Murders in Seamill (3.5, IC)

[SlaadLord]

14th of the Sixth Month, Year 133 OCR (Of Common Reckoning)
Noon

Seamill has, of late, been wrought with grief.

Eight people are dead, slain in increasingly violent ways. The Sheriff needs help, and as such has approached you all with a plea for aid. Now, at noon, you meet in the town's jail and law office to discuss leads and tactics.

The sheriff is a sun-wrinkled man of middling height. His slim body and strong hands suggest that despite a relatively low rate of local crime, he keeps in shape somehow. His steel-grey hair and mustache lend an air of seriousness to his blocky visage, and his deep green eyes seem filled with sorrow as he regards you all. "Well, we all know why you're here. Spindle was the last one killed, and quite frankly, I'm running short on staff right now. I need your help." he pauses and surveys the group slowly. "Introductions first, though. My name is Harris. Gordon Harris. Appointed town sheriff of Seamill. Name yourselves, and your talents."

[Ellisande]

Zunlcha

The squat dwarf looks back and forth, torn between being drawing the lawman's attention and his own aversion to the sudden silence. Finally, he tears his gaze from the prison's bars and opens his mouth.

"I'm Zunlcha... sir." The man's gravelly voice ground out the honorific with a certain lack of familiarity. "A man of the sea, though shipless a month now. A most horrible fate, I know." He chuckles slightly. "In any case, you recall Knuckles, dead by the wharf a fortnight ago? He was a friend of mine--" This was an exaggeration. Zunlcha had had a drink with the man once... he thought. He couldn't remember much of that evening. "--and I'd like to see his killers get their reward."

The sheriff interjected blandly, "And your talents?"

"My talents? Well," Now the mariner was in more familiar territory, talking about himself. "they are plentiful. There's power in these arms, for one. After all, I did win the Troutville armwrestling competition two years ago. Not that I'm one to brag about these things." He leaned toward the human on his left (Jack Riddler) and gave him a jovial wink. "I know the winds, and my way around a ship. Did you know that I once..."

Gordon Harris cleared his throat loudly. He was not in a talking mood.

"Well, I've a good head on my shoulders, and I'll be more than a little handy when we find the whoresons who done it." a scarred arm reached up to tap the massive axe on his back. Zunlya had been a bit nervous about carrying it out of the docks and here, but nobody had given him trouble.

He ended his speech, looking at the next volunteer. "How about you? What brings you here?"

I hope the liberties I've taken with the Sheriff are ok?
Do any of us know anyone else? Could we? Yelloweye has been about town for a while yet, after all.

[RTGoodman]

Malik

Bowing to the sheriff first, the dark man turns to the dwarf and nods, "Thank you, my friend. My name is Malik. Perhaps you have seen me in town? I have been here many fortnights now, looking for peace and quiet that cannot be found in the big city so that I might meditate and train in solitude."

Turning to the sheriff, he continues. "As for my talents, I have trained my body and mind with the Way. I came here to Seamill, in fact, so that I might continue developing ways to use my mental powers to augment my physical ones. I believe aiding you will be an excellent test of whether or not this training has been for naught."

Looking to the rest of the gathered party, he concludes with, "It is a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. I look forward to our cooperation, for the good of Seamill and all."

[Mirku]

Jack

The thin but muscular man turned himself towards the group. His eyes seemed distracted as he looked across the room. "My name is Jack Johannes Albert Riddler, I have been a resident of Seamill for seven years. I chose to live here for the same reason as Her Malik, " he paused to sigh.

"Though that peace in which I blossom my mind and body has been shattered by these vile acts against our community and humanity in general. As a member of this community I seek to catch this murderer and bring him to justice. As for my talents, I have an above average physique that I utilize, though I have a long way before I outmatch Her Zunlcha in strength and toughness, my main talent would be my general knowledge and powers over the arcane." He then had finished looking across the room. "How are you sure the killer isn't one of us I'd like to know."

[Steward]

Damon

Damon Darcy gives the sheriff an exaggerated bow and almost falls over. Before he can call anymore attention to himself, he straightens up and says, "Name's Damon Darcy, m'lord." Unlike some of the others, he can spit out honorifics like a native. "I'm from the big city just over the ridge." He gestures airily to the west. "As for my talents, I know a few rope tricks, I'm jolly good fun at parties, and I can spot a liar at 40 paces and a statistician at 60."

