Garavel tells the party that the destroyed wagon belonged to Almah’s personal fortuneteller Eloais, a handsome man from Almah’s distant homeland of Varisia. Eloais’s specialty was a divinatory deck of cards known as Harrow, a few cards of which litter the ground.
Immediate crisis aside, Almah shows remarkably little concern over the fate of her astrologer, treating it more as a loss of resources than a personal tragedy. "Garavel! Lead an investigation into whether or not the fire might have been set by someone in the camp. Since the seven you have brought to me also were not around when the fire broke out you may use them to help determine if there is a mystery afoot, and if so, solve it!" Almah looks over the seven of you briskly and says "Thank you all for your help. We will do introductions later. Right now I must ask you to discover how this fire started! With my astrologer dead we will be lacking valuable information we could have used. Please get started right away" With that she moves on to give orders to her personal guard.
During the fire, Al-Akim, rounded the outskirts of the blaze trying to corral the panicked and fleeing animals.
Hajar is elated that the fire was put out with only the one casualty.
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While the brief meeting commenced, Raj had ordered Nemaides to begin gathering up the scattered harrow cards, whether they were intact or not. He was grateful that the fire seemed to be a sabotage and not an assault, and laughed at himself a little for being so paranoid.
Now, with the meeting over, the work of discovering the pyro could commence. Of course, he reminded himself, the fortune teller could have very easily caused the himself by mistake; perhaps a divination got out of control? He had been drilled repeatedly at the College when being taught the mechanics of divination to never attempt a divination with a being he was not certain he could keep out of his own mind, as the results could be quite disastrous otherwise.
So, first things first. We need a way to get the arsonist to reveal themselves. I have an idea to get us started, but we should make sure no one else can hear us when I tell it. He grins as Nemaides drops a stack of harrow cards in varying states of intactness in his hand, the top one depicting a roiling tornado.
Garavel: "I am intrested to hear your idea Raj. I would also suggest all of you look through the remains of the wagon and interview the members of the camp. I will introduce all of you, but i will not participate. I think I allready know how the fire was started...it would not be wise for me to state my opinion just yet. You seven tell me what you think the cause was.
Hamzah says, "We will do as you ask. It is not wise to allow a serpent where you sleep."
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Once they are out of earshot, Raj lays out his plan:
This plan plays on the fact that the perpetrator will do everything in his power to not get caught. I, or someone better at acting, will put on a little charade. We will inform the members of camp that I have enchanted one of the cards from the late fortune teller's deck. The card will be covered in ashes from the burnt down wagon, and we will tell them that the card is enchanted such that when the guilty party touches the ash covered card, it will burst into the flames that consumed the fortune teller.
Fun idea for a lie detector, but that's not the genius of it. See, the card won't actually be enchanted beyond a prestidigitation spell for show and to keep a good layer of soot on the card, but the arsonist won't know that. Even if he suspects its a fake, he will be unwilling to take the risk of touching the card, and therefore will not get any of the soot on his hand. His own efforts to not get caught will be his undoing! Whoever has the clean hands is the one with blood on them!
"Agreed Garavel. I will inspect the wagon and see what I find"
Al-Akim will move to the wagon and search around, looking studiously for any clues on the fire.
"That is an excellent plan, Raj. A very excellent plan. Let us carry it out."
Al:
Physical examination of the ruined wagon reveals
sooty ashes, a few broken bottles or potion vials, a cracked nonmagical crystal ball, and several pools of melted wax where candles must once have stood. Eloais’s charred skeletal form remains near the center of the wagon. You find no signs of struggle or violence, suggesting that the fortune-teller was killed by the fire itself or from inhaling the smoke the fire caused. You salvage 55 gp in assorted blackened coins.
During the search you notice a dirty looking man with long greasy black hair a short distance away, watching you from behind the corner of a nearby wagon.
Here a list of people in the camp you do not know yet but can visually pick out to interview.
The dirty man Al saw
The Caravan guards
An old human man that has the markings of a cleric of Nethys
The camel drivers
Personal guards of Almah
The halfling cleric
The man that Hamzah healed
The woman that Hamzah healed
grim will also look for a point of origin to the fire an clues to any accelerant that was used.
Candles are the only thing that stands out.
"Raj, I suggest we interview them all, then carry out the plan. They may have already made a very good lie to deceive us, but if we all of a sudden surprise them with your plan. They may show some nervousness for they are not expecting this plan of yours."
During the fire, Gunk sets about using his handle animal skill to calm the horses and other livestock.
That is an excellent plan Raj. I like your thinking.
