The Crime Scene
::::: {.columns id=Main}
number of columns: 2
column size: [69%, 30%]
border: [off]
shadow: offOutline
The late Lieutenant Artemis Nahanna’s
room (Area 12) is located upstairs. The
room is the finest room at the Old Wolf
Inn, and the fireplace is larger than
in all the other guest rooms. (See Rooms at the Old Wolf Inn for a
map of the Old Wolf Inn.)
The door (AC 15, HP 12) to the room is locked
with a sturdy iron lock. The lock requires a
successful DC 13 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check
to pick.
Inga has the key to this room and will unlock
the door if the characters ask her. She will also
tell them that the door was locked when they
discovered the dead body, and that no one has
touched the body.
Read Aloud
As you enter the fine guest room, a shiver
dances down your spine.
Your eyes are drawn to the unnaturally still
shape of a male elf, who lies face down on
the wide double bed. There are no immediate
signs of struggle or violence.
The room is dark, and the air is chilly.
Outside, the wind howls like an angry wolf,
and cascades of rain hammer without
remorse on the roof.
The walls in this guest room are painted sage
green and feature a golden-painted picture rail.
Two empty candlestick holders, made of brushed
iron and wrought in traditional hexagonal
dwarven style, are fitted on one wall. A large chest
stands near a writing desk.
On either side of the
bed are two bedside tables. On one of them is a
wooden mug.
investigating the body
Lieutenant Artemis Nahanna is clearly dead. His
skin is discoloured, and his face is a ghastly mix
of grey and blue hues. He wears a Winterhold
Guards’ uniform but no armour. In his pockets are
a key and a leather drawstring pouch. The key has
a wooden tag engraved with the number 3 and a
curious-looking badger.
The wooden tag matches the sign on the door to
this room, and the key fits the lock to the door. The
drawstring pouch contains 17 gp, 3 sp, and 1 cp.
—> On a closer look, DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine):
As you investigate the body more closely, you find
that the victim appears to have died of unnatural
causes. Due to the discolouring of the deceased’s
skin, it is hard to establish the true cause of death,
but he appears to have been either poisoned or
strangled. You also notice several greenish bruises
along the victim’s ribcage, which looks like the
result of one or two broken ribs.
The discolouration of Artemis’ face is a result
of the poison that he drank before he died. The
bruises stem from when Artemis fell off his horse
during Jon’s first murder attempt.
searching the crime scene
This room hides numerous clues that are vital to
the investigation, so the characters will do well to
investigate it thoroughly.
looking around the room
—> On a closer look, DC 8 Wis (Perception): You
notice that one of the windows is slightly ajar.
The window was opened by Inga after she
discovered the body. According to a common
tradition in Eastern Farraway, opening a window
in a room where a person has passed away can
help their soul depart to the afterlife.
searching the fireplace
**—> On a closer look, DC 12 Intelligence
(Investigation):** As you poke through the cold and
charred logs in the open fireplace, you notice that
some of the ash flakes resemble torn sheets of
paper. On a few of the pieces are faint traces of
unreadable handwriting.
The burnt pieces of paper are the first draft of
the report that Artemis was working on during
previous evening. Artemis later wrote the full
report, but the pages were later stolen by Jon
Callion after his death.
investigating the bedside tables
In one of the drawers is a small wooden box.
Inside the box is a golden locket with an
exquisitely painted miniature portrait of a female
half-elf woman with long, silvery hair in a noble
gown. The locket rests on a small deep purple
velvet cushion.
The painted picture is a portrait of Artemis’
sister, Thanelïa Nahanna.
**—> On a closer look, DC 13 Wisdom (Survival)
or Intelligence (Nature):** You find that the wooden
mug on the bedside table is empty, but you notice
the faint scents of peppermint and fennel root
upon it.
The mug contained peppermint and fennel tea
with honey that Artemis ordered from Inga after
dinner when the frog leaves started to affect him
and he felt queasy.
looking through the chest
The chest contains Artemis’ well-polished armour
and weapons, as well as a selection of clean and
neatly folded clothes. There is also a bag of dirty
laundry, a shaving kit, a steel mirror, a shoe brush
set, and a few other mundane items.
**—> On a closer look, DC 10 Intelligence
(Investigation):** You find an empty glass vial
labelled “Potion of Healing” that has slid down
between the clothes. You also discover a uniform
jacket with mud stains in the laundry bag.
The empty vial was a bottle of poison, but Jon
changed the labels and gave the vial to Artemis,
who drank the lethal poison in the belief that it
was a healing potion. There are no traces of the
poison left.
The uniform jacket was worn by Artemis during his
riding accident when he fell into a puddle of mud.
investigating the writing desk
The wax candles in the candlestick holders on the
elegant writing desk have burnt down to stumps.
On the desk is an elegant letter opener in silver,
a pair of quills, a small jar of black ink, and a tiny
pile of shavings that appears to be the result of
someone sharpening the quills more than once.
The desk’s drawer contains several papers
with a report written in Common. The report
is unfinished and concerns a recent military
scouting mission conducted by Artemis. The
handwriting is initially neat, but it degrades
drastically towards the end of the text. It is
impossible to tell if this is because the writer was
tired or feeling unwell.
**—> On a closer look, DC 15 Intelligence
(Investigation):** As you skim the report, you realise
that several pages seem to be missing.
The report was written by Artemis. It contained
detailed information about his discovery of the cave
that the drow use, which is the reason behind why
Jon decided to kill him. After the murder, Jon stole
the pages with the most sensitive information.
::: columnbreak
:::
table-of-contents
Introduction
Link to original
- Mysterious Clues
- Arriving at the Inn
- Solving the Murder
- Interviewing the Suspects
- The Crime Scene
- Rooms at the Old Wolf Inn
- Unfolding the Mystery
- Rewards and Aftermath
- Appendix
NPC’s
- Artemis Nahanna
- Cael Thraelive
- Enoch the Birdwhisperer
- Hugo von Silverton
- Inga Broadhammer
- Jon Callion
- Kara Tanner
- Vittra Northdaughter
- William Fastfinger
Monsters
- Stenbumling Troll
:::
```col-md
Previous: [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/interviewing-the-suspects]]
```
```col-md
textAlign=right
===
Next: [[plots/murder-at-the-old-wolf-inn/rooms-at-the-old-wolf-inn]]
```