Missing Musician
The newly-promoted guardsman with several marks of valor and rank on his uniform looks at you smartly, his bright blue eyes ernest in a way that few guardsmen of his rank manage to keep. He looks young though, so perhaps that is part of it. "There have been several deaths recently, all of them with different modes of death, but all of them with a distinct signature to them. We found something like this..." He holds up a black mask. "In the residence of every person who was killed. Never in the same place, and usually hidden but all of them had it. But I'm sure you're wondering why you're here."
He pauses and looks around briefly. "A local... prominent person was kidnapped last night. I am not at liberty to tell you their identity, but I can tell you that this very mask was found in their home. So we are asking you to help us determine where this person is, and of equal importance - who took them."
Ga'Elian takes a mask in his hands and carefully examines it, turning it over and over. He asks, "What else is found there? Signs of a fight, possibly? And were there any household servants or family members that witnessed and of the victims wandering off or being taken?"
"...oh!" The tall Arvek is paying attention. "We will save this person! Whoever they are! And we will stop the bad one, whoever that is!" A pause. Boshter is, perhaps, seeing a problem here.
Balderdan - the guardsman - watches Ga'Elian turn the mask over while he answers the elf's question. "There are never any signs of a struggle. So far all of the bodies were found in their homes with no one the wiser that they were gone. This particular... individual lives with a minimal staff and no family. As far as we know this individual was the first person who was kidnapped. If the others were it would suggest an even more troubling pattern."
Ga'Elian ahs. Says, "Sorry, I missed where you had said that the others were found dead. Are there any similarities among the dead victims that this missing one does not share, apart from this?"
"Plenty of magics which can stop that. Ga'elian! Can you track him?!" He sounds hopeful. The dude has a griffon. Maybe tracking is a thing!
He's staring at him with huge eyes now.
The guardsman looks at you all and slowly answers again. "Not particularly. They were all murdered in different ways. One was stabbed, perfect cut. One was ah... Disarticulated down to the finger-bones. I would say that they were all wealthy or influential, but one of the victims was a butcher of no particular note. Another was a tailor, again as normal as you could expect."
Ga'Elian looks at Boshter, curiously, then says, "If I can find a trail, odds are pretty good that I can follow it." He turns back to Balderdan, and adds, "Which raises my next question: Where should we begin to look? Perhaps the house of the missing person?"
Nodding, Boshter says to Ga'elian, "Unless the guard here has a better idea, it is always a good idea to return to the scene of the maybe crime!"
"I read that in a Gobber Girl Detective story once."
Ga'Elian asks, "Is that something by this Crimson Pem I've heard of?"
Balderdan looks uncertain for a moment, but finally nods. "I will take you there on your solemn vow that you will not tell anyone who the person is should you discover their name." He looks deathly serious.
Ga'Elian says, "I suppose that's fine, unless the person is Svarshan." He smirks.
Verna's attention is promptly drawn to the physical evidence presented. She remains quiet for some time as she studies it. "If we can deduce the probable affiliation or identity of the perpetrator, we will greatly narrow the focus of the search. The item was not left by chance, it is obvious. It is a statement or message."
"Yes! Unless the Guardsman here has a better idea we should definitely start there... but of course we kind of need to know where we're going..." A nod towards Verna. "What can you tell us about it?" he asks of her.
The mask itself upon examination yields no obvious clues. It is a standard item, made of materials that could be found anywhere and with an expertise that is neither poor nor extraordinary. It is a full-face mask, covering even the mouth area - although not the eyes.
GAME: Boshter rolls Knowledge/Religion: (20)+9: 29
"Interesting..." Verna concludes, "yet not in any conspicuous manner. It does not appear finely crafted, nor especially crude. Its significance could be more personal to the perpetrator. We should acquire more information and context."
"Oh!" Boshter says this as he has the mask in his hands. "Verna, have you heard of a Vardaman cult called 'the Mask'? They are very creative with their name! Wow! The Mask!" He holds it out to Verna, now, again. "They call themselves the mask. And make black masks. They are death omens! They are bad! I think."
The guardsman looks in surprise at Boshter and eyes Verna. "Is that... a real thing? A cult called 'the Mask'?" He seems doubtful but hopeful that they have found a clue.
GAME: Verna rolls knowledge/religion: (6)+19: 25
Verna blinks, though her hood obscures much of the reaction if not all. "I may have come across vague tales of its history. I suppose that it is one avenue to investigate, albeit no less obscure than any other." Her hood pans to the guard. "Shall we move to scene of the crime in question?"
Ga'Elian says, "Yeah. I'm ready."
"Let us go! Demasking the mask awaits!"
Boshter can't be serious. Can he?
With a nod of his head Balderdan acquiesces. It is not a far walk, and finally you arrive at the home. It is a farily modest home, but the yard... Is something special especially in a city. There are beautiful trees and bushes growing outside. All of them lovingly tended to. There is no sign of a single weed in the yard, and yet there's a natural air to the cultivation of these plants. A symetry with nature in the midst of stone and the bustle of people.
