I WILL BE PASTING THE LORE DUMPS HERE SO THEY'RE EASIER TO FIND. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
12/11/19 Recap
[I was working up a list of information characters should know and wanted to share it with you all. Let me know if you have any questions.
The Artifacts
One thing that I need to make clear are the artifacts that were taken from the burial site. So far, we're aware of the dagger. The dagger was taken from the site by Gunthar with the intention to bring it to Krusk/Shamara. We know that Gunthar's wagon crashed outside of the city and his goods were stolen. We know that Aiden intercepted this delivery in some capacity and the dagger was delivered to him instead of his mother. The dagger has not been seen since. We are to assume that the other items from the site that were being sold at the booth during the Bridge Festival are basic offerings that were left by followers of Merveille.
We also know that the burial site was a protected place where the new gods could not enter. We are to assume that Gunthar was sent by the new gods as a sort of puppet to get things. Gunthar was hoping for fame and fortune and had written several articles about his search for everlasting life. He was mocked by the archaeology community who took the articles as the writings of a madman. We now know that he did in fact find the burial site but we're unclear on what all he found.
The Shards
We know that Krusk wanted to obtain the shards. Some in the party believed that he wanted them collected so that he could purge the evil magic that was held within. Others in the party believed that Krusk wanted to consume the power held within the shards so that he could have more powerful magic of his own. We know that Aiden wanted the shards delivered to Krusk. It seems as though Aiden's intent was for the magic that had been causing issues around Holden Heights to be purged. It is unclear if AIden knew of Krusk's plan to consume the power. We have no reason to believe that Aiden wanted anything to do with the shards himself but was doing his best to protect Holden Heights from the perceived threat of an angry old god.
The Old Gods
Lugh and Merveille have both spoken to Paren. They've been described as brothers and two sides of a coin. Lugh shepherds life and Merveille shepherds death. Paren [redacted] never received a true reply outside of shifting winds and animal companions. It wasn't until the site had been disturbed that Lugh and Merveille spoke to the guardian. Both conveyed their desire that life be maintained. Merveille insisted that the blights were caused by the disturbance of the site and its shards. Merveille said that returning the shards to the site would restore the balance so that they may rest again.
You would understand that the old gods (including Lugh) had been rather absent since the new gods gained favor hundreds of years ago. The stories of the old gods became fewer and fewer. Only the spoken word passed down from generation to generation maintained their legacy. Libraries in the main cities seem to be purged of any information regarding the old gods. You would know that Talos' librarians were in charge of maintaining all books that were kept in those libraries. The new gods seem to not only have replaced the old gods in teachings but also in presence. No one seems to remember when the change occurred but it had to have happened before the founding of Holden Heights where Shamara had such a pivotal role in it's establishment.
The New Gods
The party has mostly dealt with Shamara and Aiden. Shamara is known to be the caregiver and provides most of the humanitarian style of work. Aiden's role within the family is rather understated and is tasked with carrying out oral traditions and the arts. Talos is responsible for the vast amounts of knowledge in the region and his followers maintain the large libraries. Camiela is the least followed of the new gods and has the least presence. She hasn't presented herself to anyone in hundreds of years. She is known as the defender and protector of those that cannot defend themselves.
[Going back through old information, I found some points that the party brought up that were very on track toward things. Wanted to refresh your memory on things you've already discovered/discerned.]
Jonathan surveys the notes the group have brought together. "Hmm, well I'm no expert, but there is some poetic licence." He comments. "The light, perhaps being a vie for power, wax being the crumbling fractures within, such as waxing and waning. This is perhaps telling [Shamara] their time is over, and a new power is coming to take its place."
Tanni ponders, deep in thought, listening to others as she deciphers the poem. "Seems to me that Aiden and other members of their family felt that Shamara was growing too powerful and was overreaching the boundaries of her domain. Lugh, the old god, was sealed in stone, which was fractured and led to crazy people and bloated animals full of spiders. Remember the dagger? Wasn't it on it's way to followers of Shamara, but Aiden got hold of it instead?"
She places two fingers on her temple, trying to rack her brain. "Shamara was going to use the dagger for something, but Aiden intervened. Maybe Aiden needs the dagger and the help of other gods, like Talos and, Camiela was it?, to steal some of Shamara's power? Jonathan may be right, the wax falling may be the family falling apart or turning against one of their own, Shamara."
She then turns to Falaine, "Remember what the geezer at the library said? He seemed sure that he had some books about Lugh, but didn't find any. Someone may try to keep the existence of old gods like Lugh hidden."
Please note the comment about Lugh below may not be accurate.
Paren scratches his head. "So this isn't really a conflict between the old gods and the new. It's a conflict between Shamara and the other gods? I would also like to point out that it is not Lugh who was trapped in the stone, it was this god of death. Lugh has stones like this one but he is not trapped in them, he is in nature."
[let me know if any of you have questions. Sorry about all the recaps but I want to make sure we close off a particular chapter before moving into even more questions that will be coming in chapter 2.]
The easiest way to describe the Lugh and Merveille relationship it is that they are two personalities of the same person. Daais can be considered an angel to Lugh/Merveille and is their living presence on the plane.
The knowledge that they're the same person has mostly been lost over the course of time from when the new gods took over. The party is starting to uncover the truth behind Lugh/Merveille.
There have been hints at the relationship between L/M and the new gods. For some reason, L/M accepted eternal rest and left the godly duties to the new gods. This is part of the reason that the the two haven't been heard from in so long and why their number of followers has decreased so sharply. Something has caused this treaty to end resulting in the resurgence of the old gods and their activity lately.
The party knows that Gunthar was researching an ancient site that offered eternal life. He was to bring back his findings to Krusk at the Shrine of Shamara. These findings included a dagger. Aiden's followers intercepted this dagger and had it delivered to him.
The party has learned that the site Gunthar was exploring was protected from the new gods and that's why Gunthar was tasked with the mission. Gunthar had been known as a sort of crazy in the archaeologist community and thought that this would be his chance to bring honor to his name. It's unclear where the site is located or how Gunthar got there.
Only one person in the party has actually seen this sacred site that Gunthar ravaged looking for things.
The party knows that Talia had studied at the monastery near Thornwood and found some texts relating to Lugh and Merveille there. This could be where she learned how to manipulate the blight that she found in Gunthar. Talia had just traveled from the monastery prior to the bridge festival. The party knows that Talia is a follower of Aiden. Is it possible that she learned of Gunthar's quest while at the monastery and came back to Holden Heights with that info?
