Back to Basics (Group 3)

[Amanil]

Freewarriors, mercenaries and adventure-seekers:
The Church of St. Cuthbert is hiring.
Applications to Father Quintus

What more could the halfling hope to see on the noticeboard of The Rowdy Merchant? Maybe this was his chance to escape the hum-drum of town life, to finally see the world like his great-great-grandfather had? They can't all have just been stories? Even if there was but an ounce of truth in them, the world was an exciting place to explore - and what better way than with some like-minded folk? There was that nice tallfolk lass who'd shown up a few days ago, Eila, maybe she'd be interested in coming along? She'd said she was after an adventure as well, and she told some great stories.

Asher knew of Father Quintus - stern, unforgiving, apparently a former crusader - but fortunately he'd never been unlucky enough to catch his attention. Head of the church of St. Cuthbert near the village centre, he'd be easy enough to find. It might be worth avoiding the eye of some of the church's acolytes who knew his name and a little of his past.

Your starting scenario is a lot less involved than most, but you've got the advantage of having some local knowledge. If you have any pertinent questions, let me know.

You start on the way to find Father Quintus with Eila coming along as well. The two of you don't really know each other, but you find her more interesting than the usual merchants and drunkards in the tavern.
Towns didn't keep Eila's attention for long - within a matter of days their routine was already eating away at her free spirit and she was always looking for the next road out of there. Harlskeep had served its purpose - the merchants coming through had given her a little coin to look after herself, but it was hardly exciting work. Her temporary dancing at The Rowdy Merchant was interesting, but it lacked any real charm. Most of those here were here to drink, and that just wasn't right.

One person who'd actually paid her attention was a halfling called Asher. He had an interesting quirk about him - definitely piquing Eila's interest more than the loudmouth farmers and drollish merchants - and he apparently shared her adventerous spirit. In fact, it was him who'd pointed out a poster stuck on the noticeboard.


Freewarriors, mercenaries and adventure-seekers:
The Church of St. Cuthbert is hiring.
Applications to Father Quintus

The thought of working for the church wasn't overly thrilling, but it did say "adventure-seekers". What's the worst that could happen, right?

At the IC start you are heading with Asher to meet Father Quintus. The two of you have chatted for a couple of nights.
The church in Harlskeep was well-founded, and Isaac had found himself welcomed warmly by his fellow brothers of St. Cuthbert. For a church this grand and a flock this size there was a definite lack of members of the clergy, which struck Isaac as odd but gave him the perfect opportunity to find some tasks he could perform to help out.

Within a week he was already leading his own small sermons, and he'd relished the opportunity to spread the good word. Over a supper of bread and cheese one evening, where he sat with the other two brothers and Father Quintus, the head priest's expression was more sombre than usual. When asked about it, he brushed the question off.

Yesterday, a dwarf called Sar'tul had arrived in Harlskeep. He, too, was a member of St. Cuthbert's clergy. His history was a little uncertain, but Father Quintus seemed to respond positively to his arrival, busying himself in his chambers as he evidently planned something.

Today after the morning sermon he summoned Isaac and Sar'tul to his chambers. Upon arrival, he indicated an arrangement of papers and maps on his desk.

"Brothers, we have some grave news. Apparently a cult has been kidnapping villagers near Jannisthorp - to what end, we can only imagine. The village elder has pleaded with us for aid after receiving nothing from the military." He paused to let the news sink in a moment.

"I can only assume your recent arrivals are a blessing from our Lord Himself, and as such beseech you to take up this task such that order can be returned to the people of Jannisthorp. I have requested the aid of local mercenaries and the like, who shall be convening today. From them we will form two task forces, with each of you at the head."

"Brother Isaac, you are to lead a group in finding and rescuing the kidnapped villagers. Brother Sar'tul, you are to seek out the roots of the evil and do what you can to bring the cult itself down. May His Justice be served."

Unlike the others, you are not queuing outside but will be accompanying Father Quintus in the interviews. While it might be a bit immersion breaking for you, I ask that you don't strongly object to any of the other players as applicants, or at least have Isaac keep his objections to himself.
Harlskeep - the first true civilisation Silgar had reached. He had travelled north, skirting past the dense forests known to belong to the elves; surrounded by trees was no place for a warrior of the plains. The town was... interesting. Apparently a busy trading hub, Harlskeep was loud with bustling markets and the sounds of industry. This, too, was no place for a horse lord.

These people valued coins too much, and within 24 hours Silgar found himself out of appropriate goods to barter and coin to trade with. Concerned over his lack of food, he spotted some notices on the communal boards of the inn he had spent the night in. Writing had never been Silgar's strong point, but he'd learned to read passably enough.

One notice in particular caught his interest:


Freewarriors, mercenaries and adventure-seekers:
The Church of St. Cuthbert is hiring.
Applications to Father Quintus

Clearly this was good work for the likes of him.
Deacon Tiller sent Tom on his way with a friendly smile and a blessing. He knew the boy would do well, young as he may be, and the experience of the open road could only further his progress towards enlightenment. He handed Tom a letter as he headed out of the door, with instructions to read it once he was in Harlskeep.

Tom had travelled there on occasion with another member of the monastery as an escort to purchase provisions, and it was with them that he arrived. It had only been a two hour journey, and after saying his farewells to his adopted brothers he opened the letter:

Tom,

Father Quintus has asked me for assistance, requesting the aid of one like yourself in an apparently righteous task. Though he follows the teachings of St. Cuthbert rather than the Sun Father, I have known him since my youth and he is a good man. Take this seal as my recommendation, and may your first venture into the world be a blessed one.

Remember your prayers, but respect those who do not share them. Be mindful of their beliefs, however, for many lack the purity of heart you are used to.

May His light shine upon you,

Father Artemis Tiller

A wooden token with a wax seal on it is rolled up within the letter.
The church of St. Cuthbert in Harlskeep is a rather imposing yet simple building - smooth stone walls, solid buttresses, and a large bell tower. It's evident that there's some interest, as a rather diverse queue is forming outside the main door. A human wearing simple robes and a large iron holy symbol about his neck stands at its head with a piece of parchment on a board, and is slowly checking off names and sending people in one by one.

You arrive in the order that you post. Once invited inside please post in spoiler tags (the discussion will be in private). Feel free to chat amongst yourselves, ask questions, etc. while in the queue.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar treads cautiously toward the intimidating stone walls, thinking to himself, How do these people move this thing if there's a fire or a twister?

Embarrassingly, the young warrior finds himself so deep in awestruck wonder that he bumps into the person at the back of the line. The horse at his side nickers at him in amusement, and Silgar's face flushes as he flicks the horse's ear. "Shut up, Reathai," he mutters quietly.

He shifts and fidgets uncomfortably as he waits in line, itching to do...something. He grabs a handful of horse feed from a saddlebag and tries to feed it to Reathai, who sniffs at it a little, takes a nibble, and then huffs at him, so he absentmindedly takes a bite himself.

The young man is nervous, but excited; unsure, but eager. He tries his best not to make eye-contact with anyone for more than an instant.

[gremlin-pult]

With a spring in his step, Asher trots over to the back of the line. With a smile, he pulls his widebrimmed hat down to shade his eyes. "Hmm, many odd faces here, and even more new ones." He muses."Best to keep my head low and my smile high, as pop would say."

As he looks around at the other people assembled, Asher can't help but feel his pulse quicken in excitement. "This is so much better than snatching the guards' belts during their patrols. I can practically smell the adventure. or maybe its those fellows in front of me."
Asher snickers faintly to himself, amused at his own attempt to calm down. He then positions himself in a more relaxing stance, and waits

[redzimmer]

Isaac Arkon

Isaac fidgeted nervously. He knew the value of gathering a suitably skilled force for the expedition, but every minute he wasted here...

No, it was not his place to question Father Quintus. He tried to keep his anxiousness to himself.

Not 100% certain. Should just be reading their spoilers when interviewing, or some other approach?

[Amanil]

The priest monitoring the queue ushers Silgar inside, pointing at a nearby post for him to secure his horse. The inside of the church is in the same style as the exterior: simple wooden pews, wide stone aisles, and a great block of rough stone as an altar. Plain brown curtains block off various parts, and the priest indicates a door behind a drawn-back curtain towards the back of the church.

"Knock twice and enter, then introduce yourself to Father Quintus."

The priest scratches a few words down on his ad hoc clipboard before returning to monitoring the queue.

The side room is small and simply furnished - a wooden desk with a neat arrangement of parchments and scrolls. Seated behind the desk is an elderly man, probably in his sixties. A stern expression is on his face, and his long, white hair is pulled neatly back. A short, neatly-combed, grey - verging on white - beard adorns his chin. Standing to his side is a man taller than Silgar - he has a sturdy frame and close-cropped hair the colour of fire. Both wear grey robes with white trim, with those of the seated man's having a second band of sky blue. The standing man is armoured in studded leather.

The seated man eyes Silgar up and down, obviously silently appraising him.

"You have the look, and might I say the smell, of a hunter about you, my son." The seated man speaks. "Are you a tracker? A nomad?"

Remember to post in spoiler tags from now on, addressed to "DM, Silgar, Isaac".
Silgar is a human. He is short and thin, with sinewy muscles running along his exposed arms.
He wears a thin, sleeveless shirt underneath his hardened leather tunic, and light leggings underneath his tough chaps.
Hopefully it'll be obvious what tags you should be reading. If there's any doubt I doubt there's much harm in just reading it. I'm keeping things private to a degree for a sense of mystery about each others' capabilities.

[Acco Spoot]

Such was his dedication to the Sun-Father that Tom had somewhat fallen out of accustom with the wider elements of the great pantheon. He knew of and respected the devotee's of St Cuthbert, but could still not restrain a little of his unease at the imposing structure and congregation held outside.
Not contented with merely passing the time in such a dense crowd he strikes up idle conversation, imparting with informal blessings, May blessings of his light shine upon you. News from out in the bishopric farmsteads, Aye, a wet summer, surely this may be a rich year yet! and a simple donation to the Almshouse of five gold pieces.

[redzimmer]

Issac

Out of deference to his host, Issac allows Quintus to do the bulk of the interviewing. Meanwhile, the young cleric tries to get a measure of the scruffy man before him.

Untrained [roll0]

[Amanil]

The priest outside seems to note something down as Tom makes his donation, a warm smile on his face.

"His light is most welcome here, brother."

For your interest, I've got an established Pelorite set of customs within the setting that you are welcome to adapt for your own usage:

Typical group prayers are of the form "We are <adjective>, as the Sun Father <verbs> us; oh Shining One, may your light <some abstract request>". Example: "We are found, as the Sun Father guides us; oh Shining One, may your light drive back darkness."
The typical response from the congregation to the above is "Your light <verbs> us", with the same verb as in the refrain.
Lots of general talk about "his light", "illuminating", etc.
What you see is what you get.

[Acco Spoot]

My thanks brother. He bowed deeply towards the layperson, putting forth his best teachings in etiquette. Pray tell, if it is of no small inconvenience, how long until Father Quintus will make himself available? I come with business from the Monastic houses, but do not wish to deny his congregation their due sermon.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar walks his horse over to the post and rubs the colt's neck several times, shushing him in an attempt, really, to put himself at ease. Finally, he points to the ground, indicating that Reathai should stay, then nervously enters the church building, nodding his acknowledgment of the clergyman's directions.

He approaches the door and takes a deep breath, summoning his courage, before knocking twice as instructed and entering confidently.

The young warrior steps forward with his right foot, seamlessly dropping onto his left knee as he lightly touches his forehead with his fingertips and then bows his head and reaches down to place his hand palm-up on the top of his right foot. He keeps his head down in deference as he speaks.

"I am Silgar of Capall tribe. I am hunter and tracker, if this is needed, but I am sorry, I do not know what is 'nomad'."

The young man smiles inwardly at his fluency in the common tongue, and brushes off his ignorance of the word 'nomad'. He had worked hard under his elder's tutelage to master it.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"Begging your pardon, Father, but could we not speed things along but asking St. Cuthbert to reveal those of good intention and hurry us on our way?

It already rankled him that people would expect remuneration for simply doing what was right, but to have to go through this ridiculous pantomime first irritated the young priest.

Here is a good example why Isaac is constantly shuttled off from Parrish to Parrish. He is a firm believer in action over sense. Our left to his own devices he'd probably just cast detect evil on everyone and either lecture or smite depending on the result. And he tends to say either "with all due respect..." or "begging your pardon..." just before saying something completely without tact.

[Amanil]

"Father Quintus is currently conducting interviews for, as I understand it, a mission in His name, and is therefore unusually busy. Please join the queue, I'm sure he won't mind discussing your business between interviews." He gestures to the short queue.

The seated man looks amused. "A nomad is one whose home is where he lays his head. There are many nomadic tribes to the south, do the Capall hail from there?"

He continues talking, as if the previous question was rhetoric or inconsequential. "Do you know the ways of St. Cuthbert?" he asked a little doubtfully. "We are commissioning a party in His name, and I believe a tracker would be of use." He turns to the figure next to him to see if he agreed. "If you are willing to at least abide by His ways you may well be a welcome addition to the expedition, regardless of your patron."

Father Quintus muses Isaac's question over. "Many of this town revere Pelor's ways above all, and those of our congregation are simple-folk, which is why we must enlist the aid of mercenaries as-is. As it stands we have no warrior of St. Cuthbert to judge these souls, you are of course welcome to appraise them yourself before your final assessment."

In case there's doubt, by "warrior of St. Cuthbert" he means a paladin.

[gremlin-pult]

As the sound of coins changing hands reaches Ashers ears, he is immediately roused from his boredom, and looks toward the acolyte and the other, wellspoken man, and edges toward them. He waits for them to finish their exchange, and then adresses the strange donator. Well, if you are looking to help those in need, then look no further" He flashes the man his friendliest smile, and nods politely to the acolyte "Brother Phineas, so nice to see you got over that nasty cold of yours. I and the others prayed for you every night. Now" He says, and turns to the other man "I represent the triple H, the Home for Hungry Halflings foundation, and you sir would be doing a great service to us all if some of your coin could buy the dinner for my fellows that they so direly need" Pausing to draw breath, Asher looks expectantly at the man.

And just so were on the same page, you are the lucky guy that gets the attention of one smiling halfling in a widebrimmed hat :smallbiggrin:

[Breitheamh]

A look of shock crosses Silgar's face as he glances up quickly in surprise. A Capal-li warrior who had spoken out of turn in the presence of an elder in such a manner as the young priest's impudent question would have been immediately dismissed to await public shaming and possibly, depending on the severity of the disrespect, a lash with a horsehair whip.

