Median listened intently, but wondered if they shouldn't be investigating potion sellers like the one that L saw in her vision instead.
Owl nodded at the cleverness of using summoned creatures to clear the crowd. The skunk was a near universal deterrent to most people. Nobody wanted to smell that bad for days. One problem handled. As they opened the door and walked in, another problem presented itself. Owl had not yet had the honor to see or meet the sphinx since it disappeared. It was an impressive creature, both beautiful and deadly. He could see the claws and knew the kind of deadliness they posed. He let none of the awe reach his face though, instead switching to something more aggressive. "Yes, they've taken her in place of you," he says in an accusatory tone. "I don't know what kind of relationship you have for her to sacrifice herself for you but are you okay with letting this happen? Are you okay with watching someone die for you without saying a word? I heard you weren't exactly helpful when my associates first visited," he says indicating Tish. "I wouldn't go so far as to call you a suspect for the murders but your actions are defiantly suspicious." He gives her a scrutinizing look. The face was human but he wasn't sure if it's expressions would be similar enough to read.
Jherizhana seems to think deeply, and looks to you with a cautious stare.
"There is one thing, but it would not help Almara."
"We have told you all we can about the bodies, as that is all we know ourselves. And I say we, as the carnival is family. No, this secret I speak is a much more..... personal matter."
You smell a familiar perfume, one you recognise from the first night of the games you played, and one very seductive woman.
It is extremely hard to notice, but Jherizhana is definitely slightly smaller than last time. You almost couldn't tell with the confined space of the carriage room.
Irian rolls his eyes at the Sphinx's coy reply, remaining silent lest his companions chide him for another outburst. If it wouldn't help with Almara the warrior wasn't the least interested at the moment. Still, perhaps they would gain a scrap, a minor clue they had overlooked, if the sphinx continued her discourse. Nothing to it but to wait it out and see if anything came of it.
"If it can point us in the right direction, please tell us! We want to help, but we need you to work with us if we're going to be able to have a hope at all," Kali begs the sphinx.
Tell us your secret, Jherizhana. It is clear that you were not involved in these crimes. We want to help you.
Jherizhana looks at all of you, looks down in a sign of defeat, but finishes with a nod of affirmaiton. Then as if a light breeze passed through, Jherizhana fades away, the delicate features of her face staring at you as it disappears.
There's a rustling from wardrobe, and the wooden doors open and a slight, young woman steps out nervously. She's pretty to say the least, but the first immediate detail you notice is that she has the same face as Jherizhana.
"Our carnival's most well kept secret," she says, "Almara may never forgive me if the news get's out, nor would the townsfolk care. But I beg you, track down any lead you can, please save her life."
She looks tear-stricken.
Median goes over and gives the girl a big hug. We'll do everything we can to save Almara. she promises.
It takes Irian a moment to process that the Sphinx and the young woman are the same person/thing. The warrior thinks about it further, rubbing his chin. Finally, a thought occurs. "Perhaps this is an opportunity! Is there anyone from the town that can provide an alibi for this...version of yourself?"
Regardless, the young man is eager to clear Almara's name. To that end he wants to hunt down the few leads the group has left with the little time they have remaining.
The woman holds up her arms, and backs away, clearly against that idea.
"I keep myself hidden during shows, no one other than the other carnival workers knows that I exist, and it should remain that way! If this secret get's out, it would ruin us. The idea of a sphinx travelling with the carnival is our biggest draw."
"Well well well. We meet again. Your mastery of illusions is far better than I gave you credit for. I apologize for that," Owl says with a nod and a smile. "I am starting to wonder if these murders might have been less about blaming the whole thing on the carnival and more about revealing this secret. Getting at you and Almara. Tell me, does Almara have any enemies or rivals? Maybe a worker in the past that left under aggravated circumstances? She gave us the key to find you so she must have wanted you tell us something."
"Oh," Kali says, still trying to process what just happened.
"I can promise that I'm not going to tell anyone about this, but if we are to save Almara, Owl's right, we need everything you can tell us about what may be going on. Any leads at this point would help, since the ones about the Skulks and Shiver have all met unfortunate ends."
I think Almara just wanted us to protect the poor girl and the Carnival itself, which would go under if she were exposed.
Leaving her friends to question the girl, and breathing a little bit better outside the crowded wagon, she tries to think of where in town she could go to find someone who sold potions or something that looked like them. Where was the local market? Had she seen it on her brief excursions around town, or heard people mention it?
