Porthca Landing I: Memory of the Sea

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"Yeah." Benito nodded. Well, at least I know my place. I was never enough. He picked up his glass and sipped his wine. "I'll have to find some time to look it over - in the study." Ben stood, "It's getting toward dinner time. We should probably get downstairs." He began to move the books and collect the map. "I think Lady Malia might aid us in speaking with the Sea, she had some ideas. You should set men to the task of clearing the warehouse. If we can speak with Lestone, we should be ready to remedy the encroachment." He finished packing away the map, he'd have to share it with Virra.
 
Catelyn frowned and looked down at her feet as well for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I appreciate the offer, but I can tend to the wound myself." She smiled to the servant. "I wouldn't be much of a cleric if I wasn't able to tend to a minor scrape now, would I?" She gripped her holy cord tightly and focused on the pain on her feet before whispering a brief prayer. "Ilmater grant me respite so I may better do your bidding." She felt a light stinging followed by a burning sensation in her feet as the wounds began to sizzle and cauterize themselves. She took a towel from a nearby servant and dried her feet, wincing as she touched the still tender wounds but relieved to see that they had been sealed up. Catelyn cleaned them up best she could before taking the shoes from the servant and looking her in the eye "Thank you for your kindness. I pray that it will be repaid tenfold upon you." She put them on and nodded, smiling to the servant. "Alright, now that I will not be further ruining your day, and this lovely home, lead the way."
 
Virra deflated a little as Sidwae vanished upstairs. "Well, I feel kind of maligned," she muttered to Cate. "Where does she get off telling me not to listen at doors? I haven't even done that here." Not that it's a bad idea. She was about to go on complaining, until she spotted the priestess's bloody footprints and did a double take. "What the... Cate, why didn't you say anything? We could have slowed down, or..."

The sight of Cate towelling off her suddenly unwounded feet promptly shut her up again. "...Huh." She cocked her head, creating a miniature waterfall. "Y'know, you might not even need shoes. If you just keep walking around like that and making your cuts close up whenever you get them, your soles'll get calloused and you won't even feel anything you walk on. I mean, unless you step on broken glass or something. But couldn't you just close the cuts from that as well...?" Realising she was blathering, she shrugged. "Maybe try it. I'll still make you those shoes, though."

Without anything like a goodbye, Virra hefted the towels and spare clothes and headed off to her own room. Maybe she'd feel a bit less out of it once she was dry and had something expensive to eat.
 
The De'Porthca Manor | Study:

Clearing off the desk for the night, Anthol gave a small smile as Malia was mentioned. "Oh? You saw Lady Malia? She and her sister speak often with Jo at parties. Lady Kecei has made a good friend for Jo, especially while Robern was with Cyne, or you were still at Azarad." He collected a few ledgers to place back on shelves as he looked towards Ben, "To think of how things might have been ... regardless. I've heard a phrase before, 'The sailor who always looks back hits the rocks,' perhaps I should keep it in mind."

"Clearing the warehouse will take some time ... we'll have to figure out where everything will go, paperwork and such." Anthol smirked, "At some point you will have to learn the forms and filing." Placing the ledgers away, he clapped his hands together, "However, it is becoming time for dinner, and those are conversations to have after all this is done." Passing the desk he picked up the small box marked with the Accmour crest, "I will hand these out to the twins and Sidwae, however here is your pendant."

Opening the box he pulled out one of the necklaces, a leather cord on which dangled a small reflective shard of silver, surrounded by a reed, braided tightly like a net around it. He held it out for Ben to take, "Never one much for magic, but I trust the Accmours in this, even with as strange as it looks."

The De'Porthca Manor | First Floor:

The servants all paused to watch as Catelyn's wounds seemed to heal over, the now shoe-less Servant at first not realizing she had been spoken to. She bowed at Cate's words, "Oh -- thank you, Priestess. Of course, I'll guide you to a room for you to change in."

