The Heroes of Dyvers Chapter Six

[MacConnell]

During the down time, since there is plenty of it, Lathir will fly back to Dyvers so that he may release Angus, having no need of the bear and not wishing to further obligate the animal from his ordinary life. While he is in the vicinity, he will also check on the area of the Well that was the party's original destination.

 

[Aust Thale]

Respen: At Dame Clare's Beck & Call

Dame Clare reaches out

Respen bolted upright in bed. Clare’s mental communication wasn’t subtle as normal. Something was wrong. Her mental voice was normally soothing, thick with what Nel described as “Drow of high station” accent just as her regular voice was.
This was louder with a sense of urgency and concern. No mention of the twins, nor Nel. There was more storytelling to it, but it was strained, as if taking the time to tell the story was labored. She was selling him on taking this mission, despite their both understanding his oath.
He leaned in and kissed Nel on the neck, checked on their infant children, and moved quietly and quickly into the antechamber, answering mentally with a single mental response which he allowed Nel to hear as well.

~Clare, I will. ~

He hoped Dame Clare understood that he understood, and he hoped Nel would understand as well. He proceeded to dress and collect himself, preparing his gear and himself, his daily spells and magic enchantments. It was early outside, and clouds currently obscured the sky.
It was dreary and warm, despite Abigail’s magical climate control within.

Two parts of the story disturbed him: that she was sending him after Serindak, and the clerics presence and their activities.
He had no real interest in undertaking anything where Serindak was concerned. The spider form to which she referred was anathema to Respen as well.
If he was met with antipathy from Khubsheth for any reason, Respen was perfectly fine with it.

~ Clare, can you hinder, or better, cripple the clerics’ efforts? One of our company acquired the giants’ heads, and we have them. Surely that presents a challenge to Lolth’s people? Why on Oerth would Lolth care enough to resurrect this sorry lot? ~

Respen headed down the steps to the outbuilding first. Vale kept early hours, and he hoped their magical work together in the last months had made them friends. He found Vale firmly into his work, his prayers finished hours before and his hands full with hot metal and magicks.
He listened intently to Respen’s relaying of information; Respen gave him the high points on Clare’s request, and the whole part of her promise.

Vale replied, “ Laddie, I’m amused by the mischief you get yourself, but I’m not eager to assist with your witch-queen’s errands. That said, I’ll go with you, if for no other reason than to prevent you having more unwise notions. I can be ready tomorrow.”

Respen thought to himself, ~That’s one.~

He called the fellowship together at early afternoon mealtime, where it happened that all were present. Respen laid out his plan, “I have been summoned to retrieve an artifact, by purpose or by accident. And I could use your help. I've heard that the orcs outside the Steading have moved on, at least for now, to the Stark Mounds. However, evil grows within the Steading again. The giants were puppets, and their puppeteer is attempting to bring them back from the dead. You'll recall that Sylvar was saved from a curse from the Solar. They are preparing evil rituals to give Vulka and her ilk form again. I've been offered assistance from my mistress. She will aid us in round two. However, she needs an artifact first. I must go; my oath constitutes a powerful and binding magical contract. I request your assistance."

Respen addresses Abigail as well, "Your Grace, I want to thank you for your tutelage and these months of respite, training, and kindness, to myself and Nel and my infant twins. I owe you the Key of Krigala, and it was my cause as an upspoken oath to you to retrieve it. I owe a similar oath to a mentor, Laramon, in Dyvers. I must do this other first. I'm sorry. The Helm of Selreen has higher priority, and I must find the Prophet Khubsheth in the Kingdom of Ull. I will do my work quickly, and Corellon-willing, I shall return to visit pain on the Steading and chase them from the region for good. If any of you wish to remain to attack the Steading and pursue the Key sooner rather than later, I shall respect your decision. We shall part as friends, and I will join you when I can."

