Murder on the Majestic Otter

For in-universe game play. Journey through both familiar and foreign settings, explore lost ruins and forgotten cities, and try to bring light to the darkness of the world... or, you know, blow stuff up. Either way.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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Leo arrived at the control centre of The Majestic Otter with a poker face and a confident stride. He found his brother barking orders in a lackluster fashion which was unusual for a man so used to being in command. There was an ashen quality to his expression which suggested the note he'd sent to his older sibling had been completely genuine.

"I'm here." Leo said. "What did you need?"

Moriarty waved a hand in acknowledgement and handed off the deck to a subordinate.

"Follow me." He muttered. "This is a conversation that doesn't need an audience."

The pair made a short walk to the Captain's cabin which turned out to be as ostentatiously decorated as the man who it belonged to. Gaudy red drapes (always Moriarty's favourite colour) bedecked the windows, an unkempt king sized bed implied that the younger Landau hadn't been hurting for company since his appointment as Captain. Containers of gold and ivory sat on shelves filled what Gods-knew-what made the framework of the expensive chamber.

Morty directed Leo to a pair of seats and the pair sat down. He reached for a decanter on the table between them.

"Drink?"

"I think I'm good for now." Leo said evenly, clearly still feeling the tension of their explosive argument earlier in the day. "So? What's the trouble brother?"
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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[OOC: Gonna put a few obvious words in Leo's mouth as this gets started. Consider that this exchange does NOT end at the end of this entry; just stopping to catch my e-breath and quit hogging the conversation...]

The captain's cabin was on the same corridor as the other officer's quarters, and therefore, within the region of effect of the Damping spell that was confronting Eve, Elke, Annabelle and Anna-Lisa. Morty wanted more anti-snooping security, and so he went over to one of the mysterious containers and did -- something. It wasn't clear whether he cast a spell (could he do that?) or used a typically flamboyant Mesuinu gadget. Either way, the air became greasy in the usual Damping-spell way, signifying that sound could no longer get out of the cabin as well as into it.

"Somebody is trying to take over my boat," Morty said, putting it unusually bluntly.

Leo snorted. "Somebody who's not afraid to take on one of the most powerful syndicates there is? Right."

Moriarty looked his brother in the eye. "The Mesuinu clan is one of the most powerful syndicates in Tsuiraku," he observed. "They are not one of the most powerful syndicates in Farrel, or on the Southern Continent. We're on the one, and heading for the other in a few hours, in case you didn't know. Anyway, we appear to have some powerful, and utterly ruthless, stowaways. And I have orders not to look for them."

"Orders from? Quit playing games, kid."

"Orders from someone who, if I tell you, the first thing they do is kill me, the second thing they do is kill you. And make it look like an accident, or business as usual." He didn't say whose business, but with the number of dissected or otherwise violated bodies now showing up on the ship, he didn't think he needed to.
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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Your faith in my organisation is staggering." Leo replied flatly. "What if I told you we've recruited some more people who are part of a larger outfit? The kind of people who'd be able to offer you protection?"

He didn't know this for sure, but his patience was wearing thin.

"Besides, if you keep this to yourself then how in the seven hells does this help us solve the crime spree? If you want this done then throw me a bone you damned fop."

Morty coloured, and reached for his drink with a hand that had the slightest of shakes.

..........

Eve shrugged at Anna-Lisa's explanation but drew her gun from it's holster anyway.

"People who don't want to be heard might be the kind of people who are up to something naughty." The choice of words was deliberate; intended to get a blush from Khoo's beau. The fact was Eve was beginning to become fond of the student, differing personalities or not.

