#Blessed pt1 of 2 Kavel, Seraphina, Silvia, Sorrel & Toothy

Co-written with the deft and patient skills of Laura, Willem, Sophie and Andy who took on the unfeasible challenge of five player RP with effortless grace.

Breathe

“No spirit,” Sorrel said finally. “It is you who will be nothing without me. I am not alone. I have found my people. I am home.”

The spirit howled in pain. The drow’s fingers stroked upwards in an arcane pattern, Sarin’s drums pounded louder and faster and the dancers whirled about her. Mist became shadow and smoke, pouring out from Sorrel in great billowing gouts of evil, rising into a dark threatening cloud above their heads. The beautiful drow smiled and moved her hands in a slow pattern then looked deep into the heart of cloud and blew softly towards it as the drums frenzied pounding built to a deafening crescendo, the noise and the dance and drow’s soul’s breath scattering the foul vapour into the soft moonlight until it was just a memory….

And then silence.

Sorrel searched her mind and found no whispers, no hunger, no rage and no sign of the spirit. She was free.

Sarin’s drums rippled to a new beat. As Sorrel turned she saw Jaezred’s eyes fixed on the spot the drow spirit had vanished from, stunned. She could tell he was thinking of Imryll. He met her gaze and smiled as he recognised his Lady’s blessing in Sorrel’s clear eyes.

She saw Silvia, eyes closed, face radiating happiness for the first time in the weeks that Sorrel had known her, whirling to Sarin’s rhythm, her own enchanted music changing into a song of celebration and joy.

She looked up to the moon as the music soared and the drums pulsed to the rhythm of her heart and Sorrel danced.

Just before dawn, Sorrel left the dance and returned to the temple to spend her final night in the Hidden Room.

Nessa met her on the temple steps, as if she’d been waiting for her. Without a word she turned and led Sorrel to the priest’s quarters, to a simple room with a wooden bed, a thick rug and bookshelves fixed to the wall above a sturdy oak table. The bookshelves were filled with books and on the oak table lay sheets of paper and four half broken pens, suggesting the cell's previous occupant had been careless in their studies.

Next to the books her belongings had been laid out with a light meal and a beaker of wine nestling amongst them.

The room had a window, and by the faint light that drifted through it she saw something glinting on her pillow. She reached out towards it as an impossible moonbeam shone from the slowly fading night and she gasped as the soft white radiant glow bathed a silver bracelet with three moons picked out in pearl – the waxing moon, the full moon and the waning moon.

She turned to the window and searched the sky desperately, praying for some sign before the sun’s brutal light chased the soothing night away.

She saw nothing.

But the bracelet glowed softly as if the moonbeam left its light behind.

Then Sorrel fell to her knees, awestruck by the wonder and the love and the might of the goddess. Selune’s soft kiss so carefully delivered had lifted her from the darkest corner of the Shadowfell.

Sorrel slept deeply for the first time in weeks, woke early and watched the moon rise. Eventually she drifted back into sleep, then woke at dawn filled with urgency.

She opened the door to her room and found Nessa waiting outside.

“Do you know a cleric who serves here called Seraphina?” Sorrel asked.

Nessa nodded.

“Could you ask her if she will meet me? No, wait.”

Nessa raised an eyebrow as Sorrel disappeared back into her cell. She grabbed three sheets of paper, dipped the least damaged nib into the bottom of an ink well and scrawled the same words on each sheet - “I’m taking a big step that I don’t quite understand. I need my friends with me. Please come. I’ll be at Selune’s temple tomorrow evening.”

She thrust the three notes into Nessa’s hands.

“Would you be able to find someone to deliver these?” she asked. “This one to Toothy Thy'o Wynraek, he’s at Lucan’s Leather in Daring Heights. These two to Fort Ettin - this to Kavel ‘Smashy Hands’ Castiron and this to… to Silvia.

Nessa’s face flickered briefly. “I’m sorry Sorrel, can I just run through this. You would like us to apportion temple resources in the form of at least one acolyte and accompanying transport to take messages to three people, one of whom’s surname you appear not to know?”

“I mean, when you put it like that…”

Nessa sighed. “Give me the notes. And Seraphina?”

“Is that OK?”

Nessa bowed her head.

“Also, Nessa… is it possible to get some breakfast?”

Nessa turned on her heel so that Sorrel wouldn’t see her smile.

