Insight: 8

Paren being to pack Jonathan's things away so that his family can have them all. He quickly reads over the scroll, wishing he could have found out more about his friend in life rather than death. He hopes Jonathan won't mind when he pockets the dagger, figuring if he ever gets a chance he'll use it to kill Shamara.

Slight of Hand: 15

As he packs the belongings he talks to Falaine. "I can use the circle to take us three places, back to Holden Heights, here, or to the Frozen Grove, which is the place Lugh told me the other Warden lived. I can also try for some other places, the circles are colour coded so I could just say a random colour and we could see what happens. My guess is the symbols you wrote down are for the Frozen Grove, the Warden left just before you all arrived and my guess is he would have gone there to make sure that it wasn't going to be destroyed like my Grove was." 

Quote from Rylentlar >>

Is there any plant life in the chambers? If so Falaine will do a thing.

 

The plant life in here are the types that don't require nature light. There are several that seem to be here for decoration. 

Quote from Sidewinder51 >>

He hopes Jonathan won't mind when he pockets the dagger, figuring if he ever gets a chance he'll use it to kill Shamara.

 It's more of a letter opener with a sharp tip. Was going to be a improvised parrying main-gauche at one point, but never got around to working that fighting style.

Quote from pokepaladdy >>

Quote from Sidewinder51 >>

He hopes Jonathan won't mind when he pockets the dagger, figuring if he ever gets a chance he'll use it to kill Shamara.

 It's more of a letter opener with a sharp tip. Was going to be a improvised parrying main-gauche at one point, but never got around to working that fighting style.

 ((Ah! A ghost!))

(As long as he can stab with it Paren will take it.))

Insight Check: 19

Tanni spends a moment stuffing her things back to her backpack, making sure that her guild letter is intact, before changing back to her regular clothes: heavy boots, loose trousers, long-sleeved shirt, and a black vest. She tosses the dress on the bed, fastens her pin on her vest and looks around the still messy room. "Straighten up, Tanni" She scolds herself and slaps herself with her gloves. She then grabs her warhammer and returns to the others, determined to find out the one responsible for Jonathan's death.

[OOC: Tomorrow and on Wednesday I have two RPG sessions to DM, so sorry in advance if my posts are few and late on those days.]

Falaine will nod to Paren. And then cast speak with plants and begin asking.

"Hello friends, it would seem a tragedy has struck here. Can you tell me what you noticed. You are ever present wardens of nature in this dreary man-made place. Please assist me in bringing balance to this place."

Tanni and Paren both see a look of disgust when Paren mentions Shamara. It seems the guards have a similar disdain for her though they've been trained to be as welcoming and friendly to those of any faith within Thousand Steps. Tanni is fairly certain that she sees one of the Tabaxi show their teeth at the mention of the name as a sort of instinctual reaction. 

Falaine can sense there's a bit of unease when Paren mentions Shamara with the guards. 

Jonathan's body and the belongings that remain are gathered along with all of the flowers by the healers. They respectfully lift him and carry him out of the room after telling the group that they will begin the body for transport. The remainder of the guards dust themselves off and escort Canside out of the room. The lead guard looks to the group and says, "Within the hour the trial will be held. I am certain the Duke will order the gate to be sealed after the trial."

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It takes only a moment for the room to be cleared with only the three remaining people left in the room. What once started as three different groups joining by odd happenstance in Holden Heights, has been reduced to three souls looking to save the world from an impending godly war.

Teren was the first to abandon the cause. The strange monk seemed the most secluded of the lot but he offered the group lodging at the Wishing Well thanks to contacts he made. He had told the group his ordered studied Daais while Finan shared that he was quite familiar with the goddess. Teren was quite amazed by Tanni's performance in the competition. He was also able to get a great deal on the cloaks from Waltyr's wraps for the party. But when the bell tower fell, Teren's wit and resolved seemed to fade. He remained with his companions for a while after that but eventually left them one day without a word.

Meeting Quentin and Knok at the Wishing Well surely wasn't just pure coincidence. The two had experienced quite a bit that day in Holden Heights. Quentin's wagon had actually just broken down outside of the town with the back full of archaeological findings he was hoping to sell at the festival. It was his first big find and he knew he'd be able to make a fair bit of coin if the right collectors were there. Then chaos erupted on that busy road as Knok was nearly killed by an out of control wagon. Quentin attempted to save a second wagon that was forced off the road but may have caused more harm than help. Knok was the party's connection to Shamara and had spent a lot of his time working with the Shrine. He had difficulty earning their respect thanks to his race, but he always did his best to be a good person after Oppenholdt saved him from that trap. Knok became distant after the group killed the northerners under the Wishing Well. The vision of the man falling into the water made him rather scared of water and he hadn't been the same since. He continued with the group for some time after that but slipped away one day without a goodbye.

Quentin was shaping up to be quite the archaeologist in his own right. He'd traveled across much of the region finding rare sites and writing about his findings. These writings were well accepted among the community, but he found that the insane writings of Gunthar overshadowed his legit work. He didn't know that it was that very Gunthar that nearly killed Knok that day on the road. It was in fact Quentin's blow that the guards thought killed Gunthar but was also Quentin's idea to get him to a healer. He didn't mention religion a lot so it made his intentions unknown. After witnessing that creature in the alley and saving the lives of Paren and Jonathan, Quentin disappeared in the crowded streets. Had the vision of the creature stirred some sort of memory? He's been gone ever since. 

