*a woman robed in black...*

[Celebgil]

*...masked, and with her head covered with a black scarf, enters the pub. A skull pendant glints at her throat, and a long rapier hangs sheathed at her side. She slips onto a stool at the bar and smiles at the barman*

Good day sir, might I trouble you for... *she scans the rows of bottles behind the bar in indecision*... a glass of red wine please. It seems a bit early to start on the hard spirits.

So, this is Exmead then, what goes on around here?

I'm from Eborshire myself, but I heard that there was a hiring this weekend, and I'm eager to get started on my adventuring life, and do my Lord's work.
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)

[Integra]

The doors open, a women robed in black with her hood down, her long blonde hair uncovered and bright against the black of her attire, walks straight towards the bar without hesitation. She speaks quietly to the barman there

"... did not take me as long as I expected to return from Fernham...
If you have a room for a day or two......... might be best.... "

She turns to look outwards on the room with a glass of red wine in her hand, her eyes neutral and considering through the plain black mask. She looks at the lady there for a few moments.
_________________

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
Claire DE??

[Celebgil]

*gives up on conversation with the barman, and starts to look around, notices the new arrival watching her and smiles pleasantly*

Good afternoon ma'am. Isn't it terrible when two people show up to a party in the same outfit?

*is quite clearly making a joke, gesturing at her mask and robes*

If it is not too impertinent an assumption, might I make a guess that you are also a member of Lord Kharach's faithful?
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)

[Integra]

Integra laughed, surprised, in obvious genuine amusement. She holds out her hand to shake the other lady's

High Mother Integra, pleasure to meet you. I have not seen you in the local chapels, are you from further afield?
_________________

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
Claire DE??

[Celebgil]

*shakes the offered hand gently but firmly*
Supplicant Cassandra Drax, it's an honour to meet you High Mother.

I'm from Eborshire, not far from Kirk Leigh myself, but I heard there was a hiring down here this weeks end and I thought I'd pop down, see if there was anything I could do.
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)

[Integra]

*smiles, fondly*

Always a pleasure to see more priestesses come into the fold. *raises an eyebrow cynically* we are always outnumbered by the priests...
I have never been to Eborshire. I am vaguely aware of where it lies...

Still, there is always a great deal of our Lord's work to be done in Derwentshire. Two months back the adventurers routed out the undead city, and there is still a great deal of cleaning up going on from that.
Not to mention that the Varga Hai are spreading, with no means of defeating them yet in sight...

I'm sorry, I do hope I'm not putting you off. *smiles*
_________________

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
Claire DE??

[Celebgil]

Not at all, if there's plenty of our Lord's work to be doing, I'm glad I'm here to help do it. I might not be a full priestess yet, but give me time.

What's a Varga Hai when it's at home? I've not been into towns much in a few years, so I don't tend to get the news.
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)

[Integra]

No reason you would have heard of them I suppose. You will know onw when you see it, or more to the point when you hear it...

They are orcs, but larger and stronger than orcs due to the fact that when they kill a person they rip out their heart and soul and eat it, thus trapping the soul within them. All followers of our Lord's faith are able to hear the trapped souls screaming inside. *speaks very matter of factly, but her stare is a long one, and her left eye twitches ever so slightly*
The only way to free them is to kill the creature and lay the body to rest, and they rarely lie still while you do this. Blessed weapons, poisons if your of that persuation. A lot of force.
Oh and they hate us, and mutilate us when they get the chance.
_________________

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
Claire DE??

[Celebgil]

*her eyes widen behind the mask, and her fingers fly to her holy symbol*

Oh good grief... how horrifying.

So we can release the poor trapped souls from the orc, even though it's very difficult. Can we stop them from doing it in the first place?

Gods, it's just sickening, a soul is the most sacred thing, to capture it like that is... is... oh dammit, I can't even think of a bad enough description!
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)

[Integra]

*looks at her, sympathetically, a much older woman's eyes looking out thru the mask.*

The only way to stop them either way is to destroy them, and a human mortal is far less than a match for them. However, we are in numbers. It is often the case where we must take account of what our party is capable of, and whether we would be massacred by them and our souls become their captives. There is nothing so hard as walking away when we cannot hope to defeat them.

*She idly glances down at her open left hand, the scars there still red and angry*

"I hope that telling you this helps to prepare you for it when you encounter it. They do not see souls as sacred, only as a way to become stronger. They believe that sending them to the gods wastes the souls."
_________________

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
Claire DE??

[Celebgil]

Walk away... a waste? Oh no... *looks quite desolate*

These things have got to be stopped. Anything I can do to stop this...violation of the most important part of any being, I will. Thank you for telling me about them High Mother, I need to know things like this, to prepare me to do our Lord's work out in the world.
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)

[Integra]

*looks at her with a slight smile, as if impressed by her reaction.*

Do you know anything of the war in Elysium? *her tone is careful and measured*
_________________

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
Claire DE??

[Celebgil]

I had heard a few bits of information from the priests who ran the chapel in our nearest village, but they were very old and slightly confused. I assume you know more of what's going on?
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)

[Integra]

...I do. Our Primate keeps me informed, mostly, but I have seen some things with my own eyes.

On the day of the dead last year, the adventuring church prayed in unison, and were granted a vision from our Lord. Great divine beings of the 12 gods of light and darknesss, Sidhe excepted, wage war on one another in Elysium. We beleive this started as a result of Bequefis being struck down by the last keeper of the seven secrets as her punishment for breaking the Pact.
When one of these beings, Angels for want of a better word, are injured, some fall to this plane, like falling stars. The very stars themselves have been seen to be going out. Some angels die of their injuries, some are restored through prayer. Others are restored through ending their suffering and sending them to our Lord through a lay to rest ritual, particularly the angels of our Lord. I have seen an angel of Abraxis destroyed... and I have seen an angel of Longstor restored to the heavens. Our Primate has restored an angel of our Lord to this great battle.

Our Lord told us that the war on this plane would directly impact and reflect the war in Elysium. We must defeat teh followers of the dark gods where we can, and stop them spreading their influence. We must preach to the people of the Seven, as greater faith in them strengthens their cause.

More recently, we have found out through various prophets, that the war has to end before the Gods destroy one another, or Elysium will fall and be destroyed, taking Arda with it. Even our Lord's halls will fall if this is allowed to happen. To stop it, the thirteen gods are to meet through the aid of their mortal followers. One person of every faith will be chosen to act as their God's vessel to allow them to speak on this plane in a meeting known as the communion. This will take place in just over a months time.

That is a brief summary of what is happening at the moment. Naturally it is more complicated than that.
_________________

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?
Claire DE??

[Celebgil]

*looks a little overwhelmed by this torrent of information*

Err.. right. So... to sum that up even more briefly, is there anything I can do besides praising our Lord at any and every opportunity, praying a lot, telling the people of the light of our Lord, trying to help send any angels I bump into back to where they're supposed to be, and helping to stop this communion thing going totally mad?
_________________
Doctor Merrilocks Appledore
Physician
Devotee of Tralda

(Heather LD10)