Heroes of Lastwall (Inactive)

Game Master Tilnar

Ok, so everyone is heading to the house for now, with some going to talk to the parents, the others investigating the loft where Primrose sleeps.

It takes another ten or fifteen minutes for the knot of folks to disperse enough that the lot of you feel safe to leave -- though you keep some distance back from Sahar, Fiona and Yacob. The trip to the farmstead takes about 40 minutes, and would normally be lovely, but there's a tension in the air that drives home how fragile the current calm is.

Jacob asks to go into the house first to speak to his wife - giving the rest of you time to catch up.

From the outside, the house is larger than what you'd have expected -- easily 30 feet long, about 20' wide, and about 12 feet high. The building itself is stone - held together with a mortar of straw and mud. The face of the building is covered with patches of various ages, the scars giving it an almost piebald appearance. The roof is a woven thatch of prairie grasses and straw.

Behind the house is what you assume to be a barn, the building also made primarily of stone, and about half again the size of the house. Large stones form a mostly natural ring on one end, where two aurochs are currently eating from a trough. The ground around the barn (other than the approach) is marked with organized rows of edible plants - though the majority of them are not yet mature.

The area around the house - and the path to the barn - is clearly well-worn, with years of walking having eroded the native grasses. However, on the barn-side of the house, a set of stones mark off an herb and flower garden the length of the building - with a set of stepping stones in the middle that aligns with the rear door.

Merlan sends Squeaks aloft, with a whispered order to let him know if the Tiny Dino sees anything.

Squeaks Per: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

Merlan takes a look around as they wait for Jacob to return. The halfling seems to be, different, somehow. Less of the jocular-jester claiming to be a wizard. More of, a hunter.

1st Per: Front of the house, approaching 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

Merlan (and Squeaky) take a look around, and he kinda sorta almost notices things, if only someone might help the poor guy out? Or look themselves and roll better. Or... whatever else people might do to increase the chance of success....

Since there's a little tension about pointy ears, Eloen does her best to stay out of the "talking to people" sessions and stick to the "looking for clues" sessions.

The first thing that Eloen does is not go inside and check the loft, but rather make a circuit around the barn itself, looking for trampled plants, signs of anything dragged or something large dropped, snagged bit of cloth, or footprints that don't match the muddy mess of foot traffic that goes along with maintaining a farm and all of the animals going back and forth. It's a slim thread of hope.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

Eloen reasons outloud, "If she was removed from her bedroom and brought up into the loft here... someone had to carry or drag here. Otherwise, maybe she walked here under her own power and then was killed. Either way there should be some sign of how she got in here..."

Merlan (and Squeaky) take a look around, and he kinda sorta almost notices things, if only someone might help the poor guy out? Or look themselves and roll better. Or... whatever else people might do to increase the chance of success....

LOL,... <facepalm> Yep. THIS is my life recently. 'SO close, but no cigar!' ;P

(Semi) seriously, can we let the lower rolls be the 'aid another' to the higher roll? :D

Costin joins in looking around for any signs of what happened. He also periodically detects magic on the area.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Lysander Perception (Aid): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

Merlan walks the perimeter of the house, seeking signs and when he gets close to the back door he stops, his eyes narrowing as he looks about, something bothering him but he can't quite put a finger on it... even with Squeaky's help... He sighs, and is about to stop when Lysander comes around the other side and also stops, as if something caught his attention in the same area -- wait, no, he's looking a bit more to the right...

The halfling shifts his focus and he sees it this time - a long green and violet thorn partially lying inside (and masked by) a small bed of pansies -- it looks to be about the length of the halfling's palm (and not at all like the other plants in the flowerbed).

Hullo! Whut have we here then?"

Merlan drops onto his hands and knees to closer examine the thorn under the pansies.

The halfling looks at the thorn curiously, and then puts on his riding gloves before carefully picking it up by the non-pointy end to get a better look at it.

Presuming 'nature' to start with? What else K; skill might be of use here? :)

K: Nature: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

Woot! I mean, Well, I guess I know what plant the thorn came from? Maybe even which particular bush? :)

"What did you find, Merlan?" Costin asks.

Fiona nods solemnly at Merlan's suggestion and follows along with Sahar and Yacob, though she does take a moment to turn to Merlan and suggest quietly, "Someone should speak to the boy Daven as well."

In and around the house, she keeps her eyes and ears peeled for anything unusual or suspicious — but mostly just looks strong and comforting.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

SLIGHT retcon of conversation ;)

Fiona nods solemnly at Merlan's suggestion and follows along with Sahar and Yacob, though she does take a moment to turn to Merlan and suggest quietly, "Someone should speak to the boy Daven as well."

