Baran went solemnly to the body and looked it over. Though there seemed little hope, he checked for signs of life.
Then he took a long look at the traumas the poor shopkeeper had suffered. Were implements or weapons used? Were there attacks of different qualities? All fists? Claws? Bruising on the wrists? Was he held down? Did these details point to multiple attackers? Was it a blitz attack or did it look more professional ... clinical? How cold is the body? Has he been dead for minutes? Hours? A day or more? He called out his impressions and made notes in his book as he noticed details.
As Baran knelt next to the body and began his examination, two things became clear to him. One, the victim had been brutally beaten with bare knuckles, and the beating had continued way, way past the point of the victim’s death. It couldn’t be just to make sure the deed was done – no, the killer had wanted to keep on going, perhaps enjoying the act of taking a life, perhaps because they had some personal reason to loathe the victim.
Second, the man had been killed quite recently, certainly not more than four hours ago, as the body was still in the process of cooling.
Lupi handed the tube back to Erix. She was uncertain, but said "...it could be... the remnants of Dust of Silent Passage... one could use it go past... Alarm and Arcane Seal... very nice for burglary... but the Watch will take you in, if you have it."
Lupi walked around the shop mumbling mostly to herself "...so Zelina's group came here... and killed the shopkeeper? ...maybe the shopkeeper was dead already... and they found a clue and followed it..." She looked at the furnace and stopped by the table with wooden and clay molds. She tried hard to make any sense on the scene.
Lupi quickly determined the molds were for casting metals – spoons, forks, the smith had clearly had an extensive set of tools considering his small shop. Only one of the molds showed recent signs of usa, however – an extremely elaborate piece for casting a handle for a cane, this one depicting a kingfisher spreading its wings. The details in the mold were quite impressive, showing the smith – assuming he had made his own tools – had been a master of his craft.
The forge was cooling, as Phin had noted earlier. It was impossible to tell for certain when the forge had last been used to smelt metals, but what Lupi could tell was that it had not been used for the 8-10 hours at least – likely the smith had just kept a small fire going, so he wouldn’t need to start with a cold forge if a sudden order came in.
Lupi relayed her gained information to others "...who would want a kingfisher handle? ...some snob... who also beats people dead with bare hands..." Lupi tried to picture a person with a tendency to kill people with bare hands and using a fancy cane. It did not make sense to her. Maybe it is two different persons, she thought
Alua rushed to the victim's side, but quickly realized that he was beyond help. She stood and watched Baran work; the young man was thorough and knew what he was doing.
Standing, she stretched out to crack her back and neck. Though smaller, the shop reminded her a bit of her parent's shop. It seemed two lifetimes ago since she'd seen it, yet the image in her mind's eye was as fresh as if it had been yesterday.
She wondered if the smith had been as meticulous with his records as her family was. Alua looked around for a ledger or a journal, hoping to find a clue as to his recent activities.
Phin left the body to those more experienced and turned her attention to the room. "If this shopkeeper was doing shady things then he probably has hidden compartments or possibly a hidden exit. It seems weird that this place only has one way in and one way out."
The rogue started her search with the floor and then moved towards the walls and any furniture that may have secret compartments.
Once the heat of the forge died down some more, Phin found something resembling a poker and started to dig through the ash to see if there was anything that someone tried to hide in the fire.
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Lupi started piecing things together. She sat down and soon forgot, where she was. After some time she shared her thoughts with the others. "...Vrinn stole the statue... gave it to the shopkeeper... who made a kingfisher handle of it... later Zelina's group came in and questioned the shopkeeper... Zelina finds the baddies and gets captured and questioned... someone... maybe Grimgraj... comes back here and kills the shopkeeper... so we need a clue on... where Zelina went from here?"
Lupi went beside Alua to observe the dead body. She tried to find if the wounds had any indications of the metal piercings Grimgraj was said to have. After a while she tugged Alua's sleeve "I am worried the shopkeeper... told Zelina, where... the baddies are. Do you have any way.. to speak with... the dead?"
”Let’s see… first, there’s Scrimshaw – an ivory-skinned albino gargoyle. From what I remember hearing, he might be mute… or just doesn’t have much he feels worth speaking about. Likes to harvest finger bones from his victims and make jewelry out of them.”
