*A letter addressed to the war wizards of Suzail*

[zerohin]

To whom it may concern,

On the 28th day of Hammer in the year 1382, I went to the house of healing to seek the aid of Henrik, a healer and member of the Triadic Order.  Shortly after arriving a man entered, bloodied and exhausted. As I have very little expertise in the healing arts I left the work to mister Henrik, but remained near by should he require any assistance.

After examining and stabilizing the patient, Henrik and I were able to discover the cause of his injuries.  Apparently he is a guard for a noble family by the name of Silverthorn.  He was escorting the wife of the late Lord Fernand Silverthorn back to their home near the northern gates.  While walking past the temple of Liira they were approached by three figures, two of them human or elven according to Herman's account.  The other was a dwarf.  While heading to the market square to find the daughter of Lady Perrine Silverthorn, we decided to swing by the temple to see if we could spot anything to confirm the guardsman's story.  It was raining at the time, but we were able to spot a trail of blood leading into an alley behind the temple.

We discovered in the alley that a body had been murdered and stuffed into the barrel.  One of the war wizards was able to identify the body as belonging to Lady Perrine Silverthorn.  Her body has since been removed from this location.

Any inquiries from the war wizards about what transpired this day should be directed to Henrik at the house of Healing, or I can usually be reached in Valkur's Roar as I am a Sheriff Inquisitor in the reserves there.

Regards,
Zero Trickfoot

[Defunct Fiddlesticks]

*A white robed priest delivers a sealed report to the War Wizards tower later*

//Pm sent.

[Plotter]

As the War Wizards receive written reports of what happened, rumours has already begun to spread throughout Suzail. It is said that Lady Perrine 'Grandmother' Silverthorn was found dead in a barrel, in the alley behind the Shrine of Lliira. In the evening, discussion can be heard at the Wailing Wheel Inn.


"Lady Perrine Silverhorn?" says a cobbler, taking a swig from a tankard.

"Nah, Silver-thorn. Thorn, not horn." says a baker. "I know, too many silver families around."

"Never heard o' them. They new here?"

"Nah, they've lived here since the gobber war at least. From Arabel, me thinks."

"Poor house, ain't they?"

"Fer a noble house," says the baker and rolls his eyes.

"So the lady? She got murdered?"

"Like fish in a barrel," the baker nods and takes another swig. "Tha's what I heard."

"Where'd ya hear that?"

The baker leans closer to the cobbler with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes.
"So, me friend was sittin' at a table in the House o' Healin' when this Silverthorn guard stumbled in, pale like a ghost. He rambled on 'bout this lady he was to protect. Then, my friend heard from his brother, that he'd heard from another friend, who had heard from his wife..." He pauses a moment, going through the sequence in his head again, before he continues.

"...that her father helped carry the body from the alley where it happened, over to the healin' house. Stuffed in a barrel the lady was, arms an' legs bent like twigs, and body melted like a wax candle. And then Perrine's daughter Thérèse comes by the House o' Healin' bawlin' her eyes out." he nods firmly. "Tha's what I heard, true story."

The cobbler takes a swig from his ale, and wipes his mouth with his sleeve. He squints in confusion.
"Bloody hells. Why'd someone murder an ol' lady like tha'? Robbed her, did they?"

The baker shrugs, turning his palms up.
"Nah, who knows? She still had her coin an' silver jewellery on her."

"So, who did it? They Silverthorns got enemies? Zhentarim spies? Sembians, ya think?"

"The Silverthorn guard mentioned some mages and a dwarf. Could be anyone."

"Always mages, ain't it?"

"And dwarves. Greedy bastards."

"But they didn't take her silver?"

"Aye, tha's what I heard. Maybe it was a gnome then? Whatever the reason, nobody deserves a fate like tha'. There's jus' one word fer it."

They nod in agreement and orders another round.