Lem you remember last night quite clearly, but you have not recollection of anyone or anything suspicious that might have followed you to the Ramblehouse.

As the party makes their way up to the Ramblehouse, you are met by a guard who tells you its ok to pass, Bireal has sent word that the Heroes of Fallcrest are interested in helping in the investigation. He allows you to pass. As soon as you enter the place, you are met by Nynoa.

Yokini, did you hear what happened? Can you believe it?

Presumably if he's stopped before getting too far, Zashier does so, if with some reluctance. "You want me to... I don't know, Ms. Thistle, much as I'm am ashamed of admitting, and I'm most certainly am. Not that I don't trust Ms. Yokini, but it was sort of entrusted to me, as you at least probably overheard at the very least." He voices as much. Hearing Lem after, Zashier rubbed the back of his neck, but not comment on anything. Not yet. Not on that, at least. At the question at least he said, "You can ask the guard still overlooking it, but convincing them is another matter, what with none of us being actual guards. Not officially, at least, all things consider."

Looking then between Yokini and Thistle for a few moments, and leaving Lem to wander ahead if he so wished to, he sighs and turns the knife over to her. "If you can.. But don't break it, if you would be so kind. If you do..." He kind of lets the words hang there for a moment, before sighing and with some hesitance following after the dwarf. To his shock, being allowed pass left him standing there paralyzed for a good second or two, but he hastens to catch up to the others.

"Uhm.. Pardon me, mam. If you could direct us to the site, we would most certainly appreciate it, as every moment counts." He would say to Nynoa.

"Tell us quickly what you know," Yokini says to Nynoa. "Then, we should see the room. I'm sure I'll have many more questions, but I don't want to wait too long before looking at where he was found."

Nynoa explains:

I found his body this morning. Grubet was manning the front last night, while we were at the celebration, and he said Romero had asked for an early wake up call. When I knocked and he didnt answer, I knocked again, calling his name. He didnt answer. I didnt even hear sounds of snoring or stirring. The door was slightly ajar, so I went in, and....Ini, it was terrible! There was so much blood on the bed. and he was just lying there, bloody and still, his vacant eyes gazing unblinking at the ceiling. I screamed, and it must have woken a few of the other guests...and then,...I fainted. Someone must have called the guards, because they arrived shortly after. They escorted the guests out, took some statements, roped the place off. But, Ini, it was just so...unexpected. 

You see Grubet behind her, at the front desk. Thistle, you notice with your keen perception, that he is not actually doing anything. He seems distracted, trying to listen to what his mom is saying. He keeps repeating the same motions, and you catch the pattern, realizing he is not paying attention to what he is doing, but is instead fidgeting, and trying to eavesdrop on you.

While the others head upstairs, Thistle motions that she'll be along. She approaches Grubet. "Can you tell me about last night? I know what Nynoa said, but sometimes it helps to tell it again to someone else. I know it's upsetting, but it could help a lot. Lem dropped Romero off here, and then, what did Romero say to you? How did he seem?"

Insight: 19

That same Insight vs. lying (Ear for Deceit, not that she's expecting Grubet to lie)... also 19

Yokini wordlessly puts a concerned hand on her sister's shoulder, then looks at the others. "Let's go look at the room." She looks back at Nynoa. "Which one was he in?" After Nynoa answers, Yokini asks, "Are any of the other guests still around? It would be good to ask if they saw or heard anything as well."

Lem is very unobtrusively tagging along ready to go see the crime scene. 

Thistle, as the party makes their way upstairs, you make your way over to the front counter. Grubet is acting a bit nervous, but he tells you that Romero checked in, signed the register a bit sloppily since he was drunk, then made his way to his room. You dont think he is lying, but with your knowledge of people you definitely can tell he is hiding something. He knows something he is not sharing. You glance down at the register of names. It seems odd to you that he told you Romero signed it, but he didnt offer to show it to you. You are very perceptive, and catch a glance of it as he is talking. you dont know the people in town, so the names arent familiar, but what is immediately evident is that there is a slot int he register where a room was reserved, but the name area was left blank.

Yokini, Nynoa takes your hand as you walk through the bar/restaurant area, and up the stairs to where the rooms are. The Family stays int he back portion, but the family was quick in building some rooms and hallways to separate guest area from where the family living area is. You make your way to the room, but Nynoa lets your hand go as you approach. She is not willing to go back in the room, not yet. 

