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I guess I need to RETCON my Coup de Grace. Using searing light to burn a still living, helpless man's face off seems like something Erastil might object to. Perhaps, we should keep Grayst alive long enough for the Sheriff, Father Zantus, and maybe even the Mayor to be brought back to verify his condition. It would also give Zantus a chance to possibly save him if he can. If not, getting the three officials' endorsement of his execution would make it a less bad thing.
Ethan sighs. "I couldn't save him. The least I can do is give him peace." Ethan watches the spark of life fade from the man's eyes, quickly replaced by malevolent hunger. As the thing that was once Grayst struggles against its bonds, Ethan raises a hand and points his open palm at the thing. "Dead-Eye cleanse the evil of undeath from this world."
Once Ano and Donimah are taken care of, Ethan goes upstairs to assist Alicia with Grayst. He calls upon Erastil to delay the inevitable. "Dead-Eye preserve what remains of his soul."
"Erastil's blessing may grant him another day, at best," Ethan says somberly. "I can try again in the morning to treat him, but his chances aren't good."
Ethan attempts to hasten Donimah's recovery by treating her nausea, and using his power to remove her sickened condition.
Once the cloud has cleared, Ethan enters the room. Seeing Ano vomiting, he approaches her, and calls upon Erastil to alleviate her sickness.
"May the Stagfather soothe your stomach," he says to her as he channels divine power.
Ethan stands on the stair, ready to call upon Erastil's aid, either to heal or to prevent the doctor and wizard from escaping.
"You are delaying the inevitable," Ethan says calmly. "End your spells and surrender. You know what you've been doing is wrong. End this now."
"Dead-Eye be with you, my son, and may you find work of more noble purpose in the future," Ethan says to the tielfling as he runs past.
Ethan moves down the stairs to the edge, but not into, the cloud. He then calls upon Erastil's power to send waves of healing energy into the basement.
Ethan meets up with Alicia and Donimah at the top of the basement stairway, but between the crowd and the cloud, he cannot see well enough to take any action other than to offer a prayer for the party's success.
Ethan follows the others below.
Ethan runs after the doctor. He draws his bow and nicks an arrow as he moves. ”Stop!” he cries out in a warning voice.
”Doctor…you knew about this. Why would you withhold such information from the community? Do you realize that two people were murdered in Sandpoint recently, and that Grayst and his mysterious master are connected to the killings? Whether anyone in town knows about this is the least of your concerns at the moment. This is urgent. Tell us what you know. Please help us!”
”Yes, I can certainly do that,” Ethan replies to Alicia’s request to channel
”What did he mean by his master waiting at the Misgivings?”
”How did he contract ghoul fever?” Ethan asks in a tone of concern. ”Was he attacked recently, or bitten? What happened to the ghoul? Was it destroyed?”
Ethan stands quietly, with a friendly smile, the holy symbol of Erastil worn openly on his chest.
Ethan waits patiently for the knock to be answered, but keeps Erastil foremost in his mind, well-aware that he may need to call upon the Stagfather's aid.
"You're welcome to it, if no one else objects," Ethan replies, holding the cap out to Ano.
"Let's see if Dead-Eye favors our hunt," Ethan says, following the trail. After several minutes, Ethan finds a spot down near the water's edge.
"Look at this," Ethan says, holding up the cap found in the water. "Very practical for underground exploring for anyone not blessed with darkvision."
"There's a chance I could pick up the trail on the other side, but not a good one," Ethan admits.
Ethan gives a respectful nod to Mr. Vinder and rejoins the rest of the group. "The killer needs to be found and stopped before he kills again. The longer he is active, the more the community will become more fearful, and start looking for someone to blame. Unfortunately for us, if we don't find and stop the murderer, we may very well be convicted by the mob and hanged for these crimes."
"You have my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your child, Mr. Vinder," Ethan says in a sympathetic tone. "I know you have been led to believe we murdered her, and nothing I say now will disabuse you of that notion. I can only give you my oath, in Erastil's name, that I and my friends are innocent, and that we will do everything in our power to bring the killer to justice." Ethan waits a moment for Vinder to reply. If he replies, Ethan remains to listen. If he does not, he gives the man a respectful nod of his head and rejoins the rest of the group.
Ethan follows the others into the cell area, and realizes that things are quickly escalating. He reaches for his holy symbol and intones, "Stagfather bring peace to this gathering. May words prevail over violence.
"Where did Ano go?" Ethan asks, suddenly realizing she was missing from the group.
"So is this shady business gone bad, or is it an attack by undead?" Ethan asks. "There aren't many scenarios I can think of where those two scenarios would overlap."
5 HP +1 CON +1 PREF Class
"If this is an undead thing that we are about to hunt, I will need to rest and pray for the spells necessary to face down such a creature," Ethan says.
Ethan tries to recall some of his studies about undead, and what sort might have the intelligence and physical ability to be the killer.
