Idolators Under Inzet - Episode Two

== Synopsis: ==
Inzet, the capital city of Mowen's Borderlands province. The city had welcomed labor and entrepreneurship from all walks of life, and as with any large undertaking, unfavorable individuals came to cause trouble. Local authorities believed a cult of idolators of Veyis, the first Lich, had set up in the sewers, with a horde of undead reportedly gathering in the undercity.
Dushah Uloreen's attention was ever-focused towards keeping external threats at bay, such as the Dread Hounds from the east. With no help from him available, officials sought a small band of mercenaries to discreetly assess and handle the situation. The Whispering Cutlass answered this call.
This is the second adventure in the Idolators Under Inzet Arc.
In this adventure, the party split up, reconnected with old friends, and sold a body.
== Client: ==
Inzet
== Mercenaries: ==
* Bandin Volward Deepburrow - Deep Gnome Rogue / Wizard (Sponsor: House Stars)
* Elric Dawnflame - Kalashtar Bloodhunter
* Kiwarden - Firbolg Paladin
* Nwalmë Shadhavar - Shadar-kai Rogue (Sponsor: House Shadhavar)
* Ro'Keer - Tabaxi Ranger
* Tar'ren r'Eehp r'Eehp - Frogfolk Warlock
* Xeithne Aladur - Bugbear Monk (Sponsor: House Stefarni)
== Adventure Summary: ==
=== Crash Cart ===
After arriving in Inzet and settling themselves at the local Riot House, the party split up to learn what they could about the city.
Kiwarden—a paladin who originally wanted to be a druid because of druids in his family history, but opted for the holy order because he felt it better utilized his natural strengths—declared his desire to look for some good whittling wood. As a lover of wood, Xeithne was eager to accompany him. It would be an excellent way to get a lay of the land in the rural western farms.
Beyond the city walls, the two found a fallen ash tree that could serve their purposes. As they set to harvesting it, however, Kiwarden saw mysterious people lugging a cart full of corpses towards the town, an unexpected sight. He alerted Xeithne, and the two attempted to tail the cart. Unfortunately, Kiwarden was not known for stealth, and his presence quickly became obvious. Those diving the cart broke into a sprint, weaving through the outer buildings to lose their tail. Kiwarden tried to follow on the ground while Xeithne attempted to run along the rooftops. But Kiwarden tripped, and the ramshackle building broke apart under Xeithne's weight, sending her crashing into a cabbage cart.
It was a bad fall, but Xeithne wasn't worried. She had broken a ton of bones over the course of her life, including fracturing her clavicle thirteen times. Her body was all but bone plating by then—what was one more break? When she stood and checked herself for damage, however, she was surprised and pleased to find herself without injury.
The cabbage merchant was distraught at the destruction of his livelihood, but Xeithne scoffed and said she did him a favor since the cabbages were too overripe to sell. Kiwarden ran to Xeithne's side and brushed off the excess leaves from her person. Both apologized for failing in pursuit. Kiwarden felt bad about the whole thing, though Xeithne said that she was pleased for the chance to bond. Plus, a cart full of dead bodies wasn't even on the agenda, it was the undead they were worried about.
Kiwarden chuckled at the attempted humor, but stated that they'd definitely need to keep an eye out for suspicious carts in the future. Xeithne agreed.
=== A Barrel of Thieves' Cant ===
Meanwhile, Bandin had spent his time compiling scouting data from Nwalmë, Ro'Keer, and his coachman. He used this information to construct a significantly detailed map of the northeastern buildings and shops, including the locations of many of their local contacts.
Deciding to take a break, the Gnome stepped out for some fresh air and to stretch his back. He watched the carts and wagons on the street, his mind wandering to childhood. He had tried to hide from parents in a wagon, but fell asleep and woke up in the next town over. That escapade got him in a lot of trouble; his parents had to pay for a trip to get there, retrieved him, and then paid to get back home.
While Bandin chuckled to himself over the past, he caught sight of a funerary procession maneuvering its way out of town. Guests spoke in low whispers, mentioning a roofing accident, such a tragic death for a young person who left behind a widow.
To Bandin's surprise, the procession was guarded. Different from an escort of guards to help clear the road, more like those hired to guard treasure.
