"Tonight's special is beefsteak and kidney pie. The meeting's going to be at the town hall. You're welcome to attend; the whole town's invited."
Nodding to the server, Sariel sighed. He didn't mind small portions of meat used for flavoring like in a broth or noodles, but the quantity of meat in a kidney pie would get the taste of flesh in his mouth for days. Turning his teacup on its saucer he asks, "May I have the 'soup of the day' and some bread please."
Turning to the others, "I've not been to the town hall." He looks towards Lady Shae raising an eyebrow, hoping her Patron may had provided an answer.
"Well, we are about to go." Sorsul said, as she followed Sariel's lead on ordering food. She did not have much in the way of appetite following their excursion, but some soup would do well to fill her stomach.
Seeming to fall asleep again, several moments pass before the noblewoman opens her eyes with a start.
"I fear I have no news from my Patron on this matter. I am sorry for the lack of information. But I believe going to the town hall might be prudent."
Lady Shae orders her meal and sips on her ale as she waits.
The barmaid brings you some potato soup and hard bread to eat it with.
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By the time the meeting begins at sunset, the town hall is packed to standing room only. Over sixty villagers are present, and many more are gathered outside. As the crowd waits for the councilors to begin, they share reports of their own eerie experiences and demand solutions. It's very clear that the overall atmosphere is ... spooked.
Dipping the hard bread in the potato soup, Sariel has a cup of tea afterwards. Waiting in town until the meeting he moves around speaking with people, listening for anything else of interest.
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AS they enter the town hall, Sariel realizes over sixty villagers are present. Raising an eyebrow as they begin to share their eerie experiences, he leans towards his friends, "Everyone seems spooked."
Sorsul nodded, not sure how to feel about about that. On one hand it meant that the people would take things seriously…on the other it made being an outsider dangerous.
Lady Shae walked into the town meeting with her comrades, looking around to see if anyone she knew by sight was missing from the meeting. She looked over each person's face and tried to tally off the villagers.
Tobi made his way around the room, looking for any strange smell that didn't belong, hoping to ferret out any beasts that may try to attack like the stirges from before.
The members of the town council have yet to arrive, but you notice Sherif Benjan Caeller keeping watch by the door. You also notice the town apothecary is absent. Tobi doesn't notice any strange scents, but that could be due to the number of people in attendance.
More than a few people blame Alendru, the owner of The Unfurling Scroll for the town's disturbances. "That creepy old wizard killed the Avanaki boy a while back, everyone knows it!" Others think it's the ghost of the Harrowstone warden's wife. "You can hear her wailin' and sobbing in the ruins at night, forever mourning her husband and attempting to frighten anyone who intrudes on the prison. I bet Petros riled her up, and she killed him!"
You're too distracted by Luramin Taigh , who's busy trying to get someone to proofread the novel he wrote. It's some sort of human and undead romance, and considering the current mood of the town, his timing is absolutely terrible.
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Catching up with the ladies before they enter the town hall, Sariel comments, "I gathered a little information, a lot of folks think Alendru, the owner of the Unfurling scroll had something to do with a boys death. Maybe we should speak to him and see if we can help sort it out." He paused, "Also several folk commented about the Harrowstone warden's wife haunting the place. Maybe we should speak to her when we head back."
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As they enter the town hall waiting for the council members, Sariel stays near the ladies, wanting to present a unified front.
Sorsul made her way over Luramin, finding herself quite amused at his antics. Thus far, her life had become far from stable, with intense ups (such as suddenly inheriting what to her was a fortune) to abysmal lows (such as having to cut down the walking corpse of the man to whom she owed her freedom). To say that it was emotionally draining would be an understatement. But the image of the man, busily trying to find someone to proofread a penny dreadful was the first thing since she came to town that truly made her want to laugh. And that alone was something which helped keep her sanity. "Excuse me." She said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't help but overhear you. While I do not pretend to be even remotely qualified to proofread your book, if you have a copy of it I would gladly read it and give you my feedback. That would be useful before it gets published?" She asked him with a small smile.
After the conversation with him concluded, she made her way back to her companions. "Both good suggestions." She said. "We should also see if we can get an idea of who *isn't* here. It would help us narrow down who might be making the graffiti, should it occur while this meeting happens."
Meeting back up with the others, Lady Shae whispered to the others. "I've noticed the apothecary isn't present. Perhaps we should keep an eye on them?"
Tobi ran back to his witch and jumped into her arms before beginning to purr, relaying his findings. With an absent-minded pet of his ears, Lady Shae grabbed a chair where she could see the exit, deciding to keep watch just in case anyone tried to slip out unnoticed.
Luramin eagerly gives you his book to proofread. "I'm at The Silk Purse when you're done with it. I'd love to hear your thoughts - especially if they're positive!" He chuckles nervously.
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About ten minutes past sunset, the council members enter the town hall and move up to the podium. Councilman Hearthmount assures everyone that the council is taking the vandalism seriously and is actively looking into solutions. He urges the townsfolk to stay calm and to "trust the process." The sheriff and his deputies have things well under control, after all. "Investigations like this take time, so your patience is appreciated."
