agignac
The Golden Vault.

A secretive organization committed to righting moral wrongs. Membership and activities are almost impossible for outsiders to track. They are known to support virtuous underdogs and handle delicate situations that local authorities won't touch. Their mottos is "Do good, no matter the cost." Missions are often illegal, but they always support a just, moral cause.

You have all taken missions from the Golden Vault at least twice, some of you working together at different times. This is the first time you've all come together in the same place....your new headquarters.

The cabin is a gift from somebody whom you helped a few months ago. Tucked into the woods on the edge of the botanical gardens, it is easily missed by those not looking for it. Outside, it looks like a simple groundskeeper's lodging. Inside, it is richly appointed and comfortable. There's even a loo with proper plumbing, and two bedrooms with three bunks in each. The pantry is stocked, as is the bar, and there are maps and books galore.

Over the mantle, in place of pride, is a golden music box. It is cunningly etched and carved, and has a seemingly broken lock on the front. The lid is currently shut, but when you open it, it plays a charming melody. When the Golden Vault sends you a golden key, and you use that to open the the lid, you receive your instructions from the mysterious organization that uses your services from time to time.

Each of you has a key to the cabin. You don't know your patron's name, only that you earned their gratitude.

For tonight, you all find yourselves together. Each of you knows at least one other person. Other than that, who you've met/worked with before is up to you.

Please copy over your intro text from the other thread, and then continue your evening here. I'd like to see introductions from everybody, and as much RP as you'd like.

Each of you choose a unique colour to use for your dialogue. Bold or not is optional.  Any text in this colour is ooc from the DM. Usually I'll put ooc stuff in the discord server, but sometimes it makes sense to have it in the post.  

Please join the   discord server  for ooc discussions.

Welcome! I'm looking forward to playing with you all.
Archemist
(From the Recruitment thread)
In front of the guild hearth, Siobhan Sullivan leans back against her massive dog, who's stretched out on the floor to enjoy the warmth. Siobhan sits with her knees up, gripping a normal-sized mug of tea as though it were comically large. The others all have spots on the nicely-upholstered furniture, but she seems to prefer the stone floor.

She's a quiet gnome, very religious, and a bit naive. She's much better with animals than people. Which is odd, perhaps, since she's hardly young - she'd be an old woman if she were human. But she always has a smile, even when times are tough, and her skill as a healer has made her welcome in many places. Siobhan's appearance is certainly very ordinary: dark hair, a reddish sandstone skin, and grey eyes. She often goes around with a beret instead of a helmet with her shiny plate armor, in an effort to seem less threatening. Not that anyone is going to be intimidated by a 3'4" gnome, but she likes to show her face and finds helmets stuffy.

 
 Spoiler: Image - Siobhan and Clancy mini 
 
 


She sips her tea and continues her story:  "So I could tell Clancy was afraid. He had his ears back and a soft growl going. I made sure he knew he was a good dog for alerting me. I took my shield, crept forwards, parted the brush with my sickle, and lo! A skunk!

"They're surprisingly un-smelly... until they're not, you know. Anyhow, I beat a quick retreat and we had a good laugh, me and Clancy." 

Siobhan pauses for a moment and almost drifts off into her own thoughts, but then gives her head a little shake. She looks over at Tedras, and jokingly asks the tall, rakishly-charming half-elf,  "How would you have handled that, I wonder! A skunk must be the worst enemy of someone who smells as nice as you always do." 

 

After the conversation has gone on for a little while past her, Siobhan gets lost in her own thoughts again. Staring absentmindedly at the fireplace and the mantle, suddenly out of the blue she asks the question which must be on everyone's mind:  "Wait, is the 'Golden Vault' the name of the music box? I thought it was just... a name for us. Don't laugh at me. Did somebody spike the tea again?" 

Siobhan looks embarrassed and tries to shrug it off.  "Sorry, the pause before we get instructions always makes me nervous. And it's annoying that I need others' help just to reach the music box even when I'm the one with a key." 
Lioslaith
(From the recruitment thread)
Fenris started a bit when Rafe started talking to him, he was unused to casual conversation and always taken aback a little when it ensued. He continued into the room quietly, hoping to draw little attention and found a spot in a corner so he could see the room. He tried to nod and affirm at the appropriate points in the story but noticed about halfway through that Rafe was staring just a tad off to the left of where he actually was. A habit he had picked up over the years he spent under his old masters thumb, the need to not be noticed.

When Rafe was done telling his story, Fenris made a throat clearing noise and shifted himself upon his chair to draw Rafe's attention back to him. The simple sleeveless leather vest and breeches he wore creaked a bit as he moved, helping to break the habitual stealth. He answered quietly, his oddly deep for his stature voice pitched so hopefully only Rafe could hear it.   "That was indeed fortunate. I rarely seem to have any type of good luck like that."  
  "In fact, the best I can muster was when I was able to escape captivity and strike out on my own. Finding a place with the local guild, they have given me ... tasks for which I seem to be uniquely suited. Much like yourself, a hunter of men."  

All the time he talked, which was odd in itself, Fenris was taking in the positions of everyone in the room, from the gnome with her dog sitting on the floor by the fire, to the human playing with the dog, to the half dead Rafe engaging in unwanted conversation, to the half elves, etc. Watching them move about the room, people always fascinated him, then, abruptly, he remembered Rafe had asked him a question.   "The ... ears? They just are, I don't actually think much about them."  
 
 Spoiler: Pic 
 
 


Fenris watched the room and the others quietly, as he usually did.  The lustrous silver tattoo marking him.  It was visible on pretty much any exposed skin.  His rough cut white hair mostly unkept matched somehow his leather vest and pants.  After a bit he got up and went to the bar area to pour himself a drink.
JNAProductions
Leaf settled into the chair, her tunic with embroidered flowers wrinkling a little as she did. She took the mug of cider she had just filled, and downed it in one fell swoop.  "Man, this stuff is good," 
 she said, eyeing the barrel of cider next to the other, more alcoholic beverage barrels.  "Rafe, you want... Oh, right,"  she caught herself before she asked if the man who had the tastebuds of a rock wanted some cider.  "Er, Rafe,"  she continued, standing up and heading towards him across the carpeted floor.  "Did I ever tell you about the time with the Enclave that I almost burned down a forest?" 

Rafe shook his head, turning from the weapons rack adorned with well-maintained, but simply made swords and hammers and axes, to face Leaf.

 "Yeah... It was one heck of an embarrassing time. It's kinda why I stopped practicing pyromancy for a bit! So, I was working on my orisons, and I had made a little fire in a stone circle,"  she narrated,  "and, once I had the fire, I was practicing shapes with it. You know,  squares, circles, then more advanced things! Like little birds of fire, flitting around the fuel. And, me being me, I tried to push it further and further, until I made this HUGE dragon! Okay, maybe not huge huge,"  the five foot tall half-elf said with a chuckle,  "but I wasn't even a teenager at that point. It looked big to me! And I was making it fly around the fire, fun and such, and then I tried to move it further away. The whole dragon and the fire it was based on exploded when I tried to push it that far, and the little circle of stones I had prepared was NOT enough." 

Rafe leaned forward a little, accidentally looming over the short Leaf. She didn't care much, though-she knew Rafe was a friend, even with his menacing aura.  "So I'm freaking out-desperately trying to put out the fires, and doing... Well, not the best, but it was progress. Just not enough. I'm tossing dirt and trying to stop it, but it just keeps going, and eventually, I realize the best way is to smother it with my own body. I leap onto the fire, and! Vines shoot out and catch me, before a small flood of water extinguishes the flame. I didn't notice, but Velguardr-I've told you about them before, right?-so Velguardr had followed me to make sure I didn't cause trouble. Thank the gods they did, because, well, fire. They change out of their animal shape, and I'm expecting a huge admonishing about responsibility and being careful and all that. But... All they said was 'You messed up. But you were trying your best to fix it. Just remember, you're never alone,' and left." 
 "That... You know, that left an impact. I stopped working on fire magic just to be safe, but they had a good point. My whole life up till then, I'd tried doing things on my own, and I usually succeeded! But... I had support. I had friends, I had family, I had support from the Enclave... I needed to work  with  them, not just on my own,"  Leaf said.  "So... I guess the end of the story message is-thanks Rafe. You've been there for me too." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Copied from recruitment.
 
Auranghzeb
 
 Spoiler: Stinking Troglodytes 
As the dice spins, Tedras knows how to make a dice spin, Tedras concentrates on a number.
 Five, five, five  Before spinning the dice, Tedras had called a six, and whatever called on the magic dice, always came true. But Tedras was now working on the ultimate hustle: changing the call mid-roll to avoid people getting too suspicious and to nag the pot now and then with an accomplice.
Six, came the dice... that was the last attepmt, Tedras thought.

Besides it was getting damp this side of the hall, where Tedras kept a little desk with all the document forgery kit across the foyer, Siobhan and Clancy enjoying the fireplace drew Tedras' attention. Closing and locking the desk -as if locking anything in this den of thieves helped at all- Tedras crossed the hall and sat pleasantly next to the gnome and the big dog.

 No, not the face, Clancy, not the face! 

Tedras tried to prevent Clancy from landing a wet warm licking in Tedras' face. The fireplace cracked gently and was a great soundtrack to Siobhan's story. The little gnome always had good stories and the skunk one was one of her best -even if she loved re-telling it now an then. Tedras listened with the same attention as ever and then the question came.

