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Davi leans over and flicks Vara on her forehead. ”This plan where the three of us escort Kendra to the university while you take on an evil cabal sounds like the start of an epic ballad, only it ends with something eating your face off because you tried doing it solo.
Whatever’s going on here is dangerous enough that we’ll have to face it as a group. Personally, yes, I would like to get Kendra out of here but I’m not going to tie her up and throw her in a carriage to make that happen. We’ll ask her what she wants to do in the morning, if she’d like to stay or leave town, and then we respect her wishes.”
”We need more info to come up with a proper plan, but we’ve already got a perfect cover in place. The Professor left it for us.” She grins at the rest of the group, a sparkle in her eye. ”We’re here for the next month getting Kendra’s affairs in order. Fancy Council Mustache Man knows that was in the will, and he knows we get a small fortune if we follow the Professor’s wishes. Who’s going to be surprised when we stick around? Personally, I think playing ‘Bored Idiot with Money’ is a great way to poke around and ask questions; people really open up to you when they think your head’s full of air”
With a nod towards Davi, the colonel says "I agree, trying to do it alone is what got the professor killed. We need to work as a group."
"We should assume that Professor Lorrimir was murdered."
"The opposition is likely to be wondering if the professor left any clues behind. We need to watch what we say and pay attention to whom is asking questions about Kendra, this house, or ourselves. I expect they will have no problem finding out that there was a chest of books from Councilman Hearthmount. Hopefully they don't know what the contents of that chest were and I would like to keep it that way."
"In the morning we can ask Kendra about this fire. She should be able to give us a few more details before we go off asking questions. The tour of the town seems like quite a good idea.
"Seems to me it is still worth asking this Gibs Hepenus about his part in getting that mob to disturb the funeral. I suspect he will turn out to be a dupe that got tricked into causing problems, but it is possible he is actually part of this mysterious group."
"Right now it seems we have many more questions than answers. In the morning we should probably see about storing the chest more securely. Might be best if one of us carries the professor's diary."
The colonel frowns a bit, thinking. 'I feel like I'm missing something..."
"Oww, that hurt. I asked for it, didn't I?"Vara rubs the spot that Davi flicked with a small wince. "Look at it this way, if Kendra is willing to leave Ravengro, the rest of you would be able to carry out Father's last requests as stated in the letter without placing yourselves in further peril,"while raising a finger. "I can't ask more of you then what Father's will, it wouldn't be fair, especially since it is dangerous." She pauses a while, as though admitting something to herself,"Though I'd be glad to have assistance."
"If we start asking Kendra questions...does that mean we're going to tell her about all this?" she asks. "I would have liked to bundle Kendra out of town at the first opportunity but again I may be a little high-handed," with a wry smile.
She thinks for a moment. "I think Davi's idea will work better then mine. It should keep the town from getting overly alarmed, afterall fops are rarely taken seriously. It also dovetails nicely with the fact that we've been bequeathed a small fortune. If the Whispering Way has agents in town, they may overlook a bunch of melodrmatic fools who think their poems are the pinnacle of creation. We will, however, need some coaching to act the part."
"I'm sure the taverns will have a fine tale to tell about this Gibs person, if he's been going around creating trouble." she muses thoughtfully. "You can keep the diary, thanks for volunteering."She grins mischeviously at Colonel Tipper.
"I don't know of any thing we may have missed out at this point of time, unless any of you know any popular trends amongst gentry for ghost stories..."
"Oww, that hurt. I asked for it, didn't I?"Vara rubs the spot that Davi flicked with a small wince. "Look at it this way, if Kendra is willing to leave Ravengro, the rest of you would be able to carry out Father's last requests as stated in the letter without placing yourselves in further peril,"while raising a finger. "I can't ask more of you then what Father's will, it wouldn't be fair, especially since it is dangerous." She pauses a while, as though admitting something to herself,"Though I'd be glad to have assistance."
Nearly growling out the words at Vara, Colonel Tipper interjects "I have already said that honor demands I fulfill the professor's last wish. Kidnapping his daughter and running away does not do that.
Please stop suggesting that I be a cad, running scared rather than facing my duty. I find such talk insulting."