(Everyone gain 200 XP for dealing with the fire and role playing.)
Raj, although your method seems strange to me, I bow before your wisdom. The light of the Dawnflower will illuminate our path, Yes.
Sounds good. Who is the group going to talk to first?
I propose that Leyli, Naziri, Grim and Gunk scour the camp for physical clues while myself, Hamzah and Raj conduct interviews
The interviews should go like this
1) Hamzah and Hajar go get the interviewee
2) They pray over the interviewee extolling Sarenrae to bless their minds and hearts with truth.
3) They escort the interviewee to Raj who does his mystical stuff.
4) Questions happen
If anyone has other suggestions feel free to interject ic or ooc
"A day of conversation shall reveal the truth. Let us begin." Hamzah will go with Jafar to acquire the interviewees.
The dirty man Al saw
The Caravan guards
An old human man that has the markings of a cleric of Nethys
The camel drivers
Personal guards of Almah
The halfling cleric
The man that Hamzah healed
The woman that Hamzah healed
works for me Hajar
Gunk, a bit overwhelmed by the thought of a saboteur, begins to scour the camp for signs of arson.
I can do this! he says aloud to no one in particular. Starting fires is one of my specialties.
Perception to find mundane firestarting clues:
Spellcraft to look for more magical causes:
Craft Alchemy to look for chemical causes:
"I'll go help Gunk in double checking their wagons for evidence."
to check for natural hazards, that they could have used and placed inside the wagon of the fortuneteller to make it look like a natural cause.
Leyli, Gunk, Al, and Grim use there combined talents of survival skills, traps, and fires and...do not find much.
"I'll go help Gunk in double checking their wagons for evidence."
[dice=Perception]1d20+6
[dice=Knowledge Nature]1d20+5 to check for natural hazards, that they could have used and placed inside the wagon of the fortuneteller to make it look like a natural cause.
Everyone is working here and their to help clean up.
Daskhi (the dirty man) is spoken to first.
He is an expert on Gnolls and smells like one too. He insists that the fire was set by a creature called Pugwampi.
All attempts to sense if he is lying indicate he is telling the truth. He grasps Raj's card eager to prove his Innocence.
This creature the Pugwampi, have you seen it about? Why would it set fire to the wagon of a learned man?
"Well if everybody is cleaning up, then it's going to be hard to look for clues, can we ask Garavel if they can assemble in the fireplace and let us look first?" complains Leyli but after finding a set of tiny tracks, "Wait, you guys go ahead. I want to check where this is going."
to follow the tiny tracks
Hamzah searches his mind for information on the Pugwampi.
This creature the Pugwampi, have you seen it about? Why would it set fire to the wagon of a learned man?
"The pugwampis are terrbile critters what crawled up from the Darklands below the earth. ‘Jackal rats,’ some folks call ’em, on account of their pointed little heads. They worship gnolls as gods and infest their communities like rats. Wherever pugwampis go, bad luck is sure to follow. The gnolls hate pugwampis because of it, and try to kill them all the time. But they always come back. It was their bad luck caused the fortune-man’s candles to start a fire! I am certain it was"
Hamzah searches his mind for information on the Pugwampi.
You have never heard of such a creature.
"Worship gnolls? That is very strange." Hamzah says a quiet prayer and senses magic on the man and area.
"Well if everybody is cleaning up, then it's going to be hard to look for clues, can we ask Garavel if they can assemble in the fireplace and let us look first?" complains Leyli but after finding a set of tiny tracks, "Wait, you guys go ahead. I want to check where this is going."
[dice=Survival]1d20+8 to follow the tiny tracks
Your search reveals dozens of small footprints leading to and from the camp at the Sultan’s Claw, finally retreating into the darkness of hill country. You also detect the hesitant tread of what appears to be a goat, that appears to have been pulled away against its will to the northwest.
Just as you are thinking goat tracks to yourself, you hear the camel drivers screaming and crying about their prize missing goat Rombard!
"Worship gnolls? That is very strange." Hamzah says a quiet prayer and senses magic on the man and area.
You detect no magic other then possible personal magical items.
My great friend Dashki, you accuse this terrible deed to the actions of a Gnoll worshiper? What would the signs be to know if these creatures have been lurking nearby?
You cannot use Diplomacy against a creature that does not understand you or has an Intelligence of 3 or less. Diplomacy is generally ineffective in combat and against creatures that intend to harm you or your allies in the immediate future. Any attitude shift caused through Diplomacy generally lasts for 1d4 hours but can last much longer or shorter depending upon the situation (GM discretion).