Bandin watched the procession wend its way into the distance, but didn't pursue it. As he was turning to re-enter the Riot House, he saw in his peripheral vision a barrel that seemed out of place. He tipped it over and discovered a series of symbols carved into the bottom of the barrel, a Thieves' Cant.
At that moment, Kiwarden and Xeithne returned from their misadventure. Seeing the comical sight of the Gnome peeking under a barrel, Xeithne laughed and asked what he was doing.
Bandin smiled. "This barrel has a story to tell." He went on to relay the Thieves' Cant: A local gang had been having missions fail far too often to be a coincidence. They were thinking that a spirit might be at fault, the town might be haunted. Or, someone was really good at pretending.
Bandin said it could be fun to find out the root cause, not that he planned to help the gang. To be honest, he wanted to accept all the myriad jobs on the Riot House bounty board, but he knew they should probably get their actual job done. Xeithne agreed that solving a mystery would make for a good time, but both she and Kiwarden agreed that they ought to check in with the constable sooner rather than later.
But the mention of a haunting caught in Kiwarden's mind. He told Bandin about the corpse-cart being lugged into town and how it might have had something to do with everything going on.
"Wait, they're bringing the dead in?" Bandin asked. "That could be bad, considering we have to deal with undead."
Kiwarden said it could be fine, it could just be that the bodies needed to be embalmed at a temple. But the corpses were so dirty, they may have been freshly dug-up.
Xeithne choked a bit and said that was all highly unsanitary.
In any case, Kiwarden wouldn't dismiss it as coincidence.
Suddenly, Elric arrived from a failed shopping trip, refusing to sell his Smelling Salts of Detect Magic due to an exorbitant tax he thought was made up. He walked up to the group just in time to hear Kiwarden say, "We should definitely pay more attention to our corpses."
"What the heck does that mean?" he asked.
The group explained the corpse cart. Elric knew that black onyx was a reagent often used in reanimation, so he asked if there had been any of those stones on the corpses. Neither Xeithne nor Kiwarden saw any. Elric told them to keep an eye out for gem importers as well.
Bandin remembered the funeral procession and brought it up to the others. Elric said he wasn't versed in funeral rites; his order was more focused on keeping the undead dead. Neither Xeithne nor Kiwarden had seen the procession.
"Anyway," Elric said, "I've a contact who may know more about this undead situation. Anyone want to visit him with me?"
Kiwarden immediately agreed. Xeithne and Bandin decided to remain at the Riot House for the moment just in case others arrived and needed a buddy like Elric did.
=== Ambushers ===
Tar'ren had gone off alone for some shopping, a veiled plainclothes scouting trip. Around sunset, he came across a small child named Leena at the edge of a market, crying. While he tried to comfort her, she told him that bigger children had stolen her doll. He followed her down an alley, though he soon discovered an ambush, three thugs moving towards him in the dark. The girl, a lure, ran away and left him to his fate.
Tar'ren, however, was no stranger to such street games. He had lived in Ivaio once and almost got arrested for fishing off of a roof into the market to get food. The guards had almost arrested him, but he had disappeared into his water vessel, confounding them.
As such, though he trusted Leena, he had kept his eyes open and saw the thugs before they saw him. He raised his hands, casting Spider Climb on himself, and said, "Friends of Leena, how is your day?"
Seeing the small Frogfolk, one of the thugs scoffed. "Body won't fetch as much, but better than nothing." They approached with clubs drawn.
Tar'ren smiled. "You'd be surprised what a little body can do." With that, he hopped onto the side of a building, stuck to it, and scaled it to the roof.
As the thugs gaped at him, Tar'ren added that he felt bad about leaving them without their fun, so he was willing to make a deal—If they told him whose turf they were working, he would stay out of their way in the future.
He flung a silver piece at them, hoping it would act as a bribe. However, the ruffians nearly laughed. "That all you got? Your body's worth at least two gold—"
The second thug, a Silver Dragonborn, slammed his elbow into the first man's gut. "That's a body getting away, you want the guards to know what we're up to?"
The first thug's face flushed, he stammered out of his words, instead telling Tar'ren to stay out of their territory. But it was far too late; Tar'ren could tell they were selling corpses. Keen on the lead, the Frogfolk man drew his bubble wand and shot an Eldritch Blast at the first thug.
