Beast in the Sky Quest 10

I believe her. I seriously doubt Tabby could beat 4 trained guards. Also we'd be a super hypocrite if we made her stand trial. Say something about if she ever feels like that again she should talk to us first.

Well thanks for telling me this but you really should have told someone about her before. As it is I confine you to the ship for now. Both as a punishment and to protect her.

I KNEW IT

I mean, uh, not sure if we want to say that out loud.

Ask her how she would have killed her. It's important to know whether she would repay torture with torture.

Ask why she didn't tell us about the merchant before attempting to kill her. We dealt with the bandits, we would have at least lent an ear.

You are a true detective! Writing.

I think its fairly important that we raise this up to Kakei and tell him honestly. His investigators should be able to investigate based on this lead and find out who the assailant is. At least its better than covering it up and waiting for him to come to us.

You take a deep breath, and nod. "I believe you, Tabby. I do. In fact, to be quite honest, I never thought it was you. But that's not the issue here. What the issue right now is, is that you lied to me and hid something very important from me. Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? Why didn't you come to me before you left?"

Tabby smiles weakly at your trust, but her eyes trail downward at your words. "I...this...all of this is still really new to me. It's still hard to think about, let alone talk about, even with you...I would have told you eventually, I would! You've been nothing but kind to me and I am happy you showed up...but even so, it's not an easy thing to bring up. And at the time, I wasn't thinking straight. I just...I wanted her dead. I wanted to end her. The feeling blinded me. I had to go out and do it. Had I come to you, you would have stopped me. I didn't want to be stopped. So...I snuck out..."

"And what would you have done when you got there?" you ask, "You're no trained killer. She was under heavy guard. I doubt they would've just let you pass, knife in hand."

"I don't know..." she says honestly, "I was thinking maybe since we had a past, I could convince her I wanted to see her again. Like I was the kind of fucked up person who wanted more of that...rather than the kind of fucked up person I really am..." she trails off at this, the tears almost returning.

You nod, giving her hand another squeeze. "I get that you wanted it. I get that you know it was wrong, but couldn't fight it. But still, I can't have you out and about like that. You need to stay safe. So, I'm confining you to the ship, for your own good, until I know things are safe for both you and others around you."

Tabby looks like she's going to object, but resolves herself to her punishment, nodding solemnly. "I...okay...but, um..." her eyes look up at you, a feeling of shame reflected in them, "Would...would it still be okay if we went back to my home sometime?"

Would it?

Hmm? That's like, bumped to 200% priority now. We'd already be there if it wouldn't implicate you.

Yes but I don't know when this will clear up.

"Of course. I always intended to head there anyways. In any case I intent to let Kakei know of what you've told me. Now I will protect you but its best I get this out to him rather then he comes to me with an arrest warrant.

Can you clearly tell me what you did at the scene, what you touched? I'll be heading there with the twins to build a case that there was someone else."

It might help her so sure.

That's a good question, actually.

Should you inform Kakei of what Tabby has told you?

He already knows of someone coming from our ship. Hes bound to follow up on the lead. Better to pony up the information first. BUT after we've built a case so we can present facts that exonerate Tabby.

Tell him about the torturer part and anything that might help him find the culprit but not about Tabby yet.

Hmm, okay. I think I can work with this. Writing!

You smile at her, nodding. "That's, like, bumped up to 200% priority right now. We'd already be there if it wouldn't implicate you. We'll head there once all this clears up and we figure out just what the hell is going on here. Promise."

Tabby smiles, a look of relief washing over her. "But," you say, being stern, "I will have to talk about this with Kakei. I have no intention of throwing you under the bus, of course, and I don't plan to say anything that would incriminate you. But if we're going to get this thing worked out, we need to share information with the local authority...even if he's been less than honest with me a few times. But still, you're my crew and we look after our own."

