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Temple of Pharasma Sterling nods at Father Grimburrow, and slowly points to the 'silent' remains of the body on the stone. "That is,... was, 'The Lopper'. Presumably. Raised as a nasty undead. Nasty, even for a wight. Whatever transpired in the prison was not just physical. It was a deep, evil, spiritual destruction as well. Something terrible enough to cause not one, or a few, but many undead. And Haunts."
Sterling nods slowly at Kenzo's statement. "Maybe,... But I suspect that records and the items in the vault would answer that easily enough. I think we may be best served asking if he has any knowledge of WHY someone would want to start a fire or otherwise destroy the prison? Or better yet, if he knows of any trouble that was brewing within the prison before his,... demise?"
Sterling nods thoughtfully at the others suggestions.
Temple of Pharasma Sterling again nods his silent appreciation to Father Grimburrow, and lays out the skull and body remains on the stone bier in preparation for the spells and burial preparations. The cleric 'Hmphs' when the body does not respond to the scroll. As if he expected the result. He raises his head for a better look when the skull responds to the scroll-spell though. Sterling waves Bastion and the rest closer to speak, (out of hearing of the skull, so it doesn't misunderstand any of their comments as a question). "We must choose carefully. Taking into account what possible information the spirit has. Asking it questions of the Doctor's death or his remains will not avail us."
Sterling slowly nods his silent gratitude. "If you are able, and willing, we ask that you would pray to Pharasma to Speak with the Dead spirit of the skull. It answered us when we contacted it using a Spirit Board." Sterling frowns, then continues. "We would ask questions of the body as well. It was apparently the body of a prisoner who turned into a Wraith upon his death. It was silent when we attempted to ask it a question using the Planchette. It's Will may be beyond the meager magic of the Planchette. Or, Perhaps our defeating it's Wraith somehow sent the spirit on it's delayed journey?" Sterling raises a thin eyebrow at Father Grimburrow. An inquiry, Inviting the older priest to share his thoughts on the matter if he wishes. "And, yes. We ask that these remains be properly interred in holy ground. To prevent any further desecration of the bodies or spirits by whatever evil forces caused their unrest in the first place." Sterling tugs his hood forward to it's customary place, hiding his face in shadow. "After, I would tell you of what we discovered in the Old Prison. It is,... beyond anything I have encountered. I would welcome your council and advice." Teo and Cole would know that Sterling does not usually ask for advice, or any help really. At least not often.
Sterling snags a sandwich with a nod of gratitude, and silently follws the large Bastion to the church.
At the church, after the Father and Ogre exchange words, Sterling does step forward, clearing his throat quietly. He speaks quietly, so quietly that even the father and his companions can barely hear him. No one else in church probably realized he is speaking. "Father, it is not our intent to 'stir up trouble'. We all came to visit our mutual friend, only to find him dead under strange circumstances, and his body mysteriously missing. And now we discover that your town is frightened by strange visitors in the night. And that the Old Prison is crawling with Haunts and restless spirits. Many restless spirits. All malevolent. We all serve Pharasma. Some of us more directly. But as servants of Her Guiding Spiral Path, it is not our duty to give those in our care what they want, but what they need. Correct?" Here Sterling pauses briefly, to pull back his hood just far enough to expose his face and look at the Father directly. "I feel Pharasma has led us, all of us, here at this time because she deems us needed. I feel that the town may be in danger. In the name of Pharasma, and Her Guiding Path, I formally request that the Church accept the help of it's servants in this town's time of need."
Sterling merely shrugs at the corpse's lack of response.
Sterling nods his thanks to the ladies'. He taps his chin thoughtfully, apparently trying to silently puzzle out the best questions himself. "Names, should be possible to ask via the Planchette. Although it seems easier to determine the name of an axe-wielding murderer locked up in the prison from old records? Should make it easier to ID the skull though. Then the Father can address the skull's spirit by name." "If a short answer is possible, asking the body who started the fire MAY help. Although I doubt he was able to see much from his solitary hole. He may have heard something before the end."
Sterling nods his hooded head to Zek, then turns to their hostess. "May we use the large dining table? Clear it of all and set up a 'Seance' there?"