Yokini, Nynoa tells you that some of the guests are still out front talking to the guards, leaving statements. She heads back downstairs to ask them to stick around for a bit, in case you want to talk to them on your way out.

As you enter the room, you see the blood stains on the floor and mattress. It was a sparse room. Romero had been staying here for a few days, but he kept the place tidy. Aside from the bed covering being thrown back, the place looks well kept. There is blood starting to dry on the bed, the floor looks as if it has already dried.

In the room isnt much, its mostly just for people to show up and crash for the night, not extended stays. Romero didnt seem to need much. He had the bed, a nightstand, and a writing desk in the room. The door you came in is the only door, and there is a window, looking out over the front of the house. The body of course has already been removed, as you have been told, and relocated to the Sanctuary until the funeral.

Zashier is never too far behind Yokini. Once they were on the move however, a certain relunctance dogged his first few steps. He pushed past the feeling in the end, remembering retreat to be no option. 'For Romero...' He thought, gaze hardening once more into one of determination. Zashier, nevertheless, lingered at the threshold, and silently took it all in a passing go. Unless Yokini or whoever else had gone with them asked he wait outside, Zashier proceeded on inside without a word to proceed sniffing around for scents worth noting in mind.

Beyond this, the actual investigative work is left to Yokini or others, though he would provide however much help that he could. For he was no Romero...

Quote from djsteele888 >>

Thistle, as the party makes their way upstairs, you make your way over to the front counter. Grubet is acting a bit nervous, but he tells you that Romero checked in, signed the register a bit sloppily since he was drunk, then made his way to his room. You dont think he is lying, but with your knowledge of people you definitely can tell he is hiding something. He knows something he is not sharing. You glance down at the register of names. It seems odd to you that he told you Romero signed it, but he didnt offer to show it to you. You are very perceptive, and catch a glance of it as he is talking. you dont know the people in town, so the names arent familiar, but what is immediately evident is that there is a slot int he register where a room was reserved, but the name area was left blank.

 
Thistle makes eye contact with Grubet, waiting quietly for him to look at her if he is trying to avoid it. "What aren't you telling me, Grubet? You're not in trouble, but a man's life has been lost here," her focus wavers for a half second, "This is really important."

OOC > Ugh, this probably calls for Persuasion, not a strong suit: 5

Lem's eye sweeps across the room, taking in the blood and the otherwise comfortable-looking features. He doesn't enter yet, and spends some time outside looking for any small dropped items, scuff marks, weird smells, anything that stands out. He continues this, walking into the room, very low to the ground. He then raises up and Moon appears on his shoulder, and she darts to the window, her eyes scanning the room and the area outside the window. Lem toggles into her vision for a minute or two, and she takes a circuit of the room via wing, getting close to the ceiling, trying not to miss any detail.

Perception with Zashier's help: 6
Investigation: 14 (second roll if with Yokini's help: 25

He then begins to get closer, trying not to touch the blood, but not squeamish about doing so if needed. Does the window seem like it opens easily? He looks in the nightstand, behind it, and under it. Same with the writing desk. Has it been used? Anything left behind at either? And the bed, he looks underneath with Moon's help, and then he'll lightly move the covering and mattress, again looking for any items, markings, odd smells.

Is the room hot or cold? Any odd sounds? No secret doors or openings?

After his inspection, he'll ritually cast (don't have it prepared) detect magic and see if there is anything odd in the room and then all the way around it, outside in the hall, etc. He doesn't speak at all during this, doesn't ask about who else stayed the night, or even focus on Grubet or other staff.

OOC: Hey, DM, the Ramblehouse is new, so where was Romero living previously? I know that, sometimes, history doesn't quite line up because it isn't really necessary for the current story, so I don't want to run after a thread that's really just an (for lack of a better word) oversight. Let me know if this is something that could be pursued in the investigation, or if we should just ignore it.

OOC2: Do we know if the guard has already investigated the room? Are we safe to "throw" it in order to look at everything (including under the mattress)? I'm going to write this with the idea that they haven't, so we shouldn't, but if they have, and we know it, you can change the "don't disturb" to "look in and under everything".