Tabby smiles wider than you've seen her do before, nodding happily. "Yeah...thanks, Isaac. You're...you're a hero. To me, anyway. You remind me a lot of my brother, actually. He was always my guardian angel when it came to things like this...though he wasn't quite so diplomatic about it..." she shakes her head, waving it off. Before you can say anything about it, though, you are cut off by a tight hug from the freckled girl, burying her face in your chest and staying there for a moment before releasing you. She smiles at you again be fore standing. "Come see me any time, Isaac. You're...I'm glad I met you, 'captain'." She laughs lightly at this, then takes off. You can't help but return the smile as she leaves. You can't help but be proud at how much she's opened up.

(cont)

Afterward, you make your way to the bridge, fully intending to contact Kakei, but you are stopped once you get there by three women from Ao, each with a fox tail dangling from their belts. Each bows to you humbly and the first one speaks up. "Captain Isaac, we were instructed to contact you by our master. We are the Nine Tails. We are at your disposal for any information you may need. We would also like to give our sincere apologies for our roles here. We meant no offense." They bow again.

Well, you have your spies. What, if anything, do you say or ask? Or you could simply wave them off for now and come back later, after you've spoken to Kakei.

deal with later after we talk to Kakei

"Ladies, good to meet you. Nice piece of work with getting the ladies to wear the trinkets, that stumped me for abit.

Do you have any information on the crime scene? I would like to check it out and your skillsets in observation and investigation would be a great boon."

Writing!

"Ladies, good to meet you. Nice piece of work with getting the ladies to wear the trinkets, that stumped me for a bit." you say, "Do you have any information on the crime scene? I would like to check it out and your skill sets in observation and investigation would be a great boon."

They shake their heads. "We are not assigned to the murder. We only follow your movements. As far as I am aware, none of our order are following it. We are not detectives, sir. We follow persons of interest and handle delicate matters."

You don't like the way she says "delicate matters". As if there's anything delicate about wet work. You thank them for their time and inform them you'll be in touch later. They bow and take their leave.

You head to the radio and call Kakei again, the same hoops needing to be jumped through to get him on the line, but you eventually get to him. He sounds a little out of breath, but cordial as always.

"Isaac, hello! Is there something you need? I trust my agents spoke to you?"

"Yeah, yeah." you say, brushing it off, "All three spoke. Thanks for that. But this is about the murder. I found out something a little important. Turns out the victim was good friends with your brother. Very good friends. One of the slaves I rescued told me she supplied him with...uh...well, torture implements. Apparently she was very...into that kinda thing."

"Oh...ohhh...I see..." Kakei says, a little taken aback by this, "That's...well, it gives us a possible motive, at least. She was very well to do and had her hands in a large number of things here, but I wasn't aware of that...excuse me for a moment..." there is silence for a short time, but he returns eventually, "Thank you, Isaac. This is very helpful indeed. We've updated our information and will be redoubling our efforts. Is there anything else you can tell me? Or anything I can do to assist your own research?"

What do you say?

Sorry for the wait, had to fill out some paperwork real quick.

AM "Dropper of Trips" PM hath arrived!

So it wasn't one of my people. I'm going to leave town for a bit. I'd like to have my ship still be mine when I get back.

hey guys, we already had a look at Tabby's knife right?

So we can tell Kakei that after searching, we found no blood or anything?

Although I suppose the Nine Tails would be able to testify to not smelling any.

It may be time to start making plans to leave. Don't to run the risk of the Imperium stumbling onto us here.

"Yes, I'd like access to examine the scene. You might want to have your investigators consider the possibility that a second person disturbed the crime scene and the murdered subject after the murder. That might account for some discrepancies in things you find.

I'd also like to take a closer look at the scene if thats alright with you."

Do we have a shape of the footprints?

Writing!

"Well, for starters, I'm pretty sure it was nobody on my ship." you say flatly, "Everyone has been accounted for as far as I know. I'm sure your spies can attest that no one else left that night and there are no bloody knives or anything lying around here. Also, I'd like access to the crime scene if that's doable. Maybe we could find something your men missed. I'm sure Rei and Kei would be of plenty help there. If you have any images of the shape of the footprints found at the scene, that would help too."

