"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?"
"In time, depending on what Lord Nevermind says after I present your answers to him and he has time to consult with Vernic," Astar says seriously.
"I am Cira DeLuca of LaRivasse. I have been staying at the Vulgar Unicorn for the past few nights, as I am new to the area and have not found more permanent arrangements. I do not know this Erilissi, nor do I know who he was involved with. When the lights fell, I stayed in my place, concerned about theft more than murder. I thought the darkness was to cover up a theft, not a killing." She pauses, looking around the room. "Some of those present were involved in the scuffle, but it appeared to be in self-defense. As for his death..." She shrugged. "Why is any man killed? He was wealthy, no? I'm sure it was arranged for purposes of one of two things; a passion that was out of hand, or a lust for coin. You know your task better than I. What was on the paper he clutched in death?"
Astar seems to consider whether he should answer or not. After a moment, he shakes his head and says, "It is only a scrap, the top of a longer letter. It is a most odd beginning to a letter. It says,
It is by the act of no blade or malice of man that I die this terrible death... Most odd indeed."
Daeric shakes his head at that statement.
"I'm not sure you should have released the three toughs as it makes no sense for them to nearly come to blows with each other in their arguement then suddenly attack the others in the bar instead of each other. They may not have known what was going to happen, but their action were definitely suspect."
"Maybe so but the abilities of Vernic here are unquestioned. He sensed no deception on their part. We believe they truly had no knowledge of what happened at the Unicorn on this night."
“May I ask why the Guard was called to the Unicorn? Considering when they arrived, it couldn’t have been in response to the disturbance. It would have taken a summons longer than that to even reach the Guard, let alone get an organized response team together to reply.”
Astar considers this briefly and then says, "We received an anonymous tip that something was going to happen at the Unicorn at the precise time we arrived."
Once the questions have been answered, Astar looks at Vernic who nods. Astar turns back to the group. "We will present this information to Lord Nevermind and return shortly."
Astar reappears after a little more than an hour. You can tell by the light filtering into the hallway from a barred window at the other end of the hall that it is nearly dawn. Vernic is nowhere to be seen, though three town guards accompany Astar. His voice sounds tired but firm.
"The Magistrate is pretty sure that none of you were involved in the killing. However, it is within his authority to keep you imprisoned until the matter is cleared up, but that does little to actually find the truth. I apologize for having to put you in this spot but Judge Nevermind has decided to charge you with the task of unraveling this mystery. Even if you're in no way responsible for the deadly deed, someone has now tried to frame you for it. One way or another, and like it or not, you are involved.
Therefore, you are ordered and authorized by the magistrate to investigate the murder at the Vulgar Unicorn. The militia and guard will both be made aware of this and as long as you don't seek to leave the immediate area, they won't harass you in this matter. We will provide you with what little information we have, and it's up to you to fill in the gaps.
What we need are three things. To know who actually stuck the knife in Erilissi. To know who ordered the assassination. And, to know why they decided this particular man had to die. Once you can look a Sharda truthspeaker in the eye and explain the truth of the act, the order, and the reason for his killing, the magistrate will be satisfied. Until then, you're ordered to remain within Santuary's walls. If you find something that helps solve this case bring it to me and we'll see if these restrictions can be eased a bit.
Should you succeed, the magistrate has stated that there will be a reward for you. I suspect the faster you come up with answers, and the more satisfying they are, the more likely it is you'll actually make a profit from this unfortunate turn of events. In fact, I have 4 padpol for each of you here as payment for beginning work for the magistrate. You are also promised a safe place to stay if you get into trouble."
He pauses to let you all digest this information and then continues. "We know very little at this time. These are the facts as we know them. Erilissi was killed with two stab wounds, one to the heart and the other in his back. A boar's head dagger was still in his back when we removed his body from the tavern. The dagger is identical to the one tossed at your feet, Daeric. Erilissi was a poor merchant from Ilsig who never seemed rich, but also never ran out of coin despite having been jobless for several months now. Rumor associates him with at least one other man in Sanctuary, but no one can agree who that was. Additionally, a member of the town guard claims the boar's head dagger is very similar to those used by the Silent Brothers, a gang of thugs operating out of the Maze."
"Any other questions before we release you to investigate on your own?"
