"Do you know who found him?" asks Emi.
Emi begins at the first stain, and works her way slowly along the way to the second. She looks for anything that a casual look at the scene might miss.
Regeris just stays back, watching Olaf answer the questions without saying much, letting Kayleigh do the probing. Once Emi starts investigating the bloodstains, Regeris starts as well, trying to see if there's any evidence that may have been missed.
Hearing questions asked about her late brother does little for Tassira's emotional state. She's quietly (but visibly) grateful that Kayleigh, Emi & Regeris are taking the lead--it's doubtful she'd be able to do as well, given the circumstances.
Kayleigh does her best to stay out of the way of Emileva and Regeris. She asks Macklin the name of the student who hosted the party and then thanks him for taking the time to answer questions.
The priestess glances at her investigative friends and then up to the roof of the nearby building. "See any drag marks?" she asks Emi and Regeris. "It's possible that he fell or was pushed from the roof and was worked over by the killer later, I suppose."
Realizing belatedly how awful that must sound to Tassira, Kayleigh averts her eyes a bit and silently chides herself to think before she speaks in the future. Then she gazes toward the wizard and says, "Sorry. I just want to make sure we consider all possibilities. We'll get to the bottom of your brother's death."
Nebbin pats Tassira on the back, trying to comfort her as he looks around, not really knowing what he's supposed to be looking for.
"I heard it was a school gardener that found him," he replies.
Emileva and Regeris comb over the area and come to the same conclusion. This area has been trafficked over so many times by folks like young Macklin over the last couple of days there's not really anything more to find. And it rained yesterday, washing away and mixing things up. You only have supposition, but you can see how it would be very dark here at night. Buildings to either side of the path offer plenty of places to lay in ambush - if that's what it was.
"The girl's name is Ehla Marist. The girl who threw the party," he says, as he heads back to the class he's missing.
Kayleigh suggests hunting down and questioning Ehla next. Though it's unlikely she knows anything about the girl herself, Kayleigh digs through her memory banks to see if she can recall anything about the Marist family.
Nebbin nods.
"Or maybe we should talk to the gardener? I guess neither one is really going anywhere, probably," Nebbin offers.
Once Kayleigh is done her questioning Regeris approaches her. "Good job. Finding Ehla is or best next step. One moment, he could have been ambushed which woudl mean someone staying in one place for a while, waiting for.. him? I wonder if this was targeted or at random."
[ooc]By the buildings offering an ambush location, how do you mean? Is this something Regeris could reasonably search like an alcove or dark corner to hide in?[/b]
Kayleigh seems pleased to get some praise from Regeris. Although she speaks mainly to the inquisitor, she talks loudly enough for the others to hear as well.
"It might not be the safest thing to do, what with a murderer on the loose, but perhaps we could split up and interview both?" the priestess suggests. "Maybe Nebbin and I could speak with the gardener while the rest of you interview the Marist girl?"
Searching a couple likely ambush spots yields no further clues.
The Marist name means nothing to any of you, so that will require asking around. You recall seeing gardeners on the other side of the campus, where you entered it. Perhaps these are the same who discovered Olaf's body.
"Yeah, we can probably split up, right?" Nebbin agrees. "I mean, we don't think anyone's going to try to kill us now during the day."
If others agree, he'll go with kayleigh to talk to the gardeners.
"Yeah, gardeners are fairly harmless," Kayleigh quips with a grin, "unless you happen to be a weed!"
Emi waits as Regeris completes his inspection. She agrees that splitting up would be best
"Ehla Marist might be in class until later in the day. If we can't find her now, maybe we could go to see if we can get a look at Olaf's clothes before they're thrown out. We could look for Ehla again later this evening."
"Yeah, or a bug that's eating the roses," Nebbin agrees with a smile, glad the group finally has something they can be happy and laugh about.
"So maybe we should go talk to people and then meet back ... here?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Kayleigh says. She grabs Nebbin's hand and starts heading for the area of campus where the gardeners were last seen.
Deciding to find Ehla Marist, Regeris starts searching around for an administrative building or dormitory.
"Questioning random people may not yield much unless we can figure out what year and program she's in. May be best to find the administrative centre or where the students sleep."
"...let me ask for that information. I'm a graduate--they'll likely listen to me." Tassira seems to have found her voice.
She then goes about seeking information on Ehla Marist...
