Armani and the mysterious deaths

[yruvian]

[yruvian]

1.1 A confusing request

1. You are called on or otherwise needed to investigate a murder. Are you a member of the city guard/guard hired medium/fortune teller? asked by a friend or family member? Dreamed about the murder but don't yet know why or how you are tied to it? Got home from work to find your house surrounded by guards or onlookers? 

Armani Foreststar left his small apartment on top of a baker's shop the same way he did every day. He'd be doing chores for those that wanted to pay for them all day long, as that was the way he got by now that he'd arrived in the big city. There were always tasks that needed doing... and sphinxes that needed another pair of hands for a while. It didn't bring in a lot, but it was enough for the sparing way he preferred to live. He even had been able to save a little in the weeks since his arrival. A few of the craftsmen had offered him a position as an apprentice, but he was a free spirit and didn't want to force any strong ties just yet. Armani was happy to help them out, but he doubted their station in life was what he needed. The city walls already felt stifling at times... and his 'home' still felt like a cage. Maybe coming to the city hadn't been the best decision, but he had craved social contact with others of his kind.

As he was walking through the street, greeting the sphinxes he recognized and politely nodding to strangers, he started to notice the odd looks of those around him. He blinked a few times wondering whether he'd done anything unusual until he understood they weren't really looking at him. He followed the direction of their eyes and stared, frozen in shock. There were birds everywhere. They flocked on the rooftops, on the market stalls and even underfoot of those browsing the offered wares. Every single small head cocked in Armani's direction... and a small songbird took off from one of the stalls to land on his shoulder. He sighed, accepting the inevitable. They had left him alone ever since he'd arrived in the city, but it seemed his reprieve had ended.

The bird looked him in the eye for a while before settling down properly. Armani sighed and sat down at the side of the street, waiting. He'd never had this many birds converge on him before, so he expected it to be more important than just a request to crack a specific nut or to find some nesting material. He rested his arms on his legs and settled against a wall, the flock gathering closer. The little bird on his shoulder waited with him, impatiently hopping up and down. It didn't break its silence until the entire flock had found a place close to him though. The sphinxes in the street looked on with curiosity, but they didn't interfere. Armani wondered whether they'd act if the birds turned to attack him. An odd idea...

"Wrong guards," the little bird twittered in his ear once the fluttering finally calmed down. Armani frowned, unsure how to respond. He didn't have a clue what it was talking about, but he knew from experience that he shouldn't interrupt. Birds like this one often lost their line of thought when interrupted before they could get their message across. The entire flock suddenly starts chirping and cawing at the same time. He can make out words, but it will take a while to get the full story. "Were." "Murder." "Blood." "Guards." "Wrong." Those are the items that keep coming back.

Armani rubs his head. He's gotten a headache, both from the confusion and the cacophony of bird chatter. "Let's see. Tell me if I got it right," he mutters at the birds around him. "A were was killed in the city." The instant outrage of the birds, some of them pecking at his hands makes him flinch. "Easy! I'll try again! A sphinx was killed?" Bobbing heads. "But it wasn't a were?" More agreement, so that must mean the were comes into play somewhere else in the story... "The were killed him?" Armani barely manages to pull his hand away from a vicious attack and mutters a curse. "So the were didn't kill him? The were was one of the guards then?" He yips as the songbird nips his ear. Not that either?

"Wait! The guards were wrong?" Bobbing heads again. "So the GUARDS believe the WERE killed the victim, but he didn't?" All of the birds agree with that statement.

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1.2 Curiosity kills the sphinx?

2. Develop you reasons for investing and/or your ties to the victim or crime. Just another day on the job for the Guard/Nightwatch/Gargoyle? You had been on one date with the victim and felt a connection only to find him dead the next day? You are (or are hiding the fact) suspect yourself and the victim is a business partner/ex-lover/friend who you publicly argued with yesterday? You've seen this type of murder before?

Armani Foreststar raises his eyes to the sky for a moment, thinking. "So you want me to find the real killer and save the were?" With the noisy assent of the birds there can be no doubt that this is indeed their intention. He mutters: "That's going to be a pain. I don't know anyone in Cruz. The guards have no reason to believe a stranger." Several beady eyes stare at him, their owners strangely silent. Even so he can nearly feel the accusation. He knows from long experience that they won't submit until he gives into their request.

He sighs. Of course there is also the matter of an innocent sphinx accused and trapped for a crime he or she didn't commit, which will weigh on his conscience forever if he doesn't at least try to help out. If he is honest, he has to admit he simply wants to know how the real murderer went about framing the were... and he wouldn't mind proving to be a better detective than the city watch either... He looks back towards the surrounding flock of birds, the multitude of eyes still on him. They don't make a sound, but Armani gets the distinct impression they already know he will accept their plea.

