The Antigrol Tide (IC)

[Mallak]

“I don’t know, Sam. Do a lot of bodies around here get mad?” Colmarr asks, curious as to what exaclty the undertaker means.

"Oh, I've seen a body two weeks inna grave, an' the last man what touched and prodded him like yonder necrophile--" he waggles a hand at the healer "--fall down an' join 'im. Now, that's a madness you don't wanna mess with!"

 

[unleashed]

Colmarr Blackrock, Male Gnome Bard

“Well that body was probably diseased or something. I don’t think that’ll be the case for our fellow here, with him having burned in the fire and all after some incident left him unable to escape it. This is the entire body, correct, there weren’t any...extra pieces...were there?” Colmarr asks sheepishly, as he moves around to get a better look at the foot stump.

 

[Jdvn1]

"Eh, my name's Sam, Sam Hill. Wot'd you say yore name was?" In an aside to the little gnome, he says, "You think yer friend otter be pokin' around the body like that? He's liable to make it mad."

"Oh, I've seen a body two weeks inna grave, an' the last man what touched and prodded him like yonder necrophile--" he waggles a hand at the healer "--fall down an' join 'im. Now, that's a madness you don't wanna mess with!"

Malachi looks up as he's inspecting the body, briefly, to look at Sam, and then he turns back to his work. "Malachi Oruna. Priest of the deity Adonai, who seeks to bring peace and purity to the world and rid it of those who would seek to harm it." He works a bit longer. "Not a necrophile, and please do not refer to me as such. This man may have been someone we lost recently."

Malachi slowly works his way over the body from head to...foot stump. The flesh still retains some warmth, but whether from the fire of the night or the heat of the day, it's hard to say. Hello, what's this? There is a small puncture wound in the left side of the rib cage, about a quarter inch across. The flesh peels away at the edges to reveal the ribs underneath. They have been chipped, as if struck by a sharp object. There is neither light nor room enough to see into the chest cavity, but Malachi suspects it is not unlikely that the metal head of a small crossbow bolt or arrow might be lodged in there. He revisits the skull and some impressions he noticed earlier. A section just above and behind the left ear is cracked and broken, as if struck by a heavy, blunt object. Continuing with his inspection, Malachi uses his dagger to cut away bits of what might have been a blue wool jacket and brown canvas pants from the skin to which they are fused. The proportions of the body seem to be right for the captain, too. Malachi doesn't think Captain Ben wore any jewelry, but if he did, there's no sign of it on the body.

Malachi tries to explain this to his companions. "... This man was obviously attacked before being burned. There's a stab mark here--I'd guess from a bolt or an arrow--and he was also knocked on his head. I'd guess he was killed before he burned, or at least he took quite a lot of damage." Malachi is silent for a while as he further inspects. "Blue wool jacket, brown canvas pants... well, a very common captain's clothing. And he's about the right proportions. This is pretty likely to have been Ben." Malachi pauses again, and doesn't move. The realization is starting to sink in. The captain is dead.

He looks over the body again, and replaces the cover and takes off the smock and gloves, disappointedly. "And, it wasn't as useful as I thought. Couldn't even find the note."
[sblock=OOC]The captain was wearing something like this, right?[/sblock]

 

[Drowned Hero]

Troth looks how magyar entretains the girl with the corner of his eye while he guards the door and looks outside to see if they are followed or if he recognizes anyone from the former night.

spot +1

 

[Mallak]

"Now, remember, Lissa, a juggler never lets what he's juggling move him. Feet planted, hands in the same spot, and when you toss--" Here he demonstrates, a slight flick of the right wrist sending the bullet in a perfect arc to the height of his eyes, then falling in the center of his left palm without his having to move or look--"you control where the ball goes."

For a moment, Mag seems to consider something. He looks back toward the entrance of the morgue, opens his mouth as if to speak, stops. He turns back to Lissa, kneeling so he's at her hieght as he presents the bullet back to her.

"My father said juggling should always use as little movement as possible; it's mind over matter. How about you try now. See if you can't ... think the ball from one hand to the other."

"Hmmm..." Naomi scrunches up her brow and begins to concentrate on the ball in her palm. She gives a little flick of her wrist and it bounces up into the air, coming back to rest in her hand. She does this several times.

“Well that body was probably diseased or something. I don’t think that’ll be the case for our fellow here, with him having burned in the fire and all after some incident left him unable to escape it."

"Well, you say what you like, just don't go gettin' 'im mad."

"This is the entire body, correct, there weren’t any...extra pieces...were there?” Colmarr asks sheepishly, as he moves around to get a better look at the foot stump.

"Hey, what you see is what I got. But, if you're looking for extra pieces, I get those in every now and then. Anything particular you have in mind? I don't exactly special order, but I can keep an eye out."

As Malachi explains about the wounds sustained by the body, Sam tries to see without getting too close. "Don't go pokin' 'im too much, now. Guys what been stabbed tend to not appreciate that."

[sblock=OOC]Yes, the captain was wearing something like what Malachi found. All evidence points to this body being that of the captain.[/sblock]
Back outside, Troth sees Naomi fumble the bullet from the corner of his eye. The heavy ball strike a rock and, improbably, it bounces off the ground, flying back into her hand. "Didja see, Magyar, didja see!? I juggled it off the ground!" The little girl jumps up and down, clapping her hands with glee. "Am I ready for more balls, yet, Magyar, am I?"

 

[unleashed]

Colmarr Blackrock, Male Gnome Bard

“Ah, no, nothing like that. Just wondering if perhaps there was more of this foot about,” Colmarr says pointing at the foot stump, as he wonders if the captain could have disguised such an injury.

 

[Mallak]

“Ah, no, nothing like that. Just wondering if perhaps there was more of this foot about,” Colmarr says pointing at the foot stump, as he wonders if the captain could have disguised such an injury.

"Oh, I suspect the fire et that." A close inspection reveals that the fire may indeed have "et" the foot, burning the phalanges and fusing what was left into a fleshy lump.

 

[unleashed]

Colmarr Blackrock, Male Gnome Bard

“Ah, I see. I wonder what happened to his boots then...”

 

[jkason]

Magyar Rhineholdt, human rogue

"Hmmm..." Naomi scrunches up her brow and begins to concentrate on the ball in her palm. She gives a little flick of her wrist and it bounces up into the air, coming back to rest in her hand. She does this several times.

Back outside, Troth sees Naomi fumble the bullet from the corner of his eye. The heavy ball strike a rock and, improbably, it bounces off the ground, flying back into her hand. "Didja see, Magyar, didja see!? I juggled it off the ground!" The little girl jumps up and down, clapping her hands with glee. "Am I ready for more balls, yet, Magyar, am I?"

Magyar raises an eyebrow at the ball's movements, then an enigmatic smile falls into place.

"Certainly, Lissa," he says. Now he holds two bullets, one in each hand. "Once you start adding balls, you're just repeating what you did with one. The only difference is that they're crossing in the air because of your timing." Mag demonstrates, tossing the first ball from his right to his left, then sending the second from left to right just as the first reaches the apex of its arc. He pauses a moment, then repreats.

"There's still a pause in the middle when you only have two balls," he admits, "But you want that until you get used to the pattern." Now he hands over a second bullet to Lissa, saying "Just like before, Lissa: you make the bullets land where you want them with as little movement as possible; you're in charge of where they go, not the other way around."

 

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

Grondar

So what now?
Grondar asks and glance at the captain's body
Shall we pay a visit to that Dietrich guy