"Indeed." Merlan agrees with a nod, then turns to examine the nearby grounds.

AFter a moment of feeling Fiona's eyes still upon him, Merlan turns back to the warrior.

"Ah. Oh. OH. You meant me."

The diminutive wizard gives Fiona a big grin, and an enthusiastic double thumbs-up.

The tiny dino has the decency to look embarrassed for Merlan. Since the wizard obviously isn't.

"What did you find, Merlan?" Costin asks.

"A clue Costin. A possible, palpable clue!"

As son as I'm told what that clue IS, our over-acting detective with delusions of grandeur will continue.
:)

Merlan examines the thorn carefully, It looks like a Bloodrose thorn, though the color is off just a little bit... and it's longer than mo -- wait... don't some fey - Atomies, though this is too big, but whaddya call those evil sprites - Rosebloods! right! --- treat thorns alchemically to use as weapons and tools... This one would make a decent knife... or javelin tip... or climbing piton... Yeah, it'd slide right between the mortar -- and probably leave a little hole... just like that one.... and that one... and....

Merlan crooks a pudgy finger, beckoning Costin closer.
Once Costin is close. VERY close. Merlan stage whispers.

"Rosebloods! Evil Fae. Sprites to be precise. They use alchemically treated thorns, like this Bloodrose thorn, as weapons and tools. This one would make a decent knife. Or javelin tip,... or climbing Piton."

The halfling slowly raises himself up to his full 3'(+/-) height. His eyes are wide now, and his gaze darts back and forth.

"Yeah, it'd slide right between the mortar -- and probably leave a little hole... just like that one.... and that one... and...."

Merlan's voice trails off as he is now standing on his tippy-toes and pointing far above his own head at the wall of building.

"Well,..." Merlan finally says, giving Costin a gleeful, bohemian smile.

"You get the idea."

Squeaks, now perched on the roof above, makes a brief, strange sound.
Something like a cross between a strangled cough and a raspberry.

Sahar, trusting that her companions will investigate carefully, spends her time trying to comfort the bereaved parents, listening to their stories of Primrose as a child, leading them through the rites of Sarenrae and being faithful to the priestly part of her calling.

Is Prim's body at the family home, as was customary in olden days, or is it elsewhere?

Costin looks at the building. ”So the fey scoundrel might have climbed to the roof…” He looks about to see if there is an available ladder or other climbing mechanism.

Costin looks at the building. ”So the fey scoundrel might have climbed to the roof…”

Merlan nods vigorously, a move that would almost certainly have dislodged Squeaks had the Dino been in his usual perch on the hat, instead of the roof.

"Roof, Window, convenient gap in the thatching,... almost any opening would suffice. They're like rats. With a Nasty 'sense of humor', With a Capitol "N", and a penchant for using natural tools and poisons."

"I'm starting to form a theory. It's viable so far, but will require a lot more evidence to verify."

"Does it involve a theoretical quickling?"

"Does it involve a theoretical quickling?"

Merlan nods again. Much slower this time. The effect is to make the usually comical flapping of his oversized hat seem much more ominous.

"And apparently some theoretical minions. Theoretically, it explains how the little dervish has managed to pull off some of it's more over-the-top 'pranks' on us. The little (Something in a language most will not recognize is muttered) has a GANG. He's a Friggin' pint-sized mob boss! I must confess. I did NOT see that coming."

Suddenly, the halfling rears back and starts to kick his foot at the ground in an unusual burst of obvious anger. He manages to control him self, but the struggle is plain on his face. (He is heard muttering something about obliterating evidence), and Merlan lowers his foot firmly but slowly. The little fellow is obviously 'not happy'.

In the shadow of his lowered hat brim, for one brief moment, The usually comical wizard exudes an aura of menace and power.

For one eyeblink, everyone near him is willing to believe his claims of Archmage-ness.

Then another eyeblink, and the moment passes. But from beneath the shadow of his lowered brim, Merlan can be heard barely muttering,...

"Scrag my Uncle, and his Vershugina tolerance for Fae and their dark humor be d@#$d. They killed a child. I am going to feed them all to Squeaks. While still alive."

From his perch on the roof above, the tiny dino in question leans forward eagerly. Prompted by his emotional bond with his master, Squeaks' eyes are almost whirling in anticipation.

The track up the building is pretty clear, and would seem to have been made by something with slightly less of a reach than Merlan.

