The Fair City of Golotha
There are, I think, several themes going through what we are seeing in Golotha. The first has to do with the murder of Sir Felkar. The facts, as we know them are thus: the Baron of Quste came to Golotha on what seems to have been an annual trip. He had with him his “niece,” two men at arms and Sir Felkar, a knight and a family member (the last as we believe). He also brought with him a large amount of money, we have found out it was £22. When we first met the pair, at the Bridgetower Inn, Sir Felkar was unfriendly and suspicious while the Baron was jovial and happy. Once the Baron ordered Sir Felkar to lighten up he was at least friendly. Sir Blors seems to have been a good friend of Sir Felkar while the Baron, though treated with respect, was not on such friendly terms, though cordial. One night, after everybody had retired for the evening, Sir Felkar seems to have left the rooms shared by the Baron’s party with the money, taking his arms but not his armor. Upon leaving the inn and heading north, he was waylaid by a party of four (Mogger, Slakka, Jeremiz, and Evil Erol). He was hit over the head, rendering him unconscious, and the money taken from him. Exit our four heroes and enter the villain, who slit the throat of Sir Felkar, put a modern penny down his throat, and carved three mascles (diamonds) onto his chest. He then left the now life-challenged knight lying in the alley, fully clothed. Once he had left, the denizens of the area (one Merky, seemingly a member of the Lia-Kavair and her friends) took everything else, including clothes. In the morning, the men at arms went looking for Sir Felkar and found him about to be dumped into the embalmer’s barge and took him back to the Baron. The Baron, being shown that his retainer was dead and the money he carried was gone, changed his personality. He became very unfriendly and threatening and left very shortly for his lands in Quste, leaving Sir Felkar dead in the room. Orsa, who was informed of the body by his cleaning staff, had it quietly carted from the room and dumped into the canal, where Boraga got it anyway. Later Sir Blors came in looking for the party which had left earlier in the day (one way or the other). Upon learning of the death of his friend, Sir Blors became upset and declared that he wanted to exact revenge for his friend but had no information to help with either this problem or our task but would be happy to chat with us once we knew who had killed Sir Felkar. He then left. A couple of days later, Bevan went to meet with Sir Tovar along with a new partner in the group, Sir Baris. He was shocked to learn of the death of Sir Felkar and the flight of the Baron. He stated he was going to send a note to the Baron about leaving his retainer as he had. A day or so later, on trying to get the body of Sir Felkar for proper burial, we found that the message party sent by Sir Tovar had discovered the bodies of two men at arms and a young girl (the rest of the party with the Baron) in shallow graves along the road to the north. There was no sign of the Baron himself. Imarë and Bevan, looking at the scene for ourselves, found that a large group of horsemen had fought with the group, killed the guards in the fight and then ran the girl through. The Baron was found about 5 days later in the stocks of the city with his throat cut and a penny (of Chafin III) in his throat and was totally nude with mascles on his chest. We were told of this by the embalmer and paid him two shillings to keep the body for a couple of days. On the second day we notified Sir Tovar of the death of the Baron. This same day Boraga let us know that there was another body with the strange markings. This turns out to be a journeyman hideworker who had no known enemies. He has a modern penny in his throat. In a meeting with Jarop we find that Rahel of Aerth’s men rode out of the city on the day the Baron was taken and nobody saw them returning.
