You recognize the voice, for it is one you have known since your youth. You are surprised, however, by what it is saying. Glancing up from your task, you reply skeptically, “The great chief wishes to speak to me? You must be ill, Torm. Or drunk.”
Torm finds no humor in your response. “I’m not ill. I wish I were drunk,” he growls crossly. “Go to Kriga before I blacken both your eyes.”
Unsure if the chieftain’s threat is sincere, you nod. “I will. Immediately.”
Torm mutters something inaudible under his breath as he turns and disappears into the shadows of the ancient forest.You stare into the noisy waters of the Delimbiyr and wonder why Kriga wishes to see you. In a moment of pessimism, you search your memory for some mistake you may have made, a mistake that would merit Kriga’s wrath. Nothing comes to mind, but you begin walking into the forest with a cloud of doubt in your thoughts.
Minutes later, the enormous, hollowed-out oak that serves as the great chief’s home comes into view. Seeing a few other tribe members enter the chief's abode, you find comfort in the fact that this will not be a one-on-one meeting with the Canny One. You enter the dimly-lit space within the tree and, according to tribal custom, you form a claw with your right hand and make a diagonal slashing motion in the air in front of your face before you sit on the ground. Kriga smiles wanly and nods in acknowledgement of your gesture of respect.
Kriga Moonmusk, great chief of the Blue Bear tribe, then speaks. “You wonder why I have called for you, yes?” Despite her many years, her voice carries authority and her eyes sparkle with life. She continues, “A most important matter. Yes. A most important matter. The full moon has come and gone and will soon return, but the burial party of Arnek Mar has not.”
Several weeks ago, three Blue Bear tribe members set forth with the remains of Arnek Mar, a fierce tribal chieftain who seemed destined to succeed Kriga. The three were tasked to carry Arnek’s body to Stone Stand and bury him among the other honored tribe members. They should have returned days ago.
You glance at the other tribe members to see if they are as troubled by this news as you are. Before you can assess the other’s thoughts, Kriga speaks again. Boring a hole in you with her eyes, she utters, “You will go. You will learn what has become of Arnek Mar, and you will make certain he sleeps in the place of honor among his warrior brothers and sisters. And all the while you will remain unknown to those who believe we do not exist.”
Kriga reads the uncertainty in your face. “You will do this, and you will succeed."
"I have chosen you, Urijeon Lightfoot, because you move like a shadow through the High Forest, and not even a mouse, silent and motionless, can hide from you on a dark night.
And you, Teya Korven, are fierce as a storm. As lightning shatters the tallest of trees so shall you destroy any fool who would stand to fight the Blue Bear.
Farkas Lighteye, chosen because you are swift, you will run and see what lies ahead, steering the others away from danger.
And you, Mateja Embereye, I have chosen you because your mother had a vision just before she died. You must trust this revelation as I do, young one.
Avelin, you will see that the trees, the beasts, the air, and the ground itself will bless the travels of this group."
Kriga then turns and nods to Jatoka, one of the four imposing warriors who is constantly at her side. He motions for the five of you to rise and follow him. A few minutes later, Jatoka leads you into a bearskin tent that serves as a rudimentary storehouse.
“Stone Stand is many days distant, and the Blue Bear has few friends and many foes. A great duty you have been given. May you find Arnek Mar where he should be, and may you return to us with such news.”
Jatoka then hands each of you a backpack and says, “A blanket, a bedroll, torches, a waterskin, and a tinderbox. For food, you must hunt.”
He then holds up two lengths of rope in one hand and a shovel in the other. “And these.”
“May Uthgar make your path straight, your mind keen, and your arm strong.”
A map to give you some context and perspective. The circle represents the area the Blue Bear tribe currently calls home. Stone Stand--which is the tribe's spirit mound--lies over one hundred miles to the northwest:
Avelin arranges these provisions in/on the pack a few times until he finds it satisfactory they won't interfere with his hand or arm movements. While waiting for the others to similarly do the same, he replies back to Jatoka in the customary response, "May it please Him to honor and serve."
