Coming to a limited understanding of the situation, she steps away from the door as silently as she can. The anger now boils over into a rage that erases all thought of consequence.
"I'm not taking part in this. These women will be free, and these men will bleed." "I couldn't agree more, doll. End them."
Moving back down the corridor, she stirs the demonic power within her to change her form, willing the formation of the poisonous bone quills that occurred during her sparring with Caio. But the rage causes her focus to slip, and the transformation surges out of her control. Rather than the bone quills, her form begins to grow and expand outward, causing the floorboards beneath her to creak and crack under her weight. Almost immediately, she can hear the footfalls of the doorman, and she curses as her talons extend from her fingers.
The bouncer peers around the corner to investigate the loud crack of breaking wood and exclaims in a language that Shiva does not recognise.
"Hva faen!" He yells, hurling an axe at the transformed tiefling. As soon as the weapon has left his hand, the man yanks open the front of his vest to reveal a stylised wolf tattoo that begins to glow with a purple hue as he throws back his head and howls. The howl reverberates up and down the corridor and just as it seems that it might fade away the call is echoed by others that radiate out from multiple directions.
The door behind Shiva slams open and another powerfully built, bearded blonde steps out into the passage. He carries an axe in each hand and is shirtless with the same wolf tattoo on his chest.
The axe flies directly at Shiva's head, and it is with the lightest of motions that she brings a clawed hand down and knocks the blade from the air, where it jams itself into the floorboard. Had Shiva not already been near insensate with rage, she would've felt a shudder of fear in the pit of her stomach as the howling man reveals his glowing tattoo and another bearded man answers the call from the other side of the corridor. It is then that she feels the bone quills begin to emerge from her skin, the unique odor of her poison filling her nose, and a malicious grin spreads across her face as she charges at the doorman.
The bouncer is fast. Faster than Shiva would ever have expected of a one-eyed doorman. She comes at him and he's already moving, drawing a short blade from his belt and crouching low to thrust at her gut, so that her momentum will carry her straight over him.
Shiva is faster.
She bears down on him with her knee and blade glances off of the hardened bone still growing there. Their eyes meet briefly as she scores a gash in his shoulder and then she's over and past the man, who is already tumbling back to his feet. A deep red circle of blood slowly blossoms up through the grey-white fur that pads his shoulder. It won't be long before the poison starts to kick in - the arm already looks like it's beginning to to hang limp.
The second warrior throws back his head and howls again in response to his comrade's injury. Their eyes glow purple and the injured man grunts and snarls, thumping the wound with his other fist.
Initially glad to see her poison take effect, Shiva watches in disturbed confusion as the man beats upon his injured shoulder with glowing purple eyes, and she briefly wonders just what she's actually dealing with. But the thought is gone as quickly as it came as she launches herself at him to tear out his throat with her talons.
Once Shiva is able to get a decent amount of coin for the Sarameian gear, she shares some of it with Alaris before they head back to the temple to rest.
Alaris tries to relax after they return to Paragon Abbey. The peace and restfulness they'd been hoping for eludes them - their mind continues to flash from the horrid fleder attacks to the monsters in the woods, to the encroachment of the Sarameians and the poverty of the pilgrims. Their sleep the last two days has been wracked with nightmares of discovering that, at a key moment in battle, that Shiva or Caio or Astrid had been replaced by one of those changelings. One dream was even worse though - the Aasimar felt themselves lose control of their very own body as somehow one of the changelings penetrated to their very soul. They'd sat up in camp, a shriek choked back in their throat.
Alaris turned a corner, lost in frustration and anguish, to meet a woman who clearly didn't expect to encounter a teary-eyed bogatyr!
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Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Shiva's talons come sweeping in towards the man's throat and he throws up his hand to catch her arm in mid air. The tips of the tiefling's claws scrape a trail of blood across his throat, but it's not a mortal blow. Immediately, the second warrior comes thundering towards her and plants his foot solidly in her chest. The blow sends Shiva flying backwards down the passage, where she skids to a halt a few paces back by digging her claws into the floor. Once more, the men howl together and a similarly dressed man comes running in from outside to aid them. He bares his teeth at the tiefling and his snout begins to stretch and lengthen.
Alaris finds themselves face to face with a little blonde halfling staring out of the arched windows near the roof of the abbey. It's hard to say if the girl is wearing a nightgown or a simple dress. However, despite her surprise at the unexpected visitor, she steps to the side to make room for the bogatyr to join her.
