Of Dice and Men: Episode 01

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Character Introductions Animation
== Synopsis ==
On New Year's Day in Kronwikk, the "Various Operations Agency" (VOA) is struggling to make rent. After a disappointing case, the team is approached by Chancellor Nila Theyvin with a high-profile investigation: everyone at the Black Paw Mine has been slaughtered. They negotiate their fee and set off with Kel Drake Silverhorn to the mine. They discover clues pointing to a coordinated attack rather than theft. After examining the crime scenes and surviving an attack by mountain lions, the team concludes the mine staff was executed professionally. Suspicion briefly falls on Kel Drake, who becomes defensive. Returning to Kronwikk, VOA gathers more information, including a lead about Kel Drake’s financial troubles and the relationship between Lord Silverhorn and Kel Therald. Deciding to set a trap for the culprit, they plan to use a decoy miner to lure the murderer out.
==Recap==
===Tuesday, 1st January, 1512===
Kronwikk, New Years Day. The staff of the detective agency "Various Operations Agency" (VOA) are down on the dumps. They have to collect 12,000 copper (120 gold) by the end of the month to make rent. They barely made last month's rent. The rent covers their rooms to live in up stairs as well as the Office of the ground floor. The party joke about Toki turning into a pig so they can eat her to save on money.
Their last case was disappointing. A woman hired VOA to investigate her husband, who she claimed was moving illegal contraband. It turned out however the woman just wanted to investigate her husband for infidelity instead. VOA only ended up making 2 gold from the case. 
There is a knock at the door. Daff answers. It is Chancellor Nila Theyvin herself flanked by two guards. The Chancellor is the right-hand woman of Prince Siegfried Kronwikk, the leader of the Ridge Principality of the Kingdom of Drekis. She is the Chief of Staff for the Principality Government.
Chancellor Theyvin asks VOA to solve a high-profile case. Everyone at the Black Paw Mine has been slaughtered. The Prince needs an independent third party to run the investigation. The Mine had 40 workers, the Foreman, the cook, and 8 security staff, who have all seemed to be killed. Chancellor Theyvin informs VOA that Prince Kronwikk authorized her to pay 8,000 copper (80 gold) for the job.=, but the party negotiate it up to 10,000 copper (100 gold).
VOA is escorted inside Kronwikk Keep by Chancellor Theyvin to speak with the Prince and his advisers. The advisers include Captain of the Guard Kel Wolfgang Steel, Chancellor Nila Theyvin, Court Wizard Arc Dorian, Ranger Polywig, Retainer Knight Kel Drake Silverhorn, Retainer Knight Kel Mathias Redridge, and Retainer Knight Kel Kerry Brohard.
Prince Siegfried Kronwikk addresses the room. The Prince explains that Black Paw Mine is one of the best iron mines in the region. Lord Silverhorn, uncle Kel Drake Silverhorn, owned the mine, and was slain along with the rest of the staff. Communication with the mine cut off five days ago. Kel Drake went to investigate and found everyone at the mine dead. The wounds seemed to be caused by bladed weapons, not animals. Nothing was stolen from the mine, including Lord Silverhorn's armor. Kel Drake brought Lord Silverhorn's body back to Kronwikk, and stacked the other bodies inside the mine respectfully.
Kel Drake offers to escort VOA to the mine, along with 8 of his guards. VOA accept. VOA and Kel Drake depart from Kronwikk, travelling southwest for ten miles to the Black Paw Mine. While they travel, VOA talk amongst themselves about what they know; Since people were killed both inside and outside the mine, it was likely not a night ambush. Also perpetrator's motive wasn't theft since nothing was stolen.
It takes most of the day to arrive at Black Paw Mine. Kel Drake says he has moved all the bodies to respectfully lie them down inside the mine.
:Crime Scene 1 - The Watchtower: Daff spots a pool of blood at the base of the watchtower from two people. 2 guards had been killed here. The blood at the watch tower was on the ground and not on the watchtower itself, why did the guards leave their defensive position?
:Crime Scene 2 - The Forge: A blood pools are found inside the storeroom of the forge. Toki looks at the blood patterns and determines it was two people fighting. One person was wrecked and the other person didn't appear to bleed out at all. The wounds were deep, given the amount blood around. Kel Drake says Kel Therald's body had been found.
:Crime Scene 3 - The Barracks: There are four bloodstains in the barracks where 4 guards bodies had been found in their beds. Nevets determines that the blood stains in the beds are where the blankets meet the pillows. He concludes that those four had their throats slit in their sleep.
Done outside, VOA head into the mine with Kel Drake and his troops. As they head inside they note that the magical lanterns lighting up the mine were not stolen either. 
:The Victims: The party arrive at the main champer where Kel Drake leads them to where he and his men laid out the dead. Daff inspects the bodies and sees the wounds were from arming swords, and most of the people were killed in a single, well aimed, strike. A few bodies have two wounds, but none have three wounds. The wounds were caused by someone taller than a dwarf, maybe human sized. Daff examines the bodies and determines they were killed exactly 8 days ago. Toki sees some rats, and casts "Speak with Animals" on one. The rat reveals a mountain lion came into the mine and took one of the bodies. VOA counts the bodies and see the Cook and Lord Silverhorn are the two bodies that are missing. Daff concludes the cook was the one taken by the Mountain Lion.
