Crimson Paladin

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

"A lot happened in the temple that needs to be discussed, but if you're getting ready to meet the Kyrinth, we can worry about it later." Novak paused for a moment, then spoke back up. "Well, actually there one thing you might want to know first, we think we might have learned why the Kyrinth is upset with the village. Lazhira told us that the covenant with the Kyrinth was to give up worship of the Illuminator. And we think that some of the hunters are still secretly worshiping the god of knowledge in defiance of the deal. I'm not asking you to take my word for it, but if the Kyrinth doesn't bring it up, you might want to ask about it."

Admittedly, they didn't actually have proof of it, and they didn't even have any faces to go with such serious accusations. With any luck, the Kyrinth would be able to confirm or debunk their suspicions.

"Actually, it's worse than that," Novak continued, a bit hesitant, "We're pretty sure some of them tried to kill us when we were in the temple. When we were leaving, we saw evidence of an ambush at the entrance, and when we didn't come out, somebody lit a fire in at the entrance try to flush us out or suffocate us. If we hadn't found another exit, and if it weren't for Lady Mie sending help to guide us back safely, we might not have been able to elude them out there."

Again, he had no proof for this, but perhaps the mention of Lady Mie's involvement might help lend credence to it. He also began to wonder if sure whether it had been wise to reveal this to Enli. Could it put Enli in danger, to be told these things? Would the meeting with the Kyrinth go smoother if he stepped into it ignorant of the possible cause of the Elder Beast's displeasure?

"Oh, one last thing, this meeting...is this just between you and the Kyrinth, or could I come along? I still don't know understand the context of some of what I saw and heard in the temple, and if I were able to hear the Elder Beast's side of things it might make those things clear."

@Rune_Alchemist

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

The that things Novak overheard were disturbing. The Illuminator's temple had supposedly vanished and the unnatural fog had spread over a wider area, with nothing left over but a waterlogged altar. An entire temple, gone in less than a day, right after they had ventured through it and met the Illuminator within. The possibility that their adventure in the temple may have escalated the threat that the village faced worried Novak greatly. To make matters worse, he still heard no word about Leannah. He began to wonder if they'd ever see her again.

Novak reached Bolcha's workplace without incident. The craftsman led him to the finished product, seemingly quite pleased. Novak's eyes practically lit up when he saw the garb.

This is much better than I expected, Novak thought as he looked over the armor, quite impressed. It was more than just some scale armor, it was nearly an entire outfit, with boots, gloves, a helmet, and vest, all of which looked quite warm. Bolcha had really gone the extra mile with this. It was good to be reminded that there were kind, helpful people in this village. It was all the more reason to do whatever he could to help save this village from whatever was menacing it.

"It looks great, thank you, Bolcha," Novak replied, happily. "I hope I have an opportunity to repay you for this kindness." Aside from the protection that the scales should provide, the ensemble looked pretty practical for the cold climate, it pouches to make carrying things easier, and it might help him to not stand out so much. He wasted no time putting the outfit on, gearing up for whatever trouble seemed to be approaching the village.

As he put the armor on, he turned his eyes to several hunters, and once again considered his options. With the situation as dire as it was and without any other leads, perhaps it might be a good idea to find out what Iva'Krorh's followers knew about the theft of the orb. They'd probably be unwilling to cooperate if the merely approached one on the street, but if he were able to approach them from a position of strength- perhaps backed up Enli, Akando, or some of the other of the goddess' chosen, then they might be more willing to answer his questions.

Yes, it'd probably be wise to get Enli up to speed about everything that happened at the temple. Perhaps he could tell me what's going on, and what Nobunaga and Misaki got up to while I was at the temple. With him having returned at such a late hour yesterday, Novak had never gotten the chance to report their findings to the chief, and had no idea if Narkissa or Lazhira had done so. He couldn't be sure if Enli would be able to believe the part about meeting the Illuminator or the claim that some of the hunters are still worshipers of the god of knowledge, but the chief needed to know the whole truth, as wild as some of it was.

After he finished donning the armor, Novak departed Bolcha's workplace, waving goodbye to the man and heading to the chief's longhouse. The armor would take some getting used to, but there was no time like the present to begin breaking it in.

