This past evening of Sar, the fine players and adventurers of my gaming group undertook on a grand undertaking of modest proportions... to join me in what I call "Inquisitives of Sharn: An Anthology of Mystery!" Of course, that's a working title.
As I've mentioned earlier, in a previous thread, I've assembled a series of mystery adventures culled from Dungeon Magazine (and possibly other sources, should peoples' suggestions in the other thread take root,) The centerpiece of the mini campaign is Nicholas Logue's marvelously sinister Viktor Saint-Demain trilogy. The other adventures buffering it out serve to establish and develop the career of the young inquisitives and their crime-stopping skills. (so the adventures other than the Saint Demain ones are one-part stories.)
I'm billing the whole throw together as a beerslam of Sherlock Holmes, Tolkein, Jules Verne, and Dick Tracy (complete with the rogue's gallery of freakish thugs.)
With that out of the way, allow me to introduce the motley cast of resourceful young minds.
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Cadel Harath - The Kalashtar Detective (Psion Telepath 3): Intellectual, unemotional, flawlessly polite, and trained as a warrior against the Dreaming Dark, he finds himself deeply needed now to combat the evil that men do themselves. Cadal runs his Inquisitive business out of a small office in Oakbridge with his friend and medical consultant:
Kai Gams - The Human Doctor (Cleric of Oladra 3) Stern and practical, a consummate physician who mixes keen medical knowledge with touches of heavenly energy. When asked why he worships the god of Fortune specifically, he calmly states, "In my experience, I find that what the sick chiefly need is a bit of luck."
Jebo Elly - The Gnome Ex-Con (Rogue 3): A reformed thief from a lesser known guild, Jebo spent his time in prison and came out with a desire to prove himself a better man. His speciality was locks and traps, and now he serves Cadal and Kai as a security consultant. Owns a pet badger named Francis.
Lakshmi Rama - The Freelance Changeling Sorceress (Sorcerer 3): Raised with her twin brother by a human woman, Lakshmi spends all of her time looking like she is a biological child of her adopted mother. Her adopted family owes money to the Boramar Clan, which is why she's looking to sell her magic to the Watch (and the group) for coin. Has a tiny viper familiar named Vasuki.
Elle Navarre - The Human Warrior/Pretty-Princess (Fighter 3): Naive and trusting, sweet and fond of group sing alongs, one might almost mistake Elle for a fairy princess, until she rolls back her sleeves. Also... there's the massive Orcish Greatsword strapped effortlessly to her back. She was thrown in jail (for being part of a bar fight) just at the right time to meet the Inquisitives on their first job together and hire on as inconspicuous muscle. "Well, I do have to make rent this week." Owns a llama.
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More on their exploits when it isn't so darn late!
The Heroes Convene with Sgt. Viduk and Learn of the Swan Street Slicer. Introductions are Made and a Team is Forged.
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Something strange was going on at the City Watch this morning. The keen doctor and observant ex-con noticed it before the introspective Inquisitive.
"Do you hear that?" asked Kai, tilting his head, "Sounds like... singing?" Sure enough, down the hall in lock-up, it sounded as if someone was trying to lead a group sing-along (enthusiastically, if not especially successfully.) Several of the guards kept eye-ing the hallway, unsure what they should do in case of the cells breaking into a chorus of "The Hills and the Glades in the Valley!"
The Inquisitive tilted his head and listened along. Trying to apply logic to the situation, Cadel's mind... skipped a beat, "Strange." The confusion was interrupted by Sergeant Viduk opening his office door.
Six and a half feet tall and nearly half as wide, the warforged made almost as good a door as he did a sergeant, "Ah, you've arrived," he spoke in a deep, even voice, "Please come in. Would you like some coffee? Brewed it myself." The warforged sergeant was quite proud of his ability to make a good cup of coffee, even if he couldn't drink it himself. It made him feel like a better host, more personable.
He waved them in, and they saw someone already seated by the sergeant's desk. Of average height and build, wearing a practical dress, the woman (Lakshmi Rama) nevertheless possessed piercing green eyes and dark hair that made her quite striking. When she looked to the door, this is what she saw: A keen male kalashtar (Cadelhareth) of angular features and serious demeanor, decked out in the myriad gear and suit of an inquisitive. Eager to wait until last, but urged in second to keep him from backing out entirely, an anxious gnome lad (Jebo Elly) with prematurely white hair and ornate spectacles fiddling with a small lock like some would a puzzle-box. A lean, blonde human man (Kai Gams) with green eyes and fair features followed, clad in heavy Olladra-marked armor, and bearing a doctor's kit in one arm, a medical journal tucked under the other.
