The cool and damp room seems so far removed from the insanity of the streets in Holden Heights. A moment of rest and comfort is found as you try to better understand what is at play here.
Finan waits for Paren to finish, then sits down across from him on the ground, legs crossed, staring the man straight in the eyes. "I brought our friends because I don't trust this entity. I could not trust that it was you who asked me to come here, alone. I don't give two sh... I don't care you had a shady past. I've dealt with plenty of folk others would describe as shady, that is not what concerns me. It is this thing that keeps talking to you that makes me worried, Paren. All I've heard and seen of it gives me the creeps, and the fact that it's squaring off against two Gods does not help at all."
He takes a breath, releasing the tension that built up between his shoulders. "So you were a thief, or worse, or less. That's the past, Paren. What I heard of Lugh is that he's an old god, and that he's the Protector of the Forests or some such. Sounds like a fair deal, to me. Law of the wild? There are hunters and hunted. Baby deer and baby wolves, each need to eat. Fine. What is happening here does not sound like Lugh, though. Destroying a temple? Driving animals mad to kill and maim at random? Summoning that thing that almost killed you?"
He pauses for a moment, placing a finger on the shield. "Is Lugh really that kind of a God? If not, then why are you still listening to the entity? What does it say, what does it want you to do?"
Another pause, eyes narrowing as he looks deep into Paren's eyes."You've told me about the contact, so we can go there tomorrow. I doubt we've had the coincidence of meeting before, but I've met plenty of folk before I got here. If you have a name, perhaps it rings a bell. Might help our cause, right?"
Can I give Paren some Bardic Inspiration? (+1d6 to add to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw within the next 10 minutes. Can be added after the roll but before the result is posted) Wisdom check: 5
Paren's shoulders visibly drop as some of the tension releases from them. "I have no name for this contact but I can take you to where he is usually skulking around. He's a little halfling fellow, usually hanging out with a group of his kind."
He now reaches out and touches the shield as well. "I think you are right not to trust the entity. From the way it has been speaking I think it is at least somewhat responsible for what has happened today. Especially Krusk's death. It claims to have no control over that harm it does in its divided state but I think it still holds some sway."
He closes his eyes and rocks back and forth slightly before continuing. "I listen to the entity because it gave me the ability to listen to Lugh. Until that dust touched me I had never heard from Lugh before, I was a paladin in clothing only. Now I can talk to Lugh in the same way that I spoke to you in Krusk's chambers. As I said, this connection is everything to me, that is why I refused the 'cleansing.' I cannot lose this again."
He places his hand directly on the symbol in the centre of the circular shield. "Lugh is not the kind of god to attack, unless provoked. A cornered animal will always defend itself. But he does call for a maintenance of the balance. The only thing this entity has ever asked me to do was to find the shards and return them to their resting place. Since we no longer have a way to cleanse them without Krusk I would say that is our best option. If we take them back then we can seal them away, same as before. This unrest only started when they were taken from that cave."
Paren looks up to the rest of the group. "I am very confused about all this but perhaps if we think together we can figure it out."
"To me it seems like everything done here has been about preventing the shards from being cleansed. Knok was forced to stand in the street to stop the wagon carrying them. The bell tower was destroyed and the water was blocked in an effort to stop the festival. The animals only seemed interested in getting past us, not harming anyone unless they tried to stop them. And the spiders were looking for something in Krusk's desk, again only attacking if something tried to stop them."
"I don't know who we should trust but to me it seems that the best course of action is to return the shards to their resting place."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Falaine ponders what she's seen and how it ties to what the others have told her. Fragments like a puzzle don't always go where they first seem. She thinks on what Paren has said trying to connect her own thoughts.
As Paren tells his story, Tanni stares at him with a thoughtful expression. When she finally speaks, it's with a slow, deliberate tone. "I'm with Finan, your past is your business and it seems you have tried to leave that behind. Can't blame you for trying to be something better. I still don't trust any of these entities, be it Lugh, Shamara or this... well, entity of yours, especially as it seem to care not of innocents that get hurt. But I'm willing to follow your hunch on this one. So we gather the shards, return them and hope that stops all this madness?"
