un: tender core of the waiting spring blossom | audio.

[corvis]

Everyone, listen up. For the record, my name's Raven, since I don't know most of you.

About the body in the lake. Jiang Cheng, Vanya, and I did some further looking into his identity.

We're pretty sure that the body in the lake belongs to Anurr's predecessor. Thanks to Beitang Moran and Wei Wuxian talking to various people and sharing their findings with us, it is confirmed to be a homicide. Legend says his own people bound him and attached a weight to him before letting him sink and drown for his tretchery and injustice towards Anurr during the challenges for his mantle. A also local claims he remembers no dead body within his time being discussed about or rumored, therefore it must be a relatively new addition, if that means anything to any of you.

[ Gilbert pauses to glance at his notes. ]

As far as the familiar aura that is like the mirror coming from the body, I don't think it matters much to keep trying to figure out the link. I have theories, but I don't want to be giving anyone ideas that distract them from more meaningful efforts, especially since it's just as likely I'm wrong. I can probably locate the ship and what's left of the mirror, but considering it's in pieces and literally no one and nothing else in the Citadel has given off anything even slightly similar to it beyond where the ship was originally docked... going out of our way really seems like a waste of time, right now.

Honestly, this all looked very intriguing at first, but with the information we have now, there's nothing to really see beyond we now know who was murdered and by whom. Nothing suggests anything to worry about.

Nevertheless, I highly suggest you leave the body alone. Anyone who is linked to bring able to summon evil spirits is a wild card we don't want to piss off, dead of not.

Other things of note I found out while investigating: The weather is unnaturally early even though they have experienced early storm arrivals in the past. If Anurr really is controlling the weather like Karsa suggests, then it's safe to say he either wants someone or something to not escape him or he doesn't want a someone or something to leave the Citadel for whatever other reason. We should take the weather extremely seriously if we haven't been.

[ some page flipping sounds can be heard. ]

This is not related to the body exactly, but... I happened to notice that there's a lot of undead wandering through the Citadel, in the merchant area especially. The citizens behave towards them as if they are simply any other sentry wandering through the streets. coexistence on any level with the dead is suspicious, and alarming when to this degree. Despite that, it's also not currently linking up with our priorities. Still, it's something to be aware of going forward.

If you want to look over the notes in detail, my notebook will be in the kitchen.

[ ooc: this is a relay of the information for Karsa's task to investigate the body in the lake.. Hoping it is useful to your characters! ]

Comments

un: heart-fluttering hummingbird

[downswing]

Deaths by drowning are long-suffered.

Cruelty before justice.

(gil will stay audio for now)

[corvis]

Is the cruelty of this sort of death justified when that one is cruel in life?

[ Gilbert is curious, of course. It never hurts to understand the way people you should be allied with think in terms of morals and justice. ]

jfc my notifs are such.................... | staying written!!!

[downswing]

Not all that is justified is just.

[corvis]

What is just, then?

[downswing]

Defending those without sword or voice.

[corvis]

Can't argue with that.

Also can't say I'm surprised this happened. Despite there being legends about Anurr once being a kind and noble individual, things don't really seem to be that way, anymore, if his groupies are proper judge.

[downswing]

Victors write legends.

[corvis]

No different than history, I suppose.

Anyway, it's just one more reason to keep away from them.

un: xianxian of yunmeng jiang

[weifinder]

Mah, not to mention, that weather's calling people out—maybe think of what is achieved by getting people to leave while undefended and eventually succumbing to the cold that the Anurr move through like fish in water, compared to how slowed down the Unhalad get.

( Anyone who summons evil spirits THANKS, SIR, SOME OF US JUST ARE TALENTED )

So he's the predecessor, and now, what, haunts the farm? Also, the undead in the citadel aren't as surprising in that they're not new to those of us sprung out of the... sprung before the ship arrived, but they're all Unhalad's, if you're seeing them out and moving on patrols, and be careful—they had been looking for us.

[corvis]

[ HE'S PRETTY SURE THEY CALL THEM EVIL FOR A REASON OK. ]

Not quite sure if he haunts the farm. There was nothing about him haunting anything despite the story being perfect for that sort of addition. Does this place seem haunted to you?

[ there's a short pause before a 'huh.' ]

Really? I tried talking with some of them. Wonder if it had to do with the weather like you said?

Also, what do you mean about people being called out undefended? Wouldn't they have even more reason to stay in place than venture out in this weather?

un: first blush of tender youth | audio

[somebadnews]

[ He's been investigating a homicide with his sister. Just... give him a minute to process that. Dearest Vanya, he has questions. ]

Nice work, detective. Seems like you all have got a way with the locals.

[corvis]

Well, they're just people. Usually happy to talk about anything given reasons.

[somebadnews]

[ Stop making it sound so easy. ]

I'm sure that was a fun bit of gossip for them.

[corvis]

[ sorry. ]

You think so? [ they're just a bunch of losers tbh. ]

[somebadnews]

[ IT'S FINE. His fault for losing patience two seconds after someone doesn't tell him what he wants them to. ]

Apparently. I doubt you did anything that would raise suspicions.

[corvis]

Wait, is that sarcasm?

[somebadnews]

[ Five is one to talk, but you went and involved his sister. It makes him twitch, but he makes an effort to reign in his temper. ]

No. Who could blame you for keeping busy. [ Totally fine with it. ] What intrigued you in the first place?

[corvis]

[ three dungeon master made the suggestion, not Gil. Wow. ]

Nothing, really. That woman complained about it, and it's something I am used to, so I just went and did it.

[ he was bored and bodies giving off weird vibes as a cursed mirror totally sounds better than hiding from the cat. ]

un: dappled pearl of the parted seas [voice]

[beitangmoran]

I am pretty sure some of the locals do not want me to show my face at the market ever again.

[He doesn't sound overly bothered about that, and he is not. Moran cares absolutely not about what other people think of him.]

[corvis]

I'm sure you're just imagining things.

[beitangmoran]

I spent the best part of an hour complaining about the quality of their wares to get information, and word gets around.

[corvis]

Well, you didn't lie. You just voiced what other locals were saying but not to their faces.

[beitangmoran]

There is a difference between being diplomatic and lying, young man. And I certainly wasn't being diplomatic there.

[corvis]

I don't think they deserved a diplomatic approach much, either, but if you insist.

[beitangmoran]

It was the easiest way to get them to talk at the time, but fostering good relations in the long term is probably more beneficial. We do buy goods from this people. Just not those made of wood anymore, I suppose.