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Patiently waiting here.
Kaede likewise dismounts. The last place she wants to be in a fight is on a horse. As soon as she's on the ground, her glaive is out in her hands. "Normally, I'd agree with you, but this farm is close to the Misgivings. It's incredibly easy for the undead to be in play," she quietly says, reaching into her bag for one of the vials of antiplague that she purchased from the cathedral.
Kaede slows and looks toward the men. As Marcus suggests checking things out, the Tien priestess is reminded of the conversation they had with the sheriff last night, as well as the impetus for the it....
"I agree with Marcus," Kaede adds as she amateurishly maneuvers her horse over to Sal's side. "I trust your eyes more then I do my own. This should help avoid any... surprises," she continues. With a great deal of solemnity, Kaede pulls out a small paper wrap and opens it, revealing some ash. Gently, she dips two of her fingers into it, then anoints Sal's forehead with the ash, while softly singing a dirge in Minkaian.
Let's do that then.
Okay, while Kaede is still leery about riding horses, we need to move fast. She'll swallow her jitters and do it. As for route.... If we know about the land, what is between here and the Misgivings? I mean, logically, the road is where it is for a reason, yes?
For a second, Kaede goes stock still as Elizabeth starts to have a mental breakdown. Then, in a blur of motion, she steps forward and grips Elizabeth by the shoulders, and intently staring at her fellow Shelynite. After a couple seconds of silence , she begins firmly talking to her. "No. This is not your fault. This was never your fault. You were showing your love of her to her by giving her something that you thought she wanted. You were tricked just as much as Tera, and she doesn't realize that, she and I will have a talk about that when this is all taken care of. Don't tear yourself up for this. We [u]will[/u] rescue her and bring her back. I know that she'll accept any apology you give her." Slowly, she releases Elizabeth and steps back. "We have to go. Will you promise to me that you won't do anything rash until we return?"
Thank the Gods that Salomae is with it, Kaede thinks, as she watches in the doorway, keeping both her somewhat ragged emotions as well as other gawking acolytes out of the room. After several moments of trying to get her emotions in some working over (as well as giving Sal and the others time to calm Elizabeth), she clears her throat. "Salomae?" she says quietly. "If Tera was taken in a wagon, we don't have any time to stay here. We need to hurry to this Misgivings."
While helping get Elizabeth back up to her room, Kaede is obviously elsewhere mentally. Still, getting her friend upstairs keeps her preoccupied mind on something that isn't charging out after Tera. However, once Elizabeth is in bed, Kaede immediately slips out to the hall to start pacing. I NEED to find Tera now, but without anything from Elizabeth, we're still on a wild goose chase. This is awful!
Kaede's anger at the situation and worry for Elizabeth, causes her to almost completely ignore the square around her. Appearances are less important than results. Besides, there are other people that can smooth talk the lay folk much better than she can. As such, Kaede does what she can to speed Elizabeth's trip to the Cathedral. As the group approaches the holy site, the Shelynite priestess breaks off for the door, to find either Sister Hera or Father Zantus as swiftly as she can.
Once realizing what has happened to her, Kaede lets out a scream of rage before diving in to free Elizabeth. The second that her can reach for her fellow Shelynite, she does, expending some of her energy to heal Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, Our Lady isn't done with you yet. We all still need your song!"
"Tera left ready to travel, but Elizabeth didn't. And Tera's bed wasn't touched, but someone sat on Elizabeth's...,"Kaede says after a moment. Thinking about that, she continues, "This is just a guess, but what if someone grabbed Elizabeth, and sent a 'ransom' note to Tera. Tera would respond to that." In response, Kaede removes Elizabeth's cloak and boots to add them to her pack. "In case I'm right and she needs them when we find her," she says before she's questioned about her actions. "I'll leave money with Sister Hera if I'm wrong."
The act of getting her armor on serves a second purpose for the Tian-Min priestess: calming her down from her almost manic worry about Tera. When the last strap is tighting, Kaede takes a deep breath, lets it out, and looks to Sal. "Okay, I think that I was mostly ready to leave today, so my supplies should be ready. What about you, Salomae?" After a moment's pause, she adds, "Wait, did we see Tera's pack?" We should check on that too."
Kaede nods to Brother Faustwick's statement and is about to bolt for the Garrison when Zache volunteers. "Actually, that's a good idea,"Kaede hurriedly spits, her mind now in panic over Tera. "While he's doing that, Salomae, will you please help me with my armor? After that, we can set packs for the group of us to follow."
Kaede's stomach drops at the good Father's words. "Know? No," she says with only a slight waver in her voice, "But I have a good guess, and if I'm right, we need to hurry now." Without a pause, as the time for secrets are past, She continues, "I think that Tera went to go save Lord Foxglove. Unfortunately, that would be at the Misgivings, where we were told the serial killer is. I'm not losing that pair, not like that."
"I have a bad feeling about this...," Kaede says as she goes to look specifically for Brother Faustwick and Father Zantus. Not saying anything yet, but if Tera ran off to 'save' Lord Foxglove alone,- or worse with Elizabeth- This has suddenly become a race against time, she thinks as she hunts for the two people that Tera respected the most.