Sterling's hooded head tilts upwards, as if looking heavenward. A soft sigh escapes the hood. "FOCUS people,... "Having been relegated to the deepest hole of a prison for decades, I highly doubt the spirits of these remains have any knowledge of the Doctor. The only potential knowledge they have of use to us is what happened at the Prison. Which is a mystery the Doctor was trying to answer. Which we agreed to investigate, hoping it would lead us to a clue about what happened to the doctor, and then his body." "A simple question to lead us in the right direction may be 'Do you know what caused the fire'? Or, 'Do you know who was responsible for the Prisons destruction'?" Sterling moves suddenly, as if impatient. He holds out his hands. "Oh, give me the board,. I'LL use it. I know the basics. If everyone participates in the ceremony it should go smoothly. The more individuals focused on the process, the smoother it should go. Theoretically." He adds with a slight shrug. "And no offense Master Zek, as we've only just met, and I do not doubt your claims of having a strong mind. But I doubt you are more stubborn than I am." The hood turns slowly towards Teo and Cole, as if daring them to say anything.
"Alas, we can only ask each poor soul one question each. If we ask 'can you tell us what happened?' and it says yes, well,... Great. We know it knows what happened to it. But we can't use it to ask him what that was." "But, If it says yes, that may be enough to convince the Father to pray and speak with the departed souls directly, and get an actual answer."
Sterling reaches out a thin hand to gently lay it on Ogre's shoulder as he reaches the door, "Wait. ,... Please." The cleric turns to Zek. "You can, Speak with Spirits? That is a, rare gift." "Perhaps we should try the tools available to us here, first. Before we bother the Father with anything. While I am certain that he will wish to properly inter the remains, I suspect that he will only bother the shades of the departed in the most dire circumstances. We should get what information we can, on both the history of the fire, and the danger the prison now presents, before asking him."
Sterling shakes his head to Ogre's and Kenzo's questions. "No. Not yet. But I'm hoping the Father has more blessings to call upon than I do."
”Don’t we want to try and speak with the dead first? Before you bury it?” Sterling nods, turning to follow Ogre. "On it."
Sterling nods to Kendra, "It was, more eventful than we anticipated. The good Doctors' preparations were more than warranted. And possibly not enough."
Sterling nods to the gunslinger, and shakes the dust off of his tattered cloak as best he can before following the rest into the house.
Sterling does not even turn his head towards Sergei. Or Cole. The cleric simply facepalms himself. Hard enough to make a loud sound."Beer sounds good right now." Sterling says softly, tugging his hood to resettle his face firmly into shadow. "And I don't even LIKE beer."
Sterling's head tilts sideways, and without warning or comment, the cleric immediately holds aloft his holy symbol and invokes a prayer of blessing as the remains are entering the water,...
Sterling nods solemnly.
The cleric nears the oven, trying not to disturb Zek's concentration.
"Sergei,... Erm,... Or, whomever is in charge currently? Can you remove the remains from the oven? I remain skeptical of Zek's mantra keeping the haunt peaceful if it has fresh victims willingly climbing inside of it."
Sterling sighs loudly enough to be heard over the sounds of battle. "I'm going to regret this. Aren't I?" Then the cleric dashes forward, splashing into the water and towards the nearest skeleton, framing it between himself and Cole. "Cole! Here!" Sterling moves in flowing, almost swaying motions, keeping his feet and staff moving, providing the skeleton very little opportunity to get a blow in.
Sterling peers at the skeletons.
The cleric drops his pack, and holds his staff in one hand. He moves forward til he can see Cole and the new skellys clearly. Sterling slams one end of his staff onto the ground, and mutters,...
He holds out his other hand, makes a small spiral of Pharasma as he murmurs a blessing, and shard of ice flies towards the nearest skeleton.
Sterling's soft yet sturdy boots and working robes makes soft sounds as they glide over the stone floor. The clerics' footfalls barely make noise, and kick up surprisingly little dust. His style of running seems familiar to Zek and Tenzo if they notice him.
Sterling's hooded head snaps around at the sound of Cole's familiar shout.
The cleric begins to run out of the room, but stops at the doorway, then turns to point directly at Zek. "Lock. The. Door." The cleric then dashes off, at a surprising speed that would make Kenzo or Zek proud.
Entering the small vault, Sterling also clearly tenses from the innate feeling of WRONGness in the chamber. He reflexively holds up his own large holy symbol, a minor prayer causing it burst into light, chasing all remaining shadows, if not the feeling of dread, from the vault.
