Elisa nods along with what Christoph is saying, "Yeah, I agree with Christoph. We need to find out more about the ruins to figure out what the Way is trying to accomplish. The man Sarianna mentioned, Alendru Ghoroven was his name I think, is probably our best bet for finding out more about the ruins. Sarianna said he had a small magic school/shop called the Unfurling Scroll in the centre of town and he's the most willing to talk about the ruins. The rest of the town seems to get odd when it's mentioned, which is strange! Examining the memorial probably isn't a bad idea either."
When Freija mentions how suspicious the foreign woman was, Elisa nods again. "Yeah, she does seem awfully suspicious. If we can find out more about her it'll definitely be worthwhile investigating her too!"
Elisa looks around at everyone and says, "I think our best choice is to go to this Alendru fellow and see what he can tell us about the ruins. Then maybe we can swing by Sarianna's place again and see if she saw anyone matching this foreign woman's appearance. It seems likely that a foreigner to the town would stay at the inn while here, even if it was only briefly. What do you think?" she says looking around at the group again.
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Sofia nodded her assent to Elisa. "We should question Mister Ghoroven, and investigate that crypt Petros had mentioned," she said, somewhat repetitively but it helped her organize her own thoughts as well. "From the sounds of it, this Ghoroven fellow is something of an expert on the ruins. It's possible our foreign woman may have visited his shop while she was in town. But I fear the storm may be too near to trod around outside much longer this afternoon... Tomorrow, perhaps?"
Sofia sipped her tea longingly, and slathered a piece of bread with a hearty dollop of jam. "I'd also like to try a psychic reading on one of those tomes, tomorrow morning," she added. She shifted her tone to a more cautious, empathetic one. "Or, if Kendra doesn't mind, I could attempt a reading on her father's blank journal instead? The one he was found with? It may not have been with him long enough to leave an impression at all...but if it did pick up an impression, it might involve his...well, final moments."
"Tomorrow seems reasonable. Talk to Mister Ghoroven, for certain. And Sarianna again too. I've been mulling things over. After we've had a chance to talk to the village, might be wise for some of the rest of you to go talk to the Father. I think he's pretty well soured on Elisa and me, but maybe one of you can talk to him. Something specific is bothering him, and we might be able to find out what tomorrow." Christoph takes another sip of his tea, then continues, "As for this reading, what does it entail exactly? I'm no mage, that'd be Miss Ellie, but if it can tell us more it probably can't hurt."
Mihaela listens with interest at the others. "The lack of details regarding the woman is quite curious. The sheriff seemed to be very detail oriented otherwise. I wonder …" She trails off and seems to look inwards for a moment.
She tells the others what Ellie and she found about the Whispering Way in Petros' library and concludes with "… The Way seem to be a thoroughly nasty bunch. If Tar-Baphon were to come back, that would be ugly news for Ustalav, the Inner Sea, maybe all of Golarion."
"It's a process called psychometry," Sofia answered Christoph. "Sometimes people leave impressions on the things they handle or use, particularly if there is an emotional attachment. It only involves handling the item and reading those impressions. Normally I will only pick up a little about the object's -- or place's -- previous owner or historical significance. Usually the last moment the previous owner used the item. It would only take a minute or so of handling...but I would need about an hour to prepare."
Ellie shrugs. "The more information we have, the better." She's uncomfortably aware that a visit to the prison is on the agenda - but the longer it can be put off, the better, as far as she's concerned. It's not cowardice, she tells herself; it's just the penalty that comes with knowing exactly how many unpleasant things there are out there that can kill you; and knowing exactly how they can kill you...
Leaning back in the chair, Mihaela turns to the veiled woman. "I can't say that I'm familiar with the process, Sofia, but if you think it could help, do it. Anything that could provide us with more information would be beneficial at this point." At the moment, it feels like we don't have a lot to go on.
Her thoughts once again stray to the Whispering Tyrant and his prison in Gallowspire. To break her dark train-of-thought, Mihaela gets up and walks over to the table with the teapot and pours some more for herself, grabbing a slice of bread and some spread in the process. "More tea, anyone?", she says, trying to sound more cheerful than she actually feels.
Despite her efforts, the others can notice a slight tremor in her voice and a hesitancy in her movements.
Christoph listens, obviously interested, as Sofia answers his question. "Seems a useful thing to be able to do. Can imagine how that'd be right helpful, particularly when you're investigating a case like this 'un. The more we know, the better."
