I leaned on the far wall in the back of the temple listening to anything helpful the Priest might say. Other than the two women that were attacked, nothing else he said is remotely useful. I thought the work done here by the thieves interesting. Everything was tossed around; things like the pews and golden tapestries that someone went out of their way to desecrate aside from their primary purpose. They might be sending a message of their hate for this god Pelor, in which case they could be extremists whose god is most like a darker rival of this one, and wanted to instill fear and sow seeds of doubt in these people. Either way, they knew what they were doing.
"Rolan." If we were to get anywhere I needed Rolan to search the grounds with me, specifically by the pool the old man told us the two priestesses had been attacked by. Rolan caught my gesture towards the door and was more than willing to get out of here. Outside we saw that some of the mob of people have pushed through the gates demanding to see the healing pool for themselves. After several had dipped themselves into the water their anger dissipated and quickly turned to despair when they saw that the priestesses were not lying to them. I saw a few dying and their loved ones cursed aloud, professing Pelor a false god to have abandoned his people and had left them to suffer. Belief in the gods was a fickle sort of subject for me.
I have traveled to many foreign lands and cities hearing much about the gods and customs of different peoples. Everywhere I went there was a new god that supposedly brought peace, healing, and food. All of them had there codes and laws that needed to be followed and so I found that the gods were about a way of life. Every culture and race had there own way of doing things such as; warriors who worshiped different gods of war, following the way of the hammer, where other gods did not condone killing of any creature no matter how evil or insignificant the life may seem. For myself, I had my own code and way of life that I stood by. The way of life that I assumed no god stood for, until I found him one day upon the crystal blue waters of the sea. Procan, god of the unruly sea and all its unfathomable wealth lain hidden beneath its azure sheets. Procan was the god of uncertain fate and I led a very uncertain life and therefore I gave him my allegiance.
Rolan ambled by me already looking for footprints or anything that could help us. With too many people milling around the pool it wasn't likely for him to find anything out of place, so he wandered off further away towards the back of the temple. If I were trying to sneak in, it would be by window. I peered up into the second story window where I see Jörg standing with some other priestesses. No doubt they were with the halfling; too small to be seen through the window save some of her curly golden wheat hair peeking out from above the window sill as she spoke to someone on the bed besides her. There on vines was my first clue. An easy climb with the vines crawling up the white walls of the temple. The twigs were clearly broken and bent where they gripped with their hands and feet. Then there were the window's hinges that have been broken recently and put back on too quickly, but the fact that the thieves took off the hinges at all caught my attention. Who ever we were dealing with were professional, hired even.
"Hey, I think I know where they are headed." The ranger came back from his search scratching the scruff he was collecting on his face. I followed him out to the small field that ended abruptly at a small stream that meandered through the city and out to sea.
"Small boat landed here on the bank, a dingy most like." The ranger nodded in agreement with me and showed me where he found the foot prints leading to the shore line were.
"Doesn't seem like any of the people from the temple come out this far. I'm sure these marks are from our thieves. Lets get the others." Just as Rolan finished, we were being called from behind by the rest of our party. Once again the witnesses our priestess talked to were useless, but the mage showed me something I recognized. A symbol of a man with a whip in one hand and a dagger in the other that was sown onto a piece of filthy cloth torn from one of our thief's tunic. I've seen this symbol plenty of times usually on men working the docks down on the city's water front. My lips made a hard line because I knew it meant trouble. The halfling's dour mood only seemed to worsen by this news and I hoped she wouldn't lose her holy head in a place like the docks since these were not men to taken lightly. In fact, we weren't going to find out anything once the men down there saw that a cleric of Pelor was poking around. Actually, my whole group besides maybe the ranger and dragon born wouldn't be much welcome at all. Most people were wary of magic users and the dragon born could be seen as too intimidating as if I were threatening whoever I may question with their mere presence by my side. This might have to be a solo act.
"You aren't going alone?" I nodded in response to Maleficent's protests.
"It's too dangerous and you need muscle." Jörg and Maleficent were firm in this and I thought I lost before Rolan spoke up.
"He won't go alone but he needs subtlety not scary brutes like you two. I'll go with him and we'll find out information. We can meet at the Ambiguous Unicorn in a couple hours." Rolan seemed to resolve the matter quickly and we left the rest of them to fend for themselves as we took the back alleys to get to the water front ahead of them.
As soon as we hit the wharf on the waterfront the salty sea air fills my nostrils with its scent, and I feel the ache of longing to be surrounded by the freedom that the sea offered out on its crystal waters. Its openness and mysteries from beneath engulfing you like a wave in a storm and leaving you with rife opportunity to sail any where you wish to turn. An uneasy feeling of being trapped here on land forever started in the pit of my stomach when I thought of the admiral's words spoken to me before sending me here.
I will personally make sure you never so much as step foot on a ship if only to unload its cargo or walk the plank to your grave boy if you don't come back with a citizenship. As for you ruining the reputation of my daughter you've besmirched! I won't have her marry some scum who, hasn't a citizenship or a future.
