“Well, I can lead us to the Cemetery, the area where there are supposed to be some places that might work for us. “.Tess smiles, happy to at least have something she can contribute. “Follow me!” She leads the way
Randal also follows Tess toward the cemetery and now that it is just the three of them, takes the opportunity to ask Lyla about the job they were supposed to do for Sier “Lyla, Ri told me that Sier had hired you both to fetch something from under the inn. Some sort of magical artifiact? What is that all about?” He looks over Tess “And now to discover your mother was a ‘shut-in’ at the inn as well? That inn has something to do with all of the strange things going on around here, it has to.”
"Oh, you heard about that, did you?" Lyla looks at Randal, and seeming to come to a conclusion in her mind, nods and continues. "I don't actually know for certain what it's all about. He didn't really hire us, he just believes we owe him a favour. But neither of us were too keen to disappear into the hole he opened up for us to climb down into. He didn't give many details, and the job looked far too dangerous, especially as something we were to do for an elf we'd barely met."
Lyla cuts in with another comment before waiting for Tess to respond.
"Of course the inn, and that godforsaken elf Sier have something to do with all this. His twisted tree might be the strangest thing to see in this entire town. You remember the girl, don't you, even though we couldn't ask Temke about that particular incident? If we absolutely have to return there we can, but it won't end well. Not for us, and most certainly not for Sier either. If we can find what we need while avoiding the inn, I'd definitely rather keep my head safely on my shoulders - and still attached to the rest of me - by steering well clear of that place." Lyla seems to involuntarily shiver, and wraps her arms around herself.
“I don’t know… Sier seemed nice enough to me, although strange.. and that dream or whatever… “she lets her voice drift off “I wonder what was under the Inn. Sier didn’t mention anything about that to me. He told me the story of my birth- at the Inn. He didn’t know more about my mother than her name. Perhaps though- the Inn is the root of these issues? I hope I have nothing to do with it.
I’d be very curious to see what Sier wanted in that hole.
Oh…here are the houses near the graveyard- Let’s look for one that doesn’t look recently used- and perhaps has a sturdy door and shuttered windows…”.
When you exit Naran's house, Temke's already gone. Even when you return to the main street you can't see him anywhere. Maybe he just walks fast, or maybe he entered another of the nearby houses. Maybe something else entirely.
From here, it doesn't take long for Tess to lead the way to the cemetery, or the houses that are near it. The further south you stroll, the closer to the cemetery you get and as you do, you can be more confident the houses around you are abandoned. Many of them have been stripped of their doors or windows, those being moved to occupied houses for better use. Some of them have the remains of a broken window. If you look inside, most are dusty and in most cases unfurnished. You might even catch a glimpse of movement inside, small animals that enjoy the cool, shady areas that the houses' interior offers. Few houses are in a better state, but as you get closer to the cemetery, even the best-looking ones are clearly abandoned.
It is already late afternoon. There are probably about three more hours of daylight. Maybe a good time to clean one of the houses, at least a bit, if you're truly planning on sleeping in it. You wouldn't want to breathe in this dust all night, and waking up to a snake or a scorpion won't be pleasant either.
Lyla walks up to one of the nicer-looking houses, effectively picking it at random if no one else objects.
She asks the others if they have any arcane means of cleaning. If not, she is happy to assist with the physical effort, but points out that unless they have any appropriate tools on them, someone would have to return to town to get some, or the house will remain dusty.
In the meantime, she announces that she wants to visit the cemetery itself. Lyla thinks it's likely someone has a way to prepare the house which would be faster than manual labour, but does add that she will be back before sunset in case her help is needed.
And with that sorted, she sets off to enter the nearby cemetery.