 How would I handle it? Well, you'd be surprised! Skunks are not half as stinky as Troglodytes! Do you remember that place near Cauldron? Oh, maybe you don't, it was right after the Vanderborren Heist, I think you and Clancy left town soon. I just wanted to hang around and spend some money right.  Tedras says squatting in front of the fire, both hands extended. The ember lights making shadows with the almost too perfect facial features. A human Tedras was, but too many thought Tedras was an elf, or half-elf. But if Tedras was soft looking, that was all a faccade! Part of the charm.
 So after asking around I find this place a few miles into the woods, a lodge where people made weird bets and good amounts of money was exchanged. There I'm rolling high on the 4 Dragon game and ready to call it a night, when a patron, a Troglodyte fellow by the name of Irk, tells me I can double my platinum coins if I bet with him. Confident, I say yeah, let's do it. Without even asking the bet! Well, the guy says, If you can stay concious with me in a closed room while this candle burns out, you'll double your gains.
Sure, say I, easy money! 

Tedras turns around to look at Siobahn and makes a horrible grimace!

  Once inside, this Irk just starts seeping a horrible liquid! I'm telling you, it was the most offensive smell you can imagine! It pierced my nosetrils and poked holes in my clothes, so sharp it was! The candle is burning, not even half of it, and I'm about to explode, but I'm not losing all that platinum! Not this way! But now my eyes are burning like a Cornugon demon had pulled them out with fiery fingers! I'm actually crying tears of pain and the candle is not burning so painfully slow, I'm about to collapse a lung from the effort! And now the candle is two thirds out! And I'm just thinking about how well Lady Silverspoke smelled last time I saw her, and Lousy Roger pies in Applethorn Inn... you know all sort of things! Finally the candle goes Puff!
I had to scrub so hard I peeled my shoulders! 

Tedras rises, now warm, and takes confident strides towards the other side of the room.

 Say, Siobhan, want to take Clyde for a stroll? There's a nice moon today, and we may be able to roll some bones at Old Art's Lodge 

Tedras grabs an overcoat and heads out.
 


When Siobhan and Clyde don't move towards the door. Tedras has a change of heart and hangs the overcoat again and instead goes to the bar, warms up a glass and grabbing the best whisky there pours half a measure of it and walks back to the crackling fireplace throwing a glance or two at the magic box.

 It's been a while now. I Don't get me wrong, I like the accommodations and the company. But it's been a while. One grows restless thinking that without a gig, all these luxuries have an expiration date. 
 Tedras  pulls one of the sturdy chairs and sits backwards, elbows leaning on the back of the chair, and sips the whisky.

 This is damn good! The Vault surely knows their malt. So  Leaf , I don't get it, that means you can't or that you won't warm th fire a little bit more? 
The Hellbug
 
 Spoiler: From recruitment 
Ennius, who has so far been reading comfortably in a high-backed chair not far from the fire, lowers his book and speaks up.   "Old Art's a cheat, you know,"  the half elf warns over the rims of his reading glasses.  He sets the spectacles and book aside.  Neither is strictly necessary, the book being only a collection of entertaining tales and the glasses merely to reduce the stress on his eyes in the dim light--they had been a tip from an elderly scholar and Ennius fancies them, imagining that they make him look academic and dignified, which he further imagines he needs to impress the present company.

 "An enchantment on the dice, I believe,"  he continues,  "harmless most of the time but able to be invoked to force them to land the house's way at the critical moment.  Or--"  Ennius pauses and smirks  "--his patrons are just extremely unlucky.  Funny that all that winning can be undone in one moment--or done again, in your case."   The warlock tips his head respectfully towards Tedras.  "I don't know how you managed that.  I've never personally met a troglodyte, but every account I've heard is that the stench is absolutely unbearable."

 "I'm afraid my luck's always been towards the former."  Ennius shifts in his seat, clears his throat, and takes a sip from the goblet of wine on his side table.  It's obvious from anyone who's spent any amount of time with him that there's a story coming.   "I was involved in a scheme once, not strictly a gamble but not so far off, to swindle of man out of a large amount of money.  I had a plan for the money at the time, but it clearly wasn't important since I can't recall it.  Regardless, the target was a lord as miserly as a dragon--he loved his coin so much that he had each of his servants wear a pair of them on a necklace so that he could hear them  cling cling  as they went about their work--so that was reason enough.  And friend of mine had found her way into his service, not by choice, mind, and had covertly sent a letter asking for help escaping.  We had worked together before and there were some bad feelings about how it had ended but we were still acquaintances.  That's another story." 

Seeing that his long-winded table-setting is beginning to lose the room's attention, Ennius forges ahead.   "Anyway, there were good reasons for me to be there.  So, the stealing.  First, I called in a favor from a wizard who owed me to cast a spell over the lord's manor, a subtle one that wouldn't do anything.  Yet.   Then, I snuck in and started a fire in the stables, which spread to the the manor.  The lord panics.  His servants are fleeing--remember that each of them has the two coins around their neck so they'll be well enough off for a while--and there's no one to fight the fire and his riches are at risk.  Enter Ennius."   The half elf spreads his arms and bows his head magnanimously.   "I suggest that the house is already ruined, but that, if he were to smash the wall of the levy, the water could save his wealth.  Coins are waterproof, after all.  He gets to paying some onlooking peasants--you should have seen the looks on their faces when he handed them the bags of gold--to do just that.  The water races in, the fire goes out, and, just like that, when it touches the coins my owed spell is activated!" 

He pauses for dramatic effect and enjoys the anticipation of each listener for just a moment but, inevitably, continues.   "Every one of them turns into a fish!  So there are gold and silver and copper fish swimming around in the pond around the burned house.  All that's left is to meet up with my friend, wait for the magic fade at dusk and collect the coins in the shallows!" 

The triumphant conclusion is undercut, though, by how the telling had begun.   "Oh, my friend drugged me, took the money, and ran off,"  he explains matter-of-factly when it's mentioned that that sounds like a lucky ending,  "or should I say wife?  Later.  Another story.  It was days before I got the lord's goons off my tail."   As usual, at the tale's end it's impossible to tell from the warlock's face if it's true, a fabrication, a delusion, or all three.
 


______

  "No, it's an important question,"   Ennius solemnly assuages the gnome about her concern at being drugged,   "although if you find yourself asking it too often, it may be a sign that you should seek better company.  The answer tonight, I believe, is 'no'."  

He taps his finger on his chin, thinking about the box and the name, soon arriving at the conclusion that he doesn't have the clues to puzzle it out.    "As for the name, I haven't the foggiest,"   he admits,   "every time I've worked with them, it's been with people like you all: seemingly pro bono, independent folk.  Whoever, whatever is the mastermind behind all this and whatever's going through their head is a mystery to me.  For all each of us knows, they could be standing in this room right at this very moment!  "  He stands up and raises his wine goblet.    "I can, however, attest to the quality of their results that I know of, as can Tedras, here, on at least one count.  And yes, to the quality of their lodgings as well.  Speaking of which..."  

Ennius tests the weight of the chair he had been sitting in before, as delicately as possible, moving it over towards the mantle to serve as a stepping point for Siobhan.    "That's one problem solved,"   he announces with a satisfied grin.
JNAProductions
 
 Originally Posted by Auranghzeb 
  This is damn good! The Vault surely knows their malt. So  Leaf , I don't get it, that means you can't or that you won't warm th fire a little bit more?  
 

 "I'm fine with fire,"  she responds,  "just... Not my own magical fire. Those skills have actually atrophied pretty hard-I don't think I could do what I did all those years ago any more, not without spending some time practicing again." 
Lioslaith
Fenris's deep voice speaks quietly from his place at the bar area.   "Anyone have any ideas as to what might show up in the box this time?"  
Archemist
 "Thanks for the assist,"  Siobhan says to Ennius, for moving the chair. Including Fenris, she adds,  "Now all we need is a key - I've got no clue what the mission might be this time, or why they'd need a group as big as five."
 
 "Six, sorry,"  she adds to Clancy.


She listens with interest as Leaf details her reasons for not playing with fire.  "The fire I get from the Moonmaiden is not quite the same as regular fire,"  Siobhan says, with a nod in the direction of the fireplace.  "But if you are humble and reverent, it is a powerful aid for good, instead of a mindless destructive force." 
JNAProductions
Leaf nods back to Siobhan.  "No, I get that-I'm perfectly content to build a fire by hand, or warm myself at a fireplace, or, you know, cook. I know it's not fully rational to avoid fiery orisons-I'm years more experienced and practiced than I was then, and a lot more level headed to boot-but some things are just viscerally emotional." 

She stretches a bit, and adds  "I too am rather curious as to what we'll be doing for this outing." 
agignac
The bell over the door tinkles suddenly, letting you know that somebody has pulled the bell-rope outside. One of you answers the door, to reveal a pretty, dark-skinned human, that some of you recognize as Meera Raheer. She often acts as messenger for the Golden Vault, and though you know little about her, she always brings a smile and a friendly word.

 
 Spoiler: Meera 
 
 


She peers into the room and smiles at you.  "Wow! Big gathering! I guess they must have something important planned."  She hands over a small bundle, which appears to be some red velvet cloth wrapped around something. You know from experience that inside the cloth you'll find the key.
JNAProductions
 "I got it!"  Leaf says, bouncing to the door.  "Oh hey Meera! Thank you,"  she adds as she takes the package.  "Got any time to stay for a drink? Or business as usual?" 
Lioslaith
Fenris moves subtlety to the side so he isn't lined up with the door as Leaf opens it.  As soon as he recognizes her his attention focuses beyond her to make sure she is alone.
Auranghzeb
Tedras was about to get up when Leaf got to the door.

[color=“#008080”]Nice! What is it this time?[/color]

The swashbuckling fighter said, rising from the chair and gulping down the whisky.

