"Handsome Luke" -- as he's often called nowadays -- is out on his own, a long way from home.

Home used to be a well-fortified keep, near the edge of the empire, whose inhabitants had long kept a wary eye on the orc and goblin tribes and protected the local farmers and herders from raids.  Luke, who went by another name in those days, was a half-orc orphan who never knew his parents.  He was brought up among the servants at the keep.

Being big, strong, and mostly docile, Luke was a useful guy to have around the place.  Once he became a teenager, he started doing some part-time work as a sparring partner to the young human nobles and gentry who would come to the keep every year to be trained as paladins and knights.  He enjoyed the roughhousing, and although years of sparring gave him a few scars, cauliflower ears, and a broken nose, he didn't much care -- his goblinoid features meant he had never been the prettiest guy around to begin with.  He was okay at fighting, but never great at it.  He relied on his size, strength, and toughness, and as the knights and paladins in training started to develop real martial skills, they were always able to beat him eventually.  Beating Luke became something of a rite of passage for the young.

Life went on like this for a few years, and Luke was mostly content with his place in the world, until a strange thing happened.  To keep a long story short, he started hanging out with the Lady Roxanna, the wife of the military commander of the keep.  She taught him to read, and she taught him religion.  Luke was already a churchgoer -- in the pious setting of the keep, with many paladins and clerics of Hieroneous forming the backbone of the military force, almost everyone went to church.  But it was Roxanna who made Luke care, and taught him to read the scriptures for himself, and sometimes talked with him late into the night about life, the gods, and everything.  It took Luke a while to realize it, but he was in love, and strangely indeed, so was she.  They kept that a secret, of course, which wasn't too hard since few would have believed it anyway.

After a while, Luke felt called to do more with his life, so he applied to become a paladin of Hieroneous.  He was turned down due to sheer lack of charisma; even with his new book learning, he was still at best a plainspoken fellow who tended to mumble, hardly an inspiring figure even if you overlooked the ugly face.  But most people liked him nonetheless, and Roxanna pulled a couple of strings, and Luke was trained as a knight.

He served reasonably well for a couple of years, until he had one really bad day.  He was with a small squad of knights and paladins when they came to a hamlet that had been burned to the ground, everyone in it massacred.  They rode hard and caught up to the human bandits who had done it.  The bandits surrendered and were taken prisoner and tied up.  Luke stood guard while the other knights went to look for survivors.  Words were exchanged, and Luke -- disgusted and angry to begin with -- fell into a rage and hacked the prisoners to death.

Ashamed but still truthful, he waited for his comrades to return, and admitted his crime.  He returned to the keep and was imprisoned, awaiting court-martial.  Soon Roxanna visited his cell with news that made his heart sink even lower.  A certain paladin had learned of Luke's affair with Roxanna and, moved by sheer jealousy, was threatening to publicly denounce them at Luke's court-martial.  Luke knew what he had to do.  With her help, he escaped from his cell that night, took his sword and armor, and fled across country.

He has been wandering ever since.  He changed his name to "Luke" on a whim, grew out his hair and beard, and started wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled low on his head, casting a shadow on his face.  He regrets that he's a murderer, but he feels he's still a good guy at heart and a loyal servant of Hieroneous, and he thinks he's been punished enough by being effectively exiled.  He has gotten into some scrapes, used his martial skills to defend the weak on occasion, and at other times chopped wood and carried water to earn a few coins.  He thinks that by now the knights of the keep probably aren't chasing him any more, so he just keeps traveling around hoping to find something good to do with his time.  He hopes he'll know it when he sees it.

Luke stands about 6'8" tall.  He looks a little flabby, but he's strong and tough as nails.  He has long black hair, tied in a braid, but with a receding hairline up front.  He has an unkempt black beard.  His face betrays his orcish heritage quite strongly, and looks pretty busted-up too.  He wears a brown leather hat with a wide round rim, and well-worn traveling clothes.  He carries a big rucksack and a two-handed sword.  He mostly acts reticent and polite, and speaks in a low voice.

Duke Rathborn of Shattered bridge was known far and wide as a boisterous populist. Those who know him better know him as a conceded boisterous braggart who can never tolerate any slight.  What many had mistaken as a devotion to Hieroneous’s principals was actually a near fanatical servitude to his own ego. There is no doubt that danger exists however his speeches were long of happiness to come and how his stewardship would be an age of security and of  prosperity for all. However, since the disappearance of his wife he has fallen into a foul mood. Brooding and harsh, his speeches no longer filled with flowery platitudes which would inspire the masses he now orates on the necessity of order  and might to protect the weak.  He now speaks of the sleeping evil across the river and of the foul Perhaps Lady Roxanna was the true champion of the people. If Only she would return, perhaps the carefree days would return to Shattered bridge with her and the people could let the ruins across the river keep remain in the shadows of their past.

On the way to Brix, Luke is quiet but friendly.  He asks the more learned members of the party what, if anything, they know about the ghost wizard and the ooze, and how best to handle such adversaries in the future.

In Brix, Luke keeps a low profile.  He is a little concerned that someone might be looking for him here (although he does not reveal this to the other PCs).  He does some drinking in the local taverns, though not to excess.  He gets a foot massage and enjoys the fact that he's not out trekking across the countryside.

Although he is interested in the strange goings-on with ravens and wolves, as well as the dagger, he doesn't see himself as being able to contribute much in the way of research.  But he talks interestedly with the other PCs about whatever they learn.

