The first thing Kira does upon their return is take a very hot bath. She'd throw away the clothes she'd been wearing, but it seems wasteful, so instead she scrubs them as thoroughly as she had herself.
Much refreshed the following morning, she looks troubled at the reminder of the murders. "I do hope we don't have any more tooth fairies running around. Regardless looking into the murders does seem to be the logical next step."
Before they leave she makes sure to grab the scarf that she'd previously used as a face mask. Just in case.
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Adonara’s jaw tightens subconsciously at the thought, but she tries to think back to the conversation the Ravens had with Laria just a few days ago, before springing the Hellknights.
“I don’t think it’s likely to be more tooth fairies,” she says consideringly. “Rumour has it that it was made to look like the work of that madman Mangvhune. If anything, that’s a bit too sensible, if most of the things are like the ones we fought in Devil’s Nursery.”
It’s not actually a reassuring thought, and she reluctantly remembers the wax sculpture of the killer they found in the Fantasmagorium. “Let’s see if there’s any more news.”
Adonara keeps an ear open as the group sets out, taking her time to hear what’s on the minds of passersby, and making sure that word of what the Ravens want to know about can filter quickly through the network of urchins that one of their allies set up for them. They’re surprisingly well-informed, so she wouldn’t be too surprised if more information were to be waiting for the party by the time they arrive in the neighbourhood of the crime scene.
Unfortunately, the crowds over Bleakbridge are worse than usual, souring Adonara's mood, and between the difficulty of slowing down enough to discreetly eavesdrop through the hubbub without driving herself crazy, and sniping rather sharply at a couple of slowcoaches and obstreperous louts that push her past exasperation, the courtesan finds the well has temporarily run dry.
Pellius does his best to keep an ear out as they walk toward their next destination.
Asking around discreetly about the murders it is suggested that you speak with a tailor called Hetamon Hace as he may have information that could help. It is rumoured that he is a worshipper of Milani, a religion that is officially banned by Thrune's government.
"How scandalous!" Ryker jokes while shifting his armor a little. Doesn't quite sit right, I'll have to adjust the straps when we get back.
"Let's find Hace and see what we can really do about these murders!"
Great, more Milani worshipers. What mess have they gotten into now?
"Agreed, though we should be discreet when we do. No telling if this Hetamon is a victim, a fellow investigator," the singer's face turns sour, "or possibly the murderer."
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Despite her brutal assessment of some of the wares being thrust upon her as she tries to see if there’s any useful gossip on the way through the shops and stalls on Bleakbridge (“Dear child,” she says to one pedlar shoving some particularly tacky jewelry in her face, with poisonously false patience, “while I’m sure there’s a place in the market for three-silver trollops, goddess bless them, it is far beneath me.”), Adonara tentatively brightens at the prospect of meeting someone who might be skilled in needlework. In her own line, she has naturally acquired an appreciation for haute couture: if anything, she tends towards excess on that front, as with many others.
She tries to remember if she’s heard the name Pellius turns up before, even if she's new in town and often gets dressed at the gift of her clients. Hace? Isn't that a sort of fish? Poor fellow, she muses.
"If he is a servant of the Everbloom," she speculates, falling in step behind Ryker and Pellius as they lead the way, "I wonder if he's got any connection with our friends from where we met Vendalfek. Those didn't seem a talkative bunch, but then they had just been displaced by one of those oh-so-conveniently-providential fires."
Adonara you have heard that Hartamon Hace may be the secretive Rose of Kintargo, someone who has tried to thwart Thrune as best as they are able.
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No, the fish is with a ‘k,’ her subconscious provides, helpfully, and then the penny drops. She hurries to draw up quite level beside Pellius as the full name sinks in. “Wait, did you say Hetamon Hace?!”
Adonara bites her lip before dropping her voice low, recalling some of the whispers that pass around in the circles she moves in, “They say there’s a good chance that he’s the Rose of Kintargo! Definitely on the side of the angels – or at least, someone Thrune’s been after since his very first week here! I very much doubt he’s the killer, unless the bloom has withered indeed.”
Pellius shrugs as they walk. "All depends on who is being killed and why, I suppose." Some would think we are murderers, after all... The singer shakes his head to clear the thought. "At any rate, it does not hurt to be cautious."
[i]It takes another hour or two but you finally discover that Haetamon Hace has a shop called the Devil's Threads where you are introduced to Haetamon a middle aged tiefling.
"Welcome, welcome. I am glad you are here. No doubt you have heard of the murders that have plagued Old Kintargo. The most recent victim was a follower of Milani, as I am, in fact I am the head of our small church. I had the body brought here but I need people to investigate the crime."
