Auromar: Light and Dark (IC 3)

[Moral Wiz]

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The last said with the accent?

Hist

The warlock smiles at the response.


No. Nothing else from me at least.

Sorry. You must forgive my impoliteness. I've.... a lot on my mind right now. I need to walk a bit. Stretch my legs. I won't go far.

The last is to the group. With that, he walks off, picking a direction at random, whirlst going over ideas in his mind.

[Lochar]

Hist:

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Yes, still with the accent.

[Moral Wiz]

Hist

Hist rounds a corner into the darkest alleyway he can find

And doesn't appear to come out. Insted, there is just a slight fluttering on the wind as an unseen Hist flies out to explore the town.

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Looking to see how people talk when we're not around. Do I have to make move silently rolls whirlst flying?

(1d20+5)[15] Listen, for both accent, and anything else interesting that is talked about.

[Lochar]

Hist:

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Not as long as you keep above the people by 10' or so, no MS rolls needed.

This is going to take you about thirty minutes of flying randomly around.

You catch conversations from people, just about all of them in the accent. Once you get a ways away from where the group is, it switches to be more 50/50 between people with accents and those without. Conversations are mundane and range between hoping that they can get crops to grow, to discussions on the guards who seem to be looking for someone. You actually spot a contingent of six guards wandering the streets, poking their heads down alleys and looking into buildings. They're generally making their way towards where the rest of the group is.

[GimliFett]

Grazys Senneker

After a moment, Grazys seems to return to the situation at hand. Realizing Hist seemed to have left the others holding the bag, so to speak, the binder looks to Reid and Dothen. "Um. Where'd our aasimar go?"

[Moral Wiz]

Hist

Phew. That's one suspicion less.

Then he sees the guards.

Oh. Not a particularly good thing

He flew back in the direction of the others

Come on...

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To be fair, this'll take him a little time. When shall Hist arrive back?

[Greyen]

Dothen

He wandered off again. He'll be back. Dothen shrugs. This is not quite what he had planned but that's okay.

[Moral Wiz]

Hist

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Ok coming back now for simplicity

After a few minuets, you can hear the sound of footsteps behind you. Hist whispers to the group.

Well, good news and bad news. Good news is that yet another of my suspicions is wrong; the settlers talk when we're not there. They just keep to the spirits around us. Probably to ensure we don't smell a rat as it were, as it was the spirits that we talked to first.

The bad news, there are six guards heading in our general direction. And apparently, they are looking for someone, and as they know Kjapp's gone, I'd suspect it was one of us.

I think making ourselves scarce may be advisable.

[Toliudar]

Reid

Nodding, Reid murmurs.

Let's go to the temple. The guards are less likely to be openly violent there, and I might reasonably claim sanctuary for us. Failing that, the fathers may side with us.

Unless there are objections, he will walk briskly towards the church of Pelor.

[GimliFett]

Grazys Senneker

As they walk, Grazys leans towards Reid. "Are we sure we want to involve them in this? I know it'll be safer for us, but..." he trails off and nods.

[Toliudar]

Reid

Reid shrugs.

They are involved. They are feeding men and women who they KNOW took bodies away from others involuntarily. And, I'm assuming, they knew that Kjapp was being held for the same purpose. Of course, I don't know the entire story, but they have no more right to turn a blind eye to that injustice than I do to the suffering of this village.

To my mind, putting them in the middle of any conversation we might be having with the guard, shortly, is only a step towards balancing the accounts.

[Greyen]

Dothen

Well lets go give then another visit. Dothen heads out and once outside the door fades from sight, unless someone would obviously spot him dissappearing.

[Moral Wiz]

Hist

I'm following.

Hist dosn't relax his spell as he continues after the group.

[Lochar]

With quick steps, you all can make it to the temple of Pelor without running into any of the guards that might be looking for you.

Once you get there, the priests nod to you, before bowing to Reid. The currently head priest approaches. "How may we serve, Raidente?"

[GimliFett]

Grazys Senneker

The binder stays towards the back, but looks at Reid expectantly. I really don't wanna get inta doctrinal issues, he muses to himself.

[Toliudar]

Reid

Reid bows, but speaks quickly.

Blessings to you father. First, I have good news. Rico is released from his - in between state.

I have a few more questions about the state you all share, but first, a request. We believe that several of the town guard are pursuing us. They may have questions about the release of a prisoner earlier today. They may have more than questions. We would like the conversation to take place here.

Father, I believe that we have a chance to relieve the curse of this place. I have seen...

He glances at Hist.

What may in fact be a miracle today. We must be free to move about the continent in order to carry out that work. It is very important, I believe to all of us, that the guards not be allowed to detain us. Do we understand each other?

[Lochar]

The priest smiles at Reid's news of Rico's release, and then frowns at the mention of the guards. "They have already been by twice today. A third time will be no different. If they wish to question you, we will stand to hear the truth, here."

He sighs. "As for the curse, it will be a welcome blessing if you can truly remove it." He looks to the empty space Reid looked to. "Are you invisible or spirit?" he asks, politely.

[GimliFett]

Grazys Senneker

The binder snickers, but covers his smirk with his hand as he shakes his head.

[Moral Wiz]

Hist

The warlock let the spell fade. AS he reappears, he seems to be holding one hand to his head, as though distracted by somthing but quickly relaxes.

