Of Men and Machines Session 5
General Summary
What's the Situation?
The party stood while Deputy Alyce Dorgonn rattled off the details of the three murders that had been plaguing the city. The first victim: a fisherman named Nilus Coyle. His body had been found by the docks almost a month ago by his friend Danzin Keenvale. The second victim - a librarian named Abigayle Undermoor - was on her way home when she was attacked. She would be found the next morning by Elmina Shieldfist. The most recent murder - a traveling businessman from Arrowport named Zachary Falk - had been killed while escorting a prostitute back to her place; a woman named Ryia de Grey. Alyce provided details of the murders as well. She indicated that each victim had had something taken from them: a body part. Zachary Falk had been skinned from his waist to his neck, while Nilus's liver had been removed. Abigayle had had her heart removed. She described that each removal had been clean, and that there was no sign of tearing or animal attack. Lastly, each victim had been killed before having their organ removed by either strangulation or having their neck broken. Damakos immediately suspected someone putting together a flesh golem and suggested to the party that they start their investigation down in the cemetery. Alyce was unfamiliar with such things, but she trusted the judgement of Kobril Dersk and directed the party to outside the city wall on the east side.We're Looking for Some Body...
The party approached the gates of the Castleport Cemetery a few minutes later. They pushed past the metal gates which invited them in with a squeak. The headstones were a mix of religious symbols, simple headstones, and fancy mausoleums with protective gargoyles. The group wandered through the grounds for a few minutes until they spotted the groundskeeper shuffling about in the distance, picking up here and there. Damakos and Keck approached the man - an elderly man named Arin Silentbranch with thinning white hair, a squinty right eye, and a bit of a hunched back. Arin looked up at the party and asked why they were here and that there were funerals scheduled. Fel'Shu asked if they had any bodies missing the skin from their waste down. Arin looked confused and said that they didn't have anyone like that, but that they had just buried a man who had been skinned from his waste up just the other day. The party then asked if any bodies had gone missing from the cemetery. Arin looked curious and pulled out a piece of dried meat of questionable origin from his pocket and began to gnaw at it. The old man insisted that no bodies had been taken and that no plots had been disturbed. The party asked if they could buy one, but Arin played coy and emphasized that he didn't do that sort of thing. Seeing his disingenuousness, the party pressed him and asked how much. Arin began to add several conditionals, such as freshness, age, and sex. The group said they weren't picky, but Arin countered that it would cost at least 50 gold pieces. Keck scoffed at the offer and countered that the South Wind Trading Company didn't pay for bodies and threatened that they just get offered up. Arin, clearly scared of the prospect of crossing the Company, apologised right away and offered that it was all a misunderstanding that Medarin Clubs didn't need to hear about. He said he'd find one for the group and that he'd have it ready by 6pm that night. Satisfied, the party headed for the Castleport Library.But You Don't Have to Take My Word For It...
Walking up the stone steps and past the beautifully carved pillars into the library, the party was impressed with the dedication to knowledge presented by the structure before them. A blonde half-elf woman sat behind a wooden reception desk, her grey-streaked hair pulled back somewhat messily. She looked up at the party from her behind her name plate which read: Natalie Iscalon, Head Librarian. Keck introduced himself and the rest of the party as being deputies investigating the murder of Abigayle Undermoor. Natalie's eyes began to well up as she clearly remembered her friend fondly and missed her. She explained that she had requested that Abby, as she was known to her friends, had agreed to come to a birthday party for Natalie's brother. She was going to put on some magic tricks - some simple things like faerie fire and the sort - for entertainment. She was found about halfway between the library and her home the next morning. The party asked if anyone had given Abby any trouble recently. Natalie couldn't recall anyone bothering Abby, but remembered being pestered by a tall dark-haired eccentric elf about an alchemy book in the restricted section. That, of course, prompted a whole series of follow-up questions about the restricted section. Keck wanted to know what was in there, and if they could see the books. Natalie rebuffed every effort made by the party to get into the area, and let them know that they had safeguards in place to protect it. Not exactly satisfied by their inability to get into the restricted section, the group took the answers they got from Natalie and continued their investigation. They headed down to the docks...Down by the Docks
The penetrating glares of large men followed the party as they walked into the commercial dock area of the city. A group of three men with yellow and blue tassels on their hips to signify membership in the South Wind Trading Company stood by several crates while others with crossbows stood off in the distance keeping an eye on the party. Tim the Not-so-Tiny, taking a queue from Keck and Damakos back in the cemetery, approached the men. Fel'Shu hung back to watch, and eat an apple. Tim asked the men what they knew about a murder. The men stopped what they were doing and got surrounded Tim, proclaiming that they didn't know anything about any murder. Not satisfied with the answer, Tim pressed the man, with Keck egging him on. The man insisted they didn't know anything and that the party should leave. He then insulted Tim. Naturally, the Half-orc fighter didn't care for this turn of events and threw a punch that