Κendra Lorrimor's page

@Cellawyn "Please do not nourish feelings of revenge, it will not bring him back. Yet, if you wish to honor his legacy, then work to make the world we live in a better place," Kendra responds.

"As for the elf... There is one, Quendil he is called, but I have never talked to him. Well, no one I know has, really; he refuses to communicate in anything other than High Elven, and those of us who are not elvenkind but who are smart enough to study it, are also smart enough to know better than to speak it."

"He is outside of town, to the northeast, past the farmstead behind the Temple of Pharasma. You will find his dwelling to be a cabin or carefully sculpted wood a few yards into the aspen woods."

"No, wait, I can do better," she says excitedly, and performs some gestures, ending with a touch on her throat. Then you hear a voice very close in manner to Prof. Lorrimor's "Study diligently! Through knowledge you can act against the evils in this world!" and she starts laughing.

Coming back from her bedroom with a large tome in hand, Kendra approaches Cellawyn "This is my father's grimoire. Some of the executions here are too heard to understand, but I recall something..." she carefully flips the pages carefully, biting her lips, skimming through the text and mumbling "let's see, let's see..." until she finds it.

"...this one: my father would chuckle when he talked about this one, 'heh heh, this nice little spell is a life-saver'" she says, attempting to mimic a manly voice.

"Thank you for being here," Kendra says, to all of you. "With all these things happening, all at once... I am glad I have some company at home, you never know when some crazy farmer will barge in, or, who knows, worse! Now that you have seen a walker in town... It will not be too long before more of them appear."

You see Kendra drop her forehead on the back of her interlaced fingers, pensive. After deliberating for a few moments, she raises her livid face with the eyes wide open, announcing "I will bring your concerns to the Sheriff, and I will try to persuade him to investigate further..."

She is not upset at you, but clearly Zelda's claim has staggered her.

Kendra is startled; she sets her fork hard on the table "'Who killed my father', what do you mean?"

@Aliseya In response to your remark about Ysmeralda's attitude towards her, Kendra says "She held my father in very high regard, I am grateful for her attention."

"Still," she says sternly to you, "it is bad enough that you keep dragging more people into these Harrowstonem visits. Please practice some of my father's incredulity, and do not blindly follow his suspicions... The reason he ventured in there was because he was a seasoned explorer, and you saw what happened; I would wait me or him to be responsible for anything bad that happened to you. Wasn't a ceiling collapsing on Mirelinza and Zelda enough?"

@Zelda Turning to you with a serious brow, she says "I heard it from the kitchen. Apparently she did not hear about the murder suspicions, though.

"Can't you just... stay here for a couple of days? If you really want to help, I am sure Fr. Grimburrow will not refuse your assistance in tending the sick."

After Aliseya tells about the episode on the first night, Kendra also takes part in the conversation "Of all things... that one concerns me the most. If my father's passing has drawn the attention of some of his enemies to me, or to us..." She forces a nervous smile "I hope we our numbers will keep us safe."

This is the first time she is sharing legitimate concerns with you, and perhaps you are coming to understand the rather odd condition in her father's will, asking that you stay in Ravengro for a month, keeping her company...

"I need to study more," Kendra declares as a command to herself, as though she was at all able catch up in no time with the years of her neglecting her arcane studies.

@Ysmeralda In the kitchen, at a very low voice, you and Kendra talk in private.

"Thank you... Robert, right?" says Kendra. "I wish we could have solved this right here, right now, but I do not know whether there is much more to do than rest until tomorrow and come back in a few hours..."

As you post yourselves in front of the temple, Kendra remarks "The Laughing Demon is already closed, as we would expect. I am glad we avoided encounters with drunkards..."

"If it was just the break in, I would leave it for tomorrow, since there is nothing we can do right now to catch the culprit..." says Kendra, going into her room.

"However the situation is far more serious. I will change and make Jod and Thunderbolt ready."

"Bring your weapons though; you never know when a group of six women might have to fend off a drunkard or a pack of hostile midnight-dog. Even though we are not walking anywhere near the Laughing Demon, well, at least not near by Ravengro standards."

You know that 'midnight-dog' is just an expression for some stray dog at night with unpredictable behavior.

The gestures were your cue to cast Detect Magic, Aliseya :)

After a few attempts, Kendra suddenly stops halfway through a motion, exclaiming "Ah, yes! It is actually simpler."

