Crime and Punishment [Closed]

[V'aleera]

The sun was setting in Ul'dah as V'aleera stepped through the threshold into the small inn and tavern where she had been spending her nights. Not glamorous, but not particularly shabby, it had been a fine enough place to lay her head in a city that, as of late, had not been well-disposed toward her kind. Even if the matronly innkeep had been suspicious of the Ishgardian woman, V'aleera had offered to purchase with money upfront a room for six whole moons. That wasn't the kind of money a lowly innkeep turned down on the basis of simple prejudice. The past couple moons had seen V'aleera's stay be acceptably amiable; no one there paid her much mind, and she paid them little in return.

 

But tonight was different. As she entered the dim little tavern, she noted an odd silence. That it was quiet was no surprise, the place was hardly ever bustling. But utter silence, followed quickly by the observation that all eyes were laid upon her, bespoke a more serious issue than a poor night of drink sales. Spying the innkeep and her daughter, V'aleera's eyes narrowed; the girl was bruised, her lips and eyes swollen and her dress ripped slightly at the shoulder. Her gaze met with the Miqo'te's and was naked in its terror. The look of the mother was no less difficult to decipher, but her's was a glare filled with rage.

 

The Ishgardian knight said nothing as she moved toward the counter, reaching into her pack and laying out a few coins collectively worth several thousand gil. The money might not ease the pain, but it would temper the wrath. She spared one last look at the poor, beaten midlander girl, likely only several years her younger, before silently moving to walk up the nearby stairs to her room in the upper level.

 

Upon reaching the door to her room, her eyes narrowed as she saw upon it a piece of parchment, stabbed securely through with a rusty dagger to hold it in place. Her lips curled into a frown as she ripped the paper off the door, neglecting the dagger as she let herself into her room. She quickly sought a seat upon her bed, springs creaking as she looked the parchment over.

 

It was a letter. A threat. Its deliverer confirmed as the agent of assault on the innkeep's daughter. Its sender demanding V'aleera come for a "meeting" with her. Alone.

 

The Ishgardian cast her gaze to the corner of the room, where the armor that was the symbol of her status as one of Ishgard's elite sat. Near it was a spear, forged of fine Limsan steel and exquisite craftsmanship. A gift to herself several moons back.

 

She frowned, a look of annoyance and confusion writ upon her face; she had no idea who this person was! The name sounded familiar, but she was certain she had never met in person with such a rogue. A finger lightly tapped on the signature at the bottom of the letter, the knight mouthing out the name and trying to figure out where she had heard it before and what she had done to earn such a response.

 

The origin of the name finally struck her, and she grinned widely like a wolf catching the scent of prey. She laid the letter down, rising to move toward the armor tucked away in the corner of the room, nodding her head as she repeated the name out loud.

 

"Sasabala..."

[V'aleera]

*The content of this post is open for any Ul'dah law enforcement players to react to in this thread or use in RP*

 

Note: The following two documents, having been delivered firstly to the Brass Blades office of investigations, have been copied and delivered posthaste to the offices of the Immortal Flames and Sultansworn under the designation of URGENT REPORT. Keywords: UNSOLVED. HOMICIDE, MULTIPLE. SUSPECT THREAT LEVEL: MEDIUM-SEVERE.

If these documents have not been delivered in an envelope bearing the seal of a Brass Blade ranked captain or higher, please dispose of them immediately. If the seal has been tampered with or removed, please report this violation to the Brass Blade office of investigations.

 

 

To the kind and generous law enforcement of our fair and glorious city,

 

It is my great pleasure to, as always, supply you with any and all cases of interest to you and your high purposes. It is my equal pleasure that, in doing so, I am able to elicit continued support for the guild from your noble and well-funded organizations. As always, I must ask that my name be struck from official record. And of course, I must apologize again that the nature of my practice forces consideration for the privacy of my clients. Nonetheless, best of luck in catching those criminals, as you're wont to do.

 

Though if I might give my personal opinion: Maybe let this one go? They seem an exceptionally vicious sort.

 

Ever in your service,

 

[Redacted]

 

To the esteemed Sir,

 

To begin I would like to thank you, as always, for you continued patronage of the Ossuary and the generous donations tendered to the guild in exchange for our humble service.

 

Speaking to the matter at hand, the requested autopsy of the four corpses delivered to the guild on the fifteenth sun of the Second Umbral Moon has now been completed and is detailed below for your review:

Subject A:

 

Name: Climbing Ram

 

Description: Roegadyn male, approx. 35 years old. Brown hair, blue eyes. Large tattoo on back, three piercings in left ear.

 

Examination: Two lacerations across the chest, two ilms deep. Three puncture wounds in abdomen, three ilms wide; six, five, and seven ilms deep respectively. Small head wound, size suggesting blunt trauma; likely resulted from fall.

 

Cause of Death: Blood loss resulting from multiple puncture wounds. Depth and width of wounds strongly suggest the weapon used was a spear.

