The magus chuckles "Good thing I am not helping you then, hmm? I dislike a human who seems to so very want to be an elf. You play in the forest, wishing you were like us. You speak our language, often for no reason other than to show off. So yes, I have great disdain for "your kind" which would be those pretending to be elves."
He looks around the room, gazing at each in turn "Hezar is perhaps jealous of my people, and of my skill in battle. But if I truly was as he says, then I would have done nothing to aid in the battle the night before. I would have not 'wasted' that scroll, and instead would have scribed into my spellbook, even though I currently lack the ability to cast such a spell. I could have stayed down here, in the safety of this haven, and not risked my life. Yet I did, and I will do so again, and again, until this vile corruption against nature and the very gods is destroyed."
He pauses, letting his words sink in "I will attempt to speak to my family. My grandfather is cousin to the Treespeaker of the Wealdath, perhaps he will hear us out."
You seemed happy to fire my arrows from the rooftop Lafali have you forgotten? A shame you were not prepared for the fight. That scroll was Elur's not your to scribble. As to your skill in battle I have yet to see anything to brag about. You have done nothing of more note than the rest of us.
Rising. I have shamed myself by speaking to this scum. I will not sit at council with it. Landon, Duvall, Janiries, Belgrin, Marius, Pontus, I will follow your decision. I have allowed trash to make me lose my calm.
Hezar bows to Spectator and Lady and leaves, furious at himself.
"How quickly you forget, though I can not blame you. Clearly, your mind is fogged by that hussy you bed with. It likely was her that ransacked Janiries' belongings, as she seems to lack any morals. Which of us cast the spell that enabled our dwarven friend the ability to hold the line at the entrance to the temple? Which of us successfully activated the scroll, cast the Fireball spell it contained, destroying the first wave of ghouls? Yes, that is right, it must have been the mighty mage Hezar. How could I have forgotten?" He says with a smirk.
As the woodsman gets up and leaves Ariael makes a flippant dismissing motion with his hand "Run along dalharlith and let the adults finish talking about important matters"
Dalharlith means child of a lesser race, very much an insult.
Hezar pauses in the door.
For one so powerful it is a shame that not once have you put yourself in any danger. Attacking from the back. Tethys falls and it was me, the powerless human who killed BOTH of the ghouls in the room in range of their deadly teeth and claws.
I shamed myself by speaking with you this day. I have proven my bravery and worth, you have proven naught but your misplaced arrogance and bigotry. I shall fight to keep you from falling in battle, but I will shed no tears for you when you do.
I have shamed myself for the last time today, and I will not speak with you again until you have proven you are no coward. A task I suspect far beyond you.
So sorry to have sullied your tongue again your majesty. I will run along now. Hezar says as he bows elaborately.
"If I am a coward from attacking via point of strength, which as a wielder of eldritch energies would be from a distance, then what does that make you? Have you not also assaulted our enemies from afar with your bow?? You did indeed stand your ground versus a pair of ghouls, yet I did the same back at the watchtower, when all of you jumped down the hole, save myself and Janiries. Yet all you did was once more fire arrows at our enemy, while when I stood my ground it was with my rapier full in the vile undead's face. You are the coward, who time and again shoots our enemies from afar, and you are doubly a coward for leaving this council. Yes, I dislike you, but that has not prevented me from staying. Nor do I take my ball and go away, because you have said words which I may not have liked. So run coward, weakling, child, run and seek comfort in the arms of your harlot. You do not belong at this table if all that it takes is some harsh words to make you run from your responsibilities as a man"
Hezar turns and bows elaborately again, saying nothing. Then leaves.
Belgrin takes another cupful and slams his glass down on the table. "Alright elf. Ye've said yer peace, now if ye don't mind, ye can hold the rest till we've got Lassathor's head on a pike. Ya made your point, but if ye end up splitting the group like this, all it'll do is leave us a man down. No one's got any right at this table to call anyone a coward, harlot, or thief. Not till we've put every last ghoul to the pyre. Once Tethyr's not standin' at death's door en masse, the two of ye can beat each other black and blue for all ye like. Hell, I'll even get the elders to set up an arena for ya and charge for admission. But for now, the both of ye need to STIFLE IT!"