Tess looks with momentary shock at Lyas’ causal mention of magical cleaning, for a moment, then quickly looks to see how the others reacted to that comment. They were all strangers- perhaps these things were more commonplace where they were from. She hoped they were…
Randal ignores Lyla’s question of magical cleaning as he looks around the room “It is not so bad, I have slept in worse places.” He was sure the house was already picked clean of anything of value, so he didn’t even bother to look. “We should consider Sier’s job though, it may be worthwhile and the inn clearly has something to do with it.” He looks over at Tess “Perhaps we should go to the cemetery as well, you can show me your mother’s grave and I can pay my respects.” He sets out to follow Lyla to the cemetery.
Tess leads the way to the graveyard, and it doesn't take too long to get there, as it's not very far from the house the three picked. The graveyard isn't very impressive, but it is close to some of the houses. No wonder they're abandoned. Around a hundred headstones stick out in a few organised rows. The area is otherwise empty of living beings and is quiet too. Eerily so, even. Maybe that's just the atmosphere in all cemeteries, though.
Tess walks to her mother’s stone, which she had cleaned earlier. “here’s her stone, but according to Sier, she’s not buried here. It is just a marker, she was missing and presumed dead. Just another mystery in this mysterious place..”
Upon arrival, Lyla stays silent for a moment as a sign of respect. She also reads any writing on/around the headstone and takes note of its condition compared to the ones around it, as well as anything else that might set it (or any particular one of the others) apart (e.g. noticing flowers or other items).
Lyla spends some time also looking at the nearby stones.
DM:
She is looking for any familiar names (first or last), especially a) Olivia b) her father c) anyone mentioned so far by any townsfolk, particularly in relation to the disappearances/deaths a generation ago, and d) any Elven-looking names
Of course if she finds any she'll look for the same things she's looking for at Tess's mother's stone.
Lyla particularly wants to find any mention of her parents, so given that it's a relatively small graveyard, she will venture beyond the nearby stones and search more thoroughly if required.
Randal lowers his head and pays his respects at the grave site with a moment of silence, then follows it with a short prayer for the dead. “No body? Then what is in the grave, anything?” Randal asks Tess with a raised eyebrow. He looks over to Lyla as she moves about the headstones “Are you looking for anyone, or anything in particular? Perhaps I can help. Cover more ground, you know.”
Tess' mother's grave has the name "Ruthay Vittrae" written on it, and that's all. The only thing about it that seems a little different, compared to the others, is that it's been cleaned recently. Perhaps a few days ago. The other graves, however, were not.
Looking around, Lyla can find the other graves rather easily. She can assume one is buried around the time they die, so it makes sense to find those who died in a certain period buried close to one another. Olivia's grave is there, as well as Tur's, Niss', Dvenn's and Immera's (OOC: As a reminder, Tur and Niss are Ireen's parents, while Dvenn and Immera are Dromi's). Bast and Irose's names (OOC: Leacy's parents, who should have died at around the same time) aren't featured on any of the graves, however. Nor can Lyla find any name that looks Elven. Not even her father's.
"No, don't worry, I've found what I'm looking for," Lyla replies Randal.
DM:
Does Olivia's have a maiden name or other last name on it? Also, are there trees nearby? Lyla wants to snap off a small branch or find a leafy stick, if she can.
After pausing at a handful of the graves, she looks as though she is still searching for something, but meanwhile addresses the others: "You know how Leacy's parents were followers of Aleshi," Lyla begins, shifting to a hushed tone at the end, "It doesn't look like they have graves here. Do you think it's just... well, that no one wanted to... or perhaps something more sinister? Could they even still be...?" She leaves the rest unsaid, not certain that she should have even mentioned what she already had.
Tess is jolted out of quietly looking at her mother’s stone by the mention of Aleshi. “Umm, sorry Randall- it’s just a memory stone or something- what Seir said, they buried nothing. I did not know that about Leacy’s parents. But if they were, it’s true the villagers likely wouldn’t want them buried here….
Maybe we should… open up a bit with each other about everything we’ve learned and what’s happened- maybe we have parts of the puzzle that will make sense if we shared more. I’ll start.”
