Dawn of Death (IC)

[Artman77]

It is a new day in the little town of Winnipeg. None in Westend province of Gathan knew that day they were to be visited by anyone of importance.
Rumors have spread across the state that clerics of Nerul had resumed once again practicing the dark arts. No one had raised anyone from the dead, nor had they animated a lifeless corpse in 500 years. You travel towards the little town to make sure that trend continues.

It is a quaint little picture, coming into view as you crest the last hill. Little cottages dot the countryside. A hammer and anvil can be heard ringing in the distance. Even the church buildings are small and unassuming. A traveler leaving the town meets you on the road as you approach, but the color soon leaves his cheery face as he looks away with fear.

[dantiesilva]

Deep blue eye's looked out of a mask made of pure ruby as it surveyed the geography around them. The steady intake of life giving breath was almost unheard coming from the two small holes where the shape of a nose was, as well as the tiniest of slits on the mouth. A dark grey suit of banded mail covered the figure's body that wore the mask, the symbol of the Stern Lady clear as the very day on the breastplate. As a cloak the color of the night sky itself adorned the figures back, held in place by a very ornamental ruby clasp. "This place is to perfect." comes a low clear voice from inside the mask as it looks over the quaint little town of Winnipeg.

However quite and peaceful it seemed however Indagator would not allow his judgement to be dulled by the illusion before him. Wee Jas herself had sent him on this holy mission, rumors had come that the Scarlet Cable was once again trying to bring back the dead, but not to life as would be acceptable in dire needs, but instead as abominations. Mockeries of both life and death. It had been over five hundred years now since the last recorded incident broke out in the world of undead, a mad king known by the name of Lord Loss had looked to make his reign as king eternal, and so had under the guise of protecting his people slowly begun raising the dead. At first he had been ignored due to how remote the location, however as stories grew of armies of the dead patrolling the streets it became clear that an exalted march was needed to cleanse the world of the wretched undead and their master.

Many had lost their lives in the years that followed, trying to fight the king of death himself in his own snowy domain, however with the joined forces of the living the mountain fell, and the world knew peace once more. In this decade it would fall onto Indagator to keep this true for another century, and another after him, just like it had been ever since the march. And so with bow and shield strapped to his back, and his longsword strapped to his belt the figure slowly made his way to the village. Some in his order believed in using stealth and deceit to learn the truth, Indagator and the order he was part of however were the hammer that slammed into any sign of corruption that they saw involving the dead. And as such he would not hide himself from the city, nor who he served, the cultist's would learn of him when he strode into town, and they would learn fear with it.

Traveling down the king's road the sound of hammer's meeting anvil reached the man's ears as he kept a steady pace, wanting to make it to the town well before nightfall took the land. While it was best to hunt a grave robber at night, one first had to let the prey know it was being hunted, for it would be worried and make a mistake. In his musing's Indagator almost didn't notice the traveler on the road with him, leaving the village he noticed as the color left the man's face and he turned away in fear of Indagator.

"Why do you turn away in fear traveler? Do you fear the Stern Lady's warm embrace and her tender touch for those that are departed?" Indagator asks looking at him, speaking in his normal low and clear voice. He had not meant to scare the man, however he did understand from what his teachers had told him that his appearance could indeed cause fear. "I am new to these lands and was hoping to make it to the tiny village yonder before nightfall, however I fear I am not aware about much of the city, could I trouble you for some of the local news going on, even rumors?" Indagator asks, his ruby mask hiding all facail expressions that a normal person would be able to read.

Diplomacy [roll0]

[Artman77]

"N-n-nothing. All is well! G'day!" the man says hastily, not making eye contact and heading quickly to the edge of the road, giving you plenty of room to pass. The road is well worn and walking it is easy. You reach the town well before sundown.

Several farmers stare and gawk at you from their fields in the distance as you make your way to the edge of town. There is a guard tower made of simple wood on one side of the road, and a small alter to Fharlanhg where travelers have burned incense and left small tokens. Several people smile politely, but most others look away quickly and act like they are busy doing things. A few young boys hide as you approach, and then follow behind you at a distance, too afraid to get close but still curious about who you are and what you're doing there. You pass by several homes and a few shops before someone plucks up the courage to speak.

"Greetings stranger," says the old man, "we don't get many of your kind 'round here, what brings you?" His dark eyes twinkle beneath bushy eyebrows as he looks up from the work of patching his house. He's old and thin, but not afraid. He studies your response carefully, as if judging whether or not to send you away.
"Alright. The market is up that-a-way, with a tavern and an inn, and the church is down that-a-way, and the town hall is that big building up there." he points to the only three-story building the town has, visible from where you are.
"What's that? Oh no. No. There's the church of Pelor. People's church. No. Emperor Zestus had some builders make us a fine church for Heironeous too, across the street. No. If you want the church of Nerull that's over yonder." he points to a hill between the town hall and the church of Pelor. You can guess that the church of Nerull lies beyond it.
He stoops down to pick up some of the mortar that he dropped while speaking to you, and slaps it back on the wall. He continues in a gruff voice;
"Now I don't want to hear about you starting any trouble now, hear me? We done worked hard for the peace we got now," he nods as if to say he's done with the conversation, "Welcome to Winnipeg."

Following the main road are small shops and a market place. There's a money changer, a seller of magic charms, the jail and town hall. There's a fort, the butcher's shop, and a stable. To the left is the tavern where a young man sits outside in the dirt, his back resting against the wall. He eyes you suspiciously as he sharpens his knife, but makes no move to speak to you. Beyond the tavern you see the inn, and beyond that windmills and farmland. Turning to the right you find the churches of Pelor and Heironeous, just as the old man said. The house of the Arch-Paladin has been recently built, and although small, they spared no expense. The structure is perfectly square, the walls perfectly smooth, and the banners are the purest blue and the brightest white. The doors are guilded with silver and bronze, and the windows are fitted with the purest stained-glass. The road to these churches is well worn, and as you near the hill just before them, you almost fail to notice the faint path heading away from town. The path takes you up the hill, between two trees, and down the other side where the church of Nerull lies.

It is a simple stone structure, much the same size as the others in this town, with windows that are covered by old wooden shutters and drab gray curtains. To the side of the building is the town's graveyard, which has a few marble headstones, but mostly the wooden markers or piles of rocks that are common in towns of this size. There is gravedigger there digging a new grave, but no one else seems to be around. All is quiet, and the front door of the church is shut.

[dantiesilva]

Indagator notes the odd way the man reacts to him, and how he leaps to the other side of the road. I can already smell the guilt of this village. he says to himself as he continues down the main road into town, pleased that it had taken far less time then he had expected to reach the small little village.

Entering the very edge of town Indagator pulls out a simple coin made of ruby and places it at the shrine of Fharlanhg as he comes to it. "Thank you Fharlanhg for allowing my journey to be swift and be seen with safety, may the road always keep on turning for you." the follower of Wee Jas says kindly to the god, who while not his own deserved respect for the services he did for the wayward travelers. Turning and continuing to walk into town Indagator noticed how few approached him, and even the two young boys who kept their distance, yet continued to follow him. This was understandable, these people simply had not heard of the Ruby knight yet, the hand of death.

So when an old man speaks up while he is walking by Indagator is a bit surprised at his lack of fear and turns to look at the man, listening to what he had to say. "Good day sir, and thank you for greeting me to your village, it has been a long road before me and with luck my journey is at an end." Indagator says to the man soft and gently, as to not frighten him anymore than he had most of the village with his appearance. "Rumors of the words of god's and the emperor alike being broken have set her gaze here. And I her servant have been asked to see if they are true." Indagator says looking at the man questioning what his motives may be.

[roll0]

So darkness has already entered this city. Indagator says keeping his blade in it sheath for now as he waits for the man to finish talking. His mission was already becoming more and more clear, however to make sure his justice was fair he asked the man. "What is the temple of the Reaper doing in a town that worships the Morning star and the Archpaladin? Have their ideals become so corrupted that they forget what the reaper uses the dead for?" As the man explains he doesn't want trouble his blue eyes seem to illuminate on the old man, shining like beacons as he looks for any signs of evil in the man as he speaks. "Those who do not respect the dead always bring trouble wherever they lay root, I am the cleansing sword sent to do her bidding." Indagator says waiting to see what aura appears around the old man.

