Tales of Faerun

[Ithildin]

Echo cleared her throat. "Well," she began, "I've never had much of a connection with the gods myself; until very recently, I didn't believe in an afterlife of any sort. Seven Heavens, Nine Hells, angels, demons - I'd always assumed none of them were real ... foolishly, as it turns out. Lady Rhaine, what has kept you in Lord Kelemvor's service all your life?" The halfling looked at the eladrin and added, "What keeps you in Lord Corellon's, Lady Mireth? I mean to say, do the gods speak with you directly at times?"

[AurianaValoria1]

Sori glanced back at Maeve, who nodded her head in assent. The girl then bounced over to Bard, "I've never had hare before...what's it taste like?"

 

To Tannin's inquiry, Rhaine replied, "I do not know. She is an Eilistraeeian drow from the small Underdark community of Sel Sreen'aur, beneath the Dalelands. She could be near there, or she might not be. It is impossible to know for certain. This...upsets me greatly. She is a Favored Soul, like I am. It was she who taught me how to live with my wings."

 

There were a few moments of silence before Echo asked another question, to which the Doomguide answered, "You don't ask easy questions, do you?" She chuckled, and then added, "I jest, friend. I suppose you could say that service under any god is a relationship of...give and take. The spells I cast, the powers I wield...these are channeled directly from Kelemvor himself. His power is my power - I and other priests and priestesses like me are simply vessels through which this divine energy is drawn. Paladins and clerics are a bit more limited than I. They must pray for their power daily. Favored Souls like Maydiira and myself, however, keep a font of divine energy within us at all times. It can be depleted, yes, but with proper rest, it always returns."

 

She paused a bit before continuing, "I suppose this relationship is partially what keeps us in the faith...that, and we have found a god that suits our own morals and beliefs. You see, following a god is more than lip service now and then. It is a way of life. Ideally, you seek out a deity you wish to emulate; their doctrine reflects your own principles."

 

The Doomguide took a bit of smoked meat from her pack and ate a piece, thinking as she chewed. After swallowing, she added, "The gods rarely involve themselves directly with mortals, save those who have demonstrated a great strength of faith and character. It takes a lot to catch a god's attention...you are but one amongst millions of worshipers. If, however, you manage to set yourself apart from the rest, that god may see fit to communicate with you directly. This mostly happens through dreams or visions, though their avatars may also manifest, as you saw with Sune.

 

"I do not know about Mireth and Corellon, but as Kelemvor's Chosen, I have had the privilege of speaking with my lordship on several occasions. He has conveyed the necessity of my handling matters beyond the abilities of the rest of my church, and so we stay in contact with each other more often than most. The last time we spoke was...one, maybe two months ago? He's been rather quiet, lately."

Edited February 3, 2013 by AurianaValoria1

[Naktis]

"He did what?" Nawen chuckled as she imagined what the indecent with a gnome should have looked liked. She knew that gnomes were talented craftsmen and how much they loved inventing new items but never anything like this.

 

"Thank you for your tale and the hare. It was delicious." She said as she got up from her seat. Most of them had settled in and it seemed like a good idea to do some scouting to make sure that the area is safe.

-------------------------------------------------------

Aedan and Kevorin left the small village the next morning. The villagers were sad to see their guest leave not yet aware how many of their valuables the two men had stolen from them.

 

The two traveled mostly without any rest. The only stopped to let the horses rest for a bit before continuing their journey to the Hill's Edge. When they had finally reached the small town it was nighttime and the streets were nearly empty. They left their horses in the stables and walked to the Cyric's temple on foot.

 

"So, why this temple?" Aedan asked as they made their way to the temple through the empty streets.

 

The tiefling shrugged. "I know better than to ask, Fallen." "I only know that I have to steal some powerful artifact."

 

Aedan looked at the tiefling. Kevorin never said anything about any powerful artifact. The wicked smile crossed his face.

 

"We should hurry then." He said.

