Murder in Fallcrest

Siegfried

• Bond: Edgar, the merchant, employer

Assets

• Brawler
• Veteran
• Thunder-bringer

Dramatis personae

• Edgar: A merchant, my employer
• Naila: An unlucky village elder
• Parcell: A youth who may be useful
• Sabine: The Crimson Phoenix’s captain
• Gunnarr, Katla and Thorvidr – townsfolk

Murder most foul

Arrested?

I glared back at the youth standing before me: Edgar, the merchant, has been arrested for murder. The village elders had arrested him earlier in the day and they had sent this youth to tell me. The youth, Parcell, knew nothing of the events and he was just a messenger. If I was younger I would have beaten him to show my displeasure but I am now older, and maybe wiser, so I had the cook feed him while I got ready to pay the elders a visit (keeping him happy may benefit me later, see just a bit wiser in my old age).

I had sailed to Fallcrest on one of Edgar’s ships, the Crimson Phoenix. Our plans were to pick up Edgar here and travel further South to trade with the villages along the coast. The Phoenix had met me a few days before and we sailed to Fallcrest with a full cargo. Edgar had hired me to act as a bodyguard while he ventured into the wilder areas – it look like I’ll be earning my wages a bit earlier than expected.

I briefed the captain, Sabine, on the situation and walked down the gangplank onto the wharf, my hammer resting on my shoulder.

A usual for this part of the Iron Lands, the village’s longhouse was located in the centre of town and I walked straight there, ignoring the stares of the villager as I passed by. There were a couple of guards at the front entrance but I ignored them and they seemed happy to ignore me too. The only elder I could find was a woman called Naila – it looks like she lost the draw and was left here by the rest of the elders to deal with me.

 
Siegfried/Gather Information: action(5)+wits(1) vs. 3,5 = Strong Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Remove (24), Opportunity (43)
 

I’m sure my mother would disapprove, but I had a job to do, so I walked straight up to Naila and glared! She really didn’t have a chance – years of war, and disappointment, has trained me well in the art of staring down people. She wilted immediately and led me to Edgar. He was being held in a small room at the back of the longhouse. I learnt later that they really didn’t know what to do with him and decided to treat him with some respect and not throw him into the cells with the town drunks.

 
Siegfried/Gather Information: action(2)+wits(1)+1(bond) vs. 8,6 = Miss
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Command (70), History (35)

Q: Is there a body? 50/50
YES/NO 8 => 50/50=No

Q: Does Edgar remember anything? 50/50
YES/NO 7 => 50/50=No

 

Edgar is a mess. I questioned him for some time and managed to piece together the story…

He was staying in the local tavern while he waited for the Phoenix to arrive. Two days before we arrived he woke one morning with his hands covered in blood. He had staggered out of his room into the dining area where he caused a bit of a panic with the locals. He doesn’t remember anything else: going to sleep that evening and waking with bloody hands.

Not knowing what to do (and what had happened) the village elders decided to arrest him and lock him up “for his own protection.” Here’s the problem…

There is no body.

Did he really kill someone? A quick examination reveals that he has no injuries so he (probably) hasn’t been in a fight. I made sure he was calm and returned back to Naila to get him released. At least I could try to get him moved back to the Phoenix so he was safer, away from any lynch-mobs that might appear.

 
Siegfried/Compel: action(2)+heart(2) vs. 1,8 = Weak Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Betray (76), Quest (90)
 

Naila agrees to my request, but demands that I swear a vow to ensure that Edgar doesn’t leave until the mystery is solved. This is what I was planning to do, although part of me was wondering whether we could quietly leave town in the middle of the night. Swearing a vow forces me, and Edgar, to stay in town.

 
Siegfried/Swear an Iron Vow: action(6)+heart(2) vs. 2,2 = Strong Hit+match
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Deliver (73), Portent (68)
 

I swear on Iron to resolve this mystery.

I escort Edgar back to the Phoenix and made sure the Sabine knows the situation. We have a quiet word between us to make sure there’s a couple of sailors watching Edgar all the time. I mentioned my plan to leave town at midnight, but that isn’t an option: like most sailors, Sabine is superstitious and she won’t let me break my vow.

I walked over to the bow and stared into the distance, hoping for some inspiration. I suppose the first thing I’ll do tomorrow is to interview everyone who was at the inn to see what they know.

 
Siegfried/Secure an Advantage: action(3)+wits(1) vs. 5,8 = Miss
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Uncover (31), Knowledge (88)
Pay the price: 91

Q: Ambush?
YES/NO 91 => YES
 

One of the sailors comes over and lets me know that Parcell is at the gangplank asking for me. He seems eager to help and lets me know that someone from the village, Gunnarr, has information about the murder and wants to meet me tonight just along the coast near an abandoned fishing hut. Yes, this is definitely an ambush!

Just after sunset I left the Phoenix and walked along the coast towards the location Parcell told about. Before I left, I briefed Sabine about the rendezvous and we decided that if I wasn’t back by dawn she would set sail and get Edgar out of here – assuming I was dead and that my vow was void (just to keep her superstitions at bay). She did volunteer to send a couple of her sailors along with me but I thought that might spook whoever was waiting for me. The cook provided a backpack with medical supplies and some food “just in case.”

My plan was simple: walk into the ambush and beat the crap out of whoever was there and make them tell me what’s going on.

