*Gwyn, both of the priests scream for a moment more, before falling silent at the menace in your voice. It takes another few moments before another gets the courage to attempt to speak again. It sounds like he's trying to making something intelligable behind his gag. Ripping it from his mouth, the man starts to talk in broken sentences.*
"The girl, girl was... new, week or two at Shield. Saw once, dark hair, pretty. Terrel, priest, rake, saw her, took her, tried to rape her. The knights, the ones that have been killing the wicked, showed up and killed Terrel, but he hurt the girl, Larissa, pretty bad. Orshallan came, brought her back from the dead, people say. She was all ripped up like by animal claws, and her spirit drained. They found a scourge by her, but from what I heard of her wounds, it wasn't the scourge that did that to her. She kept that weapon too," he manages to gasp out.
~~~
"It's a deal Larissa," Orshallan says, then plucks out a large white napkin from his voluminous sleeves. "One good thing about these robes, I think I could hide a week's rations, a two-man tent and a donkey in them."
*The napkin protects the elaborately-decorated front of his robes, but a few crumbs spill off of it onto the lap and hem of his robes. He makes a small face of disgust at himself and starts to brush them off.*
"Ah well, I lost. But I would have been quite willing to take you along to dinner. It would be quite refreshing to have a friend to talk to over shepard's pie and ale," he says with a faintly amused smile.
~~~
*Ralam, a letter from the High Apostle arrives later that same afternoon with some short, irritated instructions to avoid shouting your condition to all and sundry. Five wizards already know of it, and while their help could be valuable, they also are not known for their compassion. The knowledge of your weakness, even for your alter-ego, could be deadly. The clerics generally keep their peace, but even then nothing can prevent them from telling their own superiors. It's a warning that most in your "faith" do not survive, but your loyal devotion has bought you some time to try to make things right... or convice the High Apostle otherwise.*
~~~
*Ralam, alter self potions are sold generally to nobles, but they are supposed to be carefully regulated by city taxes, as their illegal use is too prevalent to ignore. In practice, there's a much wider market for them. In a simple herbalist's shop called Leaf, Twig, and Branch, a place that tends to a variety of complaints with discretion, you can find three bottles of "doppleganger juice" for sale for only twenty percent above normal price.*
~~~
"I'm afraid I don't know where Larissa was staying, that's not my business. However, the girl is currently staying at the Temple of Heironeous to recover from her ordeal. I'm sure she would be happy to receive you there," Lady Felsadora says with a hint of warmth in her voice.
