Alaric led the cohort back into Oak Harbour proper, keeping one of the Harbour Watch with them while the rest remained behind at the scene of the attack. The streets were devoid of the earlier hustle and bustle, and many oil lanterns had been lit bathing the streets in a warm glow. Alaric held a quick pace, leading through the streets, his head constantly turning side to side. When they came upon the barricade that separated the upper and lower portions of the city he produced a stamped document and after a brief inspection the watch stepped aside allowing the group to pass.
"We are almost there, please keep up." Said Alaric over his shoulder, continuing at his fast pace.
The cohort shared a concerned glance between each other, but followed nonetheless. After a few blocks they came to a large building, one that was not built in the remains of an airship. Alaric inserted a large brass key into the door, and ushered the cohort inside. Once everyone was inside he closed the door and re-locked it behind them, breathing a sigh of relief.
"I am sorry for the rush and the secrecy, but I could not risk having the Grey Veils seize you." Said Alaric, "I have so many questions for you." He produced a small spherical stone that lit up with a bright light with a short command, and once again led the cohort further on through the halls.
Opening a door with a small glass window with golden lettering on it Alaric revealed a large laboratory space. Two large tables dominated the majority of the room, each strewn with dozens of glass instrumentation and piles of leather-bound notebooks. The two far walls were home to a pair of large honey-comb shelves that were full of all manner of scrolls.
"Please take a seat." Said Alaric, gesturing to a variety of stools that surrounded the tables, "There is one more person I am waiting on before we begin."
After fifteen minutes of an uncomfortable silence, a light lit up the door-window to the hallway. Akash was surprised to see Mayor Leaf enter the laboratory, lantern in hand.
"Alaric, why did you call me here? It's nearly four in the morning." Yawned the Mayor. Upon seeing the cohort he immediately shook his head and rubbed the bags from under his eyes.
"These individuals vanquished a group of the creatures that have been attacking the refugee sites, and they claim to have seen one recently in Covalion." Said Alaric, "I brought them here to debrief, and I believed you would have questions of your own." The Mayor nodded and pulled up a stool of his own. "Now," said Alaric, clapping his hands and turning back to the cohort, "I am terribly sorry for this, but I am afraid it is necessary." He pulled his hands apart, a golden sigil appearing between them. Spinning his hands as if molding a ball of clay he then thrust a palm forward launching the sigil forward.
The cohort surged to their feet as the sigil grew and transformed into a glowing ring that encircled them. Akash felt his sense of suspicion drain away, and suddenly Alaric and the Mayor appeared as old friends who wanted to catch up on recent events. Akash looked to his friends who appeared similarly affected.
"So, who are you? And what brings you to Oak Harbour." Asked Alaric.
"Well you see…" Charles stepped forward and spent the next several minutes explaining the past several weeks of adventure that the cohort had embarked upon. Alaric nodded along, occasionally taking down notes on a pad of paper. As Charles' tale came to an end the golden circle that surrounded the cohort faded into nothingness.
"Thank you for the information, this will be most useful." Said Alaric, as the cohort collectively shook their heads, the last remnants of the spell fading away.
"Well, I feel like that was a bit uncalled for." Said Hal, a slight edge in his voice.
"I am indeed sorry, but we needed to make sure that your story was the truth. These are untrustworthy times and it pays to be overly cautious." Said Alaric, "I am willing to answer what questions you may have as some repayment. I may not have all the answers, but I will do my best."
"Fine." Said Charles, he looked over his shoulder, "Does anyone have questions for Mr. Evenheart here?"
"Yes, I have several questions regarding the creatures that attacked tonight." Said Gnoll, raising a hand. "While we are adept at dispatching them we know very little about them or where they come from. We interrogated a man who apparently brought the one that we encountered in Greenmeadow into Covalion. However, we were unable to determine how or where he acquired it. My questions for you are thus: When did the attacks on Oak Harbour begin, do you know where they come from, and are there any notable abilities that you have observed of them?" Gnoll finished, pulling out a small notebook to record Alaric's answers.
"Well, the attacks started a little over a month ago if memory serves." Answered Alaric, rubbing his chin in rumination while he spoke. "They always attack at night, and only in the refugee encampments, they've never entered the city. Unfortunately we have been unable to pin down a source for them ourselves." Gnoll furiously wrote down Alaric's answers, nodding along. "As for abilities the most notable thing that we have discovered is that whatever host the creatures take are unable to be revived through magical means. The bodies are usually in very rough shape, but nothing beyond the typical means of resurrection. There are actually a few victims in a makeshift morgue I set up in the basement after the attacks began if you would like to inspect them for yourselves. Healing magic is not my specialty afterall."
Finishing his notes Gnoll looked up, "That would be great actually. We have been able to save the primary victims of our encounters thus far, so this may provide valuable insight."
"Perfect. Mayor, you may want to take your leave at this time, I do thank you for attending at this early hour." Suggested Alaric.
