"What's that noise?" Jominda asks and follows Kendra.
Kendra, having run out to the other party upon hearing their cheers, turns round to Jominda. "Look Jominda! These are the friends of my father that we came here to rescue."
She has a large smile plastered all over her face, something you haven't seen in a while.
"Oh, hello Harrold." Jominda greets the old man. "Ah, yes. I remember you from the burial of the Professor. Welcome back to the living - more or less." she adds as they look really miserable.
"Let's retire back to Ravengro. I'm sure the sheriff would like to hear we succeeded in stopping the possessions and the defilement of the monument." She looks over the adventurers. "And I believe everyone, myself included, could use some rest."
"Will there be sandwiches?" Jominda asks enthusiastically and adds more solemnly "You know, these people look really hungry."
Herm stumbles forward but catches himself.
"Where??? what happened?? I don't remember being down here. We were in the furnace room?" Herm rubs his face with his hands. "Kendra, is that you?"
"I will make some, Jominda," Kendra smiles.
"It is me, Herm. I'm glad to have found you alive. All of you."
"I think there is no need to stay longer at this inhospitable place. Let's go." Jominda tells and leads the way to Kendra's house.
Jorfa looks at Vauran "Are we supposed to leave that here, or take with us?" she asks pointing at the badge.
As the group outside starts to leave she grabs the thing and takes it with her as she follows to leave the Harrowstone for good.
Kendra leads the whole group to her house, where she invites everyone to sit down and hums a tune as she rummages through the kitchen making something to eat for everyone.
On the way to Kendra's house Jominda asks Jorfa "If you don't mind I would like that silvery knife. It looks really nice and is not such a clumsy thing like my mace."
At Kendra's she offers to help in the kitchen. "Who are all these people?"
Kendra is thankful for Jominda's assistance in the kitchen. "I don't really know them all that well myself," she admits. "They were friends of my father, who came here to pay their respect to him."
"Herm Dunlaven ma'am, Paladin of Iomadae. I was a friend of Professor Lorrimor's, we came here to find bury him only to find out that something evil had happened."
Herm will drink some tea and have something to eat, as he is famished.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jominda Fallenbridge, I run the local apothecary." Jominda replies a bit surprised that the man was standing there and heard the conversation.
"The pleasure is mine, I would like to thank all of you for coming to our rescue. What sort of horrors did you face with in the prison?"
Herm drinks more tea.
"You have to thank Kendra for that. The rest of us was mainly in to save our own behind. Because the haunts started to come for Ravengro." Jominda replies.
"And the horror it was. All these rats and spiders! It gives me the shivers only to think about it. Rats as big as dogs and spiders as large as horses! See..." she points at the goosebumps on her arm "... the horror!"
"Don't forget those flying... bloodsucking things." Kendra adds to Jominda's account. "Apart from that, mostly... ghostly apparitions trying to chop us to bits, or drive us crazy." She grows absent for a moment, before turning back to Herm. "Lady Vesorianna helped us quite a bit though. Did you meet her as well?"
"I have not yet no, Miss Kendra." Herm stands up to greet the other young lady.
"Now it's to late. But I guess she wouldn't have been your type anyway. She was nice, but insubstancial - as a ghost." Jominda comments.
"Indeed. She was the wife of the warden - and did everything she could to help us. She was a good person, and I am sad to have seen her suffer so." Kendra says.
As Jominda finishes the last of the sandwiches, Kendra pours some tea in a large pot. "Would you be so kind as to bring this plate with you to the living room, Herm? Then Jominda could bring the other plate and I'll bring the tea."
Jominda hands Herm a plate and takes the other ushering everyone into the living room. Placing the sandwiches on the table she takes a seat and waits for Kendra to declare the start of the meal.
"Now that the battles at Harrowstone are over I need another reason to get Kendra's sandwiches on a regular basis. They are delicious!" she tells Herm.
Herm sits down, his cheeks a bit red in embarrassment. Herm does as he is asked bringing the plate with him and sitting in an arm chair.
"I imagine Miss Lorrimor doesn't mind making sandwiches, and if you are her friend you won't need an excuse to come by." Herm half smiles nodding at the ladies.
"As to the matter of your fathers books, would you like it if I brought them to Lepidstadt still?"
Kendra blushes slightly. "Thank you, Jominda. Everyone, please, eat your fill." She gestures at the table, and enjoys herself as everyone enjoys the meal.
In aswer to Herm's question, she says "Those were my father's wishes, Herm, so yes, I would like that. I might actually join you on the journey."
She engages in some small talk, but before long gravitates towards a more silent place in the corner. Her Fathers death, the horros at Harrowstone, and the choices ahead of her weigh on her and preclude her from fully enjoying the company.
Jorfa would like some alone time too. "Thank you for your hospitality. But I'll retreat to my home now. Good bye - and get well soon." she tells especially the friends of Prof Lorrimor.
Jominda eats some of the sandwiches and enjoys the tea. But as Jorfa leaves and she notices that Kendra separates herself from the conversation she decides to leave too. "If it's okay, I'll go now too. I'll pay a visit to the Sheriff and inform him about our success. If you'd like I can come to visit you tomorrow - even if there are no more ghosts to put to rest."
