"Oh, don't worry my dear!" winks Khessa at the silver-scaled barbarian "Should we come to face giants, they will be far less elusive, that's for sure!"
After Gryrim finishes talking with Zephyros, Khessa comes near the dwarf, genuinely curious.
(Zephyros did not reply to Gryrim yet... and will not, until DM is back; this is why I'd like to post Khessa's question now, so that we can roleplay a little during these days too)
"May I ask you something, lad?" she sits on the soft clouds near him (so that they can look each other in the eyes without discomfort) "Since you joined us, I've seen you use a lot of magic. You can shoot amber splashes... show things that aren't really there... even more, in this last clash with the cultists, you hit one of them with an orb of energy that practically disintegrated him! Yet I've never seen you read a single page of a spellbook. You do not look like a wizard. Plus, you've always told us that you are a simple bartender... I'm wondering, where does the magic you use come from? How did you learn to do it? Or it's something innate, that you know how to do from birth? Would you tell me?" the blonde arcane warrior looks really eager to know... but she adds, as if struck by one last thought "If it is not a secret, of course".
Kan perks up at the conversation with Gryrim. “I thought it was obvious. He’s a dwarf. They love their beer…”
looking around to be sure he’s got everyone’s attention. “He doesn’t need a book. He homebrews all of it.” This is followed by an expectant look of having delivered the punch line.
Khessa smiles as she pats the elf on the shoulder: "I'm glad that despite everything you're in the mood for jokes! Evidently you are fine and you will soon recover from the effects of the battle!" But she doesn't know what to think of the dwarf's silence... Maybe it was actually a secret, what I asked him? Or maybe it brings back memories that make him suffer? In order not to embarrass him by continuing to stare uselessly, the blonde arcane warrior gets up and walks to the edge of the clouds. She starts to look down at the landscape so far away. The world seems so distant from up here... with all its dangers and its problems. Is this perhaps how the gods see the world? From high above? From afar? Is that why this giant's god, this Annam, broke the ordning so carelessly? Did he not realize how many deaths he would cause, with this whim of him? Oh, sure thing... he got angry, so he shattered it. To keep giants from "getting complacent". Well done, Annam. Results? Countless deaths, plus many still to come. Maybe I shouldn't believe I can understand the gods... but I can't help but think about all this, since now mere mortals like us have to remedy it!
Ev'alish looks down, blinking for about thirty seconds. There's a quiet 'oh!' followed by a good chuckle as he looks toward Kan, smiling his toothy smile. "Thou art very humorous. 'Tis a good joke, indeed."
The sound of the voice of her beloved dragonborn reminds Khessa of something: I do not understand the ways of the gods too much... but maybe he can do this better! He has even been saved by his god!
The tall warrior-mage comes back to the Cabbage Patch Companions: "Ev'alish! I was reflecting about this breaking of the ordning..." her deep blue eyes meet them of the barbarian "Zephyros told us that this god, Annam, broke the ordning. If we are to restore it, we will need to understand why it has been broken, for I doubt we can restore it against the will of the god that created (and then destroyed) it. But Zephyros's explaination on this point does not tell me much... 'Angry because of dragons'? 'Prevent giants from getting... complacent'? So what? Giants are not fighting dragons, now... they are threatening the small folk instead! Did Annam wanted them 'less complacent' this way? How can this advance Annam's plans? Or... is this a side effect he found acceptable for an ultimate goal of him? But what goal he had in mind, that could be better achived by breaking the ordning instead of keeping it? I mean... he created the ordning, so he had a use for it, until now. Can you think of something? it might be important if you can... If we can understand what Annam wanted, maybe we can find a way to do it that is not incompatible with the return of the ordning..."
" 'tis no secret lassy" he chuckles at the thought. "All you say is true. I am...was but a bartend, albeit a family tradition. Me pa was a brewer as was two of me brothers. Another was a hops farmer and yet another a bartend like me." He pauses as he casts his mind back before the attacks had started. A quieter time when all he had to worry about was opening times and broken tankards. He continues "See, my magic comes from this" he holds his ringed finger in the air " it was my brother's, the farmer, he found it when plowing a field for the new season." Excitedly he blurts "Watch this". He runs the jewel encrusted ring and suddenly disappears. The ring clanks to the floor. A few moments later he reappears. "Tada! I have no idea how or why I can do the things I can, I'm still learning the basics of this thing." His scaly skin catches the light and it reminds him of his recent episode after the bandit fight. "As to this" he rubs some of the more visible scales "I have no idea where this came from. Pa never mentioned a lizard in our family". He seems genuine in his lack of knowledge around his dragon ancestry. "Perhaps the future will shed some light on it."
