JJJ's Haunting of Harrowstone

[Sarone]

As nigh every one heads to bed, Kaythek goes through his evening prayers, thanking them for the chance to be worthy of their attention. Closing his eyes, Kaythek's body goes weightless.

**********

The roll of thunder causes Kaythek to open his eyes, looking up around in a swirling cloud.

"The Herald has discovered the heretic," calls out a regal female, part of the being highlighted by orange lightning. "You will do well to remember his fate, Herald. For though you have been given a measure of our power, we can just as easily take it back."

"He seeks to understand his place, for a half breed," calls out a lower cloud, in a deep, gruff voice. "I sometimes question why I even take part in this. The stout folk always know our place."

"For what good it has done you and your people," called out a cloud to the Kaythek's right, the cloud tinged in blue as it speaks. "You know as well as the rest of us what his people are capable of. In fact, wasn't it one of your glorious cities his ancestors crushed before their heel and still have claim, despite numerous attempts?"

A rumble from below draws Kaythek's attention. "How dare you," the dark voice says. "If it wasn't for my people your kind would still be in the wilds, using spears and clubs against the invaders."

"It matters not the past," says the orange cloud. "We have the future to worry about."

"About damn time," rumbled around Kaythek, shaking his core. "The Herald and his allies have spent time looking in old tomes instead of taking this head on. I grow weary of this."

"Yeah, I'm waiting for something to be done."

"If only that fool had called for help, this wouldn't have been an issue."

"The Herald."

The Herald...

"The Herald..."

Feeling his blood boiling, Kaythek brought his arms and legs close to him, the spreads them out as quickly as he let's out a primal yell.

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Intimidation Roll (1d20+10)[20]

"I AM KAYTHEK!" yelled the blind Oracle. "You seek to judge me, lords and ladies? I am doing what I can and will. I seek knowledge so that in the end, not only will I survive but thrive."

"Survive? Thrive?"

"The Herald seeks to not only to survive but thrive. Very well."

"Very well indeed."

At once, pain choruses through Kaythek's body, his every since being redone as the Gods and Goddesses subject Kaythek to a bit of their power.

**********

Jerking up, Kaythek stares into a greyed out world, taking in the contents of his room. "The Gods and Goddesses have spoken, Kaythek says wearily.

[Gwynfrid]

Before going to bed, Ulric presents his prayers to Sarenrae, imploring her to bring the blessing of dawn at the end of the night. Lying down, the scarred knight turns over and over in his bed for a long time before he finally finds the relief of sleep. But his night is anything but restful.

All day they have walked in the snow, a slow, dreary march, the older farmers falling down more than once, the crying children carried by their exhausted parents. They have chosen separate routes, hoping to find welcome in neighboring villages as smaller groups, each one led and protected by one of Prof. Lorrimor's friends - the trust in them still great.

One of the oldest women assigned to his group has refused to leave Ravengro no matter how dire the threat, saying she wanted to die in her home. There has been no persuading her, and at the end Ulric has been forced to admit defeat and go.

He has walked at the head of the people, some sixty of them, pitiful and afraid, carrying just a little food, along with whatever precious things they have not wanted to part with. Progress has been slow, dragging along the bleak Canterwall countryside, interrupted by many a forced pause.

At long last, they stop by an isolated farm, beg for shelter, obtain a night of respite in a barn. Ulric is unsure whether the owner is convinced by pity, the offer of two gold marks, or the unsettling sight of the half-masked, well-armed warrior leading the miserable group.

The former inhabitants of Ravengro collapse in the barn's hay, grateful to find there is still quite a lot of it left at winter's end. Ulric makes no attempt to ask people to keep watch in turns : It's obvious no one can spare the energy.

So there is no warning when the flaming skulls break through the poorly kept roof, setting fire to the loft in several places. Calling upon Sarenrae's help amid the terrified Ravengrians' cries, he destroys one, then two, but there are more, and by the time he reaches the barn door, it is impassable, the flames in front of it reaching five feet high, fed by the dry hay.

Gathering his last strength, Ulric manages to break a hole in the wooden wall at the back. One man goes through, then his wife, but it is too narrow, the crowd of people pressing into it is too thick, just like in the Town Hall two days earlier. Ulric tries to maintain some order through the exit, to stop people from trampling the children, to explain that pushing forward is just making things worse. But this time his voice is too weak, the crowd too terrified, the smoke too thick. His calls are not heard. The strongest of the men and some others manage through, bloodied by wooden shards as they force their way onwards. But most of the children, many a woman, and several elders are left inside when the roof starts to collapse in a shower of fire.

The crowd's howl of terror and pain wakes him up. He lies in bed, frozen in horror, a bitter bile in his throat, for several minutes before he manages to bring himself to get up.

[Gwynfrid]

The sun is shining in the clear, blue skies, and the morning breeze is quite sharp as a new day rises over Ravengro.

On their way to the Pharasmin Temple, Briar, Kaythek and their friends pass by Councilwoman Straelock's house, in front of which is one of the town's posting poles, Ravengro's main source of news. There, they see Pevrin Ekarid - very much a younger version of his father's looks. A sheaf of loose parchment pieces tucked under his arm, he's busy nailing one of them to the huge pole jutting out of the ground. He cordially hails the group: "Good morning to you, Ladies, Sirs !" before returning to his task.

Tamara, Morcaine and the others have barely walked fifty paces past the posting pole, when they hear a sharp "Aaaah !" from the young man. Turning back, they see him, his face pale as if he had just encountered a ghost. "Look at this ! It was in my message stack..." He shows a large sheet of grey parchment, adorned with just two very large letters.

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[Archpaladin Zousha]

Morcaine

Morcaine swears as she sees this.

"This is definitely the Splatter Man's modus operandi. Whoever this "V-E" is, we have to find them before he completes the name."

She sniffs the letters to see if it's blood.

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Perception check: (1d20+8)[24]

Nice touch with the creepy letters, Gwynfrid. I was NOT expecting that!

[SanguinePenguin]

"NO!" Tamara proclaims defiantly at Morcaine's assessment. "We should go destroy Splatterman and his stupid anthropologanastamanismic studies, before he writes any other characters! Finding this person might not even do us any good! A dead," Tamara pauses with a quizzical expression on her face before she continues, "-er, dead-er... Splatterman guarantees the person's safety; simply finding them does not."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"We don't even know who the intended victim is Tamara. If we find him or her, we can keep them safe from accidents, which was how he killed them off. Of course we need to find him and stop him before he can continue, but we're still stumbling around in the dark!"

[SanguinePenguin]

"No, Morcaine! It's hard to protect someone from accidents... that's why they're accidents. To do that you'd have to expect the unexpected, which doesn't even make sense! We need to go kill him now! That is the best way to ensure the victim's safety. If we waste time looking for 'V-E' - who, by the way, could be ANYWHERE for all we know - and don't find them, then they will die. Even if we do find them, we'll have to guard them indefinitely from ubiquitous dangers until we make a mistake and they die. If we just find Splatterman, then we can destroy him and everyone will be okay."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"That's assuming we can get to him in time, Tamara. Exploring Harrowstone could take days, maybe even weeks, and we don't know how much time we have. This could be a real short name like Vern or something. If he's found another target to possess, we may not have the time to waste seeking them out and locking them up like we did Gibs!"

It's clear to the others that Morcaine is panicking.

[SanguinePenguin]

"Well, the church has records. So maybe we can find this person's name in there. But if we don't find a name soon, then we are going after Splatter Man!" Tamara commands with her own form of panic. No one is going to die on her watch - no one.

[Sarone]

Waking up in the morning, Kaythek does not go through his usual rituals, but decides to meditate on what his dream was. The time to act is almostupon us, Kaythek thinks as he makes his way out of the house, wearing his breeches, his falchion secured to his side. I will need to meditate while I have time, and to strengthen my resolve.

After going into the river to wash himself, Kaythek stands next to the river, facing in the direction of the rising sun, unsheathing his falchion, and sets it on the ground before him, then sits cross legged. I have practiced the fury of fire, the wrath of those whose blood runs hot. I shall now embrace the calculating side of my nature, to see through the mystery, to see the whole battle, and not just my fight. For even though I may win my fights, if the battle is lost, then the war shall be over before it begins.

Shortly after the sun has passed the horizon, Kaythek stands back up, his body dried from being in the cold air, and heads back into the house to put his armor on and eat breakfast. Still have much to learn. After all, a stupid warrior is a dead warrior.

*****

Walkign with the group to the Cathedral, Kaythek still considers the dream, passing by Pevrin and acknowledging the young man with a nod. I hope his trials will be good and his sprit worthy of them, Kaythek thinks.

When Pevrin screams catches Kaythek off guard, his hand gripping his sheathed falchion, Kaythek's concern evaporates as he noticed the letters. Another clue. Good, that can help narrow this down a bit.

As Kaythek considers what next, Morcaine's theatrics draws an open mouthed sneer from him, as the panic from Morcaine and the determination from Tamara starts drawing some attention. "Calm yourself, Morcaine," Kaythek orders, his voice hard and his eyes darkening as he speaks. "For all we know, this person could be the other one we seek. I suggest you get grip on yourself before the Crusader decides to step in."

Turning on the spot, Kaythek moves in the direction of the Cathedral. "I, for one, don't intend to die in that prison."


*****

Once at the Cathedral, Kaythek makes his way to the altar, taking a moment to acknowledge the clergy of Pharasma and kneeling before the altar and offering up a prayer. Lady of the Graves and Judger of Souls, you know I rarely seek guidance from you, for I believe that my path is my own, but today we seek knowledge, to protect those in your flock. For this, I say grant us this wisdom, to protect your believers. If not, and if you seek to get in our way, then to the Abyss with you.

Standing back up, Kaythek heads down the stairs and hall towards the archives. "We know of the Splatter Man and Father Charlatan. That leaves The Lopper, the Mosswater Marauder, and the Piper of Illmarsh. I shall seek information on The Lopper, see what is about him," Kaythak says to who ever is with him.

Also, when Celeste comes down to the archives, Kaythek asks her how her morning has gone.

Knowledge (Local) check for The Lopper:

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(1d20+13)[16] (2 from SR+2 from INT+3 from Class Skill+2 from Trait+4 from Cathedral Archives)

Because I also prayed at the altar, I'm going to cast Guidance as well. That'll be a +1 Competence Bonus that I will use for the Knowledge skillcheck, if allowed.

(OOC: I figure we might want to get there asap.)

[SanguinePenguin]

Tamara ponders for a moment about the likelihood of the Piper or the Marauder being the source of the stirges. She runs the song in her head again, then proclaims, "I'll investigate the Piper! Let's hurry so we can go destroy Splatter Man!"

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Investigating the Piper of Illmarsh
Know (local): (1d20+10)[24]

[Gwynfrid]

Searching the archives for local knowledge is a lot more fun for Tamara than poring over old history books. The town archives are made up of the discarded messages from posting poles and old issues of the Wealday Parchment, going back decades - boxes and boxes of them, full with loose sheets of paper: News of nuptials, job postings for farmhands, notices of missing pets, fairs and festivals announcements, new home constructions, folk arriving to town, crimes and misdemeanors. The whole life of the town is at hand, but it takes a bit of luck to find papers from the right period of time in the general lack of order.

Uric tries to give the halfling a hand with the boxes, while Kendra, Grimburrow and Celeste comb another part of the library.

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Knowledge (local)

Ulric aid another (1d20)[19]

Knowledge (history)
Kendra (1d20+12)[17]
Celeste aid another (1d20+10)[21]
Grimburrow aid another (1d20+8)[25]

Tamara finds what she was looking for in one of the boxes Ulric hands her over.

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The Piper of Illmarsh : This criminal's real name is unknown. Before he snatched his victims, the Piper taunted his targets with a mournful dirge on his flute. He preferred to paralyze lone victims by dosing their meals with lich dust and then allowed his pet stirges to drink the victims dry of blood.

Morcaine
Nice touch with the creepy letters, Gwynfrid. I was NOT expecting that!

Thanks. Should you want to to do this in one of your own games, it is surprisingly easy: Just google "free font bloody" and you'll get a whole lot of cool designs to choose from.

[Leviathan]

Briar follows her companions to the archives. Once again, she drinks down her intelligence brew and sifts through countless stacks of paper, cluttering an entire table with the illegible notes she takes.

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Use cognatogen.
Knowledge (history): (1d20+18)[28]

[Gwynfrid]

Kaythek opens a particularly large, heavy book, its black leather cover adorned in multiple iron symbols of magic. He opens it with some difficulty, and it is obvious to him the tome has not been used in many a year. As the covers cracks, some puffs of dust emanate from the old parchment. He coughs, sneezes, and collapses to the floor in a loud Crash ! as the book escapes from his limp fingers.

His friends rush to see what has happened to him, but he doesn't see the worry in their eyes. He sees nothing at all. He only hears voices in his head, the same ones that were talking so loudly during the night. Plus one, a new one.

Ulric, Augustin and Morcaine try to revive the fallen oracle, to no avail. Then, his eyes closed tightly shut, his body trembling, he speaks. Many different voices seem to come from his mouth, none of them his own.

