The Bitter Cleric

We were locked in battle against the Commander, the female bugbear, and the archers on the other roof. The others managed to severely wound or incapacitate them all except the bugbear.

I wasn’t hitting very much with the weapon I summoned, and I had just missed an attack at the bugbear when she grappled me, pinning me to the floor. I was in a panic, and so were some of my companions. Kieran attempted to get her off me, but hit me instead. I was badly injured, and bleeding.

By this time I was really worried, and I asked her to try it again- I was hit another time.

Dizzy with blood loss, I couldn’t fight the hands that tried to strangle me. I vaguely remember Alioth trying to pull her off, but I think I passed out just then.

When I came to, the battle was still going on around me, and the bugbear was occupied with the others. I couldn’t quite bring myself to move just yet, so I lay there for a while until I finally gathered the strength to drink a potion of sanctuary.

At that time, I was feeling quite frustrated with the world. I was still weak, couldn’t cast any more spells, and was completely useless. Everything was just piling up- the fate of Blackwater Bend, my fear for my brother’s life, my hatred for the Zhentarim and Bane and that redspawn pyromaniac, my need to avenge my father’s death, my own near-death, even that Ataklos Rathryn- it was all weighing down on me and I just wanted to cry.

I honestly don’t know how much more of this I can take.

My companions were able to slay the bugbear and capture the hobgoblin Commander, at least. I thought there was nothing more to worry about for now, but suddenly the ground started shaking beneath us, and we realized, to our horror, that a Bluespawn Godslayer was coming our way. It was unbelievably huge, and looked terribly vicious. We looked up, and found that wyvern and its godforsaken pyromaniac rider flying up above.

Since the soldiers had already made it to where we were, we had to decide which one to fight.

Godslayer or wyvern and its rider?

I detested that Redspawn Arcaniss about as much as I detested undead, and I could feel an urge to kill rise within me. The urge scared me in a way, but I had never felt more powerful.

But to fight the pyro would mean letting the soldier troops fight the Godslayer, and that was just as good as executing them. I couldn’t let that happen.

The Godslayer was drawing ever closer, and the wind from the wyvern’s wings beat down on us.

Godslayer or wyvern?

Godslayer.

Playing Q&A with the Lord of Death

After killing the three greenspawn, we went back to the village and put the fire out. Just around that moment, Wern, the militia leader, woke up (he was hit on the head by an ogre) and asked us exactly what happened. After we explained it all, he gave us a useful tip about Dragonsgate: they send bugbear scouts out for patrol at sundown, so for a few minutes, the gate would be open.

We hatched a plan, then: we would wait for the scouts to be far away, then Azareth would cast spells on us to both disguise us and make us invisible. We would sneak in, torch the guard barracks, then find a good place to hide so we could safely reappear once the invisibility spell wore off.

After that, though, I decided to ask for some help from my god, Kelemvor, since I knew it would be a risky mission- we were outnumbered, possibly a hundred to one. I dropped down to my knees and prayed to be granted an audience with him. 

A dark mist, glittering with silver, rose from the ground and enveloped me. It was the first time I had ever attempted that, and I wasn’t sure what would happen. My mouth hung open in awe as the mist came together to form the image of my lord, and he started to speak to me. I don’t remember the words, because I was feeling such intense joy at being able to speak with him. It was honestly the most exhilarating experience of my life.

After that, we proceeded with the plan- we managed to get in successfully, torch the barracks, and hide in the stairs leading up to the roof to appear. After that, everything went wrong.

We met up with the Commander on the roof, and he kept asking questions. Luckily, Kieran was able to bluff, but right when he was about to leave, a female bugbear came up and warned him that we were intruders.

We acted pretty quickly- managing to wound the Commander and a few archers on the other side. But by now we knew we couldn’t let them live and tell the others we were here.

Rambling

A. R.

I caught a glimpse of those letters earlier, and I remembered that blond cleric again. It’s strange how he crosses my mind more than any other enemy we’ve fought, though I’m sure his appearance has a lot to do with it.

Dear gods, Ataklos Rathryn has to be the most attractive evil cleric in the world.

Enough of that- I sound like a lovesick teenager (which I’m not).

Anyway, he crossed my mind earlier. I wonder where he is now- we never killed him, thank goodness for that, it would have been such a waste. He is a powerful cleric, and he did seem rather… different from others. I can’t quite place what made him stand out in my mind, but I know that he isn’t your average cleric of Bane. I’m sure he isn’t.

When we were fighting him, he seemed to me to be rather cold and distant, though it was obvious that his faith in Bane was strong. (It’s a pity, in my mind, for his faith to be wasted on such a god- but maybe I’m just being biased.) Anyway, he was definitely cold and rather condescending, but he seemed to suddenly change when I attempted to turn his summoned undead wyvern. I’m not sure exactly what came over him, but in that instant, he seemed like a completely different person.

And then, he ran away.

It was a bit anticlimactic, for me. There I was, my attempt to turn the wyvern with a burst of positive divine energy failed. One would think that the cleric who summoned the wyvern in the first place would react, maybe say something condescending and then attack- but no, he ran away.

Which is, maybe, why I can’t get him out of my head anymore. I probably subconsciously feel like he and I have some unfinished business to complete.

But somehow, I really don’t want to attack him.

Ataklos Rathryn, I wonder where you are now, and if we’ll ever get to meet again- and hopefully, under friendlier circumstances.

Prayer for Strength

O Kelemvor, let me be an instrument of your divine might
Let me be a pillar of justice
A shield of faith
And a blade of honor
That you may wield me as you see fit
Grant me, and all those who are my allies
The strength to carry out your sacred duty
And the will to persevere in the midst of suffering.
This I ask, as your humble servant,
In your name, O Kelemvor.

Based on the spell simply known as Prayer.

Depression…

After saving the town from the Night Twist, we went back, and (after my argument with Kieran) gave them the 370 gold pieces. In return they held a celebration in our honor, and let us stay at the inn for free.

The next day, however…

Some pyromaniac dragonspawn came astride his wyvern and with his band of ogres and hobgoblins, and set fire to the town hall. Fearing for Elder Spenn’s life, Azareth cast a protective sphere over him, and proceeded to attack the ogres. Once again, I don’t remember much of the battle, but I know I did some terrible things.

We were winning, but it didn’t seem to be fast enough. I called down a column of fire from the heavens, and incinerated three of our enemies- one died. He was my first non-undead kill.

Azareth had created a mass of violent tentacles in the middle of the town, so I wasn’t quite prepared to go out and fight. I spotted a female hobgoblin making a run for it, and I realized no one would be able to go after her, and she would end up wreaking more havoc. So, with a heavy heart, I called down a divine weapon and directed it to run her through. From behind. As she was escaping.

My second and third non-undead kills were acts of dishonorable murder.

Seeing there were still some enemies left, I directed the weapon towards a hobgoblin. He was blinded and trapped by the tentacles, and I saw the bastard sword, a copy of my deity’s weapon, cut off his head. I felt triumphant, yet horrified that my just and fair deity’s weapon was used in such a dishonorable way.

It was necessary, but I feel so much guilt and regret that I’m starting to wonder if it was really the right thing to do.

We won the battle shortly after, however, seeing this from astride his flying wyvern, the pyromaniac dragonspawn set fire to the town grain storage. I was infuriated- what disgusting, shameless creature could set fire to the food supply of a dirt-poor, innocent, hopeless town? I would track him down and unleash my fury on him, but I know that even if he does not die by my hands, he will still die. And Kelemvor will have prepared a just punishment for him.

The tentacles and the sphere disappeared soon after, but suddenly, a crossbow bolt shot out from behind a house and killed Elder Spenn.

What are the chances of that happening? It was all our fault, all our fault.

