Kendra comes back with a basket full of fresh vegetables and a plucked chicken and begins to get work on dinner. As the aromas reach their peak you hear Kendra call out "Dinner is ready." Dinner is revealed to be a roasted chicken with a bread stuffing and a small salad to start off the meal, you find well done even for how hastily it was made.
After dinner Kendra takes you upstairs showing you each your rooms. They are lightly furnished a single bookcase, a small desk, and a window that lets the moonlight streak in catching on the small single bed. "I'll wake you if your not up by breakfast, please sleep well."
Rhia awakens and breathes deeply, realizing that today would be the beginning of what might be a dangerous exploration into the darkness that seemed to loom over the town. Slipping out from under the covers, she stands up, the clothing she had removed the previous night scattered across the floor, as was the norm for anything she put down, tossed by the more restless of her spiritual entourage.
She stretches, leaving the blinds drawn shut, and lighting a candle in the dark room, she sits cross-legged on the bed, sky clad as she uses the flame to draw her focus, reaching out to the spirit world, her morning ritual, part meditation, part communion with a world with which she possesses a unique bond.
There was far more spiritual activity in Ravengro that she had ever encountered before, a sign of.... something, though she did not know what.
Perhaps an hour later she opens her eyes, smiling at the spirit of her grandmother, watching over her. It was fitting that as a cleric of Pharasma her spirit would be walking with her today.
She rises, washing with almost ritual care, applying an appropriate perfume ,myrrh based, carrying the spiritual energy of final rest. She dons simple gauzy linen robes, a long flowing light cloak completing her outfit.
Leaving the majority of her gear in her room, she takes a couple of vials, some empty others full and a few pieces of chalk, along with a field journal and quill, before makes her way down the stairs to join the others.
Not long after dawn, Stefan suddenly wakes with a gasp. The memory of a bad dream quickly fades. In a harrowing moment of fear, he glances around the unfamiliar room, as the previous day's events return to his recollection. Ravengro... Petros' daughter's house... He relaxes, and his pulse returns to normal. The doctor lies in bed a few minutes longer, then rises to meet the day.
Donning his trousers and shirt, he then retrieves his spellbook and sits with it at the small desk in the room. With the morning sun streaming through the window, he doesn't bother lighting a candle. After preparing his spells for the day, he puts his spellbook away and dons his jacket and a scarlet cravat. He then heads downstairs to see if anyone else is up.
A'isha retires to her room to contemplate the events of the day. She takes off her equipment, and curls up in the bed with her pillow. Soon she falls asleep, and for the first time in a while, the nightmares of her past resume. Her dreams are not all bad, for they eventually turn to lighter and happier things.
Early morning comes, and A'isha awakes refreshed. She dresses, dons her equipment, and heads downstairs for breakfast.
Arrila settles in for the night. She says a quick prayer and thinks of the day's events. The death of her friend finally beginning to sink in as she contemplates his funeral and the reading of the will.
She finally falls asleep her body exhausted but her mine still worrying over her friends fate and the tasks asked of her and the group. She wakes up in the morning a little less tired then when she retired and starving
She grabs her bag as she heads downstairs hoping to find some breakfast to appease her rumbling stomach.
Kendra is already moving about the house getting breakfast ready by the time the first of you come downstairs. The table contains a pile of plates ready for you to grab and fill with the assortment of fruit, some sliced bread with jam, and salted pork.
"So what are plans for today?" Kendra asks as she sits down at the table grabbing some fruit from the pile.
Stefan walks into the kitchen, surprised to find that he was the last one up. "Good morning!" He pulls up a chair and fixes himself a plate from the breakfast foods Miss Lorrimor assembled. "And thank-you for breakfast! This looks splendid!"
In response to Kendra's question, "I, for one, would be interested in going to town and seeing what's there. If we're going to be here for a month or so, it would be a good idea for us to familiarize ourselves with the place. After that, I think we should follow Petros' instructions to find the cache of tools to use against the undead that the Pharasmins hid away. And, finally, we should continue Petros' investigation of Harrowstone.
"Miss Lorrimor, did your father have any friends or confidantes in town? Someone who he could bounce ideas off of? If he did, it might be a good idea for us to speak with them."
Arrila fixes herself a plate of foods and sits herself at the table. She places a piece of pork in her mouth and her stomach already becomes happier with her.
"Miss Lorrimor, thank you for this delicious food."
She turns to Stefan and responds.
"Stefan, I agree. As you said yesterday we need to gain as much information as possible. There is much we can learn of this town and its people."
"Not really, he mostly wrote to old colleagues or bounced ideas off himself. I don't think anyone in town could keep up with him, including myself." Kendra responds.
"This is a wonderful breakfast Kendra, thank you so much." Rhia says putting fruit on a plate as a slice of bread with jam moves itself to another plate that is slid over in front of her.
"The Temple of Pharasma should be a useful source of information."
"That's an excellent idea, Ms. Van der Geist. Perhaps we should also ask the priest of the Lady of Graves about this cache that Petros wrote about. I would rather not take things without permission. We should also see how Alek and Edekar fared last night."
Seeing the food on the table A'isha gratefully digs in.
"Oh my goodness, thank you! This breakfast is fantastic."
She eats while she listens to the conversation among the others.
"I agree. Once we finish here I am in favor of getting a start on this. The temple we shall go?" she says with a smile.
After breakfast, Stefan thanks Kendra for a lovely meal. He heads back upstairs to dress for the day, donning his waistcoat and jacket, and taking along his satchel.
Once everyone else is ready to go, he suggests that the party should head into Ravengro to meet with Alek and Edekar, and then see what there is to see in town.
As you all almost ready to depart you hear a knock on the door. Kendra moves to answer it and you hear the shock in the voice when she says. "Oh, hello sheriff what brings you by this morning?"
"Nothing good sadly, I believe you are friends with Mr. Avad and Mr. Olterov?" The Sheriff asks.
"Well they are more of an acquaintances but yes. May I ask why?" Kendra responds.
"It appears Mr. Avad was able to sneak into Mr. Olterov's room and ambush him with an axe he had found by the inn. Mr. Oltrov had the smarts to try and dodge but his leg took the blow, Mr. Avad struck again and took the rest of his leg off. Some patrons ran and found Mr. Avad about to strike the final blow when they intervened and barred him in the room." The Sheriff expalined.
"My word is he stil alive?" Kendra asks shocked by the incident.
"Yes but nothing can be done for his leg, at least not here He will be moved to Lepidstadt once Father Grimburrow says he is safe to travel. The Sheriff answers. "Mr. Avad will be staying here in Ravengro though. He appears to have suffered from some sort of mental break, but we are keeping him locked up until we can confirm it."
With a look of shock at the Sheriff's words, Stefan gasps, "By the gods! Sheriff, I am a physician from Lepidstadt. I would very much like to examine Mr. Olterov to see if there is anything I can do!"
Rhia staggers back in shock, the idea of the quiet scholar launching such a violent assault momentarily taking her by surprise. Yet her experience was already launching her mind on the search for possible explanations.
Possession perhaps? Or could he have been a cultist of the Whispering Way all along, trying to find out what Petros knew?
Around her, a sound akin to angry whispering seems to fade in.
"He's currently being held in the temple and like I said not much to do he's stable and resting, but I can't stop ya from seeing him." He says and then turns to Kendra.
"Kendra might I have a word in private with you?" He asks.
"Of course Benjan let us go to my room." Kendra replies motioning the sheriff to go upstairs.
Stefan makes sure he has everything before departing.
Stefan says quietly, "I don't want to leave the house while the Sheriff is alone with Miss Lorrimor. I want to make sure that whatever deviltry caused Edekar to go berzerk isn't also affecting him... assuming the story is true, of course."
