Valkur, that's too bad. Do you think your RL commitments will slow at some point? Would you rather go on hiatus?
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Matthias stands up and brushes himself off, ignoring Scoria's speech. "Let us visit this necromancer and see what is up with him. I'll follow. Ladies first?" He bows and gestures to Scoria.
Matthias frowns. "I doubt things will go well for this razor man when we meet. I daresay this razor man will perish in a terrible fashion. I've seen this band kill terrible things. Your razor man will perish, as all men must."
Matthias stands up as Grayst makes his pronouncement. He studies Midori, then Grayst, ignoring the crisis of personality happening around him. "Why do you call him 'His Lordship' Grayst?"
Matthias tries to stay calm while the scuffle occurs. He turns back to the witness. "Tell me about the razor man. Tell me what he looks like."
"Razor man? Tell me more about this razor man." Matthias says, careful to avoid the snapping teeth.
"Fascinating. He appears to be suffering some sort of de-evolution, as if he were becoming more animal than man. Grayst, tell us about the person who did this to you."
Matthias smiles knowingly at the doctor. "So, Doctor, how many of the disturbed does this asylum currently hold?"
No sooner has Matthias opened his mouth to explain the circumstances of their visit than Thaddeus hastily speaks and beats him to it. Matthias shrugs and nods along. "It is a matter of utmost importance, Doctor. I daresay life and death!"
"Charm. Charm and directness always works." Matthias announces as they're lead inside.
Matthias uses Diplomacy! Matthias clears his throat and steps beside Bel'Tanis. "Sir, I am a freelance alienist in pursuit of a murderer and you have in your posession a man of clearly disturbed mind who witnessed a homicide. I need to interview him. Kindly allow us inside and fetch the persons in charge of this asylum posthaste."
Matthias keeps his eyes open and his mouth closed, as he observes everything about the asylum.
Matthias nods at Midori. "I agree with Midori. Let us check out this survivor and determine if there is a connection."
Matthias pitches his voice lower. "The farm bodies were killed and carved with the same symbol. There definitely seems to be a link."
"So this You-Know-Who is who you think killed Thorn and the Vinder girl? And you would rather face a death sentence than go free by saying this? Hmmm. But as for a mole, I've made enough trouble for myself in standing up to crime bosses that I very much doubt I'm your mole. Ask the Vancaskerkin family of Riddleport." Matthias turns away from Thorn, looking toward Thaddeus. In an undertone he murmurs "Who owns the mill? We need to see if we can prove a link between the men in the farm and these deaths. Perhaps the ritualistic method is meant to throw us off the trail. Perhaps it covers up the real motivation: greed."
Matthias turns his attention from Scoria back to the suspect. "Payback? Payback for what and from whom? Do these people seeking payback have a tendency to kill in a highly ritualistic fashion and leave this symbol behind?" Matthias pulls his notebook and shows the man the sketches he's made of the Sihedron.
Matthias meets Scoria's stare with vigor. "Stonemason, do I tell you how to cut your stone? Then kindly refrain from telling me my business." Turning to Thaddeus, he nods curtly and stares at the suspect, watching him for any signs of guilt.
Matthias follows the others inside, watching the non-responsive Ibor closely. Finally he stands next to the bars and clears his throat. "Mister Thorn, you are aware that you are a prime suspect in a very heinous double murder, are you not? If you wish to see your name cleared and indeed, to live beyond the accusations, I would strongly suggest you speak to us. I am given to understand that the local method of execution is hanging. Have you ever seen a hanged man? Sometimes the rope is insufficient to break the neck, and the poor soul must hang there, kicking and gasping, trying to gain breath as the eyes bulge out and the limbs begin to blacken. It is truly a terrible way to die."
Matthias shrugs at Vinder and follows Khrondak out, mildly curious what a fist fight between the two would look like.
Matthias steps back, still giving Vinder the stink eye.
Matthias looks somewhat taken aback by the man's vehemence. "Sir, Bel'Tanis had nothing to do with these murders. He simply does not fit the murderer's profile. Your daughter was slain by a madman. Bel'Tanis is not insane. I understand that you're angry, but blaming the wrong person helps no one, especially your remaining living daughter. Please, calm down and try not to jump to premature conclusions in your irrational state. In fact your very irrationality makes you a far better suspect! perhaps you discovered your daughter involved with this mill gentleman and killed them both in a fit of rage? Hmmm?"
Matthias shakes his head. "They have been killed in the same fashion, though it is mere conjecture to surmise by the same hand. Still, this ritualistic killing method troubles me. It's different from the Chopper murders; they have not lost their eyes or tongue. But it's clearly its own problem. We must speak with the eye witness!"
Matthias examines the bodies, especially looking for any wounds or signs that might give him an idea as to the mindset of the killer.
Matthias grimaces. "Must we dilute our strength through division? In town, I understand, but sending members off into the wilderness, even in pairs may be a rash action. Let us investigate the bodies and then the survivor; following a known slaughterer of men into the dark which seems to be its natural home seems ill-informed at best." Having said his piece, Matthias heads to the garrison to examine the bodies.