The party intercepted a letter that had been destined for Krusk that seemed to have been written by Aiden. The letter was a threat hidden behind prose. It seemed to indicate that Shamara had been too power hungry and that Aiden was done being a part of her plan. Aiden mentioned that "out of your aura, we find strength". This could mean that away from the influence of the new gods, there is an uprising and that Aiden is part of it.
[hope this clears some things up. Please let me know if you have any further questions!!]
Lugh. Protector of the Forest - tree with a spear as a trunk
Daais, speaker of Lugh - none
Merveille, God of the Damned - Leafless tree
Grusk, Master of War (Tribal) - Tusks
Sorata- The Maker, the goddess of advancement
New Gods / The Family
Shamara - Mother of the Innocent - Open hands
Talos, Father of Knowledge - Open Book
Aiden, Son of Creativity - Coin with square whole
Camiela, Daughter of Protection
Landmarks
Sunridge Mountains borders the region to the west in the Lowlands.
Sunforge is the dwarven city located in the Sunridge Mountains and is the largest of the Lowland cities.
The Red Cliffs - Large cliffs that divide the Lowlands and the Highlands
Thornwood - farming community, feeds the Highlands. Lots of flowers. Home of Teren. The small town overlooks the Red Cliffs and is responsible for providing most of the Highlands food. The town is a few days south of an area several nobles have built large castles along the Glimmering Sea. Each castle is like its own town with the staff needed to maintain and operate them. There is also a nearby monastery that has been there for centuries if the stories are to be believed.
The Wishing Well - An inn normally home to thieves and scoundrels has found business much slower now that the period of peace has been going on for so long. Owned and Operated by an elven couple that doesn’t ask a lot of questions.
The Grove - Home to the obelisk of Lugh where Paren has called home [redacted] after Cleg’s passing. What makes the Grove so divine is the steady stream that flows through it. The calming nature brings animals from around the forest here in peace. Recently, the stream ran dry due to someone blocking the head far to the east with trees. Oppenholdt was able to summon an earth elemental to free the blockage but the rush of water toppled the obelisk.
Talia’s Tonics and Tinkerings - This shop is off the main road and is where Talia sells her potions and other magical items. The body of the half orc was brought to her to make sure there weren’t any lingering effects.
[redacted]
Areas around the Glimmering Sea
Thousand Steps - a small keep surrounded by a larger sprawling bailey. It is built amongst steep grazing land atop the high cliffs that overlook the Glimmering Sea. It was originally the site of a beacon and a crofter's hut, around which a small settlement grew. The settlement expanded when iron and semi-precious stones were discovered in the hills. The path down to the sea was treacherous and, when the keep was built, steps were cut to link the narrow, rocky inlet with the clifftop hold. A little known fact is that there are actually only 973 steps. Most trade is by the High Road that connects the coastal towns to Thornwood. Currently ruled by Duke Raemon Aoili,
Caterona, a large city built along the Glimmering Sea coast where much of the shipping occurs between the region and the region to the north.
Suncrest, the easternmost castle along the Glimmering Sea is the first to see the morning sun as it sits high into the mountain bluff. [Redacted] presides over the castle and surrounding lands.
The Northern Settlements - The Glimmering Sea was once too vast to explore until the advancement of sailing techniques. [redacted]
[Redacted]
The High Road - this road connects most of the settlements, castles, and towns along the coast of the Glimmering Sea.
Notable NPCs
Master Hammerstone - One of the great masters of Sunforge that helped to design the forge that uses a flow of magma to keep the temperatures steady. Used to work a lot with Master Norri before [redacted].
Master Rorri - The most skilled blacksmith of Sunforge and ran the Black Ram Smithy. The entire guard of the Sunridge Mountains has custom made BRS armor. Crafted the Sunforge itself with the help of Master Hammerstone. [Redacted]. His smithy was left to Bomdir
Bomdir - Blacksmith and owner of the new The Black Ram Smithy. Rumor has it that he plans to sell it to a Highlander Elf.
Bearmar: Master brewer Bearmar is in town for the Bridge Festival. He has brought a special ale that he feels could be what pushes him into first place. He shared a ride with Finan into town from the Lowlands. The ale was served at the Wishing Well with a giant bear head on the cask.
Lord Commander Zynphura, Acolyte of Shamara, and guard boss in Holden Heights. Met with Knok and Quentin after the saved the halforc injured in the wagon crash. Angel of Shamara. Deceased
Messenger Krusk, speaker to Shamara in Holden Heights. (Does not speak celestial). Deceased
Renard and Ombre Sournois - Owners and operators of the Holden Heights Wishing Well, an inn once coveted for its secrecy by those with criminal intents. The furnishings are extravagant and the owners pay little attention to its guests dealings.
Oppenholdt Gloxbie - Master of Magic to Lord Rynholt. Saved Knok from a bear trap and has been helping to raise him as a contributing member of society. As a skilled wizard, he’s investigating the water shortage that hit the city suddenly before the Bridge Festival.
Lord Rynholt - Current mayor of Holden Heights
Gunthar Walamak - Skilled archaeologist and purveyor of ancient artifacts. This half orc was heading into the city when he fell under an aggressive compulsion caused by Merveille. He was flung from his wagon and saved by Knok and Quentin. All of his items were stolen by unknown merchants that disappeared after the accident. He later died “from wounds suffered in the brawl with Knok and Quentin.” Status: (?) Assumed Deceased
Dahlille Greenfeather - Elven Ranger that was assaulted on her way into Holden Heights by Gunthar Walamak. She was able to leap from the wagon to the horse to settle it after Quentin ripped the reigns from her hands and caused the wagon to run off the path. She and her cargo were quickly escorted into the city and hasn’t been seen since.
Sunspot - Tiefling woman running the Blacksmith competition. She was saved from the fallen debris of the bell tower by Knok.
Talia, owner and sole operator of Talia’s Tonics and Tinkerings. She is a taller gnome sporting an apron filled with thin vials in slots similar to a bandoleer. She has a fairly large leather satchel at her side that is packed full of herbs. The group learned that Talia studied at a monastery near Thornwood and found books detailing Lugh and Merveille.
[Redacted]
[Redacted]
[Redacted]
Duke Raemon Aoili, second of his name, Duke of Thousand Steps, Defender of the North, Master of the Broken, and humble Vassal of the King
The Gears of Koresica - a good sized tinkering guild that are known to make tools and devices for the ship maker and merchants along the Glimmering Sea.
Hello and welcome to the campaign thread for The Joys of Balance. We officially start our journey here in the secluded underground inn known as the Wishing Well.
