Sorsul's shadow destroys another stirge before it reaches her, but the final creature swoops toward Sariel unhindered.
With one creature left, Sorsul moved towards it. Letting her shadow pass over it, open wounds appeared where the shadow touched. She hoped to cut it down before it could do any more damage.
Dodging the stirge's attack, Sariel, reaches out with his empty hand, attempting to touch the stirge, using a portion of his innate energy to cause it to bleed.
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Sorsul's shadow slays the final stirge before it can cause any harm.
Relieved to see Sorsul's shadow bring down the last stirge, Sariel sheaths his sickle. Looking towards the ladies to make sure they are ok, Sariel leans over to Kendra and adds, "This does not normally happen. The other times we've been here the place was totally safe."
Breathing heavily, both from the exertion of the show, the adrenaline of the fight, and the sudden crash that was the quiet, Sorsul just stood there on the stage looking down at the bodies of the stirges. She looked around to see what the situation was like with the crowd before taking any further action.
While the crowd is justifiably frightened by what just occurred, your quick reactions to prevent the stirges from injuring anyone have kept them from panicking - an event that could have become deadly when this many people are in a confined space. The tension in the room is almost tangible, though, and your next actions could easily lead to a very large reaction - either good or ill....
Turning from Kendra, Sariel looks towards Sorsul. Realizing the 'entertainer' was looking towards the crowd, Sariel stands, Looking towards Sorsul, he begins to speak loudly over the din. "Well done Sorsul!" Turning he addresses the crowd, "Clearly our 'shadow' puppeteer has experience dealing with such threats! Let's give her a round of applause, it is nice to know we have such a capable friend!" and begins to applaud.
It took her a moment to register what Sariel said. Playing along she bowed to the crowd, hoping that the fear would subside. The last thing she wanted was for their fear turn to hostility. ”While not the finale I’d want, at least we can say the show was eventful.” She replied, trying to sound at ease. ”I am glad that the guard will be here soon to secure the area.” She added, as a subtle reminder to the crowd that violent action on their part wasn’t needed.
Lady Shae smiled and began to clap along with Sariel. "Most impressive, Sorsul! Thanks to you, we are all safe!" Tobi, seeing the coast was clear, ran up to Sorsul and pawed at her leg, mewing a thank you and obviously asking for hero scritches.
With a genuine smile to her compatriots, Lady Shae made her way over to Kendra. "Are you okay, love? Shall I escort you home?" She gently placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Have a sweet for your nerves. This one is blackberry flavored with a gooey tart center." She dug into her pouch, withdrew a candy wrapped in wax paper, and then handed it to the blind woman.
Clearly shaken, Kendra takes the candy and asks to be brought home.
After a pause, the townsfolk begin to applaud. Based on their expressions, you're on your way to winning them over. Speaking of which, once word of this reaches Father Grimburrow, there's a good chance he'll let you look at some of the 'restricted' books in the chapel library.
Lady Shae gently guides Kendra to her feet, rubbing her shoulders. "Of course, dear. This way." Lady Shae keeps holding Kendra for reassurance and support. She looks over at the other two, eyebrows raised.
"Do you have this handled here? Tobi and I will take Kendra home. I think she's had enough excitement for one night."
Tobi runs to the two women's feet, summoned by his name, and leads the way out of the building, careful not to stray too far from his witch and her friend.
As they walk through the dark streets, Lady Shae keeps a lookout, her eyesight near perfect in the gloom. As they walk, the Lady doesn't leave the younger woman's side, feeding her sweets the whole way home.
"That was a strange encounter. I didn't know sturges came into well-populated places. Have you heard of sturges attacking the townspeople before?" Careful to steer Kendra around pot holes and fallen branches, Lady Shae and Tobi keep their eyes and ears open for more trouble.
Smiling as Lady Shae addressed Kendra offering her a candy, Sariel was not surprised the young lady related better to another woman. Relieved that Kendra seemed to be ok, if not a little shaken, Sariel stands as well, "I will be heading out as well. He turns towards Sorsul, "I have an appointment in the morning, at a school of all places."
Gathering his great cloak and the floppy felt hat, Sariel prepares to escort the ladies back to the Lorrimor home, where he will spend the rest of the evening making notes about his experiences.
