Aiden moves to check another of the shelves, setting down his bow.
Most of the books on the shelf are classical literature (probably contemporary in Maynard's time), occult tomes with false or misleading information and several manuals on stone carving.
You do manage to find a dusty journal that details Maynard's endeavors to inscribe every cobblestone in the town with a warding spell. A short passage touches on the Black Carriage. The old cleric speculates that if the specter's true name was known and burned in the sacred censer along with a blend of three herbs that the undead could be banished forever. Maynard mentions that he had the censer sent to the province's record keeper.
Emma gets an excited look on her face as she reads through the journal and quickly shows it to the others, "It's not everything, but it's more information than we had before. This also explains how this town was spared. Alright, this is coming with us." She 0says, putting the journal in her bag, "Let's do a quick search of the rest of the house and make sure he didn't have any other information pertaining to this hidden somewhere else here. Hopefully, we can put a stop to this for good, but we still need to know how to free the souls that were taken." She says while taking a quick look at the desk for anymore clues.
"Agreed. Gathering the censer and herbs sounds like the key, hopefully banishing it will restore anybody affected by it." Aiden adds.
Emma nods, "I really hope so. We also need to find out his real name."
The desk holds no more clues.
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Before Emma puts the journal away, Aiden takes a detailed read-through, paying close attention to the herbs listed as part of the ritual.
Aiden is quite familiar with the herbs described. He also knows they grow exclusively in swampy areas.
While Rosie doesn't know specifics, she's heard of a town where most Ladora's records were once kept before censuses and local recordkeeping became a fixture of modern life.
"There's a place...somewhere in the province that has old records," Rosie shares. "Thing is...I don't know which town it would be. We should ask for directions before leaving. It might help."
"That makes sense. In the process if we come across any swampy areas, I can likely find the herbs needed." Aiden replies.
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Emma tries to think back and see if she can recall any useful information.
As she's thinking she suggests, "Let's look quickly through the rest of the house before we go, and make sure we're not missing any helpful bits of information or clues. I don't want to rush out of here and miss something that could be important or useful."
Strangely, Emma recalls a conversation with Ervan when she first met the grumpy dwarf. They had been talking about books and the dwarf had mentioned a grand library in Tettledun, a town near the coast. Ervan had mentioned that there was a section that was off-limits to guests since there were valuable records there.
---
The rest of the investigation turns up little: Maynard's quarters, a small washroom and alchemy lab that had not seen use in ages. Even careful examination of the upstairs rooms provides no additional clues or supplies.
As they're looking around the house, Emma gets a look of remembrance on her face and blurts out, "Tettledun!! That's the name of the town! It's near the coast and has a grand library that has a section that's off limits to visitors, because it holds some really old important records there. I'm sure we'll run across swamp land on our way there. Let's hurry and get out of here, now that I remembered the name of the town we need. We can take care of the animals, wash up, get a bite to eat, and then be on our way. What do you guys think?" She rattles on, while making sure she packs up all the useful bits of information they found.
Slinging her bag back over her shoulder, Emma hurries back downstairs towards the front door. Feeling hopeful for the first time that they might actually be able to put an end to this curse for good.
"It's the best lead we have. While we're on the way we can figure out a way to convince them to let visitors into this forbidden section." Aiden replies, agreeing with Tettledun as their next destination.
You emerge back into the fresh air and the old man appears in nearly a blink of an eye to lock up the gate once. "Hope you found what you wanted."
Emma nods, "Yes thank you. We found some very promising leads that might help us put an end to this dark carriage and it's driver once and for all. We just need to find some ingredients, and talk to the current record keeper in the library in Tettledun. Then no one has to suffer from this curse ever again, and the ones that have been most recently taken, should be able to return. This was such a big help, thank you so much. Is there somewhere we can get cleaned up and something to eat before we head back out on the road?" She asks, excitement evident in her voice at their findings.
"You can go to Ernest's place," the old man answers, pointing a bony finger down the road you traveled earlier. "Near the other end of town with the stables. Can't miss it."
"Thanks." Aiden replies with a nod of appreciation as they head back to the wagon.