(Does he happen to hear any of the recent news from Shattered Bridge?)

Low profile or not our hero is having a hard time fitting in. He isnt the only halfbreed in town but he may well be the only one wearing a wide-brimmed hat. He's been getting more than a few stares but nothing concrete enough to force his hand. The town watch have made it clear upon entering the city that blades are best not displayed. Still the hill gate area this isnt so strictly enforced as Luke might hope.

It would take more than stares to make Luke lose his cool.  Having fought against real orcs before, he understands why his own orc-esque appearance makes some people uncomfortable.  In the past he has usually found that a combination of unfailing politeness and the fact that he's too big for most people to mess with keeps situations from getting out of hand.  He employs that approach here, and keeps his blade well out of sight so that any town guards don't have an excuse to bother him.

Coming back to town without the fanfare of a dragon in tow was a wise idea. Though he has done nothing wrong Luke has become increasingly aware of eyes watching his movements about town.  He has seen two of Rathborn's cronies milling about the town. It could just be a coincidence, though. Showy items have always been one of Rathborn’s weaknesses and the Jeweler’s market in Brix exceed those found most places and at cheaper prices.  The daily trips to the astral district’s Heironous shrine may require some precautions….Just to be safe.

That being the case, Luke decides not to make any more trips to the shrine of Heironeous in Brix for the time being.  He is sure his god will understand.

He also avoids the jewelers' district, since that's a likely place for running into Duke Rathborn's men.

Passing his time away in out of the way taverns is hardly something an aspiring iniate of heironeous would do still, its keeping Luke undectected.

While enjoying some rabbit stew one evening that has streached to close to morning, an aged man who looks like he has spent hard years toiling in the fields limps over to Lukes table and sits down. The fellow is mixed stock for sure, some blood from the Kron plainsmen if his tan skin and jet black hair are any indication.

“Way I figure it, someone’s looking for you. Also figure you aint wanting to be found…” seeing Luke’s  expressionless reaction the old man continues.
“Now what ever you done aint my business and I mean to keep it like that, still when good fortune provides a means out of bad, only a fool doesn’t act. Its like this,” his accent is thick with the local tongue.

“I had a farm just south of town, raise sheep. Anyway some things been pickin them off. I thought wolves cause their common enough but turns out its bigger. Anyway had some of the farmhands track it down into a cave and well. Whatever’s in there tore them boys up good.”

“So you see we both got troubles, me mine which you like you can fix, and you yours which aint getting any better but I can keep from getting worse, How about it there big fella? Get me outta this jam and they’ll be something in it for ya.”

Luke slowly chews a piece of rabbit, as an excuse to take his time to answer the old man.  But while doing so, he makes sure to look the old man right in the eye; he does not want to seem like he's hiding anything.

[Luke has 8 Charisma and no training in diplomacy or deception, so his act might not be as convincing as he wants it to be, but he'll give it his best shot:]

After swallowing, he says in a low voice, choosing his words carefully, "I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong idea about me.  I'm not hiding from anyone and I've got no need to.

"Now, I guess you've seen me with my hat on, sitting over here by myself in the corner of this fine tavern, and I can get why you think I might be hiding.  But just look at my face.  I'm obviously a half-breed, and some friends of mine have said I look more like an orc than a human.  That tends to frighten some people.  And I get a little tired of people staring at me, or pointing and whispering, or acting rude.  So when I don't want to deal with that, I sit off to the side and stay out of the way.

"Now, I don't like that you seem to think I must have done something wrong, but I'll let that pass.  I'm sorry to hear about your troubles.  You said that some kind of big thing in a cave tore up your farmhands.  Did any of them live, or did you mean it killed them all?  How did you find out what happened to them?"

"I see how you wanna play this eh stranger. I suppose its just a coincidence that some members of the path are offering a bounty for a tall half-blood who wears a hat much like yours. Still i aint no rat unless this is a sinking ship. Them boys went in there alright not one of em left. Fools thinking they handle what ever it was with hay-forks. To me looks like a bear not that theyd take as much as this thing did still you aint handling an angry bear with a hay fork.
So way I see it, Bart, either Im getting someone to clear this thing outta the cave in the back forty or I'm collecting enough silver to move the whole farm to the east of town. I'll be busy tomorrow, I'll see you the next day, say noon? Tough guy like you will be done in an hour, or bring some help if you like. Long as this thing gets out of my hair I'll be glad to say we never met."

The old man gives easily follow directions to his home then departs.

[Does Luke have any idea what "members of the path" means?]

Luke stays at the table, sitting very still, slowly getting his rage under control.  It's a good thing, he thinks, that he had his sword wrapped up in his bedroll, so there was no way he could have whipped it out and beheaded the old man right then and there.

The old man isn't too smart, he thinks.  If you meet a big guy who's wanted for murder, and you think he's capable of killing some big monster in a cave... why would you threaten him?  It would be so easy to follow the old man's directions to his farm tonight or tomorrow night and kill him in his sleep.

Which would serve the old man right for threatening Luke... But Luke knows he can't do that.  That's what a monster would do.  He prays devoutly to Heironeous that he may never again become a monster.

But is the old man stupid and inviting his own murder, or is he somehow craftily setting a trap?  It doesn't make much sense: assuming someone really has been offering a bounty on Luke, if the old man wanted to benefit from the situation, he should have just taken the money and led the people offering it to the tavern where Luke's been sitting for hours.  So it's hard to see how going to the old man's farm would be walking into a trap.