(edit: dice roller is a bit cranky again, here' a new roll for Wisdom check: 21)
(edit2: ok, now it works, the first result stands.)
Falaine pipes up. "Why does this entity care so much about this city? About stopping the celebration? Or was the destruction of the temple and the bell tower just to stop the worship of Shamara during a time when so many would visit the city? Those animals were not trying to cause mass destruction. Everything has been about stopping the celebration or killing Krusk and looking for I assume this." she holds out a shard.
Tanni ponders on the oddities that have occurred over the past few days.
She thinks about her time in the Sunforge and what she's temporarily left behind to be here. She thinks about the Forge Council that ruled over Sunforge. Each of the major guild houses had a representative on the council. Tanni could only assume who would be overseeing that role now for her Smithy.
She wonders who rules the city when most of the renowned smiths were here in town for the festival. Perhaps the important matters could pause for the roughly two weeks the council would be gone.
She then begins to wonder how the other houses were doing back home. She'd seen plenty of work here in Holden Heights bearing the markings of a certain craftsman that had partnered with her former master. Their long history together included the actual creation of the sun forge itself. Seeing the mysterious guards wearing armor crafted by that smithy house did seem a bit interesting to her the more she thought about it. What could their role have been in all of this.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(@Finan, yeah unfortunately my evenings has been less available for posting than I anticipated so I have to put in some snarky comments etc. to "participate".)
Falaine tries to hold back a smile, taking odd comfort in the fact that others have secrets.
The cool and damp room seems so far removed from the insanity of the streets in Holden Heights. A moment of rest and comfort is found as you try to better understand what is at play here.
((Gain the benefits of a short rest))
(thanks Cromusz!)
OOC @ pokepaladdy:
Jonathan cracks me up! Hilarious, well done!
Finan waits for Paren to finish, then sits down across from him on the ground, legs crossed, staring the man straight in the eyes. "I brought our friends because I don't trust this entity. I could not trust that it was you who asked me to come here, alone. I don't give two sh... I don't care you had a shady past. I've dealt with plenty of folk others would describe as shady, that is not what concerns me. It is this thing that keeps talking to you that makes me worried, Paren. All I've heard and seen of it gives me the creeps, and the fact that it's squaring off against two Gods does not help at all."
He takes a breath, releasing the tension that built up between his shoulders. "So you were a thief, or worse, or less. That's the past, Paren. What I heard of Lugh is that he's an old god, and that he's the Protector of the Forests or some such. Sounds like a fair deal, to me. Law of the wild? There are hunters and hunted. Baby deer and baby wolves, each need to eat. Fine. What is happening here does not sound like Lugh, though. Destroying a temple? Driving animals mad to kill and maim at random? Summoning that thing that almost killed you?"
He pauses for a moment, placing a finger on the shield. "Is Lugh really that kind of a God? If not, then why are you still listening to the entity? What does it say, what does it want you to do?"
Another pause, eyes narrowing as he looks deep into Paren's eyes. "You've told me about the contact, so we can go there tomorrow. I doubt we've had the coincidence of meeting before, but I've met plenty of folk before I got here. If you have a name, perhaps it rings a bell. Might help our cause, right?"
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~
((Anyone may roll a wisdom check if they'd like))
Mechanics:
Can I give Paren some Bardic Inspiration? (+1d6 to add to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw within the next 10 minutes. Can be added after the roll but before the result is posted)
Wisdom check: 5
Edit: Misspelled name..
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~
((Sure so long as you can RP how you would inspire him.))
OOC:
Either as part of my previous speech or I'll let it slide ;) There's a nice pregnant pause that I don't want to disturb
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~
Paren's shoulders visibly drop as some of the tension releases from them. "I have no name for this contact but I can take you to where he is usually skulking around. He's a little halfling fellow, usually hanging out with a group of his kind."
He now reaches out and touches the shield as well. "I think you are right not to trust the entity. From the way it has been speaking I think it is at least somewhat responsible for what has happened today. Especially Krusk's death. It claims to have no control over that harm it does in its divided state but I think it still holds some sway."