"The Herald is trying hard," calls out a regal female. "Too hard, even."

"He seeks to understand his world" - a deeper, gruff voice.

"He means well, but he is thinking too high of his own power."

"Power YOU gave him," the dark voice says.

"I hate to repeat myself, but here it is: The Herald and his allies are wasting their time looking in old tomes instead of taking this head on," says another rumbling voice.

"If only..." The dark voice is interrupted by another, female, yet deeper and if anything, more arresting than any of the others - with a not-so-subtle hint of mockery in it, too.

"I see you have chosen him as your messenger. Obviously, for his great qualities, O Wise and Powerful Ones ? I daresay, respect might not first among these, is it?"

"... No, or course not. He is meant to shake the world, not bow to it."

"Very well. Just now, however, he happens to be not just at any point in the world. He happens to be where most people know their proper place." The last two words are spoken not very loudly, but with unstoppable authority all the same.

Kaythek open his eyes. His head clears after a while, but there remains a lingering chill up his spine, a taste of wet soil in his mouth. In spite of his friends' help, he remains out of sorts for a few hours, unfit for any further research.

... And just as the incident is over, Briar walks in onto the scene, her nose emerging from another dusty tome. She is thoroughly oblivious of the half-orc as she announces:

"Focused research rewarded in appropriate discovery. Mosswater Marauder data of relevance uncovered."

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The Mosswater Marauder (real name: Ispin Onyxcudgel): Only 5 years before his hometown of Mosswater was destined to be overrun and ruined by monsters from the nearby river, Ispin Onyxcudgel was a well-liked artisan and a doting husband. When he discovered his wife’s infidelity, he flew into a jealous rage and struck her dead with his hammer, shattering her skull and his sanity with one murderous blow. Wracked with shame and guilt, Ispin became convinced that if he could rebuild his wife’s skull she would come back to life—but unfortunately, he could not find the last blade-shaped fragment from the murder site. So instead, Ispin became the Mosswater Marauder. Over the course of several weeks, the cunning dwarf stalked and murdered nearly 20 people while searching for just the right skull fragment. He was captured just before murdering the daughter of a visiting nobleman from Varno, and was carted off to Harrowstone that same night.

[stack]

Augustin is troubled by the note. "I wish that we could secure the victim directly, but I fear that we cannot afford to divert our attention from the larger matter. Every day we delay, the chances that many will die increase. We have been blessed so far that we were able to save so many, the fire could have been much worse.Foiling one spirit will do nothing to restrain the others. So, we endevour to complete our research today that we may go to Harrowstone the sooner."

Once in the church, he tries to tackle the Lopper.

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knowledge history: (1d20+5)[19] (1 base, 4 library)

[Gwynfrid]

Augustin doesn't succeed in finding anything new about the Lopper. After a long, tedious day searching the library, the group convenes around Kendra.

"We now have some level of information about four of the five famous prisoners. Is there anything else we should do today ?"

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Summary

Father Charlatan (Sefick Corvin): Of the five notorious prisoners, only Father Charlatan was not technically a murderer, yet his crimes were so blasphemous that several churches demanded he be punished to the full extent of Ustalavic law. Although he claimed to be an ordained priest of any number of faiths, Father Corvin was in fact a traveling con artist who used faith as a mask and a means to bilk the faithful out of money in payment for false miracles or cures. He became known as Father Charlatan after his scheme was exposed and his Sczarni accomplices murdered a half-dozen city guards in an attempt to make good the group’s escape.

The Mosswater Marauder (Ispin Onyxcudgel): Only 5 years before his hometown of Mosswater was destined to be overrun and ruined by monsters from the nearby river, Ispin Onyxcudgel was a well-liked artisan and a doting husband. When he discovered his wife’s infidelity, he f lew into a jealous rage and struck her dead with his hammer, shattering her skull and his sanity with one murderous blow. Wracked with shame and guilt, Ispin became convinced that if he could rebuild his wife’s skull she would come back to life—but unfortunately, he could not find the last blade-shaped fragment from the murder site. So instead, Ispin became the Mosswater Marauder. Over the course of several weeks, the cunning dwarf stalked and murdered nearly 20 people while searching for just the right skull fragment. He was captured just before murdering the daughter of a visiting nobleman from Varno, and was carted off to Harrowstone that same night.

The Piper of Illmarsh (real name unknown): Before he snatched his victims, the Piper taunted his targets with a mournful dirge on his f lute. He preferred to paralyze lone victims by dosing their meals with lich dust and then allowed his pet stirges to drink the victims dry of blood.