"I will take my leave as well, I will stay at the Inn and return on the morrow so we can make plans to go to Lepidstadt." Herm stands and smiles at Kendra, nodding at the other woman and leaving with them.
"I would like that, Jominda."
Kendra bids everyone goodbye as they leave.
A big smile appears on Jominda's face. "See you tomorrow then." she replies and leaves in high spirits.
She walks to the town square and into the office of the sheriff. "Hi there." she greets him and slumps herself in a chair and starts rocking with it. "We are done with our part of the work. The Harrowstone is now as peaceful as the Restlands. All dead are dead and stay this way. How was your day. Did Splatterman Junior rattle at his cage again?" Jominda is amused by the fact that she is now kind of a hero while the sheriff of town isn't - at best.
"Don't remind me. And stop rocking - you'll ruin the chair." Caeller replies annoyed. He looks tired.
Jominda continues with the rocking and tells "This night he should be quiet. If not, then he is the ass even without a ghost using him as a sock puppet." Then she gets up to leave and in the door she adds "Starting tomorrow your job should be back to guarding boring Ravengro."
"But let me tell you one more thing. If you ever dare to come into my apothecary again to tell me how dangerous it is to sell poison, then I'm going to throw you out neck and crop." Without waiting for a response she leaves the office and walks over to her apothecary. Proud of herself that she stood up to that guy.
Jominda leaves and leaves a sad Sheriff behind.
The father waits for the rest to leave before standing. He speaks to the room in general, not facing Kendra.
"It is a scary thing to be alone. It takes a special kind of person to overcome that fear, and others, and do what needs to be done."
He stands for a moment, nods, and takes his leave.
Kendra thinks a while on what Vauran said, and then starts cleaning up the plates in silence. She then goes to sit on the couch, with a book, and falls asleep there.
From the apothecary several explosions are heard cutting off the roosters crow. As Jominda has time now she tries to find a way to not include her allies in the explosion of her bombs.
At the first explosion Sheriff Caeller jumps up from his chair. He listens carefully and walks out of his office. With the second explosion it is clear where it comes from. He hesitates at first but at the third explosion he walks to the apothecary - determination on his face. He opens the door, walks in and demands to know "What's going on here?"
Jominda sticks her head out of the laboratory and a mischievous smile sneaks on her face. "Hey Sheriff. Good morning. Come in, I'll show you!" she comes out and grabs his arm and pulls him into her lab.
"Stand here and don't move!" she commands and goes back to her workbench. "I did some tests on my explosives. I can now explode something without hurting a person standing next to it. See..."
Caeller is not stupid and as Jominda turns around to show he is no longer in the room. From outside he calls back "Stop doing that in the early morning. There are people who need their sleep." before hurrying back to his office. He really wonders if those ghosts had some contagious crazy on them.
The message of the ghosts being put to rest travels fast through the small town. As Councilman Hearthmount hears of it he decides to visit Father Grimburrow to hear it firsthand if this is true. HE leaves his manor to walk to the temple and knocks at the door. "Father Grimburrow?" he calls.
The councilman hears some rattling and rustling through the heavy doors before a weary Father Grimburrow opens the door, "What can I do for you this morning?"
"Good morning Father Grimburrow. Pevrin informed me that you are done with cleaning out the horrors of the Harrowstone. Is that true? Or is that just rumors and wishful thinking?"
"to the best of my knowledge no more spirits haunt that place." He says as he opens the door fully to admit Vashian.
"The place is still a dark and horrible place though so caution should still be used in good measure when near the grounds."
"I don't care if it's horrible and dangerous as long as all that stays up there." Hearthmount nods in direction of the Harrowstone. "If that is achieved then you've rendered the town a big service."
"Your thanks should go to Kendra. She is the one who pushed us to action." Vauran says, voice firm. "Her father's friends also deserve our thanks as they risked their lives and nearly died for this town."
"Of course." Hearthmount replies. "Who would have thought that this bookish girl would stand up so bravely. She seems to come after her father."
"Thank you for your help. I'll think of something to show the town's appreciation to it's brave citizens who took things in hand and freed us from that undead horrors. Have a nice day."
He leaves and on his way back he informs Councilman Muricar that they are going to have a meeting today.
As Kendra wakes up, she goes through her morning ablution before heading out the door to do some grocery shopping. All the food she's been making everyone lately has created a serious dent in her stocks.
"Good morning Miss Lorrimor." Marta Avanaki greets Kendra picking up a paperbag. "What shall it be today?"
While Kendra decides or while Marta packs the goods she continues talking "My condolences to your father's death. It must be a hard time for you. First that tragedy and then the horror in town. With your Father gone, are you staying in town? I've heard rumors that you would move to Lepidstadt."
"I'm not sure yet, to be honest." Kendra says with a smile to Mrs. Avanaki. "I might, but this is my Father's home. I'm not sure if I'm able to part with it yet."