After the bed had been cleared, it's blanket and sheet, pillow and an open book tucked underneath cast aside, the body was cut down and placed upon, horribly light compared to what it should have been. The simple act of cutting it free was a curious chore, the reaching blades of the guardsmen routinely hung up in the strange material routinely as they worked though they could be cut with some persistence. With the disturbingly light body placed upon the bed, the Sergeant gave Vanir a look of what might have been compassion before he tackled the encased form with his knife, cutting away enough of the strange membrane around the body to reveal it beneath.
He inspected it for perhaps half a mark. Not a damned organ left, he determined, poking upon Eric's abdomen out of curiosity. The body's limbs and head seemed to be largely intact, but his abdomen was empty, as if drained. What kind of illness could do this? "He wasn't frightened when he died, Father. I wonder if he were taken unawares?" surmised the Sergeant, noting the frozen look of almost calm complaisance frozen upon the older Priest's face. "I see no signs of struggle, no indication of a fight...only this curious, white strand sack and these two perforations. I would suspect magic, but..." Zimphander gave Vanir a simple shrug "...magic is usually...more spectacular than this. This is...more like a weapon, as you can see..."
The Sergeant's clinical, detached method of inspecting Eric's corpse was strangely beneficial to the atmosphere of the room. Gone was the tragedy of loss, the horror of the body, and the confusion of the sudden change. Instead, the young man, his sharp, quick, thorough mind and his bold, direct manner of speech, changed the murder scene to something not unlike a logical puzzle.
"Who was this man? Did he have enemies? Family? Have you noticed any changes in his habits or health of late? What were his immediate tasks in the temple?" he said, firing off questions one after the other in hopes of getting to know Father Eric to some degree.
Seeking answers from above~ Sam 24th MT
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