"Oh hi Jominda. I didn't mean Vauran..." she hesitates a moment. "Never mind that, let us find Father Grimburrow." she nods resolutely and stands up, straightens out her dress and looks ready to leave.
"Do you have some morning routine magic?" Jominda wonders as Kendra stands there is pristine condition. "I could use that too. Would save me a lot of time."
"Well, yes, I need to prepare for an hour to make sure I can cast my spells again. Perhaps it's better if I do that while you look for Father Grimburrow?"
Kendra smiles at the implied compliment. "But no, I don't wave a wand and look wonderful. I would think I look rather disheveled right now."
"I don't think I have to search. Since I was a little kid it has always worked to make some ruckus in the temple and moments later he would appear out of nowhere to make me stop." Jominda tells with a mischievous grin.
She leaves Kendra to her studies and walks through the building singing a child's song.
"Father Grimburrow has vanished
we don't have Father Grimburrow anymore
ah there is again the Father
tralalalalalala."
It takes but a few seconds for Jominda's prediction to come true. Grimburrow creaks, almost audibly, as he makes his way out of one of the back rooms. "If you insist on Singing, I insist you sing one of the prescribed hymns." Vauran says, though he cant help but smile at the song
"ah there is again the Father ..." Jominda finishes her song with a smile. She doesn't believe Pharasma will make such a fuss about singing in her temple once she has to face her. "It's always a joy to see you Father. You're all late. What happened last night?"
"It turns out Gibs was the one defacing the monument, but we think he is possessed by the splatter man. Kendra has an idea though." Vauran says.
"Gibs? So what happened? Did you kill him?" Jominda asks.
"He is currently locked in a cell in the jail." Vauran replies, "Where is Kendra? She was so fast asleep last night that I couldn't bring myself to wake her."
"She is awake now but needs some time to finish her magic morning routine."
"Gibs in jail." Jominda muses "I should visit him later and enjoy the view. Maybe bring some peanuts to throw at him."
"To think of it, he probably has no idea why he is in there. We should go speak to him." Vauran says
"Shall we do so now and use the time until Kendra is ready?" Jominda asks.
"I need to pray this morning also. I think in an hour we should go speak to him."
"Then I'll meet you there." Jominda replies and leaves the temple to visit Gibs.
Once Kendra completes her studies, she waits for Vauran to finish his prayers. Then, as she hears about his conversation with Jominda, she suggests to go to her and Gibs. "I do hope she was joking about those peanuts." she comments.
As Vauran and Kendra arrive at the prison they find the Sheriff with an annoyed expression on his face behind his desk and Jominda sitting in front of Gibs cell rocking on a chair and eating peanuts. She looks amused.
Gibs paces in circles kicking a peanut out the vain on his forehead standing out pulsing and his head red from anger. His eyes throw daggers at Jominda.
Kendra tries very hard not to giggle, as there is no love lost between her and Gibs. Though she obviously tries to keep a straight face, a smile is forcing its way on her features nonetheless.
"Good morning, Sheriff. I trust you got the message from the Father's apprentice?"
"Morning?" the Sheriff replies looking at the sun standing high already. "Yes, I did, but Gibs and writing are nothing that makes a pair. And since the night is over he is back to his old self. Which is only a slight improvement as he rattled on the bars ever since insisting he did nothing that justifies him being locked up."
"And Miss Fallenbridge isn't helping either."
"I think him being an ass as usual is reason enough to put him there. Would make Ravengro a nicer place for sure. And Burials would be much more peaceful." Jominda comments without taking her eyes from Gibs, her smile turning into a grin.
"If that would be enough I would need a larger prison. Continue down this path and you'll get a cell too." the Sheriff snarls. [b]"Do me a favor and explain to Gibs why he is here. I'll take notes and we'll see what the Marshal says once he comes along this week.
