2-5 “Leads”

My vision comes back, I'm back in my own head. That pain still lingers a little. We should let everyone in the watch feel that, they won't complain about the gorgets being uncomfortable ever again.

I get up and look down at Inspector Freeman. He is sitting as if in deep concentration, he's still holding that notebook and his gloved hand is drawing on the page with his pen incredibly swiftly. He is just finishing a sketch of the fellow being talked to in the bar. When it's done, the page flips and he begins drawing another face, one I didn't notice as I was memorizing the streets and shops being visited.

I turn to Kristoph to ask, “Why did I get out earlier than he did?”

“Time still passes while you are having the vision, though you experience much more quickly than you would reality. You probably speed up the process further. Inspector Freeman there has done this before, he takes it slow and uses that magical glove to let him sketch things without seeing the page. I'm guessing the glove is mentally controlled, he can't move his body of his own will during the trance normally, but perhaps the glove's enchantment doesn't share that detachment.”

Suddenly Freeman's face expresses deep pain, his drawing slows down. It looks like he's trying to sketch the killer in those fading moments. He only has a vague outline when he comes to.

“Damn it! If the victim could have held out a little longer, I might have had the bastard! Denwatch, you remember his path?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good,” He begins copying his sketches with remarkable speed. Then he calls the rest of the men back in to the mortuary, “I want you to look for these people in that area with me. Ask if anyone saw the victim or anyone following him around. If you find any of the people that I sketched, direct them to me for questioning. I'm going to spend my time looking for them directly and questioning people at the tavern, so if you find any of them send them there to meet me. We also need to identify him and find out if he has any local family to notify.”

He hands us the copied sketches, several people drawn with meticulous detail. Standard procedure; groups of two or more, fan out, question the nearby residents, regroup at the guard house when finished. I'm still paired with Ken. The inspector takes one of the men brought to carry the coffin. Two of the remaining three are chosen to help, the last is sent back to his guard post on standby.

Following his path I manage to learn from a stall owner the man's name, Victor Sagefield, and that he had acted as an intermediary for merchants and caravans. I make note to ask around at nearby trader's guilds to find more information about him, he might have been a member and been killed by a rival or competing guild. Other than that, the search is frustratingly useless. The last place I decide to go is the tavern. I'm not officially an investigator, but I might very well know how to get more information out of the owners and regulars than Freeman would. They can be... quirky...

2-4 “Eyes of the Dead”

The world comes back into focus, I'm walking down a street. Except, it isn't me. I see hear feel and smell everything. but I have no control over movement. It's a very strange sensation.

One of the first things I notice is this man must have been out of shape for how he looks. Walking around unarmored shouldn't feel this strenuous. The second is that he is walking around the eastern market square, towards The Hero's Tavern. It's as nice a place as any to get a bite to eat, a good drink, or, in my case, local information. The owner's are retired treasure hunters and self-proclaimed heroes. They were central to our plans to depose Iztram, before he was so fortuitously removed by our Liberators. The market is full of the sounds of people gossiping and the smell of produce and fresh baked goods. I don't have much to go with from what I see here. I guess I really should just stick to the big picture, time to memorize his path for the day, we can question stall owners and shopkeeps he talked to.

I find that I can speed up the 'memory' as well as slow it down or stop it, but I can't reverse it. I increase the pace, a knack for memorizing places will let me beat the same path once I'm out of here.

He stops near several of the bakers on his way toward the tavern, smelling the wonderful baked goods but not buying anything.

In the tavern he has lunch, has a few drinks, and stares at the elven bartender's chest for a bit longer than I think she'd appreciate. He strikes up a short conversation with the man next to him, it's about a new tailor in town.

He leaves the tavern, walks up Bullhorn Way. Stops briefly to look at his reflection in the window of Traveler's Boon General Store. That outfit is more gaudy than I've seen most nobles wearing. Bright greens and blues all over. Stick to the big picture. Street is empty, no one around for quite a ways.

He stops by Eamon's Millinery. Picks up a hat that complements his already absurd get up. I notice in the mirror someone watching through the window, face obscured by a hood. It's too hot out for such attire, that's as suspicious looking a fellow as I have ever seen. The watcher rapidly moves away when the man is done checking his new hat and beginning to pay.

