Issceran accepted the wallet and badge with a look of awe, his gaze lingering on the distinct MSI script etched into the metal. His fingers gently grazed the badge before he smiled wide. Folding the wallet up, he tucked it away and looked to his 'unit' members. "Well then," Issceran spoke. "Shall we head down to the site? I'd like to see what's going on down there for myself so we can get our first investigation underway.
If no one objected, the elf took the lead with a spring in his step.
Rasil answered both the Captain and Issceran with, "Yes! Let's be about our business!" as he accepted his badge, slipping it inside one of his outfit's many pockets.
Rasil followed the elf with barely contained excitement. Yes! Our first case! Much better than moldy old crypts!
I hope this Building Inspector, Thora Rumblemountain, will be amenable to letting Issceran examine the plans of Irefoot Hall, thought Rasil.
Aloud he said to his fellow Inspectors, "So, who wants to drive?"
Barin nods at the captain when he deaprts:"Very well. I guess we have better be going. I'm ansious to start this investigation, I guess we've better go there immediately if we don't want to find a cold trail... And Bathbone... I think I'll drive if no one eslse wants to"
The gnome looked to the dwarf. "I'm fine with you driving, Barin."
Addressing the group, he said, "I think we should go to Irefoot Hall. I believe Simza wants to examine the body as soon as possible."
Rasil stopped and looked to the elf. "Of course, Issceran wants to look at building plans, and the Building Inspector is at West Naos Market."
"As we're all new, I think we should stick together. So lets vote. There's five of us, so majority rules. I vote Irefoot Hall, as Naos Market is already several days old."
The gnome looked to the dwarf. "I'm fine with you driving, Barin."
Addressing the group, he said, "I think we should go to Irefoot Hall. Issceran wants to examine the building's plans, and the Building Inspector will be there with them."
Rasil turned to the veiled lady amongst them. "Also, there's the matter of the deceased guard. I believe Simza wants to examine the body as soon as possible."
Simza did nothing to hide the welling of excitement as the Captain explained about the morgue and carriage. True seeing a bunch of dead bodies was likely to be the most distressing and saddening part of the job, but she hadn't quite imagined that she would have access to such facilities. Add to the the wallet that she took reverently in her hands and it was a fair amount to take in. She was by far the youngest member of the team, although the fact that the group included only one other human did skew that somewhat.
She carefully slipped the wallt into her pack and tied it back up again. She did want to check out what there was for her to work with, but they really shouldn't delay any further than necessary and everyone seemed ready to go.
"I used to help drive the wagons occasionally when I was younger." she observed, though it had been several years since she had a chance to do so. She was more than happy to let Barin take the reigns however. "The sooner I get to the..." the young girl searched for a proper term "deceased guard the better. So my vote is for Irefoot Hall."
"Irefoot," Issceran agreed as it was put to a vote. He was confident tracking down the blue prints wouldn't be an overwhelming challenge. Perhaps if they managed their time well, they could still meet the inspector after they investigated Irefoot Hall. As they began to discuss using the carriage, he paused and glanced to his companions
"Ah, yes, a very good idea," he nearly chirped, smiling like a school child.
Both Barin and Simza offered to drive and in either case, he didn't mind either. Though Simza was a far more talkative individual and a pleasant conversationalist. Barin, unfortunately, seemed a little rougher around the edges and lacked the mental tenacity and force of will that made the Varisian woman such an interesting individual. He was sure the stalwart dwarf made up for it with his skill at arms.
He climbed into the carriage after giving it a brief walk around. He murmured softly as he made himself comfortable, patting his satchel to make sure his spellbook was at hand. He looked to the carriage window and peered out, interested by taking to the city by a different mode of transportation opposed to foot. He had spent a great deal of time combing the city while on spontaneous bouts of study and research.
Barin shakes his head, seemingly irritated:"I vote for Naos Market. We should start from the beginning, and the trail being old is no reason not to go there sooner... on the contrary, the trail will keep getting older if we go someplace else... But whatever, I'll abide to a majority vote, even if it's the wrong choice"
"Think of it this way, Barin," Issceran began. [/b]"Irefoot is 'on the way' so to speak in comparison to Naos. By going there first, we'll save time instead of going across the city to Naos right now."[/b] It wasn't a bad reasoning and it was only a hop, a skip and a throw away from their barracks if you thought about it.
