Unless anyone has an objection, we'll move ahead.
You arrive at the Long Cat Inn and are taken upstairs to Alaba's room. Her body has been removed, but the mattress of her simple but comfortable-looking bed is soaked in blood. The room also has a chest, a small wooden cabinet, and a nightstand next to the bed. The wooden window shutters are still open, and a definite chill is coming through A tall, spindly tree stands outside, the edges of it's branches almost brushing up against the window, though far too fragile to support anyone's weight.
None of the furniture appears disturbed. Let me know anything you would like to check or do.
Harris putters about the room, examining the windowsill and the bed. He then casts Detect Magic and looks around again, before turning to examine the tree out the window .
Wisdom:
It's, um, an elm.
The tree exudes a faint (verging on trace) aura.
Kn(Arcana)
However, it is too faint for you to identify the school of magic or get a grasp on any of its properties.
Duglan: Yes.
Gromtheb does his typical detect lineup (all alignments and magic) on the furniture and the tree outside. He lets out a low curse, and then detects alignment on the deputy that brought them here.
You detect no magic or alignments on the room or in the tree.
The deputy is neutral good.
"Well friends, it looks like there has been a stabbing" Gromtheb states sagely. He takes a closer look at the bloodstains on the bed, admiring they splatters and curves. He moves his hand through the air, imagining the blood arc through the air to land on the bed, floor, and walls.
"Hmm. Someone cast a conjuration spell on the tree. Might be tree stride, but the aura is too faint for me to be sure," Harris says carefully. "If I'm right, we're looking for a druid or a ranger..."
Duglan stares deliberately at the tree. "On that thing? Nuttin could climb that without breakin all tha branches down. Unless... maybeh it's a child... or a gnome or halfling or summat." He adds, "Also, when we was walkin in town, I got a strange vibe about summat. I think we missed summat important, but I'm not sure what it was. I was too busy yellin at that old bastard Gordel ta really focus."
"Or one of those tree tokens, perhaps?"
To the best of your memory, the inn was in a clearing.
"It's a shame I don't recall a single detail about this place. It's quite forgettable. Maybe we should ask whatshisface."
You may be right, Quinn," Harris says. "As I recall, the inn was in a clearing before. A tree token could certainly have allowed an assailant to climb and get in or out of the window,"
Duglan scratches his head. "Whassa tree token? Yeh think summun magically planted this tree real fast?"
Oooh, I wanna play the int game too!
Int:
"The assailant may have even hidden evidence under the tree. Dulgan, how would you feel about getting some firewood the old fashioned way?"
Grumtheb, believing that nothing productive will be done in the room, starts chatting with the deputy. "Do you remember anything odd happening recently? Say, in the week before Four-Jaws started acting strangely?"
The deputy is happy to chat.
Odd? Well, I 'unno... It was awful rainy... an' Marshal's girl ran off with that bard 'at comes through few times a year. The one with the funneh horn; good player, but she'll come back inna few weeks, mark ma' word.
Er, guess that's not so odd, is't? Uhm, well, all three o' Madra's dogs went missing 'bout two-an-a-half week ago, an' all on the same night. No one's seen 'em since, and they was big dogs... Um, Rill got sick from some bad meat Darrin sold 'im, an he's bin goin' by the shop e'ry day since yellin' at Darrin 'at he's a cheat and scum and such, even though a'int no other butcher in town so what choice we got?
Little gnome fella' came through... what were it, five, six day ago, all covered in dirt 'n' grime looked like 'e hadn't bathed fer half a' decade. Stopped by my farm an' my wife tol' 'im t' come here if he needed a place to stay, but he jus' wandered off. I figgered he was a beggar--more a' those these days, I tell ya--but she said he'd a necklace worth more'n my horse. Heheh, not sure how that woman knows 'er baubles; I sure ain't never bought 'er anything like that.
Oh, an my fren' Rhys--'e took a nap out in the woods, an' there ain't nothin' strange abou' that, Rhys bein' Rhys, but 'e says he dreamed about all the buildings in town turnin' back inta the trees they was made from and then growin legs an' arms an' faces an' whatnot and jus' walking away while everyone yelled an' was like "where you going, yer mah house!" E's been tellin e'ryone abou' that dream all week, on account of its so weird an' all. 'E thinks its a magic dream, but I was taught as dreams is jus' dreams.