He also murmurs a simple prayer/chant of magic detection, and flinches again when every item in the room glows to his Pharasma-blessed sight. But they are glowing in darker, sickly versions of the cheerful colors of magic he is used to seeing when using this prayer. It's oddly refreshing. The cleric flinches, again, when bastion picks up the tangle of holy symbols. "Ah, Zek? I wouldn't be so quick to claim anything in this room. And I'm a noted packrat." He says, jabbing a thumb at his overloaded backpack, with several items sticking out that can only be wrapped weapons of some kind. (Cole and Teo note that this is delivered in his usual deadpan, but without any of his usual snark or sarcasm. That alone sends minor alarm bells off for both of them.) "These were left locked in here, precisely because they are safe. Period. IF Kenzo is correct, and if that axe belonged to the Wraith, then there are potentially 7 total undead creatures on par with the Wraith. Yet, these were locked up before the fire,... meaning these items belonged to the prisoners, and were dangerous prior. HMmmmm." Sterling retreats back under his hood, peering at, but not touching, the various items on the shelves.
"It's odd there's no axe among the things from down there. The wraith emerged from the hole. The skeletal remains from the hole show the same kind of leg injuries we could see on the wraith. So, we know its appearance mimics its corpse. But, the items match those of a guard or warden, keys, weapons and so forth. I would expect an axe though since the wraith used one." Sterling rubs his whiskerless chin thoughtfully. "Many incorporeal undead take a form more attuned to how they saw themselves, as opposed to reality. A heavyset older man might well appear as he remembers himself in his youth, slim and strong. This poor soul may have simply liked Axes. Or perhaps he was the Prisons' executioner. As such he would associate himself with an axe. Not the mace he normally carried." Sterling shrugs, and returns to leaning on his staff.
"So, We have a new weapon. An excellent alarm device. (usable as either alarm, or distraction) And a set of keys to potentially the entire facility. Not bad for a soul-sucking abomination." The cleric makes a small spiral of Pharasma over the remains of the Wights' physical remains as he makes the comment though. "We are also weary, and I for one am running low on stamina to channel the blessings of Pharasma. If we run into another fight like THIS one, we run risk of being seriously injured. Or worse." He adds darkly. "I feel like we are bumping our heads in the dark. With what we have learned here, we should be able to research more, better knowing what to look for. We can return refreshed tomorrow morn, and be better prepared." The cleric tucks the stone of alarm away in a pocket and leans on his staff. Clearly done speaking.
"Water is easy." Sterling says softly, glancing up from his inspection of the stone cube. "A basic prayer. But it would take days to cover the entire building, above and below, with prayer-brought water. Even longer if we were to try and bless it as it was conjured." He tilts his head thoughtfully.
Sterling picks up the solitary skull without a corpse, and holds it up level with his own cowled head, facing him.
"Alas, poor soul. I knew him not. Was he a fellow of infinite jest? Or was he prone to fits of maudlin introspection? Or does anyone miss him now that he's gone?" "Meh. Or something like that." He mutters, looking back at the others.
Sterling returns the skull to the floor as Cole offers him the stone cube. "Hmm. Curious sort of thing for a guard OR a prisoner to have. Isn't it?" The cleric pushes his hood back far enough to reveal his face. He murmurs a near-silent prayer, and makes a small Spiral with a finger. His eyes glow blue briefly. And he examines the small pile of gathered items before turning his full attention to the cube.
Sterling nods, slowly. "No bet. Although, I wouldn't think that a prisoner deserving enough to be held in a pit would have anything of value on him. Unless,... the remains hold a clue about what transpired here? The cleric seems uncertain. (Well. It seems certain that he would like to NOT begin another fight like they JUST finished!)
Sterling looks around. Teo and Cole can tell he is being 'serious', even though it is the same deadpan, wry delivery as most of his speech. "We may need to re-group. I am surprised at the variety, and deadliness, of the restless spirits that reside here. Haunts were to be expected. Free-roaming Skeletons? OK. But a Wraith? And a powerful one at that." Sterling shakes his hooded head.
"That's a pity. I'm sure I would find a few discussions, enlightening." Then the cleric looks at where the wraith was standing. "Oh. Right. No more haunted THERE." The cleric looks at Cole.
Sterling looks up and around.
Seeing the creature give him the stink-eye, Sterling responds by calmly holding up his fist with first and pinkie fingers extended, shooting the creature the Tines.
