Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Amaroq" data-source="post: 1893470" data-attributes="member: 15470">Issue #17: Interludes and Intermissions - Episode 7 of 13Paks and Miriel reach the temple of Madriel, and find the high priestess, Verenia, waiting at the door to greet them. “Miriel, I’m glad you heeded my message,” Verenia says, “And that you came to join her, Paks. Let us speak privately in my office.” As they pass through the main chamber of the church, both Miriel and Paks pause to make donations of one hundred gold pieces, having come into wealth during our adventures in the swamp.  When they are seated privately in Verenia’s office, she tells Miriel, “You fulfilled the prophecy. I had a vision of you in the Shrine of Gormoth. It must have been horrifying!”“Yes,” Miriel says, while Paks starts to ask a question. Verenia holds up her hand to stop her. “You did the right thing. Yes, the Hope was destroyed, and so was your lizard-man friend, but their sacrifice helped not only destroy the shrine, but prevented a great evil from entering the world. Perhaps the Hope’s spirit has returned to Madriel. May the spirit of the lizard-man rest with his ancestors.” She turns to Miriel. “I called you here because I recently had a second vision. I saw a double-handled urn, etched with serpents, filled with blood.” Paks glances over to Miriel. “I didn’t tell you this, Miriel,” she confesses, “But the Hope spoke to me, when you had all departed and I was left alone with it. It said that the ‘Serpent Amphora’ had been found, and that ‘The Dal-Arnot’ must not get it, and that I must protect it at all costs.” She asks Verenia, “Could this urn you saw be the Serpent Amphora?”“I don’t know what it is,” Verenia says, “I’d suggest that you check with the loremasters in Lave.”“Milady,” Paks asks the priestess, “Could you use your powers to locate the Amphora?”The priestess shakes her head. “Such divination is beyond me,” she says. “But let me describe the rest of the vision. Many gods were involved, not just Madriel. I saw signs of Tanil, Hedrada, Chardun, and even Belsameth, and the serpents of course represent the Serpent Queen, the fallen Titan Mormo.“Madriel has entrusted you with this quest. You will both be her agents in the dangerous deeds ahead. Do not fail her!”The two young women sit silent for a moment, heads bowed, contemplating the great responsibility.Verenia turns to Paks. “Paks, I suspect that you might be the Knight of the Swan.”“The Hope called me that!” she exclaims, “Twice!” Verenia nods solemnly. “To those who can see it, there is a great cygnet growing inside you. Madriel is testing you. This test brings great danger and responsibility!”“But, what does it mean, ‘the Knight of the Swan’?” Verenia doesn’t answer immediately. When she does start to speak, at first it seems not to be an answer to the question. “I met the last Swan Knight, Arniel,” she says, “Almost 40 years ago, when I was very young. During the Great Healing, she quested across the land, helping the injured and the weak and the defiled. They say that she was originally from Durover, but she traveled across the breadth of Ghelspad. She hasn’t been seen in at least a generation, more than twenty years. Some say she’s been taking bodily up to Heaven to serve Madriel directly. Others say she’s being held prisoner, while others say she’s off fighting evil elsewhere." Paks looks thoughtful. “Has it been 21 years?” she asks. “I’m just a little over 21.”Verenia nods, pursing her lips in thought. “I’m not sure,” she says, “But it is possible. You should both go to the main cathedral in Lave and talk to the Mother Superior of Vesh, Helea. She might know more.”Verenia looks Miriel in the eye, and says, “This is your quest as well. Protect and support Paks, and she will do the same for you.”Miriel nods, but does not respond.The priestess says, “I have messages for some of your companions as well. Tell Chuck, ‘Beware the Serpent in the Fold! It’s bite will be deadly and unexpected!’ And for Stone, ‘Beware the Huntsman! The hunter and the hunted can swap roles quickly. Do not be the recipient of the fatal blow!’ At the Laughing Ogre, the interest dies down, when the heroes remain hidden for an hour or so. When he judges it safe to do so quietly, Stone slips out the back door.He works his way through town to the temple of Hedrada. He stops in the chapel, and kneels in prayer. Everyone recognizes him, and a number of Hedrada’s worshippers find sudden reasons to be in or near the chapel, despite the odd hour for it. Stone ignores the whisperings, “That’s the half-orc monk of Hedrada!” “He killed a ghoul with his bare hands!”, and keeps his head buried in prayer.Grilliam arrives, and the crowd disperses, discovering business elsewhere as quickly as they had discovered reasons to observe. Grilliam waits until Stone looks up, and then says, “I would like to speak with you, Stone, if you are done making your observances.”