[color=“#008080”]Leaf, let’s check this out![/color]
agignac
Fenris doesn't see anybody outside behind Meera. The messenger grins at Leaf and says,  "I wish! But I have another time-sensitive delivery. And you'll want to listen to the message, I'm sure, and I can't hear it. Anyhow, good luck!"  She shuts the door behind her.
JNAProductions
 "She's so nice. Kind woman, that one,"  Leaf comments.  "Now, let's see what we've got!" 

She sets the delivery somewhere everyone can see it, and starts to open.
Archemist
Siobhan gets up from her spot on the floor and hops up to kneel on a chair by the table, with her elbows on the tabletop. She listens attentively as Leaf winds the music box and plays the message.
agignac
Leaf sets the cloth package down and carefully unwraps it. She reveals a now-familiar style of key, heavy gold, with an unreadable rune on scribed on it.

She inserts it into the music box and gives it a twist. A pleasant voice says:

   "Greetings, operatives. The Golden Vault needs you to obtain the true names of three powerful denizens of the Lower Planes: the pit fiend Karnyrons, the balor Errtok, and the marilith Hexalanthe. Their true names are known to an outlaw called the Stranger, who is being transported to Mechanus on an interplanar train called the Concordant Express. This quest, should you choose to undertake it, requires you board the train, locate the Stranger, and acquire the true names from them. Expect to be contacted shortly by a quadrone named Glitch, a former train operative who now works for us. Good luck, operatives."   

The golden key vanishes with a puff of silver smoke that smells of lilacs.
Auranghzeb
Tedras slams one hand on the table with visible excitement.

 There! A nice mission! You gotta love train heists! And personally, I have never met a quadrone. I wonder how powerful are these fiends and what kind of challenges should we expect. Any of you book types knows anything? If you don't I think I'll try to go an do some legwork before the quadrone comes.  
Lioslaith
Fenris shakes his head,   "What I know about demons probably wouldn't cover a bookmark.  I can help with research though to see if we have anything here on any of it."  

After a brief check of the book shelves,   "Here is a book on Fiends."  
Archemist
Siobhan thinks hard.  "Trains... that's where they get a bunch of mine-carts and link them together."

"Quadrones, though, I've never seen one of those. Is it mechanical, I guess?" 

Clancy gives a short bark.  "I know, I know, nobody's asking you to face down a pit fiend without knowing its truename." 
The Hellbug
Ennius, spurred by the discussion about fire, had been quietly contemplating its nature during the knock at the door, and as soon as it was obvious that someone else was going to get it, he paid it not a whit.  It would come to something in time, but that's just it.  Back to the fire, he's not even sure 'mindless destructive force' is always a bad; for some things it's the only way, and, after all, it gives way way to rebirth.  The mighty oak falls, its shadow fades, new growth springs in its wake, and the cycle continues.

The warlock is still chewing on these thoughts, absentmindedly tapping on the root-bound cover of the peculiar tome that never leaves his side, when the voice from the box breaks his reverie, and he finally joins the others.    "Truenames of powerful fiends, devious,"   Ennius muses,   "there are some that say that wielding a fiends true name allows one to master it absolutely.  A potentially chilling thought.  I'm not certain the power goes that far, but it's common knowledge that fiends and other powerful magical entities guard their own as though that's the case.  This Stranger is no ordinary...passenger, you would say?"  
  "Hopefully there's no need,"   he answers Fenris and sits down at the table.  The warlock places his tome on its spine, and runs a finger across the gathered pages before opening to one, seemingly at random.  After scanning it for a moment, he shakes his head disappointedly.    "Actually, don't mind me.  I have no knowledge of these fiends in particular."  
JNAProductions
 "This sounds... Tough,"  Leaf comments.  "But we knew it wouldn't be easy, given how many experienced folk they wanted." 

She thinks a moment.  "We  do  know where the Concordant Express is, right?" 
The Hellbug
  "Presumably that's what this Glitch is for,"   Ennius replies,  "although Mechanus, hmmm...has anyone here traveled beyond this world?  I confess I haven't been to any plane beyond Fairy."  
Auranghzeb
Grabbing a coat, Tedras goes out.

 I'll hit the usual places. There must be someone around who knows something about this "Stranger" folk. See you in a few hours. 

Tedras walked out into the cold late evening planning to visit alleys and dark places starting with Old Art's. Then move to wherever the trail led.
The Hellbug
  "Wait!"   Ennius warns Tedras as he's halfway out the door,   "we don't know when we'll be contacted."    The warlock deliberately flips through his tome, landing on a spread of two pages, blank except for a pair of illegible signatures, at which point he spins the book around and pushes it across the table with his fingertips.  One trip into his bag later, a well of ink and a quill (which he carefully rearranges to lie parallel to the tome's edge) join it.

  "Sign,"   Ennius then offers the duelist, waving a hand across the pages in a gesture of magnanimity.  Only then does his explanation follow:   "and I'll be able to contact you if they arrive before you finish, no matter where you go."  
Auranghzeb
Tedras spun around and waited for the warlock to offer an incantation.

 Sound idea! I'll let you know as soon as I learn something. 


Tedras went out, patting the deck of cards inside the left pocket of the overcoat.

 I guess there's time for a little card game... we are getting paid anyway 

Tedras told to the dark air of night.


 
 Spoiler: Rolls 
Persuasion to find out stuff  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
Insight to discern if anyone is lying  (1d20+5)[ 15 ] 
 
agignac
 
 Spoiler: Tedras 
 Tedras heads out into the night, to use his wits to find out about the Stranger.
You discover the following rumours:
1) The Stranger had humble origins; orphaned as an infant but with a knack for magic.
2) The Stranger is an angel with a mission to destroy all fiends
3) The Stranger is a fiend, and he guards his own name by holding the names of other fiends hostage
4) The Stranger scammed his way through mulitple magical institutions, and has many aliases.
5) The Stranger drank in this very bar! He's devilishly handsome, but prefers the company of men. (This one likely a lie, or at least exaggerated.)
 

 
 Spoiler: Siobhan 
 She has heard of the Concordant Express, a clockwork locomotive that travels the multiverse. She's heard that the engine car is sapient, and that it can create its own track and choose its own course. She's never heard about it coming to the Material Plane before, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ennius 
 knows that Mechanus is one of the outer planes, a realm of absolute law and order. Apparently everything is made of interlocking gears. The clockwork people that live there, are sapient but not sentient, and have no use for emotions or anything non-logic-based.
 


A few hours after you receive the message, there's another knock at the door. It is now past midnight, and it's very quiet in the area of the botanical gardens near your cabin.

A three-foot high round mechanical creature stands at the door. It looks up at you and says,  "Ah, hello! Yes, good , finally - friends looking to catch the Stranger - the Stranger who has already been caught. Here, take this map. It shows the train cars. Here are your tickets and a pen to write down names. Not ordinary names, secret names! I am Glitch, by the way." 
 
 Spoiler: the map 

 
 

 
 Spoiler: Glitch 

 
 
Archemist
Siobhan welcomes Glitch and asks,  "Do you know if the Express allows pets? I never thought to ask these things - I'd only ever heard of the Concordant Express as a myth, like how people say there are islands that move around on the ocean or whatever." 

She takes her ticket and the map and looks at them closely.  "What do you mean the Stranger has already been caught? ...Are they a prisoner in the jail cell car?"  She seems slightly skeptical at this turning into a jailbreak mission.

 "Hmm, I guess if all we need are the names we might not have to free the Stranger, though they'll probably want us to, in exchange. Goodness. What did the Stranger do, to get imprisoned?"  The way Siobhan asks it, it's slightly unclear whether she means "what crime did they commit?" or "how could someone like that have been captured?"
Auranghzeb
Tedras comes back just in time to find Glitch at home base.

 This Stranger fellow has quite a few things going on. And they say he is so handsome now I'm really interested in meeting him.
However, it is difficult to discern anything from what I learned: if we are to believe some folks, the Stranger is out for blood, fiend, blood. And holds power over them by keeping their truenames.
If, on the other hand, we are to believe some other folks -the kind of folks you meet at a card table- The Stranger is a fiend and not precisely good news.
Finally, there are other folks who frankly were fawning too much on the Stranger appeal to be believed, then we are chasing the multiverse's hottest person. 

Tedras looks at Glitch.

 Ha, do you mean that we are to infiltrate a prison train and  rescue  the stranger! I'm loving this assignment more by the minute! Genius! 
JNAProductions
 "A pleasure to meet you,"  Leaf tells the drone.  "Do we have  any  idea what the unknown cars are? Or are they total mysteries?" 
agignac
The tickets are made from paper-thin sheets of brass, and are stamped with a boarding time (approx 20 hours from now).

To Leaf's question, the modron says,  "Well, of course, every train has the engine in front and the caboose behind! The jail car is usually near the end, but not always. As for the other cars. Well! It depends on where else the train has been and where it is going! Passenger cars, to be sure, but the type of car depends on the passenger! Sometimes there is a dining car, sometimes a temple, once there was a car full of fire! But I no longer work for the Express, so I do not know for sure. There might even be more cars than that! You will see.

"I will take you to the Outlands, where we will catch the train. We will go tomorrow evening. So make sure you are prepared! Do you have any other questions for me?" 
Lioslaith
  "So we are to get on a train that we know almost nothing about, break a literal stranger out of a prison car, and then make it off this train whose stops we have no inkling about?  Sounds interesting."  
Archemist
 "I've heard the train can think for itself and decide where its track goes - so if we go to the locomotive maybe we can just ask it nicely to drop us off back here." 
Lioslaith
  "Well that certainly isn't disconcerting at all."    Fenris says with a smirk.
The Hellbug
  "A literal stranger being taken as a prisoner to  Mechanus , a realm of absolute law,"   Ennius emphasizes and further speculates,   "whatever they've done, it certainly displeased somebody, and legitimately, at least in some sense of the word.  And I don't think  nice  is in their lexicon."  

