Le Mystère de l'Étoile

Easily one of the more painful and damaging documents included in the leaked collection is the investigation of Airtam herself and a junior agent of the Wraith Guard in the year 150 PR, as they attempt to uncover the truth behind the murder of the world's first celebrity icon resulting from the invention of the Culvarkt Spectral Illuminator. This investigation led them all the way to the capital of the Culvarkt dwarves in their high altitude citadel, Calvarkti, and what they uncovered there was terrifying. Below is the initial report of the disappearance and death of Lirien Duval as investigated by the Culvarkt Intelligence agency, the League of Steam: 

On the night of 5th Cortus, 150 PR, the Culvarkt League of Steam was informed of the disappearance of the renowned actress, Lirien Duvall, who was our' most prominent and first-ever celebrity born from the projections of the Spectral Illuminator. League of Steam agents immediately launched an investigation into the matter, suspecting foul play due to the evidence at her last known whereabouts.
Upon arrival at the scene of the disappearance, agents discovered a locked and empty dressing room. The room showed no signs of forced entry or struggle, but Lirien's personal belongings were left behind, suggesting that the disappearance was either not voluntary or intended to be short term. As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that Lirien had been working on a new projection project with a prominent director, Lucien Beaumont, who had been pressuring her to take on increasingly challenging stunts for the film, "Le Mystère de l'Étoile". It was also uncovered that a wealthy businessman had made several attempts to convince Lirien to quit the projection industry and become his wife, though the identity of that individual has yet to come to light.
Agents questioned both the director and the staff of the production facility, but no concrete evidence was found to implicate any of them. Further investigation revealed a strange turn to the case. Lirien had been working on a secret project with an unknown individual, likely the same unidentified person of interest that had been attempting to take her out of the projection industry. A crumpled letter found in the discarded refuse of her dressing room behind the facility promised to make her a fortune if she agreed to keep the deal secret from everyone, including her agent and family. Agents were unable to uncover any further details about the individual or determine the nature of their project or relationship. It is unclear whether this secret project was related to Lirien's disappearance and murder.
Several weeks later, Lirien's lifeless body was found in a remote part of the city, discarded in an alley in one of the industrial sectors and hastily hidden underneath some discarded crates. An autopsy revealed that she had been strangled. Despite a thorough investigation, agents were unable to uncover any further clues as the site was awash with chemical waste and runoff from a nearby factory. In the interest of public comfort, an alternative and believable stand in for the perpetrator of her murder has been selected and tried for the crime, and summarily removed from the public eye and sent into the Oubliette. For the indeterminate future, the case remains closed, and the true perpetrator remains at large.
L.O.S. Director of Operations,
Victor Vhank

Purpose

The initial document was the investigation report into the missing actress and her murder by the League of Steam.

Document Structure

Publication Status

As part of the leaked Morenthall publications following her death, these writings are generally easy to find, though there have been several attempts by Culvarkti agenst to gather and destroy as many copies of this particular document as possible.

Historical Details

Public Reaction

There was a huge public outcry at the implication that the son of Joseph Culvarkt may have been guilty of an unimaginable crime. The Culvarkt citizenry were harshly divided by the information, and a great deal of tension exists within the Council of Houses because of it to this day with several of the presiding members of the other houses calling for a formal investigation, a request that has remained, largely in part, ignored.

