St. John looks at Esinti and shrugs, "That sounds like a good idea. I do need to let a friend know we are alive so she doesn't worry too much. Do you have any leads on the nightmares?"
Diana nods. "We would welcome your help. As for leads, we do indeed have something. Ms. Farkin's notes talk about an abandoned slaughterhouse in the city... Which fits with some of the descriptions we've heard of these nightmares. Do you know the city well?"
Definitely sounds like they're working for someone. Our goals seem similar, at least. How many sides are involved here, I wonder.
St. John nods and answers "That sounds.... bloody. Yes, a good place to check out and we will be happy to assist you in that. I don't know the city well as I've only been here a couple (?) of weeks. Most of that was chained to the bed. Uhhhhhhh, I need a bath! We must not be pleasant to be around currently. I apologize for my appearance." He looks a bit embarrassed as he assesses his state of hygiene.
Esinti weighs the request and then nods. "If anything, we owe miss Farkin that much. The poor thing ... we really should see to it that she gets a proper burial and the proper rites." The sylph can't not see her mutilated remains whenever he speaks her name, and knowing what the mad orcess did to them and to miss Farkin fills him with rage.
"Alas, I cannot say I know the place well. I can find my way around town, but natives we are not."
After much careful discussion you realize that you've all been to Martella's favorite cafe in Oppara and that you all know Martella.
With the fight coming to a sudden and brutal end before she could even cast her spell Valeria entered the house and tried to avoid the gore as she started to hear the calls for help from up above. She was relieved that they had gotten to the captives before they could be hurt but began to check them over anyway but she saw no obvious injuries which didn't mean much since she wasn't exactly trained as a healer.
As they began to discuss things with the former captives and did their introductions Valeria waited for her turn and said, "I'm Valeria and I am glad we could get to you in time."
When Esinto mentioned a proper burial and last rights Valeria nodded in agreement, "That would be for the best. If she isn't handle properly she could become something...very unpleasant and she deserves better than that."
St. John nods and answers "That sounds.... bloody. Yes, a good place to check out and we will be happy to assist you in that. I don't know the city well as I've only been here a couple (?) of weeks. Most of that was chained to the bed. Uhhhhhhh, I need a bath! We must not be pleasant to be around currently. I apologize for my appearance." He looks a bit embarrassed as he assesses his state of hygiene.
Smeared head to foot in blood, Triphylla quips, "I hadn't noticed."
Then she turns her attention to the belt Lope identified. "I could put that to good use. You know, for the next time we're in trouble."
Once introductions have completed Triphylla begins to look about the house for other clues and the whereabouts of Cariamma Farkin.
Esinti feels a shiver running up and down his spine when Valeria suggests miss Farkin might come back to haunt this world. Knowing what befell her, he does not doubt the possibility of that becoming a reality. Not one bit. "Then we are in agreement. When you're done, I'd very much like to leave this place. Other than the obvious need for a bath, I'd also like to visit a temple or shrine before we set our sights on that slaughterhouse."
Diana nods. "I understand if you need some time to get ready, after all this time spent locked here. But we should try not to delay too much. The half orc woman was not working alone - if her associates come to check on her, they'll know someone is coming after them, and may end up strengthening whatever security might be in that slaughterhouse."
"And talking about security... It might be best if we try to travel together as a group whenever we can - we've been ambushed by a group of mind controlled people on our way here, and you might be targeted as well."
Lope steps forward, his keen gaze sweeping over St. John and Esinti with a measured look, sizing them up. He offers a courteous nod before addressing them in a calm but encouraging tone "It seems fate has woven our paths together with Ms. Farkin's last lead"
"Now, I know this investigation might become more perilous. I totally agree about traveling together" the Aldori musses looking at the new people "The question is, where to next? There was some person linked to the Temple of Abadar that disappeared. Maybe we can do that next"
St. John stretches and works the kinks out of his muscles and says, "You didn't find a Rondelero sword and other gear did you? We could use our gear if it's here. As for where to next, since we are both working for the same person I think we should let our contact here know we are alive and what we found out. I'd at least like a quick bath and meal and then we can check out the slaughterhouse, unless we get new orders."
Triphylla finds Farkin’s partially mummified corpse stuffed in a trunk. There's also several sets of armour and weapons piled on top of the corpse, which turns out to be St John and Esinti's stuff.
Although the brothers ran their business well for years, they had no other business partners or close confidantes. When both brothers died in 4699 ar, the slaughterhouse closed. The jolly logo faded as years passed, and the Sanguine Brothers slaughterhouse became another relic of a more prosperous age.
St. John smiles when he sees their gear and begins to arm himself. While he does so a though occurs to him and he says "I think those notes may be talking about the derelict Sanguine Brothers Fine Meats slaughterhouse in the Bountiful quarter. That seems like a good place to hide out to me."
The sylph quickly recovers his gear now that it has been found and wraps the rope dart around his torso, turning the weapon into a natural-looking part of his garb. Perhaps in a sense, it truly is. Then follows a bandoleer carrying a set of wrought steel darts, and while beautiful, they whisper violence.