"Goodness." Kakei says, "Quiet a lot to say, I see. Well, I trust your judgement, Isaac. I believe none of your crew would do this as far as I know. But that's only as far as you or I know. You do have quite the mixed company in your employ. You may yet have someone untrustworthy among you. I can grant you access to the crime scene for a short time, but I ask that you respect the local guards' wishes and do as they say. As for the footprints, you'd have to ask the head of the investigation there about that. Most everything has been sent back to headquarters for examination."

"Alright," you say, not enjoying the thought of dealing with city guards, even if it's not Porphyra, "but one more thing. I am planning to leave the city for a while on some important business. Most of my crew will stay with the ship, which I trust will still be mine when I return."

"Of course, of course." Kakei replies, " Though I would ask you not stay away too long, Isaac. Should things come up, I'll need all important parties present for this."

You thank him for his time and promise not to be away for too long, then hang up the radio. You admit you're more than ready to spend some time away. You've never been one to stay in one place for very long, so you've been going a little stir crazy stuck here in Ao for so long.

It's about midday, would you like to go rent an air ship and head to Blakkaz? Or would you like to head to the crime scene right away and check it out? Who do you bring?

Crime scene. Take the twins.

Crime scene. Rei and Kei possibly Ruul as well. He might notice things that others missed.

Go to the crime scene. Take the twins with us.

Should we bring tabby? Witness and all that after all.

Off to the crime scene with you, Phelps. Writing!

You decide now's as good a time as any to investigate the crime scene. You and the twins, who insist on joining you, head over and are greeted by the sight of about half a dozen beat cops just kind of milling around while a few people in different uniforms take notes on everything there. The whole place is roped off, but one aggravatingly long discussion, some calls back and forth and the eventual sighing of the man guarding the entrance later and you're in. What you see is rather messy. There are blood splatters everywhere, a number of deep gouges taken out of the side of the victim's carriage and, quite a large amount of expensive-looking items strewn about. The bodies have been taken away, but the chalk outlines are there and there appear to be some photographs laid out on a table nearby, a surly-looking man with an impressive badge is looking over them and a large number of notes. You're pretty sure he must be the one in charge.

Most of the crowd has dispersed, but there are a few people nearby trying to get a last minute peek.

Where do you go first?

Overview of the site. Have the twins look at the marks left from combat, see if they identify a style.

Check the carriage? Have one of the twins look at the footprints?

Writing!

You tell the twins to spread out and see what they can get from the marks on the carriage; a fighting style, a type of weapon used, what the foot prints are like. Anything that could be of use or interest, really. You've never done this before, so you're just kind of using common sense here.

Please roll 1d100 to get some information from this scene. Best of 3.

Rolled 98 (1d100)

damn Sleepy

Rolled 24 (1d100)

Yeah but in House and Doiminion my rolls have been sucking complete ass.

...

Rolled 32 (1d100)

Rolled 35 (1d100)

I guess I'll roll as well.

Fuck the odds, you're a pirate. Pirates never fail DC rolls.

Writing.

What did we find out the killer already? It was Kakei who killed her and he tried to frame us yeah?

you and your ridiculous hateboner.

It was Lisa.

No twas Maggie.

It's not ridiculous and not a hateboner.

S'kinda a hateboner, man.

it is getting ridiculous and totally a hateboner. Not everything is kakei's fault.

More like justifed dislike for him.

You spend an hour or so just kind of looking around, checking under things, on top of things, maybe buried somewhere nearby. You don't really find much at first, but something catches your eye; a small, leather pouch lies on the ground off to the side. It would be easy to miss, as it's almost the exact same size and color of the browning leaves littering the ground. You check inside and find what looks like some kind of...powder? Perhaps ground herbs or something? You have no idea what it is, herbalism never being your area of expertise. You head over to the twins to see what they've found.

