Open RP: The Reaper Cases

[Flannery]

((This is meant to create some thrill and shall be continued over a longer period, meaning I will continue the overall story in steps, so hopefully none of you might know, what might happen next.. or when.
We did have some fun with open RPs back in the old days, so I thought, to give it another shot. Feel free to join and have fun!))

Ronas 14th, 71

Within the morning mist of the woods of Runewick, straight to north, there lies the corpse of a man in a puddle of blood. He was carefully positioned to lean against the tombstone under the pink blooming tree, close to the fireplace, obviously meant to be found by whoever may pass. His leather armor is pierced and cut all over, yet none of the wounds would be inflicting fatal damage, but cause great pain instead. He’s gagged with an empty leather pouch that was stuffed in his mouth and his eyes are widened in agony. It seems as if he was left to bleed out, without the mercy of a final blow. Nothing of value can be found among his belongings, except for a silver coin that was placed under his tongue…

[Aswe]

"After that trial.. i could certainly use some good news." Aswe thought, as she meandered through the woods north. She was making a quick administrative check on the chicken coops. to make sure they were all in order. He mind was elsewhere, right up until she spotted the dull red that was spattered over the forest floor. rapidly being reclaimed by nature. her stomach gurgled. as if preparing itself to see some horror, either a dead body, or an animal savaged by another. In some sense it was both.

The man's grave pallor told her immediately that he was expired. though she was compelled to check. She grabbed his thumb and it went even whiter under her grip, when the colour did not return it told her that his heart was not beating. Releasing a sigh she closed the man's eyes and looked around. crying out for those around to hear.

"Murder! Murder!"

[Malchus]

Aswe's cries remained not unheard, as a man came running from town, following her familiar voice. It was Brassius Meres.
"Councillor, are you alrigh-," he stopped as he beheld the gruesome find. "W-wait here, I'll get the Captain!"

Soon enough both returned, panting from the hasty sprint. Meres must've told Malchus what Aswe had found, for he seemed unsurprised as he approached the corpse and Aswe, whom he greeted curtly. If he felt any disgust towards the scene before his eye, he hid it well. He stepped closer and inspected the corpse intently from head to toe as it was leaning against the tombstone.

"Fie, fie, what a sorry way to visit Cherga's realm," he muttered as he saw the many stabs and slashes, slowly pulling the bag with which the victim was gagged from his mouth. "Empty," he remarked as he peeked inside.
"Looks like robbery an' murder... only, why would the corpse be left behind so openly? One would expect robbers to hide their victim in the undergrowth or bury him inna shallow grave. It's as if he was meant to be found - a message, a warnin'?"

Looking at the face from left and right, Malchus concluded: "Doesn't look like anyone I'd know from 'Wick. Maybe a foreign traveller who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or just sum' lousy bandit who was left behind like that by a rival gang as a warnin'."
Malchus paused for a moment to think before turning to Aswe. "If ya agree, Councillor, I suggest the body to be transferred to the hospital to be examined closer. In the meantime, I'll issue a warning to Runewick's citizens to be alert an' avoid unnecessary travels on rural roads...

... and I'll scour the woods for bandit hideouts." His expression darkened and he uttered the last part with a grave, almost threatening voice.

[Flannery]

After the councilor also has conducted a preliminary examination, the corpse is moved to the hospital for a thorough examination. According to his armor and clothing, the man was probably spending most of his time outside. His boots are worn out but sturdy, his trousers and shirt are worn down and patched up. His armor has obviously seen many battles, but seems to be well mended as is the scabbard of a dagger on his belt. The dagger itself, however, was not to be found anywhere near the crime scene. Nor anything of value except for the single silver coin that was placed under his tongue.

He’s probably in his 30s and around 6,5 feet of height on around 190 pounds of weight. His muscled body is dominated by his broad shoulders and big hands. Numerous old scars tell of a vast battle experience.

Once the body gets washed, the true extend of cruelty becomes visible. Whoever had done this, obviously knew exactly what they did. The first cuts were aimed with great precision and skill, and obviously executed with incredible speed, severing the tendons of the victim’s arms and legs, rendering him unable to move. All in all, the victim received 32 cuts and stabbing wounds all over his body, each one aimed precisely, not to inflict lethal damage on any vital point, but cause as much pain as possible. On the inside of the left lower arm, there was a piece of skin cut out, in the shape of a perfect square of approximately 4 square centimeters.

[Aswe]

Aswe sat in the hospital by the desk, her fingers steepled together. She was constructing the details fo the death in her mind and compiling what she knew. None of it painted a pretty picture and none of it sat easily with her.

• He was a bear of a man. slightly shorter than her, but nearly twice the mass, in layers of fat, muscle and bone.

• His body was positioned, either before or after death, leaned up against a tombstone and left to exsanguinate.

• His clothing, ragged and worn, his armour had the telltale signs of a journeyman warrior - likely a bandit or a down on his luck mercenary.

• All of the scars on his person, a tapestry of a life lived in blood.

• The number of cuts indicate that this man was either hated greatly, or was a message to someone who is.

• No signs of a struggle. No fight. whoever did this - The man trusted them or they caught him off guard.

All of the facts led to the conclusion Malchus made. A bandit who had been caught in the wrong area? a killing in some beneath the surface war? A grim reminder to some petty bandit king sitting at the back of a cave? All equally likely. and would have likely been the cause. were it not for the thin silver coin placed underneath his tongue. Had to be placed post mortem, otherwise it would have been swallowed in a panic. Aswe turned it over in her hand, staring at it's symbols and faces. It was an old coin, minted in some far off place with some crest that almost read like 'Northerot'. It was as well travelled like most coins in Illarion, and it seems it's remarkability made it entirely unremarkable.

Too deliberate to be random. Too exact to be thuggery. Too sinister to be banditry.

[Malchus]

"A concerning case," Malchus murmured as he brooded over the findings at his desk. The corpse which Aswe had recently found and examined boded ill. The victim was by no means an ordinary man: His size and build was prodigious, and his armour and many scars were a testament to his experience in combat; hardly the type of man whom ordinary robbers would try to mug, let alone succeed with. By outward appearance the victim was not too dissimilar from Malchus, which meant whoever killed the stranger could also pose a serious threat to Malchus himself.

Malchus sought solace in the thought that such fell murder could not be the doing of one man alone. If the perpetrator was alone, however, he must be more beast than man - perish the thought. Considering the revelations of Aswe's examination, Malchus discarded the notion that this was mere banditry. The silver coin beneath the victim's tongue must have some meaning, and the precise removal of a piece of skin on his arm even more so. Bore this tiny square of skin maybe a tattoo which would've revealed the victim's identity and lead to the culprit? Regardless, the brutality and blatancy of the crime must mean that it was a message, a warning to someone. Only, to whom, and what if the warning should remain unheeded?