On the outskirts of the market, Nwalmë's ears perked at the sound of the blast, like crashing waves and popping bubbles. He turned to Ro'Keer, who had a pleasant smile as he tossed and caught two gold pieces, the spoils of his venture selling a pelt and antlers.
"You hear that?" Nwalmë asked.
Ro'Keer shrugged, but Nwalmë tapped him and climbed to a roof, running in Tar'ren's direction. Ro'Keer followed a moment later.
Tar'ren's Eldritch Blast hit its mark, searing the thug's shoulder and making him scream. The other two were wary to mess up a nice body, but both pursued the Frogfolk. One brigand climbed up a hastily constructed fire escape, but it popped out and sent him back to the ground.
Tar'ren blew a raspberry at him, then sent an Eldritch Blast ripping into his face. The massive force ripped the thug's head off, leaving his body sprawled on the ground.
The other two thugs stared at the corpse for a second, but didn't flinch. If anything, they were miffed that the body wasn't fully intact.
The Dragonborn effortlessly pulled himself to the rooftop and swung his huge club at Tar'ren. The Frogfolk nimbly ducked under.
The man with the seared shoulder gritted his teeth as he climbed, but he made it without issue. He tried to cleave into Tar'ren with a mattock and gashed his shoulder.
Suddenly, an arrow plunged into the Dragonborn's forehead.
Surprised, Tar'ren and the other thug stared at him as his eyes lost focus and he flopped forward, dead. When Tar'ren looked back to the other thug, he saw that a ghostly Half-Elf had risen behind him and hit him over the head, a lethal blow. Before the man fell to the street below, however, Tar'ren caught him by his shirt collar and cast Spare the Dying. As the man stabilized, Tar'ren lugged him onto the roof and looked towards where the arrow had come. There was Nwalmë, bow in hand, with Ro'Keer standing behind him looking impressed.
Tar'ren waved them over. Both crossed to Tar'ren's roof. Nwalmë saw the dead Dragonborn and thought to himself how great a shot that was, then looked down to see the headless brigand and checked himself. Tar'ren asked Ro'Keer to hop down and check the bandit below for anything interesting.
Ro'Keer agreed and landed on his feet, no issue. He ignored the blood and felt through the pockets, finding a coin purse with twenty-five gold pieces. He pocketed it for the moment and continued his search, finding a nondescript calling card, nothing he recognized, but it had various symbols on it implying that someone at the docks was buying corpses. However, Ro'Keer couldn't read the symbols. He pocketed the card as well, yelling to Nwalmë and Tar'ren that he found money and the weird card.
Nwalmë and Tar'ren discussed how they would go about interrogating the living thug and if they wanted him to try to run away. After deciding that they would do things quickly and simply at first, Nwalmë backed off and patted down the other corpse while Tar'ren checked the spared thug.
Both found similar calling cards, though Nwalmë was the only one who could translate them. "If I were a betting man," he said, "I'd say they're having a meeting at the city docks."
Tar'ren also found empty syringes with an unusual residue, which he would investigate later. After that, he sat on the thug's chest and pinched the thug's nose to wake awaken him.
The brigand bolted awake, but didn't try to escape. He watched as Tar'ren let eldritch energy build up in his eyes.
"Friend of Leena," Tar'ren said, "who is it that wants to buy bodies?"
The thug was fully cowed. He said that he only knew to take corpses to a crypt at the docks. A Gnome guy put the bodies in a bag, gave them coin, and they would part, no questions asked.
"I believe you." Tar'ren tapped his bubble wand to his chin. "And if I decide to let you go, you never saw me, correct?"
"I'll even swear off corpse selling," the thug said. "Don't want any trouble with the guilds."
"And you won't bother Leena?"
"Leena?" The thug laughed. "She works for us."
Tar'ren pouted. "Good to know." He got up and gestured for the man to flee. The thug didn't hesitate, stumbling off the roof and limping off, calling for Leena.
Nwalmë looked between the Dragonborn corpse and the fleeing thug. He moved to the ledge and said just loud enough for Ro'Keer to hear, "This is the worst idea ever, but … what if we were body sellers?"
Tar'ren scoffed, then smiled. "I think that's why I took on three people by myself." 
"That's not a bad idea," Ro'Keer said, "that's a great idea!"
All laughed.
