Glim awakens in a knotted tangle of bedding as a scream shatters the subconscious workings of his ever active mind. Looking around the oversized bed (for a Gnome), he sees that he is alone, and vaguely remembers that something with a very curvy structure had been in it with him the night before. Oh, that's right. The temple courtesan had said something about needed to use the privy, and had never come back. Maybe she hadn't been interested in the differences in crossbow ballistics as opposed to those of the standard Elvish longbow after all. Funny, she seemed all glittery-eyed when he first mentioned it. His attention snaps back to the present as he remembers the scream. Climbing (or was he dropping?) out of the bed, he pulls on his trousers and boots and scuttles down the hall to see what the hubbub's about. Roland whisks by Kord's tiredly standing form first, giving a strangely seen polite nod to Segev as he brushes by in a blur. He comes to an awkward stop at the doorway, closing the door to snap the staring girl out of her current stasis. "Girl, calm now. Go and grab the next person in charge. Make haste, and be glad that you yourself are not the one expired." His pupilless black eyes tend to get others lost in their depths, and this time is no exception, despite the fact that he has to look up at the girl to meet her with it. After the girl becomes able to move, he calmly opens the door and steps inside, noting the irony of the dagger sticking out of the woman's chest, refusing to touch the impure body, crossing his arms stoically as he waits for the others to arrive, his long, silken scarf pooling about, hovering just an inch above the blood-covered tiles. He looks to his scantily-clad comrades as they each make their way in, his eyes not hiding his own pain from seeing what he rests his eyes upon now. "Ironic for lust to kill off love." "Actually, Roland," Tanda said as she looked at the murder scene, "lust did not kill her. This looks more like the work of a bowel-raker dagger." She eyed the dagger's inscription askance. "I can't tell if it says 'Now for wrath, ruin, and a red dawn', or 'For a good time, call...' but I can tell you one thing: this temple's drawn the attention of some real underworld characters." After a beat, she continued: "It's written in Undercommon." Lannstucht glances at the body, spits at the sight of the symbol on the dagger, then looks around the room swiftly. Without a word, she turns and walks back to her room, returning a few minutes later fully attired. "What I mean when I say this is that the dagger has the symbol of Bri-ney on it. Goddess of lust, incidentally. Either way, I'm not touching the body. Ryl recommends against such actions." Addressing herself to no one in particular, Lannstucht comments, "Gods or no gods, the fact remains that we have a murderer loose among us. While this is a useful item to be aware of, it is unfortunate that the perpetrator chose to make their presence thus known by killing a member of this decadent and rather useless cult." "I don't care who recommends it or not." Tanda said. "The priestess's mortal remains are something best handled by her own people." Marcus wanders up looking a bit dishelved, with bits of straw attached to his clothes and hair. "Just heard something has happened, was out in the stables trying to avoid an overly adventrous lass. What seems to have happened here my friends?" "You know, Marcus," Tanda said as she started to set off after Korg, "you won't last long adventuring if you can't have a little *fun* now and then. Want more details, talk to Roland." Seeing the gathering crowd down the hall, Menaria leaves her room and heads down there as well. "What's going on? Is this where the scream came from?" She asks as she slips by a few people and walks into the room. "Someone over do it or ...." Her voice stops as she spies the gruesome sight. Her complexion paling as her hand goes to her mouth. "No!" She cries out as she rushes to the Hight Priestess's side. Even though she knows she is dead, she still checks. Feeling the cold emanating from the woman's body she spies the dagger. Shaking her head, she gently caresses the woman's face as tears blur her vision. 'How can this be? What would they want? There is a rivalry but it hasn't been a problem in the past... or has it?' The tears fall freely as she stands back up and sniffles a little. She begins to look around upon the ground around the bed hoping to find any other clues besides the symbol upon the dagger. 