After you finish your breakfast and make your way toward the circus, you can't help but notice there's a decidedly less festive air to the town. When you arrive at the circus, the carnival has not opened for the day’s business yet. Almara waits beside a large private wagon with an adjoining blue tent whose sides have been removed to form a canopy, and chairs are arranged around a nearby campfire. She greets you warmly but with a businesslike air, and after a brief introduction gets to the reason for her invitation.
“I appreciate your efforts yesterday in the regrettable incident with our...dragon. Now we could use your help with another matter. You may have heard there was a murder in town last night. The circumstances, I am told, implicate someone from my circus—-something I find very hard to accept. I’d like to contract you to represent the Umbra Carnival to determine who is really responsible and preserve our reputation.”
"The body of Archivin Walder--a local shopowner and money lender, I believe--was found this morning just south of the carnival. He died violently, cut to shreds as if by large claws--it happened some time well after we had shut down for the night. I can assure you that Jherizhana did not do this. I know this for a fact, though I cannot provide any actual proof. I need you to find out what really happened. If you can find conclusive proof of the identity of whoever did kill Walder, we'll pay you 600gp."
"If you are willing to take on this task on behalf of the Umbra Carnival, I'll sign and seal this for you." She holds up an official looking writ legally designating you to act on behalf of the Carnival.
"This should help you when dealing with the Sheriff. I don’t believe Sheriff Feldane is an unjust woman, but I think she’s under greater pressure to keep the peace than to find the guilty. After all, my people aren’t her first concern. My belief is a third party investigation stands a better chance of clearing our good name than the local constabulary. It might be a good idea to seek her out as soon as you leave the Carnival, so she's aware of your investigation. And of course, feel free to speak to any of my people that you'd like. I've already spoken with the entire crew, and nobody saw or heard anything. What say you, will you help the Umbra Carnival clear its good name?”
"As the writ clearly states," and with that she looks at the Chellaxian Eroil with a bit of disdain before holding out the writ for Eroil to read, while turning to Ankird and Aurk and offering a hopeful smile "if you find conclusive proof of the true identity of the killer, you get the gold. While I'm certain it won't be one of my people, if you can prove otherwise, you'll still get paid. What we need are heroes who are brave, strong, resourceful and observant. You two have already proven your meddle to my satisfaction." She nods appreciatively at Aurk and Ankird. "It's just as well you have a Chellaxian with you, given the bias of this town. I'm sure she has her uses... Shall I sign this writ for you? Will you come to our aid?"
maps & images for Murder's Mark
The writ indeed seems fairly straightforward. You are duly appointed independent investigators hired by the Umbra Carnival to find out the true identity of the murderer(s). And regardless of whom they might be, you will get paid if you find proof conclusive enough for either Almara OR a duly appointed justice of the peace. While there are appropriate disclaimers, it doesn't even require your signature--just Almara's, as owner and proprietor of the Umbra Carnival.
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I, for one, have no interest in being involved with anything that could savage a man badly enough to kill him, let alone seeking it out. I shall return to town and await the investigation's conclusion. I have studies to undertake anyway. If you can find someone to take my place they can have it, and my share of the reward. Simiel leaves the tent, goes around behind the wagon and into a copse of trees near by.
About a minute later a cloaked figure appears. He has dark make-up on his face around his eyes and it extends down over his cheeks also. He walks with a swagger and seeing a group of people standing nearby under the blue tent he wanders over. His raspy voice comes from within the dark hood What goes on here?
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"Well, my mysterious friend," Almara says. "These brave folk are about to undertake a bold quest in search of the truth, no matter what hardship or obstacle is in their way. Isn't that right, Sir Ankird the Bold and Aurk the Adventurous? Perhaps you could aid them in this quest?"
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"Oh, a murder! I simply must see the corpse." The odd little dwarf claps his hands and bounces on his heals, barely restraining himself from rushing off to find the body. "Cut to shreds, you say? Were they all vertical, horizontal, or diagonal? Or were they just a chaotic medley of overlapping gore? Did he just lay there and die or was their signs he tried to drag his own bleeding weight in search of help?"
"Yes, yes, we're glad to help! he says distractedly, thinking of the corpse. But the appearance of the newcomer jars him back to reality. Undead sometimes cloak themselves that way to protect themselves from the sun or to hide their appearance from others. Most don't realize that they stink. A lone figure coming to check on the investigation? It could be the very creature who slew the moneylender.
"Oh, hello sir. Have we met? You may call me Rumple." As he approaches the newcomer, offering his hand (undead often have cold skin) he is also clearly 'sniffing'
While Rumple initially finds the handshake a bit cold, his excitement quickly fades as he realizes it's just the cold haughtiness of an elf...come to think of it, Simiel was an elf as well. Hmmm....
