|
It is known that Legg spends his time near the docks, so you set off in that direction. Almara again asks that you keep the identity of the sphinx a secret as you go to discover the murderer's true identity.
Heading toward the docks, you hear tell that Legg likes to sit beneath a tree on a bluff and that he can usually be found dozing beneath its boughs.
After a short distance, however, you notice a group of six rowdy men gathered around the base of a tree. As you near them, however, you notice there is a smaller seventh form there... It appears like a young man who has just been given a rather large necklace of rope by the six men, and they are readying to toss the other end over a low-hanging branch some 8 feet off the ground.
|
"Leave the man alone civilians. Betsy here likes the taste of cowards and I haven't fed her yet. Tell us the story and as deputy sherrifs we will deal with it." Castiel says as he pets Betsy who is emitting a low growl.
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
One of the men turns and, as he removes his grip, the young man slumps down further. It is clear that he is unconscious from his wounds.
"Just a little street justice. This whelp was caught outside the circus grounds after the schedule... curfew? Quarantine! That's it! Gonna spread the lies for that horrid lot and get more rumours flyin' ev'ry which way. That's right boys, string 'im up! Let them know this is OUR town and they ain't welcome!"
The rest happily toss the rope over the branch and start to pull it taught.
|
"Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, I highly suggest you release the boy. We can take him back to the circus if you want or to the sheriff's office if you'd like that. But if you try to hang him, then you'll be doing the sheriff's job for her. And you're not sworn officers of the law. That would make this illegal. And as sworn deputies, we would be well within our duties to stop you."
He looks at Torg. "And when I say 'stop', my friend here has impulse control problems. He may decide to stop you my breaking your bones and spilling your blood on the ground. Now, I would rather not have that happen. It's messy."
"Now, you have caught the boy, so we thank you. Quite helpful. Now, we, the sheriff's deputies, are here to take over the matter. I suggest you leave this to us. Before things...get messy." Teric snaps his fingers sharply and his hand begins to glow with a green light.
|
|
It takes very little time for the men to slink away from you and, by the time the how illuminates your hand, are ready to bolt. Indeed, that is exactly what they do, dropping the rope and the boy, both of which slump to the ground. The boy does not move to get up.
A cursory look at him shows that he is beaten very badly to the point that the life is fleeting from his body.
-5
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
Borax, unwilling to waste his valuable resources on boy, tries to stop the healing the old fashion way. Tearing some strips of cloth from the man, he wraps them around any bleeding wounds.
+
EDIT: Ninja'd.
Borax raises an approving eye at Teric's intimidation of the crowd as he drums his fingers on his sword cane.
"I must admit my skills in that arena are quite lacking."
As Teric heals the young lad, activating his wayfinder, Borax pokes him with Borax's cane.
"Wake up, you there. Now is not the time to be wasting ours. You owe this man your life. We've gone out of our way to save your life. We're not even going to charge your for that service. What have you to say for yourself?"
Borax words seem almost abrasive, but he delivers them with a smile and a nature that seems to have it's own strange charm.
|
|
Regaining his wits, the boy quickly removes the noose around his neck, still groggily recovering. He looks up at you and rasps a "thanks" before answering your question.
"I know I wasn't supposed to be out, but I had to say goodbye. I don't know if we'll ever see each other again after this and I... well, I was hoping maybe he'd run away with me... with us, I mean! He said he wasn't happy here, so maybe..." He quiets down having little else to say. He seems to be waiting to see what's going to happen next, or if he'll be able to hightail it back to the circus before anyone else notices he's gone.
|
|
Borax lifts a sardonic eye at Torg,
"Ah yes. 'Explore, Report, Cooperate....and beat down any who stand in your way.' It's a surprise that last bit of the Society's motto is never recited as it is clearly the most popular."
Borax pokes the youth once again as if to indicate he should answer Zinky's question.
|
|
"He came to the carnival the day it opened. We met while his parents were occupied by the traveling zoo. We got to talking and... well, like I said, we hit it off."
He looks around nervously. "But if those guys find me again, there's no telling what they'll do. Maybe I should just get back to the circus. I wonder if he'll try to see me like I'm trying to see him. I better get back in case he tries."
With that, he looks at you for signs of your allowance to leave.
|
|
"I see a boy who was about to be hanged before we stepped in. I see angry townsfolk that would enjoy hanging the entire circus. I see a sheriff who holds the circus accountable for the death of innocent folks. And I see that we are the only thing preventing that. *hrumph!*" Borax adds a poke with his cane for emphasis.
Borax was no good at telling a lie from the truth so he did what every arrogant and egotistical person does when reproached, he turned it back on the accuser. But quickly Borax was bored with the lad and saw no further use in needling the boy for information that the boy did not have.
Borax straightened his back, lifted his head as if looking at something important and stepped away.
|
|
"Milandru. You need to get back to the circus. Those men weren't playing. Do you know where Grayson lives? If you want, we can try to find him and tell him you want to say goodbye. As long as there's a killer about, then we need to be more careful. I think we ought to walk you back." Teric looks at the others, then begins to guide the young man back towards the circus.
|
|
The boy nods. "You got stuff to do. No sense goin' outta your way for a couple of lads like us. I'll just hope he comes by on his own. If you want to take me back, though, I won't argue some protection."
