As kindly as she can, Absinthe helps the devastated nobleman first to his feet and then to the divan.
"You may wish to leave here with us for now," she suggests. "Let the clergy do their work with the dead before you look at them."
Ausio nods and tries to regain his composure.
I trust nothing this woman says. Restrain her or subdue her and let us complete our search of this property.
"Remain here, Ser Carowyn. We will get you to safety as soon as possible."
Melianthe exits the basement and looks around for signs of the ocarinist.
She also uses Detect Magic to search the place.
As before, you find no sign of Ruan among the corpses. However, in the gallery room upstairs, you find the bodies of two musicians. There is also an ocarina on the floor beneath a side table.
"...Cherias...are they undead? Dead?"
Melianthe looks over the bodies, trying to determine what killed them---if they are dead. Entirely dead.
Cherias peeks into the room with Melianthe.
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There are no remaining undead. Most of the corpses that were animated seem to have been killed by Blood Veil symptoms. The others were bludgeoned to death or killed with crossbow bolts.
Her jester costume is magical? That's fun.
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Melianthe detects magic on the wand and outfit.
"This is truly disturbing," she says, while focusing on the items. "I had not heard of blood veil killing people so quickly. And the fact that we couldn't save Ruan..." She sighs heavily.
"I will never understand why people want to heap death upon death in this terrible world," she concludes heavily. "It makes me want to crawl back into my burrow."
"I'm not convinced that Ruan isn't still alive. This mad woman mentioned Rolth took a musician and neither of these corpses are dressed like him."
Seren pounds his fist in his hand, "We just need to figure out where that bastard is. Looks like he may know.more about the Blood Veil source as well if they were coating bolts with it."
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"Are you sure, Seren?"
"Ruan was wearing...hrm...a black suit with white frills. Something about two gold earrings in his right ear. No, his left ear."
She peers at the corpses again.
"I searched earlier and didn't anyone that matched that outfit ... let me know if I missed it."
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"Well, this is unfortunate that we have not found the person we came here to look for. Shall we drag this miscreant to the Marshall?"
Absinthe comes to loom over Jolistina, her eyes glowing weirdly and face smooth as a mask as she looks down on the Elf.
"Let us not be too hasty," she says in a silken voice. "There is yet the experiment of the linnens and the dark, silent room to consider. One observed such experiments during one's youth and is curious how they might work on this thing. Unless it has anything else of use to offer, one might like to avail oneself of it to satisfy one's curiosity."
"Nope. Not gonna happen." Seren interjects. "It's time to be quit of this place and this woman. We have pressing matters of a plague to attend to and we need to research this latest lead."
Seren will take the elf by the elbow and lead her out of the manor.
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"We might assume our ocarina player has fled..or was abducted. But we will get nothing from interrogating a madwoman." Melianthe nods in agreement with Seren. "And we are not evil," she says a little pointedly.
As soon as Jolistina is out of sight and hearing, Absinthe casts a hurt look at Melianthe. "You actually believed one would truly do such a thing...? One merely hoped to elicit more information on this Rolth! Speakingbof, should we bring the freak's weaponry to healers and alchemists so they might analyze the essence of Blood Veil?"
"Um...no, of course not," says Melianthe defensively. "It just wouldn't have worked on her, is all." She shivers a little.
"Perhaps we can find out from Ser Carowyn about the players. If he heard anyone escape, or the sounds of abduction, perhaps." The elf recovers from her shakes.
"Do you feel well enough to answer more questions?" Absinthe asks of the distraught nobleman.
That woman is crazy. I will be quite surprised if we do not regret letting her live. In these trying times we are giving the government one more thing to keep up with and already they fail at the necessities. Segang notes. He also adds It is a kindness to put down the insane and less evil than letting them live.
Absinthe raises an eyebrow.
"Not every person who is considered mad is a horror," she notes.
But this one is. Segang says. You get the feeling he is more telling you how his tribe handles things than making a recommendation or being critical. He is quite resigned to the idea that the woman will be handed over.
