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Background

You'll receive this quest at the start of the game.


Walkthrough

From the introduction to the game, you'll learn that a councilman named Jake was killed in Cyseal City, and that sourcery might have been involved. To investigate the murder, you'll first need to head over to the harbor (#1) where you'll be greeted by the wizard Arhu. Arhu will give you some background information about the area, and he'll suggest that you meet with Captain Aureus in Cyseal City. You'll find Aureus in the Legion Headquarters (#2).

When you talk to Aureus, he'll make it clear that he doesn't think much of Source Hunters, but he'll allow you to continue your investigation, provided that you report your findings to him. He'll then give you access to the crime scene, which is located in the King Crab Inn (#3). This conversation will earn you 900 xp.

While you're in Aureus' office, you might want to grab the book Oops, I'm a Detective. It will explain that investigations consist of three parts: inspecting the body, inspecting the crime scene, and interrogating witnesses. This is (not coincidentally) a good plan of attack for investigating Jake's murder.

Inspect the Body

When you head to the morgue (#4) to ask Roberts about the body, he'll tell you that he's already buried it in the graveyard (#5). Learning this information will earn you 180 xp. However, if you go to the preparation room downstairs, then you'll find Roberts' Ledger there, and it will indicate that Jake's body vanished before it could be buried, and that it's not in the graveyard at all. You'll also learn who Roberts thinks might have stolen the body. If you go back to Roberts and ask him about this, then he'll tell you why he suspects the people he listed in his ledger.

At the graveyard, you can go ahead and dig up Jake's grave even though you know his body won't be there. You'll need a Shovel for this, and conveniently you'll find one sticking in the ground nearby. Inside the coffin you'll find a Sheep's Corpse, which you'll need for the quest Little Bo Bertia Lost Her Sheep. Opening the coffin will earn you over 500 xp.

Loitering near Jake's grave, you'll meet Jake's dog Murphy. If you have the Pet Pal talent, then after digging up the grave, Murphy will offer to sniff out Jake's killer. He'll tell you that Jake had a unique scent, and that he should be able to smell it on the clothing of the murderer. This will allow you to bring "smelly" items to him. There are eight smelly items in the game, two for each of the four suspects:

• Smelly Handkerchief (Aureus). Pickpocketed from Aureus (#2).
• Smelly Socks (Aureus). Found in the nightstand in Aureus' office in the Legion Headquarters (#2).
• Smelly Panties (Esmeralda). Found in a chest upstairs in Esmeralda's house (#7).
• Smelly Headband (Esmeralda). Carried by Esmeralda (#7).
• Smelly Coat (Evelyn). Found in a cabinet in the sick room of Thelyron's House of Healing (#6).
• Smelly Scarf (Evelyn). Pickpocketed from Evelyn (#6).
• Smelly Ring (Mayor Cecil). Pickpocketed from Cecil (#8).
• Smelly Shoes (Mayor Cecil). Found in a cupboard in the living quarters of the town hall (#8).

Murphy will only smell Jake on Evelyn's items, which will make her your main suspect. You'll earn 360 xp when this happens.

Inspect the Crime Scene

You'll find the crime scene in the King Crab Inn (#3), in the room on the main floor with the guard out front. The guard won't let you in until you've spoken to Captain Aureus. When you enter the inn room, you'll trigger a Star Stone, which will heal you and earn you over 1000 xp. If this is your first Star Stone, then it will teleport you to the Homestead, where you'll have to take a short break away from the investigation.

When you eventually make your way back to the crime scene, you'll find the room in disarray, and you'll notice a whole lot of blood on the floor. You'll also discover a locked chest against one wall. The key to the chest is located in the upstairs bedroom of Esmeralda's house (#7). Inside the chest you'll find a Letter from the Duke of Ferol, in which he'll suggest that their affair would be easier if Jake wasn't around. Looting this letter (or any other piece of evidence implicating Esmeralda) will trigger the quest The Councilor's Wife, which is sort of a sub-quest to this one.

Interrogate Suspects

If you talk to Arhu (in his lab in the Legion Headquarters, #2) or to the waitress or bartender in the King Crab Inn (#3), then you'll learn that three people were involved in the murder. A woman rented the room and entered it with a man, and then later a second man entered, which caused a "terrible commotion" to erupt. However, by the time anybody gathered enough courage to enter the room and discover what happened, only Councilman Jake's dead body was found. Most people you talk to will assume that the first two people to arrive were Esmeralda, Jake's wife, and the Duke of Ferol, her lover, and that Jake ran in to break up their tryst, but nobody will have any evidence to back up their claims.