Following the servant, Cate was lead up towards the second floor, the sound of her footsteps muffled by the plush rugs that covered the marbled flooring. Finally the pair approached a heavy looking door, yet it moved surprisingly easily as they entered, Cate now finding herself in a large bathroom, a washtub sitting off to the side merely waiting for an occupant. Bathrobes hung on the wall as small dancing lights floated through the air, the low rumble of thunder outside making the room shudder slightly from the vibration. The woman stood off to the side, her head slightly bowed, "If you need any help, er ... removing your armor, please let me know. If anything needs to be cleaned as well, your wet clothes will be dried for you of course. If you need spares, we have some available, as well as the shoes of course, unless you wish to keep mine."
 
Eliza was softly snoring, a dribble of drool snaking its way down her spellbook when she snapped awake. She looked up at Ander still slightly hazy from sleep and nodded her greetings.

”Hello there, Ander.” Trying to stifle a yawn, she started sorting out her papers and stacks of books. “Help me put these back in their place and I will tell you what I found meanwhile.”

She waved Tyrius forward and began shelving the books. “Unfortunately I didn’t find any mention if the Lestones in the library so I focused on the creature from last night. It is mostly legends but apparently the living can summon their undead ancestors to avenge them. Now that might be something we can explore further.”

Digging through her papers she scooped out the Lestones’ page from the archives. “I tried to also make some sense from these scribbles by casting a few spells on the papers. All the pages are magical, particularly illusion and transmutation based, the spell used to make them was fabricate, but I am afraid I found nothing of use when comparing the regular pages from the archives to the Lestones.” Sighing she rearranged her papers, “I can’t seem to find anything else so maybe someone else should give it a look too.”
 
Catelyn turned to Virra with a shrug. “I try not to abuse my divine abilities. They were granted to me to aid those in need, not for my own convenience. Besides... it’s fairly painful.” She watched the gnome leave before waving to Winston as she was led away herself.

Catelyn looked around at the beautiful manor in surprise. I knew that the De Porthca’s were wealthy, but I had no idea it was to this extent. I imagine the curtains of this place are worth more than my childhood home... not that that is saying much. She followed the servant into the ornate bathroom, marveling at the lights for a moment before turning back to her with an embarrassed smile. “I would appreciate the help. Truthfully, it is not the easiest for me to remove on my own in normal conditions, and now that the straps are drenched I am afraid that I would be in here for hours trying to remove the darn thing.” She chuckled as she slid her pack off her back, and removed the large shield from beneath her furry cloak. She then unclasped the cloak and carefully rolled it up before placing it on top of her things. She began to fiddle with the straps of her mail before turning to the servant. “I could use a hand with these two, I believe I can manage the rest. Oh, pardon me. I never got your name did I?”
 
At the comments about Malia and Kecei, Ben smiled until his father mentioned what might have been, and he felt the needs to say something, "You know, the Defallian girls are wonderful; I'm glad they've befriended Jo, but I think it's for the best that the families forge their own paths. Maybe one day I'll find a real catch and settle down like my father." Ben tried the joke, to lighten the mood, but immediately regretted it. His look grew more serious, "It's hard not to look back, I still miss mom; maybe that's why I always fuck things up." He shook his head as he went back to helping file away ledgers and books.

As Anthol continued, Benito grimaced at the thought of the paperwork, "Yes, I suppose I'll have to learn sometime, but preferably when well fed and not chasing a murderer." He let out a slight sigh as the day had grown long and the weight of responsibility, knowledge, choice, and family drug him down. "There's so much going on, my friends and I covered a lot of ground, I hope some more of it bares fruit, and we can put this to rest once Cyne has been properly respected." He put his hand on his father's shoulder before he took the necklace. "We just need to keep ourselves safe a little longer, and preferably without angering the sea." He looked at the cord in his hand then back to his father, "Does... Sid need one? Or Jo for that matter? Do the twins know of their mother?" He wasn't sure. Legends seem to indicate that a siren would not, but he really had no evidence to support it beyond the tales of drunkards and braggarts.

