Part 1-4: The Estate

"Felicidades Orgoth! Well done to everyone!" As usual, Teo is beaming at the rest of the group. "Aldeus, you captured a villain as well! Bravo!"

He is uncomfortable with what will happen to that Lia woman next. He is aware they need information from her. Information she may be unlikely to give up. But, he hopes she will not resist intensely, as he hates to see needless suffering.

He looks at her with kind eyes and legitimate concern for her well-being. He calmly leans in and quietly says, "Lia, please tell these men every single thing you know about the necromancer. Otherwise Orgoth will get some target practice with his new axe." [Bluff] He hopes this will completely avoid a painful interrogation for her.

Teo walks off towards the cargo and attempts to decipher the meaning of this yellow powder and ash that keeps appearing in their travels.

Leath slowly rubs the chest wound the woman Lia gave him, now healed, as he stares daggers at her. She'd better have a damn good explanation for what she did. He has little need to intimidate her further, as she's already shown her fear of him. Nonetheless, he lets his eyes gleam with ghoulish glee as they threaten her with Orgoth.

[Bluff check=19 [base], both charas have high Bluff scores]

Lia begins sweating as she steps back, almost falling if not for the militia guards holding her upright. “We call him Malfatto,” she stops for a second. “But his real name is Dante Vizzini, the boss’s nephew.”

“So Damien Vizzini’s behind all of this?” Lorenzo asks. “Why were you leading his men?”

“I used to move merchandise and sabotage rivals for Vizzini, dirty deeds,” she says. “I’ve run bandit crews before, so he had put me in charge of his field work.”

“But why isolate Scalo Est?” Lorenzo asks. “We have nothing worth stealing, much less conquering!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Lia shakes her head. “The boss has gone nuts, shouting he’s gonna restore Roma or something.”

“Still doesn’t answer the question,” Lorenzo says. “If he wants to rebuild the empire, why bother a sleepy village like us?”

“Dante told his uncle about his work with undead,” Lia continues. “The boss got it that undead were cheaper soldiers than mortals. Skeletons don’t need food, shelter, or get tired. No souls, no minds, no morale.”

“Then why hire your brigands?” Lorenzo asked. “Didn’t you think you’d end up as his undead eventually?”

“He paid well, despite being crazy,” Lia shrugs. “But the skeletons couldn’t do everything, so I organized some mercenaries to oversee them. Those skeletons got smarter, though, after the kid started putting them in groups.”

Lorenzo notices the other guards shudder in memory of the skeleton troops. “Cristo! Is that not why you cut off our water?” he asks. “To kill us of thirst so you could turn us into more of those abominations?”

“Partially, since he wanted you weakened and isolated. The boss already has plenty of bones, from some old mass grave on his estate,” Lia says, pointing to the yellow powder. “But the boss wanted us to start gathering something from the hot springs, that stuff.”

“What about the forest fires?” Lorenzo asks. “Or livestock and the animal manure? Is Vizzini trying to grow assassin vines or similar plants?”

“When you took this place, you found the Judge, did you not?” Lia asks. “Ask him.”

The party looks at Lorenzo. The Captain gestures to an assistant, and a door opens, allowing a burst of natural sunlight to the barracks. A portly man walks in, his body filling the doorframe. His clean shaven face shows the scars of recent shaving, but his sallow skin still clings to his bones. His hair is jet black, with eyes like brown autumn leaves. A red silk robe covers his body, and a breastplate covers his chest. The party cannot understand the characters on it, but an aura of divine magic comes from him. A strange weapon is slung over his back, a wand terminating in a bell-like metal tube. He bows to Lorenzo slightly. “You called for me, Captain Lorenzo?” he says with a strange accent. “I must again thank your men for freeing me from those bandits, as it was statistically improbable that I-”

“These adventurers captured Lia and defeated a skeleton troop by themselves,” Lorenzo turns to the party. “This is Judge Wu Jiao from the lands of the Song…”

“Please, I am no longer a judge or magistrate,” he raises his hands. “But I had traveled west seeking patronage, when Vizzini captured me and tortured my people’s secrets from me.”

“Vizzini knew that necromancy and mercenaries alone were unlikely to help him in his dreams of conquest, so he stole foreign alchemy,” Lorenzo nodded. “What was it again?”

“The powder requires three components: charcoal and ash, saltpeter from animal droppings,” Wu points to the yellow powder. “And sulfur from the hot springs. These chemicals form an explosive my people use to fire projectiles.”

Aldeus thinks he has heard of this substance before, although only second hand accounts from a few steppe raiders and nomadic tribes.
Lorenzo picks up one of the javelins and bell-like artifacts. “Yes, I remember now,” he points to the spear-point. “The black powder reaction propels the javelin.”

“Our people know that as the fire lance or fire arrows,” Jiao says. “But I developed this weapon further on my own, and that is what Vizzini sought. I resisted giving them all of my knowledge, for I knew I would die once my usefulness expired.”

“Cristo! An army of skeletons, or worse, with such weapons is terrifying!” goose bumps form along Lorenzo’s calloused hands. “How close is this nightmare to reality?”

