Nalos looked in awe at the temple. It was a dark and foreboding place, fitting for the god of death. Light trickled in from a stained glass window at the end of the hall, with rows of benches lined up for service. Nalos, who had never been in a temple before, was just as fascinated with the building with any new sight. Hana and Nordak lacked his enthusiasm, but he didn't mind. This was just the start of another amazing adventure for him.
A young man in gray robes walked from one of the side hallways, carrying linen sheets. He turned over to Nordak when the dwarf waved him over.
"Master Nordak," the acolyte bowed his head, then looked up to Hana and Nalos. "You may call me Elden, gentle masters."
"It's good to meet you, Elden!" Nalos smiled.
"Elden, since it looks like yer already on yer way there, would ye mind showin' my friends te meet with our guest?" Nordak asked.
"Of course," Elden nodded.
"You're not coming with us?" Hana asked, glancing down at Nordak.
"I need te meet with an ol' friend," Nordak answered. "Acolyte Elden, is Brother Keefe in th' temple?"
"He is," Elden replied. "Today is his day of rest. He will be in his room."
"He'll be willin' te meet with me,'' Nordak started to walk towards the hall Elden came from. "Ye two don't wait around fer me. Just head fer th' Laughin' Goblin an' meet with Arannis an' Pallas."
And with that, Nordak was gone. Nalos had wondered what the dwarf was up to now. It seemed like he may have a lead regarding the quest they were on, but didn't seem to be openly trusting of the group. He realized that perhaps he didn't attend the regular meetings at the Laughing Goblin because of his distrust of the group. If that were the case, Nalos would do everything in his power to show Nordak that he and his friends can be trusted.
Elden explained what he knew of the wounded stranger, having been tasked as his caretaker. He had taken to calling the man Yip, based on the barking sounds he frequently makes. He had been staying at the temple for over a day, and that he came from a village destroyed two days ago. He is disinterested in conversation and known for frequent bouts of violence, hence why he is bound. Elden insisted that the adventurers leave him restrained, since it took three other acolytes to restrain Yip as he bit and barked at them.
The trio arrived at one of the bedrooms within the temple and Elden opened the way. A man with wild hair, deeply tanned skin, and rough hands was currently tied up to a chair and facing an open window. His face was covered in scabs and his eyes darted around the room. His wounds had been treated by the brothers of the Temple of Kelemvor and were covered in cloth bandages. Elden started to make the bed in the room, leaving Hana and Nalos to talk with Yip.
"This is a lot to take in," Hana muttered. "Just looking at him, I knew that he wouldn't be alright, but I was never expecting this."
Nalos nodded in agreement, and focused on the injuries. "Both of his hands are bruised, indicating a blunt weapon, but I see no such bruising around his shoulder's bandages. And given that the bandage is small, I think it had to have been a dagger."
Hana took a look at the injuries, then glanced back at Nalos with surprise. "You're on the right track. Now you surprise me."
"I didn't waste any of my druid training," Nalos grinned. "Go ahead and ask the first question."
Hana stepped into Yip's line of sight. "What is your name?"
Yip barked out. "Yip! The eyes, the eyes of the dracolich, it sees me. Yip! It is coming."
"What is coming?" Hana asked.
"Yip! The eyes, the eyes of the dracolich, it sees me. Yip! It is coming."
Hana looked back at Nalos, who shrugged. Elden was the one to break the silence. "That is all he says."
"So, we're not going to have much learning anything from him," Hana sighed in disappointment.
"What is a dracolich?" Nalos asked.
"A dragon that is bound to a phylactery, just like a lich is," Hana explained briefly. "I borrowed a book from Nordak that explained it. Now, this was a waste of our time."
"I want to ask a question," Nalos stepped forward. "What happened to you?"
Suddenly, Yip's eyes darted towards Nalos, and focused on him. "The smalls shambled wet before the eyes. Clack. Clack. Yip! The ghost ship. Fog. Yip! Blood and flame! Yip! Village no more! Yip! Yip!"
"You need to tell me more!" Nalos demanded quickly.
Yip, who had grown increasingly angry over his last answer, started to yip loudly at Nalos and Hana. He even tried to take a bite towards Hana, but the bounds held him in place. Elden shot the two adventurers a disapproving glance. Hana grabbed Nalos by the arm and dragged the triton out of the room. The door closed behind them, and the two were walking down the hallway.
"We're done here," Hana declared.
"But I was just about to get him to talk!" Nalos argued.
"It is clear to me that his mind is too broken to me of much use to us. We'll leave and meet up with Nordak back at the Laughing Goblin."
"You're just mad that there is a ghost ship," Nalos grinned. "I'm two for two with these claims!"
Hana sighed and offered no complaint towards her companion
"I'm still not goin' in."
"You said that already. Stay out here, and don't leave."
"Fine."
