Orendel nods at Cherry's words.
"It's okay. If there's anything I've needed recently, it's been someone to keep me...I dunno, humble? It's why my father and me...split. Neither of us had someone to remind us to lighten up a bit, and we got caught up in our causes so much that we couldn't speak without arguing. I'm glad I can depend on you, Cherry."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, he sees Silvio read the note and drop it, and his jaw drops. Then he grimaces and glares and turns to the support beam nearby and slams his mailed fist into it.
"GodsDAMMIT!" he yells.
"HOW?! HOW COULD THESE SODS HAVE GOTTEN THE BETTER OF US?! WE DID EVERYTHING RIGHT, DAMMIT!"
He sits down in a chair and holds his head in his hands, trying to calm down.
"Should we get the staff out here and interrogate them? And what do we tell Larur's family?"
The next morning, Syeira receives the grim news in solemn silence, her only response a sad shake of her head. She had seen as much in the cards the night before and yet the foreknowledge made the loss of Larur no less shocking. "No, I think that's the last thing we should do. If it is someone we work with, we can't let them know we suspect anything until we have conclusive proof. I think we should be subtle in how we pursue this."
"But for now, I'd like to see Larur's body myself, and see that he's paid the respect he's due."
Snapping at Orendel, "Take a breath and calm down. Things like this do not work out well if you react with all passion and rage."
Reaching out and reading the letter, "Syeira is right on all accounts. We should pay our respects and try to have him taken to a temple. Preferably one where we can get a priestess or priest to try to speak with his lingering spirit. Maybe we could learn something about either a why or who."
Cherry diligently works on oiling Orendel's armor. "Yanno, we keep goin' through rocky stuff like this an' before ya know it we'll be a family. Screaming matches an' all."
Later, once finished, she stifles a yawn, then heads over to her pallet and shimmies out of her tunic, with her back to the room. Her tail weaves back and forth as she slides her nightgown over her head. "Tomorrow will be better. No sense worrying while we're tired."
Cherry pours water onto a cloth and wipes down her face, then her arms. "So where do we go to find Larur?" she says. She cranes her neck over to look at the note.
Tiredly rubbing his face and hands Cherry the note, "The docks. And then to a temple."
"To the docks, then. We need to see Larur for ourselves. But before that, a prayer."
As he speaks these words, he takes his holy book and slowly begins to raise it into the air. "By Abadar's mighty name, we pray that justice be brought to Larur's killers. These lawbreakers must be punished so that they can never harm another life again. If that means taking on a crime boss, so be it! Make us into your instruments of justice. Abadar hear our prayer!" As he finishes his words, his arms reach their apex, holding the book high in the air for a few seconds, before he resumes a more normal mannerism once again. He looks around at the others. "Pray in your heart for Abadar's favor. With his blessing, we'll prevail even in the midst of the villainy and chaos of Riddleport."
Cherry cracks a wry smile and says, "I've never been the one dispensing the law before. This'll be interesting."
Orendel bristles a bit at Dougal's words.
"One of my comrades died on my watch. Again. I'd say I have SOME cause to be angry, Dougal. And Larur was a comrade, no matter how short our time together was."
He gets up and returns to the apartment to get his armor and weapons.
"Let's go. Least we can do is get him to a temple that'll give him last rites."
Frowning and following Orendel. Watching as he grabs his things for a moment before moving to collect his things. Talking while gathering his weapons and armor, "I am sorry you have lost people. And I am sorry I angered you. My reasoning for asking you to calm down was two-fold. One I do not like to see people hurt themselves as you surely did punching that pillar. The other reason is that we do not know if someone here is giving information and that outburst might alert them."
Armor and weapons bundled in Dougal's arms he turns to face Orendel. Trying to catch Orendel's gaze, "I am not saying you should not be angry, you have every right. But this is a dangerous city and everyone is a potential threat right now. And please due not assume that I am fine either. I mourn Larur. I mourn anyone in this city. Again I am sorry."
Turning on his heel and fleeing the room. Ducking into a hallway to don his chain shirt and weapons. Twisting the pendant on his wrist as he rushes back to the rest of the group.
Orendel nods at Dougal's words.
"Apology accepted, Dougal," he says. "You're right. Morale's an important thing, and no commander should show fear or distress in front of their soldiers."
Silvio comes back with his equipment, ready for trouble. "Are we ready? To the docks, then." And leads the way there.
