Stormspout

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Awkward is our Trademark

Darvin: "It's a rather long story actually. A lot has happened since then, a lot has changed..."

Mashy: "Want to go somewhere and talk about it?" Mashy said, leaning back far enough to give Darvin a wink.

Darvin: "Mashy, I don't think that would be a good idea. It would probably defeat the whole purpose of me coming here."

Mashy: "What do you mean? Didn't you come here looking for me?" Mashy asked. She looked thoroughly perplexed.

Talathel: "Haha," Talathel chuckled, not quite just to himself.

"Not really."

Darvin: "Um, as a matter of fact, we had no idea you were here. A pleasant coincidence though." Darvin looked at Talathel for assisstance

Mashy: Mashy turned and glared at Talathel. "Oh. Aren't you the boring elf that came along to help 'rescue' me? Why don't you just piss off?"

Talathel "I came to do nothing of the sort. Unless you can use your magic to conjure up some rum, I have little concern about what you do."

Mashy: "Then why are you here? I saw you and thought you had come for me. I can do some very bits of magic, if you know what I mean..." Mashy said, tickling Darvin under the chin.

Sent at 9:49 PM on Sunday

Talathel: "We came here to find our friend Nym. She used to go to school here."

Mashy: Mashy simply ignored Talathel's remark, focusing on Darvin.

"The dead girl from the statue? How is she a friend of yours?" Mashy asked.

Darvin: "I don't think I'm the best candidate for that anymore, Mashy"

Darvin: "It's part of the long story. But basically we found her in a closet in a sewer and she's been with us ever since. Well, until she ran off to Silverymoon and we came looking for her."

Mashy: "You found her in a sewer? And what kind of friend is she?" Mashy was starting to look a bit hurt and suspicious, now.

Darvin: "Um...she's a good friend, but one that shouldn't run off without protection."

Darvin was realizing this wasn't going to end well

Mashy: Mashy climbed off of Darvin to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips. "I'm a bit disappointed in you, Darvin."

Talathel: "Isn't everyone these days..." Talathel said under his breath

Mashy: She continued standing there, staring at him, daring him with her eyes to say something that would prove he wasn't as much of an asshole as she thought he was at that moment.

Darvin: "I...er, I don't know what to say? A lot has changed since I left Secomber, for the first time in my life I realized that there are some things out there that are bigger than me, and I followed one of them here..."

Mashy: "What are you saying? What does that mean?"

Darvin:

"It means it's not just about me anymore."

Talathel: "So you're with this dead Nym girl?"

Darvin: "Well, she's not dead. She's very much alive."

Mashy: "You're avoiding the question." Mashadara said.

Darvin: "I don't think I avoided it at all. You asked if she was dead, she is not. And no I am not with her."

Darvin: "Also, have you met our friend Thjodolf?"

Talathel: "Not even I completely buy that. If you're telling me you pulled me away from Lailsan for a three day ride and you don't have any feelings for Nym..."

Thjodolf: "Leave me out this!" Thjodolf said. "You in enough trouble for both us."

Darvin: "Oh Talathel, bugger off! I was answering the question truthfully. We aren't together, feelings aside."

Mashy: "Thank you, Talathel." Mashy said. "Darvin, at least you could be man enough to tell me the truth."

Darvin: "I did tell you the truth! You asked if we were together, we are not. Do I have feelings for her? Yes. Does she for me? Well, that remains to be seen."

Mashy: "I see."

"Well then. I suppose that's that." She said, turning and walking off in a bit of a huff.

Darvin: "I'm sorry Mashy. I wish you luck." Darvin called after her

Talathel: "Well, that was delightfully awkward. Lets go fill some flasks."

Darvin: "No thanks to you!" Darvin shot back

Talathel: Talathel rolls his eyes

"because it was going so smoothly with your half truths and vague answers"

he turns toward the school gate and begins to leave the courtyard

Darvin: "I never lied once in that whole ordeal."

Talathel: "you may not have lied, but you were not honest either. I've seen the way you look at Nym, the way you two danced, your reaction to when she left.

those looks, those feelings, that is the reason why we're here, so don't try to water it down in an attempt to save face"

Darvin: "She's a wizard and I was trying to be careful. It does us no good if she turns me into a newt!"

