Re: View this page "The Adventure" This Fight's Dragon

[Michael Briggs]

The dragon’s destruction is just one aspect of the fight for the
Saint. Tarlman doesn’t allow himself to be caught up in the power of
his prayer; after all, it was Shanadan that destroyed the beast in his
mind, not him. Instead, he begins another prayer to combat this
fearsome opponent. The words of the priest coalesce into a beam of
light that strikes the remaining massive dragon, but the creature
doesn’t seem impacted by the prayer.

Even before the dragons arrived it's clear that Shyam will not turn
and run. Her hands clench into tight fists, and she feels the bite of
the ring pinch between her fingers, fueling her anger even more.

Shyam lifts her face to the falling blood and remains of the first
dragon relishing in its death. It deserved to suffer for what it had
done. They would all suffer for the destruction of Maidenshire. She
spins as the impact of the third dragon shakes the ground beneath her,
so that she can face it; moving towards the creature with a quick and
steady march. "Why?!" She shouts.

Keeping the one hand fisted, the presence of Jessica's ring becomes a
focus point as she steps closer, her other hand begins to flex,
opening and closing as the power within builds. She had to get
closer...

Karchok stared as the glowing dragon crashed to the ground. Then the
dragon exploded, covering all with blood and dragon gore. Shaking the
mess from his fur, he felt the thud of another of the beast landing.
Looking around, he could see the large dragon, and he could see Shyam
walking towards it. Without concern for his own safety the druid
charges off, leaving Ghost and Scar behind.

The two animals were stunned by what had just happened One moment the
super predator was there, and then it had popped, spraying itself
everywhere. Ghost shook himself again, licking his muzzle,. Seeing
his brother run off, the large wolf scents another of the super
predators, and whines. Slowly, he trots off after Karchok. Scar
licks the gore from himself and takes off after the warm bloods,
looking to find a meal.

The older dragon slightly flinches at the saint’s spell. It chooses a
different strategy. The great beast flies up in the air while casting
a spell. Once it’s words of Arcanum cease, both Salazar and Tarlman
find themselves plummeting out of the air and into one of the burning
homes nearby. The beast lets loose another mighty roar shaking the
village and the trees beyond it.

Rashear looks at Saint Tarlman, stunned for a few moments at the
exploding dragon. He wipes the gory mess off his face while he spits
some of the dragon's blood out of his mouth. Rashear whips his bow off
his shoulder, aims carefully, and then he lets one of his arrows fly.
He spends another moment to see how the arrow impacts the dragon.

Keryth watches in awe at the sheer divine power of Saint Tarlman that
utterly obliterates the first dragon. Watching Salazar more closely
and studying his movements, Keryth is curious as to what the Archmage
attempted to do. The dragon appeared to fend off whatever attack he
had sent its way.

As the final dragon breathes his fires just behind the group and lands
heavily behind the gathered group, Keryth thinks to engage the
creature. Andrasticial's words echo in his head making Keryth decide
against rushing ahead and joining his companions. Instead he aims his
bow and lets two arrows fly at the beast on the ground, hoping that
the arrows will have some effect.

Salazar’s sudden descent from the skies it met with a maniacal,
gleeful sound of laughter before the sudden stop cause him to let out
a pronounced “Oof!” in the burning rubble. A few second later, he is
seen walking away from the crash dusting off the small flames on his
robes.

“What fun!” he exclaims with a depraved grin before running slightly
south and beginning to ascend again.
Andrasticial reached into his robes to pull out a scroll. He reads
the manuscript, which sounds like a bunch of gibberish to everyone
else. Once completed, Shyam, Karchok, Rashear, Keryth, Andrasticial,
Cal’Shir, and Tempus gain Fire Resistance: 20. He also calls over to
Keryth, “Time your arrows, Hirao! That beast may be able to cast.”

Angel has just enough time to finish his prayer asking his god to
bring favor upon his companions, before they charge off in different
directions. Briefly concentrating on the rings he wears, he activates
the one Hyle gave him and spends the next moment trying to communicate
telepathically with the ole mage. If successful, the cleric provides a
very quick synopsis, then asks, ‘Is this the ambush you wanted?
Thereare red dragons here.’

His spell leaves Shyam, Keryth, Karchok, Cal’Shir, and Rashear with
the benefits of the prayer spell.
Wiping some of the far-flung gore off his face, Cal'Shir marvels, but
at the show of power that exploded the first wyrm or the dragon that
just landed isn't clear.

The rogue isn't surprised when Shyam starts toward the dragon when it
lands. Pulling a dart and moving sideways away from her knowing two
people standing together make a more appealing target for a breath
weapon than one, his direction is to flank the creature from the main
group, while trying to keep aware of the still flying menace lest it
try to surprise anyone, even though he suspects Tarlman and Salazar
will be its main concern after seeing it's brethren blown to gory
bits.

Lockedon watches the others gathered around Shyam waiting for them to
take action and sensing their hesitation even after Tarlman's warning
of "dragons incoming". Lockedon shakes his head says, "Shyam,
Cal'shir, Tempus, if Shyam is correct and it was dragons that
destroyed this hamlet I suggest we head for the cover of the forest
instead of standing here in the open amongst these smoldering ruins.
There can be little cover here but we can attempt to hide in the bowls
of trees or at least fight from some modest cover there". With that
Lockedon turns and bolts for the tree line calling behind "come on
they may be upon us at anytime". Once Lockedon reaches the trees he
stops a few meters in and takes cover behind a tree, scanning the sky
for the danger that's sure to come. While scanning the skies Lockedon
looks to where the magicians float above wonder at their calm even as
they called down the warning, truly Trema must favor them this day as
they must be powerful indeed to stand against a dragon much less
multiple dragons.

Tempus watches in awe as one of the dragons explodes; reigning a
shower of blood on those around him. Tempus had never seen such a
huge creature before. The second one seemed to be distracted by the
two flying. A thud answers his unspoken question as to where the
third dragon was located. He spins to look at it, and sees that Shyam
wasn't breaking for cover like LockedOn was. Something about her
seems to scream that she doesn't need protection, but Tempus can't
help but think that such a small girl wouldn't be able to stand
against such a large beast. Immediately, Tempus breaks into a sprint,
yelling at Shyam. "Don't ya worry, little lady, I got this one!" he
yells at her as he runs past her, straight for the dragon.

Finally, the huge dragon moves forward with a skip, a few wing flaps,
and a slight trot to get closer. The action doesn’t get it to
attacking ranger, but ensures the beast is within attacking range for
the incoming assault against Karchok and Tempus.

[Andrew Airmet]

Tempus felt something inside of him shiver as the dragon approached.
Even though the creature wasn't anything near the size of the other
dragon that was flying overhead, Tempus couldn't help but feel himself
begin to shake and shiver all over. He hadn't felt this scared since
his dad threatened to box his ears for failing to do his chores.
Tempus felt himself grow angry that he was afraid. Stupid fear was
going to throw him off!

The source of his fear was now an arm's length away from him. He
already felt the inward flame of rage boiling over as he drew back his
weapon to strike. "Die, ya stupid dragon, Die!" he screams as he
viciously begins attacking whatever part of the dragon was in reach.

[rpgamer]

Angel
(Prayer, Shaken, Protection from Chaos)

Shivering with an uncontrolled tremble inside, the cleric tries to
fight off the frightening presense of the giant dragons. He shakes his
head slowly as he watches his foolish companions close-in and directly
engage the smallest, yet still huge wrymm. Thus he continues to
prepare himself to rescue and heal them. May the Wraith Hunter's
blessing prove to be a life-saver. Carefully watching for any threats
directed at him, he starts praying again, attempting to better shield
himself against these chaotic creatures. Angel will try to move to
avoid any attack and maintain at least 70 feet from the dragon on the
ground. If moving allows time for conversing, the priest attempts
communications with Hyle again.

OOC:
Cast Protection from Chaos
Cast defensively
Move up to 30' as needed

[Leslie Lock]

"Monster! You'll pay for what you did!"

Shaym's anger fills her pushing aside any fear. She stands unfazed as
it hops toward them landing just before her, revenge for the loss of
Jessica and the town is all she can think of. Not the size of the
beast, or the obvious claws and teeth. Stepping even closer she
raises her hand which glows darkly in a swing, punching at the air
before her toward the dragon sending a wave of power at it.

