Chapter 1: Arnolst

[GregS]

The world is broken. Geysers, sulfur springs, acid mud pots dot the landscape. Plumes from volcanoes rise in the distance. Occasionally the ground shakes, sometimes violently.

In the remains of the ancient city of Arnolst, the shaking is largely ignored. Anything weak crumbled long ago. What remains is sturdy and resilient.

Today is a day like any other day. Guards line the patchwork repairs of the city walls. Patrols are out, checking the farms, scouting for raiders. Farmers are bringing their goods in to feed the inhabitants. City dwellers are busy providing farmers and guards what they need to grow and protect the food supply.

The day wears on. Shadows turn and grow longer. Guards and patrols rotate shifts. Farmers begin packing up to head home for the night. The streets get busier as the day’s work comes to an end.

[gurusql]

Gruz Axebasher

Gruz is in the city of Arnolst looking to join a group of adventures. Most of Gruz's family were miners, his mother died in child birth and his father and two of his three brothers were killed in an earthquake. His older brother tried to hold the two of them together, but as Gruz worked long and hard to be a dwarven fighter that is highly skilled with his battle axe, but he was just able to save up enough to get his armor, axe and basic provisions and hopes that through some adventures he can round out his equipment.

[Rex]

Bretina Quickshadow

As Bretina wanders through the market in Arnolst she notices Gruz, whom she met shortly on the road to Arnolst. Feeling a bit lost in the city she wanders over to say hi. "Hi Gruz, I am at the market to trade some herbs I gathered. Now that I am done I noticed you. Sometimes these places can creep me out some."

[GreyWolfVT]

ok. Haven't done that in an OOC area before.

Jorlin Sparkleshield a very brightly armored gnome wanders through Arnolst ignoring the tremblings and shakings ever so often. His shiny shield strapped over his pack, hammer at his left hip handing from a leather thong attached to his belt. Sporting a garish suit of scale armor reflecting light ever so often. The gnome draws attention but ignores it mostly. Sporting his wide-brimmed hat complete with big feather jutting from it. The gnome with no real business of urgency mostly just smiles and walks around looking at things for sale in the market, maybe looking for folks that are up for an adventure. Honestly, the gnome mostly looks to be enjoying being alive. Though he remains highly alert incase someone should choose to lift his belt pouch. The gnome notices Gruz and Bretina chatting and walks over. "Good to be alive isn't it? So what might be on the agenda for today?"

Jorlin Sparkleshield.png (249.9 KiB) Viewed 689 times

[Grognardsw]

Orando Magnus Gallus staggered out of the brothel, eyes squinting against the red tinted sun of the dying world, nose crinkling from the sulphuric air that regularly wafted through this sorry excuse of a city. He increasingly regretted leaving the homelands of his elves, but they were well on their way to escaping this broken world anyway.

After last night's escapades with that supposed brother and sister duo, Orando's purse was lighter this day. The half-elf mage knew he had to scrounge up more gold. He peered at three children frolicking down the street. Perhaps he could kidnap them and demand ransom.

Wait, they seemed too stocky, and there was a glint of armor. They were dwarf, halfling and gnome, each smaller than the next. Such a motley crew had to be adventurers, and where there were adventurers, there must be adventure, and where there was adventure, there was usually loot.

"Greeting good fellows!" said Orando in dwarf, then in halfling, then in gnome. The 200-year-old had learned many tongues in that time, some more deeply than others. "I am Orando Magnus Gallus, friend to demi-humans, freebooter, scholar, hero to those needing heroes, seeking adventure in these dire times. You look to be such too."

[Rex]

Bretina Quickshadow

"Greetings, friend of the short peoples. It is perhaps time to be seeking adventure."

[gurusql]

Gruz Axebasher

"Nice to see you again Bretina, nice to meet you Jorlin and Orando. Perhaps our gathering here is fortuitous."

