1.8: Darkness on the edge of town

[Sierra]

01[12:06] <El-Cideon> The rest of the holiday evening passes in various stages of fuzzy-headed, drunken jollity—and the morning arrives with equally variable degrees and character of hangover, according to each officer's tolerance and individual consumption the night before. It's good not to work the morning shift, isn't it?
01[12:06] <El-Cideon> Silvia is waiting in the town square as promised, this time dressed for work and lightly armored, when you arrive before your shift. Zoraida is waiting with her, radiating faint but concerned disapproval of whatever it is that Silvia has in mind.
01[12:06] <El-Cideon> The temple facades are still decorated with bunting, stirred listlessly in a light breeze, leftover from yesterday's celebration. The town square is mostly empty, as many residents of sleepy Rocina take a morning (or even a day) to rest up after such a festive night.
[12:09] <Leona> Leona is in fine shape at least, having been selling far more alcohol than she actually drank, dressed in her grey tabard with crossbow at her hip as she walks onto the square and waves at Silvia and Zoraida. "Afternoon you two," she greets once she gets close.
[12:10] <@Santiago> Santiago appears looking rather frumpy, with bleary eyes, strung-out hair, and in a crumpled jacket that he might have slept in.
01[12:10] <El-Cideon> "Good afternoon!" Silvia echoes with somewhat forced cheer.
[12:11] <Morrison> Morrison arrives, looking no worse-for-wear than he did the day before, though his expression holds more dour attitude than normal.
[12:12] <Luiza> Luiza might have circles under her eyes, but she's still as cheerful as ever while carrying a woven basket of soft, coiled bread sticks. She waves at the others in greeting, picking up her pace.
01[12:14] <El-Cideon> "I'm sure it'll be a quiet day," Zoraida says hopefully for those still sleeping it off. "Really, who could have the energy to cause trouble right now?"
[12:16] <Luiza> "So what you're saying here is that only terrible, fun-hating people will be up to no good?"
[12:16] <Morrison> "I do need to talk to all of you after this." Morrison says.
[12:17] <Luiza> "I didn't mean to imply you were a terrible person!" Luiza exclaims, looking quite horrified.
01[12:17] <El-Cideon> "Well," Zoraida says, considering this, "that isn't what I MEANT to say..."
[12:18] <Leona> Leona groans quietly. "So why did you want to meet us here before work anyway?" she asks impatiently.
01[12:18] <El-Cideon> Silvia draws some crumpled paper from her pocket. "I just want to start off by saying that I did NOT steal this," she insists. "I found it on the ground on the way to work. It must have fallen out of his pocket or something."
[12:20] <Leona> "Whose pocket?" Leona asks, leaning a bit closer.
01[12:21] <El-Cideon> "Well, you'll see," she insists, turning it over for the squad's perusal. What Silvia hands over is a letter in two pieces—torn angrily in half, but easily read in full when placed next to one another. There is no envelope to provide context for this missive, but the handwriting is small, precise, and deliberate. Its contents read as follows:
01[12:21] <El-Cideon> "Mr. Meria,
01[12:21] <El-Cideon> "I am not concerned about her material belongings, nor about how secure they are. I do not need to explain myself in this matter. Your only concern is to monitor her movements and social contacts. There is no room in this assignment for personal ambition. She is a person of interest to the Ministry, and not the subject of an operation in which you may exercise initiative. Restrict your activities to the very letter of your instructions."
01[12:21] <El-Cideon> The letter is signed simply by "F.A."
[12:23] <Luiza> "And you think it refers to one of you two?"
01[12:24] <El-Cideon> "I don't know!" Silvia exclaims. "He can't be interested in me, can he? I don't do anything suspicious. I just teach children how to read!"
[12:24] <Leona> "Or the sergeant," Leona suggests.
[12:25] <@Santiago> "It could be you," Santiago remarks, eyeing Leona.
[12:26] <Leona> "He was curious about my second skin," Leona admits, nodding and folding her arms. "I'd hoped joining the militia would show enough civic responsibility that I'd be left well alone."
[12:26] <Luiza> "It can't be me, I don't really secure my material belongings," Luiza muses. "How about the rest of you?"
01[12:27] <El-Cideon> "Well, we have to work with him," Silvia says dejectedly. "Now I'll feel like I have to watch every word I say when I'm on duty."
01[12:27] <El-Cideon> Zoraida shakes her head. "I don't have much for a spy to even look at," she says.
[12:28] <@Santiago> "What about Noemi?" wonders Santiago. "I assume we're all assuming this is a letter from the Ministry of Security..."
[12:29] <Luiza> "I can just ask him," Luiza offers. "Unless you want to go to the Sergeant?"
[12:30] <Leona> "Asking him could be dangerous," Leona says. "What if he decides he needs to cover his tracks so as to not be found out? Might be better to just keep an eye on him, figure out who he's showing too much interest in."
01[12:30] <El-Cideon> Silvia nods to Santiago. "That was my thought. Who else would be writing letters like this?"
