Scene 1: The train from Korranberg

After several hours of drinking and merry-making, Garth excuses himself and returns to the car with his quarters, stumbling and humming the whole way.

Garth sits on his edge of his cot contemplating what he has learned through the fog of his drunkenness. Deciding that thinking would be easier if he laid down, the young gnome does so...

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What seems like moments later there is an intense knocking at his cabin door. Garthinok also hears hurried footsteps moving up and down the train car.

A familiar voice comes to Garth through the door. It is low in volume, perhaps attempting to avoid being overheard, but that also makes it hard for Garth to hear what is being said. As he opens his eyes Garth is momentarily shocked by the darkness. The saying "blind drunk" springs to mind and the panic starts to set in, when a flash of light from the window shows Garth he hasn't suffered some alcohol related calamity, but has slept through the day deep into the night. The light is coming from the opposed lightning stones that keep the rail hovering off the ground. Another flash and an other round of severe knocking.

Mintina raises her voice so Garth can finally hear it. "Sir!" she is in a panic it would seem. "My traveling companion is not answering. I've searched the rest of the train and haven't found him! He has to be in here and he isn't answering. He might need help please!? Get the conductor and have him bring the keys!"

Garth rolls off the bed, and lands on the floor, having misjudged where the edge was. With a groan, he stands up and moves over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open.

"I'm here. What's going on?" he asks, rubbing his eyes, both to rub out the sleep and get them to focus properly.

Mintina turns startled when Garth opens the door. She pushes Garth in backward into the room with both hands as she yells down the corridor. "Nevermindthankyou!"

Once clear she slows down and shuts the door, letting it click into place. She collapses with her back against the door, her head down, hiding her face. Her shoulders shake and she lets out a huge sob. Slowly she raises her head and Garth can see tears streaming her face. "I-i-it's C-C-Corfan. H-he-he-he's dead. Somebody..." She pauses and takes a deep breath to steady herself. "Somebody killed him, him and um...um...the one with the hair, Xala. Sinove is missing. They ransacked the whole car."

Cold spikes through Garth's chest as Mint's words register. "What?!" he stutters. He puts his hand on her shoulder, then removes it only to place it there again as his brain tries to wrap itself around what happened.

"Are we stopping? What do we do, now?" he asks. Confused, he sits down next to her on the floor.

"I-i-i d-don't think we are stopping until Zolanberg. The conductor said something about, if we stop the killer could get off the train and run away. At speed, it would be dangerous to jump at speed maybe. They sent word ahead though, so there will be security at the station when we arrive. And there's an inquisitive on board, he will be questioning everyone, us included, I think." the weight of matters causes her to fall silent.

Garth nods and stands. He reaches down for Mintina's hand to help pull her up, as well. "I was just going to suggest we go find the inquisitive, so this is perfect. Come on, Mintina, let's go help bring the killer to justice."

With a heavy heart, he follows the porter to his master's car, wondering why he doesn't feel more anger and rage. In all the pulp stories he read before, the young hero always felt the desire for revenge when his master was killed but, all Garth feels is cold empty.

The scene in Corfan's private car looks as though someone was waltzing with an air elemental while wielding a dagger. Everywhere you look there are papers strewn about. A few of the books that Corfan brought lie torn and shredded around the room, spines empty and broken. Every pillow or cushion has been slashed and emptied. Even the wallpaper is cut up and the paneling, were it isn't torn off the wall is battered. Whoever did this took their time. They may have also had a Silence spell in effect while they worked.

The Inquisitive, a half-elf, opens the door to Corfan's sleeping chamber and steps gingerly over a pool of blood, being careful not to disturb it. Garth cannot see what is happening on the other side, but you can see that the blood as lightning from outside sparks and lights up the small chamber for a second. The inquisitive is dressed in standard quality clothing and long brown over cloak with slits for his arms. He closes a hooded lantern as he approaches Garth and Mint. You see bronze medallion pinned above his heart. It is shaped like a basilisk, and labels this man as House Medani. If he possesses the Mark of Detection, it is hidden somewhere beneath his clothing. He also has a raven perched on his shoulder. It might be a pet, or a familiar.

"Master Garthinock Tamlish d'Sivis Viltrin Pokk? My sincere condolences on the...untimely death of your mentor. My name is Benedict Movanek d'Medani. I have been retained by House Orien to keep the peace on their train, and act as an impartial observer in case legal matters need to be settled with passengers. I regret that I did not anticipate this tragedy. I have dedicated myself to finding out what happened and finding the killer so that justice can be served. To that end, I am in the indelicate position of having to ask you to answer for your whereabouts this evening? I am told you were difficult to locate for the past...twenty or so minutes? Can you explain that?" The man looks down at you, not over his nose, but really looks down at you to evaluate your response and mannerism.

