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Sorry to hear, Kana. :( I hope things improve soon. That said, I'm still waiting for when things do settle down.
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Hope you feel better soon Lady K. <3
"Our stomachs guided us. It smells delicious." Zevran replied pleasantly, happy to see that Kendra seemed to be doing better. It made it somehow easier to keep from telling her what they had learned, and what they were planning to do the following day. As Arabeth spreads her wings, Zevran's eyes go wide. "Extraordinary." he breathes, surprisingly at a loss for words.
Zevran nods to Gibs and steps outside, walking a distance from the man's porch before speaking. He cocks his head at Kazallin, in curiosity. "Something happened to that man, as I'm sure you noticed. Even if he had said that there were undead... could we have trusted him?" He pauses to consider. "It's not that I think he would lie to us, not intentionally, but jumping to conclusions with Petros, speculating on the Warden's wife being present. The man is looking for answers for something that he doesn't understand. As are we." Nodding at the suggestion, he begins striding back towards the house. "I agree. I will remain with the lady Kendra this evening, being what little comfort I may. After you've returned and rested, we will investigate the Harrowstone. With luck, we can figure out the dance before it changes on us."
FYI, with the final version of the Advanced Class Guide having been released, I did check through to see if any changes had to be made with Zevran, and I did not see anything that stood out. I also checked into the Archetypes to see if I could persuade you to let me take one, but none look particularly appealing.
The answer to Kazallin's latest question matters little to Zevran. Whether there are restless spirits or not, he feels more certain than ever that something happened up there that bears investigating. Besides, it wasn't hard to see that Gibs had some personal investment in the matter, and that was likely to colour his own recollection. Moving quickly to interrupt Kazallin, lest he push too far against the man, Zevran stands up. "Thank you for your time, Mr Gibs." Zevran says, extending a hand, the other resting on his cane. "My sincere apologies for being one to dig up old memories. I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us."
Shooting a 'be careful' glance at Kazallin, Zevran quickly changes the subject. "Vile things?" he echoes. "I'm afraid that I'm something of a foreigner. Can you tell me of this Harrowstone?"
Home is where the death is: Keeping calm, Zevran removes a small journal from one of his coat pockets and begins jotting down notes. Noting the items above the mantle, Zevran's heart softens and he speaks somewhat more quietly. "Mr. Gibs, if I may ask, what did the professor do to make you believe him a necromancer? Surely it could not have been simply him spending time at the Harrowstone."
"Yes, right." Zevran murmurs, wondering if he should have expected any differently. "Good evening, Mr Gibs, I hope I am not interrupting. My name is Zevran. We 'met' briefly this morning. I was hoping I could ask you a couple of questions about Petros Lorrimor." "I should specify," he continues, "That I am not investigating the Professor's death, but rather, his life. There are rumours abound of him having an interest in Necromancy. It would be best, I think you'd agree, if that information not fall into the hands of others. Could you possibly spare a few minutes?"
"Stay alert." Zevran whispers to his colleagues as they approach the home. Raising his cane, he knocks it three times against the door, and then waits for a response from within.
Given the two choices, I would rather keep going. I've been very much enjoying it, and while we could certainly close up and all find a different Carrion Crown Campaign, it wouldn't be the same. It's the characters and DM that really bring an AP to life, and I feel like we're all really succeeding on that front.
Sorry for forgetting you in my last post, Odessa! Apparently it's been so long that I've forgotten the players. :P (Also, your Bluff made me lol) Glad to see everyone is still around though. :)
Temple: Kazillin's words give Zevran pause, and he considers for seconds before replying. "My naturally instinct is to say no," he says after some hesitation. "Not only because the man lead a decent-sized mob, but also because I am not sure it would be best for Kendra if we all left. Perhaps Arabeth and Gwen will succeed in making the girl feel a bit better, where our mission would only exacerbate her emotional state." Considering for another moment, he continues. "Gibs may also see it as being aggressive if we arrive with a posse of our own. Let's instead simply make this fast, agreed?"
