The Skinsaw Murders

Li Kao uses the last of his healing energies to salve the groups wounds, and in a few more minutes the paralysis wears of and Sasha regains consciousness with a groan.

Given some time, you are able to take in some of the more mundane features of the room that you did not notice while fighting for your lives.  Chief among these is a horrific growth of dark green mould and dripping fungi that has taken over the west wall.  At the centre, a patch of black tumescent fungus grows, its horny ridges and tumour-like bulbs forming what could almost be a humanoid outline.  What appears to have once been an exquisite puzzle box the size of a man's fist lies smashed on the ground at the fungoid shape's feet.

Li Kao kneels down and gingerly lays a finger on the puzzlebox and meditates on it a momment (Lorekeper ability).  The old monk recognizes it as an object associated with necromancy - a phylactery, a vessel to house one's soul - but it is ruined and inert now.

Investigating Aldern's body, you find he wears a magical ring on each finger.  He wears an exquisite cameo brooch on his jacket that contains a tiny portrait of Sasha.  His bloody war razor is finely forged and radiates magic, as does the leather mask he still wears.

You search through Aldern's slaughter-house throne room and find several other items worth note.    A small silver key ring sits on the table amongst the piles of rotten meat.  Upon it are two keys.  The first is a tarnished iron key stamped withthe Foxglove family crest and set with a round opal.  The smaller key is made of bronze and has an unusually long tang ending in three notched blades. The head of this key resembles a roaring lion.  A large portrait leans against the far side of Aldern's "banquet" table.  It has been smeared with blood and bits of runny flesh in a crude caraciture of Sasha, but underneath the filth, is a stunning painting of Seoni against the Magnimar skyline.  Behind Aldern's "throne" is a stash of hundreds of coins in a safe box. There is a stack of erotic sketches of Sasha drawn in charcoal on water damaged parchment.  Mixed in with these several dozen drawning is a scroll case containig two magical scrolls, and a letter written in a graceful hand:

Aldern-
      You have served us quite well.  The delivery you had harvested from the caverns far exceeds what I had hoped for.  You may consider your debt to the Brothers paid in full.  Yet I still have need of you, and when you awaken from your death, you should find your mind clear and able to understand this task more than in the state you lie in as I write this.
      You shall rememberthe workings of the Sihedron ritual, I trust.  You seemed quite lucd at the time, but if you find after your rebirth that you have forgotten, return to your townhouse in Magnimar.  My agents shall contact you there soon - no need for you to bother the Brothers further.  I shall provide the list of proper victims for the Sihedrom Ritual in two days time.  Commit that list to memory and then destroy it before you begin your work.  The ones I have selected must be marked before they die, otherwise they do my master no good, and the greed in their souls will go to waste.
      If others get in your way, though, you may do with them as you please.  Eat them, savage them, or turn them into pawns - it matters not to me.

- Your Mistress, Wanton of Nature's Pagan Forms

Finally, searching the fungus covered wall south of the oddly man shaped patch turns up a mouldy but servicable magic wand.

Check the LOOT tab in the side bar for a rundown on all the goodies recovered from Aldern's room.  Go ahead and call dibs on any thing you like - the rest will be converted to gold and distributed to the players that did not select any items.

And so ends the Skinsaw Murders!  With the death of Aldern Sandpoint is safe from his murdeous depredations and the threat of ghoul fever.  But many questions remain unanswered.  What was the purpose of the bizzare Sihedron ritual Aldern inflicted upon his victims?  Who are the mysterious Brothers of the Seven and the "Wanton of Nature's Pagan Forms" mentioned in the note?

Thanks to all for playing!