Serolt agrees to everything so far. "Yes, let's put a large supply of rations at the temple. If you ever need them father, please help yourself. No need for anyone to go hungry."
Serolt helps to pack the cart, and their mule as well. "Father, can you use a helpful mule at your site? We haven't really used the brute much, but he's a nice old mule. Might be helpful to you."
When the party discusses the wand situation, Serolt agrees with Jacobus, "Yes, there will be other winters, let's keep the wand for them. I don't want to die out there for want of a bit of warmth." he grins.
Just before he leaves he pulls Oleg aside, "Dearest Oleg, there's a bow I require, here are the specifications." he hands him a slip of paper and a bag of gold. "See what you can do for me, thanks!"
____________________________________
Kryolani is antsy to get on the way and, unusually, doesn't even contribute much to the discussion of wands.
"It'll be summer soon, and would be nice to have on a hot day." is all he says on the subject.
Instead, he paces. When asked, he claims to be stretching his legs. It's obvious to most of the people at the trading post that his recent illness bothers him more than he'd like to admit, perhaps even to himself. Helplessness does not befit a Surtova.
His mood does notably brighten when they discuss returning to the forgotten temple of Erastil to re-establish it as a place of worship. The idea that the group is making real progress in claiming these wilds as their own is enough to break the frown from his face.
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— Oathday, Gozran the 20th, 4609 AR
— Morning to Evening
— Oleg’s Trading Post
— Shiny and temperate
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A decision has been made. The party will escort both Jhod Kavken and Vekkel Benzen to the Lost Temple to Erastil deep in the Narlmarches, where the Erastilian priest and the retired hunter plan to stay for a few months in order to rebuild the shrine. The group of adventurers will use the Temple of the Elk as a base camp to avoid coming back to Oleg’s Trading Post too frequently. Jhod has a cart he has recently bought from Oleg, and the group has spent part of the last night loading it with trail rations. The cart, along with the rations it hauls, will be dragged by the party’s mule. Travel will be slower than usual due to the cart: both Serolt and Vekkel agree that the journey will likely take about three days with a forced march or three along the way. The weather is shaping up nicely and will likely stay shiny and temperate for the entire duration of the journey.
After bartering the last goods with Oleg and saying goodbye to everyone at Oleg’s Trading Post, the group departs, headed to the Temple of the Elk.
---
The first day of travel passes by without any dangerous creature threatening the group. The party has left Oleg’s Trading Post behind and entered a plain area they explored in the last weeks. While traveling, in the morning, the group found a tree adorned in prayer flags―most of them in honor of Erastil, as Jhod Kavken points out, but some of them in tribute to other gods as well, such as Gorum and Ketephys, a deity most of the party members never heard of before. The prayer flag in honor of Ketephys is written in Elvish.
Jhod Kavken was particularly pleased at the sight of the presence of such a devotion even in such harsh wildlands, and seized the opportunity to speak about Erastil and his worship and worshippers throughout Golarion.
In the afternoon, the most noteworthy thing the party stumbled upon was a cairn with a wide panorama of the countryside.
---
When the sun sets, the group camps in the plains. Vekkel has proven particularly skilled at finding the good spot where to build the camp. The day of travel has been slow and tiring, especially for Jhod and Vekkel who are not in their youth anymore, but the cart has allowed the priest and the retired hunter to bring a cauldron with them, so when the time comes you cook your rations into a fine stew. Jhod proves to be an excellent cook, and the resulting stew is earthy and tasty. You spend the rest of the night sharing hunting tales with both Vekkel and Jhod.
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Serolt, sitting near the cauldron, whittling a little and throwing the shavings in the fire, eventually shares a hunting story of his own.
The big man speaks, ”In my youth I was a mediocre hunter. I was OK, but tended to bag smaller animals, always afraid (a little) of the larger game. My skills seemed to plateau too, before I reached adult hood. My friends were getting better and better, but I found it difficult to keep up with them and eventually slid back - hunting with youths several years my younger.”
”It was on one of these hunts that I targeted a particularly beautiful Fire Pelt. On downing her (as I would discover) I came across a little litter of youthful Fire Pelts, only recently weaned.” Serolt stares into the flames as he recalls the scene.
”I learned then what my Quah, my tribe, had been trying to teach me each in their own way. It changed me.”
”Partnership with nature is just that. A partnership. All I had done, thus far, was take. I was a parasite on the land - I must learn to have a symbiotic relationship instead. There must be some sort of balance in all things. Take - sure - but give back as well.”
”My community comes first, and I will contribute to it all that I can. If I don’t give something back, who will?” he intones, repeating an oft used phrase of Erastil. ”What I learned that day was that nature itself is a part of my community. Not just my Quah or my traveling companions.” he looks up to the group.
”So my younger self stopped his life that day and I raised that litter myself. Instead of being gone a few days on a hunting trip, I spent many months on a life journey. I returned to the Shiikirri-Quah with the largest of the brood, Regin here. I was a changed man, and the tribe embraced me, granting me a new name, an adult name - Serolt.”
”That’s the day I became a man.” He reaches down and tousles Regin’s fur.