The scholar takes one of the tickets for himself.    "Our names or the Stranger's names?"   he asks, turning the ticket over and looking for a place for a signature.
agignac
The modron tilts its head (well, its whole body) so far that it looks like its falling over.  "Do you require writing your own names? You can write anything you want with the pen. Unless you prefer a different pen for other words?" 

Looking at the group, it says,  "If there are no more questions, then I will return tomorrow when the sun is exactly 42 degrees above the western horizon to take you to the Outlands."  It waits a moment, then presses a button on its body. You hear a loud click, and then the modron vanishes.
The Hellbug
  "No, no, no,"   Ennius says, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair in mild frustration,   "how do I make this more clear?  Do we need to put a name on the tickets?"  

______________

Once the modron is gone, the warlock turns to his companions.    "An unknown vessel, an unknown route, and an unknown prisoner,"   he summarizes,   "well, we know something about the route--there's where we're getting on and a stop somewhere in Mechanus--but that's still a lot of unknowns.  At least with the tickets we won't be trespassing so we won't be under pressure thin that way."    He's goes silent for a moment, waving the ticket thoughtfully.  When Ennius speaks again, it's just a stream of ideas, mostly unconnected.    "If we're on the train, we'll each need a destination.  The tickets don't seem to indicate any.  Maybe we can use that to our advantage.  Then there's the other unknown passengers, maybe they could be helpful?  And, as Siobhan said, there's the train itself, apparently.  Unfortunately, since we know so little about it, I can't guarantee anything but I'd imagine I'll have no trouble moving around on it once we've boarded.  I have a couple of tricks for avoiding detection by, well, in this case, lawful authority."   He looks up, checking if any part of his disconnected rambling has sparked anything in any of his fellow adventurers.
agignac
 
 Originally Posted by The Hellbug 
   "No, no, no,"   Ennius says, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair in mild frustration,   "how do I make this more clear?  Do we need to put a name on the tickets?"   
 

Glitch shakes his head/body, nearly rotating with the effort.  "Nope, no names needed. Five tickets, bought and paid for. One way, going to Mechanus. I'll meet you there, bring you home. Hopefully with the names we need! Not your names. The Stranger's names. Not his name neither, but the names he knows. You know?"  He looks tongue-tied for a moment.
Lioslaith
  ”Do you happen to know the approximate travel times from destination to destination?  This might let us know how long we have while in transit.       
agignac
 
 Originally Posted by Lioslaith 
   ”Do you happen to know the approximate travel times from destination to destination?  This might let us know how long we have while in transit.        
 

Glitch makes a strange grinding sound as some gears in its insides work furiously.  "Time. Yes, that is a good question, and no easy answer. The engine will decide which way is safest and which way is quickest and which was is most scenic, and then make some calculations and plan a route. That leg of the journey has never been less than five hours, and once or twice took more than twenty. There are many dimensions to consider, of course." 
Lioslaith
  ”So at best we will have 5 hours once we are underway. Do you happen to know if we will be confined to whatever place we will be seated or are we free to roam around?”  
Auranghzeb
Tedras was pensive. This whole business was complicated, yet it was exciting. A train was like a vertical tower, that was the way to think about it, one way in, many exits.

Extraction was an important part of this.

Tedras took a ticket and placed it in the side pocket of the overcoat. Then looked around at the others.

 Let's make some plans, we need a route to get out from a moving train that will be traversing who know what dimension. I'm not concerned about the going in, not even the security. As long as we are inside we can either avoid them or fight them. But how are we going out of the train when we have accomplished our task? That's the tricky part.  
Lioslaith
  ”If anyone is particularly good at bluffing we could try and convince the guards we are ‘the next shift’ or whatever fits. Or we could simply kill them and take their places.”  
Archemist
Siobhan looks up and back and forth as the two tallfolk discuss the details. She gets lost in thought again for a little bit as the mechanical creature disappears.

 "I think I'll leave Clancy here - he's not train-trained, as it were." 

And a little later:  "My preference is always to do things quietly. If we just get the names, and don't hurt anyone or free The Stranger, we can get off the train as if nothing happened and we don't have the truenames in our pocket. It sounds like we'll have plenty of time.

"Some of you know already, but I'm mostly good at finding people and making them talk in non-violent ways. I have spells that that can make people tell the truth or stay motionless for a while. So we may be able to do it under the guards' noses, or with some clever distractions.

"Worst case, though, I can contact the dead if we are too late in getting to The Stranger." 
The Hellbug
 
 Originally Posted by Lioslaith 
   ”So at best we will have 5 hours once we are underway. Do you happen to know if we will be confined to whatever place we will be seated or are we free to roam around?”   
 

Fenris's continued questions shake one out of Ennius as well.    "And how does one get these tickets?"   he adds,   "would it be possible to find out who else has one?  Maybe we could predict what other kinds of people the passengers will be."  
agignac
 
 Originally Posted by The Hellbug 
 Fenris's continued questions shake one out of Ennius as well.    "And how does one get these tickets?"   he adds,   "would it be possible to find out who else has one?  Maybe we could predict what other kinds of people the passengers will be."   
 

Glitch says,  "You can roam around, of course, you are not tied to the train! But do not try to teleport around, as that will not work, not at all. Other passengers buy tickets at...a ticket booth? I have never sold tickets. Many types of peoples, from many planes, all ride the Concordant Express! Even animals!"  It looks at Clancy.  "Non-sapient creatures do not require a ticket." 
agignac
The day passes as you get ready for the job. Mid afternoon, Glitch reappears as promised.  "Are you ready? Hold hands, please!"  It takes Tedras and Siobhan's hands, and waits for the others to make a circle. Once you're all ready, one of its mechanical wings comes forward to press a button on its body, and suddenly the world vanishes.

For a moment, you're suspended in pearly grey fog, alone, with no points of reference. Before you can begin to panic, however, you find yourself still holding your coworker's hands, standing in a ring on a grassy plain.

The sky overhead a bright no-colour, with no sun or other source of the brightness. Underfoot is a soft, dark orange grass. A few unfamiliar flowers and bushes dot the plane. A few miles away, a colossal spire of rock rises into the sky, its peak lost in clouds.

Suddenly a distant horn blares, and you see a column of smoke on the horizon.  "Good! Here it comes, right on time!"  Glitch proclaims.

A locomotive hurtles across the sky towards you, laying down magical tracks before it. As it draws near, you can see clockwork limbs disassembling the tracks behind the train and passing them forward, so the locomotive can lay down new tracks in front of itself.

As the train descends to grown level, its horn blares once more. It swerves away from you, coming to a gradual stop until its caboose is a short distance away, pointing in your direction.

 "Got your tickets?"  asks Glitch.  "Excellent! Now go. Show your tickets to the modron in the caboose and it will punch them. This is where I leave you. I will see you at the station in Mechanus. Farewell, friends!"  And he pushes the button and vanishes again.

As you approach the caboose, you can see that it doubles as a train station. Inside is a booth containing a duodrone attendant with a built-in ticket puncher.  "Step up, step up! Insert your ticket to be punched!" 
 
 Spoiler: the train 
 
 

 
 Spoiler: duodrone 
 
 
Auranghzeb
 
 Spoiler: Cool art 
That's some really cool art on the train!
 


Before punching tickets and going inside the train, Tedras shuffles the deck of wonder and draws one card blindly.

 Luck, be whatever...  

Drawing the Chancelor.

 Oh, Luck smiles at us today, Augury is just perfect for the task ahead. 
 
 Spoiler: The chancellor: 
Chancellor. Within 8 hours of drawing this card, you can cast Augury once as an action, requiring no material components. Use your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the spellcasting ability (your choice).
 



Tedras puts away the deck and moves inside the train throwing a smile to the others.

 I'll make myself acquainted with the other travelers, find out what I can. See you inside. 

Once inside, Tedras puts charm to good use and with a silver tongue tries to blend in with the passengers.
The Hellbug
The Outlands, Ennius had expected.  Even if he hasn't ever been there, there are plenty of texts describing their patchwork appearance.  The train, though, he'd be lying if told you that he wasn't impressed by its arrival.  He too hands his ticket to the duodrone.    "Yes, we should set a time for meeting, though.  How about 30 minutes from now?"   Ennius tells Tedras as they take off.  For the ticket-taker, though, he has a question:   "how will we find our seats?"  
agignac
The duodron, its voice metallic and emotionless, says,  "There are many seats. Most of them have a flat surface and four legs. If you struggle to identify appropriate places to sit, ask an attendant and they will assist you." 

Machinery whirs and clicks as the train shudders and creeps forward, gradually picking up speed. Another horn blast signals that the Concordant Express is once again on the move. From the caboose window you can see the train is lifting above the ground, speeding along through the air on its perpetually moving track.

Tedras moves carefully out of the caboose and across the coupler, looking down at the mechanical track and the Outland ground already far below. He opens the door to the next car, expecting to see passengers of some sort or other. Instead, he finds a most curious car. On the left wall there is a podium, behind which is a chalkboard covered with mathematical equations. Next to the podium stands a boxy modron wearing a wizard's cap. On the right hand wall, ten spherical modrons are lined up and unmoving. Another door, straight ahead, shows the way out and towards the next train car.