Working together, standing on shoulders, you follow the climbing trail up and between yourselves and Squeaky, you note that some of the roof's thatching is no longer bound - though whatever did that did take an effort to place things back in such a way that there's no obvious gap... in fact, you'd guess the roof in its current state still wouldn't leak... though a decent wind would change that.

It seems a lot of work, though, given that there's a shuttered window that could provide access (and, based on the farmer's story, that's where they found some of the evidence).

Merlan's fingers make twitching, almost-but-not-quite arcane gestures as he mutters (Mostly) to himself.

"So, The lil Ishpat has a crew. He sends them (or leads them) to abduct and kill the girl to start up yet more trouble. But they need to make certain that no one looks TOO closely for evidence. So they cover their own tracks of their entry via the roof which would be all but impossible for the poor lad, and plant evidence near the window to implicate him. Diabolical in it's simplicity."

The wizard hisses again in frustration.
"I know he didn't do it. WE know he didn't do it. But the townsfolk are blinded by rage and pain. We need PROOF. Not clues. We need the Quickling and his gang. Or at least their remains."

I'm tired, By which I mean exhausted. The girls remains were found in the family barn yes?

The halfling points towards the barn. "Before we disturb the inside of the house and the grieving family. We should investigate where the,... remains,... were found. Now that we know what we are looking for, the clues should be easier to find."

Our clues:
Primrose's body found in the barn, in a stall, a mile from home
Blood on Primrose's pillow in her room
Shutter to Primrose's window broken open
Broadhead arrows, similar to those used by Devan, found at the murder scene, with fletching of the kind on arrows Primrose had given to Devan—two used to pin her down, one broken and discarded
Strangled with a bowstring, but with multiple shallow cuts on her body
Roseblood thorn, used as a climbing spike (Rosebloods are a kind of small malicious faerie)

This was the critical initial post: Testimony!

Now that the crew is away from everyone else, Eloen says to Merlan, "The arrows, Prim's father claimed they were of a kind that Prim had given to Devan. We should question Devan about his arrows, find out if all of them are missing or just some, or if all of his arrows are accounted for and these are careful fakes. It would be easy enough to steal his arrows, though. We should also check his bow: Is the string still there, or was it actually taken off and used for the killing?"

"The drag marks that her father mentioned are consistent with our current hypothesis that the killer was small, unable to lift and carry her, only able to drag her. The spike that you found fits with our notion of faerie malice, and might even be the weapon that was used to cause some of her wounds."

DM, I'm unclear on something. In the initial description, the description says that the shuttered window to Prim's room is broken open, but there's also a description here of someone climbing into the roof itself by unsecuring the thatch? Is that at Prim's home, or the ruins of the barn? If the barn, is that supposed to indicate that the stall where her body was found was on the second floor? I was under the impression that it was ground level.

You're looking at the house - Prim slept in the loft -- so the building is basically, a floor and a half. The shuttered window is pretty small - it's really just there as a vent more than anything - enough that a dwarf or a full-sized man would likely not be able to go through. Someone with a more slender build would have less trouble.

Which, I guess, is in and of itself, a clue.

You're looking at the house - Prim slept in the loft -- so the building is basically, a floor and a half. The shuttered window is pretty small - it's really just there as a vent more than anything - enough that a dwarf or a full-sized man would likely not be able to go through. Someone with a more slender build would have less trouble.

Which, I guess, is in and of itself, a clue.

So, realistically (in a fantasy world) Am I correct in understanding that PROBABLY Prim's body would not have, easily, fit through the window? Meaning that the abductor (whether Fae or Human) would have had to drag her through house to get her out?

I believe you've met Prim at Hamish's school on at least one occasion. So, you know that while she's not a wee slip of a girl and it's clear she worked on a farm, she's also not built like a longshoreman and could have slipped out the window without too much difficulty. She was about a hand and a half over 5 feet, and probably a little less than 10 stone. (The half-elven lad being accused is taller and heavier, but only a little broader than Prim -- not so much that he couldn't fit himself through the window).

So, that to say, she could have gone out the window - though it would have been hard to do so without waking others if she was struggling at all...

Intelligence: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 That'll do

...and that's before you have to account for someone else going through the window with her to keep her restrained.... really, if we're talking human-sized folk, this only works if she was either pushed out first or pulled out afterward as they both couldn't go at the same time.

"Presumably the abductor did something to immobilize her or render her unconscious, so that she couldn't scream or struggle."

