An Aberrant Day (Throneport Inquisitives IC)

[White Blade]

It was a cool day early in Therendor. Nothing about the day projected it to be anything special or significant in anyway, except perhaps the ominous appearance of several ravens which flew over head, circling as if waiting for something to die, but the carrion birds are a common enough sight in the city and people didn't pay it any mind.

You arrived to work that morning, more out of half-hearted hope than anything - it had been over a week since any clients had come and something like a month since any of the clients had paid any sort of substantial charge. Throneport Inquisitives looked to be a sinking ship, for all the promise it had once held and all the hope it had been born of. Nobody wanted justice in a city like this.

Well, almost nobody. As you gathered together to talk over your plans and what to do with the Inquisitives a human woman stumbled through your doorway, breathing heavily with a panicked look in her eyes. The first thing you noticed about her was that she was beautiful. She looked something like twenty, with the sort of lithe beauty which accompanied dancers and acrobats. The second thing you noted was the oily, purple mark that traced the outskirts of her face. It reminded you of a dragonmark but it wasn't colored correctly and it didn't match the patterns of any of the houses.

"Please!" she begged, "You have to help me, I swear on Dol Arrah, I didn't do it."
Kessler - Your character recognizes the woman as Enyo, a second story woman and smuggler who works for Khyber's Key, the Throneport branch of House Tarkanan which masqeurades as a legitimate legal business. Your character is aware that the mark on her face is an Aberrant Dragonmark.
Kelarial - Your character has no idea who this woman is or what is up with the quasi-dragonmark.
Roden - Your character is aware that the woman's name is Enyo, that she works for Khyber's Key, a local organization involved in smuggling and theft whose cover is a legitimate legal business. Because you're from a Dragonmarked House, you recognize the Aberrant Dragonmark, but you grew up hearing about Aberrants as insane asylum lunatics with dark powers. Congratulations, you've met the boogey man.
Cole - Your character has no idea who this woman is or what is up with the quasi-dragonmark.
Pollux - Ambiguity. Still needs to fix his skills.
Jin (Himo) - You recognize the Aberrant dragonmark for what it is. You notice it is larger than ordinary aberrant dragonmarks. You recognize Enyo, her work, and the fact that Khyber's Key is a branch of House Tarkanan.

[AngryCyc]

"Whoa there! Easy. Calm down and explain to us what's wrong, miss-... Err..?"

[White Blade]

"My name's Enyo," the woman replies, breathing deep to calm herself, "Auros is dead and those cursed bloods in House Deneith are saying I killed him." Auros was the Sentinel Marshall in Throneport and a good man. You hadn't even heard of his death until she said mentioned it, so it must have been recent.

[Keld Denar]

Roden

The handsome Khoravar looks over the woman with interest. Taking special note of the mark on her face, he frowns. He lowers his feet from the table where they had been resting while he reclined on the back two legs of the chair but makes no immediate move to stand up.

And why shouldn't we turn you over to the Wardies right now? he practically spits, the disgust poorly concealed.

[White Blade]

Enyo blinks at Roden's hostility and then shoots back a glare, cold and hard as iron, not at all frightened as she had been a moment ago. Or she is trying to appear not to, anyway, but her hands are quaking. "Because I'm innocent and Deneith doesn't give a damn," she replied, "But if money's what you're looking for, Tarlas will pay you if you help me, I swear it."

Those of you who succeeded on your knowledge Local check know that Tarlas D'Tarkanan is the owner and proprietor of Khyber's Key, the gang boss. He's a dwarf who was exiled from the Mror Holds by House Kundarak

[Starbin]

Kelarial heard the door ring, wondering who it might be. As he moved towards the front room, he heard one voice raised in anger. Slipping a knife into one hand, he peered out from the shadows of the back, eyes searching the room for signs of a threat. The voice he had heard belonged to the woman who stood in the center of the room, hands clenched and shaking with anger. On her face was an ill-attempt at a dragon-mark, apparently drawn with brambleberry juice.

The Valenar relaxed as he saw the others; arrayed around the room, some standing while others still sat, they were watching the woman with equal measures of disgust and interest. Slipping his knife back into his belt, he continued to watch from the shadowed doorway, leaning against the jam as he let his more socially inclined partners talk to the angry woman.

[Toptomcat]

Himo closes his eyes and leans back in his chair, thinking for a moment.

"Perhaps you're innocent, perhaps you aren't. It would certainly be very stupid of you to come to an inquisitives' firm and tell us about it if you thought you had really committed a crime for which we could easily turn you over to a Dragonmarked house- presumably for substantial reward."

His eyes open, and suddenly there is a smile on the blonde elf's face: he leans forward and regards the woman intently.

"Regardless, you seem to have presented us with a compelling reason to take your case: whether you did do it or whether you didn't, there's a reward in it for us if we discover the truth!"

The smile broadens into a grin.

"So the truth you will get."

Himo produces a small notebook from his desk, and a few moments' searching gets him an ink and inkwell as well.

"If we're to discover the truth, we must know what you know about this matter- everything, without exception. Calm your nerves, collect yourself, and tell us your story from beginning to end, in as much detail as possible. The smallest thing could prove vital.

I urge my colleagues to hold their questions until the end."

He looks up at the woman expectantly, pen held at the ready to begin taking notes. With his other hand, he gestures to an empty chair, then reaches down to scratch behind the ear of the floppy-eared hound at his feet.

[White Blade]

"I woke up this morning to the sound of people pounding on the door of the flat," Enyo replied, "When I looked out there, I saw some Deneith thugs outside. Auros wasn't with them and they were shouting about being wanted for murder. I bolted out the back window and hit the street. I asked around and heard Auros was murdered at the Rookery. Somebody suggested you for this job. I came here. That's all that I know."

