Gordel and Father Egian return just behind Gromtheb. Well, any findings that might help us solve this?
We can conduct any conversation issuing from that question retroactively, but I'm going to move things along.
Gordel nods at your answer. He's clearly sobered now, at least as much as a man who just lost his daughter can be. Well, 'm glad yer tryin' t' help, 'speshully after also helpin' wit' Four-Jaws. 'S just, I dunno, I was so sure it was yeh'd done it, and now I see it ain't... well, I feel bad fer the things I said.
C'mon back to my inn, will yeh? And have a drink with me in 'er memory. No use hittin' the road 'gain at this hour. I said ye'd always be welcome, an' that offer stand much as 't ever did.
Father Egian nods and puts a hand on his shoulder. We'll bury her in the morning. You go get some rest and remember her well. Gentlemen, thank you for trying. I'll pass your thoughts onto the sheriff, and pray that he is guided to the truth, and that the villain come to justice.
"Mind if I join you, father? I think I'd like to talk with the sheriff as well."
Of course.
Do the rest of you want to go with Gromtheb, or will you be heading back to the Long Cat? Or something else? Poke poke.
Velinari remains silent, but makes no move to talk to the Sheriff. Instead he steers himself towards the Inn, and begins walking that direction.
Harris will go with Gromtheb.
Duglan says, "I dunnaw bout tha resta yeh, but I could use a drink," as he walks with Velinari towards the inn.
As Velinari turns to the inn, he trys to strike up a conversation with Duglan, "You know, as arrived we did here, Gromtheb did mention some albino witches, and some wood wolves. Or do it the otherway I have it? Do you think responsible they are for these things? My experience with such creatures is limited, but maybe witches can grow trees, yes?.
Wisdom check on last pg's hint:
Wisdom:
As they walk away, you can see Velinari whisper to Duglan,
"While heading to the inn may be a good idea, I would rather be inquisitive of the deputies wife. She seem to know something of a gnome's amulet. To Velinari this says magic, yes. She may know a bit more than her husband may let lie loose between his lips. I say we turn from here to that house rather than make for the inn as previously the suggestion may have been,yes.
Velinari also pulls out a journal and begins jotting some notes as they walk.
[ooc]DM, feel free to change this DC, just ball parked it for seeing a scribbled note from a distance
Journal Notes:
Murder:
-Women reportedly died at 3 a.m.
-Women killed at dagger point (or tooth/claw, but only one set)
-Seemed rushed, not precise- suggests rage
-Blood would not stop flowing (Medically odd, investigate more for usefulness to poisons)
-Apparently a tree grew outside her window
-Was a chest in her room, (worth checking later)
Towns Doings:
-Runaway maiden w/ bard (maybe not actually having run away)
-Madra's dogs went missing
-Dirty Gnome, magic amulet
-Deputy's wife knows magic/could identify amulet
-Rhys had a tree dream (tree connection to murder?)
-Father Egian's been goin' by Doree's place more'n a bit
(Who is this Doree?)
-disappearing deer when shot by hunter
Notes:
-Father Egian can cast non-trivial magic (assuming some spell of truths)
After jotting down some notes, Velinari tears the pages from his journal and puts them into Sir Harris' hands before going back with Duglan.
Duglan nods at Velinari. He whispers back:
He then says out loud, "We'll meet ya back at the inn in a bit. Gonna go take a walk around." With that he flashes a toothy grin and walks off with Velinari.
Father, friends, please, in Abadar's name, tell me you've got more've a lead than I've found.
Egian shakes his head sadly. Their man examined the body, said it was likely a dagger, and that it was a killing in rage, but we still have no idea who it might have been.
Velinari has no such plans of asking the deputy. Velinari, is going to wander around the town, until he finds someone to talk to. Preferably a child, male.
The streets are mostly deserted, and what people you do see are adults and give the two of you a wide berth, but after almost an hour you see an dirty looking boy staring from the doorway of a stable.
When you make eye contact, he flinches a bit, but then walks out a step or two. His eyes are wide. Is you the ones what killed 'er?
Velinari pulls out a golden coin and says, "There might even be a present in it for you.We,yes, are just on the look for the deputies house of living. We were a, yes, a told that his wife may a, have a, yes, a some information on the murderer. It would be a great a benefit to a know."
Duglan snarls at the child, "And yeh look funneh. An yeh don't listen. We're lookin for the deputy's house. We need ta talk to his wife. So if yeh wanna get yer grubby paws on that gold coin, open that trap o' yers and tell us where they live."
On the way to this latest meeting, Harris glances over Velinari's note.