The Splatter Man (Hean Feramin): Professor Feramin was a celebrated scholar of Anthroponomastics (the study of personal names and their origins) at the Quartrefaux Archives in Caliphas. Yet an accidental association with a succubus twisted and warped his study, turning it into an obsession. Feramin became obsessed with the power of a name and how he could use it to terrify and control. Soon enough, his reputation was ruined, he’d lost his tenure, and he’d developed an uncontrollable obsession with an imaginary link between a person’s name and what happens to that name when the person dies. Every few days, he would secretly arrange for his victim to find a letter from her name written in blood, perhaps smeared on a wall or spelled out with carefully arranged entrails. Once he had spelled his victim’s name, he would at last come for her, killing her in a gory mess using a complex trap or series of rigged events meant to look like an accident.

[SanguinePenguin]

"Yes," Tamara cries, "we should go destroy Splatter Man!"

[Leviathan]

"Excursion to Harrowstone inevitable. Still, preferable to arrive for morning. Dictated by folklore pertaining to supernatural threats - evening dangerous. Also, practical points: reduced vision, fatigue."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Even if we do, we still don't know anything about The Lopper. Any one of these prisoners could be dangerous, and unknowing is unarmed."

[Sarone]

Coming to his senses, Kaythek gets back up, trying to get some spit in his mouth. Nice to know you have a sense of humor, Weigher of Souls, half comtemplating spiting on the ground but doesn't. Don't want to help? Fine. Just don't get in our way. Especially since are helping your flock.

Looking around, Kaythek stands up, slightly weakened from the forced possession. "Sounds like the various Gods and Goddesses want us to go after the Prison soon." Kaythek looks at the Father Grimburrow, Augustin, and Celeste. "And the Lady of Graves is taking an interest in this. About damn time."

Looking at Morcaine, Kaythek nods. "Be that as it may, there's not a whole lot when it comes to him, considering the rhyme that you mentioned yesterday. Sounds like he's one of the reasons the prison was made in the first place."

Bending down, Kaythek picks up the book that he had grabbed and reads the cover, before handing it to Father Grimburrow. "Just wondering, is there any thing else that would be useful to fight the undead?" Holding up a hand and shrugging before he takes it wrong, Kaythek clarifies. "Just asking. If not, we'll head out tomorrow. I would like to go see the blacksmith while a few others check out the Teacher, see if there's anything else that they may or may not know. Also, I would like to check out the Moneylenders, see if they hve anything useful."

[Gwynfrid]

"The Lady of Graves takes a deep interest in this, young man! We can infer this much from the fact she speaks through your mouth - or at least, that what it seems. I don't think there was trickery at play here. Or was it ?" The old Father's voice is heavy with concern and uncertainty. He pauses, looking into Kaythek's eyes, trying to find some truth there.

"Ah, my apologies. I know you mean well. It's just that your manner isn't pleasing to the Lady, apparently. Her ways are oftentimes hard to understand for us poor mortals."

He picks up the book, looks at the cover. "Tombs, Graves, and Resting Places of Ancient Power. Yes. I recall reading this when I was a young adept. Purports to reveal impressive mysteries, but is a thick pack of hogwash. I wouldn't waste my time with it."

"Instead, let us show you whatever equipment we have that could be of help. Celeste, you know what I mean, don't you ? Here's the key to the vault. Please let our friends here borrow what they need. Don't worry about payment, the town set aside some funds for this. And if that's not enough, then the Temple will have to contribute out of our own treasury. Not that it is rich, but in times like this, we must do everything in our power."

Celeste takes Kaythek and the others first to a locker that contains holy water, healing balms and equipment, and a few magic potions of healing. She helps them selecting what they need. After that, she takes the group to a basement vault, which contains four more rare items.

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Enough materials to equip two full healing kits, as well as 8 vials of holy water, 4 potions of cure light wounds, and 2 potions of lesser restoration are available. You can take as many of these as you need.

In the vault :
- A single dose of incense of meditation
- A +1 silver morningstar
- A wand of cure moderate wounds (19 charges),
- A scroll of restoration
If you take any of these, it is expected that you bring them back after your mission, unless of course you used them up.

[SanguinePenguin]

"Ah! Holy water! I bet that will hurt ghosts! Father, might you be able to produce more holy water?" Tamara asks, grabbing two vials for her use.

[Sarone]

Smirking at the Father's words, Kaythek nods. "If she wanted me to learn some manners, she should have spoken up first."