Lia shrugs. “The boss only gave us orders,” she says. “And we got paid. But I know there’s ways onto his estate. Not all of ‘em are well guarded.”

Lorenzo stops. He realizes that Lia is trying to bargain with whatever information she has. Lorenzo turns to the party. “What do you think? Should we listen to her?”

"Yes," Lia nods grimly. "Look, I stashed black powder, arms, captured loot, and other things in caches for my men to retrieve. If you give me a map, I will show you one. Then, you can see I am honest with you. If I return to Vizzini now, I am dead. Or worse, if Malfatto has his way."

"The last shipment of spice we captured went directly to Vizzini's dining hall," Lia stops. "And whatever was left was sold to smugglers I know. The estate has many tunnels for smuggling and contraband. The men who remain there work for coin, not loyalty to Vizzini or his deranged nephew. However, I still have men loyal to me outside on patrol in the woods. If you grant us clemency, we will assist you in entering the estate. The main road is defended with skeletons, archers, and traps. If you take it directly, your militia will not have such luck."

"I believe Mrs. Perin should be informed of our discussion here," Lorenzo gestures to the militia courier. "Inform Mrs. Perin that our captive is willing to offer assistance."

"Yes, sir," the courier salutes. "I shall have her reply within the hour."

"You and your treacherous brigands would be swinging from the gallows if I were making the decision," The Captain turns to Aldeus. "But I realize I have enough to deal with now we are defending two locations. Aldeus, what say you about this?"

"One last question, do you know of a boy named Dante?. He is a relative of one of the villagers and they long to see him returned safely."
Hans still doesn't trust Lia. He begins waving his fingers around, poking and prodding the air around Lia [detect magic].

After he finishes he wanders over to save Wu from the relentless Teo. "Hello Mr Jiao!" Hans extends a hand in offer of a handshake, "I am deeply sorry about the tortures you must have endured." Hans says sincerely, trying to avoid looking at Wu's scars.

After Wu has responded, Hans asks about the weapon on his back.

Jiao grins calmly at the little one. "My personal name, little one, is Ji-ao," he slowly pronounces each syllable. "My family name is Wu. In my land, the family name comes first, but while in the West, I use the local convention instead."

He points to the characters on his breastplate. "These characters state that I follow the teachings of Mo Zi, a wise philosopher from the distant past," he slows down. "I must use my intellect to end war, promote prosperity, and develop arts and sciences useful to all. I am known as a juzi, or wandering philosopher. Our order is tragically a shadow of its former self, as many have forgotten Master Mo."

"My knowledge was perverted towards evil ends by Vizzini, and it is my duty to correct these wrongs with my tools and abilities," Jiao says. "I have skill at healing, alchemy, and mechanics, should you allow me to assist you. I have not yet heard of any Western nation that has developed weapons like these."

He removes the weapon from his back and sets it down gently upon a nearby table. It is roughly 31 inches long in total, with half of the length occupied by a barrel with a trumpet like flared end. A complex set of coils of metal, locks, and fittings occupy the top and sides of the weapon. A long release lever runs down the underside of the grip, similar to a crossbow.

"This weapon can be loaded with a number of types of projectiles," he continues. "Some act like a mage's burning hands spell. Others may subdue foes without killing them. It can also be loaded with metal shot and pebbles, should I desire to target multiple foes. And when it fails, my magic repairs it. Barring that, I have a number of parts to build others like her, which the militia was kind enough to return to me."

Jiao pantomimes the process of loading it, priming the weapon, and firing, before cleaning it and sheathing it.

Lorenzo whistles as he stares at it. "I would pay handsomely to outfit my men with weapons like these."

Hans hears that last remark and takes it to heart.

---

Hans detects faint traces of magic within Lia's now-emptied sheath, but the dagger that once occupied it is held by a militiaman. The dagger has a mild enchantment on it, but nothing major.

---

Lia tries to maintain her composure under pressure, but Aldeus senses something. Lia is still holding something back. He moves the knife closer, and Lia begins to fold.

"Listen up, I've got a private stash," Lia says. "My plan was to ditch Vizzini after he grew too crazy, grab the stash, and look for other work that didn't involve working with a sick bastard like Malfatto."

Her face grows pale for a second. "Yet, I remember what happened to that kid, Dante," she continues, visibly sickened. Aldeus can tell even this woman is truly revolted. "Dante Vizzini took an interest in the villager's kid because he shared the same first name. Little Dante, he nicknamed him."

"Malfatto took Little Dante into his private torture chamber and lab in the crypt," Lia's head turns downwards, and dry-heaves. "I could hear his screams all the way in the main estate. They finally stopped a few hours later, and Malfatto emerged covered in blood. I don't want to know what that deranged maniac did, but I can promise you if there is a hell, I cannot think of a better man to go there."

She looks back at Aldeus. "My stash is at the summit of this hill, under a rock marked with a white chalk cross. There will be alchemical notes, gold, black powder, and some more fire lances. There is also a notebook of magical key phrases my men used to control the skeletons. Send a guard or investigate yourself if you do not believe me. Take it, and it is yours."

She confidently says the last statement.