As Seraphine rummages through the pockets, she is careful to check in all of the creases and folds of the victim's tattered brown robes, and finds the following:
10 silver pieces - a meager sum, but typical for someone living in the Lowers.
A bronze locket - it was hanging around the man's neck, and the locket itself opens up to reveal the portrait of a saintly looking woman, a deity of some kind. Perhaps you would recognize it if you gave it some thought. You set it aside for now.
4 crumbled bread rolls - they look stale. Strange that the victim would be carrying these around in his pocket, instead of leaving them at home.
You pat down the rest of the body until you're satisfied you've found everything of value. As you do, you notice Chaenath casting dancing lights nearby.
The floating orbs of light illuminate the dark alleyway more than the single torch nearby, and the two of you are able to make out slightly more details than before. In particular, you notice a trail of blood stained earth, that leads towards the wall at the end of the alleyway. The body, however, still casts no shadow. Not even the severed arm lying a few feet away.
"Hmm..." Atonement ponders the answers for a moment before saying, "I see, well then perhaps we could talk with this surgeon then maybe they found something during their examination. Also, once we are done here could you have the body taken up to the Order of Dawn. I'm sure you and you're two fellows would like to quit guarding a dead body."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
"Huh... anyone here manage to pass those religion exams? There's a locket here with some sort of goddess on it" Seraphine says, surreptitiously pocketing the 10 silver and hoping no one notices (Sleight of Hand: 19). "And what's with these rolls?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Seraphine grabs a torch from her pack. The end of the torch explodes into brilliant flames with her prestidigitation, lighting the area around them with an intensely bright light thanks to her ability to control flames. Walking carefully to avoid disturbing the evidence, Seraphine heads over to the place by the wall where the blood trail ends, looking around. Hmmm, she thinks, knocking on the wall to see if its hollow, Was this an escape route or was the victim dragged from here?
Hawthorne gives another one of his signature grunts before replying. "Sure, surgeon's stationed on Knight's Road - that's the big main road that winds through the center of the Lowers, mind - close to where the Lowers connect to the Open Ward. His name's Bartholomew, shop's got a sign out front, hard to miss it if you're lookin'. And aye, me and the boys'll take the body up to your fancy fortress once you're done. If they let us in, that is."
[Seraphine/Chaenath]
Chaenath, spending those few moments studying the bloodied ground, is dissappointed to find no tracks to speak of - the blood has dried, and the earth seems mostly undisturbed. If there are tracks, Chaenath isn't able to see them easily.
Meanwhile, with Chaenath distracted and Ethan absorbed in his own thoughts, Seraphine deftly slides the 10 silver into her pocket without alerting the others, then turns to help Chaenath examine the trail. The magical burst of flame she creates helps to shine a bright light on the earth, making the trail much easier to track and follow, and as you reach the back wall, you both notice something near your feet.
It appears to be a metal grate, coming just off the ground and no more than a foot high. Between its bars, you can hear a very gentle rush of water. It must lead to the Lower's Sewer, but even the smallest Halfling would find it impossible to fit through an opening that small. Nonetheless, the blood trail appears to lead there, clear as day in the light of the torch's flame.
Seraphine examines the wall closely for any signs of hollow compartments or secret entrances, but finds nothing, confirming in her mind at least that the only opening here leads through that iron barred grate.
[Ethan]
As the two ladies investigate the back of the alley and the blood trail, Ethan seems to be lost in thought for a moment, before responding to Chaenath's suggestion, picking up the locket and examining it more closely.
"Ah yes, we did do a bit of extensive reading on the local deities of Damascus and the surrounding provinces. Glad we did now, given the situation."
Religion: 18 Advantage: 5
After examining the deity's features for a moment, Ethan snaps his fingers. "Got it." He says. "This is Leira, Patron Goddess of the Disenfranchised. And no, not that sort of Patron," He adds, casting a sidelong look towards Chaenath. "The bread makes much more sense now, followers of Leira always carry around a bit of food and coin to give to beggars that they cross paths with. Hm. Odd that he didn't have any coin on him then. He must've already given it away."
