04/02/2020 - Trimaeus’s Tricksy Truth Telling and Steve’s Seance

*We resume as Dr T meets the group at breakfast and Rocky  was busy trying to flirt with her...*

## **The Guild**

Once the flirting seemed to be going nowhere, Rocky  said they were there for business but not sure exactly what it was, so referred her to Bayul . Responding to his questions about finances, Dr T explained that the guild was not the most wealthy establishment, and mainly their income came from their museum and acting as a sort of cash-in-the-attic consultancy. However, they could provide food for the journey and potentially help out with some minor funding. For some reason there was then several minutes of conversing about stairs as a concept, before Bayul  had enough and asked her for more details. Specifically, he explained that hiring a ship was their main outlay and that they were yet to choose one of the two captains. Dr T revealed that she’d be able to write a letter to Trimaeus that should ‘smooth things out’, but when Bayul  asked if she and the captain had a history the subject was very swiftly changed. Rocky  then pitched in with an idea. He suggested that, since the ‘super fish pals’ band and the rest of the group had acquired a level of critical acclaim over the past day, they could utilise this new found popularity to put on a show and promote the guild when we have time. Dr T  and everyone agreed that this sounded like a terrific idea and various ideas were bandied around, though all heavily featured a nipple-tassel-clad goliath.

Dr T then gestured to the corner of the room, where the group saw a half-elf female. “This is our head of security, Lieutenant Ilyen”, Dr T said by way of introduction. “She should be able to provide some more information, I’ll leave you with her. Come to see me in a few minutes for Captain Trimaeus’s letter”. She departed the room, pointedly (but not rudely) ignoring a cheeky wink from Rocky . After introducing herself and beginning to tell them more about the money, Ilyen was immediately assailed by Leoven's report of a mysterious bag placed outside the front of the guild. However, his attempt at banterous deception was broken before her piercing gaze and he sheepishly relented. She went on to explain that the guild’s vaults were currently inaccessible because of a tragedy the previous night. A well-loved member of the guard, Steve , had been murdered and half of the code for the vault was stored in a locket he kept on his person, which was now missing. For security reasons, the vault had since been fully locked down. She bid them be careful on their endeavours because the killer was still on the loose, but was impressed when Rocky  sent his hammer spinning through the air directly towards a fine vase only to recall it to his hand before it struck. “We will be safe”, he declared confidently.

As time approached to leave for the ship cleaning-up process, Bayul  had one final thought. “Ilyen, before we leave, what do you know of Krieg Venusto?”. At the name, her face soured. “He’s a vile piece of work that one. My husband does not get on well with him at all.”. When it was revealed that her husband was in fact the captain of the guard, Garret, Khrom  mentioned that they were already acquainted. “He respects my skills as a scholar”, Khrom  rumbled, while Kunai  added “I only saw one dribble of urine down his leg. He seemed to be an outstanding pillar of the community”. Ilyen confirmed that indeed, that sounded like her husband. As they made to leave, Bayul  started up towards Dr T’s office, but Rocky  bounded off ahead of him excitably. Rolling his eyes, Narko  made to follow. Unfortunately, the slight change in elevation once again proved too much and his equine lower half scrabbled before he crashed to the floor. Leoven  healed his bruises (but sadly not the floor’s) while Bayul  looked away.

## **Travel to the Ship**

En route to the dockyard, Narko  addressed the group to find out the plan. Leo  proposed that the group admit to their sins and ask for repentance, but this was met with general distaste. Instead, it was suggested that, since they were going to fix the damage they had caused, it would balance out morally. “So let me get this straight, we are going to lie?” Narko  asked, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. “Absolutely”, Kunai  cut in. “We can fix it easily”. The two bickered about the feasibility of this while Khrom  suggested that they simply ask Narko  to climb up the rigging to disprove the theory that he was the culprit. To speed things along, Merric  mounted Maxwell and set off ahead of the group, and Bayul  put in his two cents. “From what I saw this morning, this Krieg Venusto is our biggest issue. However it sounds like we have a potential ally in the guard captain”. They all hurried up when Rocky  dashed past them with Dr T’s letter in-hand.

