Ismene uses the magnifying glass to examine the articles, taking a second look at the mask... Or... the...
"What in all the nine hells?!"
She gets out her laboratory supplies to collect the physical evidence.
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"Was his name Alonso? Oh, why thank you." Ismene replies while twiddling her fingers, observing the increased agility. Looking on while she does something similar to Quinn, she blinks owlishly at his appearance. "Ooh, very nice." Then she pulls out her glowing blue cognatogen and shoots it back, her eyes brightening and pupils dilating from the effect. "Alright, time to investigate." She says, stepping out of the boat and brandishing a magnifying glass they retrieved from the spider.
*raises hand* I expect this is what you're using in the Skull and Shackles game but as that's the first place I had encountered it, I would prefer it posted clearly somewhere for easy reference. Maybe on the Campaign tab?
"Can you point out the spot where the battle occurred?" Ismene asks, hoping to go directly to the area and take some samples. Preferably before a Blood Caiman interrupted them.
Ismene takes notes avidly. "Mmm hmm, that's quite impressive work to band together to defend your folk like that. So you feel quite certain that your attacker would have been marked by scars of the combat? Serious burns and bite marks from this caiman that attacked it? Blood, you say? Yes, I think it would be worthwhile to see this burial ground. What about the blood caused you to suspect it taints the ground?" She asks while she considers the information she is absorbing.
"Forgive me, Elder, but I'll not lay claim to that town. Most irregular from what I've seen so far. Would that I could save you the trip, sir. But we've come to ask if there have been any inconsistencies with this whole bloody business. You have my condolences for the loss of your people. Please, allow us to hear the story in your own words."
Ismene sniffs pointedly at the guard as she slides her lenses up her nose with her middle finger. Then she grips Barrister Kaple by his sleeve and leads him away a bit before lowering her voice. "You've already asked the obvious questions, I'm sure. Which incidents seem the most dubious concerning the Beast's involvement?" She asks him, trying to get a hint about which are the right questions to ask here. To Quinn, she whispers, "Golems are constructed but we want to be careful about how we ask about such a person. They might be the true mastermind here, exerting direct control over the Beast. They might also be innocent of all but assembling this unfortunate creature. Either way, if the powers-that-be are unaware of this person, we want them to remain so until we can look into them. You ask and I will provide some cover blather." She says, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. And so she approaches the guard and does what she does best, run her mouth, at length and in detail.
"Just a moment..." Ismene interjects, holding up one finger to hopefully forestall further discussion. "Does not a Barrister have the right to private counsel with his client? It cannot be in any criminals best interest to share sensitive information in full hearing of such hostile opponents!" She says, looking to both Kaple and Quinn for input and casting a indignant glare in the guard's direction.
Ismene winces upon seeing the truth of Tiff's words. "Oh... dear." She murmurs in dismay, a gamut of implications flying through her thoughts that she chooses not to voice at this time. "Barrister Kaple said they had talked together already, is that right, sir?"
She gentles her tone from her usual blunt manner into something more soothing and tries to appeal to the creature. "Hello, my name is Ismene. May I know yours? We would like to talk with you. Will you tell us about yourself? The place where they put you in chains, how did you come to be there?" She makes the effort to keep her speech simple and not confuse matters with too many questions at once.
Ismene balks slightly at the assumptions and aspersions directed at them on sight, their words lowering her opinion even further of this community's idea of due process. "We report directly to either the prosecutor or defender? Shouldn't all evidence be presented to a neutral party for evaluation? What if we find evidence of the defendant's guilt? I assure you, gentlemen, I have no axe to grind here and merely wish to aid in the search for truth."
"Ismene Albus, at your service, apparently, Barrister Kaple. I am here to volunteer to aid in collecting evidence. I've already noticed some discrepancies in this case and if they are so easily perceived, then I expect there will likely be more. Full disclosure, however, I do not intend to set about this endeavor with some preconceived notion in mind. I am a woman of science and I will not taint my process with promises of any particular conclusion. I hope that is satisfactory to your expectations, sir." She concludes with a decisive nod.
"Just the two names here as well, I am Ismene Albus, Dr. Crowl. The Professor's loss was felt heavily by so many. It speaks volumes about the nobility of his character." She ducks her head sadly in deference to shared grief. "I'm glad you mentioned illustrations. Do you happen to have a depiction of the missing statuette?" "Is it possible the Beast had an accomplice? Certainly the vandalism alone is crime enough to warrant the arrest but the fact that the item is still missing is a puzzle. Had the Beast taken it, it must surely be found here or upon his person, which does not seem to be the case." She observes aloud.