Taking the opportunity to further question Jatoka, Avelin asks, "While this is an important mission, certainly I hope the Canny One will permit me and this group the customary time frame of an hour for further prayers and preperations?"
Uri takes the pack from Jatoka and slings it over his back. He adjusts the quiver of arrows and his shortsword to accommodate. His eyebrow raises at Avelin's words but he makes no comment.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
As Avelin checks the gear Farkas does the same, quickly putting on the pack so that the straps obscure some of the intricate tattoos that run over his chest and shoulders accentuating the broad shoulders and large muscles the man possesses. Few are stronger than him amongst the tribe, but he notes with a mixture of pride and resentment that there are several here who could challenge him in a trial of strength. He smiles slightly to himself as he recalls Kriga's words, his speed has been noted by the leader of his people.
He sets his weapons for ease of reach, the handaxes belted at his waist and the single-bladed, razor sharp battleaxe, slung in it's harness across his back. When further out he runs with the axe gripped in his hand never wishing to be caught unprepared but for now it rests secure unneeded.
"The land will provide, we shall not want for food on our journey." Farkas replies to Jatoka, and then waits patiently for Avelin to lead them through more spiritual aspects of their prepation, icy blue eyes deferentially looking down and away from the shaman.
Teya stands stoically, strong shoulders on a stout frame. Orange hair cascades around a rough face and a permanent scowl. Although shorter than the other warriors, she is equally formidable. She takes one of the packs, tying a crude javelin to the side while keeping a menacing maul in her hands and a long hunting knife strapped to her right leg. She also takes the shovel, putting it next to the javelin. The two tools seems strange together, but both serve death.
"We shall do our duty. I will not fail in this task, nor will I allow others to falter."
Horatio Hirschfeld - Squire imbued with fae powers, in the Coliseum of Conquest (W2/L1) DM for Reavers of Harkenwold, and sometimes The Fighting Grounds of the Coliseum
Jatoka looks at Avelin and responds slowly, as if he is choosing his words carefully. "Do what seems fitting. Possibly you will learn which path to take. Directly through the High Forest? Or possibly to the north first, avoiding what might lie within the forest. This is a hard question, shaman. May the spirits provide the answer."
Then, directing his focus to Teya, the warrior nods and says, "May it be so."
Avelin, suddenly feeling the heat of some sort of expected response to both Jatoka's directive as well as Uri's confident comment, makes an impulsive decision to buy a small bit of time. Leaning into what he supposes is the group's hesitancy and unfamiliarity with general shaman practices, Avelin improvises.
"We ask for Uthgar's guidance and blessing." He mumbles and talks louder intermitently, making a passable mixing from general shamanistic prayers for battle and for new ventures, "Guide our axes, our bows, steel our eyes to the enemy and steel our souls against the unholy. Ready our spirits to join Yours and our honored ancestors before us should it be Your will, and may the blood of trespassers quench and nourish the soil. Send your blessings and give Your presence to these brave warriors here assembled and to me Your humbled servant and steward of Your wilderness."
Avelin had learned many years from the tribe's elderly Shaman before her passing away that shamanism is half spirituality and half showmanship, that the tribe feared, respected, but had uneasiness towards magic and spirituality in general. What he did next served absolutely no spiritual purpose, but Avelin did it anyway.
He takes one of his hand axes off of the pack, closes his eyes and in an exaggerated fashion shakes his hand into a fury before leaning back and slamming the axe deep into the earth. He intentionally rolls his eyes backward, and pinches dirt between his fingers. "From the dirt you give us life, and to dirt we will return on Your will." For dramatic effect, he tastes the dirt on his tongue. Avelin then grasps the hand axe without pulling it out of the ground, casts a simple Light upon it which does absolutely nothing except cast a glow of bluish light and says, "For the hour until this Light fades, Uthgar asks us to pray, commune with the spirits, prepare our journey, and, uh," Avelin briefly hesitates, "ask questions of the tribal leadership if needed."
