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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sniffles" data-source="post: 3856426" data-attributes="member: 30035">Getting to Know ThemXiao Lu has told me we’ll begin my lessons in Ancient Draconic tomorrow. Today I’m getting acquainted with the residents of the village. I feel it’s important to gather as many of their stories as I can. I fear not all of them will survive an attack by Lerner’s forces.Not all of them have what I would call Blessings – at least, not Blessings like my own or those my friends have. But I suppose they’re blessings of the Lady all the same. Some of them are as simple as being unusually strong or especially good at a particular craft or skill. Others are as impressive as Arty’s ability to seemingly conjure structures out of air. All of them felt drawn here by some unexplained sensation. It’s really quite awe-inspiring, that so many people from so many far-flung places would make their way to the remote jungles of Chult based on what must have seemed mere whim to their acquaintances. I met one elder lady, Mitzi, whose blessing is the ability to transform herself into an insubstantial mist. She flew across the ocean on her own in her gaseous form, fleeing from Lerner. Incredible.  And another resident of the village looks like a mixture of dragon and man, with a strong resemblance to the Lady’s silvery coloring.  There are even some people from distant Maztica here![sblock]Hedrin: “What you don’t know is that bums get message for free. They’re not really muttering to themselves – they’re talking to some other bum somewhere across town.”[/sblock]While I occupied myself with gathering the stories of the villagers, ably aided by Istanil making notes and drawing portraits for me, my friends were busy with other affairs. Hedrin must spend a full day and night bonding with Fangrim, using the enchanted ring he acquired. He hopes that having the wolf as his bonded companion will aid him in befriending the lupines he’ll be contacting at Xiao Lu’s request. Latan has left the village with some of the local hunters to find some of the area dinosaurs and make their acquaintance. And Roland has been interviewing the villagers, but for a different purpose than I have. He’s looking for those who have certain skills that will be useful in the coming struggle.  I can’t help feeling sorrow that these kind, open-minded people are threatened by one so heartless and cruel as Lerner. It’s wondrous to see how accepting everyone is of their differences. No one thinks twice that Armetis is a bugbear, or that the lad they call Beast Boy has the same type of Blessing as Hedrin. Although everyone knows of the Lady here, not all of them know her as a goddess. Armetis for one questioned her existence. He seemed dubious despite my assurances that I’ve met her myself. I wish they all could feel the honor of being in her service as I am.I managed to speak with 35 people today. There are ten times as many folk dwelling here. I worry that I’ll never have the opportunity to chronicle all their stories.I met with Roland again in the evening, though neither Latan nor Hedrin have yet returned. During dinner, after we’d shared the fruits of our day’s labor with one another, Roland proposed to Xiao Lu that perhaps it might be possible to create a scrying pool here such as the one in Dragonsreach that can be used to communicate with the council. [sblock]Jubilee: “I like talking to raptors. They make neat noises.”Devo: Makes a noise.Jubilee: “That was more like a dying goose.”[/sblock]Somewhat to my surprise, Xiao Lu wasn’t comfortable with this idea. She doesn’t entirely trust the council, particularly Father Merrick. Latan would probably agree with her. For myself, I don’t believe that Father Merrick means anyone any harm. He only believes that what people don’t know can’t hurt them. I’m not sure I agree with that. But all the same I trust him. But Xiao Lu’s ability to get to the heart of the matter through words means that she’s most uncomfortable with people who dissemble. She never speaks with anything but the utmost honesty herself, and she finds Father Merrick’s obfuscation very trying. From her words, I suspect he finds her honesty equally objectionable. [sblock]Zora: “Make a Diplomacy check.”Devo: “I rolled a 4.”Zora: “So what’s that make your Diplomacy?”Devo: “29.”[/sblock]Tomorrow I’ll be on my own here. Latan is still in the jungle. Hedrin will leave to seek the wolf-people. And Roland will be on his way to try to make friends with the local goblin tribes. I’m so eager to learn more of the draconic tongue, but my eagerness is tempered by the feeling that I’m doing so little to help prepare the village for war. Draconic is powerful, but how can it help in this troubled time? I must have faith that the Lady has a plan for my skills.</blockquote>

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