Ismene attempts to appeal to the populace for some information as they move through the streets, though most seem to find her manner strange and off-putting.
Having failed to glean much from the people, she turns introspective, pondering her reserves of knowledge for something helpful.
Ismene listens patiently as the Judge makes her offer. She suspected this is another instance in which her pedantic tendencies were not going to be appreciated, but her devotion to the precision of proper speech was not to be restrained. "Actually, a payment of 100 platinum apiece would match the Professor's bequest. Not double it. But I digress... you said we should register as 'volunteer defenders'? Is this a normal occurrence here? I cannot help but be baffled that a vocation as serious as criminal investigation is handled by unaccredited volunteers..." She blinks her magnified eyes owlishly behind her lenses in her bewilderment. "Questions, yes. The Beast was apprehended on charges of robbery then? Was this person caught at the scene of the crime? In possession of stolen property? Is burning alive a common sentence for theft here?" "Not to be indelicate, but who or what is The Beast? You used the word "it"... is that the defendant's preferred pronoun? Is 'The Beast' a figurative name or literal? A lycanthrope, possibly?"
Ismene's mouth twists slightly at the disparity between the renovated districts and the neglected slums, still disappointing if not surprising. She blanches slightly at Theodore's misstep with the Judge but relaxes at Quinn's smooth recovery at the situation. "Yes, we've just spent some time in Ravengro, helping dear Kendra with some final business on the Professor's behalf. Did you know him well? We were all quite shaken by his passing." She remarks sadly.
Ismene laughs with a distinctly unladylike snort. "Likely you're just being polite, but rest assured, I'm no noble Lady. Though I suppose there is some advantage to possessing a background and parentage that is utterly unknowable. I could be some long lost scion cast to the winds to prevent my being smothered in my crib. Or I might simply be a bastard born to a lowly beggar who died tragically in childbirth. I wonder if existing in such an uncertain state makes me simultaneously all of the above. Schrödinger's Orphan, as it were. In any case, you may call me Ismene or Miss Albus as you prefer." She shares her own humble beginnings with the troupe at large as well as her passion for academia, offering her service as a tutor to anyone who would like such as they travel together. If no one takes her up on the offer, she will spend some time tinkering with her lab and happily sleep in the provided wagon.
"My condolences on your loss. I believe she was lured by feigned cries for help. I wonder if the spider were actually able to speak the common tongue or if it was merely mimicry, hmmm..." She shakes her head slightly, dismissing her more academic musings as she hands over Aleece's mushroom basket to her sisters.
She makes the effort to speak with those who feel like talking, likely the verbose Master Hesse. "You are quite the eloquent speaker. Do you have formal training in Oration? Perhaps we might trade pointers. Have you heard any tales of these potential horrors, or this Beast of Lepidstadt?"
Ismene shakes her head sadly. "Poor dear, she likely thought she was coming to someone's aid. Well, let's take her back to her people. I hate to bring them such ill tidings."
Ismene slugs back her shield extract and draws another flask of acid.
Somewhat startled by the appearance of the creature, Ismene flings her Acid Flask, but aims poorly.
"Tiff, if you can cast See Invisibility you will be able to see it coming. It has fast acting poison, so drink those antitoxins now." She advises and then shoots back her own.
Ismene smiles at Theodore's amusing reassurance. But the expression drops off her face when she sees what lies in the mud. Her mind racing from the cognatogen's enhancement, she grimaces in dismay as she hypothesizes about what they face.
"Ohhh... dear. It is a very big spider. And if it is the sort of spider I suspect, we need to be on our guard. They pop right out of thin air to grab prey and pop back in again." She swaps Theodore's hand to her shoulder and keeps the acid in one hand while she grabs an antitoxin with the other.
Feeling a bit exposed, with an acid flask still in one hand, she steps back and reaches with her free one to grab Theodore's hand. "I don't like this. Stay together, yes?" Ismene silently theorizes that if Aleece's ghost were the angry sort, standing next to the exorcist was the safest place.
Ismene moves up, drawing an acid flask, as she slots in behind Tiff and beside Luna. Her brow furrows as she readies to throw the flask at whatever foul monster has Aleece, as soon as she can see it.
Ismene's eyes narrow behind her lenses. "Wait... something's off..." She says low to her companions. She grabs her cognatogen and drinks it down before moving forward slowly. She raises her voice and calls, "Aleece? Do you have the mushrooms?" If it were Aleece calling, she should know that she set her basket down.