Still, Luke sees no reason to help someone who has rudely threatened him.  At the moment he'd be quite happy to learn that the old man had been eaten by the cave monster.  It doesn't seem especially likely that there would be treasure there, nor clues leading to whoever sent the wolves to attack the caravan.

So the thing to do, Luke thinks, is just to get out of town as soon as possible.  The old man isn't expecting him until noon the day after tomorrow, so even if he decides to carry out his threat to inform on Luke, by then Luke will be nowhere to be found.

But first he needs to change his appearance, and especially get rid of the hat.  He laughs to himself a little.  He really liked that hat...

He resolves that in the morning he will go to a barber, get a haircut, change his facial hair, then buy a new hat somewhere, then leave town after telling the rest of the group where they can find him.

He throws the old hat into the nearest sewer.

((The "Path" is a group of monks who follow Heironeous. They are religious zealots. The church of Heironeous used to be based in whitehall - the city that was once shattered bridge but now generally refers to the ruins on the southern bank of the river.

From the old forums:
The church of Heironeous has seen better days. Headquartered in the city of shattered bridge in southern most Wyverndale, the church is striving to regain its former glory. The grand cathedral in the fallen city of Whitehall lies in ruins and stands as a constant reminder of the former glory of the order. While reclaiming the fallen city is beyond the means of the church, several artifacts have been recovered. Still, the order collectively longs for the days when its priesthood was the trusted advisors of the generals and aristocracy of every city-state. The current ruling class however is more diverse in its religious affiliation. Glavin Ansribrar, high priest and bringer of the avatar, has called for shires to be dedicated across the land and has sent monks and clerics of the lowest order through out the land to find fallen shrines in an attempt to renew the faithful. A new grand cathedral is planned for the garrison in shattered bridge, though without the patronage of the state, it may be difficult to raise the funds such a project will require. "

Luke is surprised to learn that the Path has put out a bounty on him.  He didn't expect them to be involved with something as mundane as tracking down a fugitive from Shattered Bridge.  But, he certainly can't blame them.  He just needs to stay out of their way.  That means no visits to any temples or monasteries of Heironeous for the foreseeable future.

Luke is not happy about this lack of spiritual guidance, but he expects he'll be OK.  He resolves to pray and read his holy scriptures often.

In the morning he goes to a barber and has his beard shaved, leaving only a thick black mustache [think Freddie Mercury].  He has his hair cut short too.  Then he buys a black knit skullcap, with no brim, just something to keep his balding scalp from getting sunburned.

Ascending to Level 2, Luke takes the "Boundless Endurance" power and the feat "Weapon Expertise: Heavy Blade."

During our downtime in the dungeon after Episode V, Luke takes his time in closely examining the four katanas that the party found.  He gets a rather covetous look in his eyes.  He has never owned a sword anywhere near this nice.  Now he has two!

Luke equips himself with the particularly shiny and probably magical one, and takes one of the others as a spare.  He walks around the room, taking some non-strenuous practice swings, getting used to the weight and shape of these swords.

In his mind, he fondly remembers the flail that he is discarding here.  It was always fun to fight with a flail -- to whirl that chain around and slam it into the head of a training dummy or an orcish raider.  But there's just no doubt that a bastard sword or katana is a more precise and therefore more deadly weapon.  No point getting sentimental, he thinks -- if you're going to fight monsters you have to use what works best, it's that simple.  Besides, these elven blades sure are pretty...

As we established at the end of the last session, at least Luke and Nadarresh (and possibly Aerandis or Theren) are going back to give a decent burial to the people of the caravan that we recently saw attacked by wolves.

Somewhere along the way, Luke asks Nadarresh to teach him his technique for attacking enemies on all sides at once.  Thereafter, he practices it often, adapts it to his own style, and makes it his own.

[Going up to 3rd level, Luke takes the encounter power called Sweeping Blow, which is a lot like Dire Wolverine Strike but does slightly more damage.]

Luke's intention is to go with Nadarresh to bury the bodies of those who were massacred at the caravan; then to go with him to the shrine of Wee Jas to free those souls; and then, assuming all goes well, to meet up with the rest of the party.  People were interested in going to a city whose name I forget, to investigate a group of wizards who we found dead in the basement of Demlos's tower.  Luke thinks that sounds just fine, especially since it will involve going somewhere far from Brix.

Luke will avoid going into Brix; if others need to pay a visit there, he'll camp and wait well outside the town if necessary.

To restate my intentions in Leigh's "mad libs" format:

Luke will travel to the caravan massacre site, and then the shrine of Wee Jas to bury the dead, and then accompany Nadarresh to free the souls that were apparently taken into the dagger.  He will return to the area near Brix in about 1 week? or however long it takes to accomplish the above to rejoin the party.

Loose ends:

Zarb Zarba -- Luke wonders what happened to him but isn't going to go searching for him, since he'd have no idea where to start.

The dagger -- Luke will go with Nadarresh to the shrine of Wee Jas and hope that the souls can be released there.

The wizards' guild of Holderness -- that seems to be the best lead to follow right now, and Luke would like to go to Holderness with whichever party members will be available next session.

Who is keeping tabs on us? -- Luke hates feeling watched and would love to kick the ass of whoever is doing that, but doesn't have much of any idea how to investigate it.  Perhaps it is someone in the wizards' guild of Holderness?

