"I don't even think a priest of Pharasma has a problem with SPEAKING with the dead. As long as we honor the creature's death and allow them to continue to travel down the path of her spiral. I would think a Milanite would have a stronger spine for justice."
She then moves to peer closely at the wounds.
"I agree on the weapon's design. OK my pretties, let's do it. Our enemies wouldn't hesitate to bring her back from the dead just to get answers they want to hear, so we shouldn't be squeamish about merely speaking with them. Our first question needs to be to ask if she recognized her attacker. That will tell us a lot right off from the start and then we can go from there. Then we ask if she knew them personally, then if they are a male or female."
Rocco casts Burst of Insight on himself to help with the investigation.
He then steps back to allow Hetamon space to cast the spell as he shakes his head to regain his composure. "I've got a similar spell, though I think it's a more crude version of the one you plan to use. Go ahead. Let's hear the girl out."
"Were you able to identify your attacker, the one who murdered you?"
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"Murder... murdered?" the dead woman cries as she realizes what fate befell her mortal coil.
"Yes! I remember the... pain! I was walking alone. It was late night. Hid between shadows to better avoid Thrune's dogs. But he stalked me... I was aware of it in the end, but too late. Too late. I could never get a more than a glimpse. He was quick. Devilishly so, in the end I noticed he limped, but that did not slow him down at all. He was male though. A Varisian. He had a blade... a kukri I think. And it glowed red! He wore a suit of dark leather armor that incorporated an apron with many pockets.
He had a metaland- leather leg brace as well... perhaps that's why he had the limp? And I recall the smell! Augh! It was... peculiar. His leather apron smelled faintly of rancid cheese and urine... so strange. I never thought I would die this way! Milani..." the dead woman's voice murmurs.
"Well that is odd.. a bad smelling chef with a gimpy leg and a fondness for magical knives? There cannot be many around even in this woe-ridden city"
"Slurk grease, and clockwork mechanisms? Hmmm...I think we need to check out the scene of the crime now."
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If you ask around based on what you learned from the murder victim...
Despite being obviously anguished by the ritual he had to perform on his fellow milanite Hetamon nods at Lirotha's request:"Very well then. It's this way..."
The tiefling cleric leads you to an alley in the southwestern portion of Old Kintargo but alas, no clues seem to remain. You study the scene carefully but you might ask around. There's always the chance someone saw something...
Know local
”Vespam Artisans in Old Kintargo seems like a good place to start. They are known for their clockworks.”.
Perception
She didn’t find anything unusual with the scene.
Know. Local
"Can't say I know much about clocks and all that. My pa'd tell you I never did too well with being on time." Rocco grins slightly, despite the macabre scene.
When the Ravens arrive at the scene of Myrletta's murder, he takes a look around, then asks around to see if anybody noticed anything unusual.
He comes up empty on all counts, though.
Valrani is not the best person for makign discrete enquiries, and she knows it. Rather she spends her time looking around the murder site. However nothing out of the ordinary appears to her.
She looks up at the sky. "Do we have time to get to Vespam Artisans before Curfew?" she wonders.
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A large sign made of artistically rendered letters of iron stands over the broad entryway of this establishment, reading, “Vespam Artisans.” A raucous symphony of steel spills out onto the street while several skilled metalworkers practice their art within. The bulk of the building’s interior is taken up by a large open area that serves as both a workshop and warehouse. The rancid smell of slurk grease and other industrial chemicals lies heavy in the air, but the dozen or so crafters and tinkers toiling within don't seem to notice the foul odor. You do though, and despite the stench you think your investigation is on the right track.
"We need to make discreet inquiries and look around. See if we can find a Varisian who has a brace on his leg. Maybe someone with a magical Kukri that glows?"
She glances at Talon.
"Talon take...Oren and Val...and ask around, maybe try to convince someone this guy we are looking for was recommended for some commission work. The rest of you spread out and look around, maybe buy small trinkets and look like shoppers. We need to try spot this guy before he spots us looking for him."