Little else matters in the town as Indagator makes his way towards the temple of the Reaper, hand ready at his sword as he comes to the gates. Seeing the gravedigger Indagator calls out, being fair and just, not attacking a man with their back turned. "Wee Jas demands to know what the Reaper is doing here!" Indagator calls out, his voice much louder than he had used it earlier with all the others, and as stern and unbending as steel.

[Artman77]

The old man's aura is neutral.

The gravedigger is startled by your verbal challenge.
"Please good sir," he says as you approach, nervously eyeing your hand that rests at the hilt of your sword, "I merely dig the graves for the dead. Nerull, in his mercy, has sent clerics here to see our poor folk safely to the other side. I don't know what brought him here. I just wish to do the best I can to serve, so as not to anger him."

As you walk up to the man the front door of the small stone building flies open.

"Who comes to call on the noble house of the Reaper?" comes a deep voice, the words rolling out as if a giant had spoken them. You peer into the opening, but it is too dark within to make out who or what is speaking.

[dantiesilva]

As Indagator watches the man's aura come into view he note's it is neither good nor evil, lawful nor chaotic. Simply neutral and he begins to wounder if their is more to this man than he was letting on, however he had more pressing issues at the moment that needed his attention so he would simply have to leave him be. I shall be watching you. he says in his mind as he looks one last time at the old man before departing.

"The Reaper of souls does not understand mercy, only how best to add more bodies to his legion's of the dead." Indagator says, removing his hand from the hilt of his blade seeing as this man was clearly a simple gravedigger, a noble profession up their on Indagator's list with embalmers. " Why do you fear the Reaper's wrath when the light of Pelor watches over this town, and the might of the Archpaladin himself is here?" Indagator calls out to the gravedigger, the edge from his voice having left when the man had told him he was a simple gravedigger.

As the front door to the small stone building flies open, Indagator's hand immediately retrieve's his blade out of pure reflex, dropping into a defensive position as his shield is angled at a downwards angle to deflect any incoming acid's or flames away from his face and towards the ground itself.

" Death's Inquisitor knocks at thy door servant of the Reaper, and Death demand's to know what the Reaper is doing here." Indagator says, his own voice seeming to fill with an untold strength and power as he speaks, this was what he was made to do. No their was no he, only her will and the ability to carry out her will. "Reveal yourself to the Stern Mistress so that she may judge thee!" Indagator growls out as he notices the figure refusing to walk towards the door where he could be seen. If they were hoping the fear of the grave would hold him back they would be mistaken. He had lived many nights in the darkness, for it is only in such places evil dwells and rears it's head.

His name is an actual translation form Latin (which I use for celestial) to Inquisitor of Death, add Flavor I believe. After all what would a temple call a man who refuses a name that would make him receive praise?

[Artman77]

"What is your name, inquisitor? And why should we answer you? Wee jas has no authority here. We have permission to worship here so we do. If you take issue with it you are welcome to file a complaint at the town hall, or speak to the paladins."
He makes no move to come out.

[dantiesilva]

"My name doesn't matter foul priest, nor are you worthy enough to know it." Indagator calls out as he begins chanting in the language of the seven heavens, calling for their divine light to illuminate the path in this darkness as his hand passes over his sword and it begins to glow with the light of the sun itself. "I gave you a choice servant of the Reaper to say your business here. You have refused to answer the goddess for your interference in her domain, and as her servant you have left me no choice." Indagator says, his voice lowering to its normal tone, clearly he was no longer in the mood to speak as his sword, gleaming with the light of the sun leads his way as he walks to the portal into the temple of the Reaper.

As Indagator enters the portal he keeps his defenses about him as his mistresses blade illuminates the darkness before him revealing that which hides in the shadows. His blue eyes piercing every inch of the world in front of him, as he blocks the only escape he is aware of with his body, the light from the outside shining down on him as if to show the righteousness of his cause.

I know you said you didn't want to do combat as it slows the game down so if you wish to have the paladins mentioned appear to stop him I understand, after all can not have him attacking so soon lol.

I never made a spell list for him as this is not suppose to be combat, if you would like me to I will however. He is however in the Martial Spirit stance at the moment

[Artman77]

In an instant the light from your sword pierces the darkness, illuminating the large room before you. Twenty alters line the walls on either side of you, and the man who spoke in a deep commanding voice turns out to be nothing more than a little bald man in his 40's. He walks backwards slowly to allow you to enter, never taking his eyes off you. He thin and weak looking, and short as well; barely coming up to your chest.

"You disrespect sacred ground!" the man spits, "You know nothing of death. Do you suppose that the Stern Lady is the only one guiding souls to the other side? That Baccob and Meloric and Pelor and the Archpaladin sit idly by and let her take those souls? No! Yet they greedily try to collect the souls of those whom they did not take! The Master of Death is the only taker of life, and thereby the only one who holds rightful claim to them!
Though a bit older than you, the man still has some youth left in him, although he seems more ready to talk than to fight.
Trespassing is a crime, and as you placed no offering in box or on alter, you have not permission to enter! Pay your alms or see us in court, stranger!

Looking around, you see no evidence of murder nor of necromancy rituals. There man hall no doubt leads to a prayer room/sanctuary of sorts, but the rooms to the left and right have their doors closed...

[dantiesilva]

Indagator is not surprised when the light of the heavens reveals such a figure before him, only the weak hide in the shadows where they can easily pray on the innocent while pretending to be strong. he tells himself as he looks around the main room, and at the many alters. To most it would appear he was not paying attention to the man, however he was perfectly aware of the old man, and the power he could no doubt wield.

"Brazen of you to call such an unholy god's temple a sacred place of worship old man." Indagator snarls at the figure, taking two steps foward so he was right in front of the figure, just a single breath between them. " I know the others do not force death upon their followers, or on innocents. And the only guide the Reaper shows is the scythe to their head." Indagator say's, how dare this old fool compare the vile reaper to the Stern lady. The Stern Lady makes sure the dead are treated with the respect they deserve, not turned into abominations to serve your Dark masters call."

"Hiding behind the law of man will not save you from an inquisition child." Indagator says, for while the man was older then the boy behind the mask, he was not older than the ideal. Flipping a Ruby off of his hands and into the air, it lands flat on the floor before the old man, the grinning face of Wee Jas staring as if about to smite the very creature before her down as Indagator looks at the man, and an amused grin appears in his voice. By the law you have stated I am free to investigate this building for tools of a necromancer, and undead under the guidelines of the emperor of our fair kingdom and with the backing of the Lady. Refuse and I shall crush you into the dirt like a hammer would a nail." Indagator says, his voice begging the man to try to deny the law of the emperor, for no undead were allowed in any lands for any reason. And possessing items to bring the dead back was just as big a crime as having created one.

[Artman77]

The priest begrudgingly lets you past to conduct your search. You go through the back rooms and find the offices of the priests, paper, books, quill and ink, desks, ledgers, etc. The priest seems to get tense when you start rooting around in one of the desks. There is a large ledger whose pages have a different style of handwriting than the others. It seems to contain a manifesto of some sort.

Halfway through your search a paladin and half a dozen town guard walk in and ask the priests if you are disturbing them. The paladin is even older than the priest of Nerull. His white hair is kept neat and trim, and his beard reaches halfway to his belt.

"Apparently the Stern Lady has sent him to judge us." explains the priest.
"What are the charges?" he asks.
"There are none! It is unfounded discrimination and personal attacks!" hisses the priest, now emboldened by the protection of the guards.
The paladin looks at the man suspiciously.
"Careful, priest. Your welcome wears thin. The Archpaladin doesn't suffer the blasphemies of the foolish." The leather squeaks a bit as his grip tightens on the handle of his sword.

The paladin and the guards let you continue your search, but hasten along the process. In the other room are the tables and knives to perform autopsies; scalpels, clamps, needle and thread, embalming fluids of all kinds, smelling salts and a stack of coffins. Behind the building is an old tool shed with more coffins, carving tools, and shovels, a storehouse for various supplies, water basins, and a large root cellar underneath a twisted old tree. Beyond that there is a short dirt path that leads to a large stone alter flanked by a half-circle of benches.

[dantiesilva]

As the priest allows him to part Indagator immediately begins his search, believing that the side rooms would be there for those mourning in private he would wait until one of the doors opened as he instead went to search the rooms of the priesthood of the reaper.

As he searches the rooms he makes sure to still show respect for the personal belongings of the priests, as for while he didn’t agree with the teachings of the Reaper or the priesthood that followed him, they were people and if he showed them even a little amount of kindness they may see a different light on the world.

