For every season

The area surrounding Baldur's Gate had fallen steadily into a wilder and wilder state and travel was becoming increasingly difficult. Roving bands of brigands and outlaws harassed the few merchants and traders willing to brave the treacherous journey.

Outside of the once fair and prosperous city a small enclave had formed at the top of the hill guarding the path into the city. The people living their were called by a variety of names, though they themselves claimed no title or allegiance. The city officials generally let them be as they helped to guard the passage into the city and, for the most part, kept the peace.

Rumors floated around the city that the leader of the encampment was a former Paladin of Torm. Others said that it was a foul mouthed halfling, yet others swore to their dying day that it was an elf lord from a distant kingdom. Regardless, it was common knowledge that the leader of the encampment had been part of the alliance that had led the charge against the forces of the darkness years ago...

Beranhond sat up in shock, breathing heavily, sweat pouring from his brow. He looked about the room, trying to remind himself that he wasn't in the midst of the long ago battle.
"What's wrong Eth?" Came a woman's voice from beside him.
He rubbed his eyes and turned to look at her, smiling slightly despite himself.
"It was that dream again... of Candlekeep, and of my visit to the aftermath of the Temple of the druids." He said in a tired voice.
"Oh, Eth, I'm sorry." She said putting her hands around him and pulling him down into the mattress. "At least we made it safely to Baldur's Gate and can start looking to see if there is any sign or words of your friends.
"Yes." He said letting himself be pulled back into the comfort of the sheets.
 As Evelaen fell noislessly back to sleep Beranhond's mind couldn't help but reflect on all the changes since his last trip to Baldur's Gate. It had been filled with the worst kind of adventure - after the disaster at Candlekeep he'd worked with the Paladin's of Torm to stem the tide of darkness from reaching into the continent. Yet, it had been for naught, as the dark God arose, and changed the balance of the land. All across Faerun word had spread that the Gods and Godesses were distant, beyond hearing, and their miracles and blessings seemingly less potent. Beranhond's own faith had been shaken after...
No, he thought, I'm not going to think about that right now.
He looked over at the dark haired, dark eyed, Evelaen, and pushed her hair out of her eyes. It had been an unexpected event that had brought them together, but she had become one of the few sources of comfort in the troublesome world of Faerun.
The next morning Evelaen and Beranhond packed up their meager belongings, said goodbye to the surprisingly polite innkeeper and headed off into the partially ruined city that was Baldur's Gate. Along the way Beranhond pointed out the changes that had occured to the city - especially noting the square where he had once upon a time had the ability to cure the multitude, and the entrances to the underground where they had to fight giant rats. Evelaen humored Beranhond as he narrated nostalgia, even asking a few follow up questions to show her willingness to listen.

Finally, after some backtracking around blocked streets they found their way to the wharf district.
"If Darvin is anywhere, he'll be here, and I know that Violet told me that she'd leave word for me at the docks if she was ever in the area."
 

It's Time...

Darkness. Pounding. Pain. The moment before you open your eyes in the morning. These were the sensations Darvin was experiencing. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. Moonlight was pouring in through the cabin window. His head hurt. He noticed an empty bottle of rum lying on the ground. And then he noticed another one. This was a typical morning for Darvin Amblecrown, formerly mighty pirate, these days.

Darvin remembered setting off with his friends for Candlekeep three years ago. He even recalled fighting a battle, however, he could never remember how it turned out. He ended up in Baldur's Gate. He wasn't sure how he got back there either. His friends were nowhere to be found. Based on all of this, he had assumed that the ending of that battle had not gone well. That had weighed on the half-elf tremendously. He had never been as close to a group of people as he had been with his fellow adventuring friends. Slowly though, it all unraveled. First, with the death of Thjdolf five years ago. Then the Candlekeep disaster, as it came to be known in his head. And finally, with the dissolution with his ill-conceived marriage two years ago. It had lasted for 3 days and then she left him for a bard. Darvin had always hated bards. (For the record, my real life marriage is going great. No need to worry.)

