Posts from [EXPEDITION] The Beaver City of Idaniko.

Let's at least hear what the companions think. I didn't only ask Regis. And what if they want to finish it right away?

[There’s no time to express opinions; either act, or it will happen on its own.]

Just in case, Viktor still slammed both guards’ heads against the floor. So that they would lie unconscious for at least some time while his partner is lost in thought.

[Success] The blond man took weapons and keys from the guards. "It's a shame they're one-handed," he said about the swords.

- Whatever we can get, - added the Sylvan, and began searching the guards.

The guards had a total of one silver coin and eighteen copper coins. They also had decent clothes: trousers, linen shirts, and cloaks. One of them had a table knife.

Victor took a knife and a cloak from one of the guards. - Well, shall we finish them off?

and the key?
- I don't think it's worth it; if they catch us, it will only make things worse, - replied Regis, quickly changing into trousers and a shirt.

The fair-haired man freed himself from the shackles, and then handed a bunch of keys to Regis. -- What's next on the agenda?

Regis frees himself and the others from their chains.

I'm having some issues and won't be able to actively contribute for a while, so let Ples take over.

[Well, I actually have a chance of disappearing for half a day too.] -- What's the plan, dwarf?

The section was not even half full, but Enhador still found something. Next to a book about some Ankhs, there was another one telling about the "Tritamat." The information was scarce, but it seemed that the owner of the book could receive especially great help from the gods of the pantheon, as evidenced by several examples of high priests of K'athas who possessed it. Why K'athas decided to pass on such a relic to wanderers remained a mystery.

"A rather rare relic – this Tritamat," Enhador thought, reading the archival data. The wanderer studied all the information that might be useful, after which he left the archive. In the library, the wizard politely borrowed a small notebook from Emek for making notes, and then headed to the artisans' quarter, where he bought a convenient travel bag.
It was almost dark when the tired wanderer returned to his small but very comfortable house. It was already quite cold, so Enhador lit the stove, sat down on a chair standing near a small table, took out the notebook, and made a few notes in as illegible handwriting as possible, sometimes skipping a few letters and connecting words in a sentence:
-Ice Palace... Emek... Dirna... High Priest... Tritamat...
The wanderer turned the page and added:
-Idaniko... Non-wanderers... Religious scholar... Distribution of duties... Wounded warrior... Screams in the street... Mad merchant... Disappearance of the messenger... Tritamat...
Having finished writing, Enhador carefully examined his notes again. "Tritamat, so... I need to find this book urgently."
The wanderer carefully tore out a blank page from the notebook, closed it, and hid it in one of his pockets, after which he threw a couple more logs into the stove and looked out the window. It was already completely dark outside, and nothing could be seen. Enhador took out one of the raisin buns he had bought the day before, as well as his newly acquired backpack, into which he put a medical kit, books, a loaf of bread, another bun, and a flask filled with clean drinking water. Having done all of the above, Enhador, while eating the baked goods, wrote on the remaining page: "I set off in search of Tritamat to the frozen rivers. If I don't appear by the day after tomorrow in the evening, then things are bad. High Priest Idaniko Enhador," placed it on the bedside table in the most visible place, threw his old staff, cloak, and boots next to it, and climbed into the warm and cozy bed and, after a while, was already fast asleep.
***
In the morning, when even the first rays of the sun, which rises late in these northern lands, had not yet appeared above the horizon, Enhador was already ready for the journey. He dressed in warm woolen clothes, put on a fur cloak, took a bag with provisions and medicines, as well as a new staff, and then opened the door.
The frosty wind immediately burned the wanderer's face. "It's so cold here! And this is only autumn!" Enhador went outside, tightly locked the door, and headed towards the exit from Idaniko, heading towards the frozen rivers.

After half a day of wandering, the traveler successfully reached his destination. The road led him out of the forest, and from a vantage point, he saw a plain covered in snow. Everywhere, from right to left across the plain, streams of water flowed, and even in summer, the ice crust never completely melted; now, it was growing thicker with each passing day. Wolves howled all around, foretelling a cold winter. On the other side of the valley, there was a small hut, and smoke was rising from its chimney.

After half a day of wandering, the traveler successfully reached his destination. The road led him out of the forest, and from a vantage point, he saw a plain covered in snow. Everywhere, from right to left across the plain, streams of water flowed, with ice that didn't melt completely even in summer, but now was growing thicker with each day. Wolves howled all around, foretelling a cold winter. On the other side of the valley was some kind of hut, with smoke rising from its chimney.

"Whew... it's so cold. I'm not used to this kind of weather, not at all." - Enhador surveyed the entire plain from the vantage point, but he couldn't find anything interesting, except for the hut. Then, the traveler tried to find a place with the thickest layer of frozen water, after which he carefully began to cross to the other side of the plain, just in case, checking the ice ahead of him with his staff. "It would be funny to fall through the ice and drown, being a water mage."

- Lock those ones up in a cell and gag them, - Victor nodded towards the guards. - You can even shackle them. As for the other prisoners, we'll release them for now.