Murder Betwixt the Towers [Eberron 3.5 Noir] IC

[Matamane]

Rayne rolls his eyes and lets out a chuckle. "I'm well aware of her identity...I wanted to see if you knew as well. Since there's no point in hiding it, I found the girl's papers in the heel of her shoe. The victim was Esmerelda d'Thuranni...heir apparent to Elar d'Thuranni, current leader of the house. What do you make of the diagram? I know it's Draconic, but that's all I know."

[dextercorvia]

Do we know anything about the other killings committed in a similar fashion by the so called "Strangler". That could help us establish a pattern. [/COLOR]

Rayne rolls his eyes and lets out a chuckle. "I'm well aware of her identity...I wanted to see if you knew as well. Since there's no point in hiding it, I found the girl's papers in the heel of her shoe. The victim was Esmerelda d'Thuranni...heir apparent to Paolo d'Thuranni, current leader of the house. What do you make of the diagram? I know it's Draconic, but that's all I know."

"I expect that it is the reason she was here. I'm not certain whether she was writing it or reading it, but the killer hasn't left such marks before. Did any of you turn up the chalk that was used?" Berthalt looked around at the others.

"It is a form of calligraphic writing, where any variation in the glyphs can significantly change their meaning." Turning to the consultant, "It could be a recipe for turnip soup," he smiled wryly, "Although the words I can make out indicate that it was a message of some kind."

Khlorsec lowered his voice considerably, "Whether or not it is significant, the last victim was a half-elf girl. That, and the strangling is about the only similarity to this case."

[Matamane]

Rayne shrugs. "We have a dead Half-Elf and a dead Elf...it's probably just a coincidence. We'll discuss our findings later, I still have a few things that I'd like to look at."

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Now that I have a bit more information, I believe I'm allowed to make another Investigate check.

Investigate Check: (1d20+15)[19]

[rypt]

Aliastra had been a solider. The war taught her how to die a long time ago. Death no longer scared her -- not her own death, at least, or that of her enemy. Losing a friend, however, was different. It had never been easy, but she had always thought that the Mourning -- death on an inconceivable scale -- had numbed her to such pains. Illana's death had taught her otherwise.

Stepping into the storeroom, she walks in a slow circle around the body. Is this how they found Illana? she wonders, swallowing the lump in her throat. I won't lose another. I can't-- Through sheer force of will, Aliastra forces such thoughts from her mind, replacing them with every detail she can manage of the sprawling chalk diagram etched across the floor.

Once she has committed the pattern to memory, Aliastra approaches one of the City Watch investigators. "Who found the body?" Her voice is as it always is -- cool and steady, like tempered steel, betraying none of the emotions with which she struggles internally.

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Autohypnosis check to memorize the pattern: (d20+6)[15]
Gather Information check to speak with the witness(es): (d20+6)[8] boom!
Search check: (d20+3)[16]

What time of day is it? I'm assuming that the apothecary was open for business at the time of the murder? Is there broken glass on the floor?

Whoever it was that found the body, what brought them back to the stockroom? If it wasn't the sound of a struggle that brought them back, did anyone else hear anything?

[Matamane]

Rayne goes over to a member of the watch, and asks to see the witnesses. Once directed, he begins questioning them, hoping to fill in the blanks.

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Gather Information: (1d20+10)[12]

[Leonardo]

Rayne rolls his eyes and lets out a chuckle. "I'm well aware of her identity...I wanted to see if you knew as well. Since there's no point in hiding it, I found the girl's papers in the heel of her shoe. The victim was Esmerelda d'Thuranni...heir apparent to Paolo d'Thuranni, current leader of the house. What do you make of the diagram? I know it's Draconic, but that's all I know."

"The leader of the house Thuranni is Elar d'Thuranni." Allanon says, clearly convinced that Rayne is clueless. "As for that pattern..." He then proceeds to cast a spell to copy it onto his own parchment is a small book he produces and then puts away. "... if my learned colleague has managed to guess the last name correctly, it does give an added significance to it. This part..." He gestures to a part of it. "represents the word the and resembles the House Thuranni mark as well as meaning the word "the". And this..." He gestures to another part of it. "Could mean either Cyre, catastrophe, chosen, or centuries. But it also resembles the Mark of Making. Since the House Cannith had its enclave in Cyre, it three out of the five points I can draw from this relate to Cyre and tie in with Cannith. If I am right, that means Cannith is also involved and therefore threatened. We should find out more. Let us move the body."

