[IC] The Cult of Brannulv

[Xihirli]

Lana hugged her.
“They won’t tell us until after they have fish!”

[Zergrinch]

Zanza allows the hug, although Lana had to get on her knees in order to hug the 3' 4" tall goblin.

"Okay then, let's get this fish cooked!"

[Izzarra]

The friar in charge of the kitchen looks at the load of fish that you bring in and scratches his head a little puzzled at the situation and the absurd amount of fish you brought.

"Yeah we can cook the fish for you. How many others will be coming?"

[Xihirli]

"We're feeding the cats! And what's left is a donation!" Lana decided for the group. She'd been feeding them for days, they could take it.

[Valmark]

"But..." Ghiso started, but decided to not argue against the druid.
"At least Taara won't have to look at it, I guess" he didn't sound very happy.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara was quiet for a moment thinking before suddenly blurting out facing Ghiso, "I am fine with this kind of thing usually, it is just I do not want my only experience with these animals to be looking at dead ones. O-or, at least not for long."

[Valmark]

Ghiso would have jumped back from the outburst- if he had any reflexes worth their salt.
Instead he craned his neck looking dumb while his brain worked through everything she said.
"I get it. Still, if you don't want to stare at them for long bringing two hundred and seventy pounds of dead salmon along seems like something we should avoid for your good" he shrugged "We don't really need them anyway, Lanitfat can be our food reserve. Meaning that she creates food with magic, not that we eat her"

[Fay]

Rose observed the conversation while sitting on the ground, petting a cat.

[Zergrinch]

"Eating Lana?" Zanza is some parts mildly amused and other parts somewhat offended by the half elf's apparent innuendo, but decides this is not her battle to fight. So she follows the human"s lead and starts lightly scratching one of the temple cats in the base of the tail.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara simply blushed at the innuendo- not that she knew what that was- and nodded before hugging Ghiso around the waist, muttering a thank you before going to pet a cat as well.

[Valmark]

"Yes- food reserve could mean either that she produces food or is food, so I felt the need to clarify what I was suggesting" Ghiso explained oblivious to the third possible meaning.
He smiled down at Taara, happy that this time he actually knew why he was being hugged. Sort of.

[Xihirli]

Lana waited for the fish to cook, and started telling the cats about dolphins in Sylvan while she waited.

[Izzarra]

The kitchen gets to work cooking some of the fish for the cats, some for everyone's dinner, and preserving the rest so it does not go to waste.

After a few minutes the fish for the cats is ready.

[Xihirli]

Lana brought some chopped fish up to a cat and held out some. "Here you go. Can you tell me what happened at the..." she struggled to remember. "Thing. Um..." She switched back to Common."Ghiso! What am I asking them about?"

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Taara sat next to Lana as she spoke to the cats. "The artifact that was stolen 3 days ago." she explained. She kept her eyes on the cats and Lana, trying not to focus on the fish.

[Xihirli]

Lana relayed that to the cats. "What did it look like? Where was it?"

[Fay]

Rose had by now moved a bit closer to where Lanitfat was, interested in seeing the interaction even though Rose herself wouldn't be able to understand what the cats said.

[Valmark]

"We do know where it was already" Ghiso felt the need to point out, unsure if Lanitfat forgot or if it was necessary to ask the cats that. Meanwhile, he pulled out his book to write in it.
"I showed you all earlier the empty pedestal"

[Xihirli]

“Right! I know what to do!” Lana picked up the cat and carried it to the pedestal, giving it peruses and fish bites.
“Did you see who took the thing from that?”

[Izzarra]

It takes a little while to get anything useful out of the cats. Lana ends up talking to over half of them in order to piece some information together. Almost all of them are not helpful for various reasons, getting distracted, wandering off, wanting to play, wanting more food, being obtuse, or simple communication breakdown.

Eventually you find out:
- There were faint sounds of footsteps. They did not sound like large people steps.
- Something smelled of the ocean.
- The cats did not see the relic taken by anyone, it vanished. While they were looking at it, it simply ceased to be there.

[Xihirli]

"Well, the thing wasn't so much taken as vanished. Sounds like an invisible person snuck in and took it. Now that sounds like it makes our job harder, but it actually limits our suspects to people who can turn invisible, which is a pretty narrow list, I'd say. I mean, there's..." Lana thought of all the people who could turn invisible. "Um... octopi."

[Valmark]

"Octopi?" Ghiso blinked "I'm not the ocean druid, but I'm fairly sure most of them don't do that. Mmm... It'll be hard to track someone down only with this- Zanza, are there any known criminals or gangs that either have access to spellcasters capable of the spell or invisibility potions? On that note, known vendors of potions in the area?"

[Xihirli]

"Octopi can turn invisible, I've watched them!" Lana pointed at him. "And there was ocean smell, so I think it was an octopus!"

[Valmark]

"Octopi wouldn't be able to make the relic disappear too" Ghiso stated, pensive.
"Smelled ocean. Is there any other detail you have discovered besides these two things?" he asked, seeing how Lana needed prodding to share everything.
"We got sight and smell- did they hear anything? Or maybe felt it, maybe the invisible creature touched one by mistake"

[Xihirli]

"Yeah they heard footsteps." Lana got distracted petting a cat.

[Valmark]

"I don't think octopi have footsteps- at least the normal kind" Ghiso said "Seems to be someone from the harbor- mariners, cargo movers, other people like that. It could do us well to get there and ask some questions to those that do works that get them in contact with other people. Zanza, you're the only local here- what's your take?"

[Zergrinch]

"Father," Zanza turns to the friar in the kitchen, "have we done a casting of Locate Object in the docks? It seems like a long shot, but that's our only lead now."

Turning to the fighter, the goblin replies, "There are criminal organizations with the resources to carry out this heist and a presence in the docks. I could make inquiries, but not without backup."

[Valmark]

"Are four backups enough?" Ghiso motioned to the three of them and Rose "I admit I don't know wether Rose's with us since she seems to have refused to speak to me, but it seems like a fair assumption"

[Zergrinch]

"Uh... sure, but are you sure Taara and Lana are up to it?" Zanza seems somewhat unconvinced that the shrinking violet and the ditzy genasi can hold their own in a fight.

[Valmark]

"When I found them they were burning the corpses of the cultists they've slain. One is an accomplished martial artist who can summon magical giant arms and the other is our group's principal healer, capable of conjuring spirits that make us impervious to pain" Ghiso declared "Yes, I think they can hold their own in a fight. My only critic is that they sometimes flirt instead of fighting when it doesn't look like the danger's great" he massaged his hand and shot them a glance, remembering the fight with the skeleton dog.