NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="arwink" data-source="post: 518823" data-attributes="member: 2292">Saturday, August 19th, 518 AF Four of the churches servants sit in the hallway before the office of Y'Dey, Cannoness of Hommlet.  They eye each other carefully, trying to appraise what they can as they sit in silence.  All of them know what their task is to be, but it is the first time all four have been in the same room since they arrived at the temple.Geoffery is slightly confused by Yip's presence.  It's rare that the Yip-monks are chosen to act as individuals, and rarer still that one manages to survive without others of his order nearby.  Geoffery's heard rumors that several of the small monks were set free for their part in the Trollmist wars, but this Yip still seems to anxious and excited to be a combat veteran.  A part of him still wants to believe his Instructors were joking when they told him of the Brotherhood, the stories of teamwork fostered by stripping away their individuality and warfare against thieves in sewers below the city streets.  As he watches the small creature, sitting crosslegged and focused on the door, he is forced to admit the humor of the idea isn't as great as he once thought.Blarth and Halgo look particularly dour, eyeing each other off.  Racial distrust is high, and neither looks particularly pleased to be near one another."You got axe?" Blarth grunts, breaking the silence.  He glares at the robed dwarf, a racial tuant on the tip of his tongue. "Don't need one," Halgo retorts.  "I have magic.""Hrmph, puny dwarf."The sound of the door opening stops the arguement in its tracks.  Cannoness Y'dey stares out at the four of them, her grey eyes demanding silence."I think it's best if you come in," she says.Once the party is comfortably seated, she makes the relevant introductions.  Everyone nods as politely as they can manage, with Yip staring at the three tall-folk he's expected to accompany and serve with wide eyes."I think you all know why you're here," Y'Dey explains.  "It goes without saying that it wont be explained any further, but but I suggest you look around and get used to each others faces - you'll be relying on one another to stay alive.  Whatever personal differences, whatever hatreds your races may share, put them aside.  Your duty here is to the church, and it is more important than any petty concerns you bring with you.""All of you would have heard the rumors about Hommlet before you were sent here.  You were gathered here because it has become expected.  This town has a dark history, and the dangers it's people have faced have been great.  Adventureres still pass through from time to time, usually young groups like yourselves, fresh from their apprenticeships.  The history of the place draws them, despite two decades of peace and prosperity."The town sent some vetrans from the Trollmists out to look at the old Moathouse where the Elemental Cults were once based.  It was a precaution.  There are always rumors of evil cults poking around out there, or the dead walking once more.  Usually they turn out to be false, but history has taught those of us here not to be complacent.""This time around, the group we sent out encountered a dragon.  This wouldn't necessarily be worrying, but among some of the dragons victims they found this."Y'Dey opens the draw of her desk and pulls out an ornate holy symbol."The symbol belongs to a being called the Elder Elemental Eye.  No-one knows what exactly it is or where it came from, but it's the same being the Elemental Cults worshipped as a god in Hommlet's past.  Given the relative newness of the holy symbol, and the quality of work that's gone into its making, it's safe to say that this doesn't bode well.  I performed an augery not long after this was delivered to me, and St Cuthbert has confirmed that suspicioun.""If the temple does rise again, Hommlet isn't prepared to face it's evil again.  The people have grown softer, more comfortable in the safety of recent years.  If possible I wish to avoid allarming them until further evidence has been gathered, but it is clear something must be done.  I've confered with the church elders in Khest, and it's been decided that a Warding Bell will be created to help protect the town.  A number of powerful priests are on their way here to help in its creation, the last will arrive inside of a month.""What we still need is a bell of sufficient quality to hold the enchantment.  The Yedraphon Monestary had commisioned a new bell from the forges of Bellhold months ago.  It's supposed to be finished in a few days, and their craftsmen are said to have forged the bells for the Great Chapel of Heironous in Seldar city.  The Canon of Yedraphon has agreed to allow us to collect this bell for the ritual and commision another for his temple.""We're sending you to collect the bell.  We tried this once before, in the old days when the Element cult was first active, but every time they destroyed or stole the bell before it reached the temple.  With luck, these new branches won't know the bells significance, but it's thought that a less...obvious...group is the best choice to bring the bell here, just in case."Geoffery takes a moment to look around the room, wondering if a fiercely devote, brainwashed kobold, a half-orc and a dwarven mage are any less obvious.  He hides a smirk, and it occurs to him that if nothing else, they at least look the part of a rag-tag adventuring group."There will be a wagon waiting for you in the couryard tomorrow," Y'dey anounces.  She pulls a small pouch from her draw and tosses it to Geoffery.  "There's twenty-gold peices in there to pay for room and board at Bellhold, along with a map of the route.  I expect you to be gone at dawn."There is a momentary silence as all four look at the Cannoness, quickly followed by the realisation that the audiance is over.  Hurridly making their goodbyes, the four companions hustle back into the door.  The door is shut firmly behind them."So..." Geoffery says.  Everyone else waits expectantly for him to say something.  "ah...who wants to be woken up?"The kobold sniffs and stalks off.  Geoffery remembers their order is trained to be up before dawn, sleeping only a few hours a night whenever posisble.  The half-orc shrugs and follows Yip."She was kidding about the dawn thing, right?" Halgo asks."I'll get you up," Geoffery says.  "I think she meant it."</blockquote>

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