Chapter 6 : The Sacred Temple of St. Cuthbert

[Stonjuz]

Obviously constructed at great expense, the huge marble temple is topped by a roof of copper which begins to shine, even at this morning hour.
The combination of white marble and polished copper gives the temple a visage of holy power and strength, an awesome sight, even for non-believers.

The wagons come to a halt at the edge of a wide courtyard spread in front of the temple. Paths of white tile lead through well-kept gardens of roses, exotic flowering plants, and evergreen shrubbery as Mistletoe and Holly cover the side railings to the paths. The paths lead to a circular fountain. In the center of the fountain, on a pedestal high above the water, stands a magnificent statue of St. Cuthbert, it too carved of white marble.

The Captain points you in the direction beyond the statue and he gathers his team and driver and says to you, “Those enormous doors to the shrine will get you to Talaseka. Ask one of the clerics to assist you….and stay out of trouble.”

The entire garden is one of the lovliest you have ever seen. Several clerics dressed in reddish brown robes tend the plants, pruning and watering them. Two clerics stand in front of a rose bush, discussing which blossoms should be cut to make up an arrangement for the shrine for the next Godsday.

The large double doors to the shrine are built of pale, dense wood, and are bound with brass scrollwork. The doors open as you approach.

Despite the many signs of being built at enormous expense, no armed guards have been seen as of yet. Several worshippers can be seen inside this next large room. It is capable of seating 600. Many rows of benches face the front of the rectangular room. Huge white marble columns support the 50’ high ceiling. Paintings of Cuthbert’s life line the side walls. The ceiling is painted to represent a heavenly blue sky filled with white clouds and a blazing sun. Underfoot, the floor is built of polished tiles of deep green marble.
After a few moments of looking about the shrine, a brown robed cleric approaches and in a soft voice asks if he may help you.
[1d100] = 99 [1d20] = 15 [1d10] = 4 [1d8] = 2 [1d6] = 3 [1d4] = 3
When the party responds that they are looking for Talaseka he says, "And who may I say is inquiring?"

Amazing the amount of Boxed Text this module has. At least twelve paragraphs here alone. Moving the game along ...again.....
Feel free to roleplay out your characters introducing themselves for the first time to such a grand establishment, if you like.

The cleric replies, "One moment please. I shall see if she is accepting visitors." and excuses himself.

Again noticing the lavish expense gone into decoration and outfitting the church, the group sees that every candlestick and sconce is made of gold and decorated with silver.
The pulpit is carved from a single piece of rare wood. The chairs along the front of the shrine are carved from the same exotic material. These used by the priests most likely, are adorned with white velvet cushions. Fine tapestries as high as the ceiling and ten feet wide decorate the front of the shrine depicting scenes from nature.

The cleric returns shortly saying, "Lady Thraydin will see you know. Please follow me."

[1d100] = 61 [1d20] = 10 [1d10] = 8 [1d8] = 7 [1d6] = 2 [1d4] = 3
He leads you out the double doors and around the side of the shrine. From your observations inside and now outside the building, you guess that it holds no additional rooms.
You follow another white tile path around the shrine to another white marble building that lies at a right angle to the Temple. This building is rectangular, but appears to have three floors.
Double doors on the front and side of the building appear identical to the temple doors along the front of the shrine.
Entering through, you find yourself in a large foyer. The floor is pink marble. The room is furnished comfortably but without the grandeur of the shrine.
The man leads you up a pink marble staircase to the second floor. It opens into a long hallway. At least twenty doors can be seen down the hall. The holy symbol of St. Cuthbert appears on every door.
The cleric leads you to the fourth door on the right and steps aside for you to enter.

Inside, you see beds lined up with their heads against the outside wall. Large white curtains seperate the beds. A holy symbol hangs above every bed. Two of the beds are empty, and a pale, elderly woman, eyes closed, occupies a third.
[1d100] = 5 [1d20] = 8 [1d10] = 8 [1d8] = 2 [1d6] = 2 [1d4] = 3
Expecting the young, vibrant strawberry blonde from the night before, the pulse, of each party member present, races as the woman before them seems at least eighty years older.

[Rukellian]

Fezuul immediately rushes over to the side of the bed where the elderly person rests and pulls out his medical tools and a pair of gloves. Surveying the physical characteristics of the person, the doctor takes note of the premature graying of the hair, the wrinkling and significantly aged face, almost as if it were forced... "Miss Talaseka Thraydin, are you awake, can you speak?" The doctor asks his question gently while holding up her wrist, getting a better examination of the skin while feeling for a pulse. He will check for skin atrophy, scleroderma-like lesions and any abnormal fat deposition that could have resulted in thin arms and legs.

