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Sharien and Kendra don't find out anything more about the prison, Harrowstone, in the library at Lorrimor Place. But, Petros' filing system is difficult to understand. You suspect that, with time and patience, you might be able to glean more from his collected works.
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Zorra arrives at the tavern first. The Poshment. They chat with each other briefly. The barkeep brings Poshment water, as asked.
Zokar Elkarid, the tavern owner greets everyone with a sincere smile and a big "Welcome!" But, he's the only one to do so. The other tavern patrons, while neither rude nor hostile, don't seem to care one way or another about the party.
Kendra, however, is a beautiful young woman who has lived in Ravengro for the past 15 years--since she was about 10 years old. They all greet her warmly; she is one of their own. Most of them give her a few words of condolence about her father.
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Kendra makes introductions. "This is Zokar Elkarid, proprietor of the Laughing Demon. Zokar, these are my father's friends: Faira, Grog, Poshment, Sharien, and Zorra. You may have heard that Poshment and Sharien spent a few years with my family when we were all younger."
Zokar responds, "Any friends of Kendra's are friends of mine! Can I get you folks anything to eat or drink? Our special of the day is wolf balls!!"
Kendra raises and eyebrow at this. Her expression tells you that she doesn't expect these "wolf balls" are actually made from wolf. "Oh? And how did you make them. Zokar?"
Zokar can't help himself. He runs to the kitchen and brings a small plate to Kendra. They're actually lamb meatballs crafted to look like the face of the full moon. Zokar clearly loves a good joke.
She tries one: "Delicious!"
Sharien smiles at the wolf balls and orders a plate of them, and some mead.
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Faria wrinkles her nose in distaste at the title of the evening's main course, but is pleasantly surprised as the dish is brought out and tried. She smiles her thanks to Zokar as she eats, looking to Kendra. "My thanks for the meal, my Lady. I fear that while hard tack will keep one operating, a full meal like this lifts one's spirits."
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"Shall we try to find this secret stash tomorrow, then? Does anyone have a better idea?"
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"Well, it's not really for me to say..." he pauses.
Kendra intercedes: "It's alright, tell us, please."
The bartender spins a tale. Other patrons add to the story--filling in blanks here and there. When they start to embellish the story, as often happens with local folklore, Kendra chides them to stick to the facts.
Essentially, you get this:
Most of the hardened criminals sent to Harrowstone spent only a few months imprisoned, for it was here that most of Ustalav’s executions during that era were carried out. The fire that caused the tragedy was, in fact, a blessing in disguise, for the prisoners had rioted and gained control of the prison's dungeons immediately prior to the conflagration. It was only through the self-sacrifice of Warden Hawkran and 23 of his guards that the prisoners were prevented from escaping—the guards gave their lives to save the town of Ravengro.
"Ah, very interesting. That begs the question of whether the fire itself was started with a purpose, to quell this prisoner uprising."
Poshement listens intently and then when the story ends he will ask the bartender "Do you know where we might be able to gather a list of the prisoners housed at the prison at the time of the fire?"
He will also scan the room to see if anyone is getting uncomfortable with the party asking about the fire. Not sure what type of check this would be so I'm going to make a perception and a sense motive check.
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Poshement listens intently and then when the story ends he will ask the bartender "Do you know where we might be able to gather a list of the prisoners housed at the prison at the time of the fire?"
The bartender seems surprised. "A list? Well, never really thought about that before. There might be a list with the town records. The temple of Pharasma might have a list, too. I think they were all buried in the Restlands. Don't know for sure."
He seems sincere.
Poshement will smile politely at the bartender "Thank you" He will then find Faria "Mrs. Quorothe, I know you didn't have much luck with Father Grimbrow do you want me to take a crack at him in the morning? I'm sure, since I was a familiar face around here, he might be a little more forth coming with me. Or would you rather just check the town records?"