Belgrin bites off a chunk of cheese and continues. "And for the record, it don't matter to me who stands behind who, long as we all get a piece of the action. Somebody go remind the ranger we're s'posed to be part of the same team. Don't wanna have to knock their heads together and leave em tied up in a room for a week to teach em to get along."
Ariael waves the problem aside "As I said, it is wind among the trees. Despite the words spoken here, I will do what is right and set aside my differences with him. We are at war now and I for one will not let the opinions or actions of one person prevent me from waging it"
Duvall, having observed the heated exchange, walks over to Ariael and says, "All of us are exhausted and upset about this great evil which threatens not only our lives, but the lives of the innocents we serve and protect. Confrontation is healthy, my friend - name-calling, however, is not. Both you and Hezar are very valuable to our group and what we are trying to do. I would advise giving it a few days to cool down and then have a private conversation - just the two of you - to settle it and put it aside for good. We need both of you for this war."
Duvall clasps Ariael on the shoulder in companionship and then walks away.
Just before the council breaks up....
The ghostly cleric nods at Landon's astute questions. Lassathor has made the mistake of many an aspiring demigod; lacking in personal power to ascend, he stole the means from another. In his case, the item he counted upon was an ancient artifact called the crown of Savras. When the crown was taken from him, he lacked the power to resist our forces and was overcome. For our part, however, we lacked the power to destroy him, and were thus forced to lock him away, separated from his source of power. That he dreams still must mean that he has been freed, but not reunited with the crown. Finding the crown, which was spirited away from here, is thus an important task as well.
Xanathos shakes his head at the mention of humanoid followers. Lassathor is an enemy of the living, be they human, elf, dwarf, orc ... kuo-toa, whatever you wish. His power base is the undead; and his call will grow ever wider, until his worshippers are enough to cause his ascension. That would be a bad thing.
From the previous night:
After the council:
She looks up after a moment and smiles, a genuine, lovely smile. My lord! I have repaired your shirt and trousers for you! She nods to your garments, spread upon the bed. Looking back to you, she regards you for a moment before fear spreads across her face. My lord? What is wrong? What has happened? Is there ill news from the council? She stands up quickly, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, clearly expecting the worst of news.
After the council:
Hezar tries to smile. And call me Hezar, as I proved by my actions I am not lord.
Hezar lays back on the bunk and stairs at the bottom of the bunk above.
Then he simply says. Thank you.
The sun elf stays quiet during the bickering, drinking her wine and looking slightly annoyed until the Lady Andrea speaks.
"So, it looks like we have some things to do. Talk to the Dwarves of the Starspire mountains, the nobles of Tethyr, the Helmite church in Tethyr, the druidic circles and the Elves of the Wealdath, as well as find a crown. Should be fun. I'm sure we could probably find more allies once the threat Lassathor poses is wider known."
With that, the ghostly cleric casts remove curse:
remove curse vs DC 28:
Success! As Lady Andrea casts the spell, you hear a scream - distant, as if from within the ground itself - feminine, and outraged! It recedes after a moment. The scourge drops to the ground with an anticlimatic thud.
Gather it in a cloth, and take it with you, Janiries of house Shaelara. Destroy it soon, so that no other may be caught by it!
Home is now where I choose it to be, where the people I care for are. For now, my lord, it is by your side. In the future .... if there is a future ... it will be with my husband. She looks meaningfully to you as she speaks, her eyes saying more than her lips.
I hope she does not think I am rejecting her Hezar thinks to himself.
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"Aye. We're to rally a world for war, get a half dozen or more races and countries to deal with each other long enough to kill an army of their own deceased, find a legendary artifact, and put a power-mad priest to the flames. so what are we waitin' for?"
"My thanks. When we find our way back to Zazzespur, I'll make sure to get it destroyed."
The Sun Elf would then find a cloth from around the bunker to wrap the scourge up in, then place it at the bottom of her duffle bag.
After all that, in response to Belgrin, "So we won't be done by supper? in all seriousness though, this task will take a lot of time and effort. Let's hope our future allies behave better than our friends here."
She clears her throat and puts a hand to her chest for a moment. I am no silly girl, Hezar. My fancy does not waver. I am not trying to entrap you in a marriage that you do not want. Marriage for me, for my people, is sacred. When a woman gives herself as bride to a man, she yields all of herself, willingly, to her husband's love and authority. But both hearts must be willing.
