As the zombies fall and Anselm moves to engage the skeletal warrior, Drake slides around the other side of the undead leader to limit his options as the Paladin brings the assault.
Kendra moves and reloads her crossbow. Father Grimburrow, recovered from his wound, prays to Pharasma that the warriors vanquish the last threat, as a bright light illuminates you all! The rest of the mourners all move back behind the priest to watch the battle.
Round 3:
Dr. Von Herzog shoots a beam and misses.
Zombie attack:
The zombie warrior sees Anselm accept his challenge and raises his sword, "Come to your death, young champion!" He ignores Drake armed with a rapier and lashes out at the paladin, but the young warrior's guard is almost impenetrable and the blow is deflected at the last minute! The zombie warrior tries to catch Anselm off guard and tries to bite him, but the attempt is pathetic and Anselm pushes the zombie warrior off with his shield.
Round 3, init 12
Drake shifts to the side of the skeletal warrior to provide Anselm the advantage and jabs at the creature. "Finish him Anselm!"
Gregorius turns around after destroying one of the zombies and sees Anselm and Drake engaged in combat against their leader. Emboldened by Father Grimburrow's prayer, he darts towards the undead warrior and attacks.
The zombie warrior's cunning eyes are not surprised by Drake's attempts at subterfuge and the rogue's flank attack is thwarted, as is Gregorius' valiant charge, leaving the paladin off-balance (-2 AC). The zombie warrior laughs, as the party's first attacks are deflected.
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Taking things in for a brief instant as his newfound companions move in to help him dispatch the leader of the assault, Anselm feels the holy power of Pharasma's blessing come upon him. He recalls his education under Lorrimor and Rutilus, that all divine powers come from the same source. His mouth twitches upward in a smirk as he swings hard at the walking Pharasman heretic in front of him. Stand strong, fellows! And I'm not young! If I were, you might have had this day! As his swing falls, he has a disturbing thought. Are we condemning Petros to the same fate...? Best not to dwell on it...
As his blow falls on the creature Anselm takes another quick scan of the graveyard turned battlefield. I guess this isn't what you intended, Petros, when you taught me what you did about the undead...
The zombie warrior's confidence disappears, as Anselm's sword blow cuts off half its face, as the corpse collapses to the ground, causing the mourners to cheer.
Gregorius is impressed with Anselm's display of combat prowess. I wonder if I could have defeated him even he hadn't surprised me. Petros was lucky to have him as a friend. He puts away the sabres and then runs back to Kendra, Father Grimburrow and the rest of the civilians, a little flustered and worried about their well-being; in his hurry, the half-elf doesn't even try to conceal the limp. "Is everyone alright? Father, you took a bolt to your chest! Let the good doctor take a look at it." He makes a gesture with his hands urging Stefan to approach.
Meanwhile, the doctor is examining the fallen zombie leader...
"Just want to make sure this thing is really dead. Sometimes the walking dead get up after you think you killed them."
While poking at the no-longer-animate corpse with dagger and gloved hand, he muses aloud, "Did this abomination make the dead walk by itself? And more importantly, is it going to get up again?"
The doctor then stands and casts another spell. His eyes glow with a pale blue light as he peers at the corpse.
Mortimer walks right past Father Grimburrow to the Councilman. "Get those gravediggers back here, and any able hands you have. We must burn these risen bodies immediately and set watch on the graveyard incase more arise." he says in a commanding tone. He looks about to say something else, but he stops, then continues with a different thought. "Have you a Sherriff in Ravengro? I would speak with him about these matters." he says.
He turns and walks over to where the others are examining the Undead warrior. "What do you make of this, Stefan?" he asks. "An Unquiet Dead with the mind to speak?"
When Grimburrow is finished putting the diggers back to work, Drake finds a moment to speak with him. "Father, has there been any other undead walking about Ravengro lately? Or even in the surrounding countryside?"