They arrived at a dockyard somewhat quieter that it had been in the early morning, the sabotage now more a chore than an exciting development. The ship appeared much the same as the previous night: sails shredded and torn, in some places punctured by large thorns, and the poop deck still living up to its name. “Captain, good morning! We are well rested.”, Rocky  hailed Trimaeus. Looking inexplicably fresh, the captain explained that they had two very easy tasks to complete to regain his trust and began leading in the direction of the market. Continuing past this already-bustling area, they instead finally came to a halt outside the cathedral, its enormous spires and ornate carvings resplendent in the morning sun. “We’re here to pay our respects to Valkur , and to complete your other task”, the captain explained. Merric  recognised Valkur as a patron of sailors whom most prayed to for favourable winds before any voyage, though when Rocky  asked about this it was Khrom  who piped up with the explanation. “He’s the one who parks your cart”. Both Narko  and Bayul  were suspicious of this unexplained development. While Narko  glanced about to check that they hadn’t been followed, Bayul  looked to the captain again. “Tell me what we have to do inside”. “I could explain, but it would be far easier just to show you”. Bayul  wanted to make a stand on the issue, but Rocky  and Blagden  were already halfway through the door. He and Narko  shared a glance before turning back to the captain. “Lead on”.

## **The Cathedral**

As they entered and eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, all were awestruck by the magnificence of the interior. Glancing about, they saw sturdy but intricately-decorated pillars supporting the high-vaulted ceiling, which arched up to a central spine that ran the length of the main hall. Unusually for a place of worship, a whole host of shrines were present, and not just to one god or pantheon but to a huge range of creeds and belief systems. Noticing the gnomish and halfling gods represented, Khrom  and Merric  gave an offering of a gold coin apiece and took a moment of prayer while Narko  searched in vain for the gods of the giants. Seeing Khrom  distracted, Kunai  instead turned to Blagden . “Steal nothing”. “I wouldn’t do that!!”, he protested. When everyone had explored their setting, Trimaeus  gathered them around a small enclosed area and they watched as two people came out smiling and hugging one another. Trimaeus explained that people had to enter one at a time. Various members of the party muttered about the unease they felt, and Bayul  grasped the Captain by the shoulder and made his feelings clear “If harm befalls any member of this group, I will have your head”. “I assure you, no harm will come”, the captain responded calmly.

Ever-eager, Rocky  volunteered to go in first. Inside, he found a small shrine with candles either side and on the floor a large circle etched into the stone surrounded by runes. “You are inside a zone of truth”, Trimaeus informed him while looking in from a different section, as Rocky  felt himself compelled into the discomfort of moral integrity. “I will now ask you a question. Were you or any of your party responsible for the damage to my ship?”, Trimaeus demanded of him. Rocky  insisted several times that he himself was not responsible for the damage but despite numerous questions would not elaborate on this. The process was repeated with the entire party to much the same result, except for Leo  and Narko . Asked directly, the two would not bring themselves to lie and told the captain what they knew. With a sigh, Trimaeus admitted he’d have to work out what to do with this information and agreed to meet them back at the docks.

Given a moment and feeling pious in his surrounding, Leo  decided to do some holy work. “Here, Blagden . Have you considered what will happen to your mortal soul?”, Leo  opened bluntly. “Mortal?”, Blagden  replied in puzzlement. “What about when you die and have to pay for your sins?”, Leo  clarified. He elaborated further on his concern for everyone’s life expectancies and how much anger Blagden  had both inside him and coming at him. Still sensing confusion in the young one, he offered the goblin a book of Rillifane to have a read of, advertising it by saying it was about ’nature and animals'. “I do like monsters”, Blagden  stated, clearly more interested now. Flicking to a random page his attention was grabbed by the intriguing calligraphy and little doodles around the page, so slipped the book into his personal collection.

Meanwhile, the group was tentatively approached by a slim humanoid male. With clear hazel eyes, long blue hair and a body with a variety of tattoos and piercings across it, he cut a striking figure. “Hello, I’d like to join your mission. I’ve been waiting so long to get out of here and develop my skills. I’m good at fighting and getting into people’s heads so I can handle myself!”, he pitched. Immediately feeling compassion for this newcomer, Merric  greeted him kindly. “I’m here for much the same reason, welcome aboard!”. The stranger was clearly not used to being welcomed so easily. “Wow, that was easy!”. Rocky , however, was determined that a more rigorous interview was necessary. “To join this group, you need to know about two things. What do you know about fish and digging?”. The newcomer gave what Rocky  considered to be an impressive answer (including that digging ’takes a long time’), and then introduced himself as Ashtai , a monk. he also revealed that he plays the bagpipes, making the musical goliath’s eyes sparkle.

