Garland stood there for a moment, disappointed but not completely surprised by the councilman's response or actions. He waited till the councilman and sheriff were out of earshot before he spoke softly to the group. "Perhaps we should approach the sheriff later. The temple is ready and and able to assist our investigation, having the local law enforcement in a similar position would likely help as well."

He raises a hand to his face, covering the still blue luminescent glow from his eyes before pulling it away a moment later, causing the glow to fade as he mentally willed the spell to end. "I believe there is nothing more I can find here. When you are all ready I suggest we meet at the Lorrimor estate to go over all our findings."

Intrigued by Garland revealing that Hearthmount was in possession of a magical trinket, Darcon followed the exchange between them closely. He noted the Councilman slipping a ringed hand into his pocket, making a mental note on it. Regardless, he was pleased to see his back, considering the unwelcome suspicion leveled upon them by the Councilman.

"Well that one certainly does not like us. Reminds me of that Count Galdana from last night," Darcon remarked to the others.

Listening to what Garland said, Darcon replied quielty, "Good to hear you secured aid from the temple Garland, I look forward to the details of your discussions there, and whether you uncovered anything about the Whispering Way. I plan to study the professors library to see if he has anymore information on them there, I firmly believe his death was no accident and that this cult is involved."

Aside from the background of the Whispering Way, Darcon was keen to try and find out if the Professor had made any notes on known members, or anything they could use to identify any existing members. For who knew, perhaps the Councilman or Galdana numbered among its members.

"Be of good cheer my friends, it seems the councilman must take such matters to be of grave importance and will be working hard to settle the townsfolk.  It is natural that he survey us as another factor beyond his control."

He pauses and looks thoughtful
"The constable seems a good man, so we must not take any harshness to heart once he returns."

Kendra led the way home, idly bantering and subtly quashing any more serious conversation with a laugh. Once they were out of earshot of the villagers and safe at her home her face fell back to its customary inquisitive studiousness, now with a hint of worry.

Everybody quickly shared the results of their investigations while Kendra set out tea.

"That's...troubling. If there really is something making the villagers irritable and suspicious it would explain the vandalism, and even the councilman's attitude. He was always a bit of a ponce, but he's always been polite."

She sat at the table and stirred disconsolately at her tea cup, the tinkling of porcelain underscoring her dark thoughts. Grief and shock at the revelation that her father may have been murdered had given way to a real worry that whatever had caused the tragedy was still at work in Ravengro.

"Should we investigate? Should we continue my father's research? It just seems like there's so many threads."

"I think we should do both. Clearly, the prison needs to be investigated, and the site of the professors demise scoured for clues of foul play. But if what we've seen in his journal is accurate, then it's best that we go in armed with as much knowledge as we can, which means taking advantage of the wealth of material here at the estate." Shara replies to Kendra.

Sitting near Kendra and cradling a teacup in his hand, Darcon looked at her with concern and replied, "Yes to both I say. The Professor intended us to stay for a month in any case, so why not use that time to investigate this cult, The Whispering Way, expose them and bring them to justice. Not only will this honor the Professor's memory but perhaps even save this very village."

The mage did not bother mentioning the danger inherent in this task, the professor's murder was proof of that well enough. But his killers needed to be revealed and brought to justice, lest this cult spread and begin to fester across the land. If they did not end this here in this village, Darcon was sure they would never be able to stop them once they began to spread.

Thinking about it more as he slowly sipped his tea, Darcin became convinced that the group's combined skills and talents would be enough to overcome a group of cultists, who were likely made up of everyday men and women driven to dark desires, as was true of so many neophyte cults he had read about.

Or so he hoped. The news that the elder in the temple had said the mood in the town was darker sounded quite sinister, and hinted at dark forces at play. It sounded like a dark enchantment cast over the village like a pall, something that should be beyond a mere neonate cult, assuming what the elder said was true of-course.

After he had finished his tea Darcon started searching among the tomes in the professors library, determined to learn everything he could about The Whispering Way.

---

ooc: Knowledge (Arcana): 12 (Note: Since Darcon is reading over the books and research notes of Lorrimor perhaps he could get a research bonus to his check?)

The whole way Garland was quiet, deep in contemplation as he tried to put the pieces together though when they were alone he was the first to suggest passing a bottle of wine around and drink merrily. Who knew when they would get another chance?