Kaede's neat quiet eating slows for a moment as she studies the Magnimarian magistrate. "No, one had molten glass poured over him by his murderous son after he was clocked by other of our friends. I do believe you've heard a great many exaggerations about us, " Kaede finally responds with a cautious tone in her voice. "Speaking of which, Where's Tera?"
This time of year is so stressful. I had a 12 hour day today, and I'm repeating that tomorrow in hopes that I won't have to go in on Christmas Eve (which I'm technically not scheduled for, but if my freight isn't done, I have to go in.) then I work Boxing Day on until Saturday.
Kaede slowly nods to Salomae's list. "Both of those items sound like a very good idea. Maybe some basic supplies too? Is there anything that we should get from the general store in the morning?"
Kaede looks distinctly worriedabout a second set of ghouls nearby. "I think we were intending to head to the Foxglove estate to deal with the problems there, Kaede says, "but if this farmstead is on the way, we should deal with it first. I'd hate to be caught between two undead infested places."
Amused by Sister Hera's ever-readiness, Kaede nibbles on the cookie absently, as she thinks. "We should talk with the sheriff swiftly. He'll know about what's been happening around there hopefully." With a couple more nibbles, she adds, "We are heading toward this place tomorrow morning, right?"
"I think that Doctor Habe was more interested in studying the disease then healing the sick," Kaede retorts as she studies her arm where the corpse bit her. "He was hiding something, though I don't know what. If we didn't find from the late Mr. Savilla where to search next, I'd want to watch that sanitarium." She shakes her head. After stretching it a couple times, she smiles at Sister Hera. "Thank you, Sister Hera," she directs to the senior clergy, "for the food and the tending. I'm glad that that plague is dealt with. We'll have to prepare for dealing with this sickness more, though. Are there any good preventative things we can do before we go into the beast's lair?"
Okay.... HP +7
Skills +1 in Perform(dance), Perform(sing), Diplomancy, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Survival Divine Gift - Resistance bonus increases to +2 FCB: 1/6 Bonus Combat Feat (up to 4 of 6)
"Agreed, unless a couple of you wish to see the sheriff while I see Father Zantus," Kaede agrees as well. And with that she quickly and efficiently heads toward the temple.
Okay, I don't get too much this level, but I do get a feat. My question for the party: Would you rather have Kaede boost her melee capacity(Likely Power Attack) or get a item creation feat, so the party can start to stockpile some healing supplies(Likely Brew Potion, Scribe Scroll, or Craft Wand)?
"I understand, Kaede says in agreement. "The only people that we would inform of what happened is the sheriff and our superiors, both people we have to tell anyway. We don't want a panic in Sandpoint either."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Tera. I did what I felt was right," Kaede quietly says to Tera as she slowly releases her. Picking up her glaive, she looks at Doctor Habe appraisingly for a seconds before speaking. "I'm sorry, but I'd rather just get rid of any disease quickly if I did contract something. Besides, the fiend that's behind all of this is still out there, and he's a serial murderer that we have to stop as quickly as we can. Zache, don't the Desnan clergy prepare at dusk? If we hurry, we can ask for the good Father and Sister Callinova to take care of this."
Wife grabbed me for dinner and a movie the second I was out of work. I'll post as soon as I can.
Kaede exhales a sigh of relief that this restless dead was destroyed before she had to argue more with Tera. With a quick shake of her glaive, the arcs of lightning dim and go out, as Marcus' powers cause her wounds to heal. For a moment, her thought is to clean her blade, but seeing Tera begin to convulse changes her mind quite quickly. Dropping her partner, the Tian priestess goes to embrace her Abadaran friend, hoping to console her if possible. "We don't know why, but we were told where we can find that answer though. Where is this Misgivings?" She asks, hoping that one of the others will know.
"H-he's after me! G-get out of his way!" she calls out as she nocks an arrow. "No." Kaede responds with an air of finality, as her holy determination slowly knits some of her wounds together. The whirling dance that she's performing continues to strike out at the corpse, as she stands firm. "I'm an defender and guard. This is what I've trained my life for."
Kaede hisses in pain as she is bitten and scratched by the newly risen ghoul. She takes a step back, and whispers faintly, "嵐、踊り" and nods as her glaive's blade glows faintly, before erupting into crackling lightning. As the first arc of lightning flickers, Kaede returns to her lethal dance, driving first the blade, then the haft into the restless dead. Tien:
"Storm, dance."
Over her shoulder, Kaede barks to the orderly, "Get the good doctor out of here!" Then, she focuses solely on what was the poor man that they came to see. "Rose, bless my path," she whispers, before shifting over a little to take advantage of Marcus's positioning. The flurry of her glaive that follows in somewhat wild, but is focused on the ending the restless dead.
Grayst's mania and lunge finally shakes Kaede out of her ennui. Mentally cursing her inaction, she shifts her glaive out of it's harness while she steps forward to protect Tera. With a quick twist of her partner, she attempts to clock the mad man with the flat of the blade, though the strike is rather frantic and poorly timed.
