"That is kind of cool," she said. Her low and uncertain tone made her dropping the garment unsurprising to the others. "Don't want to accidentally raise any dead, even if the magic is going away. But, why bury someone with this? Unless, maybe, they were pretending to be dead," she said. It sounded more like a question, her voice held a bit of uncertainty.
"I don't like to think if the late father was only pretending to be dead, he was the kindest man the church could ask for. If he survived the fire somehow and his daugther did not, I know he would be devastated but to go as far as faking his death, I have my doubts but nothing surprises me for the time being." Selaros responded to Mary's question, looking around the room as if it could tell him something.
Selaros, you see nothing of note.
Mary looked around and started knocking on the walls, feeling around for anything. Places like this just might have hidden switches leading to other, secret rooms.
"I wonder if there is something....."
Well whomever came in left with some weight in his...her... its arms. The footprint leading edge here is a bit heavier. I .. well are there any sorts of foul magics that require the dead?
He asked looking to Sizma and Lynleera. He knew nothing of such things.
I worry that perhaps the goblins attack was to make this easier...why else would their be goblin tracks accompanying the other footprints.
He added sourly feeling a dark gnaw of worry in his gut.
Lynleera nods at Calin. "Far too mny I'm afraid. But, I suggest that we leave for the time being lest a local happens by and gets the wrong thoughts about us. Shall we all head out and do as we see fit and meet up at the Rusty Dragon later?"
"I think we might have to tell Father Zantus about this and perhaps he has some knowledge or books about rituals to use or revive the dead. I might leave town for the day trying to locate a friend who often tracks the goblins around the area, he might have seen something."
Still patting and feeling the walls, getting her fingers into any knooks or crannies she can. "That sounds like a start, I can talk to Father Zantus, And, I am up for getting back to the Rusty Dragon Lyneera. Maybe Ameiko knows something. Barkeeps get to hear all sorts of rumors, don't they?"
Knowledge Local- This is the tomb of Ezakian Tobyn, the former leader of the local church. He died in the fire that burned the old church to the ground. Father Zantus likely knows more.
Without finding anything interesting she turned to the group.
"I am off to ask Father Zantus if he knows anything," she stretched high and arched her back. "Meet you back at the Rusty Dragon. Drinks are on Calin."
"Well, we have a nice black cloak now," Sizma says with a hand on her hip. Her other hand outstretches and sucks her familiar back in, back into its tattoo form.
"Want me to come with Mary?"
Just a note; you guys are still in the crypt as far as I remember. Father Zantus is literally right outside
"If you'd like," Wisp said to Sizma. Her eyes shined under her mask as she got distracted and watched Blake disappear. It gave her goosebumps. Plus, how handy would it be to turn her stuff into ink. Hse wouldn't need her green, clunky backpack any longer, and she'd have all her equipment.
Pushing the door open she'd immediately meet Father Zantus, "Oh! Right, I forgot you were out here. How's it going?"[/b] She lobbed the garment at him. "So, uh, this was once magical. Know anything about the person in this vault, and why he would wear that, and have skeletons guarding his resting spot? It's a little weird, you know what I mean?"
Father Zantus catches the garment more out of lucky reflex than anything else. He quirks an eyebrow at your words, but examines the garment before speaking.
"This would appear to be a spent Robe of Bones. It's a magical robe that has various undead creatures embroidered onto it. Once their images are peeled off of the garment, the creatures are summoned. I can attest to the fact that Father Tobyn was most definitely not buried in these, nor did he possess such an item, to my knowledge. Similarly, his crypt had no skeletal guardians. It seems most likely that whoever stole Father Tobyn's remains used the last charges of the item as a last ditch effort to kill whoever discovered their crime."
Selaros listens to the fathers knowledge and asks "That is very troubling, goblins, someone from Sandpoint working against the town and now bloody undeads. Is there any way to track the owner of such an item?"
"That doesn't seem very bright leaving a glaring piece of evidence like that," she said after hearing Father Zantus explanation. "He must want to get caught."
"Necromancy it is then. Someone used the goblins as a distraction to raise the preacher from the dead, but why ad where are they?" Sizma says following Mary.
"My guess is that they haven't raised the late father yet, they left with his body to do it some place else. I bet these kind of things requires some kind of ritual that takes time to make him an undead. Maybe tracking the goblins would be our best way of finding the person and Ezakian's body."
Mary's mouth twisted into a tight, skeptical frown as she listened. Her eyes narrowed as she thought about what they knew, and decided it was not very much.