Balderdan pauses at the door looking around and finally smiles. "Ah! There they are. I knew we had one more person but it seems that they were a little tardy. Welcome!" He offers a greeting to Karelin.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Knowledge/Local: (10)+2: 12
Karelin strides along, and nods towards Balderdan curtly as he arrives. "Greetings," he says as he strides onto the grounds, looking around. "Here?"
Boshter is, of course, taking a look around with obvious curiosity.
He's trying to discern anything that might be visibly out of the ordinary.
GAME: Verna rolls knowledge/local: (5)+9: 14
Ga'Elian walks with the others, but leaving no trail and making no sound. His griffon follows overhead. When they reach the house, he smiles at the design of the garden, but wastes no time before starting to look for signs of the traffic that traverses these grounds, trying to discern what is normal versus what is unusual, if anything.
Verna is neither silent ninja nor a clattering collection of metal plates, though her robes absorb much of the sounds of her steps. Not to mention obfuscating the feet that make them, if such do, indeed, exist. "One who is fond of The Green, it appears." That may be the extent of her observations concerning the residence.
GAME: Karelin rolls knowledge/local: (10)+6: 16
Balderdan glances at you and opens the door to the house. "Of course he is!" He snaps his mouth shut and suddenly looks embarrassed with himself. "That is... Nevermind." He leads you inside the house to the living room. "We found the mask up the chimney."
The guardsman heads into the living room and motions toward the chimney. So far there is no sign of oddness, no sign that anyone has been here... except the heavy boot-prints of guardsman who possibly obscured every footprint you might have otherwise found. There is sheet music on a piano in the corner of the room, and several other instruments. All of them of such quality that they outshine the room itself. Whoever lived here cared more about them than the house.
Ga'Elian walks over to the instruments and looks more closely, especially any that are of the wind variety.
Karelin starts to systematically search the house. Looking for things disturbed, and concentrating first near the chimney. He asks Balderson. "Is there roof access?"
Ga'Elian looks over to Karelin and says, "We could always climb up the outside if there isn't roof access from inside."
It's the sheet music that gives away the name of the owner of this house. His name is Ascal Liasandoral. A hugely famous elvish singer from Ga'Elian's own people - the woodland elves. He is well known for being a modern artist unlike most elves, who contemporises pieces thousands of years old for the masses. His concerts are always sold out months to years in advance and people from across the continent know his work. Yet it seems he lives in a humble abode.
Meanwhile Balderdan shakes his head at Karelin. "Just through the chimney."
Ga'Elian looks surprised and quite impressed as he reads the name off the sheet music. He explains to the others, "Our victim is none other than Ascal Liasandoral. Very famous."
GAME: Boshter rolls perception: (18)+21: 39
Ga'Elian says, "Anyway..." and joins the search for clues and evidence, focusing on trying to catch a print other than that of Ascal, his staff, or the Watch.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Percep/Ioun+Urban: aliased to Perception+4+2: (14)+28+4+2: 48
Verna enters with the others and begins her search of the residence. Her knowledge of, and perhaps interest in musicians is poor, especially in comparison with other areas.
Karelin squats down in the middle of the room, looking around for a moment. "Silk rope." He stands, looking around. "Probably to bind, instead of climb, based on where we are. Which then means magic to cloak." He exhales. "Fuckin' magic."
Ga'Elian says, "Aye. A single strand. It's not much to go on."
Karelin heads outside to climb up and search the roof.
"So you think he's still alive?" Boshter is still searching, of course. HE's whipped out a ridiculous cap and put on his head and has an outrageously oversized magnifying glass in his hand. Seriously, where did he even get those?
It's part of the Gobber Girl Detective kit. And he's still hunting.
The group moves to the roof, which thankfully is sturdy enough to hold you all after Balderdan finds a ladder for you to use to climb up onto it. He stays down below, clearly feeling awkward about the idea of climbing up there.
Karelin is somewhat blase about the ladder, and sets to searching the roof steadily.
Ga'Elian likewise.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Percep/Ioun+Urban: aliased to Perception+4+2: (5)+28+4+2: 39 GAME: Karelin rolls perception: (13)+29: 42 GAME: Boshter rolls perception: (11)+21: 32
After an exhaustive search of the roof you are certain that no one has been up here in a very long time.
Karelin stands on the edge of the roof, looking out over the yard. "Then magic for getting in and out." He hops off the roof, and starts searching the yard after he lands.
"...so how do we find them, then?" asks Boshter of Karelin, curiously. He's definitely wondering about that as he scans the horizon and the rooftop.
Ga'Elian says. "I'm going to head back inside." He climbs down and starts to look around the various rooms.