Alaris finds themselves face to face with a little blonde halfling staring out of the arched windows near the roof of the abbey. It's hard to say if the girl is wearing a nightgown or a simple dress. However, despite her surprise at the unexpected visitor, she steps to the side to make room for the bogatyr to join her.
"Can't sleep?"
"I-I... I'm so sorry. I don't mean to disturb your reverie." Alaris starts to turn, trembling and afraid, then freezes as they see the halfling's face. So like a miniature of the Lady in the stained glass of the Temple in Piotrgrad. "A-are you part of the abbey?"
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Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
As the others scatter throughout the city, Astrid takes advantage of the Abbess's offer of the room at the temple. The dwarf takes some time to see that Bluebell is cared for and deposits some of her belongings in a room. After ridding herself of some the remnants of road, she returns to her room and plops down on the corner of the bed with a long exhale of relief. She reaches into her robe to retrieve a copper spring and begins to speak into it.
Papa -
We've made it Paragon with a mostly uneventful journey from Mingol Bar. Not sure how long we are going to be here, but plans are to continue on to Five Towers. It's been fun getting know these new friends I've found along the road. Shiva in particular. I'd like to think I'm helping her in being a bit more thoughtful in her actions and no so quick to jump into things with her fists... I think things are going well.
Well, that's all for now. Hope all is well at home. Send Mama my love.
The rest of the evening she spends leisurely exploring the town along the river. Come evening, she finds a tavern where she can enjoy a nice meal outside along the river's edge, watching the small boats moving up and down along the water about their various business. After dinner, she returns to them temple to walk the grounds a bit.
Shiva's demeanor approaches something close to confidence as her talons split the wood beneath her to control her momentum. But as the howling recommences and a third man appears and begins to transform, a pit forms in her stomach as panic begins to set in. Looking to the two men in front of her, she now charges at the uninjured one, slamming into him and sending poison-covered bone quills into his midsection. As she prepares to unleash her lightning and shock both men, she feels as if an entire tree has been rammed onto her back as the man bears down on her with his axes.
For a horrid moment she waits for searing pain, the sensation of her flesh being rendered, but it doesn't come. Her cloak had taken it's usual skin-tight form to accompany her transformation, her quills poking out through the purple fabric, and it seemed to have absorbed the brunt of the blow, though her knees now buckled beneath her.
It is in that moment that a familiar feeling comes to her, one that she had not experiences in many, many years. She feels weak, unable to defend herself or those she wishes to protect. She silently yearns for the strength to eviscerate these men and liberate these poor women, the strength to stand in equal opposition to everything that these wretches stood for. The strength that came from her dear friends.
Lightning begins bouncing brightly across her body as she pushes the man away from her, mounting in light and heat, till she suddenly vanishes.
Alaris finds themselves face to face with a little blonde halfling staring out of the arched windows near the roof of the abbey. It's hard to say if the girl is wearing a nightgown or a simple dress. However, despite her surprise at the unexpected visitor, she steps to the side to make room for the bogatyr to join her.
"Can't sleep?"
"I-I... I'm so sorry. I don't mean to disturb your reverie." Alaris starts to turn, trembling and afraid, then freezes as they see the halfling's face. So like a miniature of the Lady in the stained glass of the Temple in Piotrgrad. "A-are you part of the abbey?"
"You could say that," the halfling girl admits with a sad smile. "Don't be sorry, I appreciate the company. I'm Cassandra," she adds, glancing up at Alaris through a curtain of sandy hair. "You arrived with the priors today, didn't you?"
As the others scatter throughout the city, Astrid takes advantage of the Abbess's offer of the room at the temple. The dwarf takes some time to see that Bluebell is cared for and deposits some of her belongings in a room. After ridding herself of some the remnants of road, she returns to her room and plops down on the corner of the bed with a long exhale of relief. She reaches into her robe to retrieve a copper spring and begins to speak into it.
Papa -
We've made it Paragon with a mostly uneventful journey from Mingol Bar. Not sure how long we are going to be here, but plans are to continue on to Five Towers. It's been fun getting know these new friends I've found along the road. Shiva in particular. I'd like to think I'm helping her in being a bit more thoughtful in her actions and no so quick to jump into things with her fists... I think things are going well.
Well, that's all for now. Hope all is well at home. Send Mama my love.