The confidence nearly drains out of Silgar completely as he realizes just how strange this world is. But, he mentally shakes out his fears and answers the elder's questions.

"Yes, I am from south, but I am sorry twice. I do not know who is St. Cuthbert."

Nervousness continues to creep into Silgar's heart as he admits ignorance for a second time, though it is tempered somewhat by the knowledge that his tracking skills could be needed.

[Amanil]

The smile on the priest's face becomes somewhat less sincere as the halfling engages him. "Asher, thank you for your kind words. Been keeping out of trouble, I hope? I can't say I remember seeing you at the weekly sermon since it was required by Brother Devon's ruling."

I'm assuming Asher has been caught committing a minor infringement at some point in the past, and attending two month's of sermons seems a fair "sentence".

As Asher has likely had a few run-ins with the law, it's relevant that you know the following:

There are three levels of laws:

King's Law - the individual rulings of the monarch (known as Queen's Law if the current monarch is female), who can overrule the lesser laws in any case. Generally King's Law is only invoked after direct petition, and then almost entirely in cases involving nobles. Cases of treason are always covered by King's Law.
Church Law - sometimes known as Temple Law, this is the rules enforced by a given religious body. It rarely covers areas covered by Common Law, but often comes down harshly on those who would do ill against the religion. Church Law can only be in effect if one of the criteria is met:
It directly involves a priest/clergyman of the given religion.
It occurs on land owned by the religion.
The head of any given local church says so. Because of this, the predominant religions in an area are almost always good, and often lawful, otherwise they can be viewed as corrupt. Some seek leniency regarding an infraction of Common Law, and clemency often comes with a monetary "donation" or promise of service/pilgrimage.
Common Law - enforced by the local lord and the town watch, this is the set of rules that affect most people day-to-day. It lays out what's generally illegal and the appropriate punishments. It covers crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and assault. It varies slightly from region to region but mostly only in severity.
Feel free to pick a lesser-crime, or perhaps a slightly cruel prank that he played on a priest of St. Cuthbert.

[gremlin-pult]

Asher looks up at the priest, a mischiveous glint in his eye Oh come now Phinny, I already told both you and the Constable that I have no idea how i ended up in the nunnery. You should blame the Barkeep at the Hog for spicing up my drink without telling me. Besides, I already paid a goodly donation to your church as repayment. and you did get your robes back." He breaks into an innocent smile "Can't we call it even, my friend? I am simply trying to get this good, honest man to donate some coin to my fourteen starving siblings. And if everything goes as I hope, I will soon be working for the church on this worthy endeavor" He gestures vaguely at the line of people. "It is, after all, my duty as an honest, law abiding citizen"

[Amanil]

"Indeed." Brother Phineas notes something down on his ad hoc clipboard, keeping an eye on Asher.

[Acco Spoot]

So this is gonna be your standard Human Paladin/Halfling Rogue relationship then? Alright, let's play!

Tom dips his head in lamentation; I'm sorry friend, I make my donations to the Almshouses only, in good faith that it does its best there. I am sorry to hear of your conditions however, if you would like I can break bread with your family, I am told my lamb stew is of a most filling recipe, or perhaps assist your foundation in providing warm clothing and blankets? He says through a smile which displays the most charming ignorance.

[gremlin-pult]

Asher looks up at the man, for a moment unsure of whether he is serious, or simply playing him for a fool. Asher then shakes his head, laughing softly to himself. Ah, but alas my friend, my comrades have been through so much in their hard lives, and are as a result extremely vary of strangers. but i thank you for your kind gesture nonetheless." He reaches out his hand to the man "The name's Asher, Asher Skulldugger. Pleased to meet ya. Are you also here to hire on with the church for this job of theirs?"

[Acco Spoot]

I pray his light soon shines upon you and your kin. Tom bows his head in respect, then nervously takes the halflings hand, unfamiliar with the particulars of the custom. Somewhat, aye. I am here under request of my Monastic House, the clergy herein I am told seek good, honest men to fulfill a righteous duty.

[gremlin-pult]

"Troll's breath, man. You do have a complicated vocabulary. They must really take education seriously where you're from. Most people here can hardly speak in full sentences." Asher says with a grin, shaking the mans hand firmly before letting go. "But I'm sure we can have a lot of fun on this job, since were both canny gentlemen. I personally can't wait for this to start. It's sure to be a great adventure"

[Acco Spoot]

The Monastic House had a rich library in which to study, and aye, I were taught to practice proper etiquette before the clergy, the landowners and when in observation of the marshalled courts. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself did I? My name's Tiller, eh, Tom Tiller, Palatinate at Charge, and might eager too to carry his light into those places at their darkest, I'm glad to have made your acquaintance Mr Asher, can I humbly ask your trade, I mean, outside of your charities?

[gremlin-pult]

"Well, I don't exactly have a trade, as such. I never had the opportunity to learn one, so I have simply gone through life as a... free agent, I suppose you could call it. doing different kinds of jobs. whatever put coin in my purse, really. Of course, if I had devoted myself to a trade, I wouldn't have been able to join this, whatever it turns out to be. And I am aching to leave this town, and see the world."

[Amanil]

For the record, Harlskeep is a small town. To some it may seem grand enough to be a city, but it's far from it.

[Acco Spoot]

Aye, I shall miss the houses in which I grew, and the companions I shared, but it is us who are burdened with the most virtuous of curses; determination and curiosity, let us swear it is directed at a noble cause.

[Amanil]

"Then today will be as good a day as any to learn His ways. I'm sure Brother Isaac will be able to educate you," Father Quintus responds. "The task I ask of you will require travelling to Jannisthorp. You likely haven't heard of the village, but it is easy enough to get to. From there, assist Brother Isaac with his enquiries and execution of St. Cuthbert's law. I don't anticipate this taking much longer than a week, but could be more depending on what his investigations find. Payment will be ten gold per day, from which you are to cover your own expenses. You will be paid twenty gold in advance, and the rest on your successful return."

The Father steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them. "Are there any questions?"

[Breitheamh]

He'd been selected! He hadn't expected to be after his embarrassing second admission of ignorance. He figured they would want someone who was not a child to their ways.

Silgar sat in stunned silence for a long few seconds before it registered that the elder had finished speaking and expected him to respond.

"Thank you for your kindness. Your bow is mine and your horse is mine, but I am sorry three times. I do not know who is Brother Isaac."

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac clears his throat meaningfully and pulls himself up to his full height.

"I am he," Isaac says, unsure how to take his sudden promotion to catechism teacher.

"If you wish to learn of St. Cuthbert, it shall have to be while we travel to Jannisthorpe."

Isaac fidgets impatiently and shouts towards the door.

"Time is of the essence. Are there other applicants?"

[Breitheamh]

Silgar stays bowed on his knee for as long as he feels necessary to show proper deference to Father Quintus despite Brother Isaac's disrespect. Finally, after a long moment, he stands and greets Isaac as a fellow trusted warrior, feet firmly planted on the ground, even his heels, and fingers touched lightly to his throat, coming to rest clasped in his other hand in front of his stomach.

"Hail, fellow. I hope this journey will be verygood," he says politely, then turns again to Father Quintus and inclines his head before speaking. "I am sorry. I ask for leaving to see my horse."

When he is dismissed, Silgar walks quickly outside to the sound of nickering as Reathai sees him. He pats the horse on the side, then hugs him around the neck and nuzzles his head into the colt's shoulder. Reathai huffs in contentment, and then Silgar mounts up. The horse warrior murmurs lightly in the horse's ear in the Capal-li tongue, and then straightens up. Suddenly the horse breaks into a gallop and carries Silgar to the edge of Harlskeep, then out into the fields beyond. He rides for a couple of miles, feeling the wind on his face and the freedom of the open plains, but eventually he turns back, knowing he has a responsibility to travel with this Brother Isaac.

He'll be back in less than an hour, but he needed to clear his head a bit. When is the party leaving?

[Amanil]

Father Quintus looks somewhat surprised at Isaac's outburst. "Perhaps you are right, but temperance is a virtue, brother."

He addresses Silgar. "Please make whatever arrangements you need to and convene here at noon."
The priest outside looked inside and nodded. "Asher, the Father will see you now." He gestured inside towards the side door.

[gremlin-pult]

"Oh, good" Asher turns toward the church, and says over his shoulder "Well Tom, it was nice chatting, but adventure waits for no man. and since I'm only half the size of a man, I think I shall have to go even faster. I'm sure we'll see more of each other" With that he walks briskly into the church.

[Amanil]

The side room is small and simply furnished - a wooden desk with a neat arrangement of parchments and scrolls. Seated behind the desk is an elderly man, probably in his sixties. A stern expression is on his face, and his long, white hair is pulled neatly back. A short, neatly-combed, grey - verging on white - beard adorns his chin. Standing to his side is young man - he has a sturdy frame and close-cropped hair the colour of fire. Both wear grey robes with white trim, with those of the seated man's having a second band of sky blue. The standing man is armoured in studded leather.

The seated man eyes Asher up and down - mostly down, given his height - obviously silently appraising him.

"I'm told your name is Asher, apparently you are a local of Harlskeep? And what has spurred you into toiling towards the goal of the church of His Righteousness?" The man, presumably Father Quintus, has a tone which is difficult to read - he could just as well be making fun of the halfling as he was genuinely enquiring about him.

Remember to use spoiler tags from now, addressed to "Isaac, Asher, DM".
You've no doubt got a good feel for how Asher appears and acts from his antics outside. In short, a comfortably dressed halfling with a wide-brimmed hat.

[gremlin-pult]

Asher takes a deep breath, gathering his thoughts, then grins at Father Quintus "Well Father, I will be perfectly honest with you. I'm not doing this out of any kind of strong faith. Sure, I like a good deed as much as the next person, but mostly I'm just dreadfully bored with my life here in Harlskeep. So i thought to my self, Asher old boy, what better way to go on an adventure than to do some big mission for the church. That's sure to be both noble and amazing. And a grand load of fun, if I'm lucky" Asher's smile fades a bit, and he almost looks serious for a second "But dont get me wrong Father, if I get into this job, I'm going to do my best and be serious about it. I won't just go in half-arsed, Pardon my elvish."

[Amanil]

Seemingly content with Asher's answer, Father Quintus continues. "And what are your talents? What can you bring to the group other than another pair of willing hands?"

[gremlin-pult]

Asher looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles widely again "My hands are not only willing sir, but also nimble and quiet, like the rest of me. Remember that Half-finished copy of your scriptures that "disappeared" without a trace a few years back? you can find it in the dried up well in the west quarter, under the third-biggest rock. I was gonna put it back after reading it, but never got around to it"Asher shrugs apologetically, but the smile never leaves his face

[Amanil]

Father Quintus' face hardened at Asher's jape. "I remember Brother Devon toiling for many hours on that work. In my younger years I would have had you copying passages from His Teachings until I was content you had learned to be more mindful, but perhaps I am going soft. If the words of St. Cuthbert were of interest to you, you should have attended our sermons. Consider your service in this task in part your penance for crimes long past. 'Accept regret with recompense, humility with forgiveness, and damages with labour,' as He wrote."

Father Quintus looked at the younger man next to him. "Brother Isaac, will you take it upon yourself to let this man repent his sin?" Evidently he'd twigged that Isaac had a fiery streak, and perhaps sought to give him a chance to do more of His work to make up for putting up with the potential ne'er-do-wells.

My interpretation of the church of St. Cuthbert is a combination of Catholic strictness and Protestant simplicity. Their churches are the only ones in my setting (that you know of) that hold confessions, and though strict in their rules they are always willing to forgive a repentant soul.

The only questionable thing is whether Asher actually feels sorry for what he did. That'll be fun.

[redzimmer]

[Ooc: Giantitp forum keeps crashing my Android...]

"As said in "the Wise Fool":The sleeping viper still has fangs. Master Asher, deeds, not words are the measure of penitence," Isaac says, making a mental note to keep an eye on the halfling.

"However, as Father Quintus says, you can redeem yourself by aiding our quest."

[gremlin-pult]

"Great"Asher says with a chuckle, then turns to Isaac "and don't worry about anything disappearing during the mission. I'm a changed man. Halflling. Half-man" He turns back to face Father Quintus once more."So..... whats the job?"

[Amanil]

"Rescuing some kidnapped children from the hands of a potentially evil cult." Father Quintus stated, matter-of-factly. "I don't doubt that there will be danger involved, nor that the task will be difficult. Tell me, Asher, what would you think a reasonable price for your services during this venture, given that Brother Isaac is already putting himself out in your redemption?"

[gremlin-pult]

Asher thought about it for moment, then answered "Well, I'm not really interested in getting a load of money, at least not as payment. no sport in that. I guess I would want you to keep me in mind for future things like this, since it sounds exciting. Asher's grin broadened "Of course, thats assuming everything goes well. so lets just see what happens. But then again, if you feel like rewarding me anyway when this is over, I won't deny you that right."Looking out the window, Asher grunted thoughtfully to himself "Anyway, if there's nothing more, I think I'll go pack my things for the job. When and where shall we meet?"

[Amanil]

"An interesting viewpoint. Very well, Asher, reconvene here at noon. We expect to have the group together by then." Father Quintus gestures towards the door.
I'm assuming you're leaving.
The priest looks up as a halfling exits, and with a warm smile gestures Tom to enter. "The Father is in the room to the right, knock twice then enter," he instructs.

[savacli]

Oliver eagerly weaves himself through the crowds and places himself at the tail of the queue, anxiously awaiting to see what offer there is for the "adventure-seekers" mentioned on the sign. Despite his recent days being spent roaming the nearby lands of Harlskeep he was was ready for his next adventure.

I wonder where the Dweller of the Horizon will have me travel this time. He thinks to himself. Maybe, I'll have to cross an ocean or move across an ancient land. How about traversing the sands of a desert? He continues. "I could even be asked to travel to the ends of the earth!!" He shouts only to realize that the last thought accidentally slipped beyond his thoughts.

Frozen in place he scans around to see if anyone noticed him hoping that no one did.

[gremlin-pult]

As Asher left the church, he couldn't help but notice the man in the back of the line shouting randomly. "Huh" He thought to himself "That sounds interesting. Ah well, I better get home. its going to take a while to get my things packed, and get that lazy mule up and about" Asher then jogged excitedly down the road towards his home.

