Baradim, walking in with Kairon, Scipio, Goruck, and Lady Cirthana. He remains mostly quiet though, watching the interactions of what was going on between the others. The half-orc's face remains stoic and unimpressed, almost as if he was not paying attention. Kanga remains outside, lounging in the warm sunlight nearby the door entering into the establishment.
The interaction between the two seems to show something hidden, a history not known well to him as his eyes narrow just slightly. The hunter begins to pay more attention, trying to get a feel for the play that was being made here.
As the guards cross their halberds, Chillel raises her arms, hands open.
Peace gentlemen.
Magistrate Harg, we may or may not have to burn the bodies, but we would at very least like to inspect them.
Ahdun! Prothalon! Come good sirs! I know you are doing your job, but maybe you are not aware that Gavel Kreed has asked the Lady Chillel & myself to assist the envoy from Almas in finding a cure for the disease? We are simply following Gavel's orders & I also wish to inform him that young master Illiam here has become helpful in assisting us with this task & he is vital to the process of completing this deed! we simply wish to see Master Vade, or his son, to see if they might have any useful information about some of these here ingredients." Dolok pulls out his common copy of the list of ingredients & holds it out for them to see. Lady Laurel has never heard of these three & so we are hoping that maybe Master Vade will know something of them. We also need to stop by the forge real quick to get a thing or two."
Ahdun and Prothalon take a purposeful step forward, this time raising their halberds tips forward in the direction of Illiam and Chillel. We will have peace when you take this little circus back down the way you came. Ahdun pauses for a moment, looking directly at Dolok. If you want to gather some things from Master Figueroa, go ahead, but yer two pals are staying on this side of the fence. Got it?
Prothalon waivers for just a moment, but Ahdun laughs a hearty chuckle. Nice try little man. In all my years of guarding The Perch I've never once been reprimanded for keeping people out. Been yelled at plenty o' times and had my pay docked once for letting 'em in though. Now you just walk right back down that hill you came from. You want to talk to Vade? So would a lot of people. That's part of why I'm standing here in full war gear in the sun. Ahdun's speech steels Prothalon's resolve, and the two stand hard and fast.
"We do not wish to dishonor the dead. We merely wish a chance to keep them from harming the living, and can do so by observing. So we respectfully ask for a chance to help." Goruck keeps his eyes on the magistrate, holding himself as straight as his words are delivered.
Chillel calmly addresses the guards:-
We will wait outside then.
She then leads Illiam to some suitable spot where they will not obstruct the street and can speak with some semblance of privacy, then quietly talks to Illiam when there is nobody close enough to hear:-
You want to try to sneak into Vade's Tower don't you? Vade is a man of unknown power, probably a spell caster and we know nothing of what kind of security he may have. Our recently assembled group is the only hope this town's population has of the cure for Blackscour being put together.
That is not going to happen if you are impaled on a stake on the wall of the tower or roasted by some arcane trap and the rest of us are detained on suspicion of being involved in trying to break into Vade's Tower.
You have seen Dolok's distress at Master Figueroa's illness? What family I have is in this village. We absolutely must put together the cure as soon as possible. What we do after that is an open question. Tracking down the cause of the infection, if it is more than just an illness, is certainly indicated.
But first we need to stop Valers dying and rising as an undead horde rampaging across the face of Golarion. Am I getting through to you.
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I want to figure out what kind of magic is going on up there. He might even have the ingredients we need, and I want to find out. That old man could be behind all this, and nobody in this town seems to realize it. If the best way find out is to cast Detect Magic and sneak inside, that's what I want to do. Do you have a better plan?
"We cannot discount that the writing was also done in Sylvan. It is the language of the Fey, who are both dangerous and wise." Baradim says, nodding towards the sheriff. "They have no fondness for the undead, the creatures are almost anathema to most of them." Baradim says from his little bit of knowledge of the Fair Folk, looking to the others. "I think precaution, with how many are sick, should be taken. The ramifications of disbelief could be dire..."
Chillel takes a moment to calm herself before replying, then adds:-
Ok, say we do it your way. Then:-
1 You might be able to climb the wall.
2 You might be able to get in the tower.
3 You might be able to explore the tower without being detected.
4 You might be able to explore the tower without triggering a trap.
5 You might be able to find what you are looking for, if it exists.
6 What you find might be helpful, and
7 You might be able to get out again safely.
That is an awful lot of mights. Unless you are some master thief, and I am pretty sure you are not, the chances of you managing all of them are very small, which is fitting because you are very small.