As a doctor that treats the less than desirables of society, he is exposed to and is quite familiar with the shady aspects of the city, one of which being dark magics. If his diagnosis is correct, this might be a similar case of dark magic at work; it will take more than just a healing at a temple or routine medical treatment at a clinic, no... Fezuul starts to fear for the worse as he thinks of the worst case scenarios playing in his mind. He looks up to the group and asks if someone could get a local priest or at least someone who was tending to Talaseka, brought her in, ect. "The situation looks dire, if this truly is the person that we met yesterday at the inn; I believe that sinister dark magics might be at work here..." his voice trails off as he looks back to the elderly woman.

[NJWilliam]

Branc Temugen, Wild Mage

"Looks as if she's seen a ghost," Branc manages to get out while Fezuul approaches the bedridden.

[Stonjuz]

"Thank you Doctor..... Lokvin."
Even in this extreme state, the paladin is in good spirits as she looks to the group and smiles slighty. In her softer, more crackling voice, she adds, "Ïm so sorry for dragging you all in to this.
I hope I can trust you further still. I have an errand, but first, gather around closer,...so I dont have to be so loud, and I'll tell you what I know of the attack. ."

[Rukellian]

The doctor motions everyone in the room to come closer as he explains his gesture. "The paladin's words are soft and she may run out of energy soon, she has a message for us, it's very important." Fezuul turns to face Talaseka and reassures her by saying, "we are here to help in any way we can."

[NJWilliam]

Branc Temugen, wild mage

Branc moves in closer, clearing his mind and carefully listening and watching to commit what the ailing Talaseka has to tell them. He gently nudges Kodara - who is enveloped in a large fold of his cloak on his shoulder - so the caracal keeps quiet as well.

[Stonjuz]

More Boxed Text, paraphrased to fit...
She stops occasionally throughout this conversation for breath and strength.
“After I left the Whistling Fish, I started heading home along my usual route: up the Processional, then down the side street to my boardinghouse.
I was within 100 yards of home when suddenly I felt lost, as if I had never been on that street before.
I started to look around for anything familiar but things just looked stranger and stranger.
As I turned around, I noticed a man in a robe walking towards me.
I couldn’t see his face, but I asked him to help me because I suddenly seemed to have lost my way. He raised his hands as if to lower his hood, then I was struck on the head from behind.
I remember falling to the ground and being kicked all over by hard boots.
I could see three men in robes beating me, and the other man, then one I saw first, just standing there, watching.
I began to loose feeling and felt like I could not move. Finally the first man made a horrible slurred hissing noise and the beatings stopped. Then it all went dark for sometime.
I don’t know how long I was out, but I remember praying to St. Cuthbert, for my life, while I lie there.
Eventually I felt strong enough to barely make my way to the Temple. I was lucky not to have been noticed by anyone as I passed the Garden Gate.
If the guards had spotted me, they would have taken me to the Grand Citadel for questioning and Im not sure I would have survived the night.
I longed for the comfort of this shrine, for the care of the priests.
In the event that I perished, I wanted to be close to St. Cuthbert’s favor.
Again, Im sorry for getting you all involved, but now maybe someone will believe me.”

[ragnboneshopper]

Agrim merely looks at Captain Thornstone with dull eyes during the questioning, knowing that he can say very little to change the mind of one who has already passed judgment on one of Agrim's kind. He answers only those questions that are necessary, as shortly as possible, if for no other reason than to keep from displaying his difficulty with human speech.

In contrast, he clasps his hands in front of him and bows low when introduced to the clerics of St. Cuthbert. "We come t-to help," he intones simply.

After the Lady Talaseka's description of the attack, Agrim asks, "Any of th-them wear a bl-lue r-r-robe? I had a vision of a man in a bl-lue r-robe..."

[Stonjuz]

Even though prone in bed and most likely arcane-aged, Talaseka talks alot. Agrim listens as the woman confirms that the same common blue robes were worn by all four of her attackers. His concentration drifts to the vision of the robes chanting around the glass. Always looking for meaning, the shaman convinces himself that Talaseka could also be that fragile globe, as you look down and see life drained.

[Stonjuz]

Seeing that the party has no further questions (?? Any further questions for her?), Talaseka then asks the group if they would mind performing the small favor for her.
''I need a few things from my boardinghouse."