Damon turns to the others. "It's a pleasure to meet you all -- Malik and Jack and Zulncha. I certainly hope we'll all nab the fellow who's been committing these horrible crimes in good time. Preferably before anyone gets hurt..." His ears perk up when he hears Malik mention the Way. Ah! A kindred spirit!

[Narazil]

William
The small barely adult guy jumps to his feet from his resting place up against a wall. His brown-black curly hair bounces as he lightly gets up. He's a small guy, no more than 18 years of age, with large puppy-like brown eyes. He has a small, crooked smile across his face.
He's wearing a slick leather armour, with brown clothes underneath. His belt has three empty sheaths, suggesting his weapons were removed before entering the room.

He gives Gordon a small quick bow, and does a small elegant wave towards the party. "Howdy boys, name's Will, I'm local, born and raised. Sheriff's know me plenty, I reckon." He turns his head and gives Gordon a grin and a wink. "My interests include long walks on the beach, sunshine, and writing poetry." William looks around, and notices no one is really finding him funny.
"Well, just kidding. I'm a streetboy, and I have a knack for.. Erh.." His eyes shifts to Gordon, and Gordon gives him a long slow nod.
"I'm good with my hands, aight? All nimble-like, y'know. I'm the kinda guy who can strip a guard clean of his armour at high noon, without the guard noticing a darn thing. I've also known a fair few pickpockets and thieves through my years, not that I've had anything to do with any such things", again, he gives Gordon a semi-nervous look. "But I did pick up a thing or two from that sorta guys."

[SlaadLord]

He nods and surveys the group. "Well, now that the formalities are out of the way, I suppose I'll address Jack's question. If you will be so good as to follow me to the church of St. Cuthbert." He walks past you all and out the door, expecting you to follow.

[Ellisande]

Zunlcha

The mariner smiled slightly at the youth's enthusiasm, taking a liking to the lad. He thought he'd seen the boy down by the docks once or twice, and now he was certain.

But it was towards the wizard, Jack Johann... something, that he turned his gaze. "You think it's one of us?" His laugh was more than a chuckle this time. "More to the better! Quick and easy when we catch him. "But truly, what does this arcane knowledge tell you?" His eyes narrowed. He had a healthy respect for mages, but didn't understand them in the slightest. "And how?"

Edit: Uh, a bit slow on my end!

Zunlcha rises to follow, impatient to get started.

[Steward]

Damon

Damon follows the Sheriff as well. Whatever it is that he has to tell them, it seems important. Why else would he do it within the confines of a church instead of in the prison cells?

[Narazil]

William follows a few paces behind the good lawenforcer, and makes sure to pick up his two daggers, his rapier and his crossbow on the way out.

[RTGoodman]

Malik

As everyone leaves the sheriff's office, Malik waits until last and takes up a position at the rear of the line. Before stepping out the door, he takes a few moments to close his eyes and meditate briefly, trying to focus his mind and body.

Trying to attain my Psionic Focus, which I plan on keeping up pretty much all the time unless I expend it. I'll try twice, but after that I'll give up and head on with the rest of the folks if I don't succeed. (It's a DC 20 Concentration check.)

Concentration: [roll0]
Concentration: [roll1]

[SlaadLord]

rtg0922:
Unfortunately, both of your attempts fail. ((OOC: I've familiarized myself with psionics via the SRD, so I know all of the basics.))

Harris leads you down the cobblestone street and into the church of St. Cuthbert. The church is made from stones quarried from the cliffs and hewn into rough shapes to fit together. Inside, the air is slightly heavier, and the cloying scent of incense lingers from the last funeral service, on the tenth. Six rows of wide wooden pews and lots of standing space allow for almost all of Seamill to attend services and meetings. Over a central pulpit facing the pews, a large iron cross in a circle dangles from the ceiling, a candle flickering at the center and at each end of the cross.

"Father Johansen has agreed to allow us full access to the bodies up until they are interred, as is customary of Cuthbertine faith. They're through here." He leads you all to a door to the right of the pulpit, pushing through. An aged man stands in the room, between four flat stone tables covered with white sheets. The shapes of human features can be made out underneath the coverings.

"This is Father Johansen, local Cuthbertine Father. He's the one granting us the right to examine the bodies." The sheriff says, gesturing toward the old man as he says so. "Now, if that's that, I will leave the lot of you to it." He turns and leaves the room, pausing to look up at the metal cross before leaving the church.