The Father Egian's been goin' by Doree's place more'n a bit, I thinks. I ain't sayin' e's breakin' 'is vows--not till I seen some more proof--e's a good man, see--but it seems more'ns just called for is all.
One 'o the hunters--Mark or Marl, I can never remember which--says 'e shot a 9-point stag in the woods the other day, but when 'e got to where the body shoulda' been, was jus' a pool a blood an' no venison. That was the day before you all got here, iff'n I count 'em right...
An'... 'is sister--they's brothers see, an' got one sister between 'em--'er baby came out with a little tail. Father says its just something that happens to babies, but Sorgina says it's a bad fortellin', that the beasts is angry somehows.
He pauses.
Well s*~@, I guess you know 'bout everything 'bout this town now, huh?
Duglan takes particular interest in the story of the gnome. "Ah, see. Like I says, a gnome actin all like a beggar shows up ta town, but he gots a pretteh necklace. An any real beggar wud be all over a chance fer a warm meal an a bed. And the tiny little f+&&a could climb tha small tree and do tha killin."
"There are a lot of strange happenstances, I see. Might we examine the body? We might be able to learn more about the killer and the weapon used by doing so."
The deputy nods.
She's at the graveyard. They've prepared her for burial, but the funeral won't be till tonight. I can take you there.
Is that the plan?
Harris, at least, will go with the deputy.
Duglan will come with.
Gromtheb as well. Also, he will follow up with some questioning when the god controlling him has more time.
"Yes,good good. The body we will inspect, before rest is layed on it, yes."
and velinari comes along, still smiling.
Quinn mumbles "I guess we'll get to that tree later" and follows the group.
The deputy leads you down the stairs, out of the inn, and back towards town. The cemetery is a small but well-maintained plot on the banks of the river, with a few hundred small grave-stones scattered among a garden. At one end sits a small building, barely more than a shed in size but in good condition and freshly whitewashed.
The deputy leads you to it and opens the door. Inside, Father Egian and Gordel are standing over a low wrought-iron table, on which a figure is draped with a burial shroud. The shroud is white, but spotted in places with blood soaking through. The room is windowless and lit only by a few ornate lamps.
Gordel turns upon hearing the door open, and when he sees you his eyes briefly flash with rage but he quickly calms himself.
They tell me it wasn't you bastards that did this, that where Zuntu found you you couldn't 'a got to widdout horses after havin' killed 'er. But you still dishonor 'er mem'ry bein' here, so get the hell out.
Father Egian turns to speak, but I'll give a short window if any of you want to interrupt.
Quinn smirks. "And where were you at the time of her murder, hm?"
Gordel cannot believe his ears.
HOW DARE YOU? I's in m' bed, asleep. I would no' kill my own daughter!
Father Egian turns to him. Now, I'm sure they're just trying to help find the killer, but I must ask you gentlemen to be a bit more careful in your choice of words. Gordel here has just suffered the greatest loss a man can experience. There's no need to antagonize him.
Velinari moves to the side of the dead girl and begins quickly yet precisely examining the body from head to toe. Even taking hold and moving the arms and legs around, and moving his face very close to the skin. He occasionally pokes the corpse here and there. Velinari seems to pay no mind to getting blood on himself as he examines the girl.
Health:
Do I know what weapon was used?
Carefully placing the body back, Velinari turns to the rest of the group and frowns, wiping his forhead with a blood stained hand. "This thing I don't know how to say, yes, but this body is still a bleeding, yes. This is not a premium thing. The body if killed 15 hours ago as said, should have stopped bleeding. There is something a not a right in a this case. Either someone is lying or I have lost my touch with dead bodies, and this is not I think the case, no."
"Y'know, now that I think about it, you're right. That's weird. If blood is still flowing, well, something is making it flow." Quinn detects magic on the girl.
A die:
Duglan tenses up as Gordel cries out in outrage, but seems to be able to restrain himself from making any disparaging comments. Instead he leans on the corner and stares intently at Father Egian. It isn't the kindest of stares.
