A Meeting with the Church

Intro Scene: A Meeting with the Church
On the morning of the last day of the flood festival the party receives an urgent message from Jenya Urikas.
“I have made contact with Sarcem and he needs your immediate assistance. Come quickly, it is a matter of life and death.”

The dwarf and the centaur are gone when Tarmo and Vi-Mack receive the message.*

When the remaining party arrives at the church of St. Cuthbert, you find Jenya in a state of panic. You are quickly ushered into a side room, and you notice that the worshipers and acolytes of the church seem worried.

The room is small, with two doors, an unlit fire place, and a few comfortable chairs. You notice a man standing quietly near the other entrance. He is dressed in armor that appears to be made from platinum dragon scales, and his clothing and armor are decorated with the symbols of the platinum dragon. After a second glance, Tarmo recognizes the man as Ormr. Ormr appears older than before, and his hair now has streaks of silvery gray passing through it.

Jenya leaves no time for introductions and quickly tells you that she received a message from the High Priest Sarcem via a sending spell, and that she has not been able to contact him again since the incident. She asks the party to ride to the Lucky Monkey immediately, for she fears for the future of Cauldron and the life of Sarcem are at stake. Jenya recites the message for the would-be heroes.

“At Lucky Monkey. Have wands. Tavern's been attacked. Bandits led by barbaric ape man. Mortally wounded. Retreated to basement. They know we're here. Send assistance!”


*Tarmo receives a note from the centaur stating that his tribe had urgent need of his assistance, and that he would be leaving for a while.

Tarmo's First Post:
With the urgency of the message taken into serious account, Tarmo steps to a far corner of the room. With a slight wave of his hand, he motions Ormr to join him. With Tarmo's other hand, he holds fast to the totem gifted to him by the silver dragon, and waits for a reaction from Ormr. If the newly clad in silver hero approaches him, then Tarmo will show his interest in heading to the tavern as soon as possible. Not forgetting to leave out his availability to lead ahead with his horse.

If Ormr agrees to this, then Tarmo would suggest seeing if the crazy old history teacher could give them any aid before they rush off to confront bandits. V-mack can join or not as far as Tarmo is concerned. Allies are little more than feathers in the wind with the way the people of this group come and go.

Ormr's First Post:
Ormr nods in recognition to Tarmo, a stony look upon his brow. As Ormr glances around the room, he walks towards Jenya, his golden-copper eyes taking in the remaining person in the room.

(Ormr wishes to know who/what Vi-Mack is, and a description of this character.)

"Jenya, I would much prefer knowing what I am heading into. Any additional information would be appreciated. What are these wands the High Priest has collected? Is there any other obstacles we should be informed of? Do you have any thoughts on what this Ape Man could be? Do you have transportation to the Lucky Monkey for the three of us, or should I assume that we are to provide our own means of transportation? I know that this is of the utmost urgency, but for us to go without any other knowledge lowers the chance of success in reaching the High Priest."

After Jenya's reply, Ormr walks over to Tarmo and greets him, "'Tis nice to see you still live Tarmo. Have you already thought of something? Or would you like to discuss these happenings?" The stony look has not faded, but Ormr's voice has a tinge of warmth to it. "I do believe that this is of utmost importance, for I have been asked to join this rescue party, despite my training being unfinished as of yet. Shall we walk and talk?" Ormr motions for Vi-Mack. The motions of his hand also allow Ormr to cast Detect Good, which Ormr then moves around the room to inspect every person there, making mental note of each person who does not show up on his spell.

Description of Vi-Mack and Jenya's Response:
Vi-Mack appears humanoid, standing just over nine feet tall. The top of his head almost brushes the ceiling of the meeting room. He has a sword across his back that is at least as large as he is, and the sword appears to have been crafted of a smooth gray stone. He wears leather pants, and a netting that resembles black spider webs that accentuates distinctive black and brown markings that cover his deep gray skin. He wears a simple brooch depicting an open book* on the strap holding his sword.

