2. Beregost

Ida steps into the temple and sighs after long day of running errands. She clumsily closes the door behind her, arms full of items she needed to drop off. Once the door clicks she turns around to see more people then she expected. Ida blinks several times taking in each person in front of her before her eyes land on Dieter.

"Dieter my cousin… I see you’re still a…" Ida looks him up and down "Heathen… anyway what would uncle Tulfgyr think if he could see you now?"

Ida steps further into the room and places items on a table and rustles through the items before producing a small bag and handing it off the Kelddath. "are you and your ‘Friends’ staying for long?" Ida finishes by looking around the room again at the eclectic group that seemed to be gathered around.

Dieter takes a step back into his friends now unsure of which direction was safe "oh hey Ida I didn’t know you’re in town… yeah I’ve been about..Y’know.. s-saving the world, I’m sure you’ve been busy yourself" Dieter stammers back "these are my friends Aiwë, Stella, Runeson, and Sheemish.

Ida nods towards the party "A pleasure to meet you all my name is Ida." She goes back to the table where she deposited her items and begins to sort through them again. Facing away Ida says "Well if I can be of any assistance please let me know."

Cousin? Stella wonders, raising her eyebrows. Dwarves, a human, and now what looked like a half-elf. He wondered if Runeson had as colorful of a family as the rest of their party seemed to.
She cringes, then feels a spike of shame. Stella was a heathen herself, technically speaking, but the way she had said it...Stella hadn't berated Dieter this yet, but she had given him a death glare earlier this evening. He probably didn't need more derision. She wanted to step up for him, but he doubted he'd appreciate that. He was probably used to this cousin's apparent spite, after all.

The dwarves had such similar names, she had a hard time telling them apart. Was she talking about the one past, the one that adopted him, or some other dwarf?

Stella is shocked when she hears the young warrior stammer. Stars above, was he...afraid of her? She had seen Dieter face death and authority figures of every rank, but she hadn't seem him stammer like that before...ever.

When Dieter says Stella's name, she gives a reluctant, but respectful bow. When he doesn't answer Ida's question, she speaks up, meeting Ida's seemingly golden eyes. "We leave in the morning'" she says. "Though our specific destination has yet to be determined."

"Heh… you could come with us but it’s not like the temples or the library, it can be pretty rough and dirty out there" Dieter "offers" trying to sound cool.

Nice, she’ll never accept.

Aiwë pulls her eyes from the singing women, the weight in her arms just enough to keep her from trying to learn their song immediately.

"Can we discuss this after the work is done?" Aiwë steps between Dieter and Ida. "This man's fiancée is waiting to see if he will come home." She presents the body to Kelddath.

Kelddath clears his throat to draw attention back to himself. "Ah yes, welcome, Ida. Perhaps when you're done berating our guests you can help me see to the business at hand. Did you bring the spell reagent? The diamond?" The politeness of his tone seems to slip a bit as he addresses the newly-arrived cleric.

Ida ignores Dieter in favour of fetching another bag from the table "This is everything you need for a spell of revival" she brings it to Kelddath and hands it to him "You know how hard diamonds of this quality are to obtain. I will not disobey a direct order from you but I hope you have weighed the pros and cons in performing such a spell. Whoever it is better be worth messing with the natural order of things for"

Ida crosses her arms and steps back next to Dieter "You know Dieter I was Tulgyrs apprentice three human generations ago. I know how to get my hands dirty when things need to be done without obscene violence" Ida almost lets an amused smile slip out as she remembers being nothing more than a child 100 years ago out with her uncle in the wilds. It was amazing her mother Tholgana, Tulfgyrs sister, had even let her go in the first place. Then again the world had been a starkly different place a century ago. "Maybe you're right... I should go back into the world. I've become soft over the last 50 years of temple and library life." She takes a few moments to think I also fear Tulfgyr would look down upon me if something were to happen to you. He always had such a love for the many humans he took under his wing over the centuries" Ida retreats into her inner thoughts, it really had been a long time since she had been out and adventuring in the world. She looked at Dieter out of the corner of her eye and felt her heart soften at the young man. such fragile little things humans are and this party looks worse for wears. Ill see what happens tonight and offer to be their physician if I deem it necessary

Ida watched as Kelddath took the reagent out of the pouch and began to work. She rolls her eyes before facing her adopted cousin "By the way Dieter are you and your companions in need of any medical attention?" gesturing towards the cots "Other than a resurrection?"

"um…yes, but only because we had to save the smithy from the assassins which we did. We did save the smithy"

Centuries? Not half-elf half-human then...full elf? Dwarf-elf?