[12:30] <Morrison> "Wouldn't it be easy enough to determine by finding out who works there and matching the initials?" Morrison asks.
[12:31] <@Santiago> "It's a big organisation. Filled with liars with fake identities."
01[12:34] <El-Cideon> "Do you think the Sergeant knows?" Silvia says to Luiza in turn.
[12:34] <Luiza> "Probably," Luiza responds. "I don't think someone we're working with will turn on us if we were to bring it up privately, but talking to the Sergeant is the safer choice."
[12:36] <@Santiago> "What worries you most about this letter?"
[12:37] <Leona> "It does sound like Meria's been rifling through the belongings of whoever the subject is," Leona says. "That's worrying to me."
01[12:39] <El-Cideon> "Well, if you want to take it up with her, we'll keep an eye on him upstairs the meanwhile," Silvia promises, "since that's basically our job anyway. I'd be relieved to know this isn't anything at all."
[12:39] <@Santiago> "It sounds like he was asking for permission here, and getting rebuffed," replies Santiago. "A very by the book spy."
[12:41] <Luiza> Luiza reaches for the pieces of the letter, saying, "I'll take care of this today, then, if at all possible."
01[12:42] <El-Cideon> "We should probably be on our way to duty now," Zoraida reminds Silvia. Silvia nods and starts off for the Militia tower. "Thanks for whatever you can find out. I wouldn't even be sure how to raise the question. She's a little scary sometimes, isn't she?" With this, the two troopers march away to work.
[12:43] <Morrison> "Before we get embroiled in this, I want to share something I spoke to Deacon Arsene about." Morrison says. "It's about that letter from the farm."
[12:44] <Luiza> "Yes?"
[12:46] <Morrison> "Elena Quierdo's death was too quick for her to have had time to write any sort of letter as she was passing on." He says. "In addition, the other party in the quarrel, Gustavo Sigredo, was expelled and sent back to Thaliz, their hometown. However, she also said that a friend of Elena's who saw the fight went missing soon after. I just thought you'd all want to know."
[12:48] <Luiza> "Lovely."
[12:48] <Leona> "Well I hope we can send word to Thaliz's militia about this and they can follow it up."
[12:50] <@Santiago> "We can be quite sure the letter sent to her family was malicious," remarks Santiago.
[12:51] <Morrison> "Yes, though I ultimately have no idea what motive there was there, unless there was something on the farm someone wanted to steal... but even then, why?" Morrison asks as he shrugs.
[12:52] <Leona> "A twisted mind who felt Elena's death wasn't quite enough for them," Leona suggests.
[12:53] <Luiza> "If our recent troubles are related, it could be an attempt to destabilize the area," Luiza voices her own suspicions.
01[13:00] <El-Cideon> Back at the watchtower, you find Sergeant Embriz in the office floor reviewing duty rosters. The Militia's resident feline is curled up next to her foot. A lively stream of chatter upstairs indicates that Zoraida and Silvia are doing their best to keep their teammate distracted.
[13:01] <Luiza> "Do you have a moment, Ma'am?" Luiza promptly asks her rather than let herself chicken out at the last moment.
01[13:02] <El-Cideon> "Of course," she says, setting aside her work and looking up. "What's on your mind, Miss de la Vega?"
[13:04] <Luiza> "Please take a look at this, Ma'am," Luiza tells her, offering both halves of the letter.
01[13:06] <El-Cideon> Cala takes the letter and reads it silently. She remains expressionless throughout. "My first question," she says afterward, "is how this came into your possession."
[13:08] <Luiza> "Someone found it on the ground outside, Ma'am," Luiza responds. "They brought it up to my attention, and I asked them to let me handle this. Which I'm doing now."
01[13:13] <El-Cideon> Cala listens and seems to take this at face value. "I hope you understand why I had to ask. It wouldn't be healthy for anyone if the squad were pilfering from their own." Cala then goes about lighting a candle on her desk, despite it being noon and there being plenty of sunlight in the tower. "Alright. There's a Ministry of Security agent in the Rocina Militia," she concludes from the letter. She looks around the squad. "I take it this worries you? It would worry most people."
[13:14] <Luiza> "I don't have something to hide, Ma'am," Luiza voices. "That being true, I cannot help but wonder if the apparent target is you. That does worry me."
[13:14] <Leona> "Little bit," Leona agrees. "Eliseo was rather curious about my talents when we were introduced."
[13:17] <@Santiago> "Mmm. I thought more about that, and I think he must be more interested in possessions- probably correspondence and such? Since your powers are intrinsic to you, he may be curious but not invested," thinks Santiago. "Sergeant, do you know which of the women on your staff might have a history suggestive of ministry interest?"
01[13:19] <El-Cideon> She nods to Leona. "I expect that Luiza's correct: that this isn't your problem. It's mine." This seems to serve as an answer for Santiago as well; she doesn't address his question directly. She holds the letter over the candle flame and it starts to crisp and blacken. "That said," she adds, watching it burn, "just because he was dispatched here for one purpose doesn't mean he can't take an interest in others. Unfortunately, it isn't illegal for Security to have an observer in the Militia, despite the Ministry of War's repeated protests."