There were too many questions and too few answers. Malchus decided that for now the only reasonable thing he could do was to patrol Runewick's outskirts, both to give the citizens a feeling of safety and to be vigilant for anything suspicious, such as, in the worst case, another corpse. He asked Orion Lysander, whom he found just outside the tavern, to accompany him on his patrol through the woods. Though Lysander is no guardsman, circumstances were dire and the idea of walking through the woods alone foolhardy; Malchus wasn't keen on sharing the victim's fate, and knowing another trained warrior by his side was welcome. The two warriors walked the roads and swerved into the thicket of Runewick's dense woods, scouring them thoroughly. Suddenly, a faint melody rang through the copse. Malchus and Orion carefully followed the sound to its source and found in a secluded glade Flannery practising the lute, who, after a stern warning about the dangers of being alone in the forests, was shooed back into town. Malchus sighed in relief that the copper-haired lutenist was their only find that day.

In the evening Malchus was unexpectedly visited by Deanna, who, at Flannery's suggestion, shared her thoughts on the case with the guard captain. Though Deanna seemed uncaring and personally unfazed by the murder, her insight into the case's details were keen and her speculations intriguing. She, too, was convinced that this murder must be a message to someone who would understand the meaning of the silver coin under the tongue. If we were to report the case's details to the public, she reasoned, we would inevitably relay the murderer's morbid message to its intended recipient. Whether Malchus should publicize the details, or alter them, or keep them classified he had not decided yet.

Another detail which caught Deanna's attention was the coin's unusual origin, Northerot, which she identified as an ancient castle on Gobaith, which was first the abode of the demon Darlok and later that of Djironnyma. Although the Bearers of Fire were long gone, secret followers could still dwell among us. A relation between the murder and the Bearers was unlikely, but not entirely impossible. Whatever the case, Malchus heeded Deanna's last advice, and kept his eye open for any unusual behaviour of Runewick's residents.

[Flannery]

Ronas 23rd, 71

As the sun rises over the desert of Cadomyr, the flaming red light falls on the corpse of a man, that was carefully leaned against the door of what is meant to become the queen’s tomb, one day. His clothing is made of thin, yet well-made, white linen, suited for travelling the deserts. However, the luxurious attire, which was enriched with finely made, golden embroidery, is now soaked with his blood. His thin cloak bears the emblem of a wealthy trader’s guild of Gynk, which is also known for slave trading activities on the mainland. The light shawl, which travelers of the desert often use to shield their breath from the sand, is stuffed into his mouth.

The rich decorated sheath of a scimitar is still attached to his belt, but there’s no sign of the weapon itself. There’s a small dagger within each of his boots, but it looks like he had no chance to make any use of them. He still wears numerous precious rings on his fingers and also an amulet of pure gold around his neck. However, there is no coin to be found with him, except for a single silver coin that was carefully placed under his tongue. It bears the old emblems of Lor-Angur, from over 150 years ago.

The dark haired man, with a well-trimmed beard might be around his 30s and 5,8 feet of height on around 150 pounds of weight. He suffered numerous cuts and slashing wounds, which were done in great precision. None of them is fatal, but aimed to cause great pain – just to leave him to bleed out. The puddle of blood already seeped into the sand beneath him…

A thorough examination might reveal, that the first four cuts were probably done with a dagger on incredible speed, severing the tendons of his arms and legs, rendering him unable to move. The other ones might have been inflicted by a sword or scimitar. All in all, it might be around 30 of cuts all over his body. On the inner side of his left lower arm, there is some skin removed – a perfect square of around 4 square centimeters.

((Should one of you want to get rid of one of your chars, feel free to contact me. I won’t refer to player chars unless there are any volunteers ))

[niya]

The sun had moved a little across the sky by the time the dead man was found. An elfess who had been gathering herbs and fruits at the meadows near the delta and made way back to Cadomyr past the queen's future tomb. The smell the blood lured her to the body leaning at the door. Moving as quietly as she could, she approached the crime scene. For some moments she just stared at the body taking in the gruesome details.

She had expected to find a dead sheep or fox, not a dead human.

His clothes looked wealthy and bloody. He had no bag with him. So, was this robbery? No, he still wore lots of rings and an amulet. He was gagged - so he could not cry for help? And he had been cut so many times... whoever did this did not mean to kill him quickly. So, possibly the murder took time, time the victim and attacker were unobserved. How much time? She had no clue. The man could have been killed here, the tomb was relatively remote. She looked around the scene, trying to spot signs of battle or fighting. None to see. But, there's lots of blood in the sand. It would take time to lose so much blood. Also, should the man had been dragged here already hurt, there should be a trail of red drops somewhere, unless the wind and sands have already covered it up. Yet, the man was not tied up. Why didn't he fight or flee? Was it because he was cut and too hurt to run? Slowly she approached the dead body taking a closer look at the wounds at his legs. Yes, he had been cut so that he could not move, and gagged so that he could not scream.

Why? Why would someone do this? Why kill in such a way? Had the man had enemies that wanted to see him suffer? Was the body meant to be found to show how he had suffered?

Suddenly, having seen enough she turned around, snuck away from the tomb as quietly as she had approached it. Out of view and out of sight from the crime scene she moved faster and straight back into town.

---

Later, a small paper with clumsy writing is hung up at the walls: "To the town guards: There is a dead body at queen's tomb. Is not the queen, is man. He is very, very cut and very dead."

[Alytys Lamar]

Aly walked out of the villa in armour and with her weapons - time for a patrol.
Horatio greeted her with a serious look, "Dame Lamar a moment of your time?"
"Certainly Horatio, what is it?"
Silently, he pressed a note in clumsy handwriting into her hands. She read the paper with raised brows.
"To the town guards: There is a dead body at queen's tomb. Is not the queen, is man. He is very, very cut and very dead."
" Well, I should probably have a look. Who gave you the paper Horatio? "
"It was hung on the wall. Unfortunately, the guard didn't see who it was and brought it to me"
Aly nodded briefly and handed the paper back to him.
"I'll have a look at it"

With hurried steps she went to the construction site - it didn't take her long to find this very, very dead man, because two young foxes were fighting over his clothes.
She shooed them away and took a look at the scene.
The man had been rich and apparently none of the jewellery had been stolen.
A rich trader, possibly even a slaver from Gynk.
His scimitar was empty, though, which was strange, because his two knives were still stuck for a reach in his shoes.
She checked the clothes and there was no purse or gold to be found.
Nevertheless, she ruled out robbery.
The many, precisely inflicted injuries were intended to let the victim die slowly, bleeding out.
She wasn't a medico - but she had seen enough in her life to be able to judge that.