[Russ]

  More terrified then he had ever been in his life, Karchok has one long moment where grabbing up Shyam and running 'til his heart exploded in his chest.  He was so much closer to the dragon then he wanted to be ever in his life.  Knowing Shyam wouldn't back down until she was dead, the druid shifted forms once again.  For a few moments, his form shifted, several animal forms fighting for control of his body space.  For a split second, feathers grew, only to be replaced by scales, then fur.  Not knowing whether to fight or flee, his body seemed to make the choice for him.   Standing on his hind legs a great scarred, black bear roared back his challenge at the dragon.

[Erek]

Unsure of the arrows impact upon the huge dragon, Keryth attempts to
gauge the reaction of the beast. Hearing Salazar's words, but not
quite understanding them at first, he looks up briefly at the once
again flying archmage. Pondering on the meaning to his words, Keryth
begins to understand what Salazar is saying and decides to wait and
see if the dragon on the ground does indeed go into spell casting.

While he waits for the dragon to act, Keryth shakes his head slightly
at Shyam, wondering how on earth the young girl thought she had a
chance against such a formidable foe. I slight smile creases the left
side of his face when he realizes that Shyam isn't thinking, but just
reacting to emotion. Perhaps this was one of the points Andrasticial
was trying to convey to him earlier.

As the dragon on the ground begins to act, Keryth fires two more
arrows at the beast. The arrows seemed like small flying needles to
the massive dragon, and he hoped they would have some sort of small
impact on the beast.

[Bob G.]

> Tempus watches in awe as one of the dragons explodes; reigning a
> shower of blood on those around him. Tempus had never seen such a
> huge creature before. The second one seemed to be distracted by the
> two flying. A thud answers his unspoken question as to where the
> third dragon was located. He spins to look at it, and sees that Shyam
> wasn't breaking for cover like LockedOn was. Something about her
> seems to scream that she doesn't need protection, but Tempus can't
> help but think that such a small girl wouldn't be able to stand
> against such a large beast. Immediately, Tempus breaks into a sprint,
> yelling at Shyam. "Don't ya worry, little lady, I got this one!" he
> yells at her as he runs past her, straight for the dragon.
>
> Finally, the huge dragon moves forward with a skip, a few wing flaps,

> and a slight trot to get closer. The action doesn�t get it to

> attacking ranger, but ensures the beast is within attacking range for
> the incoming assault against Karchok and Tempus.
>

[Cal'Shir - new]

The rogue continues to move tangentially to the dragon, off toward the
side as he tries to puzzle out something. He pauses and speaks up hoping
Tarlman and Salazar might both hear him, if not everyone else. "Why did
it not breathe directly on anyone first, only to waste its breath weapon
before it landed? Something is not right here." Cal'Shir holds his
action. The young man comes to a conclusion and answers his own
question. "They were sent here, and they've been expecting us, but don't
intend to kill us, at least not all of us."

[Jbizzle]

(Rashear new)

With a grunt , Rashear drops his bow, woundering if his blades are
even going to dent the dragon, he draws them and starts moving
forward. 'Here's hoping that Tempus doesn't get himself killed' he
thinks to himself.
all of us."

[Jbizzle]

OOC: Sorry about the doble posting, I forgot my rolls.
initive 11 on the die +3 for dex mod for a total of 14
Ranged attack 11+9 to hit a total of 20
2nd round part of a move action to draw both blades, and on the tumble
check if needed: 18 on the die plus 6 for tumble check for a total of
24
So a full round action moving

[Michael Briggs]

From inside the burnt and destroyed structure of what used to be the
blacksmith’s home, Tarlman’s voice rises above the popping and
cracking of burning wood. The saint reappears with a shattering of
the structure; his frame stands at a full fifteen feet tall. Wings of
fire extend from his back, and his hand readies a sword to attack the
dragon. The holy man rises slightly, but moves close to the ground
toward the dragon.

"Monster! You'll pay for what you did!" Shyam shouts

Shyam's anger fills her pushing aside any fear. She stands unfazed as

it hops toward them landing just before her, revenge for the loss of
Jessica and the town is all she can think of. Not the size of the
beast, or the obvious claws and teeth. Stepping even closer she
raises her hand which glows darkly in a swing, punching at the air
before her toward the dragon sending a wave of power at it.

The ball of force should have struck the beast and caused damage.
Instead, it melted across the dragon’s form; a byproduct of the
beast’s magical nature.

More terrified then he had ever been in his life, Karchok has one long

second where he considers grabbing up Shyam and running 'til his heart
exploded in his chest. He was so much closer to the dragon than he

wanted to be ever in his life. Knowing Shyam wouldn't back down until
she was dead, the druid shifted forms once again. For a few moments,
his form shifted, several animal forms fighting for control of his
body space. For a split second, feathers grew, only to be replaced by
scales, then fur. Not knowing whether to fight or flee, his body
seemed to make the choice for him. Standing on his hind legs a great
scarred, black bear roared back his challenge at the dragon.

The most impressive foe on the battlefield, the massive dragon, begins
to dive towards the saint. It’s eyes watch the target of a crushing
attack. Salazar appears to have had other plans. The Archmage
suddenly appear next to the dragon and display another incredible feat
of arcane might. In that part of a second the dragon is suddenly
exhausted and appears to be falling upwards. It triggers some other
effect and dissipates into thin air; gone from battle.

“Where are you going, you weakling?” Salazar shouts at the disappearing dragon.

Rashear lets loose some arrow he held ready, but the projectiles
simply bounce off the scales of the smaller dragon. With a grunt,

Rashear drops his bow, woundering if his blades are even going to dent
the dragon, he draws them and starts moving forward. 'Here's hoping
that Tempus doesn't get himself killed' he thinks to himself.

Pushing aside the fear, he charges the creature bravely.

Unsure of the arrows impact upon the huge dragon, Keryth attempts to
gauge the reaction of the beast. Hearing Salazar's words, but not

quite understanding them at first; he looks up briefly at the once

again flying archmage. Pondering on the meaning to his words, Keryth
begins to understand what Salazar is saying and decides to wait and
see if the dragon on the ground does indeed go into spell casting.

While he waits for the dragon to act, Keryth shakes his head slightly
at Shyam, wondering how on earth the young girl thought she had a
chance against such a formidable foe. I slight smile creases the left
side of his face when he realizes that Shyam isn't thinking, but just
reacting to emotion. Perhaps this was one of the points Andrasticial
was trying to convey to him earlier.

As the dragon on the ground begins to act, Keryth fires two more
arrows at the beast. The arrows seemed like small flying needles to
the massive dragon, and he hoped they would have some sort of small
impact on the beast.

One of his arrows slips past the armored defenses of the dragon, but
the creature doesn’t seem impacted by the damage. It doesn’t react.

The mage teacher comments to Keryth about the all-to-fast release of
the arrows, “You must calm yourself, Keryth. Push past the fear;
without a calm approach, you will certainly fall against dragons.”
Andrasticial seems aware of Salazar and Tarlman’s victories. He
pushes the sleeve’s up on his robes and mostly casts a single spell,
but holds the trigger words and watches the last dragon towering over
the emotional witch.

Shivering with an uncontrolled tremble inside, the cleric tries to
fight off the frightening presense of the giant dragons. He shakes his
head slowly as he watches his foolish companions close-in and directly
engage the smallest, yet still huge wrymm. Thus he continues to
prepare himself to rescue and heal them. May the Wraith Hunter's
blessing prove to be a life-saver. Carefully watching for any

threatsdirected at him, he starts praying again, attempting to better

shield himself against these chaotic creatures. Angel will try to move
to avoid any attack and maintain at least 70 feet from the dragon on
the ground. If moving allows time for conversing, the priest attempts
communications with Hyle again.

“I’ve seen. It appears as though the one who pursues me fled. Her
mate was destroyed. Make no indication, but I am standing close by.
This may bode well for us,” a response form the mage is heard in
Angel’s head.

The rogue continues to move tangentially to the dragon, off toward the
side as he tries to puzzle out something. He pauses and speaks up
hoping Tarlman and Salazar might both hear him, if not everyone else.
"Why did it not breathe directly on anyone first, only to waste its
breath weapon before it landed? Something is not right here." Cal'Shir
holds his action. The young man comes to a conclusion and answers his
own question. "They were sent here, and they've been expecting us, but

don't intend to kill us, at least not all of us." There is wisdom in
these words for those not blind to their message.

