Welcome to Arcangel!

It is the 4th of June in the year 1048 AK (After Kayl’s death and the splitting of the kingdom) by the reckoning of the West. The kingdoms have been at peace for many years, and most of the kingdoms have been prosperous.

The spring thaw has gradually warmed into the halcyon days of early summer. All around, there is activity as the flowers and herbs have bloomed and the spring births have filled the forests with life.

Each of you have come to the city of Toof with specific duties to fulfill, and you have fulfilled your duties as best as you could. Now, your future is ahead of you. You’ve already decided that a normal life is not for you, that you could not endure the boring, humdrum existence of the rest of society. The local talk is that if you want to find action, start at the “Puking Toad”.

You have found the “The Puking Toad”. While you expect the seediest dive you could imagine, instead you find yourself among well dressed, well behaved men and women. You are met with exquisite scents of well-prepared beef and dewback, a local meat that is kind of a cross between a cow and a hedgehog. The décor is nice without being ostentatious, bright without being gaudy. To your right, a number of ladies and gentlemen are conversing in one wing of the tavern, while to your left, a dining area is set up with serving girls running around with trays heaped with all kinds of breads, meats, and cheeses. Straight ahead of you is the bar - a high, well polished counter made of some dark wood at which are several stools, only two of which are empty.

“Greetings!” the tall, heavyset man standing behind the counter yells as you walk in with some others. “Oh, and for our elven friends ‘Aiya! Mainen linna aselye? ’ Welcome to “The Toad”. I haven’t seen you here before. Let me tell you what we can offer you today. If it be food you’re looking for, our dining hall is still open, though just for a short time more. If it’s some good conversation, well, our sittin’ room is to your right. You know, I really don’t know why we call it the sittin’ room – it seems as though everyone likes to stand!” He lets out a great baritone guffaw at his own joke, even though it’s most decidedly practiced.
“Oh, and if it be information or jobs you’re looking for, the postings can also be found in the sittin’ room. And, lastly, if you just want to drink, then I’m your man, Markham the Iniquitous. We’ve got lots of stools, and no waiting. What’ll it be, good gentles?”

OOC:I'm guessing we should write in the first person...

And on the sheet I am trying to accomplish my 'great task'. How would I come to get my task?
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I nodded my head to the man behind the counter in thanks. he heads over to the sitting room, and looks at the postings.

A tall, dark haired, human female in sturdy travelling clothes nods to the barkeep. A slight swish of ring on ring gives away the fact that under those travelling clothes, she is wearing mail. In another life, she might be considered pretty, but the scar on her oval face running across her nose and cheek has seen to that. She continues into the bar, looks around, and tries to decide where to go. Seeing a general movement toward the sitting room, she heads there as well.

An elvish woman steps out of the group, pushing back the hood of a worn gray cloak as she walks into the main room. To an untrained observer, she appears 20 years old at most, young looking even for an elf. The calm grace with which she moves, however, is more appropriate to a veteran warrior. Her plain clothing retains a few hints of her previous week of travel, and the curiass visible under her cloak shows the bright streaks that mean only one thing: recent battle. She carries a pike and longbow slung across her back, both easily accesible if any threat appears. Between that and the aura of confidence surrounding her, most of the taven's patrons move aside almost unconsciously.

Dismissing the man's false friendliness with a nod of understanding, she walks past him and to the dining area. She takes a plate of bread and cheese, then scans the room for anything of interest. Since most of the crowd seems to be gathering in the sitting room, she takes her food and walks over to the job postings.

Looking intently at the job board is a young man in rather foppish attire. His manner and bearing are those of someone who has been pampered through his life, and his delicate hands are apparent as he reaches out to some of the numerous notices on the board. “Amazing, isn’t it.” He declares as the first of the newcomers approaches him. “Not a single job worthy of someone of substance.” He sighs deeply, turns, and startles when he sees the elves approaching. “Though,” he quickly continues. “I guess that there are always things that start small and become hero’s work. What kind of thing are you looking for?”