The cleric

Seraphina was in her quarters, reading a delightful little book called “Rat” by Layton Trench, it was a children’s book given to her recently.
She looked up as she heard footsteps approaching and saw Nessa in the doorway.
“Oh, hello Nessa.” she said in her slow gentle voice.

The cleric bowed awkwardly. This body was still unfamiliar to her and seemed to make its own choices when she wasn’t paying attention.

“We have a… I don’t know… we are protecting someone in the Hidden Rooms, or were, but she seems, well, better. We’ve moved her to the priest's quarters and she wants to speak with you. Her name is Sorrel Darkfire and she seems to know you.”

Seraphina nodded, “Indeed I do, please, take me to her.” She said with a smile and stood up, she set the book down on the table by the chair and waited for Nessa to lead the way.

Sorrel was waiting at the door to her room and as soon as she saw Seraphina at the end of the corridor, rushed towards her gabbling incoherently.

“Seraphina, it’s been so long, you remember, ach, that first time, I don’t know, the things you said, I have so much to tell you…” she stopped and frowned. “Where have you been? I’ve missed you.”

Seraphina chuckled as Sorrel ran into her, “It has been a long time but it is good to see you Sorrell.” She said “I look forward to hearing about your adventures, as for me I have been here mostly, but I help as Selune requires of me elsewhere.” She said kindly. “What brings you here?”

Sorrel spoke rapidly and urgently, running through the dark possession of the hunger spirit, the isolation in the cells beneath the temple, the friends who helped her and the friends she would have killed herself to protect.

She spoke lightly, but the pain was as obvious as if it had been tattooed on her face. “And then last night the goddess saved me, Seraphina, I swear. I have never felt so certain of anything. I had a friend, Silvia, who helped and the Lord Jaezred, in his fashion, but it was the goddess. And I returned to find this…” she held up the silver bracelet decorated with pearl moons that had lain on her pillow. She swallowed. “You helped me in my first week here. She helped me last night. I have been called to serve, I know it. I wish to enter the temple. I would like you to be the celebrant who conducts the ceremony.”

She stopped, twisting her hands. “If you will…?” She paused. “And I’ve asked some friends to come too… is that acceptable?”

Seraphina looked at Sorrel and her heart felt as though it would burst, it always did when she heard how the Lady had bestowed her grace, and now her light shone on a friend.

“I would be honoured, Sorrel.” She said and took her friend’s hand in hers. “You need not worry, where are your friends?” She said and looked about the space.

Sorrel impulsively hugged the graceful aasimar, burying her face in the folds of her robes and resting her cheek on the cool breastplate of her armour. “Thank you,” she whispered, then grabbed Seraphina’s hands.

“There’s Kavel, he’s, I mean, he’s huge, Seraphina. I’ve seen him take more blows than a mountain and still come back fighting. He’s loyal and - he’s from this company of Goliaths, and they’re legend. He came and,” she suddenly giggled. “He gave me raw steak. It’s a long story. And there’s Silvia, I hope. She has some issues with temples. I have asked her but I have no idea if she can even walk inside. And then there’s Toothy…” Sorrel stopped. “Ah, Toothy. You have never met anyone like him. A drow barbarian in a scarlet sweater with more animal friends than a tipsy druid. I think you’ll like them. I hope so. They should be here tomorrow. Unless…”

She paused. She had assumed all three would want to be there. But Kavel was not a religious person as far as she knew, Toothy was probably in the middle of a forest somewhere and merely entering a temple might make Silvia explode.

“I’m not sure I’ve thought this through properly.”

Three riders, three guests, three invitations

In the end, Nessa sent three acolytes - one to Lucan’s and two to Fort Ettin. “Just to keep an eye on each other,” she confided to Seraphina. “I hear the place holds… temptations.”

Toothy

The first steered her pony through the narrow city streets until she found the long back road that carried deliveries to the leather stores. She left her mount and slipped along the cobbles, counting buildings as she went until she reached Lucan’s Leathers. She delivered her missive and faded into the dusk.

As another normal day of business came to a close in Lucan’s Leathers, Lucan himself was tidying up at the front as Toothy went to put some heavier delivery items in the back store room. Pushing open the back door of the shop, Toothy noticed a small nondescript note had been slipped under the outside door that led into the back alley.

Putting down the crate carefully, he walked over to pick up the folded piece of paper with his name scrawled on one side. Unfolding it he immediately noticed that this note involved multiple possibly big words, so he lowered himself to sit crossed legged on the floor for full concentration.

