Pre-Session: A Walk in the Wilderness
Session run Thursday, June 5th, 2008.
Characters: Talic (John), Xelgin (Corey), Urnithic (Alpha) and Erthur (Evan).
Part I: Kaldiir
Dawn broke over the ancient city of Kaldiir, the sun once again losing the battle against the summer fog that rolled across the plains and blocked the much needed rays of warmth. A light misty rain fell gently on the city streets and rooftops, soaking anyone out for an early morning stroll in seconds.
One such someone, a young cleric of the Raven Queen named Tarrin, shivered and pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders as he crossed the internal courtyard of the Grand Temple of his goddess. His soft boots made ‘sop, sop’ noises as they made contact with the wet grass, and he winced at the unpleasant slurping noises. By the time he reached the other side of the courtyard, the bottom of his cloak was sodden and his boots were covered in blades of wet grass. He grumbled to himself as he pulled open a heavy oak door and shuffled into the warmth of the barracks.
He walked faster now that he was inside, and in no time he had reached a door at the very end of the long corridor. It was made of solid black wood and had a small, inconspicuous plaque riveted beneath the small square of metal bars that indicated the Temple’s former status as a prison many centuries ago. The plaque was silver-colored and was engraved with the legend ‘The Raven Queen’s Talon’. Beneath it two symbols were inscribed; one, the holy symbol of the Queen, the other a black talon. Tarrin swallowed to calm his nerves, then knocked at the door three times.
There was no sound from within, so he knocked again. This time, there was a gentle ‘click’ and the door swung open slowly. “Enter.” A soft voice intoned from within.
Tarrin walked into the room, his heart pounding. He noticed that no-one was standing behind the door, almost as if no-one had opened it for him. He looked around to see if he could locate the opener, and he heard a snicker come from one of the wooden bunk beds up against the far wall. He saw a thin, pale hand reach out of the darkness (for the room was quite dark) and heard a low voice intone a few syllables. Tarrin watched as a small raven-shaped light flew out of the pale hand and fly in a circle around the doorknob behind him, causing the door to shut. He jumped nervously, and the snicker became an open laugh.
“Silence, brother,” another voice came from the darkness. “It is rude to laugh.”
“I cannot help but laugh if I am amused,” the first voice responded, his voice cloaked with both mirth and sleep.
“What is it you wish of us, acolyte?” the second voice asked. The voice was gruff and had a thick accent, though it spoke the common tongue.
“Um…” Tarrin fumbled for a moment in the darkness. “Pardon me sir,” he said with as much respect as he could muster in his voice. “But I am unable to see in the dark as you can.”
“Pardon my rudeness,” the voice said. “One of my brethren will provide light for you.”
Tarrin heard a disgruntled snort come from the bunk where the first voice had been in repose, and a few moments later a soft illuminating glow appeared above his head.
The room was much lighter now, and Tarrin could see the owners of the voices. The first was a pale man still lying recumbent upon his bunk. His hair was dark and his skin was pale, and he had the thin, undernourished frame and dark circles under his eyes that indicated his both scholarly and arcane profession of Wizard. The second voice belonged to a dwarf who was sitting comfortably on the bunk below the Wizard, wearing a nightshirt and staring coolly at him. A large hammer was leaning against the frame of the bed, and it was quiet obvious who it belonged to. Tarrin’s eyes darted around the room briefly and he noticed two other figures in the still-dim light. One was lying in the bottom bunk of the bed next to the first two. He appeared to be asleep, but Tarrin noticed the shine of his armor - another dwarf; one who was keen to remain on guard. The other was perched on the windowsill at the far end of the room, gently polishing his longbow. He was obviously an elf; his slender build and distinctively pointed ears were a dead giveaway. He turned towards the light and studied Tarrin with an unnerving, intense gaze.
“Now,” the first dwarf said. “What can we do for you, acolyte?”
“The High Priestess requested your presences in her ante-chamber, sir,” he said, bowing his head. “Immediately.”
The dwarf nodded and stood up. Even at full height, he still was a good foot and a half shorter than Tarrin. “Very well,” he said. “We shall rise. Inform her ladyship that we will soon be on our way.”
Tarrin nodded. “Thank you sirs.” He said, fumbling behind him for the doorknob, to a hail of more snickers from the wizard. He bowed his head and backed out of the room, shutting the door and once more plunging the room into darkness.
*
There was a pause within the living quarters of the Raven Queens Talon, but the silence was broken by the first dwarf, Erthur, standing up and turning to face the wizard above him. “You couldn’t get your body out of bed to open the door, brother?” he asked.
