Misscliks: Demigods: Chapter 2 Episode 8

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==Recap==
===Day 315===
It has been 2 months since the Demigods had their battle with the Umberhulk in the past the last episode. They have been spending time in Hoskar with Jerimiah and at the Hall of Gems nearby. Adea has learned ESP, Clairaudience, Fool's Speech, Maximillian's Stone Grasp, Tongues, Feign Death, Flame Arrow, & Lance of Disruption, Locate Object, Magic Mouth, & Dispel Magic. Adea fails to learn Wizard Lock. 
Today, the party are still in Hoskar, in the tavern, the Burrowed Mole. The party are considered as local celebrates and there are dancing with locals in the bar.
Just after sundown, a messenger comes into the bar and reports something has happened to Mayor Balwick. The party go see what is happening.
The party arrive at the Mayor's House and see a crowd of Townsfolk gathered in a circle outside. In the middle of the crowd, on the path to the house, lying dead with their throat ripped open, is the Mayor Balwick Himself. Adea looks to the Mayor's House and sees a 2nd Storey Window is shattered. Adea and Arcas head inside to investigate and Emma stays outside to investigate.
Inside, Adea and Arcas can hear Lady Francine Balwick crying as servants go to greet the party. The servants report no one coming into the house before the murder. The servants tell Adea that Lady Francine is an emotionally fragile person, especially more-so at the moment.
Arcas and Adea meets with Lady Francine with Arcas takes a lead. The crying widow asks Arcas to capture the people who did this to the late Mayor and to put their head on spikes. Arcas asks for Mayor Balwick's recent activities. Lady Francine says her husband has been travelling a lot lately to meeting about the surrounding area. She knows of no one who was an enemy of the Mayor. Arcas asks about who has access to the house. Lady Francine says just the household staff, and their son who is in Krobas serving as part of the town guard has a key. She hasn't heard from her son in weeks. Lady Francine Balwick starts crying since her son doesn't know his father is dead yet.
Adea and Arcas go upstairs to investigate the room with the broken window, an the Master Bedroom 
Outside the Sheriff and Townguard are with Emma. Sheriff Red isn't entirely happy about the Party helping with the investigation, but doesn't stop them. Emma inspects the body. There is an inch wide tear going across the throat that is 2 inches deep. Emma casts Detect Magic and finds no magical residue on the Mayor, and only sees Sheriff Red's Longsword. Emma then casts Detect Evil, and Emma detects an overwhelming chaotic evil black & purple aura emanating from somewhere in the back of the gathered crowd. Evil person is a human male with a straggly beard, long hair, scars on his forehead, close and deep-set eyes, wearing tattered beggar clothes. The man sees he is spotted and starts to walk away from the crowd. Emma starts to follow and the Evil Man runs away down the street. Emma gives chase.
Emma follows the Evil Man down a narrow 100 foot-long alleyway. At the end of the allyway the Evil Man stops and charges at Emma. Emma calls out that she is under attack, and casts Etherealness to disappear. Emma waits there for 10 minutes.
Upstairs in the Mayor's house they find the glass has fallen into the Master Bedroom, not fallen out. Adea theorises this mean the glass was broken from the outside so someone could get in Adea casts Patternweave on the glass and sees it fits in the frames, but the windows frames were open inwards. It means that the glass could have been broken from inside or outside in this case. Looking around the rest of the bedroom has signs of a struggle. There is some blood next to the window and on the glass. Some glass has blood on both sides, other pieces of glass just have blood drops on top of the glass. Arcas looks out the window and sees how far the body is from the window. For the body to get there it would need to be thrown or jumped, not fallen.
Arcas and Adea check out the Mayor's Office. The most recent papers are communications between the dead Mayor and the Mayor of Krobbas. Arcas arranges for the body to be held until tomorrow so Emma will be able to cast Speak with Dead.
Arcas and Adea leave the Mayor's House to look for Emma and can't see her. Sheriff Red gives them the general direction that Emma ran. Arcas tells the Sheriff about the body not being buried until after Emma casts her spell tomorrow, with the Mayor pointing out he doesn't obey orders from Arcas.
Arcas and Adea arrive at the allyway and find 2 dead bodies on the ground. One with his head ripped off, and the other killed as he was trying to crawl away. Arcas calls for Sheriff Red as Emmma appears. Emma says that the dead people aren't the evil man she was chasing. The Sheriff orders a shut down of the town, with the town gates shut. Sheriff Red then heads off to visit Lord Trung (Sir Fafarack renamed because Neal forgot his original name), the Lord of the Town, to update him on the situation.
The Mayor's Body is taken to the morticians. Arcus disguises himself and keeps watch of the Mayor's Body in the mortuary. Emma casts Sacred Guardian on Arcas. Emma and Adea return to the Burrowed Mole to rest in order to get new spells. 
===Day 316===
Nothing happens overnight and the party gather at the mortuary with Sheriff Red and Lady Francine Balwick. Adea casts ESP as Emma is casting "Speak with Dead".
:"Who killed you?" asks Emma.
:"Strange Man. Beard." answers Mayor Balwick.
:"Why do you think they wanted to kill you?" asks Emma.
:"I'm not sure." answers Mayor Balwick.
This confirms the Evil Man that Emma had chased yesterday was the Killer. Emma describes the Killer in more detail but no one recognises him.
With the questions done, the funeral procession for the Mayor starts, and the procession heads north to the graveyard north across the river. The party follow behind. He is buried in a crypt underground after a ceremony on the surface. There is no sign of the bearded man. 
During the Funeral, Emma casts detect evil, and finds none in the crowd. Emma then casts detect magic and finds the head priest has many magic items on him, and a few other people in the crowd.
The party return to town, they start searching and questioning, trying to find the Killer. Arcas heads alone to search The Poor Disctrict, which is against the river. Adea heads to the Dock/Trade district which is against the Coast. Emma heads to the Semi Poor District. Arcas disguises Emma as a concubine. 
Emma tries to get information on the Murderer, and a man claims someone matching the murder's description is down a trap door at a Tea House near the river. Emma doesn't want to go alone, true or not, and backs off. She returns to the Burrowed Mole.
Adea on her way to the dock & trade district hears inaccurate rumours about the Murderer that Arcas had spread. Adea gets further from the crime scene and hears words of a shaggy looking person fleeing towards the ocean with blood on his clothing. Adea hears the same story in a few places, so he returns to the Burrowed Mole.
The party back at the Burrowed Mole exchange what they found out. They decide to investigate the trap door, even if it is a false lead. The party return into their normal gear and head back to the Tea House.
The party confidently enter the trap door at the Tea House and go down the stairs. They find themselves in a gambling den. Arcas joins a card game at the table. Emma looks around for the Murderer while Adea sticks with Arcas. The gaming goes well. Arcas has small talk about the Mayor's Murder, but the card players have no information. A man there claims to be an expect at tracking people down. Arcas plays cards with him and gets cocky at the game and goes all in, but looses the hand and 10 gold. The tracker asks for 20 gold for the job. The party decide to hand it over.
The party head back towards the Burrowed Mole. On the way they see a gathering of people holding lanterns on sticks outside the Mayor's House. The party approach and see Sheriff Red is here along with 10 to 15 city guardsmen. The Sheriff tells the party that the Mayor's wife, Lady Francine Balwick, has been murdered. Some of the servants were killed as well.
The party go into the house and enter the palor. Lady Francine Balwick is laying on the ground, her skin very pale, eyes rolled back. In her neck are two marks in the side of her neck. A vampire bite.
Category:Misscliks Demigods Episodes