The Feline at Fault

The Feline at Fault
Date	05/29/2025
Storyteller	Sushi
Tier	Trainee
Player Characters	Arumi, Kora Caroli, DDOS, Swaying Petals, Uravas "Cap'n" Stardust"
Rewards	150 GP, 5 Lover's Knots, 250 XP
Result	Success
Author	Uravas (Johnnysupernova)
Downtime	1

In which five adventurers solve several mysteries and prevent a new one from arising.

Log

An Excerpt from The Ballad of the Jongleur Three : A Factual and Historical Recounting of Cap’n Stardust’s Adventures as Penned by Sava Ru Book 1, Chapter 6

Dramatis Personae

Uravas - Cap’n Stardust - Leader of the Jongleur Three, and today, a detective

Arumi - Sister of Cap’n Stardust and twin of Aruyi, member of the Jongleur Three, and today a powerful warrior who fights for peace

Swaying Petals - A Cleric of Saranae, and today, a keen marksman

Kora Caroli - A gambling psychic, and today, a Marshal and a Diplomat

DDoS – A giant automaton with a giant gun, and today, a lightning rod of attention

--

A pirate, in his life, will find himself wearing many different hats, dear reader. And as we begin this chapter of the Brave Cap’n Stardust’s life, we find him wearing a new hat, though one that, we hope you will find, fits him all the same. What is the nature of this hat you might be wondering? Well, as Cap’n Stardust and Arumi made their way to meet with the rest of their associates for their next adventure, they discussed this very matter.

“I am not wearing this hat, Uravas.” his sister declared.

“Ah, but, Arumi, you must! We are to solve a mystery.” her brother riposted, with all of the acumen of a trained swordsman.

“We can do this without the hat.”

“I spent too much for us to not wear these hats, you see.”

“How much did you spend?”

“Well, I hardly see how that is important!”

And so, Detective Stardust, and Inspector Arumi, set out to solve a great mystery. Alongside them, figures you will no doubt remember from earlier chapters of this tale, as this would not be the first (nor the last!) time the Jongleur Three would cross paths with the impenetrable DDOS, the calculating Kora Caroli, and the brightly colored Swaying Petals.

The Great Constable Acton put out the call for investigators for thefts most intriguing. Two thefts, two different victims, two very different stolen goods, but one shared escape method. The first item stolen was to some simple, and others priceless: an engagement ring of one to be betrothed. The second item, a prototype lockbox said to be as durable as well, something incredibly durable. In both instances, the culprit, described as a braggadocious catfolk with fur as black as her cloak, lept from the bridge south of the Laybarrons into the Ripper, seemingly to her death.

Constable Acton gave them the call to action. He suspects that there will be another theft that very day! For you see, at the east end of the Trimarket, there was a convention of sorts, dedicated to the exchange of priceless jewelry and raw gold. And like all conventions, this one had many trades done out in the open. The perfect target for an elusive thief. The game was set, and the players arranged on the board. A mystery to be solved, and a crime to prevent.

Our brave detectives were vexed by the greatest mystery at the heart of this: The supposed leap to a watery demise. How could our mysterious thief perform such a feat?

“It might have been illusion magic…” Arumi began their collective train of thought.

“Observation: That is the most sensible explanation.” DDOS added.

“I suspect,” The Good Detective began, with a glint in his eyes. “A flying boat. Set above the water, below the bridge.”

No one could find fault in this logic so the group did not argue with the Detective. Instead:

“Maybe we could trap her? Catch her when she leaps? Perhaps a net of some sort!” asked Kora.

“We’d have to hide it. Do we have illusion magic to hide a net?” Swaying Petals, always a voice of reason, brought reason to the deliberations.

“Illusion magic is not my specialty…” From Arumi, for even though she was already an expert spellcaster, she was also an expert in humility.

And with this, the group agreed that perhaps, it was time to speak to the first victims… the ones with the missing engagement ring.

--

Mister and Misses Robanoso were a fanciful couple living in a fanciful abode. On the subject of the Robanoso name, we hope you will bear with us, though they were not yet wed at this point, it was a matter of when, not if, as the wedding was to be had two days from this point in history. We must also add that we do in fact not know the maiden name of Misses Robanoso. To spare us the embarrassment on our part, and to spare potential confusion on the reader’s part, we will elect to refer to this happy couple as the Robanosos.

Mister Robanoso regaled the assembled group with the tale of his victimhood. He was on his way to Trimarket to get his engagement ring resized. He was on the way to a Jeweler, in fact, when he was set upon by the thief. A smack in the back of the head sent him tumbling, and with keen acuity, the thief picked his pocket and made off with the ring. So fast, was she, that poor Robanoso was unable to catch anything of the thief, beyond her black cloak.

