Arulia's Vignette

[JadedDM]

"Well, offering the pleasure of your company will do just fine. Plus, I tend to get lost a lot, so it will help to have a guide with me," Fizban says. He offers his elbow to her. "I overheard you earlier say that the Seekers have lost all power here. I suppose that's why I don't see any Holy Guard patrolling."

[djhyland]

"I'd be happy to show you the way, sir," says Arulia as she takes Fizban's elbow. Starting down the street towards the general direction of the Grinning Goat, she says, "I didn't think I was talking so loudly, but yes. The Seekers still have some power, but not enough to keep the city. It's these followers of the Master that have the power now, I think. There's so many of them that even if the Holy Guard wanted to arrest them all, they couldn't." She shakes her head sadly. "I don't really believe in the Seeker gods anymore, but the Master seems worse to me. At the very least, his followers are worse."

[JadedDM]

"Hmm...I'm not too worried about this so called Master," Fizban says as they walk the city streets. "I think if his followers ever meet a real god, they'll find things too hot to handle! As for the Seekers, well...if you ask me, the problem with them is that they stopped seeking! Gave up too quickly and made up their own gods instead. Maybe if they had kept looking they would have discovered the truth about the gods." He nods sagely, as if the answer was obvious.

[djhyland]

"Maybe you're right about the Seekers--there are many good men and women among them, but it seems that they have less and less say against the ones just out for power." Arulia hesitates, uncertain how to pose the question that the old man's words bring to mind. But...um...the truth about the gods, you say? Are there really true gods still out there?" she asks, both fear and hope coloring her voice.

[JadedDM]

"Ah, my dear," Fizban says as they turn the corner and reach the street that the Grinning Goat is on, "the gods never left. It was humanity who turned their backs on the gods, not the other way around. They are still out there...some more active than others. One only has to earnestly reach out to them. I would say they are, in fact, much closer than you might think."

[djhyland]

"The old gods...are they the ones I seek?"

"I hope that you are right, that the old gods still watch over us," Arulia sighs. "But how do I earnestly reach out to them? Is believing in them enough, or must I go on a quest to find them like in the stories?"

Feeling foolish in asking questions that her father would no doubt call foolish, Arulia clears her throat and points through the clutter and crowd towards the tavern ahead. "There's the Grinning Goat, sir," she says.

[JadedDM]

"Not a lot of time for sacred quests," Fizban admits. "The forces of darkness cover almost all of Ansalon, and the forces of light have a lot of catching up to do. They need all of the help they can get."

"This way," he says, leading her not into the tavern, but around it, to the back alley behind it.

Here they find an interesting scene. Four people, two of them laying on their backs and covered in severe wounds, surround an open manhole cover. Of the two on their feet, one is a badly wounded kender wearing chain mail armor. The other is a human woman in leather, but with no wounds. Of the two on the ground, one is a dwarf of some kind. The other is a human woman. It takes a moment, but Arulia recognizes her as Kendra, a Holy Guard she used to work alongside.

"Ah, looks like a real mess back here," Fizban comments. The kender and the woman, not having noticed their approach, turns toward them. The woman draws a pair of daggers. "Turn around and walk away," she threatens. "This doesn't concern you."

"Easy," the kender says. "I don't think they mean us any harm. Maybe they can help."

[djhyland]

Arulia gasps at the severity of the wounds on the people before her. Though she had not known what Fizban's business was in leading her here, she is still taken aback: she had not expected this! Her thoughts of the old gods are quickly forgotten, crowded out as she trys to remember the rudiments of healing that she learned during her time with the Holy Guard.

Recognizing her former companion amongst the wounded, Arulia shakes her head at the knife-wielding woman. "Stand aside," she says. "Your friends are injured, and I might be able to help." Regretting her lack of proper bandages and thread and such, she kneels at Kendra's side to inspect the woman's injuries. "She is hurt, and badly. I do not know if I can save her, but I must try..."

(OOC: if needed, Arulia's healing proficiency check is 11. Invisible castle appears to be down, though, so I can't roll against it...)

[JadedDM]

The blonde woman relaxes a bit, sheathing her daggers.

When Arulia kneels by Kendra's side, she can see that her wounds have been haphazardly and inexpertly bounded to stop the bleeding, but that's about it. She's alive, but only just barely. "The dwarf is already dead," the kender tells her. "But we were able to save her. Sort of."