[Toptomcat]

Himo waits for a moment, expecting more from her. When it becomes apparent that she's finished, he frowns and sets his pen down.

"Detail, detail! It is the heart and soul of the investigative's trade: we need it as a smith needs iron or a farmer needs his crop.

You say there were Deneith thugs outside. How did you know that was what they were- uniforms, visible dragonmarks, previous familarity with them? How many of them were there, how well armed, what did they look like?

Then they shouted 'something about being wanted for murder.' What was their exact phrasing? The difference between 'by the authority of House Deneith, come out: you're wanted in connection with a murder case', 'Enyo, you're wanted for the murder of Auros', and 'I want you out here so I can shove a sword down your throat, Enyo you murderous bitch' is a vast gulf.

When you asked around, who told you of Enyo's murder? More than one person?"

[White Blade]

"They wore the Deneith Crest. They weren't Thronewardens. They yelled that they were there "take me in" or something like that. I mean, I scampered wasn't paying much attention. Brelish Quarter was live with talk about it about half an hour ago, I guess they asked about where I lived. Heard it from everybody."

knowledge (Local) - DC 10 tells you Deneith is in charge of policing the Port and Thronehold. DC 15 tells you that Deneith Sentinel Marshalls were in charge of transarea crime. DC 25 tells you that the Deneith rank and file are definitely NOT legally allowed to arrest Enyo.

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

[roll0]
[roll1] Trivial Knowledge

"Innocent until proven guilty."

A small, frail voice interrupts the flow of the conversation. Tracing back the voice, the other inquisitives find Phinneas Kessler, a gnome who had long ago outlived his name. Many decades ago, before Enyo was even a glimmer in her grandfather's eye, the name Kessler meant something all over Zilargo. It was a name that kept honest gnomes safe and put away many a criminal. But that was before the War, the War was before the alliance, and the alliance was before the Treaty. Once global peace was established, shaky as it was, the number of folks needed to enforce it had waned in the eyes of the law. Dr. Kessler found himself nudged out of The Trust, the Brelish military, and even his scholarly position at Morgrave University. Now, he found himself in a humble flat reminding his colleagues of the basics of law.

"Miss Enyo is the client, not the criminal. To assume otherwise based on her occupation, affiliations, or the markings on her skin would put us on no better footing than the very...." Phinneas paused, lost somewhere in a thought completely unrelated to the sentence he had forgotten to finish. "Evidence tells the story, not people. If Auros was murdered at the Rookery, that's our prologue." He grabs his coat and prepares to hit the road, almost completely unaware that everyone else in the room might have been on a different page than him.

[Toptomcat]

Sitting behind his chair, Himo watches his gnomish compatriot prepare to go and sighs a long-suffering sigh, a bit of mischief twinkling in his eye as he sees an opportunity to rib the man a bit.

"You must forgive the good Dr. Kessler. Talented, brilliant and discerning though he may be, he sometimes falls back on old habits and forgets the complexities that we must face as private investigatives. Our concern is the investigation itself: guilt and innocence are the business of the unholy mess of conflicting agencies that govern this city, and client and criminal may be united in one person.

And on that note- madam, would I be correct in assuming that you are Enyo d'Tarkanan, of Khyber's Key?"

It sounds rather odd for the outlaw 'House' of aberrant Marks to be dignified with the form of address ordinarily used for those belonging to the more respectable sort: Himo idly toys with the House Thurrani brooch on his waistcoat, accentuating the unusual gesture of respect he's just offered.

"In which case I must give my compliments to you: my recent purchase of a small 'duty-free' statuette of Xen'drik ivory from the Key has been of considerable use to me in my arcane researches.

But it does pose additional complications to our investigation that require another few questions- questions of a subtle and sensitive nature, relating to your subtle and sensitive occupation. To wit: have you recently broken or snuck into any property of House Deneith in a fashion that may have inadvertently left a hint of your intrusion? Stolen anything that could plausibly be the personal property of Auros- which a consultant with the Mark of Finding could have tracked to your door? Or done anything else in the course of your duties that could possibly have led House Deneith to suspect you?

Think carefully."

[AngryCyc]

Cole

Phinneas! Don't be like this little crease in my arm..." Cole says, as he bends his arm and pinches the skin fold at his elbow... "We need to prepare more of a plan then simply 'LET'S GO POKE AROUND SOMEPLACE THAT JUST HAD A MURDER!' And we'll need to find a place to keep this fine lady safe! I for one recommend my personal quarters..."

Cole says this with a wink, while making a sound as he does that is closest to: *Wh-KHH*

[Starbin]

Kelarial shook his head as he listened. It never ceased to amaze him how much his partners found delight in their games of verbal one-upsmanship. He rarely competed, since he was typically outmatched by all of them. But he did have his strengths, and a particular set of skills that came in handy from time to time.

Slipping up the stairs, the Valeran headed for one of the rooms that looked out over the front street, watching for anyone coming towards the office. If the woman was accused of murder, there was a good chance someone was following her. Best to be prepared ... especially if they were giving her the protection of a client.

Taking time to look and listen for signs of pursuers
Listen: [roll0]
Spot: [roll1]

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Harrumph. Roden retires up the stairs, lightning flashing in his eyes. Spotting Kelarial near the window, he joins the elf.

Humans... he sighs cosympathetically.

[White Blade]

Enyo smiles at her name and title, a self-satisfied pride washing her face of the fear that had plagued it moment before. "I am Enyo d'Tarkanan of the House Tarkanan," she responds to the questioning of Himo, "We haven't hit a Deneith house since before the Treaty, at least Khyber's Key hasn't. I can't speak of any of our other various branches. Auros was a fair man, for a cursed blood anyway, we weren't interested in any unnecessary entanglements with the law. My last big job was a shipping dock on portside, I busted in and took some schema from Xen'drik, Auros was investigating it. I didn't kill him though. He didn't have enough evidence to convict."