=== Contacting the Order ===
Meanwhile, Elric led Kiwarden to the home of Lucian Stalkman, his mentor. While Kiwarden looked down the street to make sure no one had tailed them, Elric approached the door and knocked. The clumping of feet was followed by an elder bloodhunter with a cane sword and a fancy hat, a scar and an eyepatch.
Face stern, he looked the two up and down. Then he grinned. "Good to see you, boy."
Elric hugged his friend and introduced Kiwarden, saying that they needed to talk spirits. Lucian invited them in for a cup of tea. Kiwarden accepted some herbal while Elric abstained. Lucian poured Kiwarden's small herbal and a much bigger black for himself.
Lucian reported that the undead had been roaming the sewers, and there were some nasty ones down there. Still mindless, but with unusual properties. He'd almost gotten killed by one that filled his lungs with ethereal water. He had a theory that the specific way the corpse had died was being channeled into the resurrection spell.
"Maybe a drowning victim, then?" Elric asked, referencing the ethereal water.
"Could be." Lucian shrugged. He'd also seen one self-immolate, another with scars around its throat that seemed to control the air.
Elric asked if Lucian had seen any onyx being brought in, but Lucian couldn't keep track of so many jewelers popping up in the busy city.
"In any case," Lucian said, "if cultists of Veyis are involved, it can't be good."
"That's why we're here," Elric said. He explained the contract and asked if Lucian had a lay of the land. Lucian had been in the sewers enough to have a few notes, which he wrote down for the party.
Kiwarden mentioned the corpse cart and asked if Lucian had seen anything similar. Lucian said they were corpse smugglers, of course. He'd been wondering where they were getting the bodies from. There'd been a few odd accidents around town, but nothing that could account for what he had seen.
Elric wondered if the cultists were hiring bandits to bring in fresh bodies. He showed off the ritual dagger he had looted on the road to Inzet, but Lucian didn't think it was related to Veyis.
Lucian said that though he was old, he still could help if they needed another hand. Elric said that it was a wonder such a magical city couldn't handle it without any of them.
"That's the thing about large cities," Lucian said. "A lot to organize. Problems can get ignored or outsourced."
"That's where we come in," Kiwarden said.
"Still," Elric said, "the Dushah's a big shot; why not fix it himself?"
"Uloreen is focused on the Dread Hounds," Lucian said. "He's still just one man."
"Anything else?" Kiwarden asked.
Lucian shared rumors. Uloreen was once in the Vanguard, but had been asked to leave. He was known for a violent temper and powerful magic. The Twin Emperors of Mowen once called him to completely destroy the Trinity Lakes Region during its rebellion, and he probably gained his promotion to Dushah from it.
"Anyway," Lucian said, "Dread Hounds haven't come into town recently, so that's good. Mostly Uloreen and his magic handling that. The guards are a skeleton crew."
As Kiwarden and Elric prepared to leave, Lucian asked Elric how far his charms had come. Elric kept a little chain in his pack, and on that chain were charms to represent each thing he had killed. They mostly showed undead, but there was also the occasional wolf fang or bear claw. His favourite was a flame that represented a bunch of will-o'-wisps.
Elric reported that he was at fifty-five. Lucian said that when he got to 200, come find him, and he'd give Elric that sword he'd promised. He pulled his cane sword out halfway, the silvered steel flashing.
=== Converging Ideas ===
Bandin had decided to work on another, less detailed map while staying at the Riot House, and Xeithne passed the time watching over his shoulder. Eventually, the rest of the group arrived, Tar'ren's group having stashed the bodies on the roof and running into Elric and Kiwarden on the way back.
Nwalmë slammed the calling card down on the table, saying he had a plan half of them would hate, and the other half would hate it even more.
The party shared all their findings. Tar'ren said that there would be no more luring people to their deaths.
"Oh," Kiwarden said, "you mean all the work accidents happening?"
"I like the way you talk," Nwalmë said.
Elric stated that the undead would be tough customers, enhanced by their cause of death.
Tar'ren showed the syringes he had found to Elric to diagnose with his alchemist's supplies. The residue looked like the syringe has been used to pull out embalming fluid. Not an injection, it was drawing syringe.
Kiwarden scratched his head. He knew the fluid was used to preserve corpses. Maybe the gravediggers had to remove the fluid before reanimation would work. Xeithne knew the embalming fluid wouldn't mix well with the movement of the undead and confirmed Kiwarden's theory. Tar'ren wished his spells weren't so expensive, else he would do holy rites over the whole cemetery.
