Ekan has given a hard look at Habe for some reason, most unlike the normally placid monk.
Then the victim of ghoul fever is discovered and his concern washes away his ire at..whatever it was. At least for now
Eostre gulps at Evelyn's diagnosis.
"Just as I feared...I hope the disease hasn't warped his mind. Madness is one thing, but a compulsion to eat humanoid flesh is quite another."
Pidget gives Conner a quizzical tilt of his furry head, as if he has no idea what he's talking about.
When Evelyn starts healing Grayst, Habe's expression changes from one of tentative interest to sudden anger. "Excuse me, girl?! What do you think you're doing?! Our agreement was for an interview, not--"
Before he can raise any objections, Evelyn's spells take effect. The grey pallor Grayst's skin has adopted brightens a great deal, and he takes a gulp of air, his body spasming for a couple of seconds before settling down. His head raises, and he looks Evelyn squarely in the eyes.
A flash of recognition crosses his clouded eyes. "...you..."
He tilts his head, and Habe suddenly goes quiet.
"We can't interview a dead man, slaghead!" Eostre replies.
"Nice work, Evy," Nicat says, impressed. "Think you can get him to the point where he can talk to us?" He grins as Eostre applies her usual delicate touch with people.
Evelyn blinks at Grayst's reaction, pulling her hands away from his head. "You... recognize me...?"
She places her hands back on his head and casts her spell again.
"There's a minor amount of damage left to his mental health. Nothing life threatening. I'll focus on healing his body before dealing with that, or else he may still collapse from strain."
Removing her hands from Grayst's head, Evelyn sighs. She turns to Habe. "I've fully healed his body, but am out of spells to heal the remaining damage to his mental health. Luckily it's just a tiny bit of damage, which I can easily remove tomorrow. The disease is still present though, and he'll need something to boost his fortitude to get rid of it. I know of a treatment that will help him, and I can easily show you how it's done."
Not expecting Habe to protest to her showing him how to treat diseases, Evelyn then demonstrates what to do. "It's important to do this every morning till he's cured. I will do it tomorrow morning, but I want you to assist me, so you'll learn how to do it yourself."
"You'd be wise to listen to her, Evelyn has kept all of us alive at the most crucial times."
Habe's face screws into a look of sheer indignity, and his hands clench into fists multiple times before relaxing. "...very well." He grumbles, grudgingly watching as Evelyn proceeds to send more life into the ravaged man's sickly body.
Grayst nods at Evelyn. "...yes... he spoke of you... the one who unmade me spoke of you..."
His eyes clear as the restorative magics take hold.
"Who was this guy?" Nicat asks Grayst in alarm on hearing that whoever is behind all this knows Evelyn. "Do you know his name? What did he look like?"
"And what did he say about me?" Evelyn asks uncomfortably.
Eostre chews on her lower lip a bit as Evelyn continues to talk with the sick man. "Unmade?" Was he undead already? Or did he just think he was?
Grayst looks away from Evelyn, down at his feet. "...a man... claimed to be My Lordship. It was dark... his claws and teeth were sharp..."
"...he has a place for you." He looks back up at Evelyn. "A precious place."
"You'll have to be a bit detailed," says Evelyn hesitantly. "A precious place, you say...?"
Evelyn feels her heart's starting to beat faster as she grows panicky. She takes a deep breath to calm herself, staving off another panic attack that'll rob her of her ability to use and understand Common.
Eostre pushes her way forwards a bit so she's standing next to Evelyn, and extends a hand to her.
"Watch yourself, rotter! I'll not have you or your Lordship threatening my friend," she says to Grayst sternly.
Ekan frowns "Claws and Teeth. mmm"
Eostre fingers her glaive with the other hand, waiting to see Grayst's reaction.
"Watch yourself, rotter! I'll not have you or your Lordship threatening my friend."
Grayst looks over at Eostre and sniffs. "What you want is irrelevant."
"A precious place, you say...?"
"Yes..." The madman nods. "He says... to come to his Misgivings. To bend the knee and join the pack. Then, he will end the harvest in your honour."
Isn't that the term the locals use for the rundown and abandoned estate far to the south? The old Foxglove Manor?
Evelyn looks at Eostre. "His Misgivings...?"
Fixing her eyes back on Grayst, Evelyn shakes her head. "No. Joining a 'pack' of undead isn't something I'm willing to do, even if it stops this so-called 'harvest'."
"Well, none of that sounds like anything I'd want to do - 'join the pack,' or whatever this 'harvest' is - but the Misgivings is what us Sandpoint folk used to call the rundown and abandoned estate a ways south out of town. It's the old Foxglove Manor."