Simza nodded to Issecran's reasoning, it wasn't quite 'on the way' exactly, but it was quite close. If you feel that investigating Naos is that urgent then feel free to leave me at Irefoot, the Captain has guardsmen there to secure the site, so I should be more than safe, and of a lot more use than I would be at Naos I should think."
"But enough discussion, I make that three to one, or... two?" she asks, looking at Vic for his reply, before leading the way in climbing into the carriage, looking around at the interior approvingly.
So the group clambours into the carriage, leaving a grumpy Barin to drive (no checks are needed for simple driving). I'll skip to the scene, but if folks want to chit-chat during the three minute carriage ride to Irefoot Hall, feel free to insert it in retro-actively.
Irefoot Hall resides at the base of the Irespan itself. There, they find a large crowd of spectators gawking at a scene of curious destruction. What used to be a grand, single-storey stone building of pale golden marble is now a partial ruin. The northwest corner of the building is a pile of rubble, and several other spots of the slate-tiled roof are sagging dangerously. The main entrance opens in to what used to be an open-aired courtyard, from which customers gained entrance to the five businesses. A perimeter of alert City Watchmen stands guard against looters and curiosity-seekers, while several well-dressed men and women huddle in a group, looking anxiously at the devastation.
According to the sign out front, Irefoot Hall used to house the following businesses: Madame Yvana’s (boutique of fine silk dresses), All That Glitters (Gem store owned by Magda Smirtrova), the Cherished Chelish (an antique shop specializing in antiques from the time of the Chelish invasion owned by Rav Kinmin), Leaps and Spells (the office of Master Trintarian, a wizard who specializes in selling teleports and other spellcasting services to the public), and Kovesna’s (an outlet for gold works fashioned by several of the city’s goldsmiths).
Rasil looked around from his seat atop the carriage, taking in the general scene in the hope of noticing anything peculiar (other than the partial ruin).
Simza chatted with the others on the short journey, but was somewhat distracted by the return of nervous excitement. It was their first case, and she was about to examine her first victim, which made her stomach churn somewhat.
When the carriage came to a stop she got out with all the others and took in the scene for a few moments, scanning the guards, spectators, and building itself. It wasn't hard to guess who the well dressed group was.
As her gaze settled on the damaged, and sagging building she turned to Issecran. "What do you think? Is it likely to fall down on us?" she asked, since he had seemed to indicate previously that he understood such things.
Just as Simza asks, a small chunk of debris breaks free of the collapsed roof, crashing down and sending a cloud of dust into the air.
Issceran paused to look over the site, arms folded across his chest with one hand stroking his chin. Right after Simza spoke, part of the roof caved in and he held his hand to his mouth as not to breathe in the dusty air. "I think it did," the elf said with a chuckle as the air began to clear. He coughed a little bit before waving his hand at the air.
He took special attention to the building, beginning to take his paces around its perimeter. He sounded thoughtful, murmuring as he appraised the damages and tried to think of text-book examples of how the structual integrity could be compromised to result in this disaster.
Afterwards he paused to look over the small crowd of well dressed men and women, no doubt shop owners. He tried to discern if any of them were familiar to him or if he had associated with them in the past.
"Oh dear..." Simza murmured as the debris fell. They would have to be careful investigating this building then. She watched Issecran walk off to check out the building more closely, and pulled the wallet with their identification from her pack, slipping out the badge with a little thrill of excitement, before returning the wallet to her pack, and hefting it back onto her shoulders.
"Rasil, shall we find whoever is in charge of the guards and present ourselves officially?" she suggested to the gnome.
Perception check:
Edit: Barin grunts uncommiatally at Simza's remarks, when the group reaches Irefoot Hall he looks around without any apparent interest in the debris:"That could actually be a good idea, better to let them know we are here to solve this and we are not just some looter gang"
The gnome looked to both Sizma and Barin. "Excellent idea! Let's go ask that constable over there."
Rasil strode purposefully over to the nearest constable. He presented his newly minted badge. "Good morning to you, good sir. Can you direct us to the officer in charge?"
"You found him. MSI, is it? We were told to secure the scene and wait for your arrival."
"Excellent! This is Simza Caulmo, Barin Orcbane, Issceran, Vic Audalan, and I'm Rasil Bathbone! And your name good sir?"
