Merenso stays put till tomorrow.
Ereviss was going to visit the sheriff with anyone that will go.
I'd be up for paying the sheriff a visit, too. But I think it's not likely he's going to be at his post in the evening, so maybe we'll have to do it the next morning.
|
Kendra Will Save... .. for tonight
At the end of the day searching through the archives held by Professor Lorrimor, you are no nearer the truth of what is happening, but certain tomes indicated that the professor was surely serious about discovering more about the Whispering Way. A loose leaf of paper falls from the a black bound book, written in the Professor's hand. In it he notes that the Whispering Way have been responsible for the deaths of at least 5 investigators, who took it upon their heads to follow strange necromantic clues from black and aweful ceremonies to pursue these dark magic users. although never proven in a court of law, each death in itsself could be explained away, but taken together a finger would surely point only one way, to murder.
Jevalt returns later, breathless he starts to talk about his experiences.
Kendra appreciates the kind concern you have shown today, by many of you staying close to home, and working here. The company helped her from sinking into the dark blackness of depression, as she remembered her father and the way he would seem to wander aimlessly through the house, but invariably find some detailed piece of information and a loud gasp of triumph would echo through the rooms.
"Tomorrow, when the day is clear and the weather bright, would one or two of you accompany me to the Restlands to lay fresh flowers at Papa's grave?" A sympathetic smile implores you to accede to this request. "It is so kind of you to keep me company tonight, when the night and its silences can make your mind wander to hidden recesses of shadow. With you here, in the warmth of the fire, you permit only light to enter my world. "
Xiuj will volunteer to escort Kendra the next day.
That night...
Will save:
And Ereviss Will
Will save:
To recap:
Our heroes attended the funeral of an old friend and colleague Professor Petros Lorrimor in the little town of Ravengro. With the assistance of his daughter Kendra, they concluded the ceremony, despite some rowdy locals convinced the old professor was some kind of Necromancer.
In his will the professor asked you all to deliver a number of rare books to the University of Leipstadt, after you spend a month in Ravengro helping Kendra settle his estate. In return he willed you each the sum of 100 platinum coins.
Reading through his journal, you discovered that the Professor was on the trail of a cabal of Necromancers called “The Whispering Way”. They had some interest in the burned out and haunted ruins of an old prison called Harrowstone. His last entry was his intention to return to Harrowstone to stop them. Other clues pointed to a cache of weapons that could be used, and information that the Church of Pharasma and the Town Hall might contain.
A brief jaunt made to the statue memorializing the guards who died in the prison fire, and a side trip to the Church revealed no new information.
The next day, Kendra expressed the intention to visit the gravesite and lay some flowers.
That day dawns now.
What do you do?
"Since we were the pallbearers, miss, we would be honored to accompany you to the gravesite."
Turning to the others: "What other plans do we have for today? I think we were going to visit the sheriff to ask him about the prison fire and inform him of the monument's desecration. Asking around the Town Hall might be a good idea too."
"We also need to keep researching Harrowstone and the Whispering Way, particularly the events of the fire. But I am ready to get around town some today."
Kendra gets up in the grey dawn and gets dressed.
But Xiuj is up even before that, messing about with his chymicals and glassware, mixing and creating those mysterious potions which are a trademark of his profession.
Clearing that all away, he prepares a light breakfast with a savory tea for the party.
You set forth into a grey and misty morning...
The lands are unearthly in the morning mists, like you're striding on a cloud. Kendra stops by the side of the road to pick some flowers hidden by the weeds.
Making your way through the gates of the Restlands, you shiver at the sight of tombstones sticking up out of the mist like the broken teeth of giants.
Kendra reverently places the flowers on the top of her father's tombstone.
You see in passing somthing that catches your attention.
The name "Ereviss Cierdel", one of your companions is on a weatherbeaten tombstone!
The inscription below it reads:
"Come to my world, and be as I;
As I am now, soon you will be;
Embrace your end and witness me."
Below that reads:
"Died 4661 AR"
Hanging back, Xiuj whispers to the rest of you.
"Hey, Professor write in book; secret weapons hidden in crypt here.
I say we get now!"
Merenso is shaken; he glances at Ereviss and grabs him firmly by the elbow, to make sure he's real.