Indagator was just about done with the room, when he walked over to the desk and noticed the priest seeming to get worried. “Something to hide you want to tell me about before I search? If you tell me openly it will look a lot better than should I find it on my own.” Indagator warns the priest before he begins to dig through the desk, pulling out a large leger with different writing in it than all the other papers he had seen so far, further study showed it seemed to be a manifesto of sorts.

Just as he is about to ask about the ledger he notices a servant of the Archpaladin and members of the city guard enter the back room and question the priest. Remaing silent until the two are done speaking with each other, Indagator turns to face the servant of the Archpaladin and places his hand over his heart as he makes a slight bow to the paladin.

“The Stern Lady recognizes you Servant of the Archpaladin.” Indagator says before returning to his normal poster, his voice his normal calm low tone. “Rumors have come to the Stern lady that the laws of god and emperor alike have been broken, and that someone has been disturbing the dead. I have been sent to confirm these rumors or put them to rest. So far he has been less than helpful in proving his own innocence, and while searching I have found this so far. It is different from everything else I have seen thus far in my search however I have not had time to translate it.” He explains to the paladin, handing over the ledger for him to take a look at himself.

With the investigation done inside, Indagator taking note of the supplies used to take care of the dead, many he himself would use he notices he walks with them outside to the tool shed and searches around, noticing carving tools. “ And what are these used for?” He asks the priest as he holds up the carving tools, knowing full and well such tools were used in carving runes into the dead.

Knowledge Religion roll on the large stone alter [roll0]
Diplomacy roll for earlier when he is talking to the priest near the desk [roll1]

I will be able to add more if you tell me what he learns about the alter in OOC, as well as what the diplomacy check gets me. This way I can move onto the next day of his search if you wish and such.




*****

"And what is in the book you got from the priest from another town? Did you go to him or did he come to you? When did the last follower of the Reaper leave this place? Indagator questions the priest about the book, finding it very odd that someone would just "leave" a book like this alone, almost as if they didn't want it to be found on them.

As the older paladin offers to have it examined by his people Indagator thinks for a moment before nodding in agreement. I will first however need to make an original copy so that I may send it to my superiors. I will write in the letter I send it in to work with you on the matter of decoding it if you wish. I am sure you will be done well before it arrives to them however." Indagator says, something inside him telling him to simply trust no one and make sure he had his own copy of the original before handing it over to be translated. He trusted these men by their cloth, however when it came to the dead Wee Jas was best suited to battling the evils that might be hidden in this book.

If its okay he will spend actual money and such and copy the book word for word before handing it over to the paladin and only the paladin.

Seeing that the tools were simple carving tools for writing names on gravestones, Indagator checks for blood quickly before moving on.

I just realized this wont work in an edit post so I will make the check in OOC

Seeing the rather clean alter Indagator lays down on his back on the ground and crawls under the alter looking to see if the alter is indeed as new as the top shows it is, or if instead they had flipped it over to hide their evil deeds. Later when out of earshot of the priests of the reaper he asks " When is the next new moon?"

[Artman77]

"Two nights hence." replies the paladin. He is more than willing to let you take the priest's book after you tell him it should take you no more than a few days to study it and return it to him. The priest looks for a moment as if he is about to protest, but remains silent.

Walking through the town, you notice most are hesitant to talk to you. When they do it is but a few short answers and nervous silence. Getting a room for the night, you lay the ledger down to copy it's contents into a blank book you recently purchased. The quality of the pages are nowhere near as nice as those of the books back in your home town, but it will suffice. You clear your mind and ask Wee Jas for guidance as you pick up the quill to start copying. You whisper a prayer. You feel the eyes of the Stern Lady peering through you, deep into your soul, as if searching your motives. Your hands lift off of the table, and the pages of the two books begin to flip by themselves has her divine energy flows through you. The quill is dry, and the inkwell remain out of reach and yet the ink appears on each page by itself. Faster and faster the pages whip by and suddenly the cover slams shut.

You blink as the light in the room returns to normal. Now you hear the chirping of crickets and the talking of men outside the small inn. You feel the weight of your armor. Winnepeg. That's where you are. Your hand brushes the cover of the new book, eager to open it and read it's contents. There is a knock at the door.

"Dinner." comes the voice of a young maid from the other side.

You eat and drink, and begin the laborious task of removing your armor by yourself. You had it specifically made so that you could reach the buckles and straps yourself, sacrificing some of the armor's protection and freedom of movement, but you felt it was necessary so some compromises had to be made. You fall into a restless sleep. Two nights. Two nights, and then the moon would slip once more into darkness.

The Scarlet Tower, once the tallest tower in the great city of Bayern, now is dwarfed by wizard towers, The Ivory tower, and the Great Keep. These great buildings pierce the noon sky like gray spearheads against the brilliant blue above. Inside one of the many rooms of the Scarlet Tower the Lord Anemeaus defends his church's right to keep it while the imperial council and an army of lawyers argue that it must be handed over to the emperor. You can't make out what is being said; it's as if everyone is speaking underwater. Several more people enter the room but you can't see their faces. The argument intensifies. Everyone is shouting and yelling.

Suddenly you are outside, hovering over the city. The sky above Bayern is orange with the setting of the sun. No. The sun has already set to the west. The sky around the city is dark on all sides. The mysterious orange glow hovers above the Scarlet Tower. Slowly the light intensifies, turning a bright red. A swirling red vortex descends on the tower like a pillar of fire, casting an eerie red glow over the city.

The morning light wakes you as it works it's way through the cracks in the shutters. The air is chilly. It is still early. You requested a room without a window, but alas, all their rooms had windows. The shutters looked weak and old and you locked it as best you could, but no matter; you're still alive. You open the window (or light some candles?) and study the ledger as you wait for your breakfast to be delivered. It appears to be written by a scholar or some other wealthy person. Although the handwriting is terrible, the sentences are well formed and the vocabulary is rich. The author also has no trouble referencing dwarf histories or elven poems. At first you think it may be some sort of diary, since it is written with a very personal style, but then again maybe not. He goes on an on about the mission of church of Nerull; 'To seek His will, and bring about justice for the dead.' The author doesn't quote the dark texts very often, but seems well acquainted with them. He stresses the importance to spread the church of Nerull 'to every corner of the earth', warning that there will be opposition at every turn; 'Nerull is misunderstood and hated by many. We must remain steadfast and persevere in the face of overwhelming odds. May His darkness give us strength.' There is a knock at the door.


--------------------

Once you have breakfasted, you head down into the streets to see if anyone feels more like talking today than they did yesterday. Apparently they do. On your arrival they perhaps thought you were a demon or a ghost; there was no way to tell since you were covered head to toe in armor, dark clothes, and a mask. Now that you have eaten and slept, paid real coin for those services, and spent the night without dragging anyone to the underworld, the townsfolk are more at ease.

Carpenter: "You gave us quite a fright last night, walking into town unannounced, and at twilight. Hard to see a man at that hour. And no banners? No men? No horse or baggage? How do you get on? Me? No, I don't mind those Nerull priests much. They're odd, but they keep to themselves mostly. Hannah the bar maid likes 'em, you should speak to her."

Hanna, bar-maid: "I don't like them personally, not like that. But I'm glad they're here. Pelor's men have done a piss-poor job healing people, my uncle died just last month, and they didn't do a thing to help him! The reaper's men came to my families' home with food, and paid for his funeral. The 'healers' protested when I said I wished for my uncle to be buried in the graveyard of the reaper instead of the yard of the setting sun, but after the way they treated us? How could they ever think I would have him buried there?? I threatened to call the town guard if they didn't leave me alone, but finally they did."

Man overhearing: "Whatever Hanna, don't be so dramatic. Your uncle wasn't sick, just old. The priests did try to help him, they just couldn't. Not in the way that you wanted. It was his time." They get into an argument. The bartender steps in.

Bartender: "See? This is why we don't like strange folk coming to town. They always disturb the peace. Stir up trouble. Me? The reaper and his priests creep me out. But He is Death, isn't he? Death creeps people out. If you ain't creeped out by death, you aint really living."

Town Drunk: "Thank Nerull!"

One of the paladins: "Yeah, they moved into that building about two years ago with a signed and sealed paper from Duke Norton. We didn't like it much, but what are you going to do? It was legal. We've been waiting for them to cross the line so we could arrest somebody, but they haven't yet done anything wrong."

Stories are much of the same; the church of Pelor is seen as weak and ineffective, so the townsfolk trust Nerull with their dead, and the paladins can't catch any of their priests breaking a law...

