Horillo stands back, letting the other introduce themselves and ask any questions, he stares and looks around the room, a sadness welling in his heart. Out of habit he picks up rubbish and stands chairs up, trying to bring back a little normality to the room. It is the small and little things that can bring comfort to the distressed. We will do what we can, but to promise it all is too much to bear, I cannot be so bold.
Saniel nods to the woman upon being introduced and decides that since Nils already has a developed relationship with the woman he should leave the talking to the tiefling. He instead joins Horillo in helping tidy the area up a bit, listening intently to the conversation between the woman and Nils in hopes that she can shed some light onto their investigation.
Zea takes a deep breath and dries her eyes after embracing Nils for a moment. She nods her head as Nils introduces everyone else. "I'm sorry. I... it has just been so much these last few days. Then these murders and finding the body myself. It was horrible." She stands up and looks to each of you, her eyes still moist "I can't say how much it means that you are willing to help us with this. Most of the... non-tieflings... could care less about what is going on down here."
Taking a moment to collect herself she continues "The murders started shortly after the night of ashes. The most recent was only a couple days ago and I found the body out in the streets. This will have been the third one since all this started."
Whispering to Saniel and Horillo and anyone else but Nils "I don't think I should talk to most people directly, but Nils should press her for details, like what did these three have in common, if anything? and specifically where were the bodies found and what was cause of death?"
Saniel is good at speaking, if Nils doesn't get this information, maybe Saniel will
"Zea who's been killed and where? Please take your time and tell us whatever you know. Start with the person you found."
Horillo puts his hand on Mawl's muscular shoulder and says quietly "I#m sure Nils will know what to ask, your questions are the right ones."
Looking to Horillo, "Yeah, you're right of course, I'm just antsy. I need to know where to plant my Bec. You understand don't you?"
Zea sighs and shakes her head "I don't know the first two personally. In fact, we didn't really start piecing together that they were linked until there was a third. I mean, you know the saying, 'three's a pattern'. The first two have already been cremated, we wanted to make sure they didn't come back as vengeful undead with how tragic their death was. The most recent one, I do know, not well, but she has helped around the Cloven Hoof every now and then in the past. Her name was Cirra. Hetamon was going to have a wake for her tonight and then we were going to cremate the body."
She thinks a moment, trying to see if there is anything important she may have not mentioned and shrugs "Sorry, I know it's not a lot, but that's all I can think of. I can take you to Hetamon and he might be able to give you more details." She looks up seeming to think of something "Of course, I can also take you to where I found Cirra too."
She looks directly into Nils eyes "I hope that helps." Tears start to well in her eyes once again "Our people are afraid to go out at night, and aside from Hetamon, no one has really been trying to help with this matter."
"It does help." he replies giving her a slight smile. "We came here by way of the Devil's Threads but it was closed. If you know where Hetamon is we would like to talk with him but let's go to whichever is closest and then we can seek out the other."
"Zea I know you only found Cirra but do you know where the other victims were found? Was there anything similar between the sites or the victims?"
"Is there a concern about necormancy? If so, we had better guard the body before cremation."
"Nils, do you know this Hetamon? It sounds like an ally to me, and we know we can use all the allies we can get"
"He owns The Devil's Threads and is very connected within the community. I've spoken with him a few times but can't claim to know him well."
"Yes, let’s get moving, either to where Cirra was found or to Hetamon; whichever's closer."
"We should examine the body before it deteriorates further, find out what killed the poor girl." Horillo says, hoping that Erastil will help and guide him. "If others want to go the scene first, then so be it."
Listening intently to the woman's tale, Saniel says quietly, "Perhaps you should show us where you found the body first, before any possible evidence is either removed or washed away by the passing of the masses. After that we could speak to this Hetamon.: He looks to the party for affirmation of the idea while silently wondering how he came to be in a position to be investigating the deaths of devil-men.
As the orator speaks, Mawl listens intently and nods knowingly in confirmation, thinking [i]yeah, what he said[i]
Zea shrugs to Nils inquiry "I know the general area where the other bodies were found. Past that, not much else. Would probably get more info from Hetamon. At Saniel's suggestion and the others seeming agreement Zae motions for you all to follow her. She takes you down a number of back allies leading you to where she found Cirra. Letting out a deep breath she points to a pile of old bloody straw, that appears to have been laid down in an attempt to cover or clean up blood in the road.