The job board is fairly full of notices, many of which seem to have been there for quite some time. The titles are in some cases very descriptive, and in others, humorous.

ADIN THE WAYFARER HAS ESCAPED AND IS WANTED BY THE TOOF GUARD

BRING ME A COPY OF “THE DWARVEN BALLERINA”

I AM LOOKING FOR MITHRIL. BRING ME ANY AND I’LL PAY TOP GOLD

LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO PICK UP A DELIVERY IN LIGHTHOUSE POINT

GUARDS BEING SOUGHT FOR WATCH AT DIG

PLEASE DELIVER A SEALED PACKAGE TO THE COSTAN CAPITOL

I AM LOOKING FOR A NUMBER OF ITEMS

DELIVER A PACKAGE TO MIDDLEWOOD

PLEASE PICK UP A LOAD OF IRON IN WOODEN AND DELIVER IT HERE

I HAVE LOST MY RING. IF ANYONE FINDS IT, PLEASE BRING IT TO ME

FEED THE POOR – BRING DONATIONS TO THE TEMPLE OF CORITHALION

I HAVE A MYSTERY FOR YOU TO SOLVE. ROYAL REWARD POSSIBLE

PLEASE DELIVER A DELIVERY FOR LIVERY

UNCLE MELIAS WANTS YOU!!!!!

MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING. PLEASE FIND HER FOR ME

TOP GOLD PAID FOR ALL ITEMS OF DWARVEN MAKE

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S BEYOND THE KNOWN WORLD – DO YOU?

Helstar picked up the notice about the guard job.

He looks it over, and pockets the note. He heads to -wherever- it told him to go.

Melisande watches the man take the notice off of the board, and follows him outside. She calls to him "Excuse me, but is that a request for gaurds? I was looking for work myself. Do you mind if I tag along?"

Helstar stops and turns around.

"Yes, It is. A guard position. Seemed better than finding some childrens book." He says, grinning.
"I dont mind at all. The more the merrier as they say."

OOC - I will be away from access to a computer for the next couple days - see you all on Sunday Night/Monday (US east coast time).
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The notice asks those interested to see Waring Beadel at his current archaeological dig among the tombs of the kings, just north of the City. The walk is long, and takes you through many of the boroughs of the City. Along the way, you see a number of people in rugged garb - more than you recall in the city.

Back at the Toad, the foppish young man spouts off. "That was rude!" He says, a surprised look on his face. "I had always heard that the elves were a noble and gentle race. He was, well, downright brusque, not what I expected at all! Imagine such a noble being as that taking on a job as menial as guarding a worksite! I guess I'll have to review my thinking on elves." He turns to see another elf approaching. "In all my life, I thought I would be lucky to see an elf, and now, here, I see two in the space of a few minutes." He bows deeply. "Welcome to Toof, milady. I hope the day finds you in good health."

(To Helstar, though she does not know his name)

So, my name's Melisande, and as long as we're going to apply for the same job, I figure you might want to know something about me. I may look rather wimpy, but I can swing a sword with the best of them, at least i was best in my family.

She adjusts her pace to be exactly that of the elf next to her.

Alenee looks at the man in amusement, as if trying to hold back a laugh. "Yes," she replies, "elves are quite annoying creatures, aren't they... Slightly less so than you, fool. Did you really think my hearing is that bad?" Alenee's tone has now shifted to contempt. "I find your arrogance highly amusing, coming from one as weak as you. Were you one bit worthier, I would slay you to avenge your insult to my race. But, I will not dirty my blade with the blood such a worthless man. Now leave me alone, or I may reconsider my decision!" She takes the "I HAVE A MYSTERY FOR YOU TO SOLVE. ROYAL REWARD POSSIBLE" and "LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO PICK UP A DELIVERY IN LIGHTHOUSE POINT" notices, then walks over to the man whose conversation she had overheard later. She taps the man lightly on the shoulder to get his attention, then speaks in a far more pleasant tone. "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation, and... well, I'm a bit new here and don't know too much about local events. Would you mind telling me just what this church business is you were talking about?"