[Acco Spoot]

My thanks to you Priest, may the Saint ever be within your stride. He tucked his arm into a courteous bow and then took leave into the Church.

Tom proceeds with the manners to which he is accustomed, he drops his pack and stacks them with his weapons to the corner of the room, taking the letter and trinket from Deacon Tiller in his hands. He knocked twice, waited for a moment and then entered, calmly introducing himself; Father Quintus, my blessings to you, from my god to yours. He bows.

[Amanil]

The side room is small and simply furnished - a wooden desk with a neat arrangement of parchments and scrolls. Seated behind the desk is an elderly man, probably in his sixties. A stern expression is on his face, and his long, white hair is pulled neatly back. A short, neatly-combed, grey - verging on white - beard adorns his chin. Standing to his side is young man - he has a sturdy frame and close-cropped hair the colour of fire. Both wear grey robes with white trim, with those of the seated man's having a second band of sky blue. The standing man is armoured in studded leather.

The seated man's eyes flick to the symbol at Tom's neck and to the contents of his hands and a smile forms. "And from mine to yours, walker of the Light. The man to my side is Brother Isaac. Would you be the one sent from Deacon Tiller?" He turns to Isaac. "The head of the Pelorite monastery outside Harlskeep," he explains.

Use spoiler tags from now on, addressed to "Isaac, Tom, DM". redzimmer, you may read Acco Spoot's last post.

[redzimmer]

Issac

Issac bows in return. A holy warrior of the Sun Father would be a welcome addition to this-thus far-ragtag bunch.

He stopped short of smiling and silently chided himself, however. Just because he was a paladin did not mean he was above reproach.

No, it would be a disservice to St. Cuthbert to merely judge a man on his appearance. Deeds, not words. Actions, not appearances!

It was not his role as a Billet of the church to win new converts, so he seldom wasted time with pleasantries, especially where evil in its multitudinous forms was afoot.

[Acco Spoot]

Yes, Father, Brother Isaac. Deacon Tiller remains well and sends his regards, I have his seal to give as approval of his commendation. He places the token carefully on the desk, and bows his head slightly. I offer you, in deeds and actions, Brother Isaac, my faith, for which I have sacrificed all, in the hope of vanquishing evil. He takes a calming breath and remembers his manners, keeping his shoulders square and his head slightly lowered in prostration.

[redzimmer]

Issac

Issac nods, satisfied with the paladin's demeanor. It was uncanny, how could almost read his thoughts. He had heard a paladin could look into the soul of a man and see his true nature.

Issac silently beseeched St. Cuthbert to continue to show him the correct path.

[Breitheamh]

As Silgar returns from his mind-cleansing ride, he is startled by a man shouting as he passes the application line in front of the church. The man's words and attitude were intriguing. He had the look of a free man about him, as if he followed the wind and eagerly anticipated the mystery of his path.

The young warrior pulls his horse up short and slips cat-like out of the saddle in front of the now red-faced applicant.

"Hail, fellow. I am Silgar of Capall tribe. Are you explorer, or..." Silgar pauses for a moment while he feels around the new word in his mouth, "...nomad?"

[Amanil]

"If Deacon Tiller recommends you, I have no further questions," Father Quintus notes, looking to Isaac. "I am sure Brother Isaac would wish to get to know you better, but I feel like such formalities can wait until the road is under your feet."

Father Quintus is clearly more than satisfied with the candidate. "May His Righteousness guide you, and His Light protect you. We will reconvene at noon, please have Brother Phineas send in the next interviewee."

[Acco Spoot]

Thank you Father, he bows again, and another for Brother Isaac, May Saint Cuthbert watch over yourself and your congregation, Father. He leaves, picking up his equipment on his way out of the lobby.

Wasn't sure what the proper title to give Father Quintus was, went with Father, assuming that's right?

Brother Phineas, the next candidate is requested. He reminds the priest on the way out. With time to pass Tom begins to wander the town in search of those to whom he may render assistance, labourers in need of heavy lifting, peasants in need of blankets and food, and still those yet who need only a sympathetic ear. He returns to the Church of Pelor only later, to pray and ask blessings for his future charge, this may be the last place he remembers from his time here, and the prospect leaves him anxious.

[savacli]

Oliver slowly turns to look at the warrior and his horse, smiling at the sight of such a free spirited animal.

"Greetings Silgar. I am Oliver of the family of Shieldheart, and I introduce myself as a traveler. I walk wherever the roads take me, and it would seem that I arrived at the right time to take part in a quest. Are you too seeking adventure?"

[Amanil]

Brother Phineas nods at Tom, thanking him. He looks down his clipboard and up at the next candidate. "I don't mean to interruupt your conversation - you said your name was Oliver? Father Quintus is ready for you."

Feel free to respond to Silgar before heading on in. Beat me to it. :smalltongue:

[savacli]

Oliver turns to look at the priest, bowing awkwardly as he struggles to remember the appropriate custom for greeting one of another faith.

"Thank you, my Sun-ly Brother." He says in an unsure manner. "My thanks be to your god for the luminous and living sun that brightens my travels." He looks to Silgar is an attempt to escape his embarrassment, "My apologies for such a short greeting, but the roads are calling me."

My Sun-ly Brother? That was really the best you could come up with, Ollie? He thinks to himself as he motions forward only to stop himself at the entrance to take a deep breath before walking in. You can do this, you have done it before.

"To which direction will I find the Father?" he asks the priest.

[Amanil]

The priest gestures to the right.

The side room is small and simply furnished - a wooden desk with a neat arrangement of parchments and scrolls. Seated behind the desk is an elderly man, probably in his sixties. A stern expression is on his face, and his long, white hair is pulled neatly back. A short, neatly-combed, grey - verging on white - beard adorns his chin. Standing to his side is young man - he has a sturdy frame and close-cropped hair the colour of fire. Both wear grey robes with white trim, with those of the seated man's having a second band of sky blue. The standing man is armoured in studded leather.

The seated man's eyes seem to quickly scan Oliver. "Welcome. I am Father Quintus, and this is Brother Isaac. Are you here to answer our call for men of good faith? If so, how do you believe you will able to serve His Righteousness?" he asks, fingers steepled.

Make sure to write in spoilers addressed to "Oliver, Isaac, DM".

[savacli]

Oliver takes a breath before responding, willing himself to speak calmly and as eloquently as he can.

"Yes, Father, I am here in response to the call. I am a Cleric of Fharlanghn, and I have purposed my life to be centered around traveling. I go to any land with the will of bringing goodness and hope wherever I go. I am no stranger to taking to the road be it smooth or rough. What I can offer is my experience of being out in the open as well as providing first aid and mending wounds. I am comfortable traveling alone as much as I am traveling with a group, and I'd argue that I offer the best of advice for travels such as rationing of food, recognizing safe camping areas, and much more."

He stands more confidently as he continues,

"I am lead to believe that me arriving to this town is not of coincidence. Though the roads are guided by the hand of my patron I must give my thanks to He who brightens the skies. As such the skies and roads both pointed to here. So I present myself to you a humble servant simply looking to do what he can to make this world a better place."

He bows slightly upon delivery of the last word.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac was inwardly pleased to hear the cleric's exhortations. There were few things more holy than doing the Will of your God. However, the cleric seemed nervous for some reason.

Surely a devout of the Lord of Roads would be accustomed to meeting with strangers?

[roll0] Are you a... CHARLATAN?!

Isaac was unaware of the half-mad piercing glare he favoured Oliver with.

[savacli]

Oliver peeks up from his bow, worried that his nervousness had risen and seeped into his speech.


(No opposed roll as he is not bluffing)

Oliver's motive is genuine to exactly as detailed in his speech (he definitely tried to make it sound fancy to make himself look like a pro), but he is just nervous as this is the first time he is "auditioning" for a spot in an official team. He has no credentials nor recommendations from anyone other than word of his own mouth so he is afraid of not being able to measure up to the other applicants. All his other adventures have been his own doing. In short, he is suffering from stage fright right now.

[Amanil]

"An interesting assortment of skills - and given that the road awaits I have no doubt that Brother Isaac will find the accompaniment of a follower of the Lord of the Roads most welcome. What we do here is no doubt for a good cause, I shall have Brother Isaac fill you in on the details at noon, when we reconvene. Unless, of course, you have any pertinent questions at this instant?"

[savacli]

His nervousness dissipates immediately upon hearing what he believes to be an acceptance to the quest.
"Thank you, Father! No questions at the moment. At noon I shall return!!" He nearly exclaims as he struggles to contain his excitement.

[Amanil]

After the last of the interviewees departed, Father Quintus turned to Isaac. "Well, Brother, it seems we have an... interesting... assembly for you," he notes, looking down the list of names jotted onto the parchment in front. "One mercenary, two men of faith, and a hobbit along for the adventure," he smiles.

"When the group assembles at noon you are to head to Jannisthorp, some two days west of here. We only have a hint of a lead here, and given that your group is the more martial of the two I feel you would be better spent chasing the criminals down. Brother Sar'tul's party will see to the rumours involving Harlskeep, and then follow and assist you if necessary."

His words became more quiet as he glanced at the door to ensure that none would overhear their conversation. "Be careful, my son, there have been tales of the followers of The Maimed God nearby, doubtless they have some involvement."

"The Maimed God" is one of the titles of Vecna. Isaac would know the basic information about him, as he is one of the primary enemies of St. Cuthbert. The information you've been given is essentially everything the church already has, but there is a villager from Jannisthorp staying in town who would like to accompany you back. He slept in the homeless shelter run by the Church of Pelor, and is called Halfdor.

Regarding your request for a horse - the church only has mules and donkeys to spare, of which you may take one (plus associated saddlebags and bit/bridle). The animal knows the tricks "come", "heel" and "work" - DC10 Charisma check to get it to do them.
As noon approached high in the early summer sky, Father Quintus was already waiting at the podium for the group to assemble. The thick stone of the building kept the main chamber cool and quiet, a calm haven from the noontide sun and bustle of nearby markets. The man who had already been introduced as Brother Isaac stood just behind and to one side of Father Quintus, looking noticeably more "equipped" with a mace at his belt and a crossbow slung across his back.

Father Quintus welcomed the group as the arrived, bidding them to take a seat in the pews. Once all were assembled, he addressed the four.

"Welcome, those who do work in the name of His Righteousness today. Brother Isaac will be your leader on this expedition, I expect his word will be followed in accordance with the law. May His Justice be served on those who have wronged, and His Order be restored." He touched his chest in a cross-fashion, then departed to the side room where he'd conducted interviews.

[savacli]

"Apologies in advance if this is contrary to your routine, Brother Isaac, but in the groups I've traveled with we traditionally would begin quests by first introducing ourselves to one another before unraveling the details of the task that lies ahead."

Oliver looks to the rest of the group to see if they are in agreement.

I figure this will delay things a bit til Isaac is back tomorrow

[Amanil]

Assume Brother Isaac is fine with making introductions - he will make his once his player returns.

[gremlin-pult]

"Well then, for those of you I haven't met before, I am Asher. Nice to meet ya all. Oh, and hi again Tom." Asher grins widely as he looks around at the group, then leans back and relaxes.

[Acco Spoot]

Tom hesitantly stands to the group upon Ashers introduction. Well met, he hails the group, I am Thomas Tiller, Palatinate at Charge for the Sun-Father, Pelor, of the Monastic Houses to the east of Harlskeep. He gives a very formal low bow, Good to see you again too Asher.

[Breitheamh]

The horseman attempts to give the Capal-li traditional salute (feet firmly planted, right hand touched lightly to the throat before coming to rest clasped in the left hand at the waist) to each of his companions. When it is his turn he stands uncomfortably, knowing he probably won't get the same treatment.

"I am Silgar of Capall tribe," he says in as strong a voice as he can muster in the awkwardness of his new situation.

[savacli]

Oliver stands to present himself to the group, crossing his arm across his chest and heart.

"I am Oliver Shieldheart, a traveler dedicated to the cause of the Lord of the roads. I claim home to none but instead to the open roads that my patron guides me to."

He turns to Silgar recognizing him from before.

"It is good to see you again, Warrior."

[Breitheamh]

"I am good to see you twice also," Silgar says, smiling to see even a remote sense of familiarity.

[Acco Spoot]

Tom nods, a sign of respect to each of his new allies, there is a little hesitant fidgeting as he faces the horseman, but his manners are well regardless. You are both nomads then? He inquires toward both Oliver and Silgar.

[savacli]

Olivers frowns slightly at Tom for his word choice.

"I prefer the title of Traveler as it better reflects one of the domains my patron reigns over. But yes, I follow similar patterns and behaviors of that of a nomad." shrugging at the last statement.

Oliver continues, "I met Silgar just for a moment before my audience with the Father." Oliver turns to Tom and then to Isaac, "It is quite the honor to be traveling with champions of the Shining One. May he brighten the days of our adventures to come."

[Breitheamh]

"I am nomad," Silgar says confidently, smiling at his new vocabulary.

[gremlin-pult]

Asher follows the exchange between the three men, then bursts into laughter."Oh, you guys are interesting. I think this is going to be fun" He rolls on the ground, grasping his stomach, while trying to catch his breath between laughs "Sor...hahaha....sorry, but you guys...pfffhaahaha... you're so wonderfully serious."
After a few seconds, Asher lies still, sucking in deep breaths, smiling like a child. He then staggers to his feet, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes "Hooo, I needed that. no offense meant, friends. sometimes i just find something funny"

[Acco Spoot]

Ah, I see, please forgive my rudeness, the magisters under which I trained put little legal distinction between the two. It is a good omen then that our journey will be most fortunately blessed. He smiles, hoping to have avoided the faux pas.
Just as it is an honour to have good hearted allies, through each of us his light shines that we may deliver it unto those who suffer under darkest threats. He held up his hand and made a simple gesture of blessing. Though I believe instead that Brother Isaac is champion of Saint Cuthbert of the Cudgel? I have not inquired as to Asher and Silgar, but it is of good stead, none the less, that we have captivated the attention of the great pantheon.

[savacli]

Oliver looks over to Asher before continuing with Tom, enjoying seeing such a child-hearted ally.

"St. Cuthbert? I cannot say that I regularly run into his followers." taking a quick peek towards Isaac's weapon, "I saw the mace and with us being in such a town devoted to Pelor I was lead to the assumption. Tom, you do bring to attention a matter of importance. Is there anything note-worthy that we should know of either of you two? Not that my intentions are to be pryful." He gestures to both Asher and Silgar.