You don't know that Vade has anything to do with the illness or any part of the cure is in his tower.
We do know that Vade is a powerful man in town, and if you are caught trying to sneak into his home you won't be able to help us find a cure. Also, Vade is likely to use his influence to make our lives difficult, he may be able to turn many of the powers in Falcon's Hollow against our project, which means everyone dies.
Yes I do have a better plan. It is hard to find a worse one. We put together the cure, stop the deaths, then look into who is behind the illness, if it is more than just a natural event.
By the time Chillel has finished her speech she is no longer calm but seems to be restraining herself from picking Illiam up and shaking him for emphasis.
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Climb the wall? That's funny. What do you think the drill is for?
I'm gonna level with you. I've done this kind of thing before. Like, a lot.
But fine, I'll make you a deal. If Athena will fly up there and look in the high window and tell us a few simple things, I'll drop. She can signal things like how many people are up there right? Like if there's a young man, an old man, or both? Also, if there are any dead, or people up there, that's information I'd like to have.
"I'll be back in just a moment!"
I'm going to go ahead and see what I can find out on my own from Vade. Illiam's questions have made me grow suspicious of him now.
Dolok goes & knocks on the door of Vade Tower and awaits a response.
Very well. I will see what she can discover.
Athena flies in the direction of Vade's Tower.
And I share your suspicions, just think we should put investigating them off for now.
Athena is going to fly past the high window and perhaps one or two others at a distance of around 3 yards. She isn't going to perch on them.
However much Dolok would like to go right up and knock on Vade's tower door. He is stopped by the tall wooden gate that is a part of the wall that sits ten feet from the tower in all directions. The gate is latched tight from the inside, and from a peg on the outside hangs a burned wood sign that reads, "No Visitors - This means you!" Dolok gives the tower a cursory examination, perhaps a better look than he's ever given it before because his new friend Illiam, the distrustful halfling, has sparked his curiosity. Dolok notices that the second story window is sealed with iron bars, and draped with thick black curtains.
Athena finishes her sweep of the tower and returns to Chillel, resting on her shoulder, and begins preening one of her wings nonchalantly.
After listening to the envoy and their new Valer companions, Vamros scratches at the tip of his right ear, and spins his wooden gavel around a few times. Okay, you have my permission to open grave, the widow Sennetta. She's been in the ground five days now, should provide quite the nice stink. Heh heh heh. He laughs, imagining the group digging up the aged widow. If you find anything amiss, come back immediately and report it to myself or my bailiff Tabrik. He gestures to the comely dwarf. Then he says, again with that air of condescension. You're dismissed. I have other cases to hear today.
After Athena returns to her shoulder, Chillel spends a few moments communicating with her familiar, then scowls, saying:-
That is disappointing. The windows can't be seen through or gone through. That must mean they are either shuttered or draped and barred, probably the latter as Athena is clear you can't get though them. No luck from a worthy idea I am afraid.
But it is not surprising now I think about it. That area of town is off limits to most of the townsfolk and heavily patrolled as we saw earlier.
I guess we wait for Dolok to return with the drill, then return to Jack'n'Napes for lunch, which means another wagon-load of cinnamon pancakes for you I suspect.
Baradim nods at the halfling's judgement, looking towards the others. "Let us find the signs we are looking for then with the widow." He turns and head out with heavy footsteps, the guisarme held with a casual grip against his shoulder. Once he was outside, he would whistle for Kanga to follow him before looking at the others. "We have shovels, right?"
Disappointed at not being able to get to Vade's tower, Dolok turns back to the forge, not forgetting the request of his newest companion to 'borrow' the 'hole-maker'. He suddenly gives the slightest of jumps as he's surprised by the shadow of a bird flying by overhead then realizing there's nothing to fear he moves on.
Upon arriving at the forge Dolok knocks softly upon the door & getting no response he goes ahead and steps in quietly. He is pleased to see Master Figueroa sleeping peacefully in his bed. He comes back out, grabs the drill & heads back towards his new companions.
"Here's the 'blessed' drill Illiam. At some point I expect an explanation of why this item is so important to you right now when we are in the middle of dealing with such an urgent crisis! By the way, I tried to see Vade anyways, but his gate was locked up tight & had a sign that literally said: 'No Visitors - This means you!' - So I moved on. What's next? Shall we head to the Magistrate's to see if our companions are still there, or go to the cemetery? Or do either of you have any other suggestion?"
