Immortality, The Goodman Murders

Obscure Freehaven Apartment

De’Lyn Arrenwaie quietly dressed herself and approached the armoire, just beyond her in the mirror’s reflection was her secret lover, in bed still and leaning back against the headboard. He was handsome even for human standards, tall, blonde hair (which appealed to her elven nature), sky blue eyes that seemed to pierce the very fabric of her soul. That smile he always expressed, never fading even when he was serious it was there, just beneath the surface. Humans shouldn’t be able to unnerve elves this way, she though as her hands nervously clasped the necklace her betrothed gave to her on their union day.



“You could just stay.” He muttered.



“Here with you? That’s absurd, you know I have to get back to Myth Drannor.” She replied to the man in the mirror. The Elven woman pulled her hair up tightly into a roll and wrung it in circles before fastening it to her head.



“Sure sure, back to the Book Cellar.” He smiled in retort, a gentle stab at her profession as he placed his hands behind his head just watching her, with those eyes.


“A cellar is where you store wine Gladd,” she snapped,” a Library is where scholarly treasures are kept, and stored and sorted. My profession is of upmost importance to the history and education of Myth Drannor.”



“You should quit all of that and just stay here, let me. . .’sort’ you out.” His smile was mischievous and menacing at the same time. He knew the hold he had on her and took every opportunity to exploit that irritating fact. De’Lyn Arrenwaie had been married for longer than the typical human life expectancy, two children and a good husband that made a decent trade in jewelry. For reasons unknown, despite everything else, this Human elicited the deepest and most painful desires she’s ever felt. Gladd made her feel. . .Alive and desirable as well, a craving that she could not resist.



“Gladd, I’m sure you know as well as I that this, whatever it is, will be temporary. So you need to accept that I am a prominent Librarian and scholar who is married with children. I have a life and you are not a permanent fixture in it. Understand?”



“Would you like to live forever?” he asked now sitting up on the edge of the bed, unclothed still and looking down into his open hands. Smiling.



De’Lyn blinked a few times and looked to him again in the mirror. “What?”



“You know, live forever, be immortal. . .more so than you are now?”



“Gladd, I know that you’re strange, but this is beginning to worry me. What does that mean?”



“Live forever De’Lyn, would you if you could?” Gladd met her confused gaze with a cool return of his own.


“Well . . . I don’t know, I suppose. Would give me enough time to sort out the lower halls and, well –“ Gladd stood as she spoke and he turned to her. “I wouldn’t want to outlive my children . . . what are you doing?!” she became startled as he approached, those cool blue eyes bore down on her. They could see eternity, she was sure, and she wanted him again, so badly, right there but the Kama in his hand was out of place.



“Don’t worry De’Lyn, you’re safe, I’m going to make you Immortal.”

The screams she produced would have been terrifying, but for the silence spell that had eradicated all noise in the room. Her last thoughts were in hope for a quick and painless death, but the monster delivered the exact opposite, savoring every facial expression that translated to dire agony, just before it painted the walls with her insides.


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A week later, someone may notice a disgusting rotting smell coming from the apartment rented to Dee-Dee Arrens. When the flies and carrion insects showed up the source would be obvious.

*Knowing this is likely a bad idea, but not really bothering to care, Emory slips into the shadows and follows Jonathan and Andros to the apartment. She waits to see if they are permitted access before she whispers to the two.*

"If they won't let you in, I can probably pick the lock. Then we can get a look inside."

Andros tears some cloth bandaging into three strips, which he then soaks with a vial of rosewater to manufacture makeshift pomanders for the trio.

"One way or another, we're getting a look in there," he whispers softly as they wait for the landlord's response. "And when we do, from the smell out here, I'm fairly certain we're going to need these."

He then double-checks his spellbook and dogears a few choice pages - fast becoming a nervous habit of his.

Flies and roaches poured out of the opening in the apartment, then the smell hit. It was awful, as if every liquid contained with a mortal body was allowed to sit and decompose for days. The scene inside the room would prove that true. The remains of De'Lyn were literally smeared on the walls, the bed, armoire, floor and tables. It was impossible to even discern the gender of the body as it appeared to have been shredded like paper, wrung out like a wet towel and tossed unceremoniously in random areas. A pile of maggot infested entrails lie in the center of the bed, appearing alive due to the heavy traffic that ate its way throughout. A few carrion beetles the size of a thumb scurried under the bed leaving small footprints in the mess on the floor. Literally every single spot in this room had been touched by the remains of De'Lyn Arrenwaie. Except for one. On the far wall to the right just above a chest of drawers was a symbol. As if someone had taken the time to clean the bloody wall just enough to make an outline that would be foreign to some, and familiar to a distinct few. Upon the armoire every tooth that De'Lyn once possessed were arranged in the same symbol upon its flat surface, just next to her union necklace.