He continues up the way, there's a small but notable crash down an alley to the left, he looks down the alley. This is the alley where we found him. There's something shining on the ground among the forgotten and rotting barrels and crates, he's about to walk down there like an idiot and see what it is isn't he...

Yes, there he goes, it's a silver eagle coin. “How'd this get here? Well, that covers lunch today!” There's another coin further down around the corner. You're really going to fall for this?! He is...

He goes deeper into the alleyways, picking up the next coin and peeking slowly around corners, as if he knows he really ought to not be doing this. Another small crash. Turn around you idiot. “Hm, probably should get back to the street, this place is getting creepy.” No re-!!!

TWIN ECLIPSES, that hurts! That must be the neck wound, an excellent argument towards wearing a gorget right here. I can't feel anything below his head anymore. Vision begins to fade just as he's being turned over. I can't make out the face hanging above him; blurry vision, a dark alley, and a hood. Darkness...

2-3 “Spiritual Severance”

“Is there something blocking the spell?” Frustration is clear on the investigator's face.

“No, there's nothing blocking the spell but the spirit is out of contact.”

“Can you tell why?”

“I'm afraid not, there are several reasons this could happen. From simply not wanting to talk to being the victim of a soul devourer. There are two that I would say are most likely though: He may have been slain by an enchanted weapon designed to sever spiritual connections, or his spirit may have been twisted into a vengeful wraith or specter due to the circumstances of his death. Have any such ghosts been reported in the area?”

Ghosts aren't our jurisdiction, though we generally get reports of them. Those get sent ahead to one of the nearby temples, the priests carry out any necessary exorcisms or exterminations. The thought of destroying a ghost always gives me a chill.

“No, it was probably the weapon. They are easy enough to come by, their legitimate use is for dealing with the undead. Unfortunately, they also make murder harder to trace, and prevent resurrection in high profile cases where the victim can afford such treatment. Did you bring the stuff you need to cast that viewing spell?”

“Yes, of course I can give you the 'Eyes of the Dead.' The rest of you should step outside for a moment if you don't want to be caught up in the spell too, it isn't an altogether pleasant experience.”

Kristoph pulls a very grim face with that. Kenneth and the four that carried the coffin turn and leave. I'm not about to be scared off by something like that.

“I'll help however I can.”

“As you wish, sit on the floor with Mr. Freeman. It makes the experience more bearable at the end.”

Kristoph starts taking various vials, and small pouches out from his sleeves. Investigator Freeman sits down at the foot of the stone slab resting his back on it. He pulls out a pair of embroidered silk gloves and puts them on. Then he takes a pen and notebook from a pouch at his belt.

“Okay, Nivar, I bet you haven't done this before. We're going to experience some of this poor fellow's last day, and see what we can gather from his point of view. Just try to focus and remember what you can of the places you see. I'll focus on the details. Oh, and be ready for this to hurt.”

“Pain is something I'm used to, Sir.”

I sit along the wall nearest the stone pedestal, not the most comfortable thing to do in armor. Kristoph makes an outline around the body with some sort of fine red powder. He begins a chant and the world starts to get hazy.

2-2 “Spooks”

We arrive at the Temple of the Hammer's mortuary. The rancid scent of the body immediately dissipates. Always happens when we come down here, there's probably a spell of some sort responsible for that. Torches line the walls, offering a good amount of light to see by, though the lack of windows is still apparent. Whenever we have an unidentified body, we take it here. They keep the body in some sort of stasis for a few days to let us find out who they are before burial, let loved ones know. We also take the time to see if a wizard can gather any information from the body or spirit, according to them, temples amplify magics relating to spirits.

'Spooks' shows up to prepare a slab for the body to rest on. The clergy of this temple leave the mortuary to him, only coming out here when funerary rites need to be performed.

The local gravedigger and manager of the bodies awaiting burial, Lawrence Tunneler, looks so much like a corpse himself that he's earned that nickname among the watch. Add to that the way he moves, stiff, jarring motions with the least joint bending possible. If anyone could be mistaken for the walking dead, it would be Spooks. Investigator Freeman, greets him.

