CH. 01 - City Of

[Daos]

One of the guards frowns, and pulls out a dirk and starts twirling it among his fingers in boredom.  "And what business is that?"

[Matt4]

Zemora smirks: "Oh, another kindred intellectual mind?" - she asks, with a mellifluous tone. - "You see, I'm conducting this research on property settlement and financial claims in case of premature ending of a marriage and I need to peruse some of the tomes they had in the library of the temple. You see, last time I've been there I read this exciting book where it said..." - starting here, Zemora starts to list the most excruciatingly boring details about family law (not that she finds them boring, but she chooses the ones that made Sylas feel asleep faster when she tried recounting them to him) that she studied.

[Marvoch]

Zemora distinctly hears a big yawn behind her after just a minute. Then she hears Sylas' voice. "Zemora, I beg you. We did promise to help you search what you are looking for once we get there, but try not to put us all to sleep before we even arrive. And most of all, don't bother these two upstanding workers with your never-ending legal mumbo-jumbo."

Now turning to the guards, he continues: "Excuse her. She doesn't do it on purpose. She's just really, really passionate. You don't know how hard it is to make her stop when she starts... We know something about that."

And then he points to the others, hoping they can put on the most convincing mixture of boredom and desperation a humanoid can display.

[Daos]

"Ugh, fine, just go," says the guard, waving them through impatiently.  He mutters to his partner, "Damned nerds."

[HorizonsDream]

Ellasandra let's out a small giggle after she walks past the guards. "That wad brilliant."

[GravityEmblem]

“Oh, come on, I could have thought of something just as good,” Nerisse pouts.

[Marvoch]

Oct 7, 2023 4:47:06 GMT -8 GravityEmblem said:

“Oh, come on, I could have thought of something just as good,” Nerisse pouts.

"Oh, don't pout, Nerisse, please. The next guard post is yours to deceive. We all know you are a great improviser. Right, Zemora?" Says Sylas trying to cheer up the drow, that seems to be very competitive with her sister.

[Daos]

It takes another hour to reach their destination, but luckily nothing bothers them in that time.  They walk the streets, which are much cleaner and in better repair than the ones in the Labor Sector.  The homes here are much larger and nicer, as well, usually with walled off gardens and multiple stories.  The sector is filled with temples, libraries and even boasts a large university and wizard's academy.  Consequently, most of the people they pass on the street are clean, educated and come from fairly wealthy families.  They pass by students, priests, and mages, as well as clerks, city officials, academics and scholars.

The Blaze of Passion Temple is just one of many Renosian shrines in the sector, although not the largest or more important.  Rather, it's mostly a place of learning--where young acolytes train, and where those interested in studying religion, among other things, can be found.  The morgue itself is more of a way to study anatomy than an actual place to hold bodies.  Which ironically makes it one of the better morgues in the city, as the bodies are well cared for and the place is kept clean and orderly.

The temple itself is a large structure made from red sandstone, with large windows in the ceiling to let in sunlight.  Stepping inside, both Tukgruff and Ellasandra feel a slight twinge of discomfort, as if some higher presence did not welcome them here.  Ellasandra especially feels an almost oppressive atmosphere inside, like the walls were somehow closing in around her slowly.  A sort of pressure in the air itself, like it was heavier somehow.

Pilgrims, worshipers, and priests, as well as a few students, wander the main room, on their way to the altar to pray, or to the library to study.  A number of armed guards, wearing Renosian colors, keep watch over the place, as well.  Likely church templars, there to ensure no trouble is made.

Noticing the party enters, a male half-orc wearing the vestments of Renos approaches.  "Welcome.  Don't see many Drow in these parts...much less three at once.  Something I can help you with?"

[Marvoch]

Just before entering the temple, Sylas breaks the long silence that has accompanied his march up to that point, addressing Ellasandra in the most pacifying tone he can summon. "I mean no disrespect to your faith, but it would be best to avoid making your credence in Octhanus apparent as long as we are within one of Renos' temples, Ellasandra."

==============

Giving a brief and almost inaudible sigh of relief once inside the walls, comforted by the dimness provided by the red building, Sylas turns to the priest, offering a sign of respect in the tradition of Renos, as he was taught to do in drow society. "Greetings, Reverend. What has given me away? The eyes?" He asks with genuine curiosity, wanting to know if there is a way to make himself less identifiable as a drow on the city streets.