"Huh. Better than mine, to be certain. I come from Port Ice. Not really a lot of hunting in the city. The closest we get is boar hunting in some land a cousin of mine owns near the Golushkin mountains."
Kryolani trails off, staring into the campfire. A chill late winter breeze crosses the campsite, but the sorcerer doesn't seem to feel it. "We'd gather up there at a lodge, every few years. It was an old family building that a great uncle of mine has kept up ever since he got out of politics. Everyone with the family name gets an invite, though usually only the cousins who aren't in charge of anything actually go. Dad took my brother and I one year. I was, what, thirteen, I guess. When the boar hunt came around, they handed me a spear, dropped me off in the woods, and said they'd drive some wild boars to me in a little bit. Then they rode around to the other side of that patch of land and released a bunch of hungry dogs with pig-scent in their noses."
Kryolani shakes his head, clearing it of the memory. "One of the dogs attacked me when it came out of the woods nearby. Had to kill it with the spear. Never did see the damned boars. Last time I really spent any time in the woods before this."
Roksana sits a comfortably distance from the cauldron and listens to the stories her companions tell, resting against Kasper's side and enjoying the slower pace for once. The horse nips a bit at her hair which has grown longer these last few weeks and she absentmindedly waves him off every few minutes.
"The river guides us all." She mutters to herself as Serolt finishes his story, realizing for the first time that she has more in common with the man than she might have realized. "We live with the land here in the River Kingdoms too. It's not quite the same but we live by the grace of the Sellen River and the river god himself and we must respect it."
She swats Kasper from her hair again and grows quiet, letting Kryolani tell his own story. She shakes her head and frowns as he finishes. "Well, it's probably for the best. The last boar we saw nearly gutted for Regin over there, I can't imagine you'd have fared better at thirteen."
"I wish I had a hunting story to share but it's manhunts all the way down. Never really fought a beast on purpose, not until we came out here anyway."
Both Jhod and Vekkel listens to your stories smoking their own pipes. They appear to be very interested and nods as you tell them. “What an amazing story, Serolt” comments Vekkel, his eyes full of admiration, “From what you say about your tribe, Serolt, they seem very wise” agrees Jhod, “Too bad we’re so far from Varisia, otherwise it would have been interesting to meet them” says the Erastilian priest. “And Kryolani…A thirteen years old boy trying to impale a boar with a spear? Well, I can’t say I agree on this kind of education…I’ve spent several years as court priest for the Medvyed family, and they used to let the youths accompany the adults hunting, but they were closely watched over and never let alone…Didn’t imagine Surtovas could be so reckless!” comments Father Jhod.
“Well, but now it’s my turn to tell a hunting tale” smiles Vekkel without stopping smoking his pipe, “I would have plenty to tell, and many of them I’ve already told to you in the past. But tonight I want to tell you how Tuskgutter took my leg away from me. It was five years ago. I had been chasing down the beast for almost a week, determined to slay the creature and claim its head as a trophy. That would have been a great conclusion for my hunter’s career. I tried everything to lure Tuskgutter in a good spot for me to lie an ambush: beast lures, traps, and every other damn hunter’s trick. But the beast was clever. He never bit the bait. I wasn’t that young at the time, but still I lost my patience. That was a mistake. I wanted to come back home, to embrace my wife and daughter again. And a snowstorm was approaching. I decided to risk it all, grabbed my boar spear and waited for the creature hiding next to his lair. When Tuskgutter came, he charged me abruptly. Somehow, the damned beast scented me. He charged, and I didn’t get a chance to prepare myself. His tusks pierced through my leg, leaving me there, helpless and badly bleeding. If I lived to tell this story, I owe to another great hunter, Gunnar Ahlberg, who heard my scream and came into my aid. He dragged my away from Tuskgutter and back to civilization. That was close. From then on, I decided that my hunter’s career had ended. My daughter was going to marry in a few months, and I needed my money to pay her dowry. Couldn’t afford to heal my leg. So…Well, yeah, this is it” concludes Vekkel. As usual, his story are real hunting stories, with no moral or hidden teaching. They’re just that. Hunting stories. But that’s enough to make Father Jhod smile. “Patience is the most important virtue in a hunter, Vekkel, you should have known it. You could retire and then return another time. In Galt, we have a proverb: ‘more haste, less speed’.”
