Ioann straps his sword to his back, bend down and picks up the man whom he throwns over his shoulder.
"Yes... we need the father to heal him before we can question him."
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Orin looks at Ioann and raises an eyeborw. "Sure you don't want some help?"
"Yeah, I grabbed some stuff. Most of it wasn't for me, but there was some stuff I could use. Holy water, haunt siphon, potions, the like."
Gellius stares out into the distance, away from both of his companions. "Psh. Kind heart. Kind hearts are useless."
After a moment or two, he turns around and adds "Not that I'm saying Lady Kenda's useless, mind you. She shares a zest for knowledge that her father had and she has adapted quickly and well to her new station, both of which are wonderful qualities. But a kind heart is something that is only going to let you down eventually."
Gellius finishes his tea.
"Thank you Terrance, for both the healing and the warning." Ingrid says with a small smile. Sheathing her blade after flicking the blood off of it, she crouches and retrieves the razor.
"Let's get to the temple before anything else occurs tonight."
Orin looks to see the others are fine, then nods. "Agreed. Hopefully this... Person was alone. The thought that his words or actions might poison others in this town is sickening and hopefully are just nightmares of mine."
Your welcome ingrid, but I wish I could do more, however that will have to wait until tomorrow.
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You make it to the temple with no other complications, it's a bit slow going as you lug an unconscious old man around and keep a look out to be sure you aren't seen. The place does look quite different in the dead of night. To Ingrid, it's like coming home, but to the others it's rather eerie. Only the soft flickering of candles left near windows light the building.
Entering, Orin makes sure that his weapons are stowed, then bows his head. Pharasmin temples were holy, but always put him a little on edge.
Two acolytes look up, startled that someone has actually come in so late. They recover quickly when they see Ioann carrying Gibs over his shoulder. One rushes off, and the other rushes towards you. "What happened? Here bring him in here, the Father can heal him!" He says indicating a small room off of the chapel with a cot, small table, and two chairs inside.
He was defacing the monument, and when confronted, attacked us.
Terrance looks around a little nervously.
Ioann brings the man to the cot and lays him there. He then walks up to the acolyte talking to Terrance.
"It does not matter to you, the father will take care of that. Now, more importantly, some vile man has risen the corpse of professor Lorrimor. The spell was broken but the corpse is in the Lorrimor estate, go and bring it back to its resting place. Now!" commands Ioann with little tact.
Glaring at Ioann, Ingrid places a comforting hand on the acolyte's shoulder. "This man has fallen prey to the control of evil, though we were able to stop him without killing him. The enemies of Pharasma are busy tonight and we have faced the walking dead at the Lorrimor manor. We will for father Grimborrow, but the body needs to be removed sooner for Kendra's sake."
The acolyte looks dumbstruck at Terrance's assertion of what happened, and then floored at Ioann's statement and demands. "I'm sorry, Sister," looking to Ingrid and then to Ioann. "Sir, but I cannot leave the church grounds without permission from Father Grimburrow." He then backs away slowly from the group and keeps his distance.
Father Grimburrow comes in a few minutes later, looking like the grave himself having been roused from sleep. "Ingrid dear, I'd say it's a pleasure but I was sleeping rather soundly. What's this then, what's happened?"
"The undead are restless tonight father. Petros....was raised and..attacked the manor." she closes her eyes for a moment, taking a steadying breath.
"After sending,....it back to the other side we were coming her to seek your aid when we noticed this man painting another letter in blood in the town square, when approached he attacked with lethal force and we managed to stop him without killing him, but certain injuries were inevitable. So we brought him to you to be healed. He sounded...possessed or under control by..something."
Terrance nods rapidly at what ingrid has said.
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The lines in Father Grimburrow's old, wrinkled face seem to deepen before your eyes. His eyes have never looked so old, nor so sad since you've met him. "I see. Boys, ready the cart and go fetch the Professor's remains. Be delicate, and mind yourselves. Lady Kendra has been through quite enough."
Grimburrow shuffles over to Gibs and lays his hands on the man while whispering quietly.
After a moment, Gibs moans and stirs. His eyes open, startled he tries to sit up. "What the... What happened? Father Grimburrow, why am I... How did I get here?"
-----
After quite some time of waiting, those standing vigil outside see a cart coming down the road. It comes to a stop outside of the Lorrimor place and two young men in robes step down off of the cart and head towards you.
Terrance looks over at Gibs So you are proclaiming that you don't know what you did ?
"Who the hell are you? Oh, wait, you're one of them folks who came in for the Lorrimor funeral. I don't know what you're talking about. Why am I here, why does my head hurt, and why are all you strangers hawking over me like that?" Gibs says sounding increasingly agitated.
Father Grimburrow lays a calming hand on Gibs, who immediately shirks it off. Grimburrow says to Gibs, "Hephenus, settle down. These folks said you were defacing the memorial tonight, and that you attacked them when they tried to stop you."
"What?! This is crazy! I was at home in my bed... I don't... I don't... They must have come in my house and kidnapped me!"
Terrance snorts in derision, Kidnap a person and then bring them to a church, and then show the supposed kidnap victim to the person in charge of the church.
Orin almost laughs at how ridiculous that sounds. "I tell you, you were there. My arrows can attest to that fact, as can my fellows weapons!" Looking to the Father, Orin points at the man. "And from we have been told, he wasn't exactly the friendliest with the Professor. We spot him at the memorial the same night as the incident at the Lorrimor estate. I think there is a little too much to be coincidence here!"
