Song To The Moon
Log Info
- Title: Song To The Moon
- Emitter: Ansrir
- Characters: Aya Level 4, Orenthal Level 2, Zyla Level 5
- Place: Red Ridge Mountains - Pinnella Pass
- Time: Apr 23, 2016
- Summary: Pinnella Pass, a mining community that makes its home in the RedRidge Mountain, has been hit with a lot of problems lately. First, one of the caverns collapsed killing three miners, and now they have found another citizen, young Molly Jessum having gone missing from her bed in the middle of the night. The Adventurer's Guild has been contacted to help bring her home and bring some light back to this dreary town.
- APL: 3
- Encounter 1: 1 Werewolf (Hybrid Form), CR 2
The Guild gets word of a mining community in the Red Ridge mountains that is looking for some adventurers to help out in recovering a lost child who disappeared from their bedroom without a trace in the middle of the night. They believe that she was taken by something. They have no idea what it could be that had come to take her, but as there were no signs of struggle, some believe a powerful wizard while others believe it was the spirit of her father who died in a cavein a few days earlier. They can pay some for your services, so you will be compensated. The town itself is far enough away that it will take at least two days travel by foot, were you to do that.
Orenthal volunteers to help out. "That is indeed a mysterious situation," he agrees, "but we can certainly work out what has happened and return this child home." He smiles winningly.
Zyla offers to assist. Money is always good but a job like this might help raise her status in her order and gain her much honor. The large lass looks around to see who all volunteers. "Do we want to hire a wagon or carriage? We can pay for it with some of what we are paid. She doesnt mind walking but time might be if the essence.
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Free RP until you guys move on."
Cave-in. Missing child. Insult to injury for the quaint little community. Large enough that they can offer a reward, though, and it's an excuse for a change of scenery. This is enough to secure Aya's interest. "Walk or ride makes no difference to me," she responds with a light roll of her shoulders to Zyla.
<OOC> Aya apologizes and finally poses.
Orenthal agrees with Zyla, "Yes, time is likely to be a factor. Let us rent swift horses and be away." He smiles to Aya, "We meet again, it seems," he says with an easy smile.
There are a few horses for rent, and you are able to make arrangements to them for your trip. With the horses, it would be able to make it ou to the town by evening tonight.
Zyla nods and isn't best on a horse, but can manage. It would probably be a good idea, get them there quicker.
Orenthal will front the cash if no one else can, negotiating a good rate and getting us on the road as quickly as possible. "Alexandria is a great city. Not everywhere has people that will just rent you horses on your word. Or at all." He's not a skilled horseman at all, but he can sit on a horse as it goes, and not fall off. As long as the horse is moving calmly.
Aya dips her head to Orenthal in acknowledgement. "So we do." She isn't an accomplished rider, but if time is sensitive, horses are a good idea. She mounts her horse, prepares to go, and asks, "Does anyone have any ideas where the girl may be?"
Zyla smiles, "I am sure that we will get more information when we arrive at the village." she says, "After all that is where they are headed."
Orenthal nods at what Zyla says. "We only know what was posted at the Guild. I, too, assume we will get the full scoop when we arrive."
The horse travel is pretty quick, the sun setting when you get to the base of the mountain and then up to the trail leading to Pinnella Pass. The town is pretty straightforward, the houses for the miners, a bar and restaurant, a few shops for services and even a school for the family members of the miners.
Orenthal will ask to meet the sheriff or magistrate, if there is any sort of official here, or whoever sent for the Guild, so we can get started as quickly as possible.
Aya seconds Orenthal's aim. The quicker they can start, the quicker they can finish, and they need to find their local contact in the town. They'll be the one to give them more information.
Zyla nods, and follows after the others, not sure who they should be looking for, but there has to be someone to greet them and given them the information.
"Welcome, welcome," says a older man as he walks out of his office to greet you on your white horses when you came. The rest of the village all came out to greet you as well. "Are you here from the guild," one of the villagers, a woman dressed in an apron, asks.
Orenthal looks pleased as the man comes out, and he puts on his best haggling smile as he says, "Yes, we're here from the Guild, to find your missing child. Can you tell us what happened, exacctly? When was the child last seen? And something happened to the father?"
<OOC> Orenthal can roll diplomacy, but I think they're already glad to see us and helpful?