"The attacker was...strong." Rei says, running a finger inside one of the gouge marks, "Very strong. This is someone who was no stranger to combat. But the number of marks and their ferocity leads me to believe they weren't terribly well disciplined. They most likely used their raw power and speed to kill most of the time. Though the way the wounds were described, they were not without combat knowledge."

"The footprints are small." Kei says, placing her foot near one of them, "Perhaps a younger boy or woman. They were slow at first, but faster on the way out. They snuck up, then ran afterward."

You offer the pouch to them, asking if they can identify it's contents. They carefully smell it, examining it with their fingers. They both nod in agreement. "False Death." they say together.

"False Death?" you ask.

"A rare mix of poisons that can 'kill' whoever takes it. Their heartrate drops dangerously low, their body goes cold and they fall unconscious for around two to three hours." Rei hands it back to you, "It's terribly dangerous, as it can actually kill whomever takes it. And very hard to come by. Not many people know the safe doses needed for it to work correctly."

(cont)

"Whoever had this either was a talented herbalist, assassin or knew someone who was." Kei says, a concerned look on her face, "Though obviously none of the bodies here took it. You can fake a death, but you can't fake a knife wound to the throat."

Well, now what? Do you tell the guard in charge? Take it elsewhere?

Call over the investigators, not just the guy in charge. A few of them to make sure we don't catch a single crooked one. They must have been watching us to make sure we dont plant or take away shit.

Show them all.

take it to Wong. Seems like something he would have knowledge of.

Hey, who do we know recently who seemed to fake their death and then mysteriously dissapeared?

Neil is still alive and the one behind the murders!

...Iiiii actually don't know. Who?

These are two very different ideas. Odds are if you take it to the investigators they will take it as evidence. So, do you bring it to the investigators or to Wong?

UUUGH!

Scoop some out into a vial that one of the twins have on them?

To the investigators.

take some to Wong and see if he knows anything about who can make it in the city

Little of both, then. Writing!

Investiagtors.

Neil, the bandit guy.

Still called it.

You ask the twins if they have anything you could keep the dust in. They rifle through their robes and produce a small pouch. You pinch a small helping of the poison into it, then pocket it. You then take the original over to the investigators, who looked like they were about to pack up and leave for the day.

"So," you say, tossing the tiny bag onto the table, a bit of it's contents spilling out, "what do you make of this, then?"

The head investigator just scowls at you, checking the contents. His eyes go wide, then looks up at you. "The hell did you find this?" he asks. His voice is rough, age and likely a lifetime of hard liquor and cigars giving him the voice of a man three times his age.

You motion over to the area you found it. "Round about there. I almost missed it myself, but I guess I got lucky." you shrug, the shit-eating grin forcing it's way onto your mouth.

The man snorts, handing the bag off to one of his subordinates, then quickly writing something down in the notes. "Ao thanks you for your contributions in aiding the investigation." he grumbles quietly, then snarls at his men for missing something so important. "If you're all finished poking around here, civilian, we have a lot of work to do. Kindly vacate the premises. Official business."

You are quickly scooted out of the area and once again thanked for your help. Though you can tell they're more upset that you found something before they did. Oh well, you got what you needed. You make your way to Wong's, entering the tiny shop with the gentle tinkle of bells as you enter. You notice one of his usual muscle is missing at the moment. Wong himself smiles as you enter, but quickly frowns when he realizes who you are.

"Isaac. I told you we would contact you when we had something to speak of. Did you forget something?" he says, lighting a long, thin pipe and taking a hefty drag.

What do you say to him? Should you explain why you want to know about the poison, or just ask him where it came from?

So what is this? It concerns the man in question from before.

Just ask him where it came from.

I don't suppose you know of anyone who recently imbibed of this stuff?

Is this a drugs!? Writing!

