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Night, Last Seed 9
Jehanna
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When Ariane brought Tmeip'r's letter to him, it was really the last thing on Gustav's mind. He had his plate full, figuratively and literally. It had been two hours since the [i]Kyne's Tear[/i] docked. Ashav had been told to leave (with his equipment and a small bag of coin, for Gustav's mercy), Dumhuvud had been introduced to the mercenaries as their new commander, and Gustav's Jehanna warehouse was prepared for the mercenaries to reside in. Gustav was currently sitting in the Screaming Chasm, one of Jehanna's [url=https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Arena:Jehanna]twenty-one inns[/url] and the second closest to the docks (chosen to avoid the Lucky Bird, closest tavern to the docks and where other mercenaries flocked to). On his table was a full serving of [url=https://esoitem.uesp.net/itemLink.php?&itemid=57148&quality=3]bubble-and-squeak[/url], a type of ragout signature to northern High Rock. Normally, a warm bowl of meat and vegetable made Gustav's mouth water, but right now, with various administrative tasks on his mind and Ariane reading the letter in front of him, the bubble-and-squeak did not look appetizing in the slightest. How could he care about dinner when the company's expenditures would soon drive him bankrupt? 

"So..." Gustav scratched his head, after Ariane had recounted the letter to him.

"The Sload we encountered at the cove, Tmeip'r, is merely the pioneer of a larger plot." Ariane explained, and cut a piece off of her sausage.

"Are they the Kamal?" Gustav was still confused. He scooped up a spoonful of the ragout; it tasted bland.

"I don't think so." Ariane shook her head. "Tmeip'r mentioned an invasion about to commence, and the Kamals invaded last month."

"Look, we're here to find my prophet, not playing heroes. We'll sell this information to the king, and, wait..." Gustav pondered, and while his mind did so, his throat choked the second spoonful of food. 

"You mentioned a princess?" Gustav cleared his throat. 

"Yes," recalled Ariane, "seems like she is in league with the Sload brothers and this Wrudh."

"The Princess of Jehanna is a bit of a wack job." Gustav leaned in and whispered. "I met her at the king's ball last year. She was collecting Reachman scalps and running alchemy experiments on goats. She's the third child the royal family neglects, the little girl her brothers look down upon, and she has the cruelty in her to consort with Sloads and whatever this Wrudh is."

"So..." It was Ariane asking the question now, she forked up a patch of mashed potato and gingerly brought it to her mouth.

"We still bring this to the court tomorrow." Gustav shrugged his shoulders. "We tell them what happened, get paid for it and take whatever job they have for us. We also have a funeral tomorrow, so for now, let's-"

The inn door suddenly burst open, behind it came half a dozen fully armed guards. The shouted and shoved patrons out of their way, until they finally approached a tired looking man at the bar (whom had been complaining about his job to the bartender earlier). Two guards seized the man and a third bound his hands.

"In the name of King Frithjolf, you are hereby arrested for neglect of public safety and suspected involvement in murder." The leading guard announced.

"Wait, what?" The man shook his head.

"You tell me, lighthouse keeper." The guard grabbed his head. "Why is there no one operating the lighthouse? Why do you have a newly-arrived drunk Redguard there? How did that drunkard fall to his death?"

"Newly arrived drunk Redguard..." Gustav shared a worried look with Ariane. "Ashav..."

"Is dead." Ariane finished.

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Morning, Last Seed 10
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Gustav had a terrible night. He dreamed about a dancing eggplant stealing his gold bars while giving him mocking gestures. Also, the guards questioned him until early morning.

He told them everything he knew and did to Gustav. And after a thorough interrogation and an intensive search of his warehouse and [i]Kyne's Tear[/i] (disturbing many resting mercenaries in the process), the guards finally decided that Gustav had no part in Ashav's death and let him go. However, Gustav wasn't done with the guards yet. He asked them to show him the crime scene and their predictions, arguing that he deserved to know with all the troubles they put him through. 

So the guards did. Gustav saw Ashav's body lying under the lighthouse, with a deep wound in his torso and a dagger resting beside him. Gustav heard testimony from the lighthouse keeper, about how Ashav bribed him to access the lighthouse. Gustav listened to the investigators, whom told him that Ashav most likely committed suicide, jumping off when the dagger didn't end himself fast enough. Finally, Gustav asked for Ashav's body to bury. The guards agreed; they saw no need for a magical and alchemical autopsy. 

Now Gustav stood in the Conclave of the Golden Tomb, the city's Arkay temple and their largest cemetery. Ahead on the chancel, Arkay priests performed rites on four coffins; Roze, Adaeze, Ashna and Ashav. Mercenaries that were not seriously injured were required to attend the funeral, though not all of them actually came. Gustav had ordered them here to improve their morale and discipline, but in the end, he understood that some had their own way to deal with loss.

"Lord of the spirits, protect these souls on their journey to Aetherius." The high priest began. "Let their rests be undisturbed and their sacrifices not forgotten in our hearts."

Gustav lowered his head. As much as he disagreed with Ashav, the Redguard really deserved better than to fall off a lighthouse. Ashav fully deserved the peaceful retirement he clamored for, and a part of Gustav felt guilty for denying him that. However, Gustav was not someone to dwell on the past. He had a lot to do this day, and it was just getting started; the 10[sup]th[/sup] was going to be a long day.