I inspect the portcullis for hinges, but don’t find any mechanism that accounts for its presence.  I take a moment to remain in the shadows and listen to my environment.

            Korvinean opens the grate in the middle of the street with ease.  As he peers in, he sees nothing but darkness. 

“How far down is it?” Briggette asks.

Korvinean estimates, “About eight feet.”

Briggette jumps in and lands amidst four feet of sewage and filth.  She grins to herself at Korvinean’s trepidation.  “Well, you’ll have to come down now.”
Korvinean lights a torch and passes it down to Briggette before deftly jumping in.  As Brianna prepares to jump in, Korvinean stops her, and they begin to argue about having a rope and the ability to get back out of the sewers.

I overhear this argument, and say, in Cuthbertine using ventriloquism.  “Are you trying to wake the dead?”

Korvinean obviously doesn’t recognize my voice.  “We’re sorry to disturb you—we’re trying to retrieve an errant member of our party.”

Briggette and I converse about the presence of the portcullis, and she reaches through to heal me.  After much debate, I slowly progress back down the ledge until I come to the approximate area where Olsa touched the wall before the portcullis fell.  As I approach, I carefully search the area.

            Ulric rides hard through the night after taking care of his father’s business.  He arrives in Humpolec late at night.  He speaks to the guard and asks after our whereabouts.  He is directed to the Emerald Trout, and a place to have Alabaster fed, cleaned and stabled.

He heads through town, and sees Finn standing next to a hole and a mass of brown on the ground.  He waves, “Finn!  I have to stay with my horse.”

“I’m the one who’s drunk, but they’re being stupid.”  Finn isn’t sure what is going on.

“I’ll be back.”

“They’ll probably still be bickering.”

Ulric meets a young stable boy named Liam, and gives instructions for Alabaster’s care.  He heads back to Finn, and they talk about what’s going on.  After some banter, Ulric sends Finn to get a horse and some rope to begin pulling people out.

Korvinean throws his arms wide and steps toward Ulric, “Oh!  Thank you so much for saving me from the sewer!”  Ulric puts the draft horse between Korvinean and himself.  The rest of us come up in turn, and immediately make for the river.  We clean ourselves and our armor.  After he leaves the river, Korvinean heads to the bath house to be oiled and further cleaned.  Then he heads to the leather worker’s shop to have his armor cleaned and re-oiled, just as I’m leaving.  He reminds me about the old man who mentioned vampires in the sewers.  He also mentions how everything is sort of leading to the tannery.  I leave my armor to be tended to, and head back to the inn.  Korvinean stays with his armor.

Meanwhile, Ulric secures hot meals and a table for us at the inn.  There are three men and a woman in the corner wearing black and red.  He motions to them and asks Briggette, “Have you seen these guys?”

She tells him of the conversation with these Black Order Monks from earlier in the evening.  He grudgingly decides not to confront them.  We discuss the matters at hand over our stew.  We determine that we need to investigate the sewers.

The Night Captain of the Guard walks in.  Ulric greets him, “Ah!  Captain Vlad!  Would you like to sit and have some stew with us?  We appear to have an extra bowl.”

“Why, thank you.”

“So,” Briggette asks, “who do you think killed the priest?”

“I like Walder for it.  I don’t think Ivan has the guts for it.  Walder and Johanne had some issues.  Johanne may have trown him into the horse trough and held him under for a minute.”

“May have or did?” Briggette asks.

“Well, I wasn’t there to see it, but all the witnesses said Walder put his hands on Johanne first.  And he didn’t kill him.”  The Captain shrugs.  He goes on to tell us the history between Johanne and Walder, which seems to be mostly based on the rumors that Walder had been sexually violent to some of his workers at the dye house.  Johanne called him out publicly about the accusations.

We further discuss the details of the slayings.  The Night Captain suggests that we speak with Captain Bragovich again.  We find that the baron of Humpolec, xxx, left town on some sort of mission four days after Johanne’s murder.  Vlad is not sure what this mission is, but he heard something about a missing person.  Ulric is appalled at this blatant dereliction of duty on the part of the baron.

“It was a shock.  I mean, I would have put my money on Johanne against any man in town, even half asleep in the middle of the night.  I saw him fight the orcs.  I saw how many he killed.”

Vlad excuses himself, and offers to help in any way he can.