"It's seems we found only some of the rot beneath the rind at Thistletop," Ethan says with a small sigh. "Sandpoint needs peace."
Noticing the two guards’ pallid complexions, Ethan places a hand gently on each of their shoulders.
”Bless you for your efforts, friends. May Erastil grant you the resolve to fulfill your duty.”
"Many of the townsfolk are afraid and suspicious, and seem convinced that known information is being deliberately withheld," Ethan says, once his eyes have shifted back to normal. "We need to find out what happened quickly. Such mistrust and fear leads to unrest, and sometimes violence. It can destroy a community."
"I had prayed for access to a particular spell to help keep tabs on another problem," Ethan says, giving a knowing nod towards Ano. "Thank the Stagfather I didn't waste it on her." Ethan touches his holy symbol and intones: "Dead-Eye grant me ears to hear the voices of my neighbors. Let me know what brings them woe, and trouble to their labors."
He closes his eyes and concentrates on the muddle of voices flooding his mind.
I'm hoping for the best for you.Same here. Please stay safe.Thank you both. Basically the real life Fosyo is no longer a part of my life, and drama involving other family happened. I'm safe, and doing much better than I thought I would. Glad to hear!
Just an FYI, primarily for the DM. Reading back through the thread, it sounded like the coins we found in the ruins under Thistletop were split evenly among the party, and that the proceeds from the giant helm and any unclaimed armor, weapons or magic items would go into a GROUP FUND for the collective good of the party for wands, scrolls, potions and such. If I am incorrect about this, please let me know. The reason I mention it, is I used my share of the coins to purchase six (6) packets of powdered silver, which are needed for many of the cleric spells Ethan uses, most notably consecrate. I just wanted to make sure this was known before any action starts, so that 1.) if I wasn't supposed to claim a share of the coins, I can reverse the purchase before we get started, or 2.) if everyone is okay with this, I wanted to make sure it was documented that I made the purchase.
”I would caution you about retaliation,” Ethan says gently. ”I admit that I do not know her as well as you, but I get the feeling that any escalation from you, or any of us, will be presented as justification for her behavior instead of a response to it. Let her continue to make a fool of herself. If people ask about something she has said, simply indicate that she is unwell, and apologize for her deluded ranting.”
"You are not responsible for her words, Ano, and her words do not reflect on your character," Ethan says. "You are my friend. She will not change that with gossip and slander. She did, however, expose a weakness in my character, an insecurity. I suppose I should, in some sense, be grateful to her. Now, I can look inward, and see why part of me believed what she said. I will be be meditating on this for some time, I imagine."
"I cannot imagine what it was like for Ano growing up," Ethan says. "This woman managed to cut me in a mere few months. What kind of damage has she done to her daughter?" Ethan sighs, and takes a deep drink from his mug.
Ethan nods, but the sadness doesn't leave his eyes. "When she implied that the Karkin girl was my illegitimate daughter, despite the fact that she was already born a full month before I arrived in town, that didn't bother me. It was patently absurd. The same with the claim that I had urinated in the soup at the Rusty Dragon. I mean, does anyone think Ameiko wouldn't have skinned me alive had that been true? But that last one. It's already hard enough in many communities for women to trust a man to help her through her pregnancy, labor, and delivery. I was grateful that the young mothers of Sandpoint trusted my training and experience. Now, they are starting to doubt me, and I can't help but feel those same seeds of doubt growing in my soul. I keep going over the miscarriage in my mind. I know that miscarriages early in pregnancy are not uncommon, but part of me wonders if I simply lack the practical knowledge or natural instincts that would have allowed me to save the child." In response to Juriya, he says, "In that, at least, she will not succeed. Ano, the both of you, Alicia, and Donimah have all proven yourselves true friends to me, and pillars of the community here in Sandpoint. As long as you will have me, I will not abandon any of you."
Ethan was surprised to learn that Foyso had been spreading rumors about him. What did I do to her? he wonders when he hears the myriad of crazy aspersions cast his way. Most of them are so absurd that they simply roll off his back, but one of them lands hard. He overhears a piece of conversation between a small group of women questioning his competency as a midwife. A clear implication is made that the miscarriage was due to his ineptitude, and that, perhaps, any woman would be better off delivering her child alone than allowing him anywhere near her while she was in labor. The fact that anyone in town felt this way, or even entertained the notion, was like a dagger in his heart. Nevertheless, he carried on the rest of the day as best he could. People had troubles, and needed help. It was his job to help them, not to unburden his hurt feelings onto others. He does his best to put on a brave face and soldier on.
A Handy Haversack is also a great item that is not too expensive. Mule Back Cords are a similar, and cheaper alternative. Also, some of my spells, such as consecrate require 25 gp of silver dust per casting as a component. 4 or so doses would be very useful.
Ethan gives a faint, but knowing smile when he realizes what is happening, but says nothing unless specifically asked about the situation.
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