Oathbound : Homecoming (the gathering) everybody in!

[Voadam]

Kyron stares intently at Julian's hand then removes his gauntlet and dims down his radiance so that the spots on his own hand can be compared directly.

"I have had these stains since my soul's incarnation over a score years ago. They have moved over time. What else do you know of them? Both of you have them? If so then it would seem you are the two stains who came together, and now I add mine to the conjunction."

 

[GPEKO]

Orillian

"Well, well, seems we didn't have to travel very far to find another bearing this mark. I'm beginning to share your optimism, Julian. Maybe some force is bringing us all together for some purpose." The man in expensive clothes turns to the Lumin. "Well met, Kyron Shadowstalker. I'm Orillian of Forbach. And, although I don't really appreciate being called a stain, you are right. We both bear this ... tattoo and it seems to be a representation of a few people. Now, three of dots are together. I don't know much else about this ... symbol except that it once ressembled a map of a distant land drawn by a powerful mage who vanished for a few years. The man disappeared after being attacked by a flock of birds. Bizarre, isn't it ? Furthermore, Julian remembers a similar attack on a knight of his order. So, who bringing us together ? The lord of all birds ??? You tell me."

 

[Voadam]

"Well, well, seems we didn't have to travel very far to find another bearing this mark. I'm beginning to share your optimism, Julian. Maybe some force is bringing us all together for some purpose." The man in expensive clothes turns to the Lumin. "Well met, Kyron Shadowstalker. I'm Orillian of Forbach. And, although I don't really appreciate being called a stain, you are right. We both bear this ... tattoo and it seems to be a representation of a few people. Now, three of dots are together. I don't know much else about this ... symbol except that it once ressembled a map of a distant land drawn by a powerful mage who vanished for a few years. The man disappeared after being attacked by a flock of birds. Bizarre, isn't it ? Furthermore, Julian remembers a similar attack on a knight of his order. So, who bringing us together ? The lord of all birds ??? You tell me."

"Well met Orillian of Forbach. I am fairly well versed in the lore of the gods and planes. There are a number of gods and demons with associations to birds among the various pantheons of different peoples and religions. There are powers both malign and benign associated with birds.

The spots correspond to a map of a specific land? But they move and have moved throughout my life. Do you have this map or can you bring us to it? What is the land?

Hmmm. You said yours is a tatoo? You mean an ink sigil placed on you by someone? Was it placed on you by someone you know or that I can talk to? Mine have been with me my whole known life. I have always believed they were part of me, not something put upon me."

 

[Voadam]

Two powers that come to mind include an elven goddess of air and birds, she is considered good but chaotic and attacks by birds could indicate her displeasure. Also there is a demon prince of the air above the first layer of the abyss who claims sovereignty over the air and anything with wings. This claim is obviously a lie, but he probably has many air powers and command over many winged things and would not be averse to harrasing paladins.

Of course you do not need to go to the gods or demons for supernatural bird attacks, druids can command animals, there are shamanic and totemic traditions that revere spirits of birds such as ravens, eagles, and hawks, and I'm not sure if there are arcane magics that can summon flocks of birds.

Orillian, do you think we have been called together? It seems to me we have a connection but I did not and do not feel any compulsion to meet up, only curiosity at the mystery of the dark marks. I did not even realize the spacial significance of the marks until after I started a wandering crusade and noted that one mark tracked my movements and realized it had ever been thus. I then decided consciously to investigate when I was not otherwise actively engaged in hunting undead. Even now if I were to become aware of an undead plague elsewhere I would feel compelled to put aside learning more of this mystery to answer that call to duty.

I do think meeting up with all the marks is a good idea that may enlighten us to their significance, but there can be a difference between seeking and being called.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

faustus: You spend a couple of days of forced marching to put some space between you and the orge tribe before you feel you can relax. As you are traveling, you notice that one of the spots where two have joined is drawing close to the "central" dot. When you come to a rare crossroads, intution makes you turn and you are gratified the next day to see that the cental dot is even closer to the joined ones. Soon they seem almost joined, and you find yourself pushing on past your normal time, finally stopping as it gets dark to rest against a tree...