Lockedon continues to flee into the woods…

Tempus felt something inside of him shiver as the dragon approached.
Even though the creature wasn't anything near the size of the other
dragon that was flying overhead, Tempus couldn't help but feel himself
begin to shake and shiver all over. He hadn't felt this scared since
his dad threatened to box his ears for failing to do his chores.
Tempus felt himself grow angry that he was afraid. Stupid fear was
going to throw him off!

The source of his fear was now an arm's length away from him. He
already felt the inward flame of rage boiling over as he drew back his
weapon to strike. "Die, ya stupid dragon, Die!" he screams as he
viciously begins attacking whatever part of the dragon was in reach.

Both attack flinch off the dragon’s hide.

Tarlman then flies rapidly towards the final dragon to float nearby,
“Move and your life is forfeit, dragon. State your name and purpose.
I will not spar with you. Karchok, hold the girl back, or else we
will never know the provocation for these creatures.”

[rpgamer]

[old]

Angel (Prayer, Protection from Chaos)

If moving allows time for conversing, the priest attempts
communications with Hyle again.

Hyle()

“I’ve seen. It appears as though the one who pursues me fled. Her
mate was destroyed. Make no indication, but I am standing close by.
This may bode well for us,” a response form the mage is heard in
Angel’s head.

...

Tarlman()

Tarlman then flies rapidly towards the final dragon to float nearby,
“Move and your life is forfeit, dragon. State your name and purpose.
I will not spar with you. Karchok, hold the girl back, or else we
will never know the provocation for these creatures.”

[new]

Angel (Prayer, Protection from Chaos)
The priest takes in the scene about him with renewed interest as
Hyle's words are digested. He notes that the old mage referred to the
departing dragon as 'her', the one who pursues him. If the strange
humanoid met earlier in the crypt is a dragon in disguise, stranger
still it was male. The cleric also isn't sure what to make of the
comment of 'standing close by.'

Focusing back on the immediate action before him, Angel tries to
figure what spells the true heroes, Tarlman and Salazar had cast
against the dragons.

OOC:
First two Tarlman, next two Salazar
Spellcraft cks, roll #1 (1d20 + 3): 1 + 3 = 4
Spellcraft cks, roll #2 (1d20 + 3): 10 + 3 = 13
Spellcraft cks, roll #3 (1d20 + 3): 2 + 3 = 5
Spellcraft cks, roll #4 (1d20 + 3): 17 + 3 = 20

[Russ]

  Looking over when he hears his name, his furry jaws drops as Tarlman floats forward, bathed in the power of his deity.  Running forward on all four, he runs towards Shyam half to block her from the dragon, half to keep her from attacking again.  Hearing Cal'Shir, he moves faster, having an idea that if the lich wants anyone it's going to be Shyam.  Getting in front of Shaym, he stands on his hind legs, back to the dragon and attempts to pick her up and get her away.

 

[Andrew Airmet]

Tempus could hear someone speaking outside of the red haze that he was
seeing. It sounded urgent, but he didn't think it was anything too
important. With that, he continues trying to slash the dragon open
with his sword.

[Bob G.]

> Tarlman then flies rapidly towards the final dragon to float nearby,

> �Move and your life is forfeit, dragon. State your name and purpose.

> I will not spar with you. Karchok, hold the girl back, or else we

> will never know the provocation for these creatures.�
>

[Cal'Shir - new]

In awe of the power and nerve shown by Tarlman, Cal'Shir stops and
watches, dart ready just in case. His keen senses are tuned for any
surprises that might turn up in his surroundings.

[Leslie Lock]

Shyam hears nothing of holding back or Tarlman's display of power.
Only screams seem to echo in her mind, those of the villagers dying in
pain and horror as the buildings around them crumble and burn the body
of Jessica, charred and sprawled on the ground in front of their
destroyed home. The smoke chokes the air from her lungs. Another
wave of force is hurled at the dragon as Shyam screams when her first
blast seems to just evaporate when he should have hit.

[Jbizzle]

Rashear looks at Tarlmin, hearing his words he looks as Karchok moves
to envelop Shaym, looking over at Tempus, he sees the man in a blind
fury, amazed that he is still attacking the dragon. Rashear feels his
knees trembling, as he tries to keep them locked so he can move closer
to the wildly swinging man, keeping an eye on the dragon, Rashear
slowly moves closer to Tempus, his body tense as he keeps fighting his
body's reaction to flee. As he spends some time studying the man's
swings he yells out to Tempus, hoping to break through to him 'TEMPUS,
RELAX!"
Rashear's body is shaking, as the adrenaline courses through him, and
the fear of another dragon here, 'This is the third one I've seen, up
close and still they scare me. I hope that Karchok can get Shyam
under control, while Tarlmin questions the dragon.' He thinks to self
while waiting to see if Tempus even responds to him.

[Michael Briggs]

Shyam hears nothing of holding back or Tarlman's display of power.
Only screams seem to echo in her mind, those of the villagers dying in
pain and horror as the buildings around them crumble and burn the body
of Jessica, charred and sprawled on the ground in front of their
destroyed home. The smoke chokes the air from her lungs. Another
wave of force is hurled at the dragon as Shyam screams when her first
blast seems to just evaporate when he should have hit.

The blast appears to hit an invisible wall instead of the dragon.

Looking over when he hears his name, his furry jaws drops as Tarlman
floats forward, bathed in the power of his deity. Running forward on
all four, he runs towards Shyam half to block her from the dragon,
half to keep her from attacking again. Hearing Cal'Shir, he moves
faster, having an idea that if the lich wants anyone it's going to be

Shyam. Getting in front of Shyam, he stands on his hind legs, back to

the dragon and attempts to pick her up and get her away.

Rashear looks at Tarlmin, hearing his words he looks as Karchok moves
to envelop Shaym, looking over at Tempus, he sees the man in a blind
fury, amazed that he is still attacking the dragon. Rashear feels his
knees trembling, as he tries to keep them locked so he can move closer
to the wildly swinging man, keeping an eye on the dragon, Rashear
slowly moves closer to Tempus, his body tense as he keeps fighting his
body's reaction to flee. As he spends some time studying the man's

swings he yells out to Tempus, hoping to break through to him,
“TEMPUS, RELAX!"

Rashear's body is shaking, as the adrenaline courses through him, and
the fear of another dragon here, 'This is the third one I've seen, up
close and still they scare me. I hope that Karchok can get Shyam
under control, while Tarlmin questions the dragon.' He thinks to self
while waiting to see if Tempus even responds to him.

Keryth stand back watching the scene unfold. He moves to stand
directly next to Andrasticial; taking in the whole situation.
Salazar looks around, but something in the woods nearby seems to have
caught his attention. The Archmage flies towards the wood line, but
disappears midflight.

Adrasticial, having released his spell just prior to Shyam’s attack,
stands by quietly. “Dragons are self-centered and often underestimate
their opponents. Be prepared, the witch appears to be losing control.
Ready an arrow for her heart. The best you can do is kill her
quickly if this gets out of hand.” His dry words reveal his
uncompassionate stance.

The priest takes in the scene about him with renewed interest as
Hyle's words are digested. He notes that the old mage referred to the
departing dragon as 'her', the one who pursues him. If the strange
humanoid met earlier in the crypt is a dragon in disguise, stranger
still it was male. The cleric also isn't sure what to make of the
comment of 'standing close by.'

Focusing back on the immediate action before him, Angel tries to
figure what spells the true heroes, Tarlman and Salazar had cast

against the dragons. He recognizes none of the spells from the holy
man, obviously he wields uncommon power granted by the gods. The only
spell he is familiar with is the reverse gravity spell cast by
Salazar; a perfect response to the once-present colossal dragon’s dive
attack.

He hears Hyle’s voice in his mind again, ‘I’ve been discovered. We
will talk soon...’

In awe of the power and nerve shown by Tarlman, Cal'Shir stops and
watches, dart ready just in case. His keen senses are tuned for any
surprises that might turn up in his surroundings.

Lockedon hasn’t returned from his retreat…

[Michael Briggs]

Tempus could hear someone speaking outside of the red haze that he was
seeing. It sounded urgent, but he didn't think it was anything too
important. With that, he continues trying to slash the dragon open

with his sword, but only his first strike passes the dragon's armor

The dragon looks at Tarlman with anger in its eyes. Tempus's slash
causes it to grimace in slight discomfort, but it holds still
obviously weary of Tarlman's promise of destruction. "Sssstop thisss
attack, and I will sssssubmit," the beast concedes with a kick at
Tempus. The farm boy goes flying over 15 feet from the dragon, but
otherwise it makes no aggressive move.

