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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 11, 2019 8:29:51 GMT
Solstice’s dreams have been filled with fire. Not natural flame, either. This fire twists and turns, writhes and burns in hateful patterns across the night sky. The very stars themselves seem to be alight with it, an inferno which burns away their light and leaves only inky darkness in its wake. The flames lick and spiral, cascading together until they eclipse the moon, and scour that from the night sky as well. The only light in the darkness comes from the blazing, hateful orange light of the fire itself, and soon even that turns on itself, curling up into a sphere which descends from a sky rendered cold and dead. The ball of roiling flame descends into the heart of the City of the Dead, the overgrown and ill-tended park which doubled as Waterdeep’s graveyard. There, the sphere expanded, consuming all that plantlife and leaving only ashes and darkness in its wake. This was the vision that had come upon Solstice the previous night. When she awoke, her skin was hot and flushed, as though she had spent the night sleeping close to a bonfire, and she couldn’t shake the image of that cold, dead sky out of her mind. It is not a common thing for a Goddess to grant a vision, even to one of their Paladins, but there is no doubt about it in her mind. That vision had come from Mielikki, and whether it was a direct one or some kind of allegory, she needed to investigate the City of the Dead. As far as graveyards went, it was one which was becoming more and more pleasing to Mielikki. The gates were still nominally open in the day and closed at night, but after the Spellplague the whole place had fallen into ruin. What was once a well-tended park has become far more wild; nature reclaiming the land now that civilisation has left it. Some might see it as disrespectful to the dead, but for those of Mielikki’s faith it was often seen in a far more favourable light. This was a reminder; a message that the dead would always, inevitably, return to the earth and the land from which they had risen. As the plants drew sustenance from the earth, and the animals drew sustenance from the plants, the City of the Dead was becoming a place filled with examples of the cycle of life. It was an irony which was not lost on many of Mielikki’s faithful. And the thought of seeing all of this glorious life reduced to ashes by some strange, overworldly flame? That was a horrifying, almost blasphemous prospect. Jarovbees(Wordcount: 438_ |
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
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Post by Jarovbees on Apr 11, 2019 15:16:14 GMT
Solstice didn't regret coming to Waterdeep, even if seemed an odd place to serve for one of her kind and one of her faith. The gods worked in mysterious ways sometimes, and as long as she had the chance to do some good, somewhere, she would bear the rest without resentment. A paladin's life wasn't suppose to be a comfortable one, anyway, and she knew that when she made her oath. As horrifying as the dream had been, and she couldn't keep those images from her mind, it had left her with a renewed sense of hope and purpose. Mielikki must believe in her servant, to send her a vision of such a threat.
Naturally, she had no desire to see the destruction of the only sign of Mielikki's grace outside the small -too small, in her opinion- shrine in the Sea Ward. The firbolg woman had passed by the City of the Dead before, but there was always some reason to keep going rather than enter and inspect it at the time. (Having a half-orc boy to suddenly care for meant her time was not entirely her own, after all.) She knew that impasse had to end sooner or later, so to get a nudge from the goddess herself was just the sign she needed. As soon as it was light enough, she crawled a note to her charge and strapped on her gear, wasting no time in heading for the City of the Dead at last.
Upon reaching the entrance, Solstice smiled a little to see that wild growth in such abundance. The well-tamed park of times past would not have interested her that much, but this...this was an echo of what she had left behind. It was an effective reminder of what she sought to serve, even in this unlikely metropolis. After a moment to steel herself, she entered the area and quietly peered around...either for any obvious sign of disturbance or an animal she could converse with. It was probably wiser to gather some information, if there was any to be had around here.
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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 12, 2019 8:56:19 GMT
(Okay - give me an Investigation check for the ... investigation, and a Survival check to find an animal!)
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
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Post by Jarovbees on Apr 12, 2019 15:47:38 GMT
Investigation: vYElhADa1d20 Survival: 1d201d20·1d20
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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 14, 2019 8:20:33 GMT
At first glance, there was no sign of anything particularly unusual in the City of the Dead - it was a quiet day, and Solstice had arrived early enough that the guards were finishing up their night of watches. Whilst a skeleton crew would remain around just in case there was some trouble during the day, most of the undead only caused issues at night - and then, it was comparatively rare.
