Sidekick said:
Shi, that was very very very well written.
Ka Pai (well done) indeed!!!
Thanks. I decided to change things slightly with the transitions and shorter interchanges, and it seemed to work well.
Sounds like the Angels are getting themselves well set up for some mischief and hurt in Sharn.
Just the way I like it!
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Yeah that must have hurt, but to be honest it's a pretty coolthing to happen to your paladin.
Now you have a very very good reason for a personally important quest AND at the same time the DM hasn't completely screwed you. - If you'd had no levels in cleric, imagine how you'd feel!!!!
This is the sort of character you'll be talking about for years to come - the paladin that never was...
I hope so. What happened to Gareth is the kind of thing, IMO, that's really cool as long as it doesn't screw up the character concept and its playability in the long term, and it's probably the most memorable thing I've seen happen to a paladin in any game I've run or played in.
In order to keep Gareth playable while he's not a paladin, I've given him a "virtual" level of cleric spellcasting, so he currently casts as a 7th lvl cleric (with CL 11, due to his Practiced Spellcaster feat) and has access to 4th lvl spells. In effect, all he's lost right now that really matters is his Divine Grace ability, and the extra spells come close to making up for it.
And a holy quest is definitely on the cards, as you'll see in the update below. The following is a set of three encounters that Gareth had before the Daask thing, which we handled between sessions. So the Gareth parts are written by AviLazar, with some tweaks from me.
The Daask thing should probably be up on Monday.
********************
GARETH & OTHERS (Handled between sessions)
GARETH & LALIA:
When Gareth goes to visit Lalia at the Deneith Enclave, he is greeted by a couple of people there who have seen him visit before. They quickly send him through and up to her office. As he walks towards the door, a bit more somberly then he would like to have been, Gareth hears the sound of laughter in a couple of voices. When he knocks, Lalia’s voice says, “Yes? Come in.”
Gareth enters to find her sitting on one side of the desk, with both feet on it, while Tasra lounges nearby on a comfortable couch. His mood brightens upon seeing her, but so marginally nobody could possibly notice – not even Gareth.
“Well, well ... return of the prodigal,” says Tasra, with a smirk, while Lalia says, “Gareth!” and jumps excitedly to her feet. She comes quickly around the desk and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “Where have you been?”
Tasra rises and strolls over more slowly, to clap Gareth on the shoulder. “Long time no see, soldier. Don’t you know someone here has been crying over you?” Gareth simply nods to Tasra, not laughing at the joke – not because it isn’t funny, but because his mind is clouded with other things.
Lalia, meanwhile, turns and sticks out her tongue at her twin, like a little child. “Liar!”
“Yeah, yeah,” grins Tasra, as she heads for the door. “I’ll give you kids some space. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Turning in the doorway, she winks at Gareth. “And if you do actually do something I’d do, try not to break the furniture. And here’s a tip. There’s this spot on the back of Lalia’s neck whi...”
Tasra just has time to shut the door before a thrown dagger slams into it, where it sticks (next to a number of similar holes, Gareth notices). Her laughter is heard softly, receding down the hall outside.
Lalia mutters, “Bitch!” good-naturedly and turns back to Gareth. “But now that she’s gone...” She throws both arms around Gareth’s neck, having to stand a little on tiptoe, and gives him a passionate kiss on the lips.
“There. Welcome back!” She steps back and hops up onto her desk. “Sit! Tell me where you’ve been.” She tilts her head, as if noticing something, and adds, “Where’s Kizmet?”
Gareth puts his arms around Lalia, kissing her and then he starts to cry. “Kizmet is no more!” He produces the hilt. “And it was not what I – or my father – believed it was. And it goes far more worse then that.”
At any other time, Gareth might have been amused at the look of complete and utter shock that flashes over Lalia’s face. Her mouth opens once, twice, and then a third time, before she can actually say, “Umm ... er ....” Finally she just settles for hugging him again.