Benito paused for response before wrapping an arm around his father, he had to try to be a good son. No more looking back, no more crashing on rocks. "We should join the others for dinner. You know they'll never be allowed to start without us." He jested, again trying to raise spirits and put his mind right.
 
Listening to Eliza as she talked about her research, Tyrius gave her a smile. Even if she thought she found nothing of use, Eliza had done a hard task pretty much single handed and had managed to confirm a few things.

"Sadly I don't think I'd be able to do any more than you've already done, Eliza." Tyrius said, "Unless you wanted something burnt, or detect magic, or the pages to be dashed somewhere. That I could do."

Rolling his shoulders a little, Tyrius wondered how best to summarise what had been gleaned from the relatives. "Pretty much every family bar one had the Accmour mages use spells to learn what their relatives last words were. Every single one of those said the same thing we heard last night. The Tahrysts were able to provide a map of the city to Ben, so he should be able to show you that later." Tyrius paused for a moment to think before adding, "The Tahrysts were also able to tell us that Thakar was found in bed by his wife - and normally she is not the first to wake up but on the night he was killed he was. At least that's what I understood from their answer. Also Madame Sidwae said they found rose petals during the search in the bedrooms."

Tyrius wondered if there was anything he'd forgotten but for the moment that was all that came to mind. Turning to Ander, Tyrius asked, "How've Lady Joane and Lord Robern been while we've been out?"
 
**"Oh, they're great kids, and little musicians ta boot. I've just been spendin' time with em tryin' ta let the two of em be kids."** Ander shrugged, making a clanging sound at his armor scraped up and down with his shoulder's movement. **"Glad ta hear there is some progress bein' made in our mission. Tomorrow we let the family grieve, then our task truly starts."** Realizing he's been in his armor all day, Ander wonders if it would be wise to doff before dinner.
 
"Oh?" Tyrius asked as Ander mentioned that the twins were little musicians, "Glad to hear they've been able to recover a little from last night. Hopefully the Accmour's counter enchantments can protect them and we can apprehend whatever creature is behind it." Hearing the sound of Ander's armour scraping, Tyrius wondered how uncomfortable the armour was to wear. Which reminded him that the lining of his jacket was still currently scrunched up into a ball in one of his jacket pockets.
 
“Well, that confirms the pattern idea.” The mention of rose petals rang a bell in Eliza’s memory.

Wasn’t it used as a spell component in Sleep? She wondered, too embarrassed to admit that she didn’t know much else.

She cleared her throat hurridly and tried to change the subject, “The petals prove that there was someone else involved other than the undead, but who? Could be one of the nobles, the Lestones, or maybe even someone else entirely. Did they pay off one of the servants to slip the petals or did they sneak in and do it themselves?”

What kind of wizard am I if I can’t even help with a basic spell. Are the others learning this now in Azarad? What else have they learned?
 
Thinking for a moment, the only thing Tyrius could remember rose petals being a component for was a sleep spell, but of that he was certain. "You're right. I don't think it was any of the nobles we met today though, each seemed grief stricken. Though it is strange how they ended up here. Might be worth asking about how secure the manor was before Cyne's death a day or so after the funeral." Tyrius ran his fingers through his red hair, "About the only thing I can think of rose petals being used for is a sleep spell, but it would be interesting to know how long rose petals last. Could it be possible someone placed them twice? Once for Cyne, once for the twins?"
 
Winston remained silent the rest of the time that they spent at the bar, barely reacting when he went outside into the pouring rain. He didn't expect that discovering this news would give him such a sense of satisfaction, as he just came up with the idea on a whim, so he was surprised that this feeling of accomplishment filled him. This feeling confused him, because it was not a feeling that he was used to associating with tracking down information. Winston only felt like this when he had tricked some pompous ass into buying the yearly subscription to his shop's "Potion of the month" club, so to feel this way only resulted in his silent confusion. It wasn't until the trio walked into the manor that the halfling pushed those thoughts away.