Heading back to the circus, Milandru's family rushes out to greet you. They swiftly reprimand the lad for going against the quarantine and demand to know what happened. He tells the story of the near hanging and your timely intervention, at which point the parents' attitude shifts drastically.
"Thank you, so much! Without you... I don't even want to think about it! Here! We don't have much, but this is your's as our thanks! It's been in our family for some time, so its worth to us is immense, even if you have no use for it."
Slot belt; Price 3,000 gp; Weight 1/2 lb.
This silk scarf is embroidered with red with all the colours of a flame and tasseled in tiny beads. When wrapped around the hips, it grants the wearer a +5 competence bonus on Perform (dance) checks. The scarf adds +1 to the saving throw DC of the wearer's fascinate and suggestion bardic performances.
|
|
Zinkyudo manages to clamp down on the explosion of laughter that threatens to burst from him at the notion of Borax loosening his hips and dancing with the embroidered scarf, but he’s only so strong. Eventually, a loud “SQUAWK” of laughter flies from his mouth and he has to wipe a tear from his eye as he settles down.
Turning to the family, he says, ”I’m glad we could help your boy. Stay safe, okay?” He then moves to leave, saying quietly, almost to himself, ”So who was it that told us Legg could be found by that tree? Were they just mistaken, or did they know we’d find the boy there? Mystery upon mystery in this place.”
|
|
Teric gives a hearty laugh as he imagines Borax dancing on tables like the Varasian girls he grew up with. "A bit more sway in your walk, Borax!" He chuckles.
Shaking his head to dismiss the frightful image, he says, "Come, let's find this Legg character. A drunk can't be that hard to locate. If he's not at the tree, then we'll start at the taverns."
|
|
Setting off again, the party manages to find the docks without incident. It doesn't take much asking around to locate the tree in question. It sets on a hill overlooking the sea and is the only foliage in that area. As you near, you know already there is another complication...
Fulton Legg's body hangs by the neck from a dirty and torn Varisian scarf. His eyes have been gouged out, his mouth has been stuffed with rags, and his left hand has been severed at the wrist and is missing. A sheet of paper has been pinned to the body's shirt and is stained with blood, emblazoned with the Varisian words "We take care of our own."
|
|
"It looks that way, Castiel," Zinkyudo concurs sadly, gritting his teeth in sadness and frustration, "though this looks like a totally different killing. It doesn't look like he was killed by a sphinx, and what does the message mean? We need to find out who this Arhaneem Braeton is."
He studies the body, to see if there are any clues aside from the most obvious ones, and begins to look at the ground around the tree for signs of who or what has been there. "Castiel, you're better at this tracking thing than I am, let's see if we can find anything useful."
|
|
Your search is interrupted by a man's shouts.
He is promptly silenced by a familiar face stepping into view. "It's okay, Williams. They're working with us for the time being." It is Sheriff Feldane. She listens to your report on the body and draws some conclusions. "The card and scarf are enough to place probable cause on the circus. [Sensing you're about to dispute this] Even if it's not them, once word gets out that there has been a third murder since that group's arrival there will be a mass riot unless I do something to appease the masses. If you still think the circus us innocent, then your time to find the real killer or killers is now. Good luck. I have some sordid business to attend to."
Before she leaves, she addresses the question of who Braeton is. "Braeton is one of the more wealthy river merchants in these parts. He owns a small fleet of ships that traverse Lake Syrantula and the Skull River. His house, therefore, isn't far from here. You should get there just before sundown."
|
|
”Agreed, Teric,” Zinkyudo says, though it’s clear his mind is elsewhere. As they make their way to Braeton’s house, he is quiet for a few moments, then addresses the group, ”The sheriff’s right, we need to figure this out. It seems we’re no closer to solving this mystery than we were when we started. Maybe it would help to think a bit on things we still need to investigate or understand better.”
Counting them off on his fingers, the golden-eyed youth goes through some of the puzzling elements from the murders, in the order they came across them, ”First, we still don’t understand how the skulks might be connected to all this. The one we talked to said they live just outside of town, so maybe we should pay them a visit. Second, when we found Sister Woodmere’s body, we also found a couple of clown costumes made to be torn off quickly, and those alchemical flasks, which we haven’t really looked into any further. We should see if we can have them identified by someone. And finally, there are all kinds of questions about this last murder – why someone cut his hand off, why someone doctored that letter to make it look older, why they took out his eyes, and what they mean by ‘We take care of our own.’ It’s in Varisian, which is meant to make it look like the circus folk did it. Are we supposed to think the circus is taking revenge for the beaten boy we rescued?”
|
|
Zinkyudo muses these things as you all make your way toward Braeton Manor. True to the Sheriff's word, it is just about sundown by the time you arrive.
The manor looks dark though there are some lights in the upper windows. Getting nearer, you notice that the door is slightly open.
Some movement catches Castiel and Teric's eyes by the side of the house. It's a man all in black with blade drawn!
|
|
The man tosses a stone on the ground before him which erupts in a plume of smoke.
-Posted with Wayfinder