She covers her eyes, pronouncing, "Let us see what lingers of the power of one's fingers."

Suddenly, a white rune ע flashes on each of her hands, and they disappear as she uncovers her eyes. You notice Kendra's eyes move inexplicably fast, as if suddenly she is observing thousands of moving particles suspended in the air, with superhuman perception.

Her eyes gradually blink themselves into normality, but Kendra agin repeats the spellcasting, covering her eyes and observing the bedroom from outside.

"Something arcane has been used here, indeed. I see one aura that remained from the casting."

You see that she is forcing her eyes after the fourth time, and that she has a headache. She continues to cast the spell, twice more.

In the end, Kendra is dizzy, but she remarks "I am fine. I get this horrible feeling of sickness when I have to concentrate for too long on arcana, it is like spinning... You can spin once or twice, but ten, twenty times in a row..." You see that she is feeling sick, and distressed.

"It is non-trivial necromancy."

"No, never," refutes Kendra. "I just heard from my room you mention 'a presence' and said 'a thing'. This town has been very safe; the dangerous ones are usually noisy drunkards..."

"The first thing we have to try is to see if it used any arcana..." Kendra says. "I am still a bit off, let me think."

By then Kendra too is awake; she comes from her bedroom wrapped in a long blanket from neck to feet, with her eyes barely open, and a diffuse, magical light emanating from the cloth covering her body. "Am I hearing well, did someone come in here?"

She is still not fully capable of processing information yet.

"We have to call the Sheriff!" She suddenly reacts, alarmed. "Did the... thing break in here?"

She moves towards the living room and then proceeds to the kitchen, only to find both doors locked, and all windows tight shut.

"The house is all locked."

As you calm down, the lowering stress and calmer conversation make some space in your minds for noticing the recurrent howling of a few stray dogs far and close by.

"Do you think it may have come for my father's books?"

"What do you think we should do?" she asks to the visitors.

Kendra stays with the five throughout the evening, pulling books out for Cellawyn and Mirelinza, and then setting them again in the appropriate places when the texts are dismissed by the two researchants.

She seems disturbed to learn Mirelinza's and Cellawyn's findings about the Whispering Way, and after these are revealed she remains silent, reserved and agitated. Clearly, she attempts to find in chores and other host tasks some manner of distraction from her rapidly running thoughts.

Kendra smiles at the coincidence, and adds "Perhaps it means I will have to move my small castle out of Ravengro, back into a more interesting city..."

"Perhaps this will tell me what is to come up in this month or later..." sighs Kendra with a smile. "Excuse me,", she adds, while drawing a plate from the deck, and handing it face-down to Aliseya, for harrowing.

Noticing that Zelda was giving signs of curiosity, Kendra announces "Fell free to browse through my fathers' possessions. If he entrusted you with the key of his most personal chest, and with the request to read his personal journal, I do not see why you should be barred access from his other books."

After passing around the tomes to the guests and emptying the chest, Kendra says "Well, this one says read me now, so... who wants to have the honor?"

As Kendra asks her questions, the light from the lamp starts to fade again, so she leaves the tome on the edge of the chest and once more stands up, dips her index finger in the lamp oil, and circles her hand in the air while gently chanting, which causes the rune ר to appear and the room to be lit. She then again transfers the light to the lamp on the lamp-stand at the corner, and the room is comfortably lit for reading.

Kendra sets the lamp on top of a high lamp shelf on the wall, and proceeds to open the chest. "It may be a bit too dark to read the tomes right now, but from what you said during dinner I guess you could not wait until tomorrow..."

"That is the chest I mentioned; it is in the basement, along with some other of my father's belongings. Let us go there and see what he left there for you," Kendra says, grabbing the key and the lamp from the table, and waiting by the kitchen threshold for the guests to follow.

"I do not mind, but you may not have enough time after dinner, because Vashian, I mean, Councilman Hearthmount could arrive at any minute."

As she says this, Kendra deposes her fork and spoon on the empty plate, and stands up, saying "If you will excuse me, I need to take care of the table and dishes; please take your time finishing. I will bring some dessert for you as well."

After bringing to the kitchen whatever she can without disturbing the ladies' meal, Kendra comes back with cake and tea, which she leaves on the table for whomever wants to appease her sweet tooth.

