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Eldorn is clearly annoyed and angry. "Under... arrest? For what? Do you have any evidence that either one of us killed this man? No. You don't. Therefore, let us leave, please! This is misunderstanding! None of us do not know this person, and we just recently arrived here, looking for our friend." As he finishes, even though he tried to speak with confidence, his voice is a mix of anger and nervousness.
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"There were only three tracks anywhere near the man's corpse: two people and one horse. We're more than two people and none of us have a horse. The man was slain with a short sword and I'm guessing if you check her short sword, you'll find the blood of that poor Tullivor man on it. After all it's well-known that the Sarvios and Tullivors are enemies yes? Apparently she wanted to take their feud here and end it."
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Stavarg looks incredulous when they point to him.
A voice came from the mausaleum and told us a riddle. We were just trying to solve it! To get the setting sunlight to fall upon the spot where the body had been laid down! The victim was dead when we arrived! SHE was here before us! He also points at the noblewoman.
I'm innocent...I didn't kill anyone...not today anyways...
Hmm, well, maybe you're not under arrest—yet. But I want everyone here to stay put while we investigate the guard then confers to one of his colleagues, which hastily darts toward the exit. I've sent my man to call a magic user to see if they can get something out of this "talking head" story.
The guard then starts inspecting the body of Northis Tullivor. Yes, there is a conspicuous wound, probably made by a short blade, bigger than a knife though... Does anyone here have some kind of sword? Lady Sarvio, I need to inspect your weapon, please.
The girl is quite clearly offended by the guardsman's request You- I- You believe what these criminals have said? Do you not know who I am? I am the heir of House Sarvio! My word should not be questioned, ever! The girl is clearly nervous.
“Can we help this investigation?“ she asks the guards politely.
Sure you can, Miss, by answering our questions and not doing anything weird.
So, when and why did you came here in the first place? Lady Sarvio said she was praying at her family tomb, but what about you? You're not from here, and the cemetery isn't the first place someone would visit in the city.
What are you trying to say, dwarf? That the culprit had a horse? But there's only Miss Sarvio's horse here!
The guard gives a really suspicious look at Khon'Ur Are you saying that Miss Rihannon Sarvio, heir to the esteemed House Sarvio, has killed the heir of House Tullivor here, in front of their mausoleum? Do you have any proof to sustain this grave accusation?
You got proof it was us? Dorgan says a bit testily
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What are you trying to say, dwarf? That the culprit had a horse? But there's only Miss Sarvio's horse here!
The guard gives a really suspicious look at Khon'Ur Are you saying that Miss Rihannon Sarvio, heir to the esteemed House Sarvio, has killed the heir of House Tullivor here, in front of their mausoleum? Do you have any proof to sustain this grave accusation?
"Not only does she have the murder weapon on her person but her motive is the antipathy between the two houses. I would've thought the local constabulary would be up to date on that sort of news yes? Think of how poorly it will go for all of you if you arrest the wrong people, who just showed up, don't know anyone, and have no reason to Tullivor, when the Tullivors find out what you've allowed to happen. Perhaps some watertight boots for your new job patrolling the sewers?"
Oh for the love of Gorum! Dorgan says, getting frustrated with this nonsense.
See? No blood...check her... as he shows his axe.
Alright, calm down you two says the guard, the one who seems in charge of the patrolling group, I will admit that Lady Sarvio presence here is suspicious at the least. The guard starts elaborating the clues that have been presented to them these tracks show that someone with a horse passed from here first, but she already said she was praying here at her mausoleum, although it's a weird hour to spend one's time in a cemetery.
He then moves in front of the bust and removes the body from his position to examine it, immediately the voice of Laban Tullivor resounds through the place . The guards are startled, Who said that? Show yourself!
It's an enchantment tied to the bust says Rihannon, Everytime a new person gets in front of the bust, those words echo through the cemetery. The guard looks suspiciously at the now chipped bust, then at Lady Sarvio And how would you know that, m'Lady?
I, ehr... I- I passed in front of the bust on my way to my family's mausoleum, that's all. Gave me a good scare, eheh... Rihannon is visibly nervous.
Alright the guard says, then looks at one of his comrades, which moves slowly near the mounted girl. Let's see the body. Uhm, as these gentlemen said, there's just this mortal wound made with a short, straight blade. There are also these scratches on the face, which I'm not sure how have been made. He stands up and turns to the group Please, show me your weapons, he asks, and waits until everyone has taken out their weapon. You too, Lady Sarvio, everyone here is now a suspect, I'm afraid.
The guard inspects the party weapons, and stops in front of Gaius You sir, that's a short sword you have. Let me see it the guard takes the weapon in his hands and closely examines it. Looks clean, and well maintained. Doesn't look like it has been used recently. Also, if I understood correctly you came here shortly before our arrive, yes? He gives the sword back to Gaius, then moves toward Lady Sarvio.