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As the leader falls, Anselm gives a heavy sigh, sheathing his sword and shaking his head slowly. This man speaks true, he says, nodding to Mortimer. This is far worse than some upset townsfolk, and requires immediate attention. If we weren't here to stop them... He purposely leaves the consequences for everyone to consider on their own, pausing to try to recall what sort of situation could cause such unrest.
His thoughts and the cold of the morning besides produce a shiver in him, one he tries to hide at least from Kendra. Mustn't have her worrying about us as well. He nods, and turns to Kendra. Are you hurt, my lady? We can address that if so. Otherwise, I would suggest you head home for now, where you should be safest. Despite his words, the thought occurs that the daughter of Petros Lorrimor might be more inclined to employ more agency in her affairs. Here's hoping she's smart enough to stay out of trouble if she does want to get involved.
The cheers of the mourners quickly die down, as fear again begins to grip their hearts and whispers of "The dead walk!" and "We are cursed!" can be heard murmuring in the crowd. The cries of the innkeeper's son breaks the silence.
Father Grimburrow thanks the party and eases Gregorius' fears, "Yes, my lad, I am quite fine. Though I must admit it hurt like the fires of hell. Been many many years since I was in battle. My faith in Pharasma has protected and binded the wound. Please do not disturb your good doctor. My good Drake, as for the undead, we have seen none in Ravengro though there are rumors that Ustalav is cursed and the undead walk freely but we've never seen its effect in our tranquil hamlet or anywhere nearby. Kendra, my dear, how do you wish to proceed?"
Meanwhile, Councilman Hearthmount moves away from the terrified mourners to congratulate the party but is surprised by Mortimer's outburst. "Calm yourself my good man. The good Father will decide what to do with the corpses. They have families. And yes, we do have a Sheriff in Ravengro and you can speak to him about these matters, but please, you're scaring the good folk. You must learn to be diplomatic in these things. The danger is over."
Meanwhile, Kendra thanks the brave Anselm who has come to comfort her. "Oh Father, what were you up to that has the unliving coming to your funeral? I am fine brave warrior. I thank you for your skill. Please Father Grimburrow, let us get the gravediggers and continue with my father's burial. I must fulfill my duty as his daughter."
The gravediggers are "diplomatically" persuaded by Councilman Hearthmount to come back and complete their duties and the funeral ends soon after with the burial and the mourners rush to their homes.
Kendra approaches each of you to thank you for your heroic defense personally. She also tells you, "My father mentioned each of you in his will, which will be read tomorrow morning. I hope you do not have to rush off and can stay the night."
Mortimer is cowed by the Councillor's rebuke. "As you say, sir. You are right. I will govern my tongue more strictly in future." he says with a bow.
To Stefan, he adds, "The Councillor thinks the danger is past, but I'm not so certain." He crouches down and examines the creature who spoke to them. "Is this one one of the risen loved ones, or did he come from somewhere else?" he asks. He stands and looks for tracks to find where it came from.
Drake is satisfied with Grimburrow's response to the query of undead, but he'll seek out more information when the funeral is finished. "Friends, I'm even more convinced that watching the graveyard this night will be important. Let me find what information I can this afternoon and evening from the local townsfolk, then we'll make our plans for what threats may be lurking about us still."
Stafan turns from inspecting the corpse and walks over to Miss Lorrimor, removing his gloves as he approaches. He doffs his top hat and bows before her. "Madame, I am so sorry that this solemn ceremony was interrupted by such foul abominations. I do intend to spend the night in town and attend the reading of your father's will tomorrow. For that matter, I may stay a bit longer than that, as I would be happy to lend whatever assistance I can to getting to the bottom of why your father's funeral was marred by the appearance of such atrocities. For that thing," indicating the fallen zombie warrior, "mentioned your father by name!"
The doctor then turns to the priest, shaking his hand in a two-handed clasp. "Thank you, Father, and thanks to the Lady of Graves! I shudder to think on what might had happened if you weren't here to assist or if that mockery of a warrior had managed to incapacitate you! I fancy myself a healer of some skill, yet the ministrations of science, while effective, are not as quick as the intervention of divine power. Again, I thank you-- I am in your debt."
