>>1751870
>Where the crud are you, pesk of a man?

Obviously vanished to force the guy to walk the rest of the way, but let's push some frustrations onto him anyway.

>>1753333
" 'ardon me, ser. Today's winds has been rough to them black 'unglings. They will surely die on the road. "

The winds were indeed rough this morn, if only said whisked away this stench. You didn't expect to find a trace of compassion in these old, rotten bones. What a surprise.

These two crow chicks were gasping, flinging their frail, undeveloped wings while their eyes were pinned to their nest in the skies above. The thick mud was almost swallowing them awhole.

The coachman was about to grab the crows akin to a caring mother.

>Get back here you swine! I can not fathom a second more of delay. Leave these winged vermins on the ground where they belong.
> Your priorities are of mine and mine only. You are in luck, I tolerate indiscipline once [Step outside, crush the crows beneath your feet]
>Pathetic creature [Step outside, take off your right glove, burn the crows to ashes.]
>Do as you will and so will i, expect this to be your last ride after my report.
>[ have a tad of patience ,wait in silence]
>write in

>>1753365
>[ have a tad of patience ,wait in silence]

>>1753648
anon, you there?

>>1753365
>[ have a tad of patience ,wait in silence]
Another stop like this will be his last.

>>1753648
You waited in silence as the old man mixed his bare hands with the mud, clutching the chicks from their muddy tomb, the nest was within his reach. A tall man, he was. Sprawling trees surrounded you from all sides sheltering a vile swamp filled with death and disease no doubt. The croaks, the gurgles and the hisses...all audible as you waited and waited.

A glare of frustration and impatience escaped your silent eyes. The Coachman bowed to you after the deed was done mumbling an apology in haste that you cared little about. He did his best to clean his hands afterwards.

The road continued, The sun, hiding in the horizon. It shouldn't be too long till you reach your destination.

"These 'ungling will surely grow well and fast! A 'ine corpse fishers they'll be! All thanks to you ser!" the old bugger was cheerful, words escaped his mouth like a smooth tunes....to deaf ears that is!

>[remain silent]
>Do not bother me with your folk's rabble and tales! i will have to deal with them aplenty in the following days.
>I have heard about your town's unique 'profession', fishing up decade old corpses from a glorified tar pit? let us hope it wont tangle with my work
>Quite Charming indeed, glad to be a savoir the avian of death and disease, perhaps its wings shall shelter me from death someday?
>who gave you the permission to speak? heavens above, you vagabonds have no lick of respect.
>write in

>>1753741
>>1753743
hey anon, are you staying around? i will stay up for an hour or so

>>1753743
>I have heard about your town's unique 'profession', fishing up decade old corpses from a glorified tar pit? let us hope it wont tangle with my work

>>1753745
Shit, sorry for disappearing OP. Was having lunch. Hope you'll be back tomorrow, I'm liking the quest.

>I have heard about your town's unique 'profession', fishing up decade old corpses from a glorified tar pit? let us hope it wont tangle with my work

>>1753795
"Aye, Thank'em natives for that; without 'em or the crows in these parts, we 'ouldnt have been here." The man paused for a second, wiping his face without an ounce of politeness. " Ug-slava .... They call her. Ye can call her the rotten womb ser if ye so please."

The laws of this contient were indeed strange. Any corpse under soft soil will eventually sink in the ground after a couple of hours. The Ministry of arcane was most concerned with this troubling phenomenon. These corpses would eventually appear in these 'rotten wombs'. Some are bloated like a stuffed swine, others well preserved in a strange cocoon of mud. This land; oh so for ripe for our glorious nation. A true mystery for us all.

"The natives be kind folks, ser. None 'ere would befit from anything ill 'pon 'em."

"Tell that to our founding fathers, slaughtered them by the thousands like livestock." your smirk didn't come well with the coachman. He twisted his crackled lips in silence.

The old road was calm, a bit rough in some areas, no more.

Here it was, the looming town of Utobra, housing over five thousand soul excluding the natives who marginally lived in savage tent away from the warmth of the town.

The night settled relatively fast, a few lamp posts lighted the way for your carriage. It stopped at a mediocre household near the edge of the town, enthralled by old dead thorns. Two floors, not bad. You hoped it wouldn't crumble upon you in your sleep. The lack of any proper wall around the town troubled you. The wilds around held far more danger than those pesky natives.


Regardless of your whereabouts, the ill-fated stench kept haunting your senses. You frowned in disgust while exiting the carriage.

Four individuals awaited you outside. A guard with a musket of no intrest to you, A hideous creature under the guise of a man, he was going straight ahead for your luggage with its strong burly arms and its deformed and twisted back. It was a wonder his spine was still functioning. He did well hiding its face from you. Good dog.

Alas two remained, A man with an exquisite red beard; long and robust....a remnant of a youth spent. His garments are no different than any commoner. Perhaps his true suit was modesty. He was leaning on a cane with strange markings. Never had you saw something like that. The Mykre of the town no doubt. These rulers used to be of noble lines in the earliest days. Now with the rapid expansion, anyone deemed worthy can become a Myrke.

The Pale quivered inside your soul, clutching your heart as if it is warding it from danger.

Finally, a woman of kin....a daughter perhaps with blazing red hair coiled around her head in a pleasant fashion. A smile would occasionally slip by her petite mouth. She smelled like wonders. her choice of clothes was modest, leaves a good room for imagination.


1/2

"Ah, ser Anil Basdrov. Welcome to our humble town, we are truly graced by your visit. The town would teem with cheerful men and women had it been the morn. I am I am Mykre Tosvoni Yosglay and this fair lady is my daughter Pamont Tosvoni "

>Hardly doubt it. We are bearers of death and years of imprisonment to most of the rabble around....well, everywhere really.
>a road of roses and lilacs i would prefer then commoners, is there no end of this stench?
>Pleasure is all mine, Ser [bow]
>A tad late for formalities, is this sty my home of operations?
>[ignore the Mykre, gently kiss the delicate hand of his kin]
>write in

>>1753802
>>1753795
well i am still up for maybe half an hour or so

>>1753819
>A tad late for formalities, is this sty my home of operations?
Let's get to the point.

any one around?

if so i will continue shortly

>>1755232
I'll be around on and off for the next few hours.

>>1755642
hello anon

we will continue now

a small request, if you are gone for today for one reason or another, please say so. this also applies to other anons.thank you

>>1753819

Slight twist on
>A tad late for formalities, is this sty my home of operations?

Rather:

>A tad late for formalities, is this my home of operations?

Let's not piss off the local power broker juuust yet.

>>1753919
>>1755642
>>1753919
"...yes. If you looked closely, you will see the markings of the great Man of stone, Dandiral Ustrekle. " The Mykre's expression remained the same; jolly and optimistic unlike his daughter. She could learn a thing or two from her father.

"Matters of accommodation, Mykre. That is my concern." You didn't want to prolong this idle and useless chat.

Your younger brother Teztrude would probably lick every inch of this household; The man of stone the Mykre has mentioned was an architect from the mainland who saw great potential in this untouched continent . Authorized by the ministry of housing and development, he erected various structures across new settlements that grew to cities, towns...etc, etching a hammer in front of a blazing sun in every structure of his.


This man was also fond of secrets in his structures. You doubt you would find anything of use in this old household but you might never know.

"Sleep well good officer, My Son Tevinii will give you a full report about our recent conundrum the first thing in the morning. fair night to you ,ser."

The Mykre silently departed with his guard leaving his daughter to guide you to the household.

The deformed abomination of a man had just finished unpacking your luggage, he scurried away with his eyes glued to the ground.

The household's interior was rather spacious, nothing too fancy or luxurious but it ought to do. It was recently cleaned too, not too many visitors of import you presumed. The girl did her best to show you around.

A soft voice escaped her soft lips "Your bedroom is upstairs, ser. Borgol the house guard and Old Sasana the housemaid are at your service. Any of them will heed your call. As per our traditions, I will stay in a separate room downstairs, If you have more important matters to discuss, you know where to find me."

An old woman had just finished cleaning your room, her face was fairly close to a dried fruit left under the scathe of the sun. Her outfit looked really old and dirty.

>Get this old hag out of this house, bring me a fresh one.
>I see no Borgol around.
>awfully empty my room is. Is this the best this town can offer?
>I dislike eggs, they soil my mood. Also a gentle knock on my room will suffice. I get rather displeased with vulgar barge-ins
>Thank you for your hospitality, have a fair night
>write in

>>1755649
>>1755680

>>1755680
>Thank you for your hospitality, have a fair night

also

>what the fuck is the pale

>>1755820
You thanked the young lady, she made a swift exit after gentle closing the door behind her.

Finally, You were alone.

You had a couple of options, the obvious of the bunch was to sleep. You had a big day tomorrow. A warm bath could help you to relax a bit and rinse that awful stench in the air even for a bit.

Your mental map might need some revision to re-arrange your priorities. As of right now, it was light as a feather.

Alternatively you could meditate, commune yourself to the Pale :

A sentient plane of existence which provided a plethora of arcane to its users. It was deemed the safest method to harness formidable arcane powers which could range from one pale officer to another. After all, one must fight fire with fire.

The usage of the Pale is usually limited according to one's rank. exceeding said quota might prove to be harmful on the long run. It is also forbidden by the ministry too unless a life threatening situation ebbed.

Any unauthorized practice of arcane was to be met with severe punishment. No exceptions.

>Meditate, attempt to commune with the pale
>Call the old hag, make her ready a warm bath for you
>Revise your mental map
>surrender to your body, go to sleep
>write in

>>1755680
>I see no Borgol around.
This, but also
>Thank you for your hospitality, have a fair night

>>1755862
>Meditate, attempt to commune with the pale
>Call the old hag, make her ready a warm bath for you
Meditate IN the Bath.
If that is not possible, just meditate

>>1755866
You yawned before closing your eyes drifting into a formless, otherworldly place. You have heard tales of Pale officers speaking to the Pale. Some attained enough enlightenment to enter the pale themselves. You had a long way to go, you only saw a vast plane of clouds twisting the duality of reality and dreams.

Your Pale has temporary increased to 80 instead of 60 for tomorrow

It was getting really late, the hours of restless travelling has ached your body.

>Call the old hag, make her ready a warm bath for you
>Revise your mental map
>surrender to your body, go to sleep
>write in

>>1755887
>surrender to your body, go to sleep

>>1755966
-----------Day one--------------

The sun shined upon room at the morn, bringing dazzling light to your eyes. You slept like a brick and to make it worse, your ears were deaf to the world outside.

This early meal should do, a couple of crackers, a cup tea and some good cheese. The loaf was a bit rough for your taste but you need not to sour your mood at the beginning of the day.

Once you finished your meal, you dressed up properly. You tucked your pistol firmly under your belt, your long sword on the other side. You rarely used it but it was a part of your uniform. The ministry of Arcane has granted you
2000 silver to cover your expense during your investigation. You had to make every single coin count.