The rest of the evening she spends leisurely exploring the town along the river. Come evening, she finds a tavern where she can enjoy a nice meal outside along the river's edge, watching the small boats moving up and down along the water about their various business. After dinner, she returns to them temple to walk the grounds a bit before settling in for the night.
As usual, soon after her message Astrid receives a reply from her father.
Astrid -
glad to hear that you are safe. Will you be in Littlewood for long? When do you plan to travel west?
All our love and the best of luck.
Mama and Papa
When Astrid returns to the abbey that evening to walk the grounds, she comes across the abbess who falls into step with her.
Lost in her thoughts as she wanders, Astrid is surprised when the abbess appears at her side. "Oh, uh... good evening, there. It was nice. Peaceful." She smiles warmly at the halfling. "It was nice to have a bit quiet time to myself. It's hard to find much of that when you're on the road."
"You could say that," the halfling girl admits with a sad smile. "Don't be sorry, I appreciate the company. I'm Cassandra," she adds, glancing up at Alaris through a curtain of sandy hair. "You arrived with the priors today, didn't you?"
"Yes. I'm Alaris... It's very nice to meet you. The last few days have been rough... Rougher than I expected, anyway." The aasimar takes a deep breath of the warm clean air of the abbey and gazes out the window over Paragon.
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Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Lost in her thoughts as she wanders, Astrid is surprised when the abbess appears at her side. "Oh, uh... good evening, there. It was nice. Peaceful." She smiles warmly at the halfling. "It was nice to have a bit quiet time to myself. It's hard to find much of that when you're on the road."
"Brother Ludomir had much to say of your time on the road," Seraphina notes with a chuckle. "Of your friends, their adventures and their misadventures."
"You could say that," the halfling girl admits with a sad smile. "Don't be sorry, I appreciate the company. I'm Cassandra," she adds, glancing up at Alaris through a curtain of sandy hair. "You arrived with the priors today, didn't you?"
"Yes. I'm Alaris... It's very nice to meet you. The last few days have been rough... Rougher than I expected, anyway." The aasimar takes a deep breath of the warm clean air of the abbey and gazes out the window over Paragon.
"Tell me about them," Cassandra asks softly, watching the moonlight-bathed rooftops together with the towering bogatyr.
"Tell me about them," Cassandra asks softly, watching the moonlight-bathed rooftops together with the towering bogatyr.
For a moment, Alaris' stomach leaps into their throat and they stare out of the corner of their eye at Cassandra. Alaris gazes intently at the profile of the lovely halfling. Nothing but peace and fullness of health radiates from her, and the momentary inchoate horror that seized the warrior eases.
"So there were these giant vampire bat creatures in Piotrgrad... no, wait. Let me back up. There were these monster hunters in jail..." and Alaris finds themselves telling the whole story of how they became the warden of the Septem Mortale... how they failed to protect the group and now two of them are lost to the four winds... how they don't understand why the Lady lets creatures like the fleder and the doppleganger wander Arden unleashing suffering in their wake... "I keep hurting the ones I try to serve. And now I don't even know what kind of report the priors are going to make about us... will I be cast out for failing to uphold my vows? Will they try to imprison my friends? Will I let them if they do?"
Alaris clings to the wall beside the window with both hands, words pouring out of them in a torrent like they haven't released in ages. As the words finally stop, they inhale with a gasps as if they just burst up out of deep waters. They glance over at Cassandra again, expecting to see an expression of shock and disappointment.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Astrid stifles her own chuckle. "Yes, the rats in Mingol Bar were quite the ordeal. But at the end of it all, we managed to get everyone here safe and sound, so I think counts for something... Right?"
"Tell me about them," Cassandra asks softly, watching the moonlight-bathed rooftops together with the towering bogatyr.
For a moment, Alaris' stomach leaps into their throat and they stare out of the corner of their eye at Cassandra. Alaris gazes intently at the profile of the lovely halfling. Nothing but peace and fullness of health radiates from her, and the momentary inchoate horror that seized the warrior eases.
"So there were these giant vampire bat creatures in Piotrgrad... no, wait. Let me back up. There were these monster hunters in jail..." and Alaris finds themselves telling the whole story of how they became the warden of the Septem Mortale... how they failed to protect the group and now two of them are lost to the four winds... how they don't understand why the Lady lets creatures like the fleder and the doppleganger wander Arden unleashing suffering in their wake... "I keep hurting the ones I try to serve. And now I don't even know what kind of report the priors are going to make about us... will I be cast out for failing to uphold my vows? Will they try to imprison my friends? Will I let them if they do?"
