After being ushered out into the night, you hail a carriage and take it to the North Shore hotel called the Silver Swan which takes you slightly less than an hour. You arrive at around 11pm. The place seems normal for an Autumn evening in the North Shore district. Johnathan and Angus cast the Detect Planar Energy spell.
John + Angus
Johnathan stares at the building for awhile, then looks to Asher, speaking directly to him. "We have to go to Caius' suite."
I concure, i get some vibe coming from that place also. Be careful.
Johnathan walks towards the building, heading to Caius' suite.
You follow Johnathan into the Silver Swan to pay a visit to Caius Bergeron. No-one answers the door to his suite, which is locked. You check with the innkeeper: 'I haven't seen him for a few days actually. ' He checks his books. 'Nope, nothing at all.' You tell him it is a bit odd and he agrees it would be a good idea to check on him, and gets the spare key from behind the desk.
Caius Bergeron's room is in startlingly good condition for the scene of a grisly murder. The dead tiefling lies on the bed, blood trailing from his mouth onto the sheets beneath him. His desk is covered with ledgers and loose papers. A large bureau stands in the corner, and a traveling trunk sits next to it.
The only openings other than the door are two glass-paned windows on the wall. They must be very tightly insulated, because the stench of the dead body didn’t seep out.
Falko tries as hard as he can to get in contact with the soul but it seems that Bergeron must have been murdered more than one day ago.
Johnathan casts Detect Magic while he investigates.
"We're close, but late."
Johnathan
Falko
Looking through Bergeron’s possession locates several interesting items. A map of the continent of Lanjyr is unrolled on his desk. Somebody has drawn two stars within circles on the map. You recognise the location of one star as the ziggurat in the swamp you already visited. The other is in the water off the coast of Ber. Precise coordinates are written onto the map.
Beside the map sits a book containing notes on the Ancients, but nothing you don’t already know. The drawers contain all the journals of Xambria’s dig crew. Xambria’s own journal is not present.
The wardrobe is unlocked and contains fine cloths, but little of interest. The trunk is locked.
Bergeron’s lower jaw has been unhinged. A closer look finds a gaping hole torn through the soft palate, and that his brain has been completely removed. The body exhibits no other signs of injury. Among his clothes, he wears a gold ring on his right pinky. A shallow inscription on the interior can just be made out; it reads, 'Old Bergeron Gold.'
"Maybe you should let me take a whack at it?" Cretien says, pulling out a small contraption from his pocket and urging it forward.
Chretien's contraption opens the trunk in it he finds a variety
of coin, gems, and jewelry, plus ten scrolls.
"Looks like some scrolls in there, someone ought to take a look. The rest is of obvious value, probably more if you let me take it to the Dream Merchant compound."
Johnathan hovers over the machine as it works on the lock, despite anyone telling him to keep back. "Fascinating..."
As soon as the chest opens he digs in, tossing things aside as if searching for something specific.
Asher originally dismissed the idea of checking things out, but having other crew members so ready to investigate, he sighs and follows.
"Well shit." he spits, looking down at Bergeron's corpse. "I was hoping he'd be needing an RHC bullet."
Upon Falko's new information: "He had all but Xambria's notes?! Interestesting! That means his people are probably the ones who tossed the camp. Xambria clearly still has her notes... Is there anything in the trunk that seems like it was looted from the deceased at the ziggurat?"
He shares anything he knows about that place.
"I'll go question the concierge then. Check to see who came to visit our poor dead Tiefling here or if anyone had reported hearing anything."
Asher goes to look for anyone who works here to bother, heading toward the front desk.
Lemond
Johnathan flips through the scrolls, trying to learn what they do.
Going to Ber will be complicated, but can be full of surprises. he ponders for a bit
Could the brain of the departed be used in some experiment, i mean we have been facing some freaky stuff latly. I really wounder if there is any second meaning to the Ring. Maybe we should take it with us in case is "unlocks" something or an acess to certain individuals
Falko
Johnathan
Asher
"Scrolls of sending...for brief little exchanges of information."
Asher quietly explains the situation to the concierge, and (in case they didn't when they came inside) shows him his RHC credentials. He'll leave out the mysterious nature of his death, and just vaguely treat it like any other potential murder scene.
"We need to know everyone who Mr. Bergeron has met with recently, even if it is just a description, as well as if there have been any reports from adjacent rooms about strange noises or other such occurrences from his quarters."
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"A steady diet of small doses of witch oil can render the brain and other internals unpalatable."
Johnathan nods sagely in agreement.
Asher
Johnathan chides Falko, "Hush, Cretien isn't here. We have to work with Sarya until he gets back."
Asher
regulars of the Silver Swan who remember that the two nights previous, Caius had an animated discussion with a woman who matches
Xambria’s description. They remember her raising her voice to say something
about a “star map,” and he hushed her, then had his bodyguards
escort her out forcibly.
"Yes, I am sure some illusion was cast on me, and I am seeing the good Professor's hands instead of my own and weapons similar to his, but your assertions are somewhat foolish. I cannot BE the Professor, though I do wonder where he is. And none of you know?"
"Unfortunately no. We lost him in the ziggurat, but I suspect he'll find his way back here in time, he's very resourceful," Johnathan says idly as he looks at the scrolls. "Who might he have been reporting to..."
"Ah, yes, always with his contraptions. I Hope he can make due without the ones he left behind, at least until he gets back and I can give them back."
So we do have his methode of communication with the rest of the group we are looking for. But currently not much else to go by. He probably opened his door to the tieflin woman we are after and then most liekly killed him. We have a map with what is probably an other dig site. Am i missing something ? he ask
Johnathan eventually sighs, "I still don't understand the Apet energy right up the side of the building. He's been dead for awhile and that Apet energy was recent..."
Probably the late night killer ?
While Asher speaks to the people in the dining area, the hotel manage gets the regular police to call the coroner.
After around twenty minutes the coroner makes his way to the room and says, "Constables" Johnathan, Angus and Chretien would recognize him from Nilesa's crime scene.
He says, "Hmm, a Danoran and a wealthy one to boot. Do you have all of the clues?"