"Might as well be off then. Don't want to delay too long and find ourselves making our way back at night. Not after what happened at the inn. Gave me a fright that I've still not shook."
Asking around for people matching their description, you learn that they have been seen in the company of the Sheriff's deputies going around the posting poles in town helping to pin the wanted signs for the perpetrator(s) of the monument desecrations. By this time it becomes widely known that someone smeared the monument with blood overnight, the stains forming a crude letter "V".
Father Grimburrow stares intently at Dragos but does not respond to his remark, merely making a gesture of drawing a spiral in the air in front of him with his hand. He then leaves the office into the main nave of the church, and motions two young acolytes to approach him.
"This man is a knight of Ozem, and he believes one of the crypts in the Restlands is hollow, housing some long-forgotten cache. While I loathe to be disturbing the dead, I have decided to give his information the benefit of the doubt. Please accompany him and assist in his search. Should you find anything, make sure it's accounted for in our ledgers and returned to me. Godspeed.
Christoph 'assists' in the search for his fellows, but between the events at the Inn shaking him up and his own naturally gruff demeanor, he doubts he'll have a great deal of luck with the townfolk. He eventually trails off and leaves most of the talking to the more personable Elisa.
"If the Sheriff or his crew was the last to see them, that'd be the next place to stop. Eerie timing for vandalism. The Inn and the Professor and now this? Can't help but keep thinking back to the Professor's notes."
Elisa nods at Christoph, "Yeah, I'd rather not be stuck wandering out at night with just the two of us, especially with all the weird things happening lately!" She shudders slightly at her memories of recent events.
Elisa had a little more luck with talking with the locals but, like Christoph, recent events had upset her normal, personable self.
She nods at Christoph's words. "Yeah, I can't help but feel there's too much happening at the same time for all this to be a coincidence. I think we should go to the Sheriff next if we can't find anything here. Maybe we will find some new information there." With that she goes back to gathering information, hoping to find something helpful.
Dragos and Delfina move back to the Restlands accompanied by the two acolytes. Notes taken from the Professor's journal mention Eversleep and the Black Path as the landmarks. The acolytes explain that these are the colloquial names of the trails through the Restlands and lead you to their intersection in the northeastern corner of the Restlands. According to their ledgers, this is part of the original area of the Restlands and the cemetery gradually expanded from here to the southwest as the centuries took their toll on the population.
On the first glance, there is nothing that stands out to you here from the rest of the cemetery, except that maybe it's being kept in somewhat rougher shape than the newer areas closer to the entrance. Just as elsewhere, there are dozens of plain graves surrounding an ornately decorated granite mausoleum, probably belonging to an old nobility. Three stone gargoyles leer at you unblinkingly from the roof of the mausoleum. Its stone door is locked by a rusty-looking padlock. Most of the surrounding gravestones have been rendered barely legible by the passage of time, though a few are fresher than others.
Elisa manages to make one of the townspeople remember the morning in greater detail - they recall that at one of the posting poles they saw the group meet Councilman Gharen Muricar, the author of the "Wealday Parchment" - the closest thing Ravengro has to a weekly newspaper, also published via the poles. "Would be unlike him to miss the foreign ladies in town", they add with a smirk. "He'll probably be interested to meet you too!"
Elisa smiles at the helpful townsperson. "Thank you for your help!"
Elisa turns to Christoph, "Did you hear that? We should have a look at one of the posting poles for a copy of this newspaper and have a quick read, then visit this Councilman and see if he knows anything else."
"Do you have the key?" asks Dragos to the acolytes. "My word of honor, we mean no disrespect to the sleeping dead."
The acolytes shrug. "We don't carry all the keys on our person, but if you insist one of us can head back to the church and retrieve it. Should take about half an hour."
Elisa, Mihaela and Christoph easily find a leaflet under the heading "The Wealday Parchment". It is what one would perhaps expect out of a small-town paper - local gossip, classifieds, late and sometimes "reinterpreted" news from the capital, and a record of all notable events - births, deaths, marriages etc. All of that is decorated with much more effort than taste.
The "deaths" section is of course dedicated to Professor Lorrimor: A renowned native of Ravengro has fallen prey to a tragic incident <…> The funeral procession has drawn a heretofore unprecedented attention to our humble town <…> But does it portend weal or woe? <…> Some citizens oppose to having the Professor buried in the Restlands, citing his interest - or to take their words, unhealthy obsession - with occult <…> The Council maintains that there is no grounds for worry or idle speculation.
Local gossip section: Jominda's Apothecary under scrutiny from the authorities <...> Numerous sources report increased sightings of Sheriff Caeller around the Apothecary. One informant has told us on the promise of anonimity that the Watch has opened a case of illicit substance trafficking. Jominda Fallenbridge vehemently denies the notion. Sheriff Caeller declined to offer comments to our reporter.
Classified section: "Whether you need a new shovel for your pig farm or a new shield for your peacekeeping needs, Ravengro forge has you covered! Proudly serving the community since 4650 AR. Adventurers welcome!"
Foreign news section: An anthropological biennale in Lepidstadt university has concluded last month. For a nominal fee of 2pp visitors were able to witness material artefacts of Golarion's most exotic and ancient cultures. A mummy from an Osiriani tomb, a pre-Earthfall Thassilonian relic recovered from the Pale Mountain in Varisia, and a Seasage Effigy - a mysterious object of worship by primitive tribes from the Age of Darkness - have been the highlights of the show. Unfortunately, The Wealday Parchment editorial staff could not have attended the event as the fundraiser we organized did not gather enough money to cover the fee and associated expenses, but our correspondents who surveyed the attendants at the exit assure us it was a most exquisite and sophisticated event.
Christoph nods his agreement with Elisa, "Makes good sense to me."
Reading through the articles on the sheet, Christoph frowns as he reads the article covering the Professor's death. Unhealthy obsession indeed. As if this town'd be half as safe without him doing his work. He opines, "Not sure there was much to see here. A bit about the Sheriff hanging around the Apothecary and the knowledge that the Professor wasn't popular here. After we find Ellie, Sofia, and Freija we might want to have a chat with this herbalist. Might be something going on their that can shed more light on things. Off to the Sheriff's then?"
Red flashes behind Dragos' eyes for a moment, and he fights the temptation to smash the padlock with a hammer. Are you kidding me? What kind of complete idiot doesn't take keys?! "Yes, revered brother." he hisses between clenched teeth "It would be a pity to break this tool of yours."
Elisa taps a pale finger against her lips, scrunching her brows in thought. "Isn't Jominda the same person we heard about earlier. The one that reported the odd happenings around town to the councilman? I think we will definitely want to have a conversation with her when we find the others. Shouldn't we see the councilman first? He might be able to give us more information before we go to the Sheriff." She looks to Christoph and Mihaela to see what they think.
"I guess she might be. I'm a bit addled with all that's happened the last couple days." Christoph shrugs, looking abashed. "Might make sense to go talk to the councilman first."