Spoiler:
The cleric then calmly points his finger at the Wraith, and unleashes a thin beam of radiant energy.
"Will someone kindly dispatch That offensive abomination?" Sterling intones calmly, and almost sweetly. Almost TOO calmly, and entirely too sweetly.
The others can hear Sterlings snarl. The cleric raises his right arm high, and draws a large spiral above his own head. There is another pulse of positive energy that washes over the area.
Sterling moves forward, even as their new friend hisses the universal battle-cry of the adventurer. (CLERIC!) "Wraith. Begone. Now." The cleric leans casually on his staff, and points an imperious finger at the undead being crowded around by his more martial friends. A glimmering ray of golden radiance reaches from his finger for the Wraith.
"WHAT in the name of Pharasma's Knickers was THAT?!?" Sterling growls. Reacting instinctively, the cleric dashes forward, sliding between his companions with dexterous ease, trying to see what abomination they have to deal with. This time.
Sterling glances as Zyblina rejoins them. Does a small double -take, (so small it is easy to miss under his hood). Then shakes his head slightly, as if to clear it. The cleric nods at Zyblina, then pads cautiously forward, not wanting their new scout and the heavy hitters to get too far away.
"After you." Sterling murmurs in the general direction of Cole and Zek.
"Yeah. We're gonna need to have a long talk later." The cleric sighs.
"You two are gonna get along great."
Sterling shrugs. "Channel Positive Energy. One of Pharasma's blessings. Human,...oids, it heals. Undead,..."The cleric gestures to the remains of the burning Skeletons. ",... It sends to their final rest. I can only do that another few times before I'm exhausted. I'll conserve them for emergencies. Although it IS very satisfying to watch undead fall at your feet."
Sterling nods in agreement with the large man.
Sterling looks at Ogre, Cole and the others. "Gather near." Making sure that the entire group is in range, Sterling lets loose another burst of Positive energy.
:( The cleric Tsk's again under his hood. And growls as he does it again,...
In his normal, flat, voice, The cleric continues. "The good Doctor had a long habit of helping others. And being in the right places at the right times. Seems appropriate that we return the favor by helping others in turn."
Maybe it's the cleric's true nature showing, or maybe he has a soft spot for those who also participate in worshiping Pharasma. But he makes a small gesture towards Zek', and then to the others. "Care to join us in finding out what the Doctor found so mysterious about this place? Other than Haunts, Slime Zombies, and Burning Skeletons."
Sterling "Tsks"from under his hood. "We don't need no stinking badges."
Sterling takes a step back as the humanoid jumps down to join them, then coughs to cover his chortle at the bold little lizard-person. The cleric tugs his hood back into its customary place. Hiding his face. "Pharasma's blessing be upon you Zek'Karis." Sterling intones softly. "Ahem. WE did NOT 'lose' the body. It vanished. Or was taken. Even though it was supposedly never left alone once discovered. It is one of the mysteries we hope to solve. Along with his death. We are told He showed no signs of injury." "You said, you knew the good Doctor? Enough for him to have a nickname for you. How did you know him?"
"A cult that uses undead? NOW you have my attention."
Sterling shrugs.
Sterling again glances at Teo, Cole, and the rest. "Although, the locals are VERY wary of strangers, due to folks recently being spotted nearby who never stay to talk, and keep themselves hidden. I can't imagine that you garnered a warm welcome when you arrived. No Offense." He adds dryly. (Is that a small smile Teo and Cole spot under hood? The rest might see it too, but probably think he's having gas or something.) Sterling holds up his Holy Symbol of Pharasma.
"You wear the Spiral. If you follow Pharasma, can we call a truce? And talk face to,... face? This shouting upwards is giving me a crick in my neck."
Sterling reflexively makes a small spiral of Pharasma upon seeing the newcomers' chest. He clears his throat, glancing at Teo and Cole, before responding. "Ah, Council business? No. I'm here on a,... personal matter. As are the rest of these folks." Sterling looks up, furrowed brow obvious even under his low hood. "Who did the cultists kill?"
"We were called to this town to meet a friend of our mutual acquaintance. Upon our arrival we discovered our friend had mysteriously died. Before he could be buried, his body vanished as well." Sterling tilts his head up high enough that you can almost see his eyes under his hood. "Tell me about these 'Cultists'. Please."
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