Blazeguard wrote:
Filibert seeks out the druid first and then the cleric (if needed) for healing and then returns to the inn.
Let's play this out a little bit...
Filibert makes his way through the square, past the well and bell, and heads south down the main thoroughfare. He passes by the Rope and Barrel (on his right) and the Hoskin residence (on his left). After passing the store, he notices the house immediately past it on the right (house 7 on the map). It has a garden of lush plants and he can smell fresh herbs growing. He then notices wisps of smoke coming from this house and the smells of food cooking. The aroma is very appetizing, and definitely smells better than the fare at the Empty Flagon.
His survival experience tells him that these herbs and plant life aren't normally found in this part of the land, and could only thrive in this area through significant care. This dwelling has to be of a true nature lover.
He walks up to the door and knocks. A beautiful woman with striking red hair and piercing green eyes answers the door. She is wearing a green cloak and you can clearly see her face illuminated by the candle in a ornate holder that she has in her hand. You notice that she appears to be in her early 30s, but she still has freckles that make her look younger than she really is. She speaks: "May I help you? OH DEAR! You are hurt, please come in!"
Before you can protest or thank her, she whisks you inside and sits you in chair at a table. She is a flurry of motion as she rummages around in a set of homemade shelves with dried herbs and liquids in bottles. She says: "I recognize you. You came here last night, you are here to assist with our little gnoll problem, aren't you? Are any others hurt?" While she talks, you see her gracefully walk past you with an empty bowl. She stops at her hearth, where a pot hangs over a burning fire. She ladles out some soup and places it in front of you. Your olfactory nerves are immediately attacked by the exquisite smell that you got a drift of as you approached the house. A small chunk of bread makes it's way to the table next to the bowl, but you didn't even see where it came from. She demands: "Eat... you must eat. Now out with it! Who else is hurt?"
NJWilliam wrote:Arot will speak with the innkeeper about trading his fine crocodile steaks for shelter for his companions. He will join Filbert in looking for the druid and cleric for some healing, before setting up a small campfire just outside town (near a guard post if there is one).
Let's say you leave after Filibert, does.
Kerrywyn is holding a gold coin as you approach him carrying an armload of crocodile meat. Arot sees him biting the edge of the coin, testing it's authenticity. As Arot offers the steaks as payment for lodging, he shows you the coin and says: "The greenish fella over there has already taken care of the bill. However, I can smoke and cure this meat for you, it will take two days, though. This gold piece should cover that, as well." He seems very happy to have been given this money, and he wants to keep you guys happy if your going to be throwing around coin like that.
As Arot leaves the Empty Flagon to follow Filibert, he sees the halfling being whisked into the house down the thoroughfare as he crosses the bell and well, and he suspiciously starts to double-time towards the house, just in case something is wrong. Arot's keen sense of smell immediately picks up the tobacco and leather of the Rope and Barrel, however it is quickly overtaken by the smells coming from the house that the halfling was just whisked into. The herbs are also more pungent to the barbarian. Arot tries to keep quiet as he approaches the door. He hears the sweet voice of the druid, and she seems to be all business, but with a polite tone. He knocks on the door.
Immediately the door opens, and the red haired druid opens the door. She is looking down, expecting another halfling, she raises her head slowly until she is looking up at the hulking barbarian. She smiles with her eyes, and then immediately she notices his bandaged arm. "Holy Wenafar! Look at that arm!" She grabs Arot's good arm and pulls him into her house, almost hitting his head on the door facing.
"I am going to run out of chairs, I never have this much company!" Arot lands in a seat at the table with Filibert. She gracefully grabs another bowl, fills it, and places it in front of Arot. Again, bread seems to magically appear next to his bowl, as if tossed from out of your field of vision. "Well, what are you waiting for? Eat!"
She immediately begins to look at Arot's arm, and assesses the damage. She looks at Filibert as well, with a delicate hand on her chin. "This is going to take a bit of work. Before I start, are there any more injured? ... Well? ... Did the pixies steal your tongues?"
Arot smiles and eats as the lady commanded. When she asks about other wounded, he replies, "Aye, the crocs also got a hold of two others of our band"
Figuring that things seem pretty safe here, and it would help the lady to find them, he goes ahead and uses his companions names. "- an elf by the name of Yorick, and a human who goes by Alias.
I think I'm jumping the gun a bit time wise but I wanted to make sure I got this in before we moved on...
Tomas sets himself up in a corner of the inn. As he plays he is soon accompanies by a few other musicians who do there best to keep pace. AS the night progresses and the empty cups of ale begin to add up, his songs become more and more bawdy, to the delight of some of the crowd.
Finally, the bard launches into a song called "Seven Drunken Nights"...
As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a horse outside the door where my old horse should be.
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?
Ah, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s a lovely sow that me mother sent to me.
Well, it’s many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before.
And as I went home on Tuesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a coat behind the door where my old coat should be.
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be.
Ah, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s a woolen blanket that me mother sent to me.
Well, it’s many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But buttons in a blanket sure I never saw before.
And as I went home on Wednesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be.
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be.
Ah, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me.
Well, it’s many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But tobacco in a tin whistle sure I never saw before.
And as I went home on Thursday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be.
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be.
Ah, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool, still you can not see
They’re two lovely flower pots me mother sent to me.
Well, it’s many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But laces in flower pots I never saw before.
And as I went home on Friday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a head upon the bed where my old head should be.
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that head upon the bed where my old head should be.
Ah, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s a baby boy that me mother sent to me.
Well, it’s many a day I’ve travelled a hundred miles or more
But a baby boy with his whiskers on sure I never saw before.
And as I went home on Saturday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two hands upon her breasts where my old hands should be.
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them hands upon your breasts where my old hands should be.
Ah, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s a lovely night gown that me mother sent to me.
Well, it’s many a day I’ve travelled a hundred miles or more
But fingers in a night gown sure I never saw before.
As I went home on Sunday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a thing in her thing where my old thing should be.
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that thing in your thing where my old thing should be.
Ah, you’re drunk, you’re drunk you silly old fool,still you can not see
That’s a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me.
Well, it’s many a day I've traveled a hundred miles or more
But hair on a tin whistle sure I never saw before.
As the inn patrons burst into laughter and give a cheer the innkeeper's wife charges out swinging a broom. "I'll not hae such filth in me inn!" she yells as she wields her broom like the fiercest warrior. Tomas is driven from the inn amid a flurry of blows, which provokes more hoots and laughter from the crowd.
AS the inn door slams shut, Tomas brushes broom straws from his shirt. Much pleased with himself, the bard does a little drunken jig and then heads off to the stable to find a place to sleep.
"They'll not be forgetting this night for awhile." he mutters to himself with a smile. "Tomas, me boyo, this is how legends are begun."
While Filibert tries to keep his head from spinning with the flurry of activity he sputters, "Um...Err...Uh...Yes, ma'am. Two others were also injured in the battle at the river. If you can just fix us up a bit we'll be out of your hair in no time. This is just a scratch. I've had much worse than this and I'm still here to tell the tales. Shall I go fetch the others?" He starts to rise from the chair and then sinks back down as the room begins to spin. "Ah, on second thought, I should probably finish this supper first. This is much too good to leave to get cold."
Vax shrugs his shoulders when his companions decline his offer of healing and seeing them go thier seperate ways; he gets a bowl of stew to eat and retires to a room. After eating a meal and washing it down with some water; he then goes about his prayers to Semreh and then gets some sleep while he can.
While Arot and Filibert are eating, the druid woman is bustling around her home looking for things. They have some polite conversation and they learn that her name is Amanda Rhyan but people refer to her in town as "the Paish."
"Ok, it is getting late and we should make sure that you and your companions are made well. I will need to gather some things for the ritual. Please meet me here in the morning with all that are hurt, and we shall make sure that their wounds are healed."
She ushers Arot and Filibert politely out the door after they are done eating. She has a basket in her hands and follows them out. She bids them farewell, and you see her slink out into the darkness towards a wooded area at the border of the town.
Arot and Filibert either make camp where Arot had planned to outside of town or whatever you would like them to do for the night.
The next morning the party meets Amanda in front of her house. She introduces herself to her new acquaintances. She seems a little uneasy as she notices Vax and Alias, and you catch her almost staring at a tattoo on Alias' wrist when she is assessing his wounds. She composes herself and leads you into the woods at the edge of town (see 15 on the map).
In the woods she leads you to a pagoda–like shrine. Two sides of the structure are open to the elements, while the other two are constructed of planks of wood. Atop this is a rickety wooden roof. Within is a statue of the goddess Wenafar sitting down with her hands out (a picture of Wenafar is attached to help give you an idea). In front of her are offering bowls, placed inside of them are foodstuffs like small pouches of grain, some tubers and root vegetables of some type. There are earthen vases around inside the shrine that have lilies in them. There are also lilies growing outside of the shrine even though it seems very late in the year for this.
The more scholarly of the group have heard of Wenafar before, and this is what they know: (It's only in a spoiler to keep things tidy, anyone can read it if they wish.)
wenafar portrait.png (190.01 KiB) Viewed 1025 times
WENAFAR
----------------------------------
OTHER NAMES: Niahlani, The Faerie Queen, Mother
ORDER: Val-Eahrakun
PROVINCE: Nature, Animals, the Elements, Woods & Trees
ALIGNMENT: Good
HOLY DAYS: Full Moon & Morning after 1st Spring Rain
SUPERSTITIONS: None
PREFERRED WEAPONS: Staff
MISSIONARY: None
An eternal goddess of infinite power, Wenafar commands the elements and the fey, and watches over the animals and peoples of the forests. Wenafar’s worshipers are numerous and varied. All who live in Faerie call her Queen, and elves, whether high, wood, wild, or twilight, pay her homage. Forest dwellers, rangers, and many druids worship her, and the common folk of Aihrde who live away from civilization often offer her prayer. Gnomes and halflings typically incorporate worship of Wenafar into their religious ceremonies. She is also Queen of the elemental lords and those native to the elemental planes. Other than her holy symbol, a lily, worship of Wenafar incorporates no recurring raiment, ceremony, or organized prayer. Typical display of the holy symbol is done with a wand or rod with a bulbous “seed” bottom leading toward a lily in full bloom.
Wenafar appears as a beautiful maiden, young but with the air of age about her. Her hair is long and usually drawn back in a tail. She prefers single piece gowns, long, with wide, deep sleeves. She hides twin gates in these sleeves; one to the land of Shindolay and Faerie and the other to the Shadow Realm.
Amanda asks that you all sit in a circle around the statue. After you are seated, she walks to the statue and opens a bag she is carrying. Out of the bag she produces bunches of herbs that Filibert can tell are rare, and not of this area. She even produces a citrus fruit, which none of you have ever seen in person. She places them in a wooden bowl that she has also brought in the bag, and places the bowl at the foot of the statue.
Amanda gets on her knees in front of the statue and begins speaking in a language that none of you understand. She seems to be chanting, and her eyes roll back in her head. During her chants the feeling and mood of the temple changes. The breeze that was blowing stops, and you notice that the scenery around the outside of the shrine has become dark and that there is only light within the shine where you are sitting. The items in the bowl that Amanda filled begins to billow a lavender tinted smoke. You begin to smell something that is like a smokey incense. You can't tell what the smell is, but it is like a mixture of familiar scents -- almost as if they were from your childhood. Shortly the items begin to burn and the flames are violet colored.
The injured begin to feel a warmth rush over them. Their wounds begin to stitch themselves closed as they feel a mixture of warm ecstasy and pain. Arot hears the cracking of bone come from his arm as it begins to tingle and he feels like something is moving across his bones. The uninjured feel blissful and have a sense of well being. Everyone's eyes are called to the face of the statue. All of you feel as if the statue is looking directly at them and smiling.
