Orlando woke up with the little green girl staring at him.
With a mixture of playfullness and fright she gestured him to look downstairs, where somebody uninvited was rummaging around.
It was the local Kenku Shaman, Barnabeak, which Orlando found odd enough to run down and catch the feathered fellow.
Barnabeak had grown up on a ship so his mimicry was based on sailor jargon making it difficult to understand but by the time Amelia and Alfein woke up and joined the conversation, it was clear Barnabeak had heard about the fight at the Copper Pixie the night before and had brought a healing potion in case anybody was injured.
Or at least that was his claim, but when the heroes let slip that there was a girl somewhere that they had now lost while chatting, Barnabeak’s quirky pirate-y speech turned to the normal common tongue and he was very interested in the disappeared girl.
The heroes felt uncomfortable with the nosy Kenku and sent him out through the door.
As soon as he was gone, the girl appeared out of thin air. It turned out she could become invisible on command.
Furthermore the heroes were able to get the first word out of her when she introduced herself as “Shatter” before falling on all fours and running around like a feral cat.
Inquisitors Karl Jorgenholt and Lopper Goldsmith
Looking out the window to verify Barnabeak had indeed left, the heroes noticed the Daisyguard at the Copper Pixie. Two stood out wearing the Daisygate colours but not with chainmail and spears. Instead they wore regular cloaks with rapiers at their sides: Daisyguard Inquisitors. They were clearly investigating the murder of Daryl Dug-Deep.
And soon they were knocking on Amelia’s door.
While Orlando and Alfein hid, Amelia talked to the two Inqusitors. The somewhat unpolished Karl Jorgenholt, a large sweaty and sneezing man with his uniform in a state of disarray, while his colleague the tall and slender Lopper Goldsmith was immaculate, sophisticated and well spoken gentleman.
while Amelia didn’t learn much, she was able to exit the Inqusitors without them finding the other heroes in her place which would have looked mysterious.
Alfein heads back to the Copper Pixie
Alfein decided to go straight out the main door and walk to the Copper Pixie, while Orlando headed back to his base, The Golden Carnation.
Alfein was met by the investigators and managed to remain out of the grasp of the law, eventhough her array of knives, daggers, short swords did raise their eye brows.
Orlando reports a hate crime
Orlando decided to walk from his home towards the Copper Pixie to create a fuss by wanting to report a hate crime by the iron Masquerade the night before, much to the surprise of the Inquisitors.
The tactic worked and inquisitors made it clear that while they knew of Orlando’s shady business, they thought it unlikely that he would have commited the crime. Instead they asked for his help as he would be able to keep and ear closer to the ground.
Back at Divine Petals Bridal
Back at Amelia’s shop, Divine Petals Bridal, the heroes regrouped, not sure where to go next.
They had learned that Daryl had been killed by a vicious poison that had prevented Amelia’s healing prayers to take affect.
Could Barnabeak create such a lethal concoction?
The answer came to the heroes as Barnabeak was returning with four cloaked figures.
The heroes decided to setup defences inside. Orlando waited by the frontdoor, Amelia in the middle and Alfein at the backdoor that she also rigged with a dangerous trap.
The two Iron Masks coming from the backdoor were met with a nasty surprise.
And as Barnabeak and the other two Iron Masks came through the frontdoor to help, they were faced with Orlando and Amelia.
It was a tough fight, but in the end the heroes had dispatched the iron Masks and Orlando captured Barnabeak in a headlock.
The irritated heroes were now expecting answers from the feathered fellow.