After a late breakfast the group determined to search around the city for clues. Grunyar was somewhat reluctant wishing to wait for eventide. Arvien was all for tarting up Varrid to make her a target for "Bloody Jack". Varrid had no such wishes, suggesting that Arvien was already better suited to fit the victim's description. After visiting the two murder scenes, the group could find no discernible commonality between the sites. No street connected the two areas. There were grates in the cobblestone streets relatively close to each site, these were surmised to be sewer accesses. But since they had seen a coach after the first murder the access grates were of no further concern.
Varrid decided to head to the Bloodhaven estate to talk with the coach house keeper regarding the coat of arms seen at the first murder. Seglun and Arvien headed for the Undertakers place. Drovic bought a Newsbill from the local news hawker reading again of the exploits of "Bloody Jack". One item caught his attention though.
At the local church Baru found an acolyte teaching a workshop on mental perfection. He waited listening to the instruction on mental focus, aligning the body's currents and divine thinking. After the class he was introduced to the local priest, Laban, who welcomed him to Paridon. When Baru asked about the murders, the priest started to explain how the madman most have rejected his training in the Divinity of Mankind and needed to be brought back into the teachings. All humans ( and some half elves) must strive toward physical, mental and emotional perfection. Knowledge, physical fitness and an even temper are stressed. "It is unfortunate that you were not born a human allowing you access to this training." Laban said softly to Baru eyeing his horns.
At Morton von Keller's Funeral Home, a simple but efficient looking building, Arvien and Seglun were escorted from the parlor to a meeting room. Shortly a man with a black cape and bushy sideburns entered the room from another door. "I thought you said someone was here," he shouted back toward the doorway. Finally lowering his eyes he caught sight of the diminutive pair. "Oh, down there, I was expecting some real people in my office. Can I be of help to you pint sized creatures?" Arvien, unabashed by his comments, asked about the murders, the bodies and if he knew of anything regarding the last killings. "These floozies just make work for me, no family or money to pay for my services and they end up in the pauper's graveyard. I could do without this kind of work." Morton harrumphs. "Of course them being bloodless means a little less work." Arvien asked who he might think was behind the murders and Morten replied with the old standard, a pinheaded son of some noble family was behind the murders. "This is a different pattern than before." Morton commented. "How so?" queried Arvien. "The last series of six bodies, thirteen years ago, all had twin puncture marks in the neck." Interesting thought Arvien, we saw a bloody face on the first murderer, are we dealing with vampirism she wondered.
Varrid found the coach-house at the Bloodhaven estate and talked with the coachman, who sported a pointed goatee and handlebar mustache, dressed in a leather jerkin and a green cap. Varrid asked about parties that the lord held, "Do all the lords and ladies attend?" "Only those on good terms with Sir Bloodsworth," was the reply. Varrid asked the man to keep a lookout for the coat of arms the party had seen at the first crime scene. He agreed to contact her if he saw the crest. Varrid then went to Sir George Shears "estate" which was not nearly as grand as Bloodhaven, and found the stables unguarded. Sneaking into the low slung building she found a much less extravagant coach, with a completely different crest adorning the doors.
Drovic and Grunyar approached the Printer's Shop, walked right in and saw several printers producing posters that offered a reward of 500 pounds for information leading to the capture of the serial murderer. Vats of ink, paper, and carving instruments. A young looking man approached the pair and asked their business. Drovic explained that their group were eyewitnesses to the first murder and had been first on the scene of the second. The man took out a pad of paper and started peppering them with questions about the bodies, if the had seen and actual murderer, where they were from, how it was that they were at both scenes. Drovic and Grunyar answered with the usual, we are from Varisia, it was foggy, the bodies were drained of blood, a bearded man with a top hat and cape, and we are working with Inspector Logan.
The reported retorted that Logan did not give out much information, this time or the last. Drovic seizing on the comment asked about the murders 13 years ago. "Thirteen years ago, Logan was in charge of the investigation, the victim's bodies were marked with a twin pair of odd puncture wounds. Twenty-six years ago, Reginald Dwight was the Inspector, and the victim's were all shop clerks. Coins scattered at the scenes suggested that robbery was not the motive. And 39 years ago, the victim's arms and legs were severed from their torsos." the young reported exclaimed, clearly excited by his opportunity to cover this years set of murders. "At one of the murder scenes, a glove was left behind. If mysteriously vanished from the headquarters of the Paridon Guard the next day." he continued.
Producing a drawing of the coat of arms seen at murder one, Drovic asked the reported if it could be printed in the Newsbill as a piece of evidence. Anyone having information should bring it to Drovic ant the Twilight Yawn.
Arvien and Seglun left the Funeral Home and headed for the Paridon Guard headquarters where a small line of men and women were waiting to confess to the crimes. Seglun went in and asked for Inspector Logan, she was informed that he was home sleeping as he needed to be alert for patrol tonight. Seglun was informed that Logan was expecting them to be on patrol again tonight. At this Arvien and Seglun headed for the inn, where they found the rest of the party, now all resting and relaxing for this evenings labors.
