Kargas Stormscar |
Kargas frowns at Kellek for a moment before giving a curt nod. "Sure." Leaning out of the door he gestures Colvyn forward, then grabs one of the guards at the door by the sleeve and points toward the crown of locals with his chin. "Get these people out of here, we've got enough trouble without gawkers."
Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 Is this enough to give us a rough sequence of events? What door the killer came in through, who was murdered first (I assume Banny but don't know that), or anything else?
Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
"There was a struggle here,"
"No f@++ing s@%%, Kellek." Kargas seems bizarrely unfazed by the scene. Raised in the Land of Atrocity, he'd seen the horrors of war and terror tactics since a young age. Kneeling down by the carnage, he points out a couple of significant indications of what happened. "Fight was a couple of hours ago, looks like. These boot prints match the ones outside, coming from the river. If this was done by just one person, they were hellishly strong. Stronger than me, maybe."
Brother_Guiness |
Guiness keeps his eyes open to see if there is anything he can contribute, but mostly he is being wary in case any concealed enemies are about. ”I’ll keep an eye on this level while you check upstairs, Colvyn.”
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Kellek Zaderan |
"No f#!!ing s$$~, Kellek."
"Do you mind? This is exacting work." Kellek continues his inspection of the corpses, then after about a minute. He turns and sees that Kargas is still there.
bluff (pass secret message to Kargas, again): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 Missed by more than 5 that time.
"Illway ouyay ogay ustjay upyay ethay amnday adderlay alreadyyay!" Kellek says through gritted teeth while still nominally inspecting the remains of the man crucified to the wall.
Kargas Stormscar |
Kargas cocks his head and gives the mage an irritated look. "What are you going on ab..." the half-orc trails off, following Kellek's gaze towards the ladder.
Glancing back and giving Kellek a small nod, Kargas loosens his falchion in its baldric but doesn't draw it. Stepping carefully towards the ladder, he begins to climb.
For the sake of keeping it moving I figured Kellek eventually gets his point across
Kellek Zaderan |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Kellek continues sending signals for as long as it takes.
Floredana Mandulescu |
Once she gets some sort of an all clear signal, Flo peeks into the room too. As she surveys the scene, the note's text comes searing back into her mind. You will learn to love me, desire me in time as she did. Give yourself to the pack and it shall all end. Will submitted save lives from grisly ends? With an unusual coldness and distance, her poker face reveals very little.
While the others take a more practical approach, she opts for humanity and dignity. She does what she can to group the butchered corpse together while blessing them both. "That rune isn't a good sign. We should follow the tracks. The wounds are ripe with decay for the time of death, which worries me deeply."
Seeing Kargas prepare for vertical movement, she pulls out her wand and readies herself for a confrontation.
________
Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14
Heal, DC 15: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Sorry, was trying to give Colvyn the chance to accept Kellek's invitation! Why can't I ever roll good perception for Flo? Q_Q
GM Cellion |
No amount of survival skill will get you the general sequence of events, though it has given you information like the footprints and where they go. Connecting the dots is up to you guys!
At Kargas' instructions, the town guard outside (with Sheriff Hemlock's help) begin corralling the onlookers back towards the Rusty Dragon. You hear the sheriff suggesting that maybe a bit of an early morning drink might help dull the impact.
---
Kargas inspects the bodies carefully, trying to work out which one might have been killed first. Its clear that both individuals were killed before either of them was gruesomely arranged, but its impossible to tell from the state of their bodies which one was first to die.
Furthermore, Kargas doesn't spot any muddy footprints entering or exiting from either of the two doors (front or back). Instead, the footprints lead from the ladder, then faintly bloody ones head back towards the ladder.
Kargas follows the footprints and heads on up the ladder into the mill's large loft. Two beds sit on either side of the room. One has perfectly made up sheets, the other has sheets all in a tangled pile. Shattered glass lies across the floor of the loft, most of it scattered next to the room's broken window. Most striking however is the handaxe embedded in the wooden floor of the room. The weapon's blade is soaked in blood, and bloody smears cover the handle.
The chunk emits a horrible stench that turns your stomach as you inspect it closely.
If I remember correctly, Colvyn is traveling right now.
Kargas Stormscar |
"Killer came through the window, murdered them in their sleep." Disgust is thick in Kargas' voice as he steps forward to make room for anyone following up the ladder. Holding his breath, he leans forward a littl to inspect the axe.
"Black hair... He murmurs to himself. Maybe one of the other victims? Why leave the axe though?
Brother_Guiness |
Once the townsfolk have started leaving and it is clear there are no active threats in the building, Guiness stows his hammer and shield and examines the evidence with the others.