There are of course a few early morning well-wishers; people come to pay respects to modest graves outside of the main mausoleums, or who have just come to enjoy the green space. There certainly doesn't seem to have been a fire yet.
Solstice is able to find a small family of mice in the undergrowth easily enough; there's also plenty of birds around, a particularly large and ornery-looking crow regarding her with some suspicion.
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
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Post by Jarovbees on Apr 14, 2019 14:17:38 GMT
Solstice smiled upon seeing the family of mice, tempted to speak with them for the cuteness factor...but the crow, ornery-looking though it is, had probably seen more. She also knew its kind to be fairly intelligent, so it could better process what it had seen around the City of the Dead. There hadn't been much reason to use this particular ability in the city thus far, which in Solstice's mind was all the more reason to cast it; she missed conversing with the local fauna. Concentrating, she cast her spell and peered up at the crow with a friendly smile.
"Hello, friend. How do you fare today? And your home?" She gestured around the area to mean the City of the Dead at large. Reaching into her pack, she drew out some of her rations. Perhaps it would be more amenable with a promise of a good snack.
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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 16, 2019 7:35:49 GMT
The crow looked down on Solstice with its beady eyes, canting its head this way and that as it regarded the Paladin. It wasn't used to people talking to it, and when it replied, its voice was surprising rich and deep; the bird's eloquence standing in stark contrast to its huge and intimidating presence. Apparently, it was quite glad for the interruption from its day to day business of glaring menacingly at the people below its perch.
"Good day, Lady of the Woods." It intoned, "I fare well. So too does this shelter from the madness of the City. What brings you here? The dead have not stirred any more than is normal, and those that have, others have dealt with these last few nights."
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
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Post by Jarovbees on Apr 16, 2019 16:11:40 GMT
Hearing it speak brought a smile to Solstice's face; she could make herself understood to any creature or plant, as a firbolg, but that didn't grant her the ability to understand them in turn without magic. Such an ability on its own could be useful, but Solstice was a social creature and one used to the wilds and its inhabitants. Animals, whatever their intelligence, always had a perspective worth sharing and she knew it was one that she herself have to keep in mind to properly serve Mielikki. Her tone remained warm as she looked up at the crow, though her eyes lost a bit of their mirth and grew more serious.
"The Forest Queen herself brings me, I'm afraid. I had a vision the other night, of a threat consuming all life within. Whether it be a literal message or not, I honestly don't know...but I mean to find out. Please, anything you can reveal to me about this area, especially anything unusual that's happened recently, could be important. I may dwell in the city for now, but my heart still belongs to the wilds. Whatever I can do to help protect this place, I shall. You have my word."
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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 19, 2019 7:35:34 GMT
The crow seemed to consider this for several moments, cocking its head this way and that as it pondered whether it had seen anything particularly unusual. There were several long moments where it said nothing at all, and when it did, it sounded genuinely remorseful.
“Nothing unusual that I can think of.” It confessed, “There’s been less trouble from the restless dead, if anything. Usually the guards deal with one or two every few nights. I can’t remember the last time one actually made it out of their tomb, though.”
It fluttered its wings in what might have been an attempt at an apologetic shrug. Then again, perhaps what it said was itself the unusual thing; if the dead were usually stirred regularly, perhaps the very fact that there had been fewer than usual was a sign of some sort?
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
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Post by Jarovbees on Apr 19, 2019 15:20:54 GMT
That wasn't quite what she had hoped to learn, but it was a start. Solstice, after a moment's disappointment, nodded thoughtfully as she considered what was said. Any detail might be important, and she couldn't afford to discard any of it, especially if all seemed normal on the surface. But that of course didn't mean that danger didn't exist, only that she would have to dig a little further to find it. Mielikki wouldn't send a paladin if she didn't think it necessary, after all. Her brow furrowed at mention of the restless dead, and she crosses her arms.
"Less trouble, hm? That's interesting. Has anyone aside from the guards or people leaving flowers lingered near the tombs lately?" Perhaps it wouldn't be that obvious, but she had to ask. Even a 'no' would tell her something, she had to keep in mind. "If the 'troublemakers' from the tombs usually come from specific ones, can you show me? I'll be careful not to disturb anything that doesn't require it, I promise."
