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Steel Dragon's "Tales of Orea"
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<blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5860033" data-attributes="member: 92511"><p>Alaria exited the second floor library/laboratory her mind swam with arcane syllables and phrasing. Distracted by her own thoughts, she didn't notice Haelan coming bounding down the stairs from the third level that contained their chambers until he nearly ran into her legs.</p><p></p><p>He wore his signature broad smile and was positively bubbling with excitement as he met her.</p><p></p><p>"Alaria! Alaria! You won't believe it! I think I can do it. Auntie Gaela came to me in a vision and said I could. She told me Faerantha wants me to! Can you believe it? We can do it!" Haelan bulleted off, his eyes bright with a glassy kind of flare.</p><p></p><p>"Slow down, Haelan. What are you talking about? Who's Auntie Gaela? What can we do?" the magess calmly responded to the Hilltender's babblings. She descended the winding stairs that hugged the perimeter of a broad open stairwell.</p><p></p><p>"Auntie Gaela is Faerantha's sister. She's part of the Holy Family, the gods of the Daelvar. We only worship Faernatha, directly, as you know. Her being the matriarch and all. Gaela minds the family and the hearth.She protects the home and our loved ones..." Haelan began his lengthy explanation.</p><p></p><p>His voice faded from Alaria's ears as the two descended the long winding staircase that hugged the perimeter of the tower. She noted casually, half-listening to Haelan, that Erevan, Festus and Duor entered the chamber below. Her mentor for the passed however many days it had been, Lady Evaranthriine, stood patiently at one side of the large fire pit. The long broad table they had all dined at was to the side, near the stairs that descended to the kitchens which the men had been spending much time in of late and used for entrance and egress. </p><p></p><p>The thought perked up into her mind as to where it had come from and how the old dwarf had managed to get the huge table into the chamber.</p><p></p><p>"...and she said I could do it! Then she disappeared." Haelan finished, as usual, with a tint of disappointment in his voice at what was usually the anticlimactic end of any of his tales.</p><p></p><p>"Could do what, Haelan?!" Alaria responded with a bit too much annoyance in her voice. Her frustration at the newest spell was bubbling to the fore.</p><p></p><p>"I can<em> remove </em>the<em> curse</em> on poor Inskuel!" the blond hairfoot replied with a broad smile.</p><p></p><p><em>This</em>, caught all of Alaria's attention and the R'Hathi magess stopped in her tracks three steps from the bottom. "What did you say?!" she looked down at the very happy with himself halfling.</p><p></p><p>"We don't have to kill Mag...Mad-gag...Mad Maggie Bweel! I can remove the curse!" Haelan smiled up at Alaria, sure that she would be happy to hear this news.</p><p></p><p>Alaria stared agape at the diminutive cleric for a moment before turning to look across the broad hall where Evaranthriine stood, still agape.</p><p></p><p>"What didst though claim, daelvar?" Evaranthriine said. Her voice was soft, even and stern, yet filled the whole of the huge open floor, as usual.</p><p></p><p>The company came together around the large fire pit and Haelan again re-explained everything he had said on the staircase to Alaria.</p><p></p><p>"Soooo, we should take yer word for some vision of yer 'Auntie' and try to hunt down that walkin' composte heap...nay disrespect intended, gracious lady...but the witch is the one doin' all the harm here. Who's t'say she won't just change him back?" Duor asserted.</p><p></p><p>"Well, she's not <em>my</em> auntie but..." Haelan began to defend.</p><p></p><p>Evaranthriine interrupted, "While I am inclined to agree with the dwarf's statement, however porrly worded," the lady swathed in a gown of night and stars shot Duor a disapproving look, "I know not of your deity...nor any but the Eight. Mine is the way of the Mysteries. If Ins- my champion may be saved while my sister spared...loathsome as she hast become, I wouldst nay wish her dead if there were any way to avoid it."</p><p></p><p>Braddok now entered the hall carrying a large tray on each arm. Each was piled high with beautifully roasted vegetables and fowl. He set them down on the long dining table and looked to where the assembled companions stood with their hostess. His close-lipped smile quickly faded to see the serious looks on all of their faces.</p><p></p><p>"What? Did I miss something?" the confused warrior asked.</p><p></p><p>"Where is the greencloak?" Evaranthriine asked in a commanding tone.</p><p></p><p>"Imgulg went to go get him. He was working on your garden again, milady." Braddok answered immediately. "Is everything ok?"</p><p></p><p>"The Hill-foot thinks he's gonna remove the ages long curse of some demonhorse-riddin'-super-witch cuz his 'auntie' told him to in a vision." Duor replied with all mockery intended.</p><p></p><p>"Oh." Braddok replied with raised eyebrows.</p><p></p><p>Haelan folded his arms and had had enough of Duor's constant verbal jabs. "Look, Duor, you don't need to believe in my religion or my gods. They aren't your kind's gods, after all. But a little respect for the divine...<em>any</em> divine, wouldn't kill you."</p><p></p><p>This raised eyebrows all across the room, including one of Erevan's. Haelan continued.</p><p></p><p>"And if Gaela says I should and Faerantha wants me to, then that's good enough for me. That's what <em>faith</em> is all about. And whether you believe or have faith in my goddesses I would expect, after all of this time, you would have faith in<em> me </em>and show a little<em> respect </em>for my beliefs and feelings<em>.