2022/09/21

Last time in the Iron Kingdoms, the party investigated a murder.

The party was on their way to the main prison in Five Fingers, having been sent there after a runner burst into Undertow to inform them and Atrixia that someone had killed former Lord Governor Manario Fariseu. This was a problem as despite the new government of Five Fingers having no love for the former representative of Ord, the man was promised to be returned to Ord in an attempt to prevent conflict with the nation. As a result the party was on their way to the prison in the hopes of finding the killer to present to Ord in Fariseu's place.

The party reached the prison and was met with the warden of the prison to get the rundown on what had occurred. During the shift change for the guards, someone had entered the floor where Hurley and Fariseu were being held and shot the former lord governor in the chest. The two irregularities on the scene were the pistol on Fariseu's body and the keys to the cell being placed in the lock. The Warden didn't know how either of those objects got to where they were currently, though the guards were currently being cataloged and whoever was missing their keys would soon be found. While that was happening, the party took a look around the crime scene to see what they could find. Shakes took a look at the pistol that was by Fariseu and was able to determine that the pistol was no mass produced weapon, but rather an artisanal weapon with fancy engravings along the barrel and the grip. The engravings had a message as part of them saying “To my old friend Manario” which implied that the weapon was given to the former lord governor as some sort of personal connection. At Gazza's suggestion the gun was checked for a maker's mark on the gun thought the mark in question was unable to be identified.

Searching the area didn't turn up anything else, though by that time the guards had been accounted for, the keys had come from a guard by the name of Felix Pitch, who was knocked unconscious and stuffed in a barrel. The party went to go speak with the young man in order to determine if he was involved with whoever killed Fariseu. Felix said that he was watching a side door near where he was found, as he was doing that he heard a knock at the door. Nobody was supposed to be using that door though he assumed that another guard had gone out for a smoke and had gotten locked out. Upon opening the peephole to check who it was he was greeted with an imperious figure in a fine silken coat and a trifold hat and a porcelain mask. The person asked to be let in and Felix knew that he wasn't supposed to but found himself opening the door anyways. Felix was then hit over the head and didn't know anything more. Believing Felix's testimony meant that some sort of compulsion was afoot, either chemical or magical. At this point Watch Commander Madigan arrived at the prison and was slightly annoyed to find out that the party had been informed of the events before him, the party shared what they knew in order to keep things civil, stating that they were going to be looking into the origin of the pistol the next day as well as sending a sample of Felix's blood to be tested to see if he was drugged. With everything in place the party retired for the night with the plan to visit the Lord Governor's estate on Bellicose Island to see if any of the servants there recognized the pistol.

The next day the party set out to talk to those at the Lord Governor's estate about the mysterious pistol. The head butler did recognize the pistol after examining it for a bit and was able to tell the party that he believed that the gun was given to Fariseu by an old friend of his, one Andro Stario, a fellow noble from Ord who grew up in Merin the capital. From what the butler did know was that Andro and lord governor had a rambunctious youth and as a number of bored nobles do they played at being the rogues and criminals to add some excitement to their safe lives. Apparently the pistol was a reference to that history between the two. The butler also stated that the pistol was stolen during a break in that occurred a day before the murder of the lord governor. A mysterious figure matching the description given by Felix the guard at the prison was seen breaking into the estate and broke into the study where the pistol was displayed. As part of the break in some papers were rummaged through in the same room, the servants were unsure if any of them were missing as the documents were above their pay grade and thus they just put them back as best as they could. The party asked if they could look at the documents and found that the former lord governor was advocating for maintaining and even increasing the heavy taxes that were on the port city. The party also looked over the grounds and found circular footprints leading to the window that was broken during the break in. With the combination of the description of the murderer as well as the knowledge that Fariseu was exploiting the city of Five Fingers during his tenure as lord governor Abe was reminded of a story that his grandfather told him growing up, a story of the Lord Longfellow a Grymkin who punishes wicked nobles who view themselves above their subjects by killing them in a duel. Abe shared this knowledge with the party, who became concerned at either the potential that there was a murderous creature of Urcaen killing people or that someone was going to a lot of effort to make it seem that way.

The party then decided that they needed to eliminate some of the possible options before them. The toxicology report from Felix had come back by this point and there was no evidence that the young guard was drugged, which left mind magic. Mind magic wasn't unheard of though was the sort of magic that was spoken more of in hushed whispers and rumors than practiced openly. The only major powers that it was confirmed that dealt with mind magic was the Nightmare Empire of Cryx and some of the darker members of the Greylord Covenant of Khador. Neither group had a strong motive for a murder in this manner, though the possibility of the a lone gifted having an affinity for the practice couldn't be ignored. To check up on the only name that was tied to the murder the party went to talk with Banek Hurley to see what he knew of Fariseu's childhood even secondhand. Hurley stated that the former lord governor was younger than him though he occasionally heard his friend the king talking about the troubles they made. Hurley didn't know whether Andro Stario was gifted though did acknowledge that such a thing would have been rather difficult to hide through their childhood especially in an environment such as a court politics. When the party told Hurley what they found, Hurley stated that regardless if it was a Grymkin offing nobles or just someone playing the party it seemed like he got out of politics at the right time. Hurley wasn't able to offer much else though stated that he would look at the slums, one way or another those at the bottom of society notice the weirder things and they would the best place to try and scrounge up something.

The party took Hurley's advice and asked Avross to check with some of his associates from the streets to see if anything could be found about the murderer. Avross said that he would go and check and left the party to cover the the bar at Undertow as he was out gathering information. After an hour or so he returned out of breath to Undertow with the news that someone matching the description given by the party was on their way out of town via the north bridge connecting Five Fingers to the Ordic mainland. He had run back to Undertow so that the party could intercept the murderer before they got away. The party then made haste to the bridge and were able to find the figure about to cross the bridge. The party stopped the figure and asked them if they had anything to do with the lord governor's murder. The figure replied with a raspy voice that he did kill Fariseu as the lord governor was a disgrace and deserved to be gunned down as his actions as lord governor led to all the violence that Five Fingers was experiencing, and Ord letting him off the hook wasn't punishment enough. The figure also confessed to being the Lord Longfellow and agreed to hand over all the evidence that he had obtained in determining the depths of Fariseu's depravity as well as to submit to standing trial in Ord, provided that the party could beat him in a duel. As the party seemed a fair sort and no mortal man had bested him in a duel yet he proposed that the duel was to be the party against himself. The party and Lord Longfellow then made their way to a field so that they could have their duel. Once everyone was ready, as quick as a flash, Lord Longfellow threw off his coat, revealing his inhuman spidery appearance, as well as his four pistols. The duel was a difficult one though the party did prevail and Lord Longfellow returned with the party to the prison where he murdered Fariseu where he was to be held until he was to be given to Ord. The party left the guards with the instructions not to antagonize Lord Longfellow and left the prison as the grymkin was beginning a conversation with Hurley.