[Matamane]

"It wasn't a guess, I can back up my claims...If you need me I'll be with the witnesses."

[Matamane]

Rayne peers out the window and sees that the maddening crowd outside has done nothing but grow denser and more delusional since his last attempt. "On second thought, I could stand to do a bit more work in here."

[RdMarquis]

Felix clears his throat. He had been standing silently in the room for a few minutes, listening to their comments. But the courier was sure it was time for him to make himself heard before someone was startled and did something drastic. "If you're looking for a witness, a member of the Watch seemed to think I heard something significant." Felix repeats his account of the cloaked figure's escape. "He was almost certainly fleeing the authorities."

[OMG PONIES]

"Who found the body?" Her voice is as it always is -- cool and steady, like tempered steel, betraying none of the emotions with which she struggles internally.

Walking over to Koralen, Talon asks, "Do we know who the owner of the shop is? Also, as evidence is being collected, I'd like to keep an eye out for an inventory list, as well as a possible customer list or ledger."

After talking with Koralen a bit more, Talon takes out some parchment and ink, and begins to precisely copy the marking on the floor very precisely.

Talon struggles to copy the pattern but finds the intricate penmanship too much to master. Aliastra examines the diagram and attempts to commit it to memory, but knows that her recollection of it will not be highly detailed. Instead, she focuses on the clearly-defined portion beneath where the body was found and memorizes it.

"...I found her," chokes out the voice of a silhouette in the doorway to the storefront. He steps forward into the room as slowly as if he is floating through a dream. A withered old man with a lazy eye, those of you who had previously been in the shop recognize him as the apothecary. "She was just laying there...for one blessed moment, it seemed she had just gotten into the sleeping potions." The old man shakes his head and blinks rapidly a few times, then speaks with much more sense about him. "My name is Kolare, and I am the owner of this shop. I have an inventory and ledger back in my office." He points aimlessly back over his shoulder and says, "I'll help in any way I can to find out who's responsible for this." As he speaks, his eyes don't leave the corpse for even a second.

Sense Motive DC 20 to open:

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This man is not simply in shock. Instead, he seems to be truly mourning this girl's murder...Perhaps he knew the victim?

"If you're looking for a witness, a member of the Watch seemed to think I heard something significant." Felix repeats his account of the cloaked figure's escape. "He was almost certainly fleeing the authorities."

The apothecary's eyes bulge out of his skull, and he turns to grab Felix by the shoulders. "What did you see?" he bellows, his lazy eye drifting up to the ceiling while his good eye stares at the courier with intense focus. "It was one of Elar's lackies, wasn't it?! Tell me everything!" His feeble, old hands clutch the fabric of Felix's uniform so tightly that they begin to shake.

[Matamane]

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Sense Motive (1d20+8)[16]

Rayne walks over to the elderly man. "Why do you think it was the girl's family? Is there any reason you think they would want her dead?"

[rypt]

Aliastra takes a deep, steadying breath as she observes the apothecary's reaction to Felix' tale.

When an opportunity presents itself, she approaches the elderly man. "Should she have been back here by herself?" She gestures toward whichever of Talon's hands holds the vial of blue liquid, motioning for him to present it to the shopkeeper. "And this...cerulean root, was it? Would she have found something like this among your stock?"

[Tomokun]

Roll

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(1d20)[12]

Frustrated with his inability to copy the script and symbols, Talon leans heavily on his ability to read Draconic to translate what he is reading into notes in common.

Upon hearing the shopkeep questioning the witness about "Elar's lackies", he asks him, "Who is Elar, and what would he have to do with the events that transpired today? Perhaps he went after the girl when he meant to go after you?"

[Leonardo]

What was she doing here anyway?

[RdMarquis]

Firmly, the courier grabs the old man's hands. "Calm down!" Felix meets his eyes. "You'll not help anyone by panicking." And at his age, the apothecary wouldn't be doing himself any favors by getting his blood pressure up. "Now, you will take a few deep breaths, then you will explain who the girl was and why you suspect someone had her killed." His eyes dart back to the entrance. Had the man's shouting attracted any attention?