The boxy modron taps the podium with a brass wand to get Tedras' attention.  "Well met!"  it says in Common.  "I am the Math Wizard, Captain of Calculus, Admiral of Abaci, Unifier of Units! Welcome to my Sanctum Numerum, where any problem can be solved. I beseech thee, traveler, what numerical enigmas plague thee?" 
Lioslaith
Fenris boards the train, all the while staying silent and watching the movement of the modron's.  After his ticket is punched he takes his seat only to watch Tedras move into the other train car.  After a few heartbeats he gets up and follows suit, quietly.
Auranghzeb
 Any problem can be solved  Tedras repeats mentally,  letting the words roll.


 Thank you, your most excellent professor, My name is Sardet, I'm a traveling merchant of information and there's a question that plagues my mind and makes me wonder whether it is nobler to try and solve it myself or ask for your help. It is a problem of subtraction, apparently simple arithmetic, yeah, but here's the rub. How does one solve an operation that requires the numeral from which one subtracts looks the same as before the subtraction?  


Tedras words it in kind of a nonsensical way. Then smiles and tries again.

 
 Spoiler: Deception 
 (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
 

 Lets take, for the sake of argument, a train traveling through space an time -all travels are- and from which a passenger must be subtracted before a determined amount of time has elapsed, how much time would have to pass before anyone notice the subtraction? How would you even formulate the problem into an equation that could be solved by someone as plain as myself?  

Tedra's big smile grows even wider.

 
 Spoiler: Investigation? Persuation? Let's roll persuation: 
 (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
 
The Hellbug
  "Thank you?"    It seems that the party's contact isn't the only train operator who's as relentlessly factual as they are relentlessly unhelpful in answering questions.  Willfully believing that it must be the way of Mechanus and not an act of intentional patronization, Ennius follows his companions into the second car.

And is shocked once again, not by awe this time but by the sheer strangeness of the car.    Math Wizard?    The warlock is of half a mind to just head straight down the train all the way to the engine to see if this is just how things are on board the Concordant Express, but Tedras's query is intriguing.  Ennius, too, awaits the response of mathematically-inclined modron.
agignac
The boxy Math Wizard smiles with its oddly wide mouth.  "Aha! You are a philosopher, looking to answer difficult questions with the comforting logic of mathematics! A wise man, to understand your lowly understanding and search for solace under the tutelage of one such as myself! Of course, your question has many variables. Is the passenger being observed before, during, or after the subtraction? How many dimensions is the train travelling through? And of course, is it a true subtraction, or a substitution? Can you answer any of these variable? Without more information my equation will be vague at best, misleading at worst." 
Archemist
Siobhan decides to bring Clancy along after all. He's just a normal dog but she figures any interdimensional train that adapts to fire elementals and such can handle a dog passenger for a few hours.

She gives her ticket to be punched and moves forwards in the train past the professor modron and his class, making apologies for disrupting their learning.

 "Thirty minutes, sure,"  she responds to Tedras when he suggests poking around for a bit individually. She looks to see what is in yet one more car forwards, hoping to find an open seat, perhaps.
Auranghzeb
Tedras knows enough to realize that it will be difficult to outsmart this Math Wizard, but the enigma formulation can help the party making some decisions, and tries as hard as possible to continue the formulation:

 The train is traveling of course across all 4 dimensions, from point a to c. However, it is unknown if the travel across dimensions happens linearly.
The point about the passenger being observed is a clever one, wouldn't have thought it myself, professor, truly a mind as bright as yours could tell us if in interdimensional travel there are blind spots that prevent constant observation. That would help us with the second variable and would be crucial to understand whether substitution is even possible 

Tedra's mind was racing, pearls of transpiration appeared from the effort. This was to much for a simple uneducated mind, but the others didn't jump to help!

 Come on! 

Tedras thought

 you guys are smarter! 
Infernally Clay
      
  Rafe Haugen 
  Dhampir Hexblade Warlock 9 
 AC:  19  | HP:  75/75  | Initiative:  +2
 STR:  -1  | DEX:  +2  | CON:  +3  | INT:  +1  | WIS:  +4  | CHA:  +8

 Spell Slots:   5th:  2/2

 Hexblade Curse:  1/1
 Accursed Spectre:  1/1
 Ghostly Gaze:  1/1

 Active Effects:  None
 Concentrating:  None
 Conditions:  None  
 
  

Out of nowhere, a tall and almost sinister looking man rests his arm upon Tedras' shoulder, his smile towards the math wizard bearing teeth as sharp as razorblades.

"Come now," his says, his words making the room itself feel...  heavier , "A train travelling through multiple dimensions would need to observe its passengers at all times... wouldn't want any of them to fall out and get  eaten up  by the abyss."

He licks his lips, which have a drop of red liquid sitting upon them before he scoops it up with his tongue, and turns to the man beside him, "It has been some time, Sardet. Have you caught the academic bug while I was away? Perhaps you could ask the good professor to explain how trains such as this adapt to the multitude of gravitational and geothermal fluctuations between dimensions. This train must be a mathematical marvel to achieve such things."

Rafe then removes his arm and moves towards the ten modrons hovering nearby. "What purpose do these fulfil, I wonder?"
Auranghzeb
Tedras hated when Rafe did that... lurking on people and startling them like that.

Besides, Tedras wondered how Rafe had those pecs with so little Strength.

 Must be charisma muscles 

Anyhow, Tedras was relieved that someone else interferred in a conversation that was clearly getting out of hands.

 Oh, hey, it's you.  Efar , the definely not creepy brooding scientist of dark matter.  
agignac
Siobhan leaves the math wizard to the "brainier" types, and goes across the traincar to the exit door. Another step across  the coupler to the next train car. Clancy seems unsettled by the ground passing underneath so far below, but he's well-trained and trusts Siobhan to take care of him in these strange places. The math door whooshes shut behind them.

Then Siobhan opens the door to the next car....and freezes.

The train car is filled with clear water, and for a moment, the druid expects it to sluice over her. However, it isn't displaced when the door open. The car's interiors space is a large aquarium, complete with a coral reef and algae-coated ruins. Tiny, colourful fish dart through the ruins, and circle an alabaster statue carved in the likeness of an angel clutching a decanter. The nearby fish scatter at the sight of Siobhan and Clancy.

Meanwhile, in the math car, the Admiral of Abaci says,  "Well, interdimensional travel is mostly theoretical, unlike interplanar travel. Except for the fourth dimension, of course! But as you'll soon notice, travelling between planes can cause unpleasant side effects, certainly the same would be true of any other inter-travel. For example..."  the modron begins a lecture on Rafe's question, most of it completely unintelligible.
Lioslaith
 
 Originally Posted by agignac 
 The boxy Math Wizard smiles with its oddly wide mouth.  "Aha! You are a philosopher, looking to answer difficult questions with the comforting logic of mathematics! A wise man, to understand your lowly understanding and search for solace under the tutelage of one such as myself! Of course, your question has many variables. Is the passenger being observed before, during, or after the subtraction? How many dimensions is the train travelling through? And of course, is it a true subtraction, or a substitution? Can you answer any of these variable? Without more information my equation will be vague at best, misleading at worst."  
 

Fenris watches the exchange with the mechanical thing and then offers the following,   "Consider the passenger to be watched, though not constantly monitored during all phases.  It is intended to be a true subtraction though a substitution could be made.  Does any of that help?"  
agignac
The Math Wizard cut off his lecture mid-word and turned to Fenris.  "It seems you have given me all the information you have. It will not be the most precise equation, but we must work with what we have. Math modrons! Calculate!" 

The ten round modrons reach into their chest and pull out a stack of thin metal sheets, each one inscribed with a single digit or mathematical symbol. They shuffle through the sheets, then put most of the stack away and hold one sheet up. The ten modrons, holding their single sheets side-by-side, create the following answer.

  45&gt;x&gt;10±27  
 "There you have it!"  the boxy modron says happily.  "Glad to help. Now, I must work on my own equation, unless you have another urgent mathematical question?" 
Auranghzeb
 Oh, Thank you, now we only need to find a fitting question for that data.

Let's find Siobhan 

Tedras waved goodbye and went looking for Siobhan.


      
  Tedras 
  Human Battlemaster8/rogue1=9 
 AC:  16 | HP:  74/74  | Initiative:  +
 STR:  10  | DEX:  18  | CON:  14 | INT:  8  | WIS:  13  | CHA:14 
 Superiority Dice:  5/5 d8
-Brace
-Bait and Switch
-Commander's Strike
-Pushing Attack
-Quick Toss

 Active Effects:  None
 Conditions:  None  
 
  
Lioslaith
Fenris chuckles at the answer,   ”Thank you for the work. We appreciate it.”  . He then follows Tedras out the door, pausing just before he exits   “Would you happen to be able to tell me how many cars there are before the prison car?”  
Infernally Clay
      
  Rafe Haugen 
  Dhampir Hexblade Warlock 9 
 AC:  19  | HP:  75/75  | Initiative:  +2
 STR:  -1  | DEX:  +2  | CON:  +3  | INT:  +1  | WIS:  +4  | CHA:  +8

 Spell Slots:   5th:  2/2

 Hexblade Curse:  1/1
 Accursed Spectre:  1/1
 Ghostly Gaze:  1/1

 Active Effects:  None
 Concentrating:  None
 Conditions:  None  
 
  

"Allow me," Rafe says, as he heads into the water-filled carriage. One advantage of being dead, he finds, is not needing to breathe. He will check the other door and mentally note how long it takes to cross the length of the carriage and, using his Earring of Message, relay the information to Tedras.
agignac
Without needing to take a deep breath, Rafe enters the water-filled train car.