His thoughts turn to the shadowy organization whose crimes he and his friends were delving into. A right bunch of fiends prone to violence to keep their secrets. Already seem to have murdered once, and it wouldn't surprise me were they to murder again. We'll just have to be one step ahead, though I don't look forward to it. Shivering, as if a sudden chill had just run up spine, he nods to Mihaela, "More tea would be just grand, Miss Ardeluc. It seems like we've got some plans for the morrow. But for tonight, a bit more tea sounds just fine."
Elisa listens to the others discuss their options, finding little need to add anything. "Like the others said, the more we know the better. It's definitely worth a shot," she says in response to Sophia.
"Some more tea would be lovely, Mihaela! Yes, a plan for tomorrow and some tea and a solid nights rest tonight sounds good to me!" she says with a smile.
Ellie gratefully accepts some more of the hot tea - although it fails to keep out the chill that is settling into her bones, and which is only partly to do with the accursed damp weather of this country.
"Do we want to, uh, take it in turns to sleep? I know we're in a house, and not in the wilderness, but I can't help thinking that some sort of watch would be a good idea." She trails off, aware that the suggestion makes her sound scared.
Which she is.
But then caution is not a bad idea - if the Professor had showed a little more cautioun, he might still be here with them. She does her best to keep that thought from showing on her face.
"I think that sounds like a good idea, Ellie. It can't hurt to be prepared, in case the Way comes knocking in the night.". Mihaela settles back in the chair, comforted by the fact that someone else brought up the idea of keeping a watch. "Sofia, do you need any help with the psychometry? Is there anything we can do to help you?"
"If you'd ask me yesterday, needing a watch in the middle of a village would've seemed awful paranoid. Course, a few things have changed between then an' now." Christoph's thin, dejected smile betrays the toll of the past day on the young man. He continues, "I think it makes a good bit of sense. I'll take a middle watch, if you like."
"And by the way, Sofia, do you think you'd want to try your ritual tonight or tomorrow morning? With Miss Lorrimor's permission, of course. Seems like it'd be a handy thing to know whatever we can before we go asking around again. Might point us towards the right questions to ask."
The storm that has been brewing all day finally breaks out during your conversation, illuminating the Lorrimor estate rooms with eerily bright flashes of lightning. Kendra enters the living room again.
"I hope you will excuse me - this day has been especially long for me. I will be retiring for the night. Your quarters are in the middle of the hall on the second floor; I have seen to arrange anything you might need for your rest. I hope you have a good night!"
The thunderstorm dies down with the last sunset rays, and settles into a dreary night drizzle that drives you sleepy with its relentless murmur. Your head nods a bit as you struggle to stay alert and avoid napping on your watch. Suddenly, you hear the monotonous sound of rain interrupted by a distinct tapping at the chamber window.
Christoph half-bows awkwardly in his seat, "Of course, Miss Lorrimor. Good night and thank you for being such a gracious host." After Kendra turns to leave, Christoph sets down his teacup and stands to stretch, yawning. "You're the one who'd know best, Sofia, but it seems it might be better to wait for morning. I, for one, am feeling tired despite the hour. Might be all the dark with this storm. If we're going to keep watch, like Miss Ellie suggested, I should take one of the middle shifts so the rest of you don't have your sleep broken up. I'm well used to being up at all odd hours, as a Voice, so it doesn't bother me any."
"Of course, Kendra! Let me know if you need anything," Elisa says with a smile.
Turning back to the group, Elisa says "I think Ellie is right about the watch. Those noises earlier were strange. I'd prefer to keep a lookout, just in case it's something got to do with the Way. I'm used to being up at strange hours too, so I can take another of the middle watches," and winks.
After a long and trying day, Christoph finds himself still too tense to sleep. He bids the others good night, one after another, as they all retire to their rooms. Alone in the sitting room, he listens as the downpour begins to slow into a drizzle. The soft grey noise seems to fade any other sounds, leaving a sense of eerie silence. The quiet, along with the dancing of the shadows from the fire in the room, elicit a twinge of unease in the Voice. He raises his hand to trace the iron spiral hanging from his neck, as he takes a few deep breaths to calm himself. It's just a bit of caution. Nothing to get all worked up about. You've kept watch in more dangerous places then this.