"Time to get my stealth on." She declared, creeping forward like a blonde shadow. "Just kindly prevent me from getting murdered if I get ambushed or something."
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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Morty poured a small quantity of greenish liquid into a glass on the table and drank, the odor of the drink unknown to Leo yet reminding him of something -- he wasn't sure what. Morty coughed once, then said, "Very well. I don't like it, but having sent you that note, I guess I have to trust you, like it or not." Another drink. "There were these --"

He stopped abruptly, and his face got the same kind of deer-in-the-headlights look that Eve had seen on Kevin's face earlier, and Khoo and Jade had seen on Lonnie Budriel's, and even Takashi had shown to the four people outside the honeymoon suite. Morty, to his credit, was able to fight it. "Dammit, my memory's been buggered with," he growled. "I know I knew, but I don't know any more. Dammit, again. Damn the whole boat and everyone on it. If we could find Saraya, I bet she can break through the block and get at the memory. But for all I know, she might even be one of them ... if she's still alive. But know this."

He gave his brother a wintry look. "That somebody did this to me tells me that there is someone on board who is very proficient with mind magic, knows how to use it, and can do it without a trace. And somebody like that ... probably can use their mind magic for other things."

----------

Anna-Lisa still wasn't used to playing with guns, and recoiled slightly when she saw what Eve was carrying. Elke and Annabelle, however, had plenty of relevant experience, and exchanged a quick look, including an almost invisible nod from the Eisenfaust boss to her lieutenant. Annabelle cleared her throat. "Uh, you don't want to take that in there, Damping or no Damping," she said. "Using it in that small enclosed space is a good way to rupture an eardrum, and remember, we're down a Lifemage. Try this instead."

She reached into her purse and extracted what could only be described as a miniaturized crossbow, glowing with magic. In a small pocket it held a bolt barely larger than a nail, with some kind of liquid glistening on its tip. "Limited range, just a one-shot, won't penetrate armor, you almost have to be touching the target, although not quite," she said. "But it will kill, silently, and you don't need to worry about cocking it; the magic will do that for you. Just aim and shoot. But be careful with that little bolt. The stuff on the end will kill you before you know you've been scratched."
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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Leo's naked look of incredulity suggested clearly he wasn't completely buying his brother's story. But it wouldn't do to voice his thoughts at that moment.

"A few of my friends might be able to help you in that regard." He said, thinking that Khoo and Anna-Lisa might at least be able to provide some information on the subject and what possible counter spells or treatments might be available.

"We'll make finding Saraya a priority." He continued. "You'll need to give me a full list of everyone who was there when that patchwork body was found. it seems reasonable to assume that someone who heard you give the order to examine it would've been the one to stop her. Otherwise how could they have known?"

Morty sighed. He shared Leo's girlfriend's distaste for magic.

"Someone could've been listening in magically I suppose. Maybe the same person who put this mental block in my head."

"Then we need to check out the place the body was found as well if that's the case. If a trace could be made, we might find our culprit."

"Glad you're feeling so optimistic brother."

"I'm not, but get off your arse anyway. We've got mages to find."

..........................

Khoo was surprised at this, but he didn't have time to say anything before Edgar added, "Y'know ... I think the missus has a boot that would just about fit that print."

Jade's eyebrows went up at the familiar's declaration.

"If that's true wouldn't that imply your master's missing wife was a cold blooded murderer and possibly responsible for the death of her temporary lover as well? Is that the kind of violence that she seems likely to have inside her?"

OOC EDIT- retconned the Jade post./OOC
Last edited by Jack Rothwell on March 12th, 2021, 5:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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[OOC: Retconning as requested:]

"If that's true wouldn't that imply your master's missing wife was a cold blooded murderer and possibly responsible for the death of her temporary lover as well? Is that the kind of violence that she seems likely to have inside her?"

Edgar shook his head. "Not her style. She's from some weird sect in the Northern Confederacy that preaches non-violence." It wasn't clear whether he thought the sect weird, or the idea of non-violence weird. It also wasn't clear whether Saraya followed that sect, well, religiously.

"I wonder, though ..." he went on. "Is there anybody else that could have come up with the extra hand that was in that other guy's room? Oh, wait, you don't know about that." He filled the others in on that part of the story.

