Thattaman's Haunting of Harrowstone

[Thattaman]

Town Plaza:

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Kendra walks up to a woman who is trying to keep people calm. Mirta, what is going on, has something happened. Mirta looks at her gravely. "It's not that bad, but someone has desecrated the Harrowstone memorial. A huge V has been drawn on it with blood. And peole fear that it is the ghosts from Harrowstone." Kendra then walks back to Jadzk and Reymord and tells you what se was told.

[Wyntonian]

Immediately outside the church:

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Charles meets Jazdik as he comes out, Siv replaced on the ground. "So? Are we going tomb robbing?"

[Down Comforter]

Grim finds his way to the dusty library and finds a large table from which he can work. Stripping off his armor and settling his belongings beneath his chair, he begins searching throughout the well-ordered library for anything that might help the search for information about Harrowstone, Ravengro, the Whispering Way, or anything that might help the group.

With a stack of books as tall as he is, Grim searches.

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Taking 20 on my knowledge rolls (since I'm assuming I won't be eaten in here)
Know: Arcana - 22
Know: Dungeoneering - 26
Know: History - 22
Know: Local - 26
Know: Religion - 22

[ninthbit]

Leaving temple, as they walk to Restlands:

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It's not tomb robbing. We are simply searching for a lost cache of unclaimed property. Robbing is the act of depriving someone of their property either by force or threat of violence. Upon death, ownership is reassigned to the next of kin or as outlined by a will or other lawful device. This cache is legally lost. No one is aware of it or can rightfully claim an owning intrest in it; as such, we are claiming it as salvage and found property.

[Thattaman]

Grim:

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You can find the same info on the Whispering Way as before, but one thing you haven't looked much into, is the prisoners of Harrowstone, in here are all their records here is the info on them.

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Originally, Harrowstone housed only local criminals, but as the prison’s fame spread, other counties and distant lands began paying to have more 16 dangerous criminals housed within this prison’s walls. At the time of the great Harrowstone Fire, the number of particularly violent or dangerous criminals imprisoned within the dungeons below was at an all-time high. The five most notorious prisoners in Harrowstone at the time of the great fire were Father Charlatan, the Lopper, the Mosswater Marauder, the Piper of Illlmarsh, and the Splatter Man.

Which one of these five do you want to research more on?

[archetypal]

Leaving the Temple of Pharasma:

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As the three of you leave the temple, an acolyte follows you out. Appearing at first uninterested in you, he checks to see if anyone else from the temple is watching and then, seeing no one, slips a vial to Siv. It’s the same acolyte that was standing behind Father Grimburrow. He speaks quickly -
“Thanks for telling us the truth – my name is Brother Mendel; even if the Father isn’t convinced, I believe you, and I’ll make sure as much as I am able that we Pharasmans take appropriate measures against any members of the Way here in Ravengro. Good luck finding that crypt. This is a potion of curing light wounds - it should help if you are injured.”
Not waiting for a response he turns quickly and walks around to the back of the temple.

The three of you begin walking north from the temple, on the way to the Restlands…

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Can everyone walking back make a perception check please?

[ninthbit]

Leaving the Temple of Pharasma:

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(1d20+11)[24]

[archetypal]

Town Plaza:

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Kendra looks worried after she relays the news: “If the monument has been defiled, that can only be bad news. Maybe the two of you should follow the sheriff and those men and have a look at the monument. I’ll finish my errands quickly and head home – I’ll meet you back at the house.”

As she is speaking, a group of five little Varisian girls dressed in shawls and dresses are playing a skipping rope game at the side of the grassy plaza nearest you. Each of the girls takes turns jumping in the rope while singing two lines of a rather disturbing song, then skips out of the rope to let the next girl take up the next two lines. The way in which the girls switch from skipping to passing the ends of the rope to each other to keep the whole thing going is strikingly well timed and well choreographed—and the verse itself, which the girls sing in Varisian, is rather disturbing. The five repeating verses are as follows:

“Put her body on the bed.
Take a knife and lop her head.
Watch the blood come out the pipe.
Feeds the stirge, so nice and ripe.
Drops of red so sparkly bright.
Splatters spell her name just right.
With a hammer killed his wife.
Now he wants to claim your life.
Tricksy father tells a lie.
Listen close or you will die.”

[Down Comforter]

Thoroughly worn out from his research endeavors, Grim neatly puts all the books away. Slipping a sheet of paper with what he has learned inside his jacket, he puts on his armor once more and slips out the door. He heads off in the direction of the Restlands, hoping to catch up with the rest of the group.

[Larpus]

Town Plaza

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Gaspar lifts his eyebrow at the macabre song the girls are singing, he does pay attention to the words, out of morbid curiosity.

He hesitates when asked, but nods in agreement, "Very well, but be careful miss, don't wander on the streets and stay away of any...unusual occurrences...be safe."

"Let's got, mr. Lamsdare, the others might need us."

