Anjelica |
The sheriff looks at Anjelica somewhat puzzled.
what do you think i want you to do? Find out who violated the tomb, and why. Prove it and bring them to justice. And let me know what's going on every few days.
Anji tries not to return the sheriff's puzzled look... and just nods like she fully understands, though in truth she has little idea how to proceed except for maybe showing the blade to Ameiko... she's not exactly the brightest bulb in the pack
Dakash Naan |
Dakash picks up the potions of Aid, smirking. "We will provide justice, and we will check in frequently. Thank you, Sheriff, for letting us help."
Zeldana Dardlara Amaria |
"Of course I'll take the job." Zeldana said with a smile. She picked up a bottle of cure potion and gave a bow to Father Zanthus. "Thank you." She told him before she stored it away.
"Now now Cale, I am sure you'll be very helpful! You shouldn't underestimate yourself." The half-elven woman said with a smile.
Zeldana Dardlara Amaria |
"Shall we head to Ameiko first?" Zeldana asked as they set about to leave. "Or go and check the graveyard to see if we missed anything?" She asked the group. "I wouldn't mind going over the graveyard before we leave."
Cale Vatay |
Anjelica |
"We could do that, but if either group runs into trouble, it might not go so well if we do split up... we could see the graveyard, then go talk to Ameiko?"
chillblame |
Ok the party first goes to the graveyard, since it is just outside, then go see ameiko.
Shortly you are standing near the sundered tomb and start a general search of the graveyard.
Please make survival, perception and knowledge local rolls. Locals are can make the roll as if skilled. Ruaidhrigh, wolfie can aid the survival roll, if you want
Cale Vatay |
perception : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
survival: 1d20 ⇒ 13
Cale pulls out his little stony familiar and smiles as he floats around before looking around with her.
Anjelica |
know local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
perc: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
surv: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
chillblame |
After a good search of the graveyard you discover the following.
Survival result, group effort
In one section of the graveyard, in the soft dirt of a fresh grave, are footprints. A set of bare feet to be precise. Oddly, it seems if that person also used their hands to move, as if crawling? Walking in a crouch? The hands seem to have claws. Using minor traces, you trace the trail to an odd grave, one which is bare, and is outside the actual graveyard itself.
Anjelica |
know local dc 10: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
perc dc 15: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Anjelica points out the tracks by the grave and then follows the footprints until she gets to the cobbled street, where they disappear. "The footprints went this far, but I've lost them on the street... What could have made tracks like that?"
Zeldana Dardlara Amaria |
You know you can take 10 on the local check right Anjelica? A DC 10 is common knowledge.
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
"Why would someone be at this grave?" Zeldana asked as she looked around it. "This grave is a dark part of Sandpoint's history." She explained.
Cale Vatay |
"maybe because it was such? I'm not much of a history buff, but maybe he was chosen because he was important? That or it could be random"
Alekzander Ingerbalaur |
"A beastman or something?"
Is the dirt of the odd grave been disturbed? Like it has been dug up recently?
"It could be possible this person was what slashed the rock in the crypt."
Dakash Naan |
Dakash mutters to himself as he follows the strange tracks, noticing where they stop.
"The Chopper? This was before any of us, but he was a bad man. My mother used to tell me about him...why here? Why now? We should see Ameiko."
Alekzander Ingerbalaur |
"Well it looks like the Chopper may be making a comeback. The grave has been disturbed and with the possibility of a necromancer wandering around,that is bad news."
Alek stretches his back, sighing.
"Well I don't think we will learn anything else here, let's go see Ameiko."
Anjelica |
"Perhaps we should warn the sheriff about the disturbance of the Chopper's grave on the way..." Anjelica heads out of the graveyard with the rest while she speaks.
chillblame |
A quick check shows the sherrif has left the cathedral, the priest doesn't know where.
Where do you want to go. Note, it is close to midday.
-Search for the sherrif (may take a while)
-see ameiko and ask about the knife
-ask the people near the graveyard if they have seen anything suspecious.
-somewhere else.
Zeldana Dardlara Amaria |
"I say we give him a warning about it but other than that... Sadly there isn't much we can do." Zeldana said with a sigh. "Come on, let's go see Ameiko." She said before she headed off to the Rusty Dragon. Once there she looked around for the tavern owner.
Anjelica |
sorry no updates for me til you posted in discussion
Anjelica nods to ZEldana... "Seeing Ameiko seems like our best bet right now... we can perhaps talk to a few people on the way, see if anyone's seen the sheriff. That shouldn't slow us down, and we've probably got a little reputation for aiding the city, which might encourage folks to talk to us."
