"Roland, I could swear I heard music before I came in. A flute, to be specific. Did any of the killers you researched play a flute?
Roland wrings his hands.
"Nothing I discovered gave any details... but we do know that one of them was called the Piper of Illmarsh."
CF: 5
Chance: Very Unlikely
Result: Exceptional Yes!
He walks into the room and disappears behind a large stack of boxes. A minute later, you can hear boxes being moved. The man reappears a minute later with a large wooden crate with a stylized carriage burned into the side.
"These are the records of the transportation company that used to bring criminals to Harrowstone. They had a transfer order for every criminal that contained information like their name, physical description, their crimes, punishment... things like that."
"The company closed down after the fire, and the box ended up here. If you have 20 gold, you get to take this box out of here, and we forget we ever saw that crate, and we forget we ever saw you. Sound like a good deal?"
|
Stunned, Shanoa finally stands up and backs away from Michael's corpse. This could have been any of us... In the hallway, she finds Kendra weeping and puts her arms around her, sharing a moment of grief and leading her away from the sight. Finally she speaks, "Kendra, we'll take care of everything. I'm sorry this had to happen here. We'll be sure someone stays here with you while we make arrangements." Stepping away from her, she finds the rest of the group. "I'll go to the temple and speak with the Father - I needed to talk to him anyways. Someone should go fetch the Sheriff too. Karl, I think he should know what we found last night in addition to what's happened here - maybe you should go. Meanwhile, I don't think Kendra should be left alone. Also, that fortune teller woman was going to come by, and someone needs to be here for her. I can't imagine...this was in the cards. Michael was so excited..."
"I'll go to the temple and speak with the Father - I needed to talk to him anyways. Someone should go fetch the Sheriff too. Karl, I think he should know what we found last night in addition to what's happened here - maybe you should go. Meanwhile, I don't think Kendra should be left alone. Also, that fortune teller woman was going to come by, and someone needs to be here for her. I can't imagine...this was in the cards. Michael was so excited..."
"If you're headed to the temple and Karl is going to get the Sheriff, I can stay behind." Roland offers weakly. He looks at Kendra. "If that's okay with you, Miss Lorrimor."
Karl nods at Shanoa and Roland's suggestions. Very well. I will go speak to the sheriff. I will take responsibility for trespassing on Gibs' land. I will not mention that you or Oorin were there, Shanoa. But we should account for Arthur. I have no idea where he is, or what he's gotten up to, but if he comes back, please try to keep him here. If we all keep haring off on our own, well, Michael... Karl falls silent, unwilling to speak the words in his heart.
Karl goes back to his room and offers up silent prayers on Michael's behalf to Iomedae and Pharasma as he dons his armor, straps his daggers to his wrists, and pulls the Cestus over his right hand. He looks at his greatsword and flail, then belts on the short sword that was carried by the dead tomb robber, hoping that it might be seen as less threatening in the sheriff's eyes. He leaves the rest of his belongings at the Lorrimor home and makes his way to the local constabulary.
Kendra nods weakly to Roland, then slowly walks toward the stairs leading to the first floor.
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
He carries the crate back up to the main floor, then out the back door. A few minutes pass before he comes around the side of the building pushing the crate in a wooden wheelbarrow. "Lead the way."
Roland accompanies Kendra downstairs.
The poor woman. This must all be so overwhelming.
"I'm... I'm very sorry this has all happened, Miss Lorrimor." Roland says as they reach the living room. "Is, ah, is there anything I can do?"
I wonder how much she knew of the Professor's real work.
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Shanoa departs and makes her way to the temple, thoughts whirling through her head replacing any caution as she walks. When she arrives, she seeks out the priest. "Father..." The emotions that have been welling up in her throat all come rushing out when she tries to use her voice and she finds herself instantly sobbing as tears fall unbidden from her eyes. Still, she tries to explain herself. "Mi...Michael, our cu, cu, compantion. He's dead!"
