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Myrielle's face flashed at the unwelcome news: first with fear, then a brief flicker of despair and sadness. She was quick to compose herself, however, her eyes narrowing viciously.
She moved quickly along with the others, her usual complaints of having to travel through the unglamorous districts of the city temporarily stifled. "By the Empyreal Lords, when I get my hands on these cultists..."
The walk to the murder site is uncharacteristically quiet for this part of town - the hustle, bustle and noise of those getting ready for work is muted and while the streets are starting to fill, its not with the normal energetic throng but rather with a muttering and whispering mob.
The victim, a young woman, lies looking up at the muted light of the dawn under the bridge that spans this part of Magnimar, eyes wide open as if in shock. Her blood pooled around her is still wet, and bright in some places.
Members of the city watch stand around, looking for trouble but there isn't any to speak of - just a sullen and stunned acceptance of the residents.
The sergeant looks over the corpse for a minute then turns to you.
Well... what do you think?
Kasadei starts muttering about the need to track down the local Sarenites.
Valeros begins questioning people in the crowd. He focuses on anyone who might have been nearby, perhaps opening a shop or business when the attack happened.
Some impressive deductive observations made there.
There is bruising and scrapes on both her cheeks and the palms of her hands. You'd say that she hit the ground face first after a forceful attack from behind... as borne out also by the fact her neck is broken. Her open eyes and expression of surprise likely mean that death was close to instantaneous.
In fact you'd say that the attack came in from behind at around shoulder level and given that this degree of speed was not seen in the other attacks, nor is the cause of death consistent with the others, you feel something is changed here... An accident? Desperation? Emotional need or impulse? All possible.
Like the others, the victim has had their heart removed, the work done efficiently but with no finesse, the blows needed to sever the costal cartilage (thats the flexible stuff holding the rib cage together at the sternum) and break the ribs is considerable. A large knife maybe or a dagger was used.
"Are we sure this is even the same killer? It's a very different type of kill."
Garen has the same deductions except for one other piece. The blood trails from small and scattered droplets again about 2 feet from the body and then disappears.
Garen looking at the crime scene and then at the faint tracks finds a patch of road dust or dirt around where the attacker seemingly flies and finds what he thinks is the edge of a boot print - the toe and outer edge.
The boot is likely human sized but it would be a small human or one of slightly below average foot size.
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Garen after pondering the problem wonders aloud
"It seem to me that we're dealing with 2 possible killers of which one can fly and the other a spellcaster."
"The Priesthood must know something. Or the Killer must hate the order of Sarenrae.....wait that's it!!! Is there an old shrine or something in this city? Maybe an old shrine to Sarenrae."
A bit of investigation and asking around various watchmen yields news of some sort of old shrine. Its around... somewhere, but wherever 'there' escapes you. There are many old and forgotten buildings in this city.
You'll need some Sarenites, perhaps, to help you... its early still. You could get some rest in, and a round of investigation before you need to head back to the investigation site.
Thats the problem - they don't have a temple... not here at any rates, says one guard. And as a bunch they are a bit... well, funny, some of them are gnashing at the teeth "lets smite evil" types and others are all love and sunshine, says another. All agree that they sorta keeps to em'selves 'cepting they have a point to make or summat to do.
You know that the Church of Sarenrae is a bit loosely governed and its followers free, within broad doctrinal allowances, to worship individually. You figure that there is a community of sorts here but a formal leadership structure may be a bit hard to work through, considering they've gone to ground... well, the important ones that is. Ones such as the guardsman's wife are not all that hard to find and with some efforts, maybe some low ranking clergy.
We're getting a lot of grumbling, Kasadei adds. They have some influence - many because they keep doing favours. The Sarenites and their friends are starting to demand something be done.
She smiles.
So we got you.
"Maybe we ought to sit down with the guardsman's wife, just to talk. She might not know much, but she's bound to know some other Sarenites, maybe she can spread the word that we're interested in any abandoned shrines. You think she would meet with us?"
Involvement of the guardsman's wife and some diligent meet and greet bring you to one of the older and better placed clergy in the city.
It starts as a harangue about how disheartening it is that worshipers of
Sarenrae are still being treated so poorly by Magnimar's criminals after "all these years." With the priest bitterly complaining that the one attempt to establish a proper shrine in Magnimar fell apart about 80 years ago. This attempt was made by a man named Volsten — the priest can tell you the sad history of how Volsten and his two acolytes were murdered by thugs and how the shrine has remained abandoned ever since.
The old shrine to Sarenrae is located in the Shadow district, under the Irespan and sheltered from the direct rays of the sun save for a few hours just before sunset.
Perhaps Father Vosten hoped that the presence of the shrine would create its own metaphorical sunshine for its squalid surroundings, he sighs.
You have your directions and could reach the shrine in the early evening if you left now.
"Well, maybe we go hunting them instead of them hunting us. I like that better." Valeros shows a grim smile. "Father, can you try to spread the word for your people to stay in tomorrow? At least until we determine if there is anything at this old shrine."
"We dont even know if this is the right place. Even if it is, it might only be one of several lairs. I think we can't lie in wait fir a beast that may never we coming. We should go in and see whats there. If we find it we take the fight to it."
-Posted with Wayfinder
The shrine itself is in bad shape; its stone walls still stand, but the wood-shingled roof that once sheltered the single-story building has fallen in almost completely. The shrine’s front door has fallen away as well, and the stained-glass windows lie shattered, covering the ground nearby with colorful shards.
As an initial impression, the shrine looks completely abandoned.
GM Spoilers
Part of the stone walls have broken away through the long passage of time or shoddy workmanship... or likely both. You can take a few paces to the side and see through the gap in the wall and it looks like there is an empty albeit overgrown yard at the rear. You think you can see a grave marker of some sort, likely making that space a graveyard.
You'd need to close in to see more.
Garen moves silently as the wind up to the building, then slides along the cover of the wall to the door way, who's door has fallen awayl, peering inside.
The rubble inside would make it hard going to move around with surety.