Eventually Magdali gives up in frustration, slamming the drawer of documents she was searching through closed and putting a couple of books back on a shelf.
"I'm done here Visayn. Hours now and I've found nothing of any use at all."
"I had little better luck today. Found out that Father Charlatan, one prisoner who died in the fire whose real name was Sefick Corvin, was a con artist who used faith to bilk the faithful out of money in payment for false miracles or cures. His accomplices murdered a half-dozen city guards, but he didn't murder anyone himself so not technically a murderer."
"Can the potion wait for the morning? I would like to be in best health when we search the ruins."
Nikolay thinks for a moment. "I don't think any of the compounds in the concoction are volatile or unstable or the like. It should keep until the morning."
Drake's words about the lost days of Ustalav seem to make him agitated, however, and he scowls before speaking, his blood-red eyes flashing. He gets up from his workbench and paces around the room as he talks. "Of course - why would you remember those days? It's not as if Ustalav can even be considered a nation anymore! I spoke with the historians at Sincomakti once, and do you know what they said? The last true king of this land died one and a half millennia ago! We tell these tales, while none but the oldest dragons actually remember how it was!"
Realizing himself, the young tiefling sighs and hangs his head in shame. "Look, I'm sorry for becoming upset. It's not your fault you don't remember the old days. It just frustrates me that the people of Ustalav cling to them as a drowning man clings to a board in a storm. In the cities, the nobles mimic the ways of old, and in the countryside, the peasants live on nothing but stale bread and ancient legends." The scientist shakes his head. "We could be a great land - from around the world, scholars seek the scientific knowledge at Lepidstadt or Sincomakti! We could be a land of science, of industry! We could be moving forward, shaping the future with our own artifice! Instead, we're lost in a past we can never reclaim. The townspeople have fallen into decadence, and the peasants spend every waking moment in fear. Nobody truly lives in Ustalav - they're just ghosts who haven't died yet."
Listening to the conversation from his stool in the corner, Børak raises an eyebrow as the good doctor's mercurial temperament gets the better of him. Watching the doctor, Børak shifts a little so he can interfere if the situation turns volatile.
As the doctor seems to calm down, Børak wonders how much of the strange reaction was due to the doctors tiefling nature. Knowing his own nature, Børak was sure that a tiefling must have similar difficulties.
Turning looking at his mentor, Børak wonders if Drake will even address the outburst, or more than likely address so small consolation.
He weakly says, not bothering following Nikola's movements, "I don't take offense." He nods at the truth to his words but does not say anything to add to the conversation as he was slipping in and out of sleep.
Nikolay notices Drake's lethargy, and he rushes to the aid of the elderly elf, his expression concerned. "Oh dear - my duty to my patient still stands, and here I am, rambling on like a village elder!" He looks over Drake, checking for any issues. After a moment, he stands. "You seem to be perfectly well, my friend, except for possibly some sleep deprivation - though I understand that's not unique to you. It would probably be best if we rested until Magdali and Visayn are back. One way or the other, we should begin our expedition into Harrowstone tomorrow, and it would not do for us to suffer from insomnia the night before."
Drake slowly nods in agreement. When Nikolay finishes he just rests his head against the cushion and rests.
Drake slowly nods in agreement. When Nikolay finishes he just rests his head against the cushion and rests.
Visayn is completely exhausted and goes to sleep once he has arrived back to the house evne skipping dinner.
Hearing the doctor establish that he'd done what he could, Børak sat quietly in the room watching Drake and considering the expedition going to Harrowstone in the morning. Pausing his vigil long enough to grab a little supper and learn if anyone had gained any new insight, he returns to Drakes room. Collecting a blanket from the closet, he drags the rocking chair from the living room into the bedroom. Having Decided the small stool was too uncomfortable, he settles into the rocking chair; content to sleep there, keeping an eye on his mentor.
Drake meditates for as much of the night that he can. Though he doesn't sleep or have dreams the nightmares still come!
After the first cycle he is able to rest and regain some needed stability to his constitution.
He wakes up with most of you as he went to bed early. He even helps with the cooking of breakfast until Magdali takes over for him. He whispers his thanks to her, touching her hand kindly, before taking a rest at the dinner table.
After finishing his talk with Drake, Nikolay helps to make dinner for those who remain awake.
