[Thieves' World] Murder at the Vulgar Unicorn

[Toric_Arthendain]

"Did you stop the man who must have nearly run you over as you were preparing to enter?" Daeric asks. "He's the one who killed that poor man over there," indicating the body on the floor behind him.

"We saw no one exit the tavern," Macklin states calmly. "But you will be afforded an opportunity to describe this person to us once before Judge Nevermind and the Sharda."

Kadramis, being a fair judge of people and their motives, feels that Macklin is being upfront with everyone. He is certain that the Captain intends to take the people in the tavern in front of Judge Nevermind and the Sharda, and that Macklin believes the Sharda to be incorruptible. Kadramis feels certain that Macklin believes innocence or guilt will be established by the judge and the Sharda and that Macklin has not lied to those in the tavern.

When no one appears to be willing to come to blows with Macklin and his men, Macklin motions for two of the guards to enter the Unicorn and collect the weapons of those being taken into custody. That task completed, Macklin motions for everyone in the tavern to follow him. His men outside the door part to allow everyone to exit the tavern but do not put their weapons away.

OOC: Assuming everyone goes along quietly...

IC:
The drizzle isn't heavy enough to restrict your vision, but it is enough to ensure you're soaked to the bone after a twenty minute walk. Your escort takes you from the twisted alleys and ramshackle walls of the Maze toward the palace precinct. The streets are nearly empty, with just a few beggars buddling for warmth under archways and the occasional cloaked figure rushing to an appointment that can't wait until morning. As you pass into the palace grounds, even those few individuals cease to be present, replaced by a few sleepy-looking guards and the occasional drunk Irrune sleeping against a wall under a fur cloak.

You are taken along the inner wall of the palace grounds, but not to the main building of the palace itself. Instead, the guards guide you to a large, imposing structure that shows signs of wear and age: the Hall of Justice. Though the fires in the Palace caused extensive damage to this compound, the structure has since been restored to the standards before the fires. Four town guards stand watch over the entrance, which sits at the top of a wide set of stairs and is surrounded by large marble columns.

One of the guards chuckles as you approach the stairs. "Welcome to the Hall of Justice. Lord Nevermind is going to be in a particularly good mood this time of night."

Macklin takes you all to a holding cell. Kensel, Fensel and Brod are placed in one cell, along with the woman who had hid under the table. The rest of you are placed in another cell. The cells are simple 20 foot by 20 foot stone rooms with four pallets of hay on the floor and an empty bucket that smells like a latrine. The cell is secured by an iron bar gate. A single guard patrols the hallway but never gets within arms reach and never enters the cell without other guards supporting him.

"Hopefully you won't be kept waiting too long," Macklin says after securing the cell. He then stalks down the hallway and out of sight leaving you all alone in the quiet of the cell...

 

[MummyKitty]

Seeing that the Captain seems like an honorable man, and that no one else seems interested in resisting, Kadramis relaxes a bit.

"Alright Captain, I'll go along, but I want to surrender my blade to you personally. I trust you will return it when all of this has been cleared up. Can I have your word?"

OOC: Hopefully the Captain will allow this, as Kadramis received this blade from an old friend as a gift so he wants to get it back if at all possible. Bascially he doesn't want to give it to a nameless grunt. Do they only take our weapons, no other equipment? Oh, and what happened to the guy who was upstairs at the Vulgar Unicorn, is he with us?

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Later in the cell with the others, Kadramis paces. "Cages within cages..." he mutters as he studies the walls, ceiling, and other details of the place.

He gives a sweeping glance to his cell-mates. "I'd bet a padpol you're all thinking the same thing I am-- this was a set-up! But why... I wonder who that poor pud was who bit it back there....?"

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

Macklin takes the weapon from Kadramis with a promise that if Kadramis is found innocent in this matter, the weapon will be returned to him. In fact, he promises all of you that your weapons will be returned once your innocence has been ascertained.

OOC: The only items taken are weapons. The individual who was upstairs earlier in the evening is not among you. The only people taken into custody are Kensel, Fensel, Brod, the woman who hid under a table, and the four PCs.

