The journey home

[sageaqua]

"The people here are. They just pulled us up. I can only use two weapons. One ranged and one for hand to hand. As I don't like to wear armor I'll collect that as will and give it to the men and women that help me. I will also loot any dead priest and temple guards and the shaman and barbarians in the pit for weapons, coin and anything else useful they have. If it turns out they have nothing magical or useful for fighting the undead and or the clearwater is gone for good. I'll loot the vaults but only if I have tried everything else first. I have no training at picking locks but all barbarians are good at evading traps. It's part of all barbarians training. It keeps us from falling off cliffs." said Ka'lion

[harknail]

Vadania commented, "You do realize you're talking about looting priests and vaults belonging to the priests when one of the priests is right here, don't you?"

[sageaqua]

"I prefer for him to know about it. I want him to help me do it. His god hopefully can guide him as to what his god would forgive us taking. I think his god is a good god, not a lawful one and good will always put the needs of others ahead of their own.

It is a important part of showing mercy. charity, benevolence and humility. Without compassion and forgiveness they cannot be good. We need those weapons and tools to survive and to save this town and to protect and to save the lives of others. Good has completely blown it if they wont help us do it." said Ka'lion

[at]

Aelos speaks, "I would not be opposed to bringing the artefacts of the temple back to the priests, but whatever they have locked in the vault has been locked there for a reason. Perhaps only a fear of theft, perhaps something within is a danger itself.

I am also mindful that there may be far more within that we can carry with us and by unlocking the door any agents of the force that animates these people may enter and take that which we did not, and to trek across the fen weighed down by such things is a danger in of itself"

[harknail]

Vadania says, "Since a month has gone by, I think we can spare a day at the temple. We can clear out the bodies. As far as I'm concerned, anything on the priests belongs to Aelos, for him to distribute, carry, or store as he sees fit. Anything on the Barbarians is ours if we want it. We can help Aelos bury the dead priests with appropriate rituals, and bury the barbarians so as to not have their bodies spoil the temple. We should leave the vaults alone, but can search the rest of the temple for personal belongings of the dead or departed. Again, those would be for Aelos to distribute, carry, or store as he sees fit."

She continues, "As blessed ground, the temple itself may prove to be a sanctuary from the undead. But if used in that fashion it is likely to be looted by those staying there. But since evil emerged underneath, it may be just another building."

I've called Aelos's player to let him know he may want to weigh in on this discussion.

[sageaqua]

"Your both right and you both missed what was important that was said a month ago. The barbarians attacked the city and temple because of something the temple did. That's why they attacked! They where fanatically driven to get inside the temple even if it cost all of their lives. There where only six barbarians left and one turned to help us against his own shaman when the shaman turned into the undead. So everyone that died that day is the temples fault. That does not mean the temple was wrong, but they are responsible for the attack somehow.

Because no one sacrifice all of their peoples lives without an very good reason! I think the walking dead is a very good reason. My bet is the vault has some type of super weapon and the barbarians needed it to protect themselves from the demon and the undead. But the temple refused to give it to them. I don't know they where wrong to refuse, but I'm sure they refused. If for no other reason then self preservation.

We don't have enough information to be sure about anything else. But a few things are very clear. The answers are most likely in that vault that imprisoned the demon we where sent to find. So the attack on this city and the walking dead are most likely the temples fault. So I've lost any sympathy for the temple. My sympathy is with the walking dead which should be at rest and with their victims and with the barbarian people that where so desperate that they sacrifice every one of their lives to get into the temple.

If our priest wants to be our quartermaster and distribute weapons and armor - that's fine - but they are to be distributed! Not hidden in a box doing no one any good when unknown numbers of lives are on the line. If we need a wagon to carry everything we get a wagon! I think the god should make it easy for us to get into the vault so we will know what is going on. We wont damage it that way and we can seal it behind us when we leave.

Now fearing a gods wraith doesn't scare me in the least. He didn't kill us before and I don't think he's going to do it now. We also get any weapons the dead have with them. That's salvage and does not belong to the temple. Most likely it belonged to the priests themselves. I think Aelos should ask his god for guidance but we make our own choices." says Ka'lion

[at]

Aelos replies, "your claims are unfounded, and the barbarians did not try to enter the vault. Whatever the source of the magic, it seemed to come from far below the lowest level of the temple."

[sageaqua]

"I made no claims that are not obvious to anyone paying attention. I don't have enough factual information to make any claims. But I will ask you why was the temple targeted? Why was the city abandoned? Why did nearly every barbarian die to get into the temple? Why did the shaman raise as undead inside your gods temple? Why is there a huge gaping hole where the temples waters used to be? All of those are facts. But there are no answers. We don't have any proof. So I guess no one died and it was all just my imagination.

