Beyond - Legends Murder most foul

Title: Murder most foul
Author: Gamiel
Characters: OCs
Era: Sometime after the Shadow Academy's attack on the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV
Genre: adventure/mystery
Disclaimers: Kansi and its super powers Sargor and Girri are the creations of Anders Blixt for the D6 adventure 'Skatten i Silversjön' that appeared in the Swedish gaming magazine Sinkadus nr. 24 (mars 1990)
Summary: in a small country on a backwater rock a serial killer is loose and outside help is called for to catch him.

List of characters (will be updated as more characters appear. The black areas are information that will reveal a smaller plot twist later in story)
Outsiders
Karin Mun – Rokovokoan kiffar; Jedi Knight ex-Kiffu Guardian
Eman-Bakaltas Ta!ka – Dathomirian human; Jedi padawan, ex-Shadow academy dark Jedi
Kk-ssax – [undecided homeworld] Cha'a; Jedi padawan

Moqumoians
Idowu Itto – Kensi human; police captain
Kayode – Kensi human; police officer, Idowu’s adjutant
Olamilekan – Kensi human; police officer, Idowu’s adjutant


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At the time the Rebel Alliance planed their attack on the second Deathstar so did war break out on the planet Kansi between its super powers Sargor and Girri. With both sides not jet discovered how to split the atom and only having only basic electrical technology the war was not as destructive as it could have been, but that did not mean that the ten years the world war lasted was not destructive.

When the war ended so had the Galactic Republic grown strong enough to be able to care about catastrophes on non-member worlds. Quickly building a base on some remote, unpopulated islands they then offered relief food and their medical knowledge to all the suffering parts. They also offered their ability as non partisan negotiators and communication equipment to all (still standing) country leaders (even if they did not mention that they were listening in on all transmissions).

Ten years after the Republic had established their base on Kansi so was a call put out from the small island-country of Moqumo for help with the capturing of a serial killer. Lacking people with the knowledge for what Moqumo requested, the request was re-transmitted to the nearest sector ranger.

The ‘Iron Heron’, which was coming into what had been declared Kumar’s air & spaceport, resembled a gracious barge made of metall. It was the third time Idowu saw one of the offworlders air ships and it still amazed him. As the ship landed and its walking ramp slided down he and his adjutants, Kayode and Olamilekan, moved to welcome their guests.
He had already prepared himself for the unexpected so he was not surprised by the look of the trio that walked out, by the light gasp that come from Olamilekan so was he not as well prepared; he would have to talk to him later. You could easily lose face by physically showing how alien you found strangers or even worse, make the department lose face.
Not that the strangers was not strange to any of the on looking Moqus. Their leader was androgynous with dark skin, not unlike an Moqus but with round eyes, curly hair in some kind of topknot and his, or was it her, chin was painted red. She, or he, was dressed in a kind of brown tunica below a kind of short cuirass with shoulder guards, with a yellow, encircled star on one shoulder guard and the Republic’s red axe-head on the other. His, or her, companions were even stranger.

One was a humanoid lizard of some sort with red and red-orange scale and a spiky crest going from its head to its back. The other one was at least human but had brazen-tan skin, round eyes and curly hair with many small colourful braids hanging down his neck. They were both dressed in brown coveralls and had, like their leader, utility belts and backpacks.
Idowu stepped forward and made a bow, “Greetings honoured representatives, I am captain Idowu Itto of Kumai police force.”

The leader also bowed and said, with a voice that revelled her gender, “Thank you officer Idowu, we hope we can be of help. I’m Karin Mun, this are my students Eman-Bakaltas Ta!ka and Kk-ssax.”

“Well met, you do us honour. If you would like to follow me so can we discuss the tragedy that has brought you here.”

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“You have to understand the background of our country first”, said Idowu as he pored tea to his guests, followed by offering them salt and butter, both which he put in his own tea, only Kk-ssax did not do the same, “For hundred of years so have we been highly isolationistic, only accepting outsiders in special towns that they are not allowed outside of.

This changed when the Great War spilled over to our shores, suddenly we realised that the world had drastically changed while we had stayed the same. It was decided that we needed to reform but not everybody was willing to change, mostly members of the old warrior cast, so conflict broke out: the Reformation War.

