Porthca Landing I: Memory of the Sea

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Eliza snapped awake and cursed out loud when she saw the late hour. Rushing through a quick wash and getting dressed in the borrowed simple black dress, she tried to brush her out of order hair with one hand and toss Faust into his pocket with the other.

Grabbing her cane, she hurried down the stairs almost tripping a few times before rushing through the manor doors and coming to a stop near one of the carriages with a stitch in one side.

“Sorry for...being...so late,” she grabbed her side panting flashing a thumbs up at the others. “I hope...I didn’t keep you...waiting for too long.”
 
Porthca:

Stepping out of the Manor and to the front gate, two carriages await the group, clearly intending the family to be in one and the guests in the other. After a brief discussion, the cleric and paladin are admitted to the family's carriage, making it quite cramped in the space, leaving Joane and Robern sitting on their parents' lap for the ride, while the others -- Virra, Winston, Tyrius and Eliza -- ride in the secondary carriage.

Conversation is muted during the ride as the group moves towards the central plaza to one of the larger temples -- the temple of Kelemvor. Crowds part around the carriages, a few can be seen also dressed in dark colors through the windows, until finally the group arrives and are guided out by the drivers. The other families can be seen present, with the Accmours arriving just after the De'Porthca party, their carriage driven by spectral steeds that flicker in and out as they stamp their hooves across the cobblestone.

Here everyone can finally see the rest of Porthca's equivalent of noble familes -- the Defallian, the Tahyrsts, the De'Porthca, and the Accmours. Odith Defallian stood next to his children, all dressed in dark simple clothes similar to farmers, though it appeared Richeye had managed to return in time -- dark circles under his eyes imply he likely rode through the night to be here. It was easy to see the resemblance amongst the family -- pleasant to look at, yet one could tell they tended to work with their hands, small calluses visible except on Lady Kecei who waved slightly to Joane when she saw her. Richeye stood just taller than his father, a wide frame to his build as he attempted to hide a yawn at the approach of the De'Porthcas.

Next to them were the Tahyrsts with all present, wearing the dark muted clothing of stonemasons. The whole family appeared to range in tints of red to their hair, yet their eyes seemed to vary between metallics: the youngest sons Urin with bronze, Roroa with copper, their mother Ziri with a gold, Rinarv the eldest daughter had silver, Abat the younger daughter a deep grey of steel.

Finally to the other side were the Accmours, each wearing simple black robes of mages, the fabrics rougher than the usual silks and finery that Tyrius and Ben saw Enol wearing the day before. Next to Enol stood his wife, Aniris who nodded to Sidwae briefly, her hair a silvery color and yet her eyes seemed to flicker to a different color each time someone looked once more. Next to them stood their surviving daughter, Ellas, her hair black and long as it covered half of her face, she appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Her silvered gaze lingered on Benito for a moment before continuing on to inspect the rest of his party.

The carriages were led away down the street to a local stable as the families entered the temple, acolytes bearing the vestments of Kelemvor helping to guide the parties to their seats at the front, a finely crafted coffin rested behind the pulpit, closed at the moment, while behind that near the back wall stood a very large golden scale. The central support was sculpted to look like a skeletal hand, grasping the beam as the scale constantly swayed back and forth -- slowly, and inconsistently in how long it sat on one side or the other. A man stood watching the mourners enter off to the side of the casket, dressed in the simple robes of a Kelemvorian priest, while the acolytes continued to guide people in. After the families and the guests of the De'Porthca had been seated, the doors opened once more as others were allowed entry, many of them wearing small ribbons on their arms that bore the De'Porthca crest.

Eventually noise died down as the priest moved to stand behind the pulpit, his presence indicating the funeral was to truly begin, acolytes stood spread across the room, keeping an eye on the proceedings, a few nervously fidgeting with their small holy symbols. The soft sway of the giant scale continued as the priest began to speak, "I welcome you all to the temple of Kelemvor. I am the head priest Rewalt, and I expect most of you hope you never have to see me," he smiled sadly, "given that Kelemvor is generally only turned to when death has touched your lives."

