Myri offers a tight smile under the shadows of her hood and adds helpfully, "It would be so nice to get your help, I'm sure you could recommend a few nice places to eat even."
The elder Cleric looks Dyrm up and down, his eyes coming to rest on the Dwarf's holy symbol of Ulla. Then his gaze glides over Myri and Nusku, and he bestows upon you all a wintry smile.
"If you would all pass through the left door, please," the elderly man says as he rises, briskly bowing his head. "Your needs will be met."
Beyond the left door lies a brief corridor, which ends in a luxurious waiting room. Velvet-upholstered couches; purple-green wall-hangings portraying scenes from forest and city on all the walls; a low coffee table with plates of snacks both sweet and savoru, bottles of beer and wine; a surprisingly tasteful painting of Ulla's seduction of Ohiro, the seminal event which saw the goddess ascend, above the hearth; a pleasant fire on the hearth warming a room that might otherwise be chilly, given that it is surrounded by stone on all sides.
A tasteful little sign on the table, set among the snacks and drinks, reads: FREE OF CHARGE.
You've barely cooled your heels for five minutes in the room before one of the wall-hangings bells out and a young Vitor man in the regalia of a priest of Ulla enters through a hidden door.
"Welcome," the young man says, displaying none of the usual simmering aggression Vitor are famous for. Without preamble, he seats himself on one of the couches and pours himself a beer. "I hope you don't mind," he says before drinking, "but I'm being run ragged lately."
He drinks deeply, and sets the glass back down.
"Ahh. Better. Now then, if I may quote scripture: "let's get down to business". I am informed you desire directions to the Fallingdowns Adventurers' Guild, a map, and perhaps some recommendations for good dining venues? I can certainly provide all these things, no charge. But before I do, I must ask: are the seals safe? Do you still have them?"
Drym passes to the left, and then when he sees the high priest, he is startled, "An honor, High Priest," And he bows Thenn the question and he nods "They're safe. And yes. Never leave without them."
Nusku follows the directions, straight to the snack table. A bottle of beer in one claw while his other scoops up snacks both sweet and savory. "What's the catch?" The Su-Rog asks with a mouthful of food after the offer of information free of charge.
Myri follows along as well and is right next to Nusku in surveying the refreshments. She selects one of the nicer bottles of wine, but spares a questioning look at Dyrm with her hand on the bottle as Nusku verbalizes her own concerns.
"Can we be sure, please?" the high priest asks. "Can we have a look? I wouldn't normally bother, but I'm halfway sure there're people who want to steal one of your seals and replace it with a ringer.
They'd be the same people who assassinated my mentor and predecessor last week. It's all part of the fun in Fallingdowns."
The high priest pinches the bridge of his nose.
Myriad munches on a pastry, wipes her mouth primly, then says "Congratulations on the promotion."
"Thanks," the high priest says, drily. "It'd be more fun if I'd been the one to put out the hit, though. I could have sacrificed the receipt to Ulla, my mentor would be ushered into our goddess's kingdom with reverence, and I'd be sitting pretty, getting to grips with her finances. Instead, we found her floating facedown in the river and her greatbook is missing. To put it bluntly, the previous high priestess died in a damned mugging, and the church has been robbed. I've decided to postpone my inauguration party for now."
"Are you sure it's safe to show it around here then given your troubles? meaning no misgiving, high Priest, but you are showing some wear and tear"
"This death is bothering you more than you let on." Nusku nods in agreement with Dyrm.
Myri just shrugs and continues chewing on her pastry, not really picking up on whether or not this guy is in mourning or celebration.
"Of course this is bothering me," the high priest says, bitterly. "This is an attack on the whole church of Ulla, make no mistake. And the authorities are no help! Whoever took my predecessor's greatbook used it to attack a lot of businesses. You ever wonder why we're getting so many people in, paying for seals of protection? It's because they think we're trying to put the squeeze on them! I've had to order discounts and extra rotations of our enforcers to make sure none of the businesses under our protection get hit.
There are criminals operating in Fallingdowns who have nothing to do with Our Lady's church. They're thugs, brutes, undermining the power base of Our Lady in this beautifully corrupt city... And there are rumours in the underworld that they're not stopping there."
The high priest sternly points at Dyrm. "You carry a set of seals, for the reopening of the Adventurers' Guild branch office in Rameii. There are whispers in the back alleys and the sewers that someone wants to replace one of them - Ulla's, of course - with a ringer. If that happens, if a set of seals either stops working because what looks like Ulla's seal breaks the circuit or it works in spite of Ulla's seal being taken out of play, what do you think that will do to our standing with the Guild?
