The mage guild could narrow down the Master's location to only "outside of Stonemarten." It's not enough to go after him so I sold the scrying gem.
We found two blue cloth scraps at the other two dock murder sites. We will spend Wednesday night looking for thet murderer. We can't locate the person with the eyepatch.
Kenlore agreed to hire us to retrieve a crystal from bandits that stole it from him. The next morning he had left without us.
The fourth tax collector, the one still missing, is named Tess. Many of her belongings are gone from her home. She may have fled in fear, but I suspect she is behind this. She may have hired assassins to kill her fellow tax collectors, then assassinated the assassins (the poison bolts in their backs) to cover her tracks and keep the tax money for herself. The mystic shop in South End appears to be a front for a smuggling operation using the tunnel below that had the bodies. When we tried to go the mystic a second time, someone signaled her of our approach and she closed her shop.
The mage guild says the foghorn summons an evil, undead pirate named McBride. (We never meet good undead. Is there such a thing?) He has a ghost ship and undead crew, is cursed by the horn, and wants the horn back so he can break his curse. I suspect McBride hired Sigurd to find us. I suspect Sigurd is tracking the horn with the compass (I assume the captain has the compass.) It is magically drawn to McBride just as McBride seeks it. The horn is essentially indestructible.
Jeff: Mike, would you be willing to keep the horn and anti-magic balls at the inn.
Mike: Sure, I'd love to spend the rest of the day cooped up in the inn babysitting this horn.
Jeff: I'm not your boss. If you're not willing-
Mike: Forget I said anything. I'll do it. Just never mind.
I wait with eternal patience for something to go right in this city.
Mike: <starts to walk back inside his inn room but turns around> Maybe we're approaching this horn thing from the wrong angle.
Jeff: Go on.
Mike: The horn curses McBride and summons McBride. Maybe the horn's magic is dependent on McBride. Eliminate McBride and the horn reverts to a normal foghorn. The mage didn't say McBride was indestructible. He's the real threat, anyway.
I nodded, and the rest of us left the inn. I made a mental note of our inventory as we walked. Half the troupe doesn't have silver or magical weapons. I can't imagine taking on a ship of undead at this point. Perhaps getting magical weapons is our most pressing need.
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While eating dinner at the inn Monday night:
Grog: Jeff, why you not eat steak and potatoes. Always eat steak when you can.
Jeff: Given the rations we eat on the trail, I like to load up on fruit and vegetables in town.
Grog: Why?
Jeff: The druids taught me this. For instance, these strawberries prevent scurvy.
Dugnar: He's lying. He eats fruit and vegetables because as a child he was raised by rabbits. 'No broccoli for dessert until you finish your strawberries,' they said. Bunnies are strict.
Grog: This steak is not from local cow. Butcher shipped in a black angus methinks. The menu here is cosmopolitan.
Jeff: Indeed, but the druid back home that studied plants for years says this stuff is healthy.
Grog: Healthy, hmm? <pointing to Jeff> Fruit and vegetables - five foot four. <pointing at himself> Steak and potatoes - six foot ten.
Mike: <pointing to his plate, giggling> potato, no steak - six foot
Andoran: <giggling> steak, no potato - five foot ten. He makes a convincing argument...
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