She smiles at Cole and laughs, "Well, the idea's appealing handsome, but I try not to sleep with people in high stress situations."

Kelarial sees a Deneith making the rounds around the houses, knocking on doors and having short conversations. Nobody's pointed him towards the Inquisitives, but he'll get to you eventually.

[OMG PONIES]

"Our concern is the investigation itself: guilt and innocence are the business of the unholy mess of conflicting agencies that govern this city, and client and criminal may be united in one person.

And on that note- madam, would I be correct in assuming that you are Enyo d'Tarkanan, of Khyber's Key?"

"Hogwash. Innocence and guilt are concrete. All the jib-jab comes in when you get to the messy business of interpretation. Empirical evidence stands alone. Haven't you ever read my treatise on..." Phinneas trails off mid-sentence. Of course he hadn't; nobody outside the scholarly community had, and even then nobody under fifty considered it worth much time any more.

"And you needn't assume her identity. She stated her name, indicated that the proprietor of Khyber's Key has financial ties to her, and bears an aberrant mark. Again, empirical evidence, cl--" Phinneas stops himself from addressing his colleagues as "class." Enough shouting matches about credentials and accomplishments replayed in his head to remind him that, even when educating others, notifying them of the free lesson was a social faux pas.


Cole

Phinneas! Don't be like this little crease in my arm..." Cole says, as he bends his arm and pinches the skin fold at his elbow... "We need to prepare more of a plan then simply 'LET'S GO POKE AROUND SOMEPLACE THAT JUST HAD A MURDER!' And we'll need to find a place to keep this fine lady safe! I for one recommend my personal quarters..."

Cole says this with a wink, while making a sound as he does that is closest to: *Wh-KHH*

"You'd do well to mind your manners in front of your elders and mixed company, Cole," Phinneas chastizes. "There's always a plan, and investigating the scene of the crime before the evidence is tainted is one of the first steps in a properly executed one. I do agree that we need a place to hide Enyo away, but I defer to her expertise when it comes to keeping things hidden. I would encourage you, though, to allow deductive thought to prevail over your more...primal instincts." With an arched eyebrow, Phinneas shakes his head at Cole's advances. It's easy to see that the professor is lacking in the social niceties that his colleagues pride themselves on, but sometimes he is so pedantic and condescending that it's a wonder they agree to work with him at all.


"My last big job was a shipping dock on portside, I busted in and took some schema from Xen'drik, Auros was investigating it. I didn't kill him though. He didn't have enough evidence to convict."

"This is precisely why empirical evidence is paramount. While some may presume Auros' investigation as motive for Enyo to murder him, her assurance that he was lacking in evidence means that she found a conviction unlikely. Keep in mind, dear, that a confession is admissable in a court of law. As a citizen of Throneport I feel it is my civic duty to report as such so you can serve the proper term. I guarantee you, though, that I will only do so once the matter of Auros' murder has been cleared up and we can be sure that you will serve only for the crime you've confessed to and nothing more. Professional courtesy."

So she was a criminal. Phinneas' gut told him as much, but he had learned long ago to avoid gut impressions in favor of actual evidence. Speaking of, after they investigated the Rookery, perhaps Auros' office would yield more information as well. Sure, they could speak to known associates and canvas for witnesses, but Dr. Kessler had long been of the impression that, while people could misremember or outright lie, crime scenes and rooms never would. The evidence would be laid out like a book, desperately waiting to be read by someone who knew the language. Phinneas prided himself on his fluency, and he was dying for a good read.

[White Blade]

"Kind of you Throneport, what aren't you going to report?" replies Enyo calmly, "I didn't commit any crimes. Deneith may be out for my blood, but Breland knows a good ally when it sees one."

Kelarial sees the Deneith Warden being pointed towards Throneport by one of your more astute neighbors.

[OMG PONIES]

"Kind of you Throneport, what aren't you going to report?" replies Enyo calmly, "I didn't commit any crimes. Deneith may be out for my blood, but Breland knows a good ally when it sees one."

"Hmph, 'allies' my foot. Payroll doesn't change the law, it merely circumvents it for a time. But I digress...the criminality of past acts is not in question, merely this one. As for now, we should investigate Auros' passing. Why, I remember once a few moons ago he and I actually worked together. Good man, and a pity, too."

[White Blade]

"What confession? I did not confess to any crime. I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about," Enyo replied, "Understand that this city is my home and I will not-"

Everyone hears a door knock and Enyo jumps upward, "So quickly?" she groans with a kind of annoyance, "Well, Inquisitives. They're here."

[AngryCyc]

"Upstairs with you... Quickly. This is my time to shine..."

Cole readies a practiced smile as the young lady slips out of view. He answers the door with a grumpy and irritated "Yes? What do you want?" then seeing the man standing in front of him, adds a quick "THIS IS A PLACE OF BUSINESS! NO SOLICITING!!!"

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Upon hearing the knock, Roden slips back down the stairs, glaring at the young woman as she passes but catching a whiff of her scent in the close stairwell. While Cole answers the door, Roden resumes his usual place if leisure, his finely made leather boots propped up on the table and the chair rocked back on two legs.

[Toptomcat]

Himo calmly puts away his papers, pen and inkwell and follows Enyo upstairs.

"Follow me to the library, please: hiding will not be necessary. Stay close to me: I can render you invisible should Cole fail to deter the Warden, but only if I can touch you."

[AngryCyc]

Himo calmly puts away his papers, pen and inkwell and follows Enyo upstairs.

"Follow me to the library, please: hiding will not be necessary. Stay close to me: I can render you invisible should Cole fail to deter the Warden, but only if I can touch you."

...Heh...!