Alias and Embiri see the lips of the statue move as they hear a whisper in their ears that only they can hear.
Message to Alias:
You hear a blend of female voices that all sound familiar, but you can't place them. They whisper and say: "We know who you are, but it is clear that you do not. When you discover your true self, you shall carry your shame as if it were miles of lead chain around your neck. You must find a way to let it go or it will destroy you."
You look down at your arm and see the tattoo that has puzzled you. Until now, you have seen it as a pattern of geometric shapes that had no meaning to you. It begins to glow and becomes a black hand. The hand then transforms to a wolf paw print. On top of the paw, a white sickle/sythe appears. This has been revealed to only you, and the others only see it as you had seen it until now. Every time you look at it now, you will see the paw and sickle -- pictured below:
Crna Ruk Tattoo.png (37 KiB) Viewed 1025 times
Message to Embiri:
You hear the whispering voice of Mericelle, but oddly it speaks of her in the third person and says: "Mericelle misses you very much, but she lives on in everlasting bliss. She cannot wait for you to join her. Do not struggle and grieve. This life is but a blink of an eye."
If you are uninjured, your next SIEGE check will get a +2. This enchantment only works once and only until the end of the day. You must keep track of it.
After the ritual, everything appears to have returned to normal. The smell is gone, and so is any trace of anything in the 3 bowls in front of the statue. The light breeze begins to blow again.
As you all are still seated. Amanda, now looking very tired, reaches into her bag and produces 5 bottles of dark green, almost black, liquid. She says: "I only had enough supplies to make these, but they should help you on your journey. It's a little taste of what you just experienced. May Wenafar bless your travels. Please rid us of Gritznak. I fear his coming is a sign of something much worse."
You are all free to leave the temple and do whatever you like (either explore and roleplay around town, or hit the road.)
As he approaches the shrine, Filibert immediately recognizes the statue of Wenafar. He bows low and then takes his seat as indicated. As the ritual comes to a close he looks down and realizes that his leg is completely healed.
He rushes over to Amanda, "Thank you for your help, Miss Amanda. I only wish I was able to repay you." Noticing her weariness, he continues, "May I escort you back to your house? You look like you could use a shoulder to lean on."
After escorting Amanda home, he returns to the group. "Thanks to Miss Amanda we are all fully healed. I think we should leave town at once. We have already lost a day and Gritznak is most surely aware of our presence by now."
Blazeguard wrote:"Thanks to Miss Amanda we are all fully healed. I think we should leave town at once. We have already lost a day and Gritznak is most surely aware of our presence by now."
"I agree. Shall we journey back to the ford and attempt another crossing?"
Arot stretches his now-uninjured arm a few times while watching it closely, as if testing it. After a few he nods to Filibert, and while his hands check his gear that all is secure, says, "Aye, for my part I say back to the ford. "Thank you Miss Amanda, I and my axe are at your service.
Vax noticed the look of unease that came over the woman's face and immediately he felt the time-old anger and fear that people who judged him simply upon looking at him and what their reactions very well may lead too. He almost subconsciously began to look for the quickest paths out of the area and away from anyone in town; but relaxed a bit when he saw that it didn't look like anything was going to come of it.
He noticed the statue of the goddess and was a bit uncomfortable as he had never much cared for anything 'fey'; yet at the same time knowing that he was in the presence of someone who could wield the power of the goddess made him a bit worried about his thoughts. 'Protect me Sem'reh....I certainly mean no disrespect or harm'; he thought/prayed silently to himself. Seeing the markings on Alias' arm; he again shook his head; having no idea why anyone would purposely scar themselves. Ruefully though; he knew that his unknown father's people did it to themselves all the time as well as humans, elves, dwarves, etc. He had long ago vowed to never do such a thing to himself; the scars he carried from his early years were more than enough for him.
Seeing his companions injuries heal over; he nodded his gratitude to the woman; but he said nothing and pulled his cloak's hood over his head in case her unease over his appearance was contagious with other town members. He just wanted to get out on the trail of their quarry again....
