Welcome to Flamekeep – #22 Eberron 2020

With the sun setting, the Cathedral of the Silver Flame in the centre of the city of Flamekeep took on its own glow, bathing the city’s inner district in pale silver light. 

The group, fresh off the train, debated where to go first. Some wanted to head to the Cannith office straight away, but they could not be sure if it was open after sundown. FAF headed for the nearest tourist office and grabbed a number of pamphlets about the city and its locations of interest. One of these pamphlets was from a harborside inn by the name of Silverscale that would be holding a music event in two day’s time. 

Zildar proposed they visit the inn in question, and the group agreed. They found it easily, a U-shaped building with an abundance of people outside drinking. Going inside, they found the innkeep; Kalmaru Nion, a jolly-looking man in a blue coat, distributing the dirt in a glass with a rag. They order living quarters and some beer then chat with Kalmaru about the city. FAF inquires whether there are any workshops in the city whose facilities he could borrow, to which Kalmaru replies that most are across the river to the east, but they are all employed by the army, so he would be unlikely to find any space there. Golkir asks if the city is tense, since the army is still in a state of readiness. Kalmaru then launches into a minute-long speech about the tensions within Thrane’s army following the induction of the Templars of the Silver Flame into the regular army, during which the innkeep is non-receptive to the group’s questions or interjections. When he comes out of it, he apologises and offers them a discount for listening to his ramblings. 

Thuun looked around to find entertainment but found the establishment to be calm. No fighting or carousing to be seen, so he joined two dwarves in a game of darts, FAF observing while attempting, and failing, to drink some beer. 

The party retires for the night and have a good night’s sleep out of a train-bed. They go to the Cannith office first thing, finding a multi-story building with a plethora of groups and establishments housed throughout the building. House Cannith has the ground floor, however, and they are asked to wait while the regional director, Hallwat Presses, finishes a meeting. 

When they are let into his office, they find a thin man with rings around his eyes. The office is a mess of documents and open books, and they see three separate cups of cold coffee. When Reginald introduces himself, Hallwat groans. According to him, the reason for the chaos is the merger of Cannith West and Cannith South, due to their actions and discoveries in the Skyforge. Despite his bias against them, he tells them of two Cannith agents of note in the city; the human Albert Kornit and the dwarf Grombri Koch. Albert rented an unmistakable blue house down one of the streets of Flamekeep, and Grombri could usually be found at Silverscale, the inn the group had stayed the night in. 

Opting for the one furthest away, the group head for Albert’s house. They find the blue house in short order, but no one responds to their knocks on the front door. FAF begins to pick the lock, but Zildar tries the handle, finding it unlocked. There is still no response when they shout inside the house, and Golkir quickly finds evidence of a disturbance. There is clothing on the floor and a door in sight of the entrance has been kicked open. Beyond the broken door they find a study, papers and books scattered all over the floor. They also find someone matching the description of Albert Kornit, plus two crossbow bolts to the throat. After a quick inspection of the study that turns up no relevant info, Zildar proposes that he cast ‘Speak with the Dead’ and that they then interrogate Albert. The spell is cast and Albert shuffles onto his elbows, eyes aglow with energy and with a groan escaping from his mouth and from the twin bolt-wounds in his neck. They ask him five questions;

“Who killed you?” – “The orc in white.”

“Why did they kill you?” – “I was on the track of Algo.”

“Did you record any of your discoveries about Algo?” – “In my red book.”

“Where is the red book?” – “On the desk.”

“Where is Algo?” – “I don’t know.”

They search the office again and find no red book, Reginald surmising that it must have been taken by this ‘orc in white’ who must have been acting on Algo’s behest. FAF, however, spots that one of the rugs on the floor has been moved. When they toss it aside, they find a small hatch underneath, locked with a key. Thuun searches Albert’s body and finds various interesting objects such as another brooch, a house-key in black iron and a black-leather journal, but no key that appears to fit the hatch. But when the bugbear drops Albert’s body, he hears something peculiar by the man’s feet. On closer examination, they find that Albert’s shoe has a false bottom, under which they find a small silver key that fits the hatch. Within they find four documents detailing Albert’s pursuit of the mysterious warforged called ‘Algo’. There is a drawing of Algo spotted at the Cathedral, notes about an ‘orc in white armour’, a list of places where Algo has been spotted throughout the city and musings about how they could get to all those places without being seen in-between, the man wondering if Flamekeep perhaps hides a tunnel network. The documents also mention that it is strange how many children work as couriers in Flamekeep, despite the city’s size. Thuun wonders if that last discovery hinted at some darker aspect of Albert’s character, but does not make a big show of his suspicion. 

With their own investigation advanced, the group discusses what to do with the body, considering they are strangers in the city who have just ‘found’ a dead body in the person’s own home. Reginald suggests they turn the blue house into their own base in the city, to avoid paying Kalmaru for more nights in his inn. Zildar proposes they carry the body on their shoulders and into a nearby forest, but the rest of the party dismisses it as too risky. Thuun and FAF propose they stuff it into the hatch and close it, but it would never fit. Golkir strides into the street and finds a pair of guardsmen, whom he alerts to their discovery of the body. A frustrated Reginald gives their name and place of contact before the city watch requests they leave the premises so they can work.

On their way to Silverscale to talk to Grombri, Reginald passes by the Cannith and informs Hallwat of Albert’s demise, to which the director throws his hands up in frustration.

They find the dwarf easily enough, 5 pints into a liquid breakfast. He is saddened by the news of Albert’s death, but drowns the sadness in the rest of his beer before ordering another. He has precious little info to share, and mostly about the orc in white who seems to be with Algo. Grombri says it is not an orc, but a half-orc. He does not know their name, only their surname. D’Tharashk, a member of House Tharashk, one of the Dragonmarked Houses. Another Dragon-Houses involvement has made the case somewhat stickier and more perilous, but the group is not deterred.

Leaving Grombri to his beer, they go to the cathedral and ask around if anyone has seen their quarry. Inspiration strikes Reginald, and he uses his Changeling-powers to change into a younger version of himself, and uses the magic in his cloak to make it ragged and filthy. He runs into the streets until he finds another courier-child and convinces them to take him to their ringleader. There Reginald finds a man named Milpo, a young human with an ugly-looking scar and a blue eye. He hands Child-Reginald a letter for a man named Bilo and tells him to get out of his sight. Child-Reginald asks around the other children and is sent to the dock-area to find a boy named Senk who shows him a basement-door that hides an entrance to a tunnel. Reginald uses his magical Sending Stones to reach the rest of the group and they convene at the mouth of the tunnel.