Being careful not to disturb the specific the pile of bloody straw, Mawl searches more of the area that doesn't appear to be important at first glance and remains alert to unexpected movement or company.
Horillo smiles weakly as they make their way towards the place where the body was found. The narrow streets, covered in the refuge thrown from nearby hovels, gives the aroma of poverty and worse. Puddles dark and viscous are skirted round, unable to reflect any brightness that can creep past the rooves overhead from the skies above. Olmer's apprentice, his clothes dirtied through working at the forge, steps carefully after the others. He passes by several locations from his past, where he looks to see if those inside are those he might have helped, hoping they have survived diseases and injuries prevalent to this part of town.
When after a while, Zea stops and offers a view of the bloodied straw, Horillo kneels on one knee, bowing his head and offering a silent prayer to Erastil. remove any evil taint left after the tragic and violent end to Cirra's life so that she may be judged fairly by Pharasma. Let justice be meted out to those responsible for the foul act of murder. retribution and comfort for her family in equal measure Then opening his eyes, he lets them study the ground, the open palm of his hand touches the earth, as though he would gain knowledge and insight.
Once the group arrives at the scene, Saniel notices the skill at which several members of the party begin to scour the area for any signs of evidence or clues that might help tell the story of what happened at the scene of the murder.
Taking a different approach, the man begins to filter through the citizens on the streets, asking the occasional question and listening to the gossip and commentary of the day. He inquires with the nearby residences and business as well, trying to put together a second hand accounting of the events of the night of the latest murder.
Sorix follows her new companions in polite silence, gently petting the little white bunny’s head sticking out of her robes, aware that some of the others are much more familiar with this part of Kintargo than she herself is. Upon reaching the blood-stained straw she says, ”I’m going to see if there’s any magic about,” and casts the now-familiar Detect Magic to see if there might be any lingering magical auras.
I don't see anything that will help us. I think this happened to long ago to give us any clues as to who did it, why and how. Unless Sorix found any lingering magical auras, I think we should just head to see Hetaman. Did anyone find anything helpful?
Shaking his head Saniel says, "Nothing substantial. Perhaps seeking out this Hetaman is our only course of action at this point. The trail seems cold."
”Nothing. If any magic was used, and I doubt there was, any trace of it is gone.”
Sorix nods at Saniel’s remark. ”Yes, let’s go find out what Hetaman knows.”
"Wait, what's this!" Horillo says with surprise, he gets up, bent over studying the ground his eyes focus on a small object near the closest wall to the blood. His hands moves down to remove a small ivory object, no .... "Very strange, a singular tooth! Is it Cirra's or could it be a clue to the murderer." He holds the tooth up for all to see.
As he moves his head from side to side looking at the tooth, he continues "'Least she wasn't killed by the dogs or some other animal beaten into servitude, it's a humaniod all right, but the size... if any of you can help, we could do with a further insight."
Nils keeps an eye on his fellows as they investigate the area but sticks close to Zea as they do so.
"Has there been any word of Strea?"
Nils shakes his head indicating he has no skills of use in providing more information about the tooth "We should seek out Hetamon. Once we do we can also see if Cirra's remains are missing a tooth or if it was her assailants." Looking to Sorix he says, "I've heard that there are magics that can track people through a lock of hair or something similar. Would this tooth serve if it is the murderers?"
Finding a random tooth and not many other answers the group decides to head on to Hetamon. Zea leads the way through several more back allies until you find yourself outside a wore down warehouse. Zea takes you inside to a backroom, the only room actually lit inside the place. At the opposite end of the room you see a male tiefling standing over the body of a female tiefling wrapped in cloth except for the head.
Zea clears her throat to announce your presence. As she does the tiefling turns around looking you over for a moment his eyes rest on Nils "Oh, so you've heard of our most recent troubles then?" He lets out a deep sigh and shakes his head "If things weren't bad enough, now..." he motions toward the corpse "whatever this is..."
"I'm only sorry I didn't hear sooner. Hetamon let me introduce my companions. I believe you know Horillo, he has been a friend of our community for some time. This is Saniel, Sorix and Mawl. They have all proven trustworthy and have offered to help in solving these crimes."
The introductions done Nils steps quietly to where Cirra's body lays. He stands by it, bowing his head for a moment before stepping back.
"Perhaps you could tell us what you know of these murders. We visited the place where Cirra was killed but time and traffic have taken their toll on any evidence to be found."
Mawl discretely mumbles his condolences, a little uncomfortable not knowing the right thing to say or customs involved.