"Presumably the abductor did something to immobilize her or render her unconscious, so that she couldn't scream or struggle."

Merlan holds up the tiny thorn that he discovered.

"Agreed. Why d'you think I'm wearing gloves? I'm no master Alchemist. But I know an alchemically-treated item when I see it. And the Rosebloods are famous, or should I say INfamous?, for using alchemical & poisoned treated items. Like strengthened tools and sleeping poisons. I didn't want to figure out which one THIS was the hard way."

Merlan glances back at the ground thoughtfully.

"Hm, Climbing tool maybe. Or, It could be a paralysis-poisoned weapon, maybe fallen out while dragging her,..."

”What is your history with this quickling? I think that was all before I came to town,” Costin asks.

"Oh yeah. That was before you arrived wasn't it?" Merlan shrugs.

"Not too much to tell. Because we don't KNOW what his deal is. Turns out the town's resident troublemaker isn't a human bully, but a Quickling. He probably just thinks he's playing pranks, but Fae in general, and Quicklings and their ilk in particular, have a particularly nasty sense of humor. We discovered that he was most likely the one who had done, some, well, we'll fill you in on all the disturbing details later. Basically his 'Causing trouble' gets small animals and people injured and killed."

"When we figured that out, he turned his attention to us. His attempts at 'humor' include stealing a Dragonling egg and leaving it for US to find. And take the blame from mommy, and apparently sending psychotic summoners-for-hire after us when we didn't laugh at his jokes."

"I still don't know WHY he seems to have taken such an interest in this dum,... town. But he has been VERY insistent about staying. Odd. My limited experience with such Fae indicates they would normally abandon the area once they and their supposedly amusing hi jinks were discovered. But THIS guy is still hanging around. And has obviously upped the ante. I wouldn't think he'd be THIS painfully obvious. Even placing the blame on another, normally they don't want to risk discovery."

"Dangit. I'll bet this whole entire thing is one, big, (disturbing), distraction. He did this because he KNOWS we wouldn't just leave it alone. He WANTS us to take our time dealing with this. But WHY. What is it he doesn't want us to get involved with?"

"So, what is the current hypothesis? A rosebloom (or several) snuck up to the roof, cut the thatch, entered by stealth and scratched Prim with a sleep poison, then opened the window shutter and dragged her out and off to the barn a mile away?" says Eloen.

"Based on that hypothesis, what other clues should we be looking for? What evidence would support this supposition?"

The diminutive wizard shakes his head to clear his thoughts.
(Yeah. Good luck with that.)

"Right. RIGHT. Evidence that would support the current theory. Um, More of THESE,..." Merlan holds up the discovered thorn again.

",... Drag marks, swatches of Prim;s dressing clothes caught on something, That wouldn't prove it WASN'T the boy but why would drag a person if you were capable of carrying them much faster?, tiny footprints that didn't get erased. ANYthing that doesn't belong between the house and the barn."

"The bad news is, these type of fae are used to hiding evidence of their passage. The GOOD news is, these particular fae have also gotten comfortable pulling the wool over the eyes of the not-necessarily-most-observant townsfolk. And folk, be they normal humanoid or the 'Wee' variety, tend to let their guard down when they're comfortable. And more so when they're in a hurry. If they dropped this, then they left other traces as well."

Merlan looks directly at Eloen, then the others.

"We're looking for tiny traces. Think on the scale of the wee folk. They would never be clumsy enough to accidentally leave a sign like we might. But another couple of clues like this thorn, that's the proof. Gather enough and maybe we can not only free the lad, but find out where their lair is and end this minuscule menace posthaste!"

"Prim's father did find a piece of her clothing caught on the window sill," says Eloen.

"If we have time, I can try to follow the trail from the house to the barn with a closer eye, take a few hours, look for any other fragmentary bits of evidence or tracks from along the road."

Merlan rubs his chin,

"IF the theory hold water, they left the clue there on purpose. Whether she was actually removed through the window, or made to look that way, doesn't prove the lad didn't do it. The father is angry that she was drug on the ground. But Again, WHY would a young strong lad drag her, if he could carry her much faster? So far that and this thorn are the closest thing we have to proof."

"Now,... IF we could find evidence that she was removed through the house instead of the window,... Wee folk dragging her out the door would be much easier than the window. Even if she were drugged. AND if her family were also drugged, they would never have noticed."

"Too many choices. Too many 'maybes'. WHERE to look next? outside or inside?!?"

”Will they let us have a look inside, where she was taken, you think?”