As far as Olaf's clothes are concerned, they could be a number of places. The church of Pharasma, the guard, or even in the possession of the Abadaran investigator.
The gardeners are easy to find by retracing your steps back across the campus and listening for their shears. They're happy for the excuse to step into the shade. One of them removes his stained hat and mops sweat with his sleeve.
"I was the one that found the body," he says, flatly.
"I'm sorry," Nebbin says. "It was probably horrible. Can you tell us what you saw?"
"Sounds like a fine idea" agrees Emi. "I'll let you two take the lead on this."
For further on the clothes - at least two of those places are in the same vicinity (Pharasma and the Citadel).
The gardener points back toward the area you've just inspected as he speaks.
"Well, we were trimming the lawn up by the buildings when I came up on the body. He was just laying there, face down and awkward. Bled out into the earth there. He was waxen and cold, like he'd been laying there for hours."
"I told my boss about it."
Regeris looks at the gardener keenly. "Huh, hours? Can you tell us what you remember of the body? Did you see a wound on him or was it on the front? He look roughed up any?"
Nebbin nods, glad Regeris is there to ask questions.
"And had you found any bodies there before?"
Kayleigh doesn't seem as glad as Nebbin is that Regeris is there to ask questions, but she rolls with it: After all, the older man is an inquisitor and this sort of investigation is right up his alley.
"Oh--who is your boss?" the priestess asks. "And have there been any security protocols put in place since this happened...or maybe even since the unrest in the city started?"
Emi lets the others ask the questions, but she does pay close attention.
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"There was definitely a wound on his back. Whether it was an entry or exit wound, I have no idea. I didn't examine him more than seeing if he was alive - and it was obvious he wasn't."
He stares at Nebbin for a minute before answering the big man's question, "Nope."
When asked about his boss, he points back at his crewmates passing a cigarette between them in the shade. "He's there. Anders is his name if you want to talk to him."
"Security? Well, they don't like us runnin' when we're carrying our shears. Otherwise, no."
Nebbin scratches his head, thinking of something else he should ask, but coming up empty. Then he realizes with a start: "Oh, wait, was there anything else there? Something maybe that would help us figure out who killed him?"
A bit frustrated at the lack of progress, Kayleigh casts detect magic and starts scanning around the crime scene and the alleged gardeners.*
A class lets out of a nearby building as Tassira wanders back through the middle of campus. The mob of students goes every which way as they exit, but a steady stream filters out in the direction of the residence halls. Tassira easily integrates with these as they walk.
"You're looking for Ehla? That's me," a young woman answers tentatively. "You look familiar, but I don't think we've met."
Ehla is tall like Tassira with shoulder-length red hair and a troubled complexion. She walks with a purpose and Tassira has to move to keep up.
Walking over to Anders and the other gardener, Kayleigh asks them if they'd noticed anything out-of-the-norm around the time of the murder (crushed plants near the scene, anyone hanging out/scoping out the area where the murder took place, anyone unusual or suspicious noticed on campus recently). Not expecting much in terms of revelations, the priestess instead tries to determine if the gardeners are nervous or perhaps hiding something.
----
Just a party. That's all Tassira is able to get out of Ehla Marist as she follows her along.
"I felt really bad when I heard that he died that night. Olaf was a classmate. A friend of some friends. I know he was at the party and I think he was with some friends, but I couldn't say when he left or with who."
The two girls reach the doors of a residence hall. Ehla turns to Tassira at the door and gives her a kind smile.
"My boyfriend lives here, so... I told an Abadaran investigator all I could remember. All of this. Good luck to you if you're trying to help find this killer. It's terrifying to think there might be one stalking our campus!"
With an apologetic shrug she slips through the residence hall door and disappears.
----
The rest of the group finds Tassira milling about outside the hall looking for them. Your questions around the campus have filled in some details but not yielded any hints that the Abadaran inquisitor didn't already have. The clothes, and the special clue seem like the next logical lead, and so the group heads out across the city to the district of the dead.
The sun burns warm and bright upon the city as you pick your way through the crowds. The tight streets of Slope run down to the Gold Market. This place is chaos, with protesting groups and hawking merchants jostling shoulder-to-shoulder and vying with one another to be heard. There's an ominous executioner's platform in one part of the square that wasn't there the last time you were here. Everyone but the guardsmen gives the patform a wide berth. The guards stand on the scaffolding, perched over the milling crowd to watch for signs of law-breaking. Your group winds their way through the press and down the remaining streets to the somber gates of the Gray.