The sudden rap at the window is like a gunshot, and Christoph bolts upright in his seat. It's all the young man can do to stifle a shout to a strangled yelp. Unsure that it's a threat, he draws his morning star and, as quietly as he can, asks for Pharasma's favor, "Light my way, Lady of Graves." He touches the spiked head of his weapon which begins to glow with a soft white light. With a cautious step, he makes his way to the window and peers out from a few feet away, his glowing weapon held out ahead of him to illuminate whatever is outside the window.
Elisa, with the passing of the professor and the events of the last day or so, sleeps poorly. She twists and turns in her sleep, a cold sweat coating her body. Her dreams are filled with a sense of fear, running from some unknown threat down endless corridors filled with horrific undead monsters. The rap on the window, while distinctly audible above the sound of the rain, isn't loud enough to wake Elisa from her nightmares.
As you approach the window and fling the shutter open wide, the rapping stops and you see a smoky and translucent outline of a large bird, flying away in eerie silence, without any fluttering of the wings. Before it vanishes from view completely, you can swear it flew straight through a tree!
As you peer into the darkness, trying to understand if it was a dream or a hallucination, you catch a glimpse of a humanoid silhouette lurking outside some 150 ft away from the house, moving in the same direction as the bird, away from the house, staying close to trees and walls of the nearby buildings.
Christoph starts as the bird, an inky black patch against an already dark sky, flees into the distance. And no sound... what kind of bird doesn't make any sound while it flies? A involuntary shudder accompanies a feeling of cool dread as it races up his spine. As he peers into the darkness, Christoph spots a shadowy figure moving quickly away from the house. The figure's obvious attempt to stay out of sight rouses Christoph's suspicion and he tries, despite the darkness, to pick out any details that might help distinguish the figure.
As he watches the figure fade out of view, Christoph shutters the window again. Feeling suddenly chill, he steps closer to the fireplace and suppresses a shudder. Should the others know now? Or can this wait til morning? Pursuing someone in the night would be madness. Still uncertain, Christoph opts for an intermediate option. He picks his way up the stairs, way lit by his still glowing weapon, to Elisa's room. Knocking quietly, he waits until she appears at the entry way before saying, "Still a bit to go before your watch, but there was a rapping at the window. When I went to investigate, some bird -a very odd bird- flew off, and I'd swear I saw a figure fleeing through the town. Not sure I should wake Miss Ellie and the rest, but at the same time I'm not sure I shouldn't." Christoph trails off, obviously out of sorts and unnerved.
The figure was medium-sized, gaunt, not robed or hooded. You couldn't make much more out in the darkness.
Elisa's nightmare continues as she sleeps, with her running down more corridors while a tapping sound gets closer and closer, her sense of dread rising as it does so. Just as it's about to reach her she wakes, sitting up in the bed suddenly. She can still hear the tapping sound in her room and looks around frantically to find it's source, eventually realising it's just someone knocking at her door. "It was just a dream Elisa...just a dream." She gets up from the bed and goes over to the door, answering the knocking. Realising it's just Christoph, she asks "Yes, is it time for my watch?"
When Christoph explains what happened, a frown forms on her face. "A strange bird? What did it look like? Was the bird following the person you saw? What was the person fleeing, did they see that you noticed them?"
She pauses for a moment and thinks, "If that person was watching the house in the middle of the night, that's worrying. It might be someone working for the Way. Was there any sign of immediate danger?" She shrugs and says, "If not, I'm not sure there's much point in waking the others, we can tell them about this in the morning. There's not much they can do to help right now and it's better they get some proper sleep. We can still wake them later if we need their help. Let me get properly equipped and I'll join you for the rest of your watch, before starting mine. We should probably do a quick sweep to make sure everything is okay, but wait until I'm ready, just in case." Elisa then proceeds to equip all her gear and would do a quick sweep of the house with Christoph to make sure everything's okay.
You find the house undisturbed and the rest of the night passes uneventfully. By the time the grey overcast morning prompts the ever-present whippoorwills to begin rehearsing their songs, and Kendra comes out of her room to work on the breakfast, everything feels completely mundane again.
Ellie sleeps like the proverbial dead, if the dead snore, with the book she was reading when she fell asleep open across her chest. Waking up just before dawn, as is her habit, she races into the washroom and spends the bare minimum of time required to make herself presentable. She stares at her hair in the mirror - I should really do something with it - before doing what she always does, and tying it back so that it is out of the way.
