"Yes, Milda. You should stay here for the day, while we look around. Lock the door behind us whrrr, and we will announce ourself when we are back. We are going to look over the church, and try to find the Sheriff. Maybe someone can tell us about what happened."
"Did you or your husband happen to drink any of that exotic alcohol? We found a ton of bottles of them in the shed? We were thinking they might have something to do with everyone acting wild.
Now that Milda is conscious, Illonna starts to go through a rudimentary examination while the others speak. A simple series of tests in the hopes of identifying any lasting damage and perhaps, if they were lucky, the causes of her earlier behavior.
Drancis after yet another fitful night of rest slowly rises and splashes some water on his face in a vain effort to wake up fully. Yawning, he waves greetings to his fellow party members. Good morning. I hope you all slept well."
Seeing Illonna minister to Milda , he move silently to assist her...
Once the lady has been treated, he slips into his cloak and peers outside the window. "We should get moving, I agree. As for the alcohol..." he shakes his head slowly. "I dunno...it seems the alcohol was made locally. We should not jump to any conclusions." Squinting against the early morning light he adds, "I hope we don't get any more rain here!"
"Rain is good. It will mask our presence and conceal our tracks.
- there doesn't appear to be much outwardly wrong with Milda Vesk, her pulse, temperature and responses seem to be okay... however, she does have the same bloodshot eyes that the farmers on the far side of the river exhibited.
Milda frowns when Rikkan asks about alcohol, "Oh my dear, I'm afraid not - sad to say, Unoff Ollus was an alcoholic... The local moonshine was his own personal demon. He is dead I take it? I did go to the ferry but I saw no sign of him..."
"Milda, can you tell me about the affliction that has taken some of the townspeople? Did they act strangely in any way or exhibit any common symptoms before turning to bloodshed?"
"Also if you have noticed any unusual visitors at about that time that would definitely help us out a lot!" Drancis adds.
Rikkan nodded at the good questions from his traveling mates. "Yes, anything you can tell us would be nice."
Milda mulls over Illona’s query, ”I don’t think so - although it did seem that as time went by, the extent of the violence and the number of villagers who seemed to succumb to rage grew. But there were no warning signs… It was almost like something ‘snapped’ inside them… and No”, answering Drancis’ question, ”We wouldn’t normally expect any visitors at this time of year… and I don’t believe any came”.
Whilst Milda is answering questions, others within the group have the opportunity to get a better view of the village – the early morning mist still obscures parts of the area surrounding the farm but it is, at least, now possible to see where the majority of the homes and other buildings of Holver’s Ferry are.
The road, past the granary, runs past another farm building and a couple of burnt out sheds before arriving at a large clearing that, with a circular path around it, appears to be the centre of Holver’s Ferry… an enormous oak, looming from the mist, stands in the centre of the village clearing. There are at least twenty buildings around the clearing – many seem to be relatively anonymous dwellings however, even through the fog, several buildings of interest can be seen. .
Taking the path into the centre, the first building you would encounter would be the Sheriff’s office – a stout single story building that, even from the Redthistle Farm, can be seen to have its windows boarded up.
Out towards the east of the central area, a large two-storey building with a sign outside, appears to be the local tavern. It also has its ground-floor windows boarded up although the upper level does appear to have several open windows…
The most imposing building around the clearing, nearby to the tavern, has a relatively grand domed roof and is adorned with polished metal sheets that, from this distance, you can tell are embossed with decoration. Similarly to other buildings, is heavily boarded – the great entry door is also reinforced with an iron gate.
Towards the south of the clearing, a building that was clearly a store, boasts a large sign that simply says “Yenser’s”. A large display window dominates the front of the building but now lies smashed in with shards of broken glass, glinting in the pale sunlight, strewn around.
The most damaged of the buildings is around from “Yenser’s” on the western edge of the clearing – the burnt out ruin of a temple; high pillars standing proud amongst the rubble with no roof to support any longer and, scattered in the rubble, ruined statuary.
Other than the insistent barking of the dog that started as dawn came, there is no sign of life anywhere.
"Ok, you stay here. Lock the door behind us. We will be back later, click." He turns around and looks at the others. "What building first? Temple or Sheriff's office?"
Drancis glances about him uneasily. "It is quiet here...too quiet! I think the Sherrif's building is a good place to start, but it looks like it is boarded up tight. I wonder if anyone is still in there? Perhaps we should knock first?"
Illonna returns from tending to the wounded fully armed and armored. The large bastard sword of her patron is slung across her back while the simple longsword hangs from her waste.
"I must attend to those who may still be held within the temple." she says plainly "But we can stop at the Sheriff's Office on the way."
A single-story structure with a flat roof, the Sheriff's Office seemingly has all its windows boarded up, and the solid oak door bears a number of deep marks from the heavy blows of an axe. A small porch runs along the front of the building, its boards stained with dried blood.
...a quick shove of the front door confirms that it is locked closed...
Rikkan checks the door for any traps.
