The group was silent as Nordak led them to the Valhingen Graveyard. Arannis had his brimmed hat on to shield his eyes from the sun and Pallas sipped from his horn of ale (he did get another drink before leaving the Laughing Goblin Inn). Otherwise, there was nothing off about them. Nordak appreciated that. He already had enough problems when it came to working with adventurers.

Nordak bowed his head out of respect for the graves that they passed. He didn't know any of the fallen but he always treated the fallen with great respect. Looking up, the dwarf saw Doomguide Yorvir Glandon, hard at work. Yorvir was a bald middle-aged man with grass-stained gray robes. He was planting flowers next to a grave with a spade, and with the amount of potted flowers that he had next to him, he had much work to do.

Without looking up, he spoke. "Are these the adventurers you've worked with, Nordak?"

"Aye, Doomguide," Nordak nodded. "Everyone, This is Doomguide Yorvir."

"Hiya! I'm Nalos!"

"Arannis Uthmar, at your service."

"My name is Hana Zuriko."

"I need a refill."

"Pallas!" Hana and Arannis both glared at the half-elf.

Yorvir chuckled and set his spade down to turn to the adventurers properly. "I am glad that you've answered my call, all of you. We do not have a lot of time, so let's make this chat quick."

"What is the problem, Doomguide?" Arannis asked.

"Yesterday, a man was delivered to our temple. His mind is gone, and it will take time for him to recover, that is, if he does recover. Yet, with what few coherent sentences he says, he has mentioned dracoliches."

Nordak gasped at the mention of dracoliches. It had barely been a month since he had first heard rumors of dracoliches at this very graveyard. He had tried to follow through to determine what dark forces were at work but became preoccupied with his work at the temple. Now, it seemed that there was more to look into. Of course, after his gasp, everyone was looking at him.

"Something wrong, Nordak?" Arannis asked.

"Maybe," Nordak muttered. "I'll be lookin' into it myself. Doomguide, did ye find out where this man came from?"

"A hamlet two days from here," Yorvir answered. "Destroyed, I'm afraid."

"Destroyed by what?" Nordak questioned.

"If the rumors are true, a ghost ship has been haunting and destroying small villages in the Stormy Bay."

"Ghost ship!" Nalos exclaimed.

"You just had to say ghost ships," Hana sighed. "It's going to be like his ranting of buried treasure all over again."

"But there was buried treasure, so there's going to be a ghost ship too!"

"How is the Black Fist handling it?" Arannis asked. "It sounds to me as Phlan itself may be at risk."

"They are worried, but not taking the precautions I feel they should," Yorvir explained. "One of their own is gathering information on the attack but that's it. As for the other groups, I fear that the city's politics are tying their hands. By the time they reach an agreement, it'll be too late. Although the Temple of Kelemvor is neutral in the manner, ghosts and liches are powerful brands of undead that must be crushed."

"Do you think it is likely that we are dealing with ghosts?" Hana asked.

"It's possible, lass," Nordak answered. "They're a little more powerful than yer average undead, but they are known to frequent the Moonsea."

"That is correct," Yorvir said. "I advise that you start researching the manner. You can speak with the man we have in the temple, seek out the Black Fist officer in charge of the investigation, and perhaps Nordak can follow the lead that's already on his mind. Follow any leads that you can find."

"Now, that sounds good and all, but this sounds like it's going to take a lot of my time," Pallas noted with a huff. "My time is worth money."

"Really," Nordak raised an annoyed eyebrow at Pallas, who shrugged.

"I have no coin to offer," Yorvir revealed. "However, adventures often lead to treasure and glory. Perhaps that will sate your interest."

"Come on, Pallas!" Nalos looked up at his friend, who remained indecisive. "We're dealing with ghost ships. It's probably a pirate's curse. Pirates have treasure. We'll be rich!"