connected on the man's chin. He fought back, and the other two joined in, as Keck and Damakos entered the fray. Fel'shu continued to hang back watching the ensuing brawl. Meanwhile the two men with the crossbows stepped forward, just to make sure that things didn't get out of hand. Fights occurred at the docks from time to time; it wasn't unusual for the Company men to get into fights with the locals. As the men traded blows with Tim, Keck attempted to talk them down. He threatened jail for the men, but that didn't seem to do much. One of the men with the crossbows chimed in and informed the party that they actually want to head to the fishery closer to the west side of town; that's where the body was found. He then informed them to steer clear of the Company men in the future and that he couldn't guarantee their safety. Keck took note, and the party headed to the fishery.There is Something Rotten in the State of Castleport
The stench of today's (and yesterday's) catch hit the party hard in the face. Men and women were coming and going from the docks and their small fishing boats to one of several small buildings. Nets and various barrels were strewn all over, but the area was largely organized. The party entered the first building they came and began asking what they knew about a murder. Most of the folks working there ignored them, but one of them pointed to the next building over and told them to talk to Danzin Keenvale, the halfling. Danzin was the only halfling in the building and was found standing on a bench as he separated his catch from his net along with all the various detritus. The group approached and began asking questions right away. Danzin was a bit taken aback by the sudden line of questioning and shot back: "who are you exactly?" After clearing up their respective identities, they continued to question Danzin. The halfling revealed that while Nilus was quite shy and didn't have many friends, that Danzin was his friend. Nilus had gotten into a tussle recently with the South Wind Trading Company men, and they responded by sinking his fishing boat, forcing him to double up with some of the fishermen and women at the docks. He would sometimes hang out with Nilus at his house, and he would do some low level magic from time to time. That little statement was enough for the party to establish a link between the victims. Largely satisfied with Danzin's answers, the party headed to Fox & Cur up the road.We Were Walking Back to My Place
They knew they were getting close by the steady stream of drunks and sailors on the street. The small tavern's door opened easily enough and the first thing they saw was a massive half-ogre swinging wildly at a much smaller - yet more nimble - human in a fighting pit in the corner of the tavern. A group of Company men sat nearby chanting "Kronk! Kronk!" while a fourth sat at a separate table with a scantily clad redhead sitting on his lap. This was without a doubt Ryia de Grey. The party headed over to the bartender, a human man in his mid-30s with a clean shaven face and dark hair. They purchased a few items - mainly drinks and some bread - from the small establishment before asking some questions about Ryia. They learned that she frequented his establishment and that she had been there about a week earlier before leaving with the victim. Tim the Not-so-Tiny approached the lady and began to chat her up. She and her evening's suitor clearly became irritated by the interruption; Ryia was, afterall, working. Tim began asking questions of a professional nature and Ryia became annoyed by his constant pestering. The Company man she was with eventually stood up and readied himself for a confrontation with the party. Just then, some quick thinking from Tim caused him to levy an accusation at her regarding her hygiene. This was enough to cause concern for the large man, who decided that he wasn't going to get burned... again. So he left her company and joined his mates at a nearby table who were cheering on Kronk the half-ogre. Meanwhile, Ryia stormed out of the tavern. The party went after her. They stopped her in the street and began to question her. She refused to tell them anything else, insisting that she'd already told the police everything she knew but they didn't believe her. Keck and Damakos offered to pay her for her information and to provide protection. Ryia hesitated not wanting to relive that horrific night. Then she started. She had been chatting with Zachary Falk, the victim, for a bit that night. He would come around and talk to the other girls in the neighborhood from time to time. He was in town from Arrowport and was looking to unwind. He had done some minor magic to impress her, and it worked. They were headed off to her place and had stopped in front of a nearby alley to warm up a bit when a large hooded figure dropped from the sky. She recalled it had terrifying red eyes, but that's all she could remember. She fled the scene, terrified for her life. She hadn't made it more than a block before she heard his gut wrenching scream. That made three magic users. Two was a coincidence; three was a pattern. Ryia offered to take them to the murder scene. The party accepted and they headed up to the alley. They investigated the area, moving barrels and crates around to get different views. They were able to find a small red gear symbol seamingly painted on the side of a barrel, no bigger than a nickel. Damakos recognized this symbol as belonging to the Brotherhood of the Machine, a cult dedicated to the advancement of civilization through technology and the destruction of magic. The party now had additional clues to the identity of the murderer and his targets. It was mid-afternoon, so they stopped in to a nearby shop and purchased some items they were lacking.Rewards Granted
- 50xp for uncovering the Brotherhood of the Machine tie
- 200xp for investigating all three murders
- Inspiration point for Tim the Not-so-Tiny for playing in character
Character(s) interacted with
- Danzin Keenvale
Report Date
28 Apr 2023
Primary Location
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