Perception
If he finds any, he pulls out his lock pick and gets to work to disarm them, after warning the rest of the group back a few feet.
Disable device
Once Rikkan has confirmed there are no traps across the door, he disables the lock and silently pushes the door open... In stark contrast to the scene outside, the interior of the office appears neat and tidy, whilst all three holding cells are currently clean and empty. A locked, sturdy cabinet takes up one entire wall of the office and, in front of it, sits a large oaken desk.
Upon the sheriff’s desk, lies an unfurled cloth map showing the village and the surrounding area of Lake Shimmermere - two brass pins marking a pair of locations along the lakeshore have been placed in the map.
Locke lets the others know where the markers are placed.
"If the Sheriff has been investigating something it is certainly worth investigating for ourselves." Locke searches through the desk and the rest of the room to see if he can find the key for the cabinet. If he doesn't he asks "Rikkan, do you think you can get this cabinet open? The Sheriff might have kept files in here."
"I can try to get it open."
Perception for anything untoward.
Disable device on trap if it's there, if not then on the door.
Rikkan’s work at the cabinet, after confirming that there are no traps, does not manage to get the lock opened. As he continues to work, he starts to feel the mechanical components of the lock start to fail… continued efforts to open the door may in fact destroy the workings of the lock to the point where it will not open at all…
Looking around in the Sheriff’s Office, there is nothing else that tells you what has happened here at Holver’s Ferry.
While Rikkan tries to jimmy the cabinet, Zoreck examines the map.
"Huh. So those pins show where an orphanage used to be? Interesting. Now let's see if a deputy was dumb enough to leave a key in the desk..."
Zoreck rifles the desk, looking for anything interesting.
Drancis points at the other red pin on the map. "Interesting. This is pointing to the ruins of Arvarenhode Manor. If I was going to smuggle a disease carrying source, then that would be a good place to exploit. We should check that out after looking at the orphanage."
Rikkan shakes his head glumly.
"Nope, nope, nope. Couldn't get in. Click. If I try again, and don't succeed, the lock will break. I can tell it's really weak. Should I risk it," the ratfolk asks the others as he takes his monacle off and wipes it clean.
Looking in the drawer of the desk, under the desk and in several other likely areas, Zoreck looks for a hidden key but comes up empty handed... The drawer does contain a number of writing implements - ink and several quills, some parchment and a wax cylinder... But no actual written records....
"This place almost looks too clean... Like someone already took everything and then tidied up."
"Well," Astraea says with a huff, "where's the Sheriff?"
She has been quiet since the morning, still disturbed by the previous day's sights, though she is settling grimly into a sort of comfort with them. She spent much of the night and early morning cleaning, arranging the sparse decorations of the Redthistle farm as neatly and evenly as possible, dusting thoroughly, and sweeping any grit or grime under the doors. Milda seems to have regained her senses, which is a relief- but Astraea secretly fears that the battle is not yet over for the woman.
Now, exploring the ravaged and nearly-abandoned town, she channels her fears into a more appropriate determination to get to the bottom of things, and looks to Zoreck and Illonna as models upon which to base her behavior. She finds herself forcing a more upright stance, holding her shoulders back, and focuses her clouded eyes on what little she can see.
"It seems like the Sheriff took great pains to keep people out of here, but it doesn't look like there was a fight inside. With the place all boarded up, it seems unlikely that she- she's a she, right?- left through the front door. I wonder if there are any hidden ways in or out of this building...?"
It's a long shot, but in her drive to make up for her hours of silence and passivity, she is desperate to contribute something meaningful.
"Stars, guide me..." she mutters under her breath as she begins systematically probing the office for anything that looks like it could provide some sort of exit.
Frustrated at her lack of progress, she looks up at the rest of the party. "Or, you know, I could be letting my imagination get the better of me."
Drancis looks over the locked cabinet with an uncertain, almost guilty look on his face.
I am not a thief...am I?
He clears his throat hesitantly. "I know this is not the right thing to do but perhaps we should just break into the cabinet...I mean what if the Sherrif left some clues in there?"
As he runs his hands over the cabinet Astraea's words strike a chord in his mind. "You are right Astraea, there must be a hidden way out of here!" His past training as an architect comes to mind as he starts to look over the interior of the office for any hidden trap doors...
Locke ponders what to do next briefly, but can only think of one option, "While it is possible we find the key for this cabinet elsewhere I find that would be to big of a coincidence to rely on. Try again if you can Rikkan, if you break the lock we will just have to break the cabinet itself. Considering how clean this place is I can't help but feel anything of use would be in there. I am sure the Sheriff would forgive us for breaking it for the potential sake of the town."
Rikkan nodded, and carefully again tried to jimmy the lock.
Disable
...crunch...
With a final attempt, Rikkan inadvertently snaps something within the internal mechanism of the lock - no amount of lock-picking will now get the door open...
Whilst Rikkan is working, Astraea and Drancis continue to look around the small building - their search doesn't turn up anything new and, as far as Drancis is able to tell from the layout of the office, the only way someone could have left the building, is via the front door.