The culmination of these three event had led him into a life of depression and alcohol. He had spent the last two years drinking the nights away on the Lady Narath. Slowly but surely the crew had disappeared. Either embarrassed for their captain or upset that they weren't getting paid. The only one who remained was Guybrush, his monkey First Mate. Darvin noticed his friend sleeping in his small cot in the corner of the room. It was also at this point that Darvin noticed the Wood Elf in bed next to him. This had become more and more frequent lately. Baldur's Gate had many seedy establishments. Darvin had discovered one called "The Naughty Wood Elf" which employed those very beings. He spent many nights drinking there and then bringing a random elf-maiden home. He looked at the woman laying next to him. 

"What the hell is her name again?" He thought to himself.

"Nefertari? Nefertiti?" In the end it didn't matter. She would be gone right after sun-up. They always were. It was probably better that way. 

He got out of bed and made his way to the deck. The moon was low in the sky and sunrise would be soon. Darvin made his way to the rail and looked out of the harbor toward the open ocean. He started to reminisce on his times with his old friends. How he had met Talathel in a bar in Secomber. Two lost souls who found purpose through each other at just the right time. He thought of his large cleric friend, Beranhond, who was as bumbling as he was righteous. He sadly and fondly remembered his friend Thjdolf, who had died under mysterious circumstances. He thought of Nym as well. The half-elf maid they had discovered in a sewer. He shook his head when he thought about his ill-fated and ill-advised romance with her. He wondered what had become of them. He missed them terribly. It made his head hurt even more.

He heard the cabin door open behind him and Guybrush climbed up onto the rail beside him.

"Morning Cap'n." Said the monkey.

"We can't keep doing this, Guybrush," Darvin sighed as he looked out over the sea before them, "I wish our friends were still alive..."

"Aye Cap'n." The monkey nodded sadly.

"We can't do this anymore," Darvin said again, "It's time...it's time we move on. It's time we find out what happened to them and where they are. It's just time..." 

"It tis, Cap'n, it truly is." They both continued to stare over the vast Sea of Swords in front of them.

All right. Your guys' move. 

And so it came to pass that Darvin Amblecrown was married on the 25th of July. Best of luck to him on his marriage.

The Druid Temple of Llewellyn

Alan, I assume you're okay with heading to the temple?

Nym, Talathel and Violet begin walking into the town, and have no problem spotting the temple. The town is built in a flat area between two ridges coming down from the mountain that is the primary topological feature of the island. The temple is nestled into the mountainside just above the town. Steam from the mountain rises and covers much of the temple, but there is a very clear path leading up to the temple from the main thoroughfare in the town.

The trek up to the temple takes fifteen minutes, and the trio arrives to find the area relatively clear of people. Outside they find several attendants (1 halfling and 1 elf) maintaining the grounds, and through an entryway that consists mostly of a gaping hole in the front wall, they see three people worshipping (one human and one half-orc), and one half-elf druid who is meditating and communing with Istishia. There is a pool of water in a sort of well at the altar where the druid is meditating, and water seems to be gurgling up to the top, but it does not overflow its bounds.

Spiral Battle in Candlekeep

Here is the map of the area for the battle. Once we get everyone's initiative, the conflict will continue here.

You can access the combat spreadsheet here. 

The order of combat will be as follows:

1. Johan
2. Beranhond
3. Ceilith
   
4. Darvin
5. Ragnar
6. Baddies

I have shifted Ceilith and Ragnar's turns to be right next to the people controlling them in order to speed up combat a bit. All of the enemies will take their turn at the same time.

Map of Ship Sinkings

Talathel and Nym, Here is the map of the attacked ships. Let me know if you need more info about them.

Recap: As It Was Before, So Shall It Be Again 1.2C

May 7th, 1371
The adventurers divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of Talathel, Gurkirat, Starks, and 2 henchman. Group 2 included Grumbleshanks, Hring, Arngrim, and 2 henchmen, and group 3 included Darvin, Beranhond, Thjodolf, and Scriptus and Codex. Everyone tried to be sneaky and perceptive. Cross Section of the Sewers.