Jenya takes a moment to gather her thoughts and then says, “I had thought you would have questions before you left, and I will of course answer them as best I can. As you all know, the flood festival is ending. Each year, the lake in the center of Cauldron floods with the seasons rains. Many years ago the flood waters rose so high, that the first three rings of the city were destroyed. Thousands died in the disaster. Since that year, the churches of Pelor, We-Jas, and Kord, being the largest churches of the city, have worked together to create wands of control water each year to control the floods. Unfortunately, the flood seasons have been light over the past few years, and the other churches have donated less and less to the project. This year, the church of Pelor could not finish enough wands in time, and since the other churches in the city either won't help, or didn't have the resources to spare, Sarcem purchased eight wands while he was in Sasserine. With the amount of rain fall in the area this year, and the size of the storms on the horizon, it is vital that the wands are returned to the city before the floods claim the city.”

After finishing her story, Jenya takes a drink of water, and continues to answer Ormr's questions. “As for the ape-man, I have no idea who or what he is. I have heard rumors about bandits and worse roaming the country side lately, but none of them have attacked a standing structure before this. Any way, an attack on the Lucky Monkey doesn't make sense. The place isn't particularly wealthy , and the owners are the type that don't ask questions about people. The leader of the town guard might have more information, if you can get a hold of him.** For transportation, I can provide you with horses. Though I'm not sure I have something that could carry you.” She motions towards Vi-Mack in an apologetic manner, at which Vi-Mack bows politely and responds, “It is fine. Not many mounts can handle me, but I have a friend who can.”

When Ormr motions to Vi-Mack, he strides over, and introduces himself as “Vi-Mack Steady Hand Gath-Akana-Thik-Ala-Gi-Ano, but most people just call me Steady Hand. What might your name be?”

* Ormr recognizes the symbol as the symbol of Hlal, the Keeper of Tales, and a member of Io's court. Roll religion for additional information.
** Tarmo and Vi-Mack know from their last conversation with the head of the town guard that the ape-man is most likely a were-baboon named Tongue Eater.

Spell Results:
Detect Good: Jenya and Vi-Mack both register on your spell. His brooch appears to have a faint aura of good. A response also shows next to Vi-Mack, as an exceptionally strong good aura, but you are unable to see any reason for this aura to be present.

Removal of Player Tarmo
During Vi-Mack's introduction, a messenger enters the room and hand a sealed scroll to Tarmo. After quickly reading the message, Tarmo greets Ormr warmly, and then apologizes to the rest of the group. He has been summoned by the Seven, and must attend to them at once. After his farewells, Tarmo reopens the message, mutters a few words in a strange language, and then vanishes.

Ormr's Second Post:
After Vi-Mack's introduction, Ormr nods at Tarmo as he leaves, then turns back to Vi-Mack. “My name is Ormr Gwynt, and as is usual, it seems our group has grown smaller once more. Ah well, come Steady Hand, let us see what we can do to aid our dear High Priest. Do you know anything about this ape-man?”

Ormr starts walking towards the door, and at the entrance of the church, Ormr turns to Steady Hand. “I must take the priest up on her offer, so please meet me by the gate that leads to the Lucky Monkey with your friend, and we shall start our mission. Please come prepared. Three hours (Or however long is will take to finish the ride from the church to the store, then to the gate, with an extra hour thrown in).” With that, Ormr reaches his hand towards Steady Hand, while his voice and face have been neutral, the hand presented is Ormr's shield hand, which is a show of trust.

Once Steady Hand has left, Ormr turns towards Jenya, and asks her to have the horse brought forth, and as soon as this has happened, Ormr heads off to the Halfling whom he has a promise to keep. He spends one hour with the Halfling, telling her part of his story of the red dragon and its defeat. Ormr does not include the information of the gold dragon's lair, instead using the terms “another of the faithful of Bahamut” to describe his ally. Ormr apologizes profusely for his absence, but the need to help his friend was immense.