 

[Dracomeander]

Daeric looks a bit puzzled at the Captain's declaration of seeing no one leaving but chooses not to pursue it at this point. He walks quietly with the guard, eyes scanning everywhere, looking for observers along the route and signs of how the killer had managed to disappear so quickly.

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At the cell, Daeric finds a fairly clean spot to sit and observe the others with him, choosing to conserve his energy rather than pace the way the Rankan seemed determined to do.

"I'd bet a padpol you're all thinking the same thing I am-- this was a set-up! But why... I wonder who that poor pud was who bit it back there....?"

"If you're really interested, he appeared to be an Ilsigi merchant. You can decide for yourself what sort of client he was waiting to meet at the Unicorn.
"Now, would you please stop that infernal pacing? You're tiring the rest of us just watching you.
"This is a time for thought. The time for action will come later. You might as well relax and try to conserve your energies for the questioning that will come."

 

[bkmanis]

Carvar follows in line with the others as they head off to the palace, once inside the cell he lays down on one of the beds. Laying there in silence he appears to be ignoring the other occupants, but he listens to their conversations intently. Carvar will remain silent unless he is spoken to directly, waiting for the time to go before the judge.

 

[Bobitron]

Cira stays close to the woman who had hidden under the table, but will not speak to her again unless spoken to. The conversation between the pacing Rankan and the sandy-haired Sanctan piqued her interest, though, and she speaks in a quiet voice, thick with a Caronnese accent.

"I do not know the reason behind the murder, nor the reason why we in particular are to be blamed. How do you say... wrong place in the wrong times? I just know that I am innocent." She shrugs in a nonchalant manner. "However, I do not know how much weight my voice will hold in this city, and the weight of my purse is even lighter than my words."

 

[Dracomeander]

Daeric adjusts his position as the young lady speaks to focus more on her. He considers her words for a moment before responding.

"I don't believe anyone other than I will be considered a suspect in the murder as you were all too far away. I'm more concerned with the timing of the various events and how the killer managed to slip out without being seen.
"Shall we consider the events again in the order they occurred.
"First, our three brutes in the other cell begin an arguement that gets louder and louder until we all hear their chairs scraping away from the table.
"Next, a wind blows open the door and douses the lights. Winds have blown the door of the Unicorn open before without doing more than causing the lights to flicker so we have to consider the possibility that magic was involved with that wind.
"At that point, while everyone is getting their bearings in the dark, our three brutes decide to attack the men closest to them rather than each other contrary to the way they usually finish their arguements while the killer crosses the room to the merchant and proceeds to stab him.
"Then our brutes discover their targets are not as defenseless and easy to knock over as they were hoping while the killer tosses his dagger at my feet and leaves through the front door.
"Finally, I discover the merchant is dead and start to head for the front door as the guard arrives with Captain Macklin and puts a halt to the proceedings.
"All this occurs in the space of 20 - 30 seconds. Far too quickly for the whole series to be unrelated incidents. I think I'm going to have to amend my original premise as I believe our brutes will end up being charged as accomplices to tonight's murder."

Daeric looks into the other cell gauging how they've reacted to his summation.

"Hey, Kensel, Fensel, and Brod, how much were you paid to provide a distraction? Was it enough to merit taking the fall as accomplices in a murder? Also, you should choose your opponents more carefully. Our friend here on the cot looks like he was just starting to get warmed up."

 

[MummyKitty]

Kadramis stops pacing for a moment, staggers a bit and eyes the hooded Sanctan crookedly. "You wrigglies probably like being closed up in a place like this, maybe it makes you feel safe. But where I come from, the sky is our roof and our walls aren't made of anything that can't be cut with a good blade. I hate cages."

He then looks to the Caronnese woman and lowers his voice. "The girl is right, our word is not going to be worth much more than a grubby padpol if this Ilsigi was anyone of consequence-- when word gets out, they'll want blood to balance the scales." He snorts in derision and continues with a tone of bravado. "If any of you had any spine, we might not be here. I was ready to fight those guardsmen. As free men we might have located the real culprits and got them to confess. Now they have our weapons, which I'm sure will we found to have all manner of incriminating evidence on them... Like lambs to the slaughter we went..." He mutters the last.

