Habololy Forum

Addendum to File, Investigator E. Blanchard

8 Trest 784  Possible Witness/Informant with information relating to the unsolved murder of Abram Stormmoon
Name Colminal Falce, Nationality Intorian (mixed ancestry, possibly Horarian) Gender: Male; Age: Approximately 26
Occupation: Stevedore/Deck Hand (non-union)

Colminal Falce was interrogated at the Shrine of the Bountiful Seas, in the presence of High Cleric Faison and Deputy N. Millerson. 

The subject of the interrogation was the alleged statements made by Falce while recovering from injuries inflicted by a dock gang.  Falce was believed to have been offloading a vessel known as the Black Gull without the aid of local stevedores.  His injuries necessitated clerical intervention and a symbol of Lavash'Ki was found on his person he was brought to the shrine for healing.  As he had no money or items of sufficient value on his person (investigator's note: need to add robbery to the charges against the stevedores) the clerics provided him with only the bare minimum and allowed him to remain in the shrine under their watch.  As he was a potential witness a deputy was assigned to keep watch over him.
During the first night Deputy Norman Millerson distinctly heard Falce say the name Abram Stormmoon.  Deputy states that the subject was delirious and appeared to be revisiting a conversation on the subject of Mr. Stormmoon's murder.
The following morning First Deputy Firepeak assigned me to interrogate him and drew from the treasury sufficient funds to pay for his healing.  Upon being awoken and confronted the subject appeared terrified and refused to answer any questions unless given a promise of protection by his majesty's government.  I returned to the castle to inform the First Deputy and the Lord Mayor.  Shortly thereafter Falce escaped from the shrine, knocking the deputy on duty unconscious in the process.  I also learned that the Black Gull had left harbor without taking on cargo immediately after Falce was assaulted.  As there is no record of what they supposedly off loaded I can only assume it was a smuggler's ship.

Efforts to locate Falce have so far been unsuccessful.   

The File:

The investigation of the Stormmoon household proved fruitless.  First, given the size of the mansion and the wealth of the family, the staff was very small; only four comprised of a groundskeeper, chef, cleaner and secretary.  Second, the decedent dismissed the staff during his period of seclusion and had not yet hired them back at the time of the murder.  Fortunately the staff members were easy to locate as the Stormmoon children had hired them to their own homes while they attempted to convince their father to rehire them.

The staff confirmed what was already well known: Abram Stormmoon was crushed by his wife's death, withdrew from his family and friends, becoming increasingly distant and isolated until late 782 when he appeared to make a recovery.  By all accounts he had always been an independent man, hence the small staff, and was dedicated to his family, his city and the Kingdom.
I don't believe his family played any part in this murder.  This was an assassination; his work on the Council, his business or some other interest is the motive for this crime. 

Ramsey reads through the case documents and any available public records searching for a few specific bits of information:

-Where are the three Stormmoon children that do not live within the city?

-What happened to the currently deceased Stormmoon child?

-Who replaced Stormmoon on the Council?

First- Note that I corrected the date of the murder to Coustus not Wavery 783.

The answers to all three questions are contained in the file:  The three living Children are Michael, Gideon and Katrina.  Michael and Katrina are members of the Kingdom's military, Michael is a Kaelan (major) assigned to the army's elite Guardian Brigade.  Katrina is a  Thelan (Captain) in the Navy.  Gideon is estranged from the family.  He has forsaken the faiths of Stasis and Habastly and joined the Cult of Drunbarr.  His whereabouts are presently unknown.

Immediately after the murder all three children returned home from the funeral.  Michael was given leave from the army and was unanimously chosen to serve his father's term on the council.  However in early 784 he was recalled to active duty.  Katrina was then given leave to return as the Navy has had little difficulty with the Elves and she was not aboard a combat vessel in any case.  She was unanimously selected to finish the term, which is due to end at the end of 784.

The deceased child was Loriella.  She died as an infant.

Only the abrupt change from unseasonably warm to bitter cold gives anyone pause and no one is making predictions (except the occasional Frostine worshipper). As for the temperature no it stays cold and nothing melts.

How long before we can move about the city without having to deal with big snow delays?

Brevis, what can you tell us about our base of operations?

The storm blows for five more days, dropping over 10 feet of snow on the city. After the storm ends the wind continues, blowing from the north and northwest without a break.  Drifts leave alleyways completely blocked. The temperature does not rise above freezing.

The File:

You open the file to find 10 pieces of parchment, bound with waxed thread and treated with a wax or oil to protect the ink.  Each page is covered with meticulous handwriting in the margins and notes in tiny elven script outside the margins.