Oorin pales at hearing of Michael's death. "Δεκάρα!" Oorin curses in Gnomish. "I didn't see or hear a thing. It looks like we might have to start taking watches at night."
Oorin will stay at the house to make sure Kendra is alright and to wait for the Harrower to appear.
She suddenly looks at you, a revelation clear in her eyes, "He was killed wasn't he, Roland? My father wasn't in an accident - he was killed! Who did it, Roland? Who killed my father?"
Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Oorin has also entered the foyer.
He gently takes your hand and leads you toward the back of the large sanctuary. "Please, I wish to offer a brief prayer for your friend. Do you mind?"
Father Grimburrow voices a short prayer asking Pharasma to look after Michael's soul. Though brief, he makes it seem deeper, more solemn, and you are somehow sure that it was heard.
After finishing, he sits in a chair across from Shanoa, "Now, tell me what happened."
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Grimburrow's reassuring voice and strong hand quickly calm Shanoa, but she's still too upset to feel embarrassed for her loss of control. She manages to tell what she knows of Michael's death with only a few faint quivers in her voice. When she arrives at present time, she adds "We don't have much to pay for a funeral, but would like to hold at least a small service for him. It's funny - none of us knew him for more than a few days and yet he was already dear to us...it's also sobering to think that it could have happened to any of us. Ms. Lorrimar herself is taking it especially hard, I think.
"Anyways, Michael was a holy man of Iomodae - if there's no priest in town, I would be willing to perform the rite, being familiar enough with his religion. Of course, that is unless you would prefer to do it yourself."
"He was killed wasn't he, Roland? My father wasn't in an accident - he was killed! Who did it, Roland? Who killed my father?"
The Professor asked us to protect her...
Roland opens his mouth to say something...
No. She's a grown woman. She deserves the truth.
...seems to think better of it, and closes his mouth.
He looks at Oorin, then sighs deeply and gestures for Kendra to sit down.
"Perhaps it is best if you know what we have learned to date. Miss Lorrimor... Kendra... what, ah, do you know of your father's work?"
He turns in his chair and grabs a small book off his desk, ”As for who should conduct the service…” He flips through a few pages before tapping one with his index finger, ”Ah, here it is. Desul Veranto, Holy Sword of Light, High Priestess of Iomedae, just down the road in Ardis. I will have her send somebody - while you or I could fill in, I’m old and she owes me a favor.” he says with a small smile.
He leans back in his chair and closes the book in his lap. ”Now, what else can I help you with?”
She looks at Roland, then Oorin, then back, ”What are you getting at, Roland?”
”What are you getting at, Roland?”
"Your father was indeed a scholar... but it seems he may have also been directing his research toward understanding and combating the forces of evil."
Roland wrings his hands a bit, and paces, uncomfortable with the line of conversation.
"We believe some of those forces... may have been responsible for his death. And, indeed, may now be responsible for Michael's as well."
Yes, my name is Karl, from outside Lepdistadt. Sheriff, my friends and I were able to uncover some clues regarding the statue, but first I need to tell you that my friend, Michael Thronedweller, died this morning in the Lorrimor house. I thought you might want to talk about that first. We found him with multiple puncture wounds, but not enough blood. I saw a small group of flying creatures outside the house. There was a broken window in Michael's room. I think they were stirges, but I've never heard of them breaking into a house to kill someone before. Karl pauses for breath and looks at the Sheriff to gauge his reaction.
Denial is plain to see on her face – either she doesn’t want to believe, or she is convincing herself that what you’re saying isn’t true.
”I’m not familiar with the habits of stirges, but I have heard of them. Do you think it’s likely that they’ll return to the house again? Are they like other wild animals and carve out an area and claim it as their home? Do we need to warn the towspeople about this new scourge?”
Caeler appears genuinely concerned about Michael’s death, and how it might impact the rest of Ravengro if these stirges come back.