"Probably. Maybe. If the right person asks." Merlan looks at Sahar.

ARGH! my head hurts! (Literally, not figuratively) HAs Sahar re-joined us outside yet?

well done! Lots of progress posts.

I still had the question about where Prim's body was - is it in the house, where Sahar and Fiona are with the family? Or is it kept elsewhere? If in the house, Sahar will be trying to examine the body in the guise of helping prepare for burial - if her family hasn't already washed away the evidence.

Prim's body was found in a burned-out barn about a mile away. If you ask, Jacob will tell you he brought it to the healer to have her cleaned up and prepared.

"Someone should interview the healer who prepared the body. Sahar?"

Fiona does her best to remain impassive as Sahar speaks with the family, trying to project quiet strength in support of the desert cleric's efforts. At the same time, she keeps her eyes and ears open for anything unusual within the house or in the conversation with the parents.

Merlan rubs his child-like chin so firmly you'd think he was scratching at a beard. He looks as if he wants to have another almost-temper-tantrum again, when Squeaks swoops in and lands on the wide-brimmed hat once more.

Pulling the hat back off of his eyes, Merlan pats the tiny dino's head in thanks.

"OK,... So the blood spot on Prim's pillow was probably from where they stabbed here with a poisoned item, like this thorn, to incapacitate her. Then they probably drug her out the window, since they are small enough to force and carry her through the narrow window and be with her, something a full sized humanoid could never have done. Even though she fit, her nightgown caught and ripped the shutter. THIS is the most likely scenario. Because any other options involve possibly waking or having to incapacitate the family, which would lead to more chances of being caught."

Merlan turns to face down the path, towards the barn a mile+ down the road.
"Then they drug her down the road, which understandably upset her da, but only because they were too short to carry her without dragging her. They take her to the barn, and,..."

Merlan's face turns into a dark thundercloud for another moment,...

"And torturedher, while she was helpless from their poison, before killing her. The little !@#$^ (Again a different language) wanted her to be afraid and die with that look on her face."

"The arrows in her hands were all extra to terrify the girl, and anger the townsfolk. They didn't need to do that, as she was already incapacitated. They just made it that much more horrific, and used Davin's arrows as the means to cast blame."

Merlan looks at the others.

"Let's save some time. And presume that the bowstring and arrows used at the scene WERE Davin's. They abducted a living girl from under her parents' roof. Stealing an unguarded bow and arrows is nothing."

MErlan stomps the ground, but it seems from frustration, not anger.

"PROOF! OK,... We need to hurry. The sun isn't slowing down for us. We need to run and search the barn where she was found. See if we can find any other clues they missed. Something NOT from Davin. We also need to inspect the body. Proof of poisoning, small puncture wounds, the like. " The halfling wiggles the discovered Bloodthorn.

"AND we need to talk to Davin. Ask his alibi, and find proof it is true. We know he HAS one, but we need to prove it."

"Um,... two teams? Split our skills as best we can? Team 1 goes and searches the barn where Prim was found. Team 2 inspects the body. We all regroup asap and go talk to Davin together. Yes? No? OTHER idease?!?"

(The halfling seems, stressed.)

"I'll go with Team 1. Sahar has the most healing knowledge, she'll head Team 2. We move fast, and watch our backs. The Quickling is practically invisible. BUT his minions aren't. Just look for them in small, out of the way places. Pretend your looking for rats. With poisoned darts."

Merlan's little legs start walking as quick as they can towards Tiny. He doesn't wait for a response from anyone.

From atop his perch on the wide-brimmed hat, Squeaks cranes his serpentine neck around to look back at the group. The plaintive look on his little lizard face clearly says, "A LITTLE HELP HERE?!?"

(The tiny dino's expression looks like a first-time bull-rider at an annual fall fair)

Climbing into Tiny's saddle, Merlan freezes for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought,...

Oh, OK, of course NOW, at MIDNIGHT, I have an idea,... ;P

Sigh, trying to play a highly intelligent character, when you are strictly, 'above-average', is a pain! ;P

OH mighty GM, what roll(s) do I need to make to try and recall info about where Quicklings and Bloodthorns like to live? In other words, I want to try and figure out where/what kind of location their lair might be. Merlan wants to go hunting! :)

Fey are Kn: Nature

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

"I'm with you on the barn," says Eloen to Merlan. "Let's go hunt for more clues."

Thx Tilnar, Searching memory for 'how to find a Fey' ;)

K: Nature: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Hmmm, thinking,...

Mr GM:

Mr GM

DM: