Robin's Taldoran campaign

[robin]

There is the bells tower of the old temple of Aroden ...

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Vivaeri wanted to confront the issue directly as well, but she kept that to herself and ferociously tried to convince herself that she didn't want to after Ewald suggested that course. Gods, I need a drink... she thought as she limped along with the others.

Ewald Salodar wrote:

Ohh..Blessed Barleybrew..I need a drink anyway

DAMN IT! He's doing that on purpose! She bit her tongue, and took notice of her uncle's checking of the surroundings. She somehow had enough room in her head amidst all the cursing to feel guilty over forgetting what they had been asked to do. She was used to being the least responsible of the family, Amunrel keeping the task at hand in mind left her a bit ashamed. Then she remembered that the soldier had remembered as well. Grrrrr... "See something, uncle?" she asked flatly.

[Amunrel]

Vivaeri Firdraes wrote:

Vivaeri wanted to confront the issue directly as well, but she kept that to herself and ferociously tried to convince herself that she didn't want to after Ewald suggested that course. Gods, I need a drink... she thought as she limped along with the others.

Ewald Salodar wrote:

Ohh..Blessed Barleybrew..I need a drink anyway

DAMN IT! He's doing that on purpose! She bit her tongue, and took notice of her uncle's checking of the surroundings. She somehow had enough room in her head amidst all the cursing to feel guilty over forgetting what they had been asked to do. She was used to being the least responsible of the family, Amunrel keeping the task at hand in mind left her a bit ashamed. Then she remembered that the soldier had remembered as well. Grrrrr... "See something, uncle?" she asked flatly.

"There," Amunrel raises an arm to point at the distant temple of Aroden.

"Ever heard about bats in belfries?" he asks them.
"I think that might be where our missing bat may be hiding," Amunrel explains.
"What do you think, worth a shot after you got your drink?" Amunrel asks.

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

"Bats next...wonderful..." Thinking of them as rats with wings was charitible in Vivaeri's eyes. She likely would need a few drinks before trying to catch one.

[robin]

Ok you are all back at the inn

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

As soon as she saw her sister, Vivaeri strode, or rather limped, right past Halsanna with a look in her eye that said in no uncertain terms, "We need to talk, now." This look had often been used when Vivaeri may have possibly accidentally started some fires, owed someone money, or had possibly broken a family valuable learning the art of juggling. This time, it carried air of uncoming doom, and they were right in its path.

She continued on her way towards their room.

[Adjunta Paul]

Adjunta follows the exchange between the girls but says nothing. He rejoins the men in the bar area.

"Greetings my fellow investigators," Adjunta cheerfully says, "blessings of Abadar be upon you. What have we learned thus far?"

[Amunrel]

Adjunta Paul wrote:

Adjunta follows the exchange between the girls but says nothing. He rejoins the men in the bar area.

"Greetings my fellow investigators," Adjunta cheerfully says, "blessings of Abadar be upon you. What have we learned thus far?"

"Well his name isn't Arnhault, its apparently a sargeant he knows from his unit, the cat we went to check on has a pink ribbon I have offered to pay the lad so the child gets to keep the cat if that was the right one, Arnhault sorry what is your name by the way?" Amunrel asks the Ranger.

Amunrel then leans slightly forward to whisper in a conspiratorial tone,"Oh and before I forget there is a very slight possibility I may have found someone who might be able to help find who released these pets in the first place, however he's rather devoted to druidic ways a little too devoted you might say but at least we should be able to find out who put him up to it if I'm right."

Leaning back upright he then says," And there's a good possibility we might be able to locate the bat, that is if the church of Aroden's is willing to let us check its belfry."

"Oh and Vi's just letting Halsanna know young Ewald here is a little put out at their little shenanigan, personally I think it might be my sister's influence but they do say a little drama is good for the soul... sorry your name is Ewald isn't it?" the elf asks.

[Halsanna Firdraes]

When the other four arrived, Halsanna was calmly occupying a table with Adjunta, frowning into her mug with an annoyed look that said enough to those of her family that she was most definitely frustrated at the way things were going. She was trying to piece something together, but was most definitely short of enough pieces to make sense of it. Vivaeri was a welcome distraction, even if her uncle and Ahnault received a questioning look at her seeing her sister limp. The look 'Vae gave her as she walked past only made her frown more, looking for any sort of telltales in the company she had kept before she rose with a murmured courtesy to Adjunta and followed after her sister.

Vivaeri:

Spoiler:

Halsanna caught up to her sister soon enough, taking her arm and hooking it over her shoulder, the other arm going across her waist as she supported her sister up the stairs. The inn they were in had two floors, and their room was one of the first after ascending to the second floor. It was no high-class establishment, but Halsanna's requirements for a room were extremely minimal, a fact much remarked upon by her sister when they took the room.

Halsanna spoke once they were halfway up the stairs. "'Vae...", she began cautiously, looking at her little sister, "...why are you limping?"

[robin]

Halsanna and Vivaeris

Spoiler:

Since it was your father who did choose the inn and the rooms , they are of good quality

[Amunrel]

Halsanna Firdraes wrote:

When the other four arrived, Halsanna was calmly occupying a table with Adjunta, frowning into her mug with an annoyed look that said enough to those of her family that she was most definitely frustrated at the way things were going. She was trying to piece something together, but was most definitely short of enough pieces to make sense of it. Vivaeri was a welcome distraction, even if her uncle and Ahnault received a questioning look at her seeing her sister limp. The look 'Vae gave her as she walked past only made her frown more, looking for any sort of telltales in the company she had kept before she rose with a murmured courtesy to Adjunta and followed after her sister.

Sense Motive from Amunrel after seeing Vi limping, rolled a 4+7 for 11 so not a clue!

"I don't remember Vi pulling a muscle, do you?" Amunrel whispers to Arnhault.

[Adjunta Paul]

Amunrel wrote:

"Well his name isn't Arnhault, its apparently a sargeant he knows from his unit, the cat we went to check on has a pink ribbon I have offered to pay the lad so the child gets to keep the cat if that was the right one, Arnhault sorry what is your name by the way?" Amunrel asks the Ranger.

"There have been many lies spun here today," Adjunta nods, "but I'm more concerned with the lies spun to hid our pray. I am glad that you located a cat but I think it unlikely that the cat would allow itself to be adopted so quickly though, cats are stand offish at best. Better save your money good sir."

Amunrel wrote:

Amunrel then leans slightly forward to whisper in a conspiratorial tone,"Oh and before I forget there is a very slight possibility I may have found someone who might be able to help find who released these pets in the first place, however he's rather devoted to druidic ways a little too devoted you might say but at least we should be able to find out who put him up to it if I'm right."

"Now this is of great interest to me," Adjunta says, "I suspect that there will be a connection to at least one of the people we met this afternoon."

Amunrel wrote:

Leaning back upright he then says," And there's a good possibility we might be able to locate the bat, that is if the church of Aroden's is willing to let us check its belfry."

"I think that I can gain us access," Adjunta says, "if not through my vestments and vocation then possibly through my Azlanti blood. The priests of the fallen one would be hard pressed to deny me access to the last of my people."

Amunrel wrote:

"Oh and Vi's just letting Halsanna know young Ewald here is a little put out at their little shenanigan, personally I think it might be my sister's influence but they do say a little drama is good for the soul... sorry your name is Ewald isn't it?" the elf asks.

"Well the girl is full of life," Adjunta laughs, "her fibs are harmless, but I suspect that she'd do better if she were allowed a more constructive outlet for her talents. I don't mean to tell you or her father how to raise the young woman but I suspect that she lacks a proper outlet for all that mischievous energy."

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Halsanna: [spoiler]Vivaeri tried to wave her sister away when she tried to help her to the room, but she thankful for the aid even if the pain was steadily fading. It would have been almost gone if she hadn't stomp-limped on the way back to the inn.

She looked surprised at Halsanna's opening question, as if the limp was hardly of note. She seemed a bit irritated that the subject had changed away from the source of her ire even before the conversation had begun. "What? Oh...I tripped and stubbed my toes..." On a building... "Look, that's not important..." She was speaking a bit too quickly, in a hurry to get her point out. She looked like she was trying to warn someone that their house was on fire. "That soldier...the one you've been getting all chummy with?" Admittedly, possibly my fault. "He's him! That man they're trying to make me marry! Ewald Salodar!" She paused for a moment, not just to let the gravity of the situation sink in, but also to realize that she hadn't actually confirmed all of her facts.

"Or possibly someone working for him." she added.

[Halsanna Firdraes]

Vivaeri:

Spoiler:

Halsanna raised an eyebrow, even as she sat her sister down on the edge of the cot and started to work her boot off of the foot that she was favoring. For all of 'Vae's excitement, she just grunted softly, more immediately concerned with her sister's foot. Any protests that 'Vae would have made were silenced with a look that said she would have to tolerate it, since she was not to be deterred.

"What do you think about him?" The question was evenly asked, almost given as an offhand comment as she crouched in front of her, the injured foot in her lap as she made sure nothing was broken. Mediation was something that Halsanna was used to, given that she was often the one interposing herself between her father and sister's disagreements and helping the both of them sort things out when their emotions were high.

[Ewald Salodar]

Ewald has stalked to the bar as the girls vanish...no doubt to discuss him. He orders a flagon of strong dark ale and, when it arrives, mutters a short prayer.

At Amrunels question he sighs visibly

"Aye it is so, I am Ewald Salador..I had come hoping to find why my bride to be had run to this backwater without even giving me the courtesy of an explanation. I expected to find some vapid Miss just out of the schoolroom who was suffering a fit of the vapours at the thought of marriage.Instead I find...well to be honest I'm not sure what I've found...today has been rather confusing"

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Agh. Sorry about the broken spoiler tags.

Halsanna:

Spoiler:

"It's not that bad...ow..." Vivaeri started weakly before trailing off at the sight of her sister's look, but she obeyed her sister. It didn't feel as bad now, but she knew Halsanna had more sense for such matters than she ever did. She was a bit too used to such treatment. In lieu of their mother's presence, she had often turned to her elder sister whenever she came in crying from a scrape or bruise.

At her sister's question concerning the soldier though, she picked up where she left off. "Well he's a known liar for starters!" she exclaimed, not mentioning the earlier name confusion the two of them had played with during the day. "He's rough. He has no sense of humor. Also, he may be a drunkard." she continued in an all-too judgmental tone. "Okay, he did seem nice enough when it came to dealing with that girl we were trying to get that blasted cat from...but then he has his little mood swing and gets all accusatory with me! No control over his emotions whatsoever!" she punctuated with a slap to the cot.

I'm guessing Halsanna can see through any of Vivaeri's hypocrisy by default. :)

[Amunrel]

Ewald Salodar wrote:

Ewald has stalked to the bar as the girls vanish...no doubt to discuss him. He orders a flagon of strong dark ale and, when it arrives, mutters a short prayer.

At Amrunels question he sighs visibly

"Aye it is so, I am Ewald Salador..I had come hoping to find why my bride to be had run to this backwater without even giving me the courtesy of an explanation. I expected to find some vapid Miss just out of the schoolroom who was suffering a fit of the vapours at the thought of marriage.Instead I find...well to be honest I'm not sure what I've found...today has been rather confusing"

"Well I was expecting worse, I met Vi after her family gave her the ultimatum, not the best way to do things after all she hadn't met you back then and even amoung my people that would have been considered idiotic at best, but then I can't really say we're that much better given the actions of my own sister..." Amunrel sighs.

"Well I'm not one for leaving a lady in distress and it was only later I learned she was my niece and that was before I met her father who thought I had designs on her when we first met!" Amunrel laughs softly at that point.

"Anyway at one point I thought Halsanna would be a better match but its still early days for such talk, with my people such things can take decades even a century or two well except for most of my grandmother's side of my family," Amunrel observes thoughtfully.

"So before I drive myself to get blind drunk perhaps we should have a word with Jemiche and see if he can explain whats really going on?" Amunrel says after a moment of quiet introspection his tone never rising beyond a whisper that can be heard beyond the three of them.

DM note only:

Spoiler:

Changed all of this since this is supposed to be light hearted adventure after all

[Halsanna Firdraes]

Vivaeri:

Spoiler:

Halsanna listened to her sister vent with a soft smile, not even bothering to keep the knowing look from her eyes as 'Vae touched on points that they had not been especially honest about. The confusion was actually an understandable thing, given the vague introduction. She had thought that she had perhaps dispelled it when she had explained to Ahnault how she had come to enjoy working with forge and anvil. One eyebrow was raised as her sister slapped the cot, and Halsanna released her foot, satisfied that she had not broken anything. She knew Vivaeri's tendency to overact sometimes.

"Well, if he is that unbearable, I suppose we could both go downstairs and run him off," she sighed. Standing, she made a slight show of thinking. "Or, we could run away again, though I suspect he is pretty good at tracking, and would likely find us, if he was of a mind to track us down, not to mention what Father would do.." Halsanna moved to plop herself on the cot next to her sister, and leaned back against the wall, crossing her feet at her ankles, yawning, her eyes going half-lidded as she relaxed with her hands folded on her stomach. The posture was horrible, and could not possibly be as relaxing as she was making it out to be.

"Or, you could give him a chance.. say until we resolve this familiar issue", she said lazily, a half grin on her face. Halsanna was baiting her sister and she knew it, but she had to at least put the idea there. She was fully expecting an outburst from 'Vae for even daring to offer it.

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Halsanna:

Spoiler:

Vivaeri took the bait in one bite. "UGH! Don't even! I can put up with him being close maybe, but don't even joke about that, Sanna!" She crossed her arms, looking down at her sister beside her in disbelief before throwing out, "Besides, I though you liked him. Before we found out about him, that is.[/i] There was just a hint of accusation in there, as if she couldn't believe Halsanna wasn't completely on her side on the matter.

