Dead Men

The Temple of Vardama: Crypts

The body lies on a slab of stone, a piece of white cloth has been drawn over the corpse for the sake of human modesty and respect for the dead. Thus far, the priests have been unable to determine a cause of death for the guard whom had spoken to Harkashan in the dungeons before utter chaos ensued.

The deceased's belongings are arrayed on a nearby table. A guard uniform for the Arcanists Guild. A small amount of money yet unclaimed by the next of kin. A small pink origami rabbit that is slightly crushed.

Beside those are the belongings from the guard's cubby at the guild. An extra change of clothes. A small painting - not a great one - of a woman holding two small children. It's hard to make details out because it's not of the best quality, and old. An expired lunch, lovingly made but no longer safe to eat.

The trappings of an ordinary life.

"We meet again." Harkashan rumbles, staring down at the cloth covering the deceased. The guard had been fearful, but they had clearly known what was coming. They ran before the anti-magic field had fallen. He has figured so far that their family must have been threatened or the like. Their cause of death being impossible to tell so far makes him suspect he was taken care of later to avoid having witnesses. Poison? Literally being scared to death?

There's a lot on Harkashan's mind as he considers that nothing has been claimed by next of kin either.

The lunch, expired as it is, suggests he definitely had contact with someone. And the painting suggests they indeed have family.

Harkashan is quiet, touching the tip of his muzzle, staring at the belongings. He's set up the ritual to speak with the dead already, but these objects and the cause of death could inform the questions they do ask.

His gaze falls to the origami rabbit. "Aelwyn, you come from an area where Origami is more popular than Alexandria. Does this stand out to you? Perhaps a meaning behind a rabbit?"

GAME: Simony rolls craft/painting: (14)+9: 23
GAME: Aelwyn rolls knowledge/local: (12)+3: 15

Verna's assigned duties at the temple are fare more mundane than in the past. More clerical, as it were. At present, however, the matter is as much personal as professional. The decedent's possessions are noted and she voices aloud a concern that others may be aware of. "It is disheartening that no kin yet arrived to pay respects nor take possession of goods, despite indications of kin who would presumably be aware of the deceased's status."

The objects, themselves, hold no apparent deeper significance to herself, thus she looks to Aelwyn at Harkashan's inquiry and then Simony at the Temperance's interest.

The Goblin is prepared for a fight. Gone is the subtlety of hiding her armor, it's now overtop, and burnished to a shine. Her warhammer is likewise shiny, and hangs from a loop on her belt, the handle of it bumping the side of her leg as she walks along. An old, but well cared for helm is held under one arm, removed out of reverence for the dead, and the Temple itself. "Indeed, it is good to see you again, Harkashan. And you as well, Aelwyn, Verna."

She casts an eye at the guard's things, her expression saddening as she spots the small painting. "His wife and children? Or his mother and his sibling?", Simony wonders out loud, to no one in particular. The small, origami rabbit is looked at, lifted and carefully turned over in her hands, and replaced where she found it.

The Goblin shudders and sighs. "I fear that he may have been controlled, and killed, the same way Jacob was controlled and almost killed... somehow the fiend, or a different one, got into the guard's head... literally. It is... definitely worrisome if there's more than just one of these guys." She glances at Verna, and nods. "It is a little sad, but also, could be a clue. Perhaps his family recently died, and while grieving, ran into our fiend. Grief makes people do things they might not normally do, or be susceptible to horrible suggestions."

Another glance is had at the wee painting. "I believe I know whom the artist is. They do small paintings like this for people who cannot afford having a painter come to their house or studio to paint a big portrait. If I were to guess, it is reasonable to assume that this is his wife and children. We should ask if his family yet lives."

Aelwyn had very little attachments to this place. Or rather - he would have preferred it to be that way. Death held very interest to him, even despite all his brushes with it. It was something he'd rather dance around, play with, have a good night - but never stay there for the morning. Instead, here he was. Chasing after things from the beyond.

He were no cleric, but the short and ruddy sith-makar could do a mean glare of death.

The Dragoon had given each a greeting - a particularly deep bow, in respect - before having trailed in after the others. He was not wearing one, but two glaives today. The other was very plain and very unlike him. "If this one had forced the guard to do as Lava suggested," He gestures, not having paid much attention to the guard in the chaos. "Then this one would have made sure there were no one left to miss him." There's a long inhale and a click of his teeth. "That kind of efficiency has never been enjoyable."