Tempus lands in a dusty ball, although the smoke masks most of the
dirt flying. He can't remember losing his sword, but it isn't in his
hands. (11 Points of Damage)

[Andrew Airmet]

Tempus can't help but think it strange when he feels sudden pain and
the new sensation of air passing quickly over him. The momentary
feeling stops as he crashes in a huge cloud of dust. Quickly leaping
to his feet, Tempus raises his hand as if to brandish his sword, but
finds that it is missing. As his hand moves to draw his longbow, he
notices that the dragon was making no other moves to attack them.
Still feeling extremely angry, Tempus watches the dragon further for
any sign of aggression, ready to turn the dragon into a pincushion.

That's when the dragon began to speak. At that Tempus feels himself
genuinely confused. If the thing could speak, why was it attacking
them? Instead of drawing his bow, Tempus slowly walks back towards
the group, warily watching the dragon.

"Can any of all y'all explain what in tarnation is going on?" he says angrily.

[rpgamer]

[old]
(Hyle)
... discovery ... to talk soon ...

(Tempus)

"Can any of all y'all explain what in tarnation is going on?" he says
angrily.

[new]
As soon as Hyle makes his comment about talking later, the cleric
deactivates the telepathy ring. Now the counter-spell ring and the
unknown one from the crypt are active. Angel is further pleasantly
intrigued at Salazar's powerful abilities.

The priest chuckles at Tempus' question and attempts to help keep the
situation calm by giving the paladin and dragon deference. "Tarlman
and Dragon talk, we watch, listen, and learn."

[Erek]

Watching the awesome spectal that is Saint Tarlman, Keryth realizes he
is staring at the saint. Shifting his gaze to the last dragon, Keryth
listens to Andrasticials words. Somewhat taken aback at the callous
tone in his voice, Keryth manages to hide his emotion and find the
logic in the elder elven mage's words. He pulls one more arrow and
fits it on the bowstring, keeping the arrow down and his senses alert.

[Russ]

  Smelling burning ozone, Karchok realized Shyam wasn't planning on backing down.  With a sigh, he lets go of the from of the bear, and focuses on his two legged form.  After the curious melting sensation, he stood as a half orc again, Shyam loosely held in his arms.  Karchok tries to regain his hold on the raging Shyam, before she attacks again.  Given the fact the dragon had just off handily smacked Tempus and sent him flying, he could only imagine what it could when angered.  And this was the smallest of the three.
  "Please, Shyam, the fight is over.  We need answers, give Tarlman and Salazar a chance to speak to the dragon," he says to Shyam quietly.

[Michael Briggs]

As Shyam struggles against the mass of Karchok, who growls with anger
when the young girl kicks and screams out, The dragon holds its
ground. Even when an earthen hand reaches up from the ground to grasp
at the beast, the dragon just kicks its large clawed foot enough to
break the supernatural effect.

"You tell me to stay, priest. Do all of your prisoners take such
abuse when parlaying?" The dragon scoffs at Tarlman. It seems to
think it as something up on the priest, or else that is the dragon's
nature.

Tarlman, however, isn't one to play with the creature. "You will tell
me who you destroyed this village, or else I will have you imprisoned
in the Mage's guild of Calsham and used for experiments for fledgling
casters for the rest of your days. Knowing your lifespan, that could
help a lot of mages understand your kind!" The cleric moves forward
to stand directly in front of the dragon. The fact the the invisible
magical wall sits very close to the cleric in between the pair isn't a
coincidence.

"And how would you pay for such information?" the dragon asks.

"You will be placed under a gease spell and forced to leave the lands
under the protection of Shanadan or Calsham. Any violation of this
pact will result in your death or capture," Tarlman looks at the
dragon firmly. Any fear he had for the magical creatures long ago
dissolved. The cleric had seen many who brought unrelenting
destruction to the people in their domains.

"Oh, please say no!" comes a call from the wood line as Salazar floats
back in from his pursuit. "My prey got away, and I have an itchy
spell trigger finger." Laughter, almost evil sounding, erupts from the
mage as he gets close enough to become dragon snack.

The dragon is obviously displeased with the arrangement, but aware
that it has no other choice. "Fine, ask your questions," is the
simple response it gives.

"What is your name, dragon?" Tarlman begins.

"Bylch," the dragon says dryly.

Tarlman, unhappy with the answer, gives the dragon a suspicious look
before saying, "Salazar, do you need anymore dragon flesh for your
shaping experiements?"

Beyond the dragon's impetuous gaze, Salazar's giggle informs the
bystanders that a game of wits is being played out.

"I've answered your question, priest!" the dragon roars out.

"The I ask you, what is your full true name?" Tarlman's voice picks up
an agitated tone to match the dragon's volume.

"Faranelshibylch," the wyrm replies defeated. Unlike other dragon's
this one seems to have little or no accent when it speaks.

The saint seems to approve of the answer as he moves on, "Why did you
destroy this village? Under who's orders did you do this?"

"Carvack's orders. She is the one in charge," Blych growls at
Tarlman. "The lives of these filth was nothing to me, yet I took
none. I merely was in flight with Carvack. Our agreement is done,
cleric. Release me to go."

Tarlman floating to the ground as the fiery wing dissipate from his
back. "I release you, Faranelshibylch, when I am ready. Your name is
known to me and my brother. If you wish to live a long happy life,
you will stay far from here. Where is the lair of Carvack?"

A deep chuckle emanates from the dragon, although it is obvious who is
in charge in the conversation. "No dragon would let their home be
known to another. Your question shows your stupidity, follower of
Shanadan. Are you yet done? Any longer and I will be forced to eat
your fallen to curb my hunger."

"Not yet, Bylch. Stand still..." Tarlman orders. Afterward, he
begins to chant the words of a prayer to his god. The name
Faranelshibylch is heard in the clerics words, causing the dragon to
shift uncomfortably. From his side, Tarlman takes a vial of water
which he consumes, and then he uses his sword to cut deep into his
hand. The dragon's arm is cleanly also cut when Tarlman moves the
edge of the blade along its scales. Acknowledging the power of the
holy sword, the dragon growls deeply in pain, but makes no move to
harm Tarlman.

"Do you swear, Faranelshibylch, to never return to the domain of
Calsham, to never fight against the agents of Shanadan, and to leave
the lands of Calsham in the most direct manner possible?" Tarlman asks
the adult dragon. "Do you acknowledge that all information you gave
me is honest? And finally, do you understand that the agents of
Calsham will hunt you down to imprison or kill you should you disobey
any parts of this oath?"

"What of my hoard?!" the dragon roars in reply.

"It is forfeit to the nation of Calsham," Tarlman dryly replies. "Do
you acknowledge my spell and your oath?"

The dragon seems to fume at the possible loss of its treasure.
Tarlman stands by and watches the beast unsympathetically while
Salazar lovingly strokes the dragon's maw. "Don't worry, kiddo. We
can stuff you after we use you for experiments instead if you would
like!"

This offer from the crazy mage seems to calm Bylch, who summarily
agrees to the terms. "I do, cleric. Now, let me go!"

"Leave now, Salazar will escort you from the domain of Calsham."
Tarlman orders the dragon.

"Woo hoo! A dragon ride!" Salazar cheers as he floats to the back of
the dragon. Completely defeated, the dragon rises from the ground and
begins awkwardly flapping its wings to get away as quickly as
possible. Comments are slung from both departing parties, none are
kind, as long as their words can be heard.

"Now, about Shyam," Tarlman mutters.

[Russ]

  Staggering a bit from the sudden winds from the dragon and Salazar leaving, Karchok finally releases Shyam.  Taking a step back from the raging girl, he looks at her calmly, waiting for the storm to pass.  Waiting to be blasted by her magical fire, Karchok realizes that Shyam is the last thread connecting him to the world of man.  To most of the villagers, he was a thing that should not have been born, and growing up, they were happy to remind him of that.  The few people of Maidenshire he had cared deeply for, lay dead, lives snuffed because of the lich's minions.  Karchok hoped that they had passed quickly, starting the next path of their journeys.  Saying a quiet prayer for the fallen, in a language that was old before the elves figured out how to climb out of trees, he glances around the burnt field as he finishes.
  He happened to notice Andrastical, standing a ways out with Keryth.  The expression that Andrastical wore, was one of a hunter eyes locked on it's prey.  'That's a bit odd,' the druid thought, unconsciously moving a step to obstruct the elves view of Shyam's weeping and raging. 
   Looking back to Shyam, his heart threatens to break, as the half orc listens to her sob.  Gently enfolding Shyam in his arms, Karchok hugs her, wishing he could take her sadness away.  His own grief paled in comparison, he had lost the other part of his surrogate family and a few friends, Shaym had lost everything she held dear. 