She takes a breath and looks around to make sure no locals are watching or listening, then says..
Quietly and quickly, Tess tells the others “I don’t know if it’s important, but I walked through the desert to get here, and on the way, I found Leacy had been captured by a fanatical Orc, and he intended to kill her for being a heretic. Oruthia has blessed me with some… gifts of magic. I saved her and killed the Orc. Leacy didn’t tell me about her parents- and she evaded my questions about knowing followers ofAleshi- only saying she had met them once. I don’t know if any of this is useful. Please understand I want to keep my .. magic.. secret, the people here are so superstitious and fearful of it, but I won’t hesitate to use it if needed for the cause of good. “
Randal lets out a low whistle. “Followers of Aleshi? I did not know that either, but it could explain the secrecy around them and what happened.”Randal listens to Tess’s story, then shares his own. “I don’t know much. I met Ireen and Naran the day I arrived in town. I helped her avoid Naran’s unwanted attention. He wanted to fight me for her honor, can you believe that?” Randal chuckles “She has been nothing but helpful ever since. I know she harbors resentment toward Leacy, and I understand why now with her parents' death. That was the only time I saw Naran before he fell under the sickness, curse, whatever it is.”
He pauses and looks at the others “But what does that have to do with what is happening now? Murders from years ago?” He holds out his hand and ticks off what they know on his fingers “We have people falling under the sickness, stolen horses and supplies, a mysterious halfling and something Sier is hiding under the inn. It has the makings of an epic tale, but I can’t figure out what thread to pull next.”
Lyla chuckles darkly upon hearing that Leacy claimed to have only met the followers of Aleshi once. "Well, she's not lying, I suppose. And yes, we will definitely keep your secret about the magic. I forget the funny superstitions that the hu- people around here have."
Near the side of the graveyard, she nudges a few pebbles around with a shoe before settling on picking up a larger rock with a vaguely similar shape to the headstones.
"It is good to hear how you two have met a few of the people in this town as you were arriving. But if you didn't realise that Leacy's parents were followers of Aleshi, then I wonder how much you know about the murders from those years ago? Ireen and Leacy probably believe that their parents were killed by each other's, given that the bodies were all found in the same room. That might be true, but I personally don't buy it. I think I was told that Leacy herself witnessed it, but she would have been too young to remember the details. However, there's definitely more to the saga than that, considering that people were going missing around the same time."
Lyla carefully places the rock down next to one of the headstones she had singled out to look at before, aligning it so they would be side by side. She stands up, briefly gives Tess a look of warning and understanding, then averts her gaze back to the stones again. "At least one of those six murdered people would've known who or what was at the bottom of the disappearances. At least a few of the six were apparently friends with someone who was staying at Sier's inn at the same time your mother was. Both disappeared, so the connection to Sier cannot be a coincidence." Lyla pauses here, trying to suppress her rising emotions but sounding angrier as she continues. "Sier is not just hiding something under the inn. You remember the girl on the wall too, right? That, and how he is bound to the inn? Or perhaps you weren't there when he said that part. Either way, he's also hiding details about the nature of the inn and his involvement in the deaths and disappearances." Lyla looks up with curiosity. "Tess, do you know anything about why your mother was here? Was she also gifted? And why would Sier turn his house into an inn for her?"
"As for connections between what happened back then and what is happening now, other than the elf and his inn - and maybe us - I'm not too sure. I don't recall hearing any stories about illnesses from back then, or any halflings..." Lyla's eyes suddenly widen. "But I think there were bandits around just before the disappearances started? I didn't think the stolen items meant anything, but maybe they do."
“Well, I can lead us to the Cemetery, the area where there are supposed to be some places that might work for us. “.Tess smiles, happy to at least have something she can contribute. “Follow me!” She leads the way
Not wanting to become any bigger of a nuisance to Temke than she already was, Lyla follows Tess.