Hetamon nods to each of the newcomers after Nils brief introductions "We truly appreciate the assistance!" To Nils question he continues "Well, there have been three murders so far. They started shortly after the night of ashes. We hadn't really linked them until this last one. It seems a new murder occurs every few days."
He shakes his head and lets out a frustrated sigh "Aside from them all occurring in this part of town, I'm not certain what links them together. The first was Zuhn, he was an honest guy. Had a job down in the docks. As far as we could piece together he was walking home from the Shia's tavern that night whenever he was attacked. There were no witnesses. Next was Kara, she was a lady of the night. She was found not too far from her latest clients home. Again no witnesses. Finally, we have Cirra." He motions to the tiefling on the table.
"As far as we could piece together, Cirra was on her way home from babysitting Jules and Aperna's kids. They both work into the night so Cirra helps watch the kids while they are at work. Again no witnesses." He shrugs then continues "No surprise though since now most everyone in the Nursery stays indoors at nights with what has been going on."
"Ah Hetamon, we found this tooth, close to where Cirra was found. Do you know what might have dropped this from it's mouth. Could it be Cirra's?" Horillo asks quickly, before moving over to Cirra's corpse and pulling out the tooth for Hetamon to see. "If you don't mind, may we examine the body? What have you found out already?"
He nods and motions to Saniel, "I'll help your examination Saniel, if you wouldn't mind leading." as he brushes his hair away from his face and rolls up the sleeves exposing his forearms.
Looking at Cirra's face Nils snarls as rage flashes over his countenance. The emotion and exposed pointed teeth give his face a bestial look.
Recovering somewhat he asks in a gruff tone "Have all of them been mutilated so?"
Listening intently to the descriptions of the three murders, Saniel struggles in vain to find anything obvious that would tie the three together, other than their obvious racial background. From the sounds of each of the victims, they led very different lives and it would be unlikely in a normal situation that they all be targeted for any reason other than the infernal blood coursing through their veins.
Snapping from his thoughts by Horillo's request, Sanial is glad to have something distract him from his fruitless musings on the possible circumstances linking the victims to each other. He moves to Horillo's side and pulls the cloth cover away from the body carefully, eyeing the corpse with a practiced gaze before lifting one arm, then the next, examining them from all angles. With the cleric's assistance he gently rolls the body to one side, examining the back and front of the victim's torso. He chants quietly to himself for a moment, calling upon a minor blessing to clear his mind and help him sort the details of his examination.
”Hetamon, hi. Sorry we had to meet under such tragic circumstances. Please allow me to quickly check to see if there might be any magical auras lingering on Cirra.”
Hetamon steps aside to let you look things over while he nods to Nils "Yes, I mean all of them have had their faces mutilated." As Saniel and Horillo move to examine the body Hetamon adds "Yes please, take a look. Other than the directly apparent, we hadn't really done a full examination. That is a little outside my area of expertise."
Sorix takes some time checking for any magical auras but does not detect any.
”You guys, we’re dealing with more fey. A creature known as a tooth fairy did this, I’m certain. They’re dangerous, and besides pulling out teeth,” Sorix gestures at the unfortunate Cirra, ”their bite can paralyze. And they don’t typically act alone. Why are more nefarious fey becoming active in Kintargo as of late? Could it tie to the recent political upheaval? Or is it just a coincidence?”
Sorix stares into space, lost in thought over those questions.
"Fey? Could we have disturbed them at the Livery?"
"Sorix do you know anything of their habits or preferred roosts? Perhaps what draws them out?"
A tear appears in Horillo's eye and slowly drops down his cheek, leaving a line of pink flesh parting the grimy dirt on his face. "To remove all her teeth mutilate her face, such cruelty and malice. Why?!" he speaks in a soft but shaken voice. He clenches his hands together, in silent prayer before returning the sheet to cover the mutilated corpse.
He turns back to Nils and the others, "Why this, she deserves more respect in her death. What purpose does it serve?" his voice almost a plea to his companions.
"I can't speak to the cause but the fey are not common in the city. I could understand the gremlins we found living in the livery as it long had a reputation for being haunted but for these creatures to be killing people in the streets...there is something more to this."