Tristan and Baja: As you travel together, you take to moving in the evening and early at night since you both have good vision and encounter less curious strangers. The lack of converation wears on Tristan now that he has finally found a possible kindred spirit, but there is still an odd sort of compatibility in the pairing, though its hard to put your finger on just what you could have in common. Both of you can observe that your shared dot is converging on another, even as you notice that a third dot has joined the other pairing. On the evening when they have finally come fully together you are on a long stretch of road and there is no moment of conclusion - you travel almost another hour after you think they have "met" before you see a figure leaned against a tree to the side of the road. He is dressed in slightly worn finery that is currently wrinkled and dusty and has the look of someone who is generally much better kept than his current circumstances allow. Even as he rests, something makes you pause from just coming straight up and surprising him.

 

[hafrogman]

Tristan comes up short as he spots the figure against the tree ahead of them. He'd been waiting for something of this sort for a while, and had been watching the back of his hand for a while now. He holds out his arm to stop Baja from moving forward, only to find the half-orc had stopped in his tracks as well.

Tristan takes one step forward and calls out.

"Greetings!"

 

[Ferrix]

Tristan comes up short as he spots the figure against the tree ahead of them. He'd been waiting for something of this sort for a while, and had been watching the back of his hand for a while now. He holds out his arm to stop Baja from moving forward, only to find the half-orc had stopped in his tracks as well.

Tristan takes one step forward and calls out.

"Greetings!"

Hearing the words of another, Faustus takes a glance down at the state of affairs of his clothing and gives a sharp chuckle to himself. Raising his head, he looks upon the odd pairing. A half-elf and a half-orc, well, interesting enough. Wondering if the mark's on his hand have anything to do with their meeting, he pushes aside the thought and returns the greetings.

"Well met stranger."

 

[hafrogman]

Hearing the words of another, Faustus takes a glance down at the state of affairs of his clothing and gives a sharp chuckle to himself. Raising his head, he looks upon the odd pairing. A half-elf and a half-orc, well, interesting enough. Wondering if the mark's on his hand have anything to do with their meeting, he pushes aside the thought and returns the greetings.

"Well met stranger."

Tristan gazes levely at the stranger on the path ahead. He tries to decide whether or not he can judge any connection, but then gives up on trying to be subtle.

"Hello, I was wondering if you could help us. We're out here looking for a person who should be somewhere around us. The person we are looking for should have a tatoo that looks like this."

He removes his gauntlet and holds up his mark for the stranger to see.

 

[GPEKO]

Well met Orillian of Forbach. I am fairly well versed in the lore of the gods and planes. There are a number of gods and demons with associations to birds among the various pantheons of different peoples and religions. There are powers both malign and benign associated with birds.

"I too have studied the wonders of the infinite planes. But I fear our vast knowledge will be of little use here. All we have found are vague stories told by people who have only seen, not experienced the thing. These bird attacks could have something to do with us or it might not. And besides, for all we know, it could just be a band of vrock having a little bit of demonic fun."

The spots correspond to a map of a specific land? But they move and have moved throughout my life. Do you have this map or can you bring us to it? What is the land?

"Hummm ... let's see. I think I still have the parchemins with me ..." Orillian opens the chest that his small earth elemental is carrying and starts rummaging through it, using both his hand and the magic of his talisman. Finally, he seems to have found what he was looking for and he makes the two parchemins float toward the Lumin. "This is a map of a land visited by a powerful young mage while he disappeared from this one. The other parchemin is an old drawing of what my 'tattoo' used to look like a few years ago. There are some resemblances, don't you think ?"

Hmmm. You said yours is a tatoo? You mean an ink sigil placed on you by someone? Was it placed on you by someone you know or that I can talk to? Mine have been with me my whole known life. I have always believed they were part of me, not something put upon me.

"Yes, yes, of course" says Orillian impatiently. "I say 'tattoo' for lack of a better word. But, like you said, it might not be the best term. I also had mine for as long as I can remember. Nobody could have put such a thing on me while I was an infant as I was protected by my mighty family, the Forbach."

 

[deadestdai]

Baja's hand itched as they approached the crossing. He hated it when the tattoo itched - just when he thought he was starting to make sense of the mysterious designs, they went and switched and he felt totally lost again. (Nothing new there really.) Thankfully, meeting Tristan was a good itch. The ONLY good itch so far. This current itch felt kinda safe too.

And this sharply dressed man was "sumthin' " alright.

And Baja for once didn't feel like he needed to smash him like he had done so far too often in these strange lands.

Looking to the newcom.... Ermm.... "stander", he held out his tattoo along with his half-elf companion and offered Me am have one too. 'Same, see?