Amberdale 0 : "An Introduction to Amberdale" by PDabble Games - Part 19
The next day passed uneventfully - a surprising but welcome change of pace for the adventurers, who have been kept busy for almost every waking moment since their arrival in town. Amberdale is filled to overflowing as the Harvest Festival draws nearer, and the group begins to see why this is such a busy time of year for the guards. A veritable shanty-town of tents grows up around the outskirts of the village, more than doubling the population, and vastly increasing the proportion of shysters, rogues and mercenaries of all stripes.
The High Priest of Pelor arrives the next morning, and promptly summons the group to discuss the terms for healing Gabrielle and Ulfgar, still confined to the Sanctuary due to their infected wounds from the wererat.
The group blanches when told the price of the healing: 500 gold per person.
"Surely there must be some alternative?" the Padre suggests, knowing full well that they do not have the coin to pay the fee, and doubtful that they could raise it in time, even if they were willing to sell the magical items they had found.
"Mayhap there is." the High Priest nods, "You have proven yourself doughty adventurers, and such skills as you possess can often be useful to my church. I will waive the fee to heal your companions, provided that in return for each healing, you agree to conduct one mission for the Church of Pelor."
There is a brief discussion, but the group knows that they need the healing, and that they have no other options. Taking solace from the fact that the Church is renowned as a force for good throughout the Duchy, the company agrees to the terms they have been offered. By sundown, Ulfgar and Gabrielle have been released from seclusion, and are ready once more to adventure.
While waiting for the return of their friends, the Padre focuses his magic on the enchanted shield and earrings that they captured from the robbers. After subjecting each item to careful scrutiny, he reports his findings,
"The shield offers enhanced protection, though the magic is only weak. The earrings have some kind of alteration magic on them. Again, the magic is fairly weak. I suspect that the shield is a typical example of a minor magical device, but I am not sure of the earrings function."
As the Padre is the only person to use a shield amongst those who were involved in defeating the robbers, it is resolved that he should receive the item, while the earrings are put aside until they can be more thoroughly identified. While testing the weight of his new shield on his arm, the Padre reveals that he has a proposal:
"As we have worked together very well in the last few days, I think we should form ourselves into an adventuring group." He explains, "Something by which we can be known - especially when the bards start telling tales of us. I thought that, since we all met by chance, we could call ourselves the Company of the Random Encounter."
"I like it." Mantreus grins. Ming Li merely nods silently, while Ulfgar growls an affirmative. None of the others voice an objection, and so the name is adopted. Only time will tell if it will be a name that is remembered, or just the sobriquet of another forgotten band.