WIth mouth slightly agape, Jatoka watches Avelin's spectacle intently. Nodding vigorously, he says, "Indeed, shaman. Your questions deserve answers. What I do not know shall be supplied by one who does."
Head still bowed the barest flicker of a smile escapes Lighteye's lips as Jakota struggles with the spiritual practices of Avelin. Clever amongst his people he knows the power is real, but has often suspected the way the shaman perform their rites is designed to awe. Suspicions or not, Farkas is still respectful and would never voice these opinions.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Mateja is slow to recover from the surprise of Kriga's words, and when she does she first casts long looks upon those gathered to travel with her. Uri and Teya both were among the smaller members of the tribe, and but despite her size she had heard of Teya's ferocity and violence. She had also seen Farkas outpace other tribesmen by a considerable margin, so she knew he would be a valuable asset. But then there was Avelin. She had overheard whispers that the shamans of the Blue Bear did not particularly like her, which made Mateja doubt her presence. Nothing she would mention aloud, certainly not after Kriga herself had chosen her, but she could not be entirely comfortable with the choice.
With great interest she watches Avelin's ritual, her honey-brown eyes intently focused on the powers displayed, unaware of her own jaw dropping slightly in awe. With an almost tender gesture she brushes a lock of dark-blonde hair out of her face, humbled by the display and feeling shame for having felt doubt.
Taking a deep breath, she slings the backpack over one shoulder, then subconsciously feels for the weapons at her side, a slight brush of the fingers along the leather grip of the sword and the metal head of the hammer. A few faded stripes of ritual paint on her smooth-skinned face create an almost mask-like appearance, framed by the luscious amounts of hair cascading down to past her shoulders. A few trinkets of hardened clay, long feathers and colored string are woven into the strands, all partially covered by a light cloth hood of faded blue.
Sensing he has Jakota on the hook, Avelin stands and moves back.
Repositioning himself with the bright light of the hand axe in the ground between himself and Jakota, Avelin says, "Many moons of blessings to you friend Jakota. The spirits indeed will provide some answers once I make silent prayer, but as you know the spirits are fickle, misleading, and mostly vague." Something else he had learned from the elder shaman before her passing was to word spiritual visions, prophecies, and omens into extremely intentionally vague expressions very open to interpretation. The tribe would be likely to turn on a shaman if he or she had specifically promised good hunting in the season only to find the deer thin, for example. If Tribe members find shamanistic spiritual messages confusing, yet never wrong given generous interpretation, Avelin has done his job. Avelin recalled mentioning off the cuff once to a man 'The snail sees all' which the poor man interpreted as his affair with another man's wife had been exposed. Making it up on the fly, Avelin says, "The spirits already whisper 'water, water, everywhere, but do not have a drink.'"
But the party needs real answers. So he speaks directly to Jakota, "Did the funeral party of Arnek Mar themselves go through the Forest, or take the northern route around? Were the members of this funeral party hardy warriors themselves? Any reason to suspect foul play? "
"To the north. That is the path they followed. Turning west near Hellgate Dell it would seem," explains the warrior. "The burial party seemed capable, shaman. They had seen many years...far more than each of you...but they were family. They were Arnek Mar's two older brothers and his uncle."
Jatoka pauses for a few seconds, closing his eyes as he does so. "Not all agreed on this matter, however. The other chieftains exchanged harsh words in their meeting with Kriga. Torm, most of all, was greatly troubled when Kriga finally pronounced her decision. 'Let the Blue Bear, in all its strength and with all its people, march to Stone Stand,' said Torm. 'Why must we slink about the North any longer?'"
Seeing Jatoka paying special attention to the shaman Urijeon moves back to the others and sits down to watch. As Jatoka talks he forms a silent map in his head, trying to remember anything he knows about the path that the party would have taken that could cause them to be delayed.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisysin Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
"Torm is known to be quick to anger and rash actions. We are fortunate to have Kriga Moonmusk the Canny One as chief instead of he. I will need a few minutes of silent prayer", Avelin says to the warriors and to Jakota.