Beyond her looks, Stella couldn't tell what to make of Ida. Disliked violence...she could respect that...Didn't seem to care much for Kelddath's request to not antagonize Dieter. Part of her respected not bowing to what others wanted her to do or be, but...well, to do so in order to berate someone...that Stella couldn't support.

At the mention of medical attention, Stella stiffens and looks around. Aiwë and Dieter looked on the verge of collapse, blood staining their skin, clothes, and armor. Runeson, Sheemish, and herself fared slightly better, thankfully, but how had she not realized? She was supposed to be the medic of the group!

"Oh! Yes," Stella remarks, agreeing with Dieter. "I am well-trained in the medical arts, but I...er...got distracted. Perhaps while the revival is in progress, we should both tend to wounds. ," she smiles. She had to force the smile, but it was nice to have a connection to the woman. At least she cared about physical well-being. Stella opens her healer's kit with cloths, bandages, and salves, and starts to get to work.

She watches Ida to see how she approached her efforts. She would probably use divine magic, she guessed.

Kelddath accepts the spell ingredients with a bit of a scowl. "You can lecture me when Lathander deems you worthy of casting such a powerful spell, Ida. Until then, help these fellows speak with the dead assassin." The high priest/mayor takes a deep breath to settle himself, then begins casting the arduous spell to bring the smith back to life.

It will take him a while.

Ida looks Stella up and down "I will accept your offer, you look like someone who may understand the nuances of at least basic medicine. I will ensure to do what I can as well" Ida begins to softly and melodically chant a prayer of healing invoking Lathanders light. Her hands begin to glow and a sense of calm and warmth enters the members of the party as scars, wounds, and other maladies begin to mend. After several minutes she concludes the prayer and looks back to Dieter feeling uncomfortable with how many new people were in the room "Now where is this aforementioned 'dead assassin'?"

Basic medicine? Well...Ida was probably right. Stella was no surgeon. Perhaps she had something to learn from the acolyte.

Stella decides to wait to see what Ida could do before applying any of her potent herbs, bandages, or stitches. She spends the time cleaning wounds instead. When Ida finishes Stella gapes as she sees bruises fade, cuts mend, and bones reset on her and her companions. Such power! Speckles of stars in her eyes sparkle to an awed gold. She doubted her herbs could do much more at this point.When prompted about speaking to the assassin, she gestures to the body of the wizard Runeson carries.

"Very well, lets bring him to another room in the temple as not to disrupt kelddath" Ida motions for the group to follow her "I will allow you use my personal quarters to preform the spell" She windes through the corridors quickly reaching her personal living quarter. "you can place the assassin on the floor no sense in getting my linens dirty. As for the questions, I will be able to ask the assassin five before he is no longer imbued with living essence. He does not have to answer truthfully or straightforward, but we will do the best we can. if we are unable to ascertain the Answers we need today, there would be opportunity in 10 days to try once more but I’d much rather not carry a corpse around for a week."

"Thank you for your help," Stella says with a solemn nod, following Ida into her room.

Conferring with the others for several minutes, Stella marks down several questions to ask. Eventually they settle on one to start with:

"What group does Tazok work for?" she tells Ida to ask.

Ida sees the group huddle up together speaking amongst themselves, while they are discussing questions Ida rummages through her cupboards and retrieves her censer and a block of incense. She whittles off a small piece from the block and adds some fragrant tinder to the censer before lighting the contents. Smoke begins to billow out of the censer and Ida ignores how the candles in the room flicker as the necromantic spell is performed. She swings the censer over the body while her hands move in time to the words she speaks.

She feels a semblance of life and intelligence enter the corpse just as Stella turns back to face her Ida nods and repeats the question directed at the now semi-animated body laying on her bedroom floor.

The slain killer opens his eyes. Though no life shines from within, there is something there. Memory without identity.
The corpse's mouth moves. There's little airflow, but given the recent death the body retains some moisture, allowing the voice to speak with clarity. "Tazok... scares me. He's so strong. Who can match him one-on-one? Not many. But he is a tool. He asks no questions. Brooks no questions. I don't know who he works for."
The eyes continue to stare, but the voice falls silent.

Aiwë frowns. A powerful person who asks no questions. His pay was either very good or his boss very scary. Either way, they were powerful.

"Why did your last bounty matter to Tazok?"

The dead assassin's chest rises as it sucks in air for its next answer. "I don't know."

For a moment that seems like that might be the end of this answer, but then it continues. "Tazok dislikes complications. Someone might have ordered him to see the group from Nashkel dead, or maybe it was his own idea."

A moment more of silence... and that's the end of that question.

"His headquarters is deep in the Wood of Sharp Teeth, but he frequently travels to oversee other parts of the operation." The dead assassin's words begin to rasp for the lack of liquid in its mouth and throat. "Just north of Peldvale..."