"Well that's a morbid bit of graffiti. Is that what the kids take for a fun activity in the middle of the night?"
Firavel moves close, but not close enough to run afoul of the guards, so he can get a better view of the monument and how close it came to the descriptions they had found in the Church library.
"Who is this statue of?" Leon asks the people near him.
An old man responds, "That's Warden Hawkran, the last man in charge of Harrowstone. He saved the town when those prisoners started that riot!"
This is pushing the limits of coincidence.
Leon nodded, taking a few notes in his journal.
"Does the letter V have any significance to anyone in Harrowstone?" he asks to no one in particular.
Several people mutter to themselves, but nobody really speaks up...
Finally, one older woman replies, "Well, there is Warden's poor wife, she died in the fire too. Her name was Vesoriana, it starts with a "V".
"Well, if it was meant for her, I'm thinking she won't get the message, having died in Harrowstone with her husband all those years ago."
"Do we know its actually a V? What if it was something else but whoever was doing it heard someone coming before they could finish. Maybe its part of a symbol."
"Whatever it is, it seems pretty cryptic. Though the Harrowstone connection seems suspicious, considering the situation."
Leon scribbles some notes in his journal. "Thank you ma'am. Make sure you mention that to the sheriff."
With no other leads, that's as good a place to start as any.
Nodding to the rest, he puts away his book. "Let's go."
Alendru's residence and school is north of town, just beyond the common area. It appears to be in excellent condition, and even the plants outside seem to be well-tended.
A knock on the door and a few seconds of waiting reward the group with an old human wearing a dark red robe. "Yes, may I ..." He looks your group over with a measured glance. "You are the friends who carried Petros yesterday, aren't you? Come in, come in."
He leads you through a classroom to an office in the back of the building. A table and shelves of books are against the far wall, and several seats are set in a circle around the room. "I use this room for discussions and debates with my older students, but we should all fit in here. Now, what can this old man do for you?"
Interesting...
"Thank you professor." Leon says, making his own introduction and continuing to each of his new companions.
Once the handshaking was out of the way and everyone had take their seats, Leon continued.
"We were hoping to speak to you regarding the research Professor Lorrimer was conducting in the months leading up to his death."
is everyone in this town hiding something?
"Pleased to meet you."
Hmm... Seems like a pretty frail old man.
He leans back in his chair and stares at Leon before responding in a low but firm voice, "I know about some of the topics he was researching, but I certainly don't know all of them. Petros spent years, decades, attempting to ferret out any scrap of information that might prove valuable. He shared some of what he learned, but I am sure there is much that he kept secret."
"But let us dispense with the generalities. I am not a kindly man, but I am disposed to help you because of my fondness for Petros and what he tried to accomplish. You may speak freely here, Son of the Raven Court; tell me what you wish to know."
Leon nodded. He was not one for deceptions. This approach suited him fine.
"We are beginning to suspect that Professor Lorrimer's death may not have been an accident. We are trying to pick up the threads of his investigation in hopes of determining what it was he died for."
Alendru considers your words, "Without getting into too much detail, I understand why you think it may not be an accident. Perhaps to say, I have heard whispers that Petros was not the victim of an errant piece of masonry, hmm?
"The last conversation we had was about Harrowstone, and specifically, if any spirits or undead survived within. I had never seen any, despite all evidence indicating that there should be some there. I mean to say, there was a massive fire and hundreds of dangerous criminals died trapped in their cells. There should be a huge supernatural presence within the prison, but nobody has ever seen anything... until a few weeks ago."
"Petros discovered that certain people who shall remain nameless were attempting to perform some kind of ritual at the prison. The Sheriff and his men spent some time around the prison, but they did not find anything, and certainly no sign of the people Petros was concerned about."
"Would those certain people have a name?"
He pauses and looks at Sethis, "I'm not sure how much of Petros' world you actually know about, but those people are part of a group that believes undeath is the way to achieve eternal life. Does that explanation satisfy your question, or do you need more information?"
He seems genuinely curious if Sethis understands what he's trying to say.