Avelin sits on the ground an arms reach away from the glowing ax still shining a bright blue. He turns to the other warriors and says, "Feel free to bask in this Light should you wish to strengthen your courage and clear your minds. The spirits have yet to whisper a suggestion between taking the Forest or taking the northern path, but personally it makes sense to me to follow the intended path of the funeral party to Stone Stand. Wherever they may have fallen, through accident or misdeed, we will see it along that way.
"Jatoka," Avelin adds, "Could you spare a writing piece, chalk, or coal, and a blank scroll or tablet? In case I do not return from this endeavor, I will need to leave instructions for the next shaman of our tribe; already there is a young girl from the clans whom Uthgar has Chosen, and this mission could simply be His will for her ascendency. Be warned, Jakota, should any other eyes read these instructions, Uthgar will curse them and their family for three generations."
Turning his attention back to the mission warriors, Avelin says, "I am here but to serve you and give spiritual guidance and protection, not to lead. I humble myself to the decisions of actions for this party to your combined warriors' wisdom." He then closes his eyes to enter deep silent prayer.
The slightest flinch passes over Teya as the ax bursts into light. She stands still, although her eyes never leave the glowing blade. Once Avelin finishes his silent prayer, she speaks up.
"We will go faster as long as we follow the river rather than pushing through the forest. We should not delay much longer, every hour we waste now is an hour we will not have to find Arnek Mar."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Horatio Hirschfeld - Squire imbued with fae powers, in the Coliseum of Conquest (W2/L1) DM for Reavers of Harkenwold, and sometimes The Fighting Grounds of the Coliseum
"I agree, speed is necessary and we may learn more if we follow the route the others took anyway."Farkas nods in agreement with Teya as he speaks. "We seem ready now, let us begin this hunt, we can plan as we move as easily as we can here growing old."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Jatoka eyes Avelin with mild suspicion. "I have never known such a thing. A Blue Bear who can make the word pictures. Wait here."
The warrior then hurries off through the trees, returning a few minutes later with a piece of parchment and a charcoal shard. The parchment has clearly seen better days; it has been splattered with some unknown liquid, it bears smudges and smears, and its edges are worn and jagged. "Found in an abandoned wagon years ago. Never have I known what to do with it," he explains. As if he is happy to be rid of the strange items, Jatoka thrusts them into Avelin's hand.
"I will be safe from Uthgar's curse, for I cannot read, shaman. I will take them where you wish."
((Will advance the story after seeing how Avelin proceeds))
(Hmm, makes sense that the barbarian tribes can speak languages but not read/write, good setting context to adapt to)
Avelin did spend a genuine minute in silent prayer, then simply kept his eyes closed to focus on hearing the comments and input from Uri, Farkas, and Teja. As Torm re-enters, Avelin takes the supplies, and hastily scratches out a series of pictures, general directions to Avelin's wilderness refuge a day's travel south through references of drawings to creeks and conspicuous trees, and symbols of bears, axes, and bows. This child hears the same Voice of Uthgar as Avelin does; if it's truly His will for Avelin to perish on this journey, he will Speak to her directly, but at least these directions will give the tribe some semblance of continuity. "Should I fall in duty to the Canny One, see that the child gets this as she is destined to serve the Blue Bear tribe in ways we have yet to imagine."
Once again giving a flair for dramatic, he shuffles into a circular dance around the glowing ax, and dismisses the Light. In an air of authority a shaman rarely gets to use, Avelin says, "The spirits look kindly to the wisdom of the group to press forward with haste.
A map to give you some context and perspective. The circle represents the area the Blue Bear tribe currently calls home. Stone Stand--which is the tribe's spirit mound--lies over one hundred miles to the northwest:
Avelin arranges these provisions in/on the pack a few times until he finds it satisfactory they won't interfere with his hand or arm movements. While waiting for the others to similarly do the same, he replies back to Jatoka in the customary response, "May it please Him to honor and serve."
