Hadrah shakes her head, sighing. "No, no, it's not that, it's just... well, we don't like to spread bad stories about people, no matter what... well. When you asked about someone who might want to hurt Eloais, we thought almost at once of Dashki, the fellow Almah hired to help with the Jackals? We... well, we knew him a few years ago, back in Medinaat al-Salaam. Back then, he was working as a desert scout, taking nobles up here into the mountains for hunting trips. But we heard rumors that sometimes they weren't just hunting animals, you know, but... well, I won't say it, and that's that. But it's no secret at all that Dashki pays far too much attention to Almah, you know? And Eloias spent a lot of time with her. Who's to say what a man like that might do, if he got jealous enough?"
"I certainly understand the lack of spreading tales but I will be honest. It seems that Dashki has more and more black marks the more people I converse with though I am not saying he is guilty of anything just that more and more evidence is surmounting against him. I speak with others if we are to get this resolved before things can degrade further."
Ammon will move onto the city guards now as well, repeating the same questions.
Layali finds Dashki smoking a pipe and staring out across the desert, a scowl on his face. He looks up as she approaches, rising quickly to face her. "What do you want?" he snaps in annoyance.Useful perhaps, but a traitor has already turned once.. there's always the chance they can turn again.. Layali thinks to herself. It was perhaps time to have a word with the Jackal expert and at least find out why he did not help to put the fire out. She also wanted to get a measure of the man herself and decide whether he could be trusted given his history. Look them in the eye, talk to them, find out what kind of person they really are..
"Thank you for your assistance, Lady Almah. I will go and speak with Dashki to see if he perhaps saw anything."
The Assassin then heads back to look for the man she saw earlier.
Layali regards Dashki calmly for a moment before she speaks. "I just have a few questions, Dashki. I would like to know if you saw anything unusual or suspicious around the camp leading up to or during the fire in Eloais' caravan." As she talks, the assassin watches the man's body language carefully for any reactions to her words.
"I certainly understand the lack of spreading tales but I will be honest. It seems that Dashki has more and more black marks the more people I converse with though I am not saying he is guilty of anything just that more and more evidence is surmounting against him. I speak with others if we are to get this resolved before things can degrade further."
Ammon will move onto the city guards now as well, repeating the same questions.
The guards are named Fixx, Keldon, Podarn and Vodrave. All are lifers in the city guard, and Fixx seems to be their leader - he does most of the talking, at any rate.
"We were standing guard around Lady Almah's tent," he tells Ammon. "There was nothing to hint at any problems until the fortune-teller's wagon burst into flame. We can verify that Lady Almah herself was within the tent, but we saw no one else."
One of the others, Podarn, speaks up. "Your pardon, sir, but that's not quite so. I noticed that Dashki fellow, hiding behind those bushes over there." He indicates a patch of scraggily plants near Almah's tent, but some distance from where Eloias' wagon was. "He ws hiding, but it was clear to me that he was trying to get a look into the Lady's tent. That man is obsessed with her. But he noticed me looking, and had just ducked back when the shouts started about the fire."
Layali regards Dashki calmly for a moment before she speaks. "I just have a few questions, Dashki. I would like to know if you saw anything unusual or suspicious around the camp leading up to or during the fire in Eloais' caravan." As she talks, the assassin watches the man's body language carefully for any reactions to her words.
The scuffy man laughs. "You mean other than that childstealing twerp going up in smoke? Nope, sorry - that was pretty much all I was interested in."
Aki joined Layali, and like her, took a good long appraising look at the man. He disliked him from the onset. Something about him put all the hairs on edge that were still Rokugani.
"If the fire interested you so much, you might wish to tell us more about it? For example, how it got started?"
Aki joined Layali, and like her, took a good long appraising look at the man. He disliked him from the onset. Something about him put all the hairs on edge that were still Rokugani.
"If the fire interested you so much, you might wish to tell us more about it? For example, how it got started?"
Dashki looks the samurai up and down, then chuckles harshly. "Sorry, friend, but I have no idea. Was nowhere near and had nothing to do with it. Best of luck in finding out, though."
Taumadu steps out from no where, "Really? No idea?"
"Did losing your country also cost you your hearing, Senpet?" the man asks acidly. "That's what I said - 'No idea.'"
While walking around the sahir notices his companions converging and begins stroking his beard. With a ponderous look in his eyes he turns to the djinni nearby.
"Well, well. What have we here? Shall we join in on the surprise party Hashouk? Yes, I suppose we shall have to! Come let us partake of the festivities."
Without a moment of hesitation Khaliq moves toward Dashki. The sahir takes some time to listen in on the conversation gaining as much knowledge as possible, his eyebrows rising every now-and-then. His voice does not add much outside of a few knowing "Hm's" or "Aha's" however.