For her part, Sorsul bid farewell to her companions but deigned to stay at the tavern. With the crowd having warmed to their presence, and with the fatigue of her performance and the battle having set in, it seemed like a good time to sit down for a meal and a drink. Some relaxation felt well earned.
It seemed that the best course of action was for everyone to rest for the night and to visit Grimburrow the next day. With any luck they would be able to get access to books that were previously restricted.
"I haven't heard of that happening before," Kendra replies. "Did anyone else hear a flute before the stirges attacked, or was that just me?"
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As you're walking through the town square on the way to your various locations, you see the fountain is once again covered in gore. Most notable are bloody letters: V E.
Finding Kendra's question about 'hearing a flute' curious, Sariel shakes his head. Not surprised Kendra's hearing would probably be better than theirs, he makes a mental note of it as he readies for the morning.
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Having his notes prepared Sariel eats a hearty breakfast of oats with honey and apples and enjoys his first cup of tea. As they eat breakfast he asks the ladies, "Will you be headed to the temple to do more studying? I've promised Councilwoman Mirta I would tell her class about Lepidstadt this morning. If there is any time left, I will try and join you at the temple later." As he finishes his breakfast, he wonders why Pevrin doesn't take the classes. Intent on escorting the ladies as far as he can into town, Sariel gathers his cloak and hat and waits for them to be ready to leave. As they go he sees Pevrin coming to finish the leaves, calling to the boy he changes their plan, "Pevrin instead of raking leaves this morning, come with me to Ms Mirta's class, I will be speaking, you may enjoy it,"
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As the quartet finds their way to the square Sariel notes the fountain is once again covered in gore, including a second letter. Giving a telling look to the ladies, Sariel wants to comment about the investigation, but holds his tongue, not wanting to sound negative about the sheriff and his people in front of the boy. Instead, he gestures towards the school, "This is where Pevrin and I shall depart, I hope to see you later at the house, if not sooner at the temple."
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Having arrived at the school, Sariel introduced Pevrin to the councilwoman explaining he invited the boy. As the morning gets underway he stays out of the way, watching the interaction with the children. Once introduced he tells the kids his name and his upbringing in the orphanage in Lepidstadt, He tells of his Pharasmin training in a general sort of way, focusing on the city's temple, the Gravecharge. Being familiar with the University (due to his relationship with the professor) he talks about its history and how having a large university in a town can affect it, both socially and financially. To add a little 'spice' he tells the kids about the broader county 'Vieland' and it's incredible ancient stone monoliths, specifically the Spiral Cromlech near the town.
After the presentation he opens the floor for questions, giving as detailed accounts as he can about shops or the university or the church. But questions about his relationship to the professor, his official occupation with the church or the events of the previous evening, he remains vauge and quickly asks for another question. As the questions and answers die down, he turns to the Councilwoman, ready to turn the class back over to her.
Once again, Lady Shae wakes early to make candies. Making three healing candies for herself and Sorsul. "I really must figure out how to make candies for Sariel..." she muttered to herself.
Deciding to experiment, she spends the rest of the early morning trying different ingredients to see if she can make something new that doesn't use positive energy to heal.
After a few hours of experimentation, she cleans the kitchen, having failed to come up with anything. She didn't feel upset; she knew it would probably take some time to learn a new recipe, especially without any research first.
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Lady Shae made her way into town with the others and the child. When they made it to the middle of town, the lady gasped at the gore and message on the fountain. "I fear this is only going to get worse..." She rubbed Tobi for comfort, the cat purring, not at all disturbed by the gruesome sight. She feared for the boy; this was not something for a child to see. She quickly grabbed candy from her pouch and gave the wax paper-covered sweet to the boy. "Head on off with Sariel, now. When you get back, I will give you another."
She straightened her dress and nodded at Sariel. "I will meet you at the temple later. I am going to do some more research. Where are you headed, Sorsul?"
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Once she entered the temple, she asked the priest for permission to continue her research. "Good morning, Father. How is your day going? I have made you a new kind of candy. It is made with black coffee, and it is not too sweet. I hope you enjoy it!" She opened her pouch, shifted around for the coffee candy, and handed it to the man. "I would love to do some more research, perhaps some of the more restricted books, if that is alright with you?"
