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Vara pays for the drink, then leaves. Outside The Grinning Demon, she lets out a sigh. "Well, that went south real fast. I suggest we see if Kendra is in any better mood and can offer us any further information. Otherwise, we go and loot the Pharasman cache in the morning then check out Harrowstone." she pauses then adds as an afterthought, "We really don't want the Whispering Way getting there before we do."
This was my entry for a CC PBP. I wanted to try something new instead of a traditional cleric or life oracle. 4 skill points per level before int modifiers.
"You know those ruins...what was its name again...?Ah Harrowstone. We'd love to hear any stories on that. And also any interesting snippets of the town's history." Vara replies.
I'm still around.
I will be out of country from 13-15 Aug with limited internet access. Bot me as necessary.
We can do both at sane time, no worries. I'd like to find out if anyone instigated Gibs on us, and we're all interested in any information the sheriff can provide,
"Uh...ok."Vara replies. 'Can't imagine eating something blood-red,'she thinks to herself. After getting the bartenders permission, she goes over to check on Gibs, just to make sure nothing other then ale has knocked him out...
"Bloodred mix...what the heck is that?" Vara wonders out loud. "How long has it been since he's been here everyday?"Vara asks the bartender, while sipping her ale. "Mind if I go check on him?"
"Good eyes." Vara compliments Davi."Totally missed him." "Yeah, guess you can get me the same stuff as Davi here." Vara tries not to show that she doesn't know ANYTHING about fancy alcohols.
"Urm..."Vara ventures hesitantly. "Do you have something...uh more conventional, like maybe a beer?"
"I don't think so. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that he might be giving sanctuary to a shapeshifter. One that could assume cat form. I heard cat purring becoming more human."She furrows her eyebrows.
"But how are we going to get information if we don't ask? Sure, I'm happy to leave the asking to someone else," she nods at Davi, then continues,"At the end of the day, we still need to find out."
Vara gives a shoulder shrug. "You know me, I've never been one for niceties, or polite conversation. Occupational hazards, you understand. And now the town may be in danger because of something we didn't bother to find out..." She trails off. "Probably right, Gosk" as she agrees with Gosk. "Though Father Grimburrow might be hiding something in the temple walls. Or maybe he just keeps cats," she remarks.
"Huh, its dusk already?" Throughly engrossed in her book, she looks at Gharen owlishly as he escorts the party out of the library. "Where does time go when you're busy..." she mutters to herself. "Thanks for the loan of your library, goodsir. May your trip in Ardis be fruitful!" she says to Gharen. Once Gharen has left, she turns to the party, "Its rather late. Not sure if the Unfurling Scroll will be open. Maybe we should look for Father Grimburrow, or head to the Grinning Demon. It should be open by now. Also, Gharen seemed uncomfotable about us mentioning the Whispering Way, again, we all know they're not up to any good business... "
"Sorry, didn't mean to alarm, but we're just curious about the history of this place, and Harrowstone is full of it. Ooooh imagine all the stories about it. So delightfully chilling." She answers with a relish.
Vara keeps an eye out on what Gharen is doing to Davi, but deems a kiss on a hand fairly innocuous. Vara gives an appreciative whistle at the collection. "Wow, nice collection. How did you get the room magically sealed against temperature changes?"She inquires curiously. "We're looking on information on Harrowstone. Any information there is. Also, the Whispering Way."
"Good day to you, Sir. I'm Vara. " Vara was distinctively uncomfortable with dealing with nobility but good manners dictated that you should answer when people are talking to you. "We've always been interested in the history of this town. When my friend, Davi, heard you were knowledgeable in these matters, she literally dragged us off our feet to meet you." She follows Davi into the house.
Vara is slightly disappointed that the Sheriff isn't going to let them visit the crime scene with him. He probably doesn't want civilians with him... There wasn't much to do this morning except to visit the Muricars...
I'll need a while to get orientated. Probably wait for someone else to post first.
WB Davi. Good to hear that your family member is doing better.
"Could we come along with you? We saw what was at the scene, sir." Vara adds.
Vara opens the window some, and yells through it. "We read it last night while you were there. Unfortunately, you fell asleep halfway through it, and we figured you needed the rest." Never mind that we deliberately read in in such a way that we wanted people to fall asleep through it, she doesn't need to know that. Then shuts the window.
"Ravengro's an interesting town indeed. Lots of hidden depths." Just the sort that are better left alone. She continues, "We'd like to know more about the history of the town, maybe we could start with the history of this jail?"
