“Oh, nah, none of that,” says Beldan, with a mildly insulted air to his voice. “I’m not a criminal you know. And if I was dodgy like that, why would I come and associate myself with a dead guy – murdered guy by the look of things – to an officer of the law. Nah, Xever is – was – a member of the Wytchwardens as you probably know, but hadn’t been attending meetings and such as of recent. So they sent me out to check on him. Turns out he had some of those afore mentioned gambling debts and was being extorted by this fellow named Hamfist. So Xever asked me to go have a chat with Hamfist to get him off his back, I gathered some of me mates and did so, sorted out the misunderstanding, and was on me way back to tell Xever he was safe. Not that safe though, apparently.”
"My master Tatcher is friends with him. They make things together.
My master made me."She's clunky, almost robotic on the guitar, but seems pleased with the soulless thrum of cord progressions she seems to play; her fingers display an alarming complete lack of discomfort fingering the chords.
Her memory, however, is fascinatingly and queerly perfect in composition though. She quickly can master, and consistently remember about 7 chords in the space of two minutes.
Pip observes Trilby's movements, and scrutinizes her closely while she is concentrating on the chords.
"My master Tatcher is friends with him. They make things together.
My master made me."She's clunky, almost robotic on the guitar, but seems pleased with the soulless thrum of cord progressions she seems to play; her fingers display an alarming complete lack of discomfort fingering the chords.
Her memory, however, is fascinatingly and queerly perfect in composition though. She quickly can master, and consistently remember about 7 chords in the space of two minutes.
"My master Tatcher is friends with him. They make things together.
My master made me."She's clunky, almost robotic on the guitar, but seems pleased with the soulless thrum of cord progressions she seems to play; her fingers display an alarming complete lack of discomfort fingering the chords.
Her memory, however, is fascinatingly and queerly perfect in composition though. She quickly can master, and consistently remember about 7 chords in the space of two minutes.
Pip observes Trilby's movements, and scrutinizes her closely while she is concentrating on the chords.
1d20+13
"My master Tatcher is friends with him. They make things together.
My master made me."She's clunky, almost robotic on the guitar, but seems pleased with the soulless thrum of cord progressions she seems to play; her fingers display an alarming complete lack of discomfort fingering the chords.
Her memory, however, is fascinatingly and queerly perfect in composition though. She quickly can master, and consistently remember about 7 chords in the space of two minutes.
from the observation,....her fingers just don't act right. She's....not human, anyhow; you don't know what.
“Oh, nah, none of that,” says Beldan, with a mildly insulted air to his voice. “I’m not a criminal you know. And if I was dodgy like that, why would I come and associate myself with a dead guy – murdered guy by the look of things – to an officer of the law. Nah, Xever is – was – a member of the Wytchwardens as you probably know, but hadn’t been attending meetings and such as of recent. So they sent me out to check on him. Turns out he had some of those afore mentioned gambling debts and was being extorted by this fellow named Hamfist. So Xever asked me to go have a chat with Hamfist to get him off his back, I gathered some of me mates and did so, sorted out the misunderstanding, and was on me way back to tell Xever he was safe. Not that safe though, apparently.”
1d20+14
He stares at you with really squinty eyes for a long, uncomfortable time; then
"so, what do you want to do now?" is all he asks.sense motive if you want;....
Pip scrutinizes the Inspector carefully
Pip scrutinizes the Inspector carefully
1d20+6
His true motives, whatever they may be, remain inscrutible.
You can't tell if he believes you or not. You get the feeling, though, he thinks that you killed Xever.
“So…. I figure since he’s a Wytchwarden, and they wanted to speak to him, I’ll cart the body back to them and they’ll have someone who can speak to his corpse no doubt, and we can find out who killed him. We’ll share any info with you boys of course.”
His eyes kinda unsquint.
"Look, fella....I uh, can't just give up this body just like that; I'm working an investigation here....I know you're all shook up about your friend here, and the stuff down at the dock with Hamfist." He spits when he says Hamfist's moniker. He thinks you're on the level. "Fact of the matter is, the Shadowshore Watch,....the Noble District Watch....ain't exactly best of buddies, you know that. They're not gonna give me squat once this body goes over the Wall to the Noble District.
I'll tell you what, though; we're gonna take him to the morgue. We'll hold off on speaking to the dead, until a representative from the Witchwardens comes in the morning and we can all script the seance questions. And you can rest assured that we'll release the body when we finish finding out all we can, for proper and respectful burial.
