Gan bows deeply to the cloaked man,
"I do not know the words to thank you good stranger. I am Gan from the Mondragone clan. We seek aid to help bring our commrads back to life. Might I ask your name at least good sir?"
"Thanks much for your assistance, sir. My noble companions and I... er, and these friends of the captain on loan to us for this journey..." Puck darts nervously about, not having been privy to this type of magic before ."We are united in the singular goal of restoring life to my lady and her companion. It... would surely have been an awful inconvenience to get eaten up here."
Puck clears his throat and his hands rather tremble as he closes the book in front of him. "Might I ask, sir, how you knew the words that dispatched our... assailant?"
Ariarh having ensured Tal was no longer spooked and safely secured, turns and looks at the man who had saved them and who even now two of her companions were addressing. Ariarh felt a sense of relief, awe and gratitude to the curious but interesting man before her. Ariarh held her tongue as her other companions were speaking but instinctively gave an elegant bow to the man as if acknowledging in gesture his great service to her and her friends.
Ariarh waited to hear the gray-cloaked man's words.
Gan bows deeply to the cloaked man,
"I do not know the words to thank you good stranger. I am Gan from the Mondragone clan. We seek aid to help bring our commrads back to life. Might I ask your name at least good sir?"
"I have many names, and am known by many faces. For now, you see me as a hunter. But I am also known as the Woodsman. You may call that, if it pleases you,"he says quietly.
"Well met Master Woodsman."
Gan dismounts Smoke and strokes his nose.
"We seek aid for those who died....saving me. I owe them much good Master. Now may I ask how you know that raven?"
"Thanks much for your assistance, sir. My noble companions and I... er, and these friends of the captain on loan to us for this journey..." Puck darts nervously about, not having been privy to this type of magic before ."We are united in the singular goal of restoring life to my lady and her companion. It... would surely have been an awful inconvenience to get eaten up here."
Puck clears his throat and his hands rather tremble as he closes the book in front of him. "Might I ask, sir, how you knew the words that dispatched our... assailant?"
"I know many things,"he returns gravely. "I dispatched nothing, though. I merely asked them to leave you be, and they obeyed."
"You would not have been eaten, as a bear eats a fish... Say rather that your flesh would have been stripped from your living body, until thy soul was exposed to the naked elements... forced to be forever damned in the eternal place between... Neither aging or failing, simply existing in constant misery for all time."
He gives Puck a quizzical look, staring hard at him.
"You are deep in study, I shall not sing a song for thy healing on this matter, for in it I see only your choice. But be wary that you study the right word, else the power of such dark compulsions may overthrow thy mind,"he adds the last intently.
"You know much Master Woodsman. Are you too part of this magic here?"
"You are deep in study, I shall not sing a song for thy healing on this matter, for in it I see only your choice. But be wary that you study the right word, else the power of such dark compulsions may overthrow thy mind,"he adds the last intently.
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"Well met Master Woodsman."
Gan dismounts Smoke and strokes his nose.
"We seek aid for those who died....saving me. I owe them much good Master. Now may I ask how you know that raven?"
"You may ask whatever thy will... Yet I should caution thee; the Raven is filled with wisdom and great study. A teacher to the young and a master of Lore. A comrade and ally, a friend and companion... True friend to all, and especially to the Dwarven kind, for the Dwarven race, it is said, knew the trick of speaking their tongue, and often conversed with the ancient line of Ravens to communicate messages from afar."
He turns his gaze full on Gan.
