"You're absolutely right, Azuk'ai. We'll need evocation magic and magic weapons to really protect ourselves, though simple holy water can help in the absence of such powerful things. I will be sure to prepare what magic I can against such a creature. Finding the dagger, ach, hopefully the sheriff can give us a clue where to start, though having the killer's name must be a significant asset."
Melk's mind ponderously wades through the barrage of information from Kilder and then Azuk'ai and Run. Finally he manages to add his thought to the chorus of consensus, "Ich think we should look over the prison records for this name... Kalkaroth. If he died in the fire, then his things would also still be there."
"Aye, Harrowstone! There's that acursed name again. Sheriff Caellar will have files on the previous murders. Maybee Duron and Wesh can help us sort through them if me and Ayden go back to the temple archives in the morning. We should also look throught the prfessors library this evening. Look for referaces to Kalkaroth or the black knife. But come, let's find sheriff Caellar." Azuk'ai helps Ayden to his feet and helps him to the door. "Could either of yoy gather up the board, please?"
Runyon nods and grabs the planchette, stuffing it into her large backpack for safekeeping. She, too, would see things continue, and quickly, while they have fresh clues to go on and while it is still daylight.
Melk gets up and motions for the Sheriff to take over again. "Is a priest coming soon? The poor girl is still bound to this place, maybe he can help her find her path." Poor girl, so confused.
The four of them slowly and sadly withdraw from the murdered girl's room. Kilder's body remains on the bed, lifeless as when they entered. Each wishes that there was more that they can do for her, but it is really a task for a priest. If the ghost remains, they can likely do more good by finding and destroying the spectre that murdered her. They make their way through the storming night, almost fearfully looking over their shoulders for more ghostly pursuers seeking to possess or kill them. By the time they get to Kendra's, they are practically running with Melk dragging the near-catatonic Aydan. With the door slammed behind them, Kendra runs out to check on them. As they drip in the front entryway, they slowly calm down and gather their wits.
It will probably be another long night.
Melk stony visage is set. Figuratively as well. Spirits that turn to the dark, and hunt the living. Das is not good. "Ich do not understand the... learnt sides to our problems. The good Professor has left many things for us, but ich admit that I'm not good with the books." He seems pained at his helplessness, but some resolve has settled with him. "I'll help as I can, if need be study til late in the night. I remember Lepidstadt, and I can make tea."
Drawing his hood back Azuk'ai leans against the wall and breathes deeply for a while, calming his frayed nerves in the only familiar place he knows in this town. "Tea would be nice." he answers Melk. Detatching himself from the wall he heads for the study, wondering in an exhausted daze if he's forgetting anything. Standing in the study he stares at the bookshelves raking his brain for any hints or connections. "So, Kalkoroth is our ghost. He was a murderer called the Slicer. He was in Harrowstone when it burned. His knife is his connection to this world." he mumbles, reciting the facts to himself.
Standing in the study till his eyes loose focus Azuk'ai gives up and collapses into the professors chair. Closing his eyes with a sigh he falls fast asleep.
Morning comes up over Ravengro. The Lorrimor house is not visited in the darkness by nightmares or spirits. The four inhabitants rather found sleep, exhausted from the seance as well as the tiring hours following the nightmares of the previous night. Melk awakens on the floor of Petros' library, curled amidst half a dozen open books. Azuk'ai is still asleep in the professor's chair, whereas Runyon seems to have fallen asleep in a side chair with a number of equations and formulas scribbled in a book. Aydan, for his part, remains in the bed that Melk deposited him in. The possession seems to have taken quite the toll on him, for he has yet to say a word.
Kendra opens the door to the study, looking better than the last few days. Father Harking is behind her, hands clasped behind him. She carries a tray with some oatmeal and some sort of hot drink that Professor Lorrimor probably discovered in some far-off land like Katapesh. "I hope this will wake you up. Father Harking has some news once you've all had some time to wake up."