Temple: "I suspect he was telling the truth," Zevran replies quietly. "Old relics are often forgotten with the passage of time. I expect they won't find much. Come, we must make haste, there are many things to do before the night falls. I still desire a conversation with Gibs before we part ways this evening."
Temple: Zevran furrows his brow at Kazallin's revelation. "Ah, indeed." he murmurs. "Some kind of cache. It's not unheard of, I suppose." He considers for a second before nodding. "Yes, we can investigate The Restlands. Still, if anyone is to know of the artifacts, it would be Father Grimburrow. It won't take but a minute to ask."
I have had trips re-arranged and added. My next two weeks are filled with travel for work. I'm not sure I'll have much time, if the energy to post during them. I got back from the previous ones and was exhausted, to recover to head out on the next. But I wanted to update you on what was going on. Goodness, that sounds like quite the busy schedule. I can't speak for the others but I'll be here once things settle down. :)
I'll try to post when I can, as I do not have plans of abandoning this game. That's all I needed. I hope your travels go well, Kana, and that things settle down for you soon.
Temple: Zevran gives the acolyte a smile as the man moves off, before turning to Kazallin. "Perhaps we should seek one of the more elder members of the clergy," he suggests. "Petros's journal spoke as if they had been hidden long ago, it's possible that this man, helpful as he is, knows nothing of them."
"Alternatively," he continues, his voice dropping somewhat. "We could venture to the theoretical 'false crypt' ourselves and see if Petros might have left any more clues there." "Well," he smiles, feeling somewhat invigorated by their search. "One thing at a time, yes?" Zevran calls out Lukain before the man gets too far away. "Young man, a moment please!" he walks closer to the acolyte, leaning on his cane as he crosses the room. "Tell me, how old is the most elder of the priests here? What we seek may have been long hidden."
I'm still here, just haven't had anything to contribute just yet.
At the Temple: Zevran nonchalantly glanced around the temple while Kazallin spoke to the acolyte, prepared to jump into the conversation if he needed to.
House/Road: Zevran sits down at the table to scrawl a note in case the girls make it back before they do. As he writes he replies to Kazallin. "I am less concerned," he begins, "about what Mr. Gibs might do. Really I am mostly curious about where he got the impression that Petros was himself a necromancer. It is possible that the man knows something that may benefit us." Grabbing his coat and cane, he follows Kazallin and Teflin out the door, heading in the direction of the temple.
In The House: Zevran smiles at Teflin's thought process, but does not necessarily disagree with it. "I think, perhaps," he begins, "we should try to do both. It's possible that The Way has already made short work of the Clerics, and clearly we ought to be careful approaching this Gibs character." He pauses for a moment, moving the curtains to get a look at the sky outside. "Though, if you are to watch over the Professor this evening, we haven't much time."
At The House: Zevran frowns, disappointed at having turned up very little. "At the risk of sounding somewhat... superstitious," he began, "I would rather investigate during the day time. The timing suggests that Petros's "accident" occurred at night. I don't want someone to get the same drop on us."
"There are, however, two ends which may require further examination." he continued. "First, Petros's journal spoke of the Church of Pharasma having housed some, ah, "tools" to be used against evil spirits. It's possible that speaking to the clerics may tell us more about the items, or about what Petros found." "The second," he continued, his brow furrowing, "Is that fellow Gibs, who attempted to stop the funeral earlier. While I ordinarily would not indulge such people, I confess that I am rather curious why he thought Petros himself might be a necromancer. It is possible that he saw something, as well."