“Anyway, I’ve got a story to tell myself. As you know, I lived as a traveling hunter and priest for several years. But this story is about the time when I was very young, about 20, and still in my home country, Galt. I lived in a small village, an hamlet almost. We were a tight-knitted community and cared for each other. I was an acolyte at the temple, and to be sincere, I wasn’t the most gifted among my peers. I didn’t pay much attention in class, and my faith was not so deep as it’s today. I saw the church as a way to earn my living and do something useful for a community. Not a bad motivation for an Erastilian priest-to-be, but yet not the best one”. Father Kavken pauses to smoke his pipe, then resumes. “Then, people started to disappear in the village. At the beginning only one every week. Then things worsened, and people kept disappearing at a worrying rate. My mother was among them. When that happened, I decided to investigate myself, on my own. I wanted to see through this. I spent whole weeks trying to piece together clues and information, and eventually come to a surprising conclusion: there was a lycanthrope in our community. I made a mistake. I didn’t inform the priest, my superior. I was seeking vengeance, and I was too young and stupid to be terrified. I thought I could kill the lycanthrope with the bow my mother gave me. I tracked down the creature for weeks, and the chase took me far away from my village. There, the werewolf attacked me. I cried. I was desperate. I tried to fight back, but the creature was way stronger than me. So I decided to risk it all, drew my bow and shoot. Erastil protected me. I had a single silver arrow in my quiver, but I didn’t pay attention to which one I fired at the moment. Erastil guided my hand. I shot the right one. And hit the creature right in its mouth. Never been able to fire an arrow with such an accuracy. That day, I realized Erastil was with me and had used me to protect my community. My mother stayed dead, but I was proclaimed priest soon thereafter.”
When everyone is done telling hunting tales, you all go to sleep in your respective tents. You alternate in guard shifts, as usual, but the nights passes by without any danger or threat.
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— Fireday, Gozran the 21th, 4609 AR
— Morning to Evening
— The Narlmarches
— Shiny and temperate
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The groups wakes up early in the morning. Jhod and Vekkel woke up a few hours before you and already dismounted the camp and placed the cauldron and the tents back on the cart. As soon as you wake up too, they greet you kindly and share their breakfast with you. You’re all eager to hit the road again, and once you’ve ate your breakfast and prepared your mounts for the travel, you all mount and move on.
The first part of today’s journey takes place mostly on the rolling plans of the Greenbelt, but as hours pass, you see the green border of the Narlmarches getting closer and closer. In the morning, as you travel through the plains, you stumble across an abandoned barn. You decide to send a small group to investigate, but the examination does not reveal anything noteworthy. The barn is very old, and must have been in this state for about half a century. The building is near to collapsing, and doesn’t hold anything interesting, apart from…
---
After having your lunch based on bread, cheese and an apple, you resume your journey and in the af-ternoon you enter the northern borders of the Narlmarches. This is the area where Serolt found Tyg-Titter-Tut’s and Perlivash’s nest, but you will reach their nest’s precise location tomorrow.
The travel is quiet and uneventful, with Jhod and Vekkel keeping you good company and sharing mundane stories about their families. The most interesting thing you stumble across as you travel is a meadow filled with buttercups. Jhod and Vekkel ask you to stop by to gather some of the buttercups for a few minutes before mounting again and resume your journey in the Narlmarches.
---
When the sun sets, Vekkel and Jhod both help Serolt in finding a good place where to set up a safe camp for the night. As the day before, you set up the camp rather quickly and Jhod cooks another tasty stew from the trail rations you provide.
When you’re done eating, Jhod excuses himself. “I’m sorry for not spending another good night with you telling and hearing stories, but I thought that we should somehow repay you for your escort. My mentor taught me how to scribe scrolls, and I think that a scroll may make for a good gift for you guys. Here” he says he hands out an handbook to Serolt and Jacobus, “From what I know, you two can cast divine spells. Here’s a list of the spells I know. Is there any spell in particular you would deem useful as a scroll?” asks Father Jhod kindly.
Father Jhod spens the rest of the night scribing the scroll. Vekkel, however, does spend his spare time with you. “Have you ever used one of these?" he says handing out a beast lure, “I found them particularly useful back when I was a hunter. They’re pretty good if you want to lure in a particular type of game. Here, you can keep that one. It’s for…Well, guess what’s for? Eheh, of course. It’s for boars!"
_______________________________________
Jacobus thanks the priest, "That's very kind of you; I'll look through your list and convene with Serolt for his opinion."
He then talks to Serolt and the others about this scroll, "How about either 'align weapon', protection from evil, communal', or 'lesser restoration'. I think any of those could be very helpful depending on the circumstances."
The inquisitor excuses himself, "I'm afraid I don't have any hunting stories. My father was too busy running the transport business and so was I, as soon as I was old enough."
He scoffs, "The closest I've come to hunting is stalking girls and even then, some of them got away."
He looks away, "Although I did catch one or rather was caught myself. There is a certain someone back in New Stetven who wasn't too happy that I was going away. I promised to make her my wife once we settled here in these lands."
He looks at the others, "How about you? Anyone missing you back home?'
Serolt nods and makes appreciative noises at the end of each story. He wonders about the silver arrow and the priest. Seems quite the miracle. He gains a newfound respect for the man.
"My mentor taught me how to scribe scrolls, and I think that a scroll may make for a good gift for you guys. Here” he says he hands out an handbook to Serolt and Jacobus, “From what I know, you two can cast divine spells. Here’s a list of the spells I know. Is there any spell in particular you would deem useful as a scroll?"
"That is very generous of you thanks. Yes, we'll confer and let you know shortly. Quite a boon!"
“Have you ever used one of these?" he says handing out a beast lure, “I found them particularly useful back when I was a hunter. They’re pretty good if you want to lure in a particular type of game. Here, you can keep that one. It’s for…Well, guess what’s for? Eheh, of course. It’s for boars!"