"What's it to ye?" The man in the Toad says as he turns, then looks at Alenee. A broad smile comes across his face. "Pardon me, your elfness," he says slurring slightly, his breath reeking of alcohol. "I meant no offense, but I'm always gettin' in fights here." He motions her over to the table.

"Come, now, please, have a seat, for 'tis a long story, if you've a mind to hear it." He stands, pulling out a chair, starting his story as he does so. "The Arcangelical Temple seems to be the one that the royals have taken to. I mean, really, awarding the new church inside the castle walls to them, rather than the Corithalions. I mean, Corithalion is Toof, and Toof is Corithalion. A lot of us aren't at all happy with it, but, what are we supposed to do, we don't have the power, and it was within their power." He looks around carefully, as if he's expecting that someone's listening. He then lowers his voice to barely a whisper. "I just wonder what kind of magic" He looks around again "the Arcangelicans are using on them. They've gotten every break from them for the past ten years - but you didn't hear it from me."

The Post about the Mystery: There's something strange going on and things and people are disappearing. Report to Bengt Reevelord, Head Overseer of the Royal Tomb Construction at the Hills of the Kings, just to the north of the city

The Post about Lighthouse Point: A local food merchant is looking for someone to cart a load of fish from a fisherman in the port village of Lighthouse Point to Horol's market here in the city. It's about a day's travel there and back.

"Hello Melisande. I'm Helstar. Don't worry about your appearance. Being a mage usually dispels any fascination about what a strong person should look like." Helstar replies, smiling warmly.

"Interesting story... the events you miss out in the wilderness......" Alenee replies, careful not to mention her own opinion of the subject. "Thank you for your time. I'd better be going now, business demands my attention." She walks out of the tavern. She pauses outside the door to review her map, then heads off in the direction of the Hills of the Kings. "Might as well start earning some favors with the local powers," she thinks. "Hopefully this will go a bit better than my last royal business!" She laughs quietly at the last part. As if a forced change of rulers could be considered just a mere "bad business deal"!

Helstar and Melisande
Helstar and Melisande arrive at the dig site just as a middle-aged gentleman dressed in heavy clothing is coming out of a large recess in the top of the hill. He startles at your presence, then catches himself. "Are you here for the job? If so, your timing couldn't be better. We had another disappearance this morning. If this keeps up, I may never figure out what this kind of structure is doing here."

Alenee
Bengt Reevelord has set up his headquarters at the base of the Hills of the Kings. The headquarters is comprised of several shacks built around a central clearing, with one permanent structure at the north end. There are workers with picks and shovels beginning to work their way up the hills, and carts carrying polished stone are being pulled by draft animals of all sizes up a crude road cut into the side of a steep hill. A large man steps out of the permanent building, dressed in rich green robes. Around his neck he wears a heavy gold chain, upon which a symbol of a dragon with a coiled tail hangs. He notices you coming and calls to you. "You don't belong here. If you're here to loot, you're too early, and if you're here to help, well, get to it then." He looks you over as his eyes become adjusted to the light. "Elf, by the looks of you. Which means you're probably from the Toad. If you're interested, come on in and I'll fill you in."

"Hello there sir!" Helstar greets the man warmly, in a small bow.

"Yes, we are here for the job. What do you mean exactly, dissapearence?" Helstar's voice deepens at the last part.
Helstar takes the note out of his pocket and hands it to the man. He then turns to Melisande and waits to see her reaction.

Melisande puts her hand to her mouth. "Good sir," she says in her best coquettish voice. "What is it that has disappeared? Is it something valuable that you wish to recover?" She absentmindedly twists her finger in her hair. After a second, she looks confused. "What structure are you talking about. All I see is a hole."