'Somebody has to inform the authorities... and the girls... they'll need to be comforted.' Sighing she gets up from her kneeling position that she had been in while looking near the bed. She gathers the other priestesses and herds them into the hallway (if any were inside the room). She clears her throat, not yet sure at trusting her own voice. "We need to get word to authorities... they'll want to investigate this matter. We must be strong ladies, you know this as well as I. Please go back to those you were with and help them dress and reassure them. I'm not sure if any should leave... the authorities might want to question them." She shakes her head once more as the image threatens to overload her already turmoiled emotions. Glim looks into the room, taking in the tragic scene his mind sets into motion. 'That looks like a fairly well crafted knife' he thinks. 'Why stick it in an elf?' Roland looks to Korg briefly with a polite nod. "There's no need to grab your weaponry unless the dead somehow unties herself and attacks us. I really doubt that she's going anywhere." He bites his thick lower lip and looks to Tanda. "I don't suggest that we move the body, as my knowledge of Akanksha's policy is not quite that elevated." He moves casually to the window, checking the sill for signs of breaking and entering. "Those of you that lack both grace and perception may in fact be better off outside of the room. This is the scene of a crime, I'm supposing." Lannstucht makes a wry face, thinking to herself how often it is that men tend to condemn faults in others while stupidly blind to the presence of the same ones in themselves. Ah well. That's why they have no place in making decisions that require clear sight. Roland seems rather unswayed by the gruesome sight of the body in the room, making those that witness once again question the short man's origins. He seems rather comfortable wherever he goes. His eyes must have seen more than his age suggests.. The window sill shows no signs of tampering, nor are there any fingerprints of any kind on the glass. Korg bristles faintly at Roland's words. "Are you to say that there is no chance of an armed killer still being nearby, and no chance of us being in danger as well?" he almost growls before turning towards the door and stomping off, in search of the sword that he has kept within reach almost constantly since he was old enough to hold one. "Ah, well then Korg, my apologies. I was merely making this assumption after noticing that the body was cold, and after seeing that the blood has had time to stain the sheets, some drying already. As far as the killer being armed, well, by my deductive reasoning I figured that the murder weapon was still in the victim, 'lest it wasn't the dagger there that killed her but the cold." He shrugs innocently, lacking any sarcasm in his voice, still talking as Korg walks out the door. He looks to Tanda and nods apologetically. "One who talks of grace and perception should use more of both when chosing their words," Korg mutters under his breath after he's out of earshot. "I'd better go after him before he gets a knife in his back," Tanda mutters. Lannstucht mutters something depreciating about men and their inherent stupidity under her breath. Tanda shook her head, causing a lock of auburn hair to fall into her face. 'And to think I'm usually the one who perpetrates the crimes,' she thought. It was one of the articles of the creed Jereth had taught her: Killing someone during a burglary or robbery is a sign that you are not the very best at your job. Then again, whoever said this was a robbery? The implications of a possible religious war between Akanksha and Bri'ney were staggering. But who would want to risk it unless.... Roland looks to Marcus as he walks in, the pivots his small head to regard the body. "Dead high priestess. Body's cold. Dagger of Bri'ney, Goddess of Lust there sticking out of her chest. A young one found her like this. Do you see any footprints?" Glim enters the room and takes a better look around from where he's standing. Just does a visual scan of the room and tries to order things in his mind without getting distracted for a change. "Well, we can definitely rule out suicide or a spur of the moment thing." Segev finally speaks up, having paced a slow circle about the room, examining everything while touching nothing. "If we wish to know who did this and why, should we not ask the sole witness we have at our disposal?" He speaks softly, but without any hint of feeling for the deceased - neither malice nor compassion. "I will get Menaria. Do not allow any to disturb this room until she and I return." He steps out of the room, closing the door behind him, and taps the floor firmly with his quarterstaff to announce his presence in the hall before crouching next to the priestess. His voice is pitched as quietly as ever, but is still neither overly private nor comforting. "Menaria, I have need of you in the room. I know it pains you to see such sights, but your magic and your goddess can help us see that it is rectified. I need you to Speak with the Dead." Segev's