Davi doesn’t seem to notice Gharen’s discomfort when they bring up the Whispering Way. She normally wouldn’t press a mark this early, but she sees an opening and makes a play for more information.
”Wait, what do you mean, ‘especially me’? Are these people dangerous?” Davi makes puppy dog eyes at Gharen ”I can’t ask you to show us valuable things, you just met us after all, but if something bad could happen to us...to me… you’d tell me right?”
Davi helps with the research after Gharen leaves
Gosk raises a suspicious eyebrow. I'm not sure I believe those tales. But everything is possible. Not entirely sure if he's believing Taldor being behind this, or simply brushing up the Colonel's ego.
Ah. Worried about the monetary costs. If I only I had access to the Nexian treasury..., Gosk thinks, moving to the walls and starting to look at the books.
As soon as Gharen leaves, Gosk smiles. "So, it would seem we'd need to talk to Grimburrow or Hearthmount. I believe it's not such a bad idea to let them know about what we're doing. I believe that the good Father has probably finished his nap, and we could visit early in the evening?", he says, grabbing a book. "Ha, and they told me that you can't find the first edition of that...", he says, sitting in a comfortable chair.
Gosk picks up a history book, but not too long before he finds it terribly dry and falls asleep, snoring lightly on the chair.
"Of course I'd tell you." Gharen turns away, heading for the door and decidedly not looking at Davi, then turns back. "The Whispering Way won't bother you if you don't poke into their business too much. Just let them be." He steps out, leaving the party to its research.
Evidence from the initial investigation points to the fire being a blessing in disguise for Ravengro. The prisoners had rioted and gained control of the dungeons below the prison, and only the fire (and the self-sacrifice of twenty-four guardsmen) stopped some of the worst criminals Ustalav had seen from descending upon Ravengro.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
It's dusk by the time Gharen escorts the party to his doorstep, stopping to look disapprovingly at the sleepy Gosk and to kiss Davi's hand again. "I hope you found what you were looking for. I'll be gone for a week on business to Ardis, but after that, feel free to use my library again. In the meantime, perhaps The Unfurling Scroll might help. Or the Temple, but you'd have to talk directly to Grimburrow, and good luck catching him in a good mood."
Mr Chompy looks at the sleeping Gosk disapprovingly and gives a snort.
"Huh, its dusk already?" Throughly engrossed in her book, she looks at Gharen owlishly as he escorts the party out of the library. "Where does time go when you're busy..." she mutters to herself.
"Thanks for the loan of your library, goodsir. May your trip in Ardis be fruitful!" she says to Gharen.
Once Gharen has left, she turns to the party, "Its rather late. Not sure if the Unfurling Scroll will be open. Maybe we should look for Father Grimburrow, or head to the Grinning Demon. It should be open by now. Also, Gharen seemed uncomfotable about us mentioning the Whispering Way, again, we all know they're not up to any good business... "
Davi grins when Gharen kisses her hand and dips into another curtsy. "Thank you so much! I'll see you when you return."
Once the group is outside on their own she shakes her head at Vara. "My dear friend, I love your enthusiasm, but I believe a bit more subtlety is in order. If we keep flat out asking people about the Whispering Way we're going to attract the wrong kind of attention."
"As for what we do now, I vote for the Grinning Demon."
Gosk jumps up, looking around, before a somewhat confused grin on his face. "Uh... Sorry... Never had the mind for analyses for Osiriani architecture, especially terribly thorough ones.", he mumbles, putting a wide grin at his face. "You library is quite the impressive one, much more so than the reader."
Once on the street, he looks around. "I do apologise... But I'll be sure to monetarise that in a drink. What do you think, should we ask the kindly father, or the sheriff? I'd prefer Father Grimburrow, if you'd ask me. I do think the sheriff would start digging into us asking about the Whispering Way. The father, on the other hand, I'd believe much more... direct.", he explains, affixing his gauntlets.
Vara gives a shoulder shrug. "You know me, I've never been one for niceties, or polite conversation. Occupational hazards, you understand. And now the town may be in danger because of something we didn't bother to find out..." She trails off.
"Probably right, Gosk" as she agrees with Gosk. "Though Father Grimburrow might be hiding something in the temple walls. Or maybe he just keeps cats," she remarks.
A scowl on his face, the colonel asks Vara "How about causing other people's deaths?"
Gesturing with his cane towards Davi, he explains "She's right. Their cult already murdered Professor Lorrimor. If we make noise, Kendra and all of us would be next on their list."
The colonel turns to glare directly at Vara. "You claimed to deal with monsters, not people. Unfortunately, looks like our opponents are monsters pretending to be people. It will require care in finding them before they find us."
"Can we trust you to be discreet?"
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"I don't think so. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that he might be giving sanctuary to a shapeshifter. One that could assume cat form. I heard cat purring becoming more human."She furrows her eyebrows.
