If there is a spoiler and it has a specific character's name on it, then that spoiler is for said player to view only. I mean, you can look at it as well, but it'll ruin the fun (and the purpose of those spoilers in the first place).
Background:
World: Sobino
City, Country: Esperal, Abri
Date: The third day of the sixth month of the year. (Also known by the world-goers as Floris 3, 3325 GD)
Location: Esperal Cemetary
The carnival has come to town! Everyone’s overjoyed to see the ‘Cirque de Lune’ come to the small, rural town of Esperal. The town has put up lights around the square to commemorate the occasion, the smell of cotton candy lingers indefinitely in the air, and the low hum of voices that once backdropped the market has now risen to an excited buzz. All is well until this little countryside town falls prey to a string of frightening murders. The mayor has enlisted your help---the party---to find out who is behind the homicides and to put a stop to it. Murders aren’t good for proceeds, after all!
Now you find yourselves attending a funeral. Whether through personal intrigue, out of spite, through a favor, or hired, you can consider yourselves officially on the case. The objective: find out who’s behind the murders, and put a stop to them, hopefully before more are killed.
Fitting for the occasion, the day is coming to a close as fog rolls in with the arrival of twilight. Walking through the cemetery, there are hundreds of graves, each marked with an assortment of live flowers, greenery, and---in some cases---crops growing from each mound of dirt. Willow trees and cypress bushes border the rows of graves. The greenery around you seems to cry as their branches heave with the light breeze and as dew condenses on their leaves. The gravesite is dimly lit, the only light available is coming from the quickly-setting sun and the illuminated lamp posts lining the cobblestone-paved walkway a few graves away from the service body.
Hushed murmurs and stifled sobs move over the large crowd as you arrive at the ceremony, one at a time. It looks like the whole town of Esperal has come to attend the burial of the latest victim of a series of strange deaths. The lot of you stand out like sore thumbs in the sea of black-clad funeral-goers, which in turn garner some strange looks from those in the front. The priestess, a stout tiefling dressed in a long purple robe, is leading the procession in a call-and-response funeral hymn.
Alongside your group stands Mayor Lagash, with a large black leather bag that looks stuffed with files and papers. Lagash is a large Orc, dressed in well-fitted black dress pants and a white button down shirt. A black tie has been laid carefully around his neck, and a long, black overcoat hangs off his arm. His reddish-brown eyes are carefully watching the loosely wrapped body currently being lowered into the grave in front of you under furrowed, bushy brows. In a fashion that is opposite to what one would expect in an event announcing the arrival of death, the body is wrapped in the most beautifully and brightly colored cotton fabric and sheep’s wool. You all watch in silence as the last of the fabric disappears from view.
A few minutes more, and the priestess steps down from the head of the grave, and a few of the guests in the service begin shoveling dirt into it. Everyone stays dead silent while they watch and eventually the grave is filled. The priestess comes back out, holding a small ceramic container. She opens it and begins spreading the contents over the topsoil, whispering what sounds like a prayer. Once she is done, the crowd disperses, each heading their own separate ways. The Mayor, however, stays with you. “I’m so sorry for the wait, y’all.” His voice, though solemn, is loud and solid. “I appreciate y’all comin’ over here, even just to catch the end of the service.” He drops his coat on the ground, to take off the bag slung across his torso. “I have papers that I think might aid y’all in your investigation. Autopsy reports, and such. If you’d like to talk more, we can head on over to the tavern. Being here any longer’s gonna start giving me the creeps.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin'sFrom Dusk to Dawn Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
Truador wrinkles his nose as if he smells something foul. "The smell of death," he thinks, "is one I'll never forget."He turns to face the orc "Yes,"He answers gruffly, "I do believe that would be a good plan."He glances back towards the grieving people, "I would like to know every detail." He bares his teeth and growls, "Whoever has done this will pay with their own blood."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Zanibi nods to Mayor Lagash. "The records will be most useful. Yes, let's head for the tavern and talk this over. It would be nice to get a summary of the victims and circumstances of their deaths. Then we can dig into the papers." The gnome's mood is somber, as would befit the occasion.
For DM:
(ooc: Portent - You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn. Each roll can only be used once.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Having arrived early for the ceremony the drow wanted to see who was first to show. The direct sunlight too bright for them but they went over to the grave with the body that is about to be buried. They look at the casket about to be lowered below the ground and stand there for a moment thinking over it. Those close to them start to show up and take seats. Nyral may have difficulty looking around in the bright sunlight but they spot a pair of familiar figures taking their seats. The sisters were close to the victim, somber expressions on their faces as they nod in acknowledgement to Nyral. As most are just arriving, Nyral turns back to the casket as the priest makes their way over. He says quietly over the casket "So much for my vacation." then departs to take shelter under one of the willow tree's shade before the priest reaches him. The shade should make the harsh light far less hurtful to his eyes.
He might look like a creeper under the willow tree but he has a perfect view of everyone from here. He sits up on one of the low branches ready to do what he has to. Nyral wants to take note of who shows up, who seems to care, and who doesn't. He knows there have been others killed so he didn't have a lot of hope of the murderer showing up. They could be marking their next target while people show up to mourn though. it doesn't hurt to be cautious. As the event proceeds he continues to scan the crowd and around the area in general for anyone that seems a bit too... intent on people rather then the funeral. Especially someone that seems to focus a bit too much on one person. Signs of a predator stalking their prey. The sunlight doesn't help but he's going to try his best.
((Perception check: 20))
As the proceedings come to an end people start to flock out of the area and return to their lives. Nyral nods to the sisters as they leave. Its after this he notices a group of people have stayed behind. The mayor sticks out like a sore thumb with his large orc frame and crisp suit. He seems to be gathering a group of folks. Nyral makes his way over to the grave but as he does so listens in to what the loud mayor is saying. Not difficult at all with the booming and clear voice of mayor Lagash. An investigation team? Autopsy reports? If Nyral is going to find this killer he's going to need that info. There's only one tavern they could be going to at this time. Instead of waiting for them to go there and Nyral following he waits a moment as he looks at the grave then heads ahead of this investigation team to the tavern.
((Stealth check: 28 to not be noticed listening in on the investigation team.))
Amy tugs at her necklace, the graveyard so much colder than she thought it would be. Death has always made her uncomfortable, and such a high concentration of it keeps the hair on the back of her neck standing. "We should definitely find our way over to the tavern soon," she replies, trying not to be obvious about her discomfort.