Darvin and Beranhond (And Nym):
Upon entering the sewers, Darvin immediately discovers a secret door. Beranhond inspects the door for magic, and finds two auras. Darvin got everyone into position, while Tigrisclawu smelled for things. Tigrisclawu warned everyone that there was a person and something unnatural and foul behind the door. The group gets tense, and opens the door. They find a small tunnel, and continue to explore deeper, when an undead creature attacks them. Beranhond shoots arrows at it and Darvin attacks it with his cutlasses, and with a bit of help from a henchman, the wight goes down, almost draining Darvin.

As it dies, they are surprised to find a teenage half-elf boy trapped nearby. The boy introduces himself as Nym, and Beranhond and Darvin introduce the rest of the party with them to this mysterious stranger. Nym is very concerned that they are going to continue the abuse he's already been subjected to, and is not helped by Darvin's introduction as a pirate, though Beranhond helps to calm him down. Nym shows off some magic tricks, and Beranhond begins to suspect, with Tigrisclawu's help, that Nym is actually a girl. They keep talking, and Beranhond openly asks Nym if he's a girl, which Nym denies with a very blatant lie. The conversation continues, with Nym getting worried, but being soothed by Beranhond. Nym joined the party, and they set off again as Beranhond notices that Scriptus and Codex are sweet on each other.

Nym follows the group as they investigate the other doors in the corridor where they found Nym, wishing she could run. They find a body that has been dead for several hours, which Beranhond tries to heal and which makes Nym both curious and squeamish. Beranhond uses this as an opportunity to ask Nym about religion. They have a short discussion as they continue their search, while Darvin gets lost in thought. They enter a room with some rather odd things sitting around. They search the room, and find some magical stuff, including a Lathanderian robe. Nym grabs a light orb and rambles for a while, Beranhond finds a book, which he tries to open, but it explodes in his face. He heals those who need it. Not one for pleasantries, Darvin hurries them along to get back to the action, after Beranhond saves what he can from the charred remains. Nym is a bit confused about what's going on, but they get going again soon.

As they travel, Nym trails a little behind and gets caught in a daydream, but they travel on. Nym gets caught up on fighting wererats as they travel, and Beranhond gives her some silver arrows and advice. She is very nervous still when they come across a wererat that runs from them and leads them into a smoke cloud, which they quickly backtrack from to think through their actions.

Grumbleshanks:
Grumbleshanks hands out 1 Stinking Cloud Gas Grenade to himself, Arngrim, and Hring, and enters the sewers. They use some very handy hand and footholds that someone very considerately carved into the walls of the sewer. He continues adventuring down the sewers, preparing for the worst. Grumbleshanks hears something, and stands and listens for rats. He finds some, and attacks with his compatriots. The battle is over very quickly. Grumbleshanks got up and started off again down the tunnel.

He came upon another group of enemies, and tries unsuccessfully to sneak up on them. He attacks, and throws another Gas Grenade, disabling an enemy, who falls back to regroup.

Talathel and Gurkirat:
The group enters the sewers and comes upon some rats that they can't see but can hear. They decide to attack, trying to do so before they are noticed. They sneak up, and catch a wererat in human form unawares with several of his "friends."

They attack, Gurkirat swiping first before the rat-folk retaliate and attack feebly against Talathel. Talathel fights back, and Gurkirat throws a Stinking Cloud Grenade at the enemies. They trade another round of blows, both sides absorbing some small damage. And another round goes by, with all participants starting to feel somewhat pathetic by the time the enemies fall to Talathel and Gurkirat's attacks.

Candlekeep Quandary: Beranhond, Darvin, and Johan Investigate (Part 1)

May 22nd, 1373
After a night of light drinking, as befits adventurers about to set out on a quest, Beranhond, Darvin, and Johan set out the next morning from Baldur's Gate with Alixondra and Ragnar tagging along.

They set out at a reasonable hour, and Beranhond set a moderate pace for the horses, allowing them to travel without dawdling and taking more than two days to get there while not jeopardizing the horses and allowing the riders to be alert and not too tired when they arrive at Candlekeep.