Oren makes some inquiries into a metal workers with a bum leg, that required a brace amongst the workers.
Know. Local
Talon nods and takes Oren and Val and start asking around.
He jiggles some coin in his pocket when he mentions how he's heard of this good metal worker with a leg brace who has done some fine work and he could use his services if someone would point him in the right direction.
Val does the best she can, helping to ask around. But nobody really likes talking with a lawyer. Not in Kintargo anyway.
Elurius gives a worried look over the spirit's description of her attacker. ♫"The man sounds distinctive enough... Let's find him!"♫
She gladly takes the time to ask about and see if she can find anything out about the man, the murders, or the workshop. She turns up very little on the matter, possibly too preoccupied with how dirty and downtrodden the place appears to actually focus on the people there.
Elurius wrinkles her nose at the stench coming off the building but decides to brave the place anyways. She joins in with the group, but stays mostly silent, until Lirotha gives orders for Talon, Val, and Oren to move out, but overlooks El's overwhelming talents. ♫"What am I, Chopped Liver?"♫ With a flounce that shows just how she feels about THAT, El takes second to move someplace that she isn't in plain view and tugs on her sleeves, shnging her outfit into a fine noblewoman's dress, though slim and high enough to stay well off the ground.
She then follows Talon around looking for all intents and purposes like a weathly noblewoman looking to commission somethign directly, though overwhelemed by the unexpected grimmyness. She does talk to a few people here and there to get an idea of how well known her 'craftsperson' is.
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With an extraordinary display of social expertise the Ravens are able to infiltrate Vespam Artisans without no one being the wiser about their real identity or their ulterior motives. By speaking with the labourers they soon discover that the workers here are not actually employees of the building’s owner. They merely rent space and equipment here and pay a portion of their earnings back in return for the convenience of a shared workspace. Unfortunately, none of the workers toiling here are wearing leg braces. People here are busy with work and have no time to chit-chat you are told, yet you are directed to the building’s owner and proprietor, Vespasio Vespam, a small, balding man with a fringe of wild white hair around his pate, spectacles featuring retractable magnifying devices on his forehead, and the faint smell of slurk grease clinging to his clothes. He seems affable enough:"Well met, well met! Who do I have the pleasure of meeting today? Are you crafters in search of a place to pratice your art ? If so, you've come to the right place my friends! Vespam Artisans is the finest establishment in the whole of Kintargo for those who desire an affordable place to work and maybe share some tips with fellow master crafters!"
"Greetings good sir. We are not artisans, but we are in search of a particular one. He was described to me. A distant cousin? Varisian, like myself, although without elvish blood. Has a brace on his leg and a pronounced limp..."
She watches his face for any sign of recognition.
Sense Motive
Oren had learned e laugh so that she held in tongue in situations like this. The more silvered tongued members were the ones who handled these type of questions.
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Vespasio Vespam looks at Lirotha suspiciously:"A distant cousin you say? You are aware that I cannot disclose information about my clients, right?"
"Yes, I understand. But this is about family? An uncle of ours has passed on to Pharasma's spiral and left us some money. I'm passing through Kintargo with some friends on my way south. So I felt it was a family obligation to stop by and try to contact him so he can start trying to obtain his share."
Rocco joins in on the ruse, "Please sir, my mistress is distraught about her uncle's passing and wishes only for all things to be set right. That way at least some small part of this horrible event will be well in order."
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Rocco's guile manages to convince the proprietor of Vespam Artisans:"I see. For some reason you seem like a very trustworthy halfling my friend. Your mistress is lucky to have you, I'm sure" Vespasio studies Lirotha for a moment before whispering to Rocco in a conspiratorial manner:"Doesn't look disraught at all if you ask me. Sure she doesn't mean harm to this relative of hers?" then he suddenly shruggs... and adresses Lirotha.