Graveyards. Inquisitive would never get used to them no matter how many times he had been to them during his endless journey across Sobino. It was only a matter of time now before he would join the dead, but he had just a few more damned souls to collect to hopefully find peace for himself in the afterlife. The aging tiefling now stood silently and watched as the funeral ceremony unfolded, standing out somewhat with his white hair, red skin and red curved horns protruding above his dark eyes, but not quite out of place in his dark green trenchcoat and black suit, white shirt and bloodred tie.
After traveling through Abri he had just arrived in Esperal together with his associate Zanibi, and as fate would have it immediately being contracted by the towns mayor to catch a mysterious killer. They had already picked up on the fact that a circus had arrived in town just before them and that rumor had it that someone from the circus would be responsible for the mysterious killings. Rumors would only take them so far though and Inquistive had to be sure they would find the one responsible, the damned soul he would collect for his master. The circus arriving just before the killings started could possibly be a coincidence, but after so many cases during the years Inquistive had simply stopped believing in them.
His dark eyes glanced over the other funeral attendants to spot any potential suspects, more out of habit and to keep his mind of the tragedy than anything else. After seeing so much death and depravity during his long life Inquisitive felt next to nothing, even as many of the funeral guests wept as the ceremony concluded. It was the only way to go on with his gruesome work he told himself, although his life had more and more become devoid of feelings as the years went by. Inquisitive glanced over at the others standing with the mayor. It seemed they would be quite a team working this case. He hoped there would be no problems with cooperating, he definitely preferred working with only Zanibi but if they were lucky the others might have much to contribute with.
As Mayor Lagash started speaking Inquisitive turned to the large orc and listened, then nodded as he finished, simply turning again to follow the others to this tavern without saying a word, hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat. With the mayor providing them with information about what local law enforcement had come up with so far it was a good start, a really good start.
Knowing he was going to stop by the funeral, Marvin grabbed the only jacket he owns, the tux jacket from his wedding. It likely makes him stick out even worse, if nothing else for the fact that it's the only thing on him in perfect condition, and it definitely cannot be buttoned as of lately. Out of respect for the dead, Marvin bites his tongue while at the cemetery, but after arriving at the tavern he explodes "Mayor, we talked about this weeks ago when you originally announced the carnival was coming through and making a stop here. Remember? Because I do." While doing so, he reaches into his pocket, pulling an old wooden tankard out and reaches over the bar to fill it, leaving 3 gold on the counter "partial payment for my tab and tonight" he says to the bartender.
After returning to the table he continues in a hushed voice "I told you. I told you carnivals bring nothing but bad luck, and Esperal does not need one! And look, they brought a psychopath! How many dead now? You didn't listen to me and now.. I have to come out of retirement." There is a look of worry on his face as he finishes the sentence.
As the big man called Marvin made it very clear the carnival was to blame for the mysterious murders they were supposed to investigate it struck Inquisitive how often in his cases of the past some newcomer to a settlement would be locals prime suspect of commiting the crimes he had investigated, and how often it had turned out not to be the case. The carnival though, it was all so convenient, perhaps too covenient, but certainly no coincidence. Inquisitive ordered a stiff drink by the bar, one of the few things he still enjoyed with this earthly life, before taking a seat with the others, leaning back in his chair. "Perhaps we should look at the evidence before we decide who's to blame, just a suggestion." He said to Marvin, hoping the man would not rush of to arrest the whole carnival. "If we let my associate take a look at what the good mayor's got for us I think we can decide what leads to pursue, although I agree we will likely take a closer look at that carnival at some point."
Upon arriving at the inn, Truador orders a large ale and a steak, cooked rare. Once he gets it, he takes his meal over to the table arriving just in time to hear Marvin. "I agree with both of you. Carnival's, Fairs, Festivals, any place of such breeds bad luck and tragedy. But that may or may not be the fault of those running the carnival. Criminals take cover in such places, blending in with the crowd until they find their desired prey and a perfect opportunity." He picks up the meat in his hand and takes a large bite out of it. "Now, let's get down to business, show us the facts." He gulps down about half his ale, shoves the rest of the meat in his mouth, then chugs the last of the ale. Setting his mug and plate aside, he looks at the Mayor expectantly.
You aren't able to see anyone suspicious in the crowd.
To walk to the tavern from the cemetery, you have to cross through the town. Mayor Lagash leads the way through the small town, and into its even smaller center. A single cobblestone-lined street marks the center square, where an inn, tradepost, small bank, blacksmith, carpenter, and tailor sit in two neat little rows across the street from each other. It’s now dark, and the only buildings with their lights on are the inn and the tradepost. You can’t quite see the names of the establishments, but as you get closer to the inn, you see the blue and green colored wooden sign mounted on the door with the words “The Lazy Peacock” carved into it in yellow cursive. Stepping inside, there are a few well-dressed customers that you recognize from the funeral, as well as a half-orc woman dressed in black behind the bar. There is evidence of the inn being a common shared space for celebration and good times, as it is decorated with tasteful shades of blue, purple, green and gold and there are feather patterns everywhere, but everything is worn in. The shiny varnish on the wooden seats and barstools have been rubbed off, and the tables are smooth to the touch---an obvious sign of regular usage, only made more obvious by the dents made in them. However, today the atmosphere is so dense and gloomy that you could cut it. The woman behind the bar is conversing with a few of the people sitting at the length of the bar and serving drinks, and there are a few other groups of two or three people seated around the establishment at the tables. The loudest sounds are the sounds of a grill being worked behind the wall behind the bar, and the somber, droning sound of many light conversations being made around the room.
He hears out your concerns. "Marvin," Lagash sighs. “Yes, Marvin, I remember. You made your suspicions very, very clear. I’d hold off before saying ‘I told ya so’ until ya hear the facts.” He pinches his eyebrows in between his thumb and forefinger in an expression of exasperation as you leave to get your tankard filled.
Truador, as you approach the counter---and as Marvin comes up to join you---the half-orc drifts over to where the two of you stand to take your orders. “Heya, Marvin. Good to see you again.” Her voice is soft and considerate, with a slight melodical lilt to it. She takes the money and fills the tankard up. Her stark blue eyes drift over to you, Truador, and she takes your order. “New face? Well, I’ll be.” Looking behind your shoulders to the rest of the group, she sighs. “A bunch of new faces. Judging by the looks of it, y’all ain’t here to just enjoy the carnival. I understand, I’ll get your steak right out here in just a minute.” She gives you your ale and steak and you depart.