Ulric immediately calls for paper and quill to send a letter to his father about the baron’s suspicious absence.  He notes the timeframe and the minimalist nature of the investigation the baron conducted.

He stands to head to the church for evening prayers and confessions.  He stops at the table of the Unseemlies.  “Would you care to accompany to church?  I’m sure any prayers would be welcome.”

Their apparent leader grins at him, “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“No, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”

“I am Romousm.”  The monk offers his hand.  He and Ulric go on to discuss the virtues or ruling and being ruled.  He says he simply does not understand those like Briggette who do not rule but ride into battle to protect the people anyway.  He does not understand willing servitude.

They go on to church, leaving the Black Order followers to their table.

            The next morning at breakfast, Korvinean shows up with my armor being carried by Sam, the younger of the leatherworking apprentices.  He is the one who discovered the bodies.

Ulric invites the boy to join us for breakfast.  After some hesitation, he sits, and as we eat, he describes the scene to us.  He speaks to the damage done to the Billet’s wife, “Her innards were ripped out through her womanly parts—all of her innards.  She was in the bedroom in a pool of blood.”

“Did you know the tanner’s daughter?  She was close to your age, right?”

“Ulsa?  I saw her at church.”

“Did she seem the kind of girl who would run away?”

The boy hesitates and looks at Briggette.  “May I say what Johanne said?” After her nod, he continues, “I have lived in the Billet’s house for a long time.  I have picked up on things.  I’ve heard him praying.  He said that Ulsa was taken from her bed and he did not know what to do.  He asked for guidance.”
We enjoy the rest of the breakfast, then we go to speak to our next the innkeep, Ivan.  Ulric heads upstairs to reread through the Billet’s papers and ledgers.
“May I help you?” Ivan asks as we approach. 

“I need to ask you some questions.”  Briggette begins in a no-nonsense fashion.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“I understand you had a problem with Billet Johanne?”

“Yep.  I did.  He was kind of a prick.  He made accusations about the nice ladies who worked in my bar.”  Ivan seems unashamed of his hatred.

“Were they unfounded?”

“I didn’t say that.  I just said he made accusations.  It was uncalled for.  I’m not sayin’ I ain’t glad he’s dead…  Business has picked up since he’s not preachin’ that you shouldn’t come to my evil establishment.  But I didn’t kill him.  Lotsa people are self-righteous pricks, but that don’t mean you go around killin’ ‘em.”

About that time, the old man who tells the stories about the vampires in the sewers comes in.  Ivan pours him an ale, then continues.  He suggests we talk to a madam who comes in on the fourth day of the week at 11 in the morning, and the sixth day at seven in the evening.  He says you can set your clock by her appearances.

            Ulric is reading through the logs and finds several passages marked “Send to the Stars.”  The Stars are a group of inquisitors who research and investigate church matters.  The stories in question seem to be Cuthbertine parables at first glance, but on closer inspection, they are actually encouraging bad behavior and loose morals.  As he continues to go through the scrolls, he finds one with a drawing of a six-fingered hand.  The only thing he can make out is the Billet’s handwritten “Investigating” note.  He brings the scroll downstairs.

“Gizli, do you recognize this?”  I look at the script, and recognize it as writing, but can’t read it.

The old vampire guy says, “That’s abyssal.  I used to be a merchant who trafficked in books.”  He looks at the scroll.  He tells us that it’s about finding the members or worshippers of a name that he can’t read.  There appears to be a part of the scroll that is older, and one that is newer.  The older script is very well done in an old-fashioned hand.  The newer text, however, is done by someone who wasn’t very familiar with the language.  It is very sharp and distinct.  He mentions that the part he has a problem with is the name of a demon Lord.  We ask if it might be Grazzt.  He says it might be, and that if it is, his follower would be a woman.  He is the god of depraved sexual deviance and rapists.  He confirms that Grazzt has six fingers.

Ulric puts one of the false teaching scrolls on the table.  “Do you know how long ago this was written?”

The old man inspects the paper and the writing.  “This is vellum.  It’s pretty new.  No more than six or eight months.   It’s expensive.  Anybody can get it in town, but I never used it.  Too expensive for me.”

He mentions two merchants who we should look at.  “Walder—he’s a lyin’ bastard if ever there was one.  And his cousin, Walden.  He sells cloth, but he’s not really good at it.  They hate each other.  Walder was always the kind of guy who’d look you right in the eye and tell you he’d pay you three coppers a pound for your dye, and you better count your copper.  Walden just always seemed like a tease.  He acts like a ladies’ man, but the ladies don’t like him.”  He goes on to tell us just how treacherous Walder can be.