@Rune_Alchemist

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Léon Reverdin

The remaining skeletons were dispatched by the party's mage, consumed in a fiery blast. The battle finished, Léon pulled his hammer close and took a moment to assess himself. Nothing appeared singed or burned, and he wasn't bleeding, so it looked like things were good. It was good that they had a mage on hand, but he felt that was a little too close for comfort.

I'd like a bit of a warning beforehand next time someone does that. It's risky to use magic like that in enclosed spaces, and I can't protect against something that I don't know is coming.

He turned to the group's paladin, who appeared to be uninjured. No surprise there, considering her equipment and training for dealing with these sorts of foes.

Thanks for the assist, sister," he thanked Nuri, bowing his head. "I wouldn't have fared too well without your aid." Indeed, it was clear that the cleric had gotten in over his head, putting himself in a situation that his fighting reflexes were not quite developed enough to handle. He would need to be more careful in the future, because if something happened to him, the others might not be able to heal him, and he would not be able to heal them. Speaking of which, this would be a good time to do his job as a healer and check up on the rest of the group.

"Is anybody injured?" he asked, turning to the rest of the group. "Anyone bleeding or burned?"

@Raineh Daze@Zoey Boey@VitaVitaAR@Darner@Pyromania99@Rune_Alchemist

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

"Good to meet you too," Novak replied to the dwarf as he took a seat at the table. Despite the fox opting to sleep on him last night, he had slept fairly well, or at least better than if he had gone back to Enli's place. After everything that had happened, he didn't feel particularly safe sleeping among the villagers, within reach of the hunters, and it was of no small relief to be offered to stay at Lady Mie's tent for the night. While it was true that he hadn't actually seen any of the hunters trying to kill him, the mask's vision, the Illuminator's warning, the smell of smoke, and the fox's guidance all pointed towards someone having malicious intentions towards him yesterday.

Novak speculated that the mask he picked up might allow him to identify among the hunters served the Illuminator, but wasn't sure how people would react to him donning the mask, especially if they recognized where it was from.

"I have to say it's a very tempting offer," Novak spoke to Lady Mie. "I think some traveling would do good for me, and provide the opportunity to learn some new skills." There was a lot he could see himself gaining from traveling with Mie; he could learn to use a sword properly, gain some firsthand understanding of this world and its civilizations beyond this little village, and perhaps pick up on prices of goods and value of whatever currencies this world has. Not to mention traveling from place to place in a merchant caravan could help to track down the orb that the Illuminator desired, while simultaneously getting him far, far away from whoever had tried to kill him and his companions yesterday.

"That said, I do have a bit of unfinished business in this village that I'm hoping to conclude before I could commit myself to your service," he continued. "I'm hoping that I can get it taken care of today." First, Novak was hoping that Bolcha will have finished the armor he had agreed to craft, so he'd have some form of proper protective attire. Second, it might be enlightening to track down one of the Illuminator-worshiping hunters and ask them about the orb, about the theft, and about Lazhira. Alternatively, they could be as blinded to the theft as the Illuminator was, and/or try to kill Novak to maintain their secrecy. Perhaps he'd be better off asking one of the other of the Goddess' chosen if they had learned anything about the situation in the village.

If Lady Mie had nothing else to discuss, Novak would grab his belongings, leave the tent, and head for Bolcha's place of work. It might be too much to ask for someone to make armor out of the creature's hide in a day and a half, but it wouldn't hurt to see what progress had been made.

I wonder how many of the hunters are with the Illuminator, he pondered. A few of them? Most of them? Is Akando one of them? Novak hoped that he had garnered enough goodwill helping against the armadillo beast and retrieving Bolcha's tools that whatever malefactors resided in the village would stay their hand.

@Rune_Alchemist

War Never Changes III: Annals of the East

I've talked with Andro, and decided to play the Children of Atom, controlling the western half of The Island, and faced with the predicament of maintaining peace with several factions that hate each other.

War Never Changes: Let's Tri This Again

@Mao Mao Would the Sole Survivor have gone to Far Harbor? My idea for a faction is the Children of Atom under the leadership of Synth-Tektus.