Talathel: "So instead of telling her the complete truth, you decided to be vague and confuse the young girl"

Thjodolf: "I had a cousin who was turned into an emu once." Thjodolf added.

Talathel: "an interesting tale, Thjodolf. How about you tell it over some ales?"

Thjodolf: When both Darvin and Talathel turned to look at him, he added, "He got better."

Darvin: "See, Thjodolf's cousin was turned into an Emu. What good am I as an emu?"

Thjodolf: "We done yet?" Thjodolf added. "The pub not sound bad."

Darvin: "Well, lets go get some food and ale then and wait for this rock to talk to us."

The Ring: The ring said, "What a bunch of ninnies ye are. Waitin' for a talkin' rock. Eh. Suppose it's as daft as talkin' to a ring, now?"

Friday, March 12, 2010

Dreams

Nym fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as she lay down. She began to dream.

Pipper had grown to the size of a bear, and Nym rode him through a forest. They came to a wide river, and on the other side she could see Wayrn, Avarn, Morna, Moran, and Rahm. They were all the ages they should have been had they lived. She shouted to them and waved, but they didn't seem to hear her. Pipper looked at her and said, "They cannah hear you, Nym." "Why not, Pip?" she asked the fox. "You're too fah away," he said, matter-of-factly. Nym hopped down from Pipper's back and stared across the water. "Maybe there's a crossing further South... or North..." she said. Pipper cocked his bear-sized head to the side, "You know the sea's to the South an' the river is wideh to the North, Nym." Nym frowned, "Then how will I cross to them?" Pipper shook and said, "You cannah cross." Nym stood silently watching them. "But THEY can cross." Pipper just looked at Nym. Nym smiled, and climbed back onto Pipper's back. "Let's go. They will cross when it is time." Pipper ran back into the forest with Nym riding him.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Lady's College

Here is a crude map of the Lady's College.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Happy birthday to our fire-breathing, manual reading DM

In honor of him, here is a poorly done photoshop of an elf coming out of a cake.

As you can see, it was poorly done. Happy birthday, Dan.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Overland Movement

Characters covering long distances cross-country use overland movement. Overland movement is measured in miles per hour or miles per day. A day represents 8 hours of actual travel time. For rowed watercraft, a day represents 10 hours of rowing. For a sailing ship, it represents 24 hours.

Walk: A character can walk 8 hours in a day of travel without a problem. Walking for longer than that can wear him out (see Forced March, below).

Hustle: A character can hustle for 1 hour without a problem. Hustling for a second hour in between sleep cycles deals 1 point of nonlethal damage, and each additional hour deals twice the damage taken during the previous hour of hustling. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from hustling becomes fatigued.

A fatigued character can't run or charge and takes a penalty of –2 to Strength and Dexterity. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue.

Run: A character can't run for an extended period of time. Attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle.

Terrain: The terrain through which a character travels affects the distance he can cover in an hour or a day (see Table: Terrain and Overland Movement). A highway is a straight, major, paved road. A road is typically a dirt track. A trail is like a road, except that it allows only single-file travel and does not benefit a party traveling with vehicles. Trackless terrain is a wild area with no paths.

Forced March: In a day of normal walking, a character walks for 8 hours. The rest of the daylight time is spent making and breaking camp, resting, and eating.

A character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, a Constitution check (DC 10, +2 per extra hour) is required. If the check fails, the character takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from a forced march becomes fatigued. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue. It's possible for a character to march into unconsciousness by pushing himself too hard.

Mounted Movement: A mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle. The damage it takes when doing so, however, is lethal damage, not nonlethal damage. The creature can also be ridden in a forced march, but its Constitution checks automatically fail, and the damage it takes is lethal damage. Mounts also become fatigued when they take any damage from hustling or forced marches.

See Table: Mounts and Vehicles for mounted speeds and speeds for vehicles pulled by draft animals.

Table: Mounts and Vehicles

Mount/Vehicle	Per Hour	Per Day
Light horse	6 miles	48 miles
Light horse (175–525 lbs.)¹	4 miles	32 miles
Heavy horse	5 miles	40 miles
Heavy horse (229–690 lbs.)¹	3-1/2 miles	28 miles
Pony	4 miles	32 miles
Pony (151–450 lbs.)¹	3 miles	24 miles
Dog, riding	4 miles	32 miles
Dog, riding (101–300 lbs.)¹	3 miles	24 miles
Cart or wagon	2 miles	16 miles
1 Quadrupeds, such as horses, can carry heavier loads than characters can. See Carrying Capacity for more information.

