Tarquin/ Nale - blame for Penelope's death

[Ron Miel]

When Penelope died, Tarquin and Nale each assumed that the other was responsible. But why would they think that?

Penelope was one member of a wealthy family. All of her blood relatives would have died at the same time. And that is just one of many families wiped out. She was just one victim of a disaster that killed hundreds, maybe thousands.

Granted that both of them are ruthless bastards willing to kill hundreds of innocents to get one target. But for both of them to just assume that Penelope was that target is a bit of a stretch.

[Math_Mage]

Tarquin has a history of, shall we say, less than amicable endings to relationships with most of his wives (Elan/Nale's mom being a bit of an exception).

Tarquin had just discovered Nale's involvement with Penelope.

Each had a reason to suspect the other had a hand in her mysterious death. Nale, at least, had no opportunity to see a bunch of other deaths in the Western Continent population. Tarquin may have assumed the numerous deaths were connected until Nale gave him a more specific narrative to (briefly) seize on.

[Dungeonstone]

When Penelope died, Tarquin and Nale each assumed that the other was responsible. But why would they think that?

Penelope was one member of a wealthy family. All of her blood relatives would have died at the same time. And that is just one of many families wiped out. She was just one victim of a disaster that killed hundreds, maybe thousands.

Granted that both of them are ruthless bastards willing to kill hundreds of innocents to get one target. But for both of them to just assume that Penelope was that target is a bit of a stretch.

Simple.

They both have a warped sense of Drama and with each knowing that the other one was presently in the city would automatically assume that the other did it as that scenario would create the most dramatic tension.

That is why they were both puzzled at the concept that some (potentially) previously unknown individual killed her off for some reason unrelated to the two of them or the main storyline.

I'm sure that they will both be relieved if/when they discover that it was indeed a major character who killed Penelope and that her death was at least tangentially related to the storyline.

(Then Tarquin will probably declare a blood debt upon V... Dramatic effect and all that).

[rbetieh]

When Penelope died, Tarquin and Nale each assumed that the other was responsible. But why would they think that?

Penelope was one member of a wealthy family. All of her blood relatives would have died at the same time. And that is just one of many families wiped out. She was just one victim of a disaster that killed hundreds, maybe thousands.

Granted that both of them are ruthless bastards willing to kill hundreds of innocents to get one target. But for both of them to just assume that Penelope was that target is a bit of a stretch.

I'm with you on that, Tarquin should have been on the hunt for a serial killer, but he wasn't.

[skaddix]

I don't think Tarquin cared. Besides there was no clear connection to all these people dying.

[rbetieh]

I don't think Tarquin cared. Besides there was no clear connection to all these people dying.

Same exact day, same exact time, same exact way. Obviously an attack of some form. Question is who, how and why. The victims may not be obviously connected but the deaths most certainly are.

[Crusher]

Its the Empire of BLOOD. I'm going to guess that people (and in fact, whole families) die there all the time. Tarquin himself kills slaved by the hundreds if it suits his whim.

Tarquin is pretty self-absorbed. Once Penelope croaked (and probably even before that) her family was probably irrelevant to Tarquin unless he had some particular use for them (which apparently he didn't). And even assuming he was aware, why would Tarquin be concerned about Penelope's family getting wiped out if there wasn't some reason to think it was connected to him? He just wouldn't care. "Whole family wiped out? Oh, that's too bad. Remind my secretary to send flowers to the funeral."

Plus, Tarquin was pretty sure he knew what had happened anyway. He thought Nale did it, so the whole family dying wouldn't have been a surprise anyway.

[Dungeonstone]

Penelope was one member of a wealthy family. All of her blood relatives would have died at the same time. And that is just one of many families wiped out. She was just one victim of a disaster that killed hundreds, maybe thousands.



Perhaps Penelope was adopted into the wealthy family after her parents died.

If so, then potentially no one else in her "wealthy family" would have died.

Also note, Penelope's family may not be from Tarquin's city. She could have traveled there in her quest to find her child and then subsequently married Tarquin.

We have no confirmation that the Draketooth's actually ever traveled to "the Empire of Blood" (or any of its previous iterations) in their progeny sowing efforts.

[Myrdhale]

Same exact day, same exact time, same exact way. Obviously an attack of some form. Question is who, how and why. The victims may not be obviously connected but the deaths most certainly are.

If the attack was obvious. Maybe the purple lightning is just for effect and isn't visible. I personally think Familcide wouldn't be bombastic and over the top, it's designed to be cruel and punishing, not flashy.

You're also assuming a connected information network spanning the entire continent so he could learn about all the random deaths that occured in a giant desert full of bandits and murderers. I think it's much more likely alot of people died, alot of people noticed people dying, but no one was able to connect it all and no one realized it was all connected.

[rbetieh]

If the attack was obvious. Maybe the purple lightning is just for effect and isn't visible. I personally think Familcide wouldn't be bombastic and over the top, it's designed to be cruel and punishing, not flashy.

You're also assuming a connected information network spanning the entire continent so he could learn about all the random deaths that occured in a giant desert full of bandits and murderers. I think it's much more likely alot of people died, alot of people noticed people dying, but no one was able to connect it all and no one realized it was all connected.

Yes, I am. It's called control of the 3 largest empires and Sending. Not to mention the picture shows a King dying...

[gallagher]

If the attack was obvious. Maybe the purple lightning is just for effect and isn't visible. I personally think Familcide wouldn't be bombastic and over the top, it's designed to be cruel and punishing, not flashy.


what about being a high level (epic in this case, right?) arcanist, and the ego accompanying it, doesnt say flashy to you? also, she made the spell herself, so she would probably want to make it as noticeable as possible so people KNOW who did it, and are thus very, very afraid

were i even level 5 every spell i prepare/learn would be flashy.

[hoff]

I think a probable outcome would be Tarquin scrying on Penelope's cause of death and will learn about the soul selling deal and blackmail V.

[KillianHawkeye]

I think a probable outcome would be Tarquin scrying on Penelope's cause of death and will learn about the soul selling deal and blackmail V.

You can't scry on a "cause of death." Scrying doesn't work that way.