"Yeah, I've personally had enough unnecessary death and while you are probably right about the government, Segang, I can at least go to sleep knowing I didn't kill someone in cold blood."
Turning to Abby, "I don't think you would ever knowingly do something evil. You have proven your valor and loyalty repeatedly. However, your blood runs hot and sometimes I don't think you consider the ramifications of your actions nor think through the moral implications. In this case, I choose to make sure there is no ambiguity or doubt "
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Ausio doesn't say much of anything until you get outside. There, he takes a deep breath of the morning air and sits on a garden bench. "I will help, however I can, to see this put to right. And to bring justice to those responsible." He looks at Jolistina, detest clear in his eyes.
The harlequin laughs back, "Such a wonderful house you have. I just wanted to play!"
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Perhaps we could convert some of what we carry and do not need to cash along the way? My heart longs for an enchanted weapon. Segang pines. How much coin is in our treasury?
"That would be useful, Segang; I do fear that the clock is ticking for Ruan. I have a feeling he is in Rolth's clutches. Although we do need to sleep," says Melianthe, keeping pace with the Shoanti.
"Although we do need to sleep," says Melianthe, keeping pace with the Shoanti.
You escort Jolistina and Ausio Carowyn to Citadel Volshyenek. The elf banters and laughs in a random, scatter-brained fashion for most of the walk, but as the fortress comes into view, her demeanor shifts darkly quickly. Her cruel jokes turn to bitter threats, and even after you hand her over to the guards and they take her to the prison, she screams that her Rolth will rescue her and make zombies of you all.
You meet with Marshal Kroft and she listens patiently as you and Ausio explain the massacre at his manor. Her reaction turns from alarmed to saddened as she hears the fate of so many nobles.
"I will send word to Castle Korvosa immediately. That the city's nobility were struck so directly will be a shock to many. It was thought that their wealth and separation from the masses kept them safe from the blood veil, but it is clear they too are as vulnerable as any." Cressida shakes her head. "I have no guards to spare, but I have a few wounded in reserve. I will send them to cordon off the estate, investigate for more clues, and clean up the murdered... if you agree, Master Carowyn?" The distraught noble nods silently.
Cressida turns back to you. "My friends, you have found so many clues... but there are many loose ends and I still do not recognize the pattern. What do you think? Where should we go from here?"
"Rolth must be the link, if we can find him. If we have any idea who he is..."
"And he may have Ruan," adds Melianthe.
"So what do we know?" Seren starts ticking things off with his fingers.
"1. Rolth is a necromancer. 2. He stole bodies from graves (didn't we hear a rumour about grave carts or something?) 3. He hung out with derro. 4. He made golems. 5. He either made or used manufactured Blood Veil as a poison. 6. He knew where the nobles would be. 7. He took Ruan, alive fir some reason. Anyone else?"
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"That about covers it," says the witch, nodding. "I would say we return to his previous hideout, and also, ask around, although, sun blast this city, it's gotten rather chaotic and hard to find information in this maelstrom."
Marshal Kroft nods. "That may be the best lead we have right now. I'll try to get more useful information out of that crazy elf, but it might be a hopeless cause."
"Please avenge my sweet Olauren," Ausio Carowyn adds, a fire in his eyes. "Bring me this Rolth's head and I'll see you handsomely rewarded."
"Agreed, Marshall. You may get nothing from her. Ser Carowyn, we will do our best," says Melianthe, bowing to the heartbroken nobleman.
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Shall we better equip before we descend into that pit?
"One requires rest. Also, a drink," Absinthe says. "Unless any of you have immediate need of one's services, one would prefer to go back to the inn for the nonce so we might all recharge."
"This Rolth may be responsible for the Blood Veil, or at least knows how to get samples of it as weaponry. Pestilence is bad for business in the long run; a dead city does not generate wealth to steal or scam away. We all benefit from ending this plague. Even if looting is now good, the loot is suspect; it might be contaminated with the disease."