[White Blade]

Enyo nods to Himo and follows him, staring at Cole's humor momentarily.

The Deneith guard stares at you momentarily, "Look," he says calmly, "I'm looking for a woman who goes by Enyo D'Tarkanan, she's wanted for the murder of Auros D'Deneith. I was told that somebody saw a woman matching her description coming here."

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

Phinneas ignores the question as well as its asker, digging his nose deep into the thick tome he had been reading prior to Enyo's arrival. Though he had a nose for ferreting out deception, he could never deliver it. Put simply, he couldn't lie for beans...or members of House Tarkanan, as was currently the case. He left that to one of the more eloquent and morally ambiguous members of the team.

[Starbin]

When Roden stepped into the room, Kelarial nodded to him momentarily, then returned to his vigil. At the comment on humans, he shrugged, knowing his opinion on the matter was really inconsequential ... besides, the gnome was more of a pain than anyone else.

Blinking, he caught sight of the Deneith guard as he approached the door below. Cursing low under his breath, he nodded to Roden. "We've got company ... better check it out."

He continued to watch from above, knowing his own ability to sweet talk the guard would be worthless at this time. If the others couldn't handle it, he wouldn't add much to the effort.

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Leaping nimbly to his feet, Roden approaches the doorway and extends his hand. Come in. Come in. Have a seat anywhere. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name Officer...???

[roll0] to improve his disposition.

[White Blade]

The guard smiles but shakes his head, "I appreciate the offer, but if the girl isn't here, I've got to keep going. I can't just abandon the search for Auros' killer, the damned aberrant filth." He nods and turns away, continuing on.

[AngryCyc]

"We'll be sure to let you know if we see anything..."

Bluff if I'm the highest? [roll0]

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Roden takes a step forward before the man leaves. Sir, perhaps we could be if assistance? We are investigators, after all, and there are none more committed to justice. What is your name, and who leads this investigation so that we may quickly pass along any information we might encounter? The handsome half elf flashes a confident, disarming smile at the man and holds his hand out to the guard.

Roden is mostly trying to get close enough to the man to get his scent.

[White Blade]

"Ah, I'm Harrow Deneith. The Throne Wardens are leading the search, but I suppose the chief investigator would Rowle d'Medani, he's the one who pinned it on Enyo."

Rowlen gets the man's scent, which is not exceptionally unpleasant but certainly reflects the fact that he is wearing combat leathers.

Knowledge (Local) DC 10: Rowle d'Medani is an investigator and the main medani investigator in the area.
DC 15: Rowle is master investigator, augmenting his prowess with the divine magic of the Sovereign Host
DC 20: Rowle is pretty much only in it for the money and charges very high rates.

After interrogating Harrow a little bit, you discover he doesn't know exactly how they pinned it on Enyo. Eventually, he leaves and you all agree to investigate the Rookery.

The Rookery itself is a classy joint, reputed for being extremely discreet and extremely quiet. Some of you may have worked jobs here or had meets here, for whatever reason, as the place is favored both by the criminal underbelly and the espionage community. Magic supplies a part of the discretion, and the proprietor is a sorcerer. When you arrive on scene, there is a sign that says, "Closed for the Day," but you knock anyway, and the tall, lean proprietor, Cadmus Accipiter answers readily enough. He smiles at you and says, "Can't read, huh?" and then he waves you in, "Throneport Inquisitives, right? You here about the murder?"

As you walk in, you walk underneath a brazier that emits a strange, orange smoke. When it touches any object that you own which is magical, the smoke shifts bright blue and green, in proportion to the strength of the magic therein. "You can just keep walking, that's for magical devices. I promise discretion, after all."

[AngryCyc]

Cole

Passing into the entrance, Cole greets the owner with "
Actually I am here about a bird... I was hoping to maybe buy one. My associates here have told me many splendid things about birds... Did you know that nearly all of them can fly? Just fascinating. Do you keep your supply of birds somewhere nearby?"

But seriously. Shawn Spencer, anyone? Eh. Make him looove meeeee! Diplo [roll0]

[White Blade]

"Sorry, but the escorts are all at home asleep. Oh. You meant, my avians? Yeah, my birds aren't for sale." Cadmus notes humorously.

[Keld Denar]

Roden

I hope you don't mind if we get straight to business. A glass of wine, if you will?

Roden sips the wine, his eyebrows rising in appreciation.

Now that that is out of the way, could you show us where Auros was slain?

[Starbin]

Kelarian followed the others into the Rookery. It wasn't his first time here, and wouldn't be his last. He stayed to the rear of the group, moving in the shadows best he could. Eyeing the smoke, he knew it would flash as it touched his cloak and boots ... but anything else on him that was magical was hidden beneath the folds.

Once further inside, he leaned against the wall and scanned the area as others asked questions.

[White Blade]

Cadmus pours a glass of wine with a wry smile, "Glad to see that you've got your priorities all straightened out," he notes, calmly, "Yeah, Auros was in one of the privacy suites upstairs. They've carried off his body already, but Rowle insisted that the place be left undisturbed. He seems to think it is pretty open-and-shut."

Cadmus leads you up the steps in the back to a small hall with six identical doors and he leads you up to the third one, unlocking it, "I had to unlock it this morning, which is just terribly tedious. Found him and his warforged up here, knocked unconscious this morning, well, the warforged anyway."

Auros’ body has been moved, already taken away for honorable burial – His stuff should be impounded at the Marshall’s office. Rowle was kind enough to chalk out where his body was, though, and to mark where the body had lain on the ground. It’s an ugly scene, the sight of a knockdown, drag out brawl for sure – Shattered furniture lying broken across the ground, blood everywhere. There’s a bloody sword laying across the ground from where Auros was, the sort that was mass produced during the Last War for the rank and file.

