Balder's simmering rage is cut short as the red haired Yorikata leaves.
"Er.. sorry. Didn't mean to anyone away." he says then looks away.
The owner of the booth comes back over, smiling at Yorikata and giving her some of what he is selling.
The night continues for a while with most of the adults who aren't minding children making their way to the Ramblehouse. Rodrik Grath comes over to the group.
"My friends come to the Ramblehouse for a few drink and some companionship, it is needed in this town no one should feel left out of the Festivities."
"Do you have dwarven brew?" Gran't' asks looking up excitedly.
his hand continue to slowly work away at the stone in his hands
"We do, there are a few dwarven ale smiths in town." Rodrik says
"Then I would be glad to join." Gran't' says, once again hastily, yet carefully stowing his tools and project.
Balder is already on his third dwarven ale and second plate of stew laughing withe the crowd.
He raises his ale and not for the first time tonight toasts...
"To fallen friends."
"Thank you." she tells the owner of the booth as he offers a sample for free. She checks his shoes and trousers to see if she recognizes the man. They all look so different from this height and her smelling sense doesn't work in human form.
Yorikata surprisingly enjoys the festivities and decides against hiding. But with everything crowded with large folk, she'd get trampled as fox. As Roderik comes and invites Lanneth to the Ramblehouse she joins the group again, but keeps in the background.
Inside the Ramble house is full of patrons, everyone is drinking and having a good time.
Rodrik gets up on a small stage, raising a mug of ale.
"Thank you all for coming out to celebrate Rubies Hope Knife ceremony." Rodrink gets down and goes to stand with his brother.
Ouside Lanneth completes the ritual with Gran't and Yorikata.
She bows her head slightly to both of them and formally says:
Gran't and Yorikata, your name sings in my ears.
-------------------------------------
As the others leave to get food Lanneth heads to the Ramble house as it seems to be where most of the town is going.
She gets a wine to drink and sits down to watch in fasination all the townsfolk, but after some time of still not seeing her companion the worries begins to dominate her thoughts.
Where has she gotten to? Should I look for her? Well maybe after I drop off this Pack.
As she makes her way to the proprietor to try to negotiate a room for the night she sends across the link the feeling of worry, hoping to get a response to settle her fears.
Dwarven ale! Always good to come home to decent ale. Dain heads in for booze and food and soon has his spirits lifted after a few tankards and then heads over to Balder. Shall we approach Rodrik about the cyclops now?
"Nearly. But you dropped the end a bit. It's 't', not 't." Gran't' says with a smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you Lanneth." as they walk he puts his hands in his pockets. Feeling the stone talisman he remembers and asks "Have you seen a smallish red fox around here somewhere?"
Lanneth secures lodging for herself for a week at 1 gold
Balder nods to Dain "Lets."
Then walks over to Rodrik with Dain.
Lannith stops when Gran't' asks about the fox.
Yes, that fox is my companion, but I don't know where she has gone off to. Why do you ask?
"I spotted it before the ceremony. This stone saw it too and told me that's what it wants to be." Gran't' says taking the small stone from his pocket. Visible now is a crude shape of a fox curled into a ball, head resting on its tail. There is still a lot of work to be done before it can be called finished.
As Yorikata feels Lanneth worry it is like a reflex that she turns to see what is up. But as there seems to be nothing dangerous to worry about Yorikata turns away again to leave. She needs to find a private place to turn into a fox again.
She doesn't need long, just around a corner, with an exit that the red haired woman gone doesn't cause mystery...
And back comes the fox. Sneaking along the wall, avoiding the legs and feet of the partly drunken crowd Yorikata finds a side table with a vase full of flowers to 'hide' behind. It's not great, but it is safe from feet and offers a view over the room.
Lanneth completes her transaction for her room and heads to the stairs where her room is. She pauses a couple steps up to glance over the common room, but sees nothing but the press of people. So she turns and walks up the stairs intending to drop off her backpack and weapons, but she stops outside the door in the hall. With her eyes closed she enjoys the realitive quiet of the dark hallway.
[i]I’m not used to being close to this many people[\b]
After a moment she opens her eyes again and then opens the door.
The night winds down and everyone retreats to their rooms, the night passes uneventfully until everyone is woken to a scream of a woman. Doors open quickly and most of the patrons rush down the stairs to find out what is going on. Cham Larrinfass is sitting in the common area, a few members of the militia present.
"I..I.. I found him like that... there was blood everywhere." Cham is very pale
Lanneth grabs her pack and weapons from where she left them and hurries downstairs to see what happened.
Seeing the pale halfling and surrounded by guards Lanneth quickly walks up to the guards and addresses the one who looks like is the leader in a no-nonsense manner.
Guardswoman, Is someone hurt? I have a bit of the healing touch much like Master Silvermane, So I may I be of assistance?
Dain bolts upright when the scream sounds and grabs his bow and axe before hurrying down. Is there an attack happening?
Yorikata follows Lanneth to the room, and curls up in a corner besides the bed.
As the scream wakes the house she is shortly befallen by panic. It reminds her of the night, her mother was dragged to the village elders. Staying close to Lanneth she follows to the common area.