[Phasm]

Outside the Temple of Pharasma

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Tucking the potion away in one of the pockets of her adventurer's sash, Siv beams up at the acolyte before he walks away. "Thank you, Brother!" Mercifully, this time she speaks in a loud stage whisper as opposed to full volume.

At least someone believed her. The gnome turns back to her companions. "Shouldn't we all go as a team? There might be traps and things, and it wouldn't be nice to go and get nifty spirit-warding stuff without everyone there, and maybe Gaspar and Reymord found useful things in the Professor's library since the Professor knew about the crypt and the Pharasmins didn't!"

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Perception:
(1d20+2)[11]

[archetypal]

Jadzik:

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You half-hear the faint sound of a wagon being drawn by two horses. As the sound approaches, you feel cold and lonely, despite the company of your friends and the early afternoon sun shining brightly upon you. In the dirt of the road ahead of you, you see the tracks of two horses and wheeled vehicle appear in the dust, headed south - opposite the direction you are walking. The noise of the horses and the creaking of the wagon get louder as the tracks reach you and then recede as they pass you.

[ninthbit]

Left the temple, Almost to the Restlands:

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What the hell? Jadzik mumbles under his breath as the ghost wagon passes. Returning his attention the blabber-mouth of a gnome. I figure a little finger wiggling gnome like yourself would understand that knowledge is a fickle thing. It’s like a symbiant or parasitic organism. It needs a host to contain it or it can perish. It’s quite possible that with their extensive library, that the priests have simply lost record of it, while the professor may have found notes of this from any number of sources; wives tails, journals from the hired craftsmen, diaries from former clergy that have left area. Aren’t masters of the arcane constantly on the pursuit of lost knowledge?

As for regrouping, while I do agree that there is safety in numbers, I have to question the level of risk there is while in town. Being a burial site, the Restlands should be consecrated grounds, thus protected from unnatural evils. In any case, finding it shouldn’t be difficult. I imagine that if they built a crypt, then there is likely a small mausoleum above it. Given that it was buried long enough ago that it has been forgotten by the locals, we can also assume it’s a much older, likely one of the first, buildings on the grounds. That AND the clue about the cross roads, we should be able to pretty much just walk up to it. Once we’re that close, Abadar will guide me. If it exists, we will find it. But we must act quickly, these priest are paranoid and could quickly deny us access. Also… you have Charles and I; I can’t foresee anything the two of us can’t handle.

[OOC: "I can’t foresee anything the two of us can’t handle." Famous last words ]

K.Religion:

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I'm assuming it's obviously a ghost of some kind. I would hope an inquisitor could figure that out. But I'm dropping a roll in case there’s more to it.
k.Religion: (1d20+6)[20]

[archetypal]

Jadzik:

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Yeah, it's a ghost or at least some sort of leakiness from the past into the present. You also realize it was headed in the direction of the Harrowstone ruins, and no one else in your party saw it.

[archetypal]

Charles:

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You notice the Jadzik is distracted for a few seconds and that he was staring at something and looked over his shoulder to follow it as it presumably passed you.

[Wyntonian]

Restlands (?)

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Charles looks at Jadzik as he turns, apparently watching something go by. "Jadzik? What is it?"

[ninthbit]

Just arriving at the Restlands:

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I think I just witnessed a ghost, or at least some kind of echo of the past. From over there... and then right past us, heading out that way. I could hear the wagon and I saw tracks form. It wasn’t a full manifestation, I couldn’t see it. Just sound and tracks.

There is definitely something peculiar going on around here. We should better hurry.

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Once we're there, If Jadzik has any difficulty finding a sutiably old building near the cross roads, he will then start to check any near areas that could potenialy serve to hold a crypt. He'll take 20 on his perception check, using Sift(at will) to scan the area. This will give hime a 26 (20+11-5) to find anything hidden within sight. He can also use Detect Magic(at will) to help aid the search.

[archetypal]

Everyone but Grim:
As you continue walking north towards Ravengro, you see a group of men, lead by someone wearing a uniform that indicates they might be a town sheriff or something of the sort, with some worried-looking burly farmer-types following closely behind. A few hundred yards behind them are Reymord and Gaspar.

As the group of Ravengronians approaches you they slow, and the leader has time to recognize that none of you is human. "You orcs there, stop! Identify yourselves; what are you doing in Ravengro?" At the same time, one of the other men says to another "Is that... a child? on the orc's back?" and a third says "Those don't look like full-grown orcs..." Their pause gives Reymord and Gaspar enough time to catch up...

[Larpus]

Gaspar follows quickly, a bit sweaty but not too much out of breath.

"Easy there, officer, they're friends not foes. And no, it's a common mistake, but they're not a pair of juvenile orcs and a child, they're a pair of half-borns, much like myself but from a different race, and a gnome. Ergo, they are allies to the town, not criminals of any sort, so there's no need to raise weapons or be antagonistic to them."

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Will edit after I see the roll, but I expect a low roll and Gaspar being pretty smart-ass.

(1d20-2)[14]

Oh...that went well.