I believe that Papaver is on a short vacation until Sunday, so for now we'll just say Ethan is following the group along, and he will contribute to combats. If you want him to do something outside of combat related to the investigation, just ask Ethan in character and I'll make the rolls on his behalf for now. If we make too much progress, we'll just slow it down a bit and wait for him to get back before continuing so he doesn't miss out too much.
Atonement goes to shake Hawthorne's hand, "Thank you for the assistance, it is appreciated; and we will send word up ahead letting them know you're coming." With that he turns and makes his way back to where the body and his comrades are. "So, did what did you all find?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
"Come check this out," Seraphine calls to Chaenath and the others. "Whatever killed our friend over here went down into the sewers after. I don't know how it could have gotten through these bars, though... unless..."
Carefully placing the torch on top of the grill, Seraphine grabs her crowbar and attempts to open the grate. (Strength: 5)
As you all watch, Seraphine attempts to jimmy open the grate, pushing against one of the vertical iron bars with nearly all of her strength, and the bar comes free, clanking loudly against its neighbors and spilling out into the alleyway. It leaves enough room for someone to fit their arm through, and the forced removal took a small chunk of stone out of the wall above it, but not much else is revealed.
When you peer into the hole between bars with your magical light and torches, your suspicions are confirmed - on the other side of the grate, you can see man-sized passageways with a stream of running water in the center. You still can't fathom how something could have fit through the grate, but at least now you have an inkling as to where the blood trail leads.
Mirim tries to forget about the dead body and the severed arm for a minute before looking at the rolls "Maybe he was a baker? Or came from a baker? Do we have any background information on him, an identity, a family we could talk to?" She says to Hawthorne
Hawthorne chuckles a little. "'Fraid not, little miss. With the face like that, it's hard to tell who he was, or where he came from. Plus, it's only been a little over a day, and nobody's come lookin' for 'im in that time, and even if they did, it would take a while to connect the dots. Look around." He gestures to the chaotic, disheveled ghetto that stretches confusingly in every direction. "Not sure where we'd even start to be honest, even if we cared to."
He does stroke his beard, and points over to Ethan briefly. "I think that one's got the right idea, maybe. Whatever he just said about the goddess. Maybe he worships or somethin', I don't know." He shrugs, nothing else to offer. He has a certain detachment that seems to say 'this isn't the first murder I've seen in these slums, and I'm sure it won't be my last.'
[Chaenath]
The two lights you send through the small vertical grates illuminate the surrounding sewer passageway, and you see several rodents scurry away from the light. Not surprising to see them down there. You don't see anything else of interest, however. Whatever killed the man in the alleyway is long gone now.
"You know, Ethan said he's probably a follower of Leira," Seraphine thinks aloud, "maybe we should check with the nearest temple."
Grabbing the necklace and walking over to where Hawthorne is standing, Seraphine asks the guard, "Do you know where the closest alter or alter of Leira is? I'm wondering if they're missing an acolyte."
Atonement walks over to Ethan, "Hey Scholar, could you send a message to the Order letting them know that we are sending a corpse their way for further examination. Also, to see if they can find someone who can talk with the dead to get information from our victim."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
"The attacker probably disappeared through this," points Chaenath at the blood tracks. "Maybe a shapeshifter... or something else that can slip through this hole and still leave those claw marks."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xanni Leafhelm - Halfling Cleric (Life domain) in Helm's Inquisition
Chaenath Miahana - Elf Warlock (Archfey pact) in Order of Dawn
"Well, my friend was able to turn into different animals, another could turn into mist. So it could be a wizard or something?" Mirim takes a flower out and smells it before putting it back"This guy's smell is not very nice."
"What do you want from him, he's been mauled," shrugs Chaenath. "Wizard, maybe. Or druid. Or anyone who knows polymorph, or has an ally who knows it." She pauses, then snorts. "We're not really narrowing down our options here, are we? Let's get some more information before we get to speculating. The temple, the surgeon... What do you say?" She looks around, stopping on Atonement.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xanni Leafhelm - Halfling Cleric (Life domain) in Helm's Inquisition
Chaenath Miahana - Elf Warlock (Archfey pact) in Order of Dawn
Atonement strokes his chin while he thinks, "Hmm, we have four leads to go off of at this point. One is Maude who heard and reported the attack. Second is the temple that this monk was a member. Third is the surgeon that has examined the previous bodies that were found in similar conditions. Forth is we know it is possibly something living in the sewer system." He turns to Hawthorne, "Are there any entrances to the sewers that people use for maintenance?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
Ethan nods, grabbing his Sigil and concentrating for a moment, then writing out a detailed message in the air. "Well, I'll certainly reach out to them to make sure they're aware, but Amadeus did specifically ask us to handle this on our own and to send a single report once it was resolved.."
