One minute Arvien advised that talking to Inspector Logan was a mistake, the next she said "I don't care, go talk to whomever you wish." This new indecisive Arvien was grating on Grunyar who merely wanted to check out every name on the list. Ozzie pointed out that that would take several days, which they didn't have given three victims already.
Drovic pressed Ozzie for information about names on the list, what did he know of them? Angus said Gorst Barkarant is a brown haired butcher, who has a tremendous mustache. He has a feud with Hoag over the price of meat, maybe he placed the body in front of the Minced Meats shop. Ozzie pointed out Treech Gallant, a red-headed, mustached thug. We could talk to his brother Scrags. Grunyar regaled Ozzie with the meeting the group, especially Varrid had already had with Scrags.
While the group stood around discussing their options, Inspector Logan approached them with a new proposal. "I have a suspect, Dr Wolfgang Arturus, who is a skilled surgeon. He is know to be temperamental with the ladies." Logan also pointed out that he was black haired with a black mustache. "I am ready to head to Dr. Arturus house but I require your help as all the guards are out on patrol." Drovic checked for Arturus name on the list from Ire, it was there. The party agreed to accompany Logan to arrest the miscreant.
Heading toward the Temple of the Divine Form, Logan stopped in front of a two story house, all the windows on the first floor were barred. Ozzie and Ralom headed around to the rear of the house, but found no back door.
The Inspector pounded on the door, and a moment later it was opened by a manservant. Leveling a crossbow at the mans chest, Logan said, "Don't make a sound. Step outside, slowly, with your arms held out." The frightened old man did as he was ordered.
"Which room is Dr. Arturus in?" Inspector Logan whispered. "Th-the drawing r-r-room, Sir," the servant spluttered. "J-j-just off the main hall."
The Inspector stepped into the house and motioned for Seglun, Angus and Grunyar to follow. Doors to the right and left were open and revealed a sitting room, parlor, library and dining room. Beside a stairway heading up was a closed door. Just as the Inspector signaled for Seglun to kick the door in everyone heard singing coming from inside the room. Angus, Ozzie and Dirk start to move slowly, when they move at all. Seglun kicked in the door and Logan fired a crossbow bolt, which missed the half human, half wolf character singing in the room. Ozzie moved to the window of the Drawing room and peered in to see the transformation from human to hybrid form. Ralom soon joined her breaking the window and blessing whoever was around. Seglun and Grunyar joined into the battle against the wolfwere creature. Logan moved away from the creature and sank a crossbow bolt deep into the wolfs back. Angus joined the battle and just as the party thought the creature may be dying, it fell to the floor unconscious.
Angus moved forward and immediately bound the creatures hands and feet while Seglun stuffed a rag in its mouth. Meanwhile, Drovic had a hold of the manservant. "Where is the masters cloak," he demanded. "Ups-s-stairs in his bedroom," came the response. When he heard no additional fighting Drovic led the servant up the stairs to the masters rooms. There he found a cloak with a ragged tear in a corner. Seglun searched the Surgery and collected a set of oddly shaped knives, blades at strange angles to the hilt, sharp and serrated edges, thin blades that curved in S shapes. Logan produced a bloody scrap of cloth from a foul pile in the kitchen. "This matches Beatrice Bump's dress," he declared. Gathering up the Doctor, now in human form once again, Inspector Logan says that they must take the prisoner to Guard Headquarters. Grunyar and Seglun found 100 pounds stashed around the house.
Surreptitiously Seglun examined the tear in the cloak with the piece he retrieved from the alley. The tear was close must did not match as there was overlap in some places and missing cloth in others. As the group is leaving the house a Paridon guard burst out of the mist and raced up to Inspector Logan. He whispered urgently in his ear for a moment. The Inspector, exasperated, turned to the group and said, "I must personally attend to an urgent matter. A member of the nobility is involved in a --- Never mind. Could you help Constable Wortle escort Dr. Arturus to the guardhouse? All my guards, except the two I must leave in the guardhouse, are out on patrol and cannot be recalled."
Logan handed the bloody cloth to the constable, instructing him to label it and the other items the adventurers had as evidence.
As the party escorted the Doctor, Seglun quietly told everyone that the cloak piece did not match. Arvien, waking from her reverie, said "I suspect that Logan set the Doctor up." Ozzie and Grunyar decided to follow Logan to see where he headed for. On the way to the guardhouse, Arturus did not put up a struggle. He expressed his innocence to Angus and Drovic who were hold him tight. "I don't believe that Inspector Logan is human. He doesn't smell right," the Doctor kept repeating over and over.
When they arrived at the guardhouse, Wortle discovered that the inspector neglected to give him the key for the cells. He told the heroes that there was a second key in Logan's office, but the inspector does not like the constables to poke around in there. "He could hardly get mad at me if you were to go and get the keys. After all, you don't work for him. He cant' stick you with midnight duty in the boneyard." he hinted to the party.
Seglun followed one of the other guards to a back office, where she found a simple desk and coat rack. Lying on the desk, next to the keys was a torn black cape. An open sewing kit rested atop the fabric. Taking the time to examine the cloak, Seglun found an exact match to the tear in the cloak. She exited with the keys and helped Wortle and Angus lock up the prisoner. Quietly Seglun let the rest of the party know that the Inspector was the actual criminal they were looking for. Angus sat guarding the cells, while the rest of the party waited in ambush for the Inspector.
After an hour of waiting, Ozzie and Grunyar arrived at the guardhouse and waited outside for the return of Logan. When Logan returned he greeted the characters waiting outside, asking if the prisoner was conscious once again. Seglun suggested that Logan follow her to his office, as she had a private matter to discuss.
Suddenly the Inspector took the form of Arturus as a wolfwere, and drew his short sword. The party moved to attack as the guards melted back to the prison cell area at the sight of Logan transforming. A battle was quickly started, with Seglun, Ozzie, and Angus pressing close to the wolfwere. After attacking once the wolfwere transformed into the coachman as Arvien roused once again to summon an earth elemental. "Inspector Logan" fought viciously while taunting the party "I am but the elder's servant. Even if you kill me, my clan will avenge me!"
Pressed from all sides the wolfwere/coachman/Inspector didn't stand a chance against the combined attacks of the party. As he fell to the ground the body transformed into Inspector Logan, then to the doppleganger form the party was now familiar with. A magic short sword lay near the body, Ralom detected.
DMs Notes: The party earned 1000 XP for the nights adventures and now have 17556 XP. They need an additional 5444 to reach 5th level.
No comments:
Post a Comment