"Why would anyone want to resurrect the guy in the vault anyway? If we want to know more about the body snatcher we need to learn more about the snatched, wouldn't you agree?" Mary's stretched again, her contented sigh echoed behind her mask. She then turned back to Father Zantus.
"So, where can we learn more about the fella buried here, please?"
"Well, you could just ask me. Ezakian was my friend and colleague for many years. What do you want to know?"
"Did he have any enemies, or is there someone that he may have wronged in this life?" Mary looked Father Zantus over, reading any tells that he might be holding something back. This was truly puzzling, and anything Father Zantus would know will help get to the bottom of this.
Father Zantus thinks carefully before answering.
"Ezakian was well loved by the town. He was devout and generous and worked tirelessly for the good of the community. He and his daughter had some problems, and unfortunately, they never got the chance to work those problems out. They were both victims of the fire."
Zantus seems earnest and open.
"Father Zantus are there to your knowledge any nearby temple to one of the deities who opposes Desna? or maybe just a small cult within or around Sanpoint? That might give us a lead to follow." Selaros asks the father worried.
Mary found the whole thing weird, and she felt a little overwhelmed by the ordeal. Magic made her feel vulnerable, and yet it made her tingle. Both Lynleera’s and Sizma’s spells had the hairs on her neck and arms tickling, like the air just before a thunderstorm. And, this fire certainly looks like a detail not to overlook.
”Victims?” She leaned at the waist slightly, interested in the next detail the Father Zantus had. It also meant she was a little rude to Selaros as she got in his way. “Meaning, they both had died? Where is his daughter buried? And tell me more about this fire, there has to be a story there.”
"Would you have any idea how the fire started and what problems did he have between himself and his daughter," Sizma asks. A possible reason for this all. What would go so against that of the Desnan faith as to desecrate it?
Looking at Selaros, Lynleera nods. "Troubling indeed, friend." As they listen to Father Zantus, Lynleera is more and more troubled.
"Perhaps the one who has decided to break into the tomb had a grudge against Ezakian and his daughter? Someone who hated them enough to turn to goblins and cruel and evil magics." Shuddering she shakes her head. "I am curious as well. Was his daughter buried with him? Or is her grave undisturbed in the cemetery?"
Zantus regards Selaros first.
"Desna is a good goddess, and many in Sandpoint worship her. Desna is opposed to Lamashtu, the mother of monsters, though Lamashtu regards Desna as beneath her notice. Desna is also firmly opposed to Rovagug and Zon-Kuthon, as the night is their domain. None of those deities have active churches in this town, and I don't know of any that actively worship them."
Zantus looked at Selaros and Sizma, something akin to regret coloring his visage.
"None of us know how the fire started. Poor Nuali, however, was right at the epicenter. Even her bones were burnt, leaving behind nothing but ash. Her ashes were spread to the night sky, to bring her spirit to Desna's side.
As far as their problems...Nualia was a beautiful young woman. She was a heavenly child, touched by Desna. Her touch could cure ailments. She was left at the chapel as an infant, and Ezakian took her in. She was, however, still all too human. She made the mistake of believing the talk of a young man who was interested in only one thing. When she quickened with child, he abandoned her. When she told Ezakian...let's say that for as good and kind a man as he was, Ezakian was old fashioned in many ways. He disciplined his daughter by having her delve ever deeper into scripture, but despite her nature, Nualia was never meant to be a truly religious person. That didn't stop Ezakian from trying.
Before things could get better, the fire claimed both of their lives."
"Was the child ever born, or did it die in the fire as well along with the mother."
This story was intense! The drama was deep and Mary felt its allure pull her in. All she needed was a big tub of popcorn and a beverage.
"Yeah, what Sizma said. What happened to her baby?"
"Sorry for asking this father, it is not becasue I doubt you, but are we absolutely certain that the ash was Nualia? I mean how do we identify what has been burnt to nothing with certainty."
Father Zantus sighs sadly, then shakes his head.
"Sadly Nualia miscarried a month before the fire. As for your question...I suppose we never magically made certain. But someone was burnt in the fire and scraps of her clothes were recovered...it seemed she tried to tear off her flaming garments before the end."
"That is sad to hear. However she could still be alive and the ash and cloth you found belonged to someone els... I know this is hard to think about father, but right now she is the only one whom we know of that could want anything with her father's body. At least I won't rule it out untill we have any other leads to the contrary of this." Selaros says while sadden to think that would be the case, but he has to persume anything at this time.