The water is cold, but not dangerously so. The brightly-coloured fish dart away from the strange figure entering the car, hiding behind rocks, algae and coral. Rafe immediately begins to float - it's hard to walk through water. It only takes twenty seconds or so to swim across the train car. The door on the other end opens easily, and the dhampir uses the doorframe to pull himself back into a vertical position. A moment later, he steps through the door, and finds himself completely dry as he stands between the two cars.

The next car doesn't have a window in the door, and looks like a more "serious" door. He guesses this is the jail car.
Lioslaith
Fenris watches Rafe traverse the car without any issues, mentally counting off the seconds as he stands there. When Rafe makes it to the other side Fenris turns to the other and shrugs.  He draws his rapier, takes a deep breath and proceeds into the water car to try and make his way across it.
Auranghzeb
 I guess that's the way... 
Says Tedras as he follows the others.

Tedras is a prodigious swimmer

 
 Spoiler: Swim check 
 (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
 
Lioslaith
  "I think I expected that to be more than it was.  What's next?"  
agignac
The jail car is taller then the two cars you've just been through, looking more like a two-story car. It is square and appears to be made of thick iron. The windowless door before you is locked. There is a narrow walkway built into the jail car on its left side, complete with a guard-rail - clearly you are meant to go around this car, not through it.

As you look at the car, the landscape around the train suddenly changes dramatically. The train is now flying over a storm-lashed sea, and icy rain pelts the train. Lightning flashes nearby, and the accompanying crash of thunder temporarily deafens you and rattles your bones. Flying in the sky around you are silent spectral women warriors, in ghostly chariots being pulled by ghostly steeds. They appear to be watching the train intently.
Lioslaith
  "Do we want to try and pick the lock? Recon the car?  I'm open to suggestions here."  
Auranghzeb
 Not a bad Idea, but I'll need someone to watch over those ladies, they may be waiting their chance to take the prisoner. 

Tedras pulls out a set of thieves tools but before using them, Tedra stops with a hunch.

 Hum, I think this time is a good as any other for a little Augury.  

Focusing on the whole situation: the door, the guards rail, the valkires; Tedras spends the Augury granted by the deck.

 Is it a good idea to open the door like this? 
Auranghzeb
 Oh, well, it seems fate is not with us. 

Smiling, Tedras puts the thieves tools away and instead knocks the heavy door twice.


 Message from the train staff, message from the train staff. Possible threat needing evacuation due to unexpected loss of internal containment of water in wagon Z45.   
 
 Spoiler: Deception 
 (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
 
agignac
Tedras knocks on the door, which booms deeply. He begins his attempted deception, but before he gets more than a few words out of his mouth, you all hear a commotion above you. Looking up, you see two modrons on the jail cars roof. Unlike the modrons you've seen so far, these are roughly star shaped, with a head in the middle of the the five arms. Each arm holds a sword.

One is shouting at you in the mechanical tongue they speak. You don't understand its words, but by its gestures you infer it's telling you to go around, or go back. They are clearly guarding the car.

 
 Spoiler: pentadrone guard looks like this, but with swords 

 
 

 I'm assuming we've lost Siobhan and Clancy. I'll have them hang out in the math car for now, in case she reappears. But assume she's not with you. Ennius is with you, as they're on vacay and will be back soon.  
Auranghzeb
 Do you know if these guys are dangerous?  Asks Tedras in a low voice while eyeing the the swords on the pentadrones and stepping back from the door.

 Because my sword is itching for some sparring. 

Showing both empty hands, Tedras addresses the pentadrones and walks backwards ready for combat, shall the pentadrones move in closer.

 Ok ok, we must have made a mistake. We will double check. 
The Hellbug
Ennius echoes Tedras's acquiescent gesture.    "Even if they aren't, it's too soon for that,"   he urges the duelist with a cautious whisper,   "remember, the train itself thinks.  It may have a way to know what's going on back here.  I'll get a better look as we pass."  

The warlock then addresses the star-shaped modrons.    "Our mistake, no need for that,"   he replies conciliatorily,   "we'll just be on our way."    He points towards the walkway around the outside of the car and its discouraging sentinels.    "It is safe, right?"  

Meanwhile, Ennius calls on the power of his patron.  The only outward sign is a cataract-like clouding of his eyes, but he blinks and they return to their normal appearance.  To him, though, the world changes, and he attempts to see through the wall of the prison car with his new ghostly sight.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Activating Ghostly Gaze.  Here's the effect:
As an action, you gain the ability to see through solid objects to a range of 30 feet. Within that range, you have darkvision if you don't already have it. This special sight lasts for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). During that time, you perceive objects as ghostly, transparent images.
 
agignac
Ennius, followed by the others, makes his way around the jail car, holding tightly to the railing. The weather is horrific; cold rain pelts everybody, and the wind threatens to snatch you away. The ground isn't visible below, as clouds or mist block the way. Ahead you can see another two cars, and then ahead of that, the engine.

Using his ghostly sight, Ennius focuses on seeing inside the jail car. As he begins to walk along the side, he sees that inside there is a spiral iron staircase, leading to the upper "floor" of the jail car. There is a matching stair in the other corner. Beside the far staircase, he can see a windowless door that has a gear-shaped lock in the middle of it. As he moves another few feet, suddenly he is looking into a cell, instead of into the main car. The cell appears to be 10x10 feet, brightly lit, and contains a tall, fat, green-skinned, red-winged humanoid-looking creature, with a pug-like face and nasty expression. The ghost sight doesn't go through the door of the cell; just into the cell itself. Another step, and suddenly Ennius is looking into the jail car again. He can see two cell doors on the opposite wall, but no sign of the cell he just looked into.

Looking up, he can tell that there are two protruding balconies on the upper floor, and the far wall has two cell doors upstairs as well. There's also a tall, blue-skinned person with fiery wings and a pointed helm stands leaning against the upper balcony railing. A massive mace rests at its side.

Another few steps, and suddenly Ennius is looking into another cell. This one contains a nearly-naked woman with feathery wings. She looks devastatingly sexy, with a few wisps of cloth doing more to emphasize her curves than conceal them.

Again, Ennius moves past the cell, and is looking into the jail car again. He sees two more staircases at this end - each of the two upper balconies clearly has a staircase at each end. Glancing up, Ennius sees a skylight at the top of the jail car. He can also see a total of four pentadrones on the roof. They seem to be stationed one at each corner. They don't seem to be bothered by the weather, nor the valkyries circling the train.

Then you make it to the far end of the car, and are faced with another door to enter the next car.
Lioslaith
Fenris keeps an eye out for Ennius as he helps him navigate the walkway around the prison car while using his sight.  Once they reach the platform he tries the handle on the next car in the line.
Auranghzeb
Tedras hears Ennius carefully.
  Hum, this is going to be complicated. Did you see any latches or emergency exits we could try? Nevermind, in any case we need to get out of the rain before making any plands.  
The Hellbug
Once Ennius has carefully followed his fellows to the other side, he relays what he's seen inside the prison car, conjuring up an illusory miniature replica of what he has just observed as an aide.  Using this, he points out each detail of the prison's interior as he describes it.    "It looks like eight cells, two on each side on the ground level and two on each side on the top level.  The top level is a pair of walkways each running lengthwise down the car,"   he explains,   "besides the doors on either end of the car, which appear securely locked, a skylight in the roof is the only way in.  For residents, there are two more of the modrons on the roof for a total of four and an angel, a deva, in the car itself--not something I'd care to fight for reasons beyond just that it'd be depriving the world of a champion of Good.  We can't, of course, rule out the possibility of more guards that are hidden."  
  "Now, the cells themselves are where it gets more interesting.  Normally, my patron's gift allows me to see through any sort of physical barrier, but I could only penetrate the outer train walls with my sight, at least with respect to the cells.  Very peculiar.  Since there are no guards there, you'd think those would be the ones that need to be  most  secure.  Anyways, because of that, I was only able to see into these two cells."    The warlock points at the two 'ground'-level cells on the side of the train with the outer walkway.    "This one holds a nycoloth, a real ugly brute of a fiend.  The other contains an erinyes, a type of devil that you wouldn't be faulted for mistaking for an angel, at first glance at least.  Beautiful as they are--and the one in this cell, she is--they lack the telltale serenity of a celestial.  I've never met one, but I've every source I've read calls them as cruel and wicked as any other of their kind.  And not to be underestimated."  
  "Unfortunately,"   Ennius concludes, banishing the illusion once his companions are satisfied,   "either could be our Stranger or they could be neither, given we know nothing of them but their moniker and their predilection for collecting truenames.  There are six more cells after all.  But it's a start.  And without closer look, likely from the inside, I haven't a clue as to what's causing the cells behave so strangely.  Any thoughts?"  
agignac
 I'm going to bookend Ennius's description with what you see in the next car, since Fenris wanted to get out of the rain. 

Fenris opens the next door, which opens easily, just like the others had. For the first time, you enter what looks to be a completely normal train car. There's a corridor that runs down one side, and you can infer there are a few passenger cabins on the other side. Before you turn the corner, Ennius catches you all up on what he saw.

 Insert Ennius post. 

Still shaking off water, you hear a commotion in the main corridor. You turn the corner to see a peculiar site. A mind flayer in a beige coat kneels beside a body lying prone on the floor. Three curious onlookers - a cambion, a drow, and a bronze dwarf with flames for hair - poke their heads out of nearby cabins.   "No one move a muscle!"   warns the mind flayer,   "this whole car just became a crime scene!"  
 
 Spoiler 

 
 
Lioslaith
Fenris cranes forward a bit, taking in the scene before them.  Trying to discern any details that might help.

