SPQT -- Crestquest: Invitation to a Burglary

June 21-22 - (2pp of party details snipped)
Robyn had an amicable conversation with Caecilius, who denies authorizing anyone to commit murder. They have a business meeting tomorrow - or today, now, actually. I really can't like the man, the gossip indicating that he's primarily interested in bypassing normal career channels, which doesn't seem fair to everyone else; but no one even whispers that he's doing anything actually illegal. He likes to think of himself as a "man who can get things done."

With the party well underway, Gaius came to me asking if there was supposed to be a wall across the hall leading to Uncle's study. Since there assuredly was not, I immediately went and, detecting evil beyond it, summoned the rest of the confidential staff. Robyn, Gaius, and Alfredus bypassed it using the halls when Decimus and I failed to dispel it. I used Clairvoyance to see that a man armed with a crossbow, dagger, and staff was in the process of attempting to open the vault with acid! I sent Tamara back to keep an eye on the party while Decimus and I analyzed the spell used to create the wall. It turned out to be illusory, so we went through, and arrived at the study in time to hear the burglar, held by Alfredus, accuse Robyn of stealing his dagger. He could not, however, give an account of the theft or any details of previous ownership, not that we expected him to. We took him down to one of the lower rooms, where untoward sounds would not disturb the party, and with the usual spells in place I asked if he was responsible for the Dominate spell used against me some nights ago. He refused to answer, which he scarcely would have done had he been an innocent man, so I reminded Robyn and Alfredus that we would need to turn him over to one of our guests in law enforcement at the end of the evening, and took Decimus and Gaius back to the party with me.

He turned out to be more close-mouthed than our usual interrogatee, and when I returned I had to heal a dagger wound in his leg that hadn't been there when I left. (NB: Pray for Orus to soften my heart and allow me to regret that.) His name is Gnaeus Bilbius and he used to be apprenticed to Moriartus, a moderately powerful Annalubian mage against whom no one has ever proven anything in a Tarantian court. He must be powerfully unpleasant to live with, for Bilbius was still afraid of him. Moriartus is collecting the daggers and brooches - the rings appear to be incidental - but Bilbius was working independently, based on information he had from the term of his employment. Since this employment was some years ago, the project is an old one for Moriartus. The brooches are the keys, and the daggers point the way. I healed his leg, though my heart wasn't in it, and he is currently in the city lock-up, charged with breaking and entering, destruction of property, and enchanting me for felonious purposes.

Later June 22 - It seems Caecilius also suffered a break-in while at my party, and his premises searched, but nothing taken. Robyn has not admitted to him that he has any such items, only similar ones that attract murderers, and learned that only four of the brooches exist, but the daggers may be identified by unwrapping the handle and finding an inscription and some arcs. Robyn's dagger does indeed have such inscriptions. The arcs aren't obviously meaningful, though they may be in combination with the other daggers. The inscription says, in Achaean script but Gaelish language: "The Chalice points the way."

I have sent off my report of these events to Uncle and arranged to visit Otho on Robyn's behalf tomorrow.

June 23 - Otho thinks he knows where the Chalice is. I have arranged for Robyn to meet him tomorrow, and advised that he lay all his cards on the table.

June 24 - A semi-formal partnership is arranged, with equal shares to principals and all legal measures taken to outmaneuver Moriartus. I will not be going, since it is clearly my duty to remain here, but I have written to Uncle advising that he give Robyn leave to pursue the matter and asking if he wishes to withhold leave from any of the others. Decimus is eager to go, but I hate to let him go haring off when Uncle may need him. Alfredus can't make up his mind. Greta had been looking forward to removing to the country, but I don't think she's wild about another spate of traveling, and a 1,000-mile trek to Annalubia on the heels of our recent sojourn seems a bit much, especially with the children.

Decimus is comparing spells with Otho's halfling friend Samuel. Otho says that one of the lietenants entrusted with the daggers etc. was named Liam, and Robyn's father was named Liam, which seems to relieve him of some anxiety; but who can tell with Robyn? Robyn and Otho are arranging transport.