----------

Speaking of which, Morty held up a hand. "Wait. You asked who was there when the body was found. According to Niranjan, it was a very short list. In fact, I was not there when the body was found. I was sound asleep, because it happened in the middle of the night, when we have a skeleton crew --" he didn't intend the macabre double entendre, it just came out -- "and I had the day watch." He managed a bitter smile. "Rank hath its privileges. Niranjan was standing watch. There was a kid name of Lonnie Budriel, one of the junior stewards, just there to be a go-fer." This time the smile was more grim than bitter. "He got one hell of a lot more than he bargained for playing that part. He was the one who found the body." (Of course, several of the investigators knew this already.) "There are usually a couple of orderlies coming and going with food and such, but Niranjan said there were none there when it was found. And there was --"

At this point, his face underwent a remarkable transformation. First, it got that deer-in-the-headlights look that said the relevant memory had been tampered with. Then he frowned, set his jaw. "No -- no -- it had to be --" Next was a look of sheer pain, as though he'd just had the world's worst headache make a sudden appearance. "Only person it could have been was --" The looks repeated themselves in rapid succession ... and finally, a look of triumph. "GOT IT! It had to be young Griwoldiel, the helmsman's mate." The name having finally made it out, his face returned to normal. "Yes, had to be. I can almost remember him now. We always have one of the helmsmen on the bridge. Ensign Nagato, the helmsman, had been on duty with me, so his second in line would have had the night shift. He was still there, he had to be there, when I got to -- to --"

The deer-in-the-headlights look was back. "Sorry," he finished lamely.

-----------

A couple of minutes earlier:

Annabelle was showing Eve how to use the mini-crossbow, Anna-Lisa looking over their shoulders with fascination but for once not saying anything, when Elke noticed something. Not having the magical skills of the other women, she wasn't distracted by the magic in the corridor beyond them...

"Hey!" she said softly, not sure whether the Damping would keep her voice from carrying down the hall. "Wasn't that Leo and the captain going into one of those cabins, the one at the end of the hall up by the bridge?"
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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OOC I screwed up with that Jade question. I forgot who her and Khoo were in the company of and that that woman was missing. Can we retcon?/OOC
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

Post by Graybeard »

OOC: Retconned. EDIT: And retconned again. We've both been missing something (or maybe you weren't) that should have been pretty obvious, considering that this deck isn't very large. Text added that might or might not affect some of what follows.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC And a chance to unite a couple of threads here which might make things a little easier to follow./OOC

"Then we start with him." Leo said firmly. "Let's go and get that kid into custody now, and then see about unscrambling that brain of yours."

The mercenary strolled towards the door and swung it open...

...which brought him face to face with his crossbow wielding fellow guild member.

"Eve? I hope that isn't for me."

"That depends." She said. "Are you up to no good?"

"No more so than usual. It's good you're all here. It looks like we've finally got a solid lead on the patchwork body situation A helmsman called Griwoldiel."

Eve let out a giggle.

"Oh, grow up. So what about you ladies? Any leads?"
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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[OOC: Yes, that thought had occurred to me ... Short one here, with much left unsaid; assume that Leo can read all of the stuff on the last page or two here, about the encounter with Takashi and the other two, so that nobody has to say it. ;) ]

The other three women joined Leo and Eve in the corridor; it seemed as though somewhere with a hard-wired Damping spell up would be about as secure a place to talk as any on board. "Not much," Annabelle said to Leo's question, and Takashi's tale was told. Meanwhile, both Anna-Lisa and Elke were muttering under their breath, "Griwoldiel ... that name seems familiar ..."

It was Elke who was first to figure out why, by a split second. "I know. Big shot in the Waffenbruderschaft, mentioned in something I read once. He's supposed to be the one who got them interested in taking to the high seas. More or less retired now, but he sent his son to Tsuiraku to get groomed in the magical side of the shipping busi--"

She didn't get that last word out before a single word escaped Anna-Lisa. "WALDO??" she gasped, doing something else she'd almost never been seen to do: she blushed red as a beet.
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