Coming back to the table, the Mayor sighs again. “Marvin, the carnival is good for business. Well, was good for business, but that’s not the problem right now. I got three potential murders on my hands, for godssake!” His speech is slow, tired, and drawn out, but still loud. He pulls out the leather bag, and starts pulling out files and papers for you to look at. There’s a file titled “Autopsy Summary Copies”, another titled “Evidence Summary Copies”, and yet another titled “Contacts”, all in neat black ink. “Now, here’s the facts. Three of our locals have died in their sleep---quite violently. We didn’t suspect murder until the third death, but only cause of how strange the deaths are.” As he talks, he starts sifting through some of the papers in the “Autopsy Summary Copies'' file. “The three victims are Calda Tengrove, a young halfling, Thaymoor Shadowdancer, a middle-aged Tabaxi, and the most recent is Elibyn Ambershadow, a young tiefling.” He pulls out the first page of an autopsy report for Thaymoor Shadowdancer. “They were all born here, but descendants of immigrant families, like most of us in Esperal. I… wouldn’t want to go into the details of their deaths myself, as they’re pretty gruesome. For dying in their sleep, at least. It all happened within the past week. I’m working with local Law Enforcement on this case, but the lot are a couple of buffoons. All foam and no ale, if ya know what I mean, so most of what’s in this bag is just filler and fluff. Nothing concrete.”
(ooc: Xana, you're welcome to introduce your character either at the funeral service, or in the inn. I just went ahead and moved on with everyone else.)
Truador nods, "From my experience, most of them are. Just have to take the good with the bad." He takes the autopsy from the Mayor, "You say they died in their sleep? Were they all at home when it happened? And were there any major differences between them?" He starts looking over the autopsy, trying to sort out any details that seem important or just odd. As he does this, he uses his other hand to pick some meat out of his teeth. "Other than all being born from immigrant families, and dying in their sleep, is there anything else that would connect them?" He says this mostly to himself as he reads through the paper. Taking his claw out away from his teeth, he addresses the Mayor, "I would like to speak to the families of the victims as well, whenever that is possible."
Marvin continues to listen to the mayor, coming down from the bit of anger he began to show "Look, we may have many problems in Esperal, and this tavern is very well funded by me alone, but we've not a murderer problem until now. Not until the carnival was invited. The carnival is to blame for this, I will prove it. I put my life savings on that."Marvin gets up to refill his tankard again. While he has the bartender's attention "How are things looking for the tavern today and how is my tab looking How much do I have left to pay?"
(OOC: How well does Marvin know any of these three? What is the bartender's name? And by the clothes he wears, it's easy to assume he doesn't have much of a life savings)
Zanibi follows the group over to the tavern, maintaining her quiet and somber mood. Once at The Lazy Peacock, she takes a seat at the table with the others. She waits for Mayor Lagash to pull out the papers and give his summary. Not having ordered anything herself, she's intent on grabbing the file labeled "Evidence Summary Copies". As soon as she has her hands on it, she pours through the papers, reading quickly and looking for any immediate leads that they might look into. (Investigation: 19)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Seeing Truador grab the Autopsy Summary Copies and Zanibi grab the Evidence Summary Copies Inquisitive started to go through the file titled Contacts in a practiced an efficient manner to get an impression of what's been done by local law enforcement and where to start their own investigation. With what the mayor told them he didn't expect much though.
(Investigation: 11)
Inquisitive looked up and frowned as Marvin kept on blaming the carnival. "In my experience deciding who is responsible before even looking at the evidence is a poor way to conduct an investigation. For my part I'm here to find the one who actually did this, not to seek evidence to support a theory I have before even looking at the facts." He said to the large bearded man, handing him the file titled Contacts as he finished with it, taking a sip of his drink, waiting to take a look at the other documents the mayor had provided them with.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
DM Only Knows Stuff:
Having arrived before the group it wasn't hard to determine where they would sit. There were plenty of tables but the group with the mayor that Nyral saw was fairly big in size they were going to need a full table for them all. The mayor doesn't seem to have a concept of secrecy as their loud and clear voice is more akin to a public speaker. As long as Nyral was nearby it would be easy to overhear everything being said. He spots the half-orc lady behind the bar and waves her over. Once she gets over Nyral says in a low voice "Hey Maggie. The mayor seems to have hired some folks to look into this. They will be here any moment to go over details of what happened. Keep the table behind me clear and they will naturally sit at the first open table there. I'll be able to listen in find out what they know." Nyral uses his mage hand spell to pick up one of the mead based drinks off the back counter and asks "How much?" With his one arm he pulls out a few gold coins from his side pouch to pay for the drink.
The place quickly becomes crowded as Nyral takes a few sips of the Mead based drink and watches people arrive. Between Nyral and Maggie the table behind the drow is kept clear as other places fill with the funeral goers. It's not long before the mayor and his entourage arrive. Nyral does a quick check confirming the only clear table is behind him and he turns around to watch Maggie and just to wait and listen for now.
The one armed drow sits on the edge of the bar close to the mayor's investigation team. A bottle of mead a quarter empty and a glass half-full in their one arm. The table quickly filled by the would be investigators. The boisterous mayor is quickly assailed by questions and accusations before they can even present any facts or evidence. it seems some of the folks in this team are quick to blame carnival folk. To Nyral is sounds like the same old bias he hears daily. A quickness to blame people who are different. Like, somehow the entire circus is to blame and not just an individual. Nyral can't help but grimace at the accusations as he sips the mead and continues his vigil. The mayor might as well be announcing who is looking into this to the killer with how he talks. This isn't a campaign to win or a crowd to please.