Murder#8, 15 Costus 570 PsA (783)
Assigned Investigator: Udarin Thate, Second Deputy and Chief Investigator of the Royal City of Port Phiam.  Special Assignment by order of First Deputy Constable Brentan Firepeak.
Location: Uncertain, likely North of the King's Road, West of the Hall Walk. No crime scene.
Victim: Abram Stormmoon
Race: Human; Gender: Male; Age: Approximately 74; Spouse: Astra, Deceased, age 66, Northut, Main Continent, Disease
Cause of Death: Incision of the wind pipe, arteries and veins of the neck, resulting in asphyxiation and exsanguination; weapon likely a wire garrote.
Location of the discovery of the Victim: City Dump, South side, exposed to the elements.  Body was stripped naked.
Person who discovered the Victim: Tama Ember, Resident of Northwest Ward, Age 70.
Classification: High Crime: Intentional Murder
Motive: Unknown
Suspects: None.  Target of Investigation: None
Special Circumstances: Victim is a life long city resident.  Member of the Directing Council of the City for 12 years at the time of Death.  Business interests: Vinter and Brewer.  One of the wealthiest subjects of the City, possibly the Kingdom. (Decedent spent considerable sums of money in the months between his wife's death and his own. Unable to account for the purchases.  Much of the family fortune had already been distributed to the children at the time of his wife's death.
Subject had seven children, six presently living, three of those in the city, all employed by the family business. The three children in residence cooperated with my investigation volunteering to be questioned in a Zone of Truth despite prohibition against use of the spell in investigations.

No witnesses saw the body deposited in the dump.  Body discovered by Ms. Ember near dawn. Every morning residents of the Northwest Ward scour the dump for valuables or usable items.  Whoever left the body knew it would be found right away.  No fear of capture. Bold.
Responding constables did not disturb the body per standing orders.  Does not appear subjects disturbed the body either. No drag marks to the scene.  No animal prints.  Area too heavily traveled to reveal humanoid prints. He bled elsewhere, minimal blood at the location.  There has to be a scene somewhere he was almost empty.

After consultation with the family the decedent was interrogated by high cleric of Stasis, Thelis Cinas.  The following questions and answers were recorded:
1) Do you know who killed you? No
2)What prevented you from seeing them? Attacked from behind.
3)Where were you when you were attacked? Near the King's Road
4)What were you doing? Walking home from dinner with Council Lady Fairwind.
5) At what time? around 10. This was a wasteful question posed by the cleric before I could interjectI stand corrected, see below.
6) Did you see anyone suspicious on your walk? No   
7)Who else was at dinner? Councilman Corson
8)Have you had any problems recently in the Council? No
9)Have you had any problems with family? No

Following up on the questions posed by the cleric all likely routes from Ms. Fairwind's home to the Stormmoon estate were searched for a scene.  None was located.
Ms. Fairwind and Mr. Corson were interviewed and cooperated fully.  Their interviews offered little insight.  Both council members stated that the primary purpose of the dinner was social; the decedent had been reclusive in the months immediately following his wife's untimely death but had recently regained some of his vigor.  Some council business was discussed, centering on the troubled with the stevedores.  None of the three are fond of Ward or Pinter Dockwright; hardly surprising.
The most important piece of information from the interviews was that the dinner ended before 700 and that the decedent walked east rather than south, which would be the expected route. Where in the Nine Hells did he go for those three hours? Even at his age its at most an hour and a half to his home and he was very fit.
Based on this new information a five block section east was searched without result.

A review of the council activity in the week before and two weeks after the murder show no council action of controversy.

More to come . . .

Unless there is something you need to accomplish, and it can be done in a few overnight hours, you set out the next morning overland to Phiam.

Donovan shakes his head. "I don't know the players there anymore. The first deputy Brentan Firepeak has a good reputation; supposedly the best fighter in the constabulary, though for the work we do I'll take Chartal the Bull anyday. The second deputy Udarin Thate is supposed to be the best investigator in the Kingdom but I've never met the man." Thinking for a moment, "There were two sergeants I worked with who were both still there last I checked." "Curran Spence is a good man, half elf actually, who knows his business, he may be an investigator now. He always had a good relationship with the non-human population." "The other was Tramel Quarterman; street smart and tough he always had good information. He was the one guy the Rats were a little afraid of in those years."

"As for who to turn to for help, well I really don't know. Depends on the trouble your in but in Phiam, when I was there, the only person you could count on was you."