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15:45, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Chapter 1 - The Haunting of Harrowstone.

Posted by GMFor group 0
Sir Constantine Godalming
player, 21 posts
Chicanery?
Count me in
Tue 22 Jan 2019
at 20:19
  • msg #54

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

SCG notes the knock and upon hearing who has come pokes his head out.

“We have not been formally introduced I am Sir Constantine GodAlming out of Absolom.  I had meant to meet with you on my own, this is most fortunate indeed.  I believe we have plenty of oatmeal to share.”

He extends his hand to the sheriff...

Sir Constantine Godalming rolled 29 using 1d20+9 ((20)).
This message was last edited by the player at 20:21, Tue 22 Jan 2019.
GM
GM, 127 posts
Wed 23 Jan 2019
at 18:21
  • msg #55

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Sheriff Caeler took Constantine's hand and gave it a firm, businesslike shake. His demeanor wasn't hostile or inquisitive, if anything he seemed apologetic at breaking in during Kendra's period of grieving.

"Apologies for the interruption." He nodded politely to Kendra and the men sitting around the breakfast table.

"I have some questions for your friends about the disturbance in the square this morning." He said.

"Where were you last night between the hours of midnight and dawn? Did you see anything suspicious near the town square?"
Sir Constantine Godalming
player, 23 posts
Chicanery?
Count me in
Wed 23 Jan 2019
at 20:50
  • msg #56

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

“No worries friend, we came back here and eventually settled in for the night.  I am not aware of anyone leave by before dawn.  Several left after breakfast to seek the priest.”

SCG continues to eat his oatmeal the butter and brown sugar making it taste good.

“What happened in the very heart of your town?”
Murkau Holdheart
player, 63 posts
Dwarf | HP 24/25 | AC 16
CMD 15| F +5 | R +4 | W+2
Thu 24 Jan 2019
at 00:26
  • msg #57

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

"Aye the lad speaks the truth, we all slept here after supper and the reading of the will. The Count and that Keldros fellow left shortly after the reading of the will, but they had pressing matters in Caliphas so I doubt they stayed in town for long." Murkau added, eating his own breakfast of oatmeal with some dried meats he brought out. "I stepped out shortly after the reading but I sat on the porch, smoking a cigar. I reentered the residence well before midnight, and had not noticed anything in my time outside. Did ye need any help sheriff?"
GM
GM, 129 posts
Thu 24 Jan 2019
at 18:10
  • msg #58

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Kendra quickly verified Constantine and Murkau's whereabouts as Sheriff Caeler jotted in a small notebook. He snapped it shut and stowed it in his coat pocket.

"Sorry for the disturbance, you five are the only strangers still in town and Councilman Hearthmount wanted me to do my due diligence.

There was some...vandalism last night. Somebody painted a big letter "V" on the Hearthstone memorial."
His tone was conversational now, no longer investigating but discussing simple, small town vandalism.

"I'm having my deputies wash it off, I'm sure it's just some farmer's children playing pranks."
Murkau Holdheart
player, 65 posts
Dwarf | HP 24/25 | AC 16
CMD 15| F +5 | R +4 | W+2
Thu 24 Jan 2019
at 20:44
  • msg #59

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

"Hearthstone memorial? Mind if'n I ask ye what it's a memorial to sheriff?" Murkau asked after swallowing the bite he took while the sheriff spoke. "Strange things might be afoot, Godalming, think we ought to let the man o' law know whats in the professor's journal?"
Sir Constantine Godalming
player, 24 posts
Chicanery?
Count me in
Thu 24 Jan 2019
at 22:52
  • msg #60

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

“Nay sir I have seen such signals used to coordinate crimes perhaps a countdown for a crime to happen five days hence.  Such an obvious sign and no clues to follow; Tis unlike the work of children.”

SCG looks thoughtful and smiles a little
“In my day I did such and left an apple core, a pee puddles and my small footprints in the general area. I also left both the paint and brush, not to mention spilt paint....perhaps we should look before it is cleaned.”
GM
GM, 134 posts
Fri 25 Jan 2019
at 18:56
  • msg #61

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

"It's the statue in the center of town." The sheriff said.