Shaking his head, the short draconian tilts his head up at Lava. "Hmmh?" He gives the origami a look. "They are not very popular here? This one is more used to see them ablaze," He flashes his teeth. "But this one has seen these kind rabbits held as symbols of luck in some cities this one had passed. Though it is quite... amateurish." A tilt of his head and a click. "A strange interest to pick up, though this one supposes the patrol gets boring."

"His fear. It smelled intense." Harkashan remarks as Simony speaks of how this guard may have been controlled or killed by the fiend or one working with them. "We can open their head later, if we need to confirm a similar seal." He remarks with remarkable calm. A hundred years being around the dead gives on a certain kind of patience with dealing with horrific headwounds. Especially with how much of that was part of an active war.

He hrumpfs and puts his hands at his hips for a moment. He's geared up in his full armament, but his shield is on a table along with his weapon. It doesn't look like he believes there will be a fight this day.

At Aelwyn's remarks on the Origami, he tilts his head for a moment, then notes; "Or a gift from their child." He suggests. "Either way, the lack of his family coming to look at this man does seem to imply things did not go well for them."

He huffs, and then steps towards the man themselves, and starts using a small bit of magic to Spark the candles to life that are set around the man. He's not casting the spell yet, but he wants to be prepared.

A possible origin for the origami is voiced by Harkashan before Verna can voice it aloud; a thought that seem more likely when considered with the other morsels of information. "I suggest that we visit his home after we have concluded here. A threat to his family would account for most, if not all, of what we observed. They may yet be threatened."

If they can yet be made safe, all the better. If not, they deserve proper rest. In either case, there would be more trail left behind there as well.

Simony frowns, and shudders again. "I am not looking forward to that bit, despite having access to proper tools for such things." She casts a glance towards Verna, "Think you could rework a summoning circle to summon the fiend to us? Perhaps not in here, but in a place of our choosing?" The Goblin looks back to Harkashan. "Or perhaps you could? I've no means, I think."

"If we go with the fiend coming to this man in a moment of grief or weakness, perhaps he and his wife had a falling out? Not that it's a good thing, but it might at least mean his family is okay because they were not there. I am starting to see that there is going to be a trail of ... misfortune and death the more we unravel this.. mystery."

She glances at Aelwyn. "Two glaives, Aelwyn? This must be more serious than I expected." The corners of her lips curl upwards in a crooked, little smile.

Aelwyn reaches around and makes sure his other, strapped glaive, will not bump against anything. "Hmmh. This one reluctantly carries one for those born of flame." He tells Simony, in an unpleased fashion. "The real blade thirsts; but sometimes the desert has to be paid its due with distance traveled in hunger." He stands in place, stretching his neck. He had words to say about that guard - not very nice words - but having come from Veyshan, he knew very well that many things could be bought with enough coin. And fear? Fear was _very_ strong currency.

The draconian clicks his teeth again, rumbling as he twists his jaw in place. "Are those origami really not that commonplace? This one wonders where they found the inspiration. Though this one supposes this one is not the only one from the way of the Golden Coast."

The talk of the summoning circles, especially off the skull, makes him fall silent. He puts a hand on Simony's shoulder, remembering her haunted look after.

Harkashan rumbles, and looks to Simony. "You do. Draw a Magic Circle, and invert its position on the ground." He suggests to the small Gobbo. "As long as you draw it around them, if something were to come out, it'd be contained." He suggests to her, leaning down to put his hand on her shoulder.

"You've got this." He tells her, before rising up again, big tail swooping around a bit.

"I'd just like you to keep in mind where your other friends came from, as well as Jacob, as of most recent travels." He then adds to Aelwyn, before spreading his hands and starting to focus on the magic, singing a deep reverberating draconic song that gets heavy and bass-y enough that it might make peoples' chests feel funny from the heavy bone-trembling reverberations.

GAME: Harkashan casts Speak With Dead. Caster Level: 12 DC: 20

Verna looks sharply to Simony with a frown at the mention of summoning the fiend. What words she has are held, however, as Harkashan begins his spell. In respect for both the dead and the Death-Singer.

There's a wind that responds to Harkashan's spell. One that bows the flame of the candles. One that shifts through hair and over scale. It gathers around the corpse and the cloth on the body to flutter. The wind dies and there's a sound. The subtle shift of lips, mouth, and jaw as the corpse buried beneath linen awakens to answer the questions.

SImony nods to Harkashan, "Magic circle against evil? Hmmm. I suppose that would work?" She seems to consider this, until Verna looks at her.

The Goblin glares at Verna. "Yes, yes, I get it. But I don't intend to make a deal with it, I intend to deal with it in a permanent fashion. If it's using these circles to get into people's heads, it seems like we could use its circle against it t..." She shivers in the wind that suddenly blows through the room. She falls silent for a time, staring at the corpse.

