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With Jutiapa holed up in her laboratory, Garguth and Vildar at the village inn Braylec and Thanodel continue questioning the temple guards. Guardswoman Lilly seems helpful and allows Braylec to root around the dead priestesss belongings to find clues. The heavy book on the lectern is indecipherable but looks to be some sort of ledger.
A well dressed man and his manservant enters the inn. Garguth and Vildar notice the hushed tones and turn to see him sit himself in a corner away from the other patrons and orders expensive wine. Garguth leaves Vildar to watch the newcomer who can only be qwerty and sidles off to find Braylec. He finds them leaving the temple without any clues and tells of qwertys arrival. He also suggests that Thanodel and himself continue to search for clues. Braylec thanks Garguth and makes his way back to the inn. No sooner is Braylec out of earshot than Garguth tells Thanodel that they should be checking qwerty house while it is empty and leads a scenic route to the back door.
Braylec introduces himself to qwerty and the sit together to discuss the recent happenings. The subject moves from qwertys business and the purchase of wood to the murder and the rope that was used to hang the suspect. Qwerty denies knowing its special properties.
At the house a dog starts barking as Thanodel approaches. There are no windows on the ground floor so Garguth insists that Thanodel scale the wall while he makes a distraction round the front. As Garguth is knocking on the front door and making a show of calling for the occupants Thanodel waits for the dog to go stop its noisy alarm. A villager walks past carrying planks and offers the advice to Garguth that qwerty is probably at the inn. He leads Garguth to the inn door and then goes on his way. With the dog quiet Thanodel starts climbing but the dog resumes its barking and Thanodel falls back to the ground. He makes his way round the front but with Garguth gone he checks the windows he passed at the side of the house.
Garguth suggests to Braylec that Jutiapa is fetched from the keep to speak to the dead priestess. Braylec agrees to this idea and sends Garguth back to fetch both Jutiapa and Shaylea.
On arrival Garguth tries to enter the keep but entry is barred. He asks asdfg for advise and is taken up to the barracks roof where there is way across to the keep. Garguth winds his way down the stairs of the keep shouting for the wizard and finds another barred door. He cannot shoulder this himself so goes back to the barracks and fetches six burley men. They ram the door and as it splinters apart Garguth can see why Jutiapa hasnt heard him, she is busy torturing a man on the steam rack taken from the cells in the barracks. It is too late to send the guards away as they have already seen the disturbing sight. Jutiapa is unphased about the discovery saying that the man is part of Cathamaxos's group and she was getting information from him but asdfg arrests Jutiapa and on Garguth's order they quickly have her bound and gagged while she still protests her innocence. Garguth has her magical items removed and tells the guards to take her to the cells while he helps her victim. When they have gone Garguth breaks the poor unconscious fellows neck and starts ransacking the room for more of Jutiapas horde. Not finding anything special he orders the guards to keep Jutiapa tied and gagged while he rides to fetch Braylec.
Braylec, Vildar and Thanodel are spending the night at the inn. They have to share a room, as the village is unused to so many visitors. They keep watch and Vildars is uneventful. Thanodel wakes Braylec when he sees they are being watched from outside by a lone grey wolf. Braylec is unimpressed but takes his watch until morning where they wash and breakfast until Garguth awakes and tells Braylec of the situation at the keep. Braylec makes to leave immediately, Vildar is given a whole venison carcass to take with him but not knowing the details as to why everyone is leaving in a hurry Thanodel tarries behind and searches for the wolf tracks made in the night.
Entering the keep Braylec is shown Jutiapa's lab with the unmoved corpse, it's flesh blistered and puffy white with it's neck askew. He orders nothing to be moved and goes to see Shaylea before she starts her morning prayers. He returns later with Shaylea in tow and once the body is lain down she casts speak with dead. The poor wretch opens his blistered lids and gasps in surprise at being awakened. Braylec quickly asks who he is and how he came to be here.
"I was but a poor farmer from the outskirts of this keep. Times have been hard with all the orc raids and I was travelling to ask assistance from the new baron when I encountered a strange woman. She was beautiful but had a scabby look to her skin. She spoke to me in a strange language and the next thing I know I am strapped to rack and she is sending bolts of energy through me and the pain, oh the pain."
"Is that the rack you speak of?" asks Braylec pointing across the room.
"Yes, that one and then it was turned upside down over a big pot and the steam and the pain, terrible it was. That is the last I remember."
Braylec orders be body be buried and retreats to he office smelling Vildar's venison barbecue on the way. He calls for Jutiapa to be brought to him and she is soon standing before him. Sargent Zeemo removes her gag and stands back.
"The things I hear and what I have seen to not shed a good light on you Jutiapa." Braylec states severely.
"I found a spy and was interrogating him."
"That is not what he says and the dead to not lie!"
"He was alive when I had him!"
"He did not last long after what you have done. Is there no excuse you can give?"
"He was a spy I tell you. I left him alive. This is not all my doing!"
Braylec sees that his friend is not what he thought and orders her to be taken away. Jutiapa start intoning a spell so Braylec unsheathes his sword and warns "Be quiet, do not force me to act rashly."
Jutiapa continues and the power of her spell becomes tangible. Braylec hits her with the flat of his sword but fails to break her concentration but Zeemo reacts quickly and clamps his hands over her mouth from behind stopping the spell.
Jutiapa is dragged back to her cell and a guard is put on watch. Garguth in the mean time is turning her lab upside down trying to find her cache of magical items. Without success he visits Jutiapa and they strike a deal. He will provide her with her spell book and the jewellery she was wearing when captured for the location of her gold. He arranges he guard duty so that he and Vildar are on together and fetches Jutiapa's stuff from her lab. During his watch in the cells he sends Vildar off to get him some venison then enters Jutiapa's cell and loosens her gag enough so she can move it herself to speak. He props her spell book in front of her and pops her rings and things in a pouch inside her bodice. The watch is uneventful and Vildar is happy for Garguth to do all the guards work so Jutiapa has an hour to learn just one spell. Garguth returns later and hides her spell book in her skirts but shortly after changing the guard Olympus Mons searches Jutiapa and takes her spell book. When all is quiet she moves her gag and casts her spell and a dimension door opens to her left. She shuffles the chair she is tied to towards the portal and the guard hearing the commotion almost grabs her before she falls through it
"Baron Braylec, the prisoner has escaped!"