”Then there’s Rrregla, aka the Gasping Strangler. A choker who likes to choke people to death, if you can appreciate that bit of grim irony. “
”Next, Durack the Masher. Because he likes to mash people with big, heavy blunt instruments. A bugbear who reputedly ran with the Daask before he got too hot and bloody that those crooks to handle, or so goes the story.
”Fourth, Mange. A shifter seven feet and spare tall, hairy like a dire wolf stuffed in man’s clothes. Like Rrregla, a bit of a blunt instrument, I understand, but a real partygoer if you want to rip people into bloody shreds.”
”Fifth, GRimgraj, a hobgoblin monk of some kind, or some aspiring holy man. Seems his personal brand of religion has a lot to do with getting enough metal piercings in his hands to turn his flesh into what amounts to metal gauntlets and then beating the stuffings out of anyone who looks him the wrong way.”
”And lastly, and a bit of a different breed of trouble, Vrinn. A changeling with a single eye. Not violent like the other five, but able to get pretty much anywhere and then walk out with pretty much anything. Guess he eventually chose a mark rich enough to buy the professionals needed to catch the guy and toss the key to his cell.”
Alua did in fact find a ledger, with details about orders made, delivered and paid, but after a while of leafing through it she began to suspect it was intentionally partial – these seemed to be an inconsistency between materials bought and item made, suggesting at the very least the smith had been engaging in a bit of tax evasion. But then again, the Baron had had reason to believe the man was involved in purely criminal enterprises at well – if so, it would not be a smart move to write down details about those transactions, certainly not where some casual burglar might find it.
Phin’s searching did not come up with any remarkable clues, but then the general mess in the shop made finding things difficult – a concentrated effort to shift all the loose and broken things into piles would help, but would take considerable time. There was something strange about the chaos in the room, she realized, but couldn’t put her finger on what was bothering her.
As Lupi joined the others crowding around the silversmith’s corpse she did find what she had expected – many of the bruises on the body suggested the killer had been wearing heavy rings on his fingers. Rings, or, indeed, piercings.
"...Vrinn stole the statue... gave it to the shopkeeper... who made a kingfisher handle of it... later Zelina's group came in and questioned the shopkeeper... Zelina finds the baddies and gets captured and questioned... someone... maybe Grimgraj... comes back here and kills the shopkeeper... so we need a clue on... where Zelina went from here?"
"Good thinking Lupi, my thoughts went to Grimgraj also - and the marks made by the rings are very nicely spotted! But why melt down the statue? Surely it wouldn't add up to any significant value. There must be more valuable things to steal for their weight in silver."
Baran tried to work things out logically, "It was stolen once before. Was it stolen for the same reason? I thought the value more personal or a matter of status. If it were melted down into something else it would be ruined. What are you thinking? Was there something inside of it?" Baran grinned, "That would be embarrassing. A secret object hidden under the nose of the Baron for decades, just outside his own office." Baran admired Lupi's mental acumen and bantered with her hoping to keep up. Inside, he cursed his lack of focus in his training, his childish approach to his studies and his own 'far-fetched' ideas.
"Is there anything here we can use to make a quick replica from the mold? It might be good to have ... we could even get it silver plated in another location ... incase we needed to swap the objects out. Maybe some plaster, or, don't bronze sculptors use clay? Something fast. Wax?" He looked around for something to use.
That's when he noticed Phin. "What's wrong??? You look, I don't know, you are too keen to be confused but ..."
Lupi was happy that Baran was happy for her and was caught into discussion with him. "If there was something inside it... why melt it...? Maybe one could... cut the basilisk in half... unless there was something fragile inside... something fire resistant... maybe..." Lupi shook her head, not being sure. She could not think of anything that could confirm the theory. "And then... making a kingfisher handle...? There are enough silver forks and spoons... just lying around for the handle here... Maybe there's something... symbolic about kingfisher?" Lupi looked at Baran curiously.
"I could craft a mold... from wood, but... it would require a lot of time... the design is a beauty... I am not sure, if... I could end up with similar enough..." Lupi continued and stopped as she suddenly realised the shopkeeper had had to use some very fine woodcraft tools for his mold. She looked for a box of tools or similar in the room.
Lupi recalled what the old lady Tabin told once to her that's the symbol Victor uses..." After the initial shock, she mumbled "We need to visit Victor... if we don't get any other leads here..." Lupi started to think, what they had left in the shop"...strange scent in the air... general chaos here... Could we track Zelina, Victor or Grimgraj from here? Anything else...?" she concluded and looked around to others.