The soup he makes is passable, but it's clear that his attention is elsewhere - likely the following day's activities or the night terrors he fears will visit him shortly. After dinner is finished, he takes whatever is left of the herbs he had collected for Drake and tries to determine if he can recreate their effects with his own chemicals, so as to remove the need for future 'shopping trips' like the one that occupied him and Børak for the better part of the day.
Finishing his examination of his patient, he heads upstairs and tries to get some sleep before the assault on Harrowstone.
Much like the previous day, Nikolay awakes early, but unlike his drawn and bedraggled state the previous day, he seems in much better spirits, and when the others wake up, they find him cooking breakfast for them in the kitchen, humming a song as he works. He greets his friends with a smile, and he gladly accepts Drake's help with the meal.
Unfortunately, his enthusiasm for the coming day distracts him, and the meal he makes is edible but somewhat burnt. Over a breakfast of eggs mixed with sausage he scrounged up from somewhere within the house, he addresses his fellow pallbearers. "It is a new day, my friends, and Harrowstone awaits! I am sure that working together, we can solve the town's problems and bring an end to this nightmare!" He sets down his fork and marks off the group's available resources with his long fingers. "Our assets consist of Børak's strength, Magdali's magic, Visayn's guile, Drake's canniness, and my concoctions. In addition, we have Lorrimor's notes to guide us, and I'm sure that we could ask Father Grimburrow for advice if we come across something within his area of expertise. Likewise, Lorrimor's journal mentioned a false crypt in the Restlands - we'd have to clear it with Father Grimburrow, but we could avail ourselves of its resources, if it becomes necessary. So, are we ready to set out?"
Even sleeping in the chair watching over his mentor, Børak still sleeps fitfully. Realizing his mentor was stirring, he got up as well, glad that at least one of them slept well. After his morning ablutions he proceeded to the kitchen, surprised to see Drake actually helping in Magdali kitchen.
Helping himself to the eggs and sausage, he listened as the good doctor describes the pallbearers, raising an eyebrow Nikolay's descriptions. Not wanting to keep the group another day, he keeps his fatigue to himself. Still eating, he simply adds. "When we are done with breakfast, I shall gather my gear."
The sylph isn't any livelier this morning than yesterday. "It seems I just can't sleep well in this village. What was said in the journal about that false crypt?"
At Visayn's words, Nikolay rummages in his pack before pulling out Lorrimor's journal, pushing aside his half-finished breakfast as he clears a spot for the book on the table - the speed with which he forgets that he was eating may have something to do with his malnourished frame. The eager young scientist flips through the pages of the book before settling on one of the circled passages. "In the second-to-last entry, Lorrimor talks about strange sigils etched on the foundation of Harrowstone - likely either Elven or Necril, given the... interesting history of the ruin. He was driven out by the unquiet dead before he was able to finish his examination, but he did record that an old Pharasmin cache in the Restlands, buried and forgotten by a long-dead generation of priests, held the necessary tools to defend against spirits."
He sighs as the topic returns to his mentor's death, his cheerful mood dampened by the reminiscence. "Unfortunately, the Harrowstone spirits killed him the next day, so it would seem the Professor never got to avail himself of the resources in the cache. Of course, I believe that every member of our group has resources that may help us conquer these spirits - resources that Lorrimor did not have - so if we have a choice, I would prefer to leave these resources for future generations if we have no need of them. Still, it's not a bad idea to have something in reserve for if we do find ourselves outmatched by whatever lies in that accursed place."
[dice=Will Save DC 16]1d20+2
Even sleeping in the chair watching over his mentor, Børak still sleeps fitfully. Realizing his mentor was stirring, he got up as well, glad that at least one of them slept well. After his morning ablutions he proceeded to the kitchen, surprised to see Drake actually helping in Magdali kitchen.
Helping himself to the eggs and sausage, he listened as the good doctor describes the pallbearers, raising an eyebrow Nikolay's descriptions. Not wanting to keep the group another day, he keeps his fatigue to himself. Still eating, he simply adds. "When we are done with breakfast, I shall gather my gear."
At the mention of heading out he pulls out the elixir that Nikolay made the night before and cheers it to the group before chugging it. He takes a deep breath and nods, "I will grab my gear and we should head out."
