Test Drive My D&D Mystery

[Mars Ultor]

By the way, has the cellar been investigated yet? I forget.

Yes, here's the description of the search from a few posts earlier.

THE CELLAR consists of two medium sized rooms and one smaller room. At the bottom of the stairs is a small splotch of dark red on the stone floor. The druids determine that it’s the poison.

One medium room is a root cellar and has sacks and vessels with food items. Several barrels are also in the room. Some vegetables and sausages are hanging from hooks in the ceiling.

The other medium room is the wine cellar and has many amphorae of wine and other drinks, several barrels and kegs of different sizes, and few small glass bottles. On the floor near an opened jug of wine are shards of glass from a broken bottle. There are a few drops of blood on the glass and the floor.

The small room has a butcher-block table, several simple knives, rusty gardening shears, a few vases of various types, a bucket with some flower stems, leaves, and various plant detritus. A basket with a few plants materials, including berries and leaves. A finely made, but well-used, gardening box. The box contains small knives and cutters, some small glass and clay containers, and a pair of worn gloves. It is likely that the poison was concocted from the things now discarded in the bucket, and one or two things from the vials in the box.

[Mars Ultor]

Where's the "murder" weapon? That's the piece of evidence that would drive this towards a conclusion in my opinion. You say all the physical evidence is out, which makes me assume it isn't getting found. New theory: the lady poisoned Miles and then stabbed him later; she tossed the weapon down from the balcony where Leon got it and hid it.

The poison was used to kill the steward, the means for making the poison was found in the cellar.

During the thorough search of the house, the knife used to "kill" the steward was found on the "roof" of the balcony attached to the study.

Or do you mean that the killer should actually have the poison in their possession, something which ties the killer to the poison?

[Mars Ultor]

Take an additional knife A from the kitchen. Put it together with the presumed murder weapon B (from the balcony) and the other one C (from the pillow of the aunt).
Ask daughter to identify which of the three knives the aunt was carrying in the night.

Spoiler

Show

The Aunt was not the secondary "killer."

While I like the idea of the knife comparison test, I'm wondering if I'm introducing more complexity into the proceedings. The most likely answer, that the daughter and/or Leon can't identify knife C or possibly A--dark house, perhaps only a candle burning here or there on sconces--doesn't really advance the story.

[Mars Ultor]

(Note: I read a lot of mystery novels as a child, so I am likely overthinking this. Also, +1 to the "tossing the house did not seem appropriate").

Would there be a way to solve this mystery without searching the house? What would be the alternatives?

I sort of remember someone's room being searched during Ten Little Indians/And Then There Were None, but I also recall he was the guy with the gun. I don't know if they looked elsewhere. They looked in the basement too or something, don't they? Or some shed or something?

[Beneath]

If all the evidence you planned is out, now, every clue that you deliberately placed in ppl's conversations and all the physical evidence, then there isn't any solid evidence saying someone definitely did it.

Like, sure, there's poison on Osgood's shoe, but does that mean he made the poison or stepped in a spill someone else made? We still don't have a solid motive (circumstantial evidence around banditry but that's all)

At this point, I haven't seen any evidence that would make me comfortable accusing someone, just bringing people under suspicion (Oslina, Osgood, and Godelina are all still suspects, but that's not enough to prove any or all of them did it. Like we need evidence strong and clear enough that even though we've only known the earl for a few weeks at best we can convince him that his wife or child murdered his steward)

[Mendicant]

During the thorough search of the house, the knife used to "kill" the steward was found on the "roof" of the balcony attached to the study.

Or do you mean that the killer should actually have the poison in their possession, something which ties the killer to the poison?

No I just missed the knife being discovered.

I think it was the lady. She was drenched, she had motive, and everybody else's alibi sounds stronger to me. She was the only person besides the Earl pointing the finger at foreign assassins, which seems fitting if she was the one who planted the phony trail. None of this is particularly conclusive.

I'd try to trick a confession out of her somehow, or catch her in a lie. Maybe plant the dagger in the kennels and blame Leon, or go with the earlier angle and frame her daughter.

[Mars Ultor]

None of this is particularly conclusive.

The prior poster had a similar comment. Regardless of the actual killer, what would make you confident that you had the right person and could publicly accuse them?

[Mars Ultor]

Like we need evidence strong and clear enough that even though we've only known the earl for a few weeks at best we can convince him that his wife or child murdered his steward)

What would you need? What sort of evidence would make you comfortable that you definitely had the right person?

[Mordar]

What would you need? What sort of evidence would make you comfortable that you definitely had the right person?

Well, I suppose we would need solid answers to the following:

• Motive: Why did the person want the steward dead?
• Means: Did the person have the ability to create and deliver the poison?
• Opportunity: Did the person have the opportunity to do so without being detected?
• Disproven Alibi: What proves that the alibi provided is insufficient/untrue?

Should we start a matrix?

[Mendicant]

An alibi that includes a distinctly and provably false element would help.