Just invisible. Sorry. It was me that spotted the guards, and I didn't dismiss the spell yet.

[Lochar]

The priest nods to Hist. "Ah. Thank you for your assistance then, Histantos."

[Toliudar]

Reid

Since the guards didn't seem to be breaking down the door, Reid pauses to offer a brief prayer of thanksgiving at the front of the church, before returning to speak with the Fathers.

Father, do you know of any pairings within the city - any combinations of spirit and host - that have become extremely difficult and rancorous? My friend Dothen has remarked at how difficult it must sometimes be to share a body, but most of you seem to be managing quite beautifully. I'm wondering what happens to the exceptions.

We may have a way of alleviating the curse, but it may result in releasing the spirit onwards to the next world. I would only want to risk it with a volunteer, and thought that the most likely volunteer would be someone for whom this life had become especially difficult - or painful.

[Lochar]

The priest shrugs. "We make do how we must. And as both souls are active, peace must be obtained between the two. If not, conflicting commands to the same body can quickly cause injury. There were a few that were so enamored with the idea of living again, that they caused those who shared much harm. Once they were healed, they were very careful."

He looks to Reid, facial features shifting slightly as his voice changes and the accent disappears. "Once we share, there's no going back. The souls of those who were cursed cannot leave our bodies again, nor can they remove the original soul and become the only soul in the body."

The accent reappears. "As for the curse and removing it, I know of two people whose spirits only asked to share because they wanted to die and not stay unliving forever."

[Moral Wiz]

Hist

The warlock's eyes seem... somehow brighter as the priest speaks of the depressed spirits. Though he does not look happy.

What happened to them? Did they kill...?

He left the sentence unfinished

Please say this isn't the explanation for those graves.

[Lochar]

"Almost everyone thought it was a dream the first few nights. I mean, how odd do you think it is to go to sleep and then 'wake up' outside your body? So when a dream asks you something, you agree without even thinking about it."

"They were the first of the guards, they asked to share, but then fought with the original soul until they tore the body apart. Then the rest of the guards just started taking bodies." The priest looks to Reid. "Do you recall the prayer to see that which is unseen, Raidente? Or was that not one of your prayer requests to Pelor this morning? Look around you here. You most likely do not like why we feed even the guards, but we have our reasons."

[Toliudar]

Reid

Reid stands impassively, listening intently. The priest's question stirs him.

I believe I do now understand the nature of that prayer, Father, yes. I have thought that, at some time in the evening, I may try to use it to see if I can see the spirits that have not yet joined.

You speak - both of you speak - with some assurance that there is no stepping back from the joining, but I am living proof that it is possible. I acknowledge that the situation with Rico was unique, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other circumstances in which it may be possible. But what makes you so certain? Have you tried to sever the bond, once established?

[Lochar]

"Those who died attempted it. One man said he managed it, but he fell dead moments later, his skin looking as if it had been shredded."

The priest looks at Reid. "I would ask though, that you say the prayer for sight before night falls, and look to the pews. You would understand more of the town, and it is not something I think you will believe without seeing it."

[Toliudar]

Reid

A question springs to Reid's lips, and he suppresses it. Glancing at his companions, he turns to the pews and closes his eyes for a moment. When they open again, they flare briefly with a pure white light, and then settle back to their normal brown. He looks all around the church.

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Summoning Pelor's light.

[Lochar]

Reid:

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As you look around to the room, you see...
People. Familiar looking people. In the second pew is one of the guards that was at the gate when you entered the town. As you continue looking, you realize that every one of the guards you've seen are in the pews, along with many other faces that you don't recognize.

Each one of them don't pay you any attention. Some of them chat with each other, although you cannot hear them. A few occasionally look around, but all seem extremely despondent.

And every one of them, every single one of them, all have one thing in common. Each has a spirit cord coming from their body, like yours was when you slept in the temple the night before. And each spirit cord is ripped and shredded at the end, connecting them to nothing, instead of to their body. The cords are all different lengths, but none more than eight feet or so long.

Even as you watch now, the cords occasionally shudder, and a small portion of it vanishes.

After a moment, the priest sighs. "Do you see? They gather here, because it is a church of light and hope. But I do not know what hope to give them."

[Toliudar]

Reid

Reid's jaw literally drops as he looks around. He begins moving in and among the pews. His voice is a big haggard as he explains to the others.

I'm seeing spirits, the spirits of individuals who we've seen here in town. I recognize the face of a guard we saw when we came in. They all have the cords that are meant to connect them to their bodies, but all of the connections are cut. And it looks like the cords are slowly getting shorter. The looks in these peoples' faces...By the Light, when will people stop suffering from the actions of that One?

He stands amongst the despondent spirits, looking back at the priest.

I don't understand. Who cut these peoples' cords? Is this what happens when a body is seized? And...what happens when a cord is frayed completely away?

[Lochar]

"The people that currently have the bodies are the ones that cut the cords. I do not know how to return the rightful souls to the bodies. And none have lost their cord completely yet, so..."

The priest trails off, looking beyond Reid. "May Pelor's light embrace you. How may I be of service?"

At the door, six guards have appeared. "We've got a few questions for the newcomers." One of them says.