The party split up and search the mine. Val Dor finds all the miners' tools neatly stacked and put away. There is no blood on the tools. No crates have been broken. 
:Crime Scene 4 - Foreman's Office: Kenny the Foreman's office doesn't appear disturbed, and no sign of blood. The next shipment is there ready to be sent out and nothing has been taken from it. VOA returns to investigating. Toki looks at the books in the office. They say a shipment was prepared nine days ago, but it never left. It was due to arrive in Kronwikk five days. Kenny the Foreman's ledger indicates that the last person to visit the mine was Lord Silverhorn. There are no notes of anyone arriving after him. Lord Silverhorn arrived 10 days ago, the day the shipment was due to leave, and a day before the deaths took place. Lord Siverhorn was here to introduce Kel Therald to the mine he was going to now oversee.
:Crime Scene 5 - The Killing Room: Daff finds a chamber full of blood, mostly at the back of the room. Some of the dead guards' spears are on the ground. Only one weapon appears to have wounded someone. Kel Drake says that Lord Silverhorn's body had been found in the bloody murder room along with most of the other victims. 
One of Kel Drake's men runs into the mine, calling out in alarm. He appears wounded and the guard who had been with him has died. Two mountain lions are behind him in pursuit. VOA and the rest of Kel Drake Silverhorn's men fight off the mountain lions. Kel Drake is attacked by one and falls over. Val Dor slays a mountain lion. The other mountain lion flees. Kel Drake Silverhorn stands back up and suggests the mountain lions were the culprits, but the party point out the wounds on the dead were done with weapons.
VOA gets together and brainstorm. 
Val Dor feels it was an execution, that all the mine staff were corralled into the room then cut down. If the purpose was to merely sabotage the mine, then equipment and the shipment would have been taken or destroyed. The culprit wanted the mine to be operational afterwards. The killing the 40 workers, Kenny the Foreman, the Cook, and 8 security staff was done surgically by a professional who was strong & skilled.
The sun is starting to set. Kel Drake suggests they all make camp for the night, and resume investigations the next day. He can have his men use the kitchen facilities at the mine to get them all a meal. VOA agree.
===Wednesday, 2nd January, 1512===
The next morning, Kel Drake is pacing back and forth, impatient. He expresses his desires to know what caused the murders, and to get the mine operational as soon as possible.
Nevets talks with Kel Drake about the deceased Lord Silverhorn. Lord Silverhorn's wife is long dead but he had a living mistress. The production at the mine can resume pretty quickly after new staff is hired. Lord Silverhorn rarely checked the mines himself, usually delegating the task. Kel Therald was knighted last month by Lord Silverhorn and she had just been appointed to be in command of the mine. Lord Silverhorn also doesn't have a direct heir. 
Val Dor accuses Kel Drake of being the culprit. Kel Drake demands that Val Dor be fired. Daff goes to pretend to fire Val Dor, but Nevets interrupts, thinking a ruse would backfire if the Knight sees Val Dor later. Kel Drake storms off, insulted.
VOA, out of clues at the mine, heads back towards Kronwikk. That afternoon, they are ambushed by a pack of kobolds. The kobold shaman entangles the party and the kobolds in melee. Toki knows that kobolds are cowardly and will retreat if half their numbers are defeated. VOA kills over half the kobolds and the kobolds retreat. Nevets chases after the Shaman and kills them. The party win the battle, but are wounded.
VOA arrive in Kronwikk before evening. In town, they talk with the late Lord Silverhorn's mistress, Lady Sandra. Lady Sandra is in grief, and considers herself Lord Silverhorn's wife all but in name. As a commoner, the Lord wasn't going to marry her. Lady Sandra doesn't hold the noble title of "Lady" but people call of that out of respect. Lady Sandra had been worried of the young knight Kel Therald going off with Lord Silverhorn. Kel Therald, aged 23, was from a minor noble family who own some properties in the north end of town.
Lady Sandra says once she found out that Kel Therald & Lord Silverhorn were dead, she realized her worries about the two of them were misplaced. Lord Silverhorn had taken Kel Therald to the mine to make ensure she understood her responsibilities, as she was only recently knighted. The people who know that Lord Silverhorn had gone to the mine include the household staff, and Kel Drake.
Lady Sandra says Kel Drake had come by a day after Lord Silverhorn left and was told where the Lord was. Kel Drake had come over requesting some funds. Lady Sandra claims that Kel Drake's wife spends a lot of money, and that Kel Drake had come not just one to request money from the late Lord Silverhorn. Lady Sandra asks for VOA not to spread rumors about this, however.
VOA returns to their headquarters and rest overnight.
===Thursday, 3rd January, 1512===
After some discussion, VOA decide to set up a decoy as a fake miner survivor and see if they can lure the real culprit out.
===Post Show===
Director's Commentary: Part 1 Part 2 & Part 3
Geoff Robinson pasted away unexpectedly on 21 July 2019 .
Category:Of Dice and Men Episodes