Bjorn Stonehand |
"Stick your nose in a book if it pleases you. I'll see what I can get out of the sheriff."
Korvus Slade |
"We don't have to ask the sheriff. Ghoroven opened up the Town Hall library for us. Should be in the books there."
"He did? Excellent!" Korvus exclaims excitedly. "Do you believe it would be possible for us to review the archives this afternoon following lunch?"
"Stick your nose in a book if it pleases you. I'll see what I can get out of the sheriff."
"Yes, I believe that would be a good idea," Korvus agrees with Bjorn's plan. "The more information we can gather in the least amount of time the better."
Oliar |
Oliar smiled at Korvus, "Sure, we just need to pass by Ghoroven on the way there so he can pull his strings."
When the Half-Orc more or less gave the Ulfen the green light to silence the sheriff Oliar rolled his eyes. Some people were so naive, it was a miracle they still lived.
'Horrible' Harold Grimsley |
"Kendra, what do you know of this Sheriff...I don't think I caught his name,"Gunther looks to Lorrimar's daughter.
Harold hangs his hat and jacket on the chair as he takes his seat for lunch. Harold folds out his napkin, stuffing its tip down his collar, "Mr. Ghoroven said 'is name was Caeler. And i' wouldn't 'urt ter put in a stop wiv da local law. You can learn mawer from what a lawman ain't sayin' awer actively denyin' what da words what spill forf from their mowfs. I'd also like ter find what gen' an' 'is buddies from da Restlands, da one frowin' mud all over da Prof's name. They still need a few etique'e lessons on manners at funerals." Harold digs into the meal with an appetite.
Bjorn Stonehand |
Finishing up the last of his meal, the big Northman stands up from the table.
"There's still a few hours of daylight. Let's pay a visit to the Sheriff", he says to Harold. "Dwarf, you coming along again?"
Korvus Slade |
Once everyone finishes their lunch Korvus quickly cleans the dishes with a minor magical cantrip. "There we go! Can't leave Mistress Lorrimor's house a mess, can we? Now, let's pay Master Ghoroven another visit and see about gaining access to those archives. Lady Kendra, would you be so kind as to accompany us to provide Master Dawnreach and myself with an introduction to Master Ghoroven?" Korvus asks politely as he dons his jacket and retrieves his hat and walking stick from the foyer.
DM Haldhin |
Kendra again insists on going with the group, and leads you north into town again. Instead of continuing through the town to Alendru's school, you enter a large building on the north side of the town center.
A man wearing leather armor and a skull cap sitting behind a desk greets you and asks your business. After hearing you want to meet with the Sheriff, he excuses himself and enters a door behind his desk. A few minutes later, he comes back with a stern-looking man wearing chainmail and wearing a longsword. His grey hair hangs in a tight braid common to men from the north. He looks over your group before settling on Kendra. "Ms. Lorrimor, my condolences. Your father helped me in many investigations and he will be sorely missed."
Turning to Bjorn, he stares for a few minutes, "Forgive my interest, it is not every day that I see a fellow Ulfen warrior in these lands. Be welcome here."
He looks over the rest of the group again before continuing, "Now then, what can I do for you today?"
Bjorn Stonehand |
Bjorn almost winces at the acknowledgement.
"Aye, well met", he manages to reply gripping the man's forearm in a fierce warrior's greeting.
"We have an interest in the ruins of Harrowstone. What can you tell us about the prisoners that were kept, and ultimately, died there?"
DM Haldhin |
The sheriff regards the group for a moment before answering, "Well, that's before my time, but I'll tell you what I know. Harrowstone was home to the most ruthless and dangerous criminals of its time. It was the final destination for all of its inmates - they were sent there to die. Most were there for execution... For some reason, the headsman there didn't bend them over and take their head with an axe or sword. No, he made them kneel down and face him, so he could see their face when he used his scythe for the task. For those that weren't to be executed, the rest of their lives were spent in dimly lit underground cells. They never saw the sun again."
"Now, mind telling my why you're interested in Harrowstone?"
Korvus Slade |
Korvus' expression takes on a horrified cast as he listens to the sheriff speak of Harrowstone Prison. The gentleman half-orc gulps audibly as the sheriff finishes his gruesome description.
Korvus nods in agreement with Alexei's response to the sheriff's question, and glances toward Kendra before adding, "We have reason to believe that the good Professor was murdered by one or more individuals seeking someone - or something - in the ruins of Harrowstone Prison. We're trying to determine what it is that they sought, in the hope that it will somehow lead us to the murderers."
DM Haldhin |
Sheriff Caeler looks pensive before responding, "I see. You have reason to believe he was murdered, do you? Interesting, because my boys and I looked all over the site where he was found and it looked like an accident to us. Perhaps you would like to share your reason with me?"
He stands up and folds his arms across his chest, "And for what it's worth, nobody but me goes after murderers in Ravengro. The last thing we need around here is a bunch of vigilantes taking the law into their own hands. Is that clear?"
As he finishes speaking, a sharp knock receives a sharp bark from the Sheriff "Yes?!"