Your heard heavy footsteps approaching your door. This door knock was far softer than you've come to expect from... Those vulgars

"Do come in."

"Pale officer, Ser. Borgol comes with message" Well, well well. A branded? Here? What a surprise. There constructs of earthen clay and stone weren't cheap at all. The markings on his, if you can call it that, skin were certainly the work of natives. But they come from faraway lands. Bringing it here was sure to put a dent in the pocket of any nobleman. Especially in this backwards wasteland....

And still, not a single trace of the arcane resonated on his being. The surprises kept piling up, like that stack of flatcakes you had before lea- No, no. Concentration,Concentration.

Now was not the time to think of banalities.

They required only water for sustenance , their strength matched that of a raging ox. We have tried to weaponize them once. It was a shame that they were mostly dimwits with few exceptions. Manual labor and other simple tasks...no more for them.

You could ask the Mykre for the deed of purchase since such constructs fell under the jurisdiction of the ministry. Furthermore, their minds were easy to read and to manipulate using the pale . Unfortunately, the pale had provided your with little mind-bending arcane. You only excelled at setting your foes ablaze. the rest were lacking.


"let's see," you took the piece of paper, it was from Tevinii, The man who should have been in this construct's shoes. You read this message with visible anger written on your face.

"Officer Anil, This is Tevinii, captain of the guards. i require your immediate presence at the town's morgue in the Baush district


The corpse has been stolen "

>Is this a mere jest, you lump of putrid stone?
>Imbeciles! the lots of you!
>Lead me to wherever this incompetent morgue is, construct
>[Go down stairs, ask Pamont to guide you to the morgue]
>[Barge out of the household, find this morgue yourself]
>write in

>>1756005
Make that silent rage face only mothers can do, and that you learned how to right now. The one that says "You gon get it when we come home"

"Lead the way..."

>>1756064
The construct nodded urging you to follow it. It was still early in the morning by the time you two exited the household. In this short stroll through the better part of the town, you deduced a couple of things from the street signs and what not:


The district which housed your household and the Mykre's was called Diris , it also had an old temple and a small park . The other high class district that you stumbled upon was Stril . Unlike Diris, it was more robust with structures like a sanitarium, a market, a theatre and a pitiful excuse for a school. Both two upper class districts had a remnant of an old wall littered with more pagan symbols that you failed to understand.

The Ministry had special native Pale officers who can easily read these scribbles. The Mal-hal as they would like to called themselves, officially they are called the Tainted Pale officers . The Pale had its ways with those of the natives who seem fit to wield its powers.

The Baush district was far less pretty than these two. Middle class folks resided here no, there was a small barracks at one of its corner with a proper jail too. The Morgue was a separate entity from any medical facility which was odd. What was even stranger was the larger facility next to the morgue. Both had the stench of death....

A general theme that appeared to repeat upon itself was crows both; almost every facility had a crow's emblem. Furthermore, No pigeons or any sky vermin soiled the skies....

Crows. Murders of them.

A couple of guards were stationed at the front, they were excepting your arrival. There were some rabble around with unwanted curiosity, thankfully, the guards were making sure everything stayed in order. Some sort of security measures, what a bloody relief.

"You are dismissed." no proper thank was needed for a lifeless construct, you sent it back to the household.

Your entrance lacked any sort of politeness. A strong redhead of a man was barking orders to the guards inside, that must be the Mykre's son. What you assumed to be the Mortician leaned weakly on the wall, his hand clutching to his head. He appeared to be trying to recollect himself among all the chaos in front of you; cold infected instruments scattered on the floor, flipped morgue slabs and much more.

Damn guards trampling over all shred of evidence that you might have, your blood was starting to boil.

For once, someone return a gaze of anger to you "Morn to you ser, Apologizes for to speaking to your directly. I had to be here to ensure proper order."

>[ignore him, speak with the doctor]
>Hand me the report, Captain
>Get your dogs and other riffraff away from here! you are doing more harm than good
>write in

>>1756086
>I am sure that the corpse wasn't swept under a rug, or forgotten under a slab by the mortician. So stop ransacking the place. I'll have enough problems figuring out what is going in without having to deal with lack of evidence

>>1756094
"Acknowledged, My men and I will await you outside for further commands ser."

He left the scene swiftly leaving you with the slightly dazed Mortician and a lot of mess to investigate.

The Mortician managed to find some strength to stand. "Quite an entrance , Ser."

"Is that a mockery i hear in your voice?" your blood was soothing about with the departure of the captain and his dogs.

The man unfastened his mask to reveal a young man with a rather annoying and optimistic face slightly perturbed by the pain ringing in his head. " Yugiel Mande , Utroba's sole mortician and anthropologist." he extended his hand for a shake.

>shake his hand
>leave him hanging

and

>[ignore him for now, Attempt to make a finding out of this mess around you]
> what brings you to this wretched town? many apath are still open for you
>I expect full cooperation from you. The Lack of competency around here is unbearable.
>write in

>>1756120
>shake his hand
Do it with disdain

>I really hope you can be of more assistance than the captain. I have half a mind to think of him as a suspect. Mostly because i refuse to believe somebody can be so ignorant of due process unintentionally, deliberate malice seems to be a more sensible, if grim, option. But i forger my manners.

>we present ourselves

>>1756126
"The Captain is a good man, ser. Stubborn at times but all with good intent." Yugiel was waiting for further questions.

>What happened last night that led to this mess ? I require every bit of detail
>[Use Pale Projection on the Mortician ensuring that every word that comes out of his mouth is true .Anil's affinity to Pale Projection: Weak. 50 pale will be used, d10]
>[ignore him for now, Attempt to make a finding out of this mess around you]
>write in

>>1756147
>Oh, i am sure the man is a riot to be around. But now, let's start a proper investigation. Tell me everything.
We go around investigating on our own while the mortician tells us his tale

>>1756160
The mortician went silent for a moment recalling the events of yesterday "Little to be said , ser. I mostly work alone in the morgue. In normal circumstances, I only see three faces around here: Dopatri , he brings the high quality corpses from the rotten womb for various reasons. Lasreeb helps me to handle the recently deceased and finally Opua , the little crow, a native girl interested in the modern arts of medicine. I was by myself at night finishing a report on Esine Soklov the man of your concern...."

>Please go straight to the point, i have little time to spare, doctor.
>Where is the report on Esine Soklov?
>[allow him to continue]
>So about these three....[Ask him about his regulars
>[Use Pale Projection on the Mortician ensuring that every word that comes out of his mouth is true .Anil's affinity to Pale Projection: Weak. 50 pale will be used, d10]
>write

>>1756182
I meant that we go around looking ourselves while we paid token attention to the man's story. But it'll do
>[Allow him to continue]

>>1756187
"My eye were growing heavy by the end of the night. I dozed off for merely five minutes only to feel a presence behind me. Had it been its intention to kill, i would have joined the dead hours ago. To some extent i am grateful that i was knocked out. I am afraid that it is all what i recall."

>[Ask the Mortician a question of your choice]
>Any proper establishment would have at least one guard around, i will have some bitter words with the captain.
>Where is the report on Esine Soklov?
>Thank you for your cooperation doctor [Start investigating the scene]
>So about these three....[Ask him about his regulars]
>write in

>>1756215
>Where is the report on Esine Soklov?
>Thank you for your cooperation doctor [Start investigating the scene]

>>1756215
>Where is the report on Esine Soklov?

>>1756218
The man handled you a file, it had the following vital information:

"
-------Summary of report ##424------

Name : Esine Soklov

Gender: Male

Age : 45

Occupation: Corpse Fisher

Cause of Death : Loss of various vital organs? (See below for further information)

Genrral examination : The body was found bare naked within the vicinity of the Old Spine, the old wall of both the two upper class districts with a dozen of crows pecking off dead flesh. The body was not rigor and stiff by the time it was found, he must have been dead for less than two hours. It was found by another Corpse fisher called Yezep Fernel

Barring the pecking of the crows, there were no noticeable lacerations, bruises or any signs of injury sans the eyes which were replaced with two piece of coal larger than the eye socket themselves, both were inserted with immense force, breaking some facial bones. This, however, has occurred post mortem.

Internal Examination : Upon dissection, It was found that all the vital organs have....disappeared; the lungs, stomach, liver, everything. Piles of flesh of unknown origin....replaced said organs. The skeletal system was intact and there were no signs of tampering. This newfound flesh was dark and soaked with blood, erratic in its growth pattern.

Until further notice of the Ministry of the arcane, I am to await the arrival of a Pale officer to have a permission to study this unknown mesh of flesh "

You closed the file, truly intrigued by these findings.


>[Ask the Mortician a question of your choice]
>So about these three....[Ask him about his regulars]
>[Start to investigate the scene]
>write in

>>1756235
>>1756261

>>1756261

>do you have any idea on whom would take this corpse

you may be useless but your more help than the guards, keep the second part in out heads

>>1756279
"His Murderer or any possible associate if any. I wish i could tell you more, ser. I was struck so quickly. The captain should have more information about his circle of family, friends and possible rivalries though i doubt it; given the nature of our town. Last murder was about three years ago."

"I see.." Naught could be attained so easily, ain't it?


"Do you have any further questions, ser?"

>Yes [Ask The Mortician a question of your choice]
>No [Start investigating the area]
>write in

>>1756309
>no go about your buissnes but send in this captain, I wish to have a conversation

investigate the area while the surgeon gets the captain, so I think he should look at the doors and windows, find the point of entry

>>1756309
>Yes [Ask The Mortician a question of your choice]
What can you tell me about the Old Spine?
Also, where would someone acquire coal in this town?

>>1756323
>>1756325

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>1756328
fug tried to roll

>>1756323
Tevinii, The Captain soon arrived as you ordered. You barked at him with lingering anger "Check the windows and doors if you haven't already."

You waited a moment or two before the captain came back with a proper answer "No signs of breaking and entering ,ser. But the keyhole of the main door....It has some grease on it, black as death."

"Interesting. I need a bottled sample, Captain. Make it quick." Your mind was fixed one the floor. Blast these guards with their mud-caked boots. Hardly could you spot a thing!

In your search, you found small traces of coal near one of the slabs. probably from the corpse's sockets. Other than that it was but a vacant chaotic scene in the morgue. A question lingered in your mind...why would the corpse snatcher make a mess in the morgue in the first place? The good doctor was knocked out with relative ease according to his very own words.

Something was amiss here...

>[Ask a question of your choice to the captain]
>[Ask a question of your choice to the Mortician]
>[Revise your mental map, its burden is starting to grow Anil's affinity to Mental Map: Strong. 5 pale would be used]
>[Humbly ask the Pale to guide your way into the unseen around you. Anil's affinity to Pale guidance: weak. 50 pale will be used , d10]
>write in

>>1756339

revise the mental map, then ask it to guide us, by my count we would have 25 power left

>>1756347
weak affinities would require higher rolls to succeed, aka 8, 9 or 10.

roll d10 once

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>1756348
okay

File: crow.png (97 KB, 2222x2222)

97 KB PNG

>>1756347
>>1756349
You formed a mental map in your mind detailing all clues you have found so far. Some are not as important as others such as possible secrets inside the your household, the ward you felt when you first met the Mykre and the strange markings on your guard construct, Borgol.