<OOC> Ansrir nods. That they are
"Yes," Aya answers the woman rather simply. Orenthal gets straight to the point, so she doesn't have anything to add.
Zyla nods her head and tries not to look too intimidating, luckily she is in robes. She nods as she listens, "We have come to offer our aid and help, we are the ones that have been hired."
"The child's father was one of the men lost in a cave in in the mines a few days prior. The child was in her bed with her adoptive family as her mother died in childbirth, leaving only her father to raise her." The magistrate shakes his head and frowns. "It does not look like there were any signs of struggle, her room was immaculate except for the unmade bed.""
Orenthal hrms. "Unmade? So, the child may have gone to her room, but she never went to bed." He nods. "WHat about the adoptive family? Do they have kids, or was she the only child they were taking care of?"
Aya listens, making mental notes. "Does the child have a favorite place to go? She could have left on her own." Grief, pain, or naivete can make people do foolish things.
"The family has a daughter of two years older, age ten, to Molly's eight. As for favorite places, the only one that was known was the tree in the main square," offers the magistrate in reply.
Zyla nods her head a bit, "was there anything strange on the days and nights leading up to her going missing?" she asks.
Orenthal nods about the tree. He assumes people checked there. Or, it's just in plain view. "The older child," he asks. "She's OK? She didn't hear or notice anything? DO they share a bedroom?"
"Beyond the cave in, nothing really strange that anyone can remember. The two share a room, but the otherr had slept the whole night through." replies the magistrate.
"Has the mine been cleared? The bodies recovered?" It may not be the most pleasant question, but Aya thinks it's important to ask.
Zyla nods her head, "So more than likely something caused her to get up and leave silently in the night." she shakes her head, "Doubt tracking would work."
Orenthal hrms. "That tells us a lot, then," he says. "Do their room windows latch? And was it latched? I assume it's possible she just walked out the front door, too. Have any trackers checked the area?"
"There were no sign of her tracks outside of the house, save those of her enterancve the night before," offers the magistrate and then nods, "The winows latch from the inside, but it was lrft unlatched. We have cleared the cavein annd buried the bodies."
Zyla nods, "Something flying then." she thinks for a moment and then looks at the others, "Any ideas?"
Orenthal nods to Zyla. "If there are no tracks, then that is all that's left," he agrees. "Have you searched the forest and surroundings yet?" he asks.
"There are only so many places she could go in the mountains," Aya points out. "If the town was already searched, we should look outside of it." She looks to the magistrate. "Are there any significant landmarks other than the mine? Was the mine searched?"
The magitrate shakes his head again, "We investigated the town as much as we could and some surroundings."
Zyla nods, "And whre her father is buried? He was one of the bodies recovered and buried right?"
The magistrate nods. "There were the remains of those caught in the collapse and had been crushed by the rocks, they were buried in the cemetary."
Zyla nods, "And have you checked the cemetary?" she asks, "For the girl? And are you sure you got her father's remains?"
"We should check the cemetery, and the mine." Those are the only sgnificant places that Aya can think of, at the moment.
"We checked to see if she was with her father's grave, but there was no one there," offers the magistrate, the rest of the town returning to their business.
Orenthal nods to Aya. "She ..." but the magistrate echoes his thinking. "Well, if she's not in any of the places you've searched, then search the places you haven't searched," he suggests,
"That simplifies it, doesn't it?" Aya's lips curl upwards on one side. "Where is the mine?" She is ready to move there, but directions would make it much, much easier.
Zyla nods, "Well, we should get started then." she says and shrugs.
"The mine is down that way," the magistrate points to one tunnel down into the mountain. "Take a left, right and left and you will see where the collapsed tunnel was."
Orenthal nods to the magistrate, "Thank you. We will work as hard as we can to resolve this."
Zyla nods and smiles as she dips her head, "Shall we?" she asks as she looks at the others and then starts in the direction that was pointed.
Aya acknowledges the directions with a nod after looking down the mountain in the pointed direction. "Thank you, and yes." The last is for Zyla before Aya begins moving for the mine.
Orenthal nods, walks along with Zyla and Aya, keeping alert for clues.
The tunnel is dimly lit, small lights every so often as the tunnels go, hung to support beams. The tunnels turn at semi regularly intervals as you follow the directions given. Soon you can see where all the rubble had been cleaned away. tHey had not managed to clean up everything, as there is still some loose rocks lying about.
