Ryn glanced at Talla and the corners of his lips tugged slightly. He wasn't aware she had much of an opinion of him to begin with, but maybe he was wrong. Or maybe she was just being polite. Who could say. He gave her a slight bow of his head in acknowledgement of her words. "I am happy to keep up standards."

He, too, eyed Torgan as the half-orc guide tagged along. It was a little weird but they would find out soon enough if this was a scam or trap or something else untoward. Luckily the non-carnival number of people was large enough to likely dissuade any thoughts of violence or banditry - though stealing people's money with fake tricks seemed more the carnival's style thus far rather than outright robbery.

"At the least it doesn't hurt to hear someone out."

Amara gave a little shrug, she had noticed she seemed fairly well armed and armored compared to the towns folk but didn't give it much thought. Honestly travelers who didn't wear a bit of armor and arms confused her, outside of the spellcraft folk. At the least a dagger.

Moggrim's quietness was less from being stoic or awed and more from focusing on all his other senses.  Bright light was more than a simple irritation for him so he often relied on other ways to deal with things during the daytime when above-ground.  After leaning on his spear that he used like a walking staff when not using it for its more martial purpose he nodded his head speaking more to himself that the quicker moving others, "Might as well.  Hopefully it pays better than what I'm left with after guarding the caravan here..."

Phardaen leads the group to the largest and most expensive tent set up to the largest and most expensive looking wagon in the entire camp. He nervously opens the flap and gestures for everyone to move inside.

Inside is a rather spartan affair, all things considered. A large table and chairs around it but it's clear that Madame Delisen doesn't sleep here.

The Madame of the carnival is sitting in a cushy chair that could have been a throne were it in a proper room and not in a tent in the middle of nowhere.

"Come in, please be seated. You too Torgan, I think your background might be useful here. I am faced with a delicate situation that requires both competence as well as an air of neutrality. My workers noticed that you have the trappings of seasoned mercenaries and that would be suitable for me. I'm willing to offer you one hundred gold pieces...each...if you can help me resolve a bit of trouble I'm facing.

You see...there has been a murder. Inside the Sphinx tent one of the local rubes was found clawed to death. Now, before you jump to any conclusions I can guarantee the death was not caused by our sphinx Jherizhana. She is a powerful magical beast and were she inclined to kill some local he would have been blasted by magic so powerful there would have been left nothing but ash.

As this hole of a town doesn't even have a constable I am worried that the locals will try to enact some form of mob justice on either the sphinx or another of my workers in retaliation. The former would result in killing off part of the town and the latter would result in the deaths of my people and neither outcome is acceptable. I plant to reach out to the mayor to say that we've hired on independent investigators to uncover the truth. Assuming you can convince him that you are experienced investigators I trust that you can get to the bottom of this and help save my circus. We still have another week scheduled here and the last thing we need is to have to pull out early and leave all the incoming travelers stranded...here."

Her lip curls up in disgust at the thought.

"So, a hundred gold in your pockets if you can help me find the murderer. How about it?"

"Do you know the name and occupation of the man?" Verna asks seeking a place to start the investigation. Her tendency to want to do the right thing made her not even think much about the gold.

Torgan nodded enthusiastically in agreement with Verna's line of questioning.  "Yeah.  That's a good place to start, with the dead guy.  If he didn't just mouth off to the wrong monster, then someone else had to have a reason to kill him."

Torgan's genuine interest was a noticeable departure from the blithe cheerfulness he'd been attempting to project earlier.  Ignoring the invitation to sit, the bard simply leaned up against the offered chair while Delisen explained the situation.  Tapping his fingers restlessly against the back of the chair he thought the situation over.

No bed in here, huh?  That's weird.  I don't remember the boss having a second wagon or anything.  Where does she sleep?  Is she the sphinx?  I mean, Jherizhana never comes out of her own wagon when she's not doing shows, Delisen's wagon isn't lived in.  Can sphinxes do that sort of thing?  Everyone keeps talking about how magical they are, they gotta be able to impersonate humans, right?  Am I working for a sphinx?

