Chapter Seven: The Stalemate At Loton's Cove

Mordred interprets the smile as "aha, I'm smart and I figured you out," not so much an indicator of enmity toward Gethro.

Also, and I'm just asking for a friend here, but what are the mechanics in 5e around assassination? Is it just a regular Sneak Attack, or can I just slit his throat for an instakill?

Is your friend thinking about assassinating a military officer, standing a few inches away and facing him, in a stairwell?

I'd say your friend would not have sufficient cover/surprise for either a Sneak Attack or an instakill. Your friend would have to reach for a weapon, because it wouldn't make sense for him to be holding one a the ready at this moment, so we'd be looking at instantiating combat, rolling initiative, and making a standard attack roll.

"Thank you," Obram says. "Before you go -- have you any news from the south? I'm curious how the war is progressing. I've a friend who fights with the Yellow Company on the Gurmarine side."

~meanwhile~

The smile leaves Horii's face. "I see," he says, with a look that indicates he trusts Mordred perhaps even less than he did a moment ago. "Let's be quick about this, then."

He leads you to a small room where a nurse sits on a stool outside, working on a small embroidery project and singing quietly to herself. She looks up as you approach. The lieutenant asks if Ganis is awake, and she shakes her head no. The lieutenant opens the door.

Inside, in a small room with the shutters closed, lies a man wrapped in linens from his head to the stumps of his legs. His chest rises and falls slowly with a soft rasping sound.

"He had little of note to tell the investigators who sat with him for hours, and he will have even less to tell you. The medicines that make his pain bearable dull his mind. Must you rouse him, or have you seen enough?"

Just to be clear, only Mordred is with Horii and Ganis?

Correct.

Mordred sees nothing of particular interest. The room is clean and uncluttered, a place to convalesce.

Horii leads Mordred back down to the lower floor, where they find the rest of the party waiting in the hall.

"May I be of further assistance to your investigation?" Horii asks.

I'd like to ask him if he can spare an enlisted to help guide us to where Gethro might be found. Other than that, I don't have further questions. Does the rest of the Mystery Machine want anything before we go?

"We are still at half-strength and nearly every soldier newly arrived here is as green as spring grass. I can spare none to send along on your further endeavors, but I can direct you to the valley where the dragon attacked, just as I did for Master Moag."

I'm good to go

I can double check later but I'm pretty sure the rod was from Pafthinel.

On the walk back to the gatehouse, Horii fills the party in on some of the efforts he's making to bring Solyhill Fortress back up to full strength -- a practiced speech, to be sure. But there are, he claims, boys arriving every day from the towns and villages around Hazard, eager to take up arms against whatever the visitation of the dragon portends, and he expects to be able to press a full cohort of 432 soldiers into action within four months' time.

"Normally, veteran soldiers from other bases would be sent to replenish us," he explains, "but with the war between Gaad and Gurmar spreading, and rumors that this so-called cult activity is linked to events in Sthombo, the Great Marshal prefers to keep them where they are."

Passing a large canopy where recruits are constructing siege equipment, Horii pulls off a young man of about seventeen, whom he charges with drawing a map showing the route to the valley where the dragon attacked.

The map shows a northerly march of about a day's length, ending at a steep hill marked "Akker's Well." From there, the route continues north veering east for half as much distance again, terminating just beyond the leftmost hill in a cluster labeled "Old Hilltown." Some other geographical details are marked to aid in your navigation.

Ready to go? Any last questions for Horii? Need anything from town?

I'm ready to go, but I see a couple of threads we can follow up on, if anyone is of a mind to:
* The two bards who passed through asking questions
* Does the badly injured soldier have any intel?
* Check the tavern and/or holy house in town