Turn 60

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The Druids of Dunore

Brief Recap: Last turn, Bibi and Mog journeyed north to her new home and explored the forest. Mog has been having disturbing dreams. Ghotu and Bronk journeyed to their lands, then regrouped and headed north to find Bibi and Mog. En route, they were met by a messenger of the King's scouts who had a message for Bibi. The two took the message intending to deliver it to the young druid.

News in the Forest

It has been several weeks, and Bibi now feels quite familiar and comfortable with the forest. [Anne, you can name the forest if you want.] However, her concern for Mog has only grown. The orcish shaman has grown progressively worse over the last few days. This morning, Bibi has been unable to wake him from his trance. He sits with legs crossed, hands in his lap, a vacant stare in his eyes. He does not respond to Bibi at all.

As Bibi prepares some breakfast, she hears a sound near the camp. Someone approaches. Bibi places her hand on the large oak under which they camped and attempts to communicate with the tree, asking it what it senses nearby.

The tree does not communicate in words, only via some empathic sense. Bibi senses through the oak that two men in armor are passing by the camp to the east, apparently ignorant of Bibi and Mog. One of them seems to know some woodlore, the other is a fighter. They lead mounts.

The tree also tells Bibi that a very sick orc sits near the tree. She understands it refers to Mog.

An unbearable gilt comes over Bibi. How could she have not noticed how ill he was. She knows she must do something to help him. But first she must make sure that there is not any other danger afoot. Bibi changes into falcon form and flies overhead in the direction of the intruders. (assuming it is Bronk and Ghotu) Seeing her friends she feels relieved.

Bibi lands on the ground in front of the two and returns to human form. "I'm very glad to see you both but we must hurry. Mog is very sick." Bronk and Ghotu can clearly recognize the panic in her voice.

The camp is not far, and Bibi quickly leads them there.

Once back at camp Bibi casts heal serious wounds and lays her hands on Mog's face.

Mog shudders when she does this, but her spell does not seem to help him out of his trance. A groan escapes his lips.

Healing is not Bibi's primary skill, but she knows much of the art nevertheless. Bibi has never seen a sickness like this before. Mog is almost completely catatonic.

Ghotu and Bronk look on helplessly, knowing they can't directly help their friend.

Disappointed in her inability to help Mog, Bibi turns to Ghotu and Bronk. "I don't know if I can help him. We may need to take him to a Cleric. Please start gathering our thing and planning a route. I have one more hope of helping him but it will take a little bit of time."

Bibi goes under the great tree and begins to pray. She lays her hands against the ground to speak with her earth goddess. The Earth Goddess is the primary deity of Bibi religion. It is believed that she is the mother of all creation on surface, be it plant or animal. Bibi asks for guidance and grace. She then casts commune with nature again, she is trying to determine if there are any plants that may help Mog.

[If that doesn't work]

Bibi returns to Mog and opens her locket. (I think we agreed that the stones that she wasn't powerful enough to charge still hold a one time use that is undetermined.) She takes out the darkest stone (not the obsidian stone) and presses it against Mog's forehead with her thumb. She continues to pray for Mog's health.

The stone does not appear to help Mog, though it does not lose its power either [i.e., it is still charged.].

When Bibi is done attempting to help Mog, Ghotu reveals that they met a courier on their way north, at Thedrickstand Keep. He draws the scroll sealed with the King's stamp from his pack and hands it to Bibi.

The scroll reads:

"Bibi, my scouts have sent word of success in their search. Carrier pigeons arrived yesterday and today each carrying the same message: Azriel is with his people, and will go alone to the High Stone Alter one month from the new year. There he will wait for Bibi for one week.

--King Ozrik"

It is nearly new years right now. The High Stone Alter is a location outside Bibi's people's tribal lands, holy to Druids. Bibi knows exactly where it is. It will take just about a month to travel there by horse, so Bibi can make it if she starts the journey in the next few days. Or she can travel there in animal form much faster, but without any companions.

* * *

Later, in the evening as Bibi, Ghotu, and Bronk sit around a campfire, they hear another pained groan escape Mog, as though he is losing a long and bitter fight. The skin of his face now hangs slack and pale, his eyes red-rimmed and constantly staring into nothing.

Bibi discusses with Ghotu and Bronk where they might receive the best help for Mog. [I'm not sure what knowledge they have but if they think the free city is the best bet then that is where they'll go.] She casts summon animal and calls two turtledoves (since there are no pigeons around). She attaches a message to one for Azriel. She tells him of her sick friend and that she maybe unable to meet with him and that she will send another message as soon as she knows more.

Bibi has always had complete trust in Azriel but now that she cares the stone she questions that trust. She does not want to go alone.

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To Return a Blade

Brief Recap: Last turn, Blade and Fyona journeyed toward the southlands, making their way eastward to catch the o' Bugbear Trail to Pastille, where Bruce's home is located. They encountered several humans fighting with a large winged lion-like monster.

To the Attack!

"Heeya!" yells Blade as he kicks his mount into action. The horse springs toward the monster, a large winged lion with a human-like face. That face is now covered in blood from its human enemies and its own wounds.

Blade directs his horse to charge directly into the beast, Fyona just behind him and to his right, rapier ready. But the monster hears their approach and turns to face its two new opponents. As Blade nears, ready to strike the monster, a thought enters his head--as if someone is speaking to him. The voice says, "Do not attack." Fyona too hears the voice in her head.