Karelin grunts. "Get lucky." He keeps searching, though.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Percep/Ioun+Urban: aliased to Perception+4+2: (7)+28+4+2: 41 GAME: Boshter rolls perception: (4)+21: 25 GAME: Karelin rolls perception: (8)+29: 37
A thorough search of the garden yields nothing in the way of clues. It seems well maintained, and weed-free, but there are no signs that someone has passed through recently aside from the stray boot print of the standard-issue guard boot.
Ga'Elian steps out and says, "There is an odd room made up for sleeping quarters beneath the stairs. Also, a chair is missing from the table, and I suspect our virtuoso was tied up in it with this silken rope and hauled off by magic or stealth."
"An odd room?" Boshter asks Ga'elian, curiously. "Can I see?" He is definitely interested in having a look! He has a magnifying glass, after all. "Hmm..The Mask gave him a death omen and then took him! But WHERE?" He taps his chin. Thoughtful.
Karelin comes to the door. "There's no sign of anything out here. So perhaps they didn't come outside at all." A pause. "To the catacombs beneath the Temple of Vardama." He points downwards. "There are a lot of places they could be." He nods. "Let's see under the stairs. A way out that doesn't go outside makes sense."
Ga'Elian returns inside, pointing at the table with the missing chair on his way to a small closet under the stairs. He opens the door and begins to root around the place, lifting the mattress and such.
Balderdan follows you inside, his expression largely uninterested. "The room is likely for the man's butler. I have it from the rest of the housestaff that the man was just hired and that Ascal was nice enough to offer a roof over his head." He stands just inside the door. "Rather spartan isn't it? I don't even see clothes."
Indeed there is /nothing/ in the room to suggest that someone has ever stayed here.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Percep/Ioun+Urban: aliased to Perception+4+2: (3)+28+4+2: 37
"Hmm.. Do we know where the butler is?" Because, of course, THE BUTLER DID IT. Boshter is nodding his head. It's all clicking into place.
Balderdan pulls out a notebook and flips through it. "The butler had the night off. I'm surprised he's not here, but maybe he thought it'd be a little weird to stay here with his employer missing and all. His name was... Jeeves!" While he talks Ga'Elian finds a loose floorboard under the bed. It's a simple and easily spotted hiding spot, but there's nothing inside it.
Ga'Elian says, "This looks like a secret hidey hole, but it has been emptied. I need to think for a few minutes... puzzle this out." He walks back toward the musical instruments and takes out his panpipe. He plays the melody on the sheet music that he previously read Ascal's name from.
GAME: Boshter rolls Perception: (12)+21: 33
Karelin examines the butler's room, then as Boshter goes to search hit, he looks around the basement level. "So, barring magical means, how do you not leave traces? Don't make them." A pause. "We should consider that the composer may still be on the premises."
Ga'Elian says, "I'm not convinced that they didn't leave traces, but that their traces have been trampled over." He looks around again.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Percep/Ioun+Urban: aliased to Perception+4+2: (12)+28+4+2: 46 GAME: Karelin rolls perception: (4)+29: 33
Ga'Elian's search of the living room provides no further clues, and in the cellar Kraelin also fails to find anything relevant. It seems that you have perhaps exhausted your search of the downstairs. The only thing you have not examined yet is Ascal's room.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Percep/Ioun+Urban: aliased to Perception+4+2: (1)+28+4+2: 35 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Karelin rolls perception: (5)+29: 34 GAME: Boshter rolls perception: (19)+21: 40
Boshter drops down to the ground with his magnifying glass.
"Dot, dot, dot, dot," he says.
"There are four dots!" He points at a spot on the ground. "Also, why is the pillow case missing? That is very weird!" That is Boshter. On the case of the... missing...pillow...case? Way to go, Encyclopedia Orange.
Karelin squats down. "Dots of what?" He examines the place more closely. A pause. "Well, I would use a pillowcase over the head of someone I was kidnapping, to make sure they didn't know where they were going." Like he's done it before.
"Just little marks in the carpet," clarifies Boshter, leaning down to squint closer at them.
Ga'Elian looks at the four impressions, then looks immediately above them toward the ceiling, or light fixture, or whatever might be there.
Ga'Elian even walks over and stands between them as he gazes upward.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Track+Urban: aliased to Survival+4+10+5+2: (9)+26+4+10+5+2: 56
Ga'Elian studies the ceiling for a moment, then his attention shifts to the bedroom door, or rather the lintel of the doorway. He points at a tiny smudge and says “wax”. Sniffing it he says, "Lavender" then heads out and seems to be following a trail back to the butler's room and finally to the house's front door. He says, "Whoever did it was tall, probably used lavender-scented hair wax, and carried Ascal, bound in the chair." At the final wax smudge on the frame of the front door, he casts a spell.
GAME: Ga'Elian casts Residual Tracking. Caster Level: 20 DC: 14
-TBC-