Father Johansen is about sixty years old, with a worn, wrinkled face and receding silvery hairline. His wrinkled hands seem worn but still strong, and he has a slightly stooped posture. He wears simple brown robes. "How can I help you?" he inquires in a voice quiet but sure.

[Narazil]

William

William stays behind the others, obviously not too comfortable in the church. He seems a bit jittery, and glances at his feet as the priest starts talking. He pulls up his glance and looks from side to side, waiting for someone else to take charge of the situation.

[RTGoodman]

Malik

Malik bows deeply to the elderly man, answering, "My name is Malik, and these are my associates." He introduces the rest. "We were called together by Sheriff Harris to investigate the spree of murders in Seamill. Perhaps you could give us some information on the victims, so we might find some connection?"

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha

The bearded seaman was glad for Malik's questions--he hadn't expected the sheriff's lightning-fast departure. Surely the lawman had found out SOMETHING about the murders over the past few months? But the man was gone, so they might as well go forward.

"And if they've not been buried, chaplain, can we be takin' a look at the bodies while we talks?" He'd seen the one victim, but wasn't sure the details had stuck in his mind as much as the horror.

[SlaadLord]

"Ah. Well, as you can see, they are clearly the subjects of murder." He goes to each of the tables in turn, pulling the sheets down to their waists. Their bodies bear multiple small but deep wounds, as well as strange bruises near the puncture marks. "I've been unable to identify the weapon used to make the wounds, though." Johansen looks around at the bodies, regret written all over his face. "It seems that several of the victims were in fact the sheriff's deputies, shockingly. Five of them, in fact."

[Ellisande]

"And the other three? Do you think the guards were targeted?"

The dwarf, not the least bit squeamish, stepped right up to the table, taking a good close look at the wounds. A stab, like a stiletto, and bruising? They were peculiar.

OOC: He has no particular Knowledge of anything. Are the wounds localized at all between the corpses? Bite marks, perhaps?

[SlaadLord]

"The other three are just fishermen, as far as I know. The wounds are more or less randomly interspersed, more like multiple attacks than bite marks. The wounds are only about two inches deep, and the actual killing wound varies - holes in the throat are the cause of death here, holes in the abdomen and ribcage there, this one wounds to the head and neck here. The father says, "The wounds are very peculiar though, in their number...some of the bodies were savaged beyond recognition. Much more than was needed to kill them. Whoever did this was very angry."

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha

After quickly scanning for any wounds that look different, the seaman stands aside to let the others have a look.

"All fishermen? The bodies were all found by the wharf, then? In alleys, I assume?"

[RTGoodman]

Malik

After viewing the bodies for a few moments, Malik stands with his eyes closed for several seconds, deep in thought. "Hmm. Three fishermen, 5 lawmen, and more wounds than any man could survive. Very strange. Knowing where the victims were found certainly would help - the sheriff mentioned nothing to us, and I'm afraid I seldom hear much news from around town."

Would a Heal check reveal anything about the wounds? Like what made them? Here's one just in case.

Heal: [roll0]

[SlaadLord]

Malik:
You are able to discern that the puncture wounds are consistent with small spikes, and the bruises are shaped like chains. A spiked chain is, therefore, an accurate assumption to make.

"Ah. Well, the bodies were found in the morning, not in plain view but not exactly hidden either. My guess is that the killer simply killed them where he found them." All of the wounds are of similar shape and size.

[Steward]

Damon

"Father, did any of these men belong to a local group? Such as your Church, for instance, or a local guild?" Damon asks. He is curious about the ones that were 'savaged beyond recognition'. "If it was personal, as you intimated, then perhaps the killer is or was a member of some ingroup."

[Narazil]

William steps up and looks rather interested, if a bit disgusted by the death in the room. He doesn't really seem to be interested in the conversation, but instead goes to investigate the corpses.




Figuring we'll be here for a while. He'll get to work with his +6 Search check, taking 20 if possible.

[Mirku]

Jack is bit shocked to see the bodies. But his rational mind allows him to overcome the fear and disgust he's feeling. 'They are just flesh and bones.. flesh and bones,' He thought to himself as he went closer. He inspected the corpses, his mind was in the book of his brain once again trying to remember information related to something. A clue, all he needed was a clue.


[roll0] History
[roll1] Local
Any info on these men or something similar happened in the past, anything.

[SlaadLord]

William:
Their possessions have all been taken. All they have are a pair of trousers. The ghastly wounds cover much of their bodies.

