Kendra shows Mila to a spare room. "My father kept plenty of rooms for all sorts of visitors. You can't imagine the wonderful people he had here, the stories they told!"
"Ah, but perhaps another time. Here you are, just right I think. If you need anything you come get me, okay?" she says, letting her get to her rest.
The night passes quietly, luckily, and the next morning arrives with an uncharacteristic break in the eternal rain Ravengro seems to get. The town seems...quieter outside of the Lorrimor house. Kendra's house, you remind yourself.
She is sitting at the table when each of you awake, plates set out and bread awaiting toasting. "Since we ate extravagantly yesterday, I figured this morning required something much simpler." she says once you have all gathered in the dining room. "If you want eggs there are some in the pantry, but I will not be cooking this time." a smile cracks across her face at this, and you can see she is in good spirits.
Raj looks at the slices of untoasted bread on the plates as if they have no place there. He says diplomatically, ”Well, Ms. Lorrimor, you have a real good base for a simple meal here. I think they could use just a little something to make it work.” He collects all the slices and sets them to toast on the stove while he steps into the pantry, shaking his head.
He quickly slices tomatoes then whips a dozen eggs along with some spices together. Rajuna flips the bread, sears the tomato slices briefly, and scrambles the eggs simultaneously. Within ten minutes he replates the slices of toast as the base beneath seared tomatoes topped with fluffy clouds of spiced scrambled eggs. He takes a seat, ”I woulda grated some cheese on top… but that would have made them ‘complex’.” He winks at Kendra and begins eating.
Raj gets through three-quarters of his breakfast before speaking, ”Ms. Lorrimor, you said something last night that I’ve been thinking on.” And from his pinched expression, he is bothered by it. ”You were talking about your Da having such good friends was a comfort to you.” He hesitates briefly, ”We haven’t braided flowers in each other’s hair or anything like that but, well, for my part, I’m your friend, too. Me being here isn’t just about Doc.” He looks down to regard his eggs, embarrassed.
Park hears Raj's comments about the breakfast and follows him into the kitchen. When Raj starts working he seems very focused so Park stays out of the way but watches to learn. He also occasionally hums when he sees the work getting complicated....
Once everyone is seated and enjoying the meal he slows his eating so he can listen and join the conversation(s). "I agree with Raj. You invited us in when the rest of the town would've turned us around to return from where we came, or imprisoned us for the crimes that they just didn't understand. The Professor was a very kind man that helped people all over. But we've gotten to know you. I'd definitely say that I count you as a friend, and would do anything that I could for you if ever needed!"
Milovica sleeps heavily, and dreams.
She is in the forest again, the perfect forest, where the trees seem to brush the sky and the moss is the thickest, lushest carpet beneath her toes. By this point it is no longer new. Not exactly routine, but since that first time, when she was fourteen, she has been "here" a handful of times now. The time that she told Erastil that yes, she had made up her mind, and she did want to serve him, for instance.
Mila knows, in the logic of the dream (or whatever it is), that Erastil will appear to her. She is content to wait, to soak up the beauty around her, a forest healthier than any she has ever been in herself-- for in Ustalav, even the soil carries some hint of taint. The pines are just a bit stunted compared to elsewhere, the oaks are a bit more gnarled and drop their leaves that much sooner. Born and raised in Ustalav, she had not known this until her father had commented, once, upon the trees of Kyonin in comparison.
Someday she would still like to see them. But surely even they could not match the glory of this place.
The sunlight dapples soft and occasional through the far-off ceiling of branches and leaves. A stream trickles over mossy stones and falls with a silvery, tinkling splash to collect in a small pool. She kneels by it and cups her hands into it to drink; the water is cold, clean, refreshing to the soul.
Erastil is taking his time, it seems. After a little while by the pool, she gets to her feet again and walks-- following the stream up, towards its source, climbing over the rocks and occasionally scaling up into the trees to bypass dense sections of brush. Time has no meaning here, and it is safe; she can explore without fear or caution.
A berry bush sits in a patch of sunlight, its berries blue-black and swollen, juicy, each the size of her thumb. Mila grins and scrambles over the moss and the stones to reach this bounty. She reaches for the fattest of the berries--
--and gasps, as a sharp pain stabs into the fleshy heel of her hand. Thorns? Do the berries have thorns, here? Did she...
She pulls back her hand, wincing, and gasps again. Not a thorn: a spider. A wicked-looking thing, dull grey but with white markings on its abdomen that resemble a skull. It is latched into her hand, and the place where it is bitten is starting to burn, a lance of fire up her arm. With a sharp cry, she shakes her hand vigorously, using the other to brush at the spider until it falls off.
The wound barely bleeds, but it throbs, it burns. Venom. She needs to wrap something around her arm, keep it from traveling further into her system. Mila's eyes sting as she hunts for something she could use to do this-- not so much from the pain as from an obscure sense of betrayal. This place was supposed to be safe. She doesn't have her bow, or she could use the string of it; she doesn't have anything, really, no weapons, no tools...
She looks up to see the stag, perched on a distant rock, a silhouette more than anything.
She follows the instruction and looks for the spider. It is a sickly pale against the moss, and scurrying for the shelter of the bush, where she won't be able to pursue it--
Teeth bared, Mila snatches up a mossy rock and brings it down on the spider, again, again, and once more until it only a smear, the many legs twitching and then falling still.
"I understand the lesson, Staglord," she pants, and then she is awake, in the strange bed, breathing hard and with a phantom twinge in her hand.
It's not yet dawn, which she confirms by going to the window and twitching the fine curtains aside. Mila stands in the darkness of the room, rubbing her hand, shivering a little in the house's chill now that she is out from beneath the warm blankets. She longs to crawl back into the warmth of the bed, the extremely comfortable bed. Nobody else is stirring yet in the house; it is very still. Someone is perhaps snoring, one room away.
But the lesson was certainly clear. Mila whispers the words of the prayer to summon a bit of light, and then she first sees to her equipment, most of which she had shamefully just dropped to the floor when she had come in the night before, and then she does push-ups until she no longer feels the chill of the morning, and then she washes her face with water from the guest-pitcher and gets dressed and takes the cover off her bow.
