When away from anyone besides the group Baris says, "Who would not want us to go to Harrowstone? Who gains if we don't go there? The Whispering Way, that is who, I suggest that the leadership may be influenced or infiltrated by some of the Whispering Way. Just logic I think."
With the father saying that we can use whatever Baris will grab all that is there for the group to use, and with the intent to bring back what they do not use.
Baris will talk to Janasen next time he sees him and asks, "Are there any scholars or bards in the area that could help us with some research? Or someone to hire?"
To quip in on the magic discussion, "Be glad you both have those magical powers, I for one never had the patience or apptitude I guess." He glares at them for a moment, then once done with his statement you can tell that he has mirth in his eyes again and frolics around the two of you.
As you enter the Restlands, everything seems calm. You go back tot he spot where you were attacked by the undead and begin looking for clues.
Radim trailed out of the temple after the others, hanging back from the assembled group far enough to not be considered a part of it. The elf seemed quite keen on keeping him excluded, and when no one spoke up or even made an attempt to contradict the exclusion, Radim simply assumed that he was on his own again.
This did not bother him. He did not know the others well enough to form a solid opinion on them, and if they acted as the elf had, he was quite certain he would prefer to be on his own.
Once outside, Radim made a beeline again for his favored place in the town: the town hall itself. He had become accustomed quickly to the building's layout, and no one ever bothered him while he was holed up in there. There had been talk of the inmates, ans the name of one had intrigued Radim's curiosity: Father Charlatan. Such a name would doubtless have... Interesting ties to a church, no?
I follow the tracks with my companions following me...
Alyssa had been looking for clues so intensely that when she found them it came as a bit of a shock how obvious they appeared to her. And to the halfling as well, because he was off quick as a shot to follow them with the rest following behind.
It was much better out here in the fresh air, and already Alyssa was feeling better. She stretched as they walked forward, her arms reaching into the air and standing on her tip toes for a few steps before resting again on the balls of her feet.
"Baris has a good point." she grudgingly conceded in what she thought would be a low enough tone so that the halfling wouldn't overhear her. "We should be thankful for the magic we posses, though in different forms. After we have finished investigating here I will see if I can find the Professor's magic books and, if there's time, transcribe "alarm" into my spellbook. It is a very good idea."
Father Charlatan, real name Selfick Corvin, was the only of the five notorious prisoners that wasn't technically a murderer, yet his crimes were so blasphemous that several churches demanded that he be punished to the full extent of Ustlavic law. Although he claimed to be an ordained priest of any number of faiths, Father Corvin was in fact a traveling con artist, who used faith as a mask and a means to bilk the faithful out of money in payment for false miracles or cures. He became known as Father Charlatan after his scheme was exposed and his Sczarni accomplices murdered a half-dozen city guards in an attempt to make good the groups escape.
Tev got distracted by the image of Alyssa stretching out as she walked, so his normally keen elf senses didn't pick up the trail until Baris was already almost out of sight following it. He could definitely see the elven lines in her figure, and was glad that the tiefling mutation hadn't taken that from her.
"Hmm? Oh yeah. It will help a lot. When we're staking out the figure. I mean the statue."
He tried to put his embarrassment behind him as he followed along with Baris.
"Yup, regular unkempt commoner markers, probably no one of note worthiness in the grand scheme of things though what would bring them out? How does raise dead work exactly or could this be even more nefarious? Alyssa, Tev, Tuoni?" Baris being inquisitive.
Janasen catches sight of Radim heading in the oposite direction heading into town. Radim seems like he is in a hurry so Janasen decides to meet up with him almost getting passed by Janasen calls out to get Radim's attention "Hello good priest."
Tev couldn't figure it out. The best he could guess was that the plethora of auras around had something to do with it. He in turn posed the sane question to the acolytes, wondering if this kind of thing had ever been known to happen before, or if they had an idea of other places to look for evidence.
Tev let out a frustrated sigh through his teeth. "Well, that was disappointing. Unless you have any other leads, I think I should go try to research one of those inmates from Harrowstone. I bet I could learn something about the Piper of Illmarsh either in the school or in the mansion. The sooner we can learn what to expect there, the sooner we can get to the bottom of this. But if something else does come up, you'll know where to find me."
Tev didn't have enough money to pay for another day researching at the school, but Jansen had mentioned making another trip there so maybe the man already had paid for today. Tev would first try the mansion though.
The irritability that Alyssa had been shedding with the fresh air quickly returned when they found nothing to point them in a new direction. So far this day was turning out to be very unproductive.
So after giving a nod of thanks to both Baris and the acolytes, she made her way back to the professor's mansion. She would need all the time she could get to locate, transcribe, and meditate on the new spell if she were to be prepared for tonight. The added rest would do her some good too.
As she worked, her mind went over and over the song that they had heard the girls singing the day previous, the haunting little melody playing in her head. Something told her that this song may have been telling the story of one of the inmates, and her hunch was that it might be the Splatterman.
When Alyssa finally found the right book, she was overjoyed to flip through the pages of the Professor's neat and cramped handwriting. But when she got to the page that had the spell she was looking for, it was in a dialect that even she couldn't decipher, and uttering the words brought no magic to them.
Her temper flared and before she could get a hold of it again she'd flung the book from her and into a nearby chair while yelling her frustrations in Abyssal. Thankfully the book landed safely.
Tev had thought he had found a book about the Piper but it turned out to be an unconfirmed essay on the existence of an obscure race of hoofed fey creatures. As he put the book back, he heard the noise from the other room and a voice that sounded like Alyssa's but was growling some hideous language. Thinking that someone was threatening her, Tev ran into the other room with his hand on his dagger, only to find her alone in it. "What is it?"
"Another *expletive in Abyssal* dead end." Alyssa snarled "Alarm is not a spell that I am capable of conjuring, as the magic I employ is different in nature to the enchantment energies needed to sustain the spell."
She turned her back to Tev and breathed heavy as she worked to get her temper under control, wisps of dark energy licking around her fingertips.
Baris asks the Acolytes to stick with him as he continues to look around the graveyards. At least I can look around, something I am good for...
After an hour or two of searching for any disturbances, Baris will go back with the acolytes towards the temple, stopping at the statue to see the vandalism. Does it make a word with the added letters?
If nothing else Baris will go to the temple to start looking through those musty old tomes, K (History), taking the rest of the day taking a 20, untrained though almost.
Before he snatched his victims, the Piper taunted his targets with a mournful dirge on his flute. He preferred to paralyze lone victims by dosing their meals with lich dust and then allowed his pet stirges to drink the victims dry of blood.
Seeing the magical signs of Alyssa's agitation, Tev tried to diffuse the situation. "Well the Alarm spell was just an extra measure anyway. With our eyesight we should be fine as long as we stay vigilant. Speaking of which, we should get some extra rest real soon to make sure we're at peak awareness for the night. I plan on resting myself once I'm done with this research."
Tev asked Kendra if she could wake him at sundown. He left his research notes on the Piper for the others to reference, and also left a note inviting anyone else who wanted to join the stakeout.
Alyssa frowned for a few moments before she nodded her agreement to Tev's words. Quickly she put her hand back on the hilt of her ebony longsword and the wisps dissipated.
She excused herself with a quiet mutter and made her way back to her room, where she spent her time in silent meditation. Even as she gained rest she listened to the ever present whispers in her blood that reminded her of what she was and wasn't, with the added failures of the morning to use as further fuel to their vicious words.
As evening approached, Radim slunk back into the house. He avoided the library for the time being, instead choosing to linger in the kitchen.
Baris stuck in time, waits for the DM to give him some answers or he may never return to the present.... Dum, du, dummmm!
After getting to rest for the night, Tev was up and eager to uncover another mystery. The voices roused him and when he checked the time he knew it was time to rise. He even knocked on Alyssa's door to give her a similar wake up call.
Going down to the kitchen to see Kendra fixing dinner for the others, Tev also asked her to brew some coffee for the night. He took a seat with the others and pointed to where he wrote his notes. "So we couldn't find out anything about the raiding of the graveyard, so now the plan is to stake out the statue tonight to see if we can catch the ones vandalizing it. Anyone who's up for it can come. We'll just need to make sure we can catch them in the act as opposed to scaring them off."
While he also had some research information to share with the group, he didn't want to filibuster. He wanted to hear what the others had to share from their days too.
Alyssa had been marginally aware of the dimming light in the room as the sun went down. The darker the room became the darker her thoughts became as well.
I've already been here too long. her own voice echoed among the dirge I'd better find some way to distance myself. Before someone gets hurt.
It was just as this thought materialized that she heard footsteps from the direction of Tev's quarters and a knock on the door.
"It's time to go." he said simply before she heard his steps move off in the direction of the stairs.
For a minute or two she stayed perfectly still, seriously contemplating just opening her window and slipping out into the night alone. Even as she strapped her armor and weapons back on the thought continued to allure her. But she resisted and instead walked quietly down the stairs and to the kitchen where she could hear the others. She prepared a cup of coffee for herself, heavy on the cream and sugar, and made a spot for herself as far away from everyone else as she could. Though they were indoors she had her hood up, with an air of being anxious to go as soon as the word was given.
Alyssa came down the stairs dressed to kill, literally, and that wasn't what the stakeout was meant for. However, Tev remembered how she never went unprepared, and the way this town had been the last couple days, it was probably something the rest of them should be doing. Tev had both his club and his dagger with him but they were meant for if he saw more undead or stirges. He also brought a heavy coat to wear, anticipating a long and cold night.
Tev looked again at Alyssa. She looked like something was troubling her. It raised one if Tev's eyebrows. He had spent most of the day with her and hadn't seen anything to cause this. Tev had to ask, "Alyssa? Are you okay? Did something happen?"
Alyssa didn't turn her head to look at Tev. Pretending to be very interested in her cup of coffee, she nodded. "I am fine. Just thinking on the stake out tonight, and ensuring that I have all my spells memorized for whatever we may find."
That explanation didn't add up consistently with Alyssa's actions. Tev shook his head slightly, figuring she probably couldn't see him do it if her own was turned away. She had to have something else going on, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it here in front of everyone. Based on what they had talked about earlier regarding her past life, Tev couldn't very well blame her.
He wanted to know what was really going on, but didn't want to press her on it now. He prefaced with business talk, "Okay. I plan on Color Spraying anyone we catch defacing the statue. And Baris, I imagine you should be able to knock a vandal out without killing him easily enough. Here's hoping it doesn't turn into a real fight, but better to be prepared in case it does." For his last sentence he looked mainly at Tuoni.
But then he returned his gaze to Alyssa and spoke in Elven.
He really didn't expect himself to add that last part, but he did, and he meant it. Some of the other group members rubbed him the wrong way, but she was someone he genuinely looked forward to working more with. Of course he had only known everyone for a few days, and there was a good chance that his opinions of the group members could change for either better or worse, but right now she was one who made him feel like he wasn't alone either.
As usual, Radim lurked in the corner. He did not offer any greeting when the others came in, though when the elf and tiefling entered, he focused a sharp stare on them. He did not trust either of them, for numerous reasons. The elf in particular was the worst. Always cutting him off, always in some mood...
...Always speaking in foreign tongues....
Radim's eyes narrowed. Those two were plotting something. He was sure of it. How was he to know that this stakeout wasn't a ploy? Lure them out into the dark and kill them in the night? Elves and demons were never to be trusted. Their bold talk in foreign tongues in front of the rest of the party were an obvious indication. Why else would they speak in such a manner in front of the others, if they did not have something to hide?
He knew what had to be done. "I'll go," he offered, his tone unusually stern. That caused Radim to blink, then pale slightly. He was not thrilled with the idea in a fight, but something had to be done. He was not ready to face the Daemon Sultan just yet. Not without a fight to remain on this miserable plane of existence just a little while longer...
Alyssa had been listening silently to Tev talk strategy with the group until his hushed voice carried itself to her ear in Elven. His tone was warm and comforting and she stiffened slightly as he spoke, her own reaction to such kind words initially was disbelief followed by happiness at the thought that anyone could be so kind to her. Her!
Remember what happens when you trust people. Infernal sang in her ear, and the scar above her horn itched.
And what happens to them... Abyssal added with a touch of gleeful malice as she remembered what she had done to the ones she had called "allies".
She lowered her head and carefully affixed an emotionless mask. I won't let that happen again. She thought forcefully to herself, taking another sip of coffee.
Yay ninja'd! Edit: She raised a curious eyebrow when Radim so energetically volunteered to come along. It looked like nearly the whole group would be coming, which could be both good and bad. Good if there was a fight, and even better if they became so distracted with conversation that she could slip away. But bad because the other's limitations with eyesight could be problematic for discerning their prey.
Janasen amused by the conversation Janasen speaks up "Are you sure that you two wouldn't rather stay here? I am sure Baris and I can handle the Stake out; consider it our gift to you."
turning to Tuoni "if you did want to join I think you would at least have to leave your armor first foremost"
Alyssa's mask didn't slip a bit as she raised her face to stare not so much at but through Janesen. She didn't even want to imagine what could happen to Tev if the two of them were left alone. It would make slipping away easier, or it could result in the elf being disemboweled. She most definitely felt a twinge of anxiety at the thought of him coming to harm, especially by her hand.
Unconsciously she was shaking her head "no" but all she said was, "I am able to see in even the deepest hours of night, and I am fully rested. If we are to see as well as apprehend whoever is vandalizing the statue, our chances of success go up with the more eyes we have."