Clouds cover the sky as night begins to fall. There is a light drizzle of rain. None of the stars can be seen, nor the last sliver of the fingernail-moon. Suddenly a thought overtakes you. What if the paladin was wrong? What if the new moon was tonight, not tomorrow night? The church had a reputation for training warriors and knights, heroes, lawyers and diplomats. They weren't famous for knowing the times or the seasons; for astrology or astronomy or prophecy. You can't risk it, can you? You'll have to sneak down to the church tonight, and if nothing happens, perhaps the following night as well.

The church is quiet. The lights are out and the door and windows are all shut. No one goes in or out. You can see alter from your hiding place. There are no fires, no incense, no animals waiting to be slaughtered. You wait for several hours. The clouds continue to cover the sky. The crickets are soon drown out by the noise of the rain. The drizzle turns to a downpour. It is a long, cold walk back to the inn. Your boots are caked in mud by the time you get there.

"Two guesses where you've been," smiles the innkeeper's wife, "and the first one doesn't count." She hands you a tray with several slices of bread and a large bowl of hot porridge. The bread is cold and hard, slightly burned, but the porridge is delicious. Real food always tastes better than those stale everlasting rations.


-------------------------

The following day the innkeeper greets you as you come down.
"Terribly sorry about not greeting you the first day, I have been quite busy. How has your stay been thus far? Good I hope! Do you have any complaints? Is there anything else we can do for you? Anything at all? I must apologize for my wife's behavior last night. What you do when you are not here is absolutely none of our business! Please excuse a meddlesome woman! It is only their nature. It won't happen again I assure you. In fact, if you would like last night discounted, you may have your money back."

You check the alter later in the afternoon for any sign of it being used, but find none.

Farmer: "How long you plan on being here?"

Bartender: "Haven't you caused enough trouble yet?"

Another Paladin: "Did you find anything interesting in that book? If our priests find anything of note, we could send you a letter. Or perhaps send a letter to one of your superiors?"

Priest of Nerull: "I see you are still here. Has your stay in Winnepeg been enjoyable?"

Young boy: "My master is still nervous about selling you that blank book from his shop the other day. He hopes you aren't filling it full of evil spells. You're not are you?"

Clouds linger throughout the day and into the next evening as well. The church is quiet, almost to the point of seeming empty. You watch the church for most of the night, but nothing happens. No sacrifices, no seance, no midnight mass. All is quiet. At least it didn't rain.

The birds begin to chirp by the time you finally collapse on the floor next to your bed, and sleep overtakes you like a bandit.

Lord Anemeaus defends his church's right to keep the Scarlet tower while the imperial council and an army of lawyers argue that it must be handed over to the emperor. You can't make out what is being said; it's as if everyone is speaking underwater. Several more people enter the room but you still can't see their faces. Everyone shouts and yells.

Again you are outside, hovering over the city. The sky above Bayern is orange with the setting of the sun. No... The sun has already set. The sky around the city is dark on all sides. The mysterious orange glow that hovers above the Scarlet Tower slowly intensifies, turning red. A bright, swirling vortex descends on the tower like a pillar of red fire, and the tower bursts into flames!


-------------------------

Whether you spend another day there or not doesn't seem to make much difference. The townsfolk speak to you when you ask, but otherwise avoid you. The copy of the ledger that you made continues to be an interesting read. The handwriting is awful, and hard to make out sometimes, but the author is pouring his heart out. He is passionate about the will of Nerull, and senses that the times are about to change. He writes that there will be a culling of the weak, and that "we servants must get the land ready to reap the harvest," and "the sythe is high in the sky, and the attentive servant can feel the wind of the blade as it is coming down."

There is a knock on the door: "Breakfast."

[dantiesilva]

Part 1 of 2

Still lying on his back as he looks under the stone alter Indagator listens to the servant of the Archpaladin tell him that the next new moon was in two days’ time, plenty of time for him to try and learn something before moving on. Carefully lifting himself off of the ground, taking care not to touch the altar out of respect, Indagator is happy to see that they had come to an agreement on the ledger. However noticing the priest of the reaper about to protest Indagator turns his ruby mask towards him and speaks. “Say what is on your mind, as I said before the more you tell us the less this comes back on you when we translate it. If you are indeed what you say you are, a servant of the reaper who does not wish to defile the dead in any shape, form or way than you have nothing to fear from the hand of Wee Jas.” As he says this, it almost sounds as if he is being kind to the priest, acknowledging that he may be different than the one who created the ledger and the old members of the scarlet brotherhood.

[roll0]

With the investigation complete Indagator bids the priest a good night, before following the town guards and servant of the archpaladin back to the town. “I will be staying at your local inn if you need to find me, if I am not there however when you come, simply leave a message for me if it is urgent. Before I leave this town I will bring my findings to the temples of the shining one and the Archpaladin however so that we may all be on the same agenda. I will however be asking questions around the town.” Indagator says, making it clear to the man he was with he was not done yet.

Wanting to make sure he had a rather safe room for the night before it got too late, Indagator makes his way to the local inn of the town of Winnepeg. With the newly bought ledger, along with the best room he could buy it seemed, Indagator sat in the center of the room in a meditative stance as he let his mind go to that place in which he felt closest to his goddess. “Wee Jas, I am but a humble servant. A single hand among many upon the material plane who serve you in the many ways you ask. I ask now that you may grant me a sliver of your power so that I may unravel the truth behind this book and make sure that the tenets you laid out for man have not been broken, and the balance remains.”

As Indagator speaks, he can feel a presence within his mind, clearly it must be the will of Wee Jas he notes as the two books fly into the air, and the quill begins writing at incredible speeds. Seconds seem to fly by before a resounding thud can be heard as both covers slam shut, the task complete. Getting ready to read over some of the writings for the night to begin his study he hears a single knock on the door followed by the words dinner.

Wasting no time, Indagator makes his way to the wooden door and opens it slightly, making sure it was indeed dinner as the person said it was before opening it the rest of the way. “Thank you very much, and may the Stern lady watch over you.” He says softly in his low calm voice waiting for her to leave before closing the door behind him. Placing the wooden chair back in front of the door to stop all entry as he sits upon the floor, making sure not a single mirror was in the room, and all reflective surfaces were out of sight, before he removed his ruby mask to eat.

Underneath the mask was a bald head, clearly shaved each day. Not even his eyebrows seemed to have any hair upon them to anyone who was looking. A long cruel scar cut across his cheek, no doubt an old wound he never spoke about. His skin as pale as moonlight due to the lack of sunlight his skin saw hidden underneath all those layers.

Once finished eating Indagator calls forth holy water to clean everything he ate on, before placing his mask back on, and placing all the items outside his door so that any of the servants could see he was finished and bring it down with them. If he awoke in the morning with it still there he would do so himself however. Re closing the door, and placing the chair back under it so it could not be opened without making a great deal of noise, the servant of Wee Jas made his way over to the window, locking the shutters as best he could. Before closing the window itself, and placing something in the window to stop anyone from being able to open it without magic. (Basically like placing a piece of wood in a window horizontal so you can’t push it up to open it as the wood is there stopping it from going any higher.) Satisfied no one could open the window, Indagator lifts the thickest blanket off of the bed and covers the window stopping any light from entering the room. Now no one would be able to see him from the outside world, and the reflective surface of the window would not shine back at him.

Once more removing his mask, he slowly begins the process of removing his specially crafted armor that was decorated with symbols of the stern lady. Polishing each and every piece before placing it atop the bed so that it would be well protected. Next he takes out his longsword and begins sharpening the edges to a fine point, should battle ever erupt he would not be caught with a dull blade, nor blunt arrows. As he works on the quiver of arrows he has first, before finishing up with his sword. With the final task complete, Indagator sits besides the door so that if it were to be forced open it would slam into the wall and he would be able to slice at his enemies legs while the enemy looked at an empty suit of armor lying on the bed. His longswords blade set across his lap. That is when he finally allows himself to sleep.


Day 2

Awakening in a cold sweat, Indagator reaches for his blade as he leaps up ready to strike down the phantom foes. However as he comes fully to his senses he realizes he is once more in the world of man, and not that of prophecy in which he is shown the past, and future. The images he had seen though made no sense to him. Why would the imperial council be trying to force Lord Anemeaus to hand over the Scarlet tower? It had been one of the tallest buildings and greatest places of learning for centuries, so why was the emperor trying to take it away from those who owned it? And who were the two figures who entered right before everyone started yelling and all chaos seemed to break lose? And what of the red glow hovering over the tower, like an all-consuming fire. “Or the color of blood drowning those who wish to protect the living.” Indagator notes as he slowly settles down and prays to Wee Jas.