"I did not see his diary when I was brining his things downstairs... However I did not look for it; they must be in one of his chests, likely in the small one with his most personal effects... I do not recall seeing the key for that one, though; I may have misplaced it."

"Not really," she responds, snapping out of the thoughts prompted by Zelda's speech. "My father kept to himself regarding many of the things he did, and quite frankly neither of us was eager to share the dreadful details of this past ventures. That habit lingered after he stopped traveling. I am sure, though, that whatever his purpose was, he documented it in his diary. He was very meticulous about maintaining it updated."

Kendra nods in retribution to Zelda's thanks, and responds "Well, the fact that no one from Ravengro goes there does not mean no one at all goes there... but I cannot know."

As Zelda mentions a missing statue, Kendra frowns "Yes... That would likely be the statue that fell on my father when he landed on the ground. You can see it for yourselves, it is now for sale at The Silk Purse," she says with disgust.

After a few hungry bites at the bread with pumpkin stew, Kendra makes some time for conversation. "So," she starts, still displaying disapproval for the afternoon trip to Harrowstone, "how was your afternoon?"

Kendra notices Zelda wince as she extends her arm to grab a jug of juice. "Are you injured, Zelda?"

"I think it was a fire that laid it to ruin..." speculates Kendra. "Even though Harrowstone stands out in the landscape, people around here do not talk about it at all. The place is obviously not haunted -- I for one do not believe these things exist as such; most of them can be explained by arcane phenomena. Of course, these explanations lack the supernatural tone that is so alluring to Ustalavs, so I would not be surprised if some people have a firm (but futile) belief that places such as Harrowstone are haunted. Especially, in the case of Harrowstone, because many people died in the tragedy, many guards and even the warden died, if I recall well from what was inscribed in the memorial."

After being prompted by the guests again and again since their arrival about Harrowstone, Kendra ponders and responds "Well, I understand your feelings about Harrowstone: I had them too, when I first came. Everyone does -- those are ruins, and they stand out whenever you look south, even to the people who live here. It used to be a prison, and that alone can cause discomfort in just about anyone."

"I don't think its name is related to Harrow decks, though. Who knows, it has been decades since it has been abandoned, even the government changed on the course of that time, I think, so there is not much to remember, let alone the origin of its name. Since you mentioned a Harrow deck, and since Aliseya has one, yes, maybe we could do a few readings. We might not have time for more than one this evening, but it should be a good night's entertainment for our after-dinner."

"Still," she adds, changing back the subject to Harrowstone while gazing emptily through the stew pot, "if you are really interested in that prison, I am sure the Town Hall and the Temple of Pharasma have records that go as far back as the time Harrowstone was active. I would be very surprised if they did not."

"As for my father... Well, he was off and about all the time when he was not on one of his fortnight-long trips abroad. Because of his declining health, he was not traveling as much, so he would do his walks to the Restlands, or to Harrowstone; sometimes he even walked as far as the blue." Seeing the confused face of the guests, she adds "The Blue is a shorthand for 'The Great Blue Dot', which is how locals refer to Lake Lias, north of here."

Her face acquires a more serious expression "But I repeat: be very careful when you are around the ruins, the structures are seriously compromised."

While guests and host are all eating, Kendra's eyes fall on Zelda, "To answer your question, Zelda, my father, my mother and I moved here about fifteen years ago from Lepidstadt. My father got retired and the life there was too agitated for him. Here my parents had a more peaceful life, although I have never been very happy, with so few friends. You would think that anyone would come to visit... My mother passed away two years ago; one morning we woke up and she did not... From then my father became, in spirit, like an old man... Still, he was in good health, but you could see the murk in what used to be a lively, inquiring gaze."

After some silence and no one else starting a conversation, she says "At least these years in Ravengro have taught me about the people here, so let me tell you a few things. These people are, unfortunately and with a few exceptions, ignorant. Their instruction or actual life experience does not come even close to ours, they have not seen or heard of diversity, and there is no Ustalav. They live their lives confined in this city and that suffices to them. The problem is that hardly anything happens here, so their attention gets too drawn to impressions... and rumors. Oh, people here are awful with rumors. If you go there into the basement and, very, very silently, sneeze, the day after they will say you are a fire-breathing dragon. You heard what they were calling my father: necromancer" she says with scorn. "I would beware of what you do around here; they are just looking for the smallest reason to talk about you, especially because you are outsiders."