Among the dead at the burial site Luke finds himself staring at a young man in the robes of Heironeous. A scroll tube stuffed with a sealed parchment is in his tattered robes. Around his neck is a silver chain with a small brass key. He seems to have been a messenger for the path. Searching through the debris of the caravan Luke finds a small (loaf of bread sized) but heavy locked metal box. The box has silver inlay of religious symbols that seem all to familiar to Luke.

Luke is curious about these things that the Path messenger was carrying.  He thinks, "Maybe I should see what these things are so I can make sure they get to whoever they were going to."

But then he reconsiders: "Maybe I'm just indulging my own curiosity by opening seals and locks to things that are none of my business.  I must make sure my idle desires don't make me pry into holy secrets that haven't been revealed to me."

Having difficulty deciding what to do, Luke determines to pray to Heironeous about it.  He puts the scroll tube, the box, and the key into his pack, and continues to work on burying the dead for now.  He will pray in the evening, when this work is done, and decide after that what to do.

[It's up to you, Leigh, whether Heironeous responds to this prayer in any way that Luke can detect.  If Luke gets any sense that he ought not to open the scroll tube or the box, then he will leave them shut but take them with him and plan to find a way to deliver them to some church official.  If Luke gets any sense of divine approval for his opening either of these things, then he will do so.  If he can't detect any response to his prayer, then on the following morning he will open the scroll tube and read the scroll before deciding whether to open the box.]

As Luke resumes burying the dead, he is startled by the bloodcurdling roar of Nadarresh.

[I'll head over to Nadarresh's thread to describe how Luke responds to him.]

(moved to the character thread)

Luke is so shocked by the sudden roar of Nadarresh that he trips and falls on his face.   He scrambles to his feet and whips out his sword, looking around for the attack.  Realizing that the roar is Nadarresh's, he feels a bit foolish and puts his sword away.

"Are you okay?  Did you see something terrible?"  He walks to Nadarresh with a concerned look on his face.

Assuming Nadarresh shares something of what is on his mind, Luke responds as follows:

"These people . . . it's bad, what happened here, but they're in a better place.  A lot of them, anyway."

"Telling someone what happened seems like a good idea, even though there's no way we could haul all this stuff.  If we go to Holderness next, maybe there's someone there we could tell?  The, um... owner of the caravan or whatever..."  Luke thoughtfully scratches one of the scars on his face, realizing that he has no actual idea how caravans work, whether they are somehow affiliated with big merchants in cities or what.  But there's gotta be someone responsible who we could tell about this, he thinks...

As they continue talking and working, Luke spends some time looking for small, easily carried, valuable things to take with him.  He's not being a thief, but he figures that stuff will get stolen if it is just left out here, whereas they may be able to return some things to people's families by taking them now.  Ultimately, if he takes any valuable things and can't find anyone to whom they should be given back, Luke will donate them to the church.

Intimate personal effects abound but are probably best left to comfort the spirits. Luke picks up stray coin purses and loose change equal to 50 marks (GP) and 12 shrines (Eladrin GP) 75 silver coins were also found scattered among the corpses. Additionally one purse has a cache of shiny elven coins 5 platinum forests, 30 golden trees, and 40 silver leaf coins. The Elf went down fighting, he had a bloody silvered short sword in his hand.

After  a hard days work Luke rests by the fire eating dried fish from one of the wagons as he slips off into slumber perhaps Heironeous will provide guidance in his dreams?

Dream: Luke is standing on a high hill overlooking valley with a white walled city. Alabaster towers rise though  low lying mist and he finds his view flowing into a tower window high above the cloud obscured streets. An ageless woman wearing flowing gowns and the crown of an empress sits on a chair embroidering a pillow. She sticks her finger with the needle and a single drop of blood falls through the air and splashes on the floor. The drop soon becomes an ocean and Luke finds himself on a raft being tossed in a great deluge. The raft becomes lost in this endless ocean and after what seems an eternity of turmoil Luke is washed up on an island large enough for only one lone tree for shade. The ocean is utter calm and the scene is strangely silent. In the shade of the tree sits a box identical to the one found by Luke in the caravan.

Before he can approach the box he suddenly sits up wide awake to the smell of cooking bacon . It is mid morning and Nadarresh is cooking an enormous slab of bacon over the fire.  "Best not to waste it"  it is the only comment necessary.

((Voice from the sky says "no making me decide for you"))

As for the elf with the cache of coins, Luke takes a good look at him before burying him, hoping to see something distinctive by which he can be described to others later -- perhaps his hairstyle, clothing, or some trinket or personal effect that might identify his name or family.  This amount of money might be of particular importance to the elf's family, so it would be good to try to return it to them.

After breakfast, Luke decides the time has come to open the scroll tube and read what's inside.  He'll do that before deciding whether to open the box.

The parchment is neatly rolled and sealed in Gold flecked wax with the holy symbol of Heironeous. The calligraphy is impeccable and written in blue silvered ink. It reads:


Arageth,

As it seems you have not been able to identify this  Bartholomew whom our good lady had recommended. I think we have no choice but to pay the ransom.  Perhaps His faith is not as profound as she may have believed. In any case R’s men seem to have stopped their search for her and her studies have progressed impresivly.  The messenger’s case contains enough platinum to pay the brutish thugs as long as they have not defiled the rod, have the messenger return it to the temple in Holderness. I trust you can arrange the exchange. The path’s service to the church is as always appreciated.