Predictably, this lack of substance and concrete information isn't well-received at all. The townsfolk grow more and more agitated as the speech goes on, and it isn't long before you can barely hear Councilman Hearthmount over the shouted questions from the crowd. That's when things suddenly take a turn for the worse. All of the lanterns in the town hall suddenly explode, dousing the walls with burning oil. As the room erupts in flames, the townsfolk truly panic.
Sorsul sat in the back of the townhall, with her back to the door. From there she reasoned that she could see the townsfolk the best, to include anyone coming in, so that it would be easier to determine who was missing. Finding the person committing graffiti was a priority, afterall.
Sitting in the back near Sorsul, Sariel listens as the sheriff shares and the crowd, predictably begins to turn into a mob. Unpredictably, the lanterns explodes catching everything aflame. Frowning, Sariel sighs, "This is unexpected."
Sitting by her comrades, Lady Shae tried to keep an eye on the door until the lanterns exploded, leading to mayhem and chaos. She jumped up and called out for Tobi, who came running to his witch, before she jumped into action.
"We need to get the people out!" she yelled over the chaos.
As panicked screams erupt throughout the burning town hall, Sherif Caeller leaps into action, throwing open the doors so people can exit. Unfortunately, the large amount of people inside means this won't be quick - especially as most of the townsfolk seem to have lost all common sense as 'mob mentality' takes over.
Jumping to her feet, Sorsul moved to the door. In a clear and loud voice, something she was quite used to, she began to direct the crowd. Almost as dangerous as the fire, a scared mob would lead to many an injury and possibly a few deaths. It seemed imperative to get people moving quickly and safely before a stampede started.
Lady Shae quickly springs into action, guiding those confused and falling behind to safety. She directs her familiar to help as well, and Tobi begins to try to lead the citizens to the exits.
Unwilling to use his dark magic to try and convince folks to move in an orderly fashion, Sariel calls out, "Everyone move in a slow and orderly fashion. Once outside form a bucket brigade." As he calls out, he tries to determine what may have caused the lanterns to explode.
You quickly and efficiently begin directing the panicked townsfolk out of the burning building. While you're able to maintain a semblance of order, the sheer number of people will make evacuating a time-consuming process. The situation quickly worsens a few moments later when two flaming skulls fly in through the open doors, blocking the exit.
As far as you can tell, the cause of the exploding lanterns was either magical or supernatural in nature.
Two flaming skulls flew in, one passing right through Sorsul’s shadow. The skull quickly fell to the ground, a line forming right down the middle. It clattered to the floor, split in two.
Seeing the two flaming skulls fly in, Sariel tries to figure out what he can do to help. Freezing for a split second, worrying that his 'channel energy' may not be enough to bring the undead down. He watches as Sorsul's shadow slits the first skull. Deciding to try his Hypnotic Gaze he yells at the second skull.
"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 Necril "Go back to your master"
He watches the creature, considering following it, to see if it would lead them to whomever was causing this.
Aware that her magic might not be practical, Lady Shae tries her hardest to douse the flames. With her cloak, she begins batting at the flames, trying to smother them before they get out of hand.
"I only have fire magic to fight with! I don't think that is the best thing right now! I'll keep the flames at bay the best I can!"
Beating at the flames and with sweat glistening her brow, Lady Shae directs her familiar to watch her back. The small feline, with its fur on end, yowls furiously, ready to attack when needed.
As Sorsul dispatches a skull and Lady Shae begins extinguishing the closest fire, Sariel attempts to command the other skull. Unfortunately, the spirit completely ignores the dhampir's black speech and attacks a nearby citizen, setting his clothes ablaze.
One skull down. One more to go. Sorsul drew a dagger and made a stabbing motion with it toward’s the skull. The blade never touched, but her shadow did, moving as she willed it rather than as the light would have normally cast it. A hole was punched through the skull, just as what would have happened if a blade had truly connected.
”We need to help the wounded and to get the rest of the people out of here.” She called out.
"Blast!" Cursing as he realizes his dark charm was not enough to command the undead, Sariel is relieved to see Sorsul's shadow was more than up to the task. Realizing the creature had caught a woman aflame, Sariel moves towards her. Drawing off his cloak he throws it over her, hoping to extinguish the flames.
Lady Shae continued to fight the fire, smothering the flames as best she could.
With another bout of flames squashed, Lady Shae wipes her brow and looks around the room, seeing Sorsul down a skull.
"Way to go Sorsul! One left!"
Sorsul dispatches the other skull as Lady Shae extinguishes another bit of burning wall. The flames continue to rapidly spread, though, and without a concentrated effort, it's likely that the building will be reduced to ashes. Meanwhile, Sariel extinguishes the unconscious woman's smoldering clothing.
"Everyone out!" She called out. "I'll break any more skulls that come through, but everyone needs to get away from the flames!" She stood her ground at the door, doing her best to get the crowd out in an orderly fashion.
Relieved he was able to put the fires out on the unconscious woman, Sariel realizes they may not be able to save the building, but he could save this woman. Taking hold of her wrists, he begins to move backwards out of the building, dragging her along.
