Horatio grimaces at Sheriff Hemlock's description of the victims, trying to remember if the removal of tongues and jaws is of particular symbolic significance.
Coming up with nothing, he drums his fingers against his other elbow before looking up sharply. "Wait. A seven-pointed star?" he asks with a note of urgency in his voice. "Are you certain?" After a pause, he holds up a hand. "Sorry. Not meaning to cast aspersions, Sheriff. It's just that that particular symbol has been a bit pervasive lately." Looking back at the others, he adds, "The catacombs? The statues and doors? The necklace Nualia was wearing?"
Pavanna’s own blurted “A seven-pointed star? The Sihedron emblem?” overlaps with Horatio’s, and she shoots a startled/alarmed glance at Saroune. Do you still have Nualia’s amulet?
(Although sorely tempted to take that medallion to Magnimar with her, for the Chaplain and experts at her disposal to examine, Pavanna had all but pushed the thing onto Saroune before she left for her novitiate. ‘In the end, it’s an artifact from Varisia’s history; if any hands deserve to hold it, those of a Varisian wizard are the most worthy,’ she’d said.)
Horatio’s comment about the emblem’s role in recent events makes her wince. “Indeed. At this point, I want to hope that this is just the doing of one of Tobyn’s flunkies that we missed somehow,” she says, a touch bleakly. “But I’m not going to bet on it; even for one of her minions, such horrors would be... gratuitous.”
"So I'm guessing this She-drone thing looked like this," the sheriff says as he pulls out piece of parchment with a quickly sketched, but unmistakable Sihedron on it. "If it is one of Nualia's flunkies, then I think you might want to keep a close eye on each other, these were found at the scenes. One note at each one."
He pulls out a stack of messily written and bloodstained notes. Each is addressed to a different one of the Heroes and each is in a different hand.
The finest jewel in Sandpoint. I must have you. Join my horde and it will end.
-The Lord
I have seen it from afar, the guarded self you keep so jealously. This is but the first of my gifts to you.
-The Watcher
My desire rises with each passing day. My heart cannot contain it. Give yourself to me, and I shall be satisfied.
-The Knight
It is fate! Destiny draws us ever closer, like two lovers under the moon.
-The Dancer
"So far, only you, I, and a few of my most trusted men know of those notes," Belor says as the Heroes of Sandpoint read them.
Asuriel looks unnerved at the mention of the star. "B-but we took care of this business already? Surely there is a mistake, this is some old iteration of the star perhaps? From, before?"
When she hesitantly reads the note she shrieks and drops it to the floor. Completely unwarranted, she stomps on it a few times as if it were alive. She brushes her hands on her pants and looks around, fear evident in her expression.
Noro looks at her note, then at the others. the look on her face is one of trying to piece this all together.
the notes are only to the women... her comment trails off as though she is coming to some realization.
it can't be....I am sure he's gone, must be someone else. she mutters. almost afraid to say any more.
Noro... If you know anything I'd appreciate it if you would tell us. Anything would be more than we have right now.
Noro looks to Olives, what if, I mean I know its crazy, but is there a chance Tsuto has somehow returned from the grave? Noro definately is not to fond of such an idea. and there is actually a hint of fear in her eyes at such a thought.
Olivius would have laughed six months ago at such an idea. He would have brushed it off as nonsense. He would also have brushed of a goblin attack on Sandpoint. Unfortunately experience leads him to take her seriously. We've seen stranger. Does anyone know the chances of that happening?
"Given that both his remains and Thistletop have been consecrated, there shouldn't be one," Sheriff Hemlock answers, "besides, he was pretty well, um, there's not a lot of him left to come back."
Saroune catches Pavanna's look and pulls the Sihedron amulet from beneath her shirt. It was warm to the touch and she realized she had barely noticed it since donning it after the fight with Nualia and her monster. She shows it to her friends and the Sheriff.
"This is the mark that was left behind, I assume. It seems to be a symbol of no small power from ancient Thassilon. If it's at the murder scene, I would like to see it. I hesitate to craft a theory on hearsay."
She reads the note and tries to suppress the chill running down her spine. "Do these notes seem to match anything about the crime scenes?"
Horatio glances at the notes, brow creasing as he shuffles through them, looking for any similarities between the handwriting. "If it was just the Sczarni victims, I'd guess this was the work of a disgruntled rival or victim. How does Harker fit in?" He shakes his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose with the back of one hand. "Do you know anyone who he may have had a problem, or run into trouble with? And which note was found at which scene?" He looks across at Saroune, adding, "We may have to see them," in agreement.
“‘Give yourself to me, and I will be satisfied’? How charming. If this is ‘The Knight’s’ idea of courtly love, he’s been reading all the wrong kind of tales,” Pavanna murmurs sourly.
She’s so lost in thought that Asuriel’s scream makes her jump a little, and she needs a moment to gather herself before she turns to the aasimar. She rests a hand on Asuriel’s arm for a few breaths, trying to reassure and steady her (and herself), before stooping to retrieve the crumpled note and read it as well.
