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Keeping unconscious kid, while travelling into unfriendly city, wasn't best idea, so friends followed the initial plan of returning boy to a carnival first and then visiting a midwife.
Boys parents are very excited on his return alive. Before Pathfinder agents return him, they haven't noticed his disappearance, but when they found he was almost dead, they are grateful on his return. His father asks master Berthold to use his wand to cure the boys wounds and after first charge, child returns to consciousness. Milandru tells his side of story, about a local friend named Grayson. They spent some time together and Milandru started to learn his friend to juggle and rope walk. He hoped that Grayson would like to sneak away from a farm, where he was herding goose to Carnival and start rolling stone life, but they were seen together and ambushed. Milandru didn't see what happened to Grayson, because the burlap sack was on his face, but he sincerelly hopes his friend could ran away, while those guys were kicking him around until he felt.
This story makes his mother cry. After a moment, she understand that Pathfinder agents are those whom to be grateful for her child life. She takes a scarf she was hiding in a big chest for a special occasion and presents it to Madame.
- Please, take this scarf! This has been our family heirloom for several destinations. Hopefully, it will serve you well and you will pass this one to your kids or friends, teaching them kindness you demonstrated saving our son.
Item intricate design gives away the magic of old Varisian enchanters.
Soon after short feast about the boy saviors, team returns back to Ilsurian to get the latest news. There are rumors about Carnival supporters, who have assaulted a group of youngsters travelling in the middle of the forest and almost killed one of them. This guy is in a church for a best care, since he was almost on a line to a gray wasteland, when he was brought.
Midwife appears to be a harsh young lady of Chelaxian heritage. He looks at group suprised:
- Do you need my assistance?
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Keeled sits down, "Where to start. There was a murder of the local lockbox keeper made to look like a beast from the carnaval, and at the same time his shop was robbed. Later the local cleric was killed in the manner as the first guy, but we know it's not possible for the carnival's beast to cause such wounds. We are looking for someone who can somehow attack like a large lion type beast."
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Madame takes the scarf, betraying a look of uncertainty. She finally responds A gracious future for the bearer of this gift. A tradition will be upheld, this heirloom passed from Varisian to Varisian.
She then turns on the midwife You assist in giving life, will you assist in preventing death?, then adding to Kelee's words: What cub has turned into a lion?
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- Ilsurian always been a nice place. We've been keen to remember that it was founded by First Sword of the Knights of Aroden. Lots of families here keep their heritage and can trace their past back to soldiers of Ilsur's army. We rarely see new people here and most of them are trying to prove they have that old Chelish spirit in them, spirit that was making Chelian Empire great. I haven't heard ever that one been transforming into the beast, except some drunkards that are shapechanging into pigs, when they get to shiver, - she stopped for a moment and then continued, - I would like to help you, but I don't know about beasts much. If you say, Carnival beast is out of suspicion for those murders, than probably you should look for other. As you see, we mostly rely on fishing, than on hunt, so you wouldn't find any exotic animals in Ilsurian. Speaking about magic, there is weird stuff in Robella's Shoppe. She gathers strange antique stuff, might be she can help you with something.
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Robella's Curiosity Shop was a small trading post hidden near the south border of the town, not far from docks. Despite the common expectations, shop was stuffed with shelf after shelf of odd, mostly useless items. Smoking pipes, chess boards and other uncommon staff was lost between countless pairs of boots, blocks, ropes, bottles. Owner, dark-haired chelaxian woman in late 30th, named Robella was standing in the far corner with a big book in her hands.
- Hello! Are you looking for something specific? Ask first, I might have it in the storage.
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"A series of murders, being pinned on some Carnival folk but it's clear there's a lot more to it. A mutual friend of ours, a certain midwife, she pointed us in your direction as someone who might help clear the air" Philthy then notes the unclear air from his cigar smoke "Reckon you might have seen or heard something suspicious"?
