Lady Shae tried in vain to bite back her anger. Whoever had done this to the professor would pay and she would make damn sure of it. She let the power building in her build to its breaking point, lifting her hand to point towards the professor. The runes glowed brightly for a moment, then a ray of red flame erupted from her finger. Tears filled her eyes and her throat grew tight. She knew he was gone and the abomination in front of them was no longer her cherished friend, but it didn't ease the pain.
The zombified professor quickly falls before you, returned to the grave by your attacks. While this encounter left you in no real danger, it does create two new questions: what to do with the body, and what will you tell Kendra....
Looking down at the charred remains of the Professor a cold anger rose in Sorsul’s heart. ”Whomever did this…they must pay for it. We should first tell the authorities. The town must be warned that there is a necromancer active, as there will likely be more of the walking dead out there.”
Sighing as he nods his head in agreement with Sorsul, "True, on both counts. But what do we do with the body?" He gestures towards the graveyard, "I'd prefer we return the body to his grave, the question in my mind is if we do it now or in the morning?"
”Well…it is evidence, is it not? I can go now to summon the guards. You two can stay here with…with…the Professor.” She sighed. ”Maybe they will be able to help find the necromancer. Or at least will take this more seriously.”
Frowning, Sariel didn't love the idea of anyone knowing his dear friend had been so abused, but the wisdom in Sorsul's idea. Nodding, he turned towards Lady Shae, "I am willing to wait here with Lady Shae and the Professor."
Turning back towards Sorsul, "In the meantime, I will look for clues." kneeling beside the corpse of his friend, Sariel begins to carefully inspect the body and compare it to his training in magic and religion.
Running through the night, Sorsul made her way straight for the watch house. Despite the late hour, she was certain that there would be someone on duty. Throwing the door open, she only then stopped to catch her breath.
"Necromancer." She said, her face even more pale than usual. In between gasps of air, she continued "Someone is raising the dead. A zombie attacked us." A pained look crossed her face, as she found herself unable to say out loud that it was the professor whose remains had been desecrated. "My friends are still there at the scene. Please come, we don't know if there are more, or if whomever did this is still around."
Lady Shae was abnormally quiet during the whole proceedings, in her thoughts as it were. She knelt and scooped up Tobi, tears falling from her eyes and soaking into the fabric of her mask. Tobi mewed in support, putting his tiny paw on her cheek.
"Why would they do that? And having to cast magic on him... I feel like a monster." Her tears were flowing continuously, and a small sob stuck in her throat. She felt horrible for what she had done, even though she knew she had to. She cuddled Tobi as she gave into her sobs.
While waiting for the night watch, Sariel examines the professor's body and notices the face and jaw have been shattered. Considering that Kendra told you that he died when a piece of masonry broke loose and fell on him, this isn't surprising. You detect lingering traces of necromantic energy, but it's too faint to gain any information from.
Deputies Riff and Trestleblade arrive with Sorsul a few minutes later. "This ain't good," Trestleblade deadpans. "We'll check the area." All they find, however, are the professor's footprints leading back to his (now empty) grave.
Examining the professor's appearance, Sariel understood why Kendra had chosen a closed casket. Standing he sees Sorsul and the guard approaching, shaking his head he tells them, "There is lingering traces of necromantic energy, but too fain for me to gain any information."
Nodding as Trestleblade states the obvious Sariel asks, "Once you are done checking the area will you return the professors body to his grave, or should we take care of that?"
For her part Sorsul remained quiet. With the adrenaline having worn off, she was left feeling exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She was truly glad that Sariel was taking the lead on talking with the watch. Instead she walked over to Shae and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder to comfort her.
Feeling Sorsul's hand on her shoulder, she leaned into the comforting touch.
"It's just so wrong." She whispered through her cries. Petting her familiar and taking the support from Sorsul, she gained her composure and wiped her eyes, looking up at Sorsul.
"We need to find who did this. This is profane. I cant let this stand. Pharasma save us."
Trestleblade shrugs. "We'll wake up the gravedigger, and he'll take care of it. Unless you think it's better to burn it so it don't come back."
Already regretting they may need to tell Kendra her father's body had been desecrated, Sariel answers the guard, "Please wake up the gravedigger, I'd rather not burn the body if we don't need to."