As dark arrives at the end of supper, Inspector Logan arrives at the inn and requests that the group patrol, with him, in an area around the hall where the "vigilance committee" is meeting to discuss the plans for ending the murders or at least increasing the reward. The group agrees and all together they follow Logan north past Bloodhaven estate, Hyde Park and the clocktower to a rather nice area with a grand hall. Along the way the group learns that the murders always take place in this part of the city, even though the whole city is much larger. In fact Paridon is the whole realm of Zherisia. The night moves along slowly as the party marches through the streets surrounding the hall. After the stroke of eleven, a young woman, brightly dressed, stumbles out of a nearby alley. She clutches her stomach, which is stained red with blood. Her other hand is outstretched.
"Help! The madman's after me!" she cries. From the alley, a deep, hoarse voiced called, "Come back and meet yer fate, lassie!"
Ralom rushed forward to help the young lady who jabbed forward a hat pin with her free hand puncturing Ralom's skin but his fortitude resisted the poison dripping from the pin. Immediately a battle started as Grunyar moved to shoot arrows at the woman. Drovic gaped in surprise as Varrid attacked him. Baru moved up behind Grunyar wand dealt a nasty blow to Grunyar's back. A caped figure wearing a top hat, with a dark, narrow, brooding face and drooping mustache ran out of the alley to attack Seglun who had move to flank the young woman. Arvien startled by the action of her compatriots summoned an earth elemental to flank the black caped man. Logan moved up and was a wimpy warrior as all his attacks failed to hit the young woman or the caped man.
The clock started to toll midnight as this battle carried on. Baru and Varrid continued to attack their fellow adventurers, the rest of the party tried to move away from their fellows attacks and focus on the two other characters. Summergale and Dirk moved in to try and pester the enemies form above and below. The first to fall was the young woman, her body fell to the cobblestones where is shimmered and wavered in the dim, mist-shrouded light. It's limbs flowed and ebbed taking on a new sharp, The face became an inhuman, monstrous visage. The creature had thick, ash-gray skin and a hairless skull. Pointed ears bent out from the head. The space between the mouth and nose was far too wide, and the eyes were high on the face, leaving no forehead. The nose was broad and flat, forming a barrier between the many creases that underscored the narrow eyes. The creature had elongated arms but had neither fingernails nor toenails.
The attacker from the alley fell next and as the party members stood slightly stunned at the appearance, Baru and Varrid broke off their attack and started to flee down the street. As they ran their bodies flickered like a candle in the wind, shifting between the companion and a creature much like the ones laying on the alley floor. Arvien broke out of her daze to cast a web on the two fleeing characters ensnaring them. Logan, Seglun, and Ralom moved up to the rapidly shifting characters just as the clock struck the twelfth bell, and attacked with fury. Grunyar fired arrows, the elemental also moved up to attack these hideous, craven creatures imitating their friends. As the creatures were ensnared in the web it wasn't long until they succumbed, and then returned to their native ash-gray form.
With shock and surprise the remaining characters stood around wondering how this could have happened. Arvien came to the conclusion that these creatures were some sort of doppelganger and Drovic recalled that Varrid and Baru had both been investigating the city on their own earlier in the day. Ralom suggested that they were ambushed and replaced during that time.
As they continued to posit possible causes of Varrid and Baru's demise they heard the sound of running footsteps and gasping sobs. The figure of a young woman runs out of the mist, her coat open and her hair disheveled. her arms were stretched out before her, and her hands were smeared with red. Tears streaked down her face. The terrified woman saw the group and skidded to a stop, recoiling in fear. Then, gathering her courage, she spoke. "Sandra--" she gasped. "Sandra's been killed. I only left her for a moment."
Grunyar recognized the distraught woman as Felicia Sweet, who he had questioned yesterday about the "women who walk with men." She hurriedly led them to the steps of the great hall where the "vigilance committee" was meeting. Sandra Bartello lay on the steps, a fiery red headed beauty, with her throat slashed and a number of her internal organs removed with surgical skill. Felicia said "I thought she would be safe, with so much activity going on. When I returned I thought Sandra had just fallen asleep from the effects of drink.
As the party studied the body, a top hatted man with a drooping mustache emerged from the fog to attack Arvien. He then fled up an alley quickly pursued by Seglun, Logan and Grunyar who fired an arrow at him. The creature rounded a corner, its cloak caught on a metal spur. With a loud rip, a small piece of the cloth tears free and is left impaled. Into the fog he fled, seemingly disappearing from sight. Seglun grabbed the piece of cloth and examining it found a tailor's mark sewn into it.
DM's Notes: The players earned 500 XP for the night and now have 15842 XP needing an additional 7158 to reach 5th level.
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