Centimere trots forward and begins nuzzling Dexus Imperator in a friendly manner, as if he's spent a number of days traveling with the elf and knows him well...which does seem a bit odd.
Struggler should also know!
Indeed, the cat begins rubbing against Dexus legs, his tail "accidentally" flicking across Centimere's snout as he works around the back of the legs
Again, you notice there is definitely more of a subdued air to among the townsfolk as you make your way to the Town Jail, and more than one distrustful glance comes your way as outsiders, although the looks are more fleeting when they notice Eroil among you. Inside the jailhouse, you see a woman in her early 40s wearing light armor, shuffling through some paperwork at her desk. She instroduces herself as Sheriff Kyra [sic.] Feldane, and asks your business. When you explain your presence and produce Almara Delisin's letter, the sheriff breaks the seal and carefully reviews it. With a nod she looks up.
"Before I share any information, understand first and foremost, as duly appointed representatives of the Umbra Carnival, any actions you take will reflect on the carnival as well. Understood?" She pauses for a moment until at least one of you nods. Then she continues.
"The first victim was Archivin Walder, the town moneylender and sometimes pawnbroker who owns a local business called the Locked Box. Walder was found mauled while walking to his home after the circus last night. Walder’s wife discovered the body in a small wooded area not too far from the Carnival." She pauses and points to a location on the town map hanging on the wall.
See Maps & Images
"When he never came home, Agnes Walder became worried and begged her husband’s four full-time guards who live at the Locked Box for help. Three of them left their post to search, and one guard stayed behind to secure the office. Thieves, presumably in league with the creature that killed Walder, burst into the Locked Box, killed the remaining guard, and stole many easily carried valuables (such as gems and jewelry). The robbery was interrupted when the guards brought Walder’s body to the office instead of his home, and they glimpsed two humanoid figures fleeing in the night. Upon finding the guard dead and the building burglarized, the three remaining guards secured the building until I could be notified."
"To be honest with you, I'm not convinced a creature from the circus is responsible for the murders. While Walder was clearly mauled by a large creature with immense claws--" at that she pauses and sizes up Struggler before muttering "too small" to herself before continuing "it's also clear the robbery is tied to his murder. And if the circus wanted to pull off a heist, why do it on the first night of their run? Wouldn't they have waited until they were getting ready to leave town? Besides, Ms. Delisin strikes me as an honest sort." Then she heaves a great sigh. "That being said, the people of Ilsurian are fiercely independent and can be quite reactive...even impulsive. I need to find the culprits sooner, rather than later. Anything you could do to help that would be appreciated, but understand, I need to get to the bottom of this. If you can find me conclusive proof of the identity of the murderer, I'd be much obliged."
She stands up and straps on her weapons belt. "I suppose you'll be wanting to visit the crime scenes? Where to first?"
The Sheriff leads you to the undertaker's office. Along the way, she notes the disposition of the citizenry. “The mood in town is sour. There are stories all over the place about a great four-legged beast flying over town last night after the circus closed down, silhouetted across the moon. Of course, I’ll be damned if I can find a single eyewitness who actually saw the sphinx, just rumors. Now poor Walder is left dead in some bushes. It’d be one thing if these deaths were incidental, but the robbery angle has people thinkin’ of a Sczarni heist. I’m not proud to say it, but this stirs a lot of unworthy opinions about Varisians. Ah, here we are...”
The sheriff leads you inside and introduces the party to the undertaker, and explains your arrangement with the carnival. She informs him to offer you complete cooperation. He leads you into his lab/morgue, where the two bodies are currently interred. A thorough examination of the bodies reveals Walder did indeed clearly die from the claws of a Large animal in a violent encounter. There are defensive wounds on his arms, where he tried to shield himself, but to little avail--the wounding was massive and his death was probably very swift. All the wounds and scratches are consistent with Large claws.
The dead guard has been slain by edged weapons-- two stabs in the back and a clean slice of the throat. There's no aura of magic nor evil on either body.
After bidding farewell to the undertaker, the Sheriff leads you to the Locked Box. It is a sturdy one-story building with 12' high ceilings. Sheriff Feldane brings you inside, where you find a teary-eyed older woman with 3 armed guards. The guards are quite tense and edgy when you first enter, but visibly relax when they spot the sheriff. Feldane introduces you to Agnes Walder, the freshly minted widow, and explains why you are there.
Lamps illuminate the large showroom. Glass display cases, broken in a few places, line the walls, while two additional cases sit like islands in the center of the room. The cases contain an eclectic mix of valuables such as unusual tools, masterwork weapons, jewelry, fine china, antiques, and artwork. A set of merchant’s scales rests on top of one of the display cases.