Realizing how peculiar the thief’s knowledge was, Arumi asked “Who else knew of the engagement?” and to this, Robanoso informed her that their engagement was no secret. He would tell the world if he could.

“Do you have any enemies, good sir?” Detective Stardust asked.

“Ah, you perceive, the person who robbed me is my enemy!” Robanoso answered.

“It could have been the jeweler.” DDOS suggested.

“I don’t know if that makes a lot of sense…” Kora disagreed.

“Did you know any Catfolk?” Swaying Petals asked, keenly aware of how off track they were getting.

Robanoso, with a wistful tear in his eyes, told them the sad tale of lost love. For you see, Robanoso did in fact know a catfolk. An old flame, an old love, she had an air for theatrics, her name was CiCi. She disappeared in the woods an odd year ago, her body discovered by hunters. Robanoso was heartbroken.

But did she really perish? Detective Stardust had his doubts.

“Is it possible that she faked her death?” The Detective echoed the doubts in his mind.

“Observation: If she survived the woods, she could survive the Ripper.” DDOS observed.

“It would be very powerful magic… but who’s to say who has such magic.” Arumi noted.

“You perceive, I hope, that talking about such matters is very upsetting to me…” Robanoso said.

“I do apologize, sir, one last question– What do you know of the company with the missing Lockbox?”

“I know very little! I am not a purveyor of Lockboxes and I find their building rather garish, I must admit.”

And with this, Detective Stardust formed his next theory. The mystery was beginning to unravel in his mind’s eye. The thief who stole the ring, and the lost love of Robanoso were one in the same. Moreover… It was Detective Stardust’s estimation that the two star crossed lovers were in fact working together! For how then, could you explain the glancing blow Robanoso took when he was set upon? The victim clearly meant him no harm, and with his clearly spoken animus to the as of yet unnamed Lockbox Production Company, it was clear both he and the thief had ill will for said unsaid company.

Swaying Petals, ever perceptive, ever skeptical, was not convinced, and so, the group set out to examine the bridge, the stage for the ending of these heists and what would eventually mark the ending stage of this tale.

--

On the bridge south of the Laybarrons, above the Ripper, our assembled group spread out to investigate. Detective Stardust stood at the edge of the bridge, and realized that to leap from the bridge the way it had been described would be quite a feat of acrobatics. Something not even he could perform. The group did not find any magic nearby or under the bridge, ruling out magic means. The group also could not find any mundane means of trickery. No tools of stagecraft in the form of ropes or rigging. How then, did the thief survive?

It was Swaying Petals that first noticed the key. A loose cobblestone on the bridge. The Good Detective Stardust surveyed it with a magnifying glass. We hope you forgive us, as we must spend a moment describing this tool. Detective Stardust had this custom made for him at the Mechanic Shop, operated by one Mister Siltmean. We are told the price was more than reasonable. Though the Detective did not fully understand how to use this tool yet, he was sure it was worth the price. He was also not sure how the loose cobblestone played into the mystery, but he knew it did, so he stored it in his pocket. As he did so, his eye caught on something in the Ripper, something unseen.

“There! In the Ripper! An invisible boat!” Detective Stardust declared, as he pointed to the shimmering light that stood as the telltale sign of something hidden in plain sight. Before the group could voice their concerns, though we are sure there were none, Captain Stardust cast a bit of magic to produce a ladder leading from the deck of the invisible boat to the bridge. Unfortunately the magic hiding the boat from the untrained eye was potent enough to hide the boat from trained ladders, and thus, the ladder fell through the boat and into the Ripper.

“Observation: There is something in the water.” DDOS observed, its keen eyes always spotting what others could not.

“Yes, the invisible boat!” The Detective shouted, with growing frustration.

“Observation: There is something else in the water.” DDOS pointed to a glinting of light in the Ripper, something catching and reflecting just below the surface.

With a sigh, Inspector Arumi cast a bit of magic, and the object in the river sailed through the air and into her hand. It was a ring. An engagement ring. The stolen ring! They now had the what, the who, the where, the when, but still missed the why, and the how, so the party set out for the next stop on their trip, the Unnamed Lockbox Company.

--

We hope the reader will forgive us for how succinct this next section is. Each member of the group stopped in the Unnamed Lockbox Company, we know this for a fact, however, what happened in said walls is a mystery. For you see, each member of the group signed an incredibly strict, incredibly thorough nondisclosure agreement. We know there was a gap in security that led to the stolen box, but the nature of this gap, the nature of the box, and the nature of the business is all a closely guarded secret. What we do know is that whatever conversation the group had in these walls was enough to rule out foul play on the company’s part, and so, the group set out for the convention, hoping to prevent another theft.