I thought he was going to kill me dead on the spot when he found me under his daughter's skirts but when I professed by undying love for her he let me have a chance to prove myself by coming here to Porticullis. Now that I'm here I know that it is good for me to achieve such a title for myself, but the admiral may be cross with me if I ever actually return back home since I wasn't exactly in love with his daughter anymore. It wasn't like I lied to him. Hell! I thought I was in love with her for true when I was but between the lovely girl's legs, but here in this big city my eyes had been opened. There were so many people, women to be exact, and I was so very far away I just didn't see the point. Living in the moment is part of my code.
We went to the first tavern on the wharf where I knew a few contacts from when I first arrived could be found. The inn keeper was standing behind the bar cleaning a mug with a rag. He looked a bit scraggly with his greasy black bangs hanging in his face and his beard was coming in unruly with some parts thicker than other spots on his round face. He knew my face and acknowledged me with a grin.
"What can I do fer ya and yer friend there captain?" Maverick bellowed. I smelled beef stew and pervasive fish odors mixing together invidiously. ignoring in I leaned on the bar counter across from Maverick.
"Me and ah my buddy just happen to be lookin' for some work." I put down a couple copper meant for getting a bit of information but Maverick took the copper and started to fill two mugs up with ale thinking nothing of it
"Well ya know I'd like ta help ya two fellers out with tha' and all but its a bit tight here but there is plenty of work around here at the waterfront a bet old Lenny could use a strong arm or another fisherman-" I interrupted his train of thought with a gold piece I slid over to him using my mug.
"I was thinking if you knew where I could find work that wasn't much talked about if you get me." This time he leaned forward with a frown. His eyebrows furrowed giving him a dour sort of expression as he lowered his voice.
"Well that kind of work isn't for me ya hear me." I thought that was it but after a pause he sighed and quickly covered the gold piece with one of his meaty fists.
"You might want to go find Hickory further down the wharf at Callahgan's smithy. Ya didn' hear nothin' from me ya two understand?" We nodded and drained our mugs leaving the inn like we never came. As we sauntered down the wharf, I couldn't help but feel at home here with frigate's and barges all tied to the docks with thick ropes and anchors were being tossed over there sides. Huge burly men coming and going, toting large crates filled with spices from the Aldorian Ilses, fine colorful cloth from Thressha, and many other merchandise. I caught sight of one ship from far off the dock that had huge pluming white sails like my own ship once had. Rolan nudged me and pointed towards a small shack at the far end of the wharf that read: Callahgan's Smithy. The windows were dusty and too grimy to see through.
"What do you think we should do I saw that symbol of the man with a whip a few times, tattooed on some of the men walking around here?" I considered Rolan's observations and if that thief gang were all around us I didn't think it would do us much could to go in asking the wrong questions. Perhaps we would find something if we worked for them. I told Rolan to follow my lead and we went into the smithy. A distinct odorous smell of sweat and iron mingled together, tickling my nostrils, and I thought it might be the closest smell to blood you could get being in a smithy shop. A red headed man with one arm bigger than the other was flipping over a sword banging its flat sides over and over with his hammer. He saw us and stuck the half finished sword into the fire making the metal aglow with orange.
"Oy! What can I do for ya boys? Needing repairs, perhaps a better blade?" He clapped his hands together as if ready for some business.
"I could use a good sharpening." Rolan suggested pulling out his blade.
"Oy! boyo what do ya think your doing! Get over here, we got customers you no good maggot!" A scrawny looking lad jumped at his employer's bellowing and trotted up to grab Rolan's rapier. Right away he took out a whet stone and started scrapping it along the rapier's edge. He had sweat on his brow and I thought he seemed a bit nervous eyeing both of us as if we were a couple of ghosts. The other boy was slightly uneasy as well but carried on his business not wanting to get barked at by his husky boss.
"Actually we were looking for some work and someone said we should find a man named Hickory." The man cracked his knuckles and scratched his beard.
"I'm Hickory and Im guessing your not looking to shine my shoes like these here boys, so I ah might have something for ya." He eyed us more carefully measuring both Rolan and myself. I saw Rolan give me a subtle signal to look over in the corner where the second boy was carrying some valuables to a chest. One them was a golden bowl, the pensive from the temple. This was where the items from the temple were. I gave one slow shake of my head telling Rolan not to act now. We needed to get back to the rest of crew and discuss whether we should come back and arrest them all or if they wanted me to steal it back sometime in the night. I preferred the later but I knew the master trainer's at the Keep wanted justice. I might be the only one that knew if we did arrest these men whoever hired them would not hesitate to want to get rid of us.
"How about you let me talk to some of my people and tomorrow afternoon you two blokes come back here and I migh' have something for ya." He folded his beefy arms over his chest and I nodded my response. Rolan appeared at my side and slid his sword back in his scabbard.
"Til' tomorrow then sir."
"sir" Rolan saluted him good bye and we left the shop to go find our comrades.
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