Winston took the towels from the servant, as well as the dry change of clothes, and did not pay Madame Sidwae too much mind as he began to dry his clothes. He flinched when she mentioned hiding outside doors and listening into conversations, but noticed that she was instead looking at Virra. Winston went back to cleaning himself with a small smile, but watched with great interest as Cate healed her feet. Winston had been around the arcane magics for quite some time back in Azarad, but he was still new to the healing magics of a divine nature. His eyebrows shot up, and he couldn't help but stare at Cate's healed, although dirty feet. Winston was going to have to re-evaluate his attitude towards Catelyn, she could prove to be a valuable asset to him if she could mend people's wounds. Winston's mind raced as he imagined all of the potential customers he could get to buy his 'healing potions' if he had the help of someone who could actually heal. The halfling dropped his towel to the floor as it had become soaking wet and filthy, then turned to ask if Virra had any other talents involving this brain magic of hers. Winston blinked in surprise, not realizing she had left, and as a result did not see Cate's wave goodbye. He turned back to her to ask where Virra went, and barely heard Cate disappear down the hallway in her armor. He scratched his head awkwardly, then shrugged, and walked up to his room leaving the towel still on the floor.
 
The De'Porthca Manor | Bathroom:

The servant woman chuckled softly as she started trying to help Cate with the armor, "My name's Wynna. Don't often get asked about it while here at the Manor, if I might be honest."

Cate could feel the armor start to loosen as the servant undid more of it, "My ... brother is a guard, so fortunately I'm familiar with armor like this. He often used to put it on, yet even still has difficulty taking it off by himself."

The De'Porthca Manor | Study:

Holding the box in his hand, Anthol pulled out another necklace, looking over the intriciate netting that covered the silver. "I think we all need some sanctuary ... however at least with Sid, water is the same as air to her." He frowned, "With Joane, I truly don't know. We weren't sure if she'd even inheirit anything, we'd been trying to keep things quiet."

Placing the charm back into the box he chuckled, "I doubt people would take kindly to one of the Families having such ... mixed blood."
 
Catelyn smiled warmly to Wynna. "What a lovely name. I'll be certain to mention to Benito how helpful you have been to me, Wynna. Thank you so much for all of your help, I'll say a special prayer for you and for your brother. I know how dangerous these streets can be. Anyways, I can manage the rest of this on my own. The Crying God's blessings upon you, Wynna." She smiled and saw her out before removing the rest of her armor, as well as the light tunic beneath and running a quick bath. Before getting in, she carefully unwound her holy symbol from her hand and draped it on top of her pack before relaxing in the hot water for the first time in Ilmater knows how long.

After finishing her bath, Catelyn dried herself off and sat on the tub's edge, repeating Ilmater's Creed as she does every time and binding herself to His power and service once more by wrapping her holy symbol tightly around her hand. She then dressed herself in a white cassock with a crimson trim, packing her armor away for dinner. She collected her things and opened the door to the bathroom to find a pair of sandals waiting for her. Make that two prayers for Wynna, gods bless her. She slipped them on and then went out looking for someone who could tell her where to find the dining room.
 
The De'Porthca Manor | Dining Room:

A little further into the evening, after everyone had cleaned up and the storm rumbled on further, the warm smell of stew flowed through the home. Eventually all the guests and family found themselves gathered once more at the table, bowls of hearty stew -- thick chunks of meat, corn, carrots, potato, onion, small doughy dumplings within, fresh baked rolls on the side, soft and fluffy.

Idle conversation took the table, though some might have noticed the necklaces draped across the necks of Sidwae, Robern, Joan, and Anthol, though for the most part they were tucked underneath tunics and dresses. Once dinner was finished, and the two youngest at the table starting yawning, Anthol began to rise and guide them to bed, only to catch Ben's eye for a moment. With a nod he helped Sidwae guide the twins to bed before returning to his seat at the head of the table, servants having cleared the table and set out offerings of after dinner wine.