[gremlin-pult]

"Huh, might as well be upfront" Asher says "I'm a thief, amongst other things. but before you make assumptions, no I don't steal from anyone I see, and especially not from people I like. Most people think that just because I'm a thief, then I'm an honorless, worthless vagrant. that is not true. I do what i do because I'm good at it, and I take pride in my skills. this can be useful for you, since I'm adept at being silent and unseen. something I have a feeling you guys are not well-versed in. no offense." He looks around, locking eyes with each of them in turn "You guys might look down on me (heh) now that you know what I can do. I don't care about that. But I'm honest, because I don't see a reason to lie to you. So now you know" With that, Asher simply waits, with an uncommonly serious expression

[Acco Spoot]

The Palatinate does not look kindly upon thievery. Tom states with a stern but contemplative look upon his face, his brow furrowed and focused. But I have seen good, honest men, bought weak to the life of a cutpurse and punished in spite of their goodly deeds. I shall not see another unjustly condemned, you would not be here today, I think, had you not the heart and spirit of a good man.

Seems like a good time to use Detect Evil if ever I heard it.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar looks more and more perplexed as the halfling speaks. When Asher finishes, Silgar looks at him in confusion for a few seconds, trying to catch up in his head. He mouths a few words to himself before responding, "I am sorry. You do not "steel?" He pulls his hatchet out of his belt and points to the blade as he says the word, incomprehension apparent on his face.

[gremlin-pult]

Asher looks at Silgar with a crestfallen expression. "Uhhh, yes "steal"..... taking someone elses things without permission. robbing them, you know." He thinks for moment, brows furrowed in concentration, then looks at the others "Can any of you explain it to him?"

[savacli]

Olivers stares out inquisitively toward Silgar before turning to a new dialect, "Ui nomeno ooble throdenilt ekess dout lapir?"

Attemtping Draconic
"Is this tongue more to your comfort?"

[Breitheamh]

Silgar almost looks scared as Oliver spouts out a string completely unrecognizable words. He manages to compose himself to respond to Asher.

"Sean Crione says I should not take not mine things. Is this "steal?" It is good you do not." He gives Asher an embarrassed smile.

Silgar speaks Common, but not very well. He's a tribesman. He'll be able to communicate passably for the most part, I just thought it would be good roleplaying if he was confused on certain words and phrases. Sorry if it's annoying to anyone.

[savacli]

Personally, I think you're adding a wonderful feature to our game. Haha, I was about to ready some Divinations to figure out what the struggle to speak common was all about.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac only half paid attention to the conversations around him, noting names and the banter over religion but saying nothing.

The cleric nodded approval at Asher's honest revelation of the halfling's larcenous past.

The admission of guilt is the first step to redemption, he thought.

He continued to check his mule's saddle, letting the others become acquainted.

Once they were finished and he satisfied with the mule's pack, he cleared his throat for their attention.

"Well then, I trust you are all suitably introduced now? Good," he says, not waiting for a response.

"I have nominally been placed in charge of this expedition, but it is a sin of Pride to not defer where a certain skill set is required."

He pointed at each of them in turn, addressing their role as he proscribed it. He addresses the paladin first.

Sir Thomas, the Lord of Dawn has blessed you with the power to sense evil, no matter how it may veil itself. If our sources are correct, the culprits behind these foul deeds will not make themselves known. The Good and Just have nothing to fear from us, so suspect everyone."

He points next at Asher, the (as far as he knows) penitent halfling.

"Master Asher, on your road to redemption, you will face temptation, but you will also encounter opportunities to use your , let us say, questionable skills to save lives. Sir Thomas, this halfling is in my care, and his actions are my to answer for. So kindly cease with your judgement of him."

He next gestures at Silgar.

"Master Silgar, I am also tasked with teaching you the ways of civilization. My first lesson is thus: those who do not understand you may fear or hate you, but through actions and good works they may come to recognize your worth. I trust you are a capable man at woodcraft. While I am teaching you the ways of the city, may perhaps you can enlighten us on the ways of the wild man. Our quest may take us out of doors and your will become invaluable."

Finally, Oliver is addressed.

"Brother Oliver, as a priest of the Lord of Roads, I beseech you ask blessing from your god. Fharlanghn and St. Cuthbert both are Gods of duty, though we define it differently. No wicked can stand a chance against us!"

Without thinking of actually defining their mission or even really giving good directions for their location, the cleric mounts his mule and begins to ride toward Jannisthorp.

I think I my rename Issac Brother Exposition.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar nods at Isaac, trying to fake a sense of confidence and determination. He got the basic gist of his role in the group, but plenty of it went right over his head.

He easily and gracefully steps into the saddle on Reathai and pats the horse's neck, who begins walking at a respectful distance behind Isaac on the left.

[Acco Spoot]

Yes Brother Isaac, my apologies, I will perform my duties as instructed. Realising his pensive stance Tom quickly returns to ease. At commencement he picks up his equipment, the knapsack with his survival equipment, shield, spear and mace all tucked along his back, he quickly follows just behind Isaac.

[gremlin-pult]

Asher smiles as the groups readies to leave. That went easier than expected he thinks, and then jumps into the saddle of his mule, and kicks it into gear. As they move out, he starts whistling a tune, then breaks into song

"A-rovin-do, a-rovin-do, I will go a-rovin-do
The wind may blow, and the snow may snow
But I will go a-rovin'.... "

Merrily he goes on, while following the others.

[savacli]

This is it; the adventure is finally starting! Today marks the day that I - Oliver thinks to himself only to realize he is starting to fall behind the group during his moments of thought.

Shouting at a distance, "I'll be right there!"

Oliver focuses on the wooden disk hanging from his neck as he weaves precise symbols with one hand building a golden energy around it as he commands, "Xurwk ve qeelak!" Immediately, the golden energy jumps to his feet, quickening his movements as he moves to catch up with the rest of the group.

I cast Longstrider

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"We must be wary of ambush," Isaac says, presuming someone us listening. "Very good, young Asher (who likely is older than Isaac, but it is easier to patronize those younger than you), appear nonchalant so as to draw out would-be attackers!"

[Amanil]

I go to work for one day and you all start off without me! :smalltongue:
You sense one evil aura within the church - in the confessional. You can hear a quiet conversation from inside it. Asher and the rest of the group are not evil. You're fine with keeping up with the group, the mules move at the same speed as you.
Just a reminder, seem my previous post about making sure you pick up someone from Jannisthorp (the person who brought Father Quintus the message).
The group is moving at 30' (the speed of a mule), so you don't need to cast Longstrider to keep up if you don't want to.
For your interest, the group is moving at 30' - slower than you're used to by a reasonable margin, but it won't get frustrating until you're out of the town at least.
Just a reminder - as you're riding the mule instead of dragging it along behind you you'll be using Ride rather than Handle Animal (which is good for you). If combat starts, the mule won't bolt (unlike a pony) but you won't be able to get it to do much of your bidding (essentially, it'll lock down in place unless you make DC20 ride checks, which take move actions). Your call whether to stay on or get off.

[redzimmer]

Issac

[ooc: oops]

"Before we depart, we will be adding another member to our party."

[Acco Spoot]

Tom reflects upon the lingering aura he felt within the church, presuming it came from beyond the veiled confidence of the confessionals it was probably the due remit of forgiveness offered under the protection of Cuthbert, a shady merchant perhaps or a repenting soul begging forgiveness for a transgression of passion.
In any case, a matter for the magisters to preside over, his concern lay not in secular law, his is with the desecrations of the spirit, the invocations of evil gods and blackening of the mind through indulging in dark thoughts.

(OOC: I was a little concerned there about using Detect Evil, I know in the meta we're not gonna have full blown evil members in the party, but I felt IC Tom would have liked a little assurance having met the rest of the party :P )

[savacli]

I cast the spell as more of a flavor thing to emphasize the fact that Oliver Easily gets distracted. It was a domain spell so at most I lost out on a cast of Sanctuary later on. A whole level 1 sanctuary haha.

[Amanil]

You think I'd put an evil character in with the party that I put a Paladin in? :smalltongue:
Works for me. Just to be clear, you still have to prepare your domain spell in advance - i.e. pick between Longstrider and Sanctuary every morning. You also can't spontaneously convert your domain spell into a Cure Whatever Wounds.
Want me to fast-forward the group to the Church of Pelor?

[savacli]

That I remember reading about. I had LS slotted for today since Sanctuary isn't at all too useful to me yet since it'll only last me for one round. And I burned LS so early in the day since I knew I can't use it for spontaneous casting.

My Spells for today, in case you need 'em are:
0 Create Water
0 Detect Posion
0 Purify Food and Drink

1 Bless x2
1 Longstrider*

Sorry, If I'm coming off as arrogant, I'm just trying to figure out your play preferences.

[gremlin-pult]

Ah, sure. I mostly got the mule because Asher is a smidgen puny and cannot carry much gear. My original idea was that he walked alongside it, but then i remembered that all the others are of the abnormally tall races, and that I would have an easier time keeping up if was on the mule as well

[redzimmer]

Issac

Issac arrives at the Pelor-run shelter and asks an administrator to direct him to the traveller from Jannisthorpe.

"This person is the one who petitioned our church to look into this matter. He or she hopefully can provide some insight. At the very least, the direct of Jannisthorpe."

[Amanil]

Compared to the imposing church of St. Cuthbert, that of Pelor was much more inviting. Made of warm sandstone and with large, stained glass windows letting light flood into its interior, everything about it was simply "brighter".

Tom knew the location of the shelter, having been there some hours before, but at this time of day it was relatively empty. Many of those who normally occupied the bunk-beds were out in a field near the town, carrying out some manual work in exchange for their lodgings. The church of Pelor was charitable to the highest degree, but those able-bodied were expected to pay their due such that the ill and infirm could rest.

The shelter had a sectioned off area for missionaries, pilgrims, and other travellers of a religious nature seeking shelter. This partition was where the group were directed to by an acolyte wearing a warm, brown robe with some sort of golden fibre threaded into its seams.

Three occupants rested here, an elderly man and his aide, and a halfling. The halfling sprung off his cot as the group entered, eyes drawn to Isaac's holy symbol.

"You the lot Quintus got together? I'll get my things." He asked, already pulling on boots and packing up a few possessions into a backpack, evidently eager to be off.

For a halfling, this man is clearly in the prime of his life - strong and agile, he's taller than most halflings you know, and with much broader shoulders.

[Acco Spoot]

Oh, would you like some help sir? Tom leans in, fulfilling his charitable duties, Or perhaps I can help carry some things?

[redzimmer]

Issac

"Yes. We are the 'lot' appointed by his Holy Father to assist your town," Issac says with mild annoyance. "I am Brother Issac."

He waits for his... employees? Associates? Co-workers? to introduce themselves.

[savacli]

"So it is a town that the quest is purposed for?" He asks towards Isaac before looking to halfing. "Greetings, I am Oliver. It is always a blessing to welcome another addition to a group."

[redzimmer]

Issac

"My error, Brother Oliver, I had thought we had briefed you on our mission," said Issac with a respectful nod.

"We are to investigate disappearances of people in the community of Jannisthorpe. Speculation is that wicked cultists are responsible for these. If that is so, it is Dark tidings indeed."

[Acco Spoot]

Tom shoots upright at the mention of cultists, the vile seed of which much evil and hatred took root and blocked Pelor's light, he feels the sickening wretched bile fester at the base of his throat and the cresting tide of seething settle at the front of his head. Brother Isaac, forgive my impudence, but is there any further information on perhaps which cult we may be dealing with? Tom stops to calm himself, stopping the shuddering tic in his hands, assuring himself of Pelors surrounding light and the damage done to evil forces by the simplicity of good, charitable deeds.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

[ooc: I have been misspelling my name since inception. It should be 1 's', 2 'a', not other way around. Silly cleric.]

"It is best I not raise speculation until we are on the road. I do not desire to start a panic."

He leans in and speak to the Holy Warrior in a low voice.

It is our fear that the Maimed God, Cursed Be His Name, has a hand in these evil deeds.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar, who had stayed outside with the animals to let them munch on a handful of feed each, pads lightly into the room and stands uncomfortably behind the group while Isaac whispers to Tom.

"Leader Brother Isaac," he begins timidly. "I am sorry. Tacul and Ladir do not like tying. I can free them if this is needed."

[Amanil]

You can read the spoiler in redzimmer's last post.
You hear Isaac fine.
The halfling accepts Tom's help in packing up the few possessions he had with him, his eagerness to get moving very evident.

"Brother Isaac, Brother Oliver, and Brother...?" he looks at Tom. "I'm Skip, I guess anything else can wait until we're on the way to Jannisthorp. Can't stand this town, we ready to go? My pony's tied up outside."

You note that the halfling has a shortsword at his belt.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac starts at the address from Silgar and takes a moment to try and decipher the question.

"Tacul and...Ladir? What are you on about man?" He waved him off absently.

"Yes, yes, whatever you think is best."

Things were definitely not going according to schedule so far. This halfling Skip now seemed to think he was the expedition leader, and this wildman was going on about... Saint Cuthbert only knew.

At least he seemed to have a rapport with the pack animals, that would keep them in line at least.

He then sought out the shelter's prelate to settle Skip's lodging fee. He was a charge of St. Cuthbert after all, and thus Isaac's responsibility.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar cheerfully heads back outside and unties one of the mules, hopping into the saddle and urging the creature into a light trot up the road a ways before circling back and then untying the other one to do the same. When he comes back the second time, he leaves both mules untied and mounts Reathai, ordering the two smaller beasts to follow him.

Wild Empathy on each mule [roll0]
[roll1]
Handle Animal if taking 10 for 13 on each attempt to get the mules to "heel" is not allowed
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Acco Spoot]

Tom snapped out of his meditative haze and continued to aid the Halfling. Oh, me? Tom- Tiller, Palatinate at Charge. He repeated the name and title he had given already wearily many times today, That's a fine armament, let's hope we shant need it today, aye? He pointed to the halflings belt, leaving his statement lingering as a probing inquiry to glean something or another about the state in Jannisthorpe.

Hoping I left that open enough to act as a Gather Information check...

[roll0]

EDIT: Wanted to ask also, is it that uncommon in this place that a person might be armed?

