I'm in the process of gearing up for another weekend with my gaming buddies and am planning to run A Gathering Storm. I like the lead in and The Lesser Evil as I can see how I'll hook the group (on of the PC's is a Burgher with aspirations towards being a Merchant), and I like how there's a combination of social investigation and action.

However, A Time to Mourn is a bit problematic for me. It feels a bit, dare I say it, D&D...there's problem in that there dungeon/crypt/ruin, go and bash it! I want to make it a bit more atmospheric, a bit more investigative and I want to use the background info on the inhabitants of Stromdorf a bit more.

Therefore, I've come up with the following idea but could do with some input in rounding it out:

On the night that the dead awaken, Burgomeister Phillip Adler is killed (with poison). Thanks to their help with the Holtz situation, and the fact that they're outsiders, Kessler hires them to investigate quietly. Suspects include Marcel Gerber, Dr Schneider, Gert Dreigo, Hildette Krass, Hanko Mucke, the ghost of Madriga Brenner and (because of the coincidence with the undead) Lazarus Mourn. In reality, Sebastien Brenner finally found proof that Madriga Brenner was having an affair with Adler and went to confront him. In the ensuing confrontation, Brenner ended up force feeding poison (which Madriga had obtained for herself) to Adler.

Investigations need to lead the PC's to the Garden of Morr, where they will no doubt assume Mourn's awakening is linked to Adler's death until they find evidence of Adler's affair with Madriga and are pointed back to Sebastien.

So basically I need some ideas of clues and red herring that they can encounter, who might know what, and anything else that can make this more of an investigation than hack and slash.

Oh btw, I'm leaving Schulmann on the periphery initially, because my group will see straight through him if he suddenly becomes interested in their stones. I've got a Swordmaster in the group, so I'm going to bring Schulmann in a more subtle way, peaking the High Elf's interest in Tempest Knap.

Thanks for any help in advance.

So, anyway, to get my thought process rolling I'm looking at something like this...

The murder scene contains the following clues:

• An empty clay vial with a strange herbal smell (points to the Doctor, who will be offended at the idea he uses anything but glass and point to Krass)
• A letter to Adler from Gerber, labelling him incompetent and/or corrupt (points to Gerber)
• A locket containing a lock of hair (Madriga Brenner's, no way of knowing this yet)

Talking to Keller elicits the following:

• Adler has locked himself away for ___ (can't recall how long, since Madriga died) and wouldn't see anyone except Keller
• The only time he left the building (as far as Keller knows) was to visit the Garden of Morr a few days ago
• He knows nothing of the vial or the locket, but Adler regularly received insulting letters from Gerber, because he refused to see him
• Adler's most vocal opponent is Hanko Mucke, but Gert Dreigo is perhaps more effective in speaking against the Burgomeister
• The walking dead might not be unconnected to Adler's death, Lazarus Mourn swore eternal vengeance on Adler

Gerber, Dreigo and Mucke present an obstacle to the investigation. They will consider it harassment from Adler and Keller (the PC's aren't allowed to let slip that Adler's dead) and will refuse to talk. Any attempt to coerce them might be opposed by several dozen tanners.

Hildette Krass will try to avoid being questioned but may reveal that she sold selling a vial like the one found to Madriga Brenner some time ago as she was desperate (before Adler arrived and her life improved). She will point out that she's surprised that Madriga killed herself like she did, given that she had a vial of poison for the job already.

I appreciate that I'm kind of talking to myself here, but having to explain it so that others understand on a forum is helping me to organise my ideas properly. Feel free to chip in any time...I need to know whether there's enough here to lead to the Garden of Morr.