Absolutely sold by this, Rocky  asked him “Can you help us get a boat? Because we would have had one by now if it wasn’t for that big dumb horse”. On hearing this, Narko  drew his glaive and stomped over to Rocky  within a heartbeat and everyone else prepared themselves to intervene if violence broke out. While Narko  was delivering a series of threats, he felt a very firm hand grasp his arm. Turning in irritation, he saw four heavily armoured figures beginning to surround him, clearly determined to prevent any bloodshed in a holy place. “Sheath your weapon immediately!”. Quelling his rage, Narko  acquiesced and withdrew his glaive but still glared at Rocky . Defending himself, the goliath replied “I thank you for what you’ve done for me, but I see no more of your people around you now, you’re with us and we have our own rules”. As Narko calmed down and tried to find some common ground, the guards dissipated and Khrom  filled the wide-eyed Ashtai  in on the horse situation. Keen to prevent any more trouble, Merric  and Bayul  began to usher everyone out. Before he left, Leo  decided to implore his god for help with the coming confrontation. “Oh mighty Rillifane , we pissed off the ship’s captain. What do you think would be a good course of action to make him trust us?”. He felt the holy presence bequeath him a subtle inclination towards trusting the captain and earning his trust in return, which eased his concerns.

## **The Dockyard**

Feeling somewhat responsible for the trouble with the ship, Kunai  led the group back towards the captain and expressed his opinion that they should honour their word to clean the ship up. Approaching the captain, Kunai  said as much to him. To back him up, Merric  offered his own skilled labour and kit “For what it’s worth, I can offer you weaver’s and smith’s tools”, while Narko  offered his smithing ability and Rocky  his strength. Finally, Rocky  remembered the letter he carried and immediately handed it over with the hope that it would ease their way back into the captain’s good books. “After all, we still represent the archaeology guild, and the sassy Dr T ”. Upon hearing her name, the captain took the parchment, broke the wax seal and turned away as he unrolled it. The group waited a few minutes as he absorbed the information keenly, and watched in bewilderment as he turned with a new welcoming light to his face. “If you’d started with that immediately we could have saved ourselves a lot of bother!” he told them cheerfully, before clapping his hands together. As the party stood with mouths agape, the sails knit themselves back together and the decks were cleaned. “You will voyage free of charge, we leave in an hour!”. In shock but also cheerful at the turn of events, and hyped to set off on an adventure, they began to venture back to the guild to collect their supplies.

Only Bayul  hung back. Finding a second to grab the captain, he drew him to the side. “Now my friend, I want to talk to you about that stunt you pulled earlier”. He claimed that it was dishonourable, but the captain retorted that their actions too had been without honour. “Quite right”, Bayul  agreed. “Nevertheless, I hope we have earned your trust with our willingness to clean your ship. But you have not yet earned my trust. One day you were willing to rip off my friend Khrom  while drunk in a tavern, and today you claimed the moral high ground while using a religious shrine to trick us”. The captain attested that neither had been entirely honest and Bayul  conceded this. The two talked it out and eventually came to the agreement to start afresh with a foundation of trust, and then promptly christened the new found trusting relationship with a pint in the lucky sailor.

## **The Guild II**

On the way back to the guild, Ashtai  was still keen to get formally signed up with the group. Narko  informed him that Dr T was who he needed, before turning to Rocky . “I apologise for losing my temper in the Cathedral, I can be quick to anger”. “That you are quick to anger is the reason I got out in the first place”, Rocky  admitted, bringing consolation to their disagreement. As they approached the guild they could see Ilyen was there to greet them. They described the exciting new development and Narko  asked her if they could now have more information on where it was that they were to sail to. She dismissed this, however. “Later. First, we must find out what happened to Steve. The clerics are going to commune with him to find out about the moments before his death”. Noticing an almost imperceptible shuffle, Kunai  glanced at Blagden  who looked even more shifty than usual. “What’s communin’?” Blagden  asked of Ilyen, more curious about something actually relevant than usual. As she explained it to him in more detail, as well as defining ‘responsible’, Kunai  murmured to him in thieves’ cant. “Silence!”. “Why?” Blagden  blurted out in common.

Completely confused, Ashtai  asked Khrom  what was going on and he got everyone to introduce themselves. “And who’s dead?” Ashtai  asked. “Oh that’s Steve ”, replied Khrom . “Blagden  didn’t kill Steve !!”, added Blagden , immediately conjuring the image of exactly the opposite in everyone’s mind. Rocky  decided the time was ripe to declare that he found all goblins suspicious, which Blagden  and Khrom  decried as racist. What followed was a fairly in-depth debate about racism and whether Rocky’s  sample size of one goblin as sufficient to justify his point. After his outburst, Ilyen continued to give Blagden  a curious look and he glanced back at her furtively.