[ragnboneshopper]

Agrim drops to one knee in the presence of the once proud and no-doubt gallant lady. "How would we r-refuse? Ask anyth-th-thing, and I will see it done." He looks up at his companions expectantly, hoping to see the same willingness to help on their faces but feeling somewhat awkward at his kneeling. Is this the proper way to acknowledge such a figure of pain and tragedy? he wonders to himself.

[grey_starr]

Sure... why not... If wiz goes, I'll go.
*pause*
Could you describe anything about the guy you saw? Was there anything special about him, items, marks...

[NJWilliam]

Branc, wild mage

Branc nods slowly after listening carefully and considering for a moment.
"I will certainly help. This odd and powerful magic must be rooted out."

[Rukellian]

After finishing his examination of the age-stricken paladin, Fezuul just shakes his head and looks to the floor for a bit, avoiding the gaze of others. "Her condition is something that I cannot treat.... this magic, or whatever it is, it has me dumbfounded. The only thing I can suggest is that we hurry with finding a cure or something. Even as we speak, I can tell that she does not have much longer to live. The rapid acceleration of her physical body, it's too unnatural, and we have no way of knowing if it's still continuing." The doctor gets up and puts away his tools. Looking towards the group once again he says, "I think it would be best if we started searching around the Promenade, near the street that she was referring to. I know not the area that well, so I will proabably ask for the guard's assistance again."

DM edit: Nicely played.

[Stonjuz]

Although she does mention that one of the attackers flashed a sliver pendant about the neck, no real conclusions come from discussions of her attackers' identity as she cannot remember more details. She continues, "I feel fine, just tired. The priests say I will be fine and that I should stay here. Would you please retrieve some things from my boardinghouse? A small portrait of my parents and my heart-shaped small wooden box."
The party anticipates no problem with her directions. She informs the four of you that the landlord does not live on the premises and that "no one should question you."
updating Greyhawk map

Across town, you enter the ransacked room......Clothing is strewn about everywhere, books litter the floor and nothing seems to have a proper place. The mattress, sliced open, and the door's lock tampered, confirm that this is not the work of just a busy working woman.
From Branc's shoulder, the desert cat sniffs, then sneezes at a strange powder that seems to be spread about everywhere.

[ragnboneshopper]

Agrim grunts with alarm. "Huh? Be war-r-ry..." He quickly utters the words to a spell of magical detection and scans the premises. If the powder, or anything else, shows an aura, he will alert his companions immediately. Otherwise, he ties a cloth over his nose, takes a sample of the powder, carefully tucking a small portion away in a square of cloth that he folds and ties with a bit of string, and then goes about carefully looking for the objects the Lady desired us to bring back to her. When finished and back outside, he'll suspiciously wash his hands and face off with water from his waterskin.

OOC: Don't like this powder...

[NJWilliam]

Branc Temugen, wild mage

Branc reaches out to sense Kodara's feelings about the smell of the powder, and looks around to see if there are any prints or marks left in the powder.

[grey_starr]

*Benson watches at the door for anyone watching us suspiciously... or for danger coming of course*

[Stonjuz]

[1d100] = 33 [1d20] = 14 [1d10] = 1 [1d8] = 1 [1d6] = 5 [1d4] = 4
Agrim steps in and recognizes the powder as Talc.
The powder had been spread out as the thieves worked their way thru the room.
The items are gathered without much trouble.
Benson, from the hallway, hears a familiar voice coming from down the hall.

[Rukellian]

Does Fezuul notice anything in the wrecked room that may catch his eyes alone? (given that he has knowledge of other things due to his background)

[1d100] = 58 [1d20] = 5 [1d10] = 8 [1d8] = 4 [1d6] = 6 [1d4] = 4

Here's what the group as a whole already knows. Talaseka was attacked by a bunch of robed men. We are assuming they are blue robed due to agrim's vision. One of the robed figures had a silver pendant on them. They ambushed at night on one of the streets or near of the streets in the Promenade. Talaseka aged significantly after the attack. Upon arriving at the Paladin's room, it is a complete mess, as if a bunch of thieves raided it. There are traces of powder all around the room. We do not know exactly who entered the room or why, but we do know that the powder is Talc, or at least Agrim knows it is, not sure if he shares it with the group. Does this all sound about right? I'm going to be going off of this as common knowledge and will wait to see if Fezuul himself might know something more after looking through or even just glancing into the room.

Edited a couple of times to reflect new information given by Stonjuz while I was typing this.