No worries, we're still here. :)
Once the women have left, Zevran turns immediately to Teflin and Kazallin. "Gentlemen." he begins, clearing his throat. "I do not wish to alarm the Lady Kendra any more than she already is. I am fairly confident, and you may be as well, that Petros's death was no accident." He pauses here for a moment, before beginning to explain the contents of the journal to Kazallin, who had not yet read them. "Petros's journal has several entries dealing with The Whispering Way, a necromantic cult." Unlike most people, Zevran's voice does not betray any emotion when speaking of the cult's type. He is a scholar, and if he believes in the magic of necromancy, it's with a scientist's curiosity, rather than any kind of judgment. "According to the journal, the cult was interested in someone who was held, and possibly died, in the prison at Harrowstone." The older man paces back and forth, slowly, as he describes the situation. "Petros was investigating when he had his, ahem, 'accident'." "I am going to investigate as much of the house as I can before the ladies return. You are both free to assist, if you'd like. If, of course, you don't trust me, you may well observe my actions. I have no intention of stealing or damaging anything. My only request is that, regardless of your feelings, please say nothing to the Lady Kendra. She is going through enough already without thinking about what may be hidden here, or contained in these hundreds of books."
Zevran was already beginning to look through the different titles, searching for anything which may be hidden, which may be out of place. He was opening drawers and cabinets, checking under furniture, moving quickly but not leaving anything unchecked. "Tomorrow I will begin a full investigation into what happened. I know not where it will take me, but it must be done. Make no mistake, gentlemen" he stands up and looks at the two, his eyes taking on a strange darkness. "Our friend was murdered."
Zevran nods gratefully to Arabeth, and moves to sit at the table, quickly penning a letter to his university briefly explaining the situation. With hot wax he affixes his seal to it, and hands it to her. Surprise crosses his face when Kendra says that she is going out with the other girls, but it quickly changes to pleasure. It will be good for her to get out of the house, and do something relaxing. 'Besides,' he thinks, 'Perhaps Petros has left more clues within these walls.'
Zevran looks up from the book as the group begins to separate. Kazallin was asking for the book, and the ladies were preparing to depart for the town. "Right, yes." he murmured, handing the book back over to Kazallin. Looking up at Arabeth, he spoke quickly. "My dear if you wouldn't mind mailing a letter for me? I'd prefer to stay here to, ah, tend to some things..."
Sorry for the silence, guys, I'll have a post up later tonight.
Zevran eagerly swaps books with the gnome and begins leafing through the pages leading up to the end, and looking deep in thought.
Zevran steals a look at Kendra to see how she takes it when Kazallin explains the books. A reassuring smile spreads over his face. "My dear, you should know that it doesn't mean anything that he had these. He was a scholar. You would be surprised by the books kept by my bed."
He turned back to Kazallin. "Yes," he replied. "I teach quite a few classes, mostly science or history-based. Things of that nature." He paused a moment, before adding quietly. "Sometimes I lecture about the Planes." "As to these particular books, I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with most of them." He picked up the locked purple one slowly. "This, however, I believe comes from The Order of the Palatine Eye." His face grew very grave. "I know not what Petros was doing with it." Zevran turned the book carefully in his hands, looking at it from multiple angles before examining the lock.
Zevran studied the books carefully, trying to discern if he had heard of any of them before. The jet black book in particular caught his eye and he opened it and began to leaf through it. His eyes widened more and more as he flipped pages. He peered over Teflin's shoulder to see the small gnome looking through the Professor's journal. Turning to Kazallin, Zevran spoke quietly. "We can examine the Harrowstone tomorrow. I'm afraid that there are things here that I must tend to. Will you still watch over Petros's resting place tonight?"
It's interesting that we all have a kind of... different heritage. Since Kazallin is opening the chest, I'll wait until the reveal for my next post, since presumably it's what is inside that will prompt Zevran to stay behind and examine the tomes while others go to the burial site.
Yeah, I agree, actually. Curious as I am, I think it makes more sense to wait and explore where Petros died sometime the next day. We have too much else going on for the first night. I'll include that in my next post. I love your idea for the grave, but I suspect I'll be more inclined to stay at the house.