“Well, if he has, I’ll gladly hold your cloak while you kill him again, Noro,” Pavanna offers, in all sincerity. “If it still doesn’t keep him down, we can all take it in turns from there until we find something that actually sticks.”
“I don’t know,” Pavanna murmurs thoughtfully, nibbling her upper lip as she peers at the four letters over Horatio’s arm. “Four different handwriting styles would suggest four different killers; with the same rituals being used in and around all the deaths, that might lead us to the idea of a cult of some sort. But the, uh, similarity in the sentiments of all four letters, and the intended recipients all being women - much less the women from this particular band?”
After a moment, she shrugs away the idea, absently trying to rub warmth into forearms that suddenly feel a little chilly. “Single killer or band, sad to say that tearing away the jaw and tongue like that marks them as ‘crazy, but not actively stupid’. They realised that a cleric or priest of sufficient standing might have been able to put questions to the victims’ spirits about how they died and at whose hand - but without the means to speak, dead men can tell no tales....”
"That's the symbol that was carved on the carved on the victims," Belor says when he sees the Sihedron Medallion that Saroune wears. "The notes were pinned to the victims. Pavanna's was at the sawmill, but the others were on the Sczarni thugs. We've already scoured the scenes but you're welcome to take another look. AS far as I can tell, they were just there to be found. I can tell you where we found what, but Banny's murder was at the sawmill last night. We still have the place guarded, so that would probably be your best bet. If you can figure out how this fits together, let me know. I don't have enough pieces yet to even know what I'm looking at here."
The Sihedron was the symbol of Thassilon's power. Each point represented one of the virtues of rule, or alternatively, one of the mortal sins. It was also supposed to represent the seven schools of Thassilonian magic There are also some texts that hint at it also representing a powerful artifact, but most scholars are quick to call such claims bunk or worse.
The relationship between the virtues, sins, and schools are as follows:
1. Wealth, Greed, Transmutation
2. Fertility, Lust, Enchantment
3. Honest Pride, Vainglorious Pride, Illusion
4. Abundance, Gluttony, Necromancy
5. Eager Striving, Envy, Abjuration
6. Righteous Anger, Wrath, Evocation
7. Rest, Sloth, Conjuration
On both of those rolls, the answer is...
Nope.
"The sawmill is the closest, right?" Saroune asks. "We should look there first."
"Agreed," Horatio nods, shouldering his pack and wishing he'd had a good night's sleep.
Olivius looks around for signs of dissent and, assuming he finds none, nods to the sheriff. We'll be in touch. He says before heading out.
The Heroes of Sandpoint are able to enter the Sawmill without any issues from the guards. Riska, Viska's twin sister, leads them to the crime scene up on the upper floor. The normally loud machinery is silent and still. In the distance, there is the rumble of thunder as a storm approaches, but it is still a long way off.
The scene that greets the heroes is a gruesome one indeed. Banny's corpse is hung from some of the hooks used to move the logs. HIs face is almost unrecognizable, his lower jaw and tongue having been ripped away. On his chest, unmistakeable to the Heroes who'd seen this symbol several times before, is the sihedron carved into his flesh.
Near to the door they walked through is another bloody, if not as gruesome as the sight of Banny Harker. Sawdust is mounded up and brushed away from the floor as if someone was scuffling their feet through it. There is a an arc of splattered blood on the floor nears the wall, and another, smaller bloodstain on a crate next to it.
"That's where we found Natalie," Riska tells the group. "She's at the Cathedral now if you want to see her."
Olivius carefully looks over the scene to see if he can figure out for himself exactly what happened.
Not for the first time, Olivius really wishes Thirzin was still with them.
Unfortunately, about the best you can tell is that someone disturbed the sawdust on the ground before bleeding a bit.
Saroune suppresses the urge to retch. It wouldn't do for a hero to vomit over a crime scene. "Why did you move Natalie's body?" she asks.
Noro goes over to look at what Olives is looking at. you find anything?
Olivius sighs and runs his hand through his hair. No, nothing beyond what's painfully obvious. I'm not particularly good at this, honestly. Cloaks and daggers were discouraged in my training.
"Because she wasn't dead," Riska says slowly, not quite believing that Belor left that detail out. "Katrine is still alive. She was hurt and unconscious, but still breathing when we found her."
You have a bit more luck than Olives. It appears that there was a struggle, and Katrine's assailant managed to wound badly enough or hit her hard enough to send her spinning into the crate and then to the ground. By the looks of it, she hit her head on the crate, if you're looking at the impressions in the dust right.
Horatio's normally pale face blanches further at the sight of the murder scene. His right hand, dropped to the hilt of his rapier, shakes slightly as he forces himself to take it all in. After several deep breaths, he looks over Banny's corpse, trying to determine the cause of death and source of the carving.
"There's a witness?" Saroune asks, shocked. "We'll need to talk to her."
"Why would whatever did this," she gestures to Banny's body, "Leave somebody else alive?"
The stab wound in the chest is a pretty good clue as to what killed him. From the wounds where the hooks are, it looks like he might have been alive when he was hung from them, and possibly while the symbol was carved into his flesh with a knife.