"If we start asking Kendra questions...does that mean we're going to tell her about all this?" she asks. "I would have liked to bundle Kendra out of town at the first opportunity but again I may be a little high-handed," with a wry smile.
"I suggest we wait a couple of days before deciding that. Professor Lorrimir clearly did not want her involved, but she seems a reasonable sort. It would probably be best if we give her some idea of the situation."
...
"I'm sure the taverns will have a fine tale to tell about this Gibs person, if he's been going around creating trouble." she muses thoughtfully. "You can keep the diary, thanks for volunteering."She grins mischeviously at Colonel Tipper."I don't know of any thing we may have missed out at this point of time, unless any of you know any popular trends amongst gentry for ghost stories..."
The colonel nods in response to the comment about the diary.
He thinks a moment on the last question. "I have not the skill to tell them properly, but there are a couple I've recently heard making the rounds. One is of forlorn lovers where one of the lovers is a ghost. The other has more of a comedic tone."
"Look at it this way, if Kendra is willing to leave Ravengro, the rest of you would be able to carry out Father's last requests as stated in the letter without placing yourselves in further peril,I can't ask more of you then what Father's will, it wouldn't be fair, especially since it is dangerous."
"If the Whispering Way has agents in town, they may overlook a bunch of melodrmatic fools who think their poems are the pinnacle of creation. We will, however, need some coaching to act the part."
Gosk non-believingly shakes his head, then smiles. "You should know, suicide missions are a loot more fun when there's at least three people involved. Four is even better." I understand she does it out of a sense of duty, but it's not something anyone I know would walk out of. Especially on a mission with such importance.
He then laughs out loud. "I did do a bit of horrible poetry when I was younger. Was all a tad too bit melancholic for my current taste. But foppish, we could probably do." He continues, "I'm all for telling Kendra what's going on, after a couple of days, of course.", he nods at the colonel. "I'd imagine that in her situation, any of us would have preferred knowing to being coddled by, well, us. After a certain grieving period, of course."
He takes a look over the room. "Does anyone object if I take a look at one of the books? We're not delivering them anywhere just now. And my curiosity is peaked."
Vara raises her hands in a gesture of surrender."Ok, fine, I get your point. We're all into this together. Deal." We're all fools to embark on such a venture, but in this world filled with madness, who is it to say that a fool does not see the most clearly of them all?
"We'll need to eventually tell Kendra about all this, since it involves her. Fair enough. We'll need to approach it tactfully." Vara makes a mental note to try to break the news as gently as possible.
"I will submit myself to any advice on playing the part of a fop. I've never been...particularly foppish."
"Does anyone object if I take a look at one of the books? We're not delivering them anywhere just now. And my curiosity is peaked." I'd like to take a brief look at The Umbral Leaves.
"I have no objections on reading any of the books, now we're in this situation. I suspect eventually, we'll have to go through all of them to see what we're really facing."
Additionally, and with more regard to Harrowstone itself, you seem to remember something about Warden Lyvar Hawkran, the warden of Harrowstone Prison, being killed in a riot five decades back. As he was the son of minor nobility, it made a slight ripple in Ustalav's higher circles.
= = = = = = = = = = =
The Umbral Leaves turns out to be a book regarding the unholy writs of Zon-Kuthon's somewhat twisted faith, translated into Common. Despite its strict rules on how to go about the tortuous unholy rituals contained within, the mental images turn out to be quite disturbing, and Gosk finds himself plagued by nightmares involving, of all things, the flaying of cats.
The next morning, the sounds of pots clattering and crashing down below, coupled with more of Kendra's curses, awakens the party. There, they find her wearing an old tweed jacket, Sarkonian kilt, and boots as she struggles to cook breakfast. Once its served, she pours herself the last of the fire-brandy before sitting down over slightly-burnt eggs and ham. "I'm thinking that if you're going to stay around for a bit, it'd be smart to show you around town first. I know the local watering hole well, and some of the locals. Gibs, for instance." Her brow furrows in anger and she shoves a forkful of ham into her mouth, chewing furiously and talking around the glob of meat. "Unlesh any of 'oo wan do do somethin' ess?"
