[X] Tell them everything - except anything that matters. If knowing your crimes is a bluff, you've done enough pranks in your life to be talking for hours.
They quite literally asked for it. If they wanted specifics pertaining to what they're currently investigating, clearly they wouldn't have spent all that time listing unrelated stuff.
[X] Tell them everything - except anything that matters. If knowing your crimes is a bluff, you've done enough pranks in your life to be talking for hours.
[X] Stand your ground. They might be a terrifying killer with impossibly good hair standing over multiple bodies but you don't back down so easily, they'll deal with you as an equal or… well you'll figure out an "or."
I get the feeling lying to Feathers isn't going to go well if she can throw around 9 dice. Ergo, let's go aggressive. If she wanted us dead, then she would've set us on fire by now.
Fuck you, you half-faerie. Use a Willpower if you have to.
"You can't put a price on people skills. But I can and it's about a third of what I owe you, suck it up and come learn how to be lovely to strangers with me"
Steals Kisses was every part as lovely as I thought she'd be. What would she agree to rob for us, though? I can hardly imagine her barging in the Midnight Tales' mansion or some similarly high-security establishment just because we gave her a good deal...
You can peg the Dreamer (who you're tentatively calling the Dreamer, that sure as hell wasn't Cheshago's dream) as probably male, with high cheekbones and hawkish features and razor-straight hair.
It's not really what you came here for, but if you ever need to pick them out of a lineup or recognize them in a painting, now you have a pretty good idea on how?
The crossbows are not a tool of opportunity, but the familiar weapons of a Legion. Your blood runs cold as you realize that these aren't just any high-flying mercenaries with their sights trained on the Guild.
"Close," Wave says, nodding approvingly at you knowing something so obscure, "those are filled Yasal Crystals, we have a source further South which are trading them clean, ready to accept a soul."
Come to think of it, why would anyone need them, in the context of our case? They cost a lot, sure, but how does that compare to the cost of an ex-Legionnaire outfit services?
I would be inclined to think one of them wasn't clean if Wave didn't deny it outright. What use are they if not for their content?
Also, was Cheshago killed with one of the Soul stones that are written off as missing or stolen by the Midnight Tales? Is that what got them so fearful of reprisal? No, but they deal in Dreamstones, not Yasal Crystals... But weren't there some entries marked with a strange symbol?
Can anyone think of any reason to not sell out that merchant house and direct the attention of the hound to them?
Edit: Ten Feathers. Did she walk on a Guild ambush prepared for us? Is Diamond targetting us already?
If you put a name or a history to a face you could try, yes! (If you were to identify him as an Avana then the Misery + Dragon-tombs option would be that, but you don't know enough about the Dreamer to make that connection for sure.)
Who are the Legion? For that matter, how legal is the status of these mercenaries in the eyes of the Despot?
Imperial Legions are, well, there's probably a lot of people that call themselves that, but in this case they're the armies of the Scarlet Empire (the annoyingly smug Dragon-run technological paradise).
We probably won't actually get into a Dragon-Blood's battlefield capabilities... ever in this quest, so it's no spoiler to say that Legions are much, much scarier with actual elemental demigods present. Even at the low-end Dragons get logistics, communications and training magic that would make any pre-modern commander weep with envy, and at the high-end they have the equivalent of tactical nuclear weapons.
But even without their actual commanders, thanks to said training magic the Legions are some of the best forces in the world (save perhaps for singularly elite god-backed forces like the Brides of Ahlat, or a similar effort by PC characters).
As for what the Despot would think of Imperial Deserters, well, that'll be apparent when we're back to investigation targets.
Where do the other two PER come from? Is this because of broad daylight?
[X] Tell them some things. Some true? Some false? Some bluffs? Some hedges?
-[X] The things they care about. That you're an investigator, that Cheshago was trying to open some kind of treasure, that you think a Yasal crystal was used to steal his soul, that Diamond is hiring Imperials to hit the Guild, that Midnight Tales is cooking the books to hide some weird magic and a lot of cash, they've got a secret passageway.
I feel like bluffing here is going to be more like saying no than throwing her off our trail, and I don't think the half cthulu-fairy with a flamethrower is going to take that well. Also, I feel like those assassins were here for us. We might want to start putting the hurt on Diamond.
[X] Tell them some things. Some true? Some false? Some bluffs? Some hedges?