On the way to Ameiko's Rusty Dragon, Anjelica does indeed ask random folks "Hi... I'm looking for the sheriff. Have you seen him today and if so, where?"
Cale Vatay |
Cale mostly just follows with one hand in a relaxed grip on the hilt of his sword.
chillblame |
Anjelica, no problem, that has happened to me. I find it best to quickly check for new posts in gameplay, after I was caught that way a few times
Anjelica, could you make a diplomacy roll, gather information, please? Anyone else can roll assistance, if they like.
The party arrives at the tavern, to be offered lunch of a type they had never tasted before. A tian dish, rarely served in the west, sweet and sour chicken, with fried rice. (Sorry, I have a hankering for Chinese food right now :D)
When shown the knife, ameiko says it's a kukri. Nasty weapon, designed for close slashing attacks. Comes from, hmm, can't remember the name, vudra? South west of tian, so I've been told. According to legend, once unsheathed it must taste blood before it is resheathed, even if it is your own blood. If you don't, you gain a curse.
She smiles. or so it is said
Ruaidhrigh Katanalisko |
Ruaidhrigh scratches his head for a minute, then looks up. "So, maybe whoever attacked the tomb was from Vudra? Do Vudrans dress distinctively, or look a certain way? Maybe we can check and see if someone's seen one." he thinks for a minute. "Then again, I took some weapons off the goblins, and I'm not a goblin. So maybe this guy just has a Vudran knife. Kukri. Hey, wait a minute. This thing is my size. Are goblins from Vudra?"
Anjelica |
diplo gather info: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
"Are these common here in varisia? We found this here in town. Do you know of anyone locally that wields such a weapon?"
chillblame |
apologies for the delay, my computer went strange and I had to reinstall windows.
Ameiko laughs at Cales comment yes it is a charming legend. and no ruaidhrigh, I don't think any vudrans are here. You see, this weapon is sized for someone your size, like a gnome or halfling. Vudrans are human.
She turns to Anjelica. Monks use them sometimes, and brawlers. Its's not very common, but not unknown. It is a nasty weapon. Where did you find it?
Anjelica |
Anjelica makes sure no one but Ameiko and the party can hear her... if that's not possible, she'll ask to speak to Ameiko in private as " this is best said to your ears only, Ameiko..."
Once alone, or private enough, she continues, "The knife was found at a disturbed grave, that of the Chopper... We don't want rumors flying so this is best kept a secret until we know more."
chillblame |
It was? she whispers. She glances at the wall quickly. You see a part of the wooden wall that has had a piece hacked out of it, as if in anger. It would have happened a few years ago.
She frowns. But he used a hand axe, not a kukri. And he would be too big to use this. If I was guessing, I would say the goblins looted it out of a ship wreak.
She looks shaken. a coincidence. Surely
Anjelica |
"We can only hope so... but it is concerning to say the least." Anji follows the line of Ameiko's glance.. lofts a brow... walks over to the hacked section. "Did the Chopper do that? Did you actually meet him and survive?"
Zeldana Dardlara Amaria |
"Varisia does get a lot of through traffic, Tiens coming by sea or the crown of the world. Sandpoint is a stop for them." Zeldana pointed out as she crossed her arms. "It wouldn't be surprising of the goblins found a wreaked ship and took it as Ameiko suggests."
When Anjelica asked her question to the young Tien woman, Zeldana pushed her lips into a thin line and looked Ameiko's way so hear her answer.
Anjelica |
diplo: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
"I'm sorry, didn't mean to ask an insensitive question... if I've overstepped, you have my apology, Ameiko."
Alekzander Ingerbalaur |
Alek watches the conversation between the three ladies before saying in a grim tone.
"Either way it is still concerning that the goblins had an interest in the grave of the most notorious murderer of Sandpoint in recent years."
chillblame |
Ameiko shrugs. If you are not a local, you wouldn't understand. The truth is rather horrible. About seven years ago, just before the old church burned down. She sits. I suppose I can tell you. You should know.
You see, Jervis had already garnered something of a reputation for eccentricity when he began his one-man crusade to carve depictions
of birds on every building in town. Stoot never made a carving without securing permission, but he had such incredible skill at woodcarving, that made it a given made it a given that, if Stoot picked your building as the site of his latest project, you seized the opportunity. "Sporting a Stoot" soon grew to be something of a bragging point, and Jervis eventually extended his gift to include ships and carriages. One of those birds was on the wall there. I was younger then, but I remember that it looked like it could just take off and fly.