The rosewater pomander proving wholly ineffective, Andros hurries back outside for a mean fit of dry-heaving. After taking a minute to compose himself, he wipes his mouth with his sleeve and stands back up. "Lucky I missed breakfast again," he comments dryly.

Holding his breath, he steps back into the room and surveys the gruesome scene. Waving to Jonathan and Emory, he points to the symbol and then to the necklace. He casts a curious glance at the chest of drawers, but, short on breath, he makes a hasty retreat out into the relatively fresh air outside.

Once clear of the worst of the stench, he pulls out his journal and draws a charcoal sketch depicting the symbol and the necklace.

"Mr. Grimes, do you recognize this symbol from the wall? And... from the teeth? I haven't a clue on it, but I have a hunch that the necklace is an elven design. One of us should probably head back in and take it."

"After my stomach steadies itself, I'll help you search the premises. Just give me a minute. When we're done though, may I propose we split up to different libraries to research our finds?"

"Hells, it going to take three consecutive baths before I feel clean again." Andros grimaces as he glances back at the open doorway, unenthusiastically anticipating the messy search that would need to be conducted.

Emory puts a mask over her face and tries her best to breathe as little as possible. Her attention falls mostly on the remains as she attempts to discern what sort of unfortunate creature this had once been.

Like Andros, she exits the room to draw in gasps of air, and when she reenters the room, she grimaces at the teeth and attempts to leave them undisturbed on the armoire. When she comes back out of the room, she glances at the two men, her nose still wrinkled from the horrid stench. She takes out a notebook and begins to sketch the symbol on the wall, and the arrangement of the teeth.

"We'll need as many details as we can write down if we are going to research this."

After her sketch is completed, she holds it up to Jonathan and Andros for approval.

"Well, am I good, or what?"

The symbol is a large oblong and well shaped "W", rounded with its outer tips nearly meeting at the top.

Applying a clear greasy substance beneath his nose; Jonathan makes his way into the room, covering his mouth with a wet cloth. . . Making his way throughout the room he ventures towards the armoire, likely resulting in his robes being covered in bits of grime and muck. He glances at the bed, halting for a moment in awe of the spectacle of maggots and entrails. . . Jonathan himself seems unperturbed by the foul smell; either due to the cloth and substance beneath his nose or an acclimation to foul odors. . .

As Emory draws a sketch of the symbol, Jonathan picks up the Union necklace, examining it carefully. . . He turns towards the Emory and Desmond, holding the item up. He lifts the cloth off of his face to speak, a semi-disappointed frown on his face.

"A symbol and a necklace. . . the only two items we have to go by it seems. With Emory's sketch and the symbol on the wall we have our first clues. . . Andros' suggestion is a solid one. I will head to Shadowdale, and I assume you'd have the best luck in Myth Drannor, Andros. That would leave Free Haven to you, Emory." he offers the Elf a smirk as he gazes upon the symbol on the wall and the teeth scattered about in the exact same manner.

Jonathan looks to Emory and Andros with a thoughtful expression on his face. . .

"I doubt we will be the only ones to investigate this. . . Perhaps we best ensure that no one else gains any useful clues from this room?"

Andros, taking a cue from Jonathan, sets to work rearranging the teeth - his left hand clutching the scented pomander tightly over the grimace on his face. Gingerly picking up one tooth at a time, he arranges the molars and bicuspids into his best depiction of a jawless skull. Four incisors he places where the skull's actual upper teeth would be. The remaining incisors and pointed canines he distributes around the image, pointed tips directed outwards in rough semblance of a sunburst.

He looks around for a clean surface on which to wipe his sullied glove, but finds none.

"We should remove what clues we can, but false clues will slow our pursuers better than no clues," Andros comments, his words muffled by the pomander. "And looking at this..." he waves a hand, indicating the carnage around the room, "Well, it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to believe this the work of a Cyricist. But what should we do about the symbol on the wall? And we may as well check those drawers before we go."

Emory nods and sets to work searching through the armoire. She tries her best to keep herself from being coated in the putrid remains that cover the piece. When she has finished searching she looks up at her two companions.

At Jonathan's suggestion she grins mischievously.
"Well, if you want to clean it up... be my guest. Do you have a spell that can do that?"

At this she walks back out of the apartment to escape the smell. She makes two copies of the sketch in her notebook and offers one to each of the men.

"These might help you with your inquiries."

Andros takes Emory's sketches to begin his research at the Myth Drannor library.

The Librarian looks at it, and barely a moment pases before she says, "Wakefield."

She goes on the explain that Wakefield is a hin located within Shadowdale and can be contacted in his office located in the Shadowdale Flats.

As for the Necklace, she mentions that it is an ornament signifying unity between two married people. That particular one was worn by De'Lyn Arrenswaie one of the Arch Librarians that had not returned from her R&R.