Most of our heroes had seen the statue on the way into town, an old iron statue on a stone plinth standing in the town square.

"It was built years ago, after the old prison burned down. It commemorates the guards that died in the fire. If you'd like to take a look you'd best hurry, they're cleaning it off now."
Murkau Holdheart
player, 66 posts
Dwarf | HP 24/25 | AC 16
CMD 15| F +5 | R +4 | W+2
Sat 26 Jan 2019
at 00:33
  • msg #62

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

"It'll be a good first stop at the very least, want to come with?" Murkau turns to ask SCG as he stands from the table. It was a good thing Murkau had prepared to leave the house already, so he just needed to deal with his plates and hook his weaponry onto the various belts.
Sir Constantine Godalming
player, 26 posts
Chicanery?
Count me in
Sat 26 Jan 2019
at 14:51
  • msg #63

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

“Unfortunately I have the responsibility for this home and it’s contents until the others return, so in good conscience I cannot leave.  I will come as soon as I am properly relieved from my post.”
Darcon
player, 9 posts
Sat 26 Jan 2019
at 15:40
  • msg #64

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Darcon had spent some time last perusing the professor's library; as much as he would have liked to read the books on the arcane arts the professor had in his collection, their immediate need demanded he catch up on recent and not so recent events of their locality. Thankfully the library was organized well enough and he found what he needed to start putting together the pieces to this puzzle.

He awoke early and after freshening up and eating breakfast with the others, he was present when the sheriff arrived. Listening to him with interest Darcon agreed they ought to visit the memorial, since it was connected with what was sure to be their next goal, visiting the ruins of Harrowstone itself.

Sir Constantine made a good point, however. They could not leave the books, the chest and Kendra unguarded.

"Do we really need to split up further? Kendra can come with us while we can hide the chest and its contents here and lock up the home, the memorial is not so far away after all and we can be there and back in no time,"
he said to Constantine, glancing at Kendra to see if she agreed.
Knowledge History: 23

GM
GM, 139 posts
Mon 28 Jan 2019
at 15:57
  • msg #65

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

"I'm sure things will be more than safe here with Sir Godalming keeping an eye on the books. Although if you would like to accompany us I very much doubt that they would be in any danger. They sat in that chest perfectly safely until last night." Kendra said. There was no question of her remaining at home, she was headstrong and inquisitive enough to brook no argument on that account.

She bustled about briefly, clearing away breakfast and putting on her hat and shawl, before joining our heroes in the entryway. She motioned for Sheriff Caeler to lead the way, linked arms with Murkau and Darcon, and marched off towards the town square.



The small town square was an unusual hubbub of activity. The sleepy little town of Ravengro saw very little crime, and none of such a public and visible nature, and in the way of small towns the crowd was gathering the fuel that would churn its rumor mill for months to come. Whispers and hushed gossip flew as villagers vied for a better look. More than one shot suspicious, unfriendly glances at the strangers as the sheriff led them through the crowd.

At the center stood the Hearthstone memorial, a statue of Warden Hawkran on a tapered square stone pedestal. A pair of deputies were near the memorial, one shooing the crowd back while the other worked with a bucket and rag. While the vandal had indeed painted a large letter V on the base, Sheriff Caeler's description of the crime had perhaps been a bit pedestrian.

The painted V was a rusty, flaky red. Even a cursory inspection showed that the glyph was formed, not of ink or paint, but of splashed blood. Smears and splatters of blood had been thrown around the base and up onto the statue, creating a macabre tableau.



On the outskirts of Ravengro a lone figure approached, trudging up the long and dusty road that wound past small farms and over rolling hills.

Keanala Stonesmarque, delayed on the road, had arrived a day too late to attend the funeral that had brought her to town. She had made up what time she could, but as she drew nearer to the town her attention was drawn to a crowd of people clustered in the town square.
Sir Constantine Godalming
player, 28 posts
Chicanery?
Count me in
Mon 28 Jan 2019
at 17:39
  • msg #66

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

“Of course, my hope is the others return from the library for lunch.”


SCG waved them on their journey as the group departed leaving him alone to ward the homestead.