With his morning prayers finished, Indagator goes through the long task of placing his armor and mask back on, before lighting a few candles and opening the ledger, curiosity striking him while he waited for breakfast. Perhaps the clues to his prophecy laid in here buried somewhere. Clearly we are dealing with someone of the upper class from the looks of it. And they either went to great lengths to learn these things about elven and Dwarven history, or it was part of their upbringing. If I had to take a guess though looking at this work I would say it may be a mix of both. The author knows the dark texts of the Reaper, yet hardly quotes them. Either he is trying to bring about a new era for the church and he is starting a separate sect, or he is using some kind of cypher I cannot yet decipher. He notes reading on.

“May his darkness give us strength? Misunderstood, I am starting to wonder if the author of this book is a madman. The Reaper has made it clear time and time again he wishes to see the world destroyed and ruled by the dead. There is no misunderstanding of that. Or is he saying that those who originally wrote the unholy words of the Reaper perverted them to their own needs?” Indagator asks himself as he hears a knock on the door.

Finishing the morning breakfast Indagator makes his way around town speaking to the towns people to get a better feeling about what may be going on here from the people themselves.

“I am sorry I startled so many of you, it was not my intention to scare the innocent folk of your village.” Indagator responds kindly to the carpenter as the two of them talk. “As for banners, I wear the only banner I have need of.” He says, pointing to the symbol of Wee Jas on his breastplate. “ I am but a servant of the Stern Lady and have no need of others to slow me down. As for why I did not let anyone know I was coming it would have defeated the point of coming here. If the temple of the Reaper knew a follower of the Stern Lady was coming they may have acted differently than what I saw the day prior.”

Indagator explains to the carpenter thinking about his remaining questions. “I have never found need for a steed in my travels, and trusting another man to do your work is not always a wise task. If someone were carrying my gear and they were taken, I would be left without my gear. Thank you for telling me your honest opinion of the priests of Nerull. I will go speak with Hannah, though if you would not mind answering a few questions before I go. What do you find odd about them, and why is it that Hannah seems to like them? I promise no one is in any trouble, I just want to make sure the laws are being followed as they were written.”

Listening to Hannah’s story was indeed an interesting experience for Indagator as he listened to what she had to say, waiting for her to finish speaking before asking his questions. “That was quite a story Hannah and I thank you for sharing it with me, however I have a few questions if you do not mind answering them.” Indagator asks softly and gently waiting for her to say yes before proceeding.

“Have the priests of Pelor always done a poor job at healing the sick Hannah or has it seemed like they have been less helpful since the church of Nerull has arrived? And I am sorry to hear about your uncle, I am sure he now rests in the heavens he believed in however. This may be a sore subject and I understand if you do not wish to answer, but what did your uncle die from?”

That’s when he hears the other man sitting next to them chime in that her uncle had in fact died of old age. “Hannah is what this man says true, that your uncle died of old age? If so I am sorry but there was nothing anyone could have done to stop him from joining his ancestors on the other side. When it is ones time to go it is their time to go. The Reaper believes that death is only a stage, and can be cheated. That is how the undead were created, and when he created those abominations he stole from the Stern lady a semi balance of power over the dead. So in a way the Reaper could indeed help you, but would you wish to see your uncle a mindless slave to a necromancers will, or resting peacefully waiting for you to join him in the heavens one day? I do not require an answer, it is simply something to pounder. What you choose to do is what you believed was best and I will not judge you on your actions I promise you.” Indagator says reassuringly to her, before adding. “ I came here because of a rumor Hannah, and so far you seem to be the only person who has dealt with them personally. So can you tell me, do you believe the church has turned a new leaf?” he asks waiting patiently for her answer as he turns to the bartender.

“If Death creeps you out so much then why are you able to talk to me so plainly? Death can be cruel and painful, or it can be peaceful and kind that is indeed true. However undeath is a perversion of both life and death and is not the same.” Indagator says clearly sounding a bit more annoyed than he has all morning. To fear death is to fear life itself, for death is simply the next journey along the road. I am a servant of the Ruby Sorceress, a goddess of death, however she helps lead lost souls to the underworld, and shows the kinder side of death. While she can be violent to those who bring down her wrath, it is always the Stern mother that watches over us and her servants that lead us to the afterlife. The Servants of the Reaper, at least those of old, would stop the souls from reaching their final resting places and force them back into their bodies where they would serve those who brought them back with no will of their own. So you see there is a big difference between death and undeath sir.”


Part 2 of 2

Having learned all he believes he could from the towns people Indagator makes his way towards the temple of the shining one, stopping outside the main gates before the guards on patrol. “The Stern Lady has a package to deliver to the servant of the Archpaladin who was meet yesterday at the temple of the Reaper.” He says in a voice barely above a whisper, yet carrying with it much more strength than one would believe. As the follower of Wee Jas speaks, his gloved right hand makes its way slowly around his back to bring his backpack before him before placing it on the ground so that the two guards would always be able to see what he was doing.

Opening the bag carefully as to not startle the two guards, causing them to attack. Indagator digs through his bag until he comes to the original ledger in which he had taken from the temple of Nerull. Slowly standing back up, with the ledger in his hand, he holds it out for the two servants of the Archpaladin to see as he speaks. “During an investigation myself, the town guard, and one of your brothers found this ledger, I asked that I may keep it so that I may make a copy to send to my superiors before turning it over to your own order to do with what you need. And I have come to fulfill my promise. If you could show me to a waiting area I will happily wait while you confirm what I have said with your superiors.” The man behind the mask said too the two men on guard, as if he expected them to comply with his request.

While waiting for the servant he meet with the day before to arrive he calls out to the paladin watching over him.“As I am sure you are aware by now I have been doing an investigation on the church of the Reaper and was wondering if you could answer a few of my questions while I wait.” The servant of Wee Jas asked kindly, yet his voice seemed as strong as steel. “You see while talking to some of the villagers it was brought to my attention some of them have left the flock of the shining one due to their needs not being meet for their loved ones to be healed of sickness. On a few occasions this has broken out into fights between a few of the figures, stating that Pelors priests cannot stop those who have reached old age from passing. My question thus is this, in most of the cases in which people have converted to the worship of the Reaper has it been under similar situations, and are any of the concerns about the house of pelor true? I would hate to see such a valiant ally in the protection of life be corrupted from within or without.”

A few more questions are exchanged between the Paladin and the right hand of Wee Jas as they wait however when the door opens Indagator makes eye contact with the man and smiles, though it is wasted due to the mask hiding his expressions. “I thank you for your time and conversation. One last question though, has you ever sent anyone to ask the Duke why he allowed such a thing to occur, or has anyone loyal to the light infiltrated the organization to see what they do when no one is looking? I find it rather odd that they have not once in two years done anything wrong?”

Indagator spent most of the rest of the day trying to learn anything new, however all he heard followed the same story. The church of Pelor was being ineffective in its duty which could be magical in nature, or one of many other things. However he was not here to look into the affairs of the church of Pelor. The shining one had his own agents for that, he was here to make sure the dead were being respected and no undead were being created. And as darkness began to fall as heavy rain clouds began to cover the sky, Indagator began to walk back to the inn he had a room.

“Shouldn’t the stars and moon be out by now?” the follower of Wee Jas notes as he looks up at the sky. “What if today is the full moon and the fool of a soldier got the days wrong? It would explain why they have never been able to catch the followers of the Reaper doing anything wrong.” Indagator notes as he makes haste towards the temple hoping he has not missed anything.

Staying to the shadows, hood drawn up to protect him as best as it could from the constant drizzle, Indagator waited for hours watching the temple of the Reaper and the altar, looking for any sign of use. However as the hours went by and nothing happened, not even a normal ritual prayer which he expected he began to wonder. “Perhaps they will not make any actions while I am in the town now, knowing that I am onto them? I could always try getting a closer look, after all giving the time of night, and with this rain I doubt anyone will notice me.” The masked servant decides as he slowly makes his way up to one of the windows and does his best to look in through the shutters, doubting very much he would be able to, but trying none the less.