She then spends an hour or so reading through her spellbook, memorising the spells she will cast that day. She doesn't have to spend that long, but she tends to get caught up both in reading the spells she has and in looking over the blank pages, day-dreaming about what power she might one day wield. Ever practical, however, she snaps out of it and goes in search of breakfast.
And by breakfast, she means coffee. Tea will do as a substitute. Food is a distraction from reading. There are so many books here, after all. Even 30 days isn't enough to get through them.
She nods absently at the others as they file in.
"I didn't get a good look at it. It seemed... see-through? Or maybe like a haze of smoke? And I could have sworn it actually flew through a tree. And it was silent. I couldn't hear its wing beats." Christoph clenches and opens his hands absentmindedly, obviously tense. "As for the person, it and the bird were heading the same direction away from the house. Didn't see them well enough to tell if they saw me, clearly. But I'd lit up with weapon by that point-" he gestures to his still glowing morningstar, "-so I'd be surprised if he didn't at least see the light."
He contemplates her final question a moment, before answering reluctantly, "Doubt there's any danger tonight. Least, nothing immediate. We'll want a watch, for sure, in case the things come back. But, for now, I don't think there's anything in the house."
Christoph searches the house with Elisa, still rattled but feeling more confident for the company. As the end of his watch draws to a close, he says, "I'm sorry to have woken you, Elisa. Looks like it could have waited til morning. Appreciate you keeping an eye out with me this last bit. Part of me wonders if I wasn't just letting my imagination get the better of me. The other half knows that rapping wasn't made by no figment of my mind." Christoph lapses into silence, staying and watching for the better part of an hour, then says, "If it's alright with you, I'll get a touch of shuteye. Wake me if anything's out of sorts though."
Retiring to his bedroom, he strips out of his armor and sets his gear out of way, with the exception of his Pharasmin dagger. That, he slips under his pillow, safe in its sheath, as he tries to fall asleep. His mind tormented by the inky shadow flying away, and the gaunt figure skulking through the shadow, his few hours of rest are not peaceful.
Christoph rises, eyes bleary and mind still fuzzy, as the day's first light reaches him through the window. He sits up, setting the dagger he'd held clenched in his hand through the night on the nightstand. Making his way to the washroom, he draws a bit of water and goes through his morning grooming mechanically, his mind distant. Once satisfied that he's presentable, he dresses and makes his way down to the kitchen where he seeks either coffee or tea. Taking a seat, he mutters, "G'morning," to anyone who joins them.
"Morning, Christoph!" Ellie looks up momentarily from the book she's reading.
Then takes a second look. "Ooh. You look terrible." Social skills, in Ellie's world, are something that happen to other people.
Elisa taps her chin with a finger as she thinks about Christoph's words, "Hmmm, strange... it seems to me there are two options here. One...," she says holding up a finger, "...is that the person you saw going away from the house was using the bird to help spy on us. The problem with that, though, is that the bird knocked on the window when we know it can be silent. That wouldn't make sense if it was spying."
Elisa raises a second finger, "Option two is that someone else used the bird to get our attention and let us know someone was spying on us. You said that, after you saw it, the bird flew away in the direction of this person trying to hide, right? That would make more sense but raises even more questions. Who did it? Why? Are they trying to help or do they have their own agenda?"
Elisa sighs, putting both her hands on the top of her head with her arms out to the side. "This is getting complicated. We need to find out more about what's going on so we can react properly." She lowers her arms to her side again, "Don't worry about waking me a little early, it was almost my shift anyway. We'll let the others know about it tomorrow morning and see if they can find out anything else. We can go down to where you saw the person skulking and look for tracks. Maybe Sofia can do her psychic thingy and find something out?"
When Christoph mentions getting some sleep, Elisa nods, "Of course, we'll need to be well-rested if we want to fix this. I'll wake you if anything comes up."
Elisa will spend the rest of the night on watch; patrolling the house, looking out the windows for anyone who might be spying, etc. She will be doing this as stealthily as possible to avoid letting others know she is there.
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When the next morning arrives and the others start waking for breakfast, she'll join them but refrain from telling them about the events of last night until Christoph is there.
"Morning Ellie! Sleep well? I've some coffee made at the table over there if you want some?" she says with a smile and a wink, pointing at a table at the side of the room while holding a freshly steaming mug of coffee in her own hands.
Ha, if I remember Ellie at all, she NEEDS her coffee in the morning.