"Did it.. work?"

"Family, Lava." Aelwyn corrects Harkashan's assertion on his friends, with a low rumble. "And this one shall." He bows his head then, and retreats a step as the ritual begins. He had _no_ experience with the customs and rites of his kin - but he could still pay his respects. To an extent. His toe claws subtly shift against the stone as the song begins.

When the spell takes hold, he rumbles slowly and in the midst of Simony about to ask if it worked, he suddenly puts his hand over her mouth to cut off her question. "Please be careful about asking questions from now-on." He reminds her.

The male then asks very straight out; "Who or What was it that caused you to participate in the matter of the anti-magic field deactivation and the prison breakout?"

The breath of the corpse is exhaled. It needs to breathe to speak, but for no other purpose. "Koz'gon."

A direct answer, and one that is wholly unsurprising to Verna. Her lips purse. "The fiend was in contact with the guard directly, or enough that its name was known." She looks to Harkashan and considers a moment before offering, "I suggest inquiries regarding the deceased's next of kin, motivation for aiding the fiend, and/or the last known whereabouts of the fiend."

Her eyebrows rise up at the hand over her mouth, and Harkashan may feel the points of her teeth as she attempts to gnaw on it. Ducking away, Simony snorts and wrinkles her nose, a sour expression on her face. "Isn't that the name of the fiend we're looking for? That brings some relief at least, it was working on its own. I hope."

She baps a little fist against the lava-scaled Sith's side.

"It is." Aelwyn answers Simony with a low rumble, having started leaning against the nearby wall. His tail was twitching behind him, tapping at the floor restlessly. "Yet there is no reason for a guard to help a fiend, trapped in a basement where no magic dwells."

The draconian tilts his head upwards. "One could wonder how the fiend managed to sabotage some of the strongest wards in this city."

"I suspect the fiend did not sabotage the wards," Verna notes, "and merely worked around them. It could well have walked into the city or otherwise communicated directly with any present within the city. The wards prevent only teleportation and similar effects."

"It is." Harkashan echoes Aelwyn's voice. He then shifts to; "Who actually sabotaged the wards?" After all, Anti-Magic wards aren't so easily disabled. It took purpose and skill.

The Goblin moves to lean against Aelwyn in the same fashion as the Sith himself leans against the wall. "It was already inside one or more of their heads before it got into the city. There must have been a shortcut it took, in order to short out the wards of the dungeon. I mean, it broke the wards of the dungeon, somehow. I had thought it was the nature of the rocks themselves that prevented magic from happening, but uh... apparently not."

Simony rubs at her chin. "But what if... the wards of the city ... no... but what if... they only prevent summoning... and not a sending?"

The corpse responds to Harkashan as it must. "I did." The admission holds no emotion.

Aelwyn turns his head towards Verna. He was about to ask a question - then bites his tongue, then ruminates in quiet for a second. Or fumes. Taking in a slow breath, "So the statement is that, the fiend were never truly contained within my brother." He grits through his teeth. "And this one supposes, it would imply the rest of this one's family might be accosted." He gives a glare at that. At someone.

And when Simony was about to ask that question around his leg, his hand slides out and puts it in front of her mouth to stop her from voicing that question out loud.

GAME: Harkashan rolls Spellcraft: (18)+19: 37

"What tool got used to erase the Anti-magic wards on the prison?" Harkashan is quick to follow up, before looking to the others with a pensive frown. "I doubt this man was a capable mage. What's more, it was either on a timer, or it was able to be done fast. Which means something was used, or he had direct help." The Sith-makar explains for the others' benefits. Clearly, he could not think of a way to ask this is one question, so he's going a direct route and hoping for the best.

Again the corpse responds. "A nail." An interesting answer, but... a very curious one. There is of course, no such nail among the belongs of the guard.

Verna's frown deepens at multiple levels of wards thwarted in the case; deliberately or by avoidance. "Yes, it is likely that the fiend was always within Jacob, and any moments of lucidity were credit to your brother's will and determination." Then to the other. "Likewise, the fiend's influence over Matias more than enough to force him to disable the individual wards within the prison." As Harkashan expounds she adds, "With aid from the fiend, I expect."

There is a pause before she suggests, "Knowledge of past events is crucial to prevent their repetition. However, we must also look to the present and future to locate and remove the fiend..." The answer of the method causes her to blink and ponder.

