The Mad God's Key (Bront Judging)

[GwydapLlew]

OOC: Too bad no one has the Investigate Feat. I'm going to post a lot of information because I'll be out until midnight tonight.

The five comb over the storage room with a high-level of scrutiny. As you examine everything, the following information becomes clear:

• The glass display cases are not locked, but they do have a silent alarm spell that triggers when it is touched without a password. Sin finds it before it is triggered, and one of the librarians outside dispels the alarms in the room, but stays in the door to watch over your actions.
• The corpse is a human male in his early twenties. He wears the robes of a senior student and his identification papers name him as Digran Loraster of Breland. His head has been crushed in, but none of you are trained in the Heal skill and therefore that is all you can determine.
• Under his body is a small stone hanging from a torn leather thong. It appears to have been torn violently. The stone is a blood-red marble in the shape of a clenched fist squeezing out a drop of blood. On the back of the pendany is a series of small, irregular bumps.
• The locking mechanism on the stone door leading to the storage room has deep gouges on it, indicating that whomever picked it was not an expert.
• The glass case that held the stolen book has a bit of oily cloth caught in it.
• Rionus' detect evil reveals no clues, although the length of time since the crime would have caused but the most evil creature's taint to have dissipated.

Anyone with ranks in Knowledge (local) or Knowledge (history) should attempt a DC 15 check. Post the results and then read the spoilered text if you are successful.

[sblock=Knowledge (local) DC 15] It is crafted of oiled cloth to prevent water damage. It is worn by the Shoreman's Guild in Ship's Tower, down in the lowest levels of Sharn on the watefront of the Dagger River. [/sblock]

[sblock=Knowledge (history) DC 15] The stone necklace is what is called a "cairn charm," a stone often hung inside the caves and tombs along the lower Dagger River and the mountains surrounding Sharn to ward off evil spirits. Each pendant is specific to a specific legend or superstition.[/sblock]

 

[Rystil Arden]

[SBLOCK=OOC]In some ways, I think that the Investigate feat may be a step backwards for Searchers--until it existed, many GMs allowed players to do all the stuff in the feat without having the feat [/SBLOCK]

 

[Rystil Arden]

[SBLOCK=OOC]21 on Local[/SBLOCK]

"We are clearly dealing with an amateur here, more a thug than a true thief, as we can see from the messy way he disposed of the body and the poor job he did with the lock. In fact, the apparent stride and power of the assailant are a good match for a longshoreman from Ship's Tower, down on the waterfront. This makes sense with what else we know about the thug."

"The necklace seems unusual. I haven't seen its like, but we are fortunately in the midst of a very good library--it should be trivial to find someone here who knows something more about it."

 

[GwydapLlew]

[Sblock=OOC]I see it the same way as Tracking. They both expand the use of Search in very useful ways, but you can loosely mimic the uses of the Feats without them. [/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

Weapon stands near the guardian library as the others search. No one could identify the blow to the head, but he had seen many such wounds before. It was probably something large and heavy. Best way to cave a living creature's head in. More of a mess, but less blood over all. Such thoughts occupy the warforged as he awaits his need.

 

[Someone]

"We are clearly dealing with an amateur here, more a thug than a true thief, as we can see from the messy way he disposed of the body and the poor job he did with the lock. In fact, the apparent stride and power of the assailant are a good match for a longshoreman from Ship's Tower, down on the waterfront. This makes sense with what else we know about the thug."

"Strange contrast, a thug or several thugs from the university killing for a book. Why do you say it's a longshoreman from Ship's Tower?"

 

[Patlin]

Rionus listens carefully, aware that his skills are of limited use in this situation.

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Elementary, my dear Tam. As I said before, one can tell by looking at how the thug made his assault the way that he walked and moved--the way that he gouged into the locking mechanisms. All of these imply a particular muscle build that is achieved through the tasks of a longshoreman. Add to that the oil on the tiny strip of cloth. As anyone who deals with the docks or the sea knows, oily cloths are ideal to prevent water damage, and this household trick oft means a longshoreman or sailor will be possessed of such a thing on his person, perhaps at his side, where a strip might be lost at the scene of a crime. But sailing is a very different kind of exercise, and sailors have a completely different muscular build-up and toning than longshoreman, and thus we can rule out a sailor. Thus, we should pay a call at the Shoreman's Guild after we check on the necklace here."

 

[Patlin]

"Amazing. A good thing we have you along!"

 

[Aristeas]

"Truly impressive. Next thing you'll be telling us you can deduce his height and eye color. I don't recognize the necklace, but I can see if the Library has any books that might help."

[sblock=OOC] I failed my knowledge history roll on yet another 3 (1d20+5=8). Hopefully the nice librarians can help. What kind of check is that? Also...any reason you decided to be blue all of a sudden, Rystil? Might get confusing. I can change if you want.[/sblock]