At this point, Vale makes it clear that he will go with Respen. He places the bags with the giants' magically resposed (preserved) heads into the floor. And he places parchment with the questions and answers from the giants written on them on a table for Abigail, "This is everything I could glean from those tossers. Their heads are in those bags, and I've kept them nice and squishy for the last ten months. I don't think anybody will get them back among the living without their heads, and if they find a way, it will take a considerable amount of time, resources, and divine magic to do it. They'll keep. We have a little time. "

Respen says to the group, "I'll leave you to your choices, but I must leave tomorrow. Now, I must see about Nel. She and I must have a discussion about what to do with the children. Abigail, Ebony, I don't know how you feel about this, but Nel certainly values your counsel. Would you be so kind as to make yourselves available to her after we discuss what happens next?"

He proceeds back to Nel, hoping she will take his decision in stride. 'Decision'. If that's what it really is. Upon seeing her, he is struck by how strikingly beautiful she is. Her figure returned immediately, typical of most elves, but she looked 30 years younger, and radiant. Motherhood became her. It was common among the Drow, and for that matter, surface elves, to leave their young in the care of nannies or other family whilst they continue to adventure, explore, or in the Enllaves, performed hunting or trade missions. He looked at her, genuine admiration and affection in his eyes, and asked her a question, "Nel, I have to go. Clare calls. What do you want to do?" He knew the answer; she knew it too. He asked it because that's what loving parents do with each other when they are parents and obligation makes them have to choose between duty and their children. One of them had to remain with the children, and it couldn't him, or neither of them would remain with the children, and someone else could potentially raise them. "If you choose to go, we need to leave the little ones. And we need to leave them here, if Abigail is willing. They can not be detected here. I have not choice. I have been summoned."

The weight of the decision and what the others decided was as stuffy and heavy and suffocating as the summer warmth outside.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

More DM Housekeeping Notes

"...Would you be willing to act in my service, and thus, ultimately in the service of Bahamut, in return for my aid, sponsorship, and mentorship?"

GM: The party members have never actually given concrete answers to this question. The aid that Abigail has provided thus far are out of gratitude for the blow struck against The Steading, and as a token of her good will.

"...I have also been able to determine that there are 3 Drow Clerics in the steading, who seem to be giving Glimval his orders. But even these 3 sisters are not in charge; they have been sending magical messages to a Drow Priestess by tbe name of Eclavdra."

GM: Just a friendly reminder. Nel informs the party that Eclavdra's power, will, and political influence rival those of her sister, Clare. She is the most powerful of Lolth's servants.

"...Mirios, the sister sword of Oros, is still here, in my possession. Would you like to see it?"

"...Lady Abigail, I was wondering if I might be able to purchase the other blade from you. I think it might serve us well."

Lady Abigail smiles, and replies, "Mirios is priceless. It is not only one of the first swords I ever made, it is also one of the most powerful. However, if you kneel now, and swear your loyalty to me and to the cause of Bahamut, I will give Mirios to you, and teach you to use it as well. It is weighted differently from the Falchion you carry. It will take a bit of training and practice to get used to wielding it. And of course, I would ask a small monetary donation to the Church of Bahamut, as a token of your seriousness."

GM: You don't have any Weapon Focus or Weapon Spec feats to retrain, so getting used to wielding Mirios will only take two weeks worth of practice, and the token gold piece cost should be at least 1,000 gp., but as much as you think is fair. (The actual gp. amount is up to you.) The more gold you give her, the more impressed she will probably be. You will need to write a DETAILED ROLEPLAYING POST which covers the act of kneeling, the exact words of your oath, exactly what you do, the amount of gold that you offer her, etc.

He knocked on the door, hoping Laramon was home, as he hadn't heard a reply from him.

Laramon smiles as he answers the door, "Ah yes, Respen, please come in. I've been expecting you."

GM: I am going to say that the conversation with Laramon and Delbin had already long-ago occurred (first 90 days or so of downtime) by the time Respen receives the message from Clare. Respen, since your conversation with Laramon & Delbin was a private one, and occurred LONG BEFORE the mental message, I want you to write me a GMail message, and describe exactly what you asked of / told both of them. I will then respond in kind, and give you their responses.

