The Job
Findlay Lorin, a Gong Farmer, was approached by an anonymous alderman of the city of Norwich to perform a discrete task. The alderman, who he knew as such only because that is what the man called referred to himself as, asked Lorin to break into the stronghold of the Tenebrous Hand, a criminal gang deeply entwined in the political and economic activities of the city.
The alderman told them that the Hand had acquired an artifact known only as The Casket, which was said to be a blasphemous and unholy relic, was known to be somewhere in the block of buildings controlled by the Hand, probably in their secret Vaults, which were rumored to be full of of unattended riches.
Given the potentially unholy nature of the item in question, the alderman also invited Father Wyn Modeste to participate.
Assembling the Team
The alderman agreed to cover any reasonable expenses in order to see the task successfully completed, and provided them with several scrolls that might be useful. Fin and Wyn decided that they would need some help.
Fin hired a lithe woman named Alyce Garnette as a bodyguard. Wyn hired a cantankerous wizard named Ingolf Zak to provide magical support. When they learned that the job was to hit the lair of the Tenebrous Hand, both signed on for a half share of the takings each.
Intelligence Gathering
Looking into the affairs of the Tenebrous Hand proved to be an effort in futility. The Hand maintained legitimate businesses to cover their illicit activities, and they had numerous contacts in the city government, constabulary, and military who protected their interests.
Nevertheless, when they approached the priest of the parish where the Hand’s headquarters was located, Father Smythe informed them that the members of his congregation who were known to be associated with the Hand or their front businesses had not been seen or heard from in nearly a week.
On the Scene
Undeterred, the team wandered over to the site of the job and looked over the neighborhood innocuously. All was quiet around the block in question, though things seemed normal in the surrounding businesses and homes.
The doors of all the homes and shops were locked, and the lower floor windows were all barred. As an experienced gong farmer, Fin knew from his peers that the dung heap was located in the central courtyard. As no one was around, the team decided to approach directly.
Down a short alley they found that the double wooden doors of the gate to the courtyard were securely locked with a rusted padlock and chain. Finlay and Alyce attempted to unlock the gate, but succeeded only in alerting five large guard dogs to their presence.
Acting quickly, Findlay through a bundle of meat scraps soaked in alcohol into the courtyard. The dogs went to it hungrily and fought among themselves over the bundle. While they were distracted, Fin and Alyce succeeded in unlocking the gate. When he opened it, three of the dogs were asleep, but the two larger ones, stood at the threshold wagging their tails.
Fin attempted to lure the dogs out of the courtyard by throwing some rations down the alley, but they were well trained and would not pass through the gate. Eventually, Fin collected the rations and gave them to the dogs in exchange for their good will.
The courtyard was strewn with muck and showed signs of neglect. It appeared that the dogs had not been attended to in several days.
The House on Willow Lane
There were doors to all the structures from the courtyard. The team selected the nearest. Immediately they detected a faint and bitter smell, like burned hair. The door was locked, so Fin climbed up to an open second floor window and lowered a rope for the others.
The room inside had been ransacked. Searching through the rubble they found a secret door. The next room had also been ransacked, and in the center of the floor was a large puddle of a thick, black, pudding-like substance, which on closer examination proved to have human bones in it which were dissolving as they watched.
They search that room and found a carved stone object is about the size of a pineapple. Wyn recognized the casket as a sacred item associated with one of
the less pleasant deities: Bubonica, a minor goddess of plague and disease.
Having found what they believed to be the Casket, the team decided to search for more swag among the abandoned buildings. Downstairs, they found assorted silverware worth about 5sp.
Through the Secret Door
The secret door they found led into a bedroom in the inn next door. The room was reasonably well maintained compared to the house they had just left. Fin thought he heard sounds from the floor below. The team went silent and listened. Fin’s trained ears detected the creaking of floorboards indicating someone moving stealthily below.