His mind focused on the job of guarding the house.
Garland Van Burke
player, 20 posts
Tue 29 Jan 2019
at 11:51
  • msg #67

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

It is a short time later when the doors open once again and Garland returns to the estate with a pleased look on his face. He waits for everyone to be gathered before reporting their success. "With Shara's help we were able to convince Father Grimburrow to open the archives for us and he's also agreed to sell us all sorts of items like potions and holy water. Something that concerns me is he mentioned people have been acting differently in the last few weeks, darker and more suspicious. Shara and I both believe there is more going on here then even we thought before. What of you all, are there any new discoveries?"
Murkau Holdheart
player, 67 posts
Dwarf | HP 24/25 | AC 16
CMD 15| F +5 | R +4 | W+2
Tue 29 Jan 2019
at 16:41
  • msg #68

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Murkau let himself be led by the younger woman with a small chuckle, grabbing his pack as they left the door. Upon arriving at the town square the dwarf quickly put on a dour face again, not quite expecting a large crowd this early in the morning. The dwarf shook his head, beady eyes glancing about the crowd as they were escorted, muttering under his breath, "You'd think that they'd have more important matters this early in the morn. After all your farm and lands don't care much should there be a hubbub at the town, and ye could hear of it later on."

Upon having a clear view of the statue, Murkau tensed, his body shifting from wary anxiety to high alert, "This was made with blood... How long has your man there been scrubbing sheriff?"
Shara
player, 19 posts
Tue 29 Jan 2019
at 17:46
  • msg #69

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Shara quietly followed along behind Garland as the man shared the discoveries they'd made at the temple. With this new observation from Father Grimburrow that moods had been darkening, she made sure to keep a close eye on the people they'd passed and even the group of the Professor's associates, looking for any signs of magical or spiritual influence.
GM
GM, 143 posts
Tue 29 Jan 2019
at 18:39
  • msg #70

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

"Perhaps I hadn't noticed, in the weeks since my father's death I've mostly kept to myself. But in retrospect things have been a bit tense around town. Tempers running short, neighbors quarreling, that sort of thing." Kendra said, commenting on Garland's report. Her words were underscored by the crowd's general grumbling. They seemed just as unhappy about strangers in town as they were with the vandalism.

Scrubbing down the statue was proceeding apace, the unhappy deputy on mop-and-bucket duty was making rapid progress cleaning off the monument. It was easy enough to wash the smooth stone; the blood, while gruesome, looked perfectly mundane. As if unconsciously guided by some macabre fascination with the letter he cleaned off all of the splashes and drips of blood first, before wiping out the red V itself.

"We found it like that this morning." Sheriff Caeler said to Murkau.

"Councilman Hearthmount wanted to see it. He ah...asked me to inquire about it." He glanced somewhat guiltily at our heroes. "But it really does just look like it was a prank."
Darcon
player, 10 posts
Tue 29 Jan 2019
at 18:47
  • msg #71

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

A bit taken aback when Kendra linked her arm with his, Darcon stiffened instinctively but tried to appear as if it was normal. After all, it was not everyday an attractive woman made contact with the normally reclusive and introverted mage. He tried to take his mind off it by telling the others about what he had read about the prison ruins over the night as they departed for the town square. The returning Garland's report was also interesting and gave him something to mull over as they walked.

By the time they got to the scene of the crime and pushed through the crowd though, Darcon was more at ease, though upon viewing the vandalism all other thoughts were gone from his mind. "Well that is certainly not normal," he muttered, staring at the bloody letter scrawled on the statue. Glancing at the sheriff he asked, "Do we know if the blood used was animal, or humanoid?"

Ignoring the whispering of the villagers crowding about statue, his eyes raked over the it and its immediate surroundings, trying to take it all in and perhaps see if he spotted anything that might have been overlooked.
Perception: 12

Garland Van Burke
player, 21 posts
Tue 29 Jan 2019
at 23:39
  • msg #72

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Upon seeing the statue Garland made his way toward it, as closely as he could without interfering with the crowd on guards. He walked all the way around it, watching closely, looking for signs besides the blood painted V and only when he made a full circle did he stop in front of the V.

