go adventuring.  Her ensemble bears some description, she was wearing a patched pair of her brother trousers a worn workman’s tunic belted with a leather strap without a buckle through with was thrust a scabbarded dress dagger and a carpenters socketing axe the sort used for making the mortises on heavy furniture, she was holding some what ineptly a town militia small round shield bearing as they all did the counts livery colours. Her hair was held in place by a tatty workman’s woolen cap and her face was a picture of girlish enthusiasm. Nyadryn winced and the two cousins giggled to themselves

Siskin, Quirrel, Leon, Nyadryn, and Esme met up with XXXX as had been arranged outside the entrance of the great hospital and Quirrel quickly lead them thorough the maze of lanes alleys and passages to the house which lay in the ley of the bank which was all that was left of the old wall. It was a small one story thatched timber framed house typical of the poorer part of the old town. The walls where peeling and the mud and plaster daub was cracking away form the wattle panels beyond the roof sagged and the thatch was old and grey well weathered more than a bit decayed. That said it was not so different from its neighbors or half a hundred other near by. Smoke gently issued from the smoke hole accompanied by the smell of cooking so the house was occupied. The door was locked or rather latched on the other side but as what to do about this was being considered Esme surprised every one by producing a wooden key of the sort used to lift such latches and with a couple of deft twists managed to get the latch up. Beyond the door was what was once any way the entry hall for the house, thought it was also apparent from the straw mattress in one corner and pile of rough bedding that some one was at least camping out here now. There where two doors leading on one to the south opened onto a bedroom with little furniture beyond straw mattresses and coarse bedding of the same sort that had been found in the  hall the one to the east from behind which sounds of systematic chopping could be heard accompanied by the smells of a stew cooking seemed more promising. Like the bedroom door it was not locked. This time it opened onto a kitchen.  The place was sparsely furnished with a large table and a scatter of stools all of which had seen better days. The rooms only inhabitant was a middle aged woman in an unstylish and old fashioned dress who when the company entered looked up from her chopping at a turnip. Quirrel saw the large heavy and well used knife and winced, shaking himself however he pulled himself together and approached the woman who by no means tall towered over him as did all the big people.

It all however proved to be rather less terrifying than he had feared as the good woman indeed a farmer’s wife from the east of the M’Alvern stream proved quite amenable to leaving and going back to the poor house especially after Quirrel showed her the warrant which whilst she couldn’t read it she was able to recognize as official, she even pointed out the cellar door before she hurried off.

Descending the steps stone steps the company found the cellar deserted but not without signs of current habitation. There where fresh unlit torches in all the wall sconces and nearly a dozen straw mattresses and poles of rough bedding around the walls. Only one torch was lit at the base of the stairs but it was adequate to show the scene. Further exploration revealed that the cellar had been expanded as part of it about the size of the kitchen above was stone flagged, but that it had been extended from that to almost the size of the foot print of the house above and the roof of the cellar which was also the floor of the house had been reinforced with wooden joists and posts so large they where made of whole fair sized tree trunks with their bark roughly adzed off. The walls or the original cellar where as might be expected from a well built larder cellar clad in stone but the extension had been done in split logs instead. Quirrel being aware that there was a secret door some where in the cellar leading to the old smugglers tunnel commenced to search for it and every one joined in quickly locating an area of wall where the split logs seemed to have been replaced by rough planks. Moving the pile of bedding which was in the way Quirrel fell to working out how to open the door since it had no visible handle on this side neither could he see hinges from this side. As he worked every one else watched,   being a careful fellow he also kept an eye out for traps and indeed found one feeling the edge of a concealed blade scratch the palm of his hand, but not draw blood. (This trap was latter discovered to have been a combination of Quirrels fear and a sharp splinter in the rough hewn wood to his not inconsiderable discomfiture and the amusement of others especially the gnomes)  In the end he decided that the hinges where on the left hand side of the door and that it opened inwards and was not likely locked at all though it might be bared on the other side. Quirrel took a step back and stood a moment in thought before deciding what to do. He must report back to Bevan he decided and would leave every one else here on guard incase the residents of the house returned or a horde of Goblins came through the door. Every one agreed to go along with this plan at least for the moment