To Mortimer and Drake, "I have a feeling that the three of us shall be hunting the undead again. I hope we will be as effective without Petros' assistance." Looking to Anselm and Gregorious, he adds, "Yet with your skill at arms in the mix, I would feel much more confident! I think we have much to discuss."
Gregorius is releived to see the priest alive and well. When Kendra speaks about the will, he seems genuinely surprised with the news. "Miss Kendra, I don't know if these fellows have other commitments to attend to, but I for one promise you I'll be there to hear Petros' last will, if that's what he asked of me." He bows cordially and walks up to Mortimer, Drake and Stefan, who have gathered to talk about the undead threast. Gregorius nods when Dr. Herzog invites him to lend his skills to end the menace.
"Of course, I will help. But... I have to confess that I don't know much about undead and things like that... I mean, I've heard a little about it from my mentor, but we used to focus more on gods and doctrines, and, well, it looks like you are all experts in the matter. Anyway, if you are staying for the night, we can take turns doing watch so we'll all be able to attend the reading of Petros' will."
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Anselm furrows his brow at Grimburrow's words. No undead sightings, yet they come in force at Lorrimor's funeral? Deeply concerning. Deeply concerning indeed.
He nods to Kendra, quietly. We did what had to be done. I'm relieved no one was seriously hurt. The day is somber enough as is.
He is taken a bit by surprise to learn that he was personally mentioned in Petros' will. Perhaps one last lesson, Professor? With raised eyebrows, he nods again. Of course I will attend the reading. Though I think, he says, nodding to Drake, that I shall find my rest out here under the stars. But first things first... there's still much work to be done today. The burial, first, and then I'd like to speak with the sheriff as well.
Anselm falls silent, a dark and pensive look covering his features. Too many coincidences here...
Silently shuddering at the idea of camping out, Returning to Miss Lorrimor, Stefan enquires about the lodging available in Ravengro. "Particularly anywhere that is both relatively safe and inexpensive. I hate to admit it, but I was waylaid by brigands on the journey from Lepidstadt, and they managed to purloin most of my traveling funds."
Turning to the others named in the will, Stefan explains, somewhat sheepishly, "I do admire your vigilance. However, I never much saw the appeal of sleeping outdoors... Particularly on a rainy night."
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Anselm frowns a bit at Stefan and shakes his head. It's a sad day when a man can't travel unassailed. I have some spare coin if you want a roof over your head tonight. It shouldn't be more than a few gold, I'd think, plus maybe the same for a good meal. Don't worry about getting it back to me; there've been enough troubling things today that I don't want you to worry about being in debt on top of everything else.
He smiles and tries to gauge Stefan's reaction.
You know, come to think of it, I don't quite think I've had a chance to formally introduce myself to everyone. Anselm. Anselm Burtold, of Westcrown, he says, Cheliax. The latter he says with a bit of resignation. He absentmindedly grips his holy symbol, obviously trying to distance himself from his home nation and its well-known state religion. It's something of a cliché, but I do indeed wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I would very much enjoy supping with you all tonight, to discuss the day's happenings and perhaps to reminisce.
Taken somewhat aback by Anselm's offer, "My word! Kind sir, that is an extremely generous offer, but I can assure you that I did manage to retain a few coins. And I have a few items with me that I could sell if it came to that. Honestly, until the zombies quite literally reared their ugly heads, I had decided that I would simply ply my services as a physician here in Ravengro until I'd amassed the capital to return home."
Stefan looks back at the fresh grave and the now nearly-deserted graveyard. "It seems our somber task is at an end." He then holds out an upturned palm and looks at the sky. "Hmmm. I think I'd like to get indoors before it starts raining again."
"Don't worry, Dr. Herzog. Go ahead and get some rest. The four of us can stand watch tonight - I mean, if you really think that is necesary," Gregorius adds looking at Anselm and Drake, not sure of the merit of such decision, seeing as Stefan and father Grimburrow did not seem worried about the dead rising again this night.