Without pausing the gnome added, "Also, can you direct us to the deceased night guard. Um--and what was his name?"
"Brynden Flynn, sir. The night watchman, I mean. I'm Ky Willers. I can take you to the body,if you want, though watch your head. Some stuff is still falling."
Issceran heads off around the building, attempting to determine the cause of collapse. All he can think of off the top of his head would be either a failure of the foundation, or a really big battering ram, and he doesn't notice evidence of either at the moment.
As for the well-dressed folks, he can pretty much put two and two together and identify them as the owners of the businesses of Irefoot Hall. Of the lot, only Trintarian is at all familiar, and only by reputation as a gruff and grumpy wizard who hires out to teleport people where they need to go, all the while making it clear that such a menial task is well beneath him. He is known to be especially condescending towards fellow, but less-experienced wizards, and he does not suffer fools well at all.
"Pleased to meet you Ky Willers. Although I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Yes, lead us to poor Mister Flynn."
"Certainly." Officer Willers leads you carefully through the rubble of the central courtyard (Room A on the map that's on the website) to the northwest corner, the worst of the devastation. A pair of legs peek out from beneath a pile of rubble and a rather large roof beam.
Rasil looked around the courtyard, examining the area as he waited for Simza's verdict. Of course, I looks like we'll need to excavate Mister Flynn before she can start working!
After he inspected the building and took a look at the people present, Issceran returned to join the rest of the MSI team. He looked to the guard and nodded as Rasil acted as the 'face' of the party, following as the guard guided them to the body. "I can't really tell why or how this building collapsed," he spoke with a frown. He rapped his fingers on his satchel as he sniffed the air and looked into the shops that had been affected by the collapse.
As Rasil has a look see around the body, he notices that, although the beam looks very heavy and capable of crushing and pinning a man, the beam doesn't actually quite touch what he can see of the body. There's a lot of small pits of rubble on the body, but none of the pieces look big enough to have crushed him either, unless one made a direct hit on his skull (which you can't see without removing the body). It doesn't look like it will actually be that hard to pull him out.
The gnome's sharp eyes also notice something else. Twin furrows in the debris lead from the man's heels and back towards the main entrance. A single, larger and winding furrow is partially masked by the other two.
"Look at this! It appears that Mister Flynn was drug from the entrance to his current location--after the collapse!"
"Also, something else left a trail as well. Before the guard was moved, as his drag marks partially obscure it." Rasil moved along side the furrows as he talked, pointing them out to his fellow investigators to illustrate his point.
Rasil is unable to decide where the tracks actually start, as the random bootprints of the Watchmen obscure them beyond a few feet.
Issceran took a look at the footprints that Rasil pointed out, looking to see where it appeared the guard was dragged. He looked around, realizing they had all (and the guards) ruined the ability to follow the tracks. He continued to frown, his eyes on the floor a while longer. He glanced to Simza and then spoke up, "Miss Caumlo, would you offer your expertise on the corpse?" He offered her a reassuring smile before he took a knee next to Brynden Flynn. He looked at the dead man with a look of pity. He felt sorry for the man's life having been snuffed out.
"Poor man," he spoke in a low voice.
With an exaggerated sigh, Rasil said, "Unfortunately, I can't tell where they start, as they've been obscured by the foot traffic since the event."
Hardly missing a beat, Rasil turned back to the guard's body. "Don't move him yet!"
The gnome waved his hand and muttered some strange sounds, and suddenly his walking stick glowed with a soft light.
Rasil hunkered down on the floor near the guard's feet and carefully inserted his walking stick under the rubble, examining the now lit area carefully.
Having a good look underneath, Rasil can see that, despite all he previously discovered about the rubble and the body, the group will still have to be careful when removing the body not to dislodge more debris, possibly contaminating the corpse for evidence, or worse, creating a dangerous situation.
"Hmm..." Rasil said. "It looks like it's going to be tricky getting Mister Flynn out without causing more damage. Is anybody good at doing that sort of thing?"
Things moved rather fast after they entered the building, and Simza couldn't help being taken aback slightly at the sight of the legs sticking out from under the debris. As such Rasil got to things first and seemed to come to the conclusion that the guard was not crushed in the collapse, and she couldn't help feeling relieved, that would make her task a bit less grizzly. As Issecran asked her opinion she hunkered down near the body to examine what she could see for herself. She smiled up at Rasil as he lit the area, and then examined the body and surrounds, softly murmuring a prayer to Pharasma as she cast a spell to help guide her efforts.
