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Into the Icy Darkness: The Great Demon War
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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1348033" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p>This is the first part of the game from 1-30-04, where the party discovered numerous plots developing about them, as well as had some harrowing escapes. This will be the first of many updates, which I shall post as I finish typing them....</p><p></p><p>===========================================</p><p></p><p><strong>Embarassment, or Why One Should Respect the Sanctity of a Temple</strong></p><p></p><p>The night for Siabrey had been a short one, for obvious reasons, and after several hours had ended with a pleasurable drift into sleep in Lucius’ arms... which felt much warmer than usual, but soothing nonetheless.</p><p></p><p>Her dreams initially were of her and him... together. She saw herself beside him, in a valley of green, walking through the trees together before laying down in a green meadow. The dream then shifted, and changed, to her at the manor of a childhood friend who she had not been allowed to be close to... her in the midst of a ball, a gala, with her and Lucius as the centerpieces as all of her friends that would have mocked her skin and her wings now looking on in sheer adoration.</p><p></p><p>However, the sun in the dream seemed strange. At first, it merely roiled, changing from its blindingly yellow white to a dull yellow... and then it grew larger, and larger still. As its form slowly began to take over half of the dreamy horizon, she felt heat coursing over her body. The other partygoers, even Lucius, had vanished as the gala changed to a parched landscape, the sun drawing larger still. Finally, she made out on its fiery visage a face, glowering and angry. </p><p></p><p>Fear coursed through her sleeping veins, as the powerful heat increased over her body, rising to the level of pain. However, the dark flaming face then broke into a small smile...</p><p></p><p>And she woke, sitting straight up in bed up with a small gasp.</p><p></p><p>The pleasant light from the sun outside streamed in through the small window in the room. Her clothes lay strewn across the floor, mingled with those of Lucius... carelessly tossed aside on the previous night. Lucius himself was standing in the middle of the room, reading something, though with only his trousers on. She could only see the side of his bare back, but she noticed it was unusually red. He turned on hearing her noise, and gave a smile.</p><p></p><p>”So... you’re awake?” he winced slightly as he turned his back. “And your... your back!” he pointed.</p><p></p><p>Siabrey then tried to turn to put her own naked back to the mirror so she could see, and a shooting pain ran through it. She winced hard, with a little gasp. Lucius was beside her in a second, though she heard him gasp as he leaned over, moving his back.</p><p></p><p>“I... ah... can’t see it. What’s wrong with it?” she said, her voice full of worry.</p><p></p><p>“Its bright red... as if it was scalded. Just like mine,” Lucius stood back up rather painfully. “I don’t know what happened.”</p><p></p><p><em>Its definitely not a floor burn,</em> Siabrey thought as she painfully extricated herself from the randomly thrown about covers wrapped around parts of her in ways that now boggled her waking mind. Her upper body ached from the burn of some kind, while her lower body had dull aches for other reasons, now distant, pleasant memories. The process took several excruciating minutes, with Lucius gritting his teeth as he bent over to try and help as much as he could.</p><p></p><p>After she finally was able to rise, she and Lucius realized that her burns extended along her back, to the back of her legs. They did not look like severe burns...more like a mild case of sunburn. However, they hurt as if thousands of small daggers were prickling her back.</p><p></p><p>”Ah!” she winced again as she turned, now able to see her back with the wall mirror. It was beet red, just like Lucius’. <em>How the heck did we get this bad a sunburn while indoors?</em> “Would the priests of... ah!... Pelor have any healing salves maybe?”</p><p></p><p>Lucius winced as he looked through his bags for something, coming up empty. “I... ow! I dread putting a shirt on that will rub these burns! I can’t...” Siabrey then, with slight pain, folded her arms, covering up the upper part of her still naked torso. </p><p></p><p>“You’re partially dressed... so it’s less pain for you to put on a shirt than me to try to put on a shirt <em>and</em> trousers, my dear!” <em>And until I get some salve, I am going to sit in here... I’ll be buddled if I’m going to run out there topless with no trousers!</em></p><p></p><p>“How about,” he said quietly, “we both go. That way,” he gave a weak grin, “if there’s some salve, we might be able to get it put on faster after we find it?”</p><p></p><p>Siabrey realized the logic was sound, but she still didn’t like the results. “Alright. I’ll help you dress if you help me.”</p><p></p><p>Lucius nodded, and looked a little crestfallen at the task at hand. He winced as he reached down, and gave several gasps as he pulled a shirt over his head, with Siabrey trying to help as best as her short frame could. Then it was her turn... a little easier because her shorter height allowed him to help without bending too much. After a good fifteen minutes of simply dressing with no shoes, the two went out into the corridor.</p><p></p><p>There, they found Tess, Pellaron, and Elenya already outside. Lucius broke off to find a priest, and Tess saw them, immediately her face went beet red as she walked up to Siabrey.</p><p></p><p>“So...” she whispered, “the sleepy ones awake. He wore you out?” Tess’ grin was full of mocking mirth, and Siabrey’s response was rather terse.</p><p></p><p>“It bears none of your business to find out,” she said, trying to turn away haughtily before her back reminded her that moving was a bad thing. She managed to keep the pain from going over her face enough that Tess pressed with her teasing.</p><p></p><p>”And I saw that the vials I slipped to you last night came in handy at least,” Tess’ grin changed to one of triumph, “I believe an ‘I told you so’ is in order.” Siabrey’s copper face blushed red, as shock went through her body.</p><p></p><p>“You saw? When? How?” she pressed, her eyes more shocked than dangerous. Tess laughed.</p><p></p><p>“One shouldn’t discount the curiosity of one’s friends, especially when they come in the morning offering food,” Tess giggled. “I unlocked the door to check on you for food, and well...”</p><p></p><p>Siabrey had to smile a little at that, and noticed behind Tess that Shaun was now out of his room... he was clad only in trousers, and his back was bright red as well...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Shaun quietly uttered a curse, as Elenya fretted over his sore back. His brand new tail twitched nervously with pain (he’d slipped it into a trouser leg to hide it) as she tried rubbing another healing salve on it... to no effect.</p><p></p><p>“Argh!” she groaned, noting the lack of effect, “Nothing’s working on this! Shauny, I can’t heal this, its gotta heal on its own! Maybe you angered a god or something, I don’t know what would cause something like this!”</p><p></p><p>Shaun grunted. “Thanks for trying, hon,” he leaned over with some pain and gave her a quick kiss for the attempt. He’d suffered a dream that was unknowingly, remarkably like Siabrey’s... a sun growing larger and closer, and a burning sensation before the sun went away. He then awoke, with his back and his legs red and sore.</p><p></p><p>Elenya had been fine, however, and she’d spent the first several hours of their morning, since the sun rose just above the horizon, trying various herbs and natural medicines she’d smuggled with her from Kulloden. “I sort of lied to my uncle,” she had confessed to Shaun earlier as she had tried limbrasweed on his back, “I told him I was headed to the next town over to get some supplies.” They’d shared a laugh at the quip, which Shaun’s back and shouted at him over. It was still shouting, and cried out in pain every time someone or something touched it.</p><p></p><p>He guessed from Siabrey’s winces of pain as she moved that she had the same problem... the same with Lucius. However, though, she’d noticed that neither Elenya, Pellaron, or Tess had any marks on them at all, and from under the ends of Xanadu’s sleeves he could see the half-elf’s arms were a little red, but he showed no sign of any pain. Lucius was now returning from wherever he had stumbled off to, with a rather well dressed priest in tow.</p><p></p><p>“Please come here, my brethren,” the priest said quietly, his voice full of compassion and something else. “I have a message for you from the High Priest of this Temple.”</p><p></p><p>Shaun painfully walked over to the rest of the group, as the Priest continued.</p><p></p><p>“His Holiness requests that you attend a private service to give honor to Pelor for your safe arrival, and your stay here.”</p><p></p><p>“A service?” he asked a little to incredulously. “But my back...” His statement ended abruptly as Elenya delivered a rather soft blow to the back of his head.</p><p></p><p>“We’ve been invited by the <em>High Priest</em> she hissed, “and in order to show respect, you should probably put a nice shirt on, at least!” Shaun was about to protest, till he heard Tess hiss the same thing to Siabrey and Lucius. Resigned to their fates, all three moped back to their rooms and spent the next half hour painfully changing into more appropriate attire.</p><p></p><p>When they emerged, the priest led them through the colonnades and marbled Temple corridors, deep into the heart of the massive structure. After several twists and turns, the group arrived outside a large set of bronzed doors, with an acolyte on either side.</p><p></p><p>“His Holiness will now receive you. May Pelor’s blessings shine on you all,” the priest bowed, and turned to leave. As he did so, Shaun blinked hard. He swore he saw the priest’s face start forming a grin.</p><p></p><p>The massive bronzed doors swung open, and Shaun and the rest of the party walked into what appeared to be the most opulent personal office any of them (save possibly Lucius) had ever seen. The floors were made of pink marble, the walls made of white marble, with large malachite columns flanking the sides. An ornately carved, ebonswood desk sat in the center, with a high throne like chair behind it. To the desk’s front sat enough smaller ebonswood chairs for the party to sit in, all neatly arranged in rows.