The following lines of investigation yield results:
Servants' gossip (some true, some false)
1) Emma Centrella is having an affair with Baron Varna; her mother does not know.
2) The head housekeeper, Tara Yamora, is also having an affair with Baron Varna.
3) Captain Quon, the Magestrix' former favorite, is plotting to kill her.
4) The kitchen staff saw Tara Yamora at the Sniffer cabinet.
5) Baron Varna inspected the preparations for the banquet; he has done this often.
The Food Tester
1) Only he and Tara Yamora have keys for the cabinet in which the Sniffer is kept.
2) The Sniffer was used by him; it indicated that the food was safe.
3) He believes that the Sniffer was tampered with.
Following the Suspects
Most of the suspects remain in their rooms, performing their duties to the court or to their own holdings. (There is a large amount of paperwork to administration).
On Day 1, Baron Varna meets with Lord Kerlin once and Tara Yamora twice. At his first meeting with her (12:30), day 1 he gives her a dummy Sniffer to replace the real one. At their second meeting she gives him the real one. On the afternoon of Day 2, he will go into the poorer regions of the city to make arrangements with his other killer.
Searching Baron Varna's Office
The PCs will find the real poison Sniffer in a cupboard under some papers. They will not recognize what it is unless they make an LRN roll at plus 4, or unless it has been described to them in some other part of the investigation. This one functions when a 10 or better is rolled (it has not been serviced in centuries).
The Sniffer in the dining room cabinet
The poison Sniffer is a tube about 10cm long and 4 cm in diameter. It is passed over food; it beeps a warning if one of the 300-odd known poisons is present. Sniffers were a product of Star League technology; they have not been manufactured in over four hundred years. There are none known to exist in working order. If this one (the false one) is investigated, it will be found to be non-functional.
Being Followed
One or more of the PCs are followed during their investigations. A successful Listen saving roll will alert the PCs to Baron Calima's presence. When questioned, he will say that he worked out what the PCs must be doing. He was following them, hoping to find the identity of the conspirator in order to help the conspirator.
Assassin Mechwarrior Scenario of Intrigue
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