***
Rajuna has had time to complete his improved-but-not-complex breakfast before Mila shows her face. Some at the table might be wondering if their newest guest is still asleep, but when she arrives, it is not from the direction of the guest room, but coming in from outdoors, her face a bit red from exertion and her breath steaming slightly. Her bow is in her hand, as well as the arrows she shot for practice into a fence post and then retrieved. The expression on her face is more serious and set than the night before, and she looks around at the others before giving a solemn nod.
"What happened to Professor Lorrimor?" she asks sternly. (Well, she tries for sternly.)
Raj’s finishes his breakfast and his eyes slide from Mila to Kendra and back again. Trying to be sensitive to the grieving daughter, he replies to the cleric, ”Might be easier to show you and explain at the same time. How about we,” and his glance includes Park, ”take a walk up to the prison one more time and run you through it all?” He gauges Kendra’s reaction to see if she’d prefer to not be involved in the conversation.
”We haven’t braided flowers in each other’s hair or anything like that but, well, for my part, I’m your friend, too. Me being here isn’t just about Doc.”
Kendra falters, her face showing some embarrassment. "Yes, I didn't mean that...I am of course glad to consider you as friends as well." she says, laying a hand on Rajuna's arm for a moment before picking up another piece of toast. "And I believe I will come to consider you one as well in time, Mila." she continues, smiling.
Park's words bring an even larger amount of embarrassment but she nods her head in thanks.
"I trusted my fathers' intuition about who to invite to his funeral. If anyone showed up, I knew I could count them among acquaintances, at least. I am glad that it worked out as well as it did!" she seems genuinely grateful for both your company and the actions you three have taken, and seems to be enjoying the breakfast.
Mila's question, however, brings that to a crashing halt.
"Ah, the question of the hour." she says, looking around at the three of you who know. Her voice seems weak, as if it might break at any moment. "I think...I think I'll go get washed up and let you explain it to her. I don't need to hear it all again, if you excuse me." With that, she quickly dumps her plate in the sink and all but flees the kitchen, heading towards her room and disappearing behind the closed door.
Stern, solemn, the hunter that does not take her eye off the mark, ready to root out evil wheresoever it may be, the hunter who....
...just kind of put her foot in her mouth. Milovica has the good grace to look chagrined as she realizes the effect her question had had on Kendra, at least. The attempt at looking serious and determined dissolves into a wince. Good goin', mighty hunter.
In the awkward silence that follows Kendra's quick departure, Mila rubs a hand over her face, once more seeming rather young. "That was dumb. I didn't... mean to cause Miss Lorrimor any more pain."
Raj moves the empty plates to the sink. He'd wash them later or Kendra might enjoy them as a busy-work distraction. People had their own ways of dealing with grief. "It's hard to avoid a painful misstep, at the moment. Come'on, let's walk and talk. Ms. Lorrimor could use some time to herself."
Once they are well out of earshot of the town on the path to the prison, Raj begins. "I could say things politely, but that isn't my way. I tend to be blunt - especially when we are talking about dangerous folks. And that is who we are dealing with here. There's a cult called the Whispering Way. They are a group that allies themselves with undead and try, at least in part, to create liches. Their most infamous member was Tar-Baphon, the Whispering Tyrant. Some of Doc’s other guests collected some info about them which we’ll share in a bit. Point is, they are nasty customers and Doc figured out some of their people were working in Ravengro, specifically, up at the prison."
”The prison has been closed for many years. They were creating some runes around the base of the prison and casting spells...” They mount the hill the prison sits upon. Raj presses on to the site of the murder. ”Doc was up here investigating and they caught wind of it. They dropped that piece of masonry on his skull, trying to make it look like an accident.”
”We aren’t entirely sure what their goal was here. It seems like they captured or banished the soul of the warden that was keeping the spirits of five of the worse prisoners in check. They also caused some problems in town, when Doc’s friends started looking into the murder. That was before I got here, so I’m a little fuzzy on the details. What they didn’t reckon on was the spirit of the warden’s wife who was also keeping a handle on the ghost prisoners. Long and short, we sent all the prisoners to their – hopefully horrible – afterlives and the warden’s wife went to her reward as well. But it seems Leipdstadt is where the Way has some other business. In his will Doc asked us to deliver some occult books to the University. We’re gonna take that time to also see if we can unearth the Way when we do that. But all that happens after we help Ms. Lorrimor close up the house or whatever she wants to do now.”
While Mila considers that chunk of information, Rajuna shares more of their compiled information on the Whispering Way . He concludes, ”So, we’re heading into harm’s way going after this group. Don’t have any doubts about that. Any questions yet? Park, anything important I missed there?”
Mila walks in silence, head sunk to her chest, eyes scanning the dirt in front of her as they walk and as Rajuna explains. She 'listens with both ears' as Mama would say, and when they reach the spot where the professor met his end, Mila gazes at it in silence a good bit.
When Rajuna pauses, she steps forward, resting a hand first on the piece of masonry itself-- murder weapon, a crude one, as crude as the rock she'd grabbed in her dream she supposes-- and then looks to the soil as if she could imagine Lorrimor lying there. A few steps back, and then assessing the prison wall, sizing it up as though it were still a threat though the building has been dealt with.
Any questions yet....?
"These whisperers killed him? That's the only question that matters," Mila says with a flatness, turning from the building to stare off at the dreary horizon. "I'll travel with you all if you'll have me. Can't be letting these sort of murderers get away."
Park replies to Rajuna's question with quiet words. "Nothing major. We think the Piper had some influence over some stirges that attacked the town. The kids had been singing some scary song about blood. And possibly one of the haunts, I think the Splatter Man, the wizard, was making somebody defile a monument in the graveyard by painting letters on it in blood. We can also show you the books and the professor's notes, and the professor's will with his clear instructions, including for us to help Kendra."
"We know the major haunts are gone. Vesorianna banished them after we killed the undead animations. Then she left. We don't know what the Way did with the Warden's soul. Just dismiss him from the prison? Or did they entrap his soul for some other use?"