June 28 - Uncle's here! He's soaking up sunlight in the courtyard, it being storm season in Tarantium. How well I remember that smell of mildew and dead fish in the air! (Family gossip snipped.) Uncle takes this treasure hunt very seriously, since he says the lost treasure contains certain items which must not fall into "the wrong hands" - and Moriartus, who he knew in his days as proconsul to Annalubia, has hands that are very wrong indeed. Therefore we are all released for the pursuit, and Otho and Samuel are coming to dinner for some serious conversation. Although circumspection is always best, Uncle says we will be acting more or less as government agents in this. Tamara asked if we would have something she called "license to kill." I proposed something more moderate, along the lines of "The bearer is subject only to the judgement of the emperor." Something along those lines is being arranged. Uncle can even give us a starting point other than Moriartus himself, since presumably the information concerning the treasure came to Annalubia with the refugees he settled in the depopulated mountains 30 years ago. The time frame is exactly right.

June 30 - Is there a sign on our back wall that says: Come Rob Us? While Alfredus and Greta were out at a farewell entertainment and we were all making our way up to bed, I overheard two servants arguing about whether one of them was hallucinating or not. After requesting that they argue more quietly, I detected evil in the direction of his suspicions, and, getting a positive result, cried: "Evil on the roof!"

I proceeded to the ladder. Robyn, having chosen a room with direct roof access (and I've never asked why he wanted it; an elf thing, I suppose - Gaius likes roofs, too) - arrived first, in his nightshirt and carrying a bow. Decimus flew up, and Tamara grabbed her repeating crossbow and climbed the wall, so by the time I arrived affairs were already far progressed. It appears that on gaining the roof, Robyn saw 9 humans and an ogre and proceeded to do execution with his bow. Eight of the (Leaguer) humans were armed only with scimitars, but one was a wizard, and the ogre was - well, he was an ogre, and when he closed with Robyn he did a truly terrifying amount of damage in a short time. Fortunately Decimus turned him into a jellyfish [...at which point a terrible pun was made about "ogre jelly" -- Damon], but the wizard then knocked Decimus unconscious with a cone of cold, shot a fireball at Tamara (which she dodged), and disappeared. We believe Tamara, shooting where he had been, hurt him nonetheless. I arrived in time to rescue Decimus, and as soon as I had him healed and we realized that we had an invisible wizard on our hands he cast "see invisible" and instructed me where to cast my command spell. It failed, alas, but Decimus's magic missiles did not, and Robyn, shooting at the place where the missiles stopped, also appears to have hurt the villain, whereupon he seemed to Decimus first to fall unconscious, and then to teleport away.

This is most disturbing, for a wizard of that power-level to do his own burgling must either be highly motivated, or working for someone even more powerful.

No one recognized the wizard. It's possible that if we'd had some of Robyn's street urchins who witnessed the break-in at Caecilius's last week, they might have. The ogre was a lost cause, and those Tamara and Robyn hit, died; however, the Sunshine Boys caught some as they tried to escape.

** This is where we stopped. I don't know how many thugs we captured and we haven't played out the interrogations. Since Uncle is in the house, we may not even take part in the interrogations. Al missed an ogre, serves him right for not checking his e-mail. The ogre jellyfish joke is a good one, but the thing had a +15 Fort save and we could easily have regretted not having our barbarian around to deal with it.

Decimus is 8th level. Robyn and Sofia are both 9th level. Sofia has taken the Craft Rod feat, and has some ideas for useful rods; however, the guidelines for making them are disappointingly vague. If you don't make one of the standard rods, there's no obvious way to figure base price. I will need input from game mechanics and the DM on this point. It's not an urgent matter, since I'll need a few more XPs before I can afford to start spending them on item creation. Decimus is exactly at level and cannot make any more potions between now and next adventure.

Robyn gets to pick up two new feats at 9th level, and Damon is agonizing over what they should be; one pretty much needs to be Endurance, but the other is being selected from one of 19 other choices.