Serolt laughs, "We'll be hungry indeed to resort to this, but that's when we'll truly need it and say a prayer in your name for having had it. Thank you." he says sincerely.
He then talks to Serolt and the others about this scroll, "How about either 'align weapon', protection from evil, communal', or 'lesser restoration'. I think any of those could be very helpful depending on the circumstances."
"Well I want Lesser Restoration of course, but we can wait that one out in most cases, so let's go with your first instinct - Align Weapon. That's something we'll really need, but you should carry it."
He looks at the others, "How about you? Anyone missing you back home?'
"My shaman. A wiser man I've never met."
Roksana listens carefully to the story of the lycanthrope and considers a number of the things they've seen in the forest these last few weeks.
"You don't suppose Oleg carries any silver arrows or anything like it, do you?" She raises and eyebrow as she thinks. "We've run into a bear that turned into a man when slain, and a talking wolf that threatened us before we put him down. I don't know if those are signs of lycanthropy or something else, but, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some silver on hand."
She spends much of the next day quietly riding Kasper, when it comes time to camp she uses her experience traveling outdoors to help the rest choose a good place to camp for the night. Not understanding anything of the magic or spells she figures Serolt and Jacobus will make a good decision.
"Boar meat wouldn't be the worst after all this time on trail rations!" She laughs when the lure is handed to them. "I bet Lana could whip up something real delicious if we brought some on the way back to Oleg's when we're finally all done here."
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"You don't suppose Oleg carries any silver arrows or anything like it, do you?" She raises and eyebrow as she thinks. "We've run into a bear that turned into a man when slain, and a talking wolf that threatened us before we put him down. I don't know if those are signs of lycanthropy or something else, but, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some silver on hand."
"I've a full quiver of silver blanch, cold iron arrows. I could let you have half now if you like and I can replace 'em when we get back to Oleg's. I doubt I'd need that many in a single encounter or even three maybe. You want 'em?"
Kryolani shivers involuntarily. "If there is a lycanthropic infection running through these woods, we should also try to be ready to counter the curse too. I hear that there is a plant that helps if they bite you. Hemlock, or something?"
Kryolani huddles closer to the fire, watching the woods with newly nervous eyes, "I'm glad they didn't get their teeth into anyone during your last encounter with them. That would only have made getting me back to Oleg's even more difficult, I'm sure."
"I appreciate the offer Serolt, but if I'm taking time to shoot from far away that's Jacobus up front by himself. Considering he's our defacto healer, I think I'll just trust you to keep your aim steady if we run into any, we'll just have to make sure we give you a decent shot."
She smiles confidently even as she yawns and stretches. "If anyone had been infected it'd probably have made things quite a bit easier Kryo. You'd be a hapless victim easily turned ally, maybe I'd have my very own pack instead of a mercenary company!"
Jacobus nods, "We should get some cold iron and silver weapons if we think we need them. Good thing you kept that sickle."
He flexes his muscles and smiles, "I'll just have to hit harder."
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— Starday, Gozran the 22th, 4609 AR
— Morning to Evening
— The Narlmarches
— Shiny and temperate
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When the sun rises, Jhod and Vekkel awaken you from your sleep. As usual, the Erastilian priest has cooked an earthy breakfast for everyone. As you sit around the campfire to have your breakfast, Jhod hand Jacobus a rolled up scroll. “This is the scroll you selected. I hope it could serve you well in the future. Use it wisely” he advises the Brevic merchant and adventurer before joining the other around the campfire. Once you’re done eating, you prepare your mounts, dismount the camp and resume your journey in the Narlmarches.
In the morning, you travel through the Narlmarches. As usual, hunting paths are rare and you’re forced to move slowly due to the cart, but the journey is pleasant still. Jhod and Vekkel are an apparently inex-haustible source of tales and stories. Today, as you travel, it’s Jhod’s turn to tell you his story: he spent his childhood in Galt before moving to Numeria when he was about 25 years old. There, he served as assistant to a local priest of Erastil until he himself was appointed town priest when his mentor died. After a few years, though, he left Numeria for the River Kingdoms, where he earned his living as a traveling priest and hunter. When he was 40, he was offered the role of private tutor in Medvyed’s holding in Brevoy, and he accepted. When his pupil reached adulthood, he started to travel again and eventually his wanderings led him to Oleg’s Trading Post.
As you move through the depth of the Narlmarches, you spot another tree adorned with prayer flags. All of the prayers on these flags, though, are addressed to Erastil, and there’s no sign of other deities apart from the Old Deadeye. Jhod Kavken stops nearby to lead a group prayer, if you want to join him. Otherwise, he will pray along with Vekkel for a few minutes before mounting on his horse again and resume the journey.
---
After having your usual lunch based on bread, cheese and an apple, you resume your journey and in the afternoon you keep venturing deeper in the Narlmarches. The forest grows thicker and darker as you proceed, and the conversation naturally grows silent as if no one wanted to disturb the quiet stillness of the woods. As you move forward, Vekkel and Serolt spot a path in the forest leading to an old, apparently abandoned house in a small clearing.