Mihaela was not what one would call a morning person, so she is not out of bed until sometime after dawn, spurred on mostly by the fact that there is a mystery to be solved and a murderer to catch. She dresses herself quickly and, whilst walking down the stairs, ties back her hair with a shawl.
As she enters the room where the others are sitting, she says "Good morning" to everyone and hastens towards the tea pot. Tea is truly the putty that keeps society together. How many differences haven't been set aside over a cup of tea?, she muses, rather pretentiously, before finding herself a chair at the table. "Did everyone sleep well?"
Christoph suppresses a weak snort of laughter as he nurses the mug of coffee he gratefully accepts from Elisa. Some things don't change at all. Taking a long fortifying draw from his mug, he replies, "Can't say I did sleep all that well, Miss Ardeluc. It's important for me to explain, but I'd prefer to wait til everyone arrives. The story is somethin' all of you should hear."
Looking at the expectant faces around him, Christoph clears his throat and begins to retell the events of the night before. "So I was keeping watch last night, before Elisa and right after the rest of you went to bed. Was in the study, mostly, though I wandered a bit I suppose. Anyhow, a few hours into it -I didn't catch the actual hour- I hear a rapping sound at the window. With all this business with the Way, I was nervous and went ahead and investigated. Set up some light, so I could see, and opened up the window to see who or what was rapping at the window."
Christoph pauses to take a drink from his now nearly-empty mug. Fortified, he continues, "As I was saying, I opened the window wide and a bird -a damn, weird bird- flew off. Didn't make a sound and was strangely... see-through? hazy? Maybe kinda like smoke? It flew off towards the rest a' town and as I was watching it I saw a person. Or something about the size and shape of a person anyway. Making it's way the same direction the bird was flying. 'Twere still raining out -not to mention dark- and I didn't get a very good look at him. About the size you'd expect of a man, but maybe a bit thin? Nothing else of particular interest to be seen, save that he were skulking a bit. I keep saying he, but it could have been a woman too, I suppose. No real way to tell from that distance."
Christoph pauses a moment to let his tale sink in. "Anyway, I made my way up to check with Elisa and get her take. We decided to wait til morning, as there seemed to be no immediate danger. Not even sure there was any danger at any point, but it's suspicious. Certainly suspicious, that we start poking around and we hear some rapping at the window just after. I think we need to be running around at least two together at a time, no less. And I might want to see if I can spot any tracks, now that it's daylight. That's the story, best as I can recall. Anything I didn't make very clear?"
Sofia came down the stairs to join the others, nearly an hour after she had heard them up and about. She had woke on her own earlier, and set to work quietly performing for her ritual seance. Her hair was still bedraggled, and she hadn't yet donned the veil that hid her blackened eye sockets from view. With a yawn, she settled in for a cup of coffee while Christoph told his story from his night watch.
"Hmm. Odd," she commented, while adding plenty of sugar to her cup. "Could be a number of explanations... I could check the window for any psychic residue, but even it the cause was psychic it might have dwindled away by now." She sipped her sweetened drink audibly.
Ellie shivers as she listens to Christoph's story. "Ugh. Well, there's probably a rational explanation."
None immediately springs to mind, though. She finishes her second cup of coffee and sits up, putting her book down. "So what are we doing this morning?"
Mihaela refills her cup and looks towards the blind woman. "Sofia, maybe if we started with letting you look at Petros' journal and possibly the place where Christoph saw the flying bird and the person before heading out?" She turns to the entire room. "Then I suggest visiting the places we didn't try yesterday to see if we can learn anything more. Afterwards, we can take stock of what we know and maybe revisit the shrine and the inn if there's time enough left in the day." Mihaela looks at all of the people present one by one, trying to appear more certain than she actually is.
"I sure hope there is one, Miss Ellie. Can't help but think it's just my mind playing tricks on me." Christoph shivers involuntarily, still shaken by the events last night. He listens to Mihaela's suggestions as he downs the last of his coffee.
He replies, "All that makes good sense to me, Miss Ardeluc. It'd be good to know as much as we can before we leave on our other business. Asking the right questions will save us some critical time. I'd suggest that Elisa and I stay away from the Shrine though. Maybe we can go speak to the man at the Unfurling Scroll. Can't recall his name. Might also make sense for me to go have a look for tracks." He looks sheepishly at each of you in turn, "You'll forgive my saying so, but none of you strike me as the type to do much hunting or tracking."