Diplomacy
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- Midwife just hates me, because I asked my price for the thing she wanted and not the one, she was willing to pay. She makes you think I am somehow related to that Carnival, but I am not. Carnivalers were buying a usual stuff: bracelet of charms, several bags of shiny stones & glass beads, several healing potions, as well as other common things.
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- That's for sale. Only several pages contains some records, but four dozens are empty. Don't expect me to go lower than 10 gold pieces, but I will consider oddities you have for sale, if any, - owner answered about her wares.
Keelee could find a contact with Robella and she answered honestly:
- I do expect nothing good from them. Where they come, something always happens, so I cannot wait for them to be driven out of Ilsurian and we all return to old business
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Keelee continues to speak with the woman, "I suspect they will be leaving as soon as the murder is found. Do you know of anyone who would want to kill Mr. Archivin Walder, the owner of the Locked Box?"
Remembering something about the item the group was sent to retrieve, she ask the shop owner "There is an item you might help us with. With all the deaths lately we are looking for nice funeral urn, have you come across any such items lately?"
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- I will not long, when they gone. Carnivals are always bringing troubles. I've heard that people seen the shadow of their sphinx-woman, flying over the farm. Probably, they let her roam in the night, when noone can see her. And noone knows, what she is doing, while she is free. I think, sphinx is a reason for all the recent murders here.
She paused to have a sip from a big tankard on her desk:
- About Archivin... Old man.. He was nice money-lender - ruthless, harsh. Lots of people borrowed money or used his vault to store things and found themselves in quite a bad situation. But he never hurt anyone or traded away people's secret. He knew how to wait and always won. This means a lot in this town.
She looked around her shelves.
- I haven't seen them lately. Fiery funeral isn't used here. Ilsurian is all about remembering old times. Like in old ages, we bury our people at cemetery. Those that can affort even build monuments and mausoleums. If someone had something like that for sale, it probably might be bought by Walders. Have you asked his wife?
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- I wouldn't lie to you, - her smile was quite cold, - there are bad places here, like shiver den. I don't know much about Nisku, they are very strange. Some cheap booze is traded in a docks and probably nobody will ask there "Where did you got that nice necklace from?" if they see a good deal. We even had some mean fights last Cayden's Day. But people still behaved themselves as civilized men, not as ruthless beasts, that are willing to kill for a shiny bead. And now, Varisians came, and we lost our... dignity. I think Sheriff will order them to get out of the city and it will return back to normal.
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Keelee nods "Shiver den and docks you say, Maybe worth it to ask a few questions there. Thanks."
Unless others have further business with Robella, Keelee is keen to move on. Once outside the curio shop, she comments to the others "I remember the Nisku said they usually got paid in gold and Shiver for the loot they stole. It's too convenient that Archivin Walder was killed/robbed on the same night his shop was broken into and robbed. We go find this den, ask a few questions about who payed shiver to the Nisku and if anyone tries to kill us we know we are on the right track."
Keelee leads the party to the docks to find the Shiver den.
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Despite the late hours, docks were quite busy: some ships arrived just before sunset and people were still hauling crates and barrels. But, not everyone there were working, some were standing aside, looking enviously to the one's that work. As they said, they haven't got lucky during todays work draw and couldn't get job for Arhaneem, but they will be glad to take a spot if one of the workers slip of the gangboard.
They pointed out the way to a shiver den - rotting shack on the north-east part of the city. Dozen hammocks strung up in this place. Some fishers and traders are there half-lost in their drug infused dream. The drug is not sold here, but looks like that people that have it, come here to enjoy it in peace. Some of those addicts have deep cuts on their wrists - places they got the drug to kick in, other - dark-yellow teeth from chewing the stuff.
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Camaenor walks through the shiver den, touching each addict and almost listening for a moment before moving on. Twice he stops - the first time he whispers an arcane word and the man, who was pale and shaking from the drug, settles down into a peaceful sleep, some color returning to his skin.
The second time Camaenor stops, a similar sequence of events unfold. If anyone checked on the second man, however, they would not be able to find a pulse or detect a breath. Still, he looked more peaceful than before and had the appearance of a deep sleep.
