The Fate of a Crow

"The Fate of a Crow"

The Fate of a Crow

Episode
Chapter 1, Episode 8

**Playdate**
September 4, 2017

**Players**

Matt - Dain Sarkas

Jac - Wendy

Kevin - Dalius

Leighann - Xand

Seth - Fate Silver

Chuck - Rocko

*and*

Chris as **Dungeon Master**

Previous
Next

"1 Body - Head = Mystery" (1x07)
"A Snake in Humans Clothing" (1x09)

## **Synopsis**

Wendy and Gwyneth arrive back to the Inn and Gwyneth realizes that she has lost her key so Wendy lets them in the southern door into the guest room area. After Gwyneth makes her way to one of the single rooms, Wendy goes to knock on the door where Fate is sleeping. When he answers she asks if Asher is around but no one has seen him recently. Waking the rest of the team she relays to them what happened this night and shows them the snake skin she found. Hearing that Gwyneth did not have her key, Fate suggests that there are three options... 1) Gwyneth actually did lose the key and it is still there in the alley. 2) Her attacker took the key from her. 3) The person who came back with Wendy is not actually Gwyneth. Dain agrees and suggest that someone stay up and watch her door just in case. Since he had already gotten as much sleep as he needs, Dain offers to stay on guard while the other finish their nights rest. As he stands outside her door Dain hears Gwyneth crying before eventually falling to sleep.

Waking the next morning and exiting her room Gwyneth finds Dain standing guard. After a heartfelt thanks she offers to cook an early breakfast for Dain and he follows her into the common room to keep an eye on her until she is no longer alone. Fate wakes up a little early to order tea for two and sit at his normal table to again wait for Ms. Crow. Eventually the remainder of the group wakes and makes their way to the common room. When Wendy enters Gwyneth approaches and gives her a tight hug and tearful thanks before returning to work and getting Wendy and extra large plate of bacon and eggs. As they are sitting eating breakfast Dalius uses his Fae sight to look at the snake skin that Wendy brought back as well as looking over Gwyneth but there is no trace of recent Fae enchantment on either. Once Ms. Crow arrives, the rest of the group joins Fate at the table with her so that they can all talk to her. Fate tells her all the information they know on what happened and show her the snake skin and ask her if she has any insight as to what or who could have attempted to abduct Gwyneth. After looking over the snake skin, which turns out is human skin worked to resemble snake skin, Ms. Crow gets a worried look on her face and asks if she can have a piece of the skin. After the group cuts off a strip of the skin and gives it to her, she says she has to leave early to talk to an associate and leaves the Inn.

After finishing their breakfast the group decides to go and look for the lost key at kidnap sight. On their way out they see Asher returning to the Inn, covered in blood! Quickly approaching him it is discovered the blood is not his. Asher informs the group that there was another beheading victim last night. Upon hearing this the group relays all the events of the night before involving Gwyneth and Wendy. After hearing the story and looking over the skin, Asher invites the team to accompany him back to the crime scene after he changes his clothes. The attempted abduction location is on the way so the group stops to look around for the key that Gwyneth had lost, and after about 20 minutes they find it. Arriving at the scene the group starts to investigate. The new body does not seem to have the scratch marks or the remnants of necrotic damage that was on the previous body. There is so much blood, spilling out of the alleyway and into the streets. This body also does not seem to be in the same state of decay as the previous body and the head seems to have been removed with a tool instead of being ripped from the neck with sheer strength. Seeing these differences the group thinks that it could indicate a change in tactic, or possibly a copy cat of some sort, perhaps trying to use the murders as a cover for some other motive, but did not get the details completely right. Rocko looks inside the victims boots and finds a comb and a small mirror. Those things along with the fine clothing and un-calloused hands, leads the team to think the man had probably been of high birth. While the others are looking over the body. Dain pulls Asher to the side. Speaking softly he suggests to Asher that they may be able to use Gwyneth as a sort of bait to possibly catch the person behind all this. Suggesting that they put a protective detail on Gwyneth but at a distance as to not be noticed by anyone, therefore maybe enticing the criminal to try again, but with help near by for when it happens. Asher seems unconvinced but says he would think about it. Asher lets the group know that the only other items found on the victim was money and a ticket from a local bar called "The Witches Tit", and a fake I.D. with with the name "Joe Joseph" on it.

After leaving the crime scene the team decides to head over to The Witches Tit to see if anyone from the night before had seen anything. It seems to be a sketchy young people bar with crushed velvet, purple and red color scheme, and VIP sections. Except for the cleaning crew and a couple serving girls the place is empty. As the group enters Fate pipes up stating "I'm sensing a name that starts with a T?.... or a Y?...". Looking at him a bit strangely one of the serving girls speaks up and says her name is "Tammy" getting a responce of "As i thought." out of Fate. Pulling her aside they describe the victim to her to see if she knows who the man is. Recognizing who is being described she says that the man is a real shithead and is in there a couple of times a week. She also gives them his real name which is Wade. As they talk they let slip that he was a beheading victim and they woman breaks down crying. After a bit more talking the group learns that the man usually strikes out with the ladies except for last night he seemed to have a little luck. When asked to describe the woman she describes someone who sounds very much like Gwyneth, and says they left together around 11. Just to be sure, Fate creates an illusory lineup including Gwyneth, his mom, and Ms. Crow. Tammy immediately points to the image of Gwyneth and says that it is definitely her. Fate is worried that something may have taken her form and the group makes their way back towards the Inn to speak with her.

Around 7ish in the evening the group arrives back to The Manticores Tail to the sounds of loud music emanating from the common room and locked doors. Looking into the windows they see no regular customers but they do see Gwyneth dancing around in a circle of men kissing one before moving onto the next. Again using Fae sight, Dalius sees a Fae ring around each of the men in the common room. Since the common room door and the door on the east wall are both barred shut, the group makes there way to the guest rooms door and enters that way, except for Wendy and Fate who each stand by a separate window into the common room, ready to enter once things pop off. As the remainder of the group enters the Southern entrance they find Barney Hightower passed out and looking in very bad shape. Rocko tries to use Healing Draught on him but it doesnt help, leading them to think some sort of poison may have been used. As Rocko pulls him over to one of the pallets, Dain sneaks up to the door leading from guest rooms to the common room and finds in unlocked and unblocked, and lets the rest of the team know. While Dain waits by the door and Rocko is still standing over Barney, Xand and Dalius start checking the other rooms to make sure they are not caught from behind once the attack begins. Not knowing that the other guest rooms were being searched, Fate takes a chair from the outside sitting area and throws it through the window he was standing near. Inside, the dancing and music stops as Gwyneth turns to look at Fate through the window. As a small smile creeps across her face she looks up and snaps her fingers. There is a flapping sound and then a loud SPLAT from behind Fate. Turning to see the bloody mangled corpse of Ms. Crow, the session ends as the anguished scream of Fate can be heard echoing into the night.

## **Featured Characters**

### **Player Characters**

* Dain Sarkas
* Fate Silver
* Dalius
* Wendy
* Xand
* Rocko

### **Returning**

* Asher Green
* Gwyneth Burgess
* Ms. Crow
* Barney Hightower

## Footnotes

1. ↑ Referring to the attempted abduction of Gwyneth. "1 Body - Head = Mystery" (1x07).
2. ↑ Ms. Crow was the former Spy Master at Vigil Academy.
3. ↑ The time line worked out that it would have been possible for Gwyneth to close down The Manticores Tail and then still have time to get to the bar and meet Wade.
4. ↑ The group has the ability to communicate over distance with the communication pearls that were provided by the school.