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From her position in the back, Penance suddenly rushes forward to the gates, pushing past the guards to the gnolls surging forth. Her panicked face hidden by her hood, she prays to Ra as a perfect triangle of flame forms in her outstretched hands. There is a pause, and then a torrent of golden fire bursts forth towards the gateway!
Hey guys! Sorry I was so quiet for so long! Had some real-life stuff, then my social anxiety flared and it felt awkward coming back, but! I'm here now! I'll read through what I've missed and get back into the swing. :)
Penance releases a small sound as Aladair draws the shopkeeper’s attention to her. ”U-U-Um....y-y-yes, three days i-i-is fine...!” She less than subtly shrinks into her cloak, gently tugging on her hood to draw it lower.
For the most part, Penance busies herself with a portion of the cheese, using a small knife to cut the cheddar into nearly perfect half-inch cubes. Most of these she tucks into the folds of her cloak, but one she gingerly places in a deep pocket. "There we are now...yes, all for you..." As the others barter with the shopkeep, she again tugs on Aladair's shoulder. "S-Sir Aladair, if y-you could please p-purchase some candles...? A-And, we should b-buy food, for th-the journey..."
Penance's grim expression is hidden in the voluminous folds of her cloak. "U-U-Um, I-I-I...o-o-okay, yes, we w-w-will share a r-r-room..." She pauses, then taps Aladair on the shoulder. "U-Um, Sir Aladair? C-Could I please a-ask you to a-ask the innkeeper f-for some cheese? Ch-Cheddar, if you c-can..."
Penance does not speak to the guardsman, double-checking that her cloak is fully covering her as she whispers: "W-Which one of u-us wishes to s-speak? I-I shall bless y-you..."
Ack! Sorry! Meant to post yesterday and got caught up in work!
Update: Got Font of Power, HP up to 16, and I'm taking Burning Hands as my new spell. Thought about swapping out something, but I think I'll keep them as-is for now.
Penance looks up at the opening, then pauses. In short order, the sounds of rummaging can be heard from within her cloak, before her delicate hand extends forward with a large coil of rope. ”W-W-Will this be e-e-enough?”
Penance awakens just in time to see Conner and Aric sailing past her to obliterate the...thing that had snared her. With the violence finally coming to a close, she steadies her breathing with a hand on her collarbone. "B-B-By Ra...! That w-w-was..." She is silent when Valghaz approaches, allowing him to heal her but still trying to conceal herself as best she can. The dwarf, and by extension the rest of the sell-swords accompanying her and Aric, had apparently chased the horrible beast to save her. A good sign, but signs were not confirmation. It still wasn't safe to fully trust them. In any case, they still needed to get out. Penance studies Aric's arm when he offers his hand to her. There was something about the way his sweat ran across the muscles of his upper arm, a strange allure...she swallows and takes his hand. "S-S-Sir Aric, I...I-I-I am sorry. That f-f-foul thing surprised me. P-P-Please forgive me..." She picks strands of web off her cloak and tries to readjust her oversized garment, trying to disappear back into its folds. "M-M-My failure has w-w-wasted precious time...w-w-we need to h-h-hurry..." After helping Valghaz with freeing Mystra and recovering her candle, she comes up behind Aladair and places her hand on the small of his back. "F-F-Find what you c-c-can quickly Sir A-A-Aladair...O' Ra, guide his gaze..."
"D-D-Do any of y-y-you know the w-w-way out? D-D-Did you see i-i-it while I w-w-was...?"
The cocoon entrapping Penance wiggles fervently for a moment, then stills...
As she lobs another golden flame at the beetle attacking Aric, Penance whispers into Aladair’s ear ”I-If you could p-please move to th-the side? I-I wish to f-feed the flame u-upon these creatures...”
Seeing the beetle attacking her half-orc friend, Penance extends her fingers and forms a globe of flame. "No holding back now...!"
Penance gives Valghaz a significant glance as she rushes forward to tend to Mistra, sheltering her candle as she runs.
"I-I assure you S-Sir Marlowe, I h-have no intention of r-returning to that h-horrible woman..." She speaks softly, but the distaste behind her voice is evident. "Y-You are a g-good soul, Sir M-Marlowe. P-Please, I ask of y-you, before we d-depart, come to s-see me. I-I wish to g-give you a b-boon." Over the course of the hour, Penance sits and watches as the golden flame slowly melts its perch away, and carefully transfers it to a new candle once it begins to sputter. Then, at the very end of the hour, she warms the melted wax and shapes the drippings into a design upon the cave floor; a small eye with a long line coming from its corner. Once it is finished, she mumbles another prayer and stands. "L-Let us be o-on our way..."
Penance yelps when she see her flames burn Aric. ”By the gods! Aric, are you alright?!” Without waiting for a reply she runs forward and plants her free hand on the small of the half-orc’s back. Golden fire seeps from between her fingers as she recites a short prayer, the flames licking over stings and burns and mending them within moments.