Alaris clings to the wall beside the window with both hands, words pouring out of them in a torrent like they haven't released in ages. As the words finally stop, they inhale with a gasps as if they just burst up out of deep waters. They glance over at Cassandra again, expecting to see an expression of shock and disappointment.
Cassandra's deep blue eyes hold only empathy, care and a touch of pity.
"How long have you been holding all that in?" She whispers, offering Alaris a teasing smile and nudging the bogatyr with her elbow. "The abbess is kind and wise. She sees to the heart of a person and knows if their motives are pure. She would not banish you for holding true to the Lady's light, nor would she seek to punish those who have risked their lives to guard our faithful. You live your life trying to please your friends, your order, your Lady. What does Alaris need? What does Alaris want?"
Astrid stifles her own chuckle. "Yes, the rats in Mingol Bar were quite the ordeal. But at the end of it all, we managed to get everyone here safe and sound, so I think counts for something... Right?"
Seraphina nods politely.
"Trouble does indeed seem to follow your companions wherever they go; I was most relieved to hear of your safe arrival. Brother Ludomir spoke of a changeling on the border in Hearthstead. The prospect of those that we love and trust being replaced by these creatures under our very noses is a most discomforting thought."
Astrid shrugs. "Being monster hunters, I'm thinking that goes with the territory. Something that I'm trying to get used to myself in the score or so of days that I've been traveling with them." The dwarf pauses to admire a statue depicting a beautiful halfling woman with a stern jaw, a shield resting at her side is emblazoned with a cornucopia spilling its bounty. "That matter with the changling was concerning. We didn't have time to figure out why it was hanging around the town. Has there been anything like that going on here?"
"There are rumours," Seraphina admits. "A guard came here to pray and claimed in confidence to have seen the Lord Mayor change skin, but he couldn't be certain. Perhaps something for these 'monster hunters' to investigate during their stay?"
"I'll will pass that along."Astrid replies. "I wonder if this has anything to do whatever is going on in Overhill. We heard in Hearthstead that they may have some problem with witches." Astrid stops at a bench and exhales a long breath as she welcomes the relief of walking about the town all day. "Either way,"she continues, "it's something to keep them busy. Best to find the trouble before trouble finds them."
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Coming to a limited understanding of the situation, she steps away from the door as silently as she can. The anger now boils over into a rage that erases all thought of consequence.
"I'm not taking part in this. These women will be free, and these men will bleed." "I couldn't agree more, doll. End them."
Moving back down the corridor, she stirs the demonic power within her to change her form, willing the formation of the poisonous bone quills that occurred during her sparring with Caio. But the rage causes her focus to slip, and the transformation surges out of her control. Rather than the bone quills, her form begins to grow and expand outward, causing the floorboards beneath her to creak and crack under her weight. Almost immediately, she can hear the footfalls of the doorman, and she curses as her talons extend from her fingers.
The bouncer peers around the corner to investigate the loud crack of breaking wood and exclaims in a language that Shiva does not recognise.
"Hva faen!" He yells, hurling an axe at the transformed tiefling. As soon as the weapon has left his hand, the man yanks open the front of his vest to reveal a stylised wolf tattoo that begins to glow with a purple hue as he throws back his head and howls. The howl reverberates up and down the corridor and just as it seems that it might fade away the call is echoed by others that radiate out from multiple directions.
The door behind Shiva slams open and another powerfully built, bearded blonde steps out into the passage. He carries an axe in each hand and is shirtless with the same wolf tattoo on his chest.
"Dra til helvete!" He growls at her.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
The axe flies directly at Shiva's head, and it is with the lightest of motions that she brings a clawed hand down and knocks the blade from the air, where it jams itself into the floorboard. Had Shiva not already been near insensate with rage, she would've felt a shudder of fear in the pit of her stomach as the howling man reveals his glowing tattoo and another bearded man answers the call from the other side of the corridor. It is then that she feels the bone quills begin to emerge from her skin, the unique odor of her poison filling her nose, and a malicious grin spreads across her face as she charges at the doorman.
The bouncer is fast. Faster than Shiva would ever have expected of a one-eyed doorman. She comes at him and he's already moving, drawing a short blade from his belt and crouching low to thrust at her gut, so that her momentum will carry her straight over him.