The trippiest AM user.

"So what is this?" you ask, placing the small bag on the counter, "It concerns the man in question from before. I don't suppose you know of anyone who recently imbibed of this stuff?"

Wong produces a pair of glasses, putting them on and examining the dust carefully. He squints, then pushes the bag back to you. "False Death." he says, folding his hands together, "Odorless, tasteless and dissolves quickly in liquid. When taken, it causes the heart to slow, the breath to cease and the body to stiffen. In a sense, it is a temporary end to a life. Common among assassins who need targets alive or desperate people who need to disappear. I don't sell it, if that's what you're asking. Too difficult to come by. Ingredients too expensive. Rarely sees use. You'll have to look elsewhere. I'm sure they sell it in the Underground City or something. Why not try there instead?" the old man takes another long drag on his pipe, breathing out a thick cloud of smoke. "Now, are you finished asking me questions about things I have no dealings in, or do I have to start charging you?"

Do you have anything else to ask him about? It doesn't look he'll be much more help with the poison.

Thank you for the information. I didn't have any clue and these two weren't that helpful. Any progress by the way?

Just hoping this will help your investigation.

Well, my guess is that by now Neil will have fled to Brun, and whoever killed the lady was either anti-slave stuff, or tying up loose ends before they came back to bite them.

Writing!

"Thank you for the information." you say, pocketing the powder, "I didn't have any clue and these two weren't that helpful." the twins frown at you, but say nothing, "Any progress by the way? Maybe this will help your investigation?"

"...Get out, Mr. Isaac." Wong says flatly. His remaining bodyguard ushers you out, the usual lowering of blinds and click of the lock following.

Well, so much for that, then. You're a little disappointed. You were so sure that Wong would be able to help more than that. Now you don't have much more to go on. Where should you look next? Or maybe take a break from the detective noir stuff and head over to Blakkaz? Maybe somewhere else?

Blakkaz seems like a nice trip. Who doesn't want to see a burnt out village?

Dude, that's exactly what they said.

Blakkaz. Maybe we should bring someone else too?

Sleepy just likes annoying people that we're friends with. Don't ask me why.

Road trip!

Writing.

You head to the air ship rental at the docks, doing a little browsing, you manage to find a guy willing to give you a good deal. Some haggling and such later, you manage to talk him down to 300G for the day. A pretty good price, if you do say so yourself. The ship itself is nothing special, standard civilian model, plenty of room, decently fast. It's no flying fortress, but it'll do. You make sure to take some weapons just in case.

After informing the crew that you'll be away for the rest of the day, grabbing Tabby (once again, the twins insist on joining you) and some other supplies, you head out. The ships a comfy ride, but even so it's a ways away. You won't get there until early evening.

During the trip, you and the girls have a pleasant chat, discussing life on the Beast, gossip, and about Tabby's training. Apparently she's a quick study once she got around the initial brunt of her affliction and can already wield a sword at least confidently enough to do more than blindly swing. She's nowhere near ready for actual combat, though. There's also some teasing at your expense about taking girls to your room, only to have them leave a short time later in tears. You focus on piloting.

The sky is darkening and the air is growing cooler, but you can see well enough and find a good, clear spot to land, the ship kicking up considerable amounts of...dust? No...ash. The little town isn't much but charred black earth and a bit of brickwork from what were once homes. There is something you didn't expect to see out front near the remains of the town gate; a fire. Not some miraculously still-burning building, but what looks like a campfire. Someone is out front. You can't see much from how far out you are, but it's pretty obvious they must know you're there thanks to your rental ship.

>Investigate the fire directly. Survivors?
>Call out to whoever's there
>Weapons ready, approach to a safe distance and be ready to attack
>Other (write in)

>>Weapons ready, approach to a safe distance and be ready to attack

>>Investigate the fire directly. Survivors?

>Investigate the fire directly. Survivors?

>Investigate the fire directly. Survivors?