When the sun is about to set, you finally reach the Temple of the Elk. Fortunately, everyone in the group remembered correctly how to reach the holy site. The temple is breathtaking as the first time, although is far more bright in comparison. A reddish sunset makes the whole scene impressive.
As soon as he sees the temple, Jhod falls to his knees and puts his hand on his face to hide his tears of joy and emotion. “Erastil be blessed! My visions…My dreams were true…Old Deadeye has offered me, this vile and unworthy mortal servant, a chance for redemption…Thank you, thank you Father. I’ll repay your trust as soon as I can! This place will be the beacon of your glory My Lord!” It is clear that Jhod is very touched. Vekkel is stunned as well by the breathtaking sight, but he merely puts his hands together and murmurs a prayer to Erastil. “Now, can you see guys? Nature can surprise even the most weathered travelers sometimes. She holds many secret, and unearthing them numbers among the most pleasant delights of our life” he says calmly when he’s done saying his prayer.
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Serolt joins Jhod in prayer, and though he's clearly interested, he does not know the prayers well and sort of mumbles along as best he can.
"Could be an old hunting lodge. Let's take a look." He dismounts and, weapons away, walks up to the door pounding on it.
Finding it empty, he searches around a little while before returning to the group carrying a light mace. "It's masterwork, and has some initials on it here," he points, "A.E."
"Mean anything to you guys?"
- - -
Later, at the temple, he's reminded of its beauty. “Every stone, a totem.” he reminds himself.
"What can we do to help you settle in? We can linger a day or two if you need us."
Jacobus politely listened to Jhod's story, thanking the man for providing information and making the time pass quicker.
He later inspects the mace but cannot figure out what the letter mean, "You should keep it, Serolt. You never when we might encounter something that your arrows won't be too effective."
He echoes the Shoanti's offer, "Yeah, we want to make sure you are safe here while we are gone."
He then quips, "After all, you are going to be taking care of our rations."
Roksana listens as Johd tells his story and remarks on how different the people traveling the River Kingdoms are. "Born here, or born afar, there's no shortage of interesting stories along the river. It's the best part of living out here, so many people travel and tell their stories. It's far more interesting than staying put in some town or city somewhere. I think anyway."
She shakes here head when Serolt asks about the initials on the mace, but suggests that someone at Oleg's may know when they eventually make it back there.
When they reach the temple again she smiles at the reverence of their travel companions. "Not my god, but I can certainly appreciate the worth of what you have here. Like the boys said, if you need help setting up we'll do it. You've done us a huge favor bringing our rations with you, anything I can do to help, I will."
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Kryolani joins in the prayers to Erastil in a sort of perfunctory way. He certainly offers Deadeye his due respect and worship, especially as he is currently traveling the wilds, but does not hold to those beliefs more strongly than he does any other god.
---
The sorcerer picks his way gingerly through the collapsed cottage and takes a closer look at the mace, whispering an incantation to Detect Magic over it briefly before shaking his head.
"I don't know what the initials stand for, a name presumably, but I'm amazed that it has withstood the weather and chill for so long. It's obviously of superior make."
He peers into the gloom, trying to make out details beneath the collapsed beam.
"Did you see a body? I'd be surprised that such an item would just be left here to rot, though I suppose the original owner could have been killed while out hunting or something."
---
Kryolani enjoys the serenity and natural beauty of the temple, as he walks through the damp grass surrounding it. It's certainly not a place he would choose to live, but then, he's no wild priest like Jhod. He wonders what will become of the place if they manage to truly settle these wilds. Making it part of some kind of park seems unimaginable, like trying to cage a lion with cobblestones. A problem for a later time, perhaps. They've many more immediate concerns.
"Will you be ok to stay here with those were-creatures wandering about? I don't know if that kind of curse would prevent them from entering holy ground."
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— Starday, Gozran the 22th, 4609 AR
— Evening
— Temple of the Elk
— Temperate
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Jhod meticulously inspects the place before answering to your questions. His gaze lingers for a few minutes on the pool of water, his mind focused on detecting magic in the whole site. Then, the Erastilian priests thoroughly examines the cavern. As he exits, he comes near to you. “This place has a great potential. There is a pool of healing water and a lively cavern. The landscape is breathtaking and the site is quiet and sheltered from elements…But yes, it needs a lot of work before it could become a place of worship. Erastil deserves more than this. You see, several area are overgrown with vines, the cavern is dirty and moss hangs from the ceiling. The once paved area surrounding the pool is now broken and needs to be repaired. So yes, we could definitely use some help. But not your help. You’ve already done much. You discovered this place, you fought the bear guardian, you brought us here. Yes, you’ve done more than enough. Your place isn’t here. You’re bound to explore these lands aren’t you? You shouldn’t be delaying your exploration duties further. We’ll manage, somehow. It’ll be tough, initially, but both Vekkel and I are weathered man. We survived direr situations. And I’ve been in far worse place than this. But if you think you can help, well, I’ve got several ideas about how you could do it.”