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Faria sighs at Poshment's question. "Miss Quorothe. Or better yet, Faria. It was more than just a declination. The man was rude. If you're willing to approach him and ask, feel free. I shan't waste any more time on him." She crosses her arms, an ebon brow arching. "As I keep saying, I would like to check out that stash in the Restlands, whenever you all are finished drinking, that is."
The priestess sips at her own drink, visibly withdrawing from the conversation to brood.
"That is a fine idea, Lady Faria. I am finished my meal and drink, and am willing to head that way if you'd like to be off."
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Okie dokie. You all finish up at the tavern. Kendra decides to stay there and catch up with her neighbors. She seems safe; everyone gets along with her, and they're supportive during her bereavement.
You head to the Restlands: a large stretch of moorland reserved for interring Ravengro's dead. Thanks to the Pharasmin church, Ravengro's graveyard is large and well tended.
Faria knows: tradition dictates that whenever one passes by (or through) the Restlands, one must always first draw a spiral on her heart as a sign of respect. The sign also wards against the risk that the traveler's passage will disturb the sleep of the departed.
You encounter no locals along the way. You wander up and down the rows of graves looking for clues.
Taking 20, the party eventually finds an "odd" place. Could this be the "false crypt" mentioned in Professor Lorrimor's journal?
If it is, then the false crypt is located in the northeast corner of the Restlands, near the junction of the paths known as the Eversleep and the Black Path. The crypt itself is a freestanding granite mausoleum, the roof of which is decorated with a pair of leering gargoyle statues. A single stone door with a rusty-looking lock sits in the mausoleum's south facade.
An examination of the lock reveals that the lock is broken, its clasp melted by acid and then put back into place so that to casual observation the lock appears intact. Hm...
"Well, this looks promising.... and foreboding. Let's be very careful, friends."
Sharien readies to cast a summoning spell at a moment's notice, and will stay behind the rest of the group, as she's a squishy caster.
Poshment will draw a circle over his heart before walking through the rest lands and will draw his long sword to be on the ready, just in case. As they approach the mausoleum he will look for any sign of tracks or clues of entry to the false crypt.
"Thats one way to knock..." Poshment says and then lets out a small chuckle.
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Zorra, having darkvision, can see that within, a flight of stone steps leads down into the cold earth to a large crypt lined with empty niches. Hm. No dead are interred here, though Church records report that the crypt was one of the first filled in Ravengro's early days.
Where there were no obvious tracks outside, medium humanoid tracks remain in the dust and dirt of the floor inside. They're faint. They might be difficult to follow.
Poshment will study the foot prints. Is he able to determine if they belonged to the late professor?
Sharien will cast light on a small pin on her lapel.
Sharien gladly draws the spiral on her chest, giving the Lady of Graves her due. She then walks inside, her lapel shining with her light spell.
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Taking your time and examining the tracks you discover that they head to one of the doors that goes deeper into the crypt.
It took you a while to do your searching. Evening is falling. A cold fog has settled in the restlands. The vapor of the fog seeps through the now-open doorway to this crypt. It seems to stop at the edges of the light, as though Sharien's spell is keeping it at bay. The tendrils of fog at the edge of the light writhe and dance.
The party can hear something--a skittering? Because of the echoes in the empty space down here, it is impossible to determine the source of the noise.
"I am beginning to understand why the locals are afraid. This place is more than creepy. I worry that we will encounter angry spirits here."
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In a grim, firm tone, "If anything lives in here, it is our duty to destroy any such abominations. As far as the fog goes, I shall not fear any mist, no matter how sinister." Her dark eyes linger on the fog for a moment, before she follows the tracks to the door leading further in.
Showing caution, she gives the door a quick once-over, knowing her Pharasman fellows might have placed safeguards.
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Neither Poshment nor Faria find anything of note.
I've added some labels to the current map to make it more clear where you can from and where you're headed.
The little green dots are the footprints. Feel free to move yourselves accordingly.