Helstar and Melisande

The man ignores Melisande and talks directly to Helstar. "You interested in what's disappeared? I'll tell you what's disappeared. My maps, my men, and my tools. At first, there were just little things missing, but, lately, it's expanded to everything. See the tents around?" He waves his arm, pointing out about half a dozen large tents. "They hold my full complement - thirty men. Right now, four of them are empty, and an other is for equipment. I currently have five men left, and the equipment I have is barely enough for that many. Here I am, on the brink of the greatest discovery of my career, and I see everything falling apart. I have nothing against you helping, sir, but I don't see how a girl can help."

Helstar turns towards Melisande, and then towards the man. He laughs, the turn's back towards Melisande.

"What do you say to that?" Hesltar asks. "I'd say I'd rather chase the bloody book."

Melisande quickly draws a knife and does her best to put it at the throat of the man. "Girl, am I? Just goes to show how shallow you are. You know what? I'm going to figure out what's going on here just to prove to you the worth of us girls."
She turns to Helstar. "I think we can handle this. Don't you?" She turns back to the man. "So tell us everything you know about this place and what is going on, and we'll see about getting your stuff back."

Helstar smiles and chuckles again.

"That is one way to do it I suppose." he says, almost gleefully. He walks towards the hole, and when at the edge looks down.

The man, taken by surprise, quickly changes his attitude. "Okay, okay." he says, gently pushing the knife away from his throat. "You've made your point." He pulls back, adjusting his neck as he does so.

"We've got a situation here that needs some quick help. The find I have here is of great importance to both the church and the crown. What I've found is a possible tomb of one of the old ones, the beings that were here before men set foot on the world. As far as anyone knows, they never made elaborate tombs for their dead, but, here I've found a polished marble crypt, with the heiroglyphs of the old ones on it. With the power these beings supposedly had, an intact tomb could mean we might even find out about the origins of the gods!" He gets very excited as he finishes.

Helstr looks down into a hole that is at least twenty feet deep. Even at that depth, a polished white surface is visible.

"The workers I had were all laborers. I need someone who can stay at the site and won't run at the first rustle of branches in the night breeze. During the day, I need someone to help me figure out how to get in this structure - Oh, by the way - you can't see it because it is the hole - it's been buried for over 5,000 years. If you help me, I'll make you a limited partner in this."

"Is that better than finding some bloody book?"

"You read my mind," Alenee replies. "I saw your job offer in the tavern, and thought I'd at least see what the full deal is. So I guess we have some things to talk about." She follows the man into the building.

Alenee

He leads you into a well lit structure. Strewn across a large wooden table are all kinds of maps and diagrams, mostly in disarray. He reaches over and sweeps a section of the table clear with his arm. "Come, sit." He pulls a chair up to the newly cleared area. Without waiting for Alenee, he continues. "I am the chief overseer for the building of the tomb for our current king. As long as I have been on or ahead of schedule, I've been paid, and everything is fine." He gathers up a bottle, and places two glasses on the table. He shows you the bottle, offering a drink.
"Now, however, there have been some problems. I am starting to fall behind, and that means the king does not look on me with quite so favorable an eye. If you can solve these problems for me, I would be in your debt, and I'm sure the King would be most appreciative as well. The mystery seems to have something to do with ghosts, which have all but halted construction. Are you interested?"

"Well, I'd hate to think I'd come here for nothing, so I'll take the job. Sure, thank you," she says, accepting the offer. She takes a drink from her glass, then continues. "I'll of course need to know everything you know. Just what exactly are these problems? Oh, and a letter of royal approval for my actions would be helpful... if its active sabotage, I doubt merely askning nicely for information's going to get me too far."

Helstar makes a sour smile towards the large hole, and then turns back towards the man with the same expression.

"I'm up for it. After we talk pay of course." Helstar's expression turns into a more serious one.

"1000 gold. Upfront. 3000 once the task is completed. You pay all expenses, and I... no... we... get paid a percentage because we will be as you offered, partners." Helstar turns again to Melisande.

"Sound reasonable?" He asks her.