After a moment, Gareth asks, “Do you have something I can get to drink?”
Lalia lifts an eyebrow, and though she doesn’t comment on it, her expression clearly says,
It must be seriously bad for you to be asking for a drink!
She goes over to a nearby cabinet, opens it to reveal a small bar, and produces a bottle and two glasses. She pours a generous glassful, pauses, and then pours some more, before handing it to Gareth. Then, gently, she urges him towards the couch. “Sit.” She sits next to him, pouring herself a glassful, and says, “Tell me everything.”
Gareth sits down, and drinks the entire glass. Taking a deep breath, he starts relating the entire story, choking up at some of the rough spots. “The Archeirophant is helping me find out what happened to my father’s soul. If it is in hell, I will need to find a way to get there and save him. She is also trying to help me get an audience with the Keeper of the Flame. I will need to embark on a holy quest to atone and regain my grace. Eventually, I will need to reforge Kizmet.”
Lalia listens silently to the entire story, making the odd commiserating or soothing sound, but not actually saying anything. After a surprised look as he drains the glass, she silently refills it.
“So,” she says carefully, once he is done, “You want to go to Hell? But why do you think your father’s soul might be there?”
“I do not want to go to hell, but if my father’s soul is there, I must go. This creature tried to possess me, control me and bend my soul to its will. It could not do this because I am an exorcist, and my training makes me immune to its powers. My father was not an exorcist and did not have such protections. If he is there, I must save his soul; to leave him to an eternity of torment...” He pauses, and then, looking Lalia in the eyes, says, “I cannot allow that to happen.”
Lalia nods slowly. “And what are you going to atone for? You didn’t say that you had done anything wrong, but were simply fooled by an evil creature.”
After thinking for a moment on Lalia’s question, to answer it to a person who may not know, Gareth says, “The calling of a paladin is stricter than any other calling a being could have. The path of a paladin is narrow, and veering from that path – even involuntarily – is no excuse. The fact that I did nothing wrong allows me to regain the grace of the Silver Flame, but it is no excuse.”
Gareth sits there silently for a moment. Then he asks, “What of you? What have you been doing?”
Lalia is just beginning, “I do not quite un...,” when Gareth’s question catches her off-guard.
After a moment, she laughs, though not as loudly as she normally would. “After what you just told me, anything I said would be completely meaningless. What have I been doing? The usual. Work, the odd party, that’s all.”
Gareth gives a weak smile. “I did not want this conversation to be entirely about me, it would not be polite.”
Lalia waves a hand to dismiss the thought. “I appreciate it, but you don’t have to be polite with me. You have way more important things going on than me, it seems. Anyway, can I help you in any way?”
“I do not know if there is anything you can do for me. This is a holy matter, and if I must travel to hell, there is no way I would be willing to put you in that kind of danger. Anyway, I will decide what to do there when I know more.”
“Well,” admits Lalia, with a wry grin, “I wasn’t quite offering to go to Hell with you yet.”
If possible, Gareth looks a little more troubled look on his face. “Make no mistake – you are a very important person in my life, maybe the most. If I did not have other obligations I would spend a lot more time with you. I think of you often on my holy quests.” He smiles briefly. “The group, as unlikely as it sounds, would agree with me”
Lalia smiles broadly and leans forward to give Gareth a quick kiss. Then she sits back and says, “You’re sweet. And quite a charmer, when you choose to be. If you didn’t have that da..., that vow of yours, you would be getting quite a lot of ass, if you wanted to.”
Gareth turns red for a moment. “In addition to vows, I think waiting makes the event, if it should happen, more special. I have heard stories, from people, who regret not waiting – but then I know people, even a paladin of the Flame, who believe in having premarital affairs liberally. I know exactly what I am missing, and it is not easy. It has always been easy, never requiring even a thought, but not with you. As always, I appreciate your understanding and patience with me.”