Leaving his companions to guard the secret door that they had found in the cellar of the house Quirrel hurried back to the office pausing only to affix a notice to the hose door saying that all the residents had been evicted by order of the Market Administration action on behalf of the Count. He scurried off thorough the streets busy with big folk who had given up on work for the day and who where heading home. The state of trade was Quirrel observed to him self appalling and it would be little worse even if the goblins actually besieged the town as some of the local doomsayers suggested that they might.  Quirrel did not rush as he felt he needed the time to compose himself and give the best report to Bevan, not to mention wanting to borrow the spare night lantern from outside of the market office as it would be so much better for exploring down in the dark than candles or even the torches recovered from the houses basement. He would also rather like it if he had to admit if Siskin well known low boredom threshold caused him to encourage the others to explore further so that the place was all checked out and any thing dangerous dealt with by the time he got back.

In the cellar Siskin quickly became bored and his new found companions where quite happy to agree with him when he suggested that whatever Quirrel had said there was no harm and more use in pressing on rather than loitering round in the cellar waiting for further orders. A quick check of the door revealed that it was not locked or barred and seemed only stiff from lack of use; further no one who examined it could find a trace of the trap Quirrel had found. So Leon & Nyadryn yanked and pulled at the thing till it came open during which process as expected the trap was revealed not to exist.

Beyond the door was a stone ramp which lead to a solidly built and dry passage some six feet wide and the same high lined with wood which showed little sings of rot whose floor was covered in a thin layer of dust suggesting it had not seen use in a long time, even if shallow ruts in the ramp and the floor beyond suggested that one it had.  Seeking a better light source than the candle Quirrel had left the company emptied the wall sconces of all the lit and unlit torches before pressing on down the passage.  Once down the ramp the passage was beautiful and level all the way until the far end. It was so straight level and featureless that it was rather difficult to assess quite how long it was. Even when paced out by Leon latter it was still less than certain. At the far end the company came across a stone ramp almost identical to the one at the start except that this one lead up to the roof which was here a panel of half rotted wicker work held together by roots, the passage it would seem was blocked off which was what they where here to find. However Siskin was curious and just had to know quite how blocked the passage was. He mover up the ramp until just under the roof and drawing his dagger worked it through the rotten roof as far as it would go. Removing it he peered into the hole and saw no light. Every one else stood and watched as he worked, and Esme began to squeak quite excitedly.  Nyadryn began to get a bad feeling, why was the girl of his dreams so, then he found that he had no words to describe his feeling so it turned to annoyance with Quirrel since if he had not messed around back at the house they could all have been off and doing this without her being involved, this still might turn into an adventure and he didn’t want Esme getting hurt or even involved adventures are not cute or heroic whatever she might think. They are quite unpleasant even when one is well equipped to deal with them and Nyadryn was certain Esme was not.  Siskin repeated the maneuver with his short sword and when it found no resistance a couple of inches further in than the dagger had gone he withdrew it revealing a very faint shaft of light. XXXX grinned and laughed as the tunnel to his gnomish night sight lit up beautifully. Sunlight however defuse was always better than torches or candle.  Right a the back Leon watched in horror as the idiot Halfling worked his sword to expand the hole, so much for the tunnel being sealed. He considered intervening but he was right at the back and diden’t think that he could barge his way past Nyadryn Esme and the gnome in time to stop him so he decided to wait and once he was sure where the tunnel opened out alert the guards at the south gate and get it properly guarded then blocked off after all he was known to the guards having worked with them though mostly on the east gate where the chances of getting some action with another goblin attack where greatest.  Sure enough Siskin opened up a big enough hole that he could pop his head out of and see that the Tunnel opened into a willow copse under the shade of a huge ash tree. Leon turned and strode off barely noticed by the others who where all too intent on what Siskin was doing. Soon the hole was big enough for a Gnome a Halfling or even a Goblin to climb through.  Nyadryn winced inwardly as Esme excitedly encouraged Siskin and XXXX to go through ad take a look what was on the outside. Not needing all that much encouragement if any both Siskin and then XXXX climbed through the hole that Siskin had made and found themselves in a small copse of pollarded willow trees at the corner of a field on the edge of the killing zone outside the new wall with in sight of the road leading from the south gate. Sheep where peacefully grazing in the next door field and it being spring several lambs where frolicking amongst them. At the back of the copse almost in the sparse hedge which surrounded it was a massive and ancient ash tree. Siskin considered climbing it for a better view, but reconsidered quickly as the lowest branch was several times his height above him. Turning round he noticed that XXXX was leaning on a willow idly watching the lamps at play. So Siskin suggested that given there was a shortage of meat in the town some one would almost certainly pay well for a sheep of a lamb and given what XXXX uncles business was it would be easy to find a market.

