Geoff leaves to find the sheriff
Malachai raised a finger and opened his mouth as if to argue, thought about it for a minute closed his mouth and grinned.
"A clever answer, it's a wonder you need our help at all"
he turned and followed Geoff, giving a wave as he walked away.
"Fear not, your problems will soon be over!" he called back over his shoulder.
Kassam frowns. "I don't wonder they need our help, to be honest," he says, loudly enough to still be in earshot of their new patron. "They want us to investigate the murder of a victim they can't even name. Giving you an oblique answer to a straight question seems to be well within their central competence."
He kicks the ground in frustration, while wondering what he's actually letting himself in for.
"now, now, no need to be rude." Malachai jokingly chastised Kassam . "Look on the brightside, she didn't lie to me. Besides, it wouldn't be fun if all the information was handed to us on a plate"
Kassam rolls his eyes. "A prerequisite of lying is ACTUALLY SAYING SOMETHING," he asserts.
Nelda left with Geoff to find the sheriff, but couldn't help but be amused at the sorcerer and rogue bickering. She tried to giggle quietly, but a small snort escaped.
Trying to play it off as a sneeze she quickly said, "Excuse me. It's dusty here."
Looking back at the men she asked, trying to look innocent, "Should we slow down for you two to finish your conversation?"
"bless you" Malachai said fixing Nelda with a knowing look and a smile. " Let's hurry on, I believe Captain Cheerful and I were done."
Viniana giggled at the argument they were having, and nodded in agreement with Nelda adding, "I think maybe they need a room instead. Then they can skip right to the making up portion of things." She became more somber then as she said, "It's not entirely a surprise they don't know who was murdered, particularly if it was a local. the carnival just isn't here long enough to learn the names of everyone. The sheriff seems to be our next stop, I'm sure they can give us more information."
You go into the town. Following Almara's suggestion, you go to the town jail to look for the sheriff. You find her there.
Any of you who are local know the following, and can be assumed to have shared it on the way over here:
Kyra Feldane has been the sheriff for the last 15 years, and has a no-nonsense personality. She does her best to rise above the
stereotypes the community harbors toward travelers and ethnic Varisians so she can mete out justice fairly.
The sheriff agrees to see you, and turns to you, looking expectant for an explanation as to why you asked to speak to her.
Facing Kyra, Geoff explains their prescence,
"Sheriff, we have been asked by Almara of the Carnival to investigate the death of a towns person to try and clear the name of Jherizhana the Sphinx, who is apparently being held responsible at the moment"
Geoff then retrieves the letter Almara gave him and proffers it to Kyra.
"This is a letter given to us by Almara to give to you. According to her it is a letter saying that we act for her in this matter, though I have not read it myself"
Sheriff Feldane reads the letter carefully. She then smiles briefly at you, and then explains the situation. The victim was Archivin Walder, the
town moneylender and sometimes pawnbroker who owns a local business called the Locked Box. Walder was found mauled while walking to his home after the circus last night. Walder’s wife, who went looking
for her husband when he never came home, discovered the body. Agnes Walder begged her husband’s guards who lived at the Locked Box for help. Three of them left their post to search, and one guard stayed behind to secure the office. Thieves, presumably in league with the creature that killed Walder, burst into the Locked Box, killed the remaining guard, and stole many easily carried valuables (such as gems and jewelry). The robbery was interrupted when the guards brought Walder’s body to the office instead of his home, and they glimpsed two humanoid figures fleeing in the night. Upon finding the guard dead and the building burglarized, the three remaining guards secured the building until the sheriff could be notified.
The sheriff grimaces. "I don't know that I'm convinced that the sphinx really was involved. The locals think that it's her footprints that were found next to the body. The mood in town is sour. There are stories all over the place about a great four-legged beast flying over town last night after the circus closed down, silhouetted across the moon. Of course, I can't find a single eyewitness who actually saw the sphinx. Now poor Walder is left dead in some bushes. It’d be one thing if these deaths were accidental, but the robbery angle
has people thinkin’ of a Sczarni heist. I’m not proud to say it, but this stirs a lot of unworthy opinions about Varisians.”
Malachai leaned against the wall,folded his arms and listened carefully to the story. He looked skeptically at the sheriff, he was unimpressed with the story, it seemed like no one actually knew anything.
