Delia tries to help Kendra in the kitchen, carrying on casual chit-chat in an attempt to bring a sense of normalcy to the situation. She talks of the weather, the folks of the community, and cooking in general.
As the others gather she adds her input. "I wouldn't mind getting started as soon as we are finished eating, or waiting until after we've had a chance to shop around for any useful items the shopkeeps may have. I do, however, mind about using any of the items belonging to the five prisoners. Not that I am capable of using any of them well that is, but I have no use for a flute, either weapon, a spellbook, or holy symbols."
To Alistair Kendra adds, "Alendru? His name is Alendru Ghoroven, and the store he runs is The Unfurling Scroll. Alendru is a retired wizard, and he's getting a bit elderly, but he's in good health. The Unfurling Scroll is more of a school than a regular store; he spends most of his time teaching local children the basics of magic and trying to interest a few in pursuing longer term careers in wizardry. Most go back to farming of course, with some perhaps having mastered a cantrip or two. The magical supplies he sells are more of a side business, though he is skilled enough to make scrolls, and even wands, on request. He's versed in spells that rank to about the Third Order*. He's kind, and great with children, but sometimes lacks patience with their parents. If you need any new spell components, he can most certainly supply them though."
*
"Ahh, well then, it seems I can take care of two errands at once. I shall head out to the Unfurling Scroll and seek out Alendru then. Is there any other business I can settle for anyone while I am out?"
"Alistair, wait up ... let's see if this wizard sells ghost salts, or better yet, how to make them. I'll see if I can cook some up before we head out again."
As Alistair and Ried are leaving, Kendra calls out, "Ried, there is an alchemist here in town as well. If you are looking for something more particular than components, then you should visit Jominda's."
You make your way down towards the Unfurling Scroll, which is north of the main plaza in town, necessitating walking through on the way there. You notice a few furtive glances in your direction from the townsfolk, and no one really offers much of anything by the way of greetings. In the main plaza you see the shingle for Jominda's Apothecary.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A few minutes after after the two arcanists leave, Sheriff Caeller and Riff can be seen through the front window, walking up to the door. A sharp knock follows a moment later.
Agnar happens to be standing near the door, and lets them in at a nod from Kendra.
Ben Caeller's expression is stern, and Riff looks a bit pale, though with the business inside Harrowstone the other day, you've seen him much worse.
The sheriff starts out with a question, "Have you guys learned anything from your expeditions so far?"
As they approach and spy Jominda's Alistair motions at Ried toward the entrance. "As long as we're here, let's head in. That way I will be apt to spend less while I am here." At that Alistair starts his way toward the front, obviously intending for Ried to take the lead.
"Yes, Sheriff, we have learned some things about the haunting at the prison," Ember replies dipomatically.
"But it seems that something has happened to make you seek us out. Please, could you tell us of the problem that is weighing upon you thoughts?"
Valachi stands behind Ember, watching silently.
"Right, looks like my kind of place. Let's head in and see what we can find!" Ried takes the lead looking around and what may be on the shelves, but quickly finds the store owner.
Ben Caeller's face is stony and impassive. His message is short and to the point. "The monument. More letters." Riff's palor can't get much stronger than it is, but you can see his dry mouth working, trying to swallow in vain.
The sheriff goes on, "Some people around town are starting to talk, and I don't like what I'm hearing. The council let it be known you had permission to go, but they haven't exactly advertised that they hired you for the job. People are starting to wonder if you've been stirring things up out there. That was to be expected, but how quickly people are starting to point fingers has me a bit on edge. And I don't think the council is like to hurry to take the blame unless you all report in and start sharing what you've learned. You've been up there twice since they commissioned you to get answers, and they're getting a bit impatient, I'd reckon. If you give them cause, they'd be a bit more likely to try and step in a quell the panic. Right now I think they're afraid the people will turn on them unless they got something they can give to show for all the trouble. Town's starting to feel still as death, and as like to go up as a tinderbox." He glances out the window at the grey sky and damp earth. "Metaphorically speaking, a' course."
The shop is dry and well laid out, with rows of dried herbs, pots of powders, reagents, and ingredients, and shelves of carefully labelled jars and, vials, and bottles. The entire place has a strong earthy scent, full of dusky aromas and heady scents. The proprietress is near the back of the shop. She's somewhat younger than you expected for a shopkeep, perhaps in her late twenties. There is a fire burning in a brazier behind her, with some reagents boiling in beakers above it. The woman herself is attractive, if perhaps a bit dishevelled looking, with a quill pen stuck into her hair, and a smudge of ink on her forehead. She is apparently immersed in a massive looking tome, perhaps 2 ft tall, open to page somewhere in the middle. She seems not to have even noticed your entrance.