I had suggested to Illiam that we return to Jack'n'Napes for lunch when you got back.
But it is rather early for that, and we are pressed for time. As if we go to the cemetery we will almost go past the Hollow Tribunal, we should likely go there first.
Chillel starts to move towards the Hollow Tribunal, speaking to Dolok further as she walks, ensuring she has some distance from others when speaking of Vade's Tower to avoid being overheard:-
I hope Master Figueroa's health is as good as can be expected.
And how was the security at Vade's Tower. I expect tight, the whole of the Perch is well fortified. The windows on the tower, what there? Athena could not see in and "says" they can't be entered.
Oh the delightful prospect of digging up bodies then incinerating them! Better than death by Blackscour I guess.
"Yes, let's head to the Magistrate's."
"And thank-you for asking about Master Figueroa. He was sleeping comfortably when I stepped in briefly."
"Yes security, or maybe it's paranoia? or secrecy? at the tower was significant. To have your gates barred to outsiders seems very 'unfriendly', and I happened to see only one window on the second story & it was barred & had a heavy curtain blocking any view into the interior."
"Yes, as much as I enjoy the cleansing process of a good fire, the burning of bodies does not appeal to me." A look of great sadness comes across his face, "As you may have heard I lost one of my brothers accidentally in a fire I started. I feel a great loss over that and I need to learn responsibility in my fire-making. That is why I enjoyed working the fires at the forge so much, they were in a controlled environment."
"But what about you? Surely you have family in the area as well? Do you have anyone that has come down sick?"
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Once the group out of sight of the guards and well outside their earshot, Dolok, how hard would it be to get behind the tower and use this Illiam indicates the newly acquired drill to drill a hole through the wall, so that I can see through to the inside? Are there guards that patrol outside, or directly behind the tower, that we would have to worry about?
Some good news! We must get the cure assembled and soon.
I did know of your brother's death,yes. I am sorry.
My family, I have two uncles in town, both lumberjacks and thank the gods both well at least for now. I urged them both to leave, they have not.
Chillel appears weary at Illaim's question, replying:-
Do you intend to do that in broad daylight?
"Maybe we should head to Jak's and ask to use the private room again? Once there I can sit down & draw you a simple map of the tower's location. But I'm telling ya right now, there's no way that there hole-maker is letting ya see through that wall. Them walls are thick my friend!" This guy's persistent! A bit crazy maybe, but P-E-R-S-I-S-T-E-N-T! I don't know what he's planning, but not sure I want to get involved!
"I don't believe so." Sighing, Goruck clenches his fist tight, before loosening slowly. "Just to keep my conscience clear, I don't entirely agree with this plan. The magistrate raised some points, even if he was acting unbecoming of the gravity of the situation."
Undoing his mask, Goruck gives his companions a hard stare, his face framed by the intricate tattoos that curved around his face. "Let us give the dead the respect they deserve."
Very well.
Chillel and the group head to Jak'a'Napes. Upon arrival Chillel surveys the room for party members or any other significant personages who may be present.
Being the middle of the afternoon, Jak Crimmy's fine establishment for refreshment and rest has only one table of occupants, three older gentleman smoking their pipes, drinking tankards of something, and two are apparently playing some sort of game with sculpted pieces on a checkered board whilst the third looks on. There isn't even a barmaid to be found, but you can hear Jak's voice singing some bawdy song coming out of the kitchen, more than likely as he prepares things for the dinner rush.
As the envoy, with Baradim accompanying, leave the tribunal, Lady Cirthana seems to relax quite a bit. That went better than I thought it would, actually. She says, then begins walking immediately east, off the road and onto the grass heading toward the steep hill that acts as the town's eastern bulwark. There should be enough shovels in the gravediggers' shed, in the heart of the cemetery. She says to alleviate everyone's fears about digging implements.
Descending the steep hill requires one to almost sit down and slide, or to just give in and run down full force, slowing after reaching the bottom. Lady Cirthana takes the first approach, leaning back with one hand on the ground, and sliding in short controlled bursts until she reaches the bottom. She then leads her coterie of men to the heart of the cemetery to what would best be described as a lean-to. It is a slapped together shed of left over scrap lumber, held together with rope and nails. Inside, just as the Lady said, there are several picks and shovels, and even a couple saws, undoubtedly for any roots that are too thick to break with a shovel edge. After everyone that is so inclined grabs a shovel, Lady Cirthana leads the group through the forest of stone grave markers to a row that is near the middle and on the northern end. As the entourage stops at the marker you see two stones next to each other. On the first is marked: "Here lies Tholan Medin lumberjack, husband, friend of the Hollow. 4647 - 4706 AR" On the other gravestone is etched: "Here lies Sennetta Medin wife of Tholan. 4646 - 4712 AR"
Sennetta's grave is obviously fresh, black dirt still sits atop it somewhat settled by five days of exposure. Well... the Lady says, this is it.