-[X] The things they care about. That you're an investigator, that Cheshago was trying to open some kind of treasure, that you think a Yasal crystal was used to steal his soul, that Diamond is hiring Imperials to hit the Guild, that Midnight Tales is cooking the books to hide some weird magic and a lot of cash, they've got a secret passageway.
What would she agree to rob for us, though? I can hardly imagine her barging in the Midnight Tales' mansion or some similarly high-security establishment just because we gave her a good deal...
It's not really down to the good deal, that's just an excuse. Steals Kisses and Sharell go way back and she's part of your background dot benefits. You'll get some uses for her in the future investigation turns.
Besides she's sure to find something on the way that'll make it worth her time. No rules you can't take extra things while robbing a place.
Come to think of it, why would anyone need them, in the context of our case? They cost a lot, sure, but how does that compare to the cost of an ex-Legionnaire outfit services?
I would be inclined to think one of them wasn't clean if Wave didn't deny it outright. What use are they if not for their content?
Legal uses for Yasal Crystals the main one would be so that old members of the family can put their souls into the crystals and continue to advise and guide from beyond the grave. The less legal uses are hugely varied, you can kill your enemies and harvest their souls for interrogation or make sure they can't ever be questioned. They also have some further uses that Sharell didn't roll well enough to understand, but anyone can just look up the rules for them if they're curious.
Ex-legionnaire services would be worth a lot more than a Yasal Crystal normally, but price is fluid and all. If you really need some Yasal crystals maybe it is worth the cost.
Curious. I thought that the murderer "pocketing" Cheshago's soul was because they were after the same thing, but it never occured to me that it is possible that some parties may be working not to gain, but to restrict access to the forbidden knowledge. That's why it is forbidden, after all.
That line of thought leads nowhere, though, since the only currently known party who'd take this seriously enough reportedly went extinct eons ago. It's probably better to assume that any information denial (like the murder of the Antiquarian) is an element of a race for the treasure.
I feel like bluffing here is going to be more like saying no than throwing her off our trail, and I don't think the half cthulu-fairy with a flamethrower is going to take that well.
She has us dead to rights. She knows we are guilty of something, and our reputation precedes us. Most of our contacts are on the wrong side of the law, and every two-bit thug and crook in Gem knows our name; something that we just now made sure they won't forget. Should Ten Feathers come visit, they'll sing everything they know and even some things they don't. Even if the Despot cared about appearances there'd be enough dirt on us to execute us thrice over.
Ten Feathers probably doesn't care about any of this (and likely doesn't have time to punish cat-catchers while there are soul-stealing murderers and superpowered deserters on the loose), but openly defying them could give them a reason. They wants to shake us down like they did our friends at the market. It's our fault for getting caught, so do a lizard and slither away while they chew on your tail.
I am not entirely sure whether we should give them that much though.
[ ] Tell them some things. Some true? Some false? Some bluffs? Some hedges?
-[ ] The things they care about. That you're an investigator, that Cheshago was trying to open some kind of treasure, that you think a Yasal crystal was used to steal his soul, that Diamond is hiring Imperials to hit the Guild, that Midnight Tales is cooking the books to hide some weird magic and a lot of cash, they've got a secret passageway.
The Yasal crystal is a known entity; the Despot vetted the deal so it gives away nothing they wouldn't already know; the Imperials I considered mentioning although I wasn't sure what it'd give us; the Diamond's involvement is a conjecture, but given the ambush I am willing to bend the facts a little; and the secret passageway... are we sure we'd never get a chance to raid the mansion again before the Despot's people come knocking? I am awfully curious about it.
[X] Tell them some things. Some true? Some false? Some bluffs? Some hedges?
-[X] The things they care about. That you're an investigator, that Cheshago was trying to open some kind of treasure, that you think a Yasal crystal was used to steal his soul, that Diamond is hiring Imperials to hit the Guild, that Midnight Tales is cooking the books to hide some weird magic and a lot of cash, they've got a secret passageway.
Curious. I thought that the murderer "pocketing" Cheshago's soul was because they were after the same thing, but it never occured to me that it is possible that some parties may be working not to gain, but to restrict access to the forbidden knowledge. That's why it is forbidden, after all.
That line of thought leads nowhere, though, since the only currently known party who'd take this seriously enough reportedly went extinct eons ago. It's probably better to assume that any information denial (like the murder of the Antiquarian) is an element of a race for the treasure.
She has us dead to rights. She knows we are guilty of something, and our reputation precedes us. Most of our contacts are on the wrong side of the law, and every two-bit thug and crook in Gem knows our name; something that we just now made sure they won't forget. Should Ten Feathers come visit, they'll sing everything they know and even some things they don't. Even if the Despot cared about appearances there'd be enough dirt on us to execute us thrice over.