[gremlin-pult]

Asher chuckles lightly, then stretches his hand to Skip. "Good to know that there will be another of the good folk with us on this trip. It's always nice to have someone you can see "eye to eye" with. I'm Asher Skulldugger"

Asher leans in closer to Skip, and whispers "Way I see it, we'll be needing more'n one Halflings quick wit on this mission. These tall folk are, after all, oft times a bit slow on the uptake. not their fault of course. I think its 'cause of their height, less air up there" Asher whispers this in a light tone, clearly meaning it as a joke

[Amanil]

Cross off two copper.
I'm fine with taking 10 on Handle Animal checks outside of combat if the animals aren't wounded. Mules are medium size, so Silgar cannot ride them but I'm fine with him leading them around.
The average person is not armed. Travellers often carry some sort of weaponry with them. Town guard often carry spears, some a longsword, and most a sap. You know that some places will require a "peace bond" - essentially a seal applied to your weapons that makes drawing them awkward and detectable. Harlskeep doesn't seem to have that in place.
"Tommy, Olly and Zac." Skip nods on the way out of the door. "Ta for footing the bill, Zaccy."

Skip shrugs at Tom's enquiry. "Good enough for sticking goblins, not that they come this close."

He shares a laugh with Asher. "Alskip Brambleheel, if we're using full names."

Skip talks quietly back to Asher. "Bit stuck up, are they? Well, it's only two days 'till Jannisthorp."
Once outside he preps his pony and mounts up.

Skip's pony is a fine specimen, and looks in exceptional health. It would make an ideal mount for a chief's daughter, until she is able to ride a full-sized beast.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Inwardly Isaac prays for strength and patience to travel with two halflings at once, and one of them quite irreverent as well. Returning to his tied mount, he sees Silgar untying it and running it up and down the roadway.

"Blast it man, we have no time for shenanigans! Lives are at stake!"

[Breitheamh]

When Silgar returns with the mules in tow he hums a cheerful melody as he hands the reins over to their respective riders. He starts to approach the gorgeous pony standing smartly at the ready near the new companion, but then Isaac starts yelling at him, and his face falls.

He looks mortified as he tries to explain, "I am sorry. I think you said this is best."

He looks around in fear, trying to find a friendly face. What had he done?

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Embarrassed by his outburst, Isaac adopts a reassuring tone to calm the poor savage.

"There There good fellow, no harm done! We... let us be off then. Right."

[savacli]

As the group moves forward again Oliver catches up to Silgar and rests his hand on his shoulder speaking as basic as he is familiar with.

"I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about things, Silgar. From what I can see there is a lot that you are trying to learn about us. Though, we also wish to learn from you." he states with a brightness to his face.

"All of us in this group are here on purpose, and that means you too are important to the group even if it doesn't feel like it right now. Just be the best Silgar that you can be." he continues hoping to not confuse him any further.

[gremlin-pult]

Asher watches the spectacle between the others, barely able to contain his laughter. when he finally regains control of himself, he looks to the sky.
Olidammara, you old rogue, thank you for bringing me into the company of these lunatics. He thinks happily they're several tavern tales waiting to happen. I can't wait for this to play out. It'll be hilarious

[Amanil]

With Skip making sure to lead the way through town - his smaller animal is easier able to slip between the merchant's wagons and the occasional crowds than Silgar's horse, and more nimble than the train of pack animals - the group soon arrive at the western exit. The guards here seem relatively relaxed, waving people through the fifteen-foot wide archway when there's the occasional traffic issue of two wagons wanting to come through at once.

As you get closer, you hear the sound of horse moving at a fair speed behind you. The guards immediately smarten up, standing straight, and wave you to the side of the road urgently.

Glances behind you show a troop of cavalry maybe some twenty strong, horse and rider alike in relatively heavy barding and armour, closing fast.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac steers his mule out of the way of the incoming military types.

Ill-mannered louts, He thinks.

He waves his associates aside as well. They may be unaware of custom and not know to give military right-of-way.

"Sir Tom, do you see any heraldry on these riders?" It might serve later to report them delaying his mission.

[Amanil]

The riders have no insignia you recognise. Of course, that's likely because you've not really got any knowledge about that sort of thing. Feel free to express this however you like.

[Acco Spoot]

Afraid not Brother, unless it is of the Holy Palatinate or the Magistrate I am at a loss with heraldry I'm afraid. He watched the procession with some awe, an expression of pride upon his face, May Pelor serve them well, if they are needed at such haste!

[Breitheamh]

Silgar thumps his chest once with a fist and gives a whoop as the riders pass, prompting Reathai to whinny excitedly. The soldiers are too shiny, and the metallic *clinks* of their armor and weapons don't sound quite right, but so far it's the closest thing to home that Silgar has seen.

[Amanil]

The mounted troops trot on by and out the gate, heading on up the road to the east. A lightly armed group enters the town before you exit. The guards stop them briefly, pulling one to one side and seeming to ask a few questions. The gate guards then wave you on through.

You notice that one of the guards is better armed and armoured than the rest, and has the symbol of Pelor embossed into his breastplate. He gestured at the singled-out figure and the other guards responded to that. He turns his gaze on your group briefly and nodes prior to the guards waving you through.

[gremlin-pult]

"Well, here goes the first leg of the trip then. Finally I'll get to see other things than this place." Asher looks over at his companions.They're odd ones for sure He muses.But i suppose it'll work out anyway. its always the mis-matched groups that end up working best together anyway.
Asher grins widely, then turns to the other Halfling "So tell me Skip, what's Jannisthorpe like? I mean, when it's not waist deep in kidnappings?"

[Acco Spoot]

Tom curtly nods to the Guards, Pelor's light shines from those who summon it. His anxiousness and excitement is high as he crosses the threshold out of Harlskeep, quietly praying that the journey be blessed.

[Breitheamh]

As the group moves out, Silgar reins in Reathai slightly to speak to Oliver.

"You are verykind, Oliver Shieldheart. I am sorry, why is Leader Brother Isaac anger? This journey is his first time leader?"

[savacli]

"His first time leading I cannot say for certain. Though it looks like Brother Isaac has a certain standard for his form of leadership and how he expects for a group to behave. We are just a little bit different than what he is normally accustomed to would be my guess." Oliver shrugs.

[Breitheamh]

"We are different," Silgar says as he nods seriously. That could not be truer, in his mind.

"You think Leader Brother Isaac is...scary?" He looks at Oliver sideways as he asks the question, clearly hoping it's the right word.

[savacli]

Oliver chuckles, "He is not scary. He may be disciplined to act and lead in certain ways and quicker about it too. He is simply...different, just like all of us."

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"Silgar, you have witchcraft," Isaac shouts, oblivious to any other interactions, "you shall scout ahead and alert us to any danger. There's a good fellow!"

He was pleased with their progress thus far. As long as the savage kept himself focused, the halflings out of mischief and the two misbelievers kept their more... outlandish philosophies to themselves, he saw no way anything could go wrong.


Years later, if asked, he would say that was his first mistake, thinking that.

[Amanil]

The cleric of St. Cuthbert accusing the ranger of witchcraft? Funtimes. :smalltongue:
"Ain't all that much," Skip confesses to Asher. "Much quieter than this racket, though. I don't know how you townies can put up with this din." He kicks his heels into his pony to urge it through the gate. "Normally easy there, mostly livestock farmers. The inn's the place to be, though, lots of fine ales and fine company as it's on the route to Davven, and they all stop there before the next leg of their journey."

You know that Davven is a city about a week's journey to the west. It's significantly larger than Harlskeep.
The guard puts his gauntleted fist over his chest in a salute to Tom. "May His Light watch over you in your travels, friend. Safe journey, there have been reports of bandits on the road."

Once through the gate, the thin layer of buildings constructed outside of the main wall that represent the fact that the town is growing fade away into grassland. The sun is high and Skip seems glad to be back out into the open.

I can fast forward as far as you like, but going to do so in relatively small chunks to encourage conversation. You lot barely know each other, after all. :smallsmile:

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Silgar, you have woodcraft



OOC: Hate autocorrect

[Breitheamh]

Silgar frowns with slight consternation at Oliver's response. He purses his lips, then says, "No, I am sorry. I am not scary of Leader Brother Isaac. Leader Brother Isaac is scary of leader this journey. Yes? Is this right word?"

Before Silgar can hear Oliver's reply, he is jarred by Isaac barking an order his way. "Yes, Leader Brother Isaac," he says, and then pats Reathai's neck, spurring the horse to a light canter to get out in front of the group. He keeps his eyes and ears open, trying to detect any possible danger before it can surprise them.

Spot [roll0]
Listen [roll1]

Oh, I totally have witchcraft, I'm just a really nice witch. :smalltongue:
Also, those rolls suck. That's the one thing that bugs me sometimes about level 1; you're not yet reliable at what you're supposed to be good at.

[Amanil]

Really, d20 systems are such that you're very rarely ever reliable at things you're supposed to be good at. As a side note, unless you're actively looking for something (takes Move actions in combat, for example) then I tend to roll Spot and Listen for you.

Further exposition to unfurl shortly, feel free to continue mocking each other's life choices/religion/height.

[gremlin-pult]

As the group rides down the road, Asher quickly finds himself enthralled by the land around him.

"It's really a very nice day to travel. nice weather, interesting company and pretty scenery. but I can't help but feel that something is missing...... Of course! Music!" Asher clicks his tongue to get his mule to follow the pace of the other animals, and reaches back into his pack. After some rummaging, he pulls out a fiddle, and immediately starts tuning it.

"Now" He whispers with a mischievous grin "Let's see if these tall folk are up for some proper travelling entertainment"
He then starts playing a dainty little tune, matching its tempo to the sound of the hoofbeats of the animals.

[roll0]

[Amanil]

Jannisthorp... it's nothing like that," Skip states, gesturing at the town behind him. "Farmers and shepherds, mostly. Couple of us have settled down there, escapes the hustle and bustle of all this. Dull, mostly, except for the folks travelling through. You get all sorts, and you hear a lot of good stories."

Asher's rendition of The Winding Road to Allenton is jaunty and generally a pleasant addition to the summer sun and cool breeze, for those who appreciate that sort of thing, and is only a little off key now and then due to the motion of the mule.

With Silgar riding slightly ahead of the rest he's able to keep an eye out, but sees nothing which may be cause of alarm other than the occasional other group of travellers. Some are merchants, with heavy wagons that you overtake relatively easily. Overall you would count them as "well-guarded", sporting perhaps a half-dozen armed warriors accompanying them. Some groups are less visibly armed, but make up for it with numbers - a procession of around thirty common-folk all following a handful of obviously religious party leaders, or a train of horse-drawn carts lightly laden with clothing, tools, and other goods that may be needed on a farm.

The early afternoon passes peacefully enough, the rolling countryside of the area around Harlskeep occasionally dotted with a farm visible in the distance. It isn't too long before the road is bordered by light forest, and the occasional bit of shade from a tree close to the road is a welcome respite.

Nothing in particular has happened to cause me to stop here, but I figure it's a natural break point in case you want to do anything else. Sorry for the delay in writing this, manic couple of days at work.

[Acco Spoot]

Tom taps along to the tune of the Halfling folk song, it reminds him of those songs he heard from the windows of the Monastic houses, though it had a more upbeat rhythm and faster tempo.
Say Asher, do you perchance know the Chorus of the Harvest Eve? It was a favourite of his, the dance tune sung at the harvest festivities where the Monastery would break cloister and celebrate the feasting and jovial spirit of harvest time with the village labourers.

[savacli]

While making sure to keep up with the pace of the group Oliver looks through his pack and retrieves a stack of parchment bound together with string and leather bouncing his eyes from the trees to his notes from him travels.

Fruit producing? Can the bark be used for medicene? Are the leaves known to produce toxins?

Oliver continues to shift from page to page while slightly bobbing his head side to side from the music only to hear Tom make known his request. Without looking up from his notes he comments,

"Ha! If this continues, Asher, you might as well pull out a hat and see how much coin you can fill in it by the time we reach the lands of Jannisthorp."

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Walking his mule to conserve the Brady's strength, the cleric grimly presses on, mildly annoyed by the hauntings of his irreverent companions.

Do they not appreciate the gravity of our mission? he fumes.

Without a word he presses on, trying to not be distracted.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar "scouts" cheerfully ahead. He takes care to notice anything unusual, but his spirit is light with the music coming from Ahser's fiddle. He pats his horse's flank and hums a repeat of the tune to himself, though he could't carry it in a bucket.

[gremlin-pult]

Smiling widely at the compliments, Asher Looks to Tom.

"Ha, 'course I know the harvest Eve. Mind you, I havent played it in years, so I might be a bit rusty. But as my uncle always says "Lifes a party, filled with music. And if its not, turn it into one". Lessee if I can remember the chords..."

Adjusting the Fiddle, Asher flows from the Winding road to Allenton over into the Chorus of the Harvest eve, Picking up the pace of the tune.

I take 10 on the second perform check, giving me a result of 13. we want the music to be decent, after all

[Amanil]

Asher's playing is somewhat out of tune, but generally a nice addition to the otherwise tiresome road.

Ahead, Silgar spots a group of armed and armoured men off to one side of the road. They spot you at a similar time and a number of them seem to stop what they're doing and stand to attention.

That means really straight.
They're partially concealed by the now slightly thicker vegetation, but you'd estimate that there are upwards of a dozen of them.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar tightens his knees slightly, pulling Reathai to a halt. He tries to get a sense for the behavior of the men before him, then turns his horse and canters back to the group.

"Leader Brother Isaac," he says, thumping his chest with his right hand. "Men are on road and in grass. More of ten."

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac nods and tries his best to be nonchalant, and rides back to warn the others.

[roll0]
:sigh:
I might as well wear a sign "I am being nonchalant!!!!"

"We are approaching armed riders. These mules won't serve as battle mounts, so if they are belligerent, we shall be at a disadvantage," he says in a low voice.

"Asher, keep playing, let them not know we are on guard. The rest of you, prepare yourselves."

[savacli]

Oliver stares at Isaac in amazement, almost in shock at how obvious he is making the group stand out to the others. For a supposed squad leader, you do not at all seem to know how to be casual when relaying a message. You are taunting them, right? It is all part of a plan? He thinks to himself as if waiting for a cast of prestidigitation to make sense of the whole scene.

Being the only one on foot, Oliver weaves through the group loosening his shield strap ready to move it to his arm as he attempts to place himself in between the spotted men and his mounted comrades

[gremlin-pult]

Asher just shrugs at the order, and continues playing.
"If music can make a barfight better, I s'pose the same principle could work here" He replies with a smile, But the slight pitch in his voice betrays that he is more nervous than he lets on.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar nods and ties his sack to Reathai's saddle, keeping his hands free to do what is needed.