At least its easy to hear everything. Nyral commits to memory a lot of what is being said as they listen. Calda, Thaymoor, and Elibyn. Killed in their sleep and in that order. Gruesome deaths. No one looking into it until the latest death of Elibyn. All within the last week and buffoon type law officers. All the victims are native but from immigrant families but that's common here. Nyral already has a lot of questions and the mayor hasn't even gotten tot he good stuff. As the papers and folders are being brought out and opened Nyral attempts to take a peek to see what's on them hoping to catch a glimpse of what gruesome means and see if he can confirm something about the victims. He tries to be casual about it as he looks for as long as he dares hoping not to draw anyone's attention
Stealth to not be noticed peeking at documents: 15
DM Stuff on what Nyral looking for:
perception Check: 16 to see what he can glimpse from the open files. Prioritizing: 1. wants to confirm if all 3 murders were women. 2. Locations of each murder. 3. last known contact. 4. Anything other information that might catch his attention
(Assuming Inquisitive's measly passive perception of 11 is still enough to notice the peeking drow then ;-)
As he patiently waited for Truador and Zanibi to finish up their reading Inquisitive noticed someone standing suspiciously close to the table of the investigation team, seemingly trying to read the papers regarding the investigation. Even though the investigation team was fairly large and Inquisitive still struggled with learning everybody's name he was fairly sure this drow was not part the team, as of yet. "This information is not public I'm afraid."He said with a firm voice, turning to the drow with a polite smile. "Unless you too are part of the investigation team I must ask you to remove yourself from our table."
As Nyral is looking he doesn't pay enough attention to the others and one of them spots him. Mentally he curses himself for being sloppy. He just leans into it though. "You do realize the entire place can hear you right? If you didn't want people to listen in and be curious you really should pick a less public place or at least be a bit more quiet." Nyral gestures with their arm towards the enclosed area and how they are loud. He doesn't point out the mayor individually but it isn't a large leap of logic. He ponders for a second and shrugs as he asks "Do you need more help in the investigation? Maybe someone a bit more level headed and with an outside view? Right now I hear some of you accusing circus folk before even hearing or seeing the evidence. I get some of you don't like change in a small town like this but seems kind of harsh to jump to accusing an entire circus of murder before you even start. Let me help out and maybe then it can be an investigation instead of a witch hunt." he looks accusingly at Marvin as he finishes his proposal.
Inquisitive listened to the drow, glancing over at Marvin as he did, then turning to the mayor as he finished. "The drow's clearly got a point."He said, glancing over at the others too. "We should perhaps continue this somewhere more private, for all we know our murderer could be here in this tavern. Now I don't mind having another pair of eyes working this case..." He continued, turning to the drow again. "...assuming he is not biased himself over this carnival."
Here's what you read on the single sheet of paper that makes up Thaymoor's autopsy report.
Description of gross lesions:
External Examination The body is that of a 56 year old, well-developed, dehydrated male Tabaxi. There are no major scars, or visible traumatic injuries.
Clinicopathologic correlation The patient died shortly after falling asleep and experiencing severe blood and fluid loss, excitation in the PAG and CNS, and seizures. The most significant finding on autopsy was the evidence of an overactive PAG (peripheral autonomic ganglia) and fluid loss---mainly in the gastrointestinal system and mouth. There is also evidence of underactive salivary glands. In summary, the patient died of a combination of blood and fluid loss, dehydration, and seizures, the underlying cause of which is currently undetermined. A definitive diagnosis may be ascertained with the proper toxicology tests.
(ooc: I know it's a lot of medical jargon [all of which I'm kind of confident is right... I'm not a doctor so take all of this with a grain of salt lol], so let me know if you'd like clarification on anything.)
Zanibi:
Evidence Summary Copies:
Calda Tengrove. 19. Female halfling. Died in her sleep.
Born to Belalyn Tengrove and Noros Tengrove [deceased].
Had a ticket to the Cirque de la Lune.
Was sleeping across the room from her roommate, Nym Yllalamin, at the time of death.
Bed was found in complete disarray at time of death, was said to be “[T]ossing and turning, and occasionally sleep-talking and screaming for about two days straight,” according to Nym.
Blood, vomit, and tear stains were found in excess on bedsheets.
Thaymoor Shadowdancer. 56.Male Tabaxi. Died in his sleep.
Born to Brave Plume [deceased] and Dust on the Road [deceased]
Had a ticket to the Cirque de la Lune.
Was sleeping in the same bed as his wife, Tare Onshaneo-Shadowdancer, at the time of death.
Bed was found in complete disarray at time of death.
Blood, vomit, and tear stains were found in excess on bedsheets. Bedsheets were also slightly torn, with claw marks across them.
Elibyn Ambershadow. 23. Female Tiefling. Died in her sleep.
Born to [unknown]. Undocumented immigrants.
Had a ticket to Cirque de la Lune, expired.
Inquisitive:
Contacts:
Here’s a summarized version of the people that are available for you to contact:
The bartenders are a pair of sisters, a half-elf named Alisa and the half-orc that is currently working the bar is Maggie.
While you don’t personally know the victims, you had seen Calda frequent the bar recently. She never was the kind to talk to anyone, and would often get black-out drunk in the middle of the night during her visits.
Nyral:
You can’t see too well over the shoulders of everyone, but you can see that not all of the victims were female, and they all died in their homes.
The Mayor, just now noticing how loud he’s being, quiets down a little. “Two of them were with people, but that’s the best I got so far. As for the differences and similarities, they all either were going to or had gone to the carnival.” He turns over to Marvin, still trying to mind his volume. “Now Marvin, I really appreciate your concern but none of the other towns have had any problems with the carnival. Small towns, big towns, none of ‘em have had murders like this. Now who might you be?” He looks directly at you, Nyral. “Here to help the investigation? As long as everyone else’s fine with it, it doesn’t really matter to me.” He sets the bag down on the table, beside the files and puts on his overcoat. “Though I agree with ya, it might be smart to move somewhere else, for now I think I should start to head home. I’ve got a lot of things on my mind that I’ve got to think over. I trust y’all with the papers, just let me know what you decide to do.” With that, he gets up to leave. He leaves a small business card, with his contact information.
Marvin, you walk up to the bartender again, and upon hearing your questions, she simply answers, “Your tab’s fine. Tonight’s on the house, you look like you’re doing something important.” She winks playfully and smiles lightly, and goes back to some of the other customers that are asking for her.
(ooc: You all now have access to Mayor Lagash's contact information, along with whatever contacts are in the file that Inquisitive is looking at. Marvin, if you want to also take a look at the Contacts file Inquisitive handed you, make an Investigation check for me.)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin'sFrom Dusk to Dawn Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
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Welcome to the Cirque de la Lune campaign thread! Hope y'all have fun. Without further ado, mystery awaits in the land of Esperal!
My Posting Key:
OOC -> (ooc:)
Descriptions -> In normal text.
NPC Dialogue -> "Hello, I'm NPC #1." "Hello, I'm NPC #2."
NPC Thoughts -> The carnival’s in town! Yay!