You closed your eyes seeking the whispers of the Pale to aid you. For a fleeting moment you could see strange pagan symbols unseen to the naked eye on written across a lonely corner in the morgue. They formed a large circle big enough for two, maybe three individuals.

Before your vision would fade again into the norm, you quickly asked the captain for a piece of paper and a pen. You might not be accurate but you managed to scribble down what you had just saw.

>[Ask a question of your choice to the captain]
>[Ask a question of your choice to the Mortician]
>[exit the morgue, you have learned what you could from this place]
>write in

>>1756369

how combat capable are we? it would be good to know

>captain, I want a minimum of 2 guards at this morgue in the coming weeks, and if you do not have any more pressing matters we will proceed to the old spine, lets see where this body was found

take measurements of the circle, I have the feeling it was a cult thing about magic, then head to where the body was found we may find yet more of this scribbling

>>1756391
"Right away ser. Two of my best men will be stationed at the morgue." The Captain spoke to one of his subordinates who issued the order to two guards outside.

The onslaught of these pagan mysteries would require you to either speak to a native who would be willing to cooperate or a Tainted Pale officer. There was one stationed where you came from, perhaps you might want to ask for assistance in your daily reports if you loathed the idea of dealing with these backwater.
natives.

The Captain addressed you with a stern voice "Ser, Would you like to have another guard to protect you during your investigations? I see little danger in our town but a man of your title should always have arms to protect him. Was there something wrong with Borgol?"

You smiled sheepishly ; how ignorant these men are "Dear captain, do i look like a babe shivering at the slightest sign of danger? I got a sharp sword, a loaded pistol and the might of the Pale to protect me. If anything, these guards would prove to be a hinder to me. Now come, I need to examine this old spine. Lead the way...."


We will stop here for now. thank you for all who partook in this quest. We will continue tomorrow

Goodnight.

>>1756404
good night mate, have fun I did

I work too much and can't take part to much but I just want to say I do like this quest op, it's interesting

>>1756391
Your exit from the morgue was almost paraded by colours small children in tattered clothes whispering to each other while eyeing you and the Captain.

"Where did these rats come from?" you asked Tevinii paying no heed to their mindless babbles.

"Street Urchins, ser. From our two poor districts; Old and new Urse . They are mostly harmless..." the captain was reluctant to continue.


>[say nothing until you reach the old spine]
>I assume this town started with these two gutters?
>Something on your mind, Captain?
>Round them up, then. They are but scoundrels and thieves.
>None are above the law, Captain. Not even clueless children
>Write in

>>1757884
>Something on your mind, Captain?

>>1757884
>>Something on your mind, Captain?

>>1757902
>>1757935
"Nothing to worry about ser." He brushed it off, increasing his pace.

Most suspicious.

On your way to this old wall, the two of you saw a couple of these corpse fishers on a cart with three bodies tightly sealed by a cocoon made out of hard mud . One of them was of a man, the other two probably belonged to some mules or any livestock.

You saw little sense on how these lifeless things brought sliver to the town. Then again ministry of antiquities and preservation might be interested in them, Your ministry of arcane and their were always known to be in conflict in regards to what to preserve and what to burn.

Finally you were close the the old spine. According to the captain, this wall had the names of those who died during the first days of settlement. It was a 'symbol' of unity between the settler and what was left of the natives in Utobra. What a load of rubbish...

"Ser, wait...." The captain stopped you for a second. Up ahead at the very edge of the wall, a man was courting his beloved. It seemed that things were about to escalated a tad....

>[Give them some privacy, wait until they are done then continue]
>[Watch them in pure silence, continue after they are done.]
>[Continue walking nonchalantly as before]
>write in

>>1758044
>I assume you stopped me for a good reason

>>1758107
The good captain didn't utter a single word afterwards. He did cleared his throat loudly, The two love birds scurried away from the scene blushing as ever.

You could see it in all of its putrid glory from here. The Rotten womb was within view from up here. The Stench that you were slightly getting used to reeked from this death pit. Down below, dead trees where the home of dozens of crow nests.

The red head pointed you to where the corpse was found. Much to your surprise, A murder of crows hopped and trotted around at your place of search. they showed aggressive behavior upon your arrival cawing in defiance.

The Captain tired to hush the crows but they clutched their talons to the ground.

>Enough of this charade, Captain, remove these pesks with force at once.
>[Pull out your sword, slash a couple of them]
>[Pull out your pistol, blast one with a sure shot]
>[Pull out your glove, burn these crows to cinder. Anil's Affinity to Pale's Blaze: Strong. 10 Pale will be used.]
>write in

>>1758262

>Tell the crows your name, title, and that you will kill them if they stay in your way.

Testing for understanding/intelligence. Are they being controlled?

>Summon Pale fire to your hand, see if the crows react.

In case they can't understand you. If nothing else happens, burn them.

>>1758508
You sighed in frustration while taking off your glove "This is Anil Basdrov, Pale Officer from the thirteenth fold stationed in this contient. Stay out of my way lest you desire a blazing death."

Trickles of fire danced on your finger tips as the crows huddled together refusing to fly away.

The captain put himself between the crows and yourself "Ser, We do not harm crows in this town. They are scared to the natives... " A look of concern was written on his face.

>Step aside captain, Lest you want to get burned
>[Shove the captain aside, set the crows ablaze. Anil's Affinity to Pale's Blaze: Strong. 10 Pale will be used.]
>Be oh so kind to suggest another solution for me, Captain. Otherwise, make way.
>write in

>>1758601
>Be oh so kind to suggest another solution for me, Captain. Otherwise, make way.

>>1758693
Tevinii had already couple of options in mind "They are easily swayed by food ser, I could buy some chops from the butcher. They can not resist the meat of freshly slaughtered swine. Alternatively, A Tysrk-ne or a crow mother can easily disperse any number of crow. They are her thralls. We have tw- no, three crow mothers. One is in the making; a little girl..."

" Opua " You took a guess.

"Yes, ser. She is the most forth coming of the three; a lot less reclusive and often seen in the town." The captain paused for a moment staring at the rotten womb in the horizon "So what it will be?"

>I have little time to waste on pleasing some savages [Burn the crows. 10 pale will be use]
>Do not tally, captain [Give the captain 100 silver to purchase the chops]
>Fetch me this girl captain, I already wanted to have a chat with her...
>So about the other two crow mothers....
>write in

>>1758761
>Fetch me this girl captain, I already wanted to have a chat with her...

>>1758763
The captain took his sweet time finding the girl; about four hours or so. The thought of burning these crows and be done with crossed your mind several times in this lonesome period. Their cold stares didn't help either.

The Pale quivered inside your soul, clutching your heart as if it is warding it from danger.

The girl in question arrived with the captain. She was no more than eleven years old. She wore plain clothes worn by the townfolks. He had a large beak mask decorated with bones and various pagan symbols. None had a trace a of arcane but somehow you were.... troubled by her presence.

Her braids had different thicknesses, it was almost erratic. It also had a red taint on it. Finally she had a small belt filled with trinkets unknown to you.

"Apologizes ser, The girl was playing hide and seek in the old Urse district. She wasn't easy to find."

>Captain, I believe The Mykre has a permit on the native's behalf allowing them to practice their....arcane. Am i correct ?
>The mask, take it off girl.
>Be done with it, girl. remove these crows
>[ask the little crow a question of your choice]
>write in

>>1758857
"Greetings, young girl. I am an officer of the Pale on an important errand and i require your help here. As you can see, these fine birds are impeding my passage. Would you be so kind as to help me and tell them to move elsewhere?" [Eye-twitch]

>>1758866
The little girl unfastened her mask a second later, revealing her face. A rather serious one that was dotted with a handful of freckles darker than her light brown skin.

A single glare of hers calmed down the cawing crowd in front of her, another gesture and off they went to the bleak skies above.

Their departure revealed a dead white crow. . Twisted and Mutilated from the inside. Piles of Black flesh sprouted from every orifice it had. It oozed sticky black blood on the ground.

Opua was horrified by what she saw, she crawled away in fear trembling and shaking in the process. She started to run away in shear panic, tears trailing form her eyes.

The Captain was shocked too but he retained his Composure.

>Let her run, She is of no use to me now.
>Get that girl, now!
>write in

>>1758922
Take the corpse with you, and move on to the hole

>>1758930
hole?

>>1758954
The only hole worth pointing out in the vicinity
The one with the dead people coming out of it

>>1758930
The captain had a small satchel for such occasion. He grabbed the mutilated crow with great care and put it inside of the satchel.

"It is an omen...a bad one at that." The captain muttered.

"Oh, another fable of yours?"

"Ser, White crows are exceptionally rare in these parts. They bring a good harvest to the town as a corpse fisher. Their death is a sign of bad things to come..." he looked at the satchel "Should i bring it to the morgue ,ser?"

"Not yet, we might need it."

Opua headed to the rotten wombs. By now it was late afternoon, it would tedious to 'fish' without the sun's guidance. The captain confirmed your thoughts. Too bad, you wanted to speak with Yezep the man who found the corpse and may be some of his co workers.

The girl was crying alone by a dead tree, there were some crows around her cawing softly as if they were trying to soothe her. You allowed the captain to speak to her first. The man had his way with children. You were slightly envious of him; children considered you a plight to have around.

The girl wiped her tears away. Once she was calm, the crows back to the nest for a goodnight's sleep.

>How prude and immature of you to run away from us like that! Don't you realize i am a busy man?
>We are not done yet, girl. I have a couple of questions for you.
>You there, come with us. A fine dinner awaits us in my house. You are coming with us captain.
>No use holding a dead crow around. Captain, kindly will you bring this back to the morgue, will you? I need to talk to this girl alone.
>write in

>>1758995
>captain had a small satchel for such occasion
As a man of his standing and position should

>No use holding a dead crow around. Captain, kindly will you bring this back to the morgue, will you? I need to talk to this girl alone.
Do invite her for dinner if she doesn't want to cooperate

>>1758997
"Yes, Ser." The moment Tevinii took a step forwad, all the crow ruffled their black feathers. Their caws echoed freely in the dim skies.

The swooped in dozens from their nests flocking to three figures looming in the distance.

"What are you doing girl?! stop it!" you pulled out your pistol .The Pale ward was clutching your heart signalling imminent danger.

Three natives they were, Two men showed clear hostility with drawn weapons branded with more of these pagan symbols. They wore savage attire fitting to their backwater background.

The third one spearheaded the trio....

A Crow Mother

She beak mask was decades old, perhaps it was passed from one generation to another. She hid her body under a colorful cloak decorated with bones, lots of them.

She merely raised a finger before all the crows formed a circle around the area.

"Crow Mother, I-" The Captain was cut off by a booming voice teeming with pure anger.

"SILENCE..."

