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Moving about the town square, Sariel turns towards Sorsul shaking his head, "I believe the undead presence I felt has left the area." He reaches up, taking his floppy felt hat off and wiping his brow. Returning the hat he asks, "do you remember any descriptions of a bald murderer with a hatchet, alive or dead?"
”Can’t say that I do. But tomorrow it is an area of research for tomorrow. And we need to keep watching this area at night. Both for whomever is doing this, and also because this spirit may well harm others.” She did her best to sound brave when saying this. It seemed easiest to keep moving forward, as to stop now would be to invite doubt and fear.
Nodding in agreement, Sariel returns to the shadows near the rain barrel. Wondering aloud, "I wonder if the spirit itself is the one doing it."
”That is why we need to keep watching. If the graffiti forms by itself then it is the spirit. If a person does it, then it is a person. And we cannot discount the idea that it might possess someone. The lines on your neck might have been an attempt, given that it did no physical harm.” She replied, thinking out loud. ”Do you know how to bleed an area?” She asked, working through her thoughts as she spoke. ”And how can we figure out if the area itself is haunted, or if the spirit moves?”
Furrowing his brow, Sariel shakes his head, "If I try my vampiric heritage allows me to sense undead. I believe I can sense a spirit, but I'm not sure about an area being 'haunted'."
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Shaking off the sensation of the undead presence, Sariel admits, "I could probably detect a haunt if I concentrated." Leaning against the wall he continues, "Do you want to take shifts, or both of us stay up all night?"
”I’m not sure how well I can sleep, but it makes sense. Let’s go in shifts then. Whomever gets tired first.” Having never actually kept watch before, she had no experience in how to properly set watch.
Nodding, Sariel admits, "The night is when I normally work, it is easier on my eyes than the daytime. I doubt if I would sleep either, but maybe rest in the morning a little."
Realizing he wouldn't sleep either, Sariel continues. "I don't know that I can sleep either. But if you stay alert for a few hours while I relax, then we can swap and I'll do the same."
He looks around, pulling his cloak tight around himself and settles down against the wall near the rain barrel. "Then once we get back to the house and check on Lady Shae and Kendra we can sleep for a few hours before we start the day."
”Sounds fair. Try to make yourself comfortable then, I’ll keep an eye out.”
The night is quiet, although a fell wind blows.
Not surprised that they saw no more of the apparition, Sariel rouses his companion. "Sorsul, the sun is rising, let us return to the Lorrimor residence." Pulls his hat down over his eyes, he helps Sorsul to her feet. Once at the house he removes his floppy hat and heavy cloak and hangs them on the hooks near the door.
Stepping into the kitchen he gives a yawn, asking, "Lady Shae, Kendra, did you rest well? Anything interesting happen through the night?"
Lady Shae was just finishing up with her candy-making as Sariel came in through the doors.
"Hello, friends. Nothing much happened last night after I saw the drunk man home. He collapsed into his bed and snoring before I even had the covers over him."
Dusting the flour she used to make the candy less sticky off of her hands, she placed the last few bits of candy on the counter to harden.
"Find anything interesting last night on your stakeout?"
Giving a casual shrug, Sariel lifts his chin so the new scar was visible. "We detected a a strong undead aura, it manifested as a bald man with a hatchet and an impossibly-wide sharp-toothed grin leaping out and giving me this." Shaking his head, he admits, "Attempted to follow the aura, but I was unable to."
Trying not to stare longingly at the candy, he asks, "How did it go with old man Harken?"
Sorsul nodded, only to then stretch her arms and neck. Sleeping outside was not the most pleasant ways of getting rest. Still, she was glad to see Lady Shae. Not only because she had worried for her safety being alone, but because if they had to face the ghost again then she'd rather have Shae and her magic with them.
With a smile, Lady Shae took out a tea and honey candy and handed it to Sariel.
"Nothing strange; he just passed out when we made it to his bed. He did say something about burning and said the name Lyvar. Perhaps we should look into that name?"
She fished two honey healing candies and handed two to Sorsul.
"Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to crack the conundrum of healing candies for you, Sariel. But I am still trying."
Sorsul gladly took the candies and packed them away for later use. "How about we head out to do some research on this grinning man? I'd like to find out what we can before he appears again."
Smiling as he accepts the two candies, Sariel quickly pops one in his mouth. Feeling there was more to Harken's mad ramblings than meets the eye, Sariel nods, "Yes, learn more about the grinning hatchet man and Harkens burner, Lyvar."
He yawns, covering his mouth, "After a quick nap." Popping the second candy, he smiles at Lady Shae, "Do not worry about healing me Lady Shae. Using either my vampiric heritage, or the power lent me by Pharasma I can heal myself." He smiles before he turns to sleep, "But I'll happily eat whatever candy you provide" winking. "As long as it isn't infused with positive energy."
