TROLANPORT – On a trip to Trolanport for a guild festival, and investigating the spread of the new drug ‘nadai’, a team of Accord Keepers were drawn into a mystery surrounding a mysterious death at a halfway house, ultimately solving the mystery and also busting a purveyor of nadai in two unrelated events taking place in the same building.

The guild festival is a way for up and coming guilds to showcase their wares and services, network with larger guilds sponsored by dragonmarked houses, and entice new customers.  Of the attendees, several stood out for their novel approaches – the X Team Sports group, with their dedication to breaking down stereotypes around different species’ proficiency at sports, has a very laudable mission statement.  Sugar and Science’s clever infusion of magic into sweets results in a product that is both tasty and entertaining.  And lastly, Cambion Calls and Crow Couriers are two services looking to simplify communication over long distances.

While talking to several charities in attendance, the Keepers heard about a death of a former drug user at a halfway house run by the Charity of Celestial Enigmas.  Given that the victim had possibly used nadai, they elected to investigate.  The local chapterhouse was located in an infamous estate, long rumored to be haunted as each of three distinct families had vacated the properties after mysterious deaths occurred.  The latest victim (not named here out of respect for her grieving family) had been cleaning out an unused room but was later found with her throat slashed and gashes on her non-dominant hand.  The Jorasco autopsy and government inquest had concluded the death was accidental, but the victim’s father pointed out to the Keepers that his daughter was an artist who wrote with one hand and painted with the other, explaining the defensive wounds and irregular writing found at the scene – in a fit of madness she had attacked herself with the one hand while trying to defend with the other.

A careful search of the premises yielded an unrelated cause – a magic gem embedded into the wall of the room had been leaking its poison-related magic into the area, causing the various deaths through the years.  It is hoped that with the removal of the gem, the building will become a more safe place for those who need it in the future.

While they investigated, the Keepers also discovered an unrelated nadai lab in nearby cellars, accessed through a magical portal in the kitchen of the halfway house.  The purveyor, who was apprehended, was using the ‘haunted’ nature of the building as a cover for his illicit activities.  The criminal in question had been attempting to deconstruct the House Jorasco remedies used to help addicts, in an attempt to somehow strengthen his product, a worrying potential outcome.