"...mrmblpz?...grmbrllmzkOH! K-Kendra! I'm awake! I'm a-whhhoooaaa!" Run's sleepy mumblings give way with a snap to sudden wakefulness. Unfortunately she jerks herself upright too quickly and upsets the precarious balance of her chair, spilling herself backwards onto the carpet with a thud and knocking some books over. She grins up sheepishly at her hostess and over at Azuk'ai. "Sorry! Sorry you guys! Guess we should get up anyway." She stands and stretches, her spine elongating with audible and frankly unpleasant popping sounds, and then sits, reaching gratefully for the strong-smelling beverage.
Upstairs in the Outward Inn, Tanner stirs in bed. Sarianna had proven a delightful distraction for most of the evening. With his eyes closed, he smiles and reflects on her ample blessings and skills. Amidst the memories of last night, Tanner breathes deeply and contentedly. Properly motivated by the young waitress, he is ready to investigate Professor Lorrimor's untimely death. He can feel Sarianna laying next to him still and quiet, probably exhausted from their time together in his room. He moves his legs a bit but finds the sheets too tangled to move in. He smiles to himself, pleased with evidence of the night.
He stretches a bit, ready to take on the day. His hand grazes something wet as he stretches out towards Sarianna. 'Did she bathe in the night and leave her hair wet?' He withdraws his hand, trying not to wake her. Idly, he rubs his eyes and sits up with a heavy sigh. Tanner notices a stickiness on his eyelid when he finishes rubbing his eyes, wiping it away with his hand. He looks down at his fingers.
Blood.
The sticky wetness is blood.
Tanner looks over at the other side of the bed with a gasp. Sarianna lays on the other side, eyes open and dead. There is blood everywhere on her side, still wet and shining. Her neck is cut open. The muscles and tendons are visible and covered in blood. Her skin is ashen and pale, as if the blood has flowed completely out of her. Sarianna is dead, killed during the night by an assailant so silent that Tanner slept through it.
The room spins as Tanner tries to take in the situation, horrified by what he has woken up to.
Melk's eyes open suddenly, a clarity and presence of mind coming from within the blink of an eye. Sleep had been fitful, coming and leaving in waves. Involuntarily his hand reaches out, trying to hold on to some embers in his mind - some realization that the unfettered sleep had given him; but he reaches in vain, some errant thought lost.
"Ich worry about how we can proceed now," he begins as he meets up with the otherse. "The Mörderer will strike again. Maybe he has already. I think we should ask the Sheriff about the knife - if it is still in the prison, it cannot be hard to find. In Lepidstadt the room of evidence and possessions was near the warden's office."
What!...By Pharma's left, cold ... What! Tanner tries to kick his legs free. Recoiling from Sarianna, his head and torso hang over the floor, as he claws the rug to pull himself free. THUMP Laying naked on the floor, images from last night race through his head. Parts of it were fuzzy, as he did have a lot to drink...again...but not this..I have nooooooo memory of this.
He starts to push himself up to a seated position, trying to glance over the top of the bed as if expecting to see Sarianna peacefully sleeping and that he just had a bad dream. Bad dream..bad dream...bad dream....ah crap.. She lay there motionless, and blood still clung to his hand.
Think you idiot! You blacked out before. Yeah, but we went drinking..me and that guy...and I DID NOT wake up with a dead girl in my bed. So why did I do it? Wait! What makes you think I did it? It doesn't matter what I think....It's what THEY will think. Well they can just go to ...no, wait, look, there is my bag..all my equipment...none of it was used to..to... To KILL my lover in MY bed. None of this makes any sense...Professor, why did you leave me behind?...Why is this happening?...
He sits rocking on the floor, his head on his knees for a while till he calms down a bit. Deep breaths...think this out..Someone was in here. Tanner springs to his feet. He can see the door is closed and latched and Sarianna had locked it so as to not be discovered by her..Father...oh, gahph! The thought of having to explain this, whatever THIS was to her father sends him retching into a wash basin on the small table.