The condition of Grayst shocks Kaede almost insensate. "Wha....How???", she whispers, as she retreats away from her place near Tera until her back is against the nearest wall. "This happened in less then a week?!?"
Kaede nods to the others before looking squarely at the good doctor. "Mister Sevilla was brought to you after he survived a trio of murders, yes? Well, there's been more murders with the same signs attached to them, and a promise that the killer will strike again. To our knowledge, Doctor, Your patient is the only person that's actually seen the killer, so anything that he can tell us would be of get help in tracking down this monster. So, please let us see him, so we can save lives."
Kaede takes one look at Sal and faintly sighs before locking eyes with the doorman with a stern gaze of her own. "This is important. Stop stonewalling us," she adds in an almost monotone voice.
Kaede nods in agreement to Tera, as she readies to slip her foot into the door, to prevent it from being locked on them. "Please, sir, this may become a matter of life or death."
As for Habe's, I can't say for certain. I... Kaede, have you ever heard of sanatoriums?" "Not really," The Tian priestess admits as they leave Harker's house. "However, from what I'm inferring, they're a place to send people that have serious emotional or mental issues for healing, yes?" On the the travel down to the sanitorium, Kaede stays close to Tera, as if she expects an attack on the way down. The hike in armor and with glaive harnessed to her back brings her a little comfort as she scans the road for trouble. Upon reaching the building, she looks at it in slight discomfort. "This....is not what I expected..." she whispers to herself as they approach the building.
In any case, Kaede addresses the man at the door. "We're here on business from Sandpoint. We would like to gain an audience with Mister Habe to see if we can talk with someone that was sent here several days past. Are you him?"
"If this is just a ledger, though, then this is a dead end," Kaede fatalistically adds, as she heads to the door to get the watchmen's attention. "How far from Sandpoint is Mister Habe's?"
"Is that Mr. Harker's funds?" she ponders as she wrinkles her nose a little from the sauerkraut's smell, "If it is, I think we have to turn it over to the guard. It is stolen money."
"It's like.... He was always saving money," Kaede says in agreement with Salomae. "But if that's the case, where did he keep it?"
Kaede's idea for gain information is more academic. After swiftly eating, she slips to the library. "Excuse me, " she asks whomever is in charge of the stacks, "but, can you help me find some books? I need to find the texts about local incursions from the restless dead."
Kaede bows in thanks. "Thank you, Mr Vinder," she says with a solemnity in her voice. "For what it's worth, My prayers are with you, and we will hunt this monster down." With a second swift bow, she steps away from the cell and toward the others. "The house sounds like a good next step, then to Mr. Habe's place."
Kaede stops to stand in front of Ven with a look of sorrow in her eyes. "No, sir," She starts, calmly staring straight into the scrappy store owner's eyes, "What happened to your daughter was awful and noone should have to deal with heartbreak like this. So, we're going to do something about it, but we'd like to know some things from you first. First, while this looks like your daughter was a victim of circumstance, can you think of anyone that would want to harm her?" She pauses for a moment, and with a softer tone. "Secondly, we will find the despicable beast that caused this and bring him to justice. Is there anything that you want us to tell him when we do?"
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Thorn," Kaede formally states to the shaken millwright. "We will give our utmost to deal with this threat to Sandpoint." As the party leaves the room, she asks, "to Mr. Vinder then?"
"Well, that's something in common with the note you found, Salomae," Kaede slowly says, as if getting to watch her words some. "It was also about a business venture of sorts. But if that's the case, why the ritualistic part of the murder?"
"We should talk to both of them." Kaede agrees with the guard. "Mr. Thorn to see if there was a reason that someone wanted to butcher Mr. Harker, and Mr. Vinder to see same for his daughter, as unlikely as that is. "
As the needling from the townsfolk start anew after the marked re-enter town from the swamp lands, Kaede suddenly stops from her rear guard position and deeply bows to the inquisitive folk. Speaking loudly, but deferentially, the Tian priestess informs, "I'm sorry, but the Sheriff wouldn't like us to share information about this so easily. If you have question, please direct them to the guard at the garrison. My apologies." And with that, she returns to the others as they get to the garrison.
Like Sal, Kaede lets the search of the corpses to those with more experience in those fields. "Same star, and tongues removed, like this "your Lordship" doesn't want his victims talking. And if you're right, Salomae, then he's seeking certain people.... But why?"
"Hai. I don't think we have much more here to note,"Kaede agrees. "Check the river, then go to the garrison and talk to Mr. Thorn and Mr. Vinder. " After a moment, she adds, "I feel sorry for him, losing his daughter like this."
In relative silence, Kaede follows Tera throughout the mill, nodding at what she points out and reacts to. If Tera asks, Kaede simply responses, "I'm not leaving you alone until this is dealt with." At the end she talks up, summerizing what Tera reacted to and says, "So, Some thinking undead came up from the river, climbed in the window can found these two. After a struggle, he shoved Katrine into the log splitter, and then ritually murdered Harker while carving.... a Lamahstan symbol into his chest? I didn't think the undead would follow Grandmother Nightmare. What does that star mean?" |