Ev’alish meets Khessa’s eyes. His expression is grim. “I fear that I knoweth not. This defies all logic I may concieve of - mayhaps some unknown force is at play, as no sane god I knoweth would test thy people by shattering the system of civilization that they hath bestowed upon them. It would do us much good to consult with another scholar on giantkind, perchance, and clarify our questions.”
He turns, regarding Gryrim’s magical abilities with surprise and wonder. “Ah, friend, may I inquire - what doth you see as you dissapear into the ring? We hath seen you absorbed in and emerge out, but what art inside?”
... "Tada! I have no idea how or why I can do the things I can, I'm still learning the basics of this thing." His scaly skin catches the light and it reminds him of his recent episode after the bandit fight. "As to this" he rubs some of the more visible scales "I have no idea where this came from. Pa never mentioned a lizard in our family". He seems genuine in his lack of knowledge around his dragon ancestry. "Perhaps the future will shed some light on it."
Khessa gasps as she sees the dwarf disappear into his own ring and then reappear: "Incredible, lad! And yes, as Ev'alish just asked, what do you see when you enter in the ring? Do you see yourself in... something like in a room? And can you hear or understand what's going on outside? It could be a nice trick to spy on someone if needed..." and takes notes in his spellbook for good measure (after all, this phenomenon must also be a manifestation of the Weave, right? Perhaps by studying it properly it will be possible to reproduce it...) "Anyway, you are really good! When I had tried to use magic before someone explained it to me, I had always failed. Only when Mistress Kramyra explained to me what I had not understood by myself, I was able to cast spells. You must be definitely inclined to magic! After all, you too are destined to restore the ordning... Yes, time will tell! Maybe the magic of your ring has awakened some other power that was latent in you. You know? I know a ritual to identify your ring, if you like... we might discover if it has magical properties and which ones... Just ask if you wish me to try... it would not take long, ok?"
... “I fear that I knoweth not. This defies all logic I may concieve of - mayhaps some unknown force is at play, as no sane god I knoweth would test thy people by shattering the system of civilization that they hath bestowed upon them. ...”
Khessa seems increasingly pissed off by the apparent absurdity of the god of giants' actions.
"Unless... Maybe I have come up with a hypothesis that might make sense" suddenly the tall warrior-mage seems to be animated by the excitement of a new idea. "Let's think together: who did the ordning assign the greatest influence to? This Zephyros told us: to the Storm Giants. And if you were Annam and you wanted the giants to do something, who would you expect to lead them? The Storm Giants, right? Now, one hypothesis that comes to mind is... " And after a moment of suspence: "WHAT IF THE STORM GIANTS DON'T DO WHAT ANNAM WANTS THEM TO DO? What could Annam do then? According to the ordning, no other giant could command the Storm Giants and force them to follow Annam's plan. The god's plans are doomed. IN THIS CASE, breaking the ordning MIGHT make sense. By doing so, at least in theory, other giants could do Annam's will (although I don't think they are doing it for now). Maybe other giants could rise to power, giants that follow his plans. I think the key to everything is the Storm Giants..."
The arcane warrior's blue eyes shine with excitement, as she follows the streams of her own thoughts:"Either they, or their ruler (they too will have a queen or king, I guess? As Sansuri is for the Cloud Giants?) must have deviated from Annam's will. Perhaps, to get Annam to restore ordering, it will be enough to help the Storm Giants figure out what they have to do. Maybe, after we have done our business in Triboar, it's to the Storm Giants that we should go".
Ev'alish's eyes shimmer as he sees Khessa excitedly explain her theory. It lasts until she finishes, whereupon he closes his eyes. He seems to struggle with something, and sighs. "Thou may well be correct. 'Tis certainly a theory we may be able to test. Alas, I cannot follow thy logic completely, as I am not as sharp as thee. A mind slowed by years frozen worketh slower than thy mind." He gestures to everyone, not just Khessa. "But I trust that it very well may be a good course of action to pursue. Kramyra, Gryrim, Kan, what doest thee think?"
