The group of elders seem to pass glances to one another as they contemplate what's going on. One of the green sashed elders stands and says, "Thank you all for your insights into what happened. This is something that we will deal with internally in the monastery. I hope that we can trust your discretion in regards to what you've seen and heard in here today. It would be best if you would not visit the sacred sites until they've been secured."
The elders seem to scan the party to see if they're wearing any signs of the new gods or the old gods. When they spot Vallen's shield, they seem to be both puzzled and interested in the halfling. "Where did you get that shield," one of the elders in the black sashes says. "How did you earn that?"
Vallen looks to the Elder in the black sash with a raised eyebrow, and then at his shield and presents it, "It is the shield of my God Merveille. I obtained it from my shrine where I learned of them and worshiped them. I earned it when I became a Grave Cleric of Merveille." He spoke with pride of his God, "Why is it that you ask?"
A green sashed elder listens with focus to Vallen's statement. "A shrine to Merveille still exists? The new gods didn't remove it? They feared Merveille much more than Lugh. Perhaps that is why it still stands." They cast a glance at their companions.
"Or it is protected by the same forces that protected the shrines. The new gods have no power here on the sacred grounds of the old gods."
The elders seem to argue with each other over how and why a shrine to Merveille was permitted to remain after what they call "The Offering."
"The old gods were to abandon the cities of man as their portion of The Offering. What made Merveille think he could blindly disregard this? He agreed to step away and find eternal rest."
"Merveille has been quiet for a long time. It's possible the followers were never told."
[Insight check DC12 to read:
The way the elder says that Merveille has been quiet for a long time doesn't come off as genuine. Had they been speaking with this god?
"Or Merveille maintained the shrine to have a foothold in the event the peace was broken."
"Well it's a good thing he did now isn't it!"
By this time, the elders have all risen from their seated positions and look like they could come to blows. You realize that there are clearly to factions within the order. One seems to be dedicated to Lugh who represents life while the other seems dedicated to Merveille who represents death.
As tensions rise, the monk companion you are worth offers a rather quiet, "Perhaps we should go."She seems rather embarrassed by what's happening and doesn't want to get in the middle of a fight between the very skilled but aged elders.
You're left wondering why it would be such a good thing for one of the old gods to maintain a foothold in a city thought to be under the control of one of the new gods. Had something happened recently to cause this Offering to fracture?
For Vallen,...
All of this talk of Merveille seems rather in contrast to what you've known of the order. The shrine you served at has a decent number of visitors though the shrine is mostly ignored. You've prayed to Merveille before and it seems he hears your prayers as he grants you the very magic that runs through you. While you haven't talked with him, he's provided you with ways of knowing he hears you. Why did these elders think the he had gone away? Why were they so surprised that a shrine still existed?
As you think on their words, you realize that you really haven't meant many people outside of the shrine that knew much of anything about Merveille. The grand libraries you've visited never had any books about the faith or teachings. Everything you've learned has been done through stories and teachings from the person that ran the shrine. The complete disregard for something you hold so dear by the people along the Glimmering Sea is starting to become apparent. It starts to make you feel like his teachings have been banned and hidden away form the common people.
The bard nodded at the monk's suggestion. Even though it was evident something was going on, there were probably no more answers to be gotten from this council right now.
A bit frustrated, he looked back toward the arguing factions, shaking his head at how such learned elders could miss the obvious--in a world where the gods were plentiful and varied, the choice to follow a particular one was mainly preference, not some objective mark of correctness. And only objective truth mattered. Even the gods, eventually, ultimately, had to bow to it.
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Valyncia replied to the monk they had come in with. She turned around and made her way out of the chamber quickly as though to avoid spending any more time withing the confines of that room.
Cailee's ears twitched as she heard the elder speak of Merveille. Something didn't feel right. Despite the monk's suggestion to leave the chamber, Cailee wanted to know more. She thought that if they might be able to communicate with Merveille, that she might be able to communicate with Lugh as well. On a related note, her intrigue of the ritual had increased tenfold, wondering if this would mark a new chapter in this world, one where the old gods might return with the prevalence of the new ones. Cailee hung back in the chamber for only a moment before eventually following everyone out of the chamber.