Bringing out the small necklace, Anthol spun it between his fingers as he looked around at the still largly filled table with a tired smile. "I realize the mood in this home is not the lightest ... however I will mention to those who perhaps are not aware, tomorrow the De'Porthca family and the other Families will be busy at the funeral for Cyne De'Porthca." Waving his hand across the group, "You're all welcome to be present, as guests ... but please respect the solemness of the day. We can offer spare clothing to better match the occasion as well if required."
 
Catelyn didn't eat much during the dinner, not out of nerves but out of habit. She briefly considered observing the Ilmatarian ritual of setting aside a portion for those in need, but decided against it given her present company. After the meal had ended and Anthol addressed them, Catelyn stood and bowed solemnly to him. "You have my deepest condolences for your loss, Lord Anthol. I pray that the Crying God will bless you and help ease the burden of the great loss you have suffered. Death is a grim part of life, but to suffer through it alone only magnifies the pain it can cause." Realizing how macabre she was sounding, Catelyn straightened up and coughed awkwardly for a moment before looking back to Anthol. "Sorry, as Benito can attest to I have the unfortunate habit of quoting far too much scripture at times. Regardless, I would wish to attend the funeral tomorrow so that I can aid however I can. I assume you already have obtained a cleric to preside over the last rites?"
 
Benito looked to his father, he wasn't sure but it was a safe bet that Sidwae hadn't left Cyne's funerary arrangements to the day of his funeral.

He decided on what he felt was a diplomatic response, trying to navigate away from talk of tomorrow and back to sharing what each had learned today. He began with a light chuckle, "Cate will quote the entirety of Ilmater's good book if you have the time." He turned to face her, "We appreciate the offer, but I think your gentle heart would be best put to use helping the children get through tomorrow. Specifically I know Robern is... Struggling." That seemed to do the trick in his mind, set her to a task, add some levity leaning into her jest, politely decline the offer of greater service.

Benito took his glass of water from the table and took a drink. "There are more pressing issues for us to discuss tonight than how we might dress tomorrow. I'm sure you'll all be appropriately respectful of the dead and the mourners here." He looked around the table, "Let us focus on what we have learned today and how we can stop the deaths of any more people here."

Ben rubbed his head, where to begin? "Last night we were attacked, Robern almost drown. Today, after a thorough search rose petals were found in the beds of all those who slept through the ordeal. Along with aiding in the search, the Accmours have delivered these necklaces to the noble families which should protect against drowning."

"Speaking with Master Enol revealed that Lestone is a name which entered into a contract with the four existing noble families. In exchange for claim of the coastal waters, Lestone parleyed with the sea. It seems we built a warehouse in this promised water, and I wonder if this is the debt the creature is demanding paid. I hope to find out with the help of all of you and Lady Malia Defallian. She is searching for a way to speak with the sea as Lestone did many years ago."
 
The De'Porthca Manor | Dining Room:

Anthol nodded towards Cate as she finished speaking, "Yes, a cleric of Kelemvor will be overseeing the funeral and last rites."
 
Listening to Ben's summary of what they had found, Tyrius knocked his thumb against his leg as he thought about everything Ben was saying, trying to memorise the facts that the group had learnt. One thought came back from when he'd been in the library talking to Ander and Eliza.

Waiting for an appropriate lull in the conversation, Tyrius turned to Ander, "Master De'Porthca, this might be ill-timed but with everything being discussed, maybe it's relevant. How much access do people have to the rooms upstairs? It occurred to me earlier that maybe last night wasn't the first time you were enchanted to sleep through something and Eliza," Tyrius nodded towards the Aspirant, "pointed out in the library that someone else other than the creature is involved, someone planted those rose petals."
 
Ander was happy that Tyrius had spoken up, because he had been wondering the same thing.

The further into this investigation they got, the less Ander thought his family's deaths were related to the ones occurring in Portcha, but this family had been so nice to him, that his sense of duty outweighed his desire for retribution for the time being. He continued to have a strange feeling around Sidwae and Joane, though he didn't get the feeling that they were evil, he was cautious throughout dinner.
 