Father Jhod smiles, then sits on the border of the pool, his gaze fixed on the majestic antlers making up the entrance to the cavern. “I would like to restore this place to its original glory and turn it into a place of pilgrimage for Erastil worshippers. In order to achieve this, we’ll need to make this place lively. We must clean it up, remove overgrown areas, repair the paved ground, restore the magic in the pool to make it permanent. An apprentice or three would help. I’ve affixed a note on Oleg’s board, but I’m not so sure anyone interested will ever read it. Should you find someone you deem suitable, I would be most grateful if you could point him here. Also, I’ve talked about this to Vekkel before, and we both think that we could set up a barn here. A place where travelers can rest along with their mounts. But also a place where mounts are trained. Vekkel is a skilled animal trainer, and if we take advantage of his talent we could earn a few coins by training some animals, I suppose. But first, we need to get people to trust us, so we need to start from something. We discussed about it before Vekkel. Tell them” concludes Father Jhod.
Vekkel nods and chimes in with his usual calm voice: “Well, aye, we talked about it. And we both think that a herd of river elks would make for a very great start. We could then sell them back as mounts or keep them here as herd animals. River elks are particularly appropriate for this place, too. And they’re also pretty easy to find nearby. Should you stumble across one or three of them, please don’t kill them, unless you’re starving of course. We would pay you well for river elks if you bring them back to us. Also, if you want your animals to be taught a trick or three, you’ll find me here.”
Jhod chimes in again. “So you see, there’s a lot you can do to help us even without staying here for too long. We brought our cart and we have several tools for repairs. We’ll work hard, but if Old Deadeye will watch on us benevolently, we’ll succeed, one way or another. But keep in mind that this place will be always open for you to stay. I will heal you for free at anytime. This will always be your home. When you want a shelter in the wilds, you know where to go” concludes the Erastilian priest with a benevolent smile upon his face.
"Thank you Father, truly. We'll keep an eye out for the apprentices and the elk both. Heck, once you've got some trained, I wouldn't mind buying one myself. Never ridden an elk before. It could be fun!"
Kryolani smiles to himself, imagining how he would cut a heroic figure against the horizon, cape flowing, battle elk standing proud! It is a ridiculous image. A cape light enough to flow in the wind would be worthless against the cold, and why on earth would one just stand on a hilltop staring into the middle distance like that? The Elk, though. The thought of a battle elk was pretty cool.
"This will always be your home. When you want a shelter in the wilds, you know where to go”
"Yes, thank you father. It is always nice to have a shelter from the cold and wet." he looks at Kryolani, "And disease!" he grins.
"Well, we'll leave in the morning then and continue our excursions, but we'll check in every few days while we're in the region. If there's anything we can do, let us know."
"A river elk mount! I like the sound of that." Roksana says wide eyed, then laughs as Kasper snorts forcefully. She reaches up and pats his neck. "Kidding, of course, just kidding."
The horse nickers then wanders off as Rok shakes her head and laughs again. "If you're sure that you don't want us to stick around, we'll go, but don't hesitate in the future. We'll keep an eye out for any Elks, or potential apprentices."
She turns to her companions and shrugs. "So, what kind of trouble do you think we'll get into this time? We're already veterans of two separate Kobold Wars, what more could we possibly achieve?" Having gone a number of days without incident has drastically improved Roksana's mood and she's clearly having fun being out and traveling again.
She turns to her companions and shrugs. "So, what kind of trouble do you think we'll get into this time? We're already veterans of two separate Kobold Wars, what more could we possibly achieve?" Having gone a number of days without incident has drastically improved Roksana's mood and she's clearly having fun being out and traveling again.
Jacobus grins, "Trouble? You mean like giant, blood-sucking ticks?"
He inspects the crook of his elbow, "I hope none of that. In any case, two sources now point us to this Stag Lord, the 'ghost' and the wanted poster, so we should keep our eyes open. What about that other dragon wanna-be? What was that called?"
Jacobus sensed the coming night, "Since it's evening, I suggest we camp out here and head out early in the morning."
Kryolani shudders, "Please, gods, no more giant ticks. In fact, if we could avoid the entire breadth of giant insects, I would be most well pleased. Giant vampires too, for that matter. My bet is that we run into the bandits soon. We know they are somewhere to the south, and we've been making our way in that direction."
Kryolani nods and begins to set up the evening campfire. "Bandits and/or dragons-ish things. Hopefully not both at once."
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— Sunday, Gozran the 23rd, 4609 AR
— Morning to Evening
— From Temple of the Elk to Narlmarches’ northernmost borders
— Windy, Cloudy and Temperate
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When the new day rises high in the sky, it’s time for you to leave the Temple of the Elk. Both Jhod and Vekkel greet you sincerely, offering you the last tasty breakfast of the next 5 days or so. The Erastilian priest and the retired hunter thank you again for what you’ve done and express their hope to see you again soon.
You reach the Narlmarches’ depths early in the morning and start traveling north, headed to unexplored areas passing though the hot springs in the Narlmarches’ northernmost borders. In fact, you’ll spend the whole day traveling to reach the forest’s edge.