"Let us see what we discover from talking with the local townsfolk this evening. Perhaps our efforts here will help open doors that would have remained closed. Something threatens this place for undead to attack us during the day and it must be tied to the professor for it to happen during his funeral, but information will be easier to gather from the folks in a warm town than from sitting in a chilly graveyard at night. Still, the anger in that mob and the undead attack bespeak of an undercurrent of hatred and catching a nefarious perpetrator in the act would allow us to direct our questions like a spear point, instead of battering at the problem like the surface of a shield."
"I'm with Drake. It'll probably be better to just speak to the sheriff - or even that buffon, Gibs - than to wait here... but, just to be sure..."
Gregorius walks away from the group and looks for the cemetery's keeper. He greets the man and says "Good man, if something happens here tonight, if any of those creatures come back, you run striaght to town and ask for our help, ok?" Then, hoping not to alarm the man, he puts his hand over the keeper's shoulder and finished saying "Don't worry, that's only on the very unlikely chance that anything happens. You have a good night, sir."
Gregorius goes back to the group. "If they come back, he'll call for us", he says pointing his thumb to the caretaker. "Let's go, then."
1. No magic was detected other than the residual fading traces of the necromantic magic that caused the corpses to rise in the first place.
2. As you examine the corpses, you notice that the fallen zombie leader was actually an aasimar in life and in undeath, became a dread zombie warrior. They particularly like feasting on the brains of clerics and paladins.
3. Unfortunately, due to the rain, Mortimer loses the trail once he ventures out into the foggy and chilly night, though it appears the tracks led north from the cemetery.
4. Kendra invites all of you to the Professor's home the following morning for the reading of the will but does not invite you to stay. Zokar, the local innkeeper present at the funeral, happily offers you and the party discounted rates at the Laughing Demon, the local inn, for saving his life and that of his son.
5. Father Grimburrow subtly suggests that the best manner may be to burn the corpses, but he wishes to visit the families and acquire their permission first to avoid any issues.
6. Zombie leader's gear consists of: heavy metal shield, light crossbow, long sword, and scale mail. It is of normal craftsmanship and contains no distinguishing features.
Father Grimburrow leaves to speak to the families; Kendra leaves to mourn and prepare the home for the reading of the will; Councilman Hearthmount heads to town and will leave word with the Sheriff, Benjan Caeller, that you wish to speak with him upon completion of your investigations at the cemetery; Jominda Fallenbridge, the apothecary, heads to her shop and home though she recommends any magic users stop by her store if you need supplies or reagents.
The frightened grave diggers return and will stand watch, as asked by Gregorius, unless the party wishes to stand watch.
Stefan graciously accepts Mr. Zokar's offer of discounted rates at the Laughing Demon. He gives his fellow heirs a questioning look, as if to say, "Are you coming?" and follows Zokar into town.
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Looking at his fellow heirs, Anselm gives a bit of a sigh. He addresses the scared gravediggers, trying to put on an air of confidence. I'll join you this evening, if only so that there's someone here armed and trained in dealing with such things. He looks pleadingly at the rest of the group, I believe I heard a few volunteering to spend the evening under the stars, just in case? If something does happen, we can send these fine folk here to get help. I'm sure they'll want to get to safety quickly anyway, and I don't want to get in the way of that.
All that said, Anselm will join whoever goes to Zokar's for now to get something to eat. Preferably something hearty, with starch and meat. He'll stand watch after his meal, hopefully taking shifts with whoever joins.
Mortimer nods to Anselm. "I'll drop my belongings at the inn, gear up, and then come back here to stand watch with you." Mortimer says. He eyes the cemetery with a grim gaze. What else is buried in this small village, Professor?
Turning to Anselm and Mortimer, "I do admire your dilligence, but I'm reasonably sure that the cemetary will be safe tonight. My hypothesis is that the undead leader used necromantic magic to animate the four walkers. With it destroyed, I don't see how more zombies will rise-- without the action of external factors, such as a deranged necromancer, of course. Assuming that my reasoning is correct, I don't see all that much danger in dismissing the gravediggers and just staying at the inn for the night. We can check back at first light to make sure all was well. Of course, if we want to be sure, then having eyes and feet in the graveyard is the only way to tell..." He pauses, then adds, "That sounded gruesome after fighting zombies. I mean being there in person."