Rewalt paused as he placed a hand on the pulpit before him, "Regardless, we have gathered to lay to rest a man that some may say was taken too soon. However, only the gods truly know our paths in life, so it is left to us to recognize this man's affects on the world, and to carry him within our memories going forward." Placing his other hand on a symbol around his neck, Rewalt's voice became louder, echoing through the temple, "We gather to mark the passing and laying to rest of Cyne De'Porthca, a fellow I personally have often seen moving among the docks, guiding those beneath him to their tasks with a clarity rarely seen. I expect many of us recall when he first became a presence at the harbor," there were a few murmurs and nods from those in the back behind the families, and Rewalt smiled slightly, "a headstrong young man who quickly gained respect amongst hardened sailors and stubborn captains." Rewalt continued for a few minutes more, speaking of Cyne's qualities and accomplishments, a few anecdotes clearly given to him prior from Anthol that brought a few chuckles amongst the crowd, however Cate, being used to paying attention to her surroundings in case of being needed noticed one of the acolytes off to the side started to look uncomfortable. Unlike the others he appeared to be wearing more layers, looking to be in his teens, his hair a dark red while his eyes were gold. He turned away slightly, bringing one hand to his head and the other to his mouth as if trying to prevent a cough, Rewalt faltered slightly as he noticed. Before he could continue the service, a gasp moved through the crowd, the sound of people raising to their feet as some pointed behind Rewalt, causing him to look behind him and see the figure of a man standing atop the casket, water dripping from his form as his clothes appeared to float and shift as though underwater.

Sidwae and Anthol moved to stand in front of Joane and Robern, Enol began to mutter under his breath, his hands making small motions behind him while Aniris moved to protect Ellas. Amongst the Defallian Kecei was moved behind Malia while Rich stood before Odith, the two eldest children staring down the creature. The Tahyrsts seemed to center themselves, with Urin and Roroa pulling their simple bracelets off their wrists which stiffened into metal clubs as the Dwarven family moved closer together. Some of the crowd moved to flee as Rewalt grasped his holy symbol, the acolytes half looking ready to flee and the other half trying to prepare themselves.

The creature spoke -- the voice roughly the same as the one Cate had heard in her dream, "The Sea ... remembers its Debts. The Sea ... demands they be Paid." Its gaze lingered on the families before it spoke again, "To all things the depths return, the rest ... She claims." It knelt down on the casket, dragging a hand across it, repeating again softly, "She claims ..." as the words faded out, its form broke, releasing a wave of water into the temple, covering the casket and first row in salt water, soaking Rewalt from the splash.
 
Benito jolted up, placing himself between the the creature and the families. He drew the dagger from his belt and threw out his other hand, "DAGGER!", he roared in draconic. A dagger seemed to slide down his wrist and hang in his hand as he postured and the creature spoke. As the creature splashed to the ground, soaking him in water, the false blade in his hand crumbled to dust and blew off with the wind. He shivered and shook, a state of shock and the cold from the water binding him to the spot.

Ben took a few sharp breathes and collected himself. He stowed his true blade and approached the casket, still dripping wet. As he passed the priest he reached out two fingers to touch him. "Dry," he commanded before speaking, "Get the children to safety. Now." In his confused focus, he cared little to whom he spoke. He reached the casket and slipped his fingers under the lid, throwing it open.
 
Virra watched the now-familiar figure speak with bated breath, imagining that it would jump on the nearest noble and begin drowning them at any moment. Would she be able to swap her body with theirs in time? Would it just go ahead and kill her before she could get away again?

She let out an audible sigh as the creature vanished, though she quickly realised the onlookers were far from calmed. None of them had seen it before, she realised. They didn't know what to expect. Even Virra hadn't been expecting the killer to make an appearance right in the middle of the funeral; it would only be natural for them to assume it hadn't finished yet.