Unable to remember anyone mentioning a market or a potion seller (other than Laetitia), she starts asking around.
Gather Information:
"Then what do we do," Kali asks, looking utterly lost.
Not understanding the priority of putting the Carnival over the life of Almara, but knowing he shouldn't press with his more social companions there, the warrior steps out with Median to assist in her efforts. He certainly couldn't let her wander alone in this town, now could he?
As she starts to ask after potion sellers, the young man tries his best to look personable at her side, winking at the ladies and giving the men an amiable handshake.
She seems to shy away from Owl, though her face reddens.
"Everyone does multiple jobs to earn their keep. I find keeping myself hidden, or at least veiled, helps with my confidence. But I am Ika. As I know your names, it would only be fair to give you mine."
At the mention of past workers, Ika shakes her head.
"The carnival has been a blessing to everyone who has come and gone. Most find reprieve wile other's find a home. Their are arguments as any family might have, but none would blame Almara for their lot in life."
Median leaves the party to do a bit of reconnaissance of her own. With Irian to help smooth some conversations over with his natural charm and genial wit, you begin toapproach the workers and townsfolk that braved the rumors to look at the carnival. Asking around, she is informed that there was a potion seller, a young woman who was quite skilled. She learns her name is Robella Monchello and was last seen closing shop and making a delivery to Braeton Manor. That was yesterday, and she hasn't been seen since.
That was certainly an understatement. The woman before him was several orders of magnitude less confident than the seductress he met the first day of the carnival. Unfortunately, that wasn't a helpful answer. Owl made sure to keep his disappointment off his face. Almara really did drop the key just to make sure we protected her. Or maybe for another reason. "Unfortunately that doesn't help the case we have going. But this revelation does open an opportunity that you should think of. Were you to revel to the sheriff that the Sphinx is an illusion, then the whole case against you falls apart. The people are scared of the sphinx because they thought it killed some people. Were they to find out it isn't real, it might convince them to stop this rioting and focus on the real culprit. Sure it might mean hard times for your carnival but at least no one will die."
Owl hoped she took the offer as it would at the very least buy some time. The people were still angry but he might be able to shame them enough to stop. Plus she was extraordinarily pretty and shy. That always garnered sympathy. But they'd have to approach the sheriff first and secretly.
Median thanks Irian for helping her, certain that she had been fumbling it before he came.
After they find out about Robella Monchello, she goes back to the wagon, opens the door as quietly as possible, and motions Laetitia to come out (so as to not disturb Owl's questioning). If she agrees, she fills her in on what they found and asks
I was wondering if you would come to Robella's shop with us to see if it is the place you saw in your vision. People are saying they haven't seen her since yesterday, so I don't think that we will encounter resistance. If it is the place, then we might have something to go on.
Irian stands to the side with beefy arms crossed as Median pulls Tish out of the wagon. He listens to the priestess's words, adding, "And the last place she was seen was making a delivery to Braeton Manor. A name we've heard before, surely." The warrior seemed quite proud of his ability to connect those dots, leaning against the wagon with a smug smirk.
"That is if they believe me," Ika reminds him. "A mob is not one for reason that must be thought through. They will have their blood one way or another. If not from Almara, I fear they may come to set fire to the troupe."
It is clear that the revealing the trick of the troupe is the absolute last thing that Ika, Almara, and the troupe want to the point that Almara is willing to die for it.
"Though, I offer my services as a mage. I can send and receive messages from most folks as I have met them during my side job. I hope you can resolve this."
"Me too," Kali says before leaving to find the others.
They really are all con artists.
In a state of silent disbelief since this Ika's revelation, Tish listens with half an ear to the conversation taking place within the cabin. Whatever energy she might have spent thinking of probing questions for the girl is instead diverted to keeping herself from strangling her, the hard feelings Tish held toward the sphinx immediately finding a new target in the illusionist and further compounded by the belief that she and Almara have been intentionally wasting their time.
Glad to have an excuse to leave the wagon before she says something she won't regret, Tish follows Median outside at the woman's behest. By increments, the irritation she had been stewing in ebbs as the pair share their findings. So much so that she doesn't feel the urge to cut Irian off at the knees for his smug look, though the look she gives him in return does leave quite a bit of warmth to be desired. After all, self-satisfaction was her thing.