[13:21] <Luiza> "If I might ask, Ma'am, what is this all about?"
01[13:22] <El-Cideon> For the first time, a hint of bitterness seeps into her voice: "An old friend," she says, "who has nothing better to do with her time."
[13:24] <Luiza> "Would the initials on the letter match her name?"
01[13:28] <El-Cideon> Cala releases the last shred of the burnt missive and it falls to ash on the floor. "Mm-hm," she confirms simply. "I'd like to tell you not to behave any differently around Mr. Meria, but I don't imagine there's any other possibility, is there? I don't want to tell you to mind your tongue around him, either, because you should be able to trust implicitly a fellow officer, but I doubt there's any other way around it. I can't practically remove him from duty. You can imagine the headache, I'm sure. The best I can suggest is that you don't take it up with him directly, and don't gossip about it."
[13:29] <Leona> "That's about what I planned," Leona admits. "Can't do much about the ministry after all."
01[13:29] <El-Cideon> "No," Cala agrees flatly. "We can't."
[13:29] <Luiza> "Of course, Ma'am," Luiza agrees.
[13:31] <Morrison> Morrison just nods.
01[13:32] <El-Cideon> The cat yawns, stretches, and meows quietly. Cala leans down to scratch it behind the ears. "Is there anything else, officers?" she then asks.
[13:33] <Leona> Leona shakes her head mutely.
[13:33] <Luiza> Luiza silently offers the sergeant a delicious bread stick.
01[13:34] <El-Cideon> Cala looks pleased to accept the offer in this circumstance. "I'll leave you to your watch, then," she says in dismissal.
[13:35] <Leona> Leona goes back downstairs to sit at the table and read trashy novels until something happens!
[13:39] <Morrison> Morrison will take up his familiar spot by the window.
01[13:40] <El-Cideon> The rest of the week is quiet, uneventful to the point of inspiring boredom in the officers on duty—but perhaps boredom is an acceptable alternative when being called to duty means life-or-death encounters with violent outlaws and necromancy? Upstairs, Silvia and Zoraida seem to fall back into their usual gossipy routine—maybe not as though nothing has changed, but certainly camaraderie is the best way to deal with it?
01[13:40] <El-Cideon> At week's end, on Bansday afternoon as your shift has but a few hours standing between you and a couple days off duty, the squad receives a visitor. It's a young lady, and she's well-dressed by the standards of prospering artificers and tradesmen: her dress is tasteful and finely-tailored, but there's no surfeit of jewelry as might suit a rich or noble caller. She's short and slender and serious-looking, with a severity of expression accentuated by the tight braid that her chestnut hair has been wound into.
01[13:40] <El-Cideon> "Good afternoon," she says in greeting, going on to ask, "Please excuse me, but this is the afternoon watch of the Rocina Militia, is it not?" It sounds less like casual confirmation that she's looking for, and more like the answer to a personal mission.
[13:40] <@Santiago> "That's is," replies Santiago.
01[13:41] <El-Cideon> She nods, glances around the room, and rattles off the squad's names for further confirmation: "Leona, Santiago, Luiza, and Morrison, correct?"
[13:42] <Leona> Leona nods from her spot at the table, rather feeling like she does when a debt collector calls.
[13:42] <@Santiago> "Yes?"
01[13:42] <El-Cideon> "Good," she says. "Perhaps you can help me, then."
[13:43] <@Santiago> "Perhaps we can!"
01[13:44] <El-Cideon> "My name is Isabel Neves," she says. "I'm from Solfrina--which I understand is not ordinarily your jurisdiction, but the Solfrina Militia won't help me. From reputation, I thought maybe I should ask here instead."
[13:45] <Morrison> His head tilts slightly at the way that was phrased, but his attention is in her direction now.
[13:45] <@Santiago> "What's the problem?"
01[13:48] <El-Cideon> "I'm an apprentice weaver--I suppose I should say former apprentice. My mistress was killed a few weeks past. I don't need you to investigate that," she says, adding under her breath but with considerable force, "Everyone knows who did it anyway." She sighs. "I am hoping that this will be much simpler." It's with tightly controlled anger that she says: "I want to know who dug up her grave and what they did with her body."
[13:48] <Luiza> Luiza winces at the thought of more undead.
[13:50] <Leona> "Why won't the Solfrina militia help you?" Leona asks curiously.
[13:51] <@Santiago> "Why would someone do that?" asks Santiago, nonplussed.
01[13:53] <El-Cideon> Isabel briefly has the look of someone mentally filing through an army of bitter responses and settling on the most sanitized summary: "They have many reasons. None of them are in the least bit laudable. But the root of it is that they do not care." She nods with great feeling to Santiago. "I don't know!" she says, sounding pained. "That's why I'm here."
