Sandu was a bit puzzled by what Zazi relayed to him. The armour was empty? No man wearing it. This reeked of magic. Foul magic. He was definitely going to need backup should he run into it, which he fully intented to do against his better judgment.

Get the raven-bear man. Sandu instructed. Get him to follow.

Sandu doubled his speed and ignored the pain that began to flare up in his right ankle. He had to stop the armour from murdering again. He had to.

Koki stealth check with advantage: 8
(bye bye birdie...)

Yeah, it's why I'm trying to "dumb down" whatever Sandu says to his ravens because I figure metal and shiny are relatively easier concepts to grasp than armour and gold. But now you've done it with that last sentence: now I'm going to have ideas ^^

Deleted the next post because I accidently double posted.

Dormark - You follow Pepi along the edge of the woods back towards Vallaki.  You hear a number of shouts coming from the north, carried on the wind, however, the fog is too thick to see anything.  As you approach the town Pepi leads you to a quieter entrance to the south.  Walking through the streets of the town it seems mostly deserted.

Galqarin - Ireena struggles to keep up with you as you head, with purpose, towards the Morning Gate; she is a little puffed out, but far from exhaustion.  You get as far as the Arasek Stockyard before you see a rather insistent raven swoop down in front of you - you immediately notice that it is one of Sandu's familiars.  It holds its wing out towards the south, where you know the town centre to be, and uses its other wing to waft in that direction, clearly insinuating that it wants you to divert course.

Sandu (and Dormark) - Dormark and Pepi emerge from the mists to your south.  You know that you currently stand only around 550ft away from the site of the most recent murder, furthermore, you are aware that the culprit is heading westerly.  Where could it be heading?

Sandu - I think we'll go with either an Insight or an Investigation check to attempt to discern the culprit's potential motives.

Koki - ((oh dear)) A screech of pain pierces your mind, instantly distracting you from the task at hand.  Then fear, a deep fear.  "ATTACK?!" Koki's voice echoes in your mind, you could swear that you hear sobbing - can birds sob?  Koki's eyes dart around attempting to make sense of the mists.  A black shape, then another appears, large ravens, but not-ravens, one after the other, talon's outstretched.  PAIN!  Pain shoots through Koki's body.  "HELP!" the plea is a desperate one, as your familiar knows no help is coming.  "Please!" desperation now, an acceptance of fate.  You see the image through Koki's eyes, his right wing is torn and tattered, blood streaming from it.

When the next round of attacks start Koki is prepared.  A raven flies into view but Koki quickly pans out of the way, dodging the incomming attack.  "SCARS!" the attacking raven's face is revealled, it has multiple scars across it.  Koki proceeds to valiantly fight back, clawing the raven, that is not-raven, down the left side of its face.  "MORE SCARS!"  Koki screams defiantly in your mind.

However, the moment of defiance is short lived.  Overwhelmed, Koki falls and falls before landing on the hard ground below.  "Failed," the last message, wrought with sadness, fills your mind before darkness and silence.

Galqarin is surprised to see a raven swoop in front of him and then perform a recognisable gesticulation to the South with its wing. Touching his raven staff to his mask, Galqarin mutters to himself, "A sign?".

"This way", he calls to Ireena urgently, "you must keep up".

 Sandu was not feeling so good and that was understating it. After having somewhat recovered from the previous influx of unpleasant imagery, he now had a horrifying pov of being attacked - and killed - by a group of ravens. An unkindness indeed. A small part of Sandu, the logical part that tended to hang out in the deeper recesses of his head, reminded him that Koki was a familiar and as such could easily be resummoned at a later time. Sandu glanced over that part and jumped right to the next: not-ravens? What in the Nine Hells were not-ravens? He had not the foggiest idea but he would certainly be on the lookout of any raven like things with scars, both old and fresh, in the face.

Another raven's cry pulled him out of his thoughts followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. Out of the mists to the south Pepi emerged with Dormark appearing behind the bird. Sandu had never before been so glad to see a familar face.

'Dormark!' He cried out. 'I found the killer! It's that suit of armour Galqarin carried into town but now it's moving on its own. It's heading west, quickly now!' And with a hopefully final burst of energy Sandu set of towards the western part of Vallaki in pursuit of a killer he had yet to determine how to restrain.

Investigation check: 11
Should that not be enough, then I'll spend one use of Sandu's warlock pact feature of the talisman to add 4.