Character Names -> Xanaphia
If there is a spoiler and it has a specific character's name on it, then that spoiler is for said player to view only. I mean, you can look at it as well, but it'll ruin the fun (and the purpose of those spoilers in the first place).
Background:
World: Sobino
City, Country: Esperal, Abri
Date: The third day of the sixth month of the year. (Also known by the world-goers as Floris 3, 3325 GD)
Location: Esperal Cemetary
The carnival has come to town! Everyone’s overjoyed to see the ‘Cirque de Lune’ come to the small, rural town of Esperal. The town has put up lights around the square to commemorate the occasion, the smell of cotton candy lingers indefinitely in the air, and the low hum of voices that once backdropped the market has now risen to an excited buzz. All is well until this little countryside town falls prey to a string of frightening murders. The mayor has enlisted your help---the party---to find out who is behind the homicides and to put a stop to it. Murders aren’t good for proceeds, after all!
Now you find yourselves attending a funeral. Whether through personal intrigue, out of spite, through a favor, or hired, you can consider yourselves officially on the case. The objective: find out who’s behind the murders, and put a stop to them, hopefully before more are killed.
Fitting for the occasion, the day is coming to a close as fog rolls in with the arrival of twilight. Walking through the cemetery, there are hundreds of graves, each marked with an assortment of live flowers, greenery, and---in some cases---crops growing from each mound of dirt. Willow trees and cypress bushes border the rows of graves. The greenery around you seems to cry as their branches heave with the light breeze and as dew condenses on their leaves. The gravesite is dimly lit, the only light available is coming from the quickly-setting sun and the illuminated lamp posts lining the cobblestone-paved walkway a few graves away from the service body.
Hushed murmurs and stifled sobs move over the large crowd as you arrive at the ceremony, one at a time. It looks like the whole town of Esperal has come to attend the burial of the latest victim of a series of strange deaths. The lot of you stand out like sore thumbs in the sea of black-clad funeral-goers, which in turn garner some strange looks from those in the front. The priestess, a stout tiefling dressed in a long purple robe, is leading the procession in a call-and-response funeral hymn.
Alongside your group stands Mayor Lagash, with a large black leather bag that looks stuffed with files and papers. Lagash is a large Orc, dressed in well-fitted black dress pants and a white button down shirt. A black tie has been laid carefully around his neck, and a long, black overcoat hangs off his arm. His reddish-brown eyes are carefully watching the loosely wrapped body currently being lowered into the grave in front of you under furrowed, bushy brows. In a fashion that is opposite to what one would expect in an event announcing the arrival of death, the body is wrapped in the most beautifully and brightly colored cotton fabric and sheep’s wool. You all watch in silence as the last of the fabric disappears from view.
A few minutes more, and the priestess steps down from the head of the grave, and a few of the guests in the service begin shoveling dirt into it. Everyone stays dead silent while they watch and eventually the grave is filled. The priestess comes back out, holding a small ceramic container. She opens it and begins spreading the contents over the topsoil, whispering what sounds like a prayer. Once she is done, the crowd disperses, each heading their own separate ways. The Mayor, however, stays with you. “I’m so sorry for the wait, y’all.” His voice, though solemn, is loud and solid. “I appreciate y’all comin’ over here, even just to catch the end of the service.” He drops his coat on the ground, to take off the bag slung across his torso. “I have papers that I think might aid y’all in your investigation. Autopsy reports, and such. If you’d like to talk more, we can head on over to the tavern. Being here any longer’s gonna start giving me the creeps.”
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Truador wrinkles his nose as if he smells something foul. "The smell of death," he thinks, "is one I'll never forget." He turns to face the orc "Yes," He answers gruffly, "I do believe that would be a good plan." He glances back towards the grieving people, "I would like to know every detail." He bares his teeth and growls, "Whoever has done this will pay with their own blood."
Zanibi nods to Mayor Lagash. "The records will be most useful. Yes, let's head for the tavern and talk this over. It would be nice to get a summary of the victims and circumstances of their deaths. Then we can dig into the papers." The gnome's mood is somber, as would befit the occasion.
For DM:
(ooc: Portent - You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn. Each roll can only be used once.)
(12, 1)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Having arrived early for the ceremony the drow wanted to see who was first to show. The direct sunlight too bright for them but they went over to the grave with the body that is about to be buried. They look at the casket about to be lowered below the ground and stand there for a moment thinking over it. Those close to them start to show up and take seats. Nyral may have difficulty looking around in the bright sunlight but they spot a pair of familiar figures taking their seats. The sisters were close to the victim, somber expressions on their faces as they nod in acknowledgement to Nyral. As most are just arriving, Nyral turns back to the casket as the priest makes their way over. He says quietly over the casket "So much for my vacation." then departs to take shelter under one of the willow tree's shade before the priest reaches him. The shade should make the harsh light far less hurtful to his eyes.
He might look like a creeper under the willow tree but he has a perfect view of everyone from here. He sits up on one of the low branches ready to do what he has to. Nyral wants to take note of who shows up, who seems to care, and who doesn't. He knows there have been others killed so he didn't have a lot of hope of the murderer showing up. They could be marking their next target while people show up to mourn though. it doesn't hurt to be cautious. As the event proceeds he continues to scan the crowd and around the area in general for anyone that seems a bit too... intent on people rather then the funeral. Especially someone that seems to focus a bit too much on one person. Signs of a predator stalking their prey. The sunlight doesn't help but he's going to try his best.
((Perception check: 20))
As the proceedings come to an end people start to flock out of the area and return to their lives. Nyral nods to the sisters as they leave. Its after this he notices a group of people have stayed behind. The mayor sticks out like a sore thumb with his large orc frame and crisp suit. He seems to be gathering a group of folks. Nyral makes his way over to the grave but as he does so listens in to what the loud mayor is saying. Not difficult at all with the booming and clear voice of mayor Lagash. An investigation team? Autopsy reports? If Nyral is going to find this killer he's going to need that info. There's only one tavern they could be going to at this time. Instead of waiting for them to go there and Nyral following he waits a moment as he looks at the grave then heads ahead of this investigation team to the tavern.
((Stealth check: 28 to not be noticed listening in on the investigation team.))
Amy tugs at her necklace, the graveyard so much colder than she thought it would be. Death has always made her uncomfortable, and such a high concentration of it keeps the hair on the back of her neck standing. "We should definitely find our way over to the tavern soon," she replies, trying not to be obvious about her discomfort.