Map of LOCKED BOX
"It's my fault," Agnes Walder says, sniffing back her tears. "If only I'd've gone with him, he'd still be alive. But it just bothered me to think of being with him when he was ogling that winged she-lion whatsit—all that prancin’ about without a top on. But none a’ that would matter if only Archie was still here with me!” She starts sobbing again, and the guards move over to her to try and comfort her.
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Aurk opens his mouth to make a joke about naked furries, but stops himself at the last moment, realizing it probably is not the right crowd currently.
Aurk tries to comfort the woman with words. "We find killers and bring to sheriff to do her thing."
Looking around, "Everything stolen known or perhaps other stuff missing too?" He questions.
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Rumple's Take Twenty, which is so thorough even the undertaker gets a bit uncomfortable
The odd little dwarf hums quietly to himself the whole way to the Locked Box, having thoroughly enjoyed so much free time with the corpses. Once there, he lets the others go about their business of searching and such; he never was any good at that. Instead, he focuses on the poor widow. He tries to cheer her up with a lecture about the necessity of death. At first, it seems kind of cold, but there is a passion and tenderness in the way he speaks, kneeling in front of her, holding her hands in his.
At some point afterwards, it occurs to him that we were supposed to pick up something from this location. He voices the question to no one in particular, "Oh, weren't we supposed to pick up something from here?"
"Thank you for being so kind to a foolish old....widow. *sob* Please, if you could find who killed my Archie and killed poor Gloin, that's all that I ask. Gloin worked for us for more than ten years. He was such a kind soul..." The 2 guards pat her reassuringly, as the third guard--a portly fellow behind the counter--speaks up.
"If you have the claim ticket--or at least the item's inventory number--we could locate it for you. We keep most of the valuable stuff in the vault downstairs. Good thing we got here before the villains could fully loot the place." He takes your claim ticket and pulls out a ledger. He quickly finds the entry then walks over to a display case...a broken display case. "Ummm...I'm afraid it looks like the tiara is among the items that were stolen." He holds out the ledger and shows you that indeed the inventory number and item's location indicate that it was in this display case. "I'm certain once we sort all this out, we can offer you proper recompense...isn't that right, Mrs. W?" The widow doesn't seem to notice as she stares vacantly into space. After a brief pause, Bombur says, "It'll be fine. Mr. Walder always dealt fairly with folks, and that's not about to change."
With the ledger and the aid of Bombur you are able to quickly make a list of the items that are missing--mostly small items of jewelry, including the pearly tiara. Even as you finish the list, the widow finally rouses out of her melancholic stupor.
"What's that, Bombur? Yes, yes, of course. We'll pay for that, and more, if you can find the vile people who did this. Here's my master key--I suppose we'll need to change the locks, since we never found Archie's master key. Biffer, Boffer, why don't you show these gentlemen where Gloin was...where we found Gloin." They take the key lead you to the western door and open it up.
This area is the guard’s quarters. Two cots and a bunk bed sit in the room. Footlockers are tucked underneath the cots to store personal belongings. A table and chairs are in the room’s center, a well-used deck of harrow cards on the tabletop. A large, rusty red blotch remains on the floor where the guard’s body was discovered.
"We did our best to clean up Gloin's blood..." They hand over the master key and head back out to the showroom to comfort Agnes Walder.
Sheriff Feldane clears her throat. "One of these gentlemen should be able to show you where they found Archivin Walder's body. I should return to my duties. If you need me, or find any valuable proof of the indentity of the culprits, just come to the Town Jail. If I'm not there, one of my deputies will be." And with that, you're alone in the guards' quarters, with the spare master key to the place.
Dexus is fairly certain the large red blotch on the floor is a bloodstain...
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@GM Uktar, LOL!
Rumple sniffs the bloodstain and even tries to taste it. "They knew he was here! Glowin was stabbed in the back. He wasn't patrolling the grounds or investigating a break-in. He was right here, minding his own business. He was tougher than they planned for though, given that the wound in his back is not the only one he suffered." He pauses for a moment, thinking. "I wonder if he knew his attackers. Do you think one of the guards could have been bribed?"
He continues to wander around the room, wondering what else is wrong and probably getting in the way of those looking around. Suddenly he stops and spins in a circle counting the cots. "Four guards but only three cots?" He looks over to Ankird. "Is that kind of thing normal among guards?"
After more pacing, he pulls one more oddity out of the ether. "If the valuable stuff is kept downstairs, then why was the tiara up here?"
Indeed, it is blood, and its location seems consistent with someone sitting in the nearby chair, slumping to the floor and bleeding out there.