Taking the opportunity to further question Jatoka, Avelin asks, "
While this is an important mission, certainly I hope the Canny One will permit me and this group the customary time frame of an hour for further prayers and preperations?"Boldly go
Uri takes the pack from Jatoka and slings it over his back. He adjusts the quiver of arrows and his shortsword to accommodate. His eyebrow raises at Avelin's words but he makes no comment.
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
As Avelin checks the gear Farkas does the same, quickly putting on the pack so that the straps obscure some of the intricate tattoos that run over his chest and shoulders accentuating the broad shoulders and large muscles the man possesses. Few are stronger than him amongst the tribe, but he notes with a mixture of pride and resentment that there are several here who could challenge him in a trial of strength. He smiles slightly to himself as he recalls Kriga's words, his speed has been noted by the leader of his people.
He sets his weapons for ease of reach, the handaxes belted at his waist and the single-bladed, razor sharp battleaxe, slung in it's harness across his back. When further out he runs with the axe gripped in his hand never wishing to be caught unprepared but for now it rests secure unneeded.
"The land will provide, we shall not want for food on our journey." Farkas replies to Jatoka, and then waits patiently for Avelin to lead them through more spiritual aspects of their prepation, icy blue eyes deferentially looking down and away from the shaman.
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
Teya stands stoically, strong shoulders on a stout frame. Orange hair cascades around a rough face and a permanent scowl. Although shorter than the other warriors, she is equally formidable. She takes one of the packs, tying a crude javelin to the side while keeping a menacing maul in her hands and a long hunting knife strapped to her right leg. She also takes the shovel, putting it next to the javelin. The two tools seems strange together, but both serve death.
"We shall do our duty. I will not fail in this task, nor will I allow others to falter."
Horatio Hirschfeld - Squire imbued with fae powers, in the Coliseum of Conquest (W2/L1)
DM for Reavers of Harkenwold, and sometimes The Fighting Grounds of the Coliseum
Jatoka looks at Avelin and responds slowly, as if he is choosing his words carefully. "Do what seems fitting. Possibly you will learn which path to take. Directly through the High Forest? Or possibly to the north first, avoiding what might lie within the forest. This is a hard question, shaman. May the spirits provide the answer."
Then, directing his focus to Teya, the warrior nods and says, "May it be so."
Uri looks back over his shoulder, "Forest would be a lot faster."
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Avelin, suddenly feeling the heat of some sort of expected response to both Jatoka's directive as well as Uri's confident comment, makes an impulsive decision to buy a small bit of time. Leaning into what he supposes is the group's hesitancy and unfamiliarity with general shaman practices, Avelin improvises.
"We ask for Uthgar's guidance and blessing." He mumbles and talks louder intermitently, making a passable mixing from general shamanistic prayers for battle and for new ventures, "Guide our axes, our bows, steel our eyes to the enemy and steel our souls against the unholy. Ready our spirits to join Yours and our honored ancestors before us should it be Your will, and may the blood of trespassers quench and nourish the soil. Send your blessings and give Your presence to these brave warriors here assembled and to me Your humbled servant and steward of Your wilderness."
Avelin had learned many years from the tribe's elderly Shaman before her passing away that shamanism is half spirituality and half showmanship, that the tribe feared, respected, but had uneasiness towards magic and spirituality in general. What he did next served absolutely no spiritual purpose, but Avelin did it anyway.
He takes one of his hand axes off of the pack, closes his eyes and in an exaggerated fashion shakes his hand into a fury before leaning back and slamming the axe deep into the earth. He intentionally rolls his eyes backward, and pinches dirt between his fingers. "From the dirt you give us life, and to dirt we will return on Your will." For dramatic effect, he tastes the dirt on his tongue. Avelin then grasps the hand axe without pulling it out of the ground, casts a simple Light upon it which does absolutely nothing except cast a glow of bluish light and says, "For the hour until this Light fades, Uthgar asks us to pray, commune with the spirits, prepare our journey, and, uh," Avelin briefly hesitates, "ask questions of the tribal leadership if needed."