"Nice work," she says mildly, the two words devoid of the usual sharpness she's known for. But she follows it by shaking her head at Median's suggestion. "We've spent this entire investigation two steps behind the murderers. The only way I see that changing is if we stop wasting time being so careful. If this Robella owns a potion shop and was last seen visiting the Braeton Manor, that's enough for me to suspect her. This backwoods village is too small for it to be a coincidence. We should head to Braeton's."
Median, who had been intentionally trying to avoid Braeton Manor, and thought she had done well in ignoring Irian's mention of it, is deflated that Laetitia, too, wants to go to the place that the planted clues were leading them.
With only an uneasy feeling about the "evidence" of the note, she knows she doesn't have a leg to stand on, and so she says Great idea.
We need to get the others for that though, just, um, on the off chance that the Braeton note was planted on the body like the card was. That is a place where they could know we are coming.
Irian winces, of course they were being led there, big dumb oaf. Better to leave the thinking to the others. His strong point was his sword arm, not his thought capacity. Still, they could always backtrack to the potion seller's later, should it be a bust. It wasn't like they were on a schedule or anything...wait...
If Tish notices Median's hesitance about visiting the Manor, she doesn't comment on it. She does, however, appear to notice a hint of sarcasm from the priestess's response and Irian's wince if the way she eyes the two for a few moments longer than comfortable is any indication. Again, rather than comment on it, she instead gives the both of them a curt nod. "I'm glad we're in agreement," she says, only half true. Honestly, it mattered little to Tish if the others agreed with her plan or not. It was nice to have their support, but as far as she was concerned, they all owed her after disregarding her thoughts about going to the skulk lair. It was high time they went with one of her ideas.
Moving back to the wagon, Tish pounds on the door with a closed fist, venting her irritation and pettily hoping she gives the Ika girl a bit of a scare. Then, throwing open the door, she notifies the others. "Are we done here? We have a lead on one of the people involved in the murders. The woman who runs the potion shop? She was last seen making a delivery to Braeton Manor."
Kali, who was about to open the door, falls forward at the sudden lack of a door to open. Her eyes widen as she flails her arms out hoping to catch herself, but only finding air. Fate once again proves to be unkind to Kali as she has just enough time to see who it is she's about to land on.
Oh gods! Why'd it have to be Tish!
With a mighty crash, Kali and Tish fall to the ground, Kali's face in the enchantress' bosom.
"Oof!" Not quick enough to sidestep the body that falls out of the carriage, Tish nevertheless manages to avoid the worst of outcomes by keeping her head from smacking the ground on the way down. Her look of surprise darkens to a scowl as she recognizes the figure sprawled on top of her is in fact Kali. Only the memory of their most recent altercation quashes her initial instinct to wrap hands around the tiefling's neck and throttle her to within an inch of her cursed life for her clumsiness. In a way, she figures being essentially tackled to the ground by Kali made them even.
So instead Tish's hands come to rest gently on the petite tiefling's shoulders. Too gently. Only moments after the deceptively companionable contact, Tish bucks, shoving/rolling Kali off of her chest and onto the ground beside her. The glare she levels at the other woman as she gets back to her feet is scathing, but nowhere near as heated as it would typically be considering the circumstances. Dusting herself off and setting her outfit to rights, Tish archly says, "Well, seeing as how you're still breathing right now and have full use of your faculties, you can consider that my apology for earlier."
Only after she's completely dusted herself off, taking care to make sure there's no dirt left on the seat of her leather pants, does she offer to help Kali up. "You would think someone so small would be a little graceful," Tish comments. Then, because she's Tish, she adds, "Or at least not so heavy."
Turning to the rest of group inside and outside the carriage, Laetitia goes on to share the news she had originally intended to bring up before blunder with Kali, her dark look daring anyone to comment on it. And Gods help whoever was foolish enough to laugh at her. "As I was saying, we have a lead on the woman's location."
"Little hard when someone throws open the door you're putting your weight into," Kali says. "I'm sorry and I would say we never speak of this, but I'm pretty sure everyone saw that."
The tiefling dusts herself off, then looks at Tish.
"Why would you do that just because I fell on you by accident. It's not like I go looking for ways to annoy you."
Please, can you two chill out? We have a job to do, and we don't have time for you to scratch each other's eyes out right now. Maybe later? Say 4:00, right after we catch the murderer?
She smiles.
Don't make me call in the skunks.