GAME: Verna takes ten on knowledge/arcana+4+2: (10)+36+4+2: 52
GAME: Simony rolls knowledge/history: (16)+8: 24

Aelwyn lets out a low rumbling sigh. "Perhaps." He suffices to say - and then cannot contain a sharp hiss, at the mention of the nail. His lips are twisted into a grin. "The wards of that miserable place, undone by a nail." He says in amusement, but he tries not to let the mirth take him too far.

"If the fiend got its hold in the prison, there perhaps is very little to be said about of the fiend now." The draconian mentions, then gestures. "Unless there is something that the fiend needs to... force people, or something else one could track it by."

This time, the Goblin is annoyed, and if it weren't for the scales upon Aelwyn's hand, she'd have sunk her little teeth deeply. "Would you knock that off?" Her nose wrinkles again as she pushes his hand away.

"I've summoned a planar ally, who is looking for the fiend for us, he has, by now, gotten the knowledge he needed from Jacob."

She rubs at her forehead, it being creased by thought. "It's got to be an actual nail, like, for building. Not fingernails. Does that... ring any bells?"

Verna continues her pondering of this unusual and most disturbing puzzle a few moments more, her lips moving slightly yet no words spoken aloud. She then promptly stops and turns to the group. "A nail... and Jacob, himself. I believe that divesting guests to the prison of magical items was more than a formality. Items can be attuned to one another." She lifts her left hand. "My ring, as example, is linked to that of my wife."

"Such a link may not only exists within the wards, but fed enough power, could create a conduit across the barrier. Not unlike a rope across a chasm or bridge over a river. If this nail was attuned as a pair to the summoning circle within Jacob, and placed near yet outside the prison ward... It is possible Koz'gon utilized this link to channel its power inside of the wards."

A fresh thought then strikes and she frowns. "This brings to question: was Koz'gon's goal to free or further torment Jacob, or was Jacob merely a pawn on the board intended to be imprisoned here for just that purpose?"

"There are various options there. It could have wished to organize this prison break - but it could have done that without Jacob being there at the center. If it wanted to be stealthy, it would never have used Jacob for this as a trap, as it led to the discovery of its name." Harkashan proposes. "It is more likely that whatever it did to Jacob was being held back, and it came up with this plan on the go. To release these flames, perhaps as a sacrifice." He's just proposing some thoughts at the forefront of his mind.

"Whatever the case may be, it's all conjecture. Hrrmmm."

He looks back to the guard's body. "Your family has not collected your body." He can't ask it to think about 'what might have happened'. "Was your family at risk if you did not do this action?" Pause. "And what was the name or description of the Nail you wielded?"

The answers come quickly to Harkashan's query. "Yes." Then a moment later. "It was a large nail wrapped in old paper that had some kind of writing on it."

Aelwyn looks down at Simony. "No questions, this one reminds." Though the rest of the questions peppering the air seemed to have no affect to the corpse, so he lets it go. He was making faces himself, not comfortable with the way others were talking about Jacob. He shuffled restlessly upon his step, but he took in a deep breath. It was not easy for him to stay calm.

"This one doubts there were any pawn to be imprisoned here." He grits his teeth. "Though its motivations matter very little. Perhaps it cares very little of what it does to torture people." Aelwyn's eyes widen then slightly at the mention of the paper wrapped around the nail. "... outside help, surely." He seethes suddenly. "Or where one would find such old paper?"

Simony steps forward, and lifts up the origami rabbit. She offers it up to Harkashan without a word.

Harkashan's frown deepens at that yes. "I suppose that tells us enough about their family for now. We can investigate that further on our own." He proposes. The Sith-makar then glances towards the man's remains in regards to the old paper.

"Simony, Verna. Be careful, but see if you can find that writing within his possessions."

As Simon brings it forward, he motions for her to unfold it.

It doesn't take long to unfold the rabbit. To unmake it. It's simple paper. A very light pink color, full of folds and creases, but no writing. The rabbit is gone, lost. A quick, careful search of the man's belongings reveals no sign of such writings - or a nail - in his possession, but there is a small tear in one of his pockets.

"Indeed it is only conjecture," Verna admits to Harkashan before adding to Aelwyn, "No offense was intended towards Jacob, and you are correct: fiends do not hold care nor remorse for the pain they cause. Quite conversely, most revel in such, by their nature."

Her focus then turns to the origami rodent that may have served as a means to conceal evidence rather than be a simple gift? Intriguing. "I can seek to decipher any text, if you wish to unfurl it," she notes to Simony.

It then seems the item was a gift of luck, afterall. "We may wish to determine whether the nail is yet present, as well, by learning where it was used. I would expect that it was embedded into the building at some location, and could be quite inconspicuous."