Those who asked or tried to pay him for his skill were always rebuffed. Stoat would smile and tell them, "There ain't no birds in that wood for me t'set free," and went on his way, often wandering the streets for days before noticing a hidden bird in a fence post, lintel, steeple, or doorframe, which he'd then secure permission to "release" with his trusty hatchets and carving knives.
He's excuse for wanting to move onto the isle seemed innocent enough. The place was a haven for local birdlife, and his claim of "wantin' ta be with th' birds" seemed to make sense-so much so, in fact, that the guild of carpenters (with whom Stoat had maintained a friendly competition for several years) volunteered to build a staircase, free of charge, along the southern cliff face so that Stoat could come and go from his new home without risking life and limb. For 15 years, Stoat lived on the island. His trips into town grew less and less frequent, making it something of an event when he chose a building to host a new Stoat.
Now Sandpoint was no stranger to crime, or even to murder, you understand. Once or twice in a year, passions flared, robberies went bad, jealousy grew too much to bear, or one too many drinks were drunk, and someone would end up dead. But when bodies began to mount, seven years ago, no one had no idea how to react. Sandpoint's sheriff at the time was a no-nonsense man named Casp Avertin, a retired city watch officer from Magnimar. Yet even he was ill-prepared for the murderer who came to be known as Chopper.
Over the course of one long, terrible month, it seemed that every day brought a new victim to light. Each was found in the same terrible state: body bearing deep cuts to the neck and torso, hands and feet severed and stacked nearby, and the eyes and tongue missing entirely, having been plucked crudely from each head. We were so scared.
Over the course of that terrible month, the Chopper claimed 25 victims. His uncanny knack at eluding traps and pursuit quickly wore on the town guard, taking a toll on Sheriff Avertin in particular, who increasingly took to drinking. In any event, Sheriff Avertin himself became Chopper's last victim, slain upon catching the murderer in a narrow lane-known now as Chopper's Alley-as he was mutilating his latest victim. In the battle that followed, Avertin landed a telling blow against the killer. When Belor Hemlock, then just a town guard, found both bodies (Avertin's and the penultimate victim) several minutes later, he rallied the guards and they were able to follow the killer's bloody trail.
The trail led straight to the stairs of Stoat's Rock. At first, the town guard refused to believe the implications, and feared that Chopper had come to claim poor Jervis Stoat as his 26th victim. Yet what the guards found in the modest home atop the isle and in the larger complex of rooms that had been carved into the bedrock below left no room for doubt. Jervis Stoat and Chopper were one and the same, and the eyes and tongues of all 25 victims were found upon the altar to a vile demon lord of winged creatures and temptation whose name none dared speak aloud. Stoat himself was dead at the base of the altar, having plucked his own eyes and tongue out in a final offering. The guards collapsed the entrance to the lower chambers, burned Stoat's house, tore down the stairs, and the town did its best to forget. Stoat himself was burned on the beach in a pyre, his ashes blessed and then interred in that grave in an attempt stop him returning in any way.
Shortly after that the church burned down. We call that time the late unpleasantness. No one wants to speak of it. All of the birds were cut out and burned. No one wanted them, in case they were cursed, but also to remove the memory.
I hope that helps. No excuse me, but I need a stiff drink. and she leaves
Anjelica |
"Well now what? We can only hope no necromancer wants to bring back Stoat somehow. We need to track down whoever did this, find the ashes, and stop the graverobber, whoever he or she might be. But how?"
Alekzander Ingerbalaur |
"Sounds good we don't have much else to go on. But other than that let's talk to some of the people that live near the graveyard. Maybe they saw something?"
Dakash Naan |
Dakash shakes his head, wincing at Ameiko's description of the late unpleasantness.
"I recall this, though I was too young for much of the news. Still, my mother told me of the affair when I was of age. I used to miss those pretty birds all over our town.."
After trailing off, the bald monk seems to drift, lost in thought.
Cale Vatay |
Cake seems concerned at these revelations but mostly stays silent
Anjelica |
Anji will take the lead and head out to talk to folks who live or work around the area of the graveyard... knocking on doors if she has to. Being a Sandpoint resident for a long time, she'll greet folks by name, and ask them rather pointedly "What have you seen lately around the graveyard that might be of interest? Have you seen anyone hanging about near any of the graves that maybe didn't belong there? Anything out of place or unusual - lights at night? any odd sounds? anyone entering or leaving the graveyard with tools a visitor shouldn't need? Anything at all that made you suspicious?"
diplomacy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13 not good, but could have been worse, sigh