Subject Salix's day(s)

Upon leaving his interview with the Knight-Captain, Salix no sooner steps out into the daylight than a small sparrow flits down from a small tree and lands on his shoulder. To the bird's leg is tied a tiny rolled piece of parchment. He unties the tiny scroll, strokes the feathered emissary lightly on the head and dismisses it with a quick chirp.

Unrolling the scroll he reads, "Salix Wealdward, you are summoned to the Willow Grove 8 miles east of the city. Come immediately. SFthr Acer."

StormFather Acer, here? He thinks to himself. Perhaps this is my call home. Salix wonders if much has changed back with The Order in the 14 months or so that he has been away. He will have to ask the StormFather when he sees him.

He mounts his horse and whistles for Noctis who glides down from some unseen perch and lands on the pommel of his saddle. With that he is off without a second thought.

Nearly an hour later he finds the grove and enters quietly into a clearing in the center of a ring of enormous willow trees. In the center of the clearing stands a large stone rock, seeming to thrust out from the earth itself. Salix recognizes this as a Druid altar. This one appears to be set up for some ceremony. Looking around the clearing and seeing no one else, Salix starts to approach the altar.

"Beautiful evening, isn't it?" says a voice like the rumble of distant thunder. Salix turns as the StormFather himself steps from the shadows of one of the willows. "We received your message, young Wealdward. You have been most wise in relating these events to The Order." The StormFather moves quietly to stand next to Salix and places a hand on his shoulder. "There is a great storm brewing, young one. I fear that many will be broken by its winds. You must be flexible as your namesake, the willow, or you may be among them."

Salix looks to the StormFather, "You have not come to collect me then." It isn't a question.

"You have proven yourself a great servant of Obad-Hai. The Order has even greater need of your skills yet abroad in the world. No, it is not time to come home." To the questioning look in Salix's eyes, SF Acer answers, "I have come because it is time for you to progress in the order. There are new blessings to be bestowed upon you by The Great God."

The StormFather leads Salix to the altar, upon which are carved the symbols of the 5 elements -- Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Spirit -- arranged in a pentacle. In the center of these is a small wooden bowl filled with a clear liquid, reflecting the darkening sky above.

"Kneel before the Altar of Obad-Hai," the StormFather commands. As Salix takes the position of submission before the altar, the StormFather moves to the opposite side and begins chanting the ancient words of growth and transformation. After several minutes he raises the bowl up toward the evening sky. The breeze in the grove increases to a gale, whipping the willows into a frenzy as clouds gather in the sky above. "Stand! Young one!" the StormFather bellows above the roar of the wind. "Drink and know the mysteries of Obad-Hai!"

Salix take the bowl and drinks the contents. The liquid is bitter at first, then nearly immediately his tongue begins to numb. The numbness spreads to his throat and he feels his chest tightening, the breath becoming harder and harder to draw. He staggers and falls forward onto the altar, barely able to feel the cold stone beneath him. Then darkness.

After a minute? An hour? More? Salix can't tell, but he awakes to find himself laying backward across the altar staring up into a starry sky. The StormFather is nowhere to be seen. Salix rights himself but instantly regrets doing so as the grove seems to spin around him. Again the wind picks up and Salix hears in the rustle of the willow branches around him a whispery voice, airy like the wind, but clear and unmistakable. "sssssSalixxxxxx" it seems to hiss. "You have done well. Your God sends his emissary on the wind and in the rain to bless you. He sends the creatures of the wood to teach you new ways to serve Him!"

The wind picks up even more, clouds again gathering at the periphery of the clearing. The voice on the breeze takes on a rhythmic chanting tone, "Repeat these prayers to The Great One." One by one the voice chants out, and Salix repeats the prayers he hears on the wind. When one is completed great bolts of lightning strike the ground within the clearing. After another he feels a vile pestilence issue from his touch. Yet another and the pestilence is caught up and consumed. One moment he feels himself merging with the very stone of the altar, and in another moment he can hear voices from the grass and the trees around him. The prayers seem to go on endlessly, each one burning into his memory as he feels himself wielding new powers of Obad-Hai, one after another. He feels himself filling with power and knowledge almost more than he can bear. Just as he feels that he can receive no more of this bounty, the maelstrom stops.

The furious winds die back to a breeze and the voice continues. "ssssSalixxxx! Prepare to receive these creatures. They will teach you the Wild Shape!"

Salix notices that the ring of trees surrounding the clearing now seems alive with creatures of the forest. He sees a wolf darting among the shadows, and a deer. Several medium sized and smaller creatures both predators and prey also move around the circle. Salix watches as they come to a stop, staring wide eyed at him. He stands before the altar as they begin to howl, roar, chirp, and sound whatever voice their God has given them. Abruptly this cacophony ends and the grove is silent. Quietly the creatures around the grove seem to pulsate with light which draws up from their bodies and coalesces into points of light hovering in the air above their heads. The points of light circle the altar, spiraling in toward Salix as he stands frozen in awe. As the first of the lights reaches him, he feels himself thrown backwards on the altar as the light slams into his chest with the force of a lightening bolt. One after another the lights slam into him till he loses sense of time and consciousness.

He dreams and in his dream he is a great wolf. He runs through the forest with a pack of wolves, his brothers. Then he is a black bear with powerful arms and fearsome claws. Then he is a great constrictor sliding gracefully through the grass and striking out at the enemies of Obad-Hai with sharpest fangs. This vision or dream continues, how long he does not know.

************

Salix awakens in the grove. Alone and exhausted. The sky above is bright and sunny. It is early morning. He sits up, his back against the altar. From across the grove Noctis swoops toward him, a piece of parchment in his claw.

"Congratulations, Salix Wealdward, taker of the Wild Shape and faithful follower of Obad-Hai. You do The Order proud. Use the knowledge and grace you have received in this journey always to preserve balance and protect the Great One's realm.

"As I told you before, there is a great storm brewing. Now you are a bit more prepared to face it. Return to Quarion and serve him yet again. His needs are also the needs of The Order. We look still forward to your return, but the time is still not at hand.

"You will find your horse tethered just beyond the grove. He has been watered and fed. There are fresh provisions in your pack. Take care, my son, and may the Grace of Obad-Hai be with you. --SFther Acer"

************

Salix returns to Quarion to find he has been gone for four days. During the remainder of his free time, he will see about any repairs to his armor or weapons. He will also try to track down Harp to see what he has been up to.

Subject Harp]

Nice job, Kevin. :-)

Subject Harp

Please, please, no applause. Just large, unmarked bills. And nominations may be sent to the Pulitzer Committee in New York.

You are being kind. If was a half hearted attempt compared to some of the others I have seen. Comes from having skated through Freshman English (in both high school and college).

I decided on the next level of cleric since I got the same Attack Bonus increase, almost identical Save Bonus increase, and 3 new spell slots of 2nd level spells. I know we are going to get a 5th level cleric, but you can never have too much divine help.

Looking forward to us devout ones travelling together again.