If you ask the Duke of Ferol about the affair, then he won't have much to say to you, even after you've picked up his letter from the crime scene. Talking to him will simply reduce your reputation with him.

You can also talk to Emeralda (#7). Between the crime scene and her house, you'll find three pieces of evidence implicating her in the murder (see the quest The Councilor's Wife for details), but she'll be able to explain them all away. However, after showing her all three items, she'll claim that Jake received a "fatal" wound while hunting boars, and that he became obsessed with Evelyn, Master Thelyron's apprentice, when she healed him. Esmeralda will then suggest that you go and bother Evelyn instead of her.

After learning about Evelyn from Esmeralda, when you head over to Thelyron's House of Healing (#6) to talk to Evelyn, you'll discover that she's no longer there. Luckily, Thelyron will have news for you. He'll tell you that Evelyn flew out of his house so quickly that she left her backpack behind. Learning this information will earn you 600 xp. When you search the backpack (found in the sick room) you'll discover Evelyn's house key.

Inside Evelyn's house (#9), you'll find several things of interest:

• Evelyn's Diary. This will indicate that Evelyn has a Hideout to the northwest, and that you'll need a spell to reveal it. Reading the diary will earn you 900 xp.
  
  
• Letter from the Conduit. This will indicate that Evelyn knows the Conduit.
  
  
• Parchment. This will show you a recipe for reanimating corpses and also indicate that Evelyn knew a time when she could steal Jake's body.
  
  
• Reveal Spell. This is the spell you'll need to reveal Evelyn's Hideout. You'll earn 300 xp for picking it up.

You'll find Evelyn's Hideout in Cyseal North (#11). On your way there you'll encounter Dietmar, one of Evelyn's henchmen, plus some thugs (#10). They'll attack you, and Dietmar will drop the Staff of Pergamon when he dies. You'll need the staff for the quest Cecil's Mighty Staff. When you actually reach the hideout, you won't see an entrance for it. To make the entrance appear, you'll need to read the Reveal Spell from Evelyn's house. This will earn you 1050 xp and trigger an exploration xp bonus.

Inside the hideout, you'll quickly encounter an Anemic Cultist. He'll rush away to warn everybody about your presence, but you should be able to kill him before he gets very far. If the cultist manages to get away, then he'll warn the orcs in the next room, and they'll attack you when you arrive. If the orcs don't receive a warning, then they'll talk to you instead, and if you can beat them in a rock-paper-scissors mini-game, then you'll earn 790 xp and they'll leave you alone. If you fight the orcs, then you'll receive 3600 xp.

Past the orcs you'll come to a locked door. You'll find the key for the door on the Anemic Cultist. Past the locked door, you'll encounter nine cultists. They'll attack you when they spot you, but like the Anemic Cultist, they'll be weak, and so you shouldn't have too many problems killing them, despite their numbers. You'll earn about 9000 xp for defeating the cultists, and you'll find a Barrage Skillbook and more when you search their room.

Past the cultists, you'll finally come to Evelyn. She'll be with Councilman Jake, who you'll discover is now a zombie. After a short conversation, during which you'll trigger the quest The Quest for Braccus Rex, Evelyn will summon a motley collection of minions, and she'll attack you. The enemies will do a lot of fire damage, and about half of them will be healed by fire, so the Rain spell isn't a bad idea for your opening salvo. Otherwise, focus on the spellcasters first and then mop up the rest.

After the battle, Jake will describe to you the night of his murder. He'll tell you that he thought he was going to catch Esmeralda in bed with the Duke of Ferol, but that instead he witnessed the White Witch in the embrace of an "unknown paramour," and he'll recommend that you hunt down the witch right away. This will trigger the quest Find the Witch. At the end of the conversation, Jake will give you an Enlightened Amulet, which he'll speculate has hidden magical properties, and you'll earn 7350 xp for completing the quest.


1 - East Harbor Gate


2 - Legion Headquarters


3 - King Crab Inn


4 - Morgue


5 - Graveyard


6 - Thelyron's House of Healing


7 - Esmeralda's House


8 - Town Hall


9 - Evelyn's House


10 - Dietmar


11 - Evelyn's Hideout