Part One: The Haunting of Harrowstone
"Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –"
Deep in the county Canterwall, a little closer to the Hold of Belken than most would rather travel, just by the shores of Lake Lias, lies the town of Ravengro. Once, its industry mostly centered on servicing the prison of Harrowstone--but that place has long since been abandoned since a great fire ravaged its halls, and now the townsfolk survive mostly by farming and fishing, the tragedies that once visited that place long since forgotten.
Isolated and unimportant as it is, Ravengro rarely receives visitors. But today, it seems, is an exception, for four travelers have arrived in town and made their way to the home of the late Professor Petros Lorrimor. As they walk through the town, even the more mundane looking of their number catches sight of the occasional lingering glance or overhears mutterings about "necromancers" and "demonalotry", and more than one shop immediately closes its doors at the sight of them. A strange pallor seems to cling to everything in the town--the sky is gray, covered by clouds that seem to be eternally threatening a storm that will not come.
There is one soul in the town who does not turn her face from the travelers. As they reach the Lorrimor Place, a rather unassuming home past the town center, they see a woman standing at the door, wearing a plain black dress and a mourning veil, her hair pinned back behind her head, and tears running down her face. As she sees them, she does her best to wipe away the tears and straighten her back before stepping down from the porch to greet them.
"You received my letter," she says, her voice soft. "I am glad you were able to make it. I only wish we all could have met under happier circumstances.
You have all arrived at the Lorrimor Place in Ravengro; take this opportunity to introduce yourselves to each other and to Kendra. Throughout this part of the adventure, you all will have an opportunity to build "Trust" with the town of Ravengro, which has various effects on your interactions with the townsfolk. As you are all newly arrived in Ravengro and are a rather strange and motley crew, your trust score currently stands at 20, which means you are disliked.