"But how are we going to get information if we don't ask? Sure, I'm happy to leave the asking to someone else," she nods at Davi, then continues,"At the end of the day, we still need to find out."
Without consensus, the group meanders over to the Grinning Demon, arriving with the last rays of sunlight. Behind the plate-glass window, A good half-dozen patrons sit hunched over the bar, most occasionally saying something to the others. As the party enters, they spot a barmaid moving through the smokey room, carrying cuts of meat with thick, polished stakes through them, red-colored stew with bits of various meats floating inside, and glass tankards filled with pale, greenish ale. As she passes through a dark corner and stops, the faint glow of the beer illuminates a trio of faces the party recognizes. The sheriff and his two deputies seem to be quite thoroughly drunk, as further evidenced by the uproarious laughter coming from their corner.
From the bar, a jolly-looking barkeep grins at one of the barflys' jokes, then nods to the party. "New faces? If you're buying, I've got liquid ghosts and corpse chowder ready."
At the far corner of the bar, his head on the counter, sits Gibs. He seems to have either passed out or fallen asleep.
"Urm..."Vara ventures hesitantly. "Do you have something...uh more conventional, like maybe a beer?"
The colonel's eyes are watering from all the smoke. He is having some trouble adjusting.
"Ale! What precisely is in the chowder?" he asks as he takes a seat at the bar. "Just recently arrived, still learning my way around."
Setting his cane to the side and wiping his palm off on his vest, he offers his hand for the barkeep to shake. "Colonel Tipper! Taldan Exploritory Services, detached at the moment! You are?"
Davi smiles at the bartender. ”I’m Davi and I’ll take whatever you recommend. I worked as a barmaid in Absalom for a couple of seasons, so now I trust the staff to know what the kitchen's best."
After the group orders she gestures to Gibs, who is passed out at the end of the bar. "Is that poor man alright? We saw him earlier and he looked pretty awful."
"Good eyes." Vara compliments Davi."Totally missed him."
"Yeah, guess you can get me the same stuff as Davi here." Vara tries not to show that she doesn't know ANYTHING about fancy alcohols.
Gosk enters, and not before long he scratches his head at the bartender's remark about the things offered. "Ha! Liquid ghosts, means spirits!", he starts saying, but not before long his eyes notice the glowing beer. "So it seems I'm wrong. I'll take one of the glowing beers. And I'd double the colonel's sentiment about asking for the chowder.", he bows down. "Gosk Tereus, at your service."
As Gibs is revealed, Gosk shrugs. "So, the gloomy fellow seems like a regular customer, doesn't he?", he asks the bartender, nodding towards Gibbs.
"Zokar Elkerid. I own the place. Conventional? Like a beer?" The barkeep's face splits open in a smile both toothy and wide, and he pours a trio of the glowing ales. "For the misses and you." The ales slide over to Vara, Gosk, and Davi. "Now, today's corpse chowder is equal parts chicken, pork, and seafood surprise, in the usual bloodred mix."
"He's looking better than he usually does this time of night, poor fellow. Strangest thing...he hasn't even finished his first ale. Usually takes more than that to get him out. But yes, he's usually in here, and often looking exactly like that. His coin's good, and plenty, so I haven't had the cause to throw him out. Or the heart."
The colonel frowns for a moment. Did I do something to insult him? So hard to know sometimes. If he ignores me again, guess I'll know for sure.
"I could do with a bowl of the chowder, and an Ale to go with it if you please."
"Bloodred mix...what the heck is that?" Vara wonders out loud. "How long has it been since he's been here everyday?"Vara asks the bartender, while sipping her ale. "Mind if I go check on him?"
"It's a coloring, that's all. The locals seem to enjoy it, and none of them have had trouble because of it." Zokar gives Vara a grin and gets drinks and chowder for those who need it. When he comes back, he nods at Gibs again. "If you want to, it's on you. I don't even think he's actually drunk. If he starts any trouble, I'll have to ask you all to leave, though."
For his part, Gibs is fast asleep on the bar, head down next to his mostly-finished drink. He twitches, then starts, only to quickly drift off again. From the corner, the sheriff and his two deputies laugh again, and a couple of barflies look at them before turning away and rolling their eyes.
"Uh...ok."Vara replies. 'Can't imagine eating something blood-red,'she thinks to herself. After getting the bartenders permission, she goes over to check on Gibs, just to make sure nothing other then ale has knocked him out...
Gosk smiles at the explanation of the bloodred mix. "Ah! To culinary wonders, then!", he says, raising his mug and taking a sip.
He turns towards the others, tipping his hat. "Well, I think now would be an excellent time to try and get the permission from the sheriff. Spirits are high and we're both here, plus, they seem to be in a good mood.", he says, standing up and walking towards the Sheriff and his group.