expression is cold and heartless, but his posture conveys a sense that he isn't entirely insensitive to Menaria's pain. "You are the only one immediately present who can allow the victim to speak for herself, now. My magics do not scale those heights as readilly as yours." A silent "yet" can be easilly appended to that sentence. Segev holds out his right hand to help Menaria to her feet, should she accept it. Menaria looks at Segev first with shock then horror. Not wanting to scare the other girls, she composes herself quickly. "Go ahead girls, but don't let anybody leave and that includes yourselves as well." She says sternly to the other women as she tries to keep her expressions to a minimal. Once they leave she gives Segev her full attention. Which consists of letting the composure weaken slightly. Her bottom lip trembles slightly as she tries to speak about what he told her. Biting her lip for a moment to still it, she swallows hard. "Speak with Dead...I...don't think I can do that..." She pauses as she glances back to the room. "That is...I don't have it memorized at the moment..why would I?" Her eyes mist over slightly, but she keeps her slight composure. "I can if I have an hour...give me an hour and I'll have it ready. Get with the others and come up with a few questions. Just remember...the essance will be cryptic and brief on answers so keep the questions easy and straight to the point. Don't know for sure if it is the rival of our faith, for their favorite weapon is the spear not a dagger. This could be a set up to attempt us to 'think' it is our rival in faith. Personally I don't think it was our rivals." Segev gives a single slow nod to the priestess as he rises to his feet. "Good, Menaria. You must be strong; ask your goddess for her help in this matter. We will await you in the room. I will see that nothing is disturbed." He turns and re-enters the room, holding the door open for the returning Lannstucht and closing it behind himself once he has entered. "Menaria is preparing herself to question the dead. We should have a few questions ready for her return - the spell only lasts so long. I think the most obvious one is: "Who killed you?" We also need to formulate questions to make sure we see through any deceptions that the killer may have used. I will leave that up to those of you with more investigatorial insight to formulate. Hopefully Menaria will have more than one instance of the spell, in case we need more." With that, he calmly takes up a position standing next to the head of the bed upon which the corpse rests. He will not permit anyone to interfere with the scene until the questioning has taken place. Korg waits for a while after Tanda catches up to him in the hallway before he speaks up. "I disagree with some people's ideas of caution." he rumbles, almost to himself. "I've never heard of an assassin with no backup weapons. An he coulda been a bit less arrogant. I mean I know I'm not smart but..." he trails off and shrugs, not really expecting a response. Tanda almost decides not to give him one. Why ruin his expectations? ;) "Wait," she says. "They took all our weapons at the door, right?" When Korg nods, she continues. "So, any weapon the assassin had would have to be easy to conceal." And any backups to that would doubtlessly be poisoned, she didn't add. Roland takes a long draw from his flask, pacing about the room cautiously. "No signs of a struggle or forced entry. This appears to have been done from the inside. It would be wise to hold back one's trust from the other members of this temple. We might just have a traitor in our midst." He nods to Glim grimly, not much taller than he, and not quite used to having to look down. "Ryl does not like this." "I don't know about Ryl," Glim replies, "but I'm fairly certain Ankanksha isn't very pleased, herself. No forced entry, you said? And you suspect a possible insider? I can see where some in the temple might envy the high priestess's position, if not her position, if you take my meaning." He continues to look about the room without touching anything. "I do wish there were a stool or something to stand on. If I could get a better look at that dagger, I could probably identify the smith that made it. Most stamp their work, you know. Too bad I never went out for the magic disciplines. It'd be useful to know if there's any lingering thaumaturgical energies here." Lannstucht turns and leaves the room again, consigning the body to those convinced of their own sagacity and decides to head outside to investigate from the external perspective. Meanwhile, Korg and Tanda approach the storage area where the party's gear is being held. As they do, they see a man, flanked by two half-orcs and a half- ogre, all four wearing shiny breastplate armor, step into the front of the temple. One of