“I am,” the half-orc says, clambering to his feet. Grilliam leads him through the main hall towards his office, and Stone takes a moment to drop five platinum pieces and two hundred silver in the temple’s renovation fund. When they are seated, Stone tells Grilliam of our adventures. He leaves nothing out, though the half-orc is not naturally given to a long tale, and he makes short work of many parts of it. When the tale has finished, with the news of the dismemberment in the road, Grilliam says, “You have done well. Very well. Your band has certainly earned the second half of our reward,” he says, and he pushes ten platinum pieces across the desk. “You are proceding to Lave immediately?” When the half-orc nods, the priest offers “Let me give you a letter to give to the authorities in Lave. You should have an audience with the Hornswythe Vigil. Tell them everything you have just told me. Much of your tale is disturbing, especially the news of this dismemberment in the road.”Stone waits while Grilliam writes the letter, and then returns to the inn.Much of our clothing was destroyed in the battle at the Freehold, the ten-day spent in the swamp, and the battle at the Shrine. Individually, we all make a pass through the tailor’s, each placing an order for fresh clothing. Fortunately, the tailor has things which require only alterations for us; they can be ready the next morning for a slightly higher price.In the evening, we all gather back at the inn. Stone spends the evening in the inn yard, surrounded by kids who delight in alternating hero-worship of him with terror of the half-orc. “Fox,” Telryn asks, over dinner. “Would anyone in Southport have magical scrolls for sale?”“No,” the half-elf tells him. “We’re too small for that sort of traffic. Maybe I can recommend some shops in Lave.” Telryn notes the shops he recommends.Fox turns to Dorin. “You look familiar,” he says. “May I ask of which clan you are?”“I am Dorin Silvershield, of the Silvershield clan,” the dwarf says proudly. “I am cousin to Thorin Silvershield, who I believe is one of your former companions.”“Yes!” Fox exclaims, clearly delighted. “And how is Thorin these days?” Dorin responds enthusiastically, and soon he and Fox are deep in a swap of stories. Eventually, the dwarf decides to stay in Southport for awhile. Fox suggests that he can get a job working with Saylis, the local smith, to get some money together before he goes back west to Burok Torn. When dinner is over, and the inn is quieting, Miriel tells us a very brief bit about her visit. “I am leaving for Lave in the morning,” she says. “I hope you all will accompany me. Verenia had some messages to relay, prophecy I believe. Chuck, she said to tell you, ‘Beware the Serpent in the Fold! It’s bite will be deadly and unexpected!’ ”Chuck nods, and she turns to Stone. “To you, monk, she would say, ‘Beware the Huntsman! The hunter and the hunted can swap roles quickly. Do not be the recipient of the fatal blow!’ ” Stone gives a brief laugh. “Good advice,” he says.Fox looks to Chuck, and says, “If you do go on to Lave, the commander of the Vigilant group, Thorn, is another of my old companions. Give him my warmest regards.”Chuck looks around, and says, “I think I speak for all of us, when I say we will go. Goldpetal?”The elf gives a nod. “I will accompany you,” he says.As we stand to go back to our rooms, Miriel stays behind for a moment, and gives Fox a handful of coins, fifty gold pieces. “For all the room and board you’ve given us,” she says.Fox smiles warmly. “Thank you kindly,” he says. “I had a feeling my investments in you would pay off.”Goldpetal leaves as the rest of us go to our rooms, to spend part of the night exploring the hills in his new-found form of the panther, and part of the night resting and meditating at the clearing he had prepared during our first visit.The next morning, the second Hedraday of Madrer, we head out early for Lave. On the way out of town, we all stop to pick up the new clothes we had ordered the previous day. Stone also picks up the new boots he had commissioned the previous month. We set out, northwards, in high spirits.</blockquote>

Verification