[13:54] <@Santiago> Santiago rubs his head. "Either she was buried with something important or valuable," he reasons, "Or someone needed her corpse for some magical purpose. There's a spell for communicating with the dead, for example. Do you think we can rule either of these out?"
[13:54] <Leona> "Who was your master anyway?" Leona asks in case it's someone semi-famous or notable.
01[13:56] <El-Cideon> She shakes her head to Santiago. "She was only buried with the gown that I made for her. And I don't know anything at all about magic. I would not be able to tell if anyone had used anything of the sort." To Leona, she answers: "Her birth name was Glorivaineth, but she used Gloria Cadena for legal purposes when she went into business."
[13:59] <@Santiago> "I feel as though there is a story to be told around her demise," replies Santiago, offering Isabel a chair to sit on. "Can you tell us about her, and what happened?"
01[14:06] <El-Cideon> Isabel gratefully sits down--it's quite a hike from Solfrina! "I worked under her for three years before she died. In some ways, I don't--well, she wasn't actually keen on sharing about her past." Isabel seems a little wounded recalling that as she reminisces. "But she was an excellent teacher, and a very generous mistress. Actually, she set aside more money for me than most apprentices get. I don't think she cared about wealth at all, really. She just enjoyed the work. She mostly made clothes for the finer sort of customer in Solfrina. But she didn't sign on with the guild, which could cause problems for anybody."
[14:07] <Leona> Those guilds in Solfrina are serious business! Leona makes a not to be very careful around the brewers guild should she ever expand into that market.
[14:08] <Luiza> "Was she killed over this?" Luiza inquires.
01[14:14] <El-Cideon> "You would have to ask them why they did it," Isabel says, adding bitterly, "not that anyone else seems interested in doing that. I would say that they did it just because they're cruel, drunken louts." She sighs and collects her composure again. "I should admit we hardly have a confession from the three of them that they did it, but there's no doubt in my mind. They'd been harassing her--and me, for working with her--whenever they found an opportunity for months. Shouting names when they pass in the street, or defacing the house at night--one of them even threw a tomato once, out in broad daylight. And no one said anything to him about this at all! Can you imagine?" She clenches her fists tight in the folds of her skirt. "Anyway, they all joked about it after she was found beat to death in an alley. I don't have any doubt," she repeats.
[14:15] <Leona> "Rich noble's sons?" Leona guesses unhappily.
[14:16] <Morrison> "...I hate to phrase it this way, but I'm not sure we even have any jurisdiction over something like this." Morrison voices.
01[14:17] <El-Cideon> Isabel shakes her head. "No, they were other weavers' apprentices," she says. "But you know the sort: shirk their duties, try to get paid for nothing, and then take it out on someone else when their master beats them for it."
[14:19] <@Santiago> "I think it's not as hard as that," remarks Santiago. "It's one thing if the Solfrina militia is working on the case, but if they're not, it becomes difficult for them to object to us doing so without exposing, how can I put it, complicity?"
01[14:19] <El-Cideon> She nods to Morrison. "I knew that that might be a possibility. That is why I'm not asking you to investigate a murder. I just want to know what happened to her body! I don't think that this is too much to ask if you have to stay out of our militia's way. I can pay you for your time! If you can't take this officially on duty, I mean. Just follow me to the gravesite and help find a trail?"
[14:20] <Leona> Leona does know the sort! "Of course we do need to clear it with the sergeant since it'll take us away from our duties here," she says. "But solving these crimes is our responsibility."
[14:20] <Morrison> Morrison's face scrunches up briefly. "I doubt there's any regulation that says you have to be within a certain Militia's district to ask them for help."
[14:21] <@Santiago> Santiago raises his hands. "You don't need to pay us," he insists, rising to his feet. "Leona and Morrison are quite right."
01[14:22] <El-Cideon> Isabel looks relieved just to have a receptive audience. "Oh, could you?" She sits up straight, looking like she feels at least a little vindicated to have assistance. "I didn't know who else I could even ask if you said no."
[14:23] <Leona> "Why did you even come to us to start with?" Leona asks. "We're mostly famous for fighting mutineers, aren't we?" She knows they've got some renown out of that at least.
01[14:25] <El-Cideon> "Gloria heard something about you," she explains. "You know, elves talk to each other. Apparently you helped one once. So I thought, 'Maybe that means they'll at least listen.'"
01[14:32] <El-Cideon> Sergeant Embriz proves to be outside at the moment, idly watching Silvia partake in a bit of target practice in the yard next to the tower.
[14:35] <Leona> "Sergeant," Leona greets her. "We've been visited by someone from Solfrina who wants us to investigate a grave robbery that the Solfrina authorities are apparently ignoring," she quickly explains the situation.
01[14:37] <El-Cideon> Cala turns away from the practice to address this unusual request. "Interesting," is her first thought. Her first question is: "Do we know why the Solfrina Militia hasn't any interest in this?"