He can't get raised though; he'd need something tougher than that. Whoever did this thing took his heart."
“Took his heart … huh. Well, yeah, that sounds fair.” He holds out his hand to the cop. “Name’s Beldan. Me and my friends won’t be trying to work against you on any of this – we want to know who offed Xever as much or more than you do.”
Oddly, he looks at your hand for a moment as if he's scrutinizing it.
Then, he seemingly snaps out of whatever trance he was in, shakes your hand.
"That would be really great, you know, Beldan. I think Sasserine would be a better place if we could all start working together within the districts. This segmenting that's going on lately, it's no good. Not when a perpetrator can freely bounce from District to District and the law can't always follow him. Where the segments of law.....actually forbid eachother."
So what now, brave derring doers?
The group, Trilby and a dead Hamfist in tow, are led to the heart of the Champion's District into the black basalt edifice that is the Great Temple of Kord.
Sometime later, in a council chamber and with the corpus of Hamfist on a slab for analysis,
Tormagal Gred, High Priest of Kord in Sasserine, paces back and forth.....his warrior trim physique displaying an excited energy even at this time of night, he paces back and forth;
"so, you went to speak to Xever about the witchwarden knife used to murder my good Kordsman, the same knife that bore his name, and did battle with dogs of hell or worse that wore the shapes of men. Xever told you about Hamfist, and how HE obtained the knife from HIM as partial payment for gambling debts, as well as indentured servitude; as well as a horrible spider with a horrifying breeding ritual. Then Hamfist whom you also went to see, and battle, and who turned out to indeed be a demon wearing the shape of a man, now lies here dead on this slab, anointed with holy water so his hideous energies do not taint this holy place...
And you did battle one Tatcher, a friend of Hamfist, who escaped. Hamfist had a note referring to trading that murder weapon to a kenku, for lucre and an odd spider.....
and you sent Xever here; poor Xever who was murdered essentially in the same way as my fellow....
and so that brings you here; do I have it right?"
"More or less. What we are uncertain about is whether Hamfist killed Dagbarr and then sold the kenku the dagger, or if Hamfist sold the dagger to the kenku, who then killed Dagbarr. I'm leaning toward the second interpretation, seeing that poor Xever was murdered and had his heart removed in the same manner as Dagbarr."
"However, even if Hamfist was technically innocent in the murder of Dagbarr, he was still a cancer on this town, a festering boil that needed to be lanced. The reason we brought his dead carcass here was to avoid it being..., ah, exploited by usavoury Shadowshore elements. Surely the church of Kord, through its association with the gladiatorial games, possesses a high degree of expertise when it comes to the disposal of noisome and noxious dead creatures?"
"We'll find and dispose of the kenku tomorrow. Hopefully we will recover the hearts of Dagbarr and Xever as well. But first we need to rest and regain our strength and wits."
"That sounds sensible, my good man.
Hmm....as I recall, there is a small rookery of kenku, not 8 or so miles west of Sasserine, along the coast.
There is a section of beach, which runs up to a line of crags; a line of which jut out into the sea a ways. There is an inverted "U" worn away by the sea; the Forsaken Arch; an arch of stone....it is said they dwell there. They are gleaners, and sneaky thieves, some grifters, some traders; and it is said some will do the work of assassin.
But they rook there, in that arch."
While the others chat with the priest of Kord, Pip attempts to get info out of Trilby
"Can we rest within the safety of the Church. Or those assassins may come after us tonight while we are weak from lost spells and powers."
"Maybe after Gittik has hit a couple of bars."
"Me hard. Me no scare."
"You no scare, but they will be tomorrow. When we attack them bird men."
"Heh!"
While the others chat with the priest of Kord, Pip attempts to get info out of Trilby
1d20+18
"Tatcher made me. He makes lots of things, but he calls me his masterpiece and greatest mystery.
I just do what he says. Some fighting; other stuff. I'm not aware of too many things. I know what I know..."
"Can we rest within the safety of the Church. Or those assassins may come after us tonight while we are weak from lost spells and powers."
"Maybe after Gittik has hit a couple of bars."
"I think that would be fine. Please, though,....show a sense of decorum when you come back in the church. And if I were you guys, I would stay clear of Shadowshore for a while. The taverns of the Champion's District might be a little safer to carouse in. From descriptions of Tatcher, from you and from others....I think he might be able to summon up some real trouble for you all."
