A museum sounds like a very good, highly original idea.
Good luck to the curators!

Death in PS is a strange issue...as is finding players who are willing to have their characters perma-killed. Those are very few.
Then there's the fact that murdering is going to get the Octarchy coming down hard on you...and make that 'Very Hard' if you're using poisons to perma-kill.

One idea is though, that assassinations do not necessarily have to have the aim of perma-killing someone. Sending someone to the Death Realm gets them out of the way for quite some time (if it's RPd well): that can be useful.
Imagine: two characters are intending to bid for [insert shiny item here]. Character-A decides it'd be cheaper to hire an assassin to send Character-B to go have tea with Dakkru, rather than spend so much money at the auction.

The real trick is the assassin making sure the target doesn't see their face or anything that could ID them once/if they do get back to the land of the living.

Throw in making the kill look like an accident and you've got a real challenge.

I`m going to guess the Octarch of the Dome, Iragdun Salikarios.

I think that's Nyshyn Klannarr.

Within the Death Realm

Naleru in the Citadel
Long she had waited for the signal, pouring over the book time after time, half wondering if it was naught but lies. Yet the tremor she had witnessed, and the gleam that had passed over the Dark Crystal were unmistakable. It had been recovered. And now, after endless years of waiting, she now found herself almost dying of impatience at her inability to find anyone who could aid her.

She shuffled out of the Citadel, the tattered hem of her robe dragging along the rusty, filth-encrusted walkways....until she heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. Looking up, she squinted with her one good eye to find an armour-clad menki running toward her, evidently newly arrived from one of the portals. He had a kind and amiable look despite his armour and weapons. He greeted her, asking if she was lost. Clearly a kind soul, she thought to herself, eager to help an old fenki back to Yliakum...not that she had seen that land in a great many years!
“Lost?” the old crone cackled, “To the living only. To the living.”
He confirmed her suspicions that he was a warrior, though relatively newly set out upon the path (perhaps that accounted for his presence in Dakkru`s Realm) and she decided to play upon his good nature and charity...
“I see...you wouldn`t be able to do an old woman a favour, would you?”
“I am here to help my fellow Enkidukai,” he replied, causing her to smile.
She related that she had been killed and something of great import stolen from her: a fine platinum dagger. Neither was entirely the truth, nor completely a lie.

The old crone meets Leoric
“Do you know who it was?” he asked and she knew she had him hooked. He could only have been more eager if she was several decades younger.
She shook her head, "I did not see him...he attacked from behind...tricked me. If you are bound for Yliakum...please, search for it for me. Seek out the one who took it. Return it to me and I will reward you handsomely, tabei!"
The menki thought hard, finally nodding and asking where he should commence his search, to which she nodded and narrowed her one good eye, rubbing her jaw, "I would say Hydlaa...but be most careful! The thief is a cunning one! He will lie. Take it! Take it by force if you must!"
She had no idea who was in possession of the dagger, only that it had been found. She had to make him wary of whoever he found with it...wary enough to recover it by violence.
“Any hints as to what the thief looked like? Anything at all?” the menki, Leoric, asked once more, and Naleru dropped her head, shaking it as she did so, and wiping at her eyes.
“Alright ma'am I will search for your dagger and your killer,” he declared and she wiped the crocodile tears from her face, imploring him to hurry and smiling as he rushed off into the darkness.
“Godspeed kind menki!”


Returning to the Citadel she knelt again before the Dark Crystal, summoning her strength to cry out, beseeching others to answer her call to serve the Lady of the Realm.

