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="Carlo-One" data-source="post: 8251878" data-attributes="member: 7015827">The party walked in without knocking and were intercepted by Student Than just inside the threshold. He calmly accepted Dermot’s belated apology/greeting, then invited the four inside to meet with the Ascetic One, saying they were expected. Than moved to the side to stand next to his fellow student as their monk teacher offered his greetings. He then looked at the adventurers thoughtfully, observing that they had not passed a quiet night. A few witticisms were offered in return, then a more sober account of the violent rescue of four vampire victims, along with the killing of their captors. The Ascetic One was pleased that the victims’ suffering had been lifted and he said he believed they had assisted the Crying God with their deeds.The monk then offered what he called a gift and a warning to them, pulling out a sheet of rolled-up parchment. Shanni looked at the others and then stepped forward slowly. Their host waited until she and her companions had come closer, then spread the parchment out on a table, showing a map of the Dragon Coast. He gestured with a finger, tracing a path that diverged from the road to Starmantle, southeast of Reddansyr. He said it would be difficult to find and an ordinary traveler would never notice. Shanni remarked that the two skulls on the map were a bit ominous. The monk in reply explained that that once they left the Starmantle road and headed north, the beginning of the new path would be marked with two skulls. When he had traveled there, they appeared ancient - whether a warning or simply a marker, he knew not.At the end of the path, the Ascetic One continued, was a remote area with what remained of a ruined tower; perhaps a small city once had existed there. The monk had traveled there many years ago, having heard it was a place of ancient suffering. Rumored, in fact, to have been where the original Night King came from. This last bit of information caught the attention of the adventurers, as Dermot and Shanni suddenly displayed more interest, the ranger looking at the map and trying to estimate the travel time required, perhaps two days out from Westgate. (This is a remarkable discovery and truly ancient indeed, as the Night King arrived in the city some centuries before Dalereckoning began. --C)The monk, bowing his head, shared that he had not been successful in divining its secrets, but had indeed found suffering there. Darrow asked what he meant and was told that it was still a place of undeath. Aerikoth queried how long ago the Ascetic One had visited there, which caused the monk’s eyes to grow distant, after which he said that it had been in his youth, perhaps three decades ago. He cautioned that he did not know exactly what they might find there, but he had no doubt the ancient tower there still rose from its cursed ground.The Ascetic One offered them the map, if they wished to journey to the tower, and the adventurers discussed the prospect. Darrow was more interested in focusing on the Hidden House vampires, believing that the best chance for catching the unknown visitors would be to lie in wait for them that evening. Aerikoth was of the opinion they should make their way to the tower, arguing that the vampires were entrenched in the city and could be found in time. Dermot, unsurprisingly given his ranger affinities, was eager to get his feet moving out of town, while Shanni remained undecided. Shanni, with Aerikoth’s support, brought up the idea of sending a message to the Temple of Lathander, so they could watch the Hidden House. The Ascetic One offered to pass the message to the temple and, after Shanni brought up the folk they had rescued, also to make sure they were taken care of. The petite rogue in response placed a small pile of coins on the table, to be used for their needs, prompting Darrow to follow her example. The monk thanked them and as he turned to his students to begin instructing them on their tasks, the four adventurers departed, to go find death, one way or another, as a grim-looking Shanni put it.</blockquote>

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