Chapter 2: The First Seal

"Sure. Let's go see him." Tilma glances backwards just in case and slips through the crowd heading towards the boutique. "I think I ordered something already at his store. Though I doubt that it's already been made."

"Might be time to call in that favour," Berry winks at Tilma.

Durthane's Cutlery The journey through the city is slow. The streets are filled with bewildered and scared people. Dogs and other pets are howling and running rampant, adding to the chaos. A strong sulphurous odour chokes the air you breath.

As you move through the city, you get a better sense of the damage. Certain regions are relatively unscathed, but others are cleaved through by arrow-straight fault lines that have split buildings in twain. But, people are organizing and banding together. You witness guards working together with a Priestess of Herkan, Goddess of Stones, to dig out a family buried under the rubble, the Priestess calling to the spirits within the stone to levitate an entire stone wall. In another quarter, a trio of Elves are singing a spell to awaken trees to assist in the rescue excavations of damaged buildings. Everywhere you go, people are banding together.

Soldiers and guards are on high alert, and patrols are forming. You do see that the towering walls that surround the city are unharmed, and soldiers line the walls, bracing for some sudden demon invasion that so far hasn't come.

You make your way out of the Harbourside district, wind your way through the twisted and beautiful streets of Templegate, and find yourself in the Southward district, where the majority of the trades conduct themselves. The Southward smells a little better than usual; the tanneries and blacksmiths have shut down for the day and aren't belching clouds of smoke and steam into the air, and the sulphur smell is starting to clear.

When you enter Durthane's Cutlery, you find the store completely intact, but in quite an uncharacteristically disheveled state. Ulfgar and his three daughters are busy trying to remount all the weapons that were proudly hung from the walls, and the free-standing suits of armour that have found themselves toppled over. Ulfgar is busy taking notes of all the damages and inventory losses when he notices Tilma and Berry arrive with Laurent.

"Well look who's here, girls!" He says to his daughters as he puts down his pen and book and comes over to give you a hearty handshake. He exchanges greetings with Laurent.

Upon hearing of your need for a lead box, Ulfgar thinks for a minute. "I haven't a lead box on hand, but I know plenty of lead workers. Real nice metal, lead is. You can use it for anything that doesn't need to be armour or weapons grade, and it's cheap. Roof tiles, plumbing pipes, coffins, trebuchet counterweights - you name it! All made out of lead. And with that superstition about wizards and demons not being able to see through lead, I've heard that the rich line their walls with the stuff! All of that is to say, Iskandar lead foundries are busy every hour of the day and night to keep up with demand."

Ulfgar picks up his pen and paper and begins sketching plans for a box. "Is a lead-lined box okay? It might take a few days for them to cast a whole box, but we could buy sheets right now. How big ya need it?" I'll send my eldest daughter over to the nearest foundry and pick up a few sheets, and craft the box out of wood."

"And of course, having saved my life, I won't even charge you labour on the job! Just the cost of materials for my favourite customers. Probably around 15 guilders. Should only take a couple of hours. Sound good?"

Tilma falls down on a bench next to the window and looks outside. Her jovial carefree expression is now gone. Witnessing all the destruction around the town has brought her down and made her think. Was it really worth it? She see a couple of people hurrying in the street with ladders in their hands. Probably heading towards the more damaged districts. She isn't some goody two shoes and knows that sometimes others get hurt when you try to do something that benefits you. But having a few people loose their jobs or spend a week sick isn't the same as almost destroying half of a city. All those people who lost their belongings, homes, jobs, or even their lives, or the lives of their loved ones... She looks back at her companions, wondering what they are thinking. This will need a real rethinking on her side. Whether she wants to continue forward with this adventure or not.
On one side she feels bad for all the people of the city. Really bad. On the other side the adventure has been great so far. The dangers, the findings, the thrill. For once she felt alive. She likes her job, but it isn't her life's goal to spend it in the sewers.
She returns her gaze to the exterior and continues to look outside.

Berry sits down next to Tilma and takes her hand, "It's going to be ok, T."

He stares out the window at the chaos ensuing, still not making the connection that this is the result of him taking the crystal, "Coincidences happen."

"Coincidences?" Tilma looks at berry, and pulls away her hand. She sounds agitated, "Do you really think that this is a coincidence? We meddle with some strange magical stuff underground and at the same time an earthquake starts! I personally don't think that it is a coincidence at all! We did it! WE Caused All This!" she ends up with raised voice, standing, gesticulating towards outside the window. Her eyes angry, the frustration swelling inside.

Berry looks at Tilma, unused to such a burst of anger, before turning and walking out of the shop.

Tilma regrets her outburst a little, but this is all too emotionally taxing for her at the moment. She falls back on the bench and continues to stare at the window with an empty gaze.