Vara had been looking downwards, slightly shamefaced. On hearing what Gosks says, she breaks into a tentative smile. "To be honest, I don't like keeping secrets either. But when knowing too much may put a person in danger...ah Desna, where should the line be drawn?" As Gosk comments about Gibs, she comments clinically, "Gibs look like he just woke up. On the wrong side of bed. He'd probably have better mornings if he didn't drink so much the night before, but that would be probably too much to ask for. Doubt he'd be able to come up with a coherent lie in his condition."
"Well. That was helpful, at least he didn't call the Sheriff on us,"she drawls.
"Kendra, we..." Vara hesitates before trying again, as if it was costing her some effort to speak. "Kendra, we looked at Father's diary last night. He wrote that a group called the Whispering Way was trying to after someone that was held in Harrowstone. He was trying to learn more about Harrowstone so he could stop them." "I..I wanted to keep this from you. And find a way to bundle you out of town. So you could be safe from all this."Vara blushes, ashamed. She gestures to the rest. "They talked me out of it. Said you had the right to know."
Not posting because I have nothing to say to Gibs. I trust him about as far as I can throw him, which is not very,considering my 10 str.
"People who start with cats don't always stop there, she remarks darkly and doesn't comment further. There's more justification to murder a person, as that person might be in a position to do you harm, or it could be genuine self defence. "I don't like this Gibs guy, not after what he did yesterday. Are you sure you don't want us in sight in case things get ugly?"she asks Davi, concerned.
"Cat's also missing front claw on its left paw. Can't tell what caused it." "Sorry, Kendra. Yoi never should have seen this."Vara awkwardly pets Kendra on her shoulder. What do I say to someone who just came across a brutally murdered cat? Maybe if its out of sight? Vara puts the dead cat into a sack and lays the sack somewhere inconspicuous. She signals to Mr Chompy to clean up the area. "Too many tracks that lead away from here, and they end too soon. I can't track who did it. Maybe the rest of the memorial might hold more clues."
"That person has a sick mind. What does he gain in killing something a tenth of his size that would never have done him any harm?" Taking a deep breath, "We can place it under a bush someplace in the woods. At least it'll be returned to Mother Nature. "
"I think we should tell the Sheriff there's some crazy cat killer out there on the loose."
On hearing kendra's scream, she rushes to her side. "Oh, you poor, poor thing." Vara runs to the cat's remains to examine it, her voice filled with pity.
Vara looks around the place for tracks of the perpetrator of this vile deed.
"When I find out who did it, I'm going to personally drag that person to the gaol and make sure that bastard is locked up for life,"she growls. While she does it, she wonders if the sacrifice of the cat was some kind of desecration ritual.
"Do any of you have a shovel? We need take it from this rude place and bury it somewhere proper,"her voice filled with sadness.
"Jominda, the shopkeeper of the apothecary said she knew some about Harrowstone, but we were interrupted by some officious official before she could tell me everything. We might want to pay her a visit later."Vara remarks. "Though Ravengro sure has some messed-up laws about carrying throwable alchemical flasks in public," she grumbles. "Thank you for your advise, we'll approach him as a group," after Kendra mentions about Gharen. Vara tugs her chin thoughtfully then continues, "Gharen and Hearthmount are old friends, no? Hearthmount isn't kindly disposed to you. Could he have spread his prejudice to Gharen?" She raises her head, as a thought strikes her. "Wait. Wasn't it Councilman Hearthmount that read out Father's will?" she asks Kendra, her voice carrying a slight note of alarm. "Would he execute the will properly, considering his bias?" Vara felt slightly awkard sneaking around. Even at the best of times, she wasn't what anyone would call graceful. After Davi trips over her feet, she thinks 'Well how much worse can it get' and gives sneaking a shot.
It certainly gets much worse, as she trips over Davi, and lands next to her with a loud clatter. "Oops,sorry Davi." she says sheepishly as she picks herself up, rubbing her bruises, then offers Davi a hand up.
My next post will take a while because I will probably be responding to what Kendra said about the council and maybe some of my own theories regarding Gibs. Sorry. No issues with what's happening.
"The Muricar's bought out Gib's. Would like to know why." "Maybe it was just a good investment? I dunno. Not without seeing how fertile the lands are, at least." She cocks her head thinking about the problem. "Have the Muricars ever seemed to be ill at ease around you and your father?" She asks Kendra. On Gosk's talk about people in power, Vara shrugs. "Well, I've never really been around people with power. Our temple was too small for politics, and I was away most of the time dealing with monsters. It seems like my life has just been one really long road trip."
"You'll want Davi for that. I'm not good with people. She's the one who gets along well with others. The only thing I could offer him would be a dream of eating a meal of anything he could desire." She gives wry half-smile. "Chances are, if he's as rich as they say, he can probably afford to buy anything that he wants to eat, anyway."