Like Nikolay, Børak was frustrated by their friend's death and he agreed that they should be able to leave the resources, if not for future generations, at least for later. Nodding as Drake went to grab his gear, the fatigued Børak moved as well as possible to hide how tired he was. Moving towards the door he shouldered his ruck sack, putting on his cloak, lastly picking up his bardiche. Holding the polearm like a walking stick, he opened the door, stepping over the threshold waiting for the others.
Magdali descends to the kitchen the next morning a little late, and looking very different than she had when she went upstairs to bed last evening. Her hair has turned snow white now, without a hint of it's regular coal black. Her face shows fine age lines around her eyes and mouth. She still looks beautiful, but it's the beauty of a middle-aged woman, with more gravitas than an a woman in her late teens could ever exude.
She begins to help with breakfast, and asks if everyone is prepared today to go to Harrowstone.
When asked during breakfast, Nikolay nods emphatically at Magdali's question. "Indeed - I am prepared to face whatever evils have taken up residence within the walls of that unhallowed structure." After a moment, he looks quizzically at Magdali. "...Was your hair that color yesterday, Miss Magdali?" He glances around before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially to her. "Is temporal manipulation one of your abilities as a lucent being, then?" The young alchemist pulls out a small notebook, its cover singed and pitted by acid, and flips it open, grinning. "Von Junzt is going to have one of his fits when he sees this data!"
As the others finish breakfast, Nikolay collects his equipment and follows Børak out the door, glancing up at the occluded sky above as he heads for the abandoned prison. "A most inauspicious storm, is it not, my friend? You know, the folklore of Mendev calls Ustalav a cursed land, where the sun never shines - hyperbole, of course, but not too far from the truth. Still, so long as we walk in the footsteps of the Lady of Graves, we should find victory over these lingering spirits." He looks towards Børak before continuing. "That reminds me; which god do you serve, my friend? I ask purely out of curiosity - many in this land do obeisance to Pharasma, as Magdali and I do, but many worship others. Iomedaean missionaries from Mendev are frequent visitors to Ustalav - though, given the tales I have heard of the Third Crusade's atrocities and the... aspects of my nature which we discussed yesterday, I have never truly felt the call to join their ranks." The tiefling looks around before lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "Of course, some follow... darker faiths. Rumor has it that many in my home county of Versex still perform the rites of the Old Gods - horrible, bloody rituals done in some insane attempt to draw the attention of things long-forgotten. Not that I suspect you of participating in these rituals, you understand!"
Magdali continues with her chores while offering an explanation to Doctor Ramada.
"Oh, yes, I suppose I do look a bit different. I have made a connection to a spirit here. The nature of this particular spirit is one of wisdom achieved by looking to the past, to those who came before us. I am actually no different than you know me as always. Think of this as a veneer, a change in my appearance reflecting this connection. I believe it may help us when we go to Harrowstone."
On the path he keeps up a steady pace as the others can catch up to him with relative ease. 40 feet per round to not push himself. Getting to the prison he passes through the gateway and heads along the inside wall to the North. He is obnoxiously looking for something, if asked he states, "There should be a secret entrance, I am looking for a circle of stone with circles upon it. In the moonlight it should shine with Elven script. Also it should detect as magic!"
Once the others are ready, Nikolay sets out down the road to the decrepit remains of Harrowstone. As he walks, he flips through a thick notebook, the stained and scorched pages of which bear row upon row of Varisian text in a cramped, neat hand. Schematics for complex mechanical devices and annotated diagrams of various humanoid bodies and limbs punctuate the writing. His attention is primarily occupied with the book, though he does occasionally look up to ensure he doesn't run into any trees.
Near one of the farmsteads along the way, an elderly cat wakes from its nap along the side of the road at the approach of the pallbearers. Upon seeing the alchemist, its hackles rise, and it backs away, hissing and snarling at the eerie young man. The clamor distracts Nikolay from his book, and he looks up in annoyance. As he nears the creature, he bares his fangs and hisses back at the cat, grinning as the terrified animal bolts towards the safety of the nearby barn, though he does quicken his pace as one of the farmhands looks in the direction of the commotion.