"Yes, I agree." The Mayor took a final look at the cohort, "Thank you all for the service to this city tonight. If you feel so inclined for the time being you may make use of one of the empty offices on the third floor as a base of operations while you work with Alaric." He then gestured to Alaric, "Additionally, Alaric, would you mind enchanting them a Watch badge to contact me if there are additional details that require my attention?"
"Of course Mayor Leaf, it would be my pleasure." Responded Alaric.
With that the Mayor took his lantern and left Alaric's laboratory. Alaric then led the cohort out of the office, and down into the basement levels of the building. The basement level was noticeably cooler than the rest of the building, with the dark oak panelling replaced with smooth stone foundation, after passing by several large casks labelled as ale Alaric stopped in front of a tall wooden cabinet. The cabinet had two locked drawers, each with a small note clipped to the front. Alaric unlocked and drew out the bottom drawer which produced a slight hiss and a puff of mist. Upon the drawer lay the corpse of a young man.
The body was covered with a multitude of bruises that stretched from head to toe. The limbs were mostly straight, but as Akash approached alongside Gnoll he could tell that many bones had been broken, and had been reset post mortem in order to allow the body to lay more naturally.
"As you can see, the victims are left in sorry states after the creatures are done with them." Said Alaric, setting his glowing stone in a wall-mounted sconce, properly illuminating the room. "We have been unable to identify this victim, and unfortunately his condition is very typical for those that we are able to recover."
"Charles, can I borrow that headband of yours for a moment?" Asked Akash, holding out a hand, in which Charles placed the purple, rune covered cloth they claimed from their first encounter at the wall. Placing it over his eyes Akash began examining the corpse. A fair aura clung to the body, like an ephemeral cloak that swayed ever so slightly in an unfelt wind. Aside from the fair aura the body appeared as an empty husk to Akash. The bruises and breaks were nowhere to be seen, and if he hadn't known better the young man appeared oddly serene. "There is some lingering enchantment on him." Akash finally said. "There is also no trace of his soul. How long has he been dead Alaric?"
"This one is from an attack two nights ago." Came the response.
"There should be some remnants, but it's as if his very essence was forcefully stripped away." Noted Akash concerned.
"Akash, look at this." Said Gnoll, drawing Akash's attention away from his thoughts. "Right here at the base of the neck, what do you make of that?" Gnoll pointed to a small oval marking nestled between the clavicles. It appeared as no more than a shadow on the skin of the corpse.
"It kind of looks like a pendant." Akash noted, "Was he wearing any jewelry when you recovered the body Alaric?"
"Not that I can recall." Alaric stepped to the side and pulled out a stack of parchment. After flipping through it for a few seconds he confirmed. "No jewelry, just some basic clothes and a coin purse." Putting the parchment down Alaric walked back over to the body. "I must have missed this in my initial examination. Akash, you said there's still some kind of enchantment on him, can you ascertain the school of magic?"
"It's hard to tell since it's so faint, but I think it's some kind of illusion." He answered.
Alaric's eyes widened in realization, "Gentlemen, I believe this may have been a former Grey Veil. Their amulets force them to take on the appearance of their leader through an enchantment and that shadow marking is about the right size."
"So what? These creatures took over a Grey Veil and destroyed their amulet. Why would that be significant?" Gnoll asked.
"Grey Veils are the ones primarily enforcing the ban on magical races, and are responsibly competent spell casters. I don't see how one could be overwhelmed, especially since they've been travelling in groups recently."
"Well obviously this one must have been out by himself then. Maybe the sludge attacked him from behind." Suggested Gnoll.
"Let's take a look at the other body. Maybe they have the same marking." Said Akash, rolling the drawer back into the cabinet and pulling the other body out. Alaric, Gnoll, and Akash all immediately stared at the base of the neck, where they saw another faint marking.
"That's not good." Said Alaric.
"I'm assuming they have a base of operations here in the city, yes?" Charles asked, looking over the shoulders of the examining trio. "Can we talk to the Grey Veils about this?"
"Their tower in the upper city acts as their headquarters, but I would strongly recommend against going there to talk. Ever since the border exclusion they have become more and more secretive, and have enforced their will very aggressively." Answered Alaric. "If we could get our hands on some amulets then we could conduct additional research, but they will never give them up willingly."
"So we convince a Grey Veil to give up their amulet by any means necessary." Said Charles.
"I cannot endorse any such action that would bring them harm." Protested Alaric.
"Hopefully it won't come to that, but if we bring you some of these amulets will you be willing to research them?"
"I…" Alaric rocked his head in conflict before continuing, "Yes. I will do what I can if you bring me samples."
"Perfect. Now we should all get some rest. It has been a very long night." Said Charles.
The makeshift morgue was buttoned back up and Alaric led the cohort back upstairs to an empty office. Morning light was just beginning to peek around the curtains as the cohort laid out their bed rolls to finally complete a well needed rest.