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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1070790" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 24Morgan reacted swiftly, his mace darting up into a ready position, his other hand holding firm to the arm of the skulk.  Arun, too, lifted his hammer, his eyes narrowing as he regarded the newcomers.  “Peace,” the blue-eyed man said to them.  “We are not enemies.”  Their posture, however, was that of cats waiting to spring, either to attack or flee, and their hands did not wander far from the hilts of the swords at their belts.   Zenna, who’d been peering at the face beneath the cowl, stepped forward.  “You’re that elf we saw earlier, coming out of this place,” she said.  “Half-elf, actually,” the man said, drawing back his hood to clearly reveal his angular features and ears that rose to narrow points.  “Though I’ve often heard that I favor my father.”“Who are you?” Morgan demanded.The half-elf offered a slight bow.  “I am Fellian Shard, and my companion, here, is Fario Ellegoth.”Jenya stepped forward, making a slight gesture toward Morgan that was intended to be placating.  “I am Jenya Urikas, cleric of Helm,” she said to them.  Fellian nodded.  “I know who you are, Lady, and your companions as well.”“Oh?” Mole asked.  “How is it that you know us, and we’ve never seen you before?  Other than earlier today, that is.”“Yes, perhaps you’d better start with the answers, elf,” Arun growled, still not having lowered his hefty warhammer. Fario’s expression darkened, but Fellian shot him a glance, and the man subsided.  “I confess that we have been monitoring your progress,” Fellian said.  “We share the same goals, I suspect... we, too, are investigating the disappearances, and are interested in bringing the perpetuators of these crimes to justice.  We observed your visit to the orphanage, and obviously drew the same conclusions that led you to Ghelve.  You apparently had better success in ferreting out the truth than we did, however,” he said, including his head slightly toward the skulk prisoner. “I don’t like sneaks,” Arun said, and Ruphos added, “Why didn’t you just make yourselves known to us?”“I apologize for our secrecy, but we are outsiders here, and were not certain who we could trust.”“What is your interest in this, if I might ask?” Zenna asked.“A friend of ours was among those taken,” Fario said.  “A wizard named Elethor Ashstaff.”Jenya nodded.  “I know of him.  A fine man, he sometimes performed feats of magic at parties for the children of the leading families of the city.  He disappeared just over two tendays ago.”Both half-elves nodded.  “Our investigations were not fruitful, until we started observing you,” Fellian said.  “Now that you have uncovered who is behind this, we would aid you, and perhaps find our comrade,” Fario added.“And we should trust you why, exactly?” Morgan said, at the same moment that Arun grumbled, “I don’t trust either of...”  The two men looked at each other, their expressions suggesting that they were surprised and not entirely pleased at being in such close agreement on any matter, let alone this one. “Trust is something that must be earned, not casually granted,” Fellian said.  “But from what you said earlier, I suspect that you could use our aid.”“Perhaps... if you would allow me to cast a spell, to help discern the purity of your motivations?” Jenya suggested.  The two half-elves shared a look, but finally Fellian nodded.  Jenya held aloft the silver symbol of her goddess, calling upon Helm’s divine might.  She closed her eyes, her lips moving soundlessly, and then fixed her stare firmly on both Fellian and Fario for a long minute.  Neither half-elf flinched at her scrutiny, and finally she nodded.  “I sense no evil about them,” she said.  She turned to Ruphos.  “But this is your mission, and I leave it to you to make the final decision.”Ruphos looked around at his companions, gauging their feelings.  Finally he said, “Very well, you may come with us.”   “Let’s get moving, we’ve wasted enough time here,” Arun growled, turning back toward the secret door. And so the companions, now numbering six, returned to Jzadirune.</blockquote>

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