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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 7082307" data-attributes="member: 2012">Part 2 – New HeroesDawn in the city...High Sun Sanctuary, Bloodsun Hall:Quaen Horuk Rah, or Kane as he is commonly called by his family and friends, kneels in the isolated chapel set aside for the Disciples of the Bloodsun, his order, in the High Sun Sanctuary. The chapel is more austere than the rest of the temple of Jalivier, which denotes the martial nature of the Disciples within the religious structure of the Church of Jalivier. A single stern stone statue of Jalivier stands behind an alter made of the same plain hewed stone. Here, in this place, there are no pews or comfy divans. There is only a stout wooden plank to kneel on and the warmth of two torches on either side of the small chapel.Argo Flameheart had this chapel built to keep his Disciples, Jalivier's faithful warriors humble and tough, and they wouldn't have it any other way. As a newly graduated initiate into the Disciples, this is the first time he has been allowed to pray to Jalivier in the chapel. He knows that outside the chapel's single stout, iron-reinforced, wooden door, is his mentor, Minister Jefferie Knobel. The aasimar cleric and seer has been watching over him for years, making sure Kane stays devoted and humble. The Khemitian man has never faltered in his belief in Jalivier and his devotion to the Disciples of the Bloodsun. The Trúa, Lord Flameheart, has always been there for him too, but Argo recognized the bond between Kane and the man he often refers to as 'Redshirt' – some inside joke of theirs – early on in Kane's training.Argo left the young man's training to Minister Knobel and Kane flourished amongst the faithful of the Disciple's initiates. (Most of the others quit or were tossed out for bad behavior.) Now, he has the chance to become an adventuring priest for his church. Perhaps Krank Qallar will bring him into the inner circle of the Disciples? No, it's to early for that. More than likely, he will be given a task important to the city and to his faith. A sharp knock on the door and the voice of his mentor interrupts his prayers.“It is time, Quaen Horuk Rah.”Kane respects that his mentor chooses to use Kane's full name during official ceremonies. Yet, it isn't like his mentor to interrupt anyone during prayers, so Kane knows that Minister Knobel has something important to tell him. Will it lead to his future?----------------------------------------City Library, The Stacks:Dorin sits against a quiet wall in the stacks of Cauldron's library. Rebuilt after the eruption by order of the Lord Mayor, it is one of the most impressive buildings in the city. The duskblade has several books on the arcane and the history of the city piled up around him. A hooded lantern sits nearby, placed carefully on the floor, as not to be to close to any loose paper or books. Its light illuminates the pages Dorin is reading – an old journal of the Lord Mayor, “A Detailed Account of my Life in Sigil.”The pages in his hands were highly valuable to anyone who knew anything about the planes. In it Hezekiah Grofus writes about his time as a janitor at the planar city's Great University, built by the Church of Boccob. Dorin looks out a nearby window facing towards the Gate of the Archmagus. In between the library and the gate, behind the manor house of Argo Flameheart, is the House of Boccob – the temple of Boccob in Cauldron City. The temple is considered one of the most important arcane temples in the city, if not the entire dominion.It had always been suspected that Lord Mayor Grofus has a longstanding connection to the Church of Boccob, but no one had been able to give Dorin any real proof, no matter who he'd asked. Yet, here it was in his hands! Of course, the Lord Mayor had never denied it, but he'd never confirmed it either. The loose pages detail how Hezekiah secretly studied magic in the Great University right under the noses of Boccob's faithful. The next few passages are cryptic. Lord Mayor Grofus writes about being discovered by a mysterious being he calls the Eye of Boccob. The treatise ends with Hezekiah leaving his job and jumping through a mysterious portal to Kulan.Dorin looks up to see that dawn's light is muting the light from the lantern. The city's library will soon be open to the general public and voice reminds him of this fact.“Dorin, my boy, that's it for tonight,” Tondbeorth, the Night Caretaker, walks down the stacks towards him. “You need to go before Wisym gets here.The Head Librarian, Wisym Sparay, was not fond of Dorin, considering him just another rogue to be thrown out of the library. If old Tondbeorth hadn't taken a shine to the duskblade, Dorin would have never been allowed to step foot in the city's library, legally. It didn't matter who his family had once been in the city.----------------------------------------Elfwatch Ward, the Elvin House:Under the watchful gaze of the massive Solitude Tower sits Arininiia's Elvin House and the rest of Elfwatch Ward. Here, the poorest of Cauldron's elves live together – banded together after the destruction of the old Elven Borough, which was just east of the Old Sanctuary. Now, the elves of Cauldron look mainly to the clergy of House of Blades to protect their interests in the city. The priests of Tethrin, The Shining One, are highly respected amongst Cauldron's elven community even those not living in Elfwatch Ward.But it is Elvin House that the elven rogue and wizard Oleander calls home. A child of Cauldron, he was born and grew up in the old Elven Borough. He got out before it was destroyed during the volcanic eruption eight years ago. Others of his kin were not so lucky, and he remembers all their faces. While he lost many friends, he did help others escape the destruction. When the new elven district was created for Cauldron's elven population, he relocated to Elvin House to help as much as he could. Oleander could have moved on from the Elfwatch Ward years ago, but these are his people and he's one of them.He's had his room in Elvin House for years, and Arininiia has treated him well. He's had to help her protect the house from those wanting to take advantage of the poor elves living in massive four-floored lodge. It had been his pleasure to beat back the unscrupulous in the new district who wished to get out by any means necessary even if it cost other elves their lives. More often than not all he had to do was flash a glint from his blade or mumble a few arcane words and the cowards beat a hasty retreat.A guest looking around his room would be able to tell that Oleander is truly settled in Elvin House. Everything he owns is in the room. His past and his present, but will his future be here too? He knows that he's outgrowing the old lodge and that there are elves less fortunate than him that could use the space he's occupied for years. 