There was a long silence as Toothy read through it, and then read through it all again to make sure he got it right.

He couldn’t help the warm smile that spread across his face and then the deep sigh of relief. As a few more mental gears clicked into place, a sudden burst of energy and realisation overcomes him as he bursts back through the shop door. Lucan startles at the noise, nearly dropping his tools, before giving Toothy a stern look.

“Sorry sorry! But big news! Sorrel, she’s really okay and it’s an invitation to the Temple of Selune for her… being sworn in? There were a few words I wasn’t too familiar with.”

He handed the missive to Lucan who gave it a quick once one over, a look of relief similar to Toothy’s also crossed his face, before saying, “She’s making a big promise to Selune, to serve the goddess. It’s a very important and serious thing, not a light hearted decision. Be on your best behaviour.” The last sentence is delivered with another stern look at Toothy.

Toothy nodded quickly before picking up some of the tools Lucan had already put away. “I’ll put them away afterwards, promise. But I want to make her something… something that’ll show her we’re proud.”

Lucan pats Toothy on the shoulder, a gesture of understanding, and then makes his way to the back of the shop. Before he gets to the door he turns round to Toothy, “When you go and see her, make sure to tell her we’re all proud.”

Silvia and Kavel

The Fort Ettin riders set out in high spirits. After years of patching up, granting boons to and sometimes helping revive dying adventurers, they were finally on their way to see the legendary Fort Ettin. Arshak had only once been outside the walls of Daring Heights and Amina had barely left the temple.

“Do you think we could maybe try some alcohol beer?” she asked as they guided their ponies carefully through the crowd.

“I don’t think so,” Arshak’s voice was dull and lifeless.

“Is it a sin? I didn’t mean…” Amina began, but Arshak just pointed.

“I don’t think we’re going to Fort Ettin, Amina,”

Kavel and Silvia were making their way across Portal Plaza. The unlikely pair had journeyed back from Port Ffirst where they were dealing with the machinations of a different goddess. They had infiltrated a group of pirates known as The Breakers, and joined them as ‘new recruits’. This also meant - well, technically - they were now devoted to the malicious, sea-goddess Umberlee.

Fortunately for these two members of that adventuring party, they had proved themselves to the leader of the Breakers, Milincali. Others in that team did not pass the loyalty test so well, and were given Umberlee’s Mercy, a cursed coin that guaranteed loyalty from the owner. For adventurers, curses were unfortunately becoming common.

Kavel was heading back to the Dragon, and Silvia had only detoured to Daring Heights, but would soon be travelling to Fort Ettin.

They were about to part ways. But then they spotted a pair of acolytes on horses, with a messenger bag between them looking at them peculiarly…

“You see those acolytes, yes? Why are they looking at us?” Kavel asked Silvia.

“They're coming over now. From the way they are dressed, I think they’re from the Temple of Selune ” Silvia replied.

The temple assistants approached the adventurers. Arshak spoke, “Good afternoon, madam and sir. We’re from the Temple of Selune, and we have notes we’re to drop off at Fort Ettin for a couple of individuals. We were given their names, but also descriptions of them, and you both uncannily match those descriptions. Would you mind telling us your names, please?”

“What were the descriptions?” Kavel asked the acolyte.

“Well, one of the descriptions was for an immense goliath man, who dressed both for construction-work and battle at the same time,” replied Arshak, looking up at the immense goliath before him, dressed exactly as he had described.

Kavel looked at himself. “Oh. That is me. Kavel Castiron.”

Looking down at her notes, Amina gave the other description, “Tallish woman with long red hair and eyes that have seen too much…”

She looked up, met Silvia’s eyes and nearly staggered backwards.

“You are Silvia,” she gasped.

Silvia acknowledged her with a painful smile.

Amina reached into her messenger bag. “Well… I guess that has saved us the trouble of going to the wild bars and gambling dens and training grounds of the adventuring capital of Kantas. Couldn’t be happier. Here you go. One for you and one for you,” the acolyte with the messenger bag handed the notes to the adventurers, “this has saved us quite the trip. All of those nights away. What luck,” her voice sounded positively funereal. They said goodbye and returned to the temple.

“Silvia! My note is from comrade Sorrel! Said the goliath with delight.

“Indeed Kavel,” Silvia folded her invitation carefully. “Let’s see what she wants from us. It’ll be nice to see her again…”