"...Can I see the sphinx?" he asked.  "We should get her side of the story, or at least hear her say she didn't maul the guy."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:39, Tue 17 July 2018.

"They can talk?" Verna asked incredulously without thinking.

Talla listens, then comments. "This seems like a delicate situation. I'm all for a good fight, but I really don't want to anger an entire town of people. I doubt the mob would be able to kill us, but I don't want to be responsible for killing them unnecessarily." She glances at the group she had traveled with. "Even so, the sooner this murder is solved, the less chance that the town will get wind of it and overreact." A little quieter. "And I wouldn't mind meeting the Sphinx as well."

Almara gave a sigh and a nod.

"The sphinx is...agitated to say the least. She does not like her routine to be disrupted and is in quite a ferocious mood."

She paused and gave a sigh.

"Not a murderous mood but keeping her captive is trying at the best of times. I will see what I can arrange but it will probably be at least a day before we can arrange a meeting. As for the dead man, he's not one of mine so I wouldn't know him. Looks like he came from the village. I've notified the town mayor to come by, he should be able to tell you more about the man.

Does this mean you'll accept my offer? You'll work to try and clear the carnival's name?"

"Yes, I'll accept the offer. Besides, the carnival was beginning to disappoint me." Karella said bluntly. "This is a mystery that we best solve as quickly as possible."

"We should check the area where the man was found dead. We'll have to see if there are any clues or tracks."


OOC: Scooby-do!

Torgan raised a skeptical eye at the sphinx being unavailable.  Sure it was.  More likely it was just too busy running the circus to change forms.

He shrugged nonchalantly.  "Yeah, I'll catch your killer.  Two conditions, though:  First, we get paid even if the murderer turns out to be one of your people."  He paused, leaning over the chair and looking the circus master dead in the eye. "Second, you tell us whatever it is you're holding back."

It was a fishing attempt, and not an overly subtle one.  But sometimes obvious ploys were just as effective.  People let all kinds of things slip with a little provocation.  Especially when you knew what to look for.

OC: Torgan is using sense motive to see if he can get a read on Almara.  Due to the nature of sense motive, it's probably done best with a secret roll on your end.

Amara seemed to be watching the woman carefully, tilting her head as she considered her carefully. The offer was tempting, oh so very tempting. But damn if the woman didn't have a tick or two. Still a hundred gold was tempting but the shady aspect was putting her off something fierce. Accepting the wrong kind of job is what ended with people in the gutter.

"I'll pass. I don't appreciate being lied to. Jobs that start with blatant lies are the kind that are setting you up to take the fall."

Rynwyrd followed along with the others as they were lead to a large tent. He raised an eyebrow at the woman inside, but listened to what she had to say. He kept his piece as some of the others spoke up and the women replied some more. He took it all in and then glanced sideways at Amara when she called the woman out. His lips quirked slightly in a small smile at brazenness.

It was an interesting offer, but he agreed she was lying about some things. The capabilities of a sphinx, for starters. "Well, I DO agree that the sphinx did not kill the person, as it would have other means to do so - not the 'magical blasting' mentioned," He even made air quotes when said 'magical blasting', "but they would use magical means to drive someone off, and would not leave a body lying there as they are very smart generally."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. I am intrigued and bored, so I suppose I will accept your offer, but I agree that you need to stop lying and being evasive. It's unbecoming of an intelligent creature trying to strike a bargain in good faith." If she WASN'T the sphinx, and the sphinx was indeed being held captive, he thought he might have to remedy that situation before taking his leave from the carnival for good.

Almara rolled her eyes and gave out a sigh.

"Fine. You're right, I shouldn't be lying to you. You're not a pack of rubes that need to be shucked of their coins."

She paused and a smile spread across her lips.