Some time later she looked up at the sound of boots upon the flagstones of the Crystal`s chamber, craning her head to regard the newcomer with her good eye, the cloudy other staring blindly.
It was a man, though swathed in dark robes and a metal mask that all but hid his features. She caught a glimpse of pale flesh like that of a drowned corpse. Xacha then.
“You summoned in the name of the Lady,” he stated.
“You serve our Lady?”
The xacha proceeded to recite the verses of the Revelations in a xacha dialect, causing the old fenki to narrow the one eye she had pointed at him, “I do not speak your tongue, xacha.”
“I see, regardless. My convictions are determined. I serve the lady of this realm,” he replied, looking at her graying fur and disheveled appearance with some measure of awe and disgust.
After a brief test of his knowledge she lead him across to the room`s larger table, her standing behind it, giving her a good view of the Crystal, whilst he stood before her.

Followers of Dakkru
Naleru looked at the xacha across the dusty table, "You have a name, young man?"
“My name is Trayus, Vilthis Trayus of the Trayus House. And yours, senior one?”
“Well, Vilthis of House Trayus, I am Naleru. I pray that together we may serve our Lady.”
Vilthis nodded as he brows furrows "What has called forth your service to the lady at this juncture? It is known to her clerics that we now combat the growing taint of the dark crystal.”
She could see that he was nothing if not pragmatic. A sob story and appealing to his good nature was not likely to get her anywhere. A different approach then. The truth.
She rested her yellow-nailed hands on the table, "There is something I wish you to recover, Vilthis. Something of great import to those of the faith. Something that can grant much power to our Lady....and the more power she has, the better, yes?"
"You imply the limitations of the lady's domain by that remark? Death does not require a belief," he retained his academic composure "Regardless, what is this artifact you speak of?"
Naleru shut her good eye in irritation briefly, "You yourself commented on the," the old crone licked her lips, "taint. The more power She has, the better equipped She is to combat it. I speak of a dagger...but no normal dagger. It is forged of finest platinum...and is most ancient.”
He questioned whether the dagger`s alloy was of import, that their enemy was beyond the tangible bounds of the Death Realm, that it's insidious presence emanated throughout Yliakum yet without a bearing to it`s nature.
Naleru shook her head – first it was a well-meaning menki, all too eager to rush off and hunt down a thief and killer, now a hardheaded xacha with naught but questions! –, "The dagger is a...a conduit. It was stolen long, long ago and has recently been recovered. It has not been returned to it`s rightful home: here. It can only have fallen into the hands of those who worship lesser gods."
“What of the origins of this dagger?”
She lifted a book from her belt, to which is was chained, "The Grimoire of Caban." She caressed the tome with her other hand. "A great devotee of our Lady in ages past, he forged it for her glorification. Yet he was thwarted...the dagger lost."
Vilthis stroked his chin "To what end befitted his failure?"
"I know not how he perished. I found his work and have studied it endlessly, awaiting the day of his masterpiece`s recovery. It has come."
Vilthis nodded with a measure of dissatisfaction of the enigmatic and incomplete history "As to the whereabouts of this dagger?"
Naleru leant forward on the table, her breath rank, "All I am sure of is that the dagger is in Yliakum....seek out one who has recently acquired an ancient platinum dagger. And take it. At all costs." She dabbed her milky eye with one sleeve, "Kill the bearer. Make him a sacrifice to our Lady."
But the man was not done with his questions and protestations.
"All cost? I pray you understand the clandestine nature of our ranks old crone."
Old crone?! “I care not for the laws of Yliakum, they have no bearing here in her Realm. You are capable of killing, are you not?” she snapped.
“You understand that this is beyond the slaughter of infidels?” he questioned harshly.
“Do you balk at what is requested of you?”
Vilthis bore a suppressed expression of frustration "Has the Lady decreed so? Or merely an end to justify a means."
Naleru returned the book to her belt, “The end will justify the means, Vilthis. Believe me. Both the means and the end will grant power to our Lady, as does all death.
“I pray, you are right Naleru, for your sake,” he replied, donning his metallic mask once more.
Naleru chuckled wetly, "I died long ago. All I have left is to serve."
“And where do I begin this search from?”
“You are returning to Yliakum, no? Seek out your quarry there.” She regarded Vilthis with her steely good eye, the other wandering, "I shall be waiting."