[Tomokun]

Seeing the crowd of onlookers, Talon suggest to the captain, "If you would, have a couple of guards get the name and address for every onlooker here. He can be noisy about, letting them know that everyone who is around here right now is a suspect... considering that they can't claim to have been anywhere else, they don't have a bullet proof alibi. Might serve to thin the herd... and you never know, right?"

Talon had a particular distaste for gawkers... they seemed to share a morbid fascination with death that was akin to that of murderers... but then again he was biased, all things considered.

[OMG PONIES]

Sergeant Tenpenny has popped his head in to the investigation, and is a bit taken aback when Talon begins giving him orders. "Listen, tech," he chides, "this is my scene so I call the shots. You're paid to perform a function--and one that any of millions of others can perform. You'd do well to remember that." His anger fades slightly, as he raises a hand to his chin and carresses his stubble. "Even still, it ain't a bad idea. Jark! Eric!" he barks at two of the attending Watchmen, "grab the others and start asking for info from the crowd. That should scare them back to their holes." The members of the Watch and the Sergeant venture back out into the crowd together, and one pulls out a clipboard and quill pen from his satchel. Now the only people left in the shop are you, Kolare, and the late Esmerelda d'Thuranni.

The old man's screams have roused no more attention than the fact that there was a murder in his shop in broad daylight. He listens, wild-eyed, as all of you ask him questions. He takes Felix's advice, breathes deeply, and releases his clutch on the courier's uniform. "Her name is--was--Esmerelda, and she was the daughter of Elar d'Thuranni, leader of the New House of Shadow. Above anything, her father wanted control. Because she eluded his control, he wanted her removed from the equation. Sick bastard would rather slaughter his own kin than have the House run contrary to his wishes."

He laughs at Talon's suggestion that he might have been the true target. "I doubt that I'm even a decimal in the derivative of a corrolary of his equation," he chuckles. "His world is himself, his House, and everything else--he was definitely after her. She was a regular here, and I often allowed her unfettered access to the stockroom. She never took too much, and I wrote it off as a donation to House Thuranni...you never know when you might need a favor in this town. She was here so much that she was often mistaken for an employee," he recalled with a sparkle in his eye that quickly coalesced into a tear. "So her being alone in the stockroom is no surprise. As for the Cloudless..." his eyes dart from side to side, making sure the store is clear of Watchmen. "She'd find it here undoubtedly, but anyone looking at the inventory list and ledger wouldn't...not exactly legal within city limits. I hope that answers all your questions, but do you have any more?"

Sense Motive DC 15 to open:

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He is not lying about any of the above, but is definitely withholding information, particularly about why she chose to frequent this apothecary in particular.

[Matamane]

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I'll take 10 on the Sense Motive check.

Rayne looks the man straight in the eyes, slowly increasing his height and girth as he does so, giving off the impression he had been slouching up until now.

"There's something you're not telling us. Is there any reason why she would favor this particular apothecary over the hundreds of others in the city?"

"What are you hiding? If you don't want to cooperate, you're only going to make things worse for yourself...perhaps the watch would like to know why your apothecary carries Cloudless."

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I'll make an Intimidate check, hopefully the threat and increasing my height will give me a circumstance bonus.

Intimidate (1d20+10)[18]

[dextercorvia]

Khloresec watched the exchange with the Apothecary with interest. He knew better than to interrupt -- observing was his specialty.

[Leonardo]

And to what use did she put the reagents from the stockroom?

[dextercorvia]

While he kept an ear on the others, Khlorsec went back to exploring the scene. He poured over as much as possible looking for clues.

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Search in a clockwise spiral pattern beginning adjacent to the diagram furthest from the door. He'll search for two minutes, but any result of less than 20 he'll try again. We'll see how far he gets.

Add +4 to each of these:
(20d20)[5][7][4][1][4][5][4][1][5][11][4][5][16][12][11][20][15][1][9][19](159)

So he checks the first 3 squares carefully with a result of 20, 24, and 23 respectively.