Seeing the tiny creatures swarm Aric, Penance gasps and hurls another sphere of fire, not realizing what havoc that might ensue...!
"I-I know better th-than to trust b-bandits...but you h-have a noble s-soul, Sir Marlowe. I-I for one w-will help you, b-before taking my l-leave..." Penance bows slightly towards the halfling, tugging at her cloak to affect a curtsy.
Taking a moment to retrieve her candle, Penance re-joins the procession, looking down the mouth of the next cave warily and keeping an ear out for any more spiders.
Seeing the arachnid flinch from the cleric's spell, Penance gets an idea. Moving to the side of the cavern, she mutters a prayer as the hand holding her enchanted candle is suddenly blacked with soot. Then, as if it possess a will of its own, the ash rises from her palm, caring the golden flame, and drifts soundlessly towards the spider.
Penance begins to summon her magic, but then remembers the warning about the white-tipped arachnids. Unsure of what to do, she draws her cloak in closer and keeps a wary eye out for any attack.
Penance stays close to the entrance of the side-chamber, keeping a careful eye towards the rest of the dark caverns.
”AH! Conner!” She quickly thrusts her hand forward and shouts words laced with arcane power. In a fraction of a second a perfect sphere of flame appears in her outstretched fingers and then darts towards the eight-legged monster.
Not waiting to see if she hits, the tiefling darts behind Valghaz, her cloak visibly shaking.
Penance creeps alongs, keeping very quiet as she readied her magic.
Penance comes to a stop along with everyone else before the web. Her first instinct is to set it ablaze, but then she remembers why they are here. "Marlowe, is this silk to be collected? Or shall I simply burn it?"
"W-Which spiders fear the f-flame?" Penance tentatively asks. "A-And, what are the c-cart and animals f-for?" As she looks at the map, the tiefling takes note of the fact that the cave system is not fully shown. She can see a tunnel with no mapped end at the bottom edge of the parchment. A plan formulating in her mind, she keeps the observation to herself and prays for a moment to speak with the others away from the bandits.
Being careful to shelter the candle from the rain, Penance lights the candle and then places it in the center of her left hand. She sets aside the flint and steel, then closes her right hand around the tip of the wax cone. At first it seems as though she has immediately snuffed the flame, but as she opens her fingers, what she has truely done becomes quite evident. The candlelight, at first dim and tinged orange, now shines brilliantly with golden hues. Under her hood, Penance smiles. ”There you are little one...would you be so kind as to help me today?” Perhaps it’s your imagination, but it almost seems as though the flame flickers slightly in reply. ”Wonderful...” She turns her head back towards Ianeria. ”I-I am ready t-to pay the d-debt...”
Penance winces when Ianeria mentions her mother and father, but is still quick to reply. "They n-never knew of R-Ra's gift..." There is brief movement under her cloak, then she produces a small, beeswax candle. 'I-I will be careful...please, m-may I have a m-match?"
With some small sense of satisfaction, Penance realizes that the bandits never bothered to take her weapon, useless in her hands as they may be. Still though, she thought best not to mention their "mistake."
After the days of travel, Penance still dresses in the great cloak, though now you all notice she is much more willing to look at you directly while speaking, as she does with the bandit leader. ”D-Do they fear the f-flame you d-d-denied us...?” Her voice is quiet and meek, but the anger behind it is clear. ”F-Fire bends to m-my will, so I m-must know if I-I should procure s-some...”
Valghaz quietly eyed the orc and tiefling duo. They were a strange couple, to be sure. But he thought that they were a good one. If they survived this the orc in particular would be a good father. It was truly upsetting how these bandits were so perfidious that they would even kidnap a young couple. Truly a sign of these lesser times. In the days of the ancestors such crimes surely would not happen!
Penance, despite the circumstances, laughs quietly. ”I-I don’t think...” She pauses. ”Yes, yes that must be it...such a c-cowardly band...” A small smile on her face, she relaxes into Aric’s arms, her head coming to rest on the half-orc’s chest. ”...thank you Sir Aric...”
"...not...ugly? Y-Y-You're not...s-s-scared of me?" She calms significantly, but her blush remains. She starts looking at the other members of the rag-tag party, trying to gauge their reactions to her form.
Penance grunted as her wits returned to her. The first thing in her field of view was Aric, looking slightly down at her as he spoke. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Boss," Aric rumbles. "Have you met our new traveling companions?" Aric mutters a few choice words under his breath regarding the bandits around them before adding "Hope you don't mind, we're taking a little detour from our original destination. It was either that or get tossed in the river." ”Companions...?” Her head rolled to the side as she looked about, the bandits from what seemed like moments ago encircling the group. ”Oh...oh no...Aric, what has-?” Then she realized she was uncovered, her cloak hanging loosely from her body. ”AH!” She rugged and pulled at the mantel, trying her best to conceal herself once more. ”No! No! No no no nonono! A-Aric I-I-I-!” She looks on the verge of tears, her face flushed and trembling.