</p><p></p><p>In the throne sat a man of rather average height, in the latter part of his middle age. He didn’t not wear the elaborate Robes of Ceremony that he would during a public function, but rather comparatively simple, yet colorful robes of a Pelor priest.</p><p></p><p>“Your Holiness,” Shaun heard Tess greet the High Priest, who smiled at her and gave a nod.</p><p></p><p>“Greetings,” his voice said, pleasant in tone and demeanor. “Please, be seated. Pelor has instructed me to impart upon you some words of advice and encouragement. It should not take too much of your valuable time... Pelor as well as my mortal self are aware you have much important business to attend to, business that will not only be beneficial to yourselves and our church, but to the cause of Good in the Valley.”</p><p></p><p>Shaun almost right away zoned off as the clergyman began his ceremony. In his childhood, he’d been dragged to many services he didn’t care for, and thus it was old nature to him to act attentive while his mind drifted to other items... Elenya, gold, notoriety. The priest was mentioning things about respecting the home of a host when one was a guest, when Shaun was suddenly brought back to paying attention quite suddenly.</p><p></p><p>”Thus was why some of you have awoke this morning touched, directly, by Pelor,” his voice said, stern and hard. Shaun gave a slight jump, which caused his back to complain loudly. The High Priest was looking directly at him.</p><p></p><p>“Pelor is pleased with what you have done so far in your journeys, but these deeds do not excuse you from acting in a proper manner within his Temple.” Shaun’s vision was riveted to the High Priest, he did not see the looks of shock and horror on Lucius’ and Siabrey’s face, and the looks of barely disguised mirth on the faces of Elenya and Tess.</p><p></p><p>“You,” the High Priest said, pointing directly at Shaun, “and your wizard friend, or should I say foe, engaged in hijinks more worthy of the Temple of Olidimarra and Saupious the Prankster, than Pelor, God of the Sun. For such frivolous disregard of the sanctity of this Temple in streaking through it with nary a thread on your body, Pelor could have enacted far worse punishment than a mere sunburn... such as burning fire on offending body parts. I ask you, that you keep such jests and pranks out of these hallowed halls, and save them for the other places I mentioned.”</p><p></p><p>Shaun found himself shrinking in his chair, his fear and embarrassment enough that he ignored the pain his back was giving him from its moving out of place. He eyes watched as the priest’s damning finger then pointed towards Lucius and Siabrey.</p><p></p><p>“And you two,” he continued, his voice still very stern and stentorian, “engaged in acts of fornication while in the hallowed halls of this celibate Temple. For such you received your burns. Take your activities to the Temples of Sune or Gladimarra, and not here within these walls. You too should count yourself among those with luck... for while Sune and Gladimarra might hold most sway over fertility, Pelor has not been left out, and has been known to use those who fornicate in his temples as vessels for children to be born, easing their conception.”</p><p></p><p>Siabrey visibly gulped, and Shaun saw Lucius slink down in his chair till his head was barely visible, his eyes filled with fear and guilt. Shaun turned back to the priest, and watched as the man’s face softened, and a smile slowly grew on his lips.</p><p></p><p>“However, as I said,” the priest began, his voice not nearly as hard, “Pelor recognizes your achievements, and also the fact that none of you are experienced with his rules and regulations. These sunburns bestowed upon you will fade away over the course of the day. Consider these a gentle reminder from the God of the Sun that you should act appropriately to your locale, and his blessings will continue to fall upon you. You are more than welcome to continue your temple stay, and I trust we shall not have any more ‘sermons’ of this unhappy sort.”</p><p></p><p>The party nodded, Lucius, Siabrey, and Shaun rather wide eyed.</p><p></p><p>“Good,” the High Priest then smiled. “You are free to leave then, and may Pelor’s blessings be upon you in your quest and through your days.” He made several divine motions, bestowing a blessing on the party. Afterwards, he rose, as did the party, and Tess walked to the front of the group.</p><p></p><p>“So... these were reminders to them then?” she asked a little concerned. She did not like the idea of many of the major party members wandering around into possible conflict with burns on their back.</p><p></p><p>“They are but minor reminders... they shall wear off in several hours. Pelor keeps in his heart the names of those who help him, and remembers their actions,” the priest smiled broadly as he closed several of the holy books in front of him. “If they behave during their stay, there won’t be any issue.”