Nils places a comforting hand on Horillo's shoulder. "Such cruelty and disregard for life is sadly not uncommon in Cheliax. Kintago has always been special in that it has avoided the worst of it but now the devil has come to roost. As to the purpose...if there is purpose to it beyond blind malice then I would guess fear. Fear to keep the Nursery huddled at home, fear to keep our brothers and sisters from coming together and fear to cause us to beg our new Lord-Mayor for aid at the cost of our souls." His eyes narrow as he continues, looking about to take in all present, "But we won't let that happen. We will take care of this threat and show those who would try and assault our community that the Nursery won't cower like whipped dogs but instead stand against our oppressors."
"Tooth Fairies are created when a particularly, uh, headstrong child's tooth is buried somewhere connected to the First World. The realm of the Fey. Is there anywhere in the city that’s known to have a connection like that?”
Nodding at Nils, Saniel adds "I think you speak the truth. This rings of something more sinister than random fey attacking citizens. The fey have long lives, and if these creatures were operating here prior to these...troubles, people would know about it." He pauses for a moment considering the words of the wizard, trying his best to add everything together. "My gold would be on someone who wants to stir up trouble for the people of the Nursery. Keep them reeling from within so they cannot stand up to the other threats from without."
Moving away from the mutilated body he adds, "It sounds like these attacks are happening every few nights. It could be worth patrolling these streets to serve as a bait for these creatures. Maybe we can draw them into the open and deal with them ourselves." Looking to Nils he then finishes with, "But that will only work if we can keep the innocents off of the streets and make ourselves the only presentable targets."
Hetamon looks at you all with surprise "You all seem to work very well together. You seem to have figured out more about these murders in the short time you've been here than we have since this started." He smiles and looks to Zea "It seems Zea found the right people to help us with this!."
At Saniel's suggestion of keeping people off the streets Hetamon nods "That shouldn't be too difficult, most people are already too scared as it is but I can make sure we get the word out. Of course, that won't guarantee there won't be anyone else on the streets, but it should help to significantly decrease the chance."
"I agree Saniel. Based on where the attacks have occurred so far I have a rough guess as to where these creatures hunting grounds are. I would suggest we setup an ambush there this evening. I'm willing to play the bait to see this done unless we have a way of finding their nest."
He goes on to describe the rough area in question.
During the discussion Nils takes the opportunity to ask quietly, "Hetamon have you heard any news of Strea?"
Mawlseems to hear the conversation moving back into his comfort zone."Hey that sounds like a great idea! Nothing personal Nils but you would probably be the best bait, being um...Tiefling and all, plus I think I might be a little large to look tempting on a hook."
Turning back to Nils, Horillo nods silently. "We mustn't let these fey continue their assault, and we must not let their puppeteers continue to manipulate them. Cirra deserves that, though we seem to have precious little to go on. How do you want to approach this Nils, these are your people and I will follow your guidance. Saniel's suggestion may be the best we have, but we can't all be together, they appear to only attack single travellers, an easy kill." The cleric sits down, head in hands, shaking his head, "Nils, is there some magic that can alarm the rest of us, if the bait is taken, so we can get to them quickly? I know no prayers that can aid us." He continues his head bowed in thought.
"We need a vantage point, where we can hide, where I can get a clear shot and the others can move in quickly, is there such a place?"
He waits, "Or some other way, some other connection. Hetamon, was there anything that connected the victims, where they worked?, where the started their journeys, anything?"
As Nils asks about Strea his look becomes solemn. "There has been no news. I suppose that could be good, maybe she is still alive somewhere. If so though, I don't know where."
As the others discuss their plans Hetamon listens intently "Well, that does sound like a good plan. If you can bait these creatures out, maybe you would be able to get the upper hand and deal with them." When Horillo asks about a connection Hetamon nods "Well now that you mention it..." He pulls out a small map of the Nursery and marks where each of the murders occurred "If we plot out the sites of the attacks and link them together." He points to the map "This looks like the area that these fey are operating in. Like Nils mentioned, that will probably be the best place to try and bait them out."
Horillo looks to Nils, "Well, is it possible, this area." he points to the map laid on the table by Hetamon. "You know the area better than anyone here, can we lay a trap here? And can we capture one or more of these fey, we might get to any shadowy figure behind it." the cleric rubs his chin, one eye closes before he continues, "Perhaps a sticky bag would help, Hetamon you don't know of anyone here that would have one of those those sticky bags, or could even make one? It would be much easier to get one from the traders here, they would understand the need for such equipment."
After some debate he offer up, "I would gladly be the bait, but I'm not the greatest at close quarter fighting. I can best use my bow to fight and tend to the injured."