We were able to track down the killers- 3 halfling-sized lizard-men. We found out that they were sent by Tiamat for a reason I do not know, and that they were in league with Eldershade, who they seemed to dislike.

Having extracted this information, I don’t know what we’re going to do with them. I realize it would be bad to let them go, but I don’t want to participate in three more murders.

And to think, this was all our fault. And I’m still reeling from the shock of having murdered helpless individuals, though they were our enemies.

Kelemvor will have what I deserve waiting for me in the afterlife. I only wonder if he will accept my prayers for forgiveness.

Sadness, And Some Rather Absurd Foes

In the middle of the night, we were awoken by a strange sound.

It sent shivers down my spine, and I could feel wetness in my eyes starting to form. It was the fervent, crazed prayer of a desperately lonely child, a child who had been abandoned forever to the cruelties of the world. It reminded me somewhat of myself, after my mother died- I was ten years old then, and I knew nothing about the real world. It wasn’t terribly bad, now that I think about it. I still had my father and my brother to take care of me. Darian took over my education until I was fifteen, and then my father taught me the ways of an honest merchant so I could one day take over the shop with my brother. It was when my father died that my world turned upside down- I was nineteen then. Darian turned the adventurers’ shop into a sweet shop, which was what he had dreamed about since he was little. He didn’t get much money from it, so I became an adventurer to augment his income.

It was actually after my father’s death that I realized that my true calling was to become a cleric of Kelemvor, and not a simple merchant like I had always thought I would be. Irieaga Carter, one of the head clerics of the church, became my mentor and friend. She was a stern and strict lady, but she taught me how to fend for myself in the world, when I had always been sheltered. It was she who suggested that I give up my job in the church shop, and become an adventurer.

My eyes were opened, finally, and I realized what I was meant for. Under the guidance of Kelemvor, I was meant to destroy undead, to destroy the Zhentarim, that unholy organization that killed my innocent father as he was returning from a trading trip to Waterdeep.

I can never forgive the Zhentarim for stealing my father away from me, for placing in me a deep and permanent fear that they would come back for my older brother. No matter what it takes, I must destroy them.

Enough of that, however. Back to the real world.

I went back to sleep after I heard the sound, though I had a very strong urge to find the source. When we awoke in the morning, however, and we discussed the sound, I realized we had all heard different things. Were these sounds caused by some unholy being? I wondered. It turned out I was right- according to Lesa, the Night Twist, or something like that, is a tree that emits a sound of deep fear and sorrow, enticing people to come toward it and be beaten to death by its branches.

We went on our way and came to a tiny, dirt-poor village. All the people seemed to be miserable, so we stopped to ask a passing villager what was wrong. He said that one by one, every night, some people would wander into the forest in search of something, and never come back. We realized that it was the Night Twist, and decided we had to save the village.

Of course, since the village was dirt-poor, we decided to buy some provisions. Kieran bought a lot of alchemist’s fire- quite a good investment, considering how useful it is- and I decided to get rid of my old weapon and shield. I couldn’t bear to ask them to pay for it, so I gave it to them free. Perhaps they can sell it to someone else someday.

Afterwards, we went into the forest. Lesa spotted the vague outline of a rather evil-looking tree, but right in front of us, a bonechiller- an undead being with long, spindly claws and frost all around it- burst from the waters. As soon as it appeared, it did something, I wasn’t sure what- but it damaged us all quite severely. Only Lesa and I seemed strong afterward, however, we were also quite weakened. After that, I prayed to Kelemvor to grant me immunity from its attacks.

I don’t remember much of the battle, actually, especially the Night Twist. I was so focused on putting to rest that bonechiller that I didn’t really have time to pay attention to anything else. I only remember Kieran throwing her alchemist’s fire, Azareth hiding, and flames from the burning, flailing tree.

When I saw that my companions were having no luck with the bonechiller- it was regenerating itself- I decided to try what I did with the drowned zombie. I sent a burst of white and lilac light at it, and happily, it was severely weakened. It was still alive, however, and taking that opportunity, Alioth aimed to kill it. It seemed to find the strength to fight against him, though, and he was injured yet again.