The Grand vizier of Heironeous , His majesty Balamaster the wise.

Luke reads this over and over, shaking his head, perplexed and uncertain.

[Leigh, I have questions that will help me figure out what Luke does:

Has Luke ever heard of Balamaster or Arageth before?  Balamaster at least sounds like a public figure that Luke might know of.

And what about "Barthalamule"?  Luke has an inkling about who that might refer to (and hardly dares to think about who the "good lady" might then be), but has he ever heard of anyone with that particular name?

Was this caravan traveling towards or away from Brix before it was ambushed?  If away from Brix, then where to?  Holderness?]

Luke tries to open the box using the key.  He expects to see a lot of platinum inside, but he wants to confirm that and see if there's anything else of interest in there.

(("Bathalamule" spelling corrected to Bartholomew to avoid confusion. Sorry. Luke would know of Balamaster a prominent leader of the church of Heironeous from Shattered Bridge. The Caravan was heading west to Brix. Not having the appropriate skills trained (or listed as trained either way heh) Luke is unsure who Arageth might be but its a safe bet that he is also somehow involved with the church. As to who R or the good lady may be, we know from this letter that R's men are or have been looking for the "good Lady;" these men havent found her and that she recommended this Bartholomew as someone who might be willing or able to help the church recover some item being held ransom. ))

After rereading the letter a dozen times, Luke lays back on the ground, looking up at the morning sky, slowly trying to puzzle out what the letter might mean.

Where is Roxanna, if the "good lady" is she, which it almost has to be?  What might she be studying, what would that have to do with Balamaster or the Path, and why would they be concealing her whereabouts from "R" (who is most likely Duke Rathborn)?  What is the rod, who are the brutish thugs, and why would finding Luke have somehow been an alternative to paying a ransom?  But most importantly, where is Roxanna and what does she want Luke to do?

Every time he thinks of her face he starts daydreaming and loses his train of thought for a while...

Eventually Luke remembers the box.  He tries to open it with the key, hoping for some additional clue inside.

((Danged forum ate my post.  Trying again.  Leigh, if it's doable without messing with whatever you've got planned for this Saturday, Luke wants to pursue this matter as soon as possible by going to Brix and talking to whoever's in charge of the Path there.  He wants to bring along the rest of the party for protection, if they're willing, since he's still paranoid about his fugitive status.))

The key fits the lock perfectly and the box lid slides open. The box contains an inner and outer tray. The outer tray has 18 stacks of identical stacks of platinum coins each stack looks to hold 10 coins each. These stacks of coins rim the inner tray in which a lead case sits. Runes and glyphs mark the case. Inside in the case is a silver medallion etched with six severed hands in a circle. The medallion has an unsettling effect on Luke. He begins to hear a low buzzing sound in his ears it grows louder as he stares at the talisman. The buzzing drones on and he finds himself becoming nauseous, he instinctively slams shut the case before he can retch. Not all of this ransom payment seems to be a bargain.

Luke makes sure the case is locked.  His mouth has gone quite dry.  He takes a long drink from his waterskin.

"Nadarresh, do you have any idea what six severed hands in a circle mean?"

In Brix, before we leave town, Luke goes shopping for a couple of things:

-- a new, black, wide-brimmed hat, similar to the one he threw away when he thought he had to hide himself from the Path;

-- another 50 feet of rope to add to the 50 he was already carrying, since the next adventure might involve some mountain climbing;

-- a warm fleece-lined cloak, also black, big enough to wear over his armor, in order to avoid freezing while climbing mountains in winter.

If it can be done, Luke would also like to seek out Arageth for one more brief private conversation while we're still in Brix.  Here's what he would wish to say in that conversation:

Luke's words are polite but his tone of voice is serious and intense.  "Holy father, there's one more thing I need to know.  I didn't ask you about it in front of my companions because they don't need to know who the lady is, but you and I know.  The Grand Vizier wrote to you and said, "R’s men seem to have stopped their search for her and her studies have progressed impressively."  You must know what that means, or he wouldn't have written it that way.  And you know she'd want me to know.  So -- who was searching for her, and what is she studying?"

Arageth's brow furrows and he reaches for a drink of water from a ceramic mug. “You really don’t know do you?” “Well to avoid her husband’s wrath, no pun intended I assure you, she sought shelter with the sisters of Mercy. As she did not show her face in public for nearly a fortnight, he declared that you had taken her captive. He offered a reward for your capture though he did not consult our oracles. We knew then that there was much of the story he wished to remain hidden. Her death I’m afraid was a story concocted by the sisters to prevent the Lord from eventually finding her and perhaps killing her himself. “

“While in the sister’s care she has shown the gift. Very few women have this gift. Certainly she is much older than most who are uncovered, still she has embraced her calling and is training to become an Oracle. Of course she will likely travel north to Hildenbrand to complete her training once she masters the fifth tier. ((Voice from beyond there are 7))  You would not recognize her as your former companion, the training is intense. Still she has recommended you to us for reasons only the oracles can understand.”

Luke has trouble finding words.  He lets his face show all the bewilderment he feels.  "She... I... uh... well... okay then."  He gets up to leave, feeling a bit unsteady on his feet, and starts to head for the door.

He catches himself and turns around.  "Thank you -- thank you.  That means more to me than..."  He lets the sentence trail off, blushing, then stumbles out into the street looking for a drink.

