Chapter 1: The Body

Aldezar continued to sip his drink quietly, keeping an eye out for anyone in the room who might take notice of the meeting, which as far as he could tell was going well. Zirah and Lunori were more persuasive than he was, so he was content to let them speak with the man.

Zirah again lowers her voice. "Of course. My apologies."

"I am Zirah El-Hadid, a sorceress and... well, a bit of a socialite, though not in a bad way I assure you. And perhaps Lunori needs no introduction." Zirah gestures towards the bard. "We have others with us, though they are not immediately available for comment, and they are as interested as we are in this proposition. You may meet them later, though for now, we are trying to keep our hand guarded from the prying eyes of others."

Zirah looks around the room, trying not to act conspiratorially.

Breg finishes his ale, rises from the table, and sashays around the tavern. Looking for interesting characters, particularly with regards to tattoos abd other markings.

Lunori's tail swishes gracefully as he considers Andolphus's words. With a melodious lilt to his voice, he addresses the nobleman:

"Fret not about a reward, for our hearts are already entwined in this quest. Now that we know the victim, we shall endeavor with all our might to see his body returned to your family for a proper and dignified farewell. Such rites are of great importance, and we shall see them honored.

As for the fights, I had already planned to attend, to gather whispers and secrets about these nefarious knaves. But, pray, enlighten me with what you know of the house owners. Are they well-connected lords and ladies, or merely common folk cloaked in pretense?"

Lunori's eyes gleam with both curiosity and resolve, his bardic nature compelling him to seek out the truth and weave justice through the melody of his actions. The air is thick with the scent of intrigue, and the catfolk bard is poised to pounce upon any clue that may lead them closer to the heart of the mystery.

Breg wanders up to the bar.
Barkeep…another ale. Tell me, where might I find a fighting pit, wherein I might earn some coin and prove my mettle to the petty noble types?

What had he gotten himself wrapped up in. Eril sat and finished the last of his pint, he was drinking in the middle of the day, watching others he hardly knew try to get information about a random murder they had stumbled upon. Nonetheless he felt this was where he was needed, though he doubted his father ever sat idly by in a tavern waiting for adventure to come to him. By Adhelmus Oxda's sextant he needed to find his own path.

Eril stood and walked up behind Breg at the bar just as the Barkeep shrugged off Breg's question. "Maybe you might know more if you didn't have to worry as much about the lightness of your till?" he slid a goin coin onto the bar from his coin pouch.

Lunori nods his head, his eyes filled with determination. In a hushed, melodic voice, he responds:

"Thank you for the information. We shall look into it. I will meet you here tomorrow to inform you of our findings."

Lunori pauses, his whiskers twitching as a thought suddenly strikes him.

"Could we ask you to let us roam through your late brother's belongings? Perhaps we could uncover some information to better understand the situation. I know it is not easy for you, and I wouldn't ask if I were certain there was nothing to find."

Lunori nod his head showing his agreement.

Breg finishes his ale, then readies himself to go to the barracks.

Lunori nods with a grateful smile, his whiskers twitching with appreciation as he rises to his feet. His eyes glimmer with determination as he addresses the informant in a soft, melodic voice.

"Thank you for your help. We shall pursue this lead with all diligence."

Turning to his friend, Lunori’s tail swishes with purpose as he speaks with quiet urgency.

"We must go to the guard barracks immediately. The answers we seek might be hidden within the possessions of the victim. Let's not delay any longer."

With a final nod to Andolphus, Lunori strides confidently towards the exit.

Zirah, who had been content to let the bard take over as the spokesperson for a while, also makes a slight curtsey to Andolphus before rejoining her companion.