((We interrupt the ongoing story of Jon Chess and locating Damian D'Arque for a flashback from the Rogue's Diary!))
It was not often that the fellow many knew as Jonathan Chess received a polite invitation from the Stormwind City guard to confer with them; usually, such invitations were delivered by a group of rather rude, commanding guardsmen with drawn steel and cocked crossbows.
"Excuse me, Master Chess. Officer Connelly requests your presence outside the Stormwind Library if it would be convenient?" said the city guardsman, anonymous in the blue and gold livery of Stormwind.
"Of course, lead the way, guardsman Finnerly, isn't it?" Like most of the ne'er-do-wells that patronized the Pig & Whistle tavern on the Stormwind Old Town section of town, Jon knew most of the guardsmen by name, as well as who could be bribed and with what.
"Yes, Master Chess," the fellow admitted, flinching a little at the recognition, bereft of the comfort of anonymity in the uniform plate and chain armor. The fellow possibly also was uncomfortable with someone like Jon Chess following behind him; while all of them paid lip service to Jon's day job as a merchant agent of cheese for Elling Trias, but the more experienced guardsmen had no illusions about either Trias nor Chess' history of shady activities.
The guardsman led Jon into the Stormwind palace, and into the garden area outside the Stormwind Library. Jon noted that his friend, the Stormwind Librarian Milton Sheaf was being questioned by a constable while others were securing what appeared to be a crime scene. The guardsman brought him before a constable saluted, and left Jon to her tender mercies.
"Officer Connelly, you are looking well. You asked for me?"
Unlike most of the constables, Officer Connelly rarely wore the enclosed helm for protection. Her long, black hair cascaded over metal pauldrons, framing a face that was more strong than lovely. Officer Connelly was remarkable in that while she had kind eyes, they actually matched her temperament. "Must be Hell on her, being a constable," Jon thought, knowing that her job was a constant litany of the worst sins that mankind could imagine, fueled by the cardinal sins of greed and lust.
Officer Connelly smiled. "Yes, Master Chess... I was hoping that you might lend your... particular expertise to helping us with this crime scene?" She brought Jon over to where the first body lay. The body was next to a chair which had been overturned, and a small side portable side table with a small silver plate and pewter tankard. "This man is..." she began.
"...Lord Gregor Lescovar, a member of the House of Nobles," Jon finished, enjoying the look of surprise on Officer Connolly's face.
"I was not aware that you ran in such elevated society, Master Chess," she remarked, frowning sardonically.
"Officer Connelly, every member of the House of Nobles enjoys only the best quality of cheese comestibles. You would be surprised how many members are known to me, as Master Trias sells only the finest quality wares." Jon forbore adding that he was also familiar with most of the layout and security of their homes, for far different reasons which had nothing to do with cheese.
"Very well, then. I would be grateful for any insights you might have to what has happened here?" she requested.
"I am happy to be of service," Jon said, walking around and making a number of observations. Perhaps a quarter of an hour later he came to where she had been watching, and said: "You understand that whatever I may say is speculation only, supported by the thinnest of any possible evidence?" He waited until Officer Connelly nodded before continuing.
"Well, it seems to me that Lord Lescovar had come to the library garden to meet someone, attended by this fellow," Jon said, indicating the second body. "Whatever Lord Lescovar had said enraged the servant, who attacked his master, and was fatally injured in the process by Lord Lescovar."
Officer Connelly nodded. "and you came to that conclusion how?"
"Clearly, Lord Lescovar was killed by the small silver fork that someone had rammed through his eyeball and into his brain. You can see the end of the silver fork sticking out of Lord Lescovar's eyeball. The servant, having thought Lord Lescovar was dead, turned to run, but Lord Lescovar lived long enough to stab his assailant in the kidney with his ornate dagger." Jon pointed to the dark bloodstains and the violent hole torn in the leather jerkin of the servant.
"Well, that fits the facts... we did find a blade in the servant's kidneys, and the dagger did indeed fit into the empty scabbard on Lescover," she said, nodding to herself. "And the motive? Do you know any reason why the servant might have attacked his master."
"I think it was a case of justifiable homicide," Jon said.
"What makes you think that?" asked the constable.
"The small plate smelt of onions and had crumbs of the type that Ironforge citizens use to surround their Onion Cheeses. I believe that when your forensics mage gets around to testing the murder weapon, you will find that it is a silver cheese fork, one of a set of a dozen that Master Trias sells to noble households," Jon explained. "The pewter mug, from the scent of it, held Daralarn Noir, a red wine so dark as to appear black." Jon raised his eyebrows as if that explained matters.
"...so?" asked Officer Connelly, not getting the connection.
"So... one simply does not eat Dwarven Onion Cheese with a bottle of wine," Jon said. "It is just NOT done! I suspect that the was perhaps the latest crime of this nature perpetrated by Lord Lescovar, who was known to have rather poor taste." Jon smirked, not mentioning that Lord Lescovr as also rumored to have been well-paid by the Defias Brotherhood for using his noble's influence to get incarcerated members of the Defias Brotherhood released from the Stormwind Stockade and into work-gangs, which mysteriously vanished on their way to Lord Lescover's mines.
Jon also failed to mention that the other man, while acting as Lord Lescovar's servant, had actually been the assassin known as Marzon the Silent Blade, a high-ranking member of the Defias Brotherhood, and who had been known do the occasional job for Lescovar. Jon reminded himself to complement whoever had staged the murder of Lord Lescovar; whoever it was, they had done good work.
"Clearly, this latest transgression had been the last straw for the servant, who had probably suffered in silence with such outrages for years before he finally snapped<' Jon concluded. "Dwarven Onion Cheese should only be accompanied by a fine Dwarven Stout... like I said - justifiable homicide!"