"I tell you, and forgive my apparent insensitiveness, they do not like you. They do not like anyone they do not know. To them you are surrounded by an aura of mystery and deceit. They will make things harder for you if you need their help, and they will make easy money out of newcomers. Just like that. That is the way people in Ravengro are."

"I know how hard to believe this is. I still doubt that it has happened, but... Actually I truly wish it had not happened at all..." Kendra's sorrowful hands continue to knead the dough.

Kendra turns to Mirelinza, a bit shy of encumbering the paladin with much labor "Mialee, if you could help fill the cistern, please... I am sorry... "

"There are two large buckets and a pole outside, and you can fill them up in the stream to the south, you will be able to see it from the front entrance."

"Thank you again."

That said, Kendra resumes her dough-kneading. She notices Zelda is still struggling with bringing the bread ingredients together, so she says "Let me take care of these; would you please bring some warm water? Then you can try kneading the dough."

After Cellawyn, who stands at the threshold of the kitchen, mentions Harrowstone, the room remains on silence, until Kendra says "Yes, the prison... It has its allure on outsiders, and even my father's curiosity was not spared. It's hard for that one not to go unnoticed. Make no mistake, and I say this from first-hand experience, those are ruins, it is a are very dangerous, unstable structure. My father's whole life of work ended, and all the years he could have contributed to Academia vanished for such a meaningless reason..."

She interrupts her thoughtful silence again and says "If you want to walk around and see it, you should have enough time to go there and come back. It is a tough hike, though, so I suggest you take some water. Please, please, do not get too close as Harrowstone could just collapse."

Kendra spots Naught trying to churn the grease-thick stew, so she wraps her hands around Naught's and the shaft of the sizeable wooden spoon, and performs the correct, circular motion for Naught to learn, saying "Like so."

"I will also need some help to fill the cistern..." Kendra remembers.

As the guests lodge themselves, Kendra grabs a pinch of ashes from the hearth between her thumb and her middle finger, and she whispers to the dark dust "Restless spirits of fire, who served men and again wish to do so, do come to lend your friend assistance." She blows into the ashes, which seem to emanate three orange runes שבא and then multiply into a thin cloud that expands and disappears in the air.

Kendra casts Unseen Servant.

"Please load the oven's fire," Kendra says. No one in the room seems to respond, since she did not speak to any of the guests, but soon people can hear the sound of firewood being handled in the kitchen, soon to be followed by the wood's crackling.

After thinking for a while, Kendra says to Naught "If you really want to help, you can stir the stew in the cauldron. You will need quite a bit of muscle, though," she says, but soon she recalls Naught flinging her axe against a farmer and knocking him out, which momentarily ruins Kendra's fun.

As Zelda returns from the basement, Kendra responds "If you would like to help, I need a hand in tossing the dough for the bread."

Those helping Kendra cook roll (for fun) Aid Another :) She will attempt a Craft (Alchemy) check to cook a nice meal.

Kendra goes into the kitchen, and after a minute or so returns with some aprons and cloths at hand, which she places on the table for her assistants to wear. As she dresses herself with a light-blue one, she says "Are you all planning on seeing Ravengro after we eat? Do you have any place in mind?" Then she turns to the stern-looking Cellawyn and adds "Cellawyn you are welcome to stay a few days if you would like, but... what are you thinking of investigating?"

As Kendra enters the house, she starts opening the windows and says "Come in, come in, please make yourself at home." Her mood seems much better than the somber one she has demonstrated so far.

"We need to take care of dividing the bedrooms properly. Over the last few days I have been preparing them for you, so maybe we can have two of you in the basement, one in the guest room, and two in my father's bedroom. If you would like to rest for the afternoon, or to take a walk around town, please do. I apologize that I will be unable to tour you through Ravengro, because I must cook tonight's food. Pervin might be willing to help you around, if you would like."

She starts pointing through the house and giving directions "The stairs to the basement are through the kitchen; the guest room is the first one that way, and my father's room is at the back of the hallway. The well room is at the back of the house, through the kitchen, and we have a small cistern outside, beside the kitchen, that we use for bathing. The heat from the oven keeps the cistern water comfortably warm, so it is very pleasant even in chilly nights."