Ten Feathers probably doesn't care about any of this (and likely doesn't have time to punish cat-catchers while there are soul-stealing murderers and superpowered deserters on the loose), but openly defying them could give them a reason. They wants to shake us down like they did our friends at the market. It's our fault for getting caught, so do a lizard and slither away while they chew on your tail.
I am not entirely sure whether we should give them that much though.
[ ] Tell them some things. Some true? Some false? Some bluffs? Some hedges?
-[ ] The things they care about. That you're an investigator, that Cheshago was trying to open some kind of treasure, that you think a Yasal crystal was used to steal his soul, that Diamond is hiring Imperials to hit the Guild, that Midnight Tales is cooking the books to hide some weird magic and a lot of cash, they've got a secret passageway.
The Yasal crystal is a known entity; the Despot vetted the deal so it gives away nothing they wouldn't already know; the Imperials I considered mentioning although I wasn't sure what it'd give us; the Diamond's involvement is a conjecture, but given the ambush I am willing to bend the facts a little; and the secret passageway... are we sure we'd never get a chance to raid the mansion again before the Despot's people come knocking? I am awfully curious about it.
[X] Tell them some things. Some true? Some false? Some bluffs? Some hedges?
-[X] The things they care about. That you're an investigator, that Cheshago was trying to open some kind of treasure, that you think a Yasal crystal was used to steal his soul, that Diamond is hiring Imperials to hit the Guild
So... I feel like we have no reason to tell her about the midnight tales if we don't need to. But we always can if she seems unconvinced we told her everything? Just to me it doesn't seem directly relevant to the case and it probably is better to not have them annoyed at you for completely selling them out. They're just scummy merchants in general.
Reference. I was interested in your reasoning in revealing those points, seeing how you are the author of the plan. I agree that we need to give them something, but why these specific bits?
Yasal Crystals and Soulgems do share a fair amount of similarities and might even be the same thing with a different name. Autocthonia has a whole issue with the cycle of rebirth that requires someway to stop Souls just wandering off and getting evaporated. A Yasal crystal would cover that for sure, though it does make them a lot more common in Autocthonia that Creation since everyone has to have one.
Autocthonia itself we wouldn't drop into this quest because that'd be incredibly confusing for all to deal with, but anything else you're worrying about is on the table as a possibility!
Your throat goes dry as you quickly consider your options. Under less serious circumstances that'd be the perfect opening to play this off with a joke, but there's the smell of burning flesh in the air from the recently dispatched bodies and Ten Feathers' eyes have a truly malicious glint from the firelight. You don't want to give them an excuse to add one more to the flames.
"I'm looking for the murderer of Guild Prince Cheshago, likely killed not because of who he was but what he was after. A great treasure of some kind, worth not just killing him but stealing away his soul with a rare crystal from the far South called a Yasal Crystal."
"My, you have been busy," Ten Feathers says, thudding their rifle down between you and leaning on it. "But as interesting as that is, that's hardly a confession. I think I was very clear I wanted to hear more about Sharell Zenteno. Some men just tried to kill me right outside her house and I'm ever so curious what she's done that would warrant such a poor reception."
"I'm investigating this, working for the Guild. An organization that finds itself the victim of a crime is allowed to look into it themselves, providing they don't break the laws of Gem. They picked me, I got paperwork to prove it."
"Quoting law at me won't help," they say, "as far as this conversation is concerned, the law is what I say it is, reality conforms to my opinion and right now, my opinion is you're wasting my time. You better convince me otherwise very quickly."
"I'm doing it as a favour, they helped me get justice for a friend. I've pushed pretty hard to get to the bottom of it, if I'm looking for a killer I have to look where I'm not wanted right? These two," you gesture, you don't want to look at them right now, "probably worked for Guild Prince Diamond in Your Knapsack. He's fighting with the Prince in charge-"
"Factor, dear."
What? "What? What factor?"
"The Guild functionary in charge of operations in a place as important as Gem is called the Factor. It's a sign of respect and trust from the organization as a whole. Princes are more like… daimyos loosely directed by a shogun, as it were."
You knew all of the second part (and also the way to become the Prince In Charge is to comprehensively demonstrate to the Guild that you can handle the position), but not the names for things. You're not sure what's worse, that you've dealt as much as you have with the Guild without knowing what the ranks are called, or that you're very sure you've referred to Waves as a Prince to her subordinates and nobody's ever corrected you before now.