"If the professors suspicions are correct, and I trust Petros' research, Harrowstone is haunted. I believe our first objective is to find the false crypt and regain the items he mentioned. Once properly prepared for any spectral remnants we can investigate the prison. My suggestion is thus: Those of us skilled in academic research should do just that, finding out all we can about the false crypt and any items within and as a secondary topic Harrowstone and its prisoners. Those without such skills I believe would be best used to stakeout the monument for future vandalism. Such a minor event seems to little for such an important monument so I suspect there will be more. Anyone staking out the monument should take care to find out who is responsible but not to engage without the local law enforcements assistance. Most of all we need to start gaining the peoples trust, if people are being influenced by supernatural phenomena having built up trust with the locals will help fight that."

He pauses as he takes the tea, putting in an extra spoonful of sugar and mixing it in as the silver spoon clanked against the porcelein. He brought it to his lips and drank before looking up. "As I am an academic, I believe I'll access the temples archives at sunrise. Petros was convinced they held the location of the false crypt and I trust his judgement. I welcome any who wish to assist me."

SCG  took in all the information from his new companions...

“Did anyone record the names on the memorial, and inquire about surviving family?”


“The research is important and we must be as thoughtful as possible at the same time obtaining holy water and other tools.  My fear though is that the marking on the memorial was a signal to countdown an attack on the town; with some terrible event coming on the fifth day, meaning we should be intercepting it before it arrives.”

He likes the idea of the research, but is afraid a perfect plan may be too late...


“”Can we each or in small teams research connected topics, I would like to speak again to the sheriff and see what knowledge he has .”
This message was last edited by the player at 15:17, Tue 05 Feb 2019.

"My own skills are more of the practical applications, tt would be best if I help with overseeing the memorial and talking with townsfolk. Me and Godalming here can go speak to the sheriff in the morn, see if he's noticed anything else he wasn't comfortable in telling us at the time. We can bring the professor's journal, if it'll help persuade him. The man ought to know there might be dangerous people lurking at the old prison."

"Yes, if the Whispering Way is active here in the town we must root them out. And if we really do have just five days to solve this mystery we haven't a moment to lose." Kendra said.

Before our heroes dispersed she insisted on packing a lunch pail for Garland as he made his way to the temple and an extra large one for Constantine and Murkau as they left to speak with the sheriff and investigate the visitors.

Far from a leisurely afternoon at the Lorrimor estate filled with idle reading and note taking, the research session was a flurry of activity. While Darcon and Shara each dove down into their books Kendra proved herself to be an insightful and valuable assistant. With her knowledge of her father's library she would bring stacks of books to the kitchen table to be perused, always on the correct topic and in a useful order, and spent a great deal of time organizing and cataloging the notes that they jotted down.

While Darcon's research only seemed to confirm what the group already knew, Shara was able to turn up some juicy new tidbits about the cult's aims and operation.

---

At the temple of Pharasma Garland was welcomed back politely and ushered into the archives by an acolyte. They were located in the dusty basement of the temple, past crates of spell components commonly used in divine casting and next to a room full of cloth draped remaindered furniture.

The small room was a bit claustrophobic, tall shelves lit by flickering candle light and filled with niches for scrolls and ledgers. Most of the history concerned the births and deaths of townsfolk, weddings, a record of religious events, and the like. While records of commerce and town history would be more likely to be found in the town council archives, finding the list of names that Sir Godalming had requested was a simple matter. It was recorded on its own scroll, the births and deaths of all the townsfolk who had perished in the fire. Unfortunately a complete list of the prisoners eluded him, although he found tantalizing evidence of five particularly noteworthy inmates.

There was also a great deal about the prison itself, mostly in the form of recorded indulgences performed by priests on behalf of the prisoners. By cross referencing various sources he was able to complete a relatively comprehensive account of its final days.

---

Sir Constantine and Murkau looked for the sheriff first at his offices in the small town jail, and when they unable to find him were informed by a deputy that he was on duty. After a short walk around town they managed to find him patrolling near Jominda's Apothecary. He seemed preoccupied with something, but shifted his attention to our heroes when they approached.

"Hullo." He said with a tip of his hat.

"Bloody shards..." Keanala muttered, shaking her head as she walked up to the door of the Lorrimor.  She was annoyed, more at herself than anything else.  Upon getting closer to the crowd surrounding the statue with the V scrawled on it, she had spotted Kendra, but by the time she had pushed her way through the crowd, Kendra and a bunch of others had moved off...somewhere.

After following up a few ideas, and really not impressing anyone with her tracking ability, Keanala finally decided to forget about trying to find Kendra in the town and instead head straight for the professors old home.

She glanced over a shoulder and tugger the hood of her cloak a little further down.  She did not blend in well with humans and everyone in the town seemed pretty darned upset over something.  It only took a few upset looks at the mention of the Professors name before Keanala decided that discretion was the word of the day.  "What is wrong with this place?"