Following their scientific discussion, Rocky  took off to see Dr T , applying his signature tassels as he leapt up the stairs of the guild. Seeing him bound off, Khrom  waited downstairs politely until someone strolled past. Approaching them slowly to avoid fright, he pulled out the shield he found in the mine and and asked if they knew about it. “It’s a shield”, he confirmed. Introducing himself as a cleaner, the man suggested that he take it along to the library instead and gave a set of directions. For half an hour Khrom  wandered the halls of the archaeology guild, passing by the same cleaner at least 4 times before he finally made it (though of course nodding a friendly earnest greeting every time). Making his way in, he found himself in a very impressive library in which floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls and surrounded a central area of desks at which several scholars studied. To one of them he explained that he found the shield in a cave when some frogs showed him to it. Glossing over this, the scholar told him that the shield had once belonged to one of the twelve royal protectors of the Iysgarth Empire . These powerful individuals were each a member of the council, acted as a keeper of the peace and ruled over their own lands. They also would have distinguished themselves to gain such a position. Unfortunately, this particular piece was clearly not an original because it had begun to show signs of rust and was therefore without magic. Nonetheless, it was valuable and he estimated that Khrom  would receive roughly 100-200 gold in a finder's fee from the guild. As Khrom  left the library, the same cleaner was there with a friendly smile to guide him back to the foyer.

Upstairs, Rocky  rapped his knuckles on Dr T’s wooden office door. Getting no immediate response he knocked again. And again. After a few moments he sighed and popped off the nipples tassels in disappointment. Finding out that she’d gone down to the docks, he took off after her, but not before suggesting to Kunai  to have a look around her office. Ashtai  followed hot on his heels to try and sign up for the mission at long last. Never able to resist an opportunity for sneaking, Kunai  decided to check out Dr T’s office. Of the items displayed in her cabinets, including an ornate pot, a diadem, a jewel-encrusted dagger and an unassuming dish, he didn't recognise anything specific but could tell that they were of value and importance. It also looked as if Dr T actively studied them in her spare time. He came away with a new found appreciation of the guild, basically find that they’re more serious that he initially gave them credit for.

As Rocky  caught up with the Dr finally, he filled her in on the developments. Declaring himself Vice Captain in Bayul’s  absence, he asked if they could now find out where they were going. Dr T explained that they’d had reports of a new island from sailors, about a week’s travel away. A small group had gone out to investigate already and established a simple base camp, and they had created a very basic map that she drew forth and handed to Rocky , who promptly put it down his pants. Little was known of the island, except that there were some old buildings and potentially artefacts to be found; the group was mainly being sent as a better-equipped exploration party. They both turned as Ashtai  jogged up and greeted them. “So I’ve just been going with the flow today but maybe someone can actually tell me what’s going on?”. Dr T smiled in welcome and agreed that sometimes this group left her wondering what’s happening too. She then went on to explain basics of the guild’s operations. “You are more than welcome to join this team as they go on their first mission together. We have received reports of pirates in the area so hopefully can get there before they plunder the island”. She assured Ashtai  that all the necessary documentation would be arranged, and that the rooms in the guild were sufficiently soundproofed (for bagpipe practice).

## **The Cathedral II**

After the group dispersed, Blagden  took off after Ilyen on her way to the Cathedral. Narko , Merric  and Leo  shared a glance and followed too, with Maxwell in tow. “I have a question for you, do you know where Tamsin  is?”, he asked as he tugged at the hem of her cloak. Turning down to face him, she let him know that she’d definitely seen her recently. “I want to ask her sumfing, she’s the only one who tells me good fings”. Ilyen sensed he wanted to say more but was holding back. Maxwell sensed his distress and went in for the nuzzle, which Ratty also got involved with. “What’s troubling you?”, came the comforting baritone twang of Leo . “Well earlier the truth got told and it was good, and that was confusing”, Blagden  replied uneasily. “Things have a way of working out when you tell the truth. What did ya do son?”, intoned the fatherly firbolg. “I just like collectin’ fings. Back when I was little people used to fall asleep so I took their stuff because I was hungry. Then Tamsin  taught me a trick to put people to sleep so then I could take their stuff even easier”, Blagden  admitted just to Leo . At this point Leo  was quite sure that Blagden  had taken the locket, but also that he wouldn’t have actually committed murder.