Inquisitive
Graveyards.
Inquisitive would never get used to them no matter how many times he had been to them during his endless journey across Sobino. It was only a matter of time now before he would join the dead, but he had just a few more damned souls to collect to hopefully find peace for himself in the afterlife. The aging tiefling now stood silently and watched as the funeral ceremony unfolded, standing out somewhat with his white hair, red skin and red curved horns protruding above his dark eyes, but not quite out of place in his dark green trenchcoat and black suit, white shirt and bloodred tie.
After traveling through Abri he had just arrived in Esperal together with his associate Zanibi, and as fate would have it immediately being contracted by the towns mayor to catch a mysterious killer. They had already picked up on the fact that a circus had arrived in town just before them and that rumor had it that someone from the circus would be responsible for the mysterious killings. Rumors would only take them so far though and Inquistive had to be sure they would find the one responsible, the damned soul he would collect for his master. The circus arriving just before the killings started could possibly be a coincidence, but after so many cases during the years Inquistive had simply stopped believing in them.
His dark eyes glanced over the other funeral attendants to spot any potential suspects, more out of habit and to keep his mind of the tragedy than anything else. After seeing so much death and depravity during his long life Inquisitive felt next to nothing, even as many of the funeral guests wept as the ceremony concluded. It was the only way to go on with his gruesome work he told himself, although his life had more and more become devoid of feelings as the years went by. Inquisitive glanced over at the others standing with the mayor. It seemed they would be quite a team working this case. He hoped there would be no problems with cooperating, he definitely preferred working with only Zanibi but if they were lucky the others might have much to contribute with.
As Mayor Lagash started speaking Inquisitive turned to the large orc and listened, then nodded as he finished, simply turning again to follow the others to this tavern without saying a word, hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat. With the mayor providing them with information about what local law enforcement had come up with so far it was a good start, a really good start.
Knowing he was going to stop by the funeral, Marvin grabbed the only jacket he owns, the tux jacket from his wedding. It likely makes him stick out even worse, if nothing else for the fact that it's the only thing on him in perfect condition, and it definitely cannot be buttoned as of lately. Out of respect for the dead, Marvin bites his tongue while at the cemetery, but after arriving at the tavern he explodes "Mayor, we talked about this weeks ago when you originally announced the carnival was coming through and making a stop here. Remember? Because I do." While doing so, he reaches into his pocket, pulling an old wooden tankard out and reaches over the bar to fill it, leaving 3 gold on the counter "partial payment for my tab and tonight" he says to the bartender.
After returning to the table he continues in a hushed voice "I told you. I told you carnivals bring nothing but bad luck, and Esperal does not need one! And look, they brought a psychopath! How many dead now? You didn't listen to me and now.. I have to come out of retirement." There is a look of worry on his face as he finishes the sentence.
As the big man called Marvin made it very clear the carnival was to blame for the mysterious murders they were supposed to investigate it struck Inquisitive how often in his cases of the past some newcomer to a settlement would be locals prime suspect of commiting the crimes he had investigated, and how often it had turned out not to be the case. The carnival though, it was all so convenient, perhaps too covenient, but certainly no coincidence. Inquisitive ordered a stiff drink by the bar, one of the few things he still enjoyed with this earthly life, before taking a seat with the others, leaning back in his chair. "Perhaps we should look at the evidence before we decide who's to blame, just a suggestion." He said to Marvin, hoping the man would not rush of to arrest the whole carnival. "If we let my associate take a look at what the good mayor's got for us I think we can decide what leads to pursue, although I agree we will likely take a closer look at that carnival at some point."
Upon arriving at the inn, Truador orders a large ale and a steak, cooked rare. Once he gets it, he takes his meal over to the table arriving just in time to hear Marvin. "I agree with both of you. Carnival's, Fairs, Festivals, any place of such breeds bad luck and tragedy. But that may or may not be the fault of those running the carnival. Criminals take cover in such places, blending in with the crowd until they find their desired prey and a perfect opportunity." He picks up the meat in his hand and takes a large bite out of it. "Now, let's get down to business, show us the facts." He gulps down about half his ale, shoves the rest of the meat in his mouth, then chugs the last of the ale. Setting his mug and plate aside, he looks at the Mayor expectantly.
Nyral:
You aren't able to see anyone suspicious in the crowd.
To walk to the tavern from the cemetery, you have to cross through the town. Mayor Lagash leads the way through the small town, and into its even smaller center. A single cobblestone-lined street marks the center square, where an inn, tradepost, small bank, blacksmith, carpenter, and tailor sit in two neat little rows across the street from each other. It’s now dark, and the only buildings with their lights on are the inn and the tradepost. You can’t quite see the names of the establishments, but as you get closer to the inn, you see the blue and green colored wooden sign mounted on the door with the words “The Lazy Peacock” carved into it in yellow cursive. Stepping inside, there are a few well-dressed customers that you recognize from the funeral, as well as a half-orc woman dressed in black behind the bar. There is evidence of the inn being a common shared space for celebration and good times, as it is decorated with tasteful shades of blue, purple, green and gold and there are feather patterns everywhere, but everything is worn in. The shiny varnish on the wooden seats and barstools have been rubbed off, and the tables are smooth to the touch---an obvious sign of regular usage, only made more obvious by the dents made in them. However, today the atmosphere is so dense and gloomy that you could cut it. The woman behind the bar is conversing with a few of the people sitting at the length of the bar and serving drinks, and there are a few other groups of two or three people seated around the establishment at the tables. The loudest sounds are the sounds of a grill being worked behind the wall behind the bar, and the somber, droning sound of many light conversations being made around the room.
He hears out your concerns. "Marvin," Lagash sighs. “Yes, Marvin, I remember. You made your suspicions very, very clear. I’d hold off before saying ‘I told ya so’ until ya hear the facts.” He pinches his eyebrows in between his thumb and forefinger in an expression of exasperation as you leave to get your tankard filled.
Truador, as you approach the counter---and as Marvin comes up to join you---the half-orc drifts over to where the two of you stand to take your orders. “Heya, Marvin. Good to see you again.” Her voice is soft and considerate, with a slight melodical lilt to it. She takes the money and fills the tankard up. Her stark blue eyes drift over to you, Truador, and she takes your order. “New face? Well, I’ll be.” Looking behind your shoulders to the rest of the group, she sighs. “A bunch of new faces. Judging by the looks of it, y’all ain’t here to just enjoy the carnival. I understand, I’ll get your steak right out here in just a minute.” She gives you your ale and steak and you depart.
