156
Power of Deduction
Main story quest #81, level 28. 156th of 173 in play order.
Quest giver: Medrod, North Shroud (X 21.7, Y 26.7).
Steps
- Search for a maiden's
corpse west of Fallgourd. - Present the ravaged corpse to Aethelmaer
.
Journal
- Medrod is troubled by the dearth of new developments in the murder investigation.
- While uncertain for a time, Ivaurault
is now convinced that it was a winged eyeball that he encountered at the rocky area to the west. There may well be another victim out there, waiting to be discovered. The three friends would leave the task of investigating to the expert─you. - As the three friends had feared, there was indeed another victim. The authorities must be informed. Bear your grisly find back to Fallgourd Float, and show it to Aethelmaer.
- A cursory examination of the body turns up a button engraved with a lily motif. A similar object had been discovered upon an earlier victim. Could this be a clue to solving the mysterious deaths?
Hidden
Characters 4
Medrod cannot sleep, because there are no promising leads and the killer is still free.
What you know from earlier quests 2
- #152 Terror at Fallgourd: Medrod is sure he looked death in the face and wails in fear until you soothe him. Then he tells of a masked man in black with a winged eyeball fiend, near a woman's corpse. He offers to help you.
- #155 Seeing Eye to Winged Eye: Ivaurault says he kept his own sighting secret so that Medrod's paranoia would not get worse. Medrod saw the eyeball at the same moment as Ivaurault.
Aideen is still at Fallgourd Float with Medrod
and Ivaurault, and the case has stalled.What you know from earlier quests 3
- #152 Terror at Fallgourd: Hearing that you hunt the same masked man, Aideen eagerly offers to help you in any way possible.
- #153 Ziz Is So Ridiculous: Aideen explains that all victims had their faces torn apart, and some folk blame the ziz, a local beast. She doubts it but has you cull three. Finding no proof, she rules out the ziz and turns back to the masked man.
- #154 Rock of Rancor: Aideen says all the victims were comely maidens, and jokes about it. She has you blast the Rock of Rancor, said to flash and moan with the victims' rage. The pieces are just lightning crystals, and she is disappointed.
Ivaurault has been thinking hard about his sighting of the winged eyeball.
What you know from earlier quests 2
- #152 Terror at Fallgourd: Ivaurault agrees to help your hunt for the masked man, mainly so that nobody has to suffer Medrod's hysteria again.
- #155 Seeing Eye to Winged Eye: Ivaurault admits he also saw the winged eyeball, at the same time as Medrod, at a rocky area to the west. He hid it to spare Medrod's fears. You find a huge banemite spider there; he thanks you but doubts what he saw.
- #152 Terror at Fallgourd: Ivaurault agrees to help your hunt for the masked man, mainly so that nobody has to suffer Medrod's
Aethelmaer serves at the guardhouse near Fallgourd, where the Serpents take reports about the safety of the region.
What happens in this quest spoilers for this quest
- Medrod doubts Ivaurault, since they were far apart yet saw the eyeball at the same moment. When Aideen guesses there are more eyeballs and more victims, he feels out of his depth and leaves the rest to you.
- Aideen realizes there must be more than one winged eyeball, and so more victims not yet found. Frightened, she says they are just civilians, wishes you luck, and leaves the search to you.
- Ivaurault is now sure he saw a winged eyeball, not a banemite. He also leaves the search to you, points you to the rocky area in the west, and says to tell the Serpents at the nearby guardhouse.
- Aethelmaer is shaken by the body and never gets used to such sights. Aethelmaer says the victims are all young women with ruined faces, and the winged eyeball seems to move bodies. A
lily button on the body matches one from another victim.
Dialogue 21 lines
Accepting the quest
Medrod
There've been no promising leads in the murders. I can scarce get a wink of sleep, knowing that the killer is still at large.