Clearly relieved at having opened up to someone but also very upset, Blagden  told Ilyen the full story of what happened. As they watched him tell this, the others saw an underlying vulnerability and youth for the first time in the normally-irksome goblin. As he rounded off by promising there was no killing, Ilyen told him that she was glad he’d said something. “It took a lot of courage to tell me”. The group continued on to the Cathedral, where Captain Garret waited and gave a nod of respect to his wife Ilyen. “Blagden , you’re going to have to go in now and tell exactly what happened, you just have to trust me”, she assured him. As they entered the Cathedral, it was far quieter and the mood far more sombre than when they were there in the morning. Blagden  was ushered forwards to the same small shrine that Trimaeus made them enter that day, which they now discovered to be the shrine of Veritas . The goblin felt the same weight fall heavily upon his conscience as he entered the zone of truth again. The captain began “I’m going to ask you five questions, you must answer me honestly and truthfully”.

1. Are you responsible for the death of Steve ?

“I definitely didn’t do any stabbing”

2. Did you put him to sleep?

“Only for a few seconds, no more than 20 after I left”

3. Were your intentions to steal?

"Yes, shiny earrings”

4. Was this after you promised there would be no more trouble?

“Yes but I had my fingers crossed"

5. Are you responsible for the thefts in the tavern?

“It was the invisible wizard"

“Thank you Blagden , I believe you were being truthful. Now let’s hear from the man himself”. A little way away from the shrine of Veritas, five clerics stood surrounding the body of Steve  and began to chant rhythmically. Leoven  vaguely recognised the ritual and confirmed for the group that this was indeed “some mad shit”. Suddenly, with a sharp intake of breath, Steve  jolted to life and Blagden  automatically shielded Ratty’s eyes. “Apologies for disturbing your rest but we need to ask you some questions before you pass to the other side”, Captain Garret informed him.

"What happened on the night of your death?”

“A small elderly goblin woman muttered something and put me to sleep”

"Do you remember anything else?"

“Only a sharp pain in my back. I rolled over and saw a tall man, well built, leaving the alley. The goblin was nowhere to be seen”.

"Do you have a personal message for your wife and family?"

\*Steve  used his final words to express his love for his family, the details of which shall remain hidden from this record to preserve the sanctity of the moment\*

This was already a painful moment for Blagden , and it cut him deeply to hear a sob from the far side of the room where Steve’s  wife watched. With his final question answered, Steve  expelled a breath for the final time and the life left his eyes as his body slumped back down. Silence reigned until at last Garret spoke. “Blagden  the goblin, considering your part in this tragedy was minor, and accounting for your youth and your full and honest confession, I hereby absolve you of your crimes. But be aware, there will be no more leniency”. Overwhelmed at not being executed as he expected, Blagden  took out the locket and earring and gave it back to Captain Garret to return to Steve’s  widow. He also added his favourite pretty shell from his collection. Garret looked at him with something like understanding, before adding “I’ll be watching you Master Blagden ”. “You best have very quick eyes then”, came the cheeky response.

## **Departure**

“I’m proud of you Blagden , you dirty sinner!”, Leo  congratulated him. “What is proud?”, Blagden  asked him honestly. “Never mind, let’s just put this whole episode behind us”. Together, they returned to the docks (again), where the rest of the party was bustling about getting the boat ready for departure. Bayul  and Trimaeus , slightly tipsy, were in their element and loving life handing out orders. In the distance, a couple of people noticed an enormous lumbering figure with two far smaller ones bouncing along on its back. Calmly registering this new detail, and possibly having hauled Ankylosaurs (or rathtars?) before, Trimaeus  greeted the newcomers and reduced the volume of big Wilbur by almost an order of magnitude. Almost not noticing this, the cheerful ankylosaurus clambered on board and settled in the hold while Scribbulus  laughed in delight and ushered Gimble  along.

Ready to set sail, Narko  asked a pertinent question. “So, does anyone know where we’re going?”. Proudly, Rocky  reached into his pants and drew forth the map Dr T  had given him. With a measure of distaste, Captain Trimaeus took it off him using a pinch-hold and set the course. Excited to be departing this island finally, Ashtai  clambered up onto the poop deck, pulled out his bagpipes and assumed a meditative pose.

With the sun shining down on the glistening waters of Ilbidor harbour, the ship passed under the largest arch of the mighty stone bridge that connected the two parts of the island and then out into the open ocean. The salty wind ruffled their hair, fur and feathers, and the tune of bagpipes and a goliath getting overly excited with a cowbell filled their ears, as the motley group and their new crew made their way forth to pastures new. So began the first expedition of the super fish pals.