[Acco Spoot]

Without hesitation Tom drew out his spear from its place, took the leather cap hung around its haft and hid his mop of ginger hair. Pelor, give us your light to witness honesty, reveal to us your gilded path. He kissed the face of his symbol and held it anxiously before him, combat made him nervous, though he was formally trained in the art there had been little practice outside the Magisters office, he had witnessed his tutor Artemis marshall for convicts before and hoped the same anxious he felt was akin to the great deacon.

Detect Evil wouldn't go amiss I guess.

[Amanil]

The evident tensing of the group put the band in front at slight unease - one of those standing called to a few of those seated, who reached for their weapons and stood as well.

"Hail, travellers!" one calls out, cautiously. Now that you're closer you can see that they're primarily armed with spears, and armoured in studded leather. They have a few mounts, but none are currently riding them.

One of the men still sitting down has a tainted soul.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"Stand down, sir, we are emissaries the church on a mission of dire import," Isaac says in his usual holier-than-thou tone.

Hand firmly clasping his holy symbol, he walks determinedly towards and around the horsemen.

[gremlin-pult]

As he watches Isaac lord it over the other group, Asher calmly places the fiddle back in his pack, then turns to watch the situation unfold, one hand placed casually on the sling winded around his belt. Hm, hope this doesn't turn into a fight. I'd rather wrestle a few pints than tall folk. And oh gosh, those spears look deadly.... He thinks, chuckling inside at what he recognizes as slowly mounting panic.
Steady old son He chastises himself. You wanted adventure. Well, you've got it. now take it like a kick in the teeth. with a big, friggin laugh.
He looks nervously at the others out the corners of his eyes, wondering if they're feeling fidgety as well.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar slides his bow out of its tube, nervously applying some wax to its string and looking cautiously for reassurance from his companions as the situation unfolds.

[Amanil]

People keep referencing "horsemen". I feel like I should make it explicitly clear: there are a only a few horses in the group, and they are not currently being ridden.
The man who spoke out gestures further down the road.

"Far be it from us to stand in the way of Cuthbert," he says, a slight tone of derision possibly in his voice. "On your way."

[Acco Spoot]

Tom walks over to one of the seated men, he has a look of quiet fury on his face as he approaches. What deed have you done? It's no use hiding it, I can smell it, see it, hear it, your soul, it reeks of it. Reveal yourself! So that you might be properly judged! His hand wraps around his spear, his shield swung round to his chest and leg brought back into an aggressive stance.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Sighing, Isaac grabs his mace and shield and stands near Tom as to prevent his being surrounded.

A holy knight's insight is irrefutable, Saint Cuthbert grant me strength.

Italic Blue is Isaac thinking, so cannot be heard.


"Non-italicized Blue is dialogue," Isaac said, picking his teeth with his thumbnail.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar is taken aback by Tom's aggression and looks desperately toward Oliver, hoping that his more even-keeled new friend can try to defuse the situation. His knees tighten around Reathai, and the horse tenses his legs, preparing to run.

[savacli]

Witnessing the conversation between the man and Tom, Oliver's mind quickly processes the dialogue.

Spontaneous accusation? Tom? Judgement?...that man is tainted with wickedness

From the corner of his eye he spots Silgar looking towards his direction, puzzled, as if he's completely confused by the outbreak. Oliver turns to face Silgar, whispering to him

"Tom is special; bad people cannot hide from him for despite how they may look on the outside our friend can see the evil in their hearts."

[gremlin-pult]

Ashers sigh of relief is cut short by Toms actions, and he looks at him in stunned silence for a second, before finding his voice.

"Ahh, crap....." He exclaims, as he sees the promise of a pleasant journey disappearing into the air.
Loosening his sling into his hand, he starts climbing down from his mule, while his head is buzzing with different ideas on how to avoid an untimely, and likely unpleasant demise.

[Amanil]

The man Tom approaches practically falls back off of the log he'd been enjoying a seat on. He stammers a little as he tries to stand up. "I... I don-... w-what-..."

The one who addressed the group seems unfazed, however. "'ere, piss off!" he says as he realises what's happening, gesturing towards Tom with his head to the men next to him. He closes the distance mostly, and is clearly sizing Tom - and the rest of the group - up. All of the others seated - who, now that you're closer, bring the group's number up to fourteen all told - stand and reach for weapons, but they make no otherwise aggressive act.

"We don't want any trouble. On your way," the evident leader repeats.

[Acco Spoot]

I have no quarrel with your company and I shall cause you no trouble. Tom assures the gang leader, with a glint of authority in his voice, he does not waiver in pitch nor surrender to the anxiousness and self doubt rising his gullet, One amongst your fellows, however, has bargained with his soul, that which is expressly property of the divine, and in doing so has brought upon you a curse, the court of the righteous will continue to bring their unrest down upon him and you, his company, for all time until he prostrates before the pantheon... his confidence swelling like a sail catching the wind, he turns once more to point his weapon down at the squirming worm of a figure. Confess worm! what worthless bargain did the infernal court make with you!?

[savacli]

Oliver moves towards Tom and stands at his side, placing his hand on Tom's shoulder.

"Take a moment and breathe in the air, Brother. I understand that you see him as tainted, but I have seen many good men cursed with such a stench simply because they had a moment's lapse of clear thought. I fully agree that this man deserves judgement for any harmful acts he is committing, but he may just be walking down the road of guilt for an act of foolishness from his earlier days."

Oliver turns towards the man being questioned.
"Tell us, are you friend or foe?"

[Amanil]

The man on the ground finally finds his feet, and stands defensively. He looks to the group's leader imploringly, but otherwise remains quiet.

"It's no business of yours, far as I can tell." The man addressing Tom is probably middle-aged, and his equipment is of noticeably better quality than most of the others - his light armour fits him well, and he still seems confident despite Tom's rather zealous outburst. "Unless you have anything else you'd like to yell at him, I think you should be leaving." He looks to Oliver now, seeing that the man apparently has some reason about him. "Cool your friend, friend, lest he find his temper gets the better of him."

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Putting a calming hand on Tom shoulder, Isaac speaks to the paladin.

"Pelor grants you insight into men's souls, Holy Brother, but it is for the magisters of the land to mete out justice. By His will and St. Cuthbert I ask you stand down."

He looks at the leader of the men (of whom only a few of them have horses).

"We seek cultists who are behind the disappearance and possible murder of children, good sir, I trust you will vouchsafe you and your men know nothing of such things. Now as I said, we have business and cannot be delayed."

He watches the one Tom accosted for any reaction.

[roll0] Oooh! Let those +2 bonuses roll!

"If this comes to blows, none of us will leave unscathed, and investigations will likely follow. I will take my charges and go, if you will do likewise."

Issac pointed returns his mace to his hip, but does not relinquish his grip on his holy symbol.

[Acco Spoot]

"Pelor grants us his all encompassing light, it touches the hills far at one end, and the river valley at the other, you know what this means child? It means confrontation is not the only option Pelor grants us, as far as his light shines is as far as our compassion and our restraint must also spread." Tom recalled the lesson he had been taught many harvests before from the wizened Deacon, and suddenly he felt the restraint of his companions on his shoulders, the growing ugliness of the situation and, begrudgingly in spite of the ugly sensation he could still feel radiating off the vile thug, loosened the grip on his spear.
Some day you'll have to answer to a power far greater than mortal instruments, pray that he too shows mercy upon you. Tom attempts to calm himself, he battles against the deluge of anger and bile bought flooding up by the encounter, steadying his hands and pushing anxiety to the idle back of his mind that he can still ruminate upon his errors during his meditations. Pelor forgive my eagerness. He quietly prays into his symbol.

[Breitheamh]

Upon hearing of Tom's ability, and seeing the zealot's behavior in light of it, Silgar's clutches his hand over his heart. His eyes widen as he recalls the time he knocked over the Elders' tent of meeting and let his friend take all the punishment.

[Amanil]

The target of Tom's righteousness, who'd been backing away slowly, manages to trip over a discarded cloak and falls to the ground once more. The spokesperson seems content that Tom's anger was kept in check, and gestures down the road with his spear. "I know nothing of missing children. The road is long, best be on your way."

There's no obvious reaction from the man.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"We will carry on then," Isaac says, looking to his companions. he makes a mental note to pass on the sinner's description to the local magistrate when the cultist issue is resolved.

[Acco Spoot]

Once the party is clear of ear-shot from the crowd Tom nears Brother Isaac with his tail between his legs, Brother Isaac, I apologise, I have no excuse for not first informing you the observations of my divine sight, I shall strive wholly to do better.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"Pelor, Radiant be His name, grants you the gift to see within mens' soul, Sit Tom," Isaac says in a tone he hopes is reassuring.

"If He felt you had done wrong, you would quickly know His displeasure, I warrant."

[Acco Spoot]

Aye, I have faith that Pelor has laid out a dutiful and responsible path for me, and I am willingly servant to his whims. But I do not wish to sacrifice the mortal ties that bind my duty to this world, else I am just a failure as a member of the Palatinate court as if I were to toy with heresy. Tom lets out a deep breath, summons up a narrow smile and gets on his feet to continue. Thank you for your forgiveness Brother Isaac, shall we onwards to continue?

[Breitheamh]

Silgar observes the exchange between the two zealots with fear and wonder. When the group continues, he pointedly keeps his bow at the ready, cautious of the danger his new companions seem determined to find. The cheerful scouting ends, the wary reconnaissance begins.

[gremlin-pult]

"Soooo......" Asher drawls, as the situation seems to be diverted once more. "This something that you do often, Tom? Provoking larger groups of armed ruffians, I mean. Or was this something special?" He grins widely, putting his sling back in his belt. "Not that I mind, of course. It was all very interesting. but perhaps a bit of warning next time, yeah?"

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"In the execution of duty, it can seem the forces against are overwhelming, Penitent Asher," says Isaac, completely oblivious to the building's sarcasm, "but take heart knowing Righteousness is on our side! With it, we cannot truly be defeated!"

Satisfied he is giving good advice all around, Isaac begins his March anew.

[savacli]

Oliver reaches for his stack of parchments once more from his pack upon hearing Asher's question flipping through the pages to see if had come across those like Tom before. Upon looking through his scribbles he finds a few analects that he saw adorned on the walls of a temple to Heironeous. He turns his parchments to Asher hoping it would provide insight on the virtues of a holy warrior such as Tom:

-Protect and defend the innocent, those who cannot defend themselves.
-Suffer no evil, no matter what form it takes.
-Walk the path of light, that others might follow you; oppose those who walk the path of darkness.

[gremlin-pult]

"Ah, I see" Asher says, keeping his expression suspiciously blank. "Thank you Tom, that is very... enlightening"

As they continue on, He can barely control his sniggers. No, bad halfling. Must...not...laugh at ridiculously naive servants of the church. He continues on in silence, broken only occasionally by small suppressed giggles. Whenever someone looks at him though, Asher's face is the picture of blank innocence.

[Amanil]

Skip, amused by the events, shares a laugh with Asher. "Bigfolk sure know how to get themselves in trouble. Best keep an eye on him, before he goes and challenges the nearest fire giant to a duel."

The group make quick progress, moving on from the confrontation. The road stretches onwards, slightly less well maintained than that near Harlskeep but still in generally good repair. A short while later, they pass a small shrine by the roadside. Skip touches his brow and adds a coin to the donation box.

You recognise the symbol above the shrine as that of Fharlanghn, god of roads and travel.
This sort of shrine is incredibly common among your community. Clergy who aren't actively wandering will often adopt a stretch of road and maintain it, using the funds within to help cover costs of materials.

Though you have no such adopted stretch yourself, you know that the system is run almost entirely on donations (essentially a charity). Many of the more established shrines are holy ground, and it's said Fharlanghn watches over those who contribute.

Rather than just being "fluff" there are some mechanics involved.

[gremlin-pult]

"Well, we did have a safe trip, despite attempts to make it otherwise" Asher quips with a grin and a sidelong glance at Tom, before slipping a coin in the donation box.

Asher puts a silver coin in the box

[Amanil]

Anyone else?
What coin? Update your character sheet as relevant.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac nods deferentially at the shrine as they pass. It was considered poor form to disrespect other gods, save perhaps the contemptible dark powers.

Isaac taps his mace superstitiously at the mere thought of wickedness.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar looks back for a moment, noticing everyone stopping to pay their respects, and turns Reathai back to the group. "Why is this?" he asks.

[savacli]

To my Brother who had taken these roads as his own I pray for a blessed and fortuned life for responding to such a noble cause. Take these donations and help make this path a sanctuary for all travelers alike. May they be aware of the Protector who keeps the path straight and guarded.

Oliver rises from his prayer noticing that the group is starting to advance once more. Before parting and joining the rest Oliver drops 3 gold in the donation box praying that good works will unfold from the funds he and his companions have left.

[Acco Spoot]

Tom tips his head in respectful praise of a noble patron of the pantheon. He holds dear his respect for those who share an ounce of good in this world, and drops five gold pieces into the bucket. Do good with it. He prays. rushing off to catch his companions.

[Amanil]

As time rolls on, the road leaves the woods to open farmland once more. The sun still has a good few hours of sunlight left in it - as is the way of the long summer days - but it is evident that your mounts are wearying of the long, warm day.

Skip leads his pony over to the river now running parallel with the road to the right - some twenty yards to the bank - such that it might rest a moment and drink its fill. He hops down and refills his waterskin, striking up idle conversation as he does so.

"So what's the plan? Stop at the common camp coming up shortly, or push on such that we arrive earlier at Jannisthorp tomorrow?"

[savacli]

"My vote will be to stay and make camp. Without truly know what we may be up against we would benefit most by being at strength rather than weary from the travel."

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"I agree, for the sake of fairness we should draw lots to determine the order of the watch. Master Skip shall be exempt, as he is in our charge."

[Acco Spoot]

Brother Isaac, I will gladly volunteer for first watch. Tom exclaimed stepping forwards valiantly, I am compelled to offer my duty to forgo my earlier shame. He offers a sorrowful look to Asher, whose jabs had slowly aided in generating this guilt.

[Breitheamh]

"I am awaking for the two watching," Silgar volunteers, giving a sideways glance toward the eager zealot who'd nearly gotten them all killed recently. He was careful to avert his gaze quickly, however, as to avoid Tom's piercing his soul with his divine power.