</p><p></p><p>Suitably chastened, the delinquent party members, and their innocent and now grinning comrades, left the offices of the High Priest and headed back to their accommodations. It was during this walk that everyone hears Lucius snap his fingers as he remembered something.</p><p></p><p>“I just remembered... Princess Zoe will be arriving this afternoon!”</p><p></p><p></p><p>===============================================</p><p></p><p>Yeah, the party got a little reminder to remember where they're at... punking them a little was fun :-D</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 1348033, member: 15043"] This is the first part of the game from 1-30-04, where the party discovered numerous plots developing about them, as well as had some harrowing escapes. This will be the first of many updates, which I shall post as I finish typing them.... =========================================== [b]Embarassment, or Why One Should Respect the Sanctity of a Temple[/b] The night for Siabrey had been a short one, for obvious reasons, and after several hours had ended with a pleasurable drift into sleep in Lucius’ arms... which felt much warmer than usual, but soothing nonetheless. Her dreams initially were of her and him... together. She saw herself beside him, in a valley of green, walking through the trees together before laying down in a green meadow. The dream then shifted, and changed, to her at the manor of a childhood friend who she had not been allowed to be close to... her in the midst of a ball, a gala, with her and Lucius as the centerpieces as all of her friends that would have mocked her skin and her wings now looking on in sheer adoration. However, the sun in the dream seemed strange. At first, it merely roiled, changing from its blindingly yellow white to a dull yellow... and then it grew larger, and larger still. As its form slowly began to take over half of the dreamy horizon, she felt heat coursing over her body. The other partygoers, even Lucius, had vanished as the gala changed to a parched landscape, the sun drawing larger still. Finally, she made out on its fiery visage a face, glowering and angry. Fear coursed through her sleeping veins, as the powerful heat increased over her body, rising to the level of pain. However, the dark flaming face then broke into a small smile... And she woke, sitting straight up in bed up with a small gasp. The pleasant light from the sun outside streamed in through the small window in the room. Her clothes lay strewn across the floor, mingled with those of Lucius... carelessly tossed aside on the previous night. Lucius himself was standing in the middle of the room, reading something, though with only his trousers on. She could only see the side of his bare back, but she noticed it was unusually red. He turned on hearing her noise, and gave a smile. ”So... you’re awake?” he winced slightly as he turned his back. “And your... your back!” he pointed. Siabrey then tried to turn to put her own naked back to the mirror so she could see, and a shooting pain ran through it. She winced hard, with a little gasp. Lucius was beside her in a second, though she heard him gasp as he leaned over, moving his back. “I... ah... can’t see it. What’s wrong with it?” she said, her voice full of worry. “Its bright red... as if it was scalded. Just like mine,” Lucius stood back up rather painfully. “I don’t know what happened.” [i]Its definitely not a floor burn,[/i] Siabrey thought as she painfully extricated herself from the randomly thrown about covers wrapped around parts of her in ways that now boggled her waking mind. Her upper body ached from the burn of some kind, while her lower body had dull aches for other reasons, now distant, pleasant memories. The process took several excruciating minutes, with Lucius gritting his teeth as he bent over to try and help as much as he could. After she finally was able to rise, she and Lucius realized that her burns extended along her back, to the back of her legs. They did not look like severe burns...more like a mild case of sunburn. However, they hurt as if thousands of small daggers were prickling her back. ”Ah!” she winced again as she turned, now able to see her back with the wall mirror. It was beet red, just like Lucius’. [i]How the heck did we get this bad a sunburn while indoors?[/i] “Would the priests of... ah!... Pelor have any healing salves maybe?” Lucius winced as he looked through his bags for something, coming up empty. “I... ow! I dread putting a shirt on that will rub these burns! I can’t...” Siabrey then, with slight pain, folded her arms, covering up the upper part of her still naked torso. “You’re partially dressed... so it’s less pain for you to put on a shirt than me to try to put on a shirt [i]and[/i] trousers, my dear!” [i]And until I get some salve, I am going to sit in here... I’ll be buddled if I’m going to run out there topless with no trousers![/i] “How about,” he said quietly, “we both go. That way,” he gave a weak grin, “if there’s some salve, we might be able to get it put on faster after we find it?” Siabrey realized the logic was sound, but she still didn’t like the results. “Alright. I’ll help you dress if you help me.” Lucius nodded, and looked a little crestfallen at the task at hand. He winced as he reached down, and gave several gasps