Lalia says nothing, but her expression flits between “Yeah, right!” and “You so do not know what you are missing!”
“Anyhow,” continues Gareth, “What is going on with my application to the enclave?”
Lalia purses her lips. “As for the application, there’s a problem. I spoke to Sadral myself, and he’s uncertain how exactly we can use your abilities. After all, with your allegiance to the Silver Flame, you can’t exactly accept any job we throw your way. And with the fact that you have the rest of the Angels to consider – you’re still with them, I presume – that cuts down on options for you being sent somewhere, to command a troop or something like that. He thinks it’ll probably be best for you to be a nominal member of the enclave, but to function more like the mercenary troops or adventurers we broker jobs for. We find you a job or two, and if interested, you take them up, and the enclave gets a cut of the pay or profits. What do you think?”
Gareth nods, knowing that Sadral’s words are true. “He is correct. I would be spread too thin – and sometimes I already am. I think being asked to assist the enclave when jobs arise works fine for me. And yes, I am still with the rest of my group, though I believe some of them want to change the group name to ‘Instruments of Destruction.’ Why I do not know.”
Lalia chortles. “Instruments of Destruction? I think there’s a traveling halfling band from Talenta with that name which passed through Sharn not too long ago.”
Then her face turns more serious, as she continues, “As you say, Sadral’s right. I’m glad you see it that way too. We’ll go with that for the time being and see what develops in the future.”
Gareth laughs at the mention of the Instruments of Destruction. “That is probably the funniest news I have heard yet, and I will let them know. But I have another question – what are you doing for dinner?”
“Dinner? I had something, but it’s not a problem to change. I’ll be free to join you.”
“Are you sure? I would not want you to break plans because of me. Your friends are important. If you would like, maybe we can include your friends? It would not be proper to stand them up.”
Lalia shakes her head. “Nah! I was just going to have a night in with Tasra. She’d be the first person to say I should join you tonight, and it’ll be much better without her along. Unless you want to hear a
lot of very crude innuendo tonight. That girl’s got a mouth on her!”
Lalia puts on a mock serious tone, puts a hand to her chest and says, “Unlike me, of course, who would never, ever talk dirty to you.”
Then she smiles wickedly and says, “Unless you asked very nicely.”
Gareth reddens slightly again, but lets it pass. “Then it is settled. Tonight we will enjoy each other’s company without any other Angels or your sister.” He then stands up, and says, “I must be going. Nameless would like to organize a little excursion to a Daask drug den and rough them up a bit. Something about testing out some of our new equipment and picking an easy fight, instead of having to fight to the death. At least it will do some good to Sharn to have one less drug den.”
Lalia shakes her head. “What is it with you guys and Daask?” She shrugs. “Anyway, after what you told me you’ve been up to, knocking over a drug den shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you’re careful. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you if they get pissed off enough to come after you seriously. On the bright side, that new place you said you got is in one of the hardest areas of town for a Daask crew to come to, short of Skyway.”
“For me,” says Gareth, “They are evil, and that is enough. I think it is a matter we started with them and we want to finish them. The new place will be nice, and I think I will be able to get the master bedroom – I need a lot of space. And the Silver Flame help the poor soul who tries to enter my home uninvited, because nothing else will be able to.”
Lalia shrugs and extends a hand for Gareth to pull her to her feet. He gives her a hug and kiss. “And before I forget – the Archeirophant asked me to participate at a holiday for the Silver Flame. If you are not tied to any duties that day, would you like to come?”
“Oh, the Ascension? Not normally my thing, but I’d be curious to see what you’re doing. If I’m free, I may show up.” She hugs and kisses Gareth in return and says, “Stop by my place at seven this evening.”
“It would be nice to see you there. The Archeirophant would like me to join her in the ceremony, and that is a great honor for me.” He kisses Lalia back. “I will see you soon.” With that, Gareth turns and leaves.