Pellius nods in a serious way and shakes the hand of Haetamon.
"Well met. We can probably help, but first a question. Are you familiar with the Tooth Fairy killings that were plaguing the Devil's Cradle a while ago? If so, have these murders been similar in nature or are they... unique?"
Once everyone is inside the shop, Ryker flips the "open" sign to "closed" and shuts the door. While the others converse, he keeps a lookout through the blinds.
"Ah yes I have heard of them. Whilst they were resolved by your good selves, I am afraid that the most recent murders are different."
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So this is who owns The Devil’s Threads! The morning is proving to be full of surprises. Adonara’s only heard good things about the shop from trendsetters and tastemakers, but this is the first time she’s actually got around to visiting herself. She only wishes it were under happier circumstances. As it is, she sternly keeps her gaze away from the wares and concentrates on the business at hand.
Haetamon must be desperate, she concludes, bearing Pellius’ warning about trusting too quickly in mind, to be so direct about his affiliations. Then again, Adonara considers the various ways and means: degrees of separation and who knows the truth about her, or taking a calculated risk based on the Ravens’ evening at Clenchjaw’s, or…
The tailor’s reply to Pellius’ greeting suggests another possibility that will do, for now. “You must have worked with the Cloven Hoof Society, then? I’m sorry, do go on.” I wonder if he knows – Zea, was it, who we talked to? I think so. Still, time enough to worry about that in due course. First things first.
"Yes, I have worked with them on occasion. They are a source of good within this evil city, as I hope, in my own small way, am I.
Anyway, to business. The latest murder victim was of one of my own, a relatively new worshipper of Milani, she missed an appointment with me two nights ago. I went out to investigate yesterday morning only to discover her body in a dreadful state. Not trusting the city's officials to do anything I had her body returned to my shop until I can arrange a proper burial. If you can track down this murderer and stop him you will not only prevent further bloodshed but it may bolster your rebellion's reputations among the people."
"Body still here? Can we take a peak?" Ryker asks, eyes still trained on the world outside. "Wounds tell a story. Awful stories, but a story nonetheless."
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Pellius nods at Ryker's question. "Yes, and I would ask two questions in addition. The first is was there any connection between your worshiper and the other victims, beyond the fact they were killed? And the second is were the other victims killed in the same way, the same place, or approximately the same time?"
Valekar listens intently while also watching the street like Ryker
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“Or,” Adonara chimes in, “was there something obviously different? We’ve heard rumours-“ Murder like it was Mangvhune come again.
“-but you said she was relatively new to your church. Who was she? Do you think there might have been something particular on her mind or about her recently that could be related, or was it quite the reverse?”
If the tooth fairies were summoned specifically to sow terror, then is this really some lost soul twisted by the unhealthy memory of an earlier killer? Or could this be a ploy by someone - loyalist or otherwise - to mislead or scare off anyone tempted to look into the matter? she muses.
[i]Ryker and Valekar you can both tell that the wounds were caused by a light bladed weapon (possibly a kukri). Her body bears 37 stab wounds.
"Her name was Myrletta, she was a minor cleric of Milani, I know of no reason of her being targeted, unless it was on the orders of Thrune."
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Adonara is grateful that the others are able to assess the body Haetamon reveals more quickly than she can: despite the way she can talk, she’s actually about as concerned with not hurting (some) people in the first place as she is appreciating the finer points of what most weapons beyond her chosen can do. Or at least, she tends to either extreme. At any rate, she’s not much of a healer, let alone coroner.
She’s tactful enough to keep her the precise thoughts that spring to her mind quiet. Either whoever did this just didn’t stop when she dropped, or they were striking very, very quickly. What she says instead is simply, “What could have done this? Some sort of spell?”
…to speed the blade, is just a bit too much for her to say out loud right now.
"The only people I've seen use a kukri liked the cutting more than the killing, if you catch my meaning. Not saying this is the case, but I never slept easy when I had to work with someone using that kind of weapon," Ryker shares, his breath fogging up the window a little. "Different tools for different jobs... In my professional opinion, this was done for pleasure or some twisted cult s!$+. Or both."
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Valekar remains focused intently on the body and evidence.
"Where did you say the body was found?"
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"The only people I've seen use a kukri liked the cutting more than the killing, if you catch my meaning. Not saying this is the case, but I never slept easy when I had to work with someone using that kind of weapon," Ryker shares, his breath fogging up the window a little. "Different tools for different jobs... In my professional opinion, this was done for pleasure or some twisted cult s%&#. Or both."
