It may strike one or more PCs as odd that the First Secretary at the Guildhall of Wizardry, the scribe named Erojen Dwir, was unable to identify the previous owner of the property. Surely he would have known Otiluke personally, and he would have known where Otiluke lived. If this question is brought to the Guildhall's offices, the inquirer is stiffly informed that the First Secretary was merely presenting the information on the town house in the manner requested by the current seller, who is not identified.

It might be hinted that the First Secretary was put under some form of temporary forget-type spell to block out knowledge of the house's owner. Why this was felt necessary when the house's owner could be determined in other ways is never made clear; this was a stipulation of the Seller, the inquirer is told again. The identity of the seller is to be made clear at the final sale meeting, though the implication is that the seller is one or more members of Otiluke's surviving family. DM's Note: The seller, Otiluke's cousin, is being extremely cautious, perhaps paranoid; more later, but be aware that this red herring can be exploited if followed.

• Otiluke's membership in the Circle of Eight was revealed immediately after the raid on his home by his apprentice, Glorial, in conversation with the investigators on the scene. This revelation, combined with the aready common knowledge of Otiluke's position as an Oligarch and President of the Society of Magi, caused a lid of secrecy to be clamped down over the investigation into the raid. Imiric von Suss-Varren, the famed count of the Principality of Ulek, also confirmed Otiluke's secret. Mordenkamen had no public comment on the matter, except to express his sorrow at the tragic deaths of Otiluke and Tenser, and his rage at Rary.
• It may also seem odd to some that a very short and non-athletic wizard like Glorial armed only with a dagger was able to fend off three armed men, wounding two and killing one. If anyone wishes to pursue this line of inquiry, the documents section at the Courts of justice contain a few public files, written in Common, describing the attack on Otiluke's home. Of interest is a long, handwritten statement by Glorial, describing the events of that day. Anyone making an Intelligence check while reading the document notes that Glorial refers to her weapon at the time as an old dagger that she snatched from a shelf of Otiluke's collectibles as the attackers came up the stairs. She does not say where she put the blade afterward.

  DM Note: This is very important information, and those DMs wishing to play up this thread should make sure to drop enough hints.

• A separate report from a constable oil the scene describes Glorial's appearance, saying she was "wild-eyed," breathing heavily and on the verge of hysteria, and was so greatly splattered with blood across her arms, face, chest, and legs that it was not possible to tell if she herself had been injured or if the blood was from her attackers. She held a tong, blood-covered dagger in her left hand; the constable allowed her to keep the blade, as no need was felt to examine it or collect it as evidence. The constable knew her and did not suspect anything more than self-defense in the matter. No further reference to the dagger appears in the reports, except in the commendation from the Guild of Wizardry referring to Glorial's remarkable defense of herself while so poorly armed. The dagger is not named in a list of evidence gathered from the scene of the attack.
• Mention is made, however, of "One corpse, h ma, bak? 35? chain (swd. recvd), multiple stab wounds -- hold for A&I." Any clerk will translate this as referring to a human male's body, possibly Baklunish (probably judging from his complexion and looks), about 35 years old, wearing chain mail armor; his sword was recovered with the body. He died from multiple stab wounds. The body was being held for an autopsy (A) and interrogation (1) using clerical spells, probably by a Driest working for the Watch.
• A later paper entitled "Report on Rary's Brigand" is very brief, noting that the man died of approximately a dozen or so stab wounds to the face, neck, and chest. He had also been cut multiple times on the hands and arms, as if trying to defend himself while unarmed from a knife-wielder. The paper is signed "S. Gobayuik," the current guildmaster of the Guild of Embalmers and Gravediggers; brought in especially for this case. Questioning the half-orc guildmaster produces little new information, except that it was his decided impression (conveyed to the listener with an amused wink) that most of the worst wounds were apparently inflicted while the man lay on the ground, prone. "Must have rubbed the little sorceress wrong, eh?" he adds with a rude laugh. "Mean little minx, eh?" He finds the situation merely amusing.

  A final paper, also very brief, is entitled, "Results of Spiritual Interrogation of the Deceased Bandit" and signed by Derider Fanshen (the chief Constable of Greyhawk and a powerful cleric of Pelor) . The paper merely says, "Inconclusive, no response."

  If anyone manages to speak with Derider Fanshen about this, she says she got no response from the corpse to her use of a speak with dead spell. She has no idea why the spell didn't work, but notes that it happens sometimes.

Uncommon Commoners

The following is a list of suggested NPC bidders for Otiluke's residence. Most have no ulterior motive in doing so - at least, no ulterior motives involving the PCs. The PCs can discover the identities of these people just by asking about town; the sale of the property becomes a widespread rumor within a couple of weeks after it is first announced. Some bidders are likewise motivated to secretly find out who is bidding against them.