"And what I cannot offer in coin, I offer in gifts," Yorvir smirked. "I will provide Nordak with three Potions of Healing that he may divide however he sees fit. I will also see that your lodging for the night is paid for and that you have horses to travel on if needed."
"Fine," Pallas sighed. "I'm in."

"Please, do not take too long with this assignment," Yorvir looked back down at the ground. "Ghosts or not, Phlan is in danger."

"Come," Arannis motioned to the group. "We can decide who goes where away from here. Thank you for the opportunity, Doomguide."

Nordak left the Doomguide to his services and walked behind the group of adventurers a few meters away. They were still within the graveyard but no one was within hearing distance. The dwarf was looking for someone in particular who works in the graveyard, but as of now, he was missing. Perhaps he would have better luck when it came time to enter the Temple.

"We have a lot of ground te cover, an' not a lot o' time te do so," Nordak addressed the group. "We'll split up into two groups. I'm goin' te head te th' Temple of Kelemvor te meet the madman, an' maybe an ol' friend who might have a little more of a clue o' what te expect."

"Now, hold on," Pallas raised his hand. "Who went and made you leader? I don't recall any decision on this. Maybe I should lead."

"Please, don't," Hana shook her head.

"But Pallas does have a point," Nalos said. "Nordak hasn't come to any of our meetings. I don't think he should be leading us."

"But I'm th' one with th' most experience when it comes te th' undead!" Nordak argued.

"I'll lead," Arannis offered. "And I will be sure to take anyone's advice into account when it comes to making decisions."

"Eh, you're a pain, but an acceptable choice," Pallas shrugged. "I'll take it."

The others started to accept Arannis as the leader of their band. Even Nordak was starting to nod in agreement. Although the dwarf wished to lead if only to keep the others in line, he deemed Arannis as a good second option. The dark elf was a formidable fighter, and for the most part, he had a clear head. Nordak was willing to follow his lead as long as he stayed focused on the job at hand.

"Nordak, you can head to the Temple," Arannis instructed. "Take Hana and Nalos with you. I'll seek out the Black Fist with Pallas. We'll gather any information that they have collected. We'll meet at the Laughing Goblin Inn tonight to share our notes and determine our next path. Any questions?"

"Swap me with anyone else," Pallas said, crossing his arms. "I refuse to see the Black Fist."

"Unfortunately, I do not trust you to respect the sacredness of the temple. And I believe that I am best off to keep you in line so you don't run off to a bar. No offense to anyone else in the party, of course."

"None taken," Hana nodded.

"Aye," Nordak agreed. "He shouldn't come te th' temple. He'll find a way te disrespect it."

"I just don't want to see the Black Fist," Pallas argued.

"Is it because you broke the law last night and can't remember what it was?" Nalos asked with a chuckle.

"That, and the Black Fist are no good," Pallas explained. "Have we all forgotten about Sokol Keep? Blade to the back delivered by a Black Fist soldier? Or am I the only one remembering that."

"Grim was one of the bad cases," Arannis defended.

"Oh, and before Grim, a group of them were running a torture ring!" Pallas continued with his rant. "How can you still defend them?"

"There are some who will abuse the law, and others who will uphold it. I trust them enough."

Pallas sighed in defeat. "Fine, but I'm not coming inside the building with you."

"And you will not go drinking."

"Fine," Pallas groaned. "Let's get this over with."

"I'll see ye tonight at th' Laughing Goblin Inn," Nordak said.

Arannis nodded silently, and walked off. Pallas sighed again, then followed after him. Nordak hoped that they would be able to get their part of the investigation done. At the very least, he was confident that he could handle his own investigation. He turned towards the Temple of Kelemvor and walked in that direction, with Hana and Nalos following behind him.

A/N: Little bit of a fun fact, but when I first planned this group, without writing anything about them, I had intended for Nalos to take up the leadership role that has fallen onto Arranis. Now that I've written them out, I've come to accept that Arannis would make for a much better leader and that it would be seen in the narrative. It all works out.

If you like the story, feel free to follow it and leave a review if you feel compelled to.

Until next time.