Execution and Executioner

[Echelon13]

A gruesome sight awaited the residents of Aquor as the sun rose this morning: a man, clad in the armour of a City Watch Captain from Sundren's capital, was found strung up on two large reinforced wooden doors of a warehouse in the town's west. The local guard was quick to react, cordoning off the area and investigating the site of the grisly murder.

To the overly curious individual, or one good with swaying the words of off-duty guardsmen in their favour, the sight ? or mention ? of a black silk domino mask impaled on a stiletto is of particular note; it's presence is an announcement informing the populace that the most powerful and prosperous thieves' guild in Amn and along the Sword Coast has marked this territory as it's own, and any attempts to defy the lords of the underworld will be met with swift, brutal, and unavoidable justice.

The government of the fledgling City-State, however, remains tight-lipped on the situation, adamant that the event was a local gang attempting to scare the populace into believing that the notorious Shadow Thieves have arrived in the Sundered Valley.

[dharma]

Krislin hears word of the slaying and makes his way to Aquor to cast his eyes on the spot.

Upon reaching the area, he is greeted by closed-off commoners casting sidelong glances and a tight-lipped hush.

"Time to keep an eye open around here," he muttered as he padded around the city. He knew he didn't have much of a hope of finding them out in the open, but kept his ears perked at the Floating Flagon to hear anything that came along.

[moondiggidy]

Trent is on a roll at the blackjack table when he hears the rumors of the murder and the mark of the Shadow Thieves at the scene. He continues to play the table, but he is definetly not paying attention to what's going on.

"Sir? Are you sure you want to hit on 17?"

Trent waves his hand to stay, and busts the hand, down three hundred stags in a flash. He walks away from the table, smiling, and mutters to himself "There just might be opportunity for work in this town after all."

He takes the road to Aquor.

[Blue_Wyrm]

[Thieves' Cant - Int 16 - Amnish background]

Coming out of the Thayan Enclave where he had just been trading with Enchan, Roger strolled merrily down a city road when he saw a gathering of worried commoners. Approaching to find out more about the commotion, he then proceeded to ask around about what happened, until he managed to sort out enough "facts" between probable truth and overexaggeration to get a real idea of what happened on the scene.

Coming from Amn himself, he learned little more in his younger days than shades of rumours about the Shadow Thieves. He might even have worked for them unknowingly, Roger thought, with all the cargo he smuggled around or took forcibly from other ships, back when he wasn't persona non grata at Brynnlaw, home of outlaws of all sorts. The only thing he knew about them is that the organization was supposedly driven out of Waterdeep, as the Lords were quite openly boasting about it. Even then, were they really gone, he snorted...

Now, this last event involving this gruesome murder was apparently a coming out of theirs in Sundren. Why such a bold move? Why leaving evidence that points at them openly? Was it simply an assassin masquerading as a Shadow Thief? Who would dare doing that? Were the Shadow Thieves really so confident in their infiltration of Sundren that they could declare themselves openly? Was it a way to announce their presence so that potential members could be drawn to them? Was it a taunt towards the clergy and the government?

Being no imbecile, Roger had been witness to many questionnable coincidences since his arrival in Sundren; He tried to assemble the puzzle together, but many pieces were still missing. Putting that recollection of seemingly unrelated facts and events together was a nearly impossible task... A demon under a halfling disguise. The rise of dust sale in the streets. A dreadful shadow communicating with that mage Kaldaris. The Death of Red Blades who turned out to be Banites. The frequent visit of powerful Thayvians wizards at Jimmy's. Sightings of vampires and the purification of one of their spawns. Rumors of a bard with an accursed guitar...

Fascinated by how money is circulating between hands in the Sundren underground, Roger continued masticating these thoughts, trying to find or eliminate links as they came. With a bit of luck and a huge dose of prudence, I might get a cut too...

[Dark presence]

Lilly hears about the incident and starts asking around, using her guile and her diplomacy skills (twenty-something) to get information from the guards about this incident. Hearing about the symbols left behind, and recalling her days growing up in Amn helping her sister the thief, she immediately perks a brow.

"So the Shadow Thieves are coming to town? Well thats interesting. I think I know some people who will want to hear about that," Lilly thinks to herself.

[Echelon13]

As the days pass, the local government in Aquor and the state officials in Sundren City remain adamant that the murder was simply a facade - a ruse to make the populace believe that the Shadow Thieves are in town. However, some of the people of Sundren think otherwise, openly speculating on the "hows" and "whys" for their presence in the Valley; but the government is still tight lipped.

The situation in Aquor has improved, the body having been removed and the cordon lifted. What little information can be gleaned from the guards there indicates that the operation was swift, silent and brutally efficient, with literally no evidence left by the murderer or murderers. The watch on duty at the purported time of the murder reported no suspicious activity, and the majority of the town's inhabitants were asleep at that moment.

Further inquiries into the situation by individuals without official clearance are quickly dismissed or given wary glances by the guardsmen asked.