--9th Bell on the 11th Day of Summer, 514 AV
----World's End Grotto
----World's End Grotto
It was an insufferably hot day for being so close to the beginning of the season. Syna's rays beat down from the east onto the hot cobble of the Zeltivian streets. The entrance to the famed World's End Grotto offered a welcoming refuge form the heat of the summer sun. The promise of cool drinks, salty sea-food and a friendly environment was expected of the establishment. It was what it was known for. But today, the locals and travelers would be greeted by a different turn of events. It was with that expectation, to serve and provide comfort, that Serra unlocked the lounge that morning. Customer's would be filing in very soon, and the cook was waiting anxiously to begin her job as her boss opened the lounge for service. As Serra went to unlock the door, she found the knob to be already loose. Precaution took Miss Danalle into the suddenly eerie section of her establishment on careful feet. She did not know of anything worth stealing in the lounge of the Grotto. A few glass mugs, maybe some kelp beer, but nothing of significant worth to anyone but her. Nor had she ever experienced a break in before, would there be someone inside waiting for her? The manager did not know what lay in wait, no one would have expected what did.
No lamps had been lit yet and the shutters were still closed from the night before, so she would not see the haunting figure that lay in wait for her. Together the cook and the young proprietor opened the shutters. They could see a few locals already stepping up the stone to the door, ready for their midday meal. Guests who stayed at the inn came in from behind them, the event that followed was in no way private. As sunlight spread through the room, lighting all but the darkest of corners, a shriek of fear erupted from a travelling maiden as the few customers and employees looked upon the gruesome sight. She was not the only one to scream in horror as a child ran into the lounge. Having stayed at the inn with his parents, he ran ahead of them to be one of the first into the tavern that morning.
The scene itself would flip a stomach. Blood not only pooled off the edges of the table, but splatters and drag marks littered the area surrounding the table that it all took place on. It became obvious that the murder had taken place here, unbeknownst to those who slept on the other end of the building. The man was spread across one of the largest tables in the room, meant for larger parties of people. He was spread diagonally, in an 'X' shape so that he would take up most of the table, a vulnerable position that signifies his inability to defend himself. Cuts and bruises litter his body in no particular fashion. Although his pants are torn and seep through with blood, his shirt only holds secondary stains, as if it was removed and replaced. In any light, the mangles corpse would not seem to have had a painless death, in fact he would seem to have had the opposite. Locals would have recognized his easily, had his face not been mauled with the torture that preceded his demise. A well-known wizard known for his volunteering at the University and interest in furthering the cities food supplies, albeit he was still working on theories.
Upon closer inspection of the man's face, should one be able to handle the reek of death that surrounds him, they would find greater detail to his pain. A single eye looks to be gouged out of the pale face, the uneven cuts showing that this act had been struggled against. The other eye lay wide open, the brown of his iris having bled into the silvery-grey bulb, now sunken into its socket, the sign of death. Chunks of hair have gone missing from one blade or another and more than a few shallow cuts slice his cheeks and neck. But the most prominent horror is that in his mouth. Or what is missing from it. Tears are evident at the corners of the man's cracked lips, brown crust sealing the broken skin after its violent separation. But his mouth is only slightly open, almost impossible to see into without opening the jaw further yourself. Black blood pools in the opening, hiding the fact that will soon become very important to any investigation. He lacks a tongue.
News would spread very quickly, the Grotto closing its lounge for the rest of the day and likely the ones following. Consoling was offered to those who had witnessed the uncovering of the crime. A little after noon, curious individuals and investigators would show up. The University had known of it immediately, he had not been one of their professors, but the mage was well-known and well-liked. Those who offer help are given entrance to the gruesome scene and corpse, the horrified city wants to know what happened and who had done it.
No lamps had been lit yet and the shutters were still closed from the night before, so she would not see the haunting figure that lay in wait for her. Together the cook and the young proprietor opened the shutters. They could see a few locals already stepping up the stone to the door, ready for their midday meal. Guests who stayed at the inn came in from behind them, the event that followed was in no way private. As sunlight spread through the room, lighting all but the darkest of corners, a shriek of fear erupted from a travelling maiden as the few customers and employees looked upon the gruesome sight. She was not the only one to scream in horror as a child ran into the lounge. Having stayed at the inn with his parents, he ran ahead of them to be one of the first into the tavern that morning.
The scene itself would flip a stomach. Blood not only pooled off the edges of the table, but splatters and drag marks littered the area surrounding the table that it all took place on. It became obvious that the murder had taken place here, unbeknownst to those who slept on the other end of the building. The man was spread across one of the largest tables in the room, meant for larger parties of people. He was spread diagonally, in an 'X' shape so that he would take up most of the table, a vulnerable position that signifies his inability to defend himself. Cuts and bruises litter his body in no particular fashion. Although his pants are torn and seep through with blood, his shirt only holds secondary stains, as if it was removed and replaced. In any light, the mangles corpse would not seem to have had a painless death, in fact he would seem to have had the opposite. Locals would have recognized his easily, had his face not been mauled with the torture that preceded his demise. A well-known wizard known for his volunteering at the University and interest in furthering the cities food supplies, albeit he was still working on theories.
Upon closer inspection of the man's face, should one be able to handle the reek of death that surrounds him, they would find greater detail to his pain. A single eye looks to be gouged out of the pale face, the uneven cuts showing that this act had been struggled against. The other eye lay wide open, the brown of his iris having bled into the silvery-grey bulb, now sunken into its socket, the sign of death. Chunks of hair have gone missing from one blade or another and more than a few shallow cuts slice his cheeks and neck. But the most prominent horror is that in his mouth. Or what is missing from it. Tears are evident at the corners of the man's cracked lips, brown crust sealing the broken skin after its violent separation. But his mouth is only slightly open, almost impossible to see into without opening the jaw further yourself. Black blood pools in the opening, hiding the fact that will soon become very important to any investigation. He lacks a tongue.
News would spread very quickly, the Grotto closing its lounge for the rest of the day and likely the ones following. Consoling was offered to those who had witnessed the uncovering of the crime. A little after noon, curious individuals and investigators would show up. The University had known of it immediately, he had not been one of their professors, but the mage was well-known and well-liked. Those who offer help are given entrance to the gruesome scene and corpse, the horrified city wants to know what happened and who had done it.