"I would speak with the people of this town, the sheriff Benjan Caeller being first on my list, and see what else may lurk in shadow. He may have some insight on what threatens this place, or perhaps the Lorrimor family, then we'll have a better view of what vigilance is needed this evening. Come lads, let us at least eat a good meal, rest or watch this night we need to keep our energy." Heading to the inn, Drake looks forward to meeting the sheriff and learning what he may know.
Gregorius accompanies Stefan and Drake back to the city.
You leave the gravediggers to their task and follow the road north that leads you to the town of Ravengro, as the drizzle of rain falls upon you during the spooky night. After a 20 minute walk, you pass a rather luxurious 2-story house on your right (that's luxurious in this small hamlet) and you hit a crossroads wherein planted in the ground are 5 poles about 10' high, with messages tacked on. You see notes regarding the upcoming nuptials of a local merchant named Devlin, job postings for farmhands, and two notices of missing pets (a cat named Amber and a dog named Roscoe).
After examining the poles, you follow the posted signs to the heart of Ravengro, passing the modest home of the late Professor, and a few minutes later, you reach a simple wooden gazebo at the center of a grassy circular plaza, wherein buildings are laid out in clockwork fashion from the center (town square): General Store (at 1pm), Outward Inn (board and breakfast), Town Hall (5pm), The Silk Purse (moneylenders)(6pm), Ravengro Forge (7pm), Apothecary (9pm), and Ravengro Jail (11 pm). You also see more posting poles scattered around, with similar notices as the ones you've already seen.
You spot a dog sleeping under the gazebo stairs, trying to stay dry. You hear many whispers of "The dead walk!", as the townsfolk seem eager to return to their homes. About 2 blocks NW of the plaza, you reach the Laughing Demon tavern. More posting poles are outside its entrance.
You step inside and Zokar, the owner, greets you heartily, "Friends, please come in and take a load off. I have set a table for you." Pic of Zokar
He leads you to a table with the appropriate number of chairs. the place is filled 75% on this fine night. You see Zokar address a 15-year old boy, sitting behind the bar, his head buried in papers. "Pevrin, come here! Leave those notices alone! You won't be posting anymore today, not with this rain and what happened at the graveyard. Get these men some water and ale. Sorry folks, it's a family business and I've got to impose some discipline on my boys here. So, what will it be? Vampire steaks? Wolf balls? Corpse chowder? Let me start you with some liquid ghosts...what do you say?" Seeing your perplexed looks, some of the other customers in the tavern chuckle. One of the waitresses, a rather mature looking one, steps to the table and speaks up in a rather disapproving tone, "Zokar, from what you told us, these fine men were very brave earlier. So stop messin' with 'em and read 'em the options correctly." The customers boo her and shout "Handle yer woman, Z" and laughs ensue. Zokar sheepishly looks down and says "Yes, dear." He looks to the party and mumbles, "Told ye it was a family business. I'll have someone come take yer orders. Enjoy." Zokar steps away.
One of the customers seated near you leans in to the good doctor Herzog and says, "If I were you, I wouldn't have the corpse chowder. I hear ol' Zokar serves corpse chowder only after unpopular merchant folk leave town, if ya knows what I mean. If he invites you to the Demon's back room for a complimentary taste, run!" He nods his head in seriousness and leans back to his table.
As the serving girl reaches your table, a man flanked by two guards walks in, scans the room, and walks toward the party. Pic of Sheriff
As he does, mumbles of "Evenin' Sheriff" are heard in the room from the patrons. He reaches your table, rain drops falling from his Stetson hat, and says, "I'm Sheriff Caeller, I hear you folk were lookin' fer me." His deputies quickly bring him a chair to sit down, which he does, while he awaits your response.
Sefan nods grimly with wide eyes at the patron's 'advice' about the food, "Oh my, thanks for the warning! but then relaxes his face and grins.