Jack:
Nothing of this sort has happened here in the past, but there are records of certain cults in other cities that display this sort of wantonly destructive behavior. Usually some kind of murder pact or just a bunch of killers together to pool resources and have what qualifies as "fun" for them.

Damon:
They're not savaged beyond recognition as such, but many more wounds were inflicted upon them than were necessary to kill them.

"As to any particular organization they belonged to, I'm not sure. But as I mentioned, five of them were the sheriff's deputies. He's down to just him and two others working all of Seamill. And yes, young man, they were all members of the church, but then again, so is most of Seamill." He looks grimly around. "I think the killer may be out to kill all of the law enforcement here. Fear not, for as long as the church of St. Cuthbert stands, there will never be an end to the search for justice."

[Narazil]

Spot to see if there's anything of importance someone have missed, then. An arrowpoint lodged in the flesh, anything.
[roll0]

[SlaadLord]

William:
It seems like Johansen was pretty thorough. There's nothing left in the bodies.

[RTGoodman]

Malik

"Well, the injuries look consistent with spiked chains. That's a rather exotic weapon for the murderers to be run-of-the-mill bandits or brigands. Does anyone in town sell such items?"

As the priest mentions that there are only two deputies and the sheriff left, Malik furrows his brow. "Hmm. Well, I guess it's rather unfortunate that our sheriff left on his own." More to himself, he continues, "Of course, that does give me one idea, at least..."

[Ellisande]

Is Kunlcha familiar with as exotic a weapon as a spiked chain?

[Ellisande]

Malik
As the priest mentions that there are only two deputies and the sheriff left, Malik furrows his brow. "Hmm. Well, I guess it's rather unfortunate that our sheriff left on his own." More to himself, he continues, "Of course, that does give me one idea, at least..."

"Bait on the hook, you mean?" The dwarf didn't have any particular hatred of lawmen, but this sounded a little bit better than serving as the bait himself... which was his initial, tentative plan.

[RTGoodman]

Malik

"I certainly wouldn't want to subject anyone else in undue harm, my friend, but if these murderers are targeting known lawmen, well, that's our best lead." Turning to the rest, he continues, "The way I see, we can either disguise ourselves as lawmen and hope whoever's behind these comes for us, or we can tail the sheriff or other deputies and try to stick with them."

Frowning, he turns his head to the other side, as if listening to someone talking over his shoulder. "Of course, there could be some other way. Is there a map of the city somewhere I could take a look at? Maybe we can find some pattern..."

[SlaadLord]

Kunlcha:
It's not a difficult weapon to grasp the concept of, so i don't see why he wouldn't be familiar with it.

The Father reaches into his robe and produces a folded map of Seamill. "I thought someone might ask for this, so I went ahead and marked the locations where the bodies were found." He presents you with the map. "No, to the best of my knowledge nobody here in Seamill sells such weapons."

((OOC: I'm a lazy bastard, so there's no actual map for you. The marks on the map do not appear to have any pattern other than the fishermen all being killed on or near the docks.))

[Steward]

Damon

"A disguise? How scintillatingly clever!" Damon remarks airily. "But I'm afraid that if the killer is a member of this community and this church, it'll probably recognize us as outsiders and leave us alone. And not everyone who was killed was a lawman. Your idea of tailing them is a good one." He closes his eyes and frowns, carefully mulling over what they have learned so far.

Damon opens his eyes and peers down at the map over Malik's shoulder. "Maybe we should pay a visit to the docks, mates." He raises a finger. "What if this killer is not a man at all, but some sort of... sea monster?"

[Mirku]

'I doubt the cults have anything to do with this. Probably a serial killer who hates the law. Hmmm..,' Jack though to himself as the group conversed.

"I doubt a sea monster would target men of the law specifically, it could be the answer but let's try going for the most probable profile for now. I'm thinking of a criminal who has decided to target lawmen to install fear into the heart of the community. He might have had criminal contacts among the docks or perhaps he works on a boat, a smuggler or such. So much possibilities.. I suggest we check out the docks first before we start using bait and gather some possible suspects. We already know the murder weapon was a rather exotic one maybe we get lucky and find someone who's related to it. Of course all this rambling might be pointless, but I find it a rather rational thing to do, Jack explained calmly to the group with his hand around his chin in a pondering pose.

