Gemstone Murders Revisited

(Sometime in 372) When last I reported upon the current matters of the troublesome slayer haunting the streets of Zoluren, the Bard Ailyssa had fallen to his hand, sans note and stone. We also spoke briefly of the presence of the Woolmistress (my previous report had her named as Seamstress, and that is my mistake) Claranna.
Now as it stands, new troubles have come to light. There have been more murders to the time I write this, five all told. Of them, two, curiously, bear duplicate verses, though the rest of the situations seem to differ.

The first, to my knowledge, is a young Human by the name of Sharkran. Sworn to the the service of the Clerics in the city of Zoluren, Sharkran responded to a voice from the shadows that asked for his help. When he stepped to the courtyard, it asked him about sin. When Sharkran replied, the voice slew him, speaking of how the death was meant to help Sharkran.

The Cleric suffered terrible injuries, particularly to the throat and the eyes. The neck wounds were of an unusual nature, ulcerated. It seems the blade used may have been poisoned or somesuch. But aid did come to him swiftly. In the wake was left the usual verse, and this time, a chunk of onyx.

” Bounty now before Thee see, Hasty dost Thou turn to me”

Just the next full eve or so later, while we explained the tale of Sharkran to Guild Leader Darius, we saw poor Yesp, a halfing Warrior Mage, fall at the NorthEastern Gate. Yesp suffered similar injuries, and it appears that it may have partially come about by the possible notion that the killer had been using the Temple tunnels to get around. As the Warrior Mage guild and the Gate, to our knowledge, do not have such tunnels, it is somewhat likely that the killer was listening to our discussion and decided to prove he was smarter than us.

We shall see on that score.

In any matter, the gentleman, Yesp, now having easily the worst night of his month, fell with a medium star ruby in his hand and this verse…

“Quicken’d as the moth to flame, Fasten’d as they feel no shame”

Unusually, over the following few eves, these two lines (Sharkran and Yesp’s, respectively) were to be repeated. The first in the fist of a Prydaen Empath who also bore a black pearl, and a Gnome Trader, who was left with a piece of platinum-laced granite.

To our latest development, only perhaps two nights past as I write this, the Lady Margrethe, love struck, found herself death struck by our malicious little ‘helper’. It was a night where the local, well esteemed Bard Dreamheart was practising in the shop of the Bard, while the Lady Margrethe, disconsolate, bemoaned the tragedy of the man that she loved, who loved another. Margrethe, another Bard, spoke often desperately of the love she bore for a Cialen, a fellow who was both beloved to another and had been meant to present himself to Vorclaf, but had not done so.

Of course, there was one willing to help her past her love, a love this one deemed harmful and obsessive, reminscent of the sin ‘lust’. The killer spoke to her from the shadows, of the lust upon her breast, and it seems as if he would have struck right then, if not for the timely arrival of Dreamheart and others. I also arrived at the scene, and we spent some time discussing the worst of the situation.

When it was explained to the Lady why it seemed she had been targetted, she seemed quite upset that someone would mistake her perfect love for this Cialen as an obsession driven by lust. Angry, and I cannot really fault her for it, she left, and was of course promptly stricken by the killer.

Her stone was a small star ruby, and this line was hence given:

“Blindly dost thou seek the source, Get thee hence without recourse”

She is healed now, and has gone to discuss the matter more deeply with Special Envoy Atheina, while it seems her cousin, a Vanassa, held open alteration services recently.

Atheina, it should be noted, seems to believe in a corollary between the colors of the gemstones left behind, and the solution to our puzzle. Right now, one true clue remains. A reference the killer left behind, a remark that he (I use the term ‘he’ advisedly) worships at a dark shrine in the wilderness. While the Abbey near Kaerna has been searched, nothing yet has been found.

ADDENDUM:

Stones found so far:

single flawless ruby
brilliant emerald
small aquamarine gem
huge chunk of onyx
chunk of black onyx
Medium star ruby
black pearl
chunk of platinum laced granite
small star ruby

I will now present a terribly, terribly rough listing of all song lines, what murder was associated with them, gem, color, and any other relevent information. Please do correct where necessary.

“Whither thou goest, I go;
Behold the fire in my soul, for it weeps for thee”
NONE-diseased animal pile left at the bloodstained altar near the Abbey.

“Aimless though I roam the ways, the final song you sing betrays”
(red) ruby -no gender or race determined.

“Heart to mine you did confine, in endless smiles I drew a line”
(green) emerald- Prydaen, wound to the back of the head, male.

“Your blood now weeps upon my brow, this pain you feel I do allow”
(blue) aquamarine- Elf- Possibly heart taken. Extensive chest damage.

“Sleep ever more upon this grave, a pure soul now does help me pray.”
(black) huge chunk of onyx- Kaldar male, unicorn mark on the scroll itself

“First to tumble gives me leave, thoughtful now you stare at me”
NONE -scroll handed to me personally, only trace was the sound of swishing robes.

“My hands caress to take your shame, The taint will fade as will your pain.”
NONE- Marker in TG

Ailyssa-possible abortive murder attempt in Arthe Dale, after a meeting with Atheina and Darius. No scroll or gem left.

“Bounty now before Thee see, Hasty dost Thou turn to me”
(Black, Black)chunk of black onyx, Sharkran, Cleric-Human? -And Empath Prydaen-black pearl

“Quicken’d as the moth to flame, Fasten’d as they feel no shame”
(Red, Platinum Granite) red ruby Yesp, Warrior Mage, similar wounds to Sharkran. Halfling Gnome trader-platinum laced granite

“Blindly dost thou seek the source, Get thee hence without recourse”
(red) Human female bard (Margrethe). Ruby.

I do verify that this document is my responsibility, and I take blame for any errors discovered herein.

-K.V.