Matthias looks sheepish when Scoria chastises him. "Sorry. Sometimes the investigative process is damaging." When Thaddeus brings up the farm murders, he listens attentively.
Matthias will study the flesh on the axe, and if possible use disrupt undead cantrip to see if the flesh reacts to the positive energy.
Matthias sketches the rune, as well as the placement of the body and any blood splatters. He turns back to the others and speaks in a low voice. "That rune, carved on the man's chest, is the Sihedron. The same as in the ruins beneath Whistletop and the same as in Chopper's lair. I fear that this rune is somehow the thread that ties these events together."
Matthias immediately pulls down the lenses on his tinker's cap and begins to bend over, examining the crime scene with minute care to details. He begins sketching notes, diagrams, drawings, all the while muttering softly to himself. He moves all around the floor, careful to disturb nothing, but instead prods things with a metal tool with a small hook on the end. All in all, he looks like some exotic bird doing a mating dance for no one.
Matthias is hunched over his desk, furiously drawing sketches of the crime scenes from the Chopper murders, when Thaddeus knocks. Matthias starts, rushing to the door, blinking against the outside. "Murder? Murder, you say? Let me get my... Yes, that and that!" Matthias grabs his pack and his multi-lensed tinker's cap and rushes out the door. "No, don't tell me anything! I don't want to prematurely conjecture about the crime!"
Over the course of the month, Matthias spends part of his time consulting with the town guard, training them in spotting and preventing criminal and anti-social behaviors, as well as examining old files for possible connections and new leads. He finds himself feeling happy for the most part, but inevitably his days off lead him back to the Chopper's haunts. He finds himself walking the paths of the murderer, examining the murder sites and returning to the lair. He feels the presence of the murderer more fiercely than he did before, and more than once he wonders if he himself is becoming too immersed in the sordid affair.
Matthias would offer his services as an Alienist to the Guard. Taking 10 nets him a 19, thus earning 1 GP, 9 SP for each day he works. In a month let's say he works 10 days. So, 19 GP for the month. He'll aim for an average lifestyle. Ideally he'll look for a small studio-type apartment, though he'd be perfectly happy lodging in the Rusty Dragon if that's an option.
Matthias shakes his head. "Tomorrow. Tonight is drinking."
Likewise! How does it work?
"Several days, nearly a fortnight. But I no longer wish to think about that right now. Now I wish to drink."
"They all seem to be the same person. I guess he planned to make the boy his... apprentice killer. But the lad was too strong and Chopper couldn't turn him. So he killed him. The writings are.. Well, they're damnable disturbing, actually. I just want to drink and not think tonight. Another of whatever this is, please Miss Kaijitsu?"
"No, I'm fine, fine. Wait, no. I found some of the Chopper's writings. It is.. disturbing to say the least. He found the knife and it began to twist him. He collected eyes and tongues for this demon lord and it just fed upon itself. The worst is... Well, you'll think I'm crazy, but some of the notes are dated after his death." Matthias downs the rotgut in his hand and holds up the glass for another.
Skinsaw for me!
Matthias pours over the letters and tries to place them in chronological order, but the ones dated after the death of Chopper disturb him greatly. He gathers them up, taking all he can find, and leaves the Chopper's lair, heading to the warm comfort of the Rusty Dragon. Once there, he'll order something strong, as he definitely wants to not be sober for a while.
Matthias begins the morbid task of cataloging the scattered writings of the Chopper, trying to find how the madness began.
Matthias sits quietly while the two sides debate. On the one hand, any new information about Thassilon that could be gained is good, but on the other hand, a prison in an evil outpost? "What if Malfeshnekor isn't a fiend? What if it's an angel? These runelords weren't exactly good people, were they? What if they imprisoned someone who could do a great deal of good? And what if that's why Nualia hadn't opened that door?"
Matthias nods and thanks the priest, trying to make up for his rudeness at their first meeting. Once everything has died down, he'll return to the site of Chopper's home, after letting Thaddeus or Bel'Tanis know where he's gone and when he plans to return, just in case. He'll also try to research that sihedron star as well, looking for any meanings it may have or once had.
"I agree, Father. In the meantime, perhaps being entombed in a holy place would be the best way to contain its evil until we can destroy it." Matthias re-wraps the dagger and hands it to the Father, or takes it wherever Father Zantus wishes and places it there.
In his downtime, Matthias will spend his time investigating the island, so if there's anything there that adds to the creepy factor, you can use him to deliver it. Indeed, he would like to find out who owns the island and see about purchasing it if no one does. Also, 4th level! Woot!
Matthias reaches in his packs and finds the wrapped dagger. "Father, we have found a rather ... cursed object and we were hoping you might be able to help us destroy it or even contain it in some way. I believe we have found Chopper's knife. And it is as terrible as its wielder."
Sparing a glance toward Khrondak, Matthias nods. "Indeed. Let's see the good father about putting this knife somewhere it can't harm anyone any longer."
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