OOC - Just a reminder, low power, and the base is not gold

mithril = var gold
gold = 10 silver
silver = 10 bronze
bronze = 10 copper
copper = 10 tin
tin = base unit

most people never see anything above silver in their life, and coppers are the most common of the coins. a family can live on a few bronze a week

Alenee
Bengt's face brightens as you accept his proposal. "I don't have a lot to pay you, 30 silver is it, but you can keep any loot of anyone you find that's causing this." He takes a drink, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "As you can guess from my last statement, I'm not wholly convinced that this is a supernatural occurence. All I ask is that you stop it, and that you keep me apprised of your progress."

"As far as what I know, the problem started when we started clearing the land to the east of the tomb. There are tombs all over the hill up there, and the workers became convinced that, with the strange things happening, that we had disturbed some old, unmarked tomb. The workers reported things floating around, being attacked by shovels, and strange noises and voices. They kept working until one of them was injured, supposedly pushed into the path of a large block. I'd start in the East, and figure out what's up fom there. As for the royal approval," he says, scrawling a note. "Here, this is my approval to do what needs to be done. As long as it's related to this case, it will indemnify you. I hope that's enough, it's all I can give you."

"Oh," he adds as an afterthought, "You might run into some agents of the crown seeing how things are going. Please work with them, not against them. I can't afford more negative reports, and the king is looking into the problem as well."

Helstar and Melisande
"Surely you jest." He says, an incredulous look on his face. "I've got 100 bronze for you up front, and 500 more on completion, plus any loot you find. Let's seal this with a handshake, and all of us can get to work."

"200 gol... bronze.... up front. 700 more upon completion."

Helstar just stares the man in his eyes.

He looks back at Helstar, then laughs. "What say we split the difference? 150 and 600, and I'll throw in mention of you for the discovery if you hang around and help me explore the excavation." He looks at the two of you, then, with a much more serious tone adds "That's all I can afford, honestly."

"Well, I guess you've got a deal. I'll be back if I have any more questions for you." Alenee takes the note and slips it into a cloak pocket, then picks up her weapons and walks out the door. Once outside, she heads off towards the east end of the tombs. On the way, she surveys the area for anything of interest.

Helstar smiles at the man, almost wrmly, and takes the man's hand.

"I'm in." He smiles once again, and lets go of the man's hand. He then turns to Melisande and waits to see what she thinks.

Melisande looks at the man, an evil kind of look in her eye, then spits in her hand, offering it to the man. "If it's all right with you," she says looking at Helstar. "Then it's all right by me. I always wanted to be famous for something."

"Then it should be settled." helstar looks back at the man.


"Got any leads, information, anything that might... help us?" helstar asks.

Melisande and Helstar
The gentleman looks at the outstretched hand dubiously, then shakes it. "Okay," he says quickly. "Now that we've got that over with, let me show you around the camp. Over here are the now empty tents," he says, waving his arm, pointing at the tents furthest from the dig. "And these," pointing to the closer ones, "are the tents of the remaining workers and the remaining equipment. Everything seems to happen at night, so you're welcome to hang around and have dinner with us."

Alenee
You proceed up the hill, noting the fine workmanship in everything around. The stone walls along the sides of the road are meticulously put together - you don't think you could get a swordpoint between any of the stones. When you reach the top, you see spread before you a myriad of styles of mausoleums. Many are white marble, though they come in all colors and shapes. Most have a family crest upon them, many similar but not exact, as though they belong to the same familial line. As you head toward the east, you find that the tombs go on for quite a way, almost a mile you would guess. Finally, you reach a construction site where there are several counterbalanced cranes, with several workers at each lifting large polished black stone blocks into position. The structure seems to be about half done, with the beginnings of a dome being made on top. One of the workers notices you, and comes over. "Excuse me, but this is a restricted site. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"I'm here to take a look at the problems you've been having. I've got authorization from Bengt Reevelord, giving me access to whatever I need," Alenee replies, pulling the note from her cloak. She hands it to the worker, then continues. "Who's in charge around here? And might as well find the witnesses at the same time... I'll need to talk to anyone who's seen anything related to the trouble here."