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The sense of urgency overwhelms you. Danger, and impending doom - not just for yourself but for the whole of Ustalav, or perhaps the whole world. There is a tinge of fear and doubt, but it gives rise to resolve. Knowledge. Knowledge is power. They know it and hunt it, and so do you. The key is a word, or maybe a name. You know so many words and names! You will stop them. You just need to know the one, out of many. Out of so many... The answer is near, but where? They will guide you, if you observe.
"I know I might not look like it, but I'm actually not too shabby at tracking, due to having travelled extensively over Ustalav in the last few years. I'm not as experienced as you, Christoph, but maybe I can be of some assistance?"
Christoph flushes with embarrassment and stammers a reply, "I'm -ah- that is to say.. I wasn't trying to... right." Still red, he finally articulate a reply, "Of course, maybe you and I should go have a look at that, Miss Ardeluc. I'll be honest, I'm not bad at it but I don't have the knack the same way Kjell did, so the help would be good."
Coming out of the house, Christoph and Mihaela carefully examine the immediate surroundings. No signs of attempted intrusion are apparent.
Kendra quizzically observes them out of the living room window. "Have you lost something yesterday?"
Those at the Temple of Pharasma are greeted by a sleepy-looking young acolyte, who seems visibly excited by the presence of the adventuring women. "Good day kind ladies, have you come to offer a prayer or seek a blessing? Perhaps I could interest you in some holy water?"
Sofia set her hands on the journal and concentrated for a long while. Her expression changed from curiosity to confusion to dread, then fear. She dropped the book with a gasp. "Knowledge!" She blurted out, and rattled on with her stream of consciousness. "They're seeking knowledge, and we are, too. The key, we need the key! A word, a name... The answer is close. We have to observe them, and they'll guide us."
Elisa continues to sip her coffee while the others talk about their plans. When Christoph mentions going to the Unfurling Scroll and examining the tracks, Elisa nods. "That makes sense Christoph. That priest had his feathers ruffled when we mentioned going to the ruins for some reason. He's not likely to be open with the two of us any more. Besides, I'm pretty good at finding things people don't want me to find!", she says with a smirk. "I might be able to find something the sneak from last night left behind. I'd also like to find out what we can about the ruins from this Alendru Ghoroven that Sarianna mentioned. I might be able to sweet-talk him into giving us a little bit more information than the rest of the town seems to be willing to."
When to begin to search for signs of the sneak, Elisa turns to Christoph, "You last saw the person over here, right Christoph?" she asks, pointing to the rough area where Christoph had pointed out to her through the window last night. "It might be worth doing a quick scout around other areas outside the house too, just in case the person was in other areas before you spotted them, Christoph."
Elisa carefully examines the area, trying to spot anything that might be related to the skulking person from the previous night.
Christoph, having gathered his equipment, leads the way to where he thinks he first spotted the figure. "I think so, Elisa. Right around in here somewhere. I'll stay focused here for now, and expand my search outwards as we go. Searching round the house sounds like a fine plan. If we don't find much here, we can always try along the route through the village the man -woman?- took."
Christoph pauses a moment before he begins his search to recite a quite prayer to Pharasma. "Lady of Graves, guide me and my steps along the path I am to walk." Tracing the Spiral over the symbol tucked into armor, he sets to his task. Kneeling in the mud, he starts his search for signs that someone had passed this way.
A thorough search of the garden and pathway near the house does not reveal any traces of disturbance. If anyone approached the house the tracks have been thoroughly covered or washed away by rain. Or perhaps simply nobody was nearby.
However, when Christoph leads the group away from the immediate surroundings and to the bush thickets where he spotted the skulking figure, after some time searching you notice two things:
Christoph feels a spot on the soft ground that's a bit depressed by someone standing on it for a long time. If he looks at Kendra's house from that spot it is partially obscured by the branches, but he can still get a clear view on your room. He cannot get a trail to follow as several people have passed around the spot in different directions since then.
Elisa calls out to Cristoph, pointing at a tiny rough strip of brown cloth stuck to a bramble a few feet away, about shoulder-high. It is wet, dirty and smelly.
Elisa points at the strip of cloth she found and looks at Christoph, "Someone was definitely here last night. Did you find anything?"
Mihaela is delighted at seeing Christoph squirm before giving him a wink to tell him it's alright. "Sounds good, Christoph. Let's go, and please call me Mihaela. Miss Ardeluc sounds so terribly formal." On her way out, she hurries to her room and picks up her adventuring gear, taking care to grab her alchemical kit.