A moment later, his writing ceases, and he pockets his Sigil again. "There, all finished. They should have an idea of what's going on now."
[Group]
Hawthorne regards you all with a look that borders on being impressed. It seems he did not expect this level of organization and inquiry from a fresh team, and he certainly isn't used to it from the guards he captains.
He recovers quickly from this moment and clears his throat loudly. "Hm. Well, as far as the temple goes, I'd imagine if there is any temple to Leira it wouldn't be in this part o' town. It's probably in the Guilds District, part of the Open Ward. That's where most of the religious temples are located in the city, and we try to keep it that way. Nice and orderly like. Don't think they'll be takin' visitors at this time of night." He gestures around you to the pervasive darkness that is settling over the city. The loud and rambunctious sounds that were coming from the Cat Scratch Inn are a little quieter, and only a few stragglers are exiting the establishment at this point.
He rubs his chin, thinking. "As far as a way into the sewers, we've got lots o' larger entrances that someone might be able to fit inside, and there should be one 'round here somewhere.." He proceeds to describe the location of one such entrance that is located a short distance away from where you are now. "When ya get there, look for a large stone ditch with a bridge over it. If you go into the ditch, you'll see a large circular grate that leads into the sewers proper."
[Seraphine/Chaenath]
As Seraphine rummages through the pockets, she is careful to check in all of the creases and folds of the victim's tattered brown robes, and finds the following:
10 silver pieces - a meager sum, but typical for someone living in the Lowers.
A bronze locket - it was hanging around the man's neck, and the locket itself opens up to reveal the portrait of a saintly looking woman, a deity of some kind. Perhaps you would recognize it if you gave it some thought. You set it aside for now.
4 crumbled bread rolls - they look stale. Strange that the victim would be carrying these around in his pocket, instead of leaving them at home.
You pat down the rest of the body until you're satisfied you've found everything of value. As you do, you notice Chaenath casting dancing lights nearby.
The floating orbs of light illuminate the dark alleyway more than the single torch nearby, and the two of you are able to make out slightly more details than before. In particular, you notice a trail of blood stained earth, that leads towards the wall at the end of the alleyway. The body, however, still casts no shadow. Not even the severed arm lying a few feet away.
"Hmm..." Atonement ponders the answers for a moment before saying, "I see, well then perhaps we could talk with this surgeon then maybe they found something during their examination. Also, once we are done here could you have the body taken up to the Order of Dawn. I'm sure you and you're two fellows would like to quit guarding a dead body."
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
"Huh... anyone here manage to pass those religion exams? There's a locket here with some sort of goddess on it" Seraphine says, surreptitiously pocketing the 10 silver and hoping no one notices (Sleight of Hand: 19). "And what's with these rolls?"
"Human religion never really interested me," admits Chaenath, but takes a look at it anyway. "Perhaps our Scholar can say more about it."
She gestures towards the wall.
"Escape route, perhaps?"
She tries to see if there are any recognizable tracks in the blood. Survival: 7
Xanni Leafhelm - Halfling Cleric (Life domain) in Helm's Inquisition
Chaenath Miahana - Elf Warlock (Archfey pact) in Order of Dawn
Seraphine grabs a torch from her pack. The end of the torch explodes into brilliant flames with her prestidigitation, lighting the area around them with an intensely bright light thanks to her ability to control flames. Walking carefully to avoid disturbing the evidence, Seraphine heads over to the place by the wall where the blood trail ends, looking around. Hmmm, she thinks, knocking on the wall to see if its hollow, Was this an escape route or was the victim dragged from here?