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Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
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Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
Randal also follows Tess toward the cemetery and now that it is just the three of them, takes the opportunity to ask Lyla about the job they were supposed to do for Sier “Lyla, Ri told me that Sier had hired you both to fetch something from under the inn. Some sort of magical artifiact? What is that all about?” He looks over Tess “And now to discover your mother was a ‘shut-in’ at the inn as well? That inn has something to do with all of the strange things going on around here, it has to.”
"Oh, you heard about that, did you?" Lyla looks at Randal, and seeming to come to a conclusion in her mind, nods and continues. "I don't actually know for certain what it's all about. He didn't really hire us, he just believes we owe him a favour. But neither of us were too keen to disappear into the hole he opened up for us to climb down into. He didn't give many details, and the job looked far too dangerous, especially as something we were to do for an elf we'd barely met."
Lyla cuts in with another comment before waiting for Tess to respond.
"Of course the inn, and that godforsaken elf Sier have something to do with all this. His twisted tree might be the strangest thing to see in this entire town. You remember the girl, don't you, even though we couldn't ask Temke about that particular incident? If we absolutely have to return there we can, but it won't end well. Not for us, and most certainly not for Sier either. If we can find what we need while avoiding the inn, I'd definitely rather keep my head safely on my shoulders - and still attached to the rest of me - by steering well clear of that place." Lyla seems to involuntarily shiver, and wraps her arms around herself.
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Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
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Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
“I don’t know… Sier seemed nice enough to me, although strange.. and that dream or whatever… “she lets her voice drift off “I wonder what was under the Inn. Sier didn’t mention anything about that to me. He told me the story of my birth- at the Inn. He didn’t know more about my mother than her name. Perhaps though- the Inn is the root of these issues? I hope I have nothing to do with it.
I’d be very curious to see what Sier wanted in that hole.
Oh…here are the houses near the graveyard- Let’s look for one that doesn’t look recently used- and perhaps has a sturdy door and shuttered windows…”.
When you exit Naran's house, Temke's already gone. Even when you return to the main street you can't see him anywhere. Maybe he just walks fast, or maybe he entered another of the nearby houses. Maybe something else entirely.
From here, it doesn't take long for Tess to lead the way to the cemetery, or the houses that are near it. The further south you stroll, the closer to the cemetery you get and as you do, you can be more confident the houses around you are abandoned. Many of them have been stripped of their doors or windows, those being moved to occupied houses for better use. Some of them have the remains of a broken window. If you look inside, most are dusty and in most cases unfurnished. You might even catch a glimpse of movement inside, small animals that enjoy the cool, shady areas that the houses' interior offers. Few houses are in a better state, but as you get closer to the cemetery, even the best-looking ones are clearly abandoned.
It is already late afternoon. There are probably about three more hours of daylight. Maybe a good time to clean one of the houses, at least a bit, if you're truly planning on sleeping in it. You wouldn't want to breathe in this dust all night, and waking up to a snake or a scorpion won't be pleasant either.
Varielky
Lyla walks up to one of the nicer-looking houses, effectively picking it at random if no one else objects.
She asks the others if they have any arcane means of cleaning. If not, she is happy to assist with the physical effort, but points out that unless they have any appropriate tools on them, someone would have to return to town to get some, or the house will remain dusty.
In the meantime, she announces that she wants to visit the cemetery itself. Lyla thinks it's likely someone has a way to prepare the house which would be faster than manual labour, but does add that she will be back before sunset in case her help is needed.
And with that sorted, she sets off to enter the nearby cemetery.