[Andrew Airmet]

Tempus didn't understand a good deal of the exchange between the dragon and Tarlman, so instead he simply watches with a slightly confused look on his face.  He could feel his unnatural anger fade away after a few moments.

Finally, the dragon agrees to leave with the creepy looking man.  Tempus felt quite relieved to see both of them go.  Instead he starts searching the ground for his missing sword.  He glances up to see Shyam, and can't help but feel an inward twinge of pain.  He barely knew the girl, but seeing her cry made him want to try to make everything better for her.  Karchok was there.  Tempus wasn't quite sure how he felt about seeing Karchok hugging her.  He couldn't put a finger on it, but he really wanted to be in his place.  After staring for a minute, he resumes his search for his sword, feeling irritated, but not quite sure why.

[rpgamer]

[old]

"Now, about Shyam," Tarlman mutters.

[new]
Moving up to join the conversation now that the dragon has departed,
Angel bows in respect toward Tarlman. "You have most likely divined
much about Shyam, ... and us. If I may be so bold as to speak for the
group in general, then I'm sure the others will have their
perspectives to add, and mayhaps finally, the young woman herself.
Shyam has been through much heartache throughout her life, and
especially now that apparently her adopted home and family has been
destroyed."

"Her anguish has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout our
adventuring, and usually manifests itself through visions and potent
spontaneous magiks. My church describes this as the blood magik, but
unfortunately because of its chaotic nature, is unwilling to help."
The cleric carefully avoids labeling her as a witch. "I have, as have
all in the group, have tried to comfort and help her. But she seems
unable and/or unwilling to accept our aid, such as hiding the details
of her visions from us, despite our willingness to follow her in
addressing her dreadful concerns. Not fully versed or trained about
her condition, it's possible that the blood magik itself, precudes
intervention." Nodding to Karchok, he adds, "Our druid friend has been
the most successful in bonding positively with her. "

"We fear for her, and thus in turn the group's safety during our quest
against the great liche. We have heard of different groups willing to
seek her kind for destruction. If you can provide assistance in that
matter, that would be great. If you can enlighten us on her past and
what may portent in her future, that would be most helpful. Knowledge
to arm us for the unexpected is always wise and prudent. I wouldn't
want to depart from one of our most passionate avengers." Angel smiles
at Shyam with his last sentence, unsure if she was in any state of
mind to hear any of them.

He pauses for any others to add input or Tarlman to respond.

[Michael Briggs]

Tarlman looks back at the priest. He doesn't speak immediately, but
considers for a moment as he places his sword back in its sheathe.
The blade squelches its own brilliant aura and seems inert, but
masterfully crafted upon being fully sheathed. His armor dulls its
glowing aura to return to the same state as it was when the group met
the saint in his church. Even the flesh of the exploded dragon melts
off the armor leaving no indication that the cleric was in a fight.
All of this is either not important to the priest or he has become to
used to it to acknowledge what is happening in regards to his armor.

"There is no presence of evil in the child. She has acted in defense
of her community. I know that most would flee rather than rise up and
use power in their grasps to fight a nemesis of the same magnitude as
these wyrms. What do the rest of you say in regards to the young
girl?" Tarlman looks at the others waiting patiently for a response.
A presence of judgment falls over the group distant from the burning
world around them. Even the collapse of one of the buildings a couple
hundred yards away seems more distant the relativity of the question
Saint Tarlman just asked.

[Bob G.]

Michael Briggs wrote:
>
> "There is no presence of evil in the child. She has acted in defense
> of her community. I know that most would flee rather than rise up and
> use power in their grasps to fight a nemesis of the same magnitude as
> these wyrms. What do the rest of you say in regards to the young
> girl?" Tarlman looks at the others waiting patiently for a response.
> A presence of judgment falls over the group distant from the burning
> world around them. Even the collapse of one of the buildings a couple
> hundred yards away seems more distant the relativity of the question
> Saint Tarlman just asked.

[Cal'Shir - new]

The rogue moves back to the group after the spectacular show of power
and the dragon departs. Catching Angel's discussion about Shyam, he
listens carefully to Tarlman's comments and question. Rubbing his chin
thoughtfully, he responds: "I'll protect her as I am able, but I worry
about how so much pain and loss might affect her in the future. Many a
person has gone off the deep end following repeated attacks on their
emotions. That may be the lich's goal, or even Hyle's. I don't know
about Hyle, but he seems to show up at the most unusual times."

[Russ]

  Karchok looks at Tarlman for a long moment, his black eyes catching the light from the burning buildings.  The half orc's expression was one of grim determination. 
  "I'll protect Shyam, even at the cost of my soul," he says, fully meaning every word.  Feelign little else needed to be said on his part, Karchok turns his full attention back to Shyam. 
 

[Leslie Lock]

Shyam had stopped struggling with Karchok during Tarlman's
interrogation of the dragon. Tamed in her actions perhaps, her anger
still boiled over. That the creature could talk and was intelligent
only fueled the anger. It didn't matter to her that 'this' dragon may
not have been to one to destory the village, he traveled with the
other and did nothing to prevent it.

And now the others spoke of her as if she were not even present...

ooc: more to come, need to ask Mike something but he's not on
communicator!

[Erek]

Watching the dragon Depart after Saint Tarlman finishes speaking,
Keryth feels a sense of relief spread through him. Hearing
Andrasticial's words he focuses his attention to Shyam, studying the
young woman.

Half wanting to say something about Shyam, Keryth instead keeps quiet,
figuring that if something needs to be said that his master would
speak up. He notices Karchok locking his gaze on Dras for a brief
moment and wonders what is going through the half-orc's mind.

[Andrew Airmet]

Tempus' eyes were mostly on Shyam and Karchok. Something in the way
the half-orc spoke made it sound as if the two were siblings. Tempus
could probably echo Karchok's feelings towards Shyam towards any of
his own siblings. With that thought, Tempus could feel the tension
inside him ease up a bit. He still wasn't exactly sure what had
caused that. Shyam looked as if she had calmed down finally. Tempus'
eyes instead looked over to the other members of the group, unsure of
what to do next. He carefully sheathes his sword and awaits the
groups next move.

[Michael Briggs]

The conversation seemed to be wavering between positives and negatives
on Shyam. All the while, she wept in the arms of Karchok, her only
remaining relative. Another building on the other edge of town can be
heard giving way to the ferocity of the fire licking at its supports.
For a few moments, nothing is said in a slightly awkward silence.
Tarlman observing and patiently waiting for each party member to add
their own input.

Before letting the conversation to far, Andrasticial exposes, "Your
holiness, I met you over ten years ago when you came to the Golden
Forest with your insane brother and Maestro Praelin; before you have
ascended to the position in the revered God, Shanadan's, faith. You
display of power, prowess, and wisdom are nothing short of miraculous.
I defer to your judgment, but please let me add some points to be
considered." The mage pauses and bows to Tarlman.

"Please, friend," Tarlman responds modestly, "I am not Shanadan.
Reserve your fealty for the God of Fey. However, your wisdom should
be shared."

"I mean no offense, Saint Tarlman," Andrasticial replies. "She is but
a child by both human and elven standards. Her world has been
destroyed, rended, and torn apart at every point. Only the orc here
has ties to her." The mages use of the word orc doesn't acknowledge
his human side and as said with contempt, but that was nothing new to
Karchok who typically ignored such comments. "She has good in her
still as evidenced by the loyalty of her companions. The tainted
demon blood has yet to turn her. I'll watch over her, or I will have
an agent ready to extinguish her should she stray from the path of
righteousness. The stakes in this game are high. The prophecy has
yet to be fulfilled."

"Very well," Tarlman says in judgment. "She will be left to travel
for this cause and the cause of good. Should she stray, all of you
will be held accountable to destroy her. Should she remain good, you
will all be held accountable for her safety. Now is the time to leave
if you don't agree."

