The many sides of Thorn

General Summary

It’s amazing how many different inns a town can have. After talking to a few guards and other such people we find an inn, it’s serviceable, but not the best of places. The perfect spot to lay low for a little bit. “Well, I’m off to get myself a bit of clothing that doesn’t stand out quite so much,” Devan announces pulling on his cloak. “Our grubby traveling clothes stand out a bit more than I’d prefer, and after all this walking it doesn’t quite fit the way it used to.” “Me do be thinkin’ that’s a good idea,” Cap’n muses. “We’ll all go with ye to get clothes.” “Well, uh,” Devan stammered, then collected himself, “Yes, let’s go get some clothes.” After only one or two missteps we find a merchant with some clothes, now Cap’n and I just go for some normal clothes that will more or less fit in at the Holy Isles, though Cap’s is a bit more seafolk than Holy Isle, it at least makes sense. Lili hunts and pecks for a little bit, and then finally finds the perfect dress. It has lace. Devan meanwhile makes a big show and asks for a bespoke suit. I found out what that means today. It’s custom-made for the person wearing it. It’s going to take a few days to get that done. They sit there measuring and happily going about stuff. Meanwhile, Cap and I wander off to church. I figure it’s been a while since I’ve popped my head into a church, and it’s good to stay in touch with the Creator from time to time, and with all the weird stuff happening, it seems even more important than ever. Cap being a sailor priest and all that just likes to visit churches, or that’s my guess. The cathedral is impressive, but not as big or as grand as the one back home. You would think with a town bigger than Raven’s Point they would have a bigger cathedral, but they don’t, but they have some amazing music. They’ve got a better choir than we have and this one seems to have better acoustics for the music. “There’s a priest, let’s go be talkin’ to him,” Cap said. “I’m gonna stay here, I don’t have much to say to a priest aside from you.” Cap hurried up to the man. “Hello there brother priest. How ye’ be doin’?” Cap asked clapping the man on the back. “Yes my child, why do you call me brother?” the man asked in confusion looking Cap up and down. I guess Cap is not the person he expects to see as a priest. “Well, we both be clerics of the Creator.” “Indeed, what order are you with?” the man asked. “Oh, I be not havin’ no order, I just heard the Creator’s voice and followed it one day,” Cap said in confusion. “But to be a cleric of the Creator you have to be part of an order, you have to be called to serve in some way?” the man started to become agitated. “No, I just be out in a storm one day and the Creator called me to him, and I followed,” Cap said. “It be an amazing thing to see.” “I… I… I’ve never before met a cleric of the Creator who was not part of an order. I do not think it is possible,” the man stammered. “You must go to the Holy Isles, there they can properly train you on being a cleric. Until then,” and he paused for a moment, “May the Creator bless you my son.” Cap stared as the man hurried off, “Well that was not what I expected.” I walked up to him and put a friendly arm around his shoulder, “You’re like no cleric I’ve ever met before Cap’n, sounds like you need to get some educatin’ from fancy folks.” “That may be,” Cap said. “That may be. Let’s be gettin’ home then.” We walked slowly back to our inn, but the streets are all a mutter.

TROUBLE IN THORN CITY

“What’s up?” I ask a running teen passing by. “Haven’t you heard? There was a big fight amongst the Children and their Speaker was slain. Everyone’s talking about it.” “We better hurry back,” I say to Cap’n as we start walking briskly back. As we travel we hear bits and pieces of conversation. “Knocked building down when he died.” “Heard there was a loud boom.” “The Stonewatch is closing the entire city down until they find who did this.” “We’re sure to be swarming with more of those Children now, this is never going to end well.” “They’re demanding a pass to get down to Wavetown now.” We finally get back to the common room of our inn, but it’s packed with all the people who can no longer travel about. “Let’s head upstairs,” Milli says. “Yes,” said Lili, “I have something I need to do upstairs.” Then she disappears into a corner of our room and starts talking to herself, something about somebody named Sarthus and familiar, but it was all a little weird. I looked over in the corner and thought I saw something strange, but it was weird. “I have an idea,” I say. “We don’t want to be the strangers showing too much interest in the site of a massacre, but I could shift into a cat and wander through the area and maybe get some more information.” They all nod in agreement, so I shift into a cat and head towards where the crowd is generally going. Captain North of the guard is there, and he’s directing about 40 of his men to look about. They’re going through the area in pairs asking questions of anyone nearby. “Triple the guard on the gate to Wavetown, we don’t want anyone slipping through down there. We have to find who did this before the Children get too antsy. They’re already going to be all over me about this,” Captain North said to his lieutenant. “Oh crap, here they are.” The Children rode up in a well-armed squad of soldiers with their Speaker at the middle of the squad. “Captain North,” he said as he rode up. When the Captain looked at him he continued, “I expect a report by nightfall on the search. We will see to justice for our fallen Speaker.” “We’ll send you what information we have then.” “I do not need to tell you how important it is for both our people this is solved quickly,” the Speaker looked down at his fingernails inspecting them for dirt, “It would be unfortunate for there to be a misunderstanding over this.” He turned his mount and rode off with his squad. The Captain muttered a few more choice words about the Speaker and his probable ancestry, but I had been distracted by a glint of metal on the wall up above. I leaped up from spot to spot up to the awning of the window. There sat a shiny arrow. It looked a bit different than I was used to arrows looking and had a slight smell to it. I looked around and noticed for the first time it looked like a great windstorm had been through here and it smelled like the air after a lightning storm. I sniffed again and noticed a hint of sulfur and as I looked at the building across from me I noticed a pair of glowing red eyes peering at me. I felt an overwhelming urge to leap across and scratch those eyes out and barely contained the urge. What to do with the arrow? That is the question. I don’t think we have the resources to deal with it properly, and the Stonewatch don’t seem the type to happily accept help from outsiders. After a bit of debate, I knock the arrow down onto the ground and meow loudly looking over the edge. Thank the Creator the Captain has good hearing because he notices the arrow I knocked down and glances up at my perch where I peer over the edge. “This is an interesting find,” the Captain mutters, “The fletching is distinctive, and I think with a few questions I can find who did this.” He carries the arrow off to another of the guard and they confer for a few moments. I figure this is as good a time as any to make my way back to the inn and report what I learned.

Report Date

21 Dec 2021