After the many ferocious battles and strange encounters that Luke has been through recently, he notices that his sword arm has gotten a little stronger and his wits have become a little sharper. 

((Going up to 4th level, Luke raises his Strength to 19 and his Wisdom to 13.

As I've said before, I want Luke to take the multiclass cleric feat -- Initiate of the Faith, I believe it's called.  I'm not sure how best to roleplay it, but since it involves Luke being granted a measure of divine magical power, it probably should involve some rather out-of-the-ordinary event.

With your permission, Leigh, I'd like to say Luke has a dream during the extended rest we take after the bridge battle.  In the dream, Roxanna appears, dressed as a messenger of Heironeous, and tells Luke that his prayer has been answered.  (He has been praying regularly, for a while now (ever since we reached 3rd level), to be granted the power to heal.)  Luke wakes up and is sure the dream was real, but says nothing about it to the others for now.  Is that OK?))

“Troubling news… Mad you say?” Arageth inspects the rod.“ I’m no wizard but it appears as if all the magic is drain from this relic.  It does not decrease its significance as a symbol to the faithful we will ensure it finds a  place of note in our new cathedral!.”

  “ I…. are you sure he would not succumb to his wounds? He did not mention Brix in his tirade?... no?  Very good then. I’m no mage and who can discern the ramblings of a mad man but It seems as if he merely wanted to drain the medallion of its magic as well many arcane practitioners do that sort of  thing I think…. Did you recapture it?  No? ah well. At least we have a relic for the altar.”

“Mell su Detok… sounds familiar…yes I think that I heard him announced at Mr. Bood’s inauguration to the council…He’s in wizards guild of Holderness I think,  imposing looking fellow Im sure he’s still about town. It was a big affair the ball you know, first time someone from outside the guild has been elected to the council.  He’s done many fabulous things already Bood has. He’s the one who opened up the city…got the caravans moving again. Those birds are probably just smell the plenty and are here for scraps! That got me and half the city to the ball…its as if the plenty from that event was a harbinger…is that the right word?  Well you know what I’m saying it was the herald for the plenty to come. Now if we could only get a gifted Cleric to administer our temple. I have sent a message to Balamaster perhaps he has someone in mind… given the rate of construction we should have the temple up in before summer. Thank you again for your service. Here is a something for your trouble you should find it most useful.”  **He takes a silver ring from his finger bearing the symbol of Heironeous. **

"Thank you very much, Father.  I'll put it to good use.

"By the way, did I mention that the wizard said something about Shattered Bridge as he flew off on his undead dragon?  It would seem like a good idea to send a messenger there, to warn them to keep a lookout for him, if he hasn't already gotten there.

"Anyhow, I think I'll see if I can maybe talk to Mell su Detok, find out how he knew I was carrying that thing to the Drakespire."

((Luke will indeed start asking around to see if he can meet Mell su Detok.  I'm not sure if that's better handled online or at the next game session.  Other characters, particularly Dayereth, might be interested in him too.))

'Talk to Mell su Detok?' his voice carries more than a hint of sarcasm which hardly befits such a pious figure. “Mine as well make an appointment with Hurok of the Kron or better yet the emperor himself!  I have no doubt you would do either but one does not simply go “talk” to the principal adviser a Wizard no less,  to the most influential man in the city! Why Bood might just be elected king if such a thing were possible and I'm afraid unless you had something that could interest them I doubt you'd make it anywhere near that man. I'll admit it does not bode well that something in the wilderness used him as an alibi, and knew of  the amulet. Still, given rumors of how he once hexed a watchman for not standing straight enough at attention when he passed I would give the man a wide berth. He has taken up in that old tower on the Hook and if that doesn't tell you something you are beyond my guidance!”

"I am a skilled healer but he is beyond my abilities! If you had brought him to me sooner I may have been able to help. In his condition only a powerful ritual could hope to aid him. I am sure Mell su Detok could manage it, but few others. Still you need both the ability in rituals and skill as a healer to guarantee success… Perhaps if you brought him to him to the main temple they no doubt have healers there but I would fear he could not make the journey to Shattered Bridge in his condition.” Agereth sighs “If only we have finished the our temple we would have attracted a gifted priest of Heironeous to the fold.”

In the morning in the tower of Garum, munching on some dried fruit & nuts, Luke speaks quietly to Aaron Nestal.

"Must have been a really bad day for you, coming here and seeing Nadarresh laid out on that slab.

"We were in a few fights together, over the last few months.  It seemed like he always flung himself into the most dangerous part of the battlefield, like he thought he couldn't die.  So I started to almost expect that sooner or later we'd be holding a funeral for him.

"I never thought it would be like this, though.  His last fight, we were up against this evil spirit who called herself the Snow Queen, and Nadarresh was already half dead from filth fever which he'd caught underneath Brix, and he dragged himself out of the wagon and flung himself in front of her.  Somehow he survived that, and we it looked like everything was going to be fine, and Aerandis got the oxen moving and we made it to Fey Fields.

"And then the damn druid screwed up the healing ritual, and well... here we are, trying to bring him back.

"I'm sure he's up in Bahamut's heaven now, and I'm sure that's a fine place to be.  But it's almost like I can hear him saying 'Bring me back!  I'm not done yet!'  He wanted to die a noble death in battle, not coughing and retching from filth fever.

"Was he like that when you knew him, always taking the biggest risks?"