Whilst all this was happening Leon had left the house and made his way as fast as possible to the south gate. He needed to alert the guard there and to make sure that the tunnel was sealed and the town saved from the threat it posed of course it would do nom harm if he was the hero of the day either.

By this time Quirrel was well on his way back from his short interview with Bevan at the market office carrying a half full lantern had had filched form outside the front door on his way out.

Arriving at the south gate Leon shouted that he needed to see the sergeant urgently and after a short discussion him having been recognized because of his involvement with the patrols outside the east gate the sergeant was fetched. The sergeant was a middle aged man at arms called Dolmar and he soon saw the threat called up the dozen men waiting in the ready room and set off with them and Leon down the south road towards the large tree which Leon had pointed out to him. As they ran weapons where drawn and the two who had thought to bring crossbows fitted bolts onto them.

At around this time Quirrel arrived back at the house and finding it deserted and a quick glance into the clear revealing that there was no sign of his companions, Quirrel’s acquisitive nature took charge and he systematically when thought all the possessions of the people in the house and found a good score of trade coins, he considered doing the same to the bed piles in the cellar but his caution prompted him not to as it would not do if his companions realized he was a thief, if nothing else they might want a share. After this even Quirrel began to wonder what his companions might be up to so leaving a candle by the now open secret door and holding his now lit new lantern he proceeded down the passage with due caution because even if his colleagues had been down here that did not mean that there might not still be traps for the unwary. Some way down the passage the light form the lantern he noticed that there was a discontinuity in the pattern of the stout posts which made up the wall. He stopped and had a good look at this and was quickly convinced that this was another secret door so Quirrel left a candle on the floor opposite. That would need investigating but he was not about to do that on his own.

Mean while Leon the sergeant and the guard where rushing from the gate along the road towards the copse, pushing their way through the hedge where upon they discovered Siskin and XXXX, unconcernedly lounging about in the shade of the great ash tree. Dolmar the sergeant said that they where both under arrest and his men moved to take them into custody, as he said they had some explaining to do to the captain of the guard. For a moment things looked tense especially when the good sergeant realized there where still more of them down the hole in the tunnel however some calming words on Leon’s part and some quick thinking on Siskin’s prevented any arrest and instead the Sergeant was satisfied with setting up a guard post in the copse and blocking up the hole after shooing the two little folks back down it.

After that Leon took a walk back to the gate with the sergeant who was full of praise for his prompt actions and said he would put in a good word for him with the guard captain, they parted at the gate and Leon continued back to the house alone arriving not long before Quirrel did, indeed he might even have noticed him struggling down the road with the heavy lantern had Leon not been quite so self-absorbed about the prospect of his getting a commendation from the captain of the Counts guard, that was the sort of thing which could do a fellow in his line of work no end of good.