The Headmistress

"Thank you for your support, Lady." said Nym, standing. She gently pulled out the box containing her companion's remains and produced Wayrn's finger. After five years, it was basically mummified. She carefully handed it over to Wayrn's mother, took the letter of support, and left for the Lady's College. On her way out, she asked Fardel to send word to her about how Wayrn's resurrection went at the Wayward House.

It was mid-afternoon now, and Nym made her way to the Lady's College. Upon entering the grounds, she noticed a large statue that was clearly of her and her travel companions from when they'd left the college six years prior. Nym led Nesme to the college stables and then entered the building through a servant's door she'd used many times in her youth. She made her way though the familiar hallways until she arrived at the headmistress's office. She knocked on the office door and then waited. After a few moments, it opened, and the secretary peeked out. "Do you have an appointment?" asked the annoyed-looking halfling woman as she looked Nym up and down.

"No madam, but I'm here on urgent business with the support of the Ravenhelm family. I need to speak with the Headmistress as soon as possible." said Nym coolly.

"The Ravenhelms? Oh my!" said the halfling. Her attitude had changed considerably when the noble family was mentioned. "One moment." the halfling went back inside the office area. Nym looked around the waiting area. Finally the door opened again, and the halfling said, "The Headmistress will see you now."

Nym followed the halfling through the door and back to the Headmistress's office. Sitting just outside the office, in a small sitting room meant to hold those waiting on the Headmistress, was another halfling. She was about 17, and gave Nym a mischievious wink as she strode past straight to the doors to the Headmistress' chambers.

The Headmistress did not look up immediately when Nym entered as she was finishing a letter. When she did look up, her jaw dropped slightly. "...Nym? Is that you?" Her surprise was clear. Nym laughed and said, "It's good to see you really don't forget a student, Headmistress." The woman smiled at Nym. Nym continued, pulling out the letter of support from the Ravenhelms, "Although I am alive and well, I'm afraid that cannot be said for all of us who foolishly left Silverymoon on a dangerous adventure. I need your help."

Diplomacy
(1d20)+4+3
18+4+3 (NICE!)
25

Heading northward to find his wayward companions.

May 27th
2-7pm
From where I am to Red Larch: 10 (2)
From Red Larch to Triboar: 9 miles (2)
From Triboar to Yartar: 12 miles (2+)
Total: 31

Riding northward Beranhond, Kailina, and Janusa soon found the road leading to Red Larch. They road steadily, stopping only briefly to water the horses. After a few hours they circled the walled city of Red Larch and continued Northward. The lands were filled with odd animals, and at times the strange badlands duck flew down to quack at them. But, other than that it was fairly calm. After another couple hours they passed through Triboar, waved at the inhabitants, and continued on the road. Finally, they arrived at Yartar for the night and found a small but comfortable inn to sleep in.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Ravenhelms

After Ollin left for the market, Nym saddled Nesme and led her out of the stables. Pipper barked, wanting to come along too, but Nym had locked him in a pen with Vort, who was happily sleeping in a sun ray.

Perhaps I should see Wayrn's family first....

Although not particularly good at magic, Wayrn was well-loved by his family, the Ravenhelms. She made her way into the wealthiest part of Silverymoon and Wayrn's old home. As she approached their manor, she noted that it looked ever the same and always impressive when compared to neighboring homes.

She tied Nesme to the fence and knocked on the door. After a few moments, Fardel, the Ravenhelm's gnome servant, opened the door. He frowned at this girl who would dare bother him, and studied her for a moment. Suddenly he realized who she was. "By Nebelun's grace! Nym? Nym, is that you? You're supposed to be dead! Is Master Wayrn with you?"

"In a manner of speaking..." Nym replied. "It is good to see you, Fardel. Is the Mistress of the house in?" Fardel nodded and led Nym into the foyer. While Fardel went of to fetch Wayrn's mother, Nym looked at the large family paintings hung in the hall. She stopped in front of a stern painting of Wayrn and smiled. He'd never looked so serious in life, really, and she was amused by the pompous poise he'd taken for the painting. I shall have to tease him about this when he's brought back. she thought.