”Oh, soddit!” Eostre says. ”That pretty much confirms it: Aldern Foxglove is dead and has come back as a ghoul, and he’s the killer we’re looking for..”
"Then we need to get back to town and warn people immediately, then hunt him down."
"Weren't you talking to that rat man?" Eostre asks, while keeping her eyes on Grayst.
"He's not much of a conversationalist. But he does have some connection to Nualia."
"I agree with Conner, we have to alert the town of our suspicions."
"And this slagger?" Eostre asks, jerking her head towards Grayst.
Grayst hangs his head and says no more.
The wererat continues to stare at Conner, shaking his head slowly.
Habe says nothing, instead flattening himself against the wall as Ven turns on his heel and storms past him.
"He. Is. A. Dead. Man." The bereaved father growls.
"Whoa, whoa, Ven! Wait up!" Eostre says, spinning on her heel and chasing after him.
"Don't go running off to that haunted mansion or whatever Nicat said it was by yourself! We're gonna kill Foxglove, we both know that! But it's gonna do no good if you get yourself killed in the process! Don't forget Shayliss! You still have one daughter left, and she needs you now more than ever!"
"We need to go, the longer we wait the more time he has to attack again."
"I showed you how to treat him," Evelyn says to Habe, nodding her head at Grayst. "I'd provide further help if I could, but my obligations take me elsewhere. Just apply what I showed you every day until he's better. Get a cleric to look at him if his condition worsens, for you'll need magic then."
Evelyn hurries after Ven. "Ven, wait! We're going, but we must go together! Eostre's got a point, you can't go there alone. Shayliss still need you!"
Ekan moves after the others, agreeing with Conner sure leaving an angry father on his own is wise either.
Conner watches the group leave, then turns to Habe. "I'll be coming back here later. Might be weeks. Might be tomorrow. I hope to see things have improved here. I'm not good at dealing with disappointment." He follows the others.
Seeing Ven hurry out, his face full of rage, Nicat raises a hand to get his attention, to try to stop him, but lowers it as he hears the others speak of Shayliss. I can't let anything happen to Ven, for Shay's sake!
He darts after Ven, urging his companions to keep up, "Come on, we've got to catch up with him! Shay can't lose her father and her sister both!"
He hurries along on his short legs, never pausing for a moment to reflect on the fact that he's feeling protective of the man who might well have killed him in his basement for kissing his daughter.
Eostre continues to hurriedly waddle after Ven, hoping more charismatic members of the group will convince him to slow down.
Ven's stride slows for a moment, Evelyn's mentioning of Shayliss causing him to flinch as though he'd been struck by a rock. His grip tightens on his axe, and he growls in a mix of displeasure and resigned acknowledgement.
"...we should let the Sheriff know. We'll probably need his leave to hunt Foxglove down anyway."
Ekan nods to Conner but doesn't praise him for it. The warrior might see it as condescending and he doesn't mean it that way.
When Evelyn pulls Ven to his senses, a sense of relief covers him, "He may also have news of his own to impart."
"Let's get going!" Eostre replies, gasping for breath a little.
Eostre looks at Evelyn, wanting to make sure she's okay.
Conner heads outside. "Come on, the sooner we warn the town the better."
Evelyn returns Eostre's look with a wry smile. She nods in agreement when Conner wants to press on.
Ekan is already on his way outside
"Are you alright, Evelyn? I thought that bastard was gonna jump you or try to lick your face or something," Eostre says.
"He made me feel very uncomfortable," Evelyn responds, shivering at the thought of some creep wanting her in his undead entourage.
The group makes their way out of the sanitarium without any further incidents and hits the road back to Sandpoint. The shadows cast by the afternoon sun seem to stretch far across their path as they move--and the silently fuming Ven does little to brighten the atmosphere.
It's nightfall by the time the party manages to return to Sandpoint. The seaside town feels quite empty and quiet...
Eostre frowns as they arrive back at Sandpoint.
"Watch yourselves...to use the cliche, it's too quiet. The kind of quiet you see when an ambush is near. We should talk to Sheriff Hemlock immediately."
"And the mayor."
"Right, and Mayor Deverin too. Let's go, but keep an eye out in case Foxglove's lurking around here for his next victim."
Ekan nods and does try to keep an eye out, and ear out and so on.
Evelyn quietly nods, and decides to stick close to Eostre.
"I usually don't mind quiet. I often like it, really. Not this kind of quiet though. It feels eerie."
Eostre nods and keeps close to the core of the group, waving her glaive around in an attempt to look menacing.