I think motive is established at this point: Miles was part of the clan that scarred the lady and Leon mentally and physically. Discovering this with the lineages, and his facilitation of her daughter's marriage into the family that runs that clan combined to trigger a resort to murder. I don't know if Leon was involved or not at this point probably not. He's jittery and delicate so I don't think he hatched a cold-blooded plan to murder someone.

A clue that establishes the killer at the scene in a suspicious way--perhaps a nail or tack got a shred of clothing from whoever stashed the knife. Maybe a very close examination of the murderer's clothes from the night of reveals slate or some other roofing material on their right sleeve.

(The soaked dress sort of works here, but she has an explanation for it that establishes reasonable doubt.)

Maybe the fighter or healer can tell that the stabbing was done by someone left-handed, and the only left-handed people in the house are the killer and the butler or some other npc who it's clear didn't do it. If the killer is the lady, like I think, maybe she doesn't generally use her left hand in public, even though it's dominant, because the scarring is especially bad there, but it's possible to establish with a trick or sharp eyes that she is left handed. ETA: ooh--the lineages could work here as one place to establish this. Handedness could be established with an Int or spot or search or forgery/linguistics check.

[LokiRagnarok]

To sum this up, I think at this point you don't need a way to establish who could have done it - you need a way to establish who couldn't.

I feel that this would be easier if there were one or two characters less, but that's just me.

Overall, I think you have a good mystery here - keep up the work!

[Mars Ultor]

In order to propose alternatives, I'm going to reveal the killer and manner of the crime.

Spoiler: Whodunit

Show

The lady found out that Miles was part of the group that killed her relatives when the steward's suit and belt buckle were delivered--she recognized the symbol of the bull. She then concocted the poison in the cellar, accidentally spilled a little on the floor, and then poured it into a wine jug which she brought upstairs. She made sure the earl went directly to bed so he wouldn't drink the wine.

During the night she went to make sure Miles was dead, but heard Winston coming in. She hid on the balcony, getting soaked from the rain, saw Winston's dagger, and decided to fake a crime scene. When Winston returned to his room, she turned over furniture (quietly) and then stabbed the corpse and faked the escape.

Now I realize a plot hole: How did the lady get the rope from the servant area? Even though it's nearby, she'd have to have stripped down, then run through the hall to get the rope without leaving a trail of water.

The lady returns to her room, throws the wet dress on top of the bed, it eventually soaks through the canopy, the earl thinks it's raining.

Aunt Evelyn was sneaking food in the kitchen when she heard the drunken son and his sister coming up the cellar stairs, then she heard Leon coming down. Frightened, she took the knife and the food and went to her room. The kids waited until the coast was clear, then they heard, but didn't see, when Leon snuck out the back door to go to the kennel. They waited a while longer, then returned to their rooms.

When morning came Doris discovered the body.

[Mars Ultor]

A clue that establishes the killer at the scene in a suspicious way--perhaps a nail or tack got a shred of clothing from whoever stashed the knife. Maybe a very close examination of the murderer's clothes from the night of reveals slate or some other roofing material on their right sleeve.

I've provided the solution to the mystery in the prior post, so be aware I'm going to discuss it openly here.



Here's the revised mystery. I'll incorporate the earl giving the two sentence biographies on the way to his manor. He'll make mention of his daughter's wedding and that he's supposed to get measured for a suit--his wife made everyone get new clothes for the wedding.

The stuff with Doris, the son and daughter, and Leon will remain the same.

What if the lady poisons the wine, but Miles doesn't drink it at first? He's been drinking all night in the library with the earl and the party. He goes to the upstairs study to work a little before bed, but he falls asleep in the chair.

Lady Godelina comes in to make sure he's dead from the poison. The ewer of wine and a filled goblet are on the desk, but she discovers he's still alive. He awakes and is surprised to see the lady hovering over him. He grabs her wrist and she panics and hits him with the ewer of wine, splashing wine on her clothing. He's stunned, but not dead. The lady pulls away--leaving a bit of lace cuff in Miles hand. She hears Winston coming in and runs outside, hiding on the balcony, getting soaked.

The butler comes in the room and sees Miles slumped over the desk with wine everywhere. He goes to investigate and Miles come to, thinking Winston had hit him. They begin to argue, Miles takes a drink of the poisoned wine, then lurches, knocks over a chair and the stuff on the desk and goes for the butler. Winston stabs Miles with his dagger, killing him. He knows there is a chest in the room with stuff--I had mentioned the room was filled with trophies and other stuff--finds a grappling hook and rope, throws the rope out the window. He grabs the journal and runs back to his room.

The lady comes in, completely wet, strips down and wrings out her dress, soaking the carpet. Holding her dress she runs out of the room, accidentally leaving a bloody footprint in the room. She gets to her room and throws the dress on the bed's canopy.

In the morning, Doris finds the murder scene, screams, and everyone runs over. The earl will explicitly tell the party that they can interrogate everyone and search the house. That was a big sticking point--permission to go everywhere.