Back in the tunnel and not at all chastened by their lucky escape form arrest Siskin and XXXX Nyadryn, Esme discussed what to do next and whilst they where doing this Leon arrived striding down the tunnel counting paces still not sure quite how long it actually was. The discussion continued until Quirrel lugging the heavy lantern joined them and told them that he had found a secret door about half way back down the passage and suggesting that they should investigate that as a group. This they decided to do with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Moving back to where the candle still burned the company confronted the riddle of the door quickly finding that though it had no handle on this side it opened inwards on hidden hinges and like the other door was not locked or barred but merely stuck something quickly solved by Leon and Nyadryn  applying there shoulders to it. Egged on by Esme saying too loudly for stealth isn’t this exiting through the door the company found a large and very empty room dug deeper than the passage so the big people could actually stand the differing levels being joined by a well made stone ramp  of the sort they had found elsewhere in the tunnel. The door open the company descended the ramp and began to search the room beyond. As they entered it they became aware of two exits a door to the left sporting a heavy iron lock and solid hinges and a door directly ahead.

Briana finished her work at the poor house not so very far way and in the company of the gnome YYYY who was her house mate or rather cellar mate as there was such a dearth lodgings in the town that she a half elf of an ancient and noble Elven lineage more over was forced to doss down in a cellar of a hovel. However that was the way things where and where likely to stay until the locals got their act together and dealt with their goblin problem so that all the refuges could go home and rebuilt, all Briana could do was to keep up her studies as she had promised her uncle and try to find herself a better and more fitting job than helping out in the poor house part time. Actually strictly speaking she was not in the company of YYYY as thought they left the poor house at roughly the same time her longer stride quickly put distance between her and the little fellow.

YYYY was rather lost in his own thoughts and did little more than note he had left at the same time as the tall half elf.  His own thoughts centered on quite why the order of the unblinking eye had sent him hence. Especial when the orders aim where the reunification of Brandobia and the return of its culture to the one that had existed before the Kalamarians had come west and the long and bitter war with them and the subsequent civil war, when Brandobia had split and all of its Demihuman population been either driven into what is now Pel Brolenon or north into the nascent Cosdol. Most of the former has then had to flee again or had been enslaved when the Tyrant was released.  What could the order be interested in here in the wild if stable east lands of Cosdol. Granted the recent trouble with goblins was a possible reason but he was sure the order had not known of this when he was sent out form Crandolen. Indeed YYYY had himself  not known of it till he enquired after the reasons for the huge crowds in the market square on the day of his arrival which also happened to be the day of the Counts sons’ funeral.  

Arriving at the door Briana noticed the note pined to it started to read and then decided that it was not worth doing so after the first line or so and she could ignore it as would most of the others in the house who she was sure could not even read.  Opening the door she could see that the pile of bedding Dolm the out of work meat porter had  used had been disturbed so she hurried down through the strangely empty kitchen where was good wife Pelema? Briana instincts told her to suspect foul play here so she loosened her uncle’s good sword in its scabbard and decided that she was glad she had worn it and her armour to work on the grounds she was signed up to defend the town at need, so needed to have her arms to hand the same as any militia man. She opened the cellar door slowly so as not to alert any looters and with her hand on her sword hilt she descended the stairs. The cellar was seemingly empty however there was an open door she had never seen before just beside the mattress where she slept and it had been moved and some one had left a candle by it other than that the cellar seemed to be unusually dark, a quick glance down the stairs gave her answer as to why, the usually lit torch   at the bottom of the stairs had gone as had as far as she could telling the flickering light of one candle all of the others. Briana descended the stairs and moving over to her bed quickly checked the gear she had left there and found it all present and sighed with relief. Gathering her gear and quickly packing it Briana decided it would be safer with her as she investigated further.

YYYY arrived back at the house and found the door ajar and a quickly written note pined to it at eye level marked with the sigil of the market authority, hand drawn rather than applied with a stamp or a seal ring. He laughed he knew lodgings where scarce in the city but this was a bad joke even by gnomish standards or some sort of scam. His sharp nose noticed the lack of cooking smell as he entered and he wondered what had happened to Pelema as he had rather been looking forward to the stew she made the household made form the market cast offs her sons who where working a market porters bought back. It was he thought rather good all the more so given its unpromising ingredients and so much better than the food at the poor house and as free.