Arranis left Pallas out on the street and opened the door into a two-story guardhouse run by the Black Fist. The dark elf took off his brimmed hat, no longer having to worry about the sun's fierce rays. He glanced at the various members of the city guard, unsure of what to think. Arannis believed that respect for the law would benefit one over time. However, Pallas' claims of corruption remained in the back of his mind. Pallas was a fool and a drunk, but Arranis was given no reason to distrust his friend, at least just yet.
The claims of corruption would have to wait. Arannis turned towards a pair of Black Fist guards. "Excuse me, but I am looking for someone who can tell me about the recent attacks around the Moonsea from a ship."
"You'll want to see Alyed about that," the guard said and motioned towards a nearby table.
A human woman sat at the table, visibly stressed out at the amount of paperwork she had to deal with. She wore the uniform of the Knights of the Black Fist with lines on her face and gray locks in her short blonde hair showed her age. Arannis could see for himself that Aleyd was an experienced veteran, one who worked hard for her station. With a nod of thanks to the guard who gave him instructions, the dark elf walked towards the knight.
"Excuse me," Arannis greeted. "My name is Arannis. I've been told that you can tell me about the recent ship attacks around the Moonsea."
"I hope you understand but I can't share that information with everyone who asks," Aleyd explained with a stern gaze. "What might your interest in the attacks be?"
"I've been hired by Doomguide Yovir to investigate rumors of the ship's origin," Arannis answered honestly.
Aleyd nodded. "I've always respected Doomguide Yovir, even if I don't have his faith. I can help you."
"Thank you. My companions are already meeting with the mad man found at the site of the last attack two days ago."
"There have been other attacks as well," Aleyd explained. "Six days ago, Vig's Dock was destroyed. Four days before, a series of farms were destroyed by the mysterious ship, and then four days before that, the Aleston brewery was sacked."
"So the ship is attacking every four days," Arannis noted.
"And getting closer to Phlan. If the pattern holds, in two days, the ship will attack something between Phlan and the mad man's hamlet. The maps I have don't show anything major but it could be a farm or cottage by the coast we've missed. Then, in six days…"
"...Phlan will be attacked," Arannis noted. "This is quite dire."
"Indeed it is. I wish there was more I could tell you but we don't have a lot of information. I've only investigated the site of the last attack and learned what I could about the others from merchants passing through the area. I did find some old bones and brought them to a healer, who identified them as human bones, but they weren't from anyone caught in the attack."
"Do you think that the healer may know more?"
"Perhaps. If you want to visit him, you can. His name is Fillistrom Wunderkundoodle."
"That's… that's quite the name," Arannis commented.
"I wish I had more to share," Aleyd sighed.
"What you've told me is enough," Arannis shook his head. "Thank you. I will come back to you when I find out the cause of the attacks."
"I would appreciate that," Aleyd smiled. "Thank you."
Arannis nodded at Aleyd, then turned to leave. He didn't know the meaning of the pattern of attacks but knew that they needed to deal with the ship before it attacked Phlan. The dark elf put his hat back on and stepped outside, thankful for some protection against the sun. He walked past Pallas, who quickly picked up his pace to walk beside the warrior.
"How was the visit to the cesspool of corruption?" Pallas asked.
"Quite informative, actually," Arannis let the insult to the Black Fist slide.
"Off to the Laughing Goblin then?"
"Not yet. We'll be visiting Fillistrom Wunderkundoodle first."
Pallas stopped walking after hearing the healer's name. "Seriously?"
"He's a healer who may have more information," Arannis continued walking. "Come on."
Pallas sighed, kicked the dirt in the ground, and quickened his pace to catch up with Arannis.
When Nordak first arrived in Phlan, it was to meet with Brother Keefe, a fellow follower of Kelemvor. Together, the two examined one of the "residents" of the graveyard and determined that one such burial was of a shapeshifted dragon. The investigation over the grave disturbance led the two to realize that whatever happened could connect to a dracolich. Brother Keefe, who had revealed himself to be a member of the Lord's Alliance, set out to inform the other Kelemvorites of what they had discovered.
The mad man had mentioned dracoliches as told by Doomguide Yovir. Although he hadn't seen Brother Keefe since their investigation, Nordak thought it would be best to follow up on him and see if he has anything to say on the matter. With one of the aids providing instruction, the dwarf was able to find Brother Keefe's room. He knocked on the door twice and waited only a few seconds before a tall human wearing a black hat opened it for him.
"Brother Keefe," Nordak greeted with a nod.
"Nordak," Brother Keefe sighed in relief. "It is good to see you again."
"Aye. I hope ye don't mind but I have some questions fer ye. Doomguide Yovir has assigned me a new task that relates te our investigation."
"Of course I'd be willing to help. Unfortunately, when others of our faith followed up on our deceased dragon, they weren't able to find a lot of evidence. I'm not sure how your current task relates to what we found."
"Th attacks on th' Moonsea," Nordak explained. "Th' survivor found mentioned dracoliches. I thought that maybe ye had an idea on what it could be."
Brother Keefe lowered his voice to a whisper. "I've been receiving messages from my contacts in the Lord's Alliance for several days. They have reason to believe that it's cult-related."
"A cult that could be connected to dracoliches," Nordak thought out loud, stroking his beard. "Could this be th' work o' th' Cult o' th' Dragon?"
Brother Keefe nodded gravely. Both of the acolytes were aware of the reputation that the Cult of the Dragon had. The Cult of the Dragon revered evil chromatic dragons and offered their masters treasure or their services. At the same time, they sought out fallen dragons to raise as vile dracoliches. While the name didn't come up with their investigation last time, it made sense to connect the cult to the possible activity of dracoliches.
"It could be," Brother Keefe agreed. "I would caution that we remain silent on this matter until we have proof. My connections believe that what we're dealing with is more along the lines of the infernal."
"An' did they offer any idea on how we stop this?" Nordak asked.
"Just this," Brother Keefe reached into his robes and pulled out a handaxe.
Nordak was quick to notice the silver on the blade's edge. "Yer friends must be serious if they think that demons an' devils may be involved."
"I am no warrior so I think this will be best suited in your hands," Brother Keefe said and offered the handaxe to the dwarf by the pommel. "I wish there was more I could do to help."
"Ye've done plenty, lad," Nordak said and took the handaxe. "Once I return from my task, I shall be sure te inform ye o' what happened."
"Thank you," Brother Keefe bowed. "May you be successful in your ventures."
Brother Keefe returned to his room, closing the door behind him. Nordak was left in the hall, glancing at his reflection in the blade of his new weapon. Silvered weapons were excellent tools in dealing with infernal creatures as well as the undead. The cleric was convinced that this would be useful during his assignment. He attached the handaxe to an empty holster on his belt and turned around. Although Nordak couldn't tell his companions too much of what he had learned, it was at least time to meet up and share their findings.
"...finally, we visited the healer, although that proved to be a dead end," Arannis reported. "The bones found belonged to a human although there was some sort of adhesive on them."
"Adhesive?" Hana asked from her seat. "What could that be for?"
"We don't know," Arannis admitted.
The group had reunited in the Laughing Goblin during the evening, eating and drinking as they relayed what they found out. Between Hana and Nalos revealing the cryptic message of Yip and Arannis obtaining the Black Fist's report, the group had plenty of information to go off of. Nordak only revealed that there is speculation that the attacks are related to some sort of cult but didn't name the Cult of the Dragon. Instead, he focused on the information before them. There had to be something they were missing.
"So, tomorrow, we have one more day before the attackers strike again, and in five, they'll strike Phlan," Hana noted. "This is proving to be quite dire."
"Why not wait for them to come to us?" Pallas suggested. "Are we really going to go out on horses looking for their next attack when there might not be any?"
"Doomguide Yovir is expecting us to travel and see if we can deal with this mysterious threat before it strikes Phlan," Arannis explained with a frown. "Between him paying for our rooms for tonight and our horses, I would suggest that we follow his plan."
"Aye," Nordak nodded in agreement. "I've been thinkin' about th' attacks. I think I might see a pattern?"
"You do?" Hana asked in surprise. "What might that be?"
"Th' moon changes its phase every four days," Nordak explained. "Could th' attacks be related te that?"
"Nalos, what do you think?" Arannis asked.
Nalos leaned back on his chair, closing his eyes in thought. "The last time the moon changed… Nordak's right. It makes sense if the ghosts are connected to the moon in some way."
Pallas waved his hand dismissively at the claim of ghosts. "Maybe the cult is druidic in nature?"
"I think that this is the most we'll be able to come up with," Arannis said, addressing the group as a whole. "We need our rest for the journey tomorrow. We'll meet back here."
"You go on ahead and get some sleep," Hana told the others. "I'll be up for a few more hours. I'm hoping that with some research, I'll be able to figure out where our mysterious assailant will strike next."
"Just be sure not te stay up that long," Nordak advised. "Ye'll need te stay awake on th' road."
"Of course," Hana said with a nod. "Good night, everyone."
"Night, Hana!" Nalos said with a yawn.
"I'll see ye all tomorrow," Nordak said, getting up from his chair. "I'm goin' te get some rest."
"Don't leave just yet," Pallas said with a frown. "The sun hasn't even set yet. We have time for a couple more drinks."
"Another time," Nordak shook his head, already making his way to the door.
Although what he didn't say was that he wasn't going to stick around for a drink the next time. Nordak had no intention of keeping his relationship with the adventurers anything beyond a professional level. He still had his quarters with the other faithful worshippers of Kelemvor and it was there that the dwarf intended to rest, away from the adventurers. Tomorrow, he hoped for a swift resolution on the strange attacks so that he could move on to other business.
A/N: As you may have noticed from my other stories, I'm getting back into writing on a more structured schedule.
I imagine that this will be the story I focus on, even though there are no set updates. This is because this is going to be a shorter story with only a few chapters left.
Until next time.