The Sunmaster Reassures Farron and Sa'id
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
Farron keeps his face toward the floor while the rest of the men speak in turn. Only Sa'id's words give him pause. How could it be that he held such dark thoughts, yet he had spoken in the holy chamber and not been consumed. Pelor must be much more forgiving than he had thought. More forgiving? or more desperate? Again with the blasphemous thoughts.
He chances a glance around the circle, expecting accusing stares but finding none. Everyone, to a man was looking at the floor, no one looking at Farron; No one aghast at his weakness nor his lack of faith. The realization of it hits him at the same time a feeling of peace overtakes him. It had been so long since he felt at peace. He realizes with a start that the darkness is gone from around his heart, not as if stripped away by an external force, but as if the fire from within his very own heart had rekindled and made his soul an uncomfortable place for darkness to dwell.
The Sunmaster finishes the ritual with a prayer, strange to Farron's ears, but comforting nonetheless. Then, he dismisses the group, each to make his own preparations for the journey to come.
As the group disperses, Farron approaches the Sunmaster. "Sir, um, . . . Your Holiness," he begins. "I do not understand what has changed. My head still feels the doubt it felt before, and the unworthiness, too. But my heart, now, could not bear the thought of not joining you on this quest. I know the dangers we face - I've been there before, yet, strangely I feel relieved by the thought of going with you to the mountain. The despair I have felt recently is gone, but I fear its return. How can I keep it from taking hold of my heart again?"
OOC - Farron will listen to the Sunmaster's reply. He will then help assemble any supplies necessary for the trip to the mountain.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
Fellus grabs Farron's hand and holds it gently. "Only one thing has changed, my friend. Your companions know that you suffer as they do, and they will be there to help you should you need it. You need no longer be ashamed. When the demon spoke to you before, and asked you to betray them, you kept this hidden from them out of shame. Now, you can speak openly to them. If the demon tempts you, you can admit this to your friends and let their strength aid you. I know, I know, it seems like a very small thing. But I promise you, it is of vital importance."
The Sunmaster keeps Farron's hand, and pulls Sa'id over to him as well. He says in a quiet voice, "You two will feel the dangers we face more than the others. You are mages, trained to open your minds to all things arcane. It does not surprise me that you have already felt the weight of the demon's gaze heavy on you. But I will be with you. Please, please tell me if you are tempted again. I promise that the three of us together are stronger than the demon's will. I swear it."
After Farron and Sa'id move away, Pensive approaches holding his necklace. The Sunmaster listens to him, then looks the item over carefully. "One can certainly feel the gaze of something upon this item. I see you have felt it too. Something ancient watches over the one that holds it. I would say it is a powerful talisman, though the design is unfamiliar to me. But when I hold it, I smell leaves and grass, and fresh soil. One of the elven gods, perhaps? Who gave it to you?"
Pensive tells Fellus of the conversation with Elvira. The Sunmaster nods, a serious look on his face. "It is no small matter, that. She has laid an obligation on you, and the God that watches this item is aware of it. I see that you feel that too."
From: Ty
Subject: roll your own HP
If you plan to try and cheat at this late date in our game, I won't stop you. :)
Does everyone have an updated version of their character on Sakeriver?
From: Mark
Subject: Re: roll your own HP
I sent you the hit point roll from the Irony dice roller. A measly 1. :)
I have updated Bartoks skills and such.
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
Bartok waits until the humans have finished talking before he approaches the Sunmaster. He bows. "Man of the human gods, you have shown me that our people are not that much different. We all have the same worries, the same fears. Again I promise you, on my life, you will reach the moutain."
Bartok makes the symbol of fealty and bows again.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
"It is no small matter, that. She has laid an obligation on you, and the God that watches this item is aware of it. I see that you feel that too."
Pensive nods. "I did not expect to love these people so easily. This is so different from the path that I thought I was meant to walk. I thought...well, anyway." He shakes his head.
"I will gather some supplies for you."
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
"Please, please tell me if you are tempted again."
Again.
What if I never stopped being tempted? What if I'm -still- tempted?
Sa'id realizes, then, that the power he'd dreamt of is already within his grasp. He had only to reach out and take it... a night or two spent collating notes and recollections of their battles with undead over the past weeks would do it. The secret to creating them would not escape his intellect.