"Good evening, Sheriff! You should've warned us about the place here, we might never have wanted to leave.", he says, gesturing towards the seats. "May we?", he asks, sending a smile at the entourage.
Davi's mouth is full of chowder when Gosk rises, so she doesn't get a chance to speak to him before he's made it to the Sheriff's table. There's a sad pout on her face. "Darn it Gosk, my chowder's going to get cold." she mumbles even though he's out of hearing range. Softening up the Sheriff is important but darn it, it could have waited until after dinner.
Although, there is a way to help Gosk without going over uitil she's done stuffing her face. "Barkeep?" she calls him over between mouthfuls of food. "Can you send the Sheriff's group some refiles on us?"
The colonel is just getting his bowl of chowder as Gosk makes his way to the sheriff's table. Probably best to allow him to take the lead on this. Not sure I would be any help.
Shortly after that, he waves to the barkeep and asks "Could I bother you for another mug of ale, and perhaps a story or two about folk around here?"
Gosk takes a seat if he's offered, and puts his hat in his lap. "I do apologise if interrupting dinner's rude in here.", he says, smiling at the entourage. "I'll take just a few moments of your time, I promise. Unless you want me to stay, of course!", he chuckles. "Ah, and there's refreshments too! Let me help, let me help.", he stands up, passing the new flagons to the Sheriff and his retinue.
"You see, Sheriff, it has so happened that all friends of Kendra that arrived, meaning us,", he gestures towards the trio at and around the bar, "are quite the avid readers. And we had a visit to the Muricar household, where we heard something for the second time in a very, very short while." He stops to take a sip, enough to get the Sheriff's interest in. "It was something about the Whispering Way.", he whispers. "We believe that it might be important to us to know more about them in the times that come, and the patron of the house asked us to bring him permission, from you personally." He stops to take another sip. "I believe that we've shown enough of a moral fibre to justify granting us access, but it's entirely up to yourself, of course.", he says, waiting for a response.
Vara doesn't discover any sort of foul play regarding Gibs, only a mostly-finished drink in front of him and an occasional tic of the face as he half-wakes and then drifts off again. Zokar the barkeep gives Vara a sympathetic half-smile and a "what-can-you-do?" shrug, then turns to pour another semi-ethereal brew for the Colonel. "A story? I know a lot of stories, you'll have to be more specific about what you want."
The sheriff and his constables all stiffen as Gosk walks up, then slightly relax. "It is a bit rude, yes, but have a seat. The Muricars, huh?" The sheriff pauses, swishing his beer, and then downs the rest in a long pull. "Come by tomorrow and we'll see about permission. I have to think on it, and I've been drinking for a long while now." He stands to leave, and the two constables join him. Before he goes, though, he leans in close enough for Gosk to get a whiff of beer on his breath. "Don't mess with the Way. I won't be there for you if you do, you understand?"
"You know those ruins...what was its name again...?Ah Harrowstone. We'd love to hear any stories on that. And also any interesting snippets of the town's history." Vara replies.
The Colonel nods agreement with Vara. "Any of those would do. That or the local priest, seems priests everywhere tend to have stories told about them!" He gladly accepts the brew.
As Vara asks about Harrowstone, Zokar stiffens, setting down a more-oor-less clean mug and looking at her intently. A few of the other tavern-goers near her quickly down their mugs and offer up coins in payment before edging away, and others make strange, superstitious gestures toward the half-orc. "Harrowstone? I rarely get asked about Harrowstone, and I'll tell you what I told the last lot of foreigners; stay away. It's haunted, and it always exacts its toll for being disturbed."
He pauses, then looks at the few barflies still nearby. "Now, you're costing me business, so if you're quite done, I'd appreciate if you cleared off. You're welcome back when you've learned what's polite conversation and what's not, and I'll even tell you about the father's little games." With a gesture, he dismisses the party, then raises his voice as the conversation in the tavern starts returning to a normal pitch. "And you can bring the professor's daughter too!"
Frowning, the colonel quickly finishes his brew. Well, that situation went sour fast!
"Thank you for the brew!" the colonel calls out just before leaving. He leaves a reasonable tip for the man next to the mug.
---
Outside the tavern, he looks to the others and says "Any ideas what to do next?" Please suggest something other than asking directly about the Harrowstone again! It is obviously a touchy subject with the folk around here.
Vara pays for the drink, then leaves. Outside The Grinning Demon, she lets out a sigh. "Well, that went south real fast. I suggest we see if Kendra is in any better mood and can offer us any further information. Otherwise, we go and loot the Pharasman cache in the morning then check out Harrowstone." she pauses then adds as an afterthought, "We really don't want the Whispering Way getting there before we do."
Davi follows the group out of the tavern. "Well, I don't think we should bring up Harrowstone in public anymore. We're going to attract the wrong kind of attention. I think we go back to Kendra's, sleep on it and head to the cache in the morning."