Eira may have been the most enthusiastic of the lot. She was quite the excited wood elf that seemed keen on adventuring after the storm passed through the grove. She seemed exceptionally interested after hearing that Paren was a Sentinel. She seemed so naive of everything, but she was able to calm the tensions of the possessed bear with such ease. Her expertise with the forest allowed her to properly assess the fallen trees to know that someone intentionally dammed the river. It was actually Eira that stopped Paren from interrupting the spell Oppenholdt was casting to summon the earth elemental. She was the first to try to calm Paren after seeing what happened with the Grove. She showed such passion and care with everything she took interest in. She grew distrusting of the Lord in Holden Heights during their meeting. She stayed with the group researching the oddities of the bell tower and the letter that was found. Almost as quiet as she arrived, she disappeared one day in Holden Heights. 

Jonathan had always seemed the most put together of the group. While he treated Teren like a servant half the time, he slowly grew into a rather friendly companion that many in the group trusted. In a rather heroic moment, Jonathan saved several small children from the falling bell tower in the middle of the square. There was a sort of divine magic that eminated in that moment when the bell split into two halves and partially buried itself in the dirt. That moment affected Jonathan more than he was willing to share with the others. He never really talked a lot about that moment but questioned if any of the others had witnessed seeing a god before. Life was too eventful to dwell on the past so Jonathan continued forward with the group dealing with many of the threats along the way. He'd formed quite the bond with several of his companions. He was going to be missed.

Finan seems to have chosen the life of a Duke's bard and who could blame him. He'd been through so much already and his ties to Aiden had him at contrast with some in the party. It was his belief in the ways of Aiden that allowed him much greater insight into a lot of the activity happening in the secret underbelly of Holden Heights. Spending a significant amount of time trying to better understand his own role in all of this, Finan did his best to not be swayed by the promises and warnings of the other gods. Of those that had left, Finan seemed the most likely to return some day should fates align. The group can always remember the sound of his voice that seemed to bring people to his side more often than not. 

-------------------------------------------------------

The group is left alone for a minute after the guards clear the room. 

"What do we do now? We're one third of our original group. As much as I value the both of you I don't think the three of us are going to be able to take on gods. I can't even hear my own god anymore, let alone fight another one." Paren slumps back to the floor of the chamber, exhausted by the days events and the loss of a friend. 

"The plants have a bit of insight into what's happened. The guards came in searching for someone, then we're influenced by something, what I can only assume is the shard, and they started frantically searching for it. Then Candise came in, started yelling at them and took the shard from one of the guards, then Jonathan arrived and Candise, possessed by the shard, stabbed him while chanting, then the armored woman, Shamara or whomever, came in to stop the transformation, then left just before we arrived. I think the plants called Jonathan 'God Touched'. Strange."

"Wait, I'm making some connections here, stop me if this sounds ridiculous. It seems to me that the old gods, specifically Mervielle, are losing this war so far. We heard from Knok that Mervielle had the power to influence people near the shards. What if he was trying to use the shard to turn Jonanthan into his champion or something like that? And then the daughter shows up and stopped the transformation, which killed Jonathan." 

"That sounds feasible."

"I would ask Mervielle or Lugh but it seems whatever protection is over the stone also has the power to remove whatever gave me a connection to them in the first place. To speak with them I need to know celestial and it seems I don't anymore." Paren hauls himself up to a standing position. 

"I'm not familiar with holy magics or the like but it seemed like the stone was starting to corrupt Jonathan. There were those veins surrounding the stone and to me, it looked more like an infection than some kind of... holy... ascension or something." Tanni lifts her warhammer to her shoulder and continues, "I don't know about you but I'm going to stop this war of gods. Yes, there's three of us mortals against a family of gods but that's no reason to stop. Nevertheless, Candise, or Mervielle influencing her, killed Jonathan and for that he or she will pay," she states grimly. "I say we see the trial, make sure the half-orc is, at the very least, imprisoned and go after the thing that slaughtered the guards. It must be working with Mervielle so if we find it, we are a step closer to finding him."

"Since Lugh and Mervielle seem to be one and the same I cannot say I will bring harm to them or any of their servants but I would very much like to end this war. I do not want my god to be killed and I do not think anyone else should have to suffer that fate either. I feel as though we either need backup or more information though. If we're trying to end a war we need to know how we can do that. Maybe that monastery we learned about will have more information. They seem to be the last place that knows of Mervielle." 

Falaine nods along. "I am with you both. I was going to offer an opportunity of escape to the northern continent, but I will not abandon you in your hour of need."

"I don't think running is our best choice in this situation. I've done it once before and it was only through Lugh's intervention that I was able to turn my life around." 

As you carry on your conversations, you see that guards have begun to remove the bodies from the cellar below as well. There will be many lives mourned today by people of this castle. It's clear most have formed a special bond and are like family to one another. How that will affect the trial will be seen soon enough. You all recall what the guard said when you arrived. The Duke doesn't care much for prisoners and his justice is swift. 

With the absence of your steward, you're left wondering what is to be done with your group next. The trial should be underway shortly. You begin to wonder if they will send a guard to fetch you or if they expect for you to find the place on your own. The guards seem to be rather frazzled today given all the death. The other guards that hear of the charm placed on their co-workers seem less keen to interact with people they don't know. 

Several more guards continue up the stairs carrying another body. There was so much death today. 

[Roll a perception check]  

[All, gain the benefits of a short rest]

Perception: 23

((Rolling hit dice to recover health: 5))

Perception: 11

"Are we going to the trial?"

(Oops, original roll should have been 9)