The group began to plan what they would do next. Nwalmë brought back up the idea he thought all would hate: Some of the group pose as body sellers, using the Dragonborn corpse as their in. They could tail the buyer and make some coin in the process, a win-win.
Elric reminded the group that they still needed to meet in with the constable and tell him that they had arrived to complete the contract.
Kiwarden suggested that some people could check out the grave robber path to try to catch the corpse smugglers and learn more from them.
Elric groaned and said they were going to need more holy water. Bandin said that wouldn't be a problem—he had flasks of it sitting in his vardo.
Seeing that the sun had long set, the party decided to split up and chase both grave robbers and corpse buyers, waiting to meet the constable until morning. Bandin would be the face of the corpse sellers, with Xeithne and Elric his muscle. Nwalmë would follow in the shadows and attempt to tail the buyer. Meanwhile, Kiwarden would lead Tar'ren and Ro'Keer to the fallen ash tree where they would set a stakeout for the grave robbers.
Before leaving, Xeithne donned a wooden mask to help hide her identity. Kiwarden asked if it was hand-carved. Xeithne stated that it was. The mask's visage was reminiscent of the Sea Terror, and Kiwarden and Bandin both felt like they knew it had something to do with the sea and treasure, but they couldn't place it, and Xeithne didn't share.
=== Spying on Grave Robbers ===
Kiwarden led his group to where the cart had been. The three set up a birdcall secret signal, then Kiwarden left the others by the ash tree heading down the path the cart had gone. The cart had moved a sharp north turn into some alleyways rather than go to the guard station, so Kiwarden positioned himself on a roof to watch those alleys.
At the ash tree, Tar'ren looked to Ro'Keer for guidance, knowing the Tabaxi had some experience with setting traps.
Ro'Keer looked to the barley fields and the farmhouses. He was slightly leery of the fields, being afraid of snakes—and anything that looked vaguely like a snake, such as cucumbers or sticks—but he suggested that he stalk in the grass while Tar'ren get a good vantage from a farmhouse roof. Tar'ren was amenable to that, and the two parted, getting into position.
Kiwarden kept his gaze down the alleys to the north. He saw what he thought was a trick of the light, but then he realized that a section of the city wall had shifted for a moment, and a pair of men came out with a cart between them. One man had gray skin a horns, a Tiefling, while the other was a tiger-like Tabaxi.
Kiwarden released the bird call, Tar'ren took a moment to realize it was the signal, but he figured it out. Ro'Keer's tail perked up like a stalking cat.
The cart came down their way without torches, the men apparently fine travelling in the dark. The group let it pass. Kiwarden held his post, watching the wall close itself and seeing nothing more unusual.
Tar'ren let the cart get some distance before shimmying down to tail them. Ro'Keer followed the cart parallel in the grasses. They took the main road out of town, heading towards the guard station. But before reaching it, they took a sharp north turn into the fields. Ro'Keer hopped back out of sight before they saw him.
The cart headed towards the outer wall. It was the newest wall and still under some construction, ten feet tall and made of loosely cobbled sandstone and reeds. A netting stretched in some areas where the stone was weak or missing. The guard station was to southwest with a guard tower some distance to the northeast.
Ro'Keer and Tar'ren very sneakily followed the men, who approached the wall. The Tiefling held up a bronze amulet, held it against the wall, turned it clockwise, then counterclockwise, then spun it 180-degrees. He pulled out the amulet. The bricks shifted away to create an entryway large enough for them and the cart to get through.
The mercenaries glanced at each other, then watched the bricks reform, the passage closed. It was time to report their findings.
=== A Deal by the Docks ===
In the northern district of the city, Bandin, Xeithne, and Elric lugged the Dragonborn corpse on their backs to a small familial crypt. Nwalmë followed on a roof, watching over them. His mind was connected to Elric's so that the two groups could communicate silently.
Near the crypt, Bandin saw the same Thieves' Cant mimicking what he already knew, to go to the crypt to trade bodies for coin.
Bandin told Xeithne and Elric to wait for him. After meeting with the contact, he'd rub his bald head to signal that there was no ambush. He entered the crypt and saw the sketchy Gnome in a cloak, hiding in the shadows.