That evening, Gareth shows up to Lalia’s home, dressed in fine clothing. He is carrying his new longsword, and is wearing his mithral chain shirt underneath his clothing. He also carries a bouquet of flowers (for Lalia) and a box of chocolates (for Tasra).
It’s Tasra who lets Gareth in, saying, “Good timing. Lalia just got done getting all dolled up for you.”
She leads Gareth into the living room, where Lalia is sitting, looking exceptionally fetching. While she isn’t dressed up for a night on the town, she has definitely spent more than a little time on her appearance. Lalia greets Gareth happily, especially when he hands over the bouquet.
Tasra seems even more excited about the chocolates, and by the time Lalia’s back with a vase, already has the box open and is digging in. “I’ve got to say, sis,” she mumbles around a mouthful of chocolate, “This one’s a keeper.”
Tasra rises and heads for the door, giving Gareth a wave, and says, “Thanks. These are great. Have fun, you two.” As she disappears out the door, one can hear her mumbling. “Uhmm - with these, who needs a man?”
Lalia grins after her and then turns back to Gareth. “I figured we’d spend the evening at home talking, rather than going out somewhere. I got us some nice wine, and I’m having dinner delivered, since that’s not exactly my strength. Better than bothering to go out somewhere, I think.”
Grinning at Tasra’s chocolate frenzy, Gareth turns to Lalia. “It will be nice to spend some time alone; at the very least I will not have to deal with the public at large. Being well known is not that fun”.
He takes the bottle of wine and uncorks it, pouring it into the glasses, and then hands Lalia a glass. With a grin, he toasts, “To a wild night out in Sharn?”
Lalia grins back, “I’ll drink to that.”
The evening passes very pleasantly. Most of the early conversation is about Gareth’s experiences during the time away from Sharn, Lalia being alternately amused, fascinated, and impressed by all that occurred. The whole issue of the demon in the sword is obviously of especial interest, but so is the whole story of how the Angels had apparently been manipulated by the rakshasas, as well as the details of the final battle and the last use of the Key.
The story takes a while longer than should be the case, since there are certain interruptions, with a fair amount of cuddling and as much physical contact as Gareth is willing to indulge in. Unsurprisingly, Lalia isn’t the one who draws the lines here, though she doesn’t push when Gareth does restrain himself.
Another interruption is for the start of dinner. The meal is excellent, consisting of traditional, and very well-made, Karrnathi cuisine. By the time they are done with the thick soup, heavy stew, multi-layered casserole, and crusty bread and cheese that make up the meal, Gareth is feeling quite heavy.
Lalia looks at him as he stifles a yawn, after they have left the table. “You’re looking tired. Sure you want to bother going all the way back home?” She grins roguishly and says, “If you stay, I promise I won’t hog the covers.”
Gareth hugs Lalia. “The wine was great, the meal even better, and your company the best. And I am feeling very tired. It has been a long day, and stressful. I would, if possible, prefer to stay here. Going home right now will mean I have to answer Six’s questions about what happened. He is trying to learn about human mating habits. Don’t ask! If it is okay with you, could I stay here,” Gareth pauses for a second, “On the couch?”
Lalia’s expressions flit very quickly between surprise, hope and eventual disappointment. She sighs and says, “Thanks. And that works just fine.”
She arranges a comfortable couch for Gareth to stay on and, after close to an hour more of talking, leaves him.
GARETH & FLIM:
The day after the group moves into the new house, while the rest of them are out:
There’s a knock on the door. Gareth opens it to find a very familiar-looking gnome standing on the doorstep. “Hey!” says Flim Turen, with a bright smile. “So you guys
are back! Excellent! Sharn just isn’t the same without my favorite group of adventurers here.”