When the party investigates the crime scene they'll find the poison wine, the lace in Miles hand, the bloody footprint, and some indication Miles was hit with the ewer--perhaps it's dented or maybe Miles has a broken nose? They also find the red-herring rope and hook.

Miles drank the poisoned wine, then was stabbed. The party will either focus on the fake crime scene--I think everyone determined the grappling hook was phony after investigating it at first. Or, they'll focus on the women in the house--because of the footprint and the lace. They'll try to find out who made the poison and eventually they'll accuse the lady--her footprint matches, her dress has the missing lace. (Instead of the cut on the son's hand from the broken bottle, what if the daughter stepped on the broken glass and has a cut on her foot? Her bloody slipper is investigated but doesn't match the footprint?)

When they search Miles' room they'll find the bull insignia--that provides the motive for the earl's wife, and they'll find the bag of gold with a list of payments. It's a record of the money extorted from Winston. Maybe I'll even give the party a slip of paper with numbers on it so they think it's some sort of code.

When the lady is confronted she'll insist it was actually Winston. Winston will deny it, but the lady will accuse him of killing Miles and taking the journal.

In Winston's room they'll find the dagger's sheath and the journal--with a bit of wine and poison splattered on it. He's the killer and will tell everyone Miles was extorting money from him.

How does this sound to everyone? The druids will determine the poison would have made Miles sick, but probably not have killed him--it wasn't skillfully made. There's an eyewitness to the murder, but she's reluctant to say anything because she intended to kill the victim. The lady doesn't know her poison wouldn't have worked. There's plenty of real physical evidence in the form of the lace and footprint, but they won't lead directly to the murderer. Winston has the dagger in his room, the journal, and the motive. And, best of all, the butler did it.

[MintyNinja]

That looks pretty good, and then you have the chance for the players to muck it up by deciding arbitrarily to stand in defense of the butler and have the lady tried for the crime. But players wouldn't ever do so something so... unexpected.

In all seriousness, though, I think when the Count is showing off his study with the trophies he should have a throwaway line such as, "And that big horn ram took three days of mountain scaling to track down. Ropes, grapples, and spiked boots. But he was worth it. Look at that beautiful beast!" This way the players are dimly aware that the rope and grapple could have come from inside the house and you don't get that one player hell bent on the false trail.

[Mordar]

Here's the revised mystery. I'll incorporate the earl giving the two sentence biographies on the way to his manor. He'll make mention of his daughter's wedding and that he's supposed to get measured for a suit--his wife made everyone get new clothes for the wedding.

I don't think you need to go for such a big revision...I think your initial plan had a great deal going for it, and I think you should keep it. You might just need to plant a few more clues.

The bit of lace is a good idea...but since Miles died from the poisoning as he should have, it could have torn free when she reached up for the dagger. The edge of the gown cuff catches on the hook of a weapon/display below and to the right of the dagger...she tugs it free and doesn't realize a small bit stayed behind on the hook. This provides both handedness (she reached up with her right hand with the dagger centered before her, suggesting a right-handed assailant. That could then match the wound details (right or left, whichever you need) as well as providing a material connection if the investigators find both the scrap and the gown. Be sure the scrap is kind of hard to find/notice though...can't be too easy.

She did go outside to check on the Jester, right? A valuable addition to her alibi from her perspective (explaining the damp clothing) but still will provide holes...why wasn't she properly bundled up? That helps set the stage for the alibi to be unwoven.

Might want to make it a bit easier (or perhaps include some redundancies) for the PCs to discover Miles' affiliation and the connection to the clan. Either that, or make it more important (?) - the marriage is a decent match, but perhaps plant a seed that it wasn't the only offer on the table of similar value and that Miles worked to make it happen. That makes for a bit more motive than the Lady simply wanting anyone affiliated with her rival clan slain. So, make it easier to discover the connection.

I like the majority of the red herrings, but remind me why the brother and sister were downstairs...and what was the scoop with the fib about the earring?

- M

[jayem]

I don't think you need to go for such a big revision...I think your initial plan had a great deal going for it, and I think you should keep it. You might just need to plant a few more clues.

The bit of lace is a good idea...but since Miles died from the poisoning as he should have, it could have torn free when she reached up for the dagger....
Might want to make it a bit easier (or perhaps include some redundancies) for the PCs to discover Miles' affiliation and the connection to the clan. Either that, or make it more important (?) - the marriage is a decent match, but perhaps plant a seed that it wasn't the only offer on the table of similar value and that Miles worked to make it happen. That makes for a bit more motive than the Lady simply wanting anyone affiliated with her rival clan slain. So, make it easier to discover the connection.

I like the majority of the red herrings, but remind me why the brother and sister were downstairs...and what was the scoop with the fib about the earring?

- M

The scrap being only found if you know what your looking for or explicitly look at everywhere, probably would go a good way to the seal the deal clue.
I'm not sure if there's a way to make it less obvious before, and then it the clear place to look again when you (almost know) who, how and why.

[Braininthejar2]

Putting my hypotheses and ideas here before I backtrack upthread and read the answer.