- JA これじゃ、いつまで経っても、怪事件の真相にたどりつかねぇ。 ‘At this rate, we'll never get to the truth of the strange incidents, no matter how long it takes.’ English says he cannot sleep while the killer is at large; Japanese says they will never reach the truth.
Judging by your furrowed brows, I take it this sorry business troubles you as much as it does me.
Ivaurault
I had been pondering my encounter. I was uncertain for a time, but there can be no doubt: it was a winged eyeball that I witnessed. It's implausible that I could have mistaken so distinct a creature for a banemite.
- FR Même si j'ai un peu bu pendant le travail, j'étais pas soûl au point de confondre un sarcopte avec un globe oculaire. ‘Even if I had a bit to drink on the job, I wasn't so drunk as to mistake a banemite for an eyeball.’ English says the creature is too distinct to mistake; French jokes he drank on the job but not that much.
Medrod
But you and I were malms apart. How could we have both seen it at precisely the same time?
What's more, our adventurer friend here had a run-in with the banemite at the very spot you claimed to see that fiendish eyeball. Isn't that right?
Ivaurault
There must be an explanation! I know I saw an eyeball with wings─I would wager an 
apple tart on it!
Aideen
Oooh, he's serious. But listen, mayhap it's not as mysterious as we're making it out to be. There's no reason why there couldn't be─
- FR Inutile de vous disputer pour ça. ‘Come now, come now... No need to argue over this.’ English remarks that he is serious; French tells them there is no point arguing about it.
Gods, of course... There must be more than one of the buggers! Ugh, it's so obvious. But then that means...since there have been repeated sightings of these fiends...then there must be even more victims as yet undiscovered...
All:
Medrod
I-I do believe we're out of our depth. We ought to leave the rest to the expert.
Aideen
Y-Yes, we're just civilians, after all. Good luck, adventurer. It was a pleasure knowing you!
Ivaurault
While I burn to know the truth, some things are best left unknown. Lest you have forgotten, it was at the rocky area to the west that I had my encounter.
Should you discover aught of note, you will want to alert the authorities. There is a guardhouse nearby. The Serpents there should be pleased for any information that pertains to the security of the region.
- FR Sache qu'on est tous derrière toi... loin derrière, mais le cœur y est ! ‘Know that we're all behind you... far behind, but our hearts are in it!’ English says the Serpents will welcome information; French jokes they are all behind you, far behind.
- JA 僕らはあとでこっそり顛末を聞いて、酒のサカナにでもさせてもらいますよ。 ‘We'll quietly hear how it turned out later and enjoy it as a snack with our drinks.’ English says the Serpents will welcome information; Japanese jokes they will enjoy the story over drinks later.
Search for a maiden's corpse west of Fallgourd.
(Retrieve body, fight monster that pops.)
Present the ravaged corpse to Aethelmaer.
Aethelmaer
Greetings, adventurer. Is there aught I might assist you with?
Gods be good, not again...
- DE Du bist auf deiner Suche nach diesem Maskierten auf die Leiche gestoßen, hm? ‘I see ... You came upon the body during your search for this masked man, hm?’ English despairs at yet another body; German calmly notes you found it while searching for the masked man.
- JA 人探しのために怪事件を調べていたところ、この死体を発見した、と。 ‘While looking into the strange incidents to find someone, you discovered this body, you say.’ English despairs "not again"; Japanese calmly sums up that you found the body while searching for someone.
No matter how many bodies I see, I cannot seem to get used to the horrid sight. Poor woman...
Identical deaths have been reported in the Central Shroud. While the masked stranger you seek does not seem to feature in any, sightings of the winged eyeball are common enough. The creature appears to be moving the bodies, but to what end, none can say.
The victims have all been young women. All are found with their faces mutilated beyond recognition. It's been difficult to identify them, so as to notify their next of─
Hm? This button, engraved with a lily motif... The very same object was found upon another victim. A family sigil, or that of an organization, perhaps?
Either way, I dare to hope that this find will prove pivotal in solving the murders.