Warshawski checks the town records

Warshawski
''Marsh was right about one thing, the ass. I didn't do the research and I should have. I had access to records no one else did because I worked for the tax office. Time to take advantage of that.''

''No one likes to go down into the record hall. There's enough dust to choke a dragon and the flickering torches smell like horse dung. That means I had the place all to myself. The next few hours would be just me, the spirit of the woman who died down here and didn't realize it and whatever we had on the tiny little town of Ravenmoor.''

''The spirit? She's still going around sorting records. Sometimes she even helps me.''

GM
With the spirit's aid, you peruse the entirety of Magnimar's records on Ravenmoor and learn quite a bit.

Ravenmoor's mayor is a man named Andretti Kriegler. From the records, it looks as if this is far from the first time a Kriegler has been in charge of the village, whether as mayor or some sort of spiritual leader- going back several generations to one Iola Kriegler, who is credited with "saving" the town from some awful blight that nearly killed its industry. The people there are noted to be odd, but friendly, and indeed it appears that the whole mess with the missing taxes is in fact due to an overlooked clerical error leading to not a single tax collector being sent out that way in nearly a decade. At least, from what you've seen, it appears to have been a simple misunderstanding.

The town is listed as being almost entirely made up of Desna worshipers, and it is noted that they are fond of keeping strange pets, including creatures often categorized as monsters (Stirges, in particular). They hold a "Founder's Festival" once a month, on the eve of a full moon, which seems to act as the only real entertainment in town. It is also noted that they do not have an inn, as visitors to Ravenmoor are exceptionally rare. Finally, the files also happen to mention that they frequently trade with the local Hawk Tribe of the Shoanti people.

Warshawski
''It took me the rest of daylight to go through the records. I learned a lot. Enough, in fact, that my stomach was churning with unease. Something was wrong with Ravenmoor. Something was rotten there. I just wasn't sure what. Nothing specific in the dossier I'd compiled rang the alarm bells but there was something lurking underneath it all. Something dark.''

''Something deadly. I just hoped it hadn't claimed our client's brother-in-law.''

''I gathered my notes and stuffed them into my bag. Then I headed out to meet the others.''

I needed a drink.