”What is vestigate? Hmmm... friend Sgrack, have you ever hit something in one place, and it did nothing, but then you hit it somewhere else and it worked? To investigate is to try and find the right spot to hit something before you hit it, so you only need strike once. Not all of us have your generous stature to give us time to hit many times?”
As he says the last Irizzle makes a point of making some flexing poses to show off his...frame.
Keth looked at the odd collection of misfits guaging who might be the best to lead them and nodded at Sron. If youd like to take charge of our hearty band in this endeavor. Im willing to listen.
He nodded ok to Woolf as his canine companion moved over to the girl Val
looking around he saw the youngling come out with a river swimmer ...whole...whatta treat. He licked his lips anxiously and ran around in a circle as he glanced at The Master for permission...getting the nod he barely sniffed it once before munching on it. This was beginning to be the best food time hed had in a while. he allowed the girl to rub his head and ears as he ate the fish and then she left and returned with a bowl of water...he lapped at the water with large gulps slopping some out of the sides.
Humm... I believe vestigate is 'thinking'. Why not use the word think, instead of creating more words?
Sgrack doesn't quite comprehend all the words the gnome is saying, but nods nevertheless. "INvestigate mean think? Why not use word think?"
"Councilman Joram Kyte should be our next destination," said Sron." Then we can vestigat-... think about the Ropefists and how they fit into all this,"
”Don’t forget the scrapyard that lit up around the same time as the beacon went out?”
The group finishes their food and than takes a walk from the Foundry to the Temple of Brigh.
Bronze wind chimes and clockwork statues decorate the domed portico of this compound dedicated to the goddess of invention. The oldest faith in Torch, Brigh.
Inside the temple it seems more like a workshop and store than what most would call a temple but this is the norm for 'the Whisperer in Bronze'. The workshop is meticulously maintained and clean. You see an elderly human milling about he turn to the group and smiles when they enter his piercing blue eyes a welcome sight for anyone in town.
Joram:"Sron? Irizzle?, and whoever your friends are what can the temple do for you today? By the looks on your faces you have taken up the search for Kohnnir, I will help however I can, Kohnnir is a dear friend although I do beg you be careful."
Sron had spent much time in this home away from home. With the disappearance of his father, coming here was a relief. He removed the scarf he wore around his face revealing his almost human visage.
"Joram, we are indeed searching for Kohnir. We need to enter a place where the means of ingress is underwater,"said Sron. Joram was a valued family friend, one of the few source of truly unconditional acceptance that Sron had ever known.
Meila slips over to the knick knacks and doohickeys to vestigate.
Joram:"I should be used to you 'clinical' speaking by now." Joram says with a smile half joking. "You could just say you need to swim into a cave."
"Is that not what I said?" asked Sron, furrowing his eyebrows quizically.
"No." Sgrack answered, feeling smart. "Different word."
Joram:"Very, right big fellow. Different words.
“Friend Sgrack, what is your favourite word?”
"What be favourite?" Sgrack asks as Irizzle questions him.
While inspecting the doohickey's a small collection of them seem t spring to life, whether through magic or other means is not apparent. a bunch of small hammers strike domed pieces of brass serving as bells and steel bearings drop from a chute to hit pieces of spring steel to make tones like a tongue drum. The musical cacophony ends after about thirty seconds.
Joram:"Ah, noon. It seems the day is burning away fast. If you intend to get down into the caves you should be about it soon. If I divide my spell among the fiv...six of you it will provide you 4 hours of breath. Let me know when you are ready and gather close so I can touch you all." Joram's hesitation in counting occuring when he spots Woolf.
Noticing Joram's hesitation. Sron clarifies.
"Woolf is one of us. We need him to come along,"
Keth nods and moves closer to Joram, motioning Woolf to follow.
Joram:"Ah, a working animal. Not something I have as an expertise as a follower of Brigh but I would love to have a chat with his master," pausing to look around a figure out whom that would be. "when there is more time and the situation is not so dire of course."
The noise made by the hard things caused Woolf to whimper and he flattened his ears to his head, and he instinctively pulled closer to The Master not needing the hand wave.