Arulia does what she can for Kendra, but she remains unconscious. It will take a few days of bed rest for her to fully recover.

Fizban approaches the dead dwarf and looks down at him, shaking his head. "Poor fellow."

========

Arulia makes a healing check [11] on Kendra (1d20): 10, pass. She restores (1d3): 3 HP. Kendra is now at -6 HP.

[djhyland]

Having bandaged and bound Kendra's wounds as well as she is able, Arulia says, "She'll live. She's bad, but she'll live." Looking to the kender and the knife-wielding woman, she asks, "Does she have somewhere to sleep while she recovers? It could be a number of days before she wakes up, I think."

After finishing with Kendra, she moves to the dwarf. Finding him dead indeed, she closes his eyes and does what she can to clean up his wounds. Though he's beyond caring, she feels the need to make him as presentable as she can. Maybe he'll appreciate it when he meets the gods... "Old gods, true gods, do not let him pass by!"

Finally, she looks to the kender. "You do not look much better than these two. Let me bandage your wounds to keep away the sickness, and they might heal faster." Looking him up and down, she cannot help but ask, "What happened to all of you, anyway?"

(OOC: If an additional Healing check is needed on Pen, Arulia's proficiency score is still 11 and Invisible Castle is still down.)

[JadedDM]

"She just got married," the woman says. "To some jeweler, she said. Good looking and wealthy and loves her to pieces. She was pretty miserable about it. So I guess she should be taken there. I need to go report to the boss that the mission was a bust."

Arulia tries to do something for the kender, but having no bandages and poultices, she isn't much help. "We went into the sewers and got attacked by some horaxes," he says. "By the time we killed them, Kendra was down and poor Darga was dead."

===========

Arulia makes a healing check [11] on the kender (1d20): 12, fail.

[djhyland]

Arulia nods at Crystal's explanation. "Do you think you can help me carry her to her husband's house, then? I'd rather not do it myself." She thinks for a moment. "Maybe if we find a wagon or cart, it'll be easier."

Motioning to the dead dwarf, she continues. "And what about him? I suppose we need to take him to the mortuary." She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "I'd hate to have to explain this to the Watch, so I suppose we'll need to be careful."

[JadedDM]

"This isn't part of my job description," Crystal complains. "Then again, I admit, I am curious to see if her husband is as good looking as she claims."

Fizban looks over Darga. "Don't worry about him. I can drop him off where he needs to go on my way out. Oh, before I forget, you might need this." He hands something to Arulia. It's a medallion of a dragon. She can't be sure, but it looks to be made of platinum. "Keep this secret, keep it safe," he warns. "The forces of darkness won't take kindly if they see it. It may take you some time to figure it out, but if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I think you'll know what to do with it."

[djhyland]

Arulia's eyes widen at the sight of the dragon medallion--it's obviously wrought with great artistry, and the metal...platinum? Fighting the urge to study it at length, she tears her eyes away and slips the cord over her head to let the pendant fall beneath her chemise. "...Thank you, sir," she finally says. "I'll keep it as safe as I can, though I don't know what you mean about figuring it out..." Sensing that Fizban's business is nearing an end, she asks, "Are you leaving already? Are you sure I can't make a supper for you?"

[JadedDM]

The old man picks up Darga's body. "Just remember this, if nothing else. Things are going to get bad soon. Very bad. You've seen it yourself, in your dream. You will feel all alone, surrounded by darkness and evil. Just remember, though, you aren't truly alone. A war is raging across Ansalon, and Haven is only a small part of it. Good can triumph...but only if we learn to put aside our petty differences and work together."

The image of the wizard melts away to reveal instead, a well built knight in shining, platinum full plate armor, a magnificent long sword buckled to his hip.

Platinum Knight.jpg (44.09 KiB) Viewed 10768 times

"I wish I could stay. But in a way, a part of me will. You need only seek me out, Arulia. Until then, have faith. And good luck." And with that, the knight and Darga are consumed by a pillar of light, then vanish entirely, leaving the alley quiet again.

Pen stares at where the old man had been standing, jaw open, in shock. Crystal just looks unnerved. "The Abyss did I just see?" she asks, finally breaking the silence.

=========

Arulia acquires a Medallion of Faith.

(OOC: From this point on, Arulia now has the potential to become a true cleric. When that happens, I leave up to you. You can have her discover her faith very soon, or much later on.)