"Hey, it's all right, it's gone," she said out loud, trying to raise her voice above the noise. "That water's harmless, it's not coming back! Don't panic!" Maybe it was too late for that. Anxious to avoid a stampede, she glanced over to Benito to maybe work on co-ordinating something -- only to realise the direction he was headed in. "Hey, Ben, just wait a second!" she reached out to hm just as he wrenched at the lid of the casket. What is he looking for?
 
Catelyn was uneasy throughout the carriage ride, though she did her best not to show it, and upon arriving at the church quietly took a seat near the children as had been requested. She occupied her thoughts by studying the service and mannerisms of the church of Kelemvor and it's initiates. They seem rather dour... I suppose it does make sense considering that they serve the God of Judgement. Their duty is to usher the dead and keep the balance between life and death, while Ilmater's chosen is to preserve and protect the living. Though one could argue that our order has a much greater physical burden placed upon them, it cannot be easy to be surrounded by so much death. She glanced over to the De'Porthca family before offering up a prayer to the Crying God to ease their pain.

Catelyn's attention was drawn by a sudden disturbance in the otherwise orderly row of acolytes as she noticed a younger looking man seeming to be in some sort of discomfort. She watched curiously as he turned away, eyeing his seemingly excess amount of clothing. Is he overheating or something? She glanced around to see if anyone else near him had noticed and would help him, hoping that she wouldn't need to disturb the service if some action was required on her part. Catelyn noticed Rewalt pausing as he saw the young man, and recognized a strange look of concern in his eyes before suddenly the church erupted into chaos as the figure from her nightmares appeared atop Cyne's coffin. She watched as it spoke once more, delivering a similar message to the one she had received the night before. He seems almost pained to be forced to do this... That woman, whoever she may be, is controlling this man. Perhaps his visit last night was a plea for help? Benito's cry in the guttural tongue jolted her from her thoughts and she looked to the twins, who Ander and Tyrius seemed intent on protecting. She hesitated for a moment before speaking to the two men. "Keep the twins safe. The creature may appear to be gone, but gods know if that is truly the case." Hearing Virra's attempts to calm the crowd, Catelyn clutched her holy symbol tighter around her hand before speaking calmly in a shockingly loud voice for the small cleric. "Everyone, calm yourselves! The threat has passed for now, but hysteria will only create its own issues!"
 
Ander was uncomfortable throughout the carriage ride, both because of it's cramped quarters and because of his general preference for walking. He tried to remain stern throughout the ride, showing his respect to the parents, but he would occasionally make faces at the children when their parents weren't looking. He stuck to the children like glue the entire time they were at the funeral.

Upon witnessing the undead creature addressing the crowd, Ander stepped forward, blocking both children as he lifted his hand to the hilt of his sword. As quickly as it had appeared, the monster vanished, and Ander heard Cate yelling for him to get the kids away. He looked to Sidwae and Anthol and shouted, **"I will protect them with my life."**

He lifted Joane up and directed Tyrius to grab Robern's hand and follow him. Knowing the basic layout of a temple, Ander quickly found the quarters of the acolytes and set the children on a bed in corner of the room. He drew his sword and stood with them, looking to Tyrius for any ideas of what to do next.
 
Listening to the sermon in a solemn silence, Tyrius kept his head bowed forward, thinking of Cyne, thinking of how much it must be affecting Benito and his family. With his head bowed, Tyrius didn’t notice until people started gasping and he raised his head. Seeing the now familiar figure standing on the casket, Tyrius felt his blood running hot. ’Of all the times that is not on.’ Tyrius thought as he stood up, glancing over to see Sidwae and Anthol move in front of the children. Seeing Ben react with daggers, Tyrius was glad he’d thought to bring one with him after all.


Mumbling the spell for Expeditious Retreat once more, Tyrius felt the rush of magic boosting his speed as he tried to get through the crowd of people and head towards the De’Porthca’s. Hearing Ben’s command to get the children to safety, Tyrius wondered where was safe. ’If that thing would attack a funeral in broad daylight, where is safe in the whole Sinking Planes?’ Noticing that he wasn’t the only person to be moving towards the children, Tyrius was glad that Ander was moving to assist as well. Grabbing Robern’s hand, Tyrius called out, mostly addressing Robern, Anthol and Sidwae.