[gremlin-pult]

"Guess I'll take the third watch then." Asher says, shrugging. "The late hours are the most peaceful ones for stargazing anyways"

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"I have no need to prepare new spells in the morn, so I shall take second watch as well."

1d20=2

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"I have no need to prepare new spells in the morn, so I shall take second watch as well."

[roll0]

[Amanil]

Skip looks a little indignant for a moment but shrugs. "More sleep for me," He remounts, and moves back to the road. An hour or so later Skip gestures at a clear field appearing around the hillside.

"That's the usual stop-off. Strength in numbers, keeps animals and most ne'er-do-wells away. Most."

The field has a few figures visible in it, and a handful of horses and carts. A few tents have already been pitched, with others setting up as well.

"The rates might be a bit steep with this many mounts, but the other option makes us the easier target. We staying here?"

[redzimmer]

Isaac

"It will do us no good fighting every brigand and wild beat between here and our destination," Isaac says without any consultation with the group.

"The church shall pay this fee."

[Amanil]

"Works for me. Keep a blade under your pillows, though, okay?" the halfling warns as they approach the field.

A boy is sitting on the dry stone wall, munching on a hunk of cheese. As you draw near he brushes the crumbs from his lap and hops down.

"Two silvah f'reach group, one silvah f'reach 'orse'r'wagon'r'cart," he states, almost incoherently, holding out a grubby palm. "Dinner's at sun'own for three coppah each, brecker's at sunnup for two coppah each. 'orses can graze."

[Breitheamh]

The camp, with its tents and horses, gives the young nomad a thrill of excitement, reminding him of home among the Capal-li. He forgets himself for moment, breaking into a lilting voice as he comments to Reathai in his native tongue.

"Reathai, ta se direch cosul e baile! Bhul, ni ndarer, ach ar a laghad ta se cosul. N fhadar ma ta na capalle cardil."

The horse nickers beneath him, rearing back slightly and softly galloping toward some of the other horses. Silgar dismounts and pulls out two handfuls of feed from a saddlebag. He feeds one to Reathai, stroking the tired horse's neck with his wrist, and then offers a nibble to several of the other horses from his other hand.

Wild Empathy
I'll throw 5 rolls; I don't know how many horses there are.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

And I'll let the DM decide if offering food gets me any bonuses. :smalltongue:

[Amanil]

No smart horse would turn its nose up at good food, and all but one (obviously not a smart horse) accept the proffered feed. The horse's owners look at Silgar with some bemusement, but seeing his obviously foreign attire and that his actions do no harm they soon shrug and return to making camp.

You're going to have to tell me what Silgar's saying. :smallwink: Are you using some sort of translator to generate it (if so, can I have a link so that if it comes to it I can use the same translator if I wish to have someone speak Silgar's language)?

[gremlin-pult]

"Hmm. Methinks our outlander is more fluent in horse than in Common" Asher comments with a grin. "Now, there was some mention of food, yes? I'm so starved I could eat an ogre"

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac struggles to decipher the folksy drawl and ensure he is not shortchanged.

Hmmm... five of us, five mounts, five breakfast and five dinner... 1 silver + 5 silver + 1 silver and 5 copper + 1 silver... I'd better keep a rercord of this.

Reluctant to settle the cost until he is sure of the calculations, he finally hands over 9 silver pieces.

"The extra shall be you gratuity, young man," he says, as though offering the boy his own castle.

[Amanil]

The boy positively beams as the money disappears into a coin purse at his waist.

"Thanks, guv'. If'n you's needin' anyfing let me know."

The campground is obviously well-worn - there isn't a significant amount of grass, mostly dry dirt where people are setting up camp. You don't recognise any of the groups, but then again you were the ones passing by the others rather than them passing by you.

So far there are four separate groups setting up camp, mostly small in size. Two appear to be local merchants, one a small assorted band not entirely dissimilar to yourself in variety, and the last appears to be a human family.

Dinner is already being prepared by a middle-aged man by a large cauldron - he bears a striking resemblance to the child at the gate - and the smell of some sort of meat broth certainly draws your attention.

Skip takes a bedroll and tarpaulin out of his pony's saddlebags, setting the tarp up as a windbreak and sheltering his bedroll behind it. "Not going to rain tonight, don't know why these folks bother spending so long setting tents up. Only going to have to take them down again," he observes.

[Acco Spoot]

Tom takes a thick candle from his knapsack, he has been biting at his lip with burdensome penance and now with a relatively peaceful location to settle down he begins his prayer, he kneels before the candle, lighting it and taking the wooden symbol of Pelor from around his neck begins to whisper into his chest holding the symbol well above his head.
I am merciful, just as the Sun of Mercy shines on me. Pelor grant me your mercy, I am still yet to fully understand the blessings you have given me, I know that is why Deacon Artemis sent me on this quest, but I- I just need mercy, until I know I am ready to magister your justice. Blessed is the Sun-Father, blessed are his children.
He lowers the symbol to his chest and resumes chanting incomprehensibly, prostrating himself before the lit candle as if it were the sun so worshipped.

Oh hey, cool, packed the candle, did I remember the tindertwigs? Did I ever... not! So urm, didn't wanna insert it because it made it seem clunky but can it be assumed Tom lit the candle off a campfire, I assume we have those.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar strokes each horse in turn, smiling contentedly and murmuring softly, "Inachta den sorsin. Ladrecht den sorsin."

After making friends with the strangers' horses, the young man leads Reathai back to the group and unsaddles the colt, setting down his belongings in a neat pile. He ties Reathai to a hitching post by his midsection, then pours some water onto a patch of grass, softens it to mud with his foot, and lays down with a saddlebag full of feed as a pillow, letting the softened ground form slightly around his body.

After this quick little ritual, he gets back up and approaches Skip's pony with another small handful of feed. He'd been waiting for a chance to befriend the gorgeous animal.

Translation: "Such purity. Such strength."
And on that note, you might want to know that Reathai means "runner," Silgar means "hunter," Capall means "horse," and the names he gave to the mules, Tacul and Ladir, mean "sturdy" and strong," respectively.

Wild Empathy [roll0]
Also, what gender is Skip's pony?

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Before settling, Isaac asks the master of the camp if he may offer a blessing over the evening meal.

If refused, he will move away from the camp, and do it just outside of its boundaries.

Once settled, he tells the tale of the Wise Fool and the Foolish Prince.


The Prince was in need of a manservant for a year. He demanded the Fool serve him and he would pay him only in copper coins. O, but the Wise Fool cleverly told this Foolish Prince he would happily be his manservant, he only would demand one copper on the first day, and double it each day subsequent.
Alas for the Foolish Prince, he did not know that each day the copper doubled was itself doubled. Foolish indeed, for after a year, he did not owe a copper for each day, as he so thought...

Isaac pauses for effect.


At the end of the year, the Foolish Prince owed the Wise Fool more gold that all the Halls of Celestia. The Prince tried to renege on his bargain, but alas with his cheating ways caught up to him. The very armed guards he sicced upon the Wise Fool would not raise a hand against him. For the Prince had no money to pay them.

The moral of the story: A fool and his money are soon parted. Also, be sure to count your coins before you spend them. Amen.

[roll0] Win or lose, it will cement Isaac's personality.

[Amanil]

The man tending the broth rolls his eyes a little at Isaac's request, but seems agreeable. "Already had Pelor's blessing, might as well tack Cuthbert's on as well," he shrugs.

The meal of some sort of meat broth and rye bread is of passable quality - probably not bad, for the 3 copper paid - and certainly does much to ease your weariness from the day's travel.

Skip sits next to Asher for the meal, sharing a few quiet words with him here and there that aren't audible to others.

"So what do you make of the horseman? Not seen his sort in these parts."
Isaac's storytelling noticeably has a few people from the other camps listening in, nodding at his words of wisdom.

[gremlin-pult]

Applauding the story, Asher pulls out his fiddle, to accompany the good mood with some music. He plays a few notes, and then launches into the fast paced tune of The kobold and the three maidens, singing the raunchy lyrics and making up new ones as he goes along, as is custom.

Asher takes his time to make it sound decent. Take 10 on the perform check. which gives a result of 13.

While strumming his fiddle, Asher leans over to answer Skip. "Not sure, to be honest. He seems to have that sign over his head saying "Rob me blind, I'm naive" that most outlanders have, but I've been wrong about that before. Never seen anyone with that kinda savvy with horses though. Maybe they are kin, far out. Odder couplings have happened, after all" He murmurs with a snigger.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

After the homily and dinner, Isaac preps his bedroll.

"Early to bed, early to rise," he intones.

"When the moon is at its zenith, rouse me," he tells everyone within earshot. He soon fall the the sleep only the self-righteous are capable of.

[savacli]

"I'll soon head to bed as well." Oliver states while bringing out his stack of parchment to take notes on his observations on the environment.

[Amanil]

Skip settles down as well after eating a dinner only a halfling could manage.

A few groups are still trickling into the camp, one in particular catches your attention because of the amount of noise they're making. They're a misfit band, an eclectic range of races and apparel. One of the humans in the group can be heard talking to the man who served dinner.

"I'll take the whole barrel, my good man! Drinks are on us tonight!"

A few of the other groups definitely seem to be taking an interest, and move on over to take a mug of the proffered beverage, thanking the man with a grin.

The group seems to be in high spirits, laughing and grinning to themselves. One comes around with a handful of mugs of what smells like ale, offering it to those sitting around the campfire.

"Drink up, folks! Fortune has smiled on us today, it is only right we share it with others!" he states, handing it out to whoever would take it - Skip included, who was roused the moment the possibility of a free drink was apparent.

[Acco Spoot]

Tom turns down the offer of Ale, if he's to keep awake and alert then it'd be best not to start drinking. Though Tom has stayed late into the evening in the past, out of curiosity to witness the dark or through a lack of time given to study, he's apprehensive about taking first watch.
The other group seems to be in the high spirits that'll take them late into the night, and so Tom, tentatively now that everyone is making their preparations to go sleep, makes his way over, just to introduce himself. Ho there, travellers, ye seem merry, what joys do you bring?

[Breitheamh]

After sufficiently pampering Skip's pony, Silgar sits down with the others and listens intently to Isaac's story.

Afterwards, before he goes to bed, he taps Oliver on the shoulder and asks with embarrassment plain on his face, "I am sorry, but the story Leader Brother Isaac says is...I...hmm. I, um... do not understanding?

What is 'manservant'?"

[Amanil]

The man offers Tom a mug again as he approaches the other group's rather busy camp. A fair few from other camps have joined this one, sitting around the campfire, drinking ale and laughing.

"Ho yourself!" the man responds with a grin. "We bring the joys of Norebo's blessing - we were down on our luck, but our prayers were answered!"

You have no idea who Norebo is.
The man proudly displays the bone ring on his finger. "We found the scene of a combat on our way down, a whole load of enchanted items on the bodies. It's been a long road, but Norebo's favour came our way in the end, isn't that right?" He gives the other human in the group - a robed young man drinking heavily from the mug - a friendly elbow. He splutters a little, then murmurs his agreement through the mug as he continues drinking.

[Acco Spoot]

Tom tried to hide the shade of pale raised by err of his suspicion, these characters seemed might unusual, they traded in looted items, crafted from hewn bone, spoke of a divine being Tom knew not to be beheld within the great Pantheon. Combat you say? My friends and I have taken pilgrimage down this road, if there be villains afoot I should be interested to know. The question was of half importance, he was trying to cover his unease whilst he got a reading on the party's intentions.

Detect Evil!!!

[Amanil]

None of the group around the campfire radiate any evil. One of the merchants at the camp over who happens to be in your gaze has a hint of it about him.

"I can't say there were villains, so much as bodies," the man muses, scratching at the stubble on his chin. "I guess one hints at the other, but those goblins had some fine equipment for their sort. Maybe all those stories about them being little savages aren't true?" he offered, swirling the contents of his mug.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Mildly perturbed by the conversations keeping him awake, Isaac decides he will just stay awake until his watch beings.

He dons his armor and readies his weapons to save time.

[savacli]

Oliver peeks up from his note writing placing his attention on the conversation.
Something does not seem in order. We walked the same road, yet how is it that they came across opposition while we had none? Was His Divine Protection keeping us guarded from harm?

Oliver notices Silgar speaking in his direction.

"Were you trying to get my attention? I apologize, I was a little distracted." he states while tilting his head in the direction of Tom's conversation.

[Acco Spoot]

His concerns sated mildly, tales of goblins were not to be dismissed, but at least Pelor held these men in good stead. Goblins you say? Are they regular to this road? Out of cross between paranoia and instinct Tom swept his eyes across the now imperceptibly dark tree-line, it wouldn't hurt to keep awares.

[Amanil]

"As regular as the wind; short gusts with a steady breeze." the man notes, belching. "They come out from their holes to harass the caravans for a while, when they're a bit thinner in number they climb back where they came from, a few of the more brave and foolish trying their luck if their off-season."

"Most of the time they're in rags with pointed sticks as weapons, but Norebo saw fit to give these some finer gear. Probably taken from those who didn't say a word to Norebo before setting out, of course. Didn't see any bodies but goblins; they got what was coming to them."

The revelry is dying down somewhat, with the other groups mostly returning to their camps. Those who started the merriment are generally still awake, drinking and laughing a little way away.

[Breitheamh]

"I forgive you," Silgar responds to Oliver formally. "I ask what is 'manservant' because I do not understanding the story Leader Brother Isaac says." He shrugs and smiles weakly at Oliver, trying to pass it off as no big deal.

Producing a pouch of trail food from his sack, he munches on a handful of dried fruit and fermented horse cheese before laying down on his little patch of formed earth and attempting to fall asleep.

[Acco Spoot]

The stories of roving goblins had made Tom hungry for his watch post, he didn't particularly want to leave the camp open to being butchered by goblins through the night. Thank you friends, I shall advise caution amongst my party, I must ask before I return to watch, as a matter of curiosity, who is this Norebo of which you speak?

[Amanil]

"Why, you haven't heard blessèd Norebo? Has his name not spread this far?" The man looked to his companions, who shrugged. "Norebo is the Lord of Chance, the Dice of Fortune! It is he who rewards those who take a risk; to not acknowledge him is to sign yourself up for a lifetime of misfortune."

"Who but Norebo would have brought such good luck to us on our travels? Didn't I say, Gart, didn't I say?" He nudges the man next to him, who has the look of one whose patience has been tried for the past hours.