"I believe these stones are linked to the wardens. Without the guardianship of the wardens, they have become vulnerable. Together, they form part of a ward - against what, I don't know, but it might be to keep the gods from walking the land",
Was this shrine similarly warding against something as well? Was this all a sort of connected wards that kept something in or out of the forests?
Vallen would also try to stay longer to see if he could anything more of the elders speak before leaving with Cailee. He his head full of different thoughts and questions and wonderings on Merveille. He knew that Merveille was a god that wasn't widely accepted or even known in certain regions, but not completely out of the world. It gave Vallen the feeling that he needed to pray and commune with Merveille and that he wanted to return to the obelisk, "I think we should go back to the obelisk..." He spoke in a somewhat hushed tone to the others, as they walked.
One of the Lugh elders looks to Xinq and says, "When they stopped hearing the call, some abandoned the post while others went looking for answers. I believe that some still linger in their groves doing what they can to carry out the teachings of the wardens before them. Many find it difficult to put you faith in something when there is no response. It is much easier to pray to those new gods in the cities especially when their presence is more apparent. "
"Actions are prayers," Svent says, "results are answers. Grusk guides the arrow to the mark, or away from it. There is no wisdom in thinking Grusk did not answer just because the answer was not the one you sought."As he says this, Svent absentmindedly reaches into one of the pouches on his belt and palms a small object, running his scaly fingers over it. "If one needs more of an answer, perhaps they did not have faith to begin with." Svent returns the object to the pouch.
If you noticed Svent doing this you can roll perception vs Svent's sleight of hand to identify the object: 15
The object is old and worn and appears to be a metal military insignia fashioned to look like a shield with a sword across the middle.
Vallen looks to Svent and nods, "That is pretty true, I haven't always gotten an answer from Merveille but didn't mean I didn't think he was there. But then again my power is gifted from him, so I know he is always there." He smiles with a nod to him.
One of the green elders looks to the group and says, "If you'd wish to stay at the monastery until morning, we can make you accommodations. At first light, we will send out a scouting party to survey this site and see if it will pose any threats. Perhaps it will answer some questions that we have ourselves about something that's happened in the past few days within these earthen mounds."
One of the black elders says, "We can discuss this in private. No need to involve outsiders."
The monk that escorted the group here nods and begins to usher everyone out of the chamber. "If you're all going to stay until morning, I will get you some bedding. The elders didn't seem to impose any restrictions on where you can go surprisingly. You might find the library interesting. I'm not sure your faith, but there are shrines to worship both Lugh and Merveille here."
She nods to Vallen and says, "Of course. Any that wish to see it may go as well, but I'd suggest you not disturb those praying there."She provides the directions to the shrine and they seem easy enough to follow. The path from the elder room to the Merveille shrine is covered in depictions of the passage from this plane to the next after death like a loving guide to the afterlife. The things that stand out the most are that all races seem to be handled the same and their beliefs don't seem to affect the passage. It has a very natural feel to it as though this is the way it should be and the way it will always be.
The shrine to Merveille amounts to a large cavern underground that has been built into the earth and stone. There are many images of death but they seem to be more of a celebration of the occurrence than a dreadful affair. The most striking thing of this chamber are the long roots that seem to line the exterior walls as though they were holding the chamber in place.
The monks praying here all have opted for wearing dark black robes that seem to suck the light out of the room. Braziers are spaced around the room to provide just enough light for it not to be a burden.
Vallen listened to the conversation at hand, letting those of monks hash it out. “Sentinels?” He spoke aloud but to no one in particular.
religion:9
((Xinq religion: 8))
The group of elders seem to pass glances to one another as they contemplate what's going on. One of the green sashed elders stands and says, "Thank you all for your insights into what happened. This is something that we will deal with internally in the monastery. I hope that we can trust your discretion in regards to what you've seen and heard in here today. It would be best if you would not visit the sacred sites until they've been secured."
The elders seem to scan the party to see if they're wearing any signs of the new gods or the old gods. When they spot Vallen's shield, they seem to be both puzzled and interested in the halfling. "Where did you get that shield," one of the elders in the black sashes says. "How did you earn that?"