Zyla doesn't like being underground, mostly because half the time, she has stoop. She does follow, glad at least there is lights. She hmms a little, "Doesn't look like they fully cleaned up." she murmers and starts looking around, for signs of someone passing, like a little someone.
Orenthal is OK with being underground, using his staff occasionally as a walking stick, looking for signs of passage also. He nods about the lack of cleanup, but excuses it by saying, "They've had more pressing issues, I think."
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Perception for those looking."
GAME: Zyla rolls perception: (7)+13: 20
GAME: Orenthal rolls perception: (5)+5: 10
You paged Orenthal with 'Looks like a natural fall of rocks from what you can see.'
You paged Zyla with 'It appears the miners might have been trying to cut themselves out from inside as there are tool marks on both sides of the rocks.'
Zyla nods hr head and looks at some marks on the edges of the rocks, "Well think some miners were trying to dig their way out too, marks show it.
Orenthal looks blank as Zyla points things out. "Uh. Okay, does that tell us anything? Could the girl have gone deeper? Are there even any tracks here?
There is a lot of dust and dirt from the rescue operations, and the only tracks you see are adult ones working at the rocks and dragging things out, no child tracks.
Zyla shakes her head, "I don't know." she shrugs a little, "i really don't know."
Orenthal ahems. "Actually... are either of you spellcsaters?" he asks. He's pretty sure Aya said she was, before. "We should check for magic in the girl's room, to see if that was involved."
Zyla shakes her head, "Nope, I just smash things." she says and shakes her head a b, the gaint born lass lives up to her species.
Aya has no issues with being underground looks over the remain loose rubble. Zyla's mention of digging markings draws her interest. "If they were trying to dig out, they were not all crushed in the collapse. If they were all killed in the collapse, as the magistrate implied, then something else was digging."
Aya looks to Orenthal and also shakes her head. "I bear some magic, but not in that way."
Orenthal says, "I had assumed the digging was done by the rescuers?" He ohs to Aya, "My mistake, then. Well, I suppose we just keep looking."
Zyla blinks for a moment, "Was the collapse caused by them going to deep, opening and releasing something that should not have been released."
<OOC> Orenthal says, "How deep are we?" <OOC> Orenthal says, "And how big was the collapse? Mine-wide, or just here?" <OOC> Ansrir says, "Not very, you walked probably about an hour in the tunnel, and it was just a collapse in this section."
Orenthal says to Zyla, "That's an old story. I guess it could be true in this case. But this here," he gestures to the immediate area, "it's not so deep as that. I had assumed a more mundane collapse. But you're right - if it's something that was disturbed by the mining, it could have taken the girl as revenge."
"That is possible, too," Aya admits to Orenthal. "The marks could be from that, and we're wasting our time here. If the villagers searched as thoroughly as they claim, though, this is the most conspicuous place to left to search." She continues to walk further, looking over the mostly-cleared tunnel for anything worth noting.
<OOC> Ansrir says, "One more perception check, please."
GAME: Aya rolls perception: (10)+12: 22
GAME: Orenthal rolls perception: (4)+5: 9
GAME: Zyla rolls perception: (2)+13: 15
Zyla looks around a little more but is running out of ideas.
Inside the collapsed side of the tunnel, there are marks that show that there had been at least one body under the rocks when it gave way. A broken pick lies near the remaining rubble. There are a few marks against a far wall, where some dried blood rests. Perhaps an injured miner made it there and had tried to do something productive.
"Interesting," Aya comments absently as she looks at the markings on the wall which stand out due to the blood stain near them. "A dedicated worker, digging until the end, or to save others? Why would he dig at the wall, then, and not the collapsed stone?"
Orenthal nods to Aya about this being the last place left to search. "I was thinking before she might have simply come down here searching for her dad, cause kids don't always understand or accept death, but there's no reason she would have left no tracks." As Aya points out the digging, he suggests, "He may simply have become disoriented under the rubble..."
Zyla cocks her head to the side, "Maybe." she still thinks something else is down here, "Maybe her father is alive, and people didn't realize it."
Aya rolls one shoulder. "It could be many things, but Orenthal is right. If she is here, she didn't leave any conspicuous tracks. If anyone else has any theories outside of this mine, I'd entertain them. Otherwise," she looks down the tunnels, "we have a long search ahead of us."