"There are some other little things - good-to-know kind of things. Like most of the townsfolk thought Doc was a necromancer, so he isn't popular and neither are any of his friends. Given that, it's best to walk softly in town. The Sheriff is a'right - fair. There is one particular fella, a local leader named Gibs, who tried to stop Doc from being buried here and caused Ms. Lorrimor some headaches. I think he's sorted but I'll keep an eye on him and correct him, as needed. Oh, and Doc wanted us to stay here for at least another three weeks to give Ms. Lorrimor a chance to sort herself."
"These whisperers killed him? ... I'll travel with you all if you'll have me."
"They surely did. If you want to risk your skin, I'll not say no. As stands go, I'd say it's a good one."
Zhandar wakes to the smells of cooking and comes down to join the group. She isn't particularly talkative, and is grateful that Park and Raj are inclined to do most of the explaining. When Raj proposes going to the prison to demonstrate what happened, Zhandar goes along.
She speaks up after the outline is finished. "I wasn't here for most of what they are describing, so they had to fill me in as well a couple of nights ago. I joined them before we defeated the last two murderer spirits. I feel I should mention that we discovered that the warden's hands were possessed of their own undead existence, even though the rest of him was elsewhere. I mention this only because we do not know what sort of dark ritual the Whispering Way performed on the Professor, but it is likely they performed the same ritual on the warden. Thus, it is barely possible that we might encounter some servant of theirs that resembles our friend, but it is not necessarily him, to be sure."
"I wonder if Ms. Lorrimor would rather close up the house and move to Lepidstadt," she muses. "Her father lived there for several years before she was born, and he may have had property and people there who would be inclined to help his daughter in his memory. Considering how painful she finds discussing his death, it might be easier for her to start over somewhere else rather than live here alone with the dark absence of him."
Mila's frown only grows at Zhandar's iteration. Gods, undead horrors.... ruining even the dying and the dead. Making it so decent folk's grief gets twisted that much further. She spits to the side in the soil before the prison.
"Alright, 'm warned. Warned about the dangers and some idea of what we might face. I am not much of one for book learning, Mr. Park, but I'll give it my best shot and hope you all can fill me in on the stuff what goes over my head."
Crossing her arms, Mila turns from the trio to gaze down at Ravengro below-- looking peaceful, at the moment, with smoke rising from the chimneys, and even a little sunlight hitting the waters of the lake. By daylight, it's a pretty town. Hiding some past ugliness. Evil, hiding in that which seems fair...
Milovica lifts her chin a bit in a determined way. "Well, we've got a little time then to remind people what good folk are like, and to figure out how we can help each other on the road. Miss Zhandar," she tips her head politely to the devil-lady, even if she still is trying to avoid staring at her, "is right that I'm a good enough hunter. And Erastil gives me a bit of blessings. Back at home I'd patrol the woods nearest the village, keep beasts going on their way and put arrows into the head of those things that ought to be in the ground, so 'm not totally green when it comes to fightin' corpses, at least. And I can help keep folk on their feet. Also M-- my mother said I could hear a mouse's feet twitch, so there's that."
Milovica relates all this matter-of-factly, as she considers these factual statements rather than any sort of 'bragging' (which her mama Erastil would frown on). Her eyes stay on the village below, and her frown becomes more thoughtful.
"-- well I guess I'd better see who in town needs a hand with their dailies."
Raj takes a final look at the prison then starts back down the path to town. "I'm going that way, Mila. I'll walk you. I've got a few special purchases to make before we cross blades with the Way again. Piece of advice, eh? Ravengro is about as Ustalavic as Ustalav gets... so expect some hard looks when a stranger asks to help with chores."
Park grinned when Mila mentioned book learning. Hadn't his time at the University taught him to be better at 'book learning'? He hadn't been a good student, not like Petyr. But he had learned once he realized it was important.... And her comment about not being green to fighting corpses? Any that traveled Ustalav had to know at least a little about that. Where in the rest of the world were animated corpses more common? No where that he knew of. He wondered if the Whispering Way were focused on this blighted land because of the Tyrant? That he couldn't be sure....
"see who in town needs a hand with their dailies"?? Park wonders at the thought. Of course! "Excellent idea Mila! Perhaps we should speak with the constable? Or the Clerics at the temple? We could lend our abilities to any that need help in town? But we should probably speak with Kendra first. She's lived here and would probably know best who we should speak with so we don't over-step while trying to assist."
As the group begins their shopping trip, around the second place they visit, one of the council members approaches you. You recognize her as Shandra Faravan, and she seems pleased to see you.
"Ah, the heroes of the town!" she says obviously jokingly, smiling. "You cleared whatever was happening in Harrowstone, didn't you?"
"We all saw a blinding blue light explode from the prison last night, and the entire town woke up this morning feeling as if some grand weight was lifted off the area."
It's now that you notice she is carrying a pair of somewhat large bags full of what sounds like metal.
"It's not much, but we gathered what we could spare in order to thank you for your help. It includes the original reward plus a little extra. And don't even try to decline it, we insist. Take it and use it towards whatever adventure you end up going on next."
"Oh, and before you do end up departing, whenever that is, stop by the post office. A letter came in for you this morning."
Rajuna never turns down money and he wasn't even sure if he knew there was a reward being offered. He takes the bags with a grunt of effort, along with his thanks. He also takes advantage this opportunity affords.
"Ms. Faravan, I was hoping to speak with you. Doc said that our professional interests were similar and if I ever needed some counsel, I should seek you out. Would you have a little time to chat, at some point?"
Raj takes a final look at the prison then starts back down the path to town. "I'm going that way, Mila. I'll walk you. I've got a few special purchases to make before we cross blades with the Way again. Piece of advice, eh? Ravengro is about as Ustalavic as Ustalav gets... so expect some hard looks when a stranger asks to help with chores."
Mila smiles slightly wryly. "Yes, it takes some doin', even if you got the token of a faith that most don't mind. I'll manage, one way or another."