Smiling as Lady Shae dotes on the boy, Sariel nods in appreciation to her. I will see you later at the temple." Turning back to Pevrin he adds, "Come on Pevrin we don't want to be late for school." As they walk, he wonders why the boy isn't in classes all the time. Maybe he could give Pevrin a silver a day to go learn. He smiles to himself, it would 'kill two birds with one stone.'
Upon seeing the defacement of the town square, Sorsul gasped in surprise. She asked around, seeing if anyone nearby had seen anything occur. She was about to try and wash it off, but thought better of it, lest doing so remove any clues that the town guards could use. Instead, she went to summon them and explained what they had found. She hoped that her honest demeanor and actions would cause her and her companions to not be suspects. She further reiterated their offer to help in any way they could, an offer which might be better received after the incident with the stirges.
Later, she politely stood by Shae, happy to see the lady take the lead in talking with the priest. That she had made candy specific to the priest was a heartwarming sight.
Father Grimburrow reluctantly tries the candy. He chews on it thoughtfully before grunting. "Not creamy enough." That's a slightly better reaction to your last batch, though, so you're likely on the right track. Regardless of his feelings about the candy, the priest lets you browse some of the 'restricted texts.' Surprisingly, there's a book that mentions the Whispering Way! You don't have time to read the entire thing, but it's definitely something worth coming back to.
Information
The Whispering Way itself is a series of philosophies that can only be transferred via whispers — the philosophies are never written or spoken of loudly, making the exact goals and nature of the secretive philosophy difficult for outsiders to learn much about.
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You and Pevrin arrive at the small school and meet with the councilwoman. Getting Pevrin enrolled will require his father's permission, of course, but she doesn't see any reason why he can't visit for the day. Your presentation is well-received, and you're bombarded with questions about life in the "big city." Due to the children's interest, you're there for a large portion of the day. Once you're finally finished, Councilwoman Mirta thanks you profusely and offers you a plate of homemade puff pastry swirls. "Just to warn you, I put a tiny bit of garlic in these. It's not enough to hurt you, but it should add a little spice that I'm hoping will be pleasant."
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You stick around and watch the sheriff and his deputies begin their investigation. This time, the animal appears to have been a cow, so they're focusing on figuring out where it came from. Their initial guess regarding the letters is that they're the vandal's "calling card." That seems much more reasonable than Deputy Vrodish's suggestion that "It's the ghosts like from the tavern. The same ones that stole my bear!" Vrodish, it seems, isn't the brightest chap.
Lady Shae smiled at the priest's reaction to her candy. "I will try again and bring them to you tomorrow. Thank you for the feedback." Lady Shae was not upset in the least, loving the challenge of making the perfect candy for the man.
Looking at Sorsul, she nods and heads back to the restricted books.
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After reading and finding out more about the Whispering Way, Lady Shae closes the book and sighs.
"So, Sorsul, I need to go by the market before we head back. Would you like to join me?" She smiled dreamily at her friend, hands busy petting Tobi.
After returning the books to their places, Lady Shae made her way to the market to pick up some heavy cream for the priest's next batch of candies. As they walked toward the manor, Lady Shae looked over to her companion.
"I feel that we may be making good headway with the town's people. I only hope we can continue to befriend them."
Tobi padded quietly behind his witch, taking in the smells and sights of the market square. After securing the ingredients she needed, she headed back to the manor.
First, she checked in with Kendra.
"Hello, dear. How are you feeling today? Did you get rest?"
”It would be my pleasure.” She responded. As they walked, she brought up what was overheard from the watch’s investigation. ”I think that the idea of a calling card is a good one. I wonder, though, if it is in reference to anything in this town’s history. When we go back to the temple, we should all keep an eye out for anything which might fit.” She suggested.
Pleased that the counsil woman and the children enjoyed his presentation, Sariel smiled and nodded at Mirta's answer, looking down towards Pevrin, he adds, "Hear that? What do you think of the idea of asking your dad about you going to school?" Accepting the plate of pastriy swirls he asks, "May I share these with my friends, it may help insire them to come speak to the class as well."
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Having finished his day at the school and dropping Pevrin off at his father's establishment, Sariel continues on his way back to Kendra's home.