“Anyway, can I come in?” Even before the reply, Flim is walking forward. “So, tell me – what’s new with you guys? How’d you like the new place? Heard you got Brelish citizenships and all. Well, except you. And where’d you get those rakshasas you’re getting stuffed? You know, I’ve never heard of that being done by ... well, anyone. And you got a mind flayer stuffed there too! Very impressive. So ... what’s up?”
Gareth sighs, and is happy that nobody else is around. “Come on in, Flim. By the way, while it is no secret, would you please not publish the location of our home? We would prefer to make it as difficult as possible for our enemies to find out where we live.”
After ushering Flim into the main parlor, he continues, “The new place is not bad. We are right now organizing everything and trying to keep Luna from putting hay on the floor.” The expression on his face indicates that he’s not joking. “As for the rakshasas, we actually left behind a skin or two. You probably want to hear the story, don’t you? But first, tell us what is new with Sharn ... with Daask, Boromar, politics in general?”
Flim looks around with interest as he enters, grinning at the sight of a stuffed mindflayer. After sitting down, he says, “I’m afraid there’ll be a mention of you folks having moved in here, just because it’s really newsworthy. But even if the KC didn’t mention it, nobody wanting to find you would have any real trouble. You moved into a high society area, about as high as you can get short of Upper Central and Skyway, and you’re the only still functional adventurers in Sharn to do so. Privacy and anonymity isn’t happening for you guys. Believe me.”
“As for what’s new with Sharn, you’ve only been gone about 2 weeks, I believe, so not much. Elections took place on the 9th, as always. Daask and Boromar are still at it, with Daask making a little bit more of a push in the last 3-4 days. I’m betting they got new reinforcements in from Droaam or wherever they get them. Still, it’ll take a while before they recover to the position they were in 4-5 months ago. Nothing really new politically, other than the one big story about the Aundairan ambassador disappearing. Well, one of them. Helais ir’Lantar disappeared around the time you folks left town, give or take a day. His twin Alais has announced a big reward for any news about him. I believe they called in some serious divination help, but no good. Might be something you guys could be interested in. That’s pretty much it.”
“So,” he concludes, “What have you been up to? And yes, I do want to hear the story. The Guardian Angels leave Sharn for 2 weeks and come back with a couple of dead rakshasas? You’ve got to have something juicy for me there.”
Gareth listens with interest to the stories, making note of the key points, such as Daask’s reinforcements. He then begins recounting the highlights of the group’s recent adventures, leaving out specific information such as the location of the final battle, the loss of his paladin abilities & Kizmet, and any personal details as it relates to other group members.
“So,” he concludes, “What questions do you have?”
Flim, who has been listening with great interest, produces and flips open a notebook. “Just two. Could you cover all of that slowly? And this all goes back to that Xen’drik trip and the trouble you had afterwards, right?”
As he speaks, he is scribbling very fast in some form of shorthand, not even bothering to look down at the pad. “You people really do have the best adventures. This could make a great series of stories, you know.” The gnome stops for a moment, thinks for a bit, and then says, “Actually, I do have another question. Would you consider letting us turn your adventures into a regular column in the Chronicle?”
Gareth replies, “Yes, this all relates back to the Xen’drik trip, and the reason I can tell you so much is because it is over. That is also one of the reasons I cannot agree to a ‘regular column’.” Gareth pauses for a second “For one, our stories are inconsistent in their timing; we do not know when our next holy quest will be – it may be tomorrow or it may never happen.”
“You guys only doing holy quests now?” interrupts Flim. “I thought the rest weren’t as devout as you are.”
Gareth says, with a serious and matter-of-fact tone, “All quests that are just and serve the greater good are holy quests. Anyway, as I was saying, the second, and my most important, consideration is the security factor. We cannot always give you all the details to a story, because it may hurt someone or hinder our quest. We give you what we can, and our relationship asks that you respect that – otherwise we could not have this kind of relationship.” Gareth pauses for another moment. “The last thing is – it has to be a two way street. I am not giving you this information to be famous. Frankly, if you never posted our names or faces we would be happy with this. We are doing it so that, one, the stories will be correct, and two, so you can help us when we need it.”