the priestesses, a woman in her mid-30s, eyes still streaming with tears, approaches them. "I'm sorry, constable," she tells the man, "but you and your deputies have to remove your armor and leave your weapons here. Temple rules. They'll be returned to you when you leave." The man barks an order in Orc, and the brute squad grudgingly take off their armor. Their armor and swords are then stored in a similar closet to the one Korg's and Tanda's are in. The half-orcs and half-ogre then stand guard at the front of the temple, letting no one in or out. "Now," he asks her, "where is this dead body you sent the message about?" She leads them into the back. Witnessing this scene, Korg grimaces momentarily. The priestess standing by the storage closets come up to Korg and Tanda. "And what can I get you?" "I was going to ask for my sword back because of possibility of the killer running around armed still, and feeling a lot more comfortable with a blade at hand... but that's not really going to happen, is it." His voice carries a tone suggesting that he's given up on the idea of getting his blade back at the moment... almost disappointed, as if someone had told him he couldn't see his best friend today. "I was about to ask for my armor, for much the same reasons -- trust me, it wouldn't look out of place here. You can't miss it, it's the leather jerkin that looks like it was made for a woman." The priestess frowns slightly, looking a little anxious. "The temple rules are quite clear," she states nervously after a moment, sizing up Korg. "No weapons, no armor, even armor that is pleasing to the eye. Even during times like these. Only the High Priestess could make an exception... and with this morning, we..." Tears start to swell in her eyes, but she blinks a few times and wipes her face with her silk sleeve. "Excuse me. I'll send someone more experienced over." As the priestess is walking off, Korg and Tanda notice Lannstucht heading outside, only to be stopped by the brute squad at the door. The party members upstairs find a man walking towards them, wearing what passes for regal clothing. His tunic is a deep red, and his boots are polished to a shine. "Let's get down to business, shall we? I am Constable Richeleau, and until we determine who exactly is is responsible for the problem I was summoned here for this fine morning, you are all suspects. I will be asking each of you several questions, and based on whether I believe you or not will determine who goes to gaol." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mythology Lesson #3 The Fall of Vy and the War of the Elves When speaking of the goddess Vy, two phrases come to mind. "Knowledge is power" and "power corrupts". And, as Vy proved, even gods are subject to corruption. However pleased Barsus was with her creation, the humans, Vy found herself jealous of her brother Navor's creation, the elves. It seemed as though the elves were in many ways superior to the humans; although frailer, elves were immortal and able to wield magic with ease. As time passed, this jealousy grew, causing her to research obscure, powerful, and forbidden knowledge on other worlds. This in turn made her grow more distant from her family, and after a time dropped out of sight completely. After the elves had been settled in the First Lands, Vy returned to the scene. Her once brilliant form had turned obsidian, and she treated the other gods, except Hextor, with open contempt. Forsaking her own creations, she stole a number of elves, and corrupted them in her own image. Thus was born the drow, and sealing her new position as the goddess of darkness and corruption. At first, the drow lived on the surface, and against Vy's wishes attempted to live in peace with their lighter-skinned forebearers. Vy, however, had other plans. She subtly influenced both the light and dark elves into an attitude of distrust and later open warfare. It was Vy's wish that the drow would conquer and enslave the light elves. Navor, however, knew from his own magicks what his sister was up to, and gave his elves the means to defeat their corrupted cousins. After centuries of warfare, the drow were driven into the caverns under the surface of the world. To this day, the drow bear this stigma of being Vy's chosen race, and are hated and feared by the surface races. Both Vy's corruption and Navor's means of victory had a price on the elves, as neither elf nor drow remained immortal, although they remain extremely long- lived. Vy also did not leave her attention on the elves and the drow. She was Hextor's principle ally -- and some say lover and architect -- when Hextor and the dark gods created the orcs, ogres, and goblinoids. While Hextor and Vy are often at odds over methodology (he finds her methods too chaotic for him at times), they share the same goals.