She stands up, silent but for the rustle of her long skirt. I should like to see that mural again, which moved me so. When you are done worrying about how the elf feels about you, perhaps you would join me. There is no-one else whose company I would desire more. With that, she walks away, dropping her head as she passes a clutch of commoner girls, whispering and pointing at her.
She leads you to the wardroom, where the council was held in the morning. On the table is a gleaming shield, a bottle full of some sort of shining liquid, a heavy mace and a small prayerbook. Brother, I have been directed by our lord Helm himself to deliver unto thee these boons, that shall serve you well. The first is this shield; of superb quality, it shall guard you well. Know that this shield contains a relic of our faith; a fingerbone of Saint Cullen, guardian of Neverwinter. This shield will act as your divine focus, your holy symbol, when casting spells in combat.
The second item she points to is the heavy mace. This mace has been consecrated by our order, and is over 1000 years old. But it is as sound as the day it was forged; for it is made of adamantine, and is unbreakable. I hope it serves you well as you face the challenges ahead.
The third item is the bottle of liquid. This polish is called everbright. Used by our order for millenia, it protects your armour from all sorts of corrosion, and helps protect you from acid, as well.
The fourth item is the prayerbook. This is the most valuable gift of all. In this book are spells, unique to our order, that are gifts from Helm himself. When you are able, this book will teach you the words needed to channel magic from Helm which will bolster you and your allies, and decimate your foes!
Please do not go. I am not afraid of being entrapped. I am filled with fear. So much fear. When you are hear I feel safer and centered.
Hezar pulls her close and all but whispers. You must understand that I have lived my life in my small piece of the forest. The past 5 years I have lived completely alone, only traveling into the city once a year. I want you to share that with you. I do. I just fear. Please stay with me while I conquer my fears. Please allow me the time I need. Please.
Hezar watches her filled with fear, and anxiety.
The mace is a masterwork heavy mace made of adamantine.
Everbright, once applied to your armour, gives you resistance 5 to acid.
The prayerbook will give you access to extra spells, expanding your list. Helm-specific spells can be memorized in both regular spell slots and domain slots! The spells start at level two.
Hezar walks with her to the mural. And observes it, muttering a prayer to Helm. A prayer of thanks and hope.
Once everyone has some time to themselves to prepare Landon will go searching for Ariael.
"Do you have time to talk? I was hoping you could give me some insight regarding the resident elvish population. I have very little experience regarding them. Do you think they would be willing to ally with us or do you think they would more likely prefer to deal with it themselves on their own terms?"
"I would be remiss if I did not tell you I have never had an apprentice, nor do I know exactly how to teach you. But I refuse to let anything happen to you because of your abilities, if its possible for me to help you."
He smiles at her last comment "I honestly do not what the future may hold, but companionship, of any kind, is always welcome in hard times. I get the feeling these might be some of the hardest ever faced"
Landon will Ariael sitting with Hannah, the two of them talking quietly. He looks up at Landon's words "I believe I will be able to convince my grandfather to speak with the Treespeaker. Whether or not She thinks its a good idea to assist or not will be up to Her, but I do not think we be left all alone. We may not get too much aid, but I can almost guarntee a little" He says with a small smile.
"Thank you. And excuse me for interrupting."
Afterwards Landon will spend some time quietly pacing back and forth along the hallways while reviewing the recent events and challenges. We have stumbled upon a cult that is reawakening an ancient evil necromancer with powers believed comparable to a demi-god. The surrounding area is infested with vile undead, including obviously intelligent ones. Hidden and forgotten beneath a sleepy town lies an equally ancient fortress temple dedicated to Helm that i doubt anyone in the church currently knew about with a miraculously friendly aberration and the ghost of cleric waiting inside. We are now faced with travelling all across Tethyr in hopes of collecting enough support from powers and peoples that in many cases want nothing to do with each other and then leading an army against an ever growing legion of the undead. But how? Think Landon! There is always a solution no matter how complex the puzzle. Wait, puzzle pieces. Each piece only ever has to interact with the pieces adjacent to it. Maybe, just maybe, if we can figure out who would be willing to work together we can build off of that until we form a cohesive pattern, and thus the puzzle. I can't believe my grandmother's nattering on about puzzles and patterns actually works in regards to political agendas. No wonder we survived the uprising. I'm going to have to apologize to her next time i see her for thinking she was being ridiculous.
