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Message: <blockquote data-quote="aartvb" data-source="post: 9526245" data-attributes="member: 7035557">Session 42 (8-5-2024): Murder, Mystery, and Monsters on the Rails501 A.O.V., Winter, Day 13At 5:59 in the morning, Zuna/Claudia comes downstairs, ready for the breakfast buffet. By 6:30, Verzubak also comes down, experimenting with bits of chicken to see what luck they bring. At 6:45, Elenor and her slave make their appearance. The rest of the group gradually trickles in, with Olivert Boone being the last to arrive.The waiter informs them of a murder discovered earlier that morning, news he heard from his father. A woman was reportedly killed not far from the inn, but unfortunately, the father, who operates the ferry, is unavailable to provide more details. This marks the second (or possibly third, counting the man on the train) murder during their journey. The group decides to investigate further. They quickly locate the crime scene, a cordoned-off block. Ben sends his mechanical bird to scout the area. The bird spots a young woman’s body with her entrails outside of her body.Damavik and Claudia head to the crime scene. Claudia disguises herself as a police officer to gather "evidence". Once near the body, she uses her abilities as a Spirit Medium to communicate with the victim. The victim recalls little of the incident, only a sharp pain in her chest. Her last memory is of a conversation with a charming tiefling man, who wore a fine hat and a long coat. He carried a simple dagger but also had a pistol, which he claimed was sentient. Claudia notices some of the blood has a purple hue, unusual compared to the rest, which reminds her of a ritual she once learned about. Strangely, this purple blood hasn’t coagulated like the rest. She overhears the police referring to the victim as Clara Rattleguest.Claudia returns to the group and claims that her clairvoyant abilities point to Olivert Boone as the murderer. Olivert entered the tavern alone, came downstairs alone, but was later seen boarding the train with two women.The group reboards the train, they will go from Orithea to Trekhom. They debate throwing Olivert Boone off the train or outright killing him but decide to wait for now.Ravarel attempts to convince Torro (Damata Griento’s son) to steal the suitcase belonging to Cardiif Hengehill, but Torro fails—he’s not a very successful pickpocket.As time passes, Malia announces it’s time for the hunt on the train roof. Ben casts an Alarm spell to signal him if the group returns from the roof. He opts not to join the hunt and instead searches Olivert Boone’s compartment. There, he finds:  <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A booklet on seduction techniques.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Clothing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Letters, one of which is of interest. It confirms that Olivert will be paid 3000 gp if he successfully completes his task. The letter hints at a connection to the train but lacks further details.</li> </ul>Suddenly, the train screeches to a halt, throwing three people off the roof. From the mist emerges a loud roar, and an enormous five-headed monster hovers just above the ground.  The train grinds to a stop 200 feet ahead, with its front in a desert and its rear in a swamp. As the train stops, the monster is midway down the train. Meanwhile, figures emerge from the bushes near the locomotive and rush toward it. The bandits enter the locomotive.The group engages the monster in battle. When Ben attempts to teleport, the spell misfires due to the chaotic nature of the Malice Lands, and he is transported in the opposite direction, far away from the train.<code class="bbCodeInline">Note: This was a really funny moment. They knew using spells could go wrong, but he casted a teleportation spell anyways. An yes, he rolled a one on the check. With some quick thinking I thought of this simple mishap: teleporting in the opposite direction. It's simple, not harmful, a completely logical mishap, but has a very non-desirable effect. And it was hilarious. The group loved it!</code></blockquote>

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