Bandin moved closer and flashed the card under his palm, then slithered it into a pocket. "Too bad we're inside. Can't see the stars on the water, they flash like gold coming in."
The cloaked man nodded. "Always good gold for good workers. You know a few workers in need of a job?"
"If the coin's right, there's always people looking for work." Bandin went back to the door and rubbed his head. Xeithne and Elric entered with the body. Behind them, Nwalmë followed, having turned himself invisible.
The Gnome looked over the corpse, inspecting it like inspecting a horse before buying it. "Clean kill. How'd he go?"
"Just like the rest of them," Bandin said. "Quietly."
The Gnome nodded, pleased. He said it was rare to get a Dragonborn corpse, and that he would pay them four gold. Bandin agreed to the terms and accepted the gold.
The cloaked man then shuffled his body a little and pulled a bag from his belt. He unzipped the bag, which expanded so that he could slide the corpse into its depths, disappearing when the bag shrank back to its original size. Then he zipped it up and put it back on his belt.
"Haven't seen that before," Bandin said. "Know how to get more?"
"Not easily, not in the recent ages." The man shrugged. "Excellent means for smugglers such as myself."
In Elric's mind, he heard Nwalmë prompting him to hurry it up. The bloodhunter cleared his throat.
Bandin apologized to the Gnome for the hasty departure, but the search for work was never done. "See you again on another starry night."
"We haven't even seen each other," the Gnome said. "How can we see each other again?"
Bandin nodded and bowed. "May intros always be in order."
The three left, Nwalmë remaining behind.
Time passed without the Gnome leaving, which worried Nwalmë, whose invisibility would only last an hour. He watched a few more people bring in corpses, the shadowy man appraising them, paying, and stowing them in his bag.
With about ten minutes of invisibility left, one more figure came in, a white-haired gentleman with silk robes using a walking stick. He took out his own zippered bag and traded it with the Gnomes. After a brief nod, the gentleman maneuvered out of the crypt.
Nwalmë followed, quietly creeping out in the man's wake. The rogue accidentally kicked up rocks, but he was so in time with the man's steps that the gentleman thought he had done it himself.
From then, Nwalmë followed at a distance, knowing his invisibility was nearly over. They passed by the Voiceless Salt, a tavern with a collection of fine tapestries outside its lounge.
The man approached a large bastion wall and took something out of his pocket, which Nwalmë couldn't see. The wall then magically opened, the man walking in.
Still invisible, Nwalmë approached the wall as it shut. There was an indent in it for some sort of amulet. Using some spare chalk and paper, he made an impression of the indent.
The rogue looked around and realized that he was close to Uloreen's palace. His gut clenched as he wondered if his father was right about Uloreen. 
His mission done, Nwalmë headed to the Voiceless Salt, his invisibility wearing off in an alleyway. He had a nonalcoholic drink there, then went to another bar, attempting to appear like any other man carousing the city.
While there, he noticed that the menu featured Nwalming Tea, a lavender blend made by Abishot's Esteemed Tea Sommelier Nyczomb. Nwalmë laughed at the sight. He knew he was the poster spokesperson for the tea, though he'd only learned when tea snobs gathered around him asking for him to autograph posters with a cheaply drawn image of him holding the purple tea. His father had apparently forged his signature and agreed to the sponsorship, though all funds were being funneled to some fund he hadn't known about and wouldn't be able to touch for years.
Hoping to keep his profile low for the moment, Nwalmë ducked out to reconvene with the others at the Riot House.
=== Consequences of Actions ===
Nwalmë arrived two hours later than the others. He asked if people missed him, but was met with silence.
They discussed the information gathered. Tar'ren asked if they had just given themselves another undead to fight in the form of the Dragonborn. They probably had, but it was only one of dozens.
Still, Kiwarden added that the Gnome said Dragonborn corpses were harder to come by. They'd probably see that one again.
Elric pulled out the sewer map, about as detailed as Lucian could give. Bandin looked over it, seeing that it was more of a navigational guide rather than an actual map. He used logic to figure out a rough idea of where the tunnels would lead, assuming that Lucian's directions were correct.
Nwalmë laid down the etching he had made, explaining how the amulet seemed to work. He described the older man who swapped the bags, saying that they at least had another face to look into. Elric asked if the guy was a top-side element rather than an inside job. Kiwarden said they didn't have a way to confirm either, so both options were on the table.