[Acco Spoot]

I have not, most curious, I believed myself to be well studied in the pantheon, perhaps if there is time in the morning to discuss such things, I'd like to know what foreign deities lay beyond. As it is, I must adjourn, I wish you much merriment and save travels, friends. Tom picks himself up and walks back over to the sleepy camp, Silgar and Oliver making themselves comfortable. He unfurls his bedroll ready for the night and takes up a seat upon a log watching the treeline, peering his divine senses into the shrouded darkness.

Using Detect Evil, like, every hour or so.

[Amanil]

The man nods. "We must make for Harlskeep in the morn, but I'm sure we can make time over breakfast," he agrees, with a smile.

Aside from sitting on watch, does anyone else wish to do anything? Let me know in the OOC thread if so. I'm calling a brief pause to my posting here (packing for my holiday tonight, travelling all tomorrow), likely available again as of some time on Saturday/Sunday. Please have any actions you wish to take during the night (assuming nothing unexpected) in the OOC thread by then.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac frown at the mention of this new "God".

Another devil offering easy rewards, but always for a price.

He absently touches his holy symbol as he thinks this, and seeks out his halfling charge.

"Asher," he says in a low voice, "you were once larcenous before you found St. Cuthbert. Does the actions of these travellers strike in anyway odd?"

He looks at the newcomers as they wind down their revels.

"It seems odd they find a score of goblin- or halfling-sized gear, and quite frankly I just do not like the looks of them."

Whether this is because of their oppositional faith, or just that Isaac hates seeing people have fun he does not say.

Essentially, does their windfall look like they jacked hafling, and can a level 1 rogue sense motive of crime-y stuff and stick-up-his-fundamental cleric wouldn't consider?

[gremlin-pult]

"Well, I couldn't say from the looks of them whether they've done something wrong or bad. Could be they found dead goblins with good stuff. Could be it was someone else they found. But if you ask me, I'd say they're not lying. They seem like the kind of people who'd get tricked and robbed, not the other way around. you know, run of the mill superstitious mooks, who'll think any good turn is a gift from some god." Asher says fleetingly, not paying much attention after the talk turned to religion. He then seems to realise which group member he's talking too, and adds. "Not that there's anything wrong with following a god, mind you. I just think they control fewer parts of our lives than we credit them for. Even gods can't be everywhere, right?"

[redzimmer]

"Well, I couldn't say from the looks of them whether they've done something wrong or bad. Could be they found dead goblins with good stuff. Could be it was someone else they found. But if you ask me, I'd say they're not lying. They seem like the kind of people who'd get tricked and robbed, not the other way around. you know, run of the mill superstitious mooks, who'll think any good turn is a gift from some god." Asher says fleetingly, not paying much attention after the talk turned to religion. He then seems to realise which group member he's talking too, and adds. "Not that there's anything wrong with following a god, mind you. I just think they control fewer parts of our lives than we credit them for. Even gods can't be everywhere, right?"


Isaac

Isaac nods solemnly.

"It is true, Master Asher. Thus we must always walk in His footsteps to ensure if He is not here, those who follow His words are."

Isaac was pleased the halfling was taking his religious training so seriously.

Nothing else on his mind, Isaac quietly removes his armor and returns to his sleep. he feels he's earned it.

[Amanil]

The morning arrives peacefully, with the early dawn and clear skies lighting up the surrounding fields. The camp as a whole breaks early, with most of the travellers up before you.

The aroma of breakfast - some sort of oatmeal and honey - wafts around, the paid-for meal being prepared and dished out as you arise.

The party which seemed in such high spirits last night appears to be paying for it this morning, with heavy heads and general groaning as they blearily awaken.

Sorry for delayed post - been busy!

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Strapping on his armor after morning prayers, Isaac addresses his group.

"Well everyone, another days greets us and our goal remains the same. If you have any devotions to perform, do them now. If your God requires prayer at another time of day please inform me now, otherwise we shall travel until nightfall."

Whether he ever considers the tale of goblin massacres worth investigating he keeps to himself.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar awakes to the feeling of Reathai licking his face, blinks twice, and cuffs the colt playfully on the ear as he gets up. He feeds the horse a few handfuls of oats and dried berries before wolfing down a polite serving of the provided breakfast, erring on the side of modesty. He rearranges his sleeping spot, covering his tracks out of habit, and finally, saddles and mounts Reathai. Only then does he turn and give any acknowledgment to the rest of the group.

Noticing that no one else is ready to go yet, Silgar dismounts and stands next to his horse, fidgeting impatiently, but unsure of what to say to speed up the process.

[savacli]

Oliver gathers his notes and organizes them back into his pack after completing his morning mantras of inspiration ready to go and feeling empowered to take to the roads. He walks up to the meal area and retrieves a dish. Noticing that Silgar is already packed ready to go Oliver walks towards Silgar and takes a spot near him as he starts picking away at his breakfast"

"How was your slumber?"


0: Create Water, Detect Poison, Purify Food and Drink
1: Comprehend Languages x2, Sanctuary*

I'm assuming that Comp Lang will let me understand Silgar and his odd language?

[Breitheamh]

Silgar looks quizzically at Oliver for a moment. He opens his mouth, then closes it again and looks at his feet, fiddling with his fingers. Finally, he says cautiously, "It is good. I am happy sleep under spirits." He gestures to the sky, then ritually taps his forehead and abdomen with his right fingers.

[Amanil]

Yes, it will allow you to understand Silgar's odd language.

[savacli]

Oliver mimics the same finger tapping looking at Silgar with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Are those gestures a way of demonstrating respect towards the spirits?"

[gremlin-pult]

As he wakes up, Asher yawns and stretches languidly, before getting up and looking around. "Huh, I'm not used to being the last one up. But I guess thats alright. What's for breakfast?"

[Breitheamh]

Silgar beams at Oliver and nods his head enthusiastically as the holy man imitates him.

"Yes!" he replies happily, and repeats the gesture more slowly, explaining as he goes, "Spirits leader me..." he taps his forehead "...spirits eat me," and he taps his abdomen.

[savacli]

Olivers places his right fingers on his abdomen along with Silgar, looking back to Silgar, then back to himself in terrible confusion.

"They eat you? Do you mean to say they feed you?"

[Breitheamh]

The young warrior's enthusiasm suddenly turns to embarrassment as his face reddens. "I am sorry. I mean this. Spirits feed me."

Embarrassed by his mistake, he awkwardly returns to fidgeting and staring at his shoes.

[savacli]

Oliver chuckles a little at Silgar's embarrassment while continuing to eat through his meal.

"What else is there to know about your spirits?"

[Breitheamh]

A hint of a smile returns to the young warrior as he sits down next to his new friend.

"Hmm..." he begins, "I am taught three spirits." He looks up to the sky as he begins to speak and indicates "three" with his fingers. "Capal-li warrior spirits are..." he pauses as he tries to find the word, "um...rain," he pantomimes something hard to discern, motioning as if something in his hands were round and bloated. "No..." he scratches his chin and starts to look back at Oliver, then does a double-take and points to a little puff of white cloud in the sky. "Capal-li warrior spirit!" he says excitedly.

"Warrior spirits died on horses. Spirits are free but too much young. Spirits fly and are some good, some bad.

"Capal-li Sean spirits are stars; light only in dark. Spirits are old and smart and free. Spirits leader Capal-li in dark and see Capal-li sleep. Spirits are free but decide duty for tribe.

"Reathai, tracht." The young horse comes over to Silgar from where he had been grazing and nuzzles the young man's shoulder. Silgar rubs the colt's snout affectionately and smiles a little brighter.

"Horse spirits are wind," he continues, blowing strongly to indicate his meaning. "Spirits are whole free. Warrior spirits are on horse spirits. Horse spirits fly and are some good, some bad, but all moving."

Finished with his lesson, Silgar pulls out another handful of feed and lets Reathai eat it from his hand. He chuckles as the horse's tongue tickles his skin and pats Reathai's neck.

"Tracht" means "come," in case it wasn't obvious.

[savacli]

Clearly the huntsman was trying his best to answer the question, but it was still nonetheless confusing.

"I think I understand? I believe some of your story might have been lost in the translation."

Oliver grabs the disc hand from his neck whispering, "Origato dout lexri qe vucat"

He raises his hand towards Silgar and forms a loose fist, "May I ask you to describe your spirits once again in your own native language?" directing Silgar to the direction of his fist by nodding his head.

Comprehend Languages has been cast!

[Breitheamh]

The young warrior raises an eyebrow at Oliver. The strange whispering, the talisman around his neck, it didn't make any sense, and yet, it reminded him ever so slightly of Sean Crione.

He begins cautiously, "Bhul, bille fawi thurim me nach fbedadh se gortater.

"Ta tri bhitalle. An bhitalle na lochra Capal-li cona sa scamall, at a fbul siad sor in asce go deo." He points back at the cloud in the distance, and continues, getting into a bit of a rhythm.

"Fwar bas siad ar chul na n-capalle, agus go fbul siad og agus funnil, agus mar sin turas siad ar chul na gawithe i bas. Urenta a thugann siad bas; urenta a thabhirt siad an sol.

"An bhitalle na Seane Capal-li beo i na relta, ag tabhart solis sa dorchadas," he says, gesturing to the sky above. "Treyor siad dun agus e ag brethnu os sion linn. I sol, bhi medu siad callmhar agus ladir ina croi, agus i bas, ce go fbul siad sor in asce, roghnayon siad de bheth fregrach as an tath.

"An bhitalle na capalle ina conai sa ghoth." He smoothly waves his hand left and right, indicating the wind. "Ta siad i conai sor in asce, agus i bas go fbul siad fi nos mo na sin. Fech let dhenan siad na scamall, an bitalle de lochra Capal-li, pe at is man le dul. Mar sin, bedh lochra a bas og marcocht ar chul a n-capall deo.

"An datuginn tu?" After finishing, Silgar raises his eyebrow again, hoping he did not just embarrass himself further.

Translation:

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt."

"There are three spirits. The spirits of Capal-li warriors live in the clouds, where they are free forever. They died on the backs of their horses, and they are young and energetic, so they ride on the back of the wind in death. Sometimes they bring death; sometimes they bring life."

"The spirits of Capal-li Elders live in the stars, giving light in the dark. They guide us and watch over us. In life, they had grown wise and strong in their hearts, and in death, though they are free, they choose to remain responsible for the tribe."

"The spirits of horses live in the wind. They have always been free, and in death they are even more so. You see they carry the clouds, the spirits of Capal-li warriors, wherever they want to go. So warriors who die young will ride on the back of their horse forever."

"Do you understand?"
Original Irish Translation (courtesy of Google Translate) in case you want to try and figure out the pattern I use for mutilating it.

"Bhuel, buille faoi thuairim mé nach bhféadfadh sé Gortaítear"

"Tá trí biotáille. An bhiotáille na laochra Capal-li cónaí sa scamaill, áit a bhfuil siad saor in aisce go deo. Fuair bás siad ar chúl na n-capaill, agus go bhfuil siad óg agus fuinniúil, agus mar sin turas siad ar chúl na gaoithe i bás. Uaireanta a thugann siad bás; uaireanta a thugann siad saol."

"An bhiotáille na Seane Capal-li beo i na réaltaí, ag tabhairt solais sa dorchadas. Treoir siad dúinn agus é ag breathnú os cionn linn. I saol, bhí méadú siad ciallmhar agus láidir ina gcroí, agus i bás, cé go bhfuil siad saor in aisce, roghnaíonn siad de bheith freagrach as an tuath."

"An bhiotáille na capaill ina gcónaí sa ghaoth. Tá siad i gcónaí saor in aisce, agus i bás go bhfuil siad fiú níos mó ná sin. Féach leat dhéanann siad na scamaill, an bhiotáille de laochra Capal-li, pé áit is mian leo dul. Mar sin, beidh laochra a bás óg marcaíocht ar chúl a n-capall deo."

"An dtuigeann tú?"

It's not much of a pattern, but there is a slight method to the madness, involving eliminating accents and a majority of the diphthongs.

[savacli]

Oliver nods in approval, smiling, "I do. I prayed for a blessing this morning that would enable me to understand you perfectly. My patron, being the greatest of all travelers, has heard every tongue spoken. Thus, for just a few moments I too can comprehend every word be it written or spoken. Though of course, I need to be in contact with that or whom I am needing to understand."

Reaching for his bag, he grabs his notes and jots down what he just learned of these spirits.

[Breitheamh]

Silgar gasps in astonishment. "You are like Sean Crione! You make power with words and neck thing!"

He pauses for a moment, confused. "I am sorry, but I do not understanding. You do not know spirits? Who is giving you power?"

[savacli]

"Well, that is somewhat of a lengthy answer." He stops to think about the simplest form to approach the question.

"Much like your spirits we have deities and gods that watch over us and are responsible for the different aspects of our lives. Devouts who follow a deity are allowed to..." he ponders over the best word to use, "borrow a glimpse of power based on those they pray to. Those who fight and carry on the works of their deities grow stronger, and the amount of power they are allowed to borrow increases as well. Clerics of great strength themselves are often mistaken as gods as they can move entire mountains and even bring down the skies with a few simple gestures and words."

Drawing a small disc in the dirt he continues, "My patron is Fharlanghn, and he watches over those who take to the roads. As a devout to his purpose I follow his teachings and dedicate my life to his mission. Though young and inexperienced as I am, by his grace, I can borrow a tiny portion of his power each day. Each morning you will see me and our other holy comrades spending time in prayer and worship. Those morning meditations are crucial as it renews our strength and inspiration, allowing us to be blessed with unique powers and abilities."

Undoing his necklace, he presents Silgar with Fharlanghn's disc, "This neck thing is called a holy symbol. Each deity has a specific symbol that represents them, and this is how we can channel divine power and bring it to this plane."

[Breitheamh]

Silgar's smile returns once again as he notes the similarities between his world and this strange new one he'd stumbled into. "Yes! This is like Sean Crione! Spirits give him power for helping tribe. He makes food we need, he causes horses calm, and can become horse for leadering horses. He says Sean Osta becomed wind because spirits gived him power."

[Amanil]

Skip, who's busy packing up his gear onto his pony, looks over at the two conversing with a glimmer of amusement. "You're certainly a rather strange bunch. How long have you been working together, again?" he asks Asher, though loud enough for anyone else to chime in if they wish.

[redzimmer]

Isaac

Isaac just shakes his head and sets to packing his bedroll as loudly and deliberately as possible.