Before the group can begin shoveling, though, Baradim snaps alert as he sees Kanga sniffing at something near the grave. She sniffs around for just a moment on the north side of the grave, and then growls a low rumbling growl deep in her throat and looks up at the treeline in the distance. Examining the ground Kairon finds a faded, but still visible, set of footprints in the grass nearby. Thankfully the weather lately has been seasonable and dry, leaving the impressions of someone's footwear clearly in the grass. As he gets down to examine closer, Kairon realizes the footprints approached from the north, the woods, and then returned the same way.
Odd. Someone left the woods, came to this grave, and went back the way they came. Baradim, do you see those prints now? Kairon gestures from his crouched position along the line of steps returning to the treeline.
Turning back to Cirthana, he asks: And what was all that sparring over the journal? Did Harg have a problem with Laurel's mother??
Upon entering Jak's, hollering,"Hello Jak! Excuse Me!" Once some one comes out, he'll continue in a normal tone, "Busy day today! How ya doing? Sorry to bother you again, but could we use your private room again?"
Baradim walks with the envoy, looking over at Goruck and nodding at his fellow half-orc's words with a look of agreement within his eyes.
"It is unpleasant business, to disturb the dead. Yet if this disease does what we suspect it may do, it is necessary. I do not think the departed would disagree with us on that, to protect their friends and family." Baradim meets that hard stare without a flinch, nodding. "We will do what we must and put them back to rest in whatever manner they wished before their demise. Hopefully, we can learn whether we were right or not with this one body."
The steps through the graveyard are quiet and careful, Baradim showing great care to try and not disturb a thing there. As they pass through the stones, he stops at one particular marker and looks upon it for only a moment. "Gulēt labi, māte." Baradim whispers, placing his hand upon the marker before moving on with Kanga upon his heels. Tools are grabbed, a shovel and a saw, and Baradim carries them with grim purpose over towards the row where the late widow now laid. He looks upon the graves for a moment, shaking his head slightly. "Forgive us Tholan, Sennetta. We do what we must."
He was about to begin digging when he heard that slight growl, a growl that he recognized anywhere. Golden eyes flickered upwards from the grave to where Kanga prowled. His hackles were raised and that threatening growl escaped the slowly snarling lips of the great feline.
"What is it Kanga?" The hunter says as he makes he way over towards the feline that watches the edges of the woods warily, looking towards Kairon and then down at the prints that were upon the ground. He leaned down carefully, studying them for a moment. "You're right. They came to this grave and then returned to the woods. That does not bode well..." Baradim lets Kairon speak with the others as he examines the tracks in greater detail, studying them and trying to learn everything he can from what tracks there are. His hand reaches out to rub gently along the cougar's neck as he studies the marks left, Kanga visibly relaxing though only a little. "Good boy..."
Once in the private room, Dolok hastily pulls out a parchment & ink & quill, & proceeds to make a very crude drawing showing the location of the tower in relation to the forge & the wall & any other relative landmarks. It is obvious to any intelligent person that he could surely do a better job, as he draws this almost like a small child would do it. It's also obvious that he's doing this crudely on purpose. There you are Illiam. Now, please tell me your going to drop this ridiculous notion?!?! We have no way to get into the tower or safely get up to a window! I am anxious to join back with the others & hear what the magistrate told them, and see what our next step is! If we must investigate Vade, maybe the others will have an idea on what to do, but I for one, & the Lady Chillel here as well, think you should drop this for the time being."
Wise words Dolok. I see your reputation for rashness is misplaced.
Well, compared to Illiam, Dolok is actually cautious. I don't think Dolok, or anyone else is going to persuade him. I hope he does not get himself killed, or worse, mess up whatever chance we have of finding the Blackscour cure.
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After about an hour of picking over the map, asking questions about every dimension of the crude map and the structures depicted by it, Illiam runs out of ideas. After sulking for more than a few moments, Illiam says Fine, let's go see if the others have learned anything useful.
He climbs down from his chair and begins walking toward the door leading out of the parlor. Dolok, you can go ahead and burn that map, but don't do it in here. If you wait until we're in the cemetery, I doubt anyone there will care.