In the cellar Briana picked up the candle and sword now in hand moved along the passage in the circle of light of the candle ahead she could see the flickering flame of a second candle.

Moving on alert now the gnome pushed on into the house noting the disturbed  bedding in the hall the slightly open door on the bedroom the empty kitchen with its missing stew pot and table still marked with vegetable juices. Entering the cellar where he slept in the far corner he noticed it was dim even to his night vision as the customary torch at the bottom of the stair was gone.

In the large room, quickly identified by the debris as the ware house nothing of interest was found the opposite door was found to be latched but Esme easily opened it with the universal latch lifter she was carrying a quick look suggested that it was a second room perhaps smaller than the ware house but also empty no one noticed the tracks on the floor at this point being drawn to the north door with its curiosity attention drawing heavy iron lock. Every one had a good look at the door and Esme gestured sadly with the wooden lifter and said that’s beyond this she said. Quirrel thought about picking the lock but decided not to do that in front of people who did not really need to know he could. Then Nyadryn saved him from having to, by saying that he reckoned the wood round the lock was soft with age and damp and he could chop the lock out. He gestured to Esme who passed him the axe and he began to work on the wood around the lock with a practiced hand and soon the wood being as he had said old and soft began to give way.

In the tunnel Briana got close enough to the second candle that she could see a second open door in the circle of its illumination. She could also hear the faint sounds of a rhythmic chopping almost like a wood pecker or Good wife Pelema chopping vegetables.

Behind her YYYY had almost caught up with the tall half elf with his better night sight saw all this and more as he followed with trained stealth.

Nyadryn finished chopping the lock free and he and Leon barged the door open with their shoulders and the company swarmed on into the room which despite its lock seemed as empty as the rest.  Leon commented that this was obviously where they stored the good stuff putting the stress on the past tense. Siskin noticed the circle and the discarded items first and giving the circle seared into the packed earth floor a miss as there where even for a priest of RISK risks which first needed appreciating at least before one took them. The other items where however interesting and investigating them was a risk one could take without thought. They turned out to be a rather nice box satchel of size which would be perfect for a Halfling an equally fine leather scroll case some under clothing again for a Halfling and a book open and tossed aside. A glance at the last was enough to put it in the same category as the scorched circle.

The rest of the company took a look at the circle and made no more of it than Siskin had but continued to search the rest of the locked room finding little but the decayed detritus of a long abandoned store room. Quirrel looked at the clothing and found it to be of rather fine quality and marked with an unfamiliar rune inside the hem, whilst Esme who now had something of a fixation with secret doors given that they had found two already checked all the walls here for more a task in which she was joined by XXXX whilst the fighters Leon and Nyadryn stood guard Siskin took the opportunity to have a better look at the satchel and by so doing found a slit in the soft leather inner lining which contained a large coin or medallion, silver he guessed and a much folded piece of fine velum. Looking at which Siskin noticed it was covered on side with a dense block of writing in an unfamiliar script like the one he had noticed in the book he had taken for a spell book and left alone.

Outside in the first room Briana approached the open, no broken down door to the north and stepped on a piece of rubbish on the floor which cracked like a broken twig. Behind her YYYY slid into the shadows her candle made against the walls. Inside the previously locked store the two warriors who where closes to the door heard and went from at ease on guard to on alert. Sensing the tension and not much liking it Quirrel backed off.  Siskin calmly slipped the medallion in his coin purse and the scroll case unopened into his knapsack where it barely fitted.  

Briana cursed at the sound she had made but never the less pressed on and stepped through the door into the north room. YYYY moved to cover her without acknowledging it after all they at least knew each other and who knew the motives of any they might meet down here? Indeed his training had taught him to be wary in such situations.