Sighing, she stood up and built a protective wall around the corpse from the building materials lying around.
This way, the wild animals of the desert could not easily reach it.
Katharina would have to decide what to do with it.
She had to send her a message.

Cursing quietly, she made her way back - as if they didn't already have enough problems - now there was also a murder to solve.

[Katharina Brightrim]

tap tap The sun shined through the open window, as Katharina watched it settle. tap tap Some bird - what sort, Katharina could not define - landed on a far roof and turned its head stupidly. tap tap On her desk in front of her laid the report about the finding. tap tap And then there was this annoying tapping. She frowned and looked down at her index finger, only now noticing that it was the source of said tapping. Maybe, she decided, it was not all that annoying after all - and, as if to proof exactly that to herself, she tapped the table and the parchment laying on top of it again. Eventually and after another few moments of brooding over the whole issue, she pulled out a fresh piece of parchment busied her fingers with the quill now. That brought an end to the tapping but, on the downside, also lead to a monotonous buzzing somewhere behind her forehead. A headache announced itself with little to no mercy. She wrote the first few words and stared at them for a moment.

Dear Aly

Deciding that this was probably a good, a promising start, she went with the flow

Thank you for your report.

Formalities out of the way.

A corpse at the site of our Queen's tomb-to-be? That is quite concerning news.

This, she decided, was going quite smoothly indeed.

I will have it brought in for closer examination. I will also send word to Amelia, her expertise might be needed here.

Glancing back at Aly's letter, she hummed softly, pondering. Eventually, she added a few more lines.

You are absolutely right, a knight court meeting is long since overdue. I will see to gather them all. Once the corpse is in, I would like you to be there for the examination, too.

Katharina read over her reply again, then nodded and signed the parchment. Another few minutes later, she had also prepared a letter for Amelia, summoning her to Cadomyr for the examination. Leaving the rather cool-ish villa, being met with the evening desert heat, she dropped the first letter at the villa next door and moved on. At the palace, she handed the letter for Amelia to the responsible messenger and then sent out a small group of people to recover the corpse from the tomb. "Bring it to the hospital, I shall be there soon with an expert. Don't remove anything from the victim and move them as little as possible." As an afterthought, she added "And get rid of the blood." While the group headed out, she strolled back home. Before she was to witness the examination of a murder-victim, she felt like she should change into something less elegant, something at which she won't mind blood-stains on. Her mind was restless, as she walked, the issues and worries on it weighing down on her, turning her usually light steps into a less graceful shuffle. The prospect of another scene of violence she now had to deal with lead in no way to brighten up her current mood, which was just over-satisfied with it. Was it really this hard to not be a murderous ... Anyway, what had to be done, had to be done, she decided, as she fumbled with her keys, mentally preparing for another show of toughness she was not feeling.

[nathi]

The sun sent its first golden rays through the canopy of the sparse forest on on the offshore island. The air still carried the freshness of the night as Deanna wandered through the forest shrouded in morning mist. She stopped for a moment by the rock on the shore and looked to the east. A magical sight revealed itself before her eyes: More picturesquely, the town rose behind the waters, shrouded in veils of mist, while behind it the rising sun bathed the surface of the water in warm colors.
Determined, she continued on her way. It was only a short walk - so close to the town! With a searching gaze, she walked around the honor fire for those who had fallen in the battle against Kharud and finally looked at the tombstone of this memorial.

There were no traces of the crime to be seen, apart from a few markings in the ground that might have been left by the recovery of the found body.
Deanna looked again at the neighboring walls of Runewick. "Why so close to the town?" she asked herself again. Was her first assumption that Runewick probably had nothing to do with this murder and was a warning to someone else perhaps wrong? She couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something.
The dead man was supposed to have been leaning against this tombstone. On her recent trip to Cadomyr, she heard that a dead man had also been found there, similarly battered and with a silver coin under his tongue. There was no doubt that these two deeds were connected, as the dead man was also found there, leaning against the door of the royal burial chamber. The burial chamber! Deanna's eyebrows rose slightly as she looked at the gravestone.
A moment later, her eyes widened slightly. "Shouldn't this murder be a warning to the two cities after all?" she thought.
She wondered whether she should confide her thoughts to the new captain of the city guard, or rather to Aswe? In a way, she didn't feel taken seriously by the cheeky human. But would Aswe even listen to her?

As she walked on, Deanna approached the northern bridge, from where she enjoyed the view of the mirror-smooth waters. The rising steam lent the moment a mysterious aura. Here, in the midst of nature, she found not only inspiring thoughts, but also a deep connection with the peaceful beauty of Runewick.

[Amelia Rotholz]

Amelia was sitting at her desk, with a gloomy face. Dark thoughts kept circling her mind, reflecting the past days.

When Katharina’s letter had reached her, it already gave her a bad feeling There had been a case of murder in Cadomyr, just so short after Runewick had given a travel warning for the same reason? Probably a coincidence. It was certainly not the first case of murder and not the last. Yet, it was the first time, she was called to examine a victim, since she lived here in Illarion. She knew very well, what to do, after having assisted in autopsies back in Brimshire during that dreadful Mas, as well as having attended several lectures for healers at the Academy of Salkamar. However, working with the dead still made her shudder. Prepared with several tools for any case, she had gone to Cadomyr, being grateful to have Clairette by her side.

Katharina and Aly had been awaiting her, but despite their warning, shehad by no means been prepared for the sight of cruelty that had awaited her. It had taken all her self-control to stay calm and professionally. The stench had been awful, even with the herbal salve under her nose and the cloth mask. Step by step, she had removed the items and clothing, while Aly kept protocol. Soon, the victim had been identified as a possible slave trader, for the emblem of a well-known trader’s guild from Gynk. Aly had mentioned to have seen a ship with the same crest near the coast, recently.
Meanwhile, Oxi had joined them, startling her to death, as she had been focused on the victim. At least, he had been able to identify the silver coin, that had been placed under the victim’s tongue, to originate from Lor-Angur and it was obviously also quite old, making it rather rare. Why would the murderer do something like that? Even more so, it had been obvious that the coin was placed post mortem, since the gag had been removed to place it and then put back in place. Would the victim have been still alive, he might have swallowed it or called for help?

While Claire, Aly and Katharina had been considering possible conclusions about motives and such, Amelia just forced herself to focus on the victim. She had continued, trying to let herself not get distracted, but their thoughts just had made it worse for her.

A sacrifice?
Like Claire assumed?
If so, by the goddess, to whom?
Moshran??
Even for his followers, this would be extreme, wouldn’t it??

