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Well, they might have been killed at approximately the same location, and the dagger now in our possession may have been used at the Insight Park murder, and it is related to the dragonborn murder. But yes, we are short on solid facts.

I actually have a theory every murder is following an MO involving the occupation of the victim. The Drafonborn was flayed so he might be a tanner, the victim at Insight Park was trapped in a hedge and stabbed, he might have been a gardener, the butcher was strung up like a slaughtered animal. With this in mind, the anchor wasn’t meant for the bard but for the sailor. That’s all pretty far fetched.

The sailor could have been the murderers marionette it’s hard to say, but we do know there were bloody bootprints heading off in the direction of the blushing mermaid. There’s also the absence of blood on him. I can’t say either way

Have you noticed that some of the "postcards" are accented with the colour red, and others are just black and white?

RED

Sailor's Crossing
- Elf victim (blood)
- Flaming Fist guard (coat)

Fisher's Wharf
- Drusilla's scarf and tools

The Blushing Mermaid
- Selwyn (writing pen, hat and cheeks)

Morgue
- The dead elf (blood)

Blade and Stars
- Half-orc victim (blood)

Baldur's Mouth
- Newsie's shirt

Silver Crescent Beach
- Tarp (blood from the dragonborn)

Canary Lane
- "Magpie"'s coat
- Letter's wax seal


UPCOMING WITH RED ACCENTS
- Insight Park (blood on the ground)
- Harbormaster's office (map)
- Saint Sollar's Way (Leventide's wife belt and Ilmater's hands behind her)
- Sorcerous Sundries - cuppola's glass



BLACK & WHITE ONLY

- Cliffside Cemetery
- Misty Court
- Trident Lane (automaton and their tools, also in black and white)
- Shrine of the Suffering
- Seatower of Balduran
- Locklee Street (the PC's home)

UPCOMING WITH BLACK AND WHITE
-Eastway Expeditions




What if this is a visual cue from the designers to hint at which locations would allow us to solve the crime more quickly?
Within the inventory, the "neutral" item is black and white (the invisibility potion) while the two items related to the crime are clearly red (the wax seal from M's letter, and the dragonborn's dagger).

You referring to M's Letter, reminded me that there's a Hag operating in BG. Does anyone think it's possible that the Master, the noxious angel, is a Hag?

Sorry, my sentence was ambiguous, I should have included brackets or something to make it clear the scope of my "ands" . I was trying to say that I don't think we have even a tenuous connection between the Master and (either the dragonborn or Insight Park murder).

I agree we have a possible connection between the murder of the dragonborn and Insight Park given the possible use of the dagger in both and the location, but what I don't recall is anything tying Fel or the Master to either of these, unlike the meat mystery where we have the appearance of the top-hatted man.

I hadn't noticed, but that's a fun theory and good spot. I don't quite see how it would work given that Silver Crescent Beach had red, but the location(s) it led us to (Misty Court and Cliffside Cemetery) aren't, and unless going to a red location leads us to other red locations I'm not sure how it could move things along more quickly. But it's not impossible, as what we found at the beach might have become relevant at Insight Park if we'd gone there next, say, rather than following a direct line.

Perhaps worth keeping in mind!

When looking at the remaining days, it seems that the deadline of the investigation corresponds to BG3 launch D8.
It would be great if we had a new version of EA where the beginning would be directly related to the end of the investigation...

QUESTION!
I dont have much time lately, and this event in particular conciders too much reading in english for me to manage.
(i know it seems weird, compared to my activity around here ... lets just trust me)

What will i loose if i dont participate at all, besides some story (that will most likely be covered by WolfheartFPS)?

For me, the main benefit from a BG3 perspective has been getting to explore the Baldur's Gate of the late 1400s and feel that once I get to it in the game I'll have some points of reference to work with. And, if the first character I play is a Baldurian, it'll be easier to see getting there as a home-coming rather than landing in a strange city. I suspect that people who have played more recent TTRPG adventures that involve spending time in the city, such as Descent to Avernus, will already have that to some extent, but I was still picturing the city of BG1.

From a story perspective, there's nothing so far that is obviously going to tie into BG3, and though of course it might I can't see it as essential.