At the prison itself, Nikolay follows Drake through the gate and into the courtyard, his blood-red eyes taking in the remains of the old building. As he notices Børak's mentor searching along the base of the wall, he moves over towards the elderly elf. "Anything I can help with, Elder Windfall?" The young scientist listens to Drake's response, shrugging once the ranger is done. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much that description helps us - my eyes see souls, not the works of mages, and we are unlikely to have moonlight at this time of day or with this storm brewing. Still, if it dates from the elven settlement of this site, it should have distinct stonework from the later human additions. My architectural experience might not identify this entrance directly, but it should narrow the parameters of our search." He grins, revealing a mouth resembling a small armory, before continuing. "Let us see if science can once again speed our path..." He surveys the ruins, looking for any prominent patches of original elven architecture close to the ground.
When Magdali mentions spirits of past, Visayn looks somewhat surprised, but doesn't say anything. After finishing his scant breakfast, he takes his dishes to kitchen, gets his equipment and follows Nikolay and Drake to the trail leading to Harrowstone.
Relieved that his mentor was keeping an easy pace, Børak, tagged along, occasionally watching the good doctor try and read and walk at the same time. Raising an eyebrow as the barn cat chuckling when Nikolay hisses back. As they walk through the gateway of the prison, Børak shifts the Bardiche from the relaxed positon on his shoulder to holding it in both hands, ready to put it to work.
Seeing his mentor looking for something, he nods when Nikolay asks if they can help. Not having the ability to detect magic, he begins to look for a circle of stones. As he searches he wonders if fate will have them there at night in the moonlight. As he looks about Børak realizes Nikolay may have found something, Moving near he asks, "What have you found Nikolay?"
Nikolay's grin falters as he searches the courtyard but fails to find any elven architecture, and he scowls at Børak's question. "Not a cursed thing, my friend! They probably tore down all the old walls before building the prison - there's none of the works of elves here, just these useless great stone slabs!" He kicks the wall in frustration... only for the stone he struck to depress with a click, just before a section of wall swings away, revealing another wall beneath. The young alchemist gapes at the secret door for a second before clearing his throat. "...As I was saying, we see here another victory for the scientific method. I knew we would find something near here."
He moves into the hidden space between the walls, looking around at how the inner layer supports and buttresses the outer layer. "They must have incorporated the elven structures into the prison. This secret entrance was likely repurposed as an avenue of egress from the prison in the event it was compromised. It may also solve another possible mystery - I would have thought that a prison would be designed not to let prisoners escape, but if the killers trapped here found an elven relic or the like overlooked in the prison's construction, it may have allowed the escape attempt to progress to the point where destroying the building itself was truly the only way to stop them." Nikolay spots the circle of stones and motions the other pallbearers over. "I think this is the entrance you were talking about. There's unlikely to be much moonlight in this space between the walls - do you know what the inscription on the entrance said?"
He probs his memories and pulls out a book, leafing through it to find the right passage.
"Aaahhhh yes! The passage says, 'The pathway will be available after you burn the sigil and provide the Source.' I know the Source is magic so someone will likely need to give up a spell slot. Anyone have a fire spell or we may to grab some wood?"
"No fire. What would be the next best choice?"
He starts to talk about the needed chore until someone catches his eye, "Okay with no fire spell we need some stuff to burn and hopefully that works.... wait is that a lizardfolk or dragonkin?!"
When back on topic he looks at Nikolay, "You are an alchemist correct? Do you have some alchemist fire or a bomb?" He does pull out his own flask of the stuff...
Chuckling as his friend, out of frustration kicks the wall, Børak raises and eyebrow then smiles. 'Better lucky than smart I guess.'
As Nikolay begins his verbose explanation, Børak nods. Realizing the doctor's loquacious personality will almost force him to continue rambling until something else catches his attention, Børak continues to look around for himself.
Realizing Drake was pulling out his book, Børak paused, listening to his mentors information. Turning as Magdali commented about not having a fire spell, Børak furrowed his brow. If any of them were likely to have had such a spell he assumed it would have been her.
Not adverse to doing things without magic, he gestured to the area around them. "I can start gathering wood." Pausing long enough to see if anyone had another solution, before he started picking up sticks.
