Homontel, and beyond

[Graybeard]

Now what brought that on? Sister Rose asked herself, not sure what caused the man's sudden hostility at the mention of the Millenarians. Let's try to defuse this. "The man we're looking for was raised in southern Veracia. His family were members of the Millenarian sect, and he was raised in that church before he joined up with us special-ops people." And is still in it, but you don't need to know that. "Now he's important in our Mission to the Faithless in Kiyoka, and something has happened that some of the people from his old denomination might be able to help us straighten out. I was hoping that we could make some connections there. Is there a problem?" All true, if ... evasive.

Brother Abram relaxed perceptibly, but something still had him on edge. "Ah. I thought he might have something to do with one of the Millenarian congregations down there. Mark my words, they're trouble. Honestly, i don't know why the Patriarch doesn't just excommunicate the whole lot of 'em, or worse. I'm glad that your man saw the error of his ways and joined your mission. We don't allow their kind in Homontel, anyway."

Interesting, Brother Miguel thought. In most regards the Millenarians were the most "orthodox" of all of the minor denominations of the Veracian Church. Yet this man was running them down as though they were demon worshipers -- sorry, Lillith -- while the considerably more unorthodox Luminositan Scientists were tolerated in town, if not exactly prospering. What was going on here?

"Don't worry, we'll give them a wide berth," Rose said. "You look busy --" may as well tell at least a slight but diplomatic fib, just in case he's got a Truth spell going that wasn't happy with what I'd been saying earlier -- "so we'll just secure the horses and be on our way." Miguel, Argus and Lillith led the horses toward the rear of the temple complex, where a tall man was standing with what appeared to be a dog wearing a white, feathered sweater.

[Templar771]

Cit was lost in thought as he looked around the back of the of complex looking for anything out of the ordinary. "Please remind me why we are stuck in some backwater shithole where you and I will be burned if anyone sees your ears?" Asked Felix as he scratched his ear with his hind leg. Cit looked down at him and was about to speak when he heard voices coming from around the corner "so we'll just secure the horses and be on our way." "Ohshitshitshitshit." he muttered as the voices grew louder. He turned to face the strangers walking towards him: Two magi and a priestess. He was in deep shit. He had managed to keep Felix hidden for most of his stay here and the priestess would freak out at the sight of him and the 2 magi would probably blast him to be on the safe side. But one of them had a hollow look about him and the pouch of earth about his neck had the smell of evil. A necromancer. What the fuck was going on here? A godam necromancer in a Veracian temple? This was gonna be one hell of a shitstorm. He took an arrgressive combat stance and prepared for the worst.

[Graybeard]

Cit was lost in thought as he looked around the back of the of complex looking for anything out of the ordinary. "Please remind me why we are stuck in some backwater shithole where you and I will be burned if anyone sees your ears?" Asked Felix as he scratched his ear with his hind leg. Cit looked down at him and was about to speak when he heard voices coming from around the corner "so we'll just secure the horses and be on our way." "Ohshitshitshitshit." he muttered as the voices grew louder. He turned to face the strangers walking towards him: Two magi and a priestess. He was in deep shit. He had managed to keep Felix hidden for most of his stay here and the priestess would freak out at the sight of him and the 2 magi would probably blast him to be on the safe side. But one of them had a hollow look about him and the pouch of earth about his neck had the smell of evil. A necromancer. What the fuck was going on here? A godam necromancer in a Veracian temple? This was gonna be one hell of a shitstorm. He took an arrgressive combat stance and prepared for the worst.

OOC: Whoa, let's back up a little bit here.

I am completely unaware of any character in this who has a "pouch of earth about his neck." What's walking toward Cit right now is a party comprised of:

• Argus, a reasonably distinguished-looking, well and conventionally dressed, aging Tsuirakuan who's trying to be inconspicuous;
• Brother Miguel, a youngish Veracian priest of rather conventional demeanor, apart from being more physically fit than most;
• Lillith, a timid half elf who's doing everything she can not to look like a half elf, or priestess, or most anything else except someone who's scared and harmless.

The only "necromancer" present in the game right now is Marcus, who's off in the Mountains of Madness doing who knows what. And there is certainly no necromancer, "godam" (what's that?) or otherwise, in the Veracian temple, at least that we know of -- seeing that nobody has even been in the Veracian temple in Homontel yet.

It sounds like there may be some confusion as to who is where. Could you please explain what you think is going on here? We may need to retcon this.

[Templar771]

OOC: Sorry I was looking a the character workshop thread to look at the background for the characters in this story and I must have mixed up the names. But looking back there was the farmer's kid who found a book on necromancy

[Graybeard]

OOC:

OOC: Sorry I was looking a the character workshop thread to look at the background for the characters in this story and I must have mixed up the names. But looking back there was the farmer's kid who found a book on necromancy

That was Marcus, active in the MoM thread. Even he, however, doesn't necessarily wear a bag of graveyard dirt around his neck, although he does own such a bag, per the character workshop. Anyway, suggest you reset and redo that first entrance. You're actually linking up with one of the milder bunches of characters in this thing.