Another sigh escapes his lips and he shrugs in defeat. "Fine. I will see what I can do. Just don't blame me if this doesn't work out. I'm not a city sphinx... and everyone is certain to find that out the moment I make a move. And I will need your help with this." It's always a good idea to have many eyes keeping watch after all, especially those that seem adamant of the case being solved to their approval.

He'd hoped to be rid of the demanding presence of the birds when he moved to the city, though he had known all along that it was an idle hope. At least it's only birds... at the moment at least. Let's just hope the old proverb about curiosity will prove false in his case...

[yruvian]

1.3 Winged witnesses
3. Expand on your investigation of the crime. Do you use old fashioned sleuthing? Hire a Fortune Teller? Canvas anyone who may have seen something? Try and speak to the dead with your Medium powers?

"Alright," Armani sighs. "I suppose we'd best get this show on the road. Take me to where it happened." The entire flock around him rises into the sky, startling the sphinxes still browsing the market. Armani rolls his eyes, leisurely getting up from his own place against the wall. The cloud of wings slowly starts to move. He trots behind them, easily keeping pace. The birds speed up slightly, but they seem to take care to follow the meandering streets of Crux.

It takes Armani a while to realize the little songbird is still riding along on his shoulder. He decides to try and gain more information before they reach their target. He's well aware the guards may not let an outsider like him get anywhere near the actual crime scene, so he may have to resort to other means of finding out the details. "Did any of you see it happen?" "Me. Others too." The birds' minds aren't equipped for difficult stories though, so it may take a while to get anything interesting from them. "Tell me what you've seen. Very Slooooowly." The little bird cocks its head to one side and seems to ponder that request first. "Park fem breadcrumbs," it starts.

Birds are so easily distracted they don't bother with pronouns, verbs or adjectives, which makes it even more difficult to make out what any of them is saying. But the songbird waits for him, its head still cocked. So it wants to know whether he understands? At least he knows from experience that 'fem' is what they use for a female sphinx. "You were in the park." That part was easy enough. "A female sphinx was giving you breadcrumbs?" Cheep.

"Mel." Mel - the male sphinx.

"A male sphinx came?"

"Mel mel mel."

"Several males came?" Chirp. Does that mean there are actually several murderers? Armani swallows. This may be more dangerous than he'd thought. One person he should be able to handle, but if there are more he may be in trouble once he finds out too much.

"Knife."

"Those males had knives?" But if had happened in the park, why didn't anyone notice?

"Mel. Knife." Armani frowns in confusion. Wasn't that what he just said? He blinks at the bird, forgetting he's still running after the cloud of wings and stumbles, nearly falling headlong onto the street. He manages to regain his balance and looks up again. Good, at least he's still on the right track.

"Mel mel mel." The bird repeats. After a few seconds: "Knife."

Armani's eyes widen as he finally realizes what it's trying to say. "There were several males, but only one of them had a knife?" Cheep.

The bird kept this conversation up for a while longer, the sphinx trying to make out the meaning - and often failing at it. But in the end Armani had a rather intensive eye witness report in his head. According to the songbird, the female sphinx that had been feeding the birds breadcrumbs was killed with a knife by one male sphinx while a group of others had been protecting him from view.
He still doesn't understand why the victim didn't cry out... or why no one thought it strange that there were so many gathered in one place, but those are things he cannot ask the birds. They wouldn't know the reasons and even if they somehow did, they had no way to explain them anyway.

[yruvian]

1.4 The plot thickens
4. Narrow your investigation to a short list of suspects or perhaps even feel you know who did it. How do you start to prove your findings? Can you directly accuse your suspect? Are there obstacles such as the murderer is wealthy/supposed to be in prison/a fellow city guard/intimidating powerful/well connected/ extremely hard to find?

The songbird leaves Armani's shoulder the moment they set eyes on the guards around the pond where the murder took place. When Armani arrives at the actual crime scene, he is turned away by the guards. Even though it's a little disappointing, he hadn't really expected anything else. What is strange however, is the reaction of the flock of birds. Their shrieking nearly drowns out the voice of the city guard. Some of them even go as far as flying in to attack a few of the investigators.

Armani pretends not he isn't involved with the animals in any way, though he wonders why they're acting this way. He makes his way back out of the park, the flock only partly following him. Their screeching keeps going for some time, though one by one the birds calm down and land nearby. The same little bird settles down on his shoulder again, its eyes still staring towards the park. "Now what?" Armani mutters.