"So, the Whispering Way held more interest to the professor than a topic of research. It's good to know the caliber of people we may end up against if we pursue this to it's conclusion. It's probably nothing important, but it's crooking in my jaw: does the Warden's monument getting covered in blood last night raise any red flags for what you know about the Harrowstone and the Way?"
"And you feel that they are active in this town now? That's why you're so cautious. You fear that they may come for you next."
"Yes. That is what he meant. Thank you, Girvin, for spelling it out." Leon said dryly.
And I thought I was the one who usually lacked subtlety.
"Do you have any suggestions for us Professor Alendru?"
Alendru hisses, "You obviously don't know enough not to say their name aloud!"
He stands up and stalks around his chair until he's standing behind it, "Once won't matter, but don't go around saying those words together unless you want to gain their notice. That's why I was trying to be clever about it. One of the things we do know about them is that prospective members have a ceremony in which they repeat those words to attract attention from the group's leaders. We don't know exactly how it works, but that's the reason we avoid saying the name unless absolutely necessary."
He sighs and places his hands on the back of the chair, "Now, as for the monument covered in blood, it doesn't ring any bells for me. Nothing I know about that group has anything to do with rituals that involve covering objects in blood."
Alendru turns to Sethis, "I would be stunned to learn that any members of that group are currently running around Ravengro. But even if they were, I am not entirely unable to defend myself."
"As for suggestions? If you have reviewed any notes that Petros may have left and investigated all of those avenues, then it seems like the only option left to you is visiting the prison. You should head to Harrowstone."
"That was our plan. Thank you for your help."
"Do you have any advice or warnings about Harrowstone before we get there?"
"My apologies for that misstep. Having been told to dispense with generalities, and to speak freely here, my anxiety and eagerness overcame my tact." Girvin stammered through his embarrassment, fighting the feeling of flush he felt rising to his face. "Thank you for your time, and patience, sir."
Firavel sat looking around the room and out the window during the conversation, barely listening, until the mention of going to Harrowstone whereupon he focuses back on the group.
"I think we have a small errand to run at first, but yes, Harrowstone will likely be the destination after that."
Alendru waves his hand as Girvin speaks, "Don't apologize, I'm sorry for erupting like that. If I was thinking clearly, I would have warned you about that as soon as I figured out we were going to discuss them."
Looking at Sethis, "The only advice I can give you is that you should remember where you're going. Some of the most dangerous mortals who ever lived were incarcerated there, and if those other people have been involved, there isn't any telling what you're going to find. But if you discover anything unusual, or find something you can't identify, let me know, I'll help as much as I can."
-----
If there is nothing else, Alendru sees you out. Let me know what you want to do.
-----
After they are seen out, Mithias turns to the others,
"Well, that wasn't particularly helpful, shall we see if the Sheriff is more informative?"
Leon nods. "If for no other reason than to inform him of what we plan to do."
Making sure that no-one else is within hearing distance,"Um, seeing as we may be dealing with ghosts and the like do you think we should look into that cache that the professor said was hidden in the restlands somewhere?"
"My sentiments exactly," Firavel says, nodding at Sethis. "That was the 'errand' I was referring to earlier."
The sheriff is still at the monument with his deputies, do you want to head to the jail and wait for him to arrive, return to the monument to try and talk to him, or do something else?
the way I see it we have several options including splitting up and each searching a different area or asking the priest about the tomb.
"One of us could speak with Father Grim while the rest begin our search. He should at least know why we are in his graveyard."
"Are you sure telling a priest we are going to rummage through one of the crypts in his care is such a good idea?"
"Would you rather he find out later?" Leon said over his shoulder as he walked toward Father Grim's funeral parlor.
"Perhaps only knowing that we will be in it is enough? He should by rights know what is going on in his crypts, but being light on the details may be helpful in shining a better light on us. Maybe just that our research shows that there may be some historically useful information in that section, or that we believe The professor has left us some clues to his research there?" Girvin paused for a moment to organize his thoughts before continuing, "I don't want to be deceptive, but at the same time being barred from searching seems equally undesirable."
"I merely meant that it may not be a good idea to tell the that there is a cache of whatever in it for fear that they would confiscate the items. Maybe we can just tell him that the crypt may be a lead we want to pursue."