Survival for the trail: 3
Investigation for the wall: 6
[Atonement]
Hawthorne gives another one of his signature grunts before replying. "Sure, surgeon's stationed on Knight's Road - that's the big main road that winds through the center of the Lowers, mind - close to where the Lowers connect to the Open Ward. His name's Bartholomew, shop's got a sign out front, hard to miss it if you're lookin'. And aye, me and the boys'll take the body up to your fancy fortress once you're done. If they let us in, that is."
[Seraphine/Chaenath]
Chaenath, spending those few moments studying the bloodied ground, is dissappointed to find no tracks to speak of - the blood has dried, and the earth seems mostly undisturbed. If there are tracks, Chaenath isn't able to see them easily.
Meanwhile, with Chaenath distracted and Ethan absorbed in his own thoughts, Seraphine deftly slides the 10 silver into her pocket without alerting the others, then turns to help Chaenath examine the trail. The magical burst of flame she creates helps to shine a bright light on the earth, making the trail much easier to track and follow, and as you reach the back wall, you both notice something near your feet.
It appears to be a metal grate, coming just off the ground and no more than a foot high. Between its bars, you can hear a very gentle rush of water. It must lead to the Lower's Sewer, but even the smallest Halfling would find it impossible to fit through an opening that small. Nonetheless, the blood trail appears to lead there, clear as day in the light of the torch's flame.
Seraphine examines the wall closely for any signs of hollow compartments or secret entrances, but finds nothing, confirming in her mind at least that the only opening here leads through that iron barred grate.
[Ethan]
As the two ladies investigate the back of the alley and the blood trail, Ethan seems to be lost in thought for a moment, before responding to Chaenath's suggestion, picking up the locket and examining it more closely.
"Ah yes, we did do a bit of extensive reading on the local deities of Damascus and the surrounding provinces. Glad we did now, given the situation."
Religion: 18 Advantage: 5
After examining the deity's features for a moment, Ethan snaps his fingers. "Got it." He says. "This is Leira, Patron Goddess of the Disenfranchised. And no, not that sort of Patron," He adds, casting a sidelong look towards Chaenath. "The bread makes much more sense now, followers of Leira always carry around a bit of food and coin to give to beggars that they cross paths with. Hm. Odd that he didn't have any coin on him then. He must've already given it away."
Atonement goes to shake Hawthorne's hand, "Thank you for the assistance, it is appreciated; and we will send word up ahead letting them know you're coming." With that he turns and makes his way back to where the body and his comrades are. "So, did what did you all find?"
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
"Come check this out," Seraphine calls to Chaenath and the others. "Whatever killed our friend over here went down into the sewers after. I don't know how it could have gotten through these bars, though... unless..."
Carefully placing the torch on top of the grill, Seraphine grabs her crowbar and attempts to open the grate. (Strength: 5)
[All]
As you all watch, Seraphine attempts to jimmy open the grate, pushing against one of the vertical iron bars with nearly all of her strength, and the bar comes free, clanking loudly against its neighbors and spilling out into the alleyway. It leaves enough room for someone to fit their arm through, and the forced removal took a small chunk of stone out of the wall above it, but not much else is revealed.
When you peer into the hole between bars with your magical light and torches, your suspicions are confirmed - on the other side of the grate, you can see man-sized passageways with a stream of running water in the center. You still can't fathom how something could have fit through the grate, but at least now you have an inkling as to where the blood trail leads.
Mirim tries to forget about the dead body and the severed arm for a minute before looking at the rolls "Maybe he was a baker? Or came from a baker? Do we have any background information on him, an identity, a family we could talk to?" She says to Hawthorne
"Shapeshifter?" muses Chaenath, staring down the hole. "It would explain the claws and the size problem."
She sends two of the lights down, checking it just to be safe, not really counting on anything.
Xanni Leafhelm - Halfling Cleric (Life domain) in Helm's Inquisition
Chaenath Miahana - Elf Warlock (Archfey pact) in Order of Dawn
[Mirim]
Hawthorne chuckles a little. "'Fraid not, little miss. With the face like that, it's hard to tell who he was, or where he came from. Plus, it's only been a little over a day, and nobody's come lookin' for 'im in that time, and even if they did, it would take a while to connect the dots. Look around." He gestures to the chaotic, disheveled ghetto that stretches confusingly in every direction. "Not sure where we'd even start to be honest, even if we cared to."