Coming back to the table, the Mayor sighs again. “Marvin, the carnival is good for business. Well, was good for business, but that’s not the problem right now. I got three potential murders on my hands, for godssake!” His speech is slow, tired, and drawn out, but still loud. He pulls out the leather bag, and starts pulling out files and papers for you to look at. There’s a file titled “Autopsy Summary Copies”, another titled “Evidence Summary Copies”, and yet another titled “Contacts”, all in neat black ink. “Now, here’s the facts. Three of our locals have died in their sleep---quite violently. We didn’t suspect murder until the third death, but only cause of how strange the deaths are.” As he talks, he starts sifting through some of the papers in the “Autopsy Summary Copies'' file. “The three victims are Calda Tengrove, a young halfling, Thaymoor Shadowdancer, a middle-aged Tabaxi, and the most recent is Elibyn Ambershadow, a young tiefling.” He pulls out the first page of an autopsy report for Thaymoor Shadowdancer. “They were all born here, but descendants of immigrant families, like most of us in Esperal. I… wouldn’t want to go into the details of their deaths myself, as they’re pretty gruesome. For dying in their sleep, at least. It all happened within the past week. I’m working with local Law Enforcement on this case, but the lot are a couple of buffoons. All foam and no ale, if ya know what I mean, so most of what’s in this bag is just filler and fluff. Nothing concrete.”
(ooc: Xana, you're welcome to introduce your character either at the funeral service, or in the inn. I just went ahead and moved on with everyone else.)
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems
Truador nods, "From my experience, most of them are. Just have to take the good with the bad." He takes the autopsy from the Mayor, "You say they died in their sleep? Were they all at home when it happened? And were there any major differences between them?" He starts looking over the autopsy, trying to sort out any details that seem important or just odd. As he does this, he uses his other hand to pick some meat out of his teeth. "Other than all being born from immigrant families, and dying in their sleep, is there anything else that would connect them?" He says this mostly to himself as he reads through the paper. Taking his claw out away from his teeth, he addresses the Mayor, "I would like to speak to the families of the victims as well, whenever that is possible."
Marvin continues to listen to the mayor, coming down from the bit of anger he began to show "Look, we may have many problems in Esperal, and this tavern is very well funded by me alone, but we've not a murderer problem until now. Not until the carnival was invited. The carnival is to blame for this, I will prove it. I put my life savings on that." Marvin gets up to refill his tankard again. While he has the bartender's attention "How are things looking for the tavern today and how is my tab looking How much do I have left to pay?"
(OOC: How well does Marvin know any of these three? What is the bartender's name? And by the clothes he wears, it's easy to assume he doesn't have much of a life savings)
Zanibi follows the group over to the tavern, maintaining her quiet and somber mood. Once at The Lazy Peacock, she takes a seat at the table with the others. She waits for Mayor Lagash to pull out the papers and give his summary. Not having ordered anything herself, she's intent on grabbing the file labeled "Evidence Summary Copies". As soon as she has her hands on it, she pours through the papers, reading quickly and looking for any immediate leads that they might look into. (Investigation: 19)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Seeing Truador grab the Autopsy Summary Copies and Zanibi grab the Evidence Summary Copies Inquisitive started to go through the file titled Contacts in a practiced an efficient manner to get an impression of what's been done by local law enforcement and where to start their own investigation. With what the mayor told them he didn't expect much though.
(Investigation: 11)
Inquisitive looked up and frowned as Marvin kept on blaming the carnival. "In my experience deciding who is responsible before even looking at the evidence is a poor way to conduct an investigation. For my part I'm here to find the one who actually did this, not to seek evidence to support a theory I have before even looking at the facts." He said to the large bearded man, handing him the file titled Contacts as he finished with it, taking a sip of his drink, waiting to take a look at the other documents the mayor had provided them with.
DM Only Knows Stuff:
Having arrived before the group it wasn't hard to determine where they would sit. There were plenty of tables but the group with the mayor that Nyral saw was fairly big in size they were going to need a full table for them all. The mayor doesn't seem to have a concept of secrecy as their loud and clear voice is more akin to a public speaker. As long as Nyral was nearby it would be easy to overhear everything being said. He spots the half-orc lady behind the bar and waves her over. Once she gets over Nyral says in a low voice "Hey Maggie. The mayor seems to have hired some folks to look into this. They will be here any moment to go over details of what happened. Keep the table behind me clear and they will naturally sit at the first open table there. I'll be able to listen in find out what they know." Nyral uses his mage hand spell to pick up one of the mead based drinks off the back counter and asks "How much?" With his one arm he pulls out a few gold coins from his side pouch to pay for the drink.
The place quickly becomes crowded as Nyral takes a few sips of the Mead based drink and watches people arrive. Between Nyral and Maggie the table behind the drow is kept clear as other places fill with the funeral goers. It's not long before the mayor and his entourage arrive. Nyral does a quick check confirming the only clear table is behind him and he turns around to watch Maggie and just to wait and listen for now.
The one armed drow sits on the edge of the bar close to the mayor's investigation team. A bottle of mead a quarter empty and a glass half-full in their one arm. The table quickly filled by the would be investigators. The boisterous mayor is quickly assailed by questions and accusations before they can even present any facts or evidence. it seems some of the folks in this team are quick to blame carnival folk. To Nyral is sounds like the same old bias he hears daily. A quickness to blame people who are different. Like, somehow the entire circus is to blame and not just an individual. Nyral can't help but grimace at the accusations as he sips the mead and continues his vigil. The mayor might as well be announcing who is looking into this to the killer with how he talks. This isn't a campaign to win or a crowd to please.