"Where was the nail, the last time you witnessed it?" Harkashan asks. But he thinks it may have been taken without their knowledge. After all, this man was killed by the demon in some way. The guard is aware of this. Something isn't adding up though.

Again, he touches his muzzle. "This being is sly and smart. They hid their presence within Jacob's head. Why is it allowing its name and other things to be found out..." Brow furrow.

"In my pocket." The corpse replies. Harkashan knows he only has one more question left to ask before the corpse falls back into its restful sleep. A week will pass before it can be questioned further. If the family doesn't come for him, and lay him to rest first.

It is with shaking fingers that the Goblin unfolds the paper. She seems relieved that is is blank... and then says something unflattering in Goblin-speak. "Welp, either the folded origami was magical in some way and I've just ruined it... or the nail tha was in it is gone." Simony lets out a long huff of breath.

"By Navos' beard, this is getting weird."

Aelwyn bows his head towards Verna. "This one appreciates her words." The draconian states, straightening off the wall. Taking a slow step forwards, he glances at the origami. "Is it not gloating?" The draconian asks, "To demonstrate it can, that it lies beyond reproach of what it does?" He hmhs strongly.

The Dragoon turns his head towards the corpse of the guard. Orange eyes glance over him for a time, before he turns his head. "Lava says it is allowing things to be found out of it, but to this one, it feels as if we know nothing more than its name." He slides his hand across his mane of quills, rumbling as he remembers the way it called out to him. Rumbling by himself, he turns to look at Simony. "Surely there is some remnant left if it were ever magical? Or is that not how the arcane works?"

In his pocket. So, not in someone's hand. "Through what Shape and Persona did Koz'gon kill you?" He finally asks as his last question - whilst the others discuss amongst themselves about the fiend itself.

Or it could be missing entirely, thus making it even less conspicuous. Verna exhales. "There are many possibilities," she hypothesizes to Harkashan's question, "To incite fear of its name. Hubris. The name given could be a mere alias, readily discarded as desired." All pure speculation.

"The nail, and paper around it," she adds to Simony, "may simply be gone; taken by his," a nod to the deceased, "murderer." Which they may learn more of rather imminently, now.

The answer is not helpful however. "I do not know." The words rush out of the corpse and there is no wind then. No sound. Nothing but the corpse lying peacefully under its sheet.

He doesn't know. "I guess it was not that careless." Harkashan rumbles, crossing his arms. "While explains why a cause of death could not be found. It likely was done through some kind of arcane or complex poison methods." Before he turns towards the others. "From here-on out, until 7 days pass, it is all up to us. We should check the bodies of his family, if we can find them, in case they can identify who or what killed them. /If/ they got killed." He proposes. "And we should medically analyze what happened to this man." Touching the cloth.

The Goblin frowns at length, and rubs at her cheeks. "Well, at least we know the guard was duped, it seems. I really hope tis doesn't mean his family has been... harmed." Her frown deepens, teeth starting to show. "At least we have proper tools here. It will make the forensic part much easier. And uh, no worries about the patient expiring. Hah hah!"

She lets out a long breath then. "And at least I am not burning. But uhm... what is next?"

Aelwyn's head raises as the man states the expected - he did not know. The draconian lowers his head and looks at the man, then slowly towards his belongings. "This one can ask if anyone knew this man or knew of their family in the guard, or perhaps the bars." He rolls his shoulders. "And perhaps if one finds a a clue to the death, if there was a hired job or perhaps imported poison."

The draconian picks up his glaives though, preparing to leave. Though, before that - he walks over and places his hand on Simony's shoulder. Then upon Harkashan's. "This one is grateful. For all that has been done." He bows his head to all three of them, and then begins to leave. The dead are better left off with the clerics, after all.

Verna nods. "I concur that his family's status should be determined immediately. The nature of his demise could offer some insight into the fiend, and I also suspect it was by some magical or toxicological means. There are numerous means to send one to The Harpist's Hall without any conspicuous markings." She regards the cloth-draped man a moment.

"I believe our next course of action after this family will be to locate the fiend. Perhaps Simony's ally will have made discoveries. If not, we can attempt to locate it ourselves, though not without risks."

GAME: Simony rolls Heal+5: (20)+12+5: 37

The body gives up its secrets as easily as it had spoken the words to the questions that Harkashan had asked. There's no exterior damage to explain a cause of death. Nor is there a magical circle inscribed in his skull as had been done with Jacob. Instead, the examination reveals that his heart had experienced too much stress to continue to beat. The guard had been too young for such a massive heart-attack which meant that the stress was supernatural or magical in some way.

In the end, Simony concludes that the man had been scared to death. Literally.

-End