”I can ask four questions, but I will begin with the ones you suggest: 1)What was the Whispering Way doing at Harrowstone, 2)Did a member of the Whispering Way kill Professor Petros Lorrimor, and 3)Did the Whispering Way awaken the undead inside Harrowstone? You can suggest a fourth question during the questioning if you prefer, we should have plenty of time to decide before the spell ends.”
Karl shakes his head at Sheriff Caeler's question as he walks with him back to Kendra's house. I don't have much experience with them, but I've always heard tell of stirges as roving hunters, always on the move in search of new prey, not what you would call territorial, if you take my meaning. There's more too, if you'll hear me out. I have to warn you though, it starts strange and gets stranger still, but I think it's connected to Michael's death, and the professor's too. He stops for a moment and looks the sheriff dead in the eyes. Understand this, I'm not the type to go in for mysticism, I'll say that right now. I believe in the strength of a man's arm, and good steel, but the things I've seen since I got here... Well sheriff, you'll have to hear them yourself and be the judge of my words. I'd ask that you let me get through it all before you start asking questions though. All of this is hard enough to keep straight in my head as it is. Karl looks at the sheriff with a wry grin. Can you do that for me?
The acolytes stand off to the side, while the old priest says, ”Shanoa, I do not know how familiar you are with this spell, but I must warn you it may not work. And even if it does, do not expect direct answers – the only solace we have is that it cannot lie. It will try to lead us astray, or perhaps speak in riddles, but if it succumbs to my spell, it cannot lie.”
Father Grimburrow appraoches and stands over him and casts a spell. Upon completion, the body shudders slightly as the magic courses through it. The mouth slowly opens and closes, and the head woodenly turns toward the priest.
Grimburrow nods at you, then asks in a loud voice, ”What were members of the Whispering Way doing at Harrowstone?”
The mouth moves before a hoarse whisper escapes, ”We trapped the trapper. Governed the governor. Jailed the jailor.”
The priest continues, ”Did a member of the Whispering Way kill Petros Lorrimor?”
The body’s head turns from side to side before the same whisper answers, ”He killed himself. The horror wasn't real, but he didn't know that.”
Grimburrow asks, ”Did the Whispering Way awaken undead inside Harrowstone?”
The arms of the body twitch slightly, and the mouth moves several times before responding, ”No, they were always awake. But we did release them.”
The old priest turns to you, ”We have a few more minutes, do you have another question?”
He is startled by a hoarse laugh coming from the corpse, ”I have a question. Do you expect to make it out of here alive?” The head of the body is raised up from the table to look right at Father Grimburrow with glowing yellow eyes.
Yeah, let's talk back at the house. There are parts that some of the others can tell better than me anyway.
Karl makes his way back to the Lorrimor house, accompanied by Sheriff Caeler.
One acolyte reaches behind him and hefts a large candleabra in both hands. He then moves holds it like a spear and moves toward the creature.
The other acolyte attempts to cast a spell, only to see similar failure.
The creature twists itself forward with a grotesque sound of cracking bone until its legs and feet are splayed outward behind and beneath it and its hands are on the table, causing it to resemble something like a crab. ”What’s wrong? Magic not working quite right?” it asks in a mocking voice before leaping at Father Grimburrow.
The elder priest manages to dodge the creature and it lands on all fours, quickly scuttling around to face the four of you.
What would Shanoa like to do?
Grimburrow pulls forth his holy symbol, and bows his head in prayer, but he looks up a moment later, surprise on his face.
The acolyte with the candelabra approaches and attempts to stab the creature, but the weight of the make-shift weapon causes the attack to go wide.
The other acolyte takes after his friend and grabs a heavy candlestick off the table, turning it over and moving toward the undead monster.
Still fixing you with its burning yellow eyes, "You die next!" before turning toward Father Grimburrow and tackling the priest, slamming his head into the floor with its hands around his throat. Grinning madly, the monster leans down and bites into the priest's neck.