"I understand your concerns, Sheriff," Ember reassures him. "We have just last night uncovered more of the reasons for the haunting, and what spirits may be behind the recent actions. We would wish to report to the council as soon as we can. When do you think that we could meet with them?"
"If you wish, I will speak to you of some of what we have discovered, in the hope that you can keep the peace while this haunting is dealt with. Would you hear me out, Sheriff?"
"I believe the council is meeting now. An "Emergency Session" I believe they called it. They had a man fetch me and sent me over to talk to you. I'd be surprised if they'll adjourn any time soon, so we could head over as soon as you're ready."
"I think I trust you guys, so I'd listen to whatever you have to say. You can tell me now if you like, or we can talk on the way. If we don't head over soon though we'll probably have to set up a time later in the day. That means sending runners, responses, an' so on, so if'n you're apt to get anything done today, I'd say sooner is better."
"I will go with you now, as it is needful to keep the council informed," Ember replies. "I can tell you what we have found on the way, or if you can stay at the meeting and listen, you can learn what we have found in Harrowstone."
"Valachi, will you stay here with Miss Kendra? And are there any left here who wish to accompany me? Agnar? Delia?"
Delia, no doubt irritated still by the need to have to report to the council, pipes up to the question. "Oh, I'm going, there's no doubt about that. It seems almost everyone else so far wants to roll over for the council, at least I know I can stand with my hackles raised and bite back if they want to try and get bossy or demanding." Noting the implication, she quickly adds, "Nothing against you Lady Ember, as you were not present the last time I had to deal with them, so I don't know your stance."
Father just breathes a heavy sigh, moves up to stand behind Delia, and rests a calming hand on her shoulder. His sign to her that he stands with her, but his sign to everyone else that he will try to temper her outbursts.
Jomindas
[B]"My that's a fabulous book! That's not Mwangi, is it? Been meaning to get out that way myself. Any how, my friend and I thought we'd check in and see if you had any ghost salts available or better yet, the ingredients for me to make them myself.". Ried leans casually on something that looks like its sturdy and won't break anything.
She looks up, somewhat surprised to see you standing there, "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. What Mwangi? No, this was something I picked up from a caravan of Varisians. Wise woman's recipe book they said. It's a mix of a lot of things, but there are some valid formulas in here. I'm trying out a few of the ones that I'm not familiar with, and a few I'm not convinced will work. What was it you were looking for? Ghost Salts? I might have a little, though there is not much call for it usually. The ingredients I'm sure I have. Powdered lead, ectoplasm, yellow cake, and quartz crystals, mostly. The limiting factor will be the yellow cake; its hard to come by here. Or the ectoplasm; it tends to evaporate after a while, no matter how tightly you seal it. How much would you want?"
Oddly enough, she does not ask, or seem particularly interested in what you might possibly need it for.
Ried does some quick counting on his fingers, looking at the ceiling. "Enough for say ... 6 applications?" He peers over at the book again, "Convinced some won't work, eh? Like what does the wise old lady think she has figured out? Easy cure for lycanthrophy?"
"Uh, sure," Valachi replies with a hesitant look at Kendra. "Would you like to stay here, or go to the council?"
"Oh my, very interesting indeed. Mind if I take a look."
Without really waiting for a response, Alistair moves around to look at the content of the book. He begins to read, after a few moments he pulls out a small translucent stone , cut into a triangle. He looks through the device as he weaves a sign, and mutters, "intellego," as he then looks again at the book attempting decipher any meaning from it.
Kendra quickly gets to her feet, "I do not wish to be left out of any dealings with the council. Let's go!"
"I'll have to check the shelves. Give me a minute though, I think this vial should create a precipitate as soon as the liquid reaches boiling point. If the manual is correct, the resulting powder should be a cheap, easily accessible source of White Flashfire, a key ingredient in Alchemist's Fire, as you know. Of course the idea that you could harvest such a difficult to obtain substance from human urine seems far to good to be true!"
Looking at the manual, it does not appear to be written in magical script, at least not on the page displayed. Perhaps the 'Wise Woman' in question was not a true arcanist, but rather some type of amateur experimenter.
Even though the text does not appear to be magical in nature, Alistair is none the less intrigued by the tome. As reading new books is a favorite hobby of his. He will continue to browse the book as Ried on the proprietor have their discussions. He will also offer his point of view, alchemy not being a strong suit of his, but base chemical reactions are quite familiar to him.
"Well then, we should be off to see the council," Ember says. "Let us take care of this duty before the others return. Lead on, Sheriff Caeller. Will you be able to stay for the meeting, or would it be better to give you the information as we walk?"