After a few minutes, Fardel returned with Wayrn's mother following. She was a tall, slight woman with plain features but a regal face. Nym bowed slightly and said bluntly, " Wayrn and the others are dead, Mistress. I have returned to Silverymoon to have them resurrected, but I need your help convincing the college to raise them."

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Any dream will do.

I don't really have any overwhelming questions to ask of right now... so feel free to skip ahead to the ritual/challenge, whatever it might be.Beranhond followed them into the camp, talking idly with them, but he was more interested in a place to sit and relax. The previous days had been a little tiring. The quick horse back ride, the killings, the forced march, poor sleep and the mornings questioning had stressed and tired him. Thus, when his escorts pointed out a solitary tree that would be provide some shade he quickly accepted and while his escort sat down around him Beranhond dosed off to take a short nap.
As he drifted into slumber he swore he could hear the call of the horns of Torm. Opening his eyes his saw that he was back in his room at the Citadel of Torm. Outside the crystal blue water of the sea of fallen stars glinted in the afternoon sunlight and the streets below were filled with troops beyond count.
"This cannot be!" Beranhond said jumping up and opening the door. Suddenly he was down amongst the crowd. He could not make out any of the people around them - their faces held no features or identities.
"What happened?" He asked one of the shapes
"The spring of Torm no longer flows! Those dark enemies who would end his civilizing ways must now be punished!" The voice seemed familiar and he reached over to touch the shape's shoulder.
Suddenly he was back in the sewer of Balder's Gate and Ceilith stood in front of him.
"I have to kill you Eth. You just don't understand."
"Understand what?"
"It." She thrust her sword into his chest. "I do still love you though."
"Well... this seems an odd time to tell me that." Beranhond said as he fell to the ground and clutched his chest. As he pulled his hands away he saw that they were not red, but instead sticky and yellow.
"Interesting. Why would I be bleeding honey?" He said feeling weaker and lightheaded. He started to topple backwards, but at the last moment he felt Narath's hands catch him and throw him upward. He burst out of the sewers and floated above the badlands. He no longer felt lightheaded or dizzy and Narath flew beside him.
"Narath? What is going on."
"Oh, you are just having an odd dream. Very odd. Do analyze it if you have time."
"Ok." He looked around, but as he looked at the ground he noticed it was getting closer.
"Hmmm. I suspected that I couldn't fly." As his face slammed into the ground everything turned to black.

He sat upright in the grass which caused Tigrisclawu to jump as well. Shaking his head he turned to his escort.
"Is it time?"

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

To Silverymoon!

Pipper was awake when Ollin first stirred before the sun had began to rise. The little fox watched Ollin walk from the room, but continued to lay on Nym's belly as she slept. The old apothecary soon came down the stairs and went into the kitchen to make breakfast for himself and his guests. Pipper's ears perked up and he sniffed the air when he heard sizzling and smelled food cooking, but he continued to lay on Nym. After a time, Pipper heard Ollin whist

le, which meant he and Vort were to be fed. Pipper hopped down from Nym's belly and yipped at her to wake her. When she didn't stir, he sniffed her ear and face. Nym groaned, but did not awake. Pipper snorted and lay across Nym's face, which caused Nym to burst into laughter.

"ALRIGHT. I'm UP!" she said to the fox pup, sitting up. Pipper yipped and ran out the door to be fed. Nym chuckled and went to help Rovanth with the cooking. Since all his own children had moved away, Rovanth was more than happy to listen to Nym chatter while she helped him cook.

After a quick breakfast, Ollin and Nym helped Rovanth tidy up his shop and then open for the day at 7am. By this time, the sun was rising. Nym, Ollin, Vort, Pipper, and their horses, Nesme and Ella, continued their journey to Silverymoon.

Off to school we go

Talathel found himself awake during the pre-dawn hours. Since he meditated, he required much less sleep than his traveling companions. He went out to the stables and checked on the horses. He figured they would have the day off more or less.

He hoped that Nym was in the city, or at least not far from it. He was somewhat eager to get back to the ship, for very much the same reasons why Darvin had dragged him on a three day adventure.