At least its easy to hear everything. Nyral commits to memory a lot of what is being said as they listen. Calda, Thaymoor, and Elibyn. Killed in their sleep and in that order. Gruesome deaths. No one looking into it until the latest death of Elibyn. All within the last week and buffoon type law officers. All the victims are native but from immigrant families but that's common here. Nyral already has a lot of questions and the mayor hasn't even gotten tot he good stuff. As the papers and folders are being brought out and opened Nyral attempts to take a peek to see what's on them hoping to catch a glimpse of what gruesome means and see if he can confirm something about the victims. He tries to be casual about it as he looks for as long as he dares hoping not to draw anyone's attention
Stealth to not be noticed peeking at documents: 15
DM Stuff on what Nyral looking for:
perception Check: 16 to see what he can glimpse from the open files. Prioritizing: 1. wants to confirm if all 3 murders were women. 2. Locations of each murder. 3. last known contact. 4. Anything other information that might catch his attention
(I suppose I should have rolled investigation)
26
(Assuming Inquisitive's measly passive perception of 11 is still enough to notice the peeking drow then ;-)
As he patiently waited for Truador and Zanibi to finish up their reading Inquisitive noticed someone standing suspiciously close to the table of the investigation team, seemingly trying to read the papers regarding the investigation. Even though the investigation team was fairly large and Inquisitive still struggled with learning everybody's name he was fairly sure this drow was not part the team, as of yet. "This information is not public I'm afraid." He said with a firm voice, turning to the drow with a polite smile. "Unless you too are part of the investigation team I must ask you to remove yourself from our table."
As Nyral is looking he doesn't pay enough attention to the others and one of them spots him. Mentally he curses himself for being sloppy. He just leans into it though. "You do realize the entire place can hear you right? If you didn't want people to listen in and be curious you really should pick a less public place or at least be a bit more quiet." Nyral gestures with their arm towards the enclosed area and how they are loud. He doesn't point out the mayor individually but it isn't a large leap of logic. He ponders for a second and shrugs as he asks "Do you need more help in the investigation? Maybe someone a bit more level headed and with an outside view? Right now I hear some of you accusing circus folk before even hearing or seeing the evidence. I get some of you don't like change in a small town like this but seems kind of harsh to jump to accusing an entire circus of murder before you even start. Let me help out and maybe then it can be an investigation instead of a witch hunt." he looks accusingly at Marvin as he finishes his proposal.
Inquisitive listened to the drow, glancing over at Marvin as he did, then turning to the mayor as he finished. "The drow's clearly got a point." He said, glancing over at the others too. "We should perhaps continue this somewhere more private, for all we know our murderer could be here in this tavern. Now I don't mind having another pair of eyes working this case..." He continued, turning to the drow again. "...assuming he is not biased himself over this carnival."
Description of gross lesions:
The body is that of a 56 year old, well-developed, dehydrated male Tabaxi. There are no major scars, or visible traumatic injuries.
The patient died shortly after falling asleep and experiencing severe blood and fluid loss, excitation in the PAG and CNS, and seizures.
The most significant finding on autopsy was the evidence of an overactive PAG (peripheral autonomic ganglia) and fluid loss---mainly in the gastrointestinal system and mouth. There is also evidence of underactive salivary glands.
In summary, the patient died of a combination of blood and fluid loss, dehydration, and seizures, the underlying cause of which is currently undetermined. A definitive diagnosis may be ascertained with the proper toxicology tests.
Zanibi:
Evidence Summary Copies:
Calda Tengrove. 19. Female halfling. Died in her sleep.
Born to Belalyn Tengrove and Noros Tengrove [deceased].
Had a ticket to the Cirque de la Lune.
Was sleeping across the room from her roommate, Nym Yllalamin, at the time of death.
Bed was found in complete disarray at time of death, was said to be “[T]ossing and turning, and occasionally sleep-talking and screaming for about two days straight,” according to Nym.
Blood, vomit, and tear stains were found in excess on bedsheets.
Thaymoor Shadowdancer. 56.Male Tabaxi. Died in his sleep.
Born to Brave Plume [deceased] and Dust on the Road [deceased]
Had a ticket to the Cirque de la Lune.
Was sleeping in the same bed as his wife, Tare Onshaneo-Shadowdancer, at the time of death.
Bed was found in complete disarray at time of death.
Blood, vomit, and tear stains were found in excess on bedsheets. Bedsheets were also slightly torn, with claw marks across them.
Elibyn Ambershadow. 23. Female Tiefling. Died in her sleep.
Born to [unknown]. Undocumented immigrants.
Had a ticket to Cirque de la Lune, expired.
Inquisitive:
Contacts:
Here’s a summarized version of the people that are available for you to contact:
EPD (Esperal Police Dept.)
Belalyn Tengrove (Calda’s Mother)
Nym Yllalamin (Calda’s Roommate)
Tare Onshaneo-Shadowdancer (Thaymoor’s Wife)
Andaren Rogers (Thaymoor’s Therapist, out-of-town)
Kidra (Elibyn’s Neighbor)
Marvin:
The bartenders are a pair of sisters, a half-elf named Alisa and the half-orc that is currently working the bar is Maggie.
While you don’t personally know the victims, you had seen Calda frequent the bar recently. She never was the kind to talk to anyone, and would often get black-out drunk in the middle of the night during her visits.
Nyral:
You can’t see too well over the shoulders of everyone, but you can see that not all of the victims were female, and they all died in their homes.
The Mayor, just now noticing how loud he’s being, quiets down a little. “Two of them were with people, but that’s the best I got so far. As for the differences and similarities, they all either were going to or had gone to the carnival.” He turns over to Marvin, still trying to mind his volume. “Now Marvin, I really appreciate your concern but none of the other towns have had any problems with the carnival. Small towns, big towns, none of ‘em have had murders like this. Now who might you be?” He looks directly at you, Nyral. “Here to help the investigation? As long as everyone else’s fine with it, it doesn’t really matter to me.” He sets the bag down on the table, beside the files and puts on his overcoat. “Though I agree with ya, it might be smart to move somewhere else, for now I think I should start to head home. I’ve got a lot of things on my mind that I’ve got to think over. I trust y’all with the papers, just let me know what you decide to do.” With that, he gets up to leave. He leaves a small business card, with his contact information.
Marvin, you walk up to the bartender again, and upon hearing your questions, she simply answers, “Your tab’s fine. Tonight’s on the house, you look like you’re doing something important.” She winks playfully and smiles lightly, and goes back to some of the other customers that are asking for her.
(ooc: You all now have access to Mayor Lagash's contact information, along with whatever contacts are in the file that Inquisitive is looking at. Marvin, if you want to also take a look at the Contacts file Inquisitive handed you, make an Investigation check for me.)
Jack, a Changeling Artificer/Bard/Cleric/Fighter/Rogue---RynnElocin's From Dusk to Dawn
Amon, a Fairy Arcane Trickster---ShieldHero_'s Fractum
I'M BACK
PFP credit goes to Mo Willems