After their successful dinner with the Vallakovich, the party return to their rooms for the night. Torbin and Fran stay up to examine the book Summer stole from Viktor, going to bed late only to be woken up over and over by Abe. The young Rangers nightmares seem to be getting worse, waking up in the middle of the night in a loud start.
Slate, getting tired of Abes interruptions, finally gives up and heads out of the tavern as soon as the door is unbarred to check on Blinsky's progress with his sconce. But he arrives far too early for the shop to even be open. Heading back to the Inn, Slate finds Tariel, Ireena and Summer are outside. Tariel reminds him that she promised to attend the morning service at Saint Andrals Church.
The four arrive outside the church, finding a lone robe figure standing outside facing the direction of the sunrise. Seeing that the man was a priest, Tariel introduces herself to him. The priest, Father Lucian, is extremely appreciative that Tariel, a Paladin of the Morninglord, could come to his church for a sunrise service. He explains to her that he stands on the churches steps each morning, awaiting to bask in the suns rays as it rises. While the sun do rise, its rays of light fail to pierce the fog that surrounds Barovia...
The two watch the sun rise together while Slate and Summer head inside with Ireena to see who's present for the service. Not many appear to come to the service, though the loud prayers from Lydia seemed to get Summer and Ireenas attention.
When the doors to the church opened to reveal Father Lucian and Tariel, the churches congregation watched them head to the front of the building. Slate remained near the door of the Church while Ireena sat near the front, Summer sitting with her while Tariel stood with the Priest on the stage.
The Father begins the service, thanking everyone for coming before introducing Tariel to the stage as 'the Savior' and letting her lead the sermon.
Tariel tells the church of the fogless lands that reside outside of Barovia, where the sunlight beams down on all in a warm embrace, and that one day that light shall reach even here. With the crowd in awe, Tariel leads everyone in the Morninglords prayer. Beside her, the Father weeps happily before closing the service.
During the service however, Slate noticed a tall teenager near him at the back of the church that scoffs at Tariels devotion and passes Slate to exit the church.
With service over, many of those who came wanted to thank Tariel before leaving. It seemed that she had lightened up their spirit. Even Lydia came up and kissed Tariels hands before leaving.
With the congregation now gone, Lucian approaches Tariel and thanks her for the service once more.
Before asking for a favor, leading to Slate rolling his eyes as Tariel accepts:
Lucian tells the party about the Churchs founder, St Andral, who was a man blessed by the Morninglord, like the Father believes Tariel is. But just over a week ago, the bones of St Andral that were under the Church were stolen! And without those bones, the churches protection from evil is weakening by the day. Soon the church may no longer be a safe haven for those that need it...
Lucian shows the trio where the bones were kept, in a small crypt under a trapdoor hidden under a pew. The only person he's told about this location is the Alter Boy who they met during the service. Was he really the culprit?
Hard to think, considering that the culprit had dug a hole into the crypt rather than taking the trapdoor. There was no way the kid could have dug the hole, let alone rip up the floorboards to get at the earth beneath it!
Slate examines the crypt and finds a shredded piece of cloth. A sack, maybe?
No able to find more information here, the trio meet with Ireena in the main hall of the Church where Petrovich offers them breakfast in his home behind the church.
Exiting the church and heading around the side of it, a man runs up and grabs Slates arm, demanding to know who Slate is and what he was doing at the Reformation Center! Tariel remembers what Balmore had said in the Center: he had met a man who had escaped the Center and was hiding out at the Church. Is this the man?
He immediately confirms that, waving his hands around to get them to quiet down. Summer, pretending to be a dog still, notices that the man is missing fingers on one hand. Why would he chew his fingers down like that?
Tariel asks if the man saw anything strange happening in the Church, the strange man tell him that he saw the Churches gravedigger was digging a hole in the Church one night. Came out of the hole with a sack in hand.
Summer asks the man where the gravedigger took the bones: the man doesn't know exactly, just that he took them away from the Church. Summer then asked him if he was worried that he might be crazy, he is talking to a 'dog' afterall. The old man laughed to himself as he walked off, leaving the party to shrug and move into the Priests home, where the Alter boy was eating breakfast with Lucian.