"Well Kyra, it seems to me that you need our help as much as the carnival does. Is there really nothing else you can tell us? how do you know the robbery and the murder aren't simply coincidence? or that our thieves are simply opportunists who witness our savage beastie make a meal of poor Walder?"
Sheriff Feldane gives Malachi a strange look. "I don't know yet, I've just started to investigate. I'm giving you what I do have already as a courtesy."
While she reached over to pat the side Malachai's arm, Nelda clarified, "He's anxious to begin searching for the thief and murderer. We all are. Please let us know if we may be of any assistance to you as we are trying to be to Almara."
She bowed her head slightly, hoping to placate the sheriff. "Shall we to see the footprints ourselves?"
Well, that nearly got out of hand
Straightening his jacket, Geoff replies to Nelda
"That sounds like a good idea, we might be able to follow them if no one has messed the area up to much."
Sheriff Feldane sends a deputy to show you where the body was discovered.
Well lets see what we can find then
Geoff will walk around looking for tracks, doing his best not to disturb anything.
Malachai paces around the scene making a big show of peering under things and looking a little too closely at things.
Nelda moved around, not needing to hunch over much due to her short stature, searching for any signs of the strange footprints others had mentioned.
You find clawed tracks of a big creature. Interestingly enough, there is no indication where the creature came from or where it went. The tracks just start out of nowhere— as if the creature could have flown to the
spot.
"The track starts here and... where did it go to? Now this reminds me of...." Nelda trailed off and started humming a tune. She knelt down and tried to measure the track using her hand as a reference.
Someone's trying to frame her...
Looking to his comrades, Geoff explains what he has found, "I am not sure if any one else noticed it or not, but if you look at the shape and depth of the claw marks, you can tell that they are neither the right shape or depth to have come from Jherizhana."
Pointing at the surrounding area for emphasis of his next points, "More interesting than that, is appears that the area around the supposed claw marks have been swept clean to cover the tracks of who ever did make the fake claw marks. If appears that what ever happened here, Jherizhana is being framed for it."
"seems like a lot of effort to go to just to kill a money lender" Malachai said, " more to Walder than he was letting on? Or someone had one hell of a debt they wanted clearing?"
The deputy looks at Geoff. "Do you want to see the other crime scene, too? The Locked Box, where the thieves were?"
Viniana had little she could do to be of immediate help so she kept an eye open for people who might be a bit too curious instead.
Looking to the deputy, "Yes that would probably be a good idea."
I missed the claw marks...
Embarrassed, "We should see everything available."
She tried to make up for failing to notice the issues with the tracks by remembering any rumors about Walder...
"Then on we go" Malachai said flamboyantly whisking his way past the others then spinning around when he realized he didn't know where he was going. "lead on deputy"
The deputy leads you to the Locked Box. It is a sturdy building with no windows. You are met there by Agnes Walder, the widow of the victim, and two bodyguards. She has obviously been weeping. "Yes? Who are you?" she asks. Her voice is rough with suppressed emotion, but would probably have been pleasant and low pitched in ordinary circumstances. She doesn't sound cranky, but rather overwhelmed.
Malachai stepped forward putting on his best sympathetic look and bowing low.
" Our deepest condolences for your loss Mrs Walder. he said and straightened up brushing a crease out of his shirt, "We have been hired to investigate the murder of your husband, if you wouldn't mind us intruding on your mourning for just a small moment we would like to have a look around?"
While Malachai converses with the poor widow, Geoff looks around the area and appraises the widow as she speaks with him
While Malachai spoke, she looked around for any other false tracks or remnants of who may actually have been there:
Nelda added, "It's all to assist the deputy, Mrs Walder. We want to help your late husband receive justice."
Geoff and Nelda do not see anything unusual. Geoff gets the impression the widow is being honest with them.
"Certainly, you can look around. No one has gone inside yet..."
She lowers her voice and confides in Nelda that she blames herself for not being with her husband the previous evening. "It just bothered me to think of him ogling that winged she-lion whatsit—all that prancin’ about without a top on. But none a’ that would matter if only Archie was still here with me!”
"Thank you for your cooperation, we will make sure we are careful with everything inside, and that we do what we can to ensure your husband get the justice he deserves" Geoff says to Agnes.
Geoff then strides forward to the door of the Locked Box and enters.
Nelda lowered her voice as well, "Don't blame yourself, Mrs Walder. I'm sure the sphinx made many people... uncomfortable. But... anything you can tell us about yesterday would be of help. When did you leave the circus yesterday? Did you two do anything else while you were in town?"
Agnes Walder turns to Nelda. "Please, find whoever did this to my Archie so the sheriff can make them pay." She then moves aside and gestures for you to enter the building.
You walk into the building. Lamps illuminate this large showroom. Glass display cases, broken in a few places, line the walls, while two additional cases sit like islands in the center of the room. The cases contain an eclectic mix of valuables such as unusual tools, masterwork weapons, jewelry, fine china, antiques, and artwork. A set of merchant’s scales rests on top of one of the display cases.
As you enter, out of the shadows of the doorway a gnome joins you, he bows and offers Geoff a small card, on it is written 'Roger Da Shiney - Investigator'. He looks around the group about to enter, "I hope you won't mind the intrusion, but Mr & Mrs Walder are both friends of mine. Well Mr Walder really, he used my services to help him locate object d'art he was interested in purchasing. It is with deep reget I mourn his passing and would like nothing better than to discover the truth about his death. It would be an honor to accompany you and help in your task." He bows respectfully to the party.
The gnome enters the room and takes a good look round, searching for clues in the debris.
Hmmm... He even has a card
"Its fine by me if you join" Geoff says, "Probably fine with my companions too"
Geoff will also walk around looking for evidence.
Moving slowly past Agnes, Nelda made a mental note that she didn't answer any of the questions. Catching Agnes' eye for a moment she smiled what she hoped was a comforting smile.
Then a gnome popped out from the shadows in the Locked Box and introduced himself, almost.
"Hello." A moment of pause as the gnome started searching the room without them. "I am Nelda. Whom do we have the pleasure of meeting?"
At Nelda's words, Roger sees Nelda appear from behind and smiles a broad wide smile. "I am Roger Da Shiney, investigator to gentlemen and women of noble birth." He bows to the halfling. "And if I can help you in any way during this investigation, do not hesitate to ask." His voice lowers as he whispers to her, "I am so excited at the prospect of working on a real murder, even if it is of a dear friend and aquaintance." His eyes open slightly letting the light glint off their blue centre, full of anticipation and adrenaine. "Yes I so look forward to solving this mystery."
This is a white lie, a wish rather then an outright lie. He has yet to work for any noble as a investigator. For Mr Walder, he was more just a messanger than an investigator.
Viniana was startled by the appearance of the gnome and nearly snapped her glaive down in defense. She pulled up short though and curtsied in greeting, "A pleasure to meet you Roger. I'm Viniana, though hardly a woman of noble birth." After introducing herself to the gnomish man the priestess began to search the place as she asked, "[b]"Have you worked on a murder before Mr. Shiney?"
Roger looks up at the tall woman looking down to him, like a godess. His eyes glaze as he replies as if in a trance, "My Lady Viniana, one can be noble with out their aristocratic blood flowing through your veins." He bows even lower, and looks back up into her blue eyes. "Though I have never worked on a murder before, I can still help you and the sheriff in the pursuit of the culprit. I am sure your previous experience in such murder investigations give you the edge, but as my dear old mam used to say, help is help and you never know when you need it." He doffs is dark cap in deference to the woman and adds a warm smile.
While watching Roger's interaction with Viniana she pondered. Hm, he seems to have the best intentions. Geoff and Viniana seem to like him well enough... but maybe he's playing my game. The sweet short one. Tall people never suspect us. Does he have debts to the former owner? Could he have framed Jherizhana?
Nelda put on her best innocent smile after Roger's sweet reference to his mother, "Pleased to meet you Roger. I preferred to refer to you by your name rather than 'Mr Walder's associate'. Apologies if I seemed rude. I hope we may find the culprit quickly and appreciate your help."
Still unsure about the newcomer, she started to look around the entryway for any signs of who had been there.
Viniana seemed to eat up the praise she was given for her beauty. If the gnomish man was looking for her weakness he had found one, her pride. "You certainly are a flatterer aren't you?" As the search continued and he mentioned her own murder investigation experience the lovely priestess responded, "I've never investigated anything really, though I seem to recall being investigated when I was youn..." She cut herself off with a frown and stopped speaking a moment as she looked under something. Speaking back over her shoulder at Roger she asked, "Are you from the town here?"