“Hello, Lawrence, same song and dance as usual. Has the wizard shown up yet?”

“No, sir. Was just me an' the dead until you showed up.” Even his voice rasps in a way that you could easily imagine coming from someone not quite alive.

We open the coffin, and hoist the body onto a stone platform.

“No clothes? We'll have to fix that a'fore burial. You find 'im this way?”

“Yes, I thought it was odd that someone would take the time to undress a body after killing them. Hopefully it'll help us find the killer.”

“Well, I s'ppose I'll leave you to your business then. Give me a shout when you're done. Sooner they get frozen the better.”

Spooks totters off, leaving us alone with the body, for a while. We seem to have hired a loud one.

“Hello! Your master diviner had arrived!”

He bounces his way into the room, brightly colored robes contrasting sharply with the stone walls.

“So this is the errant body? Well then, let's find out what has befallen this poor fellow!”

“You can cut the act, Kristoph, there's no-one here for you to impress...” Freeman looks annoyed, and his tone engenders familiarity.

“Cut to the chase is it, my friend? Well then I shall, first I will try to speak with the departed spirit, if that fails I will see what I can gather from the body.”

Kristoph begins his arcane chant placing a crystal ball on the deceased's chest. A slight radiance issues forth from the sphere, followed by a vulgar sound and a sizable cloud of light gray smoke bursts forth. If that smoke usually had a smell, it's deadened in the mortuary. In just a few moments the smoke rises and leaves through one of the funnels in the ceiling. I'm fairly certain the spirit world just passed gas at us, master diviner indeed...

“Well, I see this is going to get complicated...” Kristoph looks both amused and disappointed at the same time.

2-1 “Found”

Investigator Freeman Holds a cloth over his face, I would too if this helmet wasn't in the way. How many days has this body been here.

“Looks like the missing person cases just got knocked up a few notches in priority.”

“Probably the only thing you don't want to find in a case like this.”

Investigator Freeman was put in charge of the reports of people going missing over the last week or so. At first they were randomly positioned, now they seem to be focused around a particular area of the city.

“No clothes, that's odd. Neck wound. Probably a knife. Rats have done a number on this one too. Stay here and keep an eye out, I'm going back to the guard house to get a few men to properly clean this up. Hopefully the killer wasn't high class enough to have something to prevent a divination spell.”

Divination spells, amazing how useful and useless they are all at once. Most criminals have enough of a brain to use something to prevent the simpler less powerful magics from spotting them. You need to have important objects to cast the more powerful ones, and even those can be circumvented. Some of the materials for the spells are fairly expensive, so we can't just resort to them for everything. There are a few wizards in the city that cooperate with us who focus specifically on such magic, perhaps they'll be able to solve this quickly, talk to the spirit of the departed or something like that.

“Yes, sir.”

The investigator heads off leaving Watchman Kenneth and me to look after the body. The rookie has been learning a lot more quickly since I was put in charge of training him. He still does some unusual things, but he isn't quite as embarrassing to work with as he was a few days ago when I first worked with him. I give a clear hand signal, and he turns to keep watch on the southern end of the alleyway. I keep an eye on the northern and western branches. Why are there so many alleys like this anyway? I bet if we had built all of the buildings closer together, the crime rate would be less than half of what it is now. Though I'm no engineer, perhaps there is some point to it.

After what must have been at least an hour, Investigator Freeman comes back with four men carrying a casket. We place the putrid corpse inside and close it. The four men lift the casket and we make our way toward the mortuary of The Temple of The Hammer. Investigator Freeman briefs us.

“We'll be met there by Kristoph Mitchelson. He'll attempt to allow us to speak with the spirit of the deceased. Let me ask the questions, the spell only allows for so much time. After that we inform the family of the deceased, and continue the investigation. If we get good enough info we might even be able to make an arrest right away.”

Kenneth and I nod. People get out of the way as we proceed down the streets. Some out of respect, some out of disgust at the stench.

Home-1 “Hazard Pay”

As part of the original town, our house is somewhat near the castle. Dad says he bought the place with money he made selling off one of his magical weapons from his mercenary days. He 'kept the good stuff' and is waiting for me to do something to earn it he says.

