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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 4149509" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #432] Clearing the Air[/PLAIN]Ahlear was the first to speak when the Doctor had concluded the tale of Sir Alechtus. "Does it have to be the same person who gets 'returned' into the body in order to live?" he asked the Doctor before looking around at the others to explain. "As he says, Alechtus did not treat friends and allies the way he used to do... I wonder, might there be someone else in the body of the former Alechtus?""If there is such magic, I am not privy to it," Doctor Akerman admitted. "Perhaps druidic magic, but as I said, there was no love between Alechtus and the Druids of Shrouded Lake. I can see no benefit for them to return life to a man who had slain the higher-ranking members of their order." Ahlear snorted at that."Who decides what is a rightly use of revivification magic and not?" he asked. "Who deems he has the right to do such, when no mortal can rightly judge another so simply?"Morier suddenly found he could take no more and he whirled on the druid, his face livid with frustration and anger."Ahlear, enough!" he roared. "I have listened to your opinionated crap for too long today without speaking, and I cannot and will not hold my tongue any longer!" Ahlear blinked at that and looked neutrally into the albino's eyes."I am surprised that you let a stranger make accusations on my words and when I neutrally defend myself and my brother druids, you bark at that?" he scoffed, genuinely confused by Morier's outburst."Listen to me now, friend, and listen well. Some day very, very soon, you will be in a position where you will need to call on one or two, perhaps all of the people who stand before you, to save your life. It has been true of every one of us on many occasions," Morier went on, indicating the other members of the Order with a sweep of one arm. "The problem is, right now I cannot think of the slightest reason whatsoever to put myself in harm's way to save a hair on your mouthy, obnoxious, opinionated ass. In the very short time that you have been here, you have managed to alienate every single soul you will need to ensure your survival in the coming days. In truth, I think many of us have very quickly come to the conclusion that we would welcome the opportunity to see you devoured, in whole or in pieces, by something, simply to shut you up.""Probably yes, but the way your group has been handling the interaction has not been what I would call exemplary. You insult each other and more without any cause and it wonders me why my simple statements of fact make you so annoyed," Ahlear observed, cocking his head, quizzically. "I am surprised, and I think you should all change your attitudes, not just to me, but also within your group and to outsiders. To me it seems the stress of being in this group has not done you any good. I knew a less easily agitated Morier when you were still living in the village." Morier's teeth clenched and sucked in a breath to master his emotions."You arrived here a mere minutes ago upon the premise of joining this party and already you presume to know far too much about us and about how we need to conduct ourselves," the eldritch warrior told him, his carefully controlled voice raising once more to a shout as he continued. "You know nothing! You have not experienced our loss! You have not seen the things we see every day! Until you have walked with us long enough to gain your bearings on what we are doing and how we do it, stand back, shut your mouth, and try not to piss everyone around you off!" Ahlear raised his hands in a gesture of concession and took a step backward."As you wish," he said. "I will stand back and watch your group insult itself and strangers. I will not lift a hand then, either to help out when you would need support in communications or knowledge... until you ask for it and you apologize for this needless outburst.""Apologize?! I am ashamed to admit to these people that I know you Ahlear, and Malcolm should be ashamed to have sent you here with so little social grace," Morier pressed. "You can take my advice or not, but I assure you now that I haven't any intention of lifting a sword to protect you in any way unless you take a far different approach to the way you treat every one of these individuals you will rely on to keep you alive. And you're sure as hells not getting an apology!""I have treated the others no different then your group has treated itself," Ahlear said. "I am sad to see you take offense so easily at what I see merely as neutral observations, not designed at all to insult or denigrate any person." The druid then bowed with a blank face, and slowly walked away from the party commanding Nibble to join him. He dropped his saddle onto the frozen ground and sat down on it, gazing off into the gathering gloom of night."Gees, I thought you only felt that way about me," Huzair said to Morier, holding back laughter as the albino glowered at him. "Doctor, I apologize for this... As I said we have just met this man this morning," Ayremac intervened, smiling brightly. "I would really like to work with you and bring down this Alechtus. But I have only a day to do it. Would you be ready to move forward with us right now and try to take him down?" Doctor Akerman's eyebrows raised in surprise and he looked off to the west where Orin's Shield was settling into Da'har Su'revar's grip where it would remain until morning."The hour is late," he said and then cast his eyes on Ahlear who was chewing on a strip of spiced meat. "And you seem to have problems of your own to deal with.""Come on, Doc," Huzair smiled, spreading his arms in a gracious gesture. "How can we work together to get this guy?""I care little for Alechtus, the man," Akerman corrected. "Whatever madness drives him is no concern of mine. I am sorry for your loss at his hands, but that sorrow is not enough to compel me into mindless confrontation with a known murderer. However, he has absorbed a Divinity Spark and it is only extractable upon his death, so I must seek him.""So it is the Spark that you are looking to retrieve from Alechtus?" Shamalin asked. and Doctor Akerman nodded."Indeed," he confirmed. "I am not a bloodthirsty man by nature, but I will do what must be done to secure the Spark. If I am not there directly at the time of his death, the Spark will be bound to his spirit and go on to the afterlife with him, lost to me forever. I can't allow that!""What do you plan to do with it once you 'harvest' it?" the Mercybringer asked and Akerman's face lit up."Why study it, of course," he said. "Divinity Sparks represent power unlike anything that we mortals can muster. The secrets of life and death are held within them. They can be used to create magical objects, power certain spells, and increase a person's abilities to superhuman levels.""Like Alechtus' strength," Morier observed and Akerman nodded."Exactly like that," he said. "It is the Divinity Spark that grants him it.""Dr. Akerman, you seem to have knowledge of things that could be extremely beneficial, but I fear to share with you all that we have learned," Ayremac said and the Doctor pursed his lips disapprovingly."So you are of the same mind as your new friend over there?" he asked, gesturing at Ahlear. "I am an incompetent liar?""Do you have a suggestion on how we might be able to trust you, and in turn, you trust us... enough for us to pool our information?" Ayreamc asked and this time the Doctor barked laughter."What, holy warrior? All that I have shared thus far is not enough?" he chuckled, and waved Ayremac out of his path. "Let me move this thing to the side of the road and we'll talk more over some supper."Akerman maneuvered the wagon to the shoulder and hopped down from the driver's seat with his staff in hand. He produced a bronze amulet from beneath his cloak and spoke a word of magic that caused his horse to first glow and then shimmer into golden light that promptly leapt into the amulet. Nodding to himself, the Doctor patted his jerkin pocket, producing a gold key on a long chain with which he headed toward the back of the wagon. He eschewed the obvious side doors in favor of a barely-visible panel in the rear. Into this he placed the key, turned it and opened the unassuming door. Golden light spilled out of the doorway, bathing Doctor Akerman with its radiance."Well, come on," he said, gesturing for the others to join him as he stepped into the open door. "I'm not going to eat my dinner sitting on a cold rock!" And then he was gone.Ayremac went around to the rear of the wagon and gasped. The doorway looked in on the tiled courtyard of a palatial estate. Three fountains of varying sizes were arrayed in the center of the space with two story walls on all sides. Various doors and windows faced the courtyard, but there was no other living things visible apart from Doctor Akerman who was stooped over drinking water from the nearest fountain. There was no sky above, but the ceiling of the place was lit with a uniform glow that approximated sunlight. Heat came out to Ayremac in waves."Well, come on if you're coming," Doctor Akerman said, turning. "And have the last one in close the door behind them. There's a draft in here."</blockquote>

Verification