Tests and Trials

[spiderwrangler]

"Yup, Kroshav Xjindraakvar."

[Rodgeir]

The doctor type woman tosses Ves the herb bag and says,

"I think there is some fan leaf in there but don't know what else."

Opening the bag and pouring a bit out into her hand Ves does indeed spot fan leaf along with blackbane, hacksthrottle and what most likely are grimwort berries. All of which are things you don't want going in your cooking pot if you plan on ever eating again.

((No +2 for cooking utensils, but 18 got you where you needed to get. Med check for uses, if any, maybe history as well.))

[thinkslogically]

"Yeah, that's a bag of poisons. Keep those away from your kitchen and don't let anyone eat them. Cos... well, you know."

She inclines her head at the dead guy and tosses the bag back.

Medicine; History: 1D20+3 = [11]+3 = 14
1D20 = [17] = 17

[Dlover]

At the dwarf's indication, Lurn breaks the seal on the letter and opens it to read.

[Rodgeir]

Ves knows that:

► Show Spoiler

Fan leaf is used in tiny amounts to help with coughing, larger amounts cause paralysis and eventually cause the heart to stop. It is bitter and has largely fallen out of use.
Blackbane is used to reduce pain in small amounts but too much will often result in the person going into a permanent coma. It is still commonly used but normally diluted in an alcohol mixture.
Hacksthrottle is used to reduce swelling - topically. If ingested? It is sold in premixed in salves.
Grimwort berries - used to reduce pain in very small amounts, again topically. If ingested it...does something bad? It has also fallen out use because cultivation is dangerous. The berries are very sweet and Ves remembers a story of a whole caravan getting wiped out when they came across a bush.

All in all it seems like a bag full of overdoses of everything rather than anything an assassin would use. Far as she can remember none of them work quickly, at least an hour maybe half hour before the effects should start kicking in. Probably? Hard to say with all of them mixed together.

((Ves knows her knowledge of the medical uses is incomplete but she knows the basics and some of the highlights.))
---
Lurn reads the letter out loud after he breaks the seal,

"The terms you offered are acceptable. My runner will provide this letter along with an agreed upon symbol to the Duchy Banking guild in Bridgeway to transfer the agreed upon amount of 10,000 gold to your accounts. Once this is done I expect you will deliver the formerly identified silks within a month as agreed. Upon delivery the remaining amount of 10,000 gold will be paid.

With kind regards to your family,

Mer Honal'Tinmal"

There is an intricate wax stamp on the bottom of the letter.

((Is Jaq still downstairs?))

[Dlover]

"Hrm, still begs the question of why he was poisoned. For money like that, I suppose it was a business competitor?"

[thinkslogically]

"Or he's an idiot who was in pain and didn't know what he was taking for it. That stuff isnt used much any more, but a lot of it is stuff a healer'd use. ... For regular healing I mean, not this gods-divined stuff you two can do. Hells, half of this I've used myself at one time or another."

[Arch Lich Burns]

"That seems ta be a bit too much money fer silks. I could guess all day what they maybeh tradin', but it dinnae seem correct, way too good ta be trueful."

[NotStickFigures]

Yep. Jaq is still downstairs

[Rodgeir]

The doctorish woman chews on her hair again and considers the pouch in Ves' hand.

"Not sure where he'd get all those and why he'd mix'm? We got some fan leaf growing round town but that other stuff? I did pick some fan leaf from his teeth but that don't help us more than that he ate it. Doesn't tell us if he wanted to do it or was made to."

Enrud looks at the man's damaged shoulder and asks Nezza, "Ye know if he went round asking for somethin' fer that?" He gestures at the shoulder. Nezza gives a shake of her head in response. Enrud sighs.

"Well less someone's got something more aye'm not sure there's much else we can do here."

((For the sake of time)) Joe's wraps up her detect magic spell. It picks up (other than what her party is wearing) a weak glow of transmutation magic from the dagger Lurn pulled from the dead man's bag, Enrud's boots have a stronger glow of transmutation and Nezza has something under her shirt that is glowing rather strongly with divination magic..