”Don’t worry, we’re going to do the same thing we did last night.” Tyrius said. Following Ander with Robern in tow, Tyrius heard Cate’s voice ringing out as he found himself in what he assumed were sleeping quarters. With the children sat on the bed, Tyrius knelt down and retrieved the dagger from his boot. Looking to Ander, then to Robern and Joane, Tyrius said, ”Don’t worry, we’re going to keep you safe. Just like last night. Only this time, your mom and dad are awake.” Looking to Ander, Tyrius said ”Any idea if that thing is truly gone again or if its hiding, Ander?”

’I’ve half a mind to fire off Detect Magic right now, but then this is a temple,’ Tyrius thought to himself, ’Chances are there’s plenty of benign magic items around here. Should save my spells in case I need to use force to protect Joane and Robern.’
 
Kelemvor Temple:

The crowd in the back started to flee from the scene, pushing the doors open and ignoring the acolytes while the Families stood their ground as Rewalt tried to recover himself. Reaching to a holy symbol hanging from his neck he turned towards those that had stayed, and spoke in Celestial, "Kelemvor, guide them!" a wave of coldness moved out from him, yet at the same time it was comforting before his hand slapped the pulpit, "Acolytes! Calm the guests, help any who have been injured from others," he looked towards the others who were closer to him, "Scour the temple -- make sure it is not merely hiding elsewhere somehow." He looked appreciatively towards Cate and Vira as they attempted to help calm the crowd while he moved to the younger acolyte from before.

As Benito opened the casket, he first saw the body of Cyne, looking peaceful in his rest, dressed similarly to what Anthol himself wore currently -- darkly dyed dock worker clothing, however a De'Porthca pin was placed on his chest, along with a scrap of sail from a ship, wood from a deck, and a folded flag with the De'Porthca crest. Being brothers their features were similar, the black hair of the De'Porthca line, Cyne had kept his fairly short to keep it out of the way, his build thinner given he had stuck more to deskwork and walking the harbor than his brother who favored the archery ranges. However, as he looked, water began to flow into the casket from below, soon covering Cyne's body -- then as if the bottom dropped out of the casket, the body disappeared into the casket and the depths that now sat within it, the water remaining inside, salty with the De'Porthca pin resting on the bottom, the fabric and wood floating along the top of the now body-less casket.
 
As Benito watched his brother's body sink. "He's.... he's gone. He sunk. Virra... he sunk. Virra?" He searched his own mind for a response, he didn't know how the whole thing worked exactly, but he didn't know what to do next. Why wasn't there a reply? He stared into the abyss, his brother's body gone. "We were foolish to wait. I was wrong. Lets go speak with the Sea."

He stared a moment longer into the deep nothing before pressing a hand inside to feel the bottom, though he couldn't see it. Removing his hand he grabbed his shirt and shook it, "Dry." Ben turned around and approached the chaotic crowd, acolytes ushering people here and there. He approached his father, "We need to clear that warehouse, I intend to speak with the Sea." He glanced at Sidwae before passing her to speak with Malia Defallian, "Mel, tell me you're ready. We need to end this."
 
Eliza had prepared herself for the glances and mutters that she felt followed her whenever she walked in public. She was not prepared for the appearance of this creature there.

Feeling shocked and overwhelmed at the gall of the creature to attack in broad daylight, she sat there stunned. Seeing Ben broke her out of it and she started to move towards him noticable limping now. “None of the other nobles mentioned this happening at their funerals!”

She reached the casket and steeled herself to check the dead body, the idea turning her insides to jelly, but findin it empty. “None of them definitely mentioned that happening!”
 
Having helped to calm the crowd, Catelyn turned to see how else she could help when she saw Benito in a cold fury. Hearing what he intended to do, she quickly caught up to him and tugged on his arm, looking up at him in concern. “Benito, please. I am so sorry for what has just happened, but I need you to understand something before you do anything else.” Catelyn took a deep breath, knowing that Benito would not be pleased to hear what she had to say next before lowering her voice. “I do not think that Lestone is our enemy. I have reason to believe he is suffering as much as those he has been forced to attack.”
 