Rashear, who has been struggling with the scene of absolute
destruction is first to speak up to the oath. "I can no longer travel
this path. It reeks of death. There is only hardship, and my
stewardship to nature isn't possible. I must return to the forest to
help it heal. This is my last adventure with my friends here. I
cherish the time I've spent with each and every one of you. I feel
the pain of loss for those who didn't make it. My life will be here
from now on to replenish this place and return it to the fey. Accept
my resignation from your quest, but not your hearts."

[Andrew Airmet]

Tempus listened very carefully to what Andrasticial and Tarlman were
saying to each other. This weird stuff about golden forests and fey
confused him. However, what they were saying about the girl seemed to
make some sort of sense. The mention of something called an orc
confused Tempus as well. Perhaps what the mage had meant when
referring to Karchok. Maybe orcs were some kind of strange shape
shifters? That weird animal changy thingy did give Tempus the shivers
now that he thought about it. He hadn't seen anything so creepy
before.

Demon blood? Stray from the path of righteousness? At least the
righteousness part made a little bit of sense to Tempus. His mama had
always told him to do what was right. Maybe that's what they meant?
However, suddenly they were talking about killing her.

"Woah, woah! Hold yer horses? Kill the little lady?" Tempus said,
very loudly. The shock was apparent on his face. It soon turns into
a look a determination.

Tempus speaks one more, this time he spoke quietly, his voice almost
growling with the anger he felt. "I'd more likely find a needle in a
haystack than do that."

[Michael Briggs]

Tarlman looks sternly at Tempus, but doesn't use any anger in his
voice. "I'm not sure what our mutual friend has told you about this
quest, but your place here speaks highly of your abilities. I assume
you are already aware that your life is in incredible danger when
walking this path?"

[Russ]

  As Dras reveled his true purpose, Karchok went rigid, his teeth clamped together so tightly, blood leaked down the corners of his mouth.  A low, bestial growl emanated from the half breed.  Releasing Shyam, the druid turned, hands clenched into fists so tightly his nails pierced the flesh of his hands, dark blood falling to the burnt ground. 
  "You want a prophecy dandelion eater?!  Here's one for you knife ears: touch Shyam and I'll rip your God's damned face off and feed to you!" the near raging half orc bellowed standing in front of her.  Ghost and Scar at his sides, growling and snarling, waiting for the command.

[Michael Briggs]

"You misunderstand me, orc," Andrasticial replies to the threats.
"I'm not here for her destruction. I'm here to make sure she doesn't
become and enemy to the world. Your words shows your dedication to
her, but you have been taught to preserve nature. Her blood may make
you an enemy of the world if you don't open your mind."

The mage's hand is the only thing betraying his appearance of
calmness. It dances over a wand at his side.

[Andrew Airmet]

Tarlman's statements made Tempus worry only a little bit. Sure his
life had been in incredible danger before, this situation didn't seem
to make Tempus feel any sort of fear. Although, the way that Tarlman
looked at him made Tempus feel a little unnerved. Tempus turns to
meet Tarlman's gaze, and he gives the saint a small, if slightly
wavering smile.

"Yeah, I can tell by the dragones" Tempus mispronounced the word
mostly due to his unfamiliarity with the word. "That this mission is
going to be dangerous." He says the whole phrase as respectfully as
possible. He could tell that the other man was much smarter than him.
It would probably be best not to make the other man angry.

Tempus' eyes then flick over to conversation the 'orc' and one of the
preachers. Karchok was definitely angry, but the preacher appeared to
be calm. By the looks of things, it looks like the preacher was
provoking Karchok in some way. Why on earth would a preacher be doing
that?

Tempus wasn't sure at the moment which person he would side with if a
fight broke out. Karchok definitely was a friend of the girl, he
probably would side with him over the preacher. Tempus' eyes narrow,
and he feels his body tense up. He was ready to rush into a fight if
necessary.

[Michael Briggs]

Saint Tarlman stands by watching the exchange between the mage and
Karchok. He doesn't do anything to stop the confrontation; not
surprising considering the hatred of orcs by most followers of
Shanadan.

"I hope Lady Marei arrives soon," he can be heard muttering.

[Erek]

Glad that Andrasticial finally speaks, Keryth listens intently. As he
listens however, he cringes as Dras reveals the nature of his presence
within the group. Gripping his bow a bit more tightly, he hopes he
won't have to use it against the half-blood. He respected Karchok and
his devotion to nature and did not want to come to blows with him.
Keryth was sure that Andrasticial would destroy Karchok should he
attempt anything outrageous.

Feeling the seconds creep by after Karchok's outburst, Keryth hopes
that Andrasticial's words find some reason within the druid. Still
tightly gripping his bow, he carefully studies Shyam and Karchok.
Hearing the Saint mentionLady Marei, Keryth feels some tension ease;
if anyone could defuse this situation it would be her.

[Leslie Lock]

"How dare you!"

Shyam steps between Karchok and Dras glaring at the Mage. "First you
label me a witch and no accuse me of being a demon! Who made you the
magistrate that you even think you have the right to decide anything
regarding me!"

Her anger needed something to be directed at, the dragons were gone
and no one had payed for Jessica's death. The Mage became her new
focal point, "You coward! You are no better than Hyle."

[Michael Briggs]

The young woman's attack on Andrasticial seems to put the elf on edge.
The mage steps slightly back as his hand extracts the wands it was
touching before. "You are a witch, child. Your blood is tainted with
the blood of demons. These are both facts as evidenced by your
powers. You should calm yourself immediately!" The mage isn't hiding
the wand or trying to make it look like he isn't ready to use it. Its
tip is pointed directly at Shyam.

"Andrasticial, drop your weapon!" a command is barked from the
normally patient saint. "You said yourself that she is emotional from
everything that has happened." The cleric moves to stand next to the
mage and places his hand on the wand to push it down and away from
being pointed at Shyam.

He looks at Shyam the same, anger that she was driving so much of her
rage at her allies. "You are just a child. You prove it in the way
you act. If you want to survive this ordeal, then you have to remain
calm. Don't let loss affect you. I do not want to use the power of
Shanadan to destroy you, Shyam. Your rage will condemn you to death.
Spend you emotion building a grave for Jessica. No doubt it will be
with more love than a grave built by any other." The cleric hopes his
plea can be heard by the forlorn witch as he looks at her sternly.

[Russ]

  Ready to tear the scrawny elf mages heart out and eat it, Karchok was a breathe away from rushing forward. Suddenly Shyam had stepped in front of him, and he paused in surprise.  It was then the calmer part of brain pointed out the the mage would fireball him, even if Keryth didn't first turn him an elven pincushion.  
  Falling silent the druid watches as he tries to calm himself.  Karchok suddenly realized that Andrasticial was afraid of Shyam, or at least what he thought she might become. That her blood was mixed with that of demons, and that was the source of her power.  'The elf had mentioned a prophecy, I need to find out what they are speaking of,' Karchok thinks with a frown.  He was unconcerned as to Shyam's source of power.  'It's not like she was living of the stolen life energy of children,' he thought grimly.  Tarlman was still giving Shyam a stern look when he leaned forward to whisper in her left ear.
  "We don't stand a chance if we attack them.  They out number us in allies and power.  The lich was responsible for this, it's must pay.  The lich and his allies must pay dearly for this," Karchok quietly says, his orcish accent slowly receding.  Leaning back he gently puts his hands on her shoulders.  Shyam's body was literally throbbing with arcane power, he open wounds felt singed as he layed his hands down.  It was then he noticed a slight heat shimmer surrounding Shyam.  Keeping his surprise off his rough hewn features, and leaving his hands on her shoulders, he gently turns her to face him.  Karchok knew he had to calm her down before she really lost her temper.  The way Dras was looking at her had unnerved him, he was going to flat out kill her where she stood.  'And the foul orc for good measure,' he thought briefly.
  "We need to honor our dead, Shyam.  If we don't, no one else will," he says looking at her, unafraid as always. 

[Bob G.]

Erek wrote:
> Glad that Andrasticial finally speaks, Keryth listens intently. As he
> listens however, he cringes as Dras reveals the nature of his presence
> within the group. Gripping his bow a bit more tightly, he hopes he
> won't have to use it against the half-blood.

[Cal'Shir - new]

The rogue didn't have to wonder who Dras was talking about when he
mentioned having an "agent" in place to kill Shyam if he couldn't, he
was pretty sure by Keryth's reaction that he was that agent. He'd
started tutoring under Andrasticial, so it made sense. Keryth was just
another of this group that would bear watching.

[rpgamer]

[old]

...