She blinks at the clinking bags offered over to Rajuna-- not thinking that any portion of this will be for her of course, as she didn't clear out the prison or anything else. It reminds her of her mother pressing a sock full of coin into her hand before she left home, and she half smiles at the recollection. A good chunk of that money is still unspent, buried in the bottom of her pack: she's never had so much coin before in her life at once, and has, honestly, very little idea of what to spend it on. Farmer Vell had gotten the nicest wagon anyone in Morcei had ever seen before, ordered it special from Chastel, and it has springs inside the carriage so it rides smooth, and everyone couldn't stop talking about it for weeks-- and that had cost him a hundred and fifty golden crowns (a fact he had been sure to tell everyone, multiple times). It still doesn't feel real to her that she is carrying around enough wealth to buy eight of those wagons.
What sorta stuff does her father buy for his trips? She realizes she'd never asked him.
Enchanted weapons, probably. Or armor. Which she's never gotten the hang of wearing, anyhow, it's hard to move in the woods if you've got things clanging around on you.
"Gosh, that's a lotta money, M-- Rajuna. What are you all gonna buy with it?" she asks, curiously.
Park's suggestion of who to ask strikes her as a very good one. She makes plans to ask Kendra, but then, there's this woman right in front of them too, who seems to be someone important in town if she's brinign money... She hesitantly raises a hand of hello towards the woman and gives her a respectful nod.
"Ma'am? As you can tell, I'm not local. Is there anyone hereabouts who needs the help of a strong back to get some things done? Like anyone elderly, or who's laid up with injury, or sickness, or the like? I can chop wood, or weed people's vegetable patch, or bring in people's goats if they need, or, um-- oh, deliver babies if anyone's in that way, or.... --oh, for free I mean! Not for pay!"
Zhandar looks curiously over the prison walls, still absorbing a lot of the information she hadn't heard about the upstairs of the prison, giving the others a bit of distance so they can talk comfortably without her looming behind them. When the others suggest going shopping in town, she snorts and makes a face. "I would usually prefer to go back to the Lorrimor residence rather than face the reactions I usually get in populated areas, but I will need to find materials to craft my various concoctions and potions. Would you mind-- uh, may I come with you? And Park, would you be so kind as to speak with the townsfolk on my behalf?" She bares her teeth in a regretful grimace. "I always get charged double when I go places by myself."
"Ms. Faravan, I was hoping to speak with you. Doc said that our professional interests were similar and if I ever needed some counsel, I should seek you out. Would you have a little time to chat, at some point?"
She smiles, seeming more than happy to help. "Of course! I am afraid I'm a bit busy at the moment getting things cleaned up and taken care of but how about you swing by tomorrow? I'll have some tea ready, do you have any favorite types? Oh and please, call me Shandra. No need to be so formal anymore."
"Ma'am? As you can tell, I'm not local. Is there anyone hereabouts who needs the help of a strong back to get some things done? Like anyone elderly, or who's laid up with injury, or sickness, or the like? I can chop wood, or weed people's vegetable patch, or bring in people's goats if they need, or, um-- oh, deliver babies if anyone's in that way, or.... --oh, for free I mean! Not for pay!"
Shandra seems confused a bit, as if she can't understand why a complete stranger would want to help her village beyond the 'adventuring' parts but shrugs.
"Well, there's always things that need to be done. We aren't a very large village so you won't see much in terms of actual commerce work around, but I'm sure Alendru over at the Unfurling Scroll wouldn't mind a little help here and there with the children's school. Zokar, the patron of the Laughing Demon might appreciate a hand with his exotic cooking schemes, or collecting ingredients. And if you're really desperate, there's always the lake. Fish makes up most of our food here, with supplements from the farms around the countryside." she brightens up at this last part, suddenly rememebering. "Could always volunteer to help harvest crops! We're coming to the head of the harvest season, I guarantee extra hands are always needed!"
”Of course! I am afraid I'm a bit busy at the moment getting things cleaned up and taken care of but how about you swing by tomorrow? I'll have some tea ready, do you have any favorite types? Oh and please, call me Shandra. No need to be so formal anymore.”
Raj is a bit surprised by the warm reception. ”Nice to meet you Shandra, I’m Rajuna. Any tea will be fine, thanks for taking the time... I’ve got some buying to do in town but after that, my hands are free. Happy to help with the cleanup and whatnot. I’ll swing by afterwards and see what needs doing.”
Listening in on the conversations (as always) Park steps up by Mila. "Harvesting crops? That sounds like a good choice so folk don't think that we're just some layabout adventuring types. We've got a couple of weeks and I'm sure we can help out. Who should we talk to?"
”Nice to meet you Shandra, I’m Rajuna. Any tea will be fine, thanks for taking the time... I’ve got some buying to do in town but after that, my hands are free. Happy to help with the cleanup and whatnot. I’ll swing by afterwards and see what needs doing.”
"Of course, of course."
"Harvesting crops? That sounds like a good choice so folk don't think that we're just some layabout adventuring types. We've got a couple of weeks and I'm sure we can help out. Who should we talk to?"
"Any of the farmers at the farmers market will be more than willing to bid for your help most likely!" she laughs, pointing you towards said farmers market.
"Whatever you end up doing, I assure you both the town and I are extremely grateful for any help you may provide. I'll see what I can do in terms of repayment, even if not monetarily." she says before moving back off towards the town, leaving you to go about your business.
Park smiles and glances around at the group. Rajuna had his plans.... "Zhandar? Why don't you let Raj know what you need and then come with us. If any of what you need are herbs and such maybe you can find that at the farmer's market. And we'll find some farmers that could use some help at the same time. Capture two birds at the same time!?!"
Zhandar looks uncomfortable with Park's plan. "Ahh, well, I thought you would be going shopping as well. If it's all the same to you, I'll go with Raj and make my purchases as quickly as can be, and then I'll head back to the Lorrimor estate and get to work, and you can find me there. I have so many things to craft..."
Park and Mila head out to the farmers market and manage to secure a small basket of fruit and vegetables (enough for a meal or two) in exchange for their help in picking way more corn than they expected. Such is a day’s work!
While that’s happening, Rajuna and Zhandar head into town to do the groups shopping and pick up that letter Shandra mentioned. Zhandar gets a few weird glances from some of the townspeople, but no one outright refuses to sell things to the pair. Seems as if you made a real impact!
The letter is in a plain black envelope with two letters, presumably initials, inked on the front in shiny silvery ink: D.H.