Resuming his pacing, he keeps his eyes on Daeric. "But perhaps your frogging book has the answer, student. In any event you'll probably have a lot of time to study. Even if we aren't found guilty, I wouldn't be surprised if they leave us to rot here." He whispers the last. "I suggest we try to escape..."

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

"Hey, Kensel, Fensel, and Brod, how much were you paid to provide a distraction? Was it enough to merit taking the fall as accomplices in a murder? Also, you should choose your opponents more carefully. Our friend here on the cot looks like he was just starting to get warmed up."

One of them answers but none of you are sure which one it is. The cell holding them must be some distance away down the hallway as he yells, "Big talk for someone locked in a cage! You people are more stupid than I thought. We had nothing to do wit' no murder."

It's hard to tell how long you've been in the cell as there are no windows to the outside but it certainly has been at least an hour or so. You are unable to see the cell holding Kensel, Fensel, Brod and the other woman but you realize that they are being questioned in low tones. The woman identifies herself as Rossa during the questioning. Other than the occassional loud answer from Kensel, Fensel and Brod, you are unable to determine any specific information.

After a bit of time passes, two men approach your cell. They are dressed in the tunics of the Sharda marking them as Lord Nevermind's personal investigators. One is a young man with simple features and a non-descript appearance who identifies himself as Astar. The other is a tall, thin Wrigglie with narrow eyes and thinning hair who identifies himself as Vernic.

"I'm here to hear your side of the story," Astar says in greeting. "The other four have been released, having been determined to have had nothing to do with the murder. The female did know the name of the deceased, a merchant named Erilissi but that is the only connection."

Astar then launches into a series of questions, allowing each of you to answer in turn. Vernic listens quietly through the whole process. He is apparently one of the Truthspeakers, only there to determine whether the truth is being told, if the rumors of the abilities of the Sharda are true.

OOC: Astar asks the following questions. Please provide your PC's response to each in your next post. The questions are asked with all PCs present. In fact, you are left in the cell and Astar and Vernic stand outside the door during the whole process.

What were you doing at the Vulgar Unicorn on such a rotten night?
Did you know Erilissi?
Did you speak to Erilissi?
Did you see anyone else speak to Erilissi?
During the blackout in the tavern, did you struggle with anyone? If so, are you sure it wasn't Erilissi?
Did you see who killed Erilissi?
Was anyone missing after the murder who had been there before?
Was there any sign of bad blood between Erilissi and anyone present in the tavern?
If you didn't kill Erilissi, can you provide a better explanation as to why or how he died?

Final question is specifically for Daeric. A bloody knife was found on the floor near you. Is it yours?

I know you've all been dragged along for the ride so far but hang in there! We're just about to the good stuff!

 

[MummyKitty]

Kadramis will answer in Imperial, unless it’s clear that these guys don’t understand, in which case he’ll switch to Sanctan.

"I am Kadramis of Rankene. I live in the Bazaar. I was in the place to have a drink and get out of the storm. I was sitting there, minding my own business when the lights went out and next thing I knew one of the thugs was looking for a scrap. My fist print on his face should have been proof enough that it was him that I hit, and if you looked at the blades that I peacefully turned over to the Captain I’m sure you found them clean and oiled. I didn’t know Erilissi, speak to him or see anyone speak to him, nor did I see who killed him. There was a man in the balcony area that wasn’t caught in the round-up, sounds like he may have slipped away. As far as I know, and I kept to myself so how would I know otherwise, I don’t think anyone in the tavern had anything against Erilissi as no one spoke to him and he didn’t speak to anyone.

"My theory—this was a professional hit. There must've been sorcery involved with the lights going out; it was too sudden and perfectly timed. The thugs were probably paid to start a brawl, they probably didn’t know they’d be accomplices in the matter. Someone either came in from the outside and did the deed, or the guy on the balcony jumped down and did it. If those thugs hadn’t gotten in my way, I might have been able to help Erilissi with his wound, though I wouldn’t be surprised if the blade was poisoned and he was dead before he hit the ground. Can I go now?"