The window? Locked. Well there must be a hidden door or space Get a grip. I need to get someone in here, the guard, the constable, someone To arrest me? To find the killer. If I didn't do this, someone out there did. I could just run, It would be easy.. From a crime I did not commit. Can I get her out of my head so I won't be haunted all my life? What if they came through the walls? How is that? I don't know. Magic. People can do this kind of thing. What apperate around town killing people? I need a drink.
He finds his clothes and pulls them on hurriedly not bothering to button or buckle. He takes a quick swig but finds he can't make it go down. He swishes it in his mouth and spits it too, into the basin.
He spares one last glance at his lost friend. He pulls the sheet over her "Thank you for last night..I am sorry...someone with such a large heart does not deserve...this. The last part comes out more as a clenched whimper.
He pads to the door and places his hand upon the latch and pauses. This time he finds he can take a swallow of courage. He replaces the flask, opens the door and steps into the hall calling,
He slumps against the door frame with his head bowed as he feels the weight of the situation come pouring down on him, like dirt on his coffin.
Azuk'ai's eyes fly open with a startled intake of breath at Run's rukus, looking over at her he watches her rise and stretch. Smiling lopsidedly at her un-elvish awkwardess he falls back into the chair with a sigh and rubs his eyes. Tensing he springs up and accepts the offered breakfast from Kendra. "Mornin." he mumbles as he heads back to chair to wolf down the oatmeal. Smelling the liquid he furrows his nose and snarls at it, tasting a sip his eyes widen and he nurses the cup, blowing on it to cool.
"Morning Father." he finally says. "I take it you've been to see Kilder? We did a sceance last night, we spoke to her. She named her killer and described him to us Father. Kalkoroth is risen as a ghost. The Slicer walks in the night. She identifyed him to us by name and description, especially his knife. We must find the knife, Father, it is his connection to this world." he reports to the elderly father.
Father Harking starts handing out the strange hot drink, a brown concoction with a rich, bitter smell to Melk and Runyon. "Yes, Father Grimburrow gathered her soul this morning and laid it to rest. He mentioned to me that she seemed to have already found some measure of peace and acceptance, which I can only assume is attributable to you."
Kendra takes in the information about the knife, trying to steel herself to what needs to be done. "Are you going to go into the Harrowstone? It's not safe there, but I trust you know what to do more than I might. If destroying the knife is what needs to be done to rid Ravengro of the Slicer, then it is what you must do."
The next few hours are not easy on Tanner. First, Sarianna's father had been the first to arrive when he called for help. The old man fell to his knees upon seeing his daughter's corpse, crying and wailing. The other patrons crowded the room, pointing to Tanner and speaking to themselves. One of them rushed to get the local sheriff, who came with two of his deputies. They immediately clapped him in chains and brought him to the jail, where the deputies unceremoniously dumped him in one of the jail cells.
Sitting in the next jail cell, serenely focused on a staggering number of books and files, is an elf. It's a little unusual for a small town like this, though Tanner's long cosmopolitan experience makes him unsurprised. In the cell after that, a surly looking human teenager sits angrily. A cougar sits with him. That is quite unusual, especially for a prisoner.
The sheriff enters the room and closes the door behind him. "I'm Benjan Caeller, the Sheriff of Ravengro. Now, until I'm told otherwise, you're my primary suspect in two murders. Who are you and when did you arrive in my town?"
Aydan saw Run's eyes widen, that was the first sign, after that time slowed, as if he were swimming through the treacle his mother used the to get them on mornings after sermons. He Zanasa and little Hani. Aydan would tease his ever serious sister until Hani would fall over laughing, then often spend the evening locked in his room, or doing gruelling chores, but it was always worth that laugh, thats what stuck in his head as the blackness took him, that laugh, that would make the sun giggle and the gods cry.
Darkness, imprisoning me, all that I see, absolute...
She had worked so hard, so hard, but everything was going well. She was engaged to a handsome, kind man. The kind was almost the most important. She knew girls and older sisters who had married harsher men, men who would fall upon them drunk at night and do their husbandly busniness. They would not hit, not all of them, but they were never gentle, and their wife no more dear to them than their tools and dogs.