Seeing the chunk of flesh and hair on the axe, Guiness wrinkles his nose. ”Maybe Harker hit the creature who came in through the window with the axe. It certainly doesn’t smell completely human, unless that human was already dead.”
Knowledge Religion for Undead?: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
”And unless Ven is wet & muddy and has hair matching this, I figure he is clear of the murder.”. Turning to Kellek and Floredana, he asks ”Is there anything about their wounds that might tell us how they were killed?”
Kellek Zaderan |
”And unless Ven is wet & muddy and has hair matching this, I figure he is clear of the murder.”. Turning to Kellek and Floredana, he asks ”Is there anything about their wounds that might tell us how they were killed?”
"There are claw marks on the bodies. Going by their spread, the attacker was about man-sized." says Kellek cleaning up.
He turns to Flo. "Floredana, you've been quiet. Do you have any thoughts on who or what it might be?"
Floredana Mandulescu |
Flo thinks for a moment over the addition of the latest bit of evidence before speaking. "Only undead I can think of that stinks more than usual are ghouls... I think they fight with claws too," she comments with little emotion. At least they didn't suffer the mutilation before dying. "This seems too cunning of a plan for any undead I've seen though."
"And the river?" she asks to nobody in particular, heading out of the mill to check the riverbed for signs of tracks.
________
Heal (Cause of death?): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
I think you can find tracks with perception... I know following is survival for sure. If the heal heck works, she will share that information immediately.
Kargas Stormscar |
Following Flor out the door, Kargas points out the muddy tracks. Then he walks around to see if he can spot where the killer climbed the wall to get to the window.
Kellek Zaderan |
Flo thinks for a moment over the addition of the latest bit of evidence before speaking. "Only undead I can think of that stinks more than usual are ghouls... I think they fight with claws too," she comments with little emotion. At least they didn't suffer the mutilation before dying. "This seems too cunning of a plan for any undead I've seen though."
"That's not what I meant, and I think you know that. The note, Floredana, who sent you the note?"
GM Cellion |
Guiness clearly recognizes the stench lingering on the axe as typical of some type of undead creature, though he doesn't quite remember which one. Flo's comment however jogs his memory. It does seem likely that this chunk of putrid flesh comes from a ghoul or some creature similar to a ghoul.
Flo's examination of the bodies reveals little more than you already realized. The claw wounds on Banny Harker's body seem the most likely cause of death. For Katrine on the other hand, her corpse is so far damaged that its difficult to tell if the sawblade was the cause of death or not.
Kargas and Flo follow the muddy tracks back out of the window and down to the wooden pier. They head to the end of the pier and disappear - whether because they had a boat waiting or if they swam is unclear.
Brother_Guiness |
”The stench of the grave on the flesh definitely identifies it as an undead, and Floredana is right—probably a ghoul or something similar. It could certainly travel by water or under it for that matter. But why it would make the seven-pointed star symbol...I don’t know.”
Thinking for a moment more, Guiness adds,”At least one of them got in a good shot with the axe first.”
Floredana Mandulescu |
Flo rolls her eyes. "Your Lordship," she says with a slight sneer. Maybe I didn't want to think about the note anymore. Maybe I just wanted to follow the tracks instead.
With the most apparent leads exhausted, Flo stands by the door. "I can't see anymore reason to stay here among this depravity. Let's go to the next location, or the jail even," she suggests.
Brother_Guiness |
"That would be the barn, I believe. Let's find out what we can there, then question Ven at the jail and make our report to Sheriff Hemlock," suggests Guiness.
Kargas Stormscar |
Is there any sign of a rowboat having been dragged up onto the shore around where the footprints start?
GM Cellion |
Sorry for the delay, my 12 hr shift got moved to noon to midnight, so I was totally wiped out afterward.
Kargas takes one last look at the shoreline of the river and doesn't spot any signs of rowboats being pulled onto the shore nearby. The footprints seem to emerge directly from the water.
----
You briefly check in with Sheriff Hemlock when you exit the mill. The man looks even more haggard after having to corral the town's snoops away from the crime scene. "You look better than my men did when they first came out." He offers as you approach. "We have Ven Vinder in custody at the jail, as well as Ibor Thorne, Banny Harker's partner at the mill."
"Ibor's the one who originally came across the bodies in the morning. He'd been at the Hagfish most of the night, as Jargie, the tavern's proprietor, has attested. Ibor's in bad shape. Seeing what he saw in there shook him up badly." Hemlock shakes his head. "We haven't yet wanted to question him, considering the circumstances. But you might want to do so when you head there to talk with Ven."