The beginning of the first day is mostly uneventful. They see small groups of refugees streaming toward Baldur's Gate, as well as several small groups of bandits that make themselves scarce as soon as they realize how well armed the band is. As they travel, they begin to discuss where they will camp and how they will approach Candlekeep.

The two most common ways to travel to Candlekeep are to either camp on the plains about halfway between or to push through to Beregost the first day to find an inn and then leave a bit later in the day for the shorter journey from Beregost to Candlekeep. 

What I need: 

1. Please decide whether you will camp on the plains or stay in Beregost.
2. Please give me a perception check.

Candlekeep Quandary: Beranhond, Darvin, and Johan Investigate (Part 0)

I assume that you are traveling together to Candlekeep and that you are going to be riding down together by horse. That is the usual way of getting there. I also assume that you will bring Ragdar, but Ceilith will stay behind to help with the city.

Please let me know if you would like to bring anyone else, travel in some other manner, or change anything from the above plan, and I'll start writing up your journey.

Sword Coast Sinkings: Nym and Talathel Investigate (0)

So, before we begin this next phase, how do the two of you intend to research these sinking ships? 

Are you going to travel together to try to collect information, are you going to take the Lady Narath out and try to confront whoever or whatever is sinking the ships, are you just going to each do what you think is best and meet up at the end of the day to share what you've learned, or some option I haven't mentioned here?

Please let me know what your plans are so that I may start writing up the first day of your investigation.

City Council Meeting Summary

It is at this point that I would urge you to all start taking notes. I have started, because there is WAY too much information that I'm sharing here and in emails to you individually to be able to keep track of it without some sort of notes. :)

The group ate their exquisite salads, followed by a cheese plate with raw sheep's milk Roquefort Coccinelle and toatsted hazelnuts. The third course consisted of a Gorgonzola and Pancetta pasta dish with orecchiette, fresh red bell pepper, scallions, walnuts and gorgonzola cream sauce. The meal concluded with small trays of sea-salt caramels.

Small talk continued throughout the meal. Once the plates had been cleared, Georgia asked Jeeves <i>(the servant)</i> to invite Ragnar and Ceilith to join them.

Under his breath, Jeeves whispered, "My vast knowledge is wasted here!"

Once Ragnar and Ceilith had entered and taken their seats, the meeting and strategizing began.

Georgia begins by giving everyone a bit of the recent history, to make sure everyone has the same information to start from.

• Georgia begins the breakdown in a very businesslike manner. Ishmael and his false Lathanderian priests have done quite a lot of damage through both direct and indirect assaults on Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate. It's suspected that his lot are the reason for the silence from Candlekeep and Luskan.
  

Tarryn Kallis (formerly known as Councilwoman 2, sitting between Johan and Councilwoman 3)

• She explains that the City Council has not been idle, and has spent the past year working to formed an alliance with several other cities in the area, including Candlekeep, Scornubel, Athkatla, and Murann, as well as several smaller towns. They were starting to try to raise an army to defend themselves, but about six months ago, their emissary to Candlekeep stopped writing, and none of their attempts to contact them have been successful.

Evelia Hutchcraft (formerly known as Councilwoman 3, sitting on the end next to Councilwoman 2)

• Evelia adds that they she had even begun having some regular, if rather tense, discussions about mutual defense with the druids of the Moonshae Isles, but that Algor, the leader of the druids, had not been at the agreed upon meeting place for either of their last three meetings. The next meeting is scheduled for less than a week away, but they're beginning to lose hope.

Delilah Dynamo (formerly known as Councilwoman 1, sitting between Beranhond and Talathel)

• As if reciting a long-worn argument, Delilah brought up the undead and how to ensure they would be able to protect the city against them. She mentioned a city watch and armed guards patrolling both the city and the sewers, but warned that the watch was stretched extremely thin with all of the refugees pouring into the city. If an attack comes, they will have to cut back somewhere, and that means they will be exposing themselves to an attack somewhere. They just don't have the resources to do everything at once.
  

Abarrion Bort Garther Regginold Dartherson III (formerly known as Councilman 1, sitting between Talathel and Darvin)

• Abarrion stood up with a really big gesture to draw attention to himself and said, "Things are bad!" Having said his piece, he promptly sat down and tried to continue staying awake. 

At this point, please roleplay any questions and comments you'd like to make. This is the background for what's going on in the world, but it is up to you to decide where your responsibilities lie and what you want to do to change things.

The City Council

At 6:00, Beranhond, Darvin, Johan, Nym, and Talathel arrived at the City Hall, where they found Violet waiting for them.

"Dinner and the City Council are waiting inside," Violet told the group, "They have been growing nervous with all of the bad news that has been coming in recently about the other cities along the coast. I would recommend calming their fears as much as you can." 

As Violet led them into a modest sized building, past several artistic renderings of the city and the surrounding countryside, she continued, "The last they heard from any of you, you had just encountered Methasse at Waterdeep and were traveling to the Shaar to try to raise troops to help you fight him. They are hopeful that you've been successful, because they received word this last week that Methasse is considering attacking here next." 

The group came to a medium dining room with a door on each side. In the center of the room was a round table and fifteen chairs spaced equally around it. Each chair had a table setting with a generous salad, several bottles of assorted dressings, and a few small bowls of toppings for the salad. As they approached, a servant who had been standing the door opposite the one they entered from quickly ducked into the door she'd been standing next to. Several moments later, the servant reappeared and took up her place beside the door as the 7 members of the City Council came through the door one by one.

As the council came out, the members of the group that had been in Baldur's Gate at the beginning of their adventures recognized both Arngrim and Hring among the seven. Apparently, they had both become more of a political fixture in the city since the last time Kilink had visited.

One of the women that nobody in Kilink recognized raised her arms in greeting, "Welcome, Kilink. I see your group has changed a bit since last we met. I am Georgia Stourm, the leader of this council. Please, sit and join us for a dinner, and we will bring each other up to date and strategize how to stem the tide of the darkness that sweeps over the land." Georgia motioned everyone to sit, and the council spread out to put themselves next to and between the members of Kilink. 

The final seating arrangement was in this order: Georgia, Beranhond, Councilwoman 1, Talathel, Councilman 1, Darvin, Hring, Nym, Arngrim, Johan, Councilwoman 2, Councilwoman 3. 


Are you thinking you'd like to roleplay this dinner, or would you prefer to just do more of a rundown of important information and such? Please vote.

Another Familiar Face

At this point in the conversation, there came a knock on the cabin door. "Rat-a-tat-TAT."

"Enter," Darvin called.

 And on his command, a  somewhat tall woman with dark brown hair and dark clothing with a deep violet cloak walked in. Darvin, Nym, Talathel, and Beranhond recognized Violet, though it took a moment before Talathel and Beranhond remembered exactly who she was, as she had only traveled with them briefly. She has a morningstar at her hip, and walks into the room with a very quiet though purposeful stride.

She said, in a low alto voice, "My bold adventuring group has returned at last. Welcome back to Baldur's Gate!" With this, she came in and gave Darvin a big bear hug and went around the table trying to do the same with everyone but Johan. As she came to him, she asked, "Hello. Do I know you?"

Recap: As It Was Before, So Shall It Be Again 1.2B

May 6th, 1371

At this point, Hring (the man who is hosting the adventurers) explains to the adventurers that he would like their help with the wererats that are infesting the sewers. He offers to pay them and supply them with alchemical silver weapons if they will take out the creatures' leaders. Talathel is incensed by the audacity of the man for sending his thugs to incapacitate him and Darvin. Beranhond asks questions about how the man gathered his information about the wererats.

Hring apologizes for having his thugs drug Talathel and Darvin, and explains that he has been trying to fight the wererats for several years, and that the wererat leaders were once his friends, before they were corrupted. He supplies them with maps of the sewers, and as he's working with the group to plan their raid of the sewers (and Beranhond has a flashback), one of the men who drugged Talathel and Darvin walks into the room. The group keeps discussing the best way to kill the wererats without fighting, and decides that they need to make a bunch of oil potions of stinking gas to try to incapacitate the wererats so they can kill them more easily. Grumbleshanks insults Beranhond, who gets rather angry, storms off to the bathroom to calm down, and then apologizes and returns to the discussion.