He looks towards Lady Shae and Sorsul, Motioning towards the house. As he begins to walk that direction he adds, "I'm already concerned about how we will explain this to Kendra. Any thoughts?"
Sorsul shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm finding it hard to think clearly." She said as they walked. "I suppose we just tell her the truth. That someone raised the professor from the grave. Gods, it doesn't even sound real when I say it, does it?" She bit her lip, unable to continue talking. Instead, she lapsed into a thoughtful silence.
Once destroyed, an undead cannot be reanimated again without divine intervention.
Lady Shae nodded, wiping her eyes with one hand and cradling Tobi with the other. "Honesty is the best policy. I feel as though, as hard as it will be to hear, it is best if we tell her before she hears it from someone else. News like this carries, we need to get ahead of it."
Nodding in agreement with his two companions, Sariel gives a weak smile adding, "At least he cannot be reanimated again." Turning back towards the guards he adds, "thank you for your help." and begins to head back towards the Lorrimor home, considering what he will say to Kendra.
As he steps over the threshold Sariel takes off his black wide-brimmed brushed-felt hat and his heavy water-proof cloak, hanging them on the hooks near the door. Pausing as they enter the small home, he listens for a moment hoping to find Kendra's location. Eventually following the sound of a teacup being settled on its saucer, he heads towards the kitchen. Nodding out of habit to the blind woman, he pulls out one of the bent-wood backed chairs and then a second. Looking at his two companions he gestures towards the chairs as he moves to the fourth chair and clears his throat. "Good evening Kendra."
He pauses, looking towards the others, the discomfort of the situation clearly displayed in his dark grey eyes. Letting out a sigh, "We were in town looking for more information. Learning nothing of importance we started heading back this way. As we walked we were attacked by a zombie. Sadly, someone, we know not who, not yet at least. Well,"
He again looks towards his companions, wishing he was not the one telling the girl, blurting out, "Someone had animated your father, he was the zombie that confronted us." Not sure what else to say, he added. "We were able to overpower the zombie and contact the watch. They said they would see that your father's body will be returned to his grave."
Kendra fiddles with her handkerchief as you explain what happened. She brushes away a tear but remains strangely calm until you're finished. "It's my fault - it has to be. The curse ... I knew it would be more than what I've already suffered."
After a pause to compose herself, Kendra explains. "Sariel, old friend, I don't think I've ever told you how I really lost my sight. It was an illness, yes, but that's an oversimplification. Do you remember how I used to love music as a child? One of the items my father recovered during his travels was a composition book. The Necrotic Verse, I think was the title. He kept it high up on a shelf in his study and told me to leave it alone. But he was gone so much, and I was so curious. On his next trip, I climbed on a chair and took the book. I tried singing one of the songs inside, but it sounded wrong. I stopped singing, but the music kept playing inside my head. It wouldn't stop! I tried ripping the pages, but they wouldn't tear. I couldn't even cut them with a kitchen knife! I was so scared that I threw the book in the old well out back, and the music finally stopped. Then I got sick. I used a sending stone to ask Father to come home, but by the time he got back, I was on death's door. A priest was able to heal me, but my vision was gone. It's been years, but every now and then, I hear the music in my dreams."
Leaning forwards onto the table, Sariel listens as Kendra tells her story. His eyes widen as he takes in the full implications. He'd wondered why the professor had never spoken of it, now he knew. It was no wonder the professor retired and moved away, the guilt he must have felt leaving his daughter with such a dangerous piece of 'verse' able to be found. He nods as she explains that she sometime hears the music in her dreams, he too has nightmares he cannot easily explain. Reaching his hand forwards he rests it on hers, "I understand." Not knowing what else to do, he gives a light smile, "I'll make some tea."
As he gets up and moves to the stove, he considers what he knows about the book. Not wanting to ignore the others there, he turns to the ladies and asks, "Can I make a cup of tea for you two as well?"
Sorsul shifted uneasily from foot to foot. Not for the first time she was glad that she was traveling with a Pharasmite. Sariel’s willingness to wade into such emotionally fraught situations was commendable. She nodded at his question, looking at him with ever increasing respect.
