[Royal Guard] Murder Outside Archmage Stygian's Home

[Hatshepsut]

2.II.480

Today I and several armspeople were summoned to the scene of a murder
on the front step of Lord Archmage Professor Caius Stygian's home.
The victim, a still-unidentified male human of Arangothian descent,
had been mutilated by a creature with quills or spines, and several of
those quills had been used to pin the man to the front door of
Professor Stygian's home.  Written on the wall in the man's blood were
the words "I have returned as promised."

The professor has stated that he does not know who the message could
have come from, and that he does not have any enemies of which he is
aware.  He was at home for lunch today, then returned to his home; by
the time he returned, the body was there and the blood had congealed
and frozen.  This puts the death some time between noon and sundown.

The man appears to have been a carpenter of no great income.  He wore
a locket with the name "Nedixe" engraved.  In addition to the wounds
from the spikes, he had a small, thin hole in the back of the neck
that appears to pierce the spine.  The body has been turned over to
the Healer Corps for further investigation and identification.  I was
able to detect the lingering auras of one or more magical items on his
person; I have not yet discovered their nature.

The quills are from no creature I or Professor Stygian recognizes.
The creature is not undead, but seems to be suspended at the edge of
death; certainly a necromantic sort of effect, but it is entirely
unclear as of yet what this means, as only the quills were left
behind.  There is not, as of yet, a clear connection between the
quilled creature and the undead beings which recently assaulted the
city.

I performed a ritual to sense any particularly strong emotions or
imagery at the location or on the body in the recent past.  The
results of this ritual are enclosed ((OOC: waiting on these results)).
 The evidence bin for this case also contains a sample of the man's
blood, several of the quills, the victim's personal effects, a magic
facsimile of the message, and an imaging crystal that may be used as a
focus to recreate the scene with illusion.

I have requested protective details to be placed on Professor
Stygian's wife and daughters.  He has declined protection for himself.
 I have also assigned several armspeople to interview onlookers and
neighbors for information; their reports will be submitted as part of
this case file.

I am prepared to continue the investigation.  I request that all Guard
members be on the look out for a person or creature with quills or
spines, possibly humanoid.  I also recommend that guardspeople who
will not be in populated areas make sure to wear gorgets that protect
the back of their neck, as this creature may paralyze its prey by
severing their spinal cords.

I am available for further information upon request.

By my hand,
Spell-Sergeant Peony Heatherdown of the Upper Darian