Seeing that the horses were fed, watered, and resting comfortably, Talathel pulled out some bread and fruit from his pack and had himself a sunrise breakfast. He occasionally gave some food to Arandur.

With the meal completed he headed back to the room. Since we didn't specify, I'm going to say we shared a room. He sat in a chair and waited for Darvin and Thjodolf to awaken. Eventually there were signs of life from his two companions.

"If you don't hurry, you'll be late for class today! If you miss school you won't learn your spells and what a dull elf you'll be!"

Thjodolf looked at him strangely.

"My mother used to say that to me before I went to school."

"You no know spells."

"I skipped a few days."

Monday, March 1, 2010

The Interrogation of Sorts

As the side of the tent was just starting to lighten with the dawn, three young elves arrived to gather the three of them. They had not seen these elves on their way into the camp.

Kailina and Janusa exited their tents meekly, looking to Beranhond as they tried to decide whether or not to let their fear and hesitation show. There would be no singing this day, it seemed.

“Greetings, fair elves. My name is Beranhond, cleric of Narath. I wish you peace”

Beranhond's Diplomacy Roll:
Roll(1d20)+10:
11,+10
Total:21

"Greetings, Beranhond," the tall woman in the middle said. "Please come with us. The council will see you now, and decide what is to be done with you."

“Of course. Lead on.”

The tall woman led, and the other two elves, one with tanned skin and bright white hair and the other with a ruddy brown complexion and dark brown hair, followed the group of three. A guard went in front of the entire group, and two flanked them as they walked through the camp. In the early morning light, many were moving about, and Beranhond saw that the camp was a hodge podge of different styles of shelters and living arrangements grouped organically, as if each small cluster of shelters was a different type of flower and each had somehow found a way to coexist with the others in a beautiful, chaotic way.

The group walked out of the camp, and around one of the main hills that surrounded the encampment to a small natural amphitheatre, where roughly 20 people of various races and ages were seated on a hillside facing a small flat area, where the three were led.

Standing in the flat area was Sifuhn and the other two from the night before.

"Welcome, Beranhond, Kailina and Janusa," said Sifuhn as they approached the small staging area. "As your captors, it is our duty to see that the council knows your intent in this land. You are to be questioned here, in their presence. As part of our training as stewards of the land, we are asked to gather the information they seek, and our advancement will be judged based on how well we handle things. Please help us, and we will do what we can to see that you are sent safely on your way."

Sifuhn's Diplomacy Roll:
Roll(1d20)+1:
4,+1
Total:5

Beranhond smiled. "So, your advancement is in my hands? Well, I have no problem helping you, however you will certainly have to make a more convincing case - for you shall rarely find someone as helpful as I am wandering about the plains. Make your case more strongly so that the council can see your true abilities."

Sifuhn swallowed, but nodded.

"I shall of course divulge all my information to help you in the end, but as we are in negotiations now that will certainly not do."

It was the other man with them the night before who began the proceedings, however. He stepped to the front of the small flat area as if it were a stage, and began speaking. "Council, know that I am Pelannin Treemane, and along with Sifuhn Lee and Gabrielle Finore we will be questioning these three witnesses who have wandered into this area that is smitten with war and strife. We will attempt to divulge from them exactly what they are doing and why they have been traveling with our enemies: those allied with Torm and Lathander."

Pelannin turned to Kailina first. "Please state your name and what brings you to the Goldenfields badlands at this time for the council to hear."

Kailina took a deep breath, "my name is Kailina, I am originally from Balder's gate and was recruited by Beranhond to be a crewmember aboard the Lady Narath. When he asked for volunteers to join him in searching out the Druids of Goldenfields I volunteered."

Gabrielle continued the questioning, turning to Janusa, "Please state your name, and explain to everyone present why you would be searching out the Druids of Goldenfields."

"My name is Janusa. I am also a crewmember of the Lady Narath, and honestly I have no reason why we are searching out the druids. Beranhond is the one who had that in mind."

Sifuhn took his turn finally, gesturing to Beranhond, "Please speak your name very loudly, and tell us, why were you so worried about finding us?"

"My name is Ethelred Beranhond. I am a follower of Narath and was told to come here by her. I am seeking information as we both fear that dark deeds are happening in this region."