My hypothesis is - Mother poisons the victim over the whole burning thing. The kids find out and try to cover it up with a fake stabbing to protect her. The poison the son stepped into was the one in the study, not the one in the cellar.

Now, for questions I'd still try to ask:

1 We know where the rope came from. What about the hook?

2 Since we have actual hunting hounds on the premises, I'd take them to the poison maker's kit and have them sniff the inside of the gloves. Let's see who they lead us to. (If it looks like nobody used these gloves in a while, there is only one person who wears her own regularly.)

3 Why did the butler cut pieces from the notebook instead of stealing/burning the whole thing?

[Mendicant]

I'll second the opinion that the mystery as-is is good stuff and doesn't need a radical revision. Certainly doesn't need two murderers accidentally working together.

I don't think the hook and rope need much work to explain. I think you just need to lean into them more. Have her always intend to set the scene, and do so just before Winston shows. Adding a bunch of other detail *after* a witness discovers the body seems like a bad idea to me.

Braininthejar2 has a good question about the hook, and that could be a good point to add a detail pointing to her--the shed or wherever that she got the hook from could have a piece of lace ruff or some such. You lay an extra clue that leads to her, and it's a reward for figuring out that something is up with the rope. The closet the rope came from could as well. If you're having trouble getting the players there, this could be a Schrodinger's clue that exists in both locations simultaneously until one is checked.

Also, make her more eager to pin this on outside forces. The Earl is hell for leather about Devon, and she's ok with that, plus other suggestions as well. Maybe she strongly suggests it's the work of neighbors between them and their prospective in-laws, trying to plant the notion that the match could lead to ugly unforseen repercussions (is her animosity to the match as deep as I think it is, or did I just convinvce myself this was a bigger issue than it is? I kept getting whiffs of "Sansa Stark's Series of Unfortunate Events" every time I read the bit about Burton.) Maybe have her let slip something about "all the unsavory elements Burton has absorbed" (IE the Roboli, which she leaves unsaid) and the enemies he'll bring with him. This helps develop suspicion of her and also might help ping the thread that goes to motive.

[Mars Ultor]

Putting my hypotheses and ideas here before I backtrack upthread and read the answer.

My hypothesis is - Mother poisons the victim over the whole burning thing. The kids find out and try to cover it up with a fake stabbing to protect her. The poison the son stepped into was the one in the study, not the one in the cellar.

Now, for questions I'd still try to ask:

1 We know where the rope came from. What about the hook?

2 Since we have actual hunting hounds on the premises, I'd take them to the poison maker's kit and have them sniff the inside of the gloves. Let's see who they lead us to. (If it looks like nobody used these gloves in a while, there is only one person who wears her own regularly.)

3 Why did the butler cut pieces from the notebook instead of stealing/burning the whole thing?

Hypothesis: Partial credit, wrong on the details.

1 That's always been an issue. The grappling hook/rope is a problem all around. Either the killer needs an assistant, or they need to be running around nude in the house. I don't have an adequate solution yet. In the revised version I include a box o' adventuring gear, but then why is the rope so short?


2 I like this idea. It never occurred to me, but it's a valid way for the party to determine the owner of the box o' poison.


3 If the butler took/destroyed the entire journal, the earl would (most likely) notice it were missing. If he carefully tore out a few pages, it might not be noticed unless you were going page-by-page. It's more understandable if he took the entire book, but then Winston has got to get rid of the whole thing, instead of a few pages.

[Mars Ultor]

I don't think you need to go for such a big revision...I think your initial plan had a great deal going for it, and I think you should keep it. You might just need to plant a few more clues.

The bit of lace is a good idea...but since Miles died from the poisoning as he should have, it could have torn free when she reached up for the dagger. . . . This provides both handedness (she reached up with her right hand with the dagger centered before her, suggesting a right-handed assailant. . . Be sure the scrap is kind of hard to find/notice though...can't be too easy.

She did go outside to check on the Jester, right?

Might want to make it a bit easier (or perhaps include some redundancies) for the PCs to discover Miles' affiliation and the connection to the clan.

I like the majority of the red herrings, but remind me why the brother and sister were downstairs...and what was the scoop with the fib about the earring?

- M

I'm rethinking the original (it's actually my third or fourth one, the original mystery had a different victim and a different killer) version. There's probably a way to make things more clear without changing everything.

It's the lace is there/not there problem. Once the party searches the room and finds the missing knife, they would find the lace. If they don't find the lace then, why would they go back and search for it?

The lady is wet from going out on the balcony. She knows Leon's habits and assumes that's what he did. The lady has a story and alibi for everything. "I know the thunder upset Leon and the dogs are frightened as well. Leon has always gone out to the kennels. When a crack of thunder woke me during the night I pulled on my dress and went out. I called for Leon but he didn't hear me shouting over the storm. I was already soaked and shivering just from standing a step outside the back door."