During the down time, since there is plenty of it, Lathir will fly back to Dyvers so that he may release Angus...

When Lathir is preparing to leave, Ellis happens to be there. Lathir informs him of his intentions, and Ellis informs him that traveling that way will be slow, and time consuming. Ellis realizes that Lathir wants to commune with nature and the environment, rather than traveling by magical means, and therefore, he offers the aid of his friend, Zallmar, an Elder Roc, whose flight speed greatly exceeds anything that Lathir could achieve on his own.

GM: Lathir, if you travel under your own power, as an Eagle, your flight speed will be 80 ft. If you ride Zallmar, your flight speed will be 320 ft. (Normal Rocs have an 80 ft. speed just like the Eagle, but Zallmar is an elder, and uses magic to enhance his speed.) The distance to be covered is 960 miles (32 hexes). A flight speed of 80 ft. is equal to 48,000 feet (9 miles) per hour; whereas a flight speed of 320 ft. is equal to 192,000 feet (36 miles) per hour. Flying 8 hours per day would cover 72 miles (2.4 hexes) at a speed of 80, whereas a speed of 320 would cover 288 miles (9.6 hexes). Thus, the trip is 13 days one-way at a speed of 80, while it is only 3 days one-way at a speed of 320. The choice, of course, is still yours as to which method you want to employ.

GM: Lathir gains +500 xp. for releasing Angus from service.

GM: I am still waiting on Duncan to finish his roleplaying post that he put up the placeholder for. I'd also like to hear some more roleplaying exposition from Dewydd. I apologize for how slow my responses have been, but I am in the middle of a lot of RL stuff at the moment. It's not serious / crisis stuff, just a bunch of stuff that requires the bulk of my attention to accomplish in a timely manner. Cheers!

 

[redraider629]

Thallok
Thallok stands there for a moment looking at Abigail. He thinks about her graciousness to the guild. He looks at his Falcion and then back at Mirios, seemingly weighing his options, however his mind has been made. Thallok approaches Abigail drops to his knees, and says "My lady, I swear my loyalty to you and to the cause of Bahamut. Whatever you need, consider myself in your service. I will appreciate your teaching me to use this priceless weapon. And I swear when I have mastered it, I will use it to it's honor as well as yours. Your mentorship, aid, and sponsorship will be much appreciated. I must let you know though, I have also sworn an oath to serve this party for a year. I must keep this oath as well. I hope you understand." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out 2000 gp. He then hands them to Abigail "This is my donation to the church of Bahamut. I hope it serves the church well."

Kleborn
Kleborn sees Thallok bending the knee and decides to take the good lady up on her offer. He walks up next to Thallok, and like Thallok, drops to his knees. He says to Lady Abigail, "I am also in your service my good lady. In exchange for your aid and mentorship, anything you need I will do. My sword and shield are yours."

Back with Respen

Kleborn
"You need to go and find an artifact you say? And if your Dame receives it she will give us her assistance?" He thinks about this for a bit, then offers "Nel has been helpful to us, I see no reason to not trust Claire...going off to search for an artifact. That sounds fun, count me in."

Thallok
"Count me in too. I think you could use all the help you can get."

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Nel scoffs, "I won't be going with you guys, in any case; I have to stay with my widdle babies. But if there's one thing you can count on, it's this: if my sister says that she will help you against the Giants, then she will. It wouldn't surprise me to see her send a golem or two into the Steading. So give her what she wants. When she's happy, you'll be happy, too. Trust me on that. You don't want to piss her off. It's much easier just to give her what she wants."

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Lady Abigail Grants Thallok A Boon!

"This is my [2000 gp.] donation to the church of Bahamut. I hope it serves the church well."

Lady Abigail smiles, "That's quite a bit of gold for an individual to part with, just as a token of loyalty. You must prize your word of honor quite highly; that's a good thing, where I come from. People like you are exactly the kind of agents that I like to recruit. The longer you serve me, the more glad you shall be with your decision. You shall help me stop the spread of darkness in this region, and in return, I shall make you admired, respected, and well-connected. And that is much better than mere wealth or power; I will make you into a leader. Perhaps, in time, maybe even a king. The Orcs are in need of good leadership, especially the red-skinned variety. Times are changing, and I shall make you a living instrument of that change."