"Dog," chirps the bird, before taking off towards one of the alleys in the neighbourhood. Armani frowns and follows, wondering what a dog has to do with this. But if there's another animal witness, he may be able to get more and clearer information, especially since the more intelligent breeds aren't as limited in their speech as the birds. He hasn't met a lot of dogs so far, but he expects them to be at least a little more clever than the birdbrains in the sky. Of course, he won't tell his winged companions this... he doesn't want to insult and estrange them.

A lone pharao dog looks up at their entry and slowly wags its tail once. Its eyes have a faraway and forlorn look in them, its head droops down the moment it notices him, as if it has been expecting another sphinx. "Hi. I'm Armani. My feathered friends tell me you know what happened in the park?" The eyes immediately settle on his face and the animal sits down in front of him. Armani can see the intelligence in them and sighs a little in relief.

"Yes I know," the dog sadly replies. "My master was feeding the birds as was in her nature. She had told me to stay at the bench nearby so I wouldn't scare the birds away. As if I would have. A group of city guards walked up to her. I recognized them: they'd talked to her lots of times before... and my master never was very happy afterward, so I started to growl. But I obeyed her order and stayed." The animal hangs its head. "I wish I had disobeyed her back then but I could not." The eyes lift back up to Armani's and he continues: "The guards formed a circle around my master... and when they walked away, she was lying on the floor. I stayed where I was until the birds told me my master had been slain... and I should run and hide."

Armani Foreststar blinks. That must mean the guards that are 'investigating' the murder are the same ones that committed the crime in the first place. He pales. How will he ever get anyone to listen to his story with only the animals' words as proof? "I will have to think on what I have to do now. I will try to get this solved properly," he promises the canine, though he wonders whether he'll be able to keep his promise.

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1.5 A mysterious warning
5. You receive a mysterious note! Is it a threat to you or those you love? Is it an anonymous clue that seems truthful or suspicious? Is it a bribe to back off? Is it a complete red herring?

Armani leaves the dog behind and goes back home, pondering over the case all the way. With the city guard involved in the murder, this is going to be a problem. But he promised his help, so he will have to do whatever he can to get the innocent suspect out of jail and the real culprits caught.

He's still deep in thought when he enters his small apartment, but all thought of a strategy flees immediately. In front of him is a folded note, pinned to the door with a simple dagger. The worst part about it... is that it's INSIDE his house. Someone has entered his home without being spotted and without leaving any obvious traces - aside from the dagger and the note, of course. If his neighbours had seen anyone enter, they would surely have told him, even if it was a city guard. They wouldn't hide something like that from him. Armani gulps. He carefully removes the offensive weapon, taking care not to damage the door even more. After all, he is only renting this place and he doesn't want to lose his warranty!

Armani snorts as that thought and his situation sink in. He may lose a lot more than just the warranty on his house if this is any indication! He may very well pay for his promise with his life! He puts the dagger on top of a shelf before turning to the attached note. He expects it to be a thread, a warning to lay off his investigation. In any case, it's an obvious sign that his efforts have been noticed! He shivers a little while slowly unfolding the little piece of paper.

To Armani's surprise, the tone of the text inside is in no way threatening, though it consists a warning. He stares at it, disbelievingly. It seems he has an ally who isn't willing to come forth and show him as of yet.

"Hunter,

I have noticed your interest in the Park murder. I beg you to beware. Do not approach the City Guard. The enemy hides among us.
We need to protect the innocent and punish the guilty but for that we need tangible proof.
I hope this will not stop you from your quest, as I cannot at this time look for evidence myself.
If you find anything, tell the birds to alight on the City Guard's main building and I will assist you.

A friend."

This 'friend' is obviously a member of the City Guard himself. Maybe he will come to Armani's aid and maybe he won't. He's obviously not as knowledgeable as he wants to sound though: he is no hunter. It may not be the worst path in life considering his ability to understand animals, but he hasn't decided on his future just yet. He will solve this case first and maybe then he'll look into what he really wants to do with the rest of his life... if he still has a life then.

For a moment he wonders whether the note may be false, but since there's no real information in it, he decides to at least believe it. The thought of having another sphinx supporting him, however silently, helps settle his worry a little at least.

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2.1 A new development
1. Your suspect vanishes or does something incriminating!

Even though the murder is still on his mind while Armani prepares for bed that night, it doesn't disturb his rest. The knowledge that he as at least one supporter may have helped to ease him into a sound sleep.

As morning dawns on the city of Crux, he turns the note around in his hand, not sure what to do with it. Should he destroy it so no one can find his mysterious backer in the - very likely - event that he is taken down by the culprits? In the end he hides it between the pages of one of his few books, a work on medicinal plants out in the wilds. The split cover and dust and water soaked pages may turn away any inquiring eyes. Who would hide something like this in an obviously often counselled manual?

He slowly closes the door to his abode, already wondering how he will proceed for the day. Armani wanders into the baker's shop below his apartment, planning to buy some breakfast to go. It's rather busy inside, but he doesn't mind the wait. Though he isn't interested in local gossip, it may give him time to think of a new approach. But while he ponders his options, he picks up several words of the conversations going on all around him. Suddenly he forgets his train of thought and concentrates on the voices, unsure whether he has heard correctly.

It doesn't take the gossipers long to repeat the interesting part to some new arrivals. An entire patrol of city guards has disappeared after their duty ended last night. They never reported in... For a moment Armani worries whether the sphinx who send him the note was found out, but then he realizes that would only cause one missing - or dead - guard. It's much more likely that the culprits were getting worried about their future in the city and decided to leave in the dead of the night.

This may be his chance to find some clues without the guard blocking his path. Maybe his secret messenger will also be more inclined to show him (or her)self now that the danger has diminished. Of course the news could have nothing at all to do with the murder he's looking into, but his gut tells him differently. No, this can't be a coincidence. He smiles happily, bouncing up and down while waiting for his turn. A few surprised looks are thrown his way, but he doesn't care.

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2.2 The strange escort
2. You use the above as a premise to search their home/lair. Is it a wealthy/guarded (or suspiciously not) mansion, a filthy tenement? An apartment above a popular shop or bar? An ornate wooden wagon parked outside the city watched by Rani suspicious of strangers?

When Armani finally receives his breakfast and leaves the shop, he freezes in shock, noticing several guards standing nearby, their eyes on the door... and now on him. He blinks unsure what's going to happen. His hands are shaking and he nearly drops the bag of bread. The moment he comes outside, one of them detaches himself from the wall he was leaning on. The others follow suit and soon enough he's completely surrounded by the group. He pales, feeling a paw land on his shoulder. For a moment he struggles, trying to hold on to his breakfast, but it slips trough his paw. A quick move from one of the guards... and the bag doesn't reach the ground.

"Don't fear. We're allies," a soft voice whispers in his ear. "The time to move is now."

A new note is pressed into his own paw and the entire patrol escorts him deeper into the city. They reach a more well-to-do district than the one he's used to and stop in front of a small, but obviously rather lavishly decorated house. The guards check the surroundings, before moving in closer. Armani hears the sharp 'snap' when one of them breaks the front door's lock.

"Find proof, hunter," the one right behind him whispers, before the paw on his shoulder finally lets go. The paper bag containing his breakfast is pressed against him. A single push propels him into the suddenly open door, which is closed again right after. Through the spyhole, he can see the patrol slowly make their way back to the middle of the road as if nothing untoward has passed... and then they continue their patrol. Armani swallows, unsure of what to do now. He realizes his guides here may have been his actual allies... but they may as well be enemies. What if someone notices the broken lock? He may very well end up in jail for breaking and entering... and there's no one who would believe his word against that of a full patrol of city guards.

I guess I can just as well look around. But first he finishes the bread he's had so much trouble keeping safe. Only when his belly is satisfied does he start looking around curiously.

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2.3 Finding evidence
3. You find some horrible evidence. Describe this (at your comfort level!). Is it a collection of horrible trophies? a detailed journal? a shrine to a murderous dark god? the murder weapon?

At first Armani is very careful not to mess the place up too much. What if the owner is innocent as well? The guards may not be his real allies and if anyone finds him in here, in the middle of a ravage, there will be hell to pay. He carefully looks in cupboards, making sure not to leave anything out of place. But soon enough he realizes how completely stupid he's acting. If he's caught he won't be able to explain his presence here, no matter the state of the apartment. If the owner is innocent, he will be sure to apologize, but if not, he really has to find evidence, preferably before anyone notices something's going on. He stops taking excessive care of the house owner's possessions and starts looking in earnest.

If I were a murderer, where would I hide the proof? Now that's a hard one. He's not a killer... and it's harder than he thought to put himself in the mind of anyone who would do a thing like that. In any case, he's certain he wouldn't keep anything that could possibly lead anyone to him in his own home. That thought doesn't help matters though. It only makes Armani unsure of whether he has any chance at finding proof in here, even if it is the culprit's abode!

