Session 387 - On the Trail of a Murderer
General Summary
21st to 24th of Kelen Spring 728TR
The story so far
A group of heroes battle the evils haunting the beleaguered Kingdom of Kanday.
Sir Odin, a former Erkan of the Checked Shield, has been raised to knighthood.
Remy, a former master thief and active gambler, has won and lost fortunes.
Abaddon has traveled the wilderness, perfecting his impressive martial skills.
Edelina, a scholarly priestess of the god of Knowledge Save K’Nor, joins them on their adventures.
This is the continuation of Session 385 - A Face From the Past.
Location - Gimon Barony, in the Kingdom of Kanday.
Alvor of L'sean, a traveling priest of Ilvir, has been murdered in a brutal ritual consistent with a Morgathic human sacrifice. The heroes are tracking the killer, who appears to be a knight.
Part 1 – Hunting a Murderer
The party visits the local villages in the Barony of Gimon and asks about a knight who had traveled through the area last month. At Naduir and Yitndaen Manors, the peasants report a tall, intimidating knight passing through. He had a raspy voice and foul breath and rode a large warhorse. His accent was foreign, and his shield had no coat of arms. He seems always to have his hand on his massive fail, but this could be part of his menacing mannerisms.
The nameless knight was asking after Wichard of Roxby. Fortunately, one of the locals knows of this man; he is a household merchant specializing in goods from the Kingdom of Kaldor and the dwarven Kingdom of Azadmere. The peasant believes the merchant has a shop in the City of Aleath.
The heroes plan to visit the City of Aleath but fear the worst. But first, they see the local sheriff's representative, the Bailiff at Lurien. The bailiff, Sir Valter Elcher, is horrified when he is informed of the murder of Alvor of L'sean and instructs his men to look out for this sinister knight and bring him in for questioning. Seeking clarification on the law, the Bailiff informs them that Sir Odin, a knight of the realm, can challenge the foreign knight and theoretically apprehend him. “If a fight breaks out and a murderer meets his fate, so be it,” says the Bailiff. “I’m sure an investigation will clear you of any wrongdoing.” The heroes are not remarkably assured.
Location - The City of Aleath in the Kingdom of Kanday.
Part 2 – The City of Aleath
The heroes arrive at the City of Aleath after fighting off an ambush by malicious vegetation. The Shambling Mounds are formidable opposition, but they are composted.
As a knight of the Order of the Checkered Shield Odin can pass through with his armaments. Fortunately, the remaining characters have no weapons of note (although Abaddon temporarily gives Odin his ancestral spear to carry through the gates).
They begin their investigation in the clean, moral, and orderly city, learning that the mysterious knight was here less than two weeks ago, only for an afternoon, stabling his horse near the gates. The stablehands remarked that the other horses seemed agitated and avoided his mount. They also learn the address of Wichard of Roxby in the Kendris District (the northwest quarter of the city containing many three-story tenements).
Part 3 – The Surprise up the Chimney
Roxby's Fine Baubles and Ornaments shop has been closed for weeks. As Remy and Abaddon struggle to pick the shop's door lock, Odin questions and distracts the nearby townsfolk. One older chap saw a knight visit just before the business was closed. Eventually and painfully, the lock is picked, although several lock picks are broken in the process.
The heroes enter the shop, and Odin immediately spots ash scattered about the fireplace, “That’s odd,” he thinks and investigates. Sure enough, he spots a foot dangling down from the chimney. Pulling the foot reveals a body stuffed up the chimney. Roxby's assistant has been murdered, throat slit in a familiar ritualistic manner, the work of the mysterious knight. The party finds blood trails and signs that the shop and adjacent living quarters have been ransacked but hastily covered up.
Searching the business carefully, Remy notices a suspicious, straight crack in the wall. It looks like a trap, and a slightly ajar painting on the wall is nearby. Remy conjures a blast of air from a distance, knocking the painting off the wall, and suddenly, a blade slices out of the crack at waist height. With the scythe trap activated, a thorough search uncovers a secret compartment with a bag of 10 gold crowns and Roxby's journal and business ledger.
The journal appears mundane, but Edelina, a speed reader and practiced researcher, flips through it, finding interesting sections.
Roxby was traveling to Kaldor to purchase goods, and while staying in Coranan, a sometime business partner and very influential man requested a favor. Could he transport a small ebony box to a contact in the City of Tashal.
The influential man was Senator Tuvoth Rylen. Odin recalls hearing that this man is a member of a Thardic Republic's Senate faction who wants to go to war with Kanday.
Unfortunately, the New Empire of Lothrim overran Tashal, so Roxby returned home to Aleath instead and could not deliver the box.
The remaining notes show that Roxby's luck has turned for the worse over the last six months, and he became ill.
The last entry states he plans to visit someone called Wilt at Edaxe Manor. He has become suspicious and concerned about the box and took it with him.
Remy considers robbing the shop, but Odin and Edelina are adamant that the party takes nothing. So, Remy despondently makes a show of returning the ten gold crowns he found while using sleight of hands to pilfer two, unobserved by the more lawful-minded party members.
The heroes inform the city watch of the murder and can leave after a few hours of interviews.
Naduir, Yitndaen and Lurien Manors
Remy
Abaddon
Odin
NPC Companion
Edelina of Sprunstone
Edelina, a scholarly priestess of the Church of Save K'Nor, wanders the world looking for subjects to research. She has studied psionics and astrology.
Order of Hyvik
The Order of Hyvrik is the clerical arm of the Laranian Church in western Hârn.
The order is the spiritual sponsor of the Order of the Checkered Shield, a powerful fighting order.
Part 4 – Assassins in the Street
That afternoon, as the party makes its way to the city gates, they spot trouble. A middle-aged priestess of Larani is walking the streets with her Order of the Checkered Shield bodyguard. On the roof of a nearby building, the heroes spot movement, and several toughs with clubs and daggers are moving through the crowd in her direction.
After checking that the priestess is alive, the heroes climb onto the roof to pursue the assassin. He is not alone; four more malefactors, one of whom seems to be able to summon and control fire, hide on nearby rooftops. The party battles on the rooftops, makes perilous leaps over alleyways, and eventually prevails. The enemy is defeated, and Abaddon captures one alive for interrogation.
The priestess, Helara Ablaso, is angry but in good spirits. She is the Obasaran (Mistress of Secular Affairs) of the city's largest temple of Larani (The Sanctuary of Virtue) and also the acting high priest when the Serolan is absent. When asked why the assassins were attempting to kill her, she explained that they were probably the Spiders, a new foreign thieves guild trying to muscle into the city. They are likely from the Thardic Republic. Obasaran Helara is vigorously pressing the town council to deal harshly with these nefarious interlopers before they become established.
The righteous and highly moral priestess donates to the party with some powerful healing potions to reward their heroic efforts. Odin generously offers the Obasaran the heroes' services in the future if needed.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
Sir Valter Elcher - Bailiff of the Hundred.
Obasaran Helara Ablaso - Mistress of Secular Affairs.
Created Content
Related Reports
Temple of Larani - The Sanctuary of Virtue - Updated.
Player Characters
Odin - Human - L6 Ranger
Background - Martial Disciple.
Archetype - Investigator.
Abaddon - Elf - L6 Monk
Background - Martial Disciple.
Archetypes - Druid.
Remy - Human - L6 Kineticist (Air and Metal)
Background - Acrobat.
Archetypes - Acrobat.
NPC Companion
Edelina - Human - L6 Holy Sage Sorcerer
Background - Astrologer.
Archetypes - Psychic.
Comments