Going to move the conversation about splitting the party over to here, so as to not clutter Gameplay. I believe we have six players, so we could do three teams of 2 each? Group A explores the ruins, Group B watches over the grave, and Group C stays with Kendra? I am not sure how this adventure goes, so I have no idea what will be the most 'desirable' section, so, while Zevran opted for A already, I have no problem changing it to one of the others if someone has a strong desire to do that. I could just as well get my roleplay on, either learning about whomever else watches over the grave, or staying at the flat and examining the books while consoling Kendra.
Zevran was quiet during the reading, though his expression grew more and more concerned. At Kazallin's statement he looks to the other man, and nods. "Yes, I agree." He replies quietly. Zevran has a sinking feeling in his stomach that at least one of the tomes will involve Necromancy, but says nothing about it out loud. Despite the circumstances, he is pleased that he can use Petros's last wishes as an excuse to stick around the house. He, too, wants to see Kendra protected, but he would also like to find out what happened to his friend. "After we examine the tomes," he speaks to Kazallin, "I must send word to my own university that I will be somewhat, ah, delayed. I assume that anyone who wishes to stay will need to make similar arrangements." "With that said, we ought still have a few hours of sunlight left, so once that is taken care of, I will be leaving to see if I can discern what happened to Petros. Anyone who desires to help is, of course, more than welcome to, but it may well be dangerous, so I will refrain from asking anyone to accompany me." "Besides," he adds quietly. "Kendra ought not be alone tonight."
Zevran's brow furrows as Kendra tells of what happened to her father. While sneaking around sounded exactly like him, having stood still while a large stone face landed on him did not. The professor was quick, resourceful. 'Most troubling.' He murmured.
"You must not blame yourself, dear. You know how stubborn he was. Even if you had pushed it, he wouldn't have wanted to worry you." Zevran paused to check a pocketwatch. "I suppose we have the reading soon, however, immediately following I would like very much to see this...Harrowstone. Things that go bump in the night do not trouble me." He smiled kindly at Kendra. "I would not ask you to accompany me, simply point the direction, and if there's something to be learned, rest assured that I will find it."
Zevran sips his tea quietly, forcing himself to remain patient despite the trying circumstances.
Once inside, Zevran moves immediately to an arm chair and sinks into it with the sense of someone returning home. To an observer he looks patient and almost comfortable, but those looking closer can see a great deal of concern and confusion in his eyes, and a tenseness in his shoulders. He looked as someone waiting anticipating bad news, though it had already come.
Zevran looks at Kendra kindly, and says "Of course.", giving her hand a light squeeze. But as he looks away, and towards the countryside, his face becomes clouded with worry once more. 'That word again,' he muses. '"Accident." What in the world could have happened?'
No worries Ms Kana, I hope things get better!
Zevran opens his mouth to reply to Kazallin's question, but is interrupted by Arabeth's mention of Kendra's phrasing. It catches him so off guard that he nearly stumbles, clutching onto his cane harder than he had before. "Accident? This is most troubling." Zevran murmurs. Zevran had assumed that it was either age or sickness, but hearing suspicions of it being something else has him worried. "Please excuse me." he says politely to the others. Curiosity getting the better of him, he speeds up and then slows to walk alongside Kendra. As she links her arm through his, he pats it, smiling at her, but his eyes betray his concern. "My dear," he began. "I know this is hardly the time or place, and it's the last thing that you want to talk about, but I'm afraid that I must ask what happened to your father. I would have expected word of illness, and last I saw him, he seemed to have many, many years left. Please," He looked deeply into her eyes, his own glittering with tears. "Be a dear and tell an old man what happened to his only friend?"
Zevran smiles encouragingly as each person steps down after their speeches, but does not himself get up to deliver one. He had little to say that wasn't directed to Petros himself, and did not believe that his old friend would be able to hear any of it. The time for that had passed. Still, he's unable to help but look around at all the people gathered, and feel proud of Petros. Kendra had grown into a wonderful young woman, and all these other lives that had been affected by having known him. 'You did well, old friend,' he thinks with a sad smile.