A kind of ritual?
Aly had pondered about that…
But again, what for?!
Amelia did not even want to imagine!

No! Focus!

Then, she had found the precise square that had been removed from his left lower arm. It had clearly been removed ante mortem or post mortem, since the edges had not shown any sign of bleeding. Again, more questions. Why would someone do that? She had begun to blend out the others and just continued. Working with the dead was a horror to her and especially facing the inhuman cruelty, this one had been suffering.

Washing off the blood had revealed the true horror of the murder. From what she could tell, the first four cuts had been the key. With his tendons severed, the victim was rendered helpless. Clearly, those had been executed swiftly and with great precision, probably with a knife or dagger. Yet the other 28… It made her shudder inside. From what she could tell, those were done with a larger blade and rather slowly. No vital point was aimed, but it was clear, those were meant to cause great pain. Since the the victim had a sheath of a scimitar, but the weapon itself had not been found, it was highly possible that those cuts were done with the victim’s very own blade.

Whoever did this… must have been a sadistic monster.

Then, Aly suddenly brought up another question. Even if the tomb was a rather remote place, this must have taken quite some time, including to let him bleed out. True, the risk to get caught had still been evident. Or was that even a part of thrill for the murderer? A frightening suspicion had come to Amelia’s mind. Again, it had taken all of her will to do what was needed to confirm it. And as she had feared, the cut of his tongued had shown, that his little rest of blood remaining was still not fully congealed.

There were only two possible reasons for this.
Either the victim suffered from hemophilia or the murderer had used a substance that would inhibit coagulation. But that would not fit the obvious torturous way to kill.

The thought had kept haunting her and so she had addressed Yridia, Aswe and her old professor about possible poisons. As expected, Yridia was not really able to help her in the matter. Druids know how to treat poisoning, but not much about poisons or how they work. Aswe on the other hand, had some ideas:

What if the coagulation inhibitor was indeed just a side effect?
What if the murderer used a poison that would knock out a victim, like the so-called Smiling Betty?
An enhancer for pain, like the secretion of the red cave olm?
Or a paralyzing poison like shadow berries?
All of them had the side effect of inhibiting coagulation and are known for being used as poisons on weapons on different parts of the mainland. Yet, none of it was originally to be found on Illarion.

Even more so, Aswe’s letter revealed another, quite alarming fact. There were frightening parallels to the case in Runewick.

The silver coin…
The square of skin removed…
Both being arranged at a memorial side…
The overall modus operandi…

Caught in shock, she kept staring at the last sentences of Aswe’s letter:

The square of skin is troubling.
It may be the removal of identifying marks, or a trophy.
But either is another linking factor.
These are the works of a serial killer.

[Flannery]

Eldas 11th, 71

West of where the pigs dwell, south of the road from the Hemp Necktie Inn to Galmair, there lies the corpse of a young woman. She was carefully leaned against the tomb stone that stands close to the fireplace near the road. If it wasn’t for the puddle of blood that is seeping into the grass, a distracted eye might mistake her for being just asleep. The impression might be enhanced by her delicate stature and her long, blond locks which were arranged to flow down her shoulders, giving her an almost angelic look. Her fine dark red dress is covered with elegant lace around the bodice and her night blue cloak is finely trimmed with white rabbit fur. She wears an artful sapphire necklace around her neck with a set of fitting earrings. Her boots are finely crafted and made for long wanderings, without lacking a certain elegance. Next to her stands a basket that is well-filled with various art supplies: colors, brushes, coal pens with handles made from polished cherry wood, parchments, and several rolls of linen canvas. All packed nicely. However, there is no pouch to be found on her.

A closer look will reveal marks of strangulations around her neck and traces of binding around her wrists. From the looks of it, she was strangulated repeatedly, since it seems like there are several marks overlapping one another. The strangulation marks look like being caused by cloth, probably a scarf, while the binding marks clearly show traces of a rope. However, none of those are to be found in the nearby area, neither any weapon. Her arteries are cut on both of her wrists to let her bleed out and on her lower left arm, a perfect square of skin was removed, around 4 square centimeters in size. She is gagged with a pair of fine gloves, made from black silk, which were stuffed into her mouth… and right under her tongue, there’s a single silver coin, minted in Kroch Gurak, around 120 years ago.

[rakust dorenstkzul]

Dylan's day was going well. he'd had a full breakfast, a good sleep and a reasonably good first half of the day, he'd even seen a squirrel.

Then he saw her. leaning up against the tombstone. She had to be sleeping, right? but who'd sleep out here? And in a dress that nice? No.. he crept closer

"H-hello, M-miss?"
No answer
"M-miss?"
Nothing

As he got closer, he saw the drying pool of blood, his face went ashen pale. He'd seen a dead body before and he knew this was one, he fell down, sitting in the dirt, just staring at it for a long time. before he swallowed hard and stood up. Turning to the town and walking back unsteadily he finds a guard and barely stutters out his finding.

[Tenebrous]

The grubby young lad tosses a handful of berries from the bush, shooing away the hog that threatens to reveal his hiding place. Fearfully he peers out at the murderer sat in the dirt, gloating over his victim. His eyes widen with terror as he recognises the man. Shuffling back he crawls away before stumbling to his feet and fleeing back to town.

That nice lady who brought them cake was in danger! But who would believe him?

[Clairette]

"Pardon?" Clairette turned to Dylan and Bre. She had been on her way to gather resources outside town, had thought nothing of Dylan stuttering to Bre, nodded to both in greeting, and stumbled over the gate's doorstep just the moment she heard the human talk about a dead woman.
"A dead body?" she echoed, getting to her feet, brushing away some dust from her armour. "Another one?" she asked, staring at Dylan and Bre with narrowed eyes.

[rakust dorenstkzul]

Dylan nodded quickly and repeated. "A m-m-murder. Out by the t-t-tombstone. Her hands are....all b-b=bloody.. and sh-she's so pale." He pointed again, meekly, in the rough direction of the body.

"I C-can't go b-back." she spluttered, shaking his head a few times. "N-n-not me.", he tugged his hair gently in an anxious mess of a move. "S-she's dead." shaking his head some more, he walks down the street, and away from the elfess.

[Clairette]

Clairette hissed, frustrated. Dylan's behaviour was not funny at all!
Should she go to check for the dead body or make sure the young human man was okay?
Well, the dead body would not run away - at least she hoped so.

Clairette looked to Bre, Bre looked back to her and then the dwarfess guard kept watching guard, looking into the direction Dylan had pointed to, maybe making a more serious face than she usually did.