[Ithildin]

When Rhaine laughed, the halfling grinned widely, showing her teeth, but grew sober again listening to the Doomguide's revelations about her relationship with Kelemvor. Echo knew little about the halfling pantheon, and hadn't given any thought to which god she might emulate herself until now. "How should I go about studying the gods' doctrines? I might've been interested in learning about Brandobaris, but for some reason he's never appealed to me; quite the opposite." She frowned, gazing down at the campfire for a moment. "Something from my childhood turns my heart against him ... I suppose. I can't remember, nor do I understand why Sheela Peryroyl does appeal to me." She shook her head, frustrated that her earliest memories were always beyond reach. "Have you known any hin - halflings, I mean - who devoted themselves to Lord Kelemvor, Lord Corellon, other deities outside the halfling pantheon? And ... does it worry you when Lord Kelemvor hasn't spoken with you for a while?"

 

Suddenly aware she'd been monopolizing her leader's time, Echo felt very uncomfortable. "Please forgive me for asking so many questions; I'll be glad to let you and Lady Mireth get something more than travel rations for dinner!"

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine stuffed the rest of one piece of meat in her mouth and rummaged around in her pack for a bit, murmuring a muffled "No" each time she came across the wrong thing. At last, she withdrew an old, worn book, the cover of which had been bent, torn, stained, and beaten. She swallowed again, "Here it is. This is an old catalog of deities and their domains." She brushed it off and proffered it to Echo, "Feel free to look through that anytime you like, friend."

 

"Sheela Peryroyl, eh?" the Doomguide added, "That is...interesting. And I don't know of very many hin who go outside their native pantheon, though there certainly are some who do. Mask is popular amongst the Lightfoot Halflings, if I remember correctly. In truth, there are always some who 'stray' from their race's patrons. I have known elves who follow Tyr and half-orcs who worship Torm. Anyone can follow any god they desire, as long as the deity in question does not object. Sometimes, the gods will even alter their avatars to match the race of a particular servant whilst in their presence, if they believe it will make him or her more comfortable."

 

Rhaine paused for a moment, silently musing to herself what Kelemvor would look like as a drow...

 

She sighed, "I will admit, my lordship's silence does worry me sometimes. But I also know that he is preoccupied by a great many things, and he only directs me if he feels that I need it."

 

The Doomguide then grinned, hopping down from the wagon wheel, "I'm glad we've spoken of the subject if it serves to benefit you, dear Echo. There's nothing to ask forgiveness for."

 

At that moment, Maeve began ladling out hot boiled potatoes in small wooden bowls for Sori and Bilron. Turning back to the rest of the party, she said, "If ye want some potatoes, come up here with your plates or bowls...I've more than enough for us all to have some."

Edited February 3, 2013 by AurianaValoria1

[mythicdawnmaster]

Answering Echo's question, Mireth responded softly "While i am not graced with such an intimate bond as Rhaine and Lord Kelemvor, Corellon has spoken to me in person a few times. I was not chosen because i was never expected to follow the path i lead now, i was to be a simple priestess, nothing more, but the way we live our lives determines what we receive, that, and unlike Rhaine, i was not 'special', i showed no great promise in my youth, or any signs of qualities a god would pick. But my path as a Divine Champion- a role that mortals bestow upon themselves, Lord Corellon has grown to accept and trust me." She answered as honestly as she could, for she knew not how the gods worked.

 

hearing Echo ask Rhaine about halfings serving in other pantheons, Mireth answered to her knowledge "I met a halfling once that took the path of the swordmage, and found Corellon to be a fitting god, but i have not heard of many others of your kind serving my own lord- Halflings are a rarity in Elven cities and gatherings. But don't think race dictates anything, Echo. You must choose a god that mirrors your strengths and serves to parry your weaknesses, you have to believe in their dogma, it must... be a part of your life. It would be useless worshipping bane if you had not murdered, no?"