She had no idea what she could say to Kendra. The pain of losing one’s eyesight and family? It was a heavy burden to bear. She opened her mouth to say something, closed it, and then eventually forced out ”For what it is worth we are here for you.” Feeling rather foolish, she added ”I’ll get the tea started.”
Lady Shae listened carefully as Kendra told her story, tears in her eyes. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Tobi scrambled out of Lady Shae's arms and jumped onto Kendra's lap, purring and head-butting her gently.
"Yes. You have us for as long as you need us." She opened her pouch, took out a cream-colored candy, and walked over to Kendra, putting the caramel sweet in her hand. "Eat this. It will help." she said with a smile.
Kendra thanks you for listening - and the tea - but is soon ready to retire for the night.
Nodding silently Sariel begins to clean up the cups and saucers. As he moves about the kitchen he asks the ladies, "So did we decide if we were going back to the temple one more time before we head to the prison or not?"
”To the prison. I was previously all for more research.” She said, her face grim. ”But someone desecrated the remains of…” She paused, unable to finish the sentence. ”I, for one, am in no state for sitting down and reading or analyzing. I want to feel like we are doing something. And going to the prison is exactly that.”
Nodding in agreement with Sorsul, Seamus agrees, "Then to the prison, first thing in the morning." having helped clean up the kitchen, he excuses himself and heads to the small room in the attic that he selected.
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Once again, the temple bells ring at midnight, but the night otherwise passes uneventfully.
Morning came, but it did not erase the pain that Sorsul felt. Even with the ascendency of the sun over the darkness of night, it did not erase the fact that someone had defiled the body of the professor, and that whomever had done so had did it deliberately. She hurriedly prepared herself to go to the prison, eating her breakfast quickly and with a purpose.
Having only woke briefly with the ringing of the bell, Sariel slept fairly well the rest of the night. Gathering his gear he carefully arranges his pack, checking everything and making sure it's in its place. Once ready he heads downstairs and puts tea on to boil and begins helping prepare breakfast. After eating a little, he finishes his tea and cleaning the pot attaches it to its place hanging from his rucksack.
Once everyone is ready, he gathers his cloak and hat at the door. Quietly asking, "On our way to the prison should we check the square to see if the statue has been despoiled again?"
The prison is located on a barren hill south of the town. The stark, sagging roof of its central structure is visible through a large gap in the surrounding wall, and a partially-overgrown track winds around the base of the hill and then back up along its southern slope to the prison itself. The prison grounds are contained within a crumbling stone wall, the eastern portion of which has fallen away into a huge, water-filled sinkhole. To the south, a sagging wood and metal gate set between a pair of stone guard towers once barred entrance into the prison, but the gates now hang negligently open, creaking softly in what wind touches the ruined bars.
"Alright." Sorsul said, as she looked over the prison. "We're here. I don't know what I was expecting. But...yeah." It was just that, an old, crumbling ruin. There was no evil villain waiting for them with a monologue. There was just a sagging metal gate, creaking softly in the wind. So she walked through it, looking around for anything that might stand out.
As they peer up the hill Sariel is surprised by prisons appearance. He'd expected fire damage, but hadn't realized time had done havoc to the rest of the structures. Looking from the crumbling stone wall to the sagging gates, he nods in agreement with Sorsul, "Not quite what I expected either."
Having worked with the Pharasmins dealing with ghosts and undead, dilapidated buildings were not strangers to Sariel. Nodding towards the two ladies, he takes point and begins to move through the front gates towards the small building on the left. Stepping through the gates, he takes his time, listening and watching for any dangers, natural or otherwise.
As you step through the gate, you experience a sudden rush of claustrophobia and the split-second sensation that your skin is on fire.
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The small brick manor house is overgrown with thick sheets of gray-green ivy. The roof sags ominously, and the front door hangs askew.
A wave of fear washed over Sorsul, and for a brief moment it felt like she was…no. No. The moment passed and she shook her head, chiding herself for letting her imagination run wild. It was humiliating to think that she almost let herself get so carried away, and she blamed it on the intense stress that they were all under.
”Let’s search the place. I don’t know what we expect to find, so all we can do is keep our eyes peeled. The roof looks unstable, and who knows what might be within. So we should stay within eyesight of each other and be ready to leave right away if the structure proves dangerous.”