--

The Convention in the Trimarket Square was an opulent spread of stalls, merchants, and vendors. With a trick of magic, Detective Stardust augmented his clothes to look like he belonged, for he hoped to lure the thief into targeting him. Nothing stood out to the group as a potential target, but one figure did stand out, a man in a cloak, sharpening his blades, in the corner of the convention. Arumi did not see the merit in talking to such a duplicitous figure, so she split off from the group, but for the rest? For Detective Stardust? No stone would be left unturned.

What was the name of this mysterious figure? We must stress that his name is of the utmost importance. It is, above all things, important, despite what some might say. And so…

“My name? It’s Not Important.” Said he.

“Not Important? A fine name. What do you know of the Catfolk thief plaguing the streets?” Inquired Stardust.

“Are you a cop?” Asked the one who was both important and Not Important.

“I beg your pardon, sir. We are detectives.”

“All the same to me.”

“A detective is always kind. Always caring. Always forthcoming! We are no simple officers!”

A silence fell over the assembled group. So inspired by his words, DDOS could do nothing more than turn to stare at Detective Stardust. Not Important, who we must again stress was important, continued to sharpen his knives. “I might know of this person. My memory’s a bit hazy… maybe some coin will help me remember…” He said, with a sneer.

DDOS slammed down 5 gold coins on the table next to Not Important, who’s importance cannot be stressed enough. “Well, well, well…” He began, with a greedy gleam in his eyes. “Her name’s CiCi. She works alone. I heard she’s lucky– or the people around her are unlucky. As for what she’s after? Who’s to say! If it were me… I’d be after that diamond apple over yonder…”

And what then, was Arumi up to in the convention? Why, she was solving the mystery, of course! She found a jewelry stall, with a ring matching the one they had found. The merchant proprietor shared its tragic history: one Mister Robanoso sold it a year ago. No one has shown interest since then.

Since now, that is. A figure in a tattered cloak lept from the rooftops, landing with the grace of a cat next to Arumi. Arumi, deducing correctly and instantaneously that this was the one known as CiCi shouted for her friends. The party sprung into action. DDOS barreled through the crowd, its massive gun already at the ready. Swaying Petals, with incredible speed, had closed the distance between the party and Cici and Arumi. “Hey! You!” She shouted out as she descended upon the thief.

“I was hoping to not make a scene. You’ve seen my face, I’m Cici! It’s a pleasure meeting you.” Said the thief with an arrogant grin, before she grabbed the ring on display. With an expert trick of acrobatics, she vaulted around and through Arumi, and sprinted past her.

Kora, with a feat of mental magic, opened up a line of communication between her and CiCi that only the two of them could hear. As such, we are unclear what was said between the two of them, but we speculate they had a vigorous debate on the matters of thievery and justice. Arumi channeled magic through her staff, and disrupted the earth in CiCi’s path. Swaying Petals sharing a similar thought, flung a burst of revealing light over the earth. CiCi coiled her tail on the ground, and leapt over the rocks, and with a masterful trick of acrobatics, dodged the revealing light in one single motion.

DDOS, finding a firing line between it and CiCi, brought its massive gun to bear and opened fire. The shot rang out throughout the Trimarket, sending those weren’t already alarmed by the theft into a panic. The shot clipped CiCi, but did not slow her, unfortunately.

Detective Stardust, for his part, raced through the Market grounds. He lamented that he did not have his mask at the ready, for who better to catch a thief than one who could think like a thief, and who better to think like a thief than a masked pirate? No, he shook such thoughts from his mind. He donned the detective’s hat, he must do this the right way. His hero, Flintlock Demesnes, never strayed from his code of honor. How could he?

With psychic encouragement from Kora, Uravas and Arumi were able to catch up to CiCi. We would be remiss if we did not note that Uravas was more in need of this encouragement than Arumi, for, despite her demeanor, was incredibly swift.

“Where are we running to?” Arumi said, who was, in fact, quicker than CiCi.

“We are not running anywhere. I am!” CiCi said, as she dodged a tackling grab from the now very unlucky Detective, and ran out in the streets of Onadbyr. She then found a vantage point, and did an incredible leap into the air, and onto the rooftop of a nearby building. Detective Stardust led the chase after, leaping after her. He could not leap a building in a single bound, but with quick thinking, he found a series of crates, then a door, then a shingle, to leap to and off of to bring him onto the very rooftops CiCi sought to escape with.

CiCi, also a quick wit, lept off of the rooftops and into the commotion from the streets below. The panic from DDOS’s earlier gunshot had set the streets into a frenzy. DDOS, realizing that a problem caused by a gunshot could be solved by a gunshot, fired their barricade buster into the air to clear a path for their group.