Apothecary:
Vara shakes Jominda's hand. You mean it's not legal to carry acid flasks in full display onto the street? I'd probably better ask her what other things can't be displayed in full view of others. Vara listens with interest to what Jominda has to say about Harrowstone. Drat the interruptions, darned those officious types, just when things were getting interesting... Vara looks at the young man, shakes her head and gives an aggrieved sigh."Look, I was just picking up supplies when YOU came. When will you officials not be interfering with the business of honest folks?" she complains. "Yadda yadda, routine search, I understand. Guess I'll just make myself scarce till you're done."She gives a loud huff, while giving Jominda a look of sympathy for her current predicament, before leaving the shop.
Our Church also had a collection of books, mostly about constellations, music scores, books of travels on strange lands." Her eyes grow slightly distant as she reminisces about her past. Then she snaps herself back to the present. "Tell you what, if we manage to get into the Muricar's archive, we'll tell you about all the stuff we found down there. How's that?" she says with a grin. If the priests here love books, maybe they aren't too bad afterall.
Apocathery:
Isn't the nightshade a poison? Again, most herbs are, its the dosage that makes the difference between medicine and poison. Vara notices her relaxation, and is glad to have someone who isn't a hidebound, superstitious visitor to talk to. She gives the lady a warm smile. "I'll take an acid flask. My name is Vara. I didn't catch yours?" as she holds out her hand. As she waits for Jorminda to get her acid flask, she asks, "Have you heard of any tales of monsters that lurk beyond the town walls, or at the place called Harrowstone?"
"Oh it's a shame Father Grimburrow is currently unavailable. He was such a great help yesterday. I was hoping we could buy him a meal to show our appreciation for his assistance. Do you know when he'll be available?"
Nps, how was your vacation? Oh that poking at the apocathery is a RL spillover trait. I can't go past any herbal stores or scent stores without going in and trying to identify the various plants and smells.
Apocathery: Vara sniffs the air to see if she can recognise any of the plants that are in the process of becoming potion ingredients, and sees if she can identify any of the drying plants.
"Do you supplies to deal with the supernatural? I'm looking for alchemists fires, acid flasks, tanglefoot bags, magical potions and scrolls and wands of healing." Vara sees no reason to mince words and bluntly states the items she is looking for.
Chill, relax, enjoy your Spring Break, Aest. Spend some time outdoors, the beach, maybe, or a good hike =)
I'm going to lose some of my forum activity. Lets say my place was shifted to a less private part of the office, and checking paizo PBPs in view of others probably isn't a good idea...
I could use a check on the apocathery - checking for alchemical items and magical scrolls available. Davi wanted to check the Silken Purse. Sowwie, I tend to be a bit pokey nosey, look into everything sort.
The general store seems well stocked enough. Magical supplies seemed a bit lacking though. Nontheless, a few bottles of oil might come in handy, most undead feared fire... "The general store seems well stocked with mundane supplies, I didn't see anything that looked magical or alchemical in there, though there was this fanciful looking plate armor." She annouces to the party. "There's a saying, an idle mind is the devil's workshop. Gibs certainly has time to rouse the rabble. That he has no visible income source leaves him open to manipulation."Vara raises both eyebrows, "What if he has already drank up the proceeds from the sale of his farm, and someone offered to foot his expenses for the rest of his life, in exchange for a little favour? I could him going along with that." As Kendra passes by the school, Vara concurs, "Yeah, lets not bother him. I've read tales of crochety mages who turned people who annoyed them into frogs." Vara gives a wry smile,"I like frogs. I'm not at all interested in living the rest of my life as one." ------
"Hmm. We could thank him for his assistance yesterday. Also, what lies in the outskirts of Ravengro?"
Nice distraction lol. Get a pet owner to talk about their pet and you'll put them in a much better mood ;) I'm going to take craft wondrous item! Go Helmet! (Nah planned that from a long way before). Vara is also a worshipper of Desna, so go Freedom of Expression!
"Dinosaur, Gosk. Magical dinosaur." She corrects automatically.Her eyes sparkle and she grows more animated as she talks about a subject she loves. "Lizards and dinosaurs are reptiles, but this is where the similarity ends. Dinosaurs do not have the sprawling limb posture lizards do, have a higher base metabolism and are less dependent on the sun to warm them up...ooops. I got carried away again, didn't I?" Vara has a slightly sheepish expression on her face as she catches herself midway of giving the group an impromtu lecture on dinosaurs. "Yeah,that's probably it. Unfair as it is...conformity to the norm is what society expects."Vara sighs. "And you should have been a wizard. They get the best excuse to keep and read so many books!" with a note of envy in her voice.
This is really begining to sound like X-Men 2.. At least I'm not wearing black and a red helmet.
