(( I'm personally ready for it... just waiting to see how the others respond. ))

Mana scurries upstairs to shake awake Wagner and Toser.

”There’s been some beheadings down in the Dock Ward. Sleep later. Let’s go see if we can prevent another.” He squeaks excitedly.

Toser rubbed the sleep from his eyes when awoken from by Mana.

"Beheadings? What are you taking about? Call the Watch, what does any of this have to do with us?"

By Mana's insistence he drags himself out of bed and heads down to the common room to meet with the others. 

After hearing the explanation from Oriace he grimaces.

"I don't like this and I don't like the Zhents.  But I joined up with you guys and I'll help.  Not to help the Zhents, but to help you guys."

"Sounds like there is money involved and maybe not all Zhents are the same, I'm in."

Oriace nods as everyone gathers, taking in their reactions with a calm but determined expression. "I understand your concerns, Toser, and I get that the Zhentarim don’t have the best reputation. But this isn’t about them, not really. What’s urgent here is that elves—innocent, unsuspecting people—are being targeted, beheaded in the Dock Ward. If we don’t step in, there’s a good chance more lives will be lost tonight. The guard is on it but they don't conduct investigations at night."

He glances around the group, his voice growing firmer. "If we can put a stop to these murders, we’re not just preventing more deaths, but we could be rewarded handsomely—maybe in the hundreds, if we do this right."

Oriace pauses, giving his companions a moment to digest his words. "At the end of the day, though, this is about saving lives. We’ve all come together for one reason or another, and we’re strong as a group. Let’s take this opportunity to do some good—and if there’s a reward waiting for us, so be it."

Oriace turns to Mana with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Mana. Your offer to guide us through the city will help a lot, especially if we want to catch the murderer before he strikes again. The faster we move, the better chance we have of stopping this." Oriace and - I presume - the rest of the group is ready to depart to the Dock Ward.

"If we are going out right now let me get my gear."

Toser headed back to his room and quickly donned his armor, strapped on his rapier and slid a dagger into his belt. He looked at his lute for a moment but decided this wasn't the place for it.  He grabbed his flute and stuffed it away in case it was needed.

"Okay,  ready to go."

Mana speedily and discreetly leads the group to the Dock Ward via back streets and alleys. Darting between shadows when prudent and pausing only long enough to be sure no one is left behind.

You all (I think) head out to the docks. It is a quiet night, a few sailors still working on unloading cargo but most ships decide to wait until morning if they have arrived late. 

How long do you spend looking before going home for a sleep? 

Wagner is willing to stay out until just before dawn.

(( Sterling is pretty much just here as a favor to Oriace; so long as he (or the group in general) are staying, Sterling will too--at least until dawn. ))

Mana is committed to staying with the team until we all decide enough is enough. He will focus on keeping the group as inconspicuous as desired and liberally dispense Bardic Inspiration to the sleuths and investigators to aid in cracking the case wide open.

”Weren’t we expecting the murders to be nightly?” He whispers as he perks his long pointy ears upwards to listen for distant cries or disturbances.

There was no mention of nightly, just "at night". In your patrolling, you don't see a single lone elf or half elf. So the murderer was probably out there, but having not seen his quarry, did not try and strike. Dawn is starting to show so you head back to get some sleep before going to find a talking horse (or possibly trying the horse first)

As we navigate quickly back to the manor, Mana volunteers,

“Next time, we might try baiting out the perpetrators. I have the costumes and disguise kit which can make me appear to be a very convincing elf or half-elf child. Children might be a bit rare wandering the streets near the docks after dark but I might be a pretty tempting easy target.”

Toser is trying to stay awake, he was able to get a bit of rest before they set out, but maybe not enough.  Staying up all night wasn't his normal thing.  As the sun dawns he does feel a bit rejuvenated.  "Let's not be so quick to get back home.  Perhaps we will see something related to our other mission on the way back.  Now that its dawn the streets will be safer. In fact I wouldn't mind spending some time trying to find our other quarry, a few hours at least.  Most of the deliveries an such are probably made earlier in the day.  Maybe we will get lucky."

Toser keeps his eye out for horses, or any other small creatures that he might be able to speak to that might help him out.   

(I'm sorry, I'm a little bit late to the nightly trip but I had hoped we could do more than walking the streets. Here's what I had in mind but feel free to ignore it if you feel the opportunity has passed, or if there had not been any to begin with.)

As the group reaches the Dock Ward, Oriace surveys the quiet, dimly lit streets, noting the sparse activity of late-night workers. He leans in close to the others and speaks in a low voice.

"Alright, let’s start by gathering some basic information. We should split up and talk to a few of the sailors still unloading cargo—casually, without raising suspicion. Ask them if they've heard about any recent attacks or noticed anything strange. Focus on the elven victims; maybe they knew one of them or at least heard rumors."

He pauses, considering their next steps. "If the killer is targeting elves, we should also keep an eye out for any elves working or loitering around here. Perhaps we can warn them, or better yet, they might have useful information about the victims. Mana, your ears are sharp—if you hear anything, let us know. Toser, you’re good with people. See if you can get them to open up about any strange happenings without spooking them."

Oriace then glances at the darker, more isolated corners of the dock. "We should also look for any spots that would be ideal for an ambush—a quiet place out of view. It’s possible the killer uses the same location each time. Stay alert, and if we see anything suspicious, we regroup immediately."

Oriace, you might not have found the killer yet (the dice said they did not see a target tonight) but you do get the feeling that your warnings might have saved a life or two by removing a possible target 

So, as the city wakes, should we make our way home via the market district? Looking for signs of a talking delivery horse?

Mana will be energized by the rising of the sun and the renewed activity throughout the city, but he will begin crashing hard within a couple of hours after sunrise. His circadian rhythms weren’t set for this schedule.

Mana asks the troupe,

”Do you want me to lead us on the quickest path back home or how is everyone feeling about a longer route looking for that talking horse?”

"Longer route please.  We can take some time to search for the horse now before resting to go out again tonight." Toser answers.

I need an investigation check from someone (with advantage) and then a persuasion check (also advantage) to convince the horse you are actually harpers and not just stole the badges 

Investigation 20

Persuasion 19