A foreward to the reader: To those interested in the meat of the facts and that alone, I would suggest skipping to the documented questioning of the witness, detailed in full near the end of this report.

The following is my unabridged account of the events which took place on the 13th of the Season of the Colossus, in the 1325th year since the Exodus of the Gods, pertaining to the Guilds investigation into the death of the late Sebastian Arondel, lord and head of the Arondel family. This document is is intended only for the leadership of the investigation, and should be viewed otherwise only with permission from such.

To begin...

We assembled, by instruction, in the Rurikton district square, around the central fountain. I arrived last, finding Lord Kalenor Ashir (Leading the investigation and my superior for the event) , miss Alyss Aidan, miss Kirche Duval, and miss Tamily already present, alongside director Locke, who had partially climbed the fountain's monument - likely due to a misunderstanding of human public behaviour standards.

(Two other individuals would also arrive, both women, but they were hooded and I did not recognize them. I assumed by a mutual lack of objection that this was due to my own ignorance and not a case of mass-incompetence, and thus did not comment. The gathering was also later disturbed by two Asura, but due to their dimutive stature we were able to ignore them and proceed without interruption.)

As I arrived, Director Locke was already addressing the group. He informed us that he had tracked down Joseph Thatcher, a guard to the Arondel family at the time of Sebastians death, who was on duty at the time of his murder. And that, at present, he had found new employment as part of the town watch in the Township of Claypool. Since the town is close by, he instructed us to set out and find him at once, as well as warning us that he might be uncomfortable being confronted.

There was some debate as to if it would be better to avoid forceful confrontation. I stated that it would be "best to approach it diplomatically", while miss Aidan thought that it would be "foolish to fight us" and Tamily that "we could take them". It was additionally pointed out that he, as a member of the town guard, could easily call upon reinforcements - though most of the group did not appear intimidated by this fact, nor the implications of what it could lead to.

After this, Lord Ashir asked Director Loque if he would be working with us,  to which he replied that he would only intervene in the event of an emergency. He then followed up with a request that he look into a man named "Milton Cobb", who had worked as a blacksmith for the Arondel family. I did not know the name at the time, though as chance would have it, I would hear it again before the evening was spent.

After some more questions (The only notable of which pertained to a man Tamily spoke of called "Tricky" Chross, who seemed to be involved in some sort of dubious activity towards the guild) and random chatter, we decided at my own suggestion - or perhaps collectively, if I presume too much - to split up and travel to the township seperately, as to avoid attracing attention. Afterwhich our meeting quickly disbanded.

We reconvened an hour or two later at the location. For reasons that only Mother Dwayna herself may be blessed in knowing, I found my companions (minus the hooded figures and Loque) waiting in the hills overlooking the town rather then outside the gates. Miss Tamily commented that it was because "The view was nice", which I personally found was a little unprofessional, considering the serious context of the occasion. We were also joined by another woman - I believe her name was "Henrietta", though I never spoke to her myself.

Lord Ashir then seperated us into groups to cover different areas of town and suggested we descend and begin our search. I asked him as to how we would undertake the questioning, and he replied that we would simply make our intentions frank and clear, though we would make sure he was unable to flee until our work was complete. (I found this perhaps slightly aggressive, but refrained from commenting.) He requested that I accompany him through the main road, and we then ventured fourth.

It did not take us very long to find him. Lord Ashir spotted him talking to the town Mayor. He (Mister Joseph Thatcher) was a fairly average looking man, wearing simple platemail in undertoned Seraph colours. Moderately built, his hair was cut short and shaved at the sides, and he wore a light beard. He became of a nervous disposition almost as soon as we approached him, giving us both very skeptical looks. I will admit that this made me more suspicious of him then it perhaps ought to have.

After confirming his idenity, my companions made what I would describe as two, if minor and understandable, mistakes. Firstly, upon spotting that we had approached him, miss Tamily and miss Aidan followed suit, which likely only increased his feelings of intimidation. (To their credit, miss Tamily attempted to downplay her involvement by stating that they were merely travelling companions.) Secondly, Lord Ashir introduced himself very formally (by his full noble title), which, to a common man such as himself, likely made him more uncomfortable. However, I would not presume to judge them for this.