Landon will then head off hurriedly in search of the dwarves.
"Friends, can I ask you some questions regarding your clan?"
"Oh?" Belgrin finishes wiping his beard as Landon finishes his pacing. "Ye wondering how they'll react, eh? The Stoneshields at least are known for puttin their feet down where they stand and not givin an inch, but they're not too stubborn to answer crimes against the clan, like this. The Ironfists ah can't say ah know much about though.
Duvall again falls to his knees before the watchghost, awed by the gifts. Truly, Helm is visiting me in spirit form. Oh, that I can live long enough to be worthy of his blessings! I vow I will use these boons with all my power to defeat the evil one and his minions.
@ Duvall: Andrea smiles - always disconcerting, as she is a ghost - and speaks kindly. You have earned these tools, Brother. Helm himself watches over your quest, and desires your success. She kneels down and whispers so only you can hear.
With that she falls silent, a sad look on her ancient face.
@ Belgrin and Landon: Pontus stands up proudly. We Ironfists have ever stood by our allies. Though our ancestral hold is farther north, up the sword coast, our colony here has done well. The hold in the Starspires is of Ironfist and Stoneshield both; and members of each clan should be there to petition the elders for action. But it'll be worth it, lads! Two hundred dwarven warriors, my friends! A force worth many times its number! We have crushed Orc forces four times our number!
"Do your clans have any long standing hostilities or friendships that may affect our plans? With the elves or some of Tethyr's nobility maybe?"
@ Ariael: The watchghost, Lady Andrea, beckons for you to follow her. She leads you to the wardroom before speaking.
First, as you are a warrior, please accept this rapier. It was hard to obtain, as few in our order use such weapons! This one is magical, and edged in silver, which may be useful in your trials.
The next item she points to is a silver ring, with a red enamel encircling it. This ring will help protect you in your travels. It may one day be the difference between life and death, protecting you from a killing blow.
The third item is a slender spellbook. This book has been in our library for centuries, without a mage to read it. We turn it now, over to you, in hopes that the spells it contains will be of use to you, and your allies.
Lady Andrea smiles. You have our blessing, Ariael. I wish you well in your travels, and know that the hopes of many ride upon you and your choices!
The rapier is a +1 magical weapon, and has been silvered.
The ring is a +1 ring of protection.
The spellbook contains the following spells:
Level One: color spray; grease; shocking grasp
Level Two: bull's strength; glitterdust; invisibility
Level Three: fireball; gaseous form; wind wall
@ Landon: Pontus replies: We dwarves have mainly kept to ourselves, trusting in our own strength to protect us from the unrest in Tethyr. Pontus says. We've had our trouble with Orcs in the Starspires - but last I saw, things had quieted down a bit. The Orcs, they often come at us in eighteen year cycles - takes em that long to breed replacements for all the bastards we slay. We've had little to do with the elves, though we trade often with the humans in Zazzespur and Ithmong, and the halflings in the Purple Hills.
The ghostly cleric leads you to the wardroom. Helm has asked that you be given several gifts to help you on your path. I would ask you, also, to be cautious in your dealings with your allies. Ariael, as best example. I fear that your relationship with him has become poison; I would not see that poison spread, for it could be the ruin of us all!
The first gift is a compound bow. We give you this, master archer, in order to enhance your craft. This bow is magic, and has been weighted to a pull perfectly in tune with your strength. Use it in defense of the helpless!
The second item is a suit of chainmail, but incredibly light and fine. This is elven chainmail, my lord. It will allow you to move and be light on your feet, whilst still affording you great protection from harm.
The third item is a small, bronze ring. This ring will aid you in avoiding harm, young Hezar. Whether it be poison, or dragon's breath, this ring shall help thee!
On the morrow, go with the blessing of Helm, and know that the hopes of all who wish to live free go with you!
The bow is a +1 composite longbow, keyed for your strength bonus (+1).
The chainmail is elven chainmail, of course!
The ring is a ring of resistance +1.
He shows them to Belina, along with the new ring on his finger. Can you believe these gifts? These are the finest things I have ever owned!
Then he drops the items and lifts her off the ground. Though if I may "claim" you, at least until you abandon me for that charmer Belgrin, they are a distant second in the list of finest things I have ever possessed.