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"My mistake is the reason I'm a traveling priest! How was I to know that the Bishop's niece was off limits!" Bastian exclaims with mock indignity! "As for a drink, you can't really purchase this!" he says, holding up his flask. "There's a fine group of individuals who make the sacramental wine for our order, but on the side, they make this! Liquid Fire! White Lightning! Aqua Vitae! ......and I just realized that I had emptied my stomach before I drank this, which is never a good idea...." Bastian's eyes begin to look a little vacant and unfocused as he's talking to Angel.

Angel starts to frown, then takes the Cleric strongly around the waist, lowering him to a seat, a small smile appears on her face.
"Sit Master Cleric, yes indeed how were you to know? I have had my share of... Indiscretions." She says but does not tell any stories.

"Please, tell me of Orrs Bay?" She asks openly, her hands at her sides, hair flowing about her face.

Captain Filaris gladly accepts Bastian's bottle, drinks from it, gives a little "whoop" and passes it off to Capt. Jon, who passes it to Capt. Sigurd, who passes it on....you get the point. By the time the small flask comes back to Bastian, it has been drained completely - not even vapors are left in it.
"That's some quality hooch, holy man. Way better than the stuff I make in my own still," says Capt. Jon.

"You don't want to know about Orr's Bay, really, do you miss? You want to know about the gruesome little prize we pulled out of the sea. Am I right?" Capt. Filaris rumbles.

Angel nods "Am i that transparent?" not waiting for am answer she continues "Yes, if you wish to go straight to the point. Tell us of the body you found. As i said, we are here to help." she sips her beer not touching the Clerics brew, she was still fighting the feelings from last time.

"I wouldn't say 'transparent' kiddo. But it's way too big a coincidence that a big armed party shows up so soon after a discovery like this," the big man says. "Long story short, we pulled up the trap and our boy got snagged on it. And now everyone's got their bowels in an uproar over it.

"Kiddo?" She giggles, "It has been a few years since I have been called that." She smiles openly at the comment however.

"Yes, it is no coincidence, my employer is here to help, we are here to keep him safe, however I have some.... connection to this situation." She sits back, stretching in the chair, more because of the long ride than for effect. "So the body was Elven, correct? Dead for quite some time I presume. I would be interested to know where you found it, even more to go there...." She smiles.

"And I could show you where we found him, but there'd be nothing to see but water. You fish for crab on the sea floor. Drop the traps, let 'em soak for a bit, and come back and haul them back in. He got snagged in the tether of the trap as we were hauling it in.
"And our little prize was still fairly fresh when we found him. I mean, the sea isn't kind to the dead, you understand, so it's hard to put an exact number on it, but I'd say he was still alive and kicking a month ago."

Fraso sees an opportunity to enter the conversation, and does so, with gusto. "The good captain is correct. While the taphonomic process is generally accelerated in water, very cold or deep water can sometimes slow the process. Scavengers, like the crabs the captain mentioned, also play a prominent role."

Daos approaches and decides to interject, regardless of whether anyone wanted him to.

"I know there are some spells that can determine how long a body has been dead, what it died of, and the circumstances of its demise. I do not know them myself, but perhaps if we can acquire access to them, they could prove useful to our investigation."

"Well, most of the white meat was gone on Fil's buddy, I'll tell you that," Captain Jon interjects.

"I will say this, and no offense to your friend there: apart from the big nasty teeth, he does have a particularly elfy look about him. Tall, slim, long arms..."

"Arm, anyway," Captain Jon, again.

"...and legs. Ugly face, though. Not somebody you'd want to meet in a dark alley."

"Nice suit of armor, though." Captain Sigurd says. "Hey Fil - how about you sell me that armor to hang up on my wall?

"Mayor took it, Sig," Filaris says. "You know that."

"Well, once things calm down and hizzoner pulls his smallclothes out of his crack, maybe can talk to him about the Laws of Marine Salvage as they pertain to your prize."

"I don't know, Sig. That's bad juju, there. I don't know what I pulled off the sea floor, but the more time goes by, the more I wish I had tossed it back."

"Did this armor have any marks that you recall?" She lifts her tabard, revealing the breatplate beneath, "Did it look anything like this?"

She lowers her tabard after a minute or so, "Yes Your Mayor is due to join us I believe, I would like to see this armor, I have some.. experience with such things."

"And, I agree with my friend here, seeing the remains would be useful." She looks to Daos.

"I understand, yes this must have attracted a great deal of attention to you, and your vessel, sometimes that sort of attention is... unwelcome shall we say." she smiles again, realising her glass is empty "Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, perhaps I could get you that drink now?"