Zevran is glad to see that no incident occurred, and his grip on his cane relaxed somewhat. Kendra's spirits seemed low enough already without violence breaking out at her father's funeral. Still, Zevran couldn't help but find the conversation somewhat troubling. It had been many years since he had seen Petros, but surely the man couldn't have become a necromancer. Curious as he had been, there were lines that he knew not to cross. Or at least, Zevran had thought so. He reflected that it had been many years since they'd seen each other, and anything may have happened. What was most worrying is that the men really seemed to believe that there was something to fear from having the old professor's body near that of their loved ones, and Zevran could not decide what to make of that. 'Best to keep our eyes open, ol' chap.' he thought to himself, as he follows the others.
Zevran smiles, pleased that the newcomer has gotten the others to talk more about their experiences with the professor. "It does seem that he came to all of us, at the times we needed him most." While Zevran did not say a follow up, his words hung in the air and everyone knew what he was thinking - The professor was there for us when we needed him, and now we'll be here for him and for Kendra, in any capacity that either of them need. "As for me," Zevran's eyes swept over Kazallin with a sense of curiosity. It was clear that the man came from somewhere else, but Zevran was not able to determine from where. Their appearances were rather different, so it was unlikely that the other man was a Kayal, yet at the same time, he wasn't quite human either. Zevran decided that it would be a good idea to observe him further. "I am something of a refugee. The professor helped me escape from... well, let's just say it was another place. Afterwards he helped me become acclimated and we studied and adventured together for years in our youth."
Random works for me, too!
Zevran stands up from where he was sitting, doing so without the use of his cane, and puffs his chest out as he does so. "It would be an honour, my dear."
Zevran smiles a knowing smile at Teflin, but says nothing. Clearly the gnome's behaviour has made him come across as even younger, but Zevran isn't the type to point it out. All he says in response is "Quite old." He raises an eyebrow at Gwen's mention of an interesting experience, but does not ask out of politeness, instead responding to Odessa. "Colleagues, of a sort. We studied together when he was a young wizard." He cocked his head. "Probably not much older than you are now." A genuine smile spread across Zevran's face as he remembered those days, but he said nothing, and wiped a tear from his eye. "I am very pleased to see that Petros has touched so many lives, as he did mine."
Zevran made no move to release the girl's grip, simply held her while she cried into his jacket. When she finally began to pull away, seeing how tear-stained it was made her cry harder, for fear that she'd ruined it. But Zevran simply smiled and replied, "It's only a coat my dear.". Giving her a light kiss on the head and a squeeze of her hand, he moved into hallway to wait with others for the reading. "She has grown into a truly lovely young woman." He said to himself with a sense of pride. The sight of the others in the hallway took him slightly aback. "Hello, children." He began. "I must say, this is hardly the place for you." A smile spread across his face, "Though, of course, that sort of thing never stopped Petros, and I am sure he would be pleased to see you here. Are you former students of his?"
Zevran felt old, impossibly old, as he watched the ceremonies surrounding Petros's final journey. 'Farewell, old friend.' his lips formed the words, but no sound came out. It seemed to him that his voice had dried up, that his eyes were sunken and aching, that skin was exceptionally grey. He thought of Petros's body and a shudder ran through him. Though he typically carried it more for show and the occasional utility, Zevran found himself using his cane to keep himself up as he walked. The urge to collapse to the ground and stay there for hours was overwhelming. Kendra herself had already done so more than once. 'Poor girl.' Zevran thought, shaking his head. He was glad that she'd at least gotten some years with Petros after his retirement. The varied nature of the other visitors did not phase Zevran at all. Given his own experiences with Petros, and knowing the man as a teacher and traveller above all else, the presence of young people from all walks of life seemed only natural. Still utilising the cane, he approached the crying girl quietly. "Please accept my deepest condolences, dear Kendra. If there is anything that I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask. I shall remain in town for as long as I can be of some assistance."
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