The rest of the fun is just formulating implausible theories and chatting to folk about our wild speculations, which is hugely enjoyable but I'm sure not a requirement for getting the most out of BG3!

If you are a player with average orientation skills, maybe a cool skin or item or two -maybe. Larian is very generous with gifts, and I can't imagine a future where they wouldn't make that available.

If you are like me, you will lose on a precious month and a half to tattoo your braincells with Baldur's Gate map so that you can pretend your MC is Baldurian. It takes me three times as much to play any open world-ish game because I keep getting lost in my own backyard.

Does it? I thought it was meant to run up to the PFH.

Though I'm a bit worried about today's update. We were given a tenday to identify the Master on 24 Kythorn, and it is now 4 Flamerule. I'm not really up on the calendar of Faerun, but isn't that 10 days ?

According to the timeline (below the map with the white bullet points) we should only be half-way during PFH.
And you are right, I had forgotten this, something related to the Master might very well occur shortly. Suspense !

I don't know, folks. I don't know. The bad guys are winning by a mile, and my Tav detective is stumbling around the scenes of multiple crime scenes, none of which he knows anything about. And I got this letter hanging over my head. I'm the worst Tav detective ever!

I hope there's someone else out there who can pick up the slack.

I was going to ask if we should go to the Old Town apartment to get a confession from the wife, or Eastway Expeditions to see if we could stop Rourke from skipping town, but it looks like most people want to head to Sorcerous Sundries. Likely because the druid gave us a side quest...I don't know if this investigation by committee is working out.

Of course if it puts us back on the Dragonborn Dagger lead, I guess that might work out.

Side note, I'm not sure how to fit the last murder by freezing into the theoretical MO I was toying with. Is it from storing meat in a frozen locker? I guess that can be a thing with magic.

Right, time to get serious and start taking notes!

So, places we can go and how they might help:
Eastway Expeditions: Dagger (dragonborn), Rourke's furlough/escape (meat murders)
Low Lantern: Gaming die(Insight Park murder), Rourke's drinking buddies (meat murders)
Sorcerous Sundries: Dagger (dragonborn), Errand for druid to get prophecy (Insight Park murder?), suggested lead for info about magic used to kill Selwyn (meat murders)
Harbourmaster's Office: Fight (dragonborn - could fight have been with Rourke, who had a temper and rep as a brawler?)
Counting House: Lender's note (Insight Park murder)
Old Town Avenue: Rourke and Mrs Leventide's hideaway (meat murders)

Possible links/avenues of enquiry:

• Insight Park murder and dragonborn now seem pretty definitively linked to each other and Grom via tarp dragonborn found in, dagger, and note signed by Grom found at Insight Park
• Bard and meat murders (ie butcher and Selwyn) probably linked via Top Hat, who showed up when following the urchin who stole the bard's pouch and also threatened Selwyn, and possibly via the fact the bard had been partially butchered though it sounds as though that could have happened to any unidentified corpse passing through the hospital.
• Still no 100% definite link between the two investigation paths, but Sewer Keep (Guild hideout) is now linked to Rourke and that's where the dragonborn was found - could have been coincidence the body was washed up there, or perhaps the body was taken there ... for descaling? Also, Insight Park victim was apparently rushed to Harbourside Hospital like the bard, and btw could Insight Park murder victim have been E Shearan? And possible ritual connection via removed eyes from bard, scales from dragonborn, ritualistic feel to butcher's death, and dagger possibly also used at Insight Park.
• Guild now potentially linked to Rourke, Magpie and Fel (note delivered via Magpie), so want to find out more about that. Dragonborn saw something he shouldn't have at Riverveins - is there a Guild connection there? Start with Rourke as sounds like he's a flight risk?
• Top Hat: Could he be Fel or linked to Fel or his master? Only link is finding him when chasing Magpie who later gave us Fel's letter. And now we have a link via Selwyn > Rourke > Guild > Magpie. And he stole our unicorn-bunny foot. What's with that?!
• Shrine of Ilmater is where Rourke and Mrs Leventide met, sounds like Rourke's conversion is recent. Halfling cleric mentioned excess money (and Mrs Leventide had pearls from "her beloved") and donations to the shrine. Is shrine a front for the Guild? Money laundering? Or did Rourke have a guilty conscience ... didn't sound the type. I'm suspicious of this nice halfling cleric now!
• Magic: Selwyn frozen in swimming hole (Ice Storm), mystery magic on Magpie (Charm, Disguise?), druid thought magic used at Insight Park (Entangle?), Rourke's fighting style described as never knowing where he is until too late (Blur? Displacement? metaphor?), still hung up on this hulking githyanki called Grom Skullsmash (disguise, polymorph?)
• MOs: bard with anchor, Insight Park with short blade (ritual dagger?) plus magic, dragonborn bashed on head possibly dagger, Selwyn magic, butcher throat slit (a ritual dagger again?).
• Nautical angle: Anchor killed bard, Low Lantern connected with Insight Park and maybe Rourke, dragonborn killed near and possibly dumped in sea, Harbourmaster's Office fight with dragonborn, Rourke setting sail tomorrow, pearl necklace.
• What's with this tenday to identify the Master starting 24 Kythorn? Isn't our time up? Or do we basically have ten votes so the ticking clock has weekends off?