"What? Leon was in his room the whole night? That's unusual, it never occurred to me he wouldn't have gone to the kennels. I should have checked his room first. I feel so foolish now. I'm sure Leon or the earl will confirm that he often goes out to the kennels."

"Don't be ridiculous, I wrung out my clothing over the basin, I didn't want to track water all over the house. No one saw me? Yes, thank Pelor no one saw me. I was standing in the kitchen in my undergarments hoping that no one would see me looking like a drowned rat."


I think I have a solution for the motive issue. It's more work, but the players will make the connection themselves, they won't have to rely on the earl's exposition. I'll be posting it later.


The sister went downstairs to get her alcoholic brother from the cellar. The earring was her excuse for being downstairs when she says she saw Aunt Evelyn sneaking around with a knife, she claims she thought she lost an earring during dinner, but it turned out to be caught in her hair. The brother was passed out in the wine cellar. The sister got him, saw Evelyn with the knife, heard someone (Leon) leave the house, then put her drunk brother to bed.

[Mordar]

It's the lace is there/not there problem. Once the party searches the room and finds the missing knife, they would find the lace. If they don't find the lace then, why would they go back and search for it?

I believe it is possible that they would have cause to come back and search in greater detail...but also, I really recommend not letting them use "whole room" searches on major rooms. Maybe a closet or a small room (like the Butler's), but not on a study or library.

Even so, you're right that it shouldn't be too obvious...maybe not lace but thread of an appropriate color, or just a tiny little section of lace. A missing knife is very obvious and would be noticed by casual observation. The thread or lace would require a much more specific search.

Additionally, if the investigators ever get to see the dress itself they might notice the damage on the dominant hand cuff and that would give them cause to look for the missing fabric. Allows another way to get to the clue, and that can be vital in these kinds of stories. (Isn't there something like "Have 3 ways to get to each important thing" rule?).

The lady is wet from going out on the balcony. She knows Leon's habits and assumes that's what he did. The lady has a story and alibi for everything. "I know the thunder upset Leon and the dogs are frightened as well. Leon has always gone out to the kennels. When a crack of thunder woke me during the night I pulled on my dress and went out. I called for Leon but he didn't hear me shouting over the storm. I was already soaked and shivering just from standing a step outside the back door."

"What? Leon was in his room the whole night? That's unusual, it never occurred to me he wouldn't have gone to the kennels. I should have checked his room first. I feel so foolish now. I'm sure Leon or the earl will confirm that he often goes out to the kennels."

"Don't be ridiculous, I wrung out my clothing over the basin, I didn't want to track water all over the house. No one saw me? Yes, thank Pelor no one saw me. I was standing in the kitchen in my undergarments hoping that no one would see me looking like a drowned rat."

All of that is good - almost perfect even - but it should unravel when someone asks why she didn't put on a proper cloak. She knew it was raining cats and dogs (couldn't resist) so if she took time to put on a dress it is more than reasonable that she would have put on proper outer-wear. I like the fact that she didn't as it is a reasonable error on her part and something that would require a touch of insight from the investigators.

The sister went downstairs to get her alcoholic brother from the cellar. The earring was her excuse for being downstairs when she says she saw Aunt Evelyn sneaking around with a knife, she claims she thought she lost an earring during dinner, but it turned out to be caught in her hair. The brother was passed out in the wine cellar. The sister got him, saw Evelyn with the knife, heard someone (Leon) leave the house, then put her drunk brother to bed.

I like all the moving parts, each with a reasonable rationale. Just keep polishing the motive and it'll be brilliant!

- M

[Beleriphon]

I have a thought, for when you think you have it figured out exactly the way you. Can you post the whole shebang as a short story with the optimal solutions for the characters taken to solve the mystery and see if it holds up to scrutiny? That way we can see the optimal solution and find anything that doesn't quite match, it might also help you work out any final kinks.

[Mendicant]

I have a thought, for when you think you have it figured out exactly the way you. Can you post the whole shebang as a short story with the optimal solutions for the characters taken to solve the mystery and see if it holds up to scrutiny? That way we can see the optimal solution and find anything that doesn't quite match, it might also help you work out any final kinks.

Ditto.

It'll also help me steal this and file off the serial numbers for my own players.

[Mars Ultor]

Here’s a revised version of the original mystery. As in the first one I posted, the lady poisons Miles, then fakes the attack, but there are more clues and the motive relies on existing character knowledge, rather than just exposition.

During the day, the lady enlists Miles to give the son a riding lesson. The rain hasn’t started yet, but the weather is looking bad. While he’s out of the house, the lady mixes up the poison in a little clay container and brings it upstairs. She also takes a sealing candle from the cellar. She sees there are two amphorae of wine in the study. She takes one amphora, opens the seal and poisons the wine. Then she lights the candle and seals the top again. (There's a slight change in the color of the newly sealed wine, and if the party checks they can see the difference.) The lady puts out the candle and secures it in her belt pouch. Making sure the tampered wine is in the front, she leaves the room and throws the small poison vial in the kitchen midden. She doesn’t recall she has the candle, and it remains in her pouch. When she changes for dinner, the pouch stays in her bedroom, on a table/vanity type thing.

