The Sheriff deputized the Party and asked them to investigate discreetly while he and his men kept panic under control.

Again, the operative word is discreetly. We’ll see how that plays out…

The first place they checked was the lumber mill. Two victims were found: one of the Mill Operators and a Shopkeeper’s Daughter who had snuck in for a late night date. The Operator had the Seven-Pointed Star carved into his chest. Despite the ominous implications, Jyn refused to part with the amulet with the same symbol because of the perks it granted him.

Some more searching revealed that the culprit hid in the marsh outside the mill, climbed in through the second floor window, and used the river to mask his escape. Furthermore, there was a rancid smell, like rotten meat, coming from some of the footprints.

Chaka asked to roll a Knowledge (Nature) check to see if he could identify the footprints.

Me: “I’m sorry, but it’s not a Knowledge (Nature) check you need to roll. It’s a Knowledge (Religion) check.”

This prompted Ciara to make the roll instead. Nat20. Admittedly, this irked me a little, because I had wanted to save this revelation for later. But, such is the game. Just have to roll with it.

“Your stomach tightens a little. You recognize this stench of corruption. These tracks belong…to a Ghast.”

For those who don’t know, a ghast is an undead creature, like a ghoul, but worse. Ciara promptly instructed the guards to cremate the bodies instead of burying them.

Next, they sought out a local Historian to see if they could identify the strange symbol being carved on people’s chests. Despite the Sheriff’s request for discretion and much to Ciara’s chagrin, Chaka kept blabbing details about the murder case. Either way, the Historian revealed that the Seven-Pointed Star was an arcane rune used by an ancient civilization. Some believed each point stood for the Seven Righteous Virtues, while others who delved into the fall of said civilization proposed they actually represented the Seven Deadly Sins. After the interview, Chaka charged a local pigeon with keeping watch on the Historian’s residence.

The Party returned to the guardhouse to question the Witness who reported the lumber mill crime scene. Chaka got a little too heated with his questioning, so Ciara got him out of the room and questioned the Witness with a little more tact. The Witness revealed that his fellow Operator had been embezzling money. Since the lumber mill’s owners were known for being ruthless businessmen, he wouldn’t have been surprised if they sent someone to kill the Operator.

While Ciara was playing good-cop, Chaka and Jyn took a look at the bodies of the first murder victims: three Con Men who had been found in an abandoned barn. They, too, bore the Seven-Pointed Star rune on their chests. A note with an enticing business proposition was found with them, signed “Your Lordship.”

A fourth man was with the Con Men, a thug they had hired as a Bodyguard. Unfortunately, he was delusional and violent due to whatever trauma he witnessed at the Con Men’s murder and had been shipped to a nearby asylum for care. The Sheriff drew up a letter of introduction for the Party so they could check in on him.