This is a salvage operation. We don't have the time to bury anybody. It would just were us out. But I have no objections putting the dead in a well locked cold room just in case for every ones safety. I'm really sorry this has happened to your faith and their followers. But I'm not going to let anyone die out of respect for any faith. I'm not a prideful person but I am a survivor and that is what you need right now more then anything else. Now I thought you where going to heal us up just in case. I'm still badly hurt." said Ka'lion

[namklim]

Sorry for long delay, work has settled down finally so I can return.

"Ka'lion, something you are neglecting to think about is that the temple may have been trying to contain whatever the barbarians wanted to kill. It would not be surprising to find the temple was built here in order to keep it contained. Either way, we have too many questions and not enough information. Instead of speculating any further, we should work at finding who does have information. Let us bury the dead and recover our wounds. As for the gear, I think Pelor would not mind if we borrow the equipment that they were using to stop this unholy force. Just be sure to return it when we are done. Nothing from the vault though, that is there for a reason."

Since I've been out of touch, I am not sure how many spells I have available for healing up the group. I also doubt I have access to the vault, so not going to take stuff from it.

[harknail]

We've gone from morning to dusk a month later in just an hour or two. We then spent the night on a rooftop and it now a bit after dawn. We all have all of our spells back

[harknail]

Vadania will cast one of her cure light wounds spells on Ka'lion and the other on Throsah.

[dice=8]+3=8
[dice=8]+3=10

Is Throsah still playing? I haven't seen anything posted by him for a long time.[rand=58669779077172282576167590450495586073325760662565643254495225847]

[harknail]

Vadania asks the merchants if they may return here for the next night. She figures on spending the day around town (mostly in the temple), then returning to the safe haven before leaving town the next day.

She'll keep a close eye on Ka'lion to make sure he doesn't burn the whole town down in a misguided effort to kill zombies.

[sageaqua]

"How many of you want to help us? These two are clearly planning on fatiguing themselves out. I'm not going to help them waste energy. I don't have any objections to borrowing stuff but I think we'd of earned the right to keep the stuff loaned to us before this is all over.

I do need a few trustworthy people to lower me into the pit. None of these guys know how to climb and I made need help very quickly if the pit is filled with undead." said Ka'lion

[at]

The men look to their leader, "aye, we'll be here for a few days, and we'll take a look at the temple. But if I were you i'd put some distance between myself and this place afore you came down with the sickness like the rest."

Throsah nods at the words, already packed and ready to leave. Unlike the others he had no experience of the undead and was not planning to any time soon.

May 6, 2013 20:27:52 GMT -5 namklim said:

Since I've been out of touch, I am not sure how many spells I have available for healing up the group.

Memorise your spells now - it's dawn. As far as Aelos knows the vault was used to hold the temples takings and magical artefacts, though anything of particular value was sent to the faiths larger holdings elsewhere as tithes or for protection.

May 7, 2013 2:26:33 GMT -5 harknail said:

Is Throsah still playing?

I don't think so, he character is going to take this opportunity to put as much distance between the himself and the town as possible while the sun is up.

[sageaqua]

"Okay we need to stop by the tavern so I can pick up my gear on the way. Let's go." said Ka'lion as he climbs down.
climb check
+5+1 str + roll[dice=20]=10[rand=1491002526599913850797338923439381258307944517582715456408308818936]

[harknail]

"I wonder if your gear is still there," muses Vadania. "After all, you've been gone a month and presumed dead." Vadania was amused by the possible irony of Ka'lion, ready to steal for expediency may have had his stuff stolen for the same reason by others.

[sageaqua]

"It may be gone. I had 600 feet of rope. You made fun of it saying no one needs that much rope. It may of been taken or part of it may of been taken or none of it was taken. But I wont know until I look will I?" asked Ka'lion, "I don't know how deep the pit is do I. If my gear's gone I'll just need to replace it won't I?"

[harknail]

"Sure, we can go check," agreed Vadania. "Today is to prepare for leaving town tomorrow, and that's the easiest of our preparations. As for how deep the pit was, I think it was about 70 or 80 feet deep. I only have 50 feet of rope. Aelos, are you carrying any rope?"

[at]

The men busy themselves, splitting into two groups of three each with a single man carrying a rope and grapple. The seventh man surveys the town with a spyglass, a horn hanging at his side.

The eldest points to a scarred man in the other group, "Rake here will go with you"

[sageaqua]

Can you describe Rake? more fully. Basically I want to know if he can pull Ka'lion up.