merged

sections/5-the-carrion-bird.md

@@ -317,9 +317,9 @@ where she got them, but the loot bag often contains
 something relevant to what she needs.
 
 The two Xaositects both come across as morons.  For Sergei,
-that perception is entirely deserved.  But Jinn is a little
-hard to pin down.  She knows nothing, yet, she's very
-intelligent, which is a strange combination.
+that perception is entirely deserved.  Jinn is
+knowledge-free, but also, extremely intelligent, which is a
+strange combination.
 
 Each time the PCs go to another location, there's a
 substantial chance that Sergei and Jinn will already be
@@ -408,12 +408,94 @@ thinking: Green's employees returned to the city of Sigil,
 including Edric, the steward of Green's operation.  If the
 PCs fail to remember this, let Lada remind them.
 
+## Rico Learns who the Incantifers Are
+
 ## The Hall of Records
 
 ## The Goblins in the Casino
 
 ## Sending to Rennick
 
+The PCs should at this point be of high enough level to cast
+the spell "sending."  This spell allows the PCs to send a 25
+word message to Rennick.  Each time the PCs cast sending,
+Rennick can send up to 25 words back.  
+
+Pretty much no matter what the PCs say, Rennick says:
+
+>  Incantifer, Crow, plans to kill me!  I'm hiding from him.
+>  He may be spying right now!  Say nothing!  He's listening.
+>  Cast sending again.
+
+At this point, the PCs are likely to have tons of questions.
+If the PCs try asking questions, Rennick says:
+
+>  Cannot explain: Crow listening.  Cannot come out of hiding.
+>  If you save me from Crow, I will cooperate with you.
+>  Will you help?
+
+If the PCs agree to help, Crow says:
+
+>  DO NOT FIGHT CROW!  Too deadly.  Research strengths,
+>  weaknesses.  Choose spells.  Raid my stash, buy right equipment.
+>  Hire mercenary from Ysgard. When prepared, contact me.
+
+This tells the PCs the rough outlines of what's going on
+with Rennick, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions:
+
+* What is an "Incantifer?"  What are Crow's powers?
+
+* Why does Crow want to kill Rennick?
+
+* How can the PCs find Crow?
+
+* For that matter, how can the PCs *avoid* Crow until they're ready?
+
+* "Hire mercenary from Ysgard."  What mercenary from Ysgard?  What are you talking about?
+
+* "Raid my stash."  What stash?  Where is this stash?
+
+* "Buy right equipment."  What is the "right equipment?"
+
+* Where is Rennick hiding?
+
+The PCs will have to figure out the answers to these questions
+by themselves.  Any further attempt to send messages to Rennick
+will result in Rennick saying:
+
+> Stop casting sending, too dangerous.  May be possible to
+> trace you.  I know you are smart.  Info you need is out there.
+
+Now, that's a lot of open-ended questions.  Fortunately,
+Rico Sparks is a big help.  Rico is a tout, an information broker,
+so he knows how things work and where to find useful information.
+He can do all of the following:
+
+* Rico has heard of the incantifers.  He volunteers to research them.
+
+* He observes that Rennick's coworkers might know something.
+
+* Rico volunteers to find out where Rennick's house is: he will succeed.
+
+* Rico doesn't know who the mercenary from Ysgard is, but he says, "based on the wording, it's clear that Rennick has somebody specific in mind."
+
+
+Rico also amplifies what Rennick said about "Do not fight Crow".
+Rico says:
+
+> Back in Saint Parnas, you guys were big fishes in a little
+> pond.  But here in the Cage, you're not in a little pond
+> any more.  There are people walking around on these
+> streets who are archdemons in disguise.  There are wizards
+> who are famous all over the multiverse.  There are
+> servants of the gods walking these streets.  If you go
+> starting fights with powerful people, you're going to put
+> yourselves in the dead book *very* fast.  If this Rennick
+> is so scared of Crow, then you would have to be real
+> leatherheads to fight him unprepared.
+
+
+
 ## Rennick's House
 
 ## The Mercenary from Ysgard