He does stroke his beard, and points over to Ethan briefly. "I think that one's got the right idea, maybe. Whatever he just said about the goddess. Maybe he worships or somethin', I don't know." He shrugs, nothing else to offer. He has a certain detachment that seems to say 'this isn't the first murder I've seen in these slums, and I'm sure it won't be my last.'
[Chaenath]
The two lights you send through the small vertical grates illuminate the surrounding sewer passageway, and you see several rodents scurry away from the light. Not surprising to see them down there. You don't see anything else of interest, however. Whatever killed the man in the alleyway is long gone now.
"You know, Ethan said he's probably a follower of Leira," Seraphine thinks aloud, "maybe we should check with the nearest temple."
Grabbing the necklace and walking over to where Hawthorne is standing, Seraphine asks the guard, "Do you know where the closest alter or alter of Leira is? I'm wondering if they're missing an acolyte."
Atonement walks over to Ethan, "Hey Scholar, could you send a message to the Order letting them know that we are sending a corpse their way for further examination. Also, to see if they can find someone who can talk with the dead to get information from our victim."
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
Mirim huffs in frustration at her dead end "Well, thanks..." and walks over to the grate "What's this?" She asks Chaenath
"The attacker probably disappeared through this," points Chaenath at the blood tracks. "Maybe a shapeshifter... or something else that can slip through this hole and still leave those claw marks."
Xanni Leafhelm - Halfling Cleric (Life domain) in Helm's Inquisition
Chaenath Miahana - Elf Warlock (Archfey pact) in Order of Dawn
"Well, my friend was able to turn into different animals, another could turn into mist. So it could be a wizard or something?" Mirim takes a flower out and smells it before putting it back "This guy's smell is not very nice."
"What do you want from him, he's been mauled," shrugs Chaenath. "Wizard, maybe. Or druid. Or anyone who knows polymorph, or has an ally who knows it." She pauses, then snorts. "We're not really narrowing down our options here, are we? Let's get some more information before we get to speculating. The temple, the surgeon... What do you say?" She looks around, stopping on Atonement.
Xanni Leafhelm - Halfling Cleric (Life domain) in Helm's Inquisition
Chaenath Miahana - Elf Warlock (Archfey pact) in Order of Dawn
Atonement strokes his chin while he thinks, "Hmm, we have four leads to go off of at this point. One is Maude who heard and reported the attack. Second is the temple that this monk was a member. Third is the surgeon that has examined the previous bodies that were found in similar conditions. Forth is we know it is possibly something living in the sewer system." He turns to Hawthorne, "Are there any entrances to the sewers that people use for maintenance?"
Be excellent to each other, and roll for initiative dudes!
[Atonement]
Ethan nods, grabbing his Sigil and concentrating for a moment, then writing out a detailed message in the air. "Well, I'll certainly reach out to them to make sure they're aware, but Amadeus did specifically ask us to handle this on our own and to send a single report once it was resolved.."
A moment later, his writing ceases, and he pockets his Sigil again. "There, all finished. They should have an idea of what's going on now."
[Group]
Hawthorne regards you all with a look that borders on being impressed. It seems he did not expect this level of organization and inquiry from a fresh team, and he certainly isn't used to it from the guards he captains.
He recovers quickly from this moment and clears his throat loudly. "Hm. Well, as far as the temple goes, I'd imagine if there is any temple to Leira it wouldn't be in this part o' town. It's probably in the Guilds District, part of the Open Ward. That's where most of the religious temples are located in the city, and we try to keep it that way. Nice and orderly like. Don't think they'll be takin' visitors at this time of night." He gestures around you to the pervasive darkness that is settling over the city. The loud and rambunctious sounds that were coming from the Cat Scratch Inn are a little quieter, and only a few stragglers are exiting the establishment at this point.
He rubs his chin, thinking. "As far as a way into the sewers, we've got lots o' larger entrances that someone might be able to fit inside, and there should be one 'round here somewhere.." He proceeds to describe the location of one such entrance that is located a short distance away from where you are now. "When ya get there, look for a large stone ditch with a bridge over it. If you go into the ditch, you'll see a large circular grate that leads into the sewers proper."