Orendel shoulders his poleaxe.
"Aye. Lead the way," he says wearily.
The group gathers their things and makes haste to the docks. Its the morning and the workday is already in full swing as folks do their best to work before the rising sun reaches its peak.
It takes a bit of asking, and a few silver pieces, but you're eventually directed to the right area. Near a small jut in the pier way off on a broken down dock that's been long unused.
There you find Saul, sitting alone. He has a shortsword lying beside him, though the handle is close should any tricksters or thieves grow bold this early in the day. He also has a bottle of red hue, half empty, and he is just staring out into the ocean.
"I suppose you've come to pay your respects?" he asks, offering you all to sit beside him, feet dangling off the dock.
"Larur he was...his body, it was...aquatic scavengers had already begun their work. I sent what was left to the temple. They'll perform last rights and the like. Until then, I'm just trying to remember..."
Silvio was starting to feel suspicious about the story. It was strange that they kept failing to find Larur, and it was only Saul's word that kept telling them where to go and what had happened to the dwarf. First the story was Smeed did it, then the story was there's body on the dock, then it was his body at some temple. Maybe it was nothing, but Silvio couldn't leave it be.
"He's gone already? Did they pull his body up right here? Or where?" If it was nearby, Silvio looks for any sign that there was a body pulled up in the area; something that would confirm or refute Saul's story. .
He also gauges Saul's reaction. It seemed genuine enough, but perhaps he was bluffing.
Orendel sighs as they arrive, though he begins to glower as they find Larur's body isn't there. While he relaxes a bit at Saul's explanation, Silvio's questions set him on edge again. He regards Saul suspiciously and looks around the pier as well.
Cherry sits down on the pier next to Saul. "Now what do we do? Whoever did in Larur might not stop. Poor fellow. He didn't deserve this."
"What temple did you send him to?" Frowning at Saul's words. "May I as how you figured out he was here?"
Syeira sits down next to Saul, closer than one would think given her lukewarm regard for the man and current suspicions about his involvement in Larur's death. There was something to be said for keeping one's enemies close, but truthfully, she just wants see what he's been drinking. "I doubt this will help your memory much. But what is it you're trying to remember exactly?"
Cherry looks over at Saul, then up at Silvio, then back at Saul, as her tail sways back and forth.
Saul you don't notice anything immediately apparent that says a dead body has been here. It is a secluded area of sorts, but the sun is out and any water on the wooden docks would be dried fairly quick if it didn't' soak in too long.
He seems emotionally distant right now, could mean he doesn't care, could mean he's trying to surpress his feelings of pain. Not sure at all. Hard to read. He is a businessman after all.
You get a sense that he's holding something back, something he feels guilty over.
Saul looks at you. All of you. He squints, his eyes narrowing and his blank expression dips into one of scorn and anger.
"I know that look." he says. "Those looks."
He gets up and tosses the wine bottle into the sea.
"You're like all the rest, every single damn one of you. I should've known better. Should've known that I even my staff would whisper 'murderer' behind my back. If you want to pay your f&$$ing respects before they cremate him he's at Cayden Calien's temple. After you're done, come by the Goblin to collect your things, I'll have no spies and traitors on my staff, mark my words. "
He starts to get angry, his thoughts tumbling and turning in his head. Even with his short stature, he marches up to the most obvious one trying to suss out what he's truly feeling, right up to Syeira.
"Say it to my face!" he barks, his finger raised up in demanding, though his hook hand still by his side. "If you want to know so badly, say it to my bloody face!"
"That's ENOUGH!" Orendel barks at Saul as he starts ranting at Syeira.
"Boss...Saul...None of us think you killed Larur. But you've been acting strangely since this whole mess started. You don't think we're worried about a mole on the Goblin's staff? That's the only explanation that makes sense, since whoever did this to Larur ambushed him in his own home and then dragged him by Smeed's specifically to throw us off the scent. Why didn't you pull that mage favor right from the start, which would have saved us wasted time and effort? How do we know Larur's killers won't target us next if they're looking to ruin you? I'm a soldier. I know a war when I see one, and I know that you're not treating it like one, Saul. YOU'RE our GENERAL, Saul! We need you to be the leader we can trust to guide us with wisdom and cunning. A good general doesn't send his troops home on the eve of battle! Torag says 'Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.' We can't avenge Larur by making the Goblin successful despite Zincher's sabotage if we can't work as a cohesive unit! As a family of soldiers!"