The necromancer wants to run to his books. Instead, he lurks in the periphery of the room, waiting for an opportunity to address the Sunmaster again. The halfling scout, Bartok, bows before the Sunmaster and they exchange some words. As the two separate, Sa'id approaches Fellus again.
"Sunmaster," he says quietly, "I must speak with you alone. It does not have to be now."
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
"Now is an excellent time, while the others prepare for the coming journey. Let us go to one of the private rooms for a few moments."
Fellus leads Sa'id to one of the rooms in the back. "Speak, friend."
From: Mark
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
OOC: Mellon.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
Sa'id speaks softly despite their privacy. "I have sometimes what you might describe as revelations if the context were religious. Things become clear in a flash of insight." He takes a deep breath. "I had one such realization just now. The power I described in my dream, that I know a part of me craves... the power to create undead..." he trails off.
"As a child in my father's house I viewed the dead as deserving of reverence. As an investigator for the coroner's office in Haifa on my home island my view was the same. My study of necromancy grew from this reverence, and the creation of undead defiles it. I wished, initially, to understand the process. Somehow that has grown into desire to harness it and twist it to my own purposes, whatever those may be."
"The power is now within my grasp, should I but reach out and take it. Other incantations I once struggled with are becoming clearer as well. With a little study, and the proper supplies... wouldn't two dozen zombies be helpful in getting through the jungle?"
"But you see, that is pride talking. I assume I am ready, I assume I can succeed, and most of all I assume... I assume that I will not be corrupted even further by using the power I once abhorred." Sa'id digs about in his pack, pulling out a scroll case. He pops the case open and tugs the rolled papers from it. These he presents to the Sunmaster.
"My notes," he says. "My notes about the undead, speculations about how they function, how they might be created. Please, you must help me summon the strength to burn them."
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
The Sunmaster nods slowly, his face thoughtful. "You are a very strong young man, Sa'id. I keep seeing what Cadfael must have seen in you."
He sits back, one hand rubbing an arthritic wrist as he speaks, "Power. Power is what creates and destroys great men. The desire for it makes them achieve what others do not, and then once gained, the use of it often destroys them. You are on the precipice now. You have seen the first inklings of true power, and you are frightened. I understand this. I am not without power myself, and the temptation to misuse it is sometimes almost overwhelming.
"Great men can attain power, but it is the exceptional man that finds a way to hold power without its corrupting influence. The fact that you sit there, clutching the keys to a corrupt form of power, ready to put it to the flame, shows you to be an exceptional man. You don't need my help. The moment you spoke your thoughts out loud, you robbed those temptations of their ability to hold you in thrall. You know such works would be an evil for you, and you have faced that truth openly. Such corruption only works when it is allowed to fester in hiding.
"Burn those notes, Sa'id, if you know that to be the right thing to do. But do not believe that it is I that saved you. You saved yourself. I am just honored that you chose to speak to me of this first."
Fellus rises slowly back to his feet. "I find that my greatest regret in going to face what is certainly my doom, is that I will not be here to see you become the man you are turning into. I should like very much to watch you grow. I think it will be into something special."
He gestures to the door, "Should we return to the others? Gully has a nice fire burning right now..."
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The Sunmaster comforts...
"I only hope," Sa'id replies, fighting back tears, "that I will one day be able to help someone, lend strength, be a worthy guide, as you and Cadfael have done for me."
"But it isn't enough to simply throw these notes into the fire. Even that is too passive." He nods, seemingly to himself. "Yes, altogether too passive." The necromancer murmurs a few quiet words [Prestidigitation], and when snaps his fingers, a spark leaps from between them to the bone-dry papers in his other hand. The light instantly and begin to burn, the acrid smoke rising in soft wisps.
"Now I can throw them in the fire," he says. "Now that I have started the process, I can let Gully's fire complete it." Sa'id grins suddenly. "If I didn't, I suppose I'd burn my hands." He opens the door for the priest with his free hand, and then walks slowly to the fire, carefully shielding the burning papers so that the fire doesn't go out. He ignores the strange looks of his comrades. Extending an arm, he holds the papers over the fire, then releases his grip. They drift downward, the flames licking up at them almost lazily.
Sa'id breathes a sigh of relief. "I did it," he murmurs to himself. "I have taken a step back from the cliff."
OOC: My character sheet on Sakeriver isn't up to date yet. I'll try to have that done by the weekend.