Without further ado, Lady Abigail walks over to the chest, and retrieves Mirios from it. It is more beautiful than you could have imagined; it is a silvery greatsword, which seems to catch the ambient light and reflect it brightly, no matter what angle it is held at. It looks to be made of Mithral, and when Thallok receives it, he realizes instantly why he shall require practice time with it; it's light as a feather! So light, in fact, that he almost drops it, due to his surprise!

"...I am also in your service my good lady. In exchange for your aid and mentorship, anything you need I will do. My sword and shield are yours."

Lady Abigail replies, "Very well, if they are mine, then hand them over to me, this instant. Let me see what it is that you are pledging to me."

KLEBORN: What do you do?

 

[redraider629]

Thallok
Thallok thinks about how great it would be to be a leader of the orcs, the thought of being King sent a shiver down his spine. He thinks about how he could bring the orcs to greatness.

Kleborn
Kleborn thinks to himself, ~perhaps I should choose my words better~ he smiles and lays his sword and shield at Abigail's feet. "As I said, they are yours."

 

[Waynan]

Seeing the events transpiring before him, one Tamartamlin Quickfoot, makes the choices he had put off until just this kind of moment.

Before Lady Abigail, he says, as he kneels, not out of fealty, but of respect and friendship:

"Most dear, fair lady and goodly mistress of all dragonkind, I thank you for your wonderful gifts and the time you have shared with me to master my original "craft", as it were. Also, I will honor our oath to only use my craft against the most villainous, despicable and nefarious; but, I cannot give fealty to Bahamut, great and glorious as he is, for I must needs use equally villainous, despicable and nefarious methods to undo these evil ones and relieve them of their prized possessions.That being being said," Here, Tam-Tam pulls out a prized gemstone from one of his pouches, "please accept this gift to you, given in Bahamut's name that he may look kindly on me in a time of desperate need. I have assessed it at around 500 gp in actual value; but, if you look closely, you will see that this diamond is perfect, without flaw or occlusion, and thus may have an intrinsic value to you in imbuing it with your marvelous magicks." With that, Tam rises, all a-blush, adding, "I am in your thrall Lady Abigail and shall always do as you wish, willingly; however, I am free-spirited enough to insist on doing it my way. I pray you understand."

After waiting on Lady Abigail's response, if any, Tamartamlin Quickfoot, Slayer of Giant princes, Wolf Rider, Troll killer, Ogre's Bane, and sworn by oath to this party that so willingly adopted him, leaves the demesne of the Silver Dragon whom he considers a goddess equal, possibly greater than, his beloved Yondalla, who is an actual goddess, lesser god though she may be. And then there was Olidammara who has always kept him in good stead at his originally chosen adventuring profession.

But now he was an Outrider who did well enough to attain corporal status amongst the recruits. It was time to go to the stables and buy his "steed". He knew which one he wanted and damn the price. She was a half-wolf, a half dire wolf, named 'Dammara', or Traveler. The name was so close to Olidammara, god of rogues and travelers, that he felt an instant affinity with her. Everytime he rode her during drills and exercises, he excelled versus any of the time he rode the mastiffs, war dogs or other half-wolves.

Tam pays for Dammara and all the necessary accoutrements to ride her. He then goes before his drill instructor, a female halfling, comely, but in a ruggedly athletic and war-weary way. He explains that he will be leaving to go with his mates, whichever group that may be, and that he wished for voluntary decommissioning, with the hopes of coming back to learn more from her and serve on the local outrider scouting and guard forces of Hochoch for a time. No promise or oath, just as a personal desire to fulfill.