Melisande looks at the man, back in her coquettish act -

"I'm sorry, I never got your name. My name is Melisande, and you would be well warned not to judge me nor any others who come after me by how they appear. As for dinner, how can I, or we" she says, turning to Helstar, "possibly decline such a request from our new partner? Do you mind if we look around ourselves til then? Oh, and by the way, if you can inform your workers that we will be asking all kinds of questions at dinner." She curtsies, and looks to Helstar.

Melisande and Helstar

The man looks at you both, not sure what to make of either of you. "My name's Waring Beadle, and I shall do as you request. Although you seem strange to me, I do believe that you will help me solve my problems. Please feel free to look around."

Alenee

The man takes the paper and looks at it.

"Sorry," he says apologetically. "We've just all been a little more cautious lately. I guess I'm the one you want - Erech's my name. The others don't speak much, let alone to strangers." He wipes his brow. "Where should I begin? It all started with the excavation of the main crypt, we hit some worked stone, but it was old and we were able to get through it. It seemed to be some kind of paving stones for and old road. The plans called for us to work even further to the east, so we pulled up more of the stones. Then, we hit a door. It was sealed, and had the mark of an ancient king on it. Work stopped completely at that point, as you could guess. We got Bengt up here, and he called in a herald. The herald looked at the marking, clutched his chest, and dropped. The only thing he uttered was the word 'Astanth.'" He makes a symbol in the air in front of him with his finger as he says the word.
"You can understand how we must have felt - I mean, everyone was brought up with the story of Astanth and how he consorted with devils and demons and almost brought the north to its knees. His tomb was destroyed before he died, but it was always rumored that he had pre-arranged something that would allow him to return and fulfill his destiny to rule the world."
"Since then, it seems as though something is working to unseal the tomb. Picks will be seen moving by themselves toward the structure. Every night, the guard is set, and every morning they are found asleep, with more of the structure uncovered. If you look go to the east side of the tomb, you can see for yourself."

Alenee nods in understanding as the man tells his story. When he finishes, she pauses for a moment to think, then replies. "Well, I guess that'd be the best way to start. Not going to accomplish much here without looking at it at some point. Show me this new tomb, and while we're walking, I'd like to hear anything you know about yourself and your workers. I'm still not convinced this is anything more than perfectly natural sabotage."

Alenee

Erech walks you to the east, and tells you about himself and the workers.

"We are all free men - stonemasons and laborers. I, myself, am a master in the stonemason's guild." He pauses for a second, then goes on. "We were hired by Bengt to complete the tomb. For all it's supposed pomp, it's actually a very simple structure. Well, I digress. We are all from the area, and have all been working on the tomb since the beginning. To anticipate your next question, no, there has not been anyone new that came later."

He stops at the east end of the structure. "Well, here it is. I wish you luck - if you can solve this mystery and it is, as you said, simple sabotage, then we can get finished sooner. If not, well, then if you can solve it, we can get finished again." He bids you farewell, walks away a few paces, then turns. "Oh, by the way, there's another lady looking around up here - name's Linden I think. Said she was looking into things for the king. She left the hill just after the strange stuff started, saying she had to look up something. Don't be surprised if you meet her, though."

He turns, and walks back to the main work area.

Once Erech is out of sight, Alenee begins making a closer inspection of the tomb. Maybe the answer will be obvious, and save her a missed night of sleep waiting for something to happen.

Alenee

As you climb a mound, you are able to look down and see just how much of a structure has been uncovered. One side, a good forty feet in length, has been uncovered, revealing smooth, even polished wall of white stone, yellowed with dirt and the seepage of unknown ages. The door is a solid slab of black basalt, six feet wide and eight tall, that does not budge to the touch. Tapping on it gives a sense of great thickness. Though obviously a door, it is perfectly flush with the side. What draws your attention, though, is an unbroken seal with pictographs that are beyond your comprehension. It would take a number of men to unseal the tomb, judging by the size of the black slab. The roof is made of the same white stone, and goes back at least forty feet, where its smoothe surface disappears into the side of the hill. It is mostly cleared, and you wonder just how long ago the structure was discovered. There are just a couple of spots where there are still piles of dirt on the roof, and one pile of debris back near where it meets the hillside.