And, uncharacteristically, what was running through my mind was: Good, don’t mess with my prey again. That was such a horrible thing to say, fueled by adrenaline and my intense hatred for undead.

Kelemvor help me, I don’t want to turn evil.

I decided it was time to act, and though I knew bonechillers were very resistant to turning, I attempted to turn it. I hadn’t done that since the failed turn attempt with the undead wyvern, when I first met Ataklos. The power of my deity guided me, however, and I was able to overcome its resistance. It was even more weakened, and to finish it off, I turned it one more time.

It exploded, in a burst of white light and floating lavender shapes. It was rather amusing, the sight of a rather frightful looking skeleton surrounded by hearts and flower petals.

When the adrenaline rush died down, I took a look and discovered that the tree was dead, and I saw the things my companions were already holding. There was an amazing-looking elven sword (for Lesa), a ring (for Azareth), and 370 gold pieces.

In my opinion, the gold should be returned to the village, to give them a boost while recovering from the tree’s terrible curse. I only hope my companions will be of the same mindset, though I doubt it.

I have killed two undead already! I feel so accomplished- maybe my quest won’t be useless at all.

Yay.

My crowning moment. Even the divine deities that control our lives agree that I have done a great, marvelous deed.

Sorry for this little bit of vanity. XD

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4955470&postcount=14

XD

The Dragon and the Dead. Or rather, not.

But technically, it is. Again. Um. Hmm.

As I wasn’t able to record much of what happened (seeing as I was in the midst of a very bad battle which certainly didn’t involve me standing stranded on water), I’ll just make a quick recap of the most recent events.

The black dragon’s name was Aszaufvorax, or at least, that’s what I heard. She was a very, very territorial dragon and succeeded in nearly killing off our group- in fact, Azareth and Kieran were in critical condition in the middle of the battle.

But we had another enemy to contend with then- a drowned zombie. Its presence was very frightening, as it smelled absolutely terrible and there was a weight in my chest that made me feel that I was swallowing water. It was awful- and as it was a drowned zombie, I knew we had to get rid of it soon, because it would take all of our willpower to go up against it. If we lost concentration for even a moment, its very presence could drown us in its misery.

Most of my companions went up against the dragon, which was definitely a formidable foe, but I stayed focused on the zombie. As a cleric of Kelemvor, I’m devoted to respecting the dead- so the existence of this undead really angered me. I tried to turn it, but to no avail- it was affected by the positive energy, but it seemed to be nowhere near being released from its misery. Alioth also tried to attack it, but his attack wasn’t strong enough.

I could tell my companions were already suffering from fatigue and pain- I was needed, but I had to kill this monster. I had to kill it so that it would be free from its terrible existence, and so my friends wouldn’t have to suffer at the hands of these two formidable enemies. Summoning all the power I had, I shot a burst of concentrated energy, a white-and-lilac ray of light towards it- and to my very great surprise, it shattered like glass, and its terrible aura was lifted.

The dragon was killed a while afterwards, with me being sprayed by its acid. It was painful, although perhaps that was an understatement. It burned, burned with all the agonies of the lost souls untouched by the hand of Kelemvor- but I was healed, I survived. The event with the acid wasn’t very important, in my opinion, though it almost led to my death. What mattered most to me then was the condition of my companions after the death of the dragon, whether they were hurt or not.

Happily they weren’t too critically damaged, though all of us were wounded. Lesa expertly bound our wounds to prevent infection, and we made camp soon afterwards. I received a magical circlet from the dragon’s treasure -I still don’t quite approve of looting a dead body, but she sprayed me with acid!- and I hope to get the little carved dragons and the statue too, to add to my collection of figurines. Azareth entertained us with a magic bag he was able to filch- it seemed to have no end to the things it could bring out! He was able to produce a tent, trail rations, a campfire… It was amazing, to say the least.