It is late evening and the long day you've had is wearing on your energy levels. Sleep will be calling for you soon, but you've found yourself enjoying the company of your recently met companions around a few tables. While the talk of visions of gods and the catastrophe in the town square dominate conversation, the doors to the inn swing open. You see a goblin and human walk in with a very wounded tiefling carried in their arms. You hear the innkeeper begin her usual sales pitch for the cost of the rooms and how they include meals until she sees the injured woman. She dashes to grab her before carefully laying her on top of the counter top. The speed and dexterity catches you off guard as she leaps over the bar and grabs the medicine kit on a nearby shelf.
You can see that the woman's leg has been broken though a large piece of fabric attempts to cover the protruding bone. The innkeeper quickly cleans and tends to the wound with the skill of someone that's done this plenty of times before. The bard playing in the corner seems somewhat shocked by the commotion and she slips through the door in the back of the room.
As the commotion settles a bit, some of you recall seeing this tiefling at the competition. It's the same woman donning the Hammerstone smithy leathers that was running the booth taking competitors. She seems to be in a fair amount of pain though she's doing her best to hide it.
Tanni is brought back to the moment when Jonathan suddenly asks about visions. "Visions from gods? No, can't say I have."She eyes Jonathan suspiciously, remembering the flash of light and the shattering bell and with a low voice asks"Did you see Shamara when the bell fell?"
After another song he lets the bard continue playing alone, and makes his way back to the group. He seems tired, but his eyes are no longer clouded with shock and sadness. He arrives just in the middle of Tanni's reply, and sees the woodelf lean over. With a quick wink at Tanni he steps up between the two and rests a hand on the woodelf's shoulder. "What are you all talking about, friends? Visions from the gods? Such is a rare thing indeed, eh?"he asks, slapping the woodelf gently on the back twice and making an open gesture with his other hand as an invitation to join the conversation.
Eira nods. "T-thats true. I-I don't t-think, um, I've ever even h-heard of someone w-who's recievedn, u-uh, visions from the gods, let alone m-meet someone like that."
Falaine will enter after her walk. When she spots Eira still up she'll slide in next to her. "What are we discussing friends?"
The conversation is cut short when you spot the new arrivals carrying the injured tiefling into the room. You notice that the familiar music that had been playing in the background had also stopped.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Visual for the mergers:
The thing you must know about Finan is he is as ugly as the underside of a rock after a particularly wet summer. Rumors used to go around his home town that there must have been some Troll blood in his recent family history, or that his parents found him in the woods, some vile offspring of an Orc and an Ogre with a bit of Elf sprinkled in the mix to explain his fair skin. But no, Finan is just a Human. A particularly ugly specimen, but still Human.
However, he's always got a smile at the ready, and he holds himself with a roguish self-confidence. He seems exhausted at the moment, though, still recovering from the trek up to Holden Heights and the event at the town square also took a toll on him. When he first came in he was wearing clothes of fine quality, and underneath a well-made sturdy leather tunic is visible at his collar. A dark-red cloak covered most of him, however. After leaving to his room for a few minutes he came back wearing a whole different set of clothes. Worn-down, simple grays and browns, they seem more like something a worker might have worn the past seven years, and sturdy boots finish the outfit. The only odd thing out is a flatcap resting on his head which is dusty, but seems very well made and brand new.
He's got a wide build, a mop of brown hair peaking out from underneath the flatcap, with the hair at the side and back of his head cut short. His blue eyes are light, but are not necessarily striking by any means.
Finan has drawn up a chair, seating himself between the two tables, his back facing the main entrance and a big mug of ale resting in his lap as he talks. He shakes his head slightly, saying, "No, never seen a god, nor do I think that particular experience will ever be one I will see in this life. I know the appropriate words, but I'm not one to sink to my knees in prayer on regular occasion." He looks up as the other Wood Elf joins, and answers, "Just talking about godly visions. Here, let me introduce us, this is-", he breaks off as he notices the commotion behind him, and everyone's attention having shifted in that direction. He turns around in his chair, just in time to see the innkeeper jump over the counter. His face grows pale, and the glimmer in his eye dulls as he is instantly reminded of what he had witnessed this afternoon.
Steeling himself, he puts the mug on the table where his friends were sitting, and stood up to walk over to the injured Tiefling. Keeping a distance from the innkeeper so he does not get in the way, he asks, "Need help, miss? Anything I can do?"
Seeing the Tiefling's face, held tight in an expression of one hiding pain, is like a dagger in his heart. Grimacing, he once again reaches out and lets the warm energy of the earth well up through his feet, ignoring the depths of his exhaustion, and speaks a word of healing to mend the Tiefling's wounds. Gasping for air, he looks up at the innkeeper."That is all I have in the way of direct healing."
Mechanics:
Last cast of Healing Word for 5 hitpoint on the Tiefling.
As Paren enters from the back hallway of the inn he notices the music has stopped. Confused, he looks towards the table he knows Eira has been sitting at. Seeing her ans everyone else in the bar looking towards the counter his gaze shifts there and immediately falls on the injured thiefling. Without saying a word he quickly crosses the floor too them. After a quick glance down at his hands he gently lays one on the theiflings foot.
Lay on Hands: 7 HP
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Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
OOC: I'll copy Mat_Yuren and insert a description of Tanni here:
Tanni is a three-and-a-half feet tall gnome with a well made but simple green shirt, black vest and brown trousers. A deep green cloak rests on the back of her chair. Decades of working in a smithy have given her a broad and muscular frame and her fiery orange hair is tied to a single thick braid. She has bright green eyes and bushy eyebrows that, combined with her audacious demeanor, give her a permanently aggressive look. Small smudges of soot and dust that she missed can still be seen on her face from the smithing competition and the tower incident. She has a couple of pouches and a fine warhammer hanging from her belt and a small pin depicting a ram fitted on her shirt.
Tanni glances at the door and is shocked to see the familiar tiefling with her broken leg. Before she can collect herself and go help, Faren and an elf are already healing the tiefling. Seeing that she would only be in their way, she walks closer and stops a few feet away from the small group, still holding her drink and trying to hear what they are talking about.
Jonathan is a tall human man, standing a little over six feet tall with a broad, well built frame. His light brown hair shows signs of normally short and well-kept, yet not receiving a trim in the past couple of months. He sits garbed in some basic travelling garb with a nice looking green cloak. By his hip a rapier is strapped in its scabbard with a buckler attached alongside it by the hip.
Jonathan seems a little crowded initially as several people swarm their more private conversation. Upon seeing several folk move over and head towards the tiefling coming in, he uses this moment to divert himself from this part of the conversation he had initially raised. He gets up from his chair. "Excuse me a moment, I think nature is calling."He says to any of his companions not involved with the tiefling as he makes to go to the restrooms to freshen up.