After this, Lord Ashir elaborated that we wished to ask mister Thatcher about the events of Sebastian Arondel's murder. Almost straight away, he became slightly upset, and stated that he must return to his duties and requested we speak another time. Without waiting for reply, he hastily departed, looking gravely nervous. Seeing no other choice considering we were unsure to what lengths he would go to avoid questioning, we quickly gave chase, and intercepted him outside of the town blacksmith, covering him from every angle

Unsurprisingly, his reaction was poor, and he went for his sword, (thank the gods that none of us drew our own) threatening to summon the rest of the guard alongside him, and demanded to know our employer. I will confess that I am not very good at calming someone who is panicked, and thus remained mostly silent. Miss Aidan introduced herself (serving only to put him off further, likely) and made an emotional appeal to him that we meant no harm, and miss Tamily tried to suggest he could speak to lord Kalenor alone, which I thought seemed a poor idea. She also asked me to "do some shopping with her" and winked at me while saying this, which, frankly, made me slightly uncomfortable. I'm not really sure what she was getting at.

The man shifted around between excuses and implied threats, seeming increasingly eager to avoid conversation. Lord Ashir assured him that we meant him no harm, as well as flattering him and offering coin. I pointed out that we would not have approached him in such a public space had that been our intent. Notably, the man seemed convinced that the Arondel family was something to be feared, which explained his reaction... And spoke poorly of the late Lord Arondels leadership, indeed. This confused me, and it appeared miss Aidan, as well. Regardless, we insisted that the Countess was not akin to her late father.

Oddly, he swore repeatedly that he had never spoken of the events of that night... As if he had been sworn to secrecy.

For some time, there was a mix of assurances from Lord Ashir and miss Aidan and bargaining from miss Tamily. Finally, through some combination of these efforts (or perchance a revalation on his part that our group was too haphazard to be rightly intimidating) he agreed to offer his account, on the sole condition that we would leave him be and never bother him again. Lord Ashir agreed, and he volunteered to speak to us privately in the local stable.

Once we arrived, Lord Ashir ordered miss Aidan and miss Tamily to wait outside and keep watch. This seemed odd, though I did not think to question. After a few awkward moments while he composed himself, we entered the building and begun.

In the interest of keeping the evidence unbiased, and also because I was able to make comprehensive notes during the questioning, I will now transcribe our dialogue with him directly, rather then in summary. I have ommited only minor elements.

Mister Thatcher: "You had questions for me, Lord Ashir?"
Lord Ashir: "Indeed. Specifically regarding the night of the banquet during which Lord Sebastian inexplicably perished... You were one of the manor's guards at the time, am I correct?"
Mister Thatcher: "Yes. I worked the banquet that night under Captain Churchwood."
Lord Ashir: "Indeed, and would you be so kind as to tell me your exact duties for the evening in question?"
Mister Thatcher: "I was one of the many guards at the banquet. It was nothing out of the ordinary in terms of what I was asked to do. Watch the door, ensure the safety of guests. I was a guard among many others."

It was at this point that I drew my quill and begun taking notes.

Lord Ashir: "Of course. Now that we are in private, would you please recount the events of the night in question? What did you see, exactly?"
Mister Thatcher: "What everyone else saw, I'm sure. At least those in the dining hall. Somewhat into the second course of the meal, Lord Arondel keeled over, and chaos broke out."
Mister Thatcher: "Captain Churchwood immediately called on the guards to block every exit., and he and Autronius Arondel herded the guests and servants into the western wing, and the two of them began interrogating everyone there... Those who heard what was going on tried to escape, and the Captain and Autronius Arondel ordered them killed on sight."
Myself: "None of the guards were interrogated by the staff?"
Mister Thatcher: "Not to my knowledge, no. Many other people died that night, besides Sebastian Arondel. And for the record, I killed no one. The six are my witness, and I take solace in that."
Mister Thatcher: "I know I should have done more to stop it. I have to live with that."
Myself: "We do not presume to judge you, sir."

I should make note that the man was in a poor state during the entire retelling, and seemed to show tremendous guilt for his involvement.