She stared right into your soul "This man of Pale, he is not welcome. The Crows....they will not accept this blasphemy against their kin...A ritual awaits the gentle white."

The Little crow fixed her eyes to the ground; dare she not to meet the gaze of what you assumed to be the eldest of the three crow mothers.

Again, She looked at the captain "The Crow...give him to his mother. give him to me...."

>[Remain silent , allow the captain to give the white crow to these savages.]
>Just a second captain, you answer to me not some crazed old crone.
>My report will undoubtedly speak of you impeding my investigation,hag
>how the crud you think you are? attempting on an officer's life? why that's just death sentence [ point your pistol at her]
>write in

>>1759039
>how the crud you think you are? attempting on an officer's life? why that's just death sentence [ point your pistol at her]
We are an officer of the Arcane Ministry. Some old crow-speaker will not be the one to stop us.
Ask why she wants the white crow.

>>1759112
"Easy there,ser." Said the captain nervously.

"I am the one who issues orders, dear captain." You kept your pistol aimed at the old crone. Both her guards and her flock were aggravated waiting for the slightest lapse in concentration.

"Why do you desire the crow, madam? It is an evidence, a property of the ministry of arcane...a property of this very nation."

Opua gently pulled your coat demanding your attention. You gave her your ears only; for your eyes were fixed on who could be the end of you. " Arrotta ... the white crows have gentle souls. The Swenak-Tyr feasts on souls of children and Arrotta for they are gentle like the wind. Eating, Burning or Cutting the Arrotta is bad! Swenak-Tyr will come, Swenak-Tyr will eat gentle soul!"

"More fables, wonderful." such a foolish girl.


"Give me the crow..." the crone repeated her words.

>[Remain silent , allow the captain to give the white crow to these savages.]
>You are making a big mistake. My report will describe every second of this transgression
>So be it but you three are under arrest for attempting on an officer's life. Captain, Arrest these savages.
>On the count of three, if these weapons are still brandished, i will shoot you dead. One....
>For once try to be civil, Yugiel will examine the crow without 'defiling' him. After we are finished, you could do your silly ritual. Bring one of your men with us if you lack a grain of trust.
>write in

>>1759133
>For once try to be civil, Yugiel will examine the crow without 'defiling' him. After we are finished, you could do your silly ritual. Bring one of your men with us if you lack a grain of trust.
Getting on the bad side of the locals will only hinder us further, no matter how savage they are. Let us come to an agreement.

>>1759142
"So be it." said the crone begrudgingly

The situation was defused with no shots fired. in a way you were proud of yourself. Your mind had other thoughts running; should you prosecute these savages? It would all depend on what you would write in your daily report.

We will have to end it here for now. thank you for you participation anons

good night.

>>1759158
There was little to be said, the crow mother took the little crow with her denying you any chance to speak with the little girl....for now at least.

The crows once again dispersed after the crow mother was gone. One of her men who apparently was familiar to the captain accompanied you to the morgue which was just about to close actually.

The mortician look exhausted and spent by the end of the day. However, he was eager to help you. He assured you that you would have some keen results and both the Black grease and the Dead White Crow by midday tomorrow .

You excused the gentlemen, The captain was used to stay up in long nights but you weren't; there was no need to stay at the morgue especially with the presence of the captain and two of his guards.

You crawled back to your household tired and famished. The old maid greeted opened the door for you. There was no need for an exchange of words; you had a empty and growling stomach waiting to be fed.

While the breakfast was mediocre at best. The lunch was fit for highborns and the like. You wolfed down anything that was put on your table.

Satisfied, You had sometime to kill before going to bed.


>write your daily report [Important]
>Upgrade your Mental Map
>Take a warm bath, loosen up your tense muscles.
>Commune with the pale
>Speak to the old maid
>Speak to your construct, Borgol
>Speak to the Mykre's daughter, Pamont
>write in

>>1761244
>write your daily report [Important]

>>1762029
As a Pale officer, you were taught to write your report in cryptic manners in case it fell in the wrong hands. Your report also could reap lives as well as save them.

Other than your current findings, you could also ask for assistance. Although, it would be usually frowned upon by other officers. A report without feats would defame your image to the ministry. You kept that in mind. Like so, A report filled with feats (be it of truth or not) would make it much easier for you to ask for aid.

You started to write this report, it entailed the following:


"Case #01
Anil Basdrov, the thirteenth fold

As per order, I have arrived in the town of Utobra to investigate the death of Esine Soklov . I was met by the town Mykre's Tosvoni Yosglay who....

>Provided excellent hospitality fit to a pale officer. My accommodation and base of operation is more than suitable.
>Had a suspicious cane with possible arcane properties. It had triggered my Pale Ward . I am yet to investigate it [+1 Favor]
>Had extremely lax politics in regards to the natives in the town whom i will talk about more down below..I highly recommend a proper replacement in the near future [+2 Favor]
>Write-in

>>1762063
>lax policies

>>1762063
had a suspicious cane,

no need to be hasty, he may yet prove useful

>>1762063
>Had a suspicious cane with possible arcane properties. It had triggered my Pale Ward . I am yet to investigate it [+1 Favor]

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>1762207
your choice will not, if chosen, we will grant us favor with the ministry
>>1762216

>>1762207
>>1762224

>will not grant us

>>1762224
yes it will, I just shortened it a bit, I mean put in the whole thing. I'm too lazy to type out the whole thing

>>1762207
>>1762216
A guard was assigned to my protection....

>A Branded nonetheless. The Mykre does provide the best for my investigation
>A Branded nonetheless, scribbled with more pagan symbol. I will soon investigate such construct [+1 favor]
>write in

Much to our demise, The corpse was stolen from the morgue in the night [-1 favor] .Both the captain and the mortician of the town were very helpful in their own way. According to the mortician reports and another evidence (a dead crow still be to examined) of similar nature to the man's corpse, I highly suspect some illegal arcane practices. The most promising lead i have at the moment is more pagan symbols i found using the Pale guidance [+1 favor]. It may lead us to the whereabouts of the corpse.

I have no suspects at the moment. This will change soon in the future.

Today I have dealt with some of the natives....

>Who were helpful to uncover a the piece of evidence mentioned above.
>Who attempted to hinder my investigation, I request their immediate arrest. [+1 favor]
>Who attempted to hinder my investigation, I request their arrest when i am finished with my investigation in order not to stir ill-will during my work.. [+1 favor]
>Who attempted on my very own life, I request their immediate execution. [+2 favor]
>Who attempted on my very own life, I request their execution after my investigations are completed [+2 favor]
>write in

>>1762231
i thought you meant the hide the arcane nature of the cane, my bad

>>1762259
>meant to hide

>>1762259
>a branded, I will in investigate.
and
>I request they are executed after my work is done, as not to hinder my works

i need to go out, be back in a hour or two

>>1762314
Finally, I....

>Would like to have this piece of scribble translated by a Tainted Pale officer as soon as possible, i do not wish to ask for the native's aid [-1 favor, total favor: 3]
>would require more means to protect myself [-3 favor, total favor:3]
>shamefully ask for more funds for the future [-3 favor, total favor: 3]
>promise the best outcome within my capabilities.
>write in

>>1762370
I would like these scribbles translated, these insufferable natives disgust me too much to consider requesting their aid

good tidings - [name]

or whatever is customary like, be eve vigilent

>>1762444
A courier should take your report the very first thing at the morning. You would ask the good captain the names of these three savages; They have sealed their death the moment they raised arms against you. Perhaps a future culling was in order...


It was getting late, your meal had already made you a bit drowsy. A shuteye would be most welcomed.

>Go to sleep
>Upgrade your Mental Map
>Take a warm bath, loosen up your tense muscles.
>Attempt to find any secrets inside your room [d20]
>Commune with the pale
>Speak to the old maid
>Speak to your construct, Borgol
>Speak to the Mykre's daughter, Pamont
>write in

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>1762454
find secrets in room

>>1762555
You knocked gently on the walls in hopes to find a secret of sorts. The man of stone loved his secrets to be pure hidden yet visible to the untrained eye.

Alas, Frustration had the best of you after a while. You gave up this wild goose chase...another time perhaps.


>Go to sleep
>Upgrade your Mental Map
>Take a warm bath, loosen up your tense muscles.
>Commune with the pale
>Speak to the old maid
>Speak to your construct, Borgol
>Speak to the Mykre's daughter, Pamont
>write in

>>1762564
take a warm bath, and call in the construct.

if we cant do two then just the bath

>>1762569
Old Sasana came within seconds, You ordered her to prepare you a warm bath. The food in your gullet should have settled by now. No issue to have...

The Bath tub was needlessly large and wide. Made for two or three at the same time. Shame you lacked a proper company for such a tub. The old maid scurried away after pouring the hot water into the hub. There were many colours of soaps and other bathing essentials waiting for you at the side table.

Good.

You liked your bathes long. Sadly you didn't have such luxury; you need to sleep early to wake up early. You called out your stone guard who could have easily dealt with the pesky crone and her goons.

Heavy, calculated footsteps announced his arrival from the first floor. He did had some manners though; knocking on the door ever so gently.

"Do come in." You had no shame with him seeing you in the bare like that. Not that it mattered anyways ; the sod's stone eyes were fixed to floor.

"What do you need, ser?"

>Tell me ,construct, what do you see in all of this mess?
>Those symbols etched all over you. Tell me about it. Constructs can not lie, can they?
>Do you dream, Borgol?
>[Ask him a question of your choice]
>write in

>>1762592
tell me about your symbols borgol,

then lead into can you dream and the limits of his sentience and free will

>>1762600
The Construct remained silent for moment thinking of a distant memory "My first master had a series of misfortunes forcing him to start trading with your kin ser."

"An eastern, eh? Blasted Devils they are. Good ones too."

"I was sold during the third ox wars to a wealthy traveler, Ser Goinghamm Westrav who settled in this town until his untimely death. He gifted me to this town which gave him the best of times....He also funded the town's Catacombs "

Brutal ones, them Ox wars over the mainland. The fourth one started a couple of weeks ago, when would these fools learn?

"Quite a tale ,Borgol. But you haven't tell me about these etchings just yet."

"His Wife and my former mistress did so , ser. She was a native. She died merely days after from grief. They can protect me from the Swenak-Tyr. She said i had a gentle soul."

You almost burst into laughter, water splashing about "You are certainly ambitious, Borgol. Almost had me for second!"

Borgol showed no emotions as a response. Pfft, What a bunch of hogwash. You were aware of the limits of these branded; they were molded to be the ultimate servants, those who were master-less would soon turn into mindless abomination waiting to be put down by the ministry of arcane.

However, there were some exceptions. Nothing was perfect. There were bound to have some defected laying about. You heard a tale about a branded who killed his eastern master for freedom.

You had no need to worries though. This one looked absolute tame.

>[ask Borgol a question of your choice]
>[Dismiss him, finish your bath]
>write in

>>1762641
tell me borgol, what do you think of me and my minestry

[how much can he think at all for an mindless slave?]

