Kaeso listens to the service quietly, lost in thought. Noticing that most of the crowd at the trading post seems unaffected, he waits until Lady Ionnia is alone. "Beauty, love, and art, you say? As far as I'm concerned, we fight so that beauty, love, and art can come to this land." Unused to making speeches, Kaeso clears his throat and continues: "Help us out, and you'll see the Stolen Lands bloom." He smiles "At least in spring!"
"Now if any wish to know more I am available to discuss my Goddess and her virtues, I also am available now to offer any healing one might need, I don't have much magical healing for all but am able to offer some divine healing, as well as some standard healing to any who need it"
I than walk back beside my altar and wagon waiting for anyone to come up to me for either need.
After the service, Bingo goes up to the cleric and squats down next to her. "Yer goddess intrests me, milady. I would learn more of her if yer willin' ta teach."
After a short walk through the forest, the open plains once again stretch west. The party decided to head west to the limit of the lands provided by Restov's charter. However, almost at the edge of the area, amid an overgrown section of blackberries lies a hidden cairn of stones marking the grave of a long forgotten warrior.
chieftain among the Tiger Lords, from a time when that tribe’s territory stretched all the way from Numeria to the Narlmarches.
After a short walk through the forest, the open plains once again stretch west. The party decided to head west to the limit of the lands provided by Restov's charter. However, almost at the edge of the area, amid an overgrown section of blackberries lies a hidden cairn of stones marking the grave of a long forgotten warrior.
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
After a short walk through the forest, the open plains once again stretch west. The party decided to head west to the limit of the lands provided by Restov's charter. However, almost at the edge of the area, amid an overgrown section of blackberries lies a hidden cairn of stones marking the grave of a long forgotten warrior.
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Bingo harvests a sack of blackberries, idly wondering who got buried way out here in the sticks.
The witch evokes a magical light and walks around the stones to carefully examine the markings.
"Hmm... It's definitely a last resting-place, and the markings look like runes of the Tiger Lords tribe. I think these ones over here say 'son of under-chieftain'...? Hm. Maybe it's just the only grave we found, or maybe he did something important at this place. Let's hope his spirit hasn't been bound here for all these countless years, and reached their version of Valhalla."
"Kaeso...Kaeso is it, I am going to travel with you and Yes I look forward to seeing the beauty of the spring and Yes My message will eventually get through, I have faith." She says with a smile and than looks down at the Halfling and smiles.
" I am Always willing to teach others of the teachings of Shelyn, and the ideals she wishes the world to embrace, with warm arms and open hearts and minds. I will be traveling with you to the forested wilds, and than to this awful Stag Lord! So i will gladly teach you the wonders of the Eternal Rose along the way my stalwart companion!"
She smiles and begins to sing a lovely melody once more.
Perform sing
"I don't feel right disturbing the dead, It seems odd here" she says from her seat on her wagon. She looks at the others and than smiles "Though those berries might greatly enhance a few recipes I am working on...Pick a few more please"
After finishing her examination, Mornaura marks the place on the map and takes some notes, as usual.
"I agree. We got one restless spirit already, and that one's at least speaking our language, enabling us to fulfill his last will and give him peace... Let's move on."
"If he fought well for his people, he deserves his rest." Squinting at the runes, he says to the grave "Son of under-chieftan, have a good rest! Feel free to arise and terrorize bandits, though."
"Kaeso that's funny, but seriously...No, Undead are usually evil, and often eat the living! And I would not want even my most grievous of enemies to end up some meal for a ghoul" she shudders at the thought and than looks at the others from the seat of her wagon and smiles.
"So wear to now?" she asks ready to get away from this old grave as quickly as possible as to not try and anger the spirit that might dwell here
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After the service, Drispeera will approach Lady Ionnia. That was... nice. She sounds a bit surprised. I'm not usually into Deities. I have a couple of sisters that are clerics, and -shudders-. Well, that's a story for another time. But this Shelyn sounds... intriguing.
~~~
At the tomb, Drispeera studies the markings intently for awhile and then pronounces, Hunh. There's a dead guy here. Do you think he might have any cool stuff he's not using anymore? Detect Magic if its possible thru whatever's covering our dear, departed friend.
~~~
At Lady Ionnia's question about our next destination, Drispeera consults a list she seems to have inked onto the back of her hand.
Hmmm...
Anybody see signs of those danged fang berries yet?
How about this infamous Sneeg guy?
Or a Temple of Erastil?
Or a tatzyl-thingy? Those have gotta leave tracks.
Anyone see any signs saying gold-producing quest target over here?
"We should let the barbarian rest in peace and focus on our exploration.
Let's see... We can probably cover most of the area by moving southwards in a long zig-zag pattern between our western border and the edge of the forest that we've already explored." Showing her plan on the map, she explains, "The Skunk River provides us with fresh water, yet shouldn't be that hard to cross, so close to its spring. And sooner or later, we'll find something that's on our list."
