The innkeeper seems to understand and provides a suitable room for the king and his guests.
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The next morning a merchant walks in and has a close conversation with the innkeeper. Whatever the news, it does not seem to have anything to do with you.
Did you hear the news? There was murder done last night! Old Archivin! And his box robbed they say! The sheriff won't let anyone go near the place...
After breakfast messenger arrives asking for the king of the carnival. Excuse me, sir, with a deep bow, Mistress Almara Delisen, leader of our fair carnival, wishes to see you. He steps back, clearly expecting you to follow him.
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"The Davoker family has always been very proactive in both problem-solving and chivalry," the Mwangi man states as he delicately eats his breakfast. He looks to Tim after swallowing a small, well-cut bite. "Perchance you would reconsider not meeting a lady in her place of residence?, m'lord? Such small kindnesses does wonders for the public reception of a leader."
Ah, king, sir, you misunderstand my invitation. She is not your mistress, she is the Empress of the Carnival, with several Kings in her domain. The last king that refused her summons was reduced to 'Monkey of the Carnival'.
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"You see, my liege? Sometimes, that which is believed to be true is, in fact, a falsehood. Many foes will attempt such deceivery, and one should always be wary of such lies and inquire further into such situations," the butler states, despite being the truth, but not in the way Tim wants. "You do not wish to be polymorphed to a mere chimp, do you, m'lord?"
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"If you do, recall, Lord Timothy, that all magics are not balls of fire and bolts of lightning. Some skew the perceptions of the mind and emotions of the heart." He takes a small drink of water. He pats the dribbly remains with a napkin as he continues. "You may or may not be able to detect such magics, though it is good to always be wary for such things."
You are taken to see Mistress Delisen who greats you with a kindly but businesslike air.
I appreciate your efforts yesterday in the regrettable incident with our dragon. I fear I could use your help with another matter. You may have heard there was a murder in town last night. The circumstances, I am told, implicate people from my circus—something I find very hard to accept. I’d like to contract you to represent the Umbra Carnival to determine who is really responsible and preserve our reputation. I see that you are Pathfinders and I respect your organization. I will be indebted to the Society for your assistance.
We have been through a lot together, the carnival and I. We are a family here. I can't believe any member of this family would kill a local and endanger the carnival in the process.
The man killed was a local man. Sheriff Feldane is looking into it, but being a local I fear her judgment may be... influenced.
No, I don’t believe Sheriff Feldane is an unjust woman, but I think she’s under greater pressure to keep the peace than to find the guilty. After all, my people aren’t her first concern. My belief is a third-party investigation stands a better chance of clearing our good name than the local constabulary.
The Sheriff has held her post for the last 15 years. Daughter of the unusual union of a Cheliaxian and a Varisian, she has been adept at keeping the piece between the two populations.
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"Mistress Delisen...I think I speak on behalf of my companions that we feel it is our duty to investigate this murder; but in order to do so properly we will need unfettered access to examine the inner workings of your business. This will include extensive interviews of those you employ." Sensing a bit of unease Rhydderch clarifes "A carnival that has enjoyed such a caliber of success no doubt holds a few trade secrets. Be assured that we will hold those in the strictest of confidence." Rhydderch spares a glance at Timothy and continues. "But we will be obligated to report, or otherwise deal with, any illegal activity we discover. If these terms are agreeable to you we can get started straightaway."
Yes, of course. You may speak with whoever you choose.
If I may make a suggestion though, the longer you wait to look at where the murder took place, the fewer clues you may gather. My people will be here for days yet.
Excellent! I will leave you to it then. I eagerly await what you find.
She dismisses you kindly, if a little directly, and you can go where you wish.
So, you want to go to the crime scene. Ok, where is that?
You don't find the site of the attack, but someone gives you detailed directions to find the sheriff, who should know exactly where to go.
Going to the town jail, you find Sheriff Feldane. With short cropped, red hair she seems to get to the point with a tone that says she will tolerate no nonsense this day. Hello? Yes. What do you need? I have three days of work to do, and the morning is already gone... Well?
She studies the party for a moment, weighing and measuring. So you are to represent the carnival in this investigation then? Alright. You are to report any finding to me as soon as you find them. And don't get in the way or stir up trouble. I have enough to deal with without more outlanders causing a riot or something. Got it?
Bel! Come take these folks to the site, then to the Lockbox to speak with his widow. A scrawny, nervous looking man jumps up and leads you out of town along the trail to the Carnival.
After a little walk, he turns aside and in a small clearing blood covers the ground with scrapes and claw marks left in the dirt.
Bel looks at Tim like he just sprouted feathers, then regains his composure.
This is where poor Walder was left dead. He was coming back from the Carnival last night. There are stories all over the place about a great four-legged beast flying over town last night after the circus closed down, silhouetted across the moon. The same night his business, called the Lockbox, was broken into and robbed. The robbery has people thinkin’ of a Sczarni heist. Rumors stir up a lot of negative opinions about Varisians here.
No, nothing like this has happened here before that I can recall. Rumor says that Sphinx did it, and I have no reason not to think that is true.
You see that there is no clear path for where the beast came from or went to, almost as if it had just appeared and vanished in this spot, or perhaps flew in and out. Several humanoid footprints cover the ground, but without some skill in tracking there is not anything you can make out from them.