>>1762675
The Construct considered his words "You are far less cruel than the first one."

"Oh?" The Pale officers in the contient were mostly veterans clawing their way to the Prime Pale officer rank. Your sister advised you to steer away from them.

"Three years ago, a mother and a Moon-touched girl sought refuge in our town. They were stalked by a Pale officer for weeks to no end."

Ah yes, Moon-touched girls , ones who were cursed to be born under an eclipse. Regularly hunted by Pale officer due to the untapped and uncontrolled arcane power given to them by....well you did not want to utter heresy , did you?

"The girl was no more than fourteen years old. Captain Tevinii chose to shelter them in his home. The Pale officer only found them thanks to Shareez the rat ..." His voice trailed off.

"I assume this did not go well, no? Quite a surprise to see the dear captain still having a head on his shoulders."

The construct didn't react to your words; he continued "The officer gave Captain Tevinii two choices; either to witness their horrid death by inhumane means publicly or to disembowel them personally. The captain chose to disembowel them. It was a statement for the officer rather than a punishment,ser."

>A bit too exterme for my tastes
>Perhaps a show of pure violence was needed to show this close minded folks what happens to those who defiled the ministry.
>I am yet to have the blood of the innocent on my hands. That will change soon in my line of work
>I could do far more worse, construct, reminder yourself and everyone you meet.
>write in

>>1762732
bit extreme for my tastes, you do your job not get sadistic.....unless sadism is required

>>1762732
>Being needlessly cruel is not ellegant. I get that we need need to assert ourselves and the Ministry's authority. But if the people see us only as butchers, then our opposers can only gain from it

>>1762751
>>1762752
The construct didn't retort. In a way, you knew a lot in this little chat. This Rat Borgol mention might be of use; he didn't expose their location for nothing. The officer probably paid him Silver . Lots of it, you would wager.

By now, the water had run cold. You dismissed Borgol slipping into comfortable clothes afterwards. Your relaxed body was yearning for that sweet bed.


>Go to sleep
>Upgrade your Mental Map
>Commune with the pale
>Speak to the old maid
>Speak to the Mykre's daughter, Pamont
>write in

>>1762768
>Upgrade your Mental Map

>>1762768
commune then go to bed

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>1762772
>>1762778

File: crow.png (143 KB, 2653x2940)

143 KB PNG

>>1762772
>>1762778
You rearranged your thoughts after a while on your bed. More circles...More strings.

You could open your eyes no more. You surrendered your body to a deep slumber soon after.

we will stop here for now. thank you for your participation.


Good night anons.

>>1762792
Good night, thank you for running

night

>>1762812
>>1762814
--------Day Two---------
You woke fairly early in the morning ready to continue your thorough investigations.

But first, A proper Breakfast.

You asked the maid to add a bit more on the table; you would probably miss lunch like yesterday. A couple of Flatcakes and a cup of tea later, you were ready to face the world.

>Go Outside [Pick a lead of your choice in your mental map to pursue]
>Order the construct Borgol to accompany you
>Speak with the Mykre's daughter, get more insight on her and her father
>write in

>>1765064
go to the morge and take the grow to the heathens, we will observe this ritual. and if they refuse then we will think on our feet

>>1766247
You headed straight to the morgue, this time however, it was much easier to transverse the districts without a hint of loss.

The Morgue was closed. The two guards positioned here by the dear captain were expecting you.

"God morning ser," one of them hailed you "Captain Tevinii and the Mortician went to sleep 'bout three hours ago. They stayed up all night, see? I got a message for you ,ser."

The other one had something to say to you but he lacked enough courage to spill it out until now "Is it true ,ser? Is this the workings of the Swenak-Tyr ? The children in the Urse districts 've been mumbling 'bout it..."

>We shall see...
>Yes, children. what a viable source of
information they are. Finest my arse...
>Give me that, I got no time for your hogwash
>Be it beast or man, none shall escape my judgement
>Write in

>>1766261
guardsman, you understand who and what I am correct? you also understand that the powers I wield will bring to heel this menace, so you may tell these children and anyone who you care to that swenak-tyr itself may stand in my way and I will punish it should it be deserving of such a fate. i am a pale officer, nothing shall escape my judgment but thoses whom do not deserve it. do i make myself clear?

[this should hopefully get them to be more compliant, fearful men are clumsy]

>>1766266
"Yes, Ser!" The guard seemed to be rather bolstered by words. The other one with the message....not so much.

You snatched the message from the guard, it entailed the following.

"Most Esteemed officer:

My findings in the last few hours has been peculiar to say the least. The first of the two is the grease we have found in the keyhole. I believe this is the remnants of a slug-like creature. It is not a product as we thought first. Whatever it is, it is not native to these lands.

The other interesting bit is the crow itself. I couldn't do much with the native watching every move but i am fairly certain that it met the same fate of Esine Solklov with one exception of the coal eyes. The captain took the crow back to the natives.

I wish i could help you more . I do hope other leads are more promising than this one.

PS: Lasreeb will handle the morgue till the end of the week. He usually comes at middays. If you wish to speak to me personally, You can find me in my house at the very northwestern edge of this district, closest house to the catacombs. The one with a pinned ceramic beak mask on the door.

Yugiel Mande."
Well that complicated things. The real question was: who or what could bring a Foreign creature to these parts?

>[Ask the guards a question of your choice]
>[Pursue another lead for now]
>Write in

>>1766278
Sorry I'm sick as a nurgilite

Enter the morge and inspect this goo till the lasreeb guy gets here, tell the guards to get him to me when he arrives.


We are inquisitors Are we not?

>>1766304
if you don't want to continue it is fine anon.

I presume by goo you meant the grease? I has been already inspected by the good mortician.

Not quite tho, they belong to another ministry a much crueler one than ours

you still want the pale officer to wait for Lasreeb?

File: keep calm and dont kill e(...).jpg (6 KB, 208x242)

6 KB JPG

>>1766309
This might be my last post for the day? What ever time it is for you. But yeah let him wait for the fool.

I'm going to sleep now, ill be better when I wake up sorry to stop the quest, stupid cold

But if we see pale deamons pic related

goodnight anon, see you tomorrow

>>1766312
After informing the guards, you took a seat inside the Morgue. Everything was much cleaner and tidier than yesterday's chaos.

You sat idly for more than four hours, each second burned you more than the last. You wished you could have went for another lead instead of this fool disrespecting the value of time like that.

Finally, a shadow beckoned, that of this man Lasreeb. He waddled towards you with his lubber wiggling about in every single step. Bald and ugly with short stubby fingers and putrid breath. An uplifted mule, you thought. No....that would be an insult to the poor animal.

"Yeah?" words dripped from his awfully large mouth like rotten slime. Such insolence.

>'Yeah?' Are you fully aware whom you are speaking to?
>Waste my time like this again and i will have you fired, worm
>Your associate told me that you should be here by midday. I am not to be taken lightly
>write in

>>1766329
I'm back and at full health

very happy about that

now lets see here

>do not address me in such a manner again or I will be most displeased, and you do not want me displeased but anywho I want to know about these crows, what power can the crow mothers draw from the murder of flying vermin?

>>1769551
"What? who am i to know? I got an ugly crow of my own to handle; my wife. This wench will be the end of me." he let out a big sigh "I own this fine morgue and she treats me like poor piss..."

"Not interested in your martial affairs." you spat angrily.

Unhinged by your words, The blob scratched his chin "So, Mande told me you got questions for me...about the man with flesh-for-organs?"

"Correct."

"Lay them at me."

>Where were you yesterday?
>Do you know anything about Esine Solkov?
>Tell me about the young Mortician
>The girl, how are you letting her come and go freely like that?
>Tell me about this Dopatri, your main source of silver, I would wager
>[Ask him a question of your choice]
>write in

>>1769581
>Tell me about the young Mortician
Also
>Tell me about this Dopatri, your main source of silver, I would wager

>>1771208
"The boy came not too long ago. He needed the silver and i needed an able hand. He doesn't ask for much. Out of curiosity and boredom, I opened one of this monthly packages once; loads of silver and a message from his mum checking on him, he's from the mainland. didn't take a single coin before you ask."

He paused for a moment snorting like a swine "His family is loaded. He said something about having passion for it or some other rubbish."

"And this Dopatri?" you asked.

"Poor sod, his only son sank in the rotten womb. Once you are down there you are a goner . Go easy on him with your ministry questions."

>[Ask him a question of your choice]
>You are in no position to tell me what to do
>A most tragic accident indeed
>You are a waste of time, i had enough of you
>write in

>>1771637
>What do you know about the stolen corpse?

>>1751870
"As good as you are, may be less; was in bed the whole week, didn't feel like going to work, the boy can handle everything. Ask my lard of a wife if you don't believe me."

Lasreeb stretched his back with an audible yawn "Anything else?"

>[Ask him a question of your choice]
>Any other...viable source of information rather than your wife?
>Mande should run this Morgue not you. I will make sure of that.
>Tell me about the little girl, Opua
>You are a waste of time, i had enough of you
>write in

>>1771830
>Any other...viable source of information rather than your wife?
Also
>Where can i find Mande? I need to ask him some questions about the crow he inspected
Then
>You are a waste of time, i had enough of you

>>1771840
>>1766278

"One of the guards, Tiskvo lives next to me. Ask him if you want. Our houses are in the Tver district which is right below this one. We are the closest near the butcher on the left."

Hours of waiting and listening to this fool...wasted to nothingness. "I will pay them a visit. Pray your words are of truth."


"Sure, sure... got anything else?" he shrugged your threats as if they were nothing.

He didn't deserve a proper reply, you left abruptly, frustration clearly written on your face. Again, the mule barely reacted to your departure.

According to the letter Yugiel Mande , the good mortician was at home. He had already told you everything he knew about this 'ominous' white crow. You had this feeling that he was tired, perhaps ill for working for hours straight after being knocked out hours earlier. Perhaps you ought to leave him to rest for the day. He wasn't going to go anywhere.

The guards outside saluted you "Anything good out of him, ser?"

"Not even a shred of anything useful."

"Do not fret , ser. You have must patience with these lots. Lasreeb is not liked around 'ere," one of the guards whispered "He is a sloth, lazy slob with a badmouth for a wife. Say ser, do you want the two of us to do anything else for you?"

>No, remain at your posts. Goodbye gents [Pursuer another lead of your choice]
>Actually i did have something at mind for one or two of you....
>write in

>>1771869
>I need you to look around for a package, especifically somebody who could have recieved a a small package from another country that could harbor a slug.
Also
>I need to know if there is an entomologist in this town, i could use some help identifying this unknown creature

>>1771883

"A what?" One of the guards asked.

"One who deal their insects and their ilk you dolt." The other guard corrected him. " Haven't heard of a man of insects in our town."

"Wait a tick, The rat might know, he got eye 'n ears in every corner!"

"Idiot!" replied the man to his comrade before addressing you before addressing you again "I don't want you ser to mangle with this filth but tis true; Shareez the rat knows the ins and outs for everything but as the name suggests, this eastern is a silver hording vermin. You have to yank every single word out of his tongue with silver."