No, she had married a kind man. Her dress making was going well too, and one day she would sit near the front of the church, the other girls would see how well her man was, how fine her and her children and her clothes would look, and they would all see what she had made of herself. Yes, she thought life would be good.
It was with that though that the face leaned over, and all became blurry. No.
'Kalkaroth,'
No. Please no. I want my dream. I want my life.
'Kalkaroth is the last thing you will hear before the grave.'
No! Please! Someone-
And her screamed her silenced before they were voiced, and her last sight were his eyes, her last feeling the cold, the last voice she heard was not her beloved, but her killer, and maybe that was a closer bond, maybe you never shared more than that last look, staring into someones eyes as one of you passed. The killers eyes widened in pleasure, she had seen that pleasure, heard of it, in unkind men.
'Am I dead?
Aydan replayed it again and again in his head, every second, pumpng through his skull, and sometime in the night as he was dragged back and placed in bed, he lost Hani's laughter and a part of him died. A soft part, a kind part.
He found it again with the morning, that laughter. But it was hushed, and he knew that he had to reclaim it.
'Kalkaroth. You have killed that girl, and with her my innoncence dies, my mercy is silenced. You will pay, somehow dead man, I will make you pay.'
He dresses, his eyes deeply sunken and walks down to the dining room to find the others eating and Father Harking in attendance. He passes up on food and turns to the old man.
Putting the pieces together he opens his mouth, drawing attention to himself, still dishevelled and exhausted looking.
'I will go to Harrowstone. I will put an end to this ghost with my own hands. I will find a way to make the dead suffer. Pharasma will receive him broken, and no more broken than he deserves.' Aydan's voice is dead, and in his eyes is nothing, ice, black pools, death, retribution. His eyes are a killer's eyes and he means to slay the dead.
Melk cautiously nips at the dark brew. His expression doesn't change, but he doesn't continue drinking the liquid. Bitter... so bitter. But it smells good. He keeps on holding to the cup, close to his face. The scent wafts straight into his face and he must be enjoying it to keep it there.
"How then will we proceed?"
"The cache we found will definately come into good use now. I suggest we start be dividing it up amonst us. Then we should see Sheriff Caeller, maybee Duron or Wesh has more information we can use." Azuk'ai suggests, nursing his coffee.
"Two? Murders? I haven't been in your town 'cept for last night."
He turns away from the sheriff and runs his hands through his hair.
Two? So Sarianna and....the Professor? I wouldn't hurt either of them. Exactly But he thinks so. This is better than a lynch mob,..remember.. Focus! Getting hung later by this man is in no way better.
He turns back to the Sheriff."But I work for the Professor, I am Tanner. Tanner Illengrin. I was supposed to meet him here, why would I murder him. I was told everyone thinks it was an accident. So it was a murder And anyway, that was weeks ago. And well poor Sarianna. We were having...well she showed me the only bit of kindness I have had this past month. Why would I want to do...how would anyone want to...I liked her....But I don't know what happened to her."
The elf stands up in his cell when Tanner mentions the Professor, and Sheriff Caeller looks to him. The young human with the cougar does his best to seem uninterested, but he clearly is paying attention now. The elf speaks with a strange accent that Tanner has never heard before. "You knew the Professor? Why were you not at his funeral two nights ago? Sheriff, if I may make a suggestion, perhaps this man is innocent of the murder of young Kilder." His eyes turn blue as he looks over Tanner with a gaze that seems to pierce him. "He does not seem to have the magical ability necessary to make the killing so silent, though he does have a touch of some divine magic to him."
Sheriff Caeller nods at the elf's suggestions. "The Professer was murdered, Tanner. We know who did it, sort of, and we are in the process of working that case. Like Duron here said, the second murder is another girl here in town. I have a group looking into it. Perhaps they will come with some evidence that exonerates you of that. But the fact remains that you were the last person to be seen with Sarianna, and that you were covered in her blood when you alerted the others. At the very least, that warrants suspicion as our only witness to the Slicer's murders, or perhaps as an accomplice."