The district of the dead is divided into sections and you pass by many arterial paths as you make your way to the house of Pharasma. Down one such path you see the Wain. A draft of workers scratches at the ground with their shovels.
When the old attendant at the door of the Cathedral hears your request and sees the guardsmen's cloaks, he motions for you to follow him outside. He calls over a youth and tells him to lead you to the 'Hall of First Repose'. He nods and explains that the sister there can help you.
The Hall of First Repose is an exterior building that reeks of incense-smothered death. Bodies of interest are kept in this place before they're interred or transported for viewing. Olaf's body was brought here when it was first discovered.
The sister that greets you is a thin old woman with gray eyes and a soft voice.
"After the deceased's garments were removed, they were held here. We re-dressed the body for viewing. An investigator came and inspected the garments before they were interred with the body yesterday evening. Today they are within the Vantyev family tomb."
Before they leave the gardeners, Nebbin thanks them for their help. "But, please, you shouldn't leave town," he warns them apologetically.
He looks unhappy at the news from the Pharasmin.
"It seems like Regeris' not really friend beat us to everything," he said. "Maybe we should try searching somewhere else. Maybe there's something more we can find out about Lamm? How did he get the key? We know he had hit Little Lamms, maybe one of them might be doing this? Maybe killing Olaf is revenge because we killed Lamm?"
Regeris lets out a deep, grumbling sigh of discontent and he nods over to Olaf. "He's a weasel but weasels are cunning and I'd never accuse him of incompetence. We're retreading ground and importantly he likely took any clues he found - if there are any."
He looks at Nebbin and nods once. "Our leg-up and lead is on Gaedren Lamm. I never encountered the man so do we know anyone who he worked with or knew him we could question? Allies or associates? Can we investigate his lair for more clues?"
"[/b]
"...there was that cipher he had in his journal." Tassira finds her voice again. It's only slightly raw.
"I feel like I was on the verge of deciphering something the last time I read it--maybe there's something in it that can tell us something new."
"Maybe we can all look at it," Nebbin suggests, forgetting for a moment that he's likely to have no idea how to help decipher a code. Things should simply mean what they say, just like stories always do.
"Oh! Or maybe there's magic that can help us?"
"Oh! Or maybe there's magic that can help us?"
Regeris nods over to Nebbin. "I can offer a small blessing which will help. Otherwise I think we just offer Tassira the time to do the work."
"Yeah, it looks like the book may be our best source for anything new" Emi agrees. "It may not seem we accomplished much today, but it had to be done. At least we know we haven't missed anything, which is better than wondering."
"So... shall we be off?"
Kayleigh's ready to return to the Temple of Aroden and see if anything new can be learned from old Gaedren Lamm's journal.
The priestess listens to your debate without interjecting, but stops you before you go.
"The family tomb is on the way back to the gate. If you want to look at the garments, they've been placed along with some other of the deceased's possessions in an urn within the tomb. I hold that key, so if you still wish to view them I'll come with you."
"If you're just paying your respects, the tomb lies within the Raven's Glen."
She gives you directions to find the tomb yourselves should you choose.
Tassira's throat tightens. "...I'd like to... to pay respects before we go. Can we?"
"Oh! Yes! If we could see his possessions, especially his clothing, it would be extremely helpful. We're concerned that something might have been missed the first time they were examined."
"Of course," Nebbin says. "I guess if we're there, maybe we should look at his clothes too, right, Regeris?"
The priestess disappears for a moment then returns with a helper, a walking stick and a ring of keys. You head out together, back along the main road to the gate, talking as you go.
She sidles up to Tassira.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Praise Pharasma, fair judgement upon his soul." She traces a spiral religious gesture as she speaks.
There are so many little paths among the plots and tombs that you're soon happy to have the guide. She describes the areas of the graveyard like neighborhoods in a city, pointing out some prominent family names in the city's past and present.
"Your family's tomb is just here."
She points out a squat white stone building, very much like the many around it. She sorts through the keys on her ring to find the right one, but when she tries it on the lock she finds it broken.
She turns back to you with the broken lock in her hands and a blank look on her face.
Tassira freezes.
"...why is the lock broken?" Her fingers start to spark.