• A LN hill dwarf warrior, retired, hoping to start a mining and prospecting business using a teleporting device that will take him directly to the Cairn Hills and back without error. He came to the city from Greysmere a decade ago and has many trade connections. He should be able to bid fairly high, but not so high that he cannot make a profit.
• A group of five very-low-level, middle-class wizards (good and neutral alignments) hoping to buy the house collectively and live there while they pursue their studies at the College of Magical Arts. One is a half-elf wizard/thief also interested in checking Otiluke's old home for hidden compartments, buried maps and treasure, etc. They are more than willing to bid beyond their means knowing that they can "cover" the difference quickly.
• A NE middle-aged human merchant, working out a deal to turn the first floor of the house into a shop for various goods from Nyrond. The merchant was once a minor cult member of the notorious Falcon, who terrorized Greyhawk less than a decade before, but the cult was destroyed. He secretly hopes to find a way to revive, free, or otherwise bring back the Falcon. He is a low-level thief willing to kill to get his way. He knows who can bid against him, and will make it worth their while to step out of the auction.
• A neutral Baklunish carpet and furniture merchant, newly arrived in the city with hopes of exposing the east to the marvels of high-quality Kettite products, and thus make his fortune. The DM should make his wealth as expansive as they like, noting that someone that outbids, or forces the players to bid high will definitely attract attention.
• Eight female followers of Trithereon, hoping to turn the town house into a religious public house and thus bring in more converts. They also secretly plan to use the house as their base of operations against thugs and other "troublemakers" (including clerics of Pholtus) in the southern half of the River Quarter, as all four women are highly militant mid-level priests, two being dual-classed fighters. They have many resources they can fall back upon to make this deal happen for them. If the DM finds it necessary for them to bid high, the players may become interested in why they need the house so bad.

As a general rule, bidders will not attempt to harass other potential bidders, except in the case of evil or highly aggressive folk like the ex-Falcon cult member (a killer) or the Trithereon clerics (who will constantly and boldly attempt to talk bidders out of bidding on the property, attempting to convert them to Trithereon at the same time). Amounts being considered for bidding are never discussed, though they are generally in the 15,000-30,000 gp range; an ESP spell will help reveal this information.

For more information on the bidding, see the section "Be It Ever So Humble..."

The leather-working family, the Skimmins, is not interested in buying back the town house, but is very worried about the kind of people who will become their neighbors. The family members will not permit anyone to enter their living quarters on the upper floors of their home, though anyone can enter their one-room leather goods shop on the first floor of their three-story house. The Skimmins are well-to-do and work hard, cautious and close-mouthed these days around people they don't know, like adventurers. Their leather goods are of high quality, and if any adventurers befriend the Skimmins, the family will most definitely offer a 20% discount on leather goods.

A week before the bidding date for the house (during the last week of Planting), rumors circulate that the current owner of the house is Otiluke's sole first cousin, a scribe named Lanharden. This rumor is true; Lanharden, a paranoid, unmarried, middle-aged man who lives in Clerkburg, is concerned that not enough people are bidding on the property - the town house was left to him in Otiluke's will, read shortly after it was determined that Otiluke's clones were destroyed.

As a result, Lanharden has decided to take the enormous risk (from his viewpoint) of spreading the word that the property is for sale. He had originally asked that his name as owner be withheld from the sale information, and he has taken every opportunity to prevent his name from reaching the public's ear, but now he just wants to be rid of the place.

Lanharden thinks he might be targeted for assassination by Otiluke's enemies, and he wishes to divest himself of all properties owned by his cousin in hopes of making his "elimination" unnecessary. Lanharden has nothing to fear - no one really cares about him or wants to harm him - but the PCs need not know this. Looking for Lanharden's imagined enemies can sidetrack them for some time; his paranoid state of mind is quite complex, and some of his suspicions sound reasonable.

PCs can find and speak with Lanharden (a zero-level LN human), who keeps all talk focused on selling the house and not on recalling the deeds or words of his cousin. He comes across as anxious, tense, untrusting, pressured, compulsive, and lacking in many social skills. The loss of his cousin was a bit of a blow, but Otiluke had been killed before and returned from the dead, and Lanharden suspects Otiluke will return again someday, when it is least expected - in the grand tradition of many wizards.

Lanharden personally thinks that anyone stupid enough to mess with magic is risking horrible death, and Otiluke's fate is proof of this. Oddly, Otiluke had never invited Lanharden to his home. Lanharden knows nothing about Otiluke's personal business or possessions, though he knew about Glorial and with a sneer calls her a "magic tart." He never knew Otiluke was in the Circle of Eight, but this knowledge only confirms to him that wizards who mess with powerful magic make powerful enemies, and should expect to die at any moment.

The House on Summoner Court Greyhawk Location

Introduction
Events of Harvester 14 584CY: About Noon
Loose Ends and Odd Trails
Examining the House Inside and Outside
Objects Found in the House
Future Adventures and Disasters
NPCs: Sgt-at-Arms and Invisible Stalker