Turn 111 Warding the Tome
Everyone finishes their breakfast, before heading for the temple in
search of Gareth and Wulfgar. Upon your arrival, you find Gareth and
Wulfgar exiting the temple, with the book in Wulfgar's hand. Wulfgar
informs you that due to the problems with magic, the book cannot be
destroyed at this time, but that he has warded it. Anyone opening the
book will receive severe magical backlash. Caohimin, and Arylin are
still not with you, to the best of your knowledge they remain somewhere
in the temple. Now that the book is handled for the moment, breakfast is
complete.
As you recall your previous evening, you remember the poor priest who
was murdered and hung with the bell, and the footsteps leading to the
grave of Wulgars mentor Randos. Everything is not as it seems apparently
in this place. It causes you a moment of anxiety before your natural
sense of adventure kicks in and gets you ready to go.
"Darn, I wish we could get rid of that damn book." Barbaxle says "It makes me
uncomfortable knowing that something like this exists, let alone in our
possession. As long as we don't lose it or have it stolen from us, it should
be in good hands with us. I think that we are going to have to investigate
this murder, we went to the grave site last night and found a body inside
the coffin. I don't think that it he rose from the dead and killed his
fellow brother. I think that someone is trying to scare the people of this
town, or they are just plain evil and need to destroy good. Gareth, what do
you think we should do from here?.....Wulfgar, do you know of any reason why
someone or ones would be doing something like this. I know that you have
been away from this place for awhile, but is there anything that you can
think of?"
The paladin shrugs and slumps slightly, shaking his head. "I just do not
know, Barbaxle. I, quite simply, do not know what to do." The knight sighs
again in frustration and hopelessness. Gareth slows his breathing to a
regular, but slow, rhythm and closes his eyes as he seeks to compose himself
through silent prayer. After a couple minutes have passed, the paladin
rises with his back stiff and eyes strong once more. "If we know not how to
act, then we must observe and learn. We know that at least two priests of
this order have been killed violently. Why? Let us find out. Search the
local town records for what has been occurring lately; I have papers to go
through which should be readied in a couple days. Keep an eye out on the
grounds. Search them for secret passages, people in odd places at odd
times, things missing or moved oddly. Something is ill here and I would
that we solve its evil before we depart to the road."
"You say there was a body in the coffin?" asks Reggie
"And you don't think it rose from the dead? How would you know?"
"Only a zombie expert, or" Reggie steps back, and in fake shock says
"Someone who was a zombie"
Reggie (badly) mimes a faint, and falls to the ground.
Kay begins her sententce in mid-yawn,"If you don't mind, I'll go check up on
Cao and Arylin, I'm sure they'd like to know what's going on. As for today,
maybe we should coordinate this, you know, have some of us go here, while
others go there, so we can fully cover the town and not miss anything...One
more thing, what is the town guard doing about this? Is this the first time
someone like this has happened?"
As the group discusses what their next move is, Arylin and Caoihmin approach from within the temple.
Arilyn smiles brightly as she sees the other members of the group. She
looks so refreshed...almost like she has been reborn. She runs to the
group, nods politely and says excitedly. "It was so wonderful...I had a
dream...no, it wasn't a dream, it was so real...She was so real, almost
like I could touch Her. And, I felt as if I were swept off my
feet...like floating on a cloud with sails and drifting off to the
heavens." Arilyn takes a quick breath and continues. "I thought of
myself being so small in Her presence, so humbled...yet at the same
time, I had the sensation that I was larger than life."
She turns to Wulfgar and Gareth, her eyes sparkling. "A Goddess visited
me, her name is Quiom." A look of foreboding passes quickly over her
eyes. "She warned me that a great evil is walking the land, and the evil
will enslave all the races it does not destroy. The evil has hidden the
Gods from the people, making it impossible for them to visit their
children...except in dreams." She looks at Wulgar's eyes and then at
Gareth's eyes. "Quiom's message sent a chill through me...but as I
dressed this morning, I realized that I am one of Quiom's children...and
that my life is now hers."
Totally concerned with her news alone, Arilyn pauses...(she shuts up).
Cole looks happy to see the others and sits in the nearby grass
waiting for someone to make up our minds about weather or not to leave
this horrible town.
"I believe we all that dream Arilyn. Funny, that was the third god this
month to come a'calling. There was Lent who gave me his mark, the pale-guy
Imbrol, who gave me this sword, and then finally Quiom who warned me of that
stuff you mentioned. If they keep it up, I might just get a big head over
this.", Kay flashes a grin, "Oh, we're currently banging our heads against
the wall trying to figure out this murder-mystery-bell-thing. Know
anything?"
Turn 112