'Perhaps', he thinks, 'it is time to consider finding another place to live in the city'. Arininiia will try to talk him out of it, of course. She has come to see Oleander as a surrogate child after losing her two sons during the eruption.But his future at Elvin House can be decided at a later time. For now, he's got the itch. The desire to explore more of Cauldron City and see if he can find some adventure in its streets. Oleander's gear is organized on his table ready to gathered for the day ahead.----------------------------------------Lake Park, west of the Old Orphanage:His old home. Bravec Trask sits cross-legged in Lake Park near the edge of the shore of Crater Lake with Squeaks sitting quietly nearby. Well, the park is really his home next to his old, forced lodging – the Old Orphanage, what was once called the Lantern Street Orphanage (but few call it that now). That was eight years ago, and he'd been near the end of his childhood. His headmistress had been the old halfling woman Gretchyn Tashykk. She'd been tough but fair. The rest of the staff had watched out for them – Jeromir the gardner, Neva the nurse, Temar the cook, Willow the schoolteacher, and Patch the janitor.Bravec shudders when thinking of Patch. The old half-orc had been in league with The Last Laugh and the Cagewrights, although the janitor hadn't known it at the time. The urban druid's mind quickly goes through the events of the kidnappings that plagued the orphanage (and the entire city that year). Four children – Deakon, Evelyn, Lucinda, and Terrem – had been taken by sinister creatures that Bravec later learned were called skulks and dark ones. The creatures had been in league with slavers that were taking people from all over the city.All but the boy Terrem were returned to the orphanage by a group of heroes who would eventually become known as the Order of the Silver Hand. The orphans were never told what happened to Terrem, but Bravec soon realized that the boy had likely come to a bad end at the hands of the Cagewrights. Bravec still saw the other three from time to time, although all three were scarred by the experience. Soon after the kidnappings, the city nearly went to hell, literally. It was the Order of the Silver hand that saved the city, although much of the city was ruined during a volcanic eruption.Once Hezekiah Grofus became Lord Mayor, he shut down the Lantern Street Orphanage and built a new orphanage on the other side of the city near the new House of Boccob. It was in the upscale Hostel of the Orphan King that Bravec spent his last days as a ward of Cauldron City. Compared to the Old Orphanage, it had been a great place to live. Most of the old staff retired after the volcanic eruption. Patch was forced to clean up manure in the city's streets for his part in the Cagewright Incident. Once his penance was done, he was exiled from the city. Poor Jaromir and Temar hadn't been so lucky. Both had died during the eruption. Bravec often visited their graves in the city's graveyard.The waters of Crater Lake glow with the dawn as Bravec looks out towards the scraggy islet known for the old Bone Tower. The sun's light glints off the tower's stark white surface.----------------------------------------Gateway Inn, just south of The Stone Gate:Broom in hand, Brother Pi sweeps up the kitchen of the Gateway Inn. Dawn is coming and he has only this room and the back entryway to do before he is finished for the day. The work is hard but rewarding, and the inn's keeper, Ined Aeredson, is a good man who treats him well. Pi knows that Ined might not be so understand if he knew of the dwarf's early life in the city of Fruen, in the Theocracy of Thallin. Yet, he's come a long way since then thanks to his old master and friend, Hassan of Fallow's Cross.Thinking of Hassan makes him think of the Jagged Peaks where Master Hassan trained him in the ways of the ninja – a martial form that is unknown in the Lands of Harqual. He smiles to himself as he sweeps, thinking of Hassan's allies, the Fallow's Cross Adventurers. An eccentric bunch of heroes that fight for the common people against the vicious soldiers of Thallin, the Fury of the Dragon. Pi had considered joining their numbers but Hassan had told him that he should go to find his own place in the world. 'You will always have a home here, but your destiny lies elsewhere. Find students to teach in the lands south of the Eastern Shores,' Hassan had told him.After that, it had been an easy choice to leave the Jagged Peaks and travel down the wild Wind River to the Duchy of Minar. He soon passed into the Thunder Lands where he learned of the darkness shrouding the lands around Lake Anoria and the bright light that is the Dominion of Cauldron. Here there are great heroes who have built a new realm on the shattered remains of an old decadent republic. While Pi has yet to find new students to teach Master Hassan's fighting techniques, he has gained friends through his job. Ined, his elven wife, Gilmithien, and their four children, Eariel (16), Vyncis (13), and the young twins Hilda and Celinor (7). And there are others amongst the dwarves of the city and few others that chose to befriend him.Pi sweeps the last of the dirt from the back entryway just as the dawn turns to morning. His work is done until the early evening. The rest of the day belongs to him. He wonders which part of the city he will explore today, as he looks towards Wall Park and Mountain Hall. There's always the Lakeside Pavilion. He hasn't been there yet in his explorations. He could also take a tour of the Old Orphanage. And on the other side of the city is City Library.Pi's senses quickly perk up as hard footfalls approach him from behind. He smiles. The boy is not stealthy at all. “Hi Pi,” Vyncis says abruptly. “All done, I see. You certainly do work hard, and fast.”Pi looks over his shoulder to see the thick-boned youth – so much like his father. His older sister Eariel takes after his mother. She could be his student, but he doesn't want to risk his new home, just yet.</blockquote>

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