((Going up to level 5, Luke will take the daily attack power Cometfall Charge.))

Luke knows he is quite good in a fight when outnumbered by lesser foes, but some recent battles have left him feeling a little ineffective when it comes to chopping down the bigger monsters.  He decides to start doing a better job of translating his size and weight into power when charging into an enemy.

After some days without sign from his friends Luke travels to the great tree to seek the council of Poison root.  She appears as a beautiful elven maid  clad in but wisps of  mist . Her voice sounds as birdsong but the meaning of the words appear clearly in Luke’s mind. “ Ah yessss… Come to join your friends have you?” Flowers bloom and decay in the sunlight glen with every syllable as the unearthly beauty addresses Luke. “Yes they came and entered the Sunless realm. They did not return. My minions tell me they have gone to the Hive. Many have perished there though perhaps your friends escaped?” A smirk passes her lips. “Unlikely, they have not entered the Woad’s valley at least not by the paths that I can see….It seems you are alone in the world, you are welcome to join me. Your cares will pass away from you and you can watch the world grow old.”

She waits for a response but senses something in Luke and her appearance shifts into that of Lady Roxanna. “Anything can be yours…” Before Luke an answer her tempting offer the clouds race though the sky and the sunlight grove grows dark.  An otherworldly voice booms in Luke’s through the woods.  He recognizes the voice instantly as Roxanna’s.

“I am the Oracle of Heironeous and I claim this man.” The Dryad’s form shifts again this time into  the form of a bleached and withered tree before it vanishes into mist.  The Oracle continues in a voice that only Luke can hear.

“ If you plan to confront the Awakened one you will need one of the ancient weapons of the order. Travel to the sunken kingdom. The Lord of the watchtower at Redbay was a Paladin of Heironeous from Westhold. Centuries ago when the kingdom sank into the great northern marsh the village was destroyed and all of its inhabitants perished. I can sense the weapon remains in the lost ruins of that town. Only with a weapon such as this can you hope to endure against the Awakened beast.”  The voice drifts off and Luke finds himself in the clearing alone.

This is all a little too much for Luke to deal with.

He drags himself to his feet in the clearing, feeling sick all over, and stumbles into the forest before tripping over a root and falling on his face.  Nothing around him seems real.  He tastes blood from a cut in his lip, and somehow it vividly reminds him of the last time he kissed Roxanna goodbye.  Now he's running away through the forest again, a fugitive and a murderer, looking over his shoulder for pursuers as the walls of Shattered Bridge get smaller in the distance.  Did anything after that really happen at all?

The caravan, the wolves, Nadarresh, Dayereth, Aerandis, flocks of crows, a tiny black dragon.  Pumpkins, halflings, murderers, starvation, more wolves, a tomb.  Elven swords.  Arageth, a hundred platinum pieces, the amulet of Hextor.  A secret mission, a new purpose in life.  Brent.  An army of bugbears, a pit of bones, laughter, disaster, shame.  Rats, filth, sickness, cold, death.  Aaron.  Vines dragging him down.

He thinks: Have I woken up from that dream yet?  Can I wake up?  Am I still in my cell, waiting to be executed?  Or is this what really happens after you die?

Luke takes out an arrow and jams the point into his thigh, but can barely feel it.  He twists it and the pain wakes him up a little, gives him some focus.

No, it all really happened.  I ran away from my fate, tried to do some good and made everything worse.  Four dead brave men I couldn't save.  A terrible monster destroying my hometown.  I should just go back there and put my head on the chopping block.

But no, that's not what Heironeous asked of me.  That would be too easy.  Have to go to the great northern marsh, then.  Find a sunken kingdom and a sword.  Better start walking.

Luke loses his way in the forest for several hours but eventually makes it back to the village, covered in dirt and scratches and sweat.  He ends up spending the next few days in the healer's house, sleeping off the madness.

When he regains his wits, he begins writing down all his best memories of his dead companions.

Lukes dreams begin to real in the familiar manner the oracle reaches out to him.

"Has my faith been misplaced? Surely the gallant warrior and simple man I knew in my former life is not the turncoat in whom we've entrusted so much? It is not the way of Heironeous to flee before conflict when weaker men prevail. It is not the retreat which stains your honor rather the abandonment of those who rely on you. I must atone for my error in judgment. I pray that my fondness and sentimentality have not compromised my divine gifts.  I only hope that the punishment is not so severe that I cannot aid those who suffer in Whitehall. Fare thee well my Bart, my last remnant of my old life. I know someday you will be the man you longed to be, the man who your revealed glimpses of on those long spring days so many years ago.."

Luke wakes up in the middle of the night, pulls some clothes on (including armor, swords, and shield, just in case), and goes to find a tavern that's still serving at this hour.  He buys a bottle of the strongest, filthiest rotgut available ( some dwarven concoction distilled from underground fungus) and sips it in a dark corner, mumbling.

"Faith?  Has your faith been misplaced, just because I lost my nerve for a damn second?  I mean, yeah, I guess it was always misplaced if you thought I was some kind of gorram perfect hero . . . if you think what I did in that fight makes me a turncoat.  I thought you knew what I was.  Probably the ugliest, most ignorant knight that Shattered Bridge has ever seen."

"Lady, you may be an Oracle now, but I guess maybe you haven't seen enough battle to really understand.  Better men than me have lost their courage.  It's not the end.  If you live through it, then you learn from it and you don't let it happen again, that's all.