[Narazil]

William


William eyes Jack up. "A smuggler, you say? It wouldn't exactly go unnoticed if we had newcomers doin' crimes in Seamill, well, maybe by the sheriff, but not by.. Certain people." William puts out another smile, then continues: "We're lookin' for a guy, using an all rare-like weapon for croakin' others - he probehly wou'n't go unnoticed, what with the spiked chain and all. Maybe with the right questions to the right people?"

[Ellisande]

Zunlcha Yelloweye

"Y've got an idea there, mate. Let's you and me go... ask some questions." His tone made it clear that he'd take the 'questioning' a step further if he had to.

OOC: I don't want to split the party... anyone else want to come/have an alternate idea?

[Steward]

Damon

"Capital idea." Damon says. "We can start by talking to the sailors. If there's a smuggler -- or a sea monster -- afoot we can get some information and hopefully lay a trap."

[RTGoodman]

Malik

Forgot I trained Autohypnosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/skills/autohypnosis.htm), so I'll just make my check to see if I memorize the map now. It doesn't take an action, since it's just part of the reading/looking at the map. It's a DC 15 to memorize.

Autohypnosis: [roll0]

Nevermind, guess I don't remember it. :smallannoyed: I always forget that the forum roller hates me.


"Indeed, and asking around first could mean we might not even have to resort to any other sort of plan." He turns to the priest, "And thank you for your time, sir. We will endeavor to solve this mystery before any more of your parishioners."

He turns to the others. "I'm ready to head that way when the rest of you are, but I would enjoy a couple of moments to collect my thoughts before we go."


OOC: I'm just gonna Take 20 and take two minutes to get my psionic focus, if that's okay with you guys. That'll mean I'm moving at 30 ft. instead of 20 ft., so I can actually keep up.

[Steward]

Damon

Relieved that someone else has brought it up, Damon raises a finger and says, "Me too, pallies. All this death and mayhem, it's made my thoughts all scrambled-like."

OOC: I'm also taking 20, for the same reason as above.

[SlaadLord]

"I will wish you luck, then. May St. Cuthbert guide you in your path to justice." Johansen re-covers the bodies and opens the door back into the sanctuary.

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha Yelloweyes

Kunlcha was glad to be going, but opened his mouth just as the priest opened the door.

"Ah! One last question, priest." The dwarf didn't meant to be rude, but was rough around the edges. "What time did these men die?"

[SlaadLord]

"Between Sunset and Sunrise, every single one of them." He called back.

-=-=-=-=-=-

((OOC: So am I right in assuming you are all heading down to the docks?))

[Ellisande]

"As I thought. Thanks. Justice with you, priest." Yelloweye didn't trust himself to get the whole greeting correct.

He turned to the others. "Well, there's no hurry, then. Take your time." He leaned against a pillar, stroking one fork of his blond beard, ready to leave whenever the others were ready.

OOC: Yes, we're all bound for the docks, as I understand it.

[SlaadLord]

You all leave the church and proceed toward the massive stone stairway carved into the cliffs that lead down to the docks. The smell of brine grows stronger as you move closer to the ocean, mixed with the smell of fish. The docks themselves are constructed of ancient hardwood, supported by stone and wood pillars sunken deep into the sand and surf below.

The Fishermen are almost all out on the ocean, it being the height of the day. Only a few men wander about, most in the vicinity of the Leaky Hull tavern.

[Narazil]

William

William scouts about, looking for familiar faces. He wanders away from the group from time to time, and creeps up to earsdrop on some conversations. When he's noticed, he just wanders back to the group.




Alright, I'm assuming William knows most of the local scumbags - earsdropping is meant as a Gather Information check, and Spot to see anyone he might squeeze information out of.
Knowledge Local: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]
Gather Information: [roll2]

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha

No sailing ships in town? No wonder Yelloweye has been beached so long!

The dwarf took a deep breath of the sea air, feeling more at home by the sea. After a quick scan of the empty docks, he nodded toward the tavern. "Shall we see who's having lunch?" There should be a sailor or two.

[Steward]

Damon

Damon heads off to the tavern as well. He feels focused now, and all of his senses are sharper. "Good idea." He says tersely.

[RTGoodman]

Malik

Psionically focused, Malik looks slightly more serene and thoughtful. "Might want to not all barge in all at once. Maybe go in in pairs, sit close enough together to overhear everything but not look like we're doing anything in particular. It'd look more natural that way."

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha

"Fair enough." He scanned his comrades, wanting initially to take the youth with him. "Jack, care to come with? And William? Keep the others out of trouble, what?" He gave the boy a wink, knowing William knew his way around the docks better than himself.