Orenthal says to Zyla, "I thought of that, but if he is, why has he not come out and come home?" He says to Aya, "Yes, let's get to the end of this if we can."
Zyla shrugs, "I am out of my depth here I think, not sure what to do next."
<OOC> Orenthal says, "Likewise"
<OOC> Ansrir says, "ICly, it is getting late. Its about two hours after sundown and you were travelling all day."
"There are many questions, and no answers," Aya glances around one more and frowns. "We should return to the town. If the khazad continue their search, maybe they will find her, or some trace of her."
Zyla nods, "Still cemetary to check I suppose."
Orenthal shrugs to Aya and Zyla. "It's true, we're not finding much by way of clues. I hadn't expected such a complicated mystery here. I don't know what else we can do, either." He yawns, and says, "I'm tired, but I don't like to admit defeat."
The walk back to town from the mine takes about another hour, and then getting to the cemetary takes another fifteen. You see the plots that they were buried in, graves marked with the names of the miners. the one for Jerome, the father of Molly, is one of the freshly dug as it has only been a day since they were buried.
Zyla starts to look for signs to see if something else dug him up too.
Orenthal looks for signs of visitors that might still be here.
The grave still buried is a good sign. Empty graves usually means something unexpected happened. "Nothing looks unusual so far..." Aya says.
GAME: Orenthal rolls perception: (9)+5: 14
You paged Orenthal with 'You see something in the distance, it appears to be a set of eyes reflecting in moonlight, at about the right height for a child.'
GAME: Aya rolls perception: (9)+12: 21
You paged Aya with 'You see a pair of eyes in the distance and then turns to move away into the woods, the height is about right for a child.'
Zyla has disconnected.
Orenthal whispers to his companions. "Do you see, over there?" He casts his eyes towards what might be a set of eyes in the distance. "I'm going to see if I can come up behind it, whatever it is...." That said, he heads off in the opposite direction, hoping to mislead it as to his intentions, and he'll slip into some cover once he's out of sight of where he started, and then he'll try and sneak around.
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Stealth Orenthal"
"Yes..." Aya answers after her own eyes dart to the shadows. "We have a runaway..." She moves to follow the eyes into the woods directly, and quickly. They've wasted enough time already.
The figure pushes further away from you towards the forest, and judging by the sounds as you get closer, it has taken off into a run as it goes too, the ground crunching beneneath its feet as it moves.
GAME: Orenthal rolls stealth: (9)+7: 16 GAME: Ansrir rolls 1d20+4: (20)+4: 24
Aya glances back to see if any of the others are following, though she did see Orenthal run off in the other direction initially. She isn't surprised when no one is immediately apparent. She picks up speed to follow her fleeing prey. If nothing else, the crunching makes it easier to follow.
Orenthal hears everyone else running, and now it's a footrace rather than a scouting thing. But maybe that's okay. He was coming in at an angle, or planning to, so maybe he can cut the target off?
The thing you are chasing seems to have moved far ahead of you and then stopped near a large grove of trees, as you cannot make out any more crunching of the forest detritus as they move away. There are six willows placed in a small semi-circle around one larger oak.
Orenthal will stop moving and listen for a moment, then try to creep around, so he and his allies are closing from opposite directions.
Now that her quarry seems to have slowed or stopped, Aya also slows down. The half-circle of trees is a probably detination, so she aims there while quieting her own steps. She has a place to check, so there's no reason to blindly rush in.
<OOC> Ansrir says, "And perception once more please"
GAME: Orenthal rolls perception: (12)+5: 17
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Stealth as well if you are trying to sneak"
GAME: Orenthal rolls stealth: (10)+7: 17
GAME: Aya rolls perception: (5)+12: 17
GAME: Aya rolls stealth+1: (9)+10+1: 20
<OOC> Aya says, "The dice aren't very kind today."
GAME: Ansrir rolls 1d20+4: (16)+4: 20
You see sitting on a branch on the oak is a young girl, likely the one you are looking for. At the base of the tree is a wolf, standing alert, its head cocked, watching for anyone to get close.
Orenthal has heard of this one, a shapechanger who roams around as a wolf most of the time. "We mean you no harm!" he calls out, holding his hands up to show they're empty. He comes no closer, for now.