[b]"Human urine? Maybe if he drank a lot the night before ... doesn't seem to be alchemically viable, but who am I to say?"]/b]
Ried looks around to see what else may be for sale that catches his eye.
"I actually thought about the drinking aspect, but I don't think it would help; the urine itself gets weaker; paler. I think what were after is part of whatever gives urine its colour. Did you say six? I'm not sure if I have that much yellow cake. If I do, it will be my whole supply." She finishes with a bit of a frown, and stares off at her bubbling mixture, apparently distracted.
The shop appears to be well stocked. Most ingredients you might want for potions or alchemical creations will be here, in varying quantities.
Ben nods and says, "I believe I can afford the time, and the council will probably let me stay. If you like you can save the story till we get there, so you only have to tell it once."
Kendra gets dressed to go out and meets the others leaving for the council at the front door. Within a few minutes, the group is ready to proceed.
Not far into the trip, Sheriff Caeller starts talking again, perhaps to share information, perhaps just to fill the silence, "The council has asked me to put a watch on the monument; every minute of every day. I only have four deputies, and myself, so that is going to be a tough order to follow. Besides, we have no idea who or what is doing this, and I'm not sure one guard will be able to stop 'em even if he is there, and awake enough to do something about it. I don't like it."
"Delia, should we look at the monument after the meeting?" Ember asks. "I think I know what we will find, but I would be sure of such things before offering advice."
Delia thinks briefly before suggesting, "Sheriff, what letter was found today?" She asks, explaining to Ember her reasoning, "I don't think we need look at it, if the good sheriff tells us it's the next letter we suspect, then I imagine it is as we presume. Otherwise, maybe then we should look to see why it was not what we expected."
Ben Caeller raises an eyebrow. "LetterS. Two; 'S' and 'O.' The monument now reads 'VESO.'"
"I actually thought about the drinking aspect, but I don't think it would help; the urine itself gets weaker; paler. I think what were after is part of whatever gives urine its colour. Did you say six? I'm not sure if I have that much yellow cake. If I do, it will be my whole supply." She finishes with a bit of a frown, and stares off at her bubbling mixture, apparently distracted.
"Ahem ... right, those ingredients, then? How much?"
"Then that particular haunt is trying to increase the speed of his plans," Ember speculates. "While we still have time, this shows that our margin of time is shrinking slowly but steadily."
"Hmm? Oh, the ingredients."
:
She walks over to a shelf and pulls off a thick lead canister, pulls off the lid and shakes the contents around. She places it on the worktable. Next she moves over to a shelf of glass jars. She counts them, picks up six and bring them over, setting them next to the lead container.
Looks like I have enough to fix what you're looking for. I've got plenty of the lead and quartz, so there's no issue there. It's all my yellow cake, and leaves me with only one vial of ectoplasm. It'll be 600, no wait, make it 550 gold for the lot."
The group finishes up the short walk down the road to Mistress Straelock's home, as before. A valet greats the group at the door and takes your coats, and then leads you into the library. All four of the council members are there, sitting around the table in silence. Several have flushed faces and beads of sweat evident on them, and the ladies are clutching delicate silk clothes in their hands. It is apparent that they have been having a rather passionate debate, only just halted when you arrived. Once you have been shown in, a butler offers you refreshment, cool water with lemon, before exiting the room, and closing the doors behind him. There is a moment of awkward silence before Ms. Straelock stands and addresses those gathered.
"Welcome friends. We are most eager to hear what you have to tell us. By all accounts you have ventured into Harrowstone twice now, and we wait with bated breath to know what you have learned on these forays?"
Awkward in all social situations, Valachi takes a long pause while thinking of what to say, and glances at his comrades for help.
"So Alistair, how much you got on your person?" Ried pulls the wizard aside, whispering.
"We have indeed ventured into Harrowstone twice now, and have an understanding of the nature of the hauntings, and a warning that these hauntings must be dealt with before they reach a critical point in time, and spill out into the village," Ember explains. "The letters on the monument are the work of one of these haunts, who seeks to break the conditions binding him to Harrowstone. There are five haunts involved with this attempt to break their bonds, and all of them must be dealt with."
Councilman Vashian Hearthmount stands in order to address the group. He clears his throat before speaking, "Five haunts? That seems like a very specific number. How did you determine it? Is there any evidence of this?"
Councilman Gharen Muricar adds in, "And where is Ried? I would have expected him to come with you. He did in fact return safe, did he not?"
"The number was arrived at by information that we managed to gain from the spirits at Harrowstone," Ember answers. "There were five named prisoners at the time of the riot, these five were strong enough to become powerful haunts."