as he pulled a shirt over his head, with Siabrey trying to help as best as her short frame could. Then it was her turn... a little easier because her shorter height allowed him to help without bending too much. After a good fifteen minutes of simply dressing with no shoes, the two went out into the corridor. There, they found Tess, Pellaron, and Elenya already outside. Lucius broke off to find a priest, and Tess saw them, immediately her face went beet red as she walked up to Siabrey. “So...” she whispered, “the sleepy ones awake. He wore you out?” Tess’ grin was full of mocking mirth, and Siabrey’s response was rather terse. “It bears none of your business to find out,” she said, trying to turn away haughtily before her back reminded her that moving was a bad thing. She managed to keep the pain from going over her face enough that Tess pressed with her teasing. ”And I saw that the vials I slipped to you last night came in handy at least,” Tess’ grin changed to one of triumph, “I believe an ‘I told you so’ is in order.” Siabrey’s copper face blushed red, as shock went through her body. “You saw? When? How?” she pressed, her eyes more shocked than dangerous. Tess laughed. “One shouldn’t discount the curiosity of one’s friends, especially when they come in the morning offering food,” Tess giggled. “I unlocked the door to check on you for food, and well...” Siabrey had to smile a little at that, and noticed behind Tess that Shaun was now out of his room... he was clad only in trousers, and his back was bright red as well... Shaun quietly uttered a curse, as Elenya fretted over his sore back. His brand new tail twitched nervously with pain (he’d slipped it into a trouser leg to hide it) as she tried rubbing another healing salve on it... to no effect. “Argh!” she groaned, noting the lack of effect, “Nothing’s working on this! Shauny, I can’t heal this, its gotta heal on its own! Maybe you angered a god or something, I don’t know what would cause something like this!” Shaun grunted. “Thanks for trying, hon,” he leaned over with some pain and gave her a quick kiss for the attempt. He’d suffered a dream that was unknowingly, remarkably like Siabrey’s... a sun growing larger and closer, and a burning sensation before the sun went away. He then awoke, with his back and his legs red and sore. Elenya had been fine, however, and she’d spent the first several hours of their morning, since the sun rose just above the horizon, trying various herbs and natural medicines she’d smuggled with her from Kulloden. “I sort of lied to my uncle,” she had confessed to Shaun earlier as she had tried limbrasweed on his back, “I told him I was headed to the next town over to get some supplies.” They’d shared a laugh at the quip, which Shaun’s back and shouted at him over. It was still shouting, and cried out in pain every time someone or something touched it. He guessed from Siabrey’s winces of pain as she moved that she had the same problem... the same with Lucius. However, though, she’d noticed that neither Elenya, Pellaron, or Tess had any marks on them at all, and from under the ends of Xanadu’s sleeves he could see the half-elf’s arms were a little red, but he showed no sign of any pain. Lucius was now returning from wherever he had stumbled off to, with a rather well dressed priest in tow. “Please come here, my brethren,” the priest said quietly, his voice full of compassion and something else. “I have a message for you from the High Priest of this Temple.” Shaun painfully walked over to the rest of the group, as the Priest continued. “His Holiness requests that you attend a private service to give honor to Pelor for your safe arrival, and your stay here.” “A service?” he asked a little to incredulously. “But my back...” His statement ended abruptly as Elenya delivered a rather soft blow to the back of his head. “We’ve been invited by the [i]High Priest[/i] she hissed, “and in order to show respect, you should probably put a nice shirt on, at least!” Shaun was about to protest, till he heard Tess hiss the same thing to Siabrey and Lucius. Resigned to their fates, all three moped back to their rooms and spent the next half hour painfully changing into more appropriate attire. When they emerged, the priest led them through the colonnades and marbled Temple corridors, deep into the heart of the massive structure. After several twists and turns, the group arrived outside a large set of bronzed doors, with an acolyte on either side. “His Holiness will now receive you. May Pelor’s blessings shine on you all,” the priest bowed, and turned to leave. As he did so, Shaun blinked hard. He swore he saw the priest’s face start forming a grin. The massive bronzed doors swung open, and Shaun and the rest of the party walked into what appeared to be the most opulent personal office any of them (save possibly Lucius) had ever seen. The floors were made of pink marble, the walls made of white marble, with large malachite columns flanking the sides. An ornately carved, ebonswood desk sat in the center, with a high throne like chair behind it. To the desk’s front sat enough smaller ebonswood chairs for the party to sit in, all neatly arranged in rows. In the throne sat a man of rather average height, in the latter part