Looking back at the book, Kaythek considers the cover. "Be that as it may, there's a reason why the Dieties decided to slap me upside the head when I reached that book. You say it's hogwash and such. Would you mind if we checked it out after Harrowstone is cleansed?"

Turning, Kaythek heads out with the others, following Celeste down the hall to the vault. Some decent gear. Have to make note what we bring.

Picking up the morning star, Kaythek checks how it feels before putting it back down. "It's some good gear. I figure we head out at first light tomorrow, check out the prison. I figure we may need to do multiple forays, unless the damage caused most of the dungeon to collapse."

[Gwynfrid]

"Miss, I'm afraid that's all you're going to obtain from us for the next few days," the aged cleric tells Tamara. "I have delayed some work in the Restlands, in order to be able to help you here. The dead cannot wait any further: At the moment, they are not fully protected against the forces that would make them rise again like they did on Oathday. So, please make them last, if you can. We'll try to produce more as soon as we can."

Facing Kaythek, Grimburrow has a look of both puzzlement and annoyance on his face, as he snaps back, without waiting for him to finish his question about the book: "Well, maybe some other gods like it when you tell them what to do, I don't know. But I wouldn't think Pharasma is interested in your opinion of her actions in any way whatsoever. Whether what happened here teaches you any manners, however, is your concern, not hers."

At that, he turns on his heels and goes to his apartments, leaving it to Celeste to handle the group. The young acolyte doesn't make any comment, keeping to herself as she guides the group to the vault.

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Please indicate what, if anything, you take from the temple supplies.

"What next ?" asks Ulric, turning his thoughts to practical matters.

[Sarone]

Shaking his head, Kaythek looks back at the few items. The morningstar might be useful, but I'm not very good with it.
Taking a look at the items, Kaythek considers each of them. "The wand will be useful, as well as the scroll. Any one know what the Incense of Meditation does?"

(OOC:Knowledge Arcane Roll for Incense of Meditation)

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(1d20+2)[19]

Considering the block, Kaythek looks to Celeste and hands her the book. "If possible, once we take care of the prison I would like to see that book. There might be some answers in it."

[stack]

(before Grimburrow leaves) Augustin appraises the offered items. "You are most generous, Father. We shall certainly sue these well. The Lady be with you as you tend to those gone on."

After he has left, Augustin speaks to the others. "Making more friends, Kaythek? As for these items...while I am loathe to risk wasting anything so kindly offered, I think we must take all we can use. It would be ill for the whole town if we lacked something we required, anything we do not use will simply be a bit of extra weight. I judge the peace of mind to be of greater import than slightly more sore backs. As such, I will hold the wand. As for the weapon, I can wield it well enough if no one else desires it, though my past performance with such things leaves something to be desired. I have other means for facing the spirits, but a trusty weapon, especially one of silver, for which we may have a need, will not likely go unneeded."

[Sarone]

Hearing Augustin's comment, Kaythek lets loose a wide smirk. "Thought you figured me out, Augustin," Kaythek says as they looked at the items. "Love me or hate me, I'm here, blessed by the various Gods and Goddesses to wage battle on those who seek to destroy those who can't defend themselves." Throwing a wink towards Celeste, Kaythek continues. "Besides, Harrowstone is a challenge that was allowed to exist for too long."

Looking back at the items, Kaythek considers what Augustin said. "Like I said, we can make some forays into the prison, exploring what we can, weaken or destroy what spirits we can. Just because we don't take it all with us tomorrow doesn't mean we won't be able to come back through and ask if we can borrow it. My recommendation is that we have enough 'meatshields' between myself, Ulric, Tamara, and Morcaine. You might be better at holding the rear, I believe."

[Gwynfrid]

"I will", Celeste replies to Kaythek simply. "As for the incense, it is meant to be burned to help in preparing divine spells, to make them more potent".

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Incense of meditation

"This is not a usual weapon for me, but I can handle it well enough, and I'm a more likely front line fighter than you are, Augustin," says Ulric. "That said, if any of you feels like using it, I can just as well stick to my scimitar."

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"I prefer my sword, and I'm not as adept a fighter as either you or Kaythek, Ulric," Morcaine replies.

[stack]

"Kaythek, I think it unlikely that anyone will forget you are here. You do make an impression."

"I agree that Ulric ought take it then. As for the various potions, they are a light burden, so no harm can come of taking them. The scrolls as well, though I am uncertain of my ability to use one of them. Now, I believe we had an appointment regarding matters arcane?"