We take our leave, and head to the scroll and potion shop.  A woman of about 50 greets us from behind the counter.  She looks at Ulric and asks, “Do you need a potion to keep the girls off?”

“No, thank you.”  Ulric grins.

“Do you need a potion to make her taller?” the woman gestures toward me.

Ulric is disturbed, but polite.  “Um, no, ma’am.  I understand that you are the only place in town to get large quantities of vellum?”

“Yes, how much do you need?”

Ulric explains that we are looking for information on vellum buyers, but not vellum itself.  She tells us of a man who came through several months ago who bought an unusually large quantity, and didn’t haggle the price at all.  She also tells us that Walder keeps his books on vellum.

“If I show you a piece of vellum, could you tell me if you sold it?”

“Possibly, but then again, maybe not.”  She explains how the vellum is made and expresses how she and a neighboring town may both get pieces from the same larger sheet.  Ulric hands her one of the false teaching scrolls.  She immediately recognizes the marginal notes as the handwriting of the Billet.  “I should probably disclose that I am a priestess of the god Hermes.”

“Here,” she points at the Billet’s notes, “this was written with very good squid ink about a month ago.  The other is made with very cheap berry juice.  It will pass away in another year.  No real priest will ever write with this; it will pass away quickly.”

She observes that the hand is psychotic and angry.  “I would be willing to bet that whoever wrote this is your killer.”

“Can you think of any women in town who commanded more respect than is due one of her station?” Ulric asks.

She names two:  Marguerite and another woman that no one has seen in years.  The house is paid for, but no one knows where she is.  Marguerite has money but doesn’t spend with the merchants in town.  She does go into the Emerald Trout every once in a while to eat.

We head back to the Emerald Trout.  When we arrive, we find a woman sitting in fine clothing at one of the tables eating with real silver utensils.  Ulric asks me to cut her purse while Finn distracts and flirts with her.

I trip just as I try to cut her purse strap, and I fall into her lap with one arm tangled in her purse strap and one down her blouse with my hand resting on her breast.

“I don’t mind that you’re a girl, but I’m not into gnomes.  Why are you trying to steal my purse little girl?”

The half-orc with the Unseemlies is laughing so hard he can hardly breathe, so I say the first thing that comes to my mind.  “It was a bet—with him.”

She looks at him.  “What was the bet?”

“One gold piece.”

She grabs my purse, opens it, removes a gold piece and tosses it to the half-orc.  She debates what to do with me, and decides to keep me as an ornament.  I sit quietly and watch her eat and flirt with Finn.  When she finishes eating, she reaches into her purse, pulls out a silver piece and places it in my hand.  “This is what your kind is after.  Guard it well.  If this silver piece leaves your person, you will die.”

“Oh, in that case,” I reach into my underclothes and place it against my skin.

She gets up to leave and tells Ulric, “Your friend is handsy.”

“I know.”

“I’m not one to make a big stink…”

“What about the people you’re with?”

She smiles at Ulric, “Oh, I’m not with anyone.”

“So, no six-fingered demon Lords?”

“No, I generally try to avoid demons altogether.”

Ulric switches into interrogation mode.  “So, you have no dealings with any vampires or demons or demon Lords?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Would you be willing to sign a statement to that effect in writing?” Ulric pulls out the paper with Grazzt’s name.  Korvinean notices a slight slip in her practiced demeanor as she sees the symbol and the writing.

“Of course,” she says, and she writes in a beautiful, flowing, educated script.  “But, perhaps, if you prefer . . . .”  She again takes up the quill and writes in a completely different handwriting bearing no resemblance to the first.  “I went to a fine school.”

Ulric has had enough.  He flips the vellum over.  “I am looking for these people.”  He goes on to question her about her knowledge of these followers of Grazzt.  She asks what will happen to them if they’re found, as well as what might happen to those who “followed” less than willingly.  He explains that he does not mete out the justice, but merely presents those found guilty to the proper authorities.  He also mentions that if we are not satisfied in our search here, the inquisition that follows might destroy the town’s economy and just how horrible the situation could easily become.  She alludes to having more information, but reveals nothing certain.

After discussing the rubbings on the paper, we decide that the most likely place to find carved stone is in the cemetery.