Lord Ashir: "How many were slain? Did the interrogations yield any useful information that you are aware of?"
Mister Thatcher: "Captain Churchwood himself was killed sometime during the night... Once he did, most of the guards remaining defected as well as the remaining household staff."

It was at this point that the man requested a list of names to help freshen his memory of events. My superior presented one to him, but it came to light that he could not read - a fact to which he bore considerable embarassment. Lord Ashir was not deterred by this, and decided to simply list them off himself - Though he first began with another question.

Lord Ashir: "What do you recall of Autronius Arondel aside from he and the captain rounding up guests?"
Mister Thatcher: "Other then the fact that he's probably... (hesitation) no... Definitely the coldest man I've ever met? Nothing. He spoke very little to anyone. I did not witness the interrogations, but his was not the loudest of voices. That would have been Captain Churchwood."

It was at this point that I begun to suspect there was something more to the Captain, whom I had not previously heard of.

Lord Ashir: (grinning perhaps somewhat inappropriately) "A fairly accurate description. Did you see him before the banquet before the chaos?"
Mister Thatcher: "I cannot recall."
Myself: "What was the relationship between Autronius and the Captain, as you observed?"
Mister Thatcher: "Professional. Those are not men that chum around. That night was a  nightmare. It still haunts me to this day, we kept cutting down deserters and tying people up. I wanted it all to stop. It was madness."

I commented to Lord Ashir, at this point, that it was strange that the Captain would be willing to commit such acts without hesitation. He questioned him about this, but he stated he was "only a guard" and did not know such details.

Lord Ashir: "Very well. What of Lord Tobias Arondel?"
Mister Thatcher: "I believe he was present at the banquet. The daughter was not, however."
Lord Ashir: "I see. How familar were you with the rest of the house staff, master Thatcher? I have the blacksmith, Milton Cobb, on my list here..."
Mister Thatcher: "Cobb tried to escape the interrogations. When he heard the sounds coming from the room (note: Suggesting torture) he rushed a guard near the door. The man was cut down, I'm afraid."
Lord Ashir: "A curious reaction, considering how long he'd served Lord Sebastian. Alas."

Thus, it appeared that the request given to Director Loque earier in the evening was a pointless one, considering the man was already dead. I will omit Lord Ashir's questioning regarding the other names - Gilly Godwin, Joseph Sunderland, Vitari Jaelan - as he knew only the first in passing and the others not at all.

Mister Thatcher: "Come to think of it, I do recall Miss Winnover and Ms. Mathers... Also fighting the guards, they were hysterical and crying. I'm afraid their panic was quelled with a blade. I recall their names as I was near the entrance when they were asked upon entering."
Myself: "Did you know the Smith, Cobb, personally? You seemed to know the most about him."
Mister Thatcher: "Well, I had seen him around. We common folk  greet eachother each day in passing. Nothing much more, though he seemed a good man."

After this point, he became increasingly agitated, and asked if we had any final questions before leaving. Wanting to make truly sure his story was right and true, I asked him a final question.

Myself: "During the lockdown, where exactly were you stationed in the mansion?"
Mister Thatcher: "East doors. Opposite the banquet hall."

This confirmed his earlier statement, that the questioning had taken place away from him, on the western end of the estate. I felt it a pity. If only the man had been stationed on the Western wing, he would have been witness to those dark events... And might have been a much greater aid to our investigation. Though, for him, that is perhaps for the best.

And thus it concluded. The man made only a few closing remarks as he left, telling miss Aidan of the great contempt he held for Sebastian Arondel, while I discussed reviewing the facts with Lord Ashir. And, shortly afterward, we left the stables to reuinte with our companions.

I will confess I paid little heed to the closing remarks, as I was constantly nagged at by the lingering feeling that I had missed some obvious curiosity in his statements. Yet... Try as I might, I could not think of what it could have been. Perhaps I was mistaken, or the anwser will come to me in time. Regardless, as night fell, we went our seperate ways for the evening, the business ended.

Since that time, I have noted but one odd detail. Why would her ladyship not be present at such an event? Unless, perhaps, he knew of his own impending death.

This concludes my account of events, until such is requested of me again.
Signed,
Gwynllian Ashaia,
Assistant Investigator to Kalenor Ashir