Looking at the cabinet and the crestfallen expression on Rikkan's face, Zoreck asks, "Oh well. I don't know if I want bash it open...there might be something breakable in there. Anyone have a crowbar?"
If the answer is "no"...
"Well, maybe we should head over to the blacksmith's shop to see if we can borrow one. Or the carpenter's shop to borrow a drill."
"No crowbar,,sadly. Sorry I failed at the lock, click. It was tricky. Crowbar is a good idea. There might be something breakable in there, and hitting it could shatter it. Blacksmith's is a good call, I think."
Looking out into the clearing around the oak that makes up the centre of the village, there are no buildings that are obviously Blacksmiths. Although maybe some of the farms or "Yenser's", the store, might have something useful...
Drancis sighs. "We should not waste any more time here. Let's check out the Temple. Even though the building is destroyed, there has got to be some clues as to what happened there. We can always return here once we find a crowbar or something to deal with the cabinet."
"Sounds like a plan. If anyone disagrees, speak up now, whrrr, or we will head straight to the temple." Rikkan turns, if there is no objection and starts heading for the temple, carefully looking for anything (or anyone) unusual in the area.
Perception
Nearly three dozen charred bodies lie among the ash and debris of this burned-out temple where statues carved with common runes of protection have similarly fallen into ruin, pulled down by ropes and half-melted chains. All around is devastation and, as the party pick their way through the wreckage, carrion birds take flight - cawing indignantly as they find higher perches in the ruins...
...and then five of the bodies - clustered together at the rear of the wreckage and burnt nearly to blackened bone, jerkily rise to a standing position and spontaneously ignite in blue flame. As one, they noiselessly scream to the heavens above and start shuffling towards their living prey...
Drancis has a queasy look on his face as he gazes about the carnage. What happened here? It is like going into a war zone here!
As the skeletons come to un-life, a part of his mind freezes in momentary panic as the skeletons utter their keening wail. Still the other part of his mind stays focused as it sees the bubble surrounding a chunk of rubble nearby. With a jerk of power, he grabs and flings the rubble at the closest skeleton.
Zoreck draws his longsword, gripping it in both hands. Enraged by the desecration of the temple, and losing his temper at the entire situation at this town, he vents his anger at the skeletons.
"Stay dead, you b@$t@rd$!"
Round 1
Illonna draws her weapon grimly. The presence of undead chained the situation drastically. This time she offers no chance for surrender.
Drancis' piece of rubble crumbles as he throws it generating little more tan an ineffective puff of dust... But Illona, acting with single-minded tenacity, moves against the first of the skeletons - her blade sings through the air smashing the flaming skull of the skeleton upon impact...
...as it crumbles, the tumbling bones erupt in a small inferno of white hot flame...
The other skeletons fall upon Illona and Zoreck in a frenzy of claw and fire...
...and, as Zoreck smashes the ribcage of the skeleton that savagely clawed at him - slaying it in a single blow, it also bursts into intensely hot flame...
Rikkan moves forward and swipes his dagger at enemy 3, wishing he could throw fire and stay in the back ranks. [i]Not going to happen with these guys![/ooc]
Attack
Damage
Drancis pauses uncertain for a moment after seeing the two skeletons explode. If I destroy one of them now...
He cries out to the others, "Step back so I have a clear shot at one!" He then grips another piece of rubble tightly with his mind, but holds off for now...
Astraea stifles a gasp as the burning skeletons rise up from the ruins, and then again as the two that are stuck down explode into flames. As her friends on the front line fight for their lives, she knows she has to do something to help.
She turns her gaze toward the heavens for a moment, and tries to see the stars hidden there beyond the veil of daylight. The answer comes to her in an instant, and she remembers a weapon she just happened to have picked up in her travels...
Round 2
Illonna's armor saves her from the claws of two of the skeletons, but she is not so fortunate in the face of the ensuing explosion. Gritting her teeth against the pain she attacks another of the skeletons.
Locke grimaces in disgust as the undead rise to face them. Whatever is going on in this village it is becoming more and more apparent that it is most foul.
His standard held high and his voice ringing clear, Locke begins chanting a daring tale in an unknown tongue of heroes fighting back flames of destruction.
Whilst Rikkan and Illona struggle to hit the flaming skeletons – the raging heat coming from their fire proving to be as much of a defense as their ability to dodge the blows – Astraea has the inspiration to use Holy Water. Arcing through the air, the flask smashes upon striking the skeleton and, with the fire instantly extinguished by the water, the bones benignly fall to the floor…
Whilst Drancis looks for an opportunity to strike, the skeletons mindlessly continue to claw at Illona and at Zoreck…
...yup!
Screaming in rage and pain, Zoreck slashes savagely at the skeleton.
With a growing fury, Zoreck severs the head of the skeleton that was stood between him and Illona... The flames from the sudden bonfire as the skeleton self-immolates threaten both Illona and Zoreck...
Round 2
3
Illonna grunts as she catches another blast of heat. She attacks the skeleton that struck her.