The Long Road - Game Thread

Irontusk looks at Jorin with some respect. "You decapitate your neighbors for fun? How unusual."

OOC: Just for that, it is now canon that Gramgram's maiden name is Smelledapickle. Her name was Ulamphee Smelledapickle.

Hildigrim, still affecting the bugbears' accent, asks, "So you're saying unless we look into these murders, you won't allow us to even talk to Mugrub?"

Frankie: "No, no... You have business with Mugrub, we won't get in the way. Start walking this way." (southwest towards house C) "But as long as you are here, I was suggesting that maybe you could bring some peace to the Square." (looks up, to see a comet-trail of green fire from a flameskull streaking by) "The so-called 'arbiters of law and order in Skullport'  don't seem to do much."

Frankie leads the way. Artemus and Irontusk follow behind, as they are curious to see this antique key for themselves.

When they reach the door, Frankie looks to your party, to see who you want to knock on the entrance.

Quillary is not shy, she will step up and rap on the door with her cudgel.

Everyone waits 12 seconds, after Quillary strikes the door.

Drusk jokes: "I wonder if someone inside will call out - No thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers or distant relations!"... No one ever seems to get his sense of humor...

After the silent pause, Frankie steps next to Quillary and knocks on the door too. "Mugrub, it is Frankie, with Artemus and Irontusk. You have some visitors who would like to talk with you." When there is still no response inside, Frankie tries the handle.

Frankie looks at everyone, clearly worried. "It is unlocked. Mugrub would never go somewhere else, and leave her home open like this."

Jorin draws his blades and cautiously opens the door.

In the center of the room is headless orc body in a pool of blood. The three neighbors verify that the body and clothes are consistent with Mugrub.

They will watch your party from the entrance, but are reluctant right now to get any closer to the corpse of someone they knew.

Frankie: "Mugrub was a kind person. She encouraged me to look after the Skull Square neighbors."

Artemus: "She was no saint, but she didn't deserve this. This is what I warned of, that the murderer would strike at anyone."

Irontusk (to Jorin, bitterly): "You still want killer to join your party?" (The orc looks angry, ready to fight, but you can tell that the orc is not going to start a brawl. Clearly having trouble dealing with the grief.)

Drusk will crouch next to the body with his holy symbol, to say some (non-magic) prayers to Lliira on behalf of Mugrub. He will also cast Guidance as needed for the rest of the party.

(OOC: What do the rest of you do? Time for "CSI: Skullport". You can choose which "The Who" song is playing during your montage.)

Jorin takes a knee by the body, across from Drusk and gives it a good looking over.  He will use his expertise in bladesmithing to try and determine what sort of weapon dealt the fatal blow by examining the wound(s) on the body.  Straight d20 roll 2

edit: lolololol that roll

Quillary comes in as well, kneeling by the corpse. “I will do what I can to keep her from crossing the veil too far, and it will ward her soul from... evil deeds. I’ll need a little time.”

“Though, without the head... still it is worth trying.” She will user her cat skull as a focus and ritually cast Gentle Repose on the body.

OOC > DM will have to rule if it works without a head, what the effect is on the head itself, if any, etc. Whe returning from the dead may not be in the cards for this orc, at least it might protect her from becoming undead?

Jorin can tell the neck cut was done by something sharp, as the line is very straight. With something blunt (like a club) he suspects there would be more of a mess... That thought surprisingly makes him a bit queasy, and unable to notice more, since he is distracted.

Quillary's spell will not help in raising the dead (OOC: Mugrub is deceased), but the body has not been visited by scavengers yet. You hear a murmur of appreciation from Frankie, as Gentle Repose will keep the vermin away until they can properly deal with the body. (Or any foul spirits that might be lurking around Skullport.)

Hildigrim grimaces at the sight. He looks at the three locals, and still speaking in the accent of the bugbears, says solemnly, "We sorry of your loss." He takes a deep breath, and the strange accent disappears. "As it appears our task and your neighbor's murder are wrapped in this together, we will do our best to discover the culprit. If it turns out to be the one responsible for the other murders, so be it." He steps into the building, calling over his shoulder, "Does anything look different in here, aside from the body? Anything you can see moved, removed or added?"

Investigation roll to search the house for clues (especially looking for the key): 17

Hildi will perform a ritual casting (10 minutes, 6 seconds) of detect magic and do a 10-minute re-search of the building

Volo will fly around the outside of the building to get a birds' eye view (perception through Volo's eyes: 4)

Volo has trouble getting a good viewpoint, as he keeps getting "buzzed" by Flameskulls zipping by.