Bombur says, "We useta have four beds in there, but since one of us is always on duty, we decided to hot cot it, and moved out one of the beds so we'd have a little more space in our quarters. I'm guessing Gloin was just sitting there, whittling away with the door to our room open--he always liked to whittle to pass away the time. Then the vile backstabbers musta snuck up on him and killed him before he even knew what was happening. His small pocketknife and the arrow shaft he was working on was laying on the floor next to him, like he hadn't heard a thing..." He pauses for a moment, lost in a painful memory before shaking it off and continuing. "We was carrying Mr. W back from where we found"he lowers his voice and glances in Agnes Walder's direction "his body. We was surprised to see the front door of the store was open. Then we spotted a couple people running off to the East. They were too far away to get any kind of a look at them, and we were more worried bout what might've been going on inside. So we rushed in, saw the broken cases and the door to our quarters sitting open. By the time we spotted Gloin and came rushing back out, they were long gone. 'Twas an evil night that'll mar me forever..."
Agnes pipes up at the question about the tiara, "The tiara had been in our hands for quite some time, well after the 30-day grace period, so we had it on display to sell it. Honestly, it wasn't all that valuable. The pearls weren't exactly top quality--don't get me wrong. You have the claim ticket and the money to pay for it, it's yours...if we can find it."
"In general, there's nothing too valuable out here in these cases. Mostly just costume jewelry and semi-precious stones. And we don't have anything too rare in the vault, just goods of higher quality. Jewelry that's pure gold and platinum with diamonds and other valuable gems. Some quality masterwork weapons that are rotated with the ones on display. Archie's coin collection, although that's not really that valuable. He just collected coins from all over the world and kept them in our vault more to keep us from mistakenly selling it or giving it away as change. Oh, and there are a few boxes we store for local friends and associates, since it's the most secure vault in the city. Or at least we thought it was..."
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Not smart enough really to deal with the questioning or even follow along with their answers. Aurk heads to the exit and then examines the eastern area where the guards said they ran off to. He looks for any signs or tracks they may have made.
Not seeing anything but knowing they must of left some tracks in a hurry. Aurk this time spends some time looking for tracks.
Alas, it appears nobody stepped in the spilled blood, so there's no discernable trail. And since it's on a busy city street, no amount of looking around is going to be able discern one set of footprints from another on the well-worn road.
Bombur leads the group to the road just south of the Carnival, on the outskirts of town. He points to some bushes at the bottom of a gentle slope, then walks down to the bottom and points to an area behind the bushes. "I found him lying there, but the only reason I noticed was that a big chunk of his bright red cloak was tangled in the bushes in sight of the road."
As you examine the area, there's a lot of blood splattered about and a large area of the ground is soaked. While most of the party begins looking around for clues and tracks, Rumple takes meticulous care to measure the area of the main blood stain, then carefully examines all the blood spatters. "A lot of blood, to be certain, but I believe it was no more than the contents of one medium humanoid." Bombur turns a pale shade of green, and heads back up to the road.
Several of you notice signs of clawed tracks of a Large creature. There is no indication where the creature came from or where it went. The tracks just start out of nowhere—-as if the creature could have flown to the spot.
But Aurk also notices sections of the ground have been swept to remove tracks of humanoids while leaving just the paw prints. Furthermore, the clawed tracks are not leonine, and not nearly deep enough to belong to a creature as large and heavy as Jherizhana. Unfortunately, the trail of covered tracks simply leads back up to the hard-packed road, making standard tracking virtually impossible.
Eroil and Ankird attempt to get their furry friends to follow the scent from the area where the tracks were wiped. After a short while, Centimere begins to bound up the slope, with Ankird eagerly following along. Centimere comes to a halt in front of Bombur, and you realize he was just following the most recent scent that retreated up the hill. While you've gained some insight, the trail is cold. Bombur agrees to tell the sheriff about the clues you have found and heads back into the city.
You gather around the site of the large bloodstain and begin discussing various theories, but you're soon interrupted by the sounds of tumult coming from the road above. As you hurry up the slope, you encounter townsfolk rushing toward the carnival, saying something about a fight that's about to break out. The good honest folk of the town are complaining about cutpurses robbing them at the carnival. One fellow cries out, “The thievin’ Varisians are trying to bleed the town dry!” There's way too many grunts and shouts of assent for comfort.
You follow the rabble onto the carnival grounds where you spy four townsfolk facing off with two guards from the circus. While all are carrying deadlier implements, they only seem to have saps in hand. The situation hasn't turned lethal...yet.
A couple of the townies yell some unprintable epithets about the geneology of the Varisians, and another adds a suggestion they try something that's anatomically impossible.
The apparent leader of the townies ignores the dwarf and dismisses Dexus with a snarl, then angrily turns toward Eroil, but he quickly recognizes a fellow Chellaxian and his tone softens...a bit. "A bunch of honest, hardworking townsfolk have had their pouches and pockets lightened today, right here at this carnival. Bunch of thieving, no good dirty Varisians."