Not now! Focus! "Diamond is having a private war with the Factor, which Cheshago was playing both sides of," you continue. "If Diamond thinks I'm a good soldier for Wave or some kind of unstoppable outside bet he probably sent them here to scope me out. Or kill me. If he really wanted to assassinate the Despot's Hound he's got better people for that. I found out he's hired a group of deserters from the Scarlet Empire's Legions to do his dirty work."
Feathers peers at you curiously. Yeah, you thought they'd like that one. The Despot once killed a man's entire household over the murder of a disgraced member of a Dragon's family, all to keep the Dragons happy with him and pleasantly distant. Turning over traitors to their Empire, though? Can't buy that kind of goodwill, and Feathers must know it.
"With such strength at his disposal, why would he send such meager assassins?" Feathers strokes their chin, "could it be that he's not taking me seriously? Or were they really just there for… hm."
Oh. Great. They sound insulted. Well, great. You can just have all your problems kill each other.
They return their attention to you, their look focused and sharp as a razor's edge. "Crimes, Sharell. You really can't hide from me by confessing to other people's misdeeds."
Wits 2 + Integrity 3 vs Charisma 4 + Presence 3 = 1 success vs 4 successes, plus Appearance penalty. Sorry, Tales, we tried!
You rack your brains. What had they said? Trespassing. "Trespassing! The Midnight Tales are clearly hiding something, I had a look around their offices to see what. They've got a set of black books that'll-"
"I've seen them," Feathers is already looking ready to stifle a yawn, which you really hope is an affectation.
"You have."
"I don't know if you've noticed but I can be very persuasive."
"So you know about all the weird magical bullshit?"
Well, that's not yawn-worthy. "No," Feathers says, suddenly more attentive again, "underselling their profits, exaggerating the size of their parties and pocketing the difference. Criminality, but this is Gem, I'd need to burn the whole city to be rid of that." There's a lazy, casual way to how they bring up the possibility that makes your spine tingle.
The Tales have two sets of black books? One to fall back on in case the Despot decides to shake them down? That's… actually a lot more competent than you expected from them. "They don't actually import their dreamstones, they just sort of happen, as far as I can tell. And then they disappear again, and the only thing they wrote down about that arrangement was a weird magic symbol. And they have secret passages in their Trading House."
Feathers takes a step back and you can breathe, if only for a second. They almost look interested. "Write it down for me."
You tear off a page of your notebook and sketch the sigil. Your copy isn't quite right in a way you can't put your finger on, quite aside from the way that you can absolutely put your finger on which is that you can look at it without your eyes suddenly going funny.
"I'll look into it," they say as they examine it, and that's all they say about it before it goes into their coat. You wince, that's going to get smudged. "Well, that certainly accounts for all the trespassing. Petty theft?"
"I, er." You didn't steal from anyone, except their secrets, did you? "Oh! Investigating the Tales, I used their ink to write down their malfeasance. Instead of my charcoal pencil. So it'd be more legible if I gave it to the Despot, because I am a law-abiding citizen who only wants to help."
"Again, not your decision to make. That is a remarkably petty crime though, using ink just in case you wanted to pass on information to the Despot. Tell me though, should the Despot only learn of these crimes at the whims of Sharell Zenteno? You seem a lot less eager to help than you profess."
"I'm helping right now?" you say, hesitantly. Ten Feathers considers it and then waves a hand dismissively.
"You're helping yourself right now, saving up scraps of people's misdeeds to throw out only when it suits you," they laugh and you try to ease the tension by laughing along with them. It's a mistake, they catch your jaw in one hand and tilt your head up, choking the laughter right out of you.
"I can forgive that your crimes are so far incredibly dull, or that you think you can work around me without me noticing. But don't try to use my own tricks against me, you're not as good at it and you never will be."
They ease off your jaw and pat your cheek.
"So we've another investigator in Gem who thinks she can do a better job than Ten Feathers, despite all the evidence otherwise. Now never let it be said I do not enjoy a challenge, but you? You look like a light breeze would bowl you over," they say and takes a step back, tilting their head to look at you.
Perception 3 + Socialize 2 = 3 Successes.
Ten Feathers doesn't want Sharell to back down here.
"I knew about the Imperials and saw things in the Tales books you missed," you say, rubbing your cheek. Ten Feathers' mercurial mood leaves you guessing a lot, but they'd made mention a few times now of boredom. It might just be worth needling them a little, just to avoid being boring in their eyes.