</em>"</p><p></p><p>The look Haelan shot across the firepit at the dwarven rogue was not one of "asking", neither "pleading" nor "innocent", all of which the companions had come to associate with the Hilltender when he spoke...other than invoking his goddess, the power of which could certainly not be denied.</p><p></p><p>"Haelan...I..." Duor began only to be interrupted by Evaranthriine.</p><p></p><p>"The Hilltender speaks with a wisdom that defies his stature." the woman dressed in night moved around the firepit in her "non-walking" sort of way that all of the party had become accustomed to seeing. She laid a pale slender hand upon Haelan's shoulder and looked deep into his eyes with her own silvery star-filled own. "Apologies, Hilltender, you are absolutely correct. Though I know not your divine, your connection to it...<em>Her</em>...can nay be denied." </p><p></p><p>Alaria felt herself awash in embarrassment at her own, all too often, dismissal of the kindly halfling cleric's formidable faith and heart. He'd healed her more times than she could count. Protected her. Defended her even when she, herself, would have fled. Her mind went to that unbeaten path in their first days together, before they'd even gotten to Shoal, and the Hilltender's invocation of <em>Sanctuary</em> which protected her from a grizzly fate at the hands of goblin ambushers. She, too, felt a rush to apologize to Haelan.</p><p></p><p>Before she could utter it, Imgulg came rushing up out of the stairs to the kitchen. The old dwarf huffed and puffed as he yelled across the chamber.</p><p></p><p>"Milady! Milady! Come quickly. You must see! The druid. *huff* See what the druid has done *puff* in the garden." the white-bearded old dwarf panted.</p><p></p><p>At this, all of the party was surprised and concerned to see the stars that glittered in Lady Evaranthriine's eyes and all about the hems of her regal gown flared brightly. Her alabaster face took on a dark shadow of fury and flowing black tresses from her head flared wildly. A rumble of thunder echoed through the chamber as she raced, again with no indication of running beneath her gown, but with shocking speed, across the chamber and disappeared down the staircase that led to the kitchen and outside to the garden.</p><p> </p><p>"Yep. He's dead." said Festus casually, popping a cherry into his mouth from one of the silver bowls that sat on the dining table. The satyr's eyes met Braddok's disapproving own as he pulled the stem and spat the seed into a smaller bowl.</p><p></p><p>"What?!" Festus protested.</p><p></p><p>Braddok pulled his sword from the sheathe and glared at the ranger before taking off for the stairs down.</p><p></p><p>Erevan was already at the top of the stairs before Braddok reached them. Duor and Alaria and Haelan raced toward the table.</p><p></p><p>"Oh. Right. Yeah. Let's go! Stormriders HO!" Festus said and drew his own weapon before cantering off after the Grinlian swordsman and others.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="steeldragons, post: 5860033, member: 92511"] Alaria exited the second floor library/laboratory her mind swam with arcane syllables and phrasing. Distracted by her own thoughts, she didn't notice Haelan coming bounding down the stairs from the third level that contained their chambers until he nearly ran into her legs. He wore his signature broad smile and was positively bubbling with excitement as he met her. "Alaria! Alaria! You won't believe it! I think I can do it. Auntie Gaela came to me in a vision and said I could. She told me Faerantha wants me to! Can you believe it? We can do it!" Haelan bulleted off, his eyes bright with a glassy kind of flare. "Slow down, Haelan. What are you talking about? Who's Auntie Gaela? What can we do?" the magess calmly responded to the Hilltender's babblings. She descended the winding stairs that hugged the perimeter of a broad open stairwell. "Auntie Gaela is Faerantha's sister. She's part of the Holy Family, the gods of the Daelvar. We only worship Faernatha, directly, as you know. Her being the matriarch and all. Gaela minds the family and the hearth.She protects the home and our loved ones..." Haelan began his lengthy explanation. His voice faded from Alaria's ears as the two descended the long winding staircase that hugged the perimeter of the tower. She noted casually, half-listening to Haelan, that Erevan, Festus and Duor entered the chamber below. Her mentor for the passed however many days it had been, Lady Evaranthriine, stood patiently at one side of the large fire pit. The long broad table they had all dined at was to the side, near the stairs that descended to the kitchens which the men had been spending much time in of late and used for entrance and egress. The thought perked up into her mind as to where it had come from and how the old dwarf had managed to get the huge table into the chamber. "...and she said I could do it! Then she disappeared." Haelan finished, as usual, with a tint of disappointment in his voice at what was usually the anticlimactic end of any of his tales. "Could do what, Haelan?!" Alaria responded with a bit too much annoyance in her voice. Her frustration at the newest spell was bubbling to the fore. "I can[I] remove [/I]the[I] curse[/I] on poor Inskuel!" the blond hairfoot replied with a broad smile. [I]This[/I], caught all of Alaria's attention and the R'Hathi magess stopped in her tracks three steps from the bottom. "What did you say?!" she looked down at the very happy with himself halfling. "We don't