"I would be honored to guard Isa's house until then" Croak bursts out a little too loudly, "that is of course, ahem, if you'll allow it."

Again, Croak refuses refreshments.

Isa looks confused on the refusal of her food, handing both plates to Shalech.  She turns back to Croak; "Of course I'd allow it; and you'll find plenty of food and drink there too, have your fill.  I've got barrels saved up for when Boabby wises up and buys my good stuff; or someone replaces the cheap bastard." She begins to turn away, when she stops.  "Just don't eat anything out of the jar on my dining table; it's not safe."

As Urselles and Normand arrives back at the church; Lura is there too.  Normand asks; "We pray to Chauntea for our spells around this time; would you like to join us?"

"sure, nice to see you again Lua did you enjoy spending time with your family" 

"I did." Lura replies.  "Turn's out my aunt received a disturbing note from her old master and she came to visit here to make sure everything's okay.  Didn't get much more out of her about it; she would just mention that she's so glad to see me, instead.  Honestly, I'm a bit worried if a note could bring her all the way back to Northbank from Balder's Gate."

Allowing the conversation to end there, she and Normand ready themselves before the visage of Chauntea.  They sprinkle a little bit of loose soil on the floor before kneeling upon it.

"Master Dar, if you don't mind, I would accompany Croak to Isa's house. The more we are the better, and he might need my help in case he has to fight the ghost more than you do. Also, could you please take a look at these boots? I think that they are magical, but it would be good to know what they do exactly."

"Isa, is there anything else we might need to know about your house? Are there any secret entrances or anything of the sort?"

Urselles decided not to prod Lura for more information, she set out her red blanket and placed her brass senser in front of herself, opening up the inside she placed a block of incest inside the senser and lit it in fire before closing the senser, she then began to pray

Dar nods to Nathan, and places the boots upon the table next to the books.  "Of course.  Keeping Isa safe is your number one task as my apprentice... At least, for now."

Theodore finally follows Croak and Shalech upstairs; overhearing Nathan's inquiries about the boots.  He heads to his room, and then places a green cloth wrapped object on the research table next to the boots and the books.  Croak's eyes light up, having wanted to know more about the sword.

Isa begins to answer Nathan, saying; "Just don't drink anything labeled toxic in the storage area..." before becoming distracted.  "Who's books are those?  They seem familiar."

As Urselles lights the flame; both Lura and Normand quickly look from you, specifically your fire, to the visage of Chauntea and back to you.  They look physically anxious until they see the flame die down into a smolder as you close the senser.  From there, they appear to relax and silent prayer follows.

Shalech looks suddenly at Isa and says, "Those journals, they are familiar to you?" 

"Not the journals themselves, the way the writing moves.  Reminds me of the old love letters Kyri used to send me.  The words and letters would move around remaking the letter so that it was different each time you read it." Isa says.  

Dar chimes in; "That's right!  You two did date for a while.  Do you still have any of these letters?" "I think so." She replies.  "Probably in the chest at the foot of my bed, why?"

"Gathering those letters might be the next step in this mystery. We could retrieve them, unless you think that would violate your privacy ma'am. Or we can escort you there, however you'd like"

"How would the love letters of my ex from ten years ago solve any mystery?  That doesn't make sense.  Mind you, I have no reason not to give you the letters, but I do need to know the why?" Isa replies.

Well if the handwriting on the tomes looks like the writing on Surrisk's letters to you... and those letters rearrange to read something different every time.... and Dar can't decipher these books.... Ahhgg I don't know. Perhaps a coincidence examined too closely." Croak looks away, almost embarrassed.

"Surrisk, who's Surrisk?  No; Kyristan, my ex boyfriend." Isa replies with a look of confusion on her face.  "You think he wrote these?"

Looking at Isa, Shalech opens Kyristan's journal to the page showing the image of all the surgical scars and explains, "This is Kyristan's journal.  This image here, is me.  I was taken captive, tortured and experimented with.  The question I wish to know, is why?  But we can't learn anything from this journal because it is encrypted.  We hoped that Surrisk, who is Kyristan's apprentice, we hoped his journal would give us a key to understanding the words.  But it was fruitless.  Now you have given us new hope.  The letters you have, or the method that was given to you to unlock them, can maybe allow us to read what is in this journal."

Isa looks surprised at first, then horrified, then like she is about to get ill, then a little confused.  "Your an Aasimer?" Dar, in surprise, asks her; "How did you know that?"

She points at the book.  "It says it right there; Aasimer."  No one else can see the word; though Shalech, you can see the word 'Experiment' all over the pages.  This is new for you and you have no clue why you can see it now; but there it is, over and over.  Floating over the page as if to taunt you; bringing your eyes back to the image of you again and again.

"Isa, can you read what's written here?'' Nathan asks. "Wait a minute, what if what the 'ghost' or anybody is really after are those old letters? If they know that we could use them to decypher the journals..."

"It's possible." Dar replies, before Isa chimes in; "No, no; not all of it.  Just once in a while, a word pops up, like it turns from nonsense to words.  You can't see it?  Its right there." She says, again pointing at the book.  "The word 'slice'."  She then shivers at the meaning behind the word.  "I, I can't believe Kyri has fallen so far in ten years."

Dar puts his hand on her shoulder and says; "Isa, I took this book off Kyristan nine years ago.  He was like this when you were together.  That's why he left you; he was banished." Beyond overwhelmed, she runs to her room crying.  

Nathan is confused, and takes a good look at Isa to see if there is anything strange about her: Insight: 5

 "Master Dar, is there something... wrong with Isa? She seems to be very disoriented. I mean, she must have known that Kyristan was banished, it wasn't exactly a secret, was it? She act as if she has heard it for the first time - also, it happened a long time ago... Did he do something to her? She also forgot about the defenses the other day, and there are various other things."

"Kyristan's banishment, and the reason behind the disbandment of the guild were both kept secret, as the last decree of the guild.  I was outvoted on those points too." Dar has a look of frustration, like he wanted the guild to take a different path.

"Isa and Kyristan were in love; that magic ring she wears was their engagement ring." He shakes his head.  "I tried to console her the best I could.  That eventually led to the two of us dating for a bit; but that didn't last."

Nathan, you sense that with the addition of Dar's explaination, that most of Isa's responses seem valid; though you still can't figure out how she forgot about the defenses.

Shalech jumps at the mention of the magic ring, "What!?  That ring has magic?  Have you identified what it does?  With Isa here, I can make out a couple words in that book, and she was able to read the word Aasimar."

Now that Isa left the room, Shalech will examine the book again, to see if the words he was able to read can still be read.