(Ev'alish has 8 INT and WIS, feels like this might be a moment to explore how that can be RPed well.)
... A mind slowed by years frozen worketh slower than thy mind....
Khessa comes near Ev'alish, at his side, then passes her arm aorund his waist and leans on him: "I'm just so very glad that the ice did not take your life... and did not succeed in freezing your wonderful heart either, my dear"
Then she awaits for the feedback of the other Cabbage Patch Companions, while she enjoys the conforting contact with the strong dragonborn.
“I think if giants wanted us to do things for them, they should’ve been more clear about the ‘how’ of it.” Kan pouts. “I don’t know. Give me time to consider. It does no good to guess.”
"It's only a guess, that's for sure," explains Khessa to Kan "but, to clarify: I do not mean that the giants 'want' us to do something. My hypothesis is that Storm Giants might have inadvertitely failed to do Annam's will. And that we might need to try to discover what needs to be done and convince them to do it. I do not think they are aware of all this; maybe they do not know much more than us about the breaking of the ordning. Only a guess and a vague one to boot, but it is the best guess I can come up with at the moment: I can not imagine any other logical reason for Annam to break the ordning, given what we know now. But yes, take your time and think with your keen mind about it. So, after we go to the trading post in Triboar and deliver the sad news of Darthag’s passing to Alaestra Ulgary, we will be ready to decide our next steps."
Kan blinks. “Are you saying the Ordning is a physical, tangible object? Broken? I thought it was like a social order, shattered by word not by a hammer.”
"It would all be so much easier, should it be a physical object!" smiles Khessa "We only had to find the shattered remains and you, with your technical skills, could repair it in no time! Maybe even make it better than it was before! But one way or another, we'll restore it. Just hope this involves a meeting with countess Sansuri, sooner or later. So eager to have a word or two with her..."
"Zephyros," looks concerned Khessa "I had no idea you were in such a danger. Bounty hunters? Tell us what happened. Who put a bounty on your head and why? Maybe we can try to do something about it... Or we can at least avoid to speak about you to your enemies... if you tell us who they are"
"Bounty hunting..." Ev'alish slowly shakes his head. "To put a price on one's head and have people commit murder in a contest to obtain the money... 'tis a despicable concept." He crosses his arms in a huff.
Zephyros' words remind him of something, and he goes to retrieve the bag that the invisible stalker had popped out of. He looks it over.
"Oh, don't worry my dear!" winks Khessa at the silver-scaled barbarian "Should we come to face giants, they will be far less elusive, that's for sure!"
After Gryrim finishes talking with Zephyros, Khessa comes near the dwarf, genuinely curious.
(Zephyros did not reply to Gryrim yet... and will not, until DM is back; this is why I'd like to post Khessa's question now, so that we can roleplay a little during these days too)
"May I ask you something, lad?" she sits on the soft clouds near him (so that they can look each other in the eyes without discomfort) "Since you joined us, I've seen you use a lot of magic. You can shoot amber splashes... show things that aren't really there... even more, in this last clash with the cultists, you hit one of them with an orb of energy that practically disintegrated him! Yet I've never seen you read a single page of a spellbook. You do not look like a wizard. Plus, you've always told us that you are a simple bartender... I'm wondering, where does the magic you use come from? How did you learn to do it? Or it's something innate, that you know how to do from birth? Would you tell me?" the blonde arcane warrior looks really eager to know... but she adds, as if struck by one last thought "If it is not a secret, of course".
Kan perks up at the conversation with Gryrim. “I thought it was obvious. He’s a dwarf. They love their beer…”
looking around to be sure he’s got everyone’s attention. “He doesn’t need a book. He homebrews all of it.” This is followed by an expectant look of having delivered the punch line.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Khessa smiles as she pats the elf on the shoulder: "I'm glad that despite everything you're in the mood for jokes! Evidently you are fine and you will soon recover from the effects of the battle!"
But she doesn't know what to think of the dwarf's silence...
Maybe it was actually a secret, what I asked him? Or maybe it brings back memories that make him suffer?
In order not to embarrass him by continuing to stare uselessly, the blonde arcane warrior gets up and walks to the edge of the clouds. She starts to look down at the landscape so far away.