Shiva is faster.
She bears down on him with her knee and blade glances off of the hardened bone still growing there. Their eyes meet briefly as she scores a gash in his shoulder and then she's over and past the man, who is already tumbling back to his feet. A deep red circle of blood slowly blossoms up through the grey-white fur that pads his shoulder. It won't be long before the poison starts to kick in - the arm already looks like it's beginning to to hang limp.
The second warrior throws back his head and howls again in response to his comrade's injury. Their eyes glow purple and the injured man grunts and snarls, thumping the wound with his other fist.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Initially glad to see her poison take effect, Shiva watches in disturbed confusion as the man beats upon his injured shoulder with glowing purple eyes, and she briefly wonders just what she's actually dealing with. But the thought is gone as quickly as it came as she launches herself at him to tear out his throat with her talons.
Alaris tries to relax after they return to Paragon Abbey. The peace and restfulness they'd been hoping for eludes them - their mind continues to flash from the horrid fleder attacks to the monsters in the woods, to the encroachment of the Sarameians and the poverty of the pilgrims. Their sleep the last two days has been wracked with nightmares of discovering that, at a key moment in battle, that Shiva or Caio or Astrid had been replaced by one of those changelings. One dream was even worse though - the Aasimar felt themselves lose control of their very own body as somehow one of the changelings penetrated to their very soul. They'd sat up in camp, a shriek choked back in their throat.
Alaris turned a corner, lost in frustration and anguish, to meet a woman who clearly didn't expect to encounter a teary-eyed bogatyr!
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Shiva's talons come sweeping in towards the man's throat and he throws up his hand to catch her arm in mid air. The tips of the tiefling's claws scrape a trail of blood across his throat, but it's not a mortal blow. Immediately, the second warrior comes thundering towards her and plants his foot solidly in her chest. The blow sends Shiva flying backwards down the passage, where she skids to a halt a few paces back by digging her claws into the floor. Once more, the men howl together and a similarly dressed man comes running in from outside to aid them. He bares his teeth at the tiefling and his snout begins to stretch and lengthen.
Alaris finds themselves face to face with a little blonde halfling staring out of the arched windows near the roof of the abbey. It's hard to say if the girl is wearing a nightgown or a simple dress. However, despite her surprise at the unexpected visitor, she steps to the side to make room for the bogatyr to join her.
"Can't sleep?"
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
"I-I... I'm so sorry. I don't mean to disturb your reverie." Alaris starts to turn, trembling and afraid, then freezes as they see the halfling's face. So like a miniature of the Lady in the stained glass of the Temple in Piotrgrad. "A-are you part of the abbey?"
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
As the others scatter throughout the city, Astrid takes advantage of the Abbess's offer of the room at the temple. The dwarf takes some time to see that Bluebell is cared for and deposits some of her belongings in a room. After ridding herself of some the remnants of road, she returns to her room and plops down on the corner of the bed with a long exhale of relief. She reaches into her robe to retrieve a copper spring and begins to speak into it.
The rest of the evening she spends leisurely exploring the town along the river. Come evening, she finds a tavern where she can enjoy a nice meal outside along the river's edge, watching the small boats moving up and down along the water about their various business. After dinner, she returns to them temple to walk the grounds a bit.
Shiva's demeanor approaches something close to confidence as her talons split the wood beneath her to control her momentum. But as the howling recommences and a third man appears and begins to transform, a pit forms in her stomach as panic begins to set in. Looking to the two men in front of her, she now charges at the uninjured one, slamming into him and sending poison-covered bone quills into his midsection. As she prepares to unleash her lightning and shock both men, she feels as if an entire tree has been rammed onto her back as the man bears down on her with his axes.
For a horrid moment she waits for searing pain, the sensation of her flesh being rendered, but it doesn't come. Her cloak had taken it's usual skin-tight form to accompany her transformation, her quills poking out through the purple fabric, and it seemed to have absorbed the brunt of the blow, though her knees now buckled beneath her.
It is in that moment that a familiar feeling comes to her, one that she had not experiences in many, many years. She feels weak, unable to defend herself or those she wishes to protect. She silently yearns for the strength to eviscerate these men and liberate these poor women, the strength to stand in equal opposition to everything that these wretches stood for. The strength that came from her dear friends.