Gran't' very gingerly, and carefully makes his way downstairs. The night's festivities have left their mark
Balder hears the screams and his eyes pop open and he sits up trying to take in his surroundings. As he suspected, only his foot made it to the bed, propping himself up on his elbows he looks up from the floor of his room.
Then, remembering the screams he throws on his scabbards with his short sworda and slings his throwing spears across his back and runs out the room, then his hand reaches around the door back into the room and grabs the haft of his great mace and pulls it with him as the door shuts.
Down the stairs he see's everyone already gathered below. As he descends he calls "Are we under attack?! let me at them!" wobbling a little as he gets down the stairs.
Kurst Garath greets everyone with a somber expression.
"No, Cham here found Rodrik dead in his room upstairs."
"Well s!$&." Gran't' replies. "Has the priestess been informed?"
"She has but there is nothing she can do, he has been dead for to long now." Kurst says with a hint of sadness in his voice but he is doing his best to be strong
Lanneth absently reaches down and pets Yorikata as she continues.
Oh no! How is Jagrin taking it? And are there any signs of how it happened?
Balder kneels beside the body and looks around without touching anything. "Was this where he was found?"
Then looks to Dain. "Dain, can you fins any tracks or signs of blood or a struggle?"
Yorikata stretches towards Lanneth's hand, her eyes closed enjoying the affection.
As Balder leaves, she follows him upstairs to the room where Rodrik was found. It is not hard to tell where, the smell of blood is easy to follow. In the room she tries to discern the smells in the room.
This is bad. Dain's eyes scan the body for any hints to his death. we should wait for the watch to arrive before we go through the room.
The rest of the guard show up with the High Priestess, everyone is cleared back and Rodriks Body is taken away to the Temple.
"You can view the body later, after my father and the others have seen to it. I..." Kurst stops and takes a breath to steady himself. "Can you look into this, I don't feel it was a murder. He was in love, he was to be come captain, this isn't like Rodrik at all.:"
Balder looks at Kurst. "Did Rodrik have any enemies?" then asks the assembled people "Anyone get a look at the cause of death?"
"Cham said his wrists were slit with his hope knife in one hand still. People are claiming it was suicide"Kurst Looks to Balder "Maybe some from tribes of Orcs he has killed but they won't be so bold as to attack in the town." Kurst answers Lanneth "My father doesn't think this was suicide. he has told the guards they cannot investigate this that is why I am asking you all too."
The room Rodrik was staying in was that of a single occupant, it had a bed like in your rooms, chamber pot and a desk. From what Dain can see from outside is that the window is locked and by the sounds of it Cham would have had the only keys to the room other than Rodrik
Dain checks about the room, bringing out some string and little bits of paper so he can mark evidance. Focus..enhance..
I may be able to help find if mystic forces were at work here.
Lanneth says outside the doorway and and starts to speak in elven as she passes her hands palms outward in an arc before her.
Lord of magic, secrets arcane;
Glimpse its power, its presence make plain.
Then she looks intently at the room looking for anything magic or hidden that may have given a clue to what happened here.
Before the priestess leaves Gran't' asks of her "I have heard of magics that allow the dead to speak once more. Is this something you can do? It is much easier to solve a murder if the victim can identify the killer."
Yorika pays close attention to what Lanneth does and says.
Balder walks over to the door and peers outside. Looking for anything that might stand out as a clue.
"We don't have anyone in the town with sufficient magical prowess of that high in the church to cast such a spell. We can put a call out to LastWall but they would be more than a week before them arrived." Kurst Tells Gran't "I have 3 people you should talk to, Cham here at the ramble house, Brinya, and Omast."
After scanning the room Lanneth bends down and whispers to her fox.
Kuma, can you sniff around and see if anyone else seems like they were in the room when the man died?
Kuma tiptoes around the people to get a whiff of their smell.
It might still be in the middle of the night, but with all that commotion Kuma isn't tired anymore. But she notices, that with all the excitement of being in human form last night, she forgot to eat. Her feeling for time is thrown off in the new environment and she hopes it could be time for the morning routine soon, which would include a meal.
She sits down in front of Lanneth, her stomach growling, looking at the elf with big puppy dog eyes.
Cham. Can you tell us exactly what happened when you found the body? Was there anyone else staying here?
Kurst watches as the fox enters the room, not quite sure as to how to take this.
"Is your fox trained to sniff things out? I thought they could only teach that to dogs."
Between Dain and Lanneth searching the rooms and under the bed, they manage to find Receipt
Found this receipt. The smithy seems to be a place to investigate
Lanneth looks up from where she is digging around in her pack. And smiles a knowing smile.
Kuma is a little bit more then just a trained fox. So yes, she can sniff things out as well as a few other things.
As she says this she pulls out some dried rabbit out of her pack and sets it on the floor for Kuma to eat.
As Lanneth is still to busy or it is not time yet for the morning routine Kuma grabs the meat and retreats to a corner under a bench. She chews the rabbit jerky with delight.
"Did she find anything else? I would check with Sara just in case she knows something." Kurst tells Lanneth
Chams tears prevent her from answering Dain as he doesn't seem overly compassionate towards her.