Yokini stands in the doorway for five seconds, her eyes taking in the whole scene at first. She then looks at Zashier and Lem. "Let's have a look around, but try not to disturb anything. We don't want to upset the guard."

OOC3: I don't know who gets Zashier's help, so ... investigation: 17

(I rolled with advantage for perception, given the olfactory nature of Zashier's help, and added a second advantage roll for investigation given Yokini's intention and skill set to help investigate what happened in the room/what items/activity they might be able to spot from a very close investigation of the area. feel free to ignore my rolls if I assumed wrong!)

Zashier pushes through his reluctance to get into the room. Romero was a good friend, and as the investigation continues, the realization of his death will continue to wound him, but for now he is able to push forward ‘for Romero’.

Zashier, your nose picks up on a smell, (Nature: 1) But you cant quite tell what it is. 

Thistle, you know he is hiding something, but when you try to convince him to talk, in typical teenager fashion, he says with his words that he is telling the truth, but those words belie his expression that there is more to the story.

Based on what Bireal said, you dont get the feeling that the guards are going to do much investigating, so you are free to disturb the scene.

Lem, you and Yokini work together, methodically picking apart the room. Through the window you can see that it would be a treacherous way to exit - scaling the building. Doable, but likely not the way that was used because it would have drawn a lot of attention.

Moving the bed, you see a scrap of paper fall to the floor that was stuck between the mattress and the headboard. It is a receipt:

Under the bed, you also see a disturbance of dust, as of something had been underneath, and slid out.

Lem and Yokini, while inspecting the writing desk, you also notice that there is a false bottom on the desk drawer, though the compartment underneath is empty.

You do not discover any secret entrances.

Lem, you do not detect the presence of magic.

Yokini, not sure if Romero told you where he was living previously. He checked in the day after you opened to the public, but I think thats all the knowledge you would have. You could ask Bireal or Salazar about if you wanted to, they might know.

This is grisy, but does it seem like this was the result of a self-inflicted wound, where he then bled out in the bed? Or does it seem clear there was a struggle, blood splatter/smear, etc?

Lem updates the group about magic and what he saw, per the above. "Seems we should go to the smithy. Oh, but first let's check in with Thistle, and see how her chat went."

Assuming Thistle tells Lem about Grubet not being forthcoming, he'd offer to use that spell he told her about on their trip out of town the previous week, and would try detect thoughts on the teenager, and ask him about Romero's entrance last night to see what flashes across the surface.

OOC > Thistle is not done with Grubet yet. :)

Thistle, noting the unforthcoming teen, snares Nynoa as she comes downstairs. "Nynoa, would you mind? Grubet and I have been talking about Romero coming in last night, but here," she reaches over the counter to point to the ledger he had not chosen to show her, "There's no indication Romero signed in, though Grubet is pretty sure he did." She makes eye contact with Grubet as she says this. "It was late at night... is there another ledger, perhaps, or something..." Thistle is trying to get Nynoa involved without accusing Grubet outright of lying.

Yokini has the knife, right? She looks at it to see if the engraving is there.

Lem, based on what you see here, there does not seem to be a struggle indicated. You cannot tell if it was self inflicted or not.

Yokini, the engraving on the knife you have does indeed match the inscription from the receipt…though none of this makes sense. From what you learned of the hopeknife at the ceremony the other night, you are gifted the hopeknife on a specific birthday. Why would Romero have the receipt for his own hopeknife?

Thistle, as you grab the ledger, you get a closer look at it. Romero’s name is actually there, so it does seem that he checked in, but there is still a room that was reserved with no name on the ledger (above Romero’s name). Under the unswerving eye of his mother, Grubet spills the beans.

“This guy came in, he wanted a room. It was during the party, and I was annoyed I had stay here and work while you guys got to enjoy the party. He refused to give me his name,” Grubet manages between gulps of air - he is talking fast, “and he paid me a fistful of gold. He said he’d be gone before sunrise. I didn’t ask any more questions. I had no idea that something like this would happen!”

Nynoa looks as if you she is about to strike Grubet, but restrains herself in front of the party.. "Grubet, how could you!"she finally manages to sputter out.

He describes a generic human - average height, weight, build, brown hair, brown eyes - nothing of value in the description.

(Lem etc are still up in the room, right? Or have we made it down yet?)