On To Athrug|Athrug

[Kender Bard]

"More desert," Demon groused as they walked on the trail through Athrug. There was no road here, not really. Or if there was, it was an ancient one and all that was left was the trail they followed now. In the distance, one could see squat shapes against the horizon. Houses, perhaps? Done in a style reminiscent of Linnod--flat roofed and squat, made of stone baked from desert sands.

But for all his complaining, it was not quite as hot here as it was elsewhere in Naurorod. Gloomy clouds provided cover from the relentless sun. It looked as though it would rain any moment.

"How much do you know about Athrug?" Demon asked suddenly, curious.

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Larissa was doing her best to cover herself, but the fact that she was getting some sun burn was unavoidable and starting to show, it was uncomfortable to say the least, and made for a sore trip at times.

Larissa flinched at the sudden question. " Ummm...Outside of that fact that I will never vacation here, Next to nothing really... Why?" She asked,

[Kender Bard]

"I was mostly just wondering," Demon replied. "I know a little, outside the fact that it is the holy city of Taed. There was a battle here years and years ago that was so bloody it went down as one of the worst affairs in history. That's why they chose to erect a temple to Taed here... But that's all I know." He pointed off in the distance where a large building, pyramidal almost in shape, was beginning to emerge through the shimmering haze of the desert heat. "There, that's the temple."

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Larissa shuddered a little. "Well that makes me feel so much better about being here." She said as she rolled her eyes slightly. "So you think there is one head hancho we should ask, or just walk around and see what we can see before we question people?" She asked.

[Kender Bard]

"Well obviously the High Priest of Taed would be in charge," Demon replied. "I don't know if we'll get to talk to him or not. We can certainly try."

The temple proper was an impressive sight; made of the same sand-baked stone that the structures in Linnod were compromised of, the temple stretched upward into a flat-topped pyramid, each level providing a step. There was a large entrance at the ground level but there was also another, smaller one near the top.

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Larissa nodded. " Might as well start high on the good chain and work our way down." She agreed and whistled at the sight of the temple. "You have any idea where to find him or are we going to have to go asking around?" She asked. This was a first for her.

[Kender Bard]

"I have no idea," Demon replied. "I've never been to Athrug before, to be honest. Perhaps I should have made the effort. Taed is sort of the patron Force of merchants in death, isn't he?" He considered the two entrances. "Want to go through here?" He gestured to the nearest door. "Or do you feel like climbing all the way up there to the small one?"

[Deleted]

Larissa huffed and smoothed her hair. "I'm not about go climbing. If you want to go for it, I'll just take the direct route. " And headed for and into the front door.
She looked around for any sort of sign as to where the Priest was, or if she was going to have to ask someone.

[Kender Bard]

"I'm not climbing," Demon protested and followed Larissa inside the temple proper.

It was much darker inside, the place lit by sparsely spread out torches and candles, though there were areas where the light pooled to make a brighter space. However, it was almost much cooler. Demon was surprised by how much; it felt almost as though the stones were pulling the excess heat out of his body. He gave a small sigh of relief.

The place was not overly busy though there were a couple people they could speak to. One was a young man who was running a hand over a column with a critical eye and the other was a woman who strolled by at a leisurely pace, her gaze unfocused. Both wore the robes of Taedean priests.

[Deleted]

Larissa stepped up to the woman. "Excuse me." She said. "I was hoping you might be willing to answer a few questions?" She asked politely. She wasn't sure what protocol was like around here so she hoped she wasn't stepping on toes.

[Kender Bard]

The woman paused and nodded to Larissa. In a soft voice, she said, "Of course. And welcome to Athrug. I'll answer to the best of my ability."

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Larissa blinked a little in surprise. For some reason, she hadn't expected such a nice greeting. "Uhhh Well Thank you. I was wondering if could tell me about any strange unexplained deaths recently, as in the last 5 months or so?" She asked. "Small puncture wounds, like a scorpion, but not made from a scorpion?" She asked hoping by all the Forces this woman didn't think she was nuts.

[Kender Bard]

The woman bowed her head slightly, brow furrowed, then slowly shook her head. "Off the top of my head, no. But handling the dead is not really my duty in the temple. That goes to specific other priests. If you like, I could take you to meet with the head of our funeral services. He's a busy man but I'm certain he'll be able to spare time to answer questions."

"Are we going to be around a bunch of dead bodies then?" Demon asked.

The woman smiled slightly, almost mocking. "Do the dead frighten you, sir?"

Demon scowled. "No. I'm just concerned about the smell. This is a desert after all, and even if it's cooler in here than it is outside, it doesn't take a creative imagination to picture how a whole heap of dead bodies is going to smell."

The woman's smile didn't waver. She seemed greatly amused. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Follow me."

The woman headed towards a set of stairs cut into the stone of the building which actually descended deeper into the earth, underground. And the farther they went, the cooler it became. She led them into a room with six rock slabs, a body on three of them. The place was downright chilly. Demon marveled as he saw his own breath misting and he shivered. "What the...?"

"Any priest with an Ice sign is assigned to work in this room," the priestess explained, grinning.

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Larissa heaved a sigh of relief. The cold was such a welcomed change from the heat of the desert. "How ever cleaver." she marveled looking around. She looked at the bodies from afar, not wanting to get up close and personal, she didn't know them nor did she want to accidentally offend someone. So now she patiently waited for be introduced to head of the funeral services.

[Kender Bard]

The priestess left them to step into a side room and returned with a man who was either of Naurite descent or had spent a very long time in the desert land. He was dark skinned and had long, braided auburn hair. A pair of spectacles perched on the tip of his nose, which he pushed up as he approached the two. "You had some question about some bodies, I hear."