Earthday, 16th of Moons, 721IA

The abandoned brothel waited for us in the morning with its gates open, and again we stepped inside. We decided to check the towers first and so we found ourselves on the third floor of the tower, facing a table with a jar of some darkly yellow substance, a closed book, and a candle with the name Seginal carved on it. We looked at it wearily for a moment but finally I decided to open it and look inside. I opened the book and as I started to read the first words on the first page I head went all foggy, the writing swam and wriggled in front of my eyes and I felt something pushing at my brain. It was with a great effort that I managed to close the books. “Crap,” I said and shook my head, “that wasn’t so nice.” Aretha, in the meantime, decided to open the jar and after sniffing it declared it was piss; Seginal Fesbon wasn’t gaining any points in my book I can tell you that. Sebastian suggested we light the candle, perhaps it’s magical and will help us read the book, but Aretha declared it wasn’t, just the book and the jar (the jar itself, not the piss). We tried to do it at any rate, this time Aretha tried to read but she too couldn’t do it, expressing the same difficulties I had. We took the book, the candle, and the jar; just in case.

We went up and down several stairs and ladders till we finally found ourselves facing a door that would supposedly take us to a place just above the gate. As we opened the door we saw a hazy and fading image of a short yet stout man, black of hair and with severe face, the moment he saw us he picked up a rock and threw it at us, but the rock stroke the wall. I guess everyone was a bit stunned by the sight, but I recovered quickly and pushed my way to the front calling out in a calm and reassuring voice: “Wait, we do not want to hurt you.” He lowered the second rock he was holding and looked me over, “Who are you?”

“I’m Melelyn, and you are?”

“Taunell,” he said in a sad and tired voice and continued after a short pause, “I have to guard the house…”

“Who from?”

“From the robbers… Mrs. Kollotis said so… they want her family’s money and jewelry…”

Again a memory surfaced to my mind, from some forgot book or a story I heard or something else: Dharma Kollotis was the head of the family who lived in Ptolus some 200 years ago, most were killed by a bandit raid, the rest fled Ptolus. I told him that but he already knew. “I cannot leave… I must guard this house.”

“You are probably tired and wish to join your forefathers, perhaps if this house is clean of all intruders you will be free, and if not that then we will ask for some help setting your spirit free. But to cleanse this house we will need your help, you have seen much during these many years…” I love it that talking serves much better than violence. Poor Taunell was very helpful. Yes, the Crimson Coil was here till three years ago when the Knights of the Pale attacked them; during the attack one of the women that worked in the brothel attacked and killed many of the prostitutes, and she still walks the floor above us. There are as well a two headed giant, and a horned demon and his dogs in the floors above us. And no, he has seen no key. Poor guy, my heart went out to him. I do hope we’ll be able to help him.

There was only one way to go up to the fourth floor, and it went through the room where the two giant rats from yesterday rested; we found them there and left their bodies there. Another spiraling staircase was leading to the fourth floor, and Aretha quickly went up and laid her hand on the wall, and with closed eyes described to us the whole floor, and said that she senses seven “things” somewhere on the floor. The stairs led us to a nice bedroom. It was in good shape, apart from the heavy layer of dust on everything and the moth ridden clothes and linings. On a table we found two books and I opened one of them, it was the diary of one Maquent Dellisaria, one of two Madams of the brothel while it was operating, the other Madam was Radaana Scalth. I flipped to the last entry. It was from the 22nd of Harvest 718, and described that they have just received a warning about the coming raid of the Knights of the Pale and how Radaana has started killing all the girls. I’ll have to look into this diary in more depth, so I took it with me. The other book was more of a ledger, detailing the daily operations, earnings, and such of the brothel; it was of no interest and we opened the door to a short hall with two doors.