That makes a second trip to the bathroom!

Once Beranhond returns, Gurkirat volunteers to use his alchemical skills to make some oil bombs, and Hring realizes that he hasn't actually met any of the adventurers yet. The group is introduced, and Hring explains more about the situation. Grumbleshanks tries to make nice, and the group solidifies their plans for creating oil bombs for use in the sewers.

Everyone starts to head off to their own tasks, include a scouting mission performed by Darvin and Talathel and a herd (murder) of cats, starting at a pub they had already become acquainted with. Grumbleshanks and Gurkirat go to work on some spiced wine and oil bombs, and Beranhond tried to gather some information. From what he found, the situation looked very dire, with Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and the sea around the Sword Coast all in states of distress.

When Darvin and Talathel returned, they regaled the group with the tales of their derring-do. Also, they showed off a  cool magic sphere they found that changes shape when held into a cube that can cast spells, though they had a lot of problems figuring that out.

Gurkirat had a couple mishaps while trying to make oil bombs and accidentally incapacitated Grumbleshanks as he walked down the hall, returning from the restroom. They were rescued by a distressed maid before they were noticed by Darvin and everyone ran to help. It wasn't as bad as it seemed at first, as the noxious fumes just put everyone to sleep.

And that's trip 3 to the bathroom!

Beranhond tried to go to bed, but Darvin woke him up from his slumber in order to get him to explain what the magic cube does and what spells it can cast.

Soon enough, everyone went and finished their preparations, with the plan to go invade the sewers the following day.

It All Comes Back to Baldur's Gate

May 21st, 1373
Only weeks after the two year anniversary of the start of the adventure, events begin to bring the adventurers back to the city of Baldur's Gate.

Talathel:
Talathel returned to Baldur's Gate on May 5th, 1373. It seemed fitting to him at the time that this date should mark another new beginning in his life, as it had two years before. Yet again, his heart and his faith were sending him out into the world.

He found passage for Lailsan aboard a ship bound for the Moonshae Isles and began searching for news about his missing god. After over two weeks, he has only found a very vague rumor to go on. His frustration is beginning to become unbearable, but today, he hears some very good news. Both Darvin and Beranhond have returned to the city, as well.

Beranhond:
After spending the year assisting with their war in Thay, Beranhond is able to return triumphantly with an army of Tormish Paladins at his back. The city is abuzz about the size of the army that is camped an hour's ride from the city. You get the camp arranged, and ride into the city in the early afternoon.

Darvin: 
Captaining the Lady Narath, you arrive at the reconstructed port of Baldur's Gate in the late morning. Paying dock fees, announcing shore leave and a duty schedule, and generally dealing with all the hassles of being in charge of a ship takes a couple hours, and it's early afternoon before you can enter the city. 

Nym and Johan:
After a rather harrying journey, you are able to make it to Baldur's Gate as well. You were only able to find passage aboard a smuggling ship to get you to the mainland from the Moonshae Islands, and were forced to walk several days from the coast to the city. However, this morning, as you approached the city, you spotted the Lady Narath arrive in port. You enter the city in the early afternoon.

You have all arrived in the city. The stage is yours. Please start your actions in the comments.

Edit (2-26-13, 7:55 AM): I edited Talathel's info. He wasn't actually on the Moonshae Isles. He sent Lailsan there, but didn't go himself.

Recap: As it Was Before, So Shall It Be Again 1.2A

After being drugged by thugs in the sewers, Darvin and Talathel were brought to the estate of Hring Darkeyes, a wealthy merchant. Beranhond, Grumbleshanks, and Gurkirat all arrived at the estate some time later to find them unconscious on a couple cots in a large audience chamber.

Darvin and Talathel awoke, Beranhond tried to engage Grumbleshanks and Gurkirat in conversation, and food was brought in and Grumbleshanks began to eat. Gurkirat began eating as well. Beranhond felt a bit slighted by the silence that followed his greeting, and tried to Darvin instead. Failing that, he decided eating was a good idea. Unfortunately, Beranhond's cat, Tigrisclawu, had other ideas, and decided to create a ruckus, ruining the food that everyone was enjoying and pissing off Grumbleshanks.

