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Rhys nods quietly as the father speaks of Master Brynmor's premonitions. Indeed, he is well known for his visions, among the members of the order, in any case.

"So that's why he sent me..." he mutters to himself. Resigned to the task, Rhys straightens up his stance and looks at Father Varis and asks, "What is the Order of the Guardians of Threshold, if you don't mind my asking, Father? And..." he looks down at the blade, a glint of hunger in his eye, "do you know of any powers the blade is rumored to possess?"

Marodin stays quiet but it's obvious he approves of the idea of completing the Patriarch's quest.

zebediah wrote:Drudsa the dabbler

"Well, both are criminal organizations - even if the Guild is tolerated by the authorities - and I am not willing to side with any such entity. If I took any action it would be to destroy both groups."

"Lanny, you say there are civilians caught in the middle of the conflict, do we have any evidence or information supporting that? The city guard indicated that the two groups are targeting each other and, except if I missed something, made no mention of further disappearances or violence against people not connected to those two organizations."

"Finally, we have no weapons and are not allowed to cast spells within the city limits, a rule I am not going to break except if in self defense - meaning also that I am not going to put myself in a situation where I will have to resort to magic within city walls. Unless we are specifically asked by the authorities to take action - and granted the conditions to do so - I cannot see how we can even consider doing something about this."

Innana looks up finally when Drudsa was talking, "Finally, someone who I completely agree with. Also, what Bregalad had to say made a lot of sense to me as well. How will we know friend from Foe, or rather thief from thug?"

Alethan wrote:Rhys nods quietly as the father speaks of Master Brynmor's premonitions. Indeed, he is well known for his visions, among the members of the order, in any case.

"So that's why he sent me..." he mutters to himself. Resigned to the task, Rhys straightens up his stance and looks at Father Varis and asks, "What is the Order of the Guardians of Threshold, if you don't mind my asking, Father? And..." he looks down at the blade, a glint of hunger in his eye, "do you know of any powers the blade is rumored to possess?"

Innana listens intently for Father Varis's reply.

Lanny the elf

Lanny glances over at Rhys and smiles as Father Varis explains the message in the letter.

"So, Rhys, it would seem you were destined to join us after all. Welcome to the party! I hope the visions of your master also foresaw our victory over this fell beast... If not, we might just have to improvise!"

Lanny turns to the rest of the party.

"If we cannot assist Threshold on Fogor's Isle, let us assist Threshold at the logging camp. Our objective will be more understandable, and our foe will be more recognizable... or so I hope."

Lanny seems quite pleased with the idea of membership in the Order of the Guardians of Threshold, though he has never before heard of the organization. He waits to hear Father Varis's response to Rhys about what membership in the order entails.

Father Varis

"The Order is a prestigious organization composed of men and women such as yourselves who have exhibited exemplary courage and leadership in the defense of Threshold and the Barony. Why, it is virtually a step below knighthood! Now, there are few tangible benefits, admittedly, but one may claim the honor of being in the order and add it to their titles, there is a small silver lapel pin that one may display proudly on their chest, and so forth. Members also take an oath to come to the defense of the Barony when they are called to do so!"

He gestures to the sword. "I am not fully cognizant of the enchantments the blade possesses, but know that it is a powerful item, and not one given lightly. The Patriarch will no doubt be able to provide more information upon his return, and your successful completion of the task."

Rhys the traveler

"Indeed," Rhys says, looking to Lanny, after the explanation, "we resolve this logging camp bit and our first task as members of the Order may involve Fogor's island, Lanny!"

Lanny the elf

Lanny quietly reflects for a moment on the words of Father Varis and Rhys. He understands that membership in the order requires a formal commitment to the protection of Threshold, and that the party may be called upon by Threshold in times of need. The elf nods his head in acceptance of this idea.

"We need a place to call home, my friends, a place to center our hearts and minds... and a place from which to base our future adventures. I can think of no better home than this quiet little frontier town, where we all first started together... I, for one, would be honored to earn and to receive membership into the Order of the Guardians of Threshold... No matter how rich or powerful we may one day become, our commitment to this town will always remind us of our humble beginnings..."

Lanny's comments shift from the philosophical to the practical.