The only clue he has is the word of the guards that basically forced him in here... but because he doesn't have anything else, he decides to trust them. And they obviously feel there must be something hidden in here that will tie the owner to the crime. He clenches his teeth together and starts looking in even the weirdest of places. The single book case the guard owns doesn't give him anything, except for a slight disapproval of the person. The books are... of a not very educational type. The apartment very much looks like a bachelor's home and those books only clinch that conclusion.

The cooking area doesn't help either... and in the end only the laundry basket near the bed is left. He had hoped not to have to go through another sphinx's dirty clothing, but it seems it cannot be helped. If there's evidence to find, it must be in the hamper. Armani sighs a little, fighting his nausea. This must be the lowest thing he's ever done... He tilts the laundry onto the floor, hoping against hope that some kind of proof will just show itself to him. Of course it doesn't. It's never that easy, is it?

Another sigh and a disgusted look later, Armani settles down next to the spilled laundry. He wrinkles his nose and starts to look through the inhabitant's most personal possessions. One by one he discards the items, until he finally notices something odd underneath the last pieces of underwear. He uncovers the item and stares at it in shock. So that's how it happened. In front of him is a severely bloodied glove, which ends in animal claws. The killer must have used this to make the body look mauled by an animal... or a were. That explains why the were was a suspect, though Armani expects that most weres would be smart enough to kill in their regular sphinx form. Much less suspicious that way.

He picks up a shirt and wraps the wicked glove into it, taking care not to touch it more than he has to. Now all he has to do is get out of here... and find the guards who made him search this place. Preferably without getting caught in the process.

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2.4 Caught in the act
4. Before you have to long to complete your search of the lair or perhaps on your way out, you are attacked by a monster or lackey or well meaning house guardian. Do you run away? Fight? Explain yourself to the guard? Get yourself arrested?

No sooner has Armani wrapped up the glove before he hears a menacing growl coming from the door. He blinks and turns around slowly, hoping not to tempt the other party into attacking. The growl doesn't sound like that of a sphinx, so there may be a chance to talk himself out of this. As long as it's not the owner of the apartment he may be able to save his skin. He swallows, looking straight into the angry eyes of a large guard dog, who bares his teeth at the intruder. The animal is only doing its job and for a moment Armani wonders why it only arrived at the scene now. It may have been distracted somewhere else, but by what?

"I don't mean any harm," he whispers at the animal, his hands held to both sides, palms spread in a gesture of submission.
"This is my master's home!" the dog barks, his ears flat against his skull in threat.
Armani swallows again. Dogs are well known for their blind loyalty. He may not be able to convince the animal to let him go, but he has to try. "I didn't know your master lives here," he whispers, which is the truth, as he had no idea the murderer owned a dog. To his surprise the large beast shakes its head. "Not here. Upstairs. The building belongs to my master." The animal seems to wrinkle its nose in distaste, before resuming its menacing stare.
"You don't like the one who lives here?" Armani feels relief flooding through him when the dog sneezes in disdain. The eyes don't leave him for a second though. If he were to make a run for it, the guardian will certainly attack, but he doesn't intent to flee. He knows dogs are easily pressed to charge when their intended target tries to get away. If Armani fell into that kind of trap, he'd be the joke of his animal friends for the rest of his natural life... and maybe even beyond.

Instead of making that beginner's mistake, his knowledge of the world of canines tells him exactly how to proceed.
Because...
a. the dog doesn't belong to the murderer,
b. the dog doesn't LIKE the murderer AND
c. the victim had a dog too.
These combined facts will invoke the loyalty of dogkind and should be enough to help him out of this situation in one piece... and with an added ally on top.

"The one who lives here killed someone's master. I'm here to get proof so the guards will come and punish the killer."
The guard dog cocks his head to one side and stares at Armani, his ears swivelling to the front in surprise and interest.
Now to put the cherry on top... "The city guards don't know companion speak, so they didn't listen. They even chased the master's faithful companion off and locked a half-brother up, saying he killed the master."

A low growl emanates from the stocky mouth again, but Armani knows it's not really aimed at him. Like so many canines, this guard is frustrated by the lack of understanding of his master's kind, though he will never condemn the one who owns his loyalty in the same way. The round head swivels back towards him.
"Will you help me if someone hurts my master too?"
The question surprises the sphinx and he contemplates it earnestly. In the end, there is really only one reply possible.
"Of course I will. If someone ever harms your master or your master's family tell the birds and I will respond to your call." Armani feels strangely lighter because of the promise... and he realizes he may have found his real goal in life. To be the voice for those that serve sphinxes, but that aren't heard by many. It doesn't sound like a bad life... They deserve someone to speak on their behalf. He nods once and approaches the giant dog, who immediately moves aside to let him pass.
"Tell your friends too," Armani adds before leaving the apartment.