"Yet if I take thy meaning correctly thou would presume to mistake a raven with a crow. The crow, too, is a messenger. But he heralds death; and his presence is the callsign of battle and evil deeds. Among the birds of the air there are many descendants of the ancient Crow, father of Carrion and Eater of the Dead... For thousands of years they have lived to feast on corpses after battle... gorging on blood and flesh... is it any wonder, then, having now met the ancestor of such birds that common crows would not stray so far from his wickedness? Yea, I say unto thee: that which thy witnessed was an ancient bird, father of generations of the Carrion Fowl who feed on flesh. By ill luck thy stumbled ever close to his domain, and he sought to snare thee in his foul web of evil. But fortune or Fate drew me to thee... for it was even the gifts that thy allies spread to my people which altered my footsteps to thy journey, and in time enough to save thee from such pain that the Crow may offer thee. Be comforted, though. He has left thee, and I shall guide thee away from his gaze. Yet I say unto thee; be wary under the eaves of the trees belonging to the Fey Folk, for not all are merry and bright. Some are far more akin to the name "fey", and in truth, there is more peril then amusement beneath their watching eyes."
Gan bows his head, "My appologies Master Woodsman, crows and ravens are not much akin to my homeland and I have only been in these lands yet a short time. Tell me more about this Raven if you would."
"You know much Master Woodsman. Are you too part of this magic here?"
"That is too long an answer to make on this day... for I sense you have business to the west... But I tarry here, from time to time... will that suffice?" he answers.
"You are deep in study, I shall not sing a song for thy healing on this matter, for in it I see only your choice. But be wary that you study the right word, else the power of such dark compulsions may overthrow thy mind,"he adds the last intently.
You are exactly correct via the rules and how you are playing it. But the decision to study it initially, hence the Willpower roll was made by Puck. Ever sense that was made, Puck has had darker compulsions. He will eventually get a chance to break away from it. But not for a bit.
Also, it is possible this guy is speaking in riddles, or mysteries, or is being poetic, possibly being misleading and almost certainly he probably has not read the rule books :)
I'd recommend just social RPing it out... No bad harm will come to Puck at this time, it is more of a social thing. Treat it like a puzzle and it is a lot more fun. At least, that's my intention.
"You would not have been eaten, as a bear eats a fish... Say rather that your flesh would have been stripped from your living body, until thy soul was exposed to the naked elements... forced to be forever damned in the eternal place between... Neither aging or failing, simply existing in constant misery for all time."
"Good Woodsman, I would like to extend my own gratitude in what you have done for all of us this day. To be forever damned as you have described would have been cruel and horrible and you have spared us such a fate." Ariarh cannot help but look into the Woodsman's grey eyes. She is further intrigued by him and by the manner in which he speaks.
"You know much Master Woodsman. Are you too part of this magic here?""That is too long an answer to make on this day... for I sense you have business to the west... But I tarry here, from time to time... will that suffice?" he answers.
"I should like to return and converse with you on this subject another time if possible. Now we seek a temple of an elk to perhaps aid our fallen friends. Can you tell us anything about this elk?"
Gan bows his head, "My appologies Master Woodsman, crows and ravens are not much akin to my homeland and I have only been in these lands yet a short time. Tell me more about this Raven if you would."
"What Raven do thy ask on? I have shown thee none, only spoken of the ancient ravens... Thou hast seen none today. Only the Crow... Father of Carrion, who sat perched on the tree and sought to lead thee to death... But if thy would know more on that creature, I shall not tell thee. The tail of the Crow is dark and twisted, like the heart of the Willow... and is not best suited for these times... or such places as this..." he answers sternly.
He is currenlty leading you all quickly to what seems like the south, but the sky is overcast and you cannot be sure of your direction. Even that one person in the party who glibly decides to look at his compass to get a reading and thereby skew great efforts to mask their location with desperate attempts at potentially cool story telling is stunned to see that the compass needle is spinning round and about!
Gan casts Know Direction.
"I speak of the Raven you mentioned that is wise and a friend to all. I should like to know of her. This Crow seemed evil and twisted to me and I prefer to stay away from evil if you know what I mean."
"I should like to return and converse with you on this subject another time if possible. Now we seek a temple of an elk to perhaps aid our fallen friends. Can you tell us anything about this elk?""You know much Master Woodsman. Are you too part of this magic here?""That is too long an answer to make on this day... for I sense you have business to the west... But I tarry here, from time to time... will that suffice?" he answers.