"I suppose this is a good testament to your investigative abilities. I will share the secret of the sphinx but you must promise that you will not reveal it to the town. If word gets out it could seriously damage our ability to attract visitors.

The sphinx is not a captive. In fact anyone with half a brain should be able to figure that out. She has agreed to join our carnival for her own purposes. I think she enjoys being pampered and traveling in style but truthfully her reasons are her own. Because she is a valued guest that is why I do not wish to disturb her about this unless absolutely necessary. As I said before, she is not welcome to visitors at this time but tomorrow I should be able to arrange for an introduction where you can politely ask it your questions."

She shifted to address Torgan.

"I seriously doubt one of my workers would lay the body at the sphinx's cage but yes, if the culprit turns out to be one of the carnival then you shall still receive your reward. And those responsible will be thrown over to whatever justice can be found in Ravenmoor. I have no interest in harboring murderers. Bad for business, you understand."

Verna had no idea what a sphinx was but it sounded like a reasonable being to her. She trusted her companions to know more about them. Verna was really worried about the justice system in these parts. It didn't seem likely they had a jail for murderers or want to care for murderers even if they had a jail. The likely outcome of this investigation if the perpetrator is found, than he'd either have to come with the group or be executed for his crimes here. She kept her thoughts to herself for now though.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:55, Tue 17 July 2018.

Amara still had a slight frown on her lips as she considered whether or not she really wanted to get involved in this. On one hand, it was a good amount of gold. On another, something about this thing rubbed her wrong. Finally she gave a little shrug, it at least seemed interesting. Finally she moved slightly closer to the woman so she could catch her, raising an arm to brush her hair back.

"A quarter up front and a spot to sleep that's safe where we can set up bedrolls"


Amara lowered her arm, debating tying her hair back but deciding it would be fine.

"That way we can devote all our attention to figuring this out without worrying about townsfolk taking offense, yea?"

Torgan rolled his eyes at the circus master's 'admission'.  That was it?  Of course the sphinx wasn't really a prisoner!  He already knew that!  Oh well.  It hadn't hurt to prod, and apparently that had been enough to bring Amara around to signing up.  The sphinx could keep her secrets, for now.

He shrugged.  "Hey, if you want to keep pretending to be slavers, I won't stop you.  One day some gullible Cayden worshiper's gonna stick a knife in your throat over it. But until then, you do you."  The circus had gone from "us" to "you" pretty quickly.  Torg had been pretty on the fence about joining up full time, and actually talking to the boss had been enough to put him firmly in the "no" column.  Besides, a hundred GPs was plenty for a bard to live on between gigs.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:56, Wed 18 July 2018.

Moggrim's hand went up to the smoked goggles that he had on and for a short moment he could be seen squinting as he pulled them down a fraction as if to see her with his eyes without the issue of the protective glass.  Just as quickly though the moment passed at the goggles were back fully covering his eyes yet one bushy eyebrow rose slightly and stayed there as he spoke quietly as before, "Everyone has their secrets to keep.  I see no issue as long as relevant secrets, like that one, that help us solve this murder are shared when needed."

Ryn tapped his chin thoughtfully. "So the Sphinx is not a witness to the murder...and was not the one who found the body? Or was she? First-hand accounts are almost universally better than second- or third-hand ones." He shrugged. "But if you say she is unavailable for questioning, then she is unavailable." He shook his head.

"If someone else found the body, may we speak with them? Also, has the area where the body was found touched, changed, or trampled since the body was found? I ask because there might have been clues to find as to the killer's identity. Like was there blood there or is it for certain the body was moved and dumped there after death?"

He gestured to his current allies. "And was there any information about who the deceased was so we can look in to who might want to kill them?"

Almara raised an eyebrow at Amara's request.