"Dylan, don't you run and hide away now!" Clairette raised her voice and tried to tell the human to stay.
He did not stop, and so she walked over to him, and said in a lowered voice, trying to cheer him up: "Listen, you don't have to worry about this, inside Galmair's walls we are well protected." She nodded and said in a normal tone: "Well, you found a corpse, but it's not you who died." The dark skinned elfess would shrug and then try to smile encouragingly at Dylan."Be a bit more happy about that, aye?"


Next, Clairette went to the guard room, she would leave a note for Amelia and Oxi:

"Dear Left Hand and dear Amelia,
I am going to check a corpse near the Hemp Tie. Dylan found it at a tombstone. It could be, a medico may have to examine it.
~ Mage Clairette"

Then the elfess put on her drow armour and an unmatching knight helmet and went to search for the corpse near the muddy patch where the pigs were roaming under the Eldan oaks and apple trees.

[Amelia Rotholz]

With a deep sigh, Amelia closed the door to the hospital of Galmair and slowly walked towards her flat. Her report would reach Oxi by tomorrow and she also would soon send a copy to Aswe and Katharina, for obvious reasons. The light of the two moons illuminated the streets, yet it was not enough to reach her dark thoughts. When Dylan literally stumbled over her, a few days ago, pale as ash, one of her worst concerns came to reality. Another case of murder… And it was him who found the victim, out of all! Back that day, she did let go of all her duties and brought him up to the flat. Being there for Dylan, who was caught in deep shock, was all that mattered at that moment and so she had just stayed with him, holding him to help him calm…

Meanwhile, Clairette had gone to find the victim and the crime scene, according to Dylan’s sparse description. Everything went fast. The note, Clairette had left at the guard house had been redirected to Oxi’s office and soon, a messenger also delivered a copy to Amelia. Of course, Oxi had sent some guards after Clairette, to help secure the crime scene and retrieve the body, before the wild life would cause any more harm.

Amelia only knew the protocols, but what they found had been a scene of horror. Countless insects and maggots already had their feast on the pool of blood that was seeping into the ground. Yet, the young woman had been posed like a puppet, leaning against the tomb stone in her last, eternal sleep. And then there was the basket with art supplies, that was neatly packed right next to her, probably hers. Boot prints told of a struggling woman and someone in heavy boots, probably a huge man or maybe an orc. The only other strange thing they found, was a tiny spot of bright blue oil paint on the bark of a nearby tree. There had been no documents to determine the identity of the victim, except from a brooch of the faculty of arts of the academy of Salkamar.

Of course, it had been on Amelia to conduct the examination.
What shocked her the most were the many parallels to the other two cases.

• The coin under her tongue, that had been placed post mortem and like with the victim in Cadomyr, the murderer went through removing the gag to place it, just to gag her again.

• The gag was obviously just something random of the belongings of the victim.

• The perfect square of skin that was removed from her lower left arm, with the same size.

• The fact, that she was placed on a burial side, like the others.

• Although she was strangled, she was left to bleed out in the end.

Too many similarities to be a coincidence. The only difference was the way of torture and the fact, that her wrist obviously had been constrained with a robe during the process. From what the marks on the poor woman’s neck told, she had been strangled over 16 times. Petechiae in her eyes told of the victim’s struggle. The murderer obviously just strangled her to the point to lose consciousness again and again, before finally cutting the arteries on her wrists to let her bleed out.

The thought alone was enough to let Amelia shudder. It was not the same as cutting someone’s tendons to render them helpless in order to stab them over and over. But it sure was a clear sign of cruelty, as well as a sign of power over the victim. Despite the difference in the modus operandi, Amelia was quite sure, this was the doing of the same monster, as in Cadomyr and Runewick.

And the only conclusion left, scared her to hell. Aswe was right, this was probably the doing of a serial killer…

[Malchus]

A letter to Aswe sent from the Hemp Necktie Inn:

8th Irmas 71

Hail Councillour Aswe

I send news from Galmair, where I currently am on an errand. I happened upon Proctor Oxiana, his daughter Amelia Rotholz, and the elven witch Clairette, who shared with me that another murder happened recently, this time on the road between Galmair and the Hemp Necktie Inn. According to Clairette and Oxiana, the body of a young woman was found by Dylan, a local miner and Rotholz's fiancé. They claim that the victim was drowned in a well and, strangely, already chewed on. What foul things could dwell within a well's water to gnaw on a human body? When I inquired which well she was found in, as to avoid drinking from it, Oxiana initially avoided answering the question and beat around the bush, despite there being only one well on the road which would come in question. It was all very strange.

On the same road I noticed a spot of blood soaked dirt at a tombstone, as well as drag marks and footprints belonging to probably five different people: Very large boots, as if belonging to a large and heavy man or orc; other heavy boots of womanly fashion; light boots, definitely belonging to a smaller woman; and two different kinds of dwarf-sized footprints. Could the tombstone be in truth the site of the murder? The location would fit that of the victim in Runewick. But if so, why would the Galmairians hide it?

They initially seemed clueless about the victim's identity, or at least pretended to be, the only clue to her identity being a brooch of the academy in Salkamar. I mentioned that I met an artist from Salkamar some time ago in Runewick, Zennia Bexley, and described her to them, leading them to the suspicion that the victim was indeed her. I asked if I could see the body to confirm this suspected identity, but they refused, claiming to no longer have it available. Perhaps they indeed already buried it, or, considering that the undertaker's position is still vacant, disposed of it in some other manner. Yet, why would they so hastily get rid of the body, such crucial evidence, if they supposedly didn't even know her identity yet? Galmair is very cold, and if need be, a body could easily be preserved in ice and snow for further investigation.

It seems Galmair tries to hide something, and I recommend being wary. I send this letter from the Hemp Necktie Inn, lest it's intercepted and secretly read by the Galmairians. I'll wrap up my business in Galmair and return to Runewick post-haste.

Signed,
Malchus

[Clairette]

A few days later Clairette made her way past the same well that Malchus had identified as the said-to-be spot of murder and part of Claire's lie.
She was equipped with two drawings on parchments each showing the face of one of the murder victims found on Cadomyrian or Galmairian ground: the Salkamarian artist student girl and the Gynkese slave trader.


Amelia had drawn the images. Clairette frowned thinking about Amelia. Her friend and ally had been angry with her for lying to Malchus about the murder. She had accused Claire to be playing games. The young human woman was worried, but did that excuse her for saying such unappreciable things to Clairette?

She had obviously not been thinking enough. Amelia was worried and had said they were not trying to find the identity of the victims, she had not realised that Oxi and Claire had wanted to talk with her alone. Malchus from Runewick had shown up that day before they had had a chance to talk to Amelia. Oh, how annoying! And angry Amelia had even kept her waiting and then she had been scolding Claire for lying.