[ninthbit]

At the accusation of being called an orc… a dim witted savage species, Jadzik grits his teeth and inhales deeply through his noise, trying his hardest to subdue his disdain for such ignorant people. We’re two priests and a wizard, and they choose to harass US! Collecting his composure he very politely replies with the tone of an educated man.

First off, I’m no orc and I take insult to the association. While my people do have some orcish heritage, they are not a group of savage ignorant brutes. Also, I’m just as much human. In any case, we have peacefully coexisted with humans for well over 200 years, likely much further.

With that cleared up, I am Jadzik, a priest of Abadar. This is Charles, a priest of Desna. The little one is no child, she is a gnomish wizard. We arrived yesterday to attend the funeral of a close friend. We have remained to assist his daughter in closing out his affairs.

[ninthbit]

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Forgot the roll:
Diplo to improve: (1d20+4)[21]

[Wyntonian]

Charles waves at the sheriff and his followers and hefts Siv up onto his shoulders, the axe hanging loosely at his side. "Hi there! I've seen you around, you go to the Temple of Desna, right? Nice to meet you! I'm Charles!"

[Maralais]

Reymord hears the words "Orcs... Identify Yourselves!" before catching up to the group, and observes the situation quickly. He sighs silently and walks before the sheriff.

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First the roll, then the talk:
(1d20+7)[19]

"As my friends have already said, we have come for the funeral of a friend and are not orcs. I'm Reymord Lamsdare."

"I guess you're the sheriff of Ravengro, were you at town plaza a few hours ago? Because I believe I have seen you or someone of equal ranking, investigating something about Harrowstone. My friends and I are capable fighters and most of us know how to deal with ghosts and the undead. We would like to help you with whatever's happened in Harrowstone, and full cooperation would make this a lot easier."

[archetypal]

Everyone but Grim:
The farmers and the sheriff relax a bit as it becomes clear that you are not hostile. The sheriff waits for all of you to explain yourselves, introduces himself as Sheriff Benjan Caeller, then turns toward Reymord and says "You have a strange choice in travelling companions, friend. Look, I didn't realize all you foreigners were coming in for the Lorrimor funeral. As long as you don't cause any trouble..." he looks specifically at Jadzik, "we won't have any problems. As for the 'investigation' I don't know much myself. There were reports from a concerned citizen that the Harrowstone memorial to the south had been vandalized, something about a bloody 'V' and we were headed down there to check it out. Nothing for you lot to be concerned with, I'm sure, but if you want to have a look, I wont stop you as long as you don't start telling tales about it. More rumors and gossip about 'ghosts' and 'hauntings' are the last thing this town needs right now." He turns toward the farmers and says "That goes for all of you, really."

[Phasm]

Siv frowns at being called a child; she's never seen a human child with green skin, pink hair, and a crossbow. Maybe children here like to paint themselves? After what happened with the priest, though, she bites her lip and lets Jadzik explain. It's hard. Very hard.

The dam finally bursts under the pressure of the loquacious gnome's talkative nature. "I'm Siv and this is my friend Lorrimor, nice to meet you!" She points to the small brown owl preening himself on a nearby sign. "I named him after the Professor because the Professor was such an interesting person and he liked me!" The wizard smiles down at Sheriff Benjan. "The priest back there didn't like it when I told him about us investigating stuff, which I don't really understand, but humans do a lot of weird stuff and this is a human land so I'll try to follow your laws and customs and things and not tell people about necromancy stuff even though that's kind of being dishonest. I'm trying to be a good guest, really!"

[ninthbit]

Sir, I'm sorry to say, but they are not rumors. I witnessed phantasm of sorts just moments ago on this very path. A wagon and horses coming from town, heading to Harrowstone.

[Thattaman]

The sherif is slightly taken aback by Siv's sudden outburst. I don't care what you've seen or have been told, I don't want anyone to think that this place is haunted. If I here one thing from you about ghosts and necromancy I don't think I'd let you stay in Ravengro. With that he turns and walks away.

[Phasm]

The gnome sighs, dejected. People here aren't nearly as fun and inquisitive as the ones in Lepidstadt. She really is trying... and if you don't admit there's a problem, how are you going to get it fixed? All the Pharasmins in that temple back there would have to do is send a courier to a bigger temple saying that they've got a ghost problem and boom, expert ghost hunters. But noooo.

"I just don't understand humans sometimes." She pauses. "A lot of the time, actually."

[Larpus]

Gaspar makes a rather frustrated expression as he thinks for a moment, "Worry not, sheriff, regardless of what we might find, throwing the town in chaos, desperation and confusion isn't into our intentions or interests."

He turns to the rest of the party, "Well...we're still missing mr. DuMaine, whatever happened to him?"

[Down Comforter]

(two hours in the future) News of the defacement of the memorial had reached Grim as he walked the rough roads leading from the temple towards the Restlands. Having not sighted the group that he arrived at the temple with, he stopped briefly, considering, and turned back to the town square. "Surely if I haven't seen them yet, they'll be investigating that. Nosy bunch that they are." he mutters to himself.