The girl hands over her weapon reluctantly to the guard, who is approached by his colleague who whispers something to him. Alright Lady Sarvio, this is a very nice weapon, and sadly seems to have seen action recently, the man inspects the blade so closely, his nose is practically touching it, here, near the hilt, there are specks of blood, which my colleague just informed me you tried to clean with an handkerchief. May I see the handkerchief, Lady Rihannon?
The girl sighs, then produces a stained square of cloth from her dress. Yes, this is blood, and is still quite fresh. I'm afraid you will need to follow us to the garrison, Lady Sarvio, we will have more questions for you there. The guard then turns to the group, You should come too, we will need your testimony about what happened here and what you saw. The guards will now accompany everyone to the city barracks for some thorough questioning, Rihannon Sarvio has been asked to dismount her horse while traveling to the garrison.
While you move out of the cemetery, you can see a hawk flying away in the dimly lit night sky.
After almost a full night at the guard barracks you are able to point the murder of Northis Tullivor to Rihannon Sarvio. The Tullivor family gets immediately informed about what happened, and amidst the tears and grief of losing another relative so soon after the demise of Laban Tullivor they genuinely thank you, although in a far too snobbish way, and agree to reward you with a total of 500 gp. They also inform you that the Sarvio's heirloom—the chalice Rihannon was looking for—has been stolen by Ulisha, which has now a bounty on her head precisely for this reason.
After you finish talking with the guards, you have a few options: spend the rest of the night somewhere in the city (maybe where Ulisha rented her room), search up the cemetery once again, or proceed to the next objective. You can also ask the Tullivor family for information, if you want to.
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As they exit the barracks, Stavarg sighs deeply in relief of finally being released from a long night.
Well... that took an unexpected turn. At least the guards were reasonable and nice. I honestly expected that to go downhill fast.
He broaches the subject of next moves with the team.
So, Ulisha was nowhere to be found but we never did actually get into the mausoleum. We could move on, but then what if Elisha is stuck in there?
Or should I be taking "plot armor" hints from the option to move on?
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As they exit the barracks, Stavarg sighs deeply in relief of finally being released from a long night.
Well... that took an unexpected turn. At least the guards were reasonable and nice. I honestly expected that to go downhill fast.
He broaches the subject of next moves with the team.
So, Ulisha was nowhere to be found but we never did actually get into the mausoleum. We could move on, but then what if Elisha is stuck in there?
Or should I be taking "plot armor" hints from the option to move on?
I think we stay at her place...might be something there...and if she comes back...ha..easy! Dorgan says as he grabs a cigar and lights it. He takes a huge puff after getting it lit and blows a huge cloud of blue tinged smoke into the air.
Or should I be taking "plot armor" hints from the option to move on?
You spend the night at Ulisha's place, you don't need to pay anything since she paid upfront for a month. You have, however, one of the toughest decisions a group has to make: who sleeps in the bed? There's only one, so fight for it to the death!
Sounds like a plan to me...we can get a decent meal on the way there. I didn't bring much in the way of food..just some jerky and some hard as adamantine biscuits. Gotta soak them in something just to break them apart... the dwarf axeman says as he downs the last of his morning coffee and grabs his pack.
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Sounds like a plan to me...we can get a decent meal on the way there. I didn't bring much in the way of food..just some jerky and some hard as adamantine biscuits. Gotta soak them in something just to break them apart... the dwarf axeman says as he downs the last of his morning coffee and grabs his pack.
"Indeed, a fine meal would be a welcome change from trail rations. Although, given our current location, I'm not sure what passes for a fine meal here. Ustalav? Cannibal's Grove? Definitely two places I wouldn't trust the food!"
True...but if my gut is rumbling, maybe I can feed my axe... the dwarf smiles as he checks to make sure the blade has a fine edge, using a stone to get rid of any burrs.
As you wake up from your slumber, you decide to visit one of the local taverns to get some food for breakfast. Here, Mina announces her decision to leave the group, she isn't really interested in this whole thing, and she decides to take the next caravan to get back to where she came from.
After breakfast you too look for a caravan, and manage to find one that brings you to Ustalav, more precisely to the county of Varno, in the southeast of the nation. You drop in front of a crumbling, moss-choked inn that stands alone at the road’s end. Looming over its squat frame, a dense curtain of foliage marks the border of the Forest of Veils. The sign above the door reads The Restless Bear, and it seems to refer to a stuffed bear’s head that lolls upon a flagpole near the eaves.
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Farewell Mina! We barely knew ye...
As soon as the elf departs the tavern Stavarg turns back to the table where he and the party were eating and leans in conspiratorially.
So... do any of you think it's suspicious how she showed up late last night and is already gone? It's almost as if an Aspis Consortium agent dropped in to get the sense of our mission and take it back to their leaders...
Once he realizes nobody is taking him seriously he gets quiet about it and tries to enjoy the caravan to Ustalav.
When he hops off of the caravan at their destination it's evident that Stavarg isn't the tallest of men. He yawns and stretches for several moments before taking in the nature-reclaimed facade of the Restless Bear.
In fact, the bear looks rather sleepy. What do you think team? A warm meal and then poking at the locals for directions to Cannibal's Gove?