Conclusion: I still don't know what the hell is going on or where to go!!!

Sorcerous Sundries now can potentially help us with three different possible leads, so that sounds a decent bet. But Rourke sounds like he's planning to do a runner so perhaps better to chase after him first. Though I'm sick of being on the back foot, so given that he's due to set sail in the next day rather than possibly missing him at his love nest I'm voting to potentially get ahead of him at Eastway Expeditions where we might also find out about the dagger. Of course, that his flight is anything to do with Eastway is rank speculation from a random punter at the Mermaid, so that could turn out to be a big mistake. But the fact we've been told Eastway involves "shady business" (automaton at Trident Lane) perhaps there's a Guild connection which would strengthen the likelihood Rourke turned to them, and possibly that we'll get a lead that will get us closer to investigating the Guild.

It does indeed look as though we're heading for Sorcerous Sundries though!

Voted for Sorcerous Sundries. I want to hear the prophecy and also two other leads point there!

Grom went into the weaponsmithy asking for a dagger designed to be used in ritual bloodletting, Rourke says the murder weapon for the butcher and Insight Park was likely the same, I'm not sure if that should be taken at face value, but there it is, meaning that the dagger wasn't used for them. There is the possibility that the dagger was just used for the flaying, and another murder weapon might show up. I still don't think the Dragonborn body was moved after the fact, though it's possible they flayed him at the cemetary wrapped him up in canvas, left the dagger behind before moving the corpse across the bay, but the game has led us to believe the body could have been dumped anywhere in the river and found its way to the beach. All this is just to call into question the link between the Sewer Keep and the Dragonborn. Our other link with the Guild, Magpie, is also tenous since we've decided that our second meeting with him was actually Fel. Going to Eastway Expeditions might bring up a link between the Guild and Selwyn, and the Meat Market Murders, but I'm still not sure.

Rourke's flight is corroborated by the guards at the Seatower. Though, through Eastway Expeditions isn't except by the game. It's interesting that the game gives you leads on Rourke, but if he's really leaving tomorrow, what will they avail us unless we can't stop him from absconding.

Thank you for this great summary, Red Queen!


I have come to the same conclusion 😄

But there's definitely magic involved.
And aside from the butcher, every murder took place very close to the river - but maybe this is just a coincidence.

I noticed something when we were using our speak with dead token.
Our fourth question was about the dagger, and then Grom interrupts, so we never got to ask our fifth question:


At first, I thought that this was meant as a joke - but maybe Grom was afraid that the dead Dragonborn might tell us something. He was killed at the Riverveins Entrance - it would have been interesting to ask him if he saw anything suspicious in these tunnels. Maybe something associated with rituals?

I'm not sure where to go next. Riverveins Entrance would be the place I really would like to visit.

That's a good point, especially now that we're pretty sure the dagger is Grom's. I think Riverveins will certainly be a place we go after we get more deeply into one of the three investigations.