Boldly go
(Performance: 2)
WIth mouth slightly agape, Jatoka watches Avelin's spectacle intently. Nodding vigorously, he says, "Indeed, shaman. Your questions deserve answers. What I do not know shall be supplied by one who does."
Head still bowed the barest flicker of a smile escapes Lighteye's lips as Jakota struggles with the spiritual practices of Avelin. Clever amongst his people he knows the power is real, but has often suspected the way the shaman perform their rites is designed to awe. Suspicions or not, Farkas is still respectful and would never voice these opinions.
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
Mateja is slow to recover from the surprise of Kriga's words, and when she does she first casts long looks upon those gathered to travel with her. Uri and Teya both were among the smaller members of the tribe, and but despite her size she had heard of Teya's ferocity and violence. She had also seen Farkas outpace other tribesmen by a considerable margin, so she knew he would be a valuable asset. But then there was Avelin. She had overheard whispers that the shamans of the Blue Bear did not particularly like her, which made Mateja doubt her presence. Nothing she would mention aloud, certainly not after Kriga herself had chosen her, but she could not be entirely comfortable with the choice.
With great interest she watches Avelin's ritual, her honey-brown eyes intently focused on the powers displayed, unaware of her own jaw dropping slightly in awe. With an almost tender gesture she brushes a lock of dark-blonde hair out of her face, humbled by the display and feeling shame for having felt doubt.
Taking a deep breath, she slings the backpack over one shoulder, then subconsciously feels for the weapons at her side, a slight brush of the fingers along the leather grip of the sword and the metal head of the hammer. A few faded stripes of ritual paint on her smooth-skinned face create an almost mask-like appearance, framed by the luscious amounts of hair cascading down to past her shoulders. A few trinkets of hardened clay, long feathers and colored string are woven into the strands, all partially covered by a light cloth hood of faded blue.
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~
Sensing he has Jakota on the hook, Avelin stands and moves back.
Repositioning himself with the bright light of the hand axe in the ground between himself and Jakota, Avelin says, "Many moons of blessings to you friend Jakota. The spirits indeed will provide some answers once I make silent prayer, but as you know the spirits are fickle, misleading, and mostly vague." Something else he had learned from the elder shaman before her passing was to word spiritual visions, prophecies, and omens into extremely intentionally vague expressions very open to interpretation. The tribe would be likely to turn on a shaman if he or she had specifically promised good hunting in the season only to find the deer thin, for example. If Tribe members find shamanistic spiritual messages confusing, yet never wrong given generous interpretation, Avelin has done his job. Avelin recalled mentioning off the cuff once to a man 'The snail sees all' which the poor man interpreted as his affair with another man's wife had been exposed. Making it up on the fly, Avelin says, "The spirits already whisper 'water, water, everywhere, but do not have a drink.'"
But the party needs real answers. So he speaks directly to Jakota, "Did the funeral party of Arnek Mar themselves go through the Forest, or take the northern route around? Were the members of this funeral party hardy warriors themselves? Any reason to suspect foul play? "
Boldly go
"To the north. That is the path they followed. Turning west near Hellgate Dell it would seem," explains the warrior. "The burial party seemed capable, shaman. They had seen many years...far more than each of you...but they were family. They were Arnek Mar's two older brothers and his uncle."
Jatoka pauses for a few seconds, closing his eyes as he does so. "Not all agreed on this matter, however. The other chieftains exchanged harsh words in their meeting with Kriga. Torm, most of all, was greatly troubled when Kriga finally pronounced her decision. 'Let the Blue Bear, in all its strength and with all its people, march to Stone Stand,' said Torm. 'Why must we slink about the North any longer?'"
Seeing Jatoka paying special attention to the shaman Urijeon moves back to the others and sits down to watch. As Jatoka talks he forms a silent map in his head, trying to remember anything he knows about the path that the party would have taken that could cause them to be delayed.