Vivaeri placed her hands on the cot to either side of her, bobbing her sore foot and trying to work the pain out by wiggling her toes as she listened. Still pouting, she continued, "Gods...and running him off would just upset Father." She couldn't deny that deep down she had hoped to sic her sister on the man. "It just isn't fair! Someone deciding something like that for you! It's like they're holding father hostage...like they're holding his position in the family over his head so they can make us do what they want...make us what they want..." Vivaeri wasn't given to confessing many of her deepest fears very easily, and she looked a bit embarrassed at having blurted one out now, and a bit apologetic for her earlier fury.

[Halsanna Firdraes]

Vivaeri:

Spoiler:

Halsanna sat up, dropping her lazily relaxed air to wrap an arm around her sister, resting her chin on her shoulder. When she spoke, it was with reassurance. "'Vae, don't go borrowing trouble. They can change us only as much as we are willing to let them. I know I'm not particularly inclined to change just because someone thought that it would be good if our families joined." She could not help the soft snicker that came with her next idea, amused at the mental image. "Hells, if they want our families to join so badly, they can marry each other!"

Sighing, she shifted a bit, and wrapped both arms around her sister, rocking softly like she used to do when they were younger, and one of them was worried. "Honestly 'Vae, I don't mind him as much as I thought I would," she confessed. "He's a whole lot better than the spoiled fop I thought he would be, and we have similar occupations. But," Halsanna paused, flicking the tip of her sister's nose to emphasize her point, "he is for you to like or dislike. They can arrange all the marriages they want, but they can't force you to marry whomever it is."

Halsanna hugged her sister a little tighter for a moment. "I won't let them", she promised.

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Halsanna:

Spoiler:

Vivaeri leaned her head against Halsanna's as her sister reassured her. She broke into a smile despite herself at the suggestion of the marriage arrangers having to do the deed themselves.

She didn't protest the hug; she never did. It was only in her father's arms that she felt more safe. She could not help but feel guilty now in the face of Halsanna's calm, after having stormed in so angrily. Ewald, if that really was who he was, wasn't as bad as she had expected. Scrunching her nose at her sister's flick and leaning into her tightened hug, she could only manage, "Thanks, Sanna..." She wanted to stay in their room as long as she could, just putting off the troubles lying in wait outside, but after a minute she leaned away from Halsanna, smiling with a hint of embarrassment. "So will you go beat him up now?" she asked in a childlike voice, hoping to defuse much of the high emotion she had brought into the room.

"I'm sorry I put all of that on you..." she said, putting her arm around her shoulders.

[Halsanna Firdraes]

Vivaeri:

Spoiler:

Halsanna smirked, smiled, and shrugged. "I'm your sister, 'Vae, I'll always listen." She said it as if it was a given-- which to her, it was-- that siblings stick together. Goddess knew that Halsanna was scared to death of having her sister taken from her by some event that was not of her choosing. Her response to being afraid was usually to figure a way to reduce the source to manageable bits and to thoroughly deal with them as they came, while hiding it all between a front of competence until the situation passed.

All the same, she did lean into Vivaeri, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to set herself for what they would have to face downstairs. A comforting moment of tranquility stolen, she exhaled slowly before disengaging from her sister to stand, but not before giving her an affectionate bump. "I still intend to knock him on his rear, but if you like, I could start now."

Thing was, neither the half-smile on her face, nor the look in her eyes were enough to tell her sister that she was joking. Halsanna did plan on roughing Ahna--Ewald up a little, but at her sister's behest, she would not mind starting early. "C'mon, one-foot", she teased. "Let's get back downstairs before the men start to worry."

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Halsanna:

Spoiler:

"S'not funny." Vivaeri said, sounding overly hurt as she limped after Halsanna. She was exaggerating for pity now, though she knew her sister could see right through it. The pain had died down greatly after she had calmed a bit. She couldn't stop grinning at the idea of 'Sanna taking Ewald down a notch or two either. "I guess we have to try and behave a little anyway, what with our chaperone downstairs."

She quickly quieted as she and her sister made it downstairs, turning her chin up and slitting her eyes with an offended "Hmph!".

[Ewald Salodar]

Ewald listens to Amrunels words and then nods slowly sipping at his ale before answering..

"It works......sometimes, but I agree, hence the subterfuge....I wanted to see the real girl not some carefully crafted image for a groom.The first I knew of this ...arrangement was two days ago when I got back from the frontier at my fathers special request..and all I got was..."

Ewald assumes a pompous pose, coughs,and lowers his voice an octave imitating his fathers manner

"I arranged a wedding with the Firdaes filly and the silly baggage has run of to Moremarsh.."

"Im afraid my Pa is rather old school when it comes to women. My sisters had their husbands lined up before they were old enough to walk and my older brother was betrothed at his naming.As for me,well, I'm a second son and I came along late..not so important to get me married off...not when my brothers already provided the heir and the spare if you get my drift"

He turns as the girls return...

"So have I been tried and condemned then?"

[Amunrel]

Ewald Salodar wrote:

Ewald listens to Amrunels words and then nods slowly sipping at his ale before answering..

"It works......sometimes, but I agree, hence the subterfuge....I wanted to see the real girl not some carefully crafted image for a groom.The first I knew of this ...arrangement was two days ago when I got back from the frontier at my fathers special request..and all I got was..."
Ewald assumes a pompous pose, coughs,and lowers his voice an octave imitating his fathers manner
"I arranged a wedding with the Firdaes filly and the silly baggage has run of to Moremarsh.."
"Im afraid my Pa is rather old school when it comes to women. My sisters had their husbands lined up before they were old enough to walk and my older brother was betrothed at his naming.As for me,well, I'm a second son and I came along late..not so important to get me married off...not when my brothers already provided the heir and the spare if you get my drift"

"You know Sir Oribar never said anything about mentioning me to his side of that side of his family..." Amunrel's wrily notes.

[quote=]He turns as the girls return...
"So have I been tried and condemned then?"

Amunrel takes one look at his nieces before returning his gaze to his drink.

"No much worse than that, they've been talking about you," he replies glancing up at Adjunta.

Sense Motive rolled a 7+7 for a total of 14 doesn't mean this is right its just a wry attempt at humour...

[Adjunta Paul]

Amunrel wrote:

Amunrel takes one look at his nices before returning his gaze to his drink.
"No much worse than that, they've been talking about you," he replies glancing up at Adjunta.

Sense Motive rolled a 7+7 for a total of 14 doesn't mean this is right its just a wry attempt at humour...

Adjunta rolls his eyes.

"Nobody talks about me," Adjunta sighs, "or too me apparently, I am still waiting for you to revival this lead to mentioned earlier."

[Amunrel]

Adjunta Paul wrote:

Amunrel takes one look at his nieces before returning his gaze to his drink.
"No much worse than that, they've been talking about you," he replies glancing up at Adjunta.
"Nobody talks about me," Adjunta sighs, "or too me apparently, I am still waiting for you to revival this lead to mentioned earlier."

"Well earlier when Sir Oribar had announced he had to check in with his family a couple of fellows here mentioned the stable hand being unavailable and naturally curious it seems he has a rather overactive idea about druidism, admittedly not that bad since I've heard some really nasty things druidism has been wrongly interpretated with, but given our predicament I believe he is the best lead to follow as unless someone was announcing this mage's plans to all and sundry I suspect it may reveal exactly what is really going on," Amunrel whispers quietly taking pains to make his talking as unremarkable as possible in case those he overheard are present.

[Adjunta Paul]

"Hmmmm," Adjunta thinks, "this could be the lad we're looking for, the sheriff was in the bar when we arrived, and if we deduce that the sheriff is a regular, and that he knows the staff here quite well, it's possible that the sheriff knew or suspected who was responsible for the attack and is covering for the lad. There are too many "maybes" in that theory though."

[Ewald Salodar]

"Well lets see..we have the rat and the toad...know where the cat is and have probably located the best place for the bat to be roosting....I don't think we will ever find the snake unless someone introduces it into one of our beds in the night...but thats more a Quadiri assassin thing so I doubt that will happen. So if we are not going to confront this mage directly then the stable hand seems to be the next logical port of call"

[Amunrel]

Ewald Salodar wrote:

"Well lets see..we have the rat and the toad...know where the cat is and have probably located the best place for the bat to be roosting....I don't think we will ever find the snake unless someone introduces it into one of our beds in the night...but thats more a Quadiri assassin thing so I doubt that will happen. So if we are not going to confront this mage directly then the stable hand seems to be the next logical port of call"

"Agreed then we can pay a visit to the temple of Aroden..." Amunrel nods back.

[Halsanna Firdraes]

Halsanna had paused at the bottom of the stairs to wait for her still-limping sister to catch up, since she knew more or less how much pain she was in. Vivaeri's exaggeration of the limp had little effect on her, so she paid it little attention, offering a look back up at her sister that asked, 'How do you want to proceed?'