"I really shouldn't stay," the physician-priest began, "There are patients back at the clinic that need my attention." but Cadel shushed him.
Viduk passed cups of coffee around after the introductions, "Have you all heard of the Swan Street Slicer?" he asked. When only Cadel nodded, the warforged went on, "Three murders on Swan Street. Five in other districts."
Cadel mused, "Swan Street. Where old nobles go to wait for death." Lakshmi looked puzzled in his general direction.
The sergeant nodded, "Yes. You might say that. Certainly likely why they call it Swan Street," He clasped his hands together uncomfortably, "You know, 'Swan Song' At any rate, he was captured during his final murder, by the Famous Inquisitive Viktor Saint-Demain. The Slicer was a demented and mute, street halfling known as Peck. Only targeted nobles and aristocrats, for reasons we're still uncertain of. He was tried and sentenced to Hell's Heart."
Jebo's 'toy' lock clicked loudly in the suddenly quiet room. His backpack stirred slightly, as if something inside picked up on the bad vibes. Hell's Heart, an asylum for the criminally insane, was largely considered by word of thieves' mouths to be one of the direst fates to face a convicted man.
Into the somber attitude of the room came the odd sensation that something was happening outside the office door. The singing from before seemed to be traveling up the hallway, getting closer. When it stopped, the guards started clapping half-heartedly. It seemed like the thing to do, somehow.
Sergeant Viduk continued, "Unfortunately, there was a street accident with the police wagon carrying him to his sentence. By the time everything was sorted out, the Slicer escaped. We believe he may go after the widow of his last victim, Mrs. Ceseli Tuner-Dromdal. After the incident, she moved in with her elderly mother on Swan Street. I know baby-sitting duty is hardly standard fare for Inquisitives, but we need to send someone. And with the turf war flaring between the Boramar Clan and Daask thugs, the Guard is stretched thin."
At this point, a knocking rapped on the Sergeant's door. Everyone looked up as a girl's voice called out, "Oh Sergeant, I'm here to get my sword, please!" Everyone looked up and noticed for the first time the heavy Orcish Great-sword attached to the wall on the side of the Sergeant's otherwise spartan office.
"Oh, yes." Viduk crossed the room to open the door and let in... a pretty blue-eyed human girl (Elle Navarre) in a scuffed sun-dress, wearing a big pink bow in her long red hair, "We've determined you didn't cause the bar-fight last night so you're free to go, but you should really be more careful in the future. Now, I'm in a meeting at the moment-"
Elle strode across the room, "Well it certainly wasn't my fault." and effortlessly hefted the great-sword off the wall, strapping it across her back while the rest of the room gaped, "I won fair and square. Making such a fuss over losing an arm-wrestling match. Really! Bad manners." Quickly losing control over the situation, Sergeant Viduk tried to usher her out of the room, but Cadel stopped him, "Wait. She's perfect!"
"I am?" Elle asked.
Viduk stared at the kalashtar blankly. Really, it was the only way the warforged could look,
but he meant it now.
"Don't you see?" Cadel continued, "Look how strong she is-you are, but she looks like just a pretty girl."
"Thank you!." Elle chirped with a cheery smile. Viduk emitted a slow grinding sound from the gears inside his skull, as if trying to follow along in his head.
"She's the perfect inconspicuous bodyguard!" Cadel continued undaunted, "We can smuggle her in as one of Ceseli's cousins, and no-one would ever know she was actually hired muscle! Miss...?"
"I'm Elle!" she smiled, offering a firm handshake.
"Miss Elle, then. Won't you join us?"
Elle considered the offer with an extremely solemn expression, "Well, I do have to make rent this week."
Viduk inhaled with the sound of a massive bellows creaking. Inhaling was something he practiced a lot. It was very expressive, breathing was, the Sergeant thought, "Well, if everyone's settled, shall we draw up the writs and contract?"
Kai murmured in resignation, "I'm going to be pulled away from my patients again, aren't I?"
Cadel smirked, "They'll be fine with the nurses, doctor. We need your expertise."
Kai just sighed wearily.