At night she pulls on her dress and goes to the study to make sure Miles is dead. Miles has drunk the poison, but he hasn’t quite died yet. She checks him, and although he is dying, he clutches at her, tearing a piece of lace from her cuff. Then he falls over on the floor, dead. The lady has the coil of bed-rope with her, she knows there’s a grappling hook in the room already. It’s a piece of equipment from the earl’s short-lived adventuring days. There’s a bunch of his old stuff in a chest, as well as the trophies on the wall. While getting the hook, the lady accidentally drops an earring into the equipment chest, she’s not aware of it until later. Or maybe it was when she first cased the room, because now she’s coming from bed. My wife removes her earrings before bed, I expect that’s common? It doesn’t matter, the earring is in the trunk.

The party will have an opportunity to find the matching earring, or realize an earring is missing, when they search the safe with the lady’s jewelry. If the party finds this clue right away and asks, the lady will say it could be hers, she’s been in the room with the earl several times, she can’t remember when she noticed it was lost. She’ll thank them for finding it. Two earrings, two clues. It doesn’t prove anything by itself, but it’s part of a chain.

Knowing her husband suspects those bastards from Devon, the lady gets to work making it look like an assassination. She takes down a Sax knife from the trophy wall and stabs Miles several times. But before she can prep the room to make it look like someone snuck in, she hears the door, and runs out onto the balcony.

Winston comes in with his dagger to confront Miles, but finds him dead. Winston checks the body, now he’s in a panic. He realizes he has a dagger in his hands and how bad that looks, and he opens a window and throws his dagger outside, then grabs the entire ledger. He scatters some papers around while searching for the book, knocking the wedding letter, goblet, and other things onto the floor. While checking the body, he stepped in blood and now he leaves a bloody shoeprint on the carpet while running out of the room.

The lady comes back in from the rain, poorly ties the bed-rope to the grappling hook—a Use Rope check will show that the knot is pretty iffy, and the rope wouldn’t hold the weight of a climber. Even without those checks, it’s obvious that it’s too short. She goes right over to the window Miles opened, hooks the grapple and tosses out the rope. She knocks over a few pieces of furniture, and spills the remaining wine from the amphora off the balcony into the bushes, then replaces it. She pours out the wine in the ewer into the fireplace and throws the ewer on the floor. She puts the (wet) knife back on the wall, but in the wrong position. If they specifically check the trophies they’ll find the weapon is in the wrong place and matches the weapon used to stab Miles.

The lady sees she’s dripping everywhere and wrings out her dress, soaking the carpet. Then she goes to her room and throws the dress on top of the canopy. She’s left two clues behind, the lace cuff in Miles hand (obvious), the earring in the chest (less obvious). Winston has left a shoeprint on the carpet.

Note, when the party searches the earl and lady’s room, I’m going to require a specific “I search the bed” check to find the wet, stained canopy which can lead them to the wet dress, not a general “I search the room.” They’ll also have to check the purse-pouch specifically or the entire dressing table.

It’s going to be pretty easy to find the dagger outside, and the party will find the name “Wyne” (sounds like Wine) cut into the sheath. Is that too obvious? I’m also going to require that the party actually check Winston’s shoe for blood and to see if it matches the print on the floor. I'll let them know they have to be specific, not just "I search the entire two hundred square foot plus all the objects and surfaces."


Red herrings: The daughter will continue to use the “I lost my earring” alibi, potentially implicating her. If the party asks to see her earrings she’ll show them several complete sets, none of them matching the one in the chest. The son will continue to have a red poison/wine stain on his shoe from the cellar, easy DC to detect wine, slightly more difficult to detect poison. Regardless of the check results, the party knows it’s certainly not blood. His shoeprint is larger than Miles. None of the daughter’s dresses are damaged. I wanted to have the son's shoe be bloody, but then they might not catch the spilled poison in the cellar.

All the rest of the original clues/alibis remain the same. Aunt Evelyn with the knife, Leon in the kennels, everyone hiding around the kitchen, etc.


I just recalled that one of the druids has a badger as their Animal Companion, and badgers have Scent. I’m going to make sure the druid has that listed in her animal’s stat sheet. When they find the gardening gloves in the basement the druid can have her badger track down the lady if she wishes. If they’re stuck I’ll tell them to check their sheets and see if there’s any skill, or possession, or experience they have which can be helpful. Or don’t check, DM don’t care.


I’ve figured out a way to make Miles connection to the clan a little better. I would postpone this adventure, and then the next adventure involves the party defending someone from the Roboli clan’s raids and arson. Then a brief, intervening adventure, finally they visit the earl at his house. By the time they see the buckle in Miles' room, they're already familiar with the Robolis and would recognize the bull insignia themselves.