Read the Document

Le Mystère de l'Étoile

42nd of Cortus, 150 PR

I have just returned from an investigative trip to the mountain top dwarven city of Culvarkti, that technological wonder above the clouds in the God's Teeth Mountainsnever fails to take my breath away. I have gone in search of the truth behind the disappearance and murder of the beloved actress, Lirien Duval. The report that was delivered to me by the Bechtlarite Intelligence Bureau was not enough, and as such I decided to investigate further with the help of a young junior agent named Sugnak, a Culvarkt dwarf who had come to our city to study and work with the Wraith Guard, and has been slowly working his way up the ranks of the Bureau.
Our journey through the tangled streets and secrets of the Culvarkt people was not without danger, and we faced several obstacles and had to navigate through some delicate situations, but in the end, our efforts paid off, and we uncovered the horrible truth behind Lirien Duval's murder.
When we first arrived in Culvarkti, we were met with suspicion and mistrust. The Culvarkt people are fiercely protective of their privacy and were not keen on outsiders poking around their city, even with Sugnak with me and us not being there in any openly official manner. This made it difficult for us to gather information and investigate the murder. Culvarkti is a city built into the mountain peak, and it has a complex network of streets and bridges, hidden passages, and deterrents against outsiders. Thankfully I had Sugnak to navigate through these treacherous areas, which were designed to deter intruders and protect the city's secrets. As we delved deeper into their city seeking any shred of evidence, a witness…anything at all, we in turn faced several hostile encounters with what I had assumed were Culvarkt criminal elements or thugs working for whomever remained guilty for the heinous crime. We were attacked by individuals who were obviously trying to protect these secrets and prevent us from uncovering the truth. Sugnak proved to be a most auspicious guardian and defended us bravely, suffering only minor injuries in the process. He will make an excellent addition to the guard, of this I am quite certain.
Eventually our path brought us to the domain of House Culvarkt itself, as one of the thugs defeated by Sugnak during the prior attacks carried a house crest on his person embroidered into the seam of his overcoat. We presented ourselves at the manor of Joseph Culvarkt hoping to finally get some answers, but to our surprise we were instead greeted in the parlor by his son, Pierce Culvarkt, of whom very little was known. He had been a recluse and opted to stay out of the public eye from what I had been led to believe, for personal reasons.
When we first met Pierce, he seemed charming and charismatic. He welcomed us to the city and even offered to show us around after we had concluded whatever business we had come to pursue. Over the course of this conversation however, I could not help but notice that he had a cold and calculating gaze. It made me decidedly uneasy.
As we continued our conversation of glasses of very fine cognac, Pierce's facade began to slip. He became increasingly agitated and began to lash out at those around him for the most miniscule of reasons. At first I thought this to be just general agitation, as one might sometimes exhibit when bothered just a bit too much by the constant interruptions of the help, however, at one point, without so much as a twitch or a word, he attacked one of his own servants, severely injuring them by hurling a half full snifter at them which shattered across the poor man’s brow, cutting him deeply. We were shocked and realized that Pierce was not what he appeared to be.
Following this outburst, and including the found crest and the fact that all paths seemed to lead here, we confronted him with this evidence, and he grew dark in mood and demeanor, even going so far as to subtly threaten us by brazenly mentioning that “it would be a shame if whoever killed the lovely icon, followed up with two more deaths”. He showed no remorse for his actions, no signs of guilt or even fear, but instead seemed to revel in the position he had us in, the son of one of the most powerful men in the world. I realized that he was not just a cold and calculating person, but that he was truly dangerous and potentially psychotic. Both Sugnak and I worry about how dangerous he will be when and if he takes over the position of authority from his father. Sadly, the implications of this revelation would have undermined the unity of their nation and potentially led to further fracturing of the alliance we share with them. Joseph dotes on his son, and Pierce is his only heir. My reports from the BIB show that the likelihood of this coming to light would regrettably do more damage than good. After much painful deliberation, I have made the difficult decision to bury the evidence and keep the secret for now. As the headmaster of the University of the Lighted Way and a respected confidant and advisor to the Bechtlarite Intelligence Bureau, I cannot allow the actions of one individual to jeopardize the safety and unity of our people and our political ties with the only other nation that rivals our own. Lirien Duval was a talent the likes of which surfaces once or twice in a generation, and her contributions to the art she loved and to the hearts and minds she touched will be missed and hopefully cherished for many years to come. It pains me to do so, but I know it is for the greater good. I will continue to monitor the young heir from afar.
This experience has reminded me that there is often more than meets the eye. It is up to us to navigate the complexities and make the tough decisions that are necessary to protect our people…but is it enough?

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Type

Leaked Original

Medium

Vellum / Skin

Authoring Date

42nd of Cortus, 150 PR

Location

Culvarkti

Authors

• Airtam Morenthall

Signatories (Characters)

• Victor Vhank

Signatories (Organizations)

• The League of Steam