If you are reading this, then congratulations. The ghosts of Harrowstone have been banished, and you are in all likelihood the ones responsible. I am impressed by your victory; enough so to nearly eclipse the fact that I would much have preferred your quest to fail. Please don't be offended by this; I have nothing against you personally, but I was rather looking forward to observing the unleashing of Harrowstone's spirits, and the resulting effects on Ravengro.
I suppose I should explain a few things. Firstly, as you may have already surmised, the previous visitors to Harrowstone, the ones whose actions precipitated the threat to Ravengro, were there at my behest. That being said, however, the endangerment of the town was in no way my, or their, intention. The mission they were there on was not of your concern; suffice it to say they accomplished their goals and departed, unaware of the potential consequences to the prison's ghostly inhabitants. It was only while reviewing their actions that I realized the opportunity which they had accidentally unlocked-- the chance to witness firsthand the spectral multitudes being freed of their shackles and, more than likely, claiming Ravengro as a literal ghost town. I thought it unlikely that any of Ravengro's inhabitants posessed the intellect to discern what was going on, or the skill to prevent it; yet knew that outside interference might still prevent the release of the spirits, hence this letter.
I want you to know that, had this spectral emancipation been my primary intent, I would have been most angry with you, and felt obligated to destroy you for your interference. Fortunately for you, my lost opportunity was an unlooked-for one, and hence my only emotion at its loss is mild disappointment. Therefore, I bear you no ill will, and indeed hope that, should our paths cross again, that our interests might be more aligned to each other. Your triumph in Harrowstone marks you as a cut above the verminous rabble who largely populate this world, and I would much prefer to know those of such potential as allies rather than foes. Still, who can say what the future holds?
Best wishes,
Death’s Herald
Raj reads the letter outside the post office and hands it to Zhandar. He notes the smug tone of it and observes drily. ”DH spelled ‘possessed’ wrong. If you’re gonna be above the ‘verminous rabble’, try to spell better than ‘em. Looks like we have another lead to follow.”
When the gang returns to Kendra's house, in whatever they end up doing so, she isn't in any of the immediate public areas. A minute or so after you reenter, she comes downstairs from the library. Her eyes have clearly been wiped recently, attempting to hide tears.
"Ah, there you are!" she calls out, obviously faking an attempt at remaining cheery. "How was the...shopping trip?" she says, not wanting to mention the other bit of business you handled.
Sympathetic, Raj teeters between giving Kendra a hug and playing the scene out as she wants. He decides to honor her preference. He says lightly, ”It was surprising. The folks of Ravengro are a lot friendlier without the prison casting its evil shadow over the town. We also bought some useful goodies… AND received a vague threat from the architect of this debacle.” He hands her the letter. ”This is the fella we’re gonna end.”
He wasn't sure how she'd take the news... but he couldn't hide it from her.
Earlier:
"I always get charged double when I go places by myself."
Milovica throws a quick sharp look at Zhandar, and then frowns unhappily, her brows knit. On the one hand: this offends her sense of fairness, cuz it's not like the devil-lady can help what she looks like. On the other hand, well.... she's... kind of a creepy devil-lady. Devil.... person. Devilkin. There's some word you're supposed to use for them all but Mila can't remember it off the top of her head and Zhandar is certainly the first one she's ever met. To hear the people in Morcei say it, the big cities are full of all sorts of folk the gods never intended to exist, devil-folk and part-orcs and other sorts of crimes against nature.
Then again, the people of Morcei had comments about her growing up too.
Not that loud, of course, due to Marta's unimpeachable reputation in the community, and, Mila thinks a little uncomfortably, the fact that the bit of non-human in her was, well, kinder to her than Zhandar's apparently was. She doesn't look... she doesn't look like a monster. Half-elves may still get a tut from small-town folk... but it doesn't lead to them wanting to throw you outta that town.
An elf in the family tree is a good sight different than a devil. Or a demon. Or whatever it is that gave Zhandar her frankly-kinda-frightenin' appearance.
Mila shakes this wandering train of thought off at the word 'harvest', and quickly rummages up a smile for the lady.
"Oh yes ma'am, that's just the sort of thing Erastil wants me to do! Thank you kindly, I'll be talkin' to the farmers. And if you think of anyone needs help, just tell them Milovica-- that's me-- is at the Lorrimor house, please."
At the farmer's market, Milovica leads with the faith of Deadeye, explaining that her god wills her to help out where the common folk need it. Hopefully it assuages some of the natural suspicion. The harvesting is hours of what her mama would call 'good, hard work' - what she herself would too, for that matter. She makes a mental note to petition Erastil for a little help with doing this tomorrow-- since surely other farmers will need assistance then-- but she doesn't hesitate or complain in the slightest as the piles of harvested corn mount. She gives Park a little grin halfway through one farmer's field.
"I know why 'm doin' this," she asks, a little out of breath from the labor. "Why're you?"
****
Now:
Mila is sweaty and tuckered, albeit in a good way, by the time they make it back to Kendra's with some baskets of fresh corn and other goodies. "I bet Rajuna will make something fine with this corn," Milovica says to Park as they approach. When they see Kendra Mila drops her a respectful head-bob of a nod.
"Couldn't speak to the shopping, but we got some pretty nice corn," she says, awkwardly supposing it's best not to comment on the tears. Gosh. If she lost Mama, she'd be a wreck.
Rajuna's presentation of the letter makes her brows knit once again (seems she's doing a lot of that, here). Mila waits til Kendra is done reading the letter before looking at it as well, lips moving silently as she reads to herself.
When she's done, her expression looks rather stormy, her grey eyes dark. "This person's gloating. I never cared for gloaters."
Raj reads the letter outside the post office and hands it to Zhandar. He notes the smug tone of it and observes drily. ”DH spelled ‘possessed’ wrong. If you’re gonna be above the ‘verminous rabble’, try to spell better than ‘em. Looks like we have another lead to follow.”