This happened as the Great War was coming to an end and thankfully it was quick but still bloody.

As for now are we trying to adept to this new reality. Something made harder by all the surviving warriors from the war, many who have shown themselves incapable of any real trade outside of violence and intimidation.

To prevent an escalation in violence and to show that we are in a new age so was it decided that it was forbidden by anybody outside of the armed forces or high ranking police officers,” Idowu touched the sabre at his side, “from caring swords or guns. This has kept most violence a lot less bloody then it could have been. Of course there is still murder and violence but we like to think that it is not more then we can handle, but the last half year we had a killer unlike anything we have encounter before”, he made a dramatic paus and sipped his tea, “He seems to be a master swordsman that have killed at lest a hundred people, many who was policemen. I know many of the dead policemen and they were good fighter but it seems they could not even cut the killer. So you see our problem is twofold, we can not find this killer and it seems that we can not catch him either.”

Karin Mun nodded her head, “I make no promises captain Itto but that we will do everything we can to help you.”

“For that we are thankful. Sadly not all of our department are as thankful and they consider us asking for help a lose of face. They will not be helpful.”

“We do understand. Do you have any plans how we will begin this investigation?”

 

Have created a character list with (hopefully) helpful links, regarding Kk-ssax: he is a Cha'a

No, this is another story that I have had laying around that I posted partly to motivate myself to continue with it.

I was thinking that he is her "uncle" (mostly because that would give them a reason to have a history if I ever have them meeting), more probably her mother’s cousin (or even more distant) then brother.

Thanks

 

A serial killer?

master swordsman!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitōrei_Edict

Did this edict provide inspiration?

 

Absolutely.

 

Part 2

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Kumai, the capital of Moqumo, was mostly made out of two and three stories wood and stone houses with slanting roofs and painted gables, there where also some higher, red brick buildings, with six to twelve stories sticking up.

The city was built by the coast with many channels and islands on which boats transporting goods and people travelled. On one of those boats were Idowu, together with Kayode and Olamilekan, and Karin, together with Eman and Kk-ssax.

They were travelling along one of the channels that would pass by the police headquarter, which was a large, two stories, wooden building with a six stories brick addition.

As the boat moored six people jumped of. To the on looking Moqus it would seem that the group was made up by three police men, one simple villager, one strangely dressed, pale skinned young man and, strangest of strange, one red and red-orange scaled humanoid lizard in strange clothing.

The reason the on lookers only saw two strangers was because of Idowu’s plan, that had actually been developed while they was talking over tea. It was impossible to hide that the police had taken in outsider help which possibly would hinder the hunt for the killer. But Karin could, with some make up and a change of clothes, be taken for a native and with her students grabbing all attention with their alien looks so could she wander around and investigate without drawing any real attention.

In her (male) peasant clothing – which involved: patched brown trousers tightened around the shins by cross-gartering, a washed out blue samue held together by a simple belt and a broad brimmed conical strawhat, that kept her face in shadows – and carrying not just her own backpack but also Eman’s and Kk-ssax’s, made it appear that she (or rather he too must onlookers) was just another peasant hired as an aide.

The group was greeted by a junior policeman that had ruched to tell them that they were not allowed too moor there before seeing that they also were police.

“Captain Itto, *pant* we are glad to see you. *huff* The Slayer have stroke again. This time in the Imino district.”

“Quickly summon a carriage! We move at once”, Idowu turned to his companions, “It seems there is no time like the present, we will have to install you later.”

 

Indeed.

Is there more than one murderer? All died of sword wounds?

go find that guy! Gal?

No witnesses right?

 

Cool OCs & intriguing culture

 

An intresting story so far.
Its an intriguing idea of a setting a former war torn worldthat's several centuries behind the rest of the galaxy. This murderer whoever it is sounds defenetly dangerous with over a hundret victims,murdered with a sword.
The OCs are quite intresring aswell and I'mintrested to find out a bit more about them.

 

Part 3

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The corps-carriers had already begun to move the corpses as the carriage approached. Before the carriage had even stopped had Idowu jumped out and quickly ordered the policemen and corps-carriers to stop their work.