"Good. I am looking forward to settling the score."
"Ah, so you do know a bit about the city! Indeed, the Sanguine Brothers Fine Meats slaughterhouse seems to be the one that makes the most sense. It's been closed down ever since its owners died, a pair of wealthy halfling brothers who catered mostly to Yanmass' noble houses and finer restaurants. They garnered quite a reputation for their business, mostly due to their focus on quality and cleanliness. Unfortunately, they had no heirs, business partners, or any close confidants who could take over the business after they passed away, so it's been closed ever since."
While the others talk and equip up St. John and Esinti, Lope cautiously looks around the different rooms and corners with a worried look. Checking then through the windows he frowns increasingly worried "We have a companion, Cyrene, she sneaked in before us, do you happen to have seen a..." the Aldori considers for a moment, realizing she could actually look whatever and just gasps frustrated "...well doesn't matter, she is probably gone on some lone errand and will come back when it makes sense like she always do..."
Nodding in agreement to the plans laid down by Diana and the others, he takes his pearl of power and retrieves the magic there to recover his shield spell "To the Sanguine Brothers Fine Meats slaughterhouse it is, then!"
The mummified remains of the owner of the house indicates the poor woman was dead a very long time, which is sad that no one particularly cared. It's not like the orc could have made appearances. She shows Valeria the body to do with as she sees fit, appropriate to her religious custom. Not being particularly spiritual herself, nor having any strong affection for the deceased, Triphylla is content to let the matter rest.
As usual, her companions are well-informed and quickly determine the next course of action.
Once outside she asks, "Diana, would you create some water for me to clean up?"
It takes about twenty minutes to walk across Yanmass to your destination and this time despite heavy foot traffic you have no incidents. Once you get there you find a large building made of brick and wood, both faded to the same drab shade of brown from years of neglect.
The front of the building bears the words “SANGUINE BROTHERS FINE MEATS” in large, rust-red letters beneath the enormous painted faces of two mock serious looking halfling men with bushy sideburns. The eyes of the halflings are large, round windows, giving them vacant, surprised expressions. Three squat towers rise up from the rear of the building, and the building’s massive doors are chained shut. An aura of long neglect hangs over the slaughterhouse.
The brick walls look substantial and all the windows are caked in years of grime so it's likely dark at best inside during the day and especially now it's approaching evening. Surprisingly none of the long narrow windows are broken, Yanmass is after all supposed to be a decent law abiding city after all.
Both sets of double doors look to be solid and are locked with a chain and a fancy looking padlock.
The sylph wrinkles his nose when the awful smell of rotten meat hits his nostrils. "Good Gods, I hope this smell isn't a promise of what's to come once we enter the place."
When they get closer to the set of doors, Esinti notices that while the chain is old, the padlocks aren't. That's the second sign this place has inhabitants. "Those look new. How do we want to do this? Can one of you deal with the lock?" He eyes the windows above and hopes one of his companions can open the lock, because he doesn't fancy a climb.
Unsure what deity the woman had followed in life, if any, Valeria decided the simplest solution was do something generic. The woman sounded like she had been very much the outcast and decide that asking her own goddess to facilitate the woman's journey to the Boneyard was as good a solution as any.
While the others discussed where to go next Valeria got out some paper and her charcoals and began to sketch as she prayed to the Redeemer Queen to guide the woman's soul safely to the Boneyard and to speak on her behalf if it became necessary and another did not claim her soul. By the time she had finished Valeria took the sketch and gently placed it over the woman's heart and lay her hands across it. Once she was done, she used a sheet she had retrieved and wrapped the body up finishing the process.
Valeria rose and said, "We should let the guard know to come retrieve her body so it can be properly interred somewhere. I've done what I can for her soul."
___
When they reached SANGUINE BROTHERS FINE MEATS and found the door padlocked shut Valeria was unable to be of any help. She didn't answer the question instead looking to her other companions to see who could help with this issue.
"Twenty years out of operation, yet the locks are fresh? Interesting," he murmurs, mostly to himself but loud enough for the others to hear. He lightly taps the edge of the padlock with a gloved finger "If someone is still using this place, they've made an effort to keep people out. That speaks of secrets inside
Straightening, Lope steps back and glances at the group "We could break the lock, but that risks making a racket. I guess someone with nimble fingers could try to deal with it in a softer way..." with a smile drawing behind his mustache, he takes a small piece of metal from one of his boots and inserts it trying to force the padlock.
Triphylla is a little jumpy in town after their prior altercation, and moving about unaccosted feels like a win of its own. The derelict slaughterhouse could not be more creepy. Not only was it run down and falling apart, but here were these two halflings who exploited themselves in a typically obnoxious manner to cater to the taller folk. She sighed.
She was about to suggest they check around back when Lope starts on the lock. She does not object; getting her tools out is always a bit of a chore and if he's feeling frisky she would never stop him.
"I'm going to walk around and get the lay of the place."