Pelannin walked over to Janusa. "Is Beranhond your leader, then? How long have you been traveling with him and why do you follow him?"

Janusa smiled to calm her nerves. "Beranhond is our spiritual leader, but not our captain or the owner of the ship. When he was told to find a crew he searched for those pure of heart and good hearted, I answered his call because women are rarely found on ship and he bore no prejudice towards us. I have been travelling with him only a short while now; however he is well known in Balder's gate as he healed the masses after the earthquake and he and his company defeated the wererats that had been causing turmoil in the sewers."

Gabrielle asked Beranhond, "How did you make sure your crew was "pure of heart and good hearted? And who was the captain and the owner of the ship?"

"Well, the captain of the crew is a bit of a romantic and is off chasing after the "love of his life" up in Silverymoon. She happens to be the owner of the ship and is a half-elf from the High forest." He laughed slightly. "We are quite an odd crew as another of a crew is a half elf monk of the old order."

"As for how they were pure and good hearted... of course such things can be hard to tell, but I interviewed them, talked to them about their faith, and had them sign a pledge to not drink or use substances. They also join me in prayer in the morning."

Sifuhn asked Beranhond, "Who is this Narath you follow. What is her portfolio? How would we know her? Does the entire crew follow Narath as well, then, since you are leading them in prayer?"

Sifuhn's Diplomacy Roll:
Roll(1d20)+1:
17,+1
Total:18

"Narath is a fairly new God, I would be surprised if you knew her." He paused for a moment trying to decide how to explain it.

"I am her first prophet and first follower. There are a few others who have joined me in Balder's gate... but the crew do not follow her, I lead them in ecumenical services that embrace personal choice of faith."

"As for her portfoilio... you might say that her ultimate interest is in life and in experiencing life."

Pelannin: "Kailina, when would you turn to Narath? When you are looking to make money? When you are interested in finding a husband? Your companion Beranhond just told us her interest is in 'life.' That sounds as if she is against the undead. Is she allied with Lathander, then?"

"I can't really answer you about Narath. I don't know if I would turn to Narath I am quite happy with my faith. I can't quite understand the question..." Kailina responded.

Gabrielle returned to Kailina. "Chauntea is the earth mother. I follow her because I hold growth and those who tend the land in high regard. She also represents life. A deity's portfolio is all of the things they hold dear, and most people try to find a deity they respect and who holds the same things dear. If you donow pray to Narath, who do you worship, and why?"

"I follow Selune, my parents have before me and my parents before me. I follow her because of her emphasis on navigation, a useful thing for one at sea."

Sifuhn asked Janusa, "Would you please explain to us how you feel about your former companions, the paladins of Lathander and Torm, who traveled with you to within 10 miles of the Goldenfields abbey before finding their end."

Sifuhn's Intimidate Roll(+5 Circumstance bonus due to being in enemy hands):
Roll(1d20)+5:
14,+5
Total:19

Janusa grew a little nervous. "How I feel about them? Well, the Paladins have always striven for good and righteousness and it was really sad to see them dead upon the road? I search for life so I mourned there passage." She said.

Pelannin spoke. "At this point, we will begin questioning each other back and forth. You three may take turns asking us questions, and we will take turns asking you questions. By tradition, generally each person takes a turn questioning, but as you are not of our beliefs, you may choose to ask the questions however you wish. Do you have any questions about the process before we begin?"

"Is there any limit on the question we can ask?" Beranhond asked.

"You may ask any question you wish of the three of us. You may not ask a question of any member of the council seated here, but we will be as honest and thorough as we can be in answering your questions and expect you to do the same." Pelannin replied.

Beranhond licked his lips and turned to the three questioners. "Please explain how followers of a God of life can justify the killing of Paladin's? I held my tounge last night and spent the morning praying for their passage. But perhaps you can illuminate me on why they needed to be butchered in such a cold hearted manner."

Beranhond's Diplomacy Roll:
Roll(1d20)+10:
15,+10
Total:25

Gabrielle answered, "Chauntea teaches us that death is a part of life. The wheat dies in the autumn to make way for the fields to be planted anew. We killed those men because we are at war with them. You do not wait for your enemies to come and have a chance to kill you. You strike before they are able to strike you."