Kendra smiles and gives you a nod. "Yes. It was a relaxing day."
"I dunno," Pevrin answers. "Today was neat, but I don't wanna do boring homework." Mirta has no issue with your sharing the pastries with your companions. "Come back any time. I'll bake you more if you do."
”It appears that we are making some headway in our research.” Sorsul said. ”But whomever is vandalizing is getting bolder, so I worry about how much time we have left. I’d like to go to the town hall to see if there are records to go through. Specifically on the old prison. I wonder if the initials might be in reference to something, or someone, from the town’s past.”
Taking the plate of goodies with him, Sariel gathers his cloak and hat, turning "I will see if a couple of my friends may come speak to the class and bring the plate back."
As Pevrin and Sariel walk away from the school, he nods at the boys comment. [n]"It's up to you, if you'd like to learn more, please ask your father. The rest of the time I'm here in town, I would still pay you a silver a day."[/b]
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Having arrived back at Lorrimor home, Sariel offers to help with supper. As the conversation picks up, Sariel considers Sorsul's idea. He'd not considered the letters on the statue having anything to do with anything from the prison, but he was willing to spend some time at the town hall investigating the prison. "Reasearch at the town hall seems like a good idea." Giving toothy smile, he adds, "But I do enjoy the night, it might be fun watching and waiting for the vandals."
The town square is quiet. Old River, the dog, dozes near the posting poles. Old Man Harkon drunkenly snores from a nearby ditch. You'd seen him stumble out of the Laughing Demon Tavern earlier, so he's likely sleeping off the booze. It's almost midnight when you hear a quiet wailing. "ooooOOOOooOOOOoooohhhhh" A few moments later, a ghostly figure emerges from the shadows between two buildings and jerkily moves toward you!
Hearing the odd moaning coming from the 'ghostly figure' Sariel raises an eyebrow as he turns towards his two friends. "Odd creature."
The ghostly figure appears to be heading toward the ditch where Old Man Harkon is sleeping. It doesn't appear to have any animal parts or viscera, but you're unsure whether or not it has hostile intent.
”Stay back.” Sorsul said, as she moved between the ghostly figure and Old Man Harkon. ”I warn you that I will cut you down if you come any closer.”
Watching the creature, Sariel is distracted trying to determine it's nature. Realizing that Sorsul had moved forwards and was warning the creature, Sariel quickly stepped out of the shadow and joined her. Furrowing his brow, he calls to the apparition, hoping to get it to look their direction. "Hey!" As he speaks his faces changes, becoming pale, his eyes turn black and his mouth turns almost muzzle like. When he opens his mouth to speak his reveals sharpened fangs. He stares at the creature, his gaze becoming hypnotic, his voice gravely, sounding like he's speaking in two separate registers, commanding the creature in taldan "Do not touch the old man"
Tobi hisses and hold his ground, alerting Lady Shae out of her quiet slumber.
Seeing that something is happening, Lady Shae grabs her staff and moves forward to support Sorsul. "You are not to harm anyone in this town! Back down now or be stopped!"
She quickly looked over the being, trying to figure out what the best course of action would be.
The ghostly figure freezes in place as the three of you reveal yourselves. "Whoa, there, I'm meanin' no harm!" it whispers loudly. "I'm gonna prank Old Man Harkon. Don't ruin it!" The spirit's voice is familiar, and as it takes a cautious step out closer, you realize it's not a ghost at all - it's Zokar covered in a sheet!
Rolling his eyes at Zokar, Sariel waves at the man, "Sorry, thought you might be dangerous." Not happy that he'd 'revealed' his true nature or that he'd not been able to identify a non-threat, Sariel quickly turns, muttering to the others "Well that was embarrassing."
As he speaks he quickly looks back towards the statue, wondering if they were on a wild goose chase.
Picking up Tobi with a sigh, Lady Shae backed down, smiling to herself content to watch the silly prank play out. Tobi growled quietly but didn't object to being picked up. With the perceived threat resolved, Lady Shae sat back down, unwrapping a small candy and popping it in her mouth. She looked around quickly, taking in the surroundings for anything else out of place.