The wizard, Talic, leaned over the edge of the bunk and grinned at his companion. “Why make use of the body when one can summon enough power from the mind to perform the same task, brother?”
Erthur shook his head. “Always with the magic.” He said, reaching behind him for his armor.
Talic climbed down from his narrow bunk and pulled on a simple black robe. He shrugged at his companion. “Magic serves me well, my brother,” he said, walking over to a small table and picking up a backpack.
“Even so,” a third voice emanated from the occupied bunk next to Erthur. “Magic means nothing next to the blade of an axe or the crush of a hammer.” Urnithic slowly climbed out of his bed, which took a while due to the fact that he was wearing full armor.
Talic shrugged. “I can assure you brother,” he said, hefting the backpack onto his shoulders. “Magic has always served me better than the use of physical force.”
Urnithic stood up and looked up at Talic, who, at six feet tall, as a good foot and a half taller than him. He snorted. “That’s because Moradin didn’t grace you with the physical prowess of a dwarf.”
Talic rolled his eyes. “Enough with your Moradin,” he said. “I care not for your dwarven deities.”
Erthur shrugged as he bolted his breastplate onto the rest of his armor. “Nothin’ wrong with respecting where you come from, brother.” He said.
Talic smiled. “Does it truly matter where we all come from, brother, if we will all eventually be taken to the Queen?”
The dwarves nodded. “You make a valid point, brother six-and-seven.” Urnithic said. “But rest assured, had you been raised a dwarf, you’d have some muscle on those arms of yours.”
A soft laugh came from the windowsill, and the final person in the room spoke. “Muscles have nothing to do with being a dwarf, brother,” the elf, Xelgin, said, standing up from his place on the windowsill. “Now, shall we be going?”
*
The Raven Queen’s Temple was not nearly as lavish as other local temples in Kaldiir; the walls were simple and made of a reflective black stone Erthur and Urnithic had long ago identified as obsidian. The altar was beneath a glass dome, and was decorated simply with the holy symbol of the Queen. Even at this early hour, the temple was busy with healers attending the ill, the recently bereaved seating in pews, bowing their heads in prayer, and one of the senior priests lighting candles and preparing prayers for a service.
The four present members of the Raven Queen’s Talon knelt respectfully in front of the altar and offered up morning prayers before proceeding to the black door to the left of the altar; the priestess’s ante-chamber.
Urnithic tapped at the door and a soft, feminine voice within said: “Enter.”
They pushed open the door and filed into the dimly-lit chamber. High Priestess Aliira Erengiss of Kaldiir, Divine Oracle of The Raven Queen, was kneeling in front of her personal altar, and her eyes were misted over as if she were performing a divination. Her eyes cleared as the four entered, and she stood up slowly to greet them, her red-trimmed black robe brushing across the floor as she walked over. A human, the Priestess was about a foot taller than the dwarves, but still shorter than Talic, and her curly black hair fell in waves around her shoulders. Her eyes, though cleared of the divining mist, still seemed to glow, in this case with brilliant purple hue.
The four knelt before her respectfully. She nodded to them. “Rise,” she said. “I thank you for your prompt arrival.”
“It is as you requested, m’lady,” Erthur said as he stood up.
“Excellent,” she said. “I have received word from the remaining two of your organization.”
The four perked up at this. The two other members of the Talon had been sent on a special scouting mission a week ago, and were due to return in four days. “What news did they give, my lady?” Talic asked, eager to hear news of sister six-and-seven, whom he referred to as his twin.
The Priestess shook her head. “It was not good news, I’m afraid,” she said. “They reported sightings of some undead south of the capital.”
“Undead?” Erthur looked both concerned and disgusted. “What would you have us do?” he asked.
“The four of you are to investigate this appearance, find the abominations, and eliminate them before the populace is alerted,” she said, her expression grim. “We don’t want a panic on our hands.”
“Certainly,” Erthur bowed his head. “Where will you have us go?”
“There is a village ten miles south of the city, a small settlement called Pelarii,” the Priestess responded. “Go there and inquire after one of the Queen’s priests, Dorian. He will help you seek out the creatures, for he conversed with your brethren not a week before he sent word to me.”
All four of the members of the Talon bowed. “We shall be swift, my lady,” Erthur said. “Swift and silent, as the Raven.”
“Very well,” she nodded to them. “Return upon eliminating the menace, and report back to me as soon as you arrive. Dismissed.” She turned back towards the altar and her eyes began to mist over again.
The Talon bowed to her and backed respectfully out of the room, heading back to the barracks to prepare for their journey south.
End Part One. Part Two: Pelarii, coming soon.