Emory posts a notice in both Shadowdale and Freehaven for Detective Wakefield. In the posting, she requests the hin to contact Emory at the Dancing Homunculus in Freehaven at his earliest convenience.

SimilarlyDifferent wrote:

Emory posts a notice in both Shadowdale and Freehaven for Detective Wakefield. In the posting, she requests the hin to contact Emory at the Dancing Homunculus in Freehaven at his earliest convenience.

After seeing the notice, Wakefield heads to his office to pick up some supplies. Not one to travel without protection and hardly functional without his Boswell, he waits until Thomas Grimm returns to the office for one of his couch-based naps.

As Wakefield fills an oversized bowl full of raw meat, another full of water, he pats the office tiger cub, Samington Killwise III, on the head. Speaking to the warlock and NOT the pet, he brings Grimm up to speed on the possible new case. Undoubtedly, there's smart-assed banter back and forth before they lock the place up and set out.

One bumpy caravan ride later, the two arrive at the Dancing Homunculus. Weary and most likely surly from the trip, the pair ask for Emory, state their names, and grab a table to wait at.

Grimm flops back in the chair across from Wakefield, giving a lazy yawn and stretch.
"You should really make it a requirement tha' they have to come to your office, or at least tell you wha' th' damn case is about. For all we know, these people jus' made us take a long, borin' trip to a prissy slave-prancin' town to look for a lost collar or somethin'. Free Haven my ass."
Unclipping the worn, dented flask from his belt, he kicks his dusty boots up onto the tabletop (nevermind their surroundings) and unscrews the cap for a drink while they wait.

Upon hearing about the arrival of the pair, Emory heads downstairs to meet them. She flashes a grin to the pair and looks between them curiously, noting their appearances.

"I appreciate you answering my call so quickly, Mr. Wakefield. Your reputation proceeds you, of course. I have a room set up for us upstairs if the two of you wouldn't mind gracing me with the pleasure of your company?"

As she leads them up the stairway and all the way to the end of the hallway, she looks over at Grimm, and then back to Wakefield. "I wasn't aware that you had a partner."

She turns the knob to open the door. "Don't be alarmed when you enter, my friends are inside. I assure you they are completely harmless." She considers this a moment. "Well, mostly harmless."

"Andros, Jonathan, Mr. Wakefield has arrived and he's brought a friend." Jonathan and Andros would be inside, doing whatever it is that they do...

As the door opens, Andros looks up from a book he may or may not have been reading - a dry treatise on the finer points of abjurative enchantments. He tips his moth-eaten hat to greet the newcomers, sending its floppy feather dancing rhythmically for a moment.

"Mr. Wakefield and... company," he starts, recognizing Grimm but unable to place his name. "We're glad you took the time to meet with us. I must apologize in advance that we've had to deceive you slightly to bring you here, but I assure you that we have matters of importance to dicuss. You see, like it or not, you're already involved in this case."

He stands from his chair and offers his seat to whomever would care to take it. "If you'd be so kind as to close the door behind you, I'm sure my friend, Mr. Grimes, can fill you in on the particulars?"

Wakefield looks over to Grimm at the mention of deception, eyes narrowing as he returns them to the group.

"That's a bad way to start business. Even worse way to make friends. We'll leave the door at least a little open until I feel safe, folks. Right now I've got enough threats on my life at the moment."

Leaning back against a wall, he keeps watch of the others as he pockets his hands. "Though I doubt Grimm would let much happen."

After another moment, he focuses his attention on Jonathan. "So, Mr. Grimes... Let's hear the issue I'm already involved in," he says with a calm, quick voice.

Upon seeing Wakefield enter with another, Jonathan stands to his feet, analyzing the other individual carefully. . . He thinks back for a moment, recognizing him as the "Gent" beside the Well. . .

He closes the small and non-descript tome had been reading through, placing it within the satchel on his side.

"Yes. . . I suppose that we should get down to the reason why we had you. . . the both of you that is, travel such a distance. There was a murder within Free Haven, not an uncommon occurance, mind you; yet this one was rather gruesome and we believe... he looks to Andros and Emory, as if to include them that the murderer wished to goad you into some sort of an interaction."

Jonathan furrows his brow, watching Wakefield and Grimm for their individual physical reactions for a moment before resuming his oratory. . .

"We've found a few things that we believe might aid in any sort of investigation; however to be clear, we do not wish to be simply bystanders in this event, considering the sizeable amount of legwork we've already committed. We wish to see this through, to the end."

Jonathan turns to Emory, a neutral expression on his face. . .

"Do you wish to show Detective Wakefield a sketch of the image we found in the room? And perhaps detail the scene of the crime? - Oh. . . And might I add, we tampered with the scene a slight bit; to ensure your safety, Detective."

The rest of this scene was resolved In Game.