With every one in the same room and with weapons drawn there was something of a confrontation, who the hell are you both Briana and Nyadryn said at the same time and XXXX and Esme turned to look abandoning their search. Who are you Brianne, Leon and Nyadryn said almost simultaneously as they faced each other weapons ready but not yet prepared to strike. Esme and XXXX circled to the left and right whilst Siskin mentally tossed a coin in his head to decide what to do. It looked like it was going to get ugly.

However no one seemed to want to initiate any violent action, and after a few seconds both sides decided to answer the others questions, Briana announcing that she lived and the gnome YYYY lived in the house and Leon replying that he and his companions where working for the Market authority and so the moment for violence receded and Quirrel was persuaded to show his warrant and both of the two newcomers nodded that they understood.

The matter resolved and cursory introductions exchanged the tension relaxed Nyadryn gestured at the scorched circle on the floor figuring that as the last half elf he had met had had some knowledge of magic, despite being a surly and charmless git other wise this one might. “What do you make of that” he said gesturing to the scorched circle with his foot. Briana approached the circle with care noting the scorching and the fine runes around the edge that had not been noticed up to now. She knelt down candle in hand to get a better look and quickly realized that it was not an actual magic circle that she was looking at but the shadow of one which had been and which in its passing had seared its image into the packed earth of the floor. She could make little of it save that it was powerful certainly and probably no longer a threat. Briana stood up brushing the slight soil marks from the knee cops of her armour.  What did you make of it Leon asked, Briana she gave him a withering look in return adding that she had no idea except whatever it was, was she believed a trace left by very powerful arcane magic, and though she did not say this aloud that the little wispy sigils or runes curving around the outside of the circle made her flesh creep.

Getting the idea Quirrel passed her the book, and every one except Siskin who was now getting a bit bored, looked on with interest.  Siskin amused himself as the new half elf examined the book by trying to smudge the marks of the circle with the toe of his boot, not very successfully as they had been very deeply seared into the floor.

Briana looked the book and could see it was stoutly made and reinforced with strips of thick leather studded with bronze, it looked for all the world like a small spall book, thought she could not read it as it was written in a queer looking script she had never seen before and possibly in a cipher spell books often where. What was odd was that it had been tossed aside by a spell caster as new spells even weak ones are almost always of interest to an arcane caster. She slipped the spell book into her knapsack this would benefit form a closer look and perhaps some magic to translate it, she mused on this for a moment as she did not have the spell and wondered if the “magic shop” near the north gate  could find her one and if she could afford it if it could.

Siskin got bored with his failure to scrub out the markings on the floor with his foot and wandered off to find amusement some where else. He was not quite as fascinated by watching a half elf who they where not so very long ago long the point of fighting, page through a book he was not sure she could even read. He might be a Priest of RISK and understand the nature of chance but some times people and especially cousin Quirrel seemed random even beyond his advanced understanding.  Picking up a lit torch Siskin wandered out of the formerly locked room into the first store room and thence into the further store room which they had not checked.

On better examination the room was revealed to be as empty as they had suspected on first glance, but the floor was Siskin noted an elaborate tracery of tracks. Of what animal he was not sure and whatever it was it had long gone, exploring further Siskin noticed that some of the detritus had seemingly been gnawed by something quite big and there some odd lumps here and their on the floor, idly Siskin kicked one and a fetid stench rose to meet his nose. He sneezed violently and backed out of the room realizing he had just kicked a half dry pile of droppings from whatever the creature was. Backing into the first store room he was just in time to see the rest of the company coming out of the formally locked room intent on pressing on apparently. Siskin mentioned something about tracks in the other room. However no one seemed to notice as Leon and Nyadryn followed closely by Esme pushed the door to the second room open, most of the company had passed into the seemingly empty room before Esme saw a pair of beady eyes in the dark at the back of the room.

Ooh monsters said Esme and readied her borrowed axe and the huge rat lifted its head and sniffed the air, before catching sight of every one.

Still needs pictures & rid of the last XXXX & YYYY  and adding to the Story so far page but its done