---
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Kryolani decides, and he fights his way through an extra tough chunk of jerky gristle, that the food is absolutely the worst part of exploration. Worse than sleeping in the chill and the rain. Worse than the throbbing backside one gets from sitting a horse all day long. Worse even than being diseased into a coma by a giant tick, because at least he was asleep for all of that.
He spends the day fantasizing about the giant clay ovens in the manor house of Aunt Julianara. Each morning, they would produce dozens of loaves of fresh, hot sweetbread. A quick and canny child could easily swipe a decent snack to last the whole day, between the loaves, and the spices meat in the cold lockers. There has to be some spell he could learn to cast which would allow a similar degree of comfort while on the road...
---
Serolt says good bye to the two seasoned veterans and hikes his but up on Mitzy. “May your spirit guide you.” he says and waves.
Later, on the trail, he keeps his eyes open. Oblivious though, he keeps on moving on...
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(+1 tracking or +2 weather?)
Jacobus stops by the trail and gets off his horse, "There was a fight here. Look there."
He points to some weapons in the undergrowth and a faint, but visible, trail of blood.
He tries to follow it but fails, "Serolt, can you see where this leads?"
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Roksana waves goodbye to the older men and realizes she'll miss their stories around the campfire at night. "Good luck you two! We'll see you in a few days if all goes well!"
She spends the day looking for anything interesting but nothing catches her eye. When Jacobus points out the trail of blood, she assists Serolt in inspecting the area, pointing out anything he may have over looked or helping him pick up the trail when he looses it.
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— Moonday, Gozran the 24th, 4609 AR
— Morning to Evening
— The Greenbelt Plains
— Cloudy and Temperate
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When you wake up on the borders of the Narlmarches, you’re ready to begin your exploration a new area. This area is mainly made of plains, with rare patches of vegetation and even rarer trees. The grass grows tall here, and this area, as a whole, seems to be mainly wandered by beasts and smaller animals. There are no hunting trails in the plains surrounding the Narlmarches and you’re forced to make your own way through them.
The day of exploration is mostly uneventful, apart from an uncommon sighting you stumbled across in the afternoon, a few hours before camping on the borders of the area you’ll explore tomorrow.
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An hanging cage made of old branches holds the corpse of a dead, naked woman. The scene is pretty macabre, but if you analyze it, you can discover more about the woman and her sad destiny.
---
The rest of the day passes by uneventfully, and when the sun sets behind the horizon, you’ve fully explored this area. You camp on the borders of the area you’ll explore tomorrow, and your sleep is not interrupted by any dangerous wild beast.
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--- ---
”Look, there! The battle is about a week old. There were two creatures, the fight ranged all over. Here, this footprint! One of the creatures was human, and an archer - there see the broken arrows there? The archer lost though - his opponent was a large creature, look at the size of those tracks.” he holds up a gray feather, ”Might be a flier. The blood trail ends here, a hundred feet or so from the start. Keep a weather eye to the skies today folks. Watch out.”
Serolt stops cold when he sees the macabre sight. ”Now this is unpleasant.” he mumbles. Stepping closer, he sees something, ”Look, at what’s left of her clothes. She was with the stag lords bandits. I guess someone didn’t like being raided. Still, this is not right, her hanging up here like that. Someone help me cut her down so we can bury her. We shall honor the dead.”
He shakes his head, ”This is wrong.”
He’ll take the time to, quickly, bury her. He says a few words to Erastil over the shallow grave and is soon ready to push on.
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Jacobus inspected the woman's body and frowned, "The woman was killed by a short sword stabbing her in the heart. Signs of violence and abuse are evident on her body."
He added, "It seems that she was raped several times before…and sadly even after dying. A set of older scars are one her body as well, caused mainly by animals’ claws and arrows. The woman likely died a few weeks ago, and her body was left here to rot."
He nodded, "Yeah, let's bury her and be gone from this place."
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Kryolani doesn't trust himself to speak as they place a small cairn of stones over the freshly dug grave. His stomach roiled with a mix of fury and nausea. Trying to speak would probably make him vomit.
The color finally started to return to his face as they left the grave site. "We're going to have to find whatever...whoever did that. If we're to tame these lands at all, they have to be caught, and they have to hang. The kind of sickness that brings a man to such acts can only beat tainted fruit."
"Either that or the Stag Lord was displeased with her." Roksana says coldly in response to Serolts theory as she helps him cut the woman down.
"No offense Jacobus but I think I could have done without that, seeing what they've done to her is bad enough without know exactly what happened. In any case we'll need to travel carefully around here. Seems there's been a lot of violence in this area before we got here."
She doesn't say much the rest of the day. She's tense and on guard, not twitchy, but she keeps her weapon in hand as they search the rest of the area.
"No offense Jacobus but I think I could have done without that, seeing what they've done to her is bad enough without know exactly what happened. In any case we'll need to travel carefully around here. Seems there's been a lot of violence in this area before we got here."
Jacobus was serious, "No offense was intended. I merely wanted everyone to realize what we are dealing with. I'll spare you the details next time."