"Well, miss, very sorry for your loss. To answer your question: yes, a man with a leg brace does sometimes work here, and that his name is Varl Wex. He is a very talented tinkerer, although... it's not up to me to say this but... I don't think he takes his gift seriously. Anyway, you can find mr Wex easily enough. He lives nearby in Iudeimus Tenement, but unfortunately I'm not sure of the exact address within the building. I'm sure you'll manage though, you seem the capable sort"
Smiling and nodding, Lirotha graciously ignores the man's comments and backs out of the office quickly enough, leading the others.
Valrani nods her thanks to the proprietor.
"We'll be sure to keep your name out of it as well." she says, reassuringly.
She joins Lirotha as the team exits the building.
Rocco answers Vespasio in the same conspiratorial tone. "Don't worry about the mistress. She has a bit of RBF syndrome, if you know what I mean." He gives the craftsman a wink, then follows his "mistress" out of the artisan's workshop.
Once outside, Oren gathers the others to come up with a plan. ”We need to be smart about this. If we all rush the building, I bet he will know we are on the way before we get 15’ into the place. Any ideas?”
"There are bound to be kids around. And as we already saw, the kids know alot about what is going on. Surely they will know where a gimpy clockmaker lives.."
"I have a feeling this guy is slippery with more than Slurk Grease. We need to make sure he's actually IN there right now first. Rocco, can you send in your better half to check if he's there? Once we know where he is, we decide how to take him...and we need to decide what we do with him."
Rubbing her forehead in obvious pain, she continues.
"Do we take him in the tenement, or wait for him to come outside? Then...do we attempt to capture him alive for 'JUSTICE'? Or do we just remove him from Kintargo permanently? Capturing him will be more difficult, but seeing this man face justice for what he's done...may show the city we are not just some sort of heavy handed-saviors like the Chelaxians? I think we should all input on this. Either way, we need to stop this guy somehow."
"The law is clear about what the price of murder is." states Valrani.
I'm not sure that Thrune is much interested in any form of Justice though.
"Who is to say that if handed over we will not be tried for assault, battery, unlawful detention, consorting with the dead, association with a forbidden religion..." she could go on for a while.
"Or more importantly that Thrune won't see this slimeball as a useful tool to keep sharp for another day?"
Making sure that there isn't anyone nearby that could hear her loud and carrying tunes, Elurius nods at the group's assements. ♫"Hmm We do need to be smart about this. Rushing in would be a terrible idea."♫
Catching sight of Lirotha rubbing her temples, Elurius pulls a few herbs and a mortar and pestle out of her hip bag and starts to grind them together. She then digs into her large bag for a Tian-Min style tea cup. She tosses the ground herbs in and then casts a cantrip filling the cup with hot water. Handing off the cup she intones, ♫"Here, for your headache. Can't have our best thinker not at their best... Even if they think I'm chopped liver!"♫
After a second to see that Lirotha is actually drinking the tea, Elurius comments, ♫"If you want, I might be able to get him to laugh so hard he can't do much, or even Suggest that he turn himself in, if we don't want to kill him."♫
Lirotha nods to Elurious, and silently thanks her for the tea.
"I agree Val...if we decide to capture him we WILL NOT turn him into Thrune or his cronies. We will give him to our Hellknight allies or our new Chelaxian Navy-Captain ally. That way Thrune can't take direct credit and he's dealt with appropriately...and as legally as we can do it safely. I have no problem taking him out permanently my pretties, but we have to be smart. Vigilantism is useful now, but the city needs to see us as just AND show the incompetence of the Thrune-ites at the same time I think. What about you all? We can't let him get away either. No matter what. We need make sure he stops. Its the right thing to do, and if nothing else we also need to give our new Milanite allies a sense the Silver Ravens are worth their time."
"Too many folk know about us already. I think we should see if we can find out anything more about this clock-maker. The kids seem to know a lot, lets ask about. See if they can tell us anything."