Gabrielle continued, "They knew they were entering into hostile territory. We have been engaged in battle for weeks now, and have been sending them messages for weeks before them to ask them to stop their attacks on us. Why do they ignore us? Why do they continue to press the attack?"

Beranhond: "They made no mention of a conflict with the Druids. They agreed to accompany me to find you without any mention of a conflict with you! In fact, they said that they hadn't heard from you in quite some time."

Beranhond: "Who has been attacking you? They say they have been attacked by the undead lately that has decimated their ranks."

Pelannin responded. "There are many different kinds of attacks. We have been under attack by Lathander for months now. Sacred places have been desecrated withLathander's symbol left behind, creatures being brutally mauled and left wounded for no apparent reason, branded with the symbol of Lathander, and finally, after these undead attacks began, we were able to capture a man who we thought was behind it, he turned out to be a priest of Lathander. We have sent our emissaries, and they have gone missing. So we have started defending ourselves. The priests of light will find they have plenty to fear once they step foot outside their cities."

Pelannin nodded to Sifuhn, who continued the questioning. "Did they make any mention of their attacks on our people? Their 'scouting parties' that are tasked with keeping us under their heel? Do your 'friends' at the temple in Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep sleep well at night knowing the evil they are spreading in the world?"

"What evil are they spreading in the world?" He decided to take a slightly different approach. "Naturally, they did not mention any evil. Do you have any idea who is causing the undead?" Beranhond said curiously - Narath had warned him about someone trying to raise a dark God.

Pelannin stepped in. "You were asked a question. Please answer it before you take your own turn. This is our tradition. Thank you."

Beranhond: "My appologies. They mentioned that their scouting parties were designed to keep the undead in check and that the animals had gone mad. They did not mention that they were attacking you. They only said that they hadn't heard from you in weeks. As for my friends in the temple... they naturally did not mention how well they were sleeping or whether they were causing any evil. Indeed the temple in Balder's Gate was destroyed by an attack from an Earthquake spell."

Sifuhn replied to Beranhond's question. "Did you not hear the first time? They tainted and destroyed many locations and creatures that we consider holy and do our best to protect. They have begun destroying farmland, poisoning water supplies, and doing their best to bring decay and rot to our lands. If that is not evil, I'm not sure what is." Sifuhn let Pelannin take over once more.

"Beranhond, you say that you are Narath's first propthet and follower. How long have you been devoted to her? And were you a follower of a different deity before that?" Pelannin asked.

"Well, in all honesty that is a difficult question to answer. In pragmatic terms I have not been following her publically for too long. However, in another way I have always been following her. She first spoke me to me around a decade ago and her voice spread doubt about my former beliefs." He paused for a moment, bit his lip and began again. "I technically followed Torm before her. Yet, my faith was never strong, nor did I find his message all that interesting. I joined his order for the upward mobility being a Paladin of Torm can provide. Yet, I was often in trouble with the schoolmasters for my questions and I was the last of my cohort to pass the rite of muckab before I fled under Narath's encouragement."

"When did the relations between you and Lathander's followers first go sour? Were there any events that brought about this war?"

Gabrielle answered. "There was no one event that began this war. It began about a year ago, when several owlbears were found cruelly experimented on, killed and reawakened as undead. They were branded with Lathander's seal, and we though this was a jest, or at least an attempt to make us question our onetime allies, but every attempt to find out who was really behind it yielded an answer ofLathander's priests and warriors. We tried to ask the priests about the undead, and they scoffed that such a thing could be done, and then, when we showed them evidence of the act, they claimed we had fabricated the thing. They refused to help us or even acknowledge it as a concern. Shortly after that, things began escalating. They stopped receiving our emissaries, they started attacking their former allies on sight, and things turned bitter cold between our two groups rather quickly. They haven't accepted an emissary in the past 3 months, and we haven't seen a follower of Lathander or Torm in that time that hasn't attacked us without provocation if we have not attacked first."

Gabrielle smoothly transitioned into her question. "I request that you channel your healing powers to heal an injured member of our group. In this way, you will show us that Narath is, at the least, not an evil goddess, since you seem to have so little to say about her other than that 'her ultimate interest is in life and experiencing life.'"