Oh. Really? Out of respect for the deceased, rather than swallowing her surprise with a smile, Adonara merely files that factoid away for further consideration at a later date, wondering if it’s a common idea, and already considering the possibilities for incorporating it into her own … job.
While Valekar continues his examination, she reflects that Ryker might well be on to something. The Calistrian courtesan nods, “Apart from the Mother of Monsters, the kukri is sacred to, oh, Andirifkhu, among demons, and Doloras, among the powers of Hell, I know, though there are others still.”
It need hardly be said that an infernal cult would make the most sense in Cheliax, but then Adonara is perfectly placed to attest that the reality can be much more interesting than what makes the most sense.
Kira forces down her natural revulsion as she studies the body. She's still not used to examining corpses, and she hopes she never gets used to it.
"Do you know how many victims there have been? Were they all worshipers of Milani?" She's echoing Pellius' earlier questions, but they're important ones. They'd caught the tooth fairies by recognizing the significance in all the attacks occuring very close to each other, if they want to catch this killer they'll have to figure out their pattern of attack.
Hopefully there is a pattern. If the killer is grabbing people at random, they could wander Old Kintargo for years and never catch them.
Valekar and Kira you think that the blade of the murder weapon was magically enchanted to cause particularly bloody wounds. You also both notice that there is an unusual stick of rancid cheese and urine most likely grease from a creature known as a slurk which is often used in the construction and maintenance of clockwork items.
"As far as I have been able to ascertain this is the 5th victim, and the first who was a worshipper of Milani. The body was found in a side alley of the main street. Kukris can be used sometimes in certain professions such as craftsmen."
Kira sniffs the air a few times as she approaches the body, nose wrinkling. "That smell...could it be from a slurk? I wouldn't expect a slurk to be anywhere near a main street though." She looks puzzled for a minute, then brightens as a thought occurs to her. "Actually, I think slurk grease is used to make clockworks, so maybe there wasn't actually a slurk there, just someone who used a lot of grease. Are there any clockwork shops nearby?"
Any satisfaction she gets from (hopefully) solving a piece of the puzzle immediately evaporates as she starts examining the wounds in more detail. This part still makes her queasy, but it's necessary. She just has to keep reminding herself of that. "I think Ryker was right about these murders being for...fun. These wounds weren't caused by an ordinary blade. It was enchanted specifically to make the wounds worse. More bloody. More painful." She closes her eyes briefly as she steps away. "I'm sorry, Haetamon." Maybe I should have waited until he was gone...but no, he deserves to know.
Pellius shakes his head. More needless death. Was it Thrune's lackeys or was it someone else, capitalizing on the unrest and uncertainty?
"You said she was the fifth. How frequently has this killer struck? Is it nightly, or more erratic? Also, do you know who the other victims were, or if they had family we could talk to?"
The victims all seem to have dumped in side alleys, not next to any monuments but next to main thoroughfares, as if the killer wanted them to be found. The killer seems to have attacked in a random pattern, the shortest space between murders has been 3 days.
Hmm, slurk grease, well the nearest place that makes clockwork is Vespam Artisans. I can cast a speak with dead spell to see if the victim can tell us anything more"
"Yes let's hear what she has to say. The clockworks is our only real lead, otherwise,"
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Kira sniffs the air a few times as she approaches the body, nose wrinkling. "That smell...could it be from a slurk? I wouldn't expect a slurk to be anywhere near a main street though." She looks puzzled for a minute, then brightens as a thought occurs to her. "Actually, I think slurk grease is used to make clockworks, so maybe there wasn't actually a slurk there, just someone who used a lot of grease. Are there any clockwork shops nearby?"
Any satisfaction she gets from (hopefully) solving a piece of the puzzle immediately evaporates as she starts examining the wounds in more detail. This part still makes her queasy, but it's necessary. She just has to keep reminding herself of that. "I think Ryker was right about these murders being for...fun. These wounds weren't caused by an ordinary blade. It was enchanted specifically to make the wounds worse. More bloody. More painful." She closes her eyes briefly as she steps away. "I'm sorry, Haetamon." Maybe I should have waited until he was gone...but no, he deserves to know.
Despite herself, Adonara’s nose wrinkles briefly. “A slurk? Do I want to know? I suppose the name is meant to be evocative.”
She’s very glad that Kira is able to identify the substance, and to add to what can be said about the murder weapon, though as to that… the implications, and Haetamon’s next words, more than recall her to the need for sensitivity. After all, at the tailor’s suggestion,
"...I can cast a speak with dead spell to see if the victim can tell us anything more"
… Adonara feels something land in her gut like a blow, and her eyes momentarily flutter closed as she’s carried back to Kyonin in an instant. There was never time, it seemed, to do that much for Via – not that it would actually reach her soul, but – it would be something, and in a case like this it could be very useful, as Valekar suggests. She opens her eyes again.