“That’s not a problem,” says Flim quickly. “I’m thinking of something like a weekly column, and from what you’ve told me, the Xen’drik trip itself would fill up a good three or four columns. With everything that happened after that, we’d already have enough material for a couple of months.”
“And you don’t have to worry about covering everything. It’s not like we’d actually have the space to devote to a detailed coverage of everything you did, or do, so there’d be a lot to leave out anyway. Omitting specifically what you want left out will be just fine.”
“And as far as it being a two way street – absolutely. While the KC couldn’t get materially involved with what you do, I can always pass along a little information that matters to what you’re dealing with. If that leads to more and better stories, the editor would have no problems with it. And in your line of work, information is always handy, I know. Plus, the Chronicle is run by the Library of Zilargo, which is the best collection of knowledge on the continent bar none. Even the University of Wynarn, leave alone Morgrave University here in Sharn, is way behind. So I can also get reliable people back in Zilargo to dig up information on things you need, in return for being allowed to write on what you’re doing. Whatever you’re fine with the public hearing, of course.”
“So - does that sound better?”
Gareth listens carefully and then says, “Everything sounds good. Again, as long as you can respect an answer of ‘we can’t tell you, and please don’t dig this particular bit up’ then we can work together. My main concern is the safety of innocents.”
“Excellent!” says Flim. “I’ll talk to the editor and get back to you about it.” The gnome reporter takes his leave quickly, saying that he will stop by in a few days, once he has some idea of how the subject of the Angels’ adventures will be handled in the Chronicle.
GARETH & THE ARCHIEROPHANT:
Two days after Gareth met her, an acolyte delivers a message from the Archierophant asking him to see her the next day in the morning. When Gareth arrives, he is shown into her office where, as usual, she is seated at her desk in full armor.
“Ah, Gareth,” she says, with a smile, “Sit down.”
Once he is seated, she continues, “I have good news for you, as well as …potentially … good news. First, to the good news – I have
communed with the Silver Flame. Your father’s spirit is part of the Flame now. He is at peace, forever beyond the reach of Dolurrh or any evil.”
Upon hearing the news, Gareth’s face lights up. “Thank you. That is the best news I could hear. It alleviates a lot of worries for me.” He closes his eyes and breathes both a sigh of relief and a quick prayer, before reopening them. “What is the other news?”
Ythana nods and says dryly, with just a hint of humor, “Yes, finding out that they do not have to go to Dolurrh often does alleviate many worries for people.” She continues crisply, “As for the other news - it is more information than news, actually, and a possibility for you to consider. Tell me, have you heard of Flamekeeper Jalus Baine?”
When Gareth says that he has not, Ythana continues, “I am not surprised. Over 500 years ago, he led a group of the faithful into the depths of Sharn on a mighty task. In those days, when the light of the Flame was still relatively new to Khorvaire, the Dark Six were often worshipped openly, and temples to them were built in hidden places. When Sharn was built, an enormous temple to the Dark Six was constructed beneath the city.” The distaste in her tone is evident.
Gareth empathizes and nods along with Ythanna’s story, surprised that he has not heard of this person, considering that he has studied the history of the Flame well enough even if he was educated about it by his family.
Ythana continues, “Jalus Baine was one of the finest and holiest of templars, and he would not let this darkness lurk in the depths of the city. So he collected a force and traveled to the temple, where they exterminated the worshippers and razed it to the ground. The surviving worshippers of the temple fled to a dark sanctuary they had, where they brought forth an evil force, which would have slain our people and then taken the people of Sharn. After a mighty battle, Jalus called on the Flame and sacrificed himself to destroy them. As he wished, his remaining templars buried him there, on his field of victory.”
“I have pieced together this information over years, since the records of the time are fragmented and unreliable. I now believe that I know the general location where Jalus rests.”