"Understood, thanks for the help gents." You left with Morgue with a tad bit of information and a hungry stomach, walking back to the household would take even more precious time of this day.

> [Ignore the hunger, Pursue another lead of your choice]
>[look for a food outlet in this district]
>write in

>>1771933
>[look for a food outlet in this district]
Look for a place that doesn't smell like dead... People.

>>1771941
There was a Tavern not too far away from the Morgue. it had the stench of spirits reeking from it but anything could topple the ongoing stench outside.

The sign outside wasn't that of a crow; A ram's head split wide open by an axe. It was called [/blue] Jolunt [/blue]

You entered the fine establishment aiming for a seat preferably away from prying eyes. The place was bustling with movement , laughter and violence apparently as two burly men were kicking the hell out of each other around a circle of cheers and roars. It seemed the tavern also had a small space for indoor fighting probably for silver by the looks of it.

The Tavernmaster was a woman who have passed her good, youthful years yet she looked like she could submit most of the men in her Tavern. This woman was fairer and paler than almost everyone you have seen in your life. She was serving some fresh ale to a weeping woman at the moment.


Soon, She turned to you " Oskal vanah What can i bring ye?"


> a simple meal
>a decent meal
>a lavish meal

and/or

>you are not from here, aren't you?
>Some drink, nothing too fancy
>Some, drink the good stuff
>nothing, i am here to rest my mind a bit
>whats wrong with her
>write in

>>1771970
> a simple meal
We must show refinement in this sea of vulgarity
No indulgence in public

>whats wrong with her
"I take it this is normal" Nod your head subtly towards the woman

>>1771975
"That's be fifty silver . If you are plannin' on stayin' you can be pay later."

"That won't be necessary." You gave her the coin. "Some one with coin for a change, Do you want the regular food served her or something akin to my tastes. Both have the same price."

"Surprise me." You waited for about fifteen minutes before a delicious dish was in front of. You weren't sure of the exact ingredients but it was divine; It filled your gullet and left you satisfied. The fair woman brought you a cup of water too, free of charge.

The Tavernmaster caught you glancing over the now-drunk weeping woman "Her husband bedded a harlot in Stril on their anniversary. Had it been me, I would split him in half. "The woman looked at her greatsword pinned on the wall, It was a monster of a weapon.

"Isa Kansuz." She introduced herself to you with a warm smile.

"Anil Basdrov, Pale officer of the thirteenth fold stationed in this contient."

She glanced over the fighting quickly for a moment "The man from the city, you came for Esine, didn't you? Golaky Tisare, monke filierh . He was a joyful man, what a shame. How fairs the investigation?"

>A snail's progress.
>Could have been better if this town wasn't brimmed with incompetent fools
>Non of your business
> Where are you from? I swear i have heard your tongue before
>write on

>>1771993
>Could have been better if this town wasn't brimmed with incompetent fools
"If the people i have to work with were half as competent as their cooks. The case would be as good as closed by now."

That aside
> Where are you from? I swear i have heard your tongue before

>>1772000
"Regardless, find the man who did this and put him down."

"That i will" you assured her "If pale officers where based on skin colour, you would be the best candidate out there. Where are you from?"

"I hail from the lands of the north where your nation's reach grows weak. I had some wanderlust in me back in my youth. I traveled to a lot of place in every corner. Seen a lot of face, befriended some, killed others as to be expected."

You haven't noticed the mementos pinned on the wall till now "These bones aren't growing any younger. I needed somewhere to rest; out of sight out of mind. Utobra welcomed me with open arms."

A large thud announced the defeat of one of the fighters. The other one, drunk with victory and ale barked at you "Hey Pale boy! Why don't you come here and test your mettle? Or are the cityfolks soft as their bellies??" the crowd cheered at excitement.

>[ignore them, keep chatting with Isa]
>[Leave the tavern, you had your meal]
>I will show you manners, you little runt.
>Insulting a Pale officer? You days as a free man are numbered
>write in

>>1772012
>I will show you manners, you little runt.
"Funny of you to call somebody a 'softbelly', considering that gut of yours"

Time to show these people what an officer can do, and that we are not to be messed with

>>1772017
"Hold my coat, I dont want it to be tainted by his black blood."

The crowd cheered loudly, the majority of them were betting against you. They would see how wrong they were in a moment.

"this is a clean fight, that means no cheap tricks, no biting, no hits under the belt and as for you ser, no arcane tricks."

Both of you nodded to the man organizing the fighting. True you weren't involved in street fights before but your were trained in close combat, it was part of a course to be a pale officer.

" I am going to smear this face to the ground and piss on it", your drunken opponent taunted you sticking out his tongue like a madman.

He was waiting for you to take your first move.

>[Close the distance, go for a quick jab]
>[bait him then go for an upper cut]
>[Continue strafing around, exhaust his patience]
>[Charge straight onwards, attempt to pin him to the ground.]
>[Temporary cloud his mind with a Pale Daze. Anil's affinity to Pale Daze: weak 40 of 60 pale will be used]
>write in

and roll d20

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>1772026
>[bait him then go for an upper cut]
Why use mind magic when you can use mind games?

>>1772028
Your feint baited him, it left him exposed for a powerful uppercut, he responded with a swift kick to keep distance, he spat blood on the floor "Fool me once Pale boy...fool me once Pale boy."


The crowd was anticipating the next move from either side. You could hear Mummers of doubt behind your back.

>[Close the distance, go for a quick jab]
>[Continue strafing around, exhaust his patience]
>[Charge straight onwards, attempt to pin him to the ground.]
>[Temporary cloud his mind with a Pale Daze. Anil's affinity to Pale Daze: weak 40 of 60 pale will be used]
>write in

roll d20

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>1772033
>Jab forward, try to hit the side of the jaw, then pull back quickly

>>1772035
Aw shit

>>1772035
Your opponent saw through your plan in a heart beat hitting you from the other side followed by a hard slam to the ground.

The crowd cheered his name as he paraded around you like he won, you stood after after this dizzying blow.

"Stay down, Pale boy, if you know the best for you."

>[Attempt to make him lose his balance]
>[Continue strafing around, exhaust his patience]
>[Charge straight onwards, attempt to pin him to the ground.]
>[Temporary cloud his mind with a Pale Daze. Anil's affinity to Pale Daze: weak 40 of 60 pale will be used]
>write in

roll d20

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>1772042
>[Attempt to make him lose his balance]
I like how "give up" is not even an option

>>1772044
You knocked his off with a well placed kick. Quickly, you slithered behind his back for a powerful choke, his face was getting red as he was struggling to break free.

He was so stubborn to tap out it seemed.

>[continue choking him]
>[release him, then go for a pick knockout punch]
>write in

roll d10

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>1772048
>[continue choking him]

>>1772048
>quick

>>1772049
Your constriction was so severe that he had to tap out. The crowd was ablaze despite of the match's short length.

The crowd soon dispersed. each went back to their table. Your opponent probably wouldn't show his face for a couple of days. The organizer approached you, his face was smudged with confusion " So uuh... I usually give the half back to winner. Don't know if this applies to folks of your title."

>give me the silver, i deserve it.
>keep it. I only wanted to straighten his tongue
>write in

>>1772052
>I'll take only half of that. On the condition that you don't parade around what occured today
Then go and buy a drink, we need something cold to put on the bruise that hit left

>>1772053
"Here's your share." The organizer gave you a hundred silver. Not bad.

You sat with a blooming bruise, You weren't used to beat-downs but nevertheless, you didn't show a hint of weakness to those around you.

The weeping woman was gone by now, you sat in her place ordering some fresh cold ale for twenty silver.

"He took on two men before you, you know. he was drunk too." said Isa as she washing a couple tankards.

"He should have kept his mouth shut. A good beating is better than a pale report."

"They speak of nothing but imprisonment and death. Tell me, Anil, Are you aware of the previous Pale officer that came here?"

>Yes, The ministry does not associate itself with such sadistic actions. We had a reformation recently to cull out the corrupted and the power-hungry
>No, what did he do?
>I would rather not talk about this
>write in

>>1772060
>Yes, The ministry does not associate itself with such sadistic actions. We had a reformation recently to cull out the corrupted and the power-hungry

>>1772062
"You sound like a good man," She left what she was doing, her tone became more serious "Watch your back ,good officer, these scars left by the previous officer will never heal. Not for the captain, Not for anyone..."

She went to serve another customer afterwards in pure silence.

>[Ask the woman of the north a question of your choice]
>[bid her farewell, leave the tavern]
>Write in

>>1772065
>[bid her farewell, leave the tavern]
Onto the next clue

>>1772067
you need to specify which one, you can find them in the latest mental map posted if you dont know

>>1772071
Do we know hwere Yezep lives?
Maybe if we know the exact circumstances in which the corpse was found, we would know why they took it

>>1772075
we don't know where he lives and we have already checked the place where the body was found where we got the only solid lead out of this place: white crow.

It is not advised to go to the rotten womb (where he works) since they are closing now (it is more or less aftertoon).

here is our last mental map
>>1762792

>>1772083
>>1772083
>afternoon

>>1772083
Let's go to the captain's office, he should know where we can find him after work

>>1772090
The Barracks was here in the Baush district, This shouldn't take long. Much like Yugiel, The captain too laid off for today. It didn't hurt to ask for Yezep's whereabouts inside barracks.

You were slightly concerned about the lack of high end firepower around here. You might want to address this in one of your reports.

"Well your are in luck ,ser" the guard continued "We have got him right here."

"What?"

"He found him a fancy ring in today's haul. Thought he could have it for himself.Any other valuables are distrusted equally on the everyone. A couple of months and he is a free man again."

> Mere months? Make them more, Thievery should not be trivialized by the system.
>A bit too harsh, perhaps?
>Show me his cell then
>write in

>>1772098
>Show me his cell then

>>1772099
"Right this way, ser."

The guard led you to the prison of this town. It was mostly vacant. Almost all of its current residence were from the poor districts. Poverty could turn even the most honest of men into sickly shades of their former selves.

Yezep had the look of a man who slept many nights without a curb of bread. His face shined like a beacon when you arrived "Oy! Right here ser officer ser!"

"Keep it down ,alright." The guard hushed him but the man was simply too excited " i knew ye would come.Before ye start yappin' some fancy words and whot not. Me got two things for ye: The first be that i got something big for ye, really big. The second be that me trap is shut until i got me a proper pardon and the fancy ring too! Blimey i could buy me a feast with that silver."