The party can make the connection (hopefully)—the lady was burnt by someone, here's the same bull symbol, it had to be the Roboli clan. They have personal knowledge of the group and their symbol. I wonder if that introduces a moral dilemma--does the party tell the earl his wife killed Miles, a member of a group they fought? Will the paladin keep his mouth shut? They just killed a group of the Robolis, is it wrong to kill one more?


I'm happy with almost everything, but my concern now is that the bit of lace makes it a little too obvious. Let me know your thoughts, suggestions, etc.

[Mordar]

Mars -

I think you've over-thunk some portions...and some other portions look great.

Likes

• Wax - In fact, the whole "how she got the poison there" story is good;
• Earring - but only because it casts doubt on the Daughter. Have it be behind the chest instead of inside, though. Something nondescript is best, so no one other than the Lady automatically recognizes it as her own;
• Replacing the knife - good idea in combination with the Butler tossing his knife. I still think this is the opportunity to place the lace/thread clue, though...particularly if it is placed on a hook other than the ones used for the knife.

Dislikes

• Struggle with Miles - him dying in the chair is perfect! Putting the lace in his hand would also be too quick of a pointer in my opinion;
• The Butler changes - I really think you had this one nailed cold from the beginning. Keep the part where he throws the dagger, if you like, but leave the sheath on top of his cabinet and stick with the removed pages;

My only other wish is some way for the Fool to play a bigger part is either the misdirection or the actual conspiracy. Still, as a total innocent and portion of the Lady's alibi that may be enough.

It has been a lot of fun participating in this process!

- M

[Mars Ultor]

Mars -

I think you've over-thunk some portions...and some other portions look great.

Likes

• Wax - In fact, the whole "how she got the poison there" story is good;
• Earring - but only because it casts doubt on the Daughter. Have it be behind the chest instead of inside, though. Something nondescript is best, so no one other than the Lady automatically recognizes it as her own;
• Replacing the knife - good idea in combination with the Butler tossing his knife. I still think this is the opportunity to place the lace/thread clue, though...particularly if it is placed on a hook other than the ones used for the knife.

Dislikes

• Struggle with Miles - him dying in the chair is perfect! Putting the lace in his hand would also be too quick of a pointer in my opinion;
• The Butler changes - I really think you had this one nailed cold from the beginning. Keep the part where he throws the dagger, if you like, but leave the sheath on top of his cabinet and stick with the removed pages;

My only other wish is some way for the Fool to play a bigger part is either the misdirection or the actual conspiracy. Still, as a total innocent and portion of the Lady's alibi that may be enough.

It has been a lot of fun participating in this process!

- M

I'm happy with the wax idea.

You're right, the earring on the floor is better. There's a better chance of them finding it.


The reason I have Miles still alive when the lady comes in is specifically so he can tear the lace from her cuff. If the lace is elsewhere Miles would be dead when she arrives.

I'm wondering if instead of a piece of lace torn off by Miles, he's dead, but the lady scratches her arm on an antler when replacing the knife. Dramatic reveal when she has to pull up her sleeve and show the long, red line. The clue would be a piece of lace with a little blood on it found stuck to the antler.


In the first version the butler never used his dagger, he just returned it to his room. The second version had him actually killing Miles and leaving his dagger in the body, but keeping the sheath. I suppose Winston could see Miles is slumped over the desk, dead. He uses his dagger to cut the pages from the journal, there's a flash of lightning--he's startled and drops the dagger in the pool of blood spreading from the body. Now there's blood on the dagger, he has to get rid of it. He runs to the window and throws it outside. He come back to grab the pages and the sheath, then returns to his room, leaving the bloody shoe print as he leaves.

Now there doesn't have to be a name or anything on either the dagger or sheath. He has the sheath, the dagger is evidence, they match; it's not necessary to show attribution.


When the clothing comes back from the seamstress, the lady is looking it over and Leon is in the room playing some tune. He sees the bull insignia and gets upset. He remembers the day of the raid, he was a little older than the lady. He starts discussion it with her, she thinks that day and recognizes the symbol as well. Leon is responsible for setting the lady on a course to commit murder.

During the day, after poisoning the wine, the lady sees Leon about to head downstairs. She passes him the little clay poison container, and asks him to get rid of it. He doesn't know what it is, and just takes it with him. When he gets back to his room later on, he realizes that he's had it all day and just puts it on the table. When his room is searched, the party will find the vessel for the poison and Leon will truthfully tell them he knows nothing about the poison. He won't give up the lady no matter what. He remains a total innocent, but has an unknowing involvement in the murder.


Thank you for your interest and comments.

[Mordar]

The reason I have Miles still alive when the lady comes in is specifically so he can tear the lace from her cuff. If the lace is elsewhere Miles would be dead when she arrives.

I'm wondering if instead of a piece of lace torn off by Miles, he's dead, but the lady scratches her arm on an antler when replacing the knife. Dramatic reveal when she has to pull up her sleeve and show the long, red line. The clue would be a piece of lace with a little blood on it found stuck to the antler.

I was thinking that the lace alone would be sufficient (not needing the blood) - the investigators find the lace and thus must find the dress that matches. That is a minor quibble though, so its probably solid either way!