The woodsman stares over the trees; his eyes far away, yet he continues brisk stride. Naturally, SOME of you are riding on your horses and SOME of you are walking by your horses, but ALL of you are following the man.
"Long time that has stood... many ages passed... A holy site, a place of great power... It is said that sacred issues still touch that site, and a person with a true heart and pure spirit can petition the keeper of the place for great favor, even today."
The man pauses and stops, staring to the west, his lean features caught in the light of the sun starting to fade in the west through the trees.
"If thy would travel there, it is likely thy would find great rewards, and yet dangers too. There are many foul things brewing in the west, and they seek to expand their dominion across the land, and cover this realm in darkness. But I say unto thee, when thy reach the temple, seek the altar there and offer they petition. Then, if one of thee can show their love for the fallen, it may be that a great miracle shall happen. For there are many anceint powers in the world of men, and many more beyond it... A true heart, a true friend... this may yet turn back even the wheels of Death itself... if the god that blesses that place is willing to hear thy words..." he says, then turns his gray eyes on you, and leads you forward again, his pace quickened.
You are all feeling refreshed, not tired, and feel that you are moving quickly, and making good time, though you are not sure where you are going, or what direction you are traveling... Only that none of you doubt the word or intentions of this Woodsman. He seesm to be possesed with a true heart and you trust his intentions completely.
No, he will not lead you astray.
"If thy would travel there, it is likely thy would find great rewards, and yet dangers too. There are many foul things brewing in the west, and they seek to expand their dominion across the land, and cover this realm in darkness. But I say unto thee, when thy reach the temple, seek the altar there and offer they petition. Then, if one of thee can show their love for the fallen, it may be that a great miracle shall happen. For there are many anceint powers in the world of men, and many more beyond it... A true heart, a true friend... this may yet turn back even the wheels of Death itself... if the god that blesses that place is willing to hear thy words..." he says, then turns his gray eyes on you, and leads you forward again, his pace quickened.
Puck frowns when he hears the Woodsman's speech. He considers himself a true friend of the lady, but as for love... Though she were exceedingly tolerant and a goodly mistress of his heart, allowing him his freedom more oft than not, he could not call it love.
And what of the lad? he wonders. If ever true a friend to stand for him among their number...
And the signs... Yes, the signs... He felt their darkness tugging at him, and looked upon the book hastily shut before him, and quickly opened it. His lady would revive, he was sure. Alaric were cheerful enough, and his grief were true. His lady would rise and assist him to decipher the meaning of the signs. And no darkness would come to either of them. No...
Gan casts Know Direction.
"I speak of the Raven you mentioned that is wise and a friend to all. I should like to know of her. This Crow seemed evil and twisted to me and I prefer to stay away from evil if you know what I mean."
"I know many things, said and unsaid. As for what they may mean?"he looks at Gan with stern eyes. "If thy would have me know thee better, then speak plainer. But in this case, I sense thy meaning correctly, I shoud think. For the Ravens? They lived here long, and dwell in the northlands, in the tall moutnains will thy find their eeries... but not here... here is only quiet soiltitude, punctuated now and again by gentle laughter of the folk who live under the leaves... yet there are other creatures that thou would best be wary of; I caution thee..."
He keeps walking, though.
"But take heart! Thou shall not be troubled by them again while we journey together... Look!" he adds suddenly.
You see that as you are rounding a hill and looking down through the woods the conjoined linkings of various streams and wetlands.
"This is the begining of the river, which runs for many leagues to the south. Thy shall not travel with ease through the swamps here, but rather, if thou would journey south for a few miles thy shall find a place that is safe to cross. Having crossed the river, you will be able to find the temple."
Riding atop Tal with a wide awake and refreshed Dior perched on her shoulder, Ariarh listens to the Woodsman's words and heeds his advice and warning re the Temple of the Elk.
Ariarh sincerely hoped there was one among Captain N'Var's outriders who would speak/stand for the fallen soldier upon that altar. She believed there were one or two at the least who could stand for Hermia.