“Please do,” she adds softly. “I would be humbled and honoured to assist in any way that I can, though my own devotions are to another goddess.”
Speaking with the dead? Now that's a neat trick to have. Ryker keeps his eyes trained on the streets, but relaxes a little with the lack of activity outside.
Pellius shrugs. "Assuming she is willing, please do. Afterwords we should pay the clock shop a visit... been meaning to see about acquiring a timepiece that might fit in my pocket, perhaps they might have one."
Haetamon begins casting the spell and the voice of the young woman can be clearly heard.
Pellius is strangely quiet as the spell is cast, looking down at the poor woman's corpse instinctively as he hears the voice. Such a shame, to be so close to someone's spirit... yet so very far away... if things ever get back to normal I will have to write her into a play or song.
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Adonara watches Haetamon’s preparations with respectful attention. The words and prayers – everything, really – would have to be different, but there’s a logic to the ritual and its language that’s worth thinking about for the sorts of magic she can imagine herself praying for at some point.
A chill sweeps over her as she hears a voice answering the Milanite’s spell, but Adonara steps forward anyway. “We know what we would ask.”
She pauses for just a moment, but opts for directness. “Where were you killed?”
“What do you remember – did you notice – about your killer?”
She bites her lip slightly as her tenses slip. She’s fairly sure the spell doesn’t work like that, but she can’t help but add, softly, as if the dead woman’s spirit could hear through the great beyond, “You will be avenged, Myrletta.”
"I was attacked on the main street near the Artisans district.
I did not get a good look at my attacker but I know he was a Varisian. He attacked me with a kukri that glowed red. He wore a suit of dark leather armour that had an apron with many pockets. He walked with a limp and had a metal and leather leg brace. His leather apron smelled of rancid cheese and urine."
Pellius nods, respectfully as the answers return. "I am not sure if she can answer anything more, but if she can... if you have something left undone, or some final message for a loved one, please let us know so that we can better put you at rest." He turns away, and says softly, "She deserves more, but it would be the least we could do... beyond bringing this Varisian murderer to justice."
Kira closes her eyes and bows her head as the spell takes affect. Aronida is asking the questions, and all she needs to do is observe. Respectfully.
The description of her killer is detailed enough that they should be able to identify him. There can't be that many Varisian artisans working with slurk grease that also had leg braces. The place however raises more questions.
"Attacked on the main street?" Her brow knits with concern. "Either the killer is very bold or has some sort of magic to make himself unnoticable. Or both." She gives Haetamon a quick apologetic glance before continuing. "This murder wasn't swift and quiet. The killer took his time. He must have been confident he wouldn't be interrupted...which concerns me more than anything else."
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Into the quiet as the spell fades, Adonara murmurs a prayer in Elven for the dead.
After a suitable pause, she nods her agreement with Kira. “The curfew probably helped. The main street would still be incredibly risky, I would think, but there would be far fewer people around, and most people, even in the watch, I imagine, when they aren’t watching for anything in particular, aren’t as observant as we – or the killer, it appears – are stealthy.”
Her expression hardens as a grim thought occurs to her. “If this brace was articulated, I wonder if it could all be the same workshop. A visit to these Vespam mechanicals is certainly in order.”
She prepares, somewhat more stiffly than usual in her preoccupation, to take her leave of Haetamon. “If there’s nothing else…? We’ll certainly keep you informed as to the course of our inquiries.”
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After an infelicitous enough start to the morning, the sight of the horribly mauled body of a cleric of a power for freedom, and the unearthly calling forth of that body's voice, threatens to throw off her mood for the whole day. Unwelcome memories and images from her own past cascade through her thoughts, and she pales and quiets with barely suppressed anger.
"Regardless, I wager that our wonderful friends in the citizen's guard will be... disinclined... to pursue this. Hells, depending on who this brace-wearing fiend is they might be told explicitly not to."
Ryker shivers a bit when the voice comes from the corpse. Unnatural is what that is. Hells. How do we even know it was the real her and a spirit or something more malicious? He remains silent while the questioning happens.
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Asking around Pellius discovers that the description matches an artisan called Varl Wex, who works at a business known as Vespam Artisans.
Pellius passes the information gathered to his companions.
"So now we have two links to this Vespam Artisans... the slurk grease, and the fact that the description of the killer matches this... Varl Wex... who works there. Now personally, I don't think we should barge in with accusations... if for no other reason than we don't want him fleeing or others in the shop getting the guards involved."
Adonara Strixis
Walks with Outsiders