"Oh! So you're smarter than I am? That's your advantage here? " they say and wave a hand to the burning corpses behind them. "You were going to kill them with some clever deduction, were you? Solve the riddle of how to avoid taking a knife through the gut and ripping you open from end to end. I would like to have seen that."
You square up your shoulders. If you're doing this you might as well go all in. "You're only here because you can't solve this yourself. You're stuck, aren't you?"
Ten Feathers gives you a slow clap, which even for them is a bit much.
"Close! So very close and you had the guts to say it, which I do like," they say, wagging a finger at you. "But I didn't come here because I thought you might know something I didn't. I came here because you are involved in things so much bigger than you deserve and if there's one thing that really bothers me, it's people not sticking to their roles."
They give you one of their annoyingly pretty smiles and flick back their hair, a hand theatrically pressed to their chest.
"You want to rise above your station and try to be my shadow? Then you're going to prove to me you actually deserve that. I think I know who killed Cheshago, I can't prove it quite yet but that's really just the details and if you can't keep up with me, you shouldn't be here."
They sway in their stance and then bow forward so they can whisper up close, your faces barely an inch apart.
"So, Sharell. Who do you think is the murderer?"
Well, it's a good question. Not necessarily something you want to share right now, but a good question.
(Your choice (particularly the outside bets) will unlock new, more aggressive investigation options. You may change your mind later.)
[ ] Diamond in Your Knapsack and the rebellious Guild faction. Guild Prince Cheshago was toying with him on this treasure business and he decided to cut the knot and take the goods for himself.
[ ] The Midnight Tales, the smug dream merchants with too much money to burn. Killing him inside their Trading House is a stupid, stupid idea, but everything you've learned about them so far does not scream "smart."
[ ] Wave Crashes against the Rocks and the main Guild faction. She's got a Guild War on her hands and if Cheshago was playing both sides she might have decided he was on the wrong one. She did hire you to investigate... but she did hire you to investigate. You've never done a murder investigation before! Surely the Guild has better people!
[ ] Mishri, Red and the Old Brothers. They hated him and wanted him dead. Couldn't afford a Yasal Crystal in a million years, but a ghost might have the power to steal away other ghosts even without such assistance.
[ ] No one. Cheshago faked his own murder. Isn't it convenient that the soul was missing (and thus could never be interrogated), so no one could tell whether or not the body was a double?
[ ] YOU! TEN FEATHERS, I ACCUSE YOU! The Handsome Merchant said that faerie powers can steal souls, but that none would be crass enough to do it all at once. If you're looking for someone with faerie powers that's crass and murderous, J'ACCUSE!
[ ] You don't know. You have a lot of suspicions, but you're not willing to accuse anyone without concrete proof.
[ ] Other (write-in)
And what you tell them, do you think it's true?
[ ] Yes. This case is a little out of your depth, if you and the Hound are pointed in the same direction at least one of you might crack it. Justice will be done.
[ ] Yes. Lying to Feathers is going to go so badly and they are so scary just get them out of your face please.
[ ] No, it's a bluff. You don't want to share your ideas with someone this unstable.
-[ ] Write in who you actually think is responsible.
[X] Other (write-in)
- This idea is kind of similar to the "no one" option, but here's my thinking: [X] Cheshago, ultimately. Whatever the groups he went through, he arranged for a death which would allow his soul to escape. He caused his own murder so that he could have his soul free, both as a way to escape other potential assassination attempts and to secure his own freedom of movement. Worst comes to worst, if he really needed it the Yasal Crystals could allow him to get another, constructed body.
- It's a long shot for sure, but hey. Convoluted schemes are the best schemes.
[X] Yes. Lying to Feathers is going to go so badly and they are so scary just get them out of your face please.
- This whole post has really cemented the fact that aah oh gods please make them leave aah
[X] No one. Cheshago faked his own murder. Isn't it convenient that the soul was missing (and thus could never be interrogated), so no one could tell whether or not the body was a double?
Of all the options, this seems to make the most sense. This all smells like a setup.
[X] Yes. This case is a little out of your depth, if you and the Hound are pointed in the same direction at least one of you might crack it. Justice will be done.
[X] Diamond in Your Knapsack and the rebellious Guild faction. Guild Prince Cheshago was toying with him on this treasure business and he decided to cut the knot and take the goods for himself.