The colonel sits at the table and thanks Kendra for the meal. Much better than many of the meals I've gotten in the field. Fresh eggs, a good sized slice of ham, both of them still identifiable. He starts neatly slicing and eating his meal.
At the question of plans, he finishes swallowing his current bite before replying "No, that sounds fine. Introducing us to the people here is a good start." Help us find out who our friends and enemies are likely to be.
Vara woke to the sound of clattering pots. Oh no, I overslept! I wanted to help provide breakfast for everyone today. We must've been talking for longer then I thought last night...
She gets dressed in a set of brown robes, prays to Desna, then heads downstairs with Mr Chompy. "Hey Kendra, I was supposed to do breakfast today, but I overslept. Sorry! Gimme a bit, I'll be right back!"
She heads to Kendra's garden to persuade the berry bushes.
She returns with the berries. "I've saved you the trouble of preparing lunch and dinner, " and hands 2 berries to Kendra with a grin. "I'd pass you more, but they don't keep very long."
She starts taking her breakfast. It was very different from the stuff she used to foraged for herself out in the swamps. She ate her food slowly, getting used to the different flavor. She slices a bit of ham and slips it to Mr Chompy under the table.
"Would be good to see the town, what beef does Gibs have with you anyway?"
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Davi grabs a handful of berries and starts stuffing her face "I love that you can just poke a bush and make these grow. You should work on a spell to make pancakes appear out of the sky, you'd make a fortune" She grins at Vara.
Before Kendra can respond to Vara's question she quips "When someone's head is stuck so far up their rear they haven't seen sunshine in months, well, they can get rather testy."
”I don’ know whad’s godden into Gibs. ‘E only staded dis bullying two days ago.” Kendra swallows, then shakes her head. ”Before that, he was just a barfly at the Grinning Demon. I never exchanged more than pleasantries with him.”
With breakfast completed, Kendra bustles the dishes away, stacking them in the sink and zapping them clean with some sort of spell. She looks at her houseguests, a bit ashamed of her method of cleaning, and then grins sheepishly. "Father always made me do them by hand. He said it was a good way to remember what other people had to do." As she heads for the door, a jet-black tabby cat with big amber eyes rushes from the bedroom and leaps onto her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise and sudden pain. "OW! Pryapeth, why?!"
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The procession around Ravengro winds its way north into the town square, a small section of less-dirty road with a wooden gazebo in the center and eight buildings that are obviously not houses nearby. ”Here we have the general store, the Outward Inn, town hall, and the Silken Purse. They, uh, loan farmers the money they need to buy seed and tools in exchange for crops later.” She points to a run-down looking single-story, a two-story inn and a large, wide building with an empty doorframe.
As she continues the tour of the town square, she points at a forge with a surly-looking dwarf who shoots the party a glare. ”That’s Jorfa. He despises everyone, but his forge makes the tools for most of the area’s farmers. Then there’s the apothecary and the jail. If we’re any sort of lucky, Gibs is in there now, but I doubt it.”
With a sudden grin, she takes off running down a side street to the northwest, coming to a stop in front of a plate-glass window, over which hangs a well-carved depiction of some sort of demon, mouth wide and eyes filled with mirth. ”They’re closed now, but this is my favorite place in town. They’re the only ones who don’t think I’m odd, or at least pretend I’m not. I've spent a lot of evenings at the Grinning Demon the last week or two...”
Gosk chuckles as the cat appears, swiftly putting its hand on the cat and taking it gently off of Kendra's shoulder. "Ha!", he pets the cat, not worried about his fingers, before realising something. In a worried voice, he asks, "Is it just a kitty, or, uh, a familiar?", before gently putting the cat down.
-----------------------------------
Gosk takes the trip through town with a fair amount of enthusiasm. A bit of a character to this place, I think. He nods, until she mentions the last place, the Grinning Demon. "So, uh, what's that place, exactly? A club or a tavern of sorts?", he says with piqued interest. I'd have thought that a small town wouldn't have a place for the oddballs. Seems like I'm wrong...