As the inquisitive approaches, Garth holds out a hand to shake, but then pauses and drops the hand to his side, shocked at the implication in his voice. "I... I was in my cabin," he exclaims, disbelief evident in his voice. "I spent several hours developing some contacts and then went back to my cabin to rest. I was asleep until Mint started banging on my door."

He scans the room with his eyes, taking note of the ordered chaos and the blood.

"Ah...yes. That was confirmed by your...contacts...moments before you arrived. Please understand, I am just doing my duty. I know this is unpleasant, but I must follow my procedures." He backs up a few steps before proceeding. "I imagine it would take some time to go through all this," indicating the mess in the sitting room, "but we do need to get started."

He walks over to the sleeping chamber door. "Ms. Haskal has provided a positive identity for the victims, but there is a woman missing. We must act fast in order to find her. My first question is what do you two think could be the reason for this crime? A simple assassination seems...unlikely. Given the destruction, a robbery seems more logical. My guess is whatever it was, Maester Severin would have kept it close to him. I would ask that we begin looking in the sleeping chamber. We have not had time to remove the bodies, but they are covered. I can give you a few moments, but we must begin working to save the Ms. Sinove."

Movanek opens the door again, and opens his lantern to shine a light inside. As Garth approaches he sees the sheet that covers Corfan and Xala. Spots of blood are seeping through highlight the wounds. Before Garth can take it all in, something catches his attention. A small brown book lays face down and open, one corner touching a pool of blood. "GARTHINOK" blazes large in golden letters. You've seen it before. Corfan has cast the spell Secret Page on the book.

Garth immediately walks over to the book. He makes sure to step over any of the detritus that litters the floor as he does so and leans down to pick up a corner of the book. "What have we here...?" Garth mumbles to himself, as he examines it.

As Garth turns the book over he sees the entire thing is covered in Secret Page writing. The words and numbers float a few centimeters above the page in illusory gold ink. He easily recognizes Master Severin's writing. The pages seem to make up a ledger, but it is clearly encoded. The letters are all written in dwarvish script...the base of the gnomish language...but it's gibberish as is. The numbers have been replaced by a made up symbols. Clearly some kind of cipher will be needed.

Flipping through the pages, gingerly because they are still wet on one corner, Garth gets to the front of the book. On the inside cover is an uncoded message, a letter, addressed to Garth.

"Garthinock

I'm sorry to burden you with this my lad. If you are reading this, it means something horrible has happened to me...or you're a snooping little rat! But no...no. You told me all I need to know that I am a marked man. That changeling may be the one who killed me, but it isn't responsible. They were hired to kill me for what I know...or knew...

Anyway, as I said, it brings me no joy to burden you with this information, but the fate of Khorvaire, or even the world hangs in the balance. What I am going to confess to you may shock you. It will change the way you remember me, and as much as I'd like to avoid that, I can't. I have skeletons in my closet, lad. I have sinned against our country, and every person in the five nations.

I used to be a part of an organisation known as The Aurum. The group considers themselves the true masters of the world. They operate under the guise of historian, antiquarians, collectors, and the idol rich. They use their wealth and influence only to make themselves more wealthy and influential. They don't care who they hurt, and some of them actively work to spread misery and destruction. And I used to be a part of all that. Never a big part, but I am not innocent.

The book you hold in your hands is the evidence that the rightful rulers need to root out the evil that is infesting their councils and courts. I was killed because they thought I could bring them down. They were right, I hope. I was on my way to deliver what I know knew to Boranel, the king of Breland. We met at the signing of the peace accords. He can be trusted. Mintina can be trusted, beyond that...TRUST NO ONE!

Corfan Severin d'Sivis

I almost forgot. You need the cipher for the ledger. The first letter is M. The first number is 12."

"Anything interesting, Master d'Sivis?"

As he reads the note, his eyes flood with tears and he has to blink them away a couple times during the reading.

"He knew this was coming... or suspected." Garth closes the book, holding it close. "Beyond that, I cannot tell you anything. Our mission, or task, just became more urgent." He turns to Mintina, giving her a small smile. "We have a lot to figure out, now."

Turning back to the inquisitive, he shakes his head, "I need to keep this quiet, at least until Mint and I are able to complete our mission. So..." he gestures to the mess and the body. "How do we make this go away with fewer the wiser?"

"I'm not sure we can keep the death a secret. The passengers, they have probably heard the commotion. They will talk, there would be rumor. We have to search for the woman. We can keep the details wrapped up, if the train staff does not talk...that is hard to promise. The official word can be that he passed of natural causes, a tragedy, but not shocking. Until we get to the station at Zolanberg. That will give us...hmm...two days, more or less?