The smell of the garden in bloom greets me as I enter the yard, another nice thing about being in the area of the original town is that they didn't reapportion it at all. The city grew around it, but we still have plenty of space around our homes.

The garden is beautiful in the midday sun. I don't often get to see it until the sun is low in the sky. Near the door are the tulips, each one 'broken' as Melanie calls it, into two colors. Then roses outward from there. At the corner of the house are the sunflowers, truly massive flowers. I was worried that she had fallen for a con when she bought them, promised 'flowers taller than a man' by a trader from far to the southeast.

One thing I learned quickly about Melanie, is that she loves flowers and gardening. Much to my chagrin, I also quickly learned that she does not appreciate cut flowers, she loves them as a living thing. It would always amuse my father that while I was courting her I would leave the house, not with a bouquet of flowers, but with a handful of seeds.

The door creaks loudly as I enter. No matter what I do, nothing seems to fix that. This, of course alerts all of them to my presence, I'd better get ready.

“Dads back!'

“Papa!”

Both Samuel and Diane come running from their room. I gently place the pot of honey on the floor next to me and the bread on top of it. Just in time to catch both of them and hoist them up onto my shoulders. Oof, Sam is starting to get a little big for this.

“How are my kids doing? I bet you've been good enough to deserve some honey loaves with dinner today.”

“Well, I guess we'll leave the rest of that story for next time then!” Dad's gruff voice comes down the hall after them.

“Grampa was tellin' us a story 'bout a wizard that tried to turn a whole army into statues!”

Both of them love it when dad starts telling tales. Some of them are even true, usually the ones where he's talking about his mercenary days.

“That's a good one, I'd better not ruin the end for you.”

I put them back down and tousle the auburn hair they inherited from their mother. Picking up the bread and honey, I head toward the kitchen where I can already smell lunch being prepared.

Melanie stands near the large fireplace a pot of thick beef stew cooking over the fire. Every time I see her, it feels like the first time all over again. Long auburn hair draped along smooth shoulders. Her slender figure still curving perfectly all the way down, Dad still doesn't understand what I see in a woman lacking 'huge tracts of land.'

“Welcome back, Dear.”

“Sorry, I couldn't be back sooner.”

And when she turns to look at me, those eyes. Beautiful deep green eyes that I feel I could get lost in for hours on end if I let myself. Always calming and refreshing to see after even the hardest days. A knock at the door interrupts me this time, sadly.

I open the door to find Lord Hawkins. I salute and he returns it. What is he doing here?

“Hello, Watchman Nivar. I came by to give you this, you could call it 'hazard pay.' Despite how quickly we managed to take that thing down, it was quite dangerous. I'm off to give the rest of the men their shares, spend it wisely.”

With that, he hands me a large pouch full of coins, and heads back to a wagon with a chest on it with a few of his men and rides deeper into the town.

I place the bag on the kitchen table. Everyone gathers around after I say who was at the door. I empty the bag onto the table.

That's a lot of money, after stacking them in tens I find that it comes to two hundred Platinum Sovereigns. That's the kind of money that could buy decent magical arms and armor, or a house, depending on your priorities. I had heard of Lord Hawkins' bouts of generosity. But this...

Melanie asks, “Why did he give us so much money.”

“It was an interesting two days of work.”

'Interesting' is a code word I use when a routine workday becomes suddenly dangerous, but turns out alright in the end. It lets Dad know that there's more to the story for him to hear after I can get him alone. I don't want to worry my wife, and the kids wouldn't believe me if I said I got hurt. If it doesn't turn out all right in the end it's a 'debacle.'

I tell them how the last two days went, lightening the story. The stew is ready before the story is over. We eat lunch, I prepare for a peaceful day at home.

1-22 “Case Closed”

Stanton is dangling over a tree branch near the edge of the clearing. Did that gemtree mange to throw him over here? I spot his bow and a crumpled piece of iron a small ways away. I alert the rest of the group to his presence, as I go to pick them up. Looks like this used to be a helmet, and whatever crushed it also tore the chin strap.

