Jakun chanted another spell, sending a trio of forcebolts into the back of one of the hobgoblins advancing on Mittens. It fell where it stood. Thistletorp tiptoed up to a pair of hobgoblins and spoke "Poke! Poke poke!" as he struck, slaying both.
"Paladine, these creatures of evil seek to harm your faithful! Protect us by your holy might" Mariel prayed, warding herself and casting a circle of protection about. A silvery light shimmered about its limit.
Caitlyn took a step forward, kicking aside a dead goblin to clear her path. She swung her hammer with furious might and slew two goblins with the same stroke.
"I am mittens and I deliver kori joleth judgement," Mittens said. The judgment of the Bison God drank the life of a hobgoblin. The two other hobgoblins near him closed on the minotaur, swinging their blades with relish. Mittens proved easily their equal, parrying each strike.
Roused to the peril of kender, the other two surivors turned on Thistletorp. He ducked, weaved, and traunted the goblins as their blades swung through the air. Not even his topknot felt the touch of their steel.
In just moments more, the last of the goblinoids were slain. Almost before the last fell, the elf in the blue surcoat called out.
"Humans! Kender! ...minotaurs? My thanks and congratulations, but I have a man near death with a sick wound. Please, do any of you know any herbcraft?"
I think I got Caitlyn's movement as intended. Either way, two dead gobs.
So, we are down to...4 hobs, 6 gobs. You delightful murder machines. The elves all of the gobs.
Looks like Mittens isn't quite in range of Mariel's spell. He gets two of the hobs.
misses both
And Thistle
damn
And we know how this ends, so I'm handwaving the rest.
Wild eyed, Caitlyn sought out any new enemies as all those before her hand fallen. There in the cage! She lept forwards hammer raised, and at the last moment some part of her realized: oh an elf and a man.
Panting she let the gore splatted hammer fall and rested for a moment, exhausted. As often happened when the battle was over she felt stretched and giddy, and fought the need to be sick at the destruction they, she had wrought.
Looking up at the elf when he spoke, Caitlyn replied "You might be in luck." Turning to her friends she called out, "Mariel! Somebody here needs your aid."
The half-elf runs towards the elf in the surcoat and speaks in Elvem I believe that I, through the power of E'li can help. she says.
heal check to ascertain the wounds
She will swap out Dispel magic in order to cast the 3rd level healing spell.
Paladine, E'li, Beloved Crafter of light and life. I ask you, Father, hear my prayer for this your servant. If it be your will, heal him, restore to him all that is good. If it not be in your divine will, take him to the breast of Huma beyond the wild impartial skies. she invokes//
Once more, Thistletorp spins and cuts at another hobgoblin warrior.
yes!.
The half-elf runs towards the elf in the surcoat and speaks in Elvem I believe that I, through the power of E'li can help. she says.
1d20+9 heal check to ascertain the wounds
She will swap out Dispel magic in order to cast the 3rd level healing spell.
Paladine, E'li, Beloved Crafter of light and life. I ask you, Father, hear my prayer for this your servant. If it be your will, heal him, restore to him all that is good. If it not be in your divine will, take him to the breast of Huma beyond the wild impartial skies. she invokes//
3d8+6
Mariel found Solace's blacksmith, Theros Ironfeld, in the wagon. He lay back unresponsive, wan, and missing his right arm. He barely had a stump where it once was, swollen and oozing. He looked very near death.
When she prayed, the elf gave her a hostile look that melted into astonishment when Theros' wound closed and his color returned.
"A miracle!"
She whispers a thank you to Paladine for hearing her prayer and simply states, Behold, the power of the God
Jakun surveys the scene to ensure that none have escaped. Satisfied that they have not, he lands near the wagon, "Once again the Gods work through you Mariel. A Miracle indeed".
"Porthios, should we leave this place before the road begins crawling with more of these evil creatures? Have we built enough trust yet to enter your woods? I would speak with one of your kin named Arduin, Par Salias has bade that I give him my greetings. Of course, if you wish to see us slay more of these Goblins and Hobgoblins to prove our intent we would be happy to do so I am sure".
This man has been saved from death's door but I would recommend that we get Theros Ironfield out of harm's way, as well as these other people
The blue surcoated elf bowed his head and whispered a prayer.
"I am Gilthanas," he said when he finished. "And if I know those arrows, my brother Porthios can't be far."
Porthios, cleaning his blade, walked up to the wagon. Gilthanas ignored his arrival.
"You must come with us to Qualinost. My father will want to hear the news."
"You are right that we should go," Porthios said. "Others may come upon us if we linger."
The older man in Seeker robes came respectfully to the wagon.
"Elflord," he said, bowing his head. "We all owe you our thanks and our lives."
"It was not for your sake that we came," Porthios said. "Take your people into the mountains. They will be safe there."
Thistletorp will beusy himself exploring the hobgoblins' and goblins' pockets so that their things don't get sad and lonely
"Theros!" Caitlyn cried, "I didn't recognize you at first, what happened?! Who did this to you? Are momma and Papa OK? We saw smoke from far away and feared the worst." her voice trails off as she struggles with powerful emotion.
Afterwards she felt she should have known him even though he had been brought so low. Solace was a small community and everyone knew each other. Besides the hammer she was carrying had been forged by him.
My Lord Porthios, in mercy, we cannot leave these people here or abandon them to the mountains. They will die out there as surely as under the rule of the red dragons which destroyed Solace. Elves should be better than this.
Diplomacy
After she makes her plea to Porthios the half elf will approach Gilthanas and speaking in Elven My Lord Gilthanas, how came you to Solace and to be captured?
Seeing a familiar face in Elistan she will then approach him Elistan, I do not know if you remember me but I am Mariel Uth Kaldar, a former devotee of the Seekers. What happened?
"She is right Elflord. Humans are not sleek like elves to dance through the woods or hardy like my people. They will get sickly and die in such conditions. Would you free them just to have the goblins and hobgoblins capture them once more? Best to aid humans than to have your foes enslave them and turn them upon you"...
"Theros!" Caitlyn cried, "I didn't recognize you at first, what happened?! Who did this to you? Are momma and Papa OK? We saw smoke from far away and feared the worst." her voice trails off as she struggles with powerful emotion.
Theros did not stir.
"Best to let him rest, child," Seeker Elistan said. "He refused to make weapons for the draconians, so they took his forging arm."
My Lord Porthios, in mercy, we cannot leave these people here or abandon them to the mountains. They will die out there as surely as under the rule of the red dragons which destroyed Solace. Elves should be better than this.
Diplomacy 1d20+16
Porthios considered Mariel's words, but ignored Jakun entirely.
"They are many mouths to feed and will slow us. My people cannot afford the delay or the drain on our resources. It was for Gilthanas that we came, to save him from his folly. If compassion alone guided me, I would bring all under the branches of Elvenhome, but affairs of state do not bent to the whims of the heart."
"It was not folly to spy the movements of our enemies," Gilthanas said. "Brother, you know I am no friend to humans. I saw many of them with the enemy, as well as the goblins and the rest. But if Qualinesti can bear the aid of two minotaurs, then it can suffer a few score humans."
Porthios stood silent, eyes hard as he considered. "Very well, but we cannot tarry and they must walk or carry their own. No roads mar the forest."
After she makes her plea to Porthios the half elf will approach Gilthanas and speaking in Elven My Lord Gilthanas, how came you to Solace and to be captured?
Seeing a familiar face in Elistan she will then approach him Elistan, I do not know if you remember me but I am Mariel Uth Kaldar, a former devotee of the Seekers. What happened?
Elistan sighed, "I knew your face, but not your name. Forgive me. The dragons, wicked men, and their goblins took Solace. The vallenwoods burned and they brought many of the houses to the ground for their own use. Even the Inn of Last Home. I was there consulting with Theocrat Hedrick when they arrived. He brought hobgoblins to seize me himself."
"You say you are a former member of the Faith. Is your miracle not the doing of the new gods?"
Jakun turns to Mittens shrugging at the slight from the elf who he could destroy as easily as he snuffed out the life of a fly, silly elves thinking they were better than they actually were. Who knows, perhaps one day his people would rule their forests... "The human is a large one. Shall we take turns carrying him Cousin?"
Elistan, I was chosen by Paladine, the Platinum Father to be his herald. He works through me to bring both his word and his power back now that the need is so great. I was a member of the Seekers faith but chastised for being both half elf and woman. I desired something so much more and.Holy Paladine heard my prayer. I have something I have never.had in my life before, peace.
Elistan, I was chosen by Paladine, the Platinum Father to be his herald. He works through me to bring both his word and his power back now that the need is so great. I was a member of the Seekers faith but chastised for being both half elf and woman. I desired something so much more and.Holy Paladine heard my prayer. I have something I have never.had in my life before, peace.
"You know the gods turned from us. I admire your commitment to the past, but it simply must be a new god," Elistan said, clearly not convinced himself.
Elistan, did any of the Seeker gods ever answer our prayers? Did they cure anyone? No. Paladine and his consort Mishakel have heard the outcry of their people and have answered. It was not they who abandoned us but we who, in our hubris, turned from them. Like good parents dealing with spoiled children, which we behaved as,waited for our hour of greatest need. That time is now.
Diplomacy
Elistan, did any of the Seeker gods ever answer our prayers? Did they cure anyone? No. Paladine and his consort Mishakel have heard the outcry of their people and have answered. It was not they who abandoned us but we who, in our hubris, turned from them. Like good parents dealing with spoiled children, which we behaved as,waited for our hour of greatest need. That time is now.
Diplomacy 1d20+16
"That is why we seek still," Elistan said. It was what Seekers were supposed to say. He sounded unconvinced. "What you say may be true, but who of the generations passed since the Cataclysm deserved to be chastised so?"
"This is not the time for theological speculation," Porthios said. "We must go, a much larger force is miles away and drawing near."
Shortly before Porthios's intervention, Caitlyn suggested "Thats a hard question Elistan and likely one no mortal can answer. Anyway show him the disks Mariel and let him make his own mind up."
The disks as far as Caitlyn was concerned were incontrovertible evidence.
Thistletorp perks up, his pockets overflowing with lost items that wandered in. The gods are real. We saw them. And a dragon.
Thistletorp perks up, his pockets overflowing with lost items that wandered in. The gods are real. We saw them. And a dragon.
"I'd call that kender tales, but I saw the dragon myself," Elistan said. "Still, I just don't see..." He shook his head sadly. "However it is, it's saved a life."
"Wait the one we saw was at Xak Tsaroth, black as midnight, haughty and mean with long curving horns and teeth like sabers.", Caitlyn shudders at the memory, fervently hoping that was the first and last time she'd have to face such a monstrosity. Glumly she added, "Of course Thistle spotted the red one from afar... Maybe that was the one you saw?" If two dragons had bestirred themselves from their centuries long slumber, then there would likely be more and her hope forlorn.
"If there is a Dragon flying about then off of the road we must get. I for one am interested in some rest and a good conversation..."
Jakun assists Mittens with the human Theros.
My Lord Porthios is correct. We should be away into the safety of the forests. Theology can be discussed later.
Porthios led the way through the forest, pine, aspen, and elvewien pressing tight on all sides. Only the elves and Thistletorp never had cause to duck low or push aside a branch. The elflord set a demanding pace, making few allowances for the infirmities of his charges.
After several hours, the path ended at a massive cliff of dark granite. Pines marched to its very base, where the stone ascended arrow-straight for near to a mile. A fringe of green jutted out from the top, bespeaking the forest above.
Porthios took the refugees and companions along the base of the cliff, toward a constant roar. They came to the foot of a tremendous waterfall, which threw up a cloud of mist and cut a deep, clear pool at its bottom. He stepped nimbly from rock to rock across it, slipping into a darkened hollow behind the cascade. There a steep stair ascended, cut clean from the rock and turning on itself as it ascended with the waterfall always to one side and just out of reach. The high steps ought to have made for an arduous climb, but instead each tread seemed step than the last until they came out at last on the high plateau of Elvenhome. Tree trunks shined ivory white and the scent of moss filled the air. A trail spread with needles opened before Porthois, which surely had not been there moments before.
Autumn Harvest 24 (Day 13)
From there, it took the better part of two days to reach the forest's heart. The path did not run quite straight, but was very level and free from obstructions. It ended at a deep chasm. Blankets of moss coated both sides of the hundred foot wide gap. Billowing mists rose from below. A narrow footbridge crossed the span, its beams intricately carved aspen.
"Qualinost is protected on all sides by these barriers, but they will be little help against the Dragonarmies," Gilthanas said.
Across the bridge, slim towers appeared through the aspens. Porthios walked with a spring in his step now, bringing them to where the forest thinned before the spires and arches of Qualinost. It was a small city by human standards, its bounds marched by four towers joined together with slender arches, all of silver in a fine chain that shone in the sunlight. A high tower of burnished gold dominated the city, gleaming with a whirling, sparkling pattern that seemed alive to the point that the tower itself might move.
Wide, quartz-lined avenues curved about, working their way around trees and dappled with green-tinted light. Most of the grand buildings were of the same material, and even aspen beams had gold and silver inlays to catch the light. The structures grew more up than out, rising gracefully among the trees.
And everywhere, elves and their children rushed about with large bundles, bound for the high tower or moving in between buildings. The only ones not so engaged stood in arms, silver blades and armor shining. The new arrivals, especially Mittens and Jakun, drew all eyes. Few were welcoming.
"My elves will see to your charges," Porthios said to the companions. "But we should make at once for the Tower of the Sun, where our father will hear your news."
We look forward to meeting the Speaker if the Sun in his tower.
Before they enter the Hall of the Speaker she will remind her companions that the Speaker is a head of state and that none of them are a people that the elves find favorable.
Woooooooooooooooow!Thistletorp bounds along the path, scampering up trees and poking down rabbit holes. He scales the cliffs and then leaps off to land safely on Mittens head. A few times he found Porthios' coin purse behind a fallen log or under a bed of needles. Other times, Gilthanas' dagger or boot laces ended up in his pockets. He wasn't sure how those go in there. They probably crawled in. Things were very tricky like that. But, he always happily returned them before slipping away along the path. At the bridge, he balances on the guide rails, on his hands as the others tread carefully along the planks. Always, he as in motion and full of wonder.
Finally, once they enter Qualinost proper, he bolts, looking everywhere at once, somehow, always remaining with oth the group and just slightly ahead. He looks under guards' cloaks, return dagger sand swords that fell onto the ground. He plays games with children, and always finds sweet candies in his pockets to give them or pretty pieces of shining stone. Eventually, thoug his explorations bring him to the Hall of the Speaker, where he waits patiently for the rest of the group.
The half-elf will do her best to make herself presentable, trying to take the stains off her robes and her appearance one befitting meeting the ruler of her father's people.
The half-elf will do her best to make herself presentable, trying to take the stains off her robes and her appearance one befitting meeting the ruler of her father's people.
Freshen up
Jakun nods to the Elflord, he too is anxious to meet the leader of the elves, perhaps they will help where the mages did not. The thought of it makes him frown but he shakes his head and snorts, "Lord Porthios, where can the refugees stay? This Theros will need rest after such a traumatic wound".
Jakun nods to the Elflord, he too is anxious to meet the leader of the elves, perhaps they will help where the mages did not. The thought of it makes him frown but he shakes his head and snorts, "Lord Porthios, where can the refugees stay? This Theros will need rest after such a traumatic wound".
"Arrangements are already being made. We will keep them together and you can see them again as soon as the Speaker of the Sun dismisses you," Porthios said, looking slightly irritated.
Visiting Qualinost was bittersweet experience for Caitlyn, the elves and their city were magical. She found herself entranced by their musical sing-song voices and the graceful and delicate way even the washer-women among them moved. The devil of it was behind their light laughter and rich musical voices, she kept on seeing hints of the honey-eyed flame haired half-elf who had broken her heart.
That give her pause for thought, as did Porthios's casual indifference to the suffering of the rescued slaves. The elf lord clearly saw suffering of the short-lived humans as a nuisance bordering on irrelevance, and said as much in haughty tones. He clearly forgot or didn't care that some of the humans, Caitlyn included, understood him. So when Porthios replied to Jakun's question, Caitlyn was forced to biter her tongue, lest she do something foolish.
As she washes up and takes advantage of elven hospitality, she thinks to herself Paladine be praised for these small comforts. Even warm water to wash away the filth and the miles, and to help make her robes even whiter. and then it strikes her [b] This is the first time that the elves will have seen this symbol in over 300 years, since the Night of Doom and the time when Paladine took his chosen to himself, before the Kingpriest brough ruin to Ansalon. I wonder, Elistan seemed so willing to discuss the god, perhaps Quen Illumini needs her champion or even the Blue Phoenix, as the Platinum Father and the Bison of Heaven both have theirs, at least for no. [/I]
A pair of gilded doors swung open, soundless, to a chamber that seemed to reach well beyond what the walls of the Tower of the Sun would permit. White marble made the floor and walls, inlaid with silver veins that looked natural to the stone. High windows admitted sunlight and fresh air. Elflords in all their finery stood in attendance, all about a marble dais. There a pale throne with its back carved in a great sunburst floated just high enough off the ground to see the gap between it and the dais. Golden light shone from beneath it, caught by the sunburst to draw all eyes to the elder elf who sat the throne. He wore a resplendent yellow robe and, alone of all the elves present, silver marked his hair.
The elder elf beamed at the arrival of Gilthanas and Porthios, rising from his throne to embrace them. He barely released each before an elf-maid of surpassing beauty flew their arms, throwing aside all decorum.
"My sons! I thought I would never meet you again in this world," the elder elf spared a moment to look at each before his expression sobered. "Gilthanas, what of your raid?"
Gilthanas bowed his head, "Lord Speaker, I have failed. We traveled in stealth southward as was palnned, yet fate had us meet a northbound army of the Dragon Highlord. I was struck upon my head and fell into a ravine, thinking that to be the end of my days."
"I woke later and found tracks which marked a path to Solace. I thought to free my elves, who the army must have taken. Instead I found Solace taken, the vallenwoods razed."
Gasps rang through the chamber, the sharpest from the young elf. Gilthanas continued, voice pained, "I found my companions in the square, lashed to stakes made from the vallenwood. A red dragon flew above and the army forced the humans of Solace into a wide ring about them. The dragon landed and upon its back, a man with a beast mask rode. He spoke, naming himself Verminaard, Dragon Highlord. He demanded obedience of all who heard, and warned of his wrath."
"The dragon then breathed flame, so hot that it seemed to touch those far from the elves. They were taken, screaming in the dragonfire. The sight of it drove me to madness. I rushed forth to end their misery and was taken. These humans, minotaurs, and the kender came with Porthios to my rescue."
The half elf listens intensely to the story Gilthanas tells.
Thistletorp listens to Gilthanas' tale, and a dark cloud passes over the kender's face. For once, he is neithe perky nor cheerful, his hands grip tightly about imaginary swords, and tears trail down his face.
But the moment passes, and he returns to his usual bubbly self. Hiya! I'm Thistletorp babblebrook, Pleased to meetcha! he bounds forward to the Lord Speaker, and stock as our his hand.
The half-elf, listening to the story told by the elven lord did not pay attention to the kender, seeing him pop forward towards the Speaker of the Sun, she grabs at him and misses.