Knok has the looks of a degenerate goblin, but his affable, try-hard demeanor comes across in his words and actions, betraying the small greenskin's agreeable personality - so different from most of his kin. He stands roughly 3.5 feet tall, and has a gangly, lean physique. Always clad in his crusty, dingy chainmail, paired with his battered shield and well-used scimitar, Knok is every bit the visage of a warrior who has been through a few scrapes. He keeps stringy, greasy black hair and a patchy beard in an unintentional parody of the human style. His eyes are oversized with the strange red pupils of some of his kind, and his too-wide mouth loll's open, showing off an uncomfortably too-long tongue, and too-sharp, mismatched and broken teeth.
Looking up at the gathered throng around himself, Quentin, and the tiefling Sunspot, Knok gives two quick raps on the side of his head. "Uh, hello. Knok here, this Quentin," he says with a gesture to his taller companion. "This, uh...safe place? Knok's afraid it's going to be bad out there for a while."
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Knok Gnome-friend|Goblin Fighter (Eldritch Knight) 3 | The Joys of Balance
With the aid of magic and the blessings of a god, the bone begins to set back into place under the tiefling's flesh. The wound begins to close as dirt and infection are expelled as leaking oozes. The innkeeper wipes the wound clean and tosses the cloth into a nearby bin. She looks to the tiefling and says, "You need some rest hun."
"Renard!," you hear the innkeeper call out. A fair elven main appears from the back room. He's carrying several platters of food and drops them off to the several tables of adventurers. He pays little regard to those gathered until he sees the tiefling who has now sat up on the bar. He sees her torn leathers around the knee but doesn't say anything to her. "Help this woman to her room please. Make sure she has everything she needs,"the innkeeper tells the elf. He nods and says, "Gladly. Make sure you get some rest yourself, Ombre. I can lockup after she's taken care of." He moves to lift the tiefling who gladly accepts the aide.
The tiefling turns back to the goblin and says, "Thanks again darling. Don't you forget about me."She offers a sly smile before wrapping her arms about Renard to keep from falling. The two slip through the rear doorway and down the hall. It's unclear which room they enter but you hear the door open and quickly close.
The innkeeper regains her focus on the newcomers. "Tonight is on me for bringing Sunspot back safely."She slides two keeps across the bar to Quentin and Knok. They look very similar except the ends of the keys have different shapes on the handle. She nods her head toward the door that the elf recently went through and you understand that to be the direction of the rooms. "Help yourself to some of the food as well. Renard always makes more than is needed."
Quentin is a human that stands at about 5'10" and possesses a broad, fairly muscular frame. He wears his dirty blonde hair parted in the middle with the length of it just reaching his shoulders while a full, well-trimmed beard envelopes most of his face. The effect of which normally makes his hazel eyes seem very sharp, but currently they're obscured by a pale blue glow. Quentin is garbed in traveling clothes dyed deep blues and lined with silver trim and wears dark leather gloves and boots. Embroidered on the back of his right glove is a symbol of an open book. While once fairly clean and well maintained, after the events of the day they're fairly dirty; covered in dust, ash and traces of blood. A small owl currently perches on his shoulder, its head turning about the room.
As Quentin and Knok stumble in with the tiefling woman he can barely get out, "W-we could use some-"before the bartender is helping them get her onto the bar to dress her wounds. His furrowed brow of concern changes to that of relief as those with healing abilities among the patrons provide it without any prompting. He sighs heavily taking a seat. Exhaustion beginning to tear at him now that the adrenaline is wearing off. "Thank goodness..." He looks to those who provided healing. "Thank you for your help. I can do a number of things, but healing is unfortunately not one of them and today has been... quite the day."The blue glow in his eyes flickers out and his hazel irises are visible once more. Quentin turns to the bartender, "That is very kind of you. Thank you very much, I'm feeling quite famished if I'm going to be honest."
The elven woman nods understandingly to Quentin. While she can see that he's had a rather eventful day, it's clear she doesn't pry into the details. "I'm sure that you'll find the rooms quite accommodating. If there is anything you need, let me know and I will make it available to you during your stay."
Falaine is a young elf woman, bronzy skin tone, wearing a plain brown outfit, her hair is sun bleached blonde. She has very few other outstanding features.
"Well that was exciting." Falaine will turn to the innkeeper. "Who was that and what happened?"
Eira, the wood elf most intrigued by the godly talk earlier, looks about the room with some hesitation. She had just been getting used to her companions and now the room had grown quite full of people that looked to be in a quite similar situation that they faced earlier today. She takes in the surrounding conversation, doing her best to keep up with the various topics.
((Potatocrown: (hey sorry, just letting you guys know I won't be able to post much for the next couple of days.). Assume that Eira is here and engaging in conversation though she isn't adding a lot of her own insights as she gets a feel for everyone))
The Innkeeper looks to Falaine and says in a very patient voice, "The Wishing Well does not and will not pry into the personal information of its guests. Since we do not pry, we do not share," she says with a tone of understanding. "What I can share with you is that the woman is a guest here and she seems to have been wounded. You may be able to learn more from the kind folks that brought her in. It isn't my place to understand the details." She gives an innocent smile.
Tanni steps closer to Quentin, giving a look at Knok before clearing her throat. "Good job bringing her here. Would you come sit with us and explain what happened? Seems that we all have had quite an exciting day and I want to find out who I can blame for it"The gnome extends her free hand towards Quentin "Tanni, and this here is Finan." She points with her mug at the human who helped to heal the tiefling. "And that's Jo..." She turns and notices an empty chair where Jonathan sat. "Guess he had to use the latrine,"she thinks and with a shrug turns back towards Quentin."Anyway, care to join us?"
Finan closes his eyes for a minute as the Tiefling is led through to her chambers, forcibly relaxing the muscles in his body and just letting the din and commotion in the common room wash through him. He would sleep well tonight, that much he knew for certain. "First I need my ale."he thought to himself, knowing it would do him good to enjoy the banter a bit more before heading off to bed. He just hoped no more wounded would find their way to the inn. He wasn't sure if he could handle any more blood and injuries today.