"Father Varis, is there any information available about the whereabouts or nature of the beast, so that we might be better prepared to face our foe? For instance, is it known whether the loggers were killed by claw or by bite, by day or by night, inside the camp or out in the woods?"

thirdkingdom wrote:Father Varis

"The Order is a prestigious organization composed of men and women such as yourselves who have exhibited exemplary courage and leadership in the defense of Threshold and the Barony. Why, it is virtually a step below knighthood! Now, there are few tangible benefits, admittedly, but one may claim the honor of being in the order and add it to their titles, there is a small silver lapel pin that one may display proudly on their chest, and so forth. Members also take an oath to come to the defense of the Barony when they are called to do so!"

Drudsa the dabbler

Smiling, the young mage says "That is a quite charming and clever approach to conscription, Father. Just like my friends I am more than happy to assist the people of Threshold, now and in the future. On the flip side, I am not keen on taking oaths or binding myself to places or organizations, so I will have to elegantly decline the honor of joining the ranks of the order. Please don't take this as disdain but rather as a matter or personal conviction and principles. As I said, I will always be happy to act in the benefit of the people if called upon and able to do so."

"Now, as for the task at hand: are there any people we should contact in the logging camps who could provide us information on the creature's latest attacks or on where has it been sighted?"

riftstone wrote:

zebediah wrote:Smiling, the young mage says "That is a quite charming and clever approach to conscription, Father. Just like my friends I am more than happy to assist the people of Threshold, now and in the future. On the flip side, I am not keen on taking oaths or binding myself to places or organizations, so I will have to elegantly decline the honor of joining the ranks of the order. Please don't take this as disdain but rather as a matter or personal conviction and principles. As I said, I will always be happy to act in the benefit of the people if called upon and able to do so."

Brilliant!

Saul, now knowing what belonging to the order entails, agrees with Drudsa with reservations.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to willingly force myself to stay here for the sake of a silver pin. Then again, if we are put that closer to knighthood it would certainly sweeten the deal.

You will forgive me for being so practical about it but while I've gladly helped out so far there may come a day when I'm simply content to settle down and just raise a family, that's not to say I won't come to aid if need be but I'd rather go by choice than by force.

I'll have to think this through though of course I'll go on this mission."

Lanny is noticeably agitated at Drudsa's use of the word "conscription".

"So when one takes an oath, one loses free will? I think you misunderstand the purpose of an oath. The purpose is commitment, and focus. Commitment to a cause that you believe in and wish to support, rather than to one's own self-interest or whims. Is Marodin a 'conscript' because of his oath to the Church, or Rhys a 'conscript' because of his oath to his monastic order? They may leave their respective organizations at any time if they no longer believe in the causes they represent. Oaths that are freely given may be freely revoked. Your words cheapen the meaning of this honor for those that might wish to receive it, whether you intended that or not. 'Twould have been better to just say 'no thank you'..."

Thordin the dwarf

frobozz wrote:Oaths that are freely given may be freely revoked.

"You think that lightly of your sworn word? No Dwarf would ever revoke his oath once given."

Saul interjects trying to cool everyone's tempers.

"How about we save it for the enemies we have to face? I think we've been idle for too long, we should get on our way before we start fighting each other."

Father Varis

The priest raises his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Friends, perhaps you misunderstood. We do not compel, nor ask any of you to swear oaths that would contravene those sworn already. Think of the Order as a largely ceremonial title, good for adding weight to one's name. Members need not reside in Threshold, nor return to fight should distance or duty prevent that. The mere hope is that should members be nearby they would be the first to volunteer if the Barony is ever in danger; we could not even compel this!"

Tratiln speaks up, "Well, the offer is on the table and I'm sure now is not the time to debate if you personally want to join. I wish to thank both you and the Baron for the offer. However, I do feel we need to get to the matter at hand, the missing loggers and the monster lose. Any more information you can provide will be greatly appericated."

Father Varis

"Almost a score of men have been slain over the past six months, and logging in general has been slowed as the men refuse to work unless accompanied by several guards. Said guards have been drawn from the Baron's own troops, a development which has sorely strained his forces. I would counsel visiting the first of these camps and speaking to the headman, a worthy named Josiah. His camp has lost the most to the depredations of the beast, and he has done the most to track it down. His camp lies a day's walk north of Threshold."

Drudsa the dabbler

"Well put Tratiln, acceptance of the Baron's offer is open to each of us in case we succeed. It is a matter of personal choice and, see Lanny, is because I do value my own word that I also not joined the Mage's Guild, for example. Nothing to do with how anyone else wants to commit oneself and no demeaning to Threshold's organizations or traditions."

"Thank you for trusting us with this task Father Varis. For myself I am happy with the information we have and will be ready to leave as soon as you fellas are. Why don't we all finish any errands we still might have and regroup later at the Inn?"