[X] Yes. This case is a little out of your depth, if you and the Hound are pointed in the same direction at least one of you might crack it. Justice will be done.
Nah, Cheshago would definitely have taken the key with him if he'd killed himself. Only one person is still in the game and making a profit. The Midnight Tales might have a backer willing to bump him off, but we didn't find them, so Diamond it is. Besides, apparently he's a massive backstabber, and Cheshago wasn't scared of him. Bad move, man.
[X] Other (write-in) -[X] Flirt with Ten Feathers a little. There's a good chance you'll die here, might as well go out like a legend.
[X] Diamond in Your Knapsack and the rebellious Guild faction. Guild Prince Cheshago was toying with him on this treasure business and he decided to cut the knot and take the goods for himself.
[X] Yes. This case is a little out of your depth, if you and the Hound are pointed in the same direction at least one of you might crack it. Justice will be done.
[X] Other (write-in)
-[X] Flirt with Ten Feathers a little. There's a good chance you'll die here, might as well go out like a legend.
[X] No one. Cheshago faked his own murder. Isn't it convenient that the soul was missing (and thus could never be interrogated), so no one could tell whether or not the body was a double? [X] Yes. This case is a little out of your depth, if you and the Hound are pointed in the same direction at least one of you might crack it. Justice will be done.
I get the feeling if whoever we accuse is insufficiently innocent they wind up with a bad case of dead. And if they are sufficiently innocent we get VISITED again.
Also, does it seem to anyone she's behaving a lot like an Exigent of a Justice/Vengeance god without the actual skills for it?
She can detect lies, read crimes off your face but can't follow a lead for shit.
[ ] The Midnight Tales, the smug dream merchants with too much money to burn. Killing him inside their Trading House is a stupid, stupid idea, but everything you've learned about them so far does not scream "smart."
No? They are in so much hot water because it happened that no amount of profit would justify a murder like this. Whatever their involvement with the case is, the publicity hurt them a lot. We have also confirmed that neither them or Cheshago knew of each other's intentions... and leaving all the clues on the body would go beyond stupidity and incompetence.
I mean, they are the kind of people who keep several black books just in case they need to confess some of their misdeeds, but the risks involved don't make it sound plausible.
[ ] Wave Crashes against the Rocks and the main Guild faction. She's got a Guild War on her hands and if Cheshago was playing both sides she might have decided he was on the wrong one. She did hire you to investigate... but she did hire you to investigate. You've never done a murder investigation before! Surely the Guild has better people!
No. There is no motive. She is at her wits' end, and is counting on us to find something that would help her retain her position. She is also revealing information that constitutes Guild secrets in order to get to the bottom of the case. It isn't something you'd volunteer to a disposable pawn.
[ ] Mishri, Red and the Old Brothers. They hated him and wanted him dead. Couldn't afford a Yasal Crystal in a million years, but a ghost might have the power to steal away other ghosts even without such assistance.
Beyond the circumstantial evidence pointing otherwise he didn't even know about Cheshago's death which he would have if he were the one to steal the soul. We learned that because we eavesdropped on a private conversation.
[ ] Diamond in Your Knapsack and the rebellious Guild faction. Guild Prince Cheshago was toying with him on this treasure business and he decided to cut the knot and take the goods for himself.
This hypothesis is only there because we know nothing about Diamond besides what Wave told us. It'd certainly be a risky move to do this while on the brink of a Guild war. What Cheshago was after was supposedly far more important than the position of a Guild Factor, so I'd expect this crime to be above Diamond's pay grade.
But then, somebody's hiring Imperials for a glorified robbery. Maybe he is more ambitious than I give him credit for.
Ultimately we don't know enough about him to decide one way or the other.
[ ] No one. Cheshago faked his own murder. Isn't it convenient that the soul was missing (and thus could never be interrogated), so no one could tell whether or not the body was a double?
That is an interesting theory. Which begs the question where he got the stone. Wave is certain that the crystals don't just "disappear", but she doesn't know everything that is going on in her faction. Cheshago did work for the Guild, so he could have arranged an inside job.
But if Cheshago is not dead and his soul is still in his body, why was the shipment of crystals assaulted with a crew so hideously expensive? Who paid the mercs, who would need a crystal that badly? Or did they only want to mask the disappearance of one?
Furthermore, Red smelled the blood of the victim's killer on us. Cheshago's blood. A double wouldn't have that, would he? A ghost would not be mistaken on this matter.