“Eh?!” Upon hearing Selaros’ ideas, Mary snapped straight up and quickly turned her face towards Selaro’s. Surely, he didn’t mean it but that felt cold, and she did not like it. Her stomach ached for the Nualia and Ezakian’s relationship, and the sad emotional tragedy like a miscarriage brings. And, even though felt like it was jumbled up in a thousand tingly knots, she said nothing. What she wanted to do was to send the tips of her boot into Selaros’ shin, but she did not do that either. Instead she took her time, and drew in a slow calming breath before responding.
”Sorry for theses questions. We’ll pray for Ezakian’s return so he may continue his rest in peace.” She then turned to the rest of the party. ”I’ll meet you back at the Rusty Dragon. I’m going to go think over some milk.”
Your conjectures are the musings of minds working over dark fears. The good father found them dead, a tragedy. Life is not some strange story told to scare children. Most likely, some evil cultist somewhere wanted to good preists remains for some foul rite. His daughter framing her own death to come back years later for her fathers remains to do some dark deed? Thats preposterious. Next thing you are going to tell me is that some ancient evil warlord wizard will rise from his grave and take over the world. Or a crazy witch will try to cover the land in eternal winter.
He began shaking his head at his companions fancies. Really the ridiculous things people could think up of while standing in a graveyard.
Sheriff, do we have a skilled tracker in the town. Perhaps we can follow these footsteps to wherver this corspe thief might be.
"Sorry I tend to be a bit of a pessimist the years around before the fire was very troubling for Sandpoint, and the night of it I was also burnt badly, so I don't take anything for granted whether its good or bad." He says rather serious and then adds in a more joking way "But if any of those things comes to pass, drinks are on you for a week, and you have to wear a dress for that whole week, just to make it fun.
On the subject of trackers I might know one that can help, but he perfers if I make contact to him alone.
A wager? She had taken no more than six steps, and Selaros had laid out something that sounded like a bet. A poor one for Calin, but one nonetheless. Mary did enjoy a good gamble. Looking between the two men briefly she threw back her head and guffawed. Mary’s elvish half blessed her with such a pretty sounding laugh.
”He hasn’t the chest for a dress,” Mary paused to examine Calin, and then giggled. “but maybe he has the legs. What do you think girls?” She lifted her mask to smile at Lyneera and Sizma, before turning to the men to wink. Her teal eyes shimmered with mirth.
"So, who is this tracker, have I heard of him?"
You guys can absolutely follow the tracks into the woods if you like. It'll be survival rolls
You are one hundred percent certain that they ALL HAD WINGS GUYS THATS THE ONLY EXPLANATION
"They went that way perhaps?"
Yeah, you can follow the tracks. Based on the freshness, they're several hours ahead of you.
"Whomever you are getting, do it quick, they are at least an hour or more ahead if us. We could possibly still catch them and figure out this mess."
Mary looked up to the sky.
”I bet they grew wings and flew, but which way do you think they went?”
I am no tracker but i will try... as for wearing a dress, good luck putting it on me.
He said with a grin, but it looked affiable enough. He glanced down at the tracks closed his eye for a moment for focus and tried to channel his elven heritage...
And shook his head no further than the edge of the cemetary.
So I can see where they sort of went but beyond the softer ground of the cemetaries soil I lose it ...Im sorry.
"I'll be quick then, if the tracks move close to the forest he might have seen them and what route they took." Selaros says and begins to rush ahead of the others.
He sites by the fireplace and calls out to Ahbet as he always does, knowing he hides close by when someone comes near his camp. "Ahbet are you here? I have need of your unique skills, I bet you have heard of the goblin attack on Sandpoint, it seems they are working with someone and have stolen the corpse of our late priest for god knows what kind of ritual. I need your eyes and ears of the forest to defend the city once again."
"I guess I can wait," Mary sighed. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. She was quite cross at herself for not understanding where the tracks lead.
You are able to follow the trail fairly easily. It doesn't seem like they took great pains to hide their passage. The tracks lead over the wall of the boneyard and to the northeast, through the wilderness.
After an hour, you hear the sounds of a small camp and the crackle of fire. It seems like it's coming from the forest to the east of you. From where you are, about a hundred feet away, you haven't seen anyone yet. Getting closer might be risky, though. If anyone would like to scout ahead, you may make a Stealth roll.