Chapter 2: Into the Cage

Ebb Creakknees leans back on his chair as he gets comfortable to answer Wickari's question with another long rant. "The Harmonium are indeed the City Watch of the City of Doors, but we are so much than just that. Watching over the city, upholding law and stamping out crime is but a service we provide to the Cage, as do most Factions, which in turn is an expression of out philosophy. What philosophy is that, you're preparing to ask. Why, law and order of course. A perfect society, much like those in the Higher Plane of Arcadia. Those 'dungeon guards' you mentioned would be the Mercykillers. They run the Prison and those two you were talking to earlier were probably back from their shift there. They're all about dispensing justice; the Harmonium is about preventing injustice in the first place."

Xana' question derails the old man's train of thought, but he quickly gets the momentum back as he answers her question. "That is not an invalid question, young lady, but it is indeed one a Clueless would make. You see, the Dustmen seek to achieve what they call 'True Death'. If you think they're odd, that's because they eschew emotion in order to reach a state of utter detachment and apathy. To them, emotions anchor one onto existence and prevent achieving True Death, much like an unfinished task or tragic death anchors one's spirit like a ghost and stops it from moving on. Sending in someone to speed up the process would make them greedy and impatient, so they'd rather sit back and wait for things to take whatever course they're meant to anyway. That's also why they pay up the coin upon signing, though the truth is immediate payment does provide a strong incentive for poor sods to sign the thing in the first place. Now, for a third party... I guess someone could do that, yes, but they'd only get away with whatever coin the poor sod was given to sign the Contract; Dustmen wouldn't bother to reward such an act. I mean, their beliefs aside, this would make them instigators to murder and the Lady would not stand for such a thing!"

"Why, by patrolling the streets and preventing crime, of course! Within City limits, arrested folk are trialed by the Fraternity of Order judges and the Red Death carry out the sentence. Outside the Cage though, that's another story. We do carry the worst cases to a settlement in Arcadia though, provided they're redeemable. Let some of that Plane's goodness rub off them" he concludes with a proud smile.

"Aye. The don't call me Creakknees for nothing, young man. Can't move around a lot, but I've grown to enjoy this place anyway."

It's been a long... day, or whatever it's been since you last remember, but falling asleep still isn't easy. Your brain is restless, trying to process everything it's taken in and even once the darkness finally comes, your dreams are weird and alien. When you wake up again, you don't exactly feel properly rested, but come to think of it, you never really did feel tired in the first place.

After collecting yourselves and having some breakfast, you hit the streets and return to the haunting building of the Mortuary. The surrounding area is mildly alive with a fair amount of petty commercial activity of street vendors peddling their wares and ragmen begging for cash, but once you get to the Mortuary itself, things are deadly silent. Not a single soul is around, besides the guards of the black gate.

You are led to a somber woman of middle age in simple grey robes, introduced to you as Toranna. Her ashen-silver grey curly hair frame a face that seems too old for how she is, but her voice is soft and youthful. "I am told you were here last night looking for someone?"

"I see" she says with a nod. "And what would your friend's name be?"

"Yes, the description sounds familiar. I thank you for providing a name to go with it" she responds "Bodies we don't know where to send to, like most barmies and bubbers, we incinerate them in the Elemental Plane of Fire. Your friend Eliath was sent to the flames through the portal last week" she says in an emotionless, matter-of-fact manner. "If he had any personal possessions on him when he died, they were probably claimed by the Collectors who brought him in."

"I assume it would" she says uninterested. "If I remember correctly, his body was brought in by Mourner Tom's group. You should be able to find them somewhere in the Hive if you ask around"