(Karchok) "We need to honor our dead, Shyam.  If we don't, no one else

will," he says looking at her, unafraid as always.

[new]
Angel was inwardly amused at all the unraveling at any semblance of a
cohesive group. Seems it takes a most dangerous enemy or dire
situation to make us love each other. "Can't we all just get along."

Turning to the saint, but address everyone, the cleric continues
diplomatically, "Perhaps clearing the air of all these mysteries of
prophecy, good witch - bad witch, kill - be killed threats, would help
enlighten us all. I'm not going to agree to watch out for Shyam, much
less be responsible for her death, if she doesn't agree to this
arrangement. Let's start with her past. You and Dras seem to know much
that we should also know for our safety security, including the young
woman. Who is she? Where does she come from? ... don't hold back and
add the information about the prophecy. ... and anything else remotely
relavent to Shyam."

The priest stand calmly, expectantly, awaiting illumination.
(informationally that is ...)

[Michael Briggs]

"I've only heard small stories regarding the witches," Tarlman replies
to the request. "I think Andrasticial would do more to explain our
prophecy." The cleric moves slightly away trying to impress that the
tension is diffusing.

At the mage he adds, "You may want to put your wand away. I think
Shyam wants knowledge more than revenge."

Complying with Tarlman's request, Andrasticial nervously places the
wand back in its holster. "Very well. But I suggest we clean up here
and return to Calsham before going through this. This will take quite
a few hours. I have spells and items that can help deal with the
dead. We also have Tarlman here to give these villagers last rites.
I assume these terms are good with all of you?"

[Leslie Lock]

"I care not what he has to say, I will not just allow someone to
threaten my life and act as if it is ok. Nor will I believe any
concocted story he may have. Proof? His only proof is that I have a
power he can only dream of and since he doesn't have it it must be
evil." she gives Dras a final glare, before adding. "I will see to
my mother so that she may be put to rest and become part of the land
that she loved, but I will not listen to that...elf. Then we shall
return to care for the children, where he will stay away from me, I
will not travel with someone I cannot trust with my life."

She turns with Karchok, speaking to him in orcish, either as a way to
defy Tarlman, or perhaps just to speak with her foster brother in a
manner that is apart from the others. "Can you find Feathia? We
should see to her as well," speaking of Oglendaizen's mother.

[Michael Briggs]

"Then it is settled. We will have the bardess explain the situation
to you, Shyam," Tarlman says with a tone of defeat in his voice. From
inside of a magical pocket, the cleric pulls forth a horn that is
impossibly large for even a potato sack. Taking in a deep breath, the
priest blows out a loud and mournful tone from the instrument.

Speaking in Sylvan, his voice echoes loudly, "In the name of the God
of Forests, the most exalted Lord of Life, he who brings to all of us
the warm embrace of nature; I, his humble and unworthy servant,
Tarlman call upon the being of the forest to aid me on this day. A
great tragedy has taken place hurting the land, these people who lived
in harmony with your world, and the trees. Be you a treant, a faerie,
unicorn, or any other servant of Shanadan, I beg of you your time,
love, and protection over us as we heal the scars of this travesty!"

The world around the town of Maidenshire falls quiet as only the
crackling of burning wood can be heard. Birds, insects, faeries,
unicorns, and all other manner of creatures seem to consider the plea
before the woods appear to shift; slightly at first. Trees at the
edges of the town's clearing creak loudly and the ground shakes as
roots begin to recede from the ground. What appeared to be tree
before, are giant treants. Both Shyam and Karchok recognize some as
the same trees that had always been on the edge of the town when they
were kids. Faces appear in the bark, and in almost a creeping
fashion, the trees move towards the town. Is a massive flock, birds
of all types begin to rise from the forest. Some of them look like
pelicans and cranes known to reside in the marshes nearby.

Had it been 10 minutes ago, no one in the village, with the exception
of maybe Tarlman, would have been aware that such an array of
creatures lives so close by. Each seems to embark on either putting
the flames out, collecting the dead, or digging several large graves
for the dead. A few bodies are brought in from the forest. They
appear to have been those that had time to flee, but were taken apart
by the dragons. Some of them are difficult to look at. Tarlman
oversees the efforts, constantly asking for advice from the group, and
ensuring that he honors the collective parties wishes. He seems to
take particular care in burying Jessica. With a spell, he removes the
burned facade of the body, has her stand upright, and then turns the
corpse to stone. The final work makes Jessica look like a motherly
statue over the graves lined up in front of her.

Once this has been completed, and each person has said their goodbyes,
Tarlman begins the ceremony of the dead; an honored ritual that is
used to bury the most faithful of Shanadan's followers. The animals,
trees, fey, and other beings all stand close by as the saint recites a
eulogy in Sylvan. He ends the mass funeral just as the suns sets on
the horizon. The fey and animals head back into the forests to act as
they would before.

After the last of them has left, a familiar mage appears; Archmage
Salazar. "Hey, guys! What did I miss? Oh! Too bad I wasn't hear
for all the religious stuff and all. I had a flight to catch." He
doesn't really seem interested in any reply. In fact, the group gets
the feeling that Salazar was more or less talking aloud to hear his
own voice.

In the distance, the sounds of massive wings can be heard as another
wyrm approaches. For just a second, Salazar gets giddy like small
child and blurts out, "Ooooo! More dragons! I do love a good
ending!" He pulls out a wand to prepare for battle, but as the
moonlight shines off the silvery scales of this gargantuan wyrm, he
suddenly has a change of heart. "Right! I'll see you back at the
villa, Tarlman." As though he is still in his own world, the mage
quickly teleports away.

The dragon sets down softly in the clearing where the town once laid.
It lets loose a massive roar which turns into the cry of, "By the
Gods, No!" as the beast shifts into the form of Lady Marei. "I'm so
sorry all of you..." she says looking at the teary eyes of the group
who have let their emotions go. "I'm so sorry..." she repeats again.

[Andrew Airmet]

When the preacher points the small sticky thingy at Shyam, Tempus
can't help but immediately put his hand on the hilt of his sword. He
had it drawn about an inch, when he paused to assess the rest of the
situation. He could feel his breathing quicken in anticipation for
the battle. He wasn't quite sure what kind of strange tricks this
preacher had up his sleeves, but it didn't bother him. His sword
could cut through the cloth pretty easily. Shyam then shouted back at
him, calling him...elf? Did that mean the other preacher was..elf
too? The whole thing made very little sense to him. He wanted to
hear the preacher elf's explanation when they got back to town. He
starting to feel like his father's horse had kicked all the sense out
of the world. Maybe that dragon's kick had knocked all the sense out
of him.

Shrugging, Tempus completely sheathed his sword. That's when another
dragon landed. He had his sword half drawn to fight it, when it
changed into...Lady Marie?! At that point, Tempus was absolutely sure
he was crazy. He simply stares at Lady Marei with a look of utter
confusion on his face. Did that mean the other dragons were really
people too? Why were they changing shape like the orc? Where they
all orcs? And how did Tarlman pull that horn out of his clothing?
All these questions swirled in the poor farm boys head, leaving him
thoroughly confused.

[Andrew Airmet]

Sorry, retcon to the last post (editing the second paragraph):

Shrugging, Tempus completely sheathed his sword. After sheathing his
sword, Tarlman managed to produce a large horn from his cloak. Tempus
watches in awe as the forest comes alive. Perhaps Tarlman was one of
things that people called druids? Tempus spends most of the next few
hours watching as the town area slowly gets cleaned up. Tempus isn't
quite sure where he can help out, but helps carry some of the bodies
to their final resting place. He then pauses to watch Tarlman turn
one of the bodies into a statue. He walks on over, part of him pretty
disturbed that he was able to turn the body to stone. He wondered if
he could do that to living people too. He ambles on up and says
"That's might purty." a sense of awe in his voice, mixed with a bit of
unease.

That's when another
dragon landed. He had his sword half drawn to fight it, when it
changed into...Lady Marie?! At that point, Tempus was absolutely sure
he was crazy. He simply stares at Lady Marei with a look of utter
confusion on his face. Did that mean the other dragons were really
people too? Why were they changing shape like the orc? Where they
all orcs? And how did Tarlman pull that horn out of his clothing?
All these questions swirled in the poor farm boys head, leaving him
thoroughly confused.

