SoSS 1.6

***The Scent of Silence*** is the sixth episode of the first book of *Stories on the Subjugated Straits*, and the sixth overall.

## Plot

At the alchemy shop in Oz, Lynx asks Kaseos how he died. Kas denies that he has, despite Lynx's observation that he does not breathe. When she wonders aloud what kind of undead creature he might be, he responds by questioning why she doesn't dream, and she drops the subject. They move on to discussing their pasts instead: Kas tells her of his family who took him in after his birth family was killed by monsters, and Lynx tells him she followed Drolene's call to Reo to pursue an adventure before having to take over the quiet farm she grew up on.

Meanwhile, Voy returns to the tavern after his meeting with the bishop. Once Kaseos and Lynx return, he informs the party of the mission to solve the infernal murders, and the rewards promised for doing so. They all agree to help investigate, and the party splits into three groups: Voy, Lynx, and Silence set out for the most recent murder scene, Nati and Cassandra form one group to patrol the city, and Kaseos and Detonia form a second.

On patrol, Detonia flies ahead on her own, and sneaks into the Temple of the Saints' library, where she researches extraplanar travel, and similar murders in history. Kas trails her and monitors her from a distance, sending Grey to scout the city for him. Meanwhile, Cassandra and Nati realize they have no information on the "queen of the hells" mentioned in the runes, and so head to the public library. They learn that control constantly shifts between the perpetually warring devils, meaning the "true" queen of the hells is subjective and could refer to nearly anyone who's held the throne before. On their way out, Cassandra spots a frozen forearm on a rooftop, and Grey finds another at around the same time.

Voy convinces the guard posted at the murder scene to let his group in to investigate. The three find evidence of a forced entry through the window. Using his keen sense of smell, Silence attempts to find a scent trail, but the potent magic used to clean up the blood and the populous city outside prevent him from making much headway. They make their way to the rooftop to continue their search, and find a frozen foot, which Silence confirms is from an unrelated murder.

Grey helps lead the groups to converge on the rooftop above the crime scene. Though Voy confirms that both the foot and Cassandra's forearm came from the same body, none of the group can make sense of the new murder; save for Detonia, who avoids suspicion amidst the confusion. The party exchanges theories and ideas about the infernal murders, but remain without leads on the killer's whereabouts or next move; Voy chides himself for involving himself and the party.

Resigned to having to catch the murderer in the act, Kaseos suggests the group fill time by heading to the local Oracle shrine while the temple is empty. Once there, he inserts Yowuli into the shrine, and to the party's surprise, the summoned oracle apparition simply recites an address before disappearing.

The party makes haste to the address given; Cassandra, by far the fastest, gets there first. She sneaks up to an open window, and sees a massive, bony monster wreathed in cherry red flames, painting a rune with the blood of its sleeping victim.

## Characters

### Main

* Cassandra Dunewatcher
* Detonia
* Kaseos
* Lynx
* Nati
* Silence
* Voy Graves

### Supporting

* Val
* Unnamed city guard
* Unnamed Kensei oracle
* Devil