Oathbound : Homecoming (the gathering) everybody in!

[Voadam]

Kyron rose from the ground with sweat pouring off his glowing skin. It was done. The positive energy of the healing spell had finished off the last shadow. With a groan he pulled himself heavily to his feet, barely able to rise under the weight of his armor. He incanted a divine spell and restored the strength of his positive energy body that had been stolen by the swarming undead. Seventeen! The entire staff of this wayside inn had been transformed into shadows who preyed upon every traveller who came through this byway, swelling their numbers with new spawn from the souls of those who fell to their draining touch. How long it took them to reach this number Kyron did not know, luckily it was an isolated area and not a whole village or city for the foul creatures to prey upon and increase their numbers.

Kyron cursed himself for not suspecting from the emptiness of the inn when he first arrived, only sensing the shadows when one leapt to attack him sucking part of the life force out of him. It was actually good luck that he got jumped by one, Kyron decided. If he had been swarmed by the whole horde at once he would have fallen before he could pull out his sigil amulet and blast them with positive energy. Kyron shuddered at the thought of falling to shadows, his whole life essence corrupted from light to darkness. It just would have confirmed those rumors some of the other luminous whispered about the dark stains on his hands.

But the fortunes of war favored Kyron and the war against evil he had sworn himself to could continue. At least these seventeen souls would now know rest.

Thinking about the stains Kyron looked at his hand. Some of the spots were converging. What this would portend Kyron did not know. The spots had moved before but never connected, and as he had taken to his wandering crusade they had moved steadily as if their positions were related to his physical location, all but the center one which had always been fixed since the day of his soul's incarnation in this body.

It was still a mystery, one Kyron wanted to unravel for the ease of his troubled mind, but the answers eluded him. And there was always the War. As an initiated member of the enlightened order Kyron had learned many methods to harness supernatural power but with those powers came a responsibility to fight to make the world a better place, to confront the powers of darkness and evil.

Kyron shook his head, the War continued but this battle was over. He strode up the now empty hallways, increasing the light aura from his luminous body to flush out any shadows if they remained. When he was sure there were no more in the building he sought a bed to sleep in. In the morning he would continue his journeys.

 

[deadestdai]

Baja moved his massive club from one shoulder and rested it upon the other.

Trying his best to look as intelligent as possible, he licked his right index finger and held it up to the breeze, then promptly announced that the duo should head off east, yes east was the direction.

secretly, Baja wished the elf-man would make these difficult decisions. He really had no idea where he should go. The nobleman's journey had been an easy one - town to his home, but this, this thing had no known direction. It was like trying to find his homelands all over again!

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Baja & Tristan:
As you begin your journey east you also begin the process of getting to know each other. The social journey is harder than the geographical one, as Baja is not accustomed to long conversations, but you begin to realize that more than your tattoos may bind you together. As different as your stories are, Baja in particular is suprized to realize that this strange little man shares many of the feelings of disconnection that the half orc had always ascribed to his literal outsider status. As you travel, you notice that two dots quite far from your own have also come together, and Tristan at least muses on the meaning of this. It seems Baja's guess of east was a good one, for after a couple of days of hard traveling, it is clear that your now joined dots are converging on another, and you redouble your efforts.

Kyron:
(ooc, the dot connected to all the others does move too, you think of it central because of its connections, not because its always at the center)

Your first effort at setting out seems to move "your" dot in the direction of one of the connections, but you soon realize that it is moving quite quickly away from you. Rather than play catchup, you use the brief insight into the compass directions of the dots to begin towards the other connection, which seems slightly closer and not going anywhere fast anyway. Your progress is slowed by your heavy equiptment until you come to a wayfarer's temple and fortuitously meet a party of merchants heading in the same direction as you by coach. While only one has ever met a Lumin before, the group is quick to conider both your calling and race a good omen and you are soon traveling behind swift horses and having akward conversations with men whose main consideration of undead is as an impediment to business.

the journey goes quickly after that for a week, until the coach's travels no longer coincide with your own. You are left at another wayfarer's temple however and are lucky enough to fall in with a small group of pilgrims whose direction in both physical and spiritual journeying is more similar to yours. A few more days travel brings you to a large city and seems to join "your" dot to the connected ones. You weren't sure what you expected at that point yet still find yourself disapointed at the anticlimactic lack of welcome. At a loss of what else to do, you begin your usual habit of visiting a city's various temples, to pay respect to the people (if not the gods) of those with similar goals to yours. It is at a small but neatly kept temple of many gods that you find a welcome of sorts - among the various religious symbols on the front doors is a neatly draw flier fairly well representing the dots on your hand.