(Let me do a Medicine check for Drusk: 24 )

Nothing magical in the house. Hildigrim does notice the following:

• There are faint but distinct marks around the remains of Mugrub’s neck and shoulders. (This will require a Medicine check to learn more, by anyone.) Drusk takes a closer look after Hildigrim points out them out. The marks appear to be ligature bruises—consistent with ropes or tentacles.
• There is the receipt from Thimblewine's Pawnshop. The information matches what was in the ledger (300 GP paid, basic description of the key).
• There was a note with a crude map of some location nearby in Skullport. It was shredded and soaking in the blood, ruining it completely.
• Further away, another note had slipped behind some furniture. It reads (translated from Orcish by Drusk): "Remember to get the gold to pay for the key from Laurel Stillwater."

Hildigrim would like to attempt to repair the crude map using mending.

The map is a lost cause, other than it was in Mugrub's handwriting, same as the note about Stillwater. Too much of the writing was soaked/dissolved by the pool of blood.

(The existence of a delivery spot is clue that you get.)

Can we figure out where the spot is despite the map's condition?

Hildigrim approaches the neighbors. "It appears Mugrub was bound prior to her decapitation. The ligature bruises would most likely be made by ropes, but it is possible they were left by tentacles." He pauses to see if this seems to ring any bells in the three.

Insight if needed: 22

Continuing on ...

He shows them the note. "This is a note to herself, we assume, to acquire the money for the key from a Laurel Stillwater. Are you familiar with this individual, and can you imagine a reason why Mugrub would be acting as delivery person?"

If they all say no, use the above insight check.

Quote from Guiltysparc >>

Can we figure out where the spot is despite the map's condition?

Nope

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

Hildigrim approaches the neighbors. "It appears Mugrub was bound prior to her decapitation. The ligature bruises would most likely be made by ropes, but it is possible they were left by tentacles." He pauses to see if this seems to ring any bells in the three.

Insight if needed: 15

No bells. "With the scavengers working on the previous bodies, I don't know if anyone really looked closely at the victims. It might have been there, it might not. Is it important?"

Quote from DirtyDogP >>

He shows them the note. "This is a note to herself, we assume, to acquire the money for the key from a Laurel Stillwater. Are you familiar with this individual, and can you imagine a reason why Mugrub would be acting as delivery person?"

Between the three of them, they respond to Hildigrim's questions. They don't know why Mugrub would have access to that much money (300 GP). She did odd jobs of all kinds, including being a courier.

They've heard of Laurel Stilwater's shop, "The Dead Man's Corner", which is on the shore of Skull Harbor in the abandoned slave market. (You have directions.) They have never shopped there, or know anything else about it.

Although they are trying to hide it, both Artemus and Irontusk seem interested to find out this extra information (Mugrub got money from Laurel to buy an antique key).

Hildigrim is a little surprised at their first question. "It isn't unusual for someone to be bound by a rope, but I find it highly unusual for someone to be bound by tentacles ... on land ... inside a building. If this is not unusual here, please enlighten me on how this is possible."

I'm going to go backwards a bit. After Volo had trouble because of the flameskulls, would he have asked about them, or are they something Hildi is used to or would expect?

OOC: They are assuming tied up by rope, given the two possibilities. They kind of dismissed the tentacles option, for the reason you mentioned: on land, in a building... My comment was more that you don't know if the same marks were on the previous victims.

For the flameskulls, Volothamp would have filled you in, or you already knew this from living in Waterdeep. In post 3418: "Almost any creature could be encountered walking the streets and beyond the unpredictable intervention of the Flameskulls or the ire of the Xanathar Guild, there is no law."

From the hardcover: "Thirteen ancient flameskulls haunt Skullport. These entities, which have defended the town since its founding, are all that remain of the Sargauth Enclave, a settlement of Netherese wizards. The flameskulls consider themselves the true rulers of Skullport, but they have lost touch with reality, their minds drifting in and out of the present and the past."

For this module, they are not so much ancient insane undead, and more like crazy comedic wild cards (that can spam Fireballs if you aren't careful).

Jorin frowns at the rope discovery, "To take a head after binding the victim...a dishonorable kill indeed.  Perhaps we should search the rest of the house, there may be more stories yet to find."