Quinn holds his position for a brief moment. 

“Jurgen, Syzygy…the two of you can come out.”

He then slowly walks down to join the goblins by the fire, though he positions himself so that he can keep an eye on all three. 

As he walks down he quickly looks at the bodies, hoping not to find Kimberly stacked up on the pile. 

“I’m not here to play that game and point fingers at who’s to blame. 

If I would venture to guess, when you boil this down to the bones, no of us are truly to blame.”

Quinn pauses to let that thought sit. He then continues speaking, this time in fluent goblin. 

“Look, I’ve know many a fine goblin. And many who were arseholes. Same can be said for my people. 

I’m looking for my companion, Kimberly. She’s a fellow holy person such as yourself. She’s tall, dark skinned, feisty, and a follower of Selune.

Do you know where she’s been taken?”

With a mystic calm, Syzygy steps slowly behind Quinn. 
He listens to the familiar but meaningless words exchanged and eyes the goblins. 

syzygy wonders if he can discern what prayer or religious workings these goblins might be referring…jagged tooth.

religion: 12 

Syzygy has never heard of "the Jagged Tooth", although their devotion indeed seems religious in nature.

"So many have been taken, so many," replies the goblin priest. "Have you slain the king? I told Grol to heed the Jagged Tooth's premonitions, but he doesn't listen. We only have the Jagged Tooth. Join us! Help us. So many bodies, the pyre burns low. We need help offering them to the Jagged Tooth. Fetch us some wood, sir, then join us in prayer." 

She sweeps her robed arm to show you the many bodies, then points to the edge of the forest. Then she sits down again with her two companions and begins to sing again.

In the jumble of equipment stripped from the bodies, Quinn suddenly sees Kimberley's distinctive moon-headed mace. Then he spots one of her boots. Much of her wolf-gnawed leg is still intact within it.

Seeing you spot it, one of the goblin acolytes nervously picks up the leg and throws it on the pyre. Then he sits back down with the priest.

Quinn takes a long slow deep breath trying to maintain his composure. He turns his head in the direction of Syzygy without taking his eyes off the goblin who threw Kimberly’s leg into the fire.

”Syzygy, my friend, join me by the fire. But please, do mind the bodies.” He nods his head in the direction of Kimberly’s moon headed mace. 

Quinn continues his conversation with the goblin priest, this time in common. 

“Priest, we have slain your King. But it appears you already knew that. We also did away with that wolf of his.

Please, tell me of these premonitions. What has this Jagged Tooth foretold?”

Bryony hangs back with Jurgen. She stares at the remaining goblins with fear, listening to Quinn speak to them in their strange language. As Syzygy approaches the fire, the halfling does as well, not wanting to be left behind. That's when she spots Kimberley's mace lying among the discarded equipment, and she gives out a strangled cry.

"Doom," replies the priest. "Doom and death. You must trust the Jagged Tooth. No war, no killing. Song, tribute, and sacrifice. We will not harm you, and you will not harm us. The Jagged Tooth watches. The Jagged Tooth judges. The King wouldn't listen. But we listen. We obey. You will join us, or risk Doom like they did. Come, sit, sing with us, strangers. Help us with the pyre, and say goodbye to your friends and ours. Fetch us some wood, help feed the flames."

The two acolytes sweat profusely, and eye the newcomers as well as their potential escape routes. But the priest remains calm and confident.

Quinn turns and walks to Bryony. He puts an arm around her and squeezes gently in an attempt to console her. He then walks over and picks up Kimberly's mace. He breathes deep, holds it and exhales slowly. He proceeds to circle the fire. He locks his steely gaze on the priest as he circles.

Quinn speaks in a low, monotone voice. "I believe you have been honest with me. As I with you."

He pauses and takes another deep breath, holds it, and exhales. He squeezes the handle on the mace and looks at the acolyte who tossed Kimberly's foot into the fire.

"So, let's continue to be honest with each other." He stops walking and stands behind the goblin that threw Kimberly's foot into the fire. His emotions begin to well up and his voice get's louder and more angry. "This here mace belongs to my friend. As did the foot and boot that this fella here tossed in the fire. 

Where is my friend. Have you burned her body already? Is she mixed in with the rest of them?"

Before anyone has the chance to answer he cuts them off.

"Be...honest. You have your code. I have mine. If I get even the faintest whiff of a lie, I'm gonna cave this fella's head in with her mace. And I'll take that up with the Jagged Tooth afterwards."

As Quinn finishes asserting his question,  Syzygy calmly, coldly, kneels by the fire and watches the last of the priestess burn. Whether Quinn was speaking goblin or common Syzygy knew the intent and listened carefully for the answer. 