"I could make pancakes fall out of the sky, or anything one can dream of eating, or more like, the dreamer would be the one doing it. And you wouldn't be awake to see it." Vara says with a twinkle in her eyes. "Problem with that is it only feeds one person, and we have so many hungry mouths here,"as she wrings her hands in mock exasperation.
"Magic is a tool, nothing more, nothing less. The wielder decides if its used for good or ill," she remarks to Kendra's use of magic. "Frankly the world was never worse off for the use of magic to do the dishes. I've never had to because Mr Chompy has always done it for me." She looks around for Mr Chompy, who was barking eagerly in anticipation of Gosk lowering Pryapeth to the ground, about to make a running leap for the cat.
"No! Bad Mr Chompy! Get right down here now and stop bothering Kendra's cat!"
Mr Chompy gives stares at his mistress with big black eyes as if to say,'Can't I chase it, just a little?', before returning to his mistress with a pitiful whine and a drooping tail.
Vara walks through the town dispassionately. She had been through this way before but had never bothered to learn the names of the buildings. Her lips twitch when Kendra mentions the name Outward Inn, the building resembling an inn from the outaide. "How appropriate,"she quips.
She pops into the general store and apocathery to check what they have for sale.Never know when a supply depot may come in handy.
When told about the Grinning Demon, she gives a sardonic grin, "People here sure have a warped sense of humour and a literal turn of the mind. When does it open, again?"
Gib's only started bullying her two days ago?
The colonel nods at the first part of Vara's explanation. He stops nodding as she talks of magic being a tool. I think she is going a little far with her statements of magic being neither good nor evil. Some magics are evil regardless of how they are used.
"Miss Kendra, keep in mind how others may see things. Flaunting your powers irresponsibly is likely to cause envy or fear. Better to avoid such conflicts."
---
The colonel follows Kendra on the tour of the town. He chuckles at her statement about Gibs and the jail.
When she suddenly darts down the side street, he is surprised. Well, what brings on this sudden burst of energy? He follows her and looks at the building.
Grinning Demon? Isn't that where she talked with Gibs?
Looking towards Kendra, he waits for her to answer Gosk's question.
Kendra's description of the Silken Purse catches Davi's attention. "Loan sharks in a town this size? Ones that give money now in exchange for crops later? You might as well hang a sign on the wall - ‘Illegal stuff happening’ She shakes her head. ”Sloppy. What do they actually do?”
============
Davi leans on the wall next to the Grinning Demon’s entrance. ”We should come back when they’re open. Any place that likes weird people is a place I’ll fit in.”
"Don't speak of magic as if it's something to be hidden. Only the short sighted people of the town would see it that way. Is it wrong to know how to play a musical instrument? Is it wrong to be a good cook? No. Neither is it wrong to be able to use magic. Its a skill like any other." Vara replies, with some heat in her voice."What matters is that you use it for the betterment of others and not to do harm," in a calmer tone. Colonel Tipper's remarks, although not directed at her, seem to have touched a sore spot.
"I dunno, Davi. I could think of lots of reasons to take loan, like to buy a milch cow for more milk.."
Frowning, the colonel turns to Vara. "I did not suggest anyone keep it hidden. Don't flaunt it. I would hope you can see the difference."
What is wrong with this girl? Obviously she has had some bad experiences, but it seems she may have learned the wrong lessons from them.
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Gosk incredulously raises an eyebrow at Vara. "You've got a magical lizard doing dishes for you? Damnit, I should've been a wizard....", he grins. Hearing the conversation about the use of magic, he puts his hand at his chin. "If you ask me, you both got a valid point. There's nothing wrong with being able to do magic, and it's commendable to use said powers for good. But, we're only mortals, and it's a mortal trait to be envious of what others can do, be it in magic, music, or simple feats of strength."
"What matters is that you use it for the betterment of others and not to do harm."
He nods, smiling."Exactly! It definitely shouldn't be hidden, don't take this the wrong way. But people are by definition, wary of outliers. If someone lifted up a cart to show off his strength, people would be wary of that. If he lifted a cart to remove it from the muck or to free someone trapped under it, it's much different. People usually even write some incredibly bad tavern songs about that." He sighs. "I'm not as good at explaining all this as most of the Public Relations people back home. Then again, everyone grows up with the story of the great achievements of possible one of the most powerful wizards who ever lived... I cooould be a bit biased!"