"If our doctor can't burn stuff, then no one can." Visayn smiles with some unexpected optimism when suddenly Drake sees something "Dragon-what? Are you absolutely sure what you saw?" bewildered rogue asks not even bothering to look in the direction where Drake saw creature
At Drake's words, Nikolay searches in his pack for a moment, then pulls out an ampoule marked with a flame sigil, grinning. "There's no need for firewood, Børak - Visayn is right. In fact, the difficult part is getting things not to explode!" He pulls down his goggles and motions the other pallbearers away. "Stand back, please - this is very dangerous, and safety is always first for a Sincomakti scientist." The young alchemist thinks for a moment. "It might have been second, now that I think about it. Certainly no lower than a close third... you know what? Forget it. Just please stand back."
The tiefling snaps the end off the ampoule and pours its contents over the stone, where the volatile liquids immediately combust, burning with a bright white flame. Nikolay carefully watches the burning liquid from a few feet away, taking notes about how the chemical reaction affects the arcane runes and diligently monitoring the ampoule's contents to ensure it doesn't get out of hand. With his intense state of focus, he only half-hears Drake's words over the hiss of the magnesium. "If there is a dragon, my friends, please ensure he does not get too close until the reaction is finished - this compound is quite volatile, and I would not want anyone to become injured."
The combustable liquid seems to do the job as the circles light up with a glow of their own. Once all the fire has abated, you see a spot for a hand. More like a glowing hand print.
Lectrum abruptly stops and looks around for a dragon, before slowly realizing that Doc Ramada meant him.
"Good day! Which one of you was the haunt expert? We found some haunts in Hauntedstone... HARROWSTONE! interrupts a small voice from his pack... Right. Herald Stone. Anyway, we met a ghost and fought a straightjacket that was haunted."
As the newcomer speaks, Visayn quickly draws blade "Stop right there, scaly one! How do we know you're not one of them? We need to be sure you didn't answer to that poster." he speaks in an agitated manner
While he starts to gather firewood Børak realizes Drake had said something about a dragonkin just as Visayn asks. Turning back towards the group when Nikolay confirms Visayns opinion. Looking at the piece of wood he'd picked up, he shrugs and drops it, moving back towards the group as Nikolay warns them to stand back.
As the glow of the fire illuminates the area Børak notices the dragonkin moving into the area greeting them. Knowing that if the dragonkin had been dangerous, his mentor would have warned them. Børak speaks up as he reaches over and gently rests a hand on Visayns hand holding the weapon. "I am the expert on Haunts."
Looking over to his friend Visayn, he continues. "Calm yourself. If he were one, he would not be enquiring about them. He would not realize they exist for they are not aware of their true nature."
Turning back towards the Dragonkin, his hand still resting on Visayn's, "Greetings friend, I am Børak, my comrades and I come to Harrowstone to follow up on Professor Lorrimor's research."
Giving a light smile that pulls on the scar on his left cheek, causing his eye to squint. "You said we? Where are your companions?"
Nikolay turns abruptly at the dragonkin's appearance, looking the new arrival up and down (or up and further up, as the case may be). He glances between his fellow pallbearers as Børak and Visayn speak, then catches a glimpse of a familiar face behind the dragonkin. He pushes up his goggles to ensure he is seeing correctly, and his face splits in a wide grin as he spots one of his former colleagues.
The young scientist steps forward towards the familiar herbalist, his hand extended in greeting. "Mister Tessar? It's starting to become a regular medical symposium here, isn't it? I thought you were dead after that terrible business in Carrion Hill a few months back. I am glad to see you are alive and well." He turns to the others. "My friends, this is Valiard Tessar, an apothecary from Versex, my home county. We met briefly when we were both called in to deal with an outbreak of Dvezda Plague in Hyannis, and I assure you, few specialists in Ustalav have his knowledge of the healing properties of rare plants." He glances at Visayn. "I understand your concern, my friend, but I will vouch for Mister Tessar and any of his colleagues. He's a necromancer in much the same way as Lorrimor and I - that is, nowhere except the imaginations of narrow-minded villagers. His job is saving lives, not stealing them."
Nikolay turns to Lectrum, extending his hand again. "You, however, I do not know, so I would be remiss if I did not introduce myself. I am Doctor Nikolay M. Ramada, BSE, BSc, MBBS, EngD, DSc, MD, and Lecturer in Applied Galvanism at the Sincomakti School of Sciences. We had already suspected that the prison was likely haunted, but you need not worry - peril and danger are our middle names!" He thinks for a moment. "Actually, mine is Miron, but the point stands."
A lithe young man with an easy grin on his face and dancing brown eyes accompanied the draconic creature down the path from the entrance to Harrowstone.
