Hansyn quietly notes one of the patrons and to Rankev. ”The table behind me, over my left shoulder. He is a priest. I unmasked him very briefly earlier today.”
Venssa moves back to the others where she informs them that, for sure 3 members from the church are here, and possibly more.
"The lighting is not so great here, so it was hard to tell, but the 3 I am sure about, but the others I could not vouch for."
"Yeah. What kind of change? All this town is new to me." Fin asks while he waits for the drinks for the table.
The barkeep leans back and surveys the tavern.
"The new priests spread word of a Living God. Many listen. I think there's some that hope for the old days. When Aroden didn't return, the faith of the people was shook. It's still shook, all these years later. A Living God... that's hope for a lot of folks."
He moves to the bar and starts pulling out bottles, some of them dusty. "My experience is folks with elven heritage like yourself, they like wine more than ale. But if you'd prefer ale, it's certainly cheaper."
He sets an ale on the bar too. It's not busy, but it's busy enough that even if Fin doesn't take it, another patron surely will.
"I'm Rolen. Rolen Oggersmith. You're welcome to a table if you'd prefer. There's some mutton on the fire, and a stew, if you've mind to eat. As long as you're paying. As I said, I don't mind the change, as long as people keep buying the ale."
"Ale is fine. I'm Finlogan." He introduces himself.
"What's a Living God? I've never heard of that. Tell me more."
Lodric went over to Rolen and ordered a glass of wine. As he did so, he attempted to enter into some friendly pleasantries before steering the conversation towards the priests of the living god. Asking questions such as whether they have shown any divine powers, who is in charge of them, and whether they have any local patrons.
Rolen smiles a little, pouring Lodric his wine.
"Passed the starstone test, now didn't he? That's divine right and power, it is, granted by the gods. They say he even visits his temples! Why, he could be in Tamran right now!"
The barkeeps eyes bulge a little and his face gets red. Lodric might be a reluctant business man, but he wasn't a bad one: This man is a zealot.
Rolen smirks. "Don't matter. Not to either of you. You'll be getting up and personal with the Living God real soon."
That 'patron' you recognized at the door? He's moving to block it.
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"Mutton and stew and ale, you say? Bring us all these things. I'm nigh unto done to death of fish, and though I'd beard a raging gynosphinx in her lair for a bottle of fine Benty vin, I suppose some rough fare will have to do," Rankev states, slinding in to the chair next to Lodric.
"And what's this? Personal, now? Would the Living Lord, or whatever the title is, be wanting a share of my blankets now? Well they'd better bring their sister and not need to work in the morrow, if ye take my meaning," he states, not caring who hears him.
Sometime you just have to send up a flag.
Doing his best to look confident and...dangerous? Yes, dangerous, Lodric said
”I can see we are not welcome here. Come, let us go. Nobody stand in our way.”
A tiny voice from about groin level pips up.
"We are not going to have to get bloody again are we?"
While Lodric looked like a harmless rich boy, apparently Venessa looked more like someone who kept people like Lodric safe.
Seeing the patron that he had pointed out to Rankev move to block the door, Hansyn begins to get a little nervous. The rough idea was to get some information her but things were shaping up to be a fight. On that small bit of consideration, Hansyn figures ”Maybe a bit of payback is just what we need.”
Listening to Rankev and Lodric, Hansyn matter-of-faculties chimes in, ”You guys talk too much. “ He then slips under the table to use it for cover.
Lots of them...this might be a dead game, unfortunately!
ANNOUNCEMENT
I’ve been needing to make this announcement for over two weeks, and I just don’t want to do it. As much as this game has sputtered, I really do love it.
But I have to face reality.
When I started this session, I had a very different home and family life, and very different stressors to complicate my abilities to deliver the adventure.
Reluctantly, I have to conclude that the family and work stress—from taking in a teenage family member into our home, to my husband losing his job of eighteen years, to the passing of our dear pug at seventeen and a half (and the health decline that accompanied it)—has resulted in my own health and well-being being compromised.
I have a huge list of tasks in any given day and I used to juggle those with only occasional difficulty. Lately though, this game, as much as I love it, is one of the things that I can’t bring myself to get to. It’s not just a time issue. My social anxiety, usually confined to in person interactions, has escalated to include social media and internet interactions, and so while I might spend hours making tokens for the game and getting the map just right for the impending barroom brawl (which I have), I am currently not capable of taking the step to get that online, to post the interactions, and to be social and role play.
I am no longer meaningfully recovering the energy that allows me to be social and deal with people. That has occasionally happened to me in my life, but never to such a degree that even online interactions, usually the lowest of low stress, were implicated.
I was really impressed with the quality of you all as a group.
Finlogan: You were reliable, and showed sparks of roleplay that made me really excited for this adventure. As a healthy fighter with arcane talent, you were the ideal recruit for the Living God, and I was looking forward to that interplay.
Venssa: You played in character perfectly, coming up with actions that made perfect sense for a gnome and a druid that I was never quite prepared for. It was refreshing and I always looked forward to your understated contributions.
Hansyn: You showed an ability to really play with a character’s background and especially after Rankev returned, I thought we had some really great opportunities. I wish we’d been able to explore those more.
Rankev: You managed to be an instigator and verbose and it was wonderful. I missed you after your departure from the first adventure, and I was looking forward to seeing you here.
Lodric: Man, this was an interesting character, and seeing how Lodric would react to the agents of the Living God, especially as a clerk who wasn’t anxious for bloodshed or fighting? That had me so anxious to see that happen.
You were great players. I wish I could continue. But right now I can’t even guarantee a weekly post, and that’s not fair to any of you.
I am, with reluctance, shutting the game down.
.