Subject B:

 

Name: Lormos Lioneater

 

Description: Highlander male, approx. 25 years old. Brown hair, brown eyes. No body markings.

 

Examination: Two puncture wounds in chest, three ilms wide; six and eight ilms deep respectively. Former wound passed through ribs, missing heart. Latter wound cleanly pressed through ribs and perforated subject's heart.

 

Cause of Death: Penetrating chest trauma. Internal tearing of organs and muscle on exit of the weapon suggest notched spearhead.

Subject C:

 

Name: Hadwis Jackalsong

 

Description: Highlander female, approx. 25 years old. Black hair, green eyes. Tattoo on left shoulder.

 

Examination: Laceration across throat severing both carotid arteries. Bruising on central abdomen; bruise too large and disfigured to suggest fist, bruising too severe to suggest single naked blow; possibly inflicted by a single kick with a metal sabaton or solleret. Significant bruising on back of head, indicative of hard fall or collision, likely caused by aforementioned blow to the abdomen. Single puncture wound in abdomen, three ilms across, ten ilms deep.

 

Cause of Death: Throat laceration resulting in blood loss.

Subject D:

 

Name: Sasabala (surname unknown)

 

Description: Lalafell of Dunesfolk descent. Red hair, brown eyes. No body markings. Two piercings in each ear.

 

Examination: No puncture wounds or lacerations. Significant bruising around neck. Severe cervical fracture resulting in significant damage to the spinal cord.

 

Cause of Death: Initial external examinations suggested a forceful breakage of the neck as the cause of death, however several factors prompted an internal examination revealing the cause of death to be strangulation. The bruising around the neck (in such a manner as to suggest the attacker was wearing metal gauntlets of some kind), bloodshot eyes, and visible strain on the lungs and heart all suggest the subject was strangled to death before her neck was broken.

 

As my personal speculation on how the events may have proceeded has been requested, I have included it below. All speculation is made with the facts presented to me in the corpses provided, as well as the information given to me on the killing scene by your messenger.

Speculation:

 

As it was described to me, the killings took place in a moderately sized, secure room. One door, no windows. The bodies appear in two clusters: the bodies of Subject A and Subject B were found on the floor at the front of the room, near the door. The body of Subject C was found on the floor right-of-center, closer to the back of the room. The body of Subject D, Sasabala, was found crumpled atop the oaken desk at the very back of the room.

 

This leads me to conclude that when the fight began, the unknown killer was standing at the center of the room, with Sasabala and Subject C in front of them, and Subjects A and B flanking them. It is almost certain the killer was using a spear; what's more, the upward direction of the entry wounds suggest they were shorter than Subjects A, B, and C, but the bruises on Subject C's abdomen and around Sasabala's throat clearly indicate a being larger than a Lalafell, but shorter than a Highlander female. This suggests the assailant was a midlander or miqo'te. Several (and by that I mean four) foreign hairs retrieved from the bodies confirm the killer was blonde, but their length was too short to confirm gender.

 

While it is impossible to say exactly how the battle transpired, I shall endeavor to make an educated guess: the wound across Subject C's throat was ragged and imprecise, but excessively deep. This, combined with your messenger's report that Subject C was found with a sword not fully drawn from its scabbard, suggests that the killer aggressively struck at her first before turning on Subject A and Subject B, dispatching both in a very short window of time. The assailant then proceeded to kill Sasabala, Subject D.

 

It is here that the tale becomes odd: Subject C, as noted, had a puncture wound in her stomach. But unlike every other puncture wound in every other body which were all dealt at an angle from slightly below, this wound appears to have been dealt at an almost perfect ninety degree angle. Speculation: the spear was thrust into her body while she lay on the floor already dead. We know that the killer proceeded to strangle Sasabala, the bruises telling us she used both hands. I believe then that Subject C's body was used to assist in freeing the spear hand.

 

The other oddity present is the presence of a victim of strangulation also suffering a broken neck. Based on the description of Sasabala's body, it is clear she was dropped from height; her assailant picked her up by the throat with both hands, squeezed the life out of her, broke her neck, and dropped her body to let it lie wherever it happened to land. It is this particular killing which I believe gives some insight into the mind of the killer: The first three bodies were killed in a terrifyingly efficient fashion; had it ended there, I would suggest looking with suspicion toward your "business" competitors seeking to muscle your subordinate and her lackeys out of the territory. But the nature of her death, up close and personal, with one last assault (the breakage of the neck) serving as a punctuation mark for the successful killing, suggests the killer had some personal connection with Sasabala specifically. Perhaps some past encounter, a jilted client, or simply someone with a grudge, all evidence (including the fact that not a single thing was stolen from the room) suggests this was an emotionally driven kill.

 

As always, you have the deepest condolences of myself and my guild for your loss. Nonetheless, we appreciate your business and look forward to serving you again in the future.

 

Ever in your service,

[Redacted]