"If you would be kind enough to lodge yourself while I open the house, I will be happy to give a tour, before I start cooking. You see, Councilman Vashian is coming in the evening for the reading of the will. He is always dedicated to his commitments, and he does not like waiting, so please make sure you are here by sunset, in case you want to explore Ravengro -- not that there is a lot to see..."

After she is done opening the windows in the living room, she adds "So, how long are you ladies planning on staying?"

Kendra expresses a modest smile at the individuals' acceptance of her invitation for dinner and housing. She adds to Zelda "Of course, if you wish to help, you are more than welcome to. Let us all go home, and I there will explain some other things I must."

Kendra notices the silence installed among the group returning to Ravengro. The "entrance" of the village is already in clear sight, and she says in a loud enough voice to Aliseya and Mirelinza, hoping that the other ladies from out of town would take part in the conversation. "As part of my father's desires, I would like to extend you my hospitality, so that you can stay at our house" she seems to notice that there is no more "us", but she does not rectify herself. After a brief silence, she resumes "We have rooms prepared to accommodate the five of you, in case you are not staying at the Outward Inn. It goes without saying that you are also invited for a noon-meal and dinner, and perhaps it would be best if you were there in wait for the reading of my father's last will."

"The sole remnant of the Whispering Tyrant's reign is moral corruption" Kendra states incisively. "Perhaps Ravengro is far less affected by the Ustalavic ill-will, but in Lepidstadt, oh, there you can see that the government of the principalities still rots."

"...do you even remember the undead clearly? My father used to tell me about them, very convincingly, but I find it hard to believe they are not simply very sick individuals, with gruesome appearance and, well, unfortunately insane behavior. Plague can be very cruel to people..."

Kendra dismisses the small talk, and approaches Mirelinza, saying a few sentences in lower voice.

Kendra, unlike Gharen, is not very impressed with the approaching Aliseya's display of emotions. She seems to ignore Mirelinza, trying to indicate that the whispered conversation is over for the time-being.

Kendra listens to the Varisian with attention and respect, but with a good measure of reservation and judgment. "What kind of guidance did you need from my father?" she asks coldly.

Kendra simply smiles to Zelda, with gratitude. "Let us leave it aside, Lt. Cayentelva, those men's ignorance will bring them the fair measure of ordeal."

Kendra seems a bit reserved about extending friendship to Aliseya, but adds "I hope you are alright, in spite of those scratches, the fall and the..."

"It is best if we proceed with the ceremony," she says, finally.

The euphoria ensuing the just-ended violent tension seems to alleviate the emotions of all but Kendra Lorrimor, who maintains a somber brow.

A polite woman, she introduces herself as well "I am Kendra Lorrimor, and I am pleased to meet you. I wish we had met in more pleasant an occasion, and circumstances had not put us at such odds so... suddenly. I feel I must apologize for my reproach a few minutes ago, but... Well, no excuses, it was impolite of mine. I am grateful that you have not blemished this day of remembrance with bloodshed."

As she says this last sentence, though, she seems reserved about her words applying to Aliseya, who had just displayed such an aggressive and irrational behavior... and spoken Aklo. "The pretty one was conversing in Aklo with the short one... What is her name? Yes, Naught. Is she a tiefling? I am sure this has not gone unnoticed to this Sarenrae paladin either... Let us see how... Mialee? Let us see how she will act on it."

She turns to Zelda and Cellawyn and says "Perhaps I missed your names?" with her hands folded low, over her dress.

Kendra rushes ahead of the others towards the commotion as the three remaining men, assisted by Mr. Hephenus, rush away.

"Are you all alright?" she asks, but as she approaches and sees Aliseya fainted on the ground, she comes around the group and kneels down "Oh, my, this is all my fault, I should have taken matters upon my hands when those brutes decided to bar us from entering the Restlands... I... I am sorry that this situation has come to pass, I must say I was worried this would turn into a bloodbath, but I am glad you handled it as non-violently as the situation permitted..."

Hey, lady! Can you hear me?! she says in loud voice while shaking Aliseya's shoulder, but the lady's eyes seem to stare and move about blankly. Naught makes the correct decision of lifting Aliseya's legs, supporting them with her shoulders, and you can see color returning to the pretty Varisian face.