The window is smashed out, glass lying shattered on the alleyway below. The wall against which the warforged was found is broken in with just a head hole near the window. There’s a litterbin with an assortment of trash in it, mostly paper in various states of disrepair, lying sideways next to the broken desk. Auros’ body fell to the ground near the door.

The layout of the room, before the fight, was thus – The door opens with the bed facing toward the door to your left. There is a desk on the opposite wall, underneath the window, with a litterbin next to it. The room is about thirty feet by thirty feet

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

The good gnome goes to work, ignoring most of what the proprietor says in favor of studying the scene for himself. He squints as he stands in the doorway, breathing deeply to take in the scents of the room as he frames what's in view with his fingers. For a moment, it's unclear whether he's about to investigate a crime or break out watercolors and an easel. He starts muttering to himself: Glass shattered outward shows egress, not entry. There was some sort of altercation, but between whom? And why? Tell me...

[roll0] to investigate the scene.

[White Blade]

Doctor Kessler looks over the scene with a fine tooth comb, noting each place where there are major disturbances or significant objects mentally. He leans over the knocked over bin of paper to exam it and sees that it is the writings of a journal, written by hand, in an obscure code. He also notes various other things.

Auros’ body has been moved, already taken away for honorable burial – His stuff should be impounded at the Marshall’s office. The Medani inquisitive who was called to the scene was kind enough to chalk out where his body was, though, and to mark where the body laid on the ground. It’s an ugly scene, the sight of a knockdown, drag out brawl for sure – Shattered furniture lying broken across the ground, blood everywhere. There’s a bloody sword laying across the ground from where Auros was, the sort that was mass produced during the Last War for the rank and file.

The window is smashed out, glass lying shattered on the alleyway below. The wall against which the warforged was found is broken in with just a head hole near the window. There’s a litterbin with an assortment of trash in it, torn up papers written in code inside of it, lying sideways next to the broken desk. Auros’ body fell to the ground near the door.

The layout of the room, before the fight, was thus – The door opens with the bed facing toward the door to your left. There is a desk on the opposite wall, underneath the window, with a litterbin next to it. The room is about thirty feet by thirty feet

[s]Decipher Script check?

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

The old gnome steps forward, gingerly, as if afraid to touch anything. He extracts a pair of tweezers from his vest pocket and uses them to retrieve the scraps of the journal from the wastebin. Laying them out on the desk, he draws close and begins to study them carefully. He had sharpened his teeth on every code and cipher in the book, both during his time with The Trust and later when he leant his skills to the Brelish military.

"Hmm, letter substitution? Regionalized alphabetics? Numerlogical replacement theory?" he mused aloud as he read. An odd grin crossed his face, and he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself for the first time in a long time. The other clues in the room danced around in his mind, swirling and twirling like ballgowns at a gala. The journal page, however, would be the metronome that made them all fall into time. After a long moment, he snapped his fingers and pointed skyward. "Eureka!" he pronounced.

[roll0] using Inspiration 1/4 to activate Cunning Knowledge: Decipher Script.

[White Blade]

It's an old house Deneith code, one of the ones Kessler cracked during the war. Most of it is notes on various criminal investigations, mostly either the ones researching a reported warforged underground and the ones surrounding the investigation into the robbery of a shipping facility by parties unknown a few months ago. The notes mention a Silver Flame pilgrim by the name of Marius in connection to the warforged underground railroad, believed to be a possible funnel point, and also has a mild note on the side, "Connections to LoB?" whoever that is.

The notes on the warehouse robbery include notes next to it that say, "Aberrant?" and "Second story entry" and similar things. The security was compromised and Auros didn't know how. No witnesses.

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

Phinneas turns back to his fellow inquisitives, speaking in hushed whispers once the proprietor is out of earshot as if the very walls themselves were listening. "It appears Auros was onto Enyo," he confirms, "but she was not the only scent in his wind. He was also looking into a Flamite by the name of Marius, purported to be funneling some unofficial movement of Warforged units. Given Auros' bodyguard, there may be a connection."

His eyes dart around the room, flitting from clue to clue like a hummingbird between flowers. "But look around us...does this look like the work of a stealthy thief? His personal effects are probably impounded at the Marshall's office, not pilfered. But the room tells the tale. There was a knockdown fight, not the surprise assault a thief would rely on. The sword over there--standard issue during the war, nothing special or stealthy like a smuggler might get her hands on. And the glass in the alley? Whoever was here left through the window, rather than entering through it. It doesn't smell like Enyo, unless she's a very clever lass. What say we investigate this Marius and the LoB, whatever that is. Feel I've seen that abbreviation before..."

[roll0] to identify Marius and the LoB
[roll1] Trivial Knowledge if needed.

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Careful not to move the sword, Roden kneels down over it and sniffs the hilt long and deep, then doing the same with the bloodied end. That done, he reaches out a gloved finger and gingerly touches the hilt while concentrating. He ignores everyone else in the room while he concentrates for a few minutes.

OOC using Scent and then Gloves of Object Reading on the sword (Per the Object Reading power in the psionics section of the SRD) to get more info on the sword. Concentrating for as long as relevant, up to 30 minutes.

[AngryCyc]

Cole

Cole heads down to the alleyway and starts investigating the alley. He looks especially for any tracks or signs of people who may have fallen out of the window.

Take 20 on Search for a 27.
Survival [roll0]

Also, do I need to roll anything to assume that LoB is Lord of Blades? Because I don't actually have proof that's who it is, but that's what my character would assume, if he knew that the Lord of Blades existed, because he dreams big like that. Same way he'd think PoUS is President of the United States...