"The Sea wants its due, it's time we learned what that was. Whether Lestone is an enemy or not, he certainly is not our friend. Unless he's told you how to end this?"
 
With the crowd beginning to settle, Virra could focus on the messages that Ben was sending her way. It probably said something that her immediate reaction was to worry for Ben's grasp on reality. It was just seawater, she thought about sending back. Snap out of it. Naturally, the first thing she went to investigate when she got free of her seat was the lidless casket, right alongside Eliza. With the noosphere's guidance she managed to haul herself up to its edge, only to be greeted by the depths of the ocean. Or something approximating that. No body, just its accoutrements soaking inside.

Without knowing why she did it, Virra lowered her hand inside and let the De'Porthca pin float into it. Then she slipped it into her pocket and turned to speak to Ben -- who she saw was already approaching Lady Malia. Why can't he sit still? she thought with some irritation, though she knew the answer to that question. She slid off the side of the casket and made her way over to the small gathering just in time to catch what Cate was saying. She caught the name Lestone, and some of the context it was spoken in.

She stopped to breathe. Too much to take in. Too much to get done. Is this what it's like for you, mama? Steeling herself, Virra moved around to Benito's other side and gave him what she hoped, in her inexperience, was a serious look. "Ben, Cate's right. I don't know how Lestone factors into this, but try to slow down for a moment and think." She hoped he wouldn't call her a hypocrite, though she probably deserved it. "We can talk about this outside the temple at least, right? Once we've made sure your family are safe?" she added, a little pointedly.
 
Catelyn knew that Virra was probably right that the conversation should wait, but felt an intense urge to confess to everything she had learned the night before. “I am not saying that you are wrong, Benito, but you need to understand the situation. Last night, I had another of my... nightmares. However, this time it was different. It went on to show me a conversation between the creature we believe to be Lestone and a woman... something powerful and primordial. If this entity is involved in Malia's ritual, I would fear for her safety. She sounded chaotic and dangerous like the sea itself. Regardless, the entity taunted Lestone about how she owned him, and then I awoke... to see him in the room with me."

Catelyn looked away for a moment, ashamed to admit that she had been powerless to prevent him from being near to Benito's siblings. She finally looked back to him. "Benito, he did not seem to be a man out for vengeance. He seemed pained to have to serve this entity. I believe that Lestone would be willing to become an ally of ours if his bonds were to be broken, and that Ilmater wishes me to end his suffering as well." Catelyn swallowed, her last sentence sounding far more ominous than she had intended. "I do not mean to question your judgement, nor to lecture you at a time like this, but this situation is too complicated to simply act on impulse."
 
Ben turned from Malia back toward Cate and Virra. "My family will not be safe... none of the families will be safe until this is over or we're dead. Even in death we may end up indentured to some creature like Lestone. What if Cyne comes and leads Robern into the Sea tonight?" He looks Cate in the eyes, "Tell me, do you have a way to contact Lestone? Can you break his bonds? Will you be the one to save him from his suffering so he can save us from the Sea?" There was a mixture of fear and anger in him that overflowed, "Unless you have a better solution, this seems the only way forward. Lady Defallian is the only one who can summon the elemental to speak with the Sea. There are no more answers - the registry was useless; Lizy spent all day with it and learned nothing. The map was useless; Virra sought Lestone and found him in a place none of us can follow. The rumors were little more than scary stories I heard as a child. The only thing we learned yesterday is that there is a very real debt, a debt of land and we've encroached and now nobles are dying. What would you have me do?!" He took a sharp breath as he realized how agitated he was and tried to calm himself finishing nearly in a whisper, "We've no where left to turn."
 
Eliza was struck speechless at Ben’s words. Holding back tears she was glad she planned on leaving that day, even Ben agreed she was useless.

“This is not something to be rash about. Give some thought to what Cate and Vira are asking you to do.” Eliza tried to ignore the open casket nearby. “They aren’t advising inaction, merely caution.”