>Are you extorting me, worm?
>You will answer my questions [Use Pale Projection on Yezep ensuring that every word that comes out of his mouth is true .Anil's affinity to Pale Projection: Weak. 50 pale will be used, d10]
>A pardon is not within my jurisdiction you cretin. I have must a permission from the minstry fire.
>Guardsman, release this man on my behalf and bring back the ring to him [Sign his release papers]
>This man is due for a beating, don't you agree?
>Does this prison have a torture chamber? I might need one
>write in

>>1772103
Okay, this is my plan
>Ask him if he is really sure he wants to try and extort an officer from the Ministery that has enough authority to burn him to cinders
If he still doesn't want to talk then
>Tell him we can respect that, and gesture to the officer that he should accompany us to sign the release papers
>Make the officer fabricate a fake release paper and to grab the ring
>Roll the fake release paper and use the ring as a holder
>Present the order to Yezep quickly so he can see the official looking papaer and your signature in it
>Throw him the ring
>Tell him to start talking or you'll burn the release paper and he'll be charged with twice the time for stealing the ring again
>Once he tells us what he has to say, use the Pale Projection, throw the paper at him, and let the guards proceed as they see fit
>Bonus points for adding "You just burned EVERY chance for me to try and get you a shorter sentence" while we are leaving just to be petty

>>1772109
"Extort? boldly word there, officer. You starch me back and i will do yours!"

You remained silent for a while weighing his words "So be it, Let me handle the papers..."

"Bless ye, ser! Bless ye!"

You took the guard away from the man's cell. He was rightfully confused "Are you sure about this ser?"

"This is but a folly. You and i will bait him into talking and he will stay where he is. I need some fake papers and the ring." you explained the rest of your plan to the guard who was polite enough not to interrupt you.

"Ser, The ring was sold later today to travelling merchant for a thousand silver..."

>I think i am going insane...
>Fine, Fine... i will pay him of my own silver.
>Fetch me a thousand silver. I do not care where did it come from
>[Alter your original plan]
>Onto the beating then...
>So about this torture room....
>write in.

>>1772117
>you scratch

>>1772117
>I think i am going insane...
"You people destroy a crime scene, you let the local folklore get in the way of criminal investigation, you just sold evidence for a crime that was commited, what? HOURS AGO?"

>[Alter your original plan]
"Don't you have anything that could pass as the ring at a distance?"
We won't throw the ring anymore, we keep the order and the ring with us.
If he doesn't cough up, then we'll tell him we aren't interested anymore.
That should work.

That's as far as i can go today. I'll come back later.
Thank you for running

>>1772119
thanks for playing anon.

there is a map of Utroba in progress, i will probably post it tomorrow

>>1772119
The guard was visibly sweating as he should have. If this town was a person, you would strangle the life out of it for being this incompetent.

"I need rings, ANY ring. it is too dim for him to notice."

"Well, I got my wedding ring ser." The guard took it off for you. You proceeded as per your now-altered original plan.

Again, you approached Yezep with both the papers and the ring. You instructed the guard to turn down the lanterns a bit as it was approaching night time anyway.

The man was almost drooling in anticipation "Gimme, Gimme!"

"Scratch my back first, Yezep."

"Rioght, Rioght. So here is whot happened. Esine has acting strangely a couple of days ago. He is a loner when it comes to corpsefishing; no partners for his that one. Nighttime it was, we had to work extra this day since we got nil the day before."

"And?"

"He excused himself at the every end, he said that he be spending some good silver at that night on good bosoms. Me wanted to ask him about that feast he promised me and some of the boys that he didn't deliver. Lo and behold officer, I found her, The Swenak-Tyr next to his body"!

"Are you testing my patience?" You were about to tear the fake release paper from sheer anger.

"Wait! Wait! I swear on me da! It was her. Twice tall than any man, a woman and a crow together! Eye burning as all hells below! Pitch Black Feather large as a butcher's knife! She didn't see me a bit else i would join poor Esine She vanished like she wasn't there! I tell you, this be the truth and nil else!"

>You are spouting madness
>Get out of my sight you drunken fool
>[Ask him a question of your choice]
>Thank you kindly for your time [Give the wedding ring back to the guard, tear the papers and leave]
>write in

>>1772128
consider what can be considered this damned crow mother deamon. then see if any are there. for all we know its a deamon or some murderer playing dress up

>>1772384
sorry i went to sleep

continuing now.

>>1772384
You gave the ring back the guard throwing the useless paper on the floor. The guard jammed it back to his finger with slight difficulty.

"w-Wha? whot is the meaning of this?" but you paid him no heed as you exited the scene.

"Tell your captain that this Yezep should be under watchful eyes; i don't want him to escape from this paper mache prison and slit my throat in the night, Do you understand?"

"Y-yes ,ser"

You left the prison with a dark cloud of unease raining upon you. Could such a thing exist? This crow abomination?

It was nighttime already, You could ponder about on a later time.

>[head back to your household]
>[pursure another lead of your choice]
>write in

>>1774062
try and find the heathen soothsayers whom took the white crow. this will be unpleasant and rather horrid but it must be done

>>1773935
its fine

>>1774813
You wanted to have a word their those who sentenced to their death but it was perhaps unwise to stalk them in their own lands at this time of the day by yourself. You also needed their names, surely the captain would help you in such a trivial matter.

Nothing fruitful could be done under the cloak of the dark, you had to return to your household with so little accomplished.

Once you were inside, Borgol was waiting for you with a letter sealed with a familiar symbol "Ser, A courier has came today with a letter for you and you only."

"Thank you, Borgol. Tell Sasana to stop preparing a meal; I require no further interruption in my room for today." The fair lady's meal was simply everlasting in your gullet.

"Yes, Ser." the construct closed the door gently, he did open it again though with his head peaking out "Ser, May i accompany you tomorrow?I fear i am somewhat lacking in my terms of servitude."

>You are but a thick mule, you will slow me down. Stay here where you belong
>I could use some protection. A good chunk of this town would laugh at my dead corpse
>write in

>>1774888

Borgol I would think that is a good idea. And besides you seem to be one of the few beings around here who are not incompetent and useless.

I like the construct even if he isn't a human. Scratch that BECAUSE he is not human

>>1775042
The branded was pleased with your answer. He left with a smile on his face. At least he was showing signs of competence unlike those fools around you.

You sat alone on your desk, there was little time left in the day. better make use of it.


>Read the Ministry-sealed letter [Important]
>write your daily report [Important]
>Upgrade your Mental Map
>Commune with the pale
>write in

>>1775072
>Read the Ministry-sealed letter [Important]

>>1775072
read the letter

>>1775203
You opened the letter and slowly started to read it absorbing every word, It entailed the following:

"Most esteemed officer

Never have i experienced such excitement in weeks to no end. Bore have been festering on me since i was reassign here. I am more than eager to share a good drink with you when your investigation is done.

Onto the meat of this letter, What you have brought me is a maw spot . An arcane forbidden by the ministry. My people's Arcane differs greatly from the grace of the pale. It is fueled by the souls ancestors who tapped into a Ktyr-miseth or simply the maw .

Moving on, A short Maw spot is in simpler terms a teleportation spell. Judging by the symbols, it has been done in haste with little regards to the ancestors or the maw itself. Its distance can range from a few feet to two miles.

Anil, This caster is NOT a native, I am certain of it. He is either dead, gravely wounded or heavily mutilated. Our ancestors and the maw does not take lightly to sacrilege in general.

Finally, this maw spot usually has one or two ends. Like i said, they can not be that far. A thorough search around is most needed.

Best of luck in your endeavors,
Resah Gingol."

This could explain the needless thrashing and chaos in the morgue.

Most intriguing.

>write your daily report [Important]
>Upgrade your Mental Map
>Commune with the pale
>write in

>>1775284
>write your daily report [Important]

>>1775284
write your report, then commune. I have a feeling we will need this magic when tomorrow comes

>>1775286
>>1775305
it was time for your daily report. You eyes were growing heavy, you wrote the following:


"Case #01
Anil Basdrov, the thirteenth fold

My today's finding were not as i hoped they would be. I started the day by visiting the Morgue's owner Lasreeb....

>Who was but a waste of time. He is too dumb to be an actual suspect.
>Who provided naught of worth to me, yet, he is not above suspicion
>who was partially responsible for the corpse's theft due to the lack of security. He confessed tampering through his co-worker's belongings...he is not to be trusted. I recommend someone akin to young mortician to replace him as soon as possible. [+1 favor]
>write in

One of the leading evidences proved to be that of a foreign slug instead of common black grease. I will soon find its source in the town [+1 favor]

I paid a visit to a local tavern....

>Where i have met a woman of the north called Isa, she killed men and women during her travels. Some might belong to this very nation. I demand a swift arrest and a swifter interrogation [+1 favor]
>Where a drunk regular insulted me, I demand an arrest in the near future for such a crime [+1 favor]
>Where i straightened the tongue of some cretin with my fists [-1 favor]
>Where the food was cheap and yet unique, some belonged to the land of the north.
>write in

Finally i met with the man who found the body, Yezep....

>Who tried to extort me for information, I demand a hefty increase in his sentence [+1 favor]
>Who rambled about more native hogwash
>Who , after some persuasion , said that the victim had the Swenak-Tyr , a native legend, looming over his corpse. I can not disregard this information be it of truth or fiction [-1 favor]
>write in

>>1762314
Finally, I....


>would require more means to protect myself [-3 favor]
>shamefully ask for more funds for the future [-3 favor]
>promise the best outcome within my capabilities.
>write in

favor write ins are prone to both positive and negative favors
sorry anons but i will have to go to sleep

goodnight

>>1775352
>who was partially responsible for the corpse's theft due to the lack of security. He confessed tampering through his co-worker's belongings...he is not to be trusted. I recommend someone akin to young mortician to replace him as soon as possible. [+1 favor]

>I took the chance to engage with the community and managed to garner some respect outside of what i get inherently from my position. I believe this will help me in further interactions with these people. As a closing note on this establishment, the food is commendable.

>From what he told me, i now suspect somebody is using the native legends to disguise their use of arcane. Mantling as creatures from the local folklore might be enough to confuse the locals and give them relative safety to continue their misdeeds. I'll look into this matter personally. The eye of the ministry can't be fooled by mere trickery.

>promise the best outcome within my capabilities.

Do we save favor from previous letters or is it gone once we send it away?

also, good night, thank you for running

>>1775352
night night

the fool was incompetent and almost completely useless but whith his incompetence he led to the corpse being stolen, he is a fool and I recoomend that he be replaced with the young mortician or someone of similar skill and disposition [useful and enthusiastic to help the ministery]

I paid a visit to a local tavern and found a nordish woman, who served uniqe and good food. furthermore my meal was soured by a drunken fool whom insulted me, he guards were adept but I request a inquisitor to come and inspect this pits legal system. it needs some.....tougher refinement

whom tried to extort me for information. I request he have his sentence tripled. he divulged him to be a fool who sprouted about some loval ledgend killing the man. of course this is hogswash but I also have been informed by our minestry that the corpse may have been taken through a maw spot, or rather a teleportation spell. I will continue to look for its exits on the morrow

in closeing, I will promise the conclusion of this case will close quicker.

