Session 058: Murder in Vivaria

General Summary

Seargant: anything new? no. quick note to One Left Behind: love wives Group heads to temple, drops note to OLB (love wives), oh no other group is already here, roll off North Wind gets to ask three questions, other group two
Daughters and sisters of Ilvia are gathered here to bear witness to the last words of this child. To Ilvia, this child was gifted. Into the earth, this child shall return. Before she goes to her final rest, let her speak with us. Let light be shed on what she once knew.
Mohr: Did any strangers talk to you that you remember before you died?
Mya: Only the one that made me go to sleep.
Waifish one: Tell us everything that you remember in the day before your death, including the one that made you go to sleep.
Mya: It was normal at first. My moms took me and the little one to the park in the morning and then we got back home. They saw a red hand on the door and got super quiet and super worried. Mama got real angry and went to talk to someone while Mom stayed with us, which was strange because normally Mom has to go to work. Mama came back and was talking to Mom real quiet like. Like we weren't supposed to hear. I tried to listen in but they caught me. Mama told me and Pala to go down to the cellar. Then a thornguard came in, which was strange because Mama amd Mom always say never to trust the thornguard and to get them if we need help. But they were talking about how they couldn't handle this one and the thornguard was already involved. The thornguard started trying to make the house real safe, even though Mama always does a great job of making the house safe and setting the traps and everything. They took the traps down before the thornguard got there and Mama was really mad about that and didn't think it was the right thing to do. But Mom said they had to do it that way. So then the thornguard got there and put up their own defenses. And they posted people outside and we were supposed to stay down in the cellar. It was really boring and Pala kept crying and that was really annoying. And the day sorta passed like that. Then it was night and it was really hard to see cus they wouldn't let me bring down my nightlight. And then there was also a thornguard down there with us and the thornguard and mom and mama were talking. Mom and mama were trying to talk without the thornguard and mama didn't like that at all. While they were talking, something came up through the floor and was kind of ghostly like. Then it was less ghostly like. And it flung something over me and mom and mama and the thornguard and I went to sleep. And then it hurt real bad. And then I died.
NW: What did the ghostly figure look like?
Mya: Wearing a dark coat and gloves and boots and a hood. A lot like mama when she's going to work. And a mask with dark eyes and lines at the mouth.
Other: What do your moms do for work?
Mya: Mom is like a bodyguard she says and mama is the best reclaimer in town.
NW: What did the stranger who put you to sleep say to you?
Mya: Tell your parents there is still time to make the right decision?
over to thornguard west have you tried moving them out of the city? only been involved in one so far cus the hand was spotted and reported to us. We did suggest it but the family was unwilling to leave so we did our best. Who was stationed in the basement? Thornguard Berry was the one down there. Highly trained in hand-to-hand combat and magic nullification. Might have a little fey ancestry, but don't believe she has magical sleep immunity listed as one of her skills. She typically works the night shift, welcome to come back once she comes on shift around 3pm. Heads up thornguard, we think Red Hand is using gaseous form or something along those lines to move through solid barriers. First actual sighting of the Red Hand. Do we know if there's like a sewer system below there? From understanding of threat assessment of the area, sewer doesn't go directly below the house. Thinking of gaseous form spell, there would need to be an actual crack to move through; it wouldn't allow passage through solid earth.
Head to Thornguard: hey Mayphew who was on guard in the basement? Thornguard Officer Berry? Cool we'll be back to talk her, she might be around sooner but she'll deffo be on shift around 3 pm, works the night shift, might have some elvish ancestry not allowed to ask. Oh, btw Red Hand can get through solid stuff, interesting you say the sewer doesn't go under that house? Hm.
Head to talk to the family.
Head to last victim's house, orc woman, Aka Saysanasy, is outside scrubbing the door. She sees them approach and calls inside, "There's more." Her wife Lila comes outside, introduces the two of them, and says that the group will be talking to her. The other group came the night before. Lila says that she didn't see the ghostly figure. She establishes that she is called mama and Aka is called mom. Aka is a bodyguard while Lila refurbishes items she finds in the trash.
Jack asks if Aka wears anything in particular to work; Lila explains that Aka's current pastel clothing is what she wears to work. Lila says she wears a leather coat and some gloves so she doesn't cut herself on trash.
The group convinces Lila to let them in. A small half-orc kid, Pala, is playing on the rug inside. They climb down a ladder to look at the basement where it occurred. It's pretty small, a bit smaller than the house itself. There're boxes and crates, a little nest of blankets, three chairs, a lamp, a bare earthen floor. Determine that there are definitely no cracks near the floor or any tunnels or entrances. Zenith casts detect magic. Oh, the lamp has divination magic.
Group learns that dispel magic does destroy magical residue, but also that most magic users don't know a lot about magical residue and there is still research about how it lands and spreads. Typically only visible on the actual target. Asking Lila, she says she salvaged the lamp and didn't know of it having any magic, which Jack can tell is a coverup in some way.
Tal starts questioning Lila about her refurbishing work and ends up buying the lamp in exchange for six gold and the Cielaveskarraron statue.
Upstairs, Jack gets Lila to bring Aka inside and tells them about the message given to Mya. Tal manages to form a crack in the facade of the Saysanasys via Aka. Aka puts pressure on Lila. Lila protests, saying that bringing in the outsiders in the Thornguard worked out poorly, that some of the members of the North Wind are from the Summer Kingdom. Lila eventually breaks and says she will explain, but that the people the group will need to talk to are the Romanovnas: the first family to lose a child.
The whole thing allegedly started months ago, when someone from the Raywalkers reached out and informed them that they'd be moving into their territory. Lila says they already knew it had started, but they'd been shutting it down quietly. There's enough crime to go around for the small fries, but we keep control of the big leagues around here.
Who is we? The Silver Thread.
Talasea knows that the Silver Thread is the organized crime group of the Spring Kingdom. They are led by the Seamstresses, high-ranking criminals that control the crime scene from Vivaria.
Tal aks Lila if she's a Seamstress. She can neither confirm nor deny... but likes a shiny thread here and there.
After the formal announcement of the Raywalkers, things escalated, the Silver Thread continued to try to shut them down. Then the Red Hand got involved. Used to be they were a small fry, had a little schtick of wearing all red; their name in the ledger was George. Then they show up one day and say they've thrown their lot in with the Raywalkers and have been given some kind of power. Tell us to either let the Raywalkers into the city or pay the price.
The official directions from the Chief Seamstress are to hold the line. But their children are dying. It was stone cold of her to keep going after the death of one of her own, but we didn't know then. We know now. And unless you can catch the Red Hand, which Lila seems to doubt is possible, the only way is to convince Romanovna.
The group heads to the Romanovna mansion and are ushered in to a sitting room where they meet Pietra and Joyce Romanovna. Pietra, a stately tiefling, is a councilwoman. Joyce, a lovely human, is a stay-at-home mom. They both seem devastated as they describe what occurred the night of the death of their daughter, Luiza. And neither give anything away as the group tries determine which of them may be holding the Silver Threads. We come to a close as Aphid reveals that they believe the Red Hand is targeting members of the Silver Threads.

Report Date

29 Jun 2024