Grasping at the door knocker, the newcomer banged on the front door a half dozen or so times.  "Hey!  Hello?  Anyone there?"

At the house...
“ I have to agree with Murkau on this for research I would be more in the way, but talking to the sheriff and maybe looking into the town guard we can find out more about recent events and possibly heretofore unrelated crimes.”


As they make the return trip to find the sheriff he hopes his measure of the man would grow rather than fade...

“Good day sheriff, we thought that Murkau and I might walk with you during your rounds and not be too much of an inconvenience.”

Having taken a momentary break from her research, Shara hears the sound of a door knocking. After the open hostility of the angry mob at the funeral, she grips the dagger on her hip before cautiously opening the door part way.

"Yes? Can I help you?" she asks, her keen eyes quickly making the measure of the stranger at the door.

Kendra poked her head out of the library curiously as Shara answered the front door. Whatever the newcomer's response, it was drowned out as Kendra squealed an excited greeting. She rushed out to give Keanala a big hug and drag her into the house.

"Goodness gracious! I haven't seen you since you rescued my father from that awful dig site. How have you been?"

She drew Keanala inside and introduced her to Shara and Darcon. Once the introductions had been made Kendra pushed her down at the table and began piling her plate with leftovers from lunch. She spoke quickly, her voice excited but tinged with worry as she filled her in on the happenings since the funeral.

She spoke of the angry mob that had almost prevented the burial. She spoke of the reading of the will and her father's journal, which had hinted that a sinister cult called the Whispering Way was operating in Ravengro for some nefarious purpose. She spoke of what Shara had learned at the temple, that some dark influence was making the townsfolk suspicious and unfriendly. And at last she mentioned the large, bloody V that had been painted on the memorial in the center of town.

---

The Sheriff paused in his meandering patrol but shifted uncomfortably when Constantine asked to accompany him.

"Perhaps it would be better if I answer your questions here. What can I help you with, citizen?" He asked, an air of formality sliding down between him and Constantine like a wall.

It seems that, while his politeness was perfectly intact, his helpfulness had evaporated since his chat with the councilman.

---

Constantine and Murkau exeunt to Chapter 1.2 link to a message in this game
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:49, Thu 07 Feb 2019.

Garland had left that morning just before sunrise and made his way to the temple to consult its archives. The old Gothic building felt like home to him with its wide hallways and familiar stonework. In these walls he felt like he was in a home away from the great Moonlight Cathedral of Caliphas. It made it all the more welcoming as he descended the stairs into the basement archives, holding up a single candle which banished the darkness and showed him the mass of tomes.

"If the church isnt aware of this crypt it probably dates back to the original construction of the graveyard." he thought as he walked along the old bookstacks, stopping at the burial records and construction records. He pulled an old tome from the bookshelf and set it on the table, turning the pages as he shined the candle over it. "So the town was founded in 4594...that was 125 years ago if my math is correct. I need to start looking at records there."

Next he pulled the map of the graveyard out and laid it across the large table. He followed it with another old tome as thick as someone's head and set it down on the table, picking up a quill and ink to put his notes to paper he began going over the deaths of the past, each time assigning their grave, crypt, or whatever the case was to a makeshift map he had drawn. It took him hours looking through the records, each time setting the massive tome's down and writing down the names and position of their final rest before going on to the next. Garland researched another book, then another, then another, then another and kept going without thought of food, drink or rest.

Nearly a whole day had passed when he finally went through the last book, the candle nearly burned down all the way. There was only one crypt left, a crypt with no name attatched and no family calling it their home.

With a smile he leaned back in the chair, exhaling in a moment of relief as he had found evidence of the crypt's location. He knew where it was, tonight he would return and inform the others. Tomorrow they would enter it and see what religious artifacts remained inside.

OOC: More of a mood post, Garland will return late that night waving his makeshift hand drawn map around cheerfully shouting "I found it!"

Keanala eagerly returned Kendras embrace.  It had been a while since the two of them had been together, far too long as far as Keanala was concerned.  She listened intently while her friend explained things, and shoveled food into her mouth.  It had been a while since she'd eaten so well.

"I saw the V on the statue."  Keanala said, pausing to finish her latest mouthful.  "So, what's the plan?  I'm here and I want to help."

In reply to GM (msg # 92):

“It has ever been thus in the workings of councilmen and those who work for the people, I understand your position.  Let me assure you the people is whom you are responsible for, not the man elected to represent them.  Perhaps you can just tell us who was on watch when the vandals struck and maybe even if any of those listed on the memorial have family still nearby.  Just perhaps also even the least little hint that might lead us in the right direction.”