Hemlock bids you luck in investigating the barn and returns to organize his remaining guards at the crime scene.
----
You hike south out of Sandpoint for less than half an hour following the Lost Coast road before you spot the old abandoned barn that Hemlock mentioned. The barn stands on a slight rise, its dilapidated walls and roof filled with holes where boards have rotted and fallen away. The morning sky is grey, with low clouds rolling over the landscape.
The inside of the barn is overgrown with weeds, many of them trampled and matted down with dried blood. In the center of the barn still lie three bodies. Each one has been badly mutilated, their faces reduced to a mess of gashes, and a seven pointed star has been carved into all of their chests.
Kargas Stormscar |
Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24 Looking for tracks
Kargas grimaces at the bodies but otherwise his reaction is disturbingly calm. "Only two reasons to do this sort of thing: the killer enjoys it, and to scare people."
GM Cellion |
Kargas does end up finding tracks, even though the imprints on the soft dirt are faint after two days. The tracks themselves are of bare feet that look human. They head directly from the Cougar Creek and then directly back, with no deviation to visit anything other than the barn and the area in front of it.
He also notices various boot prints all around the barn and heading towards the Lost Coast road. Some of these prints match the boots still worn by the three corpses, but most of them are fresher and show individuals that moved all around the crime scene before returning to the road. Unfortunately, the Lost Coast road itself is hard packed dirt and you're not able to make out any tracks once you return to it.
Brother_Guiness |
Heal Check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Guiness takes a look at the wounds, but says nothing, appearing to be unable to conclusively determine the cause of death through all the carnage.
Looking to Floredana, he says, ”More seven pointed stars, Floredana, perhaps the killer’s mark? Did they die from the same kind of wounds as the others?”
Kellek Zaderan |
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You briefly check in with Sheriff Hemlock when you exit the mill. The man looks even more haggard after having to corral the town's snoops away from the crime scene. "You look better than my men did when they first came out."
"I've seen your men, Sheriff. That's not saying much."
GM, where there any body parts missing from the crime scene?
Later.
Guiness takes a look at the wounds, but says nothing, appearing to be unable to conclusively determine the cause of death through all the carnage.
Looking to Floredana, he says, ”More seven pointed stars, Floredana, perhaps the killer’s mark? Did they die from the same kind of wounds as the others?”
heal (take 10, kit): 10 + 6 = 16
"Yes." says Kellek authoritatively snapping his little black medical forensics kit closed. His eyes come to rest on Flo once more.
Floredana Mandulescu |
Flo nods her head in corroboration with Kellek's assessment, but scowls a little and looks down at the floor when his gaze turns to her yet again. I bet he thinks this is my fault. All for me, what a treat. Kargas is right though, this is either for pleasure or fear.
"A clear pattern here is the water access, night time attacks, mutilation, and claw marks. With how close together the attacks have been, it might be worth," she pauses to gulp down some trepidation. "Worth patrolling at night. In the water."
________
I like Kellek the investigator! I think questioning our two leads is our best bet after this! Doesn't seem like there is anything new here, beyond establishing a pattern.
Brother_Guiness |
Agreed. Let’s move on the the jail.
Colvyn "Slick" Dashtail |
Colvyn is just following the group around on automatic. He doesn't understand why they were asked to do this. Nothing in his training ever prepared him for this. It is not the gruesome death that bothers him, it is the investigating the murders. He has no idea how doing this, and it makes him feel inadequate. "Yes, let's us move to the jail."
GM Cellion |
@Kellek: No body parts missing from the crime scene at the mill.
----
Satisfied that they've established a pattern, the party hikes back to Sandpoint and heads to the Sandpoint Garrison. You briefly check in with the guards on the ground floor before descending down into the basement level and into the jail proper.
Sandpoint's jail is a very small and basic affair - any serious criminals only stay here for a week or two before being transferred down to Magnimar's more expansive prison. Right now it holds only a few people, each in their own small cell, including Ven Vinder and Ibor Thorne. As you arrive, you hear Ven's hoarse voice calling out for the warden. "How dare you keep me here Vachedi, you heartless bastard! When I get out I'm going to wring your damn neck. Katrine's damned killer is getting away right now!" There's no response from the warden. From the way he stands there scowling with his arms crossed, he's been enduring this for quite some time.
Ven stands in his cell, red faced and gripping the bars as though he intends to bend them apart. Meanwhile Ibor sits quietly on the wooden bench, eyes staring down at the floor unblinking.