 
 Spoiler: Perception 
28 rolled in chat.
 
The Hellbug
  "Heavens!"   Ennius exclaims, cautiously scanning the motley bunch of inhabitants of the passenger car--truly a train service for absolutely all kinds of passengers.  The mind flayer is the wildest of the bunch and, knowing their reputation, the warlock isn't certain he shouldn't be putting them at the top of the list of suspects, assuming the prone figure is indeed dead.

  "Are you sure they're dead?  Not merely injured or only mostly dead?"   he asks hopefully, scooting along the wall to give the scene wide enough berth that he won't disturb it while getting a closer look at the victim.  If it  is  a murder, alongside the planned jailbreak this is going to be a very eventful train passage indeed.
agignac
 
 Spoiler: Fenris perception 
There was a privy on your left as you entered the car. Symmetry suggests another one at the other end. The dead person is an aasimar, dressed is expensive-looking adventurer's clothes - or at least a version of adventurer's clothes that a rich person might imagine. There is ink on his fingers.
 


In response to Ennius's questions, the mindflayer says,   "Alas, the victim has no heartbeat, nor breath. He is indubitably dead! The game is afoot!"  

It is only now that you all realize he is speaking with you telepathically, not out loud.
Lioslaith
Fenris nods his head indicating he is going to approach.  He introduces himself as he does so,   "Greetings I am Fenris and these are my colleagues, we are but passengers on this train. If you would permit me, I have some skill at deduction and we would be willing to assist."    As he gets closer he begins to kneel down to start an investigation and will do so unless stopped.
agignac
Fenris kneels down to examine the body. The aasimar is pretty freshly dead, not even cool yet. It looks like he was walking down the hallway, away from the privy you came in next to. Based on the angle of the body, its likely that he was attacked from the hallway, or cabin a or b (a has the cambion looking out, and b has the drow). It doesn't appear to have been moved.

 To determine cause of death, try medicine or arcana.  
The Hellbug
  "The game?"   Ennius answers apprehensively.  When Fenris confidently steps forward to examine the body though, the warlock adapts and falls into step.  If things get out of hand here, it could endanger the Golden Vault's mission.    "What do you mean by that?  A man is dead.  This is nothing to take lightly."  
agignac
  "A figure of speech, as it were,"   the mindflayer projects at you all, waving a hand in dismissal of Ennius's concerns.   "And while we all die in the end, you are correct, this is not to be taken lightly. In fact, I intend to find the murderer, and have them brought to justice. I am Ignacious Inkblot, and it will not take long to deduce what happened here. Though the assistance of those who were indubitably not in the train car at the time of the death would be most advantageous."  

Turning to Fenris, he asks,   "What do you make of the cause of death?"  
Lioslaith
  ”Someone should look as well. It may have been done by magical means and not a blade.”  

Fenris rolls the body over somewhat unceremoniously and jerks open his shirt, revealing three strange marks on his chest, as if 3 bolts of force impacted him there, breaking ribs and stopping his heart.   ”I am no expert in the arcane arts, but that appears to be some sort of spell or perhaps a wand and is likely what killed him.”  
Infernally Clay
      
  Rafe Haugen 
  Dhampir Hexblade Warlock 9 
 AC:  19  | HP:  75/75  | Initiative:  +2
 STR:  -1  | DEX:  +2  | CON:  +3  | INT:  +1  | WIS:  +4  | CHA:  +8

 Spell Slots:   5th:  2/2

 Hexblade Curse:  1/1
 Accursed Spectre:  1/1
 Ghostly Gaze:  1/1

 Active Effects:  None
 Concentrating:  None
 Conditions:  None  
 
  

Rafe looks over the body as well, trying to confirm Fenris' suspicions. He knew a fair bit about these things, although nobody on the train needed to know that.

 
 Spoiler 
Arcana check:  (1d20+5)[ 7 ] 
 
agignac
Rafe confirms what Fenris suspects - the dead man was killed by three magic missiles.
The Hellbug
  "Hmm, and how do you know none of us"  --he gestures to himself and the other recent arrivals--  "were here when the crime happened?"    Ennius prods,   "we weren't, of course, and can all vouch for each others' location--we only just boarded--but how are you certain of that?"  
  "Oh, furthermore, we saw nobody pass us as we came from the back of the train to here so unless someone could have hidden from us or made it  inside  that prison car, your culprit is either here or between here and the engine."  
agignac
Ignacious dipped his head, setting his tentacles wiggling, as he acknowledged Ennius's point.   "I know it wasn't you, because I heard the door open as I came out of the privy at the other end of the car. Quintus here was already dead, so it couldn't have been you. And the door by my privy didn't open, so nobody left that way either. Which means the murderer is in this car!"   He spun dramatically and pointed a the three observers.   "Now, will you help me solve the case?"   he projects to the four of you.
Lioslaith
  ”Might you be interested in an exchange of services possibly?  I would be glad to assist.  Given the fact that you did not hear the other privy door open the killer is possibly in one of these two cabins, or has yet to come out of the bathroom.”   Fenris indicates the 2 possible cabins the attack could have originated from.
agignac
The detective agrees with Fenris's assessment.   "Indubitably, you are correct. We must begin by searching the rooms and interviewing the passengers. Will your entire group interview each one, or will you, as they say, divide and conquer?"   For the moment, he ignores the comment about exchanging services.
Lioslaith
Making a mental note of the detective ignoring the first portion of his question Fenris suggests   ”If we assume the killer is in one of the 3 locations then I’d suggest we not all abandon the hallway should our choice be wrong and the killer attempts to flee.”  
The Hellbug
  "Fleeing without good cause would practically be an admission of guilt,"   Ennius supposes,   "and where would they go?  We're all on this train until it decides to stop.  Speaking of which, someone should inform the authorities of what's happened here. If I'm correct, that's the train itself in this case.  Some of our number should go to the front of the train while we investigate.  Not you, though."    The scholar points casually at Ignacious.    "Technically, I believe you're still a suspect.  You were the one who found Quintus's, you said, body."  
Lioslaith
  ”If the train itself is sentient or semi-sentient as we were told then it likely already knows. But we could also tell the guards on the last car couldn’t we?”  
agignac
Ignacious nods sagely,   "Indeed I am a suspect, though I have no way of casting magic, nor access to a wand. You can search my person and my things if you like. I share this cabin with Meldar and his valet."   He motions to the azer.

It's Ennius's mention of the authorities that provoke the first real reaction from the other passengers. The drow looks horrified, and says,  "Oh please, don't do that! They won't investigate, they'll just throw every one of us in the jail car and let the authorities on Modron sort it out. I don't want to go to Modron! I'm on a quest to find the Time Dragon! Please, can't you lot sort it out?" 

The detective adds,   "I believe the engine is sapient, but that doesn't mean it knows everything that happens in the train cars. After all, your brain is hardly aware of what your liver is up to, despite its best efforts."  
Lioslaith
  ”If they don’t have a wand or are wearing a pointy hat then I’m not sure how you can decide they can cast a spell.”  
Auranghzeb
Tedras was up to interviewing the suspects!

 I'll take the lead, I can be the good cop to Fenris brooding bad cop. Let's see let's see. We should start with motive, who would have reason to cold murder someone by magic missiles? Has the body been looted? 
The Hellbug
  "Well, a Wand of Magic Missiles would be particularly damning, but any sort of magical implement could imply capability of doing the deed, even if they aren't necessary for that specific spell,"   Ennius suggests.  Seeing the elf begin to panic, though (and hoping that they aren't correct), he decides it's time to start moving things along a little more forcefully.

  "And a motive is another thing we need,"   the warlock agrees with Tedras,   "so in service of that, and so that we don't  all  end up in that jail car: everyone! Out of the cabins and into the hallway!  As soon as we find out who did this we can put it all behind us so cooperation is, assure you, in your best interest if you're innocent."    He turns to his allies.    "I assume we'll go through the cabins and interview them?"   he asks more quietly, somewhat rhetorically, before echoing it to the rest of the car,   "leave your things.  If there's anything sensitive among your belongings, we'll be with each of you privately so you can guide us to search more discreetly."  

Ennius, though well-rehearsed at keeping up appearances, hopes that the illithid's confidence lends him more legitimacy than he really thinks he has.
agignac
The three passengers exit their rooms, the drow looking relieved.  "What about our valets? Do you want them out too? They can't talk or anything."  She points into her room, where a small monodrone stands quietly.

The cambion says,  "Yes, that makes sense. I'm Abernathy Vernus,"  he steps carefully around the corpse and holds his hand out for Tedras to shake.  "Call me Vern. How can I help?" 

The azer, head radiating from him, steps out of his room as well, but says nothing. The drow edges around the corpse and steps back a few feet.  "I'm Ethlynn Stalaczic. That's Quintus,"  she points to the body.  "We were sharing a room together! Why would anybody want to kill him? He seemed like a nice man." 
Lioslaith
Fenris will check the bathroom and make sure it’s empty, no windows etc.

  ”Yes, bring the valets out as well.”  
agignac
The two privies, one at each end, are empty. Each have a small window to let in light, but it doesn't open. Nothing looks tampered with.

Fenris approaches the closest valet, ”Are you capable of answering a yes or no question?”

The valet from Ignacius and the azer's room, a monodron called Orb, nodded its body up and down in what was clearly a "yes"

"Is there anyone else in the room you were in?”

It points to the azer and to Ignacius.

Fenris nods his acknowledgment as he waits for his answer.
He thinks to himself , what the heck. ”Did you see either of them kill this man?” as he points to the dead man on the floor.

