|
"Now my dear sir," he says, turning to the Varisian man, "I can tell these events have been most upsetting for you so we will be brief. Before we get to what you've seen and heard, can you please tell me your name and what brought you around here?"
Kysu responds well to Levin’s kindness, informing him that he noticed a group of cloaked individuals chasing what looked like a blue-skinned human with magnificent butterfly wings through the streets. Kysu confesses that he quickly hid in a nearby alley when he realized what was going on…
Waki is not quite able to get much insight on the Varisian though…
|
|
EYLVIAN AND VONYSA AMELURI
Background:
Eylvian and Vonysa are newlyweds from Kaer Maga who are spending a month-long honeymoon in Magnimar. Eylvian is Chelaxian, with dark hair and eyes and pale skin, while Vonysa is a Varisian woman with curly raven hair, brown skin, and dichromatic eyes. They wear matching silver-and-pearl wedding rings. You noticed Eylvian grasps Vonysa’s hand tightly during their interview with the inspector, gesticulating wildly with her free hand as she combats the inspector’s rudeness with barbs of her own. Vonysa is content to stand in place and listen, quiet as the dead.
Insight DC17:
You can convince the Ameluris to share what they know if they can calm Eylvian or rouse Vonysa from her indifference. If you compliment their rings or otherwise changes the topic from the investigator’s questioning to their honeymoon, all PCs gain a +4 bonus on checks to investigate the couple.
Investigation Skills: Acrobatics, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform (any), or Sleight of Hand.
Clue 1 (Applicable DC17 check):
Eylvian informs the PCs that they were on their way home from a theatre performance staged by a local dancer when they decided to ask for a blessing at the Mistress of Angels on their way back to the inn. They saw a group of shady individuals in black garb gathering around the monument.
Clue 2 (Applicable DC22 check):
To the Ameluris, it appeared as if these people were drawing something in chalk around the monument. They wanted to avoid trouble, so they moved quickly and pretended to see nothing.
Clue 3 (Applicable DC26 check):
Vonysa describes the appearance of some sort of unholy symbol around each of the cultist’s necks—an image of a faintly glowing skull.
KYSU XITAN
Background:
Kysu is a young adult male Varisia-born kitsune currently in his human form, which passes as a Varisian human with curly brown hair. He stands before Inspector Theodorus carrying two armfuls of heavy groceries, and being stuck here for hours while being interrogated has him close to breaking down in tears. When you address him, he cries out that he should have never moved to the city.
Insight DC17:
The PCs can convince Kysu to share what he knows with them if they prove themselves kindly and trustworthy or if they promise to get him away from Inspector Theodorus. If a PC temporarily relieves Kysu of his groceries, all PCs gain a +2 bonus on checks to investigate him. Kitsune PCs who are not in human form receive a +4 bonus on their skill check to investigate Kysu.
Investigation Skills: Bluff, Craft (any), Diplomacy, or Perform (any).
Clue 1 (Applicable DC17 check):
Kysu informs the PCs that he noticed a group of cloaked individuals chasing what looked like a blue-skinned human with magnificent butterfly wings through the streets. Kysu confesses that he quickly hid in a nearby alley when he realized what was going on.
Clue 2 (Applicable DC22 check):
Kysu speaks Celestial, and he distinctly remembers the winged man calling out for Ordellia Whilwren in Celestial as he fled through the streets, though Kysu is unsure what business a butterfly man would have with the town’s ghostly guardian.
Clue 3 (Applicable DC26 check):
Kysu realizes that he recognizes the butterfly man’s appearance, having seen a tapestry that depicts three people who look like him dancing in a swamp along a riverbank.
HAVAROC THARVIUS
Background:
Havaroc is a male Chelaxian sculptor working out of Magnimar’s Golemworks but happens to live in Ordellia. He seems rather bored with the investigation and complains that he simply wants to return home after a long day’s work.
Insight DC17:
Those using Diplomacy to investigate Havaroc take a –4 penalty on their checks, as he is in a foul mood.
Investigation Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, or Profession (barrister).
Clue 1 (Applicable DC17 check):
Havaroc works an overnight shift at the Golemworks twice a week, so he was on his way to work when he happened past the crime. He recalls seeing strange people wearing heavy cloaks and some sort of glowing necklaces.
Clue 2 (Applicable DC22 check):
Havaroc called out to the shady group, asking them what they were doing loitering in a place like the Ordellia’s Townhouse. Someone—he presumes their leader— responded angrily, speaking Common but with an accent Havaroc wasn’t familiar with.
Clue 3 (Applicable DC26 check):
Havaroc recalls the group’s leader saying that they needed to find someone named “Looney Vire.” A PC who succeeds at a DC 15 Linguistics check concludes that Havaroc likely misheard the name.
YSANDRE GLITTERWING
Background:
Ysandre is a middle-aged female Varisian woman who works as a classically trained dancer and dance instructor at a small school connected to the Rose and Rake. She teaches classic Varisian folk dances and traditional Chelaxian waltzes. On stage, Ysandre’s personal style is blend of Ashavic and Desnan religious dances. She is best known for her silver-trimmed butterfly wing cloak, from which she derived her stage name Glitterwing. Theodorus’s questioning has her late for her next dance class. Furthermore, she is growing increasingly annoyed with Theodorus’s rudeness and focus on questioning ethnic Varisians.
Insight DC17:
The PCs can convince Ysandre to help them with the investigation if they address her politely and respectfully. If a PC flatters Ysandre for her style and skill at dancing or openly identifies as a follower of Ashava or Desna, all PCs gain a +4 bonus on checks to investigate her.
Investigation Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, or Perform (dance).
Clue 1 (Applicable DC17 check):
Ysandre recalls that after her last performance at the Rose and Rake, she spotted a group in dark cloaks headed west away from the Mistress of Angels. There was a faint smell of decay in the air as they passed, like rotting vegetation. Out of curiosity she inspected the area, only to find it marred with some sort of strange graffiti that reminded her of the Thassilonian runes that have been appearing in museums over the past decade. She admits that she has no genuine experience with Thassilonian lore, however.
Clue 2 (Applicable DC22 check):
Ysandre noted that whatever the runes did, they seemed to have reversed the monument’s blessings. Instead of invigorating the heart, they now seem to fill it with doubt and indecision.
Clue 3 (Applicable DC26 check):
Last night, Ysandre saw the ghostly visage of Ordellia Whilwren appear before her at her namesake theatre. The ghost is an uncommon sight around the city, but Ysandre notes that she seemed distant, terrified, and desperate for help. Ordellia left abruptly without saying anything—an unusual occurrence.
|
Patchouli tries to read the witnesses, but besides the couple she failed to learn anything useful or beyond what the group as already learned. "Blessing reversing runes......and blue humanoids with butterfly wings......and a scared ghost?"
She then tries to recall information about these weird blue humanoid with wings...