As the sheriff saunters to their table, Stefan rises and extends his hand. "Dr. Stefan Herzog, of Lepidstadt. Good to meet you, sir!" He takes his seat just after the sheriff does.
"Sheriff, I'm sure you've heard by now what happened during Petros Lorrimor's funeral. From the reaction of the other mourners, walking dead is not, thankfully, a common occurrence around here.' After a pause, he continues, "The leader of those zombies seemed to know Professor Lorrimor, as it at used his name to taunt the assembled mourners. Were you aware of any enemies that Professor Lorrimor might have had? Particularly enemies with connections to necromancy? I fear that there may be something more going on than a random appearance of zombies."
You hear the murmurs of other patrons when you mention "walking dead". The Sheriff clears his throat and speaks up, "Okay, calm down folk, no need to worry. Now, now, I know what you and the witnesses claim to see and I believes the dead walk. I ain't ignorant, I heard the tales. But those problem ain't never touched Ravengro's borders. Heck, the most me and my deputies have to handle are some tavern brawls, some farm hands trying to get too friendly with their boss' daughters, and making sure everyone stays civil when the tax collectors from Caliphas ride through town. I ain't never heard of the Professor havin' any enemies. Heck, he wasn't here most of the time. Always off exploring and doin' research, whatever that was worth. Same with that necro stuff ya mentioned. But I'll look into it. Now I ain't deputizing any of ye, so don't be gettin' any ideas. Maybe this is all random, a one-time event. It never happened before and I'm going to make sure it don't happen again. I'll do my own investigating too. I still run this town so you find anything out, you come to me, got it? You may be all fancy and rich, but ya cross me, and I'll make sure you spend a night in lockup, if not more. Ya got me?"
Looking slightly offended, Stefan places his hand on his own chest, "Sir, I'm afraid we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm a doctor, not a constable; I have no intention to take the law into my own hands." He looks around the table for agreement from his dining companions. The doctor then leans in closer, and drops his voice to a whisper, "I'm legitimately concerned for the good folks around here. I fear that if Professor Lorrimor had enemies, they might be coming here to stir up trouble now that he's gone."
He leans back and says in a louder voice, "But, here, let me buy you a drink. What are you having?" Stefan waves over a barmaid, and orders whatever the sheriff wants. And one of the same for himself. He looks at his companions and raises an eyebrow.
After the drinks arrive , Stefan tries to engage the sheriff in some small talk. He tries to turn the conversation to Lorrimor and his friends in Ravengro-- particularly the names of any of Lorrimor's close friends.
If the sheriff doesn't know anything about Petros' enemies, perhaps the late professor's friends will...
Mortimer is grim-faced as the men walk into town. He looks around him with care as he walks. I smell a Necromancer behind all this.
His trained eye scans for anything that sets off his instincts.
Once in the center of town his eye is then drawn to the gazebo and the dog. He frowns and pauses. "Hmm."
He follows the other into the inn, still glancing behind him. Inside he looks around at the people present, standing tall and showing an aristocratic bearing to all. He sits at the table offered and smiles at Zokar after shaking his hand. "Mortimer Valdebridge." he says. "Thank you kindly for your hospitality. It's a fine place you have here."
"Ah..." he mutters at the names of the menu items, but orders an ale and a 'Vampire Steak'.
The Sherriff's arrival makes him smile and he rises from his seat and offers a hand to the man. His hostility, however, makes him frown. "Of course, Sherriff. We depend on your expertise in defending the people of this town. We are, fortunately, experts on matters involving the Unquiet Dead." he says. "We place ourselves at your disposal and convenience if you have anything you want cleared up about the technical matters relating to fighting them or rooting out those who use them to threaten your town and your people."
The Sheriff accepts Dr. Herzog's offer and tells the girl to bring him a liquid ghost. He removes his hat and ponders, "You want to know about the Professor's friends? Not many more other than the people who attended his funeral. Like I said, he wasn't around much. Maybe you'd be better off asking his daughter that question."