I hope I'm not showing off as a lecturing dick. I hate lecturing people...
-------------------
He turns to Kendra. "So, who's this Gibs? Other than a barfly at your bar."
"So, who's this Gibs? Other than a barfly at your bar."
...and most likely someone's pawn. He can get a mob together, but judging from the professor's diary I doubt The Whispering Way is that direct.
"Dinosaur, Gosk. Magical dinosaur." She corrects automatically.Her eyes sparkle and she grows more animated as she talks about a subject she loves. "Lizards and dinosaurs are reptiles, but this is where the similarity ends. Dinosaurs do not have the sprawling limb posture lizards do, have a higher base metabolism and are less dependent on the sun to warm them up...ooops. I got carried away again, didn't I?" Vara has a slightly sheepish expression on her face as she catches herself midway of giving the group an impromtu lecture on dinosaurs.
"Yeah,that's probably it. Unfair as it is...conformity to the norm is what society expects."Vara sighs. "And you should have been a wizard. They get the best excuse to keep and read so many books!" with a note of envy in her voice.
Mr Chompy shakes his head and sighs, as Gosk mistakes him for a lizard, but perks up considerably as Vara gives her lecture on dinosaurs.
Vara's trip into the general store reveals a counter positioned very close to the front, behind which sit rows of roughly-sanded shelves stuffed with all sorts of goods and sundry. A dozen bags full of seeds sit next to a handful of bits of flint and steel and some lanterns, while a bit further down are bottles filled with oil. Other equipment is visible as well, ranging from ropes to tents to wrapped and soaked torches, while in the corner near the desk, gleaming in the lamplight inside, sits a beautifully-articulated suit of plate-mail, complete with dark stone insets.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Well, Gibs..." Kendra frowns, deflating a bit and beginning to pace slowly away from the Grinning Demon. "As near as I can gather, a barfly is exactly what he is. He used to be a farmer, but from what I know, he sold out to the Muricars for a hefty sum. Now he just drinks. he shows up every day at sundown, like clockwork."
The tour progresses north, out of the town square and down the road. Kendra stops in front of a stately two-story manor and looks on the half-dozen children laboring to pull the weeds in the garden with a mixture of amusement and pity. "Alendru Ghoraven runs the town's 'school', if you could call it that. The Unfurling Scroll, he calls it. He's a strict old man, but had a bit of talent with the arcane in his time. Let's not bother him this early..."
Across the bridge, the road turns slowly south, passing a few larger manors in the fields and then stopping in front of the Temple of Pharasma. "If you're looking to talk to Father Grimburrow, he might be in. It's more likely you'll get one of his apprentices, though."
The general store seems well stocked enough. Magical supplies seemed a bit lacking though. Nontheless, a few bottles of oil might come in handy, most undead feared fire...
"The general store seems well stocked with mundane supplies, I didn't see anything that looked magical or alchemical in there, though there was this fanciful looking plate armor." She annouces to the party.
"There's a saying, an idle mind is the devil's workshop. Gibs certainly has time to rouse the rabble. That he has no visible income source leaves him open to manipulation."Vara raises both eyebrows, "What if he has already drank up the proceeds from the sale of his farm, and someone offered to foot his expenses for the rest of his life, in exchange for a little favour? I could him going along with that."
As Kendra passes by the school, Vara concurs, "Yeah, lets not bother him. I've read tales of crochety mages who turned people who annoyed them into frogs." Vara gives a wry smile,"I like frogs. I'm not at all interested in living the rest of my life as one."
------
"Hmm. We could thank him for his assistance yesterday. Also, what lies in the outskirts of Ravengro?"
The colonel asks "Who are the Muricars?"
"Early? What does the gent consider a reasonable time to visit?"
I wonder if the children are assigned to gardening as punishment, to build character, or just because the fellow doesn't want to do it himself.
The colonel wanders in, interested in who he will meet.