Once the hour is up, Ormr excuses himself and rushes to the gate, not wanting to be late to meet with Steady Hand.

Steady Hands' First Post:
Steady Hand raises an eyebrow at the mention of a friend, then he accepts Ormr's hand, and then pulls him into a firm embrace.

“I have heard tales of men being taken over with madness from a curse that could cause such a state as that of the ape-man. To hear of a man that has a chosen such a path speaks to me of an evil needing removal. I will join your quest, however, it is the tradition of my people to carry only what we need. I am ready to depart now, and so we may do so at your leisure.

With that, Steady Hand turns to Jenya, “Do not worry, we will return your preist to you, and bring this thing to justice.” Steady hand then addresses both Ormr and Jenya, “Until we meet next.” With his last comment, he takes off at a decent pace towards the city gate.

Ormr's Third Post:
OOC: You put in Steady Hand's first words to Jenya that he was not bothered by Jenya being unable to provide him a mount, as most cannot handle him, and that he had a friend who could handle him. Ormr took that as meaning he knew a friend who could aid him in obtaining a mount or something along those lines. Also, the reason why I did not roll for religion is because I do not have the skill, so I cannot gain any information that requires a religion DC of over 10.


After meeting Steady Hand at the entrance of the city, he slows only long enough for Steady Hand to start moving, and then he keeps his mount at a speed that is comfortable for Steady Hand. Ormr does not pester Steady Hand for information about himself, but he does ask information of Steady Hand.

“Of this curse, is it a were-curse? I have fought were-rats, which were filthy creatures, and there is no doubt in my mind that this creature should be put down, for it is a blight, but I just wish to make sure of our target. What experience do you have dealing with evil creatures Steady Hand? I fear, despite my lack of skills in the area, we might have to be slightly stealthy, at least until we can get to the Lucky Monkey. Do you have any strategies?” These questions are said with little emotion, and are not spoken in a way that makes it seem as if Ormr is looking down at Steady Hand. He is trying to figure out which uses Steady Hand brings to the ever dwindling rescue party.

Steady Hand's Second Post:
When you arrive at the gate, Steady Hand greets you warmly, “Shall we start then?” He turns, not waiting for an answer and charges down the mountain side. As you follow the road down the mountain, you are able to keep Steady Hand in sight, mostly, and you notice he moves much quicker down the mountain than you would have expected. When the city is just barely visible in the distance, he rejoins you on the road riding a hound bigger than most horse. The hounds eyes appear to be made of molten gold, and his fur has a supernatural sheen.

The conversation with Steady Hand is light, and you notice quickly that he has a habit of speaking directly and plainly. “I have only seen such creatures once. Two lunar cycles after I had been accepted as a warrior by my chieftain, my tribe's travels brought us to a mountain plateau a few miles above a human village. The humans of the village were skilled craftsmen, and decent warriors. Our chief entered trade with them, and it was a peaceful relationship. Near the start of the next cycle, a new man came to the village. He was ragged, and had a strange smell about him, Kamaren did not like this smell. Two nights later, my patrol heard screams from the village. When we investigated, we found a strange creature, part wolf, part man. A few of the villagers were fighting it, and losing, so we joined the fight and slew the beast. The next night, we heard howls instead of screams, and it took every member of my tribe, but we raised the village and slew the beasts that had risen. We found a cure for this curse, but not before it claimed four of our own, and the cure itself claimed two more.” Steady Hand grows quiet near the end of his story, and he stares straight ahead for several more minutes, deep in thought. “As for strategies, I suggest you aim for the heart, or sever the head quickly. As for stealth, if it is just one of the creatures, we might catch it off guard while it loots the spoils, but if it is a group, they will likely be waiting for us.”

“But enough of that for now. I see you are adorned with the symbols of the Platinum Dragon. Are you a cleric of his faith?”



Thus closes Intro Scene: A Meeting with the Church
Approximately 48 hours of game time will pass between this scene and the next, and all conversations or actions may be posted here.