"So you want corpses to claw their way out of the ground every once in a while?" Judah said with an incredulous shrug. "Guess their you're graves. Hope you don't need more of them because you're so attached to the ones you have already."
Judah grabbed a shovel and got to work digging in front of the professor's tombstone.
Cassiel picks up a shovel and starts digging as well.
Lorant joins in digging.
"No disrespect meant to you, Father, but Judah makes a lot of sense. It's always frustrated and perplexed me that cremation hasn't caught on here of all places."
"It's a matter of tradition," Ella says, somewhat primly. This is her homeland, after all. (Well, the Immortal Principality. Not here. Ravengro is nothing like Ardeal.) "The undead are a threat the world over, after all. But ancient Pharasmin sects suggested that leaving the bodies inviolate would be the best practice, since it ensured that should the deceased's spirit make contact with the world and request a resurrection."
She picks up a shovel and begins to dig. "Besides...moving corpses usually indicate some sort of unwholesome influence nearby, and better to know that such a thing is present than to be ignorant, the Professor told me once."
Cassiel listens, then shrugs his shoulders as if to say 'She's got a point.'
Lorant joins Father Grimburrow in the prayers and then turns to the others.
"We've the rest of the day. Opinions?"
"We should at least make a stop at Kendra's place and let her know her father's been laid back to rest." Cassiel looks back the way the party came. "After that... I'm not sure."
Ella frowns, looking out over the misty morning. "It can't be chance that the Professor reanimated. Is there anyone we can make inquiries with to see whether there was anyone spotted sneaking around last night, particularly near here? Some sort of night watchman?"
"Can't be chance?"
Lorant tugs on his beard a bit and sniffs the air as he thinks. The Whispering Way had been at work in Ravengro, but necromancers aren't the only source of undead...
Unhallowed sites and tragedies are other sources of undead - the graveyard should be hallowed ground so I am unsure of how he managed to rise.
He looks around the graveyard before saying Lets get back to Kendra for now and then we could look at both research and maybe having some of you look around town for rumours of grave robbers or other things that would disturb the graveyard
Ella nods firmly. "Certainly, Kendra should be first. Let's be off."
Judah looked down at himself, covered in sweat and grave dirt from thier labor so. "A bath would be nice too..."
He trudged after the rest feeling tired, still unsure of what he was doing, but also inexplicably accomplished.
When was the last time I had a good breakfast and did some honest labor in the same day? Ever? Feels pretty good. These folks... They feel pretty good too.
"Thank you, Kendra," Ella says quietly, accepting a steaming mug of tea. She lays one hand on the other woman's, holding her tight. "You may rest easy knowing that your father has been laid back to rest." Sipping her tea, she looks at the others in the group. "And we're going to do our best to figure out what caused his body to rise in the first place..."
Lorant takes the offered coffee and adds some cream and honey to it.
"Were I to venture a guess, I'd say the sheer violence of his passing would be enough to trigger it. When a person dies in a particularly tragic or violent circumstance, they have a greater chance of becoming undead spontaneously. This wasn't your fault, Kendra."
He takes a sip and closes his eyes as he savors it.
"I'm sorry that your father couldn't rest easy. Knowing what he knew, I wouldn't either."
"Are there bath houses in Ravengro? Or something like them? We could all stand to clean up."
Agreed.
"I don't think there's a bathhouse, but I'm certain Kendra wouldn't begrudge us the use of her tub," Lorant replies, sipping his coffee once more.
"Ah, yes. I was wondering if that was an option," Ella says. She sounds...relieved.
As long as she doesn't begrudge us use of her liquor cabinet - Gods above, what an evening! I shan't sleep well this evening, let me tell you.
Ella looks expectantly at Kendra, waiting for the other woman's permission to use her bath.
Cassiel sets his equipment aside and looks down at the floor as if he's contemplating something.
...should we tell her what we saw? Maybe we shouldn't...
As soon as Kendra's out of the room, Ella stands and begins putting a simple lunch together for everyone. As she works, she says, "It's clear that there's some sort of horrid magic corrupting Ravengro and everything in it, bringing the dead from their graves. As far as we can tell, Harrowstone is the likeliest place for anything like that to be happening. Unless there are any particular people or groups we suspect of being involved, it seems that perhaps the best we can do is for Lorant and Mr. Kohlheim to continue their investigations. While they do that...if there is anyone you think we should talk to, we can do that. Or...we can do our best to dig through the Professor's journals and notes to find out what he intended. I know you already have that cache of weapons, but perhaps there will be other clues."
Capital! I couldn't agree more, says Mathus, somewhat revived from the earlier experiences.
"So, more books, then to Harrowstone?" Judah said. "Sounds like plan. We can spend tonight researching and getting ready, then head to the prison in the morning."
This is insane.
"So, more books, then to Harrowstone?" Judah said. "Sounds like plan. We can spend tonight researching and getting ready, then head to the prison in the morning."
This is insane.
In the morning? No way will we have our research done by then. I say a few days more to research... But it wouldn't hurt to do a preliminary reconnoiter - just the grounds mind you.
"We'll take the time that we need, but there may only be so much to find out," Ella says. "We can peruse the outside tomorrow. I may also be able to...press Edmund into service as a scout. In a limited way."
Lorant finishes his coffee and sighs a bit.
I don't like the idea of poring over tomes while we're running out of time, but you've a point. We only know about the Splatter Man. These other four, the Lopper, Mosswater Marauder, Piper of Ilmarsh and Father Charlatan, their tales may provide more clues as to what happened on the night of the fire...and the Splatter Man's role in this puzzle."
Now you're talking sense, he says nodding to Lorant and Eleanora.
Lets get down to the town archives and keep looking, he says chucking Lorant on the shoulder. We need you to lead it - you've some impressive scholarship.
"Mathus, you're drunk."
"Well, while you two go to the archives, perhaps the others and I can see if there's anything else for sale in town that would be useful in a reconnoiter of the prison...can't have too much holy water," Ella mutters. "If you're sure there's no one else in town we should speak to?"
"Mind if I tag along, Ella?" Cassiel walks up to her. "I mean, I'm not of much use in a library, really."
"Of course not," Ella says with a smile. "Always glad for the company."
And, frankly, the protection.
Judah got up to join Ella as well. he was useless in a library. Gathering supplies for a heis- er, mission, well that was more his style.
"Are we decided, then? Mathus and I will return to the Town Hall to continue our research. The rest of you may scout the exterior of the prison, or consult with the locals. Test the waters, get on their good sides. The more they trust us, the easier our work will become. I...tried, but it seems I frighten children rather easily..." his cheeks turn a bit pink, as flushed as someone with his pallor can get.
"Absolutely," Ella says with a smile. "Is there anyone in particular you think we should talk to? If not we can just browse the town, visit that distatefully named pub..."
Seems good for a plan
"Absolutely," Ella says with a smile. "Is there anyone in particular you think we should talk to? If not we can just browse the town, visit that distatefully named pub..."
Lorant snorts.
"Hey, I find Zokar's establishment charming! I may be Ustalavic to my toes, but you have to have a sense of humor about things. Otherwise you'll end up like those Penitence zealots, flogging yourself or putting out your own eyes. Anyway, though Judah might object, perhaps you should visit the Sheriff. Perhaps with Father Grimburrow's testimony of what happened in the Restlands this morning, we might be able to convince him there's more going on than someone using a dead serial killer's modus operandi to perform a disgusting prank."