Investigation

I was awoken today by a clamor at the door to the room Priestess Sophia and I were sharing. It was Mister Clem. He held the body of the village blacksmith. He had been shot several times in the night. Mister Clem apparently heard the blacksmith’s daughter crying and left the inn to investigate. No sooner had I recommended he bring the body to the Sheriff than Sheriff Ruel himself had arrived. Priestess Sophia and I made our morning preparations before meeting with the Sheriff in the men’s room.
 
A bloody knife had been found underneath Mister Malopher’s bed, and so he was taken into custody as a suspect for the murder. I assisted Priestess Sophia in performing an autopsy of the body, which informed us that the man had, indeed, been shot to death. There was a struggle, and his limbs were tied. We both pledged our services to Sheriff Ruel. He was thankful, but I could tell through his hesitation that he noticed something amiss with me. I was too rushed this morning, and so I was required to use my last resort once again.
 
We followed Sheriff Ruel to his office, where a crowd had already begun to gather. Mister Malopher was contained in a cell and was trying to sleep. Sheriff Ruel had a deputy produce a few cots for Priestess Sophia and I to rest in while Mister Clem returned to the smithy to comfort the children. Our rest was tenuous at best, given the circumstances, but better than nothing. When the Sheriff returned, the crowd was working itself into a frenzy. Mister Malopher was briefly questioned, and then Priestess Sophia left with the Sheriff to pacify the crowd.
 
Mister Malopher requested to see the body himself, and he was allowed to do so. With his ballistics expertise, he was able to more accurately assess the wounds and pinpoint the type of firearm used to inflict them. He shared this information with the deputy, and with Sheriff Ruel once he and Priestess Sophia had returned to the office. Mister Malopher had spent a large portion of time with the blacksmith the previous day, and recalled that he once owned a musket, a sort of large firearm that could produce the type of wounds present on the corpse. I suggested we check the smithy’s ledgers for evidence of the sale.
 
The Sheriff called a town meeting at the gallows and ordered the noose removed. Priestess Sophia and I stood by with the Sheriff as he announced that Mister Malopher was to be deputized in order to assist in the investigation. He was given a Fool’s Bangle, some sort of magical device which ensures the cooperation of fugitives. The crowd was noticeably hostile, but dispersed without much incident. A boy did attempt to assault Mister Malopher, but Priestess Sophia managed to calm his temper and send him on his way. Miss Stonetell also joined us at this juncture.
 
Priestess Sophia, Mister Malopher, Miss Stonetell, Sheriff Ruel, his deputies and myself arrived at the smithy some time later in the morning. After pouring over the blacksmith’s poor records, I noticed some inconsistencies with his bookkeeping. The sorts of inconsistencies that do not arise through erroneous arithmetic. I brought these records to the Sheriff’s attention. A wanted poster had been placed on the body of the deceased in a rather grisly fashion. It charged him with smuggling and treason. Mister Malopher surmised that if the smith was skimming funds, it was likely that he had a hidden storage space somewhere on the premises.
 
We investigated the scene of the crime, where I noticed that the blood near the scene of the murder was pooling unusually. Mister Malopher removed the training dummies set up in this area, revealing spring loaded panels that could be removed. A large, secret compartment lied underneath. It was mostly empty, but we found evidence of extraplanar contraband. There is a non-zero probability that the blacksmith was supplying the manufacturers of our mystery drug in Alluminos. With this evidence, Mister Malopher, Sheriff Ruel and I surmised that it was likely that the smithy had maintained his underworld connections while in the village, and likely was assassinated to tie up a loose end.
 
Sheriff Ruel was prepared to release us, it becoming apparent by now that Mister Malopher had not committed the murder. He did not seem prepared to investigate further. This angered Mister Malopher, who gave the sheriff a verbal thrashing. The Sheriff became agitated and jeered Mister Malopher, resulting in fisticuffs. Sheriff Ruel proved to be no match for Mister Malopher in such a physical altercation, and ended up conceding. He confessed that he worked extremely hard, harder than his peers, to obtain his position in Bend River. He had, to Mister Malopher’s estimation, worked twice as hard for half of the reward. Sheriff Ruel admitted that this was the case. The Sheriff seems to feel obligated to carry on his position under a specific set of parameters to avoid crossing the village.
 
Ultimately, Mister Malopher convinced the Sheriff to continue on with the investigation, as we had a fresh trail to follow. While his methods were less than elegant, I was happy to see the favorable payoff. I also did not wish to leave the village without settling the matter. We followed the trail left by the murderer to the river. Priestess Sophia spotted a knife, which Miss Stonetell investigated, finding and decrypting a cipher concealed within. It revealed the name of a location, an abandoned iron mine located the near the town. We returned to town in order to obtain horses and make our way to the mine.
 
It was there that we reconvened with Mister Clem and Mister Marlowe. Sheriff Ruel did not have enough horses for all of us to properly reach the mines, and so Mister Marlowe and Priestess Sophia left to acquire an additional horse. When they returned, Priestess Sophia and I went into town to acquire suitable protections against the rain, as a storm appeared to be nearing the town. Once we all had appropriate supplies, we divided the horses between pairs. A horse named Black Thunder seemed to take a liking to me. Sometimes it would seem that the Quartet Divine has a keen sense of humor. Mister Clem opted to travel with me, which did little to ease my nerves. Thankfully, he behaved like a gentleman, and so, to my knowledge, I continue to avoid arousing suspicion for the time being.
 