OOC: Do you have a familiar, Jack? I mean, one that we've seen?

[Narazil]

William is obviously slightly distracted, his eyes flickering from face to face, window to window, street to street. "Huh? Oh, erh, yea yea. Sure thing."

[Mirku]

Jack

"I could go for a drink," Jack said to Kunlcha as he offered to join him. Jack realized he spend little time at the docks as the scenery seemed rather unfamiliar.


OOC: He has a toad named Kermit who usually stays in one of his pockets, though there's probably nobody who knows about it. Also feel free to take Jack to the tavern now since he's following you.

[Ellisande]

"Then off we go. If you see a wicked bloke with a chain, give a yell, what?" Kunlcha gave a bit of a smile as he set off for the tavern. He didn't expect that anyone new would show up--he'd been there a month, after all--but it's not like it could hurt.

OCC: Jack and Kunlcha Yelloweyes are headed back to the tavern.

[RTGoodman]

Malik

"Heh, and you the same if you see him inside the establishment." Looking to the other two, he says, "Well, I suppose we'll wait out here a minute or so, and then head on in."

OOC: I guess we wait a minute or two chatting and whatnot, and if nothing happens, I'm ready just to head on in.

[Steward]

"Fair enough, Malik." Damon says, licking his lips. "Once we find someone we can question, I can peer into their minds and try to discern whether or not they're being honest. It's a gift." As opposed to his twitchy, loud persona from a few moments ago, Damon is now soft-spoken and restrained. The only difference now is that his eyes have changed color, going from black to almost blue.

[SlaadLord]

William:

Knowledge: Local- You know that the most likely place to find a lead is in the Leaky Hull tavern, but that all of the best-informed fishermen come in in the evening. Furthermore, you know that nobody makes spiked chains, but some conventional blacksmiths work back up in the main town.
Spot- There are a few people inside the tavern, and some drunk lies collapsed on the street, despite it being only shortly after noon. Nobody else but your party stands outside.
Gather Information- You learn nothing from this check.


The Leaky Hull is, despite its name, a well-kept tavern, with worn wooden furniture, a polished stone bar, and walls covered with the mounted heads of especially large fish and sharks. Three other customers with the burly bodies and sea-tanned skin of sailors sit at the bar and two more share a table. Only a single bartender and serving girl staff the tavern.

Jack and Kunlcha are seated at a table about ten feet from the door. They sit about fifteen feet from the bar and ten from the other occupied table.

Malik, Damon, and William wait, then join Jack and Kunlcha inside the tavern, and are seated at a table ten feet from their comrades' table. They are immediately adjacent to the bar and to the other occupied table.

None of the sailors look up as you enter. The bartender continues polishing glasses and placing them on the shelves behind him.

[Narazil]

William.

William pushes himself forward in his seat, and leans halfway over the table, obviously saying something not for other people's ears.


Malik, Damon:

Our best bet are probably ta wait 'till after the fishers are done with workin'. If we catch 'em before they drink themselves silly, we can probably hoard in some good information.

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha Yelloweyes

The dwarf quickly orders a round for Jack and himself, then settles back in his chair. He watches the seamen's table out of the corner of his eye, trying to decide whether to engage in small talk with the mage.

Can he hear what they're chatting about? Listen [roll0]

I thought he had more skill points than that in Listen. Ah, well!

[SlaadLord]

Kunlcha Yelloweyes:

They seem to be talking about the string of murders and the deaths of three men they knew, interspersed with awkward talk about the weather. They don't seem sorry they are dead, but are a little worried for their own safety. Neither of them notices you listening in.

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha

The dwarf surreptitiously eyes the men, hoping that the sight of a spiked chain will simplify his mission. Doubting it at the same time, he settles into his chair at the same time, preparing to wait until the fishermen come home. "Barkeep, another round for my friend and I!"

After a silent moment, he looked at the sorcerer. "You say you've lived here some years? What's it like, living in one place for so long?"

[Steward]

Damon quietly palms a gem that he has retrieved from his left pocket. He then cranes his head around, pointedly searching the room for people who are speaking. He tries to listen in on them, to see if any of them know anything about the murders.


[roll0] <-- Listen Check

[Mirku]

"It's all right, the air here has been good for me. I mostly exercise and study so I don't see that much of the town," Jack replied before taking a sip of his glass. "Do you think we should try asking the barkeep if he has heard of anyone with a spiked chain around the docks here?"