[Starbin]

Kelarial looked around as the others performed their investigation. He watched as Roden sniffed the blade, Cole slipped back out to check the alley, and Dr. Kessler pondered the clues. He moved towards the gnome, leaning slightly forward as he murmured, "I see an exit, but no entry. Was the killer invited in, or already here?" It seemed odd that in a locked room, no entry had been seen ... unless the killer had been known to Auros.

Or the warforged was responsible.

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

"An excellent question, my boy," the professor chuckled to Kelarial. When he was particularly wound up in a mystery, Kessler had the bad habit of addressing his colleagues as if they were his proteges. He often tousled their hair, punched them playfully on the arm, or used jolly affectations like "my boy" or "old sport." If it was possible to hate Kessler more than they already did, most of them did so at times like this. "Sometimes, our questions provide answers. But the really sharp ones only lead to more questions..."

Phinneas pauses in the middle of a sentence. "The Lord of Blades," he mutters to himself. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it seemed this murder might have more to do with Auros' other investigation than the one into Enyo. He turns his attention back to the half-elf and asks, "Anything on the sword, Roden?"

[Keld Denar]

Roden

The previous owner of the sword was 'forged, I can say for certain. He had a strong sense of duty, but possibly questionable morals. Whether or not it was the hand that struck the blow, I can not say for certain.. It might be that this sword belonged to his bodyguard unit, or it might be some other, I can't say for certain from here, but if I met him, I could match the sword to the owner. I still don't have any way to place the murder weapon in any one hand, though. I think we should visit the only witness once our work here is complete. Roden steps back from the scene and sips some more of the wine appreciatively.

[Starbin]

Kelarial glanced at the sword, pondering Roden's words. "So would you be able to tell if the sword had the same scent as the warforged bodyguard? Or if the blood belongs to Auros?

If the sword belonged to the bodyguard and the blood was Auros, then it seems clearer this was a betrayal. If the sword belonged to the bodyguard and the blood is someone else's, then we possibly have clues to find the killer. If the sword was the killer's, and the blood was Auros ... well, again we have clues to find the victim."

Pausing for a moment, he blinked, then looked back to Roden. "I don't recall the woman having a wound, but do either the sword or the blood smell of Enyo? If not, we can perhaps clear her ..."

[Keld Denar]

Roden

I would know if the sword was owned by the warforged guardian or not. That doesn't necessarily point out treachery, however. A hand on the blade for only a few minutes would not register to my nose nor my magic. It is possible that the warforged was disabled early in the melee and his very own weapon turned against the one he was hired to protect. Let us also not forget magic of the mind, which can affect a 'forged. No, while the evidence at present would implicate the guard, it may have been crafted to appear as such. The thing had no discernible motive that we have identified and its association with the Lord of Blades is as of yet unfounded and even that would not be enough for a conviction.

And the blood is Auros'. On the blade and on the walls. There is no doubt.

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

"They said the bodyguard unit was only knocked out?" Phinneas asks with an arched eyebrow. Ever since Cannith started churning them out like loaves of bread during the Last War, Dr. Kessler hadn't trusted warforged farther than he could throw them. Given the size differential and comparative density of the units, that turned out to not be very far at all. "I suppose we could requisition the investigation record from the local Watch to determine if the bodyguard was released and locate his address. Shall we?"

[roll0] to aid another...someone else will have to do the actual gathering.

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Stand back and watch me work! After leaving the Rookery, Roden hits the streets lie they owe him money. Lots of money. With some pointers from the good Doctor, Roden returns in [roll0] with information.

[roll1] with the assist. Go go Half Elf racial bonus! Also, I have Urban Tracking, which should apply here.

[White Blade]

The Khoravar hits the streets like a fish hitting water, swimming through the various rings of mortal detritus like they were his native environment. The town is all buzzing about Auros' murder - At first, Roden starts talking with some "ears", the mercenary eavesdroppers who thrive off local intrigue. They're a bit foggy on details, but they point him towards a few off-duty Deneith who he haggles with amicably to get Shield the warforged's residence. He lived with Auros, apparently, worked low pay, was known to socialize with other warforged when he was off.

Halfway to the residence, Roden runs into Pollux, who had been doing footwork on a bounty, and drags him along. The neighbors say that Shield stopped by briefly, but left soon thereafter. They mention that he often loitered around one of the missionary way-houses for Thrane and Roden would have made it in half an hour, but he got waylaid by the border guards. He gets there a little under an hour later, seeing the warforged and a lean, gray haired man of dark complexion talking together through the window.

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Roden hangs around inconspicuously near the window to see if there are any eaves that drop, waiting for the two to part. If he doesn't recognize the grey haired man, he will tail him if possible once he leaves, then return to the office to report. If he doesn't leave, he will meet the others back at the office and report. If he does recognize him, he will return to the office and report.

[roll0] I suspect that he is the Medini detective, but I'm not sure.

[White Blade]

You don't recognize the human who is talking to Shield, but you can listen through the window of the way station.

"I'm sorry to hear about Auros nonetheless," the human says, his voice tinted with sadness
"Yes. His death was unfortunate," the warforged replied in a monotone familiar to those who served in the war.
"Have they caught the killer yet?"
"That Aberrant viper? She's probably skipped town," the warforged replied

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

Kessler plays the part of Roden's smaller, uglier shadow. He follows the half-elf and acts as a silent partner in their conversation. While Roden is more interested in greasing palms and pressing flesh, Kessler is on the watch for prying eyes and lingering listeners. As they find Shield talking with a gray-haired man, Kessler listens and does his best to put a name with the face.

[roll0] to make sure we don't have an unwanted tail.
[roll1] to catch any eavesdroppers and eavesdrop on Shield and his friend (please let me know if that needs a separate roll).
[roll2] Who is the gray-haired man?
[roll3] Trivial Knowledge reroll

[Starbin]

Roden returned to the group gathered around the corner and explained what he saw. Kelarial nodded, asking, "Did you recognize the man? I'm guessing he's not a hired killer, if the curtains are open. Do we listen first, or simply go in, since we are officially investigating?"

