Healing
Subject: Old friends
Salix thinks a bit on Harp's words, but say to Flint. "The town has defiled the woods in a way I have never seen before. The very life has been sucked out of the land. Nothing new was growing, and all but the hardiest of trees was already dead or cut down. The animals have long since left, save for swarms of vile wasps and various vermin. Even the guardian spirits have given up or been driven off. This may be at Faldor's instigation, but it was the people of the town that did his bidding, all too many of them willingly, it seemed to me.
Faldor must be removed. Of that there is not doubt. As for the town, were judgement mine to hand down, let the forest rise up and strangle the life out of it. Cut of it's supply lines until the people move away. Grant safe passage only to those who are leaving. Let the owls have its buildings until the great oaks can crack its foundations. It is an affront to the great Obad-Hai and its people have forsaken him."
(OOC - the party might not understand this, but Flint should. Salix isn't so much calling for a slaughter as a reclamation of the land the town sits on. Faldor must be removed immediately, but when it comes to "destroying" a town, Druid campaigns are planned in terms of years.*
At least that's my idea of it. Mark can correct that if he chooses to.)
From: Josh
Subject: Old friend
Kal speaks up in response to what Ragnar and Salix have said. "Faldor is an abomination and should be dealt with, but we have a larger mission. The ods saw to it that we did not meet him in combat; it's not ours to change their doings. If he is to be killed by us, we will meet him again. We need to stay focused on the mission ahead of us."
From: Mark
Subject: Old friends
It might be tonight before I can get a turn out.
Flint's request for opinions is for everyone. You have all risked your lives for this cause and he wants everyons input on what to do with the town. Faldor's fate is pretty much sealed.
From: Bryan
Subject: Old friend
Let the villagers depart and the town be swallowed up. Those who are good will find themselves in another town. Those who are evil at heart will swiftly be recognized where ever they go.
OOC: I don't think anyone was calling for mercy for Faldor.
From: Mark
Subject: The healing
The party eats slowly as the tension of the past several days starts to drain away. The sun is just starting to peek through the foliage of the woods when a younger druid comes out of the forest and approaches Flint. They talk for a few seconds and then the MountainFather turns to the party. "The Council is ready. You may stay here if you wish, but I would ask for you to join us. You have a right to see this." The party looks at each other, questions in their eyes, but get up from the table and follow the druid deeper into the woods.
A quarter of an hour later they enter a smaller clearing. There is a medium sized stone alter or table in the middle of the clearing. Acer's broken body sits on the table, two younger druids holding him steady. In the morning light the damage to the old man is even more obvious. His eye sockets are an angry red where the eyes had been burnt out. His mouth is swollen. He is covered in many healed wounds; the signs of Ragnar's healing efforts. The handless stumps of his arms lay weakly at his side. Flint approaches the old man. "Acer, the Council is here as well as those who rescued you. Lay back and let us tend to you." The old man, naked as the day he was born, lies on the table, waiting.
Flint gestures for the party to stand a short way off. He takes hold of Salix's arm and talks to him for a few minutes before letting him go. As the younger druid rejoins his companions two dozen men and women filter out of the forest and join hands together around the table. Their robes fall to the ground and they stand as naked as Acer, open to the forest. As a low chanting begins, Salix explains what is happening.
"Remember when some of the council imparted to me a bit of their power so I could send us through the trees? This is similar. They are joining their power to heal Acer. With their power Acer will re-grow his limbs and eyes and tongue. He will be whole again. This is one of the most powerful prayers we have. There is some risk, as none of those here can are powerful enough on their own to channel this power. Only Acer has done this before, and he, obviously, can not help. But there is a problem."
"Acer, as well as Ran and I, have been damage in more than just a physical way. Part of our soul has been taken. For Ran and me, it is but a small part. For Acer, it is almost his entire soul. That is how they kept him. He was not able to access the inner power needed to escape. And the druids can not fix this. The power of dark can only be fought by the power of light. But we druids honor both dark and light, as they are both part of life. The Council can restore his body, but not his soul."
The chanting in the clearing grows louder and the figures start to sway. All of the party can feel the power building around them. Salix understands the chanting, the call to the forest for renewal, rebirth. A green essence starts to flow around the clearing, motes of dust it seems, but they are flowing and moving.
The chant grows in volume and tempo. The circle starts to contract, containing the motes, herding them closer and closer to the old man. The chant takes on a tone of supplication and the motes start to swirl and eddy around Acer still figure. The foggy essence flows into him and around him. He starts to spasm and shake. The tempo builds, higher and higher and the movement of the motes becomes faster and faster. As the chant reaches a crescendo, all of the motes enter the body with a rush that causes the old man's body to sit up, stiff and rigid, a look of pain and pleasure across his face. Before their eyes the party sees his eye sockets fill, stumps extend into hands and then fingers. The swelling of the mouth goes down and Acer's tongue lolls out to the side.
Suddenly, the chanting stops. Acer falls back onto the table, and several of the druids collapse around the circle. Flint, still standing but unsteady on his feet, gestures to Salix "See to him." The MountainFather then slumps to the ground. Salix, the others lagging behind, rushes to the table and grabs the old man up in his arms. "Acer, are you alright?" The old man's clear blue eyes open and he stares at the younger druids face. "Salix, my son. You did it." The man then collapses again, falling into a deep sleep.
OODM: Any commentary is welcome or additional actions.
From: Kevin
Subject: The healing
OOC: You fibbed. You said it was going to be tonight. Not that I am complaining.
Nice write up by the way
From: Karl
Subject: Healing
"As usual, my companions speak wisely. For my own part, I have followed the Stormfather. It is under his orders that I have assisted Quarion these past years, and through him, Angelwing now. Ultimately, though, my allegiance is to the Druid High Council." Salix bows before Flint. "I will do whatever you command."
From: Randy
Subject: Healing
"My allegiance is owed to no specific cause or group. I choose my path based on what I feel is right and what must be done. I believe in our larger mission but based on what I have seen of Faldor, I don't know that our larger mission will matter much if we choose to let him continue on his path. He must be stopped. Before I make my decision of how to go forward, I would like to hear what information Acer has regarding our original mission and what his opinion is on the necessity of stopping Faldor now."
From: Porter
Subject: Healing
Mund shares his views. "Killin' Faldor would be a good thing, I agree, but who's gonna do it? Not us -- we barely lived runnin' away from his cronies. Life is short enough without lookin' to pick a fight with Faldor."
"But Bodentown -- yeah, it's got its problems, and Faldor's stinkin' up the place, but I reckon that most folk there are just folk goin' about their business. They ain't done nothin' wrong, and don't deserve to be driven from their homes any more than you druids do."
OOC: I'm not willing to guess what Allistair thinks of all this
From: Josh
Subject: Healing
Kal doesn't speak on Bodentown. If someone presses him for an opinion he'll just say "whatever everyone else thinks."
From: Mark
Subject: Healing
actually, no. The druids spell list does not include the restoration series of spells. Must be something about the balance of dark and light. Ragnar and the clerics of his order can do it though.