Clairette hissed lowly. Amelia thought it would make her look like a liar! Absurd. It would rather make Clairette look like a liar, but that was fine. Maybe it would keep away nosy people...

Oxi and Clairette had tried to tell Amelia that it was not good to share too much information with outsiders, but had Amelia really understood that? Clairette suspected that she'd just continue to do so, it was Amelia being Amelia. And yet, it felt ... unappreciable. Was it something to worry about? And then, what Oxi had said about Aswe... well, that was unappreciated as well. Well, at least she knew when to keep her mouth shut and her head low.

As she was walking over the bridge, Clairette looked at her reflection: the water showing the reflection of a dark skinned elfess with white hair wearing leather armour and a dark robe, a leather shoulder bag hanging around her body and a harp at her belt. In addition to that, she had a black feather hat drawn deeply into her face as protection against the sun light and a mask made of silk to cover the part of her face around her eyes.

Soon she'd reach the Hemp Tie Inn to ask around.
----

"Do you know these people?"

Clairette stood in the Hemp Necktie and held the parchments towards grumpy Borgate. He placed the beer mug away, he had been cleaning and squinted his eyes at the images. "Well, you know there's many people passing by the Hemp Necktie these days..."

Clairette just stared at him. "Can't really say I know any of these two either." said the barkeeper and nodded in direction of the drawings while he reached for another mug to clean. "The young woman was here some time ago. Rare to see someone so well-mannered and nobly dressed in this inn." Borgate looked over to the tables standing in the Inn. "The woman made some heads turn, one even approached her. He was turned down swiftly."

"A-ha." Clairette said, staring at Borgate blankly. "Do elaborate....please?"

"Well, you know how these things go? He drank a bit to get courage and tried to talk to her. He offered to buy her a drink. She politely refused and hinted that she had no interest in company. He didn't immediatly get it, so she spoke more bluntly and well..." The dwarf placed the next clean mug away and wrung out the piece of cloth. "... the guy got angry and left the Inn. Slammed the door." Borgate dipped the cloth in a bowl with clean water and continued his work.

"Tell me more about that man!" ordered the elfess.

The dwarf took a moment to ponder - or to annoy the elfess, and then thought better as she glared at him. "Well, he was a tall person, and by that I mean taller than you or Bryan even! He was wearing a hooded cape, but nothing fancy."

"And that's all?" asked the elfess, a hint of disappointment showing on her face despite the silk mask.

"I usually I do not pay much attention to faces, it's better to pay attention to if they pay their beer, you know?" explained the dwarf patiently while continuing his work. "From his posture I would say he was used to hard work, either a farmer, a fighter or a sailor even? Who knows?"

The elfess nodded once, waiting for more information, as nothing more was spoken she asked: "And the man on this parchment?" She waved the parchment in front of the dwarf. "I never saw him." said Borgate somewhat annoyed. "And now, either you buy a beer or let me do my work. The mugs don't clean themselves."

----

Half-Hung Bryan looked at the parchments while the elfess was standing motionlessly observing him with white eyes. "Well, Lady..." he said, taking a breath. "The woman was here. I saw her leaving the Inn ..." Bryan pointed towards the direction of the path leading to Galmair.

"When was that?" asked Clairette. "Quite some while a ago... a month maybe?" the man shrugged a bit. "Haven't seen her return to the Inn ever since."

"Did she leave alone?" asked the elfess.

The half-hung man nodded. "Yes, she did."

"What about a tall, hooded man? Wearing a dark cape?" was the next question asked just that the answer was spoken. Nosy, this elfess.

Bryan grimaced. "There are many figures like that around here, Lady." He explained.

"I know." the elfess smiled. It did not really seem friendly. "Borgate said the man I want to know about slammed the door and left angry."

"Oh? There was indeed one that fits that description and he left angry after slamming the door of my Inn." Bryan patted the door with a hand, as if to excuse for the unjust treatment it had suffered.

"And now you tell me he went after the woman?" said the elfess annoyed.

"Oh no," said the half-hung Bryan, shaking his head. "He left first. If you look at it that way, it was the other way around: She left in the same direction that he had taken." He pointed towards the mountains of Galmair again. "Thank you." the elfess said, but she did not seem very thankful, rather distracted and pondering.

----

Evening in Cadomyr, near the harbour. The ocean's waves are making sounds washing ashore, the air smells of salt and fruits from the trees.

The lighthouse shines it's light, while the sun heads off the sky to make room for the moons. With the sun sinking the air slowly got colder as well.

The elfess pulled her coat over her shoulder heading back from the harbour towards the teleporter. The harbour worker had identified the man, but not the artist. The man was likely a slaver from a place called Gynk, as that was where his ship had came from. He had been seen walking away from the harbour some months ago. The harbour worker did not remember much more, even when Claire had tried to bribe him with beer and apple pie.

So far, all she could tell was that the two things the man and the woman had in common was that one, they had been murdered and the murderer had cut away some square of their skin, and two, they had not been seen together.

Clairette hissed lowly in frustration.

[Aswe]

Aswe sat in her home anxiously tapping her finger against the table, her eyes were furrowed and several concurrent lines of thought worked through her mind. Tax rates, the health of the market, tensions with Cadomyr, the scareness of silk, the coming of Mas.. But one kept bubbling to the top of her mind: An active serial killer in Illarion, and the lack of progress of Runewick's investigation. she let out a gentle sigh and put a quill to parchment.

Malchus

I wanted to enquire about the current status of Runewick's investigation into the murder outside of town. Have you made any progress and identified the victim? There should be a drawing of him in the hospital. If you are unaware of who he is, i would recommend putting some pressure on the bandits in the elstree. Likely they would have some idea. Failing that, the necktie.

Keep me posted on any developments

Aswe

Aswe looked over her shoulder as the door creaked open, and Irina entered with the smell of freshly cooked food. Everything else could wait

[Flannery]

Malas 5th, 71

In the first grey light before dawn, there lies a corpse of a dwarf with long dark hair and a well-cared beard, leaning against the coffin in front of the closed gates of Galmair. He was positioned to face down the road leading away from town, sitting there in a puddle of blood with his eyes widened in agony. His cloak bears the colors of Galmair and there are two holders for dwarven axes at his belt, but there’s no weapon to be seen.