[ ] Cheshago, ultimately. Whatever the groups he went through, he arranged for a death which would allow his soul to escape. He caused his own murder so that he could have his soul free, both as a way to escape other potential assassination attempts and to secure his own freedom of movement. Worst comes to worst, if he really needed it the Yasal Crystals could allow him to get another, constructed body.
As much as I like the idea... he would not have left his notes and the Key behind so we could follow his trail.
Although... hmm. The notes implicate the Guild in the eyes of the Despot, right? And Ten Feathers would be the first on the scene. Maybe he was intending to burn the ground behind him. But how would you explain the Key?
[ ] YOU! TEN FEATHERS, I ACCUSE YOU! The Handsome Merchant said that faerie powers can steal souls, but that none would be crass enough to do it all at once. If you're looking for someone with faerie powers that's crass and murderous, J'ACCUSE!
"I knew about the Imperials and saw things in the Tales books you missed," you say, rubbing your cheek. Ten Feathers' mercurial mood leaves you guessing a lot, but she'd made mention a few times now of boredom. It might just be worth needling her a little, just to avoid being boring in her eyes.
Missed this on the initial read, but I also constantly have to strike through the female pronouns out of my posts because my mind refuses to consider Ten Feathers anything else.
Would they set us on fire if we asked them directly what they are?
The cuts are deep and numerous, haphazard in placement and furthering your idea that they were done more out of malice and deception than an intent to kill. It couldn't be more than a dagger blade that inflicted them from the size of the stab wounds but there is no sign of slashes and no ragged wounds. Cheshago hadn't been able to fight back or even struggle when these were inflicted.
Cheshago didn't fight back. Some of the wounds were inflicted after his death. Couldn't all of them be?
In which case the stabbing would be done to conceal that the cause of death is the soul theft.
The murderer would have to be inexperienced in the matters of occult though, else he'd know that...
"You've come to the right place, you know!" he starts at last, his enthusiasm undimmed, "the beast soul, it's all about wants and feelings. People envy the tombs and the funeral services, feel like it's unfair that they don't get something like that. It's not logical at all but the beast soul isn't the least bit logical, you know! It seems sordid, but my job is to dampen people's expectations. If you happen to be eaten by rats, well, that's just the circle of life! But if you feel done wrong by when that happens, the beast soul might rise up and seek vengeance. And since you can't really seek vengeance on rats in any meaningful way, you'll either target people you knew and didn't like or just blindly attack things. Neither is good!"
"So you have to be… angry about something?"
"More than that! Either you have to feel that your body was desecrated or you have to feel that sort of boiling sense of injustice that soaks down to your bones. You know what I mean?"
...this would give it away immediately. Almost. Took us a while to work out how it actually happened.
But... a sense of injustice? Could you say "betrayal"? Wouldn't it indicate that Cheshago knew who ordered the hit?
Cheshago would know. It would make sense that whoever picked up his soul would be after us.
Which would explain the mercenaries, but it might be not the only explanation.
Of course! It wasn't the killer which had blocked Cheshago's blood splatter, it was whatever was on this now suspiciously spotless desk. Raicho's Boss had said they hadn't touched the crime scene but it would not surprise you in the least to find out Raicho's Boss is a liar. Or perhaps you've found the only honest merchant in Gem and the thief had taken whatever was here with them? But why would they kill Cheshago so messily then only take the Midnight Tales' things? You are going to have some words after this, if they're going to keep making cooperation difficult they clearly have something to hide.
There's no mention of the key anywhere you can find, but there is plenty of talk of The Vault. The Vault is the subject of a lot of ideas of Cheshago's and all seem to fall through shortly after. He's tried bargaining with the Vault, bribing it, briefly considered forcing his way in and all have failed. His last plan was trying to visit the Midnight Tales and see if they could help him steal the Words that Would Open the Way. It's so nice to be reading a language that allows for such a large amount of emphasis on words or you'd think that's just a metaphor rather than an actual thing.
The very last line he wrote before his death was "Ten Feathers may know more than they let on, I should be wary". That person again? Why would she be investigating him before his death and after?
There also was a golden chest in the room that was splattered with blood. Where did it go? What was in there?
We suspect that Cheshago was trying to find something by, ah, interrogating coins? Searching for The Words That Would Open The Way? The killer wouldn't have needed the chest if Cheshago learned what he came there for, but did the killer know that?
Was it the killer who took it? Wouldn't it be a bit hard to transport? Of course, it wouldn't have stopped them if they thought that the chest was the treasure.