[14:39] <@Santiago> "There's some possibilities," replies Santiago, unhappily. "The murdered woman is of elven heritage, so people may already not care very much. Also, the suspected murderers are from the weaver's guild. The guild apparently somewhat powerful and could easily be in cahoots with the militia."
[14:39] <Leona> Leona shakes her head. "Apparently they don't care. I'd guess personal bias," she agrees with Santiago's analysis.
[14:40] <Luiza> "It does appear to be due to discrimination," Luiza concurs.
01[14:45] <El-Cideon> "And I take it you're inclined to help," Cala concludes from Santiago's tone. "I don't see a good reason for NO ONE to look into it. Might as well be us--within the limits of reason." She doesn't sound any more pleased to tell you this than you probably are to hear it. "I'd leave you with one direct instruction: if the captain of the Solfrina Militia explicitly tells you to leave it be, you have to listen and come home. I know him by reputation, and we don't need him starting some kind of power struggle between Militia offices."
[14:46] <Leona> "Might it be better if we don't wear the grey while doing our investigation?" Leona suggests, tugging at her tabard.
01[14:46] <El-Cideon> "I think it would," Cala agrees. "Weekend's coming up. Good time to take a casual look around the city anyway, isn't it?"
[14:47] <Luiza> "Is there an official reason for us to be in Solfrina, Ma'am?" Luiza voices. "If so, we could just take our time with it."
[14:47] <@Santiago> "Procurement, perhaps."
01[14:50] <El-Cideon> "Maybe," she says thoughtfully. "Noemi keeps nagging for me to ditch my old crossbow for a musket. Personally I prefer a ranged weapon that won't blow my hand off when it's feeling ornery, but that seems to be the way the world's headed. I'll write you up a scrip for a barrel of gunpowder or something."
[14:51] <Luiza> "Perhaps we could go for that, and stay over for the weekend?"
01[14:52] <El-Cideon> "If need be," she says. "I'll work the rosters around somehow."
[14:53] <Leona> Leona doesn't look terribly thrilled about giving up so much time over this, but it is an injustice that she's prepared to inconvenience herself to have addressed.
01[15:01] <El-Cideon> Isabel climbs onto a pony she'd tied up outside the watchtower and leads the way out of Rocina and towards the big city.
01[15:01] <El-Cideon> Solfrina is several hours' walk from Rocina, such that those visiting the city after a day's work in one of its satellite towns are likely to spend the evening in an inn rather than walk back in the dead of night. Reaching it entails crossing a grand stone bridge over the Tarquiz River, a principal artery of Verdana's heartland.
01[15:01] <El-Cideon> The city announces itself at a considerable distance, as it sprawls to accommodate a population several times that of little Rocina. Its civic buildings and stately manor houses are taller than any boasted by your hometown, and its streets are cobbled and well-lit. Ordinarily, its streets are all a-jostle with hawkers, shoppers, and servants on errands, and there's altogether a busy vitality to it that's markedly different from Rocina's gentler rhythm—though by the late hour at which you arrive, the street crowds are down to a trickle of dedicated drinkers and roving gourmands.
01[15:01] <El-Cideon> Isabel insists on at least paying for your room and board while here, even if you won't accept any direct payment. Over a hearty breakfast the next morning, she suggests, "We will go out and look at the gravesite first, yes? I'm not sure where else to take you, really."
[15:03] <Leona> "Yes, hopefully there's clues to be found there," Leona agrees, dressed casually now that she's not on duty in a simple white blouse and gold-knit headscarf with a long black skirt. She doesn't even have her crossbow, having no need to announce herself as armed and dangerous when not performing militia work.
[15:05] <@Santiago> Santiago shrugs lightly after completing a feast of eggs. The spear is far too unwieldy to cart around on a casual visit, but a man carrying a sword is still a common enough sight in this new age of gunpowder that he has no qualms about wearing his on his hip.
01[15:06] <El-Cideon> "Yes, clues," Isabel echoes, sounding cautiously optimistic about having someone with her who knows what those look like! "She's buried in the foreigners' graveyard outside of town. It was much as I could do to get the city undertakers to not just put her in a pauper's pit," she complains. "But, as I said, I did save up a little money beforehand."
[15:07] <Luiza> Luiza hasn't changed her own appearance, though she certainly doesn't intend to draw the sword on her hip while out on what amounts to personal business. "Let us take a look, then?" she suggests.
[15:07] <@Santiago> "If we can't find anything, we might go and question a few of the louts involved," muses Santiago.
01[15:10] <El-Cideon> Isabel polishes off her meal and stands up. "If it comes to that, we'll have to find the right time and place to ask them. If there is one," she adds skeptically. "I don't know what would come of it if we knocked on their masters' doors and asked right out did their apprentices partake of graverobbing." She nudges her chair back in place and sets out onto the bustling city street, assuming there are no more questions for now.
[15:10] <Leona> Leona is ready to go see the scene of the crime!