Slate and Tariel join the two at the table while Summer happily scarfed her oatmeal from a bowl on the floor. Lucian talks about how the boy, Yeska, and his older brother, Milo, were both boys from the Orphanage in town. Milo had grown old enough to leave, so he took his brother with him and the two were both working for the Church to make some money: Yeska as Lucians assistant and Milo as the Gravedigger. Slate asks if the Milo was tall, curious if he was the boy he saw leave during the Morninglords service. Petrovich confirms it as Yeska prepares to head out. He asks Lucian if Milo had any work for today, Lucian saying there is a grave that needs to be dug sometime today.
As Yeska headed for the door, Slate and Tariel ask if they can come with him. They had some questions for his brother. He agrees to take them, but before leaving, Tariel gives Lucian a gold coin as thanks for his hospitality.
Gathering Summer from under the table, the trio headed out with Yeska toward the edge of town where Milo and Yeska resided. Being led into a run down house with a half dozen children running around inside, the party meet the young man Milo. He scoffs at Tariel, thinking little of her and her faith. Slate however sat down with the teenager and began to have a heart to heart with the youth.
Building a bond with Milo, Slate manages to convince him to tell them about what he did with the bones. He needed the money to help look after all the kids he managed to get out of the orphanage, so when the Coffin Maker, Henrik van der Root, offered him a half dozen copper pieces to collect the bones for him, Milo jumped at the chance. So a week ago, the night before the last festival, Milo dug a hole into the crypt and stole the bones.
With Slate giving him a gold coin to help with the children, Milo gave the party the address of Henriks shop. Tariel and Slate bid farewell, leaving with Summer. Seeing that they were heading past the Inn, they stopped in to let the barely awake trio in their rooms know where they were headed next and that they should meet them when they can.
The trio head out, seeing the shops beginning to open for the day. The coffin makers shop didn't appear to be open though... Slate knocked on the door and after a few attempts, a man sheepishly opened the door. With the man introducing himself as Henrik, Slate jokes about wanting a kitchen layout which catches the old man off guard.
He seems confused that someone would want him to make such a thing, but it is a change from making coffins... He invites Slate and Tariel inside, but is a little concerned about Summer coming inside and ruining the place. Tariel assures him that their 'dog' will behave, though Summer had already wandered off into the workshop attached to the mans living space.
Henrik offers his guests drinks, but is immediately put on edge by Slates line of questioning when bones are brought up. He starts to edge toward a door at the end of the room, but Tariel convinces him to sit and chat. Having seen the man move for the door behind his seat at the table, Summer slinked behind his chair to be between him and the door.
Tariel asks about the bones and what he wanted them for. After trying to change the topic, Henrik gave in and told them he was getting them for someone else. He was a middle man who was going to be paid handsomely by a nobleman called 'von Holtz'. A name the party trio remembered. They met him by the river when that old farmer drowned himself, right? That guy wanted the bones?
Henrik tries to make a run for the door again, but Summer sticks out her staff and trips him to the floor. She quickly pulls his legs behind his neck while Tariel asks him more questions. Henrik tells them that the bones are upstairs, in his bedroom.
Slate heads through the door Henrik was running toward and finds a staircase. Following the carpenters instructions, the Rogue finds himself in the mans room but cannot find the bones. Getting annoyed, Slate returns to the group downstairs and lifts the old man to his feet. He was going up with Slate to give him the bones.
Pushing the Henrik up the stairs, Slate, Tariel and Summer stay close behind him. Reaching the landing on the next floor, Henrik tries to make a run for a door but finds Tariels thrown Halberd blocking his way. Slate grabs him again, tying the mans hands behind his back. Only to be spat in the face.
Summer, finally getting sick of the old mans behavior, slams her staff into his foot and shatters the bones within. With the old man in pain and seeing that the dog has even had it with his antics, he hobbles into his bedroom and points out where the bones are being kept. Under a floorboard, Summer pulls out a sack of bones and a coin pouch with various coins. Tossing the coin pouch back in, Summer opens the bag to reveal the bones to Slate and Tariel.
Tariel casts her Detect Good and Evil to see if the bones gave off any sort of energy. She could feel the good energy radiating from the bones, making her confirm the bones are the ones their after.
But there is also something else. Something evil in the house with them...
Tariel asks Henrik if anyone else is here.
'von Holt asked me to look after some other things in my spare room...'
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