[optional]also may i report these people hold a good quality construct. it is rather effeciant in its dutys and of pleasant disposition. I may requisition this at a later date

>>1775373
I think we do

Rolled 1 (1d2)

rolling

previous unused favors: 1
>>1775373
>who was partially... [+1 favor]

>I took the chance...[0 favor]

>From what he told me... [-1 favor] [the ministry demands confirmed results, it despises uncertainty and baseless postulations]

>>1775379
>the fool was... [+1 favor]

>i paid a visit to... [-1 favor] [The ministry does not bother itself with such trivializing matters like local tavern fights unless it involves the arcane somehow. An Inquisitor belongs to the Holy Ministries of religious regulations, he deals with a plethora of heresies in this nation.]

>Who tried to... [+1 favor]

note that while favors can't go to the negatives, It will displease the ministry. Since this is Anil's first case, The ministry can possible replace Anil with a better officer should they continues to displease the ministry.

>>1777011
right. this is a bit unnice

so we have net total 1 favour

File: crow.png (161 KB, 2653x2940)

161 KB PNG

Shortly after writing report, you spent a good portion of the night communing with the pale. In a brief moment, you received a message of sorts from this wondrous plane of existence .

Your immature mind could not interpret the meaning of this message. This was not a surprise to you. However, you could feel a powerful emotion echoing inside your mind.

Anger

True, you haven't used the Pale in a while. It was said that the Pale would get...Jealous and envious when its discipline would be aware of another arcane force. In this case, it was this Maw the tainted pale officer spoke about. You should not neglect the pale for too long.

Your Pale has increased from 60 to 80 for tomorrow

Your mind was absolutely spent by now, you upgraded your mental map with haste before delving into some deep sleep.

1/2


>>1777011
>should he
>>1777033
yes

File: utroba map 4.jpg (587 KB, 1833x1990)

587 KB JPG

-------Day three------

Your day started like the two before; a decent breakfast made by the old maid. however there was a single exception; Borgol was waiting for you downstairs. he held a piece of paper that he proudly showed it to you "Good morning ser, I spent all night drawing this map from my memories in this town. I hope you will like it, ser."

>Do you count me for a fool ,construct? I need no map. Never will i get lost in this squalid town
>Look like it was drawn by in bred child. Fetch me a good map. Construct.
>Thank you kindly, Borgol. It will surely serve me in the future.
>write in

>>1777057
thank you kindly borgal

yet more being useful

>>1777078
You gladly took the map, you were already knew about the town's seven's districts. Nol-Ti was probably where the natives lived, It had more leather than bricks around. Truly a backwater area fit for these savages.

You exited the household with Borgol who assumed a protective stance around you. "Where are we going ser?"

>What do you think, Borgol?
>[pursue a lead of your choice
>write in

>>1777090
persue the lead of the what the omen and the crow mothers mix with.

so for that we need either a library or the crow mothers. we need to investigate local hogs wash ledgeds

>>1777145
You wanted to know more about this omen and the rest of the crow mothers. The captain would be a fine start, you had a lot of order to issue to him.

The little crow, Opua, has been cooperative with you so far. Perhaps she could help you either.

Another option was to head for the native's rotten home. you feel more confident with Borgol around.

If all failed you can resort to the rat everyone has talked about. This supposed trove of information could benefit you- for the right price.

>Go to the captain in the barracks
>Go to the morgue. perhaps the little crow could be there.
>Go to the poorer districts, ask for the rat
>Go straight to Nol-Ti
>write in

>>1777164
I don't think that rat would like to talk with us again.

hmmmmmmm, lets go to the captain. it would do to keep our eye on the town guard. lets see if they continue to disappoint us.

and are we allowed to detain and torture beings? I might need that for the rat

>>1777171
sorry for the delay;, had a bit of trouble in home. Will continue now

>>1777171
The captain was indeed in the barracks in his own office. A big one at that.

"I will be here ser." Borgol waited outside of the office. Good, you would be able to talk more freely.

He was dealing with the finances of the guards when you entered. You had this feeling that he was half expecting you.

"This doesn't make any sense..." he muttered to himself momentarily before addressing you "Good morning Officer, how can i help you?"

>How fast can your men comb this whole district? i think i might be onto something
>I need the names of the trio who attempted on my very own life. They will be executed when my investigation is done.
>I wanted to talk to you about the previous Pale officer who blighted this town...
>I could like to know more about this 'omen'. i reckon you might know a thing or two.
>write in

>>1777267
I require three things officer. the names of those whom threatened us, I need to track them down for answers later. two is how fast may your men comb the district in a two mile radius from the mourge? and finally what do you know of the "omen" and its meanings. if you know nothing then where else may I take my attentions to learn more .

and as a side note what does not make sense captain?

>>1777398
"You are going to have them executed, aren't you?"

You only gave him a stern gaze, he begrudgingly continued "You will have them the first thing in the morning."

As for the rest of your orders, Tevinii said it could take a couple of days to fully search the district mainly due to manpower combined with the fact of the Baush district being the 'industrial' part of the town.

This omen was a 'curse' of sorts according to the captain. It had a different variants from rat infestations to plagues what could wipe out half of the town. No one was certain when it would happen too.

"Would you like anything else, ser?" asked the captain, half of his mind fixated on his papers.
>Have no sympathy for these savages, Captain.
>I wanted to talk to you about the previous Pale officer who blighted this town...
>thank you for your time [leave]
>write in

>>1777458
tell me of the moronicly heavy handed officer who has made my stay here all the more difficult with his sadism.

>>1777469
The red headed eye's widened as if he was struck by lightning refusing to meet yours "I do not wish to talk about this."

>I demand it
>For once, you should have bent the law he is using as a guise for his fetishes even if meant your death
>Our words are the law. They must obeyed no matter the circumstances
>You did the right thing, captain. There is no reason to have guilt inside of your heart.
>This man does not represent the ministry, Captain. I hope you are aware of that
>write in

>>1777485
hmm, it seems that it has caused some manner of..... anguish. but I assure you he is not the correct representative of my organisation. him and his ilk have been culled.

and for what it is worth captain, I am truly sorry.

>I believe that is out business done, lets get out of here

>>1777500
The captain didn't utter a word as you left his office. Borgol followed your trails, his eyes briefly checked on Tevinii "Is the captain going to be alright, ser?"

"I hope so," You left the barrack in a hurry, armed with new information marching towards another lead.

.

sorry anon but we will have to continue tomorrow. I can't form cohesive thoughts right now. Sorry about the long delay/short updates

>>1777529
its fine, if I expected to be answered right away and in paragraphs it takes an hour to read, I would go to a local DND session.

so night night

anyone still around?

>>1781548
I'm here

it was still early in the morning, Yet another cart filled with corpses from the rotten womb. It was dripping all of the streets. How disgusting.

Some street Urchins were playing with a small rubber ball, throwing it around the busy streets. One of the kids who was about to catch it bumped into you by accident. Your clean coat was tarnished from said bump.

The child was on the ground from the impact. His trembling eyes met yours awaiting judgment.


>[Kick the child for miring your clothes.]
>I will take this [Confiscate his ball]
>[Remain silent, move on]
>Get out of here you damn cretin
>write in

>>1781663
>this day is getting more and more irksome

>remain silent, look at the tarnish, look at the boy, look annoyed and carry on.

we don't want to do our heavy handed predecessor justice by making the next inquisitors stay difficult. And there will be another one, this kind of rot always comes back

>>1781669
>>1781669
The child and his friends scattered away from your ire. They should have played in their poor district away from decent folks. A guard was eyeing you this whole time, when the children dispersed. He became less tense.

You couldn't blame him, Pale Officers are but sadistic monstrosities to these people.

"Tell me, Borgol, have you killed someone?" the thought passed on your mind randomly.

"I have ,ser. Across all of my previous masters."

>[say nothing, pursue another lead of your choice]
>How does it feel to kill a fellow man. I am yet to taint my hands in blood
>Do you like it? Will you kill again for the sake of it?
>Do you have any regrets?
>write in

>>1781672
how does it feel to you? do you regret it? I'm not sure how I would react, my hands being unbloodied as they are

>>1781681
"I am most blessed to have good masters. They ordered me to kill those who could harm them or their loved ones. I can not refute any order of my masters including you ser."

"So if i ordered you to crush a child, will you do it?" you asked.

"Yes. but i wouldn't like it, ser." what an intriguing answer. There was much to be learned about these branded it seemed.

>Where do you think we should go next, Borgol?
>[Pursue a lead of your choice]
>write in

>>1781686
you are an intriguing being borgol, very intriguing
tell me, if you were in my shoes. what would you look at next?

[I have my ideas, but lets see what the construct says]

>>1781688
"The foreign black slug ser, You haven't found its source. Perhaps you could ask someone who have seen a lot or traveled a lot?"

"I got two guards asking about it but it might take some time till they prove useful...hmmm..."

>[Pursue a lead of your choice]
>write in

>>1781699
someone's who's travelled along the continent. AH, the nordling. TO THE TAVERN

borgol is now officially the best character in the quest.

>>1781704
"Borgol, you are a genius." Your spirit were rekindled once more as you rushed to the Jolunt

The Tavern was almost empty with a few drunk regulars sleeping off from last night. You almost stepped on a tooth inside. Probably a flying debris from last night's match.

The Tavernmaster was surprised to see you, she lowered her voice courtesy to the sleeping drunkards around " Oskal vanah , Anil, Running on an empty stomach again?"

>Actually, I have another matter to discuss with you... [Tell her about the slug]
>Why not? There is something dazzling about your food [Order something ]
>write in

>>1781714
not for your lovely food this time I'm afraid, but I must ask you about a certain matter [the slug]

>>1781717
The woman of the north combed her memories for a couple of seconds "I saw them before in my eastern travels. I don't know if they are sold here but anyone have them it has to be Methrude ."

"Who is this Methrude?" You asked.

"A merchant in Old Urse, she deals with shady supplies. One that are not shown in the open." Borgol joined the conversation with yet another useful conversation.

"True," The woman replied "Anil, do you trust me?"

>Yes
>No
>Depends...
>I Trust no one
>write in

>>1781727
I trust no one but in your case I will make an exception.

I get the feeling this is unbecoming of a pale officer but god damn it he's so damn good at his job

>>1781729
"I want you to come here when the sun sets, in plain clothes , alone and unarmed . I will lead to you to Methrude herself; she doesn't take kindly to strangers let alone men of the ministry."

>I order you to reveal her location to me at once.
>Preposterous! i will not be herded in this fashion!
>Too risky, I will find this lead on my own then
>I could ask the captain to simply arrest her, there is no need for this charade
>It better be worth it...
>write in

>>1781739
I could ask the good captain to arrest here.
please tell me what I can gain from doing this that an arrest wont? but I'm open to it

>>1781743
"You haven't been inside the Urse districts before, no? She is the de facto leader of the wretched and the poor in the old while her brother Tizah reigns over the new. The Mykre has been ignoring them for a good reason. It will be a bloodbath, Anil."

>So be it, The blood of the fallen will wash out this unlawfulness.
>You are right, I will meet you soon, then.
>This is still a suicidal move, i will find the slug on my own
>write in