[Leslie Lock]

Seeing to the villagers and Jessica's body for the proper rites gave
Shyam the release of her energy that she needed. The anger drained
away and was replaced by the great sarrow her eyes filled with tears
as she carefully moved the bodies with Karchok's help. As Tarlman
removed the signs of burns from Jessica for a brief moment she looked
alive once mroe, then Jessica's features turned to the stone. Forever
Jessica would stand to watch over the graves, her beauty there for all
who wished to see it.

Exhaustion begins to overwhelm her and Shyam falls to her knees
weeping. The sound of the beating wings causes her to lift her eyes
to the sky, yet she is unable to move, not because of fear, but
because her mind had cleared of all thought except her mourning.

The vision of Lady Marie's landing and transformation, blurred by her
tears, are that of a dream and she wonders momentairly if it is
another of her visions.

[rpgamer]

[old]

Gods, No!" as the beast shifts into the form of Lady Marei. "I'm so
sorry all of you..." she says looking at the teary eyes of the group
who have let their emotions go. "I'm so sorry..." she repeats again.

[new]
Gently responding to the lady's words, Angel quietly remarks, at least
out of Shyam's hearing range, "Thank you Lady Marei. I has been a
devastating loss. Shyam has been most deeply and personally affected.
I'm afraid for her sanity. Being with the children after finishing our
work here may be good therapy. I'm not sure though how best to inform
the children that they will not be going home. Things are most sad at
this time. Even Karchok had 'family' here."

[old]
The saint performs Slyvan rituals ...

[new]
Angel was amazed at the powerful force of nature that the saint was
able to call, and so close to town. Who knew? He sure didn't, but was
glad that his instinctive decisions to always respect nature whenever
possible was most wise. As is most cases where the powerful and
unknown is at play.

Rolling up his robe sleeves, he assists anywhere he can, and is soon
panting and sweating profusely under the intense labor. As he moves
about the town, he surveys the damage in detail for any other clues or
mysteries. If asked for assistance in prayers or mortuary affairs, he
would stoically and willingly help.

He finds his small temple and santurary destroyed and burned like
everything else. There was nothing to keep him here, supplies and
equipment all gone too, and especially without a populace to attend.
His plans for a growing church outpost gone up in smoke. The cleric's
grim demeanor hides his determination to pass this test of faith and
succeed against his foes. When he didn't find his assistant, Angel
hoped the best for him. But alas, he discovered his acolyte's
dismembered body among the ones recovered from the nearby forest,
using a ritual scar on the back where the flesh wasn't torched for
identification. Damn those beasts were effecient. A final act of last
rites of the church is offered over the pieces of flesh, before
letting them roll into the large grave pit prepared for the townies.

Angel collects what 'loot', treasures or monies may still be
salvageable and makes a pile near the group center. "Anything of value
that the children can use should be collected. In your walks about
town, collect what you can and bring it here." Depending on the items,
the cleric may pocket a few goodies for himself as an act to help
carry the stuff.

[Russ]

  Helping Shyam gather bodies was one of the hardest things Karchok had done in his short lifespan.  Most of the bodies were somewhat recognizable, making it even harder.  Finding Feathia's body, he whispered to her as he carried her to be set next to Jessica.
  "We found him.  And they rest of the children.  They are all safe," the druid says to the corpse.  Laying her body down, he gently kisses her forehead, tears dripping onto the burnt flesh. Covered by the stench of burnt flesh, he continued working even after Tarlman had summoned the help of the fey and woodland creatures.  The Saint was definitely blessed by his deity, no one here could ever argue that.  Regardless of the magical help, the half orc had to keep moving or his grief would overwhelm him completely.
  After the ceremonies where completed, Karchok stood near Shyam, completely drained.  Body aching, hands torn and blistered, Karchok just stood, watching the fey leave.  Numb, he just looked blankly at Salazar, when the mage returned.  Barely noticing the wing beats, the half breed blinks when the gargantuan sliver dragon shifts into Lady Marei.
  Ghost stood close to his brother, half wanting to chase the creatures into the forest.  The large wolf could sense his brother's pain, but could do nothing to help heal it, except by staying close.  Scar, unconcerned by the others, gnaws a burnt cow femur.

[Erek]

Listening to Saint Tarlman, Keryth decides to put his bow away,
replacing the arrow in the quiver it came from. Not really fearing an
attack from Shyam, as he was fairly certain Tarlman wouldn't allow it,
Keryth let's his gaze wander about the gathered party.

As the group disperses to help in the burial efforts, Keryth can't
help but feel a profound sense of loss. Although there were no elves
living in Maidenshire, he had known a few of the inhabitants and he
felt a slight tugging at his heart at their death.

Keryth is awed by the calling of fey. The creatures that come to help
are amazingly diverse. When they are gone and they are once again
gathered together, Keryth is almost unsurprised as a gigantic silver
dragon descends upon them. Feeling drained both emotionally and
physically he breathes a small sigh of relief as he recognizes Lady
Marei transform from the dragon. Placing his faith in her ability to
calm the firey young Shyam and hopefully lead the girl to some
understanding of their predicament.

Agreeing with the general consensus to return to Calsham, Keryth
slightly nods to show his agreement. It will do them all good to get
some rest and decent meals.

[Michael Briggs]

Returning to Calsham is a solemn event. After a few teleports from
Tarlman back to the main temple, the entire party is gathered in the
church's courtyard. Lady Marei recommends that they don't do anything
until the whole group has a good rest. She also asks that they don't
expose her true form. Rashear and Lockedon aren't back from the trip,
cementing the fact that they aren't returning. Trying to provide some
good news, the bard reminds the group that the king intends to equip
them with better protections for their future travels.

From her own coffers, Lady Marei provides the funds for a week's stay
in the nicest inn in the city. Suites are provided to each of the
group members that include full beds with couches and other furniture.
Large, well-designed rugs lay on top of perfectly crafted oak floor.
Tapestries of near masterwork quality line the rooms depicting serene
nature scenes. All food, warm bathes, and cleaning is provided as
part of the stay. Animals are fed and watered as requested by the
patrons. All this set aside, the grou pis still saddened by the turn
of events.

Many of them are realizing the hardships in front of them. Even with
the stress of the day, each and everyone of the group fall deeply into
a peaceful sleep. In the morning, they are greeted by servants under
the instructions of Lady Marei to make sure warm bathes and new regal
looking clothing is ready for them. The suits look to cost more than
most of the Maidenshire villagers would make in a decade. She lets
the group members know that they are supposed to meet with the king.
She also makes then aware that the king knows of Maidenshire's plight.
Breakfast is served in a private room in the second floor for the
group to sit together. On each plate rests a necklace in a wooden
box, opened to show its contents. There are bowls on the floor for
Ghost and Scar.

Once each of the group has sat down, silver dishes full of the best
breakfast items are arranged across the tables. Fresh squeezed juices
are poured into the glasses and mugs are filled with honey teas next
to the juice. Purified water is also provided, and it's cold like it
was pulled fresh from a pure Artesian spring.

[Bob G.]

[Cal'Shir - new]

The young man is startled when the trees themselves start to move,
whispering a resolve to be more cautious about gathering firewood or
cutting tree branches in the woods. Other than that, he is quiet,
watching with a bit of awe as the treants and animals help clean the
debris and gather bodies and bury them.

When Tarlman turns Jessica's body to stone, he tenses, not sure if Shyam
would like that or consider it a defilement of the woman's remains. He
relaxes when Shyam approves.

Back in Calsham, Cal'Shir tries to relax, but in the back of his mind is
the knowledge that no matter how cushy this place is, very soon he will
be back on the road with his companions facing mortal dangers. Not only
the lich is on his mind, but Hyle and what his part in all of this is,
and how he keeps showing up at odd times, like the underground orc lair.

[Andrew Airmet]

Tempus takes the teleportation a lot better the second time around,
but it still makes him feel disoriented afterward. Tempus was
grateful for a soft bed to sleep on that night, but after an hour of
tossing and turning, he simply grabs a pillow and falls asleep quickly
on one of the rugs with a blanket over him. He sleeps quite soundly
after that. He awakes feeling a bit stiff, the after effects of
having been knocked flying by the dragon or was it an orc? Tempus
decided not to worry about it, and enjoyed the warm bath. The nice
clothing was very tricky for Tempus to figure out. He had to get one
of the servants to help him get it on correctly. The same servant
also insisted that he wouldn't need his armor for the moment or his
weapons. Tempus grudgingly left it all behind to go to breakfast.

His discontentment was forgotten at the sight of a wonderful
breakfast. He quickly begins eating all that he can.