"Certainly. Where are they?" He paused. "As for your second point - part of the reason that I have 'so little to say' is that she sent me, as her First Prophet, to articulate her emphasis and interests. As a result, I am still finding out what exactly she stands for. If you are interested I could talk to you more about her revelation 'evolution.' But it can be a little dry."

Gabrielle gestured, and a young halfling woman stepped forward. She walked with a slight limp.

Beranhond raised the shield, which drew some odd looks from people. Calling forth healing energy he let it flow outwards from the shield. The blue light shot out from the shield and bathed the crowd and the halfling in its light.

Healing:
Roll(2d6)+2:
3,4,+2
Total:9

The halfling woman took off her boot and sock, unwrapped the bandages, and scowled. To herself, and half to Beranhond, she said, "I liked that scar . It was a good lesson learned. I suppose I can get another though." Turning to those assembled, she announced, "It's healed." and walked back to where she was.

Beranhond: "You mentioned that you caught a Lathander Priest... what did he reveal under questioning? Did he mention any new alliances?"

"We caught him, but were unable to discover anything about him other than his name. He... escaped," was Pelannin's response. "His name was Ishmael."

Sifuhn stepped up to ask the next question. "Janusa, is it possible to have integrity but not honesty? How about duty but not compassion?"

She looked awkwardly at her for a moment. "I don't see why not. Integrity is maintaing your own personal convictions and honesty might not be one of them. Duty and compassion can be quite separate. But I am not really the one to ask about metaphysics and philosophy - I am a servant of the sea and the sea doesn't ask nearly such difficult questions."

Beranhond: "How can you be sure that some group isn't playing both sides against each other? Are you certain that Lathander, being historically such a good force, has turned towards evil?"

Pelannin answered. "That was our original thought, as well. It seems much more logical that there is someone else trying to make us attack each other, but every attempt we have made to find out who is at fault has led us to Lathander. We have already waited too long and lost too many for us to turn back now."

"I have no more questions. Sifuhn, Gabrielle, do either of you have any more questions?" Both of them shook their heads, and Pelannin continued. "Then, per tradition, you have 3 more questions you may ask of us before this questioning is ended."

Beranhond: "What about Torm? Have you figured out what role Torm has played in this region?"

Gabrielle answered, "No. We don't know why Torm is involved. Any help you could provide to help us find that answer would be appreciated, but I don't really expect you to have any valuable knowledge, being away from Torm for all this time."

Beranhond: "All I know is that the Paladins of Torm have been in this region for quite some time. One of my friends was sent here a few years ago on some special assignment."

Beranhond: "Second question, from your perspective why would the Lathander order send Paladins as an escort for me on my quest to seek you if they are at war with you?"

Sifuhn answered, "They were a scouting party, trying to find where we are camped and how many we are so they can be more informed for their next moves. You are the oddity in this situation, not the paladins with you."

Beranhond: "My third question requires some background. Narath sent me here because she fears that a dark God is being raised or summoned. I suspect that this has something to do with the earthquake spell cast upon the Temple of Lathander in Balder's Gate. Further, one of the Priests of Lathander in Balder's Gate appeared to be attempting to create undead creatures. He mentioned that "they are sending me bodies now." Within all of these elements do you have any insight you could provide, or a suggestion of where to search for more information?"

Pelannin answered this last question. "I have no idea what raising a god would entail, nor do I know anything about sending bodies. However, there have been rumors about a conflict between the Temple of Lathander in Baldur's Gate and a druid's circle in the area. We don't have much commerce with other circles, but we have heard of another group that took much stronger action against the priests there."

Beranhond: "Thank you for your answers, they certainly help to illuminate, and confuse, the situation."

In Search of the Creeper Creature

The evening was uneventful for Nym and Ollin, and Ollin woke Nym up at dawn to continue their search for the creeper. The night before, he had made a quick trip to the houses nearest his, warning others of the danger and asking for their help in searching for other vines and helping to make sure that the threat was eliminated, so as Nym got dressed, another 5 people showed up to continue the hunt.

The group headed out, and within 45 minutes, Ollin had led them to the place where the vine had been the day before. The group spread out to search the area for any signs where the vine had come from and what sort of creature had been infested with the vine to carry it here in the first place.

Nym: Please give me either a knowledge: Nature, Survival, or Perception check.

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