Broccli_Head
Explorer
Twilight Hollow, 7 Marponeth, 1378, Year of St. Benito
Ivan stood atop the scaffolding and wiped the sweat from his brow. He took a second to look around and smiled at the industry of the people of Twilight Hollow. They took to their new task--the building of a wall around the little hamlet--with fervor and purpose. Fortunately, there was a lot of wood around, and the palisade was coming up relatively quickly. He would have rather had stone, but there was no quarry nearby, and even if there were, there were not enough men to work it. The wooden wall would have to to for now.
A motion in his peripheral vision caught his attention, and the Rashemani went instinctively for the scimitar strapped to his back. Workers nearby, startled by the sudden alert began to scramble for nearby weapons as well. Facing the perceived threat squarely, Ivan did a double-take and rubbed his eyes. Approaching Twilight Hollow with open arms from the northwest was Benito Moltos, but not Benito Moltos. The priest was postively aglow with some sort of celestial radiance. Women and children and some of the young men dropped what they were doing and raced to greet, and pay homage to what Ivan could only describe as a....saint...
The words came to his mind from somewhere in the ether. He sighed and leaped onto his flying carpet always stationed nearby nowadays and flew towards....St. Benito.
"What in the name of the Nine Hells happened to you?!" exclaimed the ex-lionar.
Benito responded with an air of confidence that Ivan had never heard from him before.
"I have been in cloister, learning the secrets of Mercy and Truth from Ilmater himself."
Ivan was not awed and retorted, "Yeah, well while ya were a'cloisterin' and singing hymns you missed the battle."
St. Benito's face became sad.
"Alas, I apologize for not being able to stem the suffering of the good people of this sacred place. However, now I am here to alleviate it."
Ivan could not bring himself to be mad at him. He was also so shocked that Benito seemed so humble. Maybe the combinaiton of the death experience and then being isolated...
"Bahhh! You'll always be that young whelp Benito to me," he said slapping the young man on the back.
Ivan did not want to get caught up in the cult of personality. He saw that already the work had stopped on building the wall.
"A wooden pallisade, Ivan? That would never stop and full scale Zhentarim assault. You need stone, my friend. Stone!"
And St. Benito performed the first of his many miracles. Stone erupted from the ground and began to flow around the village. Ivan gritted his teeth as he saw the hard-working people of his town swoon or cry out in awe.
"What are you doin', man?!" he yelled.
The wall of stone stopped having formed a semicircle around Twilight Hollow already.
"I am trying to help, Ivan. I am trying to give these people protection."
"And your're makin' it so that they don't have to work for it."
St. Benito looked at him curioiusly.
"It is better that their blood and sweat and toil goes into the wall and have a smaller defense than the best walls of adamantium that is just created."
The Ilmaterian saw the point, and a compromise was arrived. St. Benito would create enough tumble down stone so that the men and women of Twilight Hollow could form their own wall.
It was still a miracle.
**
"What word of Aris?" asked the saint, now mortaring alongside his buddy Ivan.
Amazing how time had flown. He had met Ivan here, over five years ago.
"Ya wanna talk to him. I still have one of those sending stones that your mage-friend, the Mistmaster gave us."
The Rashemani dug out a grimy stone from an even grimier belt pouch.
"Can you call him for me? I have taken a Vow of Poverty, and as an asthetic, I must not use more than what Ilmater has provided me with."
"You're nuts ya know," Ivan whispered, making sure that his wife could not here.
She was a priestess of Ilmater after all, and he hoped that she would not consider his familiarity with the St. Benito, sacrilege. The warrior waved and smiled to his spouse, who with their children also contributed to the construction of the wall nearby.
When they contacted Aris, he replied to the sending with and "It is about time. Where have you been, priest?."
Then in the next communication. "We could have used your help to secure this River Portal. In any case, we can still use your help."
And in another, "There is an uncontrollable stone golem that has those holy symbols of your Triad of gods. Would be a shame to destroy it."
"Duty calls, Ivan," said Benito with a smile. "Will you join us?"
"I'm retired, remember. This is my home. These folk need me. Naw, leave the generallin' to the general. And you know I ain't to happy with my former student. He's wanting war councils and fanfare. I'll stick to running my inn and bustin' heads when I need to."
"I fear that your village will not be spared. The Zhentarim are not merciful."
Ivan sighed deeply and looked at his fellow villagers, a mixture of Red Cloaks and refugees from Asbravan, and even a few Zhentilar ex-patriates who had stayed for the ale.
"We'll figure somethin' out."
"Very well," said Benito. "I am off to help prosecute this war. May Ilmater have mercy on us all."
