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Dark Days in Sion - Act 3: Scene 3
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<blockquote data-quote="narayan" data-source="post: 7489089" data-attributes="member: 6677509"><p><strong>Vandrok, Rhast</strong></p><p></p><p><em>You make your way towards the large cave entrance where visitors approaching by way of the path of blood may seek audience with the Great Kumbakarna, the one you and the other children refer to as 'Father', or 'Master' by his servants. Even for someone of your bulk, the many cave-like passages and corridors of the fathers underground lair are adequately enlarged; dugout long ago to accommodate Kumbakarna's huge size. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>As you walk your thoughts dwell on what Rhast said. <span style="color: #cc6666">~"Did you know that the one-eyed half dwarf smuggler was touched by a shaman of Kalia?! Or that he smashed in the skull of Kumbakarna's pet demon with a hammer?!"~</span> </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>In the few years you have spent here you have witnessed several party's of visitors face Kumbakarna's pet beasts. The Demon Rhast mentioned was his most recent capture. A fearsome foe, something not even you could defeat without difficulty. Whoever this party of strangers were, they were clearly competent warriors and survivors. Qualities you respected.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>And yet, what of the Caishian dragon-shaman you met earlier? If he was indeed one of these who came by the path of blood, how was he permitted to leave before presenting his gifts to Kumbakarna? Such a thing was unheard of. Nothing and nobody escaped the rule of the great Kumbakarna! As an example you need only consider the pitiful blinded merchant, Euthrius, left alive now only as a living reminder of the dangers of disrespecting the master and the father. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>With Rhast close at your heels, you make your way to lower passage entering the deeper end of the cave walled off from the gates by heavy iron bars. There as expected you spot Vahr, the elder shaman, accompanied by four other tribesman, all painted with the same ghostly-white markings over their faces mimicking bleached skulls. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The best armored of them wears a hide-breastplate reinforced with scapula and rib bones, an elaborately painted cayote-skull tied over one shoulder like an epaulet-of-sorts. This one was a warrior-beserker by the name of Hjurn. The other three wear plain hides. One carries a wooden shield, two more have hide-shields while the beserker has no shield at all, only bracers reinforced with large fangs.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>As you step into the cave, Rhast lingers behind a few paces keeping to the shadows of the lower passage. He knows he's not welcomed in the presence of the tribesman, yet keenly watches everyone's every move and listens in with equally great attention.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The cave is brightly lit on your side of the bars by two cook fires, Hjurn hails your arrival with a quick raised warning of his hand as if to say 'Halt', immediately stepping towards you to make the point he has been ordered by Vahr to ensure no one interferes with his business. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Meanwhile the other young warriors keep their distance from you, watching you with wary side-long glances, nervously gripping their spears as they pass around a leather-handled clay jug with a wooden-stopper at the bottom. Occasionally someone hefts it up to their shoulder and plucks out the stopper filling their drinking-horns with the tribes favorite drink, fermented goats milk. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>As Hjurn draws closer, his expression softens somewhat and breaks into a chummy-grin.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Hjurn:</strong> -Speaking Common- <span style="color: #696969">"Brother Vandrok! You missed the fight!"</span> He states gesturing beyond the bars to the great red bulk of the slain demon, sprawled on its back, nothing remaining of its face but a bloody pulp dimly lit by the torches along the cave wall where some of your peers keep guard over the visitors upon a high walkway. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>A short distance away from the demon, you notice another cook fire has been lit, around which sit three strangers, two of whom are much stouter in stature, probably dwarves, though its hard to make out greater details unless you approach closer to peer through the bars. The tallest of the strangers is dressed in some sort of robes and looks to be an older human. Perhaps a spell caster? Was he the one the dragon-shaman named Wrenwil with knowledge of the 'coming doom'?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Before you speak to Hjurn, you glance over his shoulder at Vahr, crouched beside one of the cook fires in a tattered sheepskin cloak clutching a crude obsidian knife, eyes closed in trance as a rasping chant utters from his lips in their strange secret language. Beside him, an equally old and wrinkled woman clutches a young lamb to her bosom.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>You recognize the wrinkled woman to be one of the nineteen daughters of Shelahr, a powerful priestess of Kalia named Akehra. Though Hjurn seems to be acting friendly and indifferent to his duties at the moment, whatever ritual is presently being performed by Vahr and Akehra is a serious matter that should not be interrupted. You recall again what Rhast told you. <span style="color: #cc6666">~"Did you know that the one-eyed half dwarf smuggler was touched by a shaman of Kalia?"~</span> </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Though you know precious little about Kalia and the secret rituals of the hill tribe, you have observed the shamans touching strangers before as part of a spell to determine the truthfulness of their character by drawing out hidden thoughts and memories. You know also that the lamb clutched by the priestess will soon be sacrificed as an offering to Kalia, a common practice in their cult, which depending on the intent of the ritual could have many powerful spiritual effects.