Getting up Azuk'ai gets another cup off Father Harking and heads up to Aydan's room, hoping the cup of invigorating liquid will lure the big warrior out of bead. Gently knocking on the door he pushes it slowly open and pokes his head inside. "You alrigt? That was a hell of an experience last night, here. It's somthing the proffessor liked to drink in the mornings. Some dark brew out of Katapesh I think." he says and hands him the cup. "We were thinking of divying up the cache we found in the crypt, so if you don't mind, I'll just take it downstairs to the study and you can join us when your ready, ok?" Taking the cache off Aydan's hands he heads back into the study and places the loot on the floor for display.
"I think we should divide the healing potions evenly, maybee two to Aydan as he seems to have a rather rekless fighting style. The scrolls should go to Run, maybee she'll share them with Duron if he joins us in this expedition into Harrowstone. You should divide the sunrods between you, I can see perfectly in darkness. I suggest Run and Melk takes two vials of holy water and me and Aydan take one each, with us beeing the only ones who carry bows we'll divide the arrows between us. The restorative potion though, I don't know. Maybee Run will carry them for us? Give them out if their needed?" Azuk'ai looks expectantly at the party, wondering if they agree.
Ayden;
2x potion of cure light wound
1x holy water
2x sunrod
1x silver arrow
5x +1 arrow
2x ghost touch arrow
1x undead bane arrow.
Azuk'ai;
1x silver arrow
1x holy water
5x +1 Arrows
3x +1 Ghost Touch Arrows
1x +1 Undead Bane Arrows
1x potion of cure light wounds.
Melk;
1x sunrod (in adition to the one he already took)
2x holy water
1x potion of cure light wound (as per the ooc post).
Run;
2x Sun Rod
2x Flask of Holy Water
1x potion of cure light wounds
2x Potion of Lesser Restoration
1x Scroll of Detect Undead
2x Scroll of Hide from Undead
1x Scroll of Protection from Evil
Kendra listens idly to Azuk'ai divvying up the gear her father left for them, but gets a confused look on her face. "I thought elves and half-elves still need some amount of light to see in, just sharper and clearer than humans in dim light." She eyes Azuk'ai curiously, seeming like the Professor for the first time.
"What?" Azuk'ai looks questioningly at Kendra his brow furrowing as he goes over his own words, "..umm.. Yes, of course! Thats what I meant. Ther's bound to be some umm.. stars and eh.. the moon of course. Thats what I ment."
Liar!
Tanner looks between the Elf and the Sheriff not wanting to interrupt what seemed to be the case against him crumbling.
He takes this all in. See, Things always work out. Why is the sheriff taking advice from a prisoner? Shut up. He is advocating for my release, so hope he is convincing.......Divine? Magic? Nothing good came out of those months at the Iomedae temple. I remember a certain prospective nun... Focus! That is how I got kicked out of the temple and how I also ended up here...Wait..the Professor was murdered?
"The Slicer?...huh....only thing is I didn't see any thing. Didn't hear anything. Didn't even feel anything and I was right next to her. The room was locked. So your saying someone..this Slicer..is using magic to appear in woman's rooms and silently kill them?"
Tanner runs his hand through his hair and starts up a short pacing routine in the small cell a far away look on his face. "Gods..that sounds like something the Professor would have been good at solving. He used to tell us the occasional scary story around the fire when the right mood hit him. His knack at getting into motive and methods...the man was a genius."
Turning to the Elf. "Duron..is that right? Duron, the reason I missed the funeral is I didn't know there was a funeral. I am his field assistant, more of a gopher really. You know, squirm down a dark tunnel, dig up an informant for his interviews, find a particular crystal vase in a bazaar. He had many odd requests...well, he did a lot of odd tasks, and he relied on me to rove about doing many of these odd jobs. Our last rendezvous I got him his supplies..this was a little over a month ago...well, I missed him, or he missed me, lets say there was some miscommunication and he went on ahead,to here. Better equipped and financed, he vastly outdistanced me. It took me a month of sailing and caravan duty to make my way here...only to land face first in this mess. I haven't even had time to pay my respects yet."