He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small wooden holy symbol depicting the spiral sign Pharasma was known for and held it up against his forehead. "Pharasma grant me power to see the ebb and flow of magic. Let no secrets escape our sight." he whispered, a soft prayer and spell. A moment later when Garland opened his eyes they had disappeared replaced by light blue energy as he continued studying the sight.
Sir Constantine Godalming
player, 29 posts
Chicanery?
Count me in
Wed 30 Jan 2019
at 13:26
  • msg #73

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Meanwhile back at the house SCG keeps a careful guard on the house, even going outside and walking around to make certain the window, (if there is one; although he already checked this in his initial survey) into the room is barred.
GM
GM, 145 posts
Wed 30 Jan 2019
at 18:28
  • msg #74

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

"Hmmm, no way to tell, really." Sheriff Caeler said to Darcon. "Nobody's found an animal carcass or reported any missing pets. Since this happened just last night it's difficult to say whether anyone would have noticed a missing animal by now."

Garland's magical inspection of the monument revealed little. There were no magical auras present except for the occasional minor magical trinket on the villager's persons. One such person was Councilman Hearthmount, who bustled over to our heroes.

"Hrmm. Surely you have duties elsewhere?" He said to the sheriff dismissively, evidently miffed that he was being so cooperative with the strangers in town. Sheriff Caeler knuckled his forehead respectfully and moved off to pointlessly oversee the cleanup and shoo away the gawking crowd.

"You certainly ask a lot of questions." The councilman said in a not-quite-accusatory tone. "I'm certain that our capable constabulary will deal with this incident. I understand that you are guests of Miss Lorrimor? How...lovely. See that you remain well behave guests while you remain in town."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:28, Wed 30 Jan 2019.
Shara
player, 21 posts
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 02:58
  • msg #75

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Shara gave the councilman a long stare before speaking.

"As adventurers and learned scholars, we would be happy to lend our well-qualified assistance to the local constabulary in order to solve this rather strange mystery. Surely you want to get to the bottom of this quickly." she replied to him, putting on her sweetest voice.


18:57, Today: Shara rolled 21 using 1d20+6.  Diplomacy.
As usual, keeping my eyes and intuition peeled for anything hinky about him or the others in the crowd.
Garland Van Burke
player, 22 posts
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 03:41
  • msg #76

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

Seeing nothing magical about the site Garland maintains the spell as he approaches the others, making sure to come from the blindspot of the councilman. He points at the man and nods to Shara before clearing his throat to get the councilman's attention. "Excuse me councilman. Ive been trying to examine the site with Pharasma's blessing but there's something magical on you that is distracting me. Could I examine the item in your possession for a few moments? Just so I know what not to look for?"
Sir Constantine Godalming
player, 30 posts
Chicanery?
Count me in
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 14:56
  • msg #77

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

SCG finding that everyone refuses to return he loads the box of books up into a backpack and makes his way to where the monument was desecrated.

Even not knowing the small hamlet well he is able to cross the bridge over the small tributary and arrive at the town center.  He is likely too late to see anything first hand, but at least they are all back together.


Seeing the sheriff again he waves.

“What have we learned here?”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:46, Fri 01 Feb 2019.
GM
GM, 146 posts
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 18:54
  • msg #78

Re: Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

While Garland and Shara both seemed convincing enough not to come off as rude or hostile to the surrounding townsfolk, Councilman Hearthmount was clearly less than impressed by them. He drew himself up to his full height and looked haughtily down his nose at Garland, quite a feat considering how meager that height was. He slipped a be-ringed hand into his waistcoat pocket.

"I'll thank you to keep your fingers out of my personal effects." He harrumphed ill temperedly. He was on the verge of saying more but seemed to sense the effect that Garland's polite request had had on the nearby townsfolk and snapped his mouth shut, chins wobbling.

"Enjoy your stay in Ravengro. Sheriff Caeler, I would like to see you in my office." He said brusquely, whirling to march off towards the council chambers.

The sheriff nodded politely to our heroes and followed the councilman. Kendra rolled her eyes and pulled a rude face at his retreating back.
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