 
Siegfried/Undertake a Journey: action(2)+wits(1) vs. 2,10 = Weak Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Reduce (90), Danger (45)
progress = 3
 

I walked along the edge of the village by the shoreline. Some of the locals were hauling their boats onto the shore and unloading their catch. One older man was sitting on a log watching the activity. As I passed he quietly said:

It’s a trap son, I hear there’s three of them waiting for you.

I didn’t acknowledge him and walk passed as he sat there. It looks like I might have some friends in the village. Unless he was lying. Damn it – I’ll have to see how the meeting goes. If I survive tonight I’ll find the old timer and get his side of the story - perhaps there’s a feud in the village?

 
Siegfried/Undertake a Journey: action(6)+wits(1) vs. 3,6 = Strong Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Avenge (7), Warning (95)
progress = 6
 

As I left the village, still travelling along the beach, I could see some torches ahead off to my right – there’s a path that runs parallel to the coast, a little bit inland. Whoever they are, they’re not trying to hide themselves. I quickened my pace and after a while could distinguish three torches moving along the coastal path. I moved quietly onto the path and followed them at distance.

 
Siegfried/Undertake a Journey: action(4)+wits(1) vs. 5,1 = Weak Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Resist (56), Possession (50)
progress = 9
 

The group moved off the path and towards the hut on the beach. I hid my pack in some bushes along the path and followed the party to the hut. I don’t know who they are and with odds of three against one I wasn’t sure whether I could win a fight. So I decide to surprise them and try a bit of intimidation…

 
Siegfried/Reach Your Destination progress(9) vs. 3,7 = Strong Hit
+1 next roll

Thunder-bringer asset +1

Siegfried/Compel: action(3)+iron(3)+2 vs. 1,7 = Strong Hit
+1 gather info
 

As they reached the hut and gathered together to arrange the ambush I moved into the light of their torches and smashed an old barrel with my hammer. One of them backed away so quickly that he tripped over some nets and fell to the ground, the other two backed away and were definitely not happy to see me.

I walked over to the one on the ground and rested my hammer on his chest and growled at them…

Who are you and what do you want?

 
Siegfried/Gather Information: action(5)+wits(1)+1 vs. 3,7 = Weak Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Escort (94), Law (93)

Q: Have crimes been committed in the village? 50/50
YES/NO 62 => 50/50=Yes

Q: Has anything been done to solve them? 50/50
YES/NO 10 => 50/50=No

Q: Have they been hidden/ignored/cover-up? Likely
YES/NO 47 => Likely=Yes

Q: Murder? 50/50
YES/NO 51 => 50/50=Yes

Q: Abduction? 50/50
YES/NO 81 => 50/50=Yes

Q: Do these guys want help? Almost Certain
YES/NO 55 => Almost Certain=Yes

Q: how many? 1d6
3 deaths, 2 abductions
 

The three of them were shaken up with my violent appearance and it took a while for me to get a clear idea on what’s happening in the village. There has been three suspicious deaths and two people have gone missing. All of the crimes have gone unsolved with the village elders actively trying to cover-up what’s been happening. These three idiots have all had someone close affected by this:

• Gunnarr (who organised this encounter) had his brother go missing out at sea, his boat was found with blood stains;
• Katla’s sister has gone missing; and
• Thorvidr’s father was killed at his farm, to the North of the village.

They also admitted to drugging Edgar’s wine and painting his hands with pig’s blood while he slept. The aim was to force someone external to the village to act. That appears to be me!

 
Siegfried/Secure an Advantage: action(4)+wits(1) vs. 1,10 = Weak Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Deliver (73), Problem (77)
 

I need time to figure out what I’m going to do, so I send these three back to their homes, but we’ll meet again here tomorrow to organise ourselves. First, I need to talk to Edgar and see what we wants to do.

And don’t forget: The old guy that warned me that this was an ambush – I will find him and have a nice civilised conversation with him.

The trip back into town was uneventful and I return to the Phoenix just after midnight. Sabine was sitting on deck waiting for me (isn’t that sweet!). After a brief conversation we retired for the night and we’ll get together with Edgar in the morning. I suspect that once he finds out what actually happened he will want to leave.

 
Siegfried/Secure an Advantage: action(2)+wits(1) vs. 3,10 = Miss
Pay the price: 92 (act against best intentions)

Q: Does Edgar have family here? 50/50
YES/NO(73) = Yes:50/50

Q: Are they one of the victims? Unlikely
YES/NO(89) = Yes:Unlikely

Relative: Halli / Forester
 

In the morning the three of us got together in Edgar’s cabin to discuss what to do next. I explained what I found the previous night and I expected that Edgar would be angry at the deception, but for some reason he looked sheepish when I finished. Damn it! He knew all along that something was happening in the village… that’s why he arrived a few days before us. He explained: A relative had been in contact and Edgar had travelled here to talk to his family and assess the situation. The murder charges the other day had unnerved him as he thought it was the murderer trying to get rid of him.

 
Siegfried/Secure an Advantage: action(6)+wits(1) vs. 4,5 = Strong Hit
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Affect (79), Direction (18)

Did Edgar identify the criminals? Unlikely
YES/NO(88) = Yes:Unlikely

Motive?
ASK THE ORACLE: action = Uphold (34), Family (62)

Is it someone we know? Unlikely
YES/NO(85) = Yes:Unlikely

Selection (d100):
* [1-10] 3 people (from previous night)
* [11-15] Parcell and/or family
* [16-60] Old guy on the beach
* [61-100] Village elders
* Roll: 72