have to kill Mag...Mad-gag...Mad Maggie Bweel! I can remove the curse!" Haelan smiled up at Alaria, sure that she would be happy to hear this news. Alaria stared agape at the diminutive cleric for a moment before turning to look across the broad hall where Evaranthriine stood, still agape. "What didst though claim, daelvar?" Evaranthriine said. Her voice was soft, even and stern, yet filled the whole of the huge open floor, as usual. The company came together around the large fire pit and Haelan again re-explained everything he had said on the staircase to Alaria. "Soooo, we should take yer word for some vision of yer 'Auntie' and try to hunt down that walkin' composte heap...nay disrespect intended, gracious lady...but the witch is the one doin' all the harm here. Who's t'say she won't just change him back?" Duor asserted. "Well, she's not [I]my[/I] auntie but..." Haelan began to defend. Evaranthriine interrupted, "While I am inclined to agree with the dwarf's statement, however porrly worded," the lady swathed in a gown of night and stars shot Duor a disapproving look, "I know not of your deity...nor any but the Eight. Mine is the way of the Mysteries. If Ins- my champion may be saved while my sister spared...loathsome as she hast become, I wouldst nay wish her dead if there were any way to avoid it." Braddok now entered the hall carrying a large tray on each arm. Each was piled high with beautifully roasted vegetables and fowl. He set them down on the long dining table and looked to where the assembled companions stood with their hostess. His close-lipped smile quickly faded to see the serious looks on all of their faces. "What? Did I miss something?" the confused warrior asked. "Where is the greencloak?" Evaranthriine asked in a commanding tone. "Imgulg went to go get him. He was working on your garden again, milady." Braddok answered immediately. "Is everything ok?" "The Hill-foot thinks he's gonna remove the ages long curse of some demonhorse-riddin'-super-witch cuz his 'auntie' told him to in a vision." Duor replied with all mockery intended. "Oh." Braddok replied with raised eyebrows. Haelan folded his arms and had had enough of Duor's constant verbal jabs. "Look, Duor, you don't need to believe in my religion or my gods. They aren't your kind's gods, after all. But a little respect for the divine...[I]any[/I] divine, wouldn't kill you." This raised eyebrows all across the room, including one of Erevan's. Haelan continued. "And if Gaela says I should and Faerantha wants me to, then that's good enough for me. That's what [I]faith[/I] is all about. And whether you believe or have faith in my goddesses I would expect, after all of this time, you would have faith in[I] me [/I]and show a little[I] respect [/I]for my beliefs and feelings[I].[/I]" The look Haelan shot across the firepit at the dwarven rogue was not one of "asking", neither "pleading" nor "innocent", all of which the companions had come to associate with the Hilltender when he spoke...other than invoking his goddess, the power of which could certainly not be denied. "Haelan...I..." Duor began only to be interrupted by Evaranthriine. "The Hilltender speaks with a wisdom that defies his stature." the woman dressed in night moved around the firepit in her "non-walking" sort of way that all of the party had become accustomed to seeing. She laid a pale slender hand upon Haelan's shoulder and looked deep into his eyes with her own silvery star-filled own. "Apologies, Hilltender, you are absolutely correct. Though I know not your divine, your connection to it...[I]Her[/I]...can nay be denied." Alaria felt herself awash in embarrassment at her own, all too often, dismissal of the kindly halfling cleric's formidable faith and heart. He'd healed her more times than she could count. Protected her. Defended her even when she, herself, would have fled. Her mind went to that unbeaten path in their first days together, before they'd even gotten to Shoal, and the Hilltender's invocation of [I]Sanctuary[/I] which protected her from a grizzly fate at the hands of goblin ambushers. She, too, felt a rush to apologize to Haelan. Before she could utter it, Imgulg came rushing up out of the stairs to the kitchen. The old dwarf huffed and puffed as he yelled across the chamber. "Milady! Milady! Come quickly. You must see! The druid. *huff* See what the druid has done *puff* in the garden." the white-bearded old dwarf panted. At this, all of the party was surprised and concerned to see the stars that glittered in Lady Evaranthriine's eyes and all about the hems of her regal gown flared brightly. Her alabaster face took on a dark shadow of fury and flowing black tresses from her head flared wildly. A rumble of thunder echoed through the chamber as she raced, again with no indication of running beneath her gown, but with shocking speed, across the chamber and disappeared down the staircase that led to the kitchen and outside to the garden. "Yep. He's dead." said Festus casually, popping a cherry into his mouth from one of the silver bowls that sat on the dining table. The satyr's eyes met Braddok's disapproving own as he pulled the stem and spat the seed into a smaller bowl. "What?!" Festus protested. Braddok pulled his sword from the sheathe and glared at the ranger before taking off for the stairs down. Erevan was already at the top of the stairs before Braddok reached them. Duor and Alaria and Haelan raced toward the table. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Let's go! Stormriders HO!" Festus said and drew his own weapon before cantering off after the Grinlian swordsman and others. [/QUOTE]
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