Kendra looks at Oorin, then turns toward the others. "Sheriff Caeler! Upstairs! My father..." She puts her face into her hands and begins crying again.
Sheriff Caeler walks over and places his arm around here, "It's okay Kendra, I'm here now. We'll figure this out together."
He sits down beside Kendra, who seems to calm down a bit, and looks at Karl, "Now, what did you want to tell me? Given what I'm seeing here, it's probably best if we both hear everything"
** spoiler omitted **
I've already told the Sheriff about Michael, Oorin. He's come to hear about the rest. Karl exhales slowly and wipes his face with his hand. Where to start? It seems like ever since we got here, strange things have been happening. First, there was that mob that tried to stop the professor's burial, and of course the strange circumstances of his death. Then, when the statue was vandalized, I tracked the blood. I tracked it to a field at the southeast corner of town. We found a spot in that field where a small animal had been butchered. Small, but big enough to paint a V on a statue, if you take my meaning. When I climbed up onto a barn to have a better look, well, this man, ghost, thing... attacked me. Understand me sheriff, one minute I was looking at the cupola and he wasn't there. The next moment he was. He appeared out of thin air. Michael saw it, and Shanoa too, although she's not here at the moment. She went to see Father Grimburrow...
Karl trails off for a moment, then resumes his tale.
Anyway, this yellow eyed lunatic almost takes my head off with an axe! And then nearly knocks me off the barn to boot. I'm lucky my head's still attached and my neck's not broken!
Karl shakes his head, there's more to tell, the crypt that Professor Lorrimor's notes lead us to, and what we found in Gibs' woodpile last night. You see, I lost the trail after that attack, but I went back the next day and followed it to Gibs' field. And I saw him there, standing in a daze, with a shovel. When I went in for a closer look, he nearly shot me with a crossbow! Well, I went back last night, and I looked in that woodpile. And sheriff, when a man hides a waterskin that last held blood, and a war razor, and the blood is a close as you can get to what was on that statue of the old warden... Well, you put it together. There's more too, but I can't tell it as well. Maybe Oorin can explain all this about the killers from the old prison...
Karl falls silent, and looks around for something to drink, his throat dry after so much talk.
Despite the blood flowing from his neck, the priest is still alive and conscious. Grimburrow screams as he struggles against the iron grip of the monster, but he is unable to break free.
The acolyte with the candleabra spear yells, ”Father!” before attempting to stab the creature. Failing yet again, he tosses the candleabra aside and moves out the door toward the Temple screaming ”Help, help!”
The other acolyte drops his candlestick and attempts to grab the undead creature, only for the monster to kick him away. With a choking sound, the acolyte grabs his midsection where he was struck and begins writing around on the floor.
The creature looks at Shanoa with a wide grin, ”I shall enjoy making you suffer! But first…” It opens its mouth wide and again rips into Father Grimburrow. The priest’s screams are cut off as the monster jams its hand into the man’s mouth, twisting his head violently to the side causing blood to fountain high into the air.
"And this man that attacked you, where did he go after he appeared?"
That sounds like a great idea Arthur. Would you mind coming upstairs with me? Oorin, join us when you finish talking to the Sheriff?
Despite the growl from the monster as the water splashes him, it does not release the priest and continues to bite him.
Father Grimburow continues to struggle despite his massive loss of blood. But his strength seems to be fading as he fails to break out of the creature's grip.
The first acolyte can still be heard shouting for help as he moves closer to the temple.
The other acolyte continues to thrash around on the floor, and you clearly see blood on his clothing beneath his hands (on his midsection).
The creature opens its mouth wide and sits up to look at the priest with a horrible grin upon it's face. Keeping one hand on his head, it pulls its other hand back, forming its fingers into a single point. "Now little man, I want your heart!" The undead creature punches down faster than your eyes can follow. But in an instant, instead of being killed by the blow, Father Grimburrow has somehow managed to reach up and catch the monster's hand before it impales his chest!