Meila squeals with glee as the doohickeys and thingamajigs move of their own accord and make musical madness. She does a little hop and claps fervently when the performance is over.
She brings Irizzle over and shows him all the cool stuff. She mistakes the two-pronged wand as a funny looking fork, the kind used when carving a roast.
Sron bowed his head slighty towards, Joram.
"Thank you old friend," he said."We have matters to attend to. Once we are ready, we shall return for the spell."
Joram:"No problem at all Sron, and friends I look forward to working with you all in search for our dear friend Kohnnir."
"See ya, mister." Meila calls after striking the bell one more time before being escorted out the door by the rest of her group.
As a fellow follower of Brigh, Irizzle gives him a traditional blessing on the way out.
”May the cogs of your mind turn unfettered?”
Joram lets out a small laugh. "At my age my cogs need quite a bit of oil to get turning but your aphorism is quite creative I am sure Brigh approves. Clearly your imagination gives rise to need."
”Hmmm, I may have to look into that. I could call it Mind Oil!?”
"Brain Juice." Meila says as they exit. Clearly the cogs are turning in her head as well, but their purpose is unknown.
Keth looked at the others as he idly scratched Woolf's head. He ticked off the other locations and leads...
Chapel of the Wanderer is closest. The Priest of Pharasma might be able to add some information. I think we should look at the Torch before going to the Junkyard so we know what we have to compare it to....Maybe go check on the Ropefists after the Temple?
Woolf sat whining, ears down, next to the master he was uncomfortable in this room.
Joram:"Sorry to snoop, but what business do you have at the Chapel of the Wanderer? Does someone suspect Mylan of being involved in something to do with the Torch?"
Meila gives Woolf some head skritches to help reassure him that everything's okay.
Keth looked at Joram like he was considering something ...then at the others...and started Ive heard rumors. ...That he isnt what he seems. Now because I am not one to just assume rumors are true...part of my heritage is going against rumors. Have you known him long? or well?
Woolf looked up at the pretty elf and gave her arm a tender doggie lick of thanks.
Clearly bored by all the talking, Sgrack uses his pinky to dig for a treasure inside his ear.
Joram"What rumors? Mylan is a simple gravedigger who took the job when the last one died. He serves Pharasma but he has no Divine gift. If you have it on good info that this rumor is well founded I of course would like you to investigate. However insulting a man who performs such a morbid but necessary and scared job seems wrong in my book." Joram states with some indignation.
"Bread!" Sgrack explains with surprise upon his finding. Thinking he should share with his new friends, the offered the piece of bread with butter/wax to Woolf. "Woolf want?"
Keth looked at Joram and hesitated because of the way he had responded.
Slowly he went on Ive heard he has the capability of animating corpses and has his own agenda...do you think theres no possibility this rumor is true? How long has he been the gravedigger? How did the other pass away?
Woolf looked at what Sgrack held out...and leaned forward his nostrils flaring as he tried to smell what the White Giant held out...he wrinkled his nose in disgust and looked up with a whimper and a questioning look.
Even Meila shudders at the implications of eating ear-bread.
Sgrack shrugs and eats the bread as if nothing was wrong with it.
“Never fear good mate, we would investigate before we accusate? Surely all gravediggers would have such rumours to negate? Then again any Necromancer would find a ready supply of corpses opportunate? You’re welcome to spectate, but this is surely within our mandate?”
Sron takes in the sight of Sgrack eating... what he ate and thanks all the gods for his relative lack of sentiment.
"Let us be off then," he says gently to his new comapanions."Mylan awaits,"
Irizzle only now notices what Sgrack ate.
“Oh dear, let us hope we’re not all killed by what friend Sgrack ate?”
Joram to Keth:"I do not think he has this capability as I said I do not believe he has the divine gift. He has served torch for at least a decade or more."
The chapel of the Wanderer is a short walk from the Temple of Brigh in fact it is visible across the graveyard. It is not a fancy building just a small simple chapel with pews and and altar for performing last rites. There is a decent sized graveyard attached it seems very meticulously maintained.
Keth pauses at the entrance to the graveyard and temple beyond and looks around carefully.
Woolf walks beside the Master and pauses to sniff the air carfully as he can tell the Master is looking around as well.