Brother_Guiness |
Guiness moves directly up to the bars where Ven is raging, looking him dead in the eye. When he reaches a distance of one foot away, Guiness stands and stares at the man intently, waiting for him to quiet before speaking.
With quiet intensity, Guiness speaks to Ven, his voice barely above a whisper. ”Calm yourself, Ven, if you want to help us find your daughter’s killer. We know she was murdered by a ghoulish undead abomination, as was Harker and those at the barn. Tell us all you know on the topic that we might destroy the creature who has caused such devastation.”
Diplomacy or Intimidate Aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10
GM Cellion |
Guiness' straightforward line of questioning earns him little goodwill from Ven Vinder, at least not on its own. Ven turns his attention on the dwarf and quiets for only a moment before exploding with "How DARE you! A GHOUL? You think I was born yesterday? It's that damn Harker, or that slippery eel of an ifrit, whatever his name was!"
Floredana Mandulescu |
Flo discreetly looks over at Rig when Ven mentions an Ifrit. Of all people, he things Rig did it? "Maybe Ven could just tell us his story?" she suggests, already knowing her words are likely to be met with rage similar to Guiness'.
She walks towards the guard, facing away from the prisoners. "Could we have them split up while we talk to them?" she whispers.
________
Diplomacy (Aid) vs Rig: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
heh, at this point I like to think of myself as the table's protector from bad luck!
Kellek Zaderan |
Kellek observes the scene for while before Floredana speaks. Then he says: "Indeed. Turnkey, might we arrange to escort Mr. Thorn someplace else for a while?"
Brother_Guiness |
Guiness looks at Ven with a mixture of disappointment and disgust. "Ah, you mean the same Harker who was brutally murdered and hung from the wall...by the GHOUL? You are useless."
Turning to Rig, he adds, "This one seems more interested in ranting incoherently than actually helping us find his daughter's killer. You are welcome to try and reason with him if you like. I am done."
Nodding at Floredana's and Kellek's suggestion, Guiness offers to the warden, "I could silence him for a while, but he would wake up with quite a headache..."
Kellek Zaderan |
"I could silence him for a while, but he would wake up with quite a headache..."
Kellek sighs, and looks skyward as if to say to the gods above: 'So you think you have gotten the best of me, do you?
GM Cellion |
While you wait for Rig to compose himself and address Ven, Kellek makes his request to the warden, a Shoanti by the name of Vachedi. The stone faced man nods solemnly at the request to move Ibor away from Ven. He simply swings the unlocked door of the cell open and helps the dazed young man up.
Vachedi just says "Come along.", encompassing both your group and Ibor. After a moment in which its clear that Ibor is not moving under his own power, Vachedi puts a hand on his shoulder and guides him back upstairs. You all head to one of the small meeting rooms in the back of the Garrison.
Once Ibor is comfortably seated, Vachedi nods to you and leaves you to talk to him. Now away from Ven, Ibor slowly shakes his head, muttering "Banny... why. Why."
So, considering that Rig's the best diplomacy guru, I'll let him handle the Ven scene in parallel if he wants. In the mean time, you guys have Ibor for any questioning.
Kellek Zaderan |
"Rig, perhaps you should come with me and Mr. Thorne here into the next room, so we can let Brother Guiness get on with using his folksy mediating skills to calm Mr. Vinder." suggests the wizard.
Floredana Mandulescu |
"Ibor seems much more willing to talk, perhaps Rig's skills are best suited for Ven?" Flo objects. "It is up to you though Rig. I won't tell you where to go." Passing by Kellek, she shoots him a brief sideways glare.
Flo heads into the room with Ibor and puts a hand on his shoulder. If he permits it, she sits next to him and takes his hand. "Tell us what you saw, anything you can, ok? I know it will hurt, but we're here for you." Though her voice has regained some strength, her usually steady hands shake a little.
________
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
Kellek Zaderan |
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Passing by Kellek, she shoots him a brief sideways glare.
There's a nearly audible clash of steel as Kellek eyes narrow executing a parry and riposte.
Floredana Mandulescu |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Floredana Mandulescu wrote:Passing by Kellek, she shoots him a brief sideways glare.There's a nearly audible clash of steel as Kellek eyes narrow executing a parry and riposte.
Flo's eyes roll up and over, sidestepping the otherwise perfect thrust. "Predictable."
Kargas Stormscar |
Kargas leans up against the wall next to the door in the room holding Ven's cell, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. His eyes are active through, darting to each of his companions, the warden, and the two men in the cells. Trying to coax information out of people who aren't his enemy isn't a skill the burly half-orc ever mastered, and he knows it.