He thumps his poleaxe on the dock to punctuate his point, the tattered red banner on it fluttering a little.
Impressed by Orendel's speech, Silvio is content to watch and see how the situation would unfold. He'd never let go of his suspicions toward Saul, but he wasn't about to voice that right now.
Syeira rises from her seat as Saul rounds on her and stands off against him. When he demands that she say what she's thinking, the witch looks as though she has plenty to say, but Orendel shouts her down before she can let Saul hear it. Rather, she takes a cue from Silvio and waits to see how their boss takes Orendel's words, pursing her lips as she silently seethes.
Moving to want to yell right back at Saul but Orendel is quick to beat everyone to it, and does a rather good job of it. Keeping his words to himself for the time being.
Saul seems to calm down, almost deflate really. It dawns on you all how old the small man really is.
"I...yes, you're right Orendel. Syeira I apologize. I...it's been a very hard, few years for me. Larur was my best man, and to lose him... it seems just like Riddleport giving me her worst again. After living in this town for years, it numbs you, it wears down your sensibilities and sooner or later you're just a shell of your former self."
Saul steadies himself against a post in the dock.
"I'm going to head back to the Goblin early. I can't think straight while I'm full of drink and haven't slept. Tonight...tonight we strike back."
And with that, he walks back alone, swaying with a step now and then.
Orendel doesn't say anything else as Saul leaves, and finally sighs when he thinks he's out of earshot.
"So...to the temple?"
"Yeah," says Cherry with a sigh, before she idly throws a pebble into the water.
"That was awfully unhelpful," concludes Silvio. "We still don't have the truth I think. And Larur deserves to have the truth be known."
Silvio is ready for the temple.
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"I won't disagree, Silvio, but the last thing we needed is to be all fired in one go because Saul thinks everyone's plotting against him."
Orendel shoulders his poleaxe.
"At least it's the Caydenite temple he's been brought to. I think all of us could use a stiff drink after what's happened."
Cherry stands up and brushes off her legs, then says, "Let's go and... see him off."
As the team heads toward the temple, she says - once they are away from Saul - "I don't think he could afford to fire us all. He can't run the Goblin without competent help. He can't just pick up a bunch of drunks off the street to work the place, not with organized crime in the city breathing down his neck." She walks silently, but her tail whips back and forth with suppressed anger.
Finally, she adds, "But he knows more than he's saying. He's playing us too."
Kicking at the ground and then following after, "Everyone plays everyone in this damn city. I suppose we just have to wait and hope he tells us."
Jamming his hands into his pockets before continuing, "So we have no coin from Saul or answers. The best bet we have for answers would be getting one of the priest or priestess to try and speak with Larur's spirit. But I do not know if that will cost us."
"We only have each other," says Cherry, falling back and wrapping her hands around Dougal's arm. "I don't think we can afford that kind of magic, so... we just have to watch each other's backs." She wiggles her bum and grins impishly.
Offering Cherry a wide grin, "Oh I always do that Cherry." I would not be the first person to incur debt to get what I want.
Orendel nods.
"Same here. Family of soldiers, remember?"
He strokes his chin.
"I suppose one of the priests might be willing to do us a favor. If you're anything to go by, Dougal, the Drunken Hero's faithful are nothing if not generous. Though I'd rather try to get enough money to pay for Larur to be completely brought back from the dead. Though that'd probably take years to earn at our current salary."
"Thank you for the complement Orendel. You keep that up and you might make me blush." His grin fading, "The longer we wait to return him to life the more it will cost and the soul must be willing. Speaking with the dead is maybe something that can be achieved, either through coin, favors, or debt."
The group makes its way over to Cayden Calien's temple. It's nice enough, and you all can see that people greet you warmly. When asked, they lead you to what's left of Larur. He is slightly puffed and discolored from the water, but magic and chemical have returned to him to some semblence of normality.
For those of you not used to death, it suddenly strikes you this may be the last time you can share a drink with the man. there are already a few glasses of fine wines and beers placed under the corpse, in honor and respect.
Syeira can only look upon Larur's body for so long before she has to avert her eyes. Death was not an uncommon occurrence back in her little farming village, but murder was, especially when the victim was someone she considered a friend. Distracting herself from the state of Larur's corpse momentarily, Syeira begins setting mugs of beer on the table for everyone. Once everyone has theirs, Syeira raises her mug in a toast.