"Just your luck, Fil. First time in months a woman shows you her chest, and she's wearing armor over it!" Captain Jon's remark gets a big laugh from the assembled fishermen, including Captain Filaris, whose laughter prompts a brief outburst of coughing. When that dies down, Filaris answers the question.
"Nothing like that, lady. Nothing at all. It's a lot more fancy-shmancy, like nothing you've ever seen before, all angles and curves and decorations. Parts of it look like the fretwork on fancy furniture than protection."

Covering herself she Angel blushes quite openly, she recovers quickly however.

"Interesting, I have never heard of such a thing, armor not for protection.. " Angel sits back in the chair, sippng on her drink.

"What was it made of? Armor like that would be made of metal.. Or maybe wood."

[ooc]So, it looks like Angel is the only player right now.. hmmm.. Maybe us sorting out the email notifications might just push things along.[/ooc]

"I ain't saying the suit wasn't for protection, mind you. I was in the legions, and it looked solid as anything I ever wore back then. But it was just waaaay fancier - and it was decorated all over."

Further conversation is prevented by the return of Cabe, the barfly who was sent to the mayor's villa. He has a well-dressed teenaged boy in tow.

When the boy enters the place, all fishermen in the bar all call out his name: "Neeeeeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Clearly a ritual of theirs, meant to tease the boy.

Once the boy composes himself, he speaks to your group: "Which of you is Lucillius Frazzle?"

"Luvitius Fraso" the man says.

"Apologies, Master Luvitius. I was misinformed. His Honor the mayor will see you and your party at the his villa presently."

[OOC] Apologies - this post will be continued later. [/OOC]

"my apologies." Angel smiles again, she notes the figure entering, which she assesses as no risk. Nodding at the request she waits for her employer to act.

"The Legions claimed many, even those that wanted to be there. she frowns, looking closely at Filaris.

The boy leads the way onto the street, trailing an extended chorus of: "Neeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!" as he exits. He bears it stoically, with only a slight stiffening of his spine to indicate that he has even heard the rowdy fishermen.

Hiric excuses himself and his sister from visiting the mayor in order to see to the wagon. Papa begs off as well. He had been sitting at the bar, staring through the kitchen to the back door of the tavern, where two young ladies have been gossiping with the cook. Seeing the gleam in his eye, Angel figures Papa has again managed to spot some women of negotiable affection.

Once outside, Neeri is more openly friendly. "We’re all glad that you are here. This is a friendly town, mostly. Folk here are not trouble-makers. But something like this causes trouble on its own.”

The trip to the villa is fairly quick. It stands on the south side of town, across the river on the rocky peninsula that rises high above the sea. The villa itself is old – certainly pre-war – and has seen better days, but is in good condition considering the local climate and its distance from the skilled artisans and specialized building materials available in the cities. The central courtyard around which the house is arranged is well landscaped, with the north wall dominated by a large espalier pear tree.

Neeri bids you wait in the courtyard, and indicated some stone benches where you might take your ease. Servants await with cups and a pitcher of water.

A few minutes after your arrival, the master of the house enters the courtyard. He is slightly shorter than average, but wide of shoulder. He wears a burgundy tunic with dark blue trim, and quite a bit of jewelry. He also wears a baldric, but no sword. “Greetings, friends. I am Sertulius Culla. I welcome you to my house.
“I have sent word to our elven neighbors, inviting them to attend our meeting, but Tion has not yet replied.”

Fraso nods to the mayor and replies: “Master Sertulius, my lord, Diotus, sends regards and tells me lend you my assistance.”

“Then let us discuss the matter. Sit with me.”

The two sit beneath the pear tree, and a light meal is brought to them, while bread and fruit are brought for the rest of you. The two converse in earnest for a while, with Fraso doing progressively more of the talking. After five minutes, Culla looks bored. After fifteen he looks desperate to get out of the conversation.

From what you can overhear, the story related to Fraso is the same you’ve already heard: Captain Filaris accidentally dragged the corpse up from the bottom of the sea, its ornate armor snagged on one of his crab traps. The bizarre appearance of the corpse then spawned rumors that it was an elf that had dabbled in dark magic. Nobody could say where the idea that said magic was an attempt at becoming a lich, but once the thought of an elf, already blessed with a long life span, would attempt to live even longer entered the equation, the buzz turned angry.

An eternity into Fraso droning on about some minor point, Culla jumps on an off-hand statement about examining the body and uses that to redirect the conversation, suggesting that Fraso examine the body immediately, and offering to show him where it is stored. The place is small and cramped, and although there is no reason your entire group cannot see the body, only a small number can view it at any one time.

[OOC] Who, besides Fraso, will be in the first group?[/OOC]