Lady Isabella uses a spell to pick him off of the branch and gently lay him down on the ground. Lord Carlmon and Lady Celano examine him, he's still breathing. Large gashes on his forehead and cheek indicate he must have struck his head at some point, and his hardened leather jerkin is heavily scraped along his midsection. Both nobles channel healing magic, no scar is left behind. Stanton opens his eyes with a start.

“Look out for the thorns!”

He looks around a bit, rubs his head. “Where's my helmet? How long have I been out?”

“If you left yesterday, you've been out for a night. You'll need a new helmet, because this one is more of a plate now.”

I hold up the helmet that could still be used if your head was a sheet of paper.

“You managed not to land on your bow this time. Looks like it's learned how to get out of the way better than you have.”

I toss him his bow.

“Nivar, did they send you to look for me?”

“No, spent a while investigating. The Lords and Ladies showed up and let me know that leaving a piece of that thing in a tree was a bad move.”

“I dunno, looks like it made for a great fertilizer.”

“We came here, but had to rest for the night, we thought the thing would emit darkness like all of the other ones.”

“I had it covered, no need to hurry, huh?”

He looks around at the group, and must recognize them. He salutes as he slowly gets to his feet. He sees past the Lords and Ladies and looks somewhat confused.

“Why are all the trees knocked down?”

Lord Hawkins fills him in on the battle.

“Guess this standard issue stuff doesn't measure up to your armor at all.” Stanton looks down at his damaged jerkin. “For us it wasn't as big as when you got here. We took a look at it, I saw it start to move. It tossed Watchman Andrew into a tree nearby, I saw thorns forming above us. That's all I remember.” Sudden concern hits his face. “Did you find Watchmen Andrew or Gerald? They came here with me.”

“Guess we should go look for them.” Lord McGee is also skilled at tracking, and coordinates a search of the area for signs of the other two watchmen.

We find tracks of someone dragging something leading northward. Following them to the road, we find an activated light rod stuck into a tree. It's a watchman's signal, we're supposed to jam a light rod into the corner of a building if we go into an alleyway alone to follow someone suspicious. This lets other watchmen follow or report on the signal.

It's been here for hours, so it's almost gone out entirely. If he was heading to the city to get reinforcements, a watchman would have left this here to mark where to turn south off of the road. I remove it, we'll run into anyone sent looking for it on the way back to the city.

We find a large contingent of the castle's soldiery halfway back. They were deployed to deal with the threat. Lord Hawkins explains the situation to them, and we learn that both Watchmen Andrew and Gerald made it back alive. They weren't doing very well though. Andrew was unconscious and Gerald was stubbornly dragging him along even though his leg was broken. I'm sure that mobilization scared all of the bandits back into their holes for the day.

The lot of us make it back, The men and I take our leave of the Lords and Ladies and head back to the guard house to file our reports. I find myself glad that, if there aren't charges being placed, and no one gets killed, reports only need to be a list of items lost or spent. I unfortunately remember the bandits we had to kill yesterday, and end up writing out a full report.

I turn in the account of what happened over the last two days to Assistant Commander Staghorn, who gives me the rest of the day off for my effort and overtime. I thank him, and leave the guard house. Just as I'm leaving, I hear Stanton.

“Hold up, Nivar!” He runs out the door to catch up with me. “I'd like you to have this, as thanks for saving me out there, and finding me someone that could fix this old bow up good as new.”

He presses a long dagger in a finely made sheath into my hands. The pommel has a small emerald embedded in it.

“It's grade two enchanted, and further enchanted against plants. I'd been using it to clear paths for myself through brush. That bow is really important to me, so take it.”

“You don't...”

“I'm not taking it back!”

He runs back into the guard house with a wave before I can protest further. Something even grade one enchanted is very expensive. I draw the blade, finely honed and engraved with a vine pattern. I guess I'll replace my belt knife with this when I get home. It's such a nice gift, I should at least use it.

The trip home is peaceful, I pick up a fresh loaf of bread and some honey.

1-21 “Tree”

It was a very restful sleep, and an early awakening. We all finished breakfast before dawn. The sun must be just above the horizon now. The forest becomes quiet as we approach the place where I had encountered the amalgam. There wasn't a clearing here before.

