Healer, Hunter, Sorcerer, Spy

After a couple of weeks of rest, Section Unicorn is again called to action. This time, there is trouble in the port city of Darjapor - someone has been burning down prayer mills. The Imperial Eye investigation is failing, and the fourth incident has just occurred. Section Unicorn is sent into action.

From the briefing papers, they learn:

• The four incidents happened about a year ago, six months ago, three months ago, and last week.
• The first incident was straightforward arson at night, using whale oil as the incendiary, as was the second. After that, the remaining mills hired many more guards. The third incident involved the guards all being poisoned before the arson. The latest involved one of the guards convincing the rest to walk off the job, followed by of course more arson.
• The Eye has sent in two undercover agents, and both have been lost. The first was sent in about four months ago, and about two months ago reported making some promising contacts in the city's artisan and merchant community. Then he vanished, though he was seen a few weeks ago, briefly and at a distance in the marketplace. Right after he vanished, a more experienced agent was sent in. After about a month, she also ceased reporting. The local Eye is headed by a man who in the Group's opinion is pretty much interested in covering his own ass more than anything else.
• There are about 20 more mills in the city, the majority of which are to the Daran pantheon. The burned mills were to Danadar, the head god of the Daran pantheon (sort of an Odinesque father god of secrets and power), two of his daughters (they're his go-to people for getting things done, in this case a seer and a huntress) and the fire/smithing god of the pantheon, Hastanjan.

There is speculation about how the infiltrators could have been turned quickly, since at least one of them is alive. Baba knows of some Elven drugs that make one very suggestible, which seems most likely. The team plots their cover some, and Gaius arranges to have a bunch of whale oil shipped to Darjapor so he can pretend to be speculating in it. A fake company, the Southern Whale Trading Company, is set up for him.

Lucia is sent in first to renew old contacts with the city mill workers. They are mostly the same as ever, and report that the Eye has already questioned them about the whole thing extensively. The ones she talks to don't think this is the work of mill workers. She finds out that the man who made the guards walk off the job was not otherwise known in the city, and has of course vanished since. The next day she interviews some of the guards who went along with that, and they report that "Gil", the ringleader, had been working there for several weeks and was very well liked. He had been stirring them up for quite some time before the walkout as well.

She reports back to the others and they come into the city, renting a set of rooms over a lace merchant that fit the cover story of being somewhat down at the heels speculators.