An awful feeling of uncertainty comes over Blade. Had the voice been only in his head? He wasn't sure. He no longer knew what to do. He slows his horse to a trot as Fyona races past him. He clutches the Luck stone in his pocket hoping for answers, but none come to him. Maybe this was the wrong course of action, maybe it wasn't meant to be. "Heresy" whispers another voice in his head.

Fyona assumes that it is the creature that is speaking to her. So, she circles her horse and replies (out load) "Why should we not kill you?"

Fyona and Blade both hear the voice in their head, "Because I am not your enemy." Meanwhile, one of the archers plugs the beast with another arrow, this one striking it in the neck. The beast roars in pain and turns toward the archer, preparing to make a wing-assisted leap up the steep rise.

The archers, seeing the beast come toward them, yell, "Help us!" Clearly they are in trouble, as three of their friends (two spearmen and one mage) have already been killed or maimed by the monster.

Fyona shouts back, "Retreat and we shall take care of this beast." She then replies silently to the voice in her head hoping it can hear her, "Let them go and tell me what you want from us."

The beast does not appear to hear Fyona's thoughts.

Fyona repeats her self out load, " Let them go and tell me what you want from us."

Blade does nothing, His horse has slowed to a walk now as Blade weighs the pros and cons of possible actions and their possible ramifications. He begins to get a pounding headache.

"Consequences be damned!' shouts Blade and again kicks his horse into a charge. Any action was better than no action. He heads straight for teh best and attempts to lop off it's head. His headache immediately lessens now that he was no longer thinking about fate and his place in the grand scheme of teh cosmos. ____

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The Crown of Acererak

Brief Recap: Last turn, Humphrey made his way to his new home. He addressed the citizens there and began moving his things into his manor house. Before he went to sleep, he got the feeling someone was nearby, maybe in his home.

Unknown Threats

After hearing or sensing someone in his house, Humphrey quickly and quietly dons the crown and takes the scepter in one hand, his staff in the other. As soon as the crown touches his head, he feels its power. He feels adrenaline rush through his body, and it seems as if he also grows in physical stature. [Humphrey receives an undisclosed bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Strength.]

Moving into the hall, he sees the booted foot of the intruder sitting in a chair in the main living area. The chair faces partly away, and Humphrey can't see who it is.

[What does Humphrey do? The person in the chair is about 20 feet from Humphrey, down the hall and in an open room.]

Humphrey says "Who invades my abode uninvited?" As he does so, he readies to use the crown if he must.

A familiar voice says, "An old friend has come to greet the Master Prestidigitator in his new castle." Humphrey recognizes the voice as the intruder pokes his head around wingback chair to look at Humphrey. It is Nepal. "I see your taste in headwear has gone downhill. Do we fancy ourselves a King now?"

"A King? Oh no, it is this damned crown. I fear it is to be more trouble than it is worth. But it is a truly powerful item. It is good to see you my old friend. But I must, with your leave of course, ask you to give me some information from our past that only the two of us would know, for I have been beseeched by terrible demons of late. It seems this crown has made me something of a celebrity with the underworld. I hope that you will not take offense to my request, but these are dangerous times." Humphrey has not removed the crown. He is happy to see his old friend, but apprehensive all the same.

Nepal smiles and says, "How about the time we tricked the Mezzodaemon into fleeing by convincing it we could go astral and thus be able to attack it? It was long ago, in the dungeons of Lavern the Vile. We were sure to be killed by the beast, until we made it think we were more powerful than we really were."

"Ah, my friend. It is good to see you again. Let me get us some tea fetched. Rainer!" Humphrey yells to his servant.

An old man enters, looking as if he was expecting the call from Humphrey.

"Bring us some tea, please."

"Yes sire." Humphrey hears a quiver in Rainer's voice as he answers, as if the man greatly fears Humphrey. Rainer disappears quickly, bowing deeply and not turning his back to Humphrey until he is out of sight.

Humphrey twitches his fingers, starting a fire in the fireplace and sits in the chair next to Nepal. A huge bearskin stretches out in front of them on the floor. "It is good to see you, but won't the guild be upset if they find you in the company of the treasonous?" Humphrey laughs when he says this. He removes the crown from his head, but it is still resting on his lap, along with the scepter [though in an unobtrusive manner].

Nepal stares at the Crown as Humphrey removes it. To Humphrey, Nepal's eyes look almost hungry for the crown. But the look quickly disappears, as Nepal says, "I don't doubt they would want to skin me alive for speaking with you, but when has that ever stopped me? The Guild can blow glass for all I care."

Rainer soon returns, bearing a tray with a pot of tea and two mugs. His hands visibly shake as he sets the tray on a low table between the two mages where they sit. Without a word, Rainer quickly bows his way backward out of the room again.

Apparently not noticing Rainer's strange behavior, Nepal says, "Now, I want you to explain to me exactly what has happened these past several months. One minute, these Githyanki are invading Galay itself, having conquered the entire Northern Kingdom in but a few weeks. The next minute, I am sitting back in my tower on the Cliff of Scorn, and it is months earlier, before the gith ever showed up. I would go to Egmund for information, and I will, but I wanted to hear it from you first. What is going on? What has happened?"

Humphrey tells him every ounce of the story from the beginning until the end, with his own slant of course, regarding the manner in which the party acted, their mistrust, and especially his disdain for that scoundrel Blade.

[Nepal looks like Sting, with light colored hair cut very short and standing straight up on top. He wears an earring in one ear. He dresses in fashionable clothes.]

Posting Instructions: Please add as you like, and feel free to revise any actions I have portrayed you as taking.

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