"Ramada? By the gods, Ramada!" Valiard said with obvious joy, surging forward to take the doctor's hand and clasp it heartily. "No, I haven't cut loose the mortal coil yet. Mireza and I, you remember Mireza right? We moved down to Caliphas...we had to get away from Carrion Hill...to many bad memories...and Mireza is pregnant! I am going to be a father!" he gushed breathlessly.
Valiard stepped back, taking in the rest of the party and the activity. "Sorry about that. Lectrum and I have had a bit of a morning. Harrowstone hauntings, ghosts of warden's wives, angry straightjackets, that sort of thing."
"So. Introductions. As the excellent Dr. Ramada said, I am Valiard Tessar, herbalist, apothecary, herbal trader and occasionally I find myself where I am supposed to be."
"My new colleague, Lectrum is an individual of few but curiously profound words who has been doing an outstanding job of keeping me alive today." he said, motioning to the dragonkin.
Valiard glanced around at the others in the group.
"Ramada. You and your companions here wouldn't be trying to determine what is going on with Harrowstone? I had received a letter from a Professor Lorrimor, someone I had met several years ago, asking for assistance with an investigation into the Harrowstone Prison here in Ravengro. I believe that the letter missed me after I had left Carrion Hill and finally caught up with me two weeks ago in Caliphas. I met Lectrum on the road north and he, being the guileless individual that he is, informed me that he had an important mission...which it turned out, we shared."
"We expected to meet the Professor here in Harrowstone, but he is not here, and after Lectrum and I conducted our preliminary evaluation we are heading to Ravengro to see if we can meet up with the Professor." he explained, and motioned through the gate and down the road towards the nearby town.
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Visayn blushes a little and sheathes his rapier when Borak speaks "All right then. My apologies for this rash approach. We have been on the edge partly due to nightmares. It was Doc Nikolay himself, who came up with an idea to expose agents of the Whispering way, so I was kinda prepared to be extremely cautious about strangers. But anyway pleasure to meet you." he greets Lectrum and Valiard with curious smile
Nodding at Visayn's response, Børak is relieved to hear the two men were friends of the professors. Realizing it was also fortuitus that the human had a connection with Nikolay he planned on letting Nikolay answer the men's questions. But when the human said they were to meet the professor, Børak shook his head, bowing it slightly. "The professor is dead."
Drake emerges from the hole in the wall and states, "Okay the apparatus is ready for a spell level." Seeing the others he states, "I am Drake Windfall, I am glad we have met more like minded individuals! We are about ready to use a device to get to the lower floors of the tower."
A green yellow lizard about the size of a lean cat emerges from Lecturn's bag and begins scurrying underfoot, investigating each of you.
"My new colleague, Lectrum is an individual of few but curiously profound words who has been doing an outstanding job of keeping me alive today."
Nikolay looks up at the massive warrior. "Many dragonkin speak the tongue of their distant cousins. Բարձրախոսն ավելի սահուն արտասանո՞ւմ ես, Lectrum?"
At Valiard's mention of the pair's business with Petros Lorrimor, however, Nikolay's face falls. "You'll find nothing in Ravengro save superstitious fools and old memories. You see, Professor Lorrimor..." He trails off.
"The Professor is dead."
Nikolay nods sadly. "Unfortunately, it's true. He died here at Harrowstone, a little under a month ago. All four of us are in town for his funeral - his daughter Kendra is letting us stay at his old house near the edge of town. I have here his journal, which contains all of his notes on the Whispering Way, a cabal of necromancers who he opposed in his last days. They took an interest in this accursed place for some reason, and Lorrimor thought it worthwhile to investigate, so we are attempting to do the same."
"Okay, the apparatus is ready for a spell level. I am Drake Windfall, and I am glad we have met more like-minded individuals! We are about ready to use a device to get to the lower floors of the tower."
Nikolay turns as the elderly elf emerges from the hole in the wall. "Regrettably, Drake, our band is notably short on mages. Magdali might have a spell or some such for this occasion, or I could see if I can replicate the effect with an arcano-chemical reaction, but I see few other options. Alternatively, I believe that all here save Valiard have some trace of magic in their blood - the portal could conceivably be activated by a quantity of such blood, though I doubt it strongly."