[Templar771]

Cit looked around the ground surrounding the back of the building. "Please tell me again why we are stuck in this backwards godforsaken shithole." Said Felix scratching his ear with his hind leg.

"Because every kind of mecernary or assassin will have heard of the general contract put out for my head on a stick. Not too mention most law enforcement agencies will be looking for me as well. And looking at the texts I have found out that some kind of building was built near here but fell to ruin. Now my guess is that it is probably not far from the city but people kept away from it because it has defences so we need a horse to ride out of town." Cit replied as the walked towards the stables.

"How do you plan to 'aquire' this horse?" Felix asked

Cit was about to reply when he heard voices behind him. He turned to see three people walking towards them they were talking and as they came closer, Cit realised that they would see Felix.

OOC: hope this is better sorry about the first one.

[Drannin]

Argus carefully lead one of the horses along, then totally gave up and left it to Lillith. Rocks, he was good at. Wood? No problem? Water? bit of a stretch, but he could manage. Horses? Well outside of his area of expertise. Best to leave it to an expert.

Well, there are the stables... hm? Some individual had apparently stopped in midstride and was staring back at them warily. Wonderful. Could the locals be any more paranoid.

Then Argus noticed the winged fox on the fellow's shoulder. Familiar. Decidedly NOT local, then. Never mind.

"Fox, huh? Not a bad choice," Argus commented absently as they passed by the man.

[Templar771]

As the people with the horses passed by one of the men complimented him "Fox, huh? Not a bad choice,", "It's a wolf" thought Cit. They coninued on and Felix hopped onto his shoulder "You could take one." He whisperd

"Take what?" Replied Cit sizing up the strangers that had passed him.

"Take one of the horses from the people that just passed us." Whispered Felix

"No. I'm not gonna stir up more trouble." Cit whispered angrily back

"Don't worry I'll create a distraction and you grab one, simple." Felix whispered reassuringly. Before Cit could reply he flew off and hovered in front of one of the horses and howled loudly the horses whinned and reared and scattered, the woman holding onto one of horses lost her grip and it galloped Cit's way, he tried to stand in front of it and make it stop but instead it knocked him aside. Cit's head was throbbing in pain and his vision began to fade he could faintly hear shouts but then he blacked out.

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Presumably "Cit" looks like he's in his mid-twenties or so, based on the usual half-elf aging curve, right?]

A winged coyote? Brother Miguel had never seen that one before. It looked like this young Tsuirakuan (who else had familiars, after all?) might be doing some manner of apprenticeship at the temple before settling into whatever a Tsuirakuan young adult did for a living. Well, the beast had created a minor problem -- or maybe a major one, depending on how badly his owner had been injured by the horse. While Lillith calmed down the horses, Miguel knelt to where the man was sprawled on the ground and cast a quick Heal.

Which didn't take. Miguel could feel actual resistance to the spell as he cast, and although some of the man's superficial lacerations disappeared instantly, he didn't come around. Better check for head injuries, he thought as he gently touched the still-unconscious head...

"Huh? A half elf? Here?"

-------------

Meanwhile, Sister Rose was trying to figure out what was wrong with Brother Abram, who hadn't gone back inside and still seemed upset.

"Uh, so should we also give those Luminositan Scientists over on the edge of town a wide berth?" she said, quietly refocusing on her Empathy.

Abram relaxed and smiled again, obviously glad to get away from the subject of the Millenarians. "Oh, they're vaguely amusing. I don't know how much you know about the denomination. They have the most curious interpretation of some Holy Scriptures, almost as if they'd absorbed some of the craziness of that heretic Temple of the Divine Dwarf. Well, different denominations must do different things to adapt to their local environments. They're mostly harmless, and they do love our Lord Luminosita as we ourselves do."

"As we do," Rose agreed, and not without sincerity, but she was thinking about the man's reaction to her question. In most of Veracia, the Luminositan Scientists were considered dangerously heterodox -- not as far out as the Malletarians, to be sure, and the Council of Cardinals had denied several petitions to have them declared heretical, but they were still pretty much a fringe outfit viewed with suspicion by most Orthodox congregations and priests. Yet Abram was clearly much less concerned by having them in his community than by the Millenarians. What was going on here?

The question she was forming to resolve this puzzle died on her tongue, as she heard Miguel shouting for help from behind the temple.

[Drannin]

(OOC: Geh, sorry. Long day, and I must have misread your character sheet. Wolf, then. Oh well, Argus is no biologist)

Argus rushed over to where Miguel was crouched over the young... half-elf. Another one? Must be multiplying. This vaguely offensive thought having crossed his mind, Argus then noticed the fox familiar hovering nearby, looking somewhat awkward. Are any familiars NOT annoying pests?

From what he had seen, the answer was no.

Argus knelt down. "Healing not taking?" Miguel shook his head. "Half-elf magic resistance then. Hang on, I'll get Harker. He knows some basic first aid." Argus got to his feet, then paused. "What is he doing here, anyway?"