Even still, Ewald's offhand comment about being tried and condemned needled her a bit, and she stiffened a bit as she fought down her irrational impulse to go over there and give him a piece of her mind. Never mind that her chastisement would undoubtedly degenerate into semi-coherent ranting. His presence here threatened to take away her one and only sister, and here he was, being glib. Her face colored slightly, but she composed herself, reminding herself that however she may have been trained, she and her sister were raised to be better than that.

Once 'Vae reached her side, she schooled her expression into a calm competence, and let her sister lead the way.

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Halsanna Firdraes wrote:

Halsanna had paused at the bottom of the stairs to wait for her still-limping sister to catch up, since she knew more or less how much pain she was in. Vivaeri's exaggeration of the limp had little effect on her, so she paid it little attention, offering a look back up at her sister that asked, 'How do you want to proceed?'

Vivaeri met her look, trying to keep as calm a look in her eyes as possible and hoping Halsanna would follow their intent, that she would keep her cool. She knew that if Sanna lost her temper, she would follow right after. She had a few ideas taking shape in her head, but nothing solid yet. She just knew that she couldn't outright run or chase Ewald off. Still, her face showed the impression that something foul was in the room.

"Wouldn't you like to know..." was all she could manage in response to Ewald's question about being tried as she passed and took a seat near her uncle, keeping him between her and would-be groom. She had wanted to say any number of things, but Amunrel and Adjunta's presence had her censoring herself. "So, we're off to the temple of Abadar then? You're acquainted with the local clergy, are you not Father Paul?" she asked in a purely business-like manner, doing her best to ignore Ewald, though she knew she couldn't manage it for long. In truth, she was just waiting for an excuse to pounce. 'Sanna or Ewald himself would likely provide one any moment from now.

Just trying not to derail everyone's planning with DRAMA for just a bit longer. :)

[robin]

Vivaeri Firdraes wrote:

Just trying not to derail everyone's planning with DRAMA for just a bit longer. :)

No problem , I've still got popcorn to watch this sitcom...

Or is it ROLE PLAYING Game ? :)

[Adjunta Paul]

"Um, actually you would call me father Adjunta," Adjunta quickly corrects, "my family values our name so we always place it first, I would feel strange to be identified strictly by my given name. We Azlanti value our blood above all else, and Adjunta is a very, very old name. Besides Paul isn't an Azlanti name and if we are to visit the temple of the fallen god it would be best to call me by my family name."

[Amunrel]

Adjunta Paul wrote:

"Um, actually you would call me father Adjunta," Adjunta quickly corrects, "my family values our name so we always place it first, I would feel strange to be identified strictly by my given name. We Azlanti value our blood above all else, and Adjunta is a very, very old name. Besides Paul isn't an Azlanti name and if we are to visit the temple of the fallen god it would be best to call me by my family name."

"Especially as there may be bats in yonder belfry," Amunrel notes drily.

"So do we have a brief visit to sightsee the Temple of Aroden or shall we take option two?" Amunrel asks glancing at the others.

[Ewald Salodar]

Ewald notes the stiffness of ?Halsanna and winced slightly at Vaes comment.

Turning to the priest he hopes for a less hostile reaction.

"Father Adjunta, do you know why this is still a temple to Aroden and not to Iomedae..who would follow a dead god?"

[Amunrel]

Ewald Salodar wrote:

Ewald notes the stiffness of ?Halsanna and winced slightly at Vaes comment.

Turning to the priest he hopes for a less hostile reaction.
"Father Adjunta, do you know why this is still a temple to Aroden and not to Iomedae..who would follow a dead god?"

"Some people have a hard time letting go of the past, this is Taldor however they rival even my people in that regards," Amunrel suggests as he finishes his drink and putting it back on the table with a small tip he gets up to walk beside his nieces.

"So," the elf says rubbing his hands together.
"Which of you is going to introduce Ewald to your father?" Amunrel whispers to them and then sighing he moves to the door of the Inn.
"Shall we be moving on?" he asks them from the door.

[Adjunta Paul]

Ewald Salodar wrote:

Ewald notes the stiffness of ?Halsanna and winced slightly at Vaes comment.

Turning to the priest he hopes for a less hostile reaction.

"Father Adjunta, do you know why this is still a temple to Aroden and not to Iomedae..who would follow a dead god?"

Adjunta leans back and drums his fingers on the table,

"Well my son you're asking a very complex and potentially sensitive question. There are those that believe Aroden still lives and is only testing the faithful. There are those that hang onto tradition, some of it has to with money, I mean the church still has much wealth and power, and there are those that believe that even after all these years, and even after the head of the church officially moving to Cheliax, our nation is still the true heart of the Aroden religion. When you see what happened to Cheliax after Aroden's death . . ." Adjunta sighs and gives a quick shiver before he makes the sign of Abadar.