[GreyWolfVT]

Jorlin smiles and greets the elf Orando Magnus Gallus "Fate smiles up us, for we have another apparently looking for adventure." at Gruz's remark about this meeting being fortuitous he corrects "Ah well you are partially correct Fate grants fortuity to the devote, the favored, those with faith. So I suppose that means we are the favored of one god or another. Then again maybe I'm just too preachy on this day."

[Rex]

Bretina Quickshadow

"To be favored of the Gods is a risky proposition my friend. Risky indeed."

[Grognardsw]

“Fortuitous indeed, that is the word for the day,” replied Orando. He noted the demi-human custom of not introducing oneself, but the half-elf fortuitously inferred their names from the repartee.

“It would be nice for Fate, as you say Jorlin, to smile up us. Too often it does something else up me.”

Orando surveyed the streets for a nearby tavern. Perhaps there they may chance upon adventure, a drunk old man mumbling of hidden treasure, a bulletin board posting opportunities, an enigmatic black cloaked man sitting in corner shadows offering quests noble or profitable.

“I passed an ogre on the road, dressed as a mage. I wonder if he’ll be coming to town soon?”

[GreyWolfVT]

Jorlin chuckles "Sorry my new found faith has me all preachy at times. Lets go see this ogre mage."

[Rex]

Bretina Quickshadow

"Such is the way with faith."

[Grognardsw]

“The faith that others give to what is unseen, I give to what one can touch, and look at," said Orando.

"My gods dwell in temples made with hands; and within the circle of actual experience is my creed made perfect and complete: too complete, it may be, for like many or all of those who have placed their heaven in this earth, I have found in it not merely the beauty of heaven, but the horror of hell also."

"When I think about religion at all, I feel as if I would like to found an order for those who cannot believe: the Confraternity of the Faithless, one might call it, where on an altar, on which no taper burned, a priest, in whose heart peace had no dwelling, might celebrate with unblessed bread and a chalice empty of wine."

"Every thing to be true must become a religion. And agnosticism should have its ritual no less than faith. It has sown its martyrs, it should reap its saints, and praise God daily for having hidden Himself from man."

"But whether it be faith or agnosticism, it must be nothing external to me. Its symbols must be of my own creating. Only that is spiritual which makes its own form."

"If I may not find its secret within myself, I shall never find it: if I have not got it already, it will never come to me.”

[GreyWolfVT]

Jorlin smiles "I know, what you are meaning Orando. I too had similar thoughts and feelings. It was a near death experience that opened my eyes to the light that is Pelor. I may not be able to see him but I see the sun and feel it's warmth. I know I felt something that day, and I like to think it was Pelor and some sort of greater calling in life. But I believe we all have the right to our own beliefs and I don't ever shun anyone for doing so. I hold out hope that others too will find one faith or another in their own way and time."

[gurusql]

Gruz Axebasher

"I have faith in my axe and for now that will have to do. Perhaps in the future there can be more."

[Rex]

Bretina Quickshadow

"Faith is something that we carry within ourselves, those who do not have it can never understand. But only the foolish do not at least acknowledge the existence of the power of faith, for the proof lies with the power of their clerical servants before you."

[gurusql]

Gruz Axebasher

"In our world of death and destruction, it has been a luxury that I have not yet been able to afford, but like I said perhaps in the future there can be more."

[GreyWolfVT]

Jorlin nodding his head "As I said that is all fair enough. I don't plan to force faith or even my own on anyone. I merely use it's gifts to aid others and who knows if we have adventure underway I may well use it to save your very lives or make your axe striker a little truer."

[Grognardsw]

Orando looked down the road with a vague feeling of expectation.

"Yes, yes, faith is important, even if only faith in yourself," he said, growing bored with the conversation. Though truth be told he had thought much on the topic, trying to pinpoint his own source of divine magicks in the face of a shifting landscape of faith which at its core was indeed faith in himself. If man created gods, then was man's belief alone the power of a cleric's faith? A key to open holy magic like the written spell opened arcane castings?

"I grow parched."

[GreyWolfVT]

Jorlin "Very well, shall we head to a tavern then? Or what of this ogre mage you spoke of?"