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="Akunin" data-source="post: 157103" data-attributes="member: 15">Darn boards going down as I was trying to post the update...Here it is, though!Dashelinil "Dash" Eventide The woman continues with her work, laughing and tilting her head toward the front of the church.  "If you go through the front of the temple, you'll see a small door just inside.  There's a stairgase leading downward.  The common area is there.  Ask any one of the priests inside."Dash finds the staircase easily, and finds that it opens into a large common area.  Several priests of Lathander hurry about, tending to priestly duties, carrying food and drinks, and chatting amongst themselves.  The room is filled with excited energy, and the elf finds his eyes drawn to about a dozen non-priests - fellow travelers, no doubt.  Some have the look of seasoned adventurers, while a few others appear to be here recovering from injuries.A priest notices his presence and breaks off from his chores to approach him.  "Good day, child of Corellon!  Have you come to aid us in protecting our visitors?  Please - sit down and have a rest!  We'll have some food brought.The man gestures toward a table, where a few of the non-clergy sit.MarinaIt is very easy to find your way back to the common area, and when you arrive, you find that the level of activity there has increased greatly.  There are several more non-priests here - about five others have arrived since you did.  Some stand talking to members of the priesthood, while others sit at long tables enjoying a meal.  One of the priests who spoke to you before turns in his chair and gestures for you to join him.  There is a plate and an empty chair next to him.  On the table are all manners of breads and cheeses, fruits, and small cooked birds.  The chatter filling the room is energetic as the room begins to fill - it seems that many of the priests are coming into the common area from outside. "Best grab a chair quickly, Sister.  With so many guests, some of us may have to eat standing up!"Sodarin UnderwoodYour mind reaches a point of near-clarity - all thought turned inward, external senses fading away to dullness and silence.  After a few minutes, a single thought remains - Cecilia stands before you, looking a little older than when you last saw her.  It takes an elf many human lifetimes to show the signs of age, but the few years since you were last together have weighed heavily upon her.  She is as beautiful as ever, though, and her smile nearly breaks your concentration.Struggling to regain focus, the meditation-induced state begins to slip, and the image tumbles away into dreams.  The world around you snaps back into focus as your senses return.  The smell of the road and of sweat, the vibrations of footsteps on stone, the excited talk of priests - all these sensations flood your mind and you find yourself in the basement of the church, surrounded by many other men and women."Oh, no - don't worry!  He's alright - he was just in prayer!" one of them informs another.  "Best hurry and get a chair, traveler - there's one over there."  He points to a table at which a few other non-priests are sitting and conversing with members of the priesthood.Killian Maxwell As you are enjoying the fine meal provided by the priesthood, your table is soon filled with priests and what appear to be fellow travelers.  A pair of elves sit across the table and a few feet to either side of you.  They seem as different as night and day, one well-muscled and appearing wild and unkempt, but with a certain calm air about him.  He seems a little distracted by his surroundings, and his clothing suggests that he may be a beggar brought in from the streets. The other is more slender, hair and skin as pale as milk, but with eyes a color you have never seen, even among elves.  He never stops smiling, even while eating and talking.  Using your training and experience, you scan the rest of the non-priests that you can see, looking for tell-tale signs that may give you a little insight into them.  A pair of seemingly-experienced warriors laugh and pound their fists on a nearby table - probably here for the guarding of the caravan, as well.  You spot a priest of Helm and a Dwarven adventurer with Moradin's hammer etched on his well-scored breastplate.  A few others seem to be adventurers in recovery from wounds - a magician of some sort, and her friend looks to be an outdoorsman...You almost miss it, but you notice that one of the priests of Lathander sitting two chairs down from you wears armor and has a finely-crafted mace on her belt.  Unusual, since you haven't seen any of the others carrying weapons or wearing armor.  Perhaps she is part of the temple guard?NOTEThe four of you have found yourselves seated at the same table (the gods work in strange ways... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> )  I'm including a picture to illustrate.<img src="http://users.cwnet.com/akunin/boards/table.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Savris "Shade" Ko’thariRummaging through the pack turns up little in the way of valuables.  A knife, more for utility than fighting, rests in a worn sheath.  He has a few sets of clothes, and some trail rations stowed away.  Turning the pouch over, you examine the other pockets.  One contains several small leather cases, each containing a deck of cards, each deck sporting a different design.  Most are worn from use, and you are about to disregard them entirely, when you notice something odd about one set.It's newer than most of the others, and your sharp eyes pick up on a detail the owner must expect others to miss - these cards have subtle markings worked into their backs identifying their values!Setting these aside, you examine the remainder of his posessions.  A few sheets of parchment contain columns of figures and notes scribbled in the margins.  They appear to be some sort of ledger, but for what, you can't be sure.  You do note that several of the dates are either in the near-future, or have passed.  The latter have been circled, and a few crossed out.A quick look around the room reveals little else of value - perhaps he's got something concealed on his person.You hear a creak on the floor and there is a loud banging at the door!  "Alright, Eliphas, the priests are here for you - I told you that I was tired of your freeloading.  If you can't pay, you're going to have to work off your debt."The merchant bolts upright in his bed, looks to the window, then as he is about to scramble to grab his posessions, he's looking you, jaw hanging open in surprise.</blockquote>

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