The world seems so distant from up here... with all its dangers and its problems. Is this perhaps how the gods see the world? From high above? From afar? Is that why this giant's god, this Annam, broke the ordning so carelessly? Did he not realize how many deaths he would cause, with this whim of him? Oh, sure thing... he got angry, so he shattered it. To keep giants from "getting complacent". Well done, Annam. Results? Countless deaths, plus many still to come. Maybe I shouldn't believe I can understand the gods... but I can't help but think about all this, since now mere mortals like us have to remedy it!
Ev'alish looks down, blinking for about thirty seconds. There's a quiet 'oh!' followed by a good chuckle as he looks toward Kan, smiling his toothy smile. "Thou art very humorous. 'Tis a good joke, indeed."
The sound of the voice of her beloved dragonborn reminds Khessa of something: I do not understand the ways of the gods too much... but maybe he can do this better! He has even been saved by his god!
The tall warrior-mage comes back to the Cabbage Patch Companions: "Ev'alish! I was reflecting about this breaking of the ordning..." her deep blue eyes meet them of the barbarian "Zephyros told us that this god, Annam, broke the ordning. If we are to restore it, we will need to understand why it has been broken, for I doubt we can restore it against the will of the god that created (and then destroyed) it. But Zephyros's explaination on this point does not tell me much... 'Angry because of dragons'? 'Prevent giants from getting... complacent'? So what? Giants are not fighting dragons, now... they are threatening the small folk instead! Did Annam wanted them 'less complacent' this way? How can this advance Annam's plans? Or... is this a side effect he found acceptable for an ultimate goal of him? But what goal he had in mind, that could be better achived by breaking the ordning instead of keeping it? I mean... he created the ordning, so he had a use for it, until now. Can you think of something? it might be important if you can... If we can understand what Annam wanted, maybe we can find a way to do it that is not incompatible with the return of the ordning..."
" 'tis no secret lassy" he chuckles at the thought. "All you say is true. I am...was but a bartend, albeit a family tradition. Me pa was a brewer as was two of me brothers. Another was a hops farmer and yet another a bartend like me." He pauses as he casts his mind back before the attacks had started. A quieter time when all he had to worry about was opening times and broken tankards. He continues "See, my magic comes from this" he holds his ringed finger in the air " it was my brother's, the farmer, he found it when plowing a field for the new season." Excitedly he blurts "Watch this". He runs the jewel encrusted ring and suddenly disappears. The ring clanks to the floor. A few moments later he reappears. "Tada! I have no idea how or why I can do the things I can, I'm still learning the basics of this thing." His scaly skin catches the light and it reminds him of his recent episode after the bandit fight. "As to this" he rubs some of the more visible scales "I have no idea where this came from. Pa never mentioned a lizard in our family". He seems genuine in his lack of knowledge around his dragon ancestry. "Perhaps the future will shed some light on it."
Ev’alish meets Khessa’s eyes. His expression is grim. “I fear that I knoweth not. This defies all logic I may concieve of - mayhaps some unknown force is at play, as no sane god I knoweth would test thy people by shattering the system of civilization that they hath bestowed upon them. It would do us much good to consult with another scholar on giantkind, perchance, and clarify our questions.”
He turns, regarding Gryrim’s magical abilities with surprise and wonder. “Ah, friend, may I inquire - what doth you see as you dissapear into the ring? We hath seen you absorbed in and emerge out, but what art inside?”
Khessa gasps as she sees the dwarf disappear into his own ring and then reappear: "Incredible, lad! And yes, as Ev'alish just asked, what do you see when you enter in the ring? Do you see yourself in... something like in a room? And can you hear or understand what's going on outside? It could be a nice trick to spy on someone if needed..." and takes notes in his spellbook for good measure (after all, this phenomenon must also be a manifestation of the Weave, right? Perhaps by studying it properly it will be possible to reproduce it...) "Anyway, you are really good! When I had tried to use magic before someone explained it to me, I had always failed. Only when Mistress Kramyra explained to me what I had not understood by myself, I was able to cast spells. You must be definitely inclined to magic! After all, you too are destined to restore the ordning... Yes, time will tell! Maybe the magic of your ring has awakened some other power that was latent in you. You know? I know a ritual to identify your ring, if you like... we might discover if it has magical properties and which ones... Just ask if you wish me to try... it would not take long, ok?"