With a deep breath he opens his eyes, watching the various folk mill around. "Seems I'm not the only one needing to talk this out a bit."Fixing his expression in a friendly smile, he gives Quentin and Knok a nod in greeting at Tanni's introduction, then moves into the middle of the group and proclaims,"Alright, tonight we celebrate life. Let's all sit at one table and enjoy the good food and ale, eh?" With that, he moves to the table where he, Tanni, Jonathan and Teren were sitting, and starts dragging some more tables up to it to make room for everyone to sit and eat together. Once it's done, he hoists his ale in greeting and introduces those he knows."Well met, my name is Finan, this here is Tanni, Teren, and Jonathan is around here somewhere." he says, looking around the room,"Jonathan? Ah, no matter, he's around. So, who are you fine folks?"The words rolled out of him as if churned between the rocks of a riverbed. Not unpleasant to the ear, just a bit low and rumbling.
Once introductions are made, he waves over the innkeeper."Ombre, was it, miss? If you need any help with serving, I can lend a hand. And I noticed the bard has gone her way, if you allow I will play a few more songs once I've eaten."
Paren is a rather unremarkable looking elf. He's average height, with an olive complexion and dark hair. The only distinguishing feature about him currently is that he is the dirtiest you've ever seen an elf. His brown clothes look old and worn. At his side is a rapier that looks well taken care of compared to the rest of him.
Seeing the thiefling make her way to the back Paren will move to rejoin Falaine and Eira. He looks down at his hands again. "Well, I'm glad that worked."
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Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Knok gladly accepts Tanni's invitation, and climbs up into a human-sized chair, but is clearly unsure how to order or acquire a drink or food. "Knok lives here in Holden Heights. Or does now. Didn't used to. But Knok is learning to be a Not Us, and that's how I met Quentin on the road outside the city, and how Knok got touched by a bad god and tried to fight a wagon and it's driver, and how the driver got hurt, and then it recovered and attacked the captain of the guard, and Knok and Quentin saved her. Oh, and then Knok and Quentin went to the square to be heroes and we found everyone hurt, and Sunspot was hurt, and we brought her here when she gave us directions..."
"So that's how Knok got here."
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Knok Gnome-friend|Goblin Fighter (Eldritch Knight) 3 | The Joys of Balance
Ombre gives a nod to Finan when he asks her name though it sort of feels like a , "that's right,.don't say it again," sort of nod. She's currently pouring flagons of ale from the Bearmar cask. It looks like she's filled more than there are people present but she motions for Finan to help deliver them to the table. "You can play if you wish. She plays for enjoyment, not the coin. Hope you do the same."She gives Finan a thankful smile as she turns to begin cleaning up the bar.
She looks out over the gathering and says, "I will be locking the exterior door here for the evening, but your keys will open that door as well. Please make sure you lock it again once through."She moves to lock the door with several large locks. If no one has any other need for her, she'll excuse herself and move to the back room behind the bar to let the guests enjoy some conversation without her looming over them.
Quentin sees that Knok is floundering a little trying to get some of the food and slides a plate and cup towards him. "Well met to all of you. My name is Quentin L'ouen, and as he informed you, this is Knok." Quentin chuckles a bit as Knok tries to fit the entire day's events into a single sentence. "Allow me to elaborate. We met on the road this morning. There was a bit of a commotion with one wagon driver trying to run another off the road. The... aggressor? I suppose that's the best word. The agressor, a half-orc man, was launched from his wagon and severely hurt."Quentin takes a long pull from his flagon before continuing.
"Zynphura of the local guard saw to his wounds and took him in for questioning. Knok here is a good friend of Oppenhaldt, the local lord's arcane advisor. Knok had felt a compulsion of some kind that the wagons meant him great harm. We met with Oppenhaldt to get Knok examined and it appeared some deity with less than good intentions had afflicted Knok and the wagon driver. We then made our way to the church. Messenger Krusk relieved Knok of any lingering affects of the compulsion and told us its the power of an old deity thought imprisoned and asked us to retrieve the half-orc in custody." Quentin begins talking in between bites of food and drinks of ale.
"When we got to the barracks we found the half-orc beating Zynphura within an inch of her life. He was speaking in tongues, some language I don't recognize from my studies." His face turns hard. Brow furrowing in concern and confusion. "His veins were bulging a deep purple, as was his blood when he suffered wounds. He'd gone completely feral. After we stopped him we started helping the guards bring both the driver and Zynphura to a medicine woman when whatever happened in the town square... happened. Whatever had occurred wasover by the time we got there."
"The bell that was on the watch tower was cracked in half! Large dents were in it at the point of shattering, too. Some sort of divine magic was on that bell. The whole thing is inscribed in Celestial, but I don't know what the enchantment on it was for or what caused it to break so. Knok found Sunspot injured so we brought her here at her request."
I WILL BE PASTING THE LORE DUMPS HERE SO THEY'RE EASIER TO FIND. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
12/11/19 Recap
[I was working up a list of information characters should know and wanted to share it with you all. Let me know if you have any questions.
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12/12/19 Info
[Going back through old information, I found some points that the party brought up that were very on track toward things. Wanted to refresh your memory on things you've already discovered/discerned.]
In regards to the elder Warden's location:
In regards to the war of the gods:
Please note the comment about Lugh below may not be accurate.
[let me know if any of you have questions. Sorry about all the recaps but I want to make sure we close off a particular chapter before moving into even more questions that will be coming in chapter 2.]
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1/6/20 Dump
The easiest way to describe the Lugh and Merveille relationship it is that they are two personalities of the same person. Daais can be considered an angel to Lugh/Merveille and is their living presence on the plane.
The knowledge that they're the same person has mostly been lost over the course of time from when the new gods took over. The party is starting to uncover the truth behind Lugh/Merveille.
There have been hints at the relationship between L/M and the new gods. For some reason, L/M accepted eternal rest and left the godly duties to the new gods. This is part of the reason that the the two haven't been heard from in so long and why their number of followers has decreased so sharply. Something has caused this treaty to end resulting in the resurgence of the old gods and their activity lately.
The party knows that Gunthar was researching an ancient site that offered eternal life. He was to bring back his findings to Krusk at the Shrine of Shamara. These findings included a dagger. Aiden's followers intercepted this dagger and had it delivered to him.
The party has learned that the site Gunthar was exploring was protected from the new gods and that's why Gunthar was tasked with the mission. Gunthar had been known as a sort of crazy in the archaeologist community and thought that this would be his chance to bring honor to his name. It's unclear where the site is located or how Gunthar got there.
Only one person in the party has actually seen this sacred site that Gunthar ravaged looking for things.
The party knows that Talia had studied at the monastery near Thornwood and found some texts relating to Lugh and Merveille there. This could be where she learned how to manipulate the blight that she found in Gunthar. Talia had just traveled from the monastery prior to the bridge festival. The party knows that Talia is a follower of Aiden. Is it possible that she learned of Gunthar's quest while at the monastery and came back to Holden Heights with that info?