Dormark runs next to Sandu. “Makes sense with the paint I found, if it is a magical being it would explain the unusual amount of strength during the attacks, be prepared this won’t be a easy fight.,” he says starting to take the lead.

'We'll need all the help we can get.' Sandu replied. He ignored the ache in his heel and tried to keep up with Dormark, though the warforged obviously would not suffer from muscles aching.

'I contacted Galqarin as best I could, though I'm not sure he's coming.' Sandu went down a mental list of scenarios, each one worse than the last. 'I don't know where Valerie or the others are.' He increased his speed, a slight panic urging him on.

Sandu's Investigation check:

Galqarin - It takes you and Ireena next to no time to catch up with Sandu and Dormark.  "Where are the others?"  Ireena says desperately, "Where are Ismark, Baern, Ioben, Valerie?"

"They're still at the church. There is no time to fetch them the murder weapon is only a little way ahead of us," says Dormark.

Dormark - Ireena places her hand over the hilt of her rapier.  "Understood," she says tentatively, "I'm sure we shall be able to apprehend whatever was responsible".  It does not take an insight check to see her nervousness, "Hadn't we better set off in pursuit?"

(I’d assume they have been running and talking at the same time.)

> Sandu:  "We'll need all the help we can get."

> Ireena: "Hadn't we better set off in pursuit?"

Galqarin shoots a dirty look at Sandu. The little man is afraid and decides that now he needs me. Or maybe he hopes the murderer will rid him of his monster. Nonetheless, he strides forward, uttering a simple, "We go now".

Early Evening - Day 6 - The Burgomaster's Mansion

Dormark, Galqarin & Sandu - You hurtle through the streets at great speed towards what you suspect to be the rogue armour's destination - the Burgomaster's Mansion.  The very place Dormark and Sandu had visited this very morning.  As afternoon gives way to evening, the day has drawn in and long shadows fall across the cobbled street.  Paying little attention to the slick cobblestones underfoot, you press on towards your quarry.  The streets appear empty of people - perhaps either part of Izek's mob or possibly avoiding it.

As you approach the mansion you find evidence supporting your conclusion that the Burgomaster was the next intended victim.  That is to say, you find a guardsman impaled upon the railing outside, his limbs torn from his torso.  The door to the mansion has been shattered, smashed in, splinters lie scattered across the hallway, a testament to the ferocity with which the act was committed.

Mustering all your courage you enter inside the mansion.  There is little light inside, dying daylight coming through netted windows, yet you still make out the unmistakable sight of dark, wet blood as it seeps into the once pristine floorboards.  A bloody smear leads to the room to the left of the entrance hall.

"I-I don't like this, not at all," Ireena's voice stammers with uncertainty.  Unnerved by the macabre scene unfolding in front of her.  "W-what do we do?" the hushed words hang in the air, adding to the sense of unease.

Dormark quickly swings the mace off his belt. "We find the thing and we make sure it never hurts anyone again," says Dormark quickly trying to follow the armor's trail of destruction. His glowing eyes seeming to be burning brighter as if to express the Warforge's anger at the being.

Inwardly, Galqarin finds himself hoping they are too late to save the Burgomaster from his reckoning. Yet the sight of the impaled guardsman has stirred latent feelings deep within him, rousing a suppressed ardour for blood and destruction; a monster awoken. 

Dormark - You follow the trail of blood, mace in hand, eye's glowing brightly.  Entering the room you find it to be a parlour, containing a fine array of furnishings and draperies, the bloody streak continues on for a couple of meters before coming to an abrupt stop.  There lying on the floor in front of you is the burgomaster's maid, though her body is face down, her head has been twisted with such violence that it now stares up at you through vacant eyes.

"Please make yourself comfortable and help yourself to any drinks," the memory of the maid's voice rings through your head from earlier,  "The Baron will be along shortly."   There she lies, another needless victim caught up in the crossfire.

ALL - "HELP!  GODS!" the shout is muffled and coming from the floor above.  "Nick, Karl - at 'im!" the voice is undoubtedly that of Baron Vargas.  You hear the sounds of a scuffle and a couple of dog yelps.

Without thinking or waiting for the others, Galqarin bounds up the stairs, taking them three at a time in his haste.

Dormark charges up the stairs mace extended and yells, “Where are you Baron!”  He his holding his Shield in front of himself to block any blows.