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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 2727459" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 492Arun knelt beside the body, covered in a dark cloak that seemed an amorphous gray in the weak light.  Even before he drew back the covering, he knew what he would find; he’d grown accustomed to the feeling of death.The victim was a young man, in his early twenties by the look of him, with the stubble of several days on his cheeks and his raven hair flying unkept around his head.  The cause of death was instantly apparent; there was an obvious dent where his skull had been bashed in.  There was very little blood, but it was likely he had been killed instantly by the blow. Droplets of water fell around them.  A light rain had started up on their walk across the town to this place, and the remnants of the roof of the ruined building provided only a nominal protection against the elements.  In addition to the omnipresent mustiness there were other odors that suggested that a number of people had called the partially-collapsed warehouse as a home. “There were no signs of the other residents?” Arun asked. The Watch sergeant hovering behind him shook his head, then belatedly realized that Arun couldn’t see him.  “No, sir.  The witnesses we talked to said they heard sounds of a struggle; one old woman who’s been staying in another of these condemned shells nearby said she saw some shadowy figures heading out into the night, toward the chasm, but couldn’t provide any details.  She and the other witnesses have been taken to the town hall for statements; if you like I can have them made available to you.” Arun nodded, but for now they needed to see if anything could be found here.  It would not be easy; the wet, booted feet of the guardsmen who’d initially come upon the scene had obliviated any tracks, and it was highly unlikely that whoever had been behind this attack would have lingered long enough for their trace to be discovered.  Arun could sense an echo of Taint, a memory of the dark deeds done here this night, but it was not strong enough to provide direction of where the assailants had left. “You let your people live in such conditions?” Umbar growled. “We have been doing everything we can to relocate people into appropriate housing, and get damaged structures restored to a status safe enough for occupation,” Beorna responded quickly.  “We’ve marked condemned buildings, but without posting guards, it’s almost impossible to keep people out of the shells.”“Human civilization,” Umbar muttered.  Arun saw Beorna tense at the implied challenge of the statement, and quickly rose, hoping to forestall this exchange.  The cleric’s presence had been the result of a compromise.  When they’d gotten the news of the attack, Umbar had not be insensitive to Arun’s desire to investigate, but he’d insisted upon accompanying him.  Arun had gotten the impression that the priest of Moradin was not going to let him out of his sight until the date of his hearing.  His other companions had not been pleased with that decision; the dark clouds brewing in Beorna’s expression, combined with the utter impossibility of Hodge restraining himself from saying exactly what he thought of the matter, made collectively for an explosive situation.  Now all he needed was for a clash between the cleric of Moradin, Beorna, and the harried members of the Watch. “Inquisitor, can your spells reveal anything of use from the victim?” The cleric glanced down at the battered corpse, the victim’s eyes staring sightlessly up into the air.  He shook his head.  “I do not have that blessing prepared.  Perhaps on the morrow.”  His expression indicated his feelings about the prospect of using his gifts to communicate with the spirit of a murdered human.  Arun ignored that, and turned as Hodge came over to him, holding something. “Found it in a pile of rubble, near the back door,” he said.  He held out the object.  In the flickering light of the hooded lanterns of the Watch it was just a vague oblong, but the dwarves had darkvision, and could pierce the deep shadows.  Umbar, who’d come up behind Arun, hissed in a surprised breath as he saw the item: a long dagger with a curving blade.  “Drow!” he exclaimed, recognizing the craftsmanship of the weapon.The guardsmen exchanged a few nervous looks. “Aye,” Hodge said.  “Hasn’t seen a whetstone in a while, though.”“There are entrances to the Underdark beneath the city,” Arun said.  He knew of one in particular, a dark tunnel in the Malachite Fortress, a place that was not associated with good memories. “I thought those had been closed,” Beorna said.  “Those we know of… or perhaps the quakes might have opened another access point,” Arun said.    “You think dark elves are behind this, ser?” the sergeant asked. Arun shook his head.  “Doesn’t fit with what the witnesses reported… and it just doesn’t sound right, not for drow.”“The dark elves wouldn’t bother with abducting a few thugs,” Umbar agreed. “Have there been any other people reported missing in this neighborhood?” Arun asked the sergeant. “Not that I’m aware of, ser.”“Has there been anything else unusual here, in the last tenday or so, that you recall?”“Well… we’d heard a few rumors—nothing concrete, mind you—of something creepin’ around these ruins.  Kinda put it off to spooks, folks uneasy, you know?  We’d been walkin’ these streets as part’a our patrols, ‘long with your Hammers, we hadn’t seen nothin’ unusual.  Cleared some folks out who waren’t s’posed to be there, unsafe buildin’s, an’ all.”Arun wore his heavy armor, but a blank tabard covered the sigil etched in his breastplate, another result of the compromise he’d reached with the inquisitor of Moradin. “It could just be a clash between rival gangs, ser,” the sergeant suggested.  “They say that there’s a few lingering elements of the Last Laugh left in the city, fighting over the scraps of their organization.”Arun nodded, but his own information, imparted by Mole, belied that possibility.  And his gut felt something… wrong, here.  As if a murder on a stormy night could ever be “right”.  “Whoever did this, they be long gone, like as not,” Hodge said.  Arun inwardly agreed, but he could not let this go without at least trying to find some clue.  In the morning, divination magic might be able to uncover more, but by then the trail of the assailants might be even colder.  He turned to the guardsmen and their sergeant.  “We’ll take a look around the neighborhood.  Our darkvision will allow us to see better without the lamps.  I want you to send two men to the Town Hall, and alert the Captain of the Watch of what’s happened here.  Tell him I want twenty men dispatched here at once.  Have the rest of your men set watches here, and wait for our return.”“Ser!” the sergeant said, saluting.  He turned to offer orders to his men, while Arun turned to the other dwarves. “We’ll get more done if we split up, but we should always remain within sight of at least one other at all times, in case something happens.”“You are taking command of this operation, I presume?” Umbar asked. “He’s doing what needs to be done,” Beorna snapped, but Arun laid a hand on her shoulder.  “We would appreciate your assistance, Inquisitor,” he said.  The cleric nodded.  “We should start in the direction that the assailants were last spotted heading,” he said.  Arun nodded, and the four dwarves set out into the night.</blockquote>

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