It was not often that the fellow many knew as Jonathan Chess received a polite invitation from the Stormwind City guard to confer with them; usually, such invitations were delivered by a group of rather rude, commanding guardsmen with drawn steel and cocked crossbows.
"Excuse me, Master Chess. Officer Connelly requests your presence outside the Stormwind Library if it would be convenient?" said the city guardsman, anonymous in the blue and gold livery of Stormwind.
"Of course, lead the way, guardsman Finnerly, isn't it?" Like most of the ne'er-do-wells that patronized the Pig & Whistle tavern on the Stormwind Old Town section of town, Jon knew most of the guardsmen by name, as well as who could be bribed and with what.
"Yes, Master Chess," the fellow admitted, flinching a little at the recognition, bereft of the comfort of anonymity in the uniform plate and chain armor. The fellow possibly also was uncomfortable with someone like Jon Chess following behind him; while all of them paid lip service to Jon's day job as a merchant agent of cheese for Elling Trias, but the more experienced guardsmen had no illusions about either Trias nor Chess' history of shady activities.
The guardsman led Jon into the Stormwind palace, and into the garden area outside the Stormwind Library. Jon noted that his friend, the Stormwind Librarian Milton Sheaf was being questioned by a constable while others were securing what appeared to be a crime scene. The guardsman brought him before a constable saluted, and left Jon to her tender mercies.
"Officer Connelly, you are looking well. You asked for me?"
Unlike most of the constables, Officer Connelly rarely wore the enclosed helm for protection. Her long, black hair cascaded over metal pauldrons, framing a face that was more strong than lovely. Officer Connelly was remarkable in that while she had kind eyes, they actually matched her temperament. "Must be Hell on her, being a constable," Jon thought, knowing that her job was a constant litany of the worst sins that mankind could imagine, fueled by the cardinal sins of greed and lust.
Officer Connelly smiled. "Yes, Master Chess... I was hoping that you might lend your... particular expertise to helping us with this crime scene?" She brought Jon over to where the first body lay. The body was next to a chair which had been overturned, and a small side portable side table with a small silver plate and pewter tankard. "This man is..." she began.
"...Lord Gregor Lescovar, a member of the House of Nobles," Jon finished, enjoying the look of surprise on Officer Connolly's face.
"I was not aware that you ran in such elevated society, Master Chess," she remarked, frowning sardonically.
"Officer Connelly, every member of the House of Nobles enjoys only the best quality of cheese comestibles. You would be surprised how many members are known to me, as Master Trias sells only the finest quality wares." Jon forbore adding that he was also familiar with most of the layout and security of their homes, for far different reasons which had nothing to do with cheese.
"Very well, then. I would be grateful for any insights you might have to what has happened here?" she requested.
"I am happy to be of service," Jon said, walking around and making a number of observations. Perhaps a quarter of an hour later he came to where she had been watching, and said: "You understand that whatever I may say is speculation only, supported by the thinnest of any possible evidence?" He waited until Officer Connelly nodded before continuing.
"Well, it seems to me that Lord Lescovar had come to the library garden to meet someone, attended by this fellow," Jon said, indicating the second body. "Whatever Lord Lescovar had said enraged the servant, who attacked his master, and was fatally injured in the process by Lord Lescovar."
Officer Connelly nodded. "and you came to that conclusion how?"
"Clearly, Lord Lescovar was killed by the small silver fork that someone had rammed through his eyeball and into his brain. You can see the end of the silver fork sticking out of Lord Lescovar's eyeball. The servant, having thought Lord Lescovar was dead, turned to run, but Lord Lescovar lived long enough to stab his assailant in the kidney with his ornate dagger." Jon pointed to the dark bloodstains and the violent hole torn in the leather jerkin of the servant.
"Well, that fits the facts... we did find a blade in the servant's kidneys, and the dagger did indeed fit into the empty scabbard on Lescover," she said, nodding to herself. "And the motive? Do you know any reason why the servant might have attacked his master."
"I think it was a case of justifiable homicide," Jon said.
"What makes you think that?" asked the constable.
"The small plate smelt of onions and had crumbs of the type that Ironforge citizens use to surround their Onion Cheeses. I believe that when your forensics mage gets around to testing the murder weapon, you will find that it is a silver cheese fork, one of a set of a dozen that Master Trias sells to noble households," Jon explained. "The pewter mug, from the scent of it, held Daralarn Noir, a red wine so dark as to appear black." Jon raised his eyebrows as if that explained matters.
"...so?" asked Officer Connelly, not getting the connection.
"So... one simply does not eat Dwarven Onion Cheese with a bottle of wine," Jon said. "It is just NOT done! I suspect that the was perhaps the latest crime of this nature perpetrated by Lord Lescovar, who was known to have rather poor taste." Jon smirked, not mentioning that Lord Lescovr as also rumored to have been well-paid by the Defias Brotherhood for using his noble's influence to get incarcerated members of the Defias Brotherhood released from the Stormwind Stockade and into work-gangs, which mysteriously vanished on their way to Lord Lescover's mines.
Jon also failed to mention that the other man, while acting as Lord Lescovar's servant, had actually been the assassin known as Marzon the Silent Blade, a high-ranking member of the Defias Brotherhood, and who had been known do the occasional job for Lescovar. Jon reminded himself to complement whoever had staged the murder of Lord Lescovar; whoever it was, they had done good work.
"Clearly, this latest transgression had been the last straw for the servant, who had probably suffered in silence with such outrages for years before he finally snapped<' Jon concluded. "Dwarven Onion Cheese should only be accompanied by a fine Dwarven Stout... like I said - justifiable homicide!"
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