of his middle age. He didn’t not wear the elaborate Robes of Ceremony that he would during a public function, but rather comparatively simple, yet colorful robes of a Pelor priest. “Your Holiness,” Shaun heard Tess greet the High Priest, who smiled at her and gave a nod. “Greetings,” his voice said, pleasant in tone and demeanor. “Please, be seated. Pelor has instructed me to impart upon you some words of advice and encouragement. It should not take too much of your valuable time... Pelor as well as my mortal self are aware you have much important business to attend to, business that will not only be beneficial to yourselves and our church, but to the cause of Good in the Valley.” Shaun almost right away zoned off as the clergyman began his ceremony. In his childhood, he’d been dragged to many services he didn’t care for, and thus it was old nature to him to act attentive while his mind drifted to other items... Elenya, gold, notoriety. The priest was mentioning things about respecting the home of a host when one was a guest, when Shaun was suddenly brought back to paying attention quite suddenly. ”Thus was why some of you have awoke this morning touched, directly, by Pelor,” his voice said, stern and hard. Shaun gave a slight jump, which caused his back to complain loudly. The High Priest was looking directly at him. “Pelor is pleased with what you have done so far in your journeys, but these deeds do not excuse you from acting in a proper manner within his Temple.” Shaun’s vision was riveted to the High Priest, he did not see the looks of shock and horror on Lucius’ and Siabrey’s face, and the looks of barely disguised mirth on the faces of Elenya and Tess. “You,” the High Priest said, pointing directly at Shaun, “and your wizard friend, or should I say foe, engaged in hijinks more worthy of the Temple of Olidimarra and Saupious the Prankster, than Pelor, God of the Sun. For such frivolous disregard of the sanctity of this Temple in streaking through it with nary a thread on your body, Pelor could have enacted far worse punishment than a mere sunburn... such as burning fire on offending body parts. I ask you, that you keep such jests and pranks out of these hallowed halls, and save them for the other places I mentioned.” Shaun found himself shrinking in his chair, his fear and embarrassment enough that he ignored the pain his back was giving him from its moving out of place. He eyes watched as the priest’s damning finger then pointed towards Lucius and Siabrey. “And you two,” he continued, his voice still very stern and stentorian, “engaged in acts of fornication while in the hallowed halls of this celibate Temple. For such you received your burns. Take your activities to the Temples of Sune or Gladimarra, and not here within these walls. You too should count yourself among those with luck... for while Sune and Gladimarra might hold most sway over fertility, Pelor has not been left out, and has been known to use those who fornicate in his temples as vessels for children to be born, easing their conception.” Siabrey visibly gulped, and Shaun saw Lucius slink down in his chair till his head was barely visible, his eyes filled with fear and guilt. Shaun turned back to the priest, and watched as the man’s face softened, and a smile slowly grew on his lips. “However, as I said,” the priest began, his voice not nearly as hard, “Pelor recognizes your achievements, and also the fact that none of you are experienced with his rules and regulations. These sunburns bestowed upon you will fade away over the course of the day. Consider these a gentle reminder from the God of the Sun that you should act appropriately to your locale, and his blessings will continue to fall upon you. You are more than welcome to continue your temple stay, and I trust we shall not have any more ‘sermons’ of this unhappy sort.” The party nodded, Lucius, Siabrey, and Shaun rather wide eyed. “Good,” the High Priest then smiled. “You are free to leave then, and may Pelor’s blessings be upon you in your quest and through your days.” He made several divine motions, bestowing a blessing on the party. Afterwards, he rose, as did the party, and Tess walked to the front of the group. “So... these were reminders to them then?” she asked a little concerned. She did not like the idea of many of the major party members wandering around into possible conflict with burns on their back. “They are but minor reminders... they shall wear off in several hours. Pelor keeps in his heart the names of those who help him, and remembers their actions,” the priest smiled broadly as he closed several of the holy books in front of him. “If they behave during their stay, there won’t be any issue.” Suitably chastened, the delinquent party members, and their innocent and now grinning comrades, left the offices of the High Priest and headed back to their accommodations. It was during this walk that everyone hears Lucius snap his fingers as he remembered something. “I just remembered... Princess Zoe will be arriving this afternoon!” =============================================== Yeah, the party got a little reminder to remember where they're at... punking them a little was fun :-D [/QUOTE]
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