"Well Mr. Beadle, It will be good to work with you." Helstar puts on the fakest smile he can. he then turns to Melisande.

"I would say we go and meet the workers, wouldn't you?" He smiles, genuinley, and then turns towards the occupied tents.

Helstar and Melisande

The workers are currently doing their jobs, and from their grumblings, the jobs of several others as well. They are hauling dirt, sifting it through sieves, picking out the interesting clumps and carefully breaking them up, looking at what's inside. They are not overly talkative at the moment, and appear to be not in the best of spirits.

A tall, young woman crests the hill and surveys the area around the tomb. Her gear (hauberk, bow & mace) is well maintained and she has a look of quiet competence about her. She sees Alenee and walks over to her, puts her hand over her heart and bows slightly.

"Peace. My name is Linden. May I help you?"

"Ah, Erech told me I might be seeing you around here," Alenee replies, extending her hand in greeting. "I'm Alenee B'Elen, and I've been hired to deal with the trouble here. So lets start by hearing what you've found out here."

Alenee

Linden smiled to Alenee.

" I see that you have talked to Erech and Bengt Reevelord. I spoke to them a few days ago and heard the tale of the walking tools and sleeping guards. I also heard from them that this might be the tomb of Astanth so I thought I'd go check up on the regional lore regarding him. Apparently, Astanth was set on taking over the world and utilized the aid of devils and demons in his pursuit. One thing of note that I found was that he is supposed to come back into power "when the old ones reappear." and fulfill his destiny in ruling the world. I'm not sure what that one means....yet. If this great evil is returning to the land, we should watch and prepare."

She walks around a bit looking down at the sealed tomb and then back to Alenee.

"I think that we need to assist the guards on their nightly watch this evening. Maybe we'll be able to discern how the picks and shovels can wander about in the night. If they wander over to this tomb, mayhap we can uncover the ghostly hands wielding them. What say you?"

Melisande looks at Helstar -

"Well, they sure are sourpusses, what say we wait until dinner and see if they're in a better mood? Until then, let's just patrol the area, just in case?"

Smiling slightly, Alenee replies. "Or discover just which not so ghostly hands are digging it up the simple way. I'm not quite ready to accept this ancient evil story as the only possibility... I've seen far too much human evil to think ancient spirits have a monopoly on it." She looks around, noticing the still light sky. "Well, looks like we've got a while before we can find out. You've been here a lot longer than I have, so I've got a few questions for you. Heard any rumors or anything about someone who might have an reason to want construction here disrupted? Contract disputes, anything of that nature?"

Helstar and Melisande

The wait until dinner is uneventful. Dinner is late, well after dark, and the workers all appear dead tired. They do, however, open up and begin to talk about their experiences and fears.

"I don't know why I haven't left" says one. "I mean, there's not enough money in this to justify the terror that we've felt."

"I know," replies another. "The wolf skull covered in blood that appeared in the middle of camp in the pentagram drawn in blood with the words 'leave or the skulls will be yours' was it for half the crew."

"Come now," Beadle says. "You're exaggerating."

"Not really," the man who made the comment replies. "We cleaned up most of it before you were up."

A chorus chimes in, and the descriptions of what happened come faster than you can listen. In the middle of this, a movement outside the group in the area of the tents catches Melisande's view.

Alenee and Linden

The wait until dark is short. A couple of guards join you at the tomb. You note that they are no more than workers that have been issued long knives. For the first part of the evening, the night is quiet. About 9:00, however, you both get a chill down your spine. The two other guards collapse, and you rub your eyes as you see picks and shovels floating, moving steadily toward your position.

"Such competent guards they have...." Alenee says quietly, drawing back an arrow. She waits calmly for the closest tool to reach her point of aim.