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
"Torm is known to be quick to anger and rash actions. We are fortunate to have Kriga Moonmusk the Canny One as chief instead of he. I will need a few minutes of silent prayer", Avelin says to the warriors and to Jakota.
Avelin sits on the ground an arms reach away from the glowing ax still shining a bright blue. He turns to the other warriors and says, "Feel free to bask in this Light should you wish to strengthen your courage and clear your minds. The spirits have yet to whisper a suggestion between taking the Forest or taking the northern path, but personally it makes sense to me to follow the intended path of the funeral party to Stone Stand. Wherever they may have fallen, through accident or misdeed, we will see it along that way.
"Jatoka," Avelin adds, "Could you spare a writing piece, chalk, or coal, and a blank scroll or tablet? In case I do not return from this endeavor, I will need to leave instructions for the next shaman of our tribe; already there is a young girl from the clans whom Uthgar has Chosen, and this mission could simply be His will for her ascendency. Be warned, Jakota, should any other eyes read these instructions, Uthgar will curse them and their family for three generations."
Turning his attention back to the mission warriors, Avelin says, "I am here but to serve you and give spiritual guidance and protection, not to lead. I humble myself to the decisions of actions for this party to your combined warriors' wisdom." He then closes his eyes to enter deep silent prayer.
Boldly go
The slightest flinch passes over Teya as the ax bursts into light. She stands still, although her eyes never leave the glowing blade. Once Avelin finishes his silent prayer, she speaks up.
"We will go faster as long as we follow the river rather than pushing through the forest. We should not delay much longer, every hour we waste now is an hour we will not have to find Arnek Mar."
Horatio Hirschfeld - Squire imbued with fae powers, in the Coliseum of Conquest (W2/L1)
DM for Reavers of Harkenwold, and sometimes The Fighting Grounds of the Coliseum
"I agree, speed is necessary and we may learn more if we follow the route the others took anyway." Farkas nods in agreement with Teya as he speaks. "We seem ready now, let us begin this hunt, we can plan as we move as easily as we can here growing old."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
Urijeon stands and unslings his bow from his shoulder. "I shall scout ahead as we go. Unless anyone has any objections?"
Gronk in Bastion, Kingdom of Medrin Elixisys in Talaveroth (Team 2) Uthal in Lost Continent of Theviranne
Jatoka eyes Avelin with mild suspicion. "I have never known such a thing. A Blue Bear who can make the word pictures. Wait here."
The warrior then hurries off through the trees, returning a few minutes later with a piece of parchment and a charcoal shard. The parchment has clearly seen better days; it has been splattered with some unknown liquid, it bears smudges and smears, and its edges are worn and jagged. "Found in an abandoned wagon years ago. Never have I known what to do with it," he explains. As if he is happy to be rid of the strange items, Jatoka thrusts them into Avelin's hand.
"I will be safe from Uthgar's curse, for I cannot read, shaman. I will take them where you wish."
((Will advance the story after seeing how Avelin proceeds))
(Hmm, makes sense that the barbarian tribes can speak languages but not read/write, good setting context to adapt to)
Avelin did spend a genuine minute in silent prayer, then simply kept his eyes closed to focus on hearing the comments and input from Uri, Farkas, and Teja. As Torm re-enters, Avelin takes the supplies, and hastily scratches out a series of pictures, general directions to Avelin's wilderness refuge a day's travel south through references of drawings to creeks and conspicuous trees, and symbols of bears, axes, and bows. This child hears the same Voice of Uthgar as Avelin does; if it's truly His will for Avelin to perish on this journey, he will Speak to her directly, but at least these directions will give the tribe some semblance of continuity. "Should I fall in duty to the Canny One, see that the child gets this as she is destined to serve the Blue Bear tribe in ways we have yet to imagine."
Once again giving a flair for dramatic, he shuffles into a circular dance around the glowing ax, and dismisses the Light. In an air of authority a shaman rarely gets to use, Avelin says, "The spirits look kindly to the wisdom of the group to press forward with haste.
Boldly go