The De'Porthca Manor | Dining Room:

Lifting the wine glass that rested before him, Anthol swirled it for a moment before replying to Tyrius, "Learning what was found, I had the same thought. However ... with the small army of servants in our employ, and their tasks to clean and maintain the Manor, there are many that have access to our respective rooms." Taking a sip he shook his head, "We've never really had reason to distrust the servants. I suppose we will have to watch them more closely in the future..."
 
Occupied by a generous bowl of stew and a little more to drink, Virra managed to keep a relatively low profile during the meal, though the fact that she had her legs crossed in her seat once again didn't help. When Ben shared what he knew about Lestone and how he had been the one to commune with the sea, she had to physically clap a hand over her mouth to keep from squealing out loud, though she couldn't resist turning to Cate. "I told you! Didn't I say it'd be him?" she spoke triumphantly into the priestess's mind. Apparently her investigative instincts were top-notch after all. It was kind of a shame that Ben had managed to beat her to figuring it out for certain, but that was okay; he'd probably had some advantages. What was it that tipped him off, though? She'd have to find out later.

She finally managed to finish her drink around the same time as Anthol floated the idea of watching the servants more closely. "Yeah, controlling access to the bedrooms would probably be a good idea. It won't do much good against a certain undead hitman, though." Virra bit her lip. Admitting her limits was never one of her strengths, but she'd have to share whatever she knew if her investigation was ever going to make progress. "I managed to get a sense of where that thing is right now, but it's not anywhere we can touch. Somehow the sea monster managed to end up on the Ethereal Plane -- it's probably been there ever since it vanished in front of us." She glanced around the table at Eliza, Tyrius and Ben in turn, looking the closest she's ever come to apologetic. "That's all I could get. Maybe one of you academic types'll be more clued in, but the best I know about the Ethereal Plane is that it's a kind of transitory space between this material world and the Inner Planes." She shrugged. "Not much to go on, but it's what I got."
 
Benito shifted uncomfortably, "I wouldn't want to judge the servants too harshly or make their work any more inconvenient because an undead creature somehow got spell components in. Best we be on guard, but it's on us to watch out for ourselves. We can deal with any problems among the staff once we've resolved the bigger issue of the murderer; if the staff is even involved. An issue for another time. Everyone, check your beds tonight."

He then turns his attention to Virra, "I don't recall much more about the Ethereal Plane than what you've mentioned. I've heard of spells that can shift you into the ethereal plane or allow someone to see into it, but they're well beyond my skill level." He frowned, "If it's not an arrow, I probably can't do it." He glanced at Eliza and Tyrius, "One of them maybe, but we might have to speak with the Accmours again. We'll see."

Ben took another sip of water. "I have another map for you, Virra." He pulled the scroll case out and tossed it across the table. "The aid of the Tahyrsts, though it sounds like it may not be much good. It did show us which warehouse encroaches on the territory promised to Lestone, I just wonder if it's all so simple. The deaths of so many the danger of so many more for a building and an ancient contract." Benito glanced to Anthol before continuing, "I've asked my father to have the warehouse cleared, I fear that ending this threat with violence will only aggravate 'the Sea' and bring rise to the troubles of the city's past and the hardships that gave rise to this contract in the first place."
 
Tyrius sat for a moment in thought as Virra spoke about the Ethereal Plane, racking his mind for any mention he'd heard or seen from his time in Azarad. It took him a few minutes, but eventually Tyrius remembered a ritual he'd read about in the library during a particularly miserable rainy day.
"I've read about a ritual that allows someone to speak across planes, though from what I remember, its risky to do." Tyrius said, tapping his right thumb against his cheek, "So it's possible at least that someone might be directing the undead hitman," Tyrius stopped tapping his thumb and put his hands in his lap, "Though from what I remember, that carries risk to the caster of the spell so, might not be the most plausible thing for someone to be using." Turning to Virra, Tyrius added, "You said you could get a sense of where the undead hitman is, any idea what its doing?"
 
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