[RTGoodman]

Malik

"Aye, William, waiting until later in the day may be our best option. I'll get us a round while we wait."

With that, Malik stands and peers over the bar to grab three drinks. As the barman pours, Malik tries to start up some idle small-talk. "Nice little place you got here, in such a small town. Pretty nice and quiet, eh?"

[SlaadLord]

Damon:
The patrons of the tavern seem to be talking about the string of murders and the deaths of three men they knew, interspersed with awkward talk about the weather. They don't seem sorry they are dead, but are a little worried for their own safety. Neither of them notices you listening in.

Nobody seems to be carrying any weapons, concealed or otherwise, besides the members of your party.

Malik:
The bartender looks up at you while preparing your drinks. "I suppose so, but we do plenty of business. We're the only tavern on the docks, and that makes us real popular with the sailors." He finishes and places the drinks on the counter. "That'll be six silvers."

[RTGoodman]

Malik

"Ah, here you go," to dusky man says to the barkeep, handing him a gold piece from his pocket. "Keep the change for now, my man."

As he moves to put the drinks on the companions' table, he turns back to the man. Keeping his voice low and calm, he continues, "You know, I heard some rumors earlier about some pretty sordid things happening here in town. Surely it can't be as bad as all that, can it?"

[Ellisande]

"Worth an ask, though I think Malik may have that covered." Kunlcha looked sideways, hoping the others weren't listening quite as hard as the pair of them were. "On the whole, I guess there's not much to do but wait for the evening wind to blow in." He took a sip of his ale. "You suppose the three dead fishers have any connection to the sheriff? Like, they family or such? I mean, I guess most people have connections with everyone else in a village this size."

[Steward]

Damon

Damon keeps his drink cupped in his hands as he waits for the bartender's response. While Malik asks his question, he will focus on the bartender's answer to determine whether or not the man is giving up the whole truth.

[roll0] - Sense motive check

[SlaadLord]

Malik, Damon, and William:
The bartender raises his eyebrows. "Eight murders is some bad business, mate. I'm just hoping no one I know gets whacked. Watch out for yourself."

Damon:
He is genuinely concerned for the safety of his patrons. He is also telling all he knows.

[Narazil]

William

William eyes the barkeep. He'd usually trust barkeeps of well-run taverns - they made a habit of not sticking their noses where they did not belong. But someone had to have seen something, then come in for an ale here. Was he being payed to keep silent? Beaten? Or was he just ignorant?

William tries to make eye-contact with the barkeep. When he does, he lets off a shallow and somewhat sad smile. "'Tis a tragedy, good barkeep. Murdering scum here in good ole' Seamill? Truth be told, my friends and me would love to have.. A word with that, ahem, lawbreaker. Are you sure you haven't heard a lil' rumour, seen a shady type not from 'round here, y'know, the usu'l unusual?"

DM
Relevant skill checks, just for the heck of it:
Charisma [roll0]
Diplomacy [roll1]
Sense Motive [roll2]

[Steward]

"He's being straight with us." Damon grunts. He scans the crowd at the bar, trying to look for someone who knows more than the barkeep.

[Ellisande]

Things have slowed to a crawl, it would seem. Slaad_Lord, any chance you can just flash us to the evening, when (I assume) someone/something interesting will show up? Kunlcha, for one, is perfectly content to take seaman-sized sips of ale until they arrive.

[SlaadLord]

William:
The barkeep shakes his head. "Nobody seemed especially strange, sir. Sorry I'm not much help...Some of my patrons might know something, though. Business usually picks up at about dusk, so wait and see."

OOC: Fine by me.

Business picks up at about six after noon and the tavern common room quickly fills with rowdy sailors of every race and size. Dwarves, humans, and half-orcs seem to be the predominant patrons, but a smattering of halflings and gnomes sidle around their larger comrades. The crowd seems to peak at about seven, and it's getting hard to move around.

[Steward]

Damon

Damon listens in, trying to find someone who is speaking knowledgeably about the murders. If he does, he will approach them, buy them a round on him, and start talking about it with them.

[roll0] <- listen check, to find someone already talking about the crimes

[Ellisande]

The dwarf scans the room, paying only half an ear to his partner's conversation. This would be over quick if the perpetrator came in here and he could spot anyone with chains.

(Failing that, he's looking for a couple of seamen after himself, people he's inclined to trust.)