"Still there is something to be said for these lands having once been part of the ancient Azlanti empire, and what little remains of our blood is thickest here . . . Aroden was more then a god, he was hope and mankind's salvation, he was the last of our blood . . . Iomedae is a fine deity, but she's not Azlanti. I almost entered into the church of Aroden you know, my family doesn't have a particularly strong history of religious service, but those of us that did enter into the clergy have been servants of Aroden. It's been only now over 100 since his death, weighed against thousands of years history, it was a minor scandal when I announced I wouldn't be joining the church of Aroden."

Adjunta laughs, then his eyes become serious again: "I can't really answer your question my son, but at least now you have some idea as to the complexity of situation, and I must warn you not to ask such questions once we're in the temple, although our god is dead, many of us view the temple of Aroden as holy ground. These temples are now like tombs to us. Such questions might be met with . . . Hmmm, let's just say that I am open minded but there are others that would take your ignorance as an insult."

[Amunrel]

Adjunta Paul wrote:

Ewald Salodar wrote:

Ewald notes the stiffness of ?Halsanna and winced slightly at Vaes comment.

Turning to the priest he hopes for a less hostile reaction.
"Father Adjunta, do you know why this is still a temple to Aroden and not to Iomedae..who would follow a dead god?"

Adjunta leans back and drums his fingers on the table,

"Well my son you're asking a very complex and potentially sensitive question. There are those that believe Aroden still lives and is only testing the faithful. There are those that hang onto tradition, some of it has to with money, I mean the church still has much wealth and power, and there are those that believe that even after all these years, and even after the head of the church officially moving to Cheliax, our nation is still the true heart of the Aroden religion. When you see what happened to Cheliax after Aroden's death . . ." Adjunta sighs and gives a quick shiver before he makes the sign of Abadar.
"Still there is something to be said for these lands having once been part of the ancient Azlanti empire, and what little remains of our blood is thickest here . . . Aroden was more then a god, he was hope and mankind's salvation, he was the last of our blood . . . Iomedae is a fine deity, but she's not Azlanti. I almost entered into the church of Aroden you know, my family doesn't have a particularly strong history of religious service, but those of us that did enter into the clergy have been servants of Aroden. It's been only now over 100 since his death, weighed against thousands of years history, it was a minor scandal when I announced I wouldn't be joining the church of Aroden."
Adjunta laughs, then his eyes become serious again: "I can't really answer your question my son, but at least now you have some idea as to the complexity of situation, and I must warn you not to ask such questions once we're in the temple, although our god is dead, many of us view the temple of Aroden as holy ground. These temples are now like tombs to us. Such questions...

Amunrel glances outside as Adjunta answers Ewald's question.

"You know it looks like rain," he says after a moment.
"Must be quite the view from that bell tower wouldn't you say?" Amunrel mutters to nobody in particular.

[Adjunta Paul]

"Let's get going then sir Amunrel," Adjunta says, standing, "time is wasting and bats hunt at night."

[Halsanna Firdraes]

Her uncle's words only made Halsanna groan loudly in a tone most associated with the condemned, her head falling onto her arms before proceeding to lightly bump her head against them. As she banged her head, she began muttering something repeatedly, growing louder as she continued. Amusingly enough, it made a pleasant undercurrent to Adjunta's explanation about the church, only really becoming noticeable once he had finished, assuming one did not understand the language. However melodious it sounded once it was audible, the majority was a elvish litany of frustrations and mild insults aimed at a certain duplicitous male. Continuing, she proceeded to berate herself for missing the obvious in the slightly less melodious tones of Varisian and finally stopped as she turned her head to level an annoyed glare directly at Ewald.

"You..." was all she could darkly mutter, before she threw up her hands in exasperation, shoved herself off of her seat at the bar, and turned to leave the inn entirely. She needed to go beat on something. Hopefully the local smith had a project he needed a hand with, perhaps.

Armies, she could face as part of a regiment, no problem. Extended "Field Training", she would not bat an eye. Weapons Drills at some dark time of the morning? Fine. The one thing she dreaded above any and all of those was another confrontation with a disappointed father. She already had been through enough of those to last her a lifetime.

[Amunrel]

Halsanna Firdraes wrote:

Her uncle's words only made Halsanna groan loudly in a tone most associated with the condemned, her head falling onto her arms before proceeding to lightly bump her head against them. As she banged her head, she began muttering something repeatedly, growing louder as she continued. Amusingly enough, it made a pleasant undercurrent to Adjunta's explanation about the church, only really becoming noticeable once he had finished, assuming one did not understand the language. However melodious it sounded once it was audible, the majority was a elvish litany of frustrations and mild insults aimed at a certain duplicitous male. Continuing, she proceeded to berate herself for missing the obvious in the slightly less melodious tones of Varisian and finally stopped as she turned her head to level an annoyed glare directly at Ewald.

