"But those people all died a hundred years ago," Simon objected. "Even if you found them, they'd only be their descendants. It'll be hard to get accurate information."
"Can't you just use magic to ask?" Holga asked casually. "Maybe you'll get something."
"Simon just said magic has limits—it can't answer everything," Doric said with a laugh. This barbarian woman was something.
"I know of a spell that could work," Aoko said after a sip of coffee. "Third-level necromancy: Speak with Dead. It lets the caster ask a corpse five questions, but unfortunately, I don't know it."
"I do," Simon said hesitantly. "Or rather, I have an amulet called the Deathly Token that lets me cast it five times a day."
"That's fantastic! See, Simon, you should have more confidence in yourself. You just solved a problem even a level-8 archmage couldn't!" Edgin cheered.
"It's just a coincidence," Simon said helplessly. "I found this amulet by chance during one of my past adventures."
"Luck is a kind of strength, too, Simon," Aoko said. "But can I take a look at that amulet?"
"Here," Simon pulled the amulet from his bag and handed it to Aoko. "I found it in an ancient tomb—must be old."
Aoko examined the dark green amulet, which resembled a commemorative coin. It was hollow in the center and quite hefty in the hand, but most importantly, its centerpiece was a jawless skull and a quill pen resting on parchment—crafted with exquisite detail.
"This isn't a magic amulet," Aoko suddenly said. "What's imbued on it isn't magic."
"What do you mean?" Edgin was taken aback and asked Aoko.
"This item invokes divine power," Aoko placed the amulet on the table for everyone to see, pointing at the central symbol. "This is the mark of the Scribe, Kelemvor. Simon must have found it in some Kelemvor priest's tomb."
"Who's Kelemvor?" Doric asked blankly. Even Simon was puzzled; no one present knew of this deity.
"Kelemvor is an ancient lord of death," Aoko explained. "The divine power of the current three gods of death was all granted by Kelemvor: Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal. But that was a very long time ago—no wonder you don't know."
"How do you know?" Holga asked. "You're an outsider, and you just said you didn't know about the Helmet of disjunction."
"First, time flows differently between worlds," Aoko said. "Second, Kelemvor is famous across the multiverse—at least all scholars know his name. The Helmet of disjunction is different; there are countless artifacts of that level in Faerûn, so it's normal that I've never heard of it."
"All right, let's drop the boring talk—we don't have any clerics anyway," Edgin said. "Let's rest up tonight and set out for Longsaddle first thing in the morning."
"We'd best wait until after sunset tomorrow to question the dead in the Evermoors," Simon added. "For the dead, the positive energy during the day is too strong—they won't be in good shape."
"All right, it's settled," Edgin finished his last drop of wine. "Digging up graves on a century-old battlefield at midnight—is there anything more unusual?"
The five-person team spent the night at the Emerald Enclave camp.
....
The next morning, after breakfast, they left Neverwinter Wood, followed the foothills of the Spine of the World, and arrived at Longsaddle.
This place appears in many Sword Coast stories, but it's quite small, with only 130 residents.
However, because it's ruled by the famous Harpell family, it's surprisingly wealthy. Many nearby merchants pass through here to do business with the Harpells.
The most famous Harpell is Malchor Harpell; like his kin, he's a talented wizard, and once gave Drizzt Do'Urden a scimitar named Twinkle.
Since then, every time Drizzt took down a notorious villain in Faerûn, it was indirectly good PR for the Harpell family.
Inside Longsaddle, there's a daily farmer's market, a tavern called the Gilded Horseshoe, a stable and a clock shop, and an inn called Ivy Mansion.
Usually, farming villages like this would never have a clock shop, but the presence of the wizarding Harpell family and the proximity to the craftsman city of Neverwinter led to its existence.
But the most unusual place isn't the clock shop, but Ivy Mansion.
Here, guests can stay for free—if they provide strange tales or new knowledge.
All the staff at Ivy Mansion are wizards, eager to share and trade knowledge with travelers, and offer top-tier accommodation to those who meet their standards.
Aoko, as a high-level outworlder Magician, was easily accepted by the innkeeper and staff. When they learned Simon's surname was Aumar, they treated him like a dragon finding a pile of gold, making Simon shudder.
Dowell Harpell had run Ivy House for many years. Nearly every wizard on the Sword Coast knew of the place and would drop by to chat and exchange knowledge, making Dowell extremely knowledgeable.
Aoko's outworld knowledge and rare spells delighted the innkeeper, who exchanged several of his rare spells for them.
Aoko had learned Sunburst, gaining lots of experience, and this time the innkeeper traded her Summon Monster VIII for her Bigby's Crushing Hand.
"I guess this is my lot in life," innkeeper Dowel sighed. "No hope of ever reaching 9th-level spells, but learning an 8th-level one is wonderful. I hope you'll reach the 9th level soon!"
Unlike Aoko, who could dive in the Weave and pick up new high-level spells, high-level wizards in this world had very limited ways to acquire new spells—besides research and archaeology, there's only paying or trading, and most wizards are reclusive and rarely travel.
"About your quest for the Helmet of disjunction in the Evermoors, I must warn you," Dowell said gravely. "Don't get your hopes up—too much time has passed, and in recent years the Thay Red Wizards' lackeys have searched there more than once. Prepare yourselves for nothing."