[Spoiler]Spot check--good luck![roll0]

[SlaadLord]

A thin man, swaying from the drink, teeters over to your table. "Ya mind if I sit here, gents?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulls out the last chair and sits, swaying slightly. He drinks deeply from a dark glass bottle and places it on the table. He is tan and unshaven, with wind-worn features and dark circles underneath his eyes. Surveying the room, he leans over to the left and says conspiratorially, "Watch your backs, friends. I hear there's a killer out on the streets. And if I hadn't seen it m'self, I'm not sure I'd believe it." Satisfied, he leans back in the chair.

[Steward]

Damon

Damon smiles warmly at the man, still palming his psycrystal as he peers at the tottering drunk. "Sir, are you telling it true?" He says, trying to sound skeptical. "Many people claim to know about this."

[roll0] <- sense motive, to see if he's just a bragger

[SlaadLord]

"Naw, Naw, I definitely seen him!" he protests loudly. "He was out on the pier the night before one of the sailors was found dead an' he was covered in blood and everything!"

Damon:
He's not bragging or lying, but you can tell maybe he's reinforcing the details a little. Not lying exactly, but perhaps he doesn't have a complete recollection of that night's events. Like say, perhaps he was drunk.

[Steward]

Damon

Damon smiles encouragingly. "Alright, I believe you. What did he look like, then?" He knows that he'll probably have to take many of the details with a grain of salt, but any information to go on will be useful.

[SlaadLord]

"Ah..." He falters. "It was kinda dark an' I was behind him, but I saw him wanderin' around all splattered with blood. Oh, he had some kinda chain over his shoulder. What kinda good person goes around all covered in blood an' such?..." He trails off, rubbing his head. "That's what I seen anyway."

[Steward]

Damon

"And where did you see this?" Damon asks. "And where did you see him go?"

[SlaadLord]

"I didn't actually follow him...he looked like a dangerous sorta fella, y'know? He headed off toward the stairs back to town..." He pauses and takes a deep drink from his bottle, then continues: "I saw 'im out behind the Shipping Company down the dock a bit." He makes a vague gesture with his bottle, then looks disappointedly into it after drinking down the last drop. "Any o' you chaps got a spare silver?"

[Ellisande]

Any chance the other table hears this/can get in on the action?

Listen, in case you really want it. [roll0]

Is it just Damon and Kunlcha who're still reading along?

[SlaadLord]

Sure, you can hear the conversation.

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha Yelloweyes

As much as he had enjoyed the afternoon lazily chugging ale, the mariner was equally eager to make progress, and hadn't seen anyone with the suspicious chain. He pushed his chair back and approached his partners' other table, looming surprisingly large for a man of 5 feet. With a thud, he set the fullest glass of ale from his table in front of the man.

"I've a spare gold if you can take us there, mate." Subterfuge was not his strong suit.

[SlaadLord]

"Done and Done," the man says. He stands up, sways a little, drinks deep of the glass, and heads for the door.

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha

The squat man's gaze flipped from one companion to the next, making sure each knew that the hunt was on again, then turned and hustled to catch up with the witness.

[Steward]

Damon

And the hunt is on... Damon thinks. "Let's go, then." He huffs as he hurries after their witness.

[SlaadLord]

The drunk leads you out to the pier, down toward the water, and to a large wood and stone building. "SEAMILL SHIPPING COMPANY" is emblazoned on the wood above the door. Your "witness" points you toward the alley leading around behind the building. "That's it back there." He sways unsteadily. "I've done my part..."

[Steward]

"You must stay here," Damon says to the drunk. The man might have more information hidden inside his mind.

He turns to the others. "I think we better search that alley first. Then we can go back and tell the Sheriff if we find anything."

[roll0] (search check, looking for anything unusual or out of the ordinary.

[SlaadLord]

It is an alley. There is a roped-off section about thirty feet from you with a piece of parchment mounted on the wall next to it. Inside the roped-off section are several rather large pools of dried blood.

[Ellisande]

Kunlcha

After a quick glance warning the drunk to stay close, the dwarf moves to the rope, his eyes searching for anything of note, any hint of the unknown murderer or where he might've gone. Failing at first, he steps over the rope and crouches close to the ground, his eyes searching every inch.

Please treat this as taking 20 (for a score of 20+1=21) on a search check, unless Damen joins him, in which case make it an Aid Another attempt.

[SlaadLord]

OOC: I'm not sure how many people are still actually in this game, as I've only heard from Steward and Ellisande recently. I'm gonna contact the others and find out what's up.