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!
"You may call it 'nonsense' if you like, but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!"