He responds to Egian's comment by saying "This is true, but there is something very odd about the wound. I've seen wounds that don't clot before, but Alaba's wound continues to bleed even now that she lies dead. Our alchemist is investigating this phenomenon, but I was wondering if you knew of any similar wounds that have occurred in this area before."
Egian has not seen the like before this, though there haven't been any other murders during his tenure.
He suddenly bangs a fist on the table. NO LEADS. Not a single gods-blackened one! Everybody loved the girl is all I hear, no one coulda' wanted her dead. Well obviously SOMEBODY wanted SOMETHING or we wouldn't rutting be here!
Her father's distress is as real as can be, there was no one else in the bar. He's got no business problems, no quarrels with anyone in town, this whole thing is just so BLOODY random.
He stops pacing and turns to you two. You know, I wish it had been your man. Nine pits o' hell, I almost wish you lot had never come back to Besterik, so we coulda' gone on hating you, thinking you done it, so that we'da had an answer: just an angry bastard of a man upset 'bout a failed conquest. And now what do we have? No answer, no story, nothing!
He pauses for effect, before continuing "This isn't to say that we don't have any leads. Quite the contrary - we have observed several strange things besides Alaba's continued exsanguination. Near as I recall, the inn was in a clearing when we arrived yesterday. Today, however, there is a tree growing next to it. Right next to Alaba's window, to be precise. I think this may have been planted using a magical token and used as either an entrance or an escape route by her killer, or both. Can you confirm that this alder tree is new?"
Heddlu thinks this is the best news he's heard all day. You don't think he picked up on your swap.
His exuberance suddenly dies away. Not that I know'a anyone in town who can make trees grow from nothing...
Smiling at the boy, but clearly loosing his patiencce, and starting to put the gold coin away, Velinari says,
"You see, we a have a reason to believe that this woman can identify objects of origins of magic. Are you in the knowing of anyone in the village like that, yes? It might of a be of some help to this current mystery, Velinari thinks."
If the boy continues to be of no use, Velinari is going to start making his way back towards the inn for other inquiries.
Gromtheb nods and follows the rest of the crew to the inn.
So Quinn hasn't said anything, Gromtheb and Harris appear to be ready to head to the inn, and I believe Duglan and Velinari have run into a dead-end. Shall we fast-forward to everyone-at-the-inn?
Eh? Eh?
Hay guise. Working on an update post to get the ball rolling again. It will roll. But tomorrow.
Basically, I'm going to dump a s+~!wall of text on you (probably in some spoilers in case it's TL;DR) and fastforwards toward the next combat, since that's when IT GETS REAL.
Also, looking at the other games, nothing seems to get people posting like combat. Myself included.
Craft(Airplane tickets): Nat 1
Fort vs. Sleeplessness: Nat 1
Will vs. Writer's Block: Nat -9000
Graaaaaaarrgh.
You return to the inn, a few at a time. Gordel clearly doesn’t feel like cooking, so dinner is leftovers of the previous night’s turkey (She made it, las’ thing sh’ever cooked, ‘n now we’re jus’ eatin’ it like food, Gordel sobs at some point towards the end of the meal) and some suet pudding, but he clearly feels like drinking. And talking.
He talks of his childhood, growing up in war-torn Borrokolaria, learning to fight with the scizore eta miila of the Tzarioak mercenaries who were garrisoned in his father’s inn for years, of leaving to seek a better life as an adventurer. He talks of his career as an adventurer, of towns defended from orkish raids, ancient tombs cleansed of undead, gold spent recklessly and farmers’ daughters despoiled. He talks of his companions: the dwarfess Kaggan, ever solemn and doleful, but she c’d pick any lock, fix ‘r break any c’ntraption we found, an’ always while complainin’ tha’ in Dwarfland ‘r wherever they’d n’r make anything half so cheap. ‘Specially if it was an elven dungeon thing. He talks of Yitskomish, little fella’, always talkin’ t’ squirrels n’ plants n’ rocks. Nine hells, I figger’d he was crazy till they started tellin’ ‘im useful stuff. An’ looked up t’ me like you wouldn’t believe. J’Steko said I was a father im’j fer ‘im or somethin’. Heh, J’Steko, now ‘e was a hell of a fellow. Born as a werewolf on the Urratsi plains, but ‘e found the gods an’ became a holy man. Quietest, kindest, purest guy y’ever met, didn’ drink ale, never touched a woman, hell, he wouldn’ even eat meat. But if ‘e thought ‘is friends were in danger, he’d wolf out an’ tear yer f*cking limbs off before you coul’ say “misunnerstandin’.” Th’ f’r of us, guys, we had some hell of a good times. They w’r like m’ brothers. Hell, Yits was, ‘r m’ blood-bro’ ‘r somethin’ o’ the sort, ‘cordin’ t’ some ritual in the southern jungles when I was high off my arse on this f’mented pumpkin and mold mixture they make. Y’ever had that? Never thought I’d leave ‘em, figg’rd on dyin’ beside ‘em, till the first day I saw ‘er face.