'Thank you my friend, kofa, I think he used to call it.' Aydan says as he drinks the cup with a wince. Despite its bitter flavor, he continues to sip it and feel his head clear as he dresses and follows Akuz'ai downstairs to the dining room. Wincing when the hlaf-blood mentions his recklessness, Aydan nods along at the suggestions.
'That sounds good my friend. I can only agree with that. The next issue will be of course, when we're going to Harrowstone, and what other preparations do we need? Maybe visist that magic shop?'
From the next cell, the young human scoffs. "Real dedicated..."
Duron continues, mostly ignoring him. "Please forgive Wesh here. He is rather impertinent. As far as the Professor goes, he was the best judge of character I have ever met. If he trusted you with important tasks, I can only defer to his judgment and share in his trust. Sheriff, I hope that you will release him when my compatriots arrive with their findings from the first victim's residence."
Sheriff Caeller seems to accede the point. Lucky for Tanner that the elf has a good rapport with him. He sighs heavily. "I wish it were him. It would make everything so much easier. I can understand a criminal, catch him, but a magical or supernatural killer is beyond my skills."
Duron pulls out a piece of paper from under one of the books, scribbling arcane marks on it. "This latest murder is further evidence of what is coalescing into a solid theory. While there are magical means to replicate what happened, they point to either a powerful wizard or a ghost. However, a mortal would be hard-pressed to kill so efficiently so as to not disturb the one sharing the bed. A man would most likely have simply killed Tanner as well. I believe that not only is it a ghost, it is one tied to a specific type of victim that it prefers to kill. I suspect that this preference is so strong that it would not harm anyone out of its victim type unless directly threatened."
"So you're saying that a ghost is flying around town killing young woman, but that is not what killed the Professor? Correct. So the ghost floats into my room and...wait. How can this ghost cut up a young girl? He..well we are assuming its a he, right? He floats in all inmaterial and ghostly, then how does he hurt Sarianna? There was no knife there. Would a ghost knife cut me? Wouldn't it just go through me like it went through the wall." He punctuates his last statement by thumping his chest and then passing his arm through the cell bars.
Tanner was becoming engrossed in theory to the point that he could even forget he was in a jail cell. He could see why the Professor was friends with this Duron, they seemed to know a lot about some very esoteric topics.
"Are ghosts common enough here that you suspect them first over a bloke who awoken in a bloody bed? Not that I am questioning your judgement, mind you. Probably explains why the Professor liked it enough to live here."
Melk's impassive grin cocks slightly to the side as he catches Azuk'ai's misdirection. He smiles inside, ah - as I suspected, he's not a warden. "Ich think that your idea is good, ja. I might need some instruction what to do with these," he holds up the holy water, "I've been taught a variety of things to do with glass bottles and flasks, but mostly the things inside did not matter that much to the lessons."
Clearing his throat Azuk'ai looks over at Melk. "Thers nothing to tell, Melk. It's holy water, undead don't like it. You just chuck it at the thing and aim to hit it square on, braking the flak and the water will do it's thing." Clearing his throat again he collects his portion of the cache. "We should stop by Sheriff Caeller's, it's best to keep him in the loop with what we've found. And I'm sure Duron would appreciate an update."
Melk nods, a sense of understanding clear in his eyes. "Ah. It's like soap then."
Run nods along with Azuk'ai's suggestions as she gratefully sips her coffee.
"This all sounds fine to me, as long as I don't get too weighted down. I'm, um, not very strong." She says this last a bit meekly. "But I am eager to begin. I feel we've been putting this off, as if it were the thousand-pound Girallon in the room."
'Same here Run, same here,' Aydan says, his eyes still dark and hooded.
Aydan goes to fetch his gear, strapping on his armor and weapons, he returns shortly, hair flattened and neatened, but his eyes are still depp with exhaustion from his ordeal.