Lightning begins bouncing brightly across her body as she pushes the man away from her, mounting in light and heat, till she suddenly vanishes.
"You could say that," the halfling girl admits with a sad smile. "Don't be sorry, I appreciate the company. I'm Cassandra," she adds, glancing up at Alaris through a curtain of sandy hair. "You arrived with the priors today, didn't you?"
As usual, soon after her message Astrid receives a reply from her father.
When Astrid returns to the abbey that evening to walk the grounds, she comes across the abbess who falls into step with her.
"How did you enjoy the city?"
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Lost in her thoughts as she wanders, Astrid is surprised when the abbess appears at her side. "Oh, uh... good evening, there. It was nice. Peaceful." She smiles warmly at the halfling. "It was nice to have a bit quiet time to myself. It's hard to find much of that when you're on the road."
"Yes. I'm Alaris... It's very nice to meet you. The last few days have been rough... Rougher than I expected, anyway." The aasimar takes a deep breath of the warm clean air of the abbey and gazes out the window over Paragon.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
"Brother Ludomir had much to say of your time on the road," Seraphina notes with a chuckle. "Of your friends, their adventures and their misadventures."
The abbess watches the dwarf with wisened eyes.
"Tell me about them," Cassandra asks softly, watching the moonlight-bathed rooftops together with the towering bogatyr.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
For a moment, Alaris' stomach leaps into their throat and they stare out of the corner of their eye at Cassandra. Alaris gazes intently at the profile of the lovely halfling. Nothing but peace and fullness of health radiates from her, and the momentary inchoate horror that seized the warrior eases.
"So there were these giant vampire bat creatures in Piotrgrad... no, wait. Let me back up. There were these monster hunters in jail..." and Alaris finds themselves telling the whole story of how they became the warden of the Septem Mortale... how they failed to protect the group and now two of them are lost to the four winds... how they don't understand why the Lady lets creatures like the fleder and the doppleganger wander Arden unleashing suffering in their wake... "I keep hurting the ones I try to serve. And now I don't even know what kind of report the priors are going to make about us... will I be cast out for failing to uphold my vows? Will they try to imprison my friends? Will I let them if they do?"
Alaris clings to the wall beside the window with both hands, words pouring out of them in a torrent like they haven't released in ages. As the words finally stop, they inhale with a gasps as if they just burst up out of deep waters. They glance over at Cassandra again, expecting to see an expression of shock and disappointment.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Astrid stifles her own chuckle. "Yes, the rats in Mingol Bar were quite the ordeal. But at the end of it all, we managed to get everyone here safe and sound, so I think counts for something... Right?"
Cassandra's deep blue eyes hold only empathy, care and a touch of pity.
"How long have you been holding all that in?" She whispers, offering Alaris a teasing smile and nudging the bogatyr with her elbow. "The abbess is kind and wise. She sees to the heart of a person and knows if their motives are pure. She would not banish you for holding true to the Lady's light, nor would she seek to punish those who have risked their lives to guard our faithful. You live your life trying to please your friends, your order, your Lady. What does Alaris need? What does Alaris want?"
Seraphina nods politely.
"Trouble does indeed seem to follow your companions wherever they go; I was most relieved to hear of your safe arrival. Brother Ludomir spoke of a changeling on the border in Hearthstead. The prospect of those that we love and trust being replaced by these creatures under our very noses is a most discomforting thought."
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
Astrid shrugs. "Being monster hunters, I'm thinking that goes with the territory. Something that I'm trying to get used to myself in the score or so of days that I've been traveling with them." The dwarf pauses to admire a statue depicting a beautiful halfling woman with a stern jaw, a shield resting at her side is emblazoned with a cornucopia spilling its bounty. "That matter with the changling was concerning. We didn't have time to figure out why it was hanging around the town. Has there been anything like that going on here?"
"There are rumours," Seraphina admits. "A guard came here to pray and claimed in confidence to have seen the Lord Mayor change skin, but he couldn't be certain. Perhaps something for these 'monster hunters' to investigate during their stay?"
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
"I'll will pass that along." Astrid replies. "I wonder if this has anything to do whatever is going on in Overhill. We heard in Hearthstead that they may have some problem with witches." Astrid stops at a bench and exhales a long breath as she welcomes the relief of walking about the town all day. "Either way," she continues, "it's something to keep them busy. Best to find the trouble before trouble finds them."