As he talked to the policemen already there did Eman and Kk-ssax begin to walk around the crime scene taking pictures with help of advanced (for Moqumo) cameras. Karin shuffled after them looking all to the word like a simple aide.

There was five corpses; two that had not been moved, of the other three was two already in the corps wagon while the third had been on its way to it before Idowu had ordered them. Karin internally catalogued what was obvious from the crime scene: the wounds on corpses (all male) indicated that they had been killed by a longer cutting instrument, most likely a sword; the blood splatter together with the type of wounds indicated that the killer/s was strong enough to cut bone and had a weapon good enough to do that with; one of the unmoved corpses had a knife in its hand but its edge was unblooded; she could not tell anything from their clothing, faces or similar since she had been in Moqumo to short a-time to know what they would indicate.

The policemen, corps-carriers and unsorted onlookers were standing around steering at the Eman and Kk-ssax like the aliens from another planet they were.

Once the crime scene and every corps had been photographed in every possible angle and there was little more her own studies would give, Karin signalled to her students who in turn told Idowu that they were finished here.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Creators comment: A bit short this time, hopfully the next one will be longer

 

Very good detailing of efficient observations and evidence-gathering.

 

Part 4

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Karin looked at the map of the city that was hanging on the wall. On the map were thirteen pins, each pin marking where the killer had done his deed. Hanging from each pin was a small note with a number, the number indicating the map with the information on the people involved, a few living, but most dead. The ‘Sword Demon’, as the Kumai press had dubbed the villain, was not just a serial killer, he was a mass murderer.

Beside the map was a sketch of the Sword Demon, it was a bad sketch, more showing the idea of a sharp face, shadowed by a broad brimmed conical strawhat, with a kind of chin-an’-cheek guard, which Karin had been told was rather common among the veterans of the Reformation War.

Karin had tried to help with the sketch by using psychometry on the newest corpses. It had not really helped: the Sword Demon had been wearing the strawhat and chin-an’-cheek guard that the sketch implied, which made it hard to really see his face. This together with the speed he had moved made Karin’s attempt to see more of him fruitless, all she got of it was the feeling of wrongness she always got when reading a corpse. That and a feeling of killer intent from the Sword Demon that was unnatural.

“What do you see”, asked Karin the other occupants of the room.

“Most of the murders have happened near the water ways around Umlan town”, said Idowu while mentally kicking himself over that they had never thought about using a map to get an overview of the murders, it become so obvious after Karin had asked for one, “only three in the outer, eastern quarters and non in the inner city. This could suggest that that the Sword Demon lives beside, or on, the waterways.”

“That’s a good theory. Kayode, you and Kk-ssax have goon through the victims, have you seen any pattern or anything of notice?”

“Most of the Umlan town killings have been of people living in that area or revelers visiting the south part of the town”, known for its bars and entertainment, “I did look after the things you asked and there seems that many of the victims had some kind of armament or were known fighters. Going by our own talk with witnesses and the reports, which I now find lacking – I hope you can help us with creating a better questioning and reporting system – so is often the Sword Demon’s first victims people that can fight back, and after he has killed them all do he sometime prosed to attack and kill anybody that’s near, whoever they are.

The three killings in the outer, eastern quarters were first of: the merchant Idowu Imuku, who was returning from out-of-town, his concubine, all six of his bodyguards, three of his servants and two people living in that area.

Second: five out-of-towners with false papers that had been caring weapons and hidden armour, as of yet unidentified.

And the third killing in the eastern quarters was the Oboé Guesthouse, where the Sword Demon killed all thirteen registered guests, the madam Oboé herself, her husband, oldest daughter and two sons – her two younger daughters was out on an errand – all of the staff that was in the Guesthouse, the second maid and runner-boy was, like the daughters, out on errand. Non in the Guesthouse was armed.”

“Was there anything that connected any of the murders?”

“Not that we could find.”

“Allright. Is there anything people want to say or suggest regarding what we have or were we should be going?”

There was none.

“Allright then. Unless Idowu think different do I suggest that we stop for today and return to this tomorrow. We win little by overworking and often you can see things in a new way or you have missed after some rest.