The deputy enters and walks quickly to his side, speaking quietly into the Sheriff's ear. As he does, you see the Sheriff's irritation turn to outright anger, "They did what?! Get the others, we've got to head down there."
The deputy rushes out, closing the door behind him.
Sheriff Caeler turns and grabs his sword and begins to secure the belt around his waist. As he's doing this, he stops suddenly and raises his eyes to glare at you. "You all come in here, asking questions about Harrowstone, telling me there are murderers around, saying that a prominent citizen was their victim. Now I hear that our monument to Warden Hawkran - the last man in charge of Harrowstone and a town hero - has been desecrated with blood."
He finishes buckling his sword belt while keeping all of you in his sight.
"Why don't we all head down to the monument together? I might have some more questions for you when we arrive."
Assuming the group complies
As the group exits the building, he pulls Bjorn aside and they walk together a few strides ahead of everyone else:
Bjorn Stonehand |
Bjorn's head spins at how quickly things get out of control.
The big Ulfen follows the sheriff and looks to the others to do the same.
Bjorn regards the man cautiously. It'd been years since anyone had called him brother.
Sense Motive - 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Assuming nothing suspicious comes up:
Bjorn speaks the last few words as if spitting out a curse.
Alexei Dawnreach |
Alexei frowns deeply at the news of a monument being desecrated, and his mind immediately moves to thoughts of the Whispering Way. "We should go. This is likely more relevant to us than you would think, Sheriff."
Alexei adjusts his backpack as he starts following the sheriff.
'Horrible' Harold Grimsley |
Harold hurries to follow the others as they race out toward the desecrated monument. The half-orc goes over what the sheriff had said in his head on the way there. He said they looked around and it looked like an accident but knowing the law they glanced at the door and that was their thorough investigation. Now we got blood spilled on some old relic, the Prof sure knows how to leave a guy a funtime.
DM Haldhin |
Sheriff Caeler looks at Bjorn seriously before responding:
Bjorn, the sheriff appears to have accepted your comments for the moment, and you get the sense that had you spoken differently, you and your friends would be in serious trouble.
As you arrive, a group has already started gathering around the large statue. Moving closer, you see a stone figure carved to represent a man standing tall, wearing a uniform with a badge on his left breast. His right hand is clenched into a fist and placed on his hip while his left hand holds a large baton at his side. The statue stands upon a large pedestal that contains a plaque on the base. The detail that draws the most attention, however, is the massive amount of blood that has been splashed across the monument. In addition to the blood covering the statue, the culprit also made one deliberate mark; the letter “V” has been drawn across the plaque.
Sheriff Caeler immediately takes charge and begins moving people away from the monument. Most of the people quickly retreat, moving even faster as the deputy you saw earlier arrives with three other men.
You can get within twenty feet before the Sheriff and his deputies ask you to not come any closer for the moment. Please let me know if you want to do anything specific. Feel free to make relevant skill checks in advance.
Korvus Slade |
Perception check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
"Oh my! Who would do such a thing?" Korvus exclaims upon seeing the blood-spattered statue, revulsion evident in his tone.
"And what is the significance of the letter 'V', I wonder?" he muses more softly, peering intently at the bloody symbol through the pince-nez perched on his bestial snout.
Bjorn Stonehand |
Perception - 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
"And it wasn't so much - no more than a tankard's full perhaps. Look at how the streams grow thin at the bottom", Bjorn points out.
The big northman takes advantage of the sheriff's diligence and studies the ground near the statue, in hopes of finding a trace whoever defaced the statue.
Survival - 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Bjorn Stonehand |
Bjorn keeps on eye on the spot in question and edges to the front of the crowd.
"Sheriff!", he calls out.
Assuming he answers Bjorn's call:
Bjorn then closes on the wood chip and scoops it up.
DM Haldhin |
The Sheriff reacts to Bjorn's comments and looks sternly out at the crowd as Bjorn retrieves an object from the ground. After twenty seconds, he turns back:
He looks at the crowd, "Okay everyone, time to head home. We'll find this vandal and let everyone know on the Boards."
Sheriff Caeler begins diplomatically herding people away, with his deputies soon following his lead. Five minutes pass before the people are gone, and the Sheriff heads to Bjorn to see what he's found.
Bjorn Stonehand |
Heh, I'm not sure what I found.
Bjorn holds up his prize so the sheriff as well as the others can see it.
"Some sort of wood chip covered in blood. It may have come off whoever defaced the statue."
DM Haldhin |
You get some more checks now that you are closer and have time to inspect it.
As everyone else gets a good look at the dirt-covered wood chip, some of you may notice something else. The chip itself is only about an inch across. It seems like it was caught in a boot or shoe from the tread mark on one side. Unfortunately, there is not enough of a tread mark to match a specific sole.
Korvus Slade |
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
"This wood chip appears to be from a larger piece of wood that was hit with an axe or other bladed tool," Korvus notes, pointing to the piece of wood in Bjorn's hand.
Korvus squints through the lenses of his pince-nez and peers intently at the wood chip. "Ahh! This is interesting!" Korvus exclaims excitedly. "Look here - the dirt around the wood chip is unlike the ground near the monument. Do you see? The soil near the statue is sandy and lighter in hue, likely from the nearby stream. The dirt on the wood chip is darker and richer, as if it had been worked - possibly from a field or garden."
The scholarly half-orc glances up at Sheriff Caeler and his companions before adding, "If I had to hypothesize, I'd say that this wood chip came from a farmer's wood pile."
Bjorn Stonehand |
Bjorn stares at the fragment.
"I don't suppose that helps much. There has to be dozens of farmers nearby."
He turns to the sheriff, "Unless you know of a place nearby that this could have come from."
'Horrible' Harold Grimsley |
Harold wanders around the statue while the crowd is there, absorbing all the scenery and any buildings of the nearby town that might have an unobscured view of the monument. Witnesses might of seen something and not even know it.
Harold heads over to check out Bjorn's discovery with the rest once the crowd is dispersed somewhat. Checking out the chip, Harold nods in agreement with the others before looking to the sheriff, "Hey Sheriff, there anyone in town what 'as a farm next ter da stream awer a local river? We can work down from da closest ter town ter further out, removin' suspects as we go. I'd also be curious ter know what type ov blood what is there all over da statue. If i' be blood from a geezer awer lass, someone might be dead awer at least a bi' white after bein' let like that. If i' be animal in nature, might be what narrows aaahr search down even further."
Perception Check vs wood chip: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Oliar |
Scent Perception 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
While the others are talking Oliar sniffs the piece of wood. "Perhaps I can help trace the thing. I'm not much of a tracker but my sense of smell is a lot better than all of yours and I doubt the perpetrators counting on someone smelling them out."
DM Haldhin |
The Sheriff listens to all of your comments before considering the wood chip again. "Well, there are seven farms that line the river, but you can rule out three of them since they're fallow this season. One of the remaining ones is a community farm, so there isn't a wood pile around it. That leaves three..."
"If you all want to take a look at the farms, I'll get this area secured and cleaned up. This can't be official though since I don't have time to deputize you and I'm not allowed to hire anybody without council approval. Be mindful of the owners if they see you around their property."
He provides you the location of the three farms, along with names for each of the owners. Here is a list, from nearest to the monument to farthest away:
Farm #1: owner - Gibs
Farm #2: owner - Johann
Farm #3: owner - Tyon
To try and identify the blood:
Bjorn Stonehand |
Bjorn offers the wood chip to the cat-monster so he can get a good whiff.
"Let's get going then", the big Northman says. "The sooner we catch up, the better our chances of catching the devils red-handed."
Korvus Slade |
DC 15 Heal check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 - nope, no idea!
"Sheriff Caeler? If you wish, I can cast a minor spell to clean the blood from Warden Hawkran's statue quickly," Korvus offers respectfully. If the Sheriff allows, Korvus casts Prestidigitation to clean the statue.
The half-orc frowns in thought as he considers the information provided by the Sheriff regarding the nearby farms. "I beg your pardon, Sheriff. Did you say that the nearest farm is that of a Master Gibs? Would that be the same Master Gibs who so disrespectfully instigated the ruckus at the Professor's funeral yesterday?"
DM Haldhin |
Sheriff Caeler responds to Korvus' offer of assistance, "Thank you, but no. I'd rather have my men clean it off to make sure we don't miss any possible evidence. I may take you up on the offer later, after we've finished our work. Perhaps this evening?"
"And yes, I'd heard about that. Gibs is one of the local farmers, and one of the most superstitious people in town. He is always bothering me or my men with his tales of goblins or spirits raiding his fields. Just the other night he was telling me about dreams he was having about being stuck inside some kind of jail. Kept calling it an "omelet", he seemed drunk so I chased him off. He's obnoxious, but he's alwyas been harmless, barring a handful of scuffles after a few too many drinks. His farm is right up the stream."
He points through a growth of trees to a farm about 200' northeast of the monument.
Bjorn Stonehand |
"Gibs has a mouth on him and doesn't know when to shut it, but he's never been more than a pain in the ass", Bjorn offers.
"Let's see what he has to say for himself", the big Ulfen says as he starts in the direction the sheriff had pointed.
Korvus Slade |
DC 15 Knowledge (engineering) check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
Sheriff Caeler responds to Korvus' offer of assistance, "Thank you, but no. I'd rather have my men clean it off to make sure we don't miss any possible evidence. I may take you up on the offer later, after we've finished our work. Perhaps this evening?"
"Certainly, sir. It would be my honor to assist in any way possible," Korvus replies to the Sheriff with a bow.
... Just the other night he was telling me about dreams he was having about being stuck inside some kind of jail. Kept calling it an "omelet", he seemed drunk so I chased him off..."
"Yes, I suppose being trapped in a dream 'omelet' would be quite uncomfortable," Korvus chuckles and then pauses as a new thought occurs to him. "Hmmm... I wonder if he meant that he was trapped in an 'oubliette'? It's a form of dungeon that is only accessible from a hatch high in the ceiling - a type of cell typically used only for the most dangerous of prisoners..." the half-orc scholar muses aloud.