Zhandar puzzles over the initials on the front, then shrugs and reads it. "Hmm, it seems the ink of that word was not fully dried when it was placed in the envelope. There is a smear that could have been the second-- or rather fourth-- S." She shakes her head. "As for the rest, it seems we have another enemy, who is perhaps the same enemy. Never mind that she doesn't seem to think we are worth her notice. Although, her overall point is somewhat undermined by her sending the letter at all. Death's Herald as a signature really tells us nothing about her, except maybe a clue to her purpose. I wonder if it is worth questioning the people who brought in the post? Whoever DH is, she must either be very close to know of our success so quickly, or she has access and the inclination to scry on the area often enough to know who we are." She casts detect magic and looks up quickly, scanning the area for sensors, but frowns. Just in case, she makes a rude gesture at the sky.
Kendra takes the letter and reads it surprisingly quickly. Or maybe not surprisingly, given what you know about her father.
"Wait...this architect didn't even intend to release the spirits upon the town? It was just a 'wonderful side effect'?" she says, looking up with a disgusted look on her face.
"Whoever this is, they are clearly both full of themselves and utterly insane. D.H. I wonder if that's their true initials or if they are just to represent the 'Death's Herald'."
"This person's gloating. I never cared for gloaters."
"Me either, honestly. I saw enough of those at the University to last me my entire life, thank you very much."
She casts detect magic and looks up quickly, scanning the area for sensors
Zhandar doesn't detect any magical floating orbs or scrying attempts.
Earlier:
While they work the fields Park does his best to keep up with Mila, and provides some music to make the work easier. When he gets short of breath he asks Birdie to sing for everyone.
When Mila asks why he is working with her Park grins, "Two reasons. First, it's good work that helps out the people. These are good people and now it seems that they've accepted us. Second, well.... working with you is helping me to get to know you better. We're going to be working as a team, likely facing some very dangerous enemies. It'll help if we all know each other so we know how we each will react. Add to that, I grew up in a temple dedicated to Pharasma. I know a little about Erastil, but certainly not as much as you. I'll try to learn a little bit about cooking from Raj, and maybe you can teach me some about 'Old Deadeye'?" He adds a wink and adds, "And you're not hard to look at...."
Now, back at the house:
Park doesn't add to Mila's words. He notices Kendra's demeanor and doesn't want to perhaps say the wrong thing.
Once he gets a chance to read the letter he scans it quickly, then stops to think and reads it through carefully. "Death's Herald? This is disturbing. I think we might want to take this to the temple. If I remember correctly, one of Pharasma's servants is known as 'Death's Herald'.... Or I might have that wrong. Regardless I think we might want to show the letter to Father Grimburrow." He hands it back to Rajuna. "Regardless, this 'Death's Herald' does sound a bit pretentious."
Zhandar shakes her head. "I do not know for certain, but that does not sound right to me. Pharasma would not have a being with such a plain name for Her herald. And I doubt highly that someone affiliated with the Whispering Way would serve that particular goddess." She looks quickly at Kendra, realizing with regret that she has again mentioned that hateful organization in the young woman's presence. Still, she plows ahead, hoping her point will get her past the faux pas. "Perhaps it refers instead to Urgathoa's herald? But then again, the same arguments would surely apply to someone known as 'The Pallid Princess'."
She doesn't have any other insights regarding the letter, but she nods sagely at everyone else's contributions. She glowers at it, clearly annoyed beyond endurance at the sender, but as there is little she can do about it she simply looks grumpy. "Well, there is still a little time before that corn goes bad-- it should be roasted as soon as possible after being picked for the optimal taste, based on my understanding of the natural properties of the plant. But I will set up my alchemy laboratory in the meantime, and I will get to work on some of my magical potions this evening. I think I have everything I need, but if I find I am lacking anything, I will write it down and maybe one of you would obtain it for me when next you are in town?" She is clearly planning to shut herself into her room between meals while she is brewing.
Raj takes the note back and re-reads it. ”This could be a weave of lies and truths to throw us off.. but the arrogance rings true or this fella is a brilliant liar. If we assume he ain’t, then he’s mostly telling his blustery truth… and I read that very different than you, Zhandar. DH ain’t scrying us. Didn’t even have our names when he (or she) wrote this letter."
He rubs his chin briefly, "It looks like he got a report of us mucking around – successfully – and wrote this as a ‘just in case’ letter. Then he had one of his nearby minions drop it in the post, maybe at this very office, when Vessoriana blew the roof off the prison. Now, whoever he has hard by will be collecting our names, descriptions, and shrewd guesses as to our skills. I expect if we get another letter, it will contain more personal details, meant to awe us with DH’s smarts."
A small smile creeps onto his face, "And here is where all the folks who visited and left become useful. DH will be collecting information on all of them. He can’t be sure who is still on the team but not in town.” His smile turns feral as he looks at Mila, ”And this lady will be almost totally unknown, except we paid her publicly. That might look like she's been working in the wings all along.” Ideas start to form in Raj’s head how best to use this advantage.
"Two reasons. First, it's good work that helps out the people. These are good people and now it seems that they've accepted us. Second, well.... working with you is helping me to get to know you better. We're going to be working as a team, likely facing some very dangerous enemies. It'll help if we all know each other so we know how we each will react. Add to that, I grew up in a temple dedicated to Pharasma. I know a little about Erastil, but certainly not as much as you. I'll try to learn a little bit about cooking from Raj, and maybe you can teach me some about 'Old Deadeye'?" He adds a wink and adds, "And you're not hard to look at...."
That makes plenty of sense, Mila muses as she grabs the 407th ear of corn and snaps it forward to break it off the stalk in a practiced motion. The only person she's ever worked with in a dangerous situation is her mother, and since her mother taught her half of what she knows, it's not the same. With a new person, yeah, you'd have to learn all about that.... --
..
....
--did he just say--
Mila blinks, wide-eyed, and promptly blushes quite pink. She clears her throat several times, gosh, who knew this ear of corn was so-- interesting-- and finally manages to squeak out a "Oh. Um. Thank you."
Corn! Pick all the corn! (He thinks she's pretty? This fancy duelist university singin' fellow who himself is real easy to look at? He thinks she's pretty??? Gosh)
"Well, uhm, yes, I, sure, Deadeye, he, uh-- yes. Uh, sure, I mean I'd , you know, be.... happy to.
"Um, and-- and you can tell me about-- Lepistadt! Since we're going there and I've never been!"