"My words are not meant to be cryptic Master Woodsman. I sincerely want to learn about ancient creatures of all types; however, I seek out those that are good and can improve my own understandings."
Puck shakes his head and slams the book closed once again. No! My lady is light, and this... this is...
Puck appears to breathe somewhat heavily as he forces himself to address his lady's companions. "If there are naught to speak for the lad among our number, or his..." he trails and looks at the book longingly. "Perhaps Alaric, or, or... Smendor! Yes, my lady doth often called thee friend, may stand for her, and she... with her great heart, can call upon the lad?" Puck grips the book tightly, even now appearing to struggle with his desire to rouse his lady and that to decipher the code in the book.
Roll for HP:
I took Dodge as my Monk Feat...so I get a +1 to AC
I will email you my new character sheet
"My words are not meant to be cryptic Master Woodsman. I sincerely want to learn about ancient creatures of all types; however, I seek out those that are good and can improve my own understandings."
"Then may fortune favor you on thy quest... "he says with a grim smile, and a bow, and turns and strides far into the woods.
Puck shakes his head and slams the book closed once again. No! My lady is light, and this... this is...
Puck appears to breathe somewhat heavily as he forces himself to address his lady's companions. "If there are naught to speak for the lad among our number, or his..." he trails and looks at the book longingly. "Perhaps Alaric, or, or... Smendor! Yes, my lady doth often called thee friend, may stand for her, and she... with her great heart, can call upon the lad?" Puck grips the book tightly, even now appearing to struggle with his desire to rouse his lady and that to decipher the code in the book.
"Well, we all share an equal love for her, like as naught... but none o' us more then ye do, eh?"Brett says drily.
He seems a little unsettled with Puck's strange seeming obsession with the text he's been reading.
"But let's not be counting chicken's a'fore they've hatched, nor zombies before they rise,"he adds.
"We don't even know what needs gettin' done at that temple. Mayhap we get there and everyone get raised fair easy. Who knows? Mayhap everyone be taken care of real easy. I say we don't worry too much on it till we get there... then, only then, need be worrying, if at all," he adds.
"Well I think we should travel with all swiftness to this Temple of the Elk. Caution should be taken however, and we should hope there is a true friend of this soldier else he stay with the dead."
** spoiler omitted **
I will respond via email... Regarding your question
Alaric has looked upon this with awe. Rendered speechless by the appearance of the Woodsman. This man who spoke with such grace and power. Can it be? Was that really him?
Alaric overcomes his awe and says I believe we were just in the presence of a god...or an avatar of one. Unless I have been addled beyond comprehension by the dark power of the crow...that was Erastil himself. Alaric looks like he may pass out from the sheer shock of it.
Alaric has looked upon this with awe. Rendered speechless by the appearance of the Woodsman. This man who spoke with such grace and power. Can it be? Was that really him?
Alaric overcomes his awe and says I believe we were just in the presence of a god...or an avatar of one. Unless I have been addled beyond comprehension by the dark power of the crow...that was Erastil himself. Alaric looks like he may pass out from the sheer shock of it.
Brett looks on in shock.
"By thunder, lad... you've been so quiet I thought you were fair sleeping! Good to hear your thinking on it... but faith! That were a strange event all around... Begging your pardon, though, but next time I vote we go around the Fey forest, eh?"
Knowledge Religion:
"This Erastil I recall someone telling us the Elk was Erastil...is it that he showed us the way to His temple?"
"That fey forest seems a strange place indeed; however, if it allows the communion with a god..."
Gan's voice tails off.
"If we could see Erastil could we also find Gorum? I should very much like to learn from him..."
Alaric has looked upon this with awe. Rendered speechless by the appearance of the Woodsman. This man who spoke with such grace and power. Can it be? Was that really him?