A sky blue crystal tree at least fifty feet tall stands in the middle of a circle of uprooted and broken down trees. Its branches move regardless of the lack of wind. The area nearby the tree looks somewhat burned. As we approach the tree line, it bends its branches in one massive sweep, scratching the bark off of the trees at the border. It must still be growing if that was the first time it could reach these trees.

The Lords and Ladies start discussing what spells they should use before approaching, and who should stay back. They think those burns look like acid burns, one of them has a spell to protect against that.

Lord Hawkins calls me over, “You all have ranged weapons right?”

“Yes, sir, crossbows.”

“This thing can topple trees, I think it'd be best if you all stayed back and offered ranged support.”

“Yes, sir! You heard the lord, crossbows at the ready.”

I guess now it's time to find out if keeping my bolts in my bag instead of the belt box is a good idea. I reach in to pull out my crossbow and a bolt. It's already drawn and loaded when I withdraw my hand from the magical bag. That's... How does it do that?

Lords Hawkins, Hawklight, and Gimaim, as well as Ladies Maple and Hefthammer all advance toward the tree over the fallen trunks of trees uprooted by the corrupted one. Zilo flips up his hood, and his silhouette begins to fade as his cloak blends with the surrounding foliage, I quickly lose track of him. It's a good thing we can aim high to avoid friendly fire, though he probably knows how to avoid the line of fire if he does this frequently. Sephram stays between Lady Averdine and the tree, holding a defensive posture. Lord Mcgee starts firing arrows from an exquisite looking bow with remarkable speed.

The rest begin to cast spells. Lightning and fire burst forth, streaking toward the tree. Much of it dissipates as it contacts a hitherto unseen field around its trunk and branches. Lady Averdine finishes an incantation that leaves me feeling lighter, and it has obviously affected everyone else as we all begin moving faster.

Lord Alejandro turns out to be a spell-caster as well, I never would have guessed from the full suit of plate armor that he wears. I have heard armor interfered with one's ability to channel magical energy. The globe of fire he throws begs to differ, penetrating whatever protection surrounds the gemtree and leaving large cracks and scorch marks around the point of impact.

The tree makes reply by swinging massive branches down hammering on those that advanced with massive limbs. Those that are hit by these smashing attacks immediately receive healing magic from either Lord Carlmon or Lady Celano. A vine twists around and blasts a large gout of a greenish liquid that mostly dissipates where it contacts one of us but leaves distinct burns in the ground or trees that it contacts with. Lord Alejandro receives a volley of arrow sized splinters from the higher branches of the tree. All of them bounce off of what must be at least grade four armor. Crystalline roots also burst forth from the ground at Alejandro's feet, and are just as ineffective at penetrating his defenses.

The watchmen and I might as well not even be there, each volley of bolts we fire bounce off of the trunk. This thing has less gaps in its crystalline hide, and the gaps keep moving.

The advancing warriors make it to the trunk and begin smashing through the tree. Sword axe and hammer leaving cracks and notches with each swing. Lady Maple's punches are doing just as much as Lady Hefthammer's massive maul. Zilo's form fades back into view near the gemtree, he looks up it perhaps thinking of climbing it. He reconsiders and proceeds to stab at it with a pair of short swords.

More blasts of fire and bolts of lightning are launched. The gemtree seems to feel the warriors are a greater threat though as the root spears and branches are all focusing on them. Leaving only the occasional hail of thorns to threaten us, mostly aimed at Alejandro, whose spells seem to be doing the most damage. Only one even manages to break through the magical armor. It is quickly removed and the wound healed.

One of my bolts actually manages to hit a soft spot and stick, I wonder if that did any good.

Cracks begin to spread along the trunk of the gemtree. The constant hammering of spells and blades leaving the area near the ground looking much like the patch of cobblestone road in the city where a worker managed to spill a wheelbarrow of bricks from the second floor of a building he was working on.

Lady Averdine fires a quintet of small radiant bolts of energy at the gemtree. That was the last straw, the whole thing shatters and disintegrates. While everyone else starts congratulating each other on a good fight, I look for signs of Stanton.

I think I see him.