Camaenor returns to the group and mumbles something about attending to his master's flock...
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Despite her best attempts, Keelee could only get a vague description, that there are some boys in the docks, that can ship you the right stuff if you have something good to pay with. They usually take jewelries, but are okey with fine-crafted weapons or other valuable stuff. Or gold if you have one.
One of the addicts shared that sometimes you get high on this stuff and sometimes it just crushes you, sending colorful dreams and beautiful numbness around your body. Since there is no way to predict, who will it last, people tend to find quiet place to smoke or scratch it in and they come to this barn. There are were more barns, but sheriff tends to find them and close. Or she set an ambush and then guards take away the stuff.
With nice set of clues and hints, tired from running around city and trying to get a word out of unfriendly audience. Pathfinders returned back to their tavern, to grab an evening meal and cup of beer.
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The following morning Ayla can be found sitting at the tavern's bar with some soup and bread. He sister's sitting next to her, but Layla's not eating anything.
"You think we should go back to that barn we visited yesterday evening?" Ayla asks when her allies have also started their breakfast. "I don't really know where else we could go for more clues."
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The evening came and friends went to a tavern for an evening meal.
Sitting behind the table, they put their thoughts together:
There were two murders in the Ilsurian, which started together with Carnival opening. All of the murders are related to Carnival - both happened at the Carnival grounds. The Carnival owner, miss Almara Delisen, claims that none of the Umbra people or Sphynx are connected to the murders. She asked Pathfinders to find the murder and claim her carnival name clean. Starting investigation team found, that after the first murder, the keys victim had on his body dissapeared and were given to local skulks for heist by a man with fake beard.
People of Ilsurian are quite agressive against the Carnival and only with Pathfinder help the violence was stopped.
But meanwhile, in the sphinx tent were killed another local. The second victim, Esrelda Woodmere, were the town cleric of Erastil. Being first at the murder scene, Shasta found some interesting vials with some alchemical residues. Following the tracks before the crowd appeared Keelee could find clown costumes, probably belonging to someone who was blamed for pick pocketing.
Because Sheriff concluded that cleric was killed by massive feline creature, she blamed Carnival and gave them several days to pack their stuff.
Meeting with Sphinx went OK, she claimed her innocence: no point of her to kill people with her claws, when he take a knife and make it look as the human did it. Asking around town didn't brought much help, but Pathfinders were able to save Carnival kid's life.
Following the prophecy, team followed to midwife and visited several dirty places: docks, filled with some drunken sailors and porters and shiver den. Except those, they saw no massive feline beast or man with a fake beard, so returned for a good night sleep.
New day started with a new rumors in the eating hall that someone saw a massive feline shadow flying over the Statue of Ilsur with a sheep in her claws. But there was no chance to discuss the details of a drunk halucinations, because the kid appeared, claiming that there is third dead body and this time it happened to be in town.
Town of a man in mid-forties is hung from a tree near the river. It is suspended by the neck from a dirty and torn Varisian scarf. His eyes have been gouged out, his mouth is stuffed with rafs and his left hand has been severed at the wrist and is missing. Sheriff invites party to come closer, and shows the sheet of paper, pinned to his body's shirt and stained with blood. It has words in Varisian written with large letters:
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I see a crime of hate, a terrible mutilation. I see Varisian hand, I see Varisian clothing, I see Varisian temper. Who is this man, that he must die? Did he see things that were not to be seen? Say things that were not to be said? Touch things that were not to be touched?
The Madame has a look at the scarf, seeing if she can recognise the nature of the dirt.
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Know Local - Take 10 =17
Pereption - Take 20 = 22
Survival
Philthy looks around for any footprints then goes over the body carefully, checking for any obvious injuries before checking he body for anything out of the ordinary, checking the pockets, and even in the shoes.
He looks at the hand, the eyes, and the stuffed mouth and anything else that stands out, and tries to remember if any of these things were regionally significant.