Session 2
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| +++ | Document Name: Calimacrux Cell - Mission 2 Progress Report 1 | +++ |
| +++ | Author: Varnias Nicodemus | +++ |
| +++ | Date: 3 147 815 M41 | +++ |
| +++ | Clearance Level: Carmine | +++ |
| +++ | If Author Deceased: Forward to Inquisitor Havelock Trantor (Ordo Hereticus) | +++ |
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Thought For the Day: The emperor gives and the emperor takes away. Who are we to question his motives?
As per orders, we have taken a detour to Sinophia Magna to investigate a rash of brutal murders. The captain of the Queen of Sepheris was most happy to accommodate our course correction once he saw who authorised the change. The crew were less appreciative and entered into a short fight with your humble servant Vern. As a result, Vern will be too injured to join us on Sinophia in the near future.
Our first action, once planetside, was to liaise with Arbitrator Adjutant Fihad Constantine. Upon reaching the precinct hall at Haarlock's Folly, we were informed by Arbitrator Constantine that a new murder had taken place with the same modus operandi as the previous four. We accompanied the Arbites to the scene.
The victim was one Bal Grey, a former PDF member and Rag Baron (mid-level boss) in the undertow criminal network. The door to his apartment had been shattered and the room was covered in blood. He had been ripped apart in a manner similar to the other murders. Bal had attempted to defend himself with a shotgun but, it seems, was unable to dispatch his assailant(s). We found some red fabric where something had been wrapped next to a hidden compartment in the floor. The contents of the cloth had gone missing Vials of Ghost-Fire Pollen Extract were also found in the apartment, presumably part of his underworld business. Neighbours said that four hooded figures approached the apartment before the shots were fired and left soon after.
In the alleyway outside, the Arbites found another body, judging by the state of the body, it had been dead for a while. The deceased had been shot multiple times by a shotgun at close range. He possessed no ID, but in one pocket were 8 spent shotgun shells. There were signs of a pre-mortem operation on the nape of the deceased's neck. Splinters in his arms indicate he had burst through a door.
Examining the records of both the Arbites and the local enforcers, we could not find a discernible pattern to the murders. While some victims seemed connected, others did not fit. So, using the investigative techniques you taught us, we started at the latest murder. Bal Grey was recently given an object, wrapped in red cloth as compensation in a dispute with a fellow Rag-Baron, Juvenal Priator. We then proceeded to track down this Juvenal character, only to find him dead under similar circumstances. It seems that he was killed for the object he had given to Bal. Priator's belongings stank of foul warp magiks and he was reputed to dabble in wychcraft. His taint will not spread further.
While investigating the scene of the crime, we were waylaid by a group from the Undertow gang who asked us to follow them. We did so on our own terms and were taken to what can be assumed to be their leaders. This triumvirate of criminals asked us for information on the murders. We traded some of what we knew for everything they purported to know. It was here that we first heard of the shards.
The shards are objects that, if stared into, entrance the viewer. The first victim, Rag-King Calisto, owned a shard as did Juvenal. However, Juvenal had given his to Bal as compensation. There are thirteen of these shards on Sinophia Magna and most are heirlooms passed down by noble houses. It can be reasonably assumed that the murders are targeting the owners of these shards and then taking them for a, possibly heretical, purpose.
The triumvirate also informed us of another murder of a shard holder which we then investigated.
Old Socken was said to be insane, but he also possessed a mirror that he would stare into almost constantly. He had been ripped to pieces just like the others and all of the mirrors in the place had been taken. We tracked down a witness to the attack. When questioned, the man told us three hooded figures had asked Socken for the mirror. When the old man refused, the three tore him apart. The figures had spoken in terrible dry voices and possessed near superhuman strength. The witness said this was odd, as all the tales of the murders mentioned a group of four, not three.
From this we have concluded that the mysterious body in the alleyway outside. Bal Grey's apartment was the fourth member of the group. He had been felled by a shotgun after having burst through a door. The eight shotgun shells had been taken from the scene to make it appear as if Bal had only fired eight shots instead of sixteen. What is curious is that the body had been dead for weeks. However, vile heresies have been known to animate the flesh of the dead to do the bidding of the living. The operation on his neck may hold the answers we need.
Additionally, the gang are after the shards and can reasonably be assumed to have six of the thirteen shards. What happens when the thirteen are brought together? We'd rather not have to find out.
Our next course of action shall be to find an owner of a shard and intercept the three hooded figures before they can act, hopefully leading us to the bottom of this grisly plot.
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