Sneaking one look at the horrible void, she cast identify, covering the casket with a golden fog.
 
"What she said," Virra chimed in again, nodding to Eliza. She and Catelyn probably had a much better chance of calming Ben down than Virra did, though that didn't mean she couldn't try too. "You know I agree with you, right? If we can contact the sea, I think we should do it. But Cate clearly knows things we don't, and this is a heck of a lot to drop on Malia right after what just happened. So let's just -- calm down and talk about it."

She gave Malia a wry smile. "Sorry for airing all of this in front of you, miss."
 
Catelyn was silent but met Benito’s gaze unwaveringly as he exploded at her, her face expressionless for once. “You need to think with your head rather than your quiver if you wish for your family to survive this. This entity is far more powerful than we are, and is not going to be easy to deal with. If you attempt to negotiate with your current mindset, I have little doubt that things will only grow worse.” Her expression softened to her usual demeanor. “You are a smart man, Benito, but your intellect is meaningless if you cloud your thoughts with rage. When fighting against the insurmountable, it is only by understanding the enemy that they can be defeated.”
 
Kelemvor Temple:

Anthol had been moving to follow Ander and Tyrius with the children when he heard Ben's words, catching Ben's glance toward Sidwae before giving a short nod, "I'll ... I'll get men working on it." He squeezed Sidwae's hand for a moment before continuing off to the room he'd seen the two men go. Sidwae herself moved to the casket, slowly and stiffly as she looked in, eventually joined by Aniris, the wife of Enol Accmour.

Malia flinched slightly at the tone in Ben's voice, she and Rich watched the conversation go back and forth for a moment while Odith moved away with Kecei to gather Ellas and speak with Enol, the Tahyrst family still kept gathered together as they discussed amongst themselves. Rich placed a hand on his sister's shoulder as he frowned, still looking as though he was barely upright, "Sounds like there's a lot I've been missing while in the Plains." He looked down towards Malia, "What's this about 'speaking' with the 'Sea'?"

She sighed, "Lord Benito believes ... the deaths that have plagued us these past few months are tied to a debt with the Sea -- I offered a ... ritual spell I'd found." Malia idly scratched her head, "Water's a primordial thing right? So ... an elemental should be able to speak on our behalf right?"

This time Rich sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes, "You and your books ..."

Crossing her arms for a moment she continued, looking between the small group gathered, "I did manage to sort the rest of the ritual out, the cost is surprisingly simple: water and sand, of which we have plenty along the shore." Malia glanced around the temple, frowning at the water still pooling on the stone floor, "I ... we could probably do it today if you really wanted to, I'd need to get my things though. It'll still be dangerous -- summoning and conjuring always is."

As Malia finished speaking, Rewalt approached, a hand on the shoulder of the young acolyte from before, "Is everyone well? No one's injured?" He sighed as he spun the chain of his holy symbol between his fingers, "I'm ashamed such a thing happened within this temple -- especially a temple of Kelemvor."

Elsewhere, Anthol opened the door to the acolytes room slowly, calling out, "Joane? Robern? Is this where you ended up?" He peered into the room, seeing Tyrius and Ander ready to strike, with the twins peeking out behind them. Sighing in relief he entered the room, "I believe the danger has passed for now -- though I worry what my son has in mind next."
 
Ander breathed a sigh of releaf, "I haven't sensed anything, either, Sir." He looked to the children and patted each one on the head before motioning them to their father. He allowed them to leave the room with Anthol, but he never let them out of his sight. "What's Benito planning?" Ander spoke up as they exited the room, "Eh, it doesn't matter, I'm in this 'til the end, now." He thought back to the undead creature once more and his skin crawled. I don't care what that once was, it's causing death and panic now, which means it needs to be put down.
 
Benito shook his head. "Not today Lady Defallian; my companions believe I act too impulsively." He looked to Richeye and extended a hand, "Lord Richeye Defallian, please allow me to introduce Catelyn, Priestess of Illmater, Virra Nickeltooth of Chilldrift, and Eliza Carabelli also of Chilldrift. If you would please pass word along to my father that I'm rash and impulsive and do not know what I'm talking about."

