Meanwhile, back in the bazaar...
Meanwhile…
Kadramis walks hastily back towards the bazaar, for the most part keeping his head down and trying to look non-descript. He occasionally looks back to see if he is being followed but as far as he can tell, no one is tailing him.
With the nicer weather coming in, the bazaar is crowded this morning, with people shopping for food, cloth and other supplies. The place bustles with caravans preparing to leave for Ilsig or the north, and Kadramis looks longingly at several that he thinks might be bound for Rankene. His nostalgia for his homeland reminds him why he had returned to the bazaar, and before going home to change, he decides to visit Rechal, priestess of Heqt. She had brought him to Sanctuary as a lover, and, in Kadramis’s view, trapped him here as a godsworn warrior of the Cirdonian fertility goddess.
Rechal’s ostentatious tent was pitched on the edge of the bazaar, near the caravan grounds. A mountain made of cloth and hides, adorned with simple colors; it displayed a casual elegance that set it apart from the drab and threadbare tents that were more common in the farmer’s market. Despite being made of cloth, this was as permanent a structure as was found in this district, and those who were allowed inside knew it was really a shrine to the toad-goddess Heqt.
Kadramis pushed aside the entry flap and was challenged by two other godsworn warriors, each holding a large mace and wearing toad-stamped silver pendants. Recognizing Kadramis as one of their own, they let him pass; though Kadramis couldn’t help but notice the scowls they had on their faces. He walked past them without a word.
The light inside the tent was dim, but Kadramis could see just fine… a gift from the goddess that Rechal had once told him would help him better see the followers of Chaos. He moved through several rooms of the tent complex, his nostrils assaulted by the smell of musky Cirdonian incense. In one of the side partitions of the tent temple, he found his quarry.
“Ah Kadramis, the prodigal son returns,” Rechal said with mockery in her voice. The full robes of the priestess concealed her ample figure, but Kadramis knew that Rechal’s beauty extended beyond her long dark hair and bright blue eyes. He had seen and felt more… but that was before…. “What gutter did you wake up in last night? You don’t seem as damp and disheveled as someone might be who had slept through the storm outdoors.” He could tell she was taking in his wine-stained shirt with smug satisfaction. He should have changed before coming here.
“As a matter of fact, I spent the night as the guest of Lord Nevermind and his Sharda…”
“With that chip on your shoulder, it was inevitable. I’m surprised it took that long for you to get into trouble,” Rechal interrupted.
Kadramis ignored her and continued. “I was witness to a murder last night, a murder of someone of importance, I think. The guard took everyone from tavern in to the jail, and fairly accused all of being accomplices. They let us go when they didn’t have evidence of our guilt, but we’re still pinned with finding the killer.”
Rechal mused and flipped her hair behind her ear. “Seems just to me… Lord Nevermind is strict, but he generally acts with justice in mind…”
This time Kadramis interrupted. “Look, as if it’s not enough for your goddess to keep me here for no reason, now I can’t leave the city until this murder is solved!”
“Kadramis, we have been through this before. You swore yourself to Heqt when I pulled that bandit’s arrow from your chest and made you whole again. You must honor your obligation. Only the goddess knows when and where that debt will be paid.” Her words were stern, in the no-nonsense fashion the Cirdonians adopted when talking of honor.
Kadramis sneered and mumbled, almost to himself. “A man who sees the gates of the underworld open for him will swear to anything….” He turned away from Rechal, ready to storm out of the place.
“Before you leave, a word. News travels fast in this town. I had heard that this merchant was killed, and that some suspects were being questioned. Obviously the fact that they released you, and expect you to find the killer means they have no other leads. Did they tell you anything else?”
Kadramis paused. “The pud’s name was… Erilissi, he was an Ilsigi. And, the killers left behind a dagger. According to the Sharda, the knife was like ones used by a gang in the Maze… the Silent Brothers, is what they called them. Do you know anything of them?”
[sblock]Toric, I'd like to establish Rechal as an informational contact for Kadramis. She is the one who brought him to Sanctuary as a guard for her caravan from Cirdonia. As a priestess of Heqt, she would possibly know some slight details about this gang, or the Ilsigi who was murdered. I didn't create stats for her yet but possibly we don't need them at this point. Please feel free to answer whatever you think she would know, if anything.[/sblock]