Rousing after few hours, Sariel heads downstairs hoping to find a little to eat for brunch. Having found some sliced bread, he toasts it over the kitchen stove. As he butters toast, he asks, "So are we headed to speak with Alendru?"
Lady Shae nodded at Sariel from behind a book, her familiar resting on her lap.
"I'm ready when you both are. Rest well?"
Nodding as he takes a bite of the toast, "I slept well." As he headed towards the door, finishing the toast, "But I'm able to sleep when I can, and prefer to be up at night." As he gathers his hat and cloak he smiles, "The moon is gentler on my eyes." As he drapes the cloak on his shoulders and dons the hat, he looks expectantly at Sorsul. "We should head to his shop."
The Unfurling Scroll is a combination magic shop and school, although it doesn't seem to have any pupils. This is likely due to Alendru, who's revealed to be a strict-looking elderly man with a long white beard. He's sucking on a butterscotch candy while reading a book but looks up when you enter. "What do you want? I'm in no mood for jokes or tomfoolery today; I've had a hard enough morning as is."
Raising an eyebrow at the wizard's comment, Sariel agrees, "Yes, I find Tomfoolery is best avoided." He gestures towards his companions, "The ladies and I have been asked by the sheriff to look into this mess concerning the vandalism in the town square. We have heard little but rumors and old wife's tales and seek truth." He smiles slightly, "When in a new town I tend to find the local wizard has a greater knowledge of what is going on. Though here, like most towns in Ustlava, the wizard seems to be very misunderstood." He pauses for a moment, asking, "May I ask as to your difficulty this morning, last night we encountered a malignant spirit, I'm curious of the two things may be related."
Alendru scoffs. "The usual. Insults scrawled on my door with charcoal. A rock thrown through my window. Nothing I haven't experienced many times already. Bunch of pig-headed nincompoops, the lot of 'em!"
Raising an eyebrow at the aggressiveness of the locals Sariel remembers something said about the death of the boy Avanaki. Asking, "Why are they so upset? Does it have something to do with the child Avanaki?"
Sorsul nodded, feeling empathy towards his treatment. ”To add to that, is this abuse worsening as of late? I cannot imagine living here if such treatment was the norm.”
Alendru scoffs in exasperation. "The dunderheads think I killed him. Can you imagine! Ever since he up and vanished, people've been vandalizing my home. As if I had anything to do with it!"
Sorsul listened intently. To her, at least, the man seemed sincere? Perhaps? It was hard to tell.
Raising an eyebrow as the wizard explained the boy 'vanished' Sariel looks from Alendru to Sorsul, "So they have not found a body?" Turning back towards Alendru he offers "As I said we are doing an investigation for the sheriff, we can investigate this also. Do you have any information about the boy or his disappearance?" Pausing for a moment to let the wizard think, he then adds "Would you know anything about an apparition of a bald man with an impossibly-wide sharp-toothed grin who wields a handaxe?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know about some ghost?" Alendru's clearly fed up by the questioning. "And I already told you that I don't know anything about the boy!" As you're finding out, the town's dislike of Alendru probably isn't solely due to the boy's disappearance.
Lady Shae kept quiet in the back but tried to make sense of the wizards' words. She listened intently, trying to get a reading of the man and if he was hiding something about his involvement with the missing boy.
Smiling, Sariel nods to the wizard, Alendru was not the first grumpy shop owner he'd met and probably wouldn't be the last. "Thank you for the clarification. Hopefully we will be able to return with good news on both accounts." His smile widens, "And with a little more gold to purchase some of your fine items." Nodding to the wizard, he turns to his friends, "Ladies shall we leave?"
-------------------
As the exit the shop he asks, "Any thoughts on the local wizard?"
As the conversation continues, he heads towards the temple, hoping the priests may have information on their poltergeist.
With a deep sigh, Sorsul shrugged. "No idea what to make of him. He could be lying, but I can't tell. Either way, he wasn't very helpful."
Lady Shae sighed. "I couldn't read him either. I think we need to look elsewhere for information." She picked up Tobi and began petting him unconsciously. With no other options, she left it up to her friends.
Father Grimburrow isn't certain, but the mention of a handaxe reminds him of a prisoner at Harrowstone. "Originally, Harrowstone housed only local criminals, but as the prison’s fame spread, other counties and distant lands began paying to have more dangerous criminals housed within this prison’s walls. At the time of the great Harrowstone Fire, the number of particularly violent or dangerous criminals imprisoned within the dungeons below was at an all-time high. I think one of the more noteworthy ones one referred to as 'The Lopper.'" Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything more specific than that, but he recommends checking the records at the town hall. "Or at least, that's what I would have suggested if last night's fire hadn't happened. Could be someone's trying to destroy evidence."