As the chase entered the Laybarrons, CiCi found an unsuspecting guard. “Help! They’re chasing me! I’m being stalked!” She cried out, with faux horror. Kora Caroli, ever the diplomat, quickly diffused the deception. “Hold please! We’re chasing a thief, she stole something very valuable, will you help us!?” She cried out, with a sincerity that could dispel any lie. The guard, for his part, decided this was above his pay grade, and left them to it.

As the group closed in on her, CiCi ducked out of sight, hoping her aura of misfortune would help her. Unfortunately for her, it was this aura that gave her away. For Swaying Petals, with the power of Sarenrae, was able to feel where the aura was centered, and thus, the group found her hiding spot.

Knowing she was found, CiCi made one final dash for the final spot of our tale, where it all began… the bridge over the Ripper.

--

“You’re a persistent lot, but you can’t follow me where I’m going!” CiCi declared with a grin, as she raced up the bridge.

“We’ve found the Invisible Boat! It’s over.” Detective Stardust shouted, from close behind.

“You– What?” CiCi stops, in shock, confusion, some would say horror. But such a cessation of movement was enough to let the group catch up and reach the bridge, and her.

DDOS stood at the edge of the bridge, and rained fire on the poor thief, for violence was the way they followed. Despite this, Kora Caroli petitioned for peace, through a mental message that fell on ears that would not listen.

Arumi with her incredible speed, and Uravas, with his quick thinking, cut off the other end of the bridge from CiCi. “Please surrender. We’re sorry for the automaton.” She pleaded. CiCi would not listen, as she hopped up on the ledge. “I’m really not in much of a talking mood. You won’t take me alive, at the very least!”

Detective Stardust, knowing that only words could save the day, for the pen truly is mightier than the sword, as all scholars know, tipped his hat to her. “We have the rock. We’ve found the invisible boat. And most importantly, we’ve found the real ring!”

CiCi was stunned. She kept her balance on the bridge, but looked dumbstruck at the detective, realizing the folly of her ways. “Wait… is this a fake?” Stardust, for his part, nodded. “Yes! We have the real ring! Show her, DDOS!” For DDOS now carried the ring recovered from the river.

DDOS, ever skeptical, asked “Is the target neutralized?”

Arumi, ever perceptive, declared “She looks neutralized to me!”

DDOS lowered their gun, and revealed the recovered ring from the river.

CiCi hopped off of the ledge, and made her way to DDOS to examine the ring. She furrows her brow, then shouts “That’s that JERK’S ring! I have the real ring!” We ask the reader to forgive us, one final time in this chapter. Though our book follows the tale of a pirate, and pirates are known for employing salty language, we must draw a line in the proverbial sand. Some words are too unbecoming to recount, even for a pirate. You may draw your own conclusions on what word was actually said, but we shall refrain from quoting it. In anycase, so potent was CiCi’s fury that she stumbled upon climbing back onto the railing. Kora Caroli, with another trick of mental magic, created a mental block in CiCi’s mind, an encouragement not to jump, and created a mental encouragement to Swaying Petals to have unerring aim.

And unerring was her aim. Swaying Petals flung a series of cold iron needles into CiCi, needling the poor thief. Detective Stardust strode forward, with his blade wreathed in flame, and gently swung at the thief, aiming to detain, not slay. “Please! Don’t kill her, friends!” He declared.

DDOS, finally seeing the need for peace in a time of war, swung their fists at CiCi, hoping to knock her out. The quick thief, well, was quick! She dodged each swing of the automaton’s fists, but unfortunately for her– she did not see Arumi striding up to her. And with a single, well aimed punch from Arumi, the thief fell to the streets, unconscious.

As CiCi came to, and as the group awaited the guards, many questions were asked, and few were answered.

On the nature of the loose cobblestone…

“I slipped on it and fell to my death the first time.”

How did she survive the bridge?

“I’m talented. Call it a trade secret.”

Why steal the box?

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

At this, Detective Stardust stepped forward, tilting his hat, to remind everyone that he was, in fact, a detective. “It’s clear to see. She wanted to keep the ring safe. This… was a crime of passion. She stole, not for any monetary gain, but to pursue her heart’s desires.” And with this, he slipped the hat off, and gazed out into the raging river below the bridge.

“Every pirate knows that you must always follow your heart. I’m not sure she did anything wrong.”

As the guards grabbed CiCi to take her away, she flashed one final arrogant smile. “You know they won’t hold me for long!” She said, with a laugh.

As the good Captain affixed his hat back to his head, he nodded respectfully. Yes, this would not be the last time they crossed paths. For what is a detective without a nemesis? This game they played, it was forever one of cat and mouse. Between those who commit crimes and those who solve them. For some, it is a solitary life, but for the good detective, it was anything but. For you see, he had surrounded himself with friends and most importantly… family.