"Neither do I, we should remain until he leaves."
After a few minutes the sheriff comes back down with Kendra right behind him. "Have a good day ladies, sir. I'll be at the jail if I'm needed." He says tipping his hat and nodding to Stefan.
The town is barely awake as you go through, a few people stare at you as you walk but go about their buisness as they see Kendra walking with you.
As you reach the temple Father Grimburrow stands outside as if expecting you, you see him tuck something into his robes as you approach. "Hello again, I expect you are here to see your friend he is in the acolytes quarters."
He guides you through the temple and shows you to where Alek is sleeping, his left leg nothing but a knob right below the knee clean gaws wrapped around it. "It was great that we got there when we did if he had lost more blood we might not have been able to save him."
Dr. Von Herzog examines Alek's leg, taking some care so as not to wake him. If I'd been here, maybe I could have saved his leg...
After the examination, Stefan looks at Rhia, A'isha, and Arilla. "Ladies, I think we should interview Edekar. I want to find out what sort of madness has possessed him. What do you think?"
"I agree. We should see if there is any connection to the professor or if any of us is also in danger of suffering this madness."
As you inspect the leg you nothing can be done that the acolytes and father haven't already.
"I'm going to stay here and watch over Alek, I'll send someone if wakes up." Kendra says pulling a chair up to Alek's cot.
When you enter the jail you see the desk is filled by the sheriff who looks displeased as fills out paperwork. "Oh welcome, your friend is right here." He says pointing to a manacled and gagged Edekar in the cell behind him. "Had to shut him up, he kept singing some local nursery rhyme."
A'isha was still somewhat paranoid about undead. She figured he was probably not, but she was not going to risk it. She concentrates to see if any aura lingers that she recognizes.
"What nursery rhyme was he singing?" Arrila directs towards the sherrif.
She then turns to her companions. "Maybe the rhyme will give us some insight into what has happened to him."
"I don't know the name of it but here let him sing it." Benjen says opening the jail, he carefully removes the gag as if he feared being bitten.
You hear Edekar try to spit out a few lines but they are unintelligible as he coughs in fits eventually his throat is clear and begins to sing the rhyme.
"Put her body on the bed.
Take a knife and lop her.
Watch the blood come out the pipe.
Feeds the stirge, so nice and ripe.
Drops of red so sparkly bright.
Splatters spell her name just right.
With a hammer killed his wife.
Now he wants to claim your life.
Tricksy father tells a lie.
Listen close or you will die."
Benjen lets Edekar sing the rhyme once more before stuffing the gag back in his mouth. "He about drove me and the deputies crazy last night with that." He says as he exits the cell, locking it again.
"That's... disturbing."
Have I ever encountered that rhyme before...?
"This is a nursery rhyme? I can't imagine parents singing this to their children."
Do I know anything about this rhyme?
"No!"
Ai'isha looks at the others with some alarm.
"I sense the lingering stench of undeath about this one. There is no mistaking it, something touched him in a way that should never be...." she trails off as she continues staring at him.
Rhia's features harden slightly at the sight of the maddened archivist.
Sadly none of you have heard this tune before despite the eerie quality about it.
"Its less sung to children by their parents but more passed down from child to child, something the sing when they jump rope or play in the square. I've heard it a few times before but its never been this unsettling." Responds Benjen before being taken aback by A'isha burst, he composes himself quickly and looks to her. "Well that helps prove that theory we can use it to prove his innocence but they'll still won't want him running loose right now."
"I think that we have learned everything that we can from him. Maybe we should walk around town and see if we can find anything about Professor Lorrimor or the Whispering Way.
"Agreed." Stefan looks left and right, as if to see if anyone was in earshot. He leans in close to Arilla and whispers, "However, do not mention the name 'Whispering Way' aloud in public. People who talk about it openly have short lifespans."
"Indeed, I intend to speak with those at the chuch, would anyone care to join me?" Rhia asks absently
"I will join you. This abomination needs to have a stop put to it, and I intend to do so." A'isha says resolutely.