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>[Vandrok:</strong> What do you do?<strong>]</strong></em></p><p></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Nn6YbF3.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="narayan, post: 7489089, member: 6677509"] [B]Vandrok, Rhast[/B] [I]You make your way towards the large cave entrance where visitors approaching by way of the path of blood may seek audience with the Great Kumbakarna, the one you and the other children refer to as 'Father', or 'Master' by his servants. Even for someone of your bulk, the many cave-like passages and corridors of the fathers underground lair are adequately enlarged; dugout long ago to accommodate Kumbakarna's huge size. As you walk your thoughts dwell on what Rhast said. [COLOR=#cc6666]~"Did you know that the one-eyed half dwarf smuggler was touched by a shaman of Kalia?! Or that he smashed in the skull of Kumbakarna's pet demon with a hammer?!"~[/COLOR] In the few years you have spent here you have witnessed several party's of visitors face Kumbakarna's pet beasts. The Demon Rhast mentioned was his most recent capture. A fearsome foe, something not even you could defeat without difficulty. Whoever this party of strangers were, they were clearly competent warriors and survivors. Qualities you respected. And yet, what of the Caishian dragon-shaman you met earlier? If he was indeed one of these who came by the path of blood, how was he permitted to leave before presenting his gifts to Kumbakarna? Such a thing was unheard of. Nothing and nobody escaped the rule of the great Kumbakarna! As an example you need only consider the pitiful blinded merchant, Euthrius, left alive now only as a living reminder of the dangers of disrespecting the master and the father. With Rhast close at your heels, you make your way to lower passage entering the deeper end of the cave walled off from the gates by heavy iron bars. There as expected you spot Vahr, the elder shaman, accompanied by four other tribesman, all painted with the same ghostly-white markings over their faces mimicking bleached skulls. The best armored of them wears a hide-breastplate reinforced with scapula and rib bones, an elaborately painted cayote-skull tied over one shoulder like an epaulet-of-sorts. This one was a warrior-beserker by the name of Hjurn. The other three wear plain hides. One carries a wooden shield, two more have hide-shields while the beserker has no shield at all, only bracers reinforced with large fangs. As you step into the cave, Rhast lingers behind a few paces keeping to the shadows of the lower passage. He knows he's not welcomed in the presence of the tribesman, yet keenly watches everyone's every move and listens in with equally great attention. The cave is brightly lit on your side of the bars by two cook fires, Hjurn hails your arrival with a quick raised warning of his hand as if to say 'Halt', immediately stepping towards you to make the point he has been ordered by Vahr to ensure no one interferes with his business. Meanwhile the other young warriors keep their distance from you, watching you with wary side-long glances, nervously gripping their spears as they pass around a leather-handled clay jug with a wooden-stopper at the bottom. Occasionally someone hefts it up to their shoulder and plucks out the stopper filling their drinking-horns with the tribes favorite drink, fermented goats milk. As Hjurn draws closer, his expression softens somewhat and breaks into a chummy-grin. [B]Hjurn:[/B] -Speaking Common- [COLOR=#696969]"Brother Vandrok! You missed the fight!"[/COLOR] He states gesturing beyond the bars to the great red bulk of the slain demon, sprawled on its back, nothing remaining of its face but a bloody pulp dimly lit by the torches along the cave wall where some of your peers keep guard over the visitors upon a high walkway. A short distance away from the demon, you notice another cook fire has been lit, around which sit three strangers, two of whom are much stouter in stature, probably dwarves, though its hard to make out greater details unless you approach closer to peer through the bars. The tallest of the strangers is dressed in some sort of robes and looks to be an older human. Perhaps a spell caster? Was he the one the dragon-shaman named Wrenwil with knowledge of the 'coming doom'? Before you speak to Hjurn, you glance over his shoulder at Vahr, crouched beside one of the cook fires in a tattered sheepskin cloak clutching a crude obsidian knife, eyes closed in trance as a rasping chant utters from his lips in their strange secret language. Beside him, an equally old and wrinkled woman clutches a young lamb to her bosom. You recognize the wrinkled woman to be one of the nineteen daughters of Shelahr, a powerful priestess of Kalia named Akehra. Though Hjurn seems to be acting friendly and indifferent to his duties at the moment, whatever ritual is presently being performed by Vahr and Akehra is a serious matter that should not be interrupted. You recall again what Rhast told you. [COLOR=#cc6666]~"Did you know that the one-eyed half dwarf smuggler was touched by a shaman of Kalia?"~[/COLOR] Though you know precious little about Kalia and the secret rituals of the hill tribe, you have observed the shamans touching strangers before as part of a spell to determine the truthfulness of their character by drawing out hidden thoughts and memories. You know also that the lamb clutched by the priestess will soon be sacrificed as an offering to Kalia, a common practice in their cult, which depending on the intent of the ritual could have many powerful spiritual effects. [B][Vandrok:[/B] What do you do?[B]][/B][/I] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Nn6YbF3.png[/IMG] [/QUOTE]
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Dark Days in Sion - Act 3: Scene 3
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