Bandin piped up that he claimed one of those bags if they ever got one.
Ro'Keer explained the full details of the amulet's movements that he had seen. Kiwarden suggested flagging the secret wall tunnels on Bandin's map, which he did.
Nwalmë said that they needed to assume all outside that table were threats and not to be trusted. They needed to maintain the buddy system. "Which," he added sheepishly, "I flagrantly broke."
Tar'ren forgave him, realizing he had done the same. Ro'Keer gave Nwalmë a token slap on the wrist. Nwalmë promised to make more people invisible as soon as he could.
Before leaving the table, Nwalmë suddenly remembered—he had gotten presents during his scouting earlier. He pulled from his pack some hunks of oak and passed one each to Xeithne and Kiwarden. Kiwarden counted the rings, excited. Xeithne was stoked and deeply thanked Nwalmë, feeling the grain and grading it.
Kiwarden suggested resting for the evening, and the others agreed. Bandin gave the four gold pieces from the body exchange to cover Riot House expenses.
After Nwalmë eyed Ro'Keer for a moment, the Tabaxi put the bag of twenty-five gold on the table, saying they could discuss what to do with it. Bandin said he'd settle up at the end and had no need of it for the moment, and Xeithne said similarly. As such, the gold was split with five pieces each for the remaining party.
Tar'ren lay awake that night wondering if he needed to pay penance for killing people. Nwalmë meanwhile slept soundly, to Tar'ren's awe.
=== Making Appointments ===
In the morning, the party decided to split up once more. Bandin would not go to the constable, fearing that he might be recognized after the crypt deal. Elric agreed that he would remain behind as well, though because Xeithne wore a mask, she figured that she'd be fine. While the majority checked in with their employer, Bandin and Elric would meet with Norwin DeepDiver, Bandin's friend in the city.
The groups headed out, Kiwarden taking the lead for the major group. The guard rotations got heavier the deeper into the city they went, with the constabulary office fairly close to the inner guard station and the citadel.
At the office, the group saw several people working at desks, including someone using divination magic on forensic evidence. It was very bustling. Nwalmë noticed a general report on construction accidents.
Kiwarden approached the front desk, where a friendly-looking Firbolg sat jotting at a schedule planner, writing up a new bounty. He looked up and asked what he could do to assist.
Kiwarden stated that they were from Abishot, ready to purge the undead. They had done some preliminary investigation already, but wanted to let the constable know they were in the city.
"Ah yes," the Firgbolg said, "the Whispering Cutlass. Virgil said you'd be coming soon." He offered the group a summary of the job or a meeting with the constable, to which the party stated they wanted both. The secretary scheduled the party to meet with the constable for lunch while the Firbolg handled the summary. The Inzet guards had caught a Veyis cultist with multiple witnesses sighting undead in the sewers. It was specifically a problem for construction because the water distribution to the outer areas required sewer access. As such, the undead needed to be disposed of as soon as possible.
As for the captured cultist, he had merely said that Veyis was calling their people to the city to create more of their kind. He committed suicide, biting off his own tongue.
"Interesting," Kiwarden said. "Can we interrogate the captive ourselves?"
The Firbolg's lips pressed together. "No, he… He bit his tongue off."
Kiwarden scratched his jaw. "Can he still write?"
Nwalmë tapped Kiwarden on the shoulder and stepped forward. "You still have the body?" he asked the secretary.
As Kiwarden's brow rose at the realization of the cultist's demise, the secretary nodded and told them the corpse had been sent to the morgue. There had been nothing unusual about the body other than a few tattoos, but he could grant them access to the morgue if they wanted to check themselves.
"You did request we come investigate," Nwalmë said, "so we will."
The secretary wrote them a permission slip, then magically produced a flame to melt wax and seal the slip. He passed the document for Kiwarden. And said the morgue was right across the street.
"That's convenient," Kiwarden said.
Meanwhile, Bandin and Elric approached the home of Norwin. Bandin warned that Norwin was a bit eccentric. 
After knocking on the door, they heard a shuffle of papers and were soon greeted by a Dwarf who immediately wrapped Bandin in a crushing hug. Upon introducing Elric, Norwin gave him the same treatment. Elric wasn't used to hugs, but he accepted it awkwardly.