"Don't speak of magic as if it's something to be hidden. Only the short sighted people of the town would see it that way. Is it wrong to know how to play a musical instrument? Is it wrong to be a good cook? No. Neither is it wrong to be able to use magic. Its a skill like any other." Vara replies, with some heat in her voice."What matters is that you use it for the betterment of others and not to do harm," in a calmer tone. Colonel Tipper's remarks, although not directed at her, seem to have touched a sore spot. "I dunno, Davi. I could think of lots of reasons to take loan, like to buy a milch cow for more milk.."
Vara walks through the town dispassionately. She had been through this way before but had never bothered to learn the names of the buildings. Her lips twitch when Kendra mentions the name Outward Inn, the building resembling an inn from the outaide. "How appropriate,"she quips. She pops into the general store and apocathery to check what they have for sale.Never know when a supply depot may come in handy. When told about the Grinning Demon, she gives a sardonic grin, "People here sure have a warped sense of humour and a literal turn of the mind. When does it open, again?"
"I could make pancakes fall out of the sky, or anything one can dream of eating, or more like, the dreamer would be the one doing it. And you wouldn't be awake to see it." Vara says with a twinkle in her eyes. "Problem with that is it only feeds one person, and we have so many hungry mouths here,"as she wrings her hands in mock exasperation. "Magic is a tool, nothing more, nothing less. The wielder decides if its used for good or ill," she remarks to Kendra's use of magic. "Frankly the world was never worse off for the use of magic to do the dishes. I've never had to because Mr Chompy has always done it for me." She looks around for Mr Chompy, who was barking eagerly in anticipation of Gosk lowering Pryapeth to the ground, about to make a running leap for the cat. "No! Bad Mr Chompy! Get right down here now and stop bothering Kendra's cat!"
Vara woke to the sound of clattering pots. Oh no, I overslept! I wanted to help provide breakfast for everyone today. We must've been talking for longer then I thought last night... She gets dressed in a set of brown robes, prays to Desna, then heads downstairs with Mr Chompy. "Hey Kendra, I was supposed to do breakfast today, but I overslept. Sorry! Gimme a bit, I'll be right back!" She heads to Kendra's garden to persuade the berry bushes.
She returns with the berries. "I've saved you the trouble of preparing lunch and dinner, " and hands 2 berries to Kendra with a grin. "I'd pass you more, but they don't keep very long." She starts taking her breakfast. It was very different from the stuff she used to foraged for herself out in the swamps. She ate her food slowly, getting used to the different flavor. She slices a bit of ham and slips it to Mr Chompy under the table. "Would be good to see the town, what beef does Gibs have with you anyway?"
Vara raises her hands in a gesture of surrender."Ok, fine, I get your point. We're all into this together. Deal." We're all fools to embark on such a venture, but in this world filled with madness, who is it to say that a fool does not see the most clearly of them all? "We'll need to eventually tell Kendra about all this, since it involves her. Fair enough. We'll need to approach it tactfully." Vara makes a mental note to try to break the news as gently as possible. "I will submit myself to any advice on playing the part of a fop. I've never been...particularly foppish." "Does anyone object if I take a look at one of the books? We're not delivering them anywhere just now. And my curiosity is peaked." I'd like to take a brief look at The Umbral Leaves. "I have no objections on reading any of the books, now we're in this situation. I suspect eventually, we'll have to go through all of them to see what we're really facing."
"Oww, that hurt. I asked for it, didn't I?"Vara rubs the spot that Davi flicked with a small wince. "Look at it this way, if Kendra is willing to leave Ravengro, the rest of you would be able to carry out Father's last requests as stated in the letter without placing yourselves in further peril,"while raising a finger. "I can't ask more of you then what Father's will, it wouldn't be fair, especially since it is dangerous." She pauses a while, as though admitting something to herself,"Though I'd be glad to have assistance." "If we start asking Kendra questions...does that mean we're going to tell her about all this?" she asks. "I would have liked to bundle Kendra out of town at the first opportunity but again I may be a little high-handed," with a wry smile. She thinks for a moment. "I think Davi's idea will work better then mine. It should keep the town from getting overly alarmed, afterall fops are rarely taken seriously. It also dovetails nicely with the fact that we've been bequeathed a small fortune. If the Whispering Way has agents in town, they may overlook a bunch of melodrmatic fools who think their poems are the pinnacle of creation. We will, however, need some coaching to act the part." "I'm sure the taverns will have a fine tale to tell about this Gibs person, if he's been going around creating trouble." she muses thoughtfully. "You can keep the diary, thanks for volunteering."She grins mischeviously at Colonel Tipper. "I don't know of any thing we may have missed out at this point of time, unless any of you know any popular trends amongst gentry for ghost stories..." |