[Ithildin]

"Indeed, that makes sense, Lady Mireth," Echo replied, "and in the case of a reformed murderer, why remain a Banite? Following Brandobaris is out of the question for me." Turning the Doomguide's book over in her hands, she added, "Many thanks, to both of you. I'll take good care of this, and give thought to everything you've told me."

 

She watched Rhaine jump down from the wagon and followed suit; she went to retrieve a bowl and fork from one of her saddlebags, and then gratefully accepted some of Maeve's potatoes, planning to read Rhaine's book while she ate.

[Macman253]

Bard chuckled at all the godly talk going on, he had little need for deities and found them to be a waste of his time and energy. All the praying and bowing and kowtowing made him feel sick. He ruffled his cards once again and continued his practices. Looking over to the elf and Rhaine he smiled and laughed. "You really think the gods have purposes for us? They don't give two buckets of pig dung about us... we are just pawns to serve and worship them, or just an inconvenience to them. I have travelled from one end of Faerun to the other and not once did I ever see a supposed Miracle when it was sorely needed. I have seen good men and women die praying for such a miracle to save them..." He said, his eyes glazing over as he continues. "I've seen villages get torn apart by orcs, innocents slaughtered and every single one of them prayed for help. I nearly died trying to save them... I wasn't more then fourteen summers old..." He said, his hands finally stopped moving as he spoke. Images of that night flashed in his mind, orcs beheading villagers as they prayed for help. Unable to defend themselves.

 

"They were left abandoned, without their sons and husbands to defend them because the local noble had called them in for enlistment so he could march off to war with some other a**hole in an expensive pair of trousers. Meanwhile, orcs pillaged and raped their way across his lands and it wasn't until the noble was done waving his prick to his rival did we put them down for good." He said coldly, his usual happy demeanor gone. Bard was once a man of faith, a tattoo on his arm glistened in the firelight. It was a shield with a horse crested on it, a sword behind it with wings for a crossguard. A symbol associated with Torm and often favored by soldiers. "The worst part of it, when we came across the villages while hunting these orcs... the man of the cloth that represented Kelemvor just said dig a pit, throw some lye over em and fill it in. I saw a boy, not much older then the girl cry as we buried his parents in an unmarked grave. No rites of passage were said, the survivors didn't get to remember them..." He said as he stood, his temper flaring.

 

"I'll be sleeping on my own tonight..." He said as he began to pack his things.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Macman253

[josh900]

Tannin once again found himself deep in though. "So Kelemvor... speaks to you. Interesting." He said in an intrigued tone. Moments later he turned to Echo. "Don't worry so much lady Echo! The gods have no care for the race of those that worship them. I once knew an orc who worshiped Lurue. Though he did believe himself to be a leprechaun so that may have had something to do with it." He said with an odd look. "I myself have never personally connected with a god..... well.....in a positive way at least." He said unable to keep a small chuckle to escape.

 

He listened to Bards speech with a smirk. "You obviously haven't traveled as much as you claim. or perhaps you were simply eying the women too much to take a good look around. The gods effect much of our world whether we like it or not. I myself would not be here were it not for the intervention of the divine. But regardless of what you might think. We are in the presence of those that are strong of faith, so i would ask that you show a little respect if you could. I know it's probably not something you are used to but new experiences do us all wonders." Not even trying to hide the bite in his tone.

[AurianaValoria1]

"You are, of course, entitled to think what you like," Rhaine commented to Bard, "But if the Kelemvorite you speak of gave no Rites, he was not a true man of our faith. I ask that you not judge us all by the actions of one...or lack thereof. Likewise, do not judge all of the gods in the same manner."

 

She quietly retrieved a bowl and spoon from her pack and also accepted a few of Maeve's potatoes. She was not eager to deplete her desert fare. Returning to the wagon wheel, she ate in silence, mulling over both what Bard and Tannin had said; she understood the former's, and she appreciated the latter's.

Edited February 3, 2013 by AurianaValoria1