With someone to stand beside her and hopefully, in front of her, Ismene sets off on the trail. Upon finding the basket of mushrooms, she eyes the varieties suspiciously. Hmmm... could Aleece have eaten one that was poisonous?
If they do look safe to eat, she will scoop them up and proceed on.
Ismene's eye twitches in slight irritation upon being called a 'healer'. It was not strictly untrue, but lacking enough in exactitude to rankle. She looks to Quinn and the others, gauging their willingness to expend time on this deviation from their plans. "Hmmm, I do have some small skill with tracking, but it is far from my area of expertise. What can you tell us of this Aleece that may inform our search? Where did she depart the path?" Pushing her lenses up her nose, she looks about the area indicated for signs of passage.
Ismene slides down from her saddle, giving Indigo a pat on his neck before approaching, holding his reigns. "Happy to hear you out, but first things first. Is anyone hurt? Bleeding? Sick?" She draws out her extract of cure light wounds, infinitely glad she had recently discovered how to make them work on persons other than herself.
Ismene was possessed of an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and so was eager to learn horsemanship from the experienced cavalier. "Have you always worked with horses?" She asked conversationally. Having spent many years as a street urchin in a port city, Ismene was well versed in placating the masses. She thus expressed her revulsion, intrigue and horror respectively to respond appropriately for her story tellers in the common room as gratitude. "Really? How very shocking! I will be sure to remember your warning." She makes some notes on the subjects for future reference and thinks back on if she has ever heard about such before.
She does take advantage of the bath, soaking in some salts of magnesium to sooth the soreness and retires early for extra sleep. She is ready bright and early the next day, joining the others for breakfast before they depart.
Unused to riding, Ismene found herself rather saddle-sore and climbed down to stretch her legs beside Tiff for the relief and exertion. She quite liked her gelding Indigo and made sure he was was properly stabled, lugging her saddlebags along with her, unwilling to let her new portable lab out of her sight. She conversed with folk in the common room, chatting up the servers in her usual verbose manner, adapting her tone and cadence to mimic the local patter to set people at ease. "What news recently? I have a dear friend who delights in ghost stories. Heard any good ones of late?"
"I'm on it, my dear Izzy, and I'll see if I can grab an extra for our feed, camp gear, and sundries." Ismene blinks owlishly at being called a nickname, wonders idly if she should call him one in turn and then purses her lips ruefully when she realizes his name is already about as abbreviated as a name could be. She goes along, observing the cavalier's methods for evaluating horseflesh and jotting notes. She heeds his recommendation for a combat trained mount, realizing that the small savings were not worth the risk of the creature spooking and bolting off with her newly acquired portable lab.
Ismene rolls her magnified eyes expressively and tsks in annoyance. "What a wagon load of hyperbole," She comments after relaying the rumors she remembers. "Is it a beast, a devil or some sort of undead? It simply cannot be all three. Absolutely no regard for proper taxonomy!" She shudders at the imprecision of it all. She copies one last spell out of the Professor's book, feeling a bit maudlin as she runs her fingers over the script of his handwriting.
And I finally got Ismene's sheet fully updated. At least until we buy more crap, lol!
"Oh! Didn't I tell you? I will be writing a book. The Haunting of Harrowstone. It has a certain dramatic touch, doesn't it? But that could be a concern. You see, I am not sure if I should take the scientific approach, or a more dramatic one. While I am more scholar than storyteller, I fear that if I do not write a lurid and enthralling tale for the masses, someone else will write such a work and that is the story that will take root. Ismene smiles broadly to hear that Kendra has an angle to pursue. Occupation was by far the best way to cope with grief. "That sounds like a splendid idea! We stayed very focused on the root of the problem, but clearly the villagers were experiencing effects of the haunting as well. If you make it clear that it's understood that they were under the influence of spirits, you may get some very interesting tales from the locals." Ismene makes sure to provide some more salacious details of their exploration, making notes of incidents that indicate a deeper underlying story. "It really is quite romantic from a certain perspective. Vesorianna and Warden Hawkran, separated by tragedy and then death. Holding out against evil forces until they can be reunited in the afterlife. Maybe we can help to reach that happy ending for the both of them." She sighs wistfully at the hopeful thought. Ismene finds her imagination caught by the tales of the Beast of Lepidstadt and strives to remember all she can about the subject. She even asks the locals, though without being able to talk her way through the problem, her attempts fall a bit flat.
"So we should acquire some horses then." She says in answer to Quinn's advice on preparing for their journey.