The party intercepted a letter that had been destined for Krusk that seemed to have been written by Aiden. The letter was a threat hidden behind prose. It seemed to indicate that Shamara had been too power hungry and that Aiden was done being a part of her plan. Aiden mentioned that "out of your aura, we find strength". This could mean that away from the influence of the new gods, there is an uprising and that Aiden is part of it.
[hope this clears some things up. Please let me know if you have any further questions!!]
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1/7/20 Dump
Dieties
Old Gods
New Gods / The Family
Landmarks
Home of Teren. The small town overlooks the Red Cliffs and is responsible for providing most of the Highlands food. The town is a few days south of an area several nobles have built large castles along the Glimmering Sea. Each castle is like its own town with the staff needed to maintain and operate them. There is also a nearby monastery that has been there for centuries if the stories are to be believed.Areas around the Glimmering Sea
Notable NPCs
is in town for the Bridge Festival. He has brought a special ale that he feels could be what pushes him into first place. He shared a ride with Finan into town from the Lowlands. The ale was served at the Wishing Well with a giant bear head on the cask.Letter intercepted from Aiden to Krusk/Shamara
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1/23/20
Quest Log in no particular order
[PM me if you have questions regarding the quest log. Some of it is rather vague to avoid spoilers.]
Hello and welcome to the campaign thread for The Joys of Balance. We officially start our journey here in the secluded underground inn known as the Wishing Well.
It is late evening and the long day you've had is wearing on your energy levels. Sleep will be calling for you soon, but you've found yourself enjoying the company of your recently met companions around a few tables. While the talk of visions of gods and the catastrophe in the town square dominate conversation, the doors to the inn swing open. You see a goblin and human walk in with a very wounded tiefling carried in their arms. You hear the innkeeper begin her usual sales pitch for the cost of the rooms and how they include meals until she sees the injured woman. She dashes to grab her before carefully laying her on top of the counter top. The speed and dexterity catches you off guard as she leaps over the bar and grabs the medicine kit on a nearby shelf.
You can see that the woman's leg has been broken though a large piece of fabric attempts to cover the protruding bone. The innkeeper quickly cleans and tends to the wound with the skill of someone that's done this plenty of times before. The bard playing in the corner seems somewhat shocked by the commotion and she slips through the door in the back of the room.
As the commotion settles a bit, some of you recall seeing this tiefling at the competition. It's the same woman donning the Hammerstone smithy leathers that was running the booth taking competitors. She seems to be in a fair amount of pain though she's doing her best to hide it.
Tanni is brought back to the moment when Jonathan suddenly asks about visions. "Visions from gods? No, can't say I have." She eyes Jonathan suspiciously, remembering the flash of light and the shattering bell and with a low voice asks "Did you see Shamara when the bell fell?"
After another song he lets the bard continue playing alone, and makes his way back to the group. He seems tired, but his eyes are no longer clouded with shock and sadness. He arrives just in the middle of Tanni's reply, and sees the woodelf lean over. With a quick wink at Tanni he steps up between the two and rests a hand on the woodelf's shoulder. "What are you all talking about, friends? Visions from the gods? Such is a rare thing indeed, eh?" he asks, slapping the woodelf gently on the back twice and making an open gesture with his other hand as an invitation to join the conversation.
Eira nods. "T-thats true. I-I don't t-think, um, I've ever even h-heard of someone w-who's recievedn, u-uh, visions from the gods, let alone m-meet someone like that."
Falaine will enter after her walk. When she spots Eira still up she'll slide in next to her. "What are we discussing friends?"
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The conversation is cut short when you spot the new arrivals carrying the injured tiefling into the room. You notice that the familiar music that had been playing in the background had also stopped.
Visual for the mergers:
The thing you must know about Finan is he is as ugly as the underside of a rock after a particularly wet summer. Rumors used to go around his home town that there must have been some Troll blood in his recent family history, or that his parents found him in the woods, some vile offspring of an Orc and an Ogre with a bit of Elf sprinkled in the mix to explain his fair skin. But no, Finan is just a Human. A particularly ugly specimen, but still Human.
However, he's always got a smile at the ready, and he holds himself with a roguish self-confidence. He seems exhausted at the moment, though, still recovering from the trek up to Holden Heights and the event at the town square also took a toll on him. When he first came in he was wearing clothes of fine quality, and underneath a well-made sturdy leather tunic is visible at his collar. A dark-red cloak covered most of him, however. After leaving to his room for a few minutes he came back wearing a whole different set of clothes. Worn-down, simple grays and browns, they seem more like something a worker might have worn the past seven years, and sturdy boots finish the outfit. The only odd thing out is a flatcap resting on his head which is dusty, but seems very well made and brand new.
He's got a wide build, a mop of brown hair peaking out from underneath the flatcap, with the hair at the side and back of his head cut short. His blue eyes are light, but are not necessarily striking by any means.
Finan has drawn up a chair, seating himself between the two tables, his back facing the main entrance and a big mug of ale resting in his lap as he talks. He shakes his head slightly, saying, "No, never seen a god, nor do I think that particular experience will ever be one I will see in this life. I know the appropriate words, but I'm not one to sink to my knees in prayer on regular occasion."
He looks up as the other Wood Elf joins, and answers, "Just talking about godly visions. Here, let me introduce us, this is-", he breaks off as he notices the commotion behind him, and everyone's attention having shifted in that direction. He turns around in his chair, just in time to see the innkeeper jump over the counter. His face grows pale, and the glimmer in his eye dulls as he is instantly reminded of what he had witnessed this afternoon.
Steeling himself, he puts the mug on the table where his friends were sitting, and stood up to walk over to the injured Tiefling. Keeping a distance from the innkeeper so he does not get in the way, he asks, "Need help, miss? Anything I can do?"
Seeing the Tiefling's face, held tight in an expression of one hiding pain, is like a dagger in his heart. Grimacing, he once again reaches out and lets the warm energy of the earth well up through his feet, ignoring the depths of his exhaustion, and speaks a word of healing to mend the Tiefling's wounds.
Gasping for air, he looks up at the innkeeper. "That is all I have in the way of direct healing."
Mechanics:
Last cast of Healing Word for 5 hitpoint on the Tiefling.
Lynn-Marie Verine-Wintercleaver, Human Bloodhunter - Adventures in Esyldien
Finan Caible, Human Bard - Joys of Balance
Yroc Grumbak, Orc Fighlock - Pizazz's ToA
Arell Peroan, Half-Elf Warlonk - Scattered Gods
ESC! | 10|33|5~
As Paren enters from the back hallway of the inn he notices the music has stopped. Confused, he looks towards the table he knows Eira has been sitting at. Seeing her ans everyone else in the bar looking towards the counter his gaze shifts there and immediately falls on the injured thiefling. Without saying a word he quickly crosses the floor too them. After a quick glance down at his hands he gently lays one on the theiflings foot.