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— Toilday, Gozran the 25th, 4609 AR
— Morning
— The Greenbelt Plains
— Rainy and Temperate
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When you wake up, a drizzle welcomes you to this new day in the Greenbelt plains. You pack your be-longings and dismount the camp quickly. The first hour of travel is uncomfortable due to the rain, growing thicker and thicker as time passes.
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As you reach the new area you’re about to be exploring for the whole day, a terrifying roar, comparable to that of a huge bear, breaks the silence. Suddenly, while you’re still mounted on your horses, you spot the source of the roar: an amalgam of fur and feathers, this bizarre half-bear, half-owl monstrosity raises its huge, ursine claws in anger as it charges forward…toward you!
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---- ----
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• Roksana & Kasper
• Jacobus
• Serolt & Regin
•
• Kryolani
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--- ---
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Round 1
Kryolani's eyes go wide, and he chokes out a half-terrified laugh, "An OWLBEAR?!? I thought my instructors were joking!"
He all but dives off his horse to get clear of it before it drags him off into the woods, before continuing, "The beast itself is supposed to be incredibly predatory, but if it has any cubs, they can be trained. Assuming it doesn't eat us."
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Roksana urges Kasper forward with her knees as she draws her hammer and shield and shouts to her friends. "I don't know how tough this beast is but I'll try to get around behind it. If we can keep a flank we'll be better off!" She then turns and roars at the Owlbear.
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"What the hell is an owlbear?!"
Jacobus quickly dismounts, takes out his heavy mace, and adjusts his new shield. He moves forward to meet the beast.
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Serolt quickly dismounts - or tries to. His horse however is too skittish and so he must descend more slowly, landing next to Regin.
”Good boy, now you be careful and do as your told…” he points to the great feathery thing, ”Attack!”
He then draws his bow.
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vs DC 20 or move action to dismount.
Regin’s nose quivers in the air as the bizarre creature bursts forth. He awaits instructions, though he’s eager to see what his master wants. Once given instruction though, he leaps into action - launching himself at the feathery bear without hesitation.
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Tricks: Attack x2, Flank, Heel, Sneak, Track, Watch
melee Attack BAB +1, Dex +5 Damage Str +1
- - -
, plus free trip
"What the hell is an owlbear?!"
"Ridiculous? A Mistake? The product of magical breeding practices? ...a Half bear, half owl reason why we can't have nice things? I don't know which answer to give you. Just fight it like you'd fight a large, angry, rabid bear."
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As Roksana rides her horse with her knees with expertise, in an attempt to turn around behind the strange, hulking beast, Jacobus dismounts and draws his mace. Serolt does the same, and commands his firepelt cougar to attack. Regin quickly moves forward, reaching the owlbear and trying to plunge her teeth in the huge creature’s feathered body, but the owlbear keeps Regin at bay pretty easily and instantly retaliates, unleashing its fury against Regin. The beast fury is terrible, and with a bite, quickly followed by a claw attack, the owlbear takes down Regin: the firepelt cougar now lies in the owlbear’s graps, bleeding badly and unconscious.
Serolt dismounts quickly after giving the attacking command, staring helpless at the gruesome scene.
Kryolani dismounts as Serolt and Jacobus and retrieves his wand, ready for reprisal.
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• Roksana & Kasper
• Jacobus
• Serolt & Regin
•
• Kryolani
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"Fight me creature! Kasper, attack!" Roksana shouts from atop Kasper as the horse takes a step forward and strikes with it's hooves, obeying Roksana's command.
The half-orc swings her own hammer down on the beast, trying her best to force it to focus on her instead of Regin.
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redoubling his effort, the inquisitor approaches the creature on the other side of Rok, wary of staying away from those wicked claws. He fits his shield in place as he moves.
He swing his heavy mace for a crippling blow.
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Serolt moves into a position where he can get a clear shot, and to be closer to Regin to provide aid, and he takes his shot. He launches an arrow straight and true though it drops off a little at the end. Seeing Regin drop so quickly, he instinctively focuses his ire* on the great feathery beast.
Hold on there old boy, we’re coming to get you!
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Cold Iron Arrows: 23/24
Cold Iron Silver Blanch Arrows: 10/10
+1 Animal Bane Arrows: 6/6
Conditions: Focused on owlbear
longbow: Attack: BAB +1, Dex +4 Damage: Str +2
melee: Attack: BAB +1, Str +2 Damage: Str +2
Spells (Caster Level 2, Concentration +4)
Zero (12): Detect Magic, Light, Stabilize
First (13): Cure Light Wounds, Good Berry
- - -
(focus)
(focus)
Regin charges the great bear which drops him oh so neatly like a sack of cabbage. He does his best to resist the death that is closing in around him.
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Tricks: Attack x2, Flank, Heel, Sneak, Track, Watch
melee Attack BAB +1, Dex +5 Damage Str +1
- - -
vs DC 16
Kryolani jogs up to the fight, keeping as much distance between himself and the Owl-Bear as possible while still being close enough to unleash his fire magic on it. His hands writhe as he calls forth his tried and true Burning Hands spell.
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