But to be honest, what was ringing in my mind for the rest of the day was that I had finally killed something. Or perhaps killed isn’t the right word- I brought something to rest. Maybe this’ll finally prove my worth in our group of friends. I know I’m not as strong as Alioth, or as strategic as Lesa, or as sneaky as Kieran- or even as creative as Azareth. But now I know that I’m good for something at least, and I’m not only back support for them. I can fight too, and I will fight with all the power I have, for my friends and for my cause.

Kieran’s Captain, again.

The encounter with the pirate ship didn’t end where I left off, unfortunately.

The pirate ship rammed into us, and I was thrown over the side. Luckily for me I’d come prepared for this (I absolutely detest open waters) and I cast a spell on myself to give me the ability to walk on water. Came in handy, of course. I couldn’t say the same for the poor captain, who, while unconscious, was thrown right over.

To my great surprise, there came a shark- yes, a shark. Unbelievable, it seems, but you know how life bites. Well, that’s what happened to the poor, unfortunate soul who is Kieran’s pretty captain. I wasn’t able to stop it sinking its jaws into his flesh, holding him in a vise-like grip. But I did manage to grab him and get the shark out- subsequently bashing it in the nose with my trusty aspergillum.

Unfortunately it decided to have a piece of me as well- quite literally. Needless to say its nose connected with my weapon once again.

I could hear lots of sound coming from the ship where my companions still were- how they managed to keep their balance, I don’t know- and strangely, laughter. I wanted to go up, so I passed the unconscious captain to his first mate, a seven-foot wall of useless muscle who was of no help at all aside from carrying the captain. I couldn’t quite get back on to the ship, so I was stuck in the water.

The battle seemed to end quite soon after that, sadly- I just decided to show who I really was, not just a healer. But life, I guess, is really like that. The one time I was prepared to fight… Well.

We made it back to the coast, and we started walking a few miles. After a while we came to a swampy area, and we were about to go on, but Lesa halted us.

And it was a good thing she did, because what I thought was a rotten log transformed into a large black dragon right in front of our eyes.

Kieran’s Captain, and someone else…

We took to the sea today, and I must admit I was quite terrified. I have never liked the ocean, and traveling in full plate armor was enough to make me feel a little sick. It was a good thing I thought to cast a spell on myself and on Alioth, one that would make us able to walk on water.

What was more terrifying was that a pirate ship was coming straight toward us. I managed to mask my nervousness but in the end, as per usual, I wasn’t needed except for healing. Praise Kelemvor there were only two casualties, and no fatalities.

Speaking of one of the two casualties, he happened to be the captain of the ship we were on. I have forgotten his name (everyone around me seems to have a difficult name- mine is quite simple) but I do remember his face. He had green eyes and dirty blond hair- rather handsome, to be perfectly honest. I would be lying if I said I was not interested at first. I think I can expect much teasing from my brother when he hears about this.

But I noticed him and Kieran making eyes at each other. They seem to have quite a lot of interest in each other, which I support, but I suddenly remembered Azareth and the way he and Kieran used to act. I wonder where all that has gone…

But back to the captain. He and Kieran were definitely flirting with each other, and I felt my interest in him lower. After all, I would rather not compete with her- we are companions, after all. And his blond hair reminded me of someone else- someone much, much different.

There was a blond cleric of Bane we met some time ago, under less than friendly circumstances. I still remember the battle well, but what stands out most vividly in my mind is his face. He was attractive, that I cannot deny. But Bane! If only he worshipped someone else, someone different… But who am I to say what people should do and say? His faith was unusually strong, and I remember being impressed by that. That’s what matters most for a cleric, after all. Before war, before gold, before ourselves, there is our deity.

If I remember correctly, his name was Ataklos Rathryn. Now there’s a name that is easy to remember.

All I have left of him are his weapon and shield, which I use and have had reforged to take away that horrible symbol of Bane. I must have forgotten to tell the smith to take out Ataklos’s initials. But it does not matter. Something, maybe, to remember him by.