She leans forward and says, “What I would like you to do is travel there and recover his remains, so that they can be enshrined as they deserve. Not only would that be an especially appropriate quest for a champion of the Flame like yourself, but I believe you will be very interested in something that I believe was buried with Jalus. The records provide no details, but they say that Jalus wielded a holy sword known as the Endless Blade. I cannot think of anyone in Sharn in whose hands I would rather see such a blade than yours.” She falls silent, clearly waiting for a response.
Gareth replies quickly. “I would have gone on this holy quest even if you did not mention this most holy of weapons, and I will do this. You honor me by saying I am a worthy champion of the flame, but at this moment, I feel that I am not worthy to even bear a symbol, let alone a weapon that belonged to such a hero.” Thinking for a brief second, he adds, “I will speak to my comrades, and ask them to come with me – whether they do or don’t matters not to my decision, but I think I would need them. Please, let me know all the details that you can. Whatever you think I may expect to encounter ... undead, priests, demons, evil outsiders, or all of the above.”
Ythana looks at Gareth and says, with complete seriousness, “I think you’re underestimating yourself, Gareth. What you have done recently was a mighty task, and the Flame sees fit to grant you both the powers of a cleric and an Exorcist. That is not lightly granted.”
She continues, her voice turning slightly sympathetic, “I understand that you are distraught by the loss of your paladinhood ... or rather, the powers of a paladin, but as you know, that was no fault of yours, but rather the manipulations of a demon. Do not blame or consider yourself the lesser for it. If you are to become a paladin again, the Flame will allow it when it chooses. And if not, remember, the path of the paladin is a holy one, but it is not the only creditable one in the service of the Flame.” As she speaks, Gareth remembers that Ythana herself is high in the service of the Flame, but is not a paladin herself.
“Still,” she says, “Your humility does you credit. As for your friends, while I appreciate your resolve, I hope they will accompany you. The depths are not a safe place, and who knows if anything of the evil Jalus died to destroy has remained. It is difficult to be sure, because the records are so old and fragmentary. Even details about Jalus himself are very limited. As I said, all I know of his sword is its name and that it was a holy weapon.”
Ythana leans back and steeples her fingers, while considering something silently. Then she says, “Give me a week. I will see again what I can decipher about the event and about what it was they fought. I also need to find a reliable guide for you, since it is a large area, somewhere within which I believe Jalus was interred. You will need to do some searching. Also, I will cast a divination or two to try and find guidance for you.”
“Again, I am pleased that you have agreed, but then I expected you would. Is there anything else you would like me to do or any questions you have?”
Gareth shakes his head. “I have no other questions that I can think of. I am sure this holy quest is incredibly dangerous, otherwise you would probably send others. And I am sure my companions will come. While many of my group members say they prefer to do nothing, they also get incredibly bored.” Pausing for a second, he adds, “Besides, I have a feeling we will get in trouble with some evil group or other and will need to leave Sharn for a little bit. That seems to happen to us a great deal.” Pausing again, and thinking of Lalia, he adds quietly, “Though there are things that I miss terribly when I must leave.”
“Actually,” he continues, “I do have one request. When you find this guide, I would also like to run an interview with him under magical scrutiny. The places we are going to are difficult and we not only need more powerful guides who can withstand the rigors we undergo, but ones we can trust.”
“Certainly,” replies Ythana. “I am thinking of this more from the point of view of someone who can lead you into the general area of the Depths I believe Jalus’ resting place is, and let you do whatever exploration is needed, rather than actually doing any searching - or battle, if needed - himself, but reliability is certainly something I want to ensure. Is there anything else you wish to know or request?”
Gareth shakes his head and then rises. “As of now, I do not, Archierophant. I will speak with my group members immediately. Thank you.”
As he walks out, he suddenly feels happier than he has since the loss of Kizmet and his powers. Things are finally looking up.