Starting Attitude Diplomacy DC
Hostile 25 + creature's Cha modifier
Unfriendly 20 + creature's Cha modifier
Indifferent 15 + creature's Cha modifier
Friendly 10 + creature's Cha modifier
Helpful 0 + creature's Cha modifier
If a creature's attitude toward you is at least indifferent, you can make requests of the creature. This is an additional Diplomacy check, using the creature's current attitude to determine the base DC, with one of the following modifiers. Once a creature's attitude has shifted to helpful, the creature gives in to most requests without a check, unless the request is against its nature or puts it in serious peril. Some requests automatically fail if the request goes against the creature's values or its nature, subject to GM discretion.
Hamzah touches Hajar with the shimmering radiance of Sarenrae's glory.
Garavel is not buying Daskhi's story it is well known that he was jealous of the closeness of Almah to her fortune teller. Daskhi set the fire out of jealousy!
Daskhi denies this almost too passionantly but he seems to be telling the truth.
"I heard you're missing your goat. I have seen tracks of a goat being pulled towards the northwest. Be careful though, along with the goat tracks are dozens of small tracks. Tracks of which I have no clue on whose is it."
"Let's go back, they might have figured out who lit the wagon on fire."
Dashki:
"I can tell you are a good man so I will tell you my story maybe then you will believe me,
Almah hired me about a month ago to tell her all about the gnolls living in these hills. Gnolls killed my mother and grandfather when I was a boy. They put fire to our village and slew hundreds. Somehow I escaped with my father to the town of Solku, not far from here. It was a long time ago, I’ve forgotten most of what I saw. Terrible things. But I find it’s the sounds that stay with me. The shrill howls and barks—hundreds of them at once—that sounded deliriously close to an audience. Laughing at us.
“Father raised me to know everything about the gnolls, their customs, their language. So as better to track them down and wipe them out. All of them. Together we scouted out their lairs, studied their tribes, listened to them speak until we could understand what they were saying. They’re not dumb animals, you know. Not like you might think. In some ways they’re even smarter than us. Dad didn’t survive our first raid on a gnoll camp of the Three Jaws tribe. I saw them fall on him like hyenas on an abandoned kill, slathering themselves in his blood and innards. I can still hear the tear of his scalp and the sound of his bones against frenzied teeth. Against this scene I was forgotten. Ignored.
I escaped, and I carry on the work of my father. That is how I know of these pugwampi"
"I heard you're missing your goat. I have seen tracks of a goat being pulled towards the northwest. Be careful though, along with the goat tracks are dozens of small tracks. Tracks of which I have no clue on whose is it."
"Let's go back, they might have figured out who lit the wagon on fire."
"My Goat?! You know where Rombard is? Please you must bring him back! He is like our child! The frantic man screames as his wife sobs.
"My friends, I fear your goat may be lost. But if it is within my abilities to do so I will bring the animal back to you." Naziri seems sincerely concerned for the couple.
Turning to Leyli,"Indeed Leyli, we should share what we have found with the others."
Your tale is most distressing friend.
To Hamzah and Raj Hajar says,
This is why it is imperative that we prevail over the forces of barbarism and savagery. Our lady blesses us with the means to help the unfortunate such as this one Dashki.
To Dashki Hajar adds,
What of this accusation about following the fortune teller and the lady Almah?
Raj keeps the card in a small swirling mass of ash, pulling it back when it's time for someone to prove their innocence in touching the card. Though he makes mental note of the apparent friction between Dashki and Garavel, he primarily focuses on maintaining his deception.
I dont think ravens can see in the dark but he did catch movement heading northwest into the hills.
I forgot to mention it is dark outside.
No one flinches from touching the card. Everyone seems to agree Dashki is the most likely suspect.
[dice=sense motive] 1d20+6
Your tale is most distressing friend.
To Hamzah and Raj Hajar says,
This is why it is imperative that we prevail over the forces of barbarism and savagery. Our lady blesses us with the means to help the unfortunate such as this one Dashki.To Dashki Hajar adds,
What of this accusation about following the fortune teller and the lady Almah?
[dice=sense motive 2] 1d20+6
Dashki seems sincere.
"I admit my love for the lady. But she sees me as a low servant that is all. Of course I was jealous of the fortune teller, but I did not kill the man!"
Again he seems to be telling the truth.
Hajar lays a hand on the man's arm. We believe you honored Dashki. Thank you for telling us the truth.
As Dashki walks away Hajar turns to his companions
Honored companions, what is your opinion of the man Dashki and his story?
I don't understand your question.