Having lain awake but unmoving until this point, Talathel realized that he really had to pee. Tigrisclawu needed to go out, too. Tigrisclawu went outside, and Talathel mentioned he needed to use the restroom, followed by almost everyone else. Grumbleshanks took the opportunity to ask the guards outside the door what was happening, which was a question the guards were unable to answer. Beranhond scolded Tigrisclawu and repaired the food. Talathel, Darvin, and Beranhond headed to the restrooms, and Beranhond waited while Darvin and Talathel took their turns.

Wow, I forgot how much excrement I had to put up with at the beginning... ;)

Back in the room, Grumbleshanks explored a bit and finds a back room filled with silver weapons. Tigrisclawu grew bored waiting in line for the bathrooms and checked out the kitchens. Beranhond follows his lead and grills the chef for information (pun intended). Gurkirat grows bored waiting for everyone to get done with their exploration and plays his clarinet. A man walks, unnoticed, down the hallway and stands in the doorway of the room where Gurkirat and Grumbleshanks are hanging out. He is finally detected when Talathel and Darvin return from the restroom. Grumbleshanks finally notices the man in the doorway, too. Beranhond goes and shaves, then returns to the room.

Recap: As it Was Before, So Shall It Be Again 1.1B

Upon arriving in Baldur's Gate, Beranhond was promptly involved in an altercation with a priest of Lathander before performing a mass healing of those injured in the earthquake. After healing the crowd, he discovers that the earthquake seems to center on the Temple of Lathander, where there is an inordinate amount of foul rot and a chasm leading into the sewers. Narath, Beranhond's goddess, appeared to him and he reveals that he is rather infatuated with her. Hearing voices, Beranhond backed out of the tunnels to find out more before diving in. He was approached and asked to meet an important figure in the city.

Darvin and Talathel met with Marty, a rather shady fellow related to Darvin's romantic interest (Mashy) back in the fishing village he'd left. Marty informed them of strange creatures in the sewers and offered 20 gold for each unusual body collected from the sewers. They rested and waited for dark, when they ran off to make some cash after having a discussion about whether working for Marty was really something that two honest adventurers should be doing. They climbed into the sewers, where they ran into a group of thugs, who told them to back off. Irked, but not seeing another way out, they followed the thugs. The thugs didn't appreciate being followed, and knocked them both unconscious.

Grumbleshanks and Gurkirat ran into each other in a meeting that was rather confrontational and full of misunderstandings, and then made their way into the city, where they fought a couple rats attacking the city guards. They realized shortly after the fight that these were wererats, rather than regular rats. They discovered that the people of the city were going missing, a couple people per night. They also were summoned by a half-orc named Thjodolf to meet an important figure.

Recap: As it Was Before, So Shall It Be Again 1.1A

For the sake of helping both the new and old to this game, I will be starting with a recap of what has happened already in the world. Feel free to comment on things that you or your characters especially liked or disliked. Remember that < i > and < / i > make text italics, which is used for out of character comments. Also, < b > and < / b > make text bold, if you would like to emphasize something.

Our story began in Baldur's Gate, on May 5, 1371, where Beranhond, Darvin, Talathel, Grumbleshanks, and Gurkirat all arrived in a city that had just been destroyed by an earthquake followed by a tsunami.

Beranhond, a human cleric and budding prophet, was on a search for meaning and following the chaotic urgings of his goddess.

Darvin, a half elf ranger, was in search of adventure and a life as a pirate, fleeing marriage and the father of a halfling girl who was smitten with him.

Talathel, an elf monk, sought peace and meaning for his life. His primary companions Darvin and the flask he always carried were his prime motivators in the beginning.

Grumbleshanks, a halfling druid, came in search of status and answers to his questions about why the druid circles in the area were under attack.

Gurkirat, a gnome bard, was in search of fame and fortune, and just happened to be in the area.

They arrived a Baldur's Gate that looked like this:

I know this is very little detail, but I will get faster as I go. :) I hope this whets your appetite. 