He closes his eyes and rocks back and forth slightly before continuing. "I listen to the entity because it gave me the ability to listen to Lugh. Until that dust touched me I had never heard from Lugh before, I was a paladin in clothing only. Now I can talk to Lugh in the same way that I spoke to you in Krusk's chambers. As I said, this connection is everything to me, that is why I refused the 'cleansing.' I cannot lose this again."
He places his hand directly on the symbol in the centre of the circular shield. "Lugh is not the kind of god to attack, unless provoked. A cornered animal will always defend itself. But he does call for a maintenance of the balance. The only thing this entity has ever asked me to do was to find the shards and return them to their resting place. Since we no longer have a way to cleanse them without Krusk I would say that is our best option. If we take them back then we can seal them away, same as before. This unrest only started when they were taken from that cave."
Wisdom check: 19 plus inspiration from Finan: 3
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Paren takes a moment and thinks on how they've reached this point. All of the trials. All of the conflicts. All of it led to this.
Wisdom: 16
Paren looks up to the rest of the group. "I am very confused about all this but perhaps if we think together we can figure it out."
"To me it seems like everything done here has been about preventing the shards from being cleansed. Knok was forced to stand in the street to stop the wagon carrying them. The bell tower was destroyed and the water was blocked in an effort to stop the festival. The animals only seemed interested in getting past us, not harming anyone unless they tried to stop them. And the spiders were looking for something in Krusk's desk, again only attacking if something tried to stop them."
"I don't know who we should trust but to me it seems that the best course of action is to return the shards to their resting place."
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Falaine ponders what she's seen and how it ties to what the others have told her. Fragments like a puzzle don't always go where they first seem. She thinks on what Paren has said trying to connect her own thoughts.
Wisdom check: 6
As Paren tells his story, Tanni stares at him with a thoughtful expression. When she finally speaks, it's with a slow, deliberate tone. "I'm with Finan, your past is your business and it seems you have tried to leave that behind. Can't blame you for trying to be something better. I still don't trust any of these entities, be it Lugh, Shamara or this... well, entity of yours, especially as it seem to care not of innocents that get hurt. But I'm willing to follow your hunch on this one. So we gather the shards, return them and hope that stops all this madness?"
(
edit: dice roller is a bit cranky again, here' a new roll for Wisdom check: 21)(edit2: ok, now it works, the first result stands.)
Falaine pipes up. "Why does this entity care so much about this city? About stopping the celebration? Or was the destruction of the temple and the bell tower just to stop the worship of Shamara during a time when so many would visit the city? Those animals were not trying to cause mass destruction. Everything has been about stopping the celebration or killing Krusk and looking for I assume this." she holds out a shard.
Paren looks a little taken aback at Falaine holding the shard. "Well, that's certainly something."
In celestial:
"How do you feel?"
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Tanni ponders on the oddities that have occurred over the past few days.
She thinks about her time in the Sunforge and what she's temporarily left behind to be here. She thinks about the Forge Council that ruled over Sunforge. Each of the major guild houses had a representative on the council. Tanni could only assume who would be overseeing that role now for her Smithy.
She wonders who rules the city when most of the renowned smiths were here in town for the festival. Perhaps the important matters could pause for the roughly two weeks the council would be gone.
She then begins to wonder how the other houses were doing back home. She'd seen plenty of work here in Holden Heights bearing the markings of a certain craftsman that had partnered with her former master. Their long history together included the actual creation of the sun forge itself. Seeing the mysterious guards wearing armor crafted by that smithy house did seem a bit interesting to her the more she thought about it. What could their role have been in all of this.
As you all look onto the shard, it looks the same as you've seen before but it is wrapped in a very fine white linen.
"I could take the wrapping off if you all think it necessary. I don't understand what you asked, Paren"
(@Finan, yeah unfortunately my evenings has been less available for posting than I anticipated so I have to put in some snarky comments etc. to "participate".)
Wisdom: 5
Yup, definitely paying attention, honest, guv.
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon