Kharid Thunderrune's page

"... ye never know what such a magical item might do!"
"Ay, it's magical indeed. And so is this bracelet ye found, although I can't say for certain what any of them do."

Spellcraft Bracelet (1d20+8=19)
Spellcraft Lantern (1d20+8=17)
Sooo close, *sob* ;-)

"We've barely entered the cairn proper and already we've found numerous artifacts of old. It's a very beautiful bracelet ye've found here Master Shamus, clearly of Elven design AND it's..."
"Do be careful with that torch, Master Shamus," Kharid exclaims as he joins the rest of the crowd around the lantern.

Cast Detect Magic and concentrates on the bracelet Shamus found, then, after a few rounds, join the others and concentrate on the lantern and finally on the surrounding chamber

Seeing that Dalzig provides some light of his own, he approaches Shamus before he follows Dalzig into the wolf den.
"Master Shamus, might I borrow the torch while ye go investigate? I find these paintings most intriguing! What a history this place must have, what mysteries these ornaments hint to!"
Almost on the verge of hopping up and down and clapping his hands, Kharid waits for Shamus to, hopefully, turn over the torch to him.
He then goes back to studying the paintings from a place where the light can outline all of the western wall. Wedging the butt of the torch into a crack in the floor, he then sets about sketching the painting, murmuring to himself while from time to time leaving small ink smears on his nose or in his moustache.

"Hmmm, the colours, the colours, there must be something to the colours..."

Trying to figure out whether there's a connection between the painting and the teleport mirror - besides all of them being "doorways"

Suddenly realizing that the light is moving away, Kharid looks befuddled around having clearly been lost in thought.
Making sure that Dalzig is following along, Kharid hurries after the rest of the group.
Getting to the octagonal chamber just as Shamus starts burning away the webs, he notices Harlon starting towards something that has caught his attention on the western wall.
Intrigued by what the mysterious halfling might have discovered, Kharid moves toward the western wall too.
"Found anything interesting Master Happytoes?"

Spot Check (1d20-2=11)
I'm guessing that's not enough to notice what Harlon sees

"Now THAT is interesting... would ye look here? See those small fragments there? Those are from a volcanic glass-like rock not found anywhere near here!"
Kharid takes a few steps back, puts his hands on his hips and surveys the whole of the "statue."
"An elemental "mirror" with an obsidian surface and runes of transportation... I wonder what the purpose of it was... And why is it in a cairn?"

Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) (1d20+7=16)

"Yes indeed, how fitting... these are runes pertaining to the element of air and the cairn is called the Whispering Cairn... very fitting."
"These on the other hand," Kharid continues, indicating the runes on the inside of the frame. "These are clearly runes of transp... OUCH!" Kharid withdraws his finger from running along the frame, a small bubble of blood trickling to the surface of his finger.
Sticking his finger in his mouth Kharid bends down even further to see what pricked him.

I want to take a closer look at the "glass-fragments" Rend found in the frame ;-)

"Master Thunderrune, come take a look at this. I found a rune that you might recognize."

"A rune ye say?" Excitement enters Kharid's voice as he quickly strides over to the shattered statue.

"Here now, if ye'll excuse me Master Happytoes," he mumbles breathlessly as he puts his hands on the halflings shoulders and gently tries to push him out of the way.
"A rune indeed! Let's see now... a triangle, a flame... most interesting... I wonder..."
Kharid's thick fingers trace the outline of the rune several times, mumbling into his moustache.

Here's a selection of rolls to choose from:
Knowledge (Arcana) (1d20+7=22)
Knowledge (History) (1d20+6=15)
Knowledge (Religion) (1d20+5=7)

Once they are both gone, the alpha stops snarling and rolls onto his side, exposing his neck to the group. Provided no one does anything to him in that moment, the alpha howls again one last time, rises to his feet and leaves the cairn as well.

While the lead wolf summons his entourage Kharid rummages through his backpack and produces two days worth of dried meat. Throwing it gently to the ground not far from the wolf he then takes another step back, to show that he means no harm to the hungry creature.

"There, that should help a little until they can find a more natural prey."

With a comforting smile in Harlon's direction he continues, "Now now young master Happytoes, I didn't mean to remind ye of the horrors I'm sure ye've witnessed already. I should be the one begging for forgiveness for the crude words of persuasion."
"And to you too Master Rend and Car'das. I can see the prudence in yer words, but it just didn't sit right with me to deprive the creature of its life for following its natural instincts, when no harm really came to us."

"The simple solution would then be to heal its wounds and feed it... I think I have some dried venison in my pack, I'm sure that'd mollify its behaviour."
"I think they were just protecting their territory, just as some of ye have had experience with... can ye really fault 'em for that?"
Kharid raises an eyebrow towards Shamus and Harlon...
"Besides, should they be up to mischief I'm sure a whiff of Master Rend here would remind them that such things would only end bad for them."

At your feet, the dying alpha wolf heaves another breath, more labored than the last one. The pace of his blood loss is slowing. He hasn't got much left.

Kharid kneels down next to the dying wolf, touching the emaciated flank of the beast. "Looks like they attacked more out of hunger than spite."

"I'm not much of a healer, but now that the fight is over maybe there's no need for this animal to die?"
Kharid looks further down the passageway where the other two wolves disappeared, "If this is their leader, then mayhaps showing some mercy will let him and his two companions know that we mean them no harm and they might let us be while we're here?"
"Dalzig, anything ye can do about these wounds?"

Kharid tightens his grip on the stout stick in his hands and waits for the oncoming slavering wolves.
"If wolves have taken up residence here, that might mean that the rest of the cairn is uninhabited... unless they act as guard dogs for something even worse further in!"

I'll delay my action until the wolves are within striking distance (being situated a couple of steps up the passageway from the raging Rend). If they all bear down on Rend, I'll move up and whack one of them!
Oh yeah, I went through the avatars to see if a better dwarf picture had been posted. I found the other one a bit too warrior-ish, what with the shoulder plates and all - although the hair coulour was closer on the other one ;-).

Initiative (1d20+2=11)

Illuminated by the torch in Shamus' hand, the shapes and patterns on the wall quickly grabs Kharid's attention, all thoughts about Harlon's exclamations apparently forgotten.
Tracing the underlying pattern with his fingertips, Kharid stands really close to the wall, almost in some kind of reverie over the findings.
Shaking himself briefly, he suddenly starts rummaging through his belongings and quickly pulls out a piece of parchmen, ink and quill. With seemingly practiced hands, he quickly scribbles down the pattern and writings onto the piece of parchment.
"Most interesting! I see what appears to be tribal graffitti on top of the original artwork created here, which would point to this place as having been inhabited... although I'll have to study the writing closer to determine who or what might have lived here."
"What's that ye have found there Rend? Depressions you say and... well, those look like some kind of anchor points, maybe to hold down what once stood in the depressions. Large braziers mayhaps?"
"In any case, do be careful, it might also have been some kind of defense mechanism so watch where ye step!"
"More? A bedroll, eh? Well, that supports the theory of this place having been inhabited once."

"And over there looks like... huh, what was that?"
Kharid straightens up from a crouch and looks down the tunnel towards the noise suddenly coming from down there.
"Rend, get that big sword ready! Sounds like this place might still be inhabited!"
With those words he grabs his sturdy walking stick with both hands and retreats a couple of steps back up the corridor, straining his eyes to get a glimpse of what seems to be bearing down on the group.

Argh! Lost a whole post that I had just written up! #%&@!

Shivering amidst the sepulcher murmurings of the wind, Kharid pulls out a worn piece of leather the size of his palm. Rubbing it he murmurs a couple of words in a harsh dialect and a few shimmering motes of light surround him briefly.
"Okay Rend, lead on."

Mage Armor

The omnious proclamations coming from the cloaked halfling make the hair on Kharid's neck stand up... causing him to peer intently into the darkness of the cave opening before approaching it.
"That's odd... does anyone else see that?" he asks with nervous glances in the direction of the wee-folk carpenter.

Spot Check (1d20-2=15)
Wohoo, still on a roll!

"Prudent indeed, Master Shamus, to cover our tracks."
"...ahhh, Master Rend, I think... oh, erm... Is it still coverable Master Shamus?"

Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) (1d20+7=22) to see how best to clear a path through the rubble in case the entrance is unstable - just in case such a roll is necessary :-)

"No use staying in here," Rend remarks as he wades through the ruined living room towards the library. "I suppose there's not much to do but wait this one out. Kharid, are we almost at the cairn? I feel an excitement growing inside me. We must be close."

Kharid runs his hands over the walls, prods a beam here and there and finally nods with satisfaction. "This should hold up nicely for now, although we could have used a large tarp to seal off the library from the rain, wouldn't ye agree Master Happytoes?"

Gently taking out the maps again and wiping off any water that might have accumulated on them, Kharid studies them for a moment and then points to a spot. "As far as I can tell, this building should be located right around here, which means that the cairn is not far off at all."
Looking out through the now missing door he continues, "Although I'd suggest we wait a while here and hopefully the rain will... NO! Don't kick that beam Rend! It's a supporting beam and I'm not sure how much abuse it can take!"

Knowledge: Architecture and engineering (1d20+7=26)
DAMN! I'm on a roll here (pardon the pun)... which probably means that when I get to some really important rolls they're going to suck, hahaha.

"Oh no, my maps!" Kharid yelps as the downpour tears through the air.
"Hurry, hurry everyone!" he yells over the sudden noise of the rain and starts running towards the abandoned house.
Hitching his thick cloak around his shoulders he nevertheless slows down a bit to allow Dalzig to keep up with him.

D'oh, forgot to post my memorized spells. I've put them down on my character sheet, but I'll post them here too.

Also, I'll cast Mage Armor when we enter the cairn (just in case I forget it then I can at least say that I mentioned it now ;-)).

Bumbling through the door of the inn, Kharid draws up short and lets out a loud wheeze that sends his moustache flapping. Eyeing the others he hurries over while simultaneously trying to stuff his slightly umkempt hair under his dark green baret and adjusting a sturdy leather backpack with all sorts of tools hanging from it.
"I... my apologies for being tardy, I was just... erm, studying this interesting treatise on natural rock formations in undergrou... erm, I'm sure it's of no interest to ye all anyway," he finishes with a sligthly embarrassed chuckle.
"Splendid, we're all here I see!"
After a quick round of shaking everyone's hands he stands in front of the whole group again, possibly beaming with what seems like a mix of pride and almost childish joy.
"Splendid indeed!"

Spells coming up a little later today, posting this from a friend's house.
Kharid is on foot, just his trusty walking cane at his side.

Spot Check (1d20-2=17)
Ohh, nice for someone who sucks at spot checks :-D

"To the Whispering Cairn, then!" Rend exclaims, shrugging, "Whatever that is..."

"Shhh lad, keep yer voice down!"

Kharid looks around to see if anyone nosy nearby overheard.

Once we're away from the elf I ask "I trust you have another destination in mind, Master Thunderrune?"

"Alas, to be honest I was going to suggest the very same cairn... however, unless we were to sneak out there like thieves in the night come first darkness, I fear that we'd be in for a competition we wouldn't necessarily come out on top of."

Making sure that the nosy elfling isn't poking around close by, he lowers his voice a bit. "There is another cairn that might be of interest, though. It's got some nasty rumours about it and might even be empty for all of that, but it's the next best bet as far as I can figure. The Whispering Cairn be its name."

"You're going exploring in the cairns? Which one? We're exploring the Stirgenest Cairn tomorrow."

She looks at you all expectantly. She's attractive and clearly knows it. She certainly likes to show off her attractiveness. But something about her bearing and demeanor hints at a much darker and more lethal side.

The Stirgenest Cairn... what unfortunate turn of events... hmmm, let's see if we can dissuade them and if not I might suggest one of the other options to the rest of our small fellowship... out of earshot of the elfling, of course.

"The Stirgenest Cairn you say? Alas, I fear ye might not have much luck with that. I heard a large group returned empty handed just a few weeks ago from there... But if ye want to go turn over some old stones again, be our guests, but don't say I didn't tell ye so!"

"I... I, I seem to have forgotten my manners with all this talk about death and destiny. I profoundly apologize!"
"I'm Kharid Thunderrune, scholar of ancient works and a recent inducted novice member of The Most Respected Historical and Archeological Studies Society."
"I originally came here from Jhesail to explore the archaeological valuable cairns around the town and perhaps pick up a thing or two that might have been excavated from the mining operations."
"Soon after I arrived here, just a couple of weeks ago, I started to pick up ominous signs of things great and dark focusing its energies around this muddy town... and that's when I ran into all of ye in this fateful time."
"So, here's to this meeting being the start of something good!" With those words he gulps down the last of his wine.

"Death?!?" the dwarf almost chokes on his mouthful of mulled wine when the gnome utters his proclamation.
"Death? I would hope that's not in any of our futures for a long while."
"I know this is a happenstance meeting, but I sense the hand of fate at work here... and fate is not to be trifled with!"
After a dramatic pause, with much moustache stroking, the dwarf continues.
"I will let ye in on a secret, a secret that I think we all have a share in. Ye see, I've concluded from my divinations that something is afoot, something terrible, evil and vast. And it all has ties to this town as far as I can figure out. Now, I came here to explore the numerous cairns outside the town and was looking for ablebodied people to help me in my efforts, but I sense that there's more to my mission than just exploration, how ever grand that mission is in itself!"
"Even now, as we sit here, I feel the threads of fate tighten and knot around this very table. This could be the start of something grand... and mayhaps very dangerous!"
With that utterance a slight haze seems to come over the dwarf's eyes, just for a split second, then he takes a large gulp of his wine and seems to focus on the people around the table again... "Mmmm, great whine, no? Warms the body on a rainy day such as this."