Very well. The cemetery you say? The others are likely there
Chillel stands up and begins to leave.
"These tracks are not made by any monstrous beings. Maybe an elf, a dwarf, or a human. No one small though. They seemed to have visited the grave, stayed for awhile, before leaving." Baradim murmurs, looking up at the others. "Their path surely takes them back into the woods. I can track them but I do not know if it is relevant to our goals."
Baradim looks to Lady Cirthana as he stands, knowing the dirt off of himself. "Do you know anyone who would come and visit the late widow? Children? Family?"
No. The Medins were childless. It was a great sorrow as they were both such sweet people, and many among us thought they would have made great parents. The whole town mourned their loss, as they had taken to acting as surrogate grandparents to many of the children. In fact, Sennetta actually got sick because... she was... helping to tend to some of the other families' little ones... As Lady Cirthana talks about the acts of kindness of the widow Sennetta, she breaks down into tears and sobs. She turns away from the group then, and uses the long drape of her dress's sleeve to wipe away the wet from her face. After a moment, she returns to looking at the men. I'm sorry. She apologizes. As a cleric I'm used to the transition of death, but... she pauses for a moment again to collect herself, this disease has taken a toll on us all.
Perhaps it was nothing more than a lumberjack coming to visit and pay respects. Lunarinus says, stepping forward to put an arm around Lady Cirthana. I hope you will take comfort in our promise to rid this town of the disease. What's more, I give you my promise, that if this disease has been wrought by some malevolence, I will make it my mission to find that darkness and snuff it out. He gives the Lady the moments she needs to collect herself.
If you would rather walk away m'lady. I still think we need to take a look at the widow's body, to make sure nothing is amiss. He waits to see if she would like to be elsewhere before digging.
After about half an hour of dirty work, during which the Lady Cirthana took Lunarinus up on his offer and walked further into the graveyard to avoid witnessing the exhumation of the widow Sennetta, the men finally dig down the few feet to the top of the simple pine box that served as Sennetta's coffin. Lunarinus is about to reach down with the spike of his Lucerne hammer to pry open the box when they hear a voice in the distance.
Hey! Everyone turns to see Dolok, Chillel, and Illiam approaching from the south. After they arrive and salutations are exchanged and the envoy finds out that the locals and Illiam didn't discover anything interesting other than that Sharvaros Vade really doesn't want to be bothered, Lunarinus does reach the spike of his hammer down and pries open the box, covering his mouth and nose with the elbow of his left arm as he does so.
When he at last pries the last of the nails loose and the pine lid shifts off to the side the full stench of rotten death, before just eeking out, now assaults everyone standing around. That stench, as everything else about the corpse, seems completely normal. The widow Sennetta was dressed in a long white cotton dress as is the custom in some places, her hands were folded on her chest, with a, now dead and wilting, red rose. At first it seems that nothing is out of place, but then Kairon points and gasps.
What? Goruck asks? Not seeing anything out of place.
Her eyes are open. Kairon says...
Baradim wipes the sweat from his brow, putting the shovel down and looking down at the grave that had been opened. Within laid the simple coffin of the woman known as Sennetta, a kind woman who did not deserve to pass away from so terrible an affliction. He waves in greetings to the others that arrive, hearing the bit of murmuring that Vade did not wish to be bothered. It was as suspected Sharvaros was a hermit within his tower, his child being his only company. Only during that attack from the fey did he see the man's arcane skill be used.
There was a loud crack as the pine lid was shifted off and the smell of rotten meat filled the air. Baradim turned his head, breathing away from that first plume of dust and foul air before looking back in upon the corpse that laid within the coffin. He was about to turn away when Kairon pointed out that one change, that one small and almost insignificant thing that could easily be missed.
"By the spirits, he's right..." Kanga seems to grow slightly agitated, moving closer to his master's side away from the comfortable patch of grass he had been laying upon.
For all onlookers it appears as though Lunarinus is doing nothing more than stare at the body for few moments, but his concentration is more intense.
After looking intently at the corpse Lunarinus steps back, looking up to the sky at the sun and breathing a heavy sigh. I'm afraid there is something evil growing inside the dead widow. It's light, faint, but it is there. I fear if we do not burn the body it would rise again under some evil power. It is apparent Lunarinus did not want this to be the outcome, and is not pleased with what must follow. We must return to Vamros and make him aware of what we've found, but somebody needs to stay and watch the body, to prevent unwanted... unpleasantness.