Ten Feathers was investigating Cheshago before his death. What for?
You move some white painter's cloths over to act as a shroud and carefully tuck the body in. Something nags at your mind about the body, but though it floats on the tip of your tongue you just can't get the thought out. The burnt body has some cracks in the char that confuse you, are they cuts?
The Antiquarian was murdered shortly after Cheshago's death, but presumably before Ten Feathers got to him. If there were cuts, then the method of murder isn't her MO.
Why did they kill him? Were they looking into what Cheshago was researching, and didn't want anyone else to know?
...were they checking if anyone else came to him with the Key?
Why didn't they take better care to hide the body?
"I hired you Sharell because I can't trust anyone in the Guild right now. What Cheshago had is important enough that the Guild's broken apart here. Diamond in the Knapsack has his people, I have mine," she says each word like a hissing drip of acid, "you need to find me enough proof that I can bury the bastard before I turn up dead and you become an unfortunate loose end."
"And what did Cheshago have?"
"Now that," she says, "Is the real question isn't it? I'm suddenly paying you an awful lot more to go find out. So get going."
"No of course not, I'm a good judge of character and you're not the sort for betrayal."
You're not sure that's a real compliment either considering her record so far, but that one you'll take.
"And Diamond is?" you needle.
"Diamond in your Knapsack," she says, using the full name despite you trying to make it more casual. She really doesn't like this guy. "Could only betray those stupid enough to trust him in the first place. A snake of the highest caliber, but a useful one. Do you consider him a suspect?"
Wave thinks that whatever Cheshago had is directly related to the reason the Guild broke apart, but claims she doesn't know what it is.
She also notes that Diamond is likely to betray.
You shake your head. "I don't know who to, but he's paid it to someone. The number of stab wounds the body had was..."
Your eyes narrow. "...like someone thought a debt was owed in blood and wanted to get enough of it."
Mishri shakes his head. A little too quickly, you think. He didn't have to think about that one, or didn't want to. "That is not possible. My people are old soldiers, not assassins. We would challenge him to a duel to display his cowardice for all the world to see, not do this in secret."
"I smell his killer's blood," the pallid one says to Mishri, "Cheshago's blood. Just a trace. Near."
"How is that possible? They told me his body was burned to ash," Mishri replies, brow furrowed.
"Merchants? Lying? To you?" the man says in mock horror, "I can't imagine they would ever tell you something just to be rid of you. Or maybe rumors of his death have been… greatly exaggerated."
Mishri makes a sour face as if to tell him to knock it off. "Look into it."
Mishri was acting suspiciously. He also indicated that he had contact with the merchants regarding Cheshago's alleged death.
He wasn't the one to do the deed, though.
Alright, looking over what we know I feel like I can accuse Diamond... of murder, at least. I have no solid proof yet though, and no understanding of the bigger picture.
[x] Diamond in Your Knapsack and the rebellious Guild faction. Guild Prince Cheshago was toying with him on this treasure business and he decided to cut the knot and take the goods for himself.
[x] Yes. This case is a little out of your depth, if you and the Hound are pointed in the same direction at least one of you might crack it. Justice will be done.
...sure.
[x] Other (write-in)
-[x] Flirt with Ten Feathers a little. There's a good chance you'll die here, might as well go out like a legend.
It's not like I am interestd in them, but the sheer audacity calls out to me.
As much as I like the idea... he would not have left his notes and the Key behind so we could follow his trail.
Although... hmm. The notes implicate the Guild in the eyes of the Despot, right? And Ten Feathers would be the first on the scene. Maybe he was intending to burn the ground behind him. But how would you explain the Key?
My best guess for the Key is his plan was to have it buried in the rubble until he could retrieve it. Inelegant, sure, and it definitely implies this was an emergency measure, but if I were him I would definitely rather know the Key is buried than trust it to whoever carried his soul out.
Alternatively, there are magical means of tracking down items with terrifying levels of accuracy. Given how hard the Key is to use for normal 1 Essence people, leaving it might not be anywhere near as much of a risk as we think it is.
But hey, this is all a crack theory based around the random idea that the climax of this could very well involve Cheshago returning as an Alchemical, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(Also I too have had trouble remembering to use they for Ten Feathers. NB representation is difficult.)
He could not have counted on there being enough rubble to be buried under. We don't have a habit of torching crime scenes, it just sorta happened. (My, Feathers, don't we have a lot in common? )
He should have considered that his body would be searched though. And if Feathers found it, there is no getting it back.