And so there were now two set out to hunt down the dagger, neither aware of the other.

In The Iron Temple
Giroum sat in his usual place upon one of the pews within the Iron Temple, putting the finishing touches to the sermon he would give in a few days` time at the Unodin Festival. It wasn`t particularly long, but it had taken some time to write...and what better place to write it than in the hall dedicated to his creator and raised by his creator`s chosen prophet: Galeran Tarbius.
It was as he worked that the ynnwn Corealanos, a fellow devout worshipper of Laanx, entered, dropping to one knee in prayer.
Giroum looked up from his work at the creak of the warrior`s leather armour and immediately recognized him. It had been quite some time since he had first met the ynnwn in the sanatorium tent, but he was not likely to soon forget.
Corealanos did not at first respond to the lemur priest`s greeting, completing his prayers before raising his face, which immediately broke into a warm smile, "Master Duphra!" he exclaimed, "you're back with us."
"Indeed I am,” the old lemur nodded, “and it is thanks to you and queen Lolitra. I cannot thank you enough for what you did that day, young man."
The two shook hands, Corealanos relating that Garosan – the bounder suspected of being behind Giroum`s beating – had been imprisoned.
Giroum eased himself from the pew and grasped Corealanos` hand as firmly as the old lemur could, "So I hear. He has been tried?"
Corealanos shook his head, his brow furrowing, "Not to my knowledge, I heard they have someone else in jail now. I kind of lost track, I've had.... erm other things to deal with" he said uneasily.
The priest nodded sagely, "Well, don`t worry too much. There is a xacha aquaintence of mine who is also investigating. He tells me that even Elady of the Daughters of Xiosia has been accused of treason." Giroum found such an accusation somewhat surprising, the priestess always having been an exemplary of peace...yet then again he had trusted Garosan.
Giroum stroked his short beard and regarded the other. It was clear that something was troubling the young ynnwn, "But tell me, my son, what has been vexing you?"
Corealanos sighed and he looked down a little uncomfortably, "I had to kill a man, well two, maybe three actually... I'm not sure why but people keep attacking me, right out of the blue - normal people - just - keep - attacking me."
Such shocking news caused Giroum to take in a breath sharply and he fished his carved jade pipe from within a voluminous sleeve, "How frightful! Laanx bless...but...why? Please, take a seat, Corealanos. You are safe here. Tell me all."

Corealanos took off his backpack and dug around in the bottom for a while, eventually fishing out a bundle of cloth before he took a seat next to Giroum, giving the priest a small smile of thanks, "Well it all started back at the Lake of Tears..." and he related the three attacks in minute detail to the priest as he slowly unwrapped the bundle.