"Look, Ereviss!"
Merenso almost drags Ereviss to the place where he saw the tombstone.
"There's a tombstone with your name on it! Can you see it too? Do you reckon it could be a full namesake? Or is it some kind of trick?"
When you look to where Merenso is pointing, the headstone is too weathered to read. There is certainly no inscription there.
Yep, when you turned back, the inscription is gone; as if it was never there...
Merenso rubs his eyes and massages his forehead.
"Sorry, Ereviss. This place is playing tricks on my mind. The mist makes everything surreal, as if seen through a bent glass."
"This is one creepy place."
Xiuj guffaws (inappropriately, with you standing in a graveyard) at Merenso's apparent imaginings.
Xiuj quietly unrolls a scroll and studies a number of handwritten lines. He nudges Ereviss and Merenso and looks pointedly at a crypt some fifty yards down the path.
"Secret weapon cache," he whispered "Everway and Black Path, professor write in journal."
"What are the locals going to say if they see us digging into their graveyard? Should we maybe ask the church for permission first?"
Xiuj rolls his eyes at the notion of notifying the Church; But waves his hand at you, leaving the decision to you.
"Well, the professor visited the church first. I think we should do the same. We may be able to get some holy water from the church too, which could be helpful."
Along with Kendra, you travel back to town. The fog gradually fades and it turns into an average overcast day. You start to see people out in the fields now; you can see them pause in their work to look at you stonily as you pass.
You arrive at the Temple of Pharasma (The Lady of Graves); it's eastern facade displaying a stained-glass mural of Pharasma judging some villain.
Well, let us see if my charm extends to churches.
Ereviss strolls in and greets the attendants politely.
"We are here for aid to help us rid this town of a great evil. We are continuing where our mentor left off. Any aid you can give us, in any form, will be appreciated."
The acolytes who opened the door look at you with some suspicion, and at Ereviss' announcement they grudgingly usher you through the empty pews and into the study of Father Grimburrow.
Amidst the crowded bookshelves of the study, Father Grimburrow takes off his glasses and greets Kendra with graciousness. He makes her take his chair despite her protests and sits the rest of you down on a hastily cleared bench.
"It is always a pleasure to see you my dear; what is it what brings you to the Church?" He glances at you with vague distrust.
Merenso stands behind Ereviss's back, looking at Father Grimburrow over his shoulder. He doesn't want to intercept the detective's initiative, but is mulling over something intimidating to say if the vicar will not respond to a diplomatic request.
Ereviss begins to expound on the puzzle at hand at reads from his book.
"Father, we are trying to work to save the town from the evil that we think destroyed the professor. We would like to know if you can help us?"
Father Grimburrow doesn't throw you out, but he does look suspicious as he hesitates, glances at Kendra, then he nods at Ereviss to continue.
"Well say on young master, I don't have all day now. How can the Church of Pharasma be of aid?"
Ereviss continues humbly (a change for him) "The professor thought you might have some magic that could aid us. I was also thinking some holy water would be useful if nasties come from the grave. Your judgement on what we would need to help us defeat evil necromancers, Harrowstone, and the forces of evil is probably better than mine."
Kendra nods in support of Ereviss.
Aid Another (Diplomacy):
Father Grimburrow glances at Kendra, then nods at Ereviss; though his expression of suspicion never waivers.
"There is no substitute for the grace of the Lady of Graves, of course." He makes a genuflection. "But I can certainly offer some vials of Holy Water; for a nominal offering of course. Would this be all young man?"
Ereviss adds,"We would also like to look for weapons to use against the forces of evil in the graveyard. We believe there is buried cache of weapons that can hurt the evil forces that face us."
Father Grimburrow's eybrows raise in astonishment.
"What! In the RESTLANDS? Who would perform such blasphemy against the Lady?"
Merenso pops in from behind Ereviss.
"Father, I believe some explanations are in order. Professor Lorrimor uncovered traces of activity of a necromantic cult right here, in Ravengro. Apparently, the old Harrowstone was somehow vital for their plans, perhaps even before the fire. And he discovered that one of the crypts in the Restlands is not what it appears to be - it is really a secret cache, just masked as a crypt.
