Episode II: Murder in Oakbridge - Act I (part 1)

Prologue - 15th of Lharvion, 998 YK

"Circumstances Most Mysterious"

It has been nearly five months since our incidental heroes thwarted the Order of the Emerald Claw and escaped Karrnath, only to part ways shortly afterwards. During that time, they all pursued their own paths and agendas. For some, this meant months of intense training and new learning experiences, for others it was simply a period of rest, relaxation and perhaps reflection as well. For all, it was a time of investigation, as strange rumors continually reached their eyes and ears through channels both public and privileged. One who read between the lines would say that things were not all well in Khorvaire. But when had things ever been well?

All three of them, for one reason or another, were now in Sharn. Esan and Morgan both arrived around the same time, and they had met up several times to trade rumors, share contacts or simply to catch up on old times. Gerard arrived last, and though he knew his old companions were somewhere in Sharn, troubles with his own people at the Church of the Silver Flame prevented him from finding time to seek them out simply for a chat.

That is, until this morning, when Gerard receieved an urgent dispatch from the quiet Northedge neighborhood of Oakbridge. A local priest, Loffer Magnulin, had a dead body awaiting cremation at his sanctuary. The Sharn Watch had already investigated the body and the scene, and declared it a suicide. But Loffer was not convinced, for the victim had died under circumstances most mysterious. Gerard knew he'd need help, so he called up his old friends and arranged a meeting...

Scene I

"The King of Fire"

Morgan and Esan met up late in the morning and made their way down into Middle Dura, to the tavern district called Hareth's Folly. The busiest, rowdiest joint on the block was called "The King of Fire" after a playing card of the same name, and Gerard had seen it as a fitting place for their reunion. They went inside, and found Gerard sitting at a table all alone, sticking out like a sore thumb among the crude riff-raff with his shiny full plate and badge of authority displayed prominently. But Gerard was no fool; he knew that the badge was more likely to keep trouble away than attract it in this part of town. Morgan recognized the badge as well, and wondered how long Gerard had been a member of the Order of Illumination.

*The Order of Illumination is a secular branch of the Church of the Silver Flame. Informally known as the Shadowbane Inquisition, they handle internal affairs of corruption as well as hunting down war criminals and other notorious individuals internationally. Though not as widely accepted as the Sentinel Marshals of House Dennieth, the Inquisitors have already made several high profile arrests in regions as remote as Q'barra and the Shadow Marches, and their future looks promising. The current head of the Order of Illumination is a Cardinal named Thedric Drosin.

*Morgan also knew that the Race of Eight Winds was approaching; that was big news in Dura, and all of Sharn for that matter. The event, scheduled for the 23rd of Lharvion, was one of the most intense sporting events in Khorvaire, with rampant corruption, frequent fatalities and dangerous street politics...and that's just the participants. The fans are much worse. The King of Fire was a major hub for these fans to congregate and discuss, argue and brawl over their favorite contestants.

Luckily, it was morning, and the scuffles had not come to blood-letting yet. The three companions sat together, and Gerard got straight to business. Morgan and Esan both agreed after a short while to accompany him on the investigation in Oakbridge. Gerard also mentioned some problems that he was having back at the Church with some of his 'peers'. Esan was confused about this, but they agreed to leave that discussion for later. They took a skycoach from Hareth's Folly across to Oakbridge.

Scene II

"A Hermit With No Enemies"

They arrived in the residential district of Oakbridge shortly after noon, and quickly found Oakbridge Church, the most prominent building in this middle ward neighborhood. Loffer Magnulin was an older man, and though he was stern and pious, he also seemed compassionate and earnest. He showed the investigators the body of one Svans ir'Kilmansor, a local. During the next day and a half, their ground work turned up the following facts and evidence:

*Svans was an art collector and occasionally an art dealer. He had been retired for some time, but nobody was close to him, not even his relations in Nowhere. Loffer was the only one who talked to Svans more frequently than 'never', and even they couldn't have been called friends. Loffer sensed that Svans was a troubled soul, for he occasionally came down to the church for spiritual guidance, but if he had committed any crimes in life, he had never mentioned them to Loffer.

*Svans' body was discovered just below his balcony last night by people walking that street on their way to Dura, where festivities leading up to the Race of Eight Winds were already taking place.

*Initial cause of death appeared to be massive head trauma from the fall, but closer inspection revealed that he had been stabbed from behind, just above the base of the neck. His head was a terrible mess, and it was not surprising that the Sharn Watch had missed this wound. What was surprising was that they didn't account for the feather fall effect that would have slowed a living person's descent to the bridge below. Svans was clearly not living when he had fallen over the balcony, and this jived with the previously unnoticed stabbing wound. Gerard further discerned that the wound was caused by a curved dagger. And finally, Morgan noticed that a small strip of skin had been flensed from Svans' chest; Gerard believed that this had been done just after Svans' death. They guessed that this might have been some sort of military tattoo.

*At the scene of the crime, Svans' home, they found a splatter of blood at the balcony, small enough to be missed by someone not looking for it. They also found something strange - traces of baking powder scattered on the floor just inside the apartment from the balcony doorway. Finally, Loffer told them that Svans' door had been unlocked at the time of his murder. They didn't see any indication that Svans had invited anyone inside, as he had just finished a dinner alone before his murder.

*None of Svans' neighbors saw anything. Some of Svans' neighbors didn't know who Svans was - further indication that he didn't really get out all that much.

*Loffer cast speak with dead on behalf of the party, and Svans revealed that he not only didn't see his killer or know who he or she might have been, but he had no idea why anyone would want to hurt him.

*Svans' brother, Gable ir'Kilmansor, was coming to Sharn from Nowhere on the lightning rail to attend the funeral and cremation, scheduled for the 16th at midday. When Gable arrived, he was solemn and sincere, and did not seem interested in his brother's posessions, which he planned to auction off and then donate the proceedings to an orphanage that he knew Svans had been a patron of. Gable indicated that he had not been very close to his brother because of an altercation they had had in childhood, and he had not seen Svans since then. They had reconciled and had some correspondence since Svans moved to Sharn, but all he knew about Svans' past was that he had been a successful book dealer in Vathirond before spending several years 'traveling'.

The funeral was short, and besides Gable and Loffer, the investigators were the only attendees. Afterwards, they retired to the Bluebird Inn, which was near the church. Loffer had recommended it as a good place to rest, eat and, perhaps most importantly, to gather information. They found the accomodations excellent, and the patrons talkative. The entertainment consisted of a comely elven dancer named Corlina, whose performance was supplemented by the efforts of a warforged percussionist named Drummer.

They learned that there was another artist in Oakbridge by the name of Lucian Cruzgar. Lucian was a veteran of the Last War, and from all accounts he was a bit unhinged. Most people avoided him, especially when he was drinking at the Bluebird taproom, which was his only social activity. They questioned him over a few mugs of ale, but he didn't seem forthcoming - actually, he was quite paranoid. They decided to leave that lead for later. Esan suggested seeking out the advice of a locally famous detective named Victor Saint-Demain, whose exploits frequently made the headlines of the Sharn Inquisitive. The others agreed to this - they also decided to ask around at the local art dealers and collectors, to see if anyone else had had more meaningful contact with Svans. With these plans in mind, they went up to their rooms and got some well-deserved rest.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: Because of the large number of details necessary to retell in this act, it will be broken down into two parts for easier consumption. Look for part 2 tonight or tomorrow.