"Unfortunately, Gibs has truth somewhat on his side. He did not do anything wrong. He was, however, possessed by a ghost last night who made him do very bad things, and I would see no reason why he would not be possessed every night hence until we send the spirit on its way to the nether realms." Kendra explains.
Jorfa noticed the Father and Kendra passing and followed to the Sheriff's office.
"Nonsense, they just want me locked up because they hate me!" Gibs rages in his cell.
"You saw how he acted and sounded last night, Sheriff." Kendra replies, remaining calm. "That wasn't Gibs."
"If that is nonsense then I suggest you prepare for taking responsibility. For killing Old River, for smearing the Memorial in blood and for trying to kill me with your oversized Razor. In front of three witnesses." Jorfa suggests. From the look of it she would have no problem to perform his execution for attempted murder herself.
Gibs stops in his pace in shock. "Lies! I've done nothing of that! I went to my bed last night and then I woke in this cell! That is all a setup!"
Jominda stops rocking and gets up. "I could watch him all day. But I think we have more important things to do. Shall we take another trip to the Harrowstone?" Jominda asks. Not that she really wants to go. More that she wants to be done with it.
"Good idea, Jominda." Kendra agrees. She turns to the sheriff, ignoring Gibs. "Sheriff Caeller, I see no reason to keep Gibs in his cell during the day, other than the risk of him not being back here by night. I have no expertise in the area of law, can I trust this issue to be handled well by you?"
She gestures at the assembled party. "We're on our way to see if we can remove the source of this possession and free Gibs from it's influence and from this cell. But until we succeeded, I'm afraid he is still a risk to both himself and the village of Ravengro."
"There is no argument about what he did. And that is enough to keep him here for a few days. And either you succeed and he stops acting like a demon. Or he's going to face a judge about what he did. He might have to face that anyway."
"Did you hear that, Gibs? Wish them luck! It's your only hope to save your neck." Caeller teases the prisoner.
Kendra looks Gibs in the eyes, making sure he understands this. The woman who he interrupted during the funeral of her father is now risking her life to save his.
Gibs evades Kendras gaze. He sits down on the sleeping bench and stares at the wall.
Kendra turns round and looks at her party. "Let's go," she says, and waits for everyone to file out the door before following them.
On the way up to Harrowstone, Kendra tells about her idea.
"The Splatterman, Hean Faramin, thought there was power in names, and that to know someone's name was to have power over them. That's probably why he's writing the name of the Warden's wife on the monument as well. I reckon we should take another look at his spellbook, and discover if he is somewhere downstairs."
Kendra takes some precautions before perusing the spellbook. With a deft gesture and some whispered words, she casts Protection from Evil on herself. Then she casts Read Magic just to be sure, and opens the spellbook.
Kendra knew this would happen, as it had happened to Jominda.
"Father, can you attempt to... uncurse or purify this? If that doesn't work I say we burn it."
"That's mean. Burning a wizards spellbook. I like the idea. Only thing to make it better would be to burn it in front of him." Jominda comments.
"I can try." Vauran says as he casts a spell on the book.
"I just tried to remove the curse, I have no idea if it worked or not."
Kendra turns to a new page to see if her first name is being written there as well.
Kendra shakes her head. " Fire it is, then."
Jominda rummoges through her pockets and holds a vial out. "That might help with that."
Kendra takes the vial. "Alchemical fire?" she asks, looking at Jominda.
"You've got a better idea?" Jominda asks back. "Just open the vial and pour it over the book. Don't throw it."
Kendra places the book on the ground and then proceeds as instructed, stepping back as soon as the vial's empty
]well, let's hope that sets him back." Kendra remarks. "A pity I couldn't find out in there how he does those possessions. It might've been easier to counter then."
She looks at the book for a while as it burns down. Then she says " Right. I believe we have a secret passage to explore. Jorfa, would you mind taking point again? Holy water at the ready!"
"If course." Jorfa replies and leads to the basement and through the corridors and rooms to the secret door. She unlocks and opens it again. With her axe ready she walks in.