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July 17 - Tamara came to town today, looking as though butter wouldn't
melt in her mouth. Decimus was down at the library trading spells with
other young mages, as is his habit these days. She says she's very sorry
and if anyone from her old life approaches her she'll tell Uncle or me
immediately and she understands about not leaving the villa without one of
the confidential staff - the bodyguards Uncle hired are all very well for
the rest of us, but Tamara needs a keeper - and we shall see. She and
Decimus ostentatiously didn't talk during dinner and I'm afraid I talked
too much to make up for it. On the whole it went better than anyone would
have expected.
July 19 - I was thrown into a tizzy yesterday morning when an invitation
arrived from the Bishop for the same afternoon. Of course I had nothing
whatever to wear, but Greta and Tamara rallied round and we managed to put
together something presentable. It was not a social summons. People -
mostly indigents - have been disappearing from town for several weeks, and
on the night of the 17th, a priestess vanished out of her own room in her
own temple. Sister Giulia, who conducts the school into which I have
entered Gaius, went to bed at her normal hour and had not been seen since.
Uncle must have been bragging, because the Bishop wanted me (by which he
meant us) to investigate. Naturally I assured him I would do all I could.
Tamara and I went to investigate Giulia's rooms while Robyn and Decimus
hunted up Gaius. There was no question of Guilia having left voluntarily.
Her holy symbol was missing, but all of her clothing was still there. The
priest who lives at the other end of the building had heard nothing in the
night. It was good that Tamara was back, because I apparently can't find
a clue if it bites me on the nose. First she found marks on the door,
showing that someone had used a device to unbar it from the outside - I
barely saw them even after she pointed them out - and then, in the filthy
alley out back, a piece of wood with blood and hair on it, and the missing
holy symbol. They apparently had wrenched it off of her when they
realized she was wearing it, not wanting her to cast any spells.
We rendezvoused with Decimus and Robyn, who had not had a very profitable
conversation with Gaius, but thought it might be worthwhile to set a trap
for our kidnapers by using him and his friends to spread the rumor that
the priest had seen Guilia's abductors. I agreed that this was a sensible
course of action, and left them to do it while I took the holy symbol and
hair to the temple and asked to use their scrying device. All I could
learn was that Giulia and a man, both naked, were chained in a dark, damp
place, possibly a cave or a mine. The limestone caves near the seawall
seemed the best choice, but there are so many of them, that rushing off to
search them took second place to lying in wait for the kidnapers at the
temple. The priest was upset to be told the role we had cast him in, but
I sent him off to Uncle's house and gave instructions that he should be
royally looked after.
I had assumed I would be taking the priest's place in the bed, as the post
of danger - after all, it was my responsibility, and in any case Primus is
more use in a fight than I am - but the priest told us he was a notable
snorer, and there was no denying, when we demonstrated our abilities in
this regard, that Alfredus performed this function much better than I.
Robyn perched on a beam in the ceiling, Tamara hid in the wardrobe,
Decimus and I waited on either side of the door, and Primus tarried in the
alley. When Primus informed us that five men had come to the door, Decimus
and I turned ourselves invisible, he loaning me a potion for the purpose.
This must have been the same group of abductors, for they showed no
hesitation, but came straight to the priest's room. We waited until they
hoisted their saps, at which point spells and physical attacks exploded in
all directions, and we subdued them without any difficulty. While Tamara,
Alfredus, and I bound our captives, Decimus instructed Primus to distract
the guard they had left at the door, and he and Robyn went out to collect
him.
When they returned with the guard in the sack they had intended for the
priest, he dropped to the floor in a horribly loose way, but he still had
a pulse when I checked it. Seeing that a certain amount of doubt might
have a salutary effect on our prisoners, I merely remarked that I wished
they would be more careful, and then asked who wanted to come with me and
answer questions. Getting no volunteers, I selected the most
frightened-looking of them and had Alfredus carry him down the hall for
me. I made a Zone of Truth in the chapel, and the prisoner was
wonderfully cooperative. He identified his employer as a Leaguer named
Zaphar who was kidnaping people and shipping them to some unknown location
to perform "foul rites." They have been taking people who would be
unnoticed, but priests were to be preferred from this point, because they
provide more power in the rite. Payment for this appalling service -
treachery, blasphemy, abduction, and conspiracy to murder - was a mere
gold piece a day! Apparently his conscience was waking up, however,
because he gave Alfredus directions and corrected the resulting map for
us.