The trio headed inside, Norwin muttering about how he had forgotten to send Bandin a draft of his work on chronicling the construction of Inzet. The place had gone from 10,000 people to—a lot more.
Bandin had noticed. The city seemed to be haunted, and with rumors of undead. What was with all that?
They were calling it a boom town, Norwin said. It paid well, was well funded, and all wanted a piece of the pie.
Bandin asked if Norwin had made any discoveries for his book. Norwin declared that seeing the place built from the ground up put things in perspective. A ton of ideas rammed into the center, policies not having time to be developed or implemented. It was chaos.
"You've been studying the town," Bandin said. "Notice anything odd?"
Norwin reported that the guards had caught cultists in the sewers. Water had to be carried all the way to the outer areas and it was a big inconvenience, putting the constabulary in a tizzy, especially since Uloreen was still focused on the Dread Hounds.
Bandin asked where to go to get more of the seedier types of information. Norwin seemed to miss the question, noting Targ, a delightful fellow who owned a ganachery. There was also a tea shop. But after being prompted for the sketchy side of town, Norwin spoke of Turano the butcher. He brought in meat from the farms, but something was going on in the basement. He was smuggling something.
"Smuggling is common here," Bandin said. He turned to Elric and asked if he had any questions, but Elric was content with the information gleaned.
Bandin also asked if there was a magic shop where he could sweet talk his way to a good deal.
"This'll be right up your alley," Norwin said. Just past a bric-a-brac shop was Griffin's Oddities. The place was owned by a Gnome whose daughter idolized adventurers. "Sweet talk the kid and you'll have an in."
Bandin thanked Norwin for all the information. As a gift, he gave Norwin a map detailing the road through the Endless Divide from Inzet to the ancient city of Perlin.
Norwin's eyes went wide, and there was a brief moment where he debated dropping everything to visit Perlin.
Bandin patted his teacher's shoulder. "The things I've seen, the stories I have to tell you."
Norwin grinned. "Perfect. Before you depart Inzet, visit again and we'll talk."
Bandin agreed that they would meet for a pint. He and Elric then departed.
=== Cold Storage ===
At the morgue, Kiwarden flashed the letter of passage. An employee led them down to cold storage, which was quite literal. The passage was filled with unnatural ice chunks most likely caused by multiple Ray of Frost castings being used as a way to keep things cold.
The attendant took them to a steel coffin. In it was the body of a Half-Elf with several tattoos along his body, which traced out his bone structure. It was as if he was trying to mimic the exposed skeleton of a lich. Kiwarden copied down notes on the tattoos, tracing their general shape.
Nwalmë stated that he had an idea, and it was worse than the last one. Kiwarden asked if it was to sell the body at the crypt as well.
"No," Nwalmë said, "but I love where your head's at."
Nwalmë had been thinking that a lot of the time, the dead didn't want to talk to people interrogating them. So instead of interrogating him… "This isn't who I am, but I can pull it off, what if I pretended to be a cultist and out what this guy told the guards?"
The others stared at him blankly, but then Nwalmë explained that he had a harp that would let him speak with the dead. Kiwarden didn't have a better idea for the investigation, but was also fine with moving on and talking to live people. Nwalmë said that if they were all totally against it he wouldn't do it, but he didn't plan to break their trust and get them harmed.
Again, Kiwarden was more against it than for it, but he had no alternative solution, so he was in no position to deny Nwalmë.
Still, Nwalmë respected his ally's wishes. They would reconvene with the others and figure out if they could make a reasonable list of questions. Plus, other cultists might be captured. If that happened, they had told the secretary to inform them so they could interrogate the captives themselves.
Nwalmë checked the body's personal effects, finding a small dagger, some clothing, and a small spellbook with a few cantrips. The spells were not that strong; the cultist had apparently been on the low-end of their group.
Tar'ren flipped through the spellbook, then looked at Nwalmë with babydoll eyes.
Nwalmë took the cue. "This is evidence," he said, grabbing the personal effects and carrying them away before anyone could stop him.
== Outcome: ==
With so much information to parse, the group reconvened at the Riot House to discuss their findings and await their lunch appointment with the constable.
== Adventure Rewards: ==
None.
Previous Episode < - - - > Next Episode
Idolators Under Inzet - 02