Milovica listens, a little taken aback, to all the plotting, especially Rajuna's analysis of their enemy. She rubs at the back of her neck with a little shake of her head. "I'm glad you all got some experience with tricky folk, cuz I don't. I mean, an undead wolf is dangerous, but it don't like... it don't play games with folk. It's like... it's simple. I don't have to try and think circles around a skellington or anything. Is it all like this, all the... I dunno, scheming and such?"
Raj says thoughtfully, "Well, it depends on your enemy – some are subtle, some are blunt. But a secretive cult like the Way don’t stay a secret long if they can’t play shadow games. I might be over-thinking how clever they are… but it’s better to be surprised by their stupidity than awestruck by how they out-foxed you. That’s how you get kil't." He smiles sadly, ”Doc said that sometimes I was ‘too paranoid’. Maybe that's true. I like to think my guesses are clear-eyed and based on what I'm seeing.”
He shrugs and changes the subject. "So, if things go to plan - from tomorrow until we leave for Lepidstadt - I'm going to be training a lot. That fight in the prison showed some of my weaknesses. I want to get stronger before we go after DH. I expect I'll be busy most days, but free in the evenings. If you need me for anything, just let me know... And I might ask for a little help now and then."
"Ms. Lorrimor, have you given any thought to what you'd like to do? Not trying to squeeze you, just curious where your head is at."
Mila processes this in silence for a few moments. Eventually she says, "I never really fought regular people before, I guess. Just beasts-- natural ones and ones that came back wrong. And lots of dead things that didn't stay dead, but they weren't able to plot and plan and all that. Guess this'll be new."
She crosses her arms as she listens to Rajuna, still with a pensive expression. "Well, if you want to try dodgin' blunted arrows, I can oblige you, anyway."
Raj blinks at her offer, "That might actually be fun and useful for both of us. Do you have non-lethal arrows?"
Park grins when Mila asks about Lepidstadt. He thinks back before he replies. "I don't want you to have a wrong opinion about me. I was raised in Lepidstadt, yes. Actually, I was an orphan, raised by the nuns of Gravecharge, the big church of Pharasma in Lepidstadt. With that upbringing I didn't have a lot of freedom to enjoy the city...."
"I.... Well, there was an accident, and I saved the Professor from a falling statue. He was visiting with some other important people from the University. I was a teenager and was being trained to stand guard. Anyway, I saw a movement from above as the group was moving by my 'post'. I saw the statue and yelled, but the group was moving too slow. I jumped and pushed the Professor out of the way. The statue hit me instead of him. Now don't go thinking it was anything special. I knew that the priests would be able to heal me if I got a broken arm or something, but I didn't want any of the important guests to be hurt. Besides, I'd seen the Professor in the area a number of times and he always seemed nice."
"So, the statue hit me. Knocked me cold and I guess it did break a few things. But, I didn't wake up until the next morning and they'd healed the major stuff. I still had some bruises, but I was still a kid and kids always have bruises. At least boys do, usually from stupid stuff. But the Professor thought it was important. He came to visit and asked how old I was, and if I wanted to go to the University. And that gave me my chance to get away from the chapel and learn a bit about the world, and Lepidstadt."
"So, Lepidstadt. Well, Ravengrow is small, just a couple hundred families. You can just about see from one end of it to the other. Lepdstadt is, bigger. I guess technically it is a city, but to me it seemed to be a college town. I mean, it is 30 times the size of Ravengrow. But compared to a really big city, I read about some like Absalom? It's tiny too. And from my experience, a lot of the 'city' is 'merchants' trying to 'fleece' university students and families, and in some cases, people that have come seeking aid from the Gravecharge. And there were worse, not 'merchants' but just plain thieves. Sorry to say, I wasn't very impressed by the.... Well, calling them dregs might be nice?" He pauses and shakes his head. "I'm sorry to be so negative. There were some really nice instructors. And there were some nice people around the University, people that wanted to help others rather than just themselves. You can do fine as long as you are careful who you deal with. Or, I should say 'we' can do fine...."
Now:
Hearing Rajuna and Mila discussing things to work on Park joins. "I've learned my new masterpiece to work with Mila's healing channel. Now, I need to work with Birdie. If I've taught her right, she should be able to access my Bardic performance magic. She won't be able to cast spells, but she should be able to learn how to use my performances, enhance our battle skills and such. I don't think it'll take more than.... the weeks that we have! And in the free time maybe We'll work on writing some new music!?!"
"Non-lethal arrows Raj? Can't you just catch the arrows rather than dodge them? And we can heal you if you miss one or two...."
"Regardless of who DH is, or if they're watching at this very moment." Kendra says, staring down at the paper in her hand. A perceptive eye might see her hands shaking slightly, but only slightly.
"We have to figure out who this is. Who did...this." she says, her voice nearly breaking, even as she doesn't say what exactly 'this' is. "We have to bring justice to those who..." she struggles with the words, trying to force them out from between her lips.
"Who killed my father." she finishes, her body releasing all of the tension she was under.
"Ms. Lorrimor, have you given any thought to what you'd like to do? Not trying to squeeze you, just curious where your head is at."
"I think I will look for someone to buy the house, pack my things, and come with you to Lepidstadt. I'd like to do some more research at the University there anyway, and I know several of fathers' old friends there. They know about his passing, but not that it was a...murder."
She looks up at the group, all hints of the tears vanished from her determined face. "If you'll have me, that is?"
Zhandar breaks into a broad smile in response to Kendra's plan, rare for her because of all the teeth. "No objections here," she says with enthusiasm. "I'm certainly glad to have the extra time on the road to get to know you better. And I'll help with all the packing, of course. It's the least I can do."
"Of course we'll have you! And we'll all help to clean the house and get it ready to sell. And of course help you pack whatever you will be taking with you, with us to Lepidstadt!"
"Non-lethal arrows Raj? Can't you just catch the arrows rather than dodge them? And we can heal you if you miss one or two..."
The thief chuckles grimly. "I've caught a few arrows before... one in my arm and two in my back."
"If you'll have me, that is?"