Lady Shae shifted nervously in her traveling clothes, feeling awkward in her ensemble. Wearing pants was a strange departure from her gowns and fancy, but she had to admit, they were much better than the long skirts of her usual attire.
She looked around at the abandoned prison before her, shuddering at the strange pressure the cursed place gave off. With a small glance to make sure Tobi was right behind her, she followed behind her comrades.
Noticing a glint of fear in Sorsul's eye, Lady Shae put a reassuring hand on her arm. She smiled at the woman as she conquered her fear.
"I agree. Let us be careful. I have some healing candies but have yet to create a candy that can heal our friend, Sariel. My apologies."
She gripped her staff firmly and readied herself for their mission, with a quick check to make sure her magical candies were still attached to her hip.
As you approach the house, you notice that the building is so unstable that it'll likely collapse if there's too much movement while inside. Of course, the lack of fire damage means it's possible that there are still valuables or information to be found inside.
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”This building is ready to collapse. I can’t imagine that the necromancer has been using it. I’d rather come back to it, and only if we need to.” She said eyeing it warily.
"Give me a moment." Lady Shae closed her eyes and focused, her skin beginning to glow with runes while she concentrated on her question. Skin still shining, Lady Shae began to snore quietly. Her head nodded back and forth before she abruptly awoke. The runes blinked out, with no evidence they were ever there.
Pausing as Sorsul tells them the building is ready to collapse, Sariel comes to a stop, nodding when Lady Shae says to 'give her a moment.'
Woe
Lady Shae shook her head. "I don't think adventuring into this building will bring any good to us. I recommend we avoid it if we can." She shivered, and Tobi rubbed against her leg, meowing gently to comfort his witch.
While he found the idea of a house outside of a prison curious, Sariel was in no mood to allow himself to be distracted. Nodding in agreement with the dream witch, "If you feel it's best to be avoided we should avoid it."
Gesturing towards the prison itself, he pulls his hat down to block out the sun, and begins to move that direction.
A two-story stone building looms in the center of the prison grounds. Ivy and moss cling tenaciously to the walls, while above the wooden shingles of the roof are often missing entirely, exposing the wooden rafters of the upper structure to the sky. Here and there, leering stone gargoyles perch on the eaves, once functioning as drainspouts and decorations but now seeming almost to serve a more ominous role of sentinels. Many of these stone decorations have crumbled away and lie in ruined piles on the soggy ground below. Windows in the building’s facade are narrow and blocked by grills of rusty iron bars. Stone columns support a slumping wooden balcony over the building’s wooden front doors, both of which hang askew and reveal dark glimpses of chambers within.
You notice that the balcony above the entrance appears structurally unsound.
”This building is only marginally safer. Look up there. The balcony looks like it is going to fall apart by itself. We need to walk carefully.” She cautioned as they entered. ”So how do we want to do this? I have to admit that I’m not used to exploring…” She waved her hand as she tried to think of the right word. ”…dungeons, and the like.”
Moving slowly forwards Sariel takes in the two-story stone building. Looking up towards the balcony as Sorsul observes its dilapidated condition. Distracted for a second when she waives her hand, he chuckles at the idea of exploring a 'dungeon.' "We'll I'm not sure dungeon is the term, but it certainly fits as 'the like' being a prison and all." He moves closer to the wooden front doors, peering into the darkness. At least once they were inside his vision would no longer be inhibited.
Turning towards his companions, "We should probably go one at a time in case the thing may fall. I am willing to go first." As he moves towards the doors intent on crossing under the balcony, he keeps a keen eye out for the safest path.
This was once a wide hall flanked by a pair of waiting rooms, but the foyer to Harrowstone now lies in ruins. With little left to hold up the ceiling, the wooden beams above sag dramatically. The wall to the north contains a large pair of oaken doors.
See the large pair of oaken doors, Sariel calls back to the ladies. "The foyer is in ruins, but the entrance doors seem sturdy enough, let me see if I can open them, if so you should be able to join me. If not, we may need to find another way."
Having shared his intentions with his friends, he attempts to open the large pair of oaken doors.
"Not a bad idea. We should stick to the areas that are not ready to fall apart."
Streaks of mold stain the walls of this foyer, and the floor below is a thick, gray carpet of fungal growth. Sturdy wooden doors beckon from every wall.