"In any case, we're here to perform an autopsy on one of the guest in your morgue on behalf of one of our clients. To whom should we turn?"

[Daos]

The half-orc chuckles.  "Only drow would bundle up that heavily on such a hot day.  You must be sweltering under there."  He gestures to a door on the eastern side of the room.  "Through there, to the end, and down the stairs.  That's the morgue.  Speak with Anise.  She's in charge down there.  Although you should know, we typically don't allow amateurs to waltz in off the street and perform autopsies on random corpses for kicks."

[Matt4]

Zemora smiles at the recevied compliments from the party, and for the suffering faces of the guards, but she frowns at Nerisse's comment struggling to find a way to answer. Luckily, Sylas' interjection makes things slightly easier and she mumbles: "Sure. I mean, what could go wrong?" - once she has said it, the drow realizes that could come off as ominious, or worse, sarcastic but doesn't really know how to fix it so she just sinks into silence 'till they arrive to the temple.

Here, Zemora feels refreshed, although still irritated by the presence of the sunlight. The Blaze of Passion Temple was one of her favorite places of the town. Not only it was a place of worship for Renos, but it was also a place of study. The quiet in the libreries was amazing to decompress when she was having some hard days, and the selection of books was amazing. Too bad it was so far from where they were living.

"Well met, brother*. Thank you for the information." - she says, before proceeding toward the direction the half-orc pointed to them.


OOC

* = is there a specific way in which the followers of Renos greet each other?

[Marvoch]

Oct 7, 2023 15:27:11 GMT -8 Daos said:

The half-orc chuckles.  "Only drow would bundle up that heavily on such a hot day.  You must be sweltering under there."  He gestures to a door on the eastern side of the room.  "Through there, to the end, and down the stairs.  That's the morgue.  Speak with Anise.  She's in charge down there.  Although you should know, we typically don't allow amateurs to waltz in off the street and perform autopsies on random corpses for kicks."

Sylas gives a cordian nod to the half-orc, in appreciation. Then he says: "I don't think there will be a problem with that, Reverend. We have experts in medicine, arcanology and toxicology among us. As well as the widow's permission to proceed with the autopsy."

Paying his respects again, he proceeds to follow Zemora toward the direction of the morgue.

[GravityEmblem]

Nerisse, uncomfortable in a house of Renos, quiets down a bit, letting the others lead the conversation. She quietly prays to Crizza for…guidance, strength, something.

[Daos]

The temple proper is quite warm inside, but stepping downstairs into the morgue there's a drop in temperature.  It's difficult to say for sure, however, whether the coolness is felt on the skin or in the soul.  The morgue is sterile, cool, and undecorated.  It's a start reminder that nobody lives down here--a place for the dead, and not even for very long.

The walls are lined with small alcoves, each large enough to hold a person, each marked with a number for easy reference.  There are a number of tables, each covered in white sheets with a vaguely humanoid shape underneath.  Some of the white sheets are stained with dried blood.  The whole room smells, but not of decay or rot as one might expect.  Rather, it's an antiseptic, medicinal odor instead.

There's also a desk in the back of the room, covered in books, charts and scrolls.  It is currently unoccupied.

A woman, human, walks the place alone.  The silence is so deafening here, that her footsteps seem to thunder throughout the room.  She looks to be around 40-ish or so, with black hair pulled up into a severe bun, brown eyes behind square-rimmed spectacles, and rich, copper brown skin.  She doesn't wear vestments or robes, but rather a pristine white coat over her dark green sweater and brown leggings.  She moves from corpse to corpse, making notations in a book she is carrying.

=============

(OOC:  Usually Renosian priests refer to each other by either name or rank, although if neither is known 'eremite' is often used in lieu of 'brother' or 'sister' as that implies community, or family, and priests of Renos usually see themselves as loners.)

[HorizonsDream]

"I've been in Renoisa for awhile, so I know to hide my faith," Ellasandra replies back to Sylas. "But thank you for the reminder." While she hadn't been with the agency for long, she had been in this land for awhile now. She knew she would have to hide her faith when she decided to come here, so she had been doing the best that she could.

When she stepped inside the temple, she actually had to stop at the door for a few seconds as the pressure seemed to crush down upon her. If anything, she looked like she was hot. There was a bit of sweat upon her forehead, which she took a moment to wipe away with the back of her hand. Taking a deep breath, as if to steady herself, she follows after the rest of the group. It wad best if she let the others do the talking at this point.