"I dunno, but whatever they did to her put her out of it," Riska says, "She hasn't been lucid since she was found."
Saroune nods. "We'll see what we can get out of her after we leave."
She turns to her more perceptive companions. "Did you find anything?"
Pavanna swallows hard to keep her gorge down as she looks over what used to be Banny Harker. She’s seen carnage almost as grisly, and done some of it herself not so long ago, but the deeds of the heat of battle are markedly different from this kind of... calculated cruelty. And every time she tries to look at the walls and the floor, to read them for a sense of how this scene unfolded, she finds her eyes confused by images of the young man’s last moments, the terror and agony he endured.
“I-I think I’ve lost the forest amongst all these trees, Saroune,” she manages eventually, her voice rather unsteady. “I, uh, I’ve met Katrine, if only briefly. That recognition may help, when the time comes.”
Noro shares what little she could piece together. despite the gruesomeness of the scene, Noro seems pretty much unfazed, like it is something she sees on a frequent basis.
or at least she hides it pretty well.
After the short talk as to what she found, Noro steps outside need some fresh air, if you will excuse me.
Noro looks for someplace private, or as private as she can. her hands starting to shake as she walks.
eventually she drops to the ground on her knees. she begins muttering something in Tien
the tone of her voice indicates that she is actually afraid of who this murderer is
whoever you are, you have my attention. What do you want.
Like you can even hear me.
"I guess it can't hurt. I need to fetch some people from the cathedral so we can get ready to put Banny to rest," Riska says after it's made known that the others want to see Katrine Vinder.
Asuriel is sick to her stomach from all of this terrible ... what?. She squeezes her eyes shut and reached out to put her hand on the closest companion, steadying herself. When Noro walks out for fresh air, the oracle considers doing the same. After several deep breaths she opens her eyes and says, "I agree. We should go talk with her. Let us leave this place."
Asuriel walks out, forgetting about Noro and makes her way to the cathedral.
1 - Pavanna
2 - Saroune
3 - Olivius
4 - Horatio
Asuriel leans on Horatio for support as she tries not to let the scene get to her.
"Right," Horatio murmurs, barely registering Asuriel's hand clutching his shoulder for support. "Maybe we'll get some answers there."
Shortly after Noro begins to break down, she hears a familiar voice speaking softly behind her.
"Noro, are hyu alright?"
Sitting on his heels beside her is Gkirkhan, a worried look on his face.
Ten minutes later, the Heroes of Sandpoint, short a member for the moment, are lead into one of the rooms of the Cathedral used to care for the infirm. There's only one occupant in this room, a pale, shivering Katrine Vinder.
Olivius takes up a silent watch at the door and lets the more socially skilled members of the band do the talking.
Noro looks up and suddenly realizes who is there. she quickly stands up. everything great, well, sort of great...ok not really great. What are you doing here?
she tries to change the subject and trying to act like everything is fine.
[spoiler=Noro]
"Hy vas comink to see if hyu needed help vhen Hy saw hyu over here," Gkirkhan says as he stands. "Hyu sounded scared. Are hyu really okay und not rhino-hidink et?"
His gold eyes are worried as he looks at her.
[spoiler]
"Katrine?" Horatio asks softly, stepping into the room and spreading his empty hands before him. "We've come to talk. I know you may not want to relive it, but we're trying to find out just what happened at the sawmill." Turning back to Pavanna, he murmurs, "You said you've met her before. Perhaps you should lead this one?"
There's no response. Katrine is still out cold.
I'll be alright. I am kind of used to being alone with these sorts of things.
she pauses a moment, then grabs his arm, But the company is nice too. I guess there are some things in my past that I am having a hard time letting go of. and see the mess that was in there, it reminded me of something I wanted to forget.
Noro moves a little closer, looking for comfort from him. the comfort she wanted from someone else that would never give to her.
Gkirkhan pulls his arm free, not to get away, but to wrap the young woman in a hug.
"Hyu know," he says, his deep voice rumbling in his chest as he holds her head to it, "Hyu don't haff to face dose demons alone. Ve all haz dem, bot dey iz not so toff vhen hyu haz a friend to face dem vit hyu."
"Ve can stays here, or ve can goes somvhere hyu ken be comfortable vit," he says, waiting on Noro to decide.
I'll be right back. Olivius says v he goes into town and buys done smelling salts. If that doesn't wake her nothing will.
“It was a short conversation, but I can try,” Pavanna nods to Horatio. As Olivius leaves, she crosses the room to take a seat by Katrine’s bedside, gently inspecting the bloody bandage on the young woman’s head before checking her temperature and pulse. Neither is normal, but the tiefling finds no cause for serious immediate alarm.
She rests a hand on Katrine’s shoulder and shakes her gently, trying to wake her without aggravating her wounds or startling her too badly. “Katrine, can you hear me? It’s Pavanna Alazario — we met a few weeks ago. I’m sorry, but we need to ask you about what happened.”
Noro simply stands up (after the short embrace.) she blushes a bit at the suggestion, but soon shakes it off, I need to get to the others. I thinks its time to face my demons, or at least one of them.
she gets ready to head off, Meet me at the Dragon later, ok?