"Forgive me if I appear reluctant to just hand away gold to travelers. If you start producing results I would be more willing to front you some amount ahead of time. I will give you a safe and secure place to rest while you're working on this though. We several wagons used to carry supplies that are sitting empty. A pair of them will fit you all and keep you safe from the bugs and vermin infesting this godforsaken swamp.

How does that sound for an opener. Check back tomorrow and we can see if you've earned a bit of coin yet."

She doesn't respond to Torgan and Moggrim but to Rynwyrd she gives a nod.

"Jherizhana was in her wagon when the body was found. In fact it was found by Venlok, my head of security. He was doing a sweep of the tent to make sure everything was ready for the sphinx to teleport to her cage and found the body. He is still there keeping the crime scene preserved for you and the mayor. Before you ask, no he was not alone. He had a couple of guards with him and while one of them left to alert me, Venlok and the other guard have been there the whole time. Also no, I have complete trust in Venlok. If he wanted to kill someone they would just disappear.

As for the deceased, like I said you will have to ask the mayor. If you hurry now you can get there before the mayor arrives and talk to Venlok privately. I had my slowest runner go out to alert the mayor so you have a bit of time if you leave now."

She pointed towards the entrance.

"Torgan knows the way to the cage."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Thu 19 July 2018.

Torgan didn't make any move towards the door.  Instead, he pulled the chair he had been leaning on away from the table and sat down.  Scooting the chair back up to the table, he looked the carnival mistress in the eyes.  "I'm sorry, there seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding," he began mildly.  "I didn't know we were talking about you giving away money to random travellers.  I was somehow under the impression that you were offering us a job.  And jobs pay.  Especially when that job involves tracking down a killer.  Or saving your business from getting run out of town with pitchforks and torches."

"Traditionally, the deal is half up front, half when the job is done.  But I think we're all fine with twenty-five if it saves us some haggling.  After all, time is a factor in this sort of thing.  So, please, get us our money so we can get to work.  OR we can go check out the zoo and you can keep looking for some rubes who are willing to risk their lives for free.  If this is the kind of job you want rubes doing, that is."   

18:26, Today: Torgan Dul rolled 28 using 1d20+11 with rolls of 17.  Diplomacy (haggling).
This message was last edited by the player at 16:13, Thu 19 July 2018.

The faintest bit of a smile crosses Almara's face as she reaches into her robes and pulls out a pouch that clinks with gold.

"One hundred and fifty gold coins. I had not expected one of my own to decide to switch sides but if this is the kind of work you would rather do for me then so be it, Torgan. One hundred and fifty now that you can split up however you choose for those of you who decide to help out the carnival. Anyone who helps deliver the murderer to justice can claim their remaining..."

She pauses as she does some quick mental math.

"...eighty gold pieces each."

With a flourish she tosses the pouch to Torgan for distribution, having him do her work one last time.

"No switching sides here, boss."  Torgan replied easily, catching the purse and standing up.  "Just switching jobs."

He casually tossed the purse over to Amara as he headed for the door, hoping to avoid the responsibility that came with it.  Math was not his strong suit, and he didn't much like the idea of everyone watching as he tried to split 150 gold seven ways.

"Alright, lets get going!  The cage is right this way."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:03, Fri 20 July 2018.

Amara grabbed the pouch and began counting out the coins, and handed a bundle to each of the others working with her as she mentally counted in her head, finally putting three coins in her belt pouch and stashing the leftover gold in her gear, albeit where exactly was hard to tell.

"21 Gold each, and 3 leftover. We can worry about who gets that later, or use it for bribes if necessary. Good job Torgan, that's more then acceptable."

Seems like Amara had a murder mystery to solve.

Rynwyrd shook his head slightly about the teleportation, but did listen carefully to everything lese. He wasn't normally one to care too much about negotiation - so long as he paid what he thought he was worth, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, he didn't complain too much. Getting a little bit upfront was nice, especially with how shifty the carnival madame seemed to be. He gave Amara a cautious nod but kept a discreet eye on her.

He followed Torgan out towards there destination.