"No, not really Rasil. Could we not move some of the debris off of Mr. Flynn instead of trying to pull him free? Whatever we do should not be done in haste..." she again looked to Issecran for guidance. She had no practical experience in such matters, but was wary of dislodging more debris, or else making the situation worse.
Barin gets close with Rasil:"What sort of thing? If you mean keeping that beam up there steady I can try, but by the looks of it I can't promise I'll be able to keep it stable for long"
"Well, Barin, Simza, I think those ideas have a lot of merit, but I only know a little about architecture."
Turning to the elf, Rasil asked, "So, Issceran, would it be feasible for Barin to brace that beam while we remove some of the debris? Or will that simply collapse it?"
"Um, I think it will be fine," he said after glancing up to the beam. He shrugged and offered a weak smile before looking down to the body. He glanced to everyone else before setting his hands on the body. He looked to everyone else to make sure that they were ready.
Simza gently laid a hand on Issecran's shoulder. "As I suggested before, we shouldn't rush things unnecessarily. I am as eager to find out what happened as everyone else, but haste will only muddy things further, as we can see from how the drag marks have been obscured by our own footsteps." she observed, thinking deeply for a few moments as she considered other options. "If only we could move the body without disturbing the debris..." she murmured, looking at the others for any suggestions. "I don't suppose you've mastered a spell for teleportation Issecran?" she asked with a slightly wry smile.
"When I prepared my spells this morning, I did not anticipate field work so my spells may not be the most useful today," he admitted. Like the gnome had done, he picked up a rock and spoke in a foreign tongue. A moment later the stone shone brightly and he handed it to Simza.
"Take this," he said, standing as he looked at the beam. "In a worst-case scenario, it would fall down and bring the roof with it, killing us all. We do need to load the body up onto the carriage, though."
He set his hand on his hip and touched a finger to his chin. He made a distinct Hmmm sound. He wished he had more spells and thought maybe with his new position, he could gain access to a few scrolls. He sighed, muttering in his native tongue.
Simza nodded her head as Issecran admitted he hadn't been expecting field work this morning. Simza certainly hadn't expected as swift a response from the Captain as she received, and even if she had of she couldn't have anticipated their first case would occur so swiftly; he hadn't actually answered her question however. She took his glowing stone as he passed it to her, and held it out to the beam, frowning at his observation.
"That is what I'm concerned about." she agreed. "Perhaps we should examine the rest of the building first before attempting the task. As much as I dislike leaving Mr Flynn here, a few more minutes will not greatly harm his remains, but if we do cause a further collapse we may lose more evidence than just his body." It was difficult for Simza to take such a stance, and she hoped the night guard's soul would forgive her, but she had been preparing for this long enough that she knew some sacrifices would need to be made, including, potentially to her own dignity and morals. She glanced sideways at Issecran as she heard his prayer to his god, but politeley did not intrude.
"Ahem. Yes, well, perhaps waiting would be best Simza."
Turning to include everyone, Rasil said, "Should we examine the rest of the building before attempting to remove Mister Flynn's body?"
"It may be a good idea to talk to the shopkeeps," Issceran chimed in, glancing up. "Since this is one of two sites to have suffered some sort of collapse, we need to work on looking at the web and where everyone stands to work on making connections." He nodded and glanced to Rasil before he stepped out, his expression perplexed. He had only investigated the exterior but he hadn't looked through the interior of the building.
"I'll be right back, I want to give the inside a good look..."
"Sounds good Issceran. I'll examine Madame Ivana’s Boutique. It seems to have suffered badly." Rasil carefully made his way into the shop to look around.
Rasil finds plenty of dusty and torn dresses, crushed hats, and otherwise ruined once-fine clothing. While not fancy enough to interest some of Magnimar's true elite, the clothing is quite acceptable for a wealthy merchant's wife or minor noble on a stipend.
Which shop is Issceran investigating?
"We're more likely to be successful if we work together, rather than scattering through the building." Simza suggested practically as she followed Rasil into the Boutique, casting her gaze around.
Simza shook her head slightly at all the ruined finery. It was certainly all much finer than anything she'd ever owned. She had some nice clothing but still there were a few items she would have loved to try on...