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
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Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
(Oh I totally missed these posts! Sorry. Notifications have been hit and miss. Will post soon)
Tess looks with momentary shock at Lyas’ causal mention of magical cleaning, for a moment, then quickly looks to see how the others reacted to that comment. They were all strangers- perhaps these things were more commonplace where they were from. She hoped they were…
Randal ignores Lyla’s question of magical cleaning as he looks around the room “It is not so bad, I have slept in worse places.” He was sure the house was already picked clean of anything of value, so he didn’t even bother to look. “We should consider Sier’s job though, it may be worthwhile and the inn clearly has something to do with it.” He looks over at Tess “Perhaps we should go to the cemetery as well, you can show me your mother’s grave and I can pay my respects.” He sets out to follow Lyla to the cemetery.
Tess leads the way to the graveyard, and it doesn't take too long to get there, as it's not very far from the house the three picked. The graveyard isn't very impressive, but it is close to some of the houses. No wonder they're abandoned. Around a hundred headstones stick out in a few organised rows. The area is otherwise empty of living beings and is quiet too. Eerily so, even. Maybe that's just the atmosphere in all cemeteries, though.
Varielky
Tess walks to her mother’s stone, which she had cleaned earlier. “here’s her stone, but according to Sier, she’s not buried here. It is just a marker, she was missing and presumed dead. Just another mystery in this mysterious place..”
Upon arrival, Lyla stays silent for a moment as a sign of respect. She also reads any writing on/around the headstone and takes note of its condition compared to the ones around it, as well as anything else that might set it (or any particular one of the others) apart (e.g. noticing flowers or other items).
Lyla spends some time also looking at the nearby stones.
DM:
She is looking for any familiar names (first or last), especially a) Olivia b) her father c) anyone mentioned so far by any townsfolk, particularly in relation to the disappearances/deaths a generation ago, and d) any Elven-looking names
Of course if she finds any she'll look for the same things she's looking for at Tess's mother's stone.
Lyla particularly wants to find any mention of her parents, so given that it's a relatively small graveyard, she will venture beyond the nearby stones and search more thoroughly if required.
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
Randal lowers his head and pays his respects at the grave site with a moment of silence, then follows it with a short prayer for the dead. “No body? Then what is in the grave, anything?” Randal asks Tess with a raised eyebrow. He looks over to Lyla as she moves about the headstones “Are you looking for anyone, or anything in particular? Perhaps I can help. Cover more ground, you know.”
Lyla:
Tess' mother's grave has the name "Ruthay Vittrae" written on it, and that's all. The only thing about it that seems a little different, compared to the others, is that it's been cleaned recently. Perhaps a few days ago. The other graves, however, were not.
Looking around, Lyla can find the other graves rather easily. She can assume one is buried around the time they die, so it makes sense to find those who died in a certain period buried close to one another. Olivia's grave is there, as well as Tur's, Niss', Dvenn's and Immera's (OOC: As a reminder, Tur and Niss are Ireen's parents, while Dvenn and Immera are Dromi's). Bast and Irose's names (OOC: Leacy's parents, who should have died at around the same time) aren't featured on any of the graves, however. Nor can Lyla find any name that looks Elven. Not even her father's.
Varielky
"No, don't worry, I've found what I'm looking for," Lyla replies Randal.
DM:
Does Olivia's have a maiden name or other last name on it? Also, are there trees nearby? Lyla wants to snap off a small branch or find a leafy stick, if she can.
After pausing at a handful of the graves, she looks as though she is still searching for something, but meanwhile addresses the others: "You know how Leacy's parents were followers of Aleshi," Lyla begins, shifting to a hushed tone at the end, "It doesn't look like they have graves here. Do you think it's just... well, that no one wanted to... or perhaps something more sinister? Could they even still be...?" She leaves the rest unsaid, not certain that she should have even mentioned what she already had.
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
-
Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)
Tess is jolted out of quietly looking at her mother’s stone by the mention of Aleshi. “Umm, sorry Randall- it’s just a memory stone or something- what Seir said, they buried nothing. I did not know that about Leacy’s parents. But if they were, it’s true the villagers likely wouldn’t want them buried here….
Maybe we should… open up a bit with each other about everything we’ve learned and what’s happened- maybe we have parts of the puzzle that will make sense if we shared more. I’ll start.”