Corealanos took the dagger from the cloth and tentatively offered it to the priest, "This seems to be the catalyst to the whole debacle." He then thought for a moment, dug around in his backpack again and pulled out a piece of paper, "I made a copy of the original diagram on the box, and I still have the Gems... somewhere in here" muttering and burying his head further into the bag
Giroum studied the sketch of the box. Three eyes set into a metal plate upon a chest of wood, reinforced with metal. Clearly someone had made the box to withstand quite some punishment...but it was the symbol that was most curious. He indicated the diagram with his still-unlit pipe, "You know this symbol?"
The ynnwn's brow furrowed even harder, "Erm I think it's Vooreva, but why it should be on a box beats me."
The lemur nodded like a teacher at the other`s answer, "What does it represent? The three eyes."
Corealanos pulled out three gems from his backpack as he replied slowly and painfully, "Erm, all-seeing?" he guessed, dusting off the gems and looking hopeful.
"Well, close enough,” Giroum replied, tilting his head a fraction, “Eternal Vigilance. I`d say that chest of yours was warded in some way....perhaps to keep that dagger inside."
Corealanos followed Giroum`s gaze to look down at the dagger and restrained himself from throwing it on to the floor, "Blimey! What have I done?"
He dragged his attention from the gleaming platinum dagger and held out the three gems, "Emerald, diamond and ruby" he said confidently but still somewhat disturbed.
"And yet you say you found the crate at the bottom of the Lake of Tears? That`s not a particularly deep lake...not a place I`d choose to hide something." He then looked over the proffered gemstones and peered closely at them, "Perhaps you could have them looked at by an expert. They do appear rather old."
Corealanos nodded and rushed to reply, "I did already take the dagger to a smith at Harnquist`s, who said the same, that is was incredibly old, but useless as a weapon. Actually he said he wouldn't be fit to...well he was very clear it wasn’t much of a weapon," he said, his cheeks flushing slightly.
Giroum nodded again, still not daring to touch the dagger: his last experience with an enchanted weapon still too fresh in his memory, "Ritual then, perhaps. And you say that those who attacked you did so suddenly....without provocation?"
The other then looked slightly defensive, "Oh my word Master Duphra, I gave them no provocation at all. As I said I explicitly told the fisherelf Firunge that *he* was rich and the dagger was his, and he still attacked me" his face fell at the memory of the dying elf and he coughed before taking a deep breath to steady himself.
"Fear not, my son, I was not accusing you of any such act,” responded the lemur, reaching out to pat Corealanos on the shoulder with his free hand, “Rather I wondered what might link these individuals....though perhaps the only link is you...and this dagger."
Corealanos looked down at the dagger and once again resisted the urge to throw it away. His jaw then set and he announced purposefully, "Well, I shall not pass up this opportunity to test my mettle and show my class. I am, or erm will soon - Laanx willing - be a Sempetor, and I will take responsibility for this beastly thing, no matter how arduous the journey" his breathing became deeper and more rapid as he spoke, to which Giroum smiled and looks at the young ynnwn with admiration.
"That`s the spirit! *That* is the iron will of a devotee of Laanx!" He nodded firmly, "My boy, I am not knowledgeable in such matters, but seek out a colleague of mine: Ingcha Indarica. She is a loremaster of my order and if she does not know how to help then she will know where to look in order to find aid."
Corealanos had spoken as one possessed of an iron will but his face betrayed the fact that he had now become a prisoner of his oath, "W-where might I find her, Master Giroum?" he stammered.
The old priest smiled warmly, "She is a young and rather bookish xacha lady, not particularly one to socialise, not accustomed to company if I am completely honest...." he then looked at Corealanos again with the look of a teacher wanting to urge a student to answer their own question, "As a loremaster of the Devotees of Laanx, seek her out where you would expect to find her."
The ynnwn looked nervious as he was put on the spot and he swallowed, answering in a small voice," With the Book of Names?" he ventured, pointing up above them.
Giroum took out a glyph from his sleeve and lit his pipe with a conjured flame, took a long pull on it, then breathed out the thick pungent smoke....and shook his head. "Too easy, my boy. Consider this part of your quest."
Corealanos smiled, relieved that the questioning had come to a close, "I will, as in all my endeavors with regard to Laanx, do my upmost" he said proudly. He thought for a second then said, "Oh there was something else...I met a young Nolthrir, Emerane, she had just arrived to the city. She had been robbed and was in a desperate state. Well, she had actually come here seeking you out. She has a foundation training in the ways of Laanx and wants further instruction. I wondered, should I?...”
Giroum nodded, "Of course you should! In these dark times the faithful must band together. Bring her before me and together we can enlighten her, further her learning in the way of our Lord."
"Laanx be praised" Corealanos beamed and answered enthusiastically - then matter of factly - "And now, I shall take my leave of you Master Duphra, thank you for you assistance and your kind words" and he began to pack away the dagger and gems.
But it was not only Corealanos who was absent minded that day; Giroum then remembering to invite the devout warrior to his sermon in the coming Festival.
Receiving Corealanos` reply, the two parted ways as worshippers of Laanx, “May Laanx frighten the shadows from thy path.”

I`m very sorry to hear this terrible news.
My condolences to her family and friends.