Janasen not put off by Alyssa's response continues"that is all well and good someone who can see in the dark will be helpful but let me ask you this have you ever been on a stake out?"
Baris this entire time has had his hands on his head. Trying to pay attention, trying to hear what they are all saying. Finally Baris screams and jumps up and bolts out of the room, "The voices, the voices!!!! Make them stop!!!!"
Tev had just opened his mouth to respond to Jansen's well-intentioned but misguided suggestion when Baris had his sudden episode, leaving Tev hanging there with his mouth open and his finger in the air. That was weird, and troubling. Perhaps what was affecting so many other people around here had gotten to Baris, as the halfling had spent a lot of time in Ravengro before. Tev casually drew his club and joked with a mischievous grin, "I'll make the voices stop." Then he put the club back down and looked at Jansen and pointed to his own eyes. "Better night vision here too. I'm prepared to do this and I'm set on it, but thanks for the offer."
"But seriously, should we do something about him?" he added, obviously referring to Baris.
Baris' screech made Radim jump, causing the small man to scrabble for a grip on something to maintain his balance (and/or to fend the halfling off should he turn violent). The halfling sinply ran from the room, however, leaving Radim to stare wonderingly after him.
The elf's joke about clubbing the halfling was lost on Radim. He could only stare venomously at the elf. Murderer! Murderer! Now he sought openly to make short their lives! Keeping a wide beth of the elf (and still maintaining a poisonous glare) he skirted out of the kitchen to follow the halfling. Much as the concept disturbed him, he was curious about these voices. Did they stem from mere madness, or was something else involved...?
Alyssa jumped in surprise at Baris' sudden outburst and watched as he ran from the room, her eyes narrowing in suspicion at his complaining of "voices"... First hers seem to get stronger and louder, sounding more like people standing just behind her rather than disembodied entities, and twice now the halfling had voiced complaints of hearing things.
You harm others just by your very presence. Infernal chided, and Alyssa's blood ran cold with the idea. Her jaw set in determination, she decided that yes, it was time to remove herself before someone got seriously hurt...
So distracted was she by these thoughts that she'd nearly missed Tev's jest, and had to fake a smirk as would be the reaction others would most likely expect from her.
As Radim left the room to check on Baris, Alyssa remained rooted to her chair, her coffee forgotten.
Tev was glad that it was Radim who went after Baris. That got the two most troublesome group members out of his hair for now (what was up with that look Radim was giving him anyway?). He just hoped Baris's freakout wouldn't disrupt the stakeout. So far the townsfolk had been cooperative with their investigation, but seeing Baris going off like that could damage the group's image. They still needed the council's permission to go to Harrowstone. This stakeout needed to go off without a hitch in order to get them closer to that goal.
Tev drained the rest of his coffee and wolfed down the rest of his food quickly. "Well, now I feel better. That was good, thank you Kendra. Now I think the four of us should stick together. If those two get in trouble, we'll help them out, but we can't all be running around in the night."
He coughed. "I'm ready to go when you all are."
Janasen Taken by surprise by Baris' outburst loses track of what he was trying to say until Tev mentioned the stakeout again. shaking his head "what I was trying to say was having too many on a stakeout is not a good idea. if it was an ambush maybe but not a stakeout. if the three of you are going to go I still suggest traveling light." that last part directed at Tuoni. Janasen continues "I think I will try to catch up with those two make sure nothing goes awry." with that Janasen heads out in search of Radim and Baris.
Alyssa felt a pang of sadness for Tev when she heard his words to her in Elven. It was a pity that he would put his trust in her. Tuoni, she felt, had the right idea in not trusting her, and soon enough the elf would learn his folly.
With a small sigh she nodded in agreement as Janasen left the room. Everyone's moods seemed to be changing like the wind, but it didn't matter to her whether the entire group went or just the three of them who could see best in the dark.
Rising from her seat she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and nodded to Tev and Tuoni. "It would seem that Baris will receive the care he so needs at a time like this. I would only get in the way, and so I am ready to be off."
There was something Tev didn't like about the way Alyssa said that, but it wasn't in the same way that he didn't like what he hears from Baris or Radim. This sounded just... sad. Maybe she was taking the Professor's death harder than the others, though she didn't seem the type to be consumed by emotions. Tev wanted to find out, because he was aware that he was becoming attached to this beautiful, mysterious tiefling woman and didn't want the two of them to not be able to count on each other.
For now, though, it was time to go. Putting on his coat, Tev went out the door with Alyssa and Tuoni. He hoped they could find a good spot for the stakeout where they could observe the statue without being seen doing it.