He stares at Mortimer, "Experts at the dead? Didn't know there was such a thing...and if there was, who would want to be that? But I thank ye for yer offer. If I requires your assistance, I will let you know. I don't know where you all may be from, though it's clear you're not from Ravengro, but even in our quiet little hamlet, the law gets served. We'll figure out what's going on."
Gregorius remains silent during the whole walk, still troubled by the day's events and not paying much attention to the town. At the bar, he seems a bit offended by Zokar's joking around, deeming his lack joyful disposition a disrespect to the professor. Indeed, thes buffoons did'nt hold Petros in high regard. The sheriff's arrival and his antagonizing attitude are enough to put Gregorius in a definitely sour mood. He orders a cup of wine and drinks from it quietly, watching Stefan and Mortimer talk to the heriff. After Caller's seires of blunt responses, Gregorius decides to stand up and, looking the sheriff straight in the eyes, finally speaks his mind. He is particularly offended by some of Caellar's words, such as his threat of arresting them and the line "In Ravengro, the laws get served", infering that these visitors are "not above the law", as if they were a band of troublemakers.
"I can't imagine why you'd think we intend to stir trouble or break the local laws. In case you haven't noticed, we've just risked our lives to protect your townsfolk from those dreadful creatures, and yet you threaten and dismiss us as if we were some nuisance. I take it you'd rather we had left them be?"
"Anyway, you don't have to worry about us. If you are so certain you can guarantee the safety of Ravengro, I see no need for us to linger any longer than tomorrow, after we've joined Miss Lorrimore for the reading of her father's last will." Gregorius turns around and sits back down, raising his cup. "To Petros." He empties the cup in one gulp.
Drake sits quietly while the banter ensues, suspecting the sheriff is more mindful of maintaining authority than actually dealing with threats. When the initial banter finishes, driving straight to the point, and loud enough for others in the inn to hear just for the sake of exposing the man, "Dead creatures just attacked the townsfolk, we protected and defeated those beasts, and your first words to us are threats to lock us up if we don't do as you wish? Do you care to actually protect these people, or do just want their coins to give you an easy living?"
Standing from his chair for the psychological advantage of height, Drake continues, "I am Detective Drake of Lepidstadt and I will investigate the crimes that have occurred here, unless of course you want to tell all these people that you aren't interested in their safety?" With a sweeping gesture Drake encompasses the crowd.
"My friends and I have already risked our lives against the undead to provide you strangers a measure of safety, something the sheriff has just admitted that his own men have never done. Would you have us leave now, or be locked up for this small man to power play on your little stage? Good people of Ravengro, feel free to share any information you may have with me, I will consider your words honestly and carefully, as a detective should."
Leaning forward with hands on the table, his face near the sheriff, Drake locks eyes with the man. "A foul creature, this one human and named Gibs threatened us just before the undead attacked, what do you know of this man? Tell me quick, do not risk the lives of these townsfolk for your own petty aspirations!"
Sheriff Caeller stands up as well, his face red with fury and looks at Gregorius. "Yeah, sure, I'm glad you acted when you did and saved some folk but that don't make you our saviors. We were fine before you got here and we'll be fine after you leave. You city folk always thinking that you know what's best for us country folk. I'm just letting you know who's in charge here. If ya don't like that, there's the road! Happy trails!"
At hearing Drake's comments, his deputies have to restrain him, as he was about to swing at the investigator! "How dare you insinuate that I don't care about my town?! You've been here all of five minutes and you think you know what's best for the them?! Seriously, where do you get the nerve and gall??? And now, you try and turn the good people of Ravengro against me? Ha! We know better than to fall for your tricks, Drake. I'm going to cut you a break because you're new. You should take your talents to Lepistadt because if I see you riling up trouble again, I will have you arrested on the spot." He sneers at the party, gulps his drink down, and says, "I've wasted enough time here. Good evening folks." He nods to Zokar, who is dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before him and gets up to leave....
The fellow patrons are all silent, continuing with their meal, and no one offers Drake any information in regard to his questions. In fact, they eat faster so as to leave as quickly as possible.