The modron shakes its head "no".

Nodding again Fenris asks ”Can you lie?”

The modron shrugs.

Chuckling to himself ”Fair enough.”. He will repeat the same questions to the other valets

The valet that was serving Ethlynn (Bot), only shrugs to every question put to it. Vern's valet, Higglesworth, keeps pointing to itself, not matter what question is asked.
The Hellbug
  "Thank you for your cooperation.  I'm Ennius, and these are Fenris, Rafe, and Tedras,"   Ennius says politely before magnanimously sweep of his arm across the whole scene and turning to his allies,   "anywhere you'd like to start?  Wait."    The warlock casually points in Vern's direction.    "You had a cabin to yourself?  No roommate?"  
agignac
Vern shrugs.  "Just lucky I guess. Actually very lucky - I won this trip! A free tour on the Concordant Express. And it's been wonderful so far, well, until the murder." 
The Hellbug
  "Thank you,"   Ennius says to the cambion, but it's to the drow and deceased aasimar's cabin that he steps and opens the door.
  "Sir Inkblot, can we count on you to look after the rest of the passengers?"   , he asks while motioning for Ethlynn to follow him,   "Miss Stalaczic?  Would you please?  Fenris, Tedras?  Unless someone wants to keep things moving up the train."  

Once everyone he's invited has followed him or declined to do so, Ennius steps into the victim's cabin and closes the door behind him.  A plan has been forming in the warlock's head about how this disturbance can be used to suit the Golden Vault's purposes, but that's for after solving this murder.  Now the work can begin in earnest.
Lioslaith
Fenris will follow Ennius inside the cabin.
agignac
The cabins are nicely appointed, with a comfy bed on each side, a trunk each, comfortable chairs and a table. Each bed is perfectly made and the room is very tidy.

 
 Spoiler: In Quintus's trunk 
A satchel containing spare traveler's outfits, a set of cartographer's tool, an a map case containing what looks like ancient treasure maps.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ethlynn's trunk 
Spare clothes, a journal, a nice writing set, several books on dragons.
 
The Hellbug
  "Alright,"   Ennius declares with a deep breath once the door is closed behind him,   "first of all, Miss Stalaczic--is that what you wish to be called?--as I said before, do you have any sensitive belongings we should know about before we search your things?  You might as well speak for Quintus, too, as well as you're able."  
  "You can also start with the basic facts: who are you, where are you from, when did you board the train, where are you going, and, finally, what is your relationship to our dead man?  You mentioned a quest for a Time Dragon?  What does that entail?"  
Auranghzeb
Tedras thought the others were doing a great job. Instead of bothering them, Tedras decided to walk around the scene of the crime, looking for other valuable clues.
agignac
 
 Originally Posted by The Hellbug 
   "Alright,"   Ennius declares with a deep breath once the door is closed behind him,   "first of all, Miss Stalaczic--is that what you wish to be called?--as I said before, do you have any sensitive belongings we should know about before we search your things?  You might as well speak for Quintus, too, as well as you're able."  
  "You can also start with the basic facts: who are you, where are you from, when did you board the train, where are you going, and, finally, what is your relationship to our dead man?  You mentioned a quest for a Time Dragon?  What does that entail?"   
 

Ennius has certainly never heard of a Time Dragon before.

The drow woman is pretty in a non-descript way. Dark skin, long pale hair, wide eyes and a friendlier expression than you see on many drow women.  "Goodness! That's a bundle of questions! Just Ethlynn please. I'm from Menzoberranzan, and boarded there. I'm going to Arborea. I didn't have a relationship with Quintus, other than we were assigned as roommates. He seemed nice and knowledgeable. We talked about places we'd travelled to."  She got more animated when asked about the Time Dragon.  "It's an old legend, or at least, that's what most believe. But I know it's true! A dragon older than time itself, that can change its age a will, and travel back and forth through time as easily as we travel through this train! I have reason to believe the Arborea is where I'll find a clue to its whereabouts." 

She gestures to her trunk with a "go ahead" motion.
The Hellbug
Ennius nods to Fenris to indicate that he should be the one taking care of the searching while he continues to question the drow.    "Oh, and I'm afraid they won't be the last, questions, that is,"   the sylvan scholar warns, gesturing for the subject of his interrogation to take a seat as he sits down on the murdered man's bed,   "as you may have guessed, Ethlynn, if you are indeed innocent, it is likely you were the last to see Quintus alive.  Of course, I don't need to tell you that your proximity to him also makes you a prime suspect."  
  "I'm not telling you this to intimidate you,"   the warlock continues, producing paper and a quill for note-taking.  Only partially true.  While Ennius keeps his tone calm and charming, if her being nervous means she's more likely to divulge things she wouldn't normally, he'll be happy to take advantage of it.    "But to stress that  anything  you can tell us is potentially important.  And if we can identify who the murderer is, nobody except them will have to see the inside of the cell.  Like you said, very inconvenient.  So first, you both travel.  What kind of travels did you talk about?  Do you know why  he  was on this train?  Where he was going?"  
agignac
Fenris prowls around the room, but doesn't find any hiding places. There's nothing under the beds, or sign that the mattress or pillows have been tampered with. The rooms are very tidy and sensible, with no hidden nooks or crannies. He does, however, detect that Ethlynn seems to have something bulky in her pocket.

 "Let's see, he said that he was going to the Feywild, but he didn't tell me why. He told me about all sorts of travels he's been on..."  she expounds at length about tales Quintus told her, each one more unlikely than the last.
Lioslaith
Fenris will motion to Ennius that there seems to be something in the lady's pocket while standing behind her out of view.
The Hellbug
Once Fenris has pointed it out, the silhouette of a bulky object in the elf's pocket is obvious.  His eyes only drift there for a second, though, and he saves the fact for later.    "So he really did get around,"   Ennius marvels, cutting Ethlynn off somewhat.  If the aasimar's previous activities are part of a potential motive, the drow clearly either doesn't know it or isn't going to share it.    "Thank you, that's enough of that.  Let's move forward a bit.  As I mentioned, you were very likely the last person who saw Quintus alive besides the murderer.  When was that?  And like I said, the details could be important."  
agignac
 "I saw him only a few minutes before I heard Ignateous here say there'd been a murder. He said he was off to the privy. He was only gone a few minutes." 
The Hellbug
  "And he didn't seem distressed, anxious?"   Ennius pauses for her response but has little hope that it will spark any sudden realization or change in attitude from the elf.

  "Well, if that's the case, thank you for your help.  We'll do our best to get to the bottom of this.  Fenris?"    He stands and starts leave with his companion but pauses when he puts his hand on the door.

  "Oh sorry, one more thing.  Potentially important.  Or, at least you thought it was,"   the warlock suddenly says, turning around to face the dragon-chasing drow again,   "what's so valuable that you've been hiding it in your pocket this whole time?"  
agignac
The dark skin of the drow's cheeks flushed a little darker.  "Well, I don't know about anxious, I didn't ask about that!" 

She looks startled when he mentions her pocket.  "It's just my bag. That's where I always keep it."  She pulls out a soft silken pouch.
The Hellbug
  "Well, we'll need to see it, for thoroughness's sake,"    Ennius demands, motioning to deliver it to Fenris,   "no stone unturned and all.  Any secrets it might contain that aren't relevant to Quintus's death will be kept in the utmost of confidence.  Trust me, I know what can be at stake there."  
Lioslaith
Fenris reluctantly takes the bag from her and looks inside with respect.
agignac
It turns out to be a bag of holding. Inside is a money purse containing money, some good-quality makeup, brush and hairpins, and a map to the Time Dragon.
Lioslaith
Closing the bag gently Fenris will shake his head no for Ennius.
The Hellbug
  "Hmm, sorry for any anxiety we caused then.  Thank you again."  

Ennius exits Ethlynn's room and waits for the her and Fenris to follow before the next step.    "Ignacious, you're next,"   the warlock announces and accompanies the mind flayer into the cabin they share with the the azer.  Once inside, he beings with practically the same questions as he did the dragon-obsessed drow.    "Okay Ignacious, let's start from the beginning.  Who are you?  Where are you from?  What's your business on the train? Et cetera,"    Ennius asks,   "by the way, you didn't seem particularly shocked at finding a dead body and mentioned being able to deduce who the killer was quickly; is this something you have some experience in?"  
agignac
Ignatious makes himself comfortable on a chair, and pops a sweet in his mouth, under his tentacles. He chews noisily while sending his answers directly into your minds.   "I am a private detective for hire. So yes, I have experience using my little blue cells for this sort of activity. I boarded the train in Excelsior, along with our victim and Vern. My roommate boarded a day ago in Bytopia. He doesn't speak common, by the way, and I have made no progress communicating with him. I am going to the Underdark, to visit family; I am, as you would say, taking the scenic route. As for being shocked, death is always shocking. Perhaps you do not have much experience reading the emotions of my people."  
The Hellbug
  "It's a spectrum,"   Ennius defends,   "and 'calmly announcing the deed' is a far cry from 'terrified silence' and 'screaming incoherently.'  Anyhow, what about the others?  You couldn't communicate with him, but what about them?  What did you think of them?"  
agignac
The detective's eyes widen - perhaps the same expression that would have been raising an eyebrow, if he had eyebrows.   "Are you interviewing me, or them? It is not important what I think of the other suspects, but what you think of them. If you want me to draw my own conclusions and solve the case, I will do so. If you wish to come to your own conclusions, then you must put your little blue cells to work. No. Your cells are grey. In any event, use your eyes and your little grey cells. Right now you look, but you do not see. You hear, but you do not listen."  