O Captain! My (Dead) Captain!

## **Summary**

The group is asked to investigate the death of Rodrick Grath by his brother, Kurst Grath. They begin at the Ramble House and eventually learn there's more to the death than meets the eye.

## Location

Trunau, Ramble House and Iomedae Sanctuary

## Episode Details

Lorc Irontusk attempts to see what's happened but Rodrick's body has already been removed. The humans make a few racist remarks and make fun of his desk job before sending him on his way.

He heads back to the group and sees a crowd has begun to gather as news spreads that Trunau's native son has killed himself.

Kurst sees the foursome and goes over to them and talks about how overwhelmed he is by everything he has to do but he can't believe his brother actually committed suicide. Kurst bemoans that Rodrick was the best investigator in town and could have solved his own death in a second but alas, they are stuck with the younger son.

Barron asks where Rodrick went after the celebration and Gormlaith Kall wonders where Cham Larringfass is, and Lorc tells them to wait a moment and they'll get their chance to talk to her.

Kurst reiterates his family duties outweigh his other responsibilities, the militia are great defenders but not investigators. Despite not know all of them very well, Kurst asks them to investigate, thinking Gormli and Lorc's familiarity with the area along with Barron Ashpeak and Gelabrous Finn's outside status will allow them to get to the bottom of the mystery.

They all agree, Gormli adding "Anything for Rodrick" while Barron asks if the lacerations were the same as Ruby had been instructed the day before at her Hope Knife ceremony. Gelabrous asks to see the body which is being kept at the sanctuary, Gormli says she'll go with him.

The room had been searched but not cleaned.

Kurst explains the best avenues of investigation are the room, and at this point he pulls Lorc aside to explain Rodrick had been having an affair with Brinya Kelvar whom Rodrick was in love with. Jagrin Grath, their father, knew about the relationship but was not happy with it. Omast Frum might also have information as he was frequently Rodrick's patrol partner.

After a quick discussion the group decides to investigate the room, then go check the body, and afterwards talk to the girlfriend. Lorc asks if anyone might have been jealous of Rodrick, or might have wanted his position, but Kurst assures him no one wanted harm to come to Rodrick.

Kurst eventually reveals that Rodrick and Brinya were engaged and was likely staying at the Ramble House because of his father's racism.

Barron and Lorc recommend Kurst drink his sorrows away; Kurst mentions that Omast likely already started drinking which is bad news as he is a recovering alcoholic.

Kurst gives Lorc the Hope Knife with the hopes it might aide in the investigation.

The room is incredibly sparse, a cheap cot, a nice writing desk, and a cracked window.

Gelabrous investigates the blood stains and decides the death happened in the bed; Barron then flips the mattress and then cuts into it to see if anything has been hidden.

Lorc and Gormli both spot a piece of paper lying on the floor: it's a receipt for a Hope Knife with an engraving added "For Rodrick, My Love." The knife Lorc is currently holding doesn't have an engraving.

Barron asks if half-orcs also go through a Hope Knife ceremony which Lorc confirms.

There's no way to tell if any of the rips on the bed are from stab wounds or from it being a crappy mattress; meanwhile Lorc tries to discern if anyone was in the room besides Rodrick but it's impossible as too many people had come in and out of the room since the death.

Lorc and Gelabrous look around the desk and find a false bottom but the compartment underneath is empty.

With nothing else in the room they go talk to Cham and Gelabrous gets down to ask her what happened. Rodrick had asked to be woken up in the morning and she found him on the bed, dead. When asked who the last person to see him alive was, Cham didn't know.

When they ask to see the registration book Cham is evasive, Lorc intimidates her to give the book to them. There's a note of a single human man who rented out the last available room after Rodrick had reserved his room, but before Rodrick had checked in. His name is not recorded in the book.

Cham admits the man paid her to give him a room without giving his name: average height, cropped hair, blue-ish eyes and stayed in room 28.

Gormli looks for Brinya's name and how many times Rodrick stayed at the inn which was more frequent recently but Brinya had never registered at the Ramble House and Cham doesn't know her.

Cham inadvertently reveals a bunch of half-orcs had stayed a few weeks ago.

Barron checks the drawer in room 28 for the same hidden compartment and finds an old piece of parchment.

> "Malira, I shouldn't be away for much longer. We still haven't found what we're looking for, but it's only a matter of time and the other preparations are proceeding as planned. A meddling militia patrol captain has been poking around but I don't foresee him being a threat for much longer. Once our work is done it won't matter anyway and I can return to you. I marvel that I found you in the midst of all this, and think of you constantly. Soon, my love."
>
>

As they leave they see some of the rooms have been vandalized and graffiti'd. The same group of half-orcs Cham had mentioned were the ones who had vandalized the rooms. They used an alchemical dye to create the graffiti.

They head to the sanctuary of Iomedae(ahy-OH-meh-day) where there's a cross or sword graffiti'd on the rock face behind it which is the majority of the graffiti in town. A cleric comes to welcome Gelabrous and take him and the other three members to Rodrick's body.

The wounds on his body were indicative of suicide and similar to how Ruby had been shown.

Gelabrous, at Barron's suggestion, checks for poison and learns that Rodrick was in fact poisoned by Oil of Taggit.