The straps of his otherwise well-mended, heavy armor are cut to access his muscular upper body. He’s covered with numerous stabbing and slashing wounds and was gagged with an empty leather pouch, left to bleed out. Underneath his tongue, a single silver coin was carefully placed, probably minted in Kan-Ann-Irulaith, 120 years ago. Other than that, no coin is to be found with him. A closer look may reveal, there was a small piece of skin removed from the inside of his left lover arm: a perfect square of around two square centimeters…

[Cynthia]

Cynthia was on her way back to Galmair.
She had been forced to spend another lengthy period of time in Salkamar, the dispute between her siblings over her parents' inheritance was getting on her nerves.
After visiting Stavros's grave and telling him everything as usual, she approached the gates of Galmair.
A person was leaning against the cursed coffin that had been lying outside the gates since last Mas.
Cynthia thought to herself that this was probably a rather bizarre place to sleep and so she walked round the coffin.

A scream of terror stuck in her throat, the blood --- so much blood.
Once she had somewhat overcome the shock, she screamed: "GUARDS, GUARDS..... there's a corpse here - a dwarf! GUAARDS ....."
Then she ran to the nearest bush and threw up, almost losing consciousness.
With trembling knees, she staggered into Galmair - while Galmair's guards hurried out.

[Malchus]

It was a busy day at Runewick's hospital when Malchus dropped by: Aswe, ever the dutiful medico, was doing her ward round in company of Irena Monteira and tending to Flannery, who, since an unlucky encounter with some particularly oversized and murderous rodents, had to stay at the hospital for some days. After a quick exchange of pleasantries, Malchus picked up the drawing which Aswe had mentioned in her letter. The mug of a grizzled, scarred man glared from the parchment at its viewer.



Armed and armoured, Malchus ventured through Runewick's countryside into the Elstree Forest, which by now he knew like the back of his hand. Below a certain ruin lay a vast cave, which was home to a formidable bandit gang. It wasn't the first time that Malchus paid them a visit - he knew them and they knew him. The guard captain would regularly come down the hole, claim his share of their spoils, and leave them to their business. It was a live and let live sort of affair.

Only this time Malchus didn't just leave, but insisted on a conversation about the parchment in his hand. The bandits brusquely tried to give him the cold shoulder, but Malchus's mace proved to be a persuasive means to make clear that he didn't take no for an answer. It took some minutes and a bandit's broken rib to reveal that the victim was, as suspected, a foreigner with no ties to Runewick called Barios, who had joined the bandits' ranks several months ago. Barios was, or so his fellow bandit claimed, a tough and experienced fighter, but also quarrelsome and unreliable, frequently doing his own thing, and thus not very well liked in the gang. Last time they saw him, Barios set out to rough up a rival gang. He never returned.

Determined to learn more about Barios, Malchus tried his luck at the establishment which Aswe had recommended him: The Hemp Necktie Inn, the favourite haunt of many an outlaw.

"People come and go all the time at this place, you know how it is. Maybe he was here, maybe he wasn't. Can't remember them all, now can I?"

"Half-Hung" Bryan, tight-lipped as ever, didn't want to remember any Barios nor a face that looked like the one on Malchus's parchment, at least not until a fistful of silver refreshed his memory.

"Ah, now that you mention it, yes, there was a big buff guy calling himself Barios here. A down-and-out sellsword who arrived from the mainland about a year ago looking to earn some coin. Seems he had no luck finding any mercenary work, I didn't need more hired guards either, so eventually he left. If you want to hire him, you're out of luck, 'cause I don't know where he went, nor do I care to know."

Having learned all that Bryan had to tell about Barios, Malchus returned to Runewick. If Barios's murder was related to the other cases in Cadomyr and Galmair, it could not have been the doing of that rival gang, whose territory was limited to the forests north of Runewick. Although Malchus had found out much about the victim, little of it seemed to bring them any step closer to his murderer. Back in the guard house, Malchus would write a letter to Aswe to relay his findings and to ask whether she knew anything about the murder cases in Cadomyr and Galmair, as no information about them have reached him yet.

[Amelia Rotholz]

Amelia was in the hospital, cleaning up, while some members of the guard came to fetch up the body of the poor dwarf to bring him to his final resting place. His name was Boradin Ironbeard and he had been a retired member of the guard.

She just finished the examination and her thoughts travelled back to when he had been found by poor Cynthia. Hearing her dear friend scream, she hurried out, finding the bard totally in shock, pale and shivering. She took her to the kitchen, away from the events to sit down with her by the fire after preparing some tea to help her calm down. It took quite some time, until Cynthia finally could take a breath and calm down a little and even longer until she was able to put into words what she had just witnessed. Amelia took her time, staying by her side, while outside, the guards secured the crime scene.

That had been yesterday. Now, she sat down at the desk of the hospital, to write her report of the examination.

Examination of a dead body in case of murder

Galmair, Malas 6th, 71

Examination conducted by:
Amelia Rotholz, Medico of Galmair

Witnesses:

• Thotric Mithrilbender, Member of the guar

• Cedric McGuinness, Member of the guard

Victim Data:

• Name: Boradin Ironbeard

• Gender: Male

• Race: Dwarf

• Age: 198 years

• Height: around 4,55 ft

• Weight: around 180 pound

• Clothing: Heavy, plated dwarven armor of high quality, cloak in the colors of Galmair.

Location of the crime scene:
The victim was found in front of the gates of Galmair. He was positioned to be sitting, leaning against the coffin with the label of Greum’s name, that remained there since Mas.

Further details:

• Two holders on his belt for dwarven axes, but no axes were found.

• Victim was gagged with an empty leather pouch.

• A silver coin was placed under his tongue, definitely post mortem. Meaning the gag was removed to place it there and then put back in place.

• The straps of the armor were cut to access the body.

• Overall 32 cuts and slashing wounds.

• First 4 cuts severed the tendons of all for limbs, rendering the victim unable to move. From the looks of it they were executed in a swift, yet very precise move.

• The 28 slashing covered all of his body. Highly possible, they were inflicted with the blade of an axe. They were executed with great precision. No vital point was aimed for, but the goal was clearly to cause as much pain as possible.

• A piece of skin was removed from the inner side of the left lower arm. A precise square of around 2 square centimeters. From the looks of it, this was the final act and done ante mortem or post mortem, as the cuts show no signs of bleeding.

• The tongue cut method revealed an inhibited coagulation. Hence, it is hardly possible to determine an exact timeframe for the crime.

Cause of Death:
Exsanguination.

Overall conclusions:

• The murder uses a substance that inhibits coagulation. Weather this is a side effect or not, is unknown. However the nature of the crime seems to cause suffering, hence I think it rather might be poison that enhances it, leaving the inhibition of coagulation as a mere side effect.

Personal notes
This is the 4th victim with the same overall modus operandi. As I can’t see any other connection between the victims from what I know, we must face the facts. This is the doing of a serial killer.