Zokar smiles and holds up a shushing finger before pulling the sheet back down and sneaking over to Old Man Harkon. He taps the man's shoulder a few times, and then, just as the drunk's eyes open, yells "BOO!" Predictably, Old Man Harkon yells in fright ... and then throws a surprisingly powerful punch into Zokar's stomach. "Ain't gonna get me ya dang spirit!" Zokar doubles over, and then gasps as Old Man Harkon breaks an empty bottle of liquor against a stone and begins to stand up. "Harkon, stop! It's me, Zokar! I'm not a spirit!" Zokar beats a hasty retreat as Old Man Harkon stumbles after him. After only a few steps, however, the drunk trips over his own feet and tumbles back into the ditch. Within moments, he's snoring once again.
Completely confused by the entire series of events, Sariel follows the drunk, shaking him before the fellow can totally drift off, asking, "So is it common for you to see spirits here abouts?"
Lady Shae couldn't help it, she let out a bark of laughter as the scene played out. Noticing Sariel approaching the drunk, she followed, snickering to herself. Tobi stayed close to his witch, eyes wary and fur bristled.
"There's shpiritsh everywhere. Ever since the prison. Whole town'sh haunted."
Sorsul frowned. The night had been wasted due to the drunken escapades of locals. They had all lost rest, relaxation, and sleep, just to see their stakeout ruined. She took a deep breath to collect herself. It was good that Sariel was at least trying to get some information, even though she couldn't shake the feeling that drunken ramblings would be just that.
Shaking his head, Sariel remembered an ancient Azlanti quote the professor used. Mumbling to himself, as he turned and walked away from the drunk. "in vino veritas"
Exhaling he looks towards the others, Quoting. "Spirits everywhere, since the prison. Maybe we should focus on gathering information about the prison tomorrow and plan to head there sooner than later?"
"Agreed. Tomorrow morning we can gather information and then we will visit it. First during the day, and if need be we can try at night as well. But for now, we should get some sleep."
As you head back to the Lorrimor residence, you run into a shuffling figure heading in the same direction. As you get closer, you realize it isn't Zokar ... or another drunk ... but a zombie! To be more specific, it's Professor Lorrimor!
Nodding in agreement with Sorsul, Sariel began to move towards the Lorrimor home. When he was hunting alone he would work at night and sleep through the brighter parts of the day. Now, committed to helping Ms. Lorrimor and working with Sorsul and Lady Shae, he understood the need to be flexible and work during the day.
As he pondered these things he approached the shuffling figure. Understanding how the three of them might appear to a 'normal person' in the middle of the night, Sariel made sure he was loud enough so as not to surprise the owns person. "A good idea Sorsul, gather a little more information then..." As he spoke, he realized the figure was not a drunk or Zokar, but the Professor.
Dumbfounded he blurts out, "Professor?"
Following her companions, Lady Shae absent mindedly petted Tobi on the head. "Well, that was an event, for sure. I hope they both get home alright." She was smiling to herself, not noticing her companions were frustrated. She hummed gently to herself as she followed behind the group, tuning out the rest of the world and sucking on a caramel candy she had made the day before.
Then she looked up and saw the shuffling figure. Sure it was just Zokar, she almost overlooked it, until she noticed the clothing the figure was wearing. Was that..?
When Sariel shouted his exclamation, Lady Shae immediately stiffened. With a quick, agile movement, she placed Tobi on the ground, who ran behind her, growling viciously. She grasped her staff and her skin began to glow with runes.
Sorsul froze, a look of horror on her face. She had thought that the night was well and truly over. To see not only a zombie, but the reanimated corpse of the Professor...to say that it was a shock was an understatement. She took an unvoluntary step backwards, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Mutely, she shook her head as if though to deny the reality of what was happening.
The zombified Professor Lorrimor slowly turns around at the sound of Sariel's surprised exclamation and growls - at least as best as it can with its face and jaw smashed. As far as you can tell, there's no intelligence left in your former friend.
Shaking his head, This should not have happened to the professor." Breathing a sigh, he reaches under his open collar and presents his holy, breathing a prayer to Pharasma.
Seeing the zombified professor stagger, but not fall, Sorsul walked forward. Despite her best efforts her eyes watered as she did what she knew had to be done. Silently she swore that she would even the score with whomever had done this...