Edit: And I somehow completely overlooked Andro's Far Harbor proposal. Guess I'll need to think it over some more.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Fantasy Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

The fort captain's quarters was a stark contrast to rest of the fort. Judging by the wounds on the captain's throat, it appeared that he had been murdered in his sleep. Compared to the other soldiers they had seen, it was a far more peaceful scene. Fleuri was loathe to call the victim of such a murder lucky, but...at least he had the dignity to die as himself and not a murderous madman. The Reonite knight looked at the captain for several silent moments before finally speaking.

"Curious, I don't see any wounds on him other than on his throat," he observed. "No sign of struggle either. This doesn't look like the handiwork of a maddened soldier."

If Fleuri had to guess, it'd be that whoever brought the shard to the fort had also murdered the captain. But why, exactly, would they go out of their way to kill him in his sleep and not just not subject him to the same murderous impulses as the rest of the fort? What sort of threat did the captain pose that they didn't want to leave his death to chance?

"I think you're right Gerard, someone probably planted it." Fleuri spoke to Gerard. "Furthermore, I think whoever did it also killed the fort's captain here. I wonder why they bothered to murder him, instead of just letting the shard drive him mad like the rest of the garrison."

Fleuri walked over to the desk and began carefully rummaging through it, looking for anything that might give a clue about what occurred at the fort. He did so slowly and carefully, however- he didn't want to damage the late captain's belongings or destroy any evidence, and if the shard happened to be in here, he didn't want to accidentally touch it.

"Gerard, could you help me search this room? There might be something in here that could shed some light on what happened here."

@HereComesTheSnow

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

Léon Reverdin

In this situation that Léon found himself in, a more skilled, more experienced Shrine Keeper would've drawn their scepter and handily parried the foe's mace, or struck it down with holy magic. But Léon was not such a veteran warrior, thus he fumbled to draw the scepter from his belt and was unable to counter or defend in time. He was a split second away from freezing in panic when the skeleton suddenly lost its footing as something from Nuri's direction struck it, which gave him enough breathing room step back and gain enough room to use his hammer.

I'll have to tell her how grateful I am for that, she might've just saved my life.

Grateful to both Nuri and the goddesses for this brief reprieve, Léon raised his massive warhammer and swung it down at the skeleton's skull. He wasn't going to let this undead abomination get another chance.

Dungeon Clearer! A Fantasy Adventurer RP

I think I'll wait until after Zoey posts, in case Nuri wants to help Léon out.

The Epic of Beginnings - Fragments of a weathered scroll

Novak

The smell of burning was a cause for worry. If the hunters could fill the place with smoke, they might be able to kill the trio without ever having to swing a weapon. And the tar in the pit...was it flammable? Could that entire room ignite? Narkissa was right, they needed to get out of here.

"Piece of meat? I don't think so, unless there's something in their kitchen, or...wait," Novak paused, remembering a crucial detail. "The Illuminator's mannequin might be err...fleshy enough, but he might not be too pleased with it getting damaged, and he still hasn't released Leannah."

Leannah's disappearance was still a problem. Ironically, as far as they knew she might actually be better off in whatever corner of the temple she had stumbled into than out here instead of out here, desperately trying to avoid getting murdered by a pack of hunters. Come to think of it, what would they do if they found a way out? Surely the hunters would be able to track and overtake them before they reached the village, and even if they did make it, Novak hardly considered that a guarantee of safety.

If only we could turn these...slimes to our advantage.

Recalling Lazhira's words, Novak knelt down, out of range of the larger slime's tendrils, and looked where the smaller slime had retreated.

"You don't need to be afraid of us," he gently assured it, gesturing for it to come closer. "You remember me, right? I didn't bother you when you were following me." Even if it didn't understand his words, he still might be able to coax it out if he was non-threatening enough.

"I don't know if you understand us, but we just want to release your big friend so we can leave," he explained, gesturing to the larger slime, "But as long as it's trying to kill us, we can't help." Novak still felt really silly about trying to communicate with a slime, and hoped for the remote possibility that it had the ability to understand them. If all else failed, they might have to kill the big slime, something that Narkissa and Lazhira would know how to do. Truth be told, Novak would rather avoid killing it. They needed every possible advantage they could get, befriending one of these slime creatures, if such a thing were possible, could be useful.

@Click This@Rune_Alchemist