They should have records of local births and deaths. If so, I may be able to get access to them claiming to be looking for descendants from the time of the Shining Crusade.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"The Muricars? Why, they're probably the second richest people in Ravengro. Gharen's a bit of a playboy, but he's who you'd want to talk to if you're interested in the area's history, or in staying in touch with the outside world." Kendra makes her way into the temple along with the party and then falls silent, looking a bit sickly. "I...I think I'll wait outside, if that's alright. Take your time, I'll be fine."
Inside the temple, a young man in a priest's cassock converses with an elderly-looking peasant woman. The conversation rambles on and on for an interminable amount of time before, finally, the woman leaves, freeing up the priest, who looks apologetic but says nothing, waiting for the party to make their inquiries and continuing his work of cleaning the temple floors.
Vara sniffs the air to see if she can recognise any of the plants that are in the process of becoming potion ingredients, and sees if she can identify any of the drying plants.
"Do you supplies to deal with the supernatural? I'm looking for alchemists fires, acid flasks, tanglefoot bags, magical potions and scrolls and wands of healing." Vara sees no reason to mince words and bluntly states the items she is looking for.
Gosk looks at the school with amazement. "Ha! Never thought that there'd be so few interested in the arcane in here. I remember being interested in it a lot when I was little, but I was sadly horrible at, well, everything involved.", he smiles, looking at the young gardeners. I guess it beats sitting around doing nothing.
Colonel Tipper gives Kendra a worried look, but after a moments hesitation proceeds into the temple.
Seeing the priest is busy, he waits patiently -- standing far enough back so as to not intrude on their conversation. While waiting, he looks over the temple.
Once the woman has left, he approaches the priest.
"Good day, sir. I am Colonel Tipper.
Could you tell me, is Father Grimburrrow available? Or anyone else that may be able to tell me about records the church keeps?"
As they wait for the priest to finish his conversation Davi walks around the temple. It's not the first time she's been in a temple of Pharasma and it wont be her last. Hopefully that final, permanent last visit is far in the distance.
Davi pushes that grim thought to the back of her mind. She walks over to the priest and smiles. ”I know you must be busy, but we’d really appreciate the help. Once we get pointed in the right direction we'll get out of everyone's hair; we don't want to disrupt or inconvenience any of you. Your work is important."
The priest clears his throat and looks awkwardly toward the back of the temple, where a black cloth covers a doorless passageway. "Father Grimburrow is engaged in, um, important church business. He might be available later in the day." he pauses, clearing his throat. "We don't keep the records ourselves, you understand. It's all far too much work, and the temple needs a lot of maintenance. There's only two of us and the Father, and he's too old for much of the work. That leaves me here and Lucian...er, Sister Lucian for the Restlands. If you want records, most of them are held by the Muricars."
Too much work? I thought that birth and death were important to Pharasma.
The colonel's eyes dart towards the indicated passage, then return to the man before him.
The colonel nods and says, "Quite alright, I will try there then. Whom should I ask for at the Muricars about the records? Oh, and what was your name, good sir?"
Probably enough prodding for now. He said most of the records, I'll wait to find out where the other records are kept.
Isn't the nightshade a poison? Again, most herbs are, its the dosage that makes the difference between medicine and poison. Vara notices her relaxation, and is glad to have someone who isn't a hidebound, superstitious visitor to talk to. She gives the lady a warm smile. "I'll take an acid flask. My name is Vara. I didn't catch yours?" as she holds out her hand. As she waits for Jorminda to get her acid flask, she asks, "Have you heard of any tales of monsters that lurk beyond the town walls, or at the place called Harrowstone?"
As Vara approaches the temple, she feels slightly uncomfortable. Can't say I care for everything Pharasma stands for. If a person's fate was decided from his birth, why would humanity strive to be better?She keeps her expression neutral.
"Oh it's a shame Father Grimburrow is currently unavailable. He was such a great help yesterday. I was hoping we could buy him a meal to show our appreciation for his assistance. Do you know when he'll be available?"
Gosk walks into the temple, his face emitting piqued interest. It never fails to amaze the temples people build for their gods everywhere! Quite fascinating. It sure is architecturally interesting, but wouldn't the money be spent better helping others? Or simply to further the agents of the god? Hm. Probably I shouldn't share that with the priests, however...