Soon it begins to downpour as nothing is gleamed from his time, and deciding no one in their right mind would go out in this weather now, he makes his way back to the inn he was staying. Opening the strong wooden door, Indagator tries to clean his mud caked boots on the outside doorstep before entering the establishment. Not wanting to make a mess inside the inn.

“I am sure it would take less than one guess madam.” Indagator says with a smile in his voice as he accepts the food, after all it was not her fault he was not their when dinner had been served. “ And thank you for saving me some of your cooking. It is always much better to eat something homemade, than trail rations.” He says kindly, holding onto the food as he speaks, however not eating any of it as his mask does not allow it, and his code refused to allow him to remove his mask before another unless under the most dire circumstances.

When the two finish talking for the night Indagator looks at the wooden stairs leading up to his room, before back to the innkeepers wife. “ Have a good night madam, and may the Stern Lady watch over and protect your establishment.” He says before making his way up to his room. Checking to see if anyone had been in it before preparing it for his nightly ritual.


Day 3

Waking the following morning a little before noon, and walking down fully ready for the days adventures before him Indagator is intrigued by the innkeeper. “You have many guests to attend to, I understand that you cannot meet each and every single one.” Indagator answers reassuringly to the innkeeper. “As to my stay it has been pleasant thus far, however I fear I will departing either today or in the morning tomorrow. It seems I have been called elsewhere on important matters. As for the matter of your wife, it is no bother to me. The fact she showed more bravery than half the men in this village shows you choose well when you married her. And one can never learn without asking questions. The Stern lady values the pursuit of knowledge and if that is your biggest fear I assure you there was no offense given.” He explains to the innkeeper, not wanting the man to punish his wife for simply speaking to him.

Finished speaking with the innkeeper, Indagator makes his way to the Altar just to make sure nothing happened the night before, looking for footprints or anything that would show someone had used the altar that night before heading towards the main temple of the Reaper and knocking upon the doors. Waiting for anyone to answer his summons.

With his tidings finished at the temple of Nerull, the warrior of Wee Jas makes his way towards the temple of the Archpaladin to present his findings when he is stopped for conversation a few times.

“If all goes well with the temple of the Archpaladin and the Shining one I will be leaving this very day sir. I have finished my investigation and will be handing it over to the church leaders here, as well as those who sent me.” The Jasdite explains to the farmer.

“It is better the living cause trouble now, then the dead walk.” He says to the bartender.

“I have found a few things of interest when I quickly went over the book. It has a rich vocabulary, clearly a learned man wrote it, and if I didn’t know better I would call it a diary. It speaks of many topics, and the author shows a knowledge of dwarven history as well as elven poems, and while clearly knowing the darker texts, he rarely seems to quote them. This is simply a quick look through however, should you find anything I will be heading to the Scarlet tower.” Indagator explains to the paladin kindly not wanting his opinion to make the man pass over something he may not have noticed.

“It has indeed thank you. I hope you are understanding in why I came here and the rumors that have been reaching the ears of other parts of the empire. From what I have seen though I believe your congregation is of honest men and women who follow the lesser known paths of the reaper, and it is what I shall put in my report. The church of the archpaladin has the ledger I took, and I myself have a copy of it. If you wouldn’t mind answering a question, who wrote this ledger, or do you not even know? He is a puzzle to me and I am not sure if he is a threat or someone to help yet.” Indagator admits, after all it seemed this man wanted the church to change its leafs so to speak.

“If your master would like I can bring the ledger for him to see right now. I simply copied the text found in one of the books found in the temple of the reaper to study and turn over to my superiors in the scarlet tower, the church of the archpaladin has the original at the moment.” Indagator says kindly to the young child as he kneels to eye level with the child as they speak so the boy would be less afraid of him.

Making his way to the temple of Pelor, Indagator wanted to follow up one last lead before closing this case and when arriving at the temple he looked for someone to speak with.

That night follows much the same as the one before, however not wanting to miss a thing he spends the entire night until he hears the birds beginning to awaken in the morning to leave and return to the inn, where he quickly sets up his safe guards before falling asleep for the next eight hours.


Day 4

When the servant had knocked on his door saying breakfast was served he had sent her away, expressing he was not hungry before falling back asleep, not waking until well after then sun had risen high into the sky. It had been another night full of prophecy, however this time he had seen the tower all but consumed in flames. He had to make haste to the Scarlet tower, something was extremely wrong and Wee Jas herself had made it clear to him as he quickly began to pack his things.

So my friend reveals his true intentions at last I see. So they plan on killing off those they feel are in the way of their rule. That would explain my visions, such a strike at the scarlet tower would allow them access to all the knowledge contained within. And the fact that each time the cult of the Reaper is involved so are a group of politicians I am beginning to believe that the emperors court has been infiltrated. If this is the case, I fear it will be a war for the very souls of the people of this world.

Indagator thinks as he makes his way down the stairs and quickly asks where he can find the nearest stable.

[Artman77]

The paladins cordially thank you for your service, and promise to send any new information they find in a letter to the Scarlet Tower.

The priest of the Reaper listens with a guarded suspicion as you speak. "So her eyes pry into the private lives of those who fear the Reaper? I know they dispute over the souls of the dead, but spying seems more suited to Baccob, I would think. Does Wee Jas plan to spread her control and influence?" He nods as you mention the ledger. "I have seen it, but not read it. It belongs to my master and I know not where he got it. He will be pleased to know it is being returned to him. I am glad your investigation went well. Sinite Loscriba Scribe in manu tua, et Fharlanghn diriget viam tuam." He says, bowing before he departs.

The boy is relieved that the book wasn't used for evil spells, and says his master would rest more easily at night now that he knew. The boy accepts your offer to come back to the bookseller's shop and tell him in person. Once there, the old man expresses gratitude for your thoughtfulness of the Winnepeg, and says if you would send a Jasdite priest with a writ of permission from the Duke, he will try and find some friend to petition the mayor to let them build an alter or perhaps a small church to her there.

The Temple of Pelor is one of the oldest buildings in this little town, next to the town hall. It is of moderate size for a town so small, meaning that the original settlers must have placed more importance in the faith than they do now. Though it is old, it has been well maintained, repaired, and is very clean. The floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows let in ample daylight. The priests welcome you warmly.
"We wondered when we might receive a visit from the town's newest stranger. My name is father Tomlin. Please, come in." the father leads you
to a table with wooden bench seats; no cushions, keeping with the customs of church. "What brings you to the House of Pelor this fine day?"

[dantiesilva]

As the paladins thank him for bringing them the book to copy for themselves and make promises to send anything they learn to the Scarlet tower the servant of Wee Jas simply bows his head. “No thanks are needed for one to perform their job. For true heroes go unsung and unseen by the world and are quickly forgotten.” He says kindly, before leaving.

“The eyes of the Stern lady are always upon those who call for her. And I am here as proof of that.” Indagator replies, ignoring the well-hidden jab for the moment. “Wee Jas has and will always be interested in making sure the dead are given the proper respect. That has never changed, nor has her pursuit of knowledge, something Bobboc, Wee Jas, and even Vecann have in common.” The Jasdite points out, giving three different deities that share a common goal, the pursuit of knowledge, but go about it different ways.

As the priest of the Reaper explains to him that the ledger belongs to his master he pauses for a moment before looking the priest in the eyes as he speaks. “And is this master of yours still with us? If so I would like to meet him and speak with another of your order. As something I found odd was that your order via texts I have read performs their most holy rituals on the night of the new moon, yet for the past two nights your altar has not been touched.” Indagator points out to the priest, a hint of curiosity in his voice as he speaks.

As the bookseller expresses his thanks Indagator shakes his head. I will bring the matter to those who stand above me, however I do not believe they will send many here when a church of Nerule is here. Neither order is known for tolerance of the other, and as the mixing pot is already laced with strife I doubt they will add more to it. However I am not their voice, so I make you no promise. Thank you however for the offer, and may the Stern Lady protect your shop which holds untold knowledge within it.” The Jasdite says kindly after letting the man look over the book so he saw with his own two eyes everything that was in the book.

It was finally time for the last stop on this journey before moving on to serve the Ruby Socereress in other places as he walks up to one of the largest buildings in the town next to the city hall. The love and care put into this building show that at one time the people no doubt cared more about Pelor than any other god at the time of its creation.