As Aric shifts the cloaked figure's diminutive form, one of her arms slides free of the confines of the cloth. It is completely white, as white as fresh snow, with a delicate shape and elegant hands. Uncovering more of her form, Aric finds that she is indeed albino, with pure-white skin and long, colorless hair. She wears simple clothes, but their craftsmanship suggests nobility. Of course, the most striking feature of her person are her horns. They are approximately a foot in length, but curl and follow the shape of her head in such a way that, whilst under the cloak, they are nearly undetectable. Unlike her hair, the horns are a stark obsidian black, yet smooth like ivory, with very little ridging or natural growth marks. As Aric tends to her wounds, her eyes flicker, briefly revealing their solid, blood-red coloration. Despite her apparent status as a tiefling, she is still stunningly beautiful. Her features are smooth and rounded, and her face rests with a quiet calm, as though she were merely asleep. In short, she practically glows with natural grace, marred only by her demonic features.
All Penance gets out is a gasp before loosing consciousness.
There's a LOT more of them than I thought there were...!
The voices wake Penance almost immediately. She watches with horror as bolts pierce the night and rain down upon their camp, upon...! "Aric!" Keeping low, she quickly rummages through her pockets and finds a scrap of a prayer hymn. She mutters the words, and places her free in hand over her heart. As she summons her magic, her world becomes like fire.
You all watch as a tongue of golden flame leaps from between the folds of Penance's cloak and embraces Aric, shrouding him in an aura of flickering, blessed light. The same light now dimly glows from the interior of the grey mantel. Keeping on the ground, she crawls towards the half-orc and keeps a watchful eye for any more bolts coming her way. "Aric! Aric, are you injured?!"
As she listens in on Aric and Valghaz’s discussion, Penence releases a quiet sigh. ”I-In my life, I h-have found that fear is rarely f-found in small a-amounts, and it m-makes even the m-most decent be as the d-d-devils...”
Penance's hood turns towards the dwarf. "A-A priest? Y-yes, I-I-I mean, no, no I a-am not interested. I-I have my own gods..." She visibly takes a half-step away from the elf as he approaches. "I-I'm afraid I d-don't know if I-I could be of m-much help. M-My magics are...strange...b-but, if I c-can help you, I-I would be p-pleased to. W-What would you l-like to know?"
Penance, still not fully understanding what Aric was talking about, nodded along with the half-orc’s statements. ”I-If you folk would l-like some, I’m c-certain there will b-be enough for us a-all...” She thinks for a moment after Conner states his skills. ”...I-I know a little m-magic. N-not much else though. M-My apologies...”
She shrinks away from the human approaching her, trying to keep Aric between him and herself. ”Ah! U-U-Um, y-yes, a p-p-pleasure...” Pence listens intently to Aric, but at the end of his explanation she feels more confused than anything else. ”U-Um, y-yes, I see...? She clears her throat. ”P-Penace is...me. I-I am called P-Penance.”
"...to penance paid..." Due to her position near him, Penance received a close look at the Aric's arms as he casually rested them. They were large, strong arms, reminiscent of the "common folk" who would come to Father's temple to receive small blessings. They were those who worked with their hands, tilling soil and carving wood. They were, in some way she could not explain, comforting. "I-I apologize if I am p-poor as a 'b-boss.' I h-have never h-hired someone before..."
She knew she must have looked silly. Even saying she wanted to go to this dangerous place seemed like the rantings of a madman, but she was determined. "U-Um, I will pay for drinks, y-yes. B-But, I only have s-so much coin, s-so please do not...i-indulge." She prayed to whatever gods still favored her that he was not a drunkard. She was exceptionally nervous about traveling with more adventurers than Aric. It was easy enough to hide a secret from one person. It was much harder to hide it from many. But, there was safety granted by numbers. "Y-Yes, yes that seems...s-seems wise..." She wrapped her slender hand in the cloak's cloth and accepted the half-orc's far more calloused digits, following very closely behind him. As she followed, she whispered to him "I-It is...difficult to explain m-my reasons. S-Sometimes I...see things, i-in my dreams. Places I've n-never seen. Places I-I know I'm m-meant to go. I-I think it is the g-gods, showing me the p-path to..." Her voice faltered, and she grew quiet once again.
Despite the fact that she was still swaddled in grey cloth, Penance's flinches from Aric's shout. At this point she would normally leave, politely excuse herself and find some other place to be, but...he hadn't even glanced. Barely even gave her a strange look, trying to look under the hood and cloth. So she stayed, and listened to a funny story about lizards and pans. "S-So, you must be a m-mighty warrior then, y-yes? I am looking f-for someone t-to help me reach R-Rappan Athuk. I had p-planned to take the f-ferry, but I...I did not r-realize the journey was b-by boat. I am t-terribly afraid of the w-water. I've h-heard one may r-reach the place b-by land, b-but I am too weak t-to make that journey alone. If you w-would be willing, I w-would ask you for your h-help." She paused, then added. "I-I can pay you, if you d-desire it."
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