As the priest tells what he knows, Sariel shakes his head. It seems that all roads lead to the burned out prison and they have no more to go on than they had before the fire. Nodding in agreement, he chimes in. "Yes, the fire at the town hall certainly makes it hard to do more research there. I doubt if the ghost could start a fire, they must have had help from the living world."
Having become curious about the child Avanaki Sariel asks, "Also, we keep hearing about the child Avanaki and the wizards possible involvement. Can you give us any information about that situation?"
"Ah, a sad situation that was. Poor Remon disappeared one day about a year ago. Last time he was seen was by the posting poles. We searched for him, but he never turned up. Most of the town thinks the wizard Alendru's to blame: sacrificed him in a black magic ritual or some such. Nothing ever came of it, though."
His interest piqued, Sariel inquires, "The posting poles?"
Lady Shae stood, leaning on her staff, snoring lightly. But at the mention of the posting poles, she wakes abruptly.
"Perhaps there is a clue to where the boy went there." She punctuated the sentence with a slight yawn, covering her mouth so as not to be rude. "It's worth a look, in my opinion."
"The posts in front of the Laughing Demon where everyone posts notices."
Nodding, as his face turns 'red,' Sariel had forgotten the 'Laughing Demon' used the old-fashioned poles, instead of hanging a cork board on the side of the building like the modern taverns in Lepidstadt. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at himself, he begins to head to the door. "Not a bad idea Lady Shae, we should head back to the 'Laughing Demon.' and speak with the folks about town."
Knowing, that after a year, the trail for Remon would have grown cold and all that would remain are old wife's tales, Sariel changes tack and begins to wonder about who may have cast the spells or started the fire. As the headed towards they tavern he asks, "Should we look for clues as to who started the fire?"
"It doesn't hurt." Sorsul said with a mournful sigh. Then, with frustration seeping out she said "I would bet my best shoes that whomever was doing the graffiti is also behind the fire! But so far, what have we found? That the prison is haunted, that there is a ghost on the loose...and the graffiti itself might be supernatural in nature." The fact that staking out the sight had proven useless, that the townhall couldn't be saved, and that they had to retreat from the prison...added to the lack of restful sleep, and that every answer seemed to lead to two questions...it was leaving her feeling like she was at her wit's end.
Old River gives a friendly-sounding *bark* from his resting spot near the posting poles. Pevrin's by the five poles as well, busily nailing notices on them. As far as you can see, these are the same for each pole, which feels a bit redundant.
- "Wanted: Farmhand. Speak to Gibs"
- "I CANT FIND EDDY BEAR HELP"
- "Need Sparring Partner. Trestleblade"
- "Try the Corpse Chowder at Laughing Demon."
- "For Sale: Lorrimor Residence"
- "Potion Sale at Jominda's. A Portion of the Proceeds will Help Repair the Town Hall."
- "Seeking Brave Souls to Retrieve a Family Heirloom. Talk to Jorfa"
- "Talent Show: Speak to Sarianna to Apply"
Since it had been his idea ask about the 'posting poles' Sariel pauses and takes the time to read the different listings. Smiling at the post by Jorfa, he quips, "Maybe we should help Jorfa retrieve their family heirloom. At least we'd feel like we got something accomplished."
Waiting for the ladies to read their fill, he gestures towards the burned-out city hall. "Shall we see if there are any clues as to who burned down the building?"
As they walk that way, Sariel considers the events of the evening. "If I remember correctly, the lanterns in the hall all exploded at the same time, then two flaming skulls flew in to prevent folks from leaving."
He considers what little he knows about lanterns and 'skull magic' " The skulls were obviously the result of magic, either a spell or a summons but the lanterns could have been mechanically rigged or possibly magic."
He pauses looking towards the ladies, "Any Ideas?"
As the ladies consider his questions Sariel motions towards the the Ravengro Forge "We may as well see what Jorfa needs."
Having found their way to the south side of town, Sariel enters the shop asking one of the apprentices to speak with Dwarf. As she approaches Sariel puts on his best smile, "Good morning master blacksmith, my friends and I are aiding the sheriff with a few things, we noticed on the 'posting poles' your missive. Is it something we can aid you with?"
Sorsul followed along behind Sariel, glad that he was on top of things. It was easy to feel hopeless and helpless, but the quiet tenacity of the acolyte was infectious. It felt like that so long as he was moving forward, so too could she.
Lady Shae yanks down the 'EDDY BEAR' post and rereads it. With a fevered look in her eye, she looks at each of her companions.
"I feel like I need to take this one. After figuring out where this 'Eddy Bear' is, I think I will retire to the professor's library and see what I can scrounge from his personal collection."
She rested her staff in the crook of her arm and picked up Tobi with the hand not holding the note.
"Meet you both back at the manor?" She asked before setting off.