Erix's attempts to find tracks ended up hopeless, and he returned just in time to hear Lupi deduce the killer. "Hang on - that could be a lot of other... well, a few... no, I reckon you're right. Too much of a coincidence otherwise..."
He shrugged helplessly. "So what, they found out he gave information to Zelina, and came back to teach him a lesson?"
That's when he noticed Phin. "What's wrong??? You look, I don't know, you are too keen to be confused but ..."
The crease in Phin's brow deepened as Baran noticed she was perplexed by what she saw. "I feel like I'm missing something but can't put my finger on what it is. It is most annoying and obviously unhelpful. Sorry guys, it makes no sense that there isn't more hidden here given that the shopkeeper was essentially a lawbreaker."
Lupi's comment linking the kingfisher to Victor caught Phin's attention. "It's starting to sound like Victor may not be on the right side of this situation. Speaking with Victor is definitely something we should consider."
"I feel like I'm missing something but can't put my finger on what it is. It is most annoying and obviously unhelpful. Sorry guys, it makes no sense that there isn't more hidden here given that the shopkeeper was essentially a lawbreaker."
Lupi joined Phin in pondering about the chaos in the room. She mumbled to Phin "...why the mess... ...was shopkeeper just... untidy... does Grimgraj like... messiness... maybe its a religious thing...? The captain said... Grimgraj followed some religion..." Lupi was uncertain, but decided to check shopkeeper's pockets, if he had any clues or valuables.
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Baran stayed with Lupi and tried to assist in searching the shopkeeper. As he did so he spoke, "Or is Saint-Demaine being framed? We are dealing with spy societies." He felt like he was keeping up with Lupi's keen mind (for a bit) and then realized he was just copying her searching. In fact, he was getting in the way. He backed off.
"I feel like I'm missing something but can't put my finger on what it is. It is most annoying and obviously unhelpful. Sorry guys, it makes no sense that there isn't more hidden here given that the shopkeeper was essentially a lawbreaker."
Baran moved to Phin and nodded to her in an understanding sort of way then he went to the door. From the door he walked to the middle of the room. As he did he looked in every direction. He didn't know anything about stealing ... but he knew stories, and he tried to write the story of this room. He did his best to recreate what happened in his mind. What was the interloper, or interlopers, purpose? What were they feeling? Rage, panic, nothing? Is the room 'staged' like 'a play about a break-in'? What was wrong about the room?
He whispered, "Please everyone be quiet ..." He waited a moment:
"There was a gentle rapping,
as the taxman came a tapping,
all could hear the knocking,
at the bar's back door."
"When the taxman asked for money,
The barman said 'no really',
You were here just last week,
and now you ask for more."
Baran started to gesture to different parts of the room, the walls, the furniture. Knocking started to sound all about as he listened for a difference.
"The barman threw the first punch,
and the patrons joined in shortly,
the one upon the other,
and the taxman hit the floor."
The knocking grew to be the knocking of twelve people and all coming from different areas of the room.
"The moral of the story,
is the taxman can't be greedy,
lest he find himself a napping,
in the parlours of the poor."
Baran exhaled, looking a little winded. His lungs always betrayed his endurance with long speeches and he had been trying to 'keep up' a little too hard.
Alua tried to sort through all the clues - not an easy job for her slow brain. "Surely Saint-Demain isn't involved. Even if the kingfisher is for him, it doesn't mean he's involved in all this. Maybe it's a coincidence? Or maybe he was undercover - ordering something so he would have a legitimate reason to be here."
She wondered what Sebastian would say if he were here. Her boss had spoken often of Victor Saint-Demain - he'd seemed to be alternatingly inspired by the man, jealous of him, and insulted by him. Apparently there had been some sort of meeting between the two, before Alua has met Sebastian, and it hadn't gone well. Could it be possible that the genius inquisitor had turned bad? Had his ego and pride finally brought the man low? Or had he finally met his match? And if that was the case, what chance did she have?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Baran's strange poem. The barrage of knocking soon had her head ringing, and she found it hard to concentrate on anything. Her eyes wide and incomprehending, she covered her ears and waited for it to stop. "So much for being a stealth mission," she said when it was over. "Everybody on the street must have heard that."