“I have had little time to myself the last few days and wished to make sure to save the temple of the shining one for last.” Indagator says kindly as he looks at Father Tomlin from behind his ruby mask. Following the servant of the shining one Indagator sits at the table he is led to as he listens to the question he was expecting to here. “As you know Father Tomlin when it comes to the undead both the shining lord and the Stern Lady share similar views. However when I came to this town searching for the recent rise in the churches of the Reaper, and a cause for such a rise I ran into something rather odd while speaking to the people around the village.” The Jasdite says simply, his blade resting across his lap as he always had it when he was not standing. “ So I will ask you father to confess anything you wish to now before me so that we may trust each other while we speak. And I will not judge you for whatever you tell me for when your time comes the shining lord shall stand before you.”


Diplomacy with Priest of the reaper [roll0]
Sense motives with the priest of the reaper [roll1]

Diplomacy with Priest of Pelor [roll2]
Sense motives with the priest of Pelor [roll3]

Knowledge Religion to make sure the house of pelor looks normal [roll4]

[Artman77]

"Something odd?" he asks, "do tell. Confess? It is not our custom to confess our sins to someone who lives outside these walls, but if the honesty of my word concerns you then I shall. I confess that last night I paced about my room in frustration concerning a young priest of mine when I shouldn't have. His sins are caused by nothing more than the passionate, volition nature of youth, and Shouldn't have caused me to lose my temper. I also haven't read from the holy texts or prayed every day this week. I am but an old man, and keeping the faith is hard sometimes. It is no excuse, I know, but there it is. I should've remained steadfast anyhow. Tomorrow is another day."
He pauses, looking carefully at your mask.
"I am curious to know what you found to be odd whilst speaking to the people, but I have a question of my own. Why do you wear a mask, if you are so concerned with honesty? Is not a mask made to disguise the truth, by its very nature? I would love very much for us to help each other, but I am afraid my answers will be much more reserved than they would otherwise be, unless you consent to remove it."

[dantiesilva]

The Follower of the Stern Lady sits patiently, almost as if he were a statue or an illusion as he listens to the priest ramble on about his sins. When the man finally quiets however the Jasdite speaks. “What the young do does not concern me Father, though the fact you have not read your own holy texts is a concern.” Indagator says sternly, his voice neutral at this point as he speaks to the man. Each night when the sun set, and when it rose in the sky each morning, Indagator found time to pray to the Ruby Sorcereress and he lived his very life by the words of her holy text. For a priest of any religion to give anything less in his eyes was at best laziness, and at its worst sacrilegious.

“Age should not factor into ones beliefs father, nor hinder them from doing the simplest of things their gods ask for. Perhaps if you had done your job I would not be here now.” The servant of Wee Jas says, his voice becoming a lot less friendly than it had been moments earlier. “Tell me father when someone who is sick comes to your halls and one of the highest priests refuses to pray to his god for the power to help his flock what kind of example does it set for those younger than himself or herself? How does it inspire the people to follow a god when his own priests only do so when it is convenient to them?” Indagator says, his voice filling with anger as he goes on, trying to keep his voice low, however slowly losing the battle. “And pray tell me how a stranger who spends his days and nights working finds time each day to not only pray to their own god, put to show the proper respect to those others that effect the life of this person? Yet you cannot so much as find time to attend to your flocks needs so they turn to those who can!!!” As he says this the black leather gloves covering the Servant of the Stern Lady slam into the wooden table before them, the icy blue eyes seeming to freeze the very air around him as he spoke.

“The people of this town have lost faith in the mighty Pelor for his priests it seem choose to slack in their duties. Something I walking into this hallowed hall to the Shining one thought to be impossible, however here you are admitting to such things. So tell me this now priest, did you pray the days people brought their sick families members here or did you forget to do it those days causing people to die? For it seems Father Tomlin that your house is driving the people to the reaper who attends to their needs the way the shining one should." Indagator says, as if he were striking a glove across the man’s face in a challenge of his faith.

Calming slightly as the man asks him why he wears a mask the servant of Wee Jas smiles behind the ruby mask, though it is hidden from the man’s view. “I wear a mask to let those who see a person before them know I am not a person, I am an ideal, and the hand of the Stern Lady. There is no I here nor is there a person behind the mask, a vessel is what you see of the divine. To remove my mask would be to give into the pride of others, and allow them to stroke their ego’s and give a name and face to those who fear the might and power of Wee Jas when they should fear her instead of the man or woman behind the mask. So I will refuse your request as I have countless others in the past. Only the worthy are allowed to see the face the Stern Lady has chosen to champion her, and not even I have seen its face in decades.” The right hand of Wee Jas speaks with the full power and confidence that Wee Jas is with him before this false priest who wears fine robes that should not even be worn by him. “I have learned all I have need to from your opening comment, this conversation is over. If I were you, I would expect a follow up.” Indagator says simply as he rises from his chair, keeping his sword in its sheeth by his side in case anyone tried to do anything he decided would be unwise.

[roll0]

[Artman77]

The priest tells you his master is Lord Cumulos, and that he is the first priest you met, the one who didn't want to let in without paying a tribute. He bows, says his formal goodbye, and walks away.

The longer you speak, the more uncomfortable father Tomlin seems to get. As your voice continues to grow louder, one of the younger men steps forward to interrupt, but Tomlin quickly raises his hand to silence him. The tension in the air is palpable. It seems as though they all would like to rebuke you--verbally, or perhaps even with divine power--but are too afraid to do so. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the old man finally speaks.
"Do not be angry with him, my sons. You may not agree with his judgement, but he is fulfilling his duty as a servant of The Ruby Goddess. She isn't called the Stern Lady for no reason. Thank you sir, for your un-biased viewpoint, we will surely take your comments to heart as we re-examine our practices. Pax Pelor vestri eant vobiscum"

[dantiesilva]

Writing down the name of the high priest in the ledger so that he would know for future investigation when he returned to the Scarlet tower, Indagator jogs down a few private notes in the back of the book on an empty page of what he knew about the man so he would not forget him.

As one of the younger men begin to step forward Indagator wastes little time rising from the chair, his blade that had been resting in his lap already held in both hands as he could not take the time to retrieve his shield at the moment. However as Father Tomlin tells the young one to remain silent in this matter, Indagator slowly lowers his blade, however does not return to sitting in the chair offered to him. He would not be caught unaware as he felt the very tension in the air around him. Telling him he was in fact saying the truth and they did not like it.

Et non peccabitis super hoc puppim dedit reginae domum . Indagator warns them all, making it clear that if they did not take their responcibilties to heart the Stern Lady would intervene to save the souls of the people of this town.

[Artman77]

Before long you are once again a lone traveler on the road east. You can check another town off of your list of places to investigate. Once again you've found a new church of Nerull, but there are no signs of anyone practicing necromancy. At least you have left with a clue this time: the ledger. It weighs heavy in your bag, but you pray it is worth it. It will take at least a week to get to the next village or hamlet, most likely, and another week or more till you get to a proper town. Garrison, was it? Or Grayling? It has been so long since you've been this way it's hard to remember. And then two weeks after that until you reach Bayern.

Late in the evening of the second day you get the feeling that you are being watched. You look over your shoulder but see no one. You scan the sides of the road, the hills, the trees and the horizon, but see no one. Soon it is dark, and you have little choice but to press on.

The second night is colder, and the fog clings to your cloak, making it wet and heavy against your armor as you walk. The sun rises quickly the third day, and by late afternoon you are sweating from the heat. Looking over your shoulder you see the little town has begun to fade into the distance, and notice lone figure on the road way behind you. After a few hours he seems to be getting closer. You judge that he will catch up to you by nightfall, and he does.

He is a young man about your age, wearing the simple clothes and cloak of a peasant. He has a small dagger on his belt and a large bag slung over his shoulder, but little in the way of arms or armor. He runs to catch up to you, and is quite out of breath by the time he gets there.
"Sir!" he gasps, holding his arms outstretched in a sign of peace, "Sir!" He slows his pace and walks to you cautiously, hoping you won't think he is an attacker.
"Sir, what kind of man are you? Can you tell me what justice is? My friend thinks that you are a fair man, but I need to know for myself," he waits for your answer before continuing, "My friend is the priest who greeted you earlier, he is the one who embalms the bodies for Nerull. I am the confessor for the temple, and that is why I have come to you. I don't have any money, but if you let me travel with you and see to my safety while we travel, I will tell you all that I know. I have long wanted to speak out about some of the things that I know, but I feared for my life. It wasn't until you came that I had an opportunity to escape. What do you say? Will you guard me until we reach the next town?"

