In the chill, pre-dawn gloom the group are awakened by a gentle rapping on the door of the private room, and a voice calling quietly, "Time to wake, it lacks but an hour of dawn."

For some the waking is easier than for others, depending on how much they had drunk the evening before, and how deeply they had slept.  But, before long all are awake and making their way through the mist-shrouded streets of Bard's Gate, which are already fairly busy, in spite of the hour.

Out of the North Gate and away to the temple of Freya, where the priestesses, wrapped in pale, hooded cloaks await them around a simple wooden altar where a body lays, wrapped in white linen.

Velia, the halfling leader of this temple stands with the others, leaning heavily on her stick.  "We have prepared a place in the bosom of the Goddess for your friend, Fergus." and she gestures towards a hole in the ground, easily large enough to hold Fergus, and as deep as he was tall.  "I prayed to Her last night, and she spoke to me.  She will welcome his soul into her realm, and his body will nourish the crops in the fields, for such is our way."

"His funeral will start soon, but first we must know, which of you will speak of his life, before we place him in the ground, and which of you will speak of its ending as we fill the grave?"

Arkan yawned and stretched as he startled awake, then grimaced as he became aware again of the throbbing inside his head. He knew he was drinking too much the night before, but he had allowed himself to get caught up in the revelries. He finally had to excuse himself from the others and stagger over to the room to slump into bed, not even bothering to change into his sleeping clothes.

Luckily, being used to waking very early he had managed to awaken and study his spellbook as quickly as he could earlier, before dozing off again in a chair, only to be awoken again by the rapping on the door.

He followed the others to the temple of Freya after washing up quickly, the cool water on his face coming as a relief and helping ease the throbbing in his head.

He listened to Velia make her statement at the temple, glancing at Fregus's body and the hole where he was to be buried. Arkan kept his silence after Velia spoke; the others had known Fergus better and it was only proper they should be the ones to speak of his life and make the final farewells.