Rig Veda |
sorry guys, busy time of year
Rig doesn't really know what to say to Vender. The best he can come up with on the spot is "I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Please know that we are trying to find those responsible." He's pretty sure that the man won't be able to be coherent for some time, but it's worth a shot.
diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
and the dice continue their goal of having Vender hate us
Kellek Zaderan |
With the help of Rig's terrible dice, Kellek drives the point of his smirk through Flo's heart. "Yes, quite predictable."
"Are we done now?"
Colvyn "Slick" Dashtail |
"Like my friend here said, Harker was torn to pieces and Rig was with us the entire time that the crime took place. You want to try something else? So far, your ranting and screaming aren't helping anyone but the killer."
Diplomacy: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (9) - 2 = 7
Kellek Zaderan |
"NOW are we done?"
Wouldn't want to waste all of the good rolls here. ;)
GM Cellion |
(Dang thats a lot of failures by more than 5. Ven's solidly pushed into Hostile attitude.)
Ven's eyes go wide as Rig tries to mollify him "You BASTARD! IT WAS YOU, WASN'T IT!?" He grabs the bars of his cell with white knuckles. He grits his teeth, getting quieter "Once I'm out of here, I'm going to make sure the Guard find out the truth. You'll be rotting in a prison in Magnimar, you hear me!"
Your overtures of diplomacy fall on deaf ears with Ven , who latches onto the idea that Rig must either be the culprit or somehow intrinsically involved. Distraught as he is, he just won't listen to any kind of reasoned argument.
----
Meanwhile, Flo finds a much better response with her gentle approach. Ibor takes a deep, shuddering sigh and starts speaking "I'd been drinkin'. Last night was... it was one 'a Banny's nights to have the mill to 'imself and-" He looks off in the distance, squeezes his eyes shut for a moment "-an' Katrine Vinder. They'd been goin' steady for a while, but they both knew Ven wouldn't approve. It was all secret."
"I wish I'd come back earlier. I figured, give 'em some space. But if I'd come back... maybe, hells, if I'd called the Guard..." He looks down, voice agonized.
"I'm sure Ven didn't do it. He would've been angry, but he's no murderer. But who did? Banny all up on the wall, and K-Katrine was all-" He doesn't seem to be able to gather the words to describe it.
He looks up at Flo, suddenly uneasy "I don't know what happened, 'cept that I saw them dead when I got back. Are you going to try find the monster that murdered them?"
Kargas Stormscar |
When Ven begins shouting again Kargas heaves a sigh, then goes outside. Sitting down just outside the watchpost, the half-orc mulls over two murder scenes.
Where's Hemlock at this point?
Brother_Guiness |
Guiness joins Kargas outside and sits next to him with a heavy sigh. It is an incongruous sight, half orc and dwarf warriors seemingly comfortable with each other, bound by common experience and purpose more than separated by racial enmity.
”I hope they get something out of the witnesses—though I don’t hold out much hope for that Ven fellow.”. Holding out his fingers, he begins counting, ”The barn, then the mill...didn’t the sheriff say something about another witness being taken to a place for crazy people? Maybe that’s where Ven needs to be taken.”
Brother_Guiness |
"Originally, we'd thought the crazed man had killed them, and perhaps the act had broken his mind in the process. But I'd ordered the man sent to Habe's Sanitarium for treatment until we could question him intelligibly. And not a day later from doing so, we have more murders... and once again a note left at the scene."
Reference info from the Sherrif—another potential witness, although he maybe crazy...
Kellek Zaderan |
2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Crazy like a fox! A big crazy fox. ;)
Kellek doesn't leave jail with the others instead he pulls a scroll out of his scroll case....
Casts charm person (CL 2, DC 14) on Ven.
Floredana Mandulescu |
"We are going to do our best to find the monster," Flo promises, nodding her head. "I know talking about this must be hard on you. Thank you. Had Banny made any deals with anyone, been followed recently, or anything else that might give us a lead? Any idea what time you made it back to the mill?"
________
If there is nothing left to pull out of Ibor, Flo will head outside too!
GM Cellion |
Hemlock would be back at the crime scene at this point, coordinating 'clean up' and keeping gawky locals away.
Ibor looks up at Flo and gives a firm nod at her assurance. "Thank you." But when she asks about any deals Banny may have made with anyone he hesitates before shaking his head. "Nothing other than the regular business our mill gets. I can't imagine any of the folks around town, the people we work for, doing anything like this..."
"I came back to the mill around... two, maybe three in the morning. Katrine is- was- usually gone by that point so I could get some sleep."
----
Sadly made his save. That would have been cool.