[dantiesilva]

Wee Jas I have found another town touched by the Reaper, yet again no evidence has arrisen of necromancy being practiced. I know you would not send me on this quest for no reason, and I believe this ledger is a piece to the puzzel, however I have not yet found the key it is to be placed inside. It is clear something is going on, that much is clear for they did not use their own ritual site outside meaning they must have a secret one within the temple somewhere hidden. the Holy warrior of the Stern Lady spoke in his mind as he traveled the road east, slowly making his way to his next destination. The Ruby Sorcereress had shown him the Scarlet Tower being attacked for a reason, she wished for him to be there when it happened, or to prevent it from happening he was not sure of which part he would play, only that it was his job to be her hand on the material plane.

It was high noon on the second day when he felt it, something was stalking him as if he were prey. A normal person who had not slept an entire night and had kept traveling would throw it up to parinoia and the world of dreams pressing in on them, however not Indagator. He was used to traveling like this, and if he could sense something out there lurking in the shadows, it was there waiting for him to make a mistake. Before going to sleep that night the right hand of Wee Jas looked into a bowl of water asking the stern lady to show him how dangerous the future would be for him before going to sleep.

he cast omen of peril so he would know how safe he would be sleeping that night

Waking up a few hours later (enough to be refressed) Indagator began walking once more in the predawn darkness, the fog clinging to his cloak, weighing it down as he walked, having to take extra care to watch where he was going. It is clear that today would not be a good day he noted very early on, as the sweat began to pour down his body, however not once did he remove an article of clothing or armor. Suffering inside his metal suit and often drinking from his waterskin to keep himself hydrated. I see so someone was following me last night, and they seem to be in a hurry. the cleric notes as he watches the figures speed for a short time, woundering what would be the best course of action.

"Stop early for the night when I have darkness as an ally and try to ambush the person before they attack me seems the best course of action, the fact someone is following me from the town means I have indeed found something of importance in this ledger." he says aloud to himself, a smile upon his face as the key he had been looking for was walking towards him, the hunter becoming the hunted.

When the boy catches up to him Indagator whirls around sword drawn ready to strike him down, however the sight before him catches the warrior of the Stern Lady off guard. Do not let your guard down, an assassian never wears a mask that looks dangerous. he reminds himself keeping the weapon pointed at the man, though allowing him to speak so long as he did not take a step closer.

"Odd questions coming from one who follows one from a town and remains hiding until today. However I shall answer your questions." and with that he puts his back to a tree to make sure he can not be ambushed as he scans the area for undead, seeming to pay attention to the man only when in reality he was making sure he was safe.

"The kind of man I am? I am a servant of the Stern Lady, a vessel of her Wrath upon those who break the laws and disrupt the rest of the departed. What stands before you is no man, but an idea. Men can be bought and turned into something corrupt, an idea is unbowing, and can never be silenced." he replies to the first question.

Taking some time he thinks about the answer when it came to justice. "Justice is many things to many people, and never the same to any creature. It is why it is the job of the gods to judge us in the afterlife and not those of man. However I believe what you are asking though is what I consider justice myself so let me explain a bit better. I believe that sending those who harm others for their personal gain to meet their gods sooner is justice. I believe punishing those who disrespect the dead is justice, and that each god deserves a measure of respect for they all have a role to play, even the reaper."

As the man says who he is and why he has come the follower of the Stern lady thinks long and hard for a few moments before answering. "I can swear to do all in my power to protect you on our journey so long as you remain true to your word and wish to cause myself harm, nor disturb the dead. If that is agreeable with you than I will warn you now we are more than likly being followed by one of your brothers who noticed you missing and does not want the secret to be leaked. Also I do not wait when it comes to traveling, you will have to adjust to my pattern while we travel to the next town, though it should be much shorter and safer with two of us if you are being honest." he admits to the priest, keeping his weapon drawn, however lowered.

[Artman77]

The man is true to his word. He is quite nervous around you for the first few hours, but as you travel together he tells you everything he knows.
As confessor for Nerull, many people come to the small temple to confess their sins to him. He doesn't know why the come to him instead of other churches, but he didn't ask why; it was only his job to listen.
When the high guard were in town to extradite a criminal to the capitol one of the guards confessed to him that the paladins of Heironeous had him arrest innocent men who were protesting the use of golems in war. You know that it was a controversial topic when it began, but they have been using golems to supplement the imperial army for several years now.
He also tells you that the former advisor came to him to confess that he hadn't done a good job advising the Mayor, and that perhaps the Mayor was no longer in his right mind.
Lastly he tells you that his friend the embalmer confided in him that after performing his duties on the bodies prior to burial, Lord Cumulos asked him to leave the room for several minutes so that he could be alone with the bodies.

[dantiesilva]

I think I liked it better when he was quite. the servant of Wee Jas thinks to himself as the confessor of Nerull continues on talking as he had ever since he seemed to get comfortable with him. They had a few days of traveling to do, and yet this man seemed to fill each second with a new story. Some more interesting than others, others senseless babel about nonsense things. However when he begins speaking about the high guard coming to the town the right hand of the Stern Lady pays very close attention.

"While it does seem odd the church of the Archpaladin would ask the high guard to do such a small task, the fact they are servants who believe in fighting the good fight no matter what does make there reaction make sense to an extent. Should an innocent man be placed in prison for speaking his mind no, so long as it does not harm others. If you are willing to write this down I will pass it along when I arrive at the scarlet tower to be looked into. To be honest I saw more corruption from the church of Pelor than anywhere else in the town." he states, trying to see where this follower of the Reaper really stood.

"If the mayor's advisor did a poor job of advising him and no one noticed it, either the entire town is blind or he could not have done that bad of a job. It is interesting though, did he say exactly what he did a poor job with, or simply state that he didn't think he did a good job as your answer may carry a small amount of weight to it."

"I see, and no one bothered to question why he was doing this? After all the church of the Reaper could face very heavy losses if it were to be found out that they were using necromancy, why would everyone turn a blind eye to such actions? Tell me on the night of your ritual's where was everyone? I stayed awake each night waiting for someone to come to the new stone tablet, yet each night no one came to so much as kill a goat." he points out, curious as to what really happened.

[Artman77]

His name is brother Kyle. His friend (the embalmer you spoke to earlier) is called Lim Libra.

"The man who they arrested was supposedly an influential person from the capital named Chadwick Orwell. He was vehemently opposed to everything involving golems. He didn't mind their use in the war so much as he opposed their creation to begin with. Apparently he had left the capital and was traveling from town to town to warn the people not to support the crown and its efforts to make golems. He warned that they would one day turn on their creators and kill us all. Telling common folk to refuse aid to the crown is treason, of course, punishable by death, and the high guard hunted him from town to town until they finally found him here and arrested him. The guard that came to my room and to confess was worried that he wasn't really hanging traitors, but in fact helping the crown to silence those who knew the truth. He didn't know any of the blacksmiths, wizards, or artificers personally however, so he had no proof."


"The advisor confessed nothing specific. He said multiple times that our good mayor may have made the right decision if only he had done a better job 'impressing on him the moral implications of his actions'. Rather than do what was right, he thought the mayor had done what was easy, allowing injustices to continue. He didn't say what these injustices were. The only specific information he did give was that he was afraid to confess his sins at the other churches, for fear of retribution. I told him to pray for courage and speak again to mayor to see if the wrongs could be righted. He said it was too late. That was the last I heard from him. He hanged himself a week later."

"No one questions the Overseer of the Dead; it is not in our doctrine. Lord Cumulos asked Lim Libra to leave the embalming room after he was finished with the bodies so they could have "an hour of peace". Lim told me that this was an ancient practice for the Overseers, and often that they would perform a ritual before burial, but he listened at the door several times and never heard Lord Cumulos praying over the body. Once the hour was up, Cumulos would come out and tell him the body was ready for its coffin. Lim would go in and examine the body, the floor, the contents of the room; everything. It all looked the same. Lim was concerned that some dark magic was taking place, but never could find any proof of it. The bodies always received a proper burial, and they are all still in the ground where we placed them, undisturbed.
Lim came to me to confess that he was suspicious of our lord; that he was deceiving us all. I advised him to bring these suspicions to the church of the Archpaladin, but he would not. The more Lim confessed his suspicions to me, the more I began to fear Lord Cumulos. I didn't want to stay in Winnepeg but I couldn't flee by myself, I didn't think I could travel the roads alone, and couldn't afford to pay someone to come with me. That's when you arrived. I knew then I might have a chance..."