As soon as they get back to the wagon, Emma packs what they found at the manor in her bag. "I really feel like we have a good chance of ending this now."
"If everything else falls into place like this, that would be nice." Aiden replies.
Emma nods as she climbs back up onto the wagon, "Yes, that would be very nice. Let's just hope for the very best moving forward. Hopefully we find everything we need in a timely manner, and can finally put that spirit to rest, and be done with the carriages dark ride once and for all." She says, with determination in her voice.
Clyde opts to walk as they move through town. He looks down at the ground. "Must have taken Maynard a long time to inscribe every stone."
"Seems like he was very dedicated," Rosie says. She points to a sign reading "Ernest's Bed and Board". "This must be the place."
A young man watches you from the stables for a moment and, when you come to a stop, he hurries up to you. "Want me to take your horse?"
"Yes, thank you." Aiden says as her gets down from the cart, helping Emma down before unhitching Smoke.
The young man gently leads Smoke away and a stocky young woman comes to move the cart to the side of the stables.
Emma smiles as Aiden helps her down from the cart, "Thank you love." Turning towards the others she says, "Let's go see what they have. Maybe we can get cleaned up before heading out again, unless you guys think we should stay the night and head out first thing in the morning? I wasn't sure how everyone was feeling." She says, unsure if pushing themselves to keep going would be a good idea.
"Searching the manor wasn't too difficult," Rosie says. "We still have plenty of daylight left. Might be able to make it to Turner's Pike before the sun sets."
Clyde nods, holding the door open for everyone. "Can't let too much time slip away."
Emma nods, "Yeah, I just wanted to check with everyone. I don't want to waste too much time either. We'll just eat, get freshened up a bit, and be on our way then." She says, while entering the establishment.
Aiden simply nods as they enter.
A few tables dot the main room. Most are occupied by a group of laborers. An elderly man stands behind a bar, cleaning some plates.
Emma approaches the bar and speaks to the man behind it, "Excuse me Sir, are you the owner of this establishment?"
"I am, " the man answers, giving the group a polite nod. "What can I do for you and your friends?"
Giving him a smile she says, "We're on our way to Turner's Pike, but we need a good meal and a chance to wash up a bit before we continue on our way. We were hoping we could grab a bite here, and see if there was a way we could wash up?" She asks, feeling grungy from riding on the cart and going through the old dusty manor.
After a moments thought she gestures to Aiden, "Oh, and he's not just my friend, he's also my husband. These are our friends, Rosie and Clyde." She adds, gesturing to Rosie and Clyde in turn.
"Two copper for the special of the day and three for a bath," the man answers. "Water's hot and towels are clean. Special is fried trout and some potatoes."
Rosie digs out three silver coins. "Two should cover our meals and baths and one for you, sir."
The man chuckles. "'Sir'? Well, young lady, I can tell you were raised well. Have a seat and I'll bring your food."
Emma looks over at Rosie as they make their way to a table, "Thanks for the meal and bath Rosie, I appreciate it. Next time we stop, I'll treat us." She says with a smile, while taking Aiden's hand as they sit at the table.
Giving the man a nod, Aiden takes a seat, running his thumb affectionately along the back of Emma's hand as he looks around the establishment.
Leaning into her beloved slightly she says, "I wonder if we can get a map of the area from someone here? It would be nice to have some idea where we might encounter swampy areas instead of just wandering around aimlessly, hoping to find some. I'd like to get a better lay of the land if at all possible."
"Most people don't make maps, Miss Emma," Rosie says. "We can probably get directions to the next town or places of interest, but it would be up to us to keep up with it."
"I'm sure if we came across a city, we could get a map there," Clyde says. "But it's all countryfolk around here."
Aiden notices most of the people here are covered in wood or stone dust and wear artisan's clothing, giving credence to Clyde's assessment.
Emma shrugs, "You're probably right, but I'm not good at drawing stuff. I guess we could just ask if there are any swamps nearby and go from there. We just need to find those herbs that the thing was talking about for the ritual." Emma makes a face, "I know going into a swamp is not ideal and probably gonna be icky, but we just gotta find those plants.
The owner brings your meals to the table along with some water, juice and ale.