This is what I think happened. Sir Felkar and Sir Blors were in league with each other to eliminate the Baron so that Sir Felkar could accede to the title (he may have even done away with the prior heir who died suddenly about a month before). The Baron was giving someone a large sum of money, either voluntarily or by force. He could have been paying this for years, we just don’t know. If this money went missing, it would cause difficulties for the Baron which would lead somehow to his death. I think the plan was to steal the money in the middle of the night (hence being quiet and not putting on his armor because it would make noise) and slipping out when everybody was asleep. He was heading north because the only way to get to his partner at night without disturbing people would have been to go by boat, the wharves are in the direction that he was headed. Jarop (head of the Lia-Kavair) had been alerted to the money being in the Baron’s possession and had sent Mogger et al. to get it (I am supposing the money was for the Morgathians and Jarop found out through his brother). Once they had grabbed the money, a second party came in for the coup de grace, either following Sir Felkar or keeping the inn under surveillance (could be he is the one who alerted Jarop). The next day the Baron discovers that he not only does not have the money he has promised and his retainer was killed, he also finds out his loyal retainer had plotted against him (stealing the money and running off). This is what caused the Baron to run. Sir Blors, waiting for Sir Felkar to join him after the theft is puzzled by the delay in the plan and goes to see what is up. He finds the Baron has left but he has no clue about the death of Sir Felkar until told, which upsets him (he would at least get a portion of the 5,280d) and who knows what else when his friend becomes the Baron (he knows the Baron was a traitor and would have no qualms about doing him in to help his friend, who did not rebel, to gain the title). He then returns to his daily hunts and nightly drinking sessions with a clear concience because he has nothing to fear.
We now know that Rahel is the one who took the Baron but we do not know why. We also do not know what happened to cause the death of the Baron in that particular fashion. We do know that the killing took place five days after the kidnapping, enough time to request instructions from others as what to do (Coranan perhaps?). Rahel is well connected in the city and seems to have good sources of information (hence she knew of the flight of the Baron at about the time it happened). What if she found out how Sir Felkar was killed (slit throat, coin in the mouth, mascles) and decided, when told to eliminate the Baron, to lay the blame on whoever killed the knight? There have been differences in each of the two prior killings. Pelisa may have invited her killer up for a tryst and once the fun was over (and she was naked et.) killed her. He then killed the guard on his way out because he was blocking the way and could identify the killer. When he killed Sir Felkar, he just did it and carved the mascles. The street people are the ones who took the clothes and everything else. The body of the Baron was moved from wherever the killing took place, and a different coin was left in his mouth. I am then proposing that the killing of the hideworker was to cover the murder of the Baron, in other words leave so many bodies around that we would not connect certain things. Remember, Ewen and Imarë commented on the difference in coin in the Baron’s mouth in front of Boraga and his assistants. The next killing has the correct coin in the mouth. We are now running after the killer of the latest victim who has no connection to the people who killed him. This would mean there are at least two killers, the one/ones who killed Pelisa and Sir Felkar and the killer of the Baron and the hideworker (who is either Rahel or one of her minions). I see the parties as this: 1) the Mascles killer (identity unknown). Responsible for three (possibly four) deaths for reasons unknown. Does not seem to bear the party personal animosity as he has not killed anybody in the party and he seems skilled enough to do it. 2) Rahel of Aerth, reasons unknown. Captured and killed a noble of the realm. I doubt she works for the Morgathians or Agrikans, everybody seems to agree that, while she stayed in the city, she did not participate in the rebellion (as the churches had). She also seems to be a supporter of Arren I (as displayed by the tapestry). She could not be a supporter of Arren II because she killed one of his nobles who had been pardoned by him (and if he had changed his mind, this was a really messy way to do it). 3) The Lia-Kavair, they seem only in it for the money and do not seem close to Rahel. 4) The Morgathians, who run the city the way they wish already so why would they want to rock the boat? 5) The Agrikans, who only seem to wish to supplant the Morgathians and wreak mayhem wherever and whenever they wish, the killings seem way to subtle for the group we have met (more the “wham-bam stab you ma’am” type). 6) Sir Blors and Sir Felkar, they seemed to have been involved for money and position. Neither seemed to be Rhodes scholars and what has been going on seems above them. The way things seem, Sir Blors has kept his skirts nice and clean, why get pulled deeper into something which would probably cause Royal wrath if it was discovered he was involved. 7) The Aerths, seemingly only in anything for the money. Powerful and well connected in this field but that all it looks like they are interested in.
This does not even begin to cover the Ewen/Jelesa connection. Why was the intruder looking at the girl? Why was Slakka a worm? Can we find something to tie the histories of Bevan or her family with Ewen or his family? The way he was hired to sing her a particular song and then a girl who looks like a clone. Plus the shop where they live seems to be watched by a power of some type (the aversion when Ewen and Sir Baris went through the square).