As Sly emerges from Lectrum's pack, Nikolay looks down at the small lizard. "A shocker lizard! How fascinating. As a matter of fact, my studies involve the overlap between galvanic theory and physiological principles - when you look at it, the body is mostly governed by a set of electrical impulses." He reaches down and scoops up the small lizard in his arms. "Is this little fellow yours, then, Lectrum? If so, may I run some tests on him? Don't worry, I promise he won't be harmed - I've already vivisected enough shocker lizards that doing so again wouldn't teach me anything new." The tiefling addresses Sly next, giving the little lizard a nightmarish grin and speaking in a tone that one might use for a pet dog or the like. "Hello there, little fellow! My name is Nikolay! Did you know that your biogalvanogenesis reflex operates through a series of postsynaptic electroplaque stacks? You didn't, did you?"
"The professor is dead."
Valiard grimaced and made the sign of Pharasma. "Then that was the Professor...This is unfortunate news." he muttered to himself.
"Unfortunately, it's true. He died here at Harrowstone, a little under a month ago. All four of us are in town for his funeral - his daughter Kendra is letting us stay at his old house near the edge of town. I have here his journal, which contains all of his notes on the Whispering Way, a cabal of necromancers who he opposed in his last days. They took an interest in this accursed place for some reason, and Lorrimor thought it worthwhile to investigate, so we are attempting to do the same."
"And that is much worse. And explains much." Valiard begins. "I was hoping to find an ally in the Professor in dealing with the ghosts in the town.” Valiard said, then stopped, seeing the looks on the remainder of the parties faces.
”And I am already not explaining this well. Alright. The short of it is that Harrowstone was a prison. A prison for some of the most vile and evil people that Ustalav had. Back in 4661 there was a prison break, and the mass of prisoners broke out. The warden at the time, sacrificed himself to start a fire and trap the prisoners in the prison, which burned down. The wife of the warden passed away from smoke inhalation and has remained here in the prison ever since.”
”Lectrum and I just had a bit of a chat with her. Seems that her husband’s spirit has been keeping the vengeful spirits of the prisoners contained all this time. Well, up until just recently. The wife saw black robed figures, who inscribed strange runes around the prison, worked some magic and captured the spirit of her husband and spirited it away, releasing the prisoners. She also mentioned that same night of the ritual a man had been slain by a thin grey skinned human who wore a bone breastplate and carried a black staff capped with a skull gagged by a black cloth. That dark man used foul magics to strike down the other man who had been exploring…who I now assume was the good Professor…and she said that they smashed the face and head of the man with a fragment of a gargoyle from the roof.” he said grimly.
”Since that night the spirits have been unquiet and causing problems. 5 spirits in particular. One of whom, the Splatter Man is attempting to destroy her, by spelling out her name…Vesorianna. She requested our assistance in binding the 5 powerful spirits, which when contained, and with the aid of her husbands badge of office, would allow her to bind the spirits forever and release her from the world and end the haunting of Harrowstone.”
”She suggested that items that the powerful spirits valued could be used against them to defeat them.” Valiard explained.
”The items that we need may be in the prison, in the town, or elsewhere. But I imagine that most personal effects would be in the prison…I can’t say I have a lot of experience with prisons to be certain either way.”
”We also may not be able to defeat these spirits without their personal effects…but I am not a spirit guide to be sure…I just deal in herbs.” Valiard finished with a bit of a shrug.
He reaches down and scoops up the small lizard in his arms. "Is this little fellow yours, then, Lectrum? If so, may I run some tests on him?"
He quickly interjects, "Of course you can!"
"Don't worry, I promise he won't be harmed - I've already vivisected enough shocker lizards that doing so again wouldn't teach me anything new." The tiefling addresses Sly next, giving the little lizard a nightmarish grin and speaking in a tone that one might use for a pet dog or the like. "Hello there, little fellow! My name is Nikolay! Did you know that your biogalvanogenesis reflex operates through a series of postsynaptic electroplaque stacks? You didn't, did you?"
With an amazing knowhow which is strange to Lecturn he gives a serious response, "Yes that may be true of shocker lizards and my lineage may be along the same as theirs though I believe I am more related to a feline than a lizard." He smiles back at the professor not intimidated in the least in fact he seems almost boastful.
"Yes, that may be true of shocker lizards, and my lineage may be along the same as theirs, though I believe I am more related to a feline than a lizard."