Lupi concluded "...I can't think of much else... to do... ...my last attempts... were already far-fetched... ... ...Does anyone know,... where Victor lives?"
"I think you're right Phin. Someone else was here ... another victim. We should check on Victor Saint-Demaine right away I think, if the kingfisher points to anything. Maybe, out the back??? Ah, sorry for the noise Alua."
"I think you're right Phin. Someone else was here ... another victim. We should check on Victor Saint-Demaine right away I think, if the kingfisher points to anything. Maybe, out the back??? Ah, sorry for the noise Alua."
Still unnerved by the scene around her that was both familiar and strange, Phin shrugged, "If there were multiple fights here, maybe one involved taking Zelina and the other killing the shopkeeper. I find it hard to believe that Zelina would have killed the one she came to question."
When baran's knocking started, so did Erix. Puffed up like he was doing a cat impression, but mouth agape, he stared agape at the bard.
Finally Erix slowly sank back down into himself as he recovered.
"Well..." he shrugged uneasily "Looks like the only lead we've got? Though if this guy is crooked he might've paid someone to keep an eye on his place?"
Still unnerved by the scene around her that was both familiar and strange, Phin shrugged, "If there were multiple fights here, maybe one involved taking Zelina and the other killing the shopkeeper. I find it hard to believe that Zelina would have killed the one she came to question."
Alua nodded. "Seems unlikely, and Zelina is a professional. The question is - was she interrupted in her questioning, or did the murder happen after she and her team left?"
She shook her head. "I guess we go to see Saint-Demain, though as leads go, it seems thin. Surely he's not the only one in Sharn who likes kingfishers." She really hoped they weren't reading too much into that. She didn't even know what a kingfisher looked like - what if it was some other bird? Still, the first 48 hours were vital in a kidnapping, and they didn't have time to stand around and second guess themselves.
"How would we find Grimgraj?", the forgotten, Morgrave half drop-out, son of a shipwright clearly had no idea where to start. "Look for back alley fighting rings? What do silversmith killing pseudo-prophets go on their night off? Shall we walk and talk?"
Lupi shared her information to others "...Clifftop... that's where... Victor's office is..." and then thought for a long while "...maybe we could... ask the neighbours... if they heard anything... ...other than the riot outside?" While the others were pondering a next move Lupi looked around the mess in the shop thinking "I am running behind on making wooden spoons for the goblins. I wonder if they would accept silver spoons instead."
After Baran's knocking spell he searched the rooms more suspicious sounding walls, floors, and furniture. "Well, these buildings may not exactly be deathtraps but not carpenter in Sharn should go hungry from the work in this district alone. Look, another hole to nowhere. And this next one shows a little view right to the ground. This one ...Oh Wait." Baran pulled out the little pouch. 'My, this is enough to purchase that very fine fencing blade I saw in Redstone. It's ... no, no. I'm at work. This should go into the coffers of the Agency.' He handed the pouch to Alua. "Found money. Only the shopkeeper probably knew it was there and it may never have been found. Or worse, found by the guard. Something for our debts?"
______
Baran started to leave the building. "Why don't we try the Inquisitive. It's main offices are here in Menthis, in the University district, and they probably stay open late. If we're lucky we may even find Tarark there. They would certainly have Saint-Demaine's address in Cliffside and perhaps might have a little information beside. We could trade for our first hand account of the big break-out. If we do it right, get our name in an article, information might come looking for us."
Lupi was happy with Baran's proposal, she picked up a couple of spoons for her customers hoping they would buy her more time to craft wooden ones.
"Rather fight sharks than paper-rats, but if you reckon you can handle it, do it. Remember what we can't say, though, eh?" Erix agreed - reluctantly.
Alua stared at the pouch of money in surprise. She glanced guiltily at the shopkeeper. I guess he's not using it now. She wondered if he had a family somewhere. "We should see if he has next-of-kin, but if not, we'll split it." She tucked the pouch safely away.
"So, it looks like we have two of the escaped convicts involved. Vrinn, who stole the statue the first time, and possibly this time, and now Grimgraj. This is certainly looking less and less like a coincidence."
Turning to Baran, she said, "Lead the way to the Inquisitive. Talking to Victor is our next step, before we hit the streets trying to track down 2, or possibly 6, dangerous criminals."