[OMG PONIES]

The old shopkeep fumbles for an excuse, but the words escape him like ducks at the sound of a hunting dog--a few quick, sputtering moments of chaos are followed by silence. Khlorsec walks a slow circle around him, searching for (but unable to dig up) any new clues. The apothecary looks taken aback at Rayne's metamorphosis, but shows no fear until he mentions involving the Watch. "No need to let them know what's in that vial," he says. "I've seen a changeling's parlor tricks enough times in my days to not be spooked, but I want the boys in blue out of my hair sooner rather than later..." He sighs heavily before beginning his explanation:

"I suppose if I want to find the truth, I should start by sharing it, yes? Esme's preference for this shop went beyond our location or abudance of stock. There have been loose lips flapping in the Upper towers that she had started up an illicit affair with a human well beyond her station. These rumors are true--she was in love with one much too poor (and much too old) to be seen by her side in public."

He pauses to wipe a tear from his cheek and nods his head ever-so-slightly, acknowledging the unspoken question: he was Esmerelda's scanalous paramour. "She busted in the back door to the stockroom one day seeking cover after a job went South. I hid her for a few days, and we struck up a conversation. She was so unlike anyone else, so uncaring of the many expectations heaped upon her, that she brought youth back to my bones. Over the past few months, we had become fast friends, which eventually slipped into something more. It was as fascinating as it was dangerous.

Her family began making ultimatums, and when one of the Houses speaks you'd best listen unless you're prepared to suffer the consequences. Elar was set to put out a kill order on his own daughter unless she cut all ties with me and settled down with a proper Elven gentleman from one of the mansions in the clouds. We talked it out and tried to cover all the angles of our escape, but when most of the criminals who could help are in your father's pocket and the rest are drooling for a chance to knife anyone with your last name, it gets a little difficult. We had no other options, so we realized what had to be done. I tried to end things between us myself, but she refused to let me go...said she couldn't leave me if she couldn't forget me. Hell of a thing to hear.

I had dabbled in Cloudless, so I knew it was the only thing that would help us. I ordered a pinch from one of my suppliers, and put out word to Esme through a mutual acquaintance once the shipment was in. She was coming here to swig it, erase me from her head, and take off through the back. I even left the door unlocked and everything. She came in just after lunch, and we barely shared a word. I came back, gave her the vial, and told her that the back was opened for her but I'd be in the storefront if she needed anything. Those were my last words to her...you always hope that last words are going to be more meaningful, more poetic." The man attempts to laugh, but his half-hearted chuckle fades quickly into a soft sob. "I guess her pop had set an earlier deadline than we'd thought, though," he says and waves his arm at the crime scene. "Please," he begs, "you've got to nail the bastard."

Sense Motive DC 25 to open:

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He's telling the truth--I just wanted to make you a bit more paranoid . With that being said, I will sometimes let an NPC lie without a Sense Motive spoiler, so feel free to post whenever you want to make checks.

Search DC 20 to open (Dextercorvia can use one of the rolls from his previous post):

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While the apothecary mentioned leaving the back door to the alley unlocked for Esmerelda's escape, that same door is now locked securely.

[Matamane]

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Sense Motive (1d20+8)[20]
Taking 10. Search [21]

Rayne mumbles to himself for a bit before asking the obvious questions. "Who else has a key to the shop? This door right here, it's locked."

[dextercorvia]

"Inspector, your eyes are better than mine." Berthalt addressed Rayne, as he unbolted the door, and pulled it open. "But, I bet Kolare does not often use his key in this door. Rather, I expect that he opens it from the inside. Perhaps you could use your keen senses to determine whether or not a key was recently used. Can you see any scratches in the patina?"

Khlorsec was reasonably certain that magic had been used to lock the door from the other side. This was too well executed for someone to have not covered that base.

He walked back over to the apothecary, and extended his hand. Suddenly he found the old man most intriguing. "Khlorsec Berthalt. Unlike these gentlemen, who are under the employ of the watch, if you take my meaning, I am in no position to judge your, er, activities. As a private consultant, I would be most interested in taking on your case."

[rypt]

"So the rumors are true, then?" Aliastra asks, glancing to each of her fellow investigators. "The Thuranni trade in secrets and death? If that's the case, then their assassins are not half as talented as their dancers." She gestures to the body and surrounding clutter. "This is crude work for a professional -- sloppy, even. To strangle a woman to death -- and not just any woman, but the daughter of the patriarch of your house -- in an open business, mere feet from the one man who knows the truth of your intentions?" The apothecary's story was a sad one, but Aliastra's instincts told her something was off. If this was the result of a Thuranni family dispute, what of Illana's murder?