He continues gawking around, studying the building. "Ah, the Muricars! I heard the name, and sorry to take more of your time, but could you tell us a bit more, friend?", he asks, smiling at the man.
"Oh, they have the records? Are they scholars or librarians? They must have a very big house if they're storing all the paperwork" Davi keeps beaming at the priest, trying to look and sound like someone who isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.
"Jominda Fallenbridge." The woman offers a hand, then accepts the coins and hands over a glass flask wrapped in sheepskin. "That'll keep it from breaking quite as easily. Now, I don't need to know what you're going to do with it. Just so it's not illegal.
Oh, Harrowstone? No one goes there. Not since it burned down years and years ago. That was quite a tragedy, you know. All those guards who died there. It's probably haunted or something." She looks like she wants to say more, but the door opens and a young man in a beaten up wide-brimmed hat steps inside.
"Ma'am. Jominda." He pulls off the hat, setting it on the counter. "We need to inspect your stores again." As Jominda looks toward the nightshade, he grins. "No, not that, you explained that before. The secret stores I know you have."
Jominda looks helplessly across the counter at Varra, then shrugs. "If you need anything else, go ahead and come back in an hour or two. He won't shut me down; never has before."
The young man flushes a light red and looks at the floor, shifting uncomfortably. "He should be available, ah, sometime this afternoon. You know how important church business can be. In the meantime..."
He sits on the back of a pew. "Anders Finyard. I suppose that would be Brother Finyard, now, actually. And you'll want to ask for Gharen Muricar. He's the patriarch of the house, and he has the archive keys. I've never been inside, you know! I've heard it's a huge basement stuffed full of scrolls and books. But he doesn't let just anyone inside. You have to meet his, ah, standards." He winks at Davi knowingly. "You probably would, and he'd let the others in just to please you."
Vara shakes Jominda's hand. You mean it's not legal to carry acid flasks in full display onto the street? I'd probably better ask her what other things can't be displayed in full view of others.
Vara listens with interest to what Jominda has to say about Harrowstone. Drat the interruptions, darned those officious types, just when things were getting interesting...
Vara looks at the young man, shakes her head and gives an aggrieved sigh."Look, I was just picking up supplies when YOU came. When will you officials not be interfering with the business of honest folks?" she complains.
"Yadda yadda, routine search, I understand. Guess I'll just make myself scarce till you're done."She gives a loud huff, while giving Jominda a look of sympathy for her current predicament, before leaving the shop.
"No problem, Brother Finyard, there's always things to do, the morning devotions, hearing confessions...and the cleaning everyone has to do...I grew up in a temple. We should have asked first as opposed to dropping in out of the blue." she apologizes.
Our Church also had a collection of books, mostly about constellations, music scores, books of travels on strange lands." Her eyes grow slightly distant as she reminisces about her past. Then she snaps herself back to the present. "Tell you what, if we manage to get into the Muricar's archive, we'll tell you about all the stuff we found down there. How's that?" she says with a grin. If the priests here love books, maybe they aren't too bad afterall.
Nodding, Colonel Tipper says "Yes, thank you Brother Finyard for your time and the information."
He leaves with the others, once they are ready.
Gosk nods understandingly as he hears the noise. Hah. Not going to wake up an old man, just because I want to ask him some questions. If it wasn't for the urgency, I'd be taking a nap as well!
"We understand, brother. Thank you very much.", he says, politely giving the man a Nexian bow.
As they leave the sanctum, he looks towards Vara. "Well, it would appear we need to prove ourselves before we can get to the library.", he says, smiling. "I'm sure the requirements would be reasonable." I just hope that the old lecher is... not anything else.
"You'll want Davi for that. I'm not good with people. She's the one who gets along well with others. The only thing I could offer him would be a dream of eating a meal of anything he could desire." She gives wry half-smile. "Chances are, if he's as rich as they say, he can probably afford to buy anything that he wants to eat, anyway."
Looking towards Davi, the colonel suggests "Having someone along that seems like they want to search dusty old records may help."