Shara looks the newcomer up and down before speaking up.

"Are you any good at research? We're digging through the professors library to get a better idea of what we're looking for. If bookish things aren't your forte, then perhaps Sir Constantine could use some assistance in his investigation of the vandalism." she replies.

Kendra and Keanala chatted the day away, variously helping Shara and Darcon with their research and trying to puzzle out the strange circumstances in town.

It was winding towards evening when tired eyes had enough of poring over old tomes. Shara and Darcon concluded the day's research, Kendra recruited Keanala's help preparing dinner, Murkau and Constantine filtered into a house filled with the wafting smells of cooking after their day's investigation. Despite the dubious circumstances in town it was a cozy little domestic scene that Garland broke in on with his announcement.

His excitement was infectious and Kendra's eyes lit as she rushed to pore over the map that he had drawn. As studious and clever as always, she quickly retraced his notes to tap her finger on the mysterious crypt.

"This one? I think I've seen it, although I don't spend much time in the Restlands myself. I can't wait to investigate!"

Still highly pleased with himself and his findings after hours of research Garland let out an excited cheer along with Kendra, not even noticing anyone else in the room at first. "It took me hours of pouring over the burial records. With 125 years of history and deaths there was much to go through but it became a simple process of elimination! With that method it was only a matter of time until I found the location. I say we begin the investigation at first light!"

He paused as he looked back at the others, taking a breath and hoping they were just as, if not more sucessful then he was. "What about you all? Did you discover any new information or leads?"

Kendra gave a brief recap of what they had found perusing her father's library, the meager secrets of the Whispering Way that they had been able to glean.

"...and they damage corpses to prevent Speak With Dead." She said, finishing up her findings.

Her voice hitched and a look of misery briefly replaced her excitement.

"When we found my father, up at the prison, the stonework that had crumbled and fallen on him struck him here." She indicated a place just below her nose. "His j-jaw was crushed. We thought that he was looking up at it when it broke off, but now it really does sound like he was murdered. I...pardon me a moment."

She rose from the table and hurried into the kitchen alone. The sound of rattling pots and pans sounded faintly through the door, perhaps loud enough to cover the sounds of a lonely young girl crying into her handkerchief, and when Kendra returned some minutes later her eyes were red rimmed.

"Just checking the...kettle. It's fine." She informed everyone.

Seated in the shadows of a corner table, his staff propped up near him, Darcon had been browsing a book before Garland had returned, and updated them on his own findings. Darcon's lips tightened at Kendra's anguish and he replied, "Be strong Kendra, we will bring his murderers to justice, I assure you of that!"

The mage was troubled at what they had learned of The Whispering Way however, deeply troubled. The sort of rituals and magics they were known to perform made it appear they were quite powerful. Rituals to create litches were far and above mere journeyman level magic, and certainly more than any spells Darcon himself could perform.

Still, assuming the rumors were true it would likely only be the highest echelons of the cult who could muster such dark arts. Perhaps once they ascertained the cult's exact whereabouts they could severely disrupt their activities and with proof in hand alert the requisite authorities to take action and crush the cult.

Yet there also seemed to be another way. Turning his attention to Garland he asked the cleric, "What exactly do you think we can find in this crypt? The artifacts the Professor mentioned...could they be used against The Whispering Way, perhaps somehow nullifying their dark arts and allow us to take the fight to them?"

Garland frowned, knowing Kendra was still grieving and he approached her with open arms offering a hug as he leaned forward, trying to whisper quietly enough so the others wouldnt hear. "Don't hold it in. Grief is a natural state of mind when we loose someone and it will take time to heal. Give yourself that time."

Once the words were shared he turned back to Darcon, speaking plainly. "The truth is I dont know what we will find. Petros believed there was some defense against Harrowstones ghosts in the crypt and in my experience Petros always had good information. We wont know for sure till we find said artifacts and examine them."

Keanala had removed the Scale Mail that she had arrived in and spent much of the last hour wearing a frilly apron over her leather tunic.  The domestic side of things with Kendra and the meal preparation had been relaxing but now it was on to business.  She leaned over the table and peered at the map.

"Wait...you want to break into this crypt?" she asked, an eyebrow raising up while her finger tapped the map.  "With the townsfolk attitudes that I saw today, they may not take kindly to that.  How are we going to proceed?  Sneak in at night?"

Garland looked up at the newcomer for a moment before slowly shaking his head side to side. "No, the cover of darkness would likely bring us greater problems if we were spotted. We will be going at first light. Shara and I already recieved permission from the temple to exhume this crypt and recover any artifacts and Ive also arranged for a temple representative to assist us"