"Ried is currently collecting items that will aid us in defeating these haunts, and had left before we were told that there was a meeting in progress. I am sure that if he were aware of this meeting, he would be here now to give his report to you, Councilman Muricar."
Each of the men seems to relax by a fraction at the response. They look at each other, and then Vahian asks, "You say that the letters on the monument are connected? What happens when they spell out whatever it is they are trying to complete? How much time do we have until that happens?"
"Yes, the letters are caused by one of the haunts, known as the Splatterman, or the prisoner who was Hean Feramin," Ember replies. "I believe that he is spelling the name 'Vesorianna', but I do not know how mush time we have, as he has seemingly increased his efforts to spell her name."
"Since the spirit of Vesorianna, the warden's wife, seems to be holding back the haunts, I would venture that when her name is fully spelled out the haunt known as the Splatterman will have overcome her and all the haunts in Harrowstone will be free to prey upon this town."
Councilwoman Straelock's lips move as she counts, "r-i-a-n-n-a... 10 letters all together; six more to go. It has been five days since the letters started appearing, and there are four letters on the monument. There was a letter the first night, none the second, a letter the third, none the fourth, and now two on the fifth. Is he accelerating, or making up for lost nights? I think you were right to insist on the guards for the monument Gharen.
Sheriff Caeler speaks up at this, "We'll do our best ma'am, but remember what I told you; there are only five of us, and a lot of time to watch, plus we need some patrolling the town in case any more of those flaming undead show up. We will be exhausted pretty quickly, and tired guards make mistakes. Just sayin'."
Vashian then says, "And you were reporting some unrest as well, correct?" Benjan nods. "Then we'd best have a meeting of some sort and try to let the people know we're trying to deal with it." He turns his attention to the group. "You were promised payment for uncovering the cause of the supernatural disturbances. Once we have confirmation from Ried, we'll pay what's owe'd immediately. However, it appears we are still going to need help to resolve this haunting, before it gets worse. Are you and your peers willing to continue helping us?"
"My faith will not allow me to overlook this situation," Ember answers. "I can not speak for the others, but I will not allow this to occur. I will continue to help."
"Then speak to your peers and find where they stand. I know time is limited, but we must address the people of the town and let them know what is being done about the situation. I believe if we sent runners, we can have a town meeting organized by noon. Would you be willing to delay returning to the prison that long? Being able to show you to the people and relate what you are doing to help them might allow us to avoid a panic here, as well as any unfortunate missassigning of blame. When you see Ried, send him to us immediately. After he confirms the story I will send your group's payment with him to distribute among you. I hear some of your party has changed, but that is sometime's inevitable under such circumstances. We will honour the original agreement though, 100 gp for each person involved. There were 8 of you at that time, so we will send 800 gold. The council has authorized me to offer your party the sum of 400 gold per person involved as incentive if any are more reluctant than yourself to continue placing themselves in danger on our behalf's. We will take measure of how many that is when you present yourselves at the town hall at noon."
"We may each have our own reasons to continue to assist, but I will be staying until this situation has been resolved. If attending this town meeting will help allay the fears of the townsfolk, then I am willing to wait until after the meeting to return to the prison grounds."
"Excellent. In that case we will see you there. Please bring all your current members, so we might take stock of you. Again, please send us Ried when you see him."
With that, the meeting appears to be over. The butler reappears to show you out, and escorts you all to the front door. It is still early morning at this point, perhaps 8:30. How do you wish to spend your time?
"Ma'am, your initial price was a touch steeper than I expected. How about we settle on 450, I leave half as a holding deposit and return in a bit with the remainder and collect the ingredients. Sound fair? Excellent, I'll be right back!"
"Wait! I can't afford that! That's less than I paid for them!" you have her full attention now. "Haven't you ever heard it's impolite to dicker when someone is already offering a bargain? Those ingredients are worth 600 even, and that's the price I'd offer anyone else, but I've heard you folk are trying to help us somehow... 550 is practically selling them wholesale, so take it or leave it!"
"Obviously I'm not familiar with the bargaining customs here in the north. I'm from Osirion, where it's offensive if we don't bargain. I'll gladly pay the offered price, it's exceptionally fair. I'll still need to collect another 250 gold, but here's 300 to hold it for now. I'll be right back with the remainder."
Ried, a bit addled and confused by the whole situation, begs his leave (once Jominda is mollified) of Alistair and runs back to the house to collect coins.
Totally had, just pushing my limits
Valachi has no plans, but will try to spend time with Kendra.
Ember will find Father Grimburrow and speak with him about what has been encountered so far, and ask if he knows where she might find more out about the five prisoners.