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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 21, 2019 8:55:59 GMT
The bird cocked its head to the side, and there was a fluttering of its wings which might have been a shrug. It was definitely a smarter animal than the norm, albeit one who didn’t seem to know how to help all that much with Solstice’s direct problem.
“It’s usually the newer ones.” The Raven said, “I can show you those?”
It fluttered off in the direction of a freshly-turned grave.
(I’ll take a religion check for a little more guidance I reckon!)
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
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Post by Jarovbees on Apr 21, 2019 14:51:48 GMT
"Yes, please do!"
Solstice was quick to follow, and though she didn't make much of an effort to rush, her long legs helped cover quite a distance. She wasn't oblivious to their surroundings, though, and took quick note of any details that might seem to be relevant for later. Once again, she made a mental promise to Mielikki to become more familiar with this section of the city. It was easier and easier to forget about the noise of the metropolis the deeper within they went. She fairly itched to tune into her divine sense, but...no, she would wait until they were closer.
fWIR_Rme1d20 1d20
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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 21, 2019 18:52:42 GMT
There was certainly a great deal of peace to the City of the Dead. The graveyard was no longer as well-maintained as it once was, but that had done nothing to diminish the calm of the space; if anything it had become more tranquil as a result. The people of Waterdeep were always quick to adapt to new situations, and the visitors to the space treated it with the same reverence as ever, even as plant life continued to reclaim the space.
Solstice got a few respectful nods from guards and other passers-by as she followed the raven on a circuit of the newer graves. Nothing really stood out from the ordinary; but as she went, her mind worked to piece together the mystery before her.
The undead are abominations; aberrations against the natural order of things, but their formation was very rarely random. The dead were most commonly merely forced to act as vessels for hateful powerful from the Shadowfell; their corpses made to rise as a consequence to the thinning of barriers between the world of the living and the world of undeath.
Then there were those rarer souls who were strong enough and driven enough to cling on when they should have passed, or whose unlife was driven by unnatural horror or the malevolent intent of directed, evil magic.
If the Shadowfell was retreating from this place, and Mielikki was warning of a threat… it was possible that whatever was coming here not only threatened the living but the dead as well. The Paladin’s mind drifted to those creatures that were rumoured to come from other places entirely; strange and distant planes and places which bore no relation to the world or the natural order within.
Was it possible that Mielikki had set her to guard this place against a true aberration? Something that just plainly should not exist in the world at all? It was a horrifying possibility, but it would explain what threat was so great that She would feel it necessary to offer a direct vision of such disturbing clarity…
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Jarovbees
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Playing: Solstice (Paladin 6)/Umbrae (Sorcerer 1/Warlock 4)/Avren Wands (Rogue 2/Sorcerer 1)
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Post by Jarovbees on Apr 21, 2019 23:40:45 GMT
Though Solstice was quick to smile upon passing others on their way over, her lips settled into a concerned frown afterward, deep in thought as she applied her own knowledge to the situation. She wasn't unsympathetic to the souls caught between life and death, but their existence was an affront to the natural cycle. More than that, the Shadowfell's declining presence in this area made her wonder uneasily as to the root cause, something that might beyond a simple smiting. Perhaps she would need to bring in extra help from the priests tending the Shrines of Nature in the Sea Ward, but...not yet, not until she knew more about what she was dealing with. Mielikki had sent the vision to her, and pride demanded that a paladin of the Forest Queen at least attempt to handle it on her own before seeking aid from others. This is what being a paladin meant, being on the front lines against whatever offended her oath and goddess. She drew neither shield nor weapon out while following her crow friend, but nonetheless she steeled herself for the chance they would see use before leaving this place.
"Do ever speak with the Forest Queen's priests? I know they have their own shrine, but do they visit?"
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Post by Kai Wren on Apr 22, 2019 17:10:01 GMT
“Not so often.” The Raven confirmed, “They come by, but rarely. You see their messengers more often.”
The Raven paused, but was clearly savvy enough to pre-empt the next question.
“For a piece of meat, I’ll tell you how to spot them.”
The trade had already been offered earlier – and this time, assuming that Solstice extended the piece of dried meat, the Raven would flutter down and take it in its beak. After a brief swallow, it would elaborate.
“Every predator in the City knows that you don’t bother the white cats.”
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