Following along behind Christoph and Elisa, Mihaela turns around at Kendra's question. "Christoph thought he spotted something over there when he looked out of the window", she says to the other woman, waving to the place the others are heading to. As she catches up with her companions, she tells them, "I didn't want to tell her the truth. No need to scare her. If we find anything out, we can tell her."
Still flushed, Christoph clears his throat and replies, "Right, Mihaela it is. Let's be off then?"
"Might have. Take a look here." Christoph kneels again and points out the depression he'd found. "Seem to me that someone was standing here recently. It gives you an open easy view into the Miss Lorrimor's house. Might be where the lurker was standing. He'd have to be out here a long time to cause this kind of marking."
Standing, Christoph picks his way through the bramble to the cloth stuck to the branch. With tentative care, he plucks the cloth up and brings it back for closer examination. "Foul bit, this. If this is off our lurker then he'd stick out like a sore thumb in a town of decent folk."
His eyes closed and brow furrowed in concentration, the young Voice chants an obviously memorized prayer, "Lady of Graves, grant your servant your vision". His eyes glow softly when they open, and he spends a long, silent moment studying both the strip of cloth and the area where he had found the depression.
Christoph does not detect any magic on the cloth or in the area. It seems that for now the foul 'memento' is the only clue you have.
Christoph grunts with dissatisfaction as his divination reveals nothing of interest. "Nothing magical here so far as I can tell. The lurker didn't cast anything that lingers. Our only clue's the cloth then. Suppose we'll want to hold onto it til Sofia can have a look at it. Any thoughts what it might be? Can't imagine someone letting their cloths getting this filthy, but if it was a vagabond last night that might explain things."
He looks at the two women who've been searching with him, "Anything else you want to try here or should we be moving on? I can't follow the trail, so we can't follow whoever was peeping last night."
Those at the Temple of Pharasma are greeted by a sleepy-looking young acolyte, who seems visibly excited by the presence of the adventuring women. "Good day kind ladies, have you come to offer a prayer or seek a blessing? Perhaps I could interest you in some holy water?"
Ellie brightens at meeting someone friendly: she heard from the others yesterday that the older priest was not to be trifled with. "Oh, hello! Uh, no thanks, I don't actually think it's rational to believe the gods are that interested in us, but uh, thanks for the offer. We actually came here to find out a bit more about the old prison. Do you have any records we could look at? We think that the professor was actually there for a reason, but we can't work out what."
She gives the acolyte a hopeful smile. "Oh, um, sorry! I'm Ellie. Ellie Japhol. What's your name? I should have done that bit first, I think." She frowns in embarrassment, and runs one hand absently along the carvings on her staff.
The acolyte sounds alarmed by Ellie's atheistic diatribe. "Well, lady, whether you believe it or not your soul will be judged by the Lady of Graves eventually, and I think it's quite rational to care about its fate in the Great Beyond!"
Hearing that you're here on business related to the professor further sours his mood.
"I'm sorry I cannot help you with that, only Father Grimburrow can authorize perusing the church records or library. I don't even have the library key myself! The name's Kenneth, and I advise you to be careful mentioning the late professor in Father's presence. I don't know if they had any bad blood while he was alive, but Father has been in a particularly bad mood lately and I've overheard him saying that Lorrimor's demise spells nothing but trouble for Ravengro."
At this time you see a sturdy middle-aged man with a stack of parchments approaching the church square from the other side. He calls out to Kenneth: "Hey there lad, can you help me out there for a moment - Sheriff Caeller has tasked me with pinning these notices up at the posting poles but I figured they may be useful everywhere the people come and go, like the church!"
"Of course, deputy Leromar, I'll handle these!" Kenneth replies, taking a few of the parchments. As he begins to nail them to the church door, you see that they read:
"Anyone with information about the vandals who desecrated the Harrowstone Memorial must report to the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff offers a reward of 10 gold pieces for any piece of information which leads to the vandals' capture and prosecution."
Mihaela looks a bit disappointed. Clearly she had hoped the investigation would reveal more. "I don't think I have anything else to offer, but we should see if we recognise anything the piece of cloth could have come from whilst we're in town." She brightens a bit, "Letting Sofia look at the cloth is a great suggestion though. I keep forgetting we have someone with us who can do things like that."