---
Jolly sits quiet across from Jaq. He casually looks at Enrud's abandoned mug a few times while finishing his breakfast.

[spiderwrangler]

"Miss Nizza, you said he had a horse too?"

[Arch Lich Burns]

"Tha dagger has transm'tat'n magic on it." Joe takes a closer look at the dagger trying to figure out it's properties by the details on it, gemstonesor anything else that stands out. Arcana: 1D20+4 = [14]+4 = 18

[Rodgeir]

Nezza nods,

"You can go ask Mena which horse was his, I am not sure which."

Joe examines the dagger and finds that it looks exceedingly plain, and not particularly well made. It has no gemstones or other markings on it. Nothing about it would indicate it is magical other than the soft glow from the identify magic spell telling Joe it is.

[thinkslogically]

"20000 gold... That's got to be elves, doesn't it? Can't imagine anyone else round these parts who'd have that much..."

[Rodgeir]

((It would be common knowledge that the Mer title used is typically reserved for elves.))

[spiderwrangler]

"I'll go have a look at his horse."

Kroshav heads downstairs, spotting Mar'lin, invites him to join in heading to the stables. If he spots the girl too, he'll ask which horse belongs to the guy.

Once they are out of earshot of others, he'll brief Mar'lin on what has been found.

"So the dead guy got beat up or fell a while back, there were some special herbs that he was taking, but they might have killed him, but he was carrying a letter about silks and a whole bunch of gold from some sort of Mer'Horny Something."

[Rodgeir]

Mena is cleaning up the common area and sighs when asked but shows Kroshav and Jaq to the horse before returning inside. Jolly tags along.

((What are you looking for with the horse? Probably investigation no matter what...

Also an intelligence check with disadvantage from Jaq on the name...))

[spiderwrangler]

((Kroshav probably just thinks it should be checked on... I'm wondering if there are clues to be had from his saddle or any other packs, whether it's too high a quality horse for his apparent position, etc.))

Investigation: Horsie: 1D20-2 = [1]-2 = -1


((Welp...Good thing Kroshav wasn't heading out there alone?))

[Rodgeir]

Kroshav spends a long couple of minutes examining the horse, oddest he has ever seen. Jolly clears his throat uncomfortably and says,

"That's the cow Kroshav. Horse is here."

Kroshav then examines a saddle that turns out, unbeknownst to him, to be Jolly's. He walks away from the investigation with less understanding of the situation than when he started.

[spiderwrangler]

"Uh, yup. Knew that. Was just making sure there weren't any clues over here..."

[Arch Lich Burns]

(Is the dagger a similar glow as to jaq's bow?)
Joe studies the horse, what it has on it alongside the surroundings, looking for any sort of clue. Maybe some blood or a footprint.

Investigation: 1D20+4 = [17]+4 = 21

[Arch Lich Burns]

(Is the dagger a similar glow as to jaq's bow?)

[thinkslogically]

Ves is pretty keen to not be in the dead person's room (it all seems like bad luck to her) and will happily head back downstairs once she's looked over the herbs (which she tossed back to the doctor-type woman). She'll go and sit in the dining room and try to meditate a bit (at a dining table) like the rogue taught her to do, letting the noise of the surroundings wash over her and away.

[Dlover]

"The note said the messenger would have the agreed symbol, right? This dagger could be it. Hard to create a false copy of a magical item, after all... But unfortunately, I cannot determine anything for certain... How will the corpse be dealt with?"

[NotStickFigures]

Investigation Horse stuff: 1D20+1 = [10]+1 = 11

Intelligence: 2D20.LOW(1)+1 = [12, 11]+1 = 12


He will gladly go out to look at the horse and listens intently to what is said about the investigation. He asks, "Does it look like they are making us the prime suspects because we arrived so helpfully at the time he died?"
Jaq looks at him a little funny when he butchers the elven name. He then takes a long look at the dead man's horse.