Hope I didn't offend anyone or presume too much, but let's just press with everyone being there!

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

Phin frowns at the conversation between the two; where he had secretly hoped to catch all manner of cloak-and-dagger exchanges, he instead heard two parties grieving the loss of a mutual friend. Furthermore, it seemed that both of them pinned Enyo for the deed, much like the Deneith thugs. Phinneas can't place whether he's seen the human before, and the challenge nags at him as they report back to the rest of the group.

"Hmm, too tall--no, he had a scar...maybe but I thought he had died in the War. Confound it!" He shakes his head in response to Kelarial. "No, can't I.D. him. I agree that he's not a sellsword, unless they're both being very subtle about it. Perhaps we listen, but I don't know what we'd find that would be of merit. Shield is innocent until we have anything to prove contrary; perhaps we should wait until he's alone and ask him for his accounting? If the damned thing can remember..."

[Starbin]

Kelarial frowned at the discussion. "Both pinned the girl specifically? Odd, then ... that would seem to indicate the warforged saw her, unless he's going off of something someone else said ..."

[White Blade]

"What happened?" you hear from behind the window, the voice of the human curious and etched, "If it isn't too much to ask?"

"She invaded the room, picked the lock after we'd met with you. Between the time when we heard the click of the lock and when she came in, I didn't have time to react, she was on me in a moment, by the time I'd draw my sword I was half-way to being disabled."

"Amazing," the human says, his voice faintly confused, "I thought Enyo was rather lithe in form, you said,"

"Yeah, but she's an Aberrant. They've got all sorts of weird powers," he replied, sounding... well his story just doesn't sound very convincing.

[Toptomcat]

Himo listens closely to the exchange.

Yes, plenty of holes here. Self-enhancement magic isn't completely unknown for aberrant Marks, but most typically it's some kind of malign effect inflicted on others. And it would have been a bigger Mark if it was something with enough mustard on it to let a woman like that carve up a 'forged war veteran before it could blink.

He speaks quietly, his lips barely moving.

"Let's move in to ask Shield a few questions and double-check all this, but wait for this conversation to finish. Give him the rope to hang himself with."

[White Blade]

"Hmm," the other man says, "Still. What will you do now?"

"I will leave town soon, too much has happened here," Shield replied, "Are you taking another band out?"

"Probably," the other man replied, "We plane to head towards Darguun, I think, the Goblins there are in need of the news."

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Seeing the conversation dying down, Roden knocks confidently on the front door of the residence. Oh, good afternoon. I'm looking for the one they call Shield. I'm with the Throneport Inquisitives. We are looking into the most dreadful murder of Auros of the city watch. Might we come in?

[roll0] to improve disposition.

[Starbin]

Kelarial followed the others, staying to the back, in whatever shadows he could find. His eyes swept the streets for signs of a tail or other observers, as well as checking the house for any observation windows or spy holes.

Best to let the othes do the talking, since they were better at it.

[AngryCyc]

Cole also remains silent, just observing the conversation...

[Toptomcat]

Jin follows, frowning a bit. The risk is remote, but this is is the first time today that there's been a serious chance that things will come to blows- and since the day had started without any hint of the Inquisitives' jobless streak abating, he hadn't prepared many spells that were useful in a straight-up fight. He taps his waistcoat pocket.

"Oliver."

A tiny, well-groomed white rat peeks out of the pocket and looks up at him.

"Best to be prepared. This could get ugly in a hurry."

The rat nods and dives pack into the pocket, momentarily writhing around. A moment later, a gorgeous blue hummingbird zips out of that same pocket and perches on Jin's shoulder, standing out attractively against the sober black of his coat.

[White Blade]

The man who answers the door waves you, "Of course, come in, come in," he says gregariously, "I'm sure we'll do the best we can to help, but I thought the matter was very well settled."

"Indeed," the warforged replies tersely.

[Starbin]

Kelarial remained near the back of the group. It seemed likely they would divide and conquer, to investigate more leads faster. However, his own strengths lay with stalking and hunting. He waited to see which group he would go with, if nothing else as a strong arm.

Glancing at the tense warforged, he knew it best that at least one of the combatant-oriented members stay ...

Not sure if we came to a decision, but we should either split up now or wait until this interrogation is over. I think a couple of us are less valuable in the pure investigation piece of this, and should be split up amongst the 'teams.' Recommendations?

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Well, if you have a moment, I'd appreciate a rundown of your accounts of what happened at the Rookery, Mr Shield. We visited the location and looked around, but we are still somewhat at a loss on a few of the finer details.

Also, as long as we are here, Mr Marius, could you help fill in a few details about how you knew the late Mr Auros?

I'm gonna sense motive the bajebus out of these guys...

[White Blade]

Marius nods, "I dealt with him tangentially during a couple of my previous visits, this being a good beginning point for one such as myself,"

The warforged speaks in a cool monotone, "The aberrant b*tch picked the lock while we were waiting for a tip off, knocked me cold."

[AngryCyc]

Cole listens carefully, trying to discern any falsehoods...

sense motive [roll0]

[Keld Denar]

Roden

That's not what a little bird told me. I can't help you if you don't help me...and all I'm asking for is a little honesty. I'll forgive this one.

*ahem*

I'd appreciate a rundown of your accounts of what happened at the Rookery, Mr Shield. We visited the location and looked around, but we are still somewhat at a loss on a few of the finer details.

Also, as long as we are here, Mr Marius, could you help fill in a few details about how you knew the late Mr Auros?