When offered weapons and armor Tiff wisely chooses the heaviest and metallic armor available, a breastplate. Then she finds a longbow she can barely pull back and adds that to her collection of things. She promptly hands them to Quinn and states, "Do you think Luna could carry these? Hmmm. Maybe I need to invest in a cart." "I could see the value in a pack animal. Should we procure mounts here for our journey?" She asks the others. Ismene studies the Professor's spellbook long enough to scribe two spells she can't even use yet, but foresees their value in the future.
For her crafting, she makes a discovery for altering the exterior of her bomb casings to give them a greater range and finds some interesting recipes in the Professor's notes.
She spends her time split between crafting in the lab and visiting with Kendra. "Have you made any decisions about what comes next for you? I'd be very glad if we could keep in touch." She asks as they begin to make preparations to leave Ravengro soon. She'd always felt Kendra to be a kindred spirit and looked on her as the closest thing to family she'd ever had.
+1 CON
+1 BAB
+1 Craft(Alchemy)
Discovery: Infusion
Ismene nods to Tiff's suggestion. "Yes, let's talk to Vesorianna. Her spirit will likely depart soon if her business on this plane is now concluded. We can tell her we found the Warden's remains." She makes sure to acquire his badge to show her.
Ismene digs through her pack as well, absently handing Theodore an empty flask. "I will see what I can do back at Kendra's. It will depend a lot on the ingredients available, you see. We should speak with Vesorianna before we leave as well. Could be there is a mechanical means to drain the pit. In the meantime..." She pulls out a 50 ft length of twine and ties it off to the handle of the iron cook pot. "We can measure the depth."
Ismene drinks down her last prepared extract, breathing a bit more comfortably afterward.
She peers around the area carefully, looking out for traps and hidden caches.
Ismene takes a steadying breath, knowing she is again exposed to the wizard's force missiles. She grits her teeth and steps to position herself away from the walls as she draws and readies to throw another holy water as soon as the ghost shows himself.
Ismene carefully moves to the edge of the pit and throws another Holy Water.
Ismene gasps in shock as she pummeled by force missiles within an inch of her life. She braces her small self against the wall until Marill heals her. She slides her lenses up her pert nose as she reaches into her extracts pouch and draws out her vial of shield, thumbing away the waxed cork and slugging it down. Then she draws another flask of holy water.
Feeling a bit sheepish after the wall stays up, Ismene nearly relaxes in relief. But then the apparition appears and she swallows reflexively and takes a steadying breath as she draws and throws a Holy Water at the Splatter Man's ghost.
"Back up from the wall!" Ismene calls as she does just that, imbibing her reduce person extract and shrinking down to a halfling sized Ismene.
"That only works if you spell her full name, you know!" Ismene taunts, realizing at this moment how disadvantageous a shortened moniker could be, at least where the Splatter Man was concerned. "That wall is unstable, it may come tumbling down on us." She warns her companions before she hurls a holy water at the T, hoping not to damage the walls structure any more than necessary.
"Who's Darius?" Ismene asks Tiff as she draws another flask of acid. "Last one of these." She advises as she tosses it.
Immune to Fire and Ice?! I need to make some Alkalai flasks...
Ismene will back away.
"Thank you kindly, Miss Albus. Teddy, do you mind checking out the badge that our Warden friend here is trying so hard to swallow?" Ismene pats Quinn on the shoulder. "Any time. Or actually, precisely seven more times. Today, that is. If these are the Warden's remains, should we bring them to Vesorianna? Possibly the badge at least." Ismene will make an effort to remove the badge as long as it doesn't require strength to do so.
Ismene moves up behind Quinn, peering over his shoulder and grimacing in disgust at the scrabbling hand. She wastes no time in mixing a precision bomb and hurling it at the closest one.
Seeing actual physical undead to blow up, Ismene eagerly mixes her reagents, making sure to use the formulation for precision damage and hurls the resultant bomb between Quinn and Theodore to strike the floating head between the others and the Marauder.
Ismene gives Kendra a comforting pat. "Don't give it another thought, of course we'll be there to support you. Evacuate you, if need be! But we are making good progress, could be we'll be reporting the problem as solved at this meeting." "We are going through resources, though. Let's call on Father Grimburrow and let him know how absolutely indispensable the Holy Water has been. I'd take a barrel of it if I could." "Interestingly enough, we've encountered a number of apparitions that are immune to fire. I'm considering how to create a bomb with an endothermic reaction, but it's a bit beyond me yet. Does your father's laboratory have anything for making Liquid Ice?"
Ismene will prepare an unused extract slot to a Crafter's Fortune and slug it down before setting to work.
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