Vallen looks to the Elder in the black sash with a raised eyebrow, and then at his shield and presents it, "It is the shield of my God Merveille. I obtained it from my shrine where I learned of them and worshiped them. I earned it when I became a Grave Cleric of Merveille." He spoke with pride of his God, "Why is it that you ask?"
A green sashed elder listens with focus to Vallen's statement. "A shrine to Merveille still exists? The new gods didn't remove it? They feared Merveille much more than Lugh. Perhaps that is why it still stands." They cast a glance at their companions.
"Or it is protected by the same forces that protected the shrines. The new gods have no power here on the sacred grounds of the old gods."
The elders seem to argue with each other over how and why a shrine to Merveille was permitted to remain after what they call "The Offering."
"The old gods were to abandon the cities of man as their portion of The Offering. What made Merveille think he could blindly disregard this? He agreed to step away and find eternal rest."
"Merveille has been quiet for a long time. It's possible the followers were never told."
[Insight check DC12 to read:
The way the elder says that Merveille has been quiet for a long time doesn't come off as genuine. Had they been speaking with this god?
"Or Merveille maintained the shrine to have a foothold in the event the peace was broken."
"Well it's a good thing he did now isn't it!"
By this time, the elders have all risen from their seated positions and look like they could come to blows. You realize that there are clearly to factions within the order. One seems to be dedicated to Lugh who represents life while the other seems dedicated to Merveille who represents death.
As tensions rise, the monk companion you are worth offers a rather quiet, "Perhaps we should go." She seems rather embarrassed by what's happening and doesn't want to get in the middle of a fight between the very skilled but aged elders.
You're left wondering why it would be such a good thing for one of the old gods to maintain a foothold in a city thought to be under the control of one of the new gods. Had something happened recently to cause this Offering to fracture?
For Vallen,...
All of this talk of Merveille seems rather in contrast to what you've known of the order. The shrine you served at has a decent number of visitors though the shrine is mostly ignored. You've prayed to Merveille before and it seems he hears your prayers as he grants you the very magic that runs through you. While you haven't talked with him, he's provided you with ways of knowing he hears you. Why did these elders think the he had gone away? Why were they so surprised that a shrine still existed?
As you think on their words, you realize that you really haven't meant many people outside of the shrine that knew much of anything about Merveille. The grand libraries you've visited never had any books about the faith or teachings. Everything you've learned has been done through stories and teachings from the person that ran the shrine. The complete disregard for something you hold so dear by the people along the Glimmering Sea is starting to become apparent. It starts to make you feel like his teachings have been banned and hidden away form the common people.
(( Jubal's Insight Check: 15 ))
The bard nodded at the monk's suggestion. Even though it was evident something was going on, there were probably no more answers to be gotten from this council right now.
A bit frustrated, he looked back toward the arguing factions, shaking his head at how such learned elders could miss the obvious--in a world where the gods were plentiful and varied, the choice to follow a particular one was mainly preference, not some objective mark of correctness. And only objective truth mattered. Even the gods, eventually, ultimately, had to bow to it.
Whistler
Titus - V. Human Battle Master Fighter 3 - [Pic] - [Pic2] - [Traits] - in Shadowglass
Locke - V. Human Shadow Monk 3 / Undead Warlock 2 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in FOW - DMless West Marches
Flèche - V. Human Swords Bard 10 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in The Scarlet Mist
Sterling - V. Human Bard 1 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
Insight - 9
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Valyncia replied to the monk they had come in with. She turned around and made her way out of the chamber quickly as though to avoid spending any more time withing the confines of that room.
(( Insight 14 ))
Cailee's ears twitched as she heard the elder speak of Merveille. Something didn't feel right. Despite the monk's suggestion to leave the chamber, Cailee wanted to know more. She thought that if they might be able to communicate with Merveille, that she might be able to communicate with Lugh as well. On a related note, her intrigue of the ritual had increased tenfold, wondering if this would mark a new chapter in this world, one where the old gods might return with the prevalence of the new ones. Cailee hung back in the chamber for only a moment before eventually following everyone out of the chamber.