"Mulled wine for five... well, three and two halves... then?"

"Indeed!"

How much for the wine?

"Sure did. Lookin' to get a group together to make a name for ourselves, and maybe earn some coin. Interested? You don't need an axe, a sword'll do just fine," Rend replies, failing to imagine that a dwarf could be anything but a warrior.

"I see... well, as it would happen, I could use some able bodied people for some explorations of my own."

Kharid starts to finger his mustache while a far away look settles over his eyes.
With an almost inaudible mumble he starts speaking again, "Yes... Yes... It would be quite useful with some extra hands... not much immediate gold and glory, though, but I'm sure we could earn a decent respect within The Most Respected Historical and Archeological Studies Society."
A small smile starts to creep across the dwarf's almost hidden lips, while he slowly nods to himself.
"Say, why don't ye and... it would seem the other young man there is with you, why don't we all sit and talk about it over some warm mulled wine? I have an enterprising young lad waiting at a table over there by the fire, ye are all welcome to join us!"

"If you carry an axe, you can be the third in our party, Dwarf. What do ya say?"

"... an axe? I'm not quite sure I know what ye mean my big fella," Kharid responds to the loud inquiries from the big half-orc, after a moment of seemingly disorrientation.

"Oh ye mean, do I have an axe? Sorry my friend, but I..." Kharid's voice trails off as another of the wee folk approaches and starts pestering the big half-orc.

The bartender pipes up, "Here now, none of that! Preachin' or Shovin'. The roudiness comes later, when I have more bouncers on staff. If you two can't sit and drink all quiet like, I'll have to ask you to leave, and come back when this is a less civil place."

"Yes, yes, as I was about to say, I'd like two of ye biggest jugs of mulled wine please. Properly warmed for me and my soggy friend back there."

Suddenly, as if inspiration suddenly hits him, Kharid turns to the big half-orc again. "Wait, did ye say a party?"

A steady drizzle had settled over the town when Kharid emerged from his rented room. After checking in with the Dwobels, his elderly landlords, if they needed anything from the general store Kharid started off towards the main street of the town.
Thick mud stuck to his sturdy boots, but after a couple of weeks in the almost constant mud he hardly noticed anymore. What he did notice, though, was another small caravan of refugees coming in through the city gate. Another ragtag bunch of people fleeing from the East, looking for safety and perhaps work anywhere they went. It was a sad situation and the more so for them to happen upon Diamond Lake.
Sure, there was work to be found here, but most of it consisted of backbreaking work in the mines for a few coppers and a hot meal a day... if the sludge Kharid had seen the miners being fed could be called a meal.
No, Diamond Lake itself had not turned out to be the great archaeological treasure trove he had hoped for. At least not where the mines were concerned. All they yielded was coal that did more to poison the surrounding land than any mining operation Kharid had ever seen do.
But there was still research to do about the many cairns around the town, although so far most people had either scoffed or laughed at him when he inquired about them.

Waiting for the train of wagons to pass, Kharid hitched his cloak further up around his head to ward of the water. It was one of those drizzles that didn't look like much, but would soak you in mere minutes if you didn't wear a good cloak or oilskin coat.
After the last wagon had passed Kharid jumped the tracks, which were quickly filling with water, and quickly reached the other side.
"Ahh, now for some warm mulled wine" he thought as he entered the rundown inn across the street.

And I'm very curious to know more about Kharid the dwarven diviner. I hope Gentle Giant can post more soon.

I've pilfered TwiceBorn's way of arranging my character and filled out most of it. Still a couple of things to put in there, depending on a yay or nay from Sean.

You mentioned earlier that none of us were from Jhesail (the capital), so I'd like to know where I could be from then?
This, of course, depends on you approving of Kharid taking these two feats:

Collegiate Wizard (Complete Arcane p. 181)
Precocious Apprentice (Complete Arcane p. 181)

If you won't allow these two feats, then I don't need to be from a major city (where one would suspect that a wizard's college could be found). ;)

But everybody is free to take a gander at my character so far and there's even a link to another page with a picture and a couple of different character sheets (and stat blocks).

Also, I have purchased 2 scrolls with the intention of having scribed them into my spellbook before the adventure starts, I just haven't rolled to see whether I succeeded.