"Excellent, excellent!!" Laurent stated as Ulfgar described his solution to the lead box conundrum. The fact that they would be able to enclose the item in a few hours, rather than days, was greatly reassuring to the young man.

He had noticed Tilma's gloomy mood, but had chosen not to intervene. He shared some of the elf's mood himself, though his unexpected encounter with his patron deity had set the apocalyptic happenings in the streets in their proper context. He continued to discuss details with Ulfgar as Tilma looked outside. His heart was raised when Berry sought to console his comrade, sooth her feelings; after all, the two had been companions longer, it was only natural that the gnome help out his buddy.

The feeling disappeared as swiftly when Tilma had her outburst. He gazed at her in silent horror as she, once more, revealed extremely sensitive information in a nearly public setting. His eyes darted to examine Ulfgar's expression, wondering if the dwarf understood what had just been revealed. Not sure what to add, he stated sheepishly, in a low tone "Rough day down the sewers...".

When Timbers stepped out of the shop, Laurent was divided between sticking indoors and trying to paper things over with Ulfgar, try to reassure Tilma, or rush out and help his erstwhile school buddy. His hesitation, as usual, led him to do none of the three. He continued to attempt idle talk with the dwarf about box designs. He knew his companion's nerevs were frayed, as were his. Time could heal some of that. Applying cold logic, or theologic reassurances, at this stage would not lead to faster healing.

After a few moments, and seeing that Timbers hadn't yet come back, Laurent sat next to Tilma. In a soft whisper, he tried to assuage her concerns "He couldn't have known. None of us could. Sometimes, a small incident has uncontrollable, unforeseeable consequences. Particularly when magic is at stake." He gave the words some time to sink in, before resuming, in a whisper. "When I took the purple stone, my God came to me. This need not be a consolation, but unravelling this secret seems of utter importance. Perhaps, the harm done today will serve to avert greater harm in the future?"

TILMA AND LAURENT

---

Ulfgar would have been within earshot when she made her outburst. He seems busy with his designs. According to an insight check (result 22) you get the feeling that he heard Tilma but is either not sure what to make of your comments or doesn't care.

BERRY

---

Berry leaves the shop, looking to provide assistance. He finds that the destruction is isolated along certain fault lines that are straight as an arrow flies, carving through particular buildings and streets. Although there is a lot of building damage, there are few complete collapses and he encounters only minor injuries and no deaths. However, you start to see examples of looting - wretches occasionally dart out of the damaged buildings with their hands full of whatever belongings they could grab on short notice.

Once satisfied that Ulfgar would probably not connect the recent tragedy with Tilma's outburst, Laurent resumed his attempt at consoling the elven adventurer.

"Look, once Master Ulfgar has finished his box, we'll shut out one source of problems. Then we can think, with clearer heads, about what can be done next," he said, stopping at this juncture to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "This is far bigger than I expected when Timbers came knocking on my door," he added, with a sheepish, rather forced smile. "It is best that reasonable people, with the interest of the people at heart, discover and handle these Seals. We must just be very careful about handling this ancient magic..."

He hoped his talking might elicit a response in the brash and wilful elf. He began also wondering what Berry was up to: perhaps it was time to regroup, and walk away from the guilt-induced gloom together.

"Aaah!" Tilma messes her braids a little and let's out a short frustration runt before looking at Laurent. "I know that you're right. But right now I'm just frustrated and lost. Can't I sulk a little in my misery? I'm just an elf after all. I'll be fine later. Just let me digest all of it for now. Some of us need more time than others to circumstances. And don't worry, I'll apologize to Berry later. You are the smart one so I'll let you handle the thinking for now. Ok?" she gives him a weird smile.

After about an hour of wandering round the district and not able to do much to help, Berry returns to Durthane's. Poking his head round the door, sheepishly, "Everyone ok?"

"Errm, yes, ok Til, it's ok." he struggles uncomfortably as he's lifted from the ground, his feet kicking at the air.

Not long after, Ulfgar completes work on the lead-lined box. He presents to you a plain but finely-crafted wooden box. It fits the items perfectly, and the box closes and latches tightly shut.

You now possess a crystal of unknown power, but if the earthquake it released is any indication it is artifact of immeasurable power, as well as value. In addition, you found a magic scrying mirror. Both were stolen from Lord Bartoz, one of the most powerful crime lords in all of Iskandar.

In addition, you have begun to understand the secret of the Seal of Astaroth, though perhaps you now have more questions than answers. The gateway did not lead to the undercity; instead it lead to destruction. But, when the rubble is cleared, what new answers will be found?

And, you are not alone in the quest for the Seals. Both Bartoz and a mysterious group known as the Tribunal searched for it. A lead is open to you - you have a note that tells you the time and location of a meeting that the Tribunal's men, led by the half-elf that mysteriously disappeared in the warehouse, are having. But, after this disaster, is better to leave it alone? Or do you press forward?

The End of Chapter 2