Rubbing his jaw, he glances around to make sure he doesn't have any townsfolk listening in. "The Muricar's bought out Gib's. Would like to know why."
Davi smiles at the young priest "Ah, I see. Only people with certain...scholarly qualifications...get in. Thank you Brother Finyard, that's good to know. Please give Father Grimburrow our best regards."
”My bet’s on the ‘money and power’ angle.” Davi shrugs ”We won’t know until we do some digging. If you’re all willing I say we go introduce ourselves and see what happens. I’ll turn on the charm and hopefully get us all in.”
Grinning, Gosk walks out of the chapel. "Huh. For the same reason all rich people give others money, I suppose, to control their lives and sate their thirst for power?", he says, shrugging. "We should investigate the family, no doubt. Old money usually leads to a shady history, or the opposite. Would prefer if we had the chance to look at their library first, though, colonel, if you don't mind." He nods respectfully of the man. "People with power usually don't respond well to questions, as I'm sure you know."
Nodding his head, the colonel says "Oh, I quite agree. Be discreet. Just like listing off objectives so if someone sees an opportunity they will know to grab it!"
"The Muricar's bought out Gib's. Would like to know why."
"Maybe it was just a good investment? I dunno. Not without seeing how fertile the lands are, at least." She cocks her head thinking about the problem. "Have the Muricars ever seemed to be ill at ease around you and your father?" She asks Kendra.
On Gosk's talk about people in power, Vara shrugs. "Well, I've never really been around people with power. Our temple was too small for politics, and I was away most of the time dealing with monsters. It seems like my life has just been one really long road trip."
Kendra raises an eyebrow at the back-and-forth between the party members, looking just a trifle confused. After a moment of thinking, she looks toward Davi, her expression growing worried. "Gharen's an old goat. You'll not want to be going alone if you're paying him a visit. Not as pretty as you are."
As she leads the party down the path, she continues on, rambling about the councilmen and women. "Gharen and Hearthmount, they're old friends from decades ago. Of the two, Gharen Muricar is less likely to cause real problems during your visit. He doesn't have anything against strangers, and he enjoys hearing about the outside world. Vashian Hearthmount, though...He never liked Father or me. Too 'high and mighty, I suppose.
The other two, they're not bad. Mirta Straelock likes the limelight, and Shanda Faravan did something for the kingdom in Calitas for a while. She doesn't talk about it mu..." She trails off, looking at a ramshackle-looking house sitting just off the road, past a covered bridge. "That's Gibs's place. Just past it is the Harrowstone Memorial. I think it'd be worth it to go there, just to show you, but you have to be quiet, okay?" Without waiting for a response, she slips off the road and past the house, hugging the bank of the river and suppressing giggles as she goes. After a few seconds, she's past the dilapidated house and waving for the party to follow.
The colonel arches one eyebrow in mild surprise at Kendra stating they have to keep their approach to the memorial quiet. Still, he doesn't comment on it. What sort of memorial is it if people can't visit?
Davi's hardly down the path before she trips and falls on her face
"Jominda, the shopkeeper of the apothecary said she knew some about Harrowstone, but we were interrupted by some officious official before she could tell me everything. We might want to pay her a visit later."Vara remarks. "Though Ravengro sure has some messed-up laws about carrying throwable alchemical flasks in public," she grumbles.
"Thank you for your advise, we'll approach him as a group," after Kendra mentions about Gharen. Vara tugs her chin thoughtfully then continues, "Gharen and Hearthmount are old friends, no? Hearthmount isn't kindly disposed to you. Could he have spread his prejudice to Gharen?" She raises her head, as a thought strikes her. "Wait. Wasn't it Councilman Hearthmount that read out Father's will?" she asks Kendra, her voice carrying a slight note of alarm. "Would he execute the will properly, considering his bias?"
Vara felt slightly awkard sneaking around. Even at the best of times, she wasn't what anyone would call graceful. After Davi trips over her feet, she thinks 'Well how much worse can it get' and gives sneaking a shot.
It certainly gets much worse, as she trips over Davi, and lands next to her with a loud clatter. "Oops,sorry Davi." she says sheepishly as she picks herself up, rubbing her bruises, then offers Davi a hand up.