Lay on Hands: 7 HP
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
OOC: I'll copy Mat_Yuren and insert a description of Tanni here:
Tanni is a three-and-a-half feet tall gnome with a well made but simple green shirt, black vest and brown trousers. A deep green cloak rests on the back of her chair. Decades of working in a smithy have given her a broad and muscular frame and her fiery orange hair is tied to a single thick braid. She has bright green eyes and bushy eyebrows that, combined with her audacious demeanor, give her a permanently aggressive look. Small smudges of soot and dust that she missed can still be seen on her face from the smithing competition and the tower incident. She has a couple of pouches and a fine warhammer hanging from her belt and a small pin depicting a ram fitted on her shirt.
Tanni glances at the door and is shocked to see the familiar tiefling with her broken leg. Before she can collect herself and go help, Faren and an elf are already healing the tiefling. Seeing that she would only be in their way, she walks closer and stops a few feet away from the small group, still holding her drink and trying to hear what they are talking about.
OOC: Description of Jonathan:
Jonathan is a tall human man, standing a little over six feet tall with a broad, well built frame. His light brown hair shows signs of normally short and well-kept, yet not receiving a trim in the past couple of months. He sits garbed in some basic travelling garb with a nice looking green cloak. By his hip a rapier is strapped in its scabbard with a buckler attached alongside it by the hip.
Jonathan seems a little crowded initially as several people swarm their more private conversation. Upon seeing several folk move over and head towards the tiefling coming in, he uses this moment to divert himself from this part of the conversation he had initially raised. He gets up from his chair. "Excuse me a moment, I think nature is calling." He says to any of his companions not involved with the tiefling as he makes to go to the restrooms to freshen up.
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon
Knok has the looks of a degenerate goblin, but his affable, try-hard demeanor comes across in his words and actions, betraying the small greenskin's agreeable personality - so different from most of his kin. He stands roughly 3.5 feet tall, and has a gangly, lean physique. Always clad in his crusty, dingy chainmail, paired with his battered shield and well-used scimitar, Knok is every bit the visage of a warrior who has been through a few scrapes. He keeps stringy, greasy black hair and a patchy beard in an unintentional parody of the human style. His eyes are oversized with the strange red pupils of some of his kind, and his too-wide mouth loll's open, showing off an uncomfortably too-long tongue, and too-sharp, mismatched and broken teeth.
Looking up at the gathered throng around himself, Quentin, and the tiefling Sunspot, Knok gives two quick raps on the side of his head. "Uh, hello. Knok here, this Quentin," he says with a gesture to his taller companion. "This, uh...safe place? Knok's afraid it's going to be bad out there for a while."
Knok Gnome-friend | Goblin Fighter (Eldritch Knight) 3 | The Joys of Balance
With the aid of magic and the blessings of a god, the bone begins to set back into place under the tiefling's flesh. The wound begins to close as dirt and infection are expelled as leaking oozes. The innkeeper wipes the wound clean and tosses the cloth into a nearby bin. She looks to the tiefling and says, "You need some rest hun."
"Renard!," you hear the innkeeper call out. A fair elven main appears from the back room. He's carrying several platters of food and drops them off to the several tables of adventurers. He pays little regard to those gathered until he sees the tiefling who has now sat up on the bar. He sees her torn leathers around the knee but doesn't say anything to her. "Help this woman to her room please. Make sure she has everything she needs," the innkeeper tells the elf. He nods and says, "Gladly. Make sure you get some rest yourself, Ombre. I can lockup after she's taken care of." He moves to lift the tiefling who gladly accepts the aide.
The tiefling turns back to the goblin and says, "Thanks again darling. Don't you forget about me." She offers a sly smile before wrapping her arms about Renard to keep from falling. The two slip through the rear doorway and down the hall. It's unclear which room they enter but you hear the door open and quickly close.
The innkeeper regains her focus on the newcomers. "Tonight is on me for bringing Sunspot back safely." She slides two keeps across the bar to Quentin and Knok. They look very similar except the ends of the keys have different shapes on the handle. She nods her head toward the door that the elf recently went through and you understand that to be the direction of the rooms. "Help yourself to some of the food as well. Renard always makes more than is needed."
Quentin is a human that stands at about 5'10" and possesses a broad, fairly muscular frame. He wears his dirty blonde hair parted in the middle with the length of it just reaching his shoulders while a full, well-trimmed beard envelopes most of his face. The effect of which normally makes his hazel eyes seem very sharp, but currently they're obscured by a pale blue glow. Quentin is garbed in traveling clothes dyed deep blues and lined with silver trim and wears dark leather gloves and boots. Embroidered on the back of his right glove is a symbol of an open book. While once fairly clean and well maintained, after the events of the day they're fairly dirty; covered in dust, ash and traces of blood. A small owl currently perches on his shoulder, its head turning about the room.
As Quentin and Knok stumble in with the tiefling woman he can barely get out, "W-we could use some-" before the bartender is helping them get her onto the bar to dress her wounds. His furrowed brow of concern changes to that of relief as those with healing abilities among the patrons provide it without any prompting. He sighs heavily taking a seat. Exhaustion beginning to tear at him now that the adrenaline is wearing off. "Thank goodness..." He looks to those who provided healing. "Thank you for your help. I can do a number of things, but healing is unfortunately not one of them and today has been... quite the day." The blue glow in his eyes flickers out and his hazel irises are visible once more. Quentin turns to the bartender, "That is very kind of you. Thank you very much, I'm feeling quite famished if I'm going to be honest."
The elven woman nods understandingly to Quentin. While she can see that he's had a rather eventful day, it's clear she doesn't pry into the details. "I'm sure that you'll find the rooms quite accommodating. If there is anything you need, let me know and I will make it available to you during your stay."
Falaine is a young elf woman, bronzy skin tone, wearing a plain brown outfit, her hair is sun bleached blonde. She has very few other outstanding features.
"Well that was exciting." Falaine will turn to the innkeeper. "Who was that and what happened?"
Eira, the wood elf most intrigued by the godly talk earlier, looks about the room with some hesitation. She had just been getting used to her companions and now the room had grown quite full of people that looked to be in a quite similar situation that they faced earlier today. She takes in the surrounding conversation, doing her best to keep up with the various topics.