Bingo takes a minute from stuffing his face with berries to scout around the cairn.
Kaeso swings off his horse and looks around.
Survival:
The party heads south briefly before returning to their mapping duties. After 3 days march, again they head into the forest. Here they see the beginnings of what eventually becomes the Thorn River, which is flowing southward towards the Tuskwater. A nice sunny day greets everyone, as the breeze of the Stolen Lands flows in between the trees.
Not all is well in the forest however, as not long after crossing the river the group finds a dreadful scene. A man is dead, crushed completely under a tree. In an attempt to rig a deadfall along the south bank of the Thorn River here, it looks like he overstepped his skill and was pinned to the ground by several large logs when his half-completed trap collapsed on him.
to the ground appear to have been severed by something sharp.
"What a horrible way to die, May the Eternal Rose embrace you in the after life"Ionnia touches her holy symbol as she speaks and shakes her head, such a poor waste of life.
Perception
"Poor guy. Should we... give him a funeral or something? And see if we find out who he was?"
"Is there any sort of booby-trap, Bingo?" If not, Kaeso attempts to lift the logs off the body.
Strength check:
"Nae, there's no trap, Kaeso, but this wuz no accident. These ropes wuz cut," Bingo says, showing the group the cleanly severed ends of the rope. "Sumbuddy kilt this trapper but din't take any of his gear. Tha's a masterwork hatchet over there stuck in thet tree so it dinna look like he wuz robbed. Jest kilt fer no good reason." Bingo spits in disgust, "Damn bandits, the sooner we gits rid of 'em, the better, ya ask me."
Kaeso strongly rolls off the log from the man's body. A quick search of the remains reveals little about the poor chap. A young trapper from the looks of it, by the name of Breeg. You find a letter in his coat pocket identifying him.
"He deserves a proper burial so his spirit may no peace and may go to the afterlife of what ever god or goddess he worshiped. I do feel bad for the lad as he will never again be able to love, and see the beauty of this land about us." she pauses and looks at the others. "Does any one have a shovel...I do have one, I have it on my Wagon" she says as she walks back over to her Wagon and grabs a folding shovel and begins to unfold it and set it.
"Come let us bury this erstwhile youth and make this stump his marker, We may not have know him in life but as fellow sentient beings let us atleast honor his death with a burial, Plus leaving him here exposed will attract all sort of critters" she says as she looks to the others waiting for them to discuss or pitch in.
"So does that mean we are gonna have to make room for him in the Wagon!" she looked a little disgusted at the thought than sighs as she than looks at the others.
" So....does any one have any thing to wrap him up and preserve him...cause I don't want dead person stink in my wagon" she says looking at them her face twisted in to a grimace of disgust.
"No, it was definitely a Falgrim Sneeg we were set to find. I say we let this guy rest. Besides, should this be the right guy, we know exactly where to find him."
"I guess we could but he will get worse, or...he might get dragged away by some creature, I would hate to see that"
Ionnia than looks about and sees the wood and than taps her chin."However will should come back this way any ways, this wood would be great in constructing a temple!' she than heads back to her wagon wondering if she could get the temple going and her religion spread throughly through out the land.
Kaeso looks at the master handaxe, and tries to see if it matches the ones they pulled off Kressie. "I wonder if he was part of Kressie's gang. She had handaxes too." Kaeso points to the axes hanging off his saddle.
Checking the black-smithing of the axes for similarities:
Perception
No real similarities are noticed between the handaxes. Looks like Breeg's was used mostly for wood, as there is no dried blood on it.
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Dris muses I wonder who would kill him, but not take his axe? It sounds like he wasn't a pleasant fellow, what with the making traps and robbing people. Maybe if we run into his brother, we can let him know what happened. Oh well, if y'all want to bury him, I'll wait.
With an air of distracted boredom, Dris will pretidigitate her nails into smooth even curves.
EDIT: And did anyone do a survival check for tracks on who might have done this?
Bingo takes the shovel from Lady Ionnia and begins to dig.
"Thanks Bingo, any one else care to aid in burying this poor soul" she's asks as she sees the halfling begin to dig the grave and she walks over to the stump and carve BREEG
so all who pass may know who rest here.
Kaeso lends a hand with the digging. "If he was stealing, and someone killed him for stealing, then it means either there's someone else trying to bring order, or there's a fight among the thieves." He thinks for a minute. "It would be nice if the Stag Lord was having trouble in the ranks."
After a small walk to her pack horse and back, Mornaura hands Kaeso a full-size shovel and winks at him.
"There you go, much better than sharing the small shovel with Bingo, eh? Not that we couldn't use magic to make it even easier, but anyway, I'll look for tracks while you're digging."
"I know its a pain Lady D'Lith but this man needs to be buried, its the right thing to do, It also will keep unsavory monsters away from him, or lets him become a restless spirit to terrorize others" She says as she finishes carving his name and looks at the others.