I don't know yet what the others got up to in the bedroom, but I must have
left them alone too long and let them get bored, because the prisoners had
soiled themselves with terror. Under the circumstances I was more
concerned about the long-term psychological effects on the others of
continually getting away with such behavior than with the actual comfort
of the prisoners, so I deferred investigation, told Decimus to clean them
up (prestidigitation is a marvelous spell, and I wish Orus had seen fit to
grant me the power to do it), and explained that our prisoners were
expected back in an hour. Taking their cleaned garments and padding them
out so as to disguise our shapes, we left them to contemplate their sins,
reported to a patrol of vigiles where they could be found and why, and
proceeded to the docks. We found the boat where the cooperative sinner
had led us to expect, but our poor rowing skills attracted the attention
of a squad of dock guards. Alfredus and Tamara persuaded them that we
were a group of inexperienced and inebriated sailors attempting to smuggle
girls onto our ship. They left us to it.
The cave mouth was actually in the sea wall, directly below the picket
line, and therefore out of their direct line of sight. We found the cave
mouth without difficulty, and Decimus altered his fact to resemble the
leader of the thugs and said that he had something to report to Japhar.
Thanks to darkness and their expectations, we were allowed to pass without
close scrutiny. Following the admirably accurate map, we located Guilia
and her fellow prisoner, struck their shackles under pretense of shackling
the supposed priest, and told them to be ready to run. We then proceeded
to Japhar's office.
This was located behind a large and terrible statue which I recognized as
being related to the "foul rites" mentioned. I can't call the name to
mind, but this was not even a false god, but a demonic entity which even
the heathens in the League would regard as beyond the pale. The door was
not obvious, but knowing there had to be one I detected for secret
entrances, and we found it without calling undue attention to ourselves by
hesitation. Decimus knocked and was told to come in. Fortunately, Robyn
spotted the opening mechanism. As soon as the door opened and I saw that
Japhar was alone, I cast "hold person" on him, and by the grace of Orus it
succeeded.
Closing the door behind us, we bound him and searched the office, taking
all of his papers, an extraordinarily tiny chest, some potion bottles, and
all of his clothing and gear, some of which was enchanted. Orus was with
us, for although there were supposed to be 20 guards, or rather hired
thugs, in the place, they appear to have all been in bed and never stirred
when Tamara and Alfredus waylaid, bound , and stripped the pair at the
entrance. We escorted the freed prisoners to the boat, dressed in some of
the clothing we had used as padding. Alfredus and Robyn volunteered to
stay behind and ensure that the sleeping thugs did not escape, and since
the boat would have been seriously crowded I consented.
I was very anxious to find out where the kidnaped were being sent, for it
might still be possible to save some of them; but I should have contained
myself. When we ungagged Japhar in the boat, he not only found the
strength to resist my question, he managed to cast "teleport" on himself,
even though Decimus was holding a dagger on him and, realizing he was
about to cast something, stabbed him. This happened in full view of the
guards on the wall, who reacted, so we hailed them and had a full coterie
to welcome us when we docked. Sending them to assist Alfredus and Robyn,
we reported directly to the Bishop, it being now about the sixth hour of
the morning and not impossibly early to disturb him. He rose from bed
immediately, and when he heard what we and Giulia could tell him, he at
once prepared to go rid the place of any demonic influences. I have made
us available, subject to Uncle's approval, to perform any tasks he thinks
us suited to do in stopping the "foul rites;" and then we went home. I
have slept almost the entire day away and not been out of my room yet.
Things to do:
Report to Uncle
Reimburse Decimus the money he spent paying Gaius's rumor-spreading crew.
This was church business and he shouldn't bear the cost. Ask Tamara, in
Zone of Truth, what happened while we were gone, and then think of some
way to discuss it with them all that won't make things worse.
I shouldn't have to use a spell to find out, drat it! Tamara lies to
everyone and I'm the one they don't trust. Don't they realize that if you
want to hide what you do from your employer's niece, the odds are good you
shouldn't do it? What am I doing wrong?
Ask Calid what he knows about League demon worship
Casually compare Tamara's situation to Greta's in her presence, make sure
she knows exactly who does and doesn't know her secret. I think Alfredus
likes her. Certainly he's paying considerable attention to her son. He's
the only one of us who doesn't know her secret, and if the relationship
progresses very far without her telling him, it could put a strain even on
his good nature
Examine loose ends and devise pro-active strategies for dealing with them
List of loose ends -
Greta - not much we can do but protect her
Tamara's family -? Discuss with Uncle
Senator V. - Any way to keep tabs on him? Is it too dangerous for one of
us to strike up an acquaintance with one of his confidential staff? We've
seen two of them - the green-eyed half-elf and the respectable gentleman
at the library. How much do they know about us? Consult Gaius, cultivate
ladies who are received at his house
Foreigners who broke into villa - library research looking for anything
resembling what we saw
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