"To Larur, the last honest casino manager in Riddleport."
She pauses before taking a drink to his memory, looking across the rim of her mug to Dougal. "The Accidental God's faith hasn't quite caught on where I'm from. Should we pour out libations before we drink?"
Silvio wasn't a huge fan of the temple of Cayden Calien. Seemed like a bunch of drunkards in his view. He might've said something under other circumstances. But in this case, he entered without comment, out of respect for Larur.
Seeing the dwarf's body, puffed and discolored, sent chills down his spine. So Larur really was dead, dumped in the docks. If he had been murdered, could someone else be targeted next?
Silvio is determined to learn as much as he could about the circumstances of Larur's death. Praying for Abadar's favor, he begins to examine the body.
Eventually, he takes up the mug offered by Syeira. "To a good dwarf, loyal to the bitter end." Unsure of the right ritual, he takes a drink after the toast.
Frowning at the body. Death in a battle is still foreign but like this, it is rather common place. Glaring at the drinks for a moment then grabbing one to take only a sip before mumbling, "I will be back in a moment."
Wondering off to try to find a priestess or priest.
Orendel accepts his own drink and looks at Syeira with a sigh.
"I don't know what Cayden asks of his, but I know Torag's faithful would say good beer shouldn't be wasted, and you'll honor the brewer best through the drinking, and I know he gets along with the Drunken Hero quite well."
He raises the tankard in toast with the others before taking a swallow.
"I'll fully confess to not knowing Larur as well as I'd have liked. He was taken from us too damn soon. But when you work together towards the same goal and have shared a drink, that's as close to a family as soldiers get, so by working to make the Goblin successful and sharing a drink, that makes Larur family in my book. I'm a stranger to this city, but I know enough to know it didn't treat Larur kindly before we met him, and that was finally starting to change before some cowards with knives ruined that. I swear, on the banner of my fallen comrades, which Larur's now joined, we'll have some justice for this tragedy. It's the least we can do to honor him."
He waves the banner a bit for emphasis before cradling the polearm it hangs from in his arm as he wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.
Cherry passes out libations to those who will have them, then raises a mug and says, "To the beardsiest accountant I've ever met. May he have a better fate now than he did before."
Dougal doesn't have to go as a priest enters the room, with a confused look on his face.
"What is he doing?" A rather peturbed priest asks. It occurs to you that messing with a corpse in the temple that is putting it to rest is somewhat offensive.
Silvio, you do find that there is a large stab wound in the back, it has been cleaned for the ceremony.
"I'm investigating the body! Our friend was stabbed and I mean to find out who did it and bring him to justice. Don't worry, I'll put him back nice and neat after."
Oblivious to the breach of decorum, Silvio continues to inspect the body to see anything else helpful besides the stab wound.
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Running a hand though his hair before speaking in a quiet voice, "I swear he means no harm." Shifting on his feet, "Though I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you. That man, Larur, was one of ours and he will killed. We do not know who did it and don't have a lot of leads. Would it be possible to speak with the bit of spirit that can linger in the body after death?"
"This city...I know Molthune isn't perfect, but at least there the authorities would have done this part BEFORE the funeral. Why the Hell did Saul send it here so quickly before we had a chance to check it out? For a city so comfortable with killing, why are the people so eager to get its results out of sight?" Orendel says, stroking his chin.
The priest is incredulous that someone would desecrate a corpse without warning or authority. He starts shouting.
"Out! Out! I will not let you this continue any longer! If you want a report, go the guard, but this is a holy place!" Anger showing on his face at the blatant disregard for the respect of the dead, whatever the circumstance.
"Fine, fine, I'm done." Silvio stops messing with Larur's body. "Stab wound in the back, could be whoever got him caught him unaware."
He turns to the priest. "These folks had no part in my investigation. Let them stay and pay their respects. Larur deserves that. I'll step outside." And leaves forthwith.
Silvio hopes that the priest will at least let the others stay if he leaves--he feels bad for interrupting their last moments with Larur.
Moving to stand between the priest and the rest of the group, "He left. Please allow the rest to have a chance to say goodbye to a friend. As I said he meant not harm. He does not get out much and can be excitable. It is something we are working on."
Flexing his fingers and hoping the priest will be kind.