'Let's go.'
He walks out of the Kendra's manor, bidding her to keep the door locked and open it only for friends, he heads down and into the town, making his way towards te sherriff's office, not even noticing the dark looks he receives fromt he villagers.
Run nods and gulps down the last of her coffee. She takes the minute necessary to prepare a fresh infusion of curing, checks her bombs and mutagen, and loads up her pack. She then meets Aydan outside, glad he shares her sense of urgency about unlocking the nagging mystery that is Harrowstone, or at least getting a start.
So many questions point to that place. So many stories end there...
With Aydan intensely leading the way, focused on avenging the death that he was forced to relive in his possession by Kilder, the four of them make their way across Ravengro to Sheriff Caeller's small station. The people of the town look even more suspicious of them today than yesterday, most of the townspeople eyeing them with a decided hostility. Caeller is standing in the middle of the room as they enter, talking to a rather unkempt-looking prisoner in one of the cells. Duron gives them a courtly bow from inside his cell, while Wesh rolls his eyes and looks away.
Sheriff Caeller shakes their hands as they enter before filling them in. "Good, you're here. I hope your investigation turned up something useful, because there's been another murder. This time, it's the innkeeper's daughter, Sarianna Vai. This man was with her at the time, and did not feel a thing. With the assistance of Duron, I do not believe him to be the killer." The man in the cell seems to untense when he says this. "This is Tanner Illengrin. He claims to be a friend of the Professor's."
'I'm afraid this man may be innocent even without Duron inestimable aid. After you left us last night we attemot to commune with the girls spirit. However her greif was such that she got out of hand and a possession occured,' he pauses and winces at this.
'We gleaned from the girls memories and what the ghost told us that the killer is none oomther than the ghost of the Silent Knife. Now, don't shake your head, we have alot of reason to beleive this. And we're planning an expedition to the Harrowstone to see about proving it and ending the threat.'
Aydan then turns towards the cage, walking over and kneeling down. There's something familiar about this man, I must have seen him with the Professor. 'Good evening sir, Tanner is it? My name is Aydan. I'm sure you've been worn raw telling your story, but could you tell me if you saw or noticed anything strange?'
Melk keeps close to Aydan most of the time, but when he moves off to speak with the prisoner, he keeps to the sheriff: "Ich think there's much cause to believe the ghost girl. She talked about her killer, named him Kalkaroth. From what the others have researched he was a killer imprisoned in the Harrowstone prison; his knife is what holds him to this world and allows him to... act... on us." Melk's grasp of words flounders as he tries to explain. "Ich am sure we can find and destroy the knife in the prison - do you know where it might be kept? In Lepidstadt prison the Warden had a strong room for the possessions of the inmates."
Tanner runs his hand through his tousled hair. There is a confused look on his face. "Well, truth be told. Waking up in bed with Sarianna..and her..condition... was very strange. And I have woken up in a lot of wierd places, let me tell ya. But the worst part is, I have nothing to tell. I was right there, all night. Asleep for only a part of it, but it was enough for this ghost knife bastard. She didn't move or make a sound...or at least that might have woken me. And while I may have developed some pretty heavy sleeping habits, I don't think I could sleep through...that."
He comes right up to the bars in front of Aydan, "Listen. If you are going after this guy..ghost..whatever. Let me come with. Harrowstone, right? That is where the Professor was killed. Let me come."
He moves along the bars till he is facing the Sheriff. "What about it Sheriff? The killer is out there. These fellows confirm what Duron has been saying. Let me be of some use. The Professor found me useful. Let me help now that it is really needed. My life has been on a pretty hard downward spiral. The Professor and sweet girls like Sarianna, are the only good things that I had in my life. Let me even the score."
He lets his plea sink in and then clears his throat. "Hrmm. And do you think I can get something to drink, seeing that I am not the true suspect. I have been talking all morning and I am still a little strung out from the ..events." When Aydan makes a move toward a wooden pail of water, Tanner reaches through the bars and points, "Psst...no...over there. Yeah, over there. That's my pack and belt...the silver flask..yeah right there..that would be great."