Copies of this report officially go to:

• Left Hand Oxiana

• The town guard of Galmair

She looked over the report once more. After some consideration, she readied two more copies. Despite the political situation, Amelia was convinced that this monster could not be stopped if vital information was not shared. So, after handing the report to a messenger to deliver it officially, she also dispatched two doves with a copy. One would head to Lady Katharina, the other to Aswe…

[Caswir]

Caswir overhears rumors of another murder. This time it was near Galmair, next to that dirty coffin. A dwarf was found apparently.

"Tis a shame... Killed in cold blood."

He kicks at the dirt on the ground with an iron boot.

"Ill be keeping my trusty Meteorite blade at my side at all times, I wont end up a victim of some ruthless murder!" He proclaims.

"There has been so many rumors, its hard for me not to get them mixed up. However this makes four murders. With no real good clues. Something evil is at the works here."

Eventually Caswir finds himself relaxing at his home in Yewdale. He stares off into the fire pit, whilst strumming on his pearl inlayed lute.

[Flannery]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Runewick

Covered by the protecting darkness of the night, a shadowy figure made her way through the shadows and over the roofs of Runewick. Silently and unseen, she headed for the home of councilor Aswe. The windows would only have been reachable with a grapple but the noise was a risk and climbing up a wall without a proper cover would have been as well. So, the front door was the only choice left. The woman smirked as she saw the row of locks, meant to grand tight security and muttered to herself.

“Nice try, indeed. But these won’t stop me.”

She pulled a needle from her hair, that was actually a well-disguised skeleton key and with skilled fingers, she swiftly opened the locks one by one, without making too much noise. Just moments later, she quietly snug in. She lit a candle in a lantern, that was covered with thin cloth to dim the light. Scanning the room, she went straight for the desk and began to browse the papers until some caught her attention. Reading them with great interest, she pursed her lips and nodded to herself, always staying on alert in case there was a sound. After some minutes, she carefully put everything back in place, making sure nothing seems to have been be moved. Then, she peeked out of the door to make sure no one was around before sneaking out, securing every lock again. Leaving Runewick behind, she directed her steps towards Galmair.

“And tomorrow the mountain fortress…”

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Galmair

In the darkest hour, before dawn casts its first light, a woman secretly made her way to the Crest. When arriving in Galmair, it had been alarmingly easy to pass the southern gate, or rather it’s sleepy guard and the vast tunnel system beneath the town was quite an invite for someone like her. But that had just been the easy part. To get to the office of the Left Hand unseen was a totally different matter. The halls were completely illuminated, so it was impossible to just sneak up. And that’s why she had intercepted a messenger of the Crest, in the past night.

Well, intercepting would not be the right word. Actually, she had flirted with him, in a nice and lovely disguise, and eventually made him buy her a drink. After secretly spicing his wine, they ended up at the inn, where he quickly fell asleep. She took his uniform and made her way to the Crest, casually passing the guards there, who seemed to pay not much attention to her.

She made her way upstairs and to the Left Hand’s office. The lock at the door was no obstacle for her and so she searched for the reports of the murder cases and the connected pieces of evidence. Having found what she was looking for, she carefully put everything back in “order”, if one could call that desk being orderly. Nothing would tell of her presence here.

Back at the inn, she scattered the messenger’s clothing on and around the bed and messed up the sheets, as if he had been experiencing a wild night… She left him a sweet note, thanking him for the “wonderful night”, and left the guy sleeping peacefully, probably waking with quite a headache – and missing some bits of the past night. Leaving the town, she went in direction of Cadomyr.

“Now for the Desert Countess.”

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Cadomyr

It was way after midnight, when the woman in black climbed up the wall on a rope in the shadow of a tower. The guard at the gate had struggled to stay awake, after he was hit with her throwing needle. She admired his resistance, but after some moments, he fell asleep. She had studied the movements of the guards on the wall for quite a while, so she knew, there was not much time to make her move. Sneaking along the wall, covered by the battlement, she made her way towards the Villa of Lady Katharina. When looking over to the balcony, she smirked, spotting the open door.

“Piece of cake…”

It had been an exceptionally warm day, even in the dessert, so the cool night air was certainly welcome, however she was surprised about such carelessness while there was a murderer on the loose. The gap between the wall and the balcony was not to be underestimated, but with the wall being higher, it was possible for someone who was trained to access difficult areas since childhood days. She took a leap, lengthening her reach with a double flip and managed a smooth roll for a landing. The plants surrounding the balcony grated her a perfect cover as she snuck into the building. After a short look around, her silent steps led directly to the desk. Compared to the one in Galmair, the Countess seemed to have a little more sense of order, so it did not take long to find what she was looking for. A note on one of the pages made her lift a brow. She shook her head, smirking to herself and put everything back in place, making sure not to leave the slightest trace. Moments later, she climbed over the balcony and leaped down the last part to the small alley between the villa and the town wall. Sneaking out along the wall was the easiest part, since the guards on the walls, were rather looking for threats from outside, than from within.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀♠ ♠ ♠

Somewhere in the desert

“The Nightangel being the murderer?
This lady has some wild fantasies…”

The woman muttered to herself with a slight chuckle.

“Missing the forest for the trees…
After all, the case here was not the only one.
No wonder they could not solve anything…
Everyone was just cooking their own soup…”

Shaking her head, she silently vanished into the night to look for a safe place. Soon, her report would reach the Inner Circle…

[Flannery]

During the following days, parchments find their way to several people all over Illarion.
Some are slid under a door, others land right in front of their feet when they are all alone, seemingly out of nowhere.
The people receiving this message would be:

• Councilor Aswe

• Councilor Caswir

• Captain Malchus

• Alchemist Deanna

• Left Hand Oxianna

• Mage Clairette

• Lady Katharina Brightrim

• Lady Aleytys Lamar

((To those interested in the background story: You can find more about what's going on behind the scenes here: viewtopic.php?p=717885#p717885))

[nathi]

Deanna returned to the Academy of Nature and Alchemy after a long excursion with a basket full of herbs. While sorting through the herbs, she noticed that she had apparently left one of her recipes at her favorite work table.
As she was putting the parchment away, she realized that unlike her parchments, it was folded instead of rolled.
She unfolded the parchment and sat down on the stool while she read. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing, she kept looking around and occasionally went to the window to see if there was anyone outside.
Malchus had told her some about the murdered man outside Runewick, and she had also heard hints and rumors about other murder victims in the other realms. Most of it, though, and especially the details in this letter, were new to her. No one had told her anything about it. Neither in Runewick nor in the other realms. Why this secrecy? What do the leaders of the realms have to hide? Do they know more? She reread a passage in the letter that had particularly caught her eye, then folded up the parchment again and went to Aswe's apartment. When no one answered her knock, she slipped the parchment under the door and went back to put the herbs away.