Yedan's Troubleshooters

[Arrowhawk]

Whyre, getting the sense Nalden is ignoring his previous questions because they are unnecessary, decides to ask some more...

"Nalden, does this hamlet have any type of archives where we could research the problem? If not a library how about a town historian or local bard? I am still curious to know if you recognized any of the undead as local folks come back from the grave. It's alright, you can tell us." ​

Why turns to Morgan,

"If we are to scout the cemetery, it might be safer to investigate in the morning, as undead typically avoid the sunlight." ​

 

[Kaodi]

Nalden Rhey puts one arm on the table and leans towards Whyre. "I am sitting right here, you know!" he growls through clenched teeth. "Dark secret? Yeah, sure. We can all see through a guy's flesh to check out his bones. How in Khyber do you think I would recognize a guy by his skeleton?"

After that outburst Nalden catches himself and sits back, crossing his arms. "They were standing in front of the Granthum crypt, as I remember it. The only thing I noticed about them other than the fact that they were some freaky stuff was that their armour, or what was left of it, didn't look like anything I'd ever seen round here."

"And before you get a mind to start poking around the cemetery, you should really be talking to Jaran Granthum, about the closest thing we have to a village elder around here. He's a cousin of Harad, but more distant than an aunt's or uncle's son. He might not be able to answer too many questions about Harad, they weren't close, but he does know most of what is public knowledge around here."

Getting up from the table, Nalden moves towards one of the doors to another room in the house. He pauses briefly before he passes through and says, "I offered you a roof to spend the night before, and I won't take it back. But I don't want to hear any more crazy talk about the folk here being up to something. We're just farmers around here. Not our damn fault that Granthum went and got himself haunted." With that he opens the door and passes through, closing it loudly behind him.

 

[Arrowhawk]

It's all Whyre can do to supress his laughter...

			I see the art of overreacting is practiced all over Breland. Good thing I didn't ask him if his taxes were all paid up.

.​

In a voice too soft for a commoner to hear from the next room Whyre mutters to himself...

"If every commoner we meet is going to look for a reason to take offense, this is going to get old fast. Someone needs to learn the difference between a mere supposition or questions and an accusation. You don't recognize them? A simple "no" would have been sufficient. But hey, maybe they'd rather bury their dead in the pea patch from now on..." ​

 

[ghostcat]

"Well what's got up his nose. And here's me thinking it was only me that wind people up without trying." says Mez in a normal voice. Not even thinking that Nalden might overhear.

With that, Mex finds a clear spot on the floor, gets his sleeping gear from his backpack and settles down for the night.

 

[DistractingFlare]

Bastion finally pips in with a response as Mez begins to doze off. "This is most perplexing. These creatures seem to be both ghost and skeleton, and bound with more intelligence than is usual.There is some foul and wonderful magic at work. After inquiring with this 'village elder' fellow, I recommend we ignore Nalden and circumambulate this graveyard."

 

[SelcSilverhand]

Evret grimaces after Nalden leaves. "It's understandable that people will be sensitive about their dead. Don't forget the Karranthi and their undead armies. Those dead didn't all come from the battlefields you know. Lots of graverobbing went on during the war.
People just want to get on with their lives now, they don't need to be reminded of the bad years with things like this."

Evret looks for a reasonably comfortable spot to sleep and stow his gear.

 

[Arrowhawk]

Whyre takes a moment to relive Nalden's outburst, this time concentrating on Nalden's denials that the town had anything to hide. Whyre replays every word and expression to see if something was amiss, if Nalden was perhaps too sensitive.

Whyre then finds a comfortable corner and takes off his backpack and the rest of his gear. He nods to Evret,

"Aye, if someone had said something about their dead I could see it. But Nalden didn't seem to think of them as local. It would seem to me that he lost his composure when he incorrectly interpreted my statement to mean the town was up to something in the present." ​

Whyre turns to Bastion,

"If I were one for overreacting, I'd clench my teeth and say how in Khyber are we supposed to solve this problem without visiting the cemetery...and then slam the door as I left. However, I believe simply suggested we visit the relative before 'we start poking around.'"​

As Whyre lowers his head to rest he calls out in in Mez's direction,

"Ha. If we get into a situation which requires a butter tongue, I'll make sure hold mine a little longer. Apologies to all if I speak to quickly, sometimes my impatience gets the better of me." ​

As Whyre lays his head on his backpack and falls asleep,

"So who's taking the first watch?" ​

 

[Kaodi]

Nymm 19, 998 YK

The night goes by uneventfully for the most part. Only those of you who are particularly light sleepers might wake to notice Nalden leaving to go to work at dawn.

The next morning you wake up and eat breakfast, don your gear and exit the Rhey cottage. The villagers in Mayelkur seem to be a little less jumpy today, and you have no difficulty in tracking down Jaran Granthum. A wizened looking old man with pure white hair and a slight hunch, he nevertheless seems to get around just fine without spectacles or a cane, and you find him in the company of some other citizens who we shoos off as you approach.

"I had heard some rough looking folks had found there way into Mayelkur last night," says the old man in a worn voice, holding onto his brown suspenders. "You have some sort of business here, or are you just wanting to hear about the lay of the land before you pass on through?"

 

[Arrowhawk]

Whyre, eager to set things in motion...

A little of both Mr. Granthum. We've been sent by the mayor of Amrovel to help give Harad Grantham a proper burial. But before we 'go poking around the cemetery,' Nalden told us we should talk with you.​

Whyre waits patiently to see how deeply he's offended the old man. He hopes he won't have to wait long.

 

[Kaodi]

Jaran eyes you critically for a long moment, then says, slowly, "And it is a good thing he did. If we had caught a pack of complete strangers poking around the graveyard, we would have run you out of town."

Relaxing his shoulders a bit, the old man continues. "I must ask: what skills do you possess that you might be able to deal with our ghosts for us?" he says, looking each of you over. "I don't mean to seem rude, given that you're askin' to help us out and all, but I can't risk them spirits getting angrier with us unless I have some reasonable chance of success."