Post by Vaellin the Bard on Dec 21, 2022 22:50:44 GMT -6
Stalwart felt himself snap after seeing the death of so many.
Day after day, he constantly felt the pressure to keep the hobos under control grow. And with each failure, the guilt was overwhelming. His party members were no longer friends to him, companions who slayed mighty foes together. They were monsters, as dangerous to the townsfolk as the dragon on the mountain--maybe moreso. At least the dragon had a reason--food, territory, greed.
The hobos always had a 'reason' but it was just excuses. He knew the truth when he looked in their eyes.
They enjoyed killing.
They enjoyed seeing life vanish from the eyes of their victim.
It was like a drug to them. The first may have been an accident, maybe. But with each additional kill it became a means to satisfy a hunger that food could not.
They were no longer heroes.
Sure, maybe they'd saved the orphanage last week, but how many of those orphans were there because of their acts the month prior?
Something had to be done and Stalwart knew it was his responsibility. But it would definitely come at a price. For those times when things were good, when they were friends, was something he could not forget either.
With Pelor as his guide, Stalwart stepped towards the darkness.
The bodies had all showed up on the same day. Gruesome displays as if to warn others of the danger, the threat, that had come to this town. The guards and inspectors investigated before they finally found the source.
A crazed man, shed of his armor and his divinity but still finding shelter in the hallowed grounds of his god's temple. The man once known as Stalwart. A hero known to all the land. And one rarely found without his companions.
"Oh, I'm sure I'm not without them," Stalwart said, his eyes hollow as he looked airily about. "They're probably haunting me now. Furious that I did to them what they'd done to so many others. So, so many."
"You... killed your friends?"
"Yes. Yes I did. And I displayed them for all to see, to know that they were no longer a danger to the townsfolk!" Stalwart proclaimed before laughing in triumph.
It didn't feel triumphant to anyone there.
The laughter stopped abruptly and Stalwart turned cold, dead eyes to the guards. "In the spirit of my former companions, let me provide clues to what happened. Perhaps you can piece it together and the story will be revealed. Or maybe my sins will remain hidden from mortal eyes and I shall only truly be judged by the gods."
"Each one of these 'murder hobos' were killed over the process of four days. One per day, as is proper."
"In case you forgot, I had four companions. The Barbarian, the Bard, the Rogue, and the Warlock."
"The methods I killed them were... mmm gruesome but deserved. One was force fed holy water until he drowned, one was locked in a poison laced Iron Maiden. One was placed under a plank of wood with rocks slowly added until he was crushed to death. And the last was tied between two horse drawn carts going in opposite directions."
"Obviously, you saw three bodies displayed at the Temple Roof, Town Gates, and Town Square, but one body I've left hidden."
"As for the clues...
The body displayed on the Temple Roof was killed two days before the rogue.
The bard was not killed while tied between two carts.
Between the hobo killed on the second day and the Rogue, one body was displayed in the town square and the other was crushed by rocks.
The hobo drowned in holy water was killed two days after the barbarian.
The hobo whose body was displayed at the town gates was killed one day after the barbarian
The warlock was drowned in holy water"
"Good Luck Detectives."
{Answer}
Day 1: The bard died in a poison laced iron maiden with their body displayed on the temple roof
Day 1: The bard died in a poison laced iron maiden with their body displayed on the temple roof
Day 2: The barbarian was killed between two horse drawn carts, his body displayed in the town square
Day 3: The rogue was crushed under rocks and his body was displayed by the town gates
Day 4: The warlock's body was never found but he drowned in holy water