Ben didn't want to fight, he was tired and out numbered. He let out a shallow breath, "I need time. Do not follow me." He turned to Rewalt, locked eyes for a moment and headed off to warm the catacombs without a word.

Descending the stairs, Benito removed a torch of continual flame from the brazier and held it aloft, waiting for an acolyte to guide him.
 
Kelemvor Temple | Catacombs:

A few moments after Benito had entered, footsteps approached from behind him. Glancing back he saw the redhaired acolyte from before who bowed slightly, "Uhm ... Head Priest Rewalt told me to guide you down here. He said you'd probably be going to visit ... family." The boy seemed a little hesitant, as if unsure what to say with the current mood Benito was in. Focusing for a moment he tapped the holy symbol that hung from his neck which began to glow brightly as he moved ahead of Benito, "You can carry the torch if you like, or we can use my light. Either way, stay close -- er," he paused, "I mean, you likely know the way but, it's -- a maze down here. We have to check it constantly because, well ... Kelemvor ... undead, so I know how to get around easily." He glanced towards Benito before looking down and muttering to himself then moved on, leading Ben down into the catacombs, dug out over the years downward thanks to the skills of the Tahyrsts. Most of the deceased were cremated, families couldn't afford to own a resting place in the catacombs -- those that could, when payments ended, the deceased were cremated as well to save on space.

Sounds echoed in the dark of the stone halls and passageways, even with the torch it was difficult to see for Ben yet the acolyte seemed to maneuver easily -- be it from his own light source or merely memory it was hard to tell.

Eventually the acolyte paused at an entryway, glancing upwards before looking over his shoulder to Benito, "This is where the De'Porthcas are entombed." Above the doorway, the crest was visible, along with the family motto. He moved to the side to allow Ben entry first, unsure where to place himself for the moment.
 
Tyrius smiled as he saw Anthol come into the room. Letting the children go to their father, Tyrius listened to Ander as he followed alongside the holy man.

"I'm with Ander on this Master Anthol, I'm with you as long as it takes." Tyrius said, slipping the dagger back into his boot.
 
"That's not what we're saying --" Virra began, biting her lip as Benito turned away and headed for some other room. At least he was going to take some time to get his thoughts together, and it looked like Rewalt's acolyte was going after him, so he wouldn't be completely alone. Maybe all of them could do with getting their thoughts together.

"So," she said, tempering her voice in case she sounded a little too chirpy for the circumstances, "I think all of us are going off less information than we'd like. Cate, if there's anything else you know about Lestone and how he's related to what's going on, could you tell us? And Lady Malia, if you could tell us more about how your ritual works, that'd be helpful too. How would this water elemental speak to the Sea, and how could we communicate through it? And, well, it'd be nice for us non-magic types to hear what the dangers are as well." She drifted closer to Eliza and Catelyn as she spoke, though she was too preoccupied with what she was saying out loud to fire off any telepathic messages. As much as she tried not to care, Virra didn't want to embarrass herself in front of two unfamiliar nobles and the Head Priest of Kelemvor. Not when they could help the investigation.
 
"It's my mother."

Benito quietly followed the acolyte forward carrying the torch. He didn't mind the dark, but it was far too easy to get lost without something to guide him. As the arrived at the familiar crest, his head bowed. "Come in or wait here, doesn't matter to me." He slid passed the acolyte and moved down toward the familiar plaque guarding the ashes of Elean.

Ben placed the torch in the sconce along the wall, the light danced across the simple carved stone.

Elean De'Porthca, Ben's hand ran across the stone he'd worn smooth. "I'm lost." He dropped to his knees and bowed his head. "Cyne's gone... Couldn't even save his body, let alone his life."

Tears fell from his face, he made no effort to stop them or conceal it, "He drowned, but I feel like I'm the one who's drowning. I'm overwhelmed. So much is expected of me... So much." He sobbed lightly, "I miss you."
 
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