At this point he weeps openly and inconsolably for several minutes. The few regulars present politely excuse themselves at this point and stumble back towards town, leaving just you lot, Egian, and Heddlu. When he recovers, he speaks of returning to Besterik, a semi-regular stopping point for their group, to find his unexpectedd three-month-old under the care of Father Istroya, (he passed later that year) her mother having died in childbirth. She was th’ mos’ beautiful baby I’d ever seen, all small an… baby, y’know? An’ I knew I couldn’ leave ‘er alone, t’ grow up with no one, an’ I sure as Erastil’s aim couldn’ take ‘er on the road, inta fights an all. So, with the last of his share of a dragon’s hoard (little fella’, size o’ a horse or whatnot, but a dragon no’theless.) he bought the abandoned inn, an’ that was that. Some adventurers retire when they take an arrow to the knee, but some when they take a daughter to the heart.
He tells dozens of stories about her childhood, the time she got lost in the woods, the time she tried to serve ale to the cat, and so on, his voice filled with love and sadness and whiskey. As he gets drunker, the stories become a bit more incoherent, and eventually he just sort of falls asleep by the fireplace. Egian and Heddlu say their goodbyes and depart.
Do you have questions you would have wanted to ask any of them? Who drank? How much? Do you move Gordel to his room or leave him there? Do you retire to your own rooms or also pass out in the common area?
Guys, I even made maps of the inn! Here's the ground floor (ignore the stupid label) and the upper floor, with tokens indicating whose room is whose (including Gordel and Alaba).
Yay for visuals!
After Gordel passes out drunk and Egbert and Headcase leave, Harris says "That was tedious. I don't think we can count on Gordel living for much longer if we don't take pains to keep him safe. Here's the plan: We put him in a different room and stand watches to make sure he and we stay safe. Pair up, everyone. Someone wants to hurt Gordel, and I suspect that pinning the blame on us wouldn't come as a setback to them. We need one person in the room guarding him at all times and someone else standing watch in the hallway. Doors open, everyone. If they can't get to Gordel they may come after us in reprisal, so we need to remain alert and ready to come to each other's aid."
Harris doesn't drink. If asked which room to store Gordel in, he suggests "We need to minimize access and make it hard for whoever may come to get to him. Put him in the northeastern-most room."
"Well, if you really think our killer is going to target Gordel, an interior room might be best. We know our killer doesn't mind using windows one way or another. I suppose I can pair with Dulgan." He makes a nice target, if there really are any reprisals.
"Speaking of the killer, though, what do you all think of this J'Steko fellow? In my experience werewolves have a bit of a tough time keeping it together."
Duglan drinks a tankard of ale while listening intently to Gordel's story. He's sure that at least some of it is false or exaggerated, but he does his best to enjoy them for what they're worth. He's never been much of a storyteller himself, and part of him wishes that he could retell some of the experiences of his past with such enthusiasm. His thoughts drift off into him wondering if he'll ever retire, and all the cool things he could spend his gold on instead of owning a tavern. What a waste that would be.
When the others leave and Harris starts barking out orders, Duglan grunts in approval. "Righto. I'll be readeh fer annethin t'night." He pats his armor twice for emphasis. "Ain't nobuddeh gonna blame me fer another murder. Quinn an I'll take first guard. An if yeh need me to stay up a lil longer, I can be around for 2nd or 3rd. M'Nerves gon be actin up annehways, dun think I'll be gettin much sleep."
As the man tells his story Velinari smiles and nods. Velinari drinks a single pint of ale, nursing it through out the entire evening. As he passes out and Harris begins to assemble the troops, Velinari stands up, saying "It also might be a time, yes, that might be best to search the rest of the inn in it's entirety, yes. Such a thing would be in good of knowing to see if there were other things not yet come to the surface. If Quinn takes a guard, Velinari will endeavor to search the inn yes."
With this Velinari proceeds to take Gordel's key chain and search the first floor of the inn looking for anything out of place (or for a basement/cellar)
Taking 20:
26 perception
Quinn allows Dulgan to stand in the room during watch as he hides in the shadowy hallway, waiting to silently greet an unexpected visitor.
Was there a consensus on which room Gordel is being maneuvered into? And Velinari, how long will you continue searching should you find nothing out of place?