Xinq would recall,
Not long ago, he had though thought,
Was this shrine similarly warding against something as well? Was this all a sort of connected wards that kept something in or out of the forests?
((Xinq insight 18))
Xinq steps forward a pace and raises a claw to quell the squabbling of the elder monks, "May I ask you what has become of the Wardens?"
Vallen would also try to stay longer to see if he could anything more of the elders speak before leaving with Cailee. He his head full of different thoughts and questions and wonderings on Merveille. He knew that Merveille was a god that wasn't widely accepted or even known in certain regions, but not completely out of the world. It gave Vallen the feeling that he needed to pray and commune with Merveille and that he wanted to return to the obelisk, "I think we should go back to the obelisk..." He spoke in a somewhat hushed tone to the others, as they walked.
Insight: 23
One of the Lugh elders looks to Xinq and says, "When they stopped hearing the call, some abandoned the post while others went looking for answers. I believe that some still linger in their groves doing what they can to carry out the teachings of the wardens before them. Many find it difficult to put you faith in something when there is no response. It is much easier to pray to those new gods in the cities especially when their presence is more apparent. "
((Lugh elder => green sash, right?))
(Yes. Just for clarity and so I don't have to keep writing the word sash.
Green=Elder of Lugh
Black=Elder of Mervielle))
"Actions are prayers," Svent says, "results are answers. Grusk guides the arrow to the mark, or away from it. There is no wisdom in thinking Grusk did not answer just because the answer was not the one you sought." As he says this, Svent absentmindedly reaches into one of the pouches on his belt and palms a small object, running his scaly fingers over it. "If one needs more of an answer, perhaps they did not have faith to begin with." Svent returns the object to the pouch.
If you noticed Svent doing this you can roll perception vs Svent's sleight of hand to identify the object: 15
The object is old and worn and appears to be a metal military insignia fashioned to look like a shield with a sword across the middle.
Vallen looks to Svent and nods, "That is pretty true, I haven't always gotten an answer from Merveille but didn't mean I didn't think he was there. But then again my power is gifted from him, so I know he is always there." He smiles with a nod to him.
Perception: 7
(( Jubal's Perception Check: 7 ))
Whistler
Titus - V. Human Battle Master Fighter 3 - [Pic] - [Pic2] - [Traits] - in Shadowglass
Locke - V. Human Shadow Monk 3 / Undead Warlock 2 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in FOW - DMless West Marches
Flèche - V. Human Swords Bard 10 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in The Scarlet Mist
Sterling - V. Human Bard 1 - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf
One of the green elders looks to the group and says, "If you'd wish to stay at the monastery until morning, we can make you accommodations. At first light, we will send out a scouting party to survey this site and see if it will pose any threats. Perhaps it will answer some questions that we have ourselves about something that's happened in the past few days within these earthen mounds."
One of the black elders says, "We can discuss this in private. No need to involve outsiders."
The monk that escorted the group here nods and begins to usher everyone out of the chamber. "If you're all going to stay until morning, I will get you some bedding. The elders didn't seem to impose any restrictions on where you can go surprisingly. You might find the library interesting. I'm not sure your faith, but there are shrines to worship both Lugh and Merveille here."
Vallen would look to the Monk, “There is a shrine to Merveille here? Would you be able to point me in the direction of it?”
She nods to Vallen and says, "Of course. Any that wish to see it may go as well, but I'd suggest you not disturb those praying there." She provides the directions to the shrine and they seem easy enough to follow. The path from the elder room to the Merveille shrine is covered in depictions of the passage from this plane to the next after death like a loving guide to the afterlife. The things that stand out the most are that all races seem to be handled the same and their beliefs don't seem to affect the passage. It has a very natural feel to it as though this is the way it should be and the way it will always be.
The shrine to Merveille amounts to a large cavern underground that has been built into the earth and stone. There are many images of death but they seem to be more of a celebration of the occurrence than a dreadful affair. The most striking thing of this chamber are the long roots that seem to line the exterior walls as though they were holding the chamber in place.
The monks praying here all have opted for wearing dark black robes that seem to suck the light out of the room. Braziers are spaced around the room to provide just enough light for it not to be a burden.
Vallen, what are you hoping to find here?