Ammon marked it up in his head for a moment. The fire probably took longer then a moment to get to full blaze so Dashki still could have been responsible but this was atleast a point Dashki instead of against the man. "Thank you, Guards." Dashki could have used the fire as a distract to try to grab Almeh if he was so obsessed with her. Ammon wanted to growl in frustation because now he was getting conflicting reports and it would have just been better if something hadn't suggested Dashki's innocence.
Ammon moves onto the mercenaries with his mind moving as fast as it could to get together the facts. Alot of them pointed to Dashki as the fire-starter because he had reason to dislike the diviner but now it is possibly that he was just playing peeking-tom with Almeh during the fire.
He will begin to ask the mercenaries the same questions as before.
Aki did not believe a word the man said, but with no witness to testify against him, what could he do? He was suspicious, but suspicion alone didn't quite make him guilty. "Has anybody been with you either before or during the fire?"
Ammon moves onto the mercenaries with his mind moving as fast as it could to get together the facts. Alot of them pointed to Dashki as the fire-starter because he had reason to dislike the diviner but now it is possibly that he was just playing peeking-tom with Almeh during the fire.
He will begin to ask the mercenaries the same questions as before.
The mercenaries are charing a drink in honor of their fallen companion when Ammon approaches, but they listen carefully and gravely as he asks his questions. Their leader is the man who was being treated by Zastoran; his name is Trevvis. The rest are Utarchus, Dullen, Brotis, and Yesper (the latter two are women). They are a mismatched lot, with a variety of body types, skin tones, hair colors, equipment and so on amongst them. The only things they seem to share are a loud attitude and a dangerous air.
Trevvis does most of the talking in response to Ammon's questions. "We were just finishing dinner, having a pint to wash down the crap Almah brought for us. We were sitting at the fire, there, and the healer was there too. Trying to read, it seemed, but I guess he didn't much care for our table manners." There is a slight chuckle around the group at that, but it dies quickly. "Zastoran was standing up - looking for someplace more congenial, I suppose - when the wagon lit up. We jumped to try to pull Eloais free, but something in his potions popped, and... well, you know the rest." A few of the mercenaries take drinks, murmuring the name "Kallien" to themselves.
When Ammon brings up Dashki, the mercenaries shake their heads, snort or spit on the ground. "Little bastard wasn't with us," Trevvis says, and one of the others - Brotis, a sharp-nosed, light-skinned woman with the look of a Yodotai about her - adds, "If he was anywhere, he was trying to catch a glance at Almah without her robes on." The rest nod agreement. Trevvis goes on, "You ask me, Almah and her fortuneteller were spending on awful lot of time together, 'reading her charts,' if you know what I mean." A few guffaws ceom from the rest of the group, and Trevvis grins lewdly. "You wouldn't know it from looking at the old guy, but I guess he could still get his star in the ascendent, eh? An 'auspicious conjunction' indeed!" They laugh again, and Trevvis continues, "Wouldn't surprise me if Dashki - little snot - decided to do something about it, since he's got such a compelling need to get between Almah's thighs."
Aki did not believe a word the man said, but with no witness to testify against him, what could he do? He was suspicious, but suspicion alone didn't quite make him guilty. "Has anybody been with you either before or during the fire?"
"Not a soul, samurai, other than you fine folks," Dashki sneers the words, "but if you're looking for someone to take a roll in the blankets, you'd be better off asking the guard here," gesturing toward Layali. "You're not really my type."
"Did you notice anything else around the wagon in the time leading up to the fire. I ask because it appears that the four of you were by far the closer witnesses to it so I am hoping that you noticed something in the time before it went up."
Dashki looks the samurai up and down, then chuckles harshly. "Sorry, friend, but I have no idea. Was nowhere near and had nothing to do with it. Best of luck in finding out, though."
Perception/Investigation: 5k3 = 26
Layali glances at the samurai as he joins the conversation mid-way through. A not entirely unwelcome intrusion, however, as the Rokugani's question caused Dashki to give a ..somewhat contradictory answer. Adding that to the fact that she was sure that Dashki was not being entirely forthcoming with his answers, it looked rather suspicious."So.. the fire was all you were interested in, yet you were nowhere near and had no involvement? That's somewhat contradictory, do you not think?" the guards asks, fixing her gaze on Dashki and pointedly ignoring the lout's crude comments. "Where were you during the fire? It was noticed that you were not around to help put out the flames, yet you reappeared after the fire was gone."
The sahir lurks in the background patiently waiting for an opportune moment to add his word. With the interrogation seemingly paused he takes a chance to raise his voice.
"Why do we not just apprehend the brute? It must be woefully clear to all involved that this fellow is the culprit. I could easily request Hashouk here to take him into custody and we would hear no more of it. Well with the exception of me of course. No doubt the beautiful Almah will wish to talk my ear off and reward me greatly for this act of heroism. I can read the stars for her and could become an invaluable asset to this caravan. No doubt she would need such services having lost her own fortune teller. Eventually we would become lovers, who could resist the charms of Khaliq Aziz!?"
Khaliq's overeager voice slips away into the night quickly. His lips curl upward in a wicked smirk, one hand stroking the beard on his chin. It must be painfully obvious where his mind is taking him.
"Did you notice anything else around the wagon in the time leading up to the fire. I ask because it appears that the four of you were by far the closer witnesses to it so I am hoping that you noticed something in the time before it went up."
With some murmuring amongst themselves, the mercenaries finally shake their heads. "We weren't paying much attention to anything other than dinner, to tell the truth," Trevvis admits.
"So.. the fire was all you were interested in, yet you were nowhere near and had no involvement? That's somewhat contradictory, do you not think?" the guards asks, fixing her gaze on Dashki and pointedly ignoring the lout's crude comments. "Where were you during the fire? It was noticed that you were not around to help put out the flames, yet you reappeared after the fire was gone."
"The fire didn't interest me at all," Dashki says, smiling greasily. "It was Eloias burning to a crisp. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."
The sahir lurks in the background patiently waiting for an opportune moment to add his word. With the interrogation seemingly paused he takes a chance to raise his voice.
"Why do we not just apprehend the brute? It must be woefully clear to all involved that this fellow is the culprit. I could easily request Hashouk here to take him into custody and we would hear no more of it. Well with the exception of me of course. No doubt the beautiful Almah will wish to talk my ear off and reward me greatly for this act of heroism. I can read the stars for her and could become an invaluable asset to this caravan. No doubt she would need such services having lost her own fortune teller. Eventually we would become lovers, who could resist the charms of Khaliq Aziz!?"
Khaliq's overeager voice slips away into the night quickly. His lips curl upward in a wicked smirk, one hand stroking the beard on his chin. It must be painfully obvious where his mind is taking him.
"I've already said I had nothing to do with the fire!" Dashki snaps, giving Khaliq a murderous glare. Something in the sahir's words seems to have angered him greatly; for a moment, Dashki's hand drifts toward the scimitar on his belt, before he visibly regains control of himself.
"A counter attack is a sign of defense..." Taumadu says, "Why are you defensive?"
Dashki turns his glare on Taumadu without hesitation. "Your business is finding who set that fire, yeah? That means it's got nothing to do with me. And my business? That's got nothing to do with you."
Khaliq eyes the blade sitting at the other man's side. Though he attempts to hide some newfound nervousness sweat begins to collect upon the sahir's brow. With a few more strokes of the beard and a few deliberate steps he continues on confidently.
"You certainly did have nothing to do with the fire, at least putting it out anyway. It seems you were rather inept in hiding your trails, everybody in the camp is pointing the finger at you! Why even the stars tell me the same story. Had you been more careful not to be found out within such a short time-frame maybe we could offer you some dignity. Now the only way you can save yourself is to confess. So why hesitate? Let it out, you were the one to start the fire and murdered the fortune teller. Come now, it is painfully obvious!"
With a not-so-subtle motion the sahir beckons to Hashouk to stay close. Should the swords come out this evening Khaliq appears not to want any part of it personally.
Ammon finds himself with only one remaining avenue which is the Lady Almah. He nodded to the mercenaries as he left and proceed to walk the length of the camp towards Almah's tent. He was frowning as he did so because the investigation had become seemly more complicated. The 'Jackal-expert' had been spying on Almah when the fire started and the fortune-teller hadn't even originally been in the wagon at the time of the fire. He stopped and decided to backtrack to the fortune-teller's wagon to give it another look around himself since he hadn't spoken to any of the others that came with his employer.
Khaliq eyes the blade sitting at the other man's side. Though he attempts to hide some newfound nervousness sweat begins to collect upon the sahir's brow. With a few more strokes of the beard and a few deliberate steps he continues on confidently.
"You certainly did have nothing to do with the fire, at least putting it out anyway. It seems you were rather inept in hiding your trails, everybody in the camp is pointing the finger at you! Why even the stars tell me the same story. Had you been more careful not to be found out within such a short time-frame maybe we could offer you some dignity. Now the only way you can save yourself is to confess. So why hesitate? Let it out, you were the one to start the fire and murdered the fortune teller. Come now, it is painfully obvious!"
With a not-so-subtle motion the sahir beckons to Hashouk to stay close. Should the swords come out this evening Khaliq appears not to want any part of it personally.
Dashki spits, "I had nothing to do with that. Yes, I didn't help with the fire - why should I? It didn't do that Kallien woman any good, now did it? And if something bad were to happen to Eloais - well, that's hardly a cause for a tear either. But I didn't start the fire. You want to know where I was? I was watching Almah's tent. There! That's the truth!"