Ivan mumbled the same in response as Benito became a zephyr of wind and headed west.
Ivan stood atop the scaffolding and wiped the sweat from his brow. He took a second to look around and smiled at the industry of the people of Twilight Hollow. They took to their new task--the building of a wall around the little hamlet--with fervor and purpose. Fortunately, there was a lot of wood around, and the palisade was coming up relatively quickly. He would have rather had stone, but there was no quarry nearby, and even if there were, there were not enough men to work it. The wooden wall would have to to for now.
A motion in his peripheral vision caught his attention, and the Rashemani went instinctively for the scimitar strapped to his back. Workers nearby, startled by the sudden alert began to scramble for nearby weapons as well. Facing the perceived threat squarely, Ivan did a double-take and rubbed his eyes. Approaching Twilight Hollow with open arms from the northwest was Benito Moltos, but not Benito Moltos. The priest was postively aglow with some sort of celestial radiance. Women and children and some of the young men dropped what they were doing and raced to greet, and pay homage to what Ivan could only describe as a....saint...
The words came to his mind from somewhere in the ether. He sighed and leaped onto his flying carpet always stationed nearby nowadays and flew towards....St. Benito.
"What in the name of the Nine Hells happened to you?!" exclaimed the ex-lionar.
Benito responded with an air of confidence that Ivan had never heard from him before.
"I have been in cloister, learning the secrets of Mercy and Truth from Ilmater himself."
Ivan was not awed and retorted, "Yeah, well while ya were a'cloisterin' and singing hymns you missed the battle."
St. Benito's face became sad.
"Alas, I apologize for not being able to stem the suffering of the good people of this sacred place. However, now I am here to alleviate it."
Ivan could not bring himself to be mad at him. He was also so shocked that Benito seemed so humble. Maybe the combinaiton of the death experience and then being isolated...
"Bahhh! You'll always be that young whelp Benito to me," he said slapping the young man on the back.
Ivan did not want to get caught up in the cult of personality. He saw that already the work had stopped on building the wall.
"A wooden pallisade, Ivan? That would never stop and full scale Zhentarim assault. You need stone, my friend. Stone!"
And St. Benito performed the first of his many miracles. Stone erupted from the ground and began to flow around the village. Ivan gritted his teeth as he saw the hard-working people of his town swoon or cry out in awe.
"What are you doin', man?!" he yelled.
The wall of stone stopped having formed a semicircle around Twilight Hollow already.
"I am trying to help, Ivan. I am trying to give these people protection."
"And your're makin' it so that they don't have to work for it."
St. Benito looked at him curioiusly.
"It is better that their blood and sweat and toil goes into the wall and have a smaller defense than the best walls of adamantium that is just created."
The Ilmaterian saw the point, and a compromise was arrived. St. Benito would create enough tumble down stone so that the men and women of Twilight Hollow could form their own wall.
It was still a miracle.
**
"What word of Aris?" asked the saint, now mortaring alongside his buddy Ivan.
Amazing how time had flown. He had met Ivan here, over five years ago.
"Ya wanna talk to him. I still have one of those sending stones that your mage-friend, the Mistmaster gave us."
The Rashemani dug out a grimy stone from an even grimier belt pouch.
"Can you call him for me? I have taken a Vow of Poverty, and as an asthetic, I must not use more than what Ilmater has provided me with."
"You're nuts ya know," Ivan whispered, making sure that his wife could not here.
She was a priestess of Ilmater after all, and he hoped that she would not consider his familiarity with the St. Benito, sacrilege. The warrior waved and smiled to his spouse, who with their children also contributed to the construction of the wall nearby.
When they contacted Aris, he replied to the sending with and "It is about time. Where have you been, priest?."
Then in the next communication. "We could have used your help to secure this River Portal. In any case, we can still use your help."
And in another, "There is an uncontrollable stone golem that has those holy symbols of your Triad of gods. Would be a shame to destroy it."
"Duty calls, Ivan," said Benito with a smile. "Will you join us?"
"I'm retired, remember. This is my home. These folk need me. Naw, leave the generallin' to the general. And you know I ain't to happy with my former student. He's wanting war councils and fanfare. I'll stick to running my inn and bustin' heads when I need to."
"I fear that your village will not be spared. The Zhentarim are not merciful."
Ivan sighed deeply and looked at his fellow villagers, a mixture of Red Cloaks and refugees from Asbravan, and even a few Zhentilar ex-patriates who had stayed for the ale.
"We'll figure somethin' out."
"Very well," said Benito. "I am off to help prosecute this war. May Ilmater have mercy on us all."
Ivan mumbled the same in response as Benito became a zephyr of wind and headed west.
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