" As we work to inter him into a grave let us remember, that though we do not know this Breeg, We respect his life enough to give him a proper burial where so vile soul sought to slay him. So to make up for the wickedness of another will will respect this man and bury him in warm busom of this land. And may he be welcomed warmly into the waiting arms of his deity, ready to share his afterlife with a new outlook under the loving gaze of his god...Does any one have anything else to say about this departed soul before we finish up here?" Lady Ionnia asks as she looks at the others her face smiling a warm and loving smile.
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Before the others put Breeg in the ground, Drispeera gives him one last check for anything useful.
Is Lady Ionnia for real? All that chest-beating for a scumbag? Whatever deity would have this guy is likely to give him a very, very warm welcome.
Of Breeg Drispeera says He treated people like dirt. Now he IS dirt. So maybe now he'll be of use to somebody. I hope he gets where he was going.
Now... if we're done with that, can we get a move on?
" Yes let's move on now the deceased is taken care of" She gets the shovel back from Bingo and hops back into her wagon, ready to leave, once all are done.
Kaeso grunts at Drispeera's remark: "It's not easy to be good in such lands as these." He pauses, considers that Drispeera might need sugar rather than vinegar, and adds: "Not everyone is strong enough to rise to great things from hard circumstances. Not everyone is like you."
He leaps lightly back into his saddle, lance and shield ready.
" Kaeso, my dear Lady D'Lith is a woman of finer tastes, and a lady of noble barring. She did not know this man, none of us did. She did not offend him or his spirit. I know my look on life is not the same as others, I was a privileged brat before I became the wandering priestess, I even have a daughter, yet my convictions have led me here to help heal this land and spread my Goddesses message of love and beauty in a land where love seems oppressed and beauty unseen or spoiled. I like many of the good faiths seek to heal, and this is what ai wm to do is to heal this land, and its people. Lady D'Lith's path might be different than My own and I might grumble at her choices, as you do now, but we are all here for a purpose...I hope our purposes can unite us to strengthen our bonds and secure this land from its tyrants and bring these people hope again"she says as she looks ahead
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As Kaeso concludes his remarks, Drispeera pauses. You are more right than you know. Being a noble is... difficult where I am from. If I told you my siblings were competitive, it would be quite the understatement. Then she laughs and holds up an elegant blue hand. Besides, there is *no one* like me.
To Lady Ionnia's remarks she says only Thank you... I think
" Your welcome Lady D'lith,or can I call you Drispeera, I understand your plight some what, I was the fifth child and was sent to study in Oppara in Taldor, I was suppose to study at one of the prestigious Bardic colleges but on the road was serenaded by a wandering priest of Shelyn, I followed my girlish heart and studied at the fabled House of the Eternal Rose and thus became a devoted sister of the church. I do also know a good cobbler in Rostov, that if I send a letter too him I might get him to make you a set of finely crafted leather shoes, with sturdy soles. He can even theme them and yldye them with any scene you wish, granted he would have some artistic license as you wouldn't be able to over see its creation, but he does excellent work, and besides I am an Orlovsky!" she says as she blushes than laughs.
"I must be talking you all to death, Its just I rarely have companions to travel with and it seems one tends to miss a little conversation as the only thing you really see is Trees!" she giggles and looks ahead sitting on her bench seat of her wagon.
After the group takes care of Breeg, they follow the river east. Easily crossing a few fords, night settles as the area is explored. The party sets up camp and watch for the night, and the night is calm and quiet.
Morning comes, and Mornaura looks at her map. Continuing east gets back to explored territory, so everyone breaks camp and decides to start heading south west again. Today is sadly not as clear as it was the day before, with some light rain hitting the top of the forest canopy.
Traveling around this area of the forest, Mornaura and Faron spot something very curious. The floors here seem much more traveled than the rest of the forest, although not recently. Old footprints, paw prints and even small pieces of linen lie scattered in the underbrush. Cautiously, the group continues on, and they are greeted by a mass of vines and vegetation.
The thick tangle of brambles gives way into a large clearing in the woods, its border partially defined by ruined stone pillars. The western face of the clearing is dominated by a looming, upthrust ridge of rock, nearly 300 feet across and rising to a moss-topped height of 100 feet at the center. The side of this towering boulder facing the clearing has been carved in the likeness of an immense elk, its antlers drooping down from its weathered face to frame a 50-foot wide cave entrance. A flight of stone steps leads up to this cave entrance from the forest clearing—both the steps and elk face feel quite old and are thickly encrusted with layers of moss. A 50-foot-long oval pool sits in the middle of the clearing, its waters thick with algae...
"Wait..." she says as she pauses and looks at the structure and the statue and thinks "Isn't one of the things you need has something to do with Erastil? Isn't he associated with the Stag?"
Knowledge(Religion)check
Wow... If this is the temple old Jhod was talking about, I can finally understand why he wanted us to find it," the witch says, visibly amazed, and slowly starts wandering around to examine the giant elk sculpture.