She takes a breath and looks around to make sure no locals are watching or listening, then says..
Quietly and quickly, Tess tells the others “I don’t know if it’s important, but I walked through the desert to get here, and on the way, I found Leacy had been captured by a fanatical Orc, and he intended to kill her for being a heretic. Oruthia has blessed me with some… gifts of magic. I saved her and killed the Orc. Leacy didn’t tell me about her parents- and she evaded my questions about knowing followers ofAleshi- only saying she had met them once. I don’t know if any of this is useful. Please understand I want to keep my .. magic.. secret, the people here are so superstitious and fearful of it, but I won’t hesitate to use it if needed for the cause of good. “
Randal lets out a low whistle. “Followers of Aleshi? I did not know that either, but it could explain the secrecy around them and what happened.” Randal listens to Tess’s story, then shares his own. “I don’t know much. I met Ireen and Naran the day I arrived in town. I helped her avoid Naran’s unwanted attention. He wanted to fight me for her honor, can you believe that?” Randal chuckles “She has been nothing but helpful ever since. I know she harbors resentment toward Leacy, and I understand why now with her parents' death. That was the only time I saw Naran before he fell under the sickness, curse, whatever it is.”
He pauses and looks at the others “But what does that have to do with what is happening now? Murders from years ago?” He holds out his hand and ticks off what they know on his fingers “We have people falling under the sickness, stolen horses and supplies, a mysterious halfling and something Sier is hiding under the inn. It has the makings of an epic tale, but I can’t figure out what thread to pull next.”
Lyla chuckles darkly upon hearing that Leacy claimed to have only met the followers of Aleshi once. "Well, she's not lying, I suppose. And yes, we will definitely keep your secret about the magic. I forget the funny superstitions that the hu- people around here have."
Near the side of the graveyard, she nudges a few pebbles around with a shoe before settling on picking up a larger rock with a vaguely similar shape to the headstones.
"It is good to hear how you two have met a few of the people in this town as you were arriving. But if you didn't realise that Leacy's parents were followers of Aleshi, then I wonder how much you know about the murders from those years ago? Ireen and Leacy probably believe that their parents were killed by each other's, given that the bodies were all found in the same room. That might be true, but I personally don't buy it. I think I was told that Leacy herself witnessed it, but she would have been too young to remember the details. However, there's definitely more to the saga than that, considering that people were going missing around the same time."
Lyla carefully places the rock down next to one of the headstones she had singled out to look at before, aligning it so they would be side by side. She stands up, briefly gives Tess a look of warning and understanding, then averts her gaze back to the stones again. "At least one of those six murdered people would've known who or what was at the bottom of the disappearances. At least a few of the six were apparently friends with someone who was staying at Sier's inn at the same time your mother was. Both disappeared, so the connection to Sier cannot be a coincidence." Lyla pauses here, trying to suppress her rising emotions but sounding angrier as she continues. "Sier is not just hiding something under the inn. You remember the girl on the wall too, right? That, and how he is bound to the inn? Or perhaps you weren't there when he said that part. Either way, he's also hiding details about the nature of the inn and his involvement in the deaths and disappearances." Lyla looks up with curiosity. "Tess, do you know anything about why your mother was here? Was she also gifted? And why would Sier turn his house into an inn for her?"
"As for connections between what happened back then and what is happening now, other than the elf and his inn - and maybe us - I'm not too sure. I don't recall hearing any stories about illnesses from back then, or any halflings..." Lyla's eyes suddenly widen. "But I think there were bandits around just before the disappearances started? I didn't think the stolen items meant anything, but maybe they do."
A completed pbp forum game:
Harley Atheonaikie in Frozen Sick
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Current pbp forum games:
Delilah Rose in Rivulestice
Tragedy Whispers (Previously: A Deep & Creeping Darkness & Waterdeep: Dragon Heist)