Edit: 2-19-13, 8:17 AM - Correction: Darvin is a half-elf, not a human. 

It Begins Anew

One year later...

The Lady

In the interest of getting this moving again...
Everyone finds some random thing to do during their free day in Tarsis. Nym and Darvin were planning on spending a romantic day together. This was interrupted by the sword who spent most of the morning badgering him about a growing evil. With a heavy sigh he searched it out and discovered that a local priest had been possessed by a minor ifrit that had been intent on raising a demon.

No one was sure what Grumbleshanks did and he did not volunteer any information.

Violet and Aranel wound up spending the day parusing the local museums and noble shops.

The next morning Ascadan took them to the harbor loaded them on the ship and waved goodbye. It took a few days, but the captain of the vessel finally tracked down the Lady Narath.
From afar the ship looked like it was in good condition, but when Captain Darvin arrived on the ship he could tell that it had been through a few rough patches in the last couple of days. The sails had tears in them and the crew looked haunted.

Tarsis

Seeing no comments from the last post...

The ever enlarging company rode out from the small village later that day. They stopped for a brief lunch, courtesy of food provided by Lanarra, late that afternoon. Aranel and Violet chatted off and on for the ride while Darvin and Nym were subdued. Grumbleshanks spent most of the day sleeping, his donkey wandering back and forth across the trail.

The party continued like this for several days until they reached the outskirts of a medium sized city toward night.
"This is Tarsis." Aranel explained. "Currently it the name of both the kingdom and the city, but that seems to change daily. We should be able to meet with my contact tomorrow morning to see if he has any information about your ship."
"I wouldn't mind finding an Inn inside." Nym piped up.
"I will just sleep out here regardless." Grumbleshanks complained.
Darvin, I detect an evil in the city. If you have time tomorrow you search it out. Darvin's sword piped up in his head.
Violet just shook her head.

The trial, such as it is.

Lanarra looked up as the door opened.
"Well hello gentleman. What is the problem?"
The villagers grabbed Grumbleshanks and shoved him forward. "We caught him snooping around last night. He claimed to be looking for a more comfortable spot to sleep.
Lanarra looked him over closely.
"Well introductions first please." She quickly introduced Nym, Darvin, and the villagers to her friend Aranel, before turning back toward Grumbleshanks.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" She asked pointedly.
"Last night, I decided not to join the lovebirds." He said pointing at Nym and Darvin. "Who knows what sort of debauchery they get into. So, I went to camp outside. It was rather uncomfortable so I decided to try to sleep on one of the thatch roofs."
"That could be plausible. An odd thing to do. What do you all have to say in his defense?" Lanarra asked turning toward Darvin, Nym, and Violet.

Valentine's Day

In honor of the stupid holiday known as Valentine's day I am offering chance to win a hero point. To win this hero point, I am looking for the most humorous commentary on the the most "romantic" or "sexual" post." Provide the title of the post, the date, and your humorous commentary on the "romantic" situation in a comment to this post.

Also, in other house keeping business... because we are adding a few players, I am going to be resetting everyone's hero points back to 5. Also, you probably have a fair amount of gold sitting around due to all the leveling up, so make sure that in the next few weeks you have upgraded your equipment (if you so desire.)

On the outskirts of the Village

Several days Talathel found himself stuck out in the woods in the middle of a rainstorm. He, Lailsan, and Zalkar were huddled underneath a length of canvas that they had stretched between two trees.
"Why are we here again Talathel?" Lailsan asked. "This is miserable."
"I could cast..." Zalkar said in a hopeful tone.
"No, Zalkar, I don't trust any of your magic." Talathael said taking a sip from his flask. "I know that this is one of the entrances to the village.

Breakfast and Many Meetings

Lanarra returned a few minutes later looking freshly washed. She had no sign of a night of heavy drinking and seemed to be in a lighthearted and jovial mood. Violet could detect a bit of lavendar about her as well. This caused her to smile despite herself. This woman does seem to have the resources to enjoy life. Lanarra noticed that she had put on a very pretty green summer dress and new leather boots.
"Did you want to change or wash up before we go and meet a friend of mine for breakfast?"