01[15:11] <El-Cideon> The foreigners' cemetery occupies a low rise about a mile outside the eastern edge of Solfrina. It's ringed by a modest stone wall, more rudimentary and decorative than a security measure. "They shouldn't have buried her at all," Isabel says as she ties up her pony outside the entrance. "That isn't what the elves used to do with their dead." Then she enters the cemetery and starts to stride purposefully between rows of grave markers. It's quite a small plot, really, perhaps unsurprising given that Solfrina is about as far as one can get from any of Verdana's national boundaries.
01[15:11] <El-Cideon> Few of the headstones here bear considerable detail or decoration. Most convey only the barest information about the departed—name, dates of birth and death (when known). A few are inscribed with the strange symbols of gods from beyond Verdana's borders. While many of the grave markers are stone, a few are made of simple wood planks, and one gets the sense that this was as much dignity as the departed or their nearest kin could afford. This isn't a graveyard for wealthy foreign traders, but for impoverished exiles and strays. This is a resting place for lost souls.
01[15:13] <El-Cideon> After but a moment of walking, Isabel stops at the defiled gravesite. "This is it," she says simply, a tightness in her voice and jaw testifying to carefully controlled fury.
01[15:13] <El-Cideon> The headstone here is superficially like any other in the graveyard, a low and slim and upright tooth of stone, a minimal investment with which to dignify the passing of someone that Solfrina wasn't quite sure what else to do with. The inscription is simple: "Gloria Cadena, d. A.V. 451." There is no date of birth or epitaph. A small collection of white roses has been dropped next to the headstone, wilted now from what looks like a couple days' exposure.
01[15:13] <El-Cideon> The earth of the grave remains disturbed from the disinterment. The burial mound has collapsed and settled somewhat, and a hole has been burrowed between the casket itself and the surface. It's a fairly narrow excavation—the coffin itself was not removed from the grave, but instead the lid itself was breached. It looks to have been simply bashed through and rent asunder; fragments of rather cheap-looking wood planks litter the walls of the excavation. Wan sunlight reaches into the pit to illuminate the bottom of an empty casket.
01[15:13] <El-Cideon> "I'm afraid I don't know what you could learn from this," Isabel admits, "but you're the Militia, not I. I haven't any idea what else I can show you, anyway."
[15:14] <Leona> "Morrison, this is mostly your thing," Leona prods, peering down into the hole. At least it wasn't likely a busy funeral with lots of other footsteps to muddy the waters.
01[15:15] <El-Cideon> OOC: Perception and Survival both apply here
[15:15] <Leona> roll 1d20+8 I'll roll perception
[15:15] <Rei-chan> 6,0Leona rolled :6,0 1d20+8 1,0I'll roll perception --> 6,0[ 1d20=12 ]4,0{20}
[15:16] <Luiza> "I don't suppose you know of any elves who might have wanted to put her body to rest the elven way?" Luiza asks, even as she looks to see whether the lid was forced open from the inside or the outside.
[15:16] <Luiza> roll 1d20+7 can I see?
[15:16] <Rei-chan> 6,0Luiza rolled :6,0 1d20+7 1,0can I see? --> 6,0[ 1d20=2 ]4,0{9}
[15:17] <Leona> "Uhhh..." Leona makes a somewhat distressed and confused sound. "I can't help but notice that the coffin debris is more outside the coffin and embedded in the surrounding earth, rather than inside as if someone had bashed it open from above."
[15:18] <Luiza> Luiza shivers.
[15:19] <Morrison> OOC: I'll try Survival
01[15:19] <El-Cideon> Isabel shakes her head. "I'm afraid not," she admits to Luiza. "She didn't introduce me to any of her friends. And she didn't have much in the way of visitors while I worked under her. She did go out of town on a trip once in a while. Earlier this year, even--" Whatever thought had hold of her here is disrupted by Leona's theory. "Excuse me?"
[15:19] <Morrison> roll 1d20+8
[15:19] <Rei-chan> 6,0Morrison rolled :6,0 1d20+8 --> 6,0[ 1d20=4 ]4,0{12}
[15:19] <@Santiago> OOC: what do I know about dead folks spontaneously waking up and evicting themselves from graves
[15:20] <Leona> "It looks to me less like someone dug down into the grave, than someone dug their way *up*," Leona voices the inescapable conclusion.
01[15:20] <El-Cideon> OOC: K:R?
[15:21] <@Santiago> roll 1d20+7
[15:21] <Rei-chan> 6,0Santiago rolled :6,0 1d20+7 --> 6,0[ 1d20=5 ]4,0{12}
[15:21] <Luiza> "Not again," Luiza moans.
[15:21] <Morrison> Morrison shakes his head. "Not much of a trail here."
01[15:22] <El-Cideon> Isabel is looking increasingly lost. "Not again what?" she asks. "Is there a lot of graverobbing going on lately?"
[15:23] <Leona> "It's not a grave robbery," Leona sighs. "Gloria dug herself out."