He looks around at the group. "This is Jackal territory - it was probably a ghul! They like to cause random destruction, and they're always around where the Jackals are."
Ammon finds himself with only one remaining avenue which is the Lady Almah. He nodded to the mercenaries as he left and proceed to walk the length of the camp towards Almah's tent. He was frowning as he did so because the investigation had become seemly more complicated. The 'Jackal-expert' had been spying on Almah when the fire started and the fortune-teller hadn't even originally been in the wagon at the time of the fire. He stopped and decided to backtrack to the fortune-teller's wagon to give it another look around himself since he hadn't spoken to any of the others that came with his employer.
"A ghul?"
The words emerge from a suddenly very serious looking Khaliq. He strokes his beard silently for a long while pondering this new information. The eyebrows of the sahir rise, his face twists around, and he continues to mutter the word. Eventually more sentences and questions come from Khaliq but they are idle thoughts at best. Finally he looks upon the man he was interrogating once again.
"A ghul you say? It seems a likely story. Did you see it? How about any of these Jackals?"
Khaliq's tone suggests he is still considering the possibility of a ghul being involved. Regardless of that, he is still interested in Dashki and the information he may carry.
"No I didn't see one!" Dashki snaps angrily. "I would've said, wouldn't I? But it's as likely as anything else, and a lot more likely than that I did it - because I didn't!"
Aki looked at the man dispassionately, as he squirmed and turned. He was disgusted, but something held him back. "So, if it was one of these... Gul, have you or anyone here seen it?"
He wasn't really that much of an investigator, but the story sounded a tad unlikely to him
"It's 'ghul' my Rokugani companion," The sahir's lips twist pleasurably while correcting the foreign man. "A word you would do well to remember." Khaliq takes some time to ponder quietly then turns back to Dashki.
"Why were you not more forthcoming with your whereabouts? You must realise that now your word is worth nothing. Still, I am curious if it was really a ghul. That would be an intriguing development and I must look into it. Hmm-"
Khaliq's voice breaks off suddenly with measured steps heading toward the charred wagon. He quickly motions for Hashouk to follow and pauses a few feet from the wreakage.
"Hashouk would you happen to be skilled in investigation? If it really was a ghul we will likely need to use all of my cunning to track it down, your help would be much appreciated."
Layali remained silent as her companions managed to stir Dashki into an explosive outburst. It seemed as though his facade had shattered, but was he honestly telling the truth now, or was he a clever actor? The guard watched the man levelly, scrutinising him carefully for any signs that he might still be lying.
Khaliq continues to search the wreckage being careful to avoid getting soot on his robes.
4d10.open(10).takeHighest(2)=16
Frustrated Ammon walks away with no information and goes to deliver the information to Garavel and Lady Almah. It seemed that no one within the camp could have been involved in starting the fire because only Dashki seemed to have the motive but the guards gave him the alibi as he was trying to catch a peek at Almah in her tent.
"Hashouk would you happen to be skilled in investigation? If it really was a ghul we will likely need to use all of my cunning to track it down, your help would be much appreciated."
Frustrated Ammon walks away with no information and goes to deliver the information to Garavel and Lady Almah. It seemed that no one within the camp could have been involved in starting the fire because only Dashki seemed to have the motive but the guards gave him the alibi as he was trying to catch a peek at Almah in her tent.
Almah takes the news of Dashki's... indiscretion with visible surprise, though she quickly grows thoughtful. After a few moments' consideration, she nods at Garavel and says, "Would you please gather the others and see what they have learned as well?"
Khaliq begins his search with a lazy air expecting the djinn aiding him to do most of the work. Kicking over a few pieces of charred wood and looking underneath is about the extent of the sahir's search and unsurprisingly he finds little.
Garavel finds the group and brings them all together in front of the remains of Eloais' wagon. Dashki is there as well, looking surly, as Almah looks you over and asks, "What can you tell us? What have your investigations revealed?"
Khaliq takes one look around to everyone gathered, with an especially long glance toward Almah. He quickly turns on his heel to face Hashouk again and quietly whispers to the djinn.
"Our previous attempts found nothing though that does not mean nothing is to be found. I shall be expecting you to continue the search while we discuss our findings."
With that the sahir makes a quick motion of dismissal to Hashouk and returns his attention to the gathering. One hand rises to stroke his beard thoughtfully as he considers the discussion.
Layali shakes her head a little in response to Almah's question.
"Very little that is concrete so far, unfortunately. I did not find any signs that Elois had been attacked before the fire - it seems that the fire was indeed the cause of death rather than an attempt to hide evidence.
As for who did this.. we cannot say for certain yet. Your man there-" Layali glances over at Dashki before looking back to Almah, "He claims that it may have been a 'ghul' that did this."