Alaric overcomes his awe and says I believe we were just in the presence of a god...or an avatar of one. Unless I have been addled beyond comprehension by the dark power of the crow...that was Erastil himself. Alaric looks like he may pass out from the sheer shock of it.
"Well I have to admit, Alaric, the Woodsman was certainly ... fascinating. I, for one, am indebted to our rescuer, whichever guise he appeared to us in." Ariarh's face is still lit up with her interest in the departed Woodsman.
Knowledge Religion:1d20+3
"This Erastil I recall someone telling us the Elk was Erastil...is it that he showed us the way to His temple?"
"So... you saying we was in the presence of some sort of god? Well, then how come he didn't just raise up them that be dead, if that be the case,"Brett mutters to himself.
Mayhap that be because the god just wanted to be asked direct, if god it were...
At the mention of communion, Puck grips the text hard and begins crying. His memories of sitting on his lady's knee while she prayed are just within reach, her gentle smile and the light she channeled to heal his wounds when first they both were freed from captivity in Kressle's keep. Just beneath the darkness gnawing at his heart. If he were to stand for her in this state...
"Lady!"
"Tis a good question Master Brett, but I would venture a guess that proper worship is required."
Remembering his promise to Mistress Ry Gan reaches into his saddlebags and pulls out his well worn leather book and hands it to Mistress Ry.
At the mention of communion, Puck grips the text hard and begins crying. His memories of sitting on his lady's knee while she prayed are just within reach, her gentle smile and the light she channeled to heal his wounds when first they both were freed from captivity in Kressle's keep. Just beneath the darkness gnawing at his heart. If he were to stand for her in this state...
"Lady!"
"Master Sparrow, were you addressing me?"/Sylvan
Remembering his promise to Mistress Ry Gan reaches into his saddlebags and pulls out his well worn leather book and hands it to Mistress Ry.
Ariarh was pleased to have Gan's book in her hands, again. The excitement of learning something new and reading such an exotic book, made her smile a little brighter.
"I have been looking forward to you showing me the meanings of some of these symbols, my friend."
"I would venture a guess that he was refering to Lady Hermia."
"I would venture a guess that he was refering to Lady Hermia."
"I was not sure and thus the reason I asked, my friend. I did not want our brownie friend to think I was ignoring him if he was indeed speaking to me."
Puck nods sadly. "I need... her help... to learn the signs," he says. "I... cannot... stand for her... like this."
"Soon my friend. We shall see her yet again."
Puck nods sadly. "I need... her help... to learn the signs," he says. "I... cannot... stand for her... like this."
"My hopes are that we can return her to you as soon as possible. The good Woodsman has led us closer to this temple and that much closer to a remedy. Hold strong, Master Sparrow." Ariarh wished she could find a way to console the brownie but alas she believed only the hale return of his mistress cleric could restore his happiness and peace.
"Do you still want to learn my native tongue Mistress Ry? If so it would be my honor to teach you."
Gan says trying to break everyone's somber mood.
"Do you still want to learn my native tongue Mistress Ry? If so it would be my honor to teach you."
Gan says trying to break everyone's somber mood.
"It would be an honour to learn your native tongue, Gan. Aye, I am most agreeable to the teaching. Thank you." Ariarh bestows Gan with a grateful smile.
Puck shakes his head, then leans forward over the text and continues crying for a while, until the darkness creeps into his heart, and robs him of all grief. Sniffling slightly, he pulls himself up stiffly against the pommel and opens the tome, and continues reading.
His lady has a head for puzzles, when she wakes, she will assist him in solving this one, he is sure of it.
Gan reaches into his saddlebags and retrieves his well worn leather book and hands it to Lady Ry with a smile and a nod.
If she learns it well she will be able to see my shame...but I must teach her even if it drives her away.
"Open to the first page my Lady. The first thing you should know is that we write from top to bottom and right to left, unlike the common tongue."
I, too, believe I will be going to bed as well...
Godspeed, fair wizard! - Homer Jay Simpson
Gan continues,"The first symbal you see good Lady is the sign for the word duty."