When we arrived at the mines, we found the hills nearby filled with pools of pink fluid surrounded by shelves of fine minerals. Mister Malopher placed an arrow within one of these pools, and we watched as the viscous fluid appeared to corrode it. We were beset by rogues shortly afterward. Mister Clem charged forward while Sheriff Ruel and Mister Marlowe charged the flanks. I employed my magic to give Mister Malopher cover whilst he provided long-range support. Priestess Sophia took cover and also provided long-distance support. Our foes were dispatched in short time, however, one of them had fled into the mines.
 
Mister Malopher noticed a strange mark on our assailants’ hands, which Miss Stonetell identified as a marker for a particular group of contract killers. We proceeded into the mines with caution. I took hold of a piece of Priestess Sophia’s clothes as we proceeded into the dark cavern. My companions, who all had methods of seeing within this darkness, apparently had spotted some fungus shortly before we were surprised by another of our foes. He disrupted the fungi with an explosive arrow, and the chamber was soon filled with dangerous spores. Desperately, I reasoned that I may be able to utilize my last resort in order to adapt my eyes to see in the darkness. I backed out of the cloud of spores and attempted to do this. Thankfully, I was successful.
 
The others marched forward, pursuing the attacker while Mister Malopher stood sentry at a passage the led further into the mines. I regrouped with Mister Malopher and Sheriff Ruel in time for another assailant to fire upon Mister Malopher. I was caught in the explosion of his arrow, but it was a minor injury. Mister Malopher felled this foe as our initial attacker attempted to flee the others. He attempted to intimidate me into allowing him his escape, however, I managed to find courage, and struck him with an Ice Knife as my companions emerges and managed to subdue him. Sheriff Ruel and the others attempted to intimidate the young man, and he revealed what little information he knew. He told us that another was deeper within the mine, and that he would know more.
 
The mine was filled with dangerous traps, however. I remained in the rear of our ranks alongside Mister Malopher whilst Miss Stonetell, Mister Marlowe, and Priestess Sophia proceeded onward in an attempt to survey the area and disarm the traps which were laid out for us. In short time, we had found the man we sought. He had fortified himself in a dead end, but had armed himself with a powerful firearm. I avoided harm through strategic use of cover, as well as through Mister Marlowe’s courage charge of the man, who focused most of his fire upon him instead of the rest of us. Ultimately, the last of these assassins was slain.
The Assassin held a note upon his person, which Miss Stonetell, Mister Malopher, and myself had managed to decipher after some deliberation. The letter, in brief, incriminated Mister Kostas as none other as the one who had commissioned the blacksmith’s murder. The group debated our next course of action, eventually deciding that we must return to town tonight and seek Mayor Siemmn Tarren’s assistance. Upon our arrival, Sheriff Ruel, Priestess Sophia, and myself sought an audience with Mayor Tarren. The others set about to collect further evidence to incriminate Mister Kostas.
 
Mayor Tarren was, at first, rather dismissive of our presence. However, Priestess Sophia berated the man, much to his surprise. I asked Mayor Tarren if he had any samples of Mister Kostas’s handwriting, so that I might compare it to the handwriting of the note. He reluctantly obliged, and I found enough similarities in the handwriting to confirm our suspicions that it was likely drafted by Mister Kostas. At this time, the others returned with a civilian in tow. Apparently, an agent of Mister Kostas’s had asked the young man to acquire the hidden bounty lying in wait for the assassins, most likely to hide the evidence.
 
With all of this evidence coalescing, Mayor Tarren agreed to cooperate with our plan. Sheriff Loyal told us to spend the night recuperating. Tomorrow morning, Sheriff Loyal and Mayor Tarren are to confront Mister Kostas in a town meeting, presenting the evidence and apprehending him. We are to locate the adopted children of the man Mister Kostas had killed and take them with us, so that bad actors do not abscond with them with their own nefarious purposes. Before I took my leave, I apologized to Mayor Tarren on behalf of my companions for their lack of propriety and thanked him for his assistance. He said that he did not deserve such praise, as his standing as Mayor of a small town demands no respect. I assured him that, given the influence Mister Kostas has over his town, the fallout over his crimes will demand ample leadership. I then took my leave.
 
At long last, I have had a real bath. The unease of the seas and the road have finally left my flesh, and despite the tensions, there is the slightest air of levity. Miss Avalissa invited Priestess Sophia and I to share a room in the Mayor’s estate with her. I listened to Miss Avalissa and Priestess Sophia chat. I learned a number of things about both of them, however, in respect of their privacy I shall not disclose such things here. If these details become relevant at some point on our journey, perhaps they might be disclosed in the future. One detail that I will relay is that Miss Avalissa expressed an interest in being friends with us once our journey has concluded. I told her that I had similar feelings as well.
 
Miss Avalissa also expressed hope that the makeup she had provided me with had proven useful, to which I assured her that I very much welcomed and appreciated her assistance. Priestess Sophia eyed me with a suspicion she deigned not conceal. The Priestess’s inquisitive nature has proven useful in our journeys thus far, and so I know it well already. Long have I benefited from the eventfulness of our travels to draw attention away from myself, but it would seem, perhaps, that my fortune has waned. I shall exercise caution not to allow Priestess Sophia to corner me for a time in hopes that she will lose interest in my secrets. In the meantime, I must steel myself for the eventuality which I had already suspected was on the horizon.