Irian can't help but smirk at the comic display, even with the gravity of the situation weighing on him heavily. He grins at Kali's comment about seeing the accident, nodding eagerly, but in general sighs as the two seem to be teetering on devolving back to bickering.
Their clerical ally's light-hearted comment hopefully soothed the situation. They didn't have time to see if it did, though, for they needed to get to Braeton Manor. Ummm, wherever that was...
"Er, right, sorry. Let's just go," Kali mutters as her face reddens even further.
Braeton Manor is a majestic looking estate for such a small village. It seems the rumors were true that clever working of the docks had made Arhaneem Braeton a rcih self-made man.
When you arrive, you don't see any staff outside, and approaching the front door you find it slightly ajar. The curtains to the front windows have all been pulled, though there are lights on upstairs.
Owl turns to the commotion and raises an eyebrow. He could well imagine how it happened but still his mind went somewhere completely different. He says nothing but files the thought away for later. He turns back to Ika saying, "If you are offering then, message the sheriff and tell her to stall. There has been a development in the investigation and we are looking into it. And keep in touch with us." He then hops down from the wagon and looks at the others. "There was a development yes?" he says, looking expectantly. When informed of Braeton Manor he nods and follows.
When they arrive, Owl looks at the manor, then looks at Lia, then back to the manor. Thanks for the obvious. When no one takes a step forward, Owl sighs and ghosts up the steps and peers through the window and the then the door. If there is no sign of movement or life he slowly opens the door and steps in.
"Well, looks like this is going to be a mess," Kali says as she readies her shield and draws her sword before following Owl in.
Hmmm, things looked awry here at Braeton Manor. Even the rather thick warrior wasn't surprised at the development. He drew his sword and shield, following Kali into the home. Hopefully they'd find the killer here, still tying up loose ends.
Median responds to Lia: No, it definitely isn't.
Despite being the one to push for coming to Braeton Manor, Tish is happy to let the two fighters enter the suspiciously quiet domicile ahead of her. With any luck, their clomping around in heavy armours would draw the attention of any occupants, giving her the opportunity to hide in the shadows. All the better to watch our backs she tells herself, and with her hand crossbow at the ready, she crosses the threshold.
Everyone who rolls perception doesn't see much in the sign of a struggle, but Median is just wary enough to look up as a small bag falls from the ceiling. She can the slight smoke trail behind it as it hits the ground and is able to shield her eyes in time as the flash powder goes off.
you hear doors burst open and even the doors behind you shut as someone slams them close and locks it quickly.
Out of the corner of his eye Irian sees smoke, and instinctively ducks his face behind his shield as the bright flash occurs. Well, it looked like it was an ambush, big surprise. A quick look at Median's scowl was enough to convince him to keep quiet during planning time in the future.
No time for that, though, at the present. The warrior straightens up after the initial blast, ready to meet their attackers.
Kali lets out a cry as the blast blinds her. Unable to see past the spots of brilliant black in her vision, she holds her shield and sword close lest she accidentally harm one of her companions.
"Can't see," she says to the others as she hears the doors and foot steps coming from all around.
Laetitia's cry of anguish is filled with more than a few colorful expletives. The explosion of light that banishes the shadows she had been trying to stick to takes her sight as well. Mindful to keep her finger off of the trigger of her loaded hand crossbow, Tish rubs at her eyes to soothe the searing pain and, hopefully, restore her stolen senses all the more quickly.
Owl has enough time to think, How'd I miss that? before the bag hits the ground and explodes in a blinding light. He rarely cursed his slightly more sensitive eyes but, internally, they were getting a verbal thrashing. He draws his shortword out of reflex and weaves it defensively before himself.
Order: Laetitia, Median, Owl, Enemy, Irian.
Those not blinded look around to see thugs surrounding them , clearly ready for their arrival. And then a perplexing sight. Owl, or someone who looks exactly like him is on top of the stairs, looking at you all with disdain (which might be normal, not sure what Owl's normal expression is). He just came out of a room (C10) and addresses the thugs in what sounds like Owl's voice.
"Slaughter these idiots and get to secure locations afterward. I've spared the children."
He smiles evilly, and the magic of his disguise fades away to reveal a handsome older man with a ponytail.
"After all, there's nothing more compelling than a living witness."
He turns back to call out to the children's room.
"Kids! I'm coming to protect you!" he calls out gallantly, and rushes into their room, the door closing with a clack.