Pleased with the groups sudden flair of activity Azuk'ai follows quietly along, mentally preparing himself for the dangers that are sure to present themselves once they enter Harrowstone. 'Rats for sure, spiders maybee. Pitfalls, weakened walls or floors, colapsing ceilings. The structures integrity is questionable at best.' he muses as he follows along after the group into town, only sparing glances at the naturally suspicious townfolk.
Hearing about Sarianna turns Azuk'ai's blood to boiling again drawing a snarl to his lips. Quickly composing himself he withdraws into himself, his mind spinning with hatred toward the restless ghost-murderer.
"Yes, do come along." Azuk'ai says to Tanner. "We were all friends to the late professor, he touched all our lives in various ways and if you were a colegue to him, I'm certain you'll have many skills usefull to us in this venture into Harrowstone."
Aydan fetches the flask, opens and sniffs at it then shrugs.
'I think you can wait a moment until we see if Sheriff Caeller here will release you into our custody. It'll the taste all the sweeter then friend,' Aydan nods at the man before turning back t othe Sheriff.
'What say you Sheriff, will you release this man into our custody? We'll make sure he doesn't run off, though I don't reckon that likely. Seems to me he's as invested as we are in seeing this menace ended.'
Diplomacy:
Run fetches her notebook from inside her cavernous jacket and opens it to the pages she used last night, then hands it to the sheriff. "That bit on the right page, sheriff? That's as exact a transcript of the now-incorporeal Kilder's words as we heard them via Aydan last night as I could manage under the circumstances. The poor girl. To go that way, in such a horrible way. In re-reading some of the material in the professor's library I feel I have encountered plenty of circumstantial evidence to back up the theory of the Silent Knife's ghost being the killer -- again -- even if we didn't have extraplanar eye-witness testimony from the victim herself."
Leaving the notebook with the lawman, Run steps tentatively over by Aydan. She lowers her head down to the flask, closes her eyes and takes a deep sniff, thinks for a bit, then mutters briefly to herself before addressing Tanner.
"...grain, rye, sugar, maybe 110, 120 proof? hrm. Um, Tanner? Yes? You didn't happen to feel anything different, did you? Chill? Cold area, warm area, I mean aside from the blood, of course...anything like that?"
"No. It was like I was telling your friend. I didn't know anything was wrong until I woke up. I paced the room a bit this morning..checking the window, under the bed, you know, but I didn't feel anything...but I was in kind of a panic too, so who knows..." He paces his cell in an unconscious mimicry of his earlier actions as he tries to remember any detail at all.
Sheriff Caeller slowly unlocks the jail cell with the metallic clank of the lock turning. Before he swings it open, he looks to the four of them. "This means I'm going to have to deputize you. No pay, bad hours, dangerous work." He heads over to his desk, where he pulls out four metal badges. "Hang onto these. You don't have to wear them, just keep them on you in case anybody from town challenges you." After handing the badges out, he opens the door to let Tanner out. "Get out there and get this guy. Duron and Wesh can stay with me while we try and figure out a way to ward the village from the killer and maybe figure out why these girls are being targeted."
Duron leans against the bars, opening the unlocked door as he does so. "I have a theory on that as well. Wesh told us about the blood marking on the Harrowstone Memorial. Would you go check it on your way to the Harrowstone, see if another name has been crossed out? I suspect that the killer is performing some sort of ritual for unknown purposes; perhaps it is using the blood to exorcise the ghosts of the guards until it can be in sole otherworldly control of the Harrowstone."
"What do you mean sole? YOu think there are more of 'em in Harrowstone?" Azuk'ai curses under his breath. Turning the badge over in his hand he nods and tucks it inside his jacket. "Thats just perfect. As if one wasn't enough, but come on. Let's swing by the memorial on our way up."
Duron nods his head gravely. "It was the site of a very great number of violent deaths. I would be shocked if there aren't dozens of ghosts roaming the halls. The question is which of them are hostile towards us."