I have to add that at this point it is merely theoretical. The Professor did not disturb any graves, nor would we. But he cites the records of the old Pharasmian church when pointing to its location, and he believed that your predecessors set up this false crypt because they foresaw that one day the necromancers may renew their activities."
Ereviss corrects Father Grimburrow's mistake, "There was a cache of weapons stored in a false crypt for times such as these. We were hoping you would know of this or let us examine church records to find the location of these weapons."
Ereviss looks truly embarassed that he was taken for a grave robber.
Diplomacy
Father Grimburrow snorts with disbelief.
You sense he would have kicked you all out if it weren't for the presense of Kendra.
"It is... possible, I suppose," He continues grudgingly; " that a previous heirarch may have done such a thing. But still. A false tomb? On sacred ground? It is impossible! It's far more likely Lorrimor was a bodysnatcher that..." Too late he bites off the rest of that unfortunate sentence as you all see Kendra's face turn a purplish shade (though she continues to smile pleasantly).
You can see that he struggles with the decision, but somewhat guiltily he throws up his hands in surrender.
"Cullen!" He shouts.
You see a gangly red haired youth in the cassock of a junior Acolyte enter and bow with respect.
"Yes, your Grace?"
"Cullen, these... Investigators are looking into evidence of a cache of sacred weapons hidden in a particular tomb. I am sending you along to supervise. They are not to violate the sacred dead, nor unseal tombs without cause. You understand?"
Startled, Cullen nods vigourously. "Yes your Grace!" he calls out to Father Grimburrow's retreating back.
Ushered out of the church, you make your way back up the road to the Restlands. It is still overcast, but the fog has vanished now. Distantly you hear the random clank of cowbells, and you see figures moving about in the farm fields.
You hear Kendra mutter under her breath; "My father was NOT a bodysnatcher..."
Yes, she's still furious with Father Grimburrow.
The looming arch of the gate to the Restlands still gives you a chill as you pass; stepping into the realm of the Dead.
From the Professors Journal, you travel to the northeast corner of the Restlands, near the junction of the paths known as the Eversleep and the Black Path.
The false crypt itself is a freestanding granite mausoleum, the roof of which is decorated with a pair of leering gargoyle statues. It is thirty feed wide by forty feet long, and about ten feet to reach the roof. A single stone door with a rusty-looking lock sits in the mausoleum's south facade.
"What kind of a priest of the Lady would speak ill of the dead in the presence of a grieving relative?!"
Merenso presses his lips as the group heads outside, but he doesn't say aloud what he thinks of father Grimburrow and this cesspit of a town in general in the presence of the acolyte.
He moves closer to Kendra and looks her in the face, nodding slightly to show his support.
As they arrive to the site, Merenso asks Ereviss "Did the Professor leave any indications about getting inside? Warnings of traps, maybe?"
He inspects the door and the land around for signs of recent visits.
[b]"I don't think it would be trapped, but let's look."
Perception
Xiuj prowls around the walls of the mausoleum, tapping and peering at the decorations suspiciously.
Perception:
The area around the mausoleum holds no particular tracks, but when you examine the door, you realize that the seal has been broken (aparently by acid), then skillfully concealed with clay. There is no lock or bar either.
"I can't find anything."
You see Merenso suddenly glance sharply at the door, then get up close to peer at the seal. He waves you over.
"Look! The seal has been broken, then make to look whole!"
Carefully, Merenso pulls on the heavy door; it opens heavily, but with barely a scrape of stone on stone. It is clear to you that the hinges have been oiled.
Descending down a couple of short steps into the darkness, you take a moment to let your eyes adjust.
Behind you Brother Cullen shakes off his paralysis and rushes after you shouting something about sacred ground.
When you can see again, you observe that you are inside a large crypt decorated with a spare but tasteful polished marble, a couple of large statues of saints, and a low decorative railing in front of another stairway leading further down into the cold earth. It is lined floor to ceiling with niches.
>CLICK< for the Overview.
And all of them are empty.
Merenso carefully inspects the walls and the niches, trying not to touch anything which could cause an outrage from Brother Cullen.
He also looks at the floor to see if the dust has been disturbed or if there are any footprints.
"This level looks like a normal crypt, but perhaps the real cache awaits lower..."