Next, Tam goes to Vale while in the heat of his forgings and asks, officially and hopefully, for the Horn of Calling. He explains that as an Outrider, now he can "call in the cavalry" as it were to help against all manner of beasties (monsters), baddies (villains/enemies) and bug-a-boos (undead). Tam, will not beg for it, but he will be extremely persistent in continually requesting it until Vale "graciously" offers/hands it to him.

Then, Tam goes to Respen and Nel's chambers. He coos and cuddles the twins for a bit before he comes to the point of his visit as he hand the twins back to Nel who takes them yo their respective cribs:

"Respen, I owe you much for being the first to bring me into this great party of adventuring heroes, for that is what you all truly are; and, I have come to banish my qualms about the Drow through the wondrous helps and works of your lovely wife and help-meet, Nelveranda; upon speaking her name, Tam-Tam bows with a flourish of the Hat Sylvar gave him toward Nel who was just returning from laying the children down for a nap. As he composes himself, placing the hat jauntily on his head, he finishes, "but, by a sworn agreement, and one done in the heat of battle where, as you know, all oaths or contracts between one to another are sacrosanct, I myself can only join you if Friend Sylvar chooses to go along on your quest. As you know, A halfling oath is equal to a business agreement or contract. It is why I call our esteemed Bard, Friend Sylvar. In the world of halfling business, calling a fellow who agrees to do business with you, is entitled "Friend" to differentiate him, or her, from any business opponent. I hope you understand."

After hearing Respen and Nel's response, Tam adds as he leaves their chambers:

"Now I must go to Friend Sylvar and council with him on his...our, intentions --- either to go with you and, maybe Nel, or back to the Steading with the others."

Lastly, Tam goes to Sylvar and says, bluntly, but with earnest eagerness: "We need to talk." Tam talks with Sylvar late into the night to determine 'their' plan of action.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Lady Abigail smiles at Kleborn, as she reaches down and picks up his sword and shield, "These are exquisite, but they are beneath your level of talent. I shall keep them, but I will give you something better in return. Take these instead..."

Lady Abigail retrieves a Mithral Longsword and a Large Mithral Shield from her chest, both of which bear the mark of Bahamut. Bahamut's mark is on the pommel of the sword, and is displayed prominently in the middle area of the shield's front. She hands them both to Kleborn.

Lady Abigail continues:"Do not fret about the marks that these items bear; many deities, even the jealous ones, admire and revere the mighty Bahamut. Carry these items with pride, but know this: those who serve the darkness will loathe you instantly, and without question."

GM: I will send you the stats for the sword and shield in LINE chat.

 

[MacConnell]

The party members have never actually given concrete answers to this question. The aid that Abigail has provided thus far are out of gratitude for the blow struck against The Steading, and as a token of her good will.

Lathir nods graciously to his hostess.
"Respectfully, I must decline your request to swear allegiance. I have given my word to my patron, and though her interests are aligned with Bahamut's, a man cannot serve two masters. I will aide you to the utmost of my capacity, nonetheless.

When Lathir is preparing to leave, Ellis happens to be there. Lathir informs him of his intentions, and Ellis informs him that traveling that way will be slow, and time consuming. Ellis realizes that Lathir wants to commune with nature and the environment, rather than traveling by magical means, and therefore, he offers the aid of his friend, Zallmar, an Elder Roc, whose flight speed greatly exceeds anything that Lathir could achieve on his own.

OOC: NOTE to DM: As you are familiar, I instinctively add my real world knowledge of biology to gaming situations not knowing if the mechanics will allow or align. When I took vertebrate natural history (ornithology in disguise) in my undergraduate degree, I learned that the fastest birds in level flight are doves, most particularly the white-winged dove, which can maintain a linear flight speed of 45 mph for several hours. This was not my first choice, though, as the second fastest birds in level flight are ducks, particularly wood ducks, which can maintain a linear flight speed of 37 mph for a great many hours. This would have been Lathir's choice shift. As always, I appreciate the DM's knowledge of the gaming mechanics to rectify inconsistencies between my knowledge and actual application.

Not being fully aware of the actual distance involved, Lathir greatfully accepts the offer of the Roc.