As Velinari removes the shroud, Father Egian takes Gordel by the shoulder and leads him outside, whispering in his ear.
After you remove the shroud, you see that the wounds aren't gushing blood, just gently seeping it, though it is unusual.
The wounds were made by a small piercing blade, perhaps a dagger or a spearhead. It could be the claw of a large animal, but the wounds are single (rather than the three or four parallel marks you'd expect from, say, a lion's paw).
The wounds are imprecise, suggesting rage rather than careful premeditation. She was likely alive (and awake) for most of them, as there is tearing suggesting she we moving as they were struck. There's no clear killing blow to the heart, jugular, or the like.
Quinn Spellcraft
You detect no magic.
Perception:
Sense Motive:
Duglan strains to hear what Egian/Gordel are talking about.
Perception:
Sense Motive:
Sense Motive:
"Give me more time with body yes, and it will unveil more secrets, yes?"
With this Velinari turns back to the corpse and this time takes a more careful examination.
Taking 20 on my heal check
Heal chk: 29
This time after a more drawn out examination, velinari once more turns to the group, wiping off his bloody hands on the rest of his robes, covering himself in blood. He does not seem perturbed in the slightest by the corpse or the bloody fluid, seemingly quite use to it.
"This was not done by a master. You see these marks only by someone who is hasty, and not in a mind of state, yes. Many novices make marks like these on their first kill. Too much emotion and rage, not a premium thing for an assassin to do, yes. Also, this person killed while she was awake and in an aware of her assailant, yes. This also a mistake that a master does not make. The strokes on the body even suggest that she had a chance to move around, making her a chance to get away. This kill was not a well done thing, yes, even a baby could have made killed like this, yes. I can not appreciate this piece of art in any of a way, this sickens me. This is not an elegant thing, this is the work of a brute. We must find this murder, if not for the sack of this poor girl, but for the sack of showing this person how a real kill is to a be done, yes. This is Velinari's opinion yes."
"Well, not everyone has the time to make art like you do, Velinari. But I'm still weirded out by the blood. If she's dead, the blood shouldn't be moving, and there's no magical devilry I can find. Either there's magic far beyond my ken, or she didn't actually die fifteen hours ago. Or I missed something."
-Gaizin, a great warrior, was attacked by his drunken brother. Refusing to fight back, he was slain. His body bled for a day and a night, and then he rose as a sorrowful ghost.
-Ituna murdered her mother and father because they forbade her to see her lover. When she found that they continued to bleed, she harvested the blood to make and sell sausage. While others found the sausage delicious, the first time she took a bite she choked on it.
-A criminal fleeing capture threw a small child under the hooves of the constables chasing him. From the child's wounds seeped more blood than could possibly have been contained within, forming a creature a dozen feet high which slew the man.
-A demon of the abyss was once summoned by an evil king to kill his daughter, who had rejected him and become a priestess of Desna. His attack tainted her body, but her blood was so pure that every drop of it fled. The body then followed the demon back into hell, and enslaved him.
"There are some blood magic rituals which would do it, but from Velinari's description this doesn't seem like some sort of calm spiritual event. Though maybe my knowledge of blood magic is a bit rusty - I thought the captives were tied down, but maybe sometimes it's about the brutality. Egh, I don't like talking about this."
Gromtheb remarks "How strange... I'll be right back." He then leaves the same way that Father Egian and Gordel left. He does his best to find them (I'm assuming they haven't gone far).
Spellcraft
Father Egian detects as Neutral Good. Gordel detects as Neutral Good. None of their items detect as specifically aligned.
Father Egian responds. Not much to tell, in truth. Grew up here, and was apprenticed to Father Istroya when I was 14. Spent two years as a novice at the temple in Gurpiila, then moved back here as Istroya's assistant, and I took over for him, what was it, 14 years ago, when he took ill.
If I may ask, how's it going in there? Such a tragedy...
Let me know if you guys have more avenues of investigation to pursue or if you're ready to move on.
Gromtheb comes back into the room and detects evil, chaos, good, and law on the corpse. "Hmmm. The Father doesn't seem to know anything about any odd illnesses or the bleeding."
And the rest of you?