Julian:
Orillian's indecision gnaws at you, but you are loath to leave your only connection looking for another. The day after the conversation about maps and bird attacks though, you realize that while you focused on the young mage something else had been happening. Another dot has grown closer to the connection between you are Orillian. You update your drawings and keep them posted on top of the other notices hoping that this new arrival would be a seeker as yourself.

 

[hafrogman]

Tristan glances down at his tatoo again. The next dot was definately getting closer now. He was sure that he wasn't imagining it. He kept trying to figure out what would happen if he could ever gather all the dots in one place. This had to have some meaning, mystical maps written on your body aren't just put there on a whim. He burned to talk about it with someone, but every time he tried to bring it up with Baja, his companion got a pained expression on his face.

He turned to look at the half-orc. He certainly wasn't one for scintilating conversation or deep discussion. However, there was something about the guy that grew on you. He wasn't very bright, but that didn't stop him from being nice, once you got past his brutish exterior.

 

[Voadam]

Kyron stares at the parchment for a little while, his luminescence unconsciously growing brighter, then steps into the temple looking for someone who might be able to aid him.

 

[GPEKO]

Orillian

Orillian is not totally convinced by the monk's suggested method but his urge to do more and explore has been growing since he first met with Jullian. A day after their talk about the bird attack, he asks his superior (OOC: if there is such a person...) for some time away from his job. He then rejoins with Jullian at his temple. Bollo follows him holding a large trunk.

"Ah, here you are, Jullian. I c..can't really believe I am doing this but I just can't help it. I ready to go with you, if you are still interested. I suggest we leave the city by the east gate and travel along that road. It is the most traveled you see. If no dots move closer while we're going in this direction ... Well, I guess we'll just have to take another road."

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Kyron:
When you enter the temple, you draw a stare from one of the younger acolytes, who is quickly shushed away by a priestess with better manners. She aproaches and asks you your concernes and when you meantion the drawing she smiles. "Thats a project of Julian's, a young man who is assisting us... if you would like to sit and rest, I'll tell him you're here when he returns."

Julian:
When you return to the temple from your day's errands, you get two suprises. Not only is Orillian waiting outside the door with his rocky companion, as you enter and the mage speaks of his willingness to try your plan, one of the priestesses who had directed your work there aproaches and says you have a visitor. She indicates a heavily armored Lumin sitting akwardly on a bench. The race is a uncommon one but you knew a few who aspired to paladin status during your time with the order.

 

[ferretguy]

Once again looking to another day at the temple perhaps today I'll be able to finish those repairs at the eastern wall...hope the materials are ready this time... Julian almost stubs his toe on the Rocky familier of Orillian. Focusing on his surroundings, Julian looks with surprize at the large chest the creature is carrying, Glad to hear you've changed your mind Orillian! I was hoping to continue this journey with a compainion. Turning to the priestess..A visitor? Well thank you little mother, Orillian would you like to come along? The last visitor I had was you...perhaps my papers have attracted the attention of another of us. Julian heads over to the newcomer A Lumin....one of the blessed ones, perhaps she will know more of these markings..unless she is from my old order Greetings Oh Lighted One.....You asked for me?

 

[Voadam]

Once again looking to another day at the temple perhaps today I'll be able to finish those repairs at the eastern wall...hope the materials are ready this time... Julian almost stubs his toe on the Rocky familier of Orillian. Focusing on his surroundings, Julian looks with surprize at the large chest the creature is carrying, Glad to hear you've changed your mind Orillian! I was hoping to continue this journey with a compainion. Turning to the priestess..A visitor? Well thank you little mother, Orillian would you like to come along? The last visitor I had was you...perhaps my papers have attracted the attention of another of us. Julian heads over to the newcomer A Lumin....one of the blessed ones, perhaps she will know more of these markings..unless she is from my old order Greetings Oh Lighted One.....You asked for me?

"Greetings. In the tongue of Man I am Kyron Shadowstalker, an Initiate of the Illuminated Path of the Enlightened Order and a Crusader against the Darkness. I am here seeking understanding of a mystery. I understand you are the Julian who placed the sketches on this temple's door. Can you tell me about the figures you drew?"

 

[ferretguy]

Pleasure to meet you Kyron....well the post that I made has to do with a puzzle that has tormented me for many years. He holds his tattooed hand up, Me and my compainion here have figured that these are some sort of key, possibly letting us know where others who share this may be. I have noted of late that there is indication of possibly others like myself who may be marked and I thought to post this depiction to attract those who may be marked so...could it be that you have the same marks?