"Lead on."
"That sounds like an excellent idea."
"Agreed."
Exiting the jail, the group of outlanders make their way to the Temple of Pharasma.
As you come to the temple once more you see Father Grimburrow with a pipe in his mouth. "By the Gods I'll never get to smoke with you four running about it seems. Kendra is still with Alek unless you have other buisness?"
"Good day, Father. We've heard the reading of Professor Lorrimor's will, and have also looked through some of his personal journals. We are of the suspicion that Petros was investigating something and that his investigations may have gotten him killed. Speficically, he thought there was something sinister going on at Harrowstone." He pauses, gaguing the priest's reaction.
He continues, "Among his documents is a mention of a cache of items that the Church of Pharasma keeps that are useful in fighting the unliving. We have a good idea where this cache is." He looks at the rest of his companions, and then back to the priest.
"We intend to continue Petros' investigations, and will hopefully learn who or what was actually responsible for his death. In pursuit of that, we hoped that you would give us permission to borrow some of the items in that cache. We would return any that we did not use after our investigations are complete."
"Hmmm very interesting, he had mentioned his suspicions to me before but I figured it was something merely out of academic curiousity." The father seems honest as he replies.
"As for the cache, the professor had approched me about this as well so I will tell you as I told him. It is possible a cache like this exists but digging through tombs will not exactly please the lady of the graves, but here is where you two will difer. I trusted and knew the professor and allowed him to go looking for this trove, you and your group sadly do not have that trust... yet, befriending Ms. Lorrimor has helped you so far but you are still strangers to me." As he finishes he takes a long drag from his pipe and blow a large smoke ring towards the clouds.
"We seek only to do the Lady's work. Protecting those that would be preyed upon by the undead, and sending them back to the beyond." Rhia says with open heartfelt honesty, looking the old man in the eyes.
"Then I will send my own acolytes to investigate this area and inform you of the fruits of their labor. If you will tell me I will send them as soon as I am able." Grimburrow replies.
Barely concealing a look of frustration, the doctor makes a curt bow and says, "Well, we apologize for interrupting your smoke. We'll be on our way now. Good day."
He turns to leave.
As you begin to cross the south bridge of town you see several townsfolk walking down a worn trail to the south on the other side of the bridge, as you get halfway you see another group go down the trail, another goes by as you finish crossing, and as the four of you reach the trail you are met by the sheriff.
"Fancy meeting you folks guessing you heard whats happening, I'm going down to see it myself."
Looking to his companions, the doctor replies, "Actually, we hadn't heard." Following the sheriff, he asks, "What, pray tell, is happening?"
"I have yet to see it myself but from the description it quite apalling, come follow and see." He leads you down the trail passing a small shack, you spy Gibs standing outside stifling a yawn leering as you pass by.
At the end of the trail a small crowd has gathered around a tall moss covered statue that you take to be the Harrowstone Memorial. The crowd parts as the sheriff leads the way and you see the small descration that happened. At the base of the statue you see the large slab that holds the name of the 25 guards, the warden's and his wife's has been graffitied with letter V in red paint, as well as the rest of the statue being splatterd by it.
Sheriff Benjen steps up to the statue and places his figer warily to the letter, he sniffs it and then puts it to his tongue his eyes grow wide as if he had come upon some shocking realization. He stands and turns to the crowd drawing in a large breath "Everyone is to disperse and the memorial is off-limits until I deem otherwise. Marcus come here I have an errand for you to run." He announces before pointing to small boy who quickly walks over. "Go to the jail and tell Francis and Janey to do a headcount Edekar a'int goin' anywhere, and don't you tell anybody about this or you won't get to be my errand boy anymore." He whispers to the boy as he sends him on his way, he looks at the dispersing crowd and then to the four of you. "Things seem to have gotten real interesting since you people showed up, that a'int red paint on there thats blood."