"And by the way, where do you get off calling those guys 'weaker men'?  I mean, probably that damn halfling, yeah, but Brent's a brave and noble guy, and those dwarves are just stone cold killers.  I've got a lot to learn from them.

"Think what you want of me, but I'm just going to keep on doing the job that fate gave me.  I'm going to kill the dracolich, or I'm going to die trying.  So if you're not going to help, then go haunt somebody else and I'll handle this myself.  With the help of Heironeous and whoever else is willing.

". . . meh, you're not listening, why am I still talking?  That's enough booze for now."

As dawn is breaking over Holderness, Luke corks the half-empty bottle and takes it with him as he heads back to meet Brent, Ladron, Thir and Brenna for another day of guard duty.

Luke notices that his footwork in combat has slightly improved with practice and as a result, he is doing a better job of putting all his weight behind his sword swings.

((Going up to sixth level, Luke takes the feat Weapon Focus -- focusing on heavy blades, of course -- which provides a +1 bonus to damage rolls.))

He has also gotten slightly more observant, and hence better at menacing nearby enemies and taking advantage of the openings they leave.

((Retraining: Luke will drop Cleave and replace it with the at-will power Threatening Rush, from Martial Power 2.  With this power, you attack an enemy and if you hit you get to mark all adjacent enemies until the end of your next turn.  This power can also be used when charging.))

Although Luke is painfully aware that he is far from being a perfect warrior, he continues to ask Heironeous for help in becoming a little less flawed.  His frequent prayers seem to have slightly improved his level of mental discipline, making him more capable of resisting certain attacks that target his weaknesses.

((Luke takes the sixth-level utility power Defensive Training, which is a stance that lets you gain +2 to either Fortitude, Reflex, or Will defense.))

All in all, nothing fancy -- Luke is just becoming a little bit more of a battle-hardened veteran.

Luke finds this town fascinating and spends a few hours walking around, seeing the sights.  Being surrounded and shaded by a great forest in the spring is restful and reassuring after the bizarre magical events of recent weeks.  He begins to imagine what it might be like to settle down, become a woodcutter or something, build a little house in the forest near a nice town like this...

But, of course, duty calls.  Luke will see whether any of the local shops will give him a decent price for the mithril shield he's been carrying around.  At the same time he will ask the shopkeepers about the reputations of, and prices for, whatever river guides and boats can be gotten here.  He doesn't intend to actually try to hire a guide himself though: chances are that Silvarian or Ladron would be more adept at negotiating such a deal without getting ripped off.

[And, yes, I will be there at 1.  Looking forward to it.]

((Man, it's been ages.  I miss this game!  Thought I'd do a little RP, in hopeful anticipation of a game this weekend...))

We all make it back to the junk after somehow getting Thir out of the crocodile.  For Luke, the world is spinning a bit.  It all happened so fast... one minute it was the middle of the night and then something was eating Thir and then Luke was racing through the jungle after the crocodile, hacking at it desperately, until suddenly Ladron appeared and finished it off.

Luke takes some breaths, focuses on slowing down his breathing and his heart.  He gets his fishing line and sits down near the back of the junk.  Strange, how fishing in the moonlight can still feel peaceful and relaxing even when a huge man-eating beast just burst out of those waters and attacked.

He thinks: What's up with me lately?  It seems like almost every time we get in a fight, I screw it up in some way or other.  I started running from that big spider, for which Roxanna quite rightly chewed me out.  I accidentally killed that guy in the bar in Holderness -- not good, I really should go back there later and see if I can do something for his family, hell I didn't even get his name.  We get into a fight with some big frogs in a swamp and I get swallowed and damn near drown.  And then we get pulled into a crazy magical board game, and I make the move that loses it for us when we're winning and almost trap us for eternity.  And tonight, well, Thir didn't die but it was way too close.

He thinks further: This goes back to when Dayereth and Aerandis and Aaron went into that cavern and died and I wasn't there.  I haven't been right since then.

No, it goes further back than that.  Before that, we lost Nadarresh to some crazy sewer rat fever.  And before that -- the Drakespire.  The dracolich.  Which I've been trying to atone for ever since.  And while I've been trying to get that one thing fixed, everything else keeps going wrong.

He smiles a little and shakes his head.  Okay, fine, Roxanna, you've got a point.  I'm a coward and a fool most of the time.  But at least tonight things worked out OK.  I ran and caught up with the beast and we killed it together and kept Thir alive.  Could have been a hell of a lot worse.  Thank you, Heironeous, for helping me to protect one of my comrades.  Please help me get better at doing that.

He pulls the fishing line out of the water, realizing that it's just tempting fate to leave it in there, and looks at the night sky until dawn breaks.

Going up to Level 7, Luke makes the following adjustments:

New Level 7 encounter power: Come and Get It (PHB page 80).  This power forces each enemy within three squares of me to shift up to 2 squares and end adjacent to me, if possible, after which I can attack them all.

Retraining: Get rid of Defensive Training (level 6 utility power) and replace it with Rock Steady (level 6 utility power, MP page 11).  This is a stance in which I can't be knocked prone and, if I'm subjected to forced movement, I can reduce it by one square.

Flavor-wise, Rock Steady represents what Luke has managed to learn from the dwarves about footwork and balance.  Get Over Here represents Luke getting a bit better at the art of hacking through mobs of lesser enemies.