"You..." was all she could darkly mutter, before she threw up her hands in exasperation, shoved herself off of her seat at the bar, and turned to leave the inn entirely. She needed to go beat on something. Hopefully the local smith had a project he needed a hand with, perhaps.

Armies, she could face as part of a regiment, no problem. Extended "Field Training", she would not bat an eye. Weapons Drills at some dark time of the morning? Fine. The one thing she dreaded above any and all of those was another confrontation with a disappointed father. She already had been through enough of those to last her a lifetime.

"Remind me to go over those vowels with you, otherwise barring a few choice alterations not a bad summary," Amunrel notes to Halsanna in elvish as he passes him at the doorway.

[Amunrel]

Adjunta Paul wrote:

"Let's get going then sir Amunrel," Adjunta says, standing, "time is wasting and bats hunt at night."

"Hmm and there's still a snake on the loose," Amunrel nods in reply before mentioning something to Halsanna as she passes him in the doorway of the Inn.

[robin]

So to the temple ?

Guided by Ajunta , you go to the temple . Temple being a big name for it . it's more a church than a temple

The building is still sturdy but you can see that there are some decrepitude sneaking in . The doors are open and you can see a priest of Aroden speaking to a old woman inside .
The priest is about 50 years old , has a kind smile and some presence .
Seeing you , he says somthing to the old woman and then move towards you .
'Welcome to Aroden's place ! How can I be of help ? '

[Amunrel]

robin wrote:

So to the temple ?

Guided by Ajunta , you go to the temple . Temple being a big name for it . it's more a church than a temple
The building is still sturdy but you can see that there are some decrepitude sneaking in .

"So would you say this is a normal example of Aroden church architecture or would you say they made an effort to make this church the centre of this town?" Amunrel asks Adjunta as they approach the church.

Knowledge/Local rolled a 2+6 for 8 on what Amunrel knows about the church's place in this town and then a Perception check to see if there's visible evidence that the church is still in use to which rolled a 19+7+2 for 28

[Adjunta Paul]

"Oh no," Adjunta says, "some of the most beautiful temples in the known world are here in Taldor and are dedicated to Aroden, considering that I'd say this temple is a rather poor example."

[Amunrel]

Adjunta Paul wrote:

"Oh no," Adjunta says, "some of the most beautiful temples in the known world are here in Taldor and are dedicated to Aroden, considering that I'd say this temple is a rather poor example."

"So who'd be in charge?" Amunrel asks curiously as he contemplated the best way to gain access to the bell tower.

[Adjunta Paul]

By way of explanation Adjunta greets the aged priest of Aroden:

"Greetings your reverence," Adjunta says to the priest, "I see the temple of the last Azlanti is well tended. You must forgive me for not coming sooner, although I am a servant of Abadar, I visit every temple of Aroden out of respect for the last of the Azlanti and my family and our blood."

[Vivaeri Firdraes]

Be with ya in a sec, need to see where I'm going!

Vivaeri was a bit frustrated at having to be corrected on the priest's naming conventions in front of Ewald, but listened patiently and tried to look attentive as he explained matters concerning the church of Aroden. Gods...it's going to be like visiting a tomb... She never really understood the pull Aroden still had on people, but then what she knew of the dead god never drew her the same way Shelyn, Cayden Cailean, and Desna did.

As Halsanna went through her litany, Vivaeri kept a cooly composed face, closing her eyes and patting her sister on the shoulder as if to say "There, there."

When she finally exploded and left, Vivaeri turned to the others. "Well then, we may have to catch up with the rest of you later. Possibly at the church?" she said as she backpedaled out the door after 'Sanna, giving a somewhat apologetic look to Uncle Amunrel as she did so, one that also said "Go ahead, we'll try to catch up".

Once outside, she hurried after her sister, cursing the rain and pulling her cloak around her and her hood up. Running was easier now, the pain was almost completely gone. "Well that could have gone worse, admittedly..." she said sardonically as she reached Halsanna's side, hoping to defuse her anger as much as she could, but letting her know that she was fully on her side. "So you don't feel like going to church today?" she asked, a bit more gently.

[Ewald Salodar]

Ewald takes in the priests words and follows along behind hoping the girls will return to the party. His eye is taken by the slightly dilapidated state of the 'Temple' and he wonders how a god can die...more how can someone willingly give themselves over to serving a dead god.

Then shaking himself he follows the priest into the shadowy building.