OOC: Sorry, life caught up with me. Also, congrats on getting approved! Now I can start getting the XP-earning events out there...
"Well, little one, since you are being so generous, you needn't worry. The services for such a spell are typically 60 gold, if you are curious, but feel free to donate whatever you see fit. Halina bless you and everyone."
She watches as the soup is passed back to the various children.
"Oh, you are all such a good sort. Please, your company and generosity are sustenance enough. I suppose you could have a moment to look over the map as I make sure the children are seen after."
"Map?"
Morlan approaches, curious. Some other children join him.
"They're adventurers! They must have a treasure map!" "Lots of gold and jewels?" "Yeah, enough for a king!" "I wanna be an adventurer! Garrold the Magnificent!" "Garrold the Goof is more like it..."
"Enough! No name calling!" Halina sighs, sorry she ever opened her mouth.
"Let our guests have a chance to rest. Go, play in the yard, I'll call you later."
Halina shakes her head in apology as the children file out the door. She gets to work cleaning up.
"They're all excited now... Enjoy the silence while it lasts."
Possum studies the map, looking for details.
1d20+4=23
The more she studies the map, the more worried she gets. She sees what should be coastline, but it doesn't match anywhere she has heard of. There are cities scattered around, indicating a large area, but they are in canyons, at the peaks of mountains, in the middle of the sea... and the eight circles, in two lines of four, appear suspended above them all, connected, and are somehow the key to the ARTIFACT HERE beneath one of them. And the scrawling all over, in some strange, savage script, follows the contours of the land in some cases, and completely ignores them in others. The map could be the work of a madman.
Karl looks at the writing. (Decipher Script
1d20+4=19 ) He recognizes the writing, now, as Gnoll. He sees one city's name:
Oruxx, Gnollish for Orussus. The city is apparently submerged under the sea.
Halina, having stepped out for a moment, returns with a bucket in hand and starts rinsing out the bowls.
"If you need it, I can pray for language comprehension and read the map for you this evening. I'm busy here right now, and won't be able to prepare the prayer until this evening." She lowers her voice to a whisper.
"And if that map has anything to do with gnolls, don't tell Rhiana. Gnolls took her eye."
Shouts and calls to follow treasure maps waft in from outside.
"Dear me, calming them down will be difficult. Would it be too much to ask you for a favor? A fisherman named Vaxson is scheduled to arrive today. Ask him if he can make a donation of his catch to the temple. Something hearty should calm the children down, or maybe Vaxson can think of something."
Morlan marches in, with a number of others in tow.
"We're forming an adventuring group! We're the Knights of Halina! I'm the leader, Garrold's a swordsman, Rhiana's temple mom, and Tagrin wants to be the wizard."
"Flabbertyzoo! You are all toads!" a small, redheaded freckle-faced boy of seven responds.
"Not now, Tagrin!"