(I think I've already pinned out the Diplomacy check for this encounter, but I can roll it again)

I'll even make it easy on you. Why don't you just take a copper piece out of your pockets and hand it to me. Once I am in your employ, we are bound by a certain "client confidentiality", and nothing you tell us can be used against you.

[White Blade]

Marius nods his head happily, pulling out a thin, copper coin before having his hand grabbed by Shield, "Don't do it Marius. They'll sell us out for a pint of ale, these sellswords,"

"I think," Marius notes, "You should tell them the truth, Shield, whatever it is."

Shield rises angrily to leave and Marius throws Roden his copper coin, "Auros was investigating the Warforged underground, how we shipped people out of Throneport."

Shield advances towards the door.

[Starbin]

Kelarial slipped into the path of the warforged, idley thumbing a knife as studied his fingernails studiously. "I don't think anyone here can be bought for as low as a pint. But once the guard find out key witnesses to this murder have been lying ... well, not sure you'd be able to even afford a pint."

[White Blade]

Marius raises his hand delicately, "I am not a witness, I have not even been questioned."

"I testified beneath a truth spell, which was agreed on by all." Shield replies, his hand coming to rest on the hilt of a rank-and-file sword.

[Keld Denar]

Roden

Now now, no need for that. I'm sure everything is in order. Shield, you may leave. Kel, would you be a gent and stop by the market for some bread for dinner? Something solid and heavy would go well with the stewpot on back at the office.

Roden waits non-nonchalantly for them to leave.

[Starbin]

Kelarial frowned, looking petulant, then shrugged and walked off to go find the market, presumably.

As soon as he turned the corner, he slipped around a corner, then turned to look back and watch for Shield to walk by. Best he follow the big man and see where this little gambit led them.

Well, that's how I interpreted this :smallsmile:

[OMG PONIES]

Dr. Phinneas Kessler

As Shield heads toward the door, the recent conversation bounces around in Kessler's head like a raquetball hit by the young athletes that caused him constant consternation in his days at the University. Having an office that shared a wall with the courts was good for one thing and one thing only: the constant thumping annoyance of a tiny sphere repeatedly slamming against the wall. Of course, it had also allowed Phinneas to train his mind on winnowing out the useful information amid the distractions...

He squints and focuses on a few phrases as they emerge, particularly Shield's retelling of Enyo breaking into the room and taking him out quickly. They were waiting for a tipoff--on what? Any connection to the "news" that Shield and Marius were planning on spreading to the goblins? An ambush... No, that didn't sound right, given the knock-down drag-out they had envisioned at the scene.

Kessler's thoughts are interrupted by Shield's insistence that his testimony was valid due to the use of a truth spell. "Truth spell?!" he interrupts loudly, "Hmph! As if that mattered worth a damn." He returned to his thoughts: That was the problem with magic; everyone relied on it as The Answer instead of a tool. As if a warforged couldn't find some way to employ the mind-shielding tactics of their construct brothers--if they even have a mind to speak of! As Shield makes towards the door, a familiar sword clanks at his side, and the sound of the weapon sparks a connection between the synapses in Dr. Kessler's aging gourd.

"Oh, er, Mister Shield? Just one more thing." An odd glint sparks in Phinneas' eye; he always loved innocently confronting a deceiver in the act. "You mentioned that the assassin picked the lock to your room? It was most curious that the gentleman at the Rookery had to unlock the door to the room when he found you. In her haste, did the killer take the time to re-lock the door? Or would you like to clarify what you said before you take your leave?"

[roll0] on Shield's tale and his answer.
[roll1] to spot anything of note on Shield or Marius' person.

[White Blade]

(Already rolled y'all's Sense Motives...)
"Don't know, seeing as I was unconscious," Shield responds, woodenly. Some of you begin to wonder if this is, in fact, the worst liar you have ever met in your life. The sword he's holding is Cannith steel, the same sort that was found in the room.

Marius has nothing of note on him.

[Starbin]

Well, Kelarial was going to follow the Shield, but since he's still there, I'm going to play it like we haven't left yet.

Especially since WB is hitting us in the face with the clue bag :smallsmile:

Kelarial glanced at the warforged's hand resting on the sword. He thought back to the room, then cleared his throat. "Nice blade. Seems I remember seeing another one just like it ... only that one was covered in Auros' blood.

You didn't loose something, did you?"

Still relaxed, the elf simply watched the warforged from half-lidded eyes ... ready for violence if the situation turned ugly.

[White Blade]

Shield's metal face almost flickers emotion before he tries to walk out silently. Do you try to stop him?

[Starbin]

Kelarial stepped in front again. "Hold a moment, noble bodyguard. We're not the enemy ... not unless you're involved in the murder. Drop the attitude, lose the lies and tell us what happened. What really happened."

[OMG PONIES]

(Already rolled y'all's Sense Motives...)
"Don't know, seeing as I was unconscious," Shield responds, woodenly. Some of you begin to wonder if this is, in fact, the worst liar you have ever met in your life. The sword he's holding is Cannith steel, the same sort that was found in the room.

Marius has nothing of note on him.

Phinneas muses to himself aloud, "Master Shield, you may be, in fact, the worst liar I have ever met in my life. The evidence will always reveal the truth; your cooperation would only make our path to it more direct and save you the trouble of delaying the inevitable. What are you attempting to conceal?"


Shield's metal face almost flickers emotion before he tries to walk out silently. Do you try to stop him?

Phinneas scoffs as Shield attempts to leave without an answer. "There are two ways to do this, Master Shield," he says with his usual pedantic tone, "the easy way or the hard way. Please, for all our sakes, if you're innocent choose the easy way and the evidence will prove it so."

If Shield tries to force his way past Kelarial, burn a point of Inspiration to cast Grease via Arcane Dilettante on an area within 35 ft (CL 5) that will be under Shield but not any allies. Reflex save DC 17 or fall prone.