| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Sensing no ill will, Kabal eased up.
Well theres been a misunderstanding then. Father Winter travels with his squire and a flock...Hah! Winter and Sable should both enjoy that one... Your vigilance is much appreciated though and feel free to speak with the priest yourself if necessary. But put your steel away first and dont draw it again unless provoked. Savvy?
Bree, uncharacteristically, steps out of the shadows and stands next to Kabal. Arms crossed beneath her breasts, she appears unconvinced, but calm.
Can Father Winter confirm this? I don't wanna find his body with his throat cut open in the morning...
Cat follows Bree out and calls back to Winter "Oi Winter, that satisfy ye? Can we set a fire and enjoy a hot meal... or maybe see if these fellows have a roof we could lay under?"
"Satisfied enough." Winter steps forward. "Indeed we travel as a family, and this is mine" Winter gestures to the party.
Then we apologize for disturbing your rest, Father Winter. We expect you in the morning.
"No disturbance at all, and I am very appreciative of your thoughtfulness"
FF>>
:p
In the morning's twilight the figures of your nightly guards are still there, vigilantly watching over you. Ground fog seemingly streaming out of the Mierani Forest has given the surrounding landscape a rather gloomy touch.
Wakening to grumbles on the wasted night spent on hard ground where they might not have needed to Cat turns to Winter "So are ye proselytizing today or are we keeping moving?"
It's unlikely that Bree slept much, if at all that night, surrounded by armed strangers she has no trust for.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Kabal arose and stretched into the fog and began buckling on his armor. He barked a laugh at Cat's question and added to it.
Yeah Winter. You probably owe these faithful hounds a sermon before we head out huh?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I also thought so?!
Winter walks with the group towards the Converts fort, all the while looking for signs of genuine toil and labour, still working out whther this band is as they say they are...
To the left of the tower which is the central piece of the bandits' outpost, lies a freshy cultivated small field with sugar beets, different kinds of cole and lettuce.
Two of the bandits stand guard at the tower entrance while you are flanked by those that watched over your sleep.
As you reach the foot of the tower, the large orc appaears in the door frame and smiles
Ah, Father Winter, you have arrived...and I see you're not travelling only in company of your squire?!
Sebastian takes in the farming activities of the orcs and the greeting they give Winter, "You know...I can put this in the story full of banshees, cannibal pirates, and comet riding lions....but no one is going to believe it."
As an aside on the approach "Aye, all signs that a decent hot meal and a sleep under a roof were denied to us last night. Hey Winter, you think this is all part of their elaborate ruse? or is your suspicion finally diminishing?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Sister Caterine, you call it 'suspicion', I call it 'prudence', and it is a seed I hope never runs out in my granary" Winter jokes back before turning to address the 'farmers'.
"I apologise for my presumption, last night you did indeed kindly offer us a warm meal and the comforts of a fine homestead, however I have arrived here with more mouths than I may have led you to expect. Indeed these fine ladies and gentlemen are my friends and travelling companions, and I am willing to share any portions of food I may be granted. I rather admire how you have worked the land here, and your fine choice of vegetables..."
Winter walks over and pulls a sugar beet from the ground by its rosette of leaves, briefly dusting the dirt off its white conical body.
"If one is to cultivate beets well, the land must be properly prepared. The same can be said for the mind in readiness for the acceptance of wisdom; preparation is paramount."
"Deep ploughing is the first principle of beet culture. It allows the roots to penetrate the soil without significant trouble, which allows stops the the beet from growing out of the ground, and enables it to extract considerable nourishment and moisture from the lower soil. As it is with the beet, it is with our heart and soul, we plough the earth with our hearts and hands until we grow weary, and our restlessness is fatigued away from our physical forms and allows the mind to concentrate on drawing deeply from the well of His wisdom."
Winter stomps heavily on a patch of dirt to comapct it, then pours some water on the hard patch and watches it sit there, unmoving...
"On the other hand, if we shirk the labour and leave the soil too hard, the roots will not penetrate it readily and, as the beet will be pushed up and out of the earth during the process of growth. Hard soil is resistant to water and prevents drainage, leaving stagnant water trapped..." He then digs on the hard patch with his sword, cracking th ground and watches the water drain rapidly, "but nor should it be too loose, lest this allows the water to pass through more freely than is desirable and none of the nourishment will be retained. Thus again it is with our mind, we must not be so rigid that the wisdom cannot penetrate and flush away our old ideas, but we must also remember to not be so frivolous or inattentive as to let righteous teaching slip from us."
"Our soil should be deep, fairly fine and easily penetrable by the roots. It should also be capable of retaining moisture and at the same time admit of a free circulation of air and good drainage. Likewise, our heart, mind, and soul should retain an openness and light aspect, whilst possessing depth and wisdom, we must allow our ideas to circulate and not stay stuck in the mud."
"I would also remind you that the sugar beet crops exhaust the soil rapidly and cause it to fatigue, you must continuously rotate your crops; beets are grown in the same ground every third year, peas, beans or grain being raised the other two years. Likewise our family members cannot always toil at the same task for years on end, but rather undertake a range of activities over time, to build their skills, build their hearts, and build their hands lest their soul grows weary and their bodies be overtaxed."
"Your fellows have spent some time being Bandits, and you have shown the wisdom to rotate them as a crop, although I hope that they retain such honest and decent practices for the this cycle of life, and the next into the afterlife."
Winter reburies the Beet.
"We march with purpose to drive an Evil from this land. Forces dark beyond our wildest reckoning have gathered, and they threaten everything we hold dear. We all seek to have a roof over our heads, coin in our purses, food on our table and loved ones in our arms, yet these forces seek for us to have the exact opposite. I am not sure what drove you to the Light, but I pray that you stay there, for I wouldn't wish what now dwells in the shadows of Darkness upon any man, nor beast for that matter"
"Here endeth the Sermon"
With great reverence do the ex-bandits listen to Winter's words and their is a moment of awed silence when he ends. The orcish leader of the farmers then nods gravely
Father Winter, everything you said is true. We all needed some time to understand that our previous life was wrong and bad, but during the last year we have realised that there is more to life than the pleasures of flesh and coin. Please, what can we do to come even closer to Erastil's ideals?
Kabal barely suppressed a yawn and snapped out of his reverie that started at 'beets'...guess we wont have to kill these men then...oh well... He looked at the climbing sun and wished he hadnt supported the idea of a sermon in the first place... but I suppose they deserve it...
Cat nudges Kabal "Best use for beets is rum" but doesn't interrupt the Stag Lord's sermon.
Cat nudges Kabal "Best use for beets is rum" but doesn't interrupt the Stag Lord's sermon.
Winter notes the comment, and smiles sagely, as though she has just said something that was already mulling in his mind.
"There is no use amonishing yourselves any further about the past, that season is over, and if we dwell too deeply on it then we aren't giving this season and next season our full attention. Learn from the mistakes, and seek not to repeat them"
"The way forward is to keep building this community. Build a low wall around some good homes. Build it high enough to keep out a wolf, but low enough to welcome travellers. Once you have marked out your borders, start work within them. It is true that there is mnore to life than the pleasures of the flesh and ill gotten coin, but there is enormous merit in the touch of your loved one and the hugs of your children, there is merit in the fruits of your labours providing a meal for your table and enough coin to exchange for your necessities and simple comforts."
"Build your community by building homes, and to that end take fine wives and husbands, of course please ask them first."
"These beets may well hold the key, as my young Acolyte has already identified... perhaps they may be distilled into modest batches of Rum, which in turn can be sold in the Inns and Taverns along the road, perhaps as far as Riddleport. Work on making it a fine drop, set your minds to quality rather than the cheap dross of a pirate ship and you might have coin enough to build this place. There is no reason you all can't enjoy a modest drop here and there, just be mindful of temperance, and avoid the extremes, small portions for each homestead only. Many of Erastils clergy keep bees, and work grain like the Caydenites for this very end"
"Suppose it is time we moved on to see who else we can help, but I will be sure to visit, or one of my fellows at the least... to see how you progress"
Cat's eyebrow rises accusingly at Winter's use of the word Acolyte but she does not give voice to the challenge.
Cat's eyebrow rises accusingly at Winter's use of the word Acolyte but she does not give voice to the challenge.
Peception
Winter caught the eyebrow raise yet remained stoic and righteous during his brief sermon, only as he looks away for a minute does he catch Caterines eyes again, and his face has a slightly mirthful and mocking expression, as if to say 'gotcha'. Clearly it was a good natured wind up.
Cat nudges Kabal "Best use for beets is rum" but doesn't interrupt the Stag Lord's sermon.
Kabal couldnt agree more and grunted an assent with a smirk on his face. He'd hated beets as a kid but he'd hated having to sit through sermons even more...mightve been a touch easier to stomach with some rum in me though...
"So, friends, the road once more?" Winter hardly waits for a response before picking up his things. "There's Demons and Devils out there, I yearn to get amongst them" his pace has quickened as he looks for the exit to draw closer, one step toward his destiny.
"Aye, lets on with it"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
You manage to slip away and get a look at some of the sheds and even through a window of the tower's inside-everything looks like one would expect it from a group of farmers.
The orc nods and tells one of his men to get you some baskets with rations and supplies - surely enough to last for ten days.
Father Winter, you have been a great inspiration for us...but I still have a question: We would love to have a priest of Erastil among us, where can we send word that we are a new community of followers of the Great Stag who need some guidance?
Bree waits stoically for the men to finish talking, she is more than pleased to be soon putting this place behind her. Even though all things seem to be what they claim, she can't seem to shake the unease that this place brings to her.
"You already have sent word, keep doing what you are doing, and more guidance shall be with you before you even know of it... expect a traveller on the roads" Winter waves as he leaves.
Sense Motive
"It's a curious paradox Bree. This place was just a very small version of Riddleport, and strangely enough filled with just the same sort of people, although men who seemingly have turned a new leaf. In Riddleport, surrounded by thousands of such men you all seemed relaxed and comfortable, yet in an unnamed throp filled with merely a score of them there seemed to be a clear sense of unease... is the comfort in the former from the ability to vanish in large crowds and a thousand dark shadows, or is the discomfort the intimacy and the fact that you can literally count the enemy and so he seems much more real and sinister?. I suppose its how predators begin to feel when the forest shrinks around them... ahh I have much to learn... maybe my new acolyte can fill me in?" he jokes to Bree whilst raising an eyebrow to see if Caterine has taken the bait of his jest.
"No, it's the fact that they looked at two people I... care about, as if they were prey. Riddleport folk rarely try to hide their nastiness. I know that look, and I didn't like seeing it directed at the two of you. No righteous man would look at someone else like that. If you hadn't announced yourself as being a holy man, I think their first visit would have gone much differently. Even those who are trying to do good, can sometimes have trouble breaking old habits."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Caterine roughly chuckles "Oh aye Father... I'll be your Acolyte if ye wish... I'll even flutter my eyelashes and expound upon the magnitude of your faith... but with one condition. Next time we're in a situation where Valani might see an ascendency the positions are reversed." smugly smiling and she enjoys a mental image "I'll have ye drunk on rum and dancing naked on the sands before too long"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Winter seems heartily satisfied by the answers given... "A very good argument indeed Bree, a very good argument, and your wisdom in this area is more solidly grounded than mine. I just hope that with each right choice they make they find it easier to make more right choices. There is always hope for redemption and for one to change their ways, however for some it will simply be a bridge of faith too far they will never be able to cross"
"As to Valani, 'Where the Empyreal lord Valani touches the world, verdant land springs forth. His acts teach mortals that although the world is an abundant place fit for man's growth, through nature's force nothing lasts forever', suppose the naked rum dancing might involve too much world touching and verdant greenery springing forth. Then again Erastil does implore us to remember to have fun, as simply focusing on hard work alone produces lop sided and dour followers with bitter, feuding, unhappy families"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Caterine holds up her finger wagging it reproachfully as she tut tuts "Now now disciple, while you may be the expert in the law of the Staglord... the intricacies of worshipping the Father of Islands is my domain. Free your mind from the rigors of the community of law and imagine yourself floating mercurial on the wind" putting a hand on Winter's shoulder and sweeping a hand majestically before them as her voice turns wistful... "We can twist and turn, but ever the wind catches our sails and drives us onwards... to new places and new experiences."
Squeezing his shoulder with mock sincerity "Ponder on that Disciple Mic Cerb" giving him the moniker of little stag in her hammish performance as a devotee of Valani.
Bree furrows her brow as images of Winter dancing naked now flash through her mind. She pulls her hood up over her head and trains her eyes on the ground in front of her feet until the images pass.
Mercus nearly chokes on the beet he stole when he imagines Winter in nothing than a hula skirt
That's soooo wrong... he says and rolls out the map again Okay, nearly there, the village is called uhh...mhm...there is a smudge on the name of the village...I uh...does anyone remember what its name was? Didn't Kwava tell us?
Sebastian stops flipping through his journal, and points to a name on the page. "Yes. That is correct. Very interested in seeing what a 'Leafrider' entails."
"The Elves have a range of strange titles and names. I wonder how I will be recieved by them though, and what relations to the Elven clans of the Calphiaks they may have. My coming to the human lands was one of accusation and shame... the Rangers never cared, but the Druids, and by extension the families, they certainly had some views about my lineage"
"Heh... from one bastard to another I'm not looking forward to being looked down on either"
Kabal stayed out of the discussion of gods and acolytes. He had no use for the former...well except for the healing gifts... and would never understand the latter...gods only have the power they do because of men bowing to the them...what would happen if they stopped that nonsense I wonder... He did start paying attention when the conversation turned towards their destination and its occupants.
Bah! If they care more about where you're from and who's your daddy then who you are now and our 'noble' mission; then they go frak themselves with something fierce and hopefully spiny. And if that dont suffice then I'll just start squeezing them until they pop all sorts of messily.
Mercus nods I bet you can do that...I mean squeeze and pop and so on. there's a roguish smile on his lips, but he doesn't add anything.
The Mierani Forest consists mostly of ancient, verdant fir trees, pines, and redwoods. And even though you would have thought that they would block out most of the sun, travelling underneath the canopy of leaves is quite pleasant with thick beams of light falling to the ground through the tree crowns.
You only need minutes to realise that the forest is vibrant with wildlife. You see deer, wolves, squirrels and even a bear in short order and only medium distance and even though the animals keep their distance from you, you don't feel like they think of you as intruders.
THAT is weird. Mercus says while keeping an eye out for more bears.
"Looks like a good place. If the animals abound in such numbers then there must be plenty of food and water, and no reason for them to be too fearful" Winter presses on.
You walk on and after you have past some massive boulders overgrwon by moss and lichen, you reach Crying Leaf.
The village consists mainly of simple, low stone and wooden structures, decorated with graceful carvings. It is protected by a wall of thorns and lies in a depression ahead of you.
For a moment you wonder why you didn't spot any guards, but then suddenly you hear a call from behind and as you turn around you look into the hardened face of about a dozen elvish rangers whose arrows point at your hearts.
Who are you and why have you come? their tall, silver-haired leader demands.