"Then explain why you were wielding this. And yes, that's our blood on it, from you violent response to being interrupted." Ingrid says presenting the razor.
Gibs sputters for a moment, his brow furrowed together before looking back up at Father Grimburrow. "Listen, Father, you know me. Sure, sure I'm not the most peaceful of men. Not the easiest to get along with, but truly you can't believe that I'd go painting letters on the memorial in blood!"
"I'm not sure what to believe, Hephenus. However, I must fetch Sheriff Caeller."
He turns to look at Ingrid, "As soon as my boys return, I can send them out again unless one of you would rather go?"
Ioann, who was in a corner of the room during the interrogation, restraining himself from pumelling answers out of Hephenus, steps up upon the mention of fetching the sheriff.
"I will go, most time spend outside means more chances of findings this necromancer. Because, clearly, this man does not have the intelligence to use magic. he says pointing at Gibs. Where does the sheriff lives?"
"Check the jailhouse first, no sense in waking his wife up if he isn't home." He after he tells you where the jail and the sheriff's house are located.
-----
Back at the Lorrimor Estate, the two young men introduce themselves to Ake and Gellius as being acolytes sent by Father Grimburrow to collect the Professor's remains.
At the sound of the acolytes being shown in, Kendra rouses herself from her daze and comes to stand, leaning against the wall as the boys tuck the sheet in around Lorrimor's body. After some quiet discussion with each other, one of them quietly says to Kendra, "Lady Lorrimor, perhaps you would feel more comfortable if you did not watch this."
Kendra offers a weak smile and nods her head, "Perhaps you're right, Raymond." Kendra returns to her now cold tea.
Restraining a sigh, Ingrid looks to Orin and Terrance. "If he seems to be losing control again....do what you have to to protect Father Grimburrow."
"I should probably go with you Ioan, to make sure there are no...misunderstandings."
"Akes, dear, please see the kind boys out. I'm going to stay here with Kendra."
Ravel places her hand on Kendra's shoulder. "You can't keep going on like this, you need rest." Ravel wills Kendra into a gentle rest.
Kendra allows Ravel to take her back to her room and tuck her into bed, her eyes fluttering once before Ravel's spell takes her.
-----
Ingrid and Ioann head out into the dark, still night. It's quiet save for the occasional rustle of a critter in the grass. You make it to the jailhouse without event, and find that a soft light glows in one of the windows.
Orin quickly follows, after a curt bow to Father Grimburrow. He sneers at Gibs and dashes out the door. "So, are we rounding up a posse?"
"Akes, dear, please see the kind boys out. I'm going to stay here with Kendra."
Ravel places her hand on Kendra's shoulder. "You can't keep going on like this, you need rest." Ravel wills Kendra into a gentle rest.
Will do. Come gentlemen, let us return my friend to his rest.
Ake eyes the boys watching them like a hawk.
Ioann keeps broods and keeps quiet as Ingrid and him go accroos town. Once they arrive, he walks up to the jail house and bangs on the door a few times with his fist.
"Open! We need to speak with the sheriff."
Ioann keeps broods and keeps quiet as Ingrid and him go accroos town. Once they arrive, he walks up to the jail house and bangs on the door a few times with his fist.
"Open! We need to speak with the sheriff."
After a moment, a distracted voice calls out, "Door's open."
Lorrimor Estate:
Gellius lets the acolytes in, and as Lady Kendra leaves the room, lets the acolytes know "Let me know if you need any help."
"If you wouldn't mind? The dead are always heavier than they look."
Ingrid fails to cover her snicker as t=she opens the door, leading the way in.
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Of course, they do not lock their buildings, foolish villagers. Ioann thinks as he follows Ingrid inside.
"We are here to see the sheriff." he states to the first person he sees inside.
Inside there are several desks, but currently only one is occupied by a man who is busy shuffling papers and writing on others. Mostly empty cells line the side wall. One has a man who seems ancient and grizzled with time lying on a cot and snoring loudly.
The man at the desk finally stops writing and stands up. Moving towards you guys he misses a step when he finally focuses on you long enough to take in the weapons, the blood, and the dirt that covers you. Squaring his shoulders and shifting his stance a bit, he continues forward but stops out of reach. He's a pleasant looking man, likely in his late twenties, a gun sits holstered on his hip. "Sherrif's not in tonight. He's at home in bed with his wife. Tonight you get me, I'm Deputy Riff, how can I help you folks?"
Stepping closer to the Deputy, Orin smiles at the man. "My good sir, we come from to you tonight having been accosted by a man. Now, this man is currently in the good care of your town's Father Grimburrow at the moment, but had been under the thrall of some foul magic, having attacked with intent to kill my two friends here, as their wounds will testify."
"It is your unfortunate night Deputy. This man, Gibbs, affected by some sort of magical control attacked us when we accosted him while he was again defacing the square in letters of blood." Ingrid says gravely. "We managed to take him down without killing him and took him to the temple to be healed before having you see to him."
Terrance continues to look around the temple while still keeping an eye on Gibbs.
Deputy Riff stands looking confused as he takes in the jumble of sentences that Orin and Ingrid spill out of their mouths trying to piece together what has happened. After a moment he says, "Gibs defaced the memorial, you accosted him, he attacked you, and now he's at the temple? Why didn't you come here and report what he's done? Why would you 'accost' him? No wonder he attacked you. Wait, you said he was under the influence of magical control? That why you took him to the temple instead of to the jailhouse?"
Ake follow the boys, her stance and glare brook no discussion.
NONE will bother him again.