[Tomokun]

"Well, it's certainly a nice cover. It's his word against there's, and they can just as easily claim that he's a creepy stalker who killed her when she wouldn't return his affections." Talon replied, still working on translating the diagram.

Turning to the mage who had copied the page earlier, he asked, "Do you think I could get a copy of that? I want to cross reference it with some research on rituals and the like."

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(1d20)[4] Sense Motive

[Matamane]

Rayne shakes his head musing over his findings. "Kolare, I have a few more questions for you. How exactly does Cloudless work? Is there any way to detect someone under the influence of it, and could someone's memories be restored? I'd also like to know how much Cloudless you had on hand. Do you perhaps keep an additional ledger that would document any such substances which you carry?"

[dextercorvia]

Turning to the mage who had copied the page earlier, he asked, "Do you think I could get a copy of that? I want to cross reference it with some research on rituals and the like."

"Talon is it?" He was fairly certain that is what he had heard the man say it earlier. Khlorsec was normally a whiz with names, but there was a lot going on this morning.

"I'd be happy to provide you with a copy, for the standard fee of course. I hope you don't mind waiting until tomorrow, seeing as how that was the only Amanuensis spell I prepared today. Unless..." Berthalt drew it out a bit longer than necessary. "Unless, you want to take me up on my offer. I would really appreciate the opportunity to compare notes with the rest of you after this. If you have some insight into this language, maybe we could work together to translate it. That Allanon gent seems to have about as good of grasp of it as I do. Maybe we can pull him in."

[RdMarquis]

The old man seemed sincere. And that was enough for Felix. He had an inkling of what it meant to be considered little more than an asset by one's family. But his mother would never do anything like this. It made him feel sick to think any parent could kill his own child for the sake of his reputation. The courier took a deep breath.

"I'll do everything in my power to find the murderer," he says, turning back to the old man. Fortunately, it seemed the others were of like mind. "Do you have any idea who the Thuurani's might have sent to do the killing? Anyone who looked out of place before Esmerelda was discovered?"

[OMG PONIES]

The apothecary can't help but chuckle slightly at Felix's questions. "Son," he chides, everyone in an apothecary's shop looks out of place. None of them belong here, and they all stick around only long enough to get the remedy they seek. But I didn't see anyone more peculiar than the ordinary. As for who Elar sent, I couldn't tell you; he has hundreds in his employ, and could have called on any one of them. Perhaps you should try the House Enclave in Upper Menthis--it's the gray building behind the Opera House in the University District. They handle all of the Shadow Network's engagements in Sharn, both public and private. Nobody else was given a key to my shop, but I imagine they've got craftsmen in their pocket who could wrangle one up."

When Khlorsec says that he'll take the case, Kolare's eyes light up. "Oh, bless you child!" he beams. "I can't offer much in the way of payment, but I can offer you stock. Each of you can help yourself to one potion of your choice! Oh, thank you again!" As Rayne continues to ask questions, the old man tries to maintain his composure and affects a more serious countenance once more. "Yes, about the Cloudless. I have only one ledger, and you won't find it listed on there. Terribly potent stuff, so I try not to keep more on hand than is needed at any time--this is the only vial I have right now. I was thinking of ordering one for myself in a few weeks, should the pain of being forgotten grow too strong..." His voice trails off as he gazes lovingly at the corpse. "Are any of you familiar with the spell modify memory? Well, Cloudless works as a more focused permutation. While the spell can erase, enhance, create, or alter memories, this potion can only erase. It's been especially formulated to erase any memory of the last person the subject thinks about before imbibing. Once it takes effect, the subject's brain is permanently scarred--the only way to detect the use of this potion would be post-mortem surgery."

He crouches down besides the corpse and cradles her head in his hands. Weeping gently, the old man brushes Esmerelda's hair back behind her pointed ear and caresses her pale cheek with the back of his hand. He plucks the vial from her hand and gives her one last kiss on the cheek. Kolare rises with grim determination on his face and walks back toward the storefront. The shopkeep stops in the doorway for a moment, only long enough to unstop the vial and raise it to his lips. He pauses before upending the contents into his mouth, looks back to the group, and pleads, "Please, bring her murderer to justice. Any last questions about Esme...while I can still answer them?"