Aya eyes the wolf, then looks up to the girl. "Come down, child. You need to return to your family."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ATTENTION -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Ansrir has dropped a TIMESTOP!
Please +init, then cease all roleplay and actions immediately and wait for Ansrir to instruct you further.
For in-combat commands, type: +thelp.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
GAME: Orenthal rolls initiative: 9 + 3 = 12
GAME: Aya rolls initiative: 14 + 3 = 17
GAME: You roll initiative for W: Roll: 13 + Bonus: 5 = Total: 18
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 18.
It is now W's turn! Aya is next!
GAME: Ansrir rolls 1d20+3: (2)+3: 5
The wolf slowly looks at Aya as she mentions about returning the child to its family. Iy growls, bearing teeth but doesn't do much else.
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 17.
It is now Aya's turn! Orenthal is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Aya ended.
"Out of the way, creature. This doesn't concern you." Not that Aya expects it to understand her, but it now has her full focus as she slowly moves towards the tree.
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round One - Init 12.
It is now Orenthal's turn! W is next!
GAME: Note Flat-footed on Orenthal ended.
<OOC> Orenthal says, "I'd like to walk closer and try to placate the girl and/or the wolf. Possibly with diplomacy."
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Roll your bones"
GAME: Orenthal rolls diplomacy: (1)+9: 10 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 18.
It is now W's turn! Aya is next!
Orenthal comes towards the girl and wolf attempting to look innocent. He has forgotten he's got his staff in one hand, and so his peaceful gesture attempts look a bit like someone miming a decapitating stroke with an axe. "We're here to help," takes on a very sinister edge in that light.
GAME: Ansrir rolls 1d20+3: (10)+3: 13
The wolf cocks its head and then just begins to ripple and contort as it moves to stand on two legs as it reaches to five foot nine in height and covered with fur, as it growls out, "No one harms my daughter," in its deep voice.
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 17.
It is now Aya's turn! Orenthal is next!
"We're not here to harm her," Aya points at the child. "The villagers seem to think she belongs to them, though her parents are now dead. If you know otherwise, you should tell them."
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Two - Init 12.
It is now Orenthal's turn! W is next!
<OOC> Orenthal says, "Can I tell if wolfman is being straight and his really her dad?"
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Sense motive?"
GAME: Orenthal rolls sense motive: (15)+5: 20
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Seems to be truthful, the child doesn't seem frightened at all of them."
Orenthal ohs, "Ah, so you /did/ survive the cave-in!" he says with some surprise. He stops moving forward, at least, and explains, "Everyone was worried because they didn't know what happened to her." He eyes the wolf, "I ... " he looks to Aya, then back to the wolfman, "I really don't have a problem with you and your daughter, but you probably ought to change back to human for a bit and come back to town, so people will stop worrying. Then you can vanish if you like."
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 18.
It is now W's turn! Aya is next!
"And explain to them how I was supposed to survive the wounds from the cavein?" offers the wolfman, "It's not like claiming it was just a scratch would work..."
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 17.
It is now Aya's turn! Orenthal is next!
"Ah." Now things make much more sense to Aya. "Then we are done here. We were to find her, return her to her family. That's been done."
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Three - Init 12.
It is now Orenthal's turn! W is next!
Orenthal shakes the wolfman's comment off. "You just tell them you were in a different part that didn't get cut off. But a rock hit you on the head and you got disoriented and wandered off. People will believe a lot of things," he says glibly. "Trust me on this." He nods to Aya, though, and says, "This is where it gets tricky. Because if they don't /see/ girl and/or dad present and 'OK', how do we get paid?"
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 18.
It is now W's turn! Aya is next!
The figure shifts back into human form, and you can see the marks on his leg which could have created the blood pattern of the miner against the wall from in the cavern. "Given that they pulled me out from within the cavein, I think that might be a little hard to believe," he says as he picks up his daughter from the branch. "But if you can guarantee she will not come to any harm, we can try it your way."
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 17.
It is now Aya's turn! Orenthal is next!
Aya looks to Orenthal. "We tell them that we confirmed she is with her father. They can make their own inferences." She then turns to look back to the man not entirely a man. "If you return, they will think you unnatural. Undead, possessed, or whatever other stories their fearful minds create. You will not be safe, and I can't guarantee your daughter will be, either."