Bryony felt numb. She could barely hear Quinn continuing to speak to the goblins. Instead, her eyes were glued to Kimberley's mace. Tears streamed down her cheeks silently.

"It's my fault," she whispered. "If I hadn't escaped, maybe she would still be alive."

(sorry for the late posting)

Jurgen follows Bryony down to the group. Upon hearing he repeats the words “You will join us, or risk Doom like they did; what do you mean by that. Is it some type of threat or ‘promise’

”Tell me NOW; WHERE IS SHE!”

"We are simple priests," responds the robed goblin. "We pray, we sing, we console, we advise. The hobgoblins and the others managed the bodies. We are not manual laborers. Yes, there were some human parts in here, and something monstrous and grey, with flesh like clay. Honestly, I paid little attention to the details. We focus on other things, those things that can't be seen. The fleshed bodies are all united in sacrifice to the Jagged Tooth now. It matters little what their flesh was made from. It is time to say goodbye, to let the flames finish what violence began. We do not threaten you. Doom is what awaits those who disregard the Jagged Tooth. Join us, and learn."

It has become fully dark. Your conversation takes place under the dwindling illumination of the wood-starved pyre. The stars twinkle through the thin smoke.

Quinn shakes his head out of frustration. He never understood their type. He looks down at the goblin acolyte, not the priest.  He nudges them firmly with the head of the mace.

"How about you? Hmm? You might not care about the body of our your brethren, but I DO! Is there anything left of her? SPEAK! Did you help carry her body out? Did that dammed wolf finish off the rest of her? SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!"

His voice is grim, angry and it begins to crack. Almost as if he himself is about to break.

The robed goblin acolyte stammers with nervousness.

"The human? Uh, the wolf ate some, yes, yes, true. The hobgoblins threw the rest on the pyre. We didn't do anything! We're with Lhupo," he adds, pointing to the head priestess. "We are shrine workers."

Quinn turns away, shoulders slumped as he walks out into the open. With the darkness growing now that the pyre fades, he looks to the heavens. He scans the night sky looking for the moon, hoping it can give him guidance as it has Kimberly. As he stands there staring up into the night sky, he can make out a faint, but remarkably beautiful bluish-white haze in the northern sky that he had not noticed before. A lone wolf howls in the distance. And a solemn sense of acceptance overcomes him. 

Quinn turns and walks back to group. "We best check on Gundren and get movin'." He turns on his heels and begins walking towards the castle ruins. He spots a a jagged piece of white quartz along the way and pockets it.

Jurgen, with tears running down his face, looks at the goblins, wipes his tears and follows Quinn. 

“Ill be with you in a moment..” Syzygy begins to sing, in hushed tones but without shame, a shadar-Kai mourning song, a song that does not call for tears but simply accept the inevitable. 

Out of the corner of his eye he notices Quinn pick up what seems to be a stone…why? He wonders…

he continues singing, and at intervals allows time for these goblins of the spirit to add their own chants and prayers, to which syzygy, to the best of his abilities, sings and prays along. 

he does so for about 5 minutes before standing to check on Gundren. 

The acolytes eye Syzygy nervously, but Lhupo seems pleased with his presence, and tries to teach him some lyrics in Goblin. Bodies sizzle and smoke upon the dying pyre.

Meanwhile, Quinn and Jurgen make their way back through the dark and deserted castle to find Gundren. While freed from his bounds, they find him still prone and shivering, lying on the floor of the ancient bathroom in a delirious state.

Jurgen helps Gundren up and wraps his blanket around him as they head back.

Bryony follows Quinn and Jurgen. She helps Gundren stand up.

"It's going to be ok," she tries to reassure the dwarf, but nothing feels ok to her right now.

Quinn does his best to calm his old friend and set him at ease. As they meet up with Syzygy and make their way out of the castle ruins, Quinn asks everyone to wait one moment. 

He walks over to the massive wolf and kneels down next to it. He’s in awe at such a large beast. He runs his hand through its fur and he inspects its muzzle. Its paws are larger than Quinn’s own hands.

Quinn thinks back to how Kimberly revered wolves. She often referred to us as her pack. She spoke of us being on the hunt and bloodying our muzzles in battle. Kimberly was a fierce warrior, protector of her people and a loyal friend. Much like wolves are with their kind.
Perhaps Kimberly was on a collision course with that majestic beast and it just so happened that they crossed paths on this day. 

Quinn takes out his knife, severs one of the wolves huge claws and places it in his pouch with the piece of quartz. As he rejoins his pack, Quinn traces a rune of protection on his own forehead with his still bloodied fingers. 

“Shall we return to Phandalin? Maybe his brothers have returned.”