In the first version the butler never used his dagger, he just returned it to his room. The second version had him actually killing Miles and leaving his dagger in the body, but keeping the sheath. I suppose Winston could see Miles is slumped over the desk, dead. He uses his dagger to cut the pages from the journal, there's a flash of lightning--he's startled and drops the dagger in the pool of blood spreading from the body. Now there's blood on the dagger, he has to get rid of it. He runs to the window and throws it outside. He come back to grab the pages and the sheath, then returns to his room, leaving the bloody shoe print as he leaves.

Now there doesn't have to be a name or anything on either the dagger or sheath. He has the sheath, the dagger is evidence, they match; it's not necessary to show attribution.

Exactly! That's why he needed to still have the sheath. Shoe print is good too, since it shows presence, but not guilt in the murder.

When the clothing comes back from the seamstress, the lady is looking it over and Leon is in the room playing some tune. He sees the bull insignia and gets upset. He remembers the day of the raid, he was a little older than the lady. He starts discussion it with her, she thinks that day and recognizes the symbol as well. Leon is responsible for setting the lady on a course to commit murder.

During the day, after poisoning the wine, the lady sees Leon about to head downstairs. She passes him the little clay poison container, and asks him to get rid of it. He doesn't know what it is, and just takes it with him. When he gets back to his room later on, he realizes that he's had it all day and just puts it on the table. When his room is searched, the party will find the vessel for the poison and Leon will truthfully tell them he knows nothing about the poison. He won't give up the lady no matter what. He remains a total innocent, but has an unknowing involvement in the murder.

Nicely managed!

- M

[Mendicant]

This is great. Now that I think about it, the lace seems a bit too obvious--it threatens to shortcut the mystery. The antler scratch is fine--you could have them find the slightest bit of blood on it as a reward for either really intensive RP'd searching or an excellent check result, but a piece of lace feels like more info than you need--it's a confirmation. I still think a sign from where she got the rope is a better way to use a physical clue like a scrap of clothing; one clue leading to another clue is a lot of the fun in a mystery.

Everything else you've added is great. The sealing candle, the bigger role for Leon, Winston ditching the knife out the window, etc.

The Roboli and the violent border region seem like a good hook for bringing the party to the Earl in the first place--they want his help or resources in pacifying the region. (I don't know how you intend to fit this in a larger campaign, but Burton and pals seem like the sort of brewing problem that lower-level characters would be itching to solve, especially if they've already had a run-in with the Roboli.) Only one caveat though--if your Roboli adventure and the intervening one bring them to fifth, the Cleric has Speak With Dead, so any confrontation between a dying Miles and Godelina should be cut.

[Mars Ultor]

I still think a sign from where she got the rope is a better way to use a physical clue like a scrap of clothing; one clue leading to another clue is a lot of the fun in a mystery.


The Roboli and the violent border region seem like a good hook for bringing the party to the Earl in the first place--they want his help or resources in pacifying the region. (I don't know how you intend to fit this in a larger campaign, but Burton and pals seem like the sort of brewing problem that lower-level characters would be itching to solve, especially if they've already had a run-in with the Roboli.) Only one caveat though--if your Roboli adventure and the intervening one bring them to fifth, the Cleric has Speak With Dead, so any confrontation between a dying Miles and Godelina should be cut.

The party will be able to identify the ropes as bed ropes, presumably they'll ask Winston or Doris about them. When Doris takes the party to where the bed ropes are kept, she'll find that she doesn't have her key to the storage room. She'll recall that Oslina had asked her for it so she could get spare linens to cover her dresses. Oslina will admit to having the key and will say that she couldn't get the door locked again, something's wrong with it, so she left it unlocked. She was going to tell Doris in the morning. That at least establishes that the area was open to everyone, and casts some suspicion on the daughter.


We play an episodic campaign; they travel around getting into trouble. It's an irregular schedule, usually only one session every three weeks or a month, and sometimes someone has to miss a game. I try to have each adventure last one session, perhaps two, so there's not a lot to be remembered each time.

I throw out a couple of threads during the adventure so I can see where they're going to want to go next time. They travel around the same area, and there are recurring NPCs who sometimes point them toward an adventure. "Did you hear about up north in Pedwell? Something is eating all the sheep, and the shepherds, too." Having the Roboli as a threat that pops up from time to time is easy to include.


I'm reasonably sure the Cleric won't be fifth yet. I prefer a low magic and grittier setting so I limit experience. They're becoming more well known in the area and get fringe benefits so they feel as they're moving up. But it's not an issue now because Miles is already dead, he doesn't need to be alive to tear the lace.

[Mendicant]

This seems pretty well set. I'd like to know how it runs in person whenever you do it--I'd like to adapt it into my own setting at some point.

I'm reasonably sure the Cleric won't be fifth yet. I prefer a low magic and grittier setting so I limit experience. They're becoming more well known in the area and get fringe benefits so they feel as they're moving up.

Yeah, that's how I usually run games too.