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Four - Init 12.
It is now Orenthal's turn! W is next!
Orenthal ahhhhhhs, understanding now. "They buried you, then? And you got up from that? That might be a little harder to explain, then." He nods to Aya, but says, "Do you think they'd believe us? And if they did, that might be worse." Clearly, the truth is not something he'd share with the locals, either. His brow furrows a moment, and he asks, "How well was your family known, then, in your town? You could be a twin brother from afar, who heard what happened? And of course you'd take in your brother's daughter, that'd only be right."
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 18.
It is now W's turn! Aya is next!
The father nods his head slightly, looking between the two of you like angel and devil on his shoulder. "It's a town of like a hundred people, so you usuallu know your neighbors," he says softly and looks to his daughter and then to the two of you as if trying to decide the best course.
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 17.
It is now Aya's turn! Orenthal is next!
"If they know you so well, they will be suspicious," Aya opines. "I suggest that you not return, but the choice is yours." She turns, noting to Orenthal, now, "Our task is done. We should return." Aya steps off, leaving the debate of choices to father and daughter.
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Five - Init 12.
It is now Orenthal's turn! W is next!
Orenthal nods to the man. "In a town that small, they'd know if you had a twin. There's still a couple options. A distant cousin is still family enough to take in a daughter. And the other way is to say who you really are.... though that begs the question of how dead you looked when they buried you. BUt if you're not evil and can convince teh priests that you're not a zombie or something, you may be able to come back as yourself." He shakes his head to Aya, "I'm not in such a great hurry as that," he says. "Also, I don't trust them to pay us based on just a story. And they're going to want to say goodbye to the girl, at least. They were neighbors in a small town, so they'd have been close."
GAME: NEW ROUND!
Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Six - Init 18.
It is now W's turn! Aya is next!
GAME: Ansrir rolls 1d2: (1): 1
"If he chooses to return, he chooses to return. If not, it's better they think both are dead, or they might continue to search. Either way, it's not our decision to make." Aya rolls her shoulders. "As for our pay, we searched as we were hired."
Aya has disconnected.
The man nods slowly and sighs. "I have always tried to teach my child to take responsibility for their actions, and I should for this, I Suppose," he admits and nods.
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Six - Init 17.
It is now Aya's turn! Orenthal is next!
GAME: Ansrir advances the initiative order.
Round Six - Init 12.
It is now Orenthal's turn! W is next!
Orenthal says to Aya, "Actually .... I have another idea." He says to the wolfman, "My father hires men from all different places and towns. It wouldn't be farfetched at all if you had a cousin who worked for me. If we return with the girl, and I tell them I'm taking her to this cousin, I can bring her back to you, and you two can start afresh someplace new." To Aya, he says, "If she were dead, they'd have expected us to bring back her body." He ponders, "If you weren't -too- dead, before, you could claim the girl came and dug you up and brought you back around. That'd work too, and then you could stay." Orenthal's just brainstorming now.
The man offers a nod to that and bows his head. "I have tried to be careful living around a village of people lke this... but I just couldn't leave without my daughter. I came back for her after the wolf had attacked me while out hunting, and had made sure to leave her with the neighbours when it was close to the full moon. She is all the family I have left and I would do anything for her... I suppose we can always leave town if they don't accept us, but... I will own up for my actions as I taught her."
GAME: You remove the timestop.
Orenthal nods to the man, and smiles to the girl as well. "I think that's the best solution, then," he says with a smile. "I think you are a good man, and you care for your family. I think things will work our for the best this way, and I'll help you as far as I can."
GAME: Ansrir rolls 1d2: (2): 2
Upon his return to the village, those who are still awake at this hour are definately nervous, seeing how he is up and walking about when they buried him just the other day. They keep out of his way as he moves about town.
Orenthal will help the fellow out and back up whatever story we've decided on. He's all smiles and confidence and reassuring; hopefully that will help the man's cause.
<OOC> Ansrir says, "Diplomacy again"
GAME: Orenthal rolls diplomacy: (15)+9: 24
With your words, as well as the fact the child is not seeming to be affected, plus the fact that holy magic does not detect anything undead about him, the community is a bit more welcoming of him. They aren't about to leave him unattended for a while, perhaps, but they aren't going to lynch just yet.