42 – A new morning
This is too much, you can't keep quiet about this any longer. You decide to tell Lord Tilash everything you know about the centipede and the foreign soldiers. You ask him if he can spare a moment, insisting it's very important. Then, after moving to a corner of the room, you explain him everything in a low voice. At first he seems incredulous, then his expression hardens. He starts asking some questions and for a moment you are worried he does not believe you. But then you realize he's just... unhappy about the fact you didn't tell him anything before.
You stress the fact that you didn't want to break Lord Medah's confidence and he seems to calm down. Then he moves back to the trapdoor and asks a few more questions to the soldiers. Finally, he drops down and motions for you to follow him.
As you enter the small treasury, you fight hard to keep control of your stomach. The stench is nauseating, and though there seem to be no centipedes here, the dismembered man still makes you shiver. The lord has also called the old healer, and so you all start to inspect the body. It seems to be the work of a rather large mouth, considering the scratches on the bones. You check carefully, but see no centipedes around. But you find three important clues.
First, the man has a broken glass container in what is left of his trousers. This is similar to what the old merchant had, so you suppose a poisonous centipede was in here, and it was probably the one who killed Herzil. Also, the man has the treasury's key in his pocket, and a bloodstained dagger in a small scabbard. It seems that this is indeed the assassin, everything fits in nicely. The old man also puts a name on him. It's one of the carpenters....
And finally, the man has some scrap of paper in his hand. At a closer inspection, considering the type of paper and the few words you can make out, it seems these were indeed part of the stolen documents. He probably had them in his tightly clenched fist, and someone or something ripped them out of his grip. A few broke, and this explains the scraps left here. So, the documents are gone, taken away through this subterranean passage. You search carefully but notice nothing else of significance
After some thinking, you suggest to Lord Tilash to send his men to explore the passage, see how long it is and where it ends. However he vehemently refuses.
"If what you told me is true, sending my men in is extremely dangerous! In such a narrow passage they could not even dodge. All the insect has to do is ram them over and they'll be dead, not even considering the poison! It is something I'd be willing to do only if it was vital, or if we were desperate. I can understand your enthusiasm Kyoss, but you need to learn cautiousness. I can't squander the lives of my men with no good reason. "
It seems you didn't make a very good impression with this, hopefully he will forget about this suggestion, or chalk it up to tiredness and the stressful day. You try to make amends by suggesting to have the opening sealed with metal, or maybe with an oil trap in case the centipede comes back. A guard should also be here all the time. He considers this, and nods saying these are better ideas...
You inspection complete, you decide to go and check on then old merchant. You noticed before that he seemed to be sweating and drinking a lot. As soon as you enter, you notice there's something wrong. He's red faced, he's sweating profusely and seems unfocused. The soldier doesn't care much about this, but you find it strange. You call the old healer, and you both inspect the man. He is feverish, and the old healer asks that he undresses. And there you see it, a huge, red bulge in the man's belly.... You consult with the old man, but neither of you has an idea of what that could be. He goes to take his books, while you keep watch here. The lord also comes, and he doesn't seem happy at all about this development.
And then, a few minutes later, it happens. Suddenly the man starts to scream, and you run by his side, unsure about what to do. He convulses and screams, and you see the bulge.. move? Then suddenly it explodes outwards in a gory mess, and out if it comes a veritable rain of small centipedes. The soldier screams, and even you lose your cool and start to stomp them down hysterically.
Other soldiers rush in, and soon all the centipedes are dead. You are under shock, and everyone else doesn't really seem to be faring better. The lord immediately orders that this body and the body in the treasury be cremated. He also looks at you, and orders you to go and get some sleep. You are too shocked and tired to protest. You go back to your room and fall asleep immediately.
The next morning you wake up, still a bit shaken by the previous day, and mechanically have some breakfast. You report to the lord and ask how things are going, and if maybe you can do something. Luckily he does not seem angry about your suggestions yesterday, but you still think you could have handled that better.
He tells you that there's nothing new, even the patrol is still not back. He plans to keep investigating by searching the carpenter's guild and the merchant's guild. He will also question all the involved parties, merchants and carpenters, and search their homes too. Basically it's going to be a rather long affair.
He does point out that you also have another task, you should help Kalz with the caravan. But the choice is yours.
What do you want to do in the coming days? (unless something happens, obviously)
- Help Kalz with the caravan
- Help the lord with the investigation
- Other. If there's something else you consider more important, make a proposal and put a number on it
Also is there any other suggestion you want to make? This is an open choice, if you have a proposal for the lord write it, and put a letter on it so I can keep track of the votes.
By the way, good catch Cappenvarra. As you suspected, the merchant was a goner from the start
Good thing you managed to question him before he died, and by keeping an eye on him avoided the small centipedes to disperse in the building.