I've been sending letters to all the nearby temples. There've been attempts on other high priests and high priestesses. We're on full alert now, so the inside of the temples should be safe, but you and yours won't be completely safe until you hang those seals up in Rameii. All of them; the ones meant to go there; intact."
A worried look, "Would you swear an oath that you will not attempt to take, steal, or replace it yourself, and that you will speak only turth to us as regards to this?"
The high priest spits on his left hand thumb and holds it out to Dyrm.
"May my pact with Our Lady be cancelled prematurely if I plan to take, steal or replace the seal of Ulla in your possession, and the Debt Collectors take me if I speak falsehood to you regarding this matter," he says. "So I speak before the audit of Ulla, may she balance the scales of my karma with her thumb and ascribe value to my wretched soul, so I need not suffer the indignities of the Underworld but may pass into her realm upon the termination of my mortal tenure in her service."
With all the spitting going on, Myriad puts down her pastry in mild disgust and primly wipes her mouth.
"With your professional reputation on the line then, surely you could point us towards the local Guild office, so that we might be about our business in a discreet and efficient manner?"
Dyrm spits on his own left hand thumb, and presses his thumb to the thumb of the High priest then says "I thank you, Brother in Faith, and may Ulla bless thee for thy understanding."
And he hands it over, even as Myriad gets to the point of why they came here
The spitting doesn't seem to bother Nusku as he continues snacking. His body language does indicate appreciation when Myriad gets to the point. He is otherwise silent as people talk.
The high priest receives the box and opens it with some urgency. He looks intently at its contents and mutters an orison (), after which he subjects the contents to some more study -- and visibly relaxes.
"Yes," he says as he closes the box. "Yes, I can very easily do that. Thank you."
He hands the box back and rings a little silver bell. Fairly soon, a lower-ranked Cleric enters the room, bows, and listens to your wishes.
Soon enough, you are the proud owners of a map of the city of Fallingdowns, on which your current location, the harbour, and the branch office of the Adventurers' Guild are all clearly marked.
"Be very careful of the seals," the high priest says as you are escorted from the room. "Trust no one, verify everything. We have our suspicions as to who might be trying to increase their stock at our expense, but I shall not say. You don't want to show the enemy you suspect him, not with the tactics he's shown to favour."
= = = = = = = = = = = =
As you leave the temple, you finally know where to go: the Fallingdowns Adventurers' Guild is set near the Forest Gate, at the edge of town. You suppose it makes sense; the branch office has easier access to the woods, where a lot of fetch quests can be fulfilled.
Yes, it's smooth sailing from here on in.
Or it would be; as you walk away from the temple, you notice that two Samurai are now openly following you, their hard faces impassive, but suspicion writ large in their cold eyes...
Nusku stops in his tracks, cracking his neck as everyone notices the pair of Samurai. "You two want something?" He snarls.
A glance back as well. And makin sure no one gets in pick pocket range
Myri slips two more pastries into her pockets before leaving and thanks the priest for his assistance.
Outside, she resists the urge to make rude gestures towards the two samurai and instead just winks at them.
"Move along, citizen," one of the two hard-faced men intones.
"Carry on your lawful business." the other drones.
Both pound the heel of their polearms against the ground and chant: "All who obey the Law need not fear the League of Temperence. All who obey the Law are basked in the light of the gods of law."
Dyrm smiles, "Lovely harmony. Well gentlemen, we leave you to protect those in need of it."
"We are," the Samurai on the left says, still eyeing you with hard, dead eyes.
"Be about your lawful business, citizens," the one on the right says with a cold, monotonous voice.
"We were" Dyrm says, and resists the urge to suggest a local bordello where the intense pressure these men seem to be feeling might be more healthily uncorked, "But.. good day to you" He motions to his friends to depart. And sees if the order twins follow
They do follow, quite openly.
Now you mentioned it, there are a couple of bordellos on the map, marked a little more subtly than other businesses.
Will you head to the 'Guild, or do you want to try and shake them off?
Or... do something else?
Though not surprised at the attitude, Nusku still lets out an annoyed snort before turning back around to resume the trek.
Dyrm moves with Nusku, muttering as he moves a bit slower, "Curse my elegant but somewhat reduced stride."