An Oath of Non-Violence??
Anyone who wishes to expand on this, please do.
We rejoin our friends as they are separated from each other. Westwind, Wrye and the newcomer to the group, Lysander, are hidden in a copse of trees on a lord's estate somewhere in the Principality of Ulek. They had been greeted on their first night there by a druid, concerned with the welfare of the land. He was truthfully told the story of the group (except the bit about outlawry), and after some discussion, was convinced that the travelers intended to go to the Pomarj and in fact drive the orcs out entirely. Crazy but harmless, he concluded, and allowed them to stay for the three days they requested.
The bard Maloki (usually called Kespin) remained with Sir Harcourt at the Inn with the possibly suspicious monk. As they conversed in the inn, a lone cleric rode into town. Brother Gerard of the Church of Rao was quickly summoned to the inn to aid Sir Harcourt's grievously wounded companion. Thus was the hard work of Westwind, Kespin and Wrye gone to naught.
After allowing Brother Rel to recover some of his strength, Sir Harcourt and Maloki detailed their suspicions to Brother Gerard. They attempted to go for a brief tour of the countryside on horseback, but Maloki protested that he could not ride. With some antics, Sir Harcourt and Gerard determined with the aid of Gerard's mule that in fact, Maloki was likely cursed.
Maloki, Sir Harcourt and Brother Gerard headed north with the official patrol in search of the ruffians that had attacked Brother Rel. No sign was seen of them.
After praying for moral guidance in the matter, Brother Gerard asked aid from Rao in knowing the moral compass of Brother Rel. Much to his surprise and dismay, Rel's intents were not innocent and good.
It was only the amulet that Westwind had grabbed from Brother Rel's chest that allowed his true nature to shine through, or so we suspect.
Not wishing to continue his travels with someone of evil intent, Brother Gerard instead agreed to travel with Maloki, heading north once more.
Along the way, Maloki reveals his true form to Brother Gerard and the fact that he is one of the Ruffians. Brother Gerard takes it quite well, all in all. He doesn't actually panic (coming quite close), finds his towel secure, and continues to travel with Kespin.
By some great luck, Kespin and Gerard actually manage to find the exact copse of trees where Westwind, Wrye and Lysander are hidden. Kespin determines therefore that he is a skilled tracker and outdoorsman, much to Wrye's consternation.
Kespin introduces Gerard to the group. The cleric of Rao is rather out-of-place among the lawless band of Ruffians that call themselves agents of good, but sees a void in the group that he may fill -- the moral guide. He is honest enough to inform the group of his vows, however: he has taken a Vow of Non-Violence, and therefore any he travels with must act in accordance with it.
For whatever reason, he believes this sorry group when they tell him that they can abide by the vow, despite the fact that they continually question him about the real restrictions of the vow. "If there's a big ogre, about to bite the head off of a little girl, and he's three hundred feet away, do I have to ask him to surrender before I shoot him?"
The full group continues east until they come around nightfall to a halfling farm. They ask for permission to stay in the barn, which is granted. They learn then of trouble which has plagued the area for the last fortnight: unnatural fog, and people and goats disappearing near the river. The group agrees to investigate.
Using Westwind as bait, they flush a white dragon. After injuring it, they track it to its lair. Brother Gerard remains on the riverbank while the others swim down into an underwater cavern, surfacing within the dragon's lair. It freezes the ice and fights fiercely, but the group drives it from the cave. It surfaces and flies away before Brother Gerard can react, leaving behind lair and hoard.
We rejoin our friends as they are separated from each other. Westwind, Wrye and the newcomer to the group, Lysander, are hidden in a copse of trees on a lord's estate somewhere in the Principality of Ulek. They had been greeted on their first night there by a druid, concerned with the welfare of the land. He was truthfully told the story of the group (except the bit about outlawry), and after some discussion, was convinced that the travelers intended to go to the Pomarj and in fact drive the orcs out entirely. Crazy but harmless, he concluded, and allowed them to stay for the three days they requested.
The bard Maloki (usually called Kespin) remained with Sir Harcourt at the Inn with the possibly suspicious monk. As they conversed in the inn, a lone cleric rode into town. Brother Gerard of the Church of Rao was quickly summoned to the inn to aid Sir Harcourt's grievously wounded companion. Thus was the hard work of Westwind, Kespin and Wrye gone to naught.
After allowing Brother Rel to recover some of his strength, Sir Harcourt and Maloki detailed their suspicions to Brother Gerard. They attempted to go for a brief tour of the countryside on horseback, but Maloki protested that he could not ride. With some antics, Sir Harcourt and Gerard determined with the aid of Gerard's mule that in fact, Maloki was likely cursed.
Maloki, Sir Harcourt and Brother Gerard headed north with the official patrol in search of the ruffians that had attacked Brother Rel. No sign was seen of them.
After praying for moral guidance in the matter, Brother Gerard asked aid from Rao in knowing the moral compass of Brother Rel. Much to his surprise and dismay, Rel's intents were not innocent and good.
It was only the amulet that Westwind had grabbed from Brother Rel's chest that allowed his true nature to shine through, or so we suspect.
Not wishing to continue his travels with someone of evil intent, Brother Gerard instead agreed to travel with Maloki, heading north once more.
Along the way, Maloki reveals his true form to Brother Gerard and the fact that he is one of the Ruffians. Brother Gerard takes it quite well, all in all. He doesn't actually panic (coming quite close), finds his towel secure, and continues to travel with Kespin.
By some great luck, Kespin and Gerard actually manage to find the exact copse of trees where Westwind, Wrye and Lysander are hidden. Kespin determines therefore that he is a skilled tracker and outdoorsman, much to Wrye's consternation.
Kespin introduces Gerard to the group. The cleric of Rao is rather out-of-place among the lawless band of Ruffians that call themselves agents of good, but sees a void in the group that he may fill -- the moral guide. He is honest enough to inform the group of his vows, however: he has taken a Vow of Non-Violence, and therefore any he travels with must act in accordance with it.
For whatever reason, he believes this sorry group when they tell him that they can abide by the vow, despite the fact that they continually question him about the real restrictions of the vow. "If there's a big ogre, about to bite the head off of a little girl, and he's three hundred feet away, do I have to ask him to surrender before I shoot him?"
The full group continues east until they come around nightfall to a halfling farm. They ask for permission to stay in the barn, which is granted. They learn then of trouble which has plagued the area for the last fortnight: unnatural fog, and people and goats disappearing near the river. The group agrees to investigate.
Using Westwind as bait, they flush a white dragon. After injuring it, they track it to its lair. Brother Gerard remains on the riverbank while the others swim down into an underwater cavern, surfacing within the dragon's lair. It freezes the ice and fights fiercely, but the group drives it from the cave. It surfaces and flies away before Brother Gerard can react, leaving behind lair and hoard.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home