Esvaris

If I am aware that I am not being very stealthy, I will stop making any pretense, walk to the alter, and mutter a prayer to Usoara (still disguised as Dawnlord Menges), and walk out, leaving the rest to Korlan.

Korlan sneaks stealthily past the main altar and along the south wall. 

Esvaris, thinking he is being stealthy creeps along darting from pillar to pillar occasionally making a slight noise on the elegantly tiled floor.  Korlan notices Esvaris' slight mistakes, but Esvaris does not.  

Ahead in the darkness come muffled sounds from the middle prayer box.  The curtain moves a few times.  As you draw closer, you catch bits of whispering voices, male and female.  "You are the only goddess here!" a man's passionate voice says as if muffled slightly.  Several heavy breaths can be heard.  Then a woman's voice, breathless, "I cannot tell him. We must run away together.  I cannot live without you."  A moment of silence and then the man again, sounding as if he has said these same regretful words many times, "You know I cannot.  My duty is here.  I have sworn an oath."  This is followed by soft sounds of the woman crying and the man comforting her quietly.

Korlan

Ill wait to see if I gain any more information. When it sounds like they’re done talking, I use Thaumaturgy to open the door to the atrium on the east side of the building forcibly so it slams making a loud noise. I’ll sit and wait to see who come out if they do. 

Korlan: At the sound of the atrium door slamming open, the woman gasps, "My father!" But the man hushes her, "More likely to be Menges than Atterly."  After a few minutes of stillness, the prayer box door cracks open a bit, pauses, then a bit more.  A man in Solar Guard uniform steps out, moving quietly.  He casts a sharp look towards the atrium door and towards the altar. (Perception check: 11)

Edit after roll: He does not see Korlan, but he thinks he sees movement over where Esvaris is hiding.  He signals the person inside the prayer box, pointing in the elf's direction and holding up a hand as if telling the woman to wait. Then he closes the door carefully. Hoping not to be seen by who he assumes is Dawnlord Menges, he moves stealthily through the open atrium door.

After another couple of minutes of silence, the door cracks open again.  A woman in a black sable fur coat steps one long leg out, clad in a white buckled shoe. She too glances around and then begins to attempt to sneak toward the altar.  A beam of moonlight catches her long golden hair and her strikingly beautiful face.  It's obvious that she has recently been crying.

Quill's Perception check: 17

Quill's raw Intelligence check: 18

Does Esvaris hear and see any of this?

Esvaris sees and hears everything clearly thanks to his keen elven senses.

Korlan

If the female is still in the room and headed toward the alter, I’ll stay put and watch from the shadows. 

Quill awakens to a strange sound in the dorm room. Quick little intakes of air and faint choking sounds... then a sound of someone thrashing violently. It seems to be coming from the direction of Simeon's bed.

Esvaris

I step out from hiding, and ask, "who is there?"

Quill sits up and taps his bedpost.

"Light," he mutters. His bedpost glows brightly as Quill looks over at Simeon's bed.

Esvaris: She freezes, her eyes wide and panicked.  Looking quickly between you and the door to the library, she is obviously considering making a run for it.  Then she visibly takes hold of her emotions, straightens her back and pulls that indefinable aura of the wealthy and privileged around herself.  "Who is asking?" she says with an air of superiority.  Korlan is hiding in the shadows behind her, but she is unaware of his presence.

Quill:  Light fills the room in a 20' radius from your bedpost.  Two beds to your right you see Simeon, both arms bent, hands gripping something that seems to be wrapped around his throat.  His eyes are bulging from his face and skin has started to turn faintly blue.  You do not hear gasping or choking sounds anymore, but his legs are still kicking and thrashing, though with less energy now than before. His sheet and thin blanket are crumpled on the floor.  No one else in the room is awake.

Esvaris

I reveal myself (as Dawnlord Menges, still) and as I draw nearer, I say, "Ah, it's you. What are you doing here so late this evening?"

Quill's eyes widen, and he jumps out of his bed, padding across the floor on his bare feet.

"What is...I...uh...Oh! Spiritual Weapon!" Quill exclaims. A thin blade of bright energy appears in Quill's hand as he stares at whatever is around Simeon's neck, trying to see what it is.

Investigation: 21

Esvaris: When you step forward into the moonlight streaming down from above she gasps in recognition and takes a step back, hand to her throat.  "Menges, I... I..." her eyes dart back and forth as she struggles to find an excuse for her presence here. "I was in the, uh, the library, reading quite late and did not notice the time passing." Fear and guilt are written large all over her face.  Her other hand inches down to the left side pocket of her fur coat.  Slipping her hand inside she seems to be nervously toying with something. "Of course, I didn't know how I should get back out, since all the doors are locked. Could you help me?" 

Quill's bright mind quickly recognizes the creature wrapped around Simeon's neck.  The bright copper colored head, and copper striations along the body tell him that it is a poisonous constrictor snake.  Two ugly bite marks on Simeon's chest show that he has already been bitten.  His terror-filled eyes do not even recognize Quill as he approaches.  The life is fading fast from him.

Korlan

As I watch the conversation unfold, I ready myself to launch a guiding bolt.

Esvaris

"Funny, I was in the library myself, but did not you. No matter. I can help you get out." I gesture toward the library and the basilica exit beyond, and wait for her to begin walking with me. "I saw a note in here this morning, just over there," I point to the spot where I found the note. "It invited the reader come to the same location after the tenth bell tonight. Naturally, I accepted the invitation and came here tonight to see who would set a meeting in a holy temple of Usoara that had closed for the evening. But nobody came. Nobody, that is, but you and one of the solar guard. Would you like to tell me what is going on?"

Esvaris: Her whole body droops in relief as she begins to follow you.  Then, as you mention the note and continue, she freezes, a look of shock and fear overwhelming her. "You won't tell Father, will you?" She clutches your arm, begging you with her eyes.  At this moment you can see through her facade of superiority.  Clearly she is nothing more than a frightened young girl, not more than eighteen years old at most.  "The guard... he... I... Please! It's all my fault. Tristan is innocent!" She looks down, shoulders shuddering with repressed tears.  "He is already frightened that he will be expelled from the Solar Guard because of what happened the other night.  I fear he will refuse me if you order him to," her voice aches with despair.

Esvaris

I stop walking, and pause thinking for a moment. "How can I say 'no' to that face? I will keep your secret." I pause again, to let that sink in, until the relief washes over her. "But do me one favor. In your own words, describe to me what you know of the events of the other night. I'm curious to hear your point-of-view."