Meh....that much cash oughtta realistically last a week at a titty bar.
"YEAH!"
A little bardic knowledge about this'n'that reveals the following institutions in the Champion's District; a bit more upscale than Shadowshore, but nonetheless they can be ruff and tumble as befits a folk that worship a deity that revels in man striving against man or beast:
The Six Swords Tavern;...a good place to find reputable mercs; also close to the gate to Shadowshore, ergo most brawls are kept pretty well in check...
Three Dwarves Digging....a tavern and gaming hall; ostensively started as a book operation, running odds on the arena, that evolved into a pub and branched into other forms of gambling;
Aunt Kylie's....a brothel. At the southwest apex of the Champion's District Arena; sultry wares dangled out from the balconies when the crowds enter and egress filled with fire from the days' matches.
Huh.....what do you know....there's a Shrine of Kelanen. It's right across from the Embassy Compound of the Scarlet Brotherhood.
"We go Aunt Kylie."
"We go Aunt Kylie."
Elgan shrugs.
"Shuah, why not chere'? It'd be nahce tah visit a 'civilized' place whar peples acted lahk natuh intended!"
The little clutch or mob of adventurers
(who all's going?) show up at the joint.
It's a three story manoral, with a garden in back surrounded by walls and part of the architecture. Ladies enticingly leaning over balconies, swaying in the breeze; smiling and waving perfumed veils....somewhere harp music delicately tinkles in the bowels of the place.
The door opens; to the left and right are four great halforcs in black spike bondage plate with leather masks; they're subdued and innocuous though....a beautiful human lady in a green gown with her long black hair done up in the manner of an Ekbirian princess meets the party at the entranceway.
"My, my,....what have we here? YOU guys have had a rough night of it I think. It's off to the steambaths with you gentlemen. What do you want to drink? Follow me...."
Pip invites Trilby to accompany them to the 'tavern' for a bit of relaxation.
"Do you drink alcohol Trilby?"
"Something hot and spicy to eat and drink, a fruit brandy would suit me."
Oso begins to slip off his clothes, letting the servants help. "Pip, you got a thing for the Trilby? Better smell good and sweet for her then. Me I'm going to that Shrine when we finish here. You know show them my sword and chew the fat."
Oso begins to slip off his clothes, letting the servants help. "Pip, you got a thing for the Trilby? Better smell good and sweet for her then. Me I'm going to that Shrine when we finish here. You know show them my sword and chew the fat."
Pip grins sheepishly
"Just trying to figure her out. Anyone who can hit like that would be a good friend to have! But yeah, I'm smelling whiff. Time for a bath, a meal and a rum drink!"
Pip invites Trilby to accompany them to the 'tavern' for a bit of relaxation.
"Do you drink alcohol Trilby?"
"I....I don't know. I'll try."
They lead you downstairs to a big underground room with marble tiled steambaths; big jacuzzis and whatnot. Provocatively dressed waitresses bring copious potable action. Then probocatively undressed women join in the tubs.....
"Hey! This place ain't half bad."
"Gittik is going to be like a pig in muck. Anyway we deserve it. We did good."
One of the bathers, a saucy halfelf, asks, "what have you guys been about this night? You all look like you were put nekkid under an icy waterfall with 15 Narganian wildcats tied onto you."
Trilby sits nearby on a marble bench; neither interested or shocked in what transpires within the steamy jacuzzi.
One of the bathers, a saucy halfelf, asks, "what have you guys been about this night? You all look like you were put nekkid under an icy waterfall with 15 Narganian wildcats tied onto you."
"Huh?"
"Well, you guys are all sliced on, and ransacked looking is all...."
"Huh?"
"Mostly that is stuff from the ones who attacked Gittik. That is a guard's finger there. See the blood trail over his shoulder now that might be a demon or was it a devil, any ways I'm sure that the fur patch is tiger, giant ferocious tiger that got ripped up."
Oso directs the girls on a scenic tour of Gittik's body.
"Heh! Me think this best bit of body!"
"What attacked you there? You'e all swollen."
You overhear a couple guys one tub over.
"There's been another murder."
"Yeah; I heard about that Xever guy."
"No this one went down in the Noble's District. It was a librarian. Witch Warden."
"Oh, man....it's starting then."
"Yeah. Only a matter of time I guess..."