((Potatocrown: (hey sorry, just letting you guys know I won't be able to post much for the next couple of days.). Assume that Eira is here and engaging in conversation though she isn't adding a lot of her own insights as she gets a feel for everyone))
The Innkeeper looks to Falaine and says in a very patient voice, "The Wishing Well does not and will not pry into the personal information of its guests. Since we do not pry, we do not share," she says with a tone of understanding. "What I can share with you is that the woman is a guest here and she seems to have been wounded. You may be able to learn more from the kind folks that brought her in. It isn't my place to understand the details." She gives an innocent smile.
Tanni steps closer to Quentin, giving a look at Knok before clearing her throat. "Good job bringing her here. Would you come sit with us and explain what happened? Seems that we all have had quite an exciting day and I want to find out who I can blame for it" The gnome extends her free hand towards Quentin "Tanni, and this here is Finan." She points with her mug at the human who helped to heal the tiefling. "And that's Jo..." She turns and notices an empty chair where Jonathan sat. "Guess he had to use the latrine," she thinks and with a shrug turns back towards Quentin. "Anyway, care to join us?"
Finan closes his eyes for a minute as the Tiefling is led through to her chambers, forcibly relaxing the muscles in his body and just letting the din and commotion in the common room wash through him. He would sleep well tonight, that much he knew for certain. "First I need my ale." he thought to himself, knowing it would do him good to enjoy the banter a bit more before heading off to bed. He just hoped no more wounded would find their way to the inn. He wasn't sure if he could handle any more blood and injuries today.
With a deep breath he opens his eyes, watching the various folk mill around. "Seems I'm not the only one needing to talk this out a bit." Fixing his expression in a friendly smile, he gives Quentin and Knok a nod in greeting at Tanni's introduction, then moves into the middle of the group and proclaims, "Alright, tonight we celebrate life. Let's all sit at one table and enjoy the good food and ale, eh?"
With that, he moves to the table where he, Tanni, Jonathan and Teren were sitting, and starts dragging some more tables up to it to make room for everyone to sit and eat together. Once it's done, he hoists his ale in greeting and introduces those he knows. "Well met, my name is Finan, this here is Tanni, Teren, and Jonathan is around here somewhere." he says, looking around the room, "Jonathan? Ah, no matter, he's around. So, who are you fine folks?" The words rolled out of him as if churned between the rocks of a riverbed. Not unpleasant to the ear, just a bit low and rumbling.
Once introductions are made, he waves over the innkeeper. "Ombre, was it, miss? If you need any help with serving, I can lend a hand. And I noticed the bard has gone her way, if you allow I will play a few more songs once I've eaten."
Lynn-Marie Verine-Wintercleaver, Human Bloodhunter - Adventures in Esyldien
Finan Caible, Human Bard - Joys of Balance
Yroc Grumbak, Orc Fighlock - Pizazz's ToA
Arell Peroan, Half-Elf Warlonk - Scattered Gods
ESC! | 10|33|5~
(OOC: guess I should have done this before)
Paren is a rather unremarkable looking elf. He's average height, with an olive complexion and dark hair. The only distinguishing feature about him currently is that he is the dirtiest you've ever seen an elf. His brown clothes look old and worn. At his side is a rapier that looks well taken care of compared to the rest of him.
Seeing the thiefling make her way to the back Paren will move to rejoin Falaine and Eira. He looks down at his hands again. "Well, I'm glad that worked."
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Knok gladly accepts Tanni's invitation, and climbs up into a human-sized chair, but is clearly unsure how to order or acquire a drink or food. "Knok lives here in Holden Heights. Or does now. Didn't used to. But Knok is learning to be a Not Us, and that's how I met Quentin on the road outside the city, and how Knok got touched by a bad god and tried to fight a wagon and it's driver, and how the driver got hurt, and then it recovered and attacked the captain of the guard, and Knok and Quentin saved her. Oh, and then Knok and Quentin went to the square to be heroes and we found everyone hurt, and Sunspot was hurt, and we brought her here when she gave us directions..."
"So that's how Knok got here."
Knok Gnome-friend | Goblin Fighter (Eldritch Knight) 3 | The Joys of Balance
Ombre gives a nod to Finan when he asks her name though it sort of feels like a , "that's right,.don't say it again," sort of nod. She's currently pouring flagons of ale from the Bearmar cask. It looks like she's filled more than there are people present but she motions for Finan to help deliver them to the table. "You can play if you wish. She plays for enjoyment, not the coin. Hope you do the same." She gives Finan a thankful smile as she turns to begin cleaning up the bar.
She looks out over the gathering and says, "I will be locking the exterior door here for the evening, but your keys will open that door as well. Please make sure you lock it again once through." She moves to lock the door with several large locks. If no one has any other need for her, she'll excuse herself and move to the back room behind the bar to let the guests enjoy some conversation without her looming over them.
Quentin sees that Knok is floundering a little trying to get some of the food and slides a plate and cup towards him. "Well met to all of you. My name is Quentin L'ouen, and as he informed you, this is Knok." Quentin chuckles a bit as Knok tries to fit the entire day's events into a single sentence. "Allow me to elaborate. We met on the road this morning. There was a bit of a commotion with one wagon driver trying to run another off the road. The... aggressor? I suppose that's the best word. The agressor, a half-orc man, was launched from his wagon and severely hurt." Quentin takes a long pull from his flagon before continuing.
"Zynphura of the local guard saw to his wounds and took him in for questioning. Knok here is a good friend of Oppenhaldt, the local lord's arcane advisor. Knok had felt a compulsion of some kind that the wagons meant him great harm. We met with Oppenhaldt to get Knok examined and it appeared some deity with less than good intentions had afflicted Knok and the wagon driver. We then made our way to the church. Messenger Krusk relieved Knok of any lingering affects of the compulsion and told us its the power of an old deity thought imprisoned and asked us to retrieve the half-orc in custody." Quentin begins talking in between bites of food and drinks of ale.
"When we got to the barracks we found the half-orc beating Zynphura within an inch of her life. He was speaking in tongues, some language I don't recognize from my studies." His face turns hard. Brow furrowing in concern and confusion. "His veins were bulging a deep purple, as was his blood when he suffered wounds. He'd gone completely feral. After we stopped him we started helping the guards bring both the driver and Zynphura to a medicine woman when whatever happened in the town square... happened. Whatever had occurred was over by the time we got there."
"The bell that was on the watch tower was cracked in half! Large dents were in it at the point of shattering, too. Some sort of divine magic was on that bell. The whole thing is inscribed in Celestial, but I don't know what the enchantment on it was for or what caused it to break so. Knok found Sunspot injured so we brought her here at her request."