Khessa seems increasingly pissed off by the apparent absurdity of the god of giants' actions.
"Unless... Maybe I have come up with a hypothesis that might make sense" suddenly the tall warrior-mage seems to be animated by the excitement of a new idea. "Let's think together: who did the ordning assign the greatest influence to? This Zephyros told us: to the Storm Giants. And if you were Annam and you wanted the giants to do something, who would you expect to lead them? The Storm Giants, right? Now, one hypothesis that comes to mind is... "
And after a moment of suspence: "WHAT IF THE STORM GIANTS DON'T DO WHAT ANNAM WANTS THEM TO DO? What could Annam do then? According to the ordning, no other giant could command the Storm Giants and force them to follow Annam's plan. The god's plans are doomed. IN THIS CASE, breaking the ordning MIGHT make sense. By doing so, at least in theory, other giants could do Annam's will (although I don't think they are doing it for now). Maybe other giants could rise to power, giants that follow his plans. I think the key to everything is the Storm Giants..."
The arcane warrior's blue eyes shine with excitement, as she follows the streams of her own thoughts: "Either they, or their ruler (they too will have a queen or king, I guess? As Sansuri is for the Cloud Giants?) must have deviated from Annam's will. Perhaps, to get Annam to restore ordering, it will be enough to help the Storm Giants figure out what they have to do. Maybe, after we have done our business in Triboar, it's to the Storm Giants that we should go".
Ev'alish's eyes shimmer as he sees Khessa excitedly explain her theory. It lasts until she finishes, whereupon he closes his eyes. He seems to struggle with something, and sighs. "Thou may well be correct. 'Tis certainly a theory we may be able to test. Alas, I cannot follow thy logic completely, as I am not as sharp as thee. A mind slowed by years frozen worketh slower than thy mind." He gestures to everyone, not just Khessa. "But I trust that it very well may be a good course of action to pursue. Kramyra, Gryrim, Kan, what doest thee think?"
(Ev'alish has 8 INT and WIS, feels like this might be a moment to explore how that can be RPed well.)
Khessa comes near Ev'alish, at his side, then passes her arm aorund his waist and leans on him: "I'm just so very glad that the ice did not take your life... and did not succeed in freezing your wonderful heart either, my dear"
Then she awaits for the feedback of the other Cabbage Patch Companions, while she enjoys the conforting contact with the strong dragonborn.
“I think if giants wanted us to do things for them, they should’ve been more clear about the ‘how’ of it.” Kan pouts. “I don’t know. Give me time to consider. It does no good to guess.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
"It's only a guess, that's for sure," explains Khessa to Kan "but, to clarify: I do not mean that the giants 'want' us to do something. My hypothesis is that Storm Giants might have inadvertitely failed to do Annam's will. And that we might need to try to discover what needs to be done and convince them to do it. I do not think they are aware of all this; maybe they do not know much more than us about the breaking of the ordning. Only a guess and a vague one to boot, but it is the best guess I can come up with at the moment: I can not imagine any other logical reason for Annam to break the ordning, given what we know now. But yes, take your time and think with your keen mind about it. So, after we go to the trading post in Triboar and deliver the sad news of Darthag’s passing to Alaestra Ulgary, we will be ready to decide our next steps."
Kan blinks. “Are you saying the Ordning is a physical, tangible object? Broken? I thought it was like a social order, shattered by word not by a hammer.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
"It would all be so much easier, should it be a physical object!" smiles Khessa "We only had to find the shattered remains and you, with your technical skills, could repair it in no time! Maybe even make it better than it was before! But one way or another, we'll restore it. Just hope this involves a meeting with countess Sansuri, sooner or later. So eager to have a word or two with her..."
"Zephyros," looks concerned Khessa "I had no idea you were in such a danger. Bounty hunters? Tell us what happened. Who put a bounty on your head and why? Maybe we can try to do something about it... Or we can at least avoid to speak about you to your enemies... if you tell us who they are"
"Bounty hunting..." Ev'alish slowly shakes his head. "To put a price on one's head and have people commit murder in a contest to obtain the money... 'tis a despicable concept." He crosses his arms in a huff.
Zephyros' words remind him of something, and he goes to retrieve the bag that the invisible stalker had popped out of. He looks it over.