Raj nods, "That's a good choice, I think. And this many hands will make packing a lot easier." He's guessing on that last point, as he's never owned more than what he can carry on his back.
"Well I can just wrap the arrowheads up good I guess..." Mila trails off as Kendra begins to speak, and holds her tongue respectfully during the woman's obvious wrestling with getting the words out.
"We'll help you, Miss Lorrimor. Both in the packin' and the ... the finding who's responsible. It's the least I can do to pay back your father's kindness."
"Hmm.... Speaking of arrows, maybe I should get a better bow for the trip. My short bow was what I could afford earlier. Now maybe I can find a better longbow, one with a slightly harder pull?"
Kendra is obviously happy to hear that you agree with her, both on her plan to leave Ravengro and also to allow her to accompany you to Lepidstadt.
"That is good news. I will contact Luramin over at the Silk Purse when I head into town this afternoon to see if he wishes to purchase this old house, or knows someone that does. I can't imagine it being hard to find a buyer, that's for sure."
"Of course, I'd appreciate any help in packing up things around my house, but...I'd like to pack up my fathers' room by myself if that's alright. I will take most of his things with me, but there are some larger valuable collectibles I likely won't be able to take with us feasibly." she sighs, preparing herself for the long stretch of work ahead.
"Oh, well, it's better to have some extra money in hand for such a long journey as this." she says, smiling.
"I'd like to pack up my fathers' room by myself if that's alright.”
Raj chuckles quietly, ”It’s your house. You don’t need anyone's permission.”
"I will take most of his things with me, but there are some larger valuable collectibles I likely won't be able to take with us feasibly."
”Sure about that? If you have furniture you want to keep, we’re gonna need one wagon, at least. If there’s something of your Da’s you really want, maybe we should see if we can bring it?”
Greased by the team’s new reputation in Ravengro, Raj’s meeting with Shandra goes smoothly. She tutors him in Basic Casting for Thieves. After nearly a week of practice, he masters the basics and moves on to more advanced spells. Having seen Doc, Park, and even Kendra cast spells, it isn’t entirely new ground for him.
Having tired his brain for a while, Raj moves on to his body. For a little over 2 weeks Raj is seen running everywhere around town and using the buildings, fences, wagons, boxes, and anything that could be remotely deemed an obstacle as his personal parkour track. And the results show. He looks even more fit than when he started.
The rogue takes his last few days in town to rest… which in this case means spending the majority of his days moving chests and furniture, packing boxes, and cleaning up the house.
Mila stays busy, certainly. She can practically hear her mother's admonitions if she didn't. (Something-something Erastil-something-something no time for lying about, girl.)
There is the village harvest to aid with, which Mila attends to without fail or complaint each day that she sees people working to bring in the crops. The tall young woman duly jogs over to lend a hand each time, unless the field owner expresses that they don't want her there. The blessings of Erastil make the grunt-labor hauling easier, at least. And when a farmhand trips and wrenches an ankle, or another drops a tool on their foot, she is quick to offer aid and a whispered prayer to mend the wound. Though she never accepts any payment, she does wind up bringing various goodies back home to Rajuna for preparation, possibly accompanied by Park.
On the days when it rains (inevitable in Ustalav-- but she is able to tell the locals precisely when it will be, again thanks to her god ) and the farmers must pause in their harvesting, Mila dons her thick cloak and takes to the lake. You get more fish when it's raining. She helps haul nets or mend broken ones , load boats or unload them. Whatever needs doing, as she'd said.
If the charming young bard accompanies her around her attempts to be a one-woman missionary for Erastil, he will hear plenty about Old Deadye, as Milovica earnestly tells people that the Staglord is the one who bids her lend a hand. She tells a few small children a story of the Hunter stalking monsters back when the world was young, and tells Ravengro's young hunters about Erastil inventing the bow and gifting it to mankind, and so forth.
In turn she asks Park many things: more about Lepidstadt, but a great deal about all the world (she seems to think he has traveled a fair bit more than he actually has, unless he disabuses her of this impression). In such conversations, the sheltered nature of Mila's life in her hamlet becomes more apparent, and how limited has been her exposure to at least some of the world-- evidenced as she one day haltingly asks Park:
"The lady... um... Miss Zhandar. She's... she IS devil-kin, right? And you all... you've worked okay with her? She seems..."
When she's not learning about the wider world, Mila is helping Rajuna test his reflexes, and when she's not doing that, she's helping Kendra pack.
She does visit the town's post, once, to send a carefully-written letter.
I can just about hear you saying 'I knew it' but I will be a little while making it back home.
I don't want you to worry any. I am traveling with some people who are very experienced and they will watch out for me. We are accompanying Miss Kendra Lorrimor, Professor Lorrimor's daughter, to the city Lepidstadt. We have got to make sure she gets there safely. I know you would do the same for her if you were here instead of me. Yes, Mama, you would.
I know that you always reckoned once I left Morcei I'd be off with the wind and you'd only see me once or twice a year, like Papa. That won't happen. I will come home as soon as I have done what needs doing and fixed what needs fixing.
I have enclosed a recipe for honey cakes. They are real good.
Did you know that the living light of Erastil is something pretty much all the gods do, and that it's always 30 feet? I am learning a whole lot. I will write more when I can.
Love,
Milovica
(Mila is guiltily aware that she didn't really explain about the professor's murder, or the whisperers, but on the one hand it would only just worry Mama more, and on the second, all Rajuna's talk about plotting has made her nervous. What if they're watching the post, these whisperers?)
Zhandar dives into her work, much like she did the day before they headed into the prison for the final time. There are unusual smells from the area she has been allowed to brew in-- though they are not unnatural, just powerful. When she emerges for meals and to check on how Kendra's preparations are going, she reports tersely that the process is going well. She assumes no one else is interested in the details, but explains briefly what she is doing.
She first brews several offensive vaporous potions of shocking grasp, potions that shock the target with powerful lightning.
Then, after transcribing magic missile from The Splatter Man's spellbook, she brews several potions of that spell intended to harm incorporeal creatures.
She spends four days crafting vaporous potions of cure moderate wounds for emergencies.
Having finished brewing potions, she switches to alchemy in order to make durable blunted arrows for Mila as she promised.