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The flames continue to spread as Sariel drags the unconscious woman out of the burning building and Sorsul continues directing the people still inside. By this point, the fire has grown too big for Lady Shae to have a chance of containing without copious amounts of assistance, but she's managed to at least slow the spread long enough for people to escape. It takes only a little longer for everyone to get to safety. As the town hall burns, Sherif Caeller (the last person to leave the building aside from yourselves) comes to you with a simple request. "Please help us find out who did this."
Having gotten the woman outside, Sariel tries to make her comfortable as he watches the building burn. Noticing the sheriff leave the burning building, and approaching them, Sariel turns towards Caeller. Nodding as the sheriff asks, he looks towards the others watching for a nod, "I would be willing to, what information can you give us?"
Sorsul watched as the townhall burned with a pained look on her face. Between the arson and the excursion into the prison, it had been a physically and emotionally draining experience. Adding to Sariel's request she said "Without a doubt we will help. If you could include any information on the graffiti, that would be helpful. I fear that these might be connected."
"To be completely honest, we don't have much. We've been interviewing the townsfolk, but everyone's just blaming Alendru. He's always been a strange one, but magic-users usually are - no offense - and he mainly keeps to himself. We staked out The Unfurling Scroll but nothing came of it. Then there's Old Man Harken who just blathered something about ghosts trying to steal his soul the other night, but Zokar says that was just him in a sheet."
Listening carefully to the sheriff Sariel looks from the officer to his companions. Knowing wizards usually know more than most, he considers speaking with Alendru as their first task. Even if the fellow isn't involved he probably knows more than most. As for Old man Harken, he'd been talking about ghosts before Zokar spooked him. Knowing they should wait until morning to speak with Alendru, he wonders if checking on old man Harken later this evening might offer more information. Breathing a sigh, he mentions the idea to the others, "Maybe we can speak with Alendru in the morning, but this evening I'd like to check on Old Man Harken again."
”A good idea.” Sorsul said, before pausing. ”We should also check to see if any graffiti happened while this atrocity occurred.” Turning to the sheriff she added ”Can we get a list of who was not present here? It may help if it is someone from within town who is causing this.”
Sheriff Hemlock shakes his head. "I didn't get a count, but it looked like only around sixty people were here. Last census record had us at 311, so I'm not sure how helpful that would be. We can probably rule out the council, at least, as I don't think they'd deliberately put themselves in danger."
Sheriff Hemlock...
Nodding his head, Sariel didn't know if twenty percent of a community showing up to a meeting about their own welfare was more or less than other cities experienced. He wondered if he would have showed up to something similar if he'd chosen to be a cobbler or a tanner. Breathing a sigh he nods to Caeller, "Thank you for the information and your trust sheriff."
Turning to the ladies, he nods towards the town square, "Shall we ladies?" Casually he turns towards the statue and the last place they'd seen Old Man Harken.
Voicing her thanks to the sheriff, Sorsul turned away from the burning building and followed Sariel.
Old Man Harken's passed out in front of the Harrowstone memorial. There are a few empty bottles of alcohol scattered around, but the area is otherwise free of vandalism.
Seeing Old Man Harken's passed out in front of the Harrowstone memorial, Sariel sighs. "So much for asking questions." shaking his head he wonders aloud, "With all that's going on, I wonder if it's safe to leave him out here all night." Not sure if it would be better to take the old man with them to Lorrimor resident, or if the old man even has a home, he asks. "Does anyone know where Harkens lives?"
Sorsul sighed. ”We should. But it seems to me that whomever is doing the graffiti is likely to strike again. With everyone focused on the fire, now would be a good time to do this again. I’d really like to keep an eye on this. Perhaps you and I could hide here to keep watch, while Lady Shae brings him home?”
Raising an eyebrow at Sorul's idea, Sariel ponders it a moment. Not wanting to admit his nature would much rather hunt at night than in the day, he nods cautiously he looks towards Lady Shae, "You could keep an eye on things at the Lorrimor's and Sorsul and I could wait here, keeping an eye both on Old man Harken and the statue."
As Lady Shae takes the inebriated Harkon home (a dilapidated shack on the outskirts of town), Sariel and Sorsul stake out the Harrowstone memorial.
No vandals or necromancers reveal themselves, but the chapel bells do ring a few minutes before midnight.
The instant the axe touches your neck, the man vanishes.
Smiling slightly as the Lady hooks the old man under an arm and guides him home, Sariel settles in the shadows near an old rain barrel. Jumping back instinctively as the toothy fellow chops at his throat. As the man vanishes, more surprised than anything Sariel blurts out, "did you see that?" Curious about the negative energy, Sariel uses his innate ability and tries to detect undead.
”What was it?” Sorsul said, looking shaken. ”The bells rang and a line appeared on your neck!”
Sariel detects a strong undead aura infusing the area, but no creatures seem to be present any longer.
Frowning, Sariel gestures the direction of the rain barrel, "There is an undead presence near, a bald man with an impossibly-wide sharp-toothed grin leaps manifested from behind the barrel and swinging a handaxe at my throat." Reaching up and feeling the scar, he begins to look around. "I sense a very strong undead aura, but I don't believe the creature is still present."