When the shocker lizard in his arms speaks, the startled Nikolay almost drops the little creature. "My sincerest apologies to you - I did not realize that you possessed higher brain functions!"
Nikolay listens to Valiard's report of the conditions at the prison, a growing look of dismay on his face. "The bound skull is a recurring motif in the works of the Whispering Way - it represents the manner in which they mutilate those they kill, so they might not reveal the secrets that sent them to their graves. If they believed their work of such importance that they would kill Lorrimor, it must have had great impact on their greater goals - the resurrection of one of the greatest tyrants in Ustalav's history." He scowls, his lambent red eyes blazing with fury. "What's more, those monsters killed my mentor. When I find them, I assure you that they will never harm anyone again."
The young alchemist points in the direction of the town. "In the village, the Harrowstone Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifices of the prison personnel, has been vandalized with blood for the past two nights. The day after Lorrimor's funeral, it bore the letter 'V,' and yesterday, it had 'V-E.' I had initially suspected that it was meant to spell 'vengeance,' but I now suspect that the unknown author is in fact this 'Splatter Man' you speak of. If the warden's wife was named Vesorianna, we should have exactly one week to combat these five spirits and bring rest to Harrowstone." He glances at Visayn. "I believe that you, Visayn, are our resident expert on the inhabitants of Harrowstone. You said that the five most notorious prisoners were Father Charlatan, the Lopper, the Mosswater Marauder, the Piper of Illmarsh, and the Splatter Man. My mother Marica was from Illmarsh - it's a coastal town, and most of its goods bear a unique form of waterproofing, so if this Piper's belongings were taken from the prison, they may have fallen into the hands of one who makes a living from the river."
Lectrum starts to think that his familiar might be smarter than he is. Will the embarrassments never cease?
He nods at Valiard's recap, but doesn't say much other than the occasional "I killed the haunted straightjacket." He's pretty lost as Nikolay seems to be talking incredibly quickly. He wonders if the personal items are in the river and maybe the group is going swimming? Can Sly swim? What does that do to the water? Is it like an electric eel? Why is everyone looking at me? Was I supposed to say something?
”And I am already not explaining this well. Alright. The short of it is that Harrowstone was a prison. A prison for some of the most vile and evil people that Ustalav had. Back in 4661 there was a prison break, and the mass of prisoners broke out. The warden at the time, sacrificed himself to start a fire and trap the prisoners in the prison, which burned down. The wife of the warden passed away from smoke inhalation and has remained here in the prison ever since.”
”Lectrum and I just had a bit of a chat with her. Seems that her husband’s spirit has been keeping the vengeful spirits of the prisoners contained all this time. Well, up until just recently. The wife saw black robed figures, who inscribed strange runes around the prison, worked some magic and captured the spirit of her husband and spirited it away, releasing the prisoners.
Visayn nods while listening to Valiard's report and Nikolay "Yes, we made our research at the temple of Pharasma and found out about prison fire, names of inmates and wife of the warden dying in the fire. That her ghost is still haunting, is new to me. If we believe her suggestion, we have to figure out what these items are and find them." he pauses while thinking of Doctor's words "To be honest, I don't think I have anymore expertise on the dead prisoners than you do."
"Okay the apparatus is ready for a spell level."
Raising an eyebrow as Nikolay begins speaking in a strange tongue. Børak assumes is some sort of lizard speak, about to ask what it meant, he grows silent as his friend tells of the funeral. Watching as Drake emerges from the hole in the wall, Børak notices the cat-sized lizard emerge from Lecturns back and scurry near.
Relieved that Nikolay had narrated the funeral, he listens as Valiard discusses their experiences in the Harrowtone. He wasn't surprised about how evil the prisoners were, but he'd not realized the Warden sacrificed himself. He was surprised that the wardens wife and maintained enough of herself to even speak, Børak listened intently about the professor's killer. Turning towards the dragonkin as he declared he'd killed the haunted straightjacket, Børak nodded making a mental note of the Guardians skill. Killing a haunted item was no small feat.
His brain focusing on finding the professors killer Børak drowned out most of the conversation. Feeling they needed to see the place themselves, Børak waited until Visayn was done speaking. Gesturing towards the area Drake had emerged from. "Here is another doorway into the prison. Who has a spell slot to open it?"
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