[15:24] <@Santiago> Santiago pokes his mustache with a frown. "We've run into zombies before, so... perhaps she is out there, right now. A necromancer might be responsible, but- I think they'd have to open the coffin first?" he says. "Maybe we should ask an elf about their ceremonial rites, and, uh, the reason behind them."
[15:24] <Luiza> "Hopefully because she was only mostly dead, and not because she's now a zombie," Luiza adds. Though it's probably zombies.
[15:25] <Leona> Leona suddenly looks very alarmed at the thought that her elven blood will have her climbing out of the grave one day!
01[15:25] <El-Cideon> Isabel shakes her head vigorously. "That--that isn't possible! Things like that don't happen! ...Right?" She gives the breached grave an uncertain look.
[15:26] <Luiza> "We should find an elf, just in case."
01[15:27] <El-Cideon> "I don't know any others," Isabel admits. "But I read a little about them after I started working for Gloria. I even learned the language." She sounds proud of herself, even in these circumstances.
[15:27] <Leona> "You'd think this sort of thing would be common knowledge!"
[15:27] <Leona> "I know the language, and no one ever told me this was a thing that can happen," Leona insists.
[15:28] <Luiza> "Maybe we should take a look at her old home?" Luiza suggests. "If she only seemed dead and dug herself out, maybe she went home to take a few of her things?"
01[15:28] <El-Cideon> "Well, I don't think it's a thing that's supposed to happen!" Isabel swears to Leona.
[15:28] <Leona> "I can't think of anything else to do," Leona shrugs helplessly. "You'd think a walking corpse would leave more of an obvious trail."
[15:29] <@Santiago> "Someone might have seen her," notes Santiago. "I will go out and ask around. She was wearing a gown?"
01[15:30] <El-Cideon> "Oh, her house," Isabel says with a pained expression. "She didn't have a will, and as an apprentice I'm not entitled to inherit my mistress's property, so right now...the city owns it. It'll be auctioned, eventually. Right now it's locked up. You might have to break in."
[15:30] <Luiza> "Do you have a key?"
01[15:30] <El-Cideon> She nods to Santiago. "Yes. It was white silk, with floral embroidery. I made it myself."
[15:30] <Leona> "I think at this point we can claim official privilege," Leona says, looking at the others for backup.
01[15:30] <El-Cideon> To Luiza, she simply shakes her head. "Not anymore. I've been living out of inns for a couple weeks."
[15:31] <@Santiago> "If she went there herself, wouldn't she need to break in too?"
[15:31] <Luiza> Luiza shrugs at Leona's question. "Let's wait until we actually need to? Like Santiago said, we might spot something along the way."
01[15:32] <El-Cideon> Isabel considers this, and concludes, "If she went there, I suppose that she would have to. But I have to convince myself that this is a very large If! There must be another explanation. There has to be!"
[15:34] <Luiza> "So let's go and take a look for ourselves?"
[15:34] <@Santiago> "You must at least concede that the coffin was destroyed from the inside out, and she was the only person who could've done so. Otherwise, someone must have dug up the coffin, extracted her corpse, put a strong brute inside, put the coffin back, and then the brute must have escaped on his own."
01[15:34] <El-Cideon> Isabel just looks down again at the defiled grave, shoulders slumped.
[15:35] <Morrison> "...Maybe I missed it, but... did you see her put into this coffin?" Morrison asks.
01[15:36] <El-Cideon> Isabel nods. "I didn't trust anyone to do anything right in this without my watching them," she insists.
[15:36] <Morrison> He nods.
01[15:40] <El-Cideon> Nervous and unsettled all the while, but pushed onward by a palpable determination to find her lost mentor, Isabel leads you back into the city through busy lunchtime crowds to the place where she used to live and work.
01[15:40] <El-Cideon> The former residence of Gloria Cadena is a fine, three-story townhouse in a southern neighborhood that seems less fashionable than it might once have been—you don't see many people out and about here, and the cobblestone streets look in need of repair.
01[15:40] <El-Cideon> Though the curtains within are all drawn, denying any clear view of the interior, it's immediately apparent that you are not the only recent visitor: the front door has been forcibly wrenched inward. Deep gouges mar the old wood around the lock, which looks to have given way and broken entirely under pressure.
[15:42] <@Santiago> Santiago winces. "Let's be careful. She might still be here," he notes, gingerly stepping inside and keeping his eyes open.
[15:43] <Luiza> "It's not zombies, it's not zombies, it's not zombies," Luiza chants quietly to herself, eyes closed.
01[15:44] <El-Cideon> Within is an open atrium with doors to either side and stairs winding up to both of the higher floors. It's initially hard to make out much more for those without darkvision, but Isabel helpfully remembers where to find light in a cabinet by the door, and soon has an oil lantern up.
01[15:44] <El-Cideon> There is a heavy CLUNK from somewhere upstairs as Luiza tries to convince herself.
[15:44] <@Santiago> Swallowing, Santiago starts up the stairs despite his better judgement.
[15:44] <Luiza> Luiza woodenly takes her whip into her hands and waits for someone to head in.
[15:45] <Leona> "Wait a minute then," Leona asks, looking around before she begins to transform, calling her other skin over herself. She has to briefly take her blouse off and then re-don it so as not to present too indecent a view, but it doesn't go nearly as far down her legs as her usual tabard does so it's still not ideal. At that clunk, she bravely takes the lead going up the stairs.
01[15:48] <El-Cideon> Isabel hasn't seen this transformation before and is quite taken aback, but seems to be quickly acclimatizing herself to strangeness. "That's, um, well--" She shakes her head and focuses on the task at hand instead of on whatever Leona might be. "The bedrooms were up top," she says helpfully. "Second floor was the workshop and the guest room." Continued rummaging sounds seem to come from the uppermost floor. There is a door to both the left and right up here; the latter presently hangs closed, but you can see that it was forced open in a manner similar to the front door.
[15:49] <@Santiago> Santiago grimaces, and continues heading up to the uppermost floor.
[15:50] <Leona> Leona ignores the broken door for now and also continues up towards the sounds of activity.
[15:51] <Luiza> Luiza takes the excuse of checking out what lies beyond the broken door.
[15:53] <Morrison> Morrison follows along!
01[15:54] <El-Cideon> The landing at the top floor similarly branches to left and right. Both doors here have similarly had the handles and locks gouged out so they could be pushed open. From the right door are sounds of something busily digging through the former weaver's belongings within. "That was Gloria's room," Isabel whispers quietly. Luiza sees that beyond the slightly ajar door on the second floor is what looks like a tailor's workshop, with dressmaker's dummies and materials strewn about as if in some coordinated search for something.
[15:54] <Luiza> Since nothing is there, Luiza catches up to the others.
[15:55] <@Santiago> Santiago shoves open the door and steps inside the room in a burst of terrified energy!
[15:55] <Leona> Leona bravely steps into the room with all the activity, a horrible mult-armed monster that only a zombie could face without fear!
[15:56] <Luiza> Luiza peeks from behind the two, whip clutched in both hands.
01[15:56] <El-Cideon> Within is a spartan bedroom: the canopied bed looks comfortable, there's a large wardrobe and a writing desk. The furniture here is sturdy, but not showy.
01[15:56] <El-Cideon> The desk has been broken into, and the lone occupant of the room turns to face you as if just caught in the act. It isn't of human or even elf-kind. It looks most like a complicated clockwork mechanism fashioned in the shape of a large hound. Its appearance is largely skeletal, as though whoever created it thought any envelope of skin wholly superfluous; gears whirl quietly as it moves, and faceted, faintly luminous eyes regard you warily. A sort of cage made of wire mesh occupies its chest cavity; it looks like a book and some jewelry have been stored there.
01[15:56] <El-Cideon> The creature, watching you carefully, takes a single, tentative step back toward the window.
[15:57] <Luiza> "You're not Gloria's zombie!"
01[15:58] <El-Cideon> Isabel, at the back of the line, can only crane her neck in an unsuccessful attempt to see what's happening. "What is it?" she cries out.
[15:58] <Leona> "What even is that?!" Leona gasps a phrase she often hears addressed to herself, looking from the dog to the window. Maybe they can chase it and it'll lead back to its master?
[15:58] <@Santiago> "Put down her things and, uh, step away from the window!"
01[15:59] <El-Cideon> The canine mechanism responds by instantly whirling around towards the window.
01[15:59] <El-Cideon> OOC: gonna be init to stop it from here, if you want to
[16:00] <Leona> OOC: I wanna chase it!
01[16:00] <El-Cideon> OOC: we'll probably still need init queued up for that, though! It doesn't exactly want you to chase it.
[16:01] <Luiza> roll 1d20+8
[16:01] <Leona> roll 1d20+1 it better do something about it then!
[16:01] <Rei-chan> 6,0Luiza rolled :6,0 1d20+8 --> 6,0[ 1d20=13 ]4,0{21}
[16:01] <Rei-chan> 6,0Leona rolled :6,0 1d20+1 1,0it better do something about it then! --> 6,0[ 1d20=11 ]4,0{12}
[16:01] <@Santiago> roll 1d20+8
[16:01] <Rei-chan> 6,0Santiago rolled :6,0 1d20+8 --> 6,0[ 1d20=12 ]4,0{20}
01[16:01] <El-Cideon> roll 1d20+8 doggo
[16:01] <Rei-chan> 6,0El-Cideon rolled :6,0 1d